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Ultrasound practice is a longstanding tradition for radiology departments, being part of the family of imaging techniques. Ultrasound is widely practiced by non-radiologists but becoming less popular within radiology. The position of ultrasound in radiology is reviewed, and a possible long-term solution to manage radiologist expectations is proposed. An international group of experts in the practice of ultrasound was invited to describe the current organisation of ultrasound within the radiology departments in their own countries and comment on the interaction with non-radiologists and training arrangements. Issues related to regulation, non-medical practitioners, and training principles are detailed. A consensus view was sought from the experts regarding the position of ultrasound within radiology, with the vision of the best scenario for the continuing dominance of radiologists practising ultrasound. Comments were collated from nine different countries. Variable levels of training, practice, and interaction with non-radiologist were reported, with some countries relying on non-physician input to manage the service. All experts recognised there was a diminished desire to practice ultrasound by radiologists. Models varied from practising solely ultrasound and no other imaging techniques to radiology departments being central to the practice of ultrasound by radiologists and non-radiologist, housed within radiology. The consensus view was that the model favoured in select hospitals in Germany would be the most likely setup for ultrasound radiologist to develop and maintain practice. The vision for 20 years hence is for a central ultrasound section within radiology, headed by a trained expert radiologist, with non-radiologist using the facilities. Critical relevance statement The future of ultrasound within the radiology department should encompass all ultrasound users, with radiologists expert in ultrasound, managing the ultrasound section within the radiology department. The current radiology trainees must learn of the importance of ultrasound as a component of the 'holistic' imaging of the patient. Key points: 1. Ultrasound imaging within radiology departments precedes the introduction of CT and MR imaging and was first used over 50 years ago. 2. Non-radiology practitioners deploy ultrasound examinations to either 'problem solve' or perform a comprehensive ultrasound examination; radiologists provide comprehensive examinations or use ultrasound to direct interventional procedures. 3. Radiology does not 'own' ultrasound, but radiologists are best placed to offer a comprehensive patient-focused imaging assessment. 4. A vision of the future of ultrasound within the radiology department is encompassing all ultrasound users under radiologists who are experts in ultrasound, positioned within the radiology department. 5. The current radiology trainee must be aware of the importance of ultrasound as a component of the 'holistic' imaging of the patient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global trend in manufacturing has shifted from a manufacturing-centric process toward a user-centric process. This has resulted in a shorter lifespan and a high product replacement rate of any consumer product. Germany has introduced the concept of Industry Revolution 4.0 (IR 4.0) to convert manufacturing processes and mechanisms into cyber-physical systems (CPS). Digital factory, being the first step into CPS and IR4.0, is being targeted as the most important evolution of the manufacturing industry. This paper defines digital factories and their differences between other similar domains such as smart factories, CPS, and virtual factories. The requirements and goals of a digital factory are explained in detail to facilitate future digital factory tool developments. Furthermore, the current challenges faced in the implementation of the digital factory are proposed to be approached by adapting an interoperable virtual reality technology. This paper emphasizes the usage of virtual reality (VR) in simulating a digital factory that aids in the decision-making and efficient operation of a manufacturing facility. Furthermore, recommendations gathered from previous studies for developing VR-based digital factory tools are also explained in detail in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To give an overview of the multicenter Prostate Cancer Outcomes (PCO) study, involving paper-based and web-based collection of patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) in patients undergoing local treatment for prostate cancer in certified centers in Germany. The PCO study is part of the larger Movember-funded TrueNTH Global Registry. The article reports on the study's design and provides a brief progress report after the first 2 years of data collection. Methods: Prostate cancer centers (PCCs) certified according to German Cancer Society requirements were invited to participate in collecting patient-reported information on symptoms and function before and at least once (at 12 months) after treatment. The data were matched with disease and treatment information. This report describes progress in patient inclusion, response rate, and variations between centers relative to online/paper use, and also data quality, including recruitment variations relative to treatment in the first participating PCCs. Results: PCC participation increased over time; 44 centers had transferred data for 3094 patients at the time of this report. Patient recruitment varied widely across centers. Recruitment was highest among patients undergoing radical prostatectomy. The completeness of the data was good, except for comorbidity information. Conclusions: The PCO study benefits from a quality improvement system first established over 10 years ago, requiring collection and harmonization of a predefined clinical dataset across centers. Nevertheless, establishing a PROM routine requires substantial effort on the part of providers and constant monitoring in order to achieve high-quality data. The findings reported here may be useful for guiding implementation in similar initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The German engineer H.A. Janssen gave one of the first accounts of the often peculiar behavior of granular material in a paper published in German in 1895. From simple experiments with corn he inferred the saturation of pressure with height in a granular system. Subsequently, Janssen derived the equivalent of the barometric formula for granular material from the main assumption that the walls carry part of the weight. The following is a translation of this article. The wording is chosen as close as possible to the original. While drawings are copied from the original, figures displaying data are redone for better readability. The translation is complemented by some bibliographical notes and an assessment of earlier work, wherein Hagen predicted the saturation of pressure with depth in 1852, and Huber-Burnand demonstrated that saturation qualitatively as early as in 1829. We conclude with a brief discussion of more recent developments resting on Janssen's work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an innovative approach to decentralized data management in the German energy market, focusing on the use of decentralized data management with the help of Data Spaces to facilitate the automated change of energy suppliers within 24 h. The central focus of this research is the MakoMaker Space, a demonstrator project that employs the Connector from the Eclipse Data Space Components. The MakoMaker project demonstrates the successful automation of energy supplier changes, emphasizing the preservation of customer data sovereignty. It shows an alternative approach to the process, putting the customer into the center. Customers retain control of their data, which is accessible to providers as needed. While the paper discusses the potential for further enhancements, such as the integration of an identity provider and the development of a sustainable business model for service coordination, the primary focus is on the demonstrator's successful application in a pilot setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The characterization of how entrepreneurial a region or country is, has generally been shaped by a narrow view of what actually constitutes entrepreneurship. In the case of Germany, this has led to a characterization of Germany as not being particularly entrepreneurial. Such a view is at odds with the remarkable, high-performing family business, widely held to be the backbone of the economy. The purpose of this paper is to suggest that the interpretation prevalent in entrepreneurship literature is problematic due to a too narrow operationalization of the entrepreneurship concept. As Zahra (2007; 2014) emphasized, context matters for entrepreneurship, especially on a local or spatial level. One particular organizational manifestation of entrepreneurship, family business, may be congruent in specific spatial and institutional contexts but not in others. Other geographic and institutional contexts may be congruent with the contrasting startups. Thus, an important and novel contribution of this paper is to analyze the geography of family business as distinct from startups: two ends of the entrepreneurship continuum, embedded in different kinds of entrepreneurial ecosystems. We generate innovative maps working with official data, showing the distinct distribution of both kinds of entrepreneurship in different ecosystems. These findings are connected with spatial effects, living conditions and lead to recommendations for policy measures. The paper focuses on Germany, because startups as well as family business are prevalent and can be found in all regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric vehicles (EVs) are expected to be vital in transitioning to a low-carbon energy system. However, integrating EVs into the power grid poses significant challenges for grid operators and energy suppliers, especially regarding the uncertainty and variability of EV charging demand. Accurate forecasting of EV charging demand is essential for optimal power system integration, yet previous studies have often only considered point predictions that are inadequate for risk assessment. Therefore, this paper compares different probabilistic forecasting models for the short-term prediction of EV charging demand at various aggregation levels, using a large and novel dataset of over 350,000 charging processes at more than 500 locations across Germany. The performance of both machine learning and deep learning methods is evaluated against a naïve benchmark model, and the impact of data availability on the forecasting models is investigated. Further, the paper examines the effects of forecast accuracy on energy procurement, which has so far received minor attention in the literature. The results show that machine learning methods such as Ada Boosting and Random Forest yield robust results with a normalized root mean square error of 0.42 and 0.41 and a mean absolute scaled error of 0.36 and 0.34 at the highest aggregation level. Furthermore, the results show the influence of different site compositions on the forecast quality and how many charging points are likely to yield a robust forecast. Energy and fleet managers can use the described method to reliably predict the required energy quantities for fleets of sufficient size and procure them at low risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globalization and complex supply chain networks have been affecting Logistics Services Providers' (LSPs) service delivery and service expectations. Logistics Service Quality (LSQ) is becoming a more important aspect for LSPs and logistics service customers. In recent years, there has been an increase in the studies on service quality in logistics. Researchers have been trying to identify aspects of LSQ and its dimensions in order to create a measurement model that could be used in overall logistics services. However, there is still neither a unified nor agreed LSQ measurement model in the literature and researchers have been debating continuously on the proposed models. This paper targets to investigate and suggest LSQ measurement dimensions obtained from previous studies by analyzing the findings within a systematic approach and improving the findings with semi-structured interviews. In this study, systematic literature analysis has been conducted to research papers published in selected academic databases with specific keyword and keyword cluster searches to identify the related articles published within a specified period. Papers have been selected in accordance with the predefined criteria. As a result, a total of 59 articles have been determined for the search criteria and the findings obtained were analyzed. Most frequently used research trends and methods on service quality in logistics have been identified. In addition, the most frequently used LSQ dimensions and factors have been reviewed. Moreover, the most frequently used service quality approaches and measurement models have been analyzed. The results received from systematic literature review have been composed and dimensions have been identified. Semi-structured interviews with LSPs and customers of LSPs in Germany-based companies have been conducted to strengthen the findings gained from systematic literature review. 5 LSQ dimensions and 24 factors have been formed with the help of semi-structured interviews. This paper represents the basis for further research for empirical studies and can be used as a guideline for quality management practices in logistics applications and transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The viability of fiber optics reflectance spectroscopy (FORS) for the differentiation of red chalk drawing media was investigated, focusing on the group of drawings from the workshop of Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720–1778) at the Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, Germany. The evaluation of spectra was supported by principal component analysis (PCA). The method was tested on mock-up drawings made with recently acquired natural and synthetic red chalks of known origin. It was possible to sort these mock-up drawings according to chalk type and application technique. The compositional differences of these reference chalks were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Subsequent FORS analysis of selected original drawings revealed the existence of several closely grouped clusters, implying similarities on the basis of the underlying spectral features among the historical red chalks used in Rome. These similarities distinguished the historical drawings from the red chalk mock-up drawings, except for the drawings made with red chalk samples from the area near the town of Theley, Germany, which were shown to bear close similarities to those in the cluster of historical samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education is a key determinant of wage development. The relationship between education and wages is particularly strong in countries with vocationally oriented educational systems and a clear distinction between general and vocational education, such as Germany and Switzerland. However, whether general and vocational education offer the same returns to education is an ongoing debate. Previous findings from international research are still inconclusive. Against this background and based on theoretical arguments from human capital and signalling theory and the task-specific learning-by-doing approach, our paper examines the long-term wage development of Swiss university and professional education degree holders from the time they obtain their tertiary degree until their late career. It asks how differences between the two groups in wage development may be explained. Our results, produced with regression decomposition methods, show that within the first 20 years after graduation, university degree holders experience steeper wage growth. An important reason for this difference is that university graduates move more often than vocational tertiary degree holders into well-paid labour market positions endowed with formal authority, management responsibility, and a large proportion of cognitive nonroutine tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Renewable energies are key to reduce CO2 emissions and other environmental impacts of fossil-fueled electricity generation. However, renewable energy systems can also cause negative environmental effects. In this paper, we analyze the potential environmental trade-offs associated with different spatio-technical (de)centralization options for a renewable electricity system. For this purpose, we first review the potential environmental life cycle impacts of key technologies for renewable electricity systems. Subsequently, we develop a framework identifying which factors determine actual environmental effects of renewable electricity systems. We apply the framework to four basic spatio-technical (de)centralization options for the future Germany electricity system. Results: Our analysis shows that all (de)centralization options are associated with potential environmental trade-offs. We find that the (de)centralization of the system is a relevant factor determining these trade-offs. For instance, the two more centralized options considered have lower environmental impacts related to PV, whereas the two more decentralized options have lower environmental impacts related to grid infrastructure. However, we also find that the trade-offs depend on the specific way (de)centralization is pursued. For instance, only in one of the two considered more decentralized development options, there is a potential environmental trade-off between higher impacts related to battery storage and lower impacts related to offshore wind power. Conclusions: Our analysis reveals that the spatio-technical (de)centralization of a renewable electricity system plays a role for its environmental trade-offs while further factors like the institutional and stakeholder management in place also shape the environmental trade-offs. Policy makers should acknowledge the identified potential environmental trade-offs and their influencing factors when making policies favoring certain spatio-technical (de)centralization options. Highlights: Review of potential environmental impacts of key renewable technologies Framework on determinants of actual environmental effects of electricity systems Review of electricity system (de)centralization scenarios for Germany Application of framework to four spatio-technical (de)centralization options Environmental trade-off analysis for the four (de)centralization options [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantum computing (QC) is a new and disruptive technology with large economic potential especially in application and downstream value creation stages. Hence, it is important for an economy to understand the current implementation state and to know the ecosystem to support the successful industrial application of this technology. Regularly identifying potential areas of improvement and then defining appropriate actions is necessary to ensure a leading position. Therefore, the Quantum Technology and Application Consortium (QUTAC) has developed a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) framework consisting of 24 KPIs that represent a country's performance in applying QC. Detailed measurement guidelines and clear data sources ensure transparency of measurement, reproducibility of KPI values and comparability over time. An aggregation method allows summarizing the results of all KPIs. Thus, it is possible to assess the performance of each stakeholder involved and to calculate a single composite indicator that represents the country's performance. The KPI framework can be adapted to any country and enables the comparison of the performance of different countries. It is a proposal for standardizing the evaluation of QC and its ecosystem on a national level. Thus, strengths and weaknesses can be identified and measurements for improvement derived. The paper highlights the development of the framework, its main features and the application of the framework to Germany. Based on the results, we will discuss the current state of QC application in Germany and make possible suggestions for improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The promises and risks of Artificial Intelligence permeate current policy statements and have attracted much attention by AI governance research. However, most analyses focus exclusively on AI policy on the national and international level, overlooking existing federal governance structures. This is surprising because AI is connected to many policy areas, where the competences are already distributed between the national and subnational level, such as research or economic policy. Addressing this gap, this paper argues that more attention should be dedicated to subnational efforts to shape AI and asks which themes are discussed in subnational AI policy documents with a case study of Germany's 16 states. Our qualitative analysis of 34 AI policy documents issued on the subnational level demonstrates that subnational efforts focus on knowledge transfer between research and industry actors, the commercialization of AI, different economic identities of the German states, and the incorporation of ethical principles. Because federal states play an active role in AI policy, analysing AI as a policy issue on different levels of government is necessary and will contribute to a better understanding of the developments and implementations of AI strategies in different national contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interleukin17 (IL17) is an important cytokine in host defense at mucosal surfaces and also mediates many autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In recent years, many types of research relevant to the structure and function of IL17 have been identified. However, there is no bibliometric analysis in this research field. This study aims to explore the history, research hotspots, and emerging trends of IL17 from the perspective of the structure and function dynamics. Methods: Articles relevant to IL17 in the last two decades were retrieved through the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database. The bibliometric analysis was performed by VOSview. Results: A total of 882 papers in this research were analyzed from 65 countries, and the rate of published articles has increased from 2008 annually, with the USA, China, and Germany leading the research effort. Frontiers in Immunology has significantly impacted research in this field and the University of Pittsburgh was the leading institution. Gaffen, Sarah L. from the University of Pittsburgh was the most productive researcher in this field and Papp Ka from the Probity Medical Research Incorporate of Canada is the most co-cited author. The analysis of keywords showed that inflammation, expression, Th17 cells, and cytokines were the main hotspots and frontier directions of IL17. The trend of clinical application in the future is the development of new therapy drugs based on the structure of IL17 or IL17 signaling pathway molecular. Conclusions: Our research summarized the developments and research trends of IL17 and would help researchers understand the research status of IL17 and provide a reference for future researchers as soon as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate movements have gained momentum in recent years, aiming to create public awareness of the consequences of climate change through salient climate protests. This paper investigates whether concerns about climate change increase following demonstrative protests and confrontational acts of civil disobedience. Leveraging individual-level survey panel data from Germany, we exploit exogenous variations in the timing of climate protests relative to survey interview dates to compare climate change concerns in the days before and after a protest (N = 24,535). Following climate protests, we find increases in concerns about climate change by, on average, 1.2 percentage points. Further, we find no statistically significant evidence that concerns of any subpopulation decreased after climate protests. Lastly, the increase in concerns following protests is highest when concern levels before the protests are low. Climate movements aim to raise public awareness of climate change through protests, but their efficacy is debated. Here, the authors show that concerns about climate change increased in Germany after climate strikes and non-violent acts of civil disobedience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite Germany's world leadership of Energiewende, there have been mounting challenges, such as the slowdown of German renewable energy growth since 2017, when the Merkel administration dramatically changed the German renewable energy promotion policy from feed-in tariffs to competitive auctions. These challenges pose important research questions about whether and how an emerging urban expansion of Energiewende can serve as a vital solution to counteract the challenges to the energy transition. Answering these research questions provides a unique opportunity to explore the academic and historic foundations of the energy transition and its urban expansion, the emerging events that exemplify urban expansion, and the viable solutions this growing trend of urban expansion might be able to provide to the challenges to the German energy transition. Methods: This paper conducted visual and manual bibliometric analyses, examined the results of case studies, and reviewed secondary literature and data on urban expansion of German Energiewende. Results: By analyzing the bibliometric and investigative results, this paper identified political, socioeconomic, and technological challenges to Energiewende and a new trend of solar energy expansion in German cities aimed at meeting Germany's carbon neutrality targets by 2045. The new trend of the urban expansion of the German energy transition manifests itself in the focused research efforts on identifying the vast untapped potential on new building rooftop areas in most populous German cities and/or detached and two-family houses in Germany and the recent booming of building-related solar PV and heating mandates in German cities and states, the expanding solar heating and cooling systems, and the government policy support at various levels in this urban expansion through aggressively strengthening climate and renewable energy targets. Conclusions: In search for answers to the recent challenges of Energiewende in Germany, this paper conducted both visual and manual bibliometric analyses and applied desk research and reviews of secondary literature and data. This paper found an emerging trend of the urban expansion of Energiewende, including the awareness of the vast potential and gap of urban solarization and the enhanced urban municipal policies, actors, actions, and accomplishments of exploiting this potential. These findings were based on academic knowledge on the German energy transition and contribute to expanding this academic knowledge. To help more effectively exploit the vast potential in solarizing all German cities, especially the largest ones, this study recommends that further research more closely track the progress of this trend and apply more quantitative tools and approaches in future tracking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As lignite mining protests and #FridaysForFuture demonstrations gained momentum in Germany and further protests have been developing over time, this paper investigates the various causes and effects of the country's energy transition. Society and politics alongside economic, environmental, and technological developments have led to a profound and continuous transformation of the energy system, a transformation which is remarkable in terms of reach and speed for an economy of the size of Germany's. Pressure to transform the country's entire energy system even faster has recently been levelled due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Results: From the perspective of the different pillars of sustainability and various stakeholder groups, this paper discusses the influences and their interdependencies towards the status quo of the German energy sector. We have used the cause-and-effect analysis method to answer the question of why major energy generators in Germany are still struggling with the energy transition, as well as the question of why a strategy towards more sustainability is needed to maintain Germany's industrial strength in the long run. We found that energy transition in Germany is substantially driven by society, which pushes political decisions that lead to an economic transition, while environmental incidents are only triggers for further societal and political doings. Furthermore, technological developments fulfil only needs and do not necessarily hurry ahead of time. Conclusions: Overall, the article creates a profound understanding of the factors influencing the German energy transition which is deeply embedded in the European energy system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on the controversy created by a stem cell paper by a team of German biologists published in the 2004 issue of "Applied Physics". Public announcement of the research as a breakthrough in adult stem-cell technology; Protests against research using embryonic lines; Criticisms of the research.

Background: The accumulation of trace elements in mosses is used as an indirect measure of atmospheric deposition and an important complement to the techniques used to monitor the Geneva Air Pollution Convention. The aim of this paper is to quantify and map temporal and spatial trends of metal enrichment in mosses collected in Germany in 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2015 and 2020. Collection and chemical analysis of the moss samples were carried out according to international guidelines. Results: The analysis shows that since 1990, the median concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Sb in the mosses have been decreasing significantly, with the with the highest decline of Pb (− 86%). This trend reversed in 2000 and 2005 and between 2015 and 2020 by increases in the concentrations of some trace elements. In the 2000 Moss Survey, higher concentrations were measured for Cd, Cu, Ni and Sb than in 2015, ranging from + 26% (Cu) to + 165% (Ni). For As and Pb, no significant changes can be observed in 2020 compared to 2015. The increase in metal concentrations in the mosses over the last five years does not correspond to the corresponding trends in reported metal emissions in Germany (2015–2020). In contrast, the long-term trends of the As, Cd, Cu, Ni and Pb concentrations measured in the mosses showed good overall correspondence with the emission trends in Germany (1990–2020). The long-term trends of the moss data are mostly weaker than those of the emission data. The spatial patterns of the temporal trends were mapped and discussed for As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Sb. Conclusions: The study shows that for valid monitoring of atmospheric deposition, it is not enough to consider only emission data or the modelled deposition derived from these data. In this respect, the study provides one of many necessary contributions to the discussion on the extent to which analytes of current monitoring programmes are still relevant and up-to-date and whether there are new substances that are also relevant or even more relevant than existing analytes and to what extent this should be taken into account in designing future environmental monitoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the question whether and to what extent the experience of online hate speech affects victims' sense of security. Studies on hate crime in general show that such crimes are associated with a significantly higher feeling of insecurity, but there is little evidence concerning feeling of insecurity due to online hate speech. Based on a secondary data analysis of a representative population survey in Lower Saxony, Germany, on the topic of cybercrime in 2020 (N = 4,102), we tested three hypotheses regarding the effect of offline and online hate speech on feelings of insecurity. As a result, compared to non-victims, victims of online hate speech exhibit a more pronounced feeling of insecurity outside the Internet, while victims of other forms of cybercrime do not differ in this regard from non-victims. We found no effect for offline hate speech when relevant control variables were included in the statistical model. Possible reasons for this finding are assumed to lie in the characteristics of the phenomenon of online hate speech, for example, because the hateful content spreads uncontrollably on the Internet and reaches its victims even in protected private spheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a digital training for social and emotional competences for prospective medical assistants (MAs) in Germany. Social and emotional competences (SEC) are necessary for the collaboration with colleagues as well as for the contact with clients, patients or customers. The German dual system of vocational education and training (VET) therefore considers them as essential parts of the profile of most training occupations. Nevertheless, few materials exist so far for the systematic training of these competences. In former studies three social and emotional competences have been identified as essential for MAs: emotion regulation, perspective coordination and communication strategies. At the same time development needs have been identified for all of them. To address these needs the three hours online training programme SECOTrain (Social and Emotional Competence Training) has been developed, which offers separate training sessions for all three competences. The aim of the paper is to depict how the fostering of social and emotional competences can be approached via a digital training, report our experiences with this endeavour and to discuss associated advantages as well as challenges and ways to deal with them. Digital formats offer new possibilities and chances for education and training, as they facilitate access to the content in a standardized and efficient way. An independent processing of trainings is made possible, regardless of time and teacher. At the same time, this comes along with a risk of overstraining some learners, as problems of understanding or motivation may occur. SECOTrain transfers pedagogical ideas into the context of digital learning to reduce these risks as much as possible. Each of the three training sessions follows the principles of the Cognitive Apprenticeship approach and is inspired by existing theories and trainings. Video sequences of typical critical interaction situations serve as material for explanation, application and reflection to support a strong practical orientation. Effects of the training will be evaluated in a pretest–posttest-follow-up experimental design. The paper presents goals and content as well as methods, pedagogical principles and theoretical foundation of SECOTrain. Furthermore, results of a small pilot study are presented and discussed with regard to further adjusting the training to the needs of the target group. At the end, an outline of the planned evaluation is given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using new data from a three-wave panel survey administered in Germany between May 2020 and May 2021, this paper studies the impact of a negative shock affecting all strata of the population, such as the development of COVID-19, on preferences for redistribution. Exploiting the plausibly exogenous change in the severity of the infection rate at the county level, we show that, contrary to some theoretical expectations, the worse the crisis, the less our respondents expressed support for redistribution. We provide further evidence that this is not driven by a decrease in inequality aversion but might be driven by the individuals' level of trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that only two of 47 fraudulent scientific papers involved in a German scandal have been retracted. Why authors are reluctant to retract; Response of journals that published the papers; Retraction policies in scientific journals.

In this article, the global research status and future trends of cadastre were evaluated by using bibliometric analysis. This study is based on the analysis of research topics, scientific production, collaboration among countries and authors, and most cited papers on cadastre research which obtained from database of Scopus during the time period from 1958 to 2018. A total of 4220 papers were published in 128 different journals and most of them were original articles (2906, 68.8%) followed by conference paper (966, 22.9%). It found that Germany was the most productive country with 218 papers and 5.2% of total literature followed by United States and Australia. University of Melbourne was found to publish the highest number of documents with 85 papers and to cover 4.2% of the total literature followed by Delft University of Technology. Most used five keywords were "cadastre", "GIS", "surveying", "mapping" and "land use" (n = 945, 791, 300, 296 and 294 times, respectively). The top two authors who contributed most were Williamson, I.P. (69 articles), Van Oosterom P. (40 articles). The top-cited publication was "Analysis of land-cover transitions based on seventeenth and eighteenth century cadastral maps and aerial photographs" written by Cousins, in Landscape Ecology in 2001. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social network theories are used extensively to analyze the international migration of Chinese to overseas regions in the era of Market Economy Reform since 1978. Attention is paid especially on the role of social networks among overseas Chinese on disaster relief in China. Focusing on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this paper investigates how social networks work as a crucial mechanism through which Chinese immigrants in Germany initiated and delivered monetary and material donations to China in early 2020 and then organized self-help in their everyday lives in Germany in late 2020. Different from previous studies, this paper scrutinizes social networks for disaster relief on the macro, meso, and micro levels. Multi-site ethnographic fieldwork in China and Germany combined with online and offline data collected from focus group sessions, interviews with individuals, participant observations, surveys, analysis of news reports on the pandemic, and analysis on relevant policies are utilized comprehensively to collect data on the three levels. This research discovers that internet tools – represented by WeChat – have integrated tightly into the traditional social networks of Chinese immigrants and consolidated the cultural cohesion from overseas Chinese to their connections in China. This paper aims at contributing to present studies on Chinese new immigrants, social network, and disaster management theories with an updated ethnographic case on the COVID-19 pandemic from Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the research conducted by Nicolas von Beckerath and Dirk Taubert to assess factors why the drug clopidogrel for some individuals in Cologne, Germany. They found that polymorphisms in gene encoding of cytochrome P450 enzyme is the cause why some have lower plasma levels and at risk of heart disease. Taubert discovered that cytochrome P450 enzymes are needed in the breakdown of the drug to intermediate metabolite, but esterase transformed it to its active state.

The article discusses the study of Ulli Eichman and colleagues of Max Born Institute in Berlin, Germany on the acceleration of neutral atoms using a strong laser pulse. It notes that Eichman and colleagues have used helium atoms in their experiment because of its atomic featherweight that can easily be push around with strong forces, and reveals that it has survived the strong laser. It mentions that its survival was because of the ability of helium's electron to oscillate near its ionic core.

The article provides information on a study on the spatial memory of the flies conducted by a group of German researchers lead by Ronald Strauss of the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany. It mentions that the ability of the flies to choose how to navigate their surroundings depend on their capacity for short-term, spatial memory. Strauss and his colleagues built a virtual reality fly arena to investigate whether the flies have brain. The wings of the flies were clipped and they were surrounded by a water moat. The result of the study suggests that the capacity of the flies for short-term memory is comparable to that of humans.

The article cites study conducted by Jan Born and his colleagues in Germany on how electrical oscillations during sleep help people remember things. It has been noted that oscillations in electrical activity occur at varying rates of the sleep cycle, with peak activity during rapid-eye-movement sleep and lowest during deep sleep. The study found that the neocortex created a more pronounced slow wave oscillations after stimulation.

The article provides an overview of a study conducted by scientist Giulio Superti-Furga and his colleagues on protein complexes. The group studied yeast proteins at Cellzome, the biotechnology firm co-founded by Superti-Furga in Heidelberg, Germany. They discovered that proteins form hundreds of core complexes. They also found out that these proteins can combine with other proteins to gain additional capabilities.

Presents an article that assesses the work experiences of Ann Holbourn, a geoscientist at Christian Albrechts University in Kiel, Germany. Research study on Miocene epoch; Details of the study; Success of the drilling approach; Results of the study shows that Holbourn and her team found drastic changes in both oxygen and carbon isotopes.

The article presents information about tobacco industry in Germany. The tobacco industry is now notorious for its attempts to influence the public-health sector in recent decades. An analysis of millions of industry documents reveals just how successful companies were at enlisting Germany's top health experts in tobacco-friendly studies. The study was commissioned by the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, which asked sociologist Dietmar Jazbinsek to search Internet archives of more than 40 million documents that a U.S. court forced the tobacco industry to make public in 1998.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries used short-time work schemes, i.e., subsidies for temporary working hours reductions due to production drops. In Germany, regulations on entitlements and benefits have been much more generous during the pandemic than they were in noncrisis times. This paper conducts a factorial survey experiment among the workforce to investigate which amounts of short-time benefits and which associated replacement rates were perceived as appropriate during the pandemic. We interpret our findings in the context of the deservingness theory. Our results show that the assessments are partly consistent with the legal design features in Germany. One of our key findings is that, according to respondents, the short-time allowance should decrease slightly with an increasing duration of short-time work. In Germany, however, with the onset of the pandemic, a rule was temporarily implemented that step-wise increased short-time work benefits with the duration of short-time work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns of an increase in heavy rainfall events due to global warming and climate change, which can result in significant economic costs for insurance companies and businesses. To address this challenge, insurance companies are focusing on developing new risk management strategies and offering new products such as flood insurance. However, the article argues that effective and feasible coordination shortens recovery time and can therefore drastically reduce the financial costs of a crisis—that is, the insurance costs. The paper analyses the deficit in crisis management during heavy rain events in Germany, based on the 2021 Ahr valley flood. The analysis is conducted based on document analysis and interviews and focuses on three areas of deficit: coordination between crisis staffs and (1) civil society, (2) emergency responders, and (3) political leaders. The paper highlights the importance of coordination during a crisis, which can help to address the crisis more efficiently and effectively, minimise damage and get communities back on their feet faster. The paper recommends policy changes to improve interface management and disaster management coordination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To assess quality of life and unmet needs after stroke, patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) have gained increasing attention. However, patients' perspectives on assessing PROMs remain unclear, potentially hindering implementation into clinical practice. Therefore, this study explored patients' preferences on assessing PROMs after ischemic stroke. Methods: A paper-based questionnaire was sent to stroke survivors treated at the Department of Neurology, University of Leipzig, Germany. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL, EQ-5D-5L) and preferences regarding different aspects of data collection to assess PROMs were investigated and linked to socio-demographic and medical characteristics. Results: 158 persons were contacted and 80 replies were subsequently analyzed. Mean age was 70.16 years and mean HRQoL was 68.79 (visual analogue scale with a theoretical maximum of 100). Participants showed positive attitudes towards PROMs as they saw potential to improve care of other patients (n = 66/79; 83.54%) or to improve their own situation (n = 53/74; 71.62%). Participants preferred an annual interview after stroke (n = 39/80; 48.75%) and would preferably spend 15–30 min (n = 41/79; 51.90%) to answer a written survey (n = 69/80; 86.25%). The initially treating clinic was preferred as initiator of such surveys (n = 43/79; 54.43%). Stratification revealed that participants with more than 1 h of daily digital media usage preferred email as way of communication. Conclusions: For the first time, this study showed individual preferences on assessing PROMs after ischemic stroke, focusing on the way, time interval, duration, and initiation site of surveys. These insights might help to successfully implement PROMs after stroke and subsequently detect unmet needs and deficits in stroke care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SEIR (Susceptible–Exposed–Infected–Recovered) approach is a classic modeling method that is frequently used to study infectious diseases. However, in the vast majority of such models transitions from one population group to another are described using the mass-action law. That causes inability to reproduce observable dynamics of an infection such as the incubation period or progression of the disease's symptoms. In this paper, we propose a new approach to simulate the epidemic dynamics based on a system of differential equations with time delays and instant transitions to approximate durations of transition processes more correctly and make model parameters more clear. The suggested approach can be applied not only to Covid-19 but also to the study of other infectious diseases. We utilized it in the development of the delay-based model of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany and France. The model takes into account testing of different population groups, symptoms progression from mild to critical, vaccination, duration of protective immunity and new virus strains. The stringency index was used as a generalized characteristic of the non-pharmaceutical government interventions in corresponding countries to contain the virus spread. The parameter identifiability analysis demonstrated that the presented modeling approach enables to significantly reduce the number of parameters and make them more identifiable. Both models are publicly available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even if families in migration contexts have been the subject of an increasing amount of attention in migration research in the recent years, there is a noticeable knowledge deficit with regard to current parenting practices and socialization goals of immigrant families living in Germany. This is particularly striking since child-rearing is of central importance for children's development and their educational pathways. This paper seeks to fill this gap, drawing on the survey "Growing up in Germany: Everyday Life" (AID:A) provided by the German Youth Institute (DJI). Similarities and differences in attitudes towards parenting among immigrant mothers compared to mothers without migration backgrounds were analyzed with regard to parenting practices (emotional warmth, punishment and child's active participation) and socialization goals (performance/self-control and positive social behavior). In a sample of 5870 mothers reporting on a child under the age of nine, mothers in families where both they and the father had Turkey, Russia or Poland as their country of origin were included and compared to autochthonic families. The results revealed significant differences in parenting practices and socialization goals between mothers with and without migration backgrounds. Concerning parenting practices, Turkish and Russian mothers differed significantly from German mothers with regard to emotional warmth and punishment. In terms of socialization goals, all immigrant mothers placed more emphasis on both performance/self-control, as well as positive social behavior for their children than mothers without migration backgrounds in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The creation of synthetic heat pump load profiles is essential for energy system modeling and simulations. This paper proposes a methodology to create synthetic heat pump load profiles based on the k-means algorithm and a data set from water-to-water heat pumps from Hamelin, Germany. The quality of the generated load profiles is shown according to load factors, load distribution curves and the Pearson correlation coefficient, and is also applied on two exemplary geographies in Germany. We publish our work open-source and provide a web-based heat pump load profile generator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flexibility potentials are mostly provided by centrally coordinated flexibility resources such as natural-gas-fired power plants. However, the decentralization of power generation combined with the decarbonization of the sector due to the energy transition requires the exploration of new types of flexibility resources. In particular, to reduce dependence on natural-gas-fired power plants, it would be desirable to replace them with alternative flexibility resources. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to analyze, using Germany as an example, to what extent the flexibility potential of already existing battery storage systems can replace the flexibility potential of natural-gas-fired power plants. The methodology used is based on a multi-time-scale flexibility model together with an approach for temporal aggregation of flexibility potentials and two approaches for spatial aggregation of flexibility potentials. Based on the methodology and an analysis of publicly available data, a comprehensive potential analysis is carried out. This analysis shows, among others, that existing battery storage systems have a promising potential to replace a considerable number of natural-gas-fired power plants in Germany in terms of their flexibility potentials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Applying the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP) on socio-technical transitions, paired with the interdisciplinary framing approach, this paper investigates how incumbent actors of automobility in Germany framed the issue of a "transition of mobility and transport" ("Verkehrs/Mobilitätswende") in their public communication in 2020. We first identified representatives of industry, science, policy, and media, since the Verkehrs/Mobilitätswende and its implementation measures are contested among these actors. Employing qualitative content analysis, we then screened 325 public documents according to the elements of the framing approach problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and treatment recommendation. Results: Findings show that most of the actors frame a transformation of transport and mobility as a necessity. Their arguments encompass environmental and climate-related issues as well as infrastructural problems for bikes and public transport caused by the hegemony of automobility. The actors propose a variety of solutions, primarily focusing on technical innovations for cars or on the expansion of different infrastructures to achieve a modal shift towards sustainable mobility. Conclusion: This paper demonstrates that there is no common understanding of the problems and solutions to foster a mobility transition, as the diversity of problems and solutions proposed within the frame elements is high and complicates the prevailing implementation gap of the mobility transition. Therefore, MLP should be conceptually and methodologically bridged with the interdisciplinary framing approach, particularly with regard to the transition of mobility and transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the evolution of three higher education wage differentials from 1996 to 2019 in Germany. We distinguish between degrees from academic universities, degrees from universities of applied sciences, and the master craftsman\craftswoman certificate. The educational reference category is a standard degree within the German vocational education and training system. Based on samples of male and female workers from the Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP), regression methods show that all three educational wage differentials in 2019 exceeded the ones in 1996. However, workers graduating from universities experienced an inverse u-shape pattern with a maximum of about 0.5 log points around 2012. Since then, their wage differential decreased by nearly ten percent (about 0.045 log points). Although the decrease is not statistically significant at conventional levels, we think that nearly ten percent can be regarded as economically meaningful. We argue that this pattern is related to university expansion and changes in graduates' subject-choice composition during that expansion. The paper concludes with a discussion of possible alternative explanations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on a policy document prepared by Jurgen Ruttger, Germany's research minister, concerning the federal funding of space research. The focus on projects that promise economic return; The proposed merger of the German Space Agency with the national air and space research center.

Background: To achieve climate targets, a transition to low-carbon energy production is necessary. However, conflicts between different interests, values and priorities, particularly at the community level, can constrain this transition. This paper aims to analyze lines of conflict and opportunities to build bridges between conflicting interests in the expansion of wind energy in Germany at the local level, to achieve successful implementation of wind energy projects. Results: Our analysis of four cases of local-level wind energy projects in Germany shows that limited local options for action reinforce the need for local actors to maximize the benefits of energy transition projects. In addition to the conflict over scarce space, the lines of conflict at the local level run primarily along the dimensions of costs and benefits, winners and losers. Real or perceived procedural and distributive injustices had the potential to fuel resistance to wind energy projects in the analyzed cases. However, wind energy projects were successfully implemented despite the presence of local opposition. Conclusions: The results show that, by integrating procedural and distributive justice into the project planning and implementation and offering tailored solutions, community support for expansion of renewable energy projects can be enhanced. The paper advances the concept of societal ownership ("gesellschaftliche Trägerschaft"), which suggests the willingness of members of a community to tolerate decisions even when some conflicts related to the decision remain unresolved. Societal ownership is presented as an alternative to the concept of simple acceptance; it implies a more positive, more supportive community attitude, where members aim to address conflict as a normal aspect of decision making. Rather than sweeping alternative opinions aside, the community addresses alternative viewpoints, seeking to achieve greater procedural and distributive justice. In this way, a sense of societal ownership of a project can develop, enhancing its likelihood of success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conflicts between humans about wildlife, sometimes also referred to as conservation conflicts, are a challenging issue all over the world. Comparing conservation conflicts from different settings helps to better understand general strategies for conflict management and provides opportunities for mutual learning to solve conservation conflicts. This paper analyses commonalities and differences of conservation conflicts in one Ghanaian and three German national parks, and discusses lessons and implications for conflict management. Using the social-ecological system framework and social conflict theory, we conducted focus groups and interviews with relevant actors, collected secondary sources of information and conducted a qualitative content analysis. Results describe resource systems, resource units, governance systems, and actors. Conflict issues identified for both cases revolve around wildlife populations and wildlife impacts, disagreements about conservation, hunting, disputes among actors, as well as issues of inadequate involvement of actors. Results further indicate that similar drivers such as contrary values, different interests, structural problems, legislative issues and inadequate involvement contribute to conflict development. However, the contexts of the case studies within which these conflicts develop, basically differ. From our findings, we developed both general as well as case-specific management principles necessary for conflict management. The paper concludes that root causes of conflict emergence and social processes should be addressed to facilitate conflict management. If appropriate general and case-specific instruments are chosen, a solution to conservation conflicts can be possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the segmentation theory, low-skilled jobs belong to the secondary sector of the labour market. Low-skilled jobs do not require vocational training and workers are interchangeable. Therefore, workers in this sector have poor working conditions and are regularly affected by employment interruptions. The current state of research, however, does not provide any longitudinal information about individual employment stability of workers performing low-skilled jobs. Furthermore, most of these workers are employed full-time and have completed professional training. Against this background, this paper deals with employment trajectories of workers in low-skilled jobs and their changes over time with regard to standard employment relationship. The aim of the explorative study is to analyse the assignment of workers in low-skilled jobs within the segmentation theory and to determine how segments have changed over time. We use data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) to analyse the employment trajectories of two cohorts aged 35 to 44 years in Western Germany over a period of ten years. The employment trajectories are compared by means of sequence analysis with optimal matching algorithm as well as cluster analysis applying the "Partitioning Around Medoids" method (PAM) in combination with results from hierarchical ward clusters. The employment trajectories indicate that low-skilled jobs can be assigned to both the secondary and the primary sectors. The cohort comparison of employment trajectories shows change and continuity in the context of segments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequency of extreme weather events has increased in the latest years in Europe. The recent consecutive droughts caused severe damage in many sectors and underlined the demand for adaptation. There is a need for a better understanding of the response of ecosystems to climate change and the consequences for key ecosystem services, such as water supply and carbon sequestration, at a local and regional scale. This paper aims to support decision-making for climate adaptation in a low-mountainous region of central Germany. We analysed the temperature and precipitation trends and drought conditions. The response of two key services (surface water provision and carbon sequestration) to droughts is estimated using an ecosystem service model. The spatially averaged water yield, net ecosystem productivity (NEP), and soil moisture are assessed and compared for the five worst droughts with long-term averages to identify the vulnerable areas and ecosystems. The temperature increased on seasonal and annual scales, while precipitation decreased in some areas in summer and increased in winter and annually. The standardised precipitation-evapotranspiration index (SPEI) showed worsening drought conditions, especially after the late 1980s. Droughts caused a reduction of water yield by 54%, NEP by 18%, and upper zone soil moisture by 13%. The impacts varied spatially, with the central region being worst affected, while the southern part was relatively more resilient. Adaptation is urgently needed to reduce drought risks and enhance climate resilience. Adaptive measures can include amending crop rotations, introducing more drought-tolerant varieties, upgrading agriculture and food industry technology, increasing mixed forests, and reducing non-native tree species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is well known that German and Spanish labour markets are quite different from a macro point of view. In this paper, we look at these markets through the lenses of individual unstable spells. These include all forms of atypical employment (such as temporary contracts and mini-jobs) as well as unemployment. This combined unstable state captures a fuller picture of the individual experience of volatile income and uncertain employment status than unemployment alone. We find that the survival rates of unstable spells in the two countries are much more similar than those from unemployment. This suggests that the usual focus on unemployment stocks and durations exaggerates the contrast between the two countries in terms of workers' experience of instability. We place these findings in the context of very similar aggregate shocks in the two countries and different policy choices on labour market reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that perceptions towards asylum seekers are shaped by both media representation as well as lived experiences in and around asylum accommodation. Drawing on Lefebvre's spatial triad, the paper aims at disentangling the conceived, perceived and lived spaces of asylum accommodation in order to understand asylum accommodation as a space that is produced and re-produced in everyday life. The paper discusses the case of the Grandhotel Cosmopolis (GHC), a prominent example of local innovation in asylum accommodation located in southern Germany. It compares and contrasts the GHC' media representation in national and local news media with local residents' evaluation and direct experiences with this project and its effects on how asylum seekers are perceived. The results of the media analysis highlight a difference between a national 'utopian' framing and a local 'experiment' framing of the GHC. Local residents' direct experiences proved influential in their evaluation of the project, yet could not overrule dominant media representations of asylum seekers. The paper concludes by suggesting that the GHC' relative openness produces a space which allows for contact and familiarization between local residents and asylum seekers, yet that dominant framings of asylum seekers as criminals or victims also contributed to a perceived closedness of its space and discouraged contact and familiarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Platinum group metals (PGM) and cerium as one of the rare-earth elements are considered as critical raw materials, thus their recycling and re-use is of utmost importance. Among the PGMs, platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), and rhodium (Rh) are the basic and most valuable metals used in catalytic converters. Due to the high price of PGMs, there are already recycling routes in Europe and especially in Germany. For PGM and rare-earth elements, research is focusing on greener, plain recovery techniques, which utilize milder reagents, offer better energy efficiency, and replace the existing recycling routes. In this work, a hydrometallurgical process is proposed to add a hydrometallurgy method to the mostly pyrometallurgical industrial recycling routes, resulting in recovery rates for cerium and PGMs of 63.21% and only 1.03% with sulfuric acid, respectively. With hydrochloric acid, the leaching efficiency for cerium is even lower, and for PGM it is comparable. In the method proposed in the present paper, the main PGMs remain in monoliths and can be recycled in existing recycling routes like pyrometallurgical recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Transport policy has regained political relevance in Germany. The successful realization of the Verkehrswende,—the extensive transition toward sustainable transport and mobility—is central to reaching climate neutrality. In 2020, the Federal Government proposed the reform of two key ordinances that have regulated road traffic so far. The amendment was aimed at implementing several provisions at the expense of car drivers and, at the same time, in favor of cyclists and pedestrians. Due to cooperative federalism, the governments of the 16 constituent units (Länder) had to adopt the amendment in the Bundesrat, Germany's second chamber. In the legislative process, however, the reform ultimately failed in its original scope. Using it as a particularly instructive case study, we show how and why party competition and cooperative federalism hamper comprehensive transport policy reforms in Germany. Results: In the German political system, political interests interact within a complex web of cooperative federalism. To understand partisan encroachment on the federal decision-making processes, this paper uses a process-tracing approach. To investigate decision-making in the Bundesrat and its outcomes, the empirical analysis combines qualitative analyses of several publicly available sources. We can empirically demonstrate that political parties influenced legislative procedures. The reform failed in its original scope because the three political parties with veto power in the Bundesrat insisted on their positions and were not willing to agree on a compromise. Conclusions: For the implementation of the Verkehrswende, the German federal system proves to be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, the institutional design of the Bundesrat constrains extreme positions and helps promote decisions most citizens may agree with. The Länder governments and administrations can also contribute their expertise and local experience to federal legislation via the Bundesrat. On the other hand, veto powers are ubiquitous in the German system of cooperative federalism. Therefore, it is prone to blockades. The actions of the political parties in the Bundesrat have hampered the comprehensive reform of road traffic regulations that was originally envisaged. Policymaking took two steps forward toward implementing the Verkehrswende, only to immediately take one step back again. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]