Do You Know Your Terms? - A Procedure Model for Terminology Management

Due to the extensive development und use of information technology, a lot of companies gained access to vast internal and external information sources. Yet nonetheless, efficiency when dealing with information and trying to find the right content is not on an appropriate level. Managing terms and classifying information has a long tradition in Knowledge Management, namely by the usage of glossaries and taxonomies as two instruments of Terminology Management. But even with today’s portals, search engines and auto-classifiers, it does not work without human interaction and high costs. Therefore, we propose a procedure model for Terminology Management to build up and maintain glossaries and taxonomies. To discover the evidence of our approach three action research cases have been analysed. The first focuses on the introduction of a glossary for a Swiss insurance company whereas the second case illustrates the initial activities and results for setting up a corporate taxonomy at an international professional services firm. Based on the learnings we developed a prototype (third case) which combines glossary and taxonomy for document classification and retrieval. We conclude that only a well suited trade-off between centralized and decentralized Terminology Management activities will be sustainable

Wachstum, Wohlstand, Lebensqualität: Brauchen wir einen neuen Wohlstandsindikator?

Im Allgemeinen ist das BIP-Wachstum der Maßstab für die Wirtschaftskraft und den Wohlstand eines Landes. Sollte die Größe als Wohlstandsmaß ersetzt oder wenigstens ergänzt werden

Wachstum, Wohlstand, Lebensqualität: Brauchen wir einen neuen Wohlstandsindikator?

Im Allgemeinen ist das BIP-Wachstum der Maßstab für die Wirtschaftskraft und den Wohlstand eines Landes. Sollte die Größe als Wohlstandsmaß ersetzt oder wenigstens ergänzt werden?Sozialprodukt Wirtschaftspotenzial Lebensstandard Wirtschaftslage

Wirtschaftsentwicklung in Berlin: Szenario 2030

[Zielsetzung] Unmittelbar nach der Wiedervereinigung Deutschlands und der daraus resultierenden Vereinigung von West- und Ostberlin wurden die ökonomischen Entwicklungsperspektiven der Stadt in aller Welt außerordentlich positiv eingeschätzt. Ob in Politik, Wissenschaft oder in der Wirtschaft - überall überwogen nahezu euphorische Wachstumserwartungen. Die tatsächliche wirtschaftliche Entwicklung nach 1989 sah allerdings anders aus: Die Gesamtbeschäftigung nahm nicht zu, sondern Jahr für Jahr reduzierte sich die Zahl der Arbeitsplätze. Die Wirtschaftsleistung entwickelte sich unterdurchschnittlich. Doch nach dieser langen Phase der Stagnation setzte Mitte der 2000er Jahre ein dynamisches Wachstum ein. Berlins Wirtschaft wuchs stärker als der Bundesdurchschnitt, auch die Erwerbstätigkeit nahm überdurchschnittlich zu. In den vorliegenden quantitativen Abschätzungen zur künftigen Wirtschaftsentwicklung schlägt sich diese Trendumkehr sehr unterschiedlich nieder. Dies liegt vor allem daran, dass die verwendeten Prognosetechniken einseitig auf die Fortschreibung von Vergangenheitstrends setzen. Wird ein langer Stützzeitraum verwendet, bleibt es bei dem negativen Trend (Prognos 2010). Schaut man nur auf den aktuellen Rand, werden hohe Wachstumserwartungen geweckt (McKinsey 2010). Im Fall von Berlin mit einem derart starken Trendbruch sind solche Fortschreibungen als Prognosebasis ungeeignet. Um ein breiter angelegtes und realistisches Zukunftsbild der möglichen wirtschaftlichen Entwicklung der Stadt zu erstellen, hat das DIW Berlin gemeinsam mit der IHK Berlin ein Szenario im Rahmen eines integrierten quantitativen und qualitativen Modells entwickelt. Der Zeithorizont reicht bis 2030. Die quantitativen Eckpunkte für die mögliche Entwicklung konzentrieren sich auf die Wirtschaftsleistung und die Beschäftigung. Grundlage ist das von der Hans-Böckler-Stiftung in Auftrag gegebene Forschungsvorhaben 'Neue Wachstumsstrategien für Berlin'. Die damaligen Resultate wurden insbesondere für eine qualitative Bewertung der aktuellen Position und Perspektiven genutzt. (Geppert et al 2009)

Phosphorus availability on many organically managed farms in Europe

Maintaining sufficient soil phosphorus (P) levels for non-limiting crop growth is challenging in organic systems since off-farm inputs of P are restricted. This study assessed the status of P on organic farms in Europe using soil test results for extractable P. Data was obtained from published literature, unpublished theses, and various national and regional databases of soil test values. Most of the data (15,506 observations) came from field scale soil tests, but in some cases (1272 observations) values had been averaged across a farm. Farm scale and field scale data were analysed separately and the impact of farm type (arable, dairy, grassland, horticulture, mixed, poultry, unknown) was assessed. Soil test results were assigned to P classes from very low (P class 1) to very high (P class 5). The farm scale data came primarily from Norway, Sweden and Switzerland and did not indicate deficiencies in extractable P; 93% of farms fell into class 3 or above. The majority of the field scale data came from Germany and indicated sufficient or higher levels of P availability for arable and grassland systems on 60% of fields; the remaining fields had low or very low available P. Adaptations in organic systems may improve P uptake and utilization efficiency allowing yields to be maintained in the short-term, nevertheless there is cause for concern about the long-term P sustainability of some organic farming systems in Europe. This highlights the need to reassess allowable P inputs in organic farming systems to improve overall sustainability

Long-Lived Individuals Show a Lower Burden of Variants Predisposing to Age-Related Diseases and a Higher Polygenic Longevity Score

Longevity is a complex phenotype influenced by both environmental and genetic factors. The genetic contribution is estimated at about 25%. Despite extensive research efforts, only a few longevity genes have been validated across populations. Long-lived individuals (LLI) reach extreme ages with a relative low prevalence of chronic disability and major age-related diseases (ARDs). We tested whether the protection from ARDs in LLI can partly be attributed to genetic factors by calculating polygenic risk scores (PRSs) for seven common late-life diseases (Alzheimer's disease (AD), atrial fibrillation (AF), coronary artery disease (CAD), colorectal cancer (CRC), ischemic stroke (ISS), Parkinson's disease (PD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D)). The examined sample comprised 1351 German LLI (≥94 years, including 643 centenarians) and 4680 German younger controls. For all ARD-PRSs tested, the LLI had significantly lower scores than the younger control individuals (areas under the curve (AUCs): ISS = 0.59, p = 2.84 × 10-35; AD = 0.59, p = 3.16 × 10-25; AF = 0.57, p = 1.07 × 10-16; CAD = 0.56, p = 1.88 × 10-12; CRC = 0.52, p = 5.85 × 10-3; PD = 0.52, p = 1.91 × 10-3; T2D = 0.51, p = 2.61 × 10-3). We combined the individual ARD-PRSs into a meta-PRS (AUC = 0.64, p = 6.45 × 10-15). Furthermore, the inclusion of nine markers from the excluded region (not in LD with each other) plus the APOE haplotype into the model raised the AUC from 0.55 to 0.61. Thus, our results highlight the importance of TOMM40/APOE/APOC1 as a longevity hub

A Selective Assay to Detect Chitin and Biologically Active Nano-Machineries for Chitin-Biosynthesis with Their Intrinsic Chitin-Synthase Molecules

A new assay system for chitin has been developed. It comprises the chitin-binding protein ChbB in fusion with a His-tag as well as with a Strep-tag, the latter of which was chemically coupled to horseradish peroxidase. With the resulting complex, minimal quantities of chitin are photometrically detectable. In addition, the assay allows rapid scoring of the activity of chitin-synthases. As a result, a refined procedure for the rapid purification of yeast chitosomes (nano-machineries for chitin biosynthesis) has been established. Immuno-electronmicroscopical studies of purified chitosomes, gained from a yeast strain carrying a chitin-synthase gene fused to that for GFP (green-fluorescence protein), has led to the in situ localization of chitin-synthase-GFP molecules within chitosomes

Secondary contact and admixture between independently invading populations of the Western corn rootworm, diabrotica virgifera virgifera in Europe

The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is one of the most destructive pests of corn in North America and is currently invading Europe. The two major invasive outbreaks of rootworm in Europe have occurred, in North-West Italy and in Central and South-Eastern Europe. These two outbreaks originated from independent introductions from North America. Secondary contact probably occurred in North Italy between these two outbreaks, in 2008. We used 13 microsatellite markers to conduct a population genetics study, to demonstrate that this geographic contact resulted in a zone of admixture in the Italian region of Veneto. We show that i) genetic variation is greater in the contact zone than in the parental outbreaks; ii) several signs of admixture were detected in some Venetian samples, in a Bayesian analysis of the population structure and in an approximate Bayesian computation analysis of historical scenarios and, finally, iii) allelic frequency clines were observed at microsatellite loci. The contact between the invasive outbreaks in North-West Italy and Central and South-Eastern Europe resulted in a zone of admixture, with particular characteristics. The evolutionary implications of the existence of a zone of admixture in Northern Italy and their possible impact on the invasion success of the western corn rootworm are discussed

Constitution of a catchment virtual observatory for sharing flow and transport models outputs

International audiencePredicting hydrological catchment behaviour based on measurable (and preferably widely available) catchment characteristics has been one of the main goals of hydrological modelling. Residence time distributions provide synoptic information about catchment functioning and can be useful metrics to predict their behaviours. Moreover, residence time distributions highlight a wide range of characteristic scales (spatial and temporal) and mixing processes. However, catchment-specific heterogeneity means that the link between residence time distributions and catchment characteristics is complex. Investigating this link for a wide range of catchments could reveal the role of topography, geology, land-use, climate and other factors in controlling catchment hydrology. Meaningful comparison is often challenging given the diversity of data and model structures and formats. To address this need, we are introducing a new virtual platform called Catchment virtual Observatory for Sharing flow and transport models outputs (COnSOrT). The goal of COnSOrT is to promote catchment intercomparison by sharing calibrated model outputs. Compiling commensurable results in COnSOrT will help evaluate model performance, quantify inter-catchment controls on hydrology, and identify research gaps and priorities in catchment science. Researchers interested in sharing or using calibrated model results are invited to participate in the virtual observatory. Participants may test post-processing methods on a wide range of catchment environments to evaluate the generality of their findings

Základy půdní úrodnosti

Zvyšování půdní úrodnosti bylo pro průkopníky ekologického zemědělství základem veškerého jejich úsilí. Přesto zachování úrodné půdy mnohdy nebyla věnována dostatečná pozornost. Ekologické zemědělství je však na přirozené půdní úrodnosti závislé. Oslabená a poškozená půda nám nemůže poskytnout to, co od ní očekáváme. Udržet úrodnost půdy vyžaduje velkou péči. Předkládaná brožura ukazuje půdní úrodnost z různých úhlů pohledu. Naším záměrem však nebylo vytvořit obecně platný „návod k použití“. Informace mají být mnohem spíše podnětem k tomu, aby se o vztahu člověka k půdě smýšlelo jinak a aby se tento vztah utvářel ve prospěch budoucnosti