Collaborative Knowledge Acquisition and Explorationin Technology Search

This article is about technology search as an example of a knowledge acquisition task in industry. Technology search is about finding technology related information in structured as well as unstructured sources. This information is needed to support optimal decision making in business processes. There are new opptortunities for technology search and challenges that need to be addressed. This article outlines some of these challenges and presents two concepts to address them in a search system

PISA-Studie: Hat das deutsche Bildungssystem versagt?

Die Ergebnisse der PISA-Studie 2000 stellten für Deutschland eine große Enttäuschung dar: Auf allen getesteten Gebieten der PISA-Studie lagen die Leistungen der deutschen Schüler, die daran teilnahmen, weit unter dem Durchschnitt der Gesamtergebnisse. Für Monika Hohlmeier, bayerische Staatsministerin für Unterricht und Kultus, liegen die Ursachen »nicht nur in der Schule. Sie sind auch Ergebnis einer gesamtgesellschaftlichen Entwicklung«. Prof. Dr. Manfred Prenzel, Universität Kiel, sieht die Ursachen darin, dass im Vergleich zu »anderen Ländern ... Deutschland in der Unterrichtsentwicklung stehen geblieben (ist). ... Wenn man von einem Versagen des deutschen Bildungssystems sprechen wollte, dann besteht es darin, selbstgefällig Entwicklungen verschlafen zu haben. « Für Prof. Dr. Andreas Schleicher, OECD, besteht ein Hauptmangel des deutschen Bildungssystems in einer zu geringen Integration der Bildungswege und einer zu schwachen Durchlässigkeit des Bildungssystems. Vieles spricht nach Meinung von Prof. Dr. Reinar Lüdeke, Universität Passau, dafür, »dem Markt als Entdeckungsverfahren auch im Bildungsbereich einen ihm gebührenden Platz zuzuweisen«. Dr. Eva-Maria Stange, Vorsitzende der GEW, fordert »ein grundlegendes Umdenken im deutschen Bildungssystem. Fördern statt Auslesen - das sollte den Paradigmenwechsel kennzeichnen«.Bildungswesen, Bildungsniveau, Bildungsreform, Deutschland

On the Efficient Update of Rectangular LU Factorizations subject to Low Rank Modifications

In this paper we introduce a new method for the computation of KKT matrices that arise from solving constrained, nonlinear optimization problems. This method requires updating of null-space factorizations after a low rank modification. The update procedure has the advantage that it is significantly cheaper than a re-factorization of the system at each new iterate. This paper focuses on the cheap update of a rectangular LU decomposition after a rank-1 modification. Two different procedures for updating the LU factorization are presented in detail and compared regarding their costs of computation and their stability. Moreover we will introduce an extension of these algorithms which further improves the computation time. This turns out to be an excellent alternative to algorithms based on orthogonal transformations

SCCharts: The Mindstorms Report

SCCharts are a visual language proposed in 2012 for specifying safety-critical reactive systems. This is the second SCCharts report towards the usability of the SCCharts visual language and its KIELER SCCharts implementation. KIELER is an open-source project which researches the pragmatics of model-based languages and related fields. Nine case-studies that were conducted between 2015 and 2019 evaluate the pros and cons in the context of small-scale Lego Mindstorms models and similar projects. Par-ticipants of the studies included undergraduate and graduate students from our local and also external facilities, as well as academics from the synchronous community. In the surveys, both the SCCharts language and the SCCharts tools are compared to other modeling and classical programming languages and tools

Bone Regeneration: A Novel Osteoinductive Function of Spongostan by the Interplay between Its Nano- and Microtopography.

Vordemvenne T, Wähnert D, Koettnitz J, et al. Bone Regeneration: A Novel Osteoinductive Function of Spongostan by the Interplay between Its Nano- and Microtopography. Cells. 2020;9(3): 654.Scaffold materials for bone regeneration are crucial for supporting endogenous healing after accidents, infections, or tumor resection. Although beneficial impacts of microtopological or nanotopological cues in scaffold topography are commonly acknowledged, less consideration is given to the interplay between the microscale and nanoscale. Here, micropores with a 60.66 ± 24.48 m diameter ordered by closely packed collagen fibers are identified in pre-wetted Spongostan, a clinically-approved collagen sponge. On a nanoscale level, a corrugated surface of the collagen sponge is observable, leading to the presence of 32.97 ± 1.41 nm pores. This distinct micro- and nanotopography is shown to be solely sufficient for guiding osteogenic differentiation of human stem cells in vitro. Transplantation of Spongostan into a critical-size calvarial rat bone defect further leads to fast regeneration of the lesion. However, masking the micro- and nanotopographical cues using SiO2 nanoparticles prevents bone regeneration in vivo. Therefore, we demonstrate that the identified micropores allow migration of stem cells, which are further driven towards osteogenic differentiation by scaffold nanotopography. The present findings emphasize the necessity of considering both micro- and nanotopographical cues to guide intramembranous ossification, and might provide an optimal cell- and growth-factor-free scaffold for bone regeneration in clinical settings

The effects of short-term fasting on quality of life and tolerance to chemotherapy in patients with breast and ovarian cancer: a randomized cross-over pilot study

Background This pilot trial aimed to study the feasibility and effects on quality of life (QOL) and well-being of short-term fasting (STF) during chemotherapy in patients with gynecological cancer. Methods In an individually-randomized cross-over trial patients with gynecological cancer, 4 to 6 planned chemotherapy cycles were included. Thirty-four patients were randomized to STF in the first half of chemotherapies followed by normocaloric diet (group A;n = 18) or vice versa (group B;n = 16). Fasting started 36 h before and ended 24 h after chemotherapy (60 h-fasting period). QOL was assessed by the FACIT-measurement system. Results The chemotherapy-induced reduction of QOL was less than the Minimally Important Difference (MID; FACT-G = 5) with STF but greater than the MID for non-fasted periods. The mean chemotherapy-induced deterioration of total FACIT-F was 10.4 ± 5.3 for fasted and 27.0 ± 6.3 for non-fasted cycles in group A and 14.1 ± 5.6 for non-fasted and 11.0 ± 5.6 for fasted cycles in group B. There were no serious adverse effects. Conclusion STF during chemotherapy is well tolerated and appears to improve QOL and fatigue during chemotherapy. Larger studies should prove the effect of STF as an adjunct to chemotherapy. Trial registration This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01954836

TRIM27 is an autophagy substrate facilitating mitochondria clustering and mitophagy via phosphorylated TBK1

Tripartite motif-containing protein 27 (TRIM27/also called RFP) is a multifunctional ubiquitin E3 ligase involved in numerous cellular functions, such as proliferation, apoptosis, regulation of the NF-kB pathway, endosomal recycling and the innate immune response. TRIM27 interacts directly with TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) and regulates its stability. TBK1 in complex with autophagy receptors is recruited to ubiquitin chains assembled on the mitochondrial outer membrane promoting mitophagy. Here, we identify TRIM27 as an autophagy substrate, depending on ATG7, ATG9 and autophagy receptors for its lysosomal degradation. We show that TRIM27 forms ubiquitylated cytoplasmic bodies that co-localize with autophagy receptors. Surprisingly, we observed that induced expression of EGFP-TRIM27 in HEK293 FlpIn TRIM27 knockout cells mediates mitochondrial clustering. TRIM27 interacts with autophagy receptor SQSTM1/p62, and the TRIM27-mediated mitochondrial clustering is facilitated by SQSTM/p62. We show that phosphorylated TBK1 is recruited to the clustered mitochondria. Moreover, induced mitophagy activity is reduced in HEK293 FlpIn TRIM27 knockout cells, while re-introduction of EGFP-TRIM27 completely restores the mitophagy activity. Inhibition of TBK1 reduces mitophagy in HEK293 FlpIn cells and in the reconstituted EGFP-TRIM27-expressing cells, but not in HEK293 FlpIn TRIM27 knockout cells. Altogether, these data reveal novel roles for TRIM27 in mitophagy, facilitating mitochondrial clustering via SQSTM1/p62 and mitophagy via stabilization of phosphorylated TBK1 on mitochondria

The Relevance of Complementary and Integrative Medicine in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Review of the Literature

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic people are facing risks of adverse health effects due to the restrictions implemented such as quarantine measures, reduced social contact, and self-isolation. In this qualitative review, we collected data on potential preventive and therapeutic health benefits of Complementary and Integrative Medicine (CIM) that might be useful during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have reviewed the scientific literature to summarize CIM practices that could be beneficial for improving physical and mental health and well-being of the population under the current pandemic circumstances. It must be noted that this review is not SARS-CoV-2 specific and we explicitly do not intend to make any SARS-CoV-2 specific health claims in this article. Methods and Findings: A qualitative, non-systematic literature review was conducted in Medline to identify literature describing preventive and therapeutic CIM approaches for strengthening mental and physical health. For a variety of CIM approaches clinical evidence was identified, indicating beneficial effects. CIM approaches include specific dietary measures and selected micronutrients, physical activity, techniques from Mind-Body Medicine, single botanicals or botanical compounds, and spending time in nature among others. The effects of CIM measures on conditions like obesity and hypertension are of special relevance here, as these conditions are considered as risk factors for a severe course of COVID-19. Moreover, a possibly direct effect of CIM approaches on immune functions and clinical parameters in respiratory tract infections, such as influenza, were identified. The findings of this review could be helpful for clinicians, patients, and the general population during the current pandemic when discussing and/or considering CIM options. Conclusions: CIM offers a variety of preventive and therapeutic options for strengthening physical and mental resilience, which could also be useful in the current COVID-19 pandemic. The evidence of CIM approaches with a potential benefit in the COVID-19 pandemic in different areas is worth to be analyzed. While this qualitative review has several obvious limitations, it might serve as useful starting point for further research on this topic