Venezuelan regional election results are uncertain

Significance An EU election observation mission continues to deploy, despite the government’s withdrawal from Norwegian-led dialogue efforts. The opposition goes into the elections divided and in some cases reluctantly. The International Criminal Court (ICC) decision to advance an investigation into the government has re-energised voices in favour of an electoral boycott, including US Senator Marco Rubio. Impacts The extradition of Venezuelan presidential adviser Alex Saab to the United States will add to the strain in bilateral relations. Hawkish elements in the United States and on the Venezuelan right will increase pressure on opposition groups to boycott elections. The International Contact Group will seek to strengthen opposition confidence in elections as a first step on a slow road back to democracy.

Global Citizens – Global Jet Setters? The Relation Between Global Identity, Sufficiency Orientation, Travelling, and a Socio-Ecological Transformation of the Mobility System

Global crises such as the climate crisis require fast concerted action, but individual and structural barriers prevent a socio-ecological transformation in crucial areas such as the mobility sector. An identification with people all over the world (i.e., global identity) and an openness toward less consumption (i.e., sufficiency orientation) may represent psychological drivers of a socio-ecological transformation. We examined the compatibility of both concepts as well as their relation to people’s support of a decarbonised mobility system and their flight mobility behaviour – a CO2-intensive behaviour that may be particularly difficult to refrain from for globally identified people, but less so for sufficiency-oriented people. In an online study conducted in Germany (N = 317), we found that global identity and sufficiency orientation were positively related. Both were negatively related to past flight-related CO2 emissions and positively related to refraining from flying and the support of decarbonised mobility policies. Accounting for both showed that sufficiency orientation in particular was related to fewer flight-related CO2 emissions and refraining from flying. Furthermore, we examined people’s travel experiences. While global identity was unrelated to the frequency and duration of international travelling, it was positively related to the frequency and quality of contact with local people met on journeys. An experimental variation of whether participants first answered questions on global identity or on travel experiences revealed that remembering past international travelling led to higher reported levels of global identity. Taken together, global identity seems to profit from in-depth international contact with people, but can be decoupled from resource-intensive travel behaviour. Globally identified and sufficiency-oriented people may support a socio-ecological transformation. Our results indicate a compatibility of global identity and sufficiency orientation. Experimental and longitudinal research should examine causal links to foster our understanding of the conditions under which both can be strengthened.

COVID-19: cross-border contact tracing in Germany, February to April 2020

Introduction The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) managed the exchange of cross-border contact tracing data between public health authorities (PHA) in Germany and abroad during the early COVID-19 pandemic. Aim We describe the extent of cross-border contact tracing and its challenges. Methods We analysed cross-border COVID-19 contact tracing events from 3 February to 5 April 2020 using information exchanged through the European Early Warning Response System and communication with International Health Regulation national focal points. We described events by PHA, number of contacts and exposure context. Results The RKI processed 467 events, initiating contact to PHA 1,099 times (median = 1; interquartile range (IQR): 1–2) and sharing data on 5,099 contact persons. Of 327 (70%) events with known exposure context, the most commonly reported exposures were aircraft (n = 64; 20%), cruise ships (n = 24; 7%) and non-transport contexts (n = 210; 64%). Cruise ship and aircraft exposures generated more contacts with authorities (median = 10; IQR: 2–16, median = 4; IQR: 2–11) and more contact persons (median = 60; IQR: 9–269, median = 2; IQR: 1–3) than non-transport exposures (median = 1; IQR: 1–6 and median = 1; IQR: 1–2). The median time spent on contact tracing was highest for cruise ships: 5 days (IQR: 3–9). Conclusion In the COVID-19 pandemic, cross-border contact tracing is considered a critical component of the outbreak response. While only a minority of international contact tracing activities were related to exposure events in transport, they contributed substantially to the workload. The numerous communications highlight the need for fast and efficient global outbreak communication channels between PHA.

Growth all along the road? Personality development and international contacts of (in)experienced sojourners

International student mobility (ISM) is an important educational means to promote the international (job market) potential of university students. Beyond that, it constitutes a context of personality development in young adulthood. With the present research, we tried to integrate the perspectives of applied and personality research in addressing the following questions. First, we scrutinized the robustness of ISM effects on personality development as we controlled for effects of sociodemographic characteristics and implemented a waiting group design ( N = 3070). Second, we explored ISM anticipation effects as well as the moderation of ISM effects by previous international mobility experiences. Finally, in view of the public discourse on the benefits of “Erasmus crowds”, we assessed the roles of international and host relationships with regard to the personality development of sojourners. The results largely corroborated the robustness of ISM effects on personality development. No ISM anticipation effects occurred, and effects of current ISM engagement were largely unaffected by previous international mobility experiences. Finally, international contact experiences were associated with personality development above and beyond effects of host country contacts. Implications for the understanding of personality development and potential inferences for the organization and improvement of ISM programs are discussed.

Neuroendocrine tumors of the appendix

The aim. The aim of our study was to analyze the available data from literature sources concerning the issues of epidemiology, pathology, clinic, diagnosis, and features of surgical treatment of neuroendocrine tumors of the vermiform process. Materials and methods. We conducted a retrospective analysis of foreign and domestic literature sources that contain upto-date information about the state of the problem of neuroendocrine tumors of the vermiform process Results. Appendicular neuroendocrine tumors (ANEO) account for up to 16.7% of all neuroendocrine tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. In 54% of cases, ANEO show themselves for the fi rst time with a picture of an acute abdomen that resembles that of acute appendicitis. The main method of treatment is surgical. So far, there are no clinical guidelines that specify clear criteria for performing an appendectomy or right-sided hemicolectomy. Although gastrointestinal neuroendocrine tumors are less sensitive to it, there is evidence of a good response to temozolomide therapy (CAPTEM scheme: temozolomide+capecitabine). Octreotide can also be eff ective, especially in the group of functionally active ANIOS. The 5-year survival rate of patients with ANEO is 94% for tumors up to 1 cm in diameter, 70.5% for tumors larger than 2 cm, and 33.7% for distant metastases at the time of diagnosis. Conclusion. Treatment of patients with ANEO gives rise to the following confl ict situation: on the one hand, the risk of recurrence of the disease in the long term is quite low, but if it occurs, it signifi cantly worsens the prognosis and, consequently, signifi cantly affects the overall survival. We emphasize the need to further study the biological properties of ANIO, the importance of generalizing all available data, which is possible only with close international contact of scientists around the world.