(Un)informed consent in Psychological Research: An empirical study on consent in psychological research and the GDPR

In many instances, psychological research requires the collection and processing of personal data collected directly from research subjects. In principle, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies to psychological research which involves the collection and processing of personal data in the European Eco- nomic Area (EEA). Further, the GDPR includes provisions elaborating the types of information which should be offered to research subjects when personal data are collected directly from them. Given the general norm that informed consent should be obtained before psychological research involving the collection of personal data directly from research participants should go ahead, the information which should be provided to subjects according to the GDPR will usually be communicated in the context of an informed consent process. Unfortunately, there is reason to believe that the GDPR’s obligations concerning information provision to research subjects may not always be fulfilled. This paper outlines the results of an empirical investigation into the degree to which these information obligations are fulfilled in the context of psychological research consent procedures to which European data protection law applies. Significant discrepancies between the legal obligations to provide information to research subjects, and the information actually provided, are identified

Data Retention after the Judgement of the Court of Justice of the European Union

Executive Summary This study analyses the Data Retention Directive Judgement of the Court of Justice of the European Union of 8 April 2014 and evaluates its impact on other data retention measures at Member States as well as at EU level

Information Provision for Informed Consent Procedures in Psychological Research Under the General Data Protection Regulation: A Practical Guide

Psychological research often involves the collection and processing of personal data from human research participants. The European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies, as a rule, to psychological research conducted on personal data in the European Economic Area (EEA)—and even, in certain cases, to psychological research conducted on personal data outside the EEA. The GDPR elaborates requirements concerning the forms of information that should be communicated to research participants whenever personal data are collected directly from them. There is a general norm that informed consent should be obtained before psychological research involving the collection of personal data directly from research participants is conducted. The information required to be provided under the GDPR is normally communicated in the context of an informed consent procedure. There is reason to believe, however, that the information required by the GDPR may not always be provided. Our aim in this tutorial is thus to provide general practical guidance to psychological researchers allowing them to understand the forms of information that must be provided to research participants under the GDPR in informed consent procedures

Pervasive Gaming as a Potential Solution to Traffic Congestion: New Challenges Regarding Ethics, Privacy and Trust

The following paper presents a review of the ethical, privacy and trust aspects relating to pervasive gaming in particular within the domain of traffic congestion. The paper deals explicitly with the challenges involved that fall between the gaps standard ethical practice and scientific research when studies comprise of those in the lab (where collection and use is heavily controlled) and those which take place in the wild where there is the requirement to share data possibly with external parties. Also where the nature of such work is at the borders of the concept of traditional study and a commercial running prototype. Document type: Part of book or chapter of boo

Acute Downregulation but Not Genetic Ablation of Murine MCU Impairs Suppressive Capacity of Regulatory CD4 T Cells

By virtue of mitochondrial control of energy production, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and maintenance of Ca2+ homeostasis, mitochondria play an essential role in modulating T cell function. The mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) is the pore-forming unit in the main protein complex mediating mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake. Recently, MCU has been shown to modulate Ca2+ signals at subcellular organellar interfaces, thus fine-tuning NFAT translocation and T cell activation. The mechanisms underlying this modulation and whether MCU has additional T cell subpopulationspecific effects remain elusive. However, mice with germline or tissue-specific ablation of Mcu did not show impaired T cell responses in vitro or in vivo, indicating that ‘chronic’ loss of MCU can be functionally compensated in lymphocytes. The current work aimed to specifically investigate whether and how MCU influences the suppressive potential of regulatory CD4 T cells (Treg). We show that, in contrast to genetic ablation, acute siRNA-mediated downregulation of Mcu in murine Tregs results in a significant reduction both in mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake and in the suppressive capacity of Tregs, while the ratios of Treg subpopulations and the expression of hallmark transcription factors were not affected. These findings suggest that permanent genetic inactivation of MCU may result in compensatory adaptive mechanisms, masking the effects on the suppressive capacity of Tregs

a combined ecological momentary assessment and fMRI study

Regulation of emotions is necessary for successful attainment of short-term and long-term goals. However, over-regulation may also have its costs. In anorexia nervosa (AN), forgoing food intake despite emaciation and endocrine signals that promote eating is an example of “too much” self-control. Here we investigated whether voluntary emotion regulation in AN patients comes with associated disorder-relevant costs. Thirty-five patients with acute AN and thirty-five age-matched healthy controls (HCs) performed an established emotion regulation paradigm during functional magnetic resonance imaging after an overnight fast. The task required reducing emotions induced by positively valenced pictures via distancing. We calculated a neural regulation score from responses recorded in a reward-related brain region of interest (ventral striatum; VS) by subtracting activation measured on “positive distance” trials from that elicited under the “positive watch” (baseline) condition. Complementing the imaging data, we used ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to probe disorder-related rumination and affect six times/day for 2 weeks following the scanning session. The neural regulation score indicating reduced VS activation during emotion regulation was used as a predictor in hierarchical linear models with EMA measures as outcomes. No group differences in neural activity were found for the main contrasts of the task. However, regulation of VS activity was associated with increased body-related rumination and increased negative affect in AN, but not in HC. In line with this finding, correlational analysis with longitudinal BMI measurements revealed a link between greater VS regulation and poorer treatment outcome after 60 and 90 days. Together, these results identify a neural correlate of altered emotion regulation in AN, which seems to be detrimental to psychological well-being and may interfere with recovery

Leipzig-Berlin-Erklärung zu NFDI-Querschnittsthemen der Infrastrukturentwicklung

Für den wissenschaftsgeleiteten Aufbau der Nationalen Forschungsdaten-Infrastruktur (NFDI) muss sich die Infrastruktur gemeinsam mit der Forschung weiterentwickeln. Die dafür notwendigen, wechselseitigen Abstimmungen müssen auf Basis tragfähiger Prozesse und Strukturen sichergestellt werden. Themen, die für mehrere Fachkonsortien relevant sind, müssen im Sinne einer nachhaltigen Funktionalität kooperativ und über einzelne Konsortien hinweg bearbeitet werden. Dieses Dokument identifiziert solche Querschnittsthemen und Wege zu ihrer Bearbeitung in der NFDI. Um diese Herausforderung abgestimmt zu adressieren, hat sich die Mehrzahl der Fachkonsortien im Sommer 2019 auf die “Berlin Declaration on NFDI Cross-Cutting Topics” verständigt. Auf einer gemeinsamen Veranstaltung am 25. Februar 2020 in Berlin haben sich Vertreterinnen und Vertreter von Fachkonsortien und Querschnittsinitiativen erneut über die Handlungsfelder der NFDI-übergreifenden Infrastrukturentwicklung ausgetauscht. Dabei haben Fachkonsortien und Querschnittsinitiativen vier modellhafte Vorschläge erarbeitet, um diese Handlungsfelder zu erweitern und im Rahmen der NFDI belastbar und nachhaltig umzusetzen. Diese „Leipzig-Berlin-Erklärung zu NFDI-Querschnittsthemen der Infrastrukturentwicklung“ dient als Diskussionsimpuls und richtet sich an alle Konsortien und am Aufbau der NFDI Beteiligten, sowie diejenigen Fachgruppen, die näher mit Forschungsdatenmanagement befasst sind. Mit der Unterzeichnung dieser Erklärung bestätigen die 27 Konsortien, dass sie gemeinschaftlich und im Einklang mit dem Direktorat und den Gremien der NFDI die benannten Querschnittsthemen und Handlungsfelder weiterentwickeln und im Sinne einer NFDI bearbeiten werden

NFDI4Culture - Consortium for research data on material and immaterial cultural heritage

Digital data on tangible and intangible cultural assets is an essential part of daily life, communication and experience. It has a lasting influence on the perception of cultural identity as well as on the interactions between research, the cultural economy and society. Throughout the last three decades, many cultural heritage institutions have contributed a wealth of digital representations of cultural assets (2D digital reproductions of paintings, sheet music, 3D digital models of sculptures, monuments, rooms, buildings), audio-visual data (music, film, stage performances), and procedural research data such as encoding and annotation formats. The long-term preservation and FAIR availability of research data from the cultural heritage domain is fundamentally important, not only for future academic success in the humanities but also for the cultural identity of individuals and society as a whole. Up to now, no coordinated effort for professional research data management on a national level exists in Germany. NFDI4Culture aims to fill this gap and create a usercentered, research-driven infrastructure that will cover a broad range of research domains from musicology, art history and architecture to performance, theatre, film, and media studies. The research landscape addressed by the consortium is characterized by strong institutional differentiation. Research units in the consortium's community of interest comprise university institutes, art colleges, academies, galleries, libraries, archives and museums. This diverse landscape is also characterized by an abundance of research objects, methodologies and a great potential for data-driven research. In a unique effort carried out by the applicant and co-applicants of this proposal and ten academic societies, this community is interconnected for the first time through a federated approach that is ideally suited to the needs of the participating researchers. To promote collaboration within the NFDI, to share knowledge and technology and to provide extensive support for its users have been the guiding principles of the consortium from the beginning and will be at the heart of all workflows and decision-making processes. Thanks to these principles, NFDI4Culture has gathered strong support ranging from individual researchers to highlevel cultural heritage organizations such as the UNESCO, the International Council of Museums, the Open Knowledge Foundation and Wikimedia. On this basis, NFDI4Culture will take innovative measures that promote a cultural change towards a more reflective and sustainable handling of research data and at the same time boost qualification and professionalization in data-driven research in the domain of cultural heritage. This will create a long-lasting impact on science, cultural economy and society as a whole