Begabtenförderung im Unterrichtsfach Mathematik unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Mathematikolympiade

Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit mathematisch hochbegabten von Kindern und Jugendlichen im Alter der Sekundarstufen I und II. Im ersten Teil erfolgt eine theoretische Auseinandersetzung mit dem allgemeinen Begriff Hochbegabung. Es wird sein geschichtlicher Bedeutungswandel beleuchtet und einige Definitionsansätze der Wissenschaft vorgestellt, weiters wird auf zwei gängige Modelle von Hochbegabung näher eingegangen: das Drei-Ringe-Modell von Renzulli, sowie dessen Weiterentwicklung im Triadischen Interdependenzmodell von Mönks und im Komponentenmodell von Wieczerkowski, und das Münchner Hochbegabungsmodell von Heller. Anschließend werden Möglichkeiten der Identifikation von Hochbegabten beschrieben und ein kurzer Überblick über Fördermöglichkeiten in Form von Akzeleration oder Enrichment gegeben. Der zweite Teil widmet sich der mathematischen Hochbegabung im Speziellen. Es werden unterschiedliche Ansätze, mathematische Hochbegabung zu definieren, vorgestellt und für einen guter Mathematiker erforderliche Fähigkeiten herausgearbeitet. Es werden Möglichkeiten der Diagnostik diskutiert und als Beispiele für mathematikspezifische Tests der Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) und der Hamburger Test für mathematische Begabung (HTMB) kurz vorgestellt. Schließlich werden diverse Fördermöglichkeiten in und außerhalb der Schule aufgezeigt. Im dritten Teil dieser Arbeit wird die unverbindliche Übung Mathematikolympiade als eine Möglichkeit, mathematisch hochbegabte Schüler in der Schule außerhalb des Regelunterrichts zu fördern, detailliert beschrieben. Nach einem Einblick in ihre geschichtliche Entwicklung werden die Struktur und die Inhalte der Vorbereitungskurse sowie die Wettbewerbe in Österreich und auf internationaler Ebene näher beleuchtet. Es kommen (ehemalige) Teilnehmer zu Wort, um von ihren Erfahrungen zu berichten, und abschließend werden begabtenfördernde Aspekte der Mathematikolympiade herausgearbeitet

Evaluation of the shucking of certain species of scallops contaminated with lipophilic toxins with a view to the production of edible parts meeting the safety requirements foreseen in the Union legislation

Acknowledgements: The Panel wishes to thank the following hearing experts for the supportprovided to this scientic output: Laurent Guillier, Mari na Nicolas and Micheal O’Mahony. ThePanel wishes to acknowledge all European competent institutions, Member State bodies and otherorganisations that provided data for this scientic outputPeer reviewedPublisher PD

Evaluation of the shucking of certain species of scallops contaminated with domoic acid with a view to the production of edible parts meeting the safety requirements foreseen in the Union legislation

Acknowledgements: The Panel wishes to thank the following hearing experts for the support provided to this scientific output: Marina Nicolas and Micheal O'Mahony. The Panel wishes to acknowledge all European competent institutions, Member State bodies and other organisations that provided data for this scientific output.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Hard Block Degradable Polycarbonate Urethanes : Promising Biomaterials for Electrospun Vascular Prostheses

We report biodegradable thermoplastic polyurethanes for soft tissue engineering applications, where frequently used carboxylic acid ester degradation motifs were substituted with carbonate moieties to achieve superior degradation properties. While the use of carbonates in soft blocks has been reported, their use in hard blocks of thermoplastic polyurethanes is unprecedented. Soft blocks consist of poly(hexamethylene carbonate), and hard blocks combine hexamethylene diisocyanate with the newly synthesized cleavable carbonate chain extender bis(3-hydroxypropylene)carbonate (BHPC), mimicking the motif of poly(trimethylene carbonate) with highly regarded degradation properties. Simultaneously, the mechanical benefits of segmented polyurethanes are exploited. A lower hard block concentration in BHPC-based polymers was more suitable for vascular grafts. Nonacidic degradation products and hard block dependent degradation rates were found. Implantation of BHPC-based electrospun degradable vascular prostheses in a small animal model revealed high patency rates and no signs of aneurysm formations. Specific vascular graft remodeling and only minimal signs of inflammatory reactions were observed.</p

Pathology & Oncology Research / ELMO3 a Negative Prognostic Marker in Minor Salivary Gland Carcinoma

Engulfment and cell motility 3 protein (ELMO3) is a protein that is involved in cell migration and promotes the remodeling of the cytoskeleton. Moreover, it is described as a prognostic marker in several cancers. The aim of this study was to evaluate ELMO3 expression in patients with minor salivary gland carcinoma. The expression of ELMO3 was examined by immunohistochemistry. The intensity of staining was evaluated and data was correlated to clinical outcome. Forty-six patients with complete clinical data were included into statistical analysis. ELMO3 expression was observed in 85% of the cases. High staining intensity of ELMO3 correlated with a significantly worse disease free survival (p=.0495) and a higher recurrence rate (p=.0071). In conclusion, it is still difficult to predict the clinical outcome of patients with minor salivary gland carcinoma. Evaluation of ELMO3 might serve as a clinical prognostic marker in future.(VLID)364759

Impact of surgeons' experience and the single-shot perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis on outcome in stapedotomy.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to evaluate whether surgeons´ experience and perioperative single-shot antibiotic prophylaxis affect outcome of patients undergoing stapes surgery.Patients and methodsWe retrospectively evaluated audiological outcomes and postoperative complications of 538 consecutive patients who underwent stapes surgery at a single tertiary referral center between 1990 and 2017. Effects of different clinical variables, including single-shot antibiotic prophylaxis and surgeons' experience on outcome were assessed.Results538 patients underwent 667 stapedotomies and postoperative complication rate was 7.5% (n = 50). Air conduction and air-bone gap closure improved significantly after surgery (14.2 ± 14.8 dB, p = 0.001; 14.5 ± 12.8 dB, p = 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that 6 years or less of surgical experience was independently associated with a higher incidence of persisting or recurrent conductive hearing loss (p = 0.033, OR 5.13) but perioperative application of antibiotics had no significant effect on outcome.ConclusionFirst, clinical outcome regarding persisting or recurrent conductive hearing loss caused by incus necrosis and prosthesis luxation is linked to surgical performance. This underlines the need for a meticulous training and supervision of less experienced surgeons performing stapes surgery. Second, our results do not support the need for perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis in stapes surgery. Potential standard limitations of retrospective cohort studies (selection bias, confusion bias etc.) could play a role in interpreting our results. However, the probability for these limitations is minimized due to the large patient sample

A structural reconsideration : Linear aliphatic or alicyclic hard segments for biodegradable thermoplastic polyurethanes?

Thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPUs) with a biodegradable chain extender and different nonaromatic diisocyanate hard segments were synthesized and tested concerning their thermal, mechanical, and degradation properties and for their processability regarding electrospinning. The design of the TPUs was based on the structural modification of the hard segment using linear aliphatic hexamethylene diisocyanate (HMDI), more rigid alicyclic 4,4′-methylene bis(cyclohexylisocyanate) (H12MDI), 1,3-bis(isocyanatomethyl)cyclohexane (BIMC), or isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI). The soft segment consisted of poly(tetrahydrofuran). Bis(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalate (BET) was used as chain extender with cleavable ester bonds. Some of the polyurethanes based on alicyclic diisocyanate showed better mechanical performance than the less rigid HMDI-based TPU. The TPU in vitro degradability was tested for 25 days at elevated temperatures in PBS buffer and indicated a bulk erosion process. Electrospinning experiments were conducted and promising results with respect to further applicability of these materials in vascular tissue engineering were obtained.</p

Prenatal exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances and pregnancy outcome in Austria

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a large group of persistent industrial chemicals that can harm reproductive health. PFAS levels were analysed to determine the current sources of exposure and possible associations between prenatal PFAS exposure and adverse pregnancy outcome. Samples from 136 mother-newborn pairs recruited between 2017 and 2019 were analysed for the presence of 31 target PFAS in maternal serum, umbilical cord serum, and placental tissue by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a tandem mass spectrometer. Questionnaires and medical records were used to survey sources of exposure and pregnancy outcome, including small for gestational age (SGA), fetal growth restriction (FGR), preeclampsia (PE), preterm birth, large for gestational age (LGA) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Data were analysed for individual PFAS and sum4PFAS (sum of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), perfluorohexane sulfonate (PFHxS), and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) serum levels) in logistic regression analyses and categorical regression analyses. Compared to data from a previous Viennese study in 2010–12, sum4PFAS levels were generally lower. Sum4PFAS serum levels of three women (2.2%) exceeded 6.9 µg/L, a level that corresponds to the recently established tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of EFSA for nursing mothers aged 35 years; in the 2010/2012 study it was 13.6%. The large contribution of unidentified extractable organofluorine (EOF) fractions to total PFAS exposure is a concern. Study site, mean maternal corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), use of facial lotion, and owning upholstered furniture were significantly influencing maternal exposure. While no effect of sum4PFAS on pregnancy outcome could be detected, we found highest placental PFDA levels in SGA births. PFHxS levels in umbilical cord and placenta were highest in preterm births. Further studies are needed to elucidate the relationship of prenatal PFAS exposure and pregnancy outcome, in particular to confirm whether and how placental PFDA levels may contribute to an increased risk for SGA

Evaluation of the shucking of certain species of scallops contaminated with lipophilic toxins with a view to the production of edible parts meeting the safety requirements foreseen in the Union legislation

The file contains the raw occurrence dataset on lipophilic toxins as extracted from EFSA DWH on 9 June 2020 on 16,845 analytical results presented in the opinion as described in its section 1.3.2. Occurrence data submitted to EFSA. The data is provided in csv format. This dataset is compliant with EFSA SSD model and contains two additional columns documenting issues identified in the cleaning process (column: issue) and the action taken (column: action) to address the issue (e.g. delete record or update values in specific fields). The link to the catalogues of controlled terminologies can be found under "Related identifiers”