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Media watchdog weblogs can play an important role in media accountability, provided that the bloggers are regularly active and have an appropriate awareness of their role in the media landscape. The following article examines the presence and influence of media watchblogs in selected nations, as well as the operators’ standards and perceptions of their roles. In semi-structured qualitative interviews, operators of watchblogs in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the United Kingdom discussed their perceptions of their role, their ethical guidelines, their financing and any conflicts of interest, and their projections for the future. The interviews reveal that most media watchbloggers do not interpret their role to be a Fifth Estate with a mandate to monitor the mass media. The watchbloggers are reluctant to accept and uphold formal ethical and quality criteria, and limitations on time and money make them unable to guarantee ongoing critical media analysis. For these reasons, media watchblogs are determined to be a weak instrument of media accountability.
Die Anleitung zum selbständigen wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten ist ein fester Bestandteil in der naturwissenschaftlichen Ausbildung, der im letzten Jahr durch Distanz‐Unterricht stark vernachlässigt wurde. Wir stellen hier einen Ansatz vor, bei dem Studierende zu Hause mit Alltagsgegenständen in Teilaufgaben die Aktivität von Hefe in Abhängigkeit von Temperatur und Substrat untersucht haben. Die Ergebnisse des gesamten Kurses wurden in einem Google‐Dokument gesammelt und zentral ausgewertet. Gleichzeitig fand ein Erfahrungsaustausch unter den Lernenden statt und Probleme konnten öffentlich diskutiert werden. Darüber hinaus wurden grundlegende Fähigkeiten wie Beobachten, Protokollieren und detailgetreues Berichten geübt. Die Online‐Dokumentation und ‐Erfassung der Ergebnisse stellt somit eine geeignete Methode dar, die Durchführung von Heimexperimenten zu aktivieren und zu koordinieren.
Würdevolles Sterben muss an jedem Ort möglich sein, auch im Krankenhaus, und hier nicht nur auf einer Palliativstation. Immer noch kommt es am Lebensende zu unnötigen, nicht dem Patientenwohl dienenden, Verlegungen vom Heim oder der eigenen Wohnung in das Krankenhaus, vom Krankenhaus bspw. in ein Hospiz oder innerhalb des Krankenhauses von einer Normal- auf die Intensivstation. Damit die Zahl vermeidbarer Verlegungen im Krankenhaus reduziert wird, wurden im Rahmen eines Projektes zur Versorgungsforschung (Avenue-Pal), gefördert über den Gemeinsamen Bundesausschuss aus dem Innovationsfonds des Bundes, Entscheidungshilfen erarbeitet.
Osteoporosis is a common disease of old age. However, in many cases, it can be very well prevented and counteracted with physical activity, especially high-impact exercises. Wearables have the potential to provide data that can help with continuous monitoring of patients during therapy phases or preventive exercise programs in everyday life. This study aimed to determine the accuracy and reliability of measured acceleration data at different body positions compared to accelerations at the pelvis during different jumping exercises. Accelerations at the hips have been investigated in previous studies with regard to osteoporosis prevention. Data were collected using an IMU-based motion capture system (Xsens) consisting of 17 sensors. Forty-nine subjects were included in this study. The analysis shows the correlation between impacts and the corresponding drop height, which are dependent on the respective exercise. Very high correlations (0.83–0.94) were found between accelerations at the pelvis and the other measured segments at the upper body. The foot sensors provided very weak correlations (0.20–0.27). Accelerations measured at the pelvis during jumping exercises can be tracked very well on the upper body and upper extremities, including locations where smart devices are typically worn, which gives possibilities for remote and continuous monitoring of programs.
Essays on the Media Revolution in the 19th Century, when sound recording, film and typewriter changed the way of communication, literature, and arts; on the societal impact and role models that came along with the invention and success of the typewriting machine; on early mathematical and mechanistic ways of reasoning the medieval philosopher Ramón Llull, Leibniz's idea of binary numbers and the advent of artificial intelligence.
Which influence had the sudden appearance of sound recording, film, and typewriters at the end of the 19th century on the human perception of and our thinking about what we consider “reality”? How did our society change with these technological innovations? After millennia of speech and the culture of writing, a fundamental disruption occurred when Thomas Alva Edison introduced his “phonograph” in 1877. In his book “Grammophon, Film, Typewriter” (Brinkmann & Bose, Berlin 1986), Friedrich Kittler (1943-2011) discusses this question from his perspective as literary scholar and media theorist, reviewing contemporary authors to let them bear witness to their experiences and impressions of the then-new media. This essay intends to be a short extract of Kittler’s book, meandering between additional sources of historians, writers, commentators, yet always coming back to Kittler’s fascinating panopticon.
Seit in den neunziger Jahren in Deutschland begonnen wurde das Konzept des Neuen Steuerungsmodels ("New Public Management") einzuführen, werden Hochschulen stärker als bisher an ihrer Leistungsfähigkeit gemessen. Um die öffentlichen Verwaltungen zu modernisieren, werden hierbei Managementtechniken aus der privaten Wirtschaft zur strategischen Steuerung an Hochschulen und an anderen öffentlichen Verwaltungen übernommen. Die Hochschulen werden verstärkt als Dienstleister wahrgenommen und stärker an ihrem tatsächlichen Output gemessen. Parallel dazu hat der internationale Wettbewerb zwischen Hochschulen zugenommen. Beide Entwicklungen erfordern von den Hochschulen, effektive Managementstrukturen zu entwickeln, die ihre Qualität und Leistungsfähigkeit sichern und systematisch weiterentwickeln. Hierbei dürfen aber die für den Erfolg der Hochschule essenziellen Faktoren wie Kreativität, Innovation und Diversität nicht eingeschränkt, sondern müssen vielmehr gestärkt werden. Zudem weisen Hochschulen mit ihren demokratischen hochschulpolitischen Gremien sowie der grundgesetzlich garantierten Freiheit von Forschung und Lehre besondere Strukturen auf, die sich grundsätzlich von denen privatwirtschaftlicher Unternehmen unterscheiden. Viele Aspekte klassischer Managementsysteme und die Prozesse zu deren Einführung können also nicht eins zu eins auf Hochschulen übertragen werden. In der DGQ-Arbeitsgruppe 360 "Einführung von Qualitätsmanagement an Hochschulen" haben Experten aus verschiedenen Hochschulen ihre Erfahrungen und ihr Wissen zusammengetragen, wie ein ganzheitliches Qualitätsmanagementsystem den besonderen Zielsetzungen und Strukturen von Hochschulen gerecht werden kann. In diesem Praxisbuch zeigen die Autoren Schritt für Schritt, wie ein solches Qualitätsmanagementsystem eingeführt und gestaltet werden kann und wie es die Qualität und Leistungsfähigkeit der Hochschule erhöhen kann. Dabei wird ein starker Fokus auf die Prozessorientierung und den Einsatz von Verbesserungszyklen gelegt. Die relevanten Standards und Normen werden beschrieben und die wichtigsten Begriffe geklärt. Besonders wertvoll sind aber sicher die vielen Beispiele aus über 20 Hochschulen und die Erläuterungen zu typischen Stolpersteinen und wichtigen Erfolgsfaktoren - zum Beispiel die große Bedeutung von Kommunikation und Projektmanagement bei der Einführung eines Qualitätsmanagementsystems. Mit diesem Buch hat die Arbeitsgruppe eine Hilfestellung für Praktiker erarbeitet, die sich in Präsidien, Verwaltungsreferaten und den Fachbereichen der Hochschulen mit dem integrierten Management, der Evaluation von Forschung, Studium und Lehre oder der Qualitätssicherung beschäftigen. Zudem leistet sie einen wertvollen Beitrag, den Qualitätsgedanken auf die spezielle Organisation Hochschule zu übertragen.
Psychotherapeutic possibilities of treating chronic pain are employed in two different ways: Firstly in the form of psychotherapy in patients whose strategies for coping with pain and/or pain genesis can be described in terms of psychopathological categories; secondly in the form of pain-coping training, which is generally indicated in the presence of chronic pain, in particular that which is traditionally termed organic. With respect to their effectiveness in achieving, in the first place, mood change, and in the assessment of symptoms, the individual procedures have been well tested. The question as to differential indication, which can most readily be applied to the use of biofeedback, remains largely unanswered.
Angesichts der zunehmenden Alterung der Bevölkerung wird die Frage nach dem Erhalt von Autonomie alter Menschen trotz Mehrfacherkrankungen immer brisanter. Die Beiträge in diesem Band beschäftigen sich mit der Frage, wie alte Menschen trotz Multimorbidität und Gesundheitseinbußen autonom und selbstbestimmt leben können.Die Autoren präsentieren Befunde, die den Entwicklungsstand altersangemessener, zielgruppenspezifischer Instrumente sowie Zugangswege zur Erfassung von Multimorbidität und Autonomie aufzeigen. Weitere Beiträge thematisieren u.a. personale, preofessionelle und sozial-räumliche Faktoren, die Autonomie angesichts von Multimorbidität unterstützen und als Ressourcen wirken. Wie diese Ressourcen einzeln und in ihrer Wechselbeziehung zum Autonomieerhalt beitragen, wie sie erhalten und gefördert werden können, wird beispielhaft im Kontext komplexer autonomierelevanter Gesundheitsprobleme wie Schmerz, Sturz- und Schlafstörungen gezeigt.
In den letzten Jahren haben verschiedene Institutionen bevölkerungsrepräsentative Befragungen zur Bewertung von Einzelaspekten der Gesundheitsversorgung durchgeführt (Bertelsmann Gesundheitsmonitor, Commonwealth Fund, Gesundheitssurvey des Robert Koch-Instituts, BKK-Befragung, WIdO-monitor). Hierzu zählt auch die Kassenärztliche Bundesvereinigung (KBV), die im Jahr 2006 die Forschungsgruppe Wahlen Telefonfeld (FGW) in Mannheim beauftragte, repräsentativ gesetzlich und privat Versicherte zur Zufriedenheit mit der ambulanten Versorgung sowie zum Bedarf an neuen Dienstleistungsangeboten zu befragen (KBV 2006; Rieser 2006). Eine zweite Versichertenbefragung der KBV erfolgte im Zeitraum Mai und Juni 2008, wiederum von der FGW durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse dieser repräsentativen Erhebung werden im Rahmen von zwei Artikeln in Gesundheits- und Sozialpolitik vorgestellt. Im Zentrum des hier vorliegenden ersten Beitrags stehen die Inanspruchnahme der ambulanten haus- und fachärztlichen Versorgung, die Erfahrungen mit Terminvergabe und Wartezeiten sowie die Bewertungen der Versorgung durch die Versicherten. Darüber hinaus wird die Bedeutung von Individuellen Gesundheitsleistungen (IgeL) in der ambulanten Versorgung gesetzlich Versicherter diskutiert. Der zweite Artikel wird sich schwerpunktmäßig mit den Qualitätskriterien für die Wahl eines Arztes, mit den Erfahrungen von Veränderungen in der Medikamentenverordnung sowie mit der Akzeptanz neuer Versorgungsformen und Wahltarife befassen.
Ältere Patienten und Frauen warten länger auf einen Arzttermin als junge Versicherte und Männer, gesetzlich Versicherte länger als Privatpatienten. Die meisten Patienten sind aber keineswegs unzufrieden. 90 Prozent bekommen entweder am selben Tag einen Termin oder halten die Wartezeit für angemessen.
Indem ein wachsender Anteil der Bevölkerung ein hohes Alter erreicht, ändern sich Krankheitsspektrum und Versorgungsbedarf. Besondere Herausforderungen für das Gesundheitssystem ergeben sich durch Mehrfacherkrankung (Multimorbidität) älterer Menschen. Im Gegensatz zu krankheitsspezifischen Endpunkten treten Funktion im Alltag und subjektive Ergebnisdimensionen wie selbstbestimmte Lebensführung (Autonomie), soziale Teilhabe und Lebensqualität als Präventions- und Behandlungsziel in den Vordergrund. Die Gesundheitsforschung hat die Aufgabe, auf die Bedürfnisse spezifischer Zielgruppen alter Menschen abgestimmte Präventions- und Versorgungsmodelle zu entwickeln. Entscheidend dabei ist die Stärkung von personalen, sozialen und organisatorischen Ressourcen. Voraussetzung hierfür sind genaue Kenntnisse zur Entwicklung und zum Verlauf des Krankheitsgeschehens und zu zentralen Einflussfaktoren auf der Grundlage epidemiologischer Beobachtungsstudien. Gezielte Maßnahmen sind in Interventions- und Evaluationsstudien auf Wirksamkeit, Wirkung und Wirtschaftlichkeit zu überprüfen. Der vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) initiierte Förderungsschwerpunkt „Gesundheit im Alter“ fördert insgesamt sechs Forschungsverbünde zum Thema Multimorbidität, die hier kurz vorgestellt werden.
Mit zunehmendem Alter steigt der Anteil mehrfach erkrankter Menschen und immer mehr Menschen erreichen ein sehr hohes Lebensalter. Trotz des medizinischen Fortschritts und verbesserter Lebenslagen müssen viele alte Menschen körperliche, psychische und soziale Einschränkungen bewältigen. Es ist eine große gesundheits- und sozialpolitische Herausforderung, diese alten Frauen und Männer mit gesundheitlichen Beeinträchtigungen in ihrem Bestreben nach einer weitestgehend autonomen Lebensgestaltung zu unterstützen und zu stärken.
Vor diesem Hintergrund widmete sich der Forschungsverbund „Autonomie trotz Multimorbidität im Alter“ (AMA I) der Leitfrage, inwieweit eine selbstbestimmte Lebensgestaltung alter mehrfach erkrankter Menschen erhalten werden kann. Um der Vielfalt der Lebenswelten älterer Menschen gerecht zu werden, wurden im Alltag wenig eingeschränkte und pflegebedürftige sowie kognitiv beeinträchtigte Personen in die Untersuchung einbezogen. Darunter waren Frauen und Männer, die noch im eigenen Haushalt und solche die im Pflegeheim lebten. Im Fokus der Untersuchungen standen die Ressourcen, die den alten Menschen in ihrer jeweiligen Lebenssituation zur Verfügung standen und die Frage, wie diese gestärkt werden können. Der Beitrag präsentiert Ergebnisse zu dieser Forschungsfrage aus der 1. Förderphase des AMA-Verbundes. Darauf aufbauend werden in einer 2. Förderphase (2011–2013, AMA II) nunmehr nachhaltige praxisrelevante Interventionen zur Mobilisierung von autonomierelevanten Ressourcen mehrfach erkrankter alter Menschen entwickelt und auf ihre Praxistauglichkeit getestet.
Eine umfassende theoretische und empirische Auseinandersetzung mit Fragestellungen und Problemen des Alter(n)s setzt eine inter- beziehungsweise transdisziplinäre Wissenschaftspraxis voraus. Deren Realisierung stößt allerdings immer wieder an Grenzen, denn eine disziplinenübergreifende Zusammenarbeit steht einem Wissenschaftssystem gegenüber, dem Ausdifferenzierung, Abgrenzung, Spezialisierung und die Bildung disziplinenspezifischer Kulturen anhaften. Hinzu kommen Publikationsstrukturen mit den Regeln eines akademischen Karrieremarktes, der eine enge (sub)disziplinäre Fokussierung belohnt. Der Beitrag beleuchtet die Probleme und Lösungsstrategien der disziplinenübergreifenden Zusammenarbeit in der Gerontologie am Beispiel des Forschungsverbundes "Gesundheit
im Alter"
In der Ausgabe 5/2008 von „Gesundheits- und Sozialpolitik“ wurden erste Ergebnisse der zweiten Versichertenbefragung der Kassenärztlichen Bundesvereinigung (KBV) vorgestellt. Der Fokus der Darstellung lag im ersten Teil auf dem Inanspruchnahmeverhalten und der Zufriedenheit der Versicherten mit der ärztlichen Versorgung, wobei der Aspekt der Wartezeiten auf einen Termin und in der Arztpraxis ausführlich behandelt wurde. Insgesamt ist eine hohe Inanspruchnahme der haus- und fachärztlichen ambulanten Versorgung zu konstatieren sowie eine überwiegende Zufriedenheit mit der ärztlichen Betreuung. Die Ergebnisse zu den Wartezeiten auf einen Arzttermin spiegeln im Vergleich zu öffentlich geführten Debatten ein differenziertes Bild wider. Im zweiten Teil werden folgende Fragen vertiefend diskutiert: Welche Kriterien sind neben der fachlichen Kompetenz (für die Versicherten) für die Wahl der Arztpraxis relevant? Welche Bedeutung haben Gütesiegel als Qualitätsmarker für die Versicherten? Welche Erfahrungen haben die Versicherten mit Änderungen in der Medikamentenverordnung gemacht? Nehmen die Versicherten an Hausarztmodellen teil und wie bewerten sie die Versorgungsqualität? Welche Akzeptanz haben unterschiedliche Wahltarife bei den gesetzlich Versicherten?
Die unterschiedlichen Bildungswege in der deutschen Sekundarstufe führen abhängig von der Schulform zu abweichenden Lernergebnissen der Englischkompetenzen. Doch in der Tertiärstufe werden die Bildungswege wieder zusammengeführt und die Absolvent(inn)en aller Schulformen befinden sich in einer gemeinsamen Lernumgebung. Die vorgestellte empirische Untersuchung von über 450 Studierenden an zwei bayerischen Fachhochschulen hinsichtlich des Bildungshintergrunds und der Sprachkompetenzen belegt, dass die Lernenden in den nunmehr gemeinsamen Englischkursen im Tertiärbereich über stark unterschiedliche Kompetenzniveaus verfügen. Die Daten zeigen eine ausgeprägte Kaskade im Kompetenzniveau basierend auf der früheren Sekundarschulform, wobei Studierende der vertieften allgemeinbildenden Schule (Gymnasium) ihre Qualifikationen höher einschätzen als Studierende von berufsbildenden Sekundarschulen (FOS und BOS). Obwohl in allen bayerischen Sekundarschulformen mindestens das GER-Niveau B2 als Standard für Schulabgänger festgelegt ist, geben in der Stichprobe von Studierenden an Fachhochschulen mehr als die Hälfte der Lernenden das Niveau B1 in mindestens einer der Fertigkeiten für Englisch an; und etwas mehr als 8% der Studierenden berichten ihre Selbsteinschätzung in jeder Fertigkeit als Niveau B1 oder niedriger. Die Ergebnisse lassen erkennen, dass ein breites Spektrum an Kompetenzniveaus von B1 bis C1 an den Fachohochschulen häufig endemisch ist, und dass die derzeitige Praxis, Englischkurse im Tertiärbereich für die idealisierten B2-Lernenden zu gestalten, den Bedürfnissen vieler Studierenden nicht ausreichend entgegenkommt.
Are you experienced? Technical and interpersonal communication prioritization in engineering ESP
(2017)
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) are using chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) general service respirators (GSRs) to defend against CBRN threats and hazards to protect personnel and ensure that they can safely and successfully carry out missions. The CBRN GSR currently in use by the CAF is the C4 respirator. The National Research Council of Canada assessed the communication performance of the C4 respirator. This report presents the results of the performance test. The method for assessing the communication performance used in this study was the NIOSH standard test procedure TEB-CBRN-APR-STP-0313 [1]. Other methods exist to evaluate the communication performance of respirators, but historically the NIOSH standard test procedure has been used. This report details the implementation and results of the tests conducted at the National Research Council of Canada, following the NIOSH standard test procedure.
The University of Shanghai for Science and Technology (USST), the Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Arts (CUASA) and the OTH Regensburg, University of Applied Sciences (OTHR) established an English taught international cooperative bachelor program in the area of Engineering Physics/Optoelectronics. Students from China study their first four semesters at USST. They continue their studies in Germany for the last three semesters, including an internship and a bachelor thesis, graduating with a Chinese and a German bachelor degree. Students from Germany study their third and fourth semester at USST to gain international experience. While the first cohort of Chinese students is currently in Germany, the second cohort of German students is in Shanghai. Up to now the feedback regarding this study program is completely positive, thus it is planned to develop it further.
Instructors of English for Special Purposes often describe the challenge of determining which specific content and competencies to address in their courses. After all, it is the focus on technical subject matter which students expect to differentiate engineering ESP from standard EFL. Yet ESP instructors, who frequently have a background in fields such as applied linguistics or education, often receive little input from technical specialists as to which specialist topics are most relevant to their target domain.
Our research indicates that ESP instructors in higher education can leverage a valuable resource to enrich teaching effectiveness: students who have already gained professional experience. As part of a longitudinal study at two universities of applied sciences (UAS) in southern Germany, engineering students at the beginning of their first semester of compulsory technical English participate in an online survey. The course participants provide relevant biographical information such as work experience and evaluate the perceived importance of a selection of skills and applications for a Technical English course.
The surveys, administered in October 2016 and October 2017 and encompassing nearly 1000 respondents, provide compelling insights. Analysis reveals conclusive correlations between the perceived importance of course components and students' declared level of previous work experience. Listening comprehension, reading comprehension, process description, and test and measurement are topics whose importance correlates positively with work experience level. In addition, there are clear trends relating work experience level with the importance of the reading and writing of technical documents as well as communication and interaction.
This data provides empirically-founded criteria for selecting the topics to include in the scope of a Technical English course for engineers, informed by the judgment of students with occupational experience. Additionally, recognizing that students with work experience have legitimate practitioner credibility allows instructors to identify and select relevant subject matter in concordance with experienced students' learning objectives. ESP learners will profit greatly from cultivating skills with proven practical applicability.
The emergence of innovative methods and operations in asymmetric conflicts as for example unidentifiable soldiers during the Crimean conflict in 2014 or sophisticated cyberattack against Estonia in 2007 was a trigger for both analysts and scholars to rethink scientific concepts of asymmetric conflict. With introduction of the concept 'hybrid warfare' a new systematic element was established in scientific research. Nevertheless, the concept is discussed rather controversially and often its scientific value is questioned. Most of the literature describes the empirical phenomena of hybrid warfare, but does not provide a theoretical based argumentation. This paper addresses the neglected aspect of systemic analysis by focusing on vulnerability of modern societies and outlines a concept based on the theoretical idea of safety, security and certainty to grasp the underlying driving factors of new forms and methods in asymmetric conflicts. The analysis presented here shows that sociology and system engineering have already developed valuable conceptual definitions of safety, security and certainty that can be used for the analysis of asymmetric conflicts. The missing link, closed by this paper, was an interdisciplinary approach to integrate these concepts into an analysis framework. The findings indicated that the new forms of asymmetric conflicts can be understood as a concise and precise analysis of systemic weaknesses of nation states and their societies. Still, Western European nations focus their security policy mainly on past challenges of war and peace. Therefore, societies of these nations remain highly vulnerable to safety threats and uncertainty. The presented theoretical framework supported this result and should, therefore, be of value to analysts and scientists alike aiming to identify the underlying systemic factors of innovative asymmetric conflict.
Philosophie und Phantastik
(2016)
Fußball
(2019)
By many accounts, the Newtonian constant of gravitation G is the fundamental constant that is most difficult to measure accurately. Over the past three decades, more than a dozen precision measurements of this constant have been performed. However, the scatter of the data points is much larger than the uncertainties assigned to each individual measurement, yielding a Birge ratio of about five. Today, G is known with a relative standard uncertainty of 4.7 x 10(-5), which is several orders of magnitudes greater than the relative uncertainties of other fundamental constants. In this article, various methods to measure G are discussed. Alarge array of different instruments ranging from the simple torsion balance to the sophisticated atom interferometer can be used to determine G. Some instruments, such as the torsion balance can be used in several different ways. In this article, the advantages and disadvantages of different instruments as well as different methods are discussed. A narrative arc from the historical beginnings of the different methods to their modern implementation is given. Finally, the article ends with a brief overview of the current state of the art and an outlook.
We propose a new permanent magnet system for Kibble balance experiments, which combines advantages of the magnet designs invented by the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM). The goal of the proposed magnet system is to minimize the coil-current effect and to optimize the shielding at the same time. In the proposed design, a permanent magnet system with two gaps, each housing a coil, is employed to minimize the coil current effect, by reducing the linear coil-current dependence reported for the single air gap design by at least one order of magnitude. Both air gaps of the magnet are completely surrounded by high-permeability material, and hence the coils are shielded from outside magnetic fields and no magnetic field leaks outside of the magnet system. An example of the new magnet system is given and the analysis shows that the magnetic field in the air gap can be optimized to meet the requirement to be used in Kibble balances.
We show that templating a Si surface with a focused beam of Si2+ or Si+ ions can create suitable nucleation sites for the subsequent growth of self-assembled Ge quantum dots by chemical vapor deposition. To determine the mechanism of patterning we use atomic force microscopy to show that, similar to Ga+ patterning, the formation of a surface pit is required to enable control over Ge quantum dot locations. We find that relatively high implantation doses are required to achieve patterning, and these doses lead to amorphization of the substrate. We assess the degree to which the substrate crystallinity can be recovered by subsequent processing. Using in situ transmission electron microscopy heating experiments we find that recrystallization is possible at the growth temperature of the Ge quantum dots, but defects remain that follow the pattern of the initial implantation. We discuss the formation mechanism of the defects and the benefits of using Si ions for patterning both defects and quantum dots on Si substrates.
Love in the Context of Transnational Academic Exchanges: Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing
(2021)
Educational and cultural dimensions of transnational academic exchange such as student exchanges, double degree programmes, internships have been researched but the romantic dimensions are almost overlooked, especially qualitatively, while Green (EU’s Erasmus study abroad programme is ‘responsible for 1m babies’, 2014) documents that one quarter students on Erasmus exchange scheme met their long-term partner while studying abroad.
The chapter explores love, with focus on formation of intimate relations in academic exchanges in the European settings. The method is case-studies drawn from two projects based in Denmark, the first about ethnically intermarried couples (Singla, Intermarriage and mixed parenting: Promoting mental health & wellbeing, crossover love. Palgrave Macmillan, 2015) and the second, an ongoing project about LAT (Living Apart Together) transnational couples (Singla & Varma, LAT (Living Apart Together) transnational couples: Promoting mental health and wellbeing, 2018), moving beyond ‘methodological nationalism and- conjugalism’.
The theoretical framework is Cultural Psychology and foreground is a combination of Narrative Psychology, intersectionality, digital emotional reflexivity and transnationalism. Moreover, aspects related to figuring out criteria of the exchange situation abroad, which can underpin explaining the high rate of long-term relationships while studying abroad, are included. Those aspects are based on a framework, in which intercultural and developmental psychological findings are linked. The 3–4 case studies are drawn from empirical research with eight couples in the first study and 20 couples in the second. The narratives are thematically analysed, whereas two themes regarding participants’ motivation for establishing relationship despite differences and long-term sustaining of the relationship are described in the chapter.
Preliminary findings nuance the phenomenon of love in academic exchanges, invoking concepts such as educational homogamy, balancing independence and togetherness, diversities of connectivities intersecting social media and intimacies. Furthermore, the significant others’ support and opposition of these couples’ love dynamics are covered, along with considerations linked to the concept of the emotional availability (Saunders, Kraus, Barone & Biringen, Frontiers in Psychology, 2015) based on Bowlby’s attachment theory and the shared third (Benjamin, Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 73(1), 5–46, 2004).
Lastly, ‘good practices’ for promoting the mental health and wellbeing of such academic exchange couples are delineated along with suggestions for relevant services for those experiencing psychosocial problems.
Educational and cultural dimensions of transnational academic exchange such as student exchanges, double degree programmes, internships have been researched but the romantic dimensions are almost overlooked, especially qualitatively, while Green (EU’s Erasmus study abroad programme is ‘responsible for 1m babies’, 2014) documents that one quarter students on Erasmus exchange scheme met their long-term partner while studying abroad.
The chapter explores love, with focus on formation of intimate relations in academic exchanges in the European settings. The method is case-studies drawn from two projects based in Denmark, the first about ethnically intermarried couples (Singla, Intermarriage and mixed parenting: Promoting mental health & wellbeing, crossover love. Palgrave Macmillan, 2015) and the second, an ongoing project about LAT (Living Apart Together) transnational couples (Singla & Varma, LAT (Living Apart Together) transnational couples: Promoting mental health and wellbeing, 2018), moving beyond ‘methodological nationalism and- conjugalism’.
The theoretical framework is Cultural Psychology and foreground is a combination of Narrative Psychology, intersectionality, digital emotional reflexivity and transnationalism. Moreover, aspects related to figuring out criteria of the exchange situation abroad, which can underpin explaining the high rate of long-term relationships while studying abroad, are included. Those aspects are based on a framework, in which intercultural and developmental psychological findings are linked.
GLOBE - Cognitive and Social Competence Development by Virtual Collaboration and Simulation Games
(2019)
This paper first examines a variety of conceptual contemporary challenges and cognitive shortcomings of public policy makers, entrepreneurs and other practitioners in Germany as a knowledge-based economy. Systems thinking, digital competencies and several modern leadership skills are identified as possibilities to meet contemporary challenges in fast changing and complex environments. Modern leadership skills and promising working styles imply the ability to manage agile processes, flexibility and diversity, and the modus operandi as self-organizing networks. After that, the simulation game GLOBE Exercise at the OTH Regensburg is introduced as an innovative and transformative learning method. In its concept, the GLOBE Exercise combines virtual collaboration with Action Learning, and thus contributes to skills development and transfer both concerning digital competencies and analytical skills.
Due to rapid technological development and fast-changing working environments, organizations active in such context find themselves facing internal change and adaption processes. Originally prominent among start-up or IT-companies, the use of management concepts to steer such change processes and to increase efficiency also spread among humanitarian organizations preoccupied with crisis management. In this regard, concepts retrieved from the domain of Organization Development offer a great potential to facilitate change processes and to enhance learning among practitioners. The notions of Learning Organization and Quality Management are combined with the theory of Argyris and Schön’s Levels of Learning. This combination then serves as a theoretical decision-making base used in a simulation game at the University of Applied Sciences OTH Regensburg. Within this scenario-driven exercise, Quality Management, virtual collaboration and digital skills are trained. During the simulation game, participants are encouraged to think critically, to utilize new technologies and to apply their problem-solving skills to real-life examples, which ultimately aims at preparing students for a dynamic working environment within the era of digitization.
At risk of reproductive disadvantage? Exploring fertility awareness among migrant women in Germany
(2022)
This study examined awareness about fertility among immigrant women and non-migrants in Germany. The social relevance of infertility and fertility treatment is increasing in Western countries due to continually low overall birth rates, a high rate of childlessness, and a gap between the desired and actual numbers of children. While there is growing interest in infertility and reproductive medicine in general, previous studies have rarely included immigrant or ethnic minorities in Europe. This study investigated whether knowledge on the age-related fertility decline (ARFD) varies between migrant groups and the majority group, and the role of education. Working hypotheses were drawn from theoretical considerations on frameworks of migrant assimilation. The analysis was based on data collected in a social science pilot study on reproductive medicine, representative of the general population (‘NeWiRe’ 2014–2015). The sample included 962 women aged 18–50 years living in Germany. Approximately 81% of the sample were immigrants who originated from Turkey, Poland, the Balkan countries or countries of the (post-Soviet) Commonwealth of Independent States. While rather poor overall, knowledge on ARFD was found to be significantly lower in the migrant groups compared with the majority group. This minority-group disadvantage cannot be explained by sociodemographic or cultural variables. Future research should include minority groups in empirical studies on awareness about fertility in order to better understand the causes of this disadvantage, and the potential reproductive needs of migrants.
Academic self-regulation is a key factor for motivation and learning achievement. Yet with the large range of individual factors, this is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. This study of L2 Technical English students at two German universities explored learners’ expectations and motivations, in particular regarding self-regulation and self-efficacy via the individual’s time investment in self-led study. In an initial survey, learners (N=1646) reported on their English skill levels and anticipated learning habits. Complementarily, the retrospective survey investigated learners’ (N=796) actual behavior during the course, their perceptions of language skill improvement, and their satisfaction. The initial survey indicates a clear understanding that time investment in self-regulated study will lead to greater improvement, an outcome confirmed in the retrospective survey. Additionally, students who invested more time in their coursework were more satisfied with their achievement, although most learners acknowledge they should have studied more. The results verify that learners recognize the nexus between self-regulation and language skill improvement, yet university students are not satisfied with their capacity to self-regulate their language learning strategies. While differences in students’ skill levels and academic self-efficacy result in divergent degrees of progress, students of all types report benefits to their language skills when motivated to self-regulated study.
CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats) systems are one of the most fascinating tools of the current era in molecular biotechnology. With the ease that they provide in genome editing, CRISPR systems generate broad opportunities for targeting mutations. Specifically in recent years, disease-causing mutations targeted by the CRISPR systems have been of main research interest; particularly for those diseases where there is no current cure, including cancer. KRAS mutations remain untargetable in cancer. Mutations in this oncogene are main drivers in common cancers, including lung, colorectal and pancreatic cancers, which are severe causes of public health burden and mortality worldwide, with no cure at hand. CRISPR systems provide an opportunity for targeting cancer causing mutations. In this review, we highlight the work published on CRISPR applications targeting KRAS mutations directly, as well as CRISPR applications targeting mutations in KRAS-related molecules. In specific, we focus on lung, colorectal and pancreatic cancers. To date, the limited literature on CRISPR applications targeting KRAS, reflect promising results. Namely, direct targeting of mutant KRAS variants using various CRISPR systems resulted in significant decrease in cell viability and proliferation in vitro, as well as tumor growth inhibition in vivo. In addition, the effect of mutant KRAS knockdown, via CRISPR, has been observed to exert regulatory effects on the downstream molecules including PI3K, ERK, Akt, Stat3, and c-myc. Molecules in the KRAS pathway have been subjected to CRISPR applications more often than KRAS itself. The aim of using CRISPR systems in these studies was mainly to analyze the therapeutic potential of possible downstream and upstream effectors of KRAS, as well as to discover further potential molecules. Although there have been molecules identified to have such potential in treatment of KRAS-driven cancers, a substantial amount of effort is still needed to establish treatment strategies based on these discoveries. We conclude that, at this point in time, despite being such a powerful directed genome editing tool, CRISPR remains to be underutilized for targeting KRAS mutations in cancer. Efforts channelled in this direction, might pave the way in solving the long-standing challenge of targeting the KRAS mutations in cancers.
English language skills are essential to professional communication in international engineering environments. Given the concomitant degree of specialization, university-level coursework in English for Specific Purposes is an essential component of engineering student preparation. This large-scale survey of university students of engineering in three European countries provides important insight into the most relevant language skills, with the goal of informing communicative, task-based curricula for Technical English courses.
Building trust within conflicts situations is a required process to establish a suitable environment for peace keeping and state building processes. However, it remains unclear what are the best ways to foster trusts between actors in a conflict environment. This study draws insights from the literature on trust and from Kahneman’s Prospect Theory to analyse the decision-making dynamics of the actors involved in a conflict and how these dynamics could affect the trust levels between those actors. To this purpose, the fourfold pattern of preferences I applied to a thought experiments where opposing actors in a conflict in the Sahel face the decision to accept or refuse a peace agreement when either one of the two actors face huge gains or catastrophic losses. The main findings is that, in those extreme situations, the actors involved tend to take unnational decisions that undermine the trust building process in the country. Therefore, it would be recommendable to boost situations where actors are negotiating in a more balanced environment. To this purpose, further research should be conducted on the ways to create such suitable environment for trust building.
Die Anwendbarkeit des derzeit gültigen Verfahrens zur energetischen Bewertung von Nichtwohngebäuden gemäß aktueller Energieeinsparverordnung (EnEV 2014) in Verbindung mit DIN V 18599 als Planungs- und Bewertungstool auf Pflege- und intensiv-medizinische Bereiche von Krankenhäusern wird an einem beispielhaften, mittelgroßen Krankenhaus untersucht. Der Fokus liegt dabei auf der Praktikabilität der Abbildung von thermischen Lasten und Raumzuständen durch die Normnutzungsprofile aus DIN V 18599 Teil 10 im Vergleich zu realen, vor Ort erfassten Nutzungsbedingungen. Weitere Betrachtungen in einer einfachen thermischen Simulation (TRNSYSlite) erlauben eine methodische Kritik in Bezug auf die Aussagekraft der nach Norm berechneten EnEV-Ergebnisse. Es werden Empfehlungen für Maßnahmen zur Verbesserung der energetischen Performance und der Behaglichkeit in Krankenhäusern im Bereich der Planung erarbeitet.