Inquiry-based learning on climate change in upper secondary education: a design-based approach

Education is of great importance in the context of climate change, as it can promote pro-environmental behaviour. However, climate change education is accompanied by didactic and pedagogical challenges because, among other reasons, climate change is a complex phenomenon and many people have a psychological distance to the topic. A promising approach to face these challenges is inquiry-based learning (IBL), as several studies show. To date, however, there are barely any empirically tested instructional designs, especially for close-to-science IBL, focusing on climate change. The study presented here therefore addresses the question of how a science propaedeutic seminar for upper secondary schools on the regional implications of climate change should be designed to ensure successful learning processes. Based on the design-based research approach, qualitative research methods (focus group discussions, semi-standardised written teacher surveys, and participant observations) were used to identify target-oriented design guidelines and implementation principles for such seminars. In the seminars, 769 students have so far researched different aspects of climate change in their own regions. The identified design guidelines and implementation principles were further operationalised for teaching practice, so that the research generated both a contribution to theory building and an applicable concept for schools

DNA Nanotechnology: Developing and Analyzing a New Tool for Sensing Allergens

University of Minnesota M.S. thesis. June 2016. Major: Food Science. Advisor: Theodore Labuza. 1 computer file (PDF); xii, 112 pages.Allergens are a major problem especially concerning public health and economy. There are more than 150 foods that can initiate allergic reactions, these reactions can elicit a mild response or a dangerous life threatening condition and in some extreme cases death. Milk and milk ingredients are one of the 8 foods that are responsible for about 90% of all food related allergic reactions. Food containing undeclared allergens in the label are misbranded and adulterated, and in accordance with the FSMA law must be recalled. It is estimated that the food industry can spend up to $10 millions dollars in direct costs from a recall. It was hypothesized that aptamer-amphiphile, a synthesis product from ssDNA aptamer and a hydrocarbon tale, in conjunction with liquid-crystal could be used as a sensor for detection of -lactoglobulin, an allergenic whey protein. The sensor was based on the self-alignment properties of liquid crystals based on the environment that it is exposed and on the capabilities of DNA aptamers to specific binding to targets. Results of this work showed that the aptamer-amphiphile of choice, amphiphile synthesized without a spacer between the DNA head group and the hydrocabon tail, had a great affinity to target, Kd= 45 ± 1.68 nM. In addition to it, it was possible to demonstrate that the interaction of the aptamer-amphiphile with the target protein, -lactoglobulin, using the sensor assembly resulted in images that can be easily identified under the polarizing microscope, sensor exposed to the aptamer-amphiphile alone gave a black image, once the protein was introduced the image was bright. Furthermore, the sensor developed has a limit of detection of 18.4ng of -lactoglobulin. It was also able to selectively identify the target protein, since when aptamer-amphiphile supported on the sensor was exposed to a random protein the image did not change as it did with -lactoglobulin. In conclusion, this sensor developed proves the concept that aptamer-amphiphile and the liquid crystal can potentially be used as a sensor technique in food plants to detect allergens in food contact surfaces

The influence of knee position on ankle dorsiflexion - a biometric study

Background: Musculus gastrocnemius tightness (MGT) can be diagnosed by comparing ankle dorsiflexion (ADF) with the knee extended and flexed. Although various measurement techniques exist, the degree of knee flexion needed to eliminate the effect of the gastrocnemius on ADF is still unknown. The aim of this study was to identify the minimal degree of knee flexion required to eliminate the restricting effect of the musculus gastrocnemius on ADF. Methods: Bilateral ADF of 20 asymptomatic volunteers aged 18-40 years (50% female) was assessed prospectively at six different degrees of knee flexion (0 degrees, 20 degrees, 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 75 degrees, Lunge). Tests were performed following a standardized protocol, non weightbearing and weightbearing, by two observers. Statistics comprised of descriptive statistics, t-tests, repeated measurement ANOVA and ICC. Results: 20 individuals with a mean age of 27 +/- 4 years were tested. No significant side to side differences were observed. The average ADF [95% confidence interval] for non weightbearing was 4 degrees{[}1 degrees-8 degrees] with the knee extended and 20 degrees [16 degrees-24 degrees] for the knee 75 flexed. Mean weightbearing ADF was 25 degrees[22 degrees-28 degrees] for the knee extended and 39 degrees[36 degrees-42 degrees] for the knee 75 degrees flexed. The mean differences between 20 degrees knee flexion and full extension were 15 degrees[12 degrees-18 degrees] non weightbearing and 13 degrees[11 degrees-16 degrees] weightbearing. Significant differences of ADF were only found between full extension and 20 degrees of knee flexion. Further knee flexion did not increase ADF. Conclusion: Knee flexion of 20 degrees fully eliminates the ADF restraining effect of the gastrocnemius. This knowledge is essential to design a standardized clinical examination assessing MGT

Contact tracing for COVID-19 in a Swiss canton: analysis of key performance indicators.

BACKGROUND Contact tracing (CT) has played an important role in strategies to control COVID-19. However, there is limited evidence on the performance of digital tools for CT and no consensus on which indicators to use to monitor their performance. We aimed to describe the system and analyse outcomes of CT with a partially automated workflow in the Swiss canton of Solothurn, using key performance indicators (KPIs). METHODS We describe the process of CT used in the canton of Solothurn between November 2020 and February 2022, including forward and backward CT. We developed 16 KPIs representing CT structure (S1-2), process (P1-11) and outcome (O1-3) based on previous literature to analyse the relative performance of CT. We report the changes in the indicators over waves of SARS-CoV-2 infections caused by several viral variants. RESULTS The CT team in Solothurn processed 57,363 index cases and 71,809 contacts over a 15-month period. The CT team successfully contacted 99% of positive cases within 24 hours (KPI P7) throughout the pandemic and returned almost all test results on the same or next day (KPI P6), before the delta variant emerged. Three-quarters of contacts were notified within 24 hours of the CT interview with the index (KPI P8) before the emergence of the alpha, delta and omicron variants, when the proportions decreased to 64%, 36% and 54%, respectively. The percentage of new symptomatic cases tested and interviewed within 3 days of symptom onset was high at >70% (KPI P10) and contacts started quarantine within a median of 3 days of index case symptom onset (KPI P3). About a fifth of new index cases had already been in quarantine by the time of their positive test (KPI O1), before the delta variant emerged. The percentage of index cases in isolation by day of testing remained at almost 100% throughout the period of analysis (KPI O2). CONCLUSIONS The CT in Solothurn used a partially automated workflow and continued to perform well throughout the pandemic, although the relative performance of the CT system declined at higher caseloads. CT remains an important tool for controlling the spread of infectious diseases, but clearer standards should improve the performance, comparability and monitoring of infection in real time as part of pandemic preparedness efforts

Concentration Kinetics of Serum MMP-9 and TIMP-1 after Blunt Multiple Injuries in the Early Posttraumatic Period

Metalloproteinases are secreted in response to a variety of inflammatory mediators and inhibited by tissue inhibitors of matrixmetalloproteinases (TIMPs). Two members of these families, MMP-9 and TIMP-1, were differentially expressed depending on clinical parameters in a previous genomewide mRNA analysis. The aim of this paper was now to evaluate the posttraumatic serum levels and the time course of both proteins depending on distinct clinical parameters. 60 multiple traumatized patients (ISS > 16) were included. Blood samples were drawn on admission and 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, 48 h, and 72 h after trauma. Serum levels were quantified by ELISA. MMP-9 levels significantly decreased in the early posttraumatic period (P < 0.05) whereas TIMP-1 levels significantly increased in all patients (P < 0.05). MMP-9 and TIMP-1 serum concentration kinetics became manifest in an inversely proportional balance. Furthermore, MMP-9 presented a stronger decrease in patients with severe trauma and non-survivors in contrast to minor traumatized patients (ISS ≤ 33) and survivors, initially after trauma

Neighbourhood Social Resilience (NSR): Definition, Conceptualisation, and Measurement Scale Development

The literature on social resilience lacks a precise definition of this concept and a clear guideline on how to measure it. Particularly, social resilience at the neighbourhood scale has received remarkably little scholarly attention. This study contributes toward filling these gaps in the literature by developing and empirically testing the neighbourhood social resilience (NSR) model as a robust and reliable measurement instrument that integrates various aspects of this complex concept into one coherent and fine-grained psychometric model. The reliability and validity of the NSR model are empirically tested using questionnaire data collected from 234 respondents in five neighbourhoods of Dunedin city, New Zealand. Furthermore, a more nuanced definition for neighbourhood social resilience is provided. Results indicate that social resilience is a second-order and multidimensional concept incorporating eight dimensions. Each of these dimensions captures a distinct piece in the jigsaw of social resilience; therefore, failure to incorporate all dimensions may provide an incomplete picture of this complex phenomenon. Our research bridges the gap between top-down approach of stakeholders and policymakers and bottom-up perceptions and expectations of residents about social resilience of their urban neighbourhood