Search

This article presents the position paper presented at the conference for the German Research Society (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft). The author presents an analysis of the current state of German research of information systems and discusses the new directions that the information infrastructure could go in. The author also discusses the political steering of such projects, as well as the open access involved in providing the information without hindrances.

Copyright of Info DaF: Informationen Deutsch als Fremdsprache 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.)

Copyright of Global Media Journal: German Edition is the property of Global Media Journal: German Edition 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 Ergoscience is the property of Schulz-Kirchner 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.)

Background: In Germany, a great amount of money is spent annually on health research (HR). However, detailed quantitative data concerning funders and receivers of the financing is lacking., Objective: The goal of this paper is to depict the scope to which funders finance HR and the amount of money research institutions receive for their research activities., Materials and Methods: First, openly accessible sources were searched to identify the relevant data for 2013. Missing data was requested from the specific institutions. Where relevant data could not be identified, approximate results were determined or marked as missing., Results: In 2013, approximately 10.14 billion EUR were spent on HR. The most important funders were business (58%) and public agencies (36%). Business mainly funded privately financed research institutions, while public agencies mainly funded universities and non-university research institutions. Overall, privately financed research institutions received 55% of the research money, universities 34%, non-university research institutions 9%, and 2% of the money went to federal institutions., Conclusion: In Germany, the biggest share of health research money is spent and consumed by the private sector. The pattern of financing health research in Germany is comparable to other countries where data are available.

Copyright of Ergoscience is the property of Schulz-Kirchner 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 HeilberufeSCIENCE is the property of Springer Nature 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.)

Thought Experiments of Economic Surplus: Science and Economy in Ernst Mach's Epistemology. Thought experiments are an important element in Ernst Mach's epistemology: They facilitate amplifying our knowledge by experimenting with thoughts; they thus exceed the empirical experience and suspend the quest for immediate utility. In an economical perspective, Mach suggested that thought experiments depended on the production of an economic surplus based on the division of labor relieving the struggle for survival of the individual. Thus, as frequently emphasized, in Mach's epistemology, not only the 'economy of thought' is an important feature; instead, also the socioeconomic conditions of science play a decisive role. The paper discusses the mental and social economic aspects of experimental thinking in Mach's epistemology and examines those within the contemporary evolutionary, physiological, and economic contexts., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Thought Experiments in Historiographic Function: Max Weber on Eduard Meyer and the Question of Counterfactuality. Max Weber's remarks on his colleague Eduard Meyer regarding counterfactual reasoning in history reflects a significant shift during the Methodenstreit around 1900. The question of attributing historical change strictly to either individual causes or abstract general laws has been tackled in a new way: By counterfactual reasoning a historian should be able to detect the most significant (and therefore meaningful) cause, event, or action for a certain historical outcome. Following Fritz Ringer, this paper argues that given the predominating methods of the natural sciences, scholars of the humanities conducted historical research by counterfactual thought experiments. This way, Weber pried open contemporary narratives (e.g. historicism), and by employing a unique historical causal analysis he made way for refined concepts to offer a model of interpretation that gave hope for a more feasible, practice-oriented approach to historical research than the epistemological discussions had hitherto offered., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

The paper deals with Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker's position within the philosophy of mind. It turns out that Weizsäcker's ontology is based on an unorthodox conception both in the philosophy of physics and in the philosophy of mind. His quantum information theoretic reductionism is based on a subtle combination of atomism and holism, his philosophy of mind connected to this is a neutral monism, which proposes a bold intertwining of mind, matter, and space.

Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker's comprehensive contributions to nuclear disarmament and arms control, as well as his peace policy impulses are to be understood primarily in the context of his family origin, his comprehensive thinking and the historical circumstances of the emerging nuclear age. They have a scientific, political and a strong philosophical-moral component. Beside the factual problems (nuclear energy, military strategy) he was interested in political power issues and their ambivalence and perception. His actual work is not only based on general academic knowledge, but also serve the immediate political influence on a scientific basis. Weizsäcker was not committed to nuclear disarmament or arms control per se, but about creating a lasting peace policy in the nuclear age. The paper discusses in chronological order of Weizsäcker's work within the policy field peace and disarmament. Family origin, study and work on the nuclear programme by Nazi-Germany laid the foundations for his later career. As a young physicist, he was directly involved in the political and ethical dilemma of the military and civilian use of nuclear energy. After the war, in Göttingen and Hamburg the reflections of the Nazi phase and the discussion of ways out of the dangers of the Cold War followed. The Max-Planck Institute in Starnberg dealt with the science-based treatment of global world problems, including the dangers of nuclear proliferation. Finally, Weizsäcker initiated a Peace Council in 1985. He urged both the perception of the moral responsibility of scientists as well as an ethics of the scientific-technological age. According to him, a general and profound change in the consciousness of humankind is needed to solve the existing power problems and the problem of war.

Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker was not only an exceptional physicist, philosopher and peace scholar, but also a skilled and articulate speaker and a highly successful author. Dozens of his books were published in tens of thousands of copies despite their highly nontrivial content. This wide impact was only possible--this at least is one of the claims made in this paper--because of his sophisticated style and rhetorics. The analysis here is based on hand-picked samples from all kinds of Weizsäcker texts (talks, scientific and popular papers and books, poems and Limericks). Strangely enough, this interesting stylistic and rhetorical facet of his oeuvre has hitherto not been analyzed in any detail despite its crucial importance in the broad impact on his multifarious audience. My paper starts out from a collection of striking features of his language and structural specialties in his published talks and speeches, and explore findings from sound recordings and film tapes which offer further insight into his manner of emphasis, usage of pauses and intonation. On the basis of these stylistic traits and their often subcutaneous, but nevertheless clever rhetorics, I close with a few remarks on the habitus of this scholar and his positioning within the ensemble of German-speaking physicists of that generation.

The 50-year relationship between Weizsäcker and Heisenberg spanned the highpoints of discovery and dictatorship during the 1930s, extended into the war-time uranium project, the post-war controversy over that project, debates over West German nuclear policy, and the philosophical implications of modern physics. This paper explores the interaction between these two leading figures during that difficult and significant half-century.

The subject of this paper is the philosopher Carl Friedrich von weizsäcker, especially under the aspect of the relation between physics and philosophy in his works. The decisive role of time in physics as well as in philosophy is described, and thereof is derived the comprehension of probability as a predicted relative frequency. Consequently quantum mechanics is interpreted as a theory of probability that uses "quantum logic" instead of classical propositional logic that is used in "normal" probability. The philosophical fruit of that is the interpretation of potentiality as the modality of the future. Weizsäcker's proposals for a justification of physics a priori are dealt with as well as his approach to a theory of "ur-objects", which are atoms in the strictest sense: q-bits.--Questions of Weizsäcker's personality are addressed: His role in the development of the nuclear reactor and atomic bomb in Nazi time, his enthusiasm and his religiousness as well as his efforts towards world peace.

Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker treated the problematic implications of scientific-technological progress, emerging in the lifetime of his generation, under the key-word "ambivalence". Obviously it means a proto-theoretical, fuzzy concept that cannot be introduced explicitly per definition; starting with an intuitive perception, "ambivalence" should gradually gain meaning by using it in different argumentative contexts. Following a circular course (Kreisgang)--a procedure typical for Weizsäcker's style of thought--, he moves successively from explicit ambivalence in the application sphere of science through ambivalent features in scientists' behaviour and action up to the general ambivalence of human existence, disclosed only at an anthropological level of deliberation. The given paper delineates the ambivalence concept used by Weizsäcker during the 1960s and 1970s.

The Carbon- or Bethe-Weizsäcker Cycle plays an important role in astrophysics as one of the most important energy sources for a quiescent and explosive hydrogen burning in stars. This paper presents the historical background and the contributions by Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker and Hans Bethe who provided the first predictions of the cycle. Furthermore, it discussed the experimental verification of the predicted process in the following decades. Also discussed is the extension of the initial Carbon cycle to the CNO multi-cycles and the hot CNO cycles which followed from the detailed experimental studies of the associated nuclear reactions. Finally discussed is the impact of the experimental and theoretical results on our present understanding of hydrogen burning in different stellar environments and on our understanding of the chemical evolution of our universe.

A number of publications on publication bias or selected outcomes reporting have led critics to doubt that the pharmaceutical industry is able to remain objective in its research activities. This paper discusses the prerequisites for objective research and to what extent these are met by research projects conducted by the pharmaceutical industry. Problems with meeting objectivity criteria on the part of the pharmaceutical industry will be highlighted, distinguishing between industrial research activities themselves (i.e., studies) and the publication of data resulting from such research. The aim of the discussion is to illustrate how and which research-guiding conditions can ensure that sponsors indeed meet the criteria for objective research.

Plastic surgery has passed through a very positive evolution in the last decades on the solid fundament of constantly developing academic plastic surgery. Aim of this paper is an objective evaluation of the current status of academic plastic surgery regarding research topics, currently available ressources and scientific outcome based on a questionnaire. The return rate of the questionnaire in academic departments was 92%. Main topics in research besides wound healing were topics from regenerative medicine such as tissue engineering, biomaterials, genetherapy and angiogenesis with the main focus on skin and fat tissues. In the past five years a total of 25 million Euros of third party research grants were raised. Research relied mainly on interdisciplinary research facilities. Regarding the scientific outcome more than 200 scientific papers were published in basic science research journals having an impactfactor higher than two. These results clearly demonstrate that plastic surgery is scientifically highly productive in academic surroundings where independent departments are established. Considering that independent units of plastic surgery exist in a relatively small number of all 36 university hospitals in germany, it has to be claimed for further independent departments so to provide adequate research facilities for further evolution of academic plastic surgery.

Objective: This study aims at analysing content, authorship, type of journal and associated institution of scientific contributions on social psychiatry in 16 German-speaking journals. In order to detect development and change in respect to the aspects mentioned, two time periods are compared systematically (1997-1998/2007-2008)., Methods: The authors selected all original papers in 16 journals from German-speaking countries along common definitions of social psychiatry. These definitions are made transparent in the study., Results: The systematic comparison of the named time periods resulted in equal numbers of papers contributed. The major part of the publications under study has been contributed by authors associated with universities. Content-wise, articles on matters discussed in the recent past and including topics like migration, subjectivity, parent-child care are increasing., Conclusions: Research on social psychiatry in German-speaking countries today is mainly related to research departments at university clinics. The impact of large centres of psychiatry however is declining. Content-wise, matters at stake during the reform period of psychiatry in German-speaking countries in the 1970 s and 1980 s are of less relevance today. Researches now tend to address research topics more closely related to what can be named patient-centred care., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart.New York.)

Objective: Are assessment instruments used for social psychiatry research in German-language countries in agreement with international scientific standards?, Methods: Analysis of assessment instruments mentioned in publications of two German-language journals., Results: Most studies concerning social psychiatry used assessment instruments developed previously and for the majority data about their validity and reliability are available. The fact that most of the instruments were originally published in English indicates that they are internationally used., Conclusions: Most assessment instruments mentioned in German-language papers meet with international scientific standards., (Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart.New York.)

The German Stem Cell Act forbids, in principle, the importation und use of human embryonic stem cells, but provides for exceptions under specific conditions. It is the first Federal German law that grants an ethical review authority over the approval process. The legislature has indeed established the criteria for the work of the members of the "Central Ethics Commission for Stem Cell Research" appointed by the Federal Government. The three criteria include the following: 'high priority of the research goals', sufficiencyy of research in the animal and adult human models' and 'the absence of an alternative'. Together they legitimate the importation and use of human embryonic stem cells. This paper seeks to elucidate these three criteria, to analyze their dual function as ethical and as scientific concepts, and to illustrate the ways in which they are being used.

Reliable and correct data capture and safe data management are an inevitable prerequisite to gain valid data in clinical studies. The biostatistical analysis is the basis from which medical consequences about efficacy and safety of the treatment can be driven. The functional role of data capture and data management in relation to the study protocol, development of report forms, data flux between the involved institutions, and the data capture systems will be investigated. Main points of the data capture are the rationale of the study, the protocol, and the statistical analysis plan. Modularity, uniqueness, and reduction on the needs of the study protocol designate a good documentation form. Practical considerations will be given. Prompt and efficient communication between all involved participants is the organizational prerequisite for valid data, independent from the data capture system. Online data capture will displace the classical paper documentation form, however, accurate and careful documentation will remain. Data capture and data management are a crucial and cost-intensive chapter of a clinical study, formed by the technical ability and the team play of clinical principal investigators, biostatisticians, computer scientists, monitors, and the organizers of the study., (Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Nowadays results of clinical studies in oncology are often first found and commented in the news media because of their high relevance to the pharmaceutical market. The limits and pitfalls of clinical studies are manifold and not always appreciated even by specialists as well as journalists and politicians. The planning of a study is a most crucial phase, and most deficits are due to inappropriate design and conduct of a study. Adequate and skilful interpretation of a study is often hampered by many known but mostly overlooked variable pitfalls. Today there is an overrepresentation of pharmaceutically sponsored studies and a painful lack of well-designed academic studies with really meaningful endpoints for patient care. This paper touches several important aspects of today's shortcomings of clinical studies in oncology and highlights the importance of strengthening the academic clinical research. Evidence-based medicine needs to be more clinically relevant, and therefore we need well-designed, and critically interpreted studies in the future., (Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objective: Recently, there has been a growing awareness among psychiatrists of the stigma of mental illness. In numerous countries programs aimed at reducing stigmatization and discrimination because of mental illness have been launched. The question arises as to what extent the increasing interest in stigma has stimulated research in this area., Method: A search for papers on stigma of mental illness that have been published in scientific journals since 1990 has been carried out, using different search strategies., Results: During the 1990 s, there is a marked increase of articles dealing with the stigma of mental illness. There is no indication of an end of this trend., Discussion: Despite more research we are still far from understanding the stigma process in detail. This, however, is the prerequisite for developing successful anti-stigma interventions.

The programme for research in rehabilitation has been established by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Pension Insurance scheme in 1998 to further develop the methodology in this field. In addition to other effects, the large number of projects has strengthened the research structure in Germany. An important aim of the programme is the transfer of the research findings into the practice of rehabilitation. The initiators also organize this transformation process in terms of a long-term task. The paper describes the transfer of findings in the topics selected by the Pension Insurance scheme: patient education, access to rehabilitation, and vocational orientation in medical rehabilitation. Furthermore, additional activities concerning the transfer are outlined. To improve the practice of rehabilitation by transferring research findings is of great importance for the Pension Insurance scheme.

Objective: Currently, substantial effort is made to establish prevention as one of the main parts of the German health care system. In this context we investigated the current role of prevention in social-psychiatric research., Methods: We analysed original papers published in the journal Psychiatrische Praxis in the years 2003-2004 by computer-aided full text analysis., Results: 16.5 % of the studies mentioned prevention, in one fourth of these, prevention was the main topic. Subject of these papers were suicide prevention in psychiatric patients, relapse prevention in mentally ill offenders, and prevention of acute confusional state after hip surgery. Most of the work was dedicated to tertiary prevention, followed by secondary prevention. Two papers mentioned primary preventive aspects and only one report was dedicated to primary prevention as a main topic., Conclusions: Although early diagnosis and intervention as well as rehabilitation of mental disorders are main topics of social psychiatry, only few reports relate explicitly to prevention. The role of social psychiatry in primary prevention has to be defined.

Introduction: In today's times of financial short-cut, it is of highest interest to improve quality. Research in intensive care medicine is an important instrument to improve therapeutic strategies. The origin of papers published in the field of intensive care medicine by German universities were evaluated and compared to a previous analysis (1992 - 1997)., Methods: Using a Medline analysis, 10 international journals (Crit Care Med; Intensive Care Med; Resuscitation; J Crit Care; Crit Care Clin; Circulation; Chest; Am Resp Crit Care Med; Stroke; J Inf Dist) that exclusively or often publish intensive care papers were analysed over the past 6 years (1998 to 2003). Only original papers from German universities were included and the publications were listed according to the origin of specialty: anesthesiological, surgical, cardiac surgical, neurosurgical, internal medicine, neurological, pediatric intensive care medicine., Results: The total number of publications has markedly increased (1998 - 2003; n = 1245) compared to a previous analysis (1992 - 1997: n = 621). The number of publication from surgical institutions was still significantly lower than that of other intensive care units (cardiac surgery: n = 44; anesthesia: n = 356; internal medicine: n = 463). Institutions from the formerly eastern part of Germany participated much more to international journals than in the former analysis., Discussion: Scientific research in intensive care medicine is important to develop new strategies for treating the critically ill. Although the total number of publications has increased, it is astonishing that some intensive care units from German universities did almost not publish in the selected intensive care journals.

Unlabelled: AIM, METHOD: The scientific publications in the 2003 and 2004 issues of the journal Nuklearmedizin were analyzed retrospectively with regard to the proportion of medical technology research., Results: Out of a total of 73 articles examined, 9 (12%) were classified as medical technology research, that is, 8/15 of the original papers (16%) and one of the case reports (5%). Of these 9 articles, 44% (4/9) focused on the combination of molecular and morphological imaging with direct technical appliance or information technology solutions., Conclusion: Medical technology research is limited in the journal's catchment area. The reason for this is related to the interdependency between divergent development dynamics in the medical technology industry's locations, the many years that the area of scintigraphic technology has been underrepresented, research policy particularly in discrepancies in the promotion of molecular imaging and a policy in which health is not perceived as a predominantly good and positive economic factor, but more as a curb to economic development.

Based on the example of Robert Koch's cholera expedition of 1883/84, this paper analyses travelling as a mode of doing research that was characteristic of an applied science such as hygiene. A laboratory for hygiene is dependent on a certain environment which becomes noticeable through its absence. Examples are its dependence on the cultural acceptance of pathological dissections or a suitable climate in which gelatine-based solid culture media do not liquefy. Travelling abroad gave Koch and his collaborators privileged access to the public at home. Laboratory work was given the heroic image of a crusade against epidemics, and what had been complex research was presented as a simple discovery. Travelling abroad fulfilled Koch's own youthful ambitions and simultaneously opened up his career as a figure of public life. In addition it provided him with the experience of doing science in a profitable and enjoyable way.

Objective: This study aims at outlining the development of social-psychiatric research in German-speaking countries between 1975 and 2001., Method: All original articles dealing with social-psychiatric issues, with appeared in Psychiatrische Praxis in the years 1975 - 1977, 1981 - 1983, 1987 - 1989, 1993 - 1995 and 1999 - 2001 were analysed., Results: Mental health care research clearly dominated social-psychiatric research in the period investigated. While in the beginning, most papers were devoted to the conceptualisation and description of psychiatric services, in recent years more studies on outcome evaluation and quality assurance were published. The number of articles on the subjective perspective of patients and relatives has increased constantly. Topics such as treatment satisfaction, subjective illness theory, and subjective quality of life enjoy growing interest. The same holds for stigmatisation of mentally ill people. By contrast, studies investigating psycho-social influences on the development and the course of mental disorders are still very rare., Discussion: The results are discussed against the backdrop of the development of psychiatry in the period investigated.

Objective: Clinical research has been proposed to be less active and less attractive in Germany. The distribution of clinical versus experimental research of German university departments of anesthesiology was analysed., Methods: With the help of Medline all articles published from all German university anesthesiology departments in German and English in 1998 and 1999 were analysed and specified with regard to the following subtypes: experimental research, clinical research, miscellaneous (reviews, questionnaires)., Results: 369 articles in German and 545 articles in English language were specified. From the German publications 129 articles were derived from clinical research (35 % of all papers), 29 papers were from experimental research (8 % of all papers), and 211 papers were miscellaneous articles (57 % of all papers). From the publications in English language, 291 papers were from clinical research (53 % of all articles), 195 were from experimental research (36 % of all articles), and 59 papers were miscellaneous articles (11 % of all articles)., Conclusion: Clinical research was published more often in German, whereas experimental studies were published more often in English. Some anesthesia departments prefer to focus their research efforts mainly on experimental research. It is tempting to speculate whether concentration on experimental research is beneficial for research in the field of anesthesia in Germany.

This paper deals with the so-called "mysterious" Q-potencies, the dilution of a substance according to particular augmentation methods, dating back to Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homoeopathy. Hahnemann's method consists of a step by step dilution of substances. Until 1837 he only used the C-potency (dilution on the basis 1:00); beginning in 1837-8, he experimented with the Q-potency, or quinquagenimillesimal scale. (Potency on this scale is denoted by 0/1, 0/2, 0/5, 0/10, etc. and generically referred to as 'LM potencies'.) The new method was only documented decades after Hahnemann's death, but without explicit references to his techniques of notation. This is the reason why the Q-potency is still a mystery in Hahnemann's casebooks. This article examines the hidden references to the notations referring to the Q-potency and presents preliminary results.

Background: The statistical quality of the contributions to "Strahlentherapie und Onkologie" is assessed, aiming for improvement of the journal and consequently its impact factor., Material and Methods: All 181 articles published during 1998 and 1999 in the categories "review", "original contribution", and "short communication" were analyzed concerning actuarial analysis of time-failure data., Result: One hundred and twenty-three publications without time-failure data were excluded from analysis. Forty-five of the remaining 58 publications with time-failure data were evaluated actuarially. This corresponds to 78% (95% confidence interval: 64 to 88%) of papers, in which data were adequately analyzed. Complications were reported in 16 of 58 papers, but in only 3 cases actuarially. The number of patients at risk during the course of follow-up was documented adequately in 22 of the 45 publications with actuarial analysis., Conclusion: Authors, peer reviewers, and editors could contribute to improve the quality of the journal by setting value on acturial analysis of time-failure data.

This paper deals with ethical implications of neuroscientific research on patients as well as with the application of its results in diagnosis and treatment for brain diseases, in which a considerable demand for research exists due to their high frequency, long duration, disabling consequences, and unsatisfactory or nonexistent treatment possibilities. Such indispensable research on patients calls forth the basic ethical tension between respect of autonomy and dignity of the sick individual (as well as the avoidance of somatic and psychic risks and burdens) and the ethically justified demand for flawless research in recognizing, preventing, reducing, or eliminating disability and suffering caused by disease. The demand for research today also results from the increasing orientation of insurance companies towards scientifically proven evidence of the efficacy and safety of medical interventions: "evidence-based medicine." This is illustrated by 3 examples: (1) use of fetal brain tissue/cells from planned abortions in patients in therapy-resistant final stages of Parkinson's disease and the effects of neurotransplantation on the recipients, (2) research with demented patients incompetent to give informed consent, and (3) predictive (presymptomatic, prenatal) testing in the genetic counseling of individuals from families with Huntington's chorea. We conclude that adherence to high ethical standards is of inestimable significance, not only for those participating in research but also for public acceptance of that research. This is particularly valid in Germany, where nonobservance and the undermining of ethical principles was grossly practiced in the first half of this century on the slippery descent into the abyss. Therefore, continued scrutiny with the increasing variety of ethical problems in medical research is demanded. However, this will be achieved not by taboos and prohibitive regulations but only through open discussion between scientists, particularly probands in research, patients' relatives, and the public. This leads to four demands: listening honestly and openly, both in single cases and in the public sector, training in recognition and consideration of ethical problems, and reducing unfavorable conditions such as complex bureaucratic regulations, negative public views, overzealous efficiency, and insufficient time. Sufficient numbers of qualified personnel are needed who are trained in listening and who will have the time to do so.

This paper presents a case study on commissioned economic research in Germany. We find deplorable methodological and empirical shortcomings in a prominent study by Munich's ifo-Institute, on aspects of horizontal fiscal revenue sharing between German states. We suspect that this may not be an exceptional case but may point out problems of quality control in economic consultancy as a whole. Therefore, we suggest establishing a certified referee system in order to improve research quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A trend can be observed for multinational research-based drug companies shifting their resources away from Germany (and partly also from Europe) and expanding their preclinical and clinical drug research and development programmes and organizations in the USA. The main reasons, which are presently under discussion in Germany, are the image and public acceptance of clinical drug research, professionalism of clinical studies (i.e. availability of an adequate infrastructure), the process of ethics committees votes, the citation impact of publications, the legal obstacles, the implementation of Good Clinical Practice (GCP), the regulatory and institutional situation and the political environment. These problems have been recognised and appraised recently by the pharmaceutical industry, universities, scientific associations, and governmental institutions. Prerequisites to improve the basic conditions of clinical research in Germany to make it internationally competitive are proposed in this paper.

The present study analyses a selection of German and American surgical and cancer research journals from the years 1984 and 1994. The aim of the study was to evaluate the amount of publications by German surgeons in these journals. Furthermore, any influence of the impact factor on the publication criteria was analyzed. German surgical journals showed a high percentage increase in the impact factor but are, in absolute numbers, still significantly behind the American journals. In parallel, German surgeons are still the major contributors to German language journals, but increasingly publish in the American ones as well. The impact factor is one of the major selection criteria on to which journal a paper shall be submitted.

Unlabelled: The objective judgement of the activity and research quality is a central aim of the scientific community. Citation indices as valid and objective parameters have been already used in many disciplines for that purpose. The following paper describes and analyzes the citation indices of all members of the German Society of Gastroenterology, who received lectures degree (habilitation; equivalent to PhD)., Methods: Citation indices of 376 habilitated German gastroenterologists were determined for the year 1992. Using the individual citation indices of all persons a ranking curve was calculated and compared with the ranking curve of 1987, which was calculated in the same way. Furthermore, representative groups of habilitated gastroenterologists who were cited often (> 30 citations/year), moderate or nil were evaluated concerning their citation indices during the time interval between the year of habilitation and 1992., Results: About 40% of all tested gastroenterologists were not or only very rare (0-2 citations/year) cited in the world literature. Only 15% reached citation rates over 30/year. No relevant differences were found between the ranking curves of 1992 and 1987. Gastroenterologists with high citation rates in 1992 had also high indices at the time of their habilitation; those with low or no citations in the year 1992, had also low citation rates at the time of their habilitation (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: More than 1/3 of the habilitated German gastroenterologists are 1992 not seriously registered in the scientific world literature. Only a minority of gastroenterologists shows international acceptable high citation rates. The determination of individual citation indices together with the ranking curve of the whole group of gastroenterologists appears to be suitable to judge the research activity of an individual gastroenterologist and may also serve as useful information about individual research potential in the future.

Copyright of Die Urologie is the property of Springer Nature 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 Zentralblatt fuer Arbeitsmedizin, Arbeitsschutz und Ergonomie is the property of Springer Nature 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 Medien und Altern is the property of kopaed Verlags 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 Zeitschrift für Pädagogik is the property of Julius Beltz GmbH & Co. KG Beltz Juventa 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.)

The paper at hand raises the question of research at colleges and Universities of Applied Sciences in general, and displays a closer look at research efforts at the Department of Information Sciences at the UAS Potsdam in particular. It starts with an investigation of the general framework for research at colleges. Taking the example of the UAS Potsdam, it then illustrates additional research elements such as externally funded projects, sabbatical leaves for university teachers and options for publication – which research in general and foremost is associated with. It turns out that research is in its varied facets is extremely useful and necessary for practice-related teaching. An immediate, direct connection with teaching is crucial for colleges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Qualitative Forschung (ZQF) is the property of Verlag Barbara Budrich 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 Zeitschrift für Sportpsychologie is the property of Hogrefe Verlag GmbH & 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.)

The media as well as the social sciences depict German embryo research policies as unusually strict. The explanation for this is sought in the symbolic values fixed in the constitution and the national-socialist heritage. This interpretation, however, is gained from a number of case studies, whereas this paper analyses the German case in a comparative perspective. We ask whether Germany really is such an unusual case compared to other OECD countries. As a first step classical theories of comparative public policy -- partisan difference hypothesis, institutional, political-economical and cultural theories -- are applied. The article shows that these theories can explain the variation in embryo research policies in the OECD rather well, but fail for the German case. In a second step it is argued that a rationalist-institutionalist account of the German case fails as well. German policies cannot be seen as rational anticipations of the constitutional court's position. By eliminating rival assumptions, a sociological-institutional hypothesis is strengthened. Only the specific constellation of national socialist heritage and constitutional discourse can explain German embryo research policies. For the policy field, the conclusion is that German embryo research policies will exhibit a high degree of stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Anaesthesist is the property of Springer Nature 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.)

The article invites applicants to submit research papers on the topic "What Will Make Germany Strong? On the Future of Governance in Business, Government and Society" for the 2009/2010 Friedwart Bruckhaus Prize.