Objective accommodative amplitude and dynamics with the 1CU accommodative intraocular lens

PURPOSE. To compare the objective accommodative amplitude and dynamics of eyes implanted with the one-compartment-unit (1CU; HumanOptics AG, Erlangen, Germany) accommodative intraocular lenses (IOLs) with that measured subjectively. METHODS. Twenty eyes with a 1CU accommodative IOL implanted were refracted and distance and near acuity measured with a logMAR (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) chart. The objective accommodative stimulus-response curve for static targets between 0.17 and 4.00 D accommodative demand was measured with the SRW-5000 (Shin-Nippon Commerce Inc., Tokyo, Japan) and PowerRefractor (PlusOptiX, Nürnberg, Germany) autorefractors. Continuous objective recording of dynamic accommodation was measured with the SRW-5000, with the subject viewing a target moving from 0 to 2.50 D at 0.3 Hz through a Badal lens system. Wavefront aberrometry measures (Zywave; Bausch & Lomb, Rochester, NY) were made through undilated pupils. Subjective amplitude of accommodation was measured with the RAF (Royal Air Force accommodation and vergence measurement) rule. RESULTS. Four months after implantation best-corrected acuity was -0.01 ± 0.16 logMAR at distance and 0.60 ± 0.09 logMAR at near. Objectively, the static amplitude of accommodation was 0.72 ± 0.38 D. The average dynamic amplitude of accommodation was 0.71 ± 0.47 D, with a lag behind the target of 0.50 ± 0.48 seconds. Aberrometry showed a decrease in power of the lens-eye combination from the center to the periphery in all subjects (on average, -0.38 ± 0.28 D/mm). Subjective amplitude of accommodation was 2.24 ± 0.42 D. Two years after 1CU implantation, refractive error and distance visual acuity remained relatively stable, but near visual acuity, and the subjective and objective amplitudes of accommodation decreased. CONCLUSIONS. The objective accommodating effects of the 1CU lens appear to be limited, although patients are able to track a moving target. Subjective and objective accommodation was reduced at the 2-year follow-up. The greater subjective amplitude of accommodation is likely to result from the eye's depth of focus of and the aspheric nature of the IOL. Copyright © Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology.

Surface velocity fields, digital elevation models, ice front positions and grounding line derived from remote sensing data at Dinsmoor-Bombardier-Edgeworth glacier system, Antarctic Peninsula (1992-2014)

The northern Antarctic Peninsula is one of the fastest changing regions on Earth. The disintegration of the Larsen-A Ice Shelf in 1995 caused tributary glaciers to adjust by speeding up, surface lowering, and overall increased ice-mass discharge. In this study, we investigate the temporal variation of these changes at the Dinsmoor-Bombardier-Edgeworth glacier system by analyzing dense time series from various spaceborne and airborne Earth observation missions. Precollapse ice shelf conditions and subsequent adjustments through 2014 were covered. Our results show a response of the glacier system some months after the breakup, reaching maximum surface velocities at the glacier front of up to 8.8 m/d in 1999 and a subsequent decrease to ~1.5 m/d in 2014. Using a dense time series of interferometrically derived TanDEM-X digital elevation models and photogrammetric data, an exponential function was fitted for the decrease in surface elevation. Elevation changes in areas below 1000 m a.s.l. amounted to at least 130±15 m130±15 m between 1995 and 2014, with change rates of ~3.15 m/a between 2003 and 2008. Current change rates (2010-2014) are in the range of 1.7 m/a. Mass imbalances were computed with different scenarios of boundary conditions. The most plausible results amount to -40.7±3.9 Gt-40.7±3.9 Gt. The contribution to sea level rise was estimated to be 18.8±1.8 Gt18.8±1.8 Gt, corresponding to a 0.052±0.005 mm0.052±0.005 mm sea level equivalent, for the period 1995-2014. Our analysis and scenario considerations revealed that major uncertainties still exist due to insufficiently accurate ice-thickness information. The second largest uncertainty in the computations was the glacier surface mass balance, which is still poorly known. Our time series analysis facilitates an improved comparison with GRACE data and as input to modeling of glacio-isostatic uplift in this region. The study contributed to a better understanding of how glacier systems adjust to ice shelf disintegration.

King George Island TanDEM-X DEM, link to GeoTIFF

We have generated a new digital elevation model for entire King George Island, Antarctica, using summer TanDEM-X bistatic SAR satellite data. The data was processed using differential SAR interferometry with an older DEM as reference. 4 TanDEM-X scenes from January 2012 were used as input. The new DEM was referenced to and validated against DGPS measurements. Height values are given in reference to ellipsoid (WGS84).

Stable algorithm for event detection in event-driven particle dynamics : logical states

Acknowledgments The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of the German Research Foundation (DFG) through the Cluster of Excellence ‘Engineering of Advanced Materials’ at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg and through Grant Po 472/25.

Das Äbtissinnenamt in den unterelsässischen Frauenstiften vom 14. bis zum 16. Jahrhundert. Umkämpft, verhandelt, normiert

Im Fokus der Studie stehen die Äbtissinnen der ältesten und sozial exklusivsten geistlichen Frauengemeinschaften des Unterelsasses: die Frauenstifte Andlau, St. Stephan in Straßburg sowie Hohenburg und Niedermünster auf dem Odilienberg. Unter Rückgriff auf prosopopgraphische und netzwerkanalytische Methoden wird untersucht, welchen Einfluss die soziale und regionale Herkunft sowie das Geschlecht auf die Handlungsmöglichkeiten der Äbtissinnen hatten. Es zeigt sich, dass das System von Über- und Unterordnung, von Einflussnahme und Mitbestimmung komplexen Aushandlungsprozessen unterlag, in denen die männlichen Angehörigen der Kanonissen stets eine zentrale Rolle spielten. Den Kanonikern der Stifte gelang es im Laufe des Mittelalters, immer größere Mitspracherechte zu erlangen. Während sie die Autorität der Äbtissin im späten Mittelalter grundsätzlich anerkannten, lässt sich für die Reformationszeit ein mentalitätsgeschichtlicher Wandel greifen: Der Äbtissin wurde das Recht abgesprochen, das Stift selbständig zu verwalten und Herrschaft über die Stiftsherren auszuüben. Die Studie bietet darüber hinaus einen prosopographischen Anhang sowie einen Überblick über die Geschichte der einzelnen Stifte.

L’inclusion scolaire dans l’enseignement primaire: L’évaluative formative comme source de progression collective?

Ce travail s’inscrit dans le champ des recherches concernant les pratiques inclusives en milieu scolaire ordinaire dans l’enseignement primaire. En France, le système éducatif propose de scolariser les élèves à besoins éducatifs particuliers soit en classe ordinaire, soit en classe spécialisée, bien que les gouvernements valorisent l’accueil en milieu ordinaire depuis la loi de 2005. Or, ceci questionne les pratiques des acteurs de l’école sur la prise en charge de ces élèves. Partant des travaux montrant que les enseignants utilisant l’évaluation formative gèrent mieux la diversité des élèves, nous étudions ici dans quelle mesure cette fonction de l’évaluation aiderait les élèves présentant des besoins éducatifs particuliers à acquérir des connaissances grâce aux feedbacks émis lors d’évaluations orales et de corrections collectives. L’analyse des données recueillies à l’aide d’entretiensavec des enseignants et d’observations d’élèves fait ressortir les attitudes des acteurs, les interactions et les régulations. (DIPF/Orig.)

Elementi contestuali nella costruzione del benessere degli insegnanti in due casi studio italiani

L’articolo propone una riflessione su alcuni elementi critici della costruzione del benessere professionale degli insegnanti mettendo in luce, accanto alle note cause di insorgenza della sindrome del burnout quali fattori individuali, emotivi e relazionali, anche gli effetti che sembrano riconducibili alla condizione lavorativa nel suo complesso e dunque al sistema di attività nel quale viene svolto questo mestiere. Per dar conto di tali effetti l’articolo discute i risultati di due contributi empirici, realizzati in modo indipendente, a distanza di dieci anni l’uno dall’altro, nel Sistema scolastico italiano. In particolare i due studi fanno riferimento alla condizione di benessere socio professionale di insegnanti di scuola dell’infanzia e primaria in due fasi distinte dell’evoluzione del sistema scolastico italiano (che nell’arco dei dieci anni intercorsi fra i due studi è stato interessato da continui tentativi di riforme, da un crescente precariato, da un progressivo indebolimento del riconoscimento della professione, dalla presenza diffusa in classe di bambini di differenti culture, dall’introduzione, largamente approssimativa, di nuove tecnologie, dalla scarsa corrispondenza tra lavoro effettivo ed aspettative dei futuri insegnanti). Senza la pretesa di fornire risposte definitive ad un problema evidentemente complesso la ri-lettura dei due studi sul burnout, realizzati in due distinte fasi dell’evoluzione del sistema scolastico, pur confermando, in parte, i risultati di altri lavori simili, solleva il problema complementare della contestualizzazione delle modalità di espressione del disagio degli insegnanti in relazione al più ampio tessuto identitario professionale nel quale essi operano. Tessuto che sembra mutare al mutare del posizionamento sociale e culturale dell’insegnamento. (DIPF/Orig.)

Stratigraphisch-Fazielle Untersuchungen an Dogger- und Malmzeitlichen Ablagerungen im Raum Wolfsburg (Ost-Niedersachsen)

Ziel der Arbeit ist es, ein genaueres Bild über Stratigraphie, Ablagerungsraum und Paläogeographie von Dogger und Malm des Raumes Wolfsburg zu erlangen. Dabei wurden u.a. zur Klärung insbesonders stratigraphischer Fragen Fossilien der neubestimmten Sammlung ROLKE herangezogen.

The problem posed by exam choice on the comparability of results in the Finnish matriculation examination

The article focuses on the upper secondary matriculation examination in Finland as a school leaving and university entrance examination. The presented research addresses the question of whether increased choice of the subject-specific examinations has the potential to undermine the comparability of examination results and to direct students’ choices not only in the examination but already beforehand at school. The authors refer to Finland’s tradition of more than 160 years of a national examination connecting the academic track of upper secondary schools with universities. The authors explain the Finnish system by describing the adoption of a course-based (vs. class- or year-based) curriculum for the three-year upper secondary education and the subsequent reforms in the matriculation examination. This increases students’ choices considerably with regard to the subject-specific exams included in the examination (a minimum of four). As a result, high-achieving students compete against each other in the more demanding subjects while the less able share the same normal distribution of grades in the less demanding subjects. As a consequence, students tend to strategic exam-planning, which in turn affects their study choices at school, often to the detriment of the more demanding subjects and, subsequently, of students’ career opportunities, endangering the traditional national objective of an all-round pre-academic upper secondary education. This contribution provides an overview of Finnish upper secondary education and of the matriculation examination (cf. Klein, 2013) while studying three separate but related issues by using data from several years of Finnish matriculation results: the relation of the matriculation examination and the curriculum; the problems of comparability vis-à-vis university entry due to the increased choice within the examination; the relations between students’ examination choices and their course selection and achievement during upper secondary school. (DIPF/Orig.)

Eine verfassungsrechtlich vergleichende Studie über die Effektuierung des Umweltschutzes durch ökologisch orientierte Steuern in Deutschland und Brasilien

Der Gedanke des Umweltschutzes hat sich im Rahmen der Globalisierung in den vergangenen Jahren rasch fortentwickelt und ist weltweit Gegenstand anhaltender Diskussionen. Namentlich die Suche nach neuen Wegen zur Verringerung der negativen Einwirkungen auf die Umwelt sowie zur Verbesserung der Lebensqualität steht unvermindert im Fokus der Aufmerksamkeit. Zunehmende Bedeutung erlangen dabei abgabenrechtliche Instrumente, die einen effektiven Umweltschutz forcieren. Die Synchronisierung wirtschaftlicher Interessen mit den Herausforderungen des Umweltschutzes erstarkt folglich zur fundamentalen Aufgabe politischer Gestaltungsprozesse. Die Suche nach verfassungsrechtlichen Vorgaben und Grenzen der Lenkungsbesteuerung wird in dem skizzierten Problemfeld mit der spezifischen Herausforderung konfrontiert, dass eine zunehmenden Bedeutung des Umweltschutzes zu verzeichnen ist und die Ökologisierung staatlicher Interessen voranschreitet. Vor diesem Hintergrund besteht ein valides Interesse an einer rechtsvergleichenden Betrachtung der verfassungsrechtlichen Aspekte des Umweltschutzes in Schwellenländer und entwickelten Länder. Aus methodischer Perspektive dient die Rechtsvergleichung als Deutungsfolie der Untersuchung. Die Dissertation untersucht weiter die verfassungsrechtlichen Grundlagen der Umweltbesteuerung in Brasilien und Deutschland. Von grundlegender Bedeutung für die gewählte Thematik sind zwei Aspekte: Zum einen ist der abweichende Stellenwert des Umweltschutzes in den brasilianischen und deutschen Verfassungen für die Betrachtung fundamental. Zweitens kommt seinem Einfluss auf die Wirtschaftsordnung, sowie schließlich der Rolle der Staat bei der Gewährleistung des Umweltschutzes durch Umweltabgaben entscheidende Bedeutung zu. Im Anschluss an diese Untersuchung sollen die gefundenen Ergebnisse durch konkrete Beispiele von ökologischen relevanten Abgaben exempliziert werden. Ausgewählte Umweltabgaben sind die Öko-Steuern in Deutschland und die CIDE-Combustíveis (Sonderabgabe für Eingriff in der Wirtschaft im Bereich Treibstoff) in Brasilien, die große Auswirkung auf die Umweltwirtschaft haben. Den Abschluss der Untersuchung bildet ein Beitrag zur Diskussion über die Umweltabgaben im Rahmen der aktuellen Steuerreformen in Brasilien und in Deutschland.

A complexity-based diagnostic on the democratic unity roundtable mud: problems and alternatives (2008-2016)

Este trabajo exploratorio estudia al movimiento político Mesa de la Unidad Democrática (MUD), creada con el fin de oponerse la Gobierno socialista existente en venezuela. La crítica que este documento realiza, parte desde el punto de vista de la Ciencia de la Complejidad. Algunos conceptos clave de sistemas complejos han sido utilizados para explicar el funcionamiento y organización de la MUD, esto con el objetivo de generar un diagnóstico integral de los problemas que enfrenta, y evidenciar las nuevas percepciones sobre comportamientos perjudiciales que el partido tiene actualmente. Con el enfoque de la complejidad se pretende ayudar a comprender mejor el contexto que enmarca al partido y, para, finalmente aportar una serie de soluciones a los problemas de cohesión que presen

Climate seasonality limits leaf carbon assimilation and wood productivity in tropical forests.

The seasonal climate drivers of the carbon cy- cle in tropical forests remain poorly known, although these forests account for more carbon assimilation and storage than any other terrestrial ecosystem. Based on a unique combina- tion of seasonal pan-tropical data sets from 89 experimental sites (68 include aboveground wood productivity measure- ments and 35 litter productivity measurements), their asso- ciated canopy photosynthetic capacity (enhanced vegetation index, EVI) and climate, we ask how carbon assimilation and aboveground allocation are related to climate seasonal- ity in tropical forests and how they interact in the seasonal carbon cycle. We found that canopy photosynthetic capacity seasonality responds positively to precipitation when rain- fall is < 2000 mm yr-1 (water-limited forests) and to radia- tion otherwise (light-limited forests). On the other hand, in- dependent of climate limitations, wood productivity and lit- terfall are driven by seasonal variation in precipitation and evapotranspiration, respectively. Consequently, light-limited forests present an asynchronism between canopy photosyn- thetic capacity and wood productivity. First-order control by precipitation likely indicates a decrease in tropical forest pro- ductivity in a drier climate in water-limited forest, and in cur- rent light-limited forest with future rainfall < 2000 mm yr-1.