Wenn das Lesen noch immer stockt : Psychologen und Literaturdidaktiker entwickeln Methoden, um Lesetempo und -verständnis bei Hauptschülern zu fördern

Leseförderung ist seit den ernüchternden Ergebnissen der großen Vergleichsstudien wie PISA und DESI zu einem Dauerthema der deutschen Bildungspolitik und der pädagogischen Leseforschung geworden. Laut PISA-Studie 2000 bleiben rund 23 Prozent der 15-Jährigen beim Lesen unter dem als Mindeststandard definierten Leistungsniveau. Diese »Risikogruppe«, die zum Großteil aus Schülern und Schülerinnen der Hauptschulen besteht, kann altersangemessene Texte nicht adäquat lesen und verstehen. Die Folgen sind weitreichend und werden in der Öffentlichkeit mit Recht unter dem Schlagwort der »Bildungskatastrophe« diskutiert: Schwache Leser können dem textbasierten Unterricht in den verschiedenen Schulfächern meist nicht folgen und sich die Lerninhalte nicht aneignen, was schnell zu schlechten Leistungen in nahezu allen Fächern führt. Diese Jugendlichen erleben alltäglich schulische Misserfolge und können sich nicht angemessen für die stetig steigenden Anforderungen der beruflichen Praxis qualifizieren – in den meisten Fällen werden sie große Mühe haben, einen Ausbildungsplatz zu finden. Die »poor readers« im Bildungskeller der deutschen Schullandschaft sind die wahren Verlierer der sich gegenwärtig etablierenden Informations- und Wissensgesellschaft: Sie steuern bereits im Jugendalter auf Arbeitslosigkeit und gesellschaftliche Desintegration zu. ..

A bright spot for a small league:social media performance in a football league without a COVID-19 lockdown

Research question: Pull effects in attention from smaller leagues towards bigger leagues have been under discussion. Nevertheless, causal empirical evidence on such attention interception is non-existent, and the suspension of sport leagues during the COVID-19 lockdown provides a perfect context for examination. The purpose of this study is to test whether the fan interest towards smaller leagues suffers from the presence of bigger leagues. Research methods: While COVID-19 suspended top professional football worldwide, the Belarus league remained active. We used daily follower statistics (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube) three month before, during, and three months after the lockdown. Since we have these statistics for Belarus clubs as well as for 847 lockdown-affected football clubs (48 first division leagues, N max= 142,139), we use a difference-in-differences approach to estimate the effect of the shock caused by the lockdown. Results and findings: Results indicate an increase in social media attention (throughout all social media channels) for Belarus clubs after the worldwide lockdown. A decrease was then observed after the revitalization of worldwide professional football leagues. The growth rates slowed down to an almost before COVID-19 level after the restart of other leagues. Implications: First, keeping a league open during a pandemic boosts consumer/fan attention, which may lead league organizers and club managers to maintain a league open longer than advised by national health authorities. Second, since bigger leagues seem to pull of attention from smaller leagues, they could compensate the smaller leagues (financially or non-financial) for the loss of fan interest.</p

When sponsorship causes anger:understanding negative fan reactions to postings on sports clubs’ online social media channels

Research question: Fans’ perception that sponsors are a financial need illustrating the increased commercialisation in sports is not always aligned with their view of a club’s culture. This perceived imbalance represents a challenge in the online marketing strategies of sports clubs. When club managers decide on the content of online social media posts/messages related to sponsors, they should be aware of potential fan reactions. Therefore, this study analyses how sponsor-related and other online social media communication of football clubs affect fan reactions. Research methods: We analyse Facebook postings (N = 4,603) published by German first division football clubs. After classifying postings regarding their content, we regress ‘Reactions’, ‘Shares’, and ‘Angry’ reactions on the content variable and further covariates. Linear regression models, Poisson regression models, and general dominance statistics are used for exploring variance within the data. Results and Findings: Fans react considerably angrier to sponsor-related posts than to other content except for defeat-related postings. Regarding overall reactions and shares, sponsor-related posts perform worst among different contents. In addition, the content of posts is elementary to negative reactions, but of less importance to overall reaction rates. Implications: Sports managers and sponsors should be aware of the potential negative shift in reactions when using clubs’ social media channels to share sponsor-related content. We recommend releasing sponsor-related posts as videos on game days to decrease the fraction of negative responses and simultaneously maximise the overall reactions.</p

Near real time seismic data from the coastal ocean

A moored-buoy system for collecting near real-time seismic data from the coastal ocean has been developed and will be deployed for its initial field trial in the fall of 2016. The technology that makes possible the near real time telemetry of seismic data is the inductive modem technology. This type of data telemetry provides a solution that is convenient, economical, reliable, and flexible. We present results of a prototype system that demonstrate the feasibility of this concept. It will transmit continuous data at a rate of about 1000 bps to a radio link in the surface buoy. A GPS receiver on the surface buoy will be configured to perform accurate and synchronized timestamps on the seismic data on the sea surface, which will make it possible to include data from these undersea systems in the existing seismic data network. Power to operate the system will be supplied by solar panels and rechargeable batteries on the surface buoy and batteries on OBS.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Distributional effects of taxation in Latin America

This chapter analyzes the incidence on income distribution by a comprehensive array of direct and indirect taxes in ten Latin American countries circa 2018. The study finds that although there is a significant heterogeneity, the redistributive impact is equalizing for direct taxes and unequalizing for indirect taxes. Overall, redistribution through taxes, without accounting for spending effects and interactions, is slightly equalizing for some countries and unequalizing for others, but the burden on the poor is high and even higher than on the rich. This is mainly a consequence of the high share of indirect taxes in the tax structures, and of low personal income tax collection and coverage. The inclusion of the redistributive effect of the corporate income tax contributes to improve redistribution and accounts for better comparison with the redistributive impact in more developed countries, where dividends are taxed heavily with personal income taxes rather than corporate income taxes as in Latin America. High levels of evasion and informality make payroll taxes more regressive in integrated labor markets with high informality, but make indirect taxes less regressive, since the poor pay little or no indirect taxes on some of their purchases

Design and validation of an ex vivo, whole organ joint model using post mortem specimens

Arthritis is a disease associated with high morbidity, affecting the quality of life of both human and veterinary patients. Therapeutic advances are aided by the use of in vivo rodent models however their translational value for human disease has been questioned. Therefore alternative models using large animals have come to the forefront of translational research. However despite the potentially greater applicability of experimental observations, the associated loss of animal life remains a concern. Availability of an ex vivo whole organ joint model has the potential to promote therapeutic advances without the drawbacks of in vitro and in vivo models. Isolated limb perfusion (ILP), a technique in which appendices are separated from the body’s blood circulation but maintained under physiologic conditions using an extracorporeal circuit, is well established in transplantation surgery and selected research applications. Extending this principle to the maintenance of joint viability through the use of porcine cadaver limbs offers a significant opportunity to study post interventional short-term events relevant to arthritis in a relatively physiological environment. The body of work described in the thesis focused on (a) the establishment, validation and attempted optimisation of this novel approach and (b) the potential applicability of the model to arthritis research. After dissection of porcine distal hind limb specimens, two arteries (A. dorsalis pedis and Ramus caudalis of the saphenous artery) were selected to link the specimen to a non-circulating ILP set-up. The model was perfused (low flow) with oxygenated adapted Tyrode solution warmed to body temperature. An intra-arterial pressure monitoring system allowed continuous perfusate pressure assessment, while scales recorded weight gain of the perfused limb. For cellular migration experiments, a second controlled fluid channel, formed by a syringe pump, was introduced into the circuit. Studies on the porcine cadaver limb model revealed good overall specimen viability over a period of six hours, as evidenced by oxygen consumption and glucose metabolism and further supported by multiphoton laser scanning microscopy (MLSM) of joint specific tissue stained for live and dead cells. Constant lactate, potassium, and LDH levels further substantiated functionality of the model. Weight gain as an indirect measure of oedema formation was in line with results reported in the literature using comparable models. Inflammatory cell migration towards an intra-articular stimulus was assessed by MSLM of joint capsule samples following isolation and fluorescent labelling of porcine neutrophils and their incorporation into the perfusate; this revealed very limited neutrophil migration. Quantitative PCR analysis of synovium for inflammatory gene (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ, and COX-1) expression revealed a trend towards an upregulation of some genes in response to joint injection; perfusion itself did not seem to induce inflammatory gene expression. Results of the presented work suggest that the model is applicable to arthritis research as a pharmaceutical tool for testing new drugs and delivery systems; however, further refinements are required to ensure its full potential value is achieved