Zwangsrepatriierung als neues Instrument der Krisenintervention: zur Rückkehr der ruandischen Flüchtlinge aus den tansanischen Lagern

"Die Bilder der Massenflucht von etwa 1,5 Millionen Ruandern im April 1994 aus ihrer Heimat in die Nachbarländer Zaire und Tansania sind immer noch präsent: Endlose, erschöpfte Menschenschlangen, die den mit Leichen angefüllten Grenzfluß zu Tansania überqueren und schließlich in einer hügeligen, spärlich besiedelten Landschaft angehalten werden, wo sie kampieren und mit Nothilfe versorgt werden sollen. Daraus entstanden die eng beieinander liegenden Flüchtlingslager für ca. 500.000 Personen in Ngara und Karagwe, die bis zu ihrer gewaltsamen Räumung im Dezember 1996 mehr Fragen an die Konzeption der Flüchtlingshilfe stellen würden, als daß sie Antworten bereithielten. Schon 1995 wurden die Lager von den Regierungen der Geberländer als nicht mehr tragbar angesehen, denn für die ruandischen Flüchtlinge in Zaire und Tansania mußten zusammen mehr als 2 Mio. Dollar pro Tag ausgegeben werden. Man hatte von Beginn an einen 'camp approach'jverfolgt: Eine große Zahl von Menschen wird auf einer kleinen, abgegrenzten Fläche zusammengehalten und ihre Bewegungsfreiheit eingeschränkt. Dies dient zwar der effizienten Logistik, der Registrierung und schnellen Versorgung mit Nahrungsmitteln und Medikamenten, die in der ersten Phase der Nothilfe eine hohe Priorität haben. Je länger die Situation andauert und je mehr sich der gesundheitliche Zustand der Flüchtlinge verbessert, um so stärker machen sich jedoch negative Entwicklungen bemerkbar. Umweltschäden, Verslumung, Beschäftigungslosigkeit und vieles mehr. Es gibt über die Nothilfe hinaus keine Entwicklungsperspektiven. Die Erfindung des abgegrenzten Lagers, in dem Flüchtlinge als passive Empfänger von Hilfsleistungen gelten, erweist sich als Illusion, weil sie die Handlungsfähigkeit und die vielfältige soziale und wirtschaftliche Interaktion der Flüchtlinge mit ihrer Umgebung außer acht läßt. Derartige Lager müssen deshalb in ihrem Entwurf von vornherein auf eine möglichst kurze Zeitspanne und damit auf eine baldige Rückkehr der Flüchtlinge in ihre Heimat angelegt sein. Dabei bleibt anzumerken, daß Lager die Politisierung der Flüchtlinge, die von vielen als das entscheidende Hindernis für eine freiwillige Rückkehr angesehen wurde, geradezu in idealer Weise fördern. In Zaire, aber auch in Tansania, wurden die Flüchtlinge in der Regel nach ihren Herkunftsgemeinden gruppiert, so daß oftmals auch die alten lokalen Autoritäten in der neuen Umgebung ihre Macht behielten. Die Diskussion über die Bedingungen der Rückkehr und die Fluchtursachen erhalten bei diesem Konzept dann ein zweitrangiges Gewicht." (Textauszug

The role of flexibility in the light of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond:Contributing to a sustainable and resilient energy future in Europe

The energy sector provides fuel for much of everyday life, particularly economically and socially. Fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, a well-functioning and resilient energy sector is vital for maintaining the operation of critical infrastructures, including, most importantly, the health sector, and timely economic recovery. Notwithstanding its importance in everyday life and crises, the energy sector itself is currently in a complex and far-reaching transformation to combat climate change whilst supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy and society, mainly through the development of variable renewable energy sources (RES) such as wind and solar photovoltaics. This paper highlights the need for energy resilience as countries face the triple challenge of the COVID-19 health crisis, the consequent economic crisis, and the climate crisis. Focusing on Europe, it is advanced here that with the ability to balance fluctuating electricity generation and demand, flexibility allows the energy sector to utilise low-carbon RES reliably, ensuring a more resilient and sustainable energy future. This paper derives five urgent policy recommendations for Europe that address possible impacts of COVID-19 on the economic and societal prerequisites for flexibility in energy systems

Fetal eye movements on magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVES: Eye movements are the physical expression of upper fetal brainstem function. Our aim was to identify and differentiate specific types of fetal eye movement patterns using dynamic MRI sequences. Their occurrence as well as the presence of conjugated eyeball motion and consistently parallel eyeball position was systematically analyzed. METHODS: Dynamic SSFP sequences were acquired in 72 singleton fetuses (17-40 GW, three age groups [17-23 GW, 24-32 GW, 33-40 GW]). Fetal eye movements were evaluated according to a modified classification originally published by Birnholz (1981): Type 0: no eye movements; Type I: single transient deviations; Type Ia: fast deviation, slower reposition; Type Ib: fast deviation, fast reposition; Type II: single prolonged eye movements; Type III: complex sequences; and Type IV: nystagmoid. RESULTS: In 95.8% of fetuses, the evaluation of eye movements was possible using MRI, with a mean acquisition time of 70 seconds. Due to head motion, 4.2% of the fetuses and 20.1% of all dynamic SSFP sequences were excluded. Eye movements were observed in 45 fetuses (65.2%). Significant differences between the age groups were found for Type I (p = 0.03), Type Ia (p = 0.031), and Type IV eye movements (p = 0.033). Consistently parallel bulbs were found in 27.3-45%. CONCLUSIONS: In human fetuses, different eye movement patterns can be identified and described by MRI in utero. In addition to the originally classified eye movement patterns, a novel subtype has been observed, which apparently characterizes an important step in fetal brainstem development. We evaluated, for the first time, eyeball position in fetuses. Ultimately, the assessment of fetal eye movements by MRI yields the potential to identify early signs of brainstem dysfunction, as encountered in brain malformations such as Chiari II or molar tooth malformations

MR-based morphometry of the posterior fossa in fetuses with neural tube defects of the spine.

OBJECTIVES: In cases of "spina bifida," a detailed prenatal imaging assessment of the exact morphology of neural tube defects (NTD) is often limited. Due to the diverse clinical prognosis and prenatal treatment options, imaging parameters that support the prenatal differentiation between open and closed neural tube defects (ONTDs and CNTDs) are required. This fetal MR study aims to evaluate the clivus-supraocciput angle (CSA) and the maximum transverse diameter of the posterior fossa (TDPF) as morphometric parameters to aid in the reliable diagnosis of either ONTDs or CNTDs. METHODS: The TDPF and the CSA of 238 fetuses (20-37 GW, mean: 28.36 GW) with a normal central nervous system, 44 with ONTDS, and 13 with CNTDs (18-37 GW, mean: 24.3 GW) were retrospectively measured using T2-weighted 1.5 Tesla MR -sequences. RESULTS: Normal fetuses showed a significant increase in the TDPF (r = .956; p<.001) and CSA (r = .714; p<.001) with gestational age. In ONTDs the CSA was significantly smaller (p<.001) than in normal controls and CNTDs, whereas in CNTDs the CSA was not significantly smaller than in controls (p = .160). In both ONTDs and in CNTDs the TDPF was significantly different from controls (p<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The skull base morphology in fetuses with ONTDs differs significantly from cases with CNTDs and normal controls. This is the first study to show that the CSA changes during gestation and that it is a reliable imaging biomarker to distinguish between ONTDs and CNTDs, independent of the morphology of the spinal defect

Species identification in heat processed meat products

In this work, species-specific PCR techniques were developed and optimized to identify pork, poultry and cow species in Frankfurt sausages. For pork and poultry, which are the most frequently used meats in Frankfurters, reference binary samples (pork in poultry and poultry in pork) were prepared in the laboratory. In both cases, the established conditions allowed the detection of levels as low as 0.1% of added pork/poultry meat. Real-time PCR assays based on the measurement of fluorescence increments using SYBR Green I dye were used for quantitative purposes. Several samples were acquired in the retail market and tested for their label compliance. Results showed 3 mislabelled samples regarding cow species and 2 for poultry species. Although the qualitative results showed the undeclared presence of pork meat in 2 poultry sausages samples, quantitative results showed levels < 0.1%. These low levels are probably not related to fraudulent practices, but possibly due to cross-contaminations during industrial processing

Sarcopenia in Neurological Patients: Standard Values for Temporal Muscle Thickness and Muscle Strength Evaluation.

Temporal muscle thickness (TMT) was investigated as a novel surrogate marker on MRI examinations of the brain, to detect patients who may be at risk for sarcopenia. TMT was analyzed in a retrospective, normal collective cohort (n = 624), to establish standard reference values. These reference values were correlated with grip strength measurements and body mass index (BMI) in 422 healthy volunteers and validated in a prospective cohort (n = 130) of patients with various neurological disorders. Pearson correlation revealed a strong association between TMT and grip strength (retrospective cohort, ρ = 0.746; p < 0.001; prospective cohort, ρ = 0.649; p < 0.001). A low or no association was found between TMT and age (retrospective cohort, R2 correlation coefficient 0.20; p < 0.001; prospective cohort, ρ = -0.199; p = 0.023), or BMI (retrospective cohort, ρ = 0.116; p = 0.042; prospective cohort, ρ = 0.227; p = 0.009), respectively. Male patients with temporal wasting and unintended weight loss, respectively, showed significantly lower TMT values (p = 0.04 and p = 0.015, unpaired t-test). TMT showed a high correlation with muscle strength in healthy individuals and in patients with various neurological disorders. Therefore, TMT should be integrated into the diagnostic workup of neurological patients, to prevent, delay, or treat sarcopenia

Electricity Market Design 2030-2050: Moving Towards Implementation

Climate change and ambitious emission-reduction targets call for an extensive decarbonization of electricity systems, with increasing levels of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and demand flexibility to balance the variable and intermittent electricity supply. A successful energy transition will lead to an economically and ecologically sustainable future with an affordable, reliable, and carbon-neutral supply of electricity. In order to achieve these objectives, a consistent and enabling market design is required. The Kopernikus Project SynErgie investigates how demand flexibility of the German industry can be leveraged and how a future-proof electricity market design should be organized, with more than 80 project partners from academia, industry, governmental and non-governmental organizations, energy suppliers, and network operators. In our SynErgie Whitepaper Electricity Spot Market Design 2030-2050 [1], we argued for a transition towards Locational Marginal Prices (LMPs) (aka. nodal prices) in Germany in a single step as a core element of a sustainable German energy policy. We motivated a well-designed transition towards LMPs, discussed various challenges, and provided a new perspective on electricity market design in terms of technological opportunities, bid languages, and strategic implications. This second SynErgie Whitepaper Electricity Market Design 2030-2050: Moving Towards Implementation aims at further concretizing the future German market design and provides first guidelines for an implementation of LMPs in Germany. Numerical studies –while not being free of abstractions –give evidence that LMPs generate efficient locational price signals and contribute to manage the complex coordination challenge in (long-term) electricity markets, ultimately reducing price differences between nodes. Spot and derivatives markets require adjustments in order to enable an efficient dispatch and price discovery, while maintaining high liquidity and low transaction costs. Moreover, a successful LMP implementation requires an integration into European market coupling and appropriate interfaces for distribution grids as well as sector coupling. Strategic implications with regard to long-term investments need to be considered, along with mechanisms to support RES investments. As a facilitator for an LMP system, digital technologies should be considered jointly with the market design transition under an enabling regulatory framework. Additional policies can address distributional effects of an LMP system and further prevent market power abuse. Overall, we argue for a well-designed electricity spot market with LMPs, composed of various auctions at different time frames, delivering an efficient market clearing, considering grid constraints, co-optimizing ancillary services, and providing locational prices according to a carefully designed pricing scheme. The spot market is tightly integrated with liquid and accessible derivatives markets, embedded into European market coupling mechanisms, and allows for functional interfaces to distribution systems and other energy sectors. Long-term resource adequacy is ensured and existing RES policies transition properly to the new market design. Mechanisms to mitigate market power and distributional effects are in place and the market design leverages the potential of modern information technologies. Arapid expansion of wind andsolar capacity will be needed to decarbonize the integrated energy system but will most likely also increase the scarcity of the infrastructure. Therefore, an efficient use of the resource "grid" will be a key factor of a successful energy transition. The implementation of an LMPs system of prices with finer space and time granularity promises many upsides and can be a cornerstone for a futureproof electricity system, economic competitiveness, and a decarbonized economy and society. Among the upsides, demand response (and other market participants with opportunity costs) can be efficiently and coherently incentivized to address network constraints, a task zonal systems with redispatch fail at. The transition to LMPs requires a thorough consideration of all the details and specifications involved in the new market design. With this whitepaper, we provide relevant perspectives and first practical guidelines for this crucial milestone of the energy transition