Anregungen für Zukunftsforschung aus einer Auseinandersetzung mit sprachreflexiven Ansätzen von Roland Barthes

Ausgehend von einem Sprachverständnis (post)strukturalistischer Ansätze und insbesondere von Roland Barthes werden Zukunftsbilder als gegenwärtige sprachliche Konstruktionen untersucht. Sprache wird dabei als grundlegend differentiell, konventionell und präfigurativ verstanden. Sie setzt einen Denkrahmen, der auch Zukunftsbilder prägt. Anhand Barthes’ Begriff der Doxa als dominanter, sich als ‚natürlich’ setzender Diskurs wird Plausibilität als durch diesen Denkrahmen gestützt verstanden. Entsprechend schreiben plausible Zukunftsbilder den jeweiligen Denkrahmen fort. Anhand textanalytischer Verfahren werden Möglichkeiten untersucht, über die Distanzierung zu diesem Denkrahmen Anregungen für andere Setzungen zu schaffen. Zudem wird deren sprachliches Gestaltungspotenzial betrachtet

Mendelian Randomization Identifies the Potential Causal Impact of Dietary Patterns on Circulating Blood Metabolites

Nutrition plays an important role in the development and progress of several health conditions, but the exact mechanism is often still unclear. Blood metabolites are likely candidates to be mediating these relationships, as their levels are strongly dependent on the frequency of consumption of several foods/drinks. Understanding the causal effect of food on metabolites is thus of extreme importance. To establish these effects, we utilized two-sample Mendelian randomization using the genetic variants associated with dietary traits as instrumental variables. The estimates of single-nucleotide polymorphisms’ effects on exposures were obtained from a recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 25 individual and 15 principal-component dietary traits, whereas the ones for outcomes were obtained from a GWAS of 123 blood metabolites measured by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We identified 413 potentially causal links between food and metabolites, replicating previous findings, such as the association between increased oily fish consumption and higher DHA, and highlighting several novel associations. Most of the associations were related to very-low-density, intermediate-density (IDL), and low-density lipoproteins (LDL). For example, we found that constituents of IDL particles and large LDL particles were raised by coffee and alcohol while lowered by an overall healthier diet and fruit consumption. Our findings provide a strong base of evidence for planning future RCTs aimed at understanding the role of diet in determining blood metabolite levels

Creación de espacios de aprendizaje y enseñanza para la investigación transformadora y transdisciplinar : el Laboratorio de Innovación Transformadora

Para lograr una transición hacia el desarrollo sostenible son fundamentales la ciencia y la educación, especialmente la educación superior. Se necesitan formatos educativos para capacitar a los estudiantes en la realización de investigaciones transformadoras. Con base en la investigación transdisciplinaria y transformadora en laboratorios del mundo real y estudios del futuro, desarrollamos un módulo de aprendizaje y enseñanza integral: el Laboratorio de Innovación Transformadora (lit). El laboratorio desarrolla cinco competencias clave y tres tipos de conocimiento necesarios para impulsar innovaciones en sostenibilidad socialmente robustas. En este artículo se presentan las principales características de este formato vivencial y reflexivo, además de un manual para facilitar el laboratorio. También se comparten y discuten los aprendizajes centrales de la implementación de este formato en programas de estudio existentes a partir de dos pruebas realizadas en dos universidades alemanas

Further education course »German as a Second Language and Multilingualism« at the University of Paderborn

Eine Facette von Vielfalt im schulischen Kontext und damit einen Aspekt von Inklusion stellt migrationsbedingte Mehrsprachigkeit dar. Die weit verbreitete Diskussion um Deutsch als Zweitsprache und durchgängige Sprachbildung kann daher als Teil der Diskussion um Inklusion betrachtet werden und hat wie diese eine hohe Relevanz für Lehrkräfte.One of the aspects of diversity in the context of school and education and therefore a facet of inclusion is migration-related multilingualism. That is the reason why the professionalization of well-qualified teachers in the field of teaching multilingual learners is more important than ever

A catalogue of omics biological ageing clocks reveals substantial commonality and associations with disease risk

Biological age (BA), a measure of functional capacity and prognostic of health outcomes that discriminates between individuals of the same chronological age (chronAge), has been estimated using a variety of biomarkers. Previous comparative studies have mainly used epigenetic models (clocks), we use ~1000 participants to compare fifteen omics ageing clocks, with correlations of 0.21-0.97 with chronAge, even with substantial sub-setting of biomarkers. These clocks track common aspects of ageing with 95% of the variance in chronAge being shared among clocks. The difference between BA and chronAge - omics clock age acceleration (OCAA) - often associates with health measures. One year’s OCAA typically has the same effect on risk factors/10-year disease incidence as 0.09/0.25 years of chronAge. Epigenetic and IgG glycomics clocks appeared to track generalised ageing while others capture specific risks. We conclude BA is measurable and prognostic and that future work should prioritise health outcomes over chronAge

Deep metagenome and metatranscriptome analyses of microbial communities affiliated with an industrial biogas fermenter, a cow rumen, and elephant feces reveal major differences in carbohydrate hydrolysis strategies

Additional file 4. Compressed rar file containing the bins generated from the biogas fermenter metagenome, part 4 of 4

Sixty years of irrigated wheat yield increase in the Yaqui Valley of Mexico: Past drivers, prospects and sustainability

Continued global wheat yield increase (about 1.3% p.a. for 2000–2019) remains an essential condition for greater world food security. Relevant to this challenge is the rise in average farm yield (FY) of irrigated spring wheat in the Yaqui Valley of northwest Mexico from 2 to 7 t/ha between 1960 and 2019. Since the early 1950s the region has been the prime target of wheat research by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) and its predecessors, research still having significant impact on wheat in the developing world, a grouping that today delivers more than half the world's wheat. FY increase was investigated in detail by dividing the interval into three 20-year periods, correcting FY for the strong influence of inter-annual variation in January to March minimum temperature (Tmin J-M, warming lowering yield around 7%/°C) and measuring the remaining linear increase in FY (Fischer et al., 2022). Total yield increase, corrected for Tmin J-M and CO2 rise, relative to average yield in each period, was 4.17%, 0.47%, and 1.59% p.a. for 1960–79, 1980–99, and 2000–19, respectively. The breeding component, estimated by the increase in the Varietal Yield Index in farmers’ fields, rose at 0.97%, 0.49%, and 0.71% p.a., respectively. The remaining yield change (3.16, −0.02% and 0.87% p.a., respectively) comprised the net effect of improved crop management (agronomic progress) plus that of off-farm changes, together here called agronomy+. Major changes in agronomy included: a large increase in fertiliser N use, benefitting early on from a large positive variety × N interaction; in the second period a switch to planting on raised beds and a decline in rotational diversity; and in the final period, consolidation of operational crop units and probably more skilful and timely management. Off-farm developments saw strong government financial support in the first period, but in the second period breakdown of the traditional small holder land system and withdrawal of government support. The last period saw better prices and improved access to technical advice. Breeding progress is expected to continue in the Yaqui Valley but at a slowly diminishing rate (currently 0.66% p.a.), while progress from new agronomy appears limited. Although FY gaps are small, some gap closing remains possible, and 1.2% p.a. FY progress is estimated for the next 20 years in the absence of new technologies. World wheat food security without area increase will increasingly depend on developing countries where yield gaps are generally wider and gap closing prospects better. Biophysical sustainability of the Yaqui Valley wheat system is moderately good but N management and diversity can be improved

The Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Compared to Schema Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Introduction In the treatment of borderline personality disorder (BPD), there is empirical support for both dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and schema therapy (ST); these treatments have never been compared directly. This study examines whether either of them is more effective than the other in treating patients with BPD. Methods In this randomized, parallel-group, rater-blind clinical trial, outpatients aged between 18 and 65 years with a primary diagnosis of BPD were recruited in a tertiary outpatient treatment center (Lübeck, Germany). Participants were randomized to DBT or ST with one individual and one group session per week over 1.5 years. The primary outcome was the BPD symptom severity assessed with the mean score of the Borderline Personality Disorder Severity Index at 1-year naturalistic follow-up. Results Between November 26, 2014, and December 14, 2018, we enrolled 164 patients (mean age = 33.7 [SD = 10.61] years). Of these, 81 (49.4%) were treated with ST and 83 (50.6%) with DBT, overall, 130 (79.3%) were female. Intention-to-treat analysis with generalized linear mixed models did not show a significant difference at 1-year naturalistic follow-up between DBT and ST for the BPDSI total score (mean difference 3.32 [95% CI: -0.58-7.22], p = 0.094, d = -24 [-0.69; 0.20]) with lower scores for DBT. Pre-to-follow-up effect sizes were large in both groups (DBT: d = 2.45 [1.88-3.02], ST: d = 1.78 [1.26-2.29]). Conclusion Patients in both treatment groups showed substantial improvements indicating that even severely affected patients with BPD and various comorbid disorders can be treated successfully with DBT and ST. An additional non-inferiority trial is needed to show if both treatments are equally effective. The trial was retrospectively registered on the German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00011534 without protocol changes

Food neophobia associates with poorer dietary quality, metabolic risk factors, and increased disease outcome risk in population-based cohorts in a metabolomics study

Background: Food neophobia is considered a behavioral trait closely linked to adverse eating patterns and reduced dietary quality, which have been associated with increased risk of obesity and noncommunicable diseases. Objectives: In a cross-sectional and prospective study, we examined how food neophobia is associated with dietary quality, health-related biomarkers, and disease outcome incidence in Finnish and Estonian adult populations. Methods: The study was conducted based on subsamples of the Finnish DIetary, Lifestyle, and Genetic determinants of Obesity and Metabolic syndrome (DILGOM) cohort (n = 2982; age range: 25-74 y) and the Estonian Biobank cohort (n = 1109; age range: 18-83 y). The level of food neophobia was assessed using the Food Neophobia Scale, dietary quality was evaluated using the Baltic Sea Diet Score (BSDS), and biomarker profiles were determined using an NMR metabolomics platform. Disease outcome information was gathered from national health registries. Follow-up data on the NMR-based metabolomic profiles and disease outcomes were available in both populations. Results: Food neophobia associated significantly (adjusted P <0.05) with health-related biomarkers [e.g., omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids, citrate, alpha(1)-acid glycoprotein, HDL, and MUFA] in the Finnish DILGOM cohort. The significant negative association between the severity of food neophobia and omega-3 fatty acids was replicated in all cross-sectional analyses in the Finnish DILGOM and Estonian Biobank cohorts. Furthermore, food neophobia was associated with reduced dietary quality (BSDS: beta: -0.03 +/- 0.006; P = 8.04 x 10(-5)), increased fasting serum insulin (beta: 0.004 +/- 0.0013; P = 5.83 x 10(-3)), and increased risk of type 2 diabetes during the similar to 8-y follow-up (HR: 1.018 +/- 0.007; P = 0.01) in the DILGOM cohort. Conclusions: In the Finnish and Estonian adult populations, food neophobia was associated with adverse alteration of health-related biomarkers and risk factors that have been associated with an increased risk of noncommunicable diseases. We also found that food neophobia associations with omega-3 fatty acids and associated metabolites are mediated through dietary quality independent of body weight.Peer reviewe