Western Germany Research Articles

An expanded frame for lithic material choices

For a long time, lithic procurement strategies have been used as an indicator of mobility abilities and material preferences of various hunter-gatherer groups across time. Different procurement patterns between the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic in Europe have led to interpretations of species differences between Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens , and diverse influences of the environment on the populations. With the use of hypotheses on local or long-distance lithic procurement, agent-based models can function as a neutral and quantitative test of procurement choices. By statistically testing hypotheses made from ethnographic and archaeological studies, the material of four Middle Palaeolithic sites in the Middle Rhine area, Western Germany, set the frame for analysing procurement choices of the Neanderthals in their environmental setting. From the analyses of the agent-based models, it is visible that it is the availability of raw material resources that influences the procurement of the hunter-gatherer agent. By reflecting this result in the local environment and ecological options, it is argued that the advantages of local procurement succeeded the ones of long-distanced procurements for the Neanderthals. Thereby the study provides an example of the beneficial union of qualitative and quantitative methodologies in archaeological research, and how the science of the past can improve by adding computational methods of the present.

ФІЛОСОФІЯ В УРСР ДРУГОЇ ПОЛОВИНИ ХХ СТОЛІТТЯ В ОЦІНКАХ ЗАХІДНИХ ФІЛОСОФІВ ТОГО ЧАСУ: ОБРАЗ КИЇВСЬКОЇ ФІЛОСОФСЬКОЇ ШКОЛИ ДРУГОЇ ПОЛОВИНИ 60-Х – 80-Х РОКІВ ХХ СТОЛІТТЯ

The article continues to study the topic of the uprising of the image of the Kyiv philosophical school as a prominent leading Ukrainian participant in the world philosophical process of the Cold War period in the scientific and socio-political thought of the Western block, especially in the USA, Canada and Western Germany, in the second half of the twentieth century. The history of the formation of this image by scholars of the democratic world, mainly from the Ukrainian diaspora, can be conditionally divided into the following stages: 1. Scientific international interaction between the USSR and the Western bloc during the transition of the USSR from Khrushchew's "thaw" to neo-Stalinist "stagnation" (early 1960s – early 1970s); 2. Intensification of the ideological confrontation between the USSR and the Western bloc countries during transition of the USSR from said "stagnation" to Gorbachev's "perestroika" (early1970s – second half of the 1980s). In contrast to the first separate critical assessments by diaspora philosophers P. Fedenko, D. Soloviy and their colleagues of philosophy in the Ukrainian SSR in the 1950s and early 1960s, primarily articles of T. Shevcenko by the director of the Institute of Philosophy of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR D. Ostryanin (1952 – 1962), the image of the Kyiv philosophical school in the 1970s and 1980s was significantly emphasized abroad. The political aspect of this image, dominant in which became, primarily due to its popularization by the Canadian philosopher T. Zakydalsky, the figure of a prisoner of conscience V. Lisovyi, was supplemented in the same and subsequent decades by the scientific aspect. In the memoirs of the Soviet prisoner of conscience and political immigrant L. Plyushch and in the publications of scientists from the US M. H. Teeter and B. Vitvitsky the image of the said school was generally drawn on the basis of their study of the history of the mentioned institute and the directions of its work in the 1940s – 1970s. At the same time, philosophers of the Ukrainian diaspora K. Mytrovych, W. Oleksiuk, W. Shayan and some their colleagues critically assessed the Ukrainian historical and philosophical achievements of this institute in the 1950s and 1980s.

Tropospheric parameters from multi-GNSS and numerical weather models: case study of severe precipitation and flooding in Germany in July 2021

Storms and floods are the most frequent natural disaster in western and central Europe. Due to climate change, intensive storms with prolonged rain episodes will continue to cause even more destructive flooding. The good understanding and forecasting of such events are thus of uttermost importance. One of the ways to improve weather forecasts is the assimilation of external data, such as the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). In this study, a preparation of the multi-GNSS tropospheric products—zenith total delays, tropospheric gradients and slant total delays—for future operational assimilation is shown. For a severe precipitation event in July 2021 in Germany, the GNSS parameters from three systems—GPS, GLONASS and Galileo—are compared to three Numerical Weather Models (NWMs)—ERA5 reanalysis of ECMWF, ICON run by the German Weather Service and GFS run by the US Weather Service. The flood that followed the rainfall was the deadliest natural disaster in Germany since 1962. The results show that all considered GNSS solutions have a similar level of agreement with the NWMs. However, for the flood region in western Germany, the biases from the multi-GNSS solutions are smaller compared to the GPS-only solution. From the models, ICON has the highest agreement with the GNSS data for all considered tropospheric parameters. The best agreement with the ICON is probably due to its high horizontal resolution and, thus, low representative errors and the fine tuning of DWD’s regional model for the specific region (Germany).

The variation in the level of the socio-economic development of the NUTS-3 subregions in the European Union

A very important research problem is the specification of the level of the socio-economic development of the EU regions. Within the cohesion policy, one may differentiate between regions more and less advanced in terms of general development, including the worth of GDP per capita. Following that measure, one can establish the areas eligible for getting help from EU budget support programmes. The purpose of the article was to present the variation in the level of the socio-economic development of 28 EU countries within the 1,347 NUTS-3 units. The level of the development was established on a multilevel basis, subcategorising three factors of regional development: human capital, the natural environment and the economy. The article specifies the extent of the NUTS-3 unit general progression following the analysis of 31 indicative measures structured around publicly available Eurostat statistical data (as of 2019). The extent of the progression was demonstrated based on a synthetic measure revealing the taxonomic distance of a particular region from the assumed arrangement measuring the development. The research procedure consisted of five development levels, namely: the establishment of factors of the progression of regions, a choice of variable factors, a decrease in the multi-factor space, an identification in the extent of the social and economic progression of the researched units and a subcategorisation of the units on the scale of the social and economic progression structured around a ranking prepared using the analysis of a lowering synthetic measure. The research resulted in spatial variation of 1,347 NUTS-3 unit subregions in 28 EU states presented in terms of the level of the social and economic progression and the three subparts of the progression. The highest synthetic measure was noted in the areas including the capitals of the states included in the research and in a belt comprising the Irish subregions, Central England, the Benelux states, Western and Southern Germany, up until the Alpine subregion. Moreover, significant differences between the levels of the development within the respective states were presented. The results of the research may be a source of inspiration for EU institutions within the scope of the manner of specifying the richest and the poorest EU regions, whose purpose is to ensure the efficient introduction and conclusion of the cohesion policy in the programming periods specified.

The Soviet Union’s Economic Relations with Austria and the Federal Republic of Germany: Political Factors and the Art of Diplomacy (1955–1964)

The author of this article carries out a comparative analysis of the trade and economic relations of the Soviet Union with Austria and the FRG from 1955 to 1964 (focusing on features of formation and development, contractual foundations, driving forces, and problems). At the same time, the emphasis of the research is on identifying the influence of the political factor of interstate relations on the development of economic cooperation. A comparative analysis of the history of the USSR’s trade and economic relations with Austria and Germany has not been carried out before. The history of the economic interaction of the Soviet Union with these contractors separately has not been sufficiently studied by historical science either. Regarding Austria, Russian and foreign historiography has traditionally focused on the State Treaty of 1955 and its economic component in the form of compensatory supplies. As for the FRG, this initial period has not been studied at all in national historical science, except for several essays. German historians have studied not so much the government’s economic course as the initiatives and activities of industry representatives united in the eastern committee of the German economy. The author employs the comparative-historical method of research and methods of economic science (to a limited extent) and statistical analysis (indicators of foreign trade, bilateral trade). The article aims to contribute to a more complete reconstruction of the wide range of East-West interactions during the Cold War by exploring such a convergent component for both systems as bilateral trade. The Austrian phenomenon of the successful development of trade relations with the USSR is viewed through the prism of a compromise solution to the Austrian question and its economic consequences in the form of fulfilment and reduction of compensatory deliveries. The author highlights the role of the political factor in foreign economic planning and its implementation by both the Soviet Union and its Western capitalist counterparts, neutral Austria, and Germany, which is part of NATO, determining the differences between the latter. If for the trade and economic relations between the USSR and Austria the political factor played a constructive role which brought the two countries closer, for relations with the FRG it was quite destructive, mostly because of the fault of the West German leadership. The article refers to documents of the Russian State Archive of Contemporary History and the Russian State Archive of Economics introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time and egodocuments.

Who benefits from an adult worker model? Gender inequality in couples’ daily time use in Germany across time and social classes

This article investigates how mothers’ and fathers’ daily time use changed across social classes from 1990 to 2013 in Germany. In the 2000s, Germany’s adherence to the male breadwinner model was eroded by labor and family policy reforms typical of the adult worker model, which assumes individual self-sufficiency. The implications for gender and class inequality have been heatedly discussed. Drawing on the German Time Use Survey, I find that gender equality in the division of labor is greatest among full-time dual-earner couples with standard schedules. The prevalence of this pattern increased among the middle- and upper-class in historically conservative western Germany, but declined across classes in formerly socialist eastern Germany. In parallel, nonstandard work patterns and dual-joblessness gained in importance among lower-class couples, particularly in eastern Germany. I conclude that the adult worker model benefited mothers with access to standard full-time jobs but at the cost of greater class polarization.

In situ stress database of the greater Ruhr region (Germany) derived from hydrofracturing tests and borehole logs

Abstract. Between 1986 and 1995, 429 hydrofracturing tests have been carried out in six now-abandoned coal mines and two coal bed methane boreholes at depths between 600 and 1950 m within the greater Ruhr region in western Germany. From these tests, stress magnitudes and orientations of the stress tensor are derived. The majority of hydrofracturing tests were carried out from mine galleries away from mine workings in a relatively undisturbed rock mass. These data along with detailed information have been disclosed recently. In combination with already published material, we provide the first comprehensive stress database of the greater Ruhr region. Our study summarises the results of the extensive in situ stress test campaign and assigns quality to each data record using the established quality ranking schemes of the World Stress Map project. The stress magnitudes suggest predominantly strike-slip stress regime, where the magnitude of the minimum horizontal stress, Shmin, is half of the magnitude of the maximum horizontal stress, SHmax, implying that the horizontal differential stress is high. We observe no particular change in the stress gradient at depth throughout the Carboniferous layers and no significant difference between tests carried out in coal mines and deep boreholes. The mean SHmax orientation varies between 133 ± 13∘ in the westernmost located Friedrich Heinrich coal mine and 168 ± 23∘ in the easternmost located Westphalia coal mine. The mean SHmax orientation, based on 87 data records from this and already published studies, of 161 ± 43∘ is in good agreement with the regional stress orientation observed in northwestern Europe. The presented public database provides in situ stress magnitude and stress orientation data records that are essential for the calibration of geomechanical numerical models on regional and/or reservoir scales for, among others, assessing stability issues of borehole trajectories, caverns, and georeservoirs in general. For an application example of this database, we estimate slip and dilation tendencies of major geological discontinuities, discovered during the 700-year-long coal mining activities in the region. The result, although burdened by high uncertainties, shows that the discontinuities striking in the N–S and NW–SE directions have a higher slip tendency compared to the ones striking ENE–WSW and NNW–SSE, whereas a high dilation tendency is observed for discontinuities striking NNW–SSE and a low dilation tendency for the ones striking ENE–WSW. The stress orientation database is available under https://doi.org/10.24406/fordatis/200 (Kruszewski et al., 2022a), the stress magnitude database is available under https://doi.org/10.24406/fordatis/201 (Kruszewski et al., 2022b), whereas the hydrofracturing test reports are available under https://doi.org/10.24406/fordatis/222 (Kruszewski et al., 2022c).

The 2021 Western Germany flood event: The value of flood risk dissemination strategies and social media.

No abstract available.

The Shifting Role of Climate Change in the 2021 Bundestag Election

Abstract The climate crisis unfolded in real time during the 2021 Bundestag campaign, as western Germany experienced sudden, catastrophic flooding. The climate issue presented a varying and at times unexpected array of challenges and opportunities to the German political parties. In this article I will analyze the shifting role of climate change as it played out during the campaign, in the coalition discussions that followed, and in the first nine months of the new traffic light coalition government.

Restoration of calcareous grasslands by natural recolonization after forest clearing and its impact on the genetic variation of three common herb species

Species-rich calcareous grasslands in Europe strongly declined during the twentieth century due to drastic land use changes. Many grasslands were converted into more productive pastures or are covered by shrubs or forests today, since they were overgrown after abandonment or afforested. Restoration of calcareous grasslands by shrub or forest clearing and subsequent recolonization of grassland species from adjacent grasslands is, therefore, an important conservation approach. Restored populations of calcareous grassland species may, however, differ from their source populations in genetic diversity and differentiation due to potential founder and bottleneck effects. In our study we analyzed, therefore, the impact of restoration by forest clearing and natural recolonization on the genetic variation of three common calcareous grassland species (Agrimonia eupatoria, Campanula rotundifolia, and Knautia arvensis) without a contribution of persistent seed bank, in South Western Germany. We used molecular markers AFLPs (Amplified fragment length polymorphisms) to compare genetic diversity within and differentiation between spontaneously recovered subpopulations with adjacent historically old, natural subpopulations at eight study sites. Restored parts of the grasslands have been re-established during the 1990s. Molecular markers revealed broadly similar levels of genetic diversity in source and restored subpopulations of the study species. Only A. eupatoria exhibited slightly higher diversity in restored subpopulations, which may be explained by higher dispersal potential due to the hooky fruits of the species. Genetic differentiation between source and restored subpopulations was not significant, indicating strong gene flow between the subpopulations. Our study underlines, therefore, that restoration of calcareous grasslands by natural recolonization after forest clearing is an efficient method to re-establish genetically variable subpopulations comparable to their sources.

A diverse Early Devonian palynoflora from the Waxweiler Lagerstätte (Klerf Formation, Rhenish Massif, Western Germany): palaeobotanical implications

The Lower Devonian Klerf Formation is an exceptional Konservat-Lagerstätte, exposed at multiple sites in the Waxweiler region in the Eifel area, western Germany. It has been studied for its various fossils, mainly arthropods, fishes, plants, molluscs, brachiopods and crinoids. At Waxweiler, the strata are palaeoecologically interpreted as a prograding deltaic depositional system elongate from NW to SE in the Ardenno-Rhenish area. The Klerf Formation has, however, not been studied in full in terms of its microflora and microfauna. Our study of the formation from two different quarries in the Waxweiler area yielded fairly diverse miospore assemblages dominated by abundant organic matter in varying degrees of coalification. The miospore assemblages are mainly composed of classic Lower Devonian taxa of the Old Red Continent (Laurussia). These belong, among others, to the genera Ambitisporites, Apiculiretusispora and Retusotriletes. Biostratigraphically more important species recovered include Acinosporites lindlarensis, Apiculiretusispora brandtii, Cymbosporites asymetricus, Diatomozonotriletes franklinii, Emphanisporites annulatus, Verruciretusispora dubia and Verrucosisporites polygonalis. In addition, Emphanisporites foveolatus, which is known only from a limited area in the Ardenno-Rhenish region, is also identified, indicating an earliest Pragian to middle Emsian age for the composite section. These assemblages are found to be accompanied by reworked phytoplankton to a much lesser extent. Our results reveal a much larger palaeobotanical diversity from the Rhineland outcrops than previously known, indicating a well-developed Psilophyton-type vegetation with related plants. The results further suggest a likely presence of plants such as Leclercqia and Pertica.

Greenhouse gas emissions from Silphium perfoliatum and silage maize cropping on Stagnosols

AbstractBackgroundThe sustainability of bioenergy is strongly affected by direct field‐derived greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and indirect emissions form land‐use change. Marginal land in low mountain ranges is suitable for feedstock production due to small impact on indirect land‐use change. However, these sites are vulnerable to high N2O emissions because of their fine soil texture and hydrology.AimsThe perennial cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) might outperform silage maize (Zea mays L.) on cold, wet low mountain ranges sites regarding yield and ecosystem services. The aim of this study was to assess whether the cultivation of cup plant also provides GHG mitigation potential compared to the cultivation of maize.MethodsA t‐year field experiment was conducted in a low mountain range region in western Germany to compare area and yield‐scaled GHG emissions from cup plant and maize fields. GHG emissions were quantified using the closed chamber method.ResultsCup plant fields emitted an average of 3.6 ± 4.3 kg N2O‐N ha–1 year–1 (–85%) less than maize fields. This corresponded to 74.0 ± 94.1 g CO2‐eq kWh–1 (–78%) less emissions per produced electrical power. However, cup plant had a significantly lower productivity per hectare (–34%) and per unit of applied nitrogen (–32%) than maize.ConclusionCup plant as a feedstock reduces direct field‐derived GHG emissions compared to maize but, due to lower yields cup plant, likely increases emissions associated with land‐use changes. Therefore, the increased sustainability of bioenergy from biogas by replacing maize with cup plant is heavily dependent on the performance of maize at these sites and on the ecosystem services of cup plant in addition to GHG savings.

Seroepidemiology of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. among German National Cohort (NAKO) Participants, Hanover.

Lyme borreliosis is the leading tick-related illness in Europe, caused by Borrelia Burgdorferi s.l. Lower Saxony, Germany, including its capital, Hanover, has a higher proportion of infected ticks than central European countries, justifying a research focus on the potential human consequences. The current knowledge gap on human incident infections, particularly in Western Germany, demands serological insights, especially regarding a potentially changing climate-related tick abundance and activity. We determined the immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) serostatuses for 8009 German National Cohort (NAKO) participants from Hanover, examined in 2014-2018. We used an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) as the screening and a line immunoblot as confirmation for the Borrelia Burgdorferi s.l. antibodies. We weighted the seropositivity proportions to estimate general population seropositivity and estimated the force of infection (FOI). Using logistic regression, we investigated risk factors for seropositivity. Seropositivity was 3.0% (IgG) and 2.1% (IgM). The FOI varied with age, sharply increasing in participants aged ≥40 years. We confirmed advancing age and male sex as risk factors. We reported reduced odds for seropositivity with increasing body mass index and depressive symptomatology, respectively, pointing to an impact of lifestyle-related behaviors. The local proportion of seropositive individuals is comparable to previous estimates for northern Germany, indicating a steady seroprevalence.

Further developments in disaster control: goal, strategy and tactic using the example of the 2021 flood disaster in the Ahr valley

In July 2021, the Medical Task Force47 was deployed to the flood disaster in western Germany as part of the cross-regional disaster relief system. With the aim of deriving possible improvements in disaster management, it was scientifically evaluated. The focus of this study was the strategy to build up and to maintain aresponsive and efficient rescue system. After defining an evaluation process, an interdisciplinary panel of experts reviewed operational documents and relevant concepts of the Bavarian Red Cross. Based on these, strategies and tactics were developed to achieve predefined goals. The performance of the emergency units could be increased by modern vehicles and equipment (eBikes, drones, all-terrain vehicles). To improve the response capability, new rapid response groups could be required that can take over the function of an advance command and can process mission assignments in impassable terrain autonomously. These could be integrated and synchronized into regional and cross-regional disaster relief. In future, it could be difficult for Germany's largely volunteer-organised disaster management to safely deploy the multitude of possible state-of-the-art resources in the highly complex environment of adisaster. Partial professionalization by full-time command and control staff could be one solution for this problem.

Understanding Socio-metabolic Inequalities Using Consumption Data from Germany

ABSTRACT The Earth’s population of seven billion consume varying amounts of planetary resources with varying impacts on the environment. We combine the analytical tools offered by the socio-ecological metabolism and class theory and contribute to a novel social stratification theory to identify the differences in individual resource and energy use. This approach is applied to German society, we use per capita greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) as a proxy for resource and energy use and investigate socio-metabolic characteristics of individuals from an economic, social and cultural perspective. The results show large disparities and inequalities in emission patterns in the German society. For example, the GHG in the lowest and highest emission groups can differ by a magnitude of ten. Income, education, age, gender and regional differences (Eastern vs. Western Germany) result in distinct emission profiles. We question the focus on individual behavioral changes and consumption choices to reduce carbon emissions instead of structural changes through political decisions. We argue that emission differences are directly linked to the effects of inequalities and class differences in capitalist societies. Our research results show that natural resource and energy consumption are important for explaining social differentiation in modern societies.

Biomass partitioning and nutrient fluxes in Silphium perfoliatum and silage maize cropping systems

Cup plant cultivation as feedstock for anaerobic digestion has become an emerging topic in European Agriculture. Although there is a gap in methane yields between cup plant and the benchmark crop silage maize, cup plant as a perennial crop provides several ecological advantages. Amongst others, studies have proven its potential for carbon sequestration. With the present study, we addressed the gap in knowledge about biomass partitioning above- and belowground as well as recycling of organic matter and nutrients for cup plant and compared the results to silage maize. Therefore, a 2 year field experiment was conducted under practical conditions on rather shallow soil conditions in a low mountain landscape in Western Germany. Relevant plant fractions like litterfall, yield biomass and stubbles were collected continuously and analyzed for their nutrient contents. Results show that the cup plant is characterized by more than 2000 kg ha− 1 a− 1 of pre-harvest losses with a high palatability. In sum, only 77% of the grown cup plant biomass can be harvested in contrast to 96% of silage maize. Thus, an intense, element-specific nutrient recycling takes place in cup plant whereas this is negligible in silage maize. Furthermore, clearly different, element-specific nutrient exports with yield were highlighted. In cup plant, exports were distinctly lower for nitrogen but several times higher for calcium compared to silage maize. Cup plant also showed 36% more roots with higher root masses particularly in the subsoil.Graphical abstract

Perceptions of the future in adolescence predict depressive symptoms in adolescence and early and middle adulthood.

The current longitudinal study examined the predictive associations between the development of future perceptions in adolescence and depressive symptoms in adolescence and early and middle adulthood. Participants (N = 1,527; 48.3% female; broadly representative of Western Germany with respect to race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status) were measured yearly in adolescence at the age of 12 to 16 years and then in adulthood at the age of 35 and 45. Future perceptions were assessed during adolescence, whereas depressive symptoms were assessed at the age of 16, 35, and 45. Three important results stand out. First, the measure of future perceptions functioned equivalently across adolescence. Second, the development of future perceptions during adolescence varied across individuals, though mean-level stability was evidenced in the sample. Third, individual differences in the level and change of future perceptions during adolescence predicted depressive symptoms in adolescence and adulthood. These findings demonstrate that one's perception of the future not only has short-term affective consequences but may have long-term effects on depressive symptoms beyond adolescence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Impact of the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic on the Utilization of Cancer Rehabilitation: a Difference-in-Differences Analysis

Restricted access to rehabilitative care due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic may affect the participation of cancer survivors and risks progression of the underlying disease. The aim of our analyses was to examined the extent to which cancer rehabilitations in Germany decreased due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Data were retrieved from the German Pension Insurance which is the main provider for medical rehabilitation in Germany. We used monthly cross-sectional data on the utilization of cancer rehabilitation (Ca-rehab-services according to section 15 for working-aged people or section 31 social security code VI for pensioners) in 2019 and 2020. We used a difference-in-differences model to determine the reduction in rehabilitation utilization attributable to the pandemic and reported incidence rate ratios (IRR). We included 146,924 cancer rehabilitations in 2019 and 113,117 cancer rehabilitations in 2020. Compared to the previous year, the nationwide decline in cancer rehabilitations was greatest in April 2020 (63.2%). Utilization of cancer rehabilitation was reduced by 11.5% for benefits according to section 15 social security code VI (IRR=0.885; 95% CI: 0.864 to 0.906) and by 26.5% for benefits according to section 31 (IRR=0.735; 95% CI: 0.717 to 0.754) due to the pandemic. For pensioners the decline in utilization was more pronounced in Western Germany than in Eastern Germany and greater for non-post-acute rehabilitations than for post-acute rehabilitations. The analyses show a pandemic-related decline in cancer rehabilitations, especially in cancer rehabilitation services for pensioners. Failure to seek medical rehabilitation, through which physical and psychological recovery and relief from disease and treatment side effects can be achieved, will have a lasting impact on the participation for many cancer survivors. Repeated monitoring of work ability and health of chronically ill people could generate necessary data to clarify why people in need of rehabilitation have avoided seeking medical rehabilitation and how they can be supported.

Personal Resources of Adolescents in Eastern and Western Germany - Results of the KiGGS Study 15 and 25 years after the German Reunification

More than 15 years after the German reunification, were there differences in the personal resources among adolescents born around 1989 between East and West? How did the differences of this generation develop? Data from the study on the health of children, adolescents and young adults in Germany (KiGGS study) from the years 2003-2006 and 2014-2017 are used to determine the prevalence of low personal resources in 14-17-year-old adolescents in Eastern and Western Germany. Cross-sectional data at both time periods are compared between East and West, and longitudinal data are used to follow the cohort over the course of age RESULTS: Around 15 years after the German reunification, 14- to 17-year-olds from East Germany more frequently show fewer personal resources and have lower self-efficacy expectations than adolescents of the same age in West Germany. 10 years later, these differences are barely visible and have partially reversed. The east-west differences found cannot be explained by the different socio-economic situations of the families in East and West. The results show that in the 2000s, adolescents born around 1989 from families living in Eastern Germany, showed a higher risk of having fewer personal resources than adolescents from families living in Western Germany. 25 years after the German reunification this is no longer recognizable. While the differences between East and West decrease over time, the importance of the socio-economic situation of the family for the personal resources of adolescents as a whole increases, to the detriment of those with a lower socioeconomic status. The results indicate the need for targeted interventions to strengthen psychosocial resources especially for children and adolescents in phases of transformation and biographical breaks.

Trends, events and potential sources of Xe-detections in the German radioxenon network

The measurement of radioxenons (133Xe, 131mXe, 133mXe, 135Xe) in the atmosphere is a keystone for the verification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). At the German Federal Office for Radiation Protection (Bundesamt für Strahlenschutz, BfS) activity concentrations of radioactive noble gases at several sites in Germany have been measured for more than 5 decades, initially to monitor nuclear facilities and since the mid-1990s also to support the development of measurement and monitoring systems and procedures for verification of the CTBT. Average 133Xe activity concentration in air measured daily at station RN33 of the International Monitoring System (IMS) of the CTBTO on Mt Schauinsland has decreased since 2008. Due to the decreasing radioxenon background in the atmosphere, laboratory measurements with less sensitive proportional counters developed in-house are increasingly replaced by an isotope specific β-γ laboratory system for radioxenon analyses. Six years of radioxenon activity concentrations measured with the β-γ laboratory system in weekly samples from monitoring sites in Germany are presented. Activity concentrations of 133Xe in southern Germany are now typically below 1 mBq m−3 and have decreased by an order of magnitude in the past 25 years. Magnitude and variability of 133Xe activity concentrations are generally larger in northern and western Germany compared to the south, most likely due to the prevailing wind directions in the region. Selected, but typical, periods of elevated radioxenon levels at the stations are investigated and the value of stack emission data is demonstrated.