Characterization of Relationships in Data Ecosystems

The importance of data as a strategic resource for the development of innovation is steadily growing. Data-driven value creation increasingly requires cross-company collaboration between various actors with different roles in so called data ecosystems. So far, however, the existing knowledge in the research field around data ecosystems is still relatively limited. In particular, the relationships and interdependencies between the different actors in a data ecosystem are not well understood yet. To address this research gap, we conduct a structured literature review and interview eleven experts from practice to identify characteristics of relationships between actors in data ecosystems. Among other things, the results show that both tangible characteristics, such as a clear exchange of values, and intangible characteristics, such as trust, are distinguishing features of the relationships between actors in data ecosystems. These study results can serve as a tool for both researchers and practitioners to better understand data ecosystems in general and the relationships and interactions that occur within them

A scalable scanning transfer cavity laser stabilization scheme based on the Red Pitaya STEMlab platform

Many experiments in atomic and molecular physics require simultaneous frequency stabilization of multiple lasers. We present a stabilization scheme based on a scanning transfer cavity lock that is simple, stable and easily scalable to many lasers at minimal cost. The scheme is based on the Red Pitaya STEMlab platform, with custom software developed and implemented to achieve up to 100 Hz bandwidth. As an example demonstration, we realize simultaneous stabilization of up to four lasers and a reduction of long-term drifts to well below 1 MHz per hour. This meets typical requirements, e.g. for experiments on laser cooling of molecules.Comment: Code available at https://github.com/LangenGroup/RedPitayaSTC

Long-lived electron emission reveals localized plasmon modes in disordered nanosponge antennas

We report long-lived, highly spatially localized plasmon states on the surface of nanoporous gold nanoparticles-nanosponges-with high excitation efficiency. It is well known that disorder on the nanometer scale, particularly in two-dimensional systems, can lead to plasmon localization and large field enhancements, which can, in turn, be used to enhance nonlinear optical effects and to study and exploit quantum optical processes. Here, we introduce promising, three-dimensional model systems for light capture and plasmon localization as gold nanosponges that are formed by the dewetting of gold/ silver bilayers and dealloying. We study light-induced electron emission from single nanosponges, a nonlinear process with exponents of n approximate to 5...7, using ultrashort laser pulse excitation to achieve femtosecond time resolution. The long-lived electron emission process proves, in combination with optical extinction measurements and finite-difference time-domain calculations, the existence of localized modes with lifetimes of more than 20 fs. These electrons couple efficiently to the dipole antenna mode of each individual nanosponge, which in turn couples to the far-field. Thus, individual gold nanosponges are cheap and robust disordered nanoantennas with strong local resonances, and an ensemble of nanosponges constitutes a meta material with a strong polarization independent, nonlinear response over a wide frequency range

Recent developments in openSMILE, the munich open-source multimedia feature extractor

We present recent developments in the openSMILE feature extraction toolkit. Version 2.0 now unites feature extraction paradigms from speech, music, and general sound events with basic video features for multi-modal processing. De-scriptors from audio and video can be processed jointly in a single framework allowing for time synchronization of param-eters, on-line incremental processing as well as off-line and batch processing, and the extraction of statistical function-als (feature summaries), such as moments, peaks, regression parameters, etc. Postprocessing of the features includes sta-tistical classifiers such as support vector machine models or file export for popular toolkits such as Weka or HTK. Avail-able low-level descriptors include popular speech, music and video features including Mel-frequency and similar cepstral and spectral coefficients, Chroma, CENS, auditory model based loudness, voice quality, local binary pattern, color, and optical flow histograms. Besides, voice activity detection, pitch tracking and face detection are supported. openSMILE is implemented in C++, using standard open source libraries for on-line audio and video input. It is fast, runs on Unix and Windows platforms, and has a modular, component based architecture which makes extensions via plug-ins easy. openSMILE 2.0 is distributed under a research license and can be downloaded fro

Tnfaip2/exoc3 ‐driven lipid metabolism is essential for stem cell differentiation and organ homeostasis

Abstract Lipid metabolism influences stem cell maintenance and differentiation but genetic factors that control these processes remain to be delineated. Here, we identify Tnfaip2 as an inhibitor of reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells. Tnfaip2 knockout impairs differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs), and knockdown of the planarian para‐ortholog, Smed‐exoc3 , abrogates in vivo tissue homeostasis and regeneration—processes that are driven by somatic stem cells. When stimulated to differentiate, Tnfaip2 ‐deficient ESCs fail to induce synthesis of cellular triacylglycerol (TAG) and lipid droplets (LD) coinciding with reduced expression of vimentin ( Vim )—a known inducer of LD formation. Smed‐exoc3 depletion also causes a strong reduction of TAGs in planarians. The study shows that Tnfaip2 acts epistatically with and upstream of Vim in impairing cellular reprogramming. Supplementing palmitic acid (PA) and palmitoyl‐L‐carnitine (the mobilized form of PA) restores the differentiation capacity of Tnfaip2 ‐deficient ESCs and organ maintenance in Smed‐exoc3 ‐depleted planarians. Together, these results identify a novel role of Tnfaip2 and exoc3 in controlling lipid metabolism, which is essential for ESC differentiation and planarian organ maintenance

S100A4 as a Target of the E3-Ligase Asb2β and Its Effect on Engineered Heart Tissue

Background: S100A4 has recently emerged as an important player in cardiac disease, affecting phenotype development in animal models of myocardial infarction and pathological cardiac hypertrophy, albeit it is unclear whether S100A4 exerts a detrimental or beneficial function. The goal of the current study was to analyze S100A4 expression in models of cardiac pathology, investigate its degradation by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), and furthermore examine the functional effects of S100A4 levels in a 3D model of engineered heart tissue (EHT).Methods and Results: S100A4 mRNA and protein levels were analyzed in different models of cardiac pathology via quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot, showing a higher S100A4 steady-state protein concentration in hearts of Mybpc3-knock-in (KI) hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) mice. COS-7 cells co-transfected with plasmids encoding mutant (MUT) Asb2β lacking the E3 ligase activity in combination with V5-tagged S100A4 plasmid presented higher S100A4-V5 protein steady-state concentrations than cells co-transfected with the Asb2β wild type (WT) plasmid. This effect was blunted by treatment with the specific proteasome inhibitor epoxomicin. Adeno-associated virus serotype 6 (AAV6)-mediated S100A4 overexpression in a 3D model of EHT did not affect contractile parameters. Immunofluorescence analysis showed a cytosolic and partly nuclear expression pattern of S100A4. Gene expression analysis in EHTs overexpressing S100A4-V5 showed markedly lower steady-state concentrations of genes involved in cardiac fibrosis and pathological cardiac hypertrophy.Conclusion: We showed that S100A4 protein level is higher in cardiac tissue of Mybpc3-KI HCM mice probably as a result of a lower degradation by the E3 ligase Asb2β. While an overexpression of S100A4 did not alter contractile parameters in EHTs, downstream gene expression analysis points toward modulation of signaling cascades involved in fibrosis and hypertrophy

Sex-Specific Associations of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in the General Population

The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was initially considered to be neuron-specific. Meanwhile, this neurotrophin is peripherally also secreted by skeletal muscle cells and increases due to exercise. Whether BDNF is related to cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is currently unclear. We analyzed the association of serum BDNF levels with CRF in the general population (Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-TREND) from Northeast Germany; n = 1607, 51% female; median age 48 years). Sex-stratified linear regression models adjusted for age, height, smoking, body fat, lean mass, physical activity, and depression analyzed the association between BDNF and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2peak), maximal oxygen consumption normalized for body weight (VO2peak/kg), and oxygen consumption at the anaerobic threshold (VO2@AT). In women, 1mL/min higher VO2peak, VO2peak/kg, and VO2@AT were associated with a 2.43 pg/mL (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16 to 3.69 pg/mL; p = 0.0002), 150.66 pg/mL (95% CI: 63.42 to 237.90 pg/mL; p = 0.0007), and 2.68 pg/mL (95% CI: 0.5 to 4.8 pg/mL; p = 0.01) higher BDNF serum concentration, respectively. No significant associations were found in men. Further research is needed to understand the sex-specific association between CRF and BDNF. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Sex-Specific associations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and cardiorespiratory fitness in the general population

The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was initially considered to be neuron-specific. Meanwhile, this neurotrophin is peripherally also secreted by skeletal muscle cells and increases due to exercise. Whether BDNF is related to cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is currently unclear. We analyzed the association of serum BDNF levels with CRF in the general population (Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP-TREND) from Northeast Germany; n = 1607, 51% female; median age 48 years). Sex-stratified linear regression models adjusted for age, height, smoking, body fat, lean mass, physical activity, and depression analyzed the association between BDNF and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2peak), maximal oxygen consumption normalized for body weight (VO2peak/kg), and oxygen consumption at the anaerobic threshold (VO2@AT). In women, 1mL/min higher VO2peak, VO2peak/kg, and VO2@AT were associated with a 2.43 pg/mL (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16 to 3.69 pg/mL; p = 0.0002), 150.66 pg/mL (95% CI: 63.42 to 237.90 pg/mL; p = 0.0007), and 2.68 pg/mL (95% CI: 0.5 to 4.8 pg/mL; p = 0.01) higher BDNF serum concentration, respectively. No significant associations were found in men. Further research is needed to understand the sex-specific association between CRF and BDNF. © 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland