“What are they Thinking?” - Accessing Collective Intelligence in Twitter

In today’s social networks like Twitter and Facebook, each day millions of status updates provide a huge source of information on current sentiments of their users. However, still it is unclear how to structure problems in a way that they can be answered based on social networking activities. Facilitating an exploratory prototype, we tested the direct retrieval of user opinions during the FIFA World Cup 2010 in Twitter. Our findings based on an initial research framework suggest that using social networks can serve as an access point to collective intelligence. However, the experiment also showed weaknesses of the used approach. Therefore we discuss an updated research model based on our results which provides a foundation for future works

Discovery of an X-ray cavity near the radio lobes of Cygnus A indicating previous AGN activity

Cygnus A harbours the nearest powerful radio jet of an Fanaroff-Riley (FR) class II radio galaxy in a galaxy cluster where the interaction of the jet with the intracluster medium (ICM) can be studied in detail. We use a large set of Chandra archival data, VLA and new LOFAR observations to shed new light on the interaction of the jets with the ICM. We identify an X-ray cavity in the distribution of the X-ray emitting plasma in the region south of the Cyg A nucleus which has lower pressure than the surrounding medium. The LOFAR and VLA radio observations show that the cavity is filled with synchrotron emitting plasma. The spectral age and the buoyancy time of the cavity indicates an age at least as large as the current Cyg A jets and not much larger than twice this time. We suggest that this cavity was created in a previous active phase of Cyg A when the energy output of the Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) was about two orders of magnitude less than today.Comment: Letter submitted on 4 May 2012 to A&A, 4 pages, 4 figure

A Business Intelligence Perspective on the Future Internet

Business Intelligence aims at providing decision support based on available information and tailored to the recipient‟s context due to the level of aggregation and form of delivery. The future internet will dramatically broaden both the spectrum of available information and the user‟s possible contexts. Further, we do not only expect a quantitative dart but a qualitative switch which will require the application of new methods and paradigms. This paper‟s aim is to systematically analyse implications of the future internet on Business Intelligence in order to identify possible perspectives, chances and risks for BI and vice versa by summarizing and categorizing current research

How frequent are close supermassive binary black holes in powerful jet sources?

24 pages, 36 figures. © 2018 The Author(s) Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society This article is published and distributed under the terms of the Oxford University Press, Standard Journals Publication Model (https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/open_access/funder_policies/chorus/standard_publication_model)Supermassive black hole binariesmay be detectable by an upcoming suite of gravitationalwave experiments. Their binary nature can also be revealed by radio jets via a short-period precession driven by the orbital motion as well as the geodetic precession at typically longer periods. We have investigated Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array and Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) radio maps of powerful jet sources for morphological evidence of geodetic precession. For perhaps the best-studied source, Cygnus A, we find strong evidence for geodetic precession. Projection effects can enhance precession features, for which we find indications in strongly projected sources. For a complete sample of 33 3CR radio sources, we find strong evidence for jet precession in 24 cases (73 per cent). The morphology of the radio maps suggests that the precession periods are of the order of 10 6- 10 7 yr. We consider different explanations for the morphological features and conclude that geodetic precession is the best explanation. The frequently observed gradual jet angle changes in samples of powerful blazars can be explained by orbital motion. Both observations can be explained simultaneously by postulating that a high fraction of powerful radio sources have subparsec supermassive black hole binaries.We consider complementary evidence and discuss if any jetted supermassive black hole with some indication of precession could be detected as individual gravitational wave source in the near future. This appears unlikely, with the possible exception of M87.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Benefits and Challenges of Business Intelligence Adoption in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Leveraging information is a key success factor for companies. Over the last two decades BusinessIntelligence (BI) has evolved to become a foundational cornerstone of enterprise decision support.However, prior research shows that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in particular, lagbehind in the proliferation of BI. In this exploratory study we examine BI adoption within GermanSMEs in the state of Saxony (n = 214). We explore perceived benefits and challenges in their efforts toimplement BI. By applying cluster analysis to these results we suggest four types of BI SMEs, eachwith an individual profile concerning potential benefits as well as a certain set of challenges that areto be expected when it comes to adopting BI solutions. Results can create value for enterprises thatplan to implement a BI solution, BI consultants as well as BI suppliers

Versicherungsämter - Fokusgruppen: Expertise

Anlässlich des vom Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales (BMAS) im Jahr 2018 initiierten Zukunftsdialogs mit Bürgerinnen und Bürgern in verschiedenen Regionen Deutschlands wurde neben vielen anderen Aspekten das Bedürfnis nach einer leichteren Orientierung über staatliche Sozialleistungen, einheitlichen Anlaufstellen und kompetenter Beratung deutlich zum Ausdruck gebracht. Hierbei wurden insbesondere dezentrale Einrichtungen wie die kommunalen Versicherungsämter, aber auch die lokalen Niederlassungen der Rentenversicherung, der Arbeitsagenturen oder der Krankenversicherung angesprochen. Ausgehend von diesem Befund wurde im April 2021 eine erste explorative Studie zu den Versicherungsämtern vorgelegt. Diese Studie hat einerseits weiteren Forschungsbedarf, andererseits aber auch weiteren Diskussionsbedarf zur Gestaltung der Rolle der Versicherungsämter in der Zukunft aufgeworfen. Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Studie werden Gestaltungsmodelle für die Zukunft der Versicherungsämter als möglicher Pfeiler von flächendeckenden, ortsnahen und persönlichen Auskunfts- und Beratungsangeboten im Bereich der Sozialversicherung diskutiert. Dem vorgelagert waren Bemühungen, neben den Versicherungsämtern weitere für dieses Politikfeld relevante Gruppen in die Diskussion im Zuge von Fokusgruppen mit einzubeziehen, namentlich Versicherte, Sozialverbände, Sozialberatungsstellen, die Deutsche Rentenversicherung, die kommunalen Spitzenverbände sowie Landesministerien.On the occasion of the dialogue on the future initiated by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS) in 2018 with citizens in various regions of Germany, the need for easier orientation on state social benefits via one-stop contact points and competent advice was clearly expressed, along with many other aspects. In particular, decentralised institutions such as the municipal insurance offices, but also the local branches of the pension insurance, the employment agencies or health insurance funds were addressed. Based on this finding, a first exploratory study on municipal insurance offices was presented in April 2021. On the one hand, this study has raised the need for further research, but on the other hand, it has also raised the need for further discussion on the design of the role of the insurance offices in the future. The present study discusses design models for the future of insurance offices as a possible pillar of nationwide, local and personal information and counselling services in the field of social insurance. In addition to representatives of the insurance offices, efforts were made to include other groups relevant to this policy field in the discussion via focus groups, most notably insured persons, social associations, social counselling centres, the German Pension Insurance, the municipal umbrella organisations and state ministries