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This study explores the relationship of early immersion education, socioeconomic background, and cognitive gains of young learners. We examine the possible advantages of early bilingual education and the impact of family socioeconomic status (SES) for the cognitive development of children. Participants (N = 39) were students at regular (German) or immersion (German-English) primary schools in Germany. The study employed a longitudinal design with school program and socioeconomic status as between-subjects factors, and L2 proficiency and cognitive variables as within-subject factors. The pre- and post-tests consisted of tests of English vocabulary and grammar and tests of working memory capacity, non-verbal intelligence, and phonological awareness. Participants also completed a parental questionnaire assessing their socioeconomic background based on HISEI indicators (Highest International Socioeconomic Index). Repeated measures ANOVAs and regression analyzes revealed that the participants from the immersion school outperformed their peers from the regular schools on all L2 (English) proficiency and cognitive variables on the posttest. Furthermore, our data revealed that SES is significantly more influential in participants who follow regular school programs than in those who are enrolled in immersion schools. Overall, our data provide support for the benefits of early immersion programs in leveling the playing field for children of low socioeconomic status.

A recent Registered Replication Report (RRR) of the development of verbal rehearsal during serial recall revealed that children verbalized at younger ages than previously thought, but did not identify sources of individual differences. Here, we use mediation analysis to reanalyze data from the 934 children ranging from 5 to 10 years old from the RRR for that purpose. From ages 5 to 7, the time taken for a child to label pictures (i.e. isolated naming speed) predicted the child's spontaneous use of labels during a visually presented serial reconstruction task, despite no need for spoken responses. For 6- and 7-year-olds, isolated naming speed also predicted recall. The degree to which verbalization mediated the relation between isolated naming speed and recall changed across development. All relations dissipated by age 10. The same general pattern was observed in an exploratory analysis of delayed recall for which greater demands are placed on rehearsal for item maintenance. Overall, our findings suggest that spontaneous phonological recoding during a standard short-term memory task emerges around age 5, increases in efficiency during the early elementary school years, and is sufficiently automatic by age 10 to support immediate serial recall in most children. Moreover, the findings highlight the need to distinguish between phonological recoding and rehearsal in developmental studies of short-term memory.

A large body of evidence shows an animacy effect on memory in that animate entities are better remembered than inanimate ones. Yet, the reason for this mnemonic prioritization remains unclear. In the survival processing literature, the assumption that richness of encoding is responsible for adaptive memory benefits has received substantial empirical support. In the present study, we examined whether richness of encoding may be considered as a possible mechanism underlying the animacy effect as well. Specifically, we tested a prediction derived from the assumption that processing animate words results in a richer set of associations to other items in memory than processing inanimate words, which may provide participants with a larger set of retrieval cues at test. In Experiments 1 and 3 the animacy effect was replicated in an intentional learning paradigm with different sets of to-be-remembered animate and inanimate words. In Experiments 2 and 4, participants were asked to report any ideas coming to mind in response to these words at encoding. Participants were also asked to recall the words in a surprise recall test. The results showed a reliable animacy effect on free recall in all four experiments, that is, independently of whether encoding was intentional or incidental. Most importantly, the results of Experiments 2 and 4 show that participants spontaneously generated more ideas in response to animate words than in response to inanimate words. The findings suggest that richness of encoding should be further considered as a potential proximate mechanism of the animacy effect.

The generation of Points of Interest including capacities for travel demand models is usually costly and laborious. Recently, several methods have been developed to automate this process based on Volunteered Geographic Information data as well as to validate the corresponding results. The methodology presented in this paper takes on the task of setting up such a workflow on a large scale, including capacities and all common activity types, by making use of OpenStreetMap data. As a result, a Points of Interest dataset could be created for the whole of Germany, which maps around 24 million destinations including capacities divided into seven activity types. An exemplary validation based on the generated workplace and shopping locations as well as capacities indicates a varying quality of results depending on the respective regional type. The discussion additionally concludes that assignment of several activities to one location presents challenges that should be addressed in future approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effectiveness of a life skills program to impede tobacco use in early adolescence was scrutinized. The focus was on the mediating role of yielding to peer pressure. The universal school-based life skills program IPSY (Information + Psychosocial Competence = Protection) against adolescent substance use was implemented over 3 years. Over the same time period, it was evaluated based on a longitudinal quasi-experimental design with an intervention and comparison group (4 measurement points; N = 1,657 German students, age 10 at T1). By applying a growth curve modeling approach, we found that participation in IPSY compared with non-participation predicted a slower increase in tobacco use over time, suggesting a significant intervention effect. Moreover, a parallel growth curve model revealed that less yielding to peer pressure induced by IPSY mediated the program effects on tobacco use over time.

Globalized labor markets confront many adults, both employed and unemployed, with demands arising from career uncertainty that have the potential to jeopardize their occupational planning. This article investigated how individuals in different regions of Germany, which are characterized by different economic opportunities, negotiate such demands to pursue a career. The central hypothesis is that under unfavorable economic conditions, disengagement from demands of career planning, in terms of reducing commitment to their mastery, will predict positive changes in subjective well-being. This was tested using a sample of N = 806 adults living in 91 regions of Germany. Results suggest that disengagement predicts increased subjective well-being, but only if individuals report a very high load of demands of career planning and live in regions characterized by particularly poor opportunities for goal striving. It is concluded that disengagement can be an adaptive way of mastering occupational planning under particularly disadvantageous circumstances. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)

Individually experienced demands of current social change in the domains of work and family were assessed in a large sample of adults from two Western and two Eastern federal states of Germany. For each domain of life, a cumulated index was computed representing the load with highly endorsed demands and this was compared across political regions, employment, partnership status and participants' level of education. Generally, a higher load of demands was found in Eastern Germany for participants who were unemployed or outside the labor market, those who were separated or divorced, and those with lower education. The political context and education aggravated the load of demands in the domain of work (but not in the domain of family) as indicated by significant two-way interactions between the different factors. The results prove that the demands of social change due to globalization or individualization differ in a systematic way across ecological niches.

The transition from school to work is a central developmental task with long-term implications for the financial and social status of individuals. We argue that dynamic adjustments of aspirations play a decisive role for a successful outcome of the school to work transition, particularly in the context of the German vocational training system. Latent growth curve analyses conducted on the self-reported occupational aspirations of German adolescents (N = 414) surveyed in a 5-wave longitudinal study during their senior school year support this assumption. Based on expectancy-value-models of achievement, we delineated an adaptive trajectory of aspirations as starting off with relatively high aspirations and subsequently gradually downgrading them until s is attained. Such a trajectory of adjustment should maximize both expectancy (i.e., probability of obtaining an apprenticeship position at all) and value (i.e., training position with promotion potential). Finally, we showed empirically that the trajectory conceptually proposed as most adaptive was characteristic for youth who reported phase-adequate goal engagement strategies as suggested by the life-span theory of control. (Contains 3 tables.)

These analyses explore the relationship between gender inequality and subjective well-being. The hypothesis was tested as to whether societal gender inequality is related to the size of gender differences in subjective well-being in various societies. Results come from comparative data sets (World Values Survey, involving 57 countries; OASIS project, involving Norway, England, Germany, Spain and Israel). The size of gender differences varied with the extent of societal gender inequality and the cultural attitudes regarding gender equality in different countries. Including individual resources like education and income in the analyses reduced the size of gender and country differences. Gender differences in subjective well-being could therefore be related to gender specific access to goal relevant resources.

A study of 335 German 10th graders who applied for apprenticeships showed that they adjusted their aspirations from "dream job" to "a job I am interested in" as deadlines approached. They matched their school performance to the prestige of the apprenticeships they applied for. (Contains 47 references.) (SK)

Abstract: The basics of remotely controlled sewers are presented focusing on Leipzig Municipality's sewer control project located in Germany. The consequences of sewer surcharge events are outlined considering possible countermeasures. The required data basis, the controllable sewer objects and their relevant control units are pointed out. The presentation is finished exposing the types of control network, possible control algorithms as well as important aspects regarding the decision for/against establishing a remote control system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper reviews five recent contributions that empirically investigate the interaction between changing socio-historical contexts and individual adaptation and development. The contributions by John Bynner, Rand Conger and colleagues, Cigdem Kagitcibasi, Jungsik Kim and colleagues and Ingrid Schoon are discussed against the backdrop of a generic model of social change and human development. It is argued that research on social change has to consider the larger political and social context and needs to identify and to study conditions that represent the processes of macro-micro-interaction. Such research will not only enrich the scientific inquiry in this field and promote theorizing about development-in-context, but also is of relevance for social policies in times of rapid social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The injection of dry supercritical CO2 into brine aquifers has the potential to dry saline formation waters, due to evaporation effects , leading to severe increases in salinity and salt precipitation. This can significantly impair injection rates, as has been noted in gas-storage reservoirs. This is of interest for CO2 storage in saline aquifers. An injection impairment study was performed for the CO2SINK Project, a European Union research project on testing geological carbon storage near Ketzin, Germany . Core flood experiments showed that halite precipitates due to brine evaporating in dry super-critical CO2. The phenomenon was studied with two research codes, TOUGH2 and a streamline-based simulator. Both codes predict substantial salt deposition close to the injection point, with associated severe injection impairment. Our simulations also suggest that simple reservoir engineering measures, such as a brief (hours) preflush with fresh water, can mitigate adverse effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Rationnel: L’intérêt thérapeutique de la pompe implantable permettant une insulinothérapie intrapéritonéale, est démontré chez des patients diabétiques de type 1 en échec d’une insulinothérapie intensive bien conduite par voie sous-cutanée. La stabilité physicochimique de l’insuline utilisée est un élément déterminant du bon fonctionnement de la pompe implantée. L’insuline hémisynthétique humaine, utilisée jusqu’à présent, l’Insuplant®400IU/mL (Aventis pharma, Frankfurt, Germany) spécifiquement stabilisée par du Genapol®, avait montré ces qualités, mais n’est plus produite. Une nouvelle préparation d’insuline recombinante humaine la remplace, l’Insuman implantable® 400IU/mL (Sanofi-aventis, Deutschland GmbH, Germany). Le but de cette étude est de comparer ces deux préparations en utilisation clinique dans les pompes implantées. Patients et méthodes: Les patients déjà traités par pompe implantée (MIP 2007, Medtronic, USA) délivrant l’Insuplant 400IU/mL, ont été randomisés en deux groupes pour recevoir soit l’Insuman implantable soit l’Insuplant après avoir bénéficié d’un rinçage de la pompe qui a ensuite été remplie en insuline tous les 40±5 jours. L’étude a duré 160±20 jours soit 4 cycles de remplissage. Résultats: Au total, 169 patients ont été randomisés. Après 4 cycles de remplissage, la non infériorité de l’Insuman par rapport à l’Insuplant a été démontrée pour le pourcentage d’erreur de la pompe (rapport entre volume réel d’insuline délivré par la pompe et volume théorique programmé, en base – 0,98±6,4 vs 1,82±4,67 % (m±DS) : IC95 [–5,81 ;–0,50], la variation de l’HbA1c (en base 7,7±0,92 vs 7,7±1,1 %) : IC95 [–0,36 ; +0,11] en analyse PP, sans variation apparente de la dose quotidienne d’insuline. Au cours de l’étude, l’incidence des effets indésirables métaboliques et techniques n’a pas été différente selon le groupe. Conclusion: L’Insuman implantable peut être utilisée de façon efficace et sûre dans les pompes implantées. Ce résultat encourage la diffusion de cette modalité thérapeutique dans le respect des indications et conditions d’utilisation proposées par le groupe EVADIAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Whether or not double J (DJ) stenting during transurethral resection of a bladder tumour (TURBT) harms patients with regard to possible metachronous upper urinary tract urothelial cancer (UUTUC) development remains controversial. This study evaluated the impact of DJ compared to nephrostomy placement during TURBT for bladder cancer (BCa) on the incidence of metachronous UUTUCs., Methods: We retrospectively analysed 637 patients who underwent TURBT in our department between 2008 and 2016. BCa, UUTUC and urinary drainage data (retrograde/anterograde DJ and percutaneous nephrostomy) were assessed, along with the prevalence of hydronephrosis, and mortality. Chi-square and Fisher's exact test was performed for univariate analyses. Survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests., Results: UUTUC was noted in 28 out of 637 patients (4.4%), whereas only eight (1.3%) developed it metachronously to BCa. Out of these, four patients received DJ stents, while four patients received no urinary drainage of the upper urinary tract. Placement of urinary drainage significantly correlated with UUTUC (50.0% vs. 17.9%; p = 0.041). DJ stenting significantly correlated with UUTUC (50.0% vs. 11%; p <  0.01), while no patient with a nephrostomy tube developed UUTUC. UUTUC-free survival rates were significantly lower for patients with DJ stents than for all other patients (p = 0.001). Patients with or without DJ stents had similar overall survival (OS) rates (p = 0.73), whereas patients with nephrostomy tubes had significantly lower OS rates than all other patients (p <  0.001)., Conclusions: Patients with DJ stenting during TURBT for BCa might have an increased risk of developing metachronous UUTUC. This study indicated advantages in placing nephrostomy tubes rather than DJ stents; however, confirmation requires investigation of a larger cohort. Even so, the increased mortality rate in the nephrostomy group reflected hydronephrosis as an unfavourable prognostic factor.