Das Bewegungsverhalten von adipösen Kindern: eine qualitative Einzelfallstudie

Bei der Generierung von Therapieprogrammen zur juvenilen Adipositas herrscht Konsens hinsichtlich eines interdisziplinären Lösungsansatzes. Um ein obesogenes Verhalten zu ändern, ist es notwendig dessen Grundlage gut zu kennen. Diese Arbeit setzt sich mit dem Bewegungsverhalten von adipösen Kindern auseinander und sucht Lösungsansätze um die Verhaltensveränderung von adipösen Kindern positiv zu beeinflussen. Es gilt unter anderem zu klären wie adipöse Kinder ihren Alltag verbringen und welche Hürden sie am Weg der Verhaltensveränderung überwinden. Im Sommer 2011 wurden im Rahmen von Diätferien Kinder (n=21) aus vier österreichischen Bundesländern zu einem teilstandardisierten Interview gebeten und deren Eltern ein Fragebogen ausgehändigt. Vor dem Hintergrund der aus der Literatur bekannten Einflussfaktoren von Adipositas wurden Kinder (n=5) im Alter zwischen zehn und zwölf Jahren für die Einzelfallstudie ausgewählt und in einem Zeitraum von zehn Monaten ein zweites Mal an ihrem Heimatsort interviewt. Mit gezielten Fragen bezüglich des Freizeit-, Bewegungs- und Ernährungsverhaltens werden aus der Forschung bekannte Schlüsselstellen überprüft und subjektiv aus Sicht der Kinder ausgeleuchtet und erörtert. Die aus unterschiedlichen Verhaltensveränderungstheorien bekannten Determinanten: Selbstwirksamkeit, Änderungsdruck, Konsequenz- und Kompetenzerwartung dienen als Grundgerüst für die Erstellung des Kategoriensystems auf dem die Auswertung der Interviews (t1 und t2) basiert. Die Daten werden untereinander als auch zeitlich gesehen miteinander verglichen. Im Rahmen der Auswertung werden Einflussfaktoren der Adipositas im Kindes- und Jugendalter mit aktuellen Verhaltensänderungstheorien in Bezug gebracht und Schlussfolgerungen getroffen. Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen einerseits die unabdingbare Relevanz des sozialen Umfeldes, zeigen aber auch beispielhaft Möglichkeiten, wie sich Kinder abseits dessen organisieren und Anschluss zu einem bewegungsorientierteren Verhalten finden. Bezüglich der Verhaltensveränderungstheorien nimmt die Fiat–Tendenz des Rubikon-Modells bei Kindern einen besonderen Stellenwert ein. Bei der Untersuchung der Determinanten zeigt sich eine Abhängigkeit der Handlungserfahrungen bezogen auf die Konsequenzerwartung. Des Weiteren scheint die wahrgenommene Handlungskontrolle eine Bewegungssteigerung im Verhalten hervorzurufen. Bezogen auf die kognitiv-affektiven als auch die behavioralen Verhaltensänderungsstrategien gilt die Förderung der Wahrnehmung von fördernden Umweltbedingungen bei adipösen Kindern, aber auch die Kontrolle deren Umwelt, als besonders wichtig. Dieses Ergebnis unterstreicht die Notwendigkeit einer umfassenden Neuorientierung aller relevanten Schnittstellen deren Aufgabe es ist, auch nur im entferntesten Sinn, Bewegungsraum zu schaffenWhen creating therapy programs targeting childhood obesity, scientists are certain about interdisciplinary approaches. In order to change obese behavior it is necessary to understand its fundamental principles. The following paper takes a look at the kinesics behavior of obese children and searches for ways to influence and change their behavior. The mayor task is to find out how obese children spend their everyday life and, moreover, which hassles these children experience and have to overcome in order to change their behavioral pattern. During the summer of 2011 two dietary camps in Austria are visited and children (n=21) out of four federal states questioned using a problem-centered interview approach. The parents of these children are asked to fill in a questionnaire as well. Considering several influencing factors on childhood obesity, five obese children (n=5) aged between ten and twelve years are finally selected for a single case study. After ten months the same five children are interviewed a second time, using the same interview guidelines as before. They are questioned about their daily life as well as about their leisure time activities, kinesics behavior and eating habits. Key scientific factors are revised and illustrated from a subjective view of the children. With focus being laid on the following determinants known from behavioral theories, self-efficacy, pressure to change, expectations of competence and outcome, a category system is build up for interview interpretation purpose. The interviews are evaluated and compared to each other as well as within the time period given between the two interviews (t1 and t2). Therefore, the following research connects factors influencing childhood obesity with actual behavioral theories. On the one hand, results show the inevitable relevance of the social environment, on the other hand, they also demonstrate possibilities that children use to adapt to a more active behavior. Regarding behavioral theories, the Fiat-Tendency of the Rubikon-Model stands out. Moreover, the expectation of consequences turns out to depend on kinesics experience. In addition, the experienced control of action seems to support the increase of physical activity. Regarding the cognitive-affective as well as the behavioral strategies of obese children, the advancement of health promoting surrounding and environment, and also the control over one’s possibilities are important. These results accentuate the need for improvement and innovation within all institutions that create scope for children

LEAVING THE IVORY TOWER THROUGH SCIENTIFIC INNOVATION CO-OPERATIVE RESEARCH – A SOCIAL EXPERIMENT IN RESEARCH ON ALTERNATIVE AGRO-FOOD NETWORKS

The paper presents a participatory pattern of conducting research for social science. A few projects based on the idea of ‘co-operative research’ have been funded within the 7th EU Framework Programme. Among them was the project “Facilitating Alternative Agro-Food Networks – Stakeholder Perspective on Research Needs” (FAAN). One of its goals was to test the potential of the co-operative approach in social research practice. This paper aims to present and discuss the experiences from the project to reflect upon the usefulness of cooperative research as a scientific innovation and a new research paradigm, as well as to propose its reframing based on the results of the project. The article ends with practical recommendations concerning management or research projects in a co-operative manner, stressing the need of competencies for team leaders in micromanagement of heterogeneous research teams

Mutual A domain interactions in the force sensing protein von Willebrand factor

The von Willebrand factor (VWF) is a glycoprotein in the blood that plays a central role in hemostasis. Among other functions, VWF is responsible for platelet adhesion at sites of injury via its A1 domain. Its adjacent VWF domain A2 exposes a cleavage site under shear to degrade long VWF fibers in order to prevent thrombosis. Recently, it has been shown that VWF A1/A2 interactions inhibit the binding of platelets to VWF domain A1 in a force-dependent manner prior to A2 cleavage. However, whether and how this interaction also takes place in longer VWF fragments as well as the strength of this interaction in the light of typical elongation forces imposed by the shear flow of blood remained elusive. Here, we addressed these questions by using single molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS), Brownian dynamics (BD), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Our SMFS measurements demonstrate that the A2 domain has the ability to bind not only to single A1 domains but also to VWF A1A2 fragments. SMFS experiments of a mutant [A2] domain, containing a disulfide bond which stabilizes the domain against unfolding, enhanced A1 binding. This observation suggests that the mutant adopts a more stable conformation for binding to A1. We found intermolecular A1/A2 interactions to be preferred over intramolecular A1/A2 interactions. Our data are also consistent with the existence of two cooperatively acting binding sites for A2 in the A1 domain. Our SMFS measurements revealed a slip-bond behavior for the A1/A2 interaction and their lifetimes were estimated for forces acting on VWF multimers at physiological shear rates using BD simulations. Complementary fitting of AFM rupture forces in the MD simulation range adequately reproduced the force response of the A1/A2 complex spanning a wide range of loading rates. In conclusion, we here characterized the auto-inhibitory mechanism of the intramolecular A1/A2 bond as a shear dependent safeguard of VWF, which prevents the interaction of VWF with platelets

Transdisciplinary diagnostic framework for biodiversity decision-making assessment. D1.7

This deliverable describes the process of developing a transdisciplinary diagnostic framework for biodiversity decision-making carried out in Work Package 1 (WP1) of the EU funded research project PLANET4B. The aim of the process was to help researchers and practitioners in our project become more conscious of the theoretical approaches and languages that may condition the interventions we study and the policy and additional recommendations that we make to societal actors. The starting proposition for this work was that we as PLANET4B partners come from a wide range of different disciplines and practices. Therefore, we needed a shared learning process of our different theoretical and practical lenses and languages. This is necessary to increase our potential as a project to design for transformational change in Work Packages to follow. We report on our testing of Meadows’ (1999) leverage points framework (LPF) as a potential shared conceptual language for transformational change across the places, actors and theories that situate both placebased and sectoral case studies in the project. We report on the opportunities and limitations of the LPF in connecting to (i) theories of change used by research partners in their cases, as well as (ii) bridging conceptually to other “integrating analytical approaches” where PLANET4B has partner expertise; namely “intersectionality analysis”, “discourse analysis” and “reflexivity-contextualisation of interventions”. The report recognises that these integrating approaches are but a subset of possible systems analysis tools in transformative change research. The process of understanding and applying Meadows’ (1999) leverage points framework achieved some shared language and understanding across research disciplines. It helped us to compare assumptions about transformative change across our different case studies. As such, we think we achieved the “process objective” of this initial stage of PLANET4B of using a common framework to diagnose our case studies. However, case studies and experts on other integrating analytical approaches identified several limitations of the LPF. Limitations include the LPF itself being a particular theoretical systems analysis lens which in some cases could exclude practitioners through its unfamiliar concepts. Furthermore, the LPF was identified as being ‘structuralist’ or ‘mechanistic’ in the particular way we tested it in our case studies, not addressing concepts such as agency, power and decision-making. It was critiqued for not being specific to decisions about biodiversity and the related nature values.publishedVersio

Social machines? Critical reflections on the agency of 'Embodied Conversational Agents'

Muhle F. Social machines? Critical reflections on the agency of 'Embodied Conversational Agents'. In: Karner S, Getzinger G, eds. Proceedings 9th Annual IAS-STS Conference: Critical Issues in Science and Technology Studies. Graz: IFZ Eigenverlag; 2010: 53-65

Wie durch gemeinsame Wissensproduktion in der Gender-Forschung soziale Geschlechtergerechtigkeit in Wissenschaft und Forschung befördert werde kann

How can co-creation of gender-knowledge lead to more social gender justice in academia and research? This book chapter discusses methods which draw on RRI-principles (participation, reflection, anticipation, etc.) to overcome the so called research-to-policy-to-practice-gap. The authors recommend to involve relevant stakeholders in good time, use their language and ease potential conflicts and power struggles by co-creating knowledge together

Inclusive development and prioritization of review questions in a highly controversial field of regulatory science

Abstract How to best assess potential health, environmental and other impacts of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and how to interpret the resulting evidence base have been long-standing controversial issues in the EU. As a response, transparency and inclusiveness became a major focus of regulatory science activities in the GMO impact area. Nevertheless, nearly three decades of controversies resulted in a heavily polarized policy environment, calling for further efforts. Against this backdrop the EU funded project GRACE explored the value of evidence synthesis approaches for GMO impact assessment and developed an evidence synthesis framework with a strong emphasis on openness, stakeholder engagement, transparency, and responsiveness to tackle regulatory science challenges. This framework was tested and implemented in the course of 14 systematic reviews or maps conducted on selected review questions spanning potential health, environmental, and socioeconomic impacts of GMOs. An inclusive development and prioritisation of review questions is of key importance in evidence synthesis as it helps to provide a better link between stakeholder demands and concerns and policy relevant outcomes. This paper, therefore, places a particular focus on the stakeholder involvement strategy developed and experiences gathered during this particular step in the course of the GRACE project. Based on this experience, possible lessons for future engagement exercises in highly controversial fields of regulatory science are discussed