This introduction to the philosophy of science, authored by Philipp Frank, a prominent figure in the Vienna Circle and biographer of Albert Einstein, offers insights into scientific thought and its evolution. Frank's work, now rediscovered, explores key philosophical concepts and the relationship between science and reality, providing a valuable perspective on the foundations of scientific inquiry.
Microfluidics shows significant potential across various fields, including biology, chemistry, and medicine. Lab-on-a-chip technology offers advantages over traditional methods by enhancing reaction kinetics, minimizing reagent use, and enabling high throughput and parallelization. Achieving large-scale parallelization requires a robust control paradigm, where numerous devices are managed with minimal inputs. Despite the development of diverse microfluidic platforms utilizing various physical effects, many lack the capacity for direct feedback from the process liquid, necessitating complex off-chip control systems that impede integration and parallelization. This work introduces a microfluidic platform concept that employs the volume phase transition of stimuli-responsive hydrogels on-chip to actively switch between fluid streams in a discrete manner. This transition integrates sensing and acting functions into a single component. Smart hydrogels are used in a transistor-like device capable of making autonomous switching decisions based solely on the chemical content of a fluid, which carries molecular information. This chemo-fluidic transistor links the liquid's molecular composition to the system's fluidic behavior. By paralleling electronic principles, discrete circuits such as AND, OR, NOT logic gates are developed, leading to more complex modules like an RS flip-flop and a chemo-fluidic oscillator circuit. The latter de
Current studies predict that data traffic in mobile communication systems will exponentially increase in the next years. Consequently, mobile operators are confronted with enormous challenges, since the data capacity of future systems has to increase at a concurrent reduction of the costs per transported bit. It is clear that by extending the frequency spectrum alone the demand for higher data rates cannot be met, since the frequency spectrum is scarce as well as expensive. Therefore, a considerable increase in spectral efficiency will be indispensable for future mobile communication systems. In this book advanced transmission schemes for the fourth generation of mobile networks are proposed and their achievable performance is evaluated based on system level simulations, considering all relevant aspects of real systems. More precisely, enhanced multi-user (MU) multiple input multiple output (MIMO) schemes based on novel feedback methods for the downlink are studied, as well as various base station cooperation techniques for the uplink. It is demonstrated that with the proposed transmission schemes gains up to 60% in terms of average spectral efficiency may be achieved compared to the state-of-the art mobile communication standard Long Term Evolution (LTE).
Der vorliegende Band ist der erste monographische Beitrag zu einem von der Forschung lange vernachlässigten Thema. Im ersten Teil wird Fontanes Lyrik in Augenschein genommen, da der Dichter hier zu allen Leittechniken seiner Zeit Stellung bezogen und sein Technikbild kontinuierlich weiterentwickelt hat. Im Anschluss daran wendet sich die Untersuchung dem Journalisten und Reiseschriftsteller Fontane zu: zunächst während seiner Zeit in England, dann während seiner „Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg“. Denn auf der britischen Insel begegnete er dem technischen Fortschritt nicht nur in seiner konzentriertesten Form, sondern erlernte er außerdem eine neue Form der Wahrnehmung, die ihn fortan auch seine märkische Heimat anders erkennen liess: als aufstrebende Indu-strieregion. Im letzten Teil steht der Erzähler Fontane im Mittelpunkt. Gerade dessen Berliner Zeitromane spiegeln ein vielfältiges Bild der gesellschaftlichen Technikdebatte wider und belegen eindrucksvoll, wie die Technik im narrativen Zusammenhang immer wieder handlungsleitend funktionalisiert ist.
Joining the first 'Vienna Circle' in the first decade of the 20th century, with Hans Hahn, mathematician, and Otto Neurath, sociologist and economist, and deeply influenced by studies of Ernst Mach's critical conceptual histories of science and by the striking challenge of Poincare and Duhem, Frank continued his epistemological investigations.
The biography delves into the life of the renowned physicist, exploring his formative years, intellectual development, and groundbreaking theories. It covers his early education, the evolution of his revolutionary ideas on relativity, and his academic journey through cities like Bern, Prague, and Berlin. The book also highlights Einstein's role as a public figure, his political views, and his responses to anti-Semitism and global events. Rich in historical context, it provides insight into both his scientific contributions and personal experiences across various cultures.