Symmetry Breaking by Consecutive Amplification: Efficient Paths to Homochirality

To understand chiral symmetry breaking on the molecular level, we developed a method to efficiently investigate reaction kinetics of single molecules. The model systems include autocatalysis as well as a reaction cascade to gain further insight into the prebiotic origin of homochirality. The simulated reactions start with a substrate and only a single catalyst molecule, and the occurrence of symmetry breaking was examined for its degree of dependence on randomness. The results demonstrate that interlocking processes, which e.g., form catalysts, autocatalytic systems, or reaction cascades that build on each other and lead to a kinetic acceleration, can very well amplify a statistically occurring symmetry breaking. These results suggest a promising direction for the experimental implementation and identification of such processes, which could have led to a shift out of thermodynamic equilibrium in the emergence of life

Civil Conflict and Three Dimensions of Ethnic Inequality

Presentado como comunicación en el Department of Political Science, Columbia University in the City of New York, en noviembre de 2012 Presentado como comunicación en "Concentration on Conflict", Civil Conflict and Rationality. Barcelona GSE Summer Forum, celebrado del 10 al 12 de junio de 2013 en Barcelona (España)Most empirical studies on civil conflict are not able to find a significant relationship between interpersonal-measures of economic inequality and the likelihood of conflict. When individuals belong to groups, general inequality (measured by the Gini) can be decomposed into three components: between-group inequality (BGI), within-group inequality (WGI), and ‘Overlap’ (which is inversely related to the economic segregation of groups). This paper shows that is possible to establish a robust empirical relation between group-based measures of income differences and con- flict. Drawing on over 200 individual-level surveys from 89 countries, we create a new data set that allows us to measure these three components and to examine their empirical relationship with civil conflict. Consistent with Esteban and Ray’s (2011) argument about the need for labor and capital to fight civil wars, we find a strong, robust positive association between WGI and civil conflict. And consistent with the “contact hypothesis” in sociology, we find that the economic segregation of groups (as measured by a lower Overlap component) is often associated with more civil conflict. Since some components of inequality are associated with more civil conflict but others are associated with less, the analysis helps explain why it has been difficult to identify a relationship between general inequality and civil war. And the strong finding for WGI underscores the value of developing clear theories about how the internal characteristics of groups influence the incidence of civil conflictPeer Reviewe

Physical injury assessment of male versus female chiropractic students when learning and performing various adjustive techniques: a preliminary investigative study

BACKGROUND: Reports of musculoskeletal injuries that some chiropractic students experienced while in the role of adjustor became increasingly evident and developed into the basis of this study. The main objective of this study was to survey a select student population and identify, by gender, the specific types of musculoskeletal injuries they experienced when learning adjustive techniques in the classroom, and performing them in the clinical setting. METHODS: A survey was developed to record musculoskeletal injuries that students reported to have sustained while practicing chiropractic adjustment set-ups and while delivering adjustments. The survey was modeled from similar instruments used in the university's clinic as well as those used in professional practice. Stratified sampling was used to obtain participants for the study. Data reported the anatomical areas of injury, adjustive technique utilized, the type of injury received, and the recovery time from sustained injuries. The survey also inquired as to the type and area of any past physical injuries as well as the mechanism(s) of injury. RESULTS: Data obtained from the study identified injuries of the shoulder, wrist, elbow, neck, low back, and mid-back. The low back was the most common injury site reported by females, and the neck was the most common site reported by males. The reported wrist injuries in both genders were 1% male complaints and 17% female complaints. A total of 13% of female respondents reported shoulder injuries, whereas less than 1% of male respondents indicated similar complaints. CONCLUSION: The data collected from the project indicated that obtaining further information on the subject would be worthwhile, and could provide an integral step toward developing methods of behavior modification in an attempt to reduce and/or prevent the incidence of musculoskeletal injuries

Subsidized R&D collaboration:The causal effect of innovation vouchers on innovation outcomes

We study the causal effect of subsidized R&D collaboration on external collaborations and innovation outcomes of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In particular, we make use of a randomized controlled trial to analyze the effect of a nationwide innovation voucher scheme in the United Kingdom that grants SMEs across all industries financial support of up to 5,000 GBP for engaging the services of experts, e.g., from universities, research institutes or IP advisors, when pursuing an innovation-related project. Our results show that the innovation voucher program has an immediate, short-term impact on the execution of these innovation projects with positive effects on product and service development, internal processes, and intellectual property protection. However, we also observe that these results fade out quite quickly, i.e., two years after the intervention many effects caused by the innovation voucher program have disappeared. Based on our results, we also provide some practical guidance to further improve the effectiveness of voucher programs

Analysis of data collection and data evaluation for compliance with SDG 6

In 2016 the Sustainable Development Goals replaced the former Millennium Development Goals, building the new global agenda aiming for sustainable development at all three dimensions of sustainability by 2030. Within the set of global goals SDG 6 is devoted to development in the water and sanitation sector, including not only an improvement of access to drinking water and sanitation but also several other aspects, addressing the entire water cycle in a more comprehensive way as conducted by the MDGs. In order to monitor the development’s progress and thereby identify problems in implementation but also well-functioning approaches, new methodologies for monitoring the new SDG 6 indicators had to be developed. Currently, baseline reports on all indicators have been published, on the basis of which a first assessment of the current data availability can be made. The aim of this thesis is to provide an overview of the existing structures and methods for monitoring SDG 6 and to identify current challenges in monitoring as well as possible solutions. In addition, a comparison between the data collected for reporting to the Protocol on Water and Health and the data required for monitoring SDG 6 is conducted in order to find out whether common data use is sensible and already taking place. The analysis of the existing monitoring activities shows that the greatest challenges causing data gaps are associated with the novelty of most indicators as well as their complexity. There are no conceptual problems concerning the indicator’s methodologies but rather challenging conditions that complicate data collection. A key element in increasing data availability within the next years is national capacity-building since national data builds the basis for monitoring the global indicators. In addition, the extent of data sources can be expanded for example by aligning national and regional initiatives with the global goals, enabling common monitoring efforts and thereby reducing the countries’ reporting burden. In this context, the Protocol on Water and Health can potentially increase data availability in the pan-European region. The comparison of the SDG 6 indicators and the current reporting template of the Protocol indicates that there are already aspects that require very similar data. However, slight modifications could enhance these overlaps and facilitate the common use of national monitoring capacity and collected data. The comparison of current country reports and the latest JMP progress reports suggests that several Parties of the Protocol do not fully exploit this potential

Investigation of Straightforward, Photoinduced Alkylations of Electron‐Rich Heterocompounds with Electron‐Deficient Alkyl Bromides in the Sole Presence of 2,6‐Lutidine

Alkylations of simple electron‐rich heterocompounds deliver valuable target structures in bioorganic and medicinal chemistry. Herein, we present a straightforward and photosensitizer free approach for the photoinduced C–C coupling of electron‐rich unsaturated heterocompounds with alkyl bromides using 405 nm and 365 nm irradiation. Comprehensive mechanistic studies indicate the involvement of 2,6‐lutidine in the formation of a non‐covalently bound intermediate to which the function of a photosensitizer is attributed. UV/Vis spectra reveal the formation of a bathochromic shifted band when the electron‐deficient alkyl bromide is mixed with the structural motif of 2,6‐substituted pyridine. Upon photochemical excitation of this band, we find the initiation of the C–C bond‐forming reaction. Using this approach highly versatile alkylation products, e.g. α‐substituted ketones and 2‐substituted furan, thiophene, and pyrrole derivatives, are obtained in high selectivity. Furthermore, this synthetic methodology can be applied to access substituted indoles, which cannot be obtained by other transformations

Biological soil crust effects and responses in arid ecosystems: recent advances at the species level

La costra biológica del suelo (CBS) es un componente complejo del ecosistema que engloba diferentes organismos (líquenes, musgos, hepáticas, cianobacterias, hongos, algas) presentes en las primeras capas de suelo. La CBS se encuentra en una amplia variedad de ecosistemas, aunque generalmente es más abundante en ecosistemas donde la cobertura de plantas vasculares es escasa, como los ecosistemas áridos. En estos ecosistemas, la CBS contribuye considerablemente a su biodiversidad y funcionamiento. Debido a la gran dificultad para la identificación de especies de estas comunidades, la mayoría de la investigación sobre la CBS se ha desarrollado a escala de comunidad y grupo morfológico. A este nivel, se ha podido observar el gran potencial de estas comunidades de contribuir a la estructura y dinámica del ecosistema: interaccionan con las primeras capas del suelo y con otros organismos, participan en la fijación de carbono y nitrógeno, así como en procesos hidrológicos y en el ciclo de nutrientes. Sin embargo, avances recientes en el conocimiento de la CBS arrojan interesantes y marcadas diferencias en la ecología y el papel funcional de las distintas especies que la componen, con las consecuentes implicaciones en la gestión y conservación de estas comunidades y de los ecosistemas que habitan. En particular, se han observado respuestas específicas en términos de presencia, abundancia y frecuencia ante diversos factores ambientales (variables climáticas, tipo de sustrato, presencia de plantas vasculares y perturbación por pastoreo – recuperación natural), así como un efecto a nivel de especie sobre las propiedades del suelo.Biological soil crusts (BSCs) constitute a complex component of the ecosystem formed by different organisms (lichens, mosses, liverworts, cyanobacteria, fungi, algae) associated with soil surface. These communities are present in a wide variety of ecosystems; however, their abundance is generally higher in arid environments with sparse vegetation cover. In these ecosystems, BSCs greatly contribute to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Due to technical difficulties in species identification, most studies on BSCs have been carried out at community and morphotype levels. These studies have emphasized the potential role of BSCs in defining ecosystem structure and functioning by: interacting with topsoil layers and other soil organisms, participating in carbon and nitrogen fixation, and also in hydrological and nutrient cycling. Notwithstanding, recent advances in our knowledge about BSCs show substantial and interesting differences in the ecology and functional roles of BSC species, with marked implications in the management and conservation of these communities and their ecosystems. Particularly, it has been observed that BSC presence, abundance and frequency respond differently to diverse environmental factors (climatic variables, soil type, presence of vascular plants, and grazing disturbance - natural recovery) at the species level, and also do BSC effects on topsoil properties.Este trabajo ha sido parcialmente financiado por la Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid (Proyecto REMEDINAL2, S2009/AMB-1783) y el Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (Proyecto EPICON, CGL2010-22049)

Structuring Digital Transformation: A Framework of Action Fields and its Application at ZEISS

Digital products and services are an integral part of everyday life for both individuals and organizations. Further, given that digitalization greatly impacts our society and in particular how customer and organizations interact, organizations need to react to changing business rules and to leverage opportunities associated with digital technologies. Accordingly, the chief information officer (CIO) role is frequently a flexible one in the sense that it encompasses a much broader perspective on organizations than before. Most of the CIOs or newly appointed chief digital officers (CDOs) whom we interviewed in the course of our study recognized the need for change catalyzed by emerging digital technologies, but they typically lacked comprehensive knowledge on how to scope digital transformation initiatives. Against this background, we develop and validate a holistic framework of action fields for digital transformation. Our framework builds on extant literature and a series of exploratory interviews with over 50 organizations, and we have validated it in numerous contexts. In this paper, we present our framework and demonstrate its application at ZEISS, one of the organizations that participated in our study

My time is my own: a project for analysis and research on the social situation, demography and the family

Der vorliegende Beitrag stellt die Ergebnisse des Projektes 'My time is my own' vor. Bei diesem europäischen Projekt handelte es sich um eine transnationale Studie, in der in verschiedenen Ländern neue Formen der Zeitnutzung im Umgang mit sozialen Dienstleistungen zur Vereinbarkeit von Beruf und Privatleben gesammelt und ausgewertet wurden. Die Auswertung sollte qualitative Indikatoren ermitteln, die es Verwaltungen, Organisationen, Firmen, usw. erlauben, sich bei der Planung von innovativen Projekten zur Zeitgestaltung an Ergebnissen aus bestehenden Praxiserfahrungen orientieren zu können. Der Beitrag enthält die Ergebnisse aus Italien, Frankreich, Spanien und Deutschland. (ICD