The De-Central Bank in Decentralized Finance: A Case Study of MakerDAO

Countless decentralized finance (DeFi) applications of the past years have suffered from the high volatility and speculative behavior surrounding their underlying crypto assets. While the academic debate has been flourishing in these areas, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) have not received as much attention. This is the case even though they could offer an opportunity to solve some of the underlying problems of existing cryptocurrencies and ecosystems, for example, by providing lower volatility and, thus, exchange rate stability. This paper presents an economic analysis of the MakerDAO, a DAO in DeFi. In doing so, we use a single case study methodology based on existing resources and expert interviews. It also uses monetary theory instruments to provide researchers and developers with insights into how DAOs are governed. Further, it serves to illustrate how IS research may support the development of future IT artifacts aimed at offering the infrastructure for DeFi applications

The Human Factor in Blockchain Ecosystems: A Sociotechnical Framework

As blockchain development continues at an ever-increasing pace, an increasing number of individual actors and organizations throughout entire economies get into contact with the technology. Furthermore, the growing collaboration of companies, customers, suppliers, and other actors is evolving into a multilateral network between the parties engaged with the technology. Therefore, to understand blockchain-based business models and innovations, it is necessary to understand human interactions within blockchain ecosystems. Consequently, this paper offers new insights concerning the role of human actors within blockchain ecosystems. For this purpose, the structure within and around the Ethereum-blockchain is analyzed using existing literature on the Ethereum ecosystem and Sociotechnical systems. The analysis results are then placed in their context and summarized in a framework for comparable ecosystems

UNDERSTANDING DATA TRUSTS

Finding ways to share data while upholding data sovereignty is a key issue to succeed in building the digital economy. One way to achieve this is to install data intermediaries – so-called data trusts – that facilitate this process. Their role is to orchestrate data sharing for organizations and individuals by ensuring that data sovereignty (i.e., the right to decide how data can be used) remains with the data provider. However, while the concept is promising, research on it is still in its infancy. The paper tackles exactly that issue as we collect data on data trusts (interviews and publically available information) and construct a general solution space for designing data trusts. With our research, we provide an overview as well as options for designing data trusts

Mobilität von Silber und Silbernanopartikeln in Böden

Der Einsatz von Silbernanopartikeln (AgNP) nimmt seit Jahren stetig zu, was eine umfassende Untersuchung möglicher Umweltauswirkungen erforderlich macht. Über den Klärschlammpfad können Silbernanopartikel in Böden eingetragen und von dort potentiell ins Grundwasser verlagert werden. Deshalb wurde die Mobilität von Silberionen (Ag+) und AgNP mittels Batch-Adsorptions-Experimenten untersucht. Die meisten untersuchten Böden weisen im Vergleich zu anderen Schwermetallen ein hohes Adsorptionsvermögen gegenüber Ag+ auf. Die Versuche geben Hinweise, dass die Mobilität der AgNP wesentlich höher ist als die Mobilität von Ag+

Überprüfung der Machbarkeit eines offenen und dezentralen Mobilitätssystems (OMOS)

The customer requirements for mobility systems are changing. Travelers increasingly expect a carefree travel experience with any starting or destination point ("Seamless Mobility as a Service") - and that with a single booking and billing for all means of transport used. In order to meet this need, the idea of ​​an open and decentralized mobility system is increasingly being discussed, which can integrate the offers of various mobility providers through a common, neutral system. Before such a system can take a concrete form, however, a clear understanding of the opportunities and risks as well as the specific requirements of end customers and mobility providers on such a system is required. The aim of this study is to identify and evaluate the general opportunities and risks of a corresponding system, as well as the general feasibility of the requirements placed on such a system. A multi-method approach was chosen for this purpose. This makes it possible to examine a holistic picture of the requirements of end customers as well as mobility providers and other stakeholders (e.g. technology providers). Records from a workshop with the (associated) partners in the OMOS project and the results of a literature analysis were used as the basis for data collection. To examine the end customer needs, two surveys were carried out with a total of 352 participants, whose questions were derived from practical workshops (survey I) and theoretical models (survey II). In addition, an interview study was carried out with 15 experts to discuss the requirements of various stakeholders, on the basis of which general topics in the field of seamless mobility were also asked

Molecular and immunophenotypic characterization of SMARCB1 (INI1) - deficient intrathoracic Neoplasms

The switch/sucrose-non-fermenting (SWI/SNF) complex is an ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complex that plays important roles in DNA repair, transcription and cell differentiation. This complex consists of multiple subunits and is of particular interest in thoracic malignancies due to frequent subunit alteration of SMARCA4 (BRG1). Much less is known about SMARCB1 (INI1) deficient intrathoracic neoplasms, which are rare, often misclassified and understudied. In a retrospective analysis of 1479 intrathoracic malignant neoplasms using immunohistochemistry for INI1 (SMARCB1) on tissue micro arrays (TMA) and a search through our hospital sarcoma database, we identified in total nine intrathoracic, INI1 deficient cases (n = 9). We characterized these cases further by additional immunohistochemistry, broad targeted genomic analysis, methylation profiling and correlated them with clinical and radiological data. This showed that genomic SMARCB1 together with tumor suppressor alterations drive tumorigenesis in some of these cases, rather than epigenetic changes such as DNA methylation. A proper diagnostic classification, however, remains challenging. Intrathoracic tumors with loss or alteration of SMARCB1 (INI1) are highly aggressive and remain often underdiagnosed due to their rarity, which leads to false diagnostic interpretations. A better understanding of these tumors and proper diagnosis is important for better patient care as clinical trials and more targeted therapeutic options are emerging

Unravelling homologous recombination repair deficiency and therapeutic opportunities in soft tissue and bone sarcoma.

Defects in homologous recombination repair (HRR) in tumors correlate with poor prognosis and metastases development. Determining HRR deficiency (HRD) is of major clinical relevance as it is associated with therapeutic vulnerabilities and remains poorly investigated in sarcoma. Here, we show that specific sarcoma entities exhibit high levels of genomic instability signatures and molecular alterations in HRR genes, while harboring a complex pattern of chromosomal instability. Furthermore, sarcomas carrying HRDness traits exhibit a distinct SARC-HRD transcriptional signature that predicts PARP inhibitor sensitivity in patient-derived sarcoma cells. Concomitantly, HRD$^{high}$ sarcoma cells lack RAD51 nuclear foci formation upon DNA damage, further evidencing defects in HRR. We further identify the WEE1 kinase as a therapeutic vulnerability for sarcomas with HRDness and demonstrate the clinical benefit of combining DNA damaging agents and inhibitors of DNA repair pathways ex vivo and in the clinic. In summary, we provide a personalized oncological approach to treat sarcoma patients successfully

Justify your alpha

Benjamin et al. proposed changing the conventional “statistical significance” threshold (i.e.,the alpha level) from p ≤ .05 to p ≤ .005 for all novel claims with relatively low prior odds. They provided two arguments for why lowering the significance threshold would “immediately improve the reproducibility of scientific research.” First, a p-value near .05provides weak evidence for the alternative hypothesis. Second, under certain assumptions, an alpha of .05 leads to high false positive report probabilities (FPRP2 ; the probability that a significant finding is a false positive

Scientific Opinion addressing the state of the science on risk assessment of plant protection products for in-soil organisms

Following a request from EFSA, the Panel on Plant Protection Products and their Residues developed an opinion on the science behind the risk assessment of plant protection products for in-soil organisms. The current risk assessment scheme is reviewed, taking into account new regulatory frameworks and scientific developments. Proposals are made for specific protection goals for in-soil organisms being key drivers for relevant ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes such as nutrient cycling, soil structure, pest control and biodiversity. Considering the time-scales and biological processes related to the dispersal of the majority of in-soil organisms compared to terrestrial non-target arthropods living above soil, the Panel proposes that in-soil environmental risk assessments are made at in- and off-field scale considering field boundary levels. A new testing strategy which takes into account the relevant exposure routes for in-soil organisms and the potential direct and indirect effects is proposed. In order to address species recovery and long-term impacts of PPPs, the use of population models is also proposed