Austrian Partners in Joint Ventures With Companies from CMEA Countries: Problems Today

International research institutes involved in comparative global studies are not normally involved in the education of students or their respective studies. However, this study on joint ventures between Austrian enterprises and companies from CMEA countries was undertaken by students of the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration with the assistance of IIASA scientists. This exceptional example proves that such cooperation can be most successful and mutually beneficial. Cooperation can be summarized in that IIASA would provide methodological guidance, data, literature and organize a series of lectures on East-West cooperation with special emphasis on joint ventures. These lectures were given by experts from CMEA countries and Austria; each lecture being followed by a discussion not only on joint ventures but also on economic reform in CMEA countries and national business practice. Simultaneously, hypotheses, questionnaires and plans for interviews were developed jointly. The main objective of the study was to look at the problems that Western partners meet in the process of negotiating and operating joint ventures with Eastern companies. The study consisted of two parts: first, theoretical -- elaboration of methodology, basic concepts and hypothesis; and second, empirical -- revealing specific problems of joint venture creation and operation from the Austrian partner's viewpoint. This sample of managers from 20 companies represents half of the Austrian partners involved in joint ventures at the end of 1988. Normally joint ventures begin their activities within one year from the date of registration and stabilize after two to three years. Austria ranked second among the countries establishing joint ventures; ranked by the number of joint ventures created and by the share of joint venture contracts with CMEA among all contracts of industrial cooperation of the country -- 33.3%. The findings in this Working Paper do not always meet the assumptions; but this is a sign that joint ventures have used opportunities in some areas and found ways to overcome difficulties. Other important and promising issues which resulted from the study are: (1) Recognition and mutual understanding of two different systems and business environments was observed and considered vital by both East and West; (2) Willingness to cooperate and achieve synergy effects by Austrian partners and their readiness to share their experience and enter into another joint venture; (3) The lack of some goods and raw materials in CMEA countries combined with longer delivery times and the monopolistic position of suppliers on the domestic market, etc., turned out to be the main problems. (4) It can be generally stated that joint ventures are a good means of managerial know-how transfer. However, difficulties in managing East-West joint ventures can be found in two main areas: new methods and techniques (EDP and telecommunication) and in the functional area of personnel management. Although the management of joint venturers is not a particular problem. (5) The importance of a new type of "cooperation" management emerged from the study. It can be stated that based on the subjective views of the businessmen interviewed, the results are not far removed from other national research studies. Obviously the specific features of the countries play an important role but do not drastically change the shape of the problems. Criticism of the study can also be made. Some of the hypothesis and elaborated assumptions are not based on real data and facts from CMEA countries. The short period of study did not permit an extensive research of literature on and from CMEA countries. In addition, the number of managers who did not answer some questions was high thereby offering different subjective interpretations. However, the approach and the structure of this research could, in the future, serve as a constantly repeating check-up on East-Austrian economic ventures and their development. This study was the first of its kind carried out at IIASA and in the field. Even considering that only 20 out of 40 companies were studied, the results can be regarded as a barometer of Austrian partnership in ventures with CMEA countries

Kinematic discrimination of ataxia in horses is facilitated by blindfolding

BACKGROUND: Agreement among experienced clinicians is poor when assessing the presence and severity of ataxia, especially when signs are mild. Consequently, objective gait measurements might be beneficial for assessment of horses with neurological diseases. OBJECTIVES: To assess diagnostic criteria using motion capture to measure variability in spatial gait-characteristics and swing duration derived from ataxic and non-ataxic horses, and to assess if variability increases with blindfolding. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional. METHODS: A total of 21 horses underwent measurements in a gait laboratory and live neurological grading by multiple raters. In the gait laboratory, the horses were made to walk across a runway surrounded by a 12-camera motion capture system with a sample frequency of 240 Hz. They were made to walk normally and with a blindfold in at least three trials each. Displacements of reflective markers on head, fetlock, hoof, fourth lumbar vertebra, tuber coxae and sacrum derived from three to four consecutive strides were processed and descriptive statistics, receiver operator characteristics (ROC) to determine the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC), and correlation between median ataxia grade and gait parameters were determined. RESULTS: For horses with a median ataxia grade ≥2, coefficient of variation for the location of maximum vertical displacement of pelvic and thoracic distal limbs generated good diagnostic yield. The hoofs of the thoracic limbs yielded an AUC of 0.81 with 64% sensitivity and 90% specificity. Blindfolding exacerbated the variation for ataxic horses compared to non-ataxic horses with the hoof marker having an AUC of 0.89 with 82% sensitivity and 90% specificity. MAIN LIMITATIONS: The low number of consecutive strides per horse obtained with motion capture could decrease diagnostic utility. CONCLUSIONS: Motion capture can objectively aid the assessment of horses with ataxia. Furthermore, blindfolding increases variation in distal pelvic limb kinematics making it a useful clinical tool

A Look to the Future: New and Innovative Invasive Wildlife Management and Eradication Technologies

Certain wildlife tools and discoveries have been true “game changers” for invasive species management and eradications on islands. This article provides an overview of 3 cutting-edge technologies that are being eagerly pursued, but are not yet operational, for invasive wildlife management to build efficiency, reduce environmental impacts, and/or improve animal welfare practices

Bistatic LIDAR experiment proposed for the shuttle/tethered satellite system missions

A new experiment concept has been proposed for the shuttle/tethered satellite system missions, which can provide high resolution, global density mappings of certain ionospheric species. The technique utilizes bistatic LIDAR to take advantage of the unique dual platform configuration offered by these missions. A tuned, shuttle-based laser is used to excite a column of the atmosphere adjacent to the tethered satellite, while triangulating photometic detectors on the satellite are employed to measure the fluorescence from sections of the column. The fluorescent intensity at the detectors is increased about six decades over both ground-based and monostatic shuttle-based LIDAR sounding of the same region. In addition, the orbital motion of the Shuttle provides for quasi-global mapping unattainable with ground-based observations. Since this technique provides such vastly improved resolution on a synoptic scale, many important middle atmospheric studies, heretofore untenable, may soon be addressed

Environmental Contaminant Concentrations in Canada Goose (\u3ci\u3eBranta canadensis\u3c/i\u3e) Muscle: Probabilistic Risk Assessment for Human Consumers

The issue of food insecurity affects millions of people in the United States every year. Often these people rely on soup kitchens, food banks, and shelters for proper meals, and these organizations often depend on donations to meet needs. One of the most limited food resources is meat. To help alleviate this problem, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services donates more than 60 tons of wild game (deer, moose, feral hogs, goats, geese, and ducks) to a variety of charitable organizations each year. Although commercially produced meat routinely undergoes screening for contaminants, potential exposure to environmental contaminants from eating wild game is not well characterized. In this study, the concentration of 17 contaminants of concern in the breast meat of wild geese was examined. These concentrations were then used in a probabilistic model to estimate potential risk associated with consumption of this meat. Based on model predictions, more than 99% of all adults were below exposure limits for all of the compounds tested. For all consumer age classes modeled, consumption of wild goose meat may expose a small fraction of these populations to levels of lead higher than the recommended exposure limits. Similarly, mercury exposure was predicted to be higher than the recommended limits when the meat was served as steaks. This information about concentrations of contaminants of concern in goose meat and potential exposures associated with meat consumption based on probabilistic models will enable others to make informed decisions about the risks associated with the consumption of wild meat

Environmental Contaminant Concentrations in Canada Goose (\u3ci\u3eBranta canadensis\u3c/i\u3e) Muscle: Probabilistic Risk Assessment for Human Consumers

The issue of food insecurity affects millions of people in the United States every year. Often these people rely on soup kitchens, food banks, and shelters for proper meals, and these organizations often depend on donations to meet needs. One of the most limited food resources is meat. To help alleviate this problem, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services donates more than 60 tons of wild game (deer, moose, feral hogs, goats, geese, and ducks) to a variety of charitable organizations each year. Although commercially produced meat routinely undergoes screening for contaminants, potential exposure to environmental contaminants from eating wild game is not well characterized. In this study, the concentration of 17 contaminants of concern in the breast meat of wild geese was examined. These concentrations were then used in a probabilistic model to estimate potential risk associated with consumption of this meat. Based on model predictions, more than 99% of all adults were below exposure limits for all of the compounds tested. For all consumer age classes modeled, consumption of wild goose meat may expose a small fraction of these populations to levels of lead higher than the recommended exposure limits. Similarly, mercury exposure was predicted to be higher than the recommended limits when the meat was served as steaks. This information about concentrations of contaminants of concern in goose meat and potential exposures associated with meat consumption based on probabilistic models will enable others to make informed decisions about the risks associated with the consumption of wild meat

Disorder-enhanced phase coherence in trapped bosons on optical lattices

The consequences of disorder on interacting bosons trapped in optical lattices are investigated by quantum Monte Carlo simulations. At small to moderate strengths of potential disorder a unique effect is observed: if there is a Mott plateau at the center of the trap in the clean limit, phase coherence {\it increases} as a result of disorder. The localization effects due to correlation and disorder compete against each other, resulting in a partial delocalization of the particles in the Mott region, which in turn leads to increased phase coherence. In the absence of a Mott plateau, this effect is absent. A detailed analysis of the uniform system without a trap shows that the disordered states participate in a Bose glass phase.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Comparative Toxicity of Diphacinone to Northern Bobwhite (\u3ci\u3eColinus virginianus\u3c/i\u3e) and American Kestrels (\u3ci\u3eFalco sparverius\u3c/i\u3e)

The acute oral toxicity of the anticoagulant rodenticide diphacinone was found to be about 20 times greater to American kestrels (LD50=97 mg/kg) than to northern bobwhite (LD50=2,014 mg/kg). Several precise and sensitive clotting assays (prothrombin time, Russell’s Viper venom time, thrombin clotting time) were adapted for use in these species, and this combination of assays is recommended to detect effects of diphacinone and other rodenticides on coagulation. Oral administration of diphacinone over a range of doses (sublethal to the extrapolated LD15) prolonged prothrombin time and Russell’s Viper venom time within 24 to 48 hrs post-exposure. Prolongation of in vitro clotting time reflects impaired coagulation complex activity and was detected before or at the onset of overt signs of toxicity and lethality. These data will assist in the development of a pharmacodynamic model to assess and predict rodenticide toxicity to non-target avian species