An Open Invitation: VIA as a Field of Research

Vocal-Instrumentral-Ensembles, abbreviated as VIA, were a distinct format of late-soviet popular culture. Music groups carrying this label enjoyed tremendous success from the mid-1960s until the mid-1980s and have since become the object of a nostalgic revival. As a research subject, they offer important insight into cultural politics and the music industry of their time, as well as movements of negotiation, popularisation and canonisation of new sounds, aesthetics and performance techniques. This issue invites scholars to take a more active interest in the VIA’s musical and institutional qualities and offers first explorations into this multifaceted phenomenon

Measuring Web Site Information and Service Quality - An Extended Multi-Attribute Attitude Model

Information and service quality (ISQ) is a critical factor in the success of commercial web sites and is a well-researched areain Information Systems (IS) and Marketing. Our study develops an instrument that measures web site success by evaluatingISQ performance. We deploy a multi-dimensional conception of ISQ from IS literature that we use for measuring dimensionrelevance and performance perception according to Marketing research. Both are components of a linear compensatoryrelevance-weighting model. We extend this model by integrating a maximal performance norm and a normalizationprocedure for calculating an overall ISQ performance score, establishing a maximal perceived-performance gap. In addition,different web site usage contexts are linked to performance perceptions. The applicability of the approach is demonstrated inan empirical study examining the ISQ performance of a commercial web site (n = 226). Our instrument adds exploratorypower to existing measurement approaches and supports customer-centric web site design

PUBLICATION STRATEGY FOR JUNIOR RESEARCHERS: QUANTITY VS. QUALITY, THE FIRST AUTHORSHIP AND THE OPTIMAL NUMBER OF AUTHORS

A good publication record is one of the most important prerequisites of a successful academic career in IS. Despite the weight hiring and promotion committees place on it, the definition of a \u27good publication record\u27 especially for junior researchers remains unclear. Indeed, is it better to have one A-publication or three B-publications? Does being the third author on an A-publication have a bigger weight than being the first author on a B-publication? Should one strive to publish with as few co-authors as possible to demonstrate that one is capable of independent work\u27 Facing these ambiguities, young researchers are increasingly asking themselves about the choices they make with regard to their publication strategy. Equally, academic mentors have a strong interest in correctly setting incentives of their young protégés. If unaddressed, uncertainty regarding these issues is bound to interfere with the quality of the IS research and scholars\u27 job and life satisfaction. This panel proposal aims to offer a forum for discussion and clarification on these problematic issues. Specifically, the following topics will be raised: quantity vs. quality, value of the first authorship and optimal number of authors

Exploration of Adaptive Beaconing for Efficient Intervehicle Safety Communication

In the future intervehicle communication will make driving safer, easier, and more comfortable. As a cornerstone of the system, vehicles need to be aware of other vehicles in the vicinity. This cooperative awareness is achieved by beaconing, the exchange of periodic single-hop broadcast messages that include data on the status of a vehicle. While the concept of beaconing has been developed in the first phase of research on VANETs, recent studies have revealed limitations with respect to network performance. Obviously, the frequency of beacon messages directly translates into accuracy of cooperative awareness and thus traffic safety. There is an indisputable trade-off between required bandwidth and achieved accuracy. In this work we analyze this trade-off from different perspectives considering the consequences for safety applications. As a solution to the problem of overloading the channel, we propose to control the offered load by adjusting the beacon frequency dynamically to the current traffic situation while maintaining appropriate accuracy. To find an optimal adaptation, we elaborate on several options that arise when determining the beacon frequency. As a result, we propose situation-adaptive beaconing. It depends on the vehicle's own movement and the movement of surrounding vehicles, macroscopic aspects like the current vehicle density, or microscopic aspects

Protein Profiling of Primary Human Samples for Pathway Analysis and Patient Stratification

In recent years, scientific progress has led to the advancement of precision medicine, a novel therapeutic strategy. For this purpose, molecular investigation of patient-derived samples is a necessity. Genetic analysis has been the gold standard in this field for years. However, in a cell, proteins and their posttranslational modifications lead to differences in genotype and phenotype. Therefore, the use of genetic information as basis for treatment decisions does not always translate into therapeutic benefits. The integration of proteomic approaches to further elucidate pathophysiological mechanisms is essential. Protein analysis methods need to be flexible to be used in different sample types and provide high sensitivity as well as throughput to complement these novel therapeutic approaches. The recently emerging DigiWest technology allows for detection of numerous proteins and protein variants from a single sample. Here, the DigiWest workflow was adapted and modified for protein analysis from clinically relevant sample types, such as formalin-fixed or fresh frozen tissue extracts and blood samples. A novel serum-screening platform was designed and established. Through the integration of authentic antigens, the parallel detection of immunoglobulins against different pathogenic strains of coronaviruses was achieved. Furthermore, multiplexed protein analysis from minuscule formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded cervical punch biopsies by DigiWest was established. In vivo treatment effects of non-invasive-physical plasma, a novel therapeutic approach for treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, were evaluated and upon comparing results to in vitro cell culture experiments, general trends in treatment response could be confirmed. However, differences in protein expression profiles emphasize the need for molecular investigation of treatment effects in vivo. The potential of protein analysis of fresh frozen samples was explored by referencing snap frozen breast cancer biopsies. The multiplexed detection of several infiltrating immune cell markers by DigiWest as prognostic factor was established. A subset of co-expressed immune cell markers, revealing a positive influence on patient outcome was identified and induced changes in several pathways were detected. Overall, sample preparation, assay strategies and analysis tools were adapted to the multiplexed protein analysis of different human sample types via DigiWest and the unique potential of this approach was demonstrated

Advanced carrier sensing to resolve local channel congestion

Communication performance in VANETs under high channel load is significantly degraded due to packet collisions and messages drops, also referred to as local channel congestion. So far, research was focused on the control of transmit power and the limitation of the messages rate to mitigate the effects of high load. Few attention has been paid to the carrier sensing setup, i.e controlling WHEN the channel is indicated as clear. In previous work, we identified that the Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) as part of the carrier sensing is a very efficient way of controlling the spatial reuse under high load. The CCA threshold determines at which received power level the channel is sensed busy. In this paper, we propose a stepwise CCA Threshold Adjustment (CTA) depending on how long the packet has been waiting already for medium access. This basic and robust approach mitigates significantly the problem of local message queue drops and hence local congestion. The simulation study confirms the reduction of the average and maximum medium access delay as well as the prevention of message queue drops. Even under inaccurate CCA thresholds among the vehicles, fairness in medium access can be maintained by using CTA. In all cases, the awareness of each vehicle is dramatically improved within the safety-critical area of each vehicle

Percutaneous creation of direct intrahepatic portosystemic shunts - an alternative for failed TIPS creation

Introduction Direct intrahepatic portosystemic shunt creation is a feasible and safe alternative for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt creation. It needs equipment like endovascular ultrasound with restricted availability. We performed the procedure percutaneously with a common interventional armamentarium to make it more feasible. Methods Retrospective analysis of 8 percutaneous DIPS insertions between 2016 and 2020. Results The procedure was successful in 8/8 patients. There was no short-term death reported within 30 days. The longest reported patency is 5 years. Conclusion Percutaneous DIPS creation is a feasible alternative for failed TIPS. Percutaneously the procedure can be completed faster than conventional DIPS using only minimal puncture equipment. Level of evidence Level 4, Case Series

Ursachen der Gallebildung bei Opalglas

In dieser Arbeit werden die Ursachen der Bildung von Fluorgalle bei der Herstellung von Opalglas untersucht. An Hand von Tiegelversuchen kann gezeigt werden, daß Fluorgalle erst entsteht, wenn der Gesamtfluorgehalt des Glases einen Mindestwert übersteigt, in diesem Fall ist es ein Massengehalt von etwa 4 %. Die Entstehung der Galle wird auch durch niedrigere Schmelztemperaturen um 1000 °C begünstigt, bei längeren Schmelzzeiten und bei höheren Temperaturen tritt eine fortschreitende Auflösung der Fluorgalle ein. In einer bereits homogenen Schmelze bildet sich auch beim Abkühlen keine Fluorgalle mehr