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Transformation concepts towards a low-carbon society often require new technology and infrastructure that evoke protests in the population. Therefore, it is crucial to understand positions and conflicts in society to achieve social acceptance. This paper analyses these positions using the example of implementing hydrogen and carbon capture and storage infrastructure to decarbonise the German energy system. The empirical basis of the study are explorative stakeholder interviews which were conducted with experts from politics, economics, civil society and science and analysed within a discursive and attitudinal framework using qualitative content analysis. These stakeholder positions are assumed to represent dominant social perceptions and reflect chances and risks for acceptance. The results indicate different positions while pursuing the common goal of addressing climate change. The general conflict concerns strategies towards a low-carbon society, especially the speed of phasing-out fossil energies. Regarding the combination of hydrogen and carbon capture and storage as instrument in the context of the energy transition, the stakeholder interviews indicate controversial as well as consensual perceptions. The assessments range from rejection to deeming it absolutely necessary. Controversial argumentations refer to security of supply, competitiveness and environmental protection. In contrast, consensus can be reached by balancing ecological and economic arguments, e.g. by linking hydrogen technologies with renewable and fossil energy sources or by limiting the use of carbon capture and storage only to certain applications (industry, bioenergy). In further decisions, this balancing of arguments combined with openness of technology, transparency of information and citizen participation need to be considered to achieve broad acceptance.

In the 1970's penal abolitionism seemed on its way to become one of the most important currents of critical criminology. At least, this was the situation in Germany. Thomas Mathiesen and Nils Christie, but also LoukHulsman and (to a lesser degree) Herman Bianchi established very loyal communities in Germany. Young German scholars, some of whom are today leading German criminologists (like Karl Schumann or Sebastian Scheerer) took up their ideas. And this promised a potent theoretical tool with important and radical practical implications. However, by the end of the 1980's, critical criminologists took up other issues and abolitionism is hardly mentioned any more in the criminological discourse in Germany. A double question then arises, what became of abolitionism as a movement?, and, is abolitionism still valid as a theoretical and/or strategic approach? This paper explores the results of an email survey including nine abolitionist scholars, which led to a lively exchange of views and a lively discussion. This exchange started by the end of August 2007 and petered out by the end of September of the same year. We decided to group some excerpts in the guise of seven fictitious Frequently Asked Questions: 1) What is abolitionism? 2) Does abolitionism require the abolition of all prisons? 3) Are there any practical successes abolitionism can claim? 4) What about positive alternatives? 5) What became of the abolitionist movement/movements? 6) What about academic abolitionism? 7) Is there a future for abolitionism?

In recent years, the issue of using bilingual education has come to the public’s attention. A widespread belief is that students in bilingual classes achieve a higher competence in the language, but that they lag behind in subject-specific knowledge when compared to fellow students in traditional (i.e. monolingual) classroom settings. Nevertheless, by evaluating knowledge gain in a short teaching unit, previous studies have shown that bilingual students rarely experience drawbacks. Although there are a variety of different opinions, the present study aims at detecting how subject-specific knowledge is influenced by bilingual biology lessons. The study was conducted at a grammar school in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, with 13- and 14-year-old students. To assess differences in students’ knowledge gain, test and control groups were used, in which students were taught 12 identical biology lessons in a bilingual and a traditional classroom. The unit consisted of basic characteristics seen in (social) insects. Both classes took a knowledge test before and after the unit. We hypothesised that there would be a higher increase in knowledge for the bilingual class compared to the monolingual class. Results suggested a slightly higher knowledge gain in bilingual students, but no significant differences were revealed.

Both, in Europe and Latin America, SMEs are the most important source of job creation and development in increasingly knowledge based and turbulent economies. To sustain competiveness SMEs have to overcome the challenges of growth in ever more competitive markets. This requires to develop “dynamic capabilities” to integrate new knowledge, technology and competencies for qualitative and ustainable growth. Based on an analysis of selected challenges of growth, this paper presents the methodology 'Learning to Grow', which has been successfully implemented in German SMEs and is being transferred to Brazil. The first results of its application in Santa Catarina State are reported in this paper. The research is part of an ongoing research project funded by the European Union “Sustainable competitiveness of SMEs in turbulent economic and social environments” carried-out by Engineering and Knowledge Management Program (EGC) in the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina - Brazil, Universidad Nacional de Rosario - Argentina, Universidad Autónoma deMadrid - Spain and Wiesbaden Business School - Germany.

Otto von Bismarck (1815–1898), the “Iron Chancellor” and master-statesman of Victorian Europe, has been viewed as one who took an appropriately rigid view of public communication activities and most especially media management. Does he have a partial claim to the title deeds of what later became public relations? This paper examines Bismarck's approach to managed public communication and the extent of its application as propaganda. We conclude that Bismarck's techniques are a part of the legacy of modern public relations as practiced by Governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The legal, organizational and financial characteristics of charitable foundations of Germany are explored in the paper. The funds for the support of education and science as an additional channel of the financial provision of higher education are considered. Emphasizes the importance of the development of various forms and methods of financing of higher education through extra-budgetary sources.

Because of their relative autonomy from the cultural industry, German films of the Twenties are an interesting field to try an analysis on the psychologic attitudes of a society or an age. The themes of films from this era will be examined in this essay: the frequent representation of tragic stories, the role of repression, wich the film has, the construction of monumental atmospheres. The cardinal skill of this work is in facts to show how films affected everyone´s aesthetic reception at those time, as it liquidates every association with the past and prepares an apperception, that has been useful for authoritarian systems.

Copyright of História, Ciências, Saúde - Manguinhos is the property of Casa de Oswaldo Cruz 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 paper focuses on intergenerational support relations between grandparents and their grandchildren in Germany, and how they have changed from 1996 to 2002. The paper begins with a brief review of the literature on functional aspects of the grandparent-grandchild relationship, after which the research hypotheses about intergenerational support in the relationship are elaborated. Following a description of the data source, the German Ageing Survey, and its samples and measures, the evidence on the patterns of grandparents' provision and receipt of intergenerational support to and from their grandchildren are presented and compared with parent-child support patterns. The analysis also considers variations by age groups and birth cohorts and changes over time. The main empirical finding is that there was a greater likelihood of financial transfers to grandchildren in 2002 than six years earlier. Nevertheless, the grandparents' relationships with their grandchildren remained imbalanced or asymmetrical, at the older generation's expense. It was found that financial and instrumental support patterns between grandparents and grandchildren were best explained using an 'inter-generational stake' hypothesis rather than one of 'intergenerational solidarity'; the latter is more consistent with parent-child support patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis of Goethe's Farbenlehre (Theory of Colours), and of its significance for the development of geological mapping, requires an interdisciplinary approach and specific knowledge of both the history of cartography and the science of chromatics. Thus far there bas been little research in either of these areas by historians of geological cartography or by students of Goethe's Farbenlehre. In particular, the influence of Goethe's Theory of Colours on early geological map colouring has not yet been explored, and the present article is an attempt to rectify that omission. After an introduction to the emergence of geological maps during the Age of Enlightenment, the discussion focuses on Goethe's substantial contribution to the selection of colours for Christian Keferstein's General Charte von Teutschland (1821). Detailed study of the available textual and cartographical source material reveals that Goethe applied the principles of his Farbenlehre as a basis for the colour chart that Keferstein used lo delineate the rock formations shown on his map. The article concludes with a brief consideration of the extent to which the joint Goethe-Keferstein venture influenced the future of geological map design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the effect of a compulsory evidence-based medicine (EBM) seminar in critical appraisal skills and the overall acceptance of compulsory EBM seminars for Year 3 medical undergraduate students. Small group seminars by peer teaching were conducted for up to 23 undergraduates. Knowledge and skills in EBM before and after the compulsory seminars were evaluated by 2 different sets of 20 questions. To apply knowledge, each undergraduate had to analyse an individual paper case using the principles of EBM. Undergraduates gave anonymous feedback using separate evaluation sheets at the end of the seminar. Main outcome variables were changes in knowledge and skills. A total of 132 Year 3 undergraduates at the University of Frankfurt participated in a compulsory EBM seminar during the academic half-year 2003/04 as part of their regular curriculum. Complete datasets were available for evaluation from 124 undergraduates (94%). The seminars led to an overall increase in knowledge (question paper score increase from 2.37 to 7.48, 99% CI 6.61–8.36, or 216%). Transfer of knowledge into a paper case scenario was generally good, with a mean score of 49.5 (SD 5.24) out of 55 points. Feedback indicated good overall acceptance of the seminars, with a median of 2 (score range from 1 = excellent to 6 = failed). Trained medical students are effective and well accepted EBM trainers in compulsory undergraduate seminars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is about the impact of clusters on entrepreneurship at the regional level. Defining entrepreneurship as the creation of new organisations and clusters as a geographically proximate group of interconnected firms and associated institutions in related industries, this paper aims to answer three research questions : first, do clusters matter to entrepreneurship at the regional level? Second, if clusters are associated with different levels of entrepreneurship, what explains those differences? Third, what do the answers to the previous questions imply for academics and policy makers? To answer these questions, this paper distinguishes between clusters and industrial agglomerations and advances a theoretical model and empirical research to explain the impact of clusters on entrepreneurship at the regional level. This paper uses the 97 German planning regions as units of analysis to test the hypotheses. Using hypotheses testing and OLS fixed-effects model, this paper finds that clusters do have an impact on entrepreneurship at the regional level, but industrial agglomerations do not. Implications for academics and policy makers and suggestions for future research are given in the concluding section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cross-sectional survey was performed in 110 randomly selected pig-breeding farms of southern Hesse, Germany to estimate the prevalence of ectoparasite infestations and to find possible risk factors. Ear scrapings of, if available, 10 sows per farm were examined forSarcoptes scabieivar.suis(De Geer) (Acaridida: Sarcoptidae) by the potassium hydroxide digestion method, and a total of 2754 sows was inspected for skin lesions and infestations withHaematopinus suis(L.) (Anoplurida: Haematopinidae). Data on farm profiles and sows were collected by a questionnaire. In total, 19.1% and 2.5% of the sows were found to be infested withS. scabieiorH. suis, respectively. The percentage of mite or louse infestation was significantly higher in sows showing pruritus than in those without skin lesions. Both ectoparasite infestations were related neither to the age of sows nor their reproduction status, nor to the time interval to last ectoparasite treatment. Using farms as the unit of analysis, the estimated prevalence of mange mite and louse infestations was 45.4% and 14.5%, respectively. There was no significant association between the presence ofS. scabieiandH. suisin the farms. Risk factors forS. scabieiinfestation were mixed housing of dry and nursing sows in the same unit (vs. separate housing) and straw bedding (vs. strawless). For louse infestation, only mechanical cleaning of stable units (vs. additional use of disinfection methods) and pasturing of gilts and dry sows were identified as risk factors. The economic loss byS. scabieiinfestation in the study population was assessed at€4200 per affected farm and year on average. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The organic food market is one of the most promising in Europe, although national markets have developed at different rates. In Germany, organics' share of total food turnover is 2.7 per cent compared with 1 per cent in the UK This study explores the reasons why the behaviour of consumers in the UK and Germany has been so divergent despite both groups of consumers holding similar attitudes about organic foods. This was done by investigating the underlying values driving food choice behaviour using means-end theory and Laddermap 5.4 software. In both cases the dominant means-end hierarchies were uncovered and the cognitive process mapped. Although similarities emerged with respect to values concerned with health, wellbeing and the enjoyment of life, product attributes sought in order to achieve these values were different between the groups. A major difference was found in the absence among the UK grout of any connection between organic food and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few years, corporate universities, as they are called, have become increasingly common. Independent of this, strategy process theory is also finding a place in international management research. In this paper, it will be shown that strategy process theory demonstrates an affinity with the concept of the corporate university. A survey of the 1,000 largest German companies for the "Federal Ministry of Education and Research" is examining for the first time how widespread corporate universities are in Germany and how they are organized. On the basis of this empirical data it will be shown to what extent the concept of the corporate university in practice is in line with the theoretical findings of strategy process theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Training designs are critical to the success of intercultural training programs. A common typology for classifying intercultural training designs distinguishes among the following dimensions: experiential discovery versus didactic expository and culture-specific venus culture-general training. The purpose of this paper is to assess different intercultural training designs referring to this typology. First, a concept of intercultural competence is developed. Based on this concept experiential training designs are favored as they allow to train the cognitive, affective and behavioral component of intercultural competencies. In the second part of the paper an empirical study in the USA and Germany is conducted in order to assess whether the degree of intercultural competencies differs between the two nations. As no considerable differences can be identified the benefit of culture-general training is discussed. Significant skills to be focused on in intercultural training are described and specific measures for pre-assessment devices in intercultural training are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incidence of systemic mycoses was investigated in the autopsy material of the Institute of Pathology of the Humaine Hospital in Bad Saarow, Germany. This hospital provides qualified standard care in east Brandenburg with a wide spectrum of medical disciplines caring for patients with acute medical conditions as well as oncological cases (660 beds). Between 1973 and 2001, 47 systemic mycoses were diagnosed in 4813 autopsies of deceased adults, corresponding to 0.98%. During the period of investigation, both the care provided by the hospital and the organization of the health service changed. The autopsy frequency fell from about 80% (1973–1991) to about 28% (1992–2001). This is thus still far higher than the average of about 3% assumed for the Federal Republic of Germany. Although the incidence of systemic mycoses increased during the entire 29-year period of investigation, the number of cases in whom this was the immediate cause of death decreased. Whereas candidoses predominated from 1973 to 1991, a shift in favor of aspergilloses was noticed in the period from 1992 to 2001. Systemic mycosis was diagnosed intravitally in only three of 47 cases. The present study therefore underscores the significance of clinical autopsy as a diagnostic method and means of medical quality control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims/hypothesis: Incidence studies of children with Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus and different ethnic backgrounds are known to provide important insights into the pathogenesis of the disease. For this reason, we compared the incidence rate in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, of children who were not of German descent with that of German children as well as with the reported incidence rates pertaining to the countries of origin of the children who were not of German descent. Methods: Our study was based on the Baden-Württemberg incidence register, part of the EURODIAB TIGER network, which includes 2121 children aged 0–14 years, diagnosed as having Type I diabetes between 1987 and 1997. The study covered a population at risk of 1.8 million children, which represents 13.3 % of the total number of children in Germany. Results: The total incidence rate was found to be 12.5 per 100 000 per year (95 %-CI 12.0–13.0); for German children alone it was calculated as 13.5 (95 %-CI 12.9–14.1) and for children who were not of German descent it was significantly lower at 6.9 per 100 000 per year (95 %-CI 5.8–8.0). The percentage of children who were not of German descent with Type I diabetes (8.3 %) is smaller than that among the general population (15.2 %). Children from former Yugoslavia, Italy and Greece had incidence rates closer to their countries of origin than to the incidence rate of German children. Conclusion/interpretation: Our findings indicate that genetic factors play a predominant role in the pathogenesis of Type I diabetes. However, the influence of certain aspects of life-style, which remain constant even after immigration, cannot be excluded. [Diabetologia (2001) 44 [Suppl 3]: B 21–B 26] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article argues that the EU Presidency plays a more important role than is generally assumed. It is not so much that the incumbent Presidency may try to 'push through' legislation close to the national interests but that it has an important role in fostering the Europeanization of national environmental policy-making. Holding the Presidency creates strong pressures to achieve agreement and fosters a subtle but important learning process about the European and national dimensions of policy problems. This is one of the main reasons why national objectives and 'styles' tend more often to give way to 'European thinking' about environmental policy when the Presidency is held. National differences in running the Presidency become more apparent during informal Councils which do not make decisions directly resulting in legislation. It will be shown that there appears to be little difference overall in the way the British and German governments run their respective Presidencies despite considerable differences in their national 'styles' of environmental policy- making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Der Chirurg 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.)

This paper assesses the extent to which British and German multinational companies have moved on a continuum between nationally embedded MNCs and globally oriented TNCs Degree of national embeddedness and implantation into national economic and policy networks is held to influence the internationalization strategy of companies - the degree of FDI undertaken, the kind of competitive advantage they seek to derive from it and the way in which they combine nationally based and globally focused activities. It is shown that the different national business systems of Britain and Germany influence the responses of MNCs in their management of the tensions between pressures for globalization and established, nationally shaped business strategies and patterns of activities. In both cases, however, exaggerated claims about globalization of company activities and assets are shown to be misguided. But the paper also recognizes that some more globalized structures and strategies have begun to emerge in the second half of the 1990s. The study is based on a small number of case studies of British and German companies, complemented by official statistics and secondary data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trust is analysed as a means to reduce uncertainty and risk in vertical inter-firm relationships. Both theoretically and with reference to empirical comparative research (Britain and Germany), it is shown that trust-based relations between buyer and supplier firms rarely evolve spontaneously on the level of individual interaction but are highly dependent on the existence of stable legal, political and social institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]