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Background: In conjunction with written literacy both research and the international comparative studies PISA and IGLU focus in particular on difficulties with reading comprehension, while spelling is treated rather marginally. In particular, little research has been published in German-speaking countries on the specific difficulties of children with spelling difficulties and potential influencing factors. Aims: On the one hand, the paper aims to provide information about the spelling phenomena with which students with special educational needs have the greatest difficulties at the end of elementary school. On the other hand, it should make clear which (meta-)linguistic-cognitive functions have the strongest influence on spelling performance. Methods: N=253 students were assessed in terms of their spelling performance, reading skills, phonological information processing (phonological awareness, naming speed, working memory), processing speed and cognitive abilities. In order to be able to make a statement about the spelling difficulties of the participating students, the orthographic skills were qualitatively evaluated in a differentiated manner. The influence of (meta-)linguistic-cognitive functions was determined using correlation and regression analyses. Results: Participating students have particular difficulties with the spelling of the /s/- or /z/-phoneme and prefixes as well as the use of the umlauts <ä> or <äu> and double consonance at morpheme boundaries at the end of primary school. However, errors can still be identified which indicate that the phonological principle has not yet been fully mastered. The strongest influence on spelling performance was demonstrated for phonological awareness. Conclusions With regard to the acquisition of correct spelling, the promotion of phonological awareness should not be neglected for students with special educational needs, even at the end of primary school. Morpheme-based approaches are suitable for dealing with specific spelling difficulties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Progressive cognitive deficits are the main clinical symptom of Alzheimer's disease; however, the precise recording of cognitive deficits and assessment of their progression pose major problems in patient care and early interventions. Objective: Which problems for care and early intervention result from the current practice of cognitive assessment of patients with memory problems and which opportunities arise from the use of mobile apps? Material and methods: Evaluation of current care structures, discussion of basic work, expert recommendations and current developments. Results: The current practice of the pencil and paper-based diagnostics of cognitive deficits, which is temporally and spatially bound to a clinical environment, constrains the feasibility, validity and reliability of cognitive assessment and the quantification of progression. This limits the meaningful use of further diagnostic measures, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analyses. Recent progress in mobile app-based technologies, illustrated here with the example of the neotiv app, can help to overcome these problems. Conclusion: Mobile app-based technologies can help to improve the cognitive assessment of patients with the main symptom of memory complaints. They can reduce overuse and underuse of diagnostic and therapeutic pathways and enable a targeted and meaningful use of advanced diagnostics. In addition, they can structure risk-modifying preventive measures, identify iatrogenic impairment of cognition and in this respect also strengthen patient competence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the standard interpretation, Kant's major contribution to philosophy consists in his position that overcomes a dilemma between two equally dissatisfying positions on how we understand our capacity for judgments: the so-called empiricist position, according to which the ultimate ground for judgment is to be found in acts of sensibility, and the so-called rationalist position, according to which its ultimate ground is to be found in cognitions. In my paper I focus on Kant's analysis of the judgment of beauty and argue that in his analysis of beauty Kant does not simply develop another understanding of the concept of beauty, but that his understanding of beauty manifests a different conception of ›what it means to have such an understanding‹ in the first place. Kant's so-called middle course calls into question the assumption that the philosopher can investigate the concept of beauty from outside the self-consciousness that constitutes the capacity of his competent judgment of beauty. According to this reading, Kant's account of judgments of beauty is of special interest to philosophy because they turn out to have a form that, in a certain respect, mirrors the form of philosophical judgments which attempt to articulate this form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive abilities develop during the first 2 decades and start to decrease in the 6th decade of life. There is strong heritability of general cognitive ability as well as of specific cognitive functions which might increase with age till about age 80. Cognitive disorders derive from this physiological cognitive development; they are also under genetic control. This paper discusses age-specific genetic influences on cognitive functions in interplay with environmental factors and compares these determinants across the life span. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]