The Impact of Human Capital Development on Economic Growth in Germany (1991-2018)

This paper examined the impact of human capital development on economic growth in Germany from 1991 to 2018, using time series data from the World Bank Indicator and the National Bureau of Statistics. In Germany, the service industry accounts for up to 85% of total employment, with a heavy focus on education, research, the cultural and creative sectors as well as health services. Despite being shrunk since reunification, the public sector continues to account for the vast majority of employment. The health services industry, which employs over 180 000 people in Berlin, is the most significant economic sector. As the most common type of organization in the private sector, small and medium-sized firms account for 80% of total employment in Berlin. Berlin's social structure is characterized by a significant migrant population, which is reflected in its economy. The goal of this research was to investigate the link between human capital indices (education and health) and economic growth. The ordinary least square regression analysis is used in this study to examine the impact of human capital development on German economic growth from 1991 to 2018. The empirical findings show that human capital development has a significant impact on economic growth, as measured by GDP. According to theory, the human capital development indicators of secondary school enrollment, primary school enrollment, gross capital formation, total labor, gross domestic product and life expectancy have a positive and statistically significant run long impact on Germany’s economic growth, implying that these indicators are critical in achieving growth in the German economy in the long run.  Life expectancy and gross capital formation, on the other hand, have a positive and statistically significant impact on Germany's economic growth in the short run. According to the study, the German government should ensure that adequate resources are allocated for human capital development in order to boost economic growth in Germany. Keywords: Human Capital, Economic growth, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Life expectancy DOI: 10.7176/JESD/12-22-05 Publication date: November 30th 202

Dynamics of the intratumoral immune response during progression of high-grade serous ovarian cancer

PURPOSE: Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) have an established impact on the prognosis of high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC), however, their role in recurrent ovarian cancer is largely unknown. We therefore systematically investigated TIL densities and MHC class I and II (MHC1, 2) expression in the progression of HGSOC. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ TILs and MHC1, 2 expression were evaluated by immunohistochemistry on tissue microarrays in 113 paired primary and recurrent HGSOC. TILs were quantified by image analysis. All patients had been included to the EU-funded OCTIPS FP7 project. RESULTS: CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ TILs and MHC1 and MHC2 expression showed significant correlations between primary and recurrent tumor levels (Spearman rho 0.427, 0.533, 0.361, 0.456, 0.526 respectively; P<.0001 each). Paired testing revealed higher CD4+ densities and MHC1 expression in recurrent tumors (Wilcoxon P=.034 and P=.018). There was also a shift towards higher CD3+ TILs levels in recurrent carcinomas when analyzing platinum-sensitive tumors only (Wilcoxon P=.026) and in pairs with recurrent tumor tissue from first relapse only (Wilcoxon P=.031). High MHC2 expression was the only parameter to be significantly linked to prolonged progression-free survival after first relapse (PFS2, log-rank P=.012). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study that analyzed the development of TILs density and MHC expression in paired primary and recurrent HGSOC. The level of the antitumoral immune response in recurrent tumors was clearly dependent on the one in the primary tumor. Our data contribute to the understanding of temporal heterogeneity of HGSOC immune microenvironment and have implications for selection of samples for biomarker testing in the setting of immune-targeting therapeutics

The effect of CSF drain on the optic nerve in idiopathic intracranial hypertension

Background: Elevation of intracranial pressure in idiopathic intracranial hypertension induces an edema of the prelaminar section of the optic nerve (papilledema). Beside the commonly observed optic nerve sheath distention, information on a potential pathology of the retrolaminar section of the optic nerve and the short-term effect of normalization of intracranial pressure on these abnormalities remains scarce. Methods: In this exploratory study 8 patients diagnosed with idiopathic intracranial hypertension underwent a MRI scan (T2 mapping) as well as a diffusion tensor imaging analysis (fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity). In addition, the clinical presentation of headache and its accompanying symptoms were assessed. Intracranial pressure was then normalized by lumbar puncture and the initial parameters (MRI and clinical features) were re-assessed within 26 h. Results: After normalization of CSF pressure, the morphometric MRI scans of the optic nerve and optic nerve sheath remained unchanged. In the diffusion tensor imaging, the fractional anisotropy value was reduced suggesting a tissue decompression of the optic nerve after lumbar puncture. In line with these finding, headache and most of the accompanying symptoms also improved or remitted within that short time frame. Conclusion: The findings support the hypothesis that the elevation of intracranial pressure induces a microstructural compression of the optic nerve impairing axoplasmic flow and thereby causing the prelaminar papilledema. The microstructural compression of the optic nerve as well as the clinical symptoms improve within hours of normalization of intracranial pressure

Green BPM as a business-oriented discipline : a systematic mapping study and research agenda

Green Business Process Management (BPM) focuses on the ecological impact of business processes. This article provides a systematic mapping study of Green BPM literature to evaluate five attributes of the Green BPM research area: (1) scope, (2) disciplines, (3) accountability, (4) researchers and (5) quality control. The results allow developing a research agenda to enhance Green BPM as an approach for environmentally sustainable organizations. We rely on a dichotomy of knowledge production to present research directives relevant for both academics and practitioners in order to help close a rigor-relevance gap. The involvement of both communities is crucial for Green BPM to advance as an applied, business-oriented discipline

Coal: A Significant Factor in Germany’s Defeat in World War I

More than a hundred years have passed since the outbreak of the World War I, but there are still fundamental gaps in our understanding of the conflict. It has been generally recognized that the British blockade of Germany played the central role in bringing about Germany’s surrender. The German economy, industry and military came to suffer as a result of domestic shortages of all kinds, but especially of coal. In the gridlock of devastation and military force that had developed by 1916 coal came to represent a most effective tool of British allied force that Germany could not counter and so became a decisive factor in Germany’s collapse by 1918

Letter by Scheitz et al regarding article, "Randomized controlled trial of early versus delayed statin therapy in patients with acute ischemic stroke: ASSORT trial (administration of statin on acute ischemic stroke patient)"

No abstract available

DNA methylation-based classification of central nervous system tumours.

Accurate pathological diagnosis is crucial for optimal management of patients with cancer. For the approximately 100 known tumour types of the central nervous system, standardization of the diagnostic process has been shown to be particularly challenging-with substantial inter-observer variability in the histopathological diagnosis of many tumour types. Here we present a comprehensive approach for the DNA methylation-based classification of central nervous system tumours across all entities and age groups, and demonstrate its application in a routine diagnostic setting. We show that the availability of this method may have a substantial impact on diagnostic precision compared to standard methods, resulting in a change of diagnosis in up to 12% of prospective cases. For broader accessibility, we have designed a free online classifier tool, the use of which does not require any additional onsite data processing. Our results provide a blueprint for the generation of machine-learning-based tumour classifiers across other cancer entities, with the potential to fundamentally transform tumour pathology

Germany‘s export surpluses – Asset accumulation for the future? Bertelsmann Stiftung GED Focus Paper 2018 February

For decades, Germany has been generating large export surpluses. The associated accumulation of assets vis-à-vis other countries provides one possibility of enabling a high standard of living for the ageing German population in the future. However, there is no guarantee that these asset investments will maintain their value over the long term. If Germany‘s cumulative current account surpluses between 2000 and 2017 are compared with the change in its net foreign assets in the same period, the result is a book loss in the hundreds of billions of euros. Even if many of these price and exchange rate-related losses in asset value could be compensated for, there is no guarantee that all losses can actually be offset in the long term. Given these uncertainties and the fact that Germany shows a considerable weakness in overall economic investment, it is quite conceivable that higher domestic investment could constitute a better macroeconomic provision to deal with the ageing of the population