Press Releases / Pressemitteilungen

Evidently Efficient: Self-organization of Informal Bus Lines in the Global South

Press release Tuesday, July 2, 2024, TUD Dresden University of Technology /// Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden (cfaed)

Published on Tue, 02 Jul 2024 in PRESS RELEASES

The picture shows a turbulent traffic scene in Africa (Ghana) with a crowded minibus taxi in the foreground. — Crowded Trotro in Accra, Ghana. Photo: @lucianf on flickr, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

[Deutsche Version unter read more]

Public transport systems vary widely around the world. Developed countries in the Global North usually have centrally-planned public transport systems with fixed routes and timetables. In contrast, in the developing countries of the Global South, making up more than 80 % of the world's population, public transportation is mostly provided by informal transport services featuring ad hoc routes, e.g. in the form of privately organized minibus services. Due to their seemingly chaotic operation, such informal transport services are often considered as inefficient from an outside perspective. Due to a lack of data a systematic comparison was not possible so far.

In a new scientific paper recently published in Nature Communications, Kush Mohan Mittal, Marc Timme and Malte Schröder from the Chair of Network Dynamics at TU Dresden analyze and compare the structural efficiency of more than 7,000 formal and informal bus lines across 36 cities and 22 countries. One of the central, surprising findings is that the routes of informal transport self-organize in a way that reaches or even exceeds the efficiency level of centralized services.

Branching Out: Understanding the Intricate Patterns of Diatom Silica Formation

Published on Thu, 07 Mar 2024 in PRESS RELEASES

A series of colourful patterns emerge from a single central seed, which is a young diatom valve. These grow outwards and form a halo of branches around the centre — A colourised image displaying the characteristic silica rib pattern of a nascent T. pseudonana valve. © PoL / Friedrich Group

By studying silica morphogenesis in diatoms, the Friedrich and Kröger groups at PoL have proposed a mathematical model to explain the formation of branching rib patterns.

The formation of minerals by living organisms is a widespread biological phenomenon. This includes bone, teeth, seashells, and also the cell walls of tiny microalgae, called diatoms, which are key contributors to global photosynthetic CO2 fixation and oxygen production. Yet, little is known about the physical mechanisms that shape their architecture, which often combines features on many different scales. Diatoms are unicellular alga found in all aquatic habitats, and produce intricately patterned cell walls made predominantly of amorphous silica (SiO2). However, the principles governing the formation of their silica patterns are still largely unknown.

Prof. Xinliang Feng is elected as a member of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina

Published on Fri, 01 Mar 2024 in PRESS RELEASES

Prof. Xinliang Feng, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics in Halle, is elected a full member of the Chemistry Division of the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.

[Press Release by Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics, Halle, March 01, 2024]

Prof. Xinliang Feng, Director at the Max Planck Institute of Microstructure Physics in Halle Halle and Professor at the Dresden University of Technology (TUD), has been elected as an ordinary member of the Chemistry Division of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Xinliang Feng was elected as a new member by the Division and the Presidium of the Leopoldina in a multi-stage process. Feng's future tasks will include providing scientific policy advice and contributing to politically and socially relevant issues.

Presseeinladung: Fachtagung „Mikroelektronik-Forschung in Deutschland: von den Grundlagen zur Anwendung“ 2024

Published on Tue, 13 Feb 2024 in PRESS RELEASES

picture of the entrance hall of CRTD building, Dresden. — CRTD Building, Dresden. Photo: Katharina Knaut

Ohne die forschungs- und geräteintensive Mikroelektronik gibt es keine Digitalisierung. Das Themenfeld ist branchenübergreifend Treiber von Fortschritt, Wettbewerb und Innovation. Eine zentrale Rolle bei Mikroelektronik-Innovationen nehmen in Deutschland – neben den außeruniversitären Forschungsinstituten und der Industrie – die Hochschulen ein: Sie erschließen neues Wissen und bilden den wissenschaftlich qualifizierten Nachwuchs aus. Die Fachtagung „Mikroelektronik-Forschung in Deutschland: von den Grundlagen zur Anwendung“ versammelt am 27. und 28. Februar führende Vertreter:innen von deutschen Hochschulen, Unternehmen und Verbänden in Dresden.

Eleven TU Dresden researchers amongst the most cited worldwide - four of them connected to cfaed

Published on Thu, 16 Nov 2023 in PRESS RELEASES

photo stripe with portrait photos of Xinliang Feng, Renhao Dong, Thomas Mikolajick, and Minghao Yu — Xinliang Feng, Renhao Dong, Thomas Mikolajick, Minghao Yu

[Based on a press release from TU Dresden, edited and shortened]

Once again, TU Dresden has been able to prove the quality of its research: Nine researchers working directly at TUD and two researchers stating TUD as their second affiliation are among the world's most cited researchers. This year, there are 6,849 researchers on the list of “Highly Cited Researchers” (HCR). Based on the number of citations, they are the world’s most influential researchers. Amongst these, 336 are researchers working in Germany. With eleven researchers entering the list, TUD is again one of the most highly represented institutions worldwide. Only 238 researchers worldwide are listed as “Highly Cited” in two different subject areas – including Prof. Xinliang Feng from TU Dresden in the fields of chemistry and materials science. Four researchers from this list are connected to cfaed (members and Associated Members).