In recent years, eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) has received huge attention in the area of explaining the decision-making processes of machine learning models. The aim is to increase the acceptance, trust, and transparency of AI models by providing explanations about the models' decisions. But most of the prior works on XAI are focused to support AI practitioners and developers in understanding and debugging. In this paper, we propose a user-centered explainable energy demand prediction and forecasting system that aims to provide explanations to end-users in the smart home. In doing so, we present an overview of the explainable system and propose a method combining Deep Learning Important FeaTures (DeepLIFT) and Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) to explain the prediction of an LSTM-based energy forecasting model.

Analytical chemistry plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety, quality, and authenticity of products and processes, e.g. in the food and beverage industry, pharmaceutical production, but also in forensics, diagnostics, and environmental sciences. One of its most powerful tools is mass spectrometry (MS) which allows scientists to selectively detect substances even at lowest amounts. Conventional MS techniques usually require extensive and complex sample preparation and additional separation procedures which make them time-consuming, resource-intensive and therefore costly. A novel approach known as ambient desorption/ionization MS (ADI-MS), offers a faster and more sustainable alternative by allowing direct analysis of samples in their original state. This dissertation presents the development, optimization, and application of a specific ADI-MS technique termed surface-assisted flowing atmospheric-pressure afterglow MS (SA FAPA MS). This method is based on a plasma-based ionization source in combination with functionalized sample carrier surfaces and enables rapid, preparation-free detection of small molecules in matrix-containing samples, e.g. in beverages, pharmaceutical products or even body fluids. One core goal was to improve the quantitative capabilities of SA FAPA MS as ADI MS in general faces challenges regarding signal stability and overall reproducibility. A key finding was that the choice of the sampling surface dramatically influences performance. Among the surfaces tested, cyano- and dimethyl-functionalized thin-layer chromatography (TLC) plates performed better than conventional supports such as glass or metal mesh. These surfaces enabled higher ion yields, better signal stability, and broader dynamic ranges, ultimately leading to detection limits down to the femtomole (fmol) range. The method was successfully applied to accurately quantify model substances in beverages and electronic cigarette liquids even when matrix effects were expected. Precision and accuracy were further improved by isotopically labeled standards. Further, the semi-quantitative detection of benzocaine in human saliva demonstrated the potential for biomonitoring and diagnostic applications. For the applications above, SA FAPA MS proves to be a fast, sensitive, and sustainable alternative to conventional MS methods. Minimal sample pre-treatment requirements, versatility, and high throughput make it very attractive for use in quality control, toxicology, diagnostics, and environmental monitoring where accurate results are required as quickly as possible.

Das Siegener Löhrtor-Schwimmbad, in den Fünfzigerjahren im Bauhausstil errichtet und seither der Ort, an dem die meisten Siegener das Schwimmen gelernt haben, genügt nicht mehr den Anforderungen an ein modernes Hallenbad: Es ist nur eine Frage der Zeit, wann es geschlossen und vielleicht sogar abgerissen werden soll. In dieser politisch ungeklärten und emotional bewegenden Situation hat eine Gruppe von Studierenden der Siegener Universität unter der Leitung der Professoren Ulrich Exner (Architektur) und Martin Herchenröder (Musik) das Bad architektonisch, klanglich, historisch und funktional untersucht und aus den Analyseergebnissen unter dem Titel "Spiegelungen" eine Performance entwickelt, die Architektur, Installation, Licht, Video, Musik und das allgegenwärtige Wasser in einen neuen, ungewohnten Zusammenklang bringt und in der jedes Element die anderen widerspiegelt - das spannungsvolle architektonische Ineinander von Innen und Außen, Lichtreflexe und Schallreflexionen auf Kacheln, Glas und Wasser, der Raum und sein Kontext in Video und Musik, und in allem die Geschichte und die Geschichten rund um diesen besonderen Ort, Erinnerungen und Träume, Erlebtes und Gedachtes, Gefundenes und Erfundenes. Die Performance ist hier mit Entwürfen, Skizzen, Fotos, Texten und mit einer vollständigen Video-Live-Aufzeichnung dokumentiert. (Link zum Video unter "Externe Ressource")

This dissertation project conducts a theoretically guided empirical analysis of how domestic societal factors – such as economic group interests and voter preferences – shape governmental positions on gas pipelines. It examines three major gas pipeline projects from the past 20 years - Nabucco, Nord Stream, and Nord Stream 2 – where EU member states displayed diverging preferences. The central research question is: Why do the governments of Poland, Germany, and France hold differing positions on gas pipelines? Applying the societal approach to governmental preference formation, which is rooted in domestic politics theories, this study argues that these differences stem from variations in the cost-benefit calculations of domestic business groups (material interests) and/or value-based, path-dependent expectations of voters (societal ideas) within each country. Additionally, it explores the conditions under which these societal forces prevail and shape governmental preferences. Since the Treaty of Lisbon (2007) and the introduction of Article 194 (Energy Chapter), energy policy has been a shared competency between the EU and its member states. While the EU regulates gas and electricity markets, renewable energy, and sustainability, individual states retain control over their energy mix and relations with non-EU suppliers. Consequently, national governments play a crucial role in pipeline politics, yet this dimension is often overlooked in academic research. Existing studies tend to focus on the economic aspect of supply and demand and geopolitical and security aspects of gas infrastructure, leaving domestic societal factors and governmental preferences underexplored. By analyzing these factors through within-case and cross-case comparisons, this study provides new insights into how domestic preferences in energy politics are formed. It demonstrates the critical role of societal factors in determining the success or failure of energy projects. Additionally, it highlights how historical trajectories and the interplay of economic considerations shape governmental decisions.