While mindfulness meditation has been associated with enhanced attentional abilities, the consequences of loving-kindness meditation for attention have not previously been investigated. We examined the trait and state effects of 8 weeks of training in loving-kindness meditation (LKM) on the attentional blink. The attentional blink is a period of time in which a target stimulus is less likely to be detected if it follows too quickly (approximately 500 ms) after a previously detected target. For the two experiments reported here, a group of participants trained in LKM by meditating for approximately 15 min per day, four days per week, for 8 weeks. Experiment 1 utilized a pre-post design, with a non-meditating control group, to examine whether this training reduced the attentional blink. No differences were found. However, in an exploratory analysis, meditators did exhibit increases in two facets of mindfulness measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire: observation and descriptiveness. In experiment 2, we tested for a state effect of LKM by having trained meditators practice LKM immediately prior to the attentional blink task. Here, meditators had a significantly reduced blink size compared to control participants. To establish that this reduction was caused by the combination of LKM training with pre-task meditation, we analyzed the data in experiment 2 with respect to one of our previous works, which reported that the practice of LKM immediately prior to the attentional blink task in those without meditation training did not reduce the blink magnitude. This analysis also revealed a significant difference. Therefore, training in LKM, coupled with its practice immediately prior to an attention task, caused a state reduction in the attentional blink. These results are the first to demonstrate that LKM, an emotion-focused practice, influences cognitive processing.

Complex systems are fascinating because emergent phenomena are often unpredictable and appear to arise ex nihilo. The other side of this fascination, however, is a certain difficulty in comprehending complex systems, particularly for students. To help students more fully understand emergence and self-organization, a course on complexity theory was designed to not only be about these two concepts, but itself embody them. The principal design tool was a course wiki. Here, we quantitatively demonstrate that this course wiki selforganized into a scale-free network. This is particularly notable given the small size of the network. We conclude by noting a few qualitative examples of emergence, as well as offering recommendations for the future use of wikis in teaching complexity theory.

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Das Projekt „NextFactory“ kombiniert verschiedene Technologien mit dem Ziel, ein neuartiges Produktionsmittel zur Herstellung mikromechatronischer Systeme als funktionale Prototypen oder in kleinsten Stückzahlen zur Verfügung zu stellen. Der Fachartikel gibt einen Überblick zu dem produktionstechnischen Ansatz sowie zur Vision des Projekts und beleuchtet anschließend den aktuellen Projektstand. Zuletzt werden die aktuellen Ergebnisse zusammengefasst und ein Ausblick auf die kommenden Entwicklungsschritte gegeben.   The NextFactory project is based on different technological pillars to innovate the production technology for functional prototypes and small lot sizes of micro-mechatronic systems. This paper presents the vision of the project, followed by a closer look on the current status of the technological developments and concludes with the presentation of preliminary results and an outlook on the next development steps.

Method • The wiki constituted 45% of a student's grade for the course.-A wiki rubric outlined six grading dimensions: Quality and comprehensiveness of content, Evidence of critical thinking, Appropriate citations, Organization, Visual appeal, Level of contribution. In addition, an "A" wiki grade required that the student go above and beyond the posts required as part of their presentations, labs, and Wiki Days.