Soziale Arbeit mit älteren Menschen mit Migrationshintergrund : Plädoyer für eine lebenslagenorientierte und differenzsensible Praxis

Ältere Menschen, die über einen Migrationshintergrund verfügen, sind von der Sozialen Arbeit bereits vor ca. 30 Jahren als Zielgruppe ‚entdeckt‘ und vielfach auch empirisch erforscht worden. Der Fachdiskurs, der sich um ihre Lebens- und Versorgungssituation herum entwickelt hat, lässt sich jedoch nach wie vor als ein kleiner Spezialbereich charakterisieren, der kaum in der Breite der sozialen Altenarbeit wahrgenommen wurde und dementsprechend auch nur partiell die Praxis erreicht hat. Die vielerorts erfolgreich umgesetzten guten Praxisbeispiele und Handlungskonzepte existieren eher unverbunden nebeneinander. Der Artikel gibt einen Einblick in die Debatte und die damit verbundenen professionellen Herausforderungen

Der Online-Test BULATS Deutsch - ein geeignetes Instrument zur Messung von Lernfortschritten? Erste Ergebnisse im Rahmen des Projekts "Tablet-Klasse"

Im Herbst/Winter 2013 wurde an drei Goethe-Instituten in der Region Nordwesteuropa der Einsatz von Tablets im Fremdsprachenunterricht pilotiert und innerhalb eines Forschungsprojekts wissenschaftlich begleitet und evaluiert. Es wurde analysiert, ob Tablets (hier iPads) für das Fremdsprachenlernen Potentiale bieten, besonders bei der Förderung des Hörverstehens und des Sprechens. Die Lernenden wurden für die Untersuchung in zwei Gruppen aufgeteilt: Eine Gruppe arbeitete mit Tablets im Unterricht (N=27), die andere ohne (N=21). Die Veränderungen im Bereich Hörverstehen wurde in beiden Gruppen durch einen Vor- und Nachtest mit dem BULATS Online-Test Deutsch gemessen. Die Testergebnisse wurden anschließend miteinander verglichen. Es blieb zunächst offen, ob die Tablets tatsächlich zu einer Verbesserung in bestimmten Bereichen des Fremdsprachenlernens führen oder ob eventuell durch den Fokus auf die Technik mit weniger Lernfortschritt oder einer Verschlechterung zu rechnen ist. Im Verlauf des Projekts zeigte sich, dass die Testgruppe (Tablet-Gruppe) erkennbar bessere Werte im BULATS-Test erzielte als die Kontrollgruppe

The influence of farming on weed flora in the Gäu region of Southwestern Germany with an emphasis on rare arable weed species

Highly developed weed control strategies manage to suppress weeds and therefore contribute to a shift in weed community composition as well as a decline in rare weed occurrence. To counteract this decline fields containing rare weed species are taken under contract for preservation purposes, however only time limited. We mapped the weed flora in cereals of conventional (K) and organic (O) fields as well as current (V) and former (E) rare species conservation fields in the Gäu region of Southwestern Germany in 2016. We found similar weed species numbers in O (24 – 38 species) and V (36 – 43 species) and in C (7 – 17 species) and E (13 – 15 species). Weed community composition varied considerably between fields. By performing a CCA (Canonical Correspondence Analysis) we were able to explain 23% of the weed community composition by the parameters seeding rate and nitrogen fertilization. Nevertheless species such as Alopecurus myosuroides, Geranium dissectum, Papaver rhoeas, Poa trivialis and Veronica persica showed a high consistency in all observations. Rare and endangered weed species like Papaver argemone, Consolida regalis, Ranunculus arvensis and Galium tricornutum were only present in V and occasionally E and O. This indicates a rapid decline of weed species diversity after contracts expire, which slowly leads to a similar floral composition as in conventional fields. Therefore new concepts for constant protection of rare weed species should be put into action to ensure conservation success

Exercise-induced oxidative stress, nitric oxide and plasma amino acid profile in recreational runners with vegetarian and non-vegetarian dietary patterns

This study investigated the exercise-induced changes in oxidative stress, nitric oxide (NO) metabolism and amino acid profile in plasma of omnivorous (OMN, n = 25), lacto-ovo-vegetarian (LOV, n = 25) and vegan (VEG, n = 23) recreational runners. Oxidative stress was measured as malondialdehyde (MDA), NO as nitrite and nitrate, and various amino acids, including homoarginine and guanidinoacetate, the precursor of creatine. All analytes were measured by validated stable-isotope dilution gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric methods. Pre-exercise, VEG had the highest MDA and nitrate concentrations, whereas nitrite concentration was highest in LOV. Amino acid profiles differed between the groups, with guanidinoacetate being highest in OMN. Upon acute exercise, MDA increased in the LOV and VEG group, whereas nitrate, nitrite and creatinine did not change. Amino acid profiles changed post-exercise in all groups, with the greatest changes being observed for alanine (+28% in OMN, +21% in LOV and +28% in VEG). Pre-exercise, OMN, LOV and VEG recreational runners differ with respect to oxidative stress, NO metabolism and amino acid profiles, in part due to their different dietary pattern. Exercise elicited different changes in oxidative stress with no changes in NO metabolism and closely comparable elevations in alanine. Guanidinoacetate seems to be differently utilized in OMN, LOV and VEG, pre- and post-exercise

Prevalence of Clostridioides difficile in Canine Feces and Its Association with Intestinal Dysbiosis

The role of Clostridioides (C.) difficile as an enteropathogen in dogs is controversial. In humans, intestinal bile acid-dysmetabolism is associated with C. difficile prevalence. The relationship between fecal qPCR-based dysbiosis index (DI) and especially the abundance of bile acid-converting Clostridium hiranonis with the presence of C. difficile in dogs was explored across the following 4 cohorts: 358 fecal samples submitted for routine diagnostic work-up, 33 dogs with chronic enteropathy, 14 dogs with acute diarrhea, and 116 healthy dogs. Dogs that tested positive for C. difficile had significantly higher DI (median, 4.4 (range from 0.4 to 8.6)) and lower C. hiranonis (median, 0.1 (range from 0.0 to 7.5) logDNA/g) than dogs that tested negative for C. difficile (median DI, −1 (range from −7.2 to 8.9); median C. hiranonis abundance, 6.2 (range from 0.1 to 7.5) logDNA/g; p < 0.0001, respectively). In 33 dogs with CE and 14 dogs with acute diarrhea, the treatment response did not differ between C. difficile-positive and -negative dogs. In the group of clinically healthy dogs, 9/116 tested positive for C. difficile, and 6/9 of these had also an abnormal DI. In conclusion, C. difficile is strongly linked to intestinal dysbiosis and lower C. hiranonis levels in dogs, but its presence does not necessitate targeted treatment