Peer Tutoring in Academic Writing with Non-Native Writers in a German Writing Center – Results of an Empirical Study

Peer tutoring non-native writers seems to pose particular challenges to tutors with regard to the overall goals and principles of peer tutoring that have been expressed in the literature. Principles such as non-directivity and long-term emphasis on the process quality of writing are often assumed to be in conflict with non-native writers’ desire to be actively and directly guided in their process of learning to write in a foreign language. Peer tutoring’s appropriateness therefore remains rather controversial within this particular context. In this article we outline the results of an empirical study focusing on the potential, as well as the limitations, of peer tutoring with regard to non-native writers in a German writing center. Using the method of qualitative content analysis designed to achieve a healthy balance between deductive and inductive aspects of empirical research, we ask the open question: ‘How do peer tutors deal with non-native writers?’ Results show that the limitations of rigid peer tutoring principles become obvious more quickly with non-native writers. However, peer tutoring with non-native writers reveals larger potential, too, and can offer recommendations for peer tutoring in general

Supporting Creative Group Processes: Design Principles for Appropriate Groupware

Creative work is often conducted in distributed groups. Therefore information exchange is frequentlyfacilitated by groupware systems. However, group work suffers from several losses such asinformation overload, production blocking, free riding, evaluation apprehension and productionmatching and yet has not been tailored to the need of creative work. In order to reduce these lossesand to best support creative group processes (CGP), we propose a framework which combines a) thestages of the creative process, b) the potential losses of creative group processes and c) differentmedia characteristics drawn from the Media Synchronicity Theory to formulate groupware designprinciples. We conclude that idea generation should be supported by asynchronous groupwarefunctionality whilst idea evaluation merits from synchronous functionality

Supporting Creative Group Processes – Groupware for Communication and Coordination

The idea of the creative individualist spawning innovations as a solitude effort is no longer realistic. Huge innovation projects, relying on project teams, have to be permanently conducted by organizations to assure their competitiveness. These projects often take place in distributed teams, making use of groupware to bridge temporal and geographical distances. Research in social psychology on group processes has revealed that group work suffers from several group process losses such as information overload, production blocking, free riding and evaluation apprehension. Moreover, creative group processes have to be coordinated to assure goal orientation and efficiency. In the shade of the Media Synchronicity Theory and Coordination theory we analyze aspects of communication and coordination support of groupware functionality. We conclude that idea generation should be supported by synchronous groupware functionality whilst idea evaluation merits from asynchronous functionality. Moreover both phases do not depend on single outstanding but various groupware functionalities to support coordination

CONFIRMING BPM THEORY IN CREATIVE INDUSTRY CONTEXT – A CASE STUDY IN THE GERMAN TV INDUSTRY

Creativity is an important predecessor of any innovation. In the creative industries, innovation is part of the daily business. However, only little is known about the management of business processes that involve creativity. A pioneer contribution in the field of IS is the theory of managing creativity-intensive processes (TMCP) (Seidel 2009). It provides an analytical perspective for the understanding and management of this special kind of business processes. However the theory was developed in a very specific context – the movie post production. With our contribution, we focus on the confirmation and possibly extension of the theory’s core concept of the creativity-intensive process (CIP) and its specifying properties. We conducted a multi-case study in the German TV industry guided by TMCP. The analyzed data resides from the context of the visual production process and the TV format (e.g. TV movie, quiz show, daily soap etc.) as its creative product. Our data supports the TMCP’s core concept and its properties. Moreover we identified the “degree of industrialization” of CIPs as a new emergent property class. The property of the creative potential was refined to product related, as well as process related creativity and the creative impulse. We contribute to the qualitative empirical validation of TMCP and thus broaden its relevance as an analytical device for Business Process Management (BPM) in other creative contexts. Moreover a better understanding for the management challenges in the industry under research is provided

Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Transport, Atmosphere and Climate

The "4th International Conference on Transport, Atmosphere and Climate (TAC-4)" held in Bad Kohlgrub (Germany), 2015, was organised with the objective of updating our knowledge on the impacts of transport on the composition of the atmosphere and on climate, three years after the TAC-3 conference in Prien am Chiemsee (Germany). The TAC-4 conference covered all aspects of the impact of the different modes of transport (aviation, road transport, shipping etc.) on atmospheric chemistry, microphysics, radiation and climate, in particular

Key insights for the future of urban ecosystem services research

Understanding the dynamics of urban ecosystem services is a necessary requirement for adequate planning, management, and governance of urban green infrastructure. Through the three-year Urban Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (URBES) research project, we conducted case study and comparative research on urban biodiversity and ecosystem services across seven cities in Europe and the United States. Reviewing > 50 peer-reviewed publications from the project, we present and discuss seven key insights that reflect cumulative findings from the project as well as the state-of-the-art knowledge in urban ecosystem services research. The insights from our review indicate that cross-sectoral, multiscale, interdisciplinary research is beginning to provide a solid scientific foundation for applying the ecosystem services framework in urban areas and land management. Our review offers a foundation for seeking novel, nature-based solutions to emerging urban challenges such as wicked environmental change issues

Left ventricular morphology and function in adolescents: Relations to fitness and fatness.

BACKGROUND: Obesity in childhood predisposes individuals to cardiovascular disease and increased risk of premature all-cause mortality. The aim of this study was to determine differences in LV morphology and function in obese and normal-weight adolescents. Furthermore, relationships between LV outcomes, cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and adiposity were explored. METHODS: LV morphology was assessed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 20 adolescents (11 normal-weight [BMI equivalent to 18kg/m(2)-25kg/m(2)] and 9 obese [BMI equivalent to ≥30kg/m(2)]); 13.3±1.1years, 45% female, Tanner puberty stage 3 [2-4]) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Global longitudinal strain (GLS), strain rate (SR) and traditional echocardiographic indices were used to assess LV function. CRF (peak oxygen consumption), percent body fat (dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry), abdominal adipose tissue (MRI), and blood biochemistry markers were also evaluated. RESULTS: Adolescents with obesity showed significantly poorer LV function compared to normal-weight adolescents (P0.05). Moderate to strong associations between myocardial contractility and relaxation, adiposity, arterial blood pressure and cardiorespiratory fitness were noted (r=0.49-0.71, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Obesity in adolescence is associated with altered LV systolic and diastolic function. The notable relationship between LV function, CRF and adiposity highlights the potential utility of multidisciplinary lifestyle interventions to treat diminished LV function in this population. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT01991106

Using stable isotopes to inform water resource management in forested and agricultural ecosystems

Present and future climatic trends are expected to markedly alter water fluxes and stores in the hydrologic cycle. In addition, water demand continues to grow due to increased human use and a growing population. Sustainably managing water resources requires a thorough understanding of water storage and flow in natural, agricultural, and urban ecosystems. Measurements of stable isotopes of water (hydrogen and oxygen) in the water cycle (atmosphere, soils, plants, surface water, and groundwater) can provide information on the transport pathways, sourcing, dynamics, ages, and storage pools of water that is difficult to obtain with other techniques. However, the potential of these techniques for practical questions has not been fully exploited yet. Here, we outline the benefits and limitations of potential applications of stable isotope methods useful to water managers, farmers, and other stakeholders. We also describe several case studies demonstrating how stable isotopes of water can support water management decision-making. Finally, we propose a workflow that guides users through a sequence of decisions required to apply stable isotope methods to examples of water management issues. We call for ongoing dialogue and a stronger connection between water management stakeholders and water stable isotope practitioners to identify the most pressing issues and develop best-practice guidelines to apply these techniques

ReSurveyGermany: Vegetation-plot time-series over the past hundred years in Germany

Vegetation-plot resurvey data are a main source of information on terrestrial biodiversity change, with records reaching back more than one century. Although more and more data from re-sampled plots have been published, there is not yet a comprehensive open-access dataset available for analysis. Here, we compiled and harmonised vegetation-plot resurvey data from Germany covering almost 100 years. We show the distribution of the plot data in space, time and across habitat types of the European Nature Information System (EUNIS). In addition, we include metadata on geographic location, plot size and vegetation structure. The data allow temporal biodiversity change to be assessed at the community scale, reaching back further into the past than most comparable data yet available. They also enable tracking changes in the incidence and distribution of individual species across Germany. In summary, the data come at a level of detail that holds promise for broadening our understanding of the mechanisms and drivers behind plant diversity change over the last century