1,615 research outputs found
Development of scale-down models for validation of integrated continuous virus filtrations
Continuous bioprocessing is becoming more widely adopted in biomanufacturing. While much progress was achieved in upstream processes and downstream chromatography and viral inactivation steps, there is little data published on continuous virus filtration (VF). As continuous manufacturing leads to changes in processes, facilities and equipment, these factors need to be considered within the VF design space. Additionally, since the choice and performance of a virus filter is generally dependent upon the outputs from upstream unit operations, the filter may experience load solutions with fluctuating protein concentrations, salts and impurities, consistent with a chromatography step elution profile. Understanding how continuous processing impacts the performance of a virus filter can lead to developing both integration and validation strategies. In this work, we designed scale-down virus filtration models to investigate the impact of extended process times and dynamic product streams present in continuous manufacturing. We performed long-term PP7-spiked virus filtrations using Planova 20N and BioEX filters. The results show that Planova 20N and BioEX virus filters are capable of effectively (\u3e 4 log) removing bacteriophage PP7 when run for up to one week continuously. Creative methods were successfully implemented in order to overcome long-term PP7 stability and pressure fluctuations. Additionally, both the 20N and BioEX filters were able to successfully process a mock elution peak of increased protein, salt, and bacteriophage concentrations with only an increase in filtration pressure observed during the higher protein concentration peak. Effective virus removal was achieved even under challenging PP7 particle loads (\u3e9.5 logs total). These experiments demonstrated that small-scale viral clearance studies can be designed to model a continuous viral filtration step with specific process parameters. Both Planova 20N and BioEX filters were shown to be robust with respect to extended processing times and fluctuating elution peaks. The integration of continuous virus filtration into continuous biomanufacturing processes is therefore applicable and adaptable; it remains largely process-dependent. Further validation strategies may include mimicking multiple elution peaks in series to allow for a better characterization of the pressure limit of these filters in a continuous setup
Introduction : contemporary orientations in African cultural studies
Abstract: This paper offers a glimpse of work generated by the 2014 John Douglas Taylor conference on âContemporary Orientations in African Cultural Studiesâ. The conference generated a number of inquiries into the time and place of contemporary African cultural work, many of which theorized beyond the frameworks that postcolonial and globalization studies frequently offer. Under the shifting paradigms of cultural studies, the work of this conference, as well as the current project, moves away from reading the African everyday as exclusively a construction out of a series of colonial histories and relationalities, or global cultural flows. In line with Jean and John Comaroffsâ Theory From the South, this issue is instead dedicated to relocating the global centres from which cultural studies emanates and positing African workâs challenge to normative zones of cultural critique. âContemporary orientationsâ attempts to relocate the time and space of critique in African studies, but it resists the gesture to posit a stable trajectory through which time moves. Rather, the terms of the contemporary and the orientation depend on how they are read in relation to a multitude of other temporalities, orientations, and objects
The Value of Urban Parklands: A User Study of the Baldwin Hills
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This report provides the results of a two-year research study by the Loyola Marymount University Center for Urban Resilience (CURes) to examine park visitation and user behavior and attitudes in the Baldwin Hills Parklands. Supported by the Baldwin Hill Conservancy through California Proposition 84 funding, the goal of this study was to better understand how individuals are using and interacting with the Baldwin Hills Parklands. It is the first large-scale, multi-year, field-based attendance survey and multifaceted analysis of visitorsâ experiences in the Parklands, consisting of a pilot and four comprehensive field seasons.
Building on a pilot phase in 2014, 38 CURes research assistants spent 1,934 hours in the parks over four field seasons from 2015-2017. Researchers conducted 1,747 park user surveys, completed counts of 12,709 parks visitors, analyzed 4,998 images from park entrances, and produced reports and outreach materials. The results show that the Baldwin Hills Parklands: receive high levels of visitation, especially on weekends, with the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area serving the largest user population at any one time, and the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook State Park having the highest visitation on average; have a devoted population of frequent users that tend to visit only one park within the Baldwin Hills Parklands; are visited by people who are highly civically engaged, have a moderate understanding of the local environment, and are very interested in learning more about the environment of the region; are visited by users mostly arriving by car who tend to enter through main park entrances, with no trouble finding parking; receive a substantial number of visitors who would prefer to arrive by foot or bicycle, and even more who would be interested in taking the park shuttle but were not aware of it; support both active recreation and passive enjoyment of nature, with walking and enjoying nature as the top two activities indicated by users; are visited by users who do not often go to the coast, though nearly all indicate a willingness to walk or bike on a recreational trail to visit the beach; serve a diverse population of users from Los Angeles County that are, on average, relatively young, highly educated, and of low to moderate income, which is not entirely consistent with the surrounding population; and receive visitors with highly positive sentiments and attachments to the parks.
These findings suggest that the Baldwin Hills Parklands are an integral natural resource in the Los Angeles region. They also provide a foundation to guide continued work to better understand, improve, and promote the use of the parklands. This report details the findings of the two-year study, provides interpretations of the results and recommendations for the Baldwin Hills Conservancy.https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/cures_reports/1004/thumbnail.jp
ZuS - Zukunftsstrategie Lehrer*innenbildung Köln (Teilprojekt QualitÀtssicherung). Skalendokumentation zum Fragebogen des hochschulweiten Bildungsmonitorings, Messzeitpunkt 2, Teil A.
Die vorliegende Dokumentation ist Teil eines Bildungsmonitorings, das im Rahmen des an der UniversitĂ€t zu Köln durchgefĂŒhrten Projekts âZukunftsstrategie Lehrer*innenbildung Köln â HeterogenitĂ€t und Inklusion gestaltenâ (ZuS) im Teilprojekt QualitĂ€tssicherung (QS) durchgefĂŒhrt wurde. Hierbei handelt es sich um den zweiten Messzeitpunkt im Sommersemester 2017. Das Bildungsmonitoring soll auf einer Makroebene Einblick geben in Prozesse des Kompetenzerwerbs wĂ€hrend des Lehramtsstudiums und dazu beitragen, Merkmale der Ausbildung zu erkennen, die dabei von Bedeutung sind. Drei wesentliche MaĂnahmen werden im Bildungsmonitoring ergriffen:
Die Erfassung der Kompetenzentwicklung von Lehramtsstudierenden, die angebotenen und genutzten Lerngelegenheiten als Bedingungen der Kompetenzentwicklung und die PrĂŒfung des Einflusses der Lerngelegenheiten auf die Kompetenzentwicklung.
Verwendet wird ein Mehr-Kohorten-LĂ€ngsschnitt-Design. PrimĂ€re Zielgruppe sind Bachelor- und Masterstudierende, die sich im Sommersemester 2017 im vierten Fachsemester befanden. Diese beiden Kohorten wurden bereits letztes Jahr (Sommersemester 2016) befragt und sollen auch nĂ€chstes Jahr (Sommersemester 2018) wissenschaftlich begleitet werden, um wĂ€hrend der Projektlaufzeit ein umfassendes Bild ĂŒber den Kompetenzerwerb wĂ€hrend der gesamten Lehramtsausbildung an der UniversitĂ€t zu Köln zu erhalten. Die hier abgebildete Skalendokumentation umfasst den allgemeinen Teil des Bildungsmonitorings 2017. Sie informiert ĂŒber die verwendeten Variablen, Items und Skalen, die bei der Befragung der Studierenden eingesetzt wurden. ZusĂ€tzlich werden technische Variablen berichtet, die bei der Datenerhebung und -aufbereitung relevant waren
Zwei-Jahresbericht (2022/2023) des InterdisziplinĂ€ren Zentrums fĂŒr empirische Lehrer*innen- und Unterrichtsforschung (IZeF)
Der Zwei-Jahresbericht (2022/2023) des InterdisziplinĂ€ren Zentrums fĂŒr empirische Lehrer*innen- und Unterrichtsforschung (kurz: IZeF) informiert ĂŒber die vielseitigen AktivitĂ€ten des Zentrums. Hierzu gehören aktuell ĂŒber 30 drittmittelgeförderte Forschungsprojekte in den folgenden thematischen IZeF-Forschungsgruppen: (1) Kompetenzmessung, (2) Sprachliche Bildung, (3) Medien und Digitalisierung (4) Psychische Gesundheit in Bildungseinrichtungen, (5) Persistenz und Wandel von Schule, Unterricht und Lehrer*innenberuf sowie (6) die 2023 neu gegrĂŒndete Emerging Group âProving the Effectiveness of Teacher Educationâ. Das IZeF und seine Aufgaben werden im Bericht ausfĂŒhrlich dargestellt. Hierzu gehören die Darstellung der Arbeit in den Forschungsgruppen und -projekten sowie der Emerging Group, die Förderung von Wissenschaftler*innen in Qualifizierungsphasen, die Zusammenarbeit mit Kooperationspartner*innen, die Publikationen zur vertieften LektĂŒre, der Austausch im Rahmen verschiedener Veranstaltungen, wie z. B. interdisziplinĂ€rer Workshops sowie weitere aktuelle Entwicklungen und zukĂŒnftige Perspektiven.
Das âInterdisziplinĂ€re Zentrum fĂŒr empirische Lehrer*innen- und Unterrichtsforschungâ ist eine wissenschaftliche Einrichtung der Humanwissenschaftlichen FakultĂ€t der UniversitĂ€t zu Köln. Es fĂŒhrt einschlĂ€gige ForschungsaktivitĂ€ten zusammen, die in enger Kooperation der Bildungswissenschaften (Erziehungs- und Sozialwissenschaften, Psychologie), der SonderpĂ€dagogik sowie der Fachdidaktiken durchgefĂŒhrt werden.
Der Bericht kann kostenfrei als Printversion im IZeF angefordert werden
A fine-scale, broadly applicable index of vocal performance: frequency excursion
Our understanding of the evolution and function of animal displays has been advanced through studies of vocal performance. A widely used metric of vocal performance, vocal deviation, is limited by being applicable only to vocal trills, and also overlooks certain fine-scale aspects of song structure that might reflect vocal performance. In light of these limitations we here introduce a new index of vocal performance, \u27frequency excursion\u27. Frequency excursion calculates, for any given song or song segment, the sum of frequency modulations both within and between notes on a per-time basis. We calculated and compared the two performance metrics in three species: chipping sparrows, Spizella passerina, swamp sparrows, Melospiza georgiana, and song sparrows, Melospiza melodia. The two metrics correlated as expected, yet frequency excursion accounted for subtle variations in performance overlooked by vocal deviation. In swamp sparrows, frequency excursion values varied significantly by song type but not by individual. Moreover, song type performance in swamp sparrows, according to both metrics, varied negatively with the extent to which song types were shared among neighbours. In song sparrows, frequency excursion values of trilled song segments exceeded those of nontrilled song segments, although not to a statistically significant degree. We suggest that application of frequency excursion in birds and other taxa will provide new insights into diverse open questions concerning vocal performance, function and evolution. (c) 2016 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Selecting, avoiding, disconnecting: a focus group study of peopleâs strategies for dealing with information abundance in the contexts of news, entertainment, and personal communication
Information abundance has become a defining characteristic of digital media environments. Today, people have to deal with a vast amount of news, entertainment and personal communication. This study investigates the strategies that people use to do so. Conceptually, we propose to understand information abundance as a macro-level phenomenon, i.e., an external state, which is neither positive nor negative per se. However, it may be experienced differently by individuals depending on what strategies they have to navigate abundance. Information abundance can be observed at the levels of content, sources, and devices as well as across the different media contexts of news, entertainment, or personal communication. Empirically, we conduct focus group discussions with 40 participants from Switzerland and examine what strategies people use to manage or withdraw from information abundance. The findings show that the strategies of selection, avoidance, and disconnection are applied similarly across the three media contexts, both temporarily and habitually, preventively and interventively, and are often used in tandem. Our findings also reveal that all strategies are used at the content, source, and device levels, which is important to consider because avoidance or disconnection from devices can inevitably affect media use more generally. The use of strategies seems to impact how individuals experience abundance, supporting previous research that avoidance and disconnection can mitigate information overload and enhance well-being. The study contributes to a better understanding of the multifaceted application of strategies as individual responses to the increase of information supply and the blurring boundaries between different media contexts
QualitÀt und Stellenwert der Wirtschaftsberichterstattung in Schweizer Medien
Die Wirtschaftsberichterstattung nimmt in der Schweiz vor dem Hintergrund des starken Finanz- und Wirtschaftsstandortes eine zentrale Rolle ein. Insbesondere mit Blick auf die Doppelfunktion des Wirtschaftsjournalismus (Information und FrĂŒhwarnfunktion) ist es relevant, die Bedeutung und QualitĂ€t der Wirtschaftsberichterstattung genauer zu betrachten. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht daher journalistische BeitrĂ€ge zu wirtschaftlichen und wirtschaftspolitischen Themen in verschiedenen Schweizer Medien von 2015 bis 2021 hinsichtlich verschiedener QualitĂ€tsaspekte. Unsere Resultate ergeben, dass der Anteil der Wirtschafts- an der Gesamtberichterstattung in Schweizer Medien 16,4% betrĂ€gt, wobei in ĂŒberregionalen Tageszeitungen, allen voran in NZZ und Le Temps, sowie im öffentlichen Rundfunk verstĂ€rkt ĂŒber Wirtschaftsthemen berichtet wird. Ein positiver Befund ist, dass die redaktionelle Eigenleistung zur Wirtschaftsberichterstattung von 2015 (62,9%) bis 2021 (76,7%) deutlich zugenommen hat, wobei sich Onlinemedien deutlich hĂ€ufiger auf Agenturmeldungen stĂŒtzen als Offline-Formate. Der grösste Anteil der Berichterstattung zur Wirtschaft geht auf betriebswirtschaftliche Themen (57,6%) zurĂŒck, welcher in den letzten Jahren zugenommen hat. Pendler- und Boulevardmedien berichten hierzu anteilsmĂ€ssig am meisten. Im Gegensatz dazu gewichten der öffentliche Rundfunk und Abonnementsmedien volkswirtschaftliche Themen stĂ€rker. Zudem zeigt sich, dass der Anteil an einordnenden BeitrĂ€gen zu Wirtschaftsthemen seit 2015 stetig abgenommen hat, aber im Jahr 2021 wieder deutlich angestiegen ist. Vermutlich stellt dieser Befund einen einmaligen Effekt der verstĂ€rkten Einordnung von wirtschaftlichen Entwicklungen im Zuge der Corona-Pandemie dar. Im Vergleich zu anderen Themenfeldern wie Politik und Kultur ist der emotionale Stil bei Wirtschaftsnachrichten am geringsten ausgeprĂ€gt. Allerdings emotionalisieren die Boulevardmedien und Online-Pure-Medien im Vergleich zu anderen Medientypen in der Wirtschaftsberichterstattung relativ hĂ€ufig. Schliesslich zeigen die Resultate, dass der Frauenanteil in der Wirtschaftsberichterstattung im Vergleich zur Gesamtberichterstattung sowie zur Berichterstattung in anderen Themenfeldern niedrig ausfĂ€llt, seit 2019 aber einen positiven Trend erfĂ€hrt und in 2021 einen neuen Höchstwert erreicht hat (23,3%). Die QualitĂ€t der Schweizer Wirtschaftsberichterstattung gilt es im Sinne der Förderung von transparenten und fairen MĂ€rkten sowie zum Erhalt der Demokratie weiterhin zu gewĂ€hrleisten und auszubauen
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