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Models are essential in science and therefore in scientific literacy. Therefore, pupils need to attain competency in the appropriate use of models. This so-called model--methodical competence distinguishes between model competence (the conceptual part) and modelling competence (the procedural part), wherefrom a definition follows a general overview of the concept of models in this article. Based on this, modelling processes enable the promotion of the modelling competence. In this context, two established approaches mainly applied in other disciplines (biology and mathematics) and a survey among chemistry teachers and employees of chemistry education departments (N = 98) form the starting point for developing a chemistry modelling process. The article concludes with a description of the developed modelling process, which by its design, provides an opportunity to develop students' modelling competence.

Multiple episodes in US history demonstrate that birth rates fall in response to recessions. However, the 2020 COVID-19 recession differed from earlier periods in that employment and access to contraception and abortion fell, as reproductive health centers across the country temporarily closed or reduced their capacity. This paper exploits novel survey and administrative data to examine how reductions in access to reproductive health care during 2020 affected contraceptive efficacy among low-income women. Accounting for 2020's reductions in access to contraception and the economic slowdown, our results predict a modest decline in births of 1.1 percent in 2021 for low-income women. Further accounting for reductions in access to abortion implies that birth rates may even rise for low-income women. These results also suggest that already economically disadvantaged families disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 economy will experience a large increase in unplanned births.Supplementary informationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11113-022-09703-9.

Multitouch experiment instructions (MEIs), implemented as interactive eBooks, are learning tools for pupils that offer various digital support tools and enable pupils to individualize their learning. They may be applied to contexts such as inquiry-based experiments in school laboratories, which involve highly demanding cognitive processes and require a high level of self-regulation. Self-regulation has been shown to be reliably promoted by interventions which include the targeted training of self-regulation strategies. A MEI was designed as an interactive eBook on experiments on the topic "Analysis of Cola", suitable for an inquiry-based learning environment such as a school lab. The MEI's potential to promote self-regulated learning was investigated by comparing it to a MEI with digital, integrated self-regulation training. The data revealed a significant increase of self-regulation in the control group, which consisted of pupils experimenting with the MEI on its own, and one experimental group, which included pupils that were supported by the MEI with an additional self-regulation training. It can be assumed that the MEI's ability to promote self-regulated learning is comparable to the results achieved by an additional self-regulation training which explicitly addressed self-regulation strategies. This highlights the MEI's potential to promote self-regulated learning in an indirect approach.

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Interdisciplinary teaching approaches have gained significant importance in today's educational landscape. Among these approaches, decision-making competence plays a pivotal role by nurturing critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Focusing on the decision-making process regarding the sensibility of using sugar-substitutes, this study addresses three key questions. (1) Do chemistry and sports and health students differ in evaluation-competence? (2) What criteria do they use in evaluating the decision-making problem? (3) How do they use ChatGPT (OpenAI, San Francisco, CA, USA), an AI tool, in decision-making? Through surveys, the study revealed two evaluation-competence factors, identified decision-making criteria, and analyzed querying behavior using ChatGPT. The results revealed nuanced differences between the two student groups in the factors of evaluation-competence. While both groups showed improvements in recognizing moral dimensions and considering alternatives, chemistry students displayed enhanced abilities in establishing evaluation criteria and empathetic thinking. Furthermore, differences emerged in the criteria selected for decision-making and querying behavior, indicating varying engagement with ChatGPT. This study offers insights into enhancing interdisciplinary education and underscores the need for tailored interventions to address diverse student needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since December 2019, Coronavirus disease‐19 (COVID‐19) has spread rapidly throughout the world, leading to a global effort to develop vaccines and treatments. Despite extensive progress, there remains a need for treatments to bolster the immune responses in infected immunocompromised individuals, such as cancer patients who recently underwent a haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Immunological protection against COVID‐19 is mediated by both short‐lived neutralizing antibodies and long‐lasting virus‐reactive T cells. Therefore, we propose that T cell therapy may augment efficacy of current treatments. For the greatest efficacy with minimal adverse effects, it is important that any cellular therapy is designed to be as specific and directed as possible. Here, we identify T cells from COVID‐19 patients with a potentially protective response to two major antigens of the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus, Spike and Nucleocapsid protein. By generating clones of highly virus‐reactive CD4+ T cells, we were able to confirm a set of nine immunodominant epitopes and characterize T cell responses against these. Accordingly, the sensitivity of T cell clones for their specific epitope, as well as the extent and focus of their cytokine response was examined. Moreover, using an advanced T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing approach, we determined the paired TCR‐αβ sequences of clones of interest. While these data on a limited population require further expansion for universal application, the results presented here form a crucial first step towards TCR‐transgenic CD4+ T cell therapy of COVID‐19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]