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Does good governance matter for exporting to the highly competitive markets of developed countries, especially those committed to a developmental mission centered on promoting good governance? This paper is investigating this research question. The focus of the analysis is the case study of Arab exports to the German economy, where a comparatively poor performance in comparison to that of other regions of the world is witnessed, despite geographical proximity and preferential trade agreements. Using statistical data and the literature on the subject, the paper engages in a discussion on German trade flows from Arab countries and whether governance indicators provide a good explanatory framework. The research question is then investigated empirically by running several regressions using the two-stage least-squares and Poisson pseudo maximum likelihood models. Different indicators of German exports are used as dependent variables while the independent variables are various governance indicators together with the control variables suggested by the gravity model. The obtained empirical results suggest that good governance generally boosts Arab exports to Germany and relatively more than it does for non-Arab exporters to Germany. This is especially true for governance indicators that directly affect exporting activities, such as regulatory quality and government effectiveness. For some indicators that indirectly affect exporting, however, the results are mixed for both Arab and non-Arab countries, especially for the textile industry. This sheds doubts on Germany's developmental commitment to fostering good governance principles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlled drainage is considered as a soil management tool to improve water supply to crops and reduce nutrient losses from fields; however, its closure may affect phosphorus (P) mobilization in soil. To assess the P mobilization potential, three soil profiles with redoximorphic features were selected along a slight hill in Northern Germany. Soil samples from three depths of each profile were characterized for basic properties, total element content, oxalate- and dithionite-extractable pedogenic Al, Fe and Mn (hydr)oxides, P pools (sequential extraction), P species [P K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy] and P sorption behavior. In topsoil (~ 10 cm depth), labile P (H2O-P + resin-P + NaHCO3-P) accounted for 26–32% of total P (Pt). Phosphorus K-edge XANES revealed that up to 49% of Pt was bound to Al and/or Fe (hydr)oxides, but sequential fractionation indicated that > 30% of this P was occluded within sesquioxide aggregates. A low binding capacity for P was demonstrated by P sorption capacity and low Kf coefficients (20–33 mg 1 - n f L n f kg - 1 ) of the Freundlich equation. In the subsoil layers (~ 30 and ~ 65 cm depth), higher proportions of Al- and Fe-bound P along with other characteristics suggested that all profiles might be prone to P mobilization/leaching risk under reducing conditions even if the degree of P saturation (DPS) of a profile under oxic conditions was < 25%. The results suggest that a closure of the controlled drainage may pose a risk of increased P mobilization, but this needs to be compared with the risk of uncontrolled drainage and P losses to avoid P leaching into the aquatic ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geochemical fractionation and potential mobilization of Co, Cu, Ni, and Zn were studied in thirteen soil profiles originating from Germany and Egypt to assess the potential mobilization of these potentially toxic metals. The German soils were classified as Eutric Fluvisols, Tidalic Fluvisols, Haplic Gleysols, and Calcic Luvisols, and the Egyptian soils as Eutric Fluvisols, Sodic Fluvisols, and Haplic Calcisols. The geochemical fractions (acid soluble (F1), reducible (F2), oxidizable (F3), and residual (F4) fraction) of the metals were sequentially extracted using the sequential extraction technique of the Commission of the European Communities Bureau of Reference (BCR). The maximal total concentrations (mg kg − 1 ) of Cu (3242), Ni (105), and Zn (1672) were in the German Eutric Fluvisols, while the maximal concentrations of Co (37) were in the Egyptian Eutric Fluvisols, and those values exceeded the international maximum allowable soil concentrations. The values of enrichment and contamination factors exhibit a clear indication of dramatic contamination by Cu and Zn at the Eutric Fluvisols along the Wupper River, Germany. The acid soluble fraction of all metals (except for Ni in the Calcic Luvisols) was higher in the German soils than the Egyptian soils. The reducible fraction of Co, Cu, Ni, and Zn was the dominant non-residual fraction (as precentages of total) in all Egyptian soils and in the German Eutric Fluvisols as well as for Zn in the Tidalic Fluvisol and Co in the Calcic Luvisols. The potential mobile fraction (PMF = ∑ F1 − F3) of Co, Cu, Ni, and Zn accounted (% of total) for 39–61, 15–60, 21–57, and 6–44, respectively in the Egyptian soils, while it accounted for 14–70, 11–92, 2–73, and 8–89, respectively in the German soils. The high PMF of the metals in the German Eutric Fluvisols, Haplic Gleysols, and Sodic Fluvisols might reflect that the sources of these metals are of anthropogenic origin here. However, the dominance of the metals residual fraction in the Egyptian soils supports the assumption of the geogenic origin of these metals in these soils. The canonical discriminant analysis as a multivariate statistical procedure was applied and differentiated the soils according to their geochemical behavior into four clusters i.e., 1) Eutric Fluvisols, Calcic Luvisols, and Haplic Calcisols; 2) Egyptian Fluvisols (Eutric and Sodic); 3) Haplic Calcisols; and 4) Tidalic Fluvisols. In conclusion, the potential risk of the metals in the anthropogenic polluted soils is higher than in the soils naturally enriched with these metals. Therefore, remediation approaches may be needed in the German Eutric Fluvisols, Haplic Gleysols, and Sodic Fluvisols. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although soil contamination by potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in Europe has a history of many centuries, related problems are often considered as having been dealt with due to the enforcement of tight legislations. However, there are many unsolved issues. We aimed to assess PTE levels in highly contaminated soils and in garden edible vegetables using human health risk indices in order to evaluate the availability and mobilization of arsenic (As), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn). In four gardens in Germany, situated on, or in the vicinity of, a mine dump area, we planted beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris ssp. nanus ), carrots ( Daucus sativus ) and lettuce ( Lactuca sativa ssp. capitata ). We examined soil-to-plant mobilization of elements using transfer coefficient ( TC ), as well as soil contamination using contamination factor ( CF ), enrichment factor ( EF ), and bioaccumulation index ( I geo ). In addition, we tested two human health risk assessment indices: Soil-induced hazard quotient (HQ S ) (representing the “direct soil ingestion” pathway), and vegetable-induced hazard quotient (HQ V ) (representing the “vegetable intake” pathway). The studied elements were highly elevated in the soils. The values in garden 2 were especially high (e.g., Pb: 13789.0 and Hg: 36.8 mg kg −1 ) and largely exceeded the reported regulation limits of 50 (for As), 40 (Cu), 400 (Pb), 150 (Zn), and 5 (Hg) mg kg −1 . Similarly, element concentrations were very high in the grown vegetables. The indices of CF , EF and I geo were enhanced even to levels that are rarely reported in the literature. Specifically, garden 2 indicated severe contamination due to multi-element deposition. The contribution of each PTE to the total of measured HQ S revealed that Pb was the single most important element causing health risk (contributing up to 77% to total HQ S ). Lead also posed the highest risk concerning vegetable consumption, contributing up to 77% to total HQ V . The presence of lead in both cases was followed by that of As, Mn and Hg. We conclude that in multi-element contamination cases, along with high-toxicity elements (here, Pb, As and Hg) other elements may also be responsible for increasing human health risks (i.e., Mn), due to the possibility of adverse synergism of the PTEs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the chemical fractions of toxic elements (TEs) in soils is important to evaluate their mobilization and bioavailability. In this study, samples from three representative floodplain soils located close to the Rivers Nile (Egypt), Elbe (Germany), and Pinios (Greece) were used to link the soil formation and properties to the geochemical fractions and mobilization of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in these soils. The Elbe soil showed the highest total concentration of the elements except for Ni, in which the Pinios soil had the highest amount. A significant amount (55-94%) of the elements was present in the Elbe soil in the potentially mobile (non-residual) fraction, while the amount of this fraction ranged between 9 and 39% in the Pinios soil and between 9 and 34% in the Nile soil. In the Elbe soil, most of the non-residual Ni, Pb, and Zn was associated with the Fe-Mn oxide fraction, while Cd was distributed in the soluble plus exchangeable fraction and Cu in the organic fraction. In the Nile and Pinios soils the Fe-Mn oxide fraction was the abundant pool for Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn whereas Cd had the highest amount in the soluble plus exchangeable as well as in the carbonate fractions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mobilization of phosphorus (P) in arable soils might be affected by groundwater fluctuations and the associated changes in redox potential (E H). However, the impact of systematic changes of E H on P mobilization in redoximorphic arable soils along a catena has not been studied so far. Therefore, we investigated P mobilization under different redox conditions in top- and sub-soil horizons of three groundwater affected arable soils along a slight slope (toe-, mid-, and upper-slope position) in Northern Germany using an automated biogeochemical microcosm system. The impact of pH, Al, Fe, Mn, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) on P mobilization was also studied. The initial E H (+351 to +431 mV) and pH (6.5–7.0) decreased in all soil samples (E H = −280 mV; pH = 4.4) when creating a slurry. Thereafter, the pH increased to 7.1 and 6.4 with increasing E H in the mid-and toe-slope soil, respectively. Concentrations of dissolved P ranged between 20.8 mg L−1 under low E H in the toe slope topsoil and 0.69 mg L−1 under high E H in the toe- and mid-slop subsoil. Concentrations (mg L−1) of dissolved Fe (0.31–13.3) and DOC (92–2651) increased under low E H and decreased under high E H. The increase of P mobilization under low E H and pH in the soils might be due to the release of P via the reductive and acidic dissolution of Fe-(oxhydr)oxides and/or due to soil organic matter mineralization. The high mobilization of P under reducing conditions may increase its bioavailability; however, it may increase its loss in the soils, particularly in the toe slope profile. [Display omitted] • Concentrations of dissolved P were higher under low than under high E H. • The reductive dissolution of Fe-oxides caused an increase in P mobilization. • Phosphorus was more mobilized in the toe-than the mid- and upper-slope soil. • Phosphorus was more mobilized in the top-than the sub-soil samples. • The loss of P is higher under reducing than oxidizing conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the soil contamination caused by potentially toxic elements (Al, As, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Se, V, and Zn) using various indices and the associated risk of human health for adults and children in selected soils from Germany (Calcic Luvisols, Tidalic Fluvisols, Haplic Gleysols, and Eutric Fluvisols) and Egypt (Haplic Calcisols, Sodic Fluvisols, and Eutric Fluvisols). Soil contamination degree has been assessed using indices such as contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), geo-accumulation index (I geo), and enrichment factor. We also assessed the health risk for children and for male and female adults. Chromium, Cu, As, Mo, Ni, Se, and Zn in the German Fluvisols had high CF of >6, while in the Egyptian Fluvisols Se, Mo, As, and Al revealed a high CF. The PLI (1.1–5.2) was higher than unity in most soils (except for Tidalic Fluvisols), while the most important contributor was Se, followed by Mo and As in the Egyptian Fluvisols, and by Cr, Cu, and Zn in the German Fluvisols. The median value of hazard index (HI) for children in the studied soils indicated an elevated health risk (higher than one), especially in the German Fluvisols (HI = 4.0–29.0) and in the Egyptian Fluvisols (HI = 2.2–5.2). For adults, median HIs in all soils were lower than unity for both males and females. The key contributor to HI was As in the whole soil profiles, accounting for about 59% of the total HIs in all three person groupings. Our findings show that in the studied multi-element contaminated soils the risk for children's health is higher than for adults; while mainly As (and Al, Cr, Cu, and Fe) contributed significantly to soil-derived health risk. Image 1 • German Eutric Fluvisols are highly polluted by Cu, Cr, Zn, Cd, Pb, and As. • Egyptian Fluvisols and Haplic Gleysols are highly polluted by Al, Se, Mo, and V. • The hazard index for children indicated an elevated health risk in all soils. • The risk for children's health is higher than for adults in all soils. • As, Cr, Al, Fe, and Cu contributed significantly to soil-derived health risk. Soil contamination was very high in the studied soils (pollution load index ranged from 1.1 to 5.2), especially in the German and Egyptian Fluvisols; health risk for children was higher than for adults, and As, Al, Cr, Cu, and Fe had a key role in soil-derived health risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an experimental investigation on the compressive behavior of eco-friendly concrete containing glass waste (GW) and recycled concrete aggregate (RCA). In all mixtures, cement and water are stayed constant while fine and coarse aggregates were varied. The studied parameters are: utilizing fine recycled glass (FRG) instead of fine natural aggregate (FNA) at substitution levels of 0, 10, 25, 50 and 100 %, performing coarse recycled glass (CRG) instead of coarse natural aggregate (CNA) at replacement ratios of 0, 10, 20 and 40 %, conducting both CRG at constant ratio (20 %) as well as RCA at varied levels (0, 16, 40 and 80 %) and replacing CNA by RCA at varied levels (0, 16, 40 and 80 %). The experimental results showed that replacing 10, 25, 50 and 100 % of FNA by FRG declined the compressive strength of concrete by 12.8, 18.5, 24.5 and 49.8 %, respectively. Also, the compressive strength of concrete decreased by 18.5, 23.3, and 32.83 % when 10, 20, and 40 % of CNA were substituted by CRG, respectively. Additionally, the current study investigates the efficacy of machine learning (ML) techniques in evaluating the compressive strength of eco-friendly concrete containing GW and RCA separately. Four tree-based ensemble methods—decision trees, random forest, gradient boosted regression trees, and extreme gradient boosting—were trained and tested using 241 and 319 datasets to predict the compressive strength of eco-friendly concrete containing GW and RCA, respectively. The data employed in constructing the ML model were gathered from both the current experimental study and previous studies. The findings indicate that the XGBoost model demonstrates exceptional accuracy. The impact of each parameter on the predicted outcomes was discussed. • Eco-friendly concrete with GW and RCA investigated using cube compression tests • Replacing FNA with FRG reduced f cu by 13–50 % at varying replacement levels • Replacing CNA with CRG reduced f cu by 18.5–33 % at varying replacement levels • Increasing FRG/CRG replacement lowers concrete density; enhances fluidity greatly • XGBoost ML predicts eco-friendly concrete's compressive strength accurately [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Floodplain soils across Central Elbe River (CER), Germany, vary considerably in potentially toxic element (PTE) content. However, there has never been a comprehensive study that links PTE levels with human health risk for children and adults. Our objective was to determine the contamination of 13 PTEs in 94 soil profiles along CER and assess the associated health risk via diverse indices for adults and children. Of 94 soil profiles, we measured soil properties and total content of arsenic, barium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, rubidium, tin, strontium, vanadium, zinc, and zirconium using x-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF). We calculated the Contamination Factor and the Pollution Load Index (PLI), and assessed the health risk for male and female adults as well as for children. Topsoil median contents of Cr (84 mg kg−1), Cu (42), Ni (33), and Zn (195) exceeded the Precautionary Values for sandy soils according to the German Federal Soil Protection and Contaminated Sites Ordinance, while As, Pb, and V were 32, 73, and 77 mg kg−1, respectively. Median topsoil PLI was 1.73, indicating elevated multi-element contamination, with 90th percentile and maximum values being 3.20 and 4.31, respectively. All PTE concentrations were higher in top- compared to subsoils. Also at the 50th percentile the most enriched elements were Sn and As, followed by Zr and Rb, while in the 90th percentile Sn and As were followed by Zn, Pb and Cu. Median children's hazard index (HI) was higher than unity (HI = 2.27) and the 90th percentile was 5.53, indicating elevated health risk. Adult median HIs were 0.18 for male and 0.21 for female persons. Arsenic was found to be the primary contributor to total risk, accounting of 57.4% of HI in all three-person groupings, with Cr (17.3%) being the second, and V (10.2%) the third. Children's health is at dramatically higher risk than that of adults; also As, Cr, Pb, and V have a predominant role in contamination-related health risks. The presence of V, a less-expected element, among those of major risk contribution, reveals the necessity of monitoring areas at large scale. Our results demonstrate that our study may serve as a model for similar works studying multi-element-contaminated areas in future. Highlights • Tin had the highest enrichment in soil based on all studied contamination indices. • Tin was followed by As, Zn, Pb and Cu at 90th percentile. • Zirconium and Rb seem to originate from non-anthropogenic inputs. • Hazard Index for children was higher than unity, showing significant health risks. • Risk assessment indicated As as the predominant risk factor, followed by Cr, V, Pb. • The study is a model for works addressing contamination risks in extended areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although antiemetics are commonly used to prevent postoperative nausea or vomiting, the failure rate is appreciable and there is currently no generally accepted standard for rescue treatment of postoperative nausea or vomiting after failed prophylaxis. This prospective, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, multicenter study was designed to test the hypothesis that intravenous amisulpride, a dopamine D2/D3-antagonist, is superior to placebo at treating established postoperative nausea or vomiting after failed prophylaxis.Methods: A total of 2,285 adult patients undergoing surgery under general inhalational anesthesia and receiving standard antiemetic prophylaxis were enrolled at 23 sites in Canada, France, Germany, and the United States. Of these, 702 patients experienced postoperative nausea or vomiting in the 24-h period after surgery and were randomized to receive a single dose of 5 or 10 mg intravenous amisulpride or matching placebo. The primary endpoint was complete response, defined as no emesis or rescue antiemetic use for 24 h after study drug administration, excluding emesis in the first 30 min. Secondary endpoints included incidence of emesis and rescue medication use, nausea burden, time to treatment failure, and length of stay in postanesthesia care unit and hospital.Results: Complete response occurred in significantly more patients receiving 10 mg amisulpride (96 of 230, 41.7%) than placebo (67 of 235, 28.5%), a 13.2% difference (95% CI, 4.6 to 21.8; odds ratio, 1.80; P = 0.006). A 5-mg dose of amisulpride did not show a significant benefit (80 of 237, 33.8%); the difference from placebo was 5.2% (95% CI, 3.1 to 13.6; odds ratio, 1.24; P = 0.109). The total number of adverse events recorded and proportion of patients with at least one adverse event were comparable between the placebo and amisulpride groups. No clinically relevant toxicities were observed.Conclusions: A single 10-mg dose of intravenous amisulpride was safe and more effective than placebo at treating established postoperative nausea or vomiting in patients failing postoperative nausea or vomiting prophylaxis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]