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Objective Evidence on socioeconomic inequalities in infections with the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is still limited as most of the available studies are ecological in nature and individual-level data is sparse. We therefore analysed individual-level data on socioeconomic differences in the prevalence and perceived dangerousness of SARS-CoV-2 infections in local populations. Data were obtained from a population-based seroepidemiological study of adult individuals in two early German SARS-CoV-2 hotspots (n = 3903). Infection was determined by IgG antibody ELISA, RT-PCR testing and self-reports on prior positive PCR tests. The perceived dangerousness of an infection and socioeconomic position (SEP) were assessed by self-reports. Logistic and linear regression were applied to examine associations of multiple SEP measures with infection status and perceptions of dangerousness. Results We found no evidence of socioeconomic inequalities in SARS-CoV-2 infections by education, occupation, income and subjective social status. Participants with lower education and lower subjective social status perceived an infection as more dangerous than their better-off counterparts. In successfully contained local outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 in Germany, infections may have been equally distributed across the socioeconomic spectrum. But residents in disadvantaged socioeconomic groups might have experienced a higher level of mental distress due to the higher perceived dangerousness of an infection.

The evaluation of environmental aspects in the early planning phase of buildings can support the reduction of the resource use and environmental impacts associated with the building sector over the whole building life-cycle. The integration of life cycle assessment (LCA) benchmarks in the planning phase is one potential measure. To derive these benchmarks a large database of existing building assessment is essential. Potential data input is available from the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB), as it certifies more than 200 buildings annually and the certification includes a mandatory LCA. In this study, the current submission files and database of the DGNB are assessed and critically reviewed with regard to their usability for automated LCA benchmarks. First, a harmonized database is created from the large number of assessed buildings. Second, the data is examined for its suitability for benchmarking with regard to data format, structure and level of detail. The data that were declared fit for purpose were used to create an exemplary, harmonized data set with 22 office buildings. The evaluation of these data for various environmental indicators of the individual life-cycle phases shows their respective relevance and can thus serve as a benchmark. Another focus is to encourage improvement of the additional documentation like the energy source required for better benchmarking, interpretation of results and auditing of the LCA rules for building certification. The results of this study highlight the opportunities and challenges in the development of a database for benchmarking. Before long-term LCA benchmarks can be developed and deployed, a standardized and uniform submission format of results, that is indifferent regarding the used LCA software, needs to be developed. In the future the submission process should be extended by an automated quality assurance to prevent restraints from low data quality and data gaps that otherwise have to be detected manually.

The building industry is one of the main contributors to worldwide resource consumption and anthropogenic climate change. Therefore, sustainable solutions in construction are particularly urgent. Inspired by the success principles of living nature, biologists and engineers present here an interdisciplinary work: The sustainability assessment of a bio-inspired material technology called graded concrete, which was developed at ILEK. Gradient structural materials can be found in plants on different hierarchical levels, providing a multitude of creative solutions for technology. Graded concrete applies this biological concept of structural optimization to the interior structure of concrete components to minimize material and resource expenditure. To evaluate the sustainability of this innovation, a newly developed quantitative Bio-inspired Sustainability Assessment (BiSA) method is applied. It focuses on the relationship of environmental, social and economic functions and the corresponding burdens quantified basing on life cycle assessment. The BiSA of graded concrete slabs shows significant improvements over conventional concrete for the applied use case. While an overall reduction of environmental burdens by 13% is expected, economic burdens can be reduced by up to 40% and social burdens by 35.7%. The assessment of the graded concrete technology identifies its potential with regard to sustainable construction. The presented work provides a blueprint for the interdisciplinary, integrative work on sustainable, bio-inspired innovations. It shows that the synergies of bio-inspiration and BiSA within technical product development can be fruitful.

BackgroundPersistence of individuals at risk of HIV with Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is critical for its impact on the HIV epidemic. We analysed factors associated with stopping PrEP, barriers that may deter people from continuing PrEP and investigated sexual behaviour after stopping PrEP.MethodsCurrent and former PrEP users in Germany were recruited to complete an anonymous online survey on PrEP use and sexual behaviour. Participants were recruited through dating apps, a PrEP community website, anonymous testing sites and peers. The results were analysed using descriptive methods and logistic regression.ResultsWe recruited 4848 current and 609 former PrEP users in two study waves (July–October 2018, April–June 2019). Former PrEP users were more likely 18–29 years old than current users (adjusted OR = 1.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1–2.3). Moreover, they were more often unhappy with their sex life, which was more pronounced in former daily PrEP users (aOR = 4.5, 95% CI 2.9–7.1) compared to former on-demand users (aOR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–2.9, pinteraction = 0.005). The most common reason for stopping PrEP was a reduced need for PrEP (49.1%). However, 31.4% of former users identified logistic reasons and 17.5% stopped due to side effects. Former PrEP users using PrEP p = 0.015) and not wanting to take a chemical substance (33.2% vs. 24.0%,p = 0.020) compared to former PrEP users who used PrEP for longer. After stopping PrEP, 18.7% of former PrEP users indicated inconsistent condom use while having ≥4 sex partners within the previous 6 months. Former PrEP users with many partners and inconsistent condom use more often indicated logistic reasons for stopping (46.5% vs. 27.9%,p ConclusionsTo maximise persistence with PrEP we need to develop strategies for younger PrEP users, reduce logistic barriers to access PrEP, and to develop effective communication on side-effect management. Moreover, prevention strategies for people stopping PrEP are required, since some remain at high risk for HIV.

Die zunehmende Inanspruchnahme von Ressourcen und die damit einhergehenden Umweltauswirkungen rücken im Bauwesen immer weiter in Vordergrund. Derzeit sind die beiden Disziplinen für etwa 60 % des Ressourcenverbrauchs sowie für etwa 35 % des Energieverbrauchs verantwortlich [1, 2]. Dieser Anteil könnte noch steigen, wenn alle Bauten eine konventionelle Weise verlangen, da die Weltbevölkerung weiter zunimmt. Prognosen gehen von einem Anstieg der Weltbevölkerung bis 2100 von derzeit knapp 7,5 Milliarden auf etwa 11,2 Milliarden Menschen aus [3]. Um der wachsenden Weltbevölkerung sowie der großen Ressourceninanspruchnahme gerecht zu werden, sind innovative, ressourcensparende Leichtbaukonstruktionen unumgänglich. Aktuelle Forschungsarbeiten erweitern das Spektrum hin zu adaptiven Leichtbaukonstruktionen, die es erlauben, bauphysikalische Eigenschaften gezielt anzupassen, um letztlich den extensiven Baustoffeinsatz zu reduzieren. Zur Quantifizierung und Verifizierung der damit verbundenen Potenziale in puncto Nachhaltigkeit wurden die Einflüsse der Adaptivität von Leichtbaukonstruktionen auf deren bauphysikalisches Verhalten sowie deren Ökobilanz erfasst und beschrieben.

The process energy demand and the environmental indicators of two carbon fiber reinforced plastic process chains have been investigated. More precisely, the impact of different production set-ups for a standard textile preforming process using bindered non-crimp fabric (NCF) and a material efficient 2D dry-fiber-placement (DFP) process are analyzed. Both 2D preforms are activated by an infrared heating system and formed in a press. The resin-transfer-molding (RTM) technology is selected for subsequent processing. Within a defined process window, the main parameters influencing the process energy demand are identified. Varying all parameters, a reduction of 77% or an increase of 700% of the electric energy consumption compared to a reference production set-up is possible, mainly depending on part size, thickness, and curing time. For a reference production set-up, carbon fiber production dominates the environmental indicators in the product manufacturing phase with a share of around 72–80% of the total global warming potential (GWP). Thus, the reduction of production waste, energy efficient carbon fiber production, and the use of renewable energy resources are the key environmental improvement levers. For the production of small and thin parts in combination with long curing cycles, the influence of the processing technologies is more pronounced. Whereas for a reference production set-up, only 10% (NCF–RTM) and 15% (DFP–RTM) of the total GWP are caused by the processing technologies, a production set-up leading to a high process energy demand results in a share of 40% (NCF–RTM) and 49% (DFP–RTM), respectively.

Introduction Until September 2019, pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with tenofovir disoproxil/emtricitabine for HIV prevention was not covered by health insurance plans in Germany, and was only available through private prescriptions with self‐pay or through informal non‐prescription sources. The objective of this study was to investigate the proportion of informal PrEP use among PrEP users and to identify factors of public health relevance that might be associated with informal PrEP use. Methods We conducted a cross‐sectional study recruiting PrEP users independent of their PrEP source. Clients from anonymous community testing checkpoints, users of three dating apps for men who have sex with men residing in Germany and users of a PrEP community website, were recruited to complete a short anonymous online survey. Participants were recruited between 24 July and 3 September 2018. The results were analysed using univariable and multivariable logistic regressions. Results We recruited 2005 participants currently using PrEP. The median age was 38 years, and 80.3% of the participants identified themselves as male (missing: 19.1%). Overall, 71.6% obtained PrEP through medical services with a private prescription or a clinical trial, and 17.4% obtained PrEP through informal sources (missing: 11.0%). The most common informal sources were ordering online from another country (8.8%), travel abroad (3.6%), and friends (2.5%). Factors associated with informal PrEP use were on demand/intermittent dosing (adjusted OR: 3.5, 95% CI 2.5 to 5.0) and not receiving medical tests during PrEP use (adjusted OR: 3.2, 95% CI 2.0 to 5.2). In addition, informal PrEP users who did not take PrEP daily had a strongly increased risk of starting PrEP without prior medical tests (adjusted stratum‐specific OR = 31.7, 95% CI 4.6 to 219.5). Conclusions Informal PrEP use was associated with a higher risk of not getting tested before and during PrEP use, which could lead to HIV infections resistant to tenofovir and emtricitabine if people with undiagnosed HIV use PrEP. Health insurance plans that cover PrEP and the accompanying routine tests could ensure adequate medical supervision of PrEP users and reduce barriers to PrEP use. Our findings strongly support the implementation of PrEP programmes in countries with similar patterns of informal PrEP use.

Background The implementation of an integrated molecular surveillance (IMS) of tuberculosis (TB) is of high priority for TB control. IMS is defined as the systematic inclusion of molecular typing results in the national TB surveillance system. Although not standardized, an IMS of TB is already implemented in several low TB incidence countries. Germany is in the process of implementing a nationwide IMS of TB. This requires close collaboration between national and local health authorities. We conducted an online survey to understand the current use of molecular typing results for TB surveillance among the local public health offices (PHO)s in Germany, and to collect their perception and expectations towards the implementation of a nationwide IMS of TB. Methods The online survey was developed using the software Voxco and included 31 questions. The survey was sent to all the 377 local PHOs in Germany in April 2017. Responses were collected until June 2017. Results A total of 174/377 (46.2%) local PHOs participated in our survey, and 88/377 (23.3%) used molecular typing results in their routine TB surveillance work. The PHOs used molecular typing results especially as support for epidemiological contact tracing (62/88, 70.4%). We found statistically significant differences between answers of PHOs that did not use molecular typing results (n = 86) vs. PHOs that did use molecular typing results (n = 88): the latter perceived the use of molecular typing results as more beneficial for their work compared to the former (65.9% vs. 34.9%, p

One of the many promises of biotechnology is that it allows societies to move away from a fossil-based industry toward a bio-based industry, with positive implications for anthropogenic climate change and resource dependency. The provision of biomass from agriculture or forestry is, however, linked to specific environmental implications that cannot be disregarded in an informed discussion about the role of biotechnology in the twenty-first century. In this chapter, we discuss landuse-related effects of biomass provision such as landscape homogenization, eutrophication, erosion, biodiversity, and others. We also discuss how these effects are represented in Life Cycle Assessment, which is a powerful tool for product sustainability evaluation.

The promotion of health literacy at a young age can protect, maintain and improve health across the life course. Yet to date, a sound data basis on adolescent health literacy as a requirement for the development of strategies to promote health literacy has not been given. This paper presents a study protocol for the online survey “Health Literacy Among Adolescents” (GeKoJu) that collects the first nation-wide representative data on self-reported generic health among adolescents aged 14−17 years in Germany. The objectives of the survey are (1) to assess the distribution of generic health literacy among adolescents in Germany, (2) to identify socio-demographic and social factors in regard to health literacy and (3) to assess the association of health literacy and health-related outcomes. The cross-sectional survey was conducted from September 2019 through December 2019. A two-stage stratified cluster sampling strategy was applied. Individuals invited to participate in the survey (N = 6608) were randomly selected among German-speaking adolescents aged 14−17 years, with permanent residence in Germany. Generic health literacy is measured with the “Measurement of Health Literacy Among Adolescents-Questionnaire” (MOHLAA-Q). Data collection also covers questions on health behavior, subjective health status, personal and social resources, socio-demographic and social factors and health services use. Results of the GeKoJu survey will provide data for the development of strategies to promote generic health literacy among families, in schools, communities and health care.

Purpose During the last years, the sustainability of products has gained importance. The established life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology focuses on the evaluation of environmental impacts of products. Academic research extends this approach to social impacts towards establishing a social life cycle assessment (S-LCA). The life cycle working environment (LCWE) method offers one option to include social impacts in LCA. This paper aims at creating a LCWE procedure for company purposes. Automation technology components serve as a case study. Methods LCWE helps to assess the social impact on humans along a products life cycle based on statistical data and the possibility to integrate primary data. The methods focus is on working conditions in upstream and manufacturing activities. LCWE is based on the energy and material flows used in LCA study’s. The results of the method are social profiles of single processes or products. The allocation to social profiles is performed through shares of value-added costs within the life cycle processes of a product. Results and discussion First, a procedure that enables the integration of the LCWE method into companies is presented. Within the procedure, it is possible to integrate corporate data as well as companies aims. The results of the process assessment are categorized by a traffic light function, so that decision makers within the company will be able to integrate the results into their department and improve the processes they are responsible for.

Iron overload (IOL) due to repetitive transfusions of packed red blood cells (pRBC) has a major impact on morbidity and mortality in patients with inherited bone marrow failure syndromes and hemoglobinopathies such as thalassemia and sickle cell disease. However, whether IOL influences the outcome of elderly patients with myeloid malignancies is not yet clear. Moreover, clinical trials have reported high drop-out rates during treatment with the oral iron chelator deferasirox (DFX). Here we report the results of a 2-year prospective observational study that aimed at describing the routine use of DFX in patients with hematological malignancies with regard to safety, efficacy and handling of the drug in a routine setting. A total of 406 patients were included. 58% of the patients were male. Most of the patients had myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) (68%) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) (14%). Median time from first transfusion to study enrollment was 1.1 years (0–25.5 years) and most patients were chelation naive (91%) at enrollment. With regard to transfusion burden, most of the patients were moderately or mildly transfusion-dependent with 53% receiving 2–4 and 27% receiving less than 2 units of pRBC per month. Serum ferritin decreased from a mean of 2305 μg/l (± 1449 μg/l) to a mean of 1910 μg/l (± 1529 μg/l) at 24 months. There was no substantial change in transfusion-dependence during the observation period. Dose adjustments were reported in 48% of the patients with dose-escalation strategies being the most frequent reason for dosage increases (49%). The median observation time was 355 days (5–1080 days). Median duration of exposure to DFX was 322 days (2–1078 days). Two-hundred and ninety (72%) patients discontinued the trial prematurely after a median time of 235 days (1–808 days). Death (29%) and adverse events (23%) were the main reasons for discontinuation. Eleven percent of the patients discontinued treatment due to sufficient decrease in serum ferritin. Most frequent adverse events were decrease in creatinine clearance (22%), increase in serum creatinine (18%) and diarrhea (16%). This descriptive trial confirms the efficacy of DFX in decreasing the serum ferritin. Moreover, the high drop-out rates seen in prospective trials are recapitulated in this study, which can be attributed to adverse events in a substantial proportion of patients.

Altbeton wird eine Rohstoffquelle der Zukunft sein und damit zur Nachhaltigkeit beitragen. In welche Richtung dies geschehen kann, wird in diesem Beitrag mithilfe von Okobilanzergebnissen aus dem BMBF-Projekt “ELDYNTON – Elektrodynamische Fragmentierung von Altbeton“ erlautert. Hier wird Altbeton durch ein innovatives Recyclingverfahren ELDYNTON aufbereitet, um ein hochwertiges Recycling (Ruckfuhrung in den Betonkreislauf) der entstandenen Fraktionen zu gewahrleisten. Eine entscheidende Voraussetzung ist die zerstorungsfreie Trennung von Zementstein und Gesteinskornung. Die Methode der elektrodynamischen Fragmentierung beruht auf ultrakurzen Unterwasserentladungen und ermoglicht eine sortenreine Separierung. Unter dem Aspekt der Ressourcenschonung ist das Ruckgewinnen von Rohstoffen via Recycling grundsatzlich wunschenswert, ob es sich jedoch unter dem Gesichtspunkt der Okologie lohnt, muss naher untersucht werden. Hierzu wird die Methode der Okobilanz (ISO 14040/44) herangezogen und die Ergebnisse mit den okologischen Wirkungen der Primarbereitstellung verglichen. Bei gleicher Transportdistanz liegen die Emissionsaquivalente des ELDYNTON-Verfahrens in einigen Kategorien uber denen der primaren Bereitstellung. Mussen die Substitutionsguter jedoch weiter als 125 km gegenuber denen des ELDYNTON-Verfahrens transportiert werden, schneidet das ELDYNTON-Verfahren in den betrachteten Wirkungskategorien besser ab. Old concrete becomes new concrete – an innovative recycling approach. Old concrete will be a future raw material source and is thereby resource-saving. The study underlines this with the results of the conducted life cycle assessment. For this purpose old concrete gets treated by an innovative recycling approach to ensure a high valuable recycling of the prepared fractions (recirculation into the concrete cycle). A vital prerequisite is the non-destructive separation of cement stone and aggregate. The methodology of the electrodynamic fragmentation guarantees this with ultrashort, underwater electrical discharges. The recycling of resources is generally desirable under the target of resource conservation, but the methodology of the electrodynamic fragmentation has to be investigated if it is advantageous under environmental aspects. Therefore the methodology of the life cycle assessment according ISO 14040/44 is used and the results are compared with the environmental impact of the primary provision. The results show that by using waste heat from another suitable location/site the impacts of the innovative approach are lower than the impacts of the primary production. The results are similar by using higher transport distances for the primary products than for the recycled materials.

Purpose: The year-round supply of fresh fruit and vegetables in Europe requires a complex logistics system. In this study, the most common European fruit and vegetable transport packaging systems, namely single-use wooden and cardboard boxes and re-useable plastic crates, are analyzed and compared considering environmental, economic, and social impacts. Methods: The environmental, economic, and social potentials of the three transport packaging systems are examined and compared from a life cycle perspective using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Life Cycle Costing (LCC) and Life Cycle Working Environment (LCWE) methodologies. Relevant parameters influencing the results are analyzed in different scenarios, and their impacts are quantified. The underlying environmental analysis is an ISO 14040 and 14044 comparative Life Cycle Assessment that was critically reviewed by an independent expert panel. Results and discussion: The results show that wooden boxes and plastic crates perform very similarly in the Global Warming Potential, Acidification Potential, and Photochemical Ozone Creation Potential categories; while plastic crates have a lower impact in the Eutrophication Potential and Abiotic Resource Depletion Potential categories. Cardboard boxes show the highest impacts in all assessed categories. The analysis of the life cycle costs show that the re-usable system is the most cost effective over its entire life cycle. For the production of a single crate, the plastic crates require the most human labor. The share of female employment for the cardboard boxes is the lowest. All three systems require a relatively large share of low-qualified employees. The plastic crate system shows a much lower lethal accident rate. The higher rate for the wooden and cardboard boxes arises mainly from wood logging. In addition, the sustainability consequences due to the influence of packaging in preventing food losses are discussed, and future research combining aspects both from food LCAs and transport packing/packaging LCAs is recommended. Conclusions: For all three systems, optimization potentials regarding their environmental life cycle performance were identified. Wooden boxes (single use) and plastic crates (re-usable) show preferable environmental performance. The calibration of the system parameters, such as end-of-life treatment, showed environmental optimization potentials in all transport packaging systems. The assessment of the economic and the social dimensions in parallel is important in order to avoid trade-offs between the three sustainability dimensions. Merging economic and social aspects into a Life Cycle Assessment is becoming more and more important, and their integration into one model ensures a consistent modeling approach for a manageable effort.

Unter dem Aspekt sich verknappender Ressourcen und der Nachhaltigkeit ist die verstarkte Gewinnung und Nutzung hochwertiger stofflicher Ressourcen aus Abfallstromen erstrebenswert. Eine steigende Individualisierung von Produkten und kurzere Lebenszyklen bringen eine zunehmende Stoffvielfalt bei gleichzeitig sinkenden Stoffmengen mit sich. Im Projekt Molecular Sorting werden beispielhaft Verfahren zur Stofftrennung auf kleinster erforderlicher Ebene entwickelt. Parallel dazu werden Demonstratoren hinsichtlich ihrer Wirkungen auf Umwelt und Ressourcenverfugbarkeit untersucht, was hier anhand zweier Beispiele gezeigt wird. Durch Design for Environment konnten okologische Aspekte in masgebende Entwicklungsentscheidungen integriert, Stellschrauben identifiziert und die okologische Sinnhaftigkeit der neuen Verfahren gezeigt werden. From the perspective of resource scarcity and sustainability the extraction and use of material resources from waste streams is highly desirable. The increasing individualization of products and shorter life cycles leads to a high diversity of materials and a decreasing quantity of materials at the same time. In the project Molecular Sorting separation processes of different substances are developed on the molecular scale. In addition, demonstrators are examined and evaluated with respect to their ecological impacts during the development, as will be shown in this study for two examples. Within the design for environment the ecological aspects could already be incorporated into significant development decisions and the ecological relevance of the new methods can be shown.

Assessing the economic and environmental life cycle impacts of long-lasting construction projects presents numerous methodological challenges. Three advances over established methods are presented for the life cycle evaluation of construction projects. First, future uncertainty during the project life or study period is explicitly accounted for. This involves moving from a deterministic approach requiring precise data to a probabilistic approach where uncertain variables are defined by ranges. The outcome of life cycle evaluation is then given by probability distributions, generated by Monte Carlo simulation. Second, flexible strategies are considered that allow for adaptation to changing conditions during the project life. Flexible strategies (also modelled by Monte Carlo simulation) incorporate specified ‘life cycle options’ which are exercised if it is advantageous to do so, otherwise they remain unexercised. Third, cost-based life cycle costing (LCC) and environmental life cycle assessment (LCA) are l...

Life cycle assessment (LCA) is recognized as a trustworthy, scientific while understandable approach to address the environmental sustainability of human activities. It is applied for multiple uses in internal and external information supply and for decision support. However, LCA application in practice must fulfill three basic criteria: (1) It must be reliable in order to ensure the credibility of information and results generated, (2) it must fit into existing information routines and practices in business to ensure applicability, and (3) it must provide quantitative and relevant information to inform decision makers. Over the last two decades, LCA methodology and related data have become a suitable and professional

The death of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD) appears to have various causes, including oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, mitochondrial dysfunction (and associated apoptosis), ubiquitin/proteasomal dysfunction, and inflammation, any of which could in principle be the therapeutic target of a neuroprotective drug. The biology of dopaminergic neurons offers further potential targets, involving neurotrophic factors, dopamine-neuron genes, and even neurogenesis.To outline each hypothetical neuroprotective mechanism, the evidence suggesting its relevance to PD, and the research on pharmacologic intervention.A PubMed search was conducted to identify relevant preclinical and clinical literature published between 1989 and 2009. Additional articles were identified by reviewing the reference lists of papers selected in the original search. To circumscribe the survey and facilitate consideration of the conditions required for a neuroprotective effect, emphasis was placed on a single drug class, dopamine agonists, and in particular pramipexole. REVIEW OF THE FIELD: In a variety of in vitro and in vivo PD models, pramipexole exhibited preclinical evidence of neuroprotective actions of all hypothesized types, and in human neuroimaging studies it slowed the rate of loss of markers of dopaminergic function, consistent with drug-conferred neuroprotection in PD itself. Interpretation of the preclinical data was hampered by differences among models and by uncertainties concerning each model's mimicry of PD. Overall, the identified neuroprotection almost always required pretreatment (i.e., before insult) and high drug concentration. Interpretation of the clinical data was hampered by absence of placebo control and of a direct measure of neuroprotection.Although the evidence is promising, neuroprotection in PD remains an elusive goal. In whatever form it emerges, neuroprotective therapy would be a strong argument against deferring PD treatment until symptoms are a significant life impediment, and thus would add urgency to early PD identification.

Die Frage nach den Umweltwirkungen von Produkten gewinnt aufgrund der zunehmenden Forderung nach der Berucksichtigung des Nachhaltigkeitsgedankens im Bauwesen stetig an Bedeutung. Die Okobilanz ist eine Methode, um die okologischen Wirkungen eines technischen Systems – im Bauwesen kann das z. B. ein Bauprodukt, aber auch ein gesamtes Gebaude sein – entlang dessen gesamten Lebenszyklus darzustellen. Okobilanzen von Bauprodukten sind seit Jahren etabliert, wahrend Okobilanzen von Gebauden erst allmahlich Verbreitung finden. Insbesondere das Deutsche Gutesiegel Nachhaltiges Bauen fordert diese Entwicklung durch die Einbeziehung des gesamten Lebenszyklus in die Nachhaltigkeitsbewertung von Gebauden. Bauschaffende haben sich allerdings gerade der Herausforderung der okologischen Optimierung eines Bauwerks bereits bei dessen Planung zu stellen. Mit Hilfe von Kooperationen zwischen Okobilanz-Experten und Fachleuten der Planung und des Baubetriebs konnen geeignete Losungen fur diese Aufgabe entwickelt werden. Dieser Aufsatz stellt eine Ubersicht uber Grundsatze und Anwendungen von Okobilanzen im Bauwesen zusammen und zeigt einen Losungsansatz fur die Frage nach der planungsintegrierten okologischen Optimierung auf (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) Life cycle assessment in the construction sector. Under the impression of an increasing demand for sustainability thinking in the building and construction sector, the method of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is constantly gaining relevance. LCA is a method to quantify and assess the environmental impacts of technical systems – in the building and construction sector, these could be both, building products or complete buildings – over their entire life cycle. In the construction sector, LCAs of building products have been well established, while LCAs of entire buildings are just now becoming more common. The German certificate for sustainable buildings strongly promotes this development by including Life Cycle Thinking into the rating of the sustainability of buildings. Due to this development, planners and other stakeholders in the construction industry have to face the necessity of life cycle based environmental optimization of a building already during the planning phase of the building. With the cooperation of LCA experts and experts in the field of assistance in the planning and construction process, dedicated and feasible solutions for this task can be developed. This article provides an overview on LCA in the building and construction sector and presents a possible approach to the question of planning-integrated environmental optimization of buildings.

This article identifies key performance indicators for private equity funds by scrutinizing a dataset of 358 funds holding an aggregate number of 7,511 portfolio companies. First, we show a high persistence of the top-performing private equity fund managers. Then, we explore the influence on fund performance, measured by the internal rate of return and the public market equivalent of the following variables: the stock market return, the GDP growth, and the average interest rate all during a fund9s lifetime and in its vintage year, the experience of the fund manager, the percentage of buyout deals, and the diversification across portfolio companies, industry sectors, regions, and financing stages. Furthermore, we demonstrate that successful general partners venture riskier investments than their less fortunate colleagues.

Elevated serum ferritin contributes to treatment-related morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The multicenter DE02 trial assessed the safety, efficacy and impact of deferasirox on iron homeostasis after allogeneic HSCT. Deferasirox was administered at a starting dose of 10 mg/kg per day to 76 recipients of allogeneic HSCT, with subsequent dose adjustments based on efficacy and safety. Deferasirox was initiated at a median of 168 days after HSCT, with 84% of patients still on immunosuppression. Baseline serum ferritin declined from 2045 to 957 ng/mL. Deferasirox induced a negative iron balance in 84% of patients. Hemoglobin increased in the first 3 months, and trough serum cyclosporine levels were stable. Median exposure was 330 days, with a median compliance rate of >80%. The most common investigator-reported drug-related adverse events (AEs) were increased blood creatinine (26.5%), nausea (9.0%) and abdominal discomfort (8.3%). Fifty-four (71.1%) patients experienced drug-related AEs, which occasionally resulted in discontinuation (gastrointestinal (n=6), skin (n=3), elevated transaminases (n=1) and creatinine (n=1)). The incidence of AEs appeared to be dose related, with 7.5 mg/kg per day being the best-tolerated dose. Low-dose deferasirox is an effective chelation therapy after allogeneic HSCT, with a manageable safety profile, even in patients receiving cyclosporine.

A method for the inclusion of self-energy and excitonic effects in firstprinciples calculations of absorption spectra, within the state-of-the-art plane-wave pseudopotential approach, is discussed. Self-energy effects are computed within GW, and the electron-hole interaction is treated solving an effective two-particle equation which is derived from the relevant Bethe-Salpeter equation. We review numerical results for three systems: a small sodium cluster, the lithium oxyde insulating crystal, and bulk silicon, the prototype semiconductor. In the case of silicon, we present new results obtained considering additional approximations intended to reduce the computational effort and generally employed in Wannier-Mott exciton calculations, and discuss their reliability.

The achievement of mastery in playing a composition by means of a musical instrument typically requires numerous repetitions and corrections according to the keys and notations of the music piece. Nevertheless, differences in the interpretation of the same music piece by highly skilled musicians seem to be recognizable. The present study investigated differences within and between skilled flute players in their finger and body movements playing the same piece several times on the same and on different days. Six semiprofessional and four professional musicians played an excerpt of Mozart’s Flute Concerto No. 2 several times on three different days. Finger and body movements were recorded by 3D motion capture and analyzed by linear and nonlinear classification approaches. The findings showed that the discrete and continuous movement timing data correctly identified individuals up to 100% by means of their finger movements and up to 94% by means of their body movements. These robust examples of identifying individual movement patterns contradict the prevailing models of small, economic finger movements that are favored in the didactic literature for woodwind players and question traditional recommendations for teaching the learning of motor skills.

An ab initio approach to the calculation of excitonic effects in the optical absorption spectra of semiconductors and insulators is formulated. It starts from a quasiparticle bandstructure calculation and is based on the relevant Bethe--Salpeter equation. An application to bulk silicon shows a substantial improvement with respect to previous calculations in the description of the experimental spectrum, for both peak positions and lineshape., 4 pages, 1 figure

Abstract 485 Transfusional iron overload (TIO) contributes considerably to treatment-related morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). Data on post-HCT treatment of secondary hemochromatosis are limited. The results of an open-label, single arm, multi-center trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of the iron chelator deferasirox (DEX) in recipients of HCT with TIO are presented. Patients and methods: The study was conducted in 6 German centers. The primary objective was to evaluate if DEX could provide clinically acceptable chelation in a target pool of 76 adult patients (pts) with TIO 3–12 months after related/unrelated HCT irrespective of conditioning regimens. TIO was defined as a serum ferritin (SF) ≥1000ng/ml without active inflammation (CRP 20 units of red blood cell transfusions (RBC) or 100mL/kg of prepacked red blood cells. Main exclusion criteria were ANC 5xULN, and serum creatinine (Cr) >1.5xULN. DEX 30 minutes prior to lunch was started with 10 mg/kg/d over 52 weeks or until SF 33% of baseline (BL) or was >1.5xULN. DEX had to be interrupted if any toxicity > grade 2 according to the NCI common toxicity criteria (CTC) occurred. An independent Data Safety Monitoring Board reviewed safety data on an ongoing basis. Surrogate markers monitored were SF, serum transferrin and transferrin saturation (TS). Results: After a median of 168 days after HCT, 47 (62%) males and 29 (38%) females [median age 56 y] were included. Cyclosporine was taken by 54 (71%) pts. Median number of RBC prior to study entry was 37 units. Post-HCT, 14 (18.4%) pts received transfusions. Post-HCT HFE genotype was mutated in 27/67(40%) pts (heterozygote-H63D,n=13; heterozygote-C282Y,n=7; heterozygote for other mutations, n=6; homozygote-H63D,n=1). At BL, median SF and TS were 2045ng/ml and 56% respectively at a median CRP of 2.7 mg/l. SF correlated with TS (r=0.5, pgrade 2 were 1.6%, 2.3%, 5.5%, and 2.8% respectively. Main non-hematologic adverse events (AEs) were gastrointestinal (GIT) (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) (16.9%); infections (15.1%); skin (rash, erythema) (4.4%). Cr values above BL were observed in 41 (54%) pts. At EOS, median Cr was above BL by a median of 10 μmol/l. AEs were mostly mild to moderate, transient, and dose-related. On study, a median of 2 drug dosage adjustments/interruptions were made mainly for Cr elevation (27%), GIT-AEs (15%), TA elevation (10.4%), and skin AEs (3.8%). Study drug was permanently discontinued because of GIT-AEs in 3 (4%), skin AEs in 3 (4%), TA in 2 (2.6%), and Cr in 2 (2.6%) pts. Conclusions: A highly significant reduction in serum ferritin could be induced with deferasirox after allogeneic HCT with an acceptable safety profile. Stable trough serum cyclosporine levels could be maintained over time irrespective of the daily dose of deferasirox. Our results indicate that a daily dose of 7.5–10mg/kg is effective, and well tolerated in a complex cohort with TIO after allogeneic HCT. Disclosures: Al-Ali: Novartis: Honoraria. Lieder:Novartis Germany: Employment. Albrecht:Novartis Germany: Employment. Leismann:Novartis Germany: Employment. Bug:Novartis Germany: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding, Travel grant Other. Kroeger:Novartis Germany: Honoraria, Research Funding. Platzbecker:Novartis Germany: Advisory Board Other, Honoraria.