State North Rhine-Westphalia Research Articles

Fast and automated monitoring of gadolinium-based contrast agents in surface waters

Gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) are frequently used for magnetic resonance imaging to improve image contrast. These inert complexes are excreted unmetabolized from the human body and pass through wastewater treatment plants almost unaffected, leading to a significant release of anthropogenic Gd into the environment. However, long-term ecotoxicological effects of GBCAs are mainly unknown and thus powerful methods of speciation analysis are required to monitor their distribution and fate in aquatic systems. In this work, a rapid and efficient monitoring method was developed utilizing a fully automated single platform system for total metal analysis and syringe-driven chromatography in combination with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). An anion-exchange chromatography (IC) method was developed and applied to achieve a rapid separation and sensitive detection of the five complexes Gd-HP-DO3A, Gd-BT-DO3A, Gd-DOTA, Gd-DTPA, and Gd-BOPTA that are commonly administered in the European Union. Furthermore, the use of an automated inline-dilution function allowed a fast-external calibration from single stock standards. A chromatographic run time of less than 2 min and species-specific detection limits between 11 and 19 pmol L−1 on a quadrupole ICP-MS proved to be competitive compared to previously published methods, but without the use of aerosol desolvation and/or sector field ICP-MS to enhance sensitivity. The automated IC-ICP-MS method was applied for quantitative GBCA monitoring in a multitude of surface water samples that were obtained in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The complexes Gd-HP-DO3A, Gd-BT-DO3A, and Gd-DOTA, were detected and quantified. In addition, the occurrence of an unidentified Gd species was observed for one of the sampled river systems.

Impact of COVID-19 countermeasures on the energy and water consumption and CO2 concentration of municipal buildings

As a disease, COVID-19 has shaken the world in 2020/21. Countermeasures have been taken by governments to protect against infection, which have also affected the water and energy consumption of buildings. In particular, buildings managed by public authorities (e.g. kindergartens, schools and administrative offices) have been closed and reopened with different concepts. In this paper, the impact of countermeasures on the electrical and thermal energy and water consumption of municipal buildings is investigated using monitoring data of 100 buildings from 2018 to 2021 of a city in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) in Germany. Where available, data of CO2 sensors from building automation systems are included in the evaluation. The CO2 concentration is in a range of concern (1500-2000 ppm) for 2% of presence periods. A value in the unacceptable range (>2000 ppm) is not found in the CO2 data. Since only ventilation-conditioned spaces are equipped with CO2 sensors, no conclusions can be drawn about non-ventilated buildings. We investigate to which extent the measures taken have changed the energy and water consumption. On total average, the heat demand increased lightly by 5 % and water and electricity demand decreased by 15% and 12% respectively.

Optimised design of concrete recycling networks: The case of North Rhine-Westphalia.

In Germany, construction and demolition waste is either landfilled or used for roadworks after being treated in recycling plants. However, recycled concrete aggregates from building demolition can be reused for the construction of new buildings, which allows to close the material loop of concrete. The aim of this study is to develop a decision support system (DSS) in order to investigate the economic impacts and consequences of recycling concrete from building demolition in a closed loop material cycle. To do so, we propose a bi-objective mixed-integer linear optimisation model that provides information on the number and location of installed sorting screens and defines the material flows within a comprehensive regional recycling network covering all processes from building demolition to construction of new buildings. While the economic objective function minimises the total costs of the recycling network, the circularity objective function minimises the amount of primary natural aggregates required for concrete manufacturing. We apply our optimisation model to the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Results show that under current conditions the manufacturing of concrete with recycled concrete aggregates is economically viable predominantly in areas without local supplies of natural aggregates. In addition, analysis of the trade-offs between the two objectives as well as recommendations on the design of political regulations and economic instruments to foster such recycling networks are presented.

Exploring the effects of energy transition on the industrial value chains and alternative resources: A case study from the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW)

Defossilizing the energy and industrial systems and transformation towards a circular economy have versatile impacts on the availability and demand of alternative resources. However, systematic analyses on these interrelations are very sparse. Thus, this paper investigates the interlinkages between the energy transition and the transformation towards a circular economy in Germany. The study is based on material flow analysis models of the steel and cement industries as well as the coal and lignite power plants in order to depict a comprehensive description of the material, energy and emission flows of these sectors and their interdependencies.The analyses prove the inherent interrelation between energy transition and circular economy. On the one hand, energy transition does not only bear various techno-economic challenges and have substantial effects on the production costs, but it also affects the availability of secondary materials. For instance, the coal phase-out and the introduction of green steel imply that the current supplies of blast furnace slag, fly ash and FGD gypsum cannot be maintained.On the other hand, circularity approaches can also influence the energy transition. For example, banning single-use plastics and increasing recycling rates of plastics can deprive the cement industry from significant amounts of energy resources with low-carbon footprint. Contrariwise, CO2 recycling can promote the energy transition by means of mitigating CO2 emissions via carbonation. Therefore, the study can help policymakers to understand the indirect effects of existing and future policies. Also, it can help to develop future strategies to handle associated impacts and avoid material shortages.

Dietary palmitate and oleate differently modulate insulin sensitivity in human skeletal muscle

Aims/hypothesisEnergy-dense nutrition generally induces insulin resistance, but dietary composition may differently affect glucose metabolism. This study investigated initial effects of monounsaturated vs saturated lipid meals on basal and insulin-stimulated myocellular glucose metabolism and insulin signalling.MethodsIn a randomised crossover study, 16 lean metabolically healthy volunteers received single meals containing safflower oil (SAF), palm oil (PAL) or vehicle (VCL). Whole-body glucose metabolism was assessed from glucose disposal (Rd) before and during hyperinsulinaemic–euglycaemic clamps with d-[6,6-2H2]glucose. In serial skeletal muscle biopsies, subcellular lipid metabolites and insulin signalling were measured before and after meals.ResultsSAF and PAL raised plasma oleate, but only PAL significantly increased plasma palmitate concentrations. SAF and PAL increased myocellular diacylglycerol and activated protein kinase C (PKC) isoform θ (p < 0.05) but only PAL activated PKCɛ. Moreover, PAL led to increased myocellular ceramides along with stimulated PKCζ translocation (p < 0.05 vs SAF). During clamp, SAF and PAL both decreased insulin-stimulated Rd (p < 0.05 vs VCL), but non-oxidative glucose disposal was lower after PAL compared with SAF (p < 0.05). Muscle serine1101-phosphorylation of IRS-1 was increased upon SAF and PAL consumption (p < 0.05), whereas PAL decreased serine473-phosphorylation of Akt more than SAF (p < 0.05).Conclusions/interpretationLipid-induced myocellular insulin resistance is likely more pronounced with palmitate than with oleate and is associated with PKC isoforms activation and inhibitory insulin signalling.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov.NCT01736202.FundingGerman Federal Ministry of Health, Ministry of Culture and Science of the State North Rhine-Westphalia, German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, European Regional Development Fund, German Research Foundation, German Center for Diabetes Research.Graphical abstract

The relationship between health literacy, health status and health outcomes among German 4th-graders

Abstract Background The WHO describes Health literacy (HL) as a critical determinant of health, and a number of studies among adults link low HL to adverse health outcomes. However, little research has been conducted on HL and health outcomes in younger populations. Thus, this study describes the relationship between HL, health behaviors, and health status among children in primary schools. Methods A cross-sectional pen-and-paper survey was conducted in a convenience sample of 4th-graders in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Self-report measures were used for subjective HL, health behaviors (freq. of brushing teeth, eating fruit, exercising, screen time), and health status (subj. health, chronic condition, freq. of doctor visits, feeling ill). Correlations and binary logistic regression for the outcome “at least one adverse health behavior” (e.g. brushing teeth &amp;lt;2x a day; not eating fruit every day) are reported. Sex, age, family affluence, background of migration, numeracy, literacy, and health knowledge are included in the regression model. Results In our sample of n = 899 children (mean age 9,56 years), HL is significantly correlated with subj. health (ρ=.262**) doctor visits (ρ=.086*), feeling ill (ρ=-.078*), brushing teeth (ρ=.116**), eating fruit (ρ=.191**) exercising (ρ=.124**) and screen time (ρ=-.096**). Logistic regression (X2=29.237; p=.001, n = 648) shows that the relative risk for ≥1 adverse health behaviour is higher for boys (OR: 1.4; 95%-CI [1.016-1.927]) and children with lowest family affluence (1.7 [1.097-2.694]). Also, for one unit increase in HL (range 1-4), risk decreases by about 50% (0.472 [.298-.748]). Conclusions Already at a young age (9-10 years), HL is linked to a number of health outcomes. Further, HL has been found to be a potential predictor of adverse health behaviors after controlling for confounders.Thus, the promotion of HL might play an important role in mitigating adverse health behaviors early in the life course.

Studying Youth’ Group Identities, Intergroup Relations, and Friendship Networks: The Friendship and Identity in School Data

AbstractThis data brief introduces the Friendship and Identity in School (FIS) dataset. The FIS data are school-based longitudinal social network data, which have become increasingly important in recent years. Including information on 2,500 adolescents in nine secondary schools in the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the FIS data have four important key features that make them uniquely suited for studying the co-evolution of friendship networks and group identities or other time-varying individual characteristics. Specifically, the data include (i) fine-grained multidimensional measures of youth’ ethnic, national, and religious identities, (ii) comparatively large social networks that span multiple classrooms, (iii) up to six waves over four and a half years, and (iv) an ethnoreligiously diverse sample. Besides friendship and identity, the data include other network dimensions such as romantic relations or dislike as well as repeated measurements of various individual attributes ranging from perceived discrimination over intergroup attitudes and religion to leisure time activities and students’ perceptions of parents’ identities and attitudes. In combination, the FIS data provide rich longitudinal information that allows researchers to study the development, change, and interplay of youth’ group identities and friendship networks as well as broader questions concerning intergroup relations, network formation, and peer influence.

RECONSTRUCTION OF BRIDGE SUPERSTRUCTURES FROM AIRBORNE LASER SCANNING POINT CLOUDS

Abstract. The paper deals with the 3D reconstruction of bridges from Airborne Laser Scanning point clouds and cadastral footprints. The generated realistic 3D objects can be used to enhance city models. While other studies have focused on bridge decks to fill gaps in digital elevation models, this paper focuses on the decomposition of superstructures into construction elements such as pylons, cables and arches. For this purpose, the bridge type is classified, and a combination of model-based and data-based methods is used that are built on the detection of arcs, catenaries, and line segments in the point clouds. The described techniques were successfully applied to create 3D models of the Rhine bridges in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

‘It is okay if you speak another language, but … ’: language hierarchies in mono- and bilingual school teachers’ beliefs

ABSTRACT How do teachers deal with multilingual pupils, and what reasons govern these choices? Whereas most studies on this topic have examined teachers in schools with monolingual policies, this paper includes teachers at bilingual schools. Framed by pedagogical theory, we present a qualitative research study based on interviews with teachers in the German state North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW). This area constitutes an interesting research site since 30-50% of the children are multilingual, but language policies in schools differ: Whereas most schools have a monolingual orientation, bilingual schools aim to purposely integrate languages beyond German in regular classes. Our results show that despite the differences in school language policies, despite different professional biographies and independent of knowledge on multilingual upbringings, teachers in mono- as well as bilingual schools reproduce the unquestioned perception of a monolingual norm. Furthermore, teachers at bilingual schools focusing on European languages deem migration-induced multilingualism as even less important than do teachers at regular schools. Finally, the results underline the importance of institutional policies and allow for insights into individual logic. On a larger horizon, the study contributes to issues of language-responsible teaching, equal opportunities, educational equality and social cohesion.

Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Diseases of the Upper Extremity Among Dental Professionals in Germany

ObjectiveAlthough many findings on occupational musculoskeletal complaints are available from American and European dentists, the corresponding data from Germany are still scarce. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide additional information on the prevalence of and risk factors for musculoskeletal disorders of the upper extremity, particularly the shoulder in this specific population.MethodsA written survey was carried out among 600 dentists in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Questionnaire items included physical and psychosocial workload, general health, and the occurrence of musculoskeletal symptoms during the previous 12 months that led to sick leave and medical care according to a modified version of the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ). Regression analysis was used to evaluate relevant risk factors for severe musculoskeletal disorders.ResultsA total of 229 dentists were participated in the study (response rate 38%). Overall, 92.6% of the participants had already suffered from musculoskeletal symptoms in at least one body region. Symptoms were mostly reported in the neck (65.1%) and in the shoulder (58.1%). Limitations in daily activities were experienced by 15.9% due to neck pain and by 15.4% due to shoulder pain. Medical care was sought by 23.7% because of neck pain and by 21.1% due to shoulder pain. Risk factors for symptoms in the upper extremity regions were gender (female), increased physical load, and numerous comorbidities.ConclusionThere is a high prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders among dentists. Suitable interventions are therefore needed to prevent musculoskeletal diseases and pain among dental professionals, with particular attention to female dentists.

Cross-sectional survey to describe medicine use among Syrian asylum seekers and refugees in a German federal state: looking beyond infectious diseases

ObjectivesThe aim of our study was to describe medicine use and document self-reported diseases or conditions for which medicines were used among Syrian asylum seekers and refugees (AS&Rs) in the...

Mehrsprachigkeit in der Bildung in Deutschland – eine Diskursanalyse

Multilingualism in Education in Germany – a Discourse Analysis. In the Republic of Germany, language acquisition for children with a mother tongue other than German has been a widely discussed topic in education science as well as in public and political discourse over the last decades. Annual studies on preschool and primary education point to the ongoing disadvantage – or even discrimination – suffered by multilingual children in the German education system. Given Germany’s history as a country of immigration, and in light of recent public discussions on the increased immigration of refugees, the question of the problematic’s socio-political background arises. This leads to the issue of linguistic concepts among society and their influence on domestic language policies. This article presents analysis of discourse around languagepolitical concepts and practices among stakeholders in language promotion in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia. Five semi-structured interviews with state employees were analysed following a discourse analytical approach. The analysis, deploying frameworks from the field of Critical Discourse Analysis, focused on the discursive practice of legitimation in the evaluation of multilingualism. Multilingualism as a phenomenon in society appeared to be evaluated according to differing standards (for example correctness or properness) depending on the language. As for evaluation, the analysis indicated an additional dimension in discourse which assigns different groups of speakers a belonging to particular languages. All in all, the collected data pointed to a diverse and ever-changing discourse in the field of language promotion in North-Rhine Westphalia. The presented analysis aims to stimulate a debate and suggests some directions for future research.

EPICOVIDEHA: A Ready to Use Platform for Epidemiological Studies in Hematological Patients With COVID-19

EPICOVIDEHA: A Ready to Use Platform for Epidemiological Studies in Hematological Patients With COVID-19

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Contemporary challenges in German schools – The potential of the implementation of inclusive pedagogical approaches

Although large-scale studies like PISA (OECD, 2019) and PIRLS (Hußmann et al., 2017) proved already in the beginning of the 2000s that students with a disadvantaged socio-economic background suffer from educational inequality in Germany, this situation has not changed significantly over the years: As it is evidenced by empirical educational research, those students still run a high risk to suffer from educational inequality compared to their fellow students without a disadvantaged socio-economic background (Pfeifer, 2017). But there is also a risk to experience educational inequality for students with immigrant/refugee background, as those two aspects are highly correlated, which is a challenge for schools in view of the refugees that came from 2015 on to Germany (Bogotch, Faubert, Pfeifer, Wieckert, Kervin, Pappas, 2020; Pfeifer, 2014).This contribution will provide a data-based insight into this development in Germany. Moreover, based on the example of the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia an overview will be given of the structure of the German school system, which is characterized by external streaming. Finally, it will be discussed if the implementation of inclusive pedagogical approaches in schools can contribute to reduce educational inequality in German schools (Radhoff Wieckert, 2017; Wieckert, 2013) by summarizing findings of the review of research as well as findings from a qualitative study.

Risk Phenotypes of Diabetes and Association with COVID-19 Severity and Death – A Living Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Diabetes has been identified as a risk factor for poor prognosis of COVID-19. The aim of this study is to identify high-risk phenotypes of diabetes associated with COVID-19 severity and death.Methods: This is the first edition of a living systematic review and meta-analysis on observational studies investigating phenotypes in individuals with diabetes and COVID-19 regarding death and COVID-19 severity. Four different databases were searched up to October 10th 2020. We used random effects meta-analysis to calculate summary relative risks (SRR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). The certainty of evidence was evaluated by GRADE. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42020193692.Findings: A total of 22 articles met our inclusion criteria. There was high to moderate certainty of evidence for associations between male sex [SRR (95% CI): 1·28 (1·02, 1·61), n=10 studies], older age [>65 years: 3·49 (1·82, 6·69), n=6], pre-existing comorbidities [cardiovascular disease: 1·56 (1·09, 2·24), n=8; chronic kidney disease: 1·93 (1·28, 2·91), n=6; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: 1·40 (1·21, 1·62), n=5], diabetes treatment [insulin use: 1·75 (1·01, 3·03), n=5; metformin use: 0·50 (0·28, 0·90), n=4] and blood glucose at admission [blood glucose ≥11 mmol/L: 8·60 (2·25, 32·83), n=2] regarding death among individuals with diabetes and COVID-19. Similar, but in general weaker and less precise, associations were observed for severity of COVID-19.Interpretation: Individuals with more severe course of diabetes have a poorer prognosis of COVID-19 compared to individuals with a milder course of disease. To strengthen the evidence still more studies accounting for potential confounders are warranted.Funding Statement: The German Diabetes Center (DDZ) is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Science and Culture of the State North Rhine-Westphalia. This study was supported in part by a grant from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research to the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD).Declaration of Interests: SS: none. MN: none. AL: none. KP: none. OK: none. CH: received speaker’s honoraria from Sanofi-Aventis and Lilly and research support from Sanofi-Aventis. MR: received personal fees from Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharma, Eli Lilly, Fishawack Group, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi US, Target NASH, Terra Firma and investigator-initiated research support from Boehringer-Ingelheim, Nutricia/Danone and Sanofi-Aventis.

Die Politische Ökonomie des Strukturwandels: Konzeptualisierung einer „Just transition“ im Rheinischen Braunkohlerevier

Our paper develops measures for a "Just transition" governance as the basis for a political economy in structural change. For a case study in the Rhenish lignite mining area, six expert interviews were conducted with citizens' initiatives, trade unions and representatives of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. The results show the need for political measures in various areas: While a variety of subsidy policies are being developed for the employees of established companies in the lignite industry, employees of subcontractors receive hardly any support in structural change. The latter are therefore exposed to a high risk of losing their jobs due to the phasing out of coal production. The interviews also showed that land in the Rhenish lignite mining area could become a scarce resource due to the current mining law. The actor-centered institutionalism is used to derive policy measures that meet the needs of the various interest groups. Finally, references are made to both transition management and political economy.

Pr\xe4diktoren von prozessbezogener und strukturierender elterlicher Unterst\xfctzung w\xe4hrend des (coronabedingten) Distanzunterrichts

ZusammenfassungDie Schulschließungen aufgrund der Corona-Pandemie verlagerten das schulische Lernen in die Familien. Schüler*innen standen vor der Aufgabe, ihr Lernen und ihre Lernzeit eigenständiger zu gestalten und wurden dabei vornehmlich von ihren Eltern sowohl organisatorisch als auch fachlich begleitet. Auf Basis bisheriger Forschung zur elterlichen Hausaufgabenunterstützung und zu Bildungspartnerschaften ist anzunehmen, dass sowohl die strukturierende als auch die prozessbezogene Lernbegleitung durch die Eltern von soziodemographischen Merkmalen der Familie abhängen, aber ebenfalls mit Merkmalen des Kindes (z. B. Alter, Lernverhalten) und der wahrgenommenen schulischen Lernbegleitung (Engagement der Lehrkraft, Anforderungsniveau) assoziiert sind. Diese postulierten Zusammenhänge wurden auf Basis von Daten einer standardisierten Onlinebefragung mit N = 6685 Eltern von Kindern an weiterführenden Schulen in Nordrhein-Westfalen regressionsanalytisch untersucht. Die Befunde sprechen für eine adaptive Lernbegleitung der Eltern, die für ältere, weibliche Kinder mit günstigem Lernverhalten weniger intensiv ausfällt als für jüngere, männliche Kinder mit ungünstigem Lernverhalten. Auch die Lernbegleitung durch die Schule trägt zur Vorhersage des elterlichen Verhaltens bei, wobei engagiertes Lehrkraftverhalten gerade bei Familien mit nicht-gymnasialer Schulbildung der Eltern zu verstärkter Unterstützung des Kindes beiträgt.

Identification of windthrow-endangered infrastructure combining LiDAR-based tree extraction methods using GIS

Windthrows induced by strong winds pose a major threat to both transport infrastructure and road users. Therefore, an exposure analysis of trees along the federal trunk road network was carried out and exemplarily applied for the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The aim of this project was the development of a GIS-based method on the basis of freely accessible high-resolution airborne LiDAR data as well as RGBI orthoimage data that identifies and parameterizes single trees. For the determination of a suitable method, several models with different settings and parameters were calculated, validated, and iteratively adjusted to gain the optimal settings for tree identification. The identification of trees was finally realized by applying both a minimum-curvature technique for single trees as well as a local maximum approach for dense vegetation, especially for trees with small crown diameters. False classification results corresponding to nonvegetation areas have been corrected by the use of the normalized difference vegetation index. With our method, we accomplish detection accuracies from 65% to 75% in very heterogeneous environments and 75% to 100% in more specific settings. All tree candidates with potential to affect the road infrastructure and road users were retrieved and joined to the respective road sections to deliver a fast and effective method for analyzation and visualization of vulnerable parts of the trunk road network due to tumbling trees.

The revenue and base effects of local tax hikes: evidence from a quasi-experiment

Due to a reform of the local equalization scheme in 2003, a set of municipalities in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) increased their local property and business tax rates by one to two percentage points, while the remaining municipalities kept their rates constant. I use this variation across municipalities and over time to study the revenue and base effects of local property and business tax hikes in a generalized difference-in-differences design. The results suggest that the property tax hikes had even in the long-run a revenue elasticity of unity. Accordingly, I find no adverse effects on property tax bases. For the business tax, I find no significant effects on revenues and bases. Furthermore, there are also no effects on broader economic outcomes such as local employment, firms’ wage bill, and property prices. Overall, increasing local tax rates by one to two percentage points does not seem to affect the local economy adversely.