Qualification Structure, Over- and Underqualification of the Foreign Born in Austria and the EU

This project focuses on comparing the qualification structure of migrants residing in Austria as well as their over- and underqualification rates to other EU countries. The skill structure of foreign born residing in Austria has improved slightly in the last years. Austria is, however, characterised by a high share of medium skilled migrants and a low share of highly skilled migrants. In addition among the pool of migrants in the EU from a given country, Austria generally selects the less qualified. The location decisions of highly skilled migrants are mostly governed by income opportunities, labour market conditions, ethnic networks and a common official language. Over- and under-qualification rates among the foreign born in Austria largely accord with the European average, the largest part of the differences can be explained by differences in qualification and country structure between the foreign born in Austria and the EU. Native-foreign born differentials in employment rates are, however, significantly higher in Austria than in other EU countries.Migration, Migration Policy, Migrant Skill Structure, Integration

Energy use efficiency of organic and agroforestry farming systems

Im Versuchsbetrieb Scheyern (Süddeutschland) wurde in Feldexperimenten die Energienutzungseffizienz (EUE) ökologischer Anbausysteme analysiert. Die EUE wurde für verschiedene Systemebenen - die Fruchtarten, die Fruchtfolge sowie Agroforstsysteme (AFS) bestimmt. Die Agroforstsysteme bestehen aus Baumreihen mit schnellwachsenden Gehölzen zur energetischen Nutzung sowie einer Fruchtfolge zur Nahrungserzeugung. Die EUE entspricht dem Verhältnis von Energieoutput zum Energieinput. Der Energieinput umfasst den Einsatz fossiler Energie, der Energieoutput den Brennwert der Ernteprodukte. Die EUE von Weizen wird stark von der Vorfrucht beeinflusst; sie beträgt nach Kartoffeln 10,1, nach Luzerne-Kleegras 19,5, im AFS 9,7 (nach Kartoffeln) und 18,8 (nach Luzerne-Kleegras).Die Energienutzungseffizienz der Fruchtfolge beträgt 10,3, die des Agroforstsystems 12,8

IL-13R alpha 2 reverses the effects of IL-13 and IL-4 on bronchial reactivity and acetylcholine-induced Ca2+ signaling

Background: The interleukins IL-4 and IL-13 play a key role in the pathophysiology of asthma. The interleukin receptor IL-13R alpha 2 is believed to act as a decoy receptor, but until now, the functional significance of IL-13R alpha 2 remains vague. Methods: Bronchial reactivity was quantified in murine lung slices by digital video microscopy and acetylcholine (ACH)-induced Ca2+ signaling was measured in human airway smooth muscle cells (ASMC) using fluorescence microscopy. Results: IL-4 or IL-13 up to 50 ng/ml induced bronchial hyperreactivity. But after incubation with 100 ng/ml this effect was lost and bronchial responsiveness was again comparable to the control level. The effects of IL-4 and IL-13 on bronchial reactivity were paralleled by the effects on ASMC proliferation. Fifty nanograms per milliliter of IL-4 and IL-13 increased the Ca2+ response of human ASMC to ACH. At 100 ng/ml, however, the effects of the cytokines on the Ca2+ response were no longer evident. The expression of IL-13R alpha 2 increased with increasing concentrations of IL-4 or IL-13, reaching its maximum at 100 ng/ml. Blocking IL-13R alpha 2, the loss of the effect of IL-4 and IL-13 at 100 ng/ml on human ASMC proliferation and the ACH-induced Ca2+ response were no longer present. Conclusions: IL-4 and IL-13 induce bronchial hyperreactivity by changing the Ca2+ homeostasis of ASMC. These effects are counteracted by IL-13R alpha 2. The biological significance of IL-13R alpha 2 might be a protective function by regulating IL-13- and IL-4-mediated signal transduction and thereby limiting pathological alterations in Th2-mediated inflammatory diseases. Copyright (c) 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel

Mechanisms altering airway smooth muscle cell Ca(2+) homeostasis in two asthma models

Background: Asthma is characterized by airway remodeling, altered mucus production and airway smooth muscle cell (ASMC) contraction causing extensive airway narrowing. In particular, alterations of ASMC contractility seem to be of crucial importance. The elevation of the cytoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration is a key event leading to ASMC contraction and changes in the agonist- induced Ca(2+) increase in ASMC have been reported in asthma. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate mechanisms underlying these changes. Methods: Murine tracheal smooth muscle cells (MTSMC) from T- bet KO mice and human bronchial smooth muscle cells (HBSMC) incubated with IL-13 and IL-4 served as asthma models. Acetylcholine- induced changes in the cytoplasmic Ca(2+) concentration were recorded using fluorescence microscopy and the expression of Ca(2+) homeostasis regulating proteins was investigated with Western blot analysis. Results: Acetylcholine- induced Ca(2+) transients were elevated in both asthma models. This correlated with an increased Ca(2+) content of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). In MTSMC from T-bet KO mice, the expression of the SR Ca(2+) buffers calreticulin and calsequestrin was higher compared to wild- type mice. In HBSMC incubated with IL-13 or IL-4, the expression of ryanodine receptors, inositol-3-phosphate receptors and sarcoplasmic/ endoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ ATPases 2 was increased compared to HBSMC without incubation with interleukins. The enlarged acetylcholine- induced Ca(2+) transients could be reversed by blocking inositol-3- phosphate receptors. Conclusions: We conclude that in the murine asthma model the SR Ca(2+) buffer capacity is increased, while in the human asthma model the expression of SR Ca(2+) channels is altered. The investigation of the Ca(2+) homeostasis of ASMC has the potential to provide new therapeutical options in asthma. Copyright (C) 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel

Agency as a Mechanism of Change in Psychotherapy

Study 1: Therapeutic Agency Inventory: Development and Psychometric Validation of a Patient Self-Report Objectives: Therapeutic agency is defined as a patient’s intentional influence over the process of psychotherapeutic change. However, there is a lack of conceptually sound self-report measure with adequate psychometric properties. The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate the patient-rated Therapeutic Agency Inventory (TAI). Method: Based on the literature, we developed items related to therapeutic agency and investigated their psychometric properties in a naturalistic study with a sample of 334 psychotherapy participants. We assessed changes in TAI scores in a subsample of 58 patients over the course of inpatient psychotherapy and related TAI scores to therapeutic improvement. Results: The TAI consists of 15 items. We performed exploratory factor analyses, and the following three factors were extracted: in-session activity, therapy-related processing, and therapist-oriented passivity. Internal consistency was .84 for the total score and ranged between .73 and .80 for each of the factors. The TAI was significantly associated with other psychotherapy process factors, self-efficacy expectations, control beliefs, lower overall psychological distress, and lower depression scores. Changes in agency during psychotherapy predicted therapy outcome, even after controlling for baseline distress. Conclusions: The TAI is a reliable, valid, and change-sensitive self-report instrument that can be used to assess agency in psychotherapy. Study 2: Therapeutic Agency, In-Session Behavior, and Patient-Therapist Interaction Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate associations between patients’ subjective agency, their observable in-session behavior, and the patient-therapist interaction during the early phase of psychotherapy. Method: The sample included 52 depressed patients in psychodynamic psychotherapy. After session 5, the patients’ agency and the quality of the therapeutic alliance were assessed. Based on session recordings, two independent observers rated the patients’ involvement, their interpersonal behavior, and the therapists’ directiveness. Results: Higher agency was associated with stronger therapeutic alliances. Patients who indicated higher agency in their therapy participated more actively in the session and showed less hostile impact messages. Patients’ agency was not related to therapists’ directiveness. Conclusions: Patients’ sense of agency in psychotherapy was associated with more active involvement and affiliative interaction. The findings support the idea that patients need to feel capable of acting within and having influence on their therapy in order to benefit from it. Study 3: Agency and Alliance as Mechanisms of Change in Psychotherapy Objective: This study examined the reciprocal effects between changes in therapeutic agency, working alliance, and symptoms during psychotherapy. We aimed to predict symptom improvement by previous changes in either agency or alliance. In addition, we examined whether alliance development was predicted by previous changes in agency. Method: A sample of 386 patients in psychodynamic outpatient psychotherapy answered the Therapeutic Agency Inventory, the Working Alliance Inventory-SR, and the Symptom Checklist-K11 after sessions 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20. Dynamic panel models were estimated using structural equation modelling. Associations were tested while controlling for autoregressive effects and differentiating within-person changes over time from between-person differences. Results: Increases in agency predicted subsequent symptom improvement. Similarly, increases in alliance predicted subsequent symptom improvement. For agency and alliance, we found reciprocal effects over time. Conclusions: Findings show evidence for agency and alliance as mechanisms of change in psychodynamic psychotherapy. The study supports the importance of both agency and alliance and further suggests that both mechanisms may need to be balanced in successful psychotherapies

Machine Learning for Staggered Difference-in-Differences and Dynamic Treatment Effect Heterogeneity

We combine two recently proposed nonparametric difference-in-differences methods, extending them to enable the examination of treatment effect heterogeneity in the staggered adoption setting using machine learning. The proposed method, machine learning difference-in-differences (MLDID), allows for estimation of time-varying conditional average treatment effects on the treated, which can be used to conduct detailed inference on drivers of treatment effect heterogeneity. We perform simulations to evaluate the performance of MLDID and find that it accurately identifies the true predictors of treatment effect heterogeneity. We then use MLDID to evaluate the heterogeneous impacts of Brazil's Family Health Program on infant mortality, and find those in poverty and urban locations experienced the impact of the policy more quickly than other subgroups

Presentations from the session "Global Organic Market Overview" at the BioFach Congress 2013

At this session, papers were presented by Markus Arbenz, International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) Germany Dr. Helga Willer, FiBL - Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau Switzerland Matthew Holmes, Canada Organic Trade Association Canada Michael Baker, Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA) Australia Ming Liu, IPD - Instituto de Promoção do Desenvolvimento - Organics Brasil Brazi

Presentations from the session "How sustainable are fairtrade and organic?" at the BioFach Congress 2013

At this session, papers were presented by Dr. sc. ETH Salvador Garibay, FiBL - Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau, - Switzerland Hanna Stolz, FiBL - Forschungsinstitut für biologischen Landbau, Switzerland Cesare Zanasi, University of Bologna, Ital

Presentations from the session "The revised EU import scheme: ensuring organic integrity?!" at the BioFach Congress 2013

At this session, papers were presented by David Gould, IFOAM Christina Gerstgrasser, EU Commission Sergyi Galashevsky, Organic Standard Jim Pierce, Oregon Tilth Jochen Neuendorff, GfRS Beate Huber, FiB

The World of Organic Agriculture, Statistics and Emerging Trends 2019 at BIOFACH 2019

The latest data on organic agriculture world-wide, regulations, and organic markets were presented and the 20th edition of The World of Organic Agriculture - Statistics and Emerging Trends 2019" the yearbook on global organic agriculture was launched at this session