Nachhaltigkeitsaspekte im Immobilienmanagement: Grundlagen und Möglichkeiten eines indikatorgestützten Ziel- und Berichtssystems

Immobilienunternehmen stehen vor vielfältigen Herausforderungen und Aufgaben, wenn es um die Umsetzung von Nachhaltigkeitsprinzipien geht. Entsprechende Prinzipien beziehen sich auf Nachhaltigkeitsaspekte in der Planungs-, Bau-, Betriebs- und Rückbauphase von Einzelgebäuden sowie auf die Sicherstellung der Zukunftsfähigkeit des gesamten institutionellen Gebäudebestandes. Darüber hinaus müssen die Unternehmen ihre Unternehmensstrategie neu ausrichten und ihre Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung überdenken, um die gesetzlichen Anforderungen zu erfüllen und wettbewerbsfähig zu bleiben. Für all diese Aufgaben können Indikatoren helfen, Ziele auf spezifischen Entscheidungsebenen des institutionellen Immobilienmanagements zu verankern. Darüber hinaus spielen sie eine relevante Rolle in der Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung und -bewertung. Es stellt sich die Frage, ob und inwieweit Synergien bei der Informationsbeschaffung sowie bei der Formulierung und Interpretation von Indikatoren für die verschiedenen Aufgaben im Immobilienmanagement bestehen. Die Arbeit stellt ein System von Informationsflüssen vor, das eine horizontale und vertikale Integration unterstützen kann und das unter Berücksichtigung von Systemgrenzen und Bezugsgrößen die Charakteristika spezifischer Handlungs- und Entscheidungsebenen abbildet. Die Untersuchung stützt sich auf die Analyse einer Vielzahl von branchenrelevanten Hilfsmitteln, die als Informationsquellen für Nachhaltigkeitsaspekte dienen, sowie auf Praxisbeispiele der unternehmerischen Nachhaltigkeitsberichterstattung

Stichprobenverfahren bei massenhaft gleichförmigen Einzelfallakten: eine Fallstudie am Beispiel von Sozialhilfeakten

Der Beitrag geht von der unter Archivaren unumstrittenen Tatsache aus, dass damals wie heute nicht das gesamte aus der Verwaltungstätigkeit entstandene und entstehende Schriftgut aufbewahrt werden kann. Hier sind letztlich die aus Bewertungsverfahren hervorgegangenen Bestandsübersichten und Findmittel erforderlich, die wie Kompass und Landkarte dem Nutzer Orientierung bieten und daher zu Recht das Bewertungsgeschäft in den Mittelpunkt archivischer Kernaufgaben rücken. Dieser Befund verdeutlicht die These des vorliegenden Beitrags, dass eine grundsätzliche Auseinandersetzung mit dem Themenkreis der Bewertung unumgänglich ist. Als unerlässliche Grundlage hierzu wird eine Bestandsaufnahme zur Praxis der Schriftgutverwaltung und der Bewertung in den nordrheinischen Kommunen angesehen. Mittels Fragebogen beschreiben die rheinischen Kommunalarchivare ihre Situation und liefern zugleich die für eine differenzierte Analyse der Bewertungspraxis in rheinischen Kommunalarchiven notwendigen Daten. Die Daten beziehen sich auf 1662 Sozialhilfeaktenbänden aus dem Zwischenarchiv der Gemeinde Liblar. Das betreffende Schriftgut ist in den Jahren von 1950 bis 1999 entstanden. Als Stichprobenverfahren wurde eine Klumpenstichprobe nach Buchstaben gewählt. Grundsätzlich stehen drei Varianten des Umgangs und der Bewertung mit massenhaft gleichförmigen Einzelfallakten zur Diskussion. Nicht nur Stichprobenziehungen, auch Totalkassation und Vollarchivierung sind reale Handlungsoptionen. Wird jedoch eine tatsächlich repräsentative Aussagemöglichkeit als unerlässlich angesehen, so führt kein Weg an einer Zufallsauswahl nach Zufallszahlen vorbei. Über die Genauigkeit des Stichprobenresultats und damit über den Grad der Repräsentativität entscheidet dann allein die Stichprobengröße. Generell ist festzustellen, dass im Archiv repräsentative Stichprobenziehungen möglich sind. Allerdings ist ihre Durchführung u.U. mit einem höheren Aufwand verbunden, als es beispielsweise ein rein mechanisches Vorgehen nach Klumpen bei entsprechender Ordnungsstruktur erfordern würde. (ICA)'The Archives Consulting Centre Rhineland discussed the problems of the archival assessment of 1.662 social welfare aid files ('Sozialhilfeakten') of the small town LINDLAR. All files were registered in machine readable form. Furthermore, the letter sampling (to be handled anyway easily due to the filing) was frequently recommended for this tradition type. These two aspects seemed to speak for the use of a cluster sample (in case using the initial letter of the names). It was necessary to inform about the legal bases of the registration perception 'welfare aid'. Contents and form of the welfare aid files were analyzed. Because of the uniform law basis and a standardized administration it was agreed to standardize the formal content of the 1.662 social welfare aid file volumes agree. The social welfare aid files are relevant, if not the only one more extensive information sources in this field and offer a broad field for women research, gerontology, unemployment research, family sociology or for political and sociological research on the municipal welfare system. To test the different sampling methods, the 1.662 file volumes were examined for certain features such as sex of the applicant resp. of the head of household, number of the applicants, month and year of birth of the applicant resp. the head of household, year of the application, year of file closure, nationality of the applicant resp. the head of household. These variables were coded and the different samples were analyzed with help of a statistical programme. The selection of the 'true' (i.e. adequate on the research problem) sampling method presupposes an textual decision. Therefore, the aim of the storage should be well-defined. It may be decided in this respect only with a clear archival aim definition about 'right' and 'wrong', or what improve about 'useful' and 'unimportant'. The multi-stage sampling procedure does not relieve the archivist of any decision as regards content, it presupposes such one. The representativeness of a sample depends on the chosen sampling method. A representative result, oriented at the archival reality, is only guaranteed by the random sampling using random numbers taken from a table of random numbers. This random sampling is the prerequisite for a reliable evaluation of the sample. In the case of LINDLAR the decision was in favour of a random sampling (approx. 18%, completed by a selection of extraordinary cases which consists of several file volumes). Via the actual random sample basic trends and structures can be not only shown in a better way, but their mapping is also representative. The reliable comparability of results based on the representativeness of the survey i.e. the samples as well. Moreover, the qualitative research benefits from the actual random sample, because the samples finally consists of individual cases. The archivist has three possibilities to handle uniform individual case files: full storage, total cassation and sampling. In conjunction with this, the archivist is confronted inevitably with the question of the necessity of representativeness with regard to the documentation profile. If this is looked upon as requirement, a random sample has to be drawn by using random numbers.' (author's abstract

Inhibition of Digestive Enzymes and Antioxidant Activity of Extracts from Fruits of Cornus alba, Cornus sanguinea subsp. hungarica and Cornus florida - A Comparative Study

The fruits of some Cornus species (dogwoods) are used in traditional medicine and considered potential anti-diabetic and hypolipemic agents. The aim of the study was to determine the ability of extracts from Cornus alba (CA), Cornus florida (CF), and Cornus sanguinea (CS) to inhibit digestive enzymes namely α-amylase, pancreatic lipase, and α-glucosidase, as well as isolation of compounds from plant material with the strongest effect. In addition, the phytochemical profile and antioxidant activity of extracts from three dogwoods were compared with HPLC-DAD-MS/MS and DPPH scavenging assay, respectively. Among the aqueous-ethanolic extracts, the activity of α-amylase was the most strongly inhibited by the fruit extract of CA (IC50 = 115.20 ± 14.31 μg/mL) and the activity of α-glucosidase by the fruit of CF (IC50 = 38.87 ± 2.65 μg/mL). Some constituents of CA fruit extract, such as coumaroylquinic acid, kaempferol, and hydroxytyrosol derivatives, were isolated. Among the three species of dogwood studied, the greatest biological potential was demonstrated by CA extracts, which are sources of phenolic acids and flavonoid compounds. In contrast, iridoid compounds or flavonoid glycosides found in fruits of CF or CS extracts do not play a significant role in inhibiting digestive enzymes but exert antioxidant activity

European building passports: developments, challenges and future roles

Throughout the life cycle of buildings, data are created, collected, processed, exchanged and used to support decision-making and operations. However, the construction and real estate actors often struggle with managing data successfully, mainly because existing data resources are scattered across a large number of changing building owners and stakeholders. The goal of adopting and using building information management tools (BIMTs) that store, exchange and manage building-related data is to overcome information silos and bring together data about a particular building. BIMTs, such as a building passport (BP), an electronic building file or a digital building logbook (DBL), follow a holistic approach by serving as data repositories. Although the underlying idea is not new, the topic recently gained wider attention at the interface of politics, academia and real estate industry. The current state of BIMTs, and in particular the role of BPs, is analysed to help understand the main driving forces, challenges and opportunities in BP development. Policy relevance Mandatory introduction of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) in Europe can be seen as a role model for BPs. The aims were to improve transparency in the real estate market to encourage owners to modernise their buildings and to inform market participants about hidden characteristics. These tasks are now transferred to more complex BIMTs. The European Commission has introduced DBLs in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in 2021 as a data repository that is supposed to be linked to national databases on the energy performance of buildings. In addition, the European Commission is working on a European framework for DBLs and has the vision of establishing a network of national DBL databases. No legal obligation to use BPs/DBLs exists yet, but further proposals in European and national regulation are expected in the future

Dramatic reduction of mortality in pneumococcal meningitis

Background Acute bacterial meningitis is still a life threatening disease. Methods We performed a retrospective observational study on the clinical characteristics of consecutively admitted patients with acute pneumococcal meningitis in a single tertiary care center in central Europe (from 2003 until 2015). Data were compared with a previously published historical group of 87 patients treated for pneumococcal meningitis at the same hospital (from 1984 until 2002). Results Fifty-five consecutive patients with microbiologically proven pneumococcal meningitis were included. Most striking, mortality was down to 5.5 %, which was significantly lower than in the historical group where 24.1 % of the patients did not survive. Intracranial complications during the course of the disease were common and affected half of the patients. Unlike in the historic group, most of the intracranial complications (except ischemic stroke) were no longer associated with a low Glasgow Outcome Score at discharge. Conclusion The drastic reduction of mortality proves there have been important advances in the treatment of pneumococcal meningitis. Nevertheless, the fact that only 44.2 % of survivors had a full recovery indicates that the search for new adjunctive treatment options must be ongoing

Cornus mas and Cornus officinalis - A Comparison of Antioxidant and Immunomodulatory Activities of Standardized Fruit Extracts in Human Neutrophils and Caco-2 Models

Fruits of Cornus mas and Cornus officinalis are representative plant materials traditionally used in Europe and Asia, respectively, in the treatment of diabetes and diabetes-related complications, which are often mediated by pathogenic inflammatory agents. Additionally, due to the fact of mutual infiltration of Asian and European medicines, the differentiation as well as standardization of traditional prescriptions seem to be crucial for ensuring the quality of traditional products. The objective of this study was a comparison of biological activity of extracts from fruits of C. mas and C. officinalis by an assessment of their effect on reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in human neutrophils as well as cytokines secretion both in neutrophils (tumor necrosis factor α, TNF- α; interleukin 8, IL-8; interleukin 1β, IL-1β) and in human colon adenocarcinoma cell line Caco-2 (IL-8). To evaluate the phytochemical differences between the studied extracts as well as to provide a method for standardization procedures, a quantitative analysis of iridoids, such as loganin, sweroside, and loganic acid, found in extracts of Cornus fruits was performed with HPLC-DAD. All standardized extracts significantly inhibited ROS production, whereas the aqueous-alcoholic extracts were particularly active inhibitors of IL-8 secretion by neutrophils. The aqueous-methanolic extract of C. officinalis fruit, decreased IL-8 secretion by neutrophils to 54.64 ± 7.67%, 49.68 ± 6.55%, 50.29 ± 5.87% at concentrations of 5, 50, and 100 µg/mL, respectively, compared to LPS-stimulated control (100%). The aqueous extract of C. officinalis fruit significantly inhibited TNF-α release by neutrophils at concentrations of 50 and 100 µg/mL. On the other hand, the aqueous-ethanolic extract of C. mas fruit showed the propensity to increase TNF-α and IL-1β secretion. The modulatory activity of the Cornus extracts was noted in the case of secretion of IL-8 in Caco-2 cells. The effect was comparable with dexamethasone. The content of loganin in aqueous and aqueous-methanolic extract of C. officinalis fruit was higher than in the aqueous-ethanolic extract of C. mas fruit, which was characterized by a significant quantity of loganic acid. In conclusion, the immunomodulatory effect observed in vitro may partially confirm the traditional use of Cornus fruits through alleviation of the development of diabetes-derived inflammatory complications. Loganin and loganic acid are significant markers for standardization of C. mas and C. officinalis fruit extracts, respectively

German-austrian recommendations for HIV1-therapy in pregnancy and in HIV1-exposed newborn - update 2008

German-Austrian recommendations for HIV1-therapy in pregnancy - Update 2008 Bernd Buchholz (University Medical Centre Mannheim, Pediatric Clinic), Matthias Beichert (Mannheim, Gynecology and Obstetrics Practice), Ulrich Marcus (Robert Koch Institute, Berlin), Thomas Grubert, Andrea Gingelmaier (Gynecology Clinic of the Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich), Dr. med. Annette Haberl (HIV-Department, J. W. Goethe-University Hospital, Frankfurt), Dr. med. Brigitte Schmied (Otto-Wagner Spital, Wien)

A High-Throughput Screen Targeting Malaria Transmission Stages Opens New Avenues for Drug Development

A major goal of the worldwide malaria eradication program is the reduction and eventual elimination of malaria transmission. All currently available antimalarial compounds were discovered on the basis of their activity against the asexually reproducing red blood cell stages of the parasite, which are responsible for the morbidity and mortality of human malaria. Resistance against these compounds is widespread, and there is an urgent need for novel approaches to reduce the emergence of resistance to new antimalarials as they are introduced. We have established and validated the first high-throughput assay targeting the red blood cell parasite stage required for transmission, the sexually reproducing gametocyte. This assay will permit identification of compounds specifically targeting the transmission stages in addition to the asexual stage parasites. Such stage-specific compounds may be used in a combination therapy, reducing the emergence of resistance by blocking transmission of resistant parasites that may be selected in a patient

Ventral and dorsal streams processing visual motion perception (FDG-PET study)

Background: Earlier functional imaging studies on visually induced self-motion perception (vection) disclosed a bilateral network of activations within primary and secondary visual cortex areas which was combined with signal decreases, i.e., deactivations, in multisensory vestibular cortex areas. This finding led to the concept of a reciprocal inhibitory interaction between the visual and vestibular systems. In order to define areas involved in special aspects of self-motion perception such as intensity and duration of the perceived circular vection (CV) or the amount of head tilt, correlation analyses of the regional cerebral glucose metabolism, rCGM (measured by fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography, FDG-PET) and these perceptual covariates were performed in 14 healthy volunteers. For analyses of the visual-vestibular interaction, the CV data were compared to a random dot motion stimulation condition (not inducing vection) and a control group at rest (no stimulation at all). Results: Group subtraction analyses showed that the visual-vestibular interaction was modified during CV, i.e., the activations within the cerebellar vermis and parieto-occipital areas were enhanced. The correlation analysis between the rCGM and the intensity of visually induced vection, experienced as body tilt, showed a relationship for areas of the multisensory vestibular cortical network (inferior parietal lobule bilaterally, anterior cingulate gyrus), the medial parieto-occipital cortex, the frontal eye fields and the cerebellar vermis. The "earlier" multisensory vestibular areas like the parieto-insular vestibular cortex and the superior temporal gyrus did not appear in the latter analysis. The duration of perceived vection after stimulus stop was positively correlated with rCGM in medial temporal lobe areas bilaterally, which included the (para-) hippocampus, known to be involved in various aspects of memory processing. The amount of head tilt was found to be positively correlated with the rCGM of bilateral basal ganglia regions responsible for the control of motor function of the head. Conclusions: Our data gave further insights into subfunctions within the complex cortical network involved in the processing of visual-vestibular interaction during CV. Specific areas of this cortical network could be attributed to the ventral stream ("what" pathway) responsible for the duration after stimulus stop and to the dorsal stream ("where/how" pathway) responsible for intensity aspects