Professionalitätsentwicklung des Weiterbildungspersonals

Im Gegensatz zu anderen europäischen Ländern gibt es in Deutschland noch kein anerkanntes Aus- und Fortbildungssystem für ErwachsenenbildnerInnen. Anhand der ausländischen Vorbilder und mit Hilfe einheimischer Experten haben das Deutsche Institut für Erwachsenenbildung und die Universität Marburg ein Referenzmodell für Fortbildungen entwickelt. Der Vorschlag für ein zweistufiges Modell aus Grund- und Fortbildungszertifikaten für ErwachsenenbildnerInnen ist ein wichtiger Impuls zur Entwicklung von Professionalität in der Weiterbildung

Investigating the Influence of a Time-based Incentive on Choice Blindness Detection Rates

Choice blindness is the striking failure to notice mismatches between intention and outcome in decision-making. This counterintuitive phenomenon has proven itself robust against a range of external influences and, despite numerous investigations, the underlying mechanism remains unknown. In the present study, we hypothesized that the occurrence of choice blindness would decrease if detection is facilitated through the provision of a time-based motivational incentive (i.e., “leaving early”). Participants (N=72) were randomly allocated to incentive or no-incentive conditions. All participants performed a computer-based general knowledge quiz with binary answer options, in which their answers were reversed for four questions. Detection rates were generally high and varied greatly between questions (range: 23-67%, M=44.7% concurrently; range: 32-88%, M=64.0% retrospectively). However, contrary to our expectations, the motivational incentive appeared not to affect detection rates. Possible interpretations, implications and limitations of our findings are discussed, including the possibility that high intrinsic motivation of our sample population overshadowed the incentive

A novel laser lithotripsy system with automatic target recognition: from bench to bedside

While employing the Holmium YAG laser, photonic technologies can help detect urinary stones and enhance safety for the patient. Our research group recently found that continuous monitoring of the fluorescence spectra of urinary calculi suffices to distinguish between stone, tissue, and endoscope components precisely and in real time. We hereby introduce our new automatic target identification system and the results of experimental studies we conducted. In this study, we review the research on in vitro and in vivo experiments we conducted developing and characterizing a novel target system, and summarize the key features of this new technology. This new system using intraoperative autofluorescence monitoring, enables the detection of the laser’s target by analyzing the fluorescent spectra reflected from the target. The energy pulses are only emitted when a urinary stone is within reach of the laser fiber tip. Our experiments revealed that this autofluorescence-based automatic target recognition lithotripsy system delivers valuable diagnostic information to the surgeon in real time. Our system recognizes potential target structures via implemented fluorescence detection. After setting a fluorescence intensity threshold level, a feedback mode was employed that autonomously controls the Ho:YAG laser. During this procedure, the pulse emissions were controlled only by our system, not by the surgeon. The safety and effectiveness of this system has been successfully proven in animal studies. This new target system with a feedback mechanism provides certainty that even in the event of unintentional laser activation, the laser emission is blocked, thus preventing tissue damage and unnecessary heat generation. Ours is a promising approach with the potential to be used in various future urological and non-urological applications primarily to enhance patients’ safety

A novel laser lithotripsy system with automatic target recognition: from bench to bedside

While employing the Holmium YAG laser, photonic technologies can help detect urinary stones and enhance safety for the patient. Our research group recently found that continuous monitoring of the fluorescence spectra of urinary calculi suffices to distinguish between stone, tissue, and endoscope components precisely and in real time. We hereby introduce our new automatic target identification system and the results of experimental studies we conducted. In this study, we review the research on in vitro and in vivo experiments we conducted developing and characterizing a novel target system, and summarize the key features of this new technology. This new system using intraoperative autofluorescence monitoring, enables the detection of the laser’s target by analyzing the fluorescent spectra reflected from the target. The energy pulses are only emitted when a urinary stone is within reach of the laser fiber tip. Our experiments revealed that this autofluorescence-based automatic target recognition lithotripsy system delivers valuable diagnostic information to the surgeon in real time. Our system recognizes potential target structures via implemented fluorescence detection. After setting a fluorescence intensity threshold level, a feedback mode was employed that autonomously controls the Ho:YAG laser. During this procedure, the pulse emissions were controlled only by our system, not by the surgeon. The safety and effectiveness of this system has been successfully proven in animal studies. This new target system with a feedback mechanism provides certainty that even in the event of unintentional laser activation, the laser emission is blocked, thus preventing tissue damage and unnecessary heat generation. Ours is a promising approach with the potential to be used in various future urological and non-urological applications primarily to enhance patients’ safety

Natural Selection of Immune and Metabolic Genes Associated with Health in Two Lowland Bolivian Populations

A growing body of work has addressed human adaptations to diverse environments using genomic data, but few studies have connected putatively selected alleles to phenotypes, much less among underrepresented populations such as Amerindians. Studies of natural selection and genotype–phenotype relationships in underrepresented populations hold potential to uncover previously undescribed loci underlying evolutionarily and biomedically relevant traits. Here, we worked with the Tsimane and the Moseten, two Amerindian populations inhabiting the Bolivian lowlands. We focused most intensively on the Tsimane, because long-term anthropological work with this group has shown that they have a high burden of both macro and microparasites, as well as minimal cardiometabolic disease or dementia. We therefore generated genome-wide genotype data for Tsimane individuals to study natural selection, and paired this with blood mRNA-seq as well as cardiometabolic and immune biomarker data generated from a larger sample that included both populations. In the Tsimane, we identified 21 regions that are candidates for selective sweeps, as well as 5 immune traits that show evidence for polygenic selection (e.g., C-reactive protein levels and the response to coronaviruses). Genes overlapping candidate regions were strongly enriched for known involvement in immune-related traits, such as abundance of lymphocytes and eosinophils. Importantly, we were also able to draw on extensive phenotype information for the Tsimane and Moseten and link five regions (containing PSD4, MUC21 and MUC22, TOX2, ANXA6, and ABCA1) with biomarkers of immune and metabolic function. Together, our work highlights the utility of pairing evolutionary analyses with anthropological and biomedical data to gain insight into the genetic basis of health-related traits

Apolipoprotein-ε4 is Associated with Higher Fecundity in a Natural Fertility Population

In many populations, the apolipoprotein-ε4 (APOE-ε4) allele increases the risk for several chronic diseases of aging, including dementia and cardiovascular disease; despite these harmful effects at later ages, the APOE-ε4 allele remains prevalent. We assess the impact of APOE-ε4 on fertility and its proximate determinants (age at first reproduction, interbirth interval) among the Tsimane, a natural fertility population of forager-horticulturalists. Among 795 women aged 13 to 90 (20% APOE-ε4 carriers), those with at least one APOE-ε4 allele had 0.3 to 0.5 more children than (ε3/ε3) homozygotes, while those with two APOE-ε4 alleles gave birth to 1.4 to 2.1 more children. APOE-ε4 carriers achieve higher fertility by beginning reproduction 0.8 years earlier and having a 0.23-year shorter interbirth interval. Our findings add to a growing body of literature suggesting a need for studies of populations living in ancestrally relevant environments to assess how alleles that are deleterious in sedentary urban environments may have been maintained by selection throughout human evolutionary history

Large-Scale Genome-Wide Meta-Analysis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Suggests Shared Genetic Architecture for Different Diagnosis Criteria

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a disorder characterized by hyperandrogenism, ovulatory dysfunction and polycystic ovarian morphology. Affected women frequently have metabolic disturbances including insulin resistance and dysregulation of glucose homeostasis. PCOS is diagnosed with two different sets of diagnostic criteria, resulting in a phenotypic spectrum of PCOS cases. The genetic similarities between cases diagnosed based on the two criteria have been largely unknown. Previous studies in Chinese and European subjects have identified 16 loci associated with risk of PCOS. We report a fixed-effect, inverse-weighted-variance meta-analysis from 10,074 PCOS cases and 103,164 controls of European ancestry and characterisation of PCOS related traits. We identified 3 novel loci (near PLGRKT, ZBTB16 and MAPRE1), and provide replication of 11 previously reported loci. Only one locus differed significantly in its association by diagnostic criteria; otherwise the genetic architecture was similar between PCOS diagnosed by self-report and PCOS diagnosed by NIH or non-NIH Rotterdam criteria across common variants at 13 loci. Identified variants were associated with hyperandrogenism, gonadotropin regulation and testosterone levels in affected women. Linkage disequilibrium score regression analysis revealed genetic correlations with obesity, fasting insulin, type 2 diabetes, lipid levels and coronary artery disease, indicating shared genetic architecture between metabolic traits and PCOS. Mendelian randomization analyses suggested variants associated with body mass index, fasting insulin, menopause timing, depression and male-pattern balding play a causal role in PCOS. The data thus demonstrate 3 novel loci associated with PCOS and similar genetic architecture for all diagnostic criteria. The data also provide the first genetic evidence for a male phenotype for PCOS and a causal link to depression, a previously hypothesized comorbid disease. Thus, the genetics provide a comprehensive view of PCOS that encompasses multiple diagnostic criteria, gender, reproductive potential and mental health

Natural selection of immune and metabolic genes associated with health in two lowland Bolivian populations

A growing body of work has addressed human adaptations to diverse environments using genomic data, but few studies have connected putatively selected alleles to phenotypes, much less among underrepresented populations such as Amerindians. Studies of natural selection and genotype-phenotype relationships in underrepresented populations hold potential to uncover previously undescribed loci underlying evolutionarily and biomedically relevant traits. Here, we worked with the Tsimane and the Moseten, two Amerindian populations inhabiting the Bolivian lowlands. We focused most intensively on the Tsimane, because long-term anthropological work with this group has shown that they have a high burden of both macro and microparasites, as well as minimal cardiometabolic disease or dementia. We therefore generated genome-wide genotype data for Tsimane individuals to study natural selection, and paired this with blood mRNA-seq as well as cardiometabolic and immune biomarker data generated from a larger sample that included both populations. In the Tsimane, we identified 21 regions that are candidates for selective sweeps, as well as 5 immune traits that show evidence for polygenic selection (e.g., C-reactive protein levels and the response to coronaviruses). Genes overlapping candidate regions were strongly enriched for known involvement in immune-related traits, such as abundance of lymphocytes and eosinophils. Importantly, we were also able to draw on extensive phenotype information for the Tsimane and Moseten and link five regions (containing PSD4, MUC21 and MUC22, TOX2, ANXA6, and ABCA1) with biomarkers of immune and metabolic function. Together, our work highlights the utility of pairing evolutionary analyses with anthropological and biomedical data to gain insight into the genetic basis of health-related traits

Unveiling Novel RecO Distant Orthologues Involved in Homologous Recombination

The generation of a RecA filament on single-stranded DNA is a critical step in homologous recombination. Two main pathways leading to the formation of the nucleofilament have been identified in bacteria, based on the protein complexes mediating RecA loading: RecBCD (AddAB) and RecFOR. Many bacterial species seem to lack some of the components involved in these complexes. The current annotation of the Helicobacter pylori genome suggests that this highly diverse bacterial pathogen has a reduced set of recombination mediator proteins. While it is now clear that homologous recombination plays a critical role in generating H. pylori diversity by allowing genomic DNA rearrangements and integration through transformation of exogenous DNA into the chromosome, no complete mediator complex is deduced from the sequence of its genome. Here we show by bioinformatics analysis the presence of a RecO remote orthologue that allowed the identification of a new set of RecO proteins present in all bacterial species where a RecR but not RecO was previously identified. HpRecO shares less than 15% identity with previously characterized homologues. Genetic dissection of recombination pathways shows that this novel RecO and the remote RecB homologue present in H. pylori are functional in repair and in RecA-dependent intrachromosomal recombination, defining two initiation pathways with little overlap. We found, however, that neither RecOR nor RecB contributes to transformation, suggesting the presence of a third, specialized, RecA-dependent pathway responsible for the integration of transforming DNA into the chromosome of this naturally competent bacteria. These results provide insight into the mechanisms that this successful pathogen uses to generate genetic diversity and adapt to changing environments and new hosts

Формирование эмоциональной культуры как компонента инновационной культуры студентов

Homozygosity has long been associated with rare, often devastating, Mendelian disorders1 and Darwin was one of the first to recognise that inbreeding reduces evolutionary fitness2. However, the effect of the more distant parental relatedness common in modern human populations is less well understood. Genomic data now allow us to investigate the effects of homozygosity on traits of public health importance by observing contiguous homozygous segments (runs of homozygosity, ROH), which are inferred to be homozygous along their complete length. Given the low levels of genome-wide homozygosity prevalent in most human populations, information is required on very large numbers of people to provide sufficient power3,4. Here we use ROH to study 16 health-related quantitative traits in 354,224 individuals from 102 cohorts and find statistically significant associations between summed runs of homozygosity (SROH) and four complex traits: height, forced expiratory lung volume in 1 second (FEV1), general cognitive ability (g) and educational attainment (nominal p<1 × 10−300, 2.1 × 10−6, 2.5 × 10−10, 1.8 × 10−10). In each case increased homozygosity was associated with decreased trait value, equivalent to the offspring of first cousins being 1.2 cm shorter and having 10 months less education. Similar effect sizes were found across four continental groups and populations with different degrees of genome-wide homozygosity, providing convincing evidence for the first time that homozygosity, rather than confounding, directly contributes to phenotypic variance. Contrary to earlier reports in substantially smaller samples5,6, no evidence was seen of an influence of genome-wide homozygosity on blood pressure and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, or ten other cardio-metabolic traits. Since directional dominance is predicted for traits under directional evolutionary selection7, this study provides evidence that increased stature and cognitive function have been positively selected in human evolution, whereas many important risk factors for late-onset complex diseases may not have been