Informatics: the fuel for pharmacometric analysis

The current informal practice of pharmacometrics as a combination art and science makes it hard to appreciate the role that informatics can and should play in the future of the discipline and to comprehend the gaps that exist because of its absence. The development of pharmacometric informatics has important implications for expediting decision making and for improving the reliability of decisions made in model-based development. We argue that well-defined informatics for pharmacometrics can lead to much needed improvements in the efficiency, effectiveness, and reliability of the pharmacometrics process. The purpose of this paper is to provide a description of the pervasive yet often poorly appreciated role of informatics in improving the process of data assembly, a critical task in the delivery of pharmacometric analysis results. First, we provide a brief description of the pharmacometric analysis process. Second, we describe the business processes required to create analysis-ready data sets for the pharmacometrician. Third, we describe selected informatic elements required to support the pharmacometrics and data assembly processes. Finally, we offer specific suggestions for performing a systematic analysis of existing challenges as an approach to defi ning the next generation of pharmacometric informatics

How Explainable AI Methods Support Data-Driven Decision Making

Explainable AI (XAI) holds great potential to reveal the patterns in black-box AI models and to support data-driven decision-making. We apply four post-hoc explanatory methods to demonstrate the explanatory capabilities of these methods for data-driven decision-making using the illustrative example of unwanted job turnover and human resource management (HRM) support. We show that XAI can be a useful aid in data-driven decision-making, but also high-light potential drawbacks and limitations of which users in research and practice should be aware

MicroRNA-22 increases senescence and activates cardiac fibroblasts in the aging heart

MicroRNAs (miRs) are small non- coding RNA molecules controlling a plethora of biological processes such as development, cellular survival and senescence. We here determined miRs differentially regulated during cardiac postnatal development and aging. Cardiac function, morphology and miR expression profiles were determined in neonatal, 4 weeks, 6 months and 19 months old normotensive male healthy C57/Bl6N mice. MiR-22 was most prominently upregulated during cardiac aging. Cardiac expression of its bioinformatically predicted target mimecan (osteoglycin, OGN) was gradually decreased with advanced age. Luciferase reporter assays validated mimecan as a bona fide miR-22 target. Both, miR-22 and its target mimecan were co- expressed in cardiac fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. Functionally, miR-22 overexpression induced cellular senescence and promoted migratory activity of cardiac fibroblasts. Small interference RNA-mediated silencing of mimecan in cardiac fibroblasts mimicked the miR-22-mediated effects. Rescue experiments revealed that the effects of miR-22 on cardiac fibroblasts were only partially mediated by mimecan. In conclusion, miR-22 upregulation in the aging heart contributed at least partly to accelerated cardiac fibroblast senescence and increased migratory activity. Our results suggest an involvement of miR-22 in age-associated cardiac changes, such as cardiac fibrosis

NAD(P)H fluorescence lifetime imaging of live intestinal nematodes reveals metabolic crosstalk between parasite and host

Infections with intestinal nematodes have an equivocal impact: they represent a burden for human health and animal husbandry, but, at the same time, may ameliorate auto-immune diseases due to the immunomodulatory effect of the parasites. Thus, it is key to understand how intestinal nematodes arrive and persist in their luminal niche and interact with the host over long periods of time. One basic mechanism governing parasite and host cellular and tissue functions, metabolism, has largely been neglected in the study of intestinal nematode infections. Here we use NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) and NADPH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate) fluorescence lifetime imaging of explanted murine duodenum infected with the natural nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus and define the link between general metabolic activity and possible metabolic pathways in parasite and host tissue, during acute infection. In both healthy and infected host intestine, energy is effectively produced, mainly via metabolic pathways resembling oxidative phosphorylation/aerobic glycolysis features. In contrast, the nematodes shift their energy production from balanced fast anaerobic glycolysis-like and effective oxidative phosphorylation-like metabolic pathways, towards mainly anaerobic glycolysis-like pathways, back to oxidative phosphorylation/aerobic glycolysis-like pathways during their different life cycle phases in the submucosa versus the intestinal lumen. Additionally, we found an increased NADPH oxidase (NOX) enzymes-dependent oxidative burst in infected intestinal host tissue as compared to healthy tissue, which was mirrored by a similar defense reaction in the parasites. We expect that, the here presented application of NAD(P)H-FLIM in live tissues constitutes a unique tool to study possible shifts between metabolic pathways in host-parasite crosstalk, in various parasitic intestinal infections

An Anechoic Recording of Demosthenes’ 1st Olynthic Oration in German

This data set contains two anechoic recordings of an excerpt of Demosthenes’ 1st Olynthic Oration in expressive and loud speech in German language.DFG, 194453117, EXC 1027: Bild Wissen Gestaltung. Ein interdisziplinäres Labo

Accessibility in libraries during the Corona crisis

Die VÖB-Arbeitsgruppe „Barrierefreiheit in Bibliotheken“, die im Jänner 2020 gegründet wurde, konzipierte eine Umfrage, die die Auswirkungen der Covid-19-Pandemie auf die Barrierefreiheit in Bibliotheken zum Thema hatte. Es wurde ein Online-Fragebogen entworfen, der den Umgang mit der Pandemie in Bibliotheken, Auswirkungen auf die Organisation und die Infrastruktur, rechtliche Rahmenbedingungen und auch Erfahrungsberichte von Leser*innen abfragte. Über 100 Bibliothekar*innen aus dem deutschsprachigen Raum nahmen an der Umfrage teil, die mit Hilfe der Statistiksoftware SPSS ausgewertete wurde. Es wurden Defizite sichtbar, die bereits vor der Pandemie bestanden, aber auch Verbesserungen, die die Pandemie erst in Gang gebracht hat, wie beispielsweise barrierefrei aufbereitete Online-Medien für Menschen mit Sehbehinderungen oder auch Bibliotheksangebote wie Schulungen, die als online-Services stattgefunden haben. Menschen mit Mobilitäts- oder Seheinschränkungen und guter digitaler IT-Infrastruktur konnten die digitalen barrierefreien Angebote am besten nutzen und haben von den Anpassungen am meisten profitiert. Die große Mehrheit der Teilnehmer*innen hat zudem angegeben, dass sie auch zukünftig großes Interesse am Thema Barrierefreiheit in Bibliotheken haben.The VÖB working group "Accessibility in Libraries", which was founded in 2020, designed a survey that focused on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on accessibility in libraries. An online questionnaire was designed that asked about how libraries were dealing with the pandemic, impacts on organization and infrastructure, legal frameworks, and also readers' testimonials. Over 100 librarians from German-speaking countries took part in the survey, which was analyzed using SPSS statistical software. It revealed deficits that existed before the pandemic, but also improvements that the pandemic had only just set in motion, such as accessible online media for people with visual impairments or library services such as training courses that took place as online services. People with mobility or visual impairments and good digital IT infrastructure were able to make the best use of the digital accessible services and benefited the most from the adaptations. The vast majority of participants also stated that they would continue to be very interested in the topic of accessibility in libraries in the future

An Anechoic Recording of Cicero’s 3rd Cataline Oration: Italian, Latin and German

This data set contains three anechoic recordings of an excerpt of Cicero's 3rd Cataline Oration in Italian, Latin and German language.DFG, 194453117, EXC 1027: Bild Wissen Gestaltung. Ein interdisziplinäres Labo

Accessibility for repositories. An overview of technical and legal requirements

Der Beitrag soll einen Überblick über die technischen und rechtlichen Voraussetzungen für barrierefreie Repositorien geben. Hinweise und Links sollen zeigen, dass auch mit kleinen Schritten, wie etwa Texte zu strukturieren oder Bilder zu beschreiben, ein wichtiger Beitrag geleistet werden kann. Barrierefreiheit sollte eigentlich schon selbstverständlich sein, in der Praxis zeigt sich jedoch, dass wir in den meisten Fällen, was das System selbst, die Guidelines und Hilfstexte, sowie es die Inhalte selbst betrifft noch weit davon entfernt sind. Die Sammlungen an Links und Beispielen sollen helfen, diesem Ziel ein wenig näher zu kommen.This article is intended to provide an overview of the technical and legal requirements for the accessibilty of repositories. Hints and links should show that even small steps, such as structuring texts or describing images, can make an important contribution. Accessibility should actually should already be a given, but in practice it turns out that in most cases we are still far away from this matter of course, in terms of the system itself, the guidelines and help texts, and the content itself. The collection of links and examples should help to come a little closer to this goal

Ein wissenschaftspolitisches Positionspapier

Internationalisierung ist zwar ein verbreitetes Schlagwort im heutigen akademischen Betrieb, und keiner bestreitet dessen Wichtigkeit, doch wie internationalisiert ist die deutsche Kommunikationswissenschaft wirklich? Manche deutschen Hochschulen verstehen unter Internationalisierung lediglich ein (kommunikationswissenschaftliches) englischsprachiges Lehrangebot, andere das Publizieren in englischsprachigen Fachzeitschriften. Dass dies zu kurz greift, versteht sich von selbst. Aber welche internationale Reichweite hat die deutsche Scientific community bisher tatsächlich erzielt? Welchen Stellenwert hat die international vergleichende Forschung, haben inter- und transkulturelle Perspektiven im Fach? Wie steht es um die internationale Anschlussfähigkeit der deutschen Kommunikationswissenschaft? International komparative und kollaborative Forschung und die Einnahme inter-/transkultureller Perspektiven sind Querschnittsaufträge für alle Forschungsfelder des Fachs und können nicht nur beschränkt sein auf so explizit getaufte Netzwerke und Fachgruppen der internationalen und transkulturellen Kommunikation unter dem Dach wissenschaftlicher Fachgesellschaften. Dieses Positionspapier plädiert daher für eine „tiefe Internationalisierung“ der deutschen Kommunikationswissenschaft