Symmetry-Modelling of Rare Earth Compounds with Kramers Ions: II. Erbium(III) in Various Solids

The »truncated crystal field method« which allows determination of the microsymmetry of the crystal field around Kramers . ions is applied to erbium(III) in five different host crystals. The starting data for the calculations are taken from carefully interpreted optical spectra. In the first step, crystal field narameters for various assumed test symmetries are chosen in order to give the best fit to the splitting of the ground state multiplet. Then, a truncated crystal field calculation involving only a limited number of Stark levels is performed. The microsymmetry of the earth ion in the compounds is suggested in terms of the standard deviation between the calculated and experimental Stark splittings. All the calculations including the optimization of parameters have been performed on a personal computer. Tables of crystal field parameters and standard deviations are given for the following compounds with optical data taken from the literature: Er(C2H"S04h . 9H20, Er(IIJ) :LuP04, Er(III) : : HfSi04, Er(III) :LaC13and Er(III) :Y203

Symmetry-Modelling of Rare Earth Compounds with Kramers Ions: II. Erbium(III) in Various Solids

The »truncated crystal field method« which allows determination of the microsymmetry of the crystal field around Kramers . ions is applied to erbium(III) in five different host crystals. The starting data for the calculations are taken from carefully interpreted optical spectra. In the first step, crystal field narameters for various assumed test symmetries are chosen in order to give the best fit to the splitting of the ground state multiplet. Then, a truncated crystal field calculation involving only a limited number of Stark levels is performed. The microsymmetry of the earth ion in the compounds is suggested in terms of the standard deviation between the calculated and experimental Stark splittings. All the calculations including the optimization of parameters have been performed on a personal computer. Tables of crystal field parameters and standard deviations are given for the following compounds with optical data taken from the literature: Er(C2H"S04h . 9H20, Er(IIJ) :LuP04, Er(III) : : HfSi04, Er(III) :LaC13and Er(III) :Y203

Förderung der Kommunikationsfähigkeit im sonderpädagogischen Unterricht, durch den Einsatz von Unterstützter Kommunikation an Wiener Sonderschulen

Kommunikation ist die globale Bedingung des Menschseins. Sie motiviert den Menschen, macht sein Leben reicher und begleitet ihn das Leben lang. Kommunikation ist somit für die Lebensqualität, für die Identitätsentwicklung, für Selbstbestimmungsmöglichkeiten und die Entwicklung sozialer Kontakte von immenser Bedeutung. Wie sehen jedoch diese Möglichkeiten bei Menschen mit fehlender Lautsprache oder sehr eingeschränkten lautsprachlichen Fähigkeiten aus? Um Menschen mit fehlender Lautsprache oder sehr stark eingeschränkten lautsprachlichen Fähigkeiten die oben beschriebenen Möglichkeiten und die Teilhabe am gesellschaftlichen Leben zu garantieren, bedarf es alternativer Kommunikationswege. Dies führte dazu, dass die Methode der Unterstützten Kommunikation entwickelt wurde. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich in theoretischer, wie auch empirischer Weise, daher umfassend mit der Unterstützten Kommunikation. Den Fokus legt sie jedoch ganz besonders auf die Situation von Schülern mit Beeinträchtigungen ihrer intellektuellen und ihrer motorischen Fähigkeiten, die an Wiener Sonderschulen sonderpädagogischen Unterricht erhalten, um ihre Kommunikationsfähigkeit durch den Einsatz von Unterstützter Kommunikation zu verbessern. Im Zuge des empirischen Teils wurden zum einen Interviews mit Sonderschullehrerinnen geführt und zum anderen Fragebögen an ausgewählte Sonderschulen versendet. Bei der Entwicklung des Interviewleitfadens wie auch der Fragebögen wurde das Hauptaugenmerk auf bestimmte Qualitätskriterien, die sich auf den Unterricht mit unterstützt kommunizierenden Schülern konzentrieren, gelegt. Die mittels dieser Untersuchung erhobenen relevanten Aussagen und Ergebnisse wurden gesammelt um einen aktuellen Stand des UK-Angebotes an Wiener Sonderschulen zu erhalten und um die Forschungsfrage, ob die Kommunikationsfähigkeit im sonderpädagogischen Unterricht, durch den Einsatz von Unterstützter Kommunikation an Wiener Sonderschulen gefördert wird, zu beantworten.Communication is the essence of human being. Communication is a global need of humanity. It motivates us and enriches our everyday life. Communication, identity and high life quality are interdependent and fundamental to every human’s life. Furthermore, it is essential for our self-determination and has an immense importance for the development of social relationships. The focus of this thesis is that these processes of communication cannot be applied to people with impaired speech. In order to make all the above mentioned needs of human existence possible for people with speech disabilities, it is necessary to find alternative ways of communication. Therefore, this thesis empirically and theoretically tries to show ways of supportive communicational methods for people with speech disabilities. Furthermore, the main focus of the thesis is laid on students with physical and intellectual disabilities and how their problems are dealt with supportive communication systems in Viennese schools for mentally and physically disabled children. The situation of young pupils with these impairments in the above mentioned schools is therefore the main and most important focus of this work. Accordingly, I tried to analyse the quality of communication with these students in a series of interviews and how supportive communication does work in their everyday life at school. Following this, the interviews were lead to present the state-of-the-art data of supportive communication in schools for mentally and physically disabled children. This work thereby displays a summary of the communicative possibilities of the above given schools and their opportunities of supportive communication

The roles of English for hospitality purposes in the hotel business of South Tyrol

Diese Diplomarbeit trägt zur Konzeptualisierung und Beschreibung von English als Lingua Franca (ELF) in der Peripherie der Englisch sprechenden Welt bei. Die mehrsprachige Europäische Grenzprovinz Bolzano-Bozen, Südtirol (Italien) stellt dafür ein faszinierendes Forschungsfeld dar. Durch die Anwendung von sprachwissenschaftlicher ELF-Theorie wird die Verwendung des Englischen in einer besonderen wirtschaftlichen Domäne, dem Hotelgewerbe Südtirols, beleuchtet. Da dieser Sektor in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten parallel zur Englischen Sprache an Wichtigkeit gewonnen hat, ist es notwendig geworden die Rollen und Funktionen von ELF zum Zwecke der Gastfreundschaft zu untersuchen. Die theoretische Grundlage zur Unterscheidung von ELF-Manifestationen im Hotelgewerbe wurde durch die Aufarbeitung verschiedener Herangehensweisen zum Sprachgebrauch erreicht. Eine prototypische Annäherung an die Verwendung von Englisch als Lingua Franca (Smit 2010), basierend auf Wengers (1998) Konzept der 'community of practice' sowie dem Prinzip der kundenorientierten Sprachwahl (Bäck 2009), bildet ein geeignetes Modell für ELF in Hotels. Die Spärlichkeit an bisherigen empirischen Studien in diesem Bereich führte zur Wahl eines explorativen Forschungsansatzes: qualitative Interviews mit Hotelmanagern und Hotelmanagerinnen sowie mit Experten aus der Tourismusindustrie und der Wirtschaftsforschung. Die Resultate der Studie zeigen, dass die Mehrheit der Südtiroler Hotels noch keinen ökonomisch bedeutenden Anteil an Englisch sprechenden Gästen bewirten. Durch das kommunikative Design der Englischen Version der Hotel- Webseite demonstrieren sie dennoch mehrheitlich Offenheit gegenüber den Herkunftsmärkten von ELF-Verwendern. Des Weiteren ist Englisch nur für jenen Teil der Hotelbelegschaft wichtig, der in direktem Kontakt mit dem Gast steht. Anhand der Beurteilung der Englischkenntnisse dieser Gruppe lässt sich ein Generationswechsel beobachten. Von den jüngeren Arbeitskräften wird erwartet, dass sie über trilinguale Sprachkenntnisse in Deutsch, Italienisch und Englisch verfügen. Die Erweiterung des lokalen Englischunterrichtes wird, wie die weltweite Ausbreitung des Englischen im Allgemeinen, ausdrücklich gutgeheißen. Abhängend von der Marktentwicklung könnten Sprachtests bei Vorstellungsgesprächen in Form eines Gesprächs üblicher werden. Die Bereitschaft von Managern in die Englisch-Sprachkompetenz der Mitarbeiter zu investieren könnte nach demselben Kriterium steigen. Die Zukunft der Verwendung des Englischen in der Südtiroler Gastronomie hängt von mindestens drei Variablen ab: der Zielsetzung bzw. dem Erfolg von Marketingmaßnahmen, der individuellen Mobilität von potentiellen Gästen und der Erreichbarkeit der Provinz.This paper contributes to the conceptualization and description of English used as a lingua franca at the periphery of the English speaking world. The multilingual European border Province of Bolzano-Bozen, South Tyrol (Italy), offers an intriguing subject for this cause. The paper applies linguistic theory on English as a lingua franca (ELF) to a particular economic domain, the hotel business. Since the sector’s impact has been increasing in recent decades alongside the use of English it has become necessary to investigate the roles and functions of ELF for hospitality purposes. The theoretical basis to categorize manifestations of ELF in the hotel business is achieved by a review of several approaches to language use. A prototypical strategy to classify ELF use (Smit 2010), based on Wenger’s (1998) ‘community of practice’ concept in combination with the principle of customer oriented code choice (Bäck 2009), constitutes a suitable model for the use of English in hotels. The scarcity of previous empirical work in this field determined the methodological choice of conducting qualitative interviews with hotel managers and superordinate experts in the tourism industry. The study’s results indicate that the majority of South Tyrolean hotels do not yet accommodate an economically significant share of English speaking guests but demonstrate openness towards ELF markets by the communicative design of their English website version. Further, English is only relevant for staff who are directly involved with the guests. Concerning the staff’s English language competence a generational shift is apparently taking place. The younger workforce is expected to be trilingual in German, Italian and English. The interviewees embrace the worldwide spread of English and the extension of local English language teaching. Depending on the market development conversational English testing in job interviews may become more common and the management’s disposition to invest in the staff’s English proficiency may increase. The future of English use is contingent on at least three variables: the aim and success of marketing efforts, individual mobility of potential guests and the province’s accessibility

High cardiorespiratory fitness is more beneficial in pre-diabetic men than women

OBJECTIVES: To investigate gender-specific relationships between cardiorespiratory fitness and factors that predict the development of diabetes and to identify the risk factors that predict fasting plasma glucose and 2-hour plasma glucose levels. INTRODUCTION: Different risk factors (e.g., low cardiorespiratory fitness) may cause elevated plasma glucose levels in men compared to women. Therefore, gender-specific analyses are needed. METHODS: Cardiorespiratory fitness (maximal power output achieved during a standard cycle ergometry test), resting blood pressure, total serum cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels were measured in 32 pre-diabetic men (mean age: 57.2 + 6.8 years; mean body mass index (BMI): 28.5 + 3.0 kg/m²) and 40 pre-diabetic women (mean age: 55.0 + 7.3 years, mean BMI: 30.4+5.7 kg/m²). A stepwise regression with backward variable selection was performed to construct models that predict 2-hour and fasting plasma glucose levels. RESULTS: Maximal power output was inversely related to the 2-hour plasma glucose level in the entire group (r= -0.237, p<0.05), but this relationship was significant only for males (r= -0.404, p<0.05). No significant correlation was found between female gender and cardiorespiratory fitness. Age and cardiorespiratory fitness were significant predictors of 2-hour plasma glucose levels in men. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol was predictive of 2-hour plasma glucose levels in women. Triglycerides in women and BMI in men were the only predictors of fasting plasma glucose levels. CONCLUSIONS: These findings may have consequences for the development of gender-specific diabetes prevention programs. Whereas increasing cardiorespiratory fitness should be a key goal for men, improving the lipid profile seems to be more beneficial for women. However, the present results do not negate the positive effects of increasing cardiorespiratory fitness in women

Effect of a 25 ingredient sport drink on exercise performance and muscle oxygen extraction: a randomized controlled cross-over trial

Many sport drinks contain a mixture of potential ergogenic substances. Recently, a new sport drink with 25 different ingredients was introduced to the market. Various athletes reported beneficial performance effects from the supplement, though without scientific evidence. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the sport drink on exercise performance. Nine sport students performed 3 test sessions including a cycle exercise tests to exhaustion, a leg strength test and a jump test. Each session was separated by 1 week. The first session was performed as a familiarization trial. In a random order, half of the participants performed the second session after consumption of the multi ingredient sport drink (MISD intake of 40g, 24 and 1h before each test) and half after placebo ingestion (same amount). During test session 3 the conditions were reversed (cross-over setting). Near infrared spectroscopy analyses were performed on the vastus lateralis during the MISD and placebo cycling test. The sport drink compared to placebo, improved maximal power output (7 watts, 95% CI 1.1-13.4), increased maximal lactate concentration (2.5 mmol/l, 95% CI 1.6-3.4), and power output at the individual threshold (Dmax) (6.1 watts, 95% CI 1.9-10.3). Power output at the 4 mmol/l threshold was reduced (9.0 watts, 95% CI -17.4 to -0.6) during the MISD trial. Additionally, the sport drink led to a steeper tissue oxygenation index decrease (TOI, slope: -0.0182±0.0084 vs. -0.0256±0.0073, p<0.005) during the test. Leg strength and jump ability was not affected by the supplement. The sport drink slightly increased power output during an incremental exercise test. Due to the broad range of substances in the supplement and their different effects, the factors involved in the performance enhancement are speculative. Data show that factors other than muscle oxygen extraction (represented by TOI) are involved in the improved maximal power output

Monitoring body temperature during moderate intensity exercise and inactive recovery in the cold: a pilot study

Exposure to cold ambient conditions during outdoor recreation can lead to significant heat loss. It is unknown how fast body temperature decreases or how fast a person could become hypothermic in cold temperatures. We present a series of pilot tests involving moderate intensity exercise and inactive recovery in the cold to monitor how body temperature changes with exposure to -10°C. The primary aim of this pilot study was to test the feasibility of the proposed protocol with the intention to design a main study. The primary questions were: (i) to what degree does body temperature increase or decrease with this protocol, (ii) whether epitympanic temperature is a suitable measure of core temperature using a recently developed, non-invasive device and (iii) if participants are able to tolerate the cold during inactive recovery. This pilot series included seven participants. After an acclimatization phase (15 minutes), participants exercised at 60% peak heart rate (20 minutes) followed by a seated, inactive recovery phase (15 minutes) in the cold. The mean ambient conditions were -10.0±0.4°C and 66.1±8.6% relative humidity and no wind. The primary findings based on the feasibility criteria were that body temperature increased while exercising at an intensity of 60% HRpeak and decreased during inactive recovery by -0.3±0.1°C (epitympanic temperature). Secondly, the agreement between epitympanic and esophageal temperature (mean difference 0.2°C, 95% confidence interval -0.5 to 0.0, p=0.095) was better than in previous studies. Finally, all participants were able to tolerate the cold and complete the study despite thermal discomfort and shivering in the recovery phase. This protocol was successful in showing small changes in body temperature during exercise and recovery in the cold, though some modifications to the current protocol are recommended to elicit a larger effect size

An evaluation of prevention initiatives by 53 National Anti-Doping Organizations: Achievements and Limitations

Background One main purpose of the World Anti-Doping Agency is to harmonize anti-doping efforts, including the provision of anti-doping education. A multifaceted approach to doping prevention can play a key role in preventing intentional and unintentional doping. This article aims to systematically record and evaluate doping prevention approaches in the form of information and education activities of national anti-doping organizations (NADOs) and assess the extent to which a multifaceted doping prevention approach has been realized. Methods Data on anti-doping information and education activities of 53 NADOs were collected via a survey and an online search of the NADOs’ websites. Prevention activities were classified into knowledge focused, affective focused, social skills, life skills, and ethics and values based. The implementation of the prevention activities was assessed by 4 independent raters using a modified visual analogue scale. Results In total, 59% of the NADOs (n = 38) returned the survey and 70% (n = 45) had information available online. The data were combined for the visual analogue scale assessment. Overall, 58% of the NADOs (n = 37) reported offering activities including elements of all 5 approaches. Results of the raters’ assessments indicated that the knowledge-focused approach was best implemented; the implementation of the other 4 approaches was largely unsatisfactory. The most common barriers to implementing doping prevention programs reported by the NADOs were lack of resources (n = 26) and difficulties in collaborating with sports organizations (n = 8). Conclusion Results show a discrepancy between NADOs’ self-report data and the implementation assessment. Even though the NADOs indicated otherwise, most of their education-based approaches did not address aspects of the visual analogue scale (e.g., resisting peer pressure) and only a few programs were ongoing. Possible explanations might be found in the reported barriers (e.g., financial). Concrete guidelines defining multifaceted, values-based education, and best practice examples should be developed to indicate how to include all 5 approaches in prevention

Towards the chemical control of molecular packing: syntheses and crystal structures of three trans-[NiL4(NCS)2] complexes

Three nickel(II) isothiocyanato complexes of the formula trans-[NiL4(NCS)2] (L = ethylisonicotinate, methylisonicotinate and 4-benzoylpyridine) have been prepared: [Ni(ethylisonicotinate) 4(NCS)2] (I), [Ni(methylisonicotinate)4(NCS)2] (II) and [Ni(4-benzoylpyridine)4(NCS)2] (III). All three complexes are monomeric and have a distorted octahedral geometry around NiII. Despite their apparent molecular similarity, the crystal density of (III) (1.454 g cm 3) is significantly higher than that of (I) and (II) (both 1.408 g cm 3), suggesting that the molecular packing is most efficient in (III). A study of the molecular Hirshfeld surfaces, together with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, provide insights into the origin of the molecular packing features, and it is suggested that the greater crystal density of (III) results from smaller intermolecular electrostatic repulsions