Intercultural competence development in higher education study abroad programs: a good practice example

International student mobility programs at higher education level have increasingly been fostered over the past years. Most of these programs merely send students for a term abroad, but do not provide comprehensive accompanying measures before, during and after the stay. There is no doubt that through a short time of studying in another country, participants gain intercultural living and learning experience. However, some crucial questions remain: How effective and efficient are such programs in promoting intercultural learning and competence development? How can they be designed in order to foster the students' learning processes and to increase learning outcomes? This article addresses these questions and provides an example of a comprehensive study abroad program for graduate students. The article gives an overview of current research on study abroad programs and defines the term intercultural competence. It then presents the "Asian Studies in Business and Economics (ASBE) program" at the University of Paderborn (Germany) as a good practice example. The strengths of the program are: It a) consists of four master-level modules, all fully integrated into the curriculum of the Master programs; b) provides continuous and systematic accompanying measures over a long period of time (preparation, study abroad and follow-up phases); c) uses an innovative, learner- centered pedagogical design that combines individual and cooperative learning and applies -amongst others- experiential and reflective learning as well as the critical incidents technique.Universitäre Auslandsstudienprogramme wurden in den vergangenen Jahren verstärkt gefördert. Die meisten dieser Programme senden ihre Teilnehmer/innen lediglich für eine gewisse Zeit ins Ausland, bieten aber keine umfassenden Begleitprogramme vor, während und nach dem Auslandsaufenthalt. Obwohl kein Zweifel daran besteht, dass Studierende durch einen solchen Auslandsstudienaufenthalt interkulturelle Lebens- und Lernerfahrungen sammeln, bleiben dennoch einige wichtige Fragen offen: Wie effizient und effektiv sind diese Programme darin, interkulturelles Lernen und die Entwicklung interkultureller Kompetenz zu fördern? Wie können sie gestaltet werden, um Lernprozesse optimal zu unterstützen und Lernergebnisse zu steigern? Der vorliegende Artikel widmet sich diesen Fragen und stellt exemplarisch ein umfassendes Auslandsstudienprogramm für Masterstudierende vor. In den ersten Kapiteln erfolgt ein Überblick über den aktuellen Forschungsstand zu Auslandsstudienprogrammen und eine Präzision des Begriffs interkulturelle Kompetenz. Anschließend wird das "Asian Studies in Business and Economics (ASBE)" Programm der Universität Paderborn als good practice Beispiel vorgestellt. Die Stärken dieses Programms sind: a) Es besteht aus vier Master-Modulen, die vollständig in das Curriculum der Masterprogramme integriert sind; b) es bietet ein kontinuierliches und systematisches Begleitprogramm vor, während und nach dem Auslandsaufenthalt; c) es nutzt ein innovatives, Lernerzentriertes didaktisches Design, das individuelles und kooperatives Lernen verbindet und -unter anderem- experimentelles und reflexives Lernen sowie die critical incidents technique nutzt

Tissue Microenvironments Define and Get Reinforced by Macrophage Phenotypes in Homeostasis or during Inflammation, Repair and Fibrosis

Current macrophage phenotype classifications are based on distinct in vitro culture conditions that do not adequately mirror complex tissue environments. In vivo monocyte progenitors populate all tissues for immune surveillance which supports the maintenance of homeostasis as well as regaining homeostasis after injury. Here we propose to classify macrophage phenotypes according to prototypical tissue environments, e.g. as they occur during homeostasis as well as during the different phases of (dermal) wound healing. In tissue necrosis and/or infection, damage- and/or pathogen-associated molecular patterns induce proinflammatory macrophages by Toll-like receptors or inflammasomes. Such classically activated macrophages contribute to further tissue inflammation and damage. Apoptotic cells and antiinflammatory cytokines dominate in postinflammatory tissues which induce macrophages to produce more antiinflammatory mediators. Similarly, tumor-associated macrophages also confer immunosuppression in tumor stroma. Insufficient parenchymal healing despite abundant growth factors pushes macrophages to gain a profibrotic phenotype and promote fibrocyte recruitment which both enforce tissue scarring. Ischemic scars are largely devoid of cytokines and growth factors so that fibrolytic macrophages that predominantly secrete proteases digest the excess extracellular matrix. Together, macrophages stabilize their surrounding tissue microenvironments by adapting different phenotypes as feed-forward mechanisms to maintain tissue homeostasis or regain it following injury. Furthermore, macrophage heterogeneity in healthy or injured tissues mirrors spatial and temporal differences in microenvironments during the various stages of tissue injury and repair. Copyright (C) 2012 S. Karger AG, Base

Sex Bias in Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Neuroinflammation: Relevance for Dimethyl Fumarate Immunomodulatory/Anti-oxidant Action

In the present study, upon showing sexual dimorphism in dimethyl fumarate (DMF) efficacy to moderate the clinical severity of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in Dark Agouti rats, cellular and molecular substrate of this dimorphism was explored. In rats of both sexes, DMF administration from the day of immunization attenuated EAE severity, but this effect was more prominent in males leading to loss of the sexual dimorphism observed in vehicle-administered controls. Consistently, in male rats, DMF was more efficient in diminishing the number of CD4+ T lymphocytes infiltrating spinal cord (SC) and their reactivation, the number of IL-17+ T lymphocytes and particularly cellularity of their highly pathogenic IFN-gamma+GM-CSF+IL-17+ subset. This was linked with changes in SC CD11b+CD45+TCR alpha beta- microglia/proinflammatory monocyte progeny, substantiated in a more prominent increase in the frequency of anti-inflammatory phygocyting CD163+ cells and the cells expressing high surface levels of immunoregulatory CD83 molecule (associated with apoptotic cells phagocytosis and implicated in downregulation of CD4+ T lymphocyte reactivation) among CD11b+CD45+TCR alpha beta- cells in male rat SC. These changes were associated with greater increase in the nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 expression in male rats administered with DMF. In accordance with the previous findings, DMF diminished reactive nitrogen and oxygen species generation and consistently, SC level of advanced oxidation protein products, to the greater extent in male rats. Overall, our study indicates sex-specificity in the sensitivity of DMF cellular and molecular targets and encourages sex-based clinical research to define significance of sex for action of therapeutic agents moderating autoimmune neuroinflammation-/oxidative stress-related nervous tissue damage

Remodeling of cholinergic input to the hippocampus after noise exposure and tinnitus induction in Guinea pigs

Here, we investigate remodeling of hippocampal cholinergic inputs after noise exposure and determine the relevance of these changes to tinnitus. To assess the effects of noise exposure on the hippocampus, guinea pigs were exposed to unilateral noise for 2 hr and 2 weeks later, immunohistochemistry was performed on hippocampal sections to examine vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT) expression. To evaluate whether the changes in VAChT were relevant to tinnitus, another group of animals was exposed to the same noise band twice to induce tinnitus, which was assessed using gap‐prepulse Inhibition of the acoustic startle (GPIAS) 12 weeks after the first noise exposure, followed by immunohistochemistry. Acoustic Brainstem Response (ABR) thresholds were elevated immediately after noise exposure for all experimental animals but returned to baseline levels several days after noise exposure. ABR wave I amplitude‐intensity functions did not show any changes after 2 or 12 weeks of recovery compared to baseline levels. In animals assessed 2‐weeks following noise‐exposure, hippocampal VAChT puncta density decreased on both sides of the brain by 20–60% in exposed animals. By 12 weeks following the initial noise exposure, changes in VAChT puncta density largely recovered to baseline levels in exposed animals that did not develop tinnitus, but remained diminished in animals that developed tinnitus. These tinnitus‐specific changes were particularly prominent in hippocampal synapse‐rich layers of the dentate gyrus and areas CA3 and CA1, and VAChT density in these regions negatively correlated with tinnitus severity. The robust changes in VAChT labeling in the hippocampus 2 weeks after noise exposure suggest involvement of this circuitry in auditory processing. After chronic tinnitus induction, tinnitus‐specific changes occurred in synapse‐rich layers of the hippocampus, suggesting that synaptic processing in the hippocampus may play an important role in the pathophysiology of tinnitus.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150542/1/hipo23058.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/150542/2/hipo23058_am.pd

Micromechanical Properties of Injection-Molded Starch–Wood Particle Composites

The micromechanical properties of injection molded starch–wood particle composites were investigated as a function of particle content and humidity conditions. The composite materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction methods. The microhardness of the composites was shown to increase notably with the concentration of the wood particles. In addition,creep behavior under the indenter and temperature dependence were evaluated in terms of the independent contribution of the starch matrix and the wood microparticles to the hardness value. The influence of drying time on the density and weight uptake of the injection-molded composites was highlighted. The results revealed the role of the mechanism of water evaporation, showing that the dependence of water uptake and temperature was greater for the starch–wood composites than for the pure starch sample. Experiments performed during the drying process at 70°C indicated that the wood in the starch composites did not prevent water loss from the samples.Peer reviewe

Isosteric and fluorescent DNA base pair formed by 4-amino-phthalimide and 2,4-diaminopyrimidine: melting, structure, and THz polar solvation dynamics

An artificial base pair in the center of a duplex DNA oligomer, formed by 2,4-diaminopyrimidine and fluorescent 4-aminophthalimide C-nucleosides, is characterized spectroscopically, with a view towards its use in femtosecond solvation dynamics. Quantum-chemical calculations predict H-bonding energy equivalent to A:T. UV-vis absorption spectra provide insight into local melting at the 4-aminophthalimide modification site. Increase of temperature to nearly the melting temperature of the duplex leads to better hybridisation of the fluorescent nucleoside, contrary to native base pairs. This unusual observation is explained by the NMR solution structure of the duplex. Two conformations are adopted by the artificial pair due to backbone constraints, having either two or one interbase hydrogen bonds. In the latter, hydrogen bonding sites remain accessible for water solvation. The time-resolved dynamic Stokes' shift of 4-aminophthalimide fluorescence is consistent with that of a mixture of a slow and fast species. From the observations, the optimal linkage between 4-aminophthalimide and 2-deoxyribose for fitting into the duplex B-DNA structure is deduced.Peer Reviewe