PRISELJENSKI OTROCI V AVSTRIJSKIH ŠOLAH

Approximately 45 % of all non-Austrian residents in Austria are nationals of the former Yugoslavia and 17.5 % are of Turkish origin. This is largely due to Austria’s geographical location, its earlier policy of recruiting workers from abroad and the admission, in the early 1990s, of refugees from the former Yugoslavia.. The Austrian constitution stipulates that state schools have to be accessible to all pupils, regardless of their origin, sex, race, class, language or religious belief. School attendance is compulsory for nine years for all children who have their permanent residence in Austria, regardless of their nationality. The total number of pupils attending compulsory schools in 2002/03 whose mother tongue is a language other than German was 103 877 (15.2 % of all pupils).Austrian education policy rejects the idea of segregation. Hence, pupils who are not Austrian nationals and who have a mother tongue other than German are not taught in separate schools or classes but are educated alongside their Austrian colleagues. By law, immigrant pupils shall be integrated and at the same time their cultural identity be conserved and promoted which often creates problems with the daily school routine. For this purpose, intercultural education was introduced as a so-called ‘educational principle’ in Austrian compulsory and academic secondary schools in the early 1990s. Intercultural education aims at a mutual understanding between pupils of various social, cultural and linguistic backgrounds. It also aims to make them aware of their similarities and differences and to reduce Eurocentrism and racism in Austrian schools.Nevertheless, reality shows that there are still a lot of problems to solve. Foreign pupils have worse chances than their Austrian colleagues in the educational system, there is a lack of intercultural friendships among pupils which often leads to an outcast-situation for immigrant pupils, and also conflicts between expectations of immigrant families and the Western culture can be observed. This again leads to an alienation from families and/or integration and identity problems of immigrant pupils.Hence, a number of measures in the field of educational policy has to be implemented. Thereby an intercultural approach, as a chance of mutual learning from all different cultures, is to be preferred.Približno 45 % vseh neavstrijskih prebivalcev v Avstriji je pripadnikov narodov bivše Jugoslavije, 17,5 % jih je turškega izvora. To dejstvo gre pripisati predvsem geografski legi Avstrije, njeni politiki zaposlovanja tujih delavcev, ter v začetku devetdesetih, sprejemanju beguncev iz bivše Jugoslavije. Avstrijska ustava določa, da morajo biti državne šole dostopne vsakomur ne glede na narodnost, spol, raso, jezik ali vero. Devetletno osnovno šolanje je obvezno za vse otroke s stalnim bivališčem v Avstriji ne glede na njihovo narodnost. Skupno število učencev, ki so obiskovali osnovno šolo v letu 2002/2003 in njihov materni jezik ni nemščina, je 103.877 (15,2 % vseh učencev).Avstrijska izobraževalna politika zavrača idejo segregacije. Zato učenci, ki niso avstrijske narodnosti in katerih materni jezik ni nemščina, ne obiskujejo ločenih šol ali razredov, ampak se izobražujejo skupaj z avstrijskimi vrstniki. Po zakonu naj bi se priseljenski otroci integrirali in hkrati ohranili ter gojili svojo kulturno identiteto, kar pogosto povzroča probleme v vsakodnevni šolski rutini. Zaradi tega je v začetku devetdesetih v avstrijske osnovne in srednje šole uvedeno medkulturno izobraževanje, imenovano 'izobraževalno načelo'. Namen medkulturnega izobraževanja je doseči medsebojno razumevanje med učenci različnih socialnih, kulturnih in jezikovnih izvorov. Usmerjeno je tudi k osveščanju glede podobnosti in različnosti ter k zmanjševanju evrocentrizma in rasizma v avstrijskih šolah.Kakorkoli že, stvarnost kaže, da je nerešenih problemov še veliko. Tuji učenci imajo v avstrijskem izobraževalnem sistemu slabše možnosti kot njihovi avstrijski vrstniki, čuti se pomanjkanje medkulturnega prijateljstva med učenci, kar pogosto vodi v izobčenje priseljenskih otrok ter v konflikte med pričakovanji priseljenskih družin in 'zahodno kulturo'. To spet vodi v odtujitev od družin in/ali integracije in problemov identitete priseljenskih otrok.Zato morajo biti v izobraževalno politiko uvedeni številni ukrepi. Pri tem ima prednost medkulturni pristop kot možnost medsebojnega učenja iz različnih kultur

Evidence against combined effects of stress and brain stimulation on working memory

The effect of stress on working memory has been traced back to a modulation of the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We investigated the effects of neuromodulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (lDLPFC) after exposure to psychosocial stress through the Socially Evaluated Cold Pressure Test (SECPT). The hypothesis was that neuromodulation interacts with the stress intervention, to either boost performance even under stressed conditions or compensate negative stress effects. Fifty-nine participants were randomly divided into two groups. One group received active, anodal, offline transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the lDLPFC while the other group received sham stimulation. Participants performed a lexical n-back task, before and after the SECPT and tDCS intervention. The first n-back task was used as a baseline measurement and the second n-back task was performed during recovery from stress when cortisol levels are at their peak, but still under the influence of tDCS aftereffects. Additionally, after the psychosocial stress phase participants were post-hoc divided into cortisol responders and nonresponders. Results showed that generally stress increased lexical n-back task performance as indicated by faster correct reaction times and higher accuracy but that this was not modulated by tDCS. Crucially, using Bayes analysis we obtained evidence against the influence of anodal tDCS on stressed individual's working memory performance

Treating a 20 mm Hg Gradient Alleviates Myocardial Hypertrophy in Experimental Aortic Coarctation

Background Children with coarctation of the aorta (CoA) can have a hyperdynamic and remodeled left ventricle (LV) from increased afterload. Literature from an experimental model suggests the putative 20 mm Hg blood pressure gradient (BPG) treatment guideline frequently implemented in CoA studies may permit irreversible vascular changes. LV remodeling from pressure overload has been studied, but data are limited following correction and using a clinically representative BPG. Materials and methods Rabbits underwent CoA at 10 weeks to induce a 20 mm Hg BPG using permanent or dissolvable suture thereby replicating untreated and corrected CoA, respectively. Cardiac function was evaluated at 32 weeks by magnetic resonance imaging using a spoiled cine GRE sequence (TR/TE/FA 8/2.9/20), 14 × 14-cm FOV, and 3-mm slice thickness. Images (20 frames/cycle) were acquired in 6-8 short axis views from the apex to the mitral valve annulus. LV volume, ejection fraction (EF), and mass were quantified. Results LV mass was elevated for CoA (5.2 ± 0.55 g) versus control (3.6 ± 0.16 g) and corrected (4.0 ± 0.44 g) rabbits, resulting in increased LV mass/volume ratio for CoA rabbits. A trend toward increased EF and stroke volume was observed but did not reach significance. Elevated EF by volumetric analysis in CoA rabbits was supported by concomitant increases in total aortic flow by phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging. Conclusions The indices quantified trended toward a persistent hyperdynamic LV despite correction, but differences were not statistically significant versus control rabbits. These findings suggest the current putative 20 mm Hg BPG for treatment may be reasonable from the LV\u27s perspective

Transcranial direct current stimulation over the left anterior temporal lobe during memory retrieval differentially affects true and false recognition in the DRM task

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a form of non-invasive brain stimulation that has been used to modulate human brain activity and cognition. One area which has not yet been extensively explored using tDCS is the generation of false memories. In this study, we combined the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) task with stimulation of the left anterior temporal lobe (ATL) during retrieval. This area has been shown to be involved in semantic processing in general and retrieval of false memories in the DRM paradigm in particular. During stimulation, 0.7 mA were applied via a 9 cm² electrode over the left ATL, with the 35 cm² return electrode placed over the left deltoid. We contrasted the effects of cathodal, anodal, and sham stimulation, which were applied in the recognition phase of the experiment on a sample of 78 volunteers. Results showed impaired recognition of true memories after both anodal and cathodal stimulation in comparison to sham stimulation, suggesting a reduced signal-to-noise ratio. In addition, the results revealed enhanced false recognition of concept lure items during cathodal stimulation compared to anodal stimulation, indicating a polarity-dependent impact of tDCS on false memories in the DRM task. The pathway by which tDCS modulated false recognition remains unclear: stimulation may have changed the activation of irrelevant lures or affected the weighting and monitoring of lure activations. Nevertheless, these results are a first step towards using brain stimulation to decrease false memories. Practical implications of the findings for real-life settings, for example, in the courtroom, need to be addressed in future work

The (gami)fictional ego-center: Projecting the location of the self into an avatar

A rich body of research suggests that self-associated stimuli are preferentially processed and therefore responses to such stimuli are typically faster and more accurate. In addition, people have an understanding of what they consider their "Self" and where it is located, namely near the head and upper torso-further boosting the processing of self-related stimuli if they are presented near the felt location of the self. We were interested in whether the same mechanism can be found when people transfer their "Self" into a static avatar. We investigated this in two studies with N = 33 and N = 39 young, healthy adults, respectively. Taken together, the results showed that (i) people indeed show enhanced processing for self-avatar-related stimuli and (ii) that self-associations are stronger if the to-be-associated stimuli are closer to the avatar's upper torso-suggesting some kind of a projected location of the self in the avatar. This implies that attention is not equally distributed across the avatar. Beyond a theoretical level, this also has implications for practical use. For example, digital games opting for a non-traditional user interface where information is displayed on or in the direct vicinity of the character should take this effect into account when choosing which information to present where (i.e., present the most crucial piece of information close to the self-center of the avatar)

Sustainable Production: Recycling of Bacterial Biomass Resulting from a Fermentation Process with Klebsiella planticola

The Gram-negative bacterium Klebsiella planticola represents an interesting host organism for the production of biotechnological products. Microbial processes – especially those of aerobic cultivation – lead to the generation of considerable amounts of biomass, thus lowering the product yield. These are the reasons for studying methods for the recycling of biomass from K. planticola. It will be shown that it is possible to disintegrate the microbial biomass – preferably by means of high pressure homogenization followed by a protease treatment of the resulting slurry of debris – in an efficient way and to recycle at least the soluble part as cultivation medium component. A recycling yield of about 77 % can be achieved. By studying the growth of K. planticola in a cyclic batch cultivation strategy with maximal recycling of the biomass no adverse effects have been observed for a series of more than 9 consecutive cultivation cycles

Effects of single-session transcranial direct current stimulation on reactive response inhibition

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is widely used to explore the role of various cortical regions for reactive response inhibition. In recent years, tDCS studies reported polarity-, time- and stimulation-site dependent effects on response inhibition. Given the large parameter space in which study designs, tDCS procedures and task procedures can differ, it is crucial to systematically explore the existing tDCS literature to increase the current understanding of potential modulatory effects and limitations of different approaches. We performed a systematic review on the modulatory effects of tDCS on response inhibition as measured by the Stop-Signal Task. The final dataset shows a large variation in methodology and heterogeneous effects of tDCS on performance. The most consistent result across studies is a performance enhancement due to anodal tDCS over the right prefrontal cortex. Partially sub-optimal choices in study design, methodology and lacking consistency in reporting procedures may impede valid conclusions and obscured the effects of tDCS on response inhibition in some previous studies. Finally, we outline future directions and areas to improve research

Games in Adult Foreign Language Teaching

ABSTRACT The use of games in teaching and learning -which goes back to progressive educationenhances the holistic development of a person and the emergence of a variety of skills. Whereas several studies have already shown positive results for children, the present study concetrates on games as a didactic tool for teaching foreign languages to adults -a much less investigated area. Advantages and disadvantages of this approach are discussed and problem areas are identified. In addition, the results of an empirical study are presented, in which 100 adults (n=100) at three Austrian public night schools, who had learned English for six years, participated. The aim of this study was to find out whether the integration of games into teaching English as a foreign language makes a significant difference in the improvement of language skills in adult learners. For this study 50 adults (25 male and 25 female) were taught over a period of eight weeks with the use of games, while a control group of another 50 adults (25 male and 25 female) received traditional lessons on the same topics. Games, which were used, were primarily role plays, quizzes/puzzles and business games. According to our statistical analysis the group in which games were used showed significantly better results in the area of speaking, reading, grammar and the active use of advanced vocabulary whereas listening and writing competency was not significantly affected. Without any doubt games have their justified place in adult education. A competent implementation and use by teachers, however, is of crucial importance for satisfying results. Keyword: Adult education, language teaching, games in teaching, Introduction The text deals with didactic games and their use in foreign language teaching of adults. Although the "importance of playing for acquisition of knowledge" has been established numerous times over the years (Heimlich 2001,131), the pedagogical achievements of playing were still insufficient for critics of this method to accept playing as an equally as effective learning process (Kluge 1981, 55). Reasons for these critiques are outdated traditions which consider playing and learning as opposing processes; playing is viewed as purposeless, voluntary and gratifying act, whereas learning is regarded a necessary, unpleasant activity, accomplished under duress (Koriander-Bayer/Faistauer, 1999, 7). The article intends to demonstrate how important games can be for teaching foreign languages and how they change the teaching process by helping adult learners to extend their knowledge and at the same time have fun learning. The theoretical part concentrates on the relationship between playing and learning, deals with arguments for and against the use of games in the classroom, and discusses the benefits of games for the learning process of adults. The empirical part proves how positive the effects of the use of games can be on motivation, satisfaction and learning outcomes of adults learners. In this study we hypothesized that the use of games had a positive impact on the learning process of the participants compared to the students who were taught in th

Anti-immigrant prejudice and discrimination in Europe

Europe is a continent of immigration, emigration and internal migration. In this chapter, we review recent literature that demonstrates that immigrants to Europe face prejudice, discrimination, and violence. Levels of prejudice, discrimination and violence targeted at immigrants vary between European countries, over time and the particular immigrant group under scrutiny. Classical psychological explanations regarding causes and reasons for rejection are supported in the European context: These include dispositional influences, such as right-wing authoritarianism and social dominance orientation; situational influences, such as high nationalistic identification, intergroup anxiety and threat, lack of contact; and macro-level influences, such as politics and media coverage. Based on the reviewed literature, we propose a model of micro-macro influences on prejudice, discrimination, and violence against immigrants that organizes the existing research and reveals important areas for future research, especially research investigating micro-macro interactions. Looking into the future, we criticize that the continuation of the current walling of Europe against immigrants will reinforce future processes of devaluation and dehumanization

Cloning and expression of the levanase gene in Alcaligenes eutrophus H16 enables the strain to hydrolyze sucrose

Friehs K, Lafferty RM. Cloning and expression of the levanase gene in Alcaligenes eutrophus H16 enables the strain to hydrolyze sucrose. Journal of Biotechnology. 1989;10(3-4):285-291.Genetic engineering methods were used to enhance the substrate spectrum of Alcaligenes eutrophus H16, a poly-[beta]-hydroxybutyric acid (PHB) producer. Using parts of the vector pMMB33 and a 2.5 kb DNA fragment of the Bacillus subtilis chromosome a plasmid was constructed bearing the gene for levanase, an enzyme able to hydrolyze various saccharides. After transfer of the levanase gene by triparental conjugation, the gene, controlled by its own Bacillus subtilis promoter, is expressed in Alcaligenes eutrophus H16 and enables the strain to hydrolyze sucrose. However, growth on sucrose is limited; i.e. the sucrose is not transported efficiently into the cell and/or the levanase is not secreted into the medium