Study monitoring in the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP)

'Der vorliegende Artikel beschäftigt sich mit study monitoring aus der Perspektive der international vergleichenden Umfrageforschung. Ausgehend von einer Beschreibung der Qualitätsstandards für nationale Umfragen und der Besonderheiten für international vergleichende Umfragen betont der Beitrag die Bedeutung detaillierter und öffentlich zugänglicher Informationen zur methodischen Vorgehensweise solcher Umfragen. Erst dadurch kann die Qualität einer Umfrage bewertet werden. Dieser Artikel gibt keine Empfehlungen hinsichtlich dessen, was unter vergleichenden Gesichtspunkten methodisch akzeptabel ist, sondern beschreibt den derzeitigen state of the art: wie gehen bekannte international vergleichende Umfrageprogramme in Sachen study monitoring vor; insbesondere: was bietet ISSP in dieser Hinsicht an. Study monitoring geht dem Verständnis der Autoren nach über eine reine Studiendokumentation hinaus und dient durch die Offenlegung von Vorzügen, aber auch Schwächen dazu, Vertrauen in Umfragen zu fördern.' (Autorenreferat)'The article discusses study monitoring from a cross-national perspective. It starts from quality standards required for national surveys and then points out what is special for cross-national quantitative surveys. The article stresses the necessary documentation and disclosure of detailed information on cross-national survey methods as a means to evaluate survey quality and enable decisions on comparability. It does not recommend or decide on what is acceptable in terms of comparable methods. The article describes the current state of study monitoring for three important well known cross-national programmes and then goes into more detail of ISSP study monitoring. Study monitoring in the understanding of the authors does not only mean documentation of fielding practice but also promoting trust in survey data.' (author's abstract)

ISSP 2001 Germany - Social Networks II: social relations and support systems ; ZUMA report on the German study

In dem Forschungsbericht präsentieren die Autoren die Ergebnisse zum Verlauf des ISSP (International Social Survey Programme) 2001 in Deutschland zum Thema "soziale Netzwerke". Die teilnehmenden Nationen umfassen 38 Länder aus Europa, Lateinamerika und Asien sowie Australien, Kanada, Neuseeland, USA, Südafrika und Russland. Den Resultaten vorangestellt ist eine Liste mit den Themen der ISSP von 1985 bis 2003. Nach einer Darstellung der Inhalte der Analyse zu sozialen Netzwerken folgt die formale Beschreibung der Studie in Deutschland. Dazu gehören (1) die Auswahl der teilnehmenden Personen, (2) die Pre-Testing-Phase, (3) die Feldforschung, (4) die Dokumentation sowie (5) die Verfügbarkeit der Daten. Im Anhang findet sich der entsprechende Fragebogen zur Erhebung dieser Informationen in englischer und deutscher Sprache. (ICG2

ISSP 2002 Germany: Familiy and Changing Gender Roles III ; ZUMA report on the German study

In dem Forschungsbericht präsentieren die Autoren die Ergebnisse zum Verlauf des ISSP (International Social Survey Programme) 2002 in Deutschland zu dem Untersuchungsgegenstand der Familie und den sich wandelnden Geschlechterrollen. Die teilnehmenden Nationen umfassen 38 Länder aus Europa, Lateinamerika und Asien sowie Australien, Kanada, Neuseeland, USA, Südafrika und Russland. Den Resultaten vorangestellt ist eine Liste mit den Themen der ISSP von 1985 bis 2003. Nach einer Darstellung der Inhalte der Familien- und Geschlechterrollenstudie folgt die formale Beschreibung der Studie in Deutschland. Dazu gehören (1) die Auswahl der teilnehmenden Personen, (2) die Pre-Testing-Phase, (3) die Feldforschung, (4) die Dokumentation sowie (5) die Verfügbarkeit der Daten. Im Anhang findet sich der entsprechende Fragebogen zur Erhebung dieser Informationen in englischer und deutscher Sprache. (ICG2

ISSP Study Monitoring 1999: report to the ISSP general assembly on monitoring work undertaken for the ISSP by ZUMA, Germany

Die ISSP-Codebücher schließen Untersuchungsbeschreibungen ein, die grundlegende Informationen über den Datensatz jedes Mitglieds vermitteln. Seit 1995 gibt es darüber hinaus eine detaillierte Forschungsdokumentation zu den einzelnen Untersuchungen. Seit 1997 liegt die Verantwortung für dieses Forschungsmonitoring bei ZUMA. ZUMA gibt auch einen jährlich erscheinenden Monitoringbericht zu den ISSP-Studien heraus. Jeder dieser Berichte behandelt die folgenden Themen: (1) Details zu den beteiligten Einrichtungen und Wissenschaftlern; (2) Stichprobenziehung; (3) Feldarbeit; (4) Datenkontrolle und -aufbereitung; (5) Kontext der ISSP-Befragung und Reichweite der Fragen; (6) Details der Übersetzungsverfahren. (ICEÜbers)"ISSP codebooks include study description sheets which provide basic information on each member's dataset. Since the 1995 module, ISSP members have also completed Study Monitoring Questionnaires which record in more detail how they implemented their studies. ZUMA has been in charge of this study monitoring work since 1997 and publishes a general Study Monitoring Report on ISSP studies each year. Each of the Study Monitoring Reports covers: a) details of agencies and researchers involved, b) sampling procedures, c) fieldwork procedures, d) data control and editing, e) context of ISSP survey and question coverage, f) details of translation procedures." (author's abstract

Open star clusters in the Milky Way - Comparison of photometric and trigonometric distance scales based on Gaia TGAS data

The global survey of star clusters in the Milky Way (MWSC) is a comprehensive list of 3061 objects that provides, among other parameters, distances to clusters based on isochrone fitting. The Tycho-Gaia Astrometric Solution (TGAS) catalogue, which is a part of Gaia data release 1 (Gaia DR1), delivers accurate trigonometric parallax measurements for more than 2 million stars, including those in star clusters. We compare the open cluster photometric distance scale with the measurements given by the trigonometric parallaxes from TGAS to evaluate the consistency between these values. The average parallaxes of probable cluster members available in TGAS provide the trigonometric distance scale of open clusters, while the photometric scale is given by the distances published in the MWSC. Sixty-four clusters are suited for comparison as they have more than 16 probable members with parallax measurements in TGAS. We computed the average parallaxes of the probable members and compared these to the photometric parallaxes derived within the MWSC. We find a good agreement between the trigonometric TGAS-based and the photometric MWSC-based distance scales of open clusters, which for distances less than 2.3 kpc coincide at a level of about 0.1 mas with no dependence on the distance. If at all, there is a slight systematic offset along the Galactic equator between $30^\circ$ and $160^\circ$ galactic longitude.Comment: Accepted for publication as a Letter in Astronomy and Astrophysics, 4 pages, 4 figure

Glycodelin A is a prognostic marker to predict poor outcome in advanced stage ovarian cancer patients

Background Glycodelin is a cell surface glycoprotein offering a unique gender specific carbohydrate configuration. Sialylated carbohydrate structures, which are unusual for mammals, characterize Glycodelin isolated from amniotic fluid (Glycodelin A, GdA). Glycodelin in general exerts multiple, partly opposing functions ranging from immunosuppression to cell differentiation. As these markedly influence tumorigenesis, this study aimed to clarify whether expression of different Glycodelin isoforms is related to clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of ovarian cancer patients. Further the use of Glycodelin as a serum marker in benign and malignant ovarian diseases was evaluated. Methods Ovarian cancer specimens (n = 152) were stained for Glycodelin with carbohydrate and peptide specific antibodies. Associations between Glycodelin expression and histological grading, FIGO stage as well as patient’s prognosis were examined. Glycodelin was correlated to expression of gonadotropin receptors and mucin-1, which are discussed as ovarian cancer tissue markers. In addition, Glycodelin serum concentrations were analyzed in patients suffering from benign (n = 73) or malignant (n = 38) ovarian neoplasias. Results Glycodelin A was found to be an independent prognostic marker for poor prognosis in advanced ovarian cancer patients. GdA staining correlated with gonadotropin receptor (FSHR and LHCGR) and with hCG expression. Gd expression showed a positive correlation with a tumour-associated epitope of mucin 1 (TA-MUC1). Further, compared to ovarian cancer, serum Gd was increased in patients with benign ovarian tumors. Conclusion Glycodelin A might be related to tumor aggressiveness and poor clinical outcome in advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. Glycodelin serum levels found in patients suffering from benign ovarian tumors, might contribute to a more global attenuation during progression of these precursor lesions

The Digambara Jainas of South Maharashtra and North Karnataka since the late 19th century : towards the establishment of collective religious identity and a Digambara Jaina community

This thesis aims at locating the position of the Jainas within the Indian religious landscape. From the second half of the 19th century onwards, novel concepts of collective religious identities and the formation of exclusive communities among religious lines have led to the establishment of the popular image of India's religious landscape as consisting of a Hindu majority and several religious minorities. This model is based on exclusive, often antagonistic religious categories. However, by discussing the position of the Jainas within the framework of India's religious pluralism, the present thesis attempts to question this popular concept. As will be argued, similar to members of other religious traditions, among Jainas too the identity discourse of the intellectual elite has introduced broader supra-locally, supra-caste-based concepts of community. However, this process of collective identity and community formation has not been based on, in Harjot Oberoi's terms, the 'construction of religious boundaries' (1994) between Jainas and Hindus. These `blurred boundaries´ between Hindus and Jainas in the modern Jaina identity discourse defy a concrete positioning of the Jainas within the framework of India's religious landscape.This thesis will begin with the analysis of the late 19th and early 20th century Jaina discourse of Western orientalists and intellectual Jainas, and its impact on the `definition´ of `Jaina values´ and the Jainas as a `community´. Mainly focusing on the regional sub-group of the Digambara Jainas of South Maharashtra and North Karnataka, the research will also discuss the impact of non-middle-class `agents´ in the process of community building among Jainas. In this respect it will be argued that lay-ascetic interaction and the performance of distinct rituals and festivals largely contribute to the establishment of community among Digambara Jainas. The strict practice of Digambara ascetics also adds the element of asceticism to the `Jaina values´, which have been propagated by intellectual lay Jaina individuals and organisations from the early 20th century onwards. These propagated `Jaina values´, most prominently among them ahiṃsā and tolerance, make Jainism the most suitable religion for modern times, and symbolise ancient Indian `values´ in their `purest form´.However, regarding the Jainas as a `community´, this Jaina discourse has remained rather vague and abstract. This vagueness finds its most concrete expression in the still undecided legal status of the Jainas regarding their inclusion among the nationwide religious minorities. In comparison to other Indian religious minority traditions, the Sikhs and Buddhists in particular, the `Jaina case´ suggests a complexity of collective religious identifications in the Indian religious landscape, which defies any fixed model.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Executive Control of Attention in Narcolepsy

BACKGROUND: Narcolepsy with cataplexy (NC) is a disabling sleep disorder characterized by early loss of hypocretin neurons that project to areas involved in the attention network. We characterized the executive control of attention in drug-free patients with NC to determine whether the executive deficits observed in patients with NC are specific to the disease itself or whether they reflect performance changes due to the severity of excessive daytime sleepiness. METHODOLOGY: Twenty-two patients with NC compared to 22 patients with narcolepsy without cataplexy (NwC) matched for age, gender, intellectual level, objective daytime sleepiness and number of sleep onset REM periods (SOREMPs) were studied. Thirty-two matched healthy controls were included. All participants underwent a standardized interview, completed questionnaires, and neuropsychological tests. All patients underwent a polysomnography followed by multiple sleep latency tests (MSLT), with neuropsychological evaluation performed the same day between MSLT sessions. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Irrespective of diagnosis, patients reported higher self-reported attentional complaints associated with the intensity of depressive symptoms. Patients with NC performed slower and more variably on simple reaction time tasks than patients with NwC, who did not differ from controls. Patients with NC and NwC generally performed slower, reacted more variably, and made more errors than controls on executive functioning tests. Individual profile analyses showed a clear heterogeneity of the severity of executive deficit. This severity was related to objective sleepiness, higher number of SOREMPs on the MSLT, and lower intelligence quotient. The nature and severity of the executive deficits were unrelated to NC and NwC diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that drug-free patients with NC and NwC complained of attention deficit, with altered executive control of attention being explained by the severity of objective sleepiness and global intellectual level. Further studies are needed to explore whether medications that promote wakefulness can improve the executive functions in narcolepsy