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Changes in the accessibility of a city -- for example, due to the connection to the long-distance rail network for the first time -- not only affect transport demand but can also have catalytic effects on urban development. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study presented in this paper investigates whether long-distance rail stations in Germany between 2004/2005 and 2016/2017 generate such impulses for urban development in their catchment areas via their accessibility level and dynamics. Results show no direct impulses of accessibility on urban development in many cases, suggesting that other reasons such as population and housing pressure or the existence of inner-city (unused) development sites are the more significant factors for urban development dynamics. In addition, accessibility changes are often subject to business considerations that are generally detached from local political and planning goals and interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last two decades, German major cities have shown an impressive comeback as places to live and work. Using the case of Germany's 33 largest cities in terms of population and employment and their functional hinterland, this study identifies cities characterised by above-average growth processes ("boom") and how this "boom" effects the cities' hinterlands. A distinction of these "spillover effects" is made between "slop over effects" in the sense of suburbanisation into the closer hinterland and "enrichment effects" in the sense of regional urbanisation of the wider hinterland. The "spillover effects" are analysed using population and employment dynamics in the cores and the first and second ring of the hinterland. While population development continues to move into the hinterland, employment growth in the surrounding region is orientated towards existing centres and transportation axes. Theories of regional urbanisation developed in other geographical contexts, especially in North America, thus can only be transferred to a limited extent to the German urban context with its historically grown small-scale polycentric structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2017/2018, diversity and quantity of lichens were studied on 53 trees in Rostock city. The results were compared with the results of a mapping project in 1994/1995. Humidity conditions and degree of eutrophication at trees of the genera Tilia and Acer were interpreted with reference to the known indicator characteristcs of the lichen species concerning air humidity/precipitation, eutrophication and pH conditions. In 2017/2018, 79 lichen species and 14 lichenicolous fungus species were found. The total number of lichens increased to 80 species. Most species were found on Tilia spec. (60), Acer pseudoplatanus (43) and A. platanoides (34). The most common species are Phaeophyscia orbicularis, Physcia adscendens, Ph. tenella and Xanthoria parietina. Candelariella xanthostigmoides, Flavoparmelia soredians, Hyperphyscia adglutinata, Intralichen lichenum, Lecanora subcarpinea, Parmelia serrana, Parmelina quercina and Taeniolella delicata are new to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The distribution and characteristics of the collection sites allow for deviding the species into three groups: 1. species also present along streets with heavy traffic or in densely populated residential areas with a lack of green areas and in the districts Kröpeliner Tor-Vorstadt or City Centre, 2. species still present in sparse residential areas and smaller green areas but not in the districts Kröpeliner Tor-Vorstadt or City Centre, 3. species only colonizing trees close to the open landscape. Twenty-two species were assigned to the first, 32 species to the second and 25 species to the latter group. According to the proportion between the sum of frequencies of the strongly nitrophytic lichens and the sum of frequencies of the anitrophytic and moderately nitrophytic lichens on trees, air quality was indicated to be good at 15 trees of the genera Acer and Tilia, moderate at 14 trees and bad at 13 trees. Based on the proportion between the number of basiphytic lichen species and the sum of species colonizing acidophytic and subneutrophytic bark, six locations were categorized as little, 21 locations as moderately and 15 locations as strongly polluted. Mesophytic or hygrophytic lichens were present with only one or two species at ten locations, three to five species at 21 locations and over five species at 11 locations. Within the period under consideration, the epiphytic lichen flora of the Rostock urban area changed considerably. The populations of 69 lichen species increased, with 52 lichens newly establishing after 1995. In 32 lichen species a slight, in 19 species a moderate, and in 18 species a strong population increase was recorded. Lecanora conizaeoides disappeared and the populations of four species decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2017/2018, diversity and quantity of lichens were studied on 53 trees in Rostock city. The results were compared with the results of a mapping project in 1994/1995. Humidity conditions and degree of eutrophication at trees of the genera Tilia and Acer were interpreted with reference to the known indicator characteristcs of the lichen species concerning air humidity/precipitation, eutrophication and pH conditions. In 2017/2018, 79 lichen species and 14 lichenicolous fungus species were found. The total number of lichens increased to 80 species. Most species were found on Tilia spec. (60), Acer pseudoplatanus (43) and A. platanoides (34). The most common species are Phaeophyscia orbicularis, Physcia adscendens, Ph. tenella and Xanthoria parietina. Candelariella xanthostigmoides, Flavoparmelia soredians, Hyperphyscia adglutinata, Intralichen lichenum, Lecanora subcarpinea, Parmelia serrana, Parmelina quercina and Taeniolella delicata are new to Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The distribution and characteristics of the collection sites allow for deviding the species into three groups: 1. species also present along streets with heavy traffic or in densely populated residential areas with a lack of green areas and in the districts Kröpeliner Tor-Vorstadt or City Centre, 2. species still present in sparse residential areas and smaller green areas but not in the districts Kröpeliner Tor-Vorstadt or City Centre, 3. species only colonizing trees close to the open landscape. Twenty-two species were assigned to the first, 32 species to the second and 25 species to the latter group. According to the proportion between the sum of frequencies of the strongly nitrophytic lichens and the sum of frequencies of the anitrophytic and moderately nitrophytic lichens on trees, air quality was indicated to be good at 15 trees of the genera Acer and Tilia, moderate at 14 trees and bad at 13 trees. Based on the proportion between the number of basiphytic lichen species and the sum of species colonizing acidophytic and subneutrophytic bark, six locations were categorized as little, 21 locations as moderately and 15 locations as strongly polluted. Mesophytic or hygrophytic lichens were present with only one or two species at ten locations, three to five species at 21 locations and over five species at 11 locations. Within the period under consideration, the epiphytic lichen flora of the Rostock urban area changed considerably. The populations of 69 lichen species increased, with 52 lichens newly establishing after 1995. In 32 lichen species a slight, in 19 species a moderate, and in 18 species a strong population increase was recorded. Lecanora conizaeoides disappeared and the populations of four species decreased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Liver transplantation is the only curative treatment option for patients with end-stage liver disease; however, the 40% decline of available organ donors in recent years in Germany necessitates the optimization of available resources and possibly extending the criteria to older donors. Material and methods: All 2652 livers made available to the Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin from 2010 to 2016 were retrospectively analyzed and the clinical outcome of 526 liver transplantations during this time frame were evaluated. Results: The median age of donors of transplanted organs increased from 49.3 years in 2010 to 57.3 years in 2016 (p = 0.02). Organs from donors ≥65 years were more frequently discarded than organs from younger donors (n = 344, 18.4% vs. n = 220, 28.1%; p = 0.005). Moreover, the older donors had higher rates of diabetes mellitus and hepatic steatosis. Organs from older donors had a higher donor risk index (2.8 vs. 2.2; p < 0.001) and were transplanted more often in patients with preserved liver function and hepatocellular carcinoma and liver cirrhosis (n = 121, 74.7% of indications). The 3‑year survival after liver transplantation from donors ≥65 and ≥80 years old was not significantly reduced in comparison to younger donors; however, there was an increased retransplantation rate (28.6%; p = 0.005) after transplantation of organs from donors ≥80 years old. Conclusion: Despite conservative organ acceptance there were higher rates of retransplantation after transplantation from very old donors. In the light of an increasing scarcity of suitable organs this mandates caution and highlights the need for adequate assessment instruments for marginal donor organs before transplantation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pinewood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is the most harmful plant parasitic nematode on trees in Asia and Europe and is the causal agent of the so-called pine wilt disease of susceptible conifer species, mainly Pinus spp. The disease has occurred only outside its natural range of distribution (North America) or on nonnative pine species. In greenhouse trials using saplings, Pinus sylvestris was one of the most susceptible European pine species. To examine the significance of these sapling-based analyses concerning the population dynamics and pathogenicity for mature P. sylvestris trees, investigations using seven- to eight-year-old trees were carried out. The trees were artificially inoculated using a suspension of 10,000 B. xylophilus in 600 µl of tap water per tree. For the population dynamics investigation, the pines were divided into 48 segments for nematode extraction. The development of wilt symptoms as well as physiological changes were observed until tree death. During the population dynamics investigation, B. xylophilus was located at the inoculation site and in adjacent segments during the first 11 days after inoculation. On day 16, B. xylophilus was distributed throughout the entire stem, adjacent branch segments, root collar and roots before any external wilt symptoms appeared. With increasing pine wilt disease, B. xylophilus was finally found in all wood and root segments. High nematode densities appeared. Shortly before tree death, the treetop showed several nematode-free segments. The rest of the stem and adjacent branch segments and root collar were highly nematode-infested. During the pathogenicity investigation, all B. xylophilus-inoculated pines died within 84 days. The significant decline in the water potential in the needles was steeper and more strongly correlated with increasing wilt symptoms compared to a droughtstressed variant. However, the decline in the water potential in the needles started earlier in the drought-stressed pine variant. In conclusion, the population dynamics of B. xylophilus in seven- to eight-year-old P. sylvestris trees and the pathological reactions of the pines were comparable to those observed in assays with saplings, although delayed in reaching a population peak and developing wilt symptoms. Therefore, P. sylvestris saplings are good indicator trees for B. xylophilus population dynamics and pathogenicity investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations with pitfall traps into the influence of crop species on the dynamics of arthropod communities are presented. They included four perennial crops (extensive grassland, miscanthus and poplar and willow tree species) as well as winter barley as annual crop. The cultivars determined the diversity (Shannon-Weaver-Index) of arthropod communities, whereby the diversity of the tree species was mostly statistically different from the diversity in agricultural crops. This finding was due to temporal changes in the species stock (species identity) and the species dominance (dominance identity) and demonstrates high dynamics of arthropod presence within and between crops. The crop species lead to temporally and locally separated metapopulations. Possible driving forces stimulating the adaptation of arthropod communities to crops were analyzed by recording the energy status of the cropping systems. It was based on management data, plant yields and accompanying information about biomass accumulation. The term "agricultural energy gain" summarizes these influences on the energy level. The return of biomass to the cultivation system was described as "ecosystem energy gain". Both parameters elucidate the arthropod presence within the crops. Increasing agricultural energy gain was negatively related in contrast to the energy gain of the entire ecosystem. Furthermore, the splitting of arthropods into functional groups helped to explain the species and dominance variation of arthropod communities between crops. This is based on the need for energy dissipation and influences the energy flow across trophic levels. The position of arthropod species within the food web gets modified. The results show that energy-based data serve to evaluate the biodiversity status of cropping systems. They can be the basis for derivation of indirect status or impact indicators. In addition, the findings promote the understanding of ecosystem processes and the meaning of "intensity" in the context of ecologically sustainable land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A report on a symposium entitled "Nationalsozialistisches Migrationsregime und 'Volksgemeinschaft'" (The National Socialist Migration Regime and the 'People's Community'), held at the Deutsches Historisches Museum (German Historical Museum) in Berlin, Germany, from November 19-20, 2010, is presented. Papers presented dealt with a variety of topics under the broad theme of the political, social, and economic implications of migration flows and patterns in Nazi Germany.