Analysing development to shape the future

This article links theory and politics in a systematic way by proposing Is-Shall-Do as a didactical model for analysing a concrete conjuncture, relating it to the desired future in the form of a concrete utopia. Aware of structural limits and potential space of manoeuvre for political agency adequate practical steps to implement the concrete utopia are elaborated. The paper is divided in a first section which exposes three interwoven aspects of development: the the idea of a good life, the complexity and multi-dimensionality of development and the relationship of knowledge and power. Section two exposes the model of Is-Shall-Do abstractly, while section 3 exemplifies it by exposing the challenges for the European left. The analysis of conjuncture as a concrete analysis of a concrete situation is centred in Europe today on the topic of inequality produced by finance-based accumulation. As the concrete utopia of a good life , the authors propose the values of the French revolution, freedom, equality and solidarity which are unfulfilled promises of European development. The paper ends with a plea for organising democratic and egalitarian alternatives. (...) (authors' abstract)Series: SRE - Discussion Paper

Towards reproducible research of event detection techniques for Twitter

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Regulation of murine B cell development and function

Vertebrates have developed an effective and protective, yet complex and dynamic immune system to defend themselves against the many threats from microorganisms. In this thesis some of the questions regarding the regulation of murine B cell development and function have been addressed. In the first part it was investigated whether the quality of the pairing interaction between the µH chain and the surrogate light (SL) chain of a given pre-B cell receptor may determine the size of the clonal expansion at the large pre-B II cell stage in the bone marrow (BM). VHDHJH-rearrangements derived from pre-B cells having proliferated to different extent in vitro in the absence of any added cytokines were isolated and analysed for their sequences and pairing capacities. To this end, the present study shows a tendency of a better pairing capacity for VHDHJH-rearrangements derived from cells, which have undergone more cell divisions. In the second part the effect of TSLP in lymphocyte development was investigated. It could be shown that increased TSLP availability through transgene expression fully restored lymphopoiesis in IL-7 deficient mice. It rescued B-cell development, increased the thymic cellularity, and rescued the thymic architecture in IL-7-/- mice. Adult wt bone marrow cells differentiated normally into B and T lineages and restored peripheral compartments when adoptively transferred into lethally irradiated IL-7-/- TSLP Tg recipients. Moreover, it could be shown that B cells generated in IL-7-/- TSLP Tg mice originated from adult precursors as these B cells contained N nucleotide additions in their IgH junctions. In the third part the expression of BAFF-R on murine BM B cells was investigated with the use of novel monoclonal anti-mBAFF-R antibodies. We found that expression of BAFF-R is first detectable by flow cytometry (FACS) on a fraction of CD19+ CD93+ IgM+ CD23- BM B cells. This BAFF-R+ BM B cell population showed higher levels of surface IgM expression and decreased recombination-activating gene 2 (RAG-2) transcripts than BAFF-R- immature B cells. When cultured in vitro, BAFF-R+ immature B cells did not undergo further B cell receptor rearrangement, while BAFF-R- immature B cells did. However, when cultured in the presence of an anti-kappa light chain antibody, BAFF-R+ immature B cells could be induced to undergo receptor editing and this correlated with the upregulation of RAG-2 and the downregulation of both surface IgM and BAFF-R expression. Addition of BAFF did not inhibit this induced receptor editing. We concluded, that expression of BAFF-R can be used as a marker to identify immature B cells, which under normal conditions no longer undergo BCR editing, but can still be induced to do so by BCR engagement. In the fourth part a putative new B cell population was phenotypically and functionally characterized. These cells, in this study termed ‘newB’ cells, were defined by the expression of CD19+ CD93- CD21-/low CD23-/low CD5-. The collected data so far supports the idea that newB cells could represent an additional intermediate cell population in the transition of immature to mature B cells. Alternatively, newB cells could represent cells, which for as yet, unknown reasons get selected out from the pool of mature, reactive B cells later, because they do not fulfill criteria to remain and therefore are rendered anergic and regain a more immature phenotype. In the last part the differential response of splenic mature B cells to the mitogen lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was investigated. It was known that frequencies of LPS-reactive B cells in C57BL/6 mice is higher than in BALB/c mice. In this study, it could be shown that actually the FOB cells of C57BL/6 respond stronger to LPS in vitro than FOB cells of the BALB/c strain. In addition, MZB cells of both mouse strains showed a stronger response to LPS than the FOB cells. However, in contrast to the observation in FOB cells, MZB cells of both tested strains responded equally strong. A genetic approach did not lead to the identification of a responsible locus for the observed differential response in FOB cells, but indicated that most probably multiple genes control the response in a differential fashion in FOB cells in the tested mouse strains. Furthermore, the results suggest that the stronger response of FOB cells from C57BL/6 mice either involves components within the MyD88-dependent pathway or components, which can modulate the MyD88-dependent signaling pathway. In addition and in contrast to another study, we could show that the observed differential response is not determined by the MHC class II haplotype in these strains

Wind of change : from dirty fuel to the world´s most sustainable energy company : a case study on the business transformation of Ørsted

We live in a rapidly changing world that holds more and more crises. The energy industry is also particularly affected by these, which poses the question of how companies can respond to these changing conditions to stay competitive and profitable in the long run. The Danish energy giant Ørsted faced a difficult decision a few years ago. Should the traditional fossil fuel company give in to the rising political and societal pressure to become more sustainable, or should it rely on its core competencies in coal, oil and gas? This case study examines Ørsted’s sustainable business transformation and its path to becoming the world’s most sustainable company. It analyzes what resources were needed to change Ørsted’s strategy radically and what the success factors of this change were. The theoretical framework to analyze the transformation is threefold. Firstly, the concept of Strategic Change and Fit is introduced to analyze Ørsted’s change process. Secondly, the reasons for Ørsted’s rapid and successful adaptation are examined using the Dynamic Capabilities theory. Lastly, Corporate Sustainability as the strategic core concept is applied as it has guided Ørsted’s process towards a holistically sustainable energy company that secured economic sustainability in the long run. This case study can teach students and managers a real­life example of a successful (and sustainable) strategy change and the advantages of adapting and reinventing towards sustainability in fast­changing environments.Vivemos num mundo em rápida mutação, que detém cada vez mais crises. A indústria energética é também afectada por estas, o que coloca a questão de como as empresas podem responder a estas condições em mudança para se manterem competitivas e rentáveis a lon go prazo. O gigante dinamarquês da energia Ørsted enfrentou uma decisão difícil há alguns anos. Deverá a empresa tradicional de combustíveis fósseis ceder à crescente pressão política e social para se tornar mais sustentável, ou deverá confiar nas suas competências? Este estudo de caso examina a transformação empresarial sustentável do Ørsted e o seu caminho para se tornar a empresa mais sustentável do mundo. Analisa que recursos foram necessários para mudar radicalmente a estratégia de Ørsted e quais foram os factores de sucesso desta mudança. O quadro teórico para analisar a transformação é triplo. Em primeiro lugar, o conceito de mudança estratégica e ajuste é introduzido para analisar o processo de mudança do Ørsted. Em segundo lugar, as razões para a adaptação rápida e bem sucedida de Ørsted são examinadas utilizando a teoria das Capacidades Dinâmicas. Por último, a sustentabilidade empresarial como conceito central estratégico é aplicada uma vez que orientou o processo de Ørsted para uma empresa energética holisticamente sustentável que garantiu a sustentabilidade económica a longo prazo. Este estudo de caso pode ensinar a estudantes e gestores um exemplo real de uma mudança estratégica bem sucedida e as vantagens de adaptação e reinvenção no sentido da sustentabilidade em ambientes em rápida mudança