Pädagogische Hochschulen der Schweiz: vom Juniorpartner zum etablierten Hochschultyp

Die Pädagogischen Hochschulen sind mit dem Hochschulförderungs- und ?koordinationsgesetz Teil des nationalen Hochschulraums geworden. Sie entwickeln als jüngster Hochschultypus ihr Profil in Abgrenzung zu Universitäten und Fachhochschulen. Dabei verfügen sie über einige einzigartige Merkmale. Noch werden sie nicht vollumfänglich als gleichwertiger Hochschultypus anerkannt. Mit ihrem eigenständigen Profil und ihrer Expertise im Lehren und Lernen kann es ihnen jedoch gelingen, ein etablierter Hochschultypus zu werden

Autorität - eine konstitutive Kompetenz von Lehrkräften?

Autorität. Kein anderes Schlagwort hat die Diskussion über Erziehung in den letzten Jah-ren so stark geprägt. Autorität schien lange Zeit als das Allheilmittel schlechthin zu sein. Trotzdem geriet sie in Verruf. Menschen hatten sie, jedoch wollte niemand mehr etwas mit ihr zu tun haben. Aus Autorität wurde „autoritär“. Auch die Autorität von Lehrpersonen gegenüber Schülerinnen und Schülern ist ein viel diskutiertes Thema, wobei nicht immer klar ist, was mit Autorität gemeint ist bzw. wie sich diese zeigt. Diese Arbeit hat sich zum Ziel gesetzt, die Bedeutung von Autorität darzustellen und versucht weiters zu klären, ob Autorität eine unerlässliche Kompetenz von Lehrkräften sein muss, um den Schülerinnen und Schülern Fähigkeiten und Fertigkeiten zu vermitteln, um sie gesellschaftsfähig zu ma-chen. Abschließend wird analysiert, wie sich das Phänomen Autorität – entweder wenn es sichtbar wird oder wenn es fehlt – auf den Fortgang von Unterricht auswirkt

Stratosphere troposphere coupling: the influence of volcanic eruptions

Stratospheric sulfate aerosols produced by major volcanic eruptions modify the radiative and dynamical properties of the troposphere and stratosphere through their reflection of solar radiation and absorption of infrared radiation. At the Earth's surface, the primary consequence of a large eruption is cooling, however, it has long been known that major tropical eruptions tend to be followed by warmer than usual winters over the Northern Hemisphere (NH) continents. This volcanic "winter-warming" effect in the NH is understood to be the result of changes in atmospheric circulation patterns resulting from heating in the stratosphere, and is often described as positive anomalies of the Northern Annular Mode (NAM) that propagate downward from the stratosphere to the troposphere. In the southern hemisphere, climate models tend to also predict a positive Southern Annular Mode (SAM) response to volcanic eruptions, but this is generally inconsistent with post-eruption observations during the 20th century. We review present understanding of the influence of volcanic eruptions on the large scale modes of atmospheric variability in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Using models of varying complexity, including an aerosol-climate model, an Earth system model, and CMIP5 simulations, we assess the ability of climate models to reproduce the observed post-eruption climatic and dynamical anomalies. We will also address the parametrization of volcanic eruptions in simulations of the past climate, and identify possibilities for improvemen

Brominated VSLS and their influence on ozone under a changing climate

Very short-lived substances (VSLS) contribute as source gases significantly to the tropospheric and stratospheric bromine loading. At present, an estimated 25 % of stratospheric bromine is of oceanic origin. In this study, we investigate how climate change may impact the ocean–atmosphere flux of brominated VSLS, their atmospheric transport, and chemical transformations and evaluate how these changes will affect stratospheric ozone over the 21st century. Under the assumption of fixed ocean water concentrations and RCP6.0 scenario, we find an increase of the ocean–atmosphere flux of brominated VSLS of about 8–10 % by the end of the 21st century compared to present day. A decrease in the tropospheric mixing ratios of VSLS and an increase in the lower stratosphere are attributed to changes in atmospheric chemistry and transport. Our model simulations reveal that this increase is counteracted by a corresponding reduction of inorganic bromine. Therefore the total amount of bromine from VSLS in the stratosphere will not be changed by an increase in upwelling. Part of the increase of VSLS in the tropical lower stratosphere results from an increase in the corresponding tropopause height. As the depletion of stratospheric ozone due to bromine depends also on the availability of chlorine, we find the impact of bromine on stratospheric ozone at the end of the 21st century reduced compared to present day. Thus, these studies highlight the different factors influencing the role of brominated VSLS in a future climate

Berufliche Anforderungen und ihre Auswirkungen auf das Privatleben von doppelerwerbstätigen Paaren

Steigende zeitliche, physische und psychische Arbeitsbelastungen können die Qualität und die Stabilität von Partnerschaften und Familien bedrohen. In unserem Beitrag vergleichen wir, wie dadurch Work-Family-Konflikte, belastender Streit innerhalb der Partnerschaft und das Trennungsrisiko beeinflusst werden. Wir erklären diese Beeinträchtigungen zum einen über individuelle Belastungen im Erwerbsleben, zum anderen über partnerschaftliche Muster der Beteiligung an der Erwerbsarbeit und Hausarbeit. Empirische Basis sind die Studie "Beschäftigungsverhältnisse als sozialer Tausch" sowie das Sozio-oekonomische Panel. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass sowohl die Qualität als auch die Stabilität von Partnerschaften durch hohe Erwerbsarbeitsbelastungen negativ beeinfl usst werden, aber in je unterschiedlicher Weise.It has almost become a commonplace that increasing temporal, physical and psychological work demands and pressures have challenged capabilities for maintaining strong intimate relationships and families. In our article we compare how work-to-family conflicts, serious conflicts within partnerships, and the risk of separation are influenced by antecedents located in two dominant research traditions: on the one hand individual work strains, and on the other research on balancing work and family, taking account of different patterns of employment and housework within partnerships. For our analyses we draw on two different data sets: the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) and the study entitled 'Employment relationships a social exchange'. The results reveal the different negative infl uences of high work strains on both the quality and the stability of partnerships

Turning Seashell Waste into Electrically Conductive Particles

Biomaterials such as seashells are intriguing due to their remarkable properties, including their hierarchical structure from the nanometer to the micro- or even macroscopic scale. Transferring this nanostructure to generate nanostructured polymers can improve their electrical conductivity. Here, we present the synthesis of polypyrrole using waste seashell powder as a template to prepare a polypyrrole/CaCO3 composite material. Various synthesis parameters were optimized to produce a composite material with an electrical conductivity of 2.1 x 10(-4) +/- 3.2 x 10(-5) S/cm. This work presents the transformation of waste seashells into sustainable, electronically conductive materials and their application as an antistatic agent in polymers. The requirements of an antistatic material were met for a safety shoe sole

Approach to the virilizing girl at puberty

Virilization is the medical term for describing a female who develops characteristics associated with male hormones (androgens) at any age, or when a newborn girl shows signs of prenatal male hormone exposure at birth. In girls, androgen levels are low during pregnancy and childhood. A first physiologic rise of adrenal androgens is observed at the age of 6 to 8 years and reflects functional activation of the zona reticularis of the adrenal cortex at adrenarche, manifesting clinically with first pubic and axillary hairs. Early adrenarche is known as “premature adrenarche.” It is mostly idiopathic and of uncertain pathologic relevance but requires the exclusion of other causes of androgen excess (eg, nonclassic congenital adrenal hyperplasia) that might exacerbate clinically into virilization. The second modest physiologic increase of circulating androgens occurs then during pubertal development, which reflects the activation of ovarian steroidogenesis contributing to the peripheral androgen pool. However, at puberty initiation (and beyond), ovarian steroidogenesis is normally devoted to estrogen production for the development of secondary female bodily characteristics (eg, breast development). Serum total testosterone in a young adult woman is therefore about 10- to 20-fold lower than in a young man, whereas midcycle estradiol is about 10- to 20-fold higher. But if androgen production starts too early, progresses rapidly, and in marked excess (usually more than 3 to 5 times above normal), females will manifest with signs of virilization such as masculine habitus, deepening of the voice, severe acne, excessive facial and (male typical) body hair, clitoromegaly, and increased muscle development. Several medical conditions may cause virilization in girls and women, including androgen-producing tumors of the ovaries or adrenal cortex, (non)classical congenital adrenal hyperplasia and, more rarely, other disorders (also referred to as differences) of sex development (DSD). The purpose of this article is to describe the clinical approach to the girl with virilization at puberty, focusing on diagnostic challenges. The review is written from the perspective of the case of an 11.5-year-old girl who was referred to our clinic for progressive, rapid onset clitoromegaly, and was then diagnosed with a complex genetic form of DSD that led to abnormal testosterone production from a dysgenetic gonad at onset of puberty. Her genetic workup revealed a unique translocation of an abnormal duplicated Y-chromosome to a deleted chromosome 9, including the Doublesex and Mab-3 Related Transcription factor 1 (DMRT1) gene

Is language an issue? Accuracy of the German computerized diagnostic decision support system ISABEL and cross-validation with the English counterpart.

OBJECTIVES Existing computerized diagnostic decision support tools (CDDS) accurately return possible differential diagnoses (DDx) based on the clinical information provided. The German versions of the CDDS tools for clinicians (Isabel Pro) and patients (Isabel Symptom Checker) from ISABEL Healthcare have not been validated yet. METHODS We entered clinical features of 50 patient vignettes taken from an emergency medical text book and 50 real cases with a confirmed diagnosis derived from the electronic health record (EHR) of a large academic Swiss emergency room into the German versions of Isabel Pro and Isabel Symptom Checker. We analysed the proportion of DDx lists that included the correct diagnosis. RESULTS Isabel Pro and Symptom Checker provided the correct diagnosis in 82 and 71 % of the cases, respectively. Overall, the correct diagnosis was ranked in 71 , 61 and 37 % of the cases within the top 20, 10 and 3 of the provided DDx when using Isabel Pro. In general, accuracy was higher with vignettes than ED cases, i.e. listed the correct diagnosis more often (non-significant) and ranked the diagnosis significantly more often within the top 20, 10 and 3. On average, 38 ± 4.5 DDx were provided by Isabel Pro and Symptom Checker. CONCLUSIONS The German versions of Isabel achieved a somewhat lower accuracy compared to previous studies of the English version. The accuracy decreases substantially when the position in the suggested DDx list is taken into account. Whether Isabel Pro is accurate enough to improve diagnostic quality in clinical ED routine needs further investigation

PBTK modeling of the pyrrolizidine alkaloid retrorsine to predict liver toxicity in mouse and rat

Retrorsine is a hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloid (PA) found in herbal supplements and medicines, food and livestock feed. Dose-response studies enabling the derivation of a point of departure including a benchmark dose for risk assessment of retrorsine in humans and animals are not available. Addressing this need, a physiologically based toxicokinetic (PBTK) model of retrorsine was developed for mouse and rat. Comprehensive characterization of retrorsine toxicokinetics revealed: both the fraction absorbed from the intestine (78%) and the fraction unbound in plasma (60%) are high, hepatic membrane permeation is dominated by active uptake and not by passive diffusion, liver metabolic clearance is 4-fold higher in rat compared to mouse and renal excretion contributes to 20% of the total clearance. The PBTK model was calibrated with kinetic data from available mouse and rat studies using maximum likelihood estimation. PBTK model evaluation showed convincing goodness-of-fit for hepatic retrorsine and retrorsine-derived DNA adducts. Furthermore, the developed model allowed to translate in vitro liver toxicity data of retrorsine to in vivo dose-response data. Resulting benchmark dose confidence intervals (mg/kg bodyweight) are 24.1–88.5 in mice and 79.9–104 in rats for acute liver toxicity after oral retrorsine intake. As the PBTK model was built to enable extrapolation to different species and other PA congeners, this integrative framework constitutes a flexible tool to address gaps in the risk assessment of PA