Scientific publications of the Saarland University
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How to become a knowledge entrepreneur: development and validation of training
Get PDFPurpose – Knowledge entrepreneurship encourages students to apply their knowledge and skills to societal,
digital and ecological challenges – not only just in business but also in careers and social contribution. Thisstudy
aimed to validate training that promotes using education-derived knowledge to address real-world issues and
build career awareness.
Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on career training, effectuation, and design thinking, the program
was implemented at five universities (N 5 40). Its impact was assessed through pre/post data and comparison
with a control group (N 5 41) that did not receive the training.
Findings – Training participants showed significant improvement in marshaling (entrepreneurial self-efficacy)
and career competencies. While both groups were similar before training, training participants reported
significantly higher scores across all variables afterward.
Originality/value – The training proved effective in fostering career self-reflection and applying effectuation
principles, helping bridge the graduate skills gap by encouraging students to leverage their existing knowledge
and abilities
Examining major threats to valid measurement of sexual motivation: from basic research to implications for society and science
Get PDFSexual motivation plays a significant role in almost everyone’s life, influencing thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and decisions. Self-report measures are the primary means of unraveling the secrets of sexual motivation in the social sciences, allowing large-scale assessments of what goes on in people’s minds and behind closed doors. However, the validity of conclusions drawn from sexual self-report measures is controversial, particularly with regard to gender differences in sexual motivation. While the literature highlights various biases that could potentially threaten the valid measurement of sexual motivation, little is known about their actual impact. In this dissertation, I fill some of this gap by identifying and addressing critical threats to valid measurement of sexual motivation. Part I focused on how the measurement instrument affects validity. To date, most sexual motivation scales are vague in their conceptualization and lack a comprehensive validation process. In addition, most scales are regularly used for group comparisons (e.g., men vs. women) without demonstrating equivalent measurement properties across these groups. These factors lead to uncertainty about whether the scales measure sexual motivation and whether seemingly robust gender differences actually exist. We therefore developed and validated a novel scale of sexual motivation: the Trait Sexual Motivation Scale (TSMS). Across four preregistered studies, the theory-driven TSMS emerged as a reliable and valid measure of sexual motivation independent of gender and relationship status. Using this scale, we found higher male than female sexual motivation. This suggests that gender differences are not due to invalid group comparisons. Part II focused on social desirability bias as a threat to valid measurement and conclusions. Because of gendered sexual norms, previous research has expected men to overreport and women to underreport sexual experiences, which may account for much of the measured gender differences. However, support for these predictions is scarce and largely limited to laboratory research. In theory, the greater anonymity provided by online surveys promises more accurate responses, but little is known about whether this hope is justified for sexual self-reports. Here, we used the Item Sum Technique, an indirect questioning technique that maximizes people’s anonymity, to create conditions under which honest self-reports are particularly likely. In this item sum group, sexual motivation and gender differences in sexual motivation were not significantly different from those found in a standard online survey group. These results suggest that there is little evidence of social desirability bias in online surveys and argue against the notion that such bias explains higher self-reported sexual motivation in men than in women. Part III focused on the social norms that give rise to social desirability bias. Previous research predicted that sexual activity would be evaluated in opposite ways for women (socially punished) and men (socially rewarded), but this strong sexual double standard received little empirical support. We proposed an alternative model of sexual standards—the Similarities and Differences (S&D) model—that may explain the inconsistent findings by suggesting that male and female sexual norms are marked by both similarities and differences. Consistent with both models, participants perceived that high sexual activity is viewed more favorably for men than for women, while low sexual activity is seen more positively for women than for men. However, they also perceived that moderate levels of sexual activity, rather than very low or high levels, are viewed most favorably for both genders—a similarity predicted only by the S&D model. In sum, using the TSMS in online studies promises valid future measurement of sexual motivation. The lack of evidence that higher sexual motivation in men is due to invalid scales or self-presentation contributes to debates about gender differences. In the general discussion, I seek to reconcile these findings with research showing no gender differences, present a new model of flexible self-presentation, and discuss the TSMS and S&D model’s practical relevance. In doing so, I link basic research on sexual motivation with its broader scientific and societal implications.Sexuelle Motivation spielt im Leben fast aller Menschen eine wichtige Rolle. Sie beeinflusst Gedanken, Gefühle, Verhalten und Entscheidungen. Um umfassend zu ergründen, was in den Köpfen von Personen und hinter verschlossenen Türen vor sich geht, sind sexuelle Selbstberichte elementar. Gleichzeitig wird kontrovers diskutiert, inwiefern Befunden, die auf sexuellen Selbstberichten basieren, Vertrauen geschenkt werden darf. Während in der Literatur mehrfach Verzerrungen beschrieben wurden, welche die Validität sexueller Selbstberichte potenziell gefährden könnten, ist wenig darüber bekannt, ob diese tatsächlich zu falschen Schlussfolgerungen führen. Diese Dissertation zielt darauf ab, einen Teil dieser Lücke zu schließen, indem sie wesentliche Bedrohungen für die valide Erfassung sexueller Motivation identifiziert und untersucht. Teil I beschäftigte sich damit, welche Rolle das Messinstrument bei der validen Erfassung sexueller Motivation spielt. Aktuell kommen meist Skalen zum Einsatz, deren zugrundeliegende Konzeptualisierung vage und deren Validierungsprozess unvollständig ist. Zudem werden diese Skalen häufig für Gruppenvergleiche (z. B. zwischen Männern und Frauen) verwendet, ohne zu prüfen, ob sie für diese Gruppen vergleichbare Messeigenschaften aufweisen. Diese Versäumnisse führen zu Unsicherheiten darüber, ob die Skalen wirklich sexuelle Motivation erfassen und ob die scheinbar robusten Geschlechtsunterschiede tatsächlich existieren. Wir haben daher eine neue Skala sexueller Motivation entwickelt und validiert: die Trait Sexual Motivation Scale (TSMS). In vier präregistrierten Studien zeigte sich die theoriegeleitete TSMS unabhängig vom Geschlecht und Beziehungsstatus einer Person als reliables und valides Messinstrument sexueller Motivation. Unter Einsatz der TSMS fand sich eine höhere mittlere sexuelle Motivation bei Männern als bei Frauen. Dies deutet darauf hin, dass Geschlechterunterschiede nicht auf unzulässige Gruppenvergleiche zurückzuführen sind. Teil II beschäftigte sich damit, wie sozial erwünschtes Antwortverhalten die Validität sexueller Selbstberichte und darauf basierender Schlussfolgerungen beeinflusst. Aufgrund geschlechtsspezifischer sexueller Normen wurde in der bisherigen Forschung angenommen, dass Männer in ihren sexuellen Erlebnisberichten eher übertreiben und Frauen eher untertreiben. Diese Tendenzen könnten einen erheblichen Teil gefundener Geschlechterunterschiede erklären. Die Belege für diese Annahmen sind jedoch spärlich und stammen fast ausschließlich aus Laborstudien. Theoretisch sollte das hohe Ausmaß an Anonymität, das Online-Studien kennzeichnet, unverzerrte Selbstberichte begünstigen. Ob sich diese Hoffnungen erfüllen, ist für sexuelle Selbstberichte allerdings weitgehend ungeklärt. Hier wurde die Item Sum Technique verwendet, eine indirekte Befragungstechnik, welche die Anonymität der Teilnehmenden maximiert. Dadurch sollen Bedingungen geschaffen werden, unter denen wahrheitsgemäße Selbstberichte besonders wahrscheinlich sind. Die auf diese Weise erfasste sexuelle Motivation und entsprechende Geschlechterunterschiede wurden mit denjenigen aus einer Standard-Online- Befragung verglichen. Es zeigten sich keine signifikanten Unterschiede. Diese Ergebnisse liefern wenig Hinweise auf sozial erwünschtes Antwortverhalten in Online-Befragungen und stellen die Annahme infrage, dass diese Verzerrungen für die höhere gemessene sexuelle Motivation bei Männern im Vergleich zu Frauen verantwortlich sind. Teil III befasste sich mit sozialen Normen als Grundlage für sozial erwünschtes Antwortverhalten. Frühere Studien sagten voraus, dass sexuelle Aktivität bei Männern sozial belohnt und bei Frauen sozial bestraft wird. Für diese gegensätzlichen männlichen und weiblichen Sexualnormen, die als starker sexueller Doppelstandard bezeichnet werden, fanden sich jedoch nur wenige Belege. Wir haben ein alternatives Modell sexueller (Doppel-)Standards aufgestellt: das Similarities and Differences Model (S&D-Modell). Dieses sagt vorher, dass männliche und weibliche Sexualnormen sowohl Ähnlichkeiten als auch Unterschiede aufweisen und könnte so Inkonsistenzen in früherer Forschung erklären. Gemäß der Wahrnehmung der Studienteilnehmenden wird in der Gesellschaft ein hohes Ausmaß sexueller Aktivität bei Männern positiver beurteilt als bei Frauen und umgekehrt ein geringes Ausmaß sexueller Aktivität bei Frauen positiver beurteilt als bei Männern. Diese Befunde sind sowohl mit dem starken sexuellen Doppelstandard als auch mit dem S&D-Modell vereinbar. Allerdings nahmen die Teilnehmenden ebenfalls wahr, dass nicht besonders niedriges oder hohes, sondern ein moderates Ausmaß sexueller Aktivität bei beiden Geschlechtern am besten beurteilt wird – eine Ähnlichkeit männlicher und weiblicher Sexualnormen, die nur das hier präsentierte S&D-Modell erklären kann. Zusammenfassend verspricht der Einsatz der TSMS in Online-Studien eine valide Erfassung sexueller Motivation in zukünftiger Forschung. Für die Annahme, dass die höhere sexuelle Motivation von Männern im Vergleich zu Frauen auf die Verwendung nicht valider Skalen oder auf sozial erwünschtes Antwortverhalten zurückzuführen ist, konnten in unseren Studien keine Belege gefunden werden. Diese Ergebnisse liefern einen wertvollen Beitrag zur anhaltenden Debatte über Geschlechterunterschiede. In der allgemeinen Diskussion stelle ich die aktuellen Ergebnisse solchen Studien gegenüber, die keine Geschlechterunterschiede gefunden haben. Darüber hinaus stelle ich ein neues Modell der flexiblen Selbstpräsentation vor und diskutiere die praktische Relevanz der TSMS und des S&D-Modells. Auf diese Weise schlage ich eine Brücke zwischen der Grundlagenforschung zur sexuellen Motivation und ihren breiteren Implikationen für Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft
Associations between injury occurrence and environmental temperatures in the Australian and German professional football leagues
Get PDFAbstract: A cross-sectional analysis was performed to investigate associations between environmental temperatures and injury
occurrence in two professional male football (soccer) leagues. Data from seven seasons of the German Bundesliga (2142 matches)
and four seasons of the Australian A-League (470 matches) were included. Injuries were collated via media reports for the Bundesliga
and via team staff reports in the A-League and comprised injury incidence, mechanisms (contact, noncontact), locations (e.g., ankle,
knee, and thigh), and types (e.g., muscle and tendon, joint and ligament). Weather data included ambient air temperature (temperature or T) and wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), which were collected from online sources retrospectively. Generalized linear mixed
models were analyzed to examine associations between temperature or WBGT and injury occurrence for each league, respectively.
Additionally, matches were grouped into categories of 5°C temperature steps to compare for injury occurrence. Results showed
no relationship existed between either temperature or WBGT and any injury occurrence, mechanisms, locations or types for the
Bundesliga (P > 0.10). A trend for an increase in injury occurrence in higher WBGT existed in the A-League (P = 0.05). Comparisons
between 5°C temperature categories showed no significant differences for injury occurrence for either temperature or WBGT in either
League (P > 0.05). Within the observed temperature ranges (−11.2 to 37.1°C T; −12.2 to 29.6°C WBGT) environmental temperature
had no relationship with the rate or type of injury occurrence in professional football. Nevertheless, the number of matches at extreme
heat within this study was limited and other factors (e.g., playing intensity, season stage, ground conditions) likely co-influence the
relationship with injuries
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) dimensions mediate the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and adult aggression depending on cognitive reappraisal
Get PDFAssociations between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and aggressive behavior have often
been demonstrated, but the mechanisms underneath these relations are yet unclear. As high levels
of ACEs and aggression have been found among individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD), ADHD dimensions might explain this association. Moreover, maladaptive emotion
regulation is common in ADHD and was associated with aggressive behavior. The present study
investigated the dynamics among these constructs in a mixed sample of 287 adults. We found partially
mediating effects of current ADHD on the associations of ACEs with adult aggression, especially
regarding the hyperactive/impulsive dimension. Cognitive reappraisal moderated the indirect effect
between hyperactivity/impulsivity and aggression, especially for females. Hence, the unfavourable
dynamics found in the present study might explain the increased risk for aggressive behavior in
individuals affected by both, ACEs and ADHD. Respective gender-sensitive prevention and treatment
for aggressive behavior should include adequate pharmacological and psychological approaches that
address ADHD core symptoms, whilst also aiming to improve emotion regulation techniques
Multi-Timescale Validation of Satellite-Derived Global Horizontal Irradiance in Côte d’Ivoire
Get PDFAccurate solar radiation data are crucial for solar energy applications, yet groundbased measurements are limited in many regions. Satellite-derived and reanalysis products
offer an alternative, but their accuracy varies across spatial and temporal scales. This study
evaluated the performance of four widely used GHI products—CAMS, SARAH-3, ERA5
and MERRA-2—against ground measurements at hourly, daily (summed from hourly)
and monthly (averaged from daily) timescales. The analysis also examined how temporal
aggregation influenced error characteristics using correlation coefficients, the rMBD, the
rRMSD and the combined performance index (CPI). At an hourly scale under clear-sky
conditions, satellite products outperformed reanalysis products, with r ≈ 1 and R
2 ≈ 0.9
and the rMBD, rRMSD and CPI ranging from 0.1%, 11.4% and 11.8% to −14.7%, 33.3% and
75.1% for CAMS; 0.2%, 11.4% and 10.9% to 13.5%, 22.4% and 120.7% for SARAH-3; −0.2%,
21.6% and 23.8% to 21.5%, 40.9% and 128.8% for MERRA-2; and 0.8%, 14.6% and 16.3%
to 22%, 48.2% and 88.3% for ERA5. Under cloudy conditions, all products overestimated
GHI, with the rMBD reaching up to 39.7% (SARAH-3), 35.9% (CAMS), 22.9% (MERRA-2)
and 28% (ERA5), while the rRMSD exceeded 40% for all. Overcast conditions yielded the
poorest performance, with the rMBD ranging from 45.8% to 124.6% and the CPI exceeding
800% in some cases. From the hourly to daily and monthly datasets, aggregation reduced
errors for reanalysis products by 5.5% and up to 12.4%, respectively, in clear-sky conditions,
but for satellite-based products, deviations slightly increased up to 3.1% for the monthly
dataset. Under all-sky conditions, all products showed reductions up to 23%. These
results highlight the significant challenges in estimating GHI due to limited knowledge
of aerosol and cloud dynamics in the region. They emphasize the need for improved
parameterization in models and dedicated measurement campaigns to enhance satellite
and reanalysis product accuracy in West Africa
Human capital, gender, institutional environment and research funding: Determinants of research productivity in German psychology
Get PDFWhich academics are more productive? The “sacred spark” theory predicts that some
researchers are innately more productive than others, while the theory of cumulative advantage argues that small initial inequalities accumulate to large differences in productivity over
time. Using a virtually complete panel dataset of all academic psychologists found in German universities in 2019, including their career information and publications, we examine
under what conditions male and female psychologists publish more peer-reviewed articles.
The strongest predictor of this is prior experience in publishing peer reviewed journal articles, irrespective of other prior endowments. This relationship between earlier and later productivity is not strongly confounded by career stage, affiliation with elite institutions, receipt
of third-party funding, or parenthood. The effect of prior publications on current productivity
explains why female academic psychologists publish less than men do. While female psychologists publish 34% less than their male counterparts, this gap diminishes to 17% after
controlling for prior publication experience. This lends supports to the theory of cumulative
advantage, which explains overall differences in productivity over entire careers by the
accumulation of minor initial inequalities to large outcome differences over time
When being green is not enough – An experimental study of the effects of sustainable value propositions on B2B green buying decisions
Get PDFDespite the increased importance of environmental sustainability in B2B buying, insights on the marketing
mechanisms that influence B2B green buying behavior and green value perceptions at the individual level are
still limited. Drawing upon signaling theory and the literature on sustainable value propositions in B2B markets,
we first examine the effect of vendors' sustainable value propositions on individual B2B buyers' purchasing
decisions for green technology offerings. In a second step, we further investigate the role of buyers' market
turbulence as a contingent factor in this relationship. Our findings from a scenario-based experiment provide
empirical evidence that a risk-based strategy is more effective under conditions of high buyer market turbulence,
while a certification-based strategy, counter to the literature, is more impactful in less turbulent markets. We
thus advance the knowledge on the factors that drive B2B green buying at the individual level and contribute to
the literature on sustainability value and sustainable value propositions in business markets. Our results further
provide guidance for vendors designing value propositions for green offerings and for buyers seeking to purchase
environmentally-friendly technologies
Controversies in the Treatment Strategies of Intertrochanteric Fractures: A Scoping Review and Discussion of a Literature-Based Algorithm
Get PDFIntertrochanteric fractures become more and more relevant in an aging population.
Despite significant progress in the treatment of these fractures, some technical details,
concerning the surgical procedure, are still a matter of strong debate. In this review of the
literature, we have included the best evidence available from the last decade in an effort to
shed light on some of the most controversial subjects related to intertrochanteric fractures:
Treatment in the case of polytrauma or monotrauma? Reconstruction or arthroplasty?
Open or closed reduction? Reconstruction with or without additional cables and plates?
Cephalomedullary nail or dynamic hip screw (DHS)? Long cephalomedullary nail or short
cephalomedullary nail? The results of this scoping review are controversial. By introducing
a new therapeutic algorithm, we do not intend to present a new finished guideline but
rather arouse a controversial debate about a relevant aspect in geriatric traumatology. These
conflicting results are an indication that larger and more well-conducted, high-quality trials
are needed in order to gain more secure answers
Influence of Ibuprofen on glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids in context of Alzheimer´s Disease
Get PDFAlzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial disorder associated with neuroinflammation, elevated oxidative
stress, lipid alterations as well as amyloid-deposits and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles. Ibuprofen, a
globally used analgesic, is discussed to influence disease progression due to its anti-inflammatory effect. However, changes in lipid-homeostasis induced by Ibuprofen have not yet been analyzed. Here we investigate the
effect of Ibuprofen on lipid classes known to be associated with AD. Ibuprofen treatment leads to a significant
increase in phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and triacylglyceride (TAG) species whereas plasmalogens, which
are highly susceptible for oxidation, were significantly decreased. The observed alterations in phosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin levels in presence of Ibuprofen might counteract the reduced phosphatidylcholineand sphingomyelin-levels found in AD brain tissue with potential positive aspects on synaptic plasticity and
ceramide-induced apoptotic effects. On the other hand, Ibuprofen leads to elevated TAG-level resulting in the
formation of lipid droplets which are associated with neuroinflammation. Reduction of plasmalogen-levels might
accelerate decreased plasmalogen-levels found in AD brains. Treatment of Ibuprofen in terms of lipidhomeostasis reveals both potentially positive and negative changes relevant to AD. Therefore, understanding
the influence of Ibuprofen on lipid-homeostasis may help to understand the heterogeneous results of studies
treating AD with Ibuprofen
The importance of patient engagement in the multimodal treatment of MASLD
Get PDFMetabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is often regarded in society as a
disease caused by personal lifestyle and dietary choices. Healthcare providers who have empathy and
are able to explain the disease trajectory can better engage with people with MASLD and actively work
with them to improve their metabolic health on a sustainable basis. Non-invasive tests can assist in this
process, but healthcare providers must ensure they explain their advantages and limitations.
Discussing and setting lifestyle goals are priorities before initiating specific pharmacological
treatment, since living a healthy lifestyle will remain the backbone of the multimodal management of
MASLD. In this review, we discuss challenges and opportunities to actively engage with people living
with MASLD in a multimodal treatment framework as a healthcare provider