Ein neues Verfahren für namensbasierte Zufallsstichproben von Migranten

The set of best methods for sampling mi- grant populations includes name-based sampling. So far this is done using either ad-hoc lists or onomastic dictionaries for the classi cation of names. This paper pro- poses a new name-based procedure, which uses a Bayes-classi er for the n-grams of the name. The new procedure is fault-tol- erant of alternate spellings, and also allows the classi cation of names that are not found in dictionaries. It was tested using the names of about 1.600 foreigners in the PASS panel. Finally, a CATI survey based on the new method in Hesse is described

Involvement of the AMPA receptor GluR-C subunit in alcohol-seeking behavior and relapse

Craving and relapse are core symptoms of drug addiction and alcoholism. It is suggested that, after chronic drug consumption, long-lasting neuroplastic changes within the glutamatergic system are important determinants of addictive behavior. Here, we show that the AMPA type glutamate receptor plays a crucial role in alcohol craving and relapse. We observed, in two animal models of alcohol craving and relapse, that the AMPA antagonist GYKI 52466 [1-(4-aminophenyl)-4-methyl-7, 8-methylenedioxy-5H-2, 3-benzodiazepine] dose-dependently reduced cue-induced reinstatement of alcohol-seeking behavior and the alcohol deprivation effect. The involvement of the AMPA receptor in these phenomena was further studied using mice deficient for the GluR-C AMPA subunit [GluR-C knock-out (KO)]. GluR-C KOs displayed a blunted, cue-induced reinstatement response and alcohol deprivation effect, when compared with wild-type controls; however, no differences between genotypes could be observed regarding ethanol self-administration under operant or home cage drinking conditions. These results imply a role for GluR-C in alcohol relapse, although this phenotype could also be attributable to a reduction in the total number of AMPA receptors in specific brain areas. In conclusion, AMPA receptors seem to be involved in the neuroplastic changes underlying alcohol seeking behavior and relapse. Thus, AMPA receptors represent a novel therapeutic target in preventing relapse

Efficient and Practical Approach for Private Record Linkage

Record linkage is used to associate entities from multiple data sources. For example, two organizations contemplating a merger may want to know how common their customer bases are so that they may better assess the benefits of the merger. Another example is a database of people who are forbidden from a certain activity by regulators, may need to be compared to a list of people engaged in that activity. The autonomous entities who wish to carry out the record matching computation are often reluctant to fully share their data; they fear losing control over its subsequent dissemination and usage, or they want to insure privacy because the data is proprietary or confidential, and/or they are cautious simply because privacy laws forbid its disclosure or regulate the form of that disclosure. In such cases, the problem of carrying out the linkage computation without full data exchange has been called private record linkage. Previous private record linkage techniques have made use of a third party. We provide efficient techniques for private record linkage that improve on previous work in that (1) our techniques make no use of a third party, and (2) they achieve much better performance than previous schemes in terms of their execution time while maintaining acceptable quality of output compared to nonprivacy settings. Our protocol consists of two phases. The first phase primarily produces candidate record pairs for matching, by carrying out a very fast (but not accurate) matching between such pairs of records. The second phase is a novel protocol for efficiently computing distances between each candidate pair (without any expensive cryptographic operations such as modular exponentiations). Our experimental evaluation of our approach validates these claims

The implications of turning behaviour performed by Amazonian manatees after release into the wild

Sirenians have dichromatic colour vision and tactile hairs but have not developed underwater echolocation. Amazonian manatees (Trichechus inunguis) live in turbid water and it has been unclear how they understand their surroundings. In this study, we recorded the 3D movements of two captive-raised Amazonian manatees. The results revealed that the manatees always swam in a circular pattern. Both animals used slower, narrower turning motions as they approached the flooded forests, which is abundant in aquatic vegetation. Therefore, we suggest that these two manatees swam in a circular pattern to detect all directions of their surroundings especially using sensitive facial bristles. © 2011 Japan Ethological Society and Springer

Panelerhebungen der amtlichen Statistik als Datenquellen für die Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaften

Paneldaten, Amtliche Statistik, Datenzugang, C80, C81, C83, J00, Y1, Panel data, Official statistics, Data access,