Verknüpfung und Pflege von Geschäftskontakten in Österreich – Ungarn : ein Leitfaden

Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, kulturelle, gesellschaftliche und wirtschaftliche Unterschiede zwischen Österreich und Ungarn zu erkennen, aufzuarbeiten und zu dokumentieren. Diese Erkenntnisse fließen in einen Leitfaden ein. Mit Hilfe des erstellten Handbuchs soll die Verknüpfung und Pflege von Geschäftskontakten zwischen Österreich und Ungarn erleichtert werden

Chancen und Risiken österreichischer Neoexporteure in Brasilien

Ziel der Arbeit ist die Ermittlung von Chancen und Risiken österreichischer Neoexporteure in Brasilien. Es werden allgemeine und die für österreichische Neoexporteure bestehenden Aspekte untersucht. Unabhängig von der Branche und der Größe des Unternehmens. Die Chancen und Risikenund die daraus resultierenden Erfolge oder Misserfolge hängen sehrstark von den Gegebenheiten des Landes ab

5-Point programme for sustainable plant protection

Abstract This position paper intends to stimulate a profound rethinking of contemporary agricultural practice. We criticise the current intensity of chemical plant protection in Germany as ecologically unsustainable and thus threatening the achievement of key targets of environmental protection and nature conservation policies. In the first part of the paper, we provide background information on the use of plant protection products (PPP) in German agriculture, the role of agricultural policy, European pesticide legislation, the principles of and framework for environmental risk assessment and risk management of PPP, as well as environmental effects of PPP. The second part is presented against the backdrop of the European “Sustainable Use Directive” (2009/128/EC). This directive requires that “Member States shall adopt National Action Plans to set up their quantitative objectives, targets, measures, and timetables to reduce risks and impacts of pesticide use on human health and the environment and to encourage the development and introduction of integrated pest management and of alternative approaches or techniques to reduce dependency on the use of pesticides.” Reflecting on the corresponding debate in Germany, we suggest the following five key principles for a sustainable use of PPP and provide recommendations for their implementation: (1) minimising use; (2) identifying, quantifying, and communicating risks; (3) optimising risk management; (4) compensating for unavoidable effects; (5) internalising external costs

In vitro cell compatibility and antibacterial activity of microencapsulated doxycycline designed for improved localised therapy of septic arthritis

ISSN:0305-7453ISSN:1460-209

Scientific guidance on soil phototransformation products in groundwater – consideration, parameterisation and simulation in the exposure assessment of plant protection products

Abstract This Guidance Document gives recommendations how to consider transformation products from soil photolysis (‘phototransformation products’) when modelling the predicted environmental concentrations in groundwater. It describes possible parameterisations of the photolytic pathway (i.e. the photolytic half‐life and the corresponding reference irradiation) in a tiered approach using the FOCUS‐PELMO model. Following the recommendations of the EFSA guidance (2014), separate half‐lives can be derived for the surface processes (kfast) and the biodegradation in the soil matrix (kslow) from field dissipation studies by using biphasic models. From field dissipation studies evaluated with biphasic kinetics, the kfast value can be considered representative for the photolytic degradation on soil surface for non‐volatile substances. This value should be determined after a time‐step normalisation according to irradiance data for the location and period of the field trial, to a reference irradiance of 100 W m−2. In case irradiance values are not available in the study, these values can be derived from databases such as AGRI4CAST or NASA, freely available in the Internet

Tick-Borne Encephalitis Specific Lymphocyte Response after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Predicts Humoral Immunity after Vaccination

The aim of this prospective study was to assess lymphocyte proliferative and cytokine response prior to and following tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) immunization among patients after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Seventeen adult patients 11–13 months after HSCT and eight unvaccinated healthy adults received up to three TBE vaccinations. Following in vitro stimulation with TBE-antigen, lymphocyte proliferation and cytokine secretion (IL-2, IL-10, IL-13, TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, GM-CSF) were analyzed by thymidine incorporation assay and the Luminex system. Ten patients (59%) showed significant baseline TBE-specific lymphocyte proliferation (stimulation index (SI) > 3) prior to vaccination, but none of the unvaccinated controls (p = 0.002). All patients with a TBE-specific antibody response after two vaccinations (at least 2-fold increase of neutralization test titers) exhibited a strong TBE-specific lymphocyte proliferative response at baseline (SI > 10). Patients with sibling donors had a significantly stronger baseline TBE-specific lymphocyte proliferative and IL-13 cytokine response than patients with unrelated donors (p < 0.05). In conclusion, a relevant proportion of patients showed TBE-specific lymphocyte proliferative and cytokine responses prior to vaccination after HSCT, which predicted the humoral response to the vaccine. Patients with vaccinated sibling donors were more likely to elicit a cellular immune response than patients with unrelated donors of unknown vaccination status

Climate Scenarios for Switzerland CH2018 – Approach and Implications

To make sound decisions in the face of climate change, government agencies, policymakers and private stakeholders require suitable climate information on local to regional scales. In Switzerland, the development of climate change scenarios is strongly linked to the climate adaptation strategy of the Confederation. The current climate scenarios for Switzerland CH2018 - released in form of six user-oriented products - were the result of an intensive collaboration between academia and administration under the umbrella of the National Centre for Climate Services (NCCS), accounting for user needs and stakeholder dialogues from the beginning. A rigorous scientific concept ensured consistency throughout the various analysis steps of the EURO-CORDEX projections and a common procedure on how to extract robust results and deal with associated uncertainties. The main results show that Switzerland’s climate will face dry summers, heavy precipitation, more hot days and snow-scarce winters. Approximately half of these changes could be alleviated by mid-century through strong global mitigation efforts. A comprehensive communication concept ensured that the results were rolled out and distilled in specific user-oriented communication measures to increase their uptake and to make them actionable. A narrative approach with four fictitious persons was used to communicate the key messages to the general public. Three years after the release, the climate scenarios have proven to be an indispensable information basis for users in climate adaptation and for downstream applications. Potential for extensions and updates has been identified since then and will shape the concept and planning of the next scenario generation in Switzerland

Human skin dendritic cell fate is differentially regulated by the monocyte identity factor Kruppel-like factor 4 during steady state and inflammation.

BACKGROUND Langerhans cell (LC) networks play key roles in immunity and tolerance at body surfaces. LCs are established prenatally and can be replenished from blood monocytes. Unlike skin-resident dermal DCs (dDCs)/interstitial-type DCs and inflammatory dendritic epidermal cells appearing in dermatitis/eczema lesions, LCs lack key monocyte-affiliated markers. Inversely, LCs express various epithelial genes critical for their long-term peripheral tissue residency. OBJECTIVE Dendritic cells (DCs) are functionally involved in inflammatory diseases; however, the mechanisms remained poorly understood. METHODS In vitro differentiation models of human DCs, gene profiling, gene transduction, and immunohistology were used to identify molecules involved in DC subset specification. RESULTS Here we identified the monocyte/macrophage lineage identity transcription factor Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) to be inhibited during LC differentiation from human blood monocytes. Conversely, KLF4 is maintained or induced during dermal DC and monocyte-derived dendritic cell/inflammatory dendritic epidermal cell differentiation. We showed that in monocytic cells KLF4 has to be repressed to allow their differentiation into LCs. Moreover, respective KLF4 levels in DC subsets positively correlate with proinflammatory characteristics. We identified epithelial Notch signaling to repress KLF4 in monocytes undergoing LC commitment. Loss of KLF4 in monocytes transcriptionally derepresses Runt-related transcription factor 3 in response to TGF-β1, thereby allowing LC differentiation marked by a low cytokine expression profile. CONCLUSION Monocyte differentiation into LCs depends on activation of Notch signaling and the concomitant loss of KLF4