Newest publications
Emotions and entrepreneurial finance: analysis of venture capitalists’ and business angels’ digital footprints on Twitter
(2024) Kaiser, Manuel; Kuckertz, Andreas; Kaiser, Manuel; Entrepreneurship Research Group, University of Hohenheim, Wollgrasweg 49, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany; Kuckertz, Andreas; Entrepreneurship Research Group, University of Hohenheim, Wollgrasweg 49, 70599, Stuttgart, Germany
Emotions are a central concept in previous entrepreneurship research, but this is mainly related to entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurial journey. However, venture capitalists (VCs) and business angels (BAs), two critical investors in the entrepreneurial finance literature, are essential actors in the entrepreneurial process. Still, little is known about investor emotions in this context. Therefore, in this study, we ask how venture capitalists differ from business angels in terms of their expressed emotions. To this end, we use an increasingly familiar research approach by examining the digital footprints of these investors on Twitter. For this purpose, we identify 822 investors from Crunchbase and analyze their 994,969 Tweets with Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) as a text analysis tool. Our results show that venture capitalists display more positive emotions on Twitter than angel investors, meaning that we find an association between VCs and emotional tone. Furthermore, in our post-hoc analysis, we explore further explanations for the differences between VC and BA. In doing so, we show differences in their expressed cognitive processes as well as in their communicated drivers. In both concepts, we find positive associations with the investor type of VC. To conclude this paper, we develop implications for practice and further research based on the results.
Complex European invasion history of Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky): new insights in its population genomic differentiation using genotype-by-sequencing
(2024) Haeussermann, Iris; Hasselmann, Martin; Haeussermann, Iris; Institute of Animal Science, Department of Livestock Population Genomics, Centre for Biodiversity and Integrative Taxonomy (KomBioTa), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany; Hasselmann, Martin; Institute of Animal Science, Department of Livestock Population Genomics, Centre for Biodiversity and Integrative Taxonomy (KomBioTa), University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
Anthropogenic activities like trade facilitate increasing rates of biological invasions. Asian long-horned beetle (ALB), which is naturally distributed in eastern Asia (China, Korean peninsula), was introduced via wood packing materials (WPM) used in trade to North America (1996) and Europe (2001). We used 7810 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) derived by a genotype-by-sequencing (GBS) approach to decipher the introduction patterns into Europe. This is applied for the first time on European ALB outbreaks from Germany, Switzerland, and Italy, both from still active and already eradicated infestations. The genome-wide SNPs detected signs of small and highly structured populations within Europe, showing clear founder effects. The very high population differentiation is presumably derived from multiple independent introductions to Europe, which are spatially restricted in mating. By admixture and phylogenetic analyses, some cases of secondary dispersal were observed. Furthermore, some populations suggest admixture, which might have been originated by either multiple introductions from different sources into the new sites or recurrent introductions from an admixed source population. Our results confirmed a complex invasion history of the ALB into Europe and the usability of GBS obtained SNPs in invasion science even without source populations.
Influence of climate-smart technologies on the success of livestock donation programs for smallholder farmers in Rwanda
(2024) Kandulu, John M.; Zuo, Alec; Wheeler, Sarah; Dusingizimana, Theogene; Chagunda, Mizeck G. G.; Kandulu, John M.; School of Economics and Public Policy, The University of Adelaide, 10 Pulteney St, 5005, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; Zuo, Alec; School of Economics and Public Policy, The University of Adelaide, 10 Pulteney St, 5005, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; Wheeler, Sarah; School of Economics and Public Policy, The University of Adelaide, 10 Pulteney St, 5005, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; Dusingizimana, Theogene; College of Agriculture, Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, University of Rwanda, P.O. Box 210, Musanze, Kigali, Rwanda; Chagunda, Mizeck G. G.; Animal Breeding and Husbandry in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Hohenheim, Garben Street, 17 Instituts- Und Hörsaalgebäude, -112, Stuttgart, Germany
Climate change threatens the livelihoods of Sub-Saharan African farmers through increased droughts. Livestock donation programs offer a potential solution, but their effectiveness under climate stress remains unclear. This study assesses the economic viability of integrating climate-smart technologies (cowsheds and biogas plants) into these programs in Rwanda. Using a stochastic benefit–cost analysis from the beneficiary perspective, we evaluate the net gains for households receiving heifers compared to the current program. Our findings reveal that integrating climate-smart technologies significantly enhances economic viability. Households with cows and climate-smart technologies can possibly realise net benefits 3.5 times higher than the current program, with benefit–cost ratios reaching 5:1. Beyond economic benefits, adopting biogas reduces deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and respiratory illness risks. This study demonstrates that integrating climate-smart technologies into livestock donation programs can generate positive economic, environmental, and health benefits, leading to more resilient and sustainable smallholder systems. However, overcoming implementation challenges requires tailored policy packages addressing local barriers.
Advancing content synthesis in macro-task crowdsourcing facilitation leveraging natural language processing
(2024) Gimpel, Henner; Laubacher, Robert; Meindl, Oliver; Wöhl, Moritz; Dombetzki, Luca; Gimpel, Henner; FIM Research Center for Information Management, Augsburg, Germany; Laubacher, Robert; Center for Collective Intelligence, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA; Meindl, Oliver; FIM Research Center for Information Management, Augsburg, Germany; Wöhl, Moritz; FIM Research Center for Information Management, Augsburg, Germany; Dombetzki, Luca; TUM.ai, Munich, Germany
Macro-task crowdsourcing presents a promising approach to address wicked problems like climate change by leveraging the collective efforts of a diverse crowd. Such macro-task crowdsourcing requires facilitation. However, in the facilitation process, traditionally aggregating and synthesizing text contributions from the crowd is labor-intensive, demanding expertise and time from facilitators. Recent advancements in large language models (LLMs) have demonstrated human-level performance in natural language processing. This paper proposes an abstract design for an information system, developed through four iterations of a prototype, to support the synthesis process of contributions using LLM-based natural language processing. The prototype demonstrated promising results, enhancing efficiency and effectiveness in synthesis activities for macro-task crowdsourcing facilitation. By streamlining the synthesis process, the proposed system significantly reduces the effort to synthesize content, allowing for stronger integration of synthesized content into the discussions to reach consensus, ideally leading to more meaningful outcomes.
Multi-omics characterization of the monkeypox virus infection
(2024) Huang, Yiqi; Bergant, Valter; Grass, Vincent; Emslander, Quirin; Hamad, M. Sabri; Hubel, Philipp; Mergner, Julia; Piras, Antonio; Krey, Karsten; Henrici, Alexander; Öllinger, Rupert; Tesfamariam, Yonas M.; Dalla Rosa, Ilaria; Bunse, Till; Sutter, Gerd; Ebert, Gregor; Schmidt, Florian I.; Way, Michael; Rad, Roland; Bowie, Andrew G.; Protzer, Ulrike; Pichlmair, Andreas; Huang, Yiqi; Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Munich, Germany; Bergant, Valter; Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Munich, Germany; Grass, Vincent; Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Munich, Germany; Emslander, Quirin; Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Munich, Germany; Hamad, M. Sabri; Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Munich, Germany; Hubel, Philipp; Innate Immunity Laboratory, Max-Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Munich, Germany; Mergner, Julia; Bavarian Center for Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry at University Hospital rechts der Isar (BayBioMS@MRI), Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Piras, Antonio; Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Munich, Germany; Krey, Karsten; Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Munich, Germany; Henrici, Alexander; Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Munich, Germany; Öllinger, Rupert; Institute of Molecular Oncology and Functional Genomics and Department of Medicine II, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Tesfamariam, Yonas M.; Institute of Innate Immunity, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Dalla Rosa, Ilaria; Cellular signalling and cytoskeletal function laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK; Bunse, Till; Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Munich, Germany; Sutter, Gerd; Institute for Infectious Diseases and Zoonoses, Department of Veterinary Sciences, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany; Ebert, Gregor; Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine/Helmholtz Munich, Munich, Germany; Schmidt, Florian I.; Institute of Innate Immunity, Medical Faculty, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany; Way, Michael; Cellular signalling and cytoskeletal function laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, NW1 1AT, London, UK; Rad, Roland; Institute of Molecular Oncology and Functional Genomics and Department of Medicine II, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany; Bowie, Andrew G.; School of Biochemistry and Immunology, Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland; Protzer, Ulrike; German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner site Munich, Munich, Germany; Pichlmair, Andreas; Institute of Virology, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Munich, Germany
Multiple omics analyzes of Vaccinia virus (VACV) infection have defined molecular characteristics of poxvirus biology. However, little is known about the monkeypox (mpox) virus (MPXV) in humans, which has a different disease manifestation despite its high sequence similarity to VACV. Here, we perform an in-depth multi-omics analysis of the transcriptome, proteome, and phosphoproteome signatures of MPXV-infected primary human fibroblasts to gain insights into the virus-host interplay. In addition to expected perturbations of immune-related pathways, we uncover regulation of the HIPPO and TGF-β pathways. We identify dynamic phosphorylation of both host and viral proteins, which suggests that MAPKs are key regulators of differential phosphorylation in MPXV-infected cells. Among the viral proteins, we find dynamic phosphorylation of H5 that influenced the binding of H5 to dsDNA. Our extensive dataset highlights signaling events and hotspots perturbed by MPXV, extending the current knowledge on poxviruses. We use integrated pathway analysis and drug-target prediction approaches to identify potential drug targets that affect virus growth. Functionally, we exemplify the utility of this approach by identifying inhibitors of MTOR, CHUK/IKBKB, and splicing factor kinases with potent antiviral efficacy against MPXV and VACV.