The Short Rise and Long Fall of heterodox Economics in germany After the 1970s: Explorations in a Scientific Field of Power and Struggle.

In the context of ongoing criticisms of the lack of pluralism in economics, the present article aims to discuss the development of ‘heterodox’ economics since the 1970s. Following Lakatos’s concept of scientific research programs (srp), and concentrating on the situation in Germany, the article will discuss classifications of economics, and will specify the understanding of diversity in the light of ‘axiomatic variations’ of the economic mainstream. This will form the basis for the subsequent description of the development of heterodoxy in Germany, with special reference to the founding of new universities and the reform movements in the 1970s. It can be shown that the heterodox scene flourished in this period, but that this pluralization remained fragmented and short-lived; by the 1980s at the latest heterodoxy was again on its way to marginalization. The history of heterodoxy in Germany thus presents itself as an unequal ‘battle of the paradigms,’ and can only be told as the story of a failure

Porcellio scaber als Testorganismus für Bioakkumulationsstudien

The terrestrial bioaccumulation assessment is mainly based on the established test systemaccording to OECD 317 with terrestrial oligochaetes. The parameters which characterisethe bioaccumulation of a substance include the bioaccumulation factor (BAF),the uptake rate constant (ks) and the elimination rate constant (ke). Therefore, theterrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber, which allows the estimation of biomagnification factors(BMF) by considering the food uptake pathway only, has been tested for its applicabilityin bioaccumulation studies. However, regarding the very low bioaccumulation of thedifferent substances tested the regulatory use of the test system might be limited. For thehydrophobic fully chlorinated hydrocarbon chemical hexachlorobenzene (HCB), biomagnificationfactors between 0.047 and 0.057 were achieved. An influence of coprophagia onthe accumulation of HCB could not be detected. The hepatopancreas turned out to be thetissue compartment in which HCB accumulates most effectively. The use of perfluorinatedsurfactants as further test substances led to similar results. Biomagnification factors between0.048 (perfluorooctanesulfonate) and 0.0097 (perfluorooctanoic acid) were achieved.The uptake of the test substances with hydrophobic and surfactant properties in P. scaberwas generally low, which can be explained by the low uptake of the substances in thetest organism. A cross-species comparison with aquatic and terrestrial species (fish andearthworm) showed significant differences in the biomagnification behavior of the testsubstances. In further studies with P. scaber the bioaccumulation of silver nanoparticleswas investigated, which were applied via contaminated sewage sludge. The studies showedthe bioavailability and bioaccumulation of silver from silver nanoparticles which weresulphonated in the sewage treatment process. The experimental animals ingested thesilver nanoparticles into the digestive tract which were incorporated in the soil substratevia contaminated sewage sludge. The bioaccumulation factors (BAF) for silver determinedin the bioaccumulation studies were 1.349 and 0.948 and showed a correlationwith the test substance concentration in the soil. The hepatopancreas turned out tobe the organ with the highest silver accumulation and presumably led to the stagnantsilver elimination observed during the elimination phase. No toxic effects were observedduring application of the silver nanoparticles s (NOEC>13.70 mg/kg). Since significantlylower silver nanoparticle concentrations are to be expected in the environment, acutedamage to P. scaber, through exposure to silver nanoparticles via sewage sludge, canpractically be ruled out. The developed test system can be used for the estimation ofbioaccumulation factors for substances that enter the environment via sewage sludge

Silver nanoparticles in sewage sludge: Bioavailability of sulfidized silver to the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are efficiently converted during the wastewater‐treatment process into sparingly soluble Ag sulfides (Ag2S). In several countries, sewage sludge is used as a fertilizer in agriculture. The bioavailability of sulfidized Ag to the terrestrial isopod Porcellio scaber was investigated. Sewage sludge containing transformed AgNPs was obtained from a laboratory‐scale sewage‐treatment plant operated according to Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development (OECD) guideline 303a. The results of transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive X‐ray of sludge samples suggest that AgNPs were completely transformed to Ag2S. Adult isopods were exposed to OECD 207 soil substrate amended with the AgNP spiked sludge for 14 d (uptake phase) followed by an elimination phase in unspiked soil of equal duration. Most of the Ag measured in P. scaber at the end of the uptake phase was found in the hindgut (71%), indicating that only a minor part of the estimated Ag content was actually assimilated by the isopods with 16.3 and 12.7% found in the carcass and hepatopancreas, respectively. As a result of this, the Ag content of the animals dropped following transition to unspiked sludge within 2 d to one‐third of the previously measured Ag concentration and remained stable at this level until the end of the elimination period. The present study shows that Ag2S in sewage sludge is bioavailable to the terrestrial isopod P. scaber

Algorithmic surveillance of ICU patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ASIC): protocol for a multicentre stepped-wedge cluster randomised quality improvement strategy

Introduction The acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a highly relevant entity in critical care with mortality rates of 40%. Despite extensive scientific efforts, outcome-relevant therapeutic measures are still insufficiently practised at the bedside. Thus, there is a clear need to adhere to early diagnosis and sufficient therapy in ARDS, assuring lower mortality and multiple organ failure.Methods and analysis In this quality improvement strategy (QIS), a decision support system as a mobile application (ASIC app), which uses available clinical real-time data, is implemented to support physicians in timely diagnosis and improvement of adherence to established guidelines in the treatment of ARDS. ASIC is conducted on 31 intensive care units (ICUs) at 8 German university hospitals. It is designed as a multicentre stepped-wedge cluster randomised QIS. ICUs are combined into 12 clusters which are randomised in 12 steps. After preparation (18 months) and a control phase of 8 months for all clusters, the first cluster enters a roll-in phase (3 months) that is followed by the actual QIS phase. The remaining clusters follow in month wise steps. The coprimary key performance indicators (KPIs) consist of the ARDS diagnostic rate and guideline adherence regarding lung-protective ventilation. Secondary KPIs include the prevalence of organ dysfunction within 28 days after diagnosis or ICU discharge, the treatment duration on ICU and the hospital mortality. Furthermore, the user acceptance and usability of new technologies in medicine are examined. To show improvements in healthcare of patients with ARDS, differences in primary and secondary KPIs between control phase and QIS will be tested.Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval was obtained from the independent Ethics Committee (EC) at the RWTH Aachen Faculty of Medicine (local EC reference number: EK 102/19) and the respective data protection officer in March 2019. The results of the ASIC QIS will be presented at conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration number DRKS00014330