Dual-use research and the H5N1 bird flu: Is restricting publication the solution to biosecurity issues?

Recent studies altering the host range of the H5N1 bird flu virus have refueled intense debates over the potential misuse of academic life science research. To curtail the bioterrorism threat, it has been suggested that dissemination of the research results and methodology should be restricted. However, doubts have been raised over the suitability and effectiveness of this measure. Using the H5N1 studies as an example, this paper summarizes the main arguments of the debate. Particular attention is paid to the issue of the tacit knowledge required to replicate published life science research results, which has so far received limited attention. Taking into account the importance of tacit knowledge for life science research, it is argued that preventing publication of the methodology does not decrease the threat of bioterroris

Practical tools for a pluralistic approach: knowledge of and attitudes towards multilingualism in the classroom

This contribution focuses on didactic resources developed with the aim to provide appropriate tools for dealing with the ‘new multilingualism’ in the schools of South Tyrol. These tools consist of a travelling exhibition and eight workshops developed and created within the project One School, Many Languages (SMS). Each workshop includes a number of activities and brings into focus a specific aspect of multilingualism (etymology, intercomprehension, etc.). This paper presents the perspective of students aged 11 to 14 (middle school) on the activities, thus offering an alternative insight into the implementation and practice of plurilingualism and intercultural awareness in education.Dieser Beitrag konzentriert sich auf die didaktischen Ressourcen, die mit dem Ziel entwickelt wurden, geeignete Instrumente für den Umgang mit der ‚neuen Mehrsprachigkeit‘ in den Südtiroler Schulen bereitzustellen. Diese Tools bestehen aus einer Wanderausstellung und acht Workshops, die im Rahmen des Projekts One School, Many Languages (SMS) entwickelt und erstellt wurden. Jeder Workshop umfasst eine Reihe von Aktivitäten und fokussiert einen spezifischen Aspekt der Mehrsprachigkeit (Etymologie, Interkomprehension, etc.). Dieser Beitrag stellt die Perspektive der 11- bis 14-Jährigen (Mittelschule) auf die Aktivitäten dar und bietet so einen alternativen Einblick in die Umsetzung und Praxis der Mehrsprachigkeit und des interkulturellen Bewusstseins in der Bildung

Practical tools for a pluralistic approach: knowledge of and attitudes towards multilingualism in the classroom

This contribution focuses on didactic resources developed with the aim to provide appropriate tools for dealing with the ‘new multilingualism’ in the schools of South Tyrol. These tools consist of a travelling exhibition and eight workshops developed and created within the project One School, Many Languages (SMS). Each workshop includes a number of activities and brings into focus a specific aspect of multilingualism (etymology, intercomprehension, etc.). This paper presents the perspective of students aged 11 to 14 (middle school) on the activities, thus offering an alternative insight into the implementation and practice of plurilingualism and intercultural awareness in education

Will an unsupervised self-testing strategy for HIV work in health care workers of South Africa? A cross sectional pilot feasibility study

BACKGROUND: In South Africa, stigma, discrimination, social visibility and fear of loss of confidentiality impede health facility-based HIV testing. With 50% of adults having ever tested for HIV in their lifetime, private, alternative testing options are urgently needed. Non-invasive, oral self-tests offer a potential for a confidential, unsupervised HIV self-testing option, but global data are limited. METHODS: A pilot cross-sectional study was conducted from January to June 2012 in health care workers based at the University of Cape Town, South Africa. An innovative, unsupervised, self-testing strategy was evaluated for feasibility; defined as completion of self-testing process (i.e., self test conduct, interpretation and linkage). An oral point-of-care HIV test, an Internet and paper-based self-test HIV applications, and mobile phones were synergized to create an unsupervised strategy. Self-tests were additionally confirmed with rapid tests on site and laboratory tests. Of 270 health care workers (18 years and above, of unknown HIV status approached), 251 consented for participation. FINDINGS: Overall, about 91% participants rated a positive experience with the strategy. Of 251 participants, 126 evaluated the Internet and 125 the paper-based application successfully; completion rate of 99.2%. All sero-positives were linked to treatment (completion rate:100% (95% CI, 66.0-100). About half of sero-negatives were offered counselling on mobile phones; completion rate: 44.6% (95% CI, 38.0-51.0). A majority of participants (78.1%) were females, aged 18-24 years (61.4%). Nine participants were found sero-positive after confirmatory tests (prevalence 3.6% 95% CI, 1.8-6.9). Six of nine positive self-tests were accurately interpreted; sensitivity: 66.7% (95% CI, 30.9-91.0); specificity:100% (95% CI, 98.1-100). Interpretation Our unsupervised self-testing strategy was feasible to operationalize in health care workers in South Africa. Linkages were successfully operationalized with mobile phones in all sero-positives and about half of the sero-negatives sought post-test counselling. Controlled trials and implementation research studies are needed before a scale-up is considered

How symptoms of simple acute infections affect the SSS-8 and SSD-12 as screening instruments for somatic symptom disorder in the primary care setting

ObjectiveSomatic symptom disorder (SSD) is one of the most common reasons for consultations in primary care, in addition to simple acute infections. Questionnaire-based screening instruments to identify patients at high risk of SSD are thus of great clinical relevance. Although screening instruments are frequently used, it is currently unclear to what extent they are influenced by the concurrent presence of simple acute infections. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate how symptoms of simple acute infections affect the two established questionnaires as screening instruments for somatic symptom disorder in the primary care setting.MethodsIn our cross-sectional, multicenter design, a total of 1,000 patients in primary care practices were screened using the two most established SSD screening questionnaires, the 8-item Somatic Symptom Scale (SSS-8) and the 12-item Somatic Symptom Disorder—B Criteria Scale (SSD-12), followed by clinical assessment by the primary care physician.ResultsA total of 140 patients with a simple acute infection (acute infection group, AIG) and 219 patients with chronic somatic symptoms (somatic symptom group, SSG) were included. The patients in the SSG showed higher total SSS-8 and SSD-12 scores than the patients in the AIG; however, the SSS-8 was more susceptible to changes triggered by symptoms of a simple acute infection than the SSD-12.ConclusionThese results suggest that the SSD-12 is less susceptible to symptoms of a simple acute infection. Its total score and corresponding cutoff value provide a more specific and thus less susceptible screening tool for identifying SSD in primary care

Distinct Functional Connectivity Signatures of Impaired Social Cognition in Multiple Sclerosis

Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is characterized by impairments in basic cognitive functions such as information processing speed as well as in more complex, higher-order domains such as social cognition. However, as these deficits often co-occur, it has remained challenging to determine whether they have a specific pathological basis or are driven by shared biology. Methods: To identify neural signatures of social cognition deficits in MS, data were analyzed from n = 29 patients with relapsing-remitting MS and n = 29 healthy controls matched for age, sex, and education. We used neuropsychological assessments of information processing speed, attention, learning, working memory, and relevant aspects of social cognition (theory of mind, emotion recognition (ER), empathy) and employed neuroimaging of CNS networks using resting-state functional connectivity. Results: MS patients showed significant deficits in verbal learning and memory, as well as implicit ER. Performance in these domains was uncorrelated. Functional connectivity analysis identified a distinct network characterized by significant associations between poorer ER and lower connectivity of the fusiform gyrus (FFG) with the right lateral occipital cortex, which also showed lower connectivity in patients compared to controls. Moreover, while ER was correlated with MS symptoms such as fatigue and motor/sensory functioning on a behavioral level, FFG connectivity signatures of social cognition deficits showed no overlap with these symptoms. Conclusions: Our analyses identify distinct functional connectivity signatures of social cognition deficits in MS, indicating that these alterations may occur independently from those in other neuropsychological functions

The patterning toolbox FIB-o-mat: Exploiting the full potential of focused helium ions for nanofabrication

Focused beams of helium ions are a powerful tool for high-fidelity machining with spatial precision below 5 nm. Achieving such a high patterning precision over large areas and for different materials in a reproducible manner, however, is not trivial. Here, we introduce the Python toolbox FIB-o-mat for automated pattern creation and optimization, providing full flexibility to accomplish demanding patterning tasks. FIB-o-mat offers high-level pattern creation, enabling high-fidelity large-area patterning and systematic variations in geometry and raster settings. It also offers low-level beam path creation, providing full control over the beam movement and including sophisticated optimization tools. Three applications showcasing the potential of He ion beam nanofabrication for two-dimensional material systems and devices using FIB-o-mat are presented

Geometric representations for minimalist grammars

We reformulate minimalist grammars as partial functions on term algebras for strings and trees. Using filler/role bindings and tensor product representations, we construct homomorphisms for these data structures into geometric vector spaces. We prove that the structure-building functions as well as simple processors for minimalist languages can be realized by piecewise linear operators in representation space. We also propose harmony, i.e. the distance of an intermediate processing step from the final well-formed state in representation space, as a measure of processing complexity. Finally, we illustrate our findings by means of two particular arithmetic and fractal representations.Comment: 43 pages, 4 figure