Diversity across major and candidate genes in European local pig breeds

The aim of this work was to analyse the distribution of causal and candidate mutations associated to relevant productive traits in twenty local European pig breeds. Also, the potential of the SNP panel employed for elucidating the genetic structure and relationships among breeds was evaluated. Most relevant genes and mutations associated with pig morphological, productive, meat quality, reproductive and disease resistance traits were prioritized and analyzed in a maximum of 47 blood samples from each of the breeds (Alentejana, Apulo-Calabrese, Basque, Bísara, Majorcan Black, Black Slavonian (Crna slavonska), Casertana, Cinta Senese, Gascon, Iberian, Krskopolje (Krskopoljski), Lithuanian indigenous wattle, Lithuanian White Old Type, Mora Romagnola, Moravka, Nero Siciliano, Sarda, Schwa-bisch-Hallisches Schwein (Swabian Hall pig), Swallow-Bellied Mangalitsa and Turopolje). We successfully analyzed allelic variation in 39 polymorphisms, located in 33 candidate genes. Results provide relevant information regarding genetic diversity and segregation of SNPs associated to production and quality traits. Coat color and morphological trait-genes that show low level of segregation, and fixed SNPs may be useful for traceability. On the other hand, we detected SNPs which may be useful for association studies as well as breeding programs. For instance, we observed predominance of alleles that might be unfavorable for disease resistance and boar taint in most breeds and segregation of many alleles involved in meat quality, fatness and growth traits. Overall, these findings provide a detailed catalogue of segregating candidate SNPs in 20 European local pig breeds that may be useful for traceability purposes, for association studies and for breeding schemes. Population genetic analyses based on these candidate genes are able to uncover some clues regarding the hidden genetic substructure of these populations, as the extreme genetic closeness between Iberian and Alentejana breeds and an uneven admixture of the breeds studied. The results are in agreement with available knowledge regarding breed history and management, although largest panels of neutral markers should be employed to get a deeper understanding of the population’s structure and relationships

Diversity across major and candidate genes in European local pig breeds

The aim of this work was to analyse the distribution of causal and candidate mutations associated to relevant productive traits in twenty local European pig breeds. Also, the potential of the SNP panel employed for elucidating the genetic structure and relationships among breeds was evaluated. Most relevant genes and mutations associated with pig morphological, productive, meat quality, reproductive and disease resistance traits were prioritized and analyzed in a maximum of 47 blood samples from each of the breeds (Alentejana, Apulo-Calabrese, Basque, Bísara, Majorcan Black, Black Slavonian (Crna slavonska), Casertana, Cinta Senese, Gascon, Iberian, Krškopolje (Krškopoljski), Lithuanian indigenous wattle, Lithuanian White Old Type, Mora Romagnola, Moravka, Nero Siciliano, Sarda, Schwäbisch-Hällisches Schwein (Swabian Hall pig), Swallow-Bellied Mangalitsa and Turopolje). We successfully analyzed allelic variation in 39 polymorphisms, located in 33 candidate genes. Results provide relevant information regarding genetic diversity and segregation of SNPs associated to production and quality traits. Coat color and morphological trait-genes that show low level of segregation, and fixed SNPs may be useful for traceability. On the other hand, we detected SNPs which may be useful for association studies as well as breeding programs. For instance, we observed predominance of alleles that might be unfavorable for disease resistance and boar taint in most breeds and segregation of many alleles involved in meat quality, fatness and growth traits. Overall, these findings provide a detailed catalogue of segregating candidate SNPs in 20 European local pig breeds that may be useful for traceability purposes, for association studies and for breeding schemes. Population genetic analyses based on these candidate genes are able to uncover some clues regarding the hidden genetic substructure of these populations, as the extreme genetic closeness between Iberian and Alentejana breeds and an uneven admixture of the breeds studied. The results are in agreement with available knowledge regarding breed history and management, although largest panels of neutral markers should be employed to get a deeper understanding of the population's structure and relationships

Bridging Micro- and Macro- Evolution In Tropical Fishes

In marine environments, barriers to dispersal can be challenging to identify because they are often cryptic. Unlike terrestrial environments, where a mountain chain that is visible can physically separate two populations of animals, vast masses of water in the ocean make it challenging to pinpoint these barriers. Therefore, the impact of these barriers on the formation of new species in the ocean is still not well understood. While most marine populations have long been considered to be well connected via long-distance dispersal, molecular ecology studies are increasingly unveiling inconspicuous barriers that promote population divergence and ultimately speciation. The advent of genomic techniques that allow the generation of data for thousands of genes has provided an unprecedented opportunity to uncover marine barriers that were previously invisible using more rudimentary tools. This, in turn, has opened new avenues for understanding of how barriers to dispersal affect population connectivity in the marine environment. The overarching goal of my dissertation is to use genome-wide data to look for genetic patterns that correspond to such barriers, and to test for their effect at short-, intermediate- and long-term evolutionary scales, going through a continuum from micro- to macro-evolution, in a time span from thousands to millions of years. At the short-scale, I examined two controversial cases of species delimitation. Species delimitation is a major question in biology and is essential for adequate management of organismal diversity. The first challenging case involves the red snappers in the Western Atlantic. Red snappers have been traditionally recognized as two separate species based on morphology: Lutjanus campechanus (northern red snapper) and L. purpureus (southern red snapper). However, recent genetic studies using few molecular markers failed to delineate these nominal species, lumping the northern and southern populations into a single species (L. campechanus). To evaluate if the populations of these fish represent one or two species, my project applied ca. 40,000 genome-wide markers of 178 individuals collected throughout the range of the two species and population and species delimitation analyses. Overall, my results supported the isolation and differentiation of these species, a result that confirmed the morphology-based delimitation scenario, highlighting the benefits of using genome-wide data in complex cases of species delimitation (Chapter I, published in Proc. Roy. Soc. B in 2019). The second study case involves a species complex of silverside fishes (Chirostoma humboltianum group: Atherinidae) in the Central Mexico plateau. The humboltianum group represents a taxonomically-controversial species complex where previous morphological and molecular studies based on a few genes produced conflicting species delineation scenarios. I applied an integrative approach that considered multiple lines of evidence to investigate the species numbers and boundaries comprising this contentious group. I used ca. 33,000 molecular markers for 77 individuals representing the nine nominal species in the group, spanning their distribution range in the central Mexico plateau, in combination with morphologic and ecologic information. My findings are inconsistent with the morphospecies and ecological delimitation scenarios, identifying three to four species. This study provides an atypical example in which genome-wide analyses delineate fewer species than previously recognized on the basis of morphological data alone. It also highlights the influence of geologic history as a main driver of speciation in the group (Chapter II, published in BMC Eco. Evol. B in 2022). At the intermediate- scale, I evaluated the influence of historical (e.g., geophysical events) and contemporary barriers (e.g., habitat gaps) hindering genetic flow among populations by studying the spatio-temporal phylogenetic concordance of co-distributed lineages. For this study, I investigated the comparative phylogeography of labrisomid blennies in the genus Malacoctenus. I generated data for ca. 28K genome-wide markers that were sequenced from over 500 individuals collected from 38 locations, representing 23 (out of 25) species of Malacoctenus. With this dataset, I assessed the effect of recognized historical (e.g., the rising of the Isthmus of Panama) and contemporary barriers (e.g., sandy gaps) in the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) and the Tropical Atlantic (TA) biogeographic realms. These blennies represent an ideal system to test the effect of such barriers as they are strongly associated with rocky habitats and coral reefs. Therefore, subtle habitat disruptions may lead to genetic isolation. At the micro-evolutionary scale, the observed population structure patterns identified the Sinaloan and Central American breaks as the major breaks in the TEP; and the Bahamas and Eastern Caribbean breaks as key barriers disrupting connectivity in the TA. All in all, the effect of these breaks varies across species, suggesting that species-specific traits (e.g., habitat preference), also greatly influence their dispersal capabilities. My study identified five instances where marine barriers promoted the diversification of independent evolutionary lineages that could potentially represent species complexes. Some of them supported by evidence of population differentiation from previous morphological analyses as well as by my geometric morphometric analyses. Major environmental variables driving population differentiation in the TEP are depth, temperature, chlorophyll altogether with spatial components, while in the TA suspended particle matter also influences diversification. At the long-term scale, my results suggest that depth is a primary driver of speciation in the TEP, leading to niche divergence between tide pool- and reef-associated clades. In contrast, in the TA, patterns of environmental association appeared more intricate, where depth, temperature, chlorophyll and physical features significantly contributing to speciation in this region. Finally, our time-calibrated analyses at macroevolutionary scales elucidated an Eastern Atlantic origin of the clade followed by an east-to-west dispersal. Although the historical break attributed to the rise of the Isthmus of Panama had a substantial influence on the evolutionary history of the genus, our analyses demonstrate that it did not triggered synchronous cladogenetic events. In summary, by using a combination of population genomics, comparative phylogeography, phylogenomics, seascape genomics, and geometric morphometric approaches, this study highlights major contemporary and historical barriers hindering population connectivity in the TEP and TA biogeographic regions, enhancing our understanding of the forces and processes generating new species in marine systems (Chapter III, to be submitted for publication). All in all, my thesis highlights that the use of genome-wide data provides unprecedented resolution to unveil patterns of genetic structure, commonly unraveling cryptic diversity, and the opportunity to address species delimitation problems. By uncovering the spatio-temporal genetic patterns of fishes along the evolutionary continuum, my dissertation provides novel insights into the evolutionary and biogeographic history of marine and freshwater Neotropical fishes. Overall, my dissertation not only helps to understand the evolutionary history of the species under study, but more generally, elucidate factors driving evolutionary process in the marine realm, ranging from population-level scales, to speciation, to higher level relationships among groups

Biosynthesis of soluble capsule precursors in <em>Staphylococcus aureus</em>

Most invasive pathogens produce polysaccharide capsules, which play an essential role in conferring protection against host immune defense. In the case of Staphylococcus aureus, most clinical isolates are encapsulated, and inhibition of capsule biosynthesis may offer a valuable strategy for novel anti-infective treatment. Despite their importance for pathogenicity, the biochemistry underlying the assembly of staphylococcal capsular polysaccharides is not fully understood. Three nucleotide-activated sugar precursors, synthesized in the cytoplasm of the cell, are required for S. aureus capsule production. In this thesis, the UDP-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine 4,6-dehydratases CapD and CapE of S. aureus serotype 5, which catalyze the first steps in the synthesis of the soluble capsule precursors UDP-N-acetyl-D-fucosamine (UDP-D-FucNAc) and UDP-N-acetyl-L-fucosamine (UDP-L-FucNAc), respectively, were purified and characterized. CapD is an integral membrane protein and was obtained for the first time in a purified, active form. Using a new, robust and sensitive capillary electrophoresis-based method for detection of the soluble capsule precursors, kinetic studies for CapD and CapE were performed, and a compound library was screened in search for enzyme inhibitors. Several active compounds were identified and characterized, including suramin (IC50 at CapE 1.82 μM) and ampicillin (IC50 at CapD of 40.1 μM). Moreover, the cell wall precursors UDP-N-acetylmuramyl-pentapeptide and lipid II appear to function as inhibitors of CapD enzymatic activity, suggesting an integrated mechanism of regulation for cell envelope biosynthesis pathways in S. aureus. A further aim of the present study was the elucidation of the pathway underlying UDP-D-FucNAc biosynthesis in S. aureus. Using the purified recombinant enzymes CapD and CapN, enzymatic in vitro synthesis of the soluble capsule precursor UDP-D-FucNAc was achieved for the first time. Furthermore, the role of the tyrosine kinase complex CapAB in the regulation of capsular polysaccharide production was investigated. The capsule biosynthetic enzyme CapE was identified as regulatory target of the CapAB kinase complex, and it was shown that tyrosine phosphorylation enhances CapE catalytic activity in vitro. Besides substantial progress in the understanding of capsule biosynthesis and the underlying regulation, the established in vitro systems provide the molecular basis for screening for potential anti-virulence agents

Human Practice. Digital Ecologies. Our Future. : 14. Internationale Tagung Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI 2019) : Tagungsband

Erschienen bei: universi - Universitätsverlag Siegen. - ISBN: 978-3-96182-063-4Aus dem Inhalt: Track 1: Produktion & Cyber-Physische Systeme Requirements and a Meta Model for Exchanging Additive Manufacturing Capacities Service Systems, Smart Service Systems and Cyber- Physical Systems—What’s the difference? Towards a Unified Terminology Developing an Industrial IoT Platform – Trade-off between Horizontal and Vertical Approaches Machine Learning und Complex Event Processing: Effiziente Echtzeitauswertung am Beispiel Smart Factory Sensor retrofit for a coffee machine as condition monitoring and predictive maintenance use case Stakeholder-Analyse zum Einsatz IIoT-basierter Frischeinformationen in der Lebensmittelindustrie Towards a Framework for Predictive Maintenance Strategies in Mechanical Engineering - A Method-Oriented Literature Analysis Development of a matching platform for the requirement-oriented selection of cyber physical systems for SMEs Track 2: Logistic Analytics An Empirical Study of Customers’ Behavioral Intention to Use Ridepooling Services – An Extension of the Technology Acceptance Model Modeling Delay Propagation and Transmission in Railway Networks What is the impact of company specific adjustments on the acceptance and diffusion of logistic standards? Robust Route Planning in Intermodal Urban Traffic Track 3: Unternehmensmodellierung & Informationssystemgestaltung (Enterprise Modelling & Information Systems Design) Work System Modeling Method with Different Levels of Specificity and Rigor for Different Stakeholder Purposes Resolving Inconsistencies in Declarative Process Models based on Culpability Measurement Strategic Analysis in the Realm of Enterprise Modeling – On the Example of Blockchain-Based Initiatives for the Electricity Sector Zwischenbetriebliche Integration in der Möbelbranche: Konfigurationen und Einflussfaktoren Novices’ Quality Perceptions and the Acceptance of Process Modeling Grammars Entwicklung einer Definition für Social Business Objects (SBO) zur Modellierung von Unternehmensinformationen Designing a Reference Model for Digital Product Configurators Terminology for Evolving Design Artifacts Business Role-Object Specification: A Language for Behavior-aware Structural Modeling of Business Objects Generating Smart Glasses-based Information Systems with BPMN4SGA: A BPMN Extension for Smart Glasses Applications Using Blockchain in Peer-to-Peer Carsharing to Build Trust in the Sharing Economy Testing in Big Data: An Architecture Pattern for a Development Environment for Innovative, Integrated and Robust Applications Track 4: Lern- und Wissensmanagement (e-Learning and Knowledge Management) eGovernment Competences revisited – A Literature Review on necessary Competences in a Digitalized Public Sector Say Hello to Your New Automated Tutor – A Structured Literature Review on Pedagogical Conversational Agents Teaching the Digital Transformation of Business Processes: Design of a Simulation Game for Information Systems Education Conceptualizing Immersion for Individual Learning in Virtual Reality Designing a Flipped Classroom Course – a Process Model The Influence of Risk-Taking on Knowledge Exchange and Combination Gamified Feedback durch Avatare im Mobile Learning Alexa, Can You Help Me Solve That Problem? - Understanding the Value of Smart Personal Assistants as Tutors for Complex Problem Tasks Track 5: Data Science & Business Analytics Matching with Bundle Preferences: Tradeoff between Fairness and Truthfulness Applied image recognition: guidelines for using deep learning models in practice Yield Prognosis for the Agrarian Management of Vineyards using Deep Learning for Object Counting Reading Between the Lines of Qualitative Data – How to Detect Hidden Structure Based on Codes Online Auctions with Dual-Threshold Algorithms: An Experimental Study and Practical Evaluation Design Features of Non-Financial Reward Programs for Online Reviews: Evaluation based on Google Maps Data Topic Embeddings – A New Approach to Classify Very Short Documents Based on Predefined Topics Leveraging Unstructured Image Data for Product Quality Improvement Decision Support for Real Estate Investors: Improving Real Estate Valuation with 3D City Models and Points of Interest Knowledge Discovery from CVs: A Topic Modeling Procedure Online Product Descriptions – Boost for your Sales? Entscheidungsunterstützung durch historienbasierte Dienstreihenfolgeplanung mit Pattern A Semi-Automated Approach for Generating Online Review Templates Machine Learning goes Measure Management: Leveraging Anomaly Detection and Parts Search to Improve Product-Cost Optimization Bedeutung von Predictive Analytics für den theoretischen Erkenntnisgewinn in der IS-Forschung Track 6: Digitale Transformation und Dienstleistungen Heuristic Theorizing in Software Development: Deriving Design Principles for Smart Glasses-based Systems Mirroring E-service for Brick and Mortar Retail: An Assessment and Survey Taxonomy of Digital Platforms: A Platform Architecture Perspective Value of Star Players in the Digital Age Local Shopping Platforms – Harnessing Locational Advantages for the Digital Transformation of Local Retail Outlets: A Content Analysis A Socio-Technical Approach to Manage Analytics-as-a-Service – Results of an Action Design Research Project Characterizing Approaches to Digital Transformation: Development of a Taxonomy of Digital Units Expectations vs. Reality – Benefits of Smart Services in the Field of Tension between Industry and Science Innovation Networks and Digital Innovation: How Organizations Use Innovation Networks in a Digitized Environment Characterising Social Reading Platforms— A Taxonomy-Based Approach to Structure the Field Less Complex than Expected – What Really Drives IT Consulting Value Modularity Canvas – A Framework for Visualizing Potentials of Service Modularity Towards a Conceptualization of Capabilities for Innovating Business Models in the Industrial Internet of Things A Taxonomy of Barriers to Digital Transformation Ambidexterity in Service Innovation Research: A Systematic Literature Review Design and success factors of an online solution for cross-pillar pension information Track 7: IT-Management und -Strategie A Frugal Support Structure for New Software Implementations in SMEs How to Structure a Company-wide Adoption of Big Data Analytics The Changing Roles of Innovation Actors and Organizational Antecedents in the Digital Age Bewertung des Kundennutzens von Chatbots für den Einsatz im Servicedesk Understanding the Benefits of Agile Software Development in Regulated Environments Are Employees Following the Rules? On the Effectiveness of IT Consumerization Policies Agile and Attached: The Impact of Agile Practices on Agile Team Members’ Affective Organisational Commitment The Complexity Trap – Limits of IT Flexibility for Supporting Organizational Agility in Decentralized Organizations Platform Openness: A Systematic Literature Review and Avenues for Future Research Competence, Fashion and the Case of Blockchain The Digital Platform Otto.de: A Case Study of Growth, Complexity, and Generativity Track 8: eHealth & alternde Gesellschaft Security and Privacy of Personal Health Records in Cloud Computing Environments – An Experimental Exploration of the Impact of Storage Solutions and Data Breaches Patientenintegration durch Pfadsysteme Digitalisierung in der Stressprävention – eine qualitative Interviewstudie zu Nutzenpotenzialen User Dynamics in Mental Health Forums – A Sentiment Analysis Perspective Intent and the Use of Wearables in the Workplace – A Model Development Understanding Patient Pathways in the Context of Integrated Health Care Services - Implications from a Scoping Review Understanding the Habitual Use of Wearable Activity Trackers On the Fit in Fitness Apps: Studying the Interaction of Motivational Affordances and Users’ Goal Orientations in Affecting the Benefits Gained Gamification in Health Behavior Change Support Systems - A Synthesis of Unintended Side Effects Investigating the Influence of Information Incongruity on Trust-Relations within Trilateral Healthcare Settings Track 9: Krisen- und Kontinuitätsmanagement Potentiale von IKT beim Ausfall kritischer Infrastrukturen: Erwartungen, Informationsgewinnung und Mediennutzung der Zivilbevölkerung in Deutschland Fake News Perception in Germany: A Representative Study of People’s Attitudes and Approaches to Counteract Disinformation Analyzing the Potential of Graphical Building Information for Fire Emergency Responses: Findings from a Controlled Experiment Track 10: Human-Computer Interaction Towards a Taxonomy of Platforms for Conversational Agent Design Measuring Service Encounter Satisfaction with Customer Service Chatbots using Sentiment Analysis Self-Tracking and Gamification: Analyzing the Interplay of Motivations, Usage and Motivation Fulfillment Erfolgsfaktoren von Augmented-Reality-Applikationen: Analyse von Nutzerrezensionen mit dem Review-Mining-Verfahren Designing Dynamic Decision Support for Electronic Requirements Negotiations Who is Stressed by Using ICTs? A Qualitative Comparison Analysis with the Big Five Personality Traits to Understand Technostress Walking the Middle Path: How Medium Trade-Off Exposure Leads to Higher Consumer Satisfaction in Recommender Agents Theory-Based Affordances of Utilitarian, Hedonic and Dual-Purposed Technologies: A Literature Review Eliciting Customer Preferences for Shopping Companion Apps: A Service Quality Approach The Role of Early User Participation in Discovering Software – A Case Study from the Context of Smart Glasses The Fluidity of the Self-Concept as a Framework to Explain the Motivation to Play Video Games Heart over Heels? An Empirical Analysis of the Relationship between Emotions and Review Helpfulness for Experience and Credence Goods Track 11: Information Security and Information Privacy Unfolding Concerns about Augmented Reality Technologies: A Qualitative Analysis of User Perceptions To (Psychologically) Own Data is to Protect Data: How Psychological Ownership Determines Protective Behavior in a Work and Private Context Understanding Data Protection Regulations from a Data Management Perspective: A Capability-Based Approach to EU-GDPR On the Difficulties of Incentivizing Online Privacy through Transparency: A Qualitative Survey of the German Health Insurance Market What is Your Selfie Worth? A Field Study on Individuals’ Valuation of Personal Data Justification of Mass Surveillance: A Quantitative Study An Exploratory Study of Risk Perception for Data Disclosure to a Network of Firms Track 12: Umweltinformatik und nachhaltiges Wirtschaften Kommunikationsfäden im Nadelöhr – Fachliche Prozessmodellierung der Nachhaltigkeitskommunikation am Kapitalmarkt Potentiale und Herausforderungen der Materialflusskostenrechnung Computing Incentives for User-Based Relocation in Carsharing Sustainability’s Coming Home: Preliminary Design Principles for the Sustainable Smart District Substitution of hazardous chemical substances using Deep Learning and t-SNE A Hierarchy of DSMLs in Support of Product Life-Cycle Assessment A Survey of Smart Energy Services for Private Households Door-to-Door Mobility Integrators as Keystone Organizations of Smart Ecosystems: Resources and Value Co-Creation – A Literature Review Ein Entscheidungsunterstützungssystem zur ökonomischen Bewertung von Mieterstrom auf Basis der Clusteranalyse Discovering Blockchain for Sustainable Product-Service Systems to enhance the Circular Economy Digitale Rückverfolgbarkeit von Lebensmitteln: Eine verbraucherinformatische Studie Umweltbewusstsein durch audiovisuelles Content Marketing? Eine experimentelle Untersuchung zur Konsumentenbewertung nachhaltiger Smartphones Towards Predictive Energy Management in Information Systems: A Research Proposal A Web Browser-Based Application for Processing and Analyzing Material Flow Models using the MFCA Methodology Track 13: Digital Work - Social, mobile, smart On Conversational Agents in Information Systems Research: Analyzing the Past to Guide Future Work The Potential of Augmented Reality for Improving Occupational First Aid Prevent a Vicious Circle! The Role of Organizational IT-Capability in Attracting IT-affine Applicants Good, Bad, or Both? Conceptualization and Measurement of Ambivalent User Attitudes Towards AI A Case Study on Cross-Hierarchical Communication in Digital Work Environments ‘Show Me Your People Skills’ - Employing CEO Branding for Corporate Reputation Management in Social Media A Multiorganisational Study of the Drivers and Barriers of Enterprise Collaboration Systems-Enabled Change The More the Merrier? The Effect of Size of Core Team Subgroups on Success of Open Source Projects The Impact of Anthropomorphic and Functional Chatbot Design Features in Enterprise Collaboration Systems on User Acceptance Digital Feedback for Digital Work? Affordances and Constraints of a Feedback App at InsurCorp The Effect of Marker-less Augmented Reality on Task and Learning Performance Antecedents for Cyberloafing – A Literature Review Internal Crowd Work as a Source of Empowerment - An Empirical Analysis of the Perception of Employees in a Crowdtesting Project Track 14: Geschäftsmodelle und digitales Unternehmertum Dividing the ICO Jungle: Extracting and Evaluating Design Archetypes Capturing Value from Data: Exploring Factors Influencing Revenue Model Design for Data-Driven Services Understanding the Role of Data for Innovating Business Models: A System Dynamics Perspective Business Model Innovation and Stakeholder: Exploring Mechanisms and Outcomes of Value Creation and Destruction Business Models for Internet of Things Platforms: Empirical Development of a Taxonomy and Archetypes Revitalizing established Industrial Companies: State of the Art and Success Principles of Digital Corporate Incubators When 1+1 is Greater than 2: Concurrence of Additional Digital and Established Business Models within Companies Special Track 1: Student Track Investigating Personalized Price Discrimination of Textile-, Electronics- and General Stores in German Online Retail From Facets to a Universal Definition – An Analysis of IoT Usage in Retail Is the Technostress Creators Inventory Still an Up-To-Date Measurement Instrument? Results of a Large-Scale Interview Study Application of Media Synchronicity Theory to Creative Tasks in Virtual Teams Using the Example of Design Thinking TrustyTweet: An Indicator-based Browser-Plugin to Assist Users in Dealing with Fake News on Twitter Application of Process Mining Techniques to Support Maintenance-Related Objectives How Voice Can Change Customer Satisfaction: A Comparative Analysis between E-Commerce and Voice Commerce Business Process Compliance and Blockchain: How Does the Ethereum Blockchain Address Challenges of Business Process Compliance? Improving Business Model Configuration through a Question-based Approach The Influence of Situational Factors and Gamification on Intrinsic Motivation and Learning Evaluation von ITSM-Tools für Integration und Management von Cloud-Diensten am Beispiel von ServiceNow How Software Promotes the Integration of Sustainability in Business Process Management Criteria Catalog for Industrial IoT Platforms from the Perspective of the Machine Tool Industry Special Track 3: Demos & Prototyping Privacy-friendly User Location Tracking with Smart Devices: The BeaT Prototype Application-oriented robotics in nursing homes Augmented Reality for Set-up Processe Mixed Reality for supporting Remote-Meetings Gamification zur Motivationssteigerung von Werkern bei der Betriebsdatenerfassung Automatically Extracting and Analyzing Customer Needs from Twitter: A “Needmining” Prototype GaNEsHA: Opportunities for Sustainable Transportation in Smart Cities TUCANA: A platform for using local processing power of edge devices for building data-driven services Demonstrator zur Beschreibung und Visualisierung einer kritischen Infrastruktur Entwicklung einer alltagsnahen persuasiven App zur Bewegungsmotivation für ältere Nutzerinnen und Nutzer A browser-based modeling tool for studying the learning of conceptual modeling based on a multi-modal data collection approach Exergames & Dementia: An interactive System for People with Dementia and their Care-Network Workshops Workshop Ethics and Morality in Business Informatics (Workshop Ethik und Moral in der Wirtschaftsinformatik – EMoWI’19) Model-Based Compliance in Information Systems - Foundations, Case Description and Data Set of the MobIS-Challenge for Students and Doctoral Candidates Report of the Workshop on Concepts and Methods of Identifying Digital Potentials in Information Management Control of Systemic Risks in Global Networks - A Grand Challenge to Information Systems Research Die Mitarbeiter von morgen - Kompetenzen künftiger Mitarbeiter im Bereich Business Analytics Digitaler Konsum: Herausforderungen und Chancen der Verbraucherinformati

Efficiency and Sustainability of the Distributed Renewable Hybrid Power Systems Based on the Energy Internet, Blockchain Technology and Smart Contracts

The climate changes that are visible today are a challenge for the global research community. In this context, renewable energy sources, fuel cell systems, and other energy generating sources must be optimally combined and connected to the grid system using advanced energy transaction methods. As this book presents the latest solutions in the implementation of fuel cell and renewable energy in mobile and stationary applications such as hybrid and microgrid power systems based on energy internet, blockchain technology, and smart contracts, we hope that they are of interest to readers working in the related fields mentioned above

Study of mitochondrial dynamics and function and autophagy and their relationship with cardiovascular complications in type 2 diabetes

La diabetes tipo 2 (T2D) es una enfermedad metabólica crónica de base inflamatoria cuya incidencia ha ido aumentando en los últimos años. Esta enfermedad metabólica también aumenta la predisposición a sufrir complicaciones cardiovasculares, que ponen en peligro la vida del paciente. Por ello, profundizar en el origen celular y molecular de la T2D facilitaría su prevención temprana y el retraso de las complicaciones cardiovasculares. En este contexto, esta tesis doctoral pretende describir algunas de las vías homeostáticas implicadas en la fisiopatología de la T2D en los leucocitos humanos. En concreto, se centra en el estudio de las alteraciones en la función mitocondrial, la inflamación, la autofagia y el estrés del retículo endoplásmico y su impacto en las interacciones leucocito-endotelio y en los marcadores de lesiones ateroscleróticas tempranas. Nuestra hipótesis es que las diferentes alteraciones fisiopatológicas de la diabetes tipo 2 afectan a la función de los leucocitos al perturbar la función mitocondrial y generar estrés oxidativo, estrés del retículo endoplásmico y activar la autofagia. Además, abordamos la influencia de diferentes enfoques terapéuticos, como el control glucémico, el tratamiento con metformina o el novedoso péptido antioxidante SS-31 dirigido a las mitocondrias, en esos mecanismos. Inicialmente, describimos que la autofagia, la producción de especies reactivas de oxígeno mitocondriales y las interacciones leucocito-endotelio están aumentadas en los leucocitos de pacientes con T2D. Curiosamente, encontramos correlaciones entre Beclina-1 y las interacciones leucocito-endotelio, lo que apunta a una regulación de la inflamación dependiente de la autofagia. A continuación, analizamos cómo influye el control glucémico en el grosor de la capa íntima-media de la carótida, un marcador de desarrollo temprano de la aterosclerosis, y su asociación con las interacciones leucocito-endotelio y la inflamación en pacientes con T2D. El control glucémico se mide por el porcentaje de hemoglobina glicosilada en sangre periférica, y se emplea en la práctica clínica habitual para evaluar la evolución de los pacientes desde el inicio de la T2D. Observamos que un control glucémico estricto es beneficioso para todos los parámetros medidos, lo que supone una estrategia terapéutica fácil y útil para la prevención de eventos ateroscleróticos. Paralelamente, describimos que el tratamiento con metformina puede mitigar las alteraciones de la dinámica mitocondrial en los leucocitos de pacientes con T2D. La metformina es uno de los tratamientos más prescritos y mejor descritos de la diabetes tipo 2. Entre sus numerosos efectos, inhibe la función del complejo I mitocondrial. Nuestros resultados coinciden con este dato y sugieren que la metformina ejerce un efecto protector sobre las mitocondrias, además de su conocido efecto hipoglucemiante. Como abordar la disfunción mitocondrial parece ser una terapia prometedora, nos propusimos determinar el efecto del SS-31. El SS-31 es un péptido antioxidante dirigido a las mitocondrias que puede amortiguar el exceso de especies reactivas de oxígeno gracias a su residuo dimetiltirosina. El tratamiento de leucocitos de pacientes con T2D con este antioxidante redujo la activación de la autofagia, el estrés del retículo endoplásmico y mejoró la función mitocondrial. El tratamiento con SS-31 también disminuyó las interacciones de los leucocitos con el endotelio, apuntando a una posible acción preventiva del SS-31 contra los eventos ateroscleróticos. En conjunto, estos resultados contribuyen a desentrañar los mecanismos que contribuyen a la fisiopatología de la T2D y sus comorbilidades cardiovasculares. También nos adentramos en los posibles efectos beneficiosos de diferentes enfoques terapéuticos como el seguimiento estricto del control glucémico o los tratamientos farmacológicos con metformina o SS-31 sobre la función mitocondrial y las vías homeostáticas celulares, proponiéndolos como posibles tratamientos antiateroscleróticos tempranos.Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a chronic metabolic disease with an inflammatory basis and whose incidence has been increasing over recent years. This metabolic disease also increases the predisposition to suffer cardiovascular complications, which endanger the life of the patient. Hence, delving into the cellular and molecular origin of T2D would facilitate its early prevention and the delay of the cardiovascular complications. In this context, this doctoral thesis aims to describe some of the homeostatic pathways involved in the physiopathology of T2D in human leukocytes. Specifically, the focus is set on studying the alterations on mitochondrial function, inflammation, autophagy and endoplasmic reticulum stress and their impact on leukocyte-endothelium interactions and markers of early atherosclerotic lesions. We hypothesize that the different pathophysiologic alterations in type 2 diabetes affect the leuckocyte function by disturbing mitochondrial function and generating oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress and activating autophagy. Moreover, we address the influence of different therapeutic approaches, as glycaemic control, metformin treatment or the novel mitochondria-targeted antioxidant peptide SS-31, in those mechanisms. Initially, we describe that autophagy, mitochondrial ROS production and leukocyte-endothelium interactions are enhanced in leukocytes from T2D patients. Interestingly, we found correlations between Beclin-1 and the leukocyte-endothelium interactions, which points to an autophagy-dependent regulation of inflammation. Next, we analysed how glycaemic control influences the carotid intima-media thickness, an early atherosclerosis development marker, and its association with the leukocyte-endothelium interactions and inflammation in T2D patients. Glycaemic control is measured by the percentage of glycated haemoglobin in peripheral blood, and is employed in usual clinical practice to assess the patients’ evolution since T2D onset. We observed that a tight glycaemic control is beneficial for all measured parameters, representing an easy and useful therapeutic strategy for prevention of atherosclerotic events. In parallel, we described that metformin treatment can mitigate the alterations in mitochondrial dynamics in leukocytes from T2D patients. Metformin is one of the most prescribed and best described treatments of T2D. Among its known pleiotropic effects, it inhibits the function of mitochondrial complex I. Our results are in line with this knowledge, and suggest that metformin exerts a protective effect on mitochondria, beyond its known hypoglycaemic effect. As tackling mitochondrial dysfunction seems to be a promising therapy, we aimed to determine the effect of SS-31. SS-31 is a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant peptide that can quench the excess of reactive oxygen species thanks to its dimethyltyrosine residue. The treatment of leukocytes from T2D patients with this antioxidant reduced the activation of autophagy, endoplasmic reticulum stress and improved the mitochondrial dysfunction. SS-31 treatment also diminished the interactions of the leukocytes with the endothelium, pointing to a possible preventive action of SS-31 against atherosclerotic events. Altogether, these results contribute to untangle the mechanisms that contribute to the physiopathology of T2D and its cardiovascular comorbidities. We also dive into the possible beneficial effects of different therapeutic approaches as the tight monitoring of glycaemic control or pharmacological treatments with metformin or SS-31 on mitochondrial function and the cellular homeostatic pathways, proposing them as possible early anti-atherosclerotic treatments

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