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During the COVID‐19 pandemic, a sizable proportion of employees conducted home‐based telework to contain virus spreading. This situation made it possible to investigate the relationship between telework and job characteristics. Many positive and negative associations between telework and job characteristics have been proposed in the literature, but most studies relied on cross‐sectional data as well as narrow samples (e.g. employees voluntarily choosing to telework). Repeated measures designs investigating the association between telework intensity and job characteristics using less selective samples are currently rare. To address this research gap, we collected data at two time points in Germany during the COVID‐19 pandemic (n = 479) and investigated if change in telework intensity was associated with change in 19 job characteristics using structural equation modeling. Our analyses showed that—in contrast to several prior cross‐sectional studies—telework intensity had a small to moderate association with only two out of the 19 job characteristics: Work scheduling and decision‐making autonomy. Hence, the study challenges the previously assumed manifold positive and negative associations between telework intensity and job characteristics and adds to the debate about the role of telework intensity as an antecedent of work design. Future studies should investigate the generalizability of the findings to non‐pandemic work contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the amendment of sewage sludge ordinance in Germany, phosphorus must be recovered from sewage sludge in the future. Previously developed phosphorus recycling processes are not economically viable due to high material and energetic expenditures. Gasification of dried sewage sludge enables the energetic utilization of sewage sludge and provides the energy for phosphorus recovery. The present paper focuses on thermodynamic modeling of the gasification system to demonstrate the potential for holistic utilization of dried sewage sludge as phosphorus fertilizer. The results shows that an energy self‐sufficient, optimized process can be realized for recovery of phosphorus by gasification and subsequent thermo‐chemical treatment of dried sewage sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Die Anaesthesiologie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The current study aimed at applying a broad model of cognitive functions to predict performance in science and language courses at school as well as performance in a science course at university. We hypothesized that performance in science courses was predominantly related to the cognitive function known as relational integration, whereas performance in language courses should be best explained by individuals' short-term memory capacity. The sample consisted of 161 German undergraduate students who were asked to complete 33 cognitive tasks. School grades were also obtained. The analyses revealed that relational integration incrementally explained variance in science grades. Short-term memory acted as a predictor of language grades. However, mental speed was also substantially related to language grades. Predicting university exam scores revealed that short-term memory yielded an incremental predictive power. We conclude that academic performance requires different cognitive functions depending on a domain of study. (Contains 4 tables and 4 figures.)

Background: Masculinity norms play a crucial role in men's help-seeking behaviors, service-use, and coping strategies for depression. While previous studies provided evidence for the association between gender role orientations, work related attitudes, stigmatization of men with depression and depressive symptoms, it remains unclear to what extent gender role orientations change over time and whether psychiatric and psychotherapeutic treatment have an impact on these transformations. Additionally, the role of partners in supporting depressed men and the impact of dyadic coping on these processes have not been explored. The aim of this study is to investigate how masculinity orientations and work-related attitudes change over time in men treated for depression, and to examine the role of their partners and dyadic coping in these transformation processes. Methods: TRANSMODE is a prospective longitudinal mixed-methods study investigating the transformation of masculinity orientations and work-related attitudes in men treated for depression between the ages of 18 and 65 from different settings in Germany. The study will recruit 350 men from various settings for quantitative analysis. By applying a latent transition analysis, the primary outcome are changes in masculine orientations and work-related attitudes over time, measured at four times (t0, t1, t2, t3) with intervals of 6 months. Qualitative interview with a subsample of depressed men selected using latent profile analysis, will be conducted between t0 and t1 (a1) with a follow-up of 12 months (a2). In addition, qualitative interviews with the partners of depressed men will be conducted between t2 and t3 (p1). Qualitative data will be analysed using qualitative structured content analysis. Discussion: A comprehensive understanding of the transformation processes of masculinity orientations over time including the impact of psychiatric/psychotherapeutic treatment and the role of partners can lead to the development of gender-sensitive depression treatment tailored to the unique needs of men with depression. Thus, the study can promote more effective and successful treatment outcomes and further contribute to reducing the stigma surrounding mental health issues among men and encourage them for mental health service use. Trial registration: This study is registered in the German Clinical Trail Register (DRKS) and the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) under registration number DRKS00031065 (Date of registration 06 February 2023). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Decision aids (DAs) are promising tools to foster evidence‐based shared decision‐making between practitioners and service users. Nevertheless, it is still obscure how an evidence‐based DA for people with severe mental illness, especially psychosis, should look in an inpatient treatment setting to be useful and feasible. Therefore, we conducted focus groups with psychiatrists and service users to collect and assess their expectations and wishes regarding an evidence‐based DA. From these findings, we derived immediate recommendations for the future development of DAs. Methods: We held two group interviews with service users (n = 8) and three group interviews with psychiatrists (n = 10). We used an open, large‐scale topic guide. First, we presented data from a current meta‐analysis on antipsychotics to the interviewees and, in a second step, asked for their expectations and wishes towards a DA that integrates these data. Results: Our thematic analysis revealed six key themes addressed by the respondents: (1) general considerations on the importance and usefulness of such a DA, (2) critical comments on psychiatry and psychopharmacotherapy, (3) communicative prerequisites for the use of a DA, (4) form and content of the DA, (5) data input, data processing and output as well as (6) application of the DA and possible obstacles. Conclusions: Participants identified several important features for the development of DAs for selecting antipsychotics in inpatient psychiatric treatment. The digital format was met with the greatest approval. Especially the adaptability to different needs, users and psychopathologies and the possibility to outsource information dissemination via app seemed to be a decisive convincing argument. Further research is required to test specific features of DAs to be developed in clinical settings. Patient or Public Contribution: The entire project is supported by an advisory board, including also experienced users. The members are regularly updated about the process and give important feedback. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rituximab has become a standard treatment for non‐Hodgkin lymphoma. Clinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of rituximab in combination with standard chemotherapies in the treatment of follicular lymphoma (FL) and diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. This non‐interventional study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of subcutaneous (SC) rituximab in routine clinical practice. Methods: Adult patients with previously untreated CD20 positive DLBCL or FL who received rituximab SC and chemotherapy as first‐line treatment were observed between 07/2014 and 07/2019 at 99 institutions in Germany. Primary endpoint was the (unconfirmed) complete remission (CR/CRu) rate. Primary outcome was analyzed inferentially; other variables were evaluated descriptively. Results: Overall 583 patients (247 FL; 336 DLBCL) were evaluated. CR/CRu rates were 51.4% (95% CI: 45.2; 57.6) in the FL set and 48.5% (95% CI: 43.2; 53.8) in the DLBCL set. Regarding progression‐free survival in the FL group, the probability of being event‐free was 94.2% in the first year and 86.2% in the second year. An overall response was achieved in 85.8% (FL) and 85.4% patients (DLBCL). Patient satisfaction at the end of study with the time saving simplification of the SC vs. intravenous route was 98% for FL and 97% for DLBCL. 45.3% of FL and 47.0% of DLBCL patients experienced an adverse event of grade ≥3. Serious adverse events of grade ≥3 occurred in 27.9% FL and 32.4% DLBCL patients, with the highest incidences for leucopenia, anemia, nausea, and fatigue. No new safety signals were detected. Conclusions: The results confirmed the effectiveness and safety of rituximab SC in both the FL and the DLBCL group. Satisfaction of patients and nurses with SC administration was high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, general and specialist Palliative Care (PC) plays an essential role in health care, contributing to symptom control, psycho-social support, and providing support in complex decision making. Numbers of COVID-19 related deaths have recently increased demanding more palliative care input. Also, the pandemic impacts on palliative care for non-COVID-19 patients. Strategies on the care for seriously ill and dying people in pandemic times are lacking. Therefore, the program 'Palliative care in Pandemics' (PallPan) aims to develop and consent a national pandemic plan for the care of seriously ill and dying adults and their informal carers in pandemics including (a) guidance for generalist and specialist palliative care of patients with and without SARS-CoV-2 infections on the micro, meso and macro level, (b) collection and development of information material for an online platform, and (c) identification of variables and research questions on palliative care in pandemics for the national pandemic cohort network (NAPKON). Methods: Mixed-methods project including ten work packages conducting (online) surveys and qualitative interviews to explore and describe i) experiences and burden of patients (with/without SARS-CoV-2 infection) and their relatives, ii) experiences, challenges and potential solutions of health care professionals, stakeholders and decision makers during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The work package results inform the development of a consensus-based guidance. In addition, best practice examples and relevant literature will be collected and variables for data collection identified. Discussion: For a future "pandemic preparedness" national and international recommendations and concepts for the care of severely ill and dying people are necessary considering both generalist and specialist palliative care in the home care and inpatient setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Politische Theorie is the property of Verlag Barbara Budrich GmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of GMS Journal for Medical Education is the property of German Medical Science Publishing House gGmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: IT systems in the healthcare field can have a marked sociotechnical impact: they modify communication habits, alter clinical processes and may have serious ethical implications. The introduction of such systems involves very different groups of stakeholders because of the inherent multi-professionalism in medicine and the role of patients and their relatives that are often underrepresented. Each group contributes distinct perspectives and particular needs, which create specific requirements for IT systems and may strongly influence their acceptance and success. In the past, needs analysis, challenges and requirements for medical IT systems have often been addressed using consensus techniques such as the Delphi technique. Facing the heterogeneous spectrum of stakeholders there is a need to develop these techniques further to control the (strong) influence of the composition of the expert panel on the outcome and to deal systematically with potentially incompatible needs of stakeholder groups. This approach uses the strong advantages a Delphi study has, identifies the disadvantages of traditional Delphi techniques and aims to introduce and evaluate a modified approach called 360-Degree Delphi. Key aspects of 360-Degree Delphi are tested by applying the approach to the needs and requirements analysis of a system for managing patients' advance directives and living wills.Methods: 360-Degree Delphi (short 360°D), as a modified Delphi process, is specified as a structured workflow with the optional use of stakeholder groups. The approach redefines the composition of the expert panel by setting up groups of different stakeholders. Consensus is created within individual stakeholder groups, but is also communicated between groups, while the iterative structure of the Delphi process remains unchanged. We hypothesize that (1) 360-Degree Delphi yields complementary statements from different stakeholders, which would be lost in classical Delphi; while (2) the variation of statements within individual stakeholder groups is lower than within the total collective. A user study is performed that addresses five stakeholder groups (patients, relatives, medical doctors, nurses and software developers) on the topic of living will communication in an emergency context. Qualitative open questions are used in a Delphi round 0. Answer texts are coded by independent raters who carry out systematic bottom-up qualitative text analysis. Inter-rater reliability is calculated and the resulting codes are used to test the hypotheses. Qualitative results are transferred into quantitative questions and then surveyed in round 1. The study took place in Germany.Results: About 25% of the invited experts (stakeholders) agreed to take part in the Delphi round 0 (three patients, two relatives, three medical doctors, two qualified nurses and three developers), forming a structured panel of the five stakeholder groups. Two raters created a bottom-up coding, and 238 thematic codes were identified by the qualitative text analysis. The inter-rater reliability showed that 44.95% of the codes were semantically similar and coded for the same parts of the raw textual replies. Based on a consented coding list, a quantitative online-questionnaire was developed and send to different stakeholder groups. With respect to the hypotheses, Delphi round 0 had the following results: (1) doctors had a completely different focus from all the other stakeholder groups on possible channels of communications with the patient; (2) the dispersion of codes within individual stakeholder groups and within the total collective - visualized by box plots - was approximately 28% higher in the total collective than in the sub-collectives, but without a marked effect size. With respect to the hypotheses, Delphi round 1 had the following results: different stakeholder groups had highly diverging opinions with respect to central questions on IT-development. For example, when asked to rate the importance of access control against high availability of data (likert scale, 1 meaning restrictive data access, 6 easy access to all data), patients (mean 4.862, Stdev +/- 1.866) and caregivers (mean 5.667, Stdev: +/- 0.816) highly favored data availability, while relatives would restrict data access (mean 2.778, stdev +/- 1.093). In comparison, the total group would not be representative of either of these individual stakeholder needs (mean 4.344, stdev +/- 1.870).Conclusion: 360-Degree Delphi is feasible and allows different stakeholder groups within an expert panel to reach agreement individually. Thus, it generates a more detailed consensus which pays more tribute to individual stakeholders needs. This has the potential to improve the time to consensus as well as to produce a more representative and precise needs and requirements analysis. However, the method may create new challenges for the IT development process, which will have to deal with complementary or even contradictory statements from different stakeholder groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the background of different psychological conceptualizations of hope, this article elaborates and validates a measure to assess hope as perceived by the general public adapting it from the hope and optimism subscale of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Spirituality, Religion and Personal Beliefs Questionnaire. The results presented here are part of a yearly Internet-based cross-sectional survey in Germany and Switzerland called Hope-Barometer, from which 4 samples of 3 different years with about 17,500 participants have been used. Following the results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses as well as convergent validity, discriminant value, and predictive utility, our findings suggest that the six items of the resulting Perceived Hope Scale exhibits robust psychometric properties, and that perceived hope is distinct and broader than dispositional hope, in which it relates not only to cognitive but also to spiritual, religious, and altruistic dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students are exposed to a variety of stressors that can negatively affect their health and performance. Using an Ambulatory Assessment approach, this study investigated whether and how positive affect (PA) and negative affect (NA) changed in response to real-life stressors in sports students. In addition, the study investigated how physical activity (PhyA) moderated affective reactions to stressors. 62 participants of a German university (m = 23, f = 38, d = 1; age: M = 21.55 years, SD = 2.47) reported their daily stressors, affective states and PhyA (context, intensity and duration) six times per day via smartphone over five days (30 prompts per participants). To test the hypotheses multilevel models were calculated. Stressor context predicted affective reactions. PA was lower and NA was higher when general (financial problems) or academic (exam periods) stressors were reported. General PhyA had a positive effect on sports students affect (higher PA, lower NA). However, when PhyA was performed in exercise classes within their study program and a stressor was reported, PA decreased. The results showed that certain stressors interact negatively with affective states. Furthermore, the results suggested that PhyA, depending on the context where it occurred, may also induce negative affective changes in this target group of sport students. More studies need to examine how PhyA moderates affective reactions to stressors and examine the influences of context specific PhyA (e.g., type of PhyA) in more detail. • The context is a predictor of affective reactions to stressors in sports students. • Perceived intensity of a stressor, but not the number of stressors, explain affect. • In general, being physically active predicts improved affect in sports students. • Being physically active in the study context under stress may impair affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health professionals (MHPs) are in a central position to provide support for mental health service users (MHSUs) in regard to parental needs, from preconception to caring for children. This study aims to examine whether mental health nurses and psychiatrists regard the issue of having children and being a parent as relevant to be considered in a clinical setting, how they describe the MHPs' roles and responsibilities in this regard, and to what extent they feel willing and able to fulfil these demands. A qualitative approach was undertaken by conducting four focus groups with 30 MHPs (15 nurses and 15 psychiatrists) within an inpatient mental health service in south Germany. We found that MHPs generally acknowledged the importance of parenting issues for psychiatric treatment. However, they assessed the talks between MHPs and MHSUs about parenting as less relevant in routine practice; the issue of the desire for children in particular was seen as generally not important. Addressing parenthood issues was restricted to mainly two areas: clarifying children's situations during inpatient treatment and considering medication issues among (potentially) pregnant service users. MHPs' focus on the adult service user, privacy, and historical issues were the main arguments against addressing parenthood issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fault systems are zones of crustal weakness and are used as pathways for ascending hydrothermal fluids. One impressive example is the more than 150 km long Bavarian Pfahl system at the SW boundary of the Bohemian Massif. Dextral ductile shearing of Moldanubian basement has shaped a several hundred meter wide zone of mylonites and ultramylonites. This setting was reactivated under brittle conditions and infiltrated by fluids resulting in a multi-phase quartz lode. Structural analysis using scanning electron microscopy cathodoluminescence (SEM–CL) images has been carried out in combination with trace element and oxygen isotope analysis on quartz along the system. Three successive quartz phases have been distinguished due to their structural details and trace element contents. Cryptocrystalline quartz fabric in the first quartz phase results from crystallization from a silica gel, whereas in phases II and III, quartz precipitation is characterized by repeated fragmentation and sealing, visible due to strongly varying CL intensities. The δ18O of Bavarian Pfahl quartz decreases from 13.8‰ in the NW to 8.5‰ in the SE, whereas quartz from the close-by-situated Wölsendorf fluorite deposit shows δ18O between 15.9 and 18.5‰ (vs. SMOW). Flat shale-normalized rare earth element patterns point towards an upper crustal origin of the hydrothermal fluids. The southeastern part of the Bavarian Pfahl is interpreted to represent a deeper crustal level with higher mineralization temperatures (about 350 °C) compared to the rest of the Pfahl (< 250 °C). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Die freigiebige Verschreibung und einfache Verfügbarkeit opioidhaltiger Arzneimittel bewirkten in den USA vielfach einen missbräuchlichen Konsum und Opioidabhängigkeiten. Dies wiederum führte zu strikteren Verordnungen, wodurch illegale Rauschgifte an Bedeutung gewannen – einhergehend mit einer Erhöhung der Anzahl der Drogentoten. In Deutschland zeichnet sich bisher keine ähnliche Entwicklung ab, allerdings ist ein enges Monitoring der Entwicklung notwendig, um frühzeitig reagieren zu können. Munificent prescription behavior combined with easy availability of opioid-containing drugs contributed to the development of widespread opioid abuse and addiction in the USA. Increased regulation of prescriptions led to increasing substitution with illegal narcotics yielding in a significant increase of drug-related deaths. In Germany, no similar development has been observed to date, but close monitoring of developments is necessary to be able to take countermeasures at an early stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Professional football is a contact sport with a high risk of injury. This study was designed to examine the contribution of stress and recovery variables as assessed with the Recovery-Stress Questionnaire for Athletes (RESTQ-Sport) to the risk of injury in professional football players. In a prospective, non-experimental cohort design, 22 professional football players in the highest German football league were observed over the course of 16 months. From January 2010 until April 2011, the players completed the RESTQ-Sport a total of 222 times in monthly intervals. In addition, injury data were assessed by the medical staff of the club. Overall, 34 traumatic injuries and 10 overuse injuries occurred. Most of the injuries were located in the lower limb (79.5%), and muscle and tendon injuries (43.2%) were the most frequently occurring injury type. In a generalised linear model, the stress-related scales Fatigue (OR 1.70,P = 0.007), Disturbed Breaks (OR 1.84,P = 0.047) and Injury (OR 1.77,P < 0.001) and the recovery-related scale Sleep Quality (OR 0.53,P = 0.010) significantly predicted injuries in the month after the assessment. These results support the importance of frequent monitoring of recovery and stress parameters to lower the risk of injuries in professional football. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Syrian refugee crisis has put EU-Turkey relations under pressure for action, as in 2015 hundreds of thousands used the Turkey-Balkan route to enter Western Europe. Against this background, the article aims to analyse the EU-Turkey negotiations of autumn 2015 as a 'two-level game', focussing especially on domestic factors in Turkey and Germany and their possible impact on their governments bargaining power. Specific domestic factors such as the controversial 'open-doors policy' of chancellor Merkel as well as the hung parliament in Turkey after the June elections are taken into consideration. The article then applies the basic logic of 'two level games' as introduced by Robert Putnam on the EU/German-Turkish negotiations leading up to the 'refugee deal' (EU action plan) of November 2015. Among others, it turned out that significant veto powers in both countries were not in sight and that a nonagreement would have raised the political costs for the EU side more than for Turkey, thus pointing at an asymmetrical distribution of bargaining power in favour of Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In the past decade, the palliative care approach has been used in the care of frail older people living with debilitating chronic conditions, including dementia. Aim: To describe health professionals' experiences of assessing the symptoms of people with dementia using a cancer-patient-oriented symptom-assessment tool from a palliative care context. Method: This was a qualitative study that used semi-structured interviews (n=13) with clinical staff in three nursing homes prior to and following the implementation of the Minimal Documentation system for Palliative care (MIDOS) tool for assessing symptoms over a period of 6 weeks. Results: Baseline interviews showed specific concerns about symptom assessment, such as uncertainty about underlying symptoms in residents who appeared to be in distress. After the implementation of the MIDOS tool, participants reported that daily use of the tool was perceived as helpful in evaluating symptoms other than pain and improved internal communication between staff regarding clinical decision making. Conclusion: The MIDOS tool was perceived as a helpful and valuable complement to existing tools. Participants expressed some concerns regarding the subjective nature of perceiving symptoms and clinical decision making. The use of tools such as the MIDOS tool has the potential to enhance the quality of palliative care in dementia care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent research on psychotherapy has focused on the development and evaluation of disorder-specific treatments. Even though much progress has been made, treatments have not yet reached an ideal level of effectiveness. One reason for this could be the systematic overlap and high comorbidity between mental disorders. Consequently, a new trend has been the examination of transdiagnostic factors in order to conceptualize psychopathology and develop treatment tools. One approach is to strengthen skills (e.g., emotion regulation) that are relevant in different mental disorders. The unique feature of this study is the simultaneous examination of several skills and their relation to psychopathology. Therefore, the current study investigated the skill levels of different groups of inpatients (tinnitus, tinnitus/unipolar mood disorder and anxiety/unipolar mood disorder) and normal controls ( n = 124). Participants were evaluated with the 'operationalized assessment of skills interview'. This interview allows the simultaneous assessment of seven skills (problem solving, social competence, stress management, emotion regulation, relaxation ability, self-efficacy and self-esteem) that are relevant for treatment planning. The results confirm negative correlations between skills and the number of comorbid diagnoses. Multivariate analyses identified significant differences in skill levels between clinical sample and normal controls. Furthermore, within the clinical sample, there were significant differences in skill levels and skill profiles between the different clinical subsamples. To conclude, the improvement of skills that can support recovery from mental disorders is especially relevant for patients with multiple diagnoses. The authors suggest assessing the different skills prior to treatment and considering the skill profiles when planning interventions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Key Practitioner Message Lower skill levels are associated with higher comorbidity and higher level of psychopathology of patients., There is evidence for specific skill profiles within different clinical subsamples., The improvement of skills that can impact recovery from mental disorders is especially relevant for patients with multiple diagnoses., It makes sense to assess the different skills independently and consider them separately when planning interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are a variety of obligatory relations between state and citizens. They share mutual judical questions und issues of regulation that are attributed to the topic of a general law of obligations under public law. The existence of joint and several liability for monetary obligations under public law illustrates a partial aspect in that respect. Various administrative laws presume the existence of joint and several liability for monetary obligations under public law as a legal institution. At first the different legal relationships must be comprehended in terms of the relevant field of law and associated particular legislative powers. Focusing on the relationship between the state in the role of a creditor on the one hand, and the individual debtor on the other hand, the transferability of sec. 421 ff. BGB (German Civil Code) to the field of public law has to be considered. In part this is a matter of punctually complementing sec. 44 AO (The Fiscal Code of Germany), in part it is a question of transferring it to a large extent. There is no need to raise the question of reservation of statutory powers because the legal regulation imposing the monetary obligation itself also comprises joint liability. It is important that completion and transfer are congruent with the legal context of public law: on the one side, with respect to the interaction with the law regarding the administrative procedure and on the other side, with respect to the substantial statutory provisions of public law und their characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite considerable public and scholarly interest in public–private partnerships (PPPs) as a tool of government in Germany, there is no quantitative empirical study exploring the motivations behind policymakers' decisions to (not) use this type of privatisation policy. This article contributes to filling this gap by investigating the extent and determinants of the PPP activities of the 16 German states' governments over the period 2002–09. For that purpose, a PPP Activity Index is constructed which not only includes official PPP project figures but also state governments' programmatic, institutional, and advisory activities regarding PPP. Using this index, we statistically analyse whether fiscal stress, government partisanship, and other factors can help to explain the considerable differences between Länder governments' PPP activities. Among other things, it turns out that partisanship only matters if Socialists are part of a coalition government, and that fiscal transfers have a negative impact on a state's PPP activity level. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Sozialer Sinn is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Abstract: There is an increasing awareness of gender-related issues in psychiatry. However, empirical findings on attitudes of psychiatric staff towards patient gender are limited. Gender-related issues are particularly relevant in the debate about mixed versus segregated sex wards, yet while the appropriateness of mixed-sex wards is questioned in Great Britain this is not the case in Germany. To investigate attitudes of psychiatric staff towards both patient gender and mixed versus segregated sex wards, we conducted a case study using focus groups with members of professional teams. We evaluated the transition process from two single-sex wards to two mixed-sex wards in a 330-bed psychiatric hospital in a rural area in south Germany. Staff described female patients as more externally oriented, motivating of others, demanding, and even sexually aggressive. Male patients, on the other hand, were described as more quiet, modest, or lazy. Furthermore, participants described the mixing process as a positive development whereas they did not see a need for gender-separated wards in order to protect vulnerable female patients. Some gender descriptions by professionals are “reversed” in comparison with gender stereotypes supposed to be present in wider society. The perception of crossed gender norms may affect staff attitudes towards the vulnerability of female patients in psychiatric settings and the provision of single-sex wards in in-patient psychiatric care. Practical implications are discussed against the background of a high rate of female patients with sexual abuse histories. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]