Het grote aantal spin-off bedrijven dat in de regio Twente actief is, was een van de belangrijke redenen om in Twente het Fraunhofer Project Center (of kortweg FPC) op te richten. Nu een aantal van deze bedrijven hun productie flink gaat opschalen, is het belangrijk dat zij daarbij volop gebruik kunnen maken van de kennis en expertise van de partners in het FPC op gebieden als productietechniek en precisie-assemblage. Sinds dit voorjaar ligt de coördinatie van dit laatste expertisegebied bij het lectoraat NanoPhysics van Saxion University of Applied Science. Het lectoraat NanoPhysics van Cas Damen houdt zich in het onderzoek bezig met de toepassing van chips in speciale producten, met name in sensoren. Daarbij richt het zich op chips die niet gebaseerd zijn op micro-elektronica, maar op fotonica, MEMS (micro-elektromechanische systemen) en microfluïdica. Onderwerpen van onderzoek zijn de aansturing en uitlezing van deze chips, het (grootschalig) testen ervan en de integratie in grotere eenheden (assemblage).
MULTIFILE
Promoting inclusive school cultures and, more specifically, addressing inequality of opportunity is high on the European education agenda. Equipping teachers to be able to identify and address inequality of opportunity requires them to develop sensitivity, multi-perspectivity and agency, and these are complex attributes that require personal experiences and deep reflection. Following the principles of design research, five Dutch teacher-researchers developed IQ110 - a game that does just that. It helps both beginning and experienced teachers reflect on the hidden mechanisms of inequality, particularly on the effects of socio-economic status (SES), and it stimulates them to ad-dress these mechanisms. In the card game, that is played by 3-5 teachers, each teacher first draws a persona card: each player becomes a pupil with a given SES-background. Then the players, in turn, draw situation cards. These situations have three possible outcomes, each resulting in getting green (positive) or red (negative) chips. For each situation the other players discuss the most likely scenario and thus determine the pupil’s score. The persona cards are based on Bourdieu’s ideas on economic, cultural and social capital. The situation cards and scores are informed by SES research.The impact of the card game, both in terms of outcomes and its driving mechanisms, is now the subject of a study, funded by the Centre of Expertise Urban Education of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. To this end, the canvasses on which the individual participants record their learning outcomes are analyzed, and there is a retrospective questionnaire that is filled in after having played the game.The preliminary results are promising: especially identifying with low SES pupils and feeling the accu-mulation of negative experiences raises teachers’ awareness. The participants report that through the individual and collective reflections afterwards they are better equipped to address the issue.In our presentation we would first like to briefly demonstrate the game and then discuss the results and possible implications and applications. As we are now working on an international version of the game, we would also like to discuss with you the game’s potential outside of the Dutch context.
DOCUMENT
Organs-on-chips (OoCs) worden steeds belangrijker voor geneesmiddelonderzoek. Het kweken van miniatuurorganen in microfluïdische chips creëert een systeem waarmee geneesmiddelonderzoekers efficiënt geneesmiddelen kunnen testen. OoCs kunnen in de toekomst een belangrijk instrument voor personalized medicine worden: door het kweken van patiëntmateriaal in OoCs kan dan worden bepaald welke interventies voor specifieke patiënten werken en veilig zijn. In de huidige praktijk worden cellulaire veranderingen in OoCs na blootstelling aan een geneesmiddel doorgaans gevolgd met visualisatietechnieken, waarmee alleen effecten van geneesmiddelen kunnen worden waargenomen. Voor bepaling van de voor geneesmiddelonderzoek cruciale parameters absorptie, distributie, metabolisme en excretie (ADME) is het noodzakelijk om de concentraties van geneesmiddelen en hun relevante metabolieten te meten. Het doel van AC/OC is dit mogelijk te maken door het ontwikkelen van analytisch-chemische technieken, gebaseerd op vloeistofchromatografie gekoppeld met massaspectrometrie (LC-MS). Hiermee kunnen ontwikkelaars van OoCs (de eindgebruikers van AC/OC) de voordelen van hun producten voor geneesmiddelonderzoek beter onderbouwen. Dit project bouwt voort op twee KIEM-projecten, waarin enkele veelbelovende analytisch-chemische technieken succesvol zijn verkend. In AC/OC zullen wij: 1. analytisch-chemische methodes ontwikkelen die geschikt zijn om een breed scala aan geneesmiddelen en metabolieten te bepalen in meerdere types OoCs; 2. deze methodes verbeteren, zodat de analyse geautomatiseerd, sneller en gevoeliger wordt; 3. de potentie van deze methodes voor geneesmiddelonderzoek met OoCs demonsteren door ze toe te passen op enkele praktijkvraagstukken. Het OoC-veld ontwikkelt zich razendsnel en Nederland (georganiseerd binnen OoC-consortium hDMT) speelt daarin een belangrijke rol. AC/OC verbindt kennis en expertise op het gebied van analytische chemie, OoCs, celkweek en geneesmiddelonderzoek. Hierdoor kan AC/OC een bijdrage leveren aan sneller en betrouwbaarder geneesmiddelonderzoek. Met de ontwikkeling van een minor ‘OoC-Technology’, waarin we de onderzoeksresultaten vertalen naar onderwijs, spelen we in op de behoefte aan professionals met kennis, ervaring en belangstelling op het gebied van OoCs.
Various companies in diagnostic testing struggle with the same “valley of death” challenge. In order to further develop their sensing application, they rely on the technological readiness of easy and reproducible read-out systems. Photonic chips can be very sensitive sensors and can be made application-specific when coated with a properly chosen bio-functionalized layer. Here the challenge lies in the optical coupling of the active components (light source and detector) to the (disposable) photonic sensor chip. For the technology to be commercially viable, the price of the disposable photonic sensor chip should be as low as possible. The coupling of light from the source to the photonic sensor chip and back to the detectors requires a positioning accuracy of less than 1 micrometer, which is a tremendous challenge. In this research proposal, we want to investigate which of the six degrees of freedom (three translational and three rotational) are the most crucial when aligning photonic sensor chips with the external active components. Knowing these degrees of freedom and their respective range we can develop and test an automated alignment tool which can realize photonic sensor chip alignment reproducibly and fully autonomously. The consortium with expertise and contributions in the value chain of photonics interfacing, system and mechanical engineering will investigate a two-step solution. This solution comprises a passive pre-alignment step (a mechanical stop determines the position), followed by an active alignment step (an algorithm moves the source to the optimal position with respect to the chip). The results will be integrated into a demonstrator that performs an automated procedure that aligns a passive photonic chip with a terminal that contains the active components. The demonstrator is successful if adequate optical coupling of the passive photonic chip with the external active components is realized fully automatically, without the need of operator intervention.
The traffic safety of cyclists is under pressure. The number of fatalities and injuries is increasing, and the number of single-bicycle accidents is on the rise. However, from a traffic safety perspective, the most concerning trend is the growing number of incidents between motorized vehicles and cyclists. In addition to infrastructural solutions, such as more segregated and wider bike lanes, both industry and government are exploring technological developments to better safeguard cyclist safety. One of the technological solutions being considered is the use of C-V2X communication. C-V2X, Cellular Vehicle-to-X, is a technology that enables short-range signal exchanges between road users, informing them of each other's presence. C-V2X can be used, for example, to alert drivers via dedicated in-car information systems about the presence of cyclists on the road (e.g. at crossings). Although the technology and chipsets have been developed, the application of C-V2X to improve cyclist safety has not yet been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, HAN, Gazelle, and ARK Infomotives are researching the impact of C-V2X (on cyclist safety). Using advanced simulations with a digital twin in an urban environment and rural environment, the study will analyze how drivers respond to cyclist presence signals and determine the maximum penetration rate of ‘connected’ cyclists. Based on this, a pilot study will be conducted in a controlled environment on HAN terrain to validate the direction of the simulation results. The project aligns with the Missiegedreven Innovatiebeleid and the KIA Sleuteltechnologieën, specifically within application of digital and information technologies. This proposal aligns with the innovation domain of Semiconductor Technologies by applying advanced sensor and digital connectivity solutions to enhance cyclist safety. The project fits within the theme of Sleuteltechnologieën en Duurzame Materialen of the strategic research agenda of the VH by utilizing digital connectivity, sensor fusion, and data-driven decision-making for safer mobility solutions.
