| 1. |
- Bernhardt, J, et al.
(author)
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CASE Needs Analysis. Summary. Findings on Competencies for Sustainability-driven Entrepreneurship. Based on interviews with partners from sustainability-driven enterprises and universities.
- 2016
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The report represents the main outputs of the needs analysis of work package 1 (WP1) within the CASE project. The specific aim of the report and WP1 is to summarize concrete needs and necessary competencies for sustainability-driven entrepreneurship. For this purpose a qualitative research approach was chosen to bring together perspectives of enterprises and universities concerning a future collaboration as a possible starting-point for a long-lasting multistakeholder network. Furthermore an analysis of best practice examples was necessary in order to create synergies and use existing knowledge and good experiences of teaching towards sustainability-driven entrepreneurship. As the results show, both, companies and universities, are highly aware of the huge challenges for society, economy and natural environment on a global and regional level. That calls for integrated, holistic approaches and for comprehensive socio-economic transformation processes, involving various stakeholders from entrepreneurial, societal and educational contexts. As disciplinary analysis quickly reach their limits, research and practice for sustainability-driven entrepreneurship require comprehensive and integrated approaches. Multistakeholder networks could provide the right learning environments for complex sustainability issues.
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| 2. |
- Biberhofer, P, et al.
(author)
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Joint CASE Report on Content and Methods for the Joint Master Program on Sustainability-driven Entrepreneurship
- 2016
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Reports (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The CASE project develops a joint master program on sustainability-driven entrepreneurship in a university-business knowledge alliance. However, it is not only for the development of the master program that university opens up to consider and integrate further stakeholder perspectives into the process. The future students shall learn in a transdisciplinary learning environment, steadily researching and integrating real-world needs and perspectives to develop competencies that enable them to solve complex sustainability-problems in their further careers. In the CASE project, we aim to avoid the indicated gap between sustainability-oriented, real-world contents and not corresponding pedagogical frameworks. We connect the development of contents and methods in the two interlinked work packages 3 and 4 in terms of process and outcomes (see Figure 1 for an overview of the WPs that contribute to the development of the master program). WP 3 is focusing on relevant content areas for the master program and WP 4 is analyzing innovative methods to foster competencies of sustainability-driven entrepreneurship. The output of the two WPs is this joint report describing the joint development process, giving background information on relevant content areas for sustainability-driven entrepreneurship and adequate teaching and learning approaches. In the course of the development process of WP 3 and WP 4 we considered different regional requirements and needs of the universities that are part of the CASE consortium and further stakeholders via participatory multi-stakeholder workshops. In chapter 1.3 we describe this process in detail and particularly elaborate on the multi-stakeholder approach chosen in the CASE project. This development process first covered clustering relevant topics to thematic areas, then structuring these into modules and courses with various teaching formats. Finally, we added recommendations for concrete teaching and learning methods. The report outlines modules for a master program that are designed to foster competencies of sustainability-driven entrepreneurship. Since the overarching aim of the CASE project is to develop a joint master program that can be adopted by various European universities, we are ambitious to create modules which are adaptable and can flexibly be implemented in different regional contexts and under differing conditions of universities. With this report, we are sharing our knowledge and experiences gained so far to make them accessible to HEIs, company partners and all other stakeholders interested in the topic of sustainability-driven entrepreneurship and in innovative teaching and learning methods.
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| 3. |
- Comi, G, et al.
(author)
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Effects of early treatment with glatiramer acetate in patients with clinically isolated syndrome
- 2013
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In: Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England). - : SAGE Publications. - 1477-0970 .- 1352-4585. ; 19:8, s. 1074-1083
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The placebo-controlled phase of the PreCISe study showed that glatiramer acetate delayed onset of clinically definite multiple sclerosis (CDMS) in patients with clinically isolated syndrome and brain lesions on MRI. Objective: To compare the effects of early versus delayed glatiramer acetate treatment in the open-label phase of PreCISe. Methods: Patients with a clinically isolated syndrome suggestive of MS with unifocal manifestation and ≥2 T2-weighted brain lesions were randomized to receive glatiramer acetate 20 mg/d (early-treatment, n=198) or placebo (delayed-treatment, n=211) for 36 months or until conversion to CDMS, followed by open-label glatiramer acetate treatment for two years. Results: Early glatiramer acetate treatment reduced CDMS conversion risk by 41% (hazard ratio 0.59, 95% confidence interval 0.44–0.80; p=0.0005) versus delayed-treatment, and was associated with a 972-day delay (185%) in conversion to CDMS, less brain atrophy (−28%, p=0.0209), fewer new T2 lesions/year (−42%, <0.0001) and lower T2 lesion volume (−22%, p=0.0005) versus delayed treatment. Adverse events were consistent with the established safety profile of glatiramer acetate. Conclusions: Effects of early glatiramer acetate treatment on the rate of conversion to CDMS and on MRI measures of disease activity and lesion burden support initiating glatiramer acetate treatment soon after the first clinical symptoms suggestive of MS and continuing treatment to sustain benefits.
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| 4. |
- Cincera, J, et al.
(author)
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Designing a sustainability-driven entrepreneurship curriculum as a social learning process: A case study from an international knowledge alliance project
- 2018
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In: Journal of Cleaner Production. - : Elsevier BV. - 0959-6526. ; 172, s. 4357-4366
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Integrating Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in higher education curricula requires innovative ideas and approaches how to combine educational, sustainability and disciplinary knowledge, skills, experiences, and motivations. Curriculum developers are challenged to be open to new concepts in their discipline regarding what should be taught and how it can be taught to facilitate learning processes to prepare students for shaping a sustainable future. The European project ‘Competencies for A Sustainable socio-Economic development’ (CASE) follows a participatory, inter- and transdisciplinary approach to design a Master’s program on sustainability-driven entrepreneurship. This study presents an analysis of the social learning process that has taken place in the interdisciplinary, intercultural CASE team during the participatory development process of the new Master’s program. The methodological design of the study is based on qualitative, participative evaluation research. The process of learning is discussed based on how the group reflected on and developed their “action theories” on how to design a supportive learning environment in which a Master’s program with innovative scopes and goals can be created. The findings highlight the importance of sharing and processing the experiences, mental models and interpretations concerning concepts, ideas, perspectives and new input within the group. This seems crucial for developing the capacity of the group to bring together diverse knowledge and perspectives for innovative, feasible solutions and ideas as well as to cooperate and collaborate effectively as a team. The implications of a culture of dialogue, participation and learning in diverse teams as important principles for developing innovative ESD-based curricula in different disciplines are discussed. It is emphasized that not only students, but also curriculum developers have to acquire the corresponding ESD-related competencies.
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| 5. |
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| 7. |
- Hedden, Trey, et al.
(author)
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Multiple Brain Markers are Linked to Age-Related Variation in Cognition
- 2016
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In: Cerebral Cortex. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1047-3211 .- 1460-2199. ; 26:4, s. 1388-1400
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Age-related alterations in brain structure and function have been challenging to link to cognition due to potential overlapping influences of multiple neurobiological cascades. We examined multiple brain markers associated with age-related variation in cognition. Clinically normal older humans aged 65-90 from the Harvard Aging Brain Study (N = 186) were characterized on a priori magnetic resonance imaging markers of gray matter thickness and volume, white matter hyperintensities, fractional anisotropy (FA), resting-state functional connectivity, positron emission tomography markers of glucose metabolism and amyloid burden, and cognitive factors of processing speed, executive function, and episodic memory. Partial correlation and mediation analyses estimated age-related variance in cognition shared with individual brain markers and unique to each marker. The largest relationships linked FA and striatum volume to processing speed and executive function, and hippocampal volume to episodic memory. Of the age-related variance in cognition, 70-80% was accounted for by combining all brain markers (but only ∼20% of total variance). Age had significant indirect effects on cognition via brain markers, with significant markers varying across cognitive domains. These results suggest that most age-related variation in cognition is shared among multiple brain markers, but potential specificity between some brain markers and cognitive domains motivates additional study of age-related markers of neural health.
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| 8. |
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| 9. |
- Rieckmann, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Dopamine transporter availability in clinically normal aging is associated with individual differences in white matter integrity
- 2016
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In: Human Brain Mapping. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1065-9471 .- 1097-0193. ; 37:2, s. 621-631
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aging-related differences in white matter integrity, the presence of amyloid plaques, and density of biomarkers indicative of dopamine functions can be detected and quantified with in vivo human imaging. The primary aim of the present study was to investigate whether these imaging-based measures constitute independent imaging biomarkers in older adults, which would speak to the hypothesis that the aging brain is characterized by multiple independent neurobiological cascades. We assessed MRI-based markers of white matter integrity and PET-based marker of dopamine transporter density and amyloid deposition in the same set of 53 clinically normal individuals (age 65-87). A multiple regression analysis demonstrated that dopamine transporter availability is predicted by white matter integrity, which was detectable even after controlling for chronological age. Further post-hoc exploration revealed that dopamine transporter availability was further associated with systolic blood pressure, mirroring the established association between cardiovascular health and white matter integrity. Dopamine transporter availability was not associated with the presence of amyloid burden. Neurobiological correlates of dopamine transporter measures in aging are therefore likely unrelated to Alzheimer's disease but are aligned with white matter integrity and cardiovascular risk. More generally, these results suggest that two common imaging markers of the aging brain that are typically investigated separately do not reflect independent neurobiological processes.
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