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In this article, the environmental sustainability of a circular economy concept applied to the management of biowaste was studied. To achieve this goal, the composting performance, compost-amended soil health, and phytotoxicity were assessed in the case of management of solid waste from a small swine slaughterhouse. Microorganisms present in a similar composting process were used as inoculums to improve the efficiency of composting. Addition of the inoculum promoted a faster and more efficient composting process than composting without the inoculum. The physical, chemical, and microbiological characteristics of soil were considered to be improved after compost application. Phytotoxicity tests in soils with and without compost amendment showed that a soil-compost mixture (90:10 and 70:30 mass ratios) was not phytotoxic to the plant species

Biomarkers are of great interest in applied medical research, specifically in oncology. Here, applications of biomarker analysis include the detection of primary disease processes as well as metastasis and tumor recurrence, prediction of therapy response, and prognosis of disease outcome. Most often, the analytical target of biomarker analysis in oncology is DNA. From the technical point of view, an essential advantage of this biomolecule is the availability of analytical methods for the detection of characteristics of DNA, such as sequence variation, methylation, and abundance, even if only a few molecules of the DNA of interest are present. From the biological point of view, it is advantageous that these DNA characteristics are often tightly linked to the disease process or its root cause. Moreover, as DNA is present in many body liquids, this biomolecule may be available for analysis by taking samples of these fluids (liquid biopsies). Establishing a DNA-based biomarker analysis for some intended use is a multistep process that starts with identifying the specific DNA-characteristic that can serve as a biomarker. It ends with validating the complete examination procedure, i.e., confirming that it is apt for the intended use. The work presented here aimed to develop biomarker analyses for two applications, namely i) a diagnostic biomarker test for detecting second neoplasms in patients with heritable retinoblastoma and ii) a prognostic test for uveal melanoma. A diagnostic biomarker test for detecting second neoplasms in patients with heritable retinoblastoma Heritable retinoblastoma (Rb) is an autosomal-dominant tumor predisposition syndrome caused by pathogenic variants of the RB1 gene. Rb-survivors have a high risk to develop a second primary malignancy (SPM). Development of retinoblastoma is often initiated by genetic mechanisms that result in loss of heterozygosity (LOH). It is to be expected that LOH is frequent in SPMs as well. We examined if LOH can be used as a biomarker for non-invasive early detection of SPMs in Rb-survivors. We analyzed DNA derived from extracellular vesicles (EV-DNA) and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) extracted from blood plasma. DNA released by tumor cells with LOH at the RB1 locus is expected to skew the ratio of RB1 alleles in EV-DNA and cfDNA. We determined the allelic ratio of multiple Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) by Next-Generation Sequencing of cf-DNA. The assay was established for six SNPs located in the RB1 gene on the same linkage group. We evaluated the suitability of EV-DNA and cfDNA for our liquid biopsy examination, with the criterion for suitability being the number of effective genome equivalents (GEs) needed for the detection of at least 5 % of ctDNA. The number of GEs in EV-DNA was insufficient, but cfDNA was suitable to detect around 10 % ctDNA, which may still be clinically relevant as there are no other biomarker screening tests available for SPMs in Rb-survivors. For test validation, we generated reference samples with tumor DNA admixtures. Tumor fractions of as little as 1% were detectable. We applied our method to cfDNA from an Rb-cohort to review if the analytical procedure is suitable for the intended use. Contrary to our expectation, the assay was applicable to only one-third of patients because the proportion of patients being constitutionally heterozygous for the selected SNPs was lower in the cohorts from the cooperating countries. Due to the number of GEs measured in cfDNA, we expected a limit of detection (LoD) of 10 % ctDNA . The weighted arithmetic mean variant allele fraction (VAF) of two Rb-survivors and three SPM patients was above this threshold. However, these results need to be considered false positives as none of these patients had an SPM at the time of blood draw or in an appropriate period of time around the blood collection. Four patient samples collected at the time of diagnosis of SPM showed a VAF below the LoD and might be false negative. Conclusively, we established a highly sensitive assay that allows the detection of 1 % tumor DNA in genomic DNA, but it was not applicable to the cfDNA samples collected within the European NIRBTEST study because of low DNA levels due to low sample volumes. However, this could not be adjusted during the project duration due to international standardization of sample collection and local ethical restrictions. As a next step, the suitability of the assay for the intended use should be evaluated using cfDNA reference material or patient blood samples of higher volumes. A prognostic test for uveal melanoma Uveal Melanoma (UM) is a rare cancer but still the most common primary intraocular tumor in adults. Most UMs fall in one of two classes that show distinct genetic features and are highly correlated with prognosis. Monosomy 3, a distinctive feature of UM class two, is strongly associated with a poor prognosis. Currently, testing this biomarker in smaller tumors requires a tissue biopsy. The sampling procedure of tumor tissue is invasive and may cause side effects like bleeding, retinal detachment, or tumor cell seeding. Therefore, less invasive methods to obtain tumor-derived DNA (ctDNA) are desirable. The source of ctDNA that can be obtained least invasively is blood, but it has been shown that at diagnosis of UM the proportion of ctDNA in cfDNA from blood is mostly too low for reliable biomarker analysis (Le Guin et al. 2021). We performed a feasibility study to test if cfDNA from aqueous humor or vitreous body aspirate contains sufficient amounts of ctDNA for genetic analyses. cfDNA was isolated from both specimens, which were obtained from eyes after enucleation. The amount of tumor-derived DNA was determined by deep amplicon sequencing targeting oncogenic variants in GNAQ and GNA11, which are both highly specific for UM. For analysis of sequencing data, we developed a Snakemake pipeline that includes bwa-mem (alignment) and freebayes (variant calling) to determine the fraction of alleles specific for tumor variants. In seven of nine vitreous body samples and five of 14 samples from aqueous humor GNAQ or GNA11 variants were detected with VAFs ranging from 3.7 % to 37.5 %. To determine chromosome 3 dosage alterations in cfDNA, we developed an assay which is based on sequence enrichment of around 100 SNPs distributed over the whole chromosome 3. A balanced allelic ratio of informative SNPs is expected in cfDNA of healthy individuals or UM tumors with disomy 3, while an unbalanced allele ratio was expected for monosomy 3 tumors. We evaluated if this characteristic can serve as an indicator for chromosome 3 loss and, hence, as a prognostic biomarker for UM patients. Testing the assay on cfDNA from plasma of healthy donors and UM patients, we found the VAF to be highly scattered around the expected VAF of 0.5 . The LoD of the assay was highly above the targeted LoD of 5 % ctDNA and therefore needs to be optimized before the assay can be applied to cfDNA from AH and VB. Taken together, cfDNA derived from AH or VB is a very promising analytical target for diagnostic and prognostic biomarker analysis as it contains high levels of ctDNA at the time of diagnosis. Future studies on cfDNA from AH and VB from small tumors collected from non-enucleated eyes will show if these liquid biopsies can be used to detect the chromosome 3 status as a prognostic biomarker. Dissertation, Universität Duisburg-Essen, 2023

This work aimed to evaluate the impact of veterinary antibiotics on biomass phytoproductivity and soil enzyme activity. The soil was sampled in the city of Camboriú (state of SC, Brazil). The soil enzyme activity was assessed through hydrolysis of fluorescein diacetate (FDA), while phytotoxicity was tested using

The composting process is an option for acceptable environmental management of cattle slaughterhouse by-products. The goals of this article were (i) to make a low-cost inoculum using popular supermarket ingredients and microorganisms that are already present in the composting environment, and (ii) to compare the efficiency of the composting process with and without the application of formulated inoculum. Initially, a consortium of microorganisms already present in the composting environment (

Die Einführung digitaler Technologien führt dazu, dass Unternehmen aller Größen und Industrien sich drastisch verändern. Die Integration digitaler Technologien bietet ihnen dabei die Möglichkeit Prozesse, Produkte und Dienstleistungen sowie Geschäftsmodelle zu erneuern. Während der Weg zur digitalen Transforma­tion für große und mittelständische Unternehmen bereits erforscht wurde, bleibt unklar, welche Fähigkeiten in kleinen Unternehmen sowie Unternehmen, die eine Dienstleistung direkt am Kunden anbieten, notwendig sind und wie diese Fähigkeiten entwickelt werden. Basierend auf einer qualitativ empirischen Studie zeigen wir die entscheidende Rolle der Geschäftsführung im Prozess der digitalen Transformation. Weiterhin zeigen unsere Ergebnisse, wie Geschäftsführinnen und Geschäftsführer kleiner Unternehmen das eigene Sozialkapital, die Erneuerung der eigenen Denkbilder sowie die Entwicklung der organisationalen Digitalisierungskompetenz nutzen, um eine digitale Transformation zu durchlaufen. The advent of digital technologies is causing companies of all sizes and industries to change dramatically. The integration of digital technologies offers them the potential to renew processes, products and services, as well as business models. While the path to digital transformation has already been researched for large and medium-sized companies, it remains unclear which capabilities are necessary in small companies and companies that offer a service directly to the customer. Further, it remains unclear how these capabilities are developed. Based on a qualitative empirical study, we show the decisive role of the manager in the process of digital transformation. Furthermore, our results show how managers of small companies use their own social capital, the renewal of their own managerial cognition and the development of organizational digitalization skills to go through a digital transformation.

Die durch Covid-19 ausgelöste Pandemie wird von einem grossen Teil der Bevölkerung der betroffenen Länder, auch in der Schweiz, als sehr bedrohlich wahrgenommen. Die Erfahrung, dass die Pandemie auch das eigene Land erreicht hat, wurde von vielen Menschen als Schock erlebt. Von Regierungen wurden Massnahmen ergriffen, die weitreichende Einschränkungen des öffentlichen Lebens verlangten. Hinzu kam und kommt die wirtschaftliche Unsicherheit. Mit der «zweiten Welle» wurden wiederum Regelungen in Kraft gesetzt, die die Existenz vieler kleinund mittelgrosser Betriebe infrage stellen und viele Menschen um ihren Arbeitsplatz bangen lassen. Wann die zur Eindämmung der Pandemie getroffenen Bestimmungen gelockert oder aufgehoben werden, ist bis dato ungewiss. Der durch die Massnahmen entstandene Schaden ist inzwischen hochevident. Mit der wirtschaftlichen Unsicherheit und der Ungewissheit, wie lange die Einschränkungen noch Gültigkeit haben, gehen schwerwiegende psychische Folgen einher. Im Beitrag wird aufgezeigt, wie eine «dialektische Haltung» Hilfestellung leistet, um einen Diskussionsraum zu eröffnen und Polarisierungen kollektiv zu überwinden.

Knowledge and collaboration are the basis of value co-creation in coworking-spaces. The unique and flexible settings found in there enable companies and individuals to engage in fruitful discourse....

Die Wissenschaftskommission der Schweizer Charta für Psychotherapie (WiKo), ein Organ der Assoziation Schweizer Psychotherapeutinnen und Psychotherapeuten (ASP), hat mit dem AGUST-Projekt das Vorhaben umgesetzt, Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede in der Anwendung von psychotherapeutischen Interventionen zu untersuchen. Dafür wurden 24 Vertreter acht verschiedener Psychotherapieschulen zu einem APA-Lehrvideo befragt. In drei Forschungskolloquien, die zwischen September 2018 und Januar 2019 stattfanden, wurde das Video in Arbeitsgruppen von ihnen bewertet. Am Beispiel der Klientin des Videos wurden zudem alternative psychotherapeutische Interventionsvorschläge und Therapieziele in den Gruppen erarbeitet sowie deren Begründungen erfasst. Im Mittelpunkt des Forschungsinteresses stand dabei das konkrete Vorgehen der einzelnen Schulen. Dabei zeigten sich Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede zwischen den einzelnen Arbeitsgruppen. Bei der Bewertung des Videos, der alternativen Reaktionsvorschläge und deren Zuordnung mittels PAP-S-Rating-Manual unterschieden sich die Gruppen weniger als bei der Begründung der alternativen Interventionen, ihrer Beschreibung der Probleme der Klientin des Videos und den Begrifflichkeiten zur Abbildung ihres schulspezifischen Hintergrundes.

Ecosystems are increasingly gaining in importance in both research and practice. Building on a wave of increasing digitalization and globalization, ecosystems are replacing traditional value chains. Firms are now focusing on a wide variety of partners and ways in which they can collectively create value for their customers. Ecosystems break down formerly existing barriers and create possibilities to integrate global partners to create innovative value propositions. This thesis introduces digitalized ecosystem as a phenomenon that creates an open and dynamic setting offering great potential for new and innovative value propositions and global business but simultaneously results in complex challenges for the firm management. Firms need to switch to operating in ecosystems, require managers with new skills to manage digital transformation and collaborations across borders, and manage the increasingly digital workforce. Building on eight research articles, this thesis contributes to business research by (1) giving insights on how firms interact and strategically use ecosystems, (2) highlighting the firm-specific challenges of managing diversity and dynamics in digitalized ecosystems, and (3) giving perspectives on coworking spaces as local ecosystem hubs. The thesis is structured in three parts and covers the topics mentioned above at the ecosystem-level in part one and the firm-level in parts two and three. The first part includes one published research article and two conference articles that examine the characteristics of innovation ecosystems in the emerging 3D printing category, shows how a shared digital identity within the industry fuels open knowledge exchange, and introduces different collaboration strategies of ecosystem actors. Part two consists of two research articles investigating the managers' role in driving digital transformation and the complexity of managing an increasingly diverse workforce. Part three includes three published research articles covering coworking spaces as a new form to organize work in digitalized ecosystems. The research articles investigate the role of coworking spaces as an innovative setting for the digital workforce to generate innovations, co-create value, and empower its users. This thesis shows that firms in increasingly open environments require some form of boundaries, which come at the ecosystem or category level. The findings point towards the need for dynamic managerial capabilities in dealing with the ongoing digital transformation. The thesis further highlights the need for further research on handling the increasing diversity in the workforce and within open-work structures.

Dissertation, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, 2020; Aachen 1 Online-Ressource (XXI,172,71 Seiten) : Illustrationen, Diagramme (2020). = Dissertation, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen, 2020, This thesis deals with the synthesis of P-stereogenic phosphine-phosphorodiamidite-ligands based on chiral amino alcohols as well as their application in the synthesis of rhodium(I)-complexes and in asymmetric catalysis.In the first part, the synthesis of tridentate diphosphine-phosphorodiamidite ligands on the basis of Betti bases was envisaged. These BettiPhos ligands provide a stereogenic phosphorus as characteristic element. The introduction of a phosphine group into the Betti-Base backbone via the amine and the aldehyde building block was investigated first. Moreover, tridentate BettiPhos ligands were synthesized and isolated based on bis(diphenylphosphinophenyl)amines via a multi-step synthesis. The ligands were analyzed regarding their stereochemistry and the isomerization kinetics of the stereogenic phosphorus was investigated via VT-NMR spectroscopy to generate a general understanding concerning the stereochemistry of these compounds. The new ligands were tested in their complexation of rhodium(I) and [Rh(nbd)(PPP)]BF4 complexes were isolated. The complexes were characterized using XRD analysis and the absolute configuration around the stereogenic phosphorus was confirmed via their crystal structure. These complexes showed a distorted trigonal-bipyramidal or a distorted square-planar geometry, respectively, containing a facial coordinating P,P,P-ligand. Moreover, the conversion of the tridentate BettiPhos-ligands with [Rh(cod)Cl]2 led to a P N bond cleavage in the ligand backbone including a chloride-transfer from [Rh(cod)Cl]2 to the phosphorodiamidite group. Additionally, the bis(diphenylphosphinophenyl)amine fragment was coordinating to rhodium in the manner of a PNP-pincer ligand. One of these obtained [Rh(PNP)(P*)] type complexes could be crystallized showing a distorted square-planar structure. In the second part of this thesis, P-stereogenic, bidentate Phosphine-Phosphorodiamidite ligands were synthesized based on ephedrine, a naturally abundant chiral amino alcohol. These bidentate ligands could be obtained via condensation of ephedrine with PCl3 and a chiral phosphine amine. One ligand was successfully crystallized and the absolute configuration of the stereogenic phosphorus was confirmed via XRD analysis. The ligands were converted to the corresponding cationic [Rh(cod)(PP)]+ complexes using [Rh(acac)(cod)]BF4 or [Rh(cod)Cl]2 precursors and then applied in asymmetric catalysis. In rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydroformylation of styrene and vinyl acetate only low enantioselectivity of about 15% ee could be achieved. In rhodium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation of dimethyl itaconate and methyl-2-acetamido acrylate good enantioselectivities of up to 95% ee could finally be reached., Published by Aachen