Zeitbanken und Tauschkreise in Österreich - Eine Bestandsaufnahme für 2015

Das mediale und öffentliche Interesse an alternativen Tauschsystemen abseits des konventionellen Geldsystems ist in den letzten Jahren merklich gestiegen. Tauschkreise und Zeitbanken, die es bereits seit Jahren in Österreich gibt, haben nun mit ihrem System der "organisierten Nachbarschaftshilfe" einen kleinen, aber fixen Platz in der "Ökonomie des Teilens" eingenommen. Obwohl viele von ihnen in regionalen, nationalen und - vereinzelt auch - internationalen Netzwerken engagiert sind, fehlt es derzeit an einer aktuellen Übersicht über die Bedeutung und Verbreitung von Zeitbanken und Tauschkreisen in Österreich. Zielsetzung: Das Ziel dieses Forschungsberichts ist es daher, einerseits einen Überblick über die Verbreitung, Größe und Funktionsweisen der Tauschkreise und Zeitbanken in Österreich zu schaffen. Dabei sollen, entsprechend der Vielfalt der unterschiedlichen Gruppen, Gemeinsamkeiten und Unterschiede identifiziert und diskutiert werden. Andererseits sollen vor allem die Herausforderungen dargestellt werden, die mit dem Aufbau und dem Am-Laufen-halten von Tauschsystemen verbunden sind. Methode: Die Erkenntnisse werden über einen mixed-methods approach generiert. Dafür werden Ergebnisse der systematischen Internetrecherche, der quantitativen Erhebung in Form einer online-Umfrage unter Tauschkreisen und Zeitbanken sowie mehrerer Telefongespräche mit KoordinatorInnen dieser Netzwerke zusammengebracht.Series: Forschungsberichte des Forschungsinstituts für Altersökonomi

Retrospective review of ocular alignment after large-angle congenital esotropia surgery

Objective: The study’s aims were to evaluate the success of bimedial rectus recession as a primary surgical procedure for patients with congenital esotropia; describe the demographic data of the study group; and compare surgical success with patient age at the time of surgery. Method: A retrospective review of 52 patients with congenital esotropia ≥ 50∆ (prism dioptres) was conducted. All patients underwent bimedial rectus recession and were followed-up postoperatively for a minimum of 6 months. Results: The study period was from January 1992 to September 2003. Fifty-two patients were included in the study group. The pre-operative angle of deviation ranged from 50∆–85∆. Patient ages ranged from 15 months to 22 years, with a mean of 5.3 years and a median of 4 years. The gender distribution was 42% male (n = 20) and 58% female (n = 28). Surgery was successful (within 10∆ of orthophoria) in 77% (n = 40), a partial success (10∆–20∆ from orthophoria) in 17% (n = 9) and a failure (> 20∆ from orthophoria) in 6% (n = 3). No statistically significant relationship was found between surgical success and patient age at the time of surgery. Conclusion: The study confirmed that bilateral medial rectus recession, performed as a primary procedure for patients with large-angle (> 50∆) congenital esotropia, has a high success rate. This finding corresponds with the outcomes of similar international studies

RNA-Seq analysis and comparison of corneal epithelium in keratoconus and myopia patients

© 2017 The Author(s). Keratoconus is a common degenerative corneal disease that can lead to significant visual morbidity, and both genetic and environmental factors have been implicated in its pathogenesis. We compared the transcriptome of keratoconus and control epithelium using RNA-Seq. Epithelial tissues were obtained prior to surgery from keratoconus and myopia control patients, undergoing collagen cross-linking and photorefractive keratectomy, respectively. We identified major differences in keratoconus linked to cell-cell communication, cell signalling and cellular metabolism. The genes associated with the Hedgehog, Wnt and Notch1 signaling pathways were down-regulated in keratoconus. We also identified plasmolipin and Notch1 as being significantly reduced in keratoconus for both gene and protein expression (p < 0.05). Plasmolipin is a novel protein identified in human corneal epithelium, and has been demonstrated to have a key role in epithelial cell differentiation in other tissues. This study shows altered gene and protein expression of these three proteins in keratoconus, and further studies are clearly warranted to confirm the functional role of these proteins in the pathogenesis of keratoconus

Author Correction: RNA-Seq analysis and comparison of corneal epithelium in keratoconus and myopia patients.

In the original version of this Article, a relevant paper on the detection of PLLP in human corneal epithelium during KC pathogenesis was not cited. This article is now cited as Ref 56 and discussed. As a result, in the Conclusion, "Notch1 and PLLP have not previously been linked to KC pathogenesis. PLLP has not been previously reported to be expressed in human corneal epithelium, although its roles in other tissues suggests it could play a critical role in normal corneal epithelial cellular activities, and interact with the Notch1 signaling pathway." now reads: "Notch1 has not previously been linked to KC pathogenesis. PLLP was reported to be upregulated in KC corneal epithelium compared to normal through proteomic analysis56. Both previous finding and our paper suggested an abnormal expression of PLLP in KC, however our study showed PLLP was down-regulated in KC. The difference can be attributed to the sample types and preparation. Myopia rather than normal corneal samples were used as control in this study. We measured and compared PLLP expression in each sample, whereas the previous study used pooled sample56 and therefore may mask the individual differences. The role of PLLP in human corneal epithelium is unclear, however findings from studies in other tissues suggest that it could be important in maintaining normal corneal epithelial cellular activities and interact with the Notch 1 signalling pathway." Subsequent references in the Article have been renumbered accordingly. The original Article has been corrected

„Nothing is real“: The Cultural Dimension of Music-Videos

The first part of the article retraces the process of „liberation of images“ from their referential function by avantgarde artists, a kind of image-production popularised by the MTV music-channel. The second part of the article analyzes the theoretical implications of this development for which the dissolution of antagonisms hitherto considered incompatible constitutes a common denominator. Opposites like pure art - commercialised art, subversive - conformist, male - female increasingly seem to become obsolete, to dissolve. Under these new conditions the distinction between high culture and popular culture becomes obsolete, but surprisingly there seems to emerge a new potential for political discourse and subversion.The first part of the article retraces the process of „liberation of images“ from their referential function by avantgarde artists, a kind of image-production popularised by the MTV music-channel. The second part of the article analyzes the theoretical implications of this development for which the dissolution of antagonisms hitherto considered incompatible constitutes a common denominator. Opposites like pure art - commercialised art, subversive - conformist, male - female increasingly seem to become obsolete, to dissolve. Under these new conditions the distinction between high culture and popular culture becomes obsolete, but surprisingly there seems to emerge a new potential for political discourse and subversion

Bar vs. Büro: der Einfluss von Job Match und Motivation auf die Arbeitszufriedenheit erwerbstätiger Studierender

Die folgende Masterarbeit befasst sich mit dem Einfluss von Job Match und Motivation auf die Arbeitszufriedenheit erwerbstätiger Studierender der Wirtschaftswissenschaften. Work-Life-Balance, Humankapital, Mitarbeiterbefragungen: In unserer Gesellschaft hat die Debatte um Arbeitszufriedenheit einen hohen Stellenwert. Und dies nicht erst seitdem bewiesen ist, dass zufriedene Mitarbeiter produktiver sind. Durch eine Onlineumfrage wird die Arbeitszufriedenheit in den unterschiedlichen Kategorien Tätigkeiten, Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten, Kollegen, direkter Vorgesetzter, Bezahlung und Gesamtsituation, sowie der subjektive Job Match, die Motivation und die finanzielle Lage von Studierenden gemessen. Es können Hinweise für einen Einfluss von Job Match auf die Zufriedenheit gefunden werden. Einzig bei der Zufriedenheit mit der Bezahlung kann dies nicht ausfindig gemacht werden, hier hat der Job Match keinen Einfluss. Ansonsten gilt: Je besser die Ausbildung und der Arbeitsplatz zusammenpassen, umso höher die Arbeitszufriedenheit. Besonders gilt dies für die Zufriedenheit mit den Tätigkeiten und Entwicklungsmöglichkeiten. Keine Belege können für den direkten Einfluss von Motivation auf die Arbeitszufriedenheit ausgemacht werden. Jedoch können über eine Mediation der Variable Job Match Hinweise für einen Einfluss belegt werden. Die finanzielle Ausgangslage der Studierenden wirkt sich dann wiederum auf den Job Match aus: Das Gefühl von Problemen mindert diesen. Die Höhe des Einkommens hat keinen Einfluss auf die Arbeitszufriedenheit. Die beiden Variablen, die einen besonders hohen Einfluss auf die Arbeitszufriedenheit haben, sind auch die, die den Job Match ausmachen. Zusammengefasst lässt sich sagen, dass es einen Unterschied in der Arbeitszufriedenheit aufgrund des Job Matches gibt, nicht jedoch direkt aufgrund der Motivation.The following Master thesis deals with the influence of job match and motivation on job satisfaction of working business administration students. Work-Life-Balance, human capital and employee surveys: In our society the debate about job satisfaction has a high status. And not just since proven that satisfied workers are more productive. Through an online survey the job satisfaction of the categories activities, development options, colleagues, supervisor, payment and general situation, as well as job match, motivation and financial situation are measured. Evidence for an impact of job match on job satisfaction could be found. Only for satisfaction with the payment this effect could not be found. In all other cases applies: The better the job match, the higher the job satisfaction. In particularly this holds for the two categories activities and development options. No proof could be found for an influence of motivation on job satisfaction. Only through a mediation analysis, with job match as the mediator, such effect of motivation can be found. The financial situation then again has an impact on job match: The feeling of problems lowers this contentment. The amount of pay does not have an influence on work satisfaction. The categories that show the strongest influence are also the ones defining the job match. Overall, evidence could be found to state that there is a difference in job satisfaction due to the subjective job match, yet no such evidence could be found directly for motivation

Bee sting of the cornea: A running case report

Bee stings that present with ocular sequelae are infrequently reported in the literature. The present report is of a retained corneal bee stinger with a delayed presentation. A review of case reports reveals a number of potential ocular complications of bee stings. The ocular sequelae and treatment options are reviewed