Piracy of Digital Products: A Contest Theoretical Approach

In the following, we examine a market of a digital consumption good with monopolistic supply. In this market, it is the ability of the consumer to bypass (”crack”) the copy-protection of the monopolist which induces a lower price of the digital good, compared to an uncontested monopoly (textbook case). We analyze the complex relationship between the cracking efforts of the consumer, the copy-protection efforts and the pricing decision of the monopolist, and the welfare of the economy. We find, for example, that the monopolist will deter piracy if the (exogenous) relative effectiveness of the consumer’s bypassing activity is low compared to the copy-protection technology. In this case welfare is lower than the welfare in the textbook case. On the contrary, welfare rises above the textbook case level if the relative effectiveness of cracking is sufficiently high

Cigarette smoke-induced oxidative stress in COPD:Effects on mitochondrial function, the lipidome and glucocorticoid responsiveness in airway epithelium

Chronische obstructieve longziekte (COPD) is één van de belangrijkste doodsoorzaken, met een wereldwijde stijging in incidentie. Het is een progressieve longaandoening gekenmerkt door ernstige beperking in de luchtstroom. Glucocorticoiden remmen ontstekingsreacties, maar zijn bij COPD patiënten helaas weinig effectief en onderdrukken hier de onderliggende ontstekingsreactie in de longen niet goed. Wij veronderstelden dat langdurige blootstelling aan sigarettenrook leidt tot Glucocorticoid ongevoeligheid t.g.v. verhoogde oxidatieve stress en mitochondriale disfunctie in het luchtwegepitheel van COPD-patiënten. Dit proefschrift laat in vitro zien dat oxidatieve stress door sigarettenrook een mitochondriale dysfunctie en morfologische veranderingen in epitheelcellen veroorzaakt, en dat epitheelcellen van COPD patiënten dezelfde mitochondriale afwijkingen vertonen. Longepitheelcellen met inactieve mitochondriën kenmerken zich door minder gevoelig te zijn voor glucocorticoïden met betrekking tot het remmen van de ontstekingsactiviteit. Verder toont dit proefschrift dat remmen van het eiwit GSK3β, betrokken bij de regulering van verschillende mitochondriale processen, glucocorticoid-ongevoeligheid in luchtwegepitheel veroorzaakt. De inactieve vorm van GSK3β blijkt bij COPD-patiënten verhoogd aanwezig te zijn in luchtwegepitheel. Tenslotte laten we zien dat lipiden uit de sphingolipide route verhoogd aanwezig zijn in sputum van rokers met COPD in vergelijking met rokers zonder COPD. Dit is interessant omdat mitochondriën de vetstofwisseling reguleren en dit dus een teken kan zijn van verstoorde mitochondriële functie in het longweefsel van COPD patiënten. Samenvattend suggereren onze data dat een mitochondriale dysfunctie kan bijdragen aan de ontsteking in de longen en ongevoeligheid voor corticosteroïden bij COPD.Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of death today, with a worldwide increase in incidence. It is a progressive disabling respiratory disease characterized by lung inflammation, leading to airflow limitation and accelerated lung function decline. Corticosteroid treatment acts to suppress lung inflammation, however, clinically this treatment is not very effective in COPD. We hypothesized that long-term cigarette smoke exposure induces glucocorticoid unresponsiveness by inducing oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in airway epithelium of COPD patients. Results from this thesis show that cigarette smoke-induced oxidative stress induces mitochondrial dysfunction and morphological changes in airway epithelial cells in vitro, and that epithelial cells from COPD patients display similar mitochondrial abnormalities. Lung epithelial cells harboring inactive mitochondria displayed loss of suppressive effects of glucocorticoids on pro-inflammatory activity. Our data further demonstrate that inhibition of GSK3β, a redox sensitive protein also involved in regulating several mitochondrial processes, mediates GC-insensitivity in airway epithelial cells, and that levels of inactivated GSK3β are increased in airway epithelial cells from COPD patients. Additionally, we observed higher levels of lipids from the sphingolipid pathway in sputum of smokers with COPD compared with smokers without COPD. This is interesting because mitochondria regulate lipid metabolism and these changes may thus reflect mitochondrial abnormalities in the lung tissue of COPD patients. Collectively, the data from this thesis show that mitochondrial dysfunction may contribute to inflammatory processes and corticosteroid unresponsiveness in COPD

THE STRUCTURAL ANCHORING OF IS/IT INNOVATION MANAGEMENT: TOWARD AN ORGANIZATIONAL DESIGN THEORY

The importance of information systems and information technology (IS/IT) is growing constantly, reaching top positions on agendas of CEOs, which is fueled by current discussions about digitization and digital transformation. To gain or maintain competitive advantages, many organizations have started conducting systematic IS/IT innovation management. Empirical research has shown that cur-rent initiatives are still immature and unsuccessful. An analysis of the obstacles shows that a missing or inadequate organizational structure is one of the main challenges. Nevertheless, research on this issue is still scarce. This gap motivates our research, which aims to develop a design theory for insti-tutionalizing IS/IT innovation management. To derive our results, we conducted an exploratory inter-view study, comprising ten expert interviews. We identified eight meta-requirements for a successful institutionalization. We also found that there is no “one-fits-all solution”, therefore we present six design variants and formulate propositions about the implications of each variant for the fulfillment of the meta-requirements. As a next research step, we will initiate an evaluation cycle to increase our theory’s validity and utility. Our design theory helps practitioners to find the right variant for institu-tionalizing IS/IT innovation management and contributes to the nascent body of knowledge on IS/IT innovation management

Beyond Business-IT Alignment - Digital Business Strategies as a Paradigmatic Shift: A Review and Research Agenda

Since the 1990s, business-IT alignment has been considered the appropriate organizational frame for business and IT strategies. Thereafter, with the rising importance of innovative digital technologies for performance and competitiveness, the concept of digital business strategies (DBS) emerged. The fusion of business and IT strategies is presumed to account for the inevitable transformations that digital technologies triggered. This paradigmatic shift poses new challenges to practitioners and researchers, as current assumptions regarding strategizing processes need to be questioned. This study sets out to provide a structured clarification of the current digital business strategies knowledge base. It provides a threefold contribution by: 1) structuring the research efforts on digital business strategies, 2) uncovering knowledge gaps and 3) developing an agenda for future research

BALANCING ALIGNMENT, ADAPTIVITY, AND EFFECTIVENESS: DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR SUSTAINABLE IT PROJECT PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT

Environmental turbulence puts significant pressure on today’s IT organizations, forcing them to pro-actively respond to changing strategic trajectories and thus to conduct a multiplicity of projects in order to capitalize on emerging opportunities. Although many organizations employ institutionalized IT project portfolio management (IT PPM), they often fail to achieve the desired throughput, struggle with projects that run late, and miss short-term alignment to strategic changes. Further, traditional IT PPM establishes a long-term horizon, which contradicts the organizational necessity to react at short notice. This calls for the refinement of traditional IT PPM towards an aligned yet more flexible dimensioning that is able to adapt to its environment’s dynamism. We apply a design approach guided by activity theory (AT) to investigate a revelatory case, to explore an important phenomenon from a novel perspective. We then conduct a focus group, and perform an applicability check to evaluate and refine our suggestions. Finally, we propose three design goals and 12 design principles to address the issues that so often arise. Our research contributes to the nascent body of knowledge by providing a new analytical view on IT PPM and by suggesting recommendations for a significant problem in practice

Impact of Partial Power Processing Dual-Active Bridge Converter on Li-ion Battery Storage Systems

Partial Power Processing converters (PPPCs) provide economical and highly efficient solutions to integrate battery energy storages systems (BSSs) into DC grids. Beside these significant advantages, direct connection of the batteries by PPPCs to DC grids imposes challenges on the operation of batteries which need more evaluation. DC grid imperfections such as harmonics and faults may directly propagate into BSS and result in battery capacity fade acceleration and/or battery failure. In this paper, low voltage (LV) grid imperfection impacts are compared for conventional dual-active bridge (DAB) and Partial Power Processing DAB (PPP-DAB) converters. Both theoretical and experimental studies are carried out. The obtained results show that PPP-DAB exposes the BSS to high amount of current harmonics and safety issues

Cigarette smoke-induced oxidative stress in COPD:Effects on mitochondrial function, the lipidome and glucocorticoid responsiveness in airway epithelium

Chronische obstructieve longziekte (COPD) is één van de belangrijkste doodsoorzaken, met een wereldwijde stijging in incidentie. Het is een progressieve longaandoening gekenmerkt door ernstige beperking in de luchtstroom. Glucocorticoiden remmen ontstekingsreacties, maar zijn bij COPD patiënten helaas weinig effectief en onderdrukken hier de onderliggende ontstekingsreactie in de longen niet goed. Wij veronderstelden dat langdurige blootstelling aan sigarettenrook leidt tot Glucocorticoid ongevoeligheid t.g.v. verhoogde oxidatieve stress en mitochondriale disfunctie in het luchtwegepitheel van COPD-patiënten. Dit proefschrift laat in vitro zien dat oxidatieve stress door sigarettenrook een mitochondriale dysfunctie en morfologische veranderingen in epitheelcellen veroorzaakt, en dat epitheelcellen van COPD patiënten dezelfde mitochondriale afwijkingen vertonen. Longepitheelcellen met inactieve mitochondriën kenmerken zich door minder gevoelig te zijn voor glucocorticoïden met betrekking tot het remmen van de ontstekingsactiviteit. Verder toont dit proefschrift dat remmen van het eiwit GSK3β, betrokken bij de regulering van verschillende mitochondriale processen, glucocorticoid-ongevoeligheid in luchtwegepitheel veroorzaakt. De inactieve vorm van GSK3β blijkt bij COPD-patiënten verhoogd aanwezig te zijn in luchtwegepitheel. Tenslotte laten we zien dat lipiden uit de sphingolipide route verhoogd aanwezig zijn in sputum van rokers met COPD in vergelijking met rokers zonder COPD. Dit is interessant omdat mitochondriën de vetstofwisseling reguleren en dit dus een teken kan zijn van verstoorde mitochondriële functie in het longweefsel van COPD patiënten. Samenvattend suggereren onze data dat een mitochondriale dysfunctie kan bijdragen aan de ontsteking in de longen en ongevoeligheid voor corticosteroïden bij COPD

The Individual-Level Determinants of German Party Membership

Why do citizens join German parties? Do specific attributes and abilities play a determinant role in participation in political parties? The German Party Membership Study of 2009 enables us to answer these questions. On the basis of the telephone survey, we will address these issues by way of a systematic comparison of current party members with fellow citizens who never joined a party. For the purpose of analysing the individual-level determinants of joining a party, we use fundamental explanatory approaches to political participation: The socioeconomic standard model, the social-psychological approach, and the general incentives model. The results of our analyses clearly show that social-psychological attributes best explain the decision to join a party. Nevertheless, the findings for the determinants in both the socioeconomic standard model and the general incentives model complete the picture of citizens who are party members

Multiwinding Transformer Leakage Inductance Optimization for Power Flow Decoupling in Multiport DC-DC Converters

Isolated multiport DC-DC converters manifest some prominent advantages over usual multiple two-port DC-DC converters such as smaller holistic magnetics and higher power density. However, the operation of such a converter is tied to the power flow decoupling capability in the magnetic medium frequency transformer (MFT). This paper targets to optimize the decoupling between the multiwinding MFT ports by means of multi-objective optimization of the leakage inductance network. Three different multi-objective cost functions are proposed and solved by Genetic Algorithm (GA). The obtained results show that a winding topology where primary winding is sandwiched by the two secondaries and are tightly wound to the core, provides the minimum possible leakage inductance without interleaving the windings. The obtained topologies from solving different objectives can be used as a benchmark in design and manufacturing of mutliwinding transformers. Experimental results are provided to verify the obtained optimum design