Writing, Calculating and Peer Feedback in a Mathematically-oriented Course for Process Engineers: Raising Motivation and Initiating Processes of Thinking and Learning

Writing assignments can be seen as an important component of learning processes. Especially in the fields of engineering and sciences, writing assignments have the potential to consolidate subject-specific skills and to enhance motivation for solving technical problems. This paper introduces readers to a revised course structure that aims to strengthen motivation and mathematical understanding through written peer feedback based on mathematical exercises with written elements. The assignment was developed for the course Computational Fluid Dynamics in Process Engineering, a mathematically-oriented course for Master students of theoretical mechanical engineering and process engineering. Since the learning content was perceived as complex, students seemed to lack motivation in preparing for the course with the provided exercises. This paper suggests – based on the collected data, consisting of answers to mathematical problems, feedback texts, evaluation results, teachers’ observation, and examination results – that the introduced assignment enhances students’ understanding and has a positive impact on students’ motivation to solve the mathematical exercises

Efficiency review of Austria’s social insurance and healthcare system: volume 1 – international comparisons and policy options

In 2016, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE Health) was engaged by the Austrian Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection to undertake an efficiency review of the country’s social insurance system (see Appendix A for the original Concept Note). The review was specifically targeted at health competencies within the social insurance system; for this reason, consideration of accident and pension insurance, as well as other forms of care covered by Federal and Länder governments, were only examined where directly applicable

soil2data: Konzept für ein mobiles Feldlabor zur Nährstoffanalytik

Für eine Optimierung des Düngemitteleinsatzes in der Pflanzenproduktion sind Kenntnisse über den kleinräumigen Nährstoffstatus einer Ackerfläche eine wesentliche Voraussetzung für eine Entscheidungsgrundlage bei der Düngung. Ein mobiles Feldlabor eröffnet die Möglichkeit eine parallele Bodenbeprobung und Bodennährstoffanalyse direkt auf dem Feld durchzuführen. Neben den Vorteilen einer schnellen Datenverfügbarkeit und dem entfallenden Bodenmaterialtransport zum Labor, bildet es eine zukünftige Grundlage für neue Anwendungsoptionen, z.B. eine hohe Beprobungsdichte oder eine dynamische Anpassung der Bodenbeprobung bzw. Beprobungslinie während der Arbeit auf dem Feld. Eine innovative Schlüsselkomponente ist dabei das NUTRI-STAT ISFET-Sensormodul. Dieses ist speziell für die Bodennährstoff-Analytik entwickelt und für das Projekt soil2data für die Phosphor-Messung weiterentwickelt worden

We need to talk about manels: the problem of implicit gender bias in sport and exercise medicine.

In 2015, a website (www.allmalepanels.tumblr. com/) began documenting instances of all-male panels (colloquially known as a ‘manel’). This, along with the Twitter hashtag #manel, has helped drive recognition of the persistent and pervasive gender bias in the composition of experts assembled to present at conferences and other events. Recent social media discussions have similarly highlighted the prevalence of all-male panels in Sport and Exercise Medicine (SEM). While, to our knowledge, all-male panel trends in SEM have not yet formally been documented or published, one need look no further than SEM conference committees, keynote speaker lists, panels and other events to see that it exists in practice. Why, in 2018, is SEM and its related disciplines still failing to identify and acknowledge the role that implicit bias plays in the very structure of our own research, practice and education? SEM is, after all, a profession that contains experts, and serves populations, of all genders. This editorial will introduce the definition, implications and manifestations of implicit gender bias and then explore how the SEM community can begin to address this issue, advance the discussion and develop a more equitable global community

Cohort profile: Worldwide Collaboration on OsteoArthritis prediCtion for the Hip (World COACH) – an international consortium of prospective cohort studies with individual participant data on hip osteoarthritis

Purpose: Hip osteoarthritis (OA) is a major cause of pain and disability worldwide. Lack of effective therapies may reflect poor knowledge on its aetiology and risk factors, and result in the management of end-stage hip OA with costly joint replacement. The Worldwide Collaboration on OsteoArthritis prediCtion for the Hip (World COACH) consortium was established to pool and harmonise individual participant data from prospective cohort studies. The consortium aims to better understand determinants and risk factors for the development and progression of hip OA, to optimise and automate methods for (imaging) analysis, and to develop a personalised prediction model for hip OA. Participants: World COACH aimed to include participants of prospective cohort studies with ≥200 participants, that have hip imaging data available from at least 2 time points at least 4 years apart. All individual participant data, including clinical data, imaging (data), biochemical markers, questionnaires and genetic data, were collected and pooled into a single, individual-level database. Findings to date: World COACH currently consists of 9 cohorts, with 38 021 participants aged 18–80 years at baseline. Overall, 71% of the participants were women and mean baseline age was 65.3±8.6 years. Over 34 000 participants had baseline pelvic radiographs available, and over 22 000 had an additional pelvic radiograph after 8–12 years of follow-up. Even longer radiographic follow-up (15–25 years) is available for over 6000 of these participants. Future plans: The World COACH consortium offers unique opportunities for studies on the relationship between determinants/risk factors and the development or progression of hip OA, by using harmonised data on clinical findings, imaging, biomarkers, genetics and lifestyle. This provides a unique opportunity to develop a personalised hip OA risk prediction model and to optimise methods for imaging analysis of the hip

Unemployment: The Silent Epidemic

This paper examines two key aspects of unemployment-its propagation mechanism and socioeconomic costs. It identifies a key feature of this macroeconomic phenomenon: it behaves like a disease. A detailed assessment of the transmission mechanism and the existing pecuniary and nonpecuniary costs of unemployment suggests a fundamental shift in the policy responses to tackling joblessness. To stem the contagion effect and its outsized social and economic impact, fiscal policy can be designed around two criteria for successful disease intervention-preparedness and prevention. The paper examines how a job guarantee proposal uniquely meets those two requirements. It is a policy response whose merits include much more than its macroeconomic stabilization features, as discussed in the literature. It is, in a sense, a method of inoculation against the vile effects of unemployment. The paper discusses several preventative features of the program

soil2data: Concept for a mobile field laboratory for nutrient analysis

Knowledge of the small-scale nutrient status of arable land is an important basis for optimizing fertilizer use in crop production. A mobile field laboratory opens up the possibility of carrying out soil sampling and nutrient analysis directly on the field. In addition to the benefits of fast data availability and the avoidance of soil material transport to the laboratory, it provides a future foundation for advanced application options, e.g. a high sampling density, sampling of small sub-fields or dynamic adaptation of the sampling line during field sampling. An innovative key component is the NUTRI-STAT ISFET sensor module. It measures values for the ions "NO3- ”, “H2PO4- " and "K+ " as well as the pH. The ISFET sensor module was specially developed for soil nutrient analysis. The phosphorus measurement was further developed for the project "soil2data". First results from the ISFET sensor module show a measurement signal settling time of significantly less than 100 seconds and a further consistent stable measurement signal. The measurement signal dynamics of approx. 58 mV per factor 10 of concentration change is given for the measured variables pH and K+. For the measured quantities of NO3- and H2PO4- , the measurement signal dynamics are lower

Prototypes4soil2data: Modular designed mobile field laboratory for standardized soil nutrient analysis directly on the field

Currently, soil nutrient analysis involves two separate processes for soil sampling and nutrient analysis: 1. field soil sampling and 2. laboratory analysis. These two - separate - main work processes are combined and conceptualised for a mobile field laboratory so that soil sampling and analysis can be carried out simultaneously in the field. The module-based field laboratory "soil2data" can carry out these two main work processes in parallel and consists of 5 different task-specific modules that build on each other: app2field, field2soil, app2liquid, liquid2data and data2app. The individual modules were designed and built for the sub-process steps and adapted to the special features of the mobile field laboratory "soil2data". The biggest advantage is that the analysis results are available immediately, and a fertiliser recommendation can be generated instantly. For further analyses, the results are stored in the data cloud. The soil material remains in the field. In the ongoing project "Prototypes4soil2data", the mobile field laboratory soil2data is being further developed into a prototype with a modular structure

Datenfluss bei der Applikation der Bodenbeprobung mit dem mobilen Feldlabor „soil2data“

Die Digitalisierung des Bodenbeprobungsverfahrens mit einer automatisierten Generierung einer Düngeempfehlung auf Grundlage der analysierten Bodennährstoffgehalte – direkt nach Beendigung der Bodenbeprobung auf dem Acker – ist ein übergeordnetes Ziel bei der Nutzung des mobilen Feldlabors „soil2data“. Neben den Bodennährstoffanalyse-Ergebnissen sind für die Umsetzung einer automatisierten generierten Düngeempfehlung weitere Informationen notwendig. Die Quellen dieser Informationen haben einen unterschiedlichen Ursprung. Es sind Daten aus verschiedenen Quellen vom Bewirtschafter, von Dienstleistern und vom mobilen Feldlabor, welche miteinander verknüpft und synchronisiert werden müssen. Für einen automatisierten Prozessablauf zur Generierung einer Düngeempfehlung ist die Datenorganisation eine essenzielle Voraussetzung. Die Grundlage der Empfehlung sind die Tabellenwerke der offiziellen Düngeempfehlung, die bei den für die Düngung zuständigen Behörden der Bundesländer vorliegen. In dieser Publikation werden die notwendigen Daten und der Prozessdatenfluss für die Bodenbeprobung und Düngeempfehlung-Generierung beschrieben und grafisch dargestellt