Zur Qualität von Kindertexten. Entwicklung eines Bewertungsinstruments in der Grundschule

Im Rahmen des Forschungsprojekts "Kooperative Schülerrückmeldungen bei der Textüberarbeitung im Deutschunterricht der Grundschule" wurde ein Ratingsystem entwickelt, mit dessen Hilfe die Qualität von Schülertexten in 10 Dimensionen eingeschätzt wurde. Die herangezogene Stichprobe bestand aus 132 Texten von Schülern des 3. Schuljahres. Die Analysen zeigen in einem ersten Schritt, dass sich die Qualität der Texte auf den 10 unterschiedlichen Dimensionen mit einer hohen Beurteilerübereinstimmung einschätzen ließ. Mittels konfirmatorischer Faktorenanalyse wurde in einem zweiten Schritt die angenommene Modellstruktur überprüft. Die entsprechenden Ergebnisse zeigen, dass das ursprünglich angenommene Modell nicht zu den Daten passte. Daher wurde das Modell modifiziert, indem drei Items aus dem Modell entfernt wurden. Die erneute Überprüfung des reduzierten Modells mit den beiden Faktoren Textualität konventionell und Textualität unkonventionell ergab schließlich einen akzeptablen Modellfit. Der Faktor Textualität konventionell setzt sich aus den Items Kohärenz, Implizitheit und Explizitheit des Textes sowie Wortschatz zusammen aus, der Faktor Textualität unkonventionell aus den Items sprachliches Wagnis und inhaltliches Wagnis zusammen. (DIPF/Orig.)In the project “Peer feedback within cooperative settings for text revision in German classes in primary schools” a rating system comprising 10 dimensions was developed to evaluate the quality of student story writing. The sample consisted of 132 texts written by 3rd grade students. First analyses show that the quality of student texts could be evaluated with an acceptable degree of correspondence among the raters. Secondly, the structure of the hypothesized model was tested by using a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). These results indicated that the hypothesized model did not fit the data. Therefore the model was modified by eliminating three items. This modified model allows us to generate two valid factors (textuality – conventional/unconventional), which fit the model adequately. The factor textuality conventional comprises the items text coherency, textual implicitness, textual explicitness, vocabulary, the factor textuality unconventional comprises textual risk-taking, with regard to language and to content

Insights into German polar research during POLARSTUNDE

Polar research is an interdisciplinary and multi-faceted field of research ranging from history to geology and geophysics to social sciences and education. Thus, several different universities and institutions within Germany participate in polar research. The seminar series POLARSTUNDE, organized by the German Society for Polar Research (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Polarforschung) and the German National Committee of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS Germany) regularly features different topics of German polar research. Although initially a "pandemic solution", the seminar series has established itself as a valuable and highly successful part of the German polar research landscape. The seminar series was held in German and was aimed at both scientists and the general public. This article addresses the first season of POLARSTUNDE and provides (1) comprehensive summaries of the talks and (2) insight into the planning and execution from an organizational point of view

Clinical and virological characteristics of hospitalised COVID-19 patients in a German tertiary care centre during the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: a prospective observational study

Purpose: Adequate patient allocation is pivotal for optimal resource management in strained healthcare systems, and requires detailed knowledge of clinical and virological disease trajectories. The purpose of this work was to identify risk factors associated with need for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), to analyse viral kinetics in patients with and without IMV and to provide a comprehensive description of clinical course. Methods: A cohort of 168 hospitalised adult COVID-19 patients enrolled in a prospective observational study at a large European tertiary care centre was analysed. Results: Forty-four per cent (71/161) of patients required invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). Shorter duration of symptoms before admission (aOR 1.22 per day less, 95% CI 1.10-1.37, p < 0.01) and history of hypertension (aOR 5.55, 95% CI 2.00-16.82, p < 0.01) were associated with need for IMV. Patients on IMV had higher maximal concentrations, slower decline rates, and longer shedding of SARS-CoV-2 than non-IMV patients (33 days, IQR 26-46.75, vs 18 days, IQR 16-46.75, respectively, p < 0.01). Median duration of hospitalisation was 9 days (IQR 6-15.5) for non-IMV and 49.5 days (IQR 36.8-82.5) for IMV patients. Conclusions: Our results indicate a short duration of symptoms before admission as a risk factor for severe disease that merits further investigation and different viral load kinetics in severely affected patients. Median duration of hospitalisation of IMV patients was longer than described for acute respiratory distress syndrome unrelated to COVID-19

Different regulation of Purkinje cell dendritic development in cerebellar slice cultures by protein kinase Calpha and -beta

Activity of protein kinase C (PKC), and in particular the PKCgamma-isoform, has been shown to strongly affect and regulate Purkinje cell dendritic development, suggesting an important role for PKC in activity-dependent Purkinje cell maturation. In this study we have analyzed the role of two additional Ca(2+)-dependent PKC isoforms, PKCalpha and -beta, in Purkinje cell survival and dendritic morphology in slice cultures using mice deficient in the respective enzymes. Pharmacological PKC activation strongly reduced basal Purkinje cell dendritic growth in wild-type mice whereas PKC inhibition promoted branching. Purkinje cells from mice deficient in PKCbeta, which is expressed in two splice forms by granule but not Purkinje cells, did not yield measurable morphological differences compared to respective wild-type cells under either experimental condition. In contrast, Purkinje cell dendrites in cultures from PKCalpha-deficient mice were clearly protected from the negative effects on dendritic growth of pharmacological PKC activation and showed an increased branching response to PKC inhibition as compared to wild-type cells. Together with our previous work on the role of PKCgamma, these data support a model predicting that normal Purkinje cell dendritic growth is mainly regulated by the PKCgamma-isoform, which is highly activated by developmental processes. The PKCalpha isoform in this model forms a reserve pool, which only becomes activated upon strong stimulation and then contributes to the limitation of dendritic growth. The PKCbeta isoform appears to not be involved in the signaling cascades regulating Purkinje cell dendritic maturation in cerebellar slice cultures

Microplastic in Water and Sediments at the Confluence of the Elbe and Mulde Rivers in Germany

Accumulation of microplastics in aquatic environments is an issue of emerging concern. Initially, research focused on marine systems. However, recent studies also investigate the abundance of microplastics in freshwater environments. Rivers connect terrestrial with marine ecosystems and contribute a considerable share of macro- and microplastics to the oceans. A previous study found a large amount of micro-spheres in Dessau downstream the river mouth of the Mulde. Therefore, the objective of this research was to examine whether the Mulde river with its highly industrialized catchment contributes to the microplastic pollution of the Elbe. Sediment (Van Veen grab sampler) and water samples (filter cascade with the smallest mesh size 50 mu m and nets with the smallest mesh size 150 mu m) were taken from the Elbe river up- and downstream the confluence with the Mulde. After extensive sample preparation, we examined the samples under a digital microscope and determined polymer types by pyrolysis Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (pyr-GC-MS). The amount of primary microplastics increased in sediment and water samples just downstream the confluence. Those microplastics originate probably from the Mulde. We measured larger amounts and different shapes of microplastics in filter cascades that have a smaller mesh size compared to the nets

Dendritic Cells Coordinate Innate Immunity via MyD88 Signaling to Control Listeria monocytogenes Infection

Listeria monocytogenes (LM), a facultative intracellular Gram-positive pathogen, can cause life-threatening infections in humans. In mice, the signaling cascade downstream of the myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) is essential for proper innate immune activation against LM, as MyD88-deficient mice succumb early to infection. Here, we show that MyD88 signaling in dendritic cells (DCs) is sufficient to mediate the protective innate response, including the production of proinflammatory cytokines, neutrophil infiltration, bacterial clearance, and full protection from lethal infection. We also demonstrate that MyD88 signaling by DCs controls the infection rates of CD8α+ cDCs and thus limits the spread of LM to the T cell areas. Furthermore, in mice expressing MyD88 in DCs, inflammatory monocytes, which are required for bacterial clearance, are activated independently of intrinsic MyD88 signaling. In conclusion, CD11c+ conventional DCs critically integrate pathogen-derived signals via MyD88 signaling during early infection with LM in vivo