186 research outputs found
ADDICTIVE POTENTIAL OF ONLINE-GAMBLING. A PREVALENCE STUDY FROM AUSTRIA
There are hints, that online-gambling has a higher addictive potential than offline-gambling. In this study prevalence and
sociodemographic distribution of online- vs. offline-gambling in Austria are gathered and possible relations discussed. Problematic
gambling-behavior was assessed via Lie-and-Bet questionnaire from Johnson. The results indicate a tendency of younger gamblers
and particularly problematic gamblers towards online-gambling. Considering the substantial addictive potential of online-gambling
and hints of a future trend away from offline- towards online-gambling, preventive measures like public restrictions for online
providers and awareness campaigns for consumers about the dangers of online-gambling offers are reasonable
Powers of sets in free groups
We prove that |A^n| > c_n |A|^{[\frac{n+1}{2}]} for any finite subset A of a
free group if A contains at least two noncommuting elements, where c_n>0 are
constants not depending on A. Simple examples show that the order of these
estimates are the best possible for each n>0.Comment: 3 page
PRO MENTE OBERÖSTERREICH – INCLUSION INSTEAD OF EXCLUSION
pro mente OĂ– is one of the biggest organisations offering psycho-social care and treatment. It is a crucial part of the
differentiated system of social psychiatric services in Austria. First, the article describes the organization pro mente OĂ–, its history
and services. Then, a selection of framework conditions of social psychiatric supply is presented. In this respect some existing
strengths and weaknesses of the Austrian psycho-social supply system are discussed
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Detailed Fluid Inclusion and Stable Isotope Analysis on Deep Carbonates from the North Alpine Foreland Basin to Constrain Paleofluid Evolution
The recent interest on environmentally friendly energy resources has increased the economic interest on the Upper Jurassic carbonate rocks in the North Alpine Foreland Basin, which serves as a hydrogeothermal reservoir. An economic reservoir use by geothermal fluid extraction and injection requires a decent understanding of porosity–permeability evolution of the deep laying Upper Jurassic strata at depths greater than 2000 m. The analysis of paleofluids caught in cements of the rock mass helps to determine the postdepositional reservoir evolution and fluid migration. Therefore, the high- and low-permeability areas of the Upper Jurassic in the North Alpine Foreland Basin referred to as Molasse Basin were analyzed by means of encountered postdepositional cements to determine the reservoir evolution. The cements were sampled at different hydrocarbon and geothermal wells, as well as at outcrops in the Franconian and Swabian Alb. To determine the composition and temperature of the paleofluids, fluid inclusions and cements of the Upper Jurassic carbonate rocks were analyzed by microthermometry and stable isotope measurements. Since drill cuttings are a rather available sample material compared to drill cores, a new microthermometry measurement method was achieved for the around 1 mm drill cuttings. Salinity and formation temperature of paleofluids in fluid inclusions and isotope data are consistent with previous studies and reveal a 5-stage evolution: the main cementation phases are composed of (I) the early diagenesis in limestones (200-400 m, 40-50°C), (II) early diagenetic dolomitization, and (III) burial dolomitization (1-2 km, II: 40-90°C; III: 70-100°C; 40 g/L NaCl equiv.), and (IV) late burial calcification (IIIa: 110-140°C, IIIb: 140-200°C) linked to tectonic features in the Molasse Basin. In the outcrop samples, a subsequent (V) cementation phase was determined controlled by karstification. In the southwest, an increase in salinity of the fluid inclusions in vein calcites, above the salinity of the Jurassic seawater, highlights the influence of basin fluids (diagenetic, evaporitic). In the other eastern wells, vein calcites have precipitated from a low saline fluid of around 10-20 g/L NaCl equiv. The low salinity and the isotope values support the theory of a continuous influence of descending meteoric fluids. Consequently, the Upper Jurassic seawater has been diluted by a meteoric fluid to a low saline fluid (<1 g/L), especially in areas with high permeability. Here, we show how a better understanding of cementation trajectory at depth can help to generate a better understanding of geothermal usability in deep carbonate reservoirs
Tailoring electrostatic surface potential and adsorption capacity of porous ceramics by silica-assisted sintering
In this study, we apply silica-assisted sintering to develop porous yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) ceramics with tailored electrostatic surface potential and adsorption capacity as a promising alternative to chemical functionalization. The porous bodies were formed by partial sintering at 1050 °C and were investigated regarding the influence of admixtures of silica particles on sintering behavior, microstructural evolution and the resulting mechanical and surface properties of the material, particularly the surface potential. With increasing silica concentration, the sintering mechanism was gradually changed from solid state to liquid phase sintering, due to the wetting of YSZ by liquid silica and a resulting inhibition of mass transport, particle growth and diffusion-induced densification. Most importantly, due to the silica layer development, the isoelectric point (IEP) of the YSZ/silica material surfaces was systematically shifted towards the IEP of silica from pH 9.4 to 1.2 resulting in a more pronounced negative surface potential at neutral pH. The relationship between surface IEP and silica concentration was mathematically described using the IEPs of the starting materials, the YSZ particle radius and the glass layer thickness. This estimation allows us to tailor the surface coverage of the YSZ matrix with silica as well as the resulting electrostatic surface potential. We further demonstrate how the applied processing route can be effectively used to develop ceramics with specified adsorption capacities for protein immobilization for use in filtration, bioprocessing or biomaterial applications. © 202
A three-field phase-field model for mixed-mode fracture in rock based on experimental determination of the mode II fracture toughness
In this contribution, a novel framework for simulating mixed-mode failure in
rock is presented. Based on a hybrid phase-field model for mixed-mode fracture,
separate phase-field variables are introduced for tensile (mode I) and shear
(mode II) fracture. The resulting three-field problem features separate length
scale parameters for mode I and mode II cracks. In contrast to the classic
two-field mixed-mode approaches it can thus account for different tensile and
shear strength of rock. The two phase-field equations are implicitly coupled
through the degradation of the material in the elastic equation, and the three
fields are solved using a staggered iteration scheme. For its validation, the
three-field model is calibrated for two types of rock, Solnhofen Limestone and
Pfraundorfer Dolostone. To this end, double-edge notched Brazilian disk (DNBD)
tests are performed to determine the mode II fracture toughness. The numerical
results demonstrate that the proposed phase-field model is able to reproduce
the different crack patterns observed in the DNBD tests. A final example of a
uniaxial compression test on a rare drill core demonstrates, that the proposed
model is able to capture complex, 3D mixed-mode crack patterns when calibrated
with the correct mode I and mode II fracture toughness
Post-failure evolution analysis of a rainfall-triggered landslide by multi-temporal interferometry SAR approaches integrated with geotechnical analysis
Persistent Scatterers Interferometry (PSI) represents one of the most powerful techniques for Earth's surface deformation processes' monitoring, especially for long-term evolution phenomena. In this work, a dataset of 34 TerraSAR-X StripMap images (October 2013–October 2014) has been processed by two PSI techniques - Coherent Pixel Technique-Temporal Sublook Coherence (CPT-TSC) and Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) - in order to study the evolution of a slow-moving landslide which occurred on February 23, 2012 in the Papanice hamlet (Crotone municipality, southern Italy) and induced by a significant rainfall event (185 mm in three days). The mass movement caused structural damage (buildings' collapse), and destruction of utility lines (gas, water and electricity) and roads. The results showed analogous displacement rates (30–40 mm/yr along the Line of Sight – LOS-of the satellite) with respect to the pre-failure phase (2008–2010) analyzed in previous works. Both approaches allowed detect the landslide-affected area, however the higher density of targets identified by means of CPT-TSC enabled to analyze in detail the slope behavior in order to design possible mitigation interventions. For this aim, a slope stability analysis has been carried out, considering the comparison between groundwater oscillations and time-series of displacement. Hence, the crucial role of the interaction between rainfall and groundwater level has been inferred for the landslide triggering. In conclusion, we showed that the integration of geotechnical and remote sensing approaches can be seen as the best practice to support stakeholders to design remedial works.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft
Silver nanoparticle-doped zirconia capillaries for enhanced bacterial filtration
Membrane clogging and biofilm formation are the most serious problems during water filtration. Silver nanoparticle (Agnano) coatings on filtration membranes can prevent bacterial adhesion and the initiation of biofilm formation. In this study, Agnano are immobilized via direct reduction on porous zirconia capillary membranes to generate a nanocomposite material combining the advantages of ceramics being chemically, thermally and mechanically stable with nanosilver, an efficient broadband bactericide for water decontamination. The filtration of bacterial suspensions of the fecal contaminant Escherichia coli reveals highly efficient bacterial retention capacities of the capillaries of 8 log reduction values, fulfilling the requirements on safe drinking water according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Maximum bacterial loading capacities of the capillary membranes are determined to be 3 × 109 bacterial cells/750 mm2 capillary surface until back flushing is recommendable. The immobilized Agnano remain accessible and exhibit strong bactericidal properties by killing retained bacteria up to maximum bacterial loads of 6 × 108 bacterial cells/750 mm2 capillary surface and the regenerated membranes regain filtration efficiencies of 95–100%. Silver release is moderate as only 0.8% of the initial silver loading is leached during a three-day filtration experiment leading to average silver contaminant levels of 100 μg/L
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