Informelles Lernen in der beruflichen Bildung. Die Diskussion in Europa und die Realität in Afrika

Dieser Artikel thematisiert das informelle Lernen in der beruflichen Bildung. Im ersten Teil werden grundlegende Überlegungen zu einer Definition informellen Lernens angestellt, die dann auf die Schwierigkeiten bei der Erfassung und Bewertung der Bedeutung informellen Lernens führen. Im zweiten Teil wird dann an einem Beispiel aus der Entwicklungszusammenarbeit gezeigt, wie durch informelles Lernen der Erwerb beruflicher Kompetenzen unterstützt werden kann. (DIPF/Orig.)This article broaches the issue of informal learning in vocational education. The first part deals with basic considerations about the definition of informal learning and outlines the difficulties concerning the acquisition and assessment of the meaning of informal learning. The second part shows with regard to an example of developement cooperation, how informal learning can support the acquirement of vocational competencies. (DIPF/Orig.

Indwelling pleural catheters for non-malignant pleural effusions: report on a single centre's 10 years of experience

BACKGROUND: Recurrent pleural effusion is a common cause of dyspnoea, cough and chest pain during the course of infectious pleurisy and non-malignant diseases like congestive heart failure (CHF) or liver cirrhosis with hepatic hydrothorax (HH). With regard to the chronic character of the underlying diseases, indwelling pleural catheters (IPC) are increasingly used, not only assuring immediate symptom relief but also potentially leading to pleurodesis without sclerosing agents. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this single-centre retrospective observational study, patient characteristics, procedural variables and outcome in patients with IPC in non-malignant pleural effusion (NMPE) were evaluated and prognostic factors for pleurodesis were identified. RESULTS: From 2006 to 2017, 54 patients received 62 IPC, of whom 48.4% with CHF and 43.5% with HH. The median length of insertion was 1.5 months (IQR 0.6-2.9 months), the median survival time after insertion 3.2 months (IQR 1.1-16.0). An adequate symptom relief was achieved in 93.2% with no need for subsequent interventions. In patients surviving ≥30 days after IPC insertion, pleurodesis was observed in 45.9%, being associated to age (<55 years, p=0.02), the primary diagnosis (p=0.03) and interventions for the underlying disease (p<0.001). Complications occurred in 24.2% of all procedures (n=15), the majority concerning mechanical obstructions (n=10) and infections (n=4). Patients with HH had an excess risk for complications (37.3%). CONCLUSION: Efficacy in symptom relief and a generally manageable safety profile recommend IPC as a first-line treatment option in NMPE, where disease-specific treatments are exhausted. Caution is warranted in patients with HH due to an excess risk for complications

A Response to the United Nations CITES Blockchain Challenge: Incremental and Integrative PoA-based Permit Exchange

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) negotiated and administered by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) regulates the international trade of endangered species and derived products through a permit-based system. Currently, the permit process is paper-based and hence highly prone to manipulations and errors. Being aware of blockchains' potential, the CITES Secretariat defined a challenge to determine whether a blockchain-based system can address the aforementioned issues and serve as a secure, efficient, and affordable permit processing system. In this paper, we respond to the CITES Blockchain Challenge. First, we analyze the permit process and discuss how blockchain systems can improve that process in a way traditional systems cannot. Building on these results, we design a blockchain-based system that enables secure, manipulation resistant permit validation, produces an immutable record of processed permits, and is in compliance with the CITES agreement. To evaluate this design, we developed a proof-of-concept implementation compatible with the paper-based permit process and deployed it to a Proof-of-Authority-based blockchain network. This allows incremental adoption and integration with the existing process, thereby increasing acceptance and addressing affordability. Finally, we describe how a blockchain- based system could disruptively improve the established permit process by enforcing quotas and tracking provenance

Ion beam etching process simulation for the pattern transfer of photoresist diffraction gratings generated by holography

The manufacturing process for diffraction gratings based on interference lithography results at first in a resist surface relief pattern. However, the majority of applications demand grating structures in the inorganic substrate material itself. Commonly, a modification of the grating profile with regard to an optimized diffraction efficiency is necessary. Therefore a number of different etching methods may be employed. For the very often applied dry etching processes an intuitively accessible forecast of the resulting etched profile is virtually impossible. This is caused by the distinct angular dependence of the etching rate. Beside the option to predict etching results the adapted simulation tool based on MATLAB offers a deeper insight into the mechanics of the pattern transfer via ion etching

Gesamtverzeichnis der Hamburger Universitätsreden, Neue Folge

Dieser Band dokumentiert die vier Reden der Zentralen Veranstaltung der Universität anlässlich der Freischaltung des Hamburger Professorinnen- und Professorenkatalogs, ergänzt um ein Nachwort von Ole Fischer, dem Leiter des Universitätsarchivs. In ihrem Grußwort bezeichnete die Vizepräsidentin der Universität Jetta Frost die Erstellung eines elektronischen Professorinnen- und Professorenkatalogs als „nicht nur zeitgemäß, sondern überfällig“ und zur „Selbstvergegenwärtigung unserer Identität als Universität“ notwendig. Als Leiter der Arbeitsstelle für Universitätsgeschichte und Projektverantwortlicher betont Rainer Nicolaysen die Bedeutung des Katalogs als wichtige Grundlage universitäts- und wissenschaftsgeschichtlicher Forschung. Matthias Glasow dokumentiert in einem „Werkstattbericht“ über die Konzeption, Genese und Anwendung des HPK. Der Historiker Ulf Morgenstern, der schon vor mehr als zehn Jahren an der Entwicklung des Leipziger Professorenkatalogs beteiligt gewesen ist, erweitert den Horizont über das Hamburger Beispiel hinaus. Ole Fischer betont in seinem Nachwort, Professorinnen- und Professorenkataloge seien „insbesondere ein Startpunkt für eine kritische Auseinandersetzung mit einzelnen Personen und den personellen Strukturen der Universität Hamburg“.This volume documents speeches of the University\u27s central event on the occasion of the release of the Hamburg catalogue of professors, supplemented by an epilogue. In her welcoming address, the Vice-President of the university Jetta Frost described the creation of an electronic catalogue of professors as "not only contemporary, but overdue" and necessary for the "self-presentation of our identity as a university". As head of the Centre for University History and responsible for the project, Rainer Nicolaysen stresses the importance of the catalogue as an important basis for research into the history of universities and science. Matthias Glasow documents the conception, genesis and application of the catalogue. The historian Ulf Morgenstern who was involved in the development of the Leipzig Professors\u27 Catalogue more than ten years ago, broadens the horizon beyond the Hamburg example. In his epilogue, Ole Fischer, Head of the Univerisy Archive, stresses that professorial catalogues are "particularly a starting point for a critical examination of individuals and the personal structures of the University of Hamburg"

A systematic review of methods to assess intake of fruits and vegetables among healthy European adults and children: a DEDIPAC (DEterminants of DIet and Physical Activity) study

Evidence suggests that health benefits are associated with consuming recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables (F&V), yet standardised assessment methods to measure F&V intake are lacking. The current review aims to identify methods to assess F&V intake among children and adults in pan-European studies and inform the development of the DEDIPAC (DEterminants of DIet and Physical Activity) toolbox of methods suitable for use in future European studies. A literature search was conducted using three electronic databases and by hand-searching reference lists. English-language studies of any design which assessed F&V intake were included in the review. Studies involving two or more European countries were included in the review. Healthy, free-living children or adults. The review identified fifty-one pan-European studies which assessed F&V intake. The FFQ was the most commonly used (n 42), followed by 24 h recall (n 11) and diet records/diet history (n 7). Differences existed between the identified methods; for example, the number of F&V items on the FFQ and whether potatoes/legumes were classified as vegetables. In total, eight validated instruments were identified which assessed F&V intake among adults, adolescents or children. The current review indicates that an agreed classification of F&V is needed in order to standardise intake data more effectively between European countries. Validated methods used in pan-European populations encompassing a range of European regions were identified. These methods should be considered for use by future studies focused on evaluating intake of F&V

Activated regulatory T-cells promote duodenal bacterial translocation into necrotic areas in severe acute pancreatitis

Objective In acute pancreatitis (AP), bacterial translocation and subsequent infection of pancreatic necrosis are the main risk factors for severe disease and late death. Understanding how immunological host defence mechanisms fail to protect the intestinal barrier is of great importance in reducing the mortality risk of the disease. Here, we studied the role of the Treg/Th17 balance for maintaining the intestinal barrier function in a mouse model of severe AP. Design AP was induced by partial duct ligation in C57Bl/6 or DEREG mice, in which regulatory T-cells (Treg) were depleted by intraperitoneal injection of diphtheria toxin. By flow cytometry, functional suppression assays and transcriptional profiling we analysed Treg activation and characterised T-cells of the lamina propria as well as intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) regarding their activation and differentiation. Microbiota composition was examined in intestinal samples as well as in murine and human pancreatic necrosis by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results The prophylactic Treg-depletion enhanced the proinflammatory response in an experimental mouse model of AP but stabilised the intestinal immunological barrier function of Th17 cells and CD8+/γδTCR+ IELs. Treg depleted animals developed less bacterial translocation to the pancreas. Duodenal overgrowth of the facultative pathogenic taxa Escherichia/Shigella which associates with severe disease and infected necrosis was diminished in Treg depleted animals. Conclusion Tregs play a crucial role in the counterbalance against systemic inflammatory response syndrome. In AP, Treg-activation disturbs the duodenal barrier function and permits translocation of commensal bacteria into pancreatic necrosis. Targeting Tregs in AP may help to ameliorate the disease course

Effectiveness of Immune Checkpoint Inhibition vs Chemotherapy in Combination With Radiation Therapy Among Patients With Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer and Brain Metastasis Undergoing Neurosurgical Resection

Importance: Patients with brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have regularly been excluded from prospective clinical trials that include therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Clinical data demonstrating benefit with ICIs, specifically following neurosurgical brain metastasis resection, are scarce. Objective: To evaluate and compare the association of radiation therapy with ICIs vs classic therapy involving radiation therapy and chemotherapy regarding overall survival in a cohort of patients who underwent NSCLC brain metastasis resection. Design, setting and participants: This single-center 1:1 propensity-matched comparative effectiveness study at the largest neurosurgical clinic in Germany included individuals who had undergone craniotomy with brain metastasis resection from January 2010 to December 2021 with histologically confirmed NSCLC. Of 1690 patients with lung cancer and brain metastasis, 480 were included in the study. Key exclusion criteria were small-cell lung cancer, lack of tumor cells by means of histopathological analysis on brain metastasis resection, and patients who underwent biopsy without tumor resection. The association of overall survival with treatment with radiation therapy and chemotherapy vs radiation therapy and ICI was evaluated. Exposures: Radiation therapy and chemotherapy vs radiation therapy and ICI following craniotomy and microsurgical brain metastasis resection. Main outcomes and measures: Median overall survival. Results: From the whole cohort of patients with NSCLC (N = 384). 215 (56%) were male and 169 (44%) were female. The median (IQR) age was 64 (57-72) years. The 2 cohorts of interest included 108 patients (31%) with radiation therapy and chemotherapy and 63 patients (16%) with radiation therapy and ICI following neurosurgical metastasis removal (before matching). Median (IQR) follow-up time for the total cohort was 47.9 (28.2-70.1) months with 89 patients (23%) being censored and 295 (77%) dead at the end of follow-up in December 2021. After covariate equalization using propensity score matching (62 patients per group), patients receiving radiation therapy and chemotherapy after neurosurgery had significantly lower overall survival (11.8 months; 95% CI; 9.1-15.2) compared with patients with radiation therapy and ICIs (23.0 months; 95% CI; 20.3-53.8) (P < .001). Conclusions and relevance: Patients with NSCLC brain metastases undergoing neurosurgical resection had longer overall survival when treated with radiation therapy and ICIs following neurosurgery compared with those receiving platinum-based chemotherapy and radiation. Radiation and systemic immunotherapy should be regularly evaluated as a treatment option for these patients

Towards the integration and development of a cross-European research network and infrastructure:the DEterminants of DIet and Physical ACtivity (DEDIPAC) Knowledge Hub

To address major societal challenges and enhance cooperation in research across Europe, the European Commission has initiated and facilitated ‘joint programming’. Joint programming is a process by which Member States engage in defining, developing and implementing a common strategic research agenda, based on a shared vision of how to address major societal challenges that no Member State is capable of resolving independently. Setting up a Joint Programming Initiative (JPI) should also contribute to avoiding unnecessary overlap and repetition of research, and enable and enhance the development and use of standardised research methods, procedures and data management. The Determinants of Diet and Physical Activity (DEDIPAC) Knowledge Hub (KH) is the first act of the European JPI ‘A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life’. The objective of DEDIPAC is to contribute to improving understanding of the determinants of dietary, physical activity and sedentary behaviours. DEDIPAC KH is a multi-disciplinary consortium of 46 consortia and organisations supported by joint programming grants from 12 countries across Europe. The work is divided into three thematic areas: (I) assessment and harmonisation of methods for future research, surveillance and monitoring, and for evaluation of interventions and policies; (II) determinants of dietary, physical activity and sedentary behaviours across the life course and in vulnerable groups; and (III) evaluation and benchmarking of public health and policy interventions aimed at improving dietary, physical activity and sedentary behaviours. In the first three years, DEDIPAC KH will organise, develop, share and harmonise expertise, methods, measures, data and other infrastructure. This should further European research and improve the broad multi-disciplinary approach needed to study the interactions between multilevel determinants in influencing dietary, physical activity and sedentary behaviours. Insights will be translated into more effective interventions and policies for the promotion of healthier behaviours and more effective monitoring and evaluation of the impacts of such intervention