Favoriser l'autonomie et la créativité à travers une démarche par projets intégrant le numérique

The courses of German as a language for specialists of other disciplines at Stendhal university in Grenoble (France) is more and more based on a project-based approach. Through the (short) presentation of four projects - two of them are transversal and common to several courses - this paper tackles the question of the support of students' autonomy and, in contrast, the necessary input in terms of autonomy and creativity the students have to supply within these projects.L'enseignement de l'allemand au sein du service des langues pour spécialistes d'autres disciplines (Lansad) de l'université Stendhal Grenoble 3 (prochainement Grenoble-Alpes) s'inscrit, pour une partie de plus en plus large, dans un certain type de perspective actionnelle : la démarche par projets. A la lumière de la (brève) présentation de quatre projets, dont certains sont transversaux et communs à plusieurs cours, cet article est l'occasion de s'interroger sur le soutien à l'autonomie - ou à l'autonomisation - des étudiants et, de manière contrastive, le nécessaire apport par l'étudiant en termes d'autonomie et de créativité dans le cadre de ces projets

Favoriser l'autonomie et la créativité à travers une démarche par projets intégrant le numérique

The courses of German as a language for specialists of other disciplines at Stendhal university in Grenoble (France) is more and more based on a project-based approach. Through the (short) presentation of four projects - two of them are transversal and common to several courses - this paper tackles the question of the support of students' autonomy and, in contrast, the necessary input in terms of autonomy and creativity the students have to supply within these projects.L'enseignement de l'allemand au sein du service des langues pour spécialistes d'autres disciplines (Lansad) de l'université Stendhal Grenoble 3 (prochainement Grenoble-Alpes) s'inscrit, pour une partie de plus en plus large, dans un certain type de perspective actionnelle : la démarche par projets. A la lumière de la (brève) présentation de quatre projets, dont certains sont transversaux et communs à plusieurs cours, cet article est l'occasion de s'interroger sur le soutien à l'autonomie - ou à l'autonomisation - des étudiants et, de manière contrastive, le nécessaire apport par l'étudiant en termes d'autonomie et de créativité dans le cadre de ces projets

Colloidal bimetallic platinum–ruthenium nanoparticles in ordered mesoporous carbon films as highly active electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction

Hydrogen features a very high specific energy density and is therefore a promising candidate for clean fuel from renewable resources. Water electrolysis can convert electrical energy into storable and transportable hydrogen gas. Under acidic conditions, platinum is the most active and stable monometallic catalyst for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Yet, platinum is rare and needs to be used efficiently. Here, we report a synthesis concept for colloidal bimetallic platinum–ruthenium and rhodium–ruthenium nanoparticles (PtRuNP, RhRuNP) and their incorporation into ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) films. The films exhibit high surface area, good electrical conductivity and well-dispersed nanoparticles inside the mesopores. The nanoparticles retain their size, crystallinity and composition during carbonization. In the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), PtRuNP/OMC catalyst films show up to five times higher activity per Pt than Pt/C/Nafion® and PtRu/C/Nafion® reference catalysts.TU Berlin, Open-Access-Mittel - 2020European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP), 16ENG0, Hybrid metrology for thin films in energy applications (HyMET)BMBF, 03VP05390, Nanostrukturierte Elektroden der nächsten Generation für eine energieeffiziente Produktion von Chlor - Next-Gen-ChlorBMBF, 03EK3009, Design hocheffizienter Elektrolysekatalysatore

A decrease in rockfall probability under climate change conditions in Germany

The effect of climate change on rockfalls in the German low mountain regions is investigated following two different approaches. The first approach uses a logistic regression model that describes the combined effect of precipitation, freeze–thaw cycles, and fissure water on rockfall probability. The climate change signal for the past 6 decades is analysed by applying the model to meteorological observations. The possible effect of climate change until the end of the century is explored by applying the statistical model to the output of a multi-model ensemble of 23 regional climate scenario simulations. It is found that the number of days per year exhibiting an above-average probability for rockfalls has mostly been decreasing during the last few decades. Statistical significance is, however, present at only a few sites. A robust and statistically significant decrease can be seen in the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) climate scenario 8.5 (RCP8.5) simulations for Germany and neighbouring regions, locally falling below −10 % when comparing the last 30 years of the 20th century to the last 30 years of the 21st century. The most important factor determining the projected decrease in rockfall probability is a reduction in the number of freeze–thaw cycles expected under future climate conditions. For the second approach four large-scale meteorological patterns that are associated with enhanced rockfall probability are identified from reanalysis data. The frequency of all four patterns exhibits a seasonal cycle that maximises in the cold half of the year (winter and spring). Trends in the number of days that can be assigned to these patterns are determined both in meteorological reanalysis data and in climate simulations. In the reanalysis no statistically significant trend is found. For the future scenario simulations all climate models show a statistically significant decrease in the number of rockfall-promoting weather situations

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in obsessive-compulsive disorder – A qualitative study on patients’ experiences

BACKGROUND: Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with exposure and response prevention (ERP) is the first-line treatment for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, not all of them achieve remission on a longterm basis. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) represents a new 8-week group therapy program whose effectiveness has been demonstrated in various mental disorders, but has not yet been applied to patients with OCD. The present pilot study aimed to qualitatively assess the subjective experiences of patients with OCD who participated in MBCT. METHOD: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 patients suffering from OCD directly after 8 sessions of a weekly MBCT group program. Data were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Participants valued the treatment as helpful in dealing with their OCD and OCD-related problems. Two thirds of the patients reported a decline in OCD symptoms. Benefits included an increased ability to let unpleasant emotions surface and to live more consciously in the present. However, participants also discussed several problems. CONCLUSION: The data provide preliminary evidence that patients with OCD find aspects of the current MBCT protocol acceptable and beneficial. The authors suggest to further explore MBCT as a complementary treatment strategy for OCD

a consensus view among methods with different system identification and tracking criteria

The Mediterranean storm track constitutes a well-defined branch of the North Hemisphere storm track and is characterised by small but intense features and frequent cyclogenesis. The goal of this study is to assess the level of consensus among cyclone detection and tracking methods (CDTMs), to identify robust features and to explore sources of disagreement. A set of 14 CDTMs has been applied for computing the climatology of cyclones crossing the Mediterranean region using the ERA-Interim dataset for the period 1979–2008 as common testbed. Results show large differences in actual cyclone numbers identified by different methods, but a good level of consensus on the interpretation of results regarding location, annual cycle and trends of cyclone tracks. Cyclogenesis areas such as the north-western Mediterranean, North Africa, north shore of the Levantine basin, as well as the seasonality of their maxima are robust features on which methods show a substantial agreement. Differences among methods are greatly reduced if cyclone numbers are transformed to a dimensionless index, which, in spite of disagreement on mean values and interannual variances of cyclone numbers, reveals a consensus on variability, sign and significance of trends. Further, excluding ‘weak’ and ‘slow’ cyclones from the computation of cyclone statistics improves the agreement among CDTMs. Results show significant negative trends of cyclone frequency in spring and positive trends in summer, whose contrasting effects compensate each other at annual scale, so that there is no significant long- term trend in total cyclone numbers in the Mediterranean basin in the 1979–2008 period

No Talking, Just Writing! Efficacy of an Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy with Exposure and Response Prevention in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Background: Many patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) do not receive first-line treatment according to the current guidelines (cognitive behavioral therapy with exposure and response prevention, CBT with ERP) due to barriers to treatment. Internet-based therapy is designed to overcome these barriers. The present study evaluates the efficacy of an Internet-based writing therapy with therapeutic interaction based on the concept of CBT with ERP for patients with OCD. Methods: Thirty-four volunteers with OCD according to DSM-IV-criteria were included in the trial and randomized according to a waiting-list control design with follow-up measures at 8 weeks and 6 months. The intervention consisted of 14 sessions, either starting directly after randomization or with an 8-week delay. Main outcome measure was the change in the severity of OCD symptoms (Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale Self- Rating, Y-BOCS SR, and Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised, OCI-R). Results: Obsessive-compulsive symptoms were significantly improved in the treatment group compared to the waiting-list control group with large effect sizes of Cohen's d = 0.82 (Y-BOCS SR) and d = 0.87 (OCI-R), using an intention-to-treat analysis. This effect remained stable at 6-month follow-up. Only 4 participants (12%) dropped out prematurely from the study. Of the 30 completers, 90% rated their condition as improved and would recommend the program to their friends. Conclusions: Internet-based writing therapy led to a significant improvement of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Even though replications with larger sample sizes are needed, the results support the notion that Internet-based approaches have the potential for improving the treatment situation for patients with OCD

Objective climatology of cyclones in the Mediterranean region: a consensus view among methods with different system identification and tracking criteria

The Mediterranean storm track constitutes a well-defined branch of the North Hemisphere storm track and is characterised by small but intense features and frequent cyclogenesis. The goal of this study is to assess the level of consensus among cyclone detection and tracking methods (CDTMs), to identify robust features and to explore sources of disagreement. A set of 14 CDTMs has been applied for computing the climatology of cyclones crossing the Mediterranean region using the ERA-Interim dataset for the period 1979–2008 as common testbed. Results show large differences in actual cyclone numbers identified by different methods, but a good level of consensus on the interpretation of results regarding location, annual cycle and trends of cyclone tracks. Cyclogenesis areas such as the north-western Mediterranean, North Africa, north shore of the Levantine basin, as well as the seasonality of their maxima are robust features on which methods show a substantial agreement. Differences among methods are greatly reduced if cyclone numbers are transformed to a dimensionless index, which, in spite of disagreement on mean values and interannual variances of cyclone numbers, reveals a consensus on variability, sign and significance of trends. Further, excluding ‘weak’ and ‘slow’ cyclones from the computation of cyclone statistics improves the agreement among CDTMs. Results show significant negative trends of cyclone frequency in spring and positive trends in summer, whose contrasting effects compensate each other at annual scale, so that there is no significant long-term trend in total cyclone numbers in the Mediterranean basin in the 1979–2008 period