The circular economy and digitalisation - strategies for a digital-ecological industry transformation : a study commmissioned by Huawei Technologies Germany GmbH

Within the Shaping Digitalisation project, we aim to highlight and discuss the opportunities that digitalisation can bring to Germany. In particular, we are discussing three stand-out areas where action is most needed to achieve ecological transformation: mobility, the circular economy, and agriculture and food. This report addresses the second area in need of action. Up until now, discussions on the circular economy have been limited to recycling and the re-use of materials. We must expand the scope of these discussions to include new, resource-efficient business models and the comprehensive transformation of value chains and industrial structures. Our analysis has found that digitalisation is indispensable for this transformation if used properly. We hope this report will provide the impetus needed to kick-start a climate- and resource-friendly industrial transformation in Germany. Here, we have incorporated the findings of our interdisciplinary workshop on "Shaping the Digital-Ecological Industrial Transformation - Business Models and Political Framework Conditions for Climate and Resource Protection" that was attended by experts from international research institutes, civil organizations, public authorities, and private companies

Circular Economy und Digitalisierung - Strategien für die digital-ökologische Industrietransformation : eine Studie im Auftrag von Huawei Technologies Deutschland GmbH

Innerhalb des Projekts "Digitalisierung gestalten - Transformation zur Nachhaltigkeit ermöglichen" werden die besonderen Transformationspotenziale der Digitalisierung herausgearbeitet und für Deutschland am Beispiel der ausgewählten Handlungsfelder Mobilität, Circular Economy sowie Landwirtschaft und Ernährung diskutiert. Dieser Bericht adressiert das Handlungsfeld einer klimaschonenden und ressourceneffizienten Kreislaufwirtschaft, die Circular Economy. Bisher wird Kreislaufwirtschaft dabei vor allem mit Fokus auf Recycling und Wiederverwertung von Materialien diskutiert. Das greift jedoch zu kurz - es muss um die Skalierung von neuen, ressourcenschonenden Geschäftsmodellen und der umfassenden Transformation von Wertschöpfungsketten und Industriestrukturen gehen. Die Analyse zeigt: richtig eingesetzt ist Digitalisierung unverzichtbar für diesen Wandel. Der vorliegende Bericht möchte Anstöße für diesen Weg liefern und neue Impulse für eine klima- und ressourcenschonende Industrietransformation in Deutschland setzen. Der Bericht verarbeitet dabei Ergebnisse eines interdisziplinären Workshops zum Thema "Die digital-ökologische Industrietransformation gestalten - Geschäftsmodelle und politische Rahmenbedingungen für Klima- und Ressourcenschutz" mit Expertinnen und Experten aus Forschung, Zivilgesellschaft, Behörden und Privatunternehmen

The health literate health care organization 10 item questionnaire (HLHO-10): development and validation

Abstract Background While research on individual health literacy is steadily increasing, less attention has been paid to the context of care that may help to increase the patient’s ability to navigate health care or to compensate for their limited health literacy. In 2012, Brach et al. introduced the concept of health literate health care organizations (HLHOs) to describe the organizational context of care. This paper presents our effort in developing and validating an HLHO instrument. Method Ten items were developed to represent the ten attributes of HLHO (HLHO-10) based on a literature review, an expert workshop, a focus group discussion, and qualitative interviews. The instrument was applied in a key informant survey in 51 German hospitals as part of a larger study on patient information and training needs (PIAT-study). Item properties were analyzed and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test the instrument’s unidimensionality. To investigate the instrument’s predictive validity, a multilevel analysis was performed that used the HLHO-10 score to predict the adequacy of information provided to 1,224 newly-diagnosed breast cancer patients treated at the sample hospitals. Results Cronbach’s α of the resulting scale was 0.89. CFA verified the one-factor structure after allowing for the correlation for four pairs of error terms. In the multilevel model, HLHO-10 significantly predicted the adequacy of information as perceived by patients. Conclusion The instrument has satisfactory reliability and validity. It provides a useful tool to assess the degree to which health care organizations help patients to navigate, understand, and use information and services. Further validation should include participant observation in health care organizations and a sample that is not limited to breast cancer care.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110523/1/12913_2015_Article_707.pd

The influence of occupational stress factors on the nicotine dependence: a cross sectional study

Objective This study analyses the association between occupational stress factors and nicotine dependence. Our hypothesis is that occupational stress factors increase nicotine dependence. Methods Data were taken from the Cologne Smoking Study, a case-control study that examines which genetic/psychosocial factors lead to a higher risk for smokers to suffer from cardiac infarction, lung cancer and/or to become addicted to nicotine. Our sample consisted of N = 197 currently smoking and employed participants. Nicotine dependence was measured using the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence (FTND). The extent of the stress factors experienced at work was assessed using the Effort-Reward Imbalance scale (ERI). Logistic regression was used for the statistical analysis. Results Contrary to our hypothesis, the results show that occupational stress factors are actually associated with lower levels of nicotine dependence (N = 197; adjusted OR = 0.439; p = .059). Conclusions One possible explanation for the study's findings is that the participants have a heavy workload and can only smoke in their spare time. Another reason may be workplace smoking bans. Furthermore, the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence is unable to examine nicotine dependence during working hours

Decreasing trends of particle number and black carbon mass concentrations at 16 observational sites in Germany from 2009 to 2018

Anthropogenic emissions are dominant contributors to air pollution. Consequently, mitigation policies have been attempted since the 1990s in Europe to reduce pollution by anthropogenic emissions. To evaluate the effectiveness of these mitigation policies, the German Ultrafine Aerosol Network (GUAN) was established in 2008, focusing on black carbon (BC) and sub-micrometre aerosol particles. In this study, long-term trends of atmospheric particle number concentrations (PNCs) and equivalent BC (eBC) mass concentration over a 10-year period (2009-2018) were determined for 16 GUAN sites ranging from roadside to high Alpine environments. Overall, statistically significant decreasing trends are found for most of these parameters and environments in Germany. The annual relative slope of eBC mass concentration varies between-13.1% and-1.7% per year. The slopes of the PNCs vary from-17.2% to-1.7 %,-7.8% to-1.1 %, and-11.1% to-1.2% per year for 10-30, 30-200, and 200-800 nm size ranges, respectively. The reductions in various anthropogenic emissions are found to be the dominant factors responsible for the decreasing trends of eBC mass concentration and PNCs. The diurnal and seasonal variations in the trends clearly show the effects of the mitigation policies for road transport and residential emissions. The influences of other factors such as air masses, precipitation, and temperature were also examined and found to be less important or negligible. This study proves that a combination of emission mitigation policies can effectively improve the air quality on large spatial scales. It also suggests that a long-term aerosol measurement network at multi-type sites is an efficient and necessary tool for evaluating emission mitigation policies. © 2020 Author(s)

The Coastal Observing System for Northern and Arctic Seas (COSYNA)

The Coastal Observing System for Northern and Arctic Seas (COSYNA) was established in order to better understand the complex interdisciplinary processes of northern seas and the Arctic coasts in a changing environment. Particular focus is given to the German Bight in the North Sea as a prime example of a heavily used coastal area, and Svalbard as an example of an Arctic coast that is under strong pressure due to global change. The COSYNA automated observing and modelling system is designed to monitor real-time conditions and provide short-term forecasts, data, and data products to help assess the impact of anthropogenically induced change. Observations are carried out by combining satellite and radar remote sensing with various in situ platforms. Novel sensors, instruments, and algorithms are developed to further improve the understanding of the interdisciplinary interactions between physics, biogeochemistry, and the ecology of coastal seas. New modelling and data assimilation techniques are used to integrate observations and models in a quasi-operational system providing descriptions and forecasts of key hydrographic variables. Data and data products are publicly available free of charge and in real time. They are used by multiple interest groups in science, agencies, politics, industry, and the public

Report of a Study on IMRT Planning Strategies for Ethmoid Sinus Cancer

This communication reviews the planning strategies and dose statistics of nine IMRT plans generated for a complex head and neck case. Patient and Method: An ethmoid sinus cancer case was sent as an IMRT planning task to all participants of the ESTRO course on “IMRT and Other Conformal Techniques in Practice”, held in Amsterdam in June 2001. Results: Nine IMRT plans were generated for the case, the majority of the plans generated with commercial planning systems. The number of beam incidences ranged between four and eleven, while five of the nine beam setups were coplanar. The planning target volume dose homogeneity was inversely correlated with the degree of sparing of the surrounding organs at risk. Conclusion: IMRT strategies for complex head and neck cases, such as ethmoid sinus cancer, can be strikingly different in various aspects, such as beam setup, total number of segments, PTV dose coverage and dose statistics for organs at risks. Diese Kurzmitteilung beschreibt und vergleicht die Planungsstrategien und Dosisstatistiken von neun IMRT-Plänen für einen Nasennebenhöhlentumor.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42467/1/21780572.pd

The Worksite Health Promotion Capacity Instrument (WHPCI): development, validation and approaches for determining companies' levels of health promotion capacity

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The Worksite Health Promotion Capacity Instrument (WHPCI) was developed to assess two key factors for effective worksite health promotion: collective willingness and the systematic implementation of health promotion activities in companies. This study evaluates the diagnostic qualities of the WHPCI based on its subscales Health Promotion Willingness and Health Promotion Management, which can be used to place companies into four different categories based on their level of health promotion capacity.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Psychometric evaluation was conducted using exploratory factor and reliability analyses with data taken from a random sample of managers from n = 522 German information and communication technology (ICT) companies. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were conducted to determine further diagnostic qualities of the instrument and to establish the cut-off scores used to determine each company's level of health promotion capacity.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The instrument's subscales, Health Promotion Willingness and Health Promotion Management, are based on one-dimensional constructs, each with very good reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.83/0.91). ROC analyses demonstrated satisfactory diagnostic accuracy with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.76 (SE = 0.021; 95% CI 0.72-0.80) for the Health Promotion Willingness scale and 0.81 (SE = 0.021; 95% CI 0.77-0.86) for the Health Promotion Management scale. A cut-off score with good sensitivity (71%/76%) and specificity (69%/75%) was determined for each scale. Both scales were found to have good predictive power and exhibited good efficiency.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our findings indicate preliminary evidence for the validity and reliability of both subscales of the WHPCI. The goodness of each cut-off score suggests that the scales are appropriate for determining companies' levels of health promotion capacity. Support in implementing (systematic) worksite health promotion can then be tailored to each company's needs based on their current capacity level.</p