Investigations on the development of a computer-based training program to teach helminthology in dogs and cats

Titelblatt, Inhaltsverzeichnis, Danksagung, Lebenslauf 1\. Einleitung/Literatur 3\. Material und Methode 4\. Ergebnisse 5\. Diskussion 6\. Zusammenfassung 7\. Summary 8\. Anhang 9\. LiteraturverzeichnisDie CD-ROM "Rund- und Bandwürmer bei Hund und Katze" ist ein computergestütztes Lern- und Informationsprogramm für Studierende der Veterinärmedizin, praktische Tierärzte und Tierarzthelferinnnen. Das Programm stellt auf 248 Bildschirmseiten und über 150 einzublendenden Schautafeln wichtige Helminthosen von Hund und Katze vor. Das Lernprogramm wurde als Informationssystem konzipiert. In Hinblick auf eine stärkere Betonung des eigenverantwortlichen Lernens im Gegensatz zum bevormundenden Lehren wurde die Anleitung durch den Computer stark eingeschränkt. Zugunsten einer aktiveren Beteiligung des Lernenden wurde darauf verzichtet, Lernziele zu definieren und das Auswendiglernen und Abfragen von Fakten zu unterstützen. Der parasitologisch Interessierte soll vielmehr selbst bestimmen, welche Informationen er abrufen und welche Aspekte des Themengebietes er bearbeiten will. Er kann hierzu aus einer breiten Datenbasis auswählen und soll so seine Fähigkeit des Umgangs mit Informationen schulen. Des weiteren wurde besonderer Wert darauf gelegt, ein Teilgebiet der Veterinärmedizin in einer Form aufzubereiten, die die Möglichkeiten der multimedialen Darstellung ausschöpft. Komplexe Sachverhalte wie Lebenszyklen, parasitologische Untersuchungsverfahren und Entwurmungspläne werden durch interaktive Zugriffsmöglichkeiten und multimediale Darstellung in Text, Bild und Ton für den Neuling auf dem Gebiet der Parasitologie eingängig dargestellt. Zur Illustration des Inhaltes werden 20 Audiosequenzen, 15 Videoclips, mehr als 40 Animationen und über 300 Abbildungen verwendet. Die umfangreiche Beschreibung der einzelnen Parasitenarten ermöglicht aber auch dem weitergehend interessierten Nutzer eine Vertiefung seines Wissens und gezieltes Nachschlagen relevanter Informationen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden die bei der Entwicklung des Programmes gemachten Erkenntnisse dokumentiert. Eigene Erfahrungen und im Schrifttum belegte Empfehlungen zur Konzeption und Umsetzung eines computergestützten Lernprogrammes werden zusammengefaßt. Anhand der Literatur wird ein Überblick über die vorhandenen Lehrmedien in der Parasitologie gegeben.The CD-ROM "Rund- und Bandwürmer bei Hund und Katze" is a computer-based training program to teach helminthology in dogs and cats for veterinary students, practitioners and veterinary nurses. On 248 screens and more than 150 viewers important round- and tapeworm infections of dogs and cats are explained. The learning program was developed to operate as an information system. The tutorial and teaching function of the computer was minimised in favour of a more flexible learning environment, permitting the student to be more in charge of his own learning process. To support a more active involvement of the learner, no stringent learning objectives were defined. Rote learning and assessment of factual knowledge are not provided by the program. Instead the student is meant to decide himself, which information to obtain and which topics of the subject to work with. For these purposes he has access to a broad database. The use of this database is intended to train his information management skills. In addition the authors wanted to prepare one aspect of veterinary medicine (i.e. helminthology) in a form that employs the capacity of multimedial presentation. Complicated topics of parasitology like lifecycles, diagnostic methods and deworming schedules are simplified for the beginner by interactive and multimedial presentation. To illustrate the contents, 20 audiosequences, 15 videoclips, more than 40 animations and 300 pictures are used. The extensive description of the different parasite species enables the advanced user to increase his knowledge or look up relevant information. In this thesis the experiences made during the development of this learning program are documented. Own results as well as recommendations from literature on the conception and production of a computer-based learning program are compiled

Sin, Impurity, and Community in Leviticus 16

The Book of Leviticus contains a considerable amount of material pertaining to sin, covering a great variety of types of behaviour that incur sin, methods for atonement, punishments, and ritual context for sin offerings. This thesis considers the nature of sin and its function in society, as depicted in Leviticus 16, by means of comparing several different theological and anthropological models regarding sin and impurity, in combination with a close reading of the Hebrew. The image of sin and impurity that emerges includes a dual system of ritual and moral impurity, which in part could well be used to establish a social structure and hierarchy, and is in Leviticus 16 put in service of promoting the role of the High Priest as the mediator between God and the Israelites, and the only one capable of maintaining and fixing that relationship in the face of sin and impurity

Technology: Transforming the Finance Function and the Competencies Management Accountants Need

The rapidly increasing impact of digital technologies on the finance function requires new competencies from finance professionals. Based on the findings of a survey of 60 senior finance professionals from leading companies, this study proposes a framework for developing these competencies. The outcomes of the study support the development of the digital agenda of the finance function and the requirements for management accountant

Electricity Demand Forecasting with Hybrid Statistical and Machine Learning Algorithms: Case Study of Ukraine

This article presents a novel hybrid approach using statistics and machine learning to forecast the national demand of electricity. As investment and operation of future energy systems require long-term electricity demand forecasts with hourly resolution, our mathematical model fills a gap in energy forecasting. The proposed methodology was constructed using hourly data from Ukraine's electricity consumption ranging from 2013 to 2020. To this end, we analysed the underlying structure of the hourly, daily and yearly time series of electricity consumption. The long-term yearly trend is evaluated using macroeconomic regression analysis. The mid-term model integrates temperature and calendar regressors to describe the underlying structure, and combines ARIMA and LSTM ``black-box'' pattern-based approaches to describe the error term. The short-term model captures the hourly seasonality through calendar regressors and multiple ARMA models for the residual. Results show that the best forecasting model is composed by combining multiple regression models and a LSTM hybrid model for residual prediction. Our hybrid model is very effective at forecasting long-term electricity consumption on an hourly resolution. In two years of out-of-sample forecasts with 17520 timesteps, it is shown to be within 96.83 \% accuracy.Comment: 31 pages, 13 figures, submitted to Applied Energ

Magnetic Resonance Imaging studies on neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus

Neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus (NPSLE) is a rheumatologic disorder causing neurologic, psychiatric and/or psychologic symptoms. The most important clinical problems are the aspecific nature of signs and symptoms, the limited knowledge on pathogenesis and the absence of a diagnostic gold standard. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is considered the most important imaging modality of the brain in NPSLE patients. Abnormalities visible on conventional MRI appear anywhere in the brain, and may normalize, stabilize or increase with loss of brain parenchyma. Apart from conventional MRI sequences, in this thesis advanced MRI techniques such as magnetization transfer imaging (MTI) were also applied, which are more sensitive to microscopic brain damage invisible to the human eye. Microscopic brain damage in NPSLE appears mostly in the cortical gray matter and is associated with the presence of anticardiolipin antibodies. The final brain damage, as observed using different MRI techniques, consists of neuronal and axonal damage, atrophy, demyelination and gliosis. Changes in the total amount of microscopic brain damage as detected by MTI correlate with changes in clinical status. This thesis contributes to the knowledge on the pathogenesis of NPSLE, and illustrates that advanced and conventional radiological techniques can be helpful in making diagnostic and therapeutic decisions.LEI Universiteit LeidenEvaluatie van gedigitaliseerde onderzoeksmethoden: kernspinresonantie, computer- tomografie en digitale radiologi