Syllabus Guideline for the Congress Bundestag Language Training Program with Sample Lesson Plans for Structural, Sociolinguistic, and Cultural Specifics plus Comments on the Academic Preparation Component of the Program

This project is based on the Congress Bundestag Program of 1986, in particular the language training aspect. It first introduces the program with its goals and objectives and the syllabus that was worked with in August 1986. Based on this experience, a revised syllabus guideline is designed here which contains A. Phonetics B. Theme/Range of Vocabulary Grammatical Features and Cultural/Sociolinguistic Aspects C. Feedback and Assessment D. Competencies E. Academic Skills Development. Additionally, some structural, sociolinguistic and cultural specifics from the syllabus are examplified through lesson and activity plans. Finally, the paper gives a description of what was done in Academic Skills Development (ASD), a new aspect of the program that helps prepare students for \u27\u27German Academia\u27\u27

Vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Sunlight exposure and high vitamin D status have been hypothesised to reduce the risk of developing dementia. The objective of our research was to determine whether lack of sunlight and hypovitaminosis D over time are associated with dementia. Methods We systematically searched MEDLINE (via PubMed), Cochrane Library, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, ICONDA, and reference lists of pertinent review articles from 1990 to October 2015. We conducted random effects meta-analyses of published and unpublished data to evaluate the influence of sunlight exposure or vitamin D as a surrogate marker on dementia risk. Results We could not identify a single study investigating the association between sunlight exposure and dementia risk. Six cohort studies provided data on the effect of serum vitamin D concentration on dementia risk. A meta-analysis of five studies showed a higher risk for persons with serious vitamin D deficiency (<25\ua0nmol/L or 7\u201328\ua0nmol/L) compared to persons with sufficient vitamin D supply (\u226550\ua0nmol/L or 54\u2013159\ua0nmol/L) (point estimate 1.54; 95% CI 1.19\u20131.99, I 2 \u2009=\u200920%). The strength of evidence that serious vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of developing dementia, however, is very low due to the observational nature of included studies and their lack of adjustment for residual or important confounders (e.g. ApoE \u3b54 genotype), as well as the indirect relationship between Vitamin D concentrations as a surrogate for sunlight exposure and dementia risk. Conclusions The results of this systematic review show that low vitamin D levels might contribute to the development of dementia. Further research examining the direct and indirect relationship between sunlight exposure and dementia risk is needed. Such research should involve large-scale cohort studies with homogeneous and repeated assessment of vitamin D concentrations or sunlight exposure and dementia outcomes

The German National Registry of Primary Immunodeficiencies (2012-2017)

Introduction: The German PID-NET registry was founded in 2009, serving as the first national registry of patients with primary immunodeficiencies (PID) in Germany. It is part of the European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID) registry. The primary purpose of the registry is to gather data on the epidemiology, diagnostic delay, diagnosis, and treatment of PIDs. Methods: Clinical and laboratory data was collected from 2,453 patients from 36 German PID centres in an online registry. Data was analysed with the software Stata® and Excel. Results: The minimum prevalence of PID in Germany is 2.72 per 100,000 inhabitants. Among patients aged 1–25, there was a clear predominance of males. The median age of living patients ranged between 7 and 40 years, depending on the respective PID. Predominantly antibody disorders were the most prevalent group with 57% of all 2,453 PID patients (including 728 CVID patients). A gene defect was identified in 36% of patients. Familial cases were observed in 21% of patients. The age of onset for presenting symptoms ranged from birth to late adulthood (range 0–88 years). Presenting symptoms comprised infections (74%) and immune dysregulation (22%). Ninety-three patients were diagnosed without prior clinical symptoms. Regarding the general and clinical diagnostic delay, no PID had undergone a slight decrease within the last decade. However, both, SCID and hyper IgE- syndrome showed a substantial improvement in shortening the time between onset of symptoms and genetic diagnosis. Regarding treatment, 49% of all patients received immunoglobulin G (IgG) substitution (70%—subcutaneous; 29%—intravenous; 1%—unknown). Three-hundred patients underwent at least one hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Five patients had gene therapy. Conclusion: The German PID-NET registry is a precious tool for physicians, researchers, the pharmaceutical industry, politicians, and ultimately the patients, for whom the outcomes will eventually lead to a more timely diagnosis and better treatment

Analyse der Bedingungen fuer die Transformation von Umweltbewusstsein in umweltschonendes Verhalten

Der Band informiert ueber ein Forschungsprojekt zur 'Ermittlung und Analyse von Faktoren, die der Umsetzung des Umweltbewusstseins in umweltfreundliches Verhalten und Handeln im Wege stehen. Mit verschiedenen empirischen Erhebungsmethoden, darunter sekundaeranalytische Auswertungen, eine Exegese von Beurteilungen eines Alltagsszenarios, Auswertungen von Betriebsinterviews und Expertengespraechen mit Landwirten, einer schriftlich-postalischen Befragung einer repraesentativen Stichprobe von 1.039 Personen, 60 leitfadenorientierte Interviews, zwei Gruppendiskussionen und drei Fallstudien, wurden Informationen erhoben, die eine Identifizierung der Restriktionspotentiale moeglich machten. Die Grundstimmung des Menschen, ausgedrueckt in optimistischen oder pessimistischen Zukunftsbetrachtungen und Angst vor Umweltgefahren und Bedrohungen sind eine Seite von Faktoren, die Beurteilungen von Verhaltensoptionen wie umweltfreundliche Kaufentscheidungen, rationellen Einsatz von Energie, Mobilitaetsverhalten oder Umweltengagement beeinflussen. Die andere Seite der Faktoren beinhaltet Wissen ueber umweltfreundliche Verhaltensmoeglichkeiten. Werden umweltfreundliche Verhaltensoptionen gut beurteilt, bewirkt dies ein hoeheres Mass an umweltfreundlichem Verhalten und Handeln, das noch verstaerkt wird durch den Wunsch, die persoenliche Wohnumweltqualitaet zu verbessern. Es zeigte sich, dass die Bereitschaft zum Handeln weit groesser ist als die Moeglichkeiten, diese mit angemessenem Aufwand auch tatsaechlich umzusetzen. Deutlich wird die Notwendigkeit klarer politischer Vorgaben, fuer Veraenderungen in der Produktions- und Distributionslinie fuer Konsumgueter, von Anreizen und Erleichterungen beim Umsteigen vom Individualverkehr zum Oeffentlichen Personennahverkehr oder bei Umorientierungen im Energieverbrauchssektor. Dafuer wurde im Ergebnis ein Aktionsplan fuer verschiedene Interventionsebenen entwickelt.' (Autorenreferat, IAB-Doku)Available from IAB-6152 BE 335 / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman