Charakteristika der StudienanfängerInnen des Medizinstudiums in Wien - Evaluation des supportiven Unterrichtsprogramms SOL

Fragestellung: Berichtet wird über die Evaluation der Effektivität des supportiven Unterrichtsangebotes "self organized learning" (SOL), das seit 2002 in den ersten Wochen des Medizinstudiums in Wien eingerichtet wurde. Ziel ist, die Grund-kenntnisse in den naturwissenschaftlichen Fächern zu verbessern und die Studierenden in die Lage zu versetzen, Wissenslücken selbst zu diagnostizieren und selbstständig zu füllen. Zu diesem Zweck wurden in Gruppen von 15 Studierenden je eine Problemstellung aus den Fächern Physik, Chemie und Biologie erarbeitet. Die Vorgangsweise war an das problemorientierte Lernen angelehnt. Methode: Am Ende des Semesters wurden die Studierenden (N=1090) retrospektiv hinsichtlich ihrer Erfahrungen mit diesem Unterrichtsangebot befragt. 197 Studierende hatten eingewilligt, dass Ihre Daten mit den Prüfungsergebnissen in Beziehung gebracht werden. Ergebnisse: Keinen Einfluss haben Geschlechtsunterschiede, hingegen unterschieden sich die Gruppen in mehrfacher Weise in Abhängigkeit von ihrer Mutter-sprache. Die Ergebnisse der Regressionsanalyse (forwards and backwards) zeigen einen Zusammenhang der Angaben im Fragebogen mit den Prüfungsergebnissen: jene Studierenden, die bereits in der Schule vermehrt Unterricht in Chemie hatten, zeigten mehr Interesse an naturwissenschaftlichen Fächern, aber auch ein größeres Problembewusstsein: Sie empfanden den Themenblock 3 mit naturwissen-schaftlichem Schwerpunkt als schwieriger, nahmen vermehrt an SOL teil und hatten ein besseres Prüfungsergebnis. 12.02.2005 | Oskar Frischenschlager, Karl Kremser & Richard Marz (Wien

White Matter Changes in Patients with Friedreich Ataxia after Treatment with Erythropoietin

Background and Purpose—Erythropoietin (EPO) has received growing attention because of its neuro-regenerative properties. Preclinical and clinical evidence supports its therapeutic potential in brain conditions like stroke, multiple sclerosis and schizophrenia. Also in Friedreich ataxia, clinical improvement after EPO therapy was shown. The aim of the present study was to assess possible therapy-associated brain white-matter changes in these patients.Methods—Nine patients with Friedreich ataxia underwent Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) before and after EPO treatment. Tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) was used for longitudinal comparison. Results—We detected widespread longitudinal increase in fractional anisotropy (FA) and axial diffusivity (D||) in cerebral hemispheres bilaterally (p<0.05, corrected), while no changes were observed within the cerebellum, medulla oblongata and pons. Conclusions—To the best of our knowledge, this is the first DTI study to investigate the effects of erythropoietin in a neurodegenerative disease. Anatomically, the diffusivity changes appear disease-unspecific, and their biological underpinnings deserve further study

Anthropogenic contributions to global carbonyl sulfide, carbon disulfide and organosulfides fluxes

Previous studies of the global sulfur cycle have focused almost exclusively on oxidized species and just a few sulfides. This focus is expanded here to include a wider range of reduced sulfur compounds. Inorganic sulfides tend to be bound into sediments, and sulfates are present both in sediments and the oceans. Sulfur can adopt polymeric forms that include S-S bonds. This review examines the global anthropogenic sources of reduced sulfur, updating emission inventories and widening the consideration of industrial sources. It estimates the anthropogenic fluxes of key sulfides to the atmosphere (units Gg S a-1) as: carbonyl sulfide (total 591: mainly from pulp and pigment 171, atmospheric oxidation of carbon disulfide 162, biofuel and coal combustion, 133, natural 898 Gg S a-1), carbon disulfide (total 746: rayon 395, pigment 205, pulp 78, natural 330 Gg S a-1), methanethiol (total 2119: pulp 1680, manure 330, rayon and wastewater 102, natural 6473 Gg S a-1), dimethyl sulfide (total 2197: pulp 1462, manure 660 and rayon 36, natural 31 657 Gg S a-1), dimethyl disulfide (total 1103: manure 660, pulp 273; natural 1081 Gg S a-1). The study compares the magnitude of the natural sources: marine, vegetation and soils, volcanoes and rain water with the key anthropogenic sources: paper industry, rayon-cellulose manufacture, agriculture and pigment production. Industrial sources could be reduced by better pollution control, so their impact may lessen over time. Anthropogenic emissions dominate the global budget of carbon disulfide, and some aromatic compounds such as thiophene, with emissions of methanethiol and dimethyl disufide also relatively important. Furthermore, industries related to coal and bitumen are key sources of multi-ringed thiophenes, while food production and various wastes may account for the release of significant amounts of dimethyl disulfide and dimethyl trisulfide

Nitric Oxide Regulates Peroxisomal Enzyme Activities

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CarSense: Evaluation of the Potential of In-Vehicle Sensor Data for Road Operators

Modern vehicles are equipped with dozens of sensors collecting data for supporting automotive trends like Autonomous and/or Connected Driving. For road operators, in-vehicle data or so-called Extended Floating Car Data (XFCD) are often promised as the Holy Grail for supporting efficient road operations. In this work, we tackle the question of benefits with respect to potential in-vehicle sensor data usage from a road operator’s point of view, focusing on traffic information, traffic management and road maintenance. Key results are amongst others: (1) the need for customized XFCD solutions supporting road operator’s tasks, (2) standardized data access and formats for in-vehicle sensor data, (3) cost-effective integration of XFCD into existing monitoring infrastructure, and (4) the need to actively promote road operator’s interests

Differential Induction of Peroxisomal Enzymes by Hypolipidaemics in Human (HepG2) and Rat (MH1C1) Hepatoma Cell Lines

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