Stellungnahme zu den Sektorkonzepten der Bundesregierung zu Grundbildung, Berufliche Bildung und Hochschulbildung

Das Bundesministerium für Wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung hat 1992/93 drei Sektorkonzepte zur Förderung der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit im Bildungsbereich in Neufassungen herausgegeben: zur Grundbildung, zur beruflichen Bildung und zum Hochschulwesen. Die Kommission "Bildungsforschung mit der Dritten Welt" hat die in diesen Sektorkonzepten niedergelegten Vorstellungen und Vorschläge erörtert. Die Verfasser haben Überlegungen auf der Basis dieser Diskussionen in der Absicht einer kritischen Politikberatung erarbeitet. Zunächst wird zu den einzelnen Sektorkonzepten Stellung genommen, dann folgen einige grundsätzliche Bemerkungen zu allen drei Papieren. (DIPF/Orig.

The imprint of the analogue Hawking effect in subcritical flows

We study the propagation of low-frequency shallow water waves on a one-dimensional flow of varying depth. When taking into account dispersive effects, the linear propagation of long-wavelength modes on uneven bottoms excites new solutions of the dispersion relation which possess a much shorter wavelength. The peculiarity is that one of these new solutions has a negative energy. When the flow becomes supercritical, this mode has been shown to be responsible for the (classical) analog of the Hawking effect. For subcritical flows, the production of this mode has been observed numerically and experimentally, but the precise physics governing the scattering remained unclear. In this work, we provide an analytic treatment of this effect in subcritical flows. We analyze the scattering of low-frequency waves using a new perturbative series, derived from a generalization of the Bremmer series. We show that the production of short-wavelength modes is governed by a complex value of the position: a complex turning point. Using this method, we investigate various flow profiles and derive the main characteristics of the induced spectrum

Ist eine Evolutionstheorie erziehungswissenschaftlich brandgefährlich? Ein Aufruf zur Diskussion der Thesen von A. Treml

Hat Treml mit seinen Ausführungen eine Grenze erreicht - oder vielleicht schon überschritten? -, jenseits der der mündige, verantwortlich handelnde Mensch Richtschnur wissenschaftlichen Arbeitens ist? [...] Keine ernst zu nehmenden Erziehungswissenschaftlerinnen negieren, daß die Menschen auch Natur sind. Aber welchen Erkenntnisgewinn verspricht es, wenn Treml einseitig auf die Naturbedingtheit der Menschen setzt? (DIPF/Orig.

CNTF Attenuates Vasoproliferative Changes Through Upregulation of SOCS3 in a Mouse-Model of Oxygen-Induced Retinopathy

PURPOSE. Retinal vascular disease represents a major cause for vision loss in the Western world. Recent research has shown that neuronal and vascular damage are closely related in retinal disease. Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is a well-studied neurotrophic factor that is currently being tested in clinical trials for the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases and macular telangiectasia. However, little is known about its effect on retinal vasculature. In this study, we investigate the effects of CNTF in retinal neovascular disease using the mouse model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR). METHODS. Newborn pups were exposed to 75% oxygen from postnatal day (P) 7 to P12 and subsequently returned to room air. Ciliary neurotrophic factor was injected intravitreally at OIR P12 and the vaso-obliterated and neovascular areas were quantified at OIR P17. Immunohistochemistry, RNA, and protein analysis were used to identify CNTF-responsive cells. In vitro experiments were performed to analyze the effect of CNTF on endothelial and astroglial cells. RESULTS. In the OIR model, CNTF facilitated capillary regrowth and attenuated preretinal neovascularization in a dose-dependent manner. The protective effect of CNTF was mediated via activation of the JAK/STAT3/SOCS3 signaling pathway. Immunohistochemical studies identified endothelial cells among others as CNTF-responsive cells in the retina. In vitro studies confirmed the anti-angiogenic effect of CNTF on endothelial cell sprouting. CONCLUSIONS. This study provides evidence for a therapeutic potential of CNTF beyond degenerative retinal disease. Vasoproliferative retinopathies may benefit from a CNTF-dependent and SOCS3-mediated angiomodulatory effect

Additional file 1: of Systemic confounders affecting serum measurements of omega-3 and -6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in patients with retinal disease

This file contains a list of all fatty acids analyzed for this study. (DOC 41 kb

Nitrogen deposition and climate change has increased vascular plant species richness and altered the composition of grazed subalpine grasslands

1-Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition and climate warming are two major components of global change that drive species richness and composition in plant communities. However, their combined effects have been insufficiently investigated across large spatial and temporal scales particularly in high-elevation, nutrient-limited ecosystems.2-We examine whether and how N deposition and climate warming have altered the plant richness and the composition of subalpine semi-natural, extensively grazed grasslands of the Pyrenees, using two complementary approaches: i) analysis of 553 relevés to explore vegetation changes across large ecological gradients including temperature and N deposition (spatial approach) and ii) a resampling of a subset of 40 sites among the 553 sites to assess temporal changes over the past decades (temporal approach).3-Both approaches showed that the vascular plant species richness increased when temperature and cumulative N deposition increase, shifting of the species composition toward more thermophilic and eutrophic communities.4-Synthesis. We hypothesize that the release from abiotic constraints (milder temperature and higher N availability) due to global changes and long-standing extensive grazing counteracting the negative effects of N deposition have been responsible for the diversity and compositional changes of plant communities over the last decades in the Pyrenees. Thus, in contrast with other grasslands, high-elevation grazed grasslands may increase in species diversity with N deposition under climate warming