Nachtrag: Einwanderungsland Deutschland: Wie sollte die Zuwanderung beeinflusst werden?

In Ergänzung zu den Beiträgen im ifo Schnelldienst 3/2015 plädiert Achim Dercks, Deutscher Industrie- und Handelskammertag, dafür, den eingeschlagenen Weg mit erleichterten zuwanderungsrechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen weiter zu gehen und geeignete Willkommensstrukturen zu etablieren, um die Zuwanderung nach Deutschland langfristig positiv zu gestalten

CheckMATE 2: From the model to the limit

We present the latest developments to the CheckMATE program that allows models of new physics to be easily tested against the recent LHC data. To achieve this goal, the core of CheckMATE now contains over 60 LHC analyses of which 12 are from the 13 TeV run. The main new feature is that CheckMATE 2 now integrates the Monte Carlo event generation via Madgraph and Pythia 8. This allows users to go directly from a SLHA file or UFO model to the result of whether a model is allowed or not. In addition, the integration of the event generation leads to a significant increase in the speed of the program. Many other improvements have also been made, including the possibility to now combine signal regions to give a total likelihood for a model.Comment: 53 pages, 6 figures; references updated, instructions slightly change

R-Parity Violation at the LHC

We investigate the phenomenology of the MSSM extended by a single R-parity violating coupling at the unification scale. For all R-parity violating couplings, we discuss the evolution of the particle spectra through the renormalization group equations and the nature of the lightest supersymmetric particle (LSP) within the CMSSM, as an example of a specific complete supersymmetric model. We use the nature of the LSP to classify the possible signatures. For each possible scenario we present in detail the current LHC bounds on the supersymmetric particle masses, typically obtained using simplified models. From this we determine the present coverage of R-parity violating models at the LHC. We find several gaps, in particular for a stau-LSP, which is easily obtained in R-parity violating models. Using the program CheckMATE we recast existing LHC searches to set limits on the parameters of all R-parity violating CMSSMs. We find that virtually all of them are either more strongly constrained or similarly constrained in comparison to the R-parity conserving CMSSM, including the $\bar U\bar D\bar D$ models. For each R-parity violating CMSSM we then give the explicit lower mass bounds on all relevant supersymmetric particles.Comment: 43 pages, 13 tables, 17 figures; updated Figs. 11-17 and Tab. 12 including NLO corrections; version accepted for publication in EPJ

Treating asthma: is there a place for leukotriene receptor antagonists?

SummaryAsthma is a chronic disorder, characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), airway inflammation and airway remodelling. Evidence has been provided for a relationship between pathophysiology, airway inflammation and remodelling. Moreover, these asthma features have been shown to respond to anti-inflammatory therapy. According to current guidelines, monitoring of asthma is predominantly based on symptoms and lung function data. However, these parameters appeared as poor indices for asthma control. Alternatively, asthma control relates well to exacerbations and (anamnestic) surrogate biomarkers of airway inflammation. Hence, appropriate treatment of asthma should primarily target the airway inflammation.According to current guidelines for asthma management, anti-inflammatory therapy with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) is the cornerstone in the treatment of persistent asthma. To further optimize asthma control, add-on therapy with long-acting β2-agonists (LABA) or leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA) should be combined with low to high doses of ICS. While the first combination focuses on optimal control of symptoms and lung function, the second provides a more complete suppression of the airway inflammation.In this paper we discuss treatment of asthma according to current guidelines versus new insights, addressing practical issues

Zikadenschäden im Arznei- und Gewürzpflanzenanbau: Interaktive Lösungsansätze von Wissenschaft, Beratung und Bauern

Leafhopper stippling damages in cultures of medical herbs and spices are increasing since the mid 1990s in various parts of Central Europe. We launched a project within the frame of the Federal Programme for Organic Farming (BÖL) in order to gain information on the taxonomic status of the pest, as well as its basic biology and current distribution. In addition to this we tested whether cicads could be controlled by organic insecticides such as azadirachtin, pyrethrum and quassia, and by entomopathogenic fungi as biological control agents. We found stippling damages of varying extent in nearly all fields under study. The pest has been identified as a complex of species belonging to cicadellids of the subfamily Typhlocybinae. These cicads have feeding mechanisms that differ from the widelyknown “hopper burn” on vegetables and grapevine caused by other cicads. Locally we found high cicad mortality in field populations caused by Entomophthorales and insect parasitoids. Our insecticide tests indicate that the investigated cicades can be partly controlled by Quassia and the entomopathogenic fungus Verticillium lecanii

The fate of the Littlest Higgs Model with T-parity under 13 TeV LHC Data

We exploit all LHC available Run 2 data at center-of-mass energies of 8 and 13 TeV for searches for physics beyond the Standard Model. We scrutinize the allowed parameter space of Little Higgs models with the concrete symmetry of T-parity by providing comprehensive analyses of all relevant production channels of heavy vectors, top partners, heavy quarks and heavy leptons and all phenomenologically relevant decay channels. Constraints on the model will be derived from the signatures of jets and missing energy or leptons and missing energy. Besides the symmetric case, we also study the case of T-parity violation. Furthermore, we give an extrapolation to the LHC high-luminosity phase at 14 TeV as well.Comment: 50 pages, 32 figure

Central COVID-19 Coordination Centers in Germany: description, economic evaluation, and systematic review

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Central COVID-19 Coordination Centers (CCCCs) have been established at several hospitals across Germany with the intention to assist local health care professionals in efficiently referring patients with suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection to regional hospitals and therefore to prevent the collapse of local health system structures. In addition, these centers coordinate interhospital transfers of patients with COVID-19 and provide or arrange specialized telemedical consultations. OBJECTIVE: This study describes the establishment and management of a CCCC at a German university hospital. METHODS: We performed economic analyses (cost, cost-effectiveness, use, and utility) according to the CHEERS (Consolidated Health Economic Evaluation Reporting Standards) criteria. Additionally, we conducted a systematic review to identify publications on similar institutions worldwide. The 2 months with the highest local incidence of COVID-19 cases (December 2020 and January 2021) were considered. RESULTS: During this time, 17.3 requests per day were made to the CCCC regarding admission or transfer of patients with COVID-19. The majority of requests were made by emergency medical services (601/1068, 56.3%), patients with an average age of 71.8 (SD 17.2) years were involved, and for 737 of 1068 cases (69%), SARS-CoV-2 had already been detected by a positive polymerase chain reaction test. In 59.8% (639/1068) of the concerned patients, further treatment by a general practitioner or outpatient presentation in a hospital could be initiated after appropriate advice, 27.2% (291/1068) of patients were admitted to normal wards, and 12.9% (138/1068) were directly transmitted to an intensive care unit. The operating costs of the CCCC amounted to more than €52,000 (US $60,031) per month. Of the 334 patients with detected SARS-CoV-2 who were referred via EMS or outpatient physicians, 302 (90.4%) were triaged and announced in advance by the CCCC. No other published economic analysis of COVID-19 coordination or management institutions at hospitals could be found. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the high cost of the CCCC, we were able to show that it is a beneficial concept to both the providing hospital and the public health system. However, the most important benefits of the CCCC are that it prevents hospitals from being overrun by patients and that it avoids situations in which physicians must weigh one patient’s life against another’s