Embedded formative assessment and classroom process quality. How do they interact in promoting students\u27 science understanding

In this study we examine the interplay between curriculum-embedded formative assessment-a well-known teaching practice-and general features of classroom process quality (i.e., cognitive activation, supportive climate, classroom management) and their combined effect on elementary school students\u27 understanding of the scientific concepts of floating and sinking. We used data from a cluster-randomized controlled trial and compared curriculum-embedded formative assessment (17 classes) with a control group (11 classes). Curriculum-embedded formative assessment and classroom process quality promoted students\u27 learning. Moreover, classroom process quality and embedded formative assessment interacted in promoting student learning. To ensure effective instruction and consequently satisfactory learning outcomes, teachers need to combine specific teaching practices with high classroom process quality. (DIPF/Orig.

Excuse Me, Something Is Unfair! - Implications of Perceived Fairness of Service Robots

Fairness is an important aspect for individuals and teams. This also applies for human-robot interaction (HRI). Especially if intelligent robots provide services to multiple humans, humans may feel treated unfairly by robots. Most work in this area deals with the aspects of fair algorithms, task allocation and decision support. This work focuses on a different, yet little explored perspective, which looks at fairness in HRI from a human-centered perspective in human-robot teams. We present an experiment in which a service robot was responsible for distributing resources among competing team members. We investigated how different strategies of distribution influence the perceived fairness and the perception of the robot. Our study shows that humans might perceive technically efficient algorithms as unfair, especially if humans personally experience negative consequences. This also had negative impact on human perception of the robot, which should be considered in the design of future robots

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma: Current perspectives

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) is the second most common malignancy arising from the liver. ICC makes up about 10% of all cholangiocarcinomas. It arises from the peripheral bile ducts within the liver parenchyma, proximal to the secondary biliary radicals. Histologically, the majority of ICCs are adenocarcinomas. Only a minority of patients (15%) present with resectable disease, with a median survival of less than 3 years. Multidisciplinary management of ICC is complicated by large differences in disease course for individual patients both across and within tumor stages. Risk models and nomograms have been developed to more accurately predict survival of individual patients based on clinical parameters. Predictive risk factors are necessary to improve patient selection for systemic treatments. Molecular differences between tumors, such as in the epidermal growth factor receptor status, are promising, but their clinical applicability should be validated. For patients with locally advanced disease, several treatment strategies are being evaluated. Both hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy with floxuridine and yttrium-90 embolization aim to downstage locally advanced ICC. Selected patients have resectable disease after downstaging, and other patients might benefit because of postponing widespread dissemination and biliary obstruction

Роль компетентностного подхода при управлении профессиональными рисками

В статье рассмотрены соответствия между опасностью, вредом здоровью, профессиональным риском и компетентностью работников, которые могут послужить основой для системы выявления и управления профессиональными рисками, обусловленными человеческим фактором.In this article compliances between danger, harm to health, occupational risk and competence of employees are considered. They can serve as a basis for the system for the detection and management of occupational risks caused by human factors

Association between TAS2R38 gene polymorphisms and colorectal cancer risk

Molecular sensing in the lingual mucosa and in the gastro-intestinal tract play a role in the detection of ingested harmful drugs and toxins. Therefore, genetic polymorphisms affecting the capability of initiating these responses may be critical for the subsequent efficiency of avoiding and/or eliminating possible threats to the organism. By using a tagging approach in the region of Taste Receptor 2R38 (TAS2R38) gene, we investigated all the common genetic variation of this gene region in relation to colorectal cancer risk with a case-control study in a German population (709 controls and 602 cases) and in a Czech population (623 controls and 601 cases). We found that there were no significant associations between individual SNPs of the TAS2R38 gene and colorectal cancer in the Czech or in the German population, nor in the joint analysis. However, when we analyzed the diplotypes and the phenotypes we found that the non-taster group had an increased risk of colorectal cancer in comparison to the taster group. This association was borderline significant in the Czech population, (OR = 1.28, 95% CI 0.99-1.67; P(value) = 0.058) and statistically significant in the German population (OR = 1.36, 95% CI 1.06-1.75; P(value) = 0.016) and in the joint analysis (OR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.12-1.61; P(value) = 0.001). In conclusion, we found a suggestive association between the human bitter tasting phenotype and the risk of CRC in two different populations of Caucasian origin

Field-free deterministic ultra fast creation of skyrmions by spin orbit torques

Magnetic skyrmions are currently the most promising option to realize current-driven magnetic shift registers. A variety of concepts to create skyrmions were proposed and demonstrated. However, none of the reported experiments show controlled creation of single skyrmions using integrated designs. Here, we demonstrate that skyrmions can be generated deterministically on subnanosecond timescales in magnetic racetracks at artificial or natural defects using spin orbit torque (SOT) pulses. The mechanism is largely similar to SOT-induced switching of uniformly magnetized elements, but due to the effect of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI), external fields are not required. Our observations provide a simple and reliable means for skyrmion writing that can be readily integrated into racetrack devices

Survey on the occurrence of Tilletia controversa in conventionally produced winter wheat in Northern Germany

Der Erreger des Zwergsteinbrandes des Weizens, Tilletia controversa, kommt in Deutschland bislang hauptsächlich im ökologischen Anbau in Süddeutschland vor und dort insbesondere in den Mittelgebirgen und im Alpenvorland. Ob T. controversa auch in den nördlichen Bundesländern an konventionell erzeugtem Winterweizen auftritt, sollte mit einem Monitoring in den Jahren 2016 und 2017 aufgeklärt werden. Entsprechend der Weizen­erzeugungsmengen in den Bundesländern Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt und Schleswig-Holstein wurden insgesamt 1302 Weizenkorn-Proben von geographisch repräsentativ verteilten Erfassungsbetrieben untersucht. Von diesen wurden 4 eindeutig positiv auf T. controversa getestet (0,3 %). Mit < 0,5 Sporen/Korn war die Sporenbelastung sehr gering. Bei 9 weiteren Proben (0,7 %) konnte ein Befall weder eindeutig bestä­tigt noch ausgeschlossen werden. Ein wiederholtes Auftreten an einzelnen Standorten in aufeinanderfolgenden Jahren war nicht zu beobachten. Somit spielt T. controversa für die Produktion von konventionellem Winterweizen in Norddeutschland praktisch keine Rolle. Die gerin­gen beobachteten Sporenkonzentrationen könnten einerseits durch ein sehr niedriges Infektionsniveau auf dem Feld an nicht optimal gebeiztem Saatgut verursacht worden sein. Andererseits ist es auch möglich, dass sie durch den Eintrag von Sporen aus benachbarten Feldern mit ökologischem Weizenanbau oder durch verunrei­nigte Erntemaschinen bzw. Transportfahrzeuge hervorgerufen worden sind. T. controversa ist in einigen Ländern ein Quarantäneschadorganismus. Da er nach den vorliegenden Ergebnissen grundsätzlich auch in den nördlichen Bundesländern vorkommen kann, ist dies je nach Zielland von Bedeutung für den Export von Weizen.In Germany the causal agent of dwarf bunt of wheat, Tilletia controversa, has so far been found mainly in organic farming in the southern part of the country, and there especially in the mid mountain ranges and in the Alpine foothills. Whether T. controversa also occurs in conventionally produced winter wheat in the northern federal states was subject of a survey in the years 2016 and 2017. According to the wheat production levels in the German federal states Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Schleswig-Holstein a total of 1302 wheat grain samples were analysed originating from geographically representatively distributed operators. 4 of which tested positive for T. controversa (0.3 %). With < 0.5 spores per grain these exhibited a very low contamination level. In 9 additional samples (0.7 %), an infestation could neither be clearly confirmed nor excluded. Repeated occurrence of the pathogen at individual sites in consecutive years was not observed. Thus, T. controversa generally does not play a significant role in the production of conventional winter wheat in Northern Germany. The observed very low spore concentrations could have been caused by rare infection events of seeds that had not been optimally treated with seed dressing. However, it also could have been caused by wind-blown spores originating from neighboring organic wheat fields or by contaminated harvesters or transport vehicles. T. controversa is a quarantine pest in several countries. According to the here reported results, it can principally also occur in the northern federal states of Germany, which is of importance for the export of wheat, depending on the country of destination

Comparison of different modalities for the diagnosis of parastomal hernia: a systematic review

Purpose: Parastomal hernia (PSH) is a common complication following stoma formation. The incidence of PSH varies widely due to several factors including differences in diagnostic modality, observer, definition, and classification used for diagnosing PSH. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the modalities used to identify PSH. Methods: Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched. Studies reporting PSH incidence rates detected by two or more different diagnostic modalities or inter-observer variation on one diagnostic modality were included. Article selection and assessment of study quality were conducted independently by two researchers using Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias. PROSPERO registration: CRD42018112732. Results: Twenty-nine studies (n = 2514 patients) were included. Nineteen studies compared CT to clinical examination with relative difference in incidence rates ranging from 0.64 to 3.0 (n = 1369). Overall, 79% of studies found an increase in incidence rate when using CT. Disagreement between CT and clinical examination ranged between 0 and 37.3% with pooled inter-modality agreement Kappa value of 0.64 (95% CI 0.52–0.77). Four studies investigated the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonography (n = 103). Compared with peroperative diagnosis, CT and ultrasonography both seemed accurate imaging modalities with a sensitivity of 83%. Conclusion: CT is an accurate diagnostic modality for PSH diagnosis and increases PSH detection rates, as compared with clinical examination. Studies that specially focus on the diagnostic accuracy are needed and should aim to take patient-reported outcomes into account. A detailed description of the diagnostic approach, modality, definition, and involved observers is prerequisite for future PSH research