Suchergebnisse

European countries approach the market ramp-up of hydrogen very differently. In some cases, the economic and political starting points differ significantly. While the probability is high that some countries, such as Germany or Italy, will import hydrogen in the long term, other countries, such as United Kingdom, France or Spain, could become hydrogen exporters. The reasons for this are the higher potential for renewable energies but also a technology-neutral approach on the supply side. In the study "Contrasting European Hydrogen Pathways: An Analysis of Differing Approaches in Key Markets", the Institute of Energy Economics at the University of Cologne (EWI), together with the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES), analysed what the economic and political parameters relevant to a future hydrogen economy look like in the six European countries Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Green hydrogen, produced by electrolysis using water and electricity from renewable sources, is favoured by the southern European countries – Spain and Italy. Both are characterised by a high potential for renewable energies, especially photovoltaics. Germany also relies exclusively on producing green hydrogen in its National Hydrogen Strategy. France is taking a special path. Due to its large share of nuclear energy in the electricity mix, the country relies among other technologies on nuclear-based hydrogen. The advantage: It can be produced cost-effectively in times of low electricity demand. Although the long-term significance of nuclear energy in France is unclear, this approach could ensure a fast and cost-effective market ramp-up with hydrogen in the short- and medium-term. In heavy industry, hydrogen could be of central importance for decarbonisation. However, future demand also depends heavily on the price. In this respect, import-dependent countries such as Germany, which will not have sufficient domestically produced hydrogen available in the foreseeable future due to limited potential ...

Background. The South African Rugby Union (SARU) has had a continual challenge to make the game representative of players of all ethnic groups at all levels of play. In response to this challenge SARU has implemented several programmes designed to accelerate the development of players from previously disadvantaged areas with the goal of making the game more representative. However, the success of these programmes to transform the player profile at different levels of rugby cannot be evaluated because the players representing different ethnic groups have not been quantified in a systematic way.Objectives. To quantify the number and playing time of South African professional players (Vodacom, Currie Cup, Super Rugby and Springboks) from different ethnic groups from 2007 to 2011 to determine whether there are any changes in the profile of the players over this period.Methods. Playing time was recorded for all players in sanctioned matches. Players were divided into the ethnic classifications used by SARU (i.e. white, coloured and black).Results. At all levels of competition there were proportionally more white players, followed by coloured players and then black players. This pattern did not change from 2007 to 2011. Based on the ratio of number of players v. playing time, the white players played more time than expected at the Springbok level, whereas the black players played less than expected for the number of players from 2007 to 2011. At the Vodacom level the white players played more than expected in 2007 and 2008 and played less than expected in 2010 and 2011, whereas the black players played more than expected in 2010 and the coloured players played more than expected at the 2011 tournament. The Super Rugby tournamenthad the most consistency between players and expected playing time for the different ethnic groups.Conclusions. Despite the effort to support players from disadvantaged backgrounds since 1998 with facilitative programmes and selection targets, the professional game is still dominated by white players at all levels.

COVID-19 restrictions have resulted in major changes in healthcare, including the prescribing of antibiotics. We aimed to monitor antibiotic prescribing trends during the COVID-19 pandemic in Dutch general practice, both during daytime and out-of-hours (OOH). Routine care data were used from 379 daytime general practices (DGP) and 28 OOH-services over the period 2019-2021. Per week, we analyzed prescription rates per 100,000 inhabitants, overall, for respiratory and urinary tract infections (RTIs and UTIs) specifically and within age categories. We assessed changes in antibiotic prescribing during different phases of the pandemic using interrupted time series analyses. Both at DGPs and OOH-services significantly fewer antibiotics were prescribed during the COVID-19 pandemic after government measures became effective. Furthermore, the number of contacts decreased in both settings. When restrictions were revoked in 2021 prescription rates increased both at DGP and OOH-services, returning to pre-pandemic levels at OOH-services, but not in DGP. Changes in antibiotic prescribing rates were prominent for RTIs and among children up to 11 years old, but not for UTIs. To conclude, while antibiotic prescribing decreased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic both in daytime and out-of-hours, the pandemic does not seem to have a lasting effect on antibiotic prescribing.

Mental health is a fundamental component of good health. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as 'a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community'. Consequently, mental health problems range from the worries we all experience as part of everyday life to serious long-term conditions. The WHO pyramid Framework for mental health1 pleads for a comprehensive care offer and continuity of care. From a policy viewpoint every government needs to evaluate whether its mental health care system is effective and efficient and provides easy access for every civilian. Also for Belgium this exercise is important, especially in the light of recent social and political phenomena. In past decades the organisation of mental health care in Belgium underwent several reform waves with the main aim to further orient mental health care towards a reduction of residential hospital care in favour of recovery and reintegration treatment in the community. In order to attaint this objective, policies to promote five core foundations (i.e. deinstitutionalisation, inclusion, decategorisation, intensification, and consolidation)2 were developed. In 2016, the inter-cabinet working group (IKW – GTI) 'task force on Mental Health care' asked the KCE to look at the provision of mental health care services and the needs of the population. The current study focused on an in-depth analysis of the organisation of mental health services in Belgium with a need to clearly visualize the present care offer and to evaluate the organisation and continuity of care for the future decade. The objective of this study was to describe the Belgian mental health care offer in order to take into account possible gaps and overlaps between existing services and to assess the Belgian landscape against internationally defined frameworks. The results of this report should assist policy-makers in setting priorities and making strategic decisions regarding the organisation of mental health care. The study gives an overview of the Belgian mental health care landscape for adults including: (1) the care offer (the different organisations and service providers), (2) the identification of gaps and overlaps between service providers and how they may affect the five core foundations of the mental health care reform, 3) benchmark the Belgian situation in relation to the internationally developed frameworks for the provision of mental health care services for adults, and 4) the acceptability of future organisational measures/changes

Mental health is a fundamental component of good health. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines mental health as 'a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community'. Consequently, mental health problems range from the worries we all experience as part of everyday life to serious long-term conditions. The WHO pyramid Framework for mental health1 pleads for a comprehensive care offer and continuity of care. From a policy viewpoint every government needs to evaluate whether its mental health care system is effective and efficient and provides easy access for every civilian. Also for Belgium this exercise is important, especially in the light of recent social and political phenomena. In past decades the organisation of mental health care in Belgium underwent several reform waves with the main aim to further orient mental health care towards a reduction of residential hospital care in favour of recovery and reintegration treatment in the community. In order to attaint this objective, policies to promote five core foundations (i.e. deinstitutionalisation, inclusion, decategorisation, intensification, and consolidation)2 were developed. In 2016, the inter-cabinet working group (IKW – GTI) 'task force on Mental Health care' asked the KCE to look at the provision of mental health care services and the needs of the population. The current study focused on an in-depth analysis of the organisation of mental health services in Belgium with a need to clearly visualize the present care offer and to evaluate the organisation and continuity of care for the future decade. The objective of this study was to describe the Belgian mental health care offer in order to take into account possible gaps and overlaps between existing services and to assess the Belgian landscape against internationally defined frameworks. The results of this report should assist policy-makers in setting priorities and making strategic decisions regarding the organisation of mental health care. The study gives an overview of the Belgian mental health care landscape for adults including: (1) the care offer (the different organisations and service providers), (2) the identification of gaps and overlaps between service providers and how they may affect the five core foundations of the mental health care reform, 3) benchmark the Belgian situation in relation to the internationally developed frameworks for the provision of mental health care services for adults, and 4) the acceptability of future organisational measures/changes