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The article offers the authors insight on their reply to the comment by Fügenschuh and colleagues on their paper titled "Estimating displacement along the Brenner Fault and orogen-parallel extension in the Eastern Alps." The authors note that the zircon fission track ages in the footwall of Brenner Fault (BF) in Eastern Alps reflect the antiform of Tauern Window (TW). They cite that there is a link between ductile mylonites and brittle faulting. They say that the trend of ductile mylonitic belt continues into the Austroalpine Units as exhumation was insufficient to attain brittle/ductile transition. They mention the tectonic omissions and the new estimate of extension based on stratigraphic omissions at Brenner Pass in Austria.

Purpose: This paper presents the results of the first joint survey on the use of SPECT and PET myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) and cardiac amyloidosis imaging in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland of the year 2021. Methods: A questionnaire was sent in 2022 to centres practicing nuclear medicine. Results: Data from 14 Austrian (10,710 SPECT), 218 German (133,047 SPECT), and 16 Swiss centres (11,601 MPI (6,879 SPECT, 4722 PET)) were analysed. In Austria and Germany, the PET MPI numbers were close to zero and not considered. Official MPS numbers from 2015 to 2021 from Austria and Germany revealed a decline in Austria by about 40% in the pandemic years 2020 to 2021, but an increase in Germany by 9%. Ambulatory care cardiologists represented the major referral group (56–71%). Mostly, stress tests were performed pharmacologically (58–92%). Contrary to Germany, a 1-day protocol was predominant (58–97%) in Austria and Switzerland. The leading camera systems were SPECT-CT in Austria and Switzerland (57–79%) and multi-head systems in Germany (58%). Switzerland had the highest proportion of SPECT MPI with attenuation correction (84%), followed by Austria (43%), and Germany (33%). Electrocardiogram-gated SPECT MPI showed an overall high penetration of 87–99%. Scoring was most frequently applied in Germany (72%), followed by Austria (64%), and Switzerland (60%). Related to the population, the number of cardiac amyloidosis imaging was highest in Austria, followed by Switzerland and Germany. Conclusions: This first joint survey of 2021 shows considerable differences among the countries. The Swiss situation is outstanding due to the wide use of PET MPI. In terms of camera equipment, Switzerland is also leading, followed by Austria and Germany. Despite the differences in procedural issues, the results reveal an overall high standard of MPI imaging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paradigmatic shift from traditional flood defense toward integrated flood risk management has widened the sectors and policies affected and has spurred a growing interest of scholars to understand cross-sectoral flood policy integration. In this paper we argue that the cross-sectoral goal relationship—ranging from complementary to conflictual policy goals—is a useful conceptual framework to understand (1) the policy integration challenge at hands and (2) in particular the unfolding policy integration from a processual perspective. For our empirical analysis we identify three policy subsystems that are highly important for sectoral interplay in flood risk management: agriculture, hydropower generation, and spatial planning. Using Austria as a case study we illustrate the goal relationships and sectoral policy integration challenges in each of these fields of interaction. Based on 45 expert interviews in the selected policy sectors we provide useful insights into the current processes of flood policy integration. The empirical findings from our case studies show that sectoral goal relationships and the nature of the policy integration challenge drive flood policy integration. More pronounced land use conflicts are more strongly reflected in different actor interests, policy frames, policy goals, and the choice of policy instruments. Sectoral goal relationships are an important factor to explain the unfolding policy integration process. Complementary policy goals result in rather informal, harmonious integrative negotiations on strengthening synergies by using soft policy instruments. On the contrary, conflictual policy goals lead to more formal negotiations among the affected sectors relying on hard, regulative instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the topics presented at the 2005 International Botanical Congress (IBC) which was held in Vienna, Austria is presented. The event has featured several research which focus on the evolution of the Rosaceae. A group of researcher has discussed their analysis involving a large data set of molecular sequences, including four chloroplast and six nuclear regions of the said plant species.

Highlights the 2003 Third International History of Philosophy of Science Conference in Vienna, Austria. Number of nonprofit organizations attending the event; Theme of the convention; Registration fees.

Purpose: More than 20 years ago we reported an analysis of a case series of elderly critically ill patients with acute kidney injury (AKI)--then termed acute renal failure. At that time, AKI was regarded as a "simple" complication, but has since undergone a fundamental change and actually has become one of the central syndromes in the critically ill patient.Methods: We have analyzed elderly patients above 65 years of age with an AKI defined as serum creatinine above 3 mg/dl corresponding to modern KDIGO stage 3, most of them requiring renal replacement therapy (RRT). Using an extremely complete data set the diagnosis differentiated the underlying disease entity, the dominant cause of AKI, acute and chronic risk factors (comorbidities). Special aspects such as severity of disease, early AKI at admission versus late AKI, early versus later start of RRT, AKI not treated by RRT in spite of indication for RRT, various measures of short-term and long-term prognosis, renal outcome, patients dying with resolved AKI, and causes of death were evaluated.Results: Crude mortality was 61% which corresponds to modern studies with gross variation among the different subgroups. Age per se was not a determinant of survival either within the group of elderly patients or as compared to younger age groups. Despite an increase in mean age and disease severity during the observation period prognosis improved. A total of 17% of patients developed a chronic kidney disease. Long-term survival as compared to the general population was low.Conclusions: A look back at the last two decades illustrates a remarkable evolution or rather metamorphosis of a syndrome. AKI has evolved as a central syndrome in intensive care patients, a systemic disease process associated with multiple systemic sequels and extra-renal organ injury and exerting a pronounced effect on the course of disease and short- and long-term prognosis not only of the patient but also of the kidney. Moreover, the "non-renal-naïve" elderly patient with multiple comorbidities has become the most frequent ICU patient in industrialized nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anisotropic fast-marching algorithms are computationally efficient tools for generating realistic maps of karst conduit networks, constrained by both the spatial extent and the orientation of karstifiable geologic units. Existing models to generate conduit network maps are limited either by high computational requirements (for chemistry-based models) or by their inability to incorporate the effects of elevation and orientation gradients (for isotropic fast-marching models). The new anisotropic fast-marching approach described here provides a significant improvement, though it imitates rather than reproduces actual speleogenetic processes. It can rapidly generate a stochastic ensemble of plausible networks from basic geologic information, which can also be used as input to karst-appropriate flow models. This paper introduces an open-source, easy-to-use implementation through the Python package pyKasso, then describes its application to a well-mapped geologically complex long-term study site: the Gottesacker alpine karst system (Germany/Austria). Groundwater flow in this system is exceptionally well understood from speleological investigations and tracer tests. Conduit formation primarily occurs at the base of the karst aquifer, following plunging synclines. Although previous attempts to reproduce the conduit network at this site yielded implausible network maps, pyKasso quickly generated networks faithful to the known conduit system. However, the model was only able to generate these realistic networks when the inlet-outlet connections of the system were correctly assigned, highlighting the importance of pairing modeling efforts with field tracer tests. Therefore, a model ensemble method is also presented, to optimize field efforts by identifying the most informative tracer tests to perform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The selection of a proper international freight transport route is one of the crucial tasks for decision-makers since it can affect costs, efficiency, and transportation performance. Besides, the selection of suitable and appropriate freight routes can also reduce external costs of transportation such as emissions, noise, traffic congestions, accidents, and so on. Route selection in international transportation is a complicated decision-making problem as many conflicting factors and criteria affect the assessment process. It has been observed that there is no mathematical model and methodological frame used for solving these selection problems, and decision-makers make decisions on this issue based on their own experiences and verbal judgments in the research process. Therefore, a methodological frame is required to make rational, realistic, and optimal decisions on route selection. From this perspective, the current paper proposes using the IVAIF CODAS, an extended version of the traditional CODAS techniques, and using the Atanassov interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets (IVAIFS) for processing better the existing uncertainties. The proposed model is applied to solve the route selection, a real-life decision-making problem encountered in international transportation between EU countries and Turkey. According to the results of the analysis, option A6 (i.e., Route-6 (Bursa–Istanbul–Pendik–Trieste (Ro-Ro)–Austria–Frankfurt/Germany) has been determined as the best alternative. These obtained results have been approved by a comprehensive sensitivity analysis performed by using different MCDM techniques based on interval-valued intuitionistic fuzzy sets. Hence, it can be accepted that the proposed model is an applicable, robust, and powerful mathematical tool; also, it can provide very reliable, accurate, and reasonable results. As a result, the proposed model can provide a more flexible and effective decision-making environment as well as it can provide valuable advantages to the logistics and transport companies for carrying out practical, productive, and lower cost logistics operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper reports the results of an exploratory online survey among German, Austrian, and Swiss hospital chaplains (n = 158, response rate 17%) to identify the ethical conflicts they encounter in their work. Respondents indicated that questions surrounding end-of-life care are predominant among the conflicts faced. Chaplains get involved with these conflicts most often through the patients themselves or through nursing staff. Most encounters occur during pastoral care visits rather than in structured forms of ethics consultation such as clinical ethics committees. The results add to the ongoing discussion of chaplains as agents in ethics consultation within healthcare systems as well as their specific role and contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mineral resource policy deals not only with industrial and trade aspects but is nowadays also increasingly concerned with topics such as environmental protection and social development. The tensions associated with strongly divergent opinions among various stakeholder groups cast it as a 'wicked problem'. The process of redeveloping the 'Austrian Mineral Resources Strategy' allows for examination of the different frames and identification of potential frame conflicts in consultation processes at the national level. Using Q-methodology, this paper reveals four frames represented in the Austrian policy design process and unravels conflicts between economy-focused and integrated policy framings. The predominance of the first frame indicates a narrow sectoral approach favouring domestic mineral extraction and economic growth over other means (e.g. international distributional conflicts of benefits and burdens). The article also demonstrates the suitability of Q-methodology as a tool to investigate frames and to improve their understanding in policy design processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts of scientific papers presented at the February 2008 meeting of the Biofeedback Foundation of Europe in Austria which include the importance of thermal biofeedback in self-regulation, the psychophysiological management of pain, and the blood pressure lowering effects of biofeedback treatment in people with hypertension.

This paper describes the instability of river channel systems in alpine rockslide deposits using the Fernpass Rockslide and the river Loisach in the Tyrolian Außerfern District (Austria) as an example of paleoenvironmental developments. This is the first investigation of this kind of the Fernpass, one of the most important Alpine north–south transport connections since the bronze age. It uses geomorphological, sedimentological, onomastic and hydrogeological investigations to reconstruct the course of a late Holocene river in this area and a probabilistic simulation for dating. Tracer tests assisted in investigating the potential groundwater connections of the river systems. The findings show that the Palaeoloisach runs on the orographically right side in a marginal valley of the Fernpass furrow and changes to the orographically left side of the furrow within the Rauth suburb in the village of Biberwier. A probabilistic simulation of the Narrenbichl slip event, which changed the course of the Palaeoloisach, dates the event to an age of 664 ± 116 BC. This investigation is an important contribution to understanding Quaternary postrockslide developments, how groundwater contributes to forming postrockslide channel systems and archaeological findings occurring in populated areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit for informal carers (ASCOT-Carer) can be used to assess long-term care-related quality of life (LTC-QoL) of adult informal carers of persons using LTC services. The ASCOT-Carer instrument has been translated into several languages, but preference weights reflecting the relative importance of different outcome states are only available for England so far. In this paper, we estimated preference weights for the German version of the ASCOT-Carer for Austria and investigated the value people place on different QoL-outcome states. Methods: We used data from a best–worst scaling (BWS) experiment and estimated a scale-adjusted multinomial logit (S-MNL) model to elicit preference weights for the ASCOT-Carer domain-levels. Data were collected using an online survey of the Austrian general population (n = 1001). Results: Top levels in the domains of 'Space and time to be yourself', 'Occupation' and 'Control over daily life' were perceived as providing the highest utility, and states with high needs in the same domains seen as particularly undesirable. 'Personal safety' was the only domain where levels were roughly equidistant. In all other domains, the difference between the top two levels ('ideal state' and 'no needs') was very small. Conclusion: The paper provides preference weights for the German version of ASCOT-Carer to be used in Austrian populations. Furthermore, the results give insight into which LTC-QoL-outcomes are seen as particularly (un)desirable, and may therefore help to better tailor services directed at informal carers and the persons they care for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a special edition of the Heat and Mass Transfer Journal dedicated to the 14th Heat Exchanger Fouling and Cleaning Conference. The conference took place in Wagrain, Austria from June 5-10, 2022, and brought together researchers and engineers from various industries and academic institutions worldwide to discuss the importance of heat exchanger fouling research. The conference covered a wide range of topics, including fouling in hydrocarbon systems, food processing fouling, biofouling, fouling mitigation, CFD modeling, and industrial cleaning methods. This special edition of the journal includes fifteen papers focusing on fundamental research. The next conference is scheduled to be held in Portugal in April 2024. [Extracted from the article]

Relying on data collected by the Zurich Survey of Academics (ZSoA), a unique representative online survey among academics in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH region), this paper replicates Johann and Mayer's (Minerva 57(2):175–196, 2019) analysis of researchers' perceptions of scientific authorship and expands their scope. The primary goals of the study at hand are to learn more about (a) country differences in perceptions of scientific authorship, as well as (b) the influence of perceived publication pressure on authorship perceptions. The results indicate that academics in Switzerland interpret scientific authorship more leniently than their colleagues in Germany and Austria. The findings further indicate that, as perceived pressure to publish increases, researchers are more likely to belong to a group of academics who hold the view that any type of contribution/task justifies co-authorship, including even those contributions/tasks that do not justify co-authorship according to most authorship guidelines. In summary, the present study suggests that action is required to harmonize regulations for scientific authorship and to improve the research culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building on group discussions and interviews with life science researchers in Austria, this paper analyses the narratives that researchers use in describing what they feel responsible for, with a particular focus on how they perceive the societal responsibilities of their research. Our analysis shows that the core narratives used by the life scientists participating in this study continue to be informed by the linear model of innovation. This makes it challenging for more complex innovation models [such as responsible research and innovation (RRI)] to gain ground in how researchers make sense of and conduct their research. Furthermore, the paper shows that the life scientists were not easily able to imagine specific practices that would address broader societal concerns and thus found it hard to integrate the latter into their core responsibilities. Linked to this, researchers saw institutional reward structures (e.g. evaluations, contractual commitments) as strongly focused on scientific excellence ("I am primarily paid for publishing..."). Thus, they saw reward structures as competing with—rather than incentivising—broader notions of societal responsibility. This narrative framing of societal responsibilities is indicative of a structural marginalisation of responsibility practices and explains the claim, made by many researchers in our sample, that they cannot afford to spend time on such practices. The paper thus concludes that the core ideas of RRI stand in tension with predominant narrative and institutional infrastructures that researchers draw on to attribute meaning to their research practices. This suggests that scientific institutions (like universities, professional communities or funding institutions) still have a core role to play in providing new and context-specific narratives as well as new forms of valuing responsibility practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Egg freezing has led to heated debates in healthcare policy and bioethics. A crucial issue in this context concerns the distinction between "medical" and "social" egg freezing (MEF and SEF)—contrasting objections to bio-medicalization with claims for oversimplification. Yet such categorization remains a criterion for regulation. This paper aims to explore the "regulatory boundary-work" around the "medical"–"social" distinction in different egg freezing regulations. Based on systematic documents' analysis we present a cross-national comparison of the way the "medical"–"social" differentiation finds expression in regulatory frameworks in Austria, Germany, Israel, and the Netherlands. Findings are organized along two emerging themes: (1) the definition of MEF and its distinctiveness—highlighting regulatory differences in the clarity of the definition and in the medical indications used for creating it (less clear in Austria and Germany, detailed in Israel and the Netherlands); and (2) hierarchy of medical over social motivations reflected in usage and funding regulations. Blurred demarcation lines between "medical" and "social" are further discussed as representing a paradoxical inclusion of SEF while offering new insights into the complexity and normativity of this distinction. Finally, we draw conclusions for policymaking and the bioethical debate, also concerning the related cryopolitical aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extreme heat events are natural hazards affecting many regions of the world. This study uses an example of the six largest cities in Austria to demonstrate the potential of urban climate model simulations applied in prediction mode providing detailed information on thermal conditions. For this purpose, the urban climate model MUKLIMO_3 of the German Meteorological Service (DWD) coupled with the hydrostatic numerical weather prediction model, ALARO, is used to simulate the development of the urban heat island (UHI) in Austrian cities for the summer period of 2019 with a horizontal resolution of 100 m. In addition to the evaluation of UHI predicting skills, other relevant variables, such as humidity and wind characteristics on hourly basis, are also analysed in this paper. Model evaluation confirmed that the MUKLIMO_3 microscale model had the capacity to simulate the main thermal spatiotemporal patterns in urban areas; however, a strong dependence on the input data from the mesoscale model was found. Our results showed large benefit in prediction of maximum air temperatures in urban areas, while the relative humidity predictions of MUKLIMO_3 appear to be much less plausible and show large variety of model prediction skills. Urban climate model simulations using real atmospheric conditions can facilitate better quantification and understanding of day-to-day intra-urban variations in microclimate as well as provide a basis for evaluation of the microclimate prediction skills of mesoscale numerical models with urban extensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Craniofacial deformities have a high psychosocial impact. The aim of this paper is to improve obstetric ultrasonography and prenatal detection of facial anomalies by providing a new fetal dental panorama.Material and methods: The present study describes a new modality to visualize the fetal tooth germs and an easy step-by-step diagnostic approach. Image acquisition was performed between 23 and 32 weeks of gestation using a Voluson E10 GE ultrasound machine with an RM6C transducer (GE Medical Systems, Zipf, Austria). Reconstruction was performed using Omniview from the axial image. Volume contrast imaging (VCI) was used with a thickness of 20 mm, and a render mode that combined "Rx mode" and "surface texture."Results: The resulting imaging allows a more precise visualization of the fetal dental arch and can be obtained between 14 and 28 weeks of gestation. The presence of dental anomalies can be a clue for the diagnosis of various congenital defects, in particular conditions with a shortage of other physical abnormalities, such as ectodermal dysplasia and Binder syndrome.Conclusions: The creation of a precise fetal dental panorama allows an improved detection of facial deformities.Clinical relevance: With the current paper, we want to increase prenatal diagnostics facial anomalies, and help to establish a tailored multidisciplinary treatment plan. This paper should be of interest to readers who are currently treating patients with craniofacial malformations and readers who are performing diagnostic prenatal sonography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early adolescence (12–13 years old) is a critical but under-researched demographic for the formation of attitudes related to climate change. We address this important area by exploring adolescent views about climate change. This paper presents opinions collected from surveys of 463 1st-year secondary school students (12–13 years old) in public secondary schools in inner-urban centres in Austria and Australia on whether climate change is (1) something about which to worry, (2) caused by humans and (3) happening now. Eligible respondents in both countries showed similar levels of agreement that climate change was probably or definitely something we should (1) worry about (84.6% Austria, 89.1% Australia), which is significantly higher than either country's adult population. Eligible respondents agreed that climate change probably or definitely is (2) caused by humans (75.6% Austria, 83.6% Australia) and that climate change is probably or definitely something that is (3) happening now (73.1% Austria, 87.5% Australia). Their response differed from the respective adult populations, but in opposite directions. Our results suggest that socio-cultural worldview may not have as much influence on this age group as it does on the respective adult populations and suggests that this age group would be receptive and ready for climate science education and engagement initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Karst aquifers are characterized by high-conductivity conduits embedded in a low-conductivity fractured matrix, resulting in extreme heterogeneity and variable groundwater flow behavior. The conduit network controls groundwater flow, but is often unmapped, making it difficult to apply numerical models to predict system behavior. This paper presents a multi-model ensemble method to represent structural and conceptual uncertainty inherent in simulation of systems with limited spatial information, and to guide data collection. The study tests the new method by applying it to a well-mapped, geologically complex long-term study site: the Gottesacker alpine karst system (Austria/Germany). The ensemble generation process, linking existing tools, consists of three steps: creating 3D geologic models using GemPy (a Python package), generating multiple conduit networks constrained by the geology using the Stochastic Karst Simulator (a MATLAB script), and, finally, running multiple flow simulations through each network using the Storm Water Management Model (C-based software) to reject nonbehavioral models based on the fit of the simulated spring discharge to the observed discharge. This approach captures a diversity of plausible system configurations and behaviors using minimal initial data. The ensemble can then be used to explore the importance of hydraulic flow parameters, and to guide additional data collection. For the ensemble generated in this study, the network structure was more determinant of flow behavior than the hydraulic parameters, but multiple different structures yielded similar fits to the observed flow behavior. This suggests that while modeling multiple network structures is important, additional types of data are needed to discriminate between networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present guidelines ( http://leitlinien.net ) focus exclusively on cardiogenic shock due to myocardial infarction (infarction-related cardiogenic shock, ICS). The cardiological/cardiac surgical and the intensive care medicine strategies dealt with in these guidelines are essential to the successful treatment and survival of patients with ICS; however, both European and American guidelines on myocardial infarction and heart failure and also position papers on cardiogenic shock focused mainly on cardiological aspects.Methods: Evidence on the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of ICS was collected and recommendations compiled in a nominal group process by delegates of the German Cardiac Society (DGK), the German Society for Medical Intensive Care Medicine and Emergency Medicine (DGIIN), the German Society for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (DGTHG), the German Society for Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine (DGAI), the Austrian Society for Internal and General Intensive Care Medicine (ÖGIAIM), the Austrian Cardiology Society (ÖKG), the German Society for Prevention and Rehabilitation of Cardiovascular Diseases (DGPR) and the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DIVI), under the auspices of the Working Group of the Association of Medical Scientific Societies in Germany (AWMF). If only poor evidence on ICS was available, general study results on intensive care patients were inspected and presented in order to enable analogue conclusions.Results: A total of 95 recommendations, including 2 statements were compiled and based on these 7 algorithms with defined instructions on the course of treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the decision of the management of "The Lancet" to retract medical entry by urologists at the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria. It states that the write-up claimed positive results for a clinical trial using stem cells to treat urinary incontinence. However, an investigation by the government found serious flaws in the trial such as incomplete patient consent forms and forged insurance documents. As a result, the university suspended principal investigator Hannes Strasser.

Since the 2008 economic crisis, social service providers worldwide have reported funding cuts, while the need for some social services has been increasing. This paper examines the combined and longer-term effects of such divergent developments on the nonprofit social services sector. The empirical analysis uses Austrian administrative data on six subfields of the sector covering the years 2003–2017. We investigate significant changes in the trends of four growth indicators applying interrupted time series analysis. We find that the 2008 economic crisis is associated with persistently lower growth rates in Austria's nonprofit social services sector. The magnitude of this dampening effect differs across subsectors. Additionally, our findings suggest an increase in market concentration. Hence, the study discloses a long-term scarring effect of the economic crisis on Austria's social services sector, raising doubts on the sector's future resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The so-called refugee wave in the summer of 2015 led to an impressive wave of helpfulness in Austrian society. Universities Austria (uniko)—the umbrella organization of the 22 public universities in Austria—set up and launched an initiative called MORE. MORE provides refugees and asylum seekers with additional opportunities and perspectives that go beyond basic tools for survival. All 22 public universities implemented MORE, albeit in different ways. The article draws on a specific case—the MORE initiative—which aims to integrate refugee students into university life and higher education, as well as on data collected within the scope of evaluating the particular cases at hand. Analysis focuses on whether MORE has contributed to integrate refugee students. Drawing on different integration theories, the findings of this evaluation provide an insight as to how integration is achieved and affected by influencing factors such as personal characteristics, the usage of program elements, etc. Hence, the paper gives insight in the applicability of different integration theories and may be helpful for improving MORE or similar initiatives. The results confirmed the assumptions of modern sociological integration theories. Universities who offer the MORE program can conclude that they should take care of special, vulnerable groups, and that they should offer more than language classes in order to foster integration. Integration depends on the characteristics of the refugee group, the general societal and political climate, and on the specific attitudes towards the group in question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores a network of organizations and their perspectives on the social enterprise commodity. Based on ethnographic research, I present the case of recycled bags sold in the city centre of Vienna (Austria) by three organizations, including a work integration social enterprise. By reviewing two different strands in the organizational studies literature that both employ biological notions to theorize (social) enterprising, I argue that opposing "hybridity" to "ecosystems" is a suitable way to assess two different research agendas in that field. While I subscribe to the ecosystem focus—seeing organizations as a function of the social environment—I make the case for the importance of research into "hybrid commodities" as a way to explore larger issues concerning social enterprise scholarship, such as mission drift, hidden agendas or organizational identity work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge about vector-borne pathogens important for human and veterinary medicine in wild ruminants in Tyrol (Austria) is scarce. Blood samples from Alpine ibex (Capra ibex; n = 44), Alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra; n = 21), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus; n = 18) and red deer (Cervus elaphus; n = 6) were collected over a period of 4 years (2015–2018) in four regions in North Tyrol, with a primary focus on the Kaunertal. Blood spots on filter paper were tested for the presence of DNA of vector-borne pathogens (Anaplasmataceae, Piroplasmida, Rickettsia and filarioid helminths). Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Babesia capreoli were detected in two of 89 (2.3%) blood samples. Rickettsia spp., Theileria spp. and filarioid helminths were not documented. One Alpine chamois was positive for A. phagocytophilum and B. capreoli. Moreover, an ibex from the Kaunertal region was positive for A. phagocytophilum. While the ibex was a kid less than 1 year old, the chamois was an adult individual. Further research is recommended to evaluate effects of climate change on infection rates of North Tyrolean wild ruminants by these pathogens and the distribution of their vectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Karl Przibram is one of the pioneers of early solid state physics in the field of the interdependence of coloration effects and luminescence in solids (crystals, minerals) induced by radiation. In 1921 Przibram discovered the effect of radio-photoluminescence, the light-stimulated phosphorescence in activated crystals induced by gamma rays. In 1926 Przibram was the first to use the term, Farbzentrum (color center, F-center), and in 1923 he advanced the view of atomic centers as carriers of coloration. Being a pupil of Ludwig Boltzmann and Franz S. Exner, he dedicated his early work to condensation and conductivity phenomena in gases and Brownian motion. Under the influence of Stefan Meyer, he began his lifelong interest in mineralogy, setting up his own research group at the Vienna Radium Institute, which pioneered investigations on thermoluminescence and gave a first description of glow curves. Being of Jewish descent, Przibram had to leave Austria after the Nazis took power; he found shelter in Belgium and returned to Austria in 1946 as professor for experimental physics at the University of Vienna. This paper is a first attempt to give an overview of the cultural and scientific background of Przibram's life and science in context of the cultural and political developments from 1900 to 1950 in Austria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last 30 years, Thelazia callipaeda (Spirurida: Thelaziidae) has increasingly been reported as an agent of ocular infections in animals and humans throughout Europe. Following the cases of canine ocular thelaziosis recently recorded in Austria for the first time, in the present paper, we describe the first case of T. callipaeda infection in an Austrian cat with no history of traveling abroad. This finding further supports the occurrence of the parasite's autochthonous transmission cycle in the country. The cat showed serous ocular discharge, conjunctival hyperemia, and mild conjunctival edema in the right eye. Mechanical removal of the parasite from the cat's eye, in combination with milbemycin oxime/praziquantel oral treatment and topical use of tobramycin/dexamethasone eye drops led to complete resolution of the clinical signs within 2 weeks. Results presented in the current study are of great importance for the local veterinarians who seemed largely unaware of this zoonotic parasite. Therefore, increased awareness of medical and veterinary communities is imperative for preventing further infections in both animals and humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides findings on the transmission of liquidity shocks by Austrian parent banks through the lending channel. The paper investigates how different types of banks adjust their balance sheet positions in response to a liquidity shock. It distinguishes between different definitions of lending activities, such as changes in domestic C&I lending, foreign C&I lending, total credit, cross-border claims, foreign offices local claims, and internal borrowing between affiliated banks. The paper finds that (1) smaller banks (parent banks without affiliates) response to liquidity risk depends on core deposit funding for foreign C&I lending and total credit. (2) Cross-sectional differences in large banks (parent banks with affiliates) in response to liquidity risk cannot be uniformly explained by one particular ex ante determinant. The growth of cross-border claims is negatively correlated with a higher share of illiquid assets and with a higher share of capital, and positively correlated with the commitment ratio. Use of official sector liquidity provided by the Austrian government reduces the importance of the commitments share as a driver of cross-sectional differences in lending by Austrian global banks in response to market liquidity risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevalent knowledge economy discourse has direct implications for higher education policies and practices. It is expected that the higher education sector supports national economic competitiveness mainly through promoting scientific research, supporting technological transfer and innovation, and producing 'knowledge workers' such as higher degree by research graduates. However in the context of changing work requirements and fast paced technological progress, the 'skills gap' between the labour market needs and the actual attributes of graduates has emerged as a tangible concern. This paper explores the issue of research graduate employability in Australia. Drawing on critical frame analysis, the paper particularly problematises the way research graduate employability has been framed in relevant policy texts, and shows what issues are excluded from the policy agenda and why. By way of demonstrating exclusions from the current debate on doctoral graduates' skills and employability, we briefly report on new data on the level of industry-engagement of research students at one large Australian university to argue that assumptions about the need to 'fix' the skills deficit of graduates have excluded from view high levels of industry engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses two related puzzles. The first puzzle is that parts of the environmental federalism literature suggest that federal states are ill-equipped to solve nation-wide or global environmental problems such as climate change, but climate policy scholars usually emphasise the opposite. The second puzzle is that Austria (a federal EU Member State) is regularly praised as an environmental policy leader but has missed its Kyoto target by about 19 %. The paper addresses both puzzles by analysing to what degree federalism is responsible for Austria's poor mitigation performance. Since the nine Austrian provinces are mainly responsible for regulating the building sector that accounts for about 25 % of total energy consumption and 13 % of the greenhouse gas emissions, the analysis focuses on the integration of climate change mitigation in building policies. The empirical core of the paper analyses all major EU, federal and provincial policies that aimed to green the building sector since the signing of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. After showing that these policy outputs cannot explain considerable sectoral emission reductions, we conclude that Austrian federalism did not facilitate but hinder climate change mitigation because it added a vertical dimension to an already complex horizontal integration challenge. However, since federalism can by far not explain Austria's failure to reach its Kyoto target domestically, we also conclude that it is only one of many independent variables that shape climate change mitigation. Finally, we argue that Austria is neither an environmental policy leader nor a laggard, but an opportunist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy efficiency networks have received increasing attention over the last few years, not only from national governments (Austria, China, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland) but also from utilities, consulting engineers, chambers of commerce, and city councils. This paper examines the factors that contribute to the success of such networks by drawing on unique data from two pilot projects involving 34 energy efficiency networks in Germany. The objective is to explain why the companies participating in such networks are much faster at reducing their energy costs than the average in similar businesses. Possible explanations for the success of energy efficiency networks include the following: (1) energy audits make profitable potentials visible; (2) the joint network targets for efficiency and emissions increase the motivation of energy managers, decision-makers, and other staff members; (3) the meetings and site visits of the network participants act like an intensive training course to increase the knowledge of efficient solutions, change decision routines, and lead to trust among the participants; and (4) network participation reduces transaction costs. In our data, we find support for the first, the third, and the fourth explanations, i.e. the audits make profitable potentials visible and networks function as a training course to increase knowledge. And, from the point of view of participants, transaction costs are reduced. The impact of network goals, on the other hand, appears to have both up- and downsides. We conclude that there is the need for further research in order to capture these mechanisms in more detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adolescent depression has been recognized as a complex problem that presents a global public health challenge. Left undetected and untreated, depression can significantly reduce quality of life. Objective: The main purpose of this paper is to re-visit risk and protective factors for depression in adolescents with a specific focus on exploring the individual, familial, and social contexts of depression (especially high and very high depression levels) in a multi-country sample of youth in order to see if these factors are mitigated by cultural location. Methods: Questionnaire data from a cross-sectional study of a randomly selected sample of 5149 middle-school students from four EU-countries (Austria, Germany, Slovenia, and Spain) was used. Applying variance analysis, we examined the prediction strength for the observed risk and protective factors. Results: In all participating countries we show that in for both male and female adolescents, depression is linked to a broad range of interactive individual, and social protective and risk factors, such that even if the contribution of a single factor is low but still significant and this factor's prediction strength is low or moderate, taken together, the cumulative prediction strength of these factors yields a remarkably similar coefficient of determination of 42-49% in all samples. Conclusions: We have established a significant and relevant combination of the individual and social multifactorial risk and protective factors that characterize depression in adolescents of both genders, no matter their country of location and with that, we call for a multifaceted and comprehensive approach to mental health assessment, prevention and intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Science and technology policy is often confronted with issues that are both complex and controversial and which have to be decided upon in a delicate constellation of policy-makers, experts, stakeholders, non-governmental organizations and the public. One attempt to deal with such a complex problem is via citizen involvement. Participatory technology assessment (pTA) already goes back to several decades, and countries have made various experiences. While in some countries, governments established technology assessment organizations, which also included pTA in their methodological portfolio, others primarily rely on experts to make decisions on science and technology policy. In a third group of countries non-state actors, such as social scientists, experimented with pTA. However, they were often unable to link these experiments to policy-making. This paper deals with the question of why this variation exists and compares the use of pTA in Switzerland and Austria. Despite similarities between the two countries, both had quite different experiences with pTA so far. Whereas several pTAs have been carried out in Switzerland until today, Austrian pTAs have remained infrequent. The aim of this paper is to explain this difference as a result of different ways of policy-making which affect the use and chances of pTA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of the Fachhochschul sector is regarded as the most significant success story of the last decade in Austrian higher education. This new sector was legally established in 1993 (FHStG) and started to enrol students in 1994. For the academic year 2000/01, there were 55 Fachhochschul courses offered with a further 15 already planned. The sector has about 9,000 students, and has already produced 2,600 graduates. In only a few years it has built up a high reputation amongst students, employers, and the general public. This paper looks back to the early 1990s, when the Fachhochschul policy was designed. It reconsiders some of the arguments and conflicts which at that time were stirred by this reform and its focus is on the influence which was exercised by the British polytechnics. The paper will argue that the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) served as a role model for the Fachhochschulrat (FHR), which is a cornerstone for the Austrian Fachhochschul sector and it will discuss why – against the odds – this policy transfer was successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A future-oriented spatial planning has to face the challenges of integrating ecological, social, and economic aspects of living. This is often seen as a principle to also guarantee a certain level of Quality of Life (QoL). QoL can be assessed subjectively, according to individual perceptions, and objectively, via secondary data sources. This paper is concerned with how well these two approaches may agree with one another, and in particular, enables the spatial mis-match between perceived satisfaction and objectively measured results to be identified. The case study of two fundamental QoL dimensions is examined in the city of Vienna, Austria: public transport and green space availability. Areas of general agreement discordance are mapped within a geographic information system and characteristics of residents living in places with a mis-match between satisfaction and GIS-derived measurements are assessed. Results show that while the objective and subjective measurements are largely in congruence with one another, some variations do exist, thus stressing the spatial heterogeneity in residential QoL perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to investigate how archaeological fish remains and written historical records can contribute to the reconstruction of long-term developments of fish communities along the Austrian and Hungarian Danube. Although such approaches are sensitive to various factors, the chronological subdivision and relative quantification of proxy data demonstrate environmental and faunal changes from Prehistory onwards. Intensification of fisheries, decline of large specimens and massive exploitation of small and young fish point to increasing pressure along the chronological sequence towards Early Modern times. One result of this impact was the establishment of regulations and laws to protect such fish. At the same time, the rise of aquaculture and common carp cultivation can be viewed as another upshot of human impact on the Danube's environment. Finally, the massive import of salted marine fish reflects a compensation for the undersupply caused by overexploitation of the Danube fish fauna and points to the growing demand for fish as food in late medieval and Early Modern times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the variation in the morphology and interpretation of pseudo-partitive constructions ('NUM-N-( of)-N') in the Central Bavarian dialect of Vienna, which shows a morphological distinction between ambiguous measure phrases such as two glasses of water: in the referential reading, which refers to two glasses, N takes plural morphology, whereas it is morphologically inert in the quantity reading, which refers to an amount of water. While these two readings of measure phrases in pseudo-partitives are cross-linguistically well represented, they are not always morphologically differentiated. The distribution of number marking in Viennese has syntactic (possibility of fronting out of the pseudo-partitive), semantic (availability of the referential vs. the quantity reading, predicate selection), and prosodic consequences (presence vs. absence of word stress on N). I argue that this is because in the quantity reading, N is a morphologically inert functional head μ which takes a numeral and a substance noun (N) as its arguments and counts the instances of N for a given unit of measure, while in the referential reading, the pseudo-partitive consists of two NPs. The variation in number morphology seen in these constructions can be used as a diagnostic for the microvariation and the cartography of complex NPs in Germanic pseudo-partitives, as well as for languages which do not morphologically distinguish between the two readings, like English. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzed gender-specific reporting differences in Austrian newspapers on suicidal behavior related to portrayals of and language about suicidal motives in order to shed light on cultural scripts that may both reflect and shape gender stereotypes in a country where conservative gender-role models dominate. A total of 126 Austrian print-media reports on female suicidal behavior were compared to 381 reports on male suicidal behavior. The linguistic text analysis program LIWC was used to compare the use of language indicative of emotions, assess text complexity and detect indicators of social processes in the stories. Mental illness as a motive for suicide was more prevalent in reports on women's suicidal behavior and was often portrayed in a stigmatizing manner. Consistent with Austria's prevalent conceptions of gender-role functions, stories about female suicidal behavior contained more words indicating sociability and more references to other persons, and motives for female suicide were often linked to family situations. Words indicating anger were more prevalent in articles on male behavior, and male suicidal behavior was contextualized as stemming from breakups and spousal rejection. Articles on female suicide contained more tentative wording, and the language used to portray women's suicidal behavior was more complex. These findings are consistent with a script that conforms to sociable, mentally disturbed women and angry, rejected men. This script reflects sexist cultural attitudes relevant to public education efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a technique for densification of the deflection data using least-squares remove-predict-restore technique. The available deflections of the vertical have been topographically-isostatically reduced using the Airy isostatic hypothesis. The reduced deflections have been used to interpolate deflections on a dense grid covering the data window using the least-squares remove-predict-restore technique. These gridded reduced deflections have been used to compute astrogeodetic geoids for Austria using astrogeodetic geoid determination technique introduced by Helmert with different remove-restore schemes. For the sake of comparison, an astrogeodetic geoid for Austria has been computed using the topographically-isostatically reduced deflections at the data points without densification. Computed geoids have been fitted to the GPS/levelling derived geoid. The results proved that using the least-squares remove-predict-restore technique gives densified deflections with good precision. The results also showed that densifying the deflections using the least-squares remove-predict-restore technique in the framework of the Helmert astrogeodetic profile transformation gives better geoid accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the relevance of quantitative and qualitative aspects of social networks in a health context. The study combined a stress theoretical perspective with theories of social support and social capital in order to investigate the mechanisms behind the association of social network size and self-rated health. The main research question in the study is whether social integration affects health by changing stressor appraisal (perceived stressor intensity or anticipated stressor burden). The study used a survey of an Austrian student sample (n = 246) to measure two models of hypothetical exposure to a potentially stressful event. The findings indicate that individuals with larger trust and support networks consider potential stressors to be less threatening, which leads to a reduced level of stress symptoms and a better subjective health condition. The influence of network size on stressor appraisal is fully mediated by the perceived social embeddedness that these ties induce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish assemblages in large rivers are highly diverse communities. However, a single method to describe these complex systems adequately is not available as of yet. In this paper we propose a combination of normalized catch-per-unit-effort data of three fish sampling methods, thus providing a more inclusive representation of the overall assemblage. We investigate fish species occurrence and abundance in a survey at three consecutive sites in the free-flowing main channel of the Austrian Danube east of Vienna. Using boat and wading electrofishing, as well as longline fishing we collected data in four mesohabitats at each site. We analysed richness, assemblage structure and abundance of single species and tested site and mesohabitat as differentiating forces on the fish assemblage structure, applying PERMANOVA and NMDS. The investigated sites are populated by a species-rich fish assemblage, of which we collected a total of 36 species. The composition of the assemblage was rather consistent except for the occasional occurrence of rare species. At the smaller mesohabitat scale, however, the assemblages differed considerably and hydromorphological conditions were apparently the major structuring force. Overall, the combination of methods considerably improves the assessment across sites and mesohabitats and contributes to our understanding of large river fish assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a new visualization method for human inspection of seismic data called supersonograms, which maximizes the amount of time and stations visible on screen while retaining the possibility to detect short and low-signal to noise ratio (SNR) signals. This visualization approach is integrated into a seismological software suite used in the seismic aftershock monitoring system (SAMS) of Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) on-site inspections (OSI) to detect suspicious events eventually representing aftershocks from an underground nuclear explosion (UNE). During an OSI, huge amounts of continuous waveform data accumulate from up to 50 six-channel mini-arrays covering an inspection area of 1,000 square kilometers. Sought-after events can have magnitude as low as $$\hbox{M}_{\rm L}\,{-2.0}$$ and duration of just a few seconds, which makes it particularly hard to discover them in large, noisy datasets. Therefore, the data visualization is based on nonlinearly scaled, noise-adapted spectrograms, i.e., sonograms, which help to distinguish weak signal energy from stationary background noise. Four single-trace sonograms per mini-array can be combined into supersonograms, since the array aperture is small and sonograms suppress differences of local site noise, allowing an analyst to check array-wide signal coherence quickly. In this paper, we present the supersonograms and the software on the basis of a dataset from a creeping, inhabited landslide in Austria where the same station layout is used as in an OSI. Detected signals are fracture processes in the sedimentary landslide, i.e., slidequakes, with $$\hbox{M}_{\rm L}\,{-0.5} \,\hbox{\,to}\,{-2.5}$$ between July 2009 and July 2011. These signals are comparable in magnitude and duration to expected weak UNE aftershocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the nonprofit sector from the perspective of the Austrian school of economic thought. In contrast to the traditional market failure approach, the Austrian school locates the role of the nonprofit sector in the facilitation of the spontaneous order and the utilization of local dispersed knowledge about the societal needs through a Hayekian 'discovery procedure.' Another contribution of the Austrian school is in calling attention to the 'calculation challenge' faced by the nonprofit sector, i.e., the reduced role of monetary signals as the informational basis for decision making. The calculation challenge brings up the important issue of societal feedback mechanisms operating in the nonprofit sector. It is shown that, in the nonprofit sector context, this challenge takes the form of the accountability problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A method for the determination of Sr and Pb in freshwater fish was developed. The determinations were conducted within a project on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health. The aim of this project was to get an overview of the activity concentrations of natural and artificial radionuclides in freshwater fish in different lakes in Austria. For sampling the Neusiedler See in Burgenland, two lakes in Styria the Grundlsee and the Toplitz See, and the Zeller See in Salzburg were chosen. Chub ( Leuciscus cephalus), pike ( Esox lucius), perch ( Perca fluviatilis), carp ( Cyprinus carpio), catfish ( Silurus glanis), pike-perch ( Sander lucioperca) and burbot ( Lota lota) were analysed. The samples were analysed using strontium specific extraction columns (Eichrom Industries Inc., TrisKem International) and liquid scintillation counting. In the edible parts of the fish samples (no fishbone) values of the activity concentration for Pb varied between 0.009 ± 0.003 and 0.16 ± 0.04 Bq kg and for Sr between 0.010 ± 0.002 and 0.11 ± 0.02 Bq kg. In this paper the method for the determination of Sr and Pb is described and the results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mountain observatories around the world are unique sites for monitoring and investigating variations, trends, forcings and feedbacks in the climate system, which are of utmost interest for understanding global climate change. From the small number of these research platforms, Sonnblick Observatory (Austrian Alps) stands out because of its long time series dating back to 1886 at an elevation of 3,100 m a.s.l. The paper describes the contribution of mountain observatories to climatology by the example of Sonnblick Observatory. The observatory's scientific evolution is summarised, starting from the original idea of upper air atmospheric measurements to its recent role as an atmospheric background station and interdisciplinary research site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discuses the role of physicist Hans Thirring regarding the advancements in Physics. It mentions that Thirring's research paper was the first source of the correct equations of linear gravitomagnetism. It also includes a brief biography of Hans Thirring including his birth, schooling and Doctor of philosophy degree at Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Vienna, Austria.

The present paper addresses seismic assessment of historic brick-masonry buildings located in the city of Vienna based on rapid-visual-screening (RVS). The RVS methodology has been adopted for this specific type of buildings considering their consistent typology and consequently enhancing the validity and quality of the seismic assessment. In this context, structure-relevant parameters such as regularity of the inspected building, its state of preservation and geometry are evaluated. Additionally, the human and economic impact of earthquake-induced damage on the object is integrated assessing damage relevant factors such as the number of exposed persons and the importance of the object for the public. Based on the derived score of each of these two sets of parameters the inspected building is classified into one of four vulnerability classes. Furthermore, the damage potential of a seismic event comparable with the L'Aquila 2009 earthquake is predicted correlating the results of the RVS methodology and damage grades according to EMS-98. In a large-scale in-situ investigation a set of 375 buildings within the 20th district of Vienna was seismically assessed. The resulting maps of damage scenarios give useful information for emergency and evacuation planning as well as for identification of critical objects vulnerable to seismic loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the extent to which temperature variability has increased in Austria since the late 19th century using a novel objective approach. The approach focuses on multi-day temperature episodes and isolates variability from changes in the long-term mean and seasonal variation. We define and compute three different indices of temperature variability, and find-based on 140 years of data-that temperature variability has evolved independently of mean temperature but with no long-term trend. Early 21st century's relatively raised temperature variability level is known from late 19th century's pre-greenhouse climate state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]