Bildungsverständnis von pädagogischen Fachkräften in Kitas : Ergebnisse aus dem KoAkiK-Projekt

This study uses 208 vignette interviews to analyze preschool teachers' beliefs about learning and teaching. First, it presented them with two film vignettes of everyday situations in childcare centers. Afterward, they answered questions of how to analyze and create the play situations. To identify beliefs about the educational concepts of self-education, co-construction, and instruction, we used a rating system (R-BiKo) that focused on the frequency and conciseness of the participants' responses. The results show that the preschool teachers strongly emphasized self-education. Also, but less marked, we found instructional aspects in the interviews, though we only rarely found answers addressing a co-constructional concept. We discuss the relevance of these results for supporting learning processes and child development in childcare centers.Im Beitrag wird das Bildungsverständnis von 208 pädagogischen Fachkräften in Kindertageseinrichtungen (Kitas) mittels Vignetteninterview analysiert. Den Fachkräften werden zwei Filmvignetten mit pädagogischen Alltagssituationen präsentiert; anschließend beantworten sie Fragen, die sich auf die Analyse und Gestaltung der Spielsituationen beziehen. Die Aussagen werden mithilfe eines Ratingsystems (R-BiKo) daraufhin ausgewertet, wie häufig und prägnant die Bildungskonzepte Selbstbildung, Ko-Konstruktion und Instruktion thematisiert werden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Fachkräfte die Selbstbildung sehr stark betonen; instruktive Aspekte lassen sich – etwas weniger ausgeprägt – ebenfalls in den Interviews finden; ko-konstruktivistische Vorstellungen sind in den Interviews kaum zu erkennen. Die Ergebnisse werden im Hinblick auf ihre Relevanz für die Gestaltung von Entwicklungs- und Bildungsprozessen in Kitas diskutiert

New insights on the mechanism of quinoline-based DNA methyltransferase inhibitors

Among the epigenetic marks, DNA methylation is one of the most studied. It is highly deregulated in numerous diseases, including cancer. Indeed, it has been shown that hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes promoters is a common feature of cancer cells. Because DNA methylation is reversible, the DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), responsible for this epigenetic mark, are considered promising therapeutic targets. Several molecules have been identified as DNMT inhibitors and, among the non-nucleoside inhibitors, 4-aminoquinoline-based inhibitors, such as SGI-1027 and its analogs, showed potent inhibitory activity. Here we characterized the in vitro mechanism of action of SGI-1027 and two analogs. Enzymatic competition studies with the DNA substrate and the methyl donor cofactor, S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet), displayed AdoMet non-competitive and DNA competitive behavior. In addition, deviations from the Michaelis-Menten model in DNA competition experiments suggested an interaction with DNA. Thus their ability to interact with DNA was established; although SGI-1027 was a weak DNA ligand, analog 5, the most potent inhibitor, strongly interacted with DNA. Finally, as 5 interacted with DNMT only when the DNA duplex was present, we hypothesize that this class of chemical compounds inhibit DNMTs by interacting with the DNA substrate

Sterile Testis Complementation with Spermatogonial Lines Restores Fertility to DAZL-Deficient Rats and Maximizes Donor Germline Transmission

Despite remarkable advances in assisted reproductive capabilities ∼4% of all couples remain involuntarily infertile. In almost half of these cases, a lack of conception can in some measure be attributed to the male partner, wherein de novo Y-chromosomal deletions of sperm-specific Deleted-in-Azoospermia (DAZ) genes are particularly prevalent. In the current study, long-term cultures of rat spermatogonial stem cells were evaluated after cryo-storage for their potential to restore fertility to rats deficient in the DAZ-like (DAZL) gene. Detailed histological analysis of DAZL-deficient rat testes revealed an apparently intact spermatogonial stem cell compartment, but clear failure to produce mature haploid gametes resulting in infertility. After proliferating >1 million-fold in cell number during culture post-thaw, as few as 50,000 donor spermatogonia transplanted into only a single testis/recipient effectively restored fecundity to DAZL-deficient rats, yielding 100% germline transmission to progeny by natural mating. Based on these results, the potency and efficacy of this donor stem cell line for restoring fertility to azoospermic rodents is currently unprecedented. Prospectively, similar successes in humans could be directly linked to the feasibility of obtaining enough fully functional spermatogonial stem cells from minimal testis biopsies to be therapeutically effective. Thus, regeneration of sperm production in this sterile recipient provides an advanced pre-clinical model for optimizing the efficacy of stem cell therapies to cure a paradoxically increasing number of azoospermic men. This includes males that are rendered infertile by cancer therapies, specific types of endocrine or developmental defects, and germline-specific de novo mutations; all of whom may harbor healthy sources of their own spermatogonial stem cells for treatment

Implementing Electro-Optical Diagnostics for Measuring the CSR far-field at KARA

For measuring the temporal profile of the coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) at the KIT storage ring KARA (Karlsruhe Research Accelerator) an experimental setup based on electro-optical spectral decoding (EOSD) is currently being implemented. The EOSD technique allows single-shot, phase-sensitive measurements of the far-field radiation on a turn-by-turn basis at rates in the MHz range. Therefore, the resulting THz radiation from the dynamics of the bunch evolution, e.g. the microbunching, can be observed with high temporal resolution. This far-field setup is part of the distributed sensor network at KARA. Additionally to the information acquired from the near-field EOSD spectral decoding and the horizontal bunch profile monitor, it enables to monitor the longitudinal phase-space of the bunch. In this contribution, the characterization of the far-field setup is summarized and its implementation is discussed

Identification of FHL1 as a regulator of skeletal muscle mass: implications for human myopathy

Regulators of skeletal muscle mass are of interest, given the morbidity and mortality of muscle atrophy and myopathy. Four-and-a-half LIM protein 1 (FHL1) is mutated in several human myopathies, including reducing-body myopathy (RBM). The normal function of FHL1 in muscle and how it causes myopathy remains unknown. We find that FHL1 transgenic expression in mouse skeletal muscle promotes hypertrophy and an oxidative fiber-type switch, leading to increased whole-body strength and fatigue resistance. Additionally, FHL1 overexpression enhances myoblast fusion, resulting in hypertrophic myotubes in C2C12 cells, (a phenotype rescued by calcineurin inhibition). In FHL1-RBM C2C12 cells, there are no hypertrophic myotubes. FHL1 binds with the calcineurin-regulated transcription factor NFATc1 (nuclear factor of activated T cells, cytoplasmic, calcineurin-dependent 1), enhancing NFATc1 transcriptional activity. Mutant RBM-FHL1 forms aggregate bodies in C2C12 cells, sequestering NFATc1 and resulting in reduced NFAT nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity. NFATc1 also colocalizes with mutant FHL1 to reducing bodies in RBM-afflicted skeletal muscle. Therefore, via NFATc1 signaling regulation, FHL1 appears to modulate muscle mass and strength enhancement

Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity among Medical Students across Indonesia: A Literature Review

Aim: To make profiling of the prevalence of overweight and obesity among medical students in Indonesia through a literature search on previous scientific publications in the internet, then creating a map showing the spread of this silent epidemic among medical students. Methodology: Simple internet based literature study cross sectionally search for previous published scientific articles available only on the internet, regarding overweight or obesity among medical students from different faculty of medicine in Indonesia. This study conducted from January to March 2023. Using famous search engine, Google™, we type several keywords regarding overweight and obesity among medical students in Indonesia. Results and Discussion: Data from 29 published articles obtained electronically. The mean percentage of overweight and obese students is 35.5% and found in both public or private medical schools; where private schools have a slightly higher mean percentage of prevalence than the public ones. Even though there are 92 medical schools across Indonesia, it turns out that not all have such data uploaded to the internet. From the health communication perspective, this is also barriers that must be overcome. Conclusion: Overweight and obesity among medical students of Indonesia is a real problem that must be managed properly in order to ensure that, these students stay healthy, can complete their education and then become doctors who serve the community. Keywords: Anatomy body mass index body image waist circumference public private health communicatio