Ein soziotechnischer, systemtheoretischer Rahmen zur Untersuchung virtueller Unternehmen

Flexible Organisationsformen auf der Grundlage von Unternehmensnetzwerken werden von vielen Autoren als Antwort auf die Herausforderungen der Informationsgesellschaft sowie der sich von der Angebots- zur Nachfrageorientierung wandelnden Märkte gesehen. Nach einer anfänglichen Euphorie scheint nun die Diskussion in eine Phase der Ernüchterung einzutreten. Dabei steigt die Nachfrage nach Konzepten und Werkzeugen zur frühzeitigen Erkennung und Vermeidung von Fehlentwicklungen, die den Erfolg Virtueller Unternehmen (VU) gefährden. Um solche Werkzeuge entwickeln zu können, sind interdisziplinäre Studien bereits bestehender Unternehmenskooperationen notwendig. Dieses Papier schlägt hierfür einen systemtheoretisch fundierten Rahmen vor, der die Grundlage für ein fächerübergreifendes Forschungsdesign zur Untersuchung VU sein kann. Unser Ansatz soll dabei einen Beitrag zur Operationalisierung des Konzeptes der virtuellen Unternehmung leisten und Gestaltungshinweise für ein Frühwarnsystem für VU liefern

Does politics impact carbon emissions?

"Do political variables influence long-term environmental transitions? The discussion on the determinants of the environmental performance of countries has been dominated by a focus on the Environmental Kuznets curve. This concept concentrated primarily on the role of economic factors, in particular per capita income levels. By contrast, we outline both conceptually and empirically how political factors can affect long-term carbon trajectories. Our findings from an error-correction model suggest that political factors are an important explanatory variable for carbon emissions in over 100 countries during the period 1970-2004. The results show that political capacity reduces carbon emission in OECD countries whereas political constraints, democracy and the Kyoto Protocol reduce long-term carbon emission in the group of all countries as well as in non-OECD countries." [author's abstract

Die Zukunft der Internetadressierung: ICANN, DNS und alternative Systeme - kartell- und markenrechtliche Fragen und ihr ökonomischer Hintergrund

Die Einheit des Internet wird bisher über das Domain-Name-System (DNS) hergestellt. Die Adressierung von Websites, Inhalten und Informationen geschieht nach einem global einheitlichen technischen Verfahren. Diese Einheitlichkeit könnte in Zukunft aufgebrochen werden, wenn die Versuche von privaten Unternehmen wie UnifiedRoot und Zensurstaaten wie China Erfolg haben, alternative Adressierungssysteme für das Internet zu implementieren. Der Wettbewerb um Adressierungssysteme wäre eröffnet, die Konkurrenz um einprägsame und werbewirksame Domain-Namen um eine zusätzliche Dimension erweitert. Die Schattenseite dieser Entwicklung könnte eine Zersplitterung des Internet in verschiedene Teilnetze sein. Insbesondere müsste die Stellung der ICANN als Hüterin des DNS und gleichzeitig administrativer Gestalterin der Internet-Technik einer Revision unterzogen werden. Andererseits bedeutet die Einführung alternativer Adressierungssysteme auch eine Herausforderung an die markenrechtliche Bewertung von Internetsachverhalten. Bislang bestehende und im Laufe der Jahre gefestigte Grundsätze bei der markenrechtlichen Bewertung von Internetsachverhalten bedürfen einer Überprüfung. Außerdem entstehen neuartige markenrechtliche Probleme innerhalb der alternativen Adressierungssysteme selbst. Der folgende Beitrag soll die Strukturen des herkömmlichen DNS und neuer alternativer Adressierungssysteme darstellen, die möglichen kartell- und markenrechtlichen Probleme aufzeigen sowie Lösungswege andeuten. --

Time resolved X-ray Dark-Field Tomography Revealing Water Transport in a Fresh Cement Sample

Grating-based X-ray dark-field tomography is a promising technique for biomedical and materials research. Even if the resolution of conventional X-ray tomography does not suffice to resolve relevant structures, the dark-field signal provides valuable information about the sub-pixel microstructural properties of the sample. Here, we report on the potential of X-ray dark-field imaging to be used for time-resolved three-dimensional studies. By repeating consecutive tomography scans on a fresh cement sample, we were able to study the hardening dynamics of the cement paste in three dimensions over time. The hardening of the cement was accompanied by a strong decrease in the dark-field signal pointing to microstructural changes within the cement paste. Furthermore our results hint at the transport of water from certain limestone grains, which were embedded in the sample, to the cement paste during the process of hardening. This is indicated by an increasing scattering signal which was observed for two of the six tested limestone grains. Electron microscopy images revealed a distinct porous structure only for those two grains which supports the following interpretation of our results. When the water filled pores of the limestone grains empty during the experiment the scattering signal of the grains increases

\u3ci\u3eChlorella\u3c/i\u3e Viruses Evoke a Rapid Release of K\u3csup\u3e+\u3c/sup\u3e from Host Cells During the Early Phase of Infection

Infection of Chlorella NC64A cells by PBCV-1 produces a rapid depolarization of the host probably by incorporation of a viral-encoded K+ channel (Kcv) into the host membrane. To examine the effect of an elevated conductance, we monitored the virus-stimulated efflux of K+ from the Chlorella cells. The results indicate that all 8 Chlorella viruses tested evoked a host specific K+ efflux with a concomitant decrease in the intracellular K+. This K+ efflux is partially reduced by blockers of the Kcv channel. Qualitatively these results support the hypothesis that depolarization and K+ efflux are at least partially mediated by Kcv. The virus-triggered K+ efflux occurs in the same time frame as host cell wall degradation and ejection of viral DNA. Therefore, it is reasonable to postulate that loss of K+ and associated water fluxes from the host lower the pressure barrier to aid ejection of DNA from the virus particles into the host

Identification of genes involved in Ca(2+ )ionophore A23187-mediated apoptosis and demonstration of a high susceptibility for transcriptional repression of cell cycle genes in B lymphoblasts from a patient with Scott syndrome

BACKGROUND: In contrast to other agents able to induce apoptosis of cultured cells, Ca(2+ )ionophore A23187 was shown to elicit direct activation of intracellular signal(s). The phenotype of the cells derived from patients having the hemorrhagic disease Scott syndrome, is associated with an abnormally high proportion of apoptotic cells, both in basal culture medium and upon addition of low ionophore concentrations in long-term cultures. These features are presumably related to the mutation also responsible for the defective procoagulant plasma membrane remodeling. We analyzed the specific transcriptional re-programming induced by A23187 to get insights into the effect of this agent on gene expression and a defective gene regulation in Scott cells. RESULTS: The changes in gene expression upon 48 hours treatment with 200 nM A23187 were measured in Scott B lymphoblasts compared to B lymphoblasts derived from the patient's daughter or unrelated individuals using Affymetrix microarrays. In a similar manner in all of the B cell lines, results showed up-regulation of 55 genes, out of 12,000 represented sequences, involved in various pathways of the cell metabolism. In contrast, a group of 54 down-regulated genes, coding for histones and proteins involved in the cell cycle progression, was more significantly repressed in Scott B lymphoblasts than in the other cell lines. These data correlated with the alterations of the cell cycle phases in treated cells and suggested that the potent effect of A23187 in Scott B lymphoblasts may be the consequence of the underlying molecular defect. CONCLUSION: The data illustrate that the ionophore A23187 exerts its pro-apoptotic effect by promoting a complex pattern of genetic changes. These results also suggest that a subset of genes participating in various steps of the cell cycle progress can be transcriptionally regulated in a coordinated fashion. Furthermore, this research brings a new insight into the defect in cultured Scott B lymphoblasts, leading to hypothesize that a mutated gene plays a role not only in membrane remodeling but also in signal transduction pathway(s) leading to altered transcriptional regulation of cell cycle genes

Mechanisms of disturbed emotion processing and social interaction in borderline personality disorder: state of knowledge and research agenda of the German Clinical Research Unit

The last two decades have seen a strong rise in empirical research in the mechanisms of emotion dysregulation in borderline personality disorder. Major findings comprise structural as well as functional alterations of brain regions involved in emotion processing, such as amygdala, insula, and prefrontal regions. In addition, more specific mechanisms of disturbed emotion regulation, e.g. related to pain and dissociation, have been identified. Most recently, social interaction problems and their underlying neurobiological mechanisms, e.g. disturbed trust or hypersensitivity to social rejection, have become a major focus of BPD research. This article covers the current state of knowledge and related relevant research goals. The first part presents a review of the literature. The second part delineates important open questions to be addressed in future studies. The third part describes the research agenda for a large German center grant focusing on mechanisms of emotion dysregulation in BPD

In situ Determination of Nitrate and Hydrogen Sulfide in the Baltic Sea Using an Ultraviolet Spectrophotometer

Evaluating the health status of marine ecosystems becomes ever increasingly important especially against the backdrop of rising pressures from human activities. This is true especially for coastal seas such as the Baltic Sea that is surrounded by highly industrialized countries. Nutrients and pollutants such as nitrate and hydrogen sulfide, which have a major impact on ecosystem functioning, are two of several key environmental indicators for assessing the status of natural waters, and therefore of considerable interest. The frequency and the spatial coverage of the nitrate and hydrogen sulfide measurements are currently limited by the cost of the laboratory analysis and personnel. Optical in situ sensors can help to overcome this challenge by allowing reagentless and fast detection of dissolved chemical species. A chemical-free optical sensor has been used for direct and simultaneous measurements of both key parameters, and the results were compared with traditional methods. The data were collected during an observational program conducted in the Baltic Sea in February 2018. We used the OPUS UV spectral sensor, which was deployed for the first time in coastal waters, in combination with a deep-sea telemetry system to enable near-real time measurements during CTD profiling. Data processing was carried out using a multiple linear regression procedure. Measurements from both OPUS and on-board analysis were in good agreement. The results showed, that in situ UV-VIS spectrophotometry provides the capability to determine the concentration distributions of nitrate and hydrogen sulfide in the brackish waters of the Baltic Sea