Search

This article analyzes the UK's first "read and publish" journals agreement. The Springer Compact Agreement pilot ran from 2016 to 2018. The authors outline the methodology and data sources used to undertake a detailed analysis of the agreement. This includes the number of open access articles published, the number of author opt-outs and rejected articles. Institutional savings (or cost avoidance), and the financial implications resulting from the number of opt-outs and rejected articles are also discussed. The value of articles published and cost per download for non-OA content are also covered. The agreement, at the consortia level, has constrained the total cost of publication--during the three years, the HE sector has avoided paying additional costs of €20,000,800 ($22,761,688) for publishing OA by paying the single combined fee that capped publication costs at 2014 rates. All institutions taking part in the Springer Compact agreement published OA articles equivalent to or in excess of their total 2014 APC spend between 2016 and 2018. By 2018, 30 percent of institutions published OA articles to the value of or in excess of the combined fee paid to Springer. The article concludes with a number of recommendations for future agreements and considers compliance with Plan S guidelines.

Embedded in social worlds, education systems and research reflect distinct national trajectories. We compare two contrasting traditions of educational research (ER). Whereas British ER exhibits a multidisciplinary and pragmatic character, German ER reflects pedagogy and mainly humanities-based traditions. Yet, in both countries, policymakers' growing demand for evidence in ER resulted in increased funding, specific research programs, and mandatory large-scale assessments. These have reshaped the field, suggesting more similar ER agendas. Based on a comprehensive original dataset of basic ER projects funded by the main grant-making agencies in both countries (2005-2015), we analyze five dimensions: levels, objects, disciplines, methodologies, and themes. We find epistemic drift, with partial convergence characterized by a multi-level focus, multidisciplinary approach, strongly empirical and quantitative methodology, and a premium on teaching and learning themes. The cases remain distinct in exploring systemic questions in a wider contextual frame (UK) or concentrating more narrowly on the individual learner (Germany).

The present study analyzes the effect of age and amount of input in the acquisition of European Portuguese as a heritage language. An elicited production task centred on mood choice in complement clauses was applied to a group of fifty bilingual children (six- to sixteen-year-olds) who are acquiring Portuguese as a minority language in a German dominant environment. The results show a significant effect of the age at testing and the amount of input in the acquisition of the subjunctive. In general, acquisition is delayed with respect to monolinguals, even though higher convergence with the monolingual grammar is observed after twelve years of age. Results also reveal that children with more exposure to the heritage language at home show faster acquisition than children from mixed households: the eight- to nine-year-old age boundary seems relevant for those speakers with more exposure, and the twelve- to thirteen-year-old age boundary for those with less exposure.

Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte is the property of Redprint Editora Ltda. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Human norovirus is a major cause of viral gastroenteritis in all age groups. The virus is constantly and rapidly changing, allowing mutations and recombination events to create great diversity of circulating viruses. With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a wide range of public health measures were introduced worldwide to control human-to-human transmission of SARS-CoV-2. In Germany, control measures such as distance rules, contact restrictions, personal protection equipment as well as intensive hand hygiene were introduced. To better understand the effect of the measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic on incidence and the molecular epidemiological dynamics of norovirus outbreaks in Germany, we analyzed national notification data between July 2017 and December 2022 and characterized norovirus sequences circulating between January 2018 and December 2022. Compared to a reference period before the pandemic, the incidence of notified norovirus gastroenteritis decreased by 89.7% to 9.6 per 100,000 during the 2020/2021 norovirus season, corresponding to an incidence rate ratio (IRR) of 0.10. Samples from 539 outbreaks were genotyped in two regions of the viral genome from pre-pandemic (January 2018 to February 2020) and samples from 208 outbreaks during pandemic time period (March 2020 to December 2022). As expected, norovirus outbreaks were mainly found in child care facilities and nursing homes. In total, 36 genotypes were detected in the study period. A high proportion of recombinant strains (86%) was found in patients, the proportion of detected recombinant viruses did not vary between the pre-pandemic and pandemic phase. The proportion of the predominant recombinant strain GII.4 Sydney[P16] was unchanged before pandemic and during pandemic at 37.5%. The diversity of most common genotypes in nursing homes and child care facilities showed a different proportion of genotypes causing outbreaks. In nursing homes as well as in child care facilities GII.4 Sydney[P16] was predominant during the whole study period. Compared to the nursing homes, a greater variety of genotypes at the expense of GII.4 Sydney[P16] was detected in child care facilities. Furthermore, the overall proportion of recombinant strain GII.3[P12] increased during the pandemic, due to outbreaks in child care facilities. The COVID-19 pandemic had a high impact on the occurrence of sporadic cases and norovirus outbreaks in Germany, leading to a near suppression of the typical norovirus winter season following the start of the pandemic. The number of norovirus-associated outbreak samples sent to the Consultant Laboratory dropped by 63% during the pandemic. We could not identify a clear influence on circulating norovirus genotypes. The dominance of GII.4 Sydney recombinant strains was independent from the pandemic. Further studies are needed to follow up on the diversity of less predominant genotypes to see if the pandemic could have acted as a bottleneck to the spread of previously minoritized genotypes like GII.3[P12]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human norovirus is the main cause of non-bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. It is transmitted from person to person, by fecally contaminated food or water or through virus containing aerosols originating during vomiting of infected persons. In September and October 2012, the largest foodborne norovirus outbreak in Germany so far spread over 5 Federal States (Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia) affecting nearly 11,000 people mainly in schools and child care facilities. Epidemiological and trace-back investigations supported the assumption that a batch of frozen strawberries imported from China was the likely source of the outbreak. Sequence analysis of the capsid region encoding the P2 domain was used successfully for identification of transmission routes and epidemiologic relationship but was hampered by a lack of universal primers for all known genotypes so far. In the present study, a molecular approach was designed to track outbreak-related samples from the affected states of the large foodborne outbreak in Germany. Therefore, sequence analysis within the highly variable P2 domain of the capsid gene using newly developed universal P2 primers for genogroup I and genogroup II strains in combination with sequencing of the polymerase gene (region A) and the orf1/orf2 junction (region c) was used. The sequence analysis of 138 norovirus positive stool samples suspected to be outbreak-related revealed a considerable genomic diversity. At least 3 strains of genogroup I (I.3, I.4, and I.9) and 5 strains of genogroup II (II.6, II.7, II. 8, and recombinants II.P7_II.6, and II.P16_II.13) as well as 19 samples containing mixtures of these strains were detected. Six samples were considered as not linked to the outbreak. The most prevalent genotype was GI.4 (48/132; 36%). Genotype I.9 and the recombinant strain II.P16_II.13 were detected for the first time in Germany. Notably, the genotype II.P16_II.13 could also be determined in one of the samples of the frozen strawberry lot suspected as infection source. Especially, due to the good concordance of the P2 sequences from infected patients of 5 Federal States the outbreak-relation of the strains could be demonstrated. The high diversity of virus strains and the occurrence of sub-clusters within genotypes I.3, II.8, II.P16_II.13, and II.7 revealed the complex mixture of the outbreak source suggesting a possible waterborne fecal contamination of the strawberries. The typing system described here is in general useful for analysis of outbreaks caused by mixed infection sources. Extensive sequence analysis of different gene regions including the highly variable P2 domain in a sufficient number of cases is required to confirm the epidemiological relation of samples from outbreaks with high diversity of strains spreading over several geographic locations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a brief biography of German sociologist Ulrich Beck and a discussion of his important insights on social theory. It is noted that Beck's most important contribution is his social theory of risk, centered on his notion that risks are caused by science, government and the media and that they are not limited by space and time. A discussion on his concept of cosmopolitanism and its relation to risk theory is also presented.

• We assess interregional flows of four ecosystem services used in Germany. • Germany´s prosperity depends on ecosystem services supplied abroad. • Governance mechanisms need to operate at multiple scales. Despite a growing number of national-scale ecosystem service (ES) assessments, few studies consider the impacts of ES use and consumption beyond national or regional boundaries. Interregional ES flows – ecosystem services "imported" from and "exported" to other countries – are rarely analyzed and their importance for global sustainability is little known. Here, we provide a first multi-ES quantification of a nation's use of ES from abroad. We focus on ES flows that benefit the population in Germany but are supplied outside German territory. We employ a conceptual framework recently developed to systematically quantify interregional ES flows. We address four types of interregional ES flows with: (i) biophysical flows of traded goods: cocoa import for consumption; (ii) flows mediated by migratory species: migration of birds providing pest control; (iii) passive biophysical flows: flood control along transboundary watersheds; and (iv) information flows: China's giant panda loan to the Berlin Zoo. We determined that: (i) Ivory Coast and Ghana alone supply around 53% of Germany's cocoa while major negative consequences for biodiversity occurred in Cameroon and Ecuador; (ii) Africa´s humid and sub-humid climate zones are important habitats for the majority of migratory bird species that provide natural pest control services in agricultural areas in Germany; (iii) Upstream watersheds outside the country add an additional 64% flood regulation services nationally, while Germany exports 40% of flood regulation services in neighboring, downstream countries; (iv) Information flows transported by the pandas were mainly related to political aspects and - contrary to our expectations - considerably less on biological and natural aspects. We discuss the implications of these results for international resource management policy and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As healthcare and especially health technology evolve rapidly, new challenges require healthcare professionals to take on new roles. Consequently, the demand for health informatics competencies is increasing, and achieving these competencies using frameworks, such as Technology Informatics Guiding Reform (TIGER), is crucial for future healthcare., Aim: The study examines essential health informatics and educational competencies and health informatics challenges based on TIGER Core Competency Areas. Rather than examine each country independently, the focus is on uncovering commonalities and shared experiences across diverse contexts., Methods: Six focus group interviews were conducted with twenty-one respondents from three different countries (Germany (n = 7), Portugal (n = 6), and Finland (n = 8)). These interviews took place online in respondents' native languages. All interviews were transcribed and then summarized by each country. Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis framework was applied, which included familiarization with the data, generating initial subcategories, identifying, and refining themes, and conducting a final analysis to uncover patterns within the data., Results: Agreed upon by all three countries, competencies in project management, communication, application in direct patient care, digital literacy, ethics in health IT, education, and information and knowledge management were identified as challenges in healthcare. Competencies such as communication, information and communication technology, project management, and education were identified as crucial for inclusion in educational programs, emphasizing their critical role in healthcare education., Conclusions: Despite working with digital tools daily, there is an urgent need to include health informatics competencies in the education of healthcare professionals. Competencies related to application in direct patient care, IT-background knowledge, IT-supported and IT-related management are critical in educational and professional settings are seen as challenging but critical in healthcare., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)