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Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is one of the most common medical complications in pregnancy. Information on key figures such as screening rates, prevalence of GDM or utilization of follow-up care and associated factors varies widely and is often lacking. The aim of our study is to provide information on screening rates for and prevalence of GDM as well as utilization of follow-up care in Germany. We used data (2010–2020) from a large, nationwide statutory health insurance containing information on inpatient and outpatient care, including diagnoses, medication and treatments. Descriptive analyses were performed to assess screening rates, prevalence of GDM and participation rates in follow-up care. A log-binomial regression model was calculated to analyze associated factors. Screening rates among pregnant women increased from 40.2% (2010) to 93.3% (2020) and prevalence from 9.4% (2010) to 15.1% (2020). The proportion of women attending follow-up care remained stable over time (around 42%). Age, educational level, insulin prescription, hypertension and obesity were positively associated with participation in follow-up care. Although over 90% of women in Germany are screened for GDM during pregnancy, follow-up care is used much less. Further research is needed to understand the trends in GDM healthcare (from screening to follow-up care) and the reasons for women's (non-)participation, as well as the attitudes and routines of the healthcare providers involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Achieving national targets on renewable energy poses several challenges, especially in multi-level governance environments. Incentives and specifications on wind energy development might cause uneven progress or even discrepancies. Therefore, governments have commenced adopting 'positive planning' to combine energy targets with spatial and land-use planning. Yet detailed discussions regarding wind energy development remain scarce. In this paper, I explore three explanatory case studies in Germany and Sweden, aiming to provide policymakers and planners with essential knowledge while presenting significant challenges and key lessons learned. Positive planning appears to center on a strong energy target focus, limited space, and a balanced approach, shaped by the sociopolitical context. While Germany has recently embraced positive planning, Sweden started ambitiously but is encountering planning and policy challenges. Planning agencies play a vital role in promoting wind energy targets at mid-scale levels, yet legally binding targets matter. Striking a balance between energy targets and addressing land-use concerns without disregarding them requires managing a delicate trade-off. Early communication and inter-agency collaboration, as seen in Sweden, might facilitate identifying compromises, navigating trade-offs between species protection and renewable energy and offering municipal incentives. Nonetheless, negotiating satisfactory spatial trade-offs for a long-term proof of concept remains a challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article introduces the issue of psychological assessment and training for driving safety, driving competence, and the mobility of older drivers. The psychological methods for assessing driving competence and the training approaches for maintaining mobility in old age are outlined and illustrated with examples. Preserving driving ability in old age remains a task for which development needs and research gaps must be specified. Although periodic mandatory examinations based on age do not yield any relevant improvement in enhancing traffic safety, they do not cause harm and are widely accepted. It is desirable to move away from a theory focusing on deficits of older age and instead develop an assessment of the comprehensive functions, abilities, and resources of elderly drivers to help preserve the mobility and participation of that specific demographic in traffic., (© 2024. Springer-Verlag GmbH Deutschland, ein Teil von Springer Nature.)

Only few studies have reported on males as victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) so far. The aim of the present study is to analyse frequency and case characteristics of physical violence against male IPV victims examined in a clinical-forensic medical examination centre for victims of violence in Germany over an 11-year period, contributing to a better understanding of IPV in men. Male victims represented 6.2% of IPV cases (n = 167) with a median age of 40 years. Cases were reported to the police in 78.4% before medicolegal examination. In 60.5% of the cases, the perpetrator was the current partner, and 82% occurred in a domestic environment with a predominance of female offenders. In more than half of the cases (57.5%), the victims consulted the examination centre without prior healthcare utilisation. About one-third of the victims reported previous IPV (31.7%). The findings point to the relevance of men as victims of IPV, case group–specific risk factors, injury-dependent behaviour related to healthcare utilisation, the need to establish or strengthen specialised support services for affected men and underscore the importance of clinical-forensic services in documenting and assessing violence-related injuries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The German energy transition has entered a new phase and one important aspect is the question, to what degree the gas sector could be supplied with so-called "green" gases, i.e., gases from renewable sources. This paper focuses on the potential of domestic methane from biological origin (bio-CH4) until 2030 that is estimated with two different methods. The comparison of the results provides a consolidated estimate. Methods: In a bottom-up approach, a GIS-based cluster analysis was undertaken to estimate the potential on bio-CH4 from the existing cogeneration biogas plant (BP) stock. In a top-down approach a meta-analysis of GHG-reduction scenarios with respect to bio-CH4 was performed. The meta-analysis was also extended to methane from renewable electricity (e-CH4) since the BP stock may play a role in the provision of CO2. Further, it included the year 2050 (the target year for most scenario studies) as well as issues like energy imports. Results: The bottom-up approach yields a potential of 24.9 TWh of bio-CH4 for 2030. This is well within the range of the top-down analysis of 11–54 TWh (average: 32.5 TWh) for that year. In some scenarios values for e-CH4 where considerably higher, especially with respect to 2050, but in these studies the sources—including the CO2 sources—are either not explained at all or they are due to imports of e-CH4 in combination with direct air capture (DAC) rather than biogenic sources. Concerning the regional dispersion, the bottom-up analysis shows that the largest potentials (53% or 905 of the biogas plants) are located in the northern part of Germany, more particular in Lower-Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. These represent 54% or 602 MW of the installed capacity of the clusters. Conclusion: The consistency of the outcomes of the two methodologically very different approaches may be called the main result of this research. Therefore, it provides a consolidated analysis of the potential for domestic supply of bio-CH4 in 2030. Furthermore, the amount corresponds to 2.7–3.5% of the German natural gas consumption in 2018. Taken bio-CH4 and e-CH4 together it corresponds to 7.2–8.0%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review article aims to provide an overview and insight into the most relevant aspects of wind energy development and current state-of-the-art. The industry is in a very mature stage, so it seems to be the right time to take stock of the relevant areas of wind energy use for power generation. For this review, the authors considered the essential aspects of the development of wind energy technology: research, modeling, and prediction of wind speed as an energy source, the technology development of the plants divided into the mechanical and electrical systems and the plant control, and finally the optimal plant operation including the maintenance strategies. The focus is on the development in Europe, with a partial focus on Germany. The authors are employees of the Fraunhofer Institutes, Institute for Energy Economics and Energy Systems Technology and Institute for Wind Energy Systems, who have contributed to the development of this technology for decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Article 176 of the German penal code criminalized child sexual abuse since 1872. After the National Socialist came in to power, the legal norm initially remained unchanged, but the (sexual) criminal was flanked at the end of 1933 by instruments such as »preventive detention«, forced castration or imprisonment in a concentration camp (sexual). On the basis of four case files of the Berlin district court, this article provides an insight into the state's handling of paedosexuality under National Socialism. These are the first results and working hypotheses from a research project examining the application of current law and other criminal policy measures from the Weimar Republic until after the war in cases of sexual child abuse. In addition to these state practices, the sources are analysed with regard to which concepts of sexuality, gender, violence and childhood are being discussed there and to what extent they correspond with contemporary social discourses on child protection and child abuse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The polymorphism at codon 129 of the prion protein gene (PRNP) and the PrPSc types 1 and 2 belong to a molecular classification of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) that correlates well with the clinical and neuropathological phenotype of sCJD.Objective: The aim of the study was to perform the first detailed evaluation of neuropsychological deficits in a large group of definite sCJD patients with known molecular subtype.Methods: We analyzed neuropsychological symptoms in a cohort of 248 sCJD patients with known M129 V polymorphism of PRNP and prion protein type.Results: Neuropsychological symptoms were very frequent in our patients (96%) and occurred as early as in the first third of the disease course. Besides amnesia and impaired attention (89% each), frontal lobe syndrome (75%), aphasia (63%), and apraxia (57%) were the most common neuropsychological deficits. There was no statistically significant difference with regard to frequency of neuropsychological symptoms between the subtypes. In MV2 and VV2 patients, the onset of neuropsychological symptoms was significantly later than in all other subtypes.Conclusion: We provide the first detailed analysis of neuropsychological symptoms in a large group of sCJD patients with known M129 V genotype and prion protein type. We suggest that the rate of progression of neuropsychological symptoms is subtype-specific. These data may improve the diagnosis in atypical sCJD subtypes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To describe the clinical syndrome and diagnostic tests in patients with genetic prion diseases (gPD) in Germany. Clinical features, MRI, EEG, and CSF markers were studied in 91 patients (28 D178N, 20 E200K, 17 inserts, 13 V210I, 8 P102L, 5 E196K). Dementia (35 %) and ataxia (29 %) were the most common initial symptoms and signs. A wide variety and high frequency of neurological/psychiatric symptoms and signs was found during disease course in all patients independently of the type of the mutation. Psychiatric manifestations were frequent (87 %). Neuropsychological abnormalities were observed in 67 %, and aphasia was the most common disturbance (45 %). In E200K, V210I and D178N patients, visual/oculomotor deficits were followed by ataxia early in the disease. Dementia followed by ataxia at onset was common in patients with insert and E196K mutation. P102L patients had isolated ataxia over a longer time period followed by pyramidal signs. Dementia was present only late in the disease course. All clinical routine tests such as MRI, EEG and CSF tests were less sensitive than in sporadic CJD. We provide the first detailed analysis of clinical signs and symptoms in a large group of patients with gPD. Frequency of clinical symptoms and signs was similar in different mutations in a later disease course, but the sequence of occurrence may be of great diagnostic importance. CSF markers were shown to be more sensitive than MRI and EEG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital public health promises not only more comprehensive medical care, but also individual health promotion and support for positive lifestyle changes. Mobile digital health devices and services, also called mobile health (mHealth), play a key role in this. They include health-specific hardware and software applications such as smartphone apps and wearable technology for recording, monitoring, and evaluating specific health parameters. Although there is scientific evidence for the effectiveness of individual applications, most often applications are used for a relatively short amount of time. In order to achieve a higher acceptance and utilization rate, evidence is needed that is more practice oriented.This paper explains how participatory development approaches take into account the individual needs and preferences of users and can improve the quality and effectiveness of mHealth services. The sociodemographic characteristics of the target group as well as individual, social, linguistic, and cultural barriers should be considered. The wishes of users, for example personalization, transmission of real-time information, and transparency in terms of privacy should also be considered. In the co-design approach, users are therefore included directly in the product concept. However, the study situation is still limited and there are no methodical approaches.In order to increase the use of mHealth services in the future, participation processes should be systematized. In addition, a framework for classification and certification as well as procedures for promoting effective applications should be developed.

We examine determinants of the composition of public expenditure in the German Laender (states) over the period 1992-2008, as the Laender exhibit a high degree of institutional and political homogeneity and are endowed with extensive fiscal competences. Our prime contribution is an investigation into how political leaders' socioeconomic background influences public spending priorities. Applying sociological theory, we link preferences for the composition of public spending to social status. In contrast to approaches relying on political budget cycles or partisan theory, we find strong and theory-consistent evidence that prime ministers tend to favour fiscal policies supporting the social class in which they are socialised. Governments led by prime ministers from a poor socioeconomic background spend significantly more on social security, education, health, infrastructure, and public safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1968 the Federal Republic of Germany signed a guest worker agreement with Yugoslavia. Within the existing historiography, this agreement has largely been described in economic terms as resulting from the economic miracle. This article complicates that perspective by arguing that in fact political and cultural rather than economic priorities were responsible for the successful conclusion of the agreement between the FRG and Yugoslavia. Specifically, it argues that in his capacity as the FRG's Foreign Minister, Willy Brandt pushed for the guest worker agreement with Yugoslavia as a means of addressing the legacies of National Socialism and promoting peace and reconciliation in Europe. The West German-Yugoslav guest worker agreement therefore should be understood as a product of West Germany's changing political culture and priorities during the 1960s, and as one of the FRG's earliest successes with Ostpolitik. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National Socialism idealized maternal bravery, selflessness, devotion, and sacrifice as essential to the health of the nation, particularly in the context of World War II. This article critically assesses the Third Reich's projection of and women's reactions to the national cult of mothérhood in Gustav Ucicky's Mutterliebe (Mother Love, 1939) and Josef von Baky's Annelie (1941). Though supported by a wide range of state-sponsored socio-economic initiatives and marketing strategies, these films reveal significant tensions between the ways women imagined themselves and the lives that the regime attempted to dictate for them. Because Nazi cinema also offered female viewers the opportunity to engage in escapist fantasies of adventure and romance, making dutiful motherhood appealing was always a challenge, and grew increasingly difficult as material hardships increased over the course of the war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two different models, a Physical Model and a Neural Net (NN), are used for the derivation of the Photosynthetically Available Radiation (PAR) from METEOSAT data in the German Bight; advantages and disadvantages of both models are discussed. The use of a NN for derivation of PAR should be preferred to the Physical Model because by construction, a NN can take the various processes determining PAR on a surface much better into account than a non-statistical model relying on averaged relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]