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Copyright of Public Health Forum is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Public Health Forum is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The anthology "Text Complexity and Text Understanding" by Angela Schrott, Johanna Wolf, and Christine Pflüger addresses various aspects of text comprehensibility. The twelve contributions in the book mostly come from the field of Romance studies at the University of Kassel. Theoretical models on text complexity, recontextualization, and simplification techniques are discussed. The significance of visual codifications in texts is also debated. One contribution examines the appropriateness of text simplifications in administrative and legal contexts. Analyses on topics such as comics, memes, and digital communication are presented. The volume is primarily aimed at experts but has some shortcomings in terms of explaining terms and does not adequately consider text complexity in some cases. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of Public Health Forum is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Empirical values for the prediction of the ultimate axial capacity of ductile driven piles In the 2022 annual report of the working group "Piles" of the German Geotechnical Society, the inclusion of the pile system "ductile driven pile" in the new 3rd edition of the "Recommendations on Piling" (EA‐Pfähle) was announced. As a result, practical empirical values for predicting the axial ultimate capacity as well as information on quality assurance during pile installation are now available for grouted ductile driven piles, which have been used in Germany for decades. The basis for the development of the empirical values was a research project at the University of Kassel, in which in a first phase extensively instrumented pile load tests were carried out in cohesive and non‐cohesive soils. The results of the load tests were included in a comprehensive database for ductile driven piles from which correlations for pile shaft friction and pile base resistance of grouted ductile driven piles could then be determined using a multi‐linear regression model. In the scope of this paper, these investigations, which were used as the basis for determining the empirical values, will be illustrated and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In various research projects at the University of Kassel, the concept of lightweight concrete has been combined with that of ultra‐high performance concrete (UHPC). Due to the high performance of the UHPC matrix, lightweight concretes (UHPLC) with strengths of 60‐130 MPa and bulk density of 1.5‐1.9 kg/m3 were developed. This material can be used in many applications because of its low thermal conductivity, low weight and thus easy to transport, recyclable and can be prefabricated. Thus, it meets today's multifunctional requirements for building materials. The brittle material failure of UHPC without fibers is not observed with UHPLC. Instead, the concretes fail in hourglass shape under compressive stress, as seen in standard concretes. This constellation is not only responsible for the reduction of strength and Y‐modulus, but also predicts a ductile failure. For a better interpretation of the fracture behavior and fracture pattern, images of the UHPLC were taken in a highresolution computed tomography (μ‐CT) scanner. Between images, the sample was loaded and the load was kept constant during the measurement. The data was evaluated on the basis of a damage parameter, as well as crack openings during stable crack growth and the crack pattern after the maximum load was exceeded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article "New Members and Deaths, Appointments, Habilitations and Promotions" in the DMV announcements informs about various events in the academic field. It mentions deaths of professors such as Klaus Habetha and appointments such as that of Dr. Abhishek Oswal at the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg. Furthermore, habilitations and promotions of various researchers at different universities are listed, such as the habilitation of Patrick Njionou at the University of Kassel. [Extracted from the article]

The article "From the Association's Work" summarizes the activities of the board in the past weeks. Topics included a digital meeting with the Hessian Minister of Education, the preparation of the state committee, and the establishment of a study program for special education at the University of Kassel. It also discusses a minister-association meeting on the educational support of children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities. Other topics were the financing of school administration, the shortage of teachers, and digitization. The article also describes changes and updates regarding the website and training in special education. It emphasizes that the dialogue with the university should be continued to achieve long-term benefits from the planned innovations. [Extracted from the article]

Language-based interaction between learners of German as a second language and their teachers in out-of-class settings such as art museums requires mediation, which in turn influences discourse practices. How L2 learners manage the communicative task of discovering artworks and how teachers can assist and mediate context-specific aspects of interactional competence are the guiding questions in this article.To answer them, this article reports on an exploratory study of an art-and-culture buddy program carried out as part of an interdisciplinary service-learning project at the University of Kassel. One aim of the project was to change the traditional format of guided tours for larger groups and to develop, test and evaluate a supportive and language-sensitive programme for German as a second language learners. The reconstructive case analysis of art communication enables conclusions about the epistemic and linguistic phases in talking about art and the possibilities of scaffolding. An analysis of a dyadic setting provides insights into the professional and linguistic discourse practices in talking about art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are profound theoretical arguments on the relevance of career choice motivation for teachers' academic and career success. Empirical studies are scarce but show that career choice motivation is related to performance-related features such as the use of learning strategies. However, it is unclear to what extent career choice motivation also influences the grades until the end of teacher education. Therefore, this paper relates first-order (intrinsic and extrinsic motivation) and second-order factors of career choice motivation (educational interest , subject-specific interest , utility , ability beliefs , low difficulty of the study , and social influences) as assessed by the FEMOLA-instrument to two achievement measures: a) self-reported final grade after finishing their studies and b) the students' cumulated performances during their studies, excluding the performance in their final exams. The sample consists of 464 teacher students from the University of Kassel. Controlling for gender, studied school level and the grade of university entrance qualification, linear regression models show low, but significant relations between intrinsic as well as extrinsic career choice motivation and both performance measures. The higher intrinsic and the lower extrinsic career choice motivation was, the better the performance. A closer look at first-order factors of career choice motivation reveals different patterns: Students' cumulated performance during their studies is related to the first-order factors ability beliefs and low difficulty of the study. The self-reported final grade, however, cannot be predicted by any of the first-order factors. The results are discussed critically when related to teacher education research. Considering the limitations of the study, further research perspectives are pointed out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut Mitteilungen is the property of Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The present InfoDaF booklet contains selected contributions from the 49th annual conference on German as a foreign and second language at the University of Kassel. It is titled "Transformations in German as a foreign and second language: 'in the midst' of theory, practice, and digitalization" and addresses various topics in the field of German as a foreign and second language. The contributions deal with theoretical considerations, practical approaches, and the significance of digitalization in the context of German as a foreign and second language. Among other things, the effects of crises, agility in German as a foreign and second language education, the professionalization of teaching in the digital space, the didactics of writing, and gender-sensitive approaches in grammar teaching are discussed. The contributions promote an open dialogue and offer various theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches. [Extracted from the article]

Irrigation plays an important role in agriculture in temperate regions because of the reduction in rainfall frequency during the spring and summer months along with the increase in average temperature and evapotranspiration. To increase irrigation efficiency, we developed an innovative mobile strip irrigation system for ridge culture. The objective of this pilot study was to compare the new technology with a standard full-area sprinkler system and analyze the yield, flow rate, applied irrigation on the ridges, and variability of the irrigation depths expressed by the Christiansen uniformity coefficient (CUC) and distribution uniformity coefficient (CUD). The experimental design applied the two treatments to carrots grown on eight ridges covering an area of 210 m² . The experiment was conducted at the University of Kassel, Witzenhausen, Germany. The results showed a flow rate ranging from 54.7 to 72.7 l h–1. Good CUC (89%) and excellent CUD (82%) were obtained for the mobile irrigation system, indicating low variability of irrigation depths. The water content in the ridge crest increased to field capacity after irrigation, with a moderate coefficient of variation (14%) among the measurements. In addition, water use reduction with respect to the standard irrigation system of 51% during the treatments, or 29% considering the entire experiment time, was observed, and no significant differences in the total fresh yield between the irrigation systems were verified. Because only a single sprinkler irrigation system with an irrigation efficiency of 80% was used, care must be taken when extrapolating the findings of the present study. High irrigation efficiency sprinkler irrigation systems with multiple sprinklers, which reduce the sprinkler irrigation amount, can be considered in future studies to confirm the increased water usage efficiency of the mobile strip irrigation system [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nachrichten aus der Chemie is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An interview with Claudia Schlaak , a language professor at the University of Kassel, is presented. Topics include the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the education sector and how it has affected the teaching and learning of foreign languages; and collaboration and mutual support for challenging times and the opportunities that arise from the interdisciplinarity and diversity of the university environment.

Copyright of Vierteljahrshefte für Zeitgeschichte is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Masonry infill walls in reinforced concrete frames under earthquake loading Reinforced concrete frame structures with masonry infill often show severe damage after earthquakes. The reasons for this are the stresses brought to the infill walls due to the frame deformations in the wall plane and the simultaneously occurring inertial forces perpendicular to the wall plane in combination with the construction details of the masonry infills. The infill is usually rigidly connected with the mortar to the frame columns, with the upper joint being closed with mortar or polyurethane foam. In the event of an earthquake, this leads to local interactions between the infill and the frame, which can lead to the failure of individual infill walls or to the successive failure of the entire building. The observed damages were the motivation for the European research project INSYSME for reinforced concrete frame structures with infills made of high thermal insulating bricks, to develop innovative solutions for improving the seismic behaviour. This paper presents the solutions developed by the German project partners (University of Kassel, SDA‐engineering GmbH) and compares their seismic behaviour with the traditional design of infill walls. Basis for the comparison are static‐cyclic tests and simulations on the infilled frame level. The results are used to derive recommendations for the earthquake‐proof design of reinforced concrete frames with infills made of masonry bricks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, with the increasing population in Iran, especially in arid and semi-arid areas, as a result of the growing importance of the quality of water resources, including groundwater, field experiments and many simulations have been conducted for the development of groundwater contamination through powerful and up- to- date software. However, in most cases, there is a tangible difference between the measured data in laboratories and the data produced with software; this is why the scientific validation and verification of the research results could be declined. In this study, in order to justify and correct these data, the calibration principle was used to minimize the error of testing and modeling. The purpose of this study was to validate and verify the SUTRA model for different scenarios of the solute transport in a sand tank with heterogeneous hydraulic conductivity to evaluate transverse dispersivity. In this study, coding was initially performed for the configuration and calibration of the SUTRA numerical model to simulate different scenarios of the solute transport in a heterogeneous sand Tank in the Hydraulic Laboratory of the University of Kassel, Germany, until acceptable values were obtained. Then the results were compared with the experimental model. In order to validate and verify the data obtained from the simulation with the SUTRA model, the relevant concentration profiles were compared with the results of the experimental model. The results of the numerical and laboratory models revealed the density effects by sinking the geometric center of the mixing zone for the low concentrations of salt, C0 = 250 ppm. The results also showed that the width of the mixing zone between salt and fresh water depended on the amount of longitudinal dispersivity, especially the transverse dispersivity. By analyzing the results of simulation and experiment, it was observed that with increasing the velocity, reducing the amount of sinking and raising the input concentration, the time needed to achieve the steady dispersion was decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the influence of a partially supported slab on the in‐plane shear resistance of masonry walls, six shear tests on full scale walls were performed at the Chair of Structural Concrete of the University of Kassel in cooperation with "Arbeitsgemeinschaft Mauerziegel". The walls were made of large chamber clay masonry units and the depths of the partially supported slabs were different. The large chamber units are typically used for thermally insulated exterior walls, with the slabs only being partially supported. The influence of this constellation is not taken into account in shear capacity assessment according to the current version of Eurocode 6 for Germany. This article describes the test results and provides a comparison with Eurocode 6. In addition, the results of older shear tests on masonry walls made of vertically perforated units with eccentric load application were used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study used a systematic literature review, bibliometric analysis, and thematic assessment. • This study used VosViewer, and R-Bibliometrix software for the analysis. • This study analyzed urban and peri-urban farming literature from 2002 to 2022. • Food security, local food systems, and sustainable agriculture were the most frequent words. • Prominent themes were the IoT, food security, sustainability and resilience, CEA, and LCA. In recent years, Urban and peri-urban farming (UPF) research has experienced significant growth, but a comprehensive global overview is lacking. This study examined UPF research from 2002 to 2022 using an integrated literature review approach, including systematic literature review, bibliometric analysis, and thematic assessment. Analyzing 1,257 articles from the Web of Science database with Vosviewer and Bibliometrix, key keywords identified in the literature were urban agriculture, food security, local food systems, community gardens, and sustainable agriculture. Prominent research trends included the Internet of Things (IoT), resilience, Controlled environment agriculture (CEA), plant factories, Life cycle assessment (LCA), and vertical farming. Publications by US-affiliated authors received higher citations, and co-authorship collaborations from China, India, and Brazil were observed in UPF research network. Notable institutions with significant contributions and collaboration links in UPF research were the University Autonoma de Barcelona, the University of Kassel, and the National University of Singapore. This study's findings offer valuable insights for researchers and policymakers in the food and agriculture industry, providing a comprehensive overview of the UPF domain and suggesting future research directions. This review advances urban farming practices, informing decision-making processes, research priorities and developing the policies and initiatives to foster resilient and sustainable urban farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]