Open Access

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate acceptance of preventive home visits (PHVs) for older adults in rural Germany. Design Qualitative descriptive approach. Sample We investigated the personal, individual perspective of adults aged 65 to 85, who were not yet eligible for benefits from the long‐term care insurance, were able to understand and speak German, and who lived in the municipality under study. Measurements Fifteen semi‐structured interviews were conducted between 02/2019 and 08/2020. They were transcribed, coded using MAXQDA, and content analyzed. Ethical approval was obtained. Results The acceptance of PHVs was extremely high and characterized by five main effects: very close relationship with the nurse, well‐being, empowerment, satisfaction, ambivalence. Participants wish to receive PHVs in the future and would recommend it to others. Even those with a healthy or health‐promoting lifestyle are thankful to be able to refer to the counselling sessions if life circumstances should deteriorate. Those who became care‐dependent wish to continue and perceive it as a valuable addition to their care. Conclusion From the participants’ point of view, this low‐threshold counselling‐and‐support approach should be maintained in the future. PHVs can support health and independence in older adults and therefore prevent them from becoming care‐dependent.

While previous research focused on investigating students' perceptions, few studies have analyzed students' future-oriented normative sustainability expectations from their Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in various cultural contexts. The goal of this study is to (1) identify business students' sustainability transformation expectations from their HEIs, (2) uncover potential differences in expectations across cultural environments, and (3) explain how students' sustainability expectations impact their behaviors towards HEIs. A mixed qualitative-quantitative research design using a semi-standardized questionnaire based on a sample of 239 business students from the USA and Germany was applied. Sustainability topics at HEIs are derived both from a literature review and through interviews and were categorized using content analysis. Data for the study was collected from business students in Bachelor programs at two state universities in the USA and one public university in Germany and the Kano analysis was utilized to examine students' sustainability expectations. Our analysis uncovered 19 distinct topic areas of sustainability at HEIs. Across both countries, students considered the integration of sustainability in production and consumption, as well as gender equality and inclusion, as basic requirements for future sustainability transformations. Other attributes were evaluated as indifferent. Students from the USA considered staff and faculty development opportunities or institutional support as performance attributes, while students from Germany evaluated them as indifferent. Country variations in students' expectations of key sustainability attributes from their HEIs are significantly influenced by their level of involvement in sustainability. Finally, students' expectations significantly impact their behavioral intentions. We provide managerial implications suggesting a tailored focus on sustainability attributes based on Kano categories and the country context. Furthermore, we highlight the need for further research, including replication studies in diverse cultural settings using longitudinal study designs.

Most people become more reliant on care and support as they age. The constitution of ageing people in the context of nursing support thus represents a material aspect in the daily life of these people and must be taken into account in the science of gerontology. However, theories of (geriatric) care have previously been predominantly human-centric. In light of the material turn, the goal of this paper is to highlight the potential to be found in using agential realism to critically examine geriatric care. It will begin by detailing previous perspectives on geriatric care and any use of material aspects to be found in it. It will then present a conceptual-methodical approach that allows for an examination of the act of caring, taking material aspects into account. The application of this approach to empirical material drawn from an example of acute care in Germany will, in conclusion, illustrate significant elements that, in light of agential realism, must also be taken into account when investigating what it means to provide good geriatric care.

This study compares the technical viability and ecologic benefits of solar thermal energy systems with PV-supported heat-pump systems within the South African beverage sector. Different configurations of solar thermal (ST), photovoltaics (PV) and heat pumps are modelled and evaluated. After a general consideration, simulation results for three selected cases with operating temperatures below and above 100 °C are modelled and examined. The cost of heat and CO2 emissions are evaluated for solar thermal systems and heat-pump systems with and without photovoltaic support. The effect of “Loadshedding” is discussed, especially for the application of high-temperature heat pumps (HTHP). While batteries are quite expensive, thermal storage tanks can be used to cover most of the process heat demand. The study finds that the LCOH and CO2 emissions can be reduced significantly at temperatures below 100°C compared to oil fired boilers. When high-temperature steam is produced, the LCOH is at least twice that of coal-fired steam boilers. Furthermore, the effect of feed-in tariffs is discussed. Therefore, the study suggests the need for additional research to optimize systems that reduce steam requirements, leading to improved economics of heat pumps and solar thermal. It also calls for a collaborative effort to promote the development and funding of high-temperature heat pumps for industrial use.

The present work is a comparative study of the effects of mechanical shear, temperature, and concentration of a chemical agent on the devulcanization process of post-industrial ethylene propylene diene (EPDM) rubber waste. Devulcanization was carried out in a heating press (no shear), an internal mixer (low shear), and a co-rotating twin screw extruder (high shear) at temperatures ranging from 100 to 200 °C. The efficiency of pure dibenzamido diphenyl disulfide (DBD) and a commercial devulcanizing agent, Struktol A89®, containing DBD were studied. Based on the results, the devulcanization process was upscaled from 40 g per batch to a continuous process with a capacity of 270 g/h. The parameters were fine-tuned regarding flow rate, screw speed, and temperature. Blends of virgin rubber (VR) and 25, 50, and 75 wt% recyclates were compared with blends of VR and 25, 50, and 75 wt% of untreated RWP. The quality of the recyclate was determined by rheometer tests, SEM images, TGA, and mechanical properties. The best results were obtained with 2 wt% DBD in the extruder with a temperature profile of 120 to 80 °C, 50 rpm, and 4.5 g per minute (gpm). The tensile strength and strain at break of the recyclate already met the requirements of DIN EN 681-1:2006 for the production of sealing systems. The compression set and Shore A hardness were restored by mixing recyclate with 25 wt% VR.