Sources In Germany Research Articles

The Burden of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) in Germany: A Comprehensive Data Analysis Suggests Underdetection of Hospitalisations and Deaths in Adults 60Years and Older.

In Germany, the estimation of the disease burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in older adults is limited. This makes it challenging for public health decision-makers to develop evidence-based recommendations for newly available vaccines against RSV for individuals aged 60years and older (60+). This study investigates publicly available data sources in Germany to address the current gaps in evidence regarding the burden of RSV. Hospitalisation databases from the German Federal Statistical Office and national mortality statistic between 2000 and 2023, as well as regular surveillance reports from the national public health institute since 2014, were utilised to extract, combine and analyse data on RSV-related morbidity and mortality. These data were used to triangulate the age-specific burden of RSV. The data indicate that the number of RSV-related outpatient consultations ranges between 1,313,100 and 3,911,800 cases per season from 2014/2015 to 2022/2023 for all age groups, with approximately 13.0% of outpatient consultations occurring in adults 60+. The significant increase in hospitalisations over time suggests that heightened testing due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic revealed the underdetection of inpatient RSV cases in pre-pandemic seasons. In the most recent season recorded, 2022/2023, the data show 12,800 RSV-related hospitalisations in adults 60+ (24% of all RSV-related hospitalisations) and 1340 in-hospital deaths in adults 60+ (93% of all RSV-related deaths). The comparison of pre- to post-pandemic seasons strongly suggest up to a sevenfold underdetection of RSV in individuals 60+, and the analysis of in-hospital mortality reveals higher mortality rates compared with the general German mortality statistics. These findings highlight the urgent need to improve surveillance and implement targeted prevention strategies to mitigate the impact of RSV in older adults.

МОДЕЛЮВАННЯ ВИКОРИСТАННЯ ВІДНОВЛЮВАЛЬНИХ ДЖЕРЕЛ ЕНЕРГІЇ НА ПРИКЛАДІ КРАЇН ЄС ТА УКРАЇНИ

The research examines the use of renewable energy sources in the countries of the European Union and Ukraine, as well as modeling the dependence between indicators of the country's energy dependence and the share of renewable energy in the final energy consumption. The purpose of the article is a theoretical-statistical analysis of the prospects for the use of renewable energy sources and modeling of the impact of the intensity of renewable energy usage on energy security indicators on the case of the European Union and Ukraine. The mechanisms of regulation of the renewable energy market in European countries were considered, the analysis of the use of renewable energy sources in Germany and France was carried out. The dynamics of the use of renewable energy facilities in Ukraine are analyzed. Despite the promising development of renewable energy sources in Ukraine, most projects are currently suspended during military operations, although the renewable energy sector plays a significant role in Ukraine's recovery plans. Based on the data of the EU countries and Ukraine, a correlation analysis was conducted between the level of energy dependence and the share of renewable energy sources in final consumption and the existence of a negative correlation between the variables was established. On the basis of indicators of energy dependence and the share of RES in final consumption by the method of cluster analysis, the analyzed countries are divided into five clusters. However, for a more detailed study of the influence of the indicators of the intensity of use of renewable energy sources on the indicators of the economic and social spheres, additional data are needed, which constitutes the perspective of further research in this field. The conducted analysis revealed significant differentiation between the analyzed countries. Ukraine is included in the cluster with EU countries that have a share of RES in final consumption from 10% to 30% and the level of energy dependence exceeds 50%. Ukraine has the lowest level of RES share in final consumption. The development of renewable energy will allow the country to reduce the level of energy dependence, which will positively affect the energy and economic security of the country.

Violence Against Women and the Substitution of Help Services in Times of Lockdown: Triangulation of Three Data Sources in Germany

Violence Against Women and the Substitution of Help Services in Times of Lockdown: Triangulation of Three Data Sources in Germany

Words of change: The increase of gender-inclusive language in German media

Abstract Everyday observations seem to indicate an increase in gender-inclusive language (GIL) in Germany; however, previous research on the prevalence of GIL suggests that it is a marginal phenomenon. Moreover, from a theoretical side, an increase in GIL seems unlikely because of the cognitive challenge language change holds, the existence of multiple GIL variants, and the antagonistic environment that Germany poses for language change. This study empirically measures the use of GIL in five media sources in Germany. Over four million articles from 2000 to 2021 are analysed using the IDS Deutscher Referenzkorpus (DeReKo), supplemented by an in-depth analysis of 500 newspaper articles scraped in 2021. A fine-grained analysis along the dimensions of political orientation of the outlet, type of GIL, and author’s gender is conducted. In addition to observing an unexpectedly rapid increase in GIL, two different trends are identified: whilst non-binary inclusive forms of GIL are increasingly used in the left-leaning newspaper, GIL that adheres to a binary notion of gender is favoured in the mainstream and right-leaning media. This sheds light on how difficult behavioural change can occur.

Genomic epidemiology of mcr carrying multidrug-resistant ST34 Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in a one health context: The evolution of a global menace

The rapid global dissemination of Salmonella enterica sequence type 34 (ST34) has sparked significant concern due to its resistance to critical antimicrobials and its ability to spread across various sectors. In order to investigate the evolution and transmission dynamics of this epidemic clonal lineage, as well as the horizontal transfer of mcr-carrying plasmids within the One Health framework, we conducted a comprehensive genomic epidemiological study. This study focused on the 11 mcr-carrying S. enterica isolates obtained from clinical settings in China, while also considering 2337 publicly available genomes of mcr-carrying S. enterica collected from 20 countries and diverse sources spanning over a 22-year period. Among the mcr-positive Salmonella isolates, ST34 was found to be the predominant lineage, comprising 30.12 % (704/2337) of the total collection. These isolates were identified as either serovar Typhimurium or its monophasic variant, which were obtained from both clinical and non-clinical sources. Phylogeographic analyses traced the global spread of the mcr-carrying ST34 lineage, which was divided into three distinct clusters, with 83.10 % of them carrying mcr-1 or/and mcr-9 genes. Notably, the mcr-1 positive ST34 isolates were primarily found in China (190/298, 63.76 %), with only four from the United States. Conversely, mcr-9 positive ST34 isolates were predominantly identified in the United States (261/293, 89.08 %), while none were observed in China. The mcr-1 positive ST34 isolates was predicted to have originated from clinical sources in United Kingdom, whereas mcr-9 positive ST34 isolates was likely derived from environmental sources in Germany. The most recent common ancestor for mcr-1 and mcr-9 carrying ST34 S. enterica was estimated to have emerged around 1983 and 1951. These findings provided thorough and intuitive insights into the intercontinental spread of mcr-carrying S. enterica ST34 lineage in a One Health context. Ongoing surveillance is crucial for effectively monitoring the worldwide dissemination of this multidrug-resistant high-risk clone.

Rise of the Zombie Papers: Infecting Germany’s Local and Regional Public Media Ecosystem

Germany’s public broadcasters, along with local newspapers, have consistently ranked among the top three most trusted news sources in Germany. Yet growing criticism of mandatory fees and recent revelations about public broadcasters’ misuse of funds have put into question the health of Germany’s news and information infrastructure. In fact, a perfect storm appears to be brewing: precarious working conditions, exacerbated by cutbacks in the wake of Covid-19 and the emergence of so-called zombie papers. These papers, published without a local staff, reporters, or newsrooms, threaten to complicate audiences’ perceptions of news credibility and trust. This study explores Germany’s emerging news deserts by examining the rise of zombie newspapers in two states, one in the Western and one in the Eastern part of the country. Analyses of existing literature through the lens of institutional political economy and of interviews with key informants show that Germany, despite its strong federalized system, is following in US footsteps by creating journalist-free zones. A network of hard-to-follow corporate collaborations is endangering the foundations of post-war Germany’s media system: pluralism and media diversity.

Legal Status of Inland Waterways in Ukraine and Germany

Problem setting. The development of inland water transport in the European Union is supported by significant investments, legislation and innovations. The results of foreign studies indicate the need to improve the concept of inland waterway in science and legislation, as these are important components of water transport development. By the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 136 dated 09.02.2022. "On Approval of the List of Inland Sea Waters and Inland Waterways Categorized as Navigable" and Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 640 of 12.06.1996 (no longer in force), the Ukrainian part of the Danube River was granted the status of a sea lane. Accordingly, the ports on the Danube River are called not river ports, but sea ports. The granting of the status of a sea lane on a particular river results in the attribution of transportation carried out on them to sea transportation. The share of cargo processing on inland waterways and ports located on them decreases accordingly. Persons involved in river transportation, in order to attract as many customers as possible, are trying to expand the range of their services by granting the port the status of a sea port. If it is able to accept sea vessels, despite the location on the river. This contributes to the reduction of both the volume of traffic on inland waterways and the reduction of funding for their development and legal support. Analysis of recent researches and publications. The term inland waterway was used in the works of the pre-revolutionary scientist Kazansky P.E., in the works of contemporaries Kulko A.V., Efimenko A.P., Samoilenko G.V., Samoilenko E.A., but without its analysis in the context of German law. Target of the research is a comparative analysis of the concept of waterway and its status in the law of inland navigation based on the materials of Ukraine and Germany, studying the possibilities of their improvement in the context of changes in the situation on inland water transport. Article’s main body. The legal status of inland waterways develops along with the development of transport relations. We are talking about relations that arise in connection with the use of waterways, infrastructure and means of transport, as well as relations that exist in the process of preparation and regulation of transportation. The study of the problem of the status of the inland shipping route based only on the materials of Ukraine would be incomplete given the fact that our country does not occupy a leadership position in the specified mode of transport and, as a result, in the relevant law. In Germany, there are thorough laws and extensive commentaries, monographs and scientific articles based on the results of the analysis of court cases, which are a consequence of the rapid development of inland shipping. In Germany, inland shipping relations are regulated by more than a dozen special laws, the most important of which is the law «On Private Law Relations of Inland Shipping (Binnenschiffahrtsgesetz)», which has been in operation for over 100 years - since January 1, 1896. Conclusions and prospects for the development. This allowed to formulate conclusions on the concept and status of inland waterway and proposals for its improvement. There are numerous sources in Germany - thorough laws and extensive commentaries, monographs and scientific articles written on the basis of court cases, which creates grounds for borrowing positive experience. Comparative consideration of the concept of "inland waterway" has revealed the existence of differences that have a negative impact on navigation. They indirectly affect the limits of legal regulation and, as a result, the determination of the share of traffic carried out by certain modes of transport. Differences do not contribute to the development of law or shipping. Ukraine is a party to a number of multilateral and bilateral international conventions, treaties, programs - which creates an information base and the prospect of developing a unified doctrinal and legislative definition of the

Potentials of Renewable Energy Sources in Germany and the Influence of Land Use Datasets

Potential analyses identify possible locations for renewable energy installations, such as wind turbines and photovoltaic arrays. The results of previous potential studies for Germany, however, are not consistent due to different assumptions, methods, and datasets being used. For example, different land-use datasets are applied in the literature to identify suitable areas for technologies requiring open land. For the first time, commonly used datasets are compared regarding the area and position of identified features to analyze their impact on potential analyses. It is shown that the use of Corine Land Cover is not recommended as it leads to potential area overestimation in a typical wind potential analyses by a factor of 4.7 and 5.2 in comparison to Basis-DLM and Open Street Map, respectively. Furthermore, we develop scenarios for onshore wind, offshore wind, and open-field photovoltaic potential estimations based on land-eligibility analyses using the land-use datasets that were proven to be best by our pre-analysis. Moreover, we calculate the rooftop photovoltaic potential using 3D building data nationwide for the first time. The potentials have a high sensitivity towards exclusion conditions, which are also currently discussed in public. For example, if restrictive exclusions are chosen for the onshore wind analysis the necessary potential for climate neutrality cannot be met. The potential capacities and possible locations are published for all administrative levels in Germany in the freely accessible database (Tool for Renewable Energy Potentials—Database), for example, to be incorporated into energy system models.

Guidelines, Frameworks and Practices of School Guidance and Counselling: A Comparison between Uganda and Germany

This study sought to review the school guidance and counselling program in Uganda as an underdeveloped country in comparison with that of Germany as a developed one. The study was prompted by the unending unemployment and the rising poverty levels, especially in the underdeveloped world. These are some of the most challenging bottlenecks to economic development in the third world and can only be solved by a well aligned and strategically designed education system as per Goal 4.7 of the United Nation’s Strategic Development Goals. The study applied a qualitative thematic approach to collect data from existing frameworks, guidelines and studies on school guidance and counselling of the two countries. The study established that the easy access of guidance and counselling program information from various sources in Germany helps students to make informed decisions for their future career, which boosts the country’s attainment of intended educational, manpower goals and objectives. Unlike Germany, Uganda misses a lot of information, for instance, on opportunities that would help international students and immigrants to make informed decisions toward their future careers. The study recommends that the Uganda Ministry of Education and Sports considers overhauling its School guidance and counselling program since there are numerous gaps as compared with that of Germany. Germany can also consider developing school guidance and counselling curriculum to standardize that practice across the country.

Investigation of the representativeness of the German IQVIA Vaccine Analyzer database.

The aim of this study was to investigate the representativeness of the German IQVIA Vaccine Analyzer (VA) database with respect to vaccination rates in Germany. Descriptive statistics for the demographic characteristics of the patients like gender and age distribution and vaccination rates of various types of vaccinations in children, adolescents, and adults were calculated and compared to official data sources in Germany. The vaccination rates were calculated as the ratio between extrapolated vaccinated patient numbers from the database and official population counts from the Federal Statistical Office. The sex distribution for patients attending general practitioners (GPs) and those attending pediatricians was similar to the German population. The age distribution of the adult German population was comparable to that of the GP and gynecologist patients included in our study. There was good agreement between vaccination rates for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, and poliomyelitis in this study (79%) and the rates for the general population according to official sources (78%). HPV vaccination rates in boys in 2018/2019 (1.9%) were also close to the German national rate of 1.3% of all boys reported at the end of 2018. This study found slightly higher vaccination rates for influenza in adults aged over 60 (46%) than the national rate (39%). The study indicates good accordance between the VA and official reference data for different vaccination rates, especially for children, and indicates that the VA database is suitable for epidemiological studies on vaccines.

Impact of Renewable Energy Development in Germany on Russian Energy Export

The development of renewable energy is the most prominent global trend. Germany pursues an active environmental policy. On July 3, 2020 Germanу passed legislation to close all coal-fired power plants by 2038. The development of renewable energy sources and advanced technologies in this segment will lead to a decrease in demand for some Russian energy products (coal, oil), reorient the supply to developing countries and generate a demand for the use of new advanced technologies in Russian fuel and energy export. The article is based on the international, German and Russian statistics and legal acts. The main global trends in consumption of traditional energy sources and forecasts of a number of agencies regarding their development are explored. The trends of renewable energy sources in Germany and the economic incentives for their development have been explored. An impact of renewable energy on the dynamics and structure of Russian energy exports to Germany is revealed.

Contributors to Neighbour Noise Annoyance.

Noise from neighbours has been shown to be one of the most noise annoying sources in Germany, but research on the influencing factors for the annoyance ratings is scarce. Therefore, we investigated whether different personal and contextual (social, physical) factors contribute to neighbour noise annoyance to better understand the neighbour noise annoyance situation. A population-representative survey in four areas in Germany was conducted, with each area further stratified according to their density of agglomeration (inner city, urban outskirt, rural area). Randomly selected residents from each area were invited by mail to participate in the study, either online or via a paper–pencil mode. Noise annoyance was assessed for different noise sources (e.g., neighbourhood, road, railway, aircrafts, different types of industry). In total, 1973 questionnaires were completed. We identified several factors to be predictive of neighbour noise annoyance: satisfaction with the neighbourhood, relationship with neighbours, residential satisfaction, noise sensitivity, and density of agglomeration for people living in the inner city in comparison to rural areas. Particularly, social aspects such as the relationship with neighbours and satisfaction with the neighbourhood have been shown to affect neighbour noise annoyance.

Calamine of the Bergamasque Alps as a possible source of zinc for Roman brass: Theoretical considerations and preliminary results

The origins of brass are obscure and begin long before the Romans, however, it was the Romans who brought this gold-coloured alloy of copper and zinc from obscurity and placed it at the forefront of monetary policy and military power. Under the Romans, brass was produced on a scale never seen before, but until now there is little clarity on where brass was made and where they obtained zinc ore. Studies in the past focused on potential sources in Germany, but the lack of investigation on Italian sources represents a significant research gap. The major zinc source in Northern Italy (Gorno Pb-Zn district) could be the source mentioned by Pliny the Elder and may have played a major role in the Roman brass industry. Recent surveys around the area of Dossena, in the Gorno Pb-Zn district, have brought to light substantial traces of pre-modern calamine mining of unknown age. This study presents results from the mineralogical and geochemical characterisation of calamine ore from the Dossena area. A theoretical discussion on the sourcing of Roman brass through chemical and lead isotope analysis is provided along with a case study comparing analyses of brass with zinc ore sources. While the currently available lead isotope dataset on brass alloys is not ideal for exploring this issue, the lead isotope analyses confirm that the calamine from Dossena could have been used by the Romans for brass making and suggestions for future research are provided.

Case Studies of Environmental Impacts from Agricultural Biogas Systems with Regard to Global Warming

The utilization of the different renewable energy sources in Germany has expanded in the last twenty years, where the renewable share in gross power consumption has gone from 5% to 35%. The construction of biogas plants, for instance has increased almost 10 times since 2000 to 2018 that the installed electrical power reached 4.8 GW. This paper presents an evaluation of the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of four biogas plants in different soil climate regions in Bavaria. The article discusses the different utilization, management and share of feedstocks (manure and energy crops) in the biogas plants and their influence on the electricity generation and the GHG emissions, whereas the biogas plant with higher share of energy crops and maize silage, in particular, showed higher GHG emissions and generated more electricity than the biogas plants with higher share of manure. The produced GHG emissions as a result of the electricity and heat supply from the biogas plants have been compared with the emissions that are created from the German grid mix and the different fossil fuels for generating electricity and heat.

The impact of renewables on electricity prices in Germany - An update for the years 2014–2018

Increasing electricity prices for private consumers manifested the idea of price boosting renewable energy sources in Germany's public opinion. Literature however widely concurs that wind and photovoltaics have a reducing effect on spot market electricity prices. The underlying merit order effect led to historically low exchange prices in the past years. To quantify this effect, this study analyses historic demand and supply curves from the German day-ahead market to reconstruct electricity prices without the feed-in of wind and photovoltaics from 2014 to 2018. Results show that renewable energy sources considerably reduced electricity prices by between 2.89 ct/kWh in 2014 to 8.89 ct/kWh in 2017. This allowed German end-consumers to save a total of 40 billion € from 2014 to 2018. Additionally, wind and PV contributed significantly to security of supply. Demand could not have been met by domestic conventional and nuclear generation capacities in up to 424 hours in 2018. The study highlights the necessity to further speed-up the expansion of wind and photovoltaics.

Use of carbon dioxide as raw material to close the carbon cycle for the German chemical and polymer industries

This article explores how far the use of CO2 as raw material could enable the German chemical and polymer industries to contribute to a circular economy. Material Flow Analysis was conducted for all carbon flows for material use in Germany, comprising chemical production, polymer production, domestic use and waste management. For scenario modelling, Carbon Capture and Utilization technologies were included, and key parameters determining carbon flows were altered to show potential corridors for the future development. The results show that current carbon flows are dominated by fossil sources and are highly linear, with a secondary input rate of only 6%. Additionally, 12% (2 Mt/a) of the primary carbon input is lost due to dissipation. Currently available Carbon Capture and Utilization technologies would allow reaching a secondary input rate of 65% for the chemical industry. However, to achieve this rate between 80% (processes of direct synthesis) and 103% (methanol-based processes) of the total net supply for renewable electricity in Germany would be required in 2030 and between 41% and 50% in 2050. In contrast, the unavoidable substance related CO2-point sources in Germany could probably fulfill the carbon requirement for material use of the chemical industry in 2050. The authors conclude that the utilization of CO2 as a carbon source is necessary to close the carbon cycle where material or chemical recycling is technically not feasible or reasonable. The very high demand for renewable electricity indicates that the required production facilities for CO2-based chemicals will probably not be completely based in Germany.

Effect of contamination and adulteration of wax foundations on the brood development of honeybees

Various reports recently informed about the effects of contaminated or adulterated wax foundations as a main cause of poor brood and colony development. Beekeepers reported that affected colonies were showing a holey brood pattern and a decline in population size. Twenty-five samples of wax foundations were collected from different sources in Germany. Samples were analyzed using a multi-residue analysis for 147 insecticides, acaricides, and varroacides to investigate the actual load of contamination in beeswax. Furthermore, the effect of selected contaminated and/or adulterated wax foundations on colony and brood development of honeybees was evaluated under field conditions. Our results show that 38 active substances in total were found in the wax samples. Acaricides used in-hive were the most frequently detected contaminants at high concentrations. Trace concentrations of plant protection products and biocides were also found. In the field trials, a significant influence of stearin-adulterated wax on population size, the number of capped brood cells, and termination rate was found compared with the reference. No detectable effects of other treatments on the investigated parameters were observed.

Linkage of Routine Data to Other Data Sources in Germany: A Practical Example Illustrating Challenges and Solutions.

Routine data have a high potential for epidemiological and health care research but lack information, for instance, on the cause of death. Often detailed information, such as on lifestyle factors is also missing. In Germany, obtaining the missing information by linkage to data sources is challenging, mainly due to strict data protection regulations. One key challenge arises from the fact that routine data users usually have no access to person identifiers which would be necessary for record linkage. A second key challenge is that sensitive information (i. e., the cause of death) should not be transferred to an institution that holds person identifiers. In this paper, we illustrate these key challenges and present corresponding solutions based on a practical example where claims data from statutory health insurance providers are linked to an epidemiological cancer registry to obtain cause of death information. We describe the approval procedures necessary for the record linkage, the dataflow between the involved institutions and explain the rationale of the dataflow in view of the key challenges. Finally, we generalize the questions that need to be addressed when a record linkage is planned and point to additional potential challenges. Overall, we illustrate that a linkage between routine data and other data sources in Germany is feasible, but specific restrictions and hurdles need to be taken into consideration.

How to measure the impact of biogenic residues, wastes and by-products: Development of a national resource monitoring based on the example of Germany

The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals call for affordable, clean energy. The efficient use of biogenic residues offers various means of promoting that goal. Key questions, however, are which biomasses are available to what extent, and what additional contribution can be expected from improved use. Answering these questions require cross-sectoral, regular and consistent information on the available resources. A comprehensive, continuously applicable measuring instrument for this task does not yet exist. To fill this gap, a monitoring system was developed which is able to quantify the resource base annually, is easy to update and can be used internationally. Using Germany as a case study, a review was carried out for 77 biomasses from five different sectors. The result is a network of 1,113 calculation elements, which forms the basis for an automatic data processing. Based on that, Germany's supply of technically usable biogenic residues was determined to 86–140 million Mg (DM) in 2015. Between 66% and 84% of this amount already has an established use, while the potential which can still be mobilised is in the range of 14–48 million Mg (DM). If this amount were provided as e.g. biomethane, the amount of final energy coming from renewable sources in Germany could thus be increased by up to 18%. Just four biomasses bear the main responsibility for this figure. The monitoring system is able to prioritise areas for action and can provide crucial support in the development of policy and business strategies for the future use of residues.

An outlook towards 2030: Optimization and design of a CCUS supply chain in Germany

A mathematical model for the optimal design of a supply chain for carbon capture, utilization and storage is developed. Carbon dioxide may be stored and/or utilized to produce methanol via methane dry reforming. The Mixed Integer Linear Program model is developed for ten major carbon dioxide emission sources in Germany. Three different cases are considered, according to hydrogen production route required to correct the syngas composition: hydrogen by external reforming, hydrogen by external water electrolysis, hydrogen by internal steam reforming. Results show that absorption is the preferred capture solutions at high flue gas flow rate. Results also show that the best option is providing hydrogen by water electrolysis, because a higher amount of carbon dioxide is used to produce the same amount of methanol with lower environmental impact. The proposed network produces 203 Mton/year of methanol, then Germany would be able to satisfy the world methanol demand in the next years. Carbon tax and economic incentives are required to reduce the methanol production cost to 340 €/ton: only in this case the process is economically feasible.