Institute of Electronic Business

Meta-analyses confirm a negative relationship between aggressive behavior and empathy, that is, the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. Based on theoretical considerations, it was, therefore, hypothesized that a lack of empathic responsiveness may be characteristic for cyberbullies in particular. In the present study, 2.070 students of Luxembourg secondary schools completed an online survey that included a cyberbullying questionnaire(4) and a novel empathy short scale. According to the main hypothesis, analyses of variances indicated that cyberbullies demonstrated less empathic responsiveness than non-cyberbullies. In addition, cyberbullies were also more afraid of becoming victims of cyberbullying. The findings confirm and substantially extend the research on the relationship between empathy and aggressive behavior. From an educational point of view, the present findings suggest that training of empathy skills might be an important tool to decrease cyberbullying.

Colorectal cancer progression is intrinsically linked to stepwise deregulation of the intestinal differentiation trajectory. In this process, sequential mutations of APC, KRAS, TP53, and SMAD4 enable oncogenic signaling and establish the hallmarks of cancer. Here, we use mass cytometry of isogenic human colon organoids and patient-derived cancer organoids to capture oncogenic signaling, cell phenotypes, and differentiation states in a high-dimensional single-cell map. We define a differentiation axis in all tumor progression states from normal to cancer. Our data show that colorectal cancer driver mutations shape the distribution of cells along the differentiation axis. In this regard, subsequent mutations can have stem cell promoting or restricting effects. Individual nodes of the cancer cell signaling network remain coupled to the differentiation state, regardless of the presence of driver mutations. We use single-cell RNA sequencing to link the (phospho-)protein signaling network to transcriptomic states with biological and clinical relevance. Our work highlights how oncogenes gradually shape signaling and transcriptomes during tumor progression.

The advent of open innovation has intensified communication and interaction between scientists and corporations. Crowdsourcing added to this trend. Nowadays research questions can be raised and answered from virtually anywhere on the globe. This chapter provides an overview of the advancements in open innovation and the phenomenon of crowdsourcing as its main tool for accelerating the solution-finding process for a given (not only scientific) problem by incorporating external knowledge, and specifically by including scientists and researchers in the formerly closed but now open systems of innovation processes. We present perspectives on two routes to open innovation and crowdsourcing: either asking for help to find a solution to a scientific question or contributing not only scientific knowledge but also other ideas towards the solution-finding process. Besides explaining forms and platforms for crowdsourcing in the sciences we also point out inherent risks and provide a future outlook for this aspect of (scientific) collaboration.

Energy and utilities companies find themselves in a paradoxical situation in which their traditional business models are losing profitability, and they must advocate energy efficiency and climate-protection goals, and thus encourage their customers to save energy. As a result, they must partially cannibalize their business models and experiment with new models and techniques. Energy Informatics (EI) offers promising business opportunities that alleviate the concerns of energy companies about traditional revenue streams. However, recent discussions on this issue lack proof of concept and success determinants. This business case study fills this gap by describing the journey of German energy company Energiequelle, which established a sustainable business model based on EI. On the basis of our interview data, we analyzed Energiequelle’s EI strategy and stakeholder management and present six lessons learned. We believe that our practice-oriented research provides profound insight, especially to high-level executives and policymakers.

Abstract: The term “reverse innovation”, also known as “trickle-up innovation” is being popularized since 2010 with an initial focus on corporate development and economics. In brief, reverse innovation refers to new ideas and solutions adopted and tested in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which subsequently spread to high-income countries (HICs). Reverse innovation very much applies to public health and wellbeing; indeed, a model for reverse innovation in global health has been proposed. Experience and lessons from reverse innovation in global health suggest system-wide benefits that arise from partnerships between LMICs and HICs. Further examples of reverse innovation in global health focus on integrated approaches to health and demonstrate potential for HICs. Intercultural and multilanguage competence are central elements for global partnerships to leverage reverse innovation as global innovation. Existing global product development partnerships have a high potential and should be expanded as platforms of global innovation hubs in health.

RATIONALE: Gas chromatography/electron ionization mass spectrometry (GC/EI-MS) is a well-established tool for the identification of unknown compounds such as new metabolites of xenobiotics. But it reaches the limits of confident structural assignment if it comes to stereoisomers. This work helps to overcome this difficulty by getting a deeper comprehension of composition of so far unspecific and also characteristic fragment ions in general and comparison among stereoisomers. METHODS: ]-trimethylsilyl (TMS) groups or chemical syntheses were systematically compared. The impact of stereochemistry on variations of relative abundances has been assessed by statistical comparison from repeated measurements. Additionally, characterization of m/z 318 with high-resolution MS using gas chromatography/quadrupole time-of-flight MS (GC/QTOF-MS) was performed. RESULTS: ) rarely arises from only one position in the molecule and composition of fragment ion signals is highly influenced by the stereochemistry of the A-ring at C3 and C5 of the steroid. Similarly, the formation of the characteristic fragment ion m/z 143 most likely consists of two different ways of formation. A possible structure for fragment ion m/z 318 was postulated. CONCLUSIONS: Stereoisomers showed differing fragmentation behaviors based on their configuration. These observations further illustrate that variations among stereoisomers in EI-MS fragmentation is no random underlying process but instead a pattern which needs to be understood in its complexity. This easily accessible technical approach can be applied on different molecule structures to further investigate the field of isomeric assignment in GC/EI-MS.

Targeted oncogene inactivation by small molecule inhibitors can be very effective but tumor recurrence is a frequent problem in the clinic. Therapy by inactivation of the cancer‐driving oncogene in transplanted tumors was shown to be augmented in the presence of T cells. However, these experiments did not take into account the long‐term, usually tolerogenic, interaction of de novo malignancies with the immune system. Here, we employed mice, in which SV40 large T (Tag) and firefly luciferase (Luc) as fusion protein (TagLuc) could be regulated with the Tet‐on system and upon activation resulted in tumors after a long latency. TagLuc inactivation induced profound tumor regression, demonstrating sustained oncogene addiction. While tumor relapse after TagLuc inactivation was prevented in immunocompetent mice bearing transplanted tumors, autochthonous tumors relapsed or recurred after therapy discontinuation indicating that the immune system that coevolved with the malignancy over an extended period of time lost the potency to mount an efficient anti‐tumor immune response. By contrast, adoptively transferred CD8 + T cells targeting the cancer‐driving oncogene eradicated recurrent autochthonous tumors, highlighting a suitable therapy option in a clinically relevant model.

Aquatic macrophytes have a recognized role in ecosystem structuring and an important position in trophic cascades interactions, whose understanding is to improve water quality. In recent years, the number of studies on the role of aquatic macrophytes in trophic webs and interactions has increased, but South America has made little progress in research in the area. In this study, we investigated the main gaps and perspectives for future studies on macrophytes and trophic interactions, analyzing global publications, especially those conducted by South American researchers. We accessed publications using an international database (Thomson Reuters ISI-Web of Knowledge-(formerly Institute for Scientific Information)) from 1980 to 2015. We ranked each article by ecosystem and study approach, biological organization and interacting taxonomic groups (phytoplankton, periphyton, zooplankton, aquatic invertebrates, fish and birds), countries publishing in cooperation and affiliations. The results showed that published studies (n = 242) emphasizing aquatic plants in trophic interactions increased in 35 years. Comparing the contributions of the 32 countries investigated, those from South America as first affiliation, had few publications (n = 26) and in cooperation (n = 7). The largest volume of articles indexed by the researchers dealt with the dynamics and structure of aquatic assemblages, webs and trophic interactions. Ecosystems such reservoirs and wetlands have received little attention. Large numbers of studies have encompassed community-wide aquatic approaches, including in South American studies, the interactions between macrophytes, zooplankton and phytoplankton were the second most studied interactions of all indexed articles. Knowledge about trophic cascade and interactions has been successfully enhanced in several countries with the purpose of restructuring communities and restore water quality of many ecosystems. In summary, we conclude that studies in the area of trophic interactions mediated by macrophytes may be directed in a way to attenuate international asymmetries, encouraging the increase of scientific productivity in South America.

This chapter identifies various levels of governance followed by a focus on the role of information technology (IT) governance with reference to information security for today’s electronic business (e-business) environment. It outlines levels of enterprise, corporate, and business governance in relation to IT governance before integrating the latter with e-business security management. E-business has made organisations even more reliant on the application of IT while exploiting its capabilities for generating business advantages. The emergence of and dependence on new technologies, like the Internet, have increased exposure of businesses to technology-originated threats and have created new requirements for security management and governance. Previous IT governance frameworks, such as those provided by the IT Governance Institute, Standards Australia, and The National Cyber Security Partnership, have not given the connection between IT governance and e-business security sufficient attention. The proposed model achieves the necessary integration through risk management in which the tensions between threat reduction and value generation activities have to be balanced.

The losartan metabolite EXP3174 exhibits angiotensin II receptor 1 (AT1R)-blocking properties, whereas the metabolite EXP3179 potently induces the activity of the insulin-sensititzing peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) as a partial agonist in vitro.. We investigated, whether hypertensive patients chronically treated with losartan exhibit sufficient plasma levels of EXP3179 to activate PPARγ in monocytes derived from losartan-treated patients. Hypertensive patients (n=9) treated with losartan (100mg/daily during at least the past two months), and control patients (n=7) with no chronic AT1R-blocking therapy were included. Blood was taken from all individuals and serum was prepared. Monocytes were extracted by negative isolation using a Dynal Monocyte Kit, followed by RNA-isolation and measurement of PPARγ target gene expression (CD36, ABC transporter G1 (ABCG1)) by quantitative real-time RT-PCR. Losartan-treated patients received 100mg orally, and serum was prepared 2, 4, and 6h after drug ingestion for HPLC-based determination of losartan and losartan metabolites (EXP3174/ EXP3179) in serum. Serum levels were standardized to measurements of purified compounds. Chronic treatment with losartan resulted in basal levels (24h after drug intake) of losartan, EXP3174 and EXP3179 of 382,5ng/ml, 97,0ng/ml and 164,2ng/ml, respectively. Levels of both, EXP3174 and EXP3179 were time-dependently enhanced in serum with a maximum 2h after drug intake (2619,6ng/ml, 980,9ng/ml, respectively). In order to evaluate the possible agonistic property of chronic EXP3179 serum levels on PPARγ, we determined the transcript levels of CD36 and ABCG1 as known PPARγ target genes. Gene expression was significantly upregulated in patients chronically treated with losartan by 5.26±1.55- and 188.54±56.92-fold for CD36 and ABCG1 (p=0.039, p=0.023 vs. control patients, respectively). This is the first clinical description of monocytic PPARγ-target gene regulation by chronic treatment with losartan, which likely is mediated by its metabolite EXP3179. Our data show that sufficient serum levels of EXP3179 are present under losartan treatment. PPARγ activation by AT1R-blockers may translate into synergistic beneficial actions in monocytes.

This chapter identifies various levels of governance followed by a focus on the role of information technology (IT) governance with reference to information security for today’s electronic business (e-business) environment. It outlines levels of enterprise, corporate, and business governance in relation to IT governance before integrating the latter with e-business security management. E-business has made organisations even more reliant on the application of IT while exploiting its capabilities for generating business advantages. The emergence of and dependence on new technologies, like the Internet, have increased exposure of businesses to technology-originated threats and have created new requirements for security management and governance. Previous IT governance frameworks, such as those provided by the IT Governance Institute, Standards Australia, and The National Cyber Security Partnership, have not given the connection between IT governance and e-business security sufficient attention. The proposed model achieves the necessary integration through risk management in which the tensions between threat reduction and value generation activities have to be balanced.

Modern machine learning (ML) models of chemical and materials systems with billions of parameters require vast training datasets and considerable computational efforts. Lightweight kernel or decision tree-based methods, however, can be rapidly trained, leading to a considerably lower carbon footprint. We introduce generalized convolutional many-body distribution functionals (cMBDF) as highly compute and data-efficient atomic representations for accurate kernels that excel in low-data regimes. Generalizing the MBDF framework, cMBDF encodes local chemical environments in a compact fashion using translationally and rotationally invariant functionals of smooth atomic densities weighted by interaction potentials. The functional values can be efficiently evaluated by expressing them in terms of convolutions which are calculated via fast Fourier transforms and stored on predefined grids. In the generalized form, each atomic environment is described using a set of functionals uniformly defined by three integers; many-body, derivative, weighting orders. Irrespective of size/composition, cMBDF atomic vectors remain compact and constant in size for a fixed choice of these orders controlling the structural and compositional resolution. While being up to two orders of magnitude more compact than other popular representations, cMBDF is shown to be more accurate for the learning of various quantum properties such as energies, dipole moments, homo-lumo gaps, heat capacity, polarizability, optimal exact-exchange admixtures, and basis-set scaling factors. Applicability for organic and inorganic chemistry is tested as represented by the QM7b, QM9, and VQM24 datasets. Due to its compactness, model training and testing times are reduced from 23 h to 8 min, implying a corresponding reduction in carbon footprint.

This chapter identifies various levels of governance followed by a focus on the role of information technology (IT) governance with reference to information security for today’s electronic business (e-business) environment. It outlines levels of enterprise, corporate, and business governance in relation to IT governance before integrating the latter with e-business security management. E-business has made organisations even more reliant on the application of IT while exploiting its capabilities for generating business advantages. The emergence of and dependence on new technologies, like the Internet, have increased exposure of businesses to technology-originated threats and have created new requirements for security management and governance. Previous IT governance frameworks, such as those provided by the IT Governance Institute, Standards Australia, and The National Cyber Security Partnership, have not given the connection between IT governance and e-business security sufficient attention. The proposed model achieves the necessary integration through risk management in which the tensions between threat reduction and value generation activities have to be balanced.Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.

This chapter identifies various levels of governance followed by a focus on the role of information technology (IT) governance with reference to information security for today’s electronic business (e-business) environment. It outlines levels of enterprise, corporate, and business governance in relation to IT governance before integrating the latter with e-business security management. E-business has made organisations even more reliant on the application of IT while exploiting its capabilities for generating business advantages. The emergence of and dependence on new technologies, like the Internet, have increased exposure of businesses to technology-originated threats and have created new requirements for security management and governance. Previous IT governance frameworks, such as those provided by the IT Governance Institute, Standards Australia, and The National Cyber Security Partnership, have not given the connection between IT governance and e-business security sufficient attention. The proposed model achieves the necessary integration through risk management in which the tensions between threat reduction and value generation activities have to be balanced.

This chapter identifies various levels of governance followed by a focus on the role of information technology (IT) governance with reference to information security for today’s electronic business (e-business) environment. It outlines levels of enterprise, corporate, and business governance in relation to IT governance before integrating the latter with e-business security management. E-business has made organisations even more reliant on the application of IT while exploiting its capabilities for generating business advantages. The emergence of and dependence on new technologies, like the Internet, have increased exposure of businesses to technology-originated threats and have created new requirements for security management and governance. Previous IT governance frameworks, such as those provided by the IT Governance Institute, Standards Australia, and The National Cyber Security Partnership, have not given the connection between IT governance and e-business security sufficient attention. The proposed model achieves the necessary integration through risk management in which the tensions between threat reduction and value generation activities have to be balanced.Request access from your librarian to read this chapter's full text.

Ein modemer Staat braucht eine moderne Verwaltung.

Ein Kernanliegen der Beyond Budgeting-Vorhaben ist die (Rück-)Gewinnung von Flexibilität und Adaptionsfähigkeit der unternehmerischen Entwicklung. So manifestieren die meisten Planungs-, Budgetierungs- und Hochrechnungsprozesse gleich auf zweifache Weise eine Steuerung bestenfalls durch den Rückspiegel:

This chapter identifies various levels of governance followed by a focus on the role of information technology (IT) governance with reference to information security for today’s electronic business (e-business) environment. It outlines levels of enterprise, corporate, and business governance in relation to IT governance before integrating the latter with e-business security management. E-business has made organisations even more reliant on the application of IT while exploiting its capabilities for generating business advantages. The emergence of and dependence on new technologies, like the Internet, have increased exposure of businesses to technology-originated threats and have created new requirements for security management and governance. Previous IT governance frameworks, such as those provided by the IT Governance Institute, Standards Australia, and The National Cyber Security Partnership, have not given the connection between IT governance and e-business security sufficient attention. The proposed model achieves the necessary integration through risk management in which the tensions between threat reduction and value generation activities have to be balanced.

the workshop "Mathematical Analysis for Mechanics (MA4M