PBL in wissenschaftlichen Weiterbildungsangeboten in den MINT-Fächern

Wie lassen sich PBL-Konzepte erfolgreich in Programmen der wissenschaftlichen Weiterbildung im MINT-Bereich realisieren? Im Rahmen der Bildungsallianz mint.online werden berufsbegleitende Studienprogramme und Zertifikatskurse für die MINT-Fachdisziplinen entwickelt. Sie zielen auf eine schnelle Integration aktueller Forschungsergebnisse, eine zielgruppenadäquate Entwicklung von Curricula und sollen den besonderen Ansprüchen heterogener Studierender Rechnung tragen. Neben der organisationalen Verankerung zeigen drei Programme der Bildungsallianz die Vielfalt und die Herausforderungen der PBL-Methoden auf. 13.05.2016 | Marlen Arnold, Thomas Poppinga, Christian Schöne, Tanja Behrendt, Herena Torio, Kathrin Wetzel (Oldenburg) & Telsche Nielsen-Lange (Bremerhaven

Marine Spatial Planning and Integrated Coastal Management as drivers for a more international, interdisciplinary and interactive approach to higher education

[EN] Environment and sustainability issues are becoming increasingly important world-wide. They also determine future career options of students. This change demands a modified portfolio of competences students should develop during their higher eduction studies. Within a multidimensional field between interdisciplinarity, internationalisation and interactivity various pathways can be taken to realise according adjustment of higher education settings. In this paper, we will present an example for successful innovation and adaptation to emerging needs. We refer to the case of an interdisciplinary module tailored to a international student group by creating interactivity in an online learning environment. The module has its topical drivers in Marine Spatial Planning and Integrated Coastal Zone Management. Both societal challenges provide multiple options to connect  plus innovate existing (disciplinary) study programmes in an institutional framework.Behrendt, T.; Ripken, M.; Klenke, T. (2022). Marine Spatial Planning and Integrated Coastal Management as drivers for a more international, interdisciplinary and interactive approach to higher education. En 8th International Conference on Higher Education Advances (HEAd'22). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1177-1184. https://doi.org/10.4995/HEAd22.2022.146331177118

A New Algorithm for the Satellite-Based Retrieval of Solar Surface Irradiance in Spectral Bands

Accurate solar surface irradiance data is a prerequisite for an efficient planning and operation of solar energy systems. Further, it is essential for climate monitoring and analysis. Recently, the demand on information about spectrally resolved solar surface irradiance has grown. As surface measurements are rare, satellite derived information with high accuracy might fill this gap. This paper describes a new approach for the retrieval of spectrally resolved solar surface irradiance from satellite data. The method combines a eigenvector-hybrid look-up table approach for the clear sky case with satellite derived cloud transmission (Heliosat method). The eigenvector LUT approach is already used to retrieve the broadband solar surface irradiance of data sets provided by the Climate Monitoring Satellite Application Facility (CM-SAF). This paper describes the extension of this approach to wavelength bands and the combination with spectrally resolved cloud transmission values derived with radiative transfer corrections of the broadband cloud transmission. Thus, the new approach is based on radiative transfer modeling and enables the use of extended information about the atmospheric state, among others, to resolve the effect of water vapor and ozone absorption bands. The method is validated with spectrally resolved measurements from two sites in Europe and by comparison with radiative transfer calculations. The validation results demonstrate the ability of the method to retrieve accurate spectrally resolved irradiance from satellites. The accuracy is in the range of the uncertainty of surface measurements, with exception of the UV and NIR ( ≥ 1200 nm) part of the spectrum, where higher deviations occur

Comparison of the effects of open vs. closed skill exercise on the acute and chronic BDNF, IGF-1 and IL-6 response in older healthy adults

Background!#!Accumulating evidence shows that physical exercise has a positive effect on the release of neurotrophic factors and myokines. However, evidence regarding the optimal type of physical exercise for these release is still lacking. The aim of this study was to assess the acute and chronic effects of open-skill exercise (OSE) compared to closed-skill exercise (CSE) on serum and plasma levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF!##!Methods!#!To investigate acute effects, thirty-eight participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention (badminton (aOSE) and bicycling (aCSE), n  = 24, 65.83 ± 5.98 years) or control group (reading (CG), n  = 14, 67.07 ± 2.37 years). Blood samples were taken immediately before and 5 min after each condition. During each condition, heart rate was monitored. The mean heart rate of aOSE and aCSE were equivalent (65 ± 5% of heart rate reserve). In a subsequent 12-week training-intervention, twenty-two participants were randomly assigned to either a sport-games (cOSE, n  = 6, 64.50 ± 6.32) or a strength-endurance training (cCSE, n  = 9, 64.89 ± 3.51) group to assess for chronic effects. Training intensity for both groups was adjusted to a subjective perceived exertion using the CR-10 scale (value 7). Blood samples were taken within one day after the training-intervention.!##!Results!#!BDNF!##!Conclusion!#!Our results indicate that both exercise types are efficient to acutely increase BDN

Brain-Derived neurotrophic factor and inflammatory biomarkers are unaffected by acute and chronic intermittent hypoxic-hyperoxic exposure in geriatric patients: a randomized controlled trial

AbstractBackground Animal and human studies have shown that exposure to hypoxia can increase brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein transcription and reduce systematic inflammatory cytokine response. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the acute and chronic effects of intermittent hypoxic-hyperoxic exposure (IHHE) prior to aerobic exercise on BDNF, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) blood levels in geriatric patients.Patients and Methods Twenty-five geriatric patients (83.1 ± 5.0 yrs, 71.1 ± 10.0 kg, 1.8 ± 0.9 m) participated in a placebo-controlled, single-blinded trial and were randomly assigned to either an intervention (IG) or control group (CG) performing an aerobic cycling training (17 sessions, 20 min·session−1, 3 sessions·week−1). Prior to aerobic cycling exercise, the IG was additionally exposed to IHHE for 30 min, whereas the CG received continuous normoxic air. Blood samples were taken immediately before (pre-exercise) and 10 min (post-exercise) after the first session as well as 48 h (post-training) after the last session to determine serum (BDNFS) and plasma BDNF (BDNFP), IL-6, and CRP levels. Intervention effects were analyzed using a 2 x 2 analysis of covariance with repeated measures. Results were interpreted based on effect sizes with a medium effect considered as meaningful (ηp2 ≥ 0.06, d ≥ 0.5).Results CRP was moderately higher (d = 0.51) in the CG compared to the IG at baseline. IHHE had no acute effect on BDNFS (ηp2 = 0.01), BDNFP (ηp2 < 0.01), BDNF serum/plasma-ratio (ηp2 < 0.01), IL-6 (ηp2 < 0.01), or CRP (ηp2 = 0.04). After the 6-week intervention, an interaction was found for BDNF serum/plasma-ratio (ηp2 = 0.06) but not for BDNFS (ηp2 = 0.04), BDNFP (ηp2 < 0.01), IL-6 (ηp2 < 0.01), or CRP (ηp2 < 0.01). BDNF serum/plasma-ratio increased from pre-exercise to post-training (d = 0.67) in the CG compared to the IG (d = 0.51). A main effect of time was found for BDNFP (ηp2 = 0.09) but not for BDNFS (ηp2 = 0.02). Within-group post-hoc analyses revealed a training-related reduction in BDNFP in the IG and CG by 46.1% (d = 0.73) and 24.7% (d = 0.57), respectively.Conclusion The addition of 30 min IHHE prior to 20 min aerobic cycling seems not to be effective to increase BDNFS and BDNFP or to reduce IL-6 and CRP levels in geriatric patients after a 6-week intervention.The study was retrospectively registered at drks.de (DRKS-ID: DRKS00025130)

The 'Early Developmental Stages of Psychopathology (EDSP) study' : a 20-year review of methods and findings

The "Early Developmental Stages of Psychopathology (EDSP)" study is a prospective-longitudinal study program in a community sample (Munich, Germany) of adolescents and young adults. The program was launched in 1994 to study the prevalence and incidence of psychopathological syndromes and mental disorders, to describe the natural course and to identify vulnerability and risk factors for onset and progression as well as psychosocial consequences. This paper reviews methods and core outcomes of this study program.; The EDSP is based on an age-stratified random community sample of originally N = 3021 subjects aged 14-24 years at baseline, followed up over 10 years with up to 3 follow-up waves. The program includes a family genetic supplement and nested cohorts with lab assessments including blood samples for genetic analyses. Psychopathology was assessed with the DSM-IV/M-CIDI; embedded dimensional scales and instruments assessed vulnerability and risk factors.; Beyond the provision of age-specific prevalence and incidence rates for a wide range of mental disorders, analyses of their patterns of onset, course and interrelationships, the program identified common and diagnosis-specific distal and proximal vulnerability and risk factors including critical interactions.; The EDSP study advanced our knowledge on the developmental pathways and trajectories, symptom progression and unfolding of disorder comorbidity, highlighting the dynamic nature of many disorders and their determinants. The results have been instrumental for defining more appropriate diagnostic thresholds, led to the derivation of symptom progression models and were helpful to identify promising targets for prevention and intervention

Blockierter Wandel? : Denk- und Handlungsspielräume für eine nachhaltige Regionalentwicklung

Warum ist es so schwer, die Entwicklung von Regionen nachhaltig zu gestalten? Was blockiert die vielen Bemühungen? Inwiefern sind diese Blockaden auf dichotome Wahrnehmungs-, Denk- und Handlungsmuster zurückzuführen, die von Hierarchien durchzogen sind? Und wie lassen sich diese Blockaden überwinden? Zu diesen Fragen hat der Forschungsverbund "Blockierter Wandel?" in der Region Mulde-Mündung in Ostdeutschland Antworten erarbeitet, die in diesem Buch vorgestellt werden. In der Zusammenarbeit der Forschenden mit zahlreichen Menschen der Region wurden in den Praxisfeldern Arbeit, Wasserver- und -entsorgung, Bildung, Landschaftsnutzung sowie im Hochwasserschutz Potenziale für Nachhaltigkeit ausgemacht, die sich zwischen bestehenden dichotomen Strukturen entfalten. In diesen Zwischenräumen werden Ziele und Prozesse einer sozial-ökologischen Transformation im gemeinsamen Lernen entworfen und gestaltet. Nachhaltige Regionalentwicklung, so die Ergebnisse der kritischen Analyse und konstruktiven Perspektive des Forschungsverbundes, erfolgt über die Ermöglichung, Sicherung und Stabilisierung solcher Zwischenräume