Vice-President Liu Hongcai Meets Herta Daubler-Gmelin,Former Minister of Justice of Germany

On November 9th,Vice-President Liu Hongcai met Herta Daubler-Gmelin,Former Minister of Justice of Germany.Both sides exchanged views on current international situation as well as China-Germany and China-Europe relations.

The Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Held a Dialogue on Local Cooperation between China and Germany

On March 1,the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries held an online dialogue meeting on local cooperation between China and Bavaria,Germany.Mr.Huang Qiang,Governor of Sichuan Province,Mr.Deng Yunfeng,Vice-Governor of Shandong Province and Mr.Zhang Xin,Vice-Governor of Guangdong Province discussed with Mr S?der,Governor of Bavaria.An agreement on twinning relationship between Sichuan and Bavaria was signed at the meeting.

Diagnostic delay in inflammatory bowel diseases in a German population

BACKGROUND Early diagnosis is key to prevent bowel damage in inflammatory bowel disease(IBD).Risk factor analyses linked with delayed diagnosis in European IBD patients are scarce and no data in German IBD patients exists.AIM To identify risk factors leading to prolonged diagnostic time in a German IBD cohort.METHODS Between 2012 and 2022,430 IBD patients from four Berlin hospitals were enrolled in a prospective study and asked to complete a 16-item questionnaire to determine features of the path leading to IBD diagnosis.Total diagnostic time was defined as the time from symptom onset to consulting a physician(patient waiting time)and from first consultation to IBD diagnosis(physician diagnostic time).Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors for each time period.RESULTS The total diagnostic time was significantly longer in Crohn’s disease(CD)compared to ulcerative colitis(UC)patients(12.0 vs 4.0 mo;P<0.001),mainly due to increased physician diagnostic time(5.5 vs 1.0 mo;P<0.001).In a multivariate analysis,the predominant symptoms diarrhea(P=0.012)and skin lesions(P=0.028)as well as performed gastroscopy(P=0.042)were associated with longer physician diagnostic time in CD patients.In UC,fever was correlated(P=0.020)with shorter physician diagnostic time,while fatigue(P=0.011)and positive family history(P=0.046)were correlated with longer physician diagnostic time.CONCLUSION We demonstrated that CD patients compared to UC are at risk of long diagnostic delay.Future efforts should focus on shortening the diagnostic delay for a better outcome in these patients.

Comparison of German and American Higher Education Accreditation Systems and Implications for Quality Management of Higher Education in China

At the present stage,China’s higher education has experienced continuous reform and enhancement,the scale of education has jumped to the forefront,and the quality of education has been continuously improved,which has made gratifying achievements.The development of China’s higher education has entered the critical node of improving quality and efficiency,and the importance of quality management as the central link in improving the quality of higher education is self-evident.Accreditation as an effective means of quality assurance,in Germany and the United States has formed a mature and perfect system and procedures.Therefore,analysing and learning from the quality management system of higher education in Germany and the United States has an important reference value for promoting the further development of quality management of higher education in China.

The Volga River Is Russia’s Lifeline and in Need of Maintenance, Mitigation and Restoration

The Volga River flows entirely through Russia and the watershed includes three of the country’s ten largest cities. The river is the longest in Europe and western Russia’s principal waterway. The Volga River basin is home to approximately half of Russia’s population and occupies almost two-fifth of European Russia. It covers much of the Volga region and stretches 3530 kilometers from its source in the Valdai Hills to the Caspian Sea, the world’s largest inland water body. Its economic, cultural, and historic importance makes it one of the world’s greatest rivers. The Volga basin makes up 8 percent of the Russian territory. Stalingrad, located on the banks of the Volga River, has been described as the site of the greatest de-feat in the history of the German Army. It is often identified as the turning point on the Eastern Front of WWII, in the war against Germany, and in the entire WWII. The meeting point of the Eurasian Civilization was historically the Volga River. The river has some of the world’s largest reservoirs and is a major source of livelihood for millions of people. Many factories and cities empty their waste including sewage, industrial waste, fertilizers, and pesticides into the Volga River. Pollutants tend to settle in the reservoirs and contain several meters of heavily contaminated muck. The primary objectives are to assess lessons learned, manage, and restore the Volga River system lifeline in Russia.

Crealet presents its innovative warp tension solutions at Techtextil 2024

Crealet is the world leader in sophisticated warp feeding technology and tailored solutions.Controlled warp tension stands also for controlled fabric quality.The Swiss firm presents its latest developments for technical textile applications at Techtextil 2024 in Frankfurt,Germany.

BTMA’s advanced fibre focus at Techtextil 2024

New fibres continue to be developed for a wide range of technical textile applications.Currently,they include fibres based on organic or recycled feedstocks to meet sustainability targets and others with new functional properties for advanced high performance applications.Many of them were showcased at the forthcoming Techtextil 2024 exhibition which takes place in Frankfurt,Germany,from April 23-26.The development of specific multifilaments,monofilaments and nonwovens for niche fibre applications–over 70 to date–is very much the specialist field of BTMA member Fibre Extrusion Technologies(FET),along with designing the bespoke fibre extrusion and spunbond and meltblown nonwoven systems to successfully produce them.

Climate Protection in Urban Transport--Six Scenario Studies in Germany： More Climate Protection, Fewer Carbon Dioxide Emissions, Less Car Traffic

Six German scenario studies on urban passenger transport for Munich 2058, Wuppertal 2050, Eastern Ruhr Region 2030, Tuebingen 2030, Cologne 2020 and Hanover Region 2020 investigate the key question： With which strategies and on what kind of scale, is it possible to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of urban passenger transport to accomplish the 2℃ climate protection goal with a consequently huge reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 80% to 95% by 2050 in relation to the base year 1990？ The scenarios show that the major challenge of a ＂climate-friendly city transport＂ can be achieved by appropriate measures （regarding direction and scale）： in small and medium-sized cities, large cities, cities of over a million people, and metropolitan regions. The scenarios demonstrate the extent to which the considered measures contribute to the CO2 reduction, and which gap to the achievement of the goal remains if that which is currently regarded as realistic in practice is really implemented in future. Thus, they illustrate the conflict between that which is necessary for climate protection and that which is currently considered feasible in politics. The scenarios show that it is essential to act quickly and appropriately, and not hesitantly or without conviction.

A high frequency of GBV-C/HGV coinfection in hepatitis C patients in Germany

AIM To detect infection rate of GBV-C/HGV inhepatitis C patients,to determine the methodsof higher sensitivity and the primers of higherefficiency for GBV-C/HGV RNA detection and tostudy the dominant subtype and mutation ofGBV-C/HGV.METHODS Quantitative RT-PCR for detectionpf HCV RNA concentration in serum samples,RT-nested PCR with two sets of primers fordetection of GBV-C RNA,RT-PCR ELISA with twosets of primers for detection of HGV RNA,nucleotide sequence and putative amino acidsequence analysis.RESULTS The positive rates of GBV-C RNA atthe 5’-NCR and NS3 region in 211 serums amplesfrom the patients with HCV infection were 31.8%and 22.8% respectively.The positive rates ofHGV RNA at the 5’-NCR and NS5 region in thesame samples were 47.9% and 31.8%respectively.The total positive rate of GBV-C/HGV RNA was as high as 55.5%.HCV copynumbers in the patients without GBV-C/ HGVcoinfection were statistically higher than that inthe patients with GBV-C/ HGV coinfection(P【0.01).Frequent mutation of nucleotideresidue was present in the amplificationproducts.Frameshift mutation was found in twosamples with GBV-C NS3 region nucleotidesequences.All nucleotide sequences fromamplification products showed higher homologyto HGV genome than to GBV-C genome even though part of the sequences were amplifiedwith GBV-C primers.CONCLUSION A high frequency of GBV-C/ HGV coinfection existed in the hepatitis C patients. RT-PCR ELISA was more sensitive than RT-nested PCR for detection of GBV-C/ HGV RNA. The primers derived from the 5 -NCR was more efficient than those derived from the NS3 and NS5 regions. A reverse relationship was found to exist between HCV RNA concentration and GBV-C/ HGV infection frequency. HGV was the dominant subtype of the virus in the local area. The major mutations of GBV-C/ HGV genomes were random mutation of nucleotide residue.

Pig Manure Systems in Germany and China and the Impact on Nutrient Flow

Germany and China use different stable systems for fattening pigs. Widespread systems in Germany are closed stables with slatted or partly slatted floor, which produce liquid manure （a mixture of urine, faeces, and cleaning water） whereas in China open stables with closed concrete floors are used with separate collection of faeces and urine. Based on data from literature and own analyses nutrient flows of both systems are calculated. The Chinese manure system or mechanized belt or V-shaped pit floor systems with faeces/urine separation are more effective to separate solids, nutrients, carbon, and heavy metal than mechanical separation from liquid manure. The separation rates can be up to 88% for the solids, 67% for nitrogen, 93% for phosphorus, 60% for potassium, 94% for magnesium, 97% for cupper, and 98% for zinc. The faeces can be used for composting to produce a market product.

Psychological preparation practices for children undergoing medical procedures in Japan and Germany

The present study aimed to clarify the current status and awareness of psychological preparation for children undergoing medical procedures in pediatric nursing in Japan as compared with that in Germany. An original questionnaire about the current status and awareness of psychological preparation for children in hospitals was distributed by mail to nurses’ working on Japanese pediatric wards in 2010. The same questionnaire, translated into German, was distributed to nurses working on German pediatric wards via the internet in 2010. A large majority of respondents strongly agreed that children have a right to informed consent. German nurses expressed a longer-term viewpoint on the effects of preparation than Japanese nurses. Japanese nurses recognized a greater need for improvement in their duties than German nurses. The results suggest that we should consider our own country’s nursing practices and need for improvement, but also learn from studies of other countries to address each culture and medical situation appropriately.

Mining Rehabilitation in New South Wales （Australia） and Germany

The rehabilitation of coal mines is an up-to-date issue, heavily discussed not only by the industry but also by scientists and the adjacent communities since open cut coal mining has extensive impacts affecting all parties. Whereas, before and during the mining process not only nature but sometimes also the population of a whole region has to give way to a mine, the consequences of the operations remain long after mining closure. Typically a once intact and functioning ecosystem is replaced with a destroyed wideness evocative of a moon landscape. Fortunately, the awareness of the need to rehabilitate the destroyed nature is increasing steadily and all involved parties are making efforts to improve the situation, even if it is a major challenge to bring all parties to a consensus. Therefore, a legislative basis is required and the know-how of optimal rehabilitation solutions must be developed. In this article the rehabilitation of mined land in Australia and Germany are compared. More precisely the article will present an overview of the legislative regulations, certain applied methods of rehabilitation work and the problems that are likely to occur in respect to the influence of mining on nature.

Branding of Germany’s Transnational Education and its Potentials in the Arabian Gulf Region

Transnational education(TNE),responding to the growing global demand for education,plays a fundamental role in the current debate on the internationalisation and globalisation of higher education.Conducting a systematic literature review,this paper examines the characteristics of German transnational education,which has little in common with the American and British models,the reasons for its limited presence in the Gulf and its potential for having a stronger footprint.Since education for Germany is a public good,financial gain has never been a decisive factor for German universities to venture abroad.Whilst the Gulf Region is the largest importer of foreign education,German TNE is only represented by one university there,compared to the overwhelming number of US,UK and Australian higher education institutions.Although the Gulf Region is considered as a lucrative and appealing market for foreign education,lack of engagement of German TNE there could be interpreted through public policy-related reasons.Since Germany has already established its footprint in creating a unique brand of TNE,the paper recommends to build upon the country’s expertise in low-risk option for Germany to invest in the Gulf.For this to materialise,Germany must build awareness of its unique brand to stand out among the competition.

Long-term cost and efficacy analysis of latanoprost versus timolol in glaucoma patients in Germany

AIM: To evaluate 5-year effectiveness and cos between latanoprost or timolol monotherapy in a pilot trial.METHODS: A retrospective, multi-center trial performed at 6 sites in Germany of patients who had a diagnosis of primary open-angle or pigmentary glaucoma, in at least one eye, initiated on monotherapy with latanoprost or timolol maleate. Qualified consecutive charts were reviewed in which 5-year efficacy, safety and cost data was abstracted.RESULTS: Seventy-seven latanoprost and 49 timolo patients were included, at the final visit no difference existed between the two groups in disc parameters including: rim area, rim area/disc area ratio, cup volume or vertical cup/disc ratio (P 】0.05). There was no difference in intraocular pressure (IOP) between the initial latanoprost (17.4 ±2.6) and timolol (16.3 ±2.8mmHg) groups. There was less change in medicines over the follow-up period (0.1 vs 0.8) and fewer medications at the final visit (1.2 vs 1.8) with latanoprost compared to timolol. No patient treated with latanoprost discontinued therapy during follow-up, while 12% discontinued timolol mostly due to inadequate IOP control. Cost/year was less with initial timolol ($458±236) as compared to latanoprost ($552±202). CONCLUSION: Patients begun on latanoprost o timolol and followed over 5 years may have similar clinical outcomes. However, timolol patients may require more medicines and medicine changes to control IOP for long-term, but at a lower cost.

Clinical Observation on the Treatment of Insomnia in Germany with Deficiency of Heart and Spleen by the Ear Bean Therapy

Objective: To observe the effect of insomnia patients with deficiency of heart and spleen in Germany by the therapy of ear points pressing with bean. Methods: A total of 80 cases of insomnia with deficiency of heart and spleen in Germany were divided into the observation group and the control group, with 40 cases in each group. The patients in the control group were treated with oral modified Guipi Decoction(归脾汤), while the patients in the observation group were treated with oral traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and the therapy of ear points pressing with bean. The efficacy, sleep quality, the TCM syndromes score and the incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups. Results: The effective rate in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, and there was statistical difference between the two group(P<0.05). After treatment, the Pittsburgh sleep quality index scale(PSQI) score, insomnia severity index(ISI) score and the TCM syndromes score in the two groups were decreased sharply(P<0.01), and those scores in the observation group were lower than that in the control group(P<0.05). There was no adverse reaction between the two groups. Conclusion: The therapy of ear points pressing with bean is effective on insomnia in Germany, which is worth further study and promotion.

Groundwater protection:What can we learn from Germany?

For drinking water security the German waterworks proceed on a comprehensive concept,i.e.,the protection of all the regions from the recharge area to the client.It includes the protection of the recharge area by a precautionary management,a safe water treatment,a strict maintenance of the water distribution network,continuous control and an intensive training of staff.Groundwater protection zones together with effective regulations and control play a very important role.Three protection zones with different restrictions in land-use are distinguished.Water in reservoirs and lakes is also protected by Surface Water Protection Zones.Within the surrounding area the land-use is controlled,too.Special treatment is necessary if acidification happens caused by acid rain,or eutrophication caused by the inflow of sewage.Very important is the collaboration between waterworks and the farmers cultivating land in the recharge area in order to execute water-protecting ecological farming with the aim to reduce the application of fertilizers and plant protection agents.Probable financial losses have to be compensated by the waterworks.

The Route of V-2 Technology Transfer from Germany to the USSR,and on to China

V-2 technology was transferred from Germany to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(USSR)and then on to China.The USSR imitated the captured German V-2 rocket,and independently developed the R-2.Later,China imitated the R-2 rocket provided by the USSR,and independently developed the Dong Feng-2(DF-2).The imitation or localization of foreign products is a key stage prior to independent development.Independent development of new models,in turn,is not only indicative of an upgrading of the transferred technology and the mastering of foreign technology,but also an illustration of innovation.Talent is the crucial resource on which technology transfer relies.The administrative system and domestic collaboration network required to coordinate the necessary tasks,including research,experimentation,design,and manufacture were established both in the USSR and in China.

New Changes in Germany s Leading Role in the European Union

For a long time, Germany played a leading role in the European Union(EU), but in recent years it has reduced its investment in the EU affairs and lessened its enthusiasm for European integration due to its multiple frustrations in maintaining the unity of the EU and leading the EU in global affairs. As a result, its leading role in the EU is apparently on the decline. This change has taken place for the following reasons: internally,it derives from Germany’s domestic political dilemma, changes in its social ecology, and structural defects in its economy;externally, it relates closely to the intensifying interest divides between EU member states, and the major-country global-scale game that is entering a new phase for which Germany is not yet ready. The decline of Germany’s leading role in the EU will intensify rivalry between EU member states, impede the process of European integration, and cause further setbacks to the EU’s global standing. Nonetheless, Germany is aware of this, and is now engaging in profound reflection and active adjustment. Accordingly, the German engine is expected to restart.

The Difference and Its Study of the Cultures of West and East Germany Around the Reunification in 1989

The then West and East Germany originated from one nation,but there was big difference between their cultures before and immediately after the reunification in 1989.The difference is embodied in many aspects of the society,affecting deeply the individual life and national situation.Their formation has multiple causes,and various measures need to be made to bridge these gaps to reach the balance,so that Germany after the fall of Berlin Wall can go ahead prosperously,and brings benefits to all its people.