Younger Colleagues Research Articles

George King: research leader at the Joslin Diabetes Center

George King: research leader at the Joslin Diabetes Center

The University and the Church

In his address to American educators on April 17, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI described the work of the university as an act of intellectual charity, a work that upholds the essential unity of knowledge against the fragmentation which ensues when reason is detached from the pursuit of the truth. The work of intellectual charity has as its accompaniment not merely faith but also hope, for as Benedict noted, Once their passion for the fullness of truth has been awakened, young people will surely relish the discovery that the question of what they can know opens up the vast adventure of what they ought to do. Here they will experience 'in what' and 'in whom' it is possible to hope and be inspired to contribute to society in a way that engenders hope in others. (1) I want to suggest that intellectual charity rightly identifies that love necessary for the university, the love of the beautiful, the true, the good. But it may not be self-evident to many today that the university is in any real sense the location for love, even for that love of learning that was once its boast. The contemporary university is a complex place and current accounts of the education bubble raise anew the question of the larger purposes of higher education. In one of his more provocative descriptions of the advantages of a university education, the English Catholic novelist and essayist, Evelyn Waugh, suggested that its benefits were not so much to the student as to the parents: As soon as we become intolerable in the home, we are sent away to schools and kept there as long as our parents can afford. If they are really rich, they can keep on educating us all their lives, sending us from university to university all over the world. From their point of view, the advantages of education are direct and wholly delightful. By one simple expedient, they are relieved of the moral responsibility and physical inconvenience of having us about the house. And he concluded, When we go to prison, they can say, 'Well, well, we did all we could. We gave him an excellent education.' (2) On another occasion he suggested that the primary advantage to society in a university education is to take young men out of the community at a uniquely dangerous age, expose them for three years to beautiful architecture at Oxford or Cambridge and then release them back into the public when the primary danger is past. Waugh was describing his own experience of Oxford in the 1920s, one that struck him as at once artificial and futile. In the end he did not take a degree. Instead he attended an art school before turning to fiction. But his skepticism about the university has older sources as well. In reflecting on the transition from the role of independent masters to the incorporated university, Philippus de Grevia, chancellor of the University of Paris from 1218 to 1236, described the work of his university colleagues in the following terms: At one time, in which each magister taught independently and when the name of the university was unknown, there were more lectures and disputations and more interest in scholarly things. Now, however, when you have joined yourselves together in a university, lectures and disputations have become less frequent; everything is done hastily, little is learnt, and the time needed for study is wasted in meetings and discussions. While the elders debate in their meetings and enact statutes, the young ones organize villainous plots and plan their nocturnal attacks. (3) It was, perhaps, a more robust age than our own, at least in terms of the spirit of younger colleagues, but we see already that bureaucratic turn to procedural management at the cost of disputations, lectures, and the interest in scholarly things, a development that has achieved a much fuller form in our own time. In sharp contrast with these resolutely cynical views of the university, Dante claimed in the Convivio that the age of late adolescence is uniquely appropriate for a certain kind of transforming education, for it is at this age that the young are open to what he called a stupor or astonishment of mind that falls on them in the encounter with great and wonderful things. …

Ivanka Černelič - ob 70-letnici rojstva

Letos praznuje Ivanka Černelič svojo sedemdesetletnico. V Inštitutu za slovenski jezik Frana Ramovša je bila zaposlena 30 let in v tem času je opravljala redaktorsko in uredniško delo pri Slovarju slovenskega knjižnega jezika, poleg tega pa je v delo uvajala mlajše sodelavce.

Scientific Activity of Alfred Yarbus: The Stages of Research Work, Senior and Younger Colleagues, Conditions of Investigations.

Scientific Activity of Alfred Yarbus: The Stages of Research Work, Senior and Younger Colleagues, Conditions of Investigations.

What it means to receive the UEG Rising Star Award.

What it means to receive the UEG Rising Star Award.

Academic generations and academic work: patterns of attitudes, behaviors, and research productivity of Polish academics after 1989

This paper focuses on a generational change taking place in the Polish academic profession: a change in behaviors and attitudes between two groups of academics. One was socialized to academia under the communist regime (1945–1989) and the other entered the profession in the post-1989 transition period. Academics of all age groups are beginning to learn how tough the competition for research funding is, but young academics (‘academics under 40’), being the target of recent policy initiatives, need to learn faster. Current reforms present a clear preferred image for a new generation of Polish academics: highly motivated, embedded in international research networks, publishing mostly internationally, and heavily involved in the competition for academic recognition and research funding. In the long run, without such a radical approach, any international competition between young Polish academics (with a low research orientation and high teaching hours) and their young Western European colleagues (with a high research orientation and low teaching hours) seems inconceivable, as our data on the average academic productivity clearly demonstrate. The quantitative background of this paper comes from 3704 returned questionnaires and the qualitative background from 60 semi-structured in-depth interviews. The paper takes a European comparative approach and contrasts Poland with 10 Western European countries (using 17,211 returned questionnaires).

Laudation for PD Dr. Wolfgang Ahlf to celebrate his 65th birthday

In 1982, the University of Technology Hamburg-Harburg (TUHH), Germany, installed a new section under the programme title BPreventive Environmental Protection Technologies in an Ecological Context^. In retrospective, it was less difficult to find a director and a chief engineer, doctoral students and laboratory staff; rather, the search was for a broadly qualified biologist, who could manage the embedding of the other scientists and engineers within an ecological concept. The practical issues that the section needed to address were common knowledge in the BHamburg industrial landscape^: historical contaminated sediments in the Elbe, dredged materials in the harbour, arsenic in air and soil around the BAffi^ (the Norddeutsche Affinerie, a copper ore refinery and well-known industrial polluter in the 1970s and 1980s that was close to Hamburg) and soon the situation culminating in the international case of dioxins at Georgswerder. Professor AdolfWeber, director at the Botanical Institute of the University of Hamburg and an expert on environmental issues in the Hamburg State planning group, convinced a promising young colleague (Ahlf 1983) to join our team. At the end, even the administration at TUHH changed its strict department structure rules to provide a permanent position to Wolfgang Ahlf. Wolfgang Ahlf and his Becotoxicology^ research group fulfilled its specific mandate in all respects. Our Monday morning meetings got instructions at different levels, from scientific publishing to global environmental ethics, and our projects and those of the neighbouring departments were checked for their ecological correctness. The two big Collaborative Research Programs of the German Research Foundation (DFG), SFB 327 Interactions between Abiotic and Biotic Processes in the Tidal Elbe (1986–1995) and, particularly, SFB 188 Treatment of Contaminated Soil (1988–2000) profited much from Wolfgang Ahlf’s competence, eloquence and ecological spirit. During all these years, one cannot remember the failure of any proposal when he was personally involved. In our transdisciplinary view, one of the secrets for success of the Harburg ecotoxicologists was their pragmatic approach. From the beginning, the group focussed on interfaces and on real world situations rather than on models. The typical test systems for the study of competing sorption and uptake of contaminants by different substrates and organisms were two-chamber and multichamber devices (Ahlf 1985). The biggest challenge for ecotoxicologists is the transfer of laboratory and field results into risk assessment schemes and finally into regulations. The activities of Wolfgang Ahlf during the last 25 years centred around microbial biotests for the toxicological assessment of contaminated sediments, both in the international network of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) and with a national focus on the contact test (Feiler et al. 2013). In 2002,Wolfgang Ahlf was appointed to the national committee of experts for the authorisation of plant protection products. Since 2003, the group undertook a new orientation in the direction of an ecological assessment of chemicals in foodstuffs. Since the beginning of the Journal of Soils and Sediments in 2001 until 2015, Wolfgang Ahlf served as a valuable member of the Editorial Board and both his * Ulrich Forstner u.foerstner@tu-harburg.de

AN ISSUE OF RELIGION PERCEIVED IN THE FICTION PIECES BY C.S. LEWIS

The paper considered the biblical motifs engendered in the up-to-date fiction pieces by the famous British science fiction writer C.S. Lewis. The paper explored a fiction piece with the title the Space Trilogy that contained spiritual motifs, being the medium for the novelist in uncovering the basics of spiritual life for the reader. The issues of faith, immortality, good, of the Divine Light and Providence being the main topics developed by the author in the fiction piece. The novelist by drawing up the fancy parallels demonstrated the essential aspects of human life on Earth, with the whole story filled with allegories referring to the biblical stories. Creation of the phantasmal world (for the purpose of explaining for people profundity of Christian values and showing their relevance) appears to be inconceivable by itself. The reader unintentionally immerse at the heart of a fascinating story created by Lewis. C.S. Lewis has brilliantly explained to his reader, what the morale is, what good and bad are, and faith, and humanist attitude, etc. One could hardly overestimate the value of the Lewis‟ oeuvre for the arts. His fiction pieces are obviously up-to-date. It is important that his oeuvre still draw attention after all these years since his death, and even the young fellow researchers reserve for his oeuvre the top of the temple of fame in fiction.

AN ISSUE OF RELIGION PERCEIVED IN THE FICTION PIECES BY C.S. LEWIS

The paper considered the biblical motifs engendered in the up-to-date fiction pieces by the famous British science fiction writer C.S. Lewis. The paper explored a fiction piece with the title the Space Trilogy that contained spiritual motifs, being the medium for the novelist in uncovering the basics of spiritual life for the reader. The issues of faith, immortality, good, of the Divine Light and Providence being the main topics developed by the author in the fiction piece. The novelist by drawing up the fancy parallels demonstrated the essential aspects of human life on Earth, with the whole story filled with allegories referring to the biblical stories. Creation of the phantasmal world (for the purpose of explaining for people profundity of Christian values and showing their relevance) appears to be inconceivable by itself. The reader unintentionally immerse at the heart of a fascinating story created by Lewis. C.S. Lewis has brilliantly explained to his reader, what the morale is, what good and bad are, and faith, and humanist attitude, etc. One could hardly overestimate the value of the Lewis‟ oeuvre for the arts. His fiction pieces are obviously up-to-date. It is important that his oeuvre still draw attention after all these years since his death, and even the young fellow researchers reserve for his oeuvre the top of the temple of fame in fiction.

Cross-Generational Valuing Among Peer Academic Librarians

This study investigated the skills, knowledge, abilities or dispositions that are most valued and respected by academic librarians, and determined how these qualities might, or might not, be associated with generational membership. Other variables included institutional classification, career length, years since first professional degree, and broad library job function. The article explains survey design, proportional random sampling method, statistical analyses and tests, and resulting findings that may have implications for recruitment, mentoring, succession planning, and for assisting in the transmission of knowledge among academic librarians, especially from career mature librarians to their younger colleagues.

Memories of an East German scientist

Memories of an East German scientist

In memoriam: Robert J. Arceci.

In memoriam: Robert J. Arceci.

Ian M.Symonds, SabaratnamArulkumaran, E.Malcolm Symonds, editors. Essential Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 5th edn. Churchill Livingstone/Elsevier, http://www.elsevier.com/books. Print Book ISBN 9780702030680, eBook ISBN 9780702054754. Price: € 41.99

Every chapter starts with a colored box displaying the intended learning objectives. The text is accompanied by plenty of very good illustrations but also boxes for extra guidance and/or advice. Also, the reader is provided with a key message at the end of every chapter to draw attention to the most important points. The balance in depth between the chapters is somewhat inconsistent. The book applies mainly to students in the UK and we have noticed some routines and practices that differ between countries. A few examples to be mentioned are: vasa previa diagnosis is described only by using color Doppler ultrasound during fetometry. There is no mention of the vasa previa test when diagnosing fetal blood when assessing vaginal hemorrhage during delivery. The two-fold risk of postpartum hemorrhage with SSRI drug use is not mentioned. Other routines that differ between countries are fetal growth assessment by ultrasound fetometry with customized growth charts and biophysical profile, both of which are used in the UK. Admission CTG is not recommended for low-risk women, which is a matter of debate in the Nordic countries. Obstetrics and gynecology is a large and difficult area, and hard to cover in one book. Still, we feel that the forthcoming editions of the book would benefit by including chapters regarding immunization in pregnancy, violence against women and female genital mutilation. In addition, the text regarding the intrauterine contraceptive device, termination of pregnancy and preterm labor need to be updated. To conclude, this book is a good first guide to the magic world of obstetrics and gynecology. The text is easily read and the facts and information are easy to understand. We would recommend it to students and young colleagues as an introductory textbook. It may also be useful to more experienced colleagues that want to refresh their foundation of knowledge.

Frozen moments: flashback memories of critical incidents in emergency personnel.

BackgroundEmergency Department personnel regularly face highly stressful situations or critical incidents (CIs) that may subsequently be recalled as unbidden intrusive memories. In their most extreme form, such memories are reexperienced as if they were happening again in the present, as flashbacks. This study examined (1) which CIs are associated with flashback memories; (2) candidate person and work-related features that predict flashback memories; and (3) the association between flashback memories and anxiety, depression, and emotional exhaustion.MethodsEmergency nurses (N = 91; 80.2% female) were recruited from two urban teaching hospitals and filled in self-report questionnaires.ResultsA majority (n = 59, 65%) experienced intrusive memories; almost half of the sample reported that their memories had flashback character. Those involved in resuscitations in the past week were at a fourfold risk for experiencing flashbacks. Having worked more consecutive days without taking time off was associated with a somewhat lower incidence of flashbacks. Moreover, older individuals who reported more work-related conflicts were at greater risk for experiencing flashback memories than their younger colleagues with heightened work conflict and flashback memory scores, respectively. Flashback memories were associated with heightened symptoms of anxiety, depression, and emotional exhaustion.ConclusionsThe present findings have implications for evidence-based health promotion in emergency personnel and other individuals regularly exposed to CIs.

Learning capability and performance in later working life: towards a contextual view

Purpose – The authors contribute to the literature by contrasting the cognitive with a contextual view on learning and development to address preconceptions about aging in order to broaden employers’ views on learning and performance across the working life and careers of their employees. The authors furthermore identify a number of opportunities that exist to support and sustain learning capability and performance in older workers. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The authors conducted a selective literature search to identify literature that best exemplifies both the cognitive and contextual view. Findings – Age-related declines in performance are observed on very specific and limited tasks, unlikely to be encountered in the workplace. Due to its focus on assessing limits and age differences, such studies will not normally take experience, job and personal resources into account – these are more likely to be present in the workplace. The authors find that much of the more applied evidence suggests older workers can perform at a similar level to their younger colleagues – when the workplace or training context does not restrain them from using their own strategies and resources to complete tasks. Research limitations/implications – The current overview of research that is more representative of the more cognitive view outlines a number of issues regarding the transferability as well as generalisability of these well publicised findings. Many of the laboratory-based cognitive ageing research focuses on “testing the limits” of cognitive processing and efficiency. This paradigm is not compatible with the specific tasks and learning that takes place in the workplace, which led us to a more contextual view. Practical implications – The authors provide several starting points for broader and more inclusive training and development, particularly the role of supervisory practices, climate, self-efficacy and learning competency, resources and strategies. Originality/value – Taking a more contextual view may foster a re-evaluation of how inclusive current managerial practice, policies and current development initiatives are. Distinguishing job and personal resources can help in identifying the aspects that can be influenced by workers themselves and those aspects that are the primary responsibility of organisations and their managers.

Andrzej Więcek: east meets west in nephrology

Andrzej Więcek: east meets west in nephrology

Relational ways of being an educator: trauma-informed practice supporting disenfranchised young people

Despite complex reasons for disengagement and exclusion from conventional schooling, all children have a right to education that is of a high quality. Disenfranchised young people require alternatives for re-engaging in education. This necessitates a rethinking of what it means to be an educator in alternative education settings and how to relate to young people who have experienced exclusion and failure in conventional school settings. Relational ways of being an educator are vital to support the creation of lifelong learners, not merely school completers. Flexible learning programmes offer a model of re-engagement in which relational ways of being an educator are prioritised. This article explores key aspects of trauma-informed practice and relational pedagogy in a network of flexi schools in Australia. Relational pedagogy can redress the impact of trauma and social exclusion experienced by young people. In flexi schools educator identities are challenged and changed by a willingness to explore and understand the impact of trauma on young people's development and capacity to learn. A commitment to trauma-informed practice and relational pedagogy requires educator identities to be co-constructed and negotiated in relationship with young people and colleagues. These shifts in educators' sense of identity in the flexi schools context are explored.

Comment on Harold A. Linstone: When is a Need a Need? The Problem of Normative Forecasting in a Changing Environment, in: Technological Forecasting and Social Change 1 (1969), 55–71

I was asked to comment on the article “When is a need a need?” I have to admit, I had to read it again, and the first thought that came to my mind was a picture of Harold A. Linstone at a conference in Hamburg 15years ago, standing in front of me: “Kerstin, be careful, you are reinventing the wheel. And that is a saying other people already told me 20years ago when we were at the beginning of our forecasting…” I have never forgotten his words and nowadays, I am sometimes impatient with my students or my younger colleagues, and bite my lips in order not to repeat the same sentences. But the question “when is a need a need?” is still unsolved, discussed even more and seems to be more difficult than ever. The four hypotheses of the article can be discussed in a similar way today — and the questions remain the same. Some reasons, arguments and events or names have changed, but it is still up to date! This is alarming! Have we not learned anything in the meantime?

Present at the creation.

The spliceosome was in its heyday … the ribosome not yet proven to be a ribozyme … microRNAs, lncRNAs, et al. lurking out of sight. The survivors of previous RNA processing get-togethers (starting in 1974 at Brookhaven), gathering in Keystone in 1994, speculated that since there was a (financially successful and media-savvy) Protein Society, why not RNA? And if an RNA Society, why not an RNA journal? Key to the journal's success was getting buy-in from the RNA community at large to serve on its Editorial Board and agreeing to a high set of standards for manuscript acceptance. We prided ourselves on being a cooperative and collaborative group (in contrast to others that we could—and frequently did—name) and especially encouraged the participation of our young colleagues. In the ensuing years, the Society and the journal have flourished. With the discovery of vast new repertoires of non-coding RNAs, even folks who previously lived their lives outside of the RNA World suddenly wanted in. The crystal structure of the ribosome galvanized a brand new era of hypothesis-driven experiments to interrogate function. The spliceosome, whose dynamic construction has long thwarted traditional structural approaches, is proving to be amenable to sophisticated single-molecule techniques; these promise to illuminate new principles of RNP design, especially as new technical advances allow us to look inside single cells in real time. While much excitement inevitably awaits us, these past 20 years have witnessed a spectacular proliferation of RNA-centric themes in biology. May the journey continue!

Genetica Humana

Sometimes we do not realize that Spanish speaking people are one of the major linguistic group on our planet! Thus we have to welcome this excellent book devoted to, as the title clearly tell us, human genetics for the pleasure of the Spanish speaking people. Those who love genetics, young fellows at the beginning of their careers, esteemed professors and historians of science will get for the affordable price.....