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Purpose: Incisional hernia (IH) is one of the most common complications after abdominal surgeries and may bring great suffering to patients. This study aims to evaluate the global trends in IH research from 2003 to 2023 and visualize the frontiers using bibliometric analysis., Methods: The literature search was conducted on the Web of Science for IH studies published from 2003 to 2023 and sorted by citation frequency. The top 100 most-cited articles were analyzed by the annual publication number, prolific countries and institutions, influential author and journal, and the number of citations through descriptive statistics and visualization., Results: The top paper was cited 1075 times and the median number of citations was 146. All studies were published between 2003 and 2019 and the most prolific year was 2003 with 14 articles. Jeekel J and Rosen M were regarded as the most productive authors with ten articles each and acquired 2738 and 2391 citations, respectively. The top three institutions with the most productive articles were Erasmus Mc, Carolinas Med Ctr, and Univ Utah, while the top three countries were the United States, Netherlands and Germany. The most frequent keyword was "incisional hernia" with 55 occurrences, followed by "mesh repair", "randomized controlled trial", and "polypropylene"., Conclusion: The 100 most-cited papers related to IH were published predominantly by USA and European countries, with randomized controlled trial (RCT) and observational study designs, addressing topics related to risk factors, complications, mesh repair, and mesh components., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag France SAS, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: The digital age requires people of all ages to communicate and organise their lives through digital technologies. The project EQualCare investigates how the growing population of older people living alone is managing this transition, how it shapes their (non-)digital social networks and what changes on a local level need to be brought about. This paper aims to give insight into the process of participatory action research (PAR) with older people in the community across four countries and reflects on experiences made by academic and co-researchers. Design/methodology/approach: Following the emancipatory underpinnings of PAR, which aims to reduce inequalities through collaboration and co-design, EQualCare involved nine teams of co-researchers across Finland, Germany, Latvia and Sweden making older people the centre of policy development. Co-researchers were involved in formulating research aims, collecting data, reflecting on data, formulating and disseminating recommendations for local policy stakeholders. Findings: Co-researchers' motivation to invest considerable time and effort was driven by a desire to create a more equal future for older people living alone. Moreover, they were keen to involve marginalised older people and became frustrated when this proved difficult. Power dynamics played a role throughout the process but became productive as roles and responsibilities were renegotiated. Doing PAR with older people can be emotionally challenging for co-researchers when negative feelings around ageing are encountered. Originality/value: The paper advances understanding on the process of PAR in ageing research by reflecting on the social, cultural and political contexts of doing PAR with diverse sets of older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As humanity reaches the 5.0 industrial revolution, education plays a critical role in boosting the quality of human resources. This paper reports bibliometric research on emerging TiP during 1993-2022 in the educational field to analyse its development on any level of education during the last three decades. This study employed a Scopus database. The findings are that the trend of TiP publication in educational fields has tended to increase every year during the past three decades and conference paper became the most published document type, the USA is the country which produces the most publications; "Students" being the most occurrences keyword and total link strength. The publication of the TiP is ranked to the Quartile 1, which implies that a publication with the cited performance is a publication with credibility because the publisher has a good reputation. Researchers can find the topics most relevant to other metadata sources such as Web of Science, Publish, and Perish.

The paper deals with the conflicts associated with the so-called 'Dieselgate' affair. It explains the interaction of civil society, law firms and political actors which reshapes the legal systems in Europe. Once the federal government in Germany had decided that European car owners should not get any kind of financial compensation, a transnational coalition of consumer organizations and law firms successfully initiated a legal mobilization campaign to counteract the political decision. As a consequence, collective litigation rights were strengthened in Germany and at the European level. Theoretically, the paper refers to the literature on adversarial legalism. Whether this judicialized style of conflict resolution is spreading to Europe ('Eurolegalism') has been a hotly debated topic in political science. Our main argument is that the Dieselgate case is a catalyst event to foster the transformation process towards 'Eurolegalism'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marc Adelman's Stelen is a collection of 150 images of men posing at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Germany. Understanding the photographs that compromise Stelen involves tracking a number of shifts that have taken place across different fields: a change in the understanding of the role of the public memorial which has seen the construction of 'anti-memorials' or 'counter-monuments' such as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe; a turn towards participatory memory practices in museums and at memorial sites; digital photography and the impact of social media. In the first part of this paper, I explore how these trends intersect in order to give an account of the conditions of production of the photographs. Adelman has proposed that the photographs might be understood in relation to the role that the memory of the Holocaust plays in contemporary queer life. In the second part of this paper, I use Michael Rothberg's concept of Multidirectional Memory to consider Stelen as a counter-archive that offers a multidirectional articulation of grief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explored the cultural and career transition experiences of two elite West African footballers in Germany using the approach of interpretive biography. By analysing data collected through semi--structured interviews, the players' narratives revealed a range of experiences emerging at different temporal points or life domains. The experiences included the psychosocial states of pre-transition, the challenges associated with language and weather, the increased demands of professionalism, the challenge of adapting to a new environment and routines of daily life, the superficiality of relationships and the attendant loneliness. It however, advanced literature by demonstrating how an African footballer in Europe may locate self and progress career within the European football economy and how a high-status African migrant athlete may use his social position to characterise self in a certain manner so as to exercise the right to belong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mosques in Europe have long been and are still at the centre of political debates, despite the decades-long presence of migrant Muslim communities in Europe. Scholars within geography and other disciplines have studied mosques extensively with a focus on urban space politics, and examined tensions and conflicts between migrant mosque communities and the broader segments of the local people. In this paper, I focus on DITIB, a Turkish umbrella mosque organization in Germany, and I carry these debates into a transnational terrain, re-theorizing mosques not only as political sites, but also everyday geopolitical spaces where national imaginaries and territorial struggles take place in the daily lives of mosque communities. Through this approach, I draw on the studies of feminist geographers who have provided a renewed perspective to classical geopolitics discussions by revealing how geopolitical relations, struggles, and interactions also operate in everyday spaces, relations, and bodies of ordinary people by reproducing the deep-seated exclusions, discriminations and contestations. This paper contributes to critical geopolitics and geographies of religion literatures as well as to broader discussions on the geopolitics of religion by analysing how a mosque organization is situated at the centre of geopolitical tensions, and how transnational and transregional controversies operate on the walls and properties of mosques and in everyday social/cultural activities of mosque communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst the link between young people's well‐being and the creative arts is strengthening, there is a lack of research which focuses on the roles that artists play to help teachers and parents engage young people in the creative arts. This paper explores the benefits of and barriers to artists working in education in six European countries (England, Iceland, Germany, Greece, Italy and Austria). Using the '5A's model of creativity' and a view of professional development taking place within 'landscapes of practice', the data were analysed in order to explain how creativity is operationalised in the different contexts. Our study highlights the need for policy at a national and transnational level to value the creative arts in order to help teachers cross boundaries and utilise the full potential of the creative arts in schools. Our study also highlights that further research is needed into how artists shape teaching and curriculum and how schools engage parents in the creative arts in order to build an evidence‐base relating to young people's positive mental health that can affect policy at these levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immigrant minority (IM) languages have a significant presence in certain European regions. Nonetheless, these languages are not usually included in the school curriculum. This paper aims to analyse the studies published between 2010 and 2020 considering IM languages in multilingual European education contexts. The method included a search of academic papers published in the databases ERIC, Web of Science and Scopus, which yielded 42 studies. The studies were analysed by considering: (1) the demographic characteristics of the countries where the studies were conducted, (2) the sociolinguistic or psycholinguistic focus of the papers in relation to the European country, and (3) the characteristics of the bi-multilingual education programme including IM languages. The results indicate that: (1) the demographic characteristics of the country are not strictly related to the number of studies published, (2) most studies have a sociolinguistic approach even though many studies analyse both sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic factors, and (3) only seven multilingual education programmes including IM languages were described in these papers. We conclude that there is a lack of research focusing on IM languages in educational settings and discuss how addressing these gaps could create opportunities for building equitable multilingual communities in Europe.

Organic farming systems have become widespread in recent decades due to their popularity with consumers and their beneficial effects on the environment and biodiversity. Through the increasing number of available studies from farm surveys and comparable results from long-term field trials, the various real existing forms and intensities of agricultural management were subjected to a closer examination in this review. In this paper, the mean characteristics and the range of variation in crop productivity, crop quality and soil fertility as well as the importance and the extent of environmental impacts are comparatively analyzed. From widespread cultivation systems and forms of nutrient management from Central Europe with a focus on Germany, the following fields of influence were investigated and conclusions for the future optimal design of organic cultivation methods were listed: site, soil conditions, climate, phases of conversion and consolidation, crop rotations and farm structures, application of organic and mineral fertilizer types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The goal of this paper is to analyze the COVID-19 policies of 10 European countries, including Sweden, Finland, Norway, Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Hungary, with a time-series policy analysis tool. Subject and methods: The results of the COVID-19 policy analysis are based on a single time-series indicator, or daily population mortality rate: the number of COVID-19 daily cumulative deaths divided by the population in millions. The lower the score, the better the policy. Although many experts believe that the COVID-19 policy outcome analysis is premature, time series analysis is an excellent analysis that can provide information on the progress and transition of policy outcomes. In other words, the proposed time series analysis tool allows policymakers to identify and quantify when mistakes were made during the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. Results: The COVID-19 policy analysis discovered many useful facts. Sweden failed due to the herd immunity approach. Hungary made a fundamental mistake in COVID-19 tactics. Countries such as Sweden, Hungary, Belgium, and Poland showed time-series changes that differed from the others. Conclusion: Public health interventions can play a key role in mitigating the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposed policy analysis tool, hiscovid demonstrated the effectiveness of the time-series score behavior for discovering when policymakers made mistakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Germany and continental Europe, more broadly, race and ethnicity are concepts that are not widely used and are increasingly erased from the legislation. Nevertheless, race and ethnicity are still used as social markers and often merely replaced with other terms (e.g., cultural background). The goal of this paper is threefold. First, we point to the danger of treating race and ethnicity as essentialist categories, which is still common in developmental science research. Second, we want to outline specific problems that occur when doing research on ethnicity and race with children and adolescents in the European race‐mute context. Third, we suggest that future research ought to focus more on constructions of Whiteness and reproduction of power differences among ethnic majority populations. In doing so, we draw on examples from our own research on ethnic‐racial identity and ethnic‐racial socialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Purpose: This paper aims to understand the development track of skills mismatch research and discover the hidden internal connections between literature. Design/methodology/approach: The authors gathered data through scientometric quantitative analysis using CiteSpace. Specifically, this article applied basic analysis, journal cocitation analysis (JCA), author cocitation analysis (ACA) and document cocitation analysis (DCA), cluster analysis, citation burstness detection, scientific research cooperation analysis and coconcurrence analysis of keywords of 3,125 documents from Web of Science core collections for the period 2000-2020. Findings: Through the document cocitation analysis and the keywords' co-occurrence, this article identifies influential scholars, documents, research institutions, journals and research hotspots in research on the skills mismatch phenomenon. The results showed that the publications had ballooned, and the phenomenon has become an interdisciplinary research subject. The USA and Finland remain the main contributors, which is attributed to their high-yield institutions such as the University of Helsinki, the University of Witwatersrand, the University of Washington and so on. While the African continent lacks research on skills mismatch even with the continent's effort to overcome such a crucial issue. The paper presents an in-depth analysis of skills and educational mismatch issues to better understand the evolutionary trajectory of the collective knowledge over the past 20 years and highlight the areas of active pursuit. Research limitations/implications: The authors only used Web of Science core collection to collect data; however, they can added Scopus indexed database as well to extend the research trends and explore more new research hot topics to solve the skills mismatch phenomenon. Originality/value: The scientometric analysis is of great significance for identifying the potential relationship between the literature and investigating the knowledge evolution of skills mismatch research. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the International Labor Organization and the World Health Organization are the giants who are mostly concerned of the mismatch skills phenomenon. Researchers can refer to this study to understand the status quo, gaps and research trends to deal with the skills mismatch issue.

Aim: To investigate nursing/midwifery students, Clinical Mentors, Link Teachers and Head Nurses experiences within "Dedicated Education Unit" model in 6 European clinical placements and analyse the necessary elements for a powerful clinical learning environment. Design: A multi‐country, phenomenological, qualitative study. Methods: Focus group interviews were performed to identify the personal and organizational factors of importance for students and nurses/midwives. Results: Data analysis produced 4 main themes (1) Clinical placement organization, (2) students' clinical knowledge and skill acquisition, (3) students, and nurses/midwives' experiences within the DEU model and (4) factors for creating an effective learning environment. Conclusions: A close educational‐service collaboration, a realistic clinical placement planning, a focus on student learning process and an investment in professionals' education and development among others, are elements to set up a powerful clinical learning environment. Implications for the profession: It is considered advisable and urgent to improve the working conditions of nurses/midwives and the learning environments of students as a strategy to alleviate the global shortage of nurses and respond to the increasingly demanding health needs of the population. Impact: Due to the close relationship between students' learning and features of the clinical environment nurse educators seek innovative models which allow students to manage patient care and their transition to professional practice. To implement new learning strategies, identifying students, nurses and midwives perceptions and suggestions is a powerful information to evaluate implementation process and outcomes. Public Contribution: Our findings could help academic and clinical managers to meet the human and organizational requirements to create a successful learning environment in every student placement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millennial-scale climate variations during the last glacial period, such as Dansgaard–Oeschger (DO) cycles and Heinrich events, have been extensively studied using ice core and marine proxy records. However, there is a limited understanding of the magnitude of these temperature fluctuations in continental regions, and questions remain about the seasonal signal of these climate events. This study presents a 60 000-year-long temperature reconstruction based on branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) extracted from lake sediments from the Eifel Volcanic Field, Germany. brGDGTs are bacterial membrane-spanning lipids that are known to have a strong relationship with temperature, making them suitable for temperature reconstructions. We test several temperature calibration models on modern samples taken from soils and multiple maar lakes. We find a negative bias in brGDGT-based temperature estimates associated with water depth and anoxic conditions that can be corrected for by accounting for a brGDGT isomer that is only produced in anoxic conditions. The corrected temperature reconstruction correlates with proxy and climate model estimates of temperature spanning the same time period, validating the calibration approach we selected. However, millennial-scale variability is significantly dampened in the brGDGT record, and in contrast to other Northern Hemisphere climate records, during several Heinrich stadials, temperatures actually increase. We demonstrate that these apparent discrepancies can be explained by the unique seasonal response of the brGDGT paleothermometer to temperatures of months above freezing (TMAF). Our data support the view that warm-season temperatures in Europe varied minimally during the last glacial period and that abrupt millennial-scale events were defined by colder, longer winters. Our continuous high-resolution temperature reconstruction provides important information about the magnitude of seasonal climate variability during the last glacial period that can be used to test climate models and inform studies of paleoecological change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The investigation goal is the analysis of the relation between healthcare expenditures and other resources, and COVID-19 fatality rates among European countries to design effective health policies for crisis management. Design/methodology/approach: Research methodology is based on descriptive statistics and various parametric methods, also including a linear model of regression to analyze basic relationships of variables under study. Findings: Results show that a lower COVID-19 fatality rate is associated with higher levels of health expenditure (% GDP), of healthcare expenditure per capita, health expenditure in preventive care (% GDP), hospitals per million inhabitants, physicians, nurses, hospital beds and curative acute care beds per 1,000 inhabitants. Regression analysis shows that a 1% increase in healthcare expenditures per capita of countries, it reduces the level of COVID-19 fatality rate by 0.74%. In fact, many countries in Eastern Europe with low healthcare expenditures per capita in 2019 (e.g., Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Latvia, Slovakia, Lithuania, etc.), they have experienced high COVID-19 fatality rates. Instead, a lot of countries in Western Europe, with high healthcare expenditures per capita, such as Germany, Denmark, Austria, and the Netherlands, they had resilient health systems to face pandemic crisis and lower COVID-19 fatality rates. Practical implications: These findings suggest strategies of systematic and continuous investments in healthcare, medical technologies, and ICT infrastructures to support effective health policy of crisis management in countries to face future pandemic crisis and other emergencies in society. Originality/value: The explanation of critical role of high health expenditure (% GDP) and healthcare expenditure per capita to support robust health systems that bolster the resilience in nations to face health emergencies and worldwide crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seven published and four new pollen records from well-dated sediment cores from six Pleistocene and Holocene maar structures located in the Eifel, Germany, are combined to a pollen stack that covers the entire last 132,000 years. This stack is complemented by new macroremain data from one additional sediment core. The pollen data included into the stack show consistently that the Eifel was covered by a dense forest during the Eemian, early Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3, and the Holocene. While other European records indeed indicate a warming, the early MIS 3 fully developed forest remains a unique feature in central European pollen records. Comparison to orbital parameters and insolation hints to warm and humid, however, not fully interglacial conditions, which are also visible in speleothem growth throughout Europe. With the cooling trend towards the glacial maxima of MIS 4 and 2, tree pollen declined, with recovering phases during MIS 5c and 5a, as well as during all MIS 3 interglacials. During the colder stadials, steppe vegetation expanded. For MIS 5 and 4, we defined six new landscape evolution zones based on pollen and macroremains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19) vaccine policies disparities and effectiveness in Germany, Denmark and Bulgaria, with a view to providing lessons for global vaccination and response to possible outbreak risks. Methods: This study analyzed big data through public information on the official websites of the Ministries of Health of the European Union, Germany, Denmark and Bulgaria and the official websites of the World Health Organization. We systematically summarized the COVID-19 vaccine policies of the three countries, and selected the following six indicators for cross-cutting vaccination comparisons: COVID-19 vaccine doses administered per 100 people, COVID-19 vaccination rate, the share of people with fully vaccinated, the share of people only partly vaccinated, cumulative confirmed COVID-19 cases per million, cumulative confirmed COVID-19 deaths per million. Meanwhile, we selected the following four indicators for measuring the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccine policy implementation: daily cases per million, daily deaths per million, the effective reproduction rate (Rt), the moving-average case fatality rate (CFR). Results: Although these three EU countries had the same start time for vaccination, and the COVID-19 vaccine supply was coordinated by the EU, there are still differences in vaccination priorities, vaccination types, and vaccine appointment methods. Compared to Germany and Denmark, Bulgaria had the least efficient vaccination efforts and the worst vaccination coverage, with a vaccination rate of just over 30% as of June 2023, and the maximum daily deaths per million since vaccination began in the country was more than three times that of the other two countries. From the perspective of implementation effect, vaccination has a certain effect on reducing infection rate and death rate, but the spread of new mutant strains obviously aggravates the severity of the epidemic and reduces the effectiveness of the vaccine. Among them, the spread of the Omicron mutant strain had the most serious impact on the three countries, showing an obvious epidemic peak. Conclusions: Expanding vaccination coverage has played a positive role in reducing COVID-19 infection and mortality rates and stabilizing Rt. Priority vaccination strategies targeting older people and at-risk groups have been shown to be effective in reducing COVID-19 case severity and mortality in the population. However, the emergence and spread of new variant strains, and the relaxation of epidemic prevention policies, still led to multiple outbreaks peaking. In addition, vaccine hesitancy, mistrust in government and ill-prepared health systems are hampering vaccination efforts. Among the notable ones are divergent types of responses to vaccine safety issue could fuel mistrust and hesitancy around vaccination. At this stage, it is also necessary to continue to include COVID-19 vaccination in priority vaccination plans and promote booster vaccination to prevent severe illness and death. Improving the fairness of vaccine distribution and reducing the degree of vaccine hesitancy are the focus of future vaccination work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study presents DNA barcoding results of five families of Hymenoptera in Germany. DNA barcodes are provided for 24 of the 25 species of Gasteruption occurring in Central Europe, including 18 of the 19 species recorded from Germany. The genetic diversity was higher than expected, with five species exhibiting two or more Barcode Index Number (BINs), whereas BIN sharing occurred in four species. Gasteruption foveiceps Semenov, 1892, stat. nov. is removed from synonymy with G. nigrescens Schletterer, 1885 and treated as a distinct species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides new evidence on factors relevant to the success of crowdfunding campaigns run in Europe between 2015 and 2017 on the most popular crowdfunding platforms in Germany/Austria - Kickstarter.com and Startnext.com. In particular, for this study, a sample of 10,514 campaigns from Germany and Austria for the first time serves as a basis for identifying the determinants of the level of projects' (over-)funding. For crowdfunding projects, an increase in a project's funding goal results in higher funding on both platforms, but this does not guarantee success, i.e. reaching the relevant funding goal. Projects with a higher success probability show lower funding goals, especially if launched on Startnext.com. In contrast, a longer duration negligibly increases the amount raised on Startnext and slightly decreases on Kickstarter. On Startnext, projects from the Art cluster have a higher chance to succeed, while those from the Technology cluster show smaller success probabilities as they regularly get less funding. On Kickstarter, projects from the Art, Technology, or Lifestyle field reach higher financing as compared to the Sustainability area. We show that the uncertainty about market size and project/founder quality leads to diverging over- and underfunding levels across platforms and industry clusters, which is of core importance to interested stakeholder groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) is a prevalent orthopaedic disorder in children, and screening methods vary across regions due to local health policies. The purpose of this review is to systematise the different ultrasound screening strategies for detecting DDH in newborns in Europe. Methods: Eligible studies from the PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases, published between 1 January 2018 and 18 March 2023, were included. The inclusion criteria specified a European origin, a focus on newborn human patients, and information on ultrasound for DDH detection. Results: In total, 45 studies were included, covering 18 countries. Among them, six nations (Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, and Germany) perform universal ultrasound screening. The timing of the first ultrasound varies, with Austria and the Czech Republic within the 1st week, Bosnia and Herzegovina on the day of birth, Poland between 1 and 12 weeks, and Germany before the 6th week. The Graf method is the most popular ultrasound technique used. Conclusions: There is no consensus on the optimal DDH detection approach in Europe. Varied screening methods stem from epidemiological, cultural, and economic differences among countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present WRF-Chem simulations over central Europe with a spatial resolution of 3 km × 3 km and focus on nitrogen dioxide (NO2). A regional emission inventory issued by the German Environmental Agency, with a spatial resolution of 1 km × 1 km, is used as input. We demonstrate by comparison of five different model setups that significant improvements in model accuracy can be achieved by choosing the appropriate boundary layer scheme, increasing vertical mixing strength, and/or tuning the temporal modulation of the emission data ("temporal profiles") driving the model. The model setup with improved vertical mixing is shown to produce the best results. Simulated NO2 surface concentrations are compared to measurements from a total of 275 in situ measurement stations in Germany, where the model was able to reproduce average noontime NO2 concentrations with a bias of ca. - 3 % and R=0.74. The best agreement is achieved when correcting for the presumed NOy cross sensitivity of the molybdenum-based in situ measurements by computing an NOy correction factor from modelled peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN) and nitric acid (HNO3) mixing ratios. A comparison between modelled NO2 vertical column densities (VCDs) and satellite observations from TROPOMI (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument) is conducted with averaging kernels taken into account. Simulations and satellite observations are shown to agree with a bias of + 5.5 % and R=0.87 for monthly means. Lastly, simulated NO2 concentration profiles are compared to noontime NO2 profiles obtained from multi-axis differential optical absorption spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) measurements at five locations in Europe. For stations within Germany, average biases of - 25.3 % to + 12.0 % were obtained. Outside of Germany, where lower-resolution emission data were used, biases of up to + 50.7 % were observed. Overall, the study demonstrates the high sensitivity of modelled NO2 to the mixing processes in the boundary layer and the diurnal distribution of emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The European Union has used Healthy Life Years (HLY) as an indicator to monitor the health of its aging populations. Scholarly and popular interest in HLY across countries has grown, particularly regarding the ranking of countries. It is important to note that HLY is based on self-assessments of activity limitations, raising the possibility that it might be influenced by differences in health reporting behaviours between populations, a phenomenon known as differential item functioning (DIF). Methods We estimated DIF-adjusted HLY at age 50 for Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden to determine the extent to which differences in HLY might be influenced by reporting heterogeneity across countries. We used anchoring vignettes, taken from the 2004 Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe, to estimate DIF-adjusted prevalence rates of activity limitations measured by the Global Activity Limitations Indicator (GALI). The Sullivan method was used to calculate DIF-adjusted HLY. Results Changes in HLY before and after adjustment ranged from a 1.20-year decrease for men in Italy to a 1.61-year increase for women in Spain. Adjustment for DIF produced changes in the rankings of the countries by HLY, with upward and downward movements of up to three positions. Conclusion Our results show that DIF is likely to affect HLY estimates, thereby posing a challenge to the validity of comparisons of HLY across European countries. The findings suggest that HLY should be used to monitor population health status within a country, rather than to make comparisons across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Internet usage is a salient developmental factor in adolescents' lives. Although relevant correlates of Internet use have been documented earlier, there is a lack of information on lower socioeconomic status groups. This is important, as these adolescents have increased risk of negative online experiences. The current survey aimed to explore Internet use and parental involvement amongst adolescents from areas of socio-economic disadvantage in 30 urban schools across five European countries. A total of 2594 students participated, of whom 90% were 14–16 years. Virtually all adolescents of socioeconomic disadvantage had Internet access, with 88.5% reporting spending more than two hours per day online, often on apps such as Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. Almost one-third of adolescents did not talk with their parents about their Internet use and almost two-thirds indicated that their parents were only a little or not interested in their Internet use. A consistent finding across countries was that girls more often talked with their parents about their Internet use and more often reported that their parents were interested in their Internet use than boys. The results suggest that parents have an important task in explicitly showing interest in their adolescents' Internet use, with special attention needed for boys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This opinion paper describes the regulatory hurdles for a clinical oncologist and physician scientist to activate an Investigator-Initiated Trial (IIT) before and after 2004 with German regulation as an example. Changes in legal framework with impacts on time and costs to activate a clinical trial are described. Evidence needed to reach the objective of higher patient safety and trial quality by European Union (EU) Clinical Trial Directive (CTD) 2001/20 is discussed. Shortly after the beginning of the year 2000, multiple legal changes with impacts on the regulatory framework of clinical trials became effective almost simultaneously. They included the European Union (EU) Clinical Trial Directive (CTD) 2001/20 followed by major changes in national drug laws, the change in the legal status of German University Hospitals (1998), and a new disease-related groups (DRG)-based reimbursement system for hospitals in Germany (2000). Together, these changes created enormous bureaucratic and financial inhibition of activation and conduct of academic investigator-initiated clinical trials (IIT). Examples for activating clinical trials in oncology before and after 2004 are outlined and discussed, focussing on extended time frames, the establishment of centralized responsibility structures and the exploding financial consequences. In addition, the evolution of trial numbers and the distribution of trial initiators between "commercial" and "academic" over time are discussed together with the occurrence of clinical registries. At the same time, progress in molecular biology led to a plethora of new targets for effective pharmacological therapy of life-threatening diseases such as cancer, and the overall number of clinical trials has not decreased. Yet, judging the regulatory and administrative hurdles between scientific study design and first-patient on trial before and after 2004 and weighing these against the lack of evidence that this regulation has achieved its goal to enhance patient safety and trial quality, the necessity to completely overhaul this CTD becomes obvious. A main goal of such an initiative should be to minimize bureaucracy. For the specific situation in Germany, relocation of responsibility and freedom to operate in University Hospitals and Medical Faculties back to the physician–scientists and reduction in interference by legal divisions should be a goal as well as increasing the public financial support for IITs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Document Reviewers: Rudolf A. de Boer (CPG Review Coordinator) (Netherlands), P. Christian Schulze (CPG Review Coordinator) (Germany), Magdy Abdelhamid (Egypt), Victor Aboyans (France), Stamatis Adamopoulos (Greece), Stefan D. Anker (Germany), Elena Arbelo (Spain), Riccardo Asteggiano (Italy), Johann Bauersachs (Germany), Antoni Bayes-Genis (Spain), Michael A. Borger (Germany), Werner Budts (Belgium), Maja Cikes (Croatia), Kevin Damman (Netherlands), Victoria Delgado (Netherlands), Paul Dendale (Belgium), Polychronis Dilaveris (Greece), Heinz Drexel (Austria), Justin Ezekowitz (Canada), Volkmar Falk (Germany), Laurent Fauchier (France), Gerasimos Filippatos (Greece), Alan Fraser (United Kingdom), Norbert Frey (Germany), Chris P. Gale (United Kingdom), Finn Gustafsson (Denmark), Julie Harris (United Kingdom), Bernard Iung (France), Stefan Janssens (Belgium), Mariell Jessup (United States of America), Aleksandra Konradi (Russia), Dipak Kotecha (United Kingdom), Ekaterini Lambrinou (Cyprus), Patrizio Lancellotti (Belgium), Ulf Landmesser (Germany), Christophe Leclercq (France), Basil S. Lewis (Israel), Francisco Leyva (United Kingdom), AleVs Linhart (Czech Republic), Maja-Lisa Løchen (Norway), Lars H. Lund (Sweden), Donna Mancini (United States of America), Josep Masip (Spain), Davor Milicic (Croatia), Christian Mueller (Switzerland), Holger Nef (Germany), Jens-Cosedis Nielsen (Denmark), Lis Neubeck (United Kingdom), Michel Noutsias (Germany), Steffen E. Petersen (United Kingdom), Anna Sonia Petronio (Italy), Piotr Ponikowski (Poland), Eva Prescott (Denmark), Amina Rakisheva (Kazakhstan), Dimitrios J. Richter (Greece), Evgeny Schlyakhto (Russia), Petar Seferovic (Serbia), Michele Senni (Italy), Marta Sitges (Spain), Miguel Sousa-Uva (Portugal), Carlo G. Tocchetti (Italy), Rhian M. Touyz (United Kingdom), Carsten Tschoepe (Germany), Johannes Waltenberger (Germany/Switzerland) All experts involved in the development of these guidelines have submitted declarations of interest. These have been compiled in a report and published in a supplementary document simultaneously to the guidelines. The report is also available on the ESC website www.escardio.org/guidelines For the Supplementary Data which include background information and detailed discussion of the data that have provided the basis for the guidelines see European Heart Journal online., (© 2022 European Society of Cardiology This article has been co-published with permission in European Heart Journal (published by Oxford University Press on behalf of European Society of Cardiology) and European Journal of Heart Failure (published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology).)

As the demand for index insurance in Europe remains low, the use of satellite-retrieved data has received considerable research attention because it can reduce the basis risk, increase hedging effectiveness and thus potentially increase the attractiveness of index insurance to farmers. However, there is limited knowledge on farmers' demand and specific preferences for satellite-based index insurance. This study aims to obtain initial insights into farmers' preferences for satellite-based index insurance. In particular, farmers' overall preferences for satellite-based compared to precipitation-based index insurance are investigated. The objective is further deepened by investigating the effect of partially subsidizing index insurance. Finally, we focus on differences in preferences caused by the farmer's individual specific factors as this allows to identify the potential target groups for satellite-based index insurance. As satellite-based index insurance is still hard to find in Europe, a discrete choice experiment has been conducted with 127 German farmers. In a hypothetical scenario, farmers had to choose whether or not to insure themselves against drought by purchasing hypothetical index insurance products. Specifically, based on a labeled design, they had to choose between a satellite-based and a precipitation-based index insurance, or could choose not to use either alternative (opt-out). We include other insurance attributes such as premium, strike level and payout as they were rated as important by the farmers. Mixed logit model results show a preference for both index insurance products against no insurance. Particularly, the average farmer has a statistically significant higher preference for the satellite-based index insurance. In addition, subsidizing satellite-based index insurance has a higher effect on farmers' preferences. Moreover, the latent class model identifies heterogeneous preferences among farmers. Insurers can be advised to incorporate satellite data into the design of index insurance. By integrating them into existing index insurance products or by developing purely satellite-based index insurance, insurers could tailor index insurance better to farmers' preferences. Policymakers can be advised that farmers are differentially sensitive to subsidies. Especially farmers with a stronger preference for the satellite-based index insurance derive a huge increase in utility from subsidies. The study provides initial insights into farmers' preferences for satellite-based index insurance that can guide insurers regarding the design of index insurance products and give policymakers insights into how governmental support would change farmers' demand for index insurance. [Display omitted] • Satellite data are under discussion to reduce basis risk of index insurance and increase the attractiveness to farmers • This paper investigates farmers preferences for a satellite-based compared to a precipitation-based index insurance • The average farmer has a higher preference for the satellite-based compared to the precipitation-based index insurance • The average farmer is more sensitive to subsidizing the satellite-based compared to the precipitation-based index insurance • Findings are of interest to insurers regarding the design of index insurance and policymakers regarding policy intervention [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the development of behavioral and mental health issues among adolescents, particularly those from immigrant families, is a key area of concern. Many prior studies have focused on the role of societal (country-of-destination) language skills, but we know less about the role played by the use of the heritage language in families. We examined this latter relationship with a focus on changes in heritage language use and internalizing and externalizing problems, and how family relations moderate this relationship. We used the first two waves (2010/2011 and 2011/2012) of the Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey in Four European Countries (CILS4EU) data collected from Germany (n = 1614; Mage = 14.8 years, 50% female), the Netherlands (n = 1203; Mage = 14.7 years, 54% female), Sweden (n = 1794; Mage = 14.2 years, 53% female), and England (n = 1359; Mage = 14.6 years, 50% female). Our results suggest that increased use of heritage language is associated with fewer externalizing problems only in families with greater family cohesion and parental warmth (in Germany and the U.K.) and with fewer internalizing problems only in families with higher parental monitoring (in the Netherlands and Sweden). Good family relations are thus an important precondition for increased heritage language use to lead to improved behavioral and mental health for children of immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Epidemiological evidence suggests that regular physical activity (PA) positively impacts individuals' mental health (MH). The PA-MH relationship may be critical among immigrants owing to psycho-social-cultural influences. This scoping review of 61 studies employed a holistic bio-psycho-socio-cultural framework to thoroughly investigate the complex relationship between PA (across life domains) and immigrants' MH in Western countries. A systematic search of five electronic databases (Medline, PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO and Anthropology Plus) was conducted to locate relevant articles. No limitations were applied to study design, age, gender, home country, MH condition or PA type. A bio-psycho-socio-cultural-informed conceptual model guided the analysis of the multi-domain PA-MH relationship. Immigrant PA-MH studies were conducted and reported most commonly in the USA (38%), Australia (18%), and Canada (11%). Overall, PA was positively related to MH. Each domain-specific PA appeared to be associated with unique MH-promoting pathways/mechanisms. Leisure-related PA may support MH by enhancing self-agency and minimizing risky behaviors, whilst travel- and domestic-related PA may promote self-accomplishment and physical engagement. Ethnic sports appeared to enhance resilience. Occupational-related PA was associated with either positive or negative MH, depending on the type of occupation. A bio-psycho-socio-cultural-informed model is required to gain an encompassing and integrated understanding of immigrants' health. The first iteration of such a model is presented here, along with an illustration of how the model may be used to deepen analysis and understanding of the multi-domain PA-MH relationship among immigrants and inform public health planners and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Job satisfaction is a key factor for the successful transition of newly graduated nurses (NGNs) and for retaining NGNs in their workplaces. However, there is limited evidence of the relationship between satisfaction regarding the nursing education program and NGNs' job satisfaction in the first year after graduation. Therefore, this study aims to examine the association of the nursing education related factors and NGNs' job satisfaction. Methods: A cross-sectional study design with the utilization of data collected from the same respondents one year earlier as educational factors was applied. The data were collected from NGNs (n = 557) in 10 European countries using an electronic survey between February 2019 and September 2020, and analyzed in detail for four countries (n = 417). Job satisfaction was measured with three questions: satisfaction with current job, quality of care in the workplace, and nursing profession. Nursing education related factors were satisfaction with nursing education program, level of study achievements, nursing as the 1st study choice, intention to stay in nursing, and generic nursing competence. The data were analyzed statistically using logistic regression. Results: Most of the NGNs in the 10 countries were satisfied with their current job (88.3%), the quality of care (86.4%) and nursing profession (83.8%). Finnish, German, Lithuanian and Spanish NGNs' satisfaction with the nursing education program at graduation was statistically significantly associated with their job satisfaction, i.e., satisfaction with their current job, the quality of care, and the nursing profession. Moreover, NGNs who had fairly often or very often intention to stay in nursing at graduation were more satisfied with their current job, with the quality of care, and with the nursing profession compared with NGNs who had never or fairly seldom intention to stay in nursing at graduation. Conclusions: Nursing education plays a significant role in NGNs' job satisfaction one year after graduation, indicating the importance to start career planning already during nursing education. Both nursing education providers and healthcare organizations could plan in close collaboration a transition program for NGNs to ease the transition phase and thus increase the NGNs' job satisfaction and ultimately the high-quality care of the patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Lung cancer screening (LCS), using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT), can be more efficient by simultaneously screening for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD), the Big-3 diseases. This study aimed to determine the willingness to participate in (combinations of) Big-3 screening in four European countries and the relative importance of amendable participation barriers., Methods: An online cross-sectional survey aimed at (former) smokers aged 50-75 years elicited the willingness of individuals to participate in Big-3 screening and used analytical hierarchy processing (AHP) to determine the importance of participation barriers., Results: Respondents were from France (n = 391), Germany (n = 338), Italy (n = 399), and the Netherlands (n = 342), and consisted of 51.2% men. The willingness to participate in screening was marginally influenced by the diseases screened for (maximum difference of 3.1%, for Big-3 screening (73.4%) vs. lung cancer and COPD screening (70.3%)) and by country (maximum difference of 3.7%, between France (68.5%) and the Netherlands (72.3%)). The largest effect on willingness to participate was personal perceived risk of lung cancer. The most important barriers were the missed cases during screening (weight 0.19) and frequency of screening (weight 0.14), while diseases screened for (weight 0.11) ranked low., Conclusions: The difference in willingness to participate in LCS showed marginal increase with inclusion of more diseases and limited variation between countries. A marginal increase in participation might result in a marginal additional benefit of Big-3 screening. The amendable participation barriers are similar to previous studies, and the new criterion, diseases screened for, is relatively unimportant., Clinical Relevance Statement: Adding diseases to combination screening modestly improves participation, driven by personal perceived risk. These findings guide program design and campaigns for lung cancer and Big-3 screening. Benefits of Big-3 screening lie in long-term health and economic impact, not participation increase., Key Points: • It is unknown whether or how combination screening might affect participation. • The addition of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cardiovascular disease to lung cancer screening resulted in a marginal increase in willingness to participate. • The primary determinant influencing individuals' engagement in such programs is their personal perceived risk of the disease., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background and Aim: Due to its strong economy and a well-developed healthcare system, Germany is well positioned to achieve above-average reductions in mortality. Nevertheless, in terms of life expectancy, Germany is increasingly falling behind Western Europe. We compare mortality trends in Germany with other Western European countries, covering the period from 1960 to 2019. The focus is on long-term trends in Germany's ranking in international mortality trends. In addition, we conduct a detailed mortality analysis by age., Methods: Our analysis is mostly based on mortality data from the Human Mortality Database (HMD). Cause-specific mortality data originate from the database of the World Health Organization (WHO). For the international comparison of mortality trends, we use conventional mortality indicators (age-standardized mortality rate, period life expectancy)., Results: Compared to other Western European countries, Germany has higher mortality in the middle and older age groups. Germany's life expectancy gap compared to Western Europe has grown during the past 20 years. In 2000, Germany was 0.73 years behind for men and 0.74 years behind for women. By 2019, these figures had risen to 1.43 and 1.34 years, respectively. This is mainly due to mortality from non-communicable diseases., Conclusion: For Germany to catch up with other Western European countries, a stronger focus on further reducing mortality at ages 50+ is crucial. This also requires further research to understand the factors behind Germany's disadvantageous position., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

This article highlights the results of an assessment of population dynamics in medium and small towns in Europe in the years 1875, 1880, 1890, and 1904. These data were presented by Alexander Georg Supan (1847-1920) in his "Lehrbuch der Geographie nach den Principien der neueren Wissenschaft für österreichische Mittelschulen und verwandte Lehranstalten sowie zum Selbstunterrichte" ("Textbook of Geography for Austrian Middle Schools and Related Institutions, as Well as Self-Instruction"), published in the second (1875), fourth (1880), seventh (1890), and eleventh (1904) editions. Particular emphasis is placed on the fact that over the last quarter of the 19th century, the number of medium-populated towns exceeded a fifth of all European cities while small towns comprised a tenth. The article presents the population dynamics of 131 medium-sized towns in Europe in 1875, 1880, 1890, and 1904. It also establishes that medium towns were more typical of Austria-Hungary and Germany than other European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background In Europe, more than 15 million people live with heart failure (HF). It imposes an enormous social, organizational and economic burden. As a reaction to impending impact on healthcare provision, different country-specific structures for HF-care have been established. The aim of this report is to provide an overview and compare the HF-care approaches of Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and the UK, and to open the possibility of learning from each other's experience. Methods A mixed methods approach was implemented that included a literature analysis, interviews and questionnaires with HF-patients and caregivers, and expert interviews with representatives from healthcare, health service research and medical informatics. Results The models of HF-care in all countries analyzed are based on the European Society of Cardiology guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of HF. Even though the HF-models differed in design and implementation in practice, key challenges were similar: (i) unequal distribution of care between urban and rural areas, (ii) long waiting times, (iii) unequal access to and provision of healthcare services, (iv) information and communication gaps and (v) inadequate implementation and financing of digital applications. Conclusion Although promising approaches exist to structure and improve HF-care, across the four countries, implementation was reluctant to embrace novel methods. A lack of financial resources and insufficient digitalization making it difficult to adopt new concepts. Integration of HF-nurses seems to be an effective way of improving current models of HF-care. Digital solutions offer further opportunities to overcome communication and coordination gaps and to strengthen self-management skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of the study was to test the psychometric properties of the Facilitative Student–Patient Relationship (FSPR) Scale in clinical practicum in hospital settings within six European countries. Design: A multi‐country, cross‐sectional survey design was applied. Methods: A convenience sample of graduating nursing students (N = 1,796) completed the FSPR Scale. Psychometric testing was carried out through explorative factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Results: Both validity and reliability of the scale were confirmed. The explorative factor analysis yielded a two‐factor construct explaining 47.7% of the total variance, identifying two sub‐scales: caring relationship and learning relationship. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the two‐factor structure. The Cronbach alpha coefficients (0.8–0.9) indicated acceptable reliability of the scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chernozems/Phaeozems are important agricultural resources and have been intensively used for millennia. However, their origin and age are still controversial. In Europe, the westernmost widespread Chernozem/Phaeozem area is located in Central Germany. In contrast to other German regions with anthropogenic Chernozems/Phaeozems, their natural origin is suggested in connection with intensive bioturbation. Yet, radiocarbon is unsuitable for decoding Chernozem/Phaeozem formation so this hypothesis remains untested, whereas single-grain luminescence dating allows to discriminate between different soil sub-processes and formation phases. We applied single-grain feldspar luminescence to a Central German Chernozem that was buried during the Bronze Age and subsequently protected from pedogenic processes. For the first time, we could directly determine timing and rate of Chernozem/Phaeozem formation in Central Europe by dating bioturbation as the dominant soil forming process. Accordingly, Chernozem/Phaeozem formation started at the latest in the Early Holocene prior to Neolithic settlement indicating a natural origin of Central German Chernozems/Phaeozems, and Chernozem/Phaeozem formation ceased around 6–5 ka when the regional climate became more humid. Our effective soil reworking rates show that earthworm bioturbation in Chernozems/Phaeozems is more intense than ant-dominated bioturbation, but significantly less intense than bioturbation by lugworms or ploughing. The latter effect allows to identify prehistoric ploughing in paleosols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind-blown dust (WBD) emitted by the Earth's surface due to sandblasting can potentially have important effects on both climate and human health via interaction with solar and thermal radiation, reducing air quality. Apart from the main dust "centres" around the world, like deserts, dust can be emitted from partly vegetated mid- and high-latitude areas like Europe if certain conditions are suitable (strong winds, bare soil, reduced soil moisture, etc.). Using a wind-blown dust model (WBDUST) along with a chemical transport model (Comprehensive Air-quality model with Extensions, CAMx) coupled to a regional climate model (Weather Research and Forecasting, WRF), this study is one of the first to provide a model-based estimate of such emissions over Europe as well as the long-term impact of WBD emissions on the total particulate matter (PM) concentrations for the 2007–2016 period. We estimated average WBD emissions of about 0.5 and 1.5 Mgyr-1km-2 in fine and coarse modes. Maximum emissions occur over Germany, where the average seasonal fine- and coarse-mode emission flux can reach 0.5 and 1 gs-1km-2 , respectively. Large variability is seen in the averaged daily emissions with values of up to 2 gs-1km-2 for the coarse-mode aerosol on selected days. The WBD emissions increased the modelled winter PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations by up to 10 and 20 µgm-3 , respectively, especially over Germany, where the highest emissions occur. The impact on other seasons is lower. Much higher impacts are modelled, however, on selected days when occasionally the urban PM 2.5 and PM 10 concentrations are increased by more than 50 and 100 µgm-3. The comparison with measurements revealed that if WBD is considered, the summer biases are reduced; however, the winter PM is overestimated even more greatly (so the bias increases). We identified a strong overestimation of the modelled wind speed (the maximum daily wind is almost 2 times higher in WRF than the measured ones) suggesting that WBD emissions are also overestimated – hence the enhanced winter PM biases. Moreover, we investigated the secondary impacts of the crustal composition of fine WBD particles on secondary inorganic aerosol (SIA): sulfates (PSO 4), nitrates (PNO 3) and ammonium (PNH 4). Because the water pH value, and thus the uptake of the gaseous precursors of SIA, is perturbed and because the increased aerosol surface serves as an oxidation site, we modelled seasonal PSO 4 and PNO 3 concentrations increased by up to 0.1 µgm-3 and PNH 4 ones decreased by up to -0.05 µgm-3 , especially during winter. In terms of average daily impact, these numbers can, however, reach much larger values of up to 1–2 µgm-3 for sulfates and nitrates, while the decrease in ammonium due to WBD can reach -1 µgm-3 on selected days. The sensitivity test on the choice of the inorganic equilibrium model (ISORROPIA vs. EQuilibrium Simplified Aerosol Model V4, EQSAM) showed that if EQSAM is used, the impact on SIA is slightly stronger (by a few 10 %) due to larger number of cations considered for water pH in EQSAM. Our results have to be regarded as a first estimate of the long-term WBD emissions and the related effects on PM over Europe. Due to the strong positive wind bias and hence strong WBD emissions, we should consider these results as an upper bound. More sensitivity studies involving the impact of the driving meteorological fields, WBD model choice and the input data used to describe the land surface need to be carried out in future to better constrain these emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fodder maize cultivation under low mountain conditions in Central Europe presents obstacles for organic dairy farmers; low temperatures and high precipitation values in spring delay the juvenile development of maize, which leads to lower and fluctuating yields. Increasing the soil temperature during the critical growth phase of maize in spring is beneficial for maize cultivation. For this reason, 0.15 m high ridge-row cultivation (RCM) of maize was compared to a typical flat surface cultivation method (FCM) with 0.75 m row spacing in three environments (En) in 2017, 2018 and 2020 on-farm at low mountain sites in Germany. In the experiment, with randomised block design and one-factorial arrangement, soil temperature (ST) at 0.05 m soil depth at midday, field emergence (FE) 4, 8, 16 and 20 days after sowing (DAS), dry matter yields (DM) in every En and plant development and N, P, K content in En 2020 were investigated. RCM led to a significantly higher ST 4 DAS in every En, 12 and 20 days in 2018 and 8 and 16 DAS in 2020. RCM did not accelerate maize FE but positively impacted plant development and starch content. RCM generated a higher dry matter (DM) yield of whole maize plants and corn cobs, and a higher protein yield than FCM. RCM slightly increased the plant-available P and Mg content from 0 to 0.3 m and influenced significantly the mineral N content from 0 to 0.3 m at the beginning of grain development. RCM, a simple cultivation technique, demonstrated benefits for maize cultivation, particularly for climatically marginal locations in Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a WRF-Chem simulation over central Europe with a high spatial resolution of 3 km × 3 km and a focus on nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). A regional emission inventory, issued by the German Environmental Agency, with a spatial resolution of 1 km × 1 km is used. We demonstrate, that by precise temporal modulation of the emission data (use of 'temporal profiles'), significant improvement in model accuracy over existing simulations is achieved. Simulated NO₂ surface concentrations are compared to measurements from a total of 275 in-situ measurement stations in Germany, where the model was able to reproduce average noontime NO₂ concentrations with a bias of +0.9 % and R = 0.76. A comparison between modelled NO₂ vertical column densities (VCDs) and satellite observations from TROPOMI (TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument) is conducted, where crucial aspects of the observation process, such as altitude-dependent NO₂ sensitivity as well as the influence of clouds and a priori assumptions of the retrieval, are taken into account. Simulations and satellite observations are shown to agree with a model bias of −6.6 % and R = 0.84 for monthly means. Lastly, simulated NO₂ concentration profiles are compared to profiles obtained from Multiaxis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (MAX-DOAS) measurements of five European ground stations using the profile retrieval algorithms from the Mexican MAX-DOAS fit (MMF) and the Mainz Profile Algorithm (MAPA). For stations within Germany, biases of −5.9 % to +50.3 % were obtained when comparing average noontime NO₂ concentrations at different altitudes. Outside of Germany, where lower resolution emission data was used, biases of up to +78.6 % were observed. Overall, the study demonstrates that temporal modulation of emission data is crucial for modelling tropospheric NO₂ realistically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The development and current state of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) over the past 40 years are analyzed in this study, along with explored and discovered the hotspots and frontiers in the field, which serve as the foundation for future investigation., Methods: CiteSpace and VOSviewer analysis software were used to visually analyze the literature data on HFRS from 1980 to 2022, including the annual number of publications, countries and research institutions, authors, co-cited literature and keywords., Results: The number of pertinent papers published in the field of HFRS displayed an overall upward trend from 1980 to 2022. The United States, China, Germany, Sweden, and France are the top 5 countries in terms of publishing volume, with high intermediate centrality mainly concentrated in Europe and the United States. The top 10 co-occurring keywords were hemorrhagic fever, renal syndrome, infection, virus, epidemic, nephropathia epidemical, disease, hantavirus, outbreak, and transmission. According to keyword cluster analysis, there were 4 main research fields. In the HFRS-related study, there were mainly 21 notable keywords and "Korean hemorrhagic fever" had the highest hemorrhagic value (28.87)., Conclusion: The United States, China, Germany, Sweden and other countries attached great importance to the HFRS-related research. Moreover, the collaboration between authors and institutions in various collaborator clusters should be strengthened. In recent decades, investigations have focused on the study of viral infection and the clinical symptoms and pathophysiology of HFRS. Future research may concentrate on factors affecting host population distribution and density, such as vaccine development and meteorological factors pertaining to virus transmission., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

As future employers, nurse managers are in a key position to assess the correspondence between the competence of graduating nursing students and work life demands. The aim of the present study was to assess the competence of graduating nursing students from the perspective of managers, and analyze the factors linked to it. Among European managers in six countries, a cross-sectional survey design with a convenience sample was applied. Data were collected using the Nurse Competence Scale. The study was reported using the STROBE guidelines. Managers (n =538, 65.8%) assessed the level of competence of graduating nursing students as good, but there were statistically significant differences between countries. In a multivariable analysis, managers who had a Doctoral/Master’s degree and were dissatisfied with the nursing program in their country assessed the level of competence as lower. Overall, graduating nursing students seem to meet the competence demands of current work life rather well. Further research is needed to confirm the connection between the managers’ competence assessment and their individual background factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]