Fieldwork Monitoring in Practice: Insights from 17 Large-scale Social Science Surveys in Germany

This study provides a synopsis of the current fieldwork monitoring practices of large-scale surveys in Germany. Based on the results of a standardized questionnaire, the study summarizes fieldwork monitoring indicators used and fieldwork measures carried out by 17 large-scale social sciences surveys in Germany. Our descriptive results reveal that a common set of fieldwork indicators and measures exist on which the studied surveys rely. However, it also uncovers the need for additional design-specific indicators. Finally, it underlines the importance of a close cooperation between survey representatives and fieldwork agencies to optimize processes in fieldwork monitoring in the German survey context. The article concludes with implications for fieldwork practice

Motor, cognitive and mobility deficits in 1000 geriatric patients : protocol of a quantitative observational study before and after routine clinical geriatric treatment – the ComOn-study

© The Author(s). 2020 Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.Background: Motor and cognitive deficits and consequently mobility problems are common in geriatric patients. The currently available methods for diagnosis and for the evaluation of treatment in this vulnerable cohort are limited. The aims of the ComOn (COgnitive and Motor interactions in the Older populatioN) study are (i) to define quantitative markers with clinical relevance for motor and cognitive deficits, (ii) to investigate the interaction between both motor and cognitive deficits and (iii) to assess health status as well as treatment outcome of 1000 geriatric inpatients in hospitals of Kiel (Germany), Brescia (Italy), Porto (Portugal), Curitiba (Brazil) and Bochum (Germany). Methods: This is a prospective, explorative observational multi-center study. In addition to the comprehensive geriatric assessment, quantitative measures of reduced mobility and motor and cognitive deficits are performed before and after a two week's inpatient stay. Components of the assessment are mobile technology-based assessments of gait, balance and transfer performance, neuropsychological tests, frailty, sarcopenia, autonomic dysfunction and sensation, and questionnaires to assess behavioral deficits, activities of daily living, quality of life, fear of falling and dysphagia. Structural MRI and an unsupervised 24/7 home assessment of mobility are performed in a subgroup of participants. The study will also investigate the minimal clinically relevant change of the investigated parameters. Discussion: This study will help form a better understanding of symptoms and their complex interactions and treatment effects in a large geriatric cohort.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of allopurinol in addition to hypothermia treatment in neonates for hypoxic-ischemic brain injury on neurocognitive outcome (ALBINO):Study protocol of a blinded randomized placebo-controlled parallel group multicenter trial for superiority (phase III)

Background: Perinatal asphyxia and resulting hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy is a major cause of death and long-term disability in term born neonates. Up to 20,000 infants each year are affected by HIE in Europe and even more in regions with lower level of perinatal care. The only established therapy to improve outcome in these infants is therapeutic hypothermia. Allopurinol is a xanthine oxidase inhibitor that reduces the production of oxygen radicals as superoxide, which contributes to secondary energy failure and apoptosis in neurons and glial cells after reperfusion of hypoxic brain tissue and may further improve outcome if administered in addition to therapeutic hypothermia. Methods: This study on the effects of ALlopurinol in addition to hypothermia treatment for hypoxic-ischemic Brain Injury on Neurocognitive Outcome (ALBINO), is a European double-blinded randomized placebo-controlled parallel group multicenter trial (Phase III) to evaluate the effect of postnatal allopurinol administered in addition to standard of care (including therapeutic hypothermia if indicated) on the incidence of death and severe neurodevelopmental impairment at 24 months of age in newborns with perinatal hypoxic-ischemic insult and signs of potentially evolving encephalopathy. Allopurinol or placebo will be given in addition to therapeutic hypothermia (where indicated) to infants with a gestational age ≥ 36 weeks and a birth weight ≥ 2500 g, with severe perinatal asphyxia and potentially evolving encephalopathy. The primary endpoint of this study will be death or severe neurodevelopmental impairment versus survival without severe neurodevelopmental impairment at the age of two years. Effects on brain injury by magnetic resonance imaging and cerebral ultrasound, electric brain activity, concentrations of peroxidation products and S100B, will also be studied along with effects on heart function and pharmacokinetics of allopurinol after iv-infusion. Discussion: This trial will provide data to assess the efficacy and safety of early postnatal allopurinol in term infants with evolving hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. If proven efficacious and safe, allopurinol could become part of a neuroprotective pharmacological treatment strategy in addition to therapeutic hypothermia in children with perinatal asphyxia. Trial registration: NCT03162653, www.ClinicalTrials.gov, May 22, 2017.</p

Bio-Eier aus kleinen Produktionseinheiten - aktuelle und alternative Verwertung nicht vermarktungsfähiger Eier (Verbundvorhaben)

Das Projekt Inwertsetzung Bio-Ei „Bio-Eier aus kleinen Produktionseinheiten – Aktuelle und alternative Verwertung nicht vermarktungsfähiger Eier“ wurde von 2020 bis 2022 als Verbundprojekt des Instituts für ländliche Strukturforschung (IfLS), der Bioland Beratung GmbH und des Demeter e.V. durchgeführt. Gefördert wurde das Projekt aus Mitteln des Bundesministeriums für Ernährung und Landwirtschaft im Rahmen des Bundesprogramms Ökologischer Landbau und andere Formen nachhaltiger Landwirtschaft. Die Anzahl kleiner Legehennenbestände stieg in den letzten Jahren im konventionellen und ökologi-schen Bereich an. Ziel des Projektes war es, die nicht vermarktungsfähige Ware solcher Bestände (100 – 3.000 Tiere) zu untersuchen, landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben Wege zu den Inwertsetzungsmöglichkeiten aufzuzeigen und verarbeitenden und vermarktenden Betrieben die Einbindung in ihre Lieferketten zu erleichtern. Zur nicht vermarktungsfähigen Ware zählen Schmutz- und Knickeier (B-Ware) sowie S- und XL-Eier. Letztere können als A-Ware vermarktet werden, sind aber häufig mit Preisabschlägen verbunden. Auf den befragten landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben werden meist mehrere Inwertsetzungsstrategien wie die Herstellung von Eiprodukten, der Verkauf an verarbeitende Betriebe oder Zwischenhändler, die Direktvermarktung und eigene Verwertung genutzt. Arbeitswirtschaftliche, rechtliche, verbrau-cherrelevante, ökologische und ökonomische Aspekte sowie ihre Dauerhaftigkeit spielen eine Rolle bei der Auswahl der Strategien. Weitere Projektteile befassten sich mit Eiern, die während und nach der Behandlung mit allopathischen Arzneimitteln anfallen und nicht als Bio-Ware vermarktbar sind, mit der Einbindung kleiner Legehennenbestände in Erzeugerorganisationen und Logistiknetzwerke. Einflussfaktoren des Manage-ments auf die Eiqualität wurden in einem praxisorientierten Managementleitfaden dargestellt. Des Weiteren wurde die Verwertung der Althennen aus kleinen Beständen im Projekt untersucht

Effects of dropstone-induced habitat heterogeneity on Arctic deep-sea benthos with special reference to nematode communities

During an expedition to the deep-sea long-term observatory HAUSGARTEN in the eastern Fram Strait in summer 2003, the availability of a Remotely Operated Vehicle allowed a targeted sampling of surface sediments around a relatively large dropstone (0.9 m2) to determine suspected differences in community structure and dynamics of nematode assemblages in relation to the confined flow regime and patchy food availability in the immediate vicinity of the stone. The almost rectangular dropstone was about 150 cm in length, 60 cm in width, and up to 15 cm in height. Small-scale current measurements around the dropstone using a MAVS-3 acoustic current meter exhibited a rather complex pattern. A computational fluid dynamics simulation revealed areas of constantly flowing near-bottom currents as well as the generation of vortices in certain areas around the dropstone. Concentrations of biogenic compounds in the sediments surrounding the dropstone generally followed the complex flow pattern. The differences in physical and biochemical conditions around the dropstone were reflected in species composition and diversity, trophic structure and life-history traits of the nematode communities, and to a lesser extent in their total abundance and biomass

Reduced health-related quality of life, fatigue, anxiety and depression affect COVID-19 patients in the long-term after chronic critical illness

Abstract The term chronic critical illness describes patients suffering from persistent organ dysfunction and prolonged mechanical ventilation. In severe cases, COVID-19 led to chronic critical illness. As this population was hardly investigated, we evaluated the health-related quality of life, physical, and mental health of chronically critically ill COVID-19 patients. In this prospective cohort study, measurements were conducted on admission to and at discharge from inpatient neurorehabilitation and 3, 6, and 12 months after discharge. We included 97 patients (61 ± 12 years, 31% women) with chronic critical illness; all patients required mechanical ventilation. The median duration of ICU-treatment was 52 (interquartile range 36–71) days, the median duration of mechanical ventilation was 39 (22–55) days. Prevalences of fatigue, anxiety, and depression increased over time, especially between discharge and 3 months post-discharge and remained high until 12 months post-discharge. Accordingly, health-related quality of life was limited without noteworthy improvement (EQ-5D–5L: 0.63 ± 0.33). Overall, the burden of symptoms was high, even one year after discharge (fatigue 55%, anxiety 42%, depression 40%, problems with usual activities 77%, pain/discomfort 84%). Therefore, patients with chronic critical illness should receive attention regarding treatment after discharge with a special focus on mental well-being. Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register, DRKS00025606. Registered 21 June 2021—Retrospectively registered, https://drks.de/search/de/trial/DRKS00025606

Investigations at the first and only deep-sea long-term station beyond the polar circle (Vortrag)

The deep sea is the largest and yet least explored ecosystem on Earth. Even less is known about the more remote deep-sea beyond the polar circle. Until recently, deep-sea research has predominantly encompassed single sampling campaigns or measurements. Such data, however, represent only snap shots in time and space so that ecological conclusions are of restricted applicability. Long-term studies offer the opportunity to identify environmental settings determining the structure, complexity and the development of deep-sea communities.Following a pre-site study using the French Remotely Operated Vehicle "VICTOR 6000" in summer 1999, we established the first long-term station in polar deep-sea regions in the western Fram Strait off Spitsbergen. The AWI-Hausgarten consists of nine stations along a depth gradient from 1000 to 5500m and a latitudinal transect of seven stations starting in the north at the margin of the sea ice. There is also an experimental area at the central station (2500m) for long-term experiments to study the effect of different substrates, nutrient enrichment and predator exclusion on benthic activity and diversity. Here, we present the methods used during our annual visits to study seasonal and interannual variations in biological, geochemical and sedimentological parameters