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Objective: Psychiatric patients in general, and elderly psychiatric patients in particular, are at risk of adverse drug reactions due to comorbidities and inappropriate polypharmacy. Interdisciplinary and clinical-pharmacologist-led medication reviews may contribute to medication safety in the field of psychiatry. In this study, we reported the frequency and characteristics of clinical-pharmacological recommendations in psychiatry, with a particular focus on geriatric psychiatry. Method: A clinical pharmacologist, in collaboration with the attending psychiatrists and a consulting neurologist, conducted interdisciplinary medication reviews in a general psychiatric ward with a geropsychiatric focus at a university hospital over a 25- week period. All clinical and pharmacological recommendations were recorded and evaluated. Results: A total of 316 recommendations were made during 374 medication reviews. Indications/contraindications of drugs were the most frequently discussed topics (59/316; 18.7 %), followed by dose reductions (37/316; 11.7 %), and temporary or permanent discontinuation of medications (36/316; 11.4 %). The most frequent recommendations for dose reduction involved benzodiazepines (9/37; 24.3 %). An unclear or absent indication was the most common reason for recommending temporary or permanent discontinuation of the medication (6/36; 16.7 %). Conclusion: Interdisciplinary clinical pharmacologist-led medication reviews represented a valuable contribution to medication management in psychiatric patients, particularly the elderly ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The foundation of a German Society of Biological Psychiatry (DGBP) was initiated at the Second World Congress of Biological Psychiatry of the WFSBP in Barcelona in 1978. Its mission was and is to promote interdisciplinary research on the biology of mental disorders and to translate results of biological research into clinical practice. During the presidency of Peter Falkai, its tasks were defined to improve the quality and support of biologically oriented research in Germany by the DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; German Research Foundation), BMBF (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung) and EU (European Union), to promote young researchers doing biologically oriented research, to improve on the diagnosis and therapy of mental disorders and to advise policy makers by taking part in legal processes. The DGBP has been a corporate member of the WFSBP from its beginning, became a cooperative member of the DGPPN (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Psychosomatik und Nervenheilkunde), later of the German Brain Council, and fostered relationships with other scientific societies. Over the past 45 years, more than twenty congresses were held in Germany and neighboring countries. Emerging from the pandemic, the DGBP is ready to continue its mission to promote interdisciplinary research on the biology of mental disorders with a focus on the development of young scientists and to translate results of biological research into clinical practice, with regard to pharmacotherapy in close cooperation with the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Neuropsychopharmakologie und Pharmakopsychiatrie (AGNP). In this sense, this article also aims to stimulate the cooperation of the society with other national and international partners and to foster new relationships with young scientists and professionals interested in the aims and goals of the DGBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-human animals are commonly classified according to their "role", such as "livestock", "wild" or "companion" animals. But what if those classifications overlap? This article presents a report of the retreat week "ZooCan – Zoonoses of companion animals as case study for animal ethics" at the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany, in November 2022. The workshop included participants from different European countries with interdisciplinary backgrounds (animal law, bioethics, epidemiology, philosophy, biology and veterinary medicine). We address ethically relevant issues that emerge when companion animals are used as research animals, particularly in zoonoses research. The outcomes of the multi-disciplinary approach are used to i) define criteria to classify "companion" and "research" animals, ii) provide guidance to overcome the challenges with classificational overlaps, iii) give insights into cutting-edge zoonoses research with an example of SARS-CoV-2 in cats, and iv) discuss animal ethics approaches with regard to classifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Rechtswissenschaft (Baden-Baden) is the property of Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Forschungsjournal Soziale Bewegungen is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In 2020, a cooperative project at the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the German Centre for Higher Education Research and Science Studies (DZHW) developed a research field classification to categorize problem-related and interdisciplinary research in Germany. The aim of this classification is to improve the reporting of research information by offering a complement to discipline-oriented subject classifications, e.g. in the context of the Research Core Dataset (Kerndatensatz Forschung) – a standard for reporting on research and research activities. The research field classification is sought to reflect the changing research landscape. The classification was intellectually developed by using a card sorting method and considering existing research classifications, field lists and current research projects. The extensive involvement of stakeholders in the development of the classification is intended to increase its acceptance and facilitate use in diverse settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Germany has increased its political and financial commitment for global health, but this needs to be backed by a robust global health research ecosystem with strong partnerships in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs)., Objective: This article suggests pathways for empowering researchers to operate beyond their disciplinary silos and strengthen partnerships across sectors and countries. The authors identify barriers and enablers of operations from a nascent research network in Germany, trusting that this experience can inform other initiatives seeking to stoke interdisciplinary and collaborative global health research., Methods: This article represents the culmination of extensive reflections spanning the initial four years of the German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA). The insights have additionally been informed by an analysis of publicly available reports, internal procedural records, and externally conducted studies based on interviews with researchers and policymakers., Results: GLOHRA has developed a toolbox of practices that foster interdisciplinary research and support capacity-building. Insights indicate that highly interdisciplinary and diverse governance structures and seed-funding for interdisciplinary and cross-sector research with appropriate review processes represent a critical step for achieving these aims. Additionally, inclusive training sessions and networking events help to bridge disciplinary boundaries, equipping researchers to envision the broader context of their work., Conclusions: Despite achievements, challenges persist. Wider support, especially from universities and research institutions, is necessary to make global health research an attractive career path and to reduce bureaucratic barriers for collaborators in LMICs. Sustained, longer-term federal funding mechanisms will also be essential for ongoing progress.

The article "Places of Impact in School Development Research" deals with the institutionalization and publications in the field of school development research in the German-speaking area. There are various universities and pedagogical colleges that have established professorships, chairs, or departments for school development research. School development research is interdisciplinary in nature and is often institutionalized in connection with empirical educational research, educational pedagogy, or school research. It is emphasized that increased interdisciplinary cooperation is necessary to incorporate various perspectives. [Extracted from the article]

Culture and socialization influence how individuals perceive and express emotional distress. Research therefore, must consider the context to capture individual experiences. However, the majority of studies on factors associated with emotional distress among migrants use quantitative approaches, limiting an in-depth understanding. This study investigates emic themes of emotional distress among Vietnamese migrants by integrating anthropological and psychiatric approaches. The mixed methods study first quantified differences in reported themes of distress between Vietnamese (n = 104) and German (n = 104) patients, who utilized two psychiatric outpatient clinics in Berlin, Germany. Based on these differences, ethnographic interviews were conducted with 20 Vietnamese patients. In the quantitative part, differences in frequency of reported distress between Vietnamese and German patients indicate cultural and migration-related issues among Vietnamese migrants, such as the upbringing of children in a transcultural context. In the qualitative part, interviews with Vietnamese patients elicited contextualizing information and additional themes of distress. Besides commonly expressed socioeconomic themes, such as work and finances, we identified affectively charged themes concerning roles toward partnership and children. A central emic theme is expressed as "moments of speechlessness," which go beyond a lack of language proficiency and challenge patients in different spheres of life. Migration entails complex affective dynamics, determined by a specific migratory and post-migratory context. Within this context, norms and values determine which themes of distress patients articulate openly. Therefore, an interdisciplinary, mixed-methods approach can yield a contextualized understanding of emotional distress and the complex nature of migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect declines and biodiversity loss have attracted much attention in recent years, but lack of comprehensive data, conflicting interests among stakeholders and insufficient policy guidance hinder progress in preserving biodiversity. The project DINA (Diversity of Insects in Nature protected Areas) investigates insect communities in 21 nature reserves in Germany. All selected conservation sites border arable land, with agricultural practices assumed to influence insect populations. We taught citizen scientists how to manage Malaise traps for insect collection, and subsequently used a DNA metabarcoding approach for species identification. Vegetation surveys, plant metabarcoding as well as geospatial and ecotoxicological analyses will help to unravel contributing factors for the deterioration of insect communities. As a pioneering research project in this field, DINA includes a transdisciplinary dialogue involving relevant stakeholders such as local authorities, policymakers, and farmers, which aims at a shared understanding of conservation goals and action pathways. Stakeholder engagement combined with scientific results will support the development of sound policy recommendations to improve legal frameworks, landscape planning, land use, and conservation strategies. With this transdisciplinary approach, we aim to provide the background knowledge to implement policy strategies that will halt further decline of insects in German protected areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Differentiation' is identified as a key category, and an empirical system of differentiation is developed. The key category is divided into two subcategories, which are further dimensionalized. The analysis finds that highly identified fans differentiate themselves from other fans (both from their own club and from rival clubs) and strive for positive distinction. Violent acts as extreme forms of differentiation are identity-establishing for some of these fans. Confrontations with rival fans are actively sought to extend team competitions concerning the best support into a physical and violent plane and to enforce territorial claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Differentiation' is identified as a key category, and an empirical system of differentiation is developed. The key category is divided into two subcategories, which are further dimensionalized. The analysis finds that highly identified fans differentiate themselves from other fans (both from their own club and from rival clubs) and strive for positive distinction. Violent acts as extreme forms of differentiation are identity-establishing for some of these fans. Confrontations with rival fans are actively sought to extend team competitions concerning the best support into a physical and violent plane and to enforce territorial claims. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Upper Rhine Graben (URG), a classical hydrocarbon (HC) province, is part of the European Cenozoic Rift System. The rift graben development has led to a complex basin fill of terrestrial and marine Cenozoic deposits, providing several HC source and reservoir units. The aim of this study is the multidisciplinary analysis of the palaeoenvironmental conditions and source-rock development within the transgressive marine intervals, and the palaeothermal history of the graben system to improve the understanding of the HC system development. Palaeoenvironmental conditions are strongly influenced by rift-related tectonic activity. Transgressive marine intervals in times of major subsidence show high terrestrial input from the graben shoulders, leading to mainly terrigenous gas-prone kerogen, while transgressive marine intervals during weak tectonic activity are dominated by marine-brackish palaeoenvironments and oil-prone kerogen. This differs clearly from the previously suggested HC potential of these intervals. Thermal maturation analysis shows nearly constant maturation with depth, which is atypical for burial-controlled maturation. It indicates significant secondary thermal overprinting related to long-lasting very hot hydrothermal fluid systems, concentrated along fault zones. Therefore the development of the depositional setting, kerogen composition, thermal maturation and the HC potential is directly linked to the dynamics of the rift system development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The objective of this controlled clinical study was to evaluate the association between oral health and 1-year mortality among nursing home residents with or without oral health intervention.Methods: This research was part of a multidisciplinary intervention study (EVI-P) performed in 14 nursing homes in Germany. Two-hundred and nineteen nursing home residents were included in the study and assigned to an intervention group, for which dental health education was offered and ultrasonic baths were used for denture cleaning (n = 144), or to a control group (n = 75). Before the intervention, each participant was examined, and dental status, plaque control record (PCR), Denture Hygiene Index, and results from the Revised Oral Assessment Guide were recorded. Amount of care needed and dementia were also assessed, by use of the Barthel Index and the Mini Mental State Examination, respectively. Participant mortality was determined after 12 months, and bivariate analysis and logistic regression models were used to evaluate possible factors affecting mortality.Results: Bivariate analysis detected a direct association between greater mortality and being in the control group (p = .038). Participants with higher PCR were also more likely to die during the study period (p = .049). For dentate participants, the protective effect of being in the intervention group was confirmed by multivariate analysis in which covariates such as age and gender were considered.Conclusion: Oral hygiene and oral health seem to affect the risk of mortality of nursing home residents. Dental intervention programs seem to reduce the risk of 1-year mortality among nursing home residents having remaining natural teeth. Further studies, with larger sample sizes and evaluation of the causes of death, are necessary to investigate the reasons for these associations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past fifteen years, Hungarian literary historians have outlined an idea of an interdisciplinary research program that aimed at exploring the early modern history of Hungarian political thinking. One of the most important elements of the proposed work has been to ensure the availability of the texts to be analysed (or analysable) for the purposes of research. The texts to be considered for research purposes are coming from highly various genres. One of the less well-known and less exploited types of texts to be analysed are pamphlets (disputations) that are related to the politics of the period and that educated the dozens of Hungarian peregrinating students who were raised in the 17th century. Contemporary students could gain an insight through these texts and disputes into one of the most popular disciplines of the era, the fundamentals of political science. The study and its annex attempt to identify all the disputations that were protected by students from Hungary or Transylvania at a university of Germany and the Netherlands in the 17th century. It gives an overview of the role of the disputes in the education and their place in contemporary political science. It compares the features available from the database of 3000 disputes protected at German universities with the similar data from its own collection. In these so far underrated works, we should recognize the first traces of theoretical foundation of the Hungarian political thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Social Psychology / Psihologie Socială is the property of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Real-world laboratories (RwLs) promise to advance, and at the same time study, transitions to sustainability in a specific sociospatial context. That brings challenges for researchers working in RwLs. In this Design Report, we reflect on the experiences researchers have gained in the RwL Knowledge Dialogue Northern Black Forest, Germany. We propose the concept of "design junctions" as deliberate intervention points in the procedural setup of RwLs that are, however, still contingent on the normative and methodological expectations of this special type of research. We present five design junctions tied to the questions of how to position an RwL in a politicized environment, deploy an interdisciplinary research team, develop the research program in a participatory way, incentivize transdisciplinarity, and engage with stakeholders and citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This paper aimed to describe the burden experienced by informal caregivers supporting a person with dementia (PwD) who lives at home and utilizes a dementia care network (DCN), to investigate the factors that are associated with caregiver burden, and to identify possible differences in caregiver burden among different types of DCNs. Method: This study was part of a multi-center, interdisciplinary evaluation of DCNs in Germany (DemNet-D). Cross-sectional data were collected in face-to-face interviews with people with dementia (PwDs) and their caregivers, and 13 DCNs were represented. Standardized questionnaires were used to assess caregiver burden, challenging PwD behaviors, functional competence and caregiver health status. Based on qualitative data, four DCN governance types were used in a multivariate analysis of burden categories. Results:There were 560 PwD-caregiver dyads enrolled in the study. Informal caregivers (n= 536) reported a low-to-moderate burden associated with PwD characteristics (instrumental activities of daily living, challenging behaviors) and caregiver characteristics (gender) as well as the relationship between the caregivers and PwDs. Women felt more burdened but also showed higher levels of personal development. No differences were observed among the different DCN governance types. Conclusions:DCNs might contribute toward moderate to low caregiver burden. Indicators of positive caregiving aspects can be used by DCNs to advance support structures for informal caregivers drawing upon interventions already established for other community settings. Particular interest should be paid to female and spousal caregivers who might be in in need of greater and/or different kinds of support. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of ABI Technik is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Transdisciplinary sustainability science (TSS) is a prominent way of scientifically contributing to the solution of sustainability problems. Little is known, however, about the practice of scientists in TSS, especially those early in their career. Our objectives were to identify these practices and to outline the needs and challenges for early career scientists in TSS. To that end, we compiled 10 key characteristics of TSS based on a literature survey. We then analyzed research groups with 81 early career scientists against these characteristics. All of these research groups are funded by an ongoing federally funded German program for socialecological research whose main feature is to promote sustainability-oriented inter- and transdisciplinary research. We found that the practices of the 12 groups generally correspond with the characteristics for TSS, although there is ample variation in how they were addressed. Three major challenges were identified: (1) TSS demands openness to a plurality of research designs, theories, and methods, while also requiring shared, explicit, and recursive use of TSS characteristics; (2) researchers in TSS teams must make decisions about trade-offs between achievements of societal and scientific impact, acknowledging that focusing on the time-consuming former aspect is difficult to integrate into a scientific career path; and (3) although generalist researchers are increasingly becoming involved in such TSS research projects, supporting the integration of social, natural, and engineering sciences, specialized knowledge is also required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a report from a June 10-11, 2015 conference in Hagen, Germany on interdisciplinary handicraft research hosted by the LWL-Freilichtmuseum Hagen museum, the Westpahalian economic archives of Dortmund, Germany, and the Zentralverband des Deutschen Handwerk handworkers' union. Topics of presentations delivered included the history of the weaver's guild in Ulm, Germany, 18th-century conflict between laborers and the ruling elite in Kleve, Germany, and historical working conditions for Austrian artisans.

Background: Aged long-term residents suffer from a wide range of skin problems. Dry skin associated with severe pruritus, scratching and inflammation is the most prevalent, but exact figures are lacking. Maintaining skin and tissue health as well as enhancing the quality of life are major goals in institutional long-term care. Using mild and moisturizing skin care products is considered to improve the skin barrier and to reduce adverse events. However, the available evidence supporting particular skin care approaches is limited. Objective: This study aims at answering two general questions: (1) What is the prevalence of skin conditions and skin diseases in aged nursing home residents and how are they associated with general person and health related characteristics? (2) Does a structured skin care regimen improve the skin health of aged nursing home residents? Design and methods: Using a random sample of all nursing homes of the state of Berlin, residents of seven institutions will undergo nursing, medical, and dermatological assessments. Biophysical skin parameters like transepidermal water loss or skin surface pH will be measured. Residents with dry skin will be included in a three arm randomized pragmatic trial investigating the effectiveness of two standardized skin care regimens compared to usual care. The primary outcome will be the Overall Dry Skin score. The follow-up period will be two months. Settings: Institutional long-term care facilities in Berlin, Germany. Participants: Long-term care residents being 65+ years who gave their informed consent. Sample size and statistical methods: Due to the explorative nature of this study a formal sample size analysis is not possible. The expected sample size in the first part of the study is considered sufficiently large (n = 280) to obtain precise point estimates. It is planned to allocate n = 50 eligible nursing home residents in a 1:1:1 ratio per group in the intervention part. The detectable mean difference using these group sizes would be 0.32 between groups. Depending on the level of measurement variables will be described using absolute and relative frequencies, means, medians, and associated spread estimates. Possible bi- and multivariable associations will be analyzed. The primary outcome of dry skin will be described by mean differences and one-way ANOVA analysis with post-hoc pairwise two-sample t-tests. Results: The study started in September 2014. The results are expected in July 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a surprising fact that social work is not conceived as a scientific discipline in many countries and especially in the United States. It is surprising because the extent of academic social work programs and the scientific output of people working at schools of social work are significant. And it is surprising anyway if social work is conceived as a profession that by definition is linked to scientific knowledge. This article presents a characterization of the debate on social work science that has been led in the German-speaking countries. As a consequence of this debate and following the philosophy of science as developed by Mario Bunge, it introduces some basic propositions on how to conceive social work as a science, namely as a transdisciplinary action science (Handlungswissenschaft)1 and outlines the target of building a consolidated knowledge base of social work as well as the challenges related to this goal. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Collaborative research centers (CRC) and clusters of excellence (CoE) constitute public-funded programs aspiring to advance research in interdisciplinary forms of collaboration throughout Germany. Because of emerging funding volumes and increasing expectations in results, concepts for performance measurement and management gain importance. Results of an empirical study among all actively funded CRC and CoE make it obvious that key performance indicators—such as the quota of publications or the number of international visiting researchers—are central. Nevertheless, holistic methods and concepts of performance measurement seem still not to be widespread among respective speakers and chief executive officers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a workshop on the history of emotions and the history of violence, convened in Gießen, Germany, from September 19-20, 2013. Topics of discussion included interdisciplinary research in literature and history, political violence in Germany in the early 1930s, and symbolic aspects late medieval feuds.

This paper explores the advantages of applying the concept of social-ecological resilience (SER) and the related thinking in transdisciplinary research. The theoretical reflections are exemplified by transdisciplinary research experiences using the concept of SER as a bridging concept in the field of climate-change adaptation instead of developing a new and very context-specific conceptual bridge. The findings are based on ontological reflections concerning the complex and hybrid phenomenon of climate change and the need for transdisciplinary research as well as on reflections on the performed interdisciplinary research and the exploratory transdisciplinary research approach with practitioners from the German administration. The experiences so far have shown that it was more focused on the general ideas of social-ecological resilience thinking instead of using the concept of SER as an analytical tool. We conclude that the use of a common conceptual framework in general and of social-ecological resilience thinking in particular offers tangible advantages in transdisciplinary research dealing with climate change and adaptation to the impacts of climate change. In our case, social-ecological resilience thinking helped-after translation into practical terms-to open the field for further consideration from the very beginning as well as to open the space for common creative work; to define the problem; and to choose the relevant variables to look at. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on a panel held at the Deutscher Historikertag (Conference of German Historians), from September 25-28, 2012, in Mainz, Germany, on the usefulness of the concept of culture shift, originally introduced by American sociologist Roland Inglehart, for historical research. Topics of discussion included interdisciplinary connections between history and the social sciences, the history of family values in the post-World War II United States and Germany, and the social conditions of white-collar workers.

Introduction: Infarction-related cardiogenic shock (ICS) is usually due to leftventricular pump failure. With a mortality of 30% to 80%, ICS is the most common cause of death from acute myocardial infarction. The S3 guideline presented here characterizes the current evidence-based treatment of ICS: early revascularization, treatment of shock, and intensive care treatment of multi-organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) if it arises. The success or failure of treatment for MODS determines the outcome in ICS. Methods: Experts from eight German and Austrian specialty societies analyzed approximately 3600 publications that had been retrieved by a systematic literature search. Three interdisciplinary consensus conferences were held, resulting in the issuing of 111 recommendations and algorithms for this S3 guideline. Results: Early revascularization of the occluded vessel, usually with a percu - taneous coronary intervention (PCI), is of paramount importance. The medical treatment of shock consists of dobutamine as the inotropic agent and norepinephrine as the vasopressor of choice and is guided by a combination of pres - sure and flow values, or by the cardiac power index. Levosimendan can be given in addition to treat catecholamine-resistant shock. For patients with ICS who are treated with PCI, the current S3 guideline differs from the European and American myocardial infarction guidelines with respect to the recommendation for intra-aortic balloon pulsation (IABP): Whereas the former guidelines give a class I recommendation for IABP, this S3 guideline states only that IABP "can" be used in this situation, in view of the poor state of the evidence. Only for patients being treated with systemic fibrinolysis is IABP weakly recommended (IABP "should" be used in such cases). With regard to the optimal intensive- care interventions for the prevention and treatment of MODS, recommendations are given concerning ventilation, nutrition, erythrocyte-concentrate transfusion, prevention of thrombosis and stress ulcers, follow-up care, and rehabilitation. Discussion: The goal of this S3 guideline is to bring together the types of treatment for ICS that lie in the disciplines of cardiology and intensive-care medicine, as patients with ICS die not only of pump failure, but also (and even more frequently) of MODS. This is the first guideline that adequately emphasizes the significance of MODS as a determinant of the outcome of ICS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents trends, questions, and results of Genocide studies, a newly emerging, interdisciplinary field of research. The article identifies the basic questions of the discipline and focuses on its significance not only for understanding past events but also for the prevention of future events of mass violence. Topics discussed include the development of Genocide Studies, its most important questions concerning genocidal processes, and the results and aftermath of political violence. Among the historical genocides mentioned in the article are the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, the Jewish Holocaust in Germany, and the Civil War in former Yugoslavia.

The article reports on a conference on the history of scientific cooperation between Germany and Poland, held in Warsaw, Poland, from May 27-29, 2011. Topics discussed included the reception of the philosophy of interdisciplinary research and teaching developed by Polish philosopher Aleksander Jabłonowski in Germany, German-Polish comparative linguistics and its political implications, and the influence of ethnic stereotypes and racism on archaeology and ethnography in the two countries.

For at least twenty-five years, there have been a growing number of multi-religious school assemblies in Germany, located in different situations in the school life of children and their families. As a result of growing religious and cultural diversity, multi-religious ways for celebrating some of the essential steps in the biography of each person present practical theology with new challenges. This research report argues that these challenges can only be addressed by interdisciplinary research designs that take into account different perspectives in empirical and normative respects. It will be shown that dialogue with communication sciences, psychology, philosophy, social sciences, a theology of religions, and law are constitutive for an appropriate practical theological methodology. It is proposed that these different perspectives can be incorporated through a qualitative heuristic approach. This approach moves beyond certain obsolete alternatives, such as the epistemological differentiation of inductive and deductive research approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the inauguration conference of the research group "Communicating Disaster", established at the Zentrum für Interdisziplinäre Forschung (ZiF, Center for Interdisciplinary Research) of the University of Bielefeld, Germany, held in Bielefeld from January 13 to 15, 2011. Topics include communication patterns in the wake, at the time, and in the aftermath of catastrophes, methodological questions of analyzing them, and theories in the sociology of disasters and catastrophes.

Abstract: This article examines the thesis that an improved expert-lay people communication on the state of the art of CO2 storage is a necessary first step and a prerequisite in order to enhance public acceptance. Main goal of such an expert dialogue is to clearly identify consent and dissent on several aspects in regard of CO2 storage. In order to address the issue of establishing a forum of expert dialogue, the Interdisciplinary Research Unit on Risk Governance and Sustainable Technology of the University of Stuttgart has applied the Delphi method in order to enhance transparency about expert judgments on various issues in regard with the storage of CO2. In this article the Delphi method is described and as it was applied to establish expert dialogue on the state of the art as well as on communicative aspects. Furthermore the article gives an outlook on following steps to communicate the results to local residents and the public. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Worldwide, ageing societies are bringing challenges for independent living and healthcare. Health-enabling technologies for pervasive healthcare and sensor-enhanced health information systems offer new opportunities for care. In order to identify, implement and assess such new information and communication technologies (ICT) the 'Lower Saxony Research Network Design of Environments for Ageing' (GAL) has been launched in 2008 as interdisciplinary research project. In this publication, we inform about the goals and structure of GAL, including first outcomes, as well as to discuss the potentials and possible barriers of such highly interdisciplinary research projects in the field of health-enabling technologies for pervasive healthcare. Although GAL's high interdisciplinarity at the beginning slowed down the speed of research progress, we can now work on problems, which can hardly be solved by one or few disciplines alone. Interdisciplinary research projects on ICT in ageing societies are needed and recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information about a history conference held in Berlin, Germany on May 7-8, 2010. Topics under discussion at the conference included the nature of area histories as an academic discipline, the relations between history-centered and interdisciplinary approaches to regional histories, and the purpose of area studies. Presentations were given by international historians Frauke Brammer, Julian Plenefisch, and Stefan Rinke.

The aim of this article is to situate archaeological approaches to modern conflicts within a framework of conflict memory and commemoration. A critical appreciation of historical archaeology as a commemorative practice requires a firm grounding in memory theory, specifically the formation and contestation of memory narratives. This article offers a detailed analysis of the relevant theories and demonstrates their applicability in the contested archaeology of the Nazi era in Berlin. On the basis of this critique I argue that archaeological work on contested sites offers a unique and powerful forum for socially engaged interdisciplinary research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses an interdisciplinary research project titled "Past and Future of the Social Security System Exemplified in the Federal Miners' Association and Its Descendants." The project involves the cooperative research of history, economics, medicine, and social science university scholars to understand the birth and development of social insurance in Germany. Key research sponsors include the German Mining Museum in Bochum, Germany, and the Leibniz Society. The tripartite work involves a historical study beginning with miners' groups in the Middle Ages, social security in the shipping and railroad industries, and medical aspects of social insurance.

Copyright of Soziologie is the property of Campus Verlag GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Soziologie is the property of Campus Verlag GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Sociologia Internationalis is the property of Duncker & Humblot GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Zusammenfassung  Die forensische Psychiatrie ist ein wichtiges Teilgebiet der Psychiatrie, das in besonderer Weise im Fokus der Öffentlichkeit steht. Die Arbeit gibt einen Überblick über die rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen und Grundlagen der Schuldfähigkeits- und Prognosebeurteilung. Bei der gutachterlichen Arbeit kann auf Mindeststandards einer interdisziplinären Arbeitsgruppe am Bundesgerichtshof zurückgegriffen werden, die ein gutes Beispiel für die gemeinsamen Bemühungen von Justiz und Psychiatrie um qualitätssichernde Maßnahmen in diesem Bereich darstellen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study that assessed the research project sponsored by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) from 2004-2007 that aims to develop a treatment method for the conservation of the autograph manuscript written by politician Friedrich Carl von Savigny at the Marburg University Library in Germany. It cites that the project purports to develop standardized aqueous treatment procedure using calcium phytate and calcium bicarbonate to preserve the manuscripts written by Savigny from 18th and 19th century that are corroded by iron gall ink. It cites that an interdisciplinary work group was created to develop the treatment method, which is led by conservator, Ulkrine Hähner. It presents an overview of the development and experimental analysis of the method.

Clearly a 'founding member' among German Studies scholars, Eva Kolinsky pursued an extraordinary array of topics, most of which drew on interdisciplinary research methods. This essay attempts to situate a limited number of her contributions in this ever evolving scholarly domain, emphasising the 'past', 'present' and 'future' dimensions of that work. It offers a brief introduction to subsequent essays comprising this commemorative volume, indicating the ways in which Kolinsky influenced and affirmed not only the writings of her contemporaries but also the work of 'successor' generations on both sides of the Atlantic [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of ABI Technik is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Approaching struggles for political representation through a perspective of 'methodological transterritorialism', we seek to make sense of recent developments evolving around a territorialised urban neighbourhood. Werderau, a garden suburb founded by a mechanical engineering company at the beginning of the 20th century, enjoyed relative protection from globalising frictions and struggles until the 'world-in-motion' suddenly penetrated the community a few years ago. We begin by charting the production of the bounded settlement as a site of alternate social ordering at a time of hyperindustrialisation and its imaginary role as a territorial heterotopia, symbolising order in a seemingly chaotic urban world, Turning to the owner's decision to sell the neighbourhood in 1998, we then argue that long-term inhabitants discursively frame the events following the decision as 'transterritorial pollution' of their bounded community, reflected in the commodification of their neighbourhood and in an 'invasion' of non-German home-owners. After discussing how longer term residents attempt to restabilise their identities by taking up a xenophobic discourse, we conclude by criticising policy-makers for responding solely in a territorial logic and for one-sidedly taking up the discourse advanced by long-term residents. Instead, we advance a utopian vision of the city as a worldly site where people live under conditions of 'transcultural Gleich-Gültigkeit' in the double meaning of the German term: understood as being `indifferent' towards the proximate other as well as referring to equality and equal rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the practices of interdisciplinary research projects in nine extra-university research institutions in Germany. The research fields of these institutions include representative fields of current interdisciplinary research, such as climate change research, environmental studies, organizational research, and area studies. The analysis shows that the outcome of interdisciplinary research cooperation depends upon the micro-organization of research practices. There is, however, no singular recipe for a successful cooperation. Instead, the case studies show a multiplicity of adequate "styles of interdisciplinarity": methodological, charismatic, heuristic and pragmatic interdisciplinarity. The differences between them depend upon the organizational and epistemic conditions of research practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we describe our interdisciplinary project ‘Rule-based search in text databases with nonstandard orthography (RSNSR)’ in support of the conservation of cultural heritage, especially for the German reception of the philosopher Nietzsche. We present a rule-based fuzzy search engine that allows users to retrieve text data independently of its orthographical realization. The rules used are derived from statistical analyses, historical publications, linguistic principles, and expert knowledge. Our Web-based tool is intended for experts as well as interested amateurs. Along with its present features, further functions are currently worked out. Among them are automatic rule derivation and finer result classification through a generalized Levenshtein similarity measure. Our work is associated with the recently launched project Deutsch Diachron Digital (DDD) to build a complete diachronic corpus of German for the first time with texts from the ninth century (Old High German) to the present (Modern German). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]