Does environmental education benefit environmental outcomes in children and adolescents? A meta-analysis

Young people can be agents of sustainable change. To this end, environmental education programs aim to promote their environmental knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. We synthesized five decades of research into the effectiveness of environmental education for children and adolescents. We searched PsycINFO, ERIC, and Scopus and identified 169 studies (512 effect sizes; 176,007 participants) conducted in 43 countries, across 6 continents. Environmental education significantly improved environmental knowledge (g = 0.953), attitudes (g = 0.384), intentions (g = 0.256), and—mostly self-reported—behavior (g = 0.410). Heterogeneity in effect sizes was substantial; none of the tested moderators (including participant age, educational approach, and study design) accounted for this variance. Our findings demonstrate the potential for environmental education to improve students’ environmental knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behavior. They also reveal methodo- logical challenges for the field. Future research priorities include identifying effective environmental education components and approaches

“Зізнання авантюриста Фелікса Крулля” Томаса Манна як пародія на велику автобіографію

Статтю присвячено розгляду рецепції та відображення “Поезії і правди” Й.-В. Гете в романі Т. Манна “Зізнання авантюриста Фелікса Крулля”. Представлена розвідка продовжує ряд наукових досліджень, присвячених вивченню особливостей рецепції автобіографії Й.-В. Гете, зокрема в німецькомовному літературному просторі. При дослідженні особливостей наявного в аналізованому нами романі пародійного наслідування Й.-В. Гете основна увага зосереджується автором на його стилістичному та тематичному рівнях.Статья посвящена рассмотрению рецепции и отражения “Поэзии и правды” Й.-В. Гете в романе Т. Манна “Признания авантюриста Феликса Крулля”. Представленная статья продолжает ряд научных исследований, посвященных изучению особенностей рецепции автобиографии Й.-В. Гете в частности в немецкоязычном литературном пространстве. При изучении особенностей имеющихся в анализированном нами романе пародийного подражания Й.-В. Гете основное внимание автор сосредотачивает на его стилистическом и тематическом уровнях.The article focuses on the reception of Goethe’s “Poetry and Truth” and its reflection in T. Mann’s novel “The Confession of adventurer Felix Crool”. The given article extends the series of scientific investigations that deal with the peculiarities of Goethe’s reception in German literature. Studying the parody imitation peculiarities of Goethe in the analysed novel, the main attention is paid to the stylistic and theme levels

A Situational Alignment Framework for PACS

This paper reports the outcomes of a study on an integrated situational alignment framework for picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) labeled as PISA. Following the design research cycle, complementary validation methods and pilot cases were used to assess the proposed framework and its operationalized survey. In this paper, the authors outline (a) the process of the framework’ development, (b) the validation process with its underlying iterative steps, (c) the outcomes of pilot cases, and (d) improvement opportunities to refine and further validate the PISA framework. Results of this study support empirical application of the framework to hospital enterprises in order to gain insights into their PACS maturity and alignment. We argue that the framework can be applied as a valuable tool for assessments, monitoring and benchmarking purposes and strategic PACS planning

Does environmental education benefit environmental outcomes in children and adolescents?: A meta-analysis

Young people can be agents of sustainable change. To this end, environmental education programs aim to promote their environmental knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. We synthesized five decades of research into the effectiveness of environmental education for children and adolescents. We searched PsycINFO, ERIC, and Scopus and identified 169 studies (512 effect sizes; 176,007 participants) conducted in 43 countries, across 6 continents. Environmental education significantly improved environmental knowledge (g = 0.953), attitudes (g = 0.384), intentions (g = 0.256), and—mostly self-reported—behavior (g = 0.410). Heterogeneity in effect sizes was substantial; none of the tested moderators (including participant age, educational approach, and study design) accounted for this variance. Our findings demonstrate the potential for environmental education to improve students’ environmental knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behavior. They also reveal methodological challenges for the field. Future research priorities include identifying effective environmental education components and approaches

Efficient Double Fragmentation ChIP-seq Provides Nucleotide Resolution Protein-DNA Binding Profiles

Immunoprecipitated crosslinked protein-DNA fragments typically range in size from several hundred to several thousand base pairs, with a significant part of chromatin being much longer than the optimal length for next-generation sequencing (NGS) procedures. Because these larger fragments may be non-random and represent relevant biology that may otherwise be missed, but also because they represent a significant fraction of the immunoprecipitated material, we designed a double-fragmentation ChIP-seq procedure. After conventional crosslinking and immunoprecipitation, chromatin is de-crosslinked and sheared a second time to concentrate fragments in the optimal size range for NGS. Besides the benefits of increased chromatin yields, the procedure also eliminates a laborious size-selection step. We show that the double-fragmentation ChIP-seq approach allows for the generation of biologically relevant genome-wide protein-DNA binding profiles from sub-nanogram amounts of TCF7L2/TCF4, TBP and H3K4me3 immunoprecipitated material. Although optimized for the AB/SOLiD platform, the same approach may be applied to other platforms

Variation in tospovirus transmission between populations of Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Fourteen populations of the western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalisPergande, originating from different hosts and countries in Asia, Europe, North America and New Zealand, were analysed for their competency and efficiency to transmit tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV). All populations acquired and subsequently transmitted the virus, and were thus competent to transmit. They show marked differences in their efficiency, expressed as the percentage of transmitting adults. Efficiencies varied from 18 or a F. occidentalis population from the USA (US2) to 75␈r a population from Israel (IS2). The differences between populations were not affected by the amount of virus ingested or by the host plant used. However, the tospovirus species studied and age at which the larvae acquired the virus affected the efficiency to transmit. First instar larvae of the NL3 population from The Netherlands were able to acquire tomato spotted wilt virus, whereas second instar larvae failed to do so. However, both instars of this population acquired impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV), another tospovirus. This and tomato spotted wilt virus were both acquired by both larval stages of the populations IS2 and US2, although their ability to acquire virus decreased with their age. Hence, it is likely that, in general, both instar larvae of most F. occidentalis populations are competent to acquire both tospoviruses. These results show that large differences exist in the efficiency by which tomato spotted wilt is transmitted by the various F. occidentalis populations and that the ability to acquire tospovirus decreases with the age of the larva

A double blind, fixed blood-level study comparing mirtazapine with imipramine in depressed in-patients

Antidepressant effects of mirtazapine and imipramine were compared in a randomized, double blind, fixed blood-level study with in-patients in a single centre. Patients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of major depression and a Hamilton (17-item) score of ≤ 18 were selected. After a drug-free and a placebo-washout period of 7 days in total, 107 patients still fulfilling the HRSD criterion of ≤ 18, started on active treatment. The dose was adjusted to a predefined fixed blood level to avoid suboptimal dosing of imipramine. Concomitant psychotropic medication was administered only in a few cases because of intolerable anxiety or intolerable psychotic symptoms. Eight patients dropped out and two were excluded from analyses because of non-compliance; 97 completed the study. According to the main response criterion (50% or more reduction on the HRSD score) 11/51 (21.6%) patients responded on mirtazapine and 23/46 (50%) on imipramine after 4 weeks' treatment on the predefined blood level. Such a dramatic difference in efficacy between antidepressants has not often been reported before. The selection of (severely ill) in-patients, including those with suicidal or psychotic features, may have significance in this respect. Optimization of treatment with the reference drug imipramine through blood level control, exclusion of non-compliance for both drugs, exclusion of most concomitant medication and a low drop-out rate may also have contributed. It is concluded that imipramine is superior to mirtazapine in the patient population studied

A human colonic crypt culture system to study regulation of stem cell-driven tissue renewal and physiological function

The intestinal epithelium is one of the most rapidly renewing tissues in the human body and fulfils vital physiological roles such as barrier function and transport of nutrients and fluid. Investigation of gut epithelial physiology in health and disease has been hampered by the lack of ex vivo models of the native human intestinal epithelium. Recently, remarkable progress has been made in defining intestinal stem cells and in generating intestinal organoid cultures. In parallel, we have developed a 3D culture system of the native human colonic epithelium that recapitulates the topological hierarchy of stem cell-driven tissue renewal and permits the physiological study of native polarized epithelial cells. Here we describe methods to establish 3D cultures of intact human colonic crypts and conduct real-time imaging of intestinal tissue renewal, cellular signalling, and physiological function, in conjunction with manipulation of gene expression by lentiviral or adenoviral transduction. Visualization of mRNA- and protein-expression patterns in cultured human colonic crypts, and cross-validation with crypts derived from fixed mucosal biopsies, is also described. Alongside studies using intestinal organoids, the near-native human colonic crypt culture model will help to bridge the gap that exists between investigation of colon cancer cell lines and/or animal (tissue) studies, and progression to clinical trials. To this end, the near native human colonic crypt model provides a platform to aid the development of novel strategies for the prevention of inflammatory bowel disease and cancer