How Digital Strategy and Management Games Can Facilitate the Practice of Dynamic Decision-Making

This paper examines how digital strategy and management games that have been initially designed for entertainment can facilitate the practice of dynamic decision-making. Based on a comparative qualitative analysis of 17 games—organized into categories derived from a conceptual model of decision-making design—this article illustrates two ways in which these games may be useful in supporting the learning of dynamic decision-making in educational practice: (1) Players must take over the role of a decider and solve situations in which players must pursue different conflicting goals by making a continuous series of decisions on a variety of actions and measures; (2) three of the features of the games are considered to structure players’ practice of decision-making and foster processes of learning through the curation of possible decisions, the offering of lucid feedback and the modification of time. This article also highlights the games’ shortcomings, from an educational perspective, as players’ decisions are restricted by the numbers of choices they can make within the game, and certain choices are rewarded more than others. An educational application of the games must, therefore, entail a critical reflection of players’ limited choices inside a necessarily biased system

Novel developments in SBGN-ED and applications

Systems Biology Graphical Notation (SBGN, http://sbgn.org) [1] is an emerging standard for graphical representations of biochemical and cellular processes studied in systems biology. Three different views (Process Description, Entity Relationship, and Activity Flow) cover several aspects of the represented processes in different levels of detail. SBGN helps to communicate biological knowledge more efficient and accurate between different research communities in the life sciences. However, to support SBGN, methods and tools for editing, validating, and translating of SBGN maps are necessary.
We present methods for these tasks and novel developments in SBGN-ED (www.sbgn-ed.org) [2], a tool which allows to create all three types of SBGN maps from scratch, to validate these maps for syntactical and semantical correctness, to translate maps from the KEGG database into SBGN, and to export SBGN maps into several file and image formats. SBGN-ED is based on VANTED (Visualization and Analysis of NeTworks containing Experimental Data, http://www.vanted.org) [3].
As applications of SBGN and SBGN-ED we present furthermore MetaCrop (http://metacrop.ipk-gatersleben.de) [4], a database that summarizes diverse information about metabolic pathways in crop plants, and RIMAS (Regulatory Interaction Maps of Arabidopsis Seed Development, http://rimas.ipk-gatersleben.de) [5], an information portal that provides a comprehensive overview of regulatory pathways and genetic interactions during Arabidopsis embryo and seed development. 

[1] Le Novère, N. et al. (2009) The Systems Biology Graphical Notation. Nature Biotechnology, 27, 735-741.
[2] Czauderna, T., Klukas, C., Schreiber, F. (2010) Editing, validating, and translating of SBGN maps. Bioinformatics, 26 (18), 2340-2341.
[3] Junker, B.H., Klukas, C., Schreiber, F. (2006) VANTED: A system for advanced data analysis and visualization in the context of biological networks. BMC Bioinformatics, 7, 109+.
[4] Grafahrend-Belau, E., Weise, S., Koschützki, D., Scholz, U., Junker, B.H., Schreiber, F. (2008) MetaCrop - A detailed database of crop plant metabolism. Nucleic Acids Research, 36, D954-D958.
[5] Junker, A., Hartmann, A., Schreiber, F., Bäumlein, H. (2010) An engineer's view on regulation of seed development. Trends in Plant Science, 15(6), 303-307.
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Diets enriched in fish and rapeseed oils, carnosic acid, and different chemical forms of selenium affect fatty acid profile in the periintestinal fat and indices of nutritional properties of selected tissues of lambs

The aim of our study was to investigate the impact of carnosic acid (CA), selenate (VISe) or selenized yeast (YSe) on concentrations of fatty acids (FA), tocopherols, cholesterol and malondialdehyde in the periintestinal fat (PIF) and muscles of lambs. Male lambs were fed the control diet containing rapeseed (RO) and fish (FO) oils, the CA diet containing RO, FO and CA, the YSe-CA diet with RO, FO, CA and YSe, and the VISe-CA diet with RO, FO, CA and VISe. The experimental diets with CA, irrespective of the presence of YSe or VISe, decreased sums of saturated FA (SFA) and the thrombogenic SFA in the PIF compared to the control. The experimental diets increased the Δ9-desaturation capacity in the PIF compared to the control. The experimental diets with YSe or VISe reduced sums of long-chain polyunsaturated FA in the PIF compared to the control and CA diets. The PIF and muscles of lambs fed the VISe-CA diet were characterised by the highest hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic-FA ratio, and lower modified atherogenic index compared to the control

Online Feedback as a Dialogue: A Sequential Analysis of a Discussion Thread in a Higher Education Context

Im Sinne der Theorie des situierten Lernens kann Lernen nur dann verstanden werden, wenn es als sozialer Prozess beobachtet wird. Dies gilt es auch in der Hochschul- und Mediendidaktik zu berücksichtigen, z. B. im Zusammenhang mit den Kommunikationsmöglichkeiten von Online-Plattformen, die in der Hochschulbildung häufig für die schriftliche, asynchrone Feedback-Kommunikation genutzt werden. Vor diesem Hintergrund widmet sich der vorliegende Beitrag der sozialen Dimension des Feedbackgebens und -nehmens in einem Diskussionsforum eines Studiengangs der Spieleentwicklung auf Grundlage einer sequenziellen Analyse eines einzelnen Diskussions-Threads. Damit wird Feedback nicht nur als Input, sondern Prozess und Dialog untersucht. Im Verlauf der Analyse wird herausgearbeitet, wie die Mitglieder einer studentischen Projektgruppe von ihren Lehrenden und Peers – mit denen sie eine «Community of Practice» bilden – durch gemeinsames Feedback dabei geholfen wird, ihr Spielkonzept zu verbessern. Darüber hinaus kann gezeigt werden, wie die Empfänger des Feedbacks selbst aktiv zum Gelingen der Feedbackprozesse beitragen, indem sie das Feedback gezielt nachfragen, kommentieren und wertschätzen. Für den hochschuldidaktischen Diskurs verweisen die Ergebnisse auf das Potenzial von Peer-Feedback im Zusammenspiel mit Feedback der Lehrenden – in der Tradition der «Design Critique», wie sie in Gestaltungsstudiengängen üblich ist – als Elemente einer Hochschuldidaktik, welche die Theorie des situierten Lernens berücksichtigt.According to situated learning theory, learning can only be understood if it is observed as a social process. For higher education and media didactics this is highly relevant, for instance, when it comes to the application of and research on online platforms that are frequently used, among other things, to facilitate written, asynchronous feedback communication. Against this background, this paper addresses the social dimension of giving and receiving feedback in a discussion forum of a game development course based on a sequential analysis of a single discussion thread. Thus, feedback is examined not only as an input, but as a process and dialogue. In the course of the analysis, it is illustrated how a student project group is helped by instructors and peers – as part of a «community of practice» – to improve its game concept through joint feedback. Furthermore, it can be shown how the recipients of the feedback themselves actively contribute to the success of the feedback processes, by specifically asking for, commenting on, and appreciating the feedback. For the discourse on higher education didactics, the results point to the potential of peer feedback in interaction with feedback from the instructors – in the tradition of the «design critique» as it is common in art and design education – as elements of a didactics of higher education that takes into account the theory of situated learning

Editing, validating and translating of SBGN maps

Motivation: The recently proposed Systems Biology Graphical Notation (SBGN) provides a standard for the visual representation of biochemical and cellular processes. It aims to support more efficient and accurate communication of biological knowledge between different research communities in the life sciences. However, to increase the use of SBGN, tools for editing, validating and translating SBGN maps are desirable

Klonierung und Charakterisierung von endogenen Retroviren des Menschen und des Schweins

Im Rahmen einer genomumfassenden Suche nach biologisch aktiven Proviren des Typs HERV-K konnten insgesamt zwei Genorte den humanen Chromosomen C7 bzw. C19 zugeordnet werden. Beide Proviren weisen ORF für die retroviralen Gene gag, pol und env auf. Während der Genort HERV-K(C19) infolge eine Punktmutation ein defektes Proteasegen trägt und durch eine Deletion der 5´LTR transkriptionell inaktiv ist, besitzt der Genort HERV- K(C7) zwei intakte LTRs, deren Homologiegrad auf ein phylogenetisch junges Alter hindeutet. Mit Ausnahme eines Aminosäureaustausches innerhalb eines hochkonservierten Sequenzmotivs der reversen Transkriptase, der den Verlust der enzymatischen Aktivität zur Folge hat, kann der Genort HERV-K(C7) als das derzeit intakteste Provirus der Familie HERV-K angesehen werden. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit sprechen für eine HTDV- Partikelproduktion durch Komplementation unterschiedlicher Genorte und gegen die Existenz eines funktionellen und vermehrungsfähigen HERV-K Provirus mit allen retroviralen Charakteristika im menschlichen Genom. Desweiteren wurden mit HERV-K10 und HERV-K18 zwei bekannte Vertreter der Familie HERV-K eingehend untersucht. Zusätzlich zu der chromosomalen Zuordnung der Proviren gelang der experimentelle Nachweis eines intakten gag Genes für HERV-K10. Für HERV- K18 konnten ausgeprägte Homologien zu dem Superantigen-kodierenden Provirus IDDMK1,222 festgestellt werden. Bei den in dieser Arbeit vorgestellten Klonen pPERV-B(33), pPERV-A(42) und pPERV- B(43) handelt es sich um die ersten intakten Proviren der xenotropen Klassen PERV-A und PERV-B. Die vollständige Sequenzierung ermöglichte eine eingehende molekularbiologische Charakterisierung dieser C-Typ Viren. Computergestützt konnte eine PBS für eine tRNAGly4 sowie das Polyadenylierungssignal identifiziert werden. Der Sequenzvergleich offenbarte ein repetitives 39 bp Motiv, welches in unterschiedlicher Anzahl in den jeweiligen LTRs vorzufinden ist. Experimentell wurden der Transkriptionsstart und die verwendeten Spleißstellen identifiziert. Durch Rekombination konnten die molekularen Klone pPERV- B(33)/ATG und pPERV-B(43)/LTR generiert werden, die nach Transfektion in 293 Zellen zur Produktion infektiöser Partikel führten, welche sich seriell passagieren liessen. Mit Kenntnis der Genomorganisation und der RNA Expressionscharakteristika von PERV wurde eine RT PCR Virusdiagnostik etabliert mit deren Hilfe hochsensitiv differentiell PERV-A und PERV-B Transkripte detektiert werden können

Dactinomycin-induced veno-occlusive disease in rats. The hepatoprotective action of amifostine. Evaluation in a light and electron microscope

The purpose of the study was to draw upan experimental model of hepatic veno-occlusive disease (VOD) induced by dactinomycin (ACT) and to investigate the possible hepatoprotective effects of Ethyol (amifostine). Pathological changes corresponding to a VOD picture of varying intensification were found in the liver samples obtained from all the rats receiving ACT. Amifostine appears to act protectively to liver changes caused by dactinomycin

HTPheno: An image analysis pipeline for high-throughput plant phenotyping

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In the last few years high-throughput analysis methods have become state-of-the-art in the life sciences. One of the latest developments is automated greenhouse systems for high-throughput plant phenotyping. Such systems allow the non-destructive screening of plants over a period of time by means of image acquisition techniques. During such screening different images of each plant are recorded and must be analysed by applying sophisticated image analysis algorithms.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>This paper presents an image analysis pipeline (HTPheno) for high-throughput plant phenotyping. HTPheno is implemented as a plugin for ImageJ, an open source image processing software. It provides the possibility to analyse colour images of plants which are taken in two different views (top view and side view) during a screening. Within the analysis different phenotypical parameters for each plant such as height, width and projected shoot area of the plants are calculated for the duration of the screening. HTPheno is applied to analyse two barley cultivars.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>HTPheno, an open source image analysis pipeline, supplies a flexible and adaptable ImageJ plugin which can be used for automated image analysis in high-throughput plant phenotyping and therefore to derive new biological insights, such as determination of fitness.</p

OntoPlot: A Novel Visualisation for Non-hierarchical Associations in Large Ontologies

Ontologies are formal representations of concepts and complex relationships among them. They have been widely used to capture comprehensive domain knowledge in areas such as biology and medicine, where large and complex ontologies can contain hundreds of thousands of concepts. Especially due to the large size of ontologies, visualisation is useful for authoring, exploring and understanding their underlying data. Existing ontology visualisation tools generally focus on the hierarchical structure, giving much less emphasis to non-hierarchical associations. In this paper we present OntoPlot, a novel visualisation specifically designed to facilitate the exploration of all concept associations whilst still showing an ontology's large hierarchical structure. This hybrid visualisation combines icicle plots, visual compression techniques and interactivity, improving space-efficiency and reducing visual structural complexity. We conducted a user study with domain experts to evaluate the usability of OntoPlot, comparing it with the de facto ontology editor Prot{\'e}g{\'e}. The results confirm that OntoPlot attains our design goals for association-related tasks and is strongly favoured by domain experts.Comment: Accepted at IEEE InfoVis 201