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Since 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on education worldwide. There is increased discussion of possible negative effects on students' learning outcomes and the need for targeted support. We examined fourth graders' reading achievement based on a school panel study, representative on the student level, with N)=)111 elementary schools in Germany (total: N)=)4,290 students, age: 9-10)years). The students were tested with the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study instruments in 2016 and 2021. The analysis focused on (1) total average differences in reading achievement between 2016 and 2021, (2) average differences controlling for student composition, and (3) changes in achievement gaps between student subgroups (i.e., immigration background, socio-cultural capital, and gender). The methodological approach met international standards for the analysis of large-scale assessments (i.e., multiple multi-level imputation, plausible values, and clustered mixed-effect regression). The results showed a substantial decline in mean reading achievement. The decline corresponds to one-third of a year of learning, even after controlling for changes in student composition. We found no statistically significant changes of achievement gaps between student subgroups, despite numerical tendencies toward a widening of achievement gaps between students with and without immigration background. It is likely that this sharp achievement decline was related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings are discussed in terms of further research needs, practical implications for educating current student cohorts, and educational policy decisions regarding actions in crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Literary scholars and poets are like intimate strangers. They owe their closeness to literature and their alienation to their different relationship to productivity. This book examines Goethe, Friedrich Schlegel, Lonnrot, Hofmannstahl, and Szondi, among others. It analyzes the reasons for this alienated closeness and describes a tradition that has shaped the relationship between poetic productivity and philological understanding."

Rilke schrieb seinen Gedichtzyklus "Duineser Elegien" in dem langen Jahrzehnt von 1912 bis 1922. Ein Werkkomplex entstand, der die zehn großen, kanonisch gewordenen Elegien umfasst und ebenso "Fragmentarisches" – so nannte Rilke einen zweiten Band, der mit dem Zyklus im Jahr 1923 erscheinen sollte. Dazu kam es freilich nicht. Die Lektüren von Christoph König gelten allen Gedichten des Zyklus und des Fragmentarischen jeweils individuell. Sie entfalten den Werkkomplex unter dem Gesichtspunkt der "Kreativität". Die Frage lautet: Welches sind die Bedingungen, die die Gedichte jeweils möglich machen? Eine Wiegebewegung zwischen Zauberei und Redlichkeit zeigt sich, die die großen Themen Liebe, Tod, Krankheit und vor allem Kunst erfasst. Diese Redlichkeit besteht in der Skepsis, die sich stets durchsetzt - die Gedichte wissen, dass sie von etwas Transzendentem nur träumen, es aber nicht fassen können. So bleibt dem Dichter allein die Gedankenarbeit in der Sprache. - Ein Epilog zur Kritik der Überwältigung beschließt die Lektüren. Das Buch bildet mit seinen Interpretationen das Gegenstück zum ersten, von Christoph König herausgegebenen Band der neuen historisch-kritischen Ausgabe der "Werke" Rilkes, der die "Duineser Elegien und die zugehörigen Gedichte enthält.

All human beings want to be happy. The longing for happiness does not have to be learned; it is innate. And it can hardly be unlearned, for we never simply acquiesce in unhappiness. Christian faith, the Christian way of life, and the imitation of Christ are understood to be signposts pointing the way to happiness. Upon this depends their credibility and their attractiveness. Cardinal Schonborn talks about man's happiness, small and great, about happiness as it is supposed to be and as it is discovered. He explains what it means to say that all human beings are created for happiness. His writings are centered on meditations about happiness and about love and friendship as well. Yet the Archbishop of Vienna also discusses the essential questions of faith, including reflections on the Name of God as seen in Scripture, on dealing with the tragedies of modern times, on consolation for the sorrowful and on the spiritual roots of western civilization. In addition he discusses the importance of literature, and how it addresses the deeper questions about life, as demonstrated in his literary discussions of the works of C. S. Lewis, Gertrud von Le Fort and William Shakespeare. He shows how their works give witness to a happiness that overcomes all darkness through suffering, trials and especially forgiveness.

This monograph demonstrates the latest developments in two-photon fluorescence microscopy and second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy, including coverage of high-resolution microscopy methods, such as STED microscopy. A special focus lies on clinical applications of these methods, e.g. in dermatology, ophtalmology, neuro sciences and cell biology.