Trusted Computing für adaptive Automobilsteuergeräte im Umfeld der Inter-Fahrzeug-Kommunikation

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Sicherheit (Security) von Automobilelektronik, speziell der Kommunikation zwischen Fahrzeugen für Safety-Anwendungen. Hierzu wird die Absicherung der Kommunikation über digitale Signaturen betrachtet und eine prototypische Implementierung auf rekonfigurierbarer Hardware vorgestellt. Darüber hinaus wird die Absicherung der Kommunikationsplattform selbst über die Anwendung von Trusted Computing für rekonfigurierbare Systeme sichergestellt

Trusted Computing für adaptive Automobilsteuergeräte im Umfeld der Inter-Fahrzeug-Kommunikation

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Sicherheit (Security) von Automobilelektronik, speziell der Kommunikation zwischen Fahrzeugen für Safety-Anwendungen. Hierzu wird die Absicherung der Kommunikation über digitale Signaturen betrachtet und eine prototypische Implementierung auf rekonfigurierbarer Hardware vorgestellt. Darüber hinaus wird die Absicherung der Kommunikationsplattform selbst über die Anwendung von Trusted Computing für rekonfigurierbare Systeme sichergestellt

Debunking the myth that poor whites vote against their interests for Republicans

Recent years have seen the rise of the idea that poor whites in America have developed a tendency to vote for Republicans, who in general do not have their best interests in mind. Using National Election Survey data, Sean Richey, J. Benjamin Taylor, Jeffrey M. Glas and Junyan Zhu take a close look at this idea of ‘incorrect voting’, and find that poor whites actually tend to vote for Democrats – who do better represent their interests – around 75 percent of the time. They also comment that when poor whites do vote against their interests, this tends to be third party candidates, rather than Republicans

SARS-CoV-2 variants reveal features critical for replication in primary human cells

Since entering the human population, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2; the causative agent of Coronavirus Disease 2019 [COVID-19]) has spread worldwide, causing >100 million infections and >2 million deaths. While large-scale sequencing efforts have identified numerous genetic variants in SARS-CoV-2 during its circulation, it remains largely unclear whether many of these changes impact adaptation, replication, or transmission of the virus. Here, we characterized 14 different low-passage replication-competent human SARS-CoV-2 isolates representing all major European clades observed during the first pandemic wave in early 2020. By integrating viral sequencing data from patient material, virus stocks, and passaging experiments, together with kinetic virus replication data from nonhuman Vero-CCL81 cells and primary differentiated human bronchial epithelial cells (BEpCs), we observed several SARS-CoV-2 features that associate with distinct phenotypes. Notably, naturally occurring variants in Orf3a (Q57H) and nsp2 (T85I) were associated with poor replication in Vero-CCL81 cells but not in BEpCs, while SARS-CoV-2 isolates expressing the Spike D614G variant generally exhibited enhanced replication abilities in BEpCs. Strikingly, low-passage Vero-derived stock preparation of 3 SARS-CoV-2 isolates selected for substitutions at positions 5/6 of E and were highly attenuated in BEpCs, revealing a key cell-specific function to this region. Rare isolate-specific deletions were also observed in the Spike furin cleavage site during Vero-CCL81 passage, but these were rapidly selected against in BEpCs, underscoring the importance of this site for SARS-CoV-2 replication in primary human cells. Overall, our study uncovers sequence features in SARS-CoV-2 variants that determine cell-specific replication and highlights the need to monitor SARS-CoV-2 stocks carefully when phenotyping newly emerging variants or potential variants of concern

Defining and assessing industry 4.0 maturity levels–case of the defence sector

© 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Firms do not currently fully appreciate the complex characteristics of Industry 4.0 and as a result are uncertain about what it represents for them. In this study, an assessment model is developed to measure the level of implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies, around three dimensions: ‘Factory of the Future’, ‘People and Culture’, and ‘Strategy’. The ‘Factory of the Future’ is the main dimension and is composed of eight attributes: Additive Manufacturing, Cloud, Manufacturing Execution System, Internet of Things and Cyber Physical Systems, Big Data, Sensors, e-Value Chains, and Autonomous Robots. The study uses a defence manufacturing firm to develop, test and validate the model and report on 12 partners. We concluded that the focal firm has an Industry 4.0 maturity level of 59.35, above the sector average of 55.58. This research contributes by empirically developing a model and providing an analysis of major firms in the Defence supply network

A protein-truncating R179X variant in RNF186 confers protection against ulcerative colitis

Protein-truncating variants protective against human disease provide in vivo validation of therapeutic targets. Here we used targeted sequencing to conduct a search for protein-truncating variants conferring protection against inflammatory bowel disease exploiting knowledge of common variants associated with the same disease. Through replication genotyping and imputation we found that a predicted protein-truncating variant (rs36095412, p.R179X, genotyped in 11,148 ulcerative colitis patients and 295,446 controls, MAF = up to 0.78%) in RNF186, a single-exon ring finger E3 ligase with strong colonic expression, protects against ulcerative colitis (overall P = 6.89 x 10(-7), odds ratio = 0.30). We further demonstrate that the truncated protein exhibits reduced expression and altered subcellular localization, suggesting the protective mechanism may reside in the loss of an interaction or function via mislocalization and/or loss of an essential transmembrane domain.Peer reviewe

Change Management Communication for Retail Store Managers : An in-depth qualitative interview study on retail store manager communication during change processes

Background: In today's dynamic business environment, organizations face high pressure for change and adaptation. It is generally perceived that change is inevitable and many believe that change is an ongoing and never-ending process. The retail industry is a highly competitive sector, and thus it becomes paramount for organizations to successfully manage change. The subject of change management has been present for a long period, however, a remarkably low amount of research has been focused on change management for retail store managers. Therefore, this study aims to examine retail store managers' communication during change processes. Purpose: This study’s purpose is to create a comprehensive understanding of retail store managers’ communication during change processes. Moreover, to identify which elements should be prioritized by retail store managers communicating during change. Method: To achieve the purpose of this thesis, a qualitative interview study was conducted, and it consisted of seven semi-structured interviews with retail store managers. The thesis was guided by an inductive approach, and a thematic analysis of the empirical findings was utilized. Conclusion: This study found that retail store managers' communicational structure was similar as it was based on the same elements, adaptability, selectivity, multiple channels, and prioritization. The structure enabled retail store managers to ensure that the communication was clear and open, thus minimizing employee stress and uncertainty. Continuing, the results indicated that retail store managers should prioritize certain communicational elements, for instance, clarity, openness, and long-run perspective