Politisierung der Künste. Strategien im Konflikt zwischen Kommunitarismus und Kosmopolitismus

in Lettre International. Europas Kulturzeitung (2020), (131), 56-61

Autonomous Vehicles: Data Protection and Ethical Considerations

in Journal of the Association for Computing Machinery (2020, December)

Cultural Heritage Archives and Research Prospects

Presentation (2020, November 27)

Cultural Heritage - Definitions and Approach in Archives and in Academic Research

Patterns and Drivers of Extracellular Enzyme Activity in New Zealand Glacier-Fed Streams

in Frontiers in Microbiology (2020), 11

Glacier-fed streams (GFSs) exhibit near-freezing temperatures, variable flows, and often high turbidities. Currently, the rapid shrinkage of mountain glaciers is altering the delivery of meltwater ... [more ▼]

Glacier-fed streams (GFSs) exhibit near-freezing temperatures, variable flows, and often high turbidities. Currently, the rapid shrinkage of mountain glaciers is altering the delivery of meltwater, solutes, and particulate matter to GFSs, with unknown consequences for their ecology. Benthic biofilms dominate microbial life in GFSs, and play a major role in their biogeochemical cycling. Mineralization is likely an important process for microbes to meet elemental budgets in these systems due to commonly oligotrophic conditions, and extracellular enzymes retained within the biofilm enable the degradation of organic matter and acquisition of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P). The measurement and comparison of these extracellular enzyme activities (EEA) can in turn provide insight into microbial elemental acquisition effort relative to environmental availability. To better understand how benthic biofilm communities meet resource demands, and how this might shift as glaciers vanish under climate change, we investigated biofilm EEA in 20 GFSs varying in glacier influence from New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Using turbidity and distance to the glacier snout normalized for glacier size as proxies for glacier influence, we found that bacterial abundance (BA), chlorophyll a (Chl a), extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), and total EEA per gram of sediment increased with decreasing glacier influence. Yet, when normalized by BA, EPS decreased with decreasing glacier influence, Chl a still increased, and there was no relationship with total EEA. Based on EEA ratios, we found that the majority of GFS microbial communities were N-limited, with a few streams of different underlying bedrock geology exhibiting P-limitation. Cell-specific C-acquiring EEA was positively related to the ratio of Chl a to BA, presumably reflecting the utilization of algal exudates. Meanwhile, cell-specific N-acquiring EEA were positively correlated with the concentration of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), and both N- and P-acquiring EEA increased with greater cell-specific EPS. Overall, our results reveal greater glacier influence to be negatively related to GFS biofilm biomass parameters, and generally associated with greater microbial N demand. These results help to illuminate the ecology of GFS biofilms, along with their biogeochemical response to a shifting habitat template with ongoing climate change. [less ▲]

Identification of antiepilepitic drug-target interactions in public databases

Bachelor/master dissertation (2020)

Epilepsy is affecting people of all age and gender. The disease is traditionally treated with application of antiepileptic drugs. The therapy choice mostly relies on the differential diagnosis which is ... [more ▼]

Epilepsy is affecting people of all age and gender. The disease is traditionally treated with application of antiepileptic drugs. The therapy choice mostly relies on the differential diagnosis which is not always easy to be deducted. The treatment guidelines and antiepileptics are diverged according to major epilepsy types – generalized and focal epilepsy. However, prospective studies of antiepileptic drug effectiveness on the European cohort have shown that pharmacoresponse is patient dependent. In this thesis the antiepileptic drug prescription trend in this cohort in generalized and focal epilepsy patients was investigated. Moreover, the use of antiepileptics in the clinics from the EpiPGX database was compared to the findings of their use in general practices in the UK. To explain the difference in patient response to therapy AED-target interactions were investigated on the level of databases. In addition, with the discovery of new genes implicated in epilepsy and success of drugs of other groups such as quinidine and fampridine in treating the symptoms, the drug-repurposing found its application in epilepsy. In this thesis, quinidine-KCNT1 and fampridine-KCNA2 interactions were investigated in order to estimate the feasibility of using public databases to select drug-target interactions for clinical application. The investigation relied mainly on the ChEMBL database. However, these genes were not found among antiepileptic drug targets in the database. Quinidine and fampridine were assay associated with other AED targets. The results suggest that the therapy choice for treatment of rare forms of epilepsy underlined by channelopathies could be significantly expanded, but that database approach requires high level of drug-target selection criteria and text mining. [less ▲]

Round table: Museum of Self-isolation

Scientific Conference (2020, November 06)

Le Groupe de Coppet et l’écriture polémique. Introduction

in Cahiers staëliens (2020), 70

Introduction au dossier "Le Groupe de Coppet et l'écriture polémique" des Cahiers staëliens 70 (2020).

Dual Nationality: An International Law Perspective

Presentation (2020, November)

GeoGebraTAO: Geometry Learning using a Dynamic Adaptive ICT-Enhanced Environment to Promote Strong Differentiation of Children’s Individual Pathways

Doctoral thesis (2020)

In our project, we investigate the scientific validity of a specific self-built Adaptive Learning Tool in the field of dynamic geometry with a focus on the individual learning pathways of a highly diverse ... [more ▼]

In our project, we investigate the scientific validity of a specific self-built Adaptive Learning Tool in the field of dynamic geometry with a focus on the individual learning pathways of a highly diverse student population. A total of 164 children in Luxembourgish elementary schools, aged between 10 and 13 years, acted as the test group and explored elementary geometric concepts in a sequence of learning assignments created with GeoGebra, a dynamic mathematics system which is integrated into the computer-assisted testing framework TAO. They actively built new knowledge in an autonomous way and at their own pace with only minor support interventions by their teacher. Based on easily exploitable data collected within a sequence of exploratory learning assignments, the GEOGEBRATAO tool analyses the answers provided by the child and performs a diagnostic of the child’s competencies in geometry. With respect to this outcome, the tool manages to identify children struggling with geometry concepts and subsequently proposes a differentiated individual pathway through scaffolding and feedback practices. The children can voluntarily watch short video clips aimed to help them better understand any task that they might have difficulty with. A spaced repetition feature is another highly useful component of the tool. Pre- and post-test results show that the test group (working with the GEOGEBRATAO tool) and a parallel working control group (following a traditional paper-and-pencil geometry course), increased their geometry skills and knowledge through the training program, with the test group performing even better in items related to dynamic geometry. In addition, a more precise analysis within clusters based on similar performances in both pre- and post-tests and the child’s progress within the GEOGEBRATAO activities, provides evidence of some common ways of working with our educational technology tool, leading to overall improvement at an individualized level. [less ▲]

International Law and the European Court of Justice: The Politics of Avoiding History

in Journal of the History of International Law (2020, October 21), 22(2-3), 446-472

Using the example of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), this article addresses the lack of historical contextualization which is prevalent in most general accounts of EU law and EU institutions. It ... [more ▼]

Using the example of the European Court of Justice (ECJ), this article addresses the lack of historical contextualization which is prevalent in most general accounts of EU law and EU institutions. It argues that this narrative is the result of a tradition established by the founders of the discipline. For these early ‘Euro-lawyers’, distinguishing the practice of European institutions from earlier international institutions had important political implications. This was especially true with regard to the ECJ. By providing a selective and partly decontextualized narrative of this court and describing it as largely unprecedented in international law, early Euro-lawyers were not only able to bolster the ‘supranational’ and ‘sui generis’ character of their nascent discipline. They were also able to avoid comparisons between the ECJ and prior international courts and tribunals whose similarly wide-ranging powers and integrated nature had been considered as politically problematic. [less ▲]