Empowering or impeding return migration? ICT, mobile phones, and older migrants' communications with home

In the last two decades, transnational social fields have been transformed by advances in information and communication technologies (ICT). Many scholars have noted the empowering effects of these technological advances for migrants. Drawing on the concept of return preparedness, it follows that ICT use should also empower prospective returnees, enabling them to be better informed and prepared for return. However, multi‐sited ethnographic research with older North and West African men living in migrant worker hostels in France finds that ICT use – particularly mobile telephony –impedes return. In some instances, mobile phones serve to amplify the pressures on the men to provide financially for their stay‐at‐home relatives. In others, mobile phones reinforce attachments to France by facilitating networks of solidarity among hostel residents. Instead of returning definitively at retirement, many hostel residents choose a bi‐residence strategy, dividing their time between France and countries of origin

Scientific performance of ophthalmological research institutions in Germany 2018-2020. Studies, publications, third-party funding and more-The research map of the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG)

Background: The German Ophthalmological Society (DOG) regularly records the scientific activities of ophthalmological research institutions in Germany. Objective: With this publication the DOG wants to make the performance of scientific ophthalmology in Germany transparent and increase the options for future research cooperation with facilities of research institutions. Methods: Systematic survey of German research centers in ophthalmology. Results: The current research map records the data from 41 German research centers for the reporting period 2018-2020. Compared to previous editions of the research map, there has been a significant increase in scientific activity. The number of studies reported rose to 496. The number of government funded research projects (n = 121) and projects funded by foundations (n= 108) also increased. Furthermore, the number of scientific publications has almost doubled: while 1919 were published in the period from 2012 to 2014 and 2305 in the period from 2015 to 2017, there were 4215 in the current reporting period. The map also reports on a continuous increase in the number of young scientists in ophthalmology. Conclusion: The research map demonstrates the performance of German scientific ophthalmology. At the same time, the need for research in ophthalmology remains high because many diseases that affect the eyes are not yet or not yet completely curable