How space-number associations may be created in preliterate children : six distinct mechanisms

The directionality of space-number association (SNA) is shaped by cultural experiences. It usually follows the culturally dominant reading direction. Smaller numbers are generally associated with the starting side for reading (left side in Western cultures), while larger numbers are associated with the right endpoint side. However, SNAs consistent with cultural reading directions are present before children can actually read and write. Therefore, these SNAs cannot only be shaped by the direction of children's own reading/writing behavior. We propose six distinct processes - one biological and five cultural/educational - underlying directional SNAs before formal reading acquisition: (i) Brain lateralization, (ii) Monitoring adult reading behavior, (iii) Pretend reading and writing, and rudimentary reading and writing skills, (iv) Dominant attentional directional preferences in a society, not directly related to reading direction, (v) Direct spatial-numerical learning, (vi) Other spatial-directional processes independent of reading direction. In this mini-review, we will differentiate between these processes, elaborate when in development they might emerge, discuss how they may create the SNAs observed in preliterate children and propose how they can be studied in the future

20% by 2020? Economy-wide impacts of energy efficiency improvement in Germany

The paper presents results of the implementation of an efficiency strategy in Germany until 2020 which is focused on cost-effective measures. The efficiency measures are calculated in bottom-up models and translated into a top-down macro-economic model. The comparison to a business as usual simulation shows some economy-wide rebound effects of about 17% of the overall energy savings. The analysis is limited to 2020. Given that an efficiency strategy is a long-term strategy, this puts the results on the rather conservative side. The results clearly show that improved energy efficiency results in a variety of positive effects on the economy and the environment. These range from reduced greenhouse gas emissions to improved competitiveness of firms and budget savings for consumers to economy wide impacts like additional employment and economic growth. Even the consideration of rebound effects did not change this picture significantly. Thus, exploiting the huge potential stemming from cost-effective efficiency measures should have high priority for the design of energy and climate policies.energy efficiency, bottom up scenario analysis, climate policy

Ein Blick auf und in die Magdeburger Weiterbildungsforschung. Forschungsbasierte Projektarchitekturen

Das Projekt „Weiterbildungscampus Magdeburg“ hat es sich zur Aufgabe gemacht, bedarfsgerechte und nachfrageorientierte wissenschaftliche Weiterbildungsstudiengänge anhand der fünf forschungsleitenden Fragestellungen Studierfähigkeit, Teilnehmergewinnung, Curriculaübertragung, Formatentwicklung und Organisationsentwicklung zu er- und beforschen sowie die Erkenntnisse für die (Weiter-) Entwicklung dieser wissenschaftlichen Weiterbildungsangebote zu nutzen. Der Artikel beschreibt die Projektarchitektur unter Einbezug der aktuellen Forschungsarbeiten im Projekt. (DIPF/Orig.

“Coercion, punishment and setting limits – Punitive and incapacitating tendencies in (special) educational settings”. Initial sketches for an empirical research project

Im Phänomenbereich um Zwang, Strafen und Grenzsetzung lässt sich eine transformative Entwicklungslinie im bildungs- und erziehungswissenschaftlichen Diskurs rekonstruieren. Gleichzeitig zeigen sich bis in die Gegenwart unterschiedliche Perspektiven und Zugänge auf die Legitimation von Strafe und der damit verbundenen repressiven und autoritären Praxen in institutionellen Settings. Ausgehend von einer theoretischen Kontextualisierung und unter Rückgriff auf bereits bestehende empirische Ergebnisse werden punitive und entmündigende Tendenzen in pädagogischen Interaktionen in den beteiligten Institutionen in den Blick genommen, die sich in Wechselwirkung mit gesellschaftlichen, strukturellen und normativen Rahmenbedingungen entfalten. Unvermeidlich schließt daran die Frage nach sonderpädagogischer Verantwortung und kritisch-reflexiver Professionalisierung von pädagogischen Fachkräften an. Die hier zunächst kurz beschriebenen Perspektiven sollen im Beitrag in einer ersten Skizze für ein empirisches Forschungsprojekt aus (sonder-)pädagogischer Perspektive münden, welches vor allem auf Professionalisierungsnotwendigkeiten (nicht nur) angehender Fachkräfte fokussiert ist. (DIPF/Orig.)A transformative line of development can be reconstructed in the discourse on education and educational science in the phenomena of coercion, punishment and setting limits. At the same time, different perspectives and approaches to the legitimisation of punishment and the associated repressive and authoritarian practices in institutional settings can be seen right up to the present day. Based on a theoretical contextualization and the research situation, punitive and incapacitating tendencies in pedagogical interactions in the institutions are examined, which unfold in interaction with social, structural and normative framework conditions. This inevitably leads to the question of special educational responsibility and the critical-reflective professionalisation of educational professionals. The perspectives briefly described here will lead to an initial outline for an empirical research project from a (special) educational perspective, which focuses primarily on the professionalisation needs of (not only) prospective specialists. (DIPF/Orig.

Ryanodine Receptor Activation Induces Long-Term Plasticity of Spine Calcium Dynamics

A key feature of signalling in dendritic spines is the synapse-specific transduction of short electrical signals into biochemical responses. Ca2+ is a major upstream effector in this transduction cascade, serving both as a depolarising electrical charge carrier at the membrane and an intracellular second messenger. Upon action potential firing, the majority of spines are subject to global back-propagating action potential (bAP) Ca2+ transients. These transients translate neuronal suprathreshold activation into intracellular biochemical events. Using a combination of electrophysiology, two-photon Ca2+ imaging, and modelling, we demonstrate that bAPs are electrochemically coupled to Ca2+ release from intracellular stores via ryanodine receptors (RyRs). We describe a new function mediated by spine RyRs: the activity-dependent long-term enhancement of the bAP-Ca2+ transient. Spines regulate bAP Ca2+ influx independent of each other, as bAP-Ca2+ transient enhancement is compartmentalized and independent of the dendritic Ca2+ transient. Furthermore, this functional state change depends exclusively on bAPs travelling antidromically into dendrites and spines. Induction, but not expression, of bAP-Ca2+ transient enhancement is a spine-specific function of the RyR. We demonstrate that RyRs can form specific Ca2+ signalling nanodomains within single spines. Functionally, RyR mediated Ca2+ release in these nanodomains induces a new form of Ca2+ transient plasticity that constitutes a spine specific storage mechanism of neuronal suprathreshold activity patterns