Mental health changes and the willingness to take risks

Utilizing the longitudinal SOEP data representative of the German population, we find that mental health shocks significantly decrease the willingness to take risks. We also find that mental health improvements increase the willingness to take risks significantly. Our findings are relevant for better understanding the economic decision making of the large number of individuals with mental health issues

Schneiden Sie noch oder cutten Sie schon?: FabLab Dresden zu Gast in der Haupt- und Musikbibliothek

Auf einer Fläche von 50 m2 konnten Besucher der Städtischen Bibliotheken Dresden High-Tech-Geräte, wie 3D-Drucker, Lasercutter sowie Ausrüstungen und Werkzeuge, zum kreativen Gestalten kennenlernen und nutzen. Von Ende November bis zum 20. Dezember 2014 gastierte in der Haupt- und Musikbibliothek ein Fabrikationslabor, kurz: FabLab. Fabrikationslabore sind offene Werkstätten für alle, die etwas Bauen und die dazu notwendigen Geräte und Räumlichkeiten mit anderen Menschen teilen möchten

Bedeutung von Mykoplasmenspezies bei Katzen mit chronischer Bronchitis/felinem Asthma

Etiology of feline bronchial disease remains unknown so far. However, in human medicine, Mycoplasma spp. infections have been made responsible for the exacerbation of asthmatic lung disease for a long time. Aim of this study was to investigate the relevance of Mycoplasma spp. infections for the development of chronic bronchitis/feline asthma. For this purpose, lavage samples of lungs and nose and nasal swabs where taken from cats with chronic bronchitis/feline asthma and from cats without respiratory disease serving as a control group. Seventeen cats with clinical signs and 14 cats without respiratory disease were included in the study. The samples of both groups were cultured with a special Mycoplasma enhancement media. DNA was isolated, followed by a PCR to detect possible Mycoplasma infections and sequencing of positive samples. In this study, a significantly higher number of Mycoplasma-spp. -positive samples in the BALF were detected by PCR than by bacterial culture. In the BALF of the patients with clinical signs, 35.3 % Mycoplasma-positive results were obtained by PCR, while in the control group, 50.0 % of samples were positive for Mycoplasma species. There was no significant difference when results of both groups were compared. Nasal flush samples of the patient group were negative for Mycoplasma organisms in PCR as well as in culture. In contrast to that, five positive samples were found within the control group. There was a significant difference regarding the Mycoplasma status of nasal samples between groups. Sequencing of all Mycoplasma-positive samples revealed Mycoplasma felis. In this study, both cats with feline asthma/chronic bronchitis and healthy cats were tested positive for Mycoplasma spp. Mycoplasma organisms, therefore, seem to represent normal commensales of the respiratory tract in cats. Based upon these results they do not seem to be relevant for the development of feline asthma

The Industrial Placement Module in secondary school teacher training Gaining skills in occupational orientation

Die Arbeit fokussiert den Aufbau von Lehrendenkompetenzen zur Gestaltung von Berufsorientierung in der Schule. Im Theorieteil wird zunächst aus erziehungswissenschaftlicher Perspektive der Bezugsrahmen für die hohe Relevanz von Berufsorientierung in der Sekundarstufe I unter Berücksichtigung gegenwärtiger und historischer Aspekte analysiert und daraus resultierende erforderliche Lehrerkompetenzen expliziert. Kernstück des anschließenden empirischen Teils bildet eine Evaluationsstudie zur Akzeptanz und nachhaltigen Bedeutsamkeit des Betriebspraktikums im Studiengang Realschule an der Pädagogischen Hochschule Karlsruhe vor dem Hintergrund einer Neukonzeptionisierung dieses Studienelements. Die auf Studierendenbefragungen, der Analyse von Portfolios sowie Fallstudien basierenden Evaluationsergebnisse offenbaren die mangelnde Akzeptanz des Betriebspraktikums Studienelements und verweisen ferner auf strukturelle Probleme bei der Qualitätsentwicklung dieses Studienelements für Studierende aller Fachrichtungen. Im dritten Teil der Arbeit werden Konsequenzen und hochschuldidaktische Empfehlungen für die künftige Gestaltung des Studienelementes Betriebspraktikum sowie Ansatzpunkte für weitergehende Forschung aufgezeigt.This work focuses on the development of teachers’ competence in the development of career guidance in schools. In the theoretical part the reference framework is analysed first from an educational perspective, for its relevance in occupational orientation in secondary school, taking into account current and historical aspects. From this, the necessary teacher competencies are identified. The principal item of the next empirical part forms a study of the acceptance and lasting importance of the industrial placement module of the teacher training course offered at the Karlsruhe University of Education in the context of a newly designed study module. Based on questionnaires completed by students, the analysis of portfolios as well as case study based evaluation, the results reveal a lack of acceptance of the industrial placement module and refer to structural problems for the qualitative development of this study element with students of all disciplines. In the third part of the study consequences and recommendations are indicated for the future design of the industrial placement module as well as starting points for further research

Family changes and the willingness to take risks

Economic decisions frequently entail choices in the presence of risk. Decisions to purchase insurance, to save, to invest, and to pursue an education are all choices that may involve some degree of risk, just to name a few. We analyze the impact of changes in family structure on individuals' willingness to take risk (WTR). We find evidence that separating from a partner is associated with an increase in the WTR; while the birth of a first child is associated with a decrease in the WTR. Interestingly, these changes are temporary and the WTR returns to the level observed before the family event within 1–2 years following the event. Married individuals are more risk averse and this does not change with the passage of time of the actual wedding. Providing long term care is also associated with a higher WTR

Self-rated health of university students in Germany–The importance of material, psychosocial, and behavioral factors and the parental socio-economic status

Introduction: Health inequalities start early in life. The time of young adulthood, between late teens and early twenties, is especially interesting in this regard. This time of emerging adulthood, the transition from being a child to becoming an adult, is characterized by the detachment from parents and establishing of an own independent life. From a health inequality perspective, the question about the importance of the socio-economic background of parents is important. University students are an especially interesting group. Many students come from a privileged background and the question of health inequality among university students has not yet been properly studied. Methods: Based on the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), we analyzed health inequalities among 9,000 students in Germany (∅ 20 years in the first year of their studies) over a period of 8 years. Results: We found that most university students (92%) in Germany reported a good and very good health. Yet, we still found substantial health inequalities. Students whose parents had a higher occupational status reported less health problems. Additionally, we observed that health inequalities had indirect impact on health via health behavior, psychosocial resources, and material conditions. Discussion: We believe our study is an important contribution to the understudied subject of students' health. We see the impact of social inequality on health among such a privileged group like university students as an important sign of the importance of health inequality.Peer Reviewe

The Lymnaea Cardioexcitatory Peptide (LyCEP) Receptor: A G-Protein–Coupled Receptor for a Novel Member of the RFamide Neuropeptide Family

A novel G-protein–coupled receptor (GRL106) resembling neuropeptide Y and tachykinin receptors was cloned from the molluscLymnaea stagnalis. Application of a peptide extract from the Lymnaea brain to Xenopus oocytes expressing GRL106 activated a calcium-dependent chloride channel. Using this response as a bioassay, we purified the ligand for GRL106,Lymnaea cardioexcitatory peptide (LyCEP), an RFamide-type decapeptide (TPHWRPQGRF-NH2) displaying significant similarity to the Achatina cardioexcitatory peptide (ACEP-1) as well as to the recently identified family of mammalian prolactin-releasing peptides. In the Lymnaeabrain, the cells that produce egg-laying hormone are the predominant site of GRL106 gene expression and appear to be innervated by LyCEP-containing fibers. Indeed, LyCEP application transiently hyperpolarizes isolated egg-laying hormone cells. In theLymnaea pericardium, LyCEP-containing fibers end blindly at the pericardial lumen, and the heart is stimulated by LyCEPin vitro. These data confirm that LyCEP is an RFamide ligand for GRL10

Multi-Parameter Analysis of Biobanked Human Bone Marrow Stromal Cells Shows Little Influence for Donor Age and Mild Comorbidities on Phenotypic and Functional Properties

Heterogeneous populations of human bone marrow-derived stromal cells (BMSC) are among the most frequently tested cellular therapeutics for treating degenerative and immune disorders, which occur predominantly in the aging population. Currently, it is unclear whether advanced donor age and commonly associated comorbidities affect the properties of ex vivo-expanded BMSCs. Thus, we stratified cells from adult and elderly donors from our biobank (n = 10 and n = 13, mean age 38 and 72 years, respectively) and compared their phenotypic and functional performance, using multiple assays typically employed as minimal criteria for defining multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). We found that BMSCs from both cohorts meet the standard criteria for MSC, exhibiting similar morphology, growth kinetics, gene expression profiles, and pro-angiogenic and immunosuppressive potential and the capacity to differentiate toward adipogenic, chondrogenic, and osteogenic lineages. We found no substantial differences between cells from the adult and elderly cohorts. As positive controls, we studied the impact of in vitro aging and inflammatory cytokine stimulation. Both conditions clearly affected the cellular properties, independent of donor age. We conclude that in vitro aging rather than in vivo donor aging influences BMSC characteristics

Health Inequalities in Children and Adolescents: A Scoping Review of the Mediating and Moderating Effects of Family Characteristics

This scoping review systematically mapped evidence of the mediating and moderating effects of family characteristics on health inequalities in school-aged children and adolescents (6–18 years) in countries with developed economies in Europe and North America. We conducted a systematic scoping review following the PRISMA extension for Scoping Reviews recommendations. We searched the PubMed, PsycINFO and Scopus databases. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts and full texts. Evidence was synthesized narratively. Of the 12,403 records initially identified, 50 articles were included in the synthesis. The included studies were conducted in the United States (n = 27), Europe (n = 18), Canada (n = 3), or in multiple countries combined (n = 2). We found that mental health was the most frequently assessed health outcome. The included studies reported that different family characteristics mediated or moderated health inequalities. Parental mental health, parenting practices, and parent-child-relationships were most frequently examined, and were found to be important mediating or moderating factors. In addition, family conflict and distress were relevant family characteristics. Future research should integrate additional health outcomes besides mental health, and attempt to integrate the complexity of families. The family characteristics identified in this review represent potential starting points for reducing health inequalities in childhood and adolescence.Peer Reviewe