How to use data swapping to create useful dummy data for panel datasets

"Many research data centres (RDCs) provide access to micro data by means of onsite use and remote execution of programs. An efficient usage of these modes of data access requires the researchers to have dummy data, which allows them to familiarize with the real data. These dummy data must be anonymous and look the same as the original data, but they do not have to render valid results. For complex datasets such as panel data or linked data, the creation of useful dummy data is not trivial. In this paper we suggest to use data swapping with constraints in order to keep some consistency and correlation between variables within crosssections and over time. It is easy to be implemented even for datasets with many variables and many survey waves." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))Prüfverfahren, Datenzugang, Datenaufbereitung - Test, IAB-Betriebspanel, Panel, IAB-Betriebs-Historik-Panel

The IAB establishment panel : from sample to survey to projection

"The IAB Establishment Panel is an annual survey of establishments and is unique in Germany, as it represents all industries and establishment sizes nationwide and can also be analysed on a longitudinal basis. The design of the IAB Establishment Panel was developed in the early 1990s and subjected to a wide range of tests. This process also involved parallel development activities taking place on the Hannover Firm Panel, which were carried out on behalf of the "Forschungsstelle Firmenpanel" at the University of Hanover (Gerlach et al.: 1998) and the Institute for Applied Economic Research in Tübingen (IAW). The survey began in West Germany in 1993, with the aim of building up a representative information system for continuous analysis of labour demand. It has been carried out in East Germany since 1996, making it a nationwide survey. The IAB Establishment Panel is conceived as a longitudinal survey, i.e. a large majority of the same establishments are interviewed every year. Consequently, it enables both analysis of developments across time through comparison of cross-sectional data on different points in time, and also longitudinal studies of individual establishments. Now in the IAB Establishment Panel approx. 16,000 establishments are surveyed on a large number of employment policy-related subjects, including employment development, business policy and business development, investment activities, innovations in the establishment, public funding, personnel structure, vocational training and apprenticeships, new and exiting personnel, recruitment, wages and salaries, working times in the establishment, further training and general data on the establishment. The survey also includes varying focal topics every year. With the exception of Hamburg, all the German federal states (Bundesländer) currently contribute regional extension samples to the IAB Establishment Panel. This firstly enables evaluations on the federal state level, and secondly results in a total range of samples that significantly widens the evaluation options on the nationwide level. The IAB Establishment Panel contains high data quality, achieved by means of the high-quality sample, the high exploitation level and the sophisticated process of data monitoring and error correction. The survey is carried out by TNS Infratest Sozialforschung GmbH on behalf of the IAB. A general introduction to the IAB Establishment Panel is contained in German in Bellmann (2002) or in English in Kölling (2000). The IAB Establishment Panel is based on a complex study design, which also presents challenges for users of the dataset. This paper provides an overview of the methodology of the IAB Establishment Panel. It goes into detail on the design of the samples and survey, the weighting process, and data access at the Research Data Centre (FDZ) of the Federal Employment Agency (BA) at the Institute for Employment Research (IAB). The most important points are presented at the beginning of each chapter. It is intended for users of the IAB Establishment Panel, firstly as a collection of methodological aspects of the IAB Establishment Panel, and secondly to make it easier for first-time users in particular to start using the data. This paper is also aimed at users of the IAB Linked-Employer-Employee Dataset (LIAB1), in which the IAB Establishment Panel is an important component." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en)) Additional Information Here you can find the German version of the report.IAB-Betriebspanel, Datengewinnung, Stichprobenverfahren, Stichprobe, Erhebungsmethode, Befragung, Fragebogen, Antwortverhalten, Datenaufbereitung, Datenanalyse, Hochrechnung, Querschnittuntersuchung, Längsschnittuntersuchung

Development of a panel dataset from the IAB Establishment Panel cross-sectional data

"The IAB Establishment Panel now consists of 12 waves from 1993-2004, which are available for research use in the Research Data Centre of the Federal Employment Agency at the Institute for Employment Research. Due to repeated surveys of the same establishments, individual processes within the establishments can be studied in both cross-sectional and longitudinal terms. Cross-sectional evaluations of various waves and the production of a longitudinal or panel dataset require different tasks to be solved. Researchers must check across the individual survey years whether the variable values have remained identical or whether values are absent or new ones have been added. In addition, the measurement levels of the variables must be checked and any differences must be harmonised. Further, the time period in question can alter (e.g. financial year or first half-year). The purpose of such checks is to guarantee the comparability of the variables beyond the analysis period. The above examples illustrate that producing a panel dataset involves time-consuming processing of the individual datasets. This report has been written as a tool to support users in producing a panel dataset on the basis of data from the IAB Establishment Panel. The Datenreport consists of the development of a panel dataset containing variables that tend to be frequently used, in our experience. The panel dataset is available in the Research Data Centre and can be used both via remote data access and during research visits. The STATA and SPSS program code used to produce the dataset is available as a download, enabling users to integrate additional variables into the program code used with relative ease. The program codes can also be modified with the aid of the test data. This Datenreport is structured as follows: following a brief description of the IAB Establishment Panel, the structure of the panel dataset is presented. Next, Chapter 4 presents the variables for the dataset in the form of tables and details the use of the program codes. Appendix 1 describes each of the variables in the panel dataset, also detailing the values and any restrictions or problems occurring. Appendix 2 presents frequency counts1 of the variables used. The program codes in SPSS and STATA are contained in a separate document." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en)) Additional Information Supplementary volume of FDZ-Datenreport 02/2006, including wave 2005 Appendix 1: SPSS program code Appendix 2: STATA program code Here you can find the German version.IAB-Betriebspanel, Datenorganisation, angewandte Statistik, IAB, Forschungsdatenzentrum, Längsschnittuntersuchung, Querschnittuntersuchung, Panel

Kulturelle und strukturelle Faktoren bei der Rückkehr in den Beruf : Ostdeutsche, westdeutsche und ost-west-mobile Mütter im Vergleich (Transition back to work : comparing mothers in eastern Germany, western Germany, and east-west mobile mothers)

"We assess the relative impact of cultural norms and structural conditions on employment interruption patterns of new mothers in reunified Germany, 1992-2009. During this time, East and West Germany share similar family policies, yet, the regions differ markedly with regard to cultural orientations towards working mothers. Our comparison therefore allows drawing conclusions about the relative importance of structural and cultural factors in shaping patterns of individual behaviour. New mothers who were born and raised in the east, but had their first child after moving to the west provide us with key insights in this respect. We test three cultural mechanisms which seek to explain the distinct behaviour of east-west mobile mothers, relative to their immobile peers: selection, adaptation and socialization. Our results show that eastwest mobile mothers return to work faster than West German mothers, but more slowly than East German mothers. The longer east-west mobile mothers have lived in western Germany prior to the birth of their first child, the more similar they behave to West German mothers. We interpret this as evidence of successive adaptation. In addition we find evidence of socialization-based similarities among mothers who grew up in the eastern part of Germany. These similarities between the mobile and immobile eastern German peers only become apparent after controlling for regional context differences." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))Berufsrückkehrerinnen, Mütter, berufliche Reintegration, regionaler Vergleich, kulturelle Faktoren, institutionelle Faktoren, Elternzeit, Elterngeld, Erwerbsunterbrechung - Dauer, Geschlechterrolle, Rollenverständnis, Binnenwanderung, berufliche Mobilität, Lebenslauf, Berufsverlauf, IAB-Biografiedaten, Sozialisationsbedingungen, Ostdeutschland, Westdeutschland, Bundesrepublik Deutschland

Handlungsmuster von Lehrerinnen und Lehrern beim Einsatz neuer Medien. Grundlagen eines Projekts zur empirischen Unterrichtsforschung

Ziel des vorzustellenden Projekts ist es in einem ersten Schritt, Handlungsmuster von Lehrpersonen beim Einsatz von neuen Medien im Unterricht der Fächer Deutsch, Mathematik und Informatik der Sekundarstufe II zu identifizieren. Zu diesem Zweck werden Videoaufnahmen von 30 Unterrichtsstunden im Hinblick auf zugrunde liegende ‚Unterrichtsscripts’ (i.e. didaktische Routinen) analysiert und die subjektiven Theorien der Lehrkräfte zum Lehren und Lernen erhoben. Bei der Zusammensetzung der Stichprobe findet neben der Variation der Fachzugehörigkeit der Expertisegrad der Lehrpersonen bezogen auf den Einsatz neuer Medien Berücksichtigung, und zwar in zwei Abstufungen (hoch – niedrig). Auf diese Weise wird ermöglicht, in einem zweiten Schritt begründet Hypothesen zu Zusammenhängen zwischen Handlungsmustern sowie Fach und Expertise als Kontextfaktoren zu generieren und mögliche Geltungsbereiche zu beschreiben. Über diese Grundlagenforschung hinausgehend sollen in einem dritten Schritt anhand der gewonnenen Erkenntnisse Interventionen entwickelt werden, die eine Weiterentwicklung von Lehrerhandeln beim Einsatz neuer Medien im Unterricht ermöglichen. Hier stellt sich allerdings die Frage, wie sich Handeln grundsätzlich verändern lässt

DNA-vaccination via tattooing induces stronger humoral and cellular immune responses than intramuscular delivery supported by molecular adjuvants

Tattooing is one of a number of DNA delivery methods which results in an efficient expression of an introduced gene in the epidermal and dermal layers of the skin. The tattoo procedure causes many minor mechanical injuries followed by hemorrhage, necrosis, inflammation and regeneration of the skin and thus non-specifically stimulates the immune system. DNA vaccines delivered by tattooing have been shown to induce higher specific humoral and cellular immune responses than intramuscularly injected DNA. In this study, we focused on the comparison of DNA immunization protocols using different routes of administrations of DNA (intradermal tattoo versus intramuscular injection) and molecular adjuvants (cardiotoxin pre-treatment or GM-CSF DNA co-delivery). For this comparison we used the major capsid protein L1 of human papillomavirus type 16 as a model antigen. L1-specific immune responses were detected after three and four immunizations with 50 μg plasmid DNA. Cardiotoxin pretreatment or GM-CSF DNA co-delivery substantially enhanced the efficacy of DNA vaccine delivered intramuscularly by needle injection but had virtually no effect on the intradermal tattoo vaccination. The promoting effect of both adjuvants was more pronounced after three rather than four immunizations. However, three DNA tattoo immunizations without any adjuvant induced significantly higher L1-specific humoral immune responses than three or even four intramuscular DNA injections supported by molecular adjuvants. Tattooing also elicited significantly higher L1-specific cellular immune responses than intramuscularly delivered DNA in combination with adjuvants. In addition, the lymphocytes of mice treated with the tattoo device proliferated more strongly after mitogen stimulation suggesting the presence of inflammatory responses after tattooing. The tattoo delivery of DNA is a cost-effective method that may be used in laboratory conditions when more rapid and more robust immune responses are required

Analysis of Environment-Marker Associations in American Chestnut

American chestnut (Castanea dentata Borkh.) was a dominant tree species in its native range in eastern North America until the accidentally introduced fungus Cryphonectria parasitica (Murr.) Barr, that causes chestnut blight, led to a collapse of the species. Different approaches (e.g., genetic engineering or conventional breeding) are being used to fight against chestnut blight and to reintroduce the species with resistant planting stock. Because of large climatic differences within the distribution area of American chestnut, successful reintroduction of the species requires knowledge and consideration of local adaptation to the prevailing environmental conditions. Previous studies revealed clear patterns of genetic diversity along the northeast-southwest axis of the Appalachian Mountains, but less is known about the distribution of potentially adaptive genetic variation within the distribution area of this species. In this study, we investigated neutral and potentially adaptive genetic variation in nine American chestnut populations collected from sites with different environmental conditions. In total, 272 individuals were genotyped with 24 microsatellite (i.e., simple sequence repeat (SSR)) markers (seven genomic SSRs and 17 EST-SSRs). An FST-outlier analysis revealed five outlier loci. The same loci, as well as five additional ones, were significantly associated with environmental variables of the population sites in an environmental association analysis. Four of these loci are of particular interest, since they were significant in both methods, and they were associated with environmental variation, but not with geographic variation. Hence, these loci might be involved in (temperature-related) adaptive processes in American chestnut. This work aims to help understanding the genetic basis of adaptation in C. dentata, and therefore the selection of suitable provenances for further breeding efforts

Analysis of environment-marker associations in American chestnut

American chestnut (Castanea dentata Borkh.) was a dominant tree species in its native range in eastern North America until the accidentally introduced fungus Cryphonectria parasitica (Murr.) Barr, that causes chestnut blight, led to a collapse of the species. Different approaches (e.g., genetic engineering or conventional breeding) are being used to fight against chestnut blight and to reintroduce the species with resistant planting stock. Because of large climatic differences within the distribution area of American chestnut, successful reintroduction of the species requires knowledge and consideration of local adaptation to the prevailing environmental conditions. Previous studies revealed clear patterns of genetic diversity along the northeast-southwest axis of the Appalachian Mountains, but less is known about the distribution of potentially adaptive genetic variation within the distribution area of this species. In this study, we investigated neutral and potentially adaptive genetic variation in nine American chestnut populations collected from sites with different environmental conditions. In total, 272 individuals were genotyped with 24 microsatellite (i.e., simple sequence repeat (SSR)) markers (seven genomic SSRs and 17 EST-SSRs). An FST-outlier analysis revealed five outlier loci. The same loci, as well as five additional ones, were significantly associated with environmental variables of the population sites in an environmental association analysis. Four of these loci are of particular interest, since they were significant in both methods, and they were associated with environmental variation, but not with geographic variation. Hence, these loci might be involved in (temperature-related) adaptive processes in American chestnut. This work aims to help understanding the genetic basis of adaptation in C. dentata, and therefore the selection of suitable provenances for further breeding efforts