Composite Leading Indicator for the Austrian Economy. Methodology and "Real-time" Performance

This paper describes the methodologies used for constructing a composite leading indicator for the Austrian economy (CLI-AT). First, a selection of those monthly indicators which overall fare best in showing a "steady" leading behaviour with respect to the Austrian business cycle was performed. The analysis was carried out by means of statistical methods out of the timeseries domain as well as from the frequency domain. Thirteen series have been finally classified as leading indicators. Among them, business and consumer survey data form the most prevalent group. Second, I construct the CLI-AT based on the de-trended, normalised and weighted leading series. For the de-trending procedure I use the HP filter and the weights have been obtained by means of principal components analysis. Further, idiosyncratic elements in the CLI-AT have been removed along with checking the endpoint-bias due to the HP filter smoothing procedure. I find that the "real-time" smoothed CLI-AT does not exhibit severe phase-shifts compared to a full-sample estimate. Next, I show that the CLI-AT provides a useful instrument for assessing the current and likely future direction in the Austrian business cycle. Over the period 1988-2008, the CLI-AT indicates cyclical turns with a "steady" lead in the majority of cases. Finally, in using an out-of-sample forecasting exercise it is shown that the CLI-AT carries important business cycle information and that its inclusion in a forecasting model can increase the projection quality of the underlying reference series

The Impact of EU-Accession on Regional Business Cycle Synchronization and Sector Specialization

According to difference-in-difference estimates business cycle synchronization and similarity in sector structures between acceding and pre-existing regions reduced after Eastern Enlargement. Results for Northern enlargement are more ambiguous. In both enlargements, however, region pairs affected by enlargement with highly synchronized business cycles before enlargement experienced smaller increases in business cycle synchronization and weaker reductions of structural differences relative to similar unaffected region pairs than region pairs with less synchronized business cycles. Similarly, affected regions that were more similar in terms of sector structure before enlargement experienced larger reductions in structural differences and business cycle synchronization than similar unaffected region pairs

The Impact of EU Accession on Regional Business Cycle Synchronisation and Sector Specialisation

According to difference-in-difference estimates business cycle synchronisation and similarity in sector structures between acceding and pre-existing regions reduced after Eastern Enlargement. Results for Northern enlargement are more ambiguous. In both enlargements, however, region pairs affected by enlargement with highly synchronised business cycles before enlargement experienced smaller increases in business cycle synchronisation and weaker reductions of structural differences relative to similar unaffected region pairs than region pairs with less synchronised business cycles. Similarly, affected regions that were more similar in terms of sector structure before enlargement experienced larger reductions in structural differences and business cycle synchronisation than similar unaffected region pairs

Business Cycle Dynamics: An empirical analysis of macro, firm-level and regional data

In this dissertation I address business cycle analysis on the macro, the firm-level, and the regional dimension. In Chapter I, following the traditional macroeconomic (i.e. aggregated) view, I focus on composite leading indicators for the Austrian economy which help in catching turning points as early as possible and in forecasting economic activity more accurately. In Chapter II, I utilise individual firm-specific data for Austrian manufacturing firms, which allow studying the (macroeconomic) consistency of business tendency survey responses and taking firm-level heterogeneity explicitly into account. Firm-level, industry- and region-specific structural characteristics permit controlling for additional microeconomic heterogeneity. Finally, in Chapter III, I examine the evolution of business cycle synchronisation and specialisation patterns between EU regions (at the NUTS-3 level), and I analyse the effect of two distinct EU-enlargement steps (i.e. Eastern enlargement in 2004 and Northern enlargement in 1995) on these measures

Italo Calvinos "Cosmicomiche" in zwei deutschen Übersetzungen

Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit Italo Calvinos Cosmicomiche und ihren beiden deutschen Übersetzungen, Kosmokomische Geschichten von Heinz Riedt und Cosmicomics von Burkhart Kroeber. Vor der Analyse dieser Texte werden die einzelnen Sammlungen der Cosmicomiche charakterisiert, die Rezeption Calvinos in Italien sowie im deutschsprachigen Raum untersucht und unterschiedliche theoretische Zugänge im Hinblick auf die folgende Übersetzungskritik besprochen. Die methodische Vorgehensweise orientiert sich am Modell zur Übersetzungkritik von Katharina Reiß und der Äquivalenztypologie von Werner Koller. Bereits durch die Analyse der Paratexte werden Übersetzungsschwierigkeiten und die Vielfalt an Interpretationsmöglichkeiten von einzelnen Wendungen spürbar. In der Gegenüberstellung von Zieltexten und Ausgangstext ist vor allem das von den Übersetzern gewählte Sprachregister auffällig: In den Cosmicomics von Burkhart Kroeber wird die humoristische Seite einzelner Erzählungen durch umgangssprachliche Wendungen und die Hinzufügung von Partikeln an mehreren Stellen verstärkt. Im Gegensatz dazu verwendet Riedt in seiner Übersetzung ein sehr gehobenes Sprachregister, das zum Teil antiquiert wirkt. Die ironisierende Sprache der Cosmicomiche, die großteils auf einem standardsprachlichen und zeitgemäßen Register anzusiedeln ist, wird somit nicht immer äquivalent wiedergegeben. Der reduzierte Stil, der die Cosmicomiche kennzeichnet, wird von den Übersetzern mehrmals aufgebrochen, wodurch die ästhetische Wirkung des Ausgangstextes deutlich verändert wird. Es ist hierzu jedoch anzumerken, dass der häufige Gebrauch von Gerundiv- und Parizipialkonstruktionen, der den konzisen Stil des Originals auf syntaktischer Ebene unterstreicht, im Deutschen kein eindeutiges Äquivalent besitzt und daher eine andere Übersetzungslösung gewählt werden muss. Sprachspiele und onomatopeische Elemente des Ausgangstextes, die oft eine unüberbrückbare sprachliche Barriere darstellen, werden in beiden deutschen Fassungen adäquat rekonstruiert. Unterschiedliche Präferenzen hinsichtlich einbürgernder und verfremdender Übersetzungsstrategien sind nur sehr eingeschränkt festzustellen

Die Surimonos des Kunstmuseums von Tscheljabinsk und ihre Verbindungen zu asiatischen Sammlungen der Eremitage in St. Petersburg und des Puschkin-Museums in Moskau

Das Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die ausführliche Bearbeitung der Surimono Sammlung aus dem Kunstmuseum in Tscheljabinsk. In der Arbeit beabsichtige ich, die Blockdrucke aus Tscheljabinsk genau zu beschreiben, die Provenienz der Surimonos festzustellen, die Texte und Beschriftungen auf den Blättern zu entziffern und zu entschlüsseln und Fragen nach dem jeweiligen Künstler, Dichter und dem Entstehungsjahr zu beantworten. Weiters möchte ich die Drucke interpretieren, sie auf Echtheit untersuchen, ähnliche Surimonos in russischen wie auch in internationalen Ukiyo-e Sammlungen finden und diese mit den Tscheljabinsker Blättern vergleichen. Schlussendlich werde ich versuchen, die Sammlung zu bewerten

Writing in Britain and Ireland, c. 400 to c. 800

No abstract available

Business Cycle Dynamics: An empirical analysis of macro, firm-level and regional data

In this dissertation I address business cycle analysis on the macro, the firm-level, and the regional dimension. In Chapter I, following the traditional macroeconomic (i.e. aggregated) view, I focus on composite leading indicators for the Austrian economy which help in catching turning points as early as possible and in forecasting economic activity more accurately. In Chapter II, I utilise individual firm-specific data for Austrian manufacturing firms, which allow studying the (macroeconomic) consistency of business tendency survey responses and taking firm-level heterogeneity explicitly into account. Firm-level, industry- and region-specific structural characteristics permit controlling for additional microeconomic heterogeneity. Finally, in Chapter III, I examine the evolution of business cycle synchronisation and specialisation patterns between EU regions (at the NUTS-3 level), and I analyse the effect of two distinct EU-enlargement steps (i.e. Eastern enlargement in 2004 and Northern enlargement in 1995) on these measures

Calculation of Delay Times for Workflows with Fixed-Date Constraints

Abstract Workflow participants are faced with the problem to select one out many work items in their worklist. The decision to execute one specific work item implicitly postpones the execution of all other items. This may lead to disproportionately increased execution durations of the associated workflows, especially if fixed-date constraints are defined on succeeding tasks. In this paper we show how to utilize a workflows control structure augmented with information about timing behavior to calculate what delay to expect when the execution of a work item is postponed to certain dates. This information can be used to assist the participant in order to increase the workflow throughput and avoid time-related escalations

Structural Characterization, Magnetic and Luminescent Properties of Praseodymium(III)‐4,4,4‐Trifluoro‐1‐(2‐Naphthyl)Butane‐1,3‐Dionato(1‐)Complexes

Four new Pr(III) mononuclear complexes of formula [Pr(ntfa)3(MeOH)2] (1), [Pr(ntfa)3(bipy)2] (2), [Pr(ntfa)3(4,4′-Mt2bipy)] (3) and [Pr(ntfa)3(5,5′-Me2bipy)] (4), where ntfa = 4,4,4-trifuoro-1-(naphthalen-2-yl)butane-1,3-dionato(1-), 5,5′-Me2bipy = 5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-dipyridine, 4,4′-Mt2bipy = 4,4′-dimethoxy-2,2′-dipyridine, have been synthesized and structurally characterized. The complexes display the coordination numbers 8 for 1, 3 and 4, and 10 for 2. Magnetic measurements of complexes 1-4 were consistent with a magnetically uncoupled Pr3+ ion in the 3H4 ground state. The solid state luminescence studies showed that the ancillary chelating bipyridyl ligands in the 2-4 complexes greatly enhance the luminescence emission in the visible and NIR regions through efficient energy transfer from the ligands to the central Pr3+ ion; behaving as "antenna" ligands