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Yeast TLDc domain proteins regulate assembly state and subcellular localization of the V-ATPase
Get PDFYeast vacuoles perform crucial cellular functions as acidic degradative organelles, storage compartments, and signaling hubs. These functions are mediated by important protein complexes, including the vacuolar-type H+-ATPase (V-ATPase), responsible for organelle acidification. To gain a more detailed understanding of vacuole function, we performed cross-linking mass spectrometry on isolated vacuoles, detecting many known as well as novel protein-protein interactions. Among these, we identified the uncharacterized TLDc-domain-containing protein Rtc5 as a novel interactor of the V-ATPase. We further analyzed the influence of Rtc5 and of Oxr1, the only other yeast TLDc-domain-containing protein, on V-ATPase function. We find that both Rtc5 and Oxr1 promote the disassembly of the vacuolar V-ATPase in vivo, counteracting the role of the RAVE complex, a V-ATPase assembly chaperone. Furthermore, Oxr1 is necessary for the retention of a Golgi-specific subunit of the V-ATPase in this compartment. Collectively, our results shed light on the in vivo roles of yeast TLDc-domain proteins as regulators of the V-ATPase, highlighting the multifaceted regulation of this crucial protein complex
Situating Emotions in Radicalization. Online-based Affectivity and Violent Extremism
Get PDFWhat is the role of emotions in the radicalization of violent extremists? This question has been neglected by traditional research approaches to the study of radicalization in favor of a focus on factors like ideological stances, socio-economic background, social ties, and personality traits. In my dissertation, I tackle this question head-on and try to show that:1) emotions and other affective states play a crucial role in the radicalization of different individuals; 2) situated affectivity is a refined theoretical framework to examine how emotions influence radicalization processes from which experts can elaborate implementable guidelines to bolster their counter-extremism interventions; 3) online radicalization offers situated affectivity an interesting testbed to probe and refine the robustness of its analytical toolkit by considering how internet-based relations and artifacts contribute to shaping human affectivity.
Radicalization is commonly defined as the process of embracing an extremist ideology and justifying or perpetrating violent actions in the name of such ideology. Most analyses of violent extremism concentrate on dissecting the tight-knit link between extremist beliefs and political violent behavior up to the point that some experts consider ideas the conveyor belt that leads to violent actions. This conception is detectable in the design of preventive and counter-extremism measures. Oftentimes, de-radicalization campaigns are centered on disproving the ideology underpinning jihadi and far-right propaganda. Although extremist ideas play a crucial role, the overzealous focus on beliefs does not sit well with empirical data. On the one hand, a lot of people holding radical beliefs never translate them into actions: it is estimated that roughly 1% of the people with extremist worldviews engage in terrorist attacks. On the other hand, some perpetrators are not driven by ideology. Hence, there has to be more to radicalization than just ideas.
Scholars have identified social ties and socio-economic backgrounds as powerful drivers of radicalization. Extremists radicalize in small cliques of trusted peers where friendship weighs in considerably. Most recently, social psychologists found out that – alongside ideology – a willingness for adventure, camaraderie, a sense of belonging and a quest for significance, defined as a desire to matter, impinge upon radicalization. As a result, the calls for analyzing the impact of emotions on radicalization kept growing. However, so far, little progress has been made in this direction. This is mainly due to two reasons. First, emotions have been studied according to psychological definitions used in most experimental set-ups i.e., as short-lived episodes in
response to external stimuli. In so doing, it seemed unlikely that second-long reactions could have any significant impact on a process like radicalization that takes up months or years. Second, emotional reactions have mostly been considered along cognitivist parameters as intracranial affairs involving only mental processes inside individuals. For instance, Intergroup Emotion Theory applied to violent extremism reduces emotions to appraisals carried out while a specific self-categorization is active. Overall, emotions in radicalization were relegated to a marginal (uninteresting) role dwarfed by their ideological counterpart.
My aim in this dissertation is to push emotions to the center stage of violent extremism and show how a situated take on affectivity helps both the examination of their role in radicalization processes and the design of affective counter-measures.
Situated affectivity can be described as a series of (4E) approaches according to which affective states are not a matter of brain-bound processes but incorporate our bodily makeup and environmental structures to varying degrees. In a nutshell, human affectivity is embodied and embedded: Were not our body and our environment structured the way they are, we would not experience the emotional reactions we do.
In my dissertation, I focus majorly on environment-structured emotions, i.e., scaffolded affectivity, and point out how individuals in radical online environments are prone to experience certain affective states conducive to radicalization. To do so, I leverage Jan Slaby’s work in which the author peruses two opposite directions of fit. On the one hand, we have user-resource interactions which describe cases in which affective experiences are initiated by individuals “reaching out” and manipulating a vast host of environmental structures to feel a particular way. Typical examples of user-resource interactions comprise visiting a friend to cheer one’s mood, listening to music to sustain one’s workout or arranging one’s office so as to create a calm study-oriented atmosphere. On the other hand, he introduces mind invasion to analyze cases in which affectivity is molded by aspects of the infrastructures and institutional contexts individuals inhabit. For instance, a new intern will gradually (and unconsciously) adapt to the affective interactions sanctioned by the company. My aim is to show how these two directions of fit can be fruitfully applied to describe the radicalization of different individuals. Alongside Slaby’s considerations, I will also integrate keen insights from other authors who recently elaborated on the ways in which human affectivity can be situated. Particular relevance will be granted to the diachronic development of people’s
affectivity. Simply put, the ways in which individuals structure their affective experiences are not attributable just to the local layout and available resources at that particular moment. Rather, individuals are also the result of a complex history of interaction with their environment along which they have internalized specific habits and practices. In other words, one’s affective repertoire plays a major role in determining which kind of affective experiences individuals are likely to have. I will devote particular attention to examining how far-right and jihadist online groups – the two strands of extremism on which my analysis focuses – set up digital environments to promote the acquisition of radicalizing affective habits.
As mentioned above one aim of my dissertation is to refine the analytical toolbox of situated affectivity. So far, researchers have concentrated on offline scenarios like religious places, concerts, marital couples and a vast gamut of physical objects. How affectivity is situated online has remained and still is uncharted territory. Only a few authors have made brilliant inroads in the analysis of internet-based affectivity. I contribute to these initial efforts and describe how internet-based affectivity is situated along different spatiotemporal parameters. First, online environments are characterized by hypersociality: the default scenario online comprises large amounts of users that cooperate in building affective experiences. Whether it is a “like”, a comment or a “share”, I argue that online affectivity involves small incremental contributions of loosely coordinated users thereby making the resulting experience highly distributed. Second, portable artifacts like smartphones render internet environments always available. Importantly, such availability is bidirectional. On the one hand, via smartphones, users can continuously manipulate a series of online resources and micromanage the contours of their affective life. On the other hand, social media platforms are equipped with intrusive personalization algorithms and notification systems that keep modulating the affective interactions of users. As a result, I maintain that online affective experiences keep switching between user-resource interaction and mind invasion moments. Third, in carving the frames of our online environment, personalization algorithms mine a great deal of data from our offline experiences. Put differently, what users see online is also the result of their geolocation, phone calls and purchases. Consequently, these algorithmic working mechanisms have in-depth effects on the ontological status of both affective experiences and radicalization processes.
The cumulative thesis is composed of an introduction a conclusion and four chapters.
Chapter 2 takes issue with existing approaches that promote a dichotomy between online and offline radicalization processes. In light of the personalization algorithms regulating users’ interactions on social media, the chapter proposes an integration of online and offline radicalization dynamics (and the consequent affective experiences) and claims that radicalization is better analyzed as an onlife phenomenon.
Chapter 3 examines disgust promoted by online far-right groups as a radicalizing mind invading experience fueled by supposedly “funny” in-group affective practices (e.g., meme-making) on anonymous online platforms
Chapter 4 uses far-right radicalization processes as a case study to argue that smartphone-based affectivity comprises a complex and continuous switch between user-resource interactions, mind shaping and mind invading moments.
Chapter 5 argues for a reshaping in the design of counter-narrative campaigns. Instead of tackling the ideological stances of extremist propaganda, the chapter claims that experts should design affective counter-narratives pivoted on: 1) an embodied empathic engagement with former extremists; and 2) smartphone-based affective habits
Product-Service Systems Engineering for Food Retail – Systematische Entwicklung softwarebasierter hybrider Leistungsbündel in der Lebensmittelindustrie
No full textIm Zuge der digitalen Transformation nimmt Software als Baustein für innovative Produkte und Dienstleistungen eine immer wichtiger werdende Schlüsselrolle ein. Die vorliegende Arbeit veranschaulicht diese Entwicklung am Beispiel der Lebensmittelindustrie. Als Anwendungsszenario dienen Produkt-Service-Systeme für den Lebensmitteleinzelhandel, welche anhand von Fallstudien untersucht und weiterentwickelt werden. Dabei werden Schwerpunkte auf die Modellierung der Dienstleistungen sowie auf zielgerichtete Softwareentwicklung unter Anwendung moderner Technologien und Verfahrensweisen gelegt. Hauptziel ist es, die in diesem Rahmen auftretenden Untersuchungsgegenstände zu erfassen, zu erklären und weiterzuentwickeln. Es sollen somit Erkenntnisse über die Art der vorliegenden Problemstellungen sowie praktikable Lösungsansätze aufgezeigt werden, um einen Beitrag zur Erweiterung der vorhandenen Wissensbasis aus wissenschaftlicher und praktischer Perspektive zu leisten
„Ausziehen von Einmalhandschuhen – Kontaminationsrisiko verhindern“: Kompetenz im Ausziehen von Schutzhandschuhen bei angehenden Lehrkräften im Masterstudiengang der Gesundheitswissenschaften
Get PDFPoster über die Kompetenz im Ausziehen von Schutzhandschuhen bei angehenden Lehrkräften im Masterstudiengang der Gesundheitswissenschaften
Flüchtling
Get PDFDer Begriff ‚Flüchtling‘ steht im frühen 21. Jahrhundert im Zentrum der teils aufgeheizten und dynamischen Debatten in Politik, Öffentlichkeit und Medien über Flucht und Migration. Ein Blick in das 20. Jahrhundert zeigt allerdings, dass der Begriff lange ein randständiges Dasein führte und erst in der Nachkriegszeit des Zweiten Weltkriegs erheblich an Bedeutung gewann. Der Beitrag zeichnet die Genese des Begriffs und seine vielschichtige Karriere im 20. und frühen 21. Jahrhundert nach. Dafür wenden wir uns zuerst seiner verstärkten Nutzung im Ersten Weltkrieg zu und zeigen, wie die Erfahrungen des Krieges und die durch ihn ausgelöste Transformation der internationalen Ordnung das Phänomen Flucht zu einem breit rezipierten Thema werden ließen. Der Blick auf die Anfangsjahre der westdeutschen Gesellschaft nach 1945 fördert eine bemerkenswerte Fixierung auf das innerdeutsche Fluchtgeschehen zutage sowie eine Konkurrenz zu Begriffen wie ‚Vertriebene‘. Ab den 1970er Jahren werden ‚Flüchtlinge‘ zunehmend als globale Herausforderung wahrgenommen und der Begriff gewinnt im bundesdeutschen Sprechen und Schreiben über Migration weiter an Gewicht. Dabei bleibt er lange positiv konnotiert, während kritische oder abwertende Haltungen zumeist mit negativ konnotierten Komposita von ‚Asyl‘ operieren
Holistic Evaluation of Digital Applications in the Energy Sector - Evaluation Framework Development, Test, and Validation
Get PDFDigital technologies have developed exponentially in recent decades. This trend is expected to continue in the foreseeable future, bringing about massive changes in society and the economy. Although in some industries, digital transformation itself is the driver of change, this is not the case in the energy sector. Due to the need for decarbonization, the energy sector is currently undergoing a fundamental transformation from a demand-driven central system mainly based on fossil fuels to a supply-driven decentral system based on renewable energies. Digitalization is not in itself driving this transformation, yet it may be an enabler and accelerator. Digital technologies are expected to play an increasingly important role in the future energy system. How this role will look like depends on both the emerging requirements of the decarbonization transformation as well as the future development of information and communication technologies. Due to the increasingly significant impacts that digital applications cause, a holistic view on these impacts is imperative to avoid adverse effects while maximizing benefits. Such a holistic view must cover the relevant impact areas, include the relevant stakeholders' perspectives, and involve representatives of the relevant stakeholder groups. However, this holistic view of the digital transformation itself or specific digital applications does not, to the best of the author’s knowledge, yet exist in the concurrent literature, constituting a content gap. The assessment of available evaluation approaches and methods reveals a corresponding methodological gap.
Therefore, the goal of this dissertation is to develop a framework for the holistic evaluation of digital applications in the energy sector. To achieve this goal, an approach is defined in line with three research questions. First, potential digital applications are categorized, and their characteristics are identified. Second, evaluation requirements are derived. Third, available evaluation approaches and methods are assessed against the requirements, and a potentially suitable combination of three methods is identified. Subsequently, a framework based on these methods is developed. Lastly, the framework is tested by evaluating two digital applications, improved, and its suitability is validated against the defined requirements. Hence, the main novelty of this thesis is the presented framework comprised of the combination of the three methods, the adaption to digital applications in the energy sector, and the resulting holistic evaluation results.
The results and conclusions obtained in this dissertation consist of three parts. The first part is the overview and categorization of digital applications in the energy sector, including associated benefits and impacted stakeholders. It is concluded that digital applications are very diverse in nature and can be categorized by their area of impact, system balancing, process optimization, and customer orientation. The categorization is relevant as a basis for further research. The second part of the results is the evaluation framework itself. The framework is based on the combination of three well-established methods, multi-criteria analysis (MCA), life cycle assessment (LCA), and expert interviews, and covers technical, ecological, economic, and socio-political aspects. Based on a suitability assessment, it is concluded that the framework is well suited for the holistic evaluation of digital applications in the energy sector and therefore closes the identified methodological gap. The third part consists of the evaluation of two digital applications, namely the “smart meter” roll-out in Germany and a standalone "ADLS” (Aircraft Detection Lighting Systems) for wind turbines prior to its expected roll-out in Germany. Both applications are very relevant and highly discussed in their respective areas. The evaluation delivers aggregated high-level results as well as detailed insights regarding risks and obstacles. These results are of high relevance for the involved stakeholders to find solutions for the identified risks and obstacles, maximize the benefits and ensure a smooth and quick roll-out. The tests constitute not only the first applications of the framework but also the first holistic evaluations of the two evaluated digital applications and hence contribute to closing the identified content gap.
In a future advancement, the methodology of the framework could be extended by applying fuzzy MCA logic and integrating life cycle costing (LCC) as well as social life cycle assessment (SLCA). Prospectively, with an increasing number of performed evaluations, not only the results of specific digital applications can be discussed and compared, but increasingly, the basis for a broader discussion regarding digitalization as a transformative process is created
Sensation Seeking at Work: Advances in Measurement and New Research Perspectives
Get PDFSensation seeking is a personality trait that describes the extent to which stimulated bodily sensations (e.g., an increased heartbeat, physical tension) are experienced as positive. It has been linked to a number of variables, including driving behaviors, psychopathology, music preferences, and resilience. However, comparatively little is known about the significance of sensation seeking in the work context. While some studies have examined how sensation seeking relates to career interests and career choice, relationships with work behaviors or job attitudes have been rarely investigated. The aim of this dissertation thesis was to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the role of sensation seeking at work. In the first chapter of the thesis, different conceptualizations and measures of sensation seeking are presented and compared. Moreover, a distinction is made between sensation seeking and related constructs. Subsequently, previous research findings on sensation seeking in the work context are summarized, and research gaps in this field are outlined. In the second chapter, four empirical studies (reported in three articles) are presented that addressed these gaps. The studies investigated sensation seeking from different research perspectives to gain a broad understanding of its role in the workplace. To measure sensation seeking appropriately at work, a new scale, the Need for Sensations at Work Scale, was developed in the first step (Article 1). The questionnaire showed satisfactory psychometric properties and was used in the further studies. It has been shown that sensation seeking is positively related to increasing challenging job demands. In addition, a positive relationship between sensation seeking and job satisfaction was found for individuals who have a great variety of tasks to perform at work, whereas no significant relationship was identified for individuals with moderate or low task variety. Based on this finding, Article 2 investigated sensation seeking from a need-supply fit perspective. Response surface analyses revealed that congruence between the desired frequency of sensations to be experienced (as an indicator of sensation seeking) and the actual frequency of sensations experienced at work is associated with higher job satisfaction. No congruence effect was found for organizational citizenship behavior or emotional exhaustion. In Article 3, a further perspective was taken by investigating the role of sensation seeking in everyday working life. Participants’ time pressure, work engagement, and affect were assessed over two consecutive work weeks. Time pressure was positively related to work engagement for individuals with high sensation seeking, whereas no significant relationship was identified for individuals with low sensation seeking. In addition, time pressure was positively related to negative affect for low sensation seekers, whereas a U-shaped relationship was identified for high sensation seekers. The results presented in this dissertation thesis provide a broad overview of the role of sensation seeking in the work context. In the general discussion section, important theoretical and practical implications are elaborated. Moreover, limitations and ideas for further research are discussed. Overall, the thesis represents a promising basis for future research on sensation seeking in the work context
Leveraging Additive Manufacturing for Optical Quality Control: Open Source Hardware Meets Open Innovation
No full textAs Open Source Hardware and the concept of Open Innovation increasingly intersect, this thesis explores their transformative impact on photonics, showcasing advancements through four distinct endeavors. The Optocubes Project, an exemplary collaboration between physicists, computer scientists and electrical engineers funded by the "Open Photonik Pro" initiative, researched the development of a modular construction framework for photonics, opening new pathways for the democratization and sharing of photonic technologies. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, a CO2 monitoring network emerged from a makerthon with students, utilizing LoRa technology to monitor aerosol pollution, demonstrating Open Source Hardware's potential to address public health challenges through community engagement and innovation. Advancing instrumentation in photonics, a cost-effective and fully integrated motorized rotation stage was developed, significantly enhancing precise automation and its accessibility. This development exemplifies the thesis's core theme of leveraging Open Innovation to drive technological progress. Lastly, the application of Optocubes in the development of a laser-based prototype for inspecting conversion coatings on industrial aluminum parts illustrates Open Source Hardware's impact on industry, improving quality control processes. This endeavor, in collaboration with industry partners, underscores the practical applications of Open Source Hardware in conjunction with Open Innovation in real-world settings. This work exemplifies how Open Source Hardware and Open Innovation are advancing photonics, contributing to scientific research, addressing societal challenges, and enhancing industrial applications, thereby laying a foundation for future explorations in the field. Through these endeavors, the thesis not only highlights the effectiveness of open source principles in fostering innovation but also showcases the broad applicability of these approaches across research, society and industry
Securing Communication Networks by leveraging Hardware-intrinsic security primitives
Get PDFCreating trust in the digital world that is at least comparable to personal trust between humans is a significant challenge. Physical properties of the devices we use on a daily basis can be the starting point for the creation of such digital trust since these properties are only known by the devices themselves. Such properties and their behaviors are called Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) and have first been conceptually described back in 1988 by Kirk Jordan at IBM. Since then, research focussed on finding and improving new ways of exploiting various types of integrated circuits that can be used for the creation of a PUF. However, the real-world application of these implicit security improvements lags behind due to low numbers of evaluations and real-world implementation scenarios. With all of these theoretical concepts at hand, this thesis will, therefore, present such a scenario that can specifically benefit from leveraging the intrinsic hardware properties of the involved devices. In particular, the research presented in this thesis targets the trust and security on the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer in traditional local Ethernet networks due to their low security level in general.
To start with, we will first discuss the concept of authentic public key exchange to guarantee an authentic execution of the involved cryptographic routines. This involves a concept called NFC-Key Exchange (NFC-KE), which creates an Air of Trust (AoT) around the involved devices. Along the way, secure random numbers are needed to properly generate cryptographic material. For this, we will derive an entire True Random Number Generator (TRNG), based on a random PUF (rPUF), that warrants the fundamental security of the involved keys. To bridge the gap between the well-researched PUF concepts and the real-world implementations, we will derive clear requirements for microcontrollers to be capable of generating Static Random Access Memory (SRAM)-based PUFs on the internal SRAM of the device. This concept is implemented and evaluated on the widely used ESP32 microcontroller and also extended for arbitrary microcontroller adaptability.
By putting these concepts together we will finally be capable of securing networks against the infamous MAC address spoofing attacks that are used by attackers to impersonate other devices on the local network. The SRAM PUF is used to generate unique MAC addresses that cannot be spoofed anymore, thus creating an implicit trust among the connected devices. For this, additional network packets are crafted using the security concepts around TRNGs and the NFC-KE. Moreover, the proposed concept also allows for a distinct randomization of the PUF-derived MAC address which has previously been paradoxical to the concept of device identification. With our concept at hand, developers, researchers, and Internet of Things (IoT) customers will experience new ways of implementing well-researched security primitives in their devices. This can result in new use cases for physical hardware security, especially in the broad IoT domain
Interkulturell
Get PDFDer Begriff ‚interkulturell‘ ist allgegenwärtig: In Stellenausschreibungen wird ‚interkulturelle Kompetenz‘ erwartet, Behörden sollen sich ‚interkulturell‘ öffnen, in Unternehmen finden ‚interkulturelle Trainings‘ statt, an der Universität wird ‚interkulturelle Pädagogik‘ gelehrt, zu ‚interkultureller Kommunikation‘ geforscht, und das Datum des ‚interkulturellen Straßenfestes‘ kann ich in meinen ‚interkulturellen Kalender‘ eintragen. Aber was bedeutet ‚interkulturell‘ in diesen verschiedenen Kontexten eigentlich? Und wie kam es zu solch einer Omnipräsenz? In diesem Beitrag werden die Entstehung, Verbreitung und Verwendung des Begriffs ‚interkulturell‘ nachgezeichnet, um die unterschiedlichen Verständnisse und Anwendungen des Begriffs verstehen und Alternativen denken zu können. Der Beitrag zeigt auf, dass der Begriff oft ohne nähere Definition und wie selbstverständlich verwendet wird. Alle scheinen eine Vorstellung davon zu haben, was ‚interkulturell‘ bedeutet. Solche Vorstellungen reproduzieren jedoch (oft ungewollt) eine Perspektive auf die Welt, die von homogenen national, ethnisch oder religiös verfassten Herkunftskulturen ausgeht. Neben Homogenisierung impliziert diese Perspektive zudem eine Polarisierung und teils auch Hierarchisierung (zugeschriebener) Herkunftskulturen und wirkt damit rassifizierend. Es finden sich aber auch reflexive und rassismuskritische Ansätze unter dem Label ‚interkulturell‘ wieder