Heterogeneity of prodromal Parkinson symptoms in siblings of Parkinson disease patients

A prodromal phase of Parkinson’s disease (PD) may precede motor manifestations by decades. PD patients’ siblings are at higher risk for PD, but the prevalence and distribution of prodromal symptoms are unknown. The study objectives were (1) to assess motor and non-motor features estimating prodromal PD probability in PD siblings recruited within the European PROPAG-AGEING project; (2) to compare motor and non-motor symptoms to the well-established DeNoPa cohort. 340 PD siblings from three sites (Bologna, Seville, Kassel/Goettingen) underwent clinical and neurological evaluations of PD markers. The German part of the cohort was compared with German de novo PD patients (dnPDs) and healthy controls (CTRs) from DeNoPa. Fifteen (4.4%) siblings presented with subtle signs of motor impairment, with MDS-UPDRS-III scores not clinically different from CTRs. Symptoms of orthostatic hypotension were present in 47 siblings (13.8%), no different to CTRs (p = 0.072). No differences were found for olfaction and overall cognition; German-siblings performed worse than CTRs in visuospatial-executive and language tasks. 3/147 siblings had video-polysomnography-confirmed REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), none was positive on the RBD Screening Questionnaire. 173/300 siblings had <1% probability of having prodromal PD; 100 between 1 and 10%, 26 siblings between 10 and 80%, one fulfilled the criteria for prodromal PD. According to the current analysis, we cannot confirm the increased risk of PD siblings for prodromal PD. Siblings showed a heterogeneous distribution of prodromal PD markers and probability. Additional parameters, including strong disease markers, should be investigated to verify if these results depend on validity and sensitivity of prodromal PD criteria, or if siblings’ risk is not elevated.

Triassic clam shrimps (“Conchostraca”; Branchiopoda: Diplostraca) from Mallorca: Taxonomic description and interregional comparisons

We describe four upper Lower Triassic to lower Middle Triassic clam shrimp-bearing intervals from Mallorca, which include the clam shrimp species Hornestheria sp. aff. Hornestheria sollingensis and several other forms of carapace valve morphology: Hornestheria? Morphotype 1, Hornestheria? Morphotype 2, and other undetermined carapace valves. All of this material was obtained from red-bed units cropping out in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains of Mallorca (western Mediterranean). Except for a few morphologically similar carapace valves of Middle Triassic age from China, Hornestheria is known only from the type locality of its type species, Hornestheria sollingensis Kozur et Lepper, in the Solling Formation (Middle Buntsandstein Subgroup) in the German part of the Central European Basin. According to its original definition, the larval carapace valve of Hornestheria Kozur et Lepper is characterized by a radial sculpture, but this characteristic apparently is only variably developed. Due to both a limited number of previously known occurrences of Hornestheria and its poorly known carapace valve morphology, open nomenclature is applied to the taxonomy herein. The studied specimens were freshly collected from outcrop sections composed of greyish-green to greyish-red laminated claystones and siltstones that accumulated in a fluvial facies. The clam shrimp specimens are accompanied by remains of insects and fishes, invertebrate and tetrapod ichnofossils, and micro-/macroplant remains, all of which either have been described by previous workers or are currently part of a separate study.

An Old Couple in a New Setting: Franco-German Leadership in the Post-Brexit EU

What are the implications of Brexit for the nature, role, and potential of Franco-German leadership in the EU? Brexit, we contend, is both an expression and a further cause of two broader underlying developments in the contemporary EU: First, a stronger and more prominent German part and position, and second, disintegrative tendencies in several EU policy fields and the EU polity as a whole. This, in turn, has major implications for Franco-German bilateralism and for Franco-German leadership in the EU. In light of a stronger Germany, a relatively weaker France, and significant centrifugal forces, the two largest EU member states must not only realign their bilateral relationship but must also act as a stabilizer in and for the EU. We show that during the EU’s recent crises, not least during the Brexit negotiations and the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, France and Germany did exercise joint leadership. We also show, however, that major discrepancies persist between the two countries in particular policy fields and with regard to longer-term European objectives. Brexit, with its numerous calamities and implications, thus once again moves Franco-German leadership—and its shortcomings—to center stage in Europe. When it comes to leadership in the EU, there remains no viable alternative to the Franco-German duo. Yet, in order to provide constructive leadership and successfully shape the EU, the two countries must bridge substantial differences and be ready to carry disproportionately high burdens.

Education in Occupational Therapy: The Transition to the Academic Level. Changing the Professional Identity of Occupational Therapists in Switzerland

The aim of the article is to summarise the development of the teaching and training programme for occupational therapy in the German part of Switzerland over the years 2006-2019. As the responsible program director and project manager in the transition from higher education to an academic level, the author of this article was strongly involved in changing the professional identity of occupational therapists in Switzerland. The following text presents her personal overview of this transition. The main focus lies on education, the change process and how academisation has gradually changed the curriculum in Switzerland.

Das Beschäftigungsverhältnis des Cheftrainers im professionellen deutschen Fußball

The position of managers in professional German football is constantly changing due to increasing commercialisation. This has not yet led to increased attention by jurisprudence though. This study aims to answer a variety of open questions with regard to the employment conditions of such managers. It shows that corresponding employment contracts are not only concluded on a fixed-term basis in practice but also usually meet the conditions set out in section 14, para. 1, sentence 2 no. 4 of the German Part-Time and Limited Term Employment Act (Teilzeit- und Befristungsgesetz) due to the distinctive type of work performed by the manager.

The Graphemes /š/ and /ŋ/ in the Religious Texts of the CODEX CUMANICUS

The aim of the article is to point out the lack of research on palaeography and orthography of the Codex Cumanicus. The article deals with the use of symbols used to denote the consonants /š/ and /ŋ/ of the religious texts in the “German part” of the manuscript. The texts can be divided into two sections: the first being on folios 61r–63r, while the second on folios 69r–76r and 80r. This difference in use of the symbols may show that there were two different methods of writing consonants, which were foreign to the orthography of Medieval Latin writing, in the above-mentioned two sections of the text. The article stresses the importance of the palaeographical and orthographical analysis on the Codex Cumanicus, in order to be able to draw valid linguistic information from the codex.

Under the Influence: Advertisers’ Impact on the Content of Swiss Free Newspapers

The study focuses on whether and to what extent advertisers influence the editorial content of free newspapers in the German part of Switzerland. The contribution analyzes, grounded on an historic approach, the most competitive period in Switzerland, 2008, when not less than five freesheets were competing for advertisers and public attention. By using Altmeppen’s (2006) organizational theory, the paper offers a theoretical frame able to describe the vanishing co-orientation between the media management and the newsroom, a trend that aggravates commercialization processes in news organizations. In a situation of economic turmoil, so the hypothesis, newsrooms are more inclined to positively adapt the valence of their coverage about their main advertisers in order to keep them in the portfolio. Using a content analysis, the author examined the editorial coverage of six among the most important advertisers of Swiss free newspapers, carrying out an aggregated statistical analysis based on logistic regression. The study revealed that free newspapers with a strong market orientation display a higher chance to publish positive facts and evaluations about advertisers with a high advertising expenditure.