Kids or courses? Gender differences in the effects of active labor market policies

We investigate active labor market programs in Austria. We find only small effects, if any, for most of the programs. However, the programs may have unintended consequences for women. In particular for younger women, a key effect of the programs and one reason for the male-female effect differential that is observed in the literature is to reduce or postpone pregnancies and to increase their attachment to the labor force. Furthermore, the variables capturing pregnancies and times of parental leave play a key role in removing selection bia

Combined Effects of Aircraft, Rail, and Road Traffic Noise on Total Noise Annoyance—A Cross-Sectional Study in Innsbruck

Noise legislation in Austria does not provide an assessment of the cumulative effect of noise from different sources. The desire of citizens for a total noise assessment is getting stronger. Within the pilot project &ldquo Gesamtl&auml rmbetrachtung&rdquo (Total Noise Investigation) Innsbruck, data from 1031 face-to-face interviews were correlated with exposure data from road, rail and air traffic noise. The interviews were selected in clusters according to the exposure combinations of these three sources. In addition to exposure-response relationships, it has also been found that the annoyance response to air and rail traffic noise is independent of the background noise from road traffic. The total noise annoyance response shows a cumulative effect in each source considered. From the source specific exposure-response relationships, a total noise assessment model based on the annoyance equivalents model was developed. This model is more suitable than the dominant source model and thus also considerable for legal application. Document type: Articl

Space Weather and Financial Systems: Findings and Outlook. An event co-organised by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, the UK Civil Contingencies Secretariat and the NOAA Space Weather Prediction Centre 27 June, 2014, London, UK

Space weather can affect both ground-based and space-borne infrastructures, potentially resulting in failures or service disruptions across the globe and causing damage to equipment and systems. With society having become increasingly reliant on the services these infrastructures provide, a more thorough analysis of the risk due to extreme space weather is warranted. Most studies on the impact of space weather on infrastructures focus on the high-voltage power grid, aviation and communication. A less well-known area of potential vulnerability is the impact of space weather on the financial services sector. Elements of this sector’s operations depend on accurate timing, a service which is increasingly provided by space based – and therefore space weather prone - technologies. The Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), for example, is commonly used for deriving time stamps for financial transactions. In order to address this topic, the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, the UK Civil Contingencies Secretariat, and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration jointly organised the “Space weather and financial services” workshop in London on 27 June 2014. The half-day workshop was attended by 50 representatives of the financial service industry, insurance, European and US government agencies, regulators, academia and the European Commission. The objectives of the workshop were to discuss the potential impact of extreme space weather on financial services, in particular through the effect on timing systems of a loss of GNSS services, and to raise the awareness of this risk in the sector. This report presents the findings of this workshop.JRC.G.5-Security technology assessmen

FACHLICHES INNOVATIONSMANAGEMENT ALS STRATEGISCHER ERFOLGSFAKTOR IN DER IT-BERATUNG UND SYSTEMINTEGRATION

Nachhaltig erfolgreiche IT-Beratungs- und Systemintegrations-Unternehmen setzen sich mit den Problemen ihrer Kunden auseinander. Ein offenes und auf Kunden ausgerichtetes Innovationsmanagement findet IT-gestützte Prozessinnovationen für fachliche Kundenprobleme. Wir haben mit unserer Aktionsforschung bei der sd&m AG vier Instrumente für ein solches fachliches Innovationsmanagement entwickelt und erprobt. Mit dieser Arbeit präsentieren wir diese Instrumente, leiten daraus für die weitere Forschung Thesen ab und reflektieren die noch offenen Fragestellungen

Continuous Krapcho Dealkoxycarbonylation in API Synthesis

A high pressure and high temperature continuous flow reactor has been used to intensify a Krapcho dealkoxycarbonylation reaction in the context of API synthesis. The reactor enables operation of the reaction above temperatures possible in batch and thus significantly increased conversion rates are achieved. Also a broader choice of solvents is possible by the use of the continuous process. Batch and continuous reaction are compared in terms of operation range and space-time-yield. Despite lower concentrations of the reactants in the continuous process, space-time-yield exceeds that of the batch process by more than an order of magnitude due to the higher reaction rates

A pan-tissue DNA methylation atlas enables in silico decomposition of human tissue methylomes at cell-type resolution

Bulk-tissue DNA methylomes represent an average over many different cell types, hampering our understanding of cell-type-specific contributions to disease development. As single-cell methylomics is not scalable to large cohorts of individuals, cost-effective computational solutions are needed, yet current methods are limited to tissues such as blood. Here we leverage the high-resolution nature of tissue-specific single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets to construct a DNA methylation atlas defined for 13 solid tissue types and 40 cell types. We comprehensively validate this atlas in independent bulk and single-nucleus DNA methylation datasets. We demonstrate that it correctly predicts the cell of origin of diverse cancer types and discovers new prognostic associations in olfactory neuroblastoma and stage 2 melanoma. In brain, the atlas predicts a neuronal origin for schizophrenia, with neuron-specific differential DNA methylation enriched for corresponding genome-wide association study risk loci. In summary, the DNA methylation atlas enables the decomposition of 13 different human tissue types at a high cellular resolution, paving the way for an improved interpretation of epigenetic data

Interdigitated aluminium and titanium sensors for assessing epithelial barrier functionality by electric cell-substrate impedance spectroscopy (ECIS)

Electric cell-substrate impedance spectroscopy (ECIS) enables non-invasive and continuous read-out of electrical parameters of living tissue. The aim of the current study was to investigate the performance of interdigitated sensors with 50 μm electrode width and 50 μm inter-electrode distance made of gold, aluminium, and titanium for monitoring the barrier properties of epithelial cells in tissue culture. At first, the measurement performance of the photolithographic fabricated sensors was characterized by defined reference electrolytes. The sensors were used to monitor the electrical properties of two adherent epithelial barrier tissue models: renal proximal tubular LLC-PK1 cells, representing a normal functional transporting epithelium, and human cervical cancer-derived HeLa cells, forming non-transporting cancerous epithelial tissue. Then, the impedance spectra obtained were analysed by numerically fitting the parameters of the two different models to the measured impedance spectrum. Aluminium sensors proved to be as sensitive and consistent in repeated online-recordings for continuous cell growth and differentiation monitoring assensors made of gold, the standard electrode material. Titanium electrodes exhibited an elevated intrinsic ohmic resistance incomparison to gold reflecting its lower electric conductivity. Analysis of impedance spectra through applying models and numerical data fitting enabled the detailed investigation of the development and properties of a functional transporting epithelial tissue using either gold or aluminium sensors. The result of the data obtained, supports the consideration of aluminium and titanium sensor materials as potential alternatives to gold sensors for advanced application of ECIS spectroscopy

Where a psychopathic personality matters at work: a cross-industry study of the relation of dark triad and psychological capital

Abstract Background The concepts of Dark Triad and Psychological Capital (PsyCap) have been extensively researched separately, but until one recent study, their interrelation has not been investigated. Purpose of this study was to uncover differences of the relationship of both concepts across work related industries. Methods In total, 2,109 German employees across 11 industries completed a questionnaire on Dark Triad (narcissism, psychopathy and Machiavellianism) and PsyCap. Multiple regression analyses were used to test the association of both concepts across industries. Results Values of narcissism, psychopathy and PsyCap generally differed between industries. No significant differences were found for Machiavellianism. While narcissism relates positively to PsyCap in all industry sectors, psychopathy only showed a negative relation to PsyCap in some sectors. For industries architecture, automotive and consulting, psychopathy did not significantly predict PsyCap. Conclusions We argue that different expectations of employees per industry make it easier or harder for different personalities to assimilate (homogeneity hypothesis) to the work context (measured by PsyCap). Future studies should investigate this further with other variables such as person-organization-fit. This study was, however, the first to simultaneously investigate Dark Triad and PsyCap among employees and their respective industry. It extends previous findings by revealing differences of both concepts across and within industry sectors. The study can help to reconsider in which industries Dark Triad personality affects PsyCap as antecedent of workplace outcomes such as work satisfaction or job performance

Placenta-specific methylation of the vitamin D 24-hydroxylase gene: implications for feedback autoregulation of active vitamin D levels at the fetomaternal interface

Plasma concentrations of biologically active vitamin D (1,25- (OH)2D) are tightly controlled via feedback regulation of renal 1-hydroxylase (CYP27B1; positive) and 24-hydroxylase (CYP24A1; catabolic) enzymes. In pregnancy, this regulation is uncoupled, and 1,25-(OH)2D levels are significantly elevated, suggesting a role in pregnancy progression. Epigenetic regulation of CYP27B1 and CYP24A1 has previously been described in cell and animal models, and despite emerging evidence for a critical role of epigenetics in placentation generally, little is known about the regulation of enzymes modulating vitamin D homeostasis at the fetomaternal interface. In this study, we investigated the methylation status of genes regulating vitamin D bioavailability and activity in the placenta. No methylation of the VDR (vitamin D receptor) and CYP27B1 genes was found in any placental tissues. In contrast, the CYP24A1 gene is methylated in human placenta, purified cytotrophoblasts, and primary and cultured chorionic villus sampling tissue. No methylation was detected in any somatic human tissue tested. Methylation was also evident in marmoset and mouse placental tissue. All three genes were hypermethylated in choriocarcinoma cell lines, highlighting the role of vitaminDderegulation in this cancer. Gene expression analysis confirmed a reduced capacity for CYP24A1 induction with promoter methylation in primary cells and in vitro reporter analysis demonstrated that promoter methylation directly down-regulates basal promoter activity and abolishes vitamin D-mediated feedback activation. This study strongly suggests that epigenetic decoupling of vitamin D feedback catabolism plays an important role in maximizing active vitamin D bioavailability at the fetomaternal interface