Language across the curriculum - development perspectives for interdisciplinary subject didactics

Im Artikel wird das Konzept des sog. "sprachbewussten Fachunterrichts" mit Bezug zum schulischen Enkulturationsauftrag vorgestellt und diskutiert. Zudem werden daraus folgende Entwicklungsperspektiven für die Fachdidaktiken zur Diskussion gestellt. Dazu wird zuerst der Diskurs um "language across the curriculum" aus den 1970er-Jahren nachgezeichnet. Ausgehend von der Bedeutung von Sprache fürs Lernen wird die Funktion der schulischen Fächer und der damit verbundenen Fachdidaktiken mit Blick auf einen gemeinsamen Enkulturationsauftrag für den Erwerb der "basalen Kulturwerkzeuge" (Baumert, 2002) diskutiert. Mit Perspektive auf eine spiralcurricular abgestimmte Implementierung des sprachbewussten Fachunterrichts wird der neue Deutschschweizer "Lehrplan 21" kritisch reflektiert. Zum Schluss werden mögliche Implikationen aus dem Konzept für die Weiterentwicklung der Fachdidaktiken zur Diskussion gestellt. (DIPF/Orig.)The article presents the concept of the so-called "language-conscious subject teaching" and elaborates it as a central element for the fulfilment of the school’s task of enculturation. In addition, the following development perspectives for subject didactics are presented for discussion. First, the discourse on «language across the curriculum» from the 1970s will be presented. Starting from the importance of language for learning, the function of the school subjects and the associated didactics is discussed with a view to a common enculturation mandate for the acquisition of "basic cultural tools" (Baumert, 2002). The new Swiss-German curriculum "Lehrplan 21" is critically reflected with a view to a spiral curriculum coordinated implementation of language-conscious subject teaching. Finally, possible implications of the concept for the further development of subject didactics will be discussed. (DIPF/Orig.

Tastaturschreiblehrgänge – eine schreibdidaktische Leerstelle?

Obwohl digitaler Textverarbeitung heutzutage eine enorme Bedeutung zukommt und die Vermittlung entsprechender Kompetenzenin Deutschland, Österreich und der Schweiz curricular verankert ist, bilden empirisch fundierte Konzepte zum Tastaturschreiben im deutschsprachigen Raumweitgehend ein Desiderat. International liegen jedoch Studien vor, die belegen, dass eine gezielte Förderung die Tastaturschreibfertigkeitenerhöhenundpositive Effekte auf Rechtschreibung und Textproduktionhaben kann. An diesen Ergebnissen setzt das D-A-CH-Projekt Didaktik des Tastaturschreibens und der Textverarbeitung (TasDi) an: Es zielt im Kern darauf, Lernmodule für das Tastaturschreibenzu entwickeln und zu evaluieren, die auf evidenzbasierten Erkenntnissen der Schreib- und Rechtschreibdidaktik aufbauen. Die länderübergreifende Perspektive ist aufschlussreich, da die schulische Implementierung des Tastaturschreibens im D-A-CH-Raum unterschiedlich fortgeschritten ist. In der ersten Phase des Projekts, die im Beitrag im Zentrum steht, erfolgt u.a. eine Analyse existierender Tastaturschreiblehrgänge. Diese zeigt, dass bisherige Lehrgänge v.a. an schreibmotorischen Prinzipien orientiert sind und durch eine schreib- und rechtschreibdidaktische Profilierung profitieren können.   Abstract (english): TOUCH-TYPING INSTRUCTION: An uncharted territory in writing research? Digital text processing is of enormous importance today. Accordingly, the teaching of corresponding competencies is established in the curricula in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. However, evidence based concepts for keyboarding are a desideratum in German-speaking countries. International studies show that systematic support can increase keyboarding skills andhave positive effects on spelling and text production. The D-A-CH project Didaktik des Tastaturschreibens und der Textverarbeitung (TasDi) is based on these results: At its core, it aims to develop and evaluate keyboarding learning modules that build on evidence based findings in writing and spelling instruction. The cross-national perspective is insightful, as the implementation of keyboarding in school has progressed differently in the D-A-CH region. The first phase of the project, which is the focus of this article, includes an analysis of existing keyboarding courses. First results show that previous courses are mainly oriented towards writing motor principles and can benefit from results of writing and spelling instruction

Feasibility of an Assessment Tool for Children\u27s Competence to Consent to Predictive Genetic Testing: a Pilot Study

Knowledge on children\u27s capacities to consent to medical treatment is limited. Also, age limits for asking children\u27s consent vary considerably between countries. Decision-making on predictive genetic testing (PGT) is especially complicated, considering the ongoing ethical debate. In order to examine just age limits for alleged competence to consent in children, we evaluated feasibility of a standardized assessment tool, and investigated cutoff ages for children\u27s competence to consent to PGT. We performed a pilot study, including 17 pediatric outpatients between 6 and 18 years at risk for an autosomal dominantly inherited cardiac disease, eligible for predictive genetic testing. The reference standard for competence was established by experts trained in the relevant criteria for competent decision-making. The MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Treatment (MacCAT-T) served as index test. Data analysis included raw agreement between competence classifications, difference in mean ages between children judged competent and judged incompetent, and estimation of cutoff ages for judgments of competence. Twelve (71 %) children were considered competent by the reference standard, and 16 (94 %) by the MacCAT-T, with an overall agreement of 76 %. The expert judgments disagreed in most cases, while the MacCAT-T judgments agreed in 65 %. Mean age of children judged incompetent was 9.3 years and of children judged competent 12.1 years (p = .035). With 90 % sensitivity, children younger than 10.0 years were judged incompetent, with 90 % specificity children older than 11.8 years were judged competent. Feasibility of the MacCAT-T in children is confirmed. Initial findings on age cutoffs are indicative for children between the age of 12 and 18 to be judged competent for involvement in the informed consent process. Future research on appropriate age-limits for children\u27s alleged competence to consent is needed

Hyperparameter optimization: Foundations, algorithms, best practices, and open challenges

Most machine learning algorithms are configured by a set of hyperparameters whose values must be carefully chosen and which often considerably impact performance. To avoid a time-consuming and irreproducible manual process of trial-and-error to find well-performing hyperparameter configurations, various automatic hyperparameter optimization (HPO) methods—for example, based on resampling error estimation for supervised machine learning—can be employed. After introducing HPO from a general perspective, this paper reviews important HPO methods, from simple techniques such as grid or random search to more advanced methods like evolution strategies, Bayesian optimization, Hyperband, and racing. This work gives practical recommendations regarding important choices to be made when conducting HPO, including the HPO algorithms themselves, performance evaluation, how to combine HPO with machine learning pipelines, runtime improvements, and parallelization. This article is categorized under: Algorithmic Development > Statistics Technologies > Machine Learning Technologies > Prediction

Psychological morbidity and autonomic reactivity to emotional stimulus in parental cancer: a study with children caregivers

Literature suggests that parental cancer can provoke aversive emotional arousal in adult children, who may perceive caregiving as a traumatic experience. Limited research has been conducted on emotional and physiological impact of family caregiving for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The aim of the present study was to examine psychological and physiological responses in parental cancer’s caregivers. Two matched groups of adult children, with 78 participants each (parental cancer vs. control), completed psychological measures of distress, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and burden. Additionally, each participant visualised standardised pictures with different emotional valences, while cardiovascular (heart rate) and electrodermal responses (skin conductance) were recorded. Between-group analysis showed significant differences on all psychological variables, and on skin conductance for all types of pictures. However, for the heart rate responses, differences were found only for pictures with unpleasant emotional arousal. In the parental cancer group, the heart rate peak response stood out as a predictor of PTSD symptoms, after controlling for distress and burden. This study highlights the important role of psychophysiological measures of family caregiving in oncology. Physiological responses may explain a higher prevalence of PTSD symptoms. Therefore, biofeedback combined with targeted psychosocial interventions for relaxation could be of great clinical value for this populationFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

How to Join a Wave: Decision-Making Processes in Shimmering Behavior of Giant Honeybees (Apis dorsata)

Shimmering is a collective defence behaviour in Giant honeybees (Apis dorsata) whereby individual bees flip their abdomen upwards, producing Mexican wave-like patterns on the nest surface. Bucket bridging has been used to explain the spread of information in a chain of members including three testable concepts: first, linearity assumes that individual “agent bees” that participate in the wave will be affected preferentially from the side of wave origin. The directed-trigger hypothesis addresses the coincidence of the individual property of trigger direction with the collective property of wave direction. Second, continuity describes the transfer of information without being stopped, delayed or re-routed. The active-neighbours hypothesis assumes coincidence between the direction of the majority of shimmering-active neighbours and the trigger direction of the agents. Third, the graduality hypothesis refers to the interaction between an agent and her active neighbours, assuming a proportional relationship in the strength of abdomen flipping of the agent and her previously active neighbours. Shimmering waves provoked by dummy wasps were recorded with high-resolution video cameras. Individual bees were identified by 3D-image analysis, and their strength of abdominal flipping was assessed by pixel-based luminance changes in sequential frames. For each agent, the directedness of wave propagation was based on wave direction, trigger direction, and the direction of the majority of shimmering-active neighbours. The data supported the bucket bridging hypothesis, but only for a small proportion of agents: linearity was confirmed for 2.5%, continuity for 11.3% and graduality for 0.4% of surface bees (but in 2.6% of those agents with high wave-strength levels). The complimentary part of 90% of surface bees did not conform to bucket bridging. This fuzziness is discussed in terms of self-organisation and evolutionary adaptedness in Giant honeybee colonies to respond to rapidly changing threats such as predatory wasps scanning in front of the nest

The FGFR4-G388R Polymorphism Promotes Mitochondrial STAT3 Serine Phosphorylation to Facilitate Pituitary Growth Hormone Cell Tumorigenesis

Pituitary tumors are common intracranial neoplasms, yet few germline abnormalities have been implicated in their pathogenesis. Here we show that a single nucleotide germline polymorphism (SNP) substituting an arginine (R) for glycine (G) in the FGFR4 transmembrane domain can alter pituitary cell growth and hormone production. Compared with FGFR4-G388 mammosomatotroph cells that support prolactin (PRL) production, FGFR4-R388 cells express predominantly growth hormone (GH). Growth promoting effects of FGFR4-R388 as evidenced by enhanced colony formation was ascribed to Src activation and mitochondrial serine phosphorylation of STAT3 (pS-STAT3). In contrast, diminished pY-STAT3 mediated by FGFR4-R388 relieved GH inhibition leading to hormone excess. Using a knock-in mouse model, we demonstrate the ability of FGFR4-R385 to promote GH pituitary tumorigenesis. In patients with acromegaly, pituitary tumor size correlated with hormone excess in the presence of the FGFR4-R388 but not the FGFR4-G388 allele. Our findings establish a new role for the FGFR4-G388R polymorphism in pituitary oncogenesis, providing a rationale for targeting Src and STAT3 in the personalized treatment of associated disorders

SecurePLUGandWORK – Abschlussbericht

Industrie 4.0 umfasst unter anderem intelligente Anlagenkomponenten, Maschinen und Anlagen sowie IT-Systeme, die miteinander vernetzt und über die relevanten ‚Partner\u27 mit ihren Fähigkeiten informiert sind. Bei einem Neuaufbau oder Umbau von Anlagen, Maschinen und Komponenten können alle Partner auf die Veränderung entsprechend reagieren. Änderungen sind beispielsweise in der eingebetteten Software der Feldgeräte, im Programmcode der Steuerungen, aber auch in überlagerten IT-Systemen wie bspw. MES nötig