A Prototype to Support Business Model Innovation through Crowdsourcing and Artificial Intelligence

The development of new and innovative business models is a central challenge for many companies, particularly for small and medium-sized companies. Information systems could support these companies by actively guiding them through a business model development process. However, the existing business model development tools only provide passive support for their users (e.g., digital whiteboards). Therefore, we set out to develop a prototype that actively supports its users by generating business model ideas. Informed by an existing design theory, we built a prototype relying on hybrid intelligence (i.e., the combination of human and artificial knowledge). The prototype iteratively generates new business model ideas by recombining existing knowledge, posts the ideas to a crowdsourcing platform for evaluation, and learns from the crowds’ evaluation. This demonstration paper presents the prototype, the challenges we faced during its implementation, and directions for future research on machine-supported business model development

Low Temperature Plasma for Biology, Hygiene, and Medicine: Perspective and Roadmap

Plasma, the fourth and most pervasive state of matter in the visible universe, is a fascinating medium that is connected to the beginning of our universe itself. Man-made plasmas are at the core of many technological advances that include the fabrication of semiconductor devices, which enabled the modern computer and communication revolutions. The introduction of low temperature, atmospheric pressure plasmas to the biomedical field has ushered a new revolution in the healthcare arena that promises to introduce plasma-based therapies to combat some thorny and long-standing medical challenges. This paper presents an overview of where research is at today and discusses innovative concepts and approaches to overcome present challenges and take the field to the next level. It is written by a team of experts who took an in-depth look at the various biomedical applications, made critical analysis, and proposed ideas and concepts that should help the research community focus their efforts on clear and practical steps necessary to keep the field advancing for decades to come

Symposion

Das Politische drängt sich gegenwärtig in den gesellschaftlichen Vordergrund wie schon lange nicht mehr. Das Symposion nimmt diese Situation zum Anlass, um das Verhältnis von Politik und Soziologie grundsätzlich auf den Prüfstand zu stellen: Aus unterschiedlichen Blickwinkeln wird die Frage beleuchtet, wie wir das Politische heute soziologisch denken müssen, um den gesellschaftlichen Phänomenen unserer Zeit wissenschaftlich gerecht werden zu können. Die Beiträge des Symposions loten dazu das Potential Politischer Soziologie theoretisch und methodisch aus. Gemeinsam führen sie vor Augen, dass es Grund gibt, die Stellung des Politischen in der Gesellschaft innerhalb der Soziologie viel offensiver und grundsätzlicher zu diskutieren, als dies derzeit der Fall ist. Politics and the political system have become topics of intense public debates we have not witnessed in a long time. The symposium takes stock of these debates by systematically scrutinizing the relation between politics and sociology. More specifically, it explores how we might think about politics sociologically, in a way that does justice to current social developments. The contributions to the symposium address this question from different theoretical and epistemological perspectives, thereby unpacking the conceptual and methodological potentials of political sociology. Together, they draw attention to the importance of understanding political processes in order to get a better grip on current workings of society

Cellular injury and neuroinflammation in children with chronic intractable epilepsy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objective</p> <p>To elucidate the presence and potential involvement of brain inflammation and cell death in neurological morbidity and intractable seizures in childhood epilepsy, we quantified cell death, astrocyte proliferation, microglial activation and cytokine release in brain tissue from patients who underwent epilepsy surgery.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Cortical tissue was collected from thirteen patients with intractable epilepsy due to focal cortical dysplasia (6), encephalomalacia (5), Rasmussen's encephalitis (1) or mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (1). Sections were processed for immunohistochemistry using markers for neuron, astrocyte, microglia or cellular injury. Cytokine assay was performed on frozen cortices. Controls were autopsy brains from eight patients without history of neurological diseases.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Marked activation of microglia and astrocytes and diffuse cell death were observed in epileptogenic tissue. Numerous fibrillary astrocytes and their processes covered the entire cortex and converged on to blood vessels, neurons and microglia. An overwhelming number of neurons and astrocytes showed DNA fragmentation and its magnitude significantly correlated with seizure frequency. Majority of our patients with abundant cell death in the cortex have mental retardation. IL-1beta, IL-8, IL-12p70 and MIP-1beta were significantly increased in the epileptogenic cortex; IL-6 and MCP-1 were significantly higher in patients with family history of epilepsy.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results suggest that active neuroinflammation and marked cellular injury occur in pediatric epilepsy and may play a common pathogenic role or consequences in childhood epilepsy of diverse etiologies. Our findings support the concept that immunomodulation targeting activated microglia and astrocytes may be a novel therapeutic strategy to reduce neurological morbidity and prevent intractable epilepsy.</p

Etwas gross aufschreiben. Quellenkritische Anmerkungen zum "Zeytregister" des Ulmer Chronisten Hans Heberle (1597-1677)

Das "Zeytregister" des Ulmer Bauern und Landhandwerkers Hans Heberle ist in seiner Art eine einzigartige Hinterlassenschaft eines bäuerlichern Schriftstellers des 17. Jahrhunderts. Der Gesichtskreis Heberles geht weit über den engen Horizont der Wirtschaftsführung hinaus, indem er persönliche Erfahrungen mit der Schilderung der Kriegsereignisse seiner Zeit verbindet. Unter Berücksichtigung von Schreibintention und -praxis relativieren sich indes die Möglichkeiten einer persönlichkeitsnahen Ausschöpfung der Quelle im Sinne eines 'Ego-Dokuments'. So sind den im wesentlichen auf Geburt und Tod beschränkten Notaten über die eigene Familie, über persönliche Erlebnisse und Beobachtungen aus näherer Anschauung durch die absorbierende Kriegsschilderung Grenzen auferlegt. Die selektive Auswahl der Themenpunkte und das weitestgehende Zurücktreten affektiver Momente erklärt sich auch durch die technische Verfahrensweise Heberles, der nach Ausweis inhaltlicher und formaler Aspekte der Handschrift in deutlichem zeitlichem Ereignisabstand an seiner Chronik arbeitete