Entgrenzung und Zusammenarbeit – die Notwendigkeit von Kooperationen im Lernraum

Die Hochschule ist ein Lernraum – dieser Satz ist für die meisten ein Allgemeinplatz. Dahinter verbirgt sich aber weit mehr – eine entwicklungsfähige Zukunftsaufgabe, bei der es um mehr als ein räumlich- infrastrukturelles Angebot für Studierende geht. Für einen vielseitigen, zukunftsfähigen Lernraum ist die Entgrenzung institutioneller Zuständigkeiten notwendige Voraussetzung. Diese Notwendigkeit ergibt sich sowohl für die Entwicklung und den Betrieb von räumlich-technischen Infrastrukturen als auch für die Weiterentwicklung von Beratungs- und Schulungsangeboten. Dienstleistungskooperation ist nötig für zukunftsorientierte Supportangebote und lernunterstützende Dienste, wie z. B. die Vermittlung von Informations- und Medienkompetenz. Ausgehend von oben skizziertem Lernraum-Verständnis und den von der DINI-AG Lernräume beschriebenen Lernraum-Dimensionen sollen Akteure, Services und Kooperationsaufgaben beispielhaft illustriert und Herausforderungen für eine strategische Hochschulentwicklung dargestellt werden.Dislimitation and Teamwork – the Necessity of Cooperation in the Field of Learning Spaces Abstract: Learning space is a future task, which is far beyond spatial and infrastructural offers for students. Learning space shall facilitate students’ autonomous and self-organized learning and thereby enhance their literacies. Dealing with this task, is impossible without the teamwork of various stakeholders from faculties, service facilities and administration units. Establishing versatile and sustainable learning space requires the dislimitation of structurally determined responsibilities for the benefit of pragmatic, target group-oriented measures, including all stakeholders and stakeholder’s units. The contribution presents a holistic understanding of learning space. Based on the dimensions of learning spaces as defined by the DINI work-group “Lernräume”, the authors exemplary illustrate common tasks, stakeholders and achievements

MODELING NONLINEAR DOSE-RESPONSE RELATIONSHIPS IN EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES: STATISTICAL APPROACHES AND PRACTICAL CHALLENGES

Non-linear dose response relationships pose statistical challenges for their discovery. Even when an initial linear approximation is followed by other approaches, the results may be misleading and, possibly, preclude altogether the discovery of the nonlinear relationship under investigation. We review a variety of straightforward statistical approaches for detecting nonlinear relationships and discuss several factors that hinder their detection. Our specific context is that of epidemiologic studies of exposure-outcome associations and we focus on threshold and J-effect dose response relationships. The examples presented reveal that no single approach is universally appropriate; rather, these (and possibly other) nonlinearities require for their discovery a variety of both graphical and numeric techniques

Efficiently Identifying Failures using Quantitative Tests, Matrix-Pooling and the EM-Algorithm

Pooled-testing methods can greatly reduce the number of tests needed to identify failures in a collection of samples. Existing methodology has focused primarily on binary tests, but there is a clear need for improved efficiency when using expensive quantitative tests, such as tests for HIV viral load in resource-limited settings. We propose a matrix-pooling method which, based on pooled-test results, uses the EM algorithm to identify individual samples most likely to be failures. Two hundred datasets for each of a wide range of failure prevalence were simulated to test the method. When the measurement of interest was normally distributed, at a failure prevalence level of 15.6% the EM method yielded a 47.3% reduction in the number of tests needed to identify failures (as compared to testing each specimen individually). These results are somewhat better than the reduction gained by using the Simple Search method (44.9%) previously published by May et al. (2010). However, the EM procedure was able to identify failures in just 2.6 testing rounds, on average, as compared to an average of 19.2 testing rounds required by Simple Search. In settings where the turn-around time for testing services is significant, the reduction in testing rounds provided by the EM method is substantial. Unfortunately the EM method does not perform as well when the measurements of interest are highly skewed, as is often the case with viral load concentrations

Piezoelectric fiber mats containing polar rod-shaped pigment particles

We demonstrate converse piezoelectric behavior of electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) fiber mats containing anisometric pigment nanoparticles (Novoperm Carmine HF3C). The effective piezoelectric constant of the fiber mats was estimated to be 2 nm V-1. These findings suggest polarity of the pigment particles obtained by a milling process. Transient electric current measurements were conducted to test the residual polarization of the particles. Piezoelectric fiber mats may be utilized to make colorful electro-active fiber mats and wearable smart clothing

Memorial and meditation, material and metaphor

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1995.Includes bibliographical references (p. 51).This thesis is an exploration in the relationships between material and site, history, nature, & culture. I seek to explore the nature of material selection for architectural projects. The project is a place of healing for the human spirit - a meditation/ meeting space located in the dunes of the Provincelands on the peninsula of Cape Cod, MA. Although primarily influenced by the necessity for expression of ceremony, community, and contemplation brought about by the AIDS (auto-immune deficiency syndrome) crisis, it serves as a welcoming place of gathering for many. In this thesis I examine some of the ways that material influences design and design modifies material leading to a greater understanding and development of design method.by Susanne M. May.M.Arch

Predictive validity of a brief antiretroviral adherence index: Retrospective cohort analysis under conditions of repetitive administration

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Newer antiretroviral (ARV) agents have improved pharmacokinetics, potency, and tolerability and have enabled the design of regimens with improved virologic outcomes. Successful antiretroviral therapy is dependent on patient adherence. In previous research, we validated a subset of items from the ACTG adherence battery as prognostic of virologic suppression at 6 months and correlated with adherence estimates from the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS). The objective of the current study was to validate the longitudinal use of the Owen Clinic adherence index in analyses of time to initial virologic suppression and maintenance of suppression.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>278 patients (naïve n = 168, experienced n = 110) met inclusion criteria. Median [range] time on the first regimen during the study period was 286 (30 – 1221) days. 217 patients (78%) achieved an undetectable plasma viral load (pVL) at median 63 days. 8.3% (18/217) of patients experienced viral rebound (pVL > 400) after initial suppression. Adherence scores varied from 0 – 25 (mean 1.06, median 0). The lowest detectable adherence score cut point using this instrument was ≥ 5 for both initial suppression and maintenance of suppression. In the final Cox model of time to first undetectable pVL, controlling for prior treatment experience and baseline viral load, the adjusted hazard ratio for time updated adherence score was 0.36_{score ≥ 5}(95% CI: 0.19–0.69) [reference: <5]. In the final generalized estimating equations (GEE) logistic regression model the adjusted odds ratio for time-updated adherence score was 0.17_{score ≥ 5}(0.05–0.66) [reference: <5].</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A brief, longitudinally administered self report adherence instrument predicted both initial virologic suppression and maintenance of suppression in patients using contemporary ARV regimens. The survey can be used for identification of sub-optimal adherence with subsequent appropriate intervention.</p

While shoot herbivores reduce, root herbivores increase nutrient enrichment’s impact on diversity in a grassland model

Nutrient enrichment is widespread throughout grassland systems and expected to increase during the Anthropocene. Trophic interactions, like aboveground herbivory, have been shown to mitigate its effect on plant diversity. Belowground herbivory may also impact these habitats’ response to nutrient enrichment, but its influence is much less understood, and likely to depend on factors such as the herbivores’ preference for dominant species and the symmetry of belowground competition. If preferential toward the dominant, fastest growing species, root herbivores may reduce these species’ relative fitness and support diversity during nutrient enrichment. However, as plant competition belowground is commonly considered to be symmetric, root herbivores may be less impactful than shoot herbivores because they do not reduce any competitive asymmetry between the dominant and subordinate plants. To better understand this system, we used an established, two-layer, grassland community model to run a full-factorially designed simulation experiment, crossing the complete removal of aboveground herbivores and belowground herbivores with nutrient enrichment. After 100 yr of simulation, we analyzed communities' diversity, competition on the individual level, as well as their resistance and recovery. The model reproduced both observed general effects of nutrient enrichment in grasslands and the short-term trends of specific experiments. We found that belowground herbivores exacerbate the negative influence of nutrient enrichment on Shannon diversity within our model grasslands, while aboveground herbivores mitigate its effect. Indeed, data on individuals’ above- and belowground resource uptake reveals that root herbivory reduces resource limitation belowground. As with nutrient enrichment, this shifts competition aboveground. Since shoot competition is asymmetric, with larger, taller individuals gathering disproportionate resources compared to their smaller, shorter counterparts, this shift promotes the exclusion of the smallest species. While increasing the root herbivores’ preferences toward dominant species lessens their negative impact, at best they are only mildly advantageous, and they do very little reduce the negative consequences of nutrient enrichment. Because our model’s belowground competition is symmetric, we hypothesize that root herbivores may be beneficial when root competition is asymmetric. Future research into belowground herbivory should account for the nature of competition belowground to better understand the herbivores’ true influence

Collective dynamics in dispersions of anisometric pigment particles

© 2018 Elsevier B.V. Dynamics of suspensions of solid rodlike pigment particles in a non-polar solvent were studied in a concentration range from the isotropic up to the orientationally ordered nematic-like phase. Using dynamic light scattering and gradient recovery measurements, we studied the rotational and translational diffusion coefficients. We demonstrate that the translational diffusion coefficient in this system is increasing with increasing concentration of the pigment particles in the vicinity of the transition into an ordered phase. This unexpected behaviour can be attributed to the collective interactions between the particles and the alignment effects

A pedagogical design pattern framework:for sharing experiences and enhancing communities of practice within online and blended learning

”Design patterns” were originally proposed in architecture and later in software engineering as a methodology to sketch and share solutions to recurring design problems. In recent years ”pedagogical design patterns” have been introduced as a way to sketch and share good practices in teaching and learning; specifically in the context of technology-enhanced learning (e-learning). Several attempts have been made to establish a framework for describing and sharing such e-learning patterns, but so far they have had limited success. At a series of workshops in a competence-development project for teachers at the University of Copenhagen a new and simpler pedagogical design pattern framework was developed for interfaculty sharing of experiences and enhancing communities of practice in relation to online and blended learning across the university. In this study, the new pedagogical design pattern framework is applied to describe the learning design in four online and blended learning courses within different academic disciplines: Classical Greek, Biostatistics, Environmental Management in Europe, and Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation and Mitigation. Future perspectives for using the framework for developing new E-learning patterns for online and blended learning courses are discussed

Human-BasedNewApproachMethodologiesin DevelopmentalToxicityTesting:AStepAheadfromtheState oftheArtwithaFeto–PlacentalOrgan-on-ChipPlatform

Download PDFsettingsOrder Article Reprints Open AccessReview Human-Based New Approach Methodologies in Developmental Toxicity Testing: A Step Ahead from the State of the Art with a Feto–Placental Organ-on-Chip Platform by Michaela Luconi 1,2,†ORCID,Miguel A. Sogorb 3,†ORCID,Udo R. Markert 4ORCID,Emilio Benfenati 5,Tobias May 6,Susanne Wolbank 7ORCID,Alessandra Roncaglioni 5,Astrid Schmidt 4,Marco Straccia 8ORCID andSabrina Tait 9,*ORCID 1 Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences “Mario Serio”, University of Florence, Viale Pieraccini 6, 50139 Florence, Italy 2 I.N.B.B. (Istituto Nazionale Biostrutture e Biosistemi), Viale Medaglie d’Oro 305, 00136 Rome, Italy 3 Instituto de Bioingeniería, Universidad Miguel Hernández de Elche, Avenida de la Universidad s/n, 03202 Elche, Spain 4 Placenta Lab, Department of Obstetrics, University Hospital Jena, Am Klinikum 1, 07747 Jena, Germany 5 Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, Via Mario Negri 2, 20156 Milan, Italy 6 InSCREENeX GmbH, Inhoffenstr. 7, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany 7 Ludwig Boltzmann Institut for Traumatology, The Research Center in Cooperation with AUVA, Austrian Cluster for Tissue Regeneration, Donaueschingenstrasse 13, 1200 Vienna, Austria 8 FRESCI by Science&Strategy SL, C/Roure Monjo 33, Vacarisses, 08233 Barcelona, Spain 9 Centre for Gender-Specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. † These authors contributed equally to this work. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19(23), 15828; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315828 Submission received: 24 October 2022 / Revised: 20 November 2022 / Accepted: 25 November 2022 / Published: 28 November 2022 (This article belongs to the Section Toxicology and Public Health) Downloadkeyboard_arrow_down Browse Figures Review Reports Versions Notes Abstract Developmental toxicity testing urgently requires the implementation of human-relevant new approach methodologies (NAMs) that better recapitulate the peculiar nature of human physiology during pregnancy, especially the placenta and the maternal/fetal interface, which represent a key stage for human lifelong health. Fit-for-purpose NAMs for the placental–fetal interface are desirable to improve the biological knowledge of environmental exposure at the molecular level and to reduce the high cost, time and ethical impact of animal studies. This article reviews the state of the art on the available in vitro (placental, fetal and amniotic cell-based systems) and in silico NAMs of human relevance for developmental toxicity testing purposes; in addition, we considered available Adverse Outcome Pathways related to developmental toxicity. The OECD TG 414 for the identification and assessment of deleterious effects of prenatal exposure to chemicals on developing organisms will be discussed to delineate the regulatory context and to better debate what is missing and needed in the context of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis to significantly improve this sector. Starting from this analysis, the development of a novel human feto–placental organ-on-chip platform will be introduced as an innovative future alternative tool for developmental toxicity testing, considering possible implementation and validation strategies to overcome the limitation of the current animal studies and NAMs available in regulatory toxicology and in the biomedical field