Untersuchungen über die Ausbreitung und Vermehrung von E. coli in Schlicksedimenten von Küstengewässern

1. Versuche zur Vermehrung und Einwanderung von Colibakterien ins Sediment erfolgten mit dem Teststamm E. coli K.12. Dessen Verhalten wurde in Labor- und Freilanduntersuchungen überprüft und in Abhängigkeit vom Salz-, Nährstoff- und Schwefelwasserstoffgehalt diskutiert. 2. Einwanderung und Vermehrung von E. coli K 12 im Sediment konnte im Laborversuch in speziell dafür konstruierten Säulen beobachtet werden. Im sterilisierten Schlicksediment wurde aktive Einwanderung von E. coli K 12 mit recht gleichmäßiger Geschwindigkeit festgestellt. Im unsterilisierten Sediment erfolgte die Einwanderung mit erheblich höherer Geschwindigkeit. Dieses kann auf einen passiven Transport der Bakterien durch Würmer oder andere schlickbewohnende Tiere zurückzuführen sein. 3. Eine Vermehrung von E. coli K 12 wurde im Laborversuch nur in sterilisiertem Brackwassersediment festgestellt. In allen anderen Proben starben die Keime mehr oder weniger schnell ab. 4. Freilanduntersuchungen im Watt der Nordsee zeigten, daß unter natürlichen Verhältnissen das Absterben von E. coli im Sediment erheblich langsamer erfolgt als im Seewasser gleichen Salzgehaltes

E-Readers Are More Effective than Paper for Some with Dyslexia

E-readers are fast rivaling print as a dominant method for reading. Because they offer accessibility options that are impossible in print, they are potentially beneficial for those with impairments, such as dyslexia. Yet, little is known about how the use of these devices influences reading in those who struggle. Here, we observe reading comprehension and speed in 103 high school students with dyslexia. Reading on paper was compared with reading on a small handheld e-reader device, formatted to display few words per line. We found that use of the device significantly improved speed and comprehension, when compared with traditional presentations on paper for specific subsets of these individuals: Those who struggled most with phoneme decoding or efficient sight word reading read more rapidly using the device, and those with limited VA Spans gained in comprehension. Prior eye tracking studies demonstrated that short lines facilitate reading in dyslexia, suggesting that it is the use of short lines (and not the device per se) that leads to the observed benefits. We propose that these findings may be understood as a consequence of visual attention deficits, in some with dyslexia, that make it difficult to allocate attention to uncrowded text near fixation, as the gaze advances during reading. Short lines ameliorate this by guiding attention to the uncrowded span

Shorter Lines Facilitate Reading in Those Who Struggle

People with dyslexia, who ordinarily struggle to read, sometimes remark that reading is easier when e-readers are used. Here, we used eye tracking to observe high school students with dyslexia as they read using these devices. Among the factors investigated, we found that reading using a small device resulted in substantial benefits, improving reading speeds by 27%, reducing the number of fixations by 11%, and importantly, reducing the number of regressive saccades by more than a factor of 2, with no cost to comprehension. Given that an expected trade-off between horizontal and vertical regression was not observed when line lengths were altered, we speculate that these effects occur because sluggish attention spreads perception to the left as the gaze shifts during reading. Short lines eliminate crowded text to the left, reducing regression. The effects of attention modulation by the hand, and of increased letter spacing to reduce crowding, were also found to modulate the oculomotor dynamics in reading, but whether these factors resulted in benefits or costs depended on characteristics, such as visual attention span, that varied within our sample

Clinical psychology and the COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed methods survey among members of the European Association of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Treatment (EACLIPT)

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has affected people globally both physically and psychologically. The increased demands for mental health interventions provided by clinical psychologists, psychotherapists and mental health care professionals, as well as the rapid change in work setting (e.g., from face-to-face to video therapy) has proven challenging. The current study investigates European clinical psychologists and psychotherapists’ views on the changes and impact on mental health care that occurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It further aims to explore individual and organizational processes that assist clinical psychologists’ and psychotherapists’ in their new working conditions, and understand their needs and priorities. Method: Members of the European Association of Clinical Psychology and Psychological Treatment (EACLIPT) were invited (N = 698) to participate in a survey with closed and open questions covering their experiences during the first wave of the pandemic from June to September 2020. Participants (n = 92) from 19 European countries, mostly employed in universities or hospitals, completed the online survey. Results: Results of qualitative and quantitative analyses showed that clinical psychologists and psychotherapists throughout the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic managed to continue to provide treatments for patients who were experiencing emotional distress. The challenges (e.g., maintaining a working relationship through video treatment) and opportunities (e.g., more flexible working hours) of working through this time were identified. Conclusions: Recommendations for mental health policies and professional organizations are identified, such as clear guidelines regarding data security and workshops on conducting video therapy

Influence of doping on charge carrier collection in normal and inverted geometry polymer: fullerene solar cells

While organic semiconductors used in polymer:fullerene photovoltaics are generally not intentionally doped, significant levels of unintentional doping have previously been reported in the literature. Here, we explain the differences in photocurrent collection between standard (transparent anode) and inverted (transparent cathode) low band-gap polymer:fullerene solar cells in terms of unintentional p-type doping. Using capacitance/voltage measurements, we find that the devices exhibit doping levels of order 1016 cm−3, resulting in space-charge regions ~100 nm thick at short circuit. As a result, low field regions form in devices thicker than 100 nm. Because more of the light is absorbed in the low field region in standard than in inverted architectures, the losses due to inefficient charge collection are greater in standard architectures. Using optical modelling, we show that the observed trends in photocurrent with device architecture and thickness can be explained if only charge carriers photogenerated in the depletion region contribute to the photocurrent

Removal of hydrogen from Ti VT 1-0 under action of accelerated electrons

The process of hydrogen removal from titanium of VT1-0 grade under the action of accelerated electrons has been studied experimentally. The irradiation was carried out by an electron beam with energies of 25-40 keV during 15-60 min. The information on the hydrogen content in samples from titanium of VT1-0 grade has been obtained both before and after irradiation with accelerated electrons. The activation energy of hydrogen desorption from titanium has been calculated. It was found that the increase of the time and the energy of an irradiation lead to the decrease of the residual hydrogen content in the titanium samples

Host Imprints on Bacterial Genomes—Rapid, Divergent Evolution in Individual Patients

Bacteria lose or gain genetic material and through selection, new variants become fixed in the population. Here we provide the first, genome-wide example of a single bacterial strain's evolution in different deliberately colonized patients and the surprising insight that hosts appear to personalize their microflora. By first obtaining the complete genome sequence of the prototype asymptomatic bacteriuria strain E. coli 83972 and then resequencing its descendants after therapeutic bladder colonization of different patients, we identified 34 mutations, which affected metabolic and virulence-related genes. Further transcriptome and proteome analysis proved that these genome changes altered bacterial gene expression resulting in unique adaptation patterns in each patient. Our results provide evidence that, in addition to stochastic events, adaptive bacterial evolution is driven by individual host environments. Ongoing loss of gene function supports the hypothesis that evolution towards commensalism rather than virulence is favored during asymptomatic bladder colonization

Identifying core knowledge and skill sets for model curricula: update

This deliverable presents state of the art in curriculum development work, and compares IDCnet to it. Next it discusses the methodology followed to identify key knowledge and skill sets for Design for All. The categories of knowledge thus identified are organised into a taxonomy with examples given for each category and subcategory along with a set of learning outcomes. The purpose of the taxonomy is to structure the knowledge. As this deliverable was a ‘living’ document, and as further activities have taken place since this deliverable was first submitted, this version includes a substantially expanded chapter 5, incorporating comments from: the project review process; the new members of IDCnet; the second IDCnet workshop; as well as comments received from colleagues in response to dissemination activities at conferences. The categories and subcategories of the taxonomy remain unchanged, but further topics and examples have been added to illustrate and clarify the use and range of each category. Finally, the next steps in the IDCnet WP3 strategy are briefly described

Advanced Materials and Measuring Techniques for Chemical Sensors

This overview focuses on modifications of chemical compounds used in the development of chemical sensors, and on materials and chemical sensors which may be sufficiently mature to be used in the industry. Special attention is paid to gas-selective optode membranes which incorporate compounds such as cobyrinate derivatives and Ru(II)complexes that are chemically modified in view of a specific application. New materials are described, e.g. the magnesium-selective ionophores currently used for diagnostic applications, and a class of substituted polymethine dyes characterized by an amine donor and a bisdicyanovinyl-ideneindandione acceptor group, where the target pKa can be modulated by decisive substituents.Three projects are discussed in more detail: 1) the development of ion-selective nanoprobes on the basis of coated AFM-tips; 2) reactands and chromoreactands which are covalently bound to acrylate-based copolymers and allow to monitor alcohols and amines continuously, and 3) a continuous-flow module integrating a fiber-optical probe that allows to monitor variations in the absorption spectrum of chromoreactands in the transflection mode