The diffusion of e-participation in public administrations:A systematic literature review

Research on e-participation has grown significantly in the last years. This review focuses on public administrations, which are central actors in the solicitation and organization of e-participation and in the process of diffusion of more democratic decision-making in government contexts. However, research indicates that public administrations often struggle with technological and organizational changes, which suggests that e-participation initiatives may fail due to barriers within public administrations. Although researchers have paid considerable attention to the diffusion of e-participation in public administrations, research so far is multi-disciplinary and fragmented. The aim of this literature review is to structure and systematize the literature regarding phases of e-participation diffusion (adoption, implementation and institutionalization) and levels of analysis (micro, meso, and macro) to map the extant field of e-participation diffusion research and to provide a starting point for future research. The analysis shows that research has concentrated on the phases of adoption and implementation, and on the external context of public administrations (macro) and the organizational (meso) level. Overall, the review identifies major research gaps and offers avenues for future research

Optimized design and techno-economic analysis of novel DME production processes

The shift from gas to liquid phase DME synthesis enables an intensified process concept towards efficient large scale DME production. In this work, four process concepts based on liquid phase DME synthesis were proposed and optimized. A comprehensive economic model was applied with the objective of minimizing the total production cost. All concepts were evaluated applying our previously validated reaction kinetics for commercial ion exchange resin selected catalysts. Furthermore, every process concept was studied with a pure MeOH feed and water-rich (crude) MeOH feedstock. The conventional gas-phase DME production process was simulated and evaluated using the same technical and economic parameters to serve as a benchmark. Using a chlorinated high temperature stable IER catalyst led to significant cost reduction in all the considered concepts. This was due to the higher reaction rate enabled by the higher operating temperature of this catalyst. In the integrated process concept with H2 and CO2 as sustainable feedstocks, it was shown that the reactive distillation process shows a 27% lower production cost, when the crude methanol is directly fed to the DME process instead of being purified in a dedicated crude methanol distillation column. A further techno-economic optimization can be achieved when complementing the reactive distillation column with an additional reactor. Overall, the process concept of a reactive distillation column with a side reactor presents the most promising process concept, enabling a 39% lower production cost than the conventional gas-phase process. By heat integration with a CO2-based MeOH plant, a DME production technology with no external heat demand and a net conversion cost of 54.4 € per tDME is possible

Demonstration and experimental model validation of the DME synthesis by reactive distillation in a pilot-scale pressure column

The dehydration of methanol to produce the hydrogen carrier and alternative fuel dimethyl ether (DME) is an equilibrium limited reaction, resulting in a relatively complex and expensive production process. A promising method for process intensification is reactive distillation (RD), as this allows the synthesis and purification of DME in a single unit operation. However, existing kinetic models for liquid phase DME synthesis have never been validated in an industrially relevant reactive distillation environment, preventing a detailed model-based design of industrial-scale applications. In this work, a pilot-scale pressure distillation column was used to successfully demonstrate the feasibility of the process involving pure and crude MeOH feed using the catalyst Amberlyst 36. Based on the measured composition and temperature profiles, a kinetic model could successfully be validated for the RD system. A process simulation model was developed in Aspen Plus to analyze an industrial-scale process and validated on the pilot scale. Hereby the influences of column size, methanol feed purity and catalyst selection were examined in detail

e-Skills: The International dimension and the Impact of Globalisation - Final Report 2014

In today’s increasingly knowledge-based economies, new information and communication technologies are a key engine for growth fuelled by the innovative ideas of highly - skilled workers. However, obtaining adequate quantities of employees with the necessary e-skills is a challenge. This is a growing international problem with many countries having an insufficient numbers of workers with the right e-Skills. For example: Australia: “Even though there’s 10,000 jobs a year created in IT, there are only 4500 students studying IT at university, and not all of them graduate” (Talevski and Osman, 2013). Brazil: “Brazil’s ICT sector requires about 78,000 [new] people by 2014. But, according to Brasscom, there are only 33,000 youths studying ICT related courses in the country” (Ammachchi, 2012). Canada: “It is widely acknowledged that it is becoming inc reasingly difficult to recruit for a variety of critical ICT occupations –from entry level to seasoned” (Ticoll and Nordicity, 2012). Europe: It is estimated that there will be an e-skills gap within Europe of up to 900,000 (main forecast scenario) ICT pr actitioners by 2020” (Empirica, 2014). Japan: It is reported that 80% of IT and user companies report an e-skills shortage (IPA, IT HR White Paper, 2013) United States: “Unlike the fiscal cliff where we are still peering over the edge, we careened over the “IT Skills Cliff” some years ago as our economy digitalized, mobilized and further “technologized”, and our IT skilled labour supply failed to keep up” (Miano, 2013)

Retargeting of UniCAR T cells with an in vivo synthesized target module directed against CD19 positive tumor cells

Recent treatments of leukemias with T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) underline their impressive therapeutic potential but also their risk of severe side effects including cytokine release storms and tumor lysis syndrome. In case of cross-reactivities, CAR T cells may also attack healthy tissues. To overcome these limitations, we previously established a switchable CAR platform technology termed UniCAR. UniCARs are not directed against typical tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) but instead against a unique peptide epitope: Fusion of this peptide epitope to a recombinant antibody domain results in a target module (TM). TMs can cross-link UniCAR T cells with tumor cells and thereby lead to their destruction. So far, we constructed TMs with a short half-life. The fast turnover of such a TM allows to rapidly interrupt the treatment in case severe side effects occur. After elimination of most of the tumor cells, however, longer lasting TMs which have not to be applied via continous infusion would be more convenient for the patient. Here we describe and characterize a TM for retargeting UniCAR T cells to CD19 positive tumor cells. Moreover, we show that the TM can efficiently be produced in vivo from producer cells housed in a sponge-like biomimetic cryogel and, thereby, serving as an in vivo TM factory for an extended retargeting of UniCAR T cells to CD19 positive leukemic cells

MOSAiC goes O2A - Arctic Expedition Data Flow from Observations to Archives

During the largest polar expedition in history starting in September 2019, the German research icebreaker Polarstern spends a whole year drifting with the ice through the Arctic Ocean. The MOSAiC expedition takes the closest look ever at the Arctic even throughout the polar winter to gain fundamental insights and most unique on-site data for a better understanding of global climate change. Hundreds of researchers from 20 countries are involved. Scientists will use the in situ gathered data instantaneously in near-real time modus as well as long afterwards all around the globe taking climate research to a completely new level. Hence, proper data management, sampling strategies beforehand, and monitoring actual data flow as well as processing, analysis and sharing of data during and long after the MOSAiC expedition are the most essential tools for scientific gain and progress. To prepare for that challenge we adapted and integrated the research data management framework O2A “Data flow from Observations to Archives” to the needs of the MOSAiC expedition on board Polarstern as well as on land for data storage and access at the Alfred Wegener Institute Computing and Data Center in Bremerhaven, Germany. Our O2A-framework assembles a modular research infrastructure comprising a collection of tools and services. These components allow researchers to register all necessary sensor metadata beforehand linked to automatized data ingestion and to ensure and monitor data flow as well as to process, analyze, and publish data to turn the most valuable and uniquely gained arctic data into scientific outcomes. The framework further allows for the integration of data obtained with discrete sampling devices into the data flow. These requirements have led us to adapt the generic and cost-effective framework O2A to enable, control, and access the flow of sensor observations to archives in a cloud-like infrastructure on board Polarstern and later on to land based repositories for international availability. Major roadblocks of the MOSAiC-O2A data flow framework are (i) the increasing number and complexity of research platforms, devices, and sensors, (ii) the heterogeneous interdisciplinary driven requirements towards, e. g., satellite data, sensor monitoring, in situ sample collection, quality assessment and control, processing, analysis and visualization, and (iii) the demand for near real time analyses on board as well as on land with limited satellite bandwidth. The key modules of O2A's digital research infrastructure established by AWI are implementing the FAIR principles: SENSORWeb, to register sensor applications and sampling devices and capture controlled meta data before and alongside any measurements in the field Data ingest, allowing researchers to feed data into storage systems and processing pipelines in a prepared and documented way, at best in controlled near real-time data streams Dashboards allowing researchers to find and access data and share and collaborate among partners Workspace enabling researchers to access and use data with research software utilizing a cloud-based virtualized infrastructure that allows researchers to analyze massive amounts of data on the spot Archiving and publishing data via repositories and Digital Object Identifiers (DOI

Innovative Entscheidungsprozesse in Universitäten: Eine qualitative Analyse der Anwendung von Online-Partizipationsverfahren

Die Auswirkungen offener Beteiligungsmöglichkeiten über das Internet (Online-Partizipation) auf institutionalisierte Entscheidungsmechanismen in Universitäten sind bisher weitestgehend unerforscht. Die Studie untersucht zwei internetbasierte partizipative Verfahren zur Neugestaltung einer Promotions- und einer Habilitationsordnung hinsichtlich ihrer Auswirkungen auf den organisationalen und institutionellen Rahmen einer Universität. Hierzu wurden auf Grundlage der Theorien der institutionellen Logiken und des organisationalen Lernens 14 leitfadengestützte Interviews ausgewertet. Es zeigt sich, dass internetbasierte Verfahren zwar als Optimierung ursprünglicher Entscheidungsprozesse wahrgenommen werden, sie aber auch zu Konflikten zwischen neuen und bestehenden Strukturen führen, sodass es überwiegend zu "Single-Loop-Learning" kommt. "Double-Loop- Learning" ist lediglich in Ansätzen erkennbar, etwa im Rahmen einer verbesserten Diskussionskultur und einer gesteigerten Wahrnehmung der Partizipationsmöglichkeiten außerhalb von Gremien.We see a dearth in research on the effects of opportunities for open internet-based participation (online-participation) in universities so far. This study examines two online-participation processes for reforming examination regulations concerning their effects on the organizational and institutional context of a university. 14 semi-structured interviews have been analyzed using the theories of Institutional Logics and Organizational Learning. The analysis shows that the internet-based processes generally have been perceived as an optimization of the existing decision-making processes. But they also prompted conflicts which resulted in a predominance of "Single-Loop-Learning". "Double- Loop-Learning" is hardly visible, e.g. in terms of an improved culture of debate or increased perceptions of opportunities for participating outside formal decision-making structures

Investigation into an outbreak of encephalomyelitis caused by a neuroinvasive porcine sapelovirus in the United Kingdom

An outbreak of neurological disease in grower pigs characterised by ataxia and paraparesis was investigated in this study. The outbreak occurred 3-4 weeks post weaning in grower pigs which displayed signs of spinal cord damage progressing to recumbency. Pathology in the affected spinal cords and to a lesser extent in the brainstem was characterised by pronounced inflammation and neuronophagia in the grey matter. Molecular investigation using a pan-virus microarray identified a virus related to porcine sapelovirus (PSV) in the spinal cord of the two affected pigs examined. Analysis of 802 nucleotides of the virus polymerase gene showed the highest homology with those of viruses in the genus Sapelovirus of Picornaviridae. This PSV, strain G5, shared 91-93%, 67-69% and 63% nucleotide homology with porcine, simian and avian sapeloviruses, respectively. The nucleotide homology to other members of the Picornaviridae ranged from 41% to 62%. Furthermore, viral antigen was detected and co-localised in the spinal cord lesions of affected animals by an antibody known to react with PSV. In conclusion, clinical and laboratory observations of the diseased pigs in this outbreak are consistent with PSV-G5 being the causative agent. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first unequivocal report of polioencephalomyelitis in pigs by a neuroinvasive PSV in the United Kingdom