Contribution of online trading of used goods to resource efficiency : an empirical study of eBay users

This paper discusses the sustainability impact (contribution to sustainability, reduction of adverse environmental impacts) of online second-hand trading. A survey of eBay users shows that a relationship between the trading of used goods and the protection of natural resources is hardly realized. Secondly, the environmental motivation and the willingness to act in a sustainable manner differ widely between groups of consumers. Given these results from a user perspective, the paper tries to find some objective hints of online second-hand trading’s environmental impact. The greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the energy used for the trading transactions seem to be considerably lower than the emissions due to the (avoided) production of new goods. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations for second-hand trade and consumer policy. Information about the sustainability benefits of purchasing second-hand goods should be included in general consumer information, and arguments for changes in behavior should be targeted to different groups of consumers. Keywords: online marketplaces; online auctions; consumer; electronic commerce; used products; second-hand market; sustainable consumptio

Künstler- und Dichterrepräsentation in den Denkmälern der Wiener Ringstraßenzeit

Die Diplomarbeit beschäftigt sich mit Künstler- und Dichterdenkmälern der zweiten Hälfte des 19. Jh. bis ca. 1918 in Wien. Alle behandelten Denkmäler stehen in Wien direkt an der Ringstraße oder in ihrer unmittelbaren Umgebung bzw. sind mit Gebäuden und Gebieten der Ringstraße thematisch oder tatsächlich verbunden. Insgesamt werden 24 Einzeldenkmäler und mehrere Kollektivdenkmäler sowie Denkmalprogramme sowie zwei unausgeführte Denkmalprojekte vorgestellt. Der Schwerpunkt der Betrachtungen wurde vor allem auf die Erkennbarkeit der jeweiligen Profession und die Darstellung derselben Person in anderen Projekten gelegt. An den gezeigten Beispielen lassen sich die gesellschaftshistorischen Hintergründen wie auch die Veränderungen der künstlerischen Darstellungsweisen im Historismus und Jugendstil verfolgen. Ebenso kann an den Monumenten nachvollzogen werden wie im 19. Jahrhundert das Bürgertum Bedeutung erlangte, die Repräsentation des eigenen Standes und seiner Werte (hier vor allem Bildung) wichtig wurde, aber auch wie im beginnenden 20. Jahrhundert die bürgerlichen Konzepte öffentlichen Projekten der aufkommenden Großparteien weichen mussten. Meist dominierte in den Darstellungen die Repräsentation der Person selbst, was durch deutlich lesbare Namensinschriften verstärkt wurde. Seltener ging es um die Wiedergabe der Profession als Künstler und Dichter. Diese erkennt man meist nur im Zusammenhang mit den in der Umgebung befindlichen Bauwerken. So werden zum Beispiel am Künstlerhaus nur bildende Künstler, am Burgtheater nur Dichter dargestellt. Um die Jahrhundertwende kann ein deutlicher Rückgang der Monumentalität und ein Vorstoß in das Genrehafte verzeichnet werden. Die Abhandlung arbeitet älteres allgemeines Material über die Ringstraßendenkmäler auf und versucht einige bisher unbehandelte Aspekte zu beleuchten bzw. durch Vergleichsbeispiele die verfolgten Traditionen bzw. die Einzigartigkeit einiger Darstellungen aufzuzeigen. Hier ist vor allem die große Anzahl der Monumente für Landschaftmaler wie Schindler, von Schwind und von Alt zu nennen, die den genrehaften Naturalismus in Österreich für sich entdeckt haben. Die Besonderheit beider Gruppen liegt an der Masse der aufgestellten Werke, da Künstler und Dichter neben Musikern und ‚Erfindern‘ die größten Fraktionen unter den Ringstraßendenkmälern bilden.This thesis provides information about the monuments of artists and poets erected in Vienna between the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the First World War in 1918. All the monuments mentioned here are parts of the Viennese Ringstraße or the area around it. Most of them have topical connections to buildings there. All in all there are 24 monuments mentioned in the thesis, completed by a few monumentprogrammes and two not accomplished projects. The main point of the considerations is set on the question if you could recognise the profession of the person represented. The mentioned examples show socio-historical events and the changes in art historical styles like Historism and Jugendstil. They show how the bourgeoisie gained power in the 19th century and tried to represent itself and its moral values as well. Later you can see that the mass-parties took over the topic of monument setting. In most of the monuments the person itself and its representation is more important than the profession. This phenomenon is intensified through the inscriptions with the names on it. Especially the recognition of poets and artists is difficult if you don’t know them by name. You can only guess the profession in connection with the buildings in the area around. So you see artists in front of museums and poets on the facade of theatres. Around the turn of the century a decrease of monumental sculptures in public is seen. More often you can see genre scenes. In comparison with other examples this thesis tries to show new aspects of traditions and singularity of some modes of representation. Especially the great number of painters represented in genre scenes shows the singularity of the Austrian naturalism. The special thing about the monuments of artists and poets is the great number of them. Next to monuments for musicians and scientists they build one of the biggest groups of monuments in this time

Implanted Peroneal Nerve Stimulator Treatment for Drop Foot Caused by Central Nervous System Lesion:A Twelve-Month Follow-up of 21 Patients

OBJECTIVE: Drop foot is a common impairment following stroke or other causes of central pathology. We report data on patient self-perceived performance, satisfaction with performance, walking ability, and adverse effects after surgical implantation of the ActiGait(®) drop foot stimulator. DESIGN: Prospective case study with a 12-month follow-up. SUBJECTS: Twenty-one participants with drop foot caused by central nervous system lesion. METHODS: The patients’ self-perceived performance and satisfaction with performance were evaluated using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). Walking ability was assessed using a 10-m walk test and a 6-min walk. Nerve conduction of the peroneal nerve was examined in 10 patients. RESULTS: At follow-up, COPM self-percieved performance from 3.2 to 6.7 points, the median increase being 2.8 (interquartile range (IQR) 2.2–5.0), p < 0.001. Likewise, the COPM satisfaction with performance increased from 2.6 to 6.9 points, the median increase being 4.2 (IQR 2.8–5.8), p < 0.001. Walking velocity increased 0.1 m/s from a baseline measurement of 0.73 m/s (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.03–0.2), n = 21, p < 0.01, and walking distance increased by 33 m, from a baseline measurement of 236 m (95% CI 15–51), n = 21, p < 0.001. CONCLUSION: Stimulation of the peroneal nerve by an implantable stimulator increases self-perceived performance, satisfaction with performance, and ambulation in patients with long-lasting drop foot caused by a central nervous system lesion

VISION - Vienna survey in Orion. III. Young stellar objects in Orion A

38 pages, 25 figures, Accepted for publication by A&A. Reproduced with permission from Astronomy & Astrophysics. © 2018 ESOWe extend and refine the existing young stellar object (YSO) catalogs for the Orion A molecular cloud, the closest massive star-forming region to Earth. This updated catalog is driven by the large spatial coverage (18.3 deg^2, ~950 pc^2), seeing limited resolution (~0.7''), and sensitivity (Ks<19 mag) of the ESO-VISTA near-infrared survey of the Orion A cloud (VISION). Combined with archival mid- to far-infrared data, the VISTA data allow for a refined and more robust source selection. We estimate that among previously known protostars and pre-main-sequence stars with disks, source contamination levels (false positives) are at least ∼7% and ∼2.5%, respectively, mostly due to background galaxies and nebulosities. We identify 274 new YSO candidates using VISTA/Spitzer based selections within previously analyzed regions, and VISTA/WISE based selections to add sources in the surroundings, beyond previously analyzed regions. The WISE selection method recovers about 59% of the known YSOs in Orion A's low-mass star-forming part L1641, which shows what can be achieved by the all-sky WISE survey in combination with deep near-infrared data in regions without the influence of massive stars. The new catalog contains 2978 YSOs, which were classified based on the de-reddened mid-infrared spectral index into 188 protostars, 184 flat-spectrum sources, and 2606 pre-main-sequence stars with circumstellar disks. We find a statistically significant difference in the spatial distribution of the three evolutionary classes with respect to regions of high dust column-density, confirming that flat-spectrum sources are at a younger evolutionary phase compared to Class IIs, and are not a sub-sample seen at particular viewing angles.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

MCR XVII. Three Types of MCRs and the Libraries – Their Chemistry of Natural Events and Preparative Chemistry

The one-pot Multicomponent Reactions (MCRs)1 convert more than two different components into their products with at least two new chemical bonds, and the products contain all educts or at least some parts of them. Many chemical reactions have several, but not all, aspects of the MCRs. Three different basic types (I–III) and two subclasses (A and B) of MCRs can take place. Chemistry had started in the nature of our world roughly 4.6 billion years ago, including MCRs of the types I and II, forming libraries of many different products. A little later, the living cells came into existence, and their biochemical MCRs of all three types started. In their various local parts their biochemical products are selectively formed by their enzyme-assisted procedures, but many of their MCRs belong to type III. The preparative chemistry of MCRs started in the middle of the last century, when the first equilibrating but isolateable 3CR products of type IB were formed. The pre-final reactions of type I form compounds, which react further and form their final products irreversibly by MCRs of type II. The type IIA products are usually heterocycles, whereas those of type IIB are generally products of isocyanides. The U-4CR of type IIB was introduced and this led to a new preparative MCR chemistry. Their educts and intermediate products equilibrate (type IA) and undergo irreversible CII &#x2192; CIV &alpha,-additions of the isocyanides, followed by a variety of rearrangements into their final products (type IIB). In recent years, unions of higher numbers of components were introduced, forming even more diverse types of products. The MCR libraries were proposed in 1961, and since 1995 this chemistry has become an essential part of the chemical research in industrial search for new desirable products. This methodology requires much less work than all previous methods and proceeds many orders of magnitude faster

Plasma TF activity predicts cardiovascular mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Objectives and Background</p> <p>Tissue factor (TF) contributes to thrombosis following plaque disruption in acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Aim of the study was to investigate the impact of plasma TF activity on prognosis in patients with ACS.</p> <p>Methods and Results</p> <p>One-hundred seventy-four patients with unstable Angina pectoris (uAP) and 112 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were included with a mean follow up time of 3.26 years. On admission, plasma TF activity was assessed. Patients were categorized into 2 groups: a high-TF activity group with TF >24 pmol/L and low TF activity group with TF ≤ 24 pmol/L. Fifteen cardiovascular deaths occurred in the uAP group and 16 in the AMI group. In AMI TF activity was 24,9 ± 2,78 pmol/l (mean ± SEM) in survivors and 40,9 ± 7,96 pmol/l in nonsurvivors (P = 0.024). In uAP no differences were observed (25.0 ± 8.04 pmol/L nonsurvivors vs. 25.7 ± 2.14 pmol/L survivors; P = 0.586). Kaplan-Meier estimates of survival at 3.26 years regarding TF activity in AMI were 81.3% and 92.2% with an hazard ratio of 3.02 (95% CI [1.05–8.79], P = 0.03). The Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for correlates of age and risk factors showed that plasma TF activity was an independent correlate of survival (hazard ratio 9.27, 95% CI [1.24–69.12], P = 0.03). In an additional group of patients with uAP and AMI, we identified circulating microparticles as the prevailing reservoir of plasma TF activity in acute coronary syndromes.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Systemic TF activity in AMI has an unfavorable prognostic value and as a marker for dysregulated coagulation may add to predict the atherothrombotic risk.</p

MCR XVII. Three Types of MCRs and the Libraries – Their Chemistry of Natural Events and Preparative Chemistry

The one-pot Multicomponent Reactions (MCRs)1 convert more than two different components into their products with at least two new chemical bonds, and the products contain all educts or at least some parts of them. Many chemical reactions have several, but not all, aspects of the MCRs. Three different basic types (I–III) and two subclasses (A and B) of MCRs can take place. Chemistry had started in the nature of our world roughly 4.6 billion years ago, including MCRs of the types I and II, forming libraries of many different products. A little later, the living cells came into existence, and their biochemical MCRs of all three types started. In their various local parts their biochemical products are selectively formed by their enzyme-assisted procedures, but many of their MCRs belong to type III. The preparative chemistry of MCRs started in the middle of the last century, when the first equilibrating but isolateable 3CR products of type IB were formed. The pre-final reactions of type I form compounds, which react further and form their final products irreversibly by MCRs of type II. The type IIA products are usually heterocycles, whereas those of type IIB are generally products of isocyanides. The U-4CR of type IIB was introduced and this led to a new preparative MCR chemistry. Their educts and intermediate products equilibrate (type IA) and undergo irreversible CII &#x2192; CIV &alpha,-additions of the isocyanides, followed by a variety of rearrangements into their final products (type IIB). In recent years, unions of higher numbers of components were introduced, forming even more diverse types of products. The MCR libraries were proposed in 1961, and since 1995 this chemistry has become an essential part of the chemical research in industrial search for new desirable products. This methodology requires much less work than all previous methods and proceeds many orders of magnitude faster

Clinical characterization of 66 patients with congenital retinal disease due to the deep-intronic c.2991+1655A>G mutation in CEP290

Purpose: To describe the phenotypic spectrum of retinal disease caused by the c.2991+1655A>G mutation in CEP290 and to compare disease severity between homozygous and compound heterozygous patients. Methods: Medical records were reviewed for best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), age of onset, fundoscopy descriptions. Foveal outer nuclear layer (ONL) and ellipsoid zone (EZ) presence was assessed using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Differences between compound heterozygous and homozygous patients were analyzed based on visual performance and visual development. Results: A total of 66 patients were included. The majority of patients had either light perception or no light perception. In the remaining group of 14 patients, median BCVA was 20/195 Snellen (0.99 LogMAR; range 0.12-1.90) for the right eye, and 20/148 Snellen (0.87 LogMAR; range 0.22-1.90) for the left. Homozygous patients tended to be more likely to develop light perception compared to more severely affected compound heterozygous patients (P = 0.080) and are more likely to improve from no light perception to light perception (P = 0.022) before the age of 6 years. OCT data were available in 12 patients, 11 of whom had retained foveal ONL and EZ integrity up to 48 years (median 23 years) of age. Conclusions: Homozygous patients seem less severely affected compared to their compound-heterozygous peers. Improvement of visual function may occur in the early years of life, suggesting a time window for therapeutic intervention up to the approximate age of 17 years. This period may be extended by an intact foveal ONL and EZ on OCT