Methodological developments in violence research

Über Jahrzehnte wurde Gewalt durch Interviews mit Betroffenen oder Tätern, durch teilnehmende Beobachtung oder Gewaltstatistiken untersucht, meist unter Verwendung entweder qualitativer oder quantitativer Analysemethoden. Seit der Jahrhundertwende stehen Forschenden eine Reihe neuer Ansätze zur Verfügung: Es gibt immer mehr Videoaufnahmen von gewaltsamen Ereignissen, Mixed Methods-Ansätze werden stetig weiterentwickelt und durch Computational Social Sciences finden Big Data-Ansätze Einzug in immer mehr Forschungsfelder. Diese drei Entwicklungen bieten großes Potenzial für die quantitative und qualitative Gewaltforschung. Der vorliegende Beitrag diskutiert Videodatenanalyse, Triangulation und Mixed Methods-Ansätze sowie Big Data und bespricht den gegenwärtigen und zukünftigen Einfluss der genannten Entwicklungen auf das Forschungsfeld. Das Augenmerk liegt besonders darauf, (1) wie neuere Videodaten genutzt werden können, um Gewalt zu untersuchen und wo ihre Vor- und Nachteile liegen, (2) wie Triangulation und Mixed Methods-Ansätze umfassendere Analysen und theoretische Verknüpfungen in der Gewaltforschung ermöglichen und (3) wo Anwendungen von Big Data und Computational Social Science in der Gewaltforschung liegen können.For decades violence research has relied on interviews with victims and perpetrators, on participant observation, and on survey methods, and most studies focused on either qualitative or quantitative analytic strategies. Since the turn of the millennium, researchers can draw on a range of new approaches: there are increasing amounts of video data of violent incidents, triangulation and mixed methods approaches become ever more sophisticated, and computational social sciences introduce big data analysis to more and more research fields. These three developments hold great potential for quantitative and qualitative violence research. This paper discusses video data analysis, mixed methods, and big data in the context of current and future violence research. Specific focus lies on (1) potentials and challenges of new video data for studying violence; (2) the role of triangulation and mixed methods in enabling more comprehensive violence research from multiple theoretical perspectives, and (3) what potential uses of big data and computational social science in violence research may look like

Electron transport pathways in isolated chromoplasts from Narcissus pseudonarcissus L

International audienceDuring daffodilflower development,chloroplasts differentiate into photosynthetically inactive chromoplasts, which have lostfunctional photosynthetic reaction centers. Chromoplasts exhibit a respiratory activity reducing oxygen to water and generating ATP. Immunoblots revealed the presence of the plastid terminal oxidase(PTOX), the NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (NDH) complex, the cytochrome b6fcomplex, ATP synthase and several isoforms of ferredoxin-NADP+oxidoreductase (FNR) and of ferredoxin (Fd). Fluorescence spectroscopy allowed the detection of chlorophyll a in the cytochrome b6fcomplex. Here we characterize the electron transport pathway of chromorespiration by using specific inhibitors forthe NDH complex, the cytochrome b6fcomplex, FNR and redox-inactive Fd in which the iron was replaced by gallium. Our data suggest anelectron flowvia twoseparatepathways, both reducing plastoquinone and using PTOX as oxidase. The first oxidizes NADPH via FNR, Fd,and cytochrome bh of the cytochrome b6fcomplex and does not result in the pumpingofprotons across the membrane. In the second,electron transport takes place via the NDH complex using preferentially NADH but also NADPH as electron donor. FNR and Fd are not involved in this pathway. The NDH-complex is responsible for the generation of the proton gradient. We propose a new model for chromorespiration which may also be relevant for the understanding of chlororespiration and for the characterization of the electron input from Fd to the cytochrome b6fcomplex during cyclic electron transport in chloroplasts

Percutaneous coronary intervention versus coronary artery bypass grafting in patients with three-vessel or left main coronary artery disease: 10-year follow-up of the multicentre randomised controlled SYNTAX trial

Background: The Synergy between PCI with Taxus and Cardiac Surgery (SYNTAX) trial was a non-inferiority trial that compared percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using first-generation paclitaxel-eluting stents with coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with de-novo three-vessel and left main coronary artery disease, and reported results up to 5 years. We now report 10-year all-cause death results. Methods: The SYNTAX Extended Survival (SYNTAXES) study is an investigator-driven extension of follow-up of a multicentre, randomised controlled trial done in 85 hospitals across 18 North American and European countries. Patients with de-novo three-vessel and left main coronary artery disease were randomly assigned (1:1) to the PCI group or CABG group. Patients with a history of PCI or CABG, acute myocardial infarction, or an indication for concomitant cardiac surgery were excluded. The primary endpoint of the SYNTAXES study was 10-year all-cause death, which was assessed according to the intention-to-treat principle. Prespecified subgroup analyses were performed according to the presence or absence of left main coronary artery disease and diabetes, and according to coronary complexity defined by core laboratory SYNTAX score tertiles. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03417050. Findings: From March, 2005, to April, 2007, 1800 patients were randomly assigned to the PCI (n=903) or CABG (n=897) group. Vital status information at 10 years was complete for 841 (93%) patients in the PCI group and 848 (95%) patients in the CABG group. At 10 years, 244 (27%) patients had died after PCI and 211 (24%) after CABG (hazard ratio 1\ub717 [95% CI 0\ub797\u20131\ub741], p=0\ub7092). Among patients with three-vessel disease, 151 (28%) of 546 had died after PCI versus 113 (21%) of 549 after CABG (hazard ratio 1\ub741 [95% CI 1\ub710\u20131\ub780]), and among patients with left main coronary artery disease, 93 (26%) of 357 had died after PCI versus 98 (28%) of 348 after CABG (0\ub790 [0\ub768\u20131\ub720], pinteraction=0\ub7019). There was no treatment-by-subgroup interaction with diabetes (pinteraction=0\ub766) and no linear trend across SYNTAX score tertiles (ptrend=0\ub730). Interpretation: At 10 years, no significant difference existed in all-cause death between PCI using first-generation paclitaxel-eluting stents and CABG. However, CABG provided a significant survival benefit in patients with three-vessel disease, but not in patients with left main coronary artery disease. Funding: German Foundation of Heart Research (SYNTAXES study, 5\u201310-year follow-up) and Boston Scientific Corporation (SYNTAX study, 0\u20135-year follow-up)