The Scarring Effect of the 2008 Economic Crisis: Growth and Growth Decline in Austria’s Nonprofit Social Services Sector

Since the 2008 economic crisis, social service providers worldwide have reported funding cuts, while the need for some social services has been increasing. This paper examines the combined and longer-term effects of such divergent developments on the nonprofit social services sector. The empirical analysis uses Austrian administrative data on six subfields of the sector covering the years 2003–2017. We investigate significant changes in the trends of four growth indicators applying interrupted time series analysis. We find that the 2008 economic crisis is associated with persistently lower growth rates in Austria’s nonprofit social services sector. The magnitude of this dampening effect differs across subsectors. Additionally, our findings suggest an increase in market concentration. Hence, the study discloses a long-term scarring effect of the economic crisis on Austria’s social services sector, raising doubts on the sector’s future resilience

Deceleration: Slowing Down to Determine an Accelerated Loan’s Post Dismissal Status

The autopsy report for the American Financial Crisis of 2007-2008 is lengthy, and, while examiners may disagree on the specifics, there is widespread agreement that the cause of death was a sudden and dramatic drop in the price of American houses. This precipitous drop, cataclysmic “pop,” was in part driven by the market correcting itself following years of home value appreciation. However, the effect of the correction was magnified by subprime lending practices that allowed borrowers without verified sources of income to obtain loans. Ultimately, this fallout coalesced into a dramatic increase in defaults on mortgage payments and a corresponding increase in foreclosure actions by creditors. For instance: pre-housing crisis, between the years 2000 and 2006, the national average foreclosure rate was about 0.6% or 6 out of every 1000 homes. Following the crisis, the national average foreclosure rate peaked at 3.6% or 36 out of every 1000 homes – a six-fold increase

Reannotation and consolidation of microarray probes for the meta-analysis of gene expression across multiple cell types

Recent advances in global gene expression measurement and the development of large- scale public repositories for storage of such data have made a wealth of information available to researchers. While one gene expression study may lack sufficient replicates to make statistically significant pronouncements, the combination of studies through meta-analysis can yield results with a much greater likelihood of accuracy. In order to combine multiple sets of data, one must first address the issue of cross-comparison between global gene expression platforms, as well as resolve the issue of repeated measures (multiple probes representing the same gene) within each platform. In this work, I present computational methods for probe reannotation and scoring and for redundant probe consolidation that together allow for greatly improved access to data for meta-analysis. I also present an example of the application of these methods, in the analysis of the gene expression regulated by estrogen across multiple cell types. Estrogen, a steroid hormone, interacts with its receptors to regulate gene transcription in both direct and indirect manners. Estrogen has the effect of increasing proliferation in some tissues, while inhibiting proliferation or increasing apoptosis in others. How estrogen achieves these highly divergent results remains unclear. Through meta-analysis of gene expression experiments across multiple cell types, I show that patterns of estrogen regulation in many tissues involve the same key genes and pathways, including cell cycle, p53 signaling, and TGFβ signaling pathways. However, regulation in different cell types can result from regulation of different genes, or the same genes regulated in different directions. Many patterns of gene regulation support known physiological consequences of estrogen on these tissues. In particular, genes promoting proliferation are upregulated in uterus and certain breast and ovarian cancer cell lines. One gene, thrombospondin-1, is up-regulated in eleven out of nineteen cell types and may be a key player in regulating proliferation in re- sponse to estrogen. Results in other cell types are unexpected. Most notably, neither genes promoting nor inhibiting proliferation are differentially regulated upon estrogen treatment in vascular smooth muscle cells, despite estrogen inhibiting proliferation of these cells

Reproductive Performance, Foraging Effort, and Diet of an Apex Predator, the Common Murre, at one of the Largest Nesting Colonies in the California Current System

Common Murre (Uria aalge) are the most abundant avian apex predator nesting in the California Current System (CCS) and nesting is the most energetically demanding phase of their lifecycle. The preyscape within flight distance of their nesting colony determines whether murres produce young, how hard they must work to do so, and what prey types are available to them. This study characterized the reproductive performance, foraging effort, and prey composition of murres nesting at a previously unstudied and large nesting colony in the CCS, Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge, over an 11-year period (2007 - 2017) intended to capture a representative range of prey conditions. Timing of upwelling, coincident with seasonal increase in prey, accounted for 70% of the variability in nest initiation by murres. Reproductive success averaged 61% and, even in the most successful years, murres approached their behavioral limit to increase foraging effort and obtain adequate prey; crossing this threshold resulted in chicks being left unattended and widespread nest failure in 3 study years (2007, 2016, and 2017). Smelt and rockfish dominated the diet in good years and anchovy dominated in bad years. Prey available to murres nesting at this large colony closely matched the amount of prey required for them to produce young and, based on current conditions, even small shifts causing demand to exceed availability could result in large-scale reproductive failure of murres as well as other seabirds nesting here

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN PUBLIC CHILD WELFARE: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

This systematic literature review synthesizes findings from empirical studies published between 1989 and 2016 to examine types, use, purpose and implementation of information and communication technology in public child welfare to determine if there are thematic reoccurrences in these arenas. Study results yielded information to the field of social work and public child welfare by determining themes in successful usage, purpose and implementation of information and communication technology in public child welfare to better serve those vulnerable populations. This systematic literature review contextualizes and identifies these themes across the literature. Studies included in this review were analyzed and categorized to determine reoccurring themes in information and communication technology use, purpose and implementation

Professional learning communities on phenomenon-based science pedagogy: Contrastive cases of urban elementary teachers

A majority of educators are ill-prepared to teach culturally relevant and reform-based science, especially in socioeconomically-stressed, diverse urban settings. Inadequate teacher quality has contributed to an annual inequality for historically-excluded students that has accumulated to create a long-term disparity. The purpose of this qualitative, comparative case study was to address these inequities by creating a science professional development intervention for elementary educators teaching at two socioeconomically-stressed, highly diverse urban schools. My aim was to positively influence their science teaching identities in order to improve students\u27 learning experiences. Seventeen teachers participated in the year-long professional learning community and focused on a phenomenon-based science teaching approach: Ambitious Science Teaching (AST). I interviewed, surveyed, and observed the teachers in order to see the impacts of the intervention. My research questions were (1) How does a Professional Learning Community focused on a phenomenon-based science teaching framework affect elementary educators\u27 science teaching identities –self-efficacies, beliefs, and practices? And (2) How do these influences relate to and reflect particular school contexts and teacher characteristics? I found that the elementary educators\u27 contexts influenced their experiences with the intervention and overall, their science teaching identities improved throughout their participation. The AST framework opened their eyes to the essential importance of student-centered science and deepened their concern about the district-adopted curriculum, FOSS, which they understood -- contrary to its intent and claim -- to be a constraint on their teaching

Deficits in Education Endanger Germany's Innovative Capacity

The innovative capacity of advanced industrial countries is their most important source of prosperity and growth. DIW Berlin has investigated Germany's innovative capacity for the fourth time in an international comparative survey. The survey evaluates the ability of countries to create and transform knowledge into marketable products and services (i.e., innovations) using a system of indicators that provides an overall composite indicator of innovative capacity as well as a detailed profile of strengths and weaknesses. Of the seventeen leading industrial nations investigated under the survey, Germany only ranked 8th, as it did in 2007, thus remaining in the broad middle range. Relative to its most important competitors Germany was unable to improve its position. Sweden, the US, Switzerland, Finland, and Denmark headed up the list. Germany is particularly successful in international markets for new products and services and in its ability to network key participants in the innovation process. Deficiencies in Germany's educational system and in the financing conditions for innovation and the founding of new companies remain the country's two greatest weaknesses. Prospects are dim for the considerable improvement needed in these areas.Innovation system,Composite indicator,Industrialized countries

Identifizierung während der Apoptose transkriptionell hochregulierter Gene mittels einer viralen Genfalle und Charakterisierung eines dieser Gene: Phosphatidylinositol 4-Phosphat 5-Kinase Ibeta

Zusammenfassung Für die Gewebehomöostase eines Organismus hat die Apoptose eine grundsätzliche Bedeutung. Fehlregulation des programmierten Zelltods kann entweder zu degenerativen Erkrankungen oder Neoplasien führen. Das Verständnis der dem Phänomen Apoptose zugrunde liegenden molekularen Mechanismen ist sowohl für die Erklärung der Pathogenese dieser Erkrankungen als auch für zukünftige rationale Therapieansätze von Bedeutung. Besonders bei der Entwicklung neuer pharmakologischer Substanzen, die gegen Krebs oder neurodegenerative Krankheiten eingesetzt werden können, ist die Entdeckung neuer apoptoserelevanter Gene von ausschlaggebender Relevanz. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war daher, neue Gene zu finden, deren Expression während der Apoptose induziert wird, und eines dieser Gene funktionell zu charakterisieren. Als Studiensystem wurden IL-3-abhängige Zellen (FDC P1) benutzt, da die Existenz eines schnell aktivierbaren Apoptose-Signalwegs in verschiedensten Zellen zu dem Schluss geführt hatte, dass Überlebensfaktoren diesen Signalweg reprimieren. IL-3 abhängige Zelllinien hören nicht auf zu proliferieren, wenn ihnen IL-3 entzogen wird, vielmehr durchlaufen sie Apoptose. IL-3 sichert also das Überleben der Zellen dadurch, dass apoptoseaktivierende Signal-Kaskaden reprimiert werden. Um neue Komponenten solcher regulatorischer Kaskaden ausfindig zu machen, war es nötig eine Methode zu entwickeln, die es ermöglicht, Zellen trotz eines Apoptosestimulus am Leben zu erhalten. Eine entsprechende Strategie zur Identifizierung eben solcher Gene, die schon erfolgreich bei eine Reihe anderer Fragestellungen eingesetzt worden war, beruht auf dem Einsatz von Genfallen. Aus der Kombination von Genfalleninsertion und dem Cre/loxP-Rekombinationssystem konnte letztendlich eine Methode entwickelt werden, die die Apoptoseinduktion durch IL-3 Entzug einer strikt IL-3 abhängigen Zelllinie erlaubte. Dabei wird, nach gezielter Rekombination, das Gen für den Überlebensfaktor IL-3 exprimiert. Dadurch werden die Zellen unabhängig von exogen zugeführtem Cytokin. Anders als konventionelle Genfallen-Strategien sollte der Cre/loxP-Ansatz nicht nur eine Anreicherung von Genen erlauben, die durch spezifische biologische Stimuli induziert werden, sondern auch die Identifizierung von nur transient exprimierten Genen ermöglichen. Mit Hilfe eines solchen Ansatzes konnte aus der FDC P1-Zelllinie das Gen Phosphatidylinositol 4-Phosphat 5-Kinase isoliert werden. Zur Validierung der transkriptionellen Induktion der identifizierten Gene wurden Northern-Blot Experimente durchgeführt, die zeigten, dass die Transkriptmenge nur in einem eng begrenzten Zeitfenster ansteigt und danach wieder auf das Ausgangsniveau absinkt. Somit erfüllt das gewählte Genfallensystem auch die Forderung nach der Detektion von nur vorübergehend transkriptionell aktivierten Genen. Die Ergebnisse aus den Proliferationsexperimenten mit FDC P1-Zellen zeigten, dass PIP5K in den Zellzyklus eingreift. PIP5K überexperimierende Zellen haben neben einer erhöhten Proliferationsrate (ca. 3-fach höhere Zellzahlen) auch eine verringerte Spontanapoptose (ca. 70% weniger apoptotische Zellen). In Weichagarexperimenten konnte auch eine erhöhte Stressresistenz der Zellen beobachtet werden (ca. 8-fach unter normalen Il-3 Bedingungen). Nachdem in FDC P1-Zellen nur eine moderate Expression von exogener PIP5K erzielt werden konnte, wurden stabile PIP5K-überexprimierende HeLa-Zellpopulationen isoliert. In einer systematischen, biochemischen Analyse von Zellzyklusregulatoren wurden darüber hinaus PIP5K regulierte Zellzyklusproteine identifiziert. So führte die PIP5K Überexpression zu einer Induktion von PCNA, hsMAD2 und DNA-Polymerase , und zu einer Repression von p21/Cip1/Waf1. Schließlich wurde die Rolle von PIP5K während der, durch alternative Stimuli induzierten Apoptose in HeLa-Zellen untersucht. Es zeigte sich, dass PIP5K die zytostatika- und strahleninduzierte Apoptose akzeleriert. Zusammenfassend kann gesagt werden, dass PIP5K den Apoptoseprozess, je nach Stimulus, sowohl verzögern als auch beschleunigen kann. Während PIP5K bei IL-3 Entzug anti-apoptotisch wirkt, geschieht genau das Gegenteil nach zytostatischer Behandlung. Insgesamt spiegelt dies eine subtil aufeinander abgestimmte Regulation von Zellzyklus und Apoptose wieder