Qualitative Mediennutzungsforschung: Offline- und Online-Methoden im Vergleich

Während quantitative Onlinebefragungen heute bereits zum Standard in Wissenschaft und Marktforschung gehören, gilt die qualitative Online-Forschung in den Sozialwissenschaften und insbesondere in der Kommunikationswissenschaft dagegen immer noch als relatives Neuland. Weshalb zögert die akademische Forschung bei der Verwendung qualitativer Online-Methoden? Auf den ersten Blick scheinen die Ziele der qualitativen Forschung (Suche nach Sinn und Handlungsmustern) im Widerspruch mit den Kennzeichen der computervermittelten Kommunikation (visuelle Anonymität, Unverbindlichkeit, Oberflächlichkeit) zu stehen. Ziel der Masterarbeit ist es, anhand eines Vergleichs qualitativer Online- und Offline-Methoden, die Vor- und Nachteile synchroner Online-Verfahren aufzuzeigen und daraus abzuleiten, was bei der Durchführung von qualitativen Online-Befragungen zu beachten ist. Diese Studie will schließlich dazu ermuntern online zu forschen, um das Potential qualitativer Online-Methoden nutzen zu können

Persistent Wnt/β-catenin signaling determines dorsalization of the postnatal subventricular zone and neural Stem cell specification into oligodendrocytes and glutamatergic neurons

In the postnatal and adult central nervous system (CNS), the subventricular zone (SVZ) of the forebrain is the main source of neural stem cells (NSCs) that generate olfactory neurons and oligodendrocytes (OLs), the myelinating cells of the CNS. Here, we provide evidence of a primary role for canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling in regulating NSC fate along neuronal and oligodendroglial lineages in the postnatal SVZ. Our findings demonstrate that glutamatergic neuronal precursors (NPs) and oligodendrocyte precursors (OPs) are derived strictly from the dorsal SVZ (dSVZ) microdomain under the control of Wnt/β-catenin, whereas GABAergic NPs are derived mainly from the lateral SVZ (lSVZ) microdomain independent of Wnt/β-catenin. Transcript analysis of microdissected SVZ microdomains revealed that canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling was more pronounced in the dSVZ microdomain. This was confirmed using the β-catenin-activated Wnt-reporter mouse and by pharmacological stimulation of Wnt/β-catenin by infusion of the specific glycogen synthase kinase 3β inhibitor, AR-A014418, which profoundly increased the generation of cycling cells. In vivo genetic/pharmacological stimulation or inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin, respectively, increased and decreased the differentiation of dSVZ-NSCs into glutamatergic NPs, and had a converse effect on GABAergic NPs. Activation of Wnt/β-catenin dramatically stimulated the generation of OPs, but its inhibition had no effect, indicating other factors act in concert with Wnt/β-catenin to fine tune oligodendrogliogenesis in the postnatal dSVZ. These results demonstrate a role for Wnt/β-catenin signaling within the dorsal microdomain of the postnatal SVZ, in regulating the genesis of glutamatergic neurons and OLs

Chronic stress experience in young physicians: impact of person- and workplace-related factors

Objectives: The objectives of the present study are to investigate and compare the relative impact of workplace-related factors and personal characteristics on chronic psychosocial stress experience in young physicians. Methods: In a prospective study, a cohort of Swiss medical school graduates was followed up, beginning in 2001. In their fourth and eighth year after graduation, 443 physicians assessed their workplace conditions, the experienced effort-reward imbalance, the received professional and emotional support as well as their personal characteristics. The chronic stress experience was measured by the Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress-Screening Subscale of Chronic Stress (TICS-SCSS), 7years after graduation. The model of influencing factors on chronic stress experience was tested with a hierarchical regression analysis. Results: The mean in chronic stress (TICS-SCSS) in our study sample is significantly higher (p<0.001) compared to an age-matched population representative sample. In the prediction of chronic stress, the workplace-related factor effort-reward imbalance as well as the personal characteristic overcommitment turned out to be the most important risk factors. Stress protective are high satisfaction with career support, sense of coherence and occupational self-efficacy. The whole set of variables used in the regression model explains 51% of the variance of chronic stress experience. In the prediction of chronic stress, gender has no significant moderator effect. Conclusions: It is a matter of concern that young physicians report to feel chronically stressed early in their professional career. Actions have to be taken to reduce the stress level mainly in regard to re-establish reciprocity between perceived effort invested and rewards received, in the form of esteem, monetary gain and career opportunities including job securit

Introduction

This thematic issue of Comparativ examines the relationship between place and cultural encounters in conceptual as well as empirical respect. The introduction delineates the discussions revolving around the concepts of place, space, and encounter. It proposes a reappraisal of the concept of place, which had almost been pushed off the agenda by the spatial turn and globalisation debates. The authors of the introduction and of the other thematic contributions argue for a perspective on place which connects spatial configurations and practices of encounter, understanding places as products of social, material, and conceptual relations. In doing so, they take up theoretical reflections about the relationality of place or space as put forward by Tim Ingold (in social anthropology), Doreen Massey (in geography) or Karl Schlögel (in history). All of their approaches emphasize that places are formed in relational processes, often spanning across time and space. In this sense, places are not mere stages or contexts for events of encounter but are being constituted by them. From such a perspective, the room for manoeuvre, which opens up through interaction, becomes apparent: Neither identities nor (hi-) stories are inalterably bound to pre-existing places, but they are just as dynamic as the relations forming particular sites. The&nbsp;great diversity of (cultural) encounters only emerges jointly with the respective places of interaction. Such lines of thought also allow for new approaches to past and current forms of global connections and mobility. In this sense the contributions united in this interdisciplinary thematic issue examine case (or: place) studies from the 17th century up to the present. Grounded in historiographical, literary- and religious-studies scholarship, they undertake to further refine the process-oriented perspective presented in the introduction

Conceptualizing sustainable consumption: toward an integrative framework

Consumption and sustainability are complex issues—they cannot be reduced to the choice of consumer goods or to “green consumption.” Doing so would neglect the multifaceted embeddedness of consumer acts and the multidimensionality of sustainability. To understand patterns of consumption and move them toward sustainability means dealing with this double complexity. A coherent reference framework is therefore needed, to enable locating and correlating research questions, theories, and findings. Such a framework should provide a basis for interdisciplinary under-standing, mutual acknowledgment, and collaborative knowledge creation. Therefore, it needs to be the result of an integrative approach; otherwise it would not allow a wide variety of disciplines to work with it. This article presents such a framework, developed in the course of an interdisciplinary process in a research program. In this process, the researchers of the focal topic asked four questions: 1) How can consumption be conceptualized? 2) How can consumption and sustainability be related? 3) How can sustainable consumption be assessed? and 4) How can changes to individual consumption be motivated? The article condenses the researchers’ overall answers to these questions into four complementary core statements capturing the key elements of the reference framework and concludes by sketching the framework’s benefits for future research

Identification of fungicidal components in poplar bark from short rotation plantations

Growth of mould fungi on packaging material reduces the product quality. Eco-fungicidal substances ensure an environmentally friendly approach to prevent this problem during the service life of the product. The bark of poplar trees, as a by-product of short rotation plantations, can be a new source for obtaining bio-fungicidal substances. The types and amount of the eco-fungicidal substances in different poplar clones were investigated with GC/MS and extracted from the raw material with different methods and adapted solvent series. After applying the eco-fungicidal substances to packaging material exposed to a mixture of mould fungi, the resistance against mould growth was monitored for several weeks. The bark extracts have shown promising results in reducing the growth speed of the mould and testing of separate fungicidal substances in the bark showed that substances such as phenol, chatecol and salicylic alcohol can prevent the mould growth.:1 Introduction 2 Material and Methods 2.1 Poplar bark 2.2 Bark Extraction 2.3 Bark fibre production 2.4 Laboratory sheets 2.5 Mould fungi 3 Results and discussion 3.1 Fungicidal components in poplar bark 3.2 Evaluating the fungicidal properties 4 Outlook 5 Acknowledgement 6 LiteratureEin Wachstum von Schimmelpilzen auf Verpackungsmaterialien reduziert deren Produktqualität. Biofungizide Substanzen stellen eine umweltfreundliche Variante zur Vermeidung dieses Problems während der Nutzungsdauer des Produktes dar. Pappelrinde als Nebenprodukt von Kurzumtriebsplantagen ist neue Quelle für die Gewinnung fungizider Substanzen. Art und Menge der biofungiziden Substanzen wurden mittels GC/MS untersucht, die geeigneten Substanzen wurden mittels verschiedener Methoden und angepasster Lösemittelreihen aus dem Rohmaterial gewonnen. Verpackungsmaterialien mit applizierten biofungiziden Substanzen wurden einer Mischung aus verschiedenen Schimmelpilzen ausgesetzt. Die Resistenz gegenüber dem Wachstum der Schimmelpilze wurde über mehrere Wochen beobachtet. Die Rindenextrakte zeigten vielversprechende Ergebnisse bei der Reduzierung der Geschwindigkeit des Wachstums der Schimmelpilze. Die Prüfung ausgewählter, in der Rinde vorhandener Substanzen hat gezeigt, dass beispielsweise Phenol, Brenzcatechin und Salizylalkohol das Wachstum von Schimmelpilzen einschränken kann.:1 Introduction 2 Material and Methods 2.1 Poplar bark 2.2 Bark Extraction 2.3 Bark fibre production 2.4 Laboratory sheets 2.5 Mould fungi 3 Results and discussion 3.1 Fungicidal components in poplar bark 3.2 Evaluating the fungicidal properties 4 Outlook 5 Acknowledgement 6 Literatur