Potential East-West Migration

Examines the migration potential in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, & Slovakia, using 1996 survey data from 4,392 persons. Results indicate that all scenarios that predict an imminent exodus of people from East & Central Europe are exaggerating the real dimension of East-West migration. The migration potential in the four countries investigated here is between 700,000 & (potentially) 4 million persons, higher than the numbers foreseen by the law for annual immigration to Austria & the Federal Republic of Germany & higher than the numbers thought politically acceptable. Principal information concealing the demographic & social structure of the people who are willing to leave their country & planning a stay in Western Europe is given

Geschichtsbewusstsein und Identitätskonstruktionen in der Einwanderungsgesellschaft: eine empirische Analyse unter Jugendlichen in Wien

'Trotz einer bald 50-jährigen (Nachkriegs-)Geschichte als Zielland von ArbeitsmigrantInnen und Flüchtlingen ist das Verhältnis von in Österreich lebenden MigrantInnen und deren Nachkommen zur österreichischen Geschichte bisher nicht thematisiert worden. Ob ihr historisches Bewusstsein hauptsächlich vom Kontext ihres Herkunftslandes oder des Einwanderungslandes bestimmt wird, darüber wissen wir wenig. Auf Grundlage einer umfangreichen Fragebogenerhebung unter SchülerInnen in Wien wird untersucht, inwiefern sich das historische Bewusstsein von Jugendlichen mit und ohne Migrationshintergrund voneinander unterscheidet und ob bestimmte österreichische Geschichtserzählungen von Jugendlichen mit Migrationshintergrund als eigene oder fremde Geschichte wahrgenommen werden und identitätswirksam sind. Darüber hinaus wird analysiert, welche gesellschaftliche Instanz die Deutungshoheit über historische und politische Themen innehat, und es wird nach dem Verhältnis von territorialen Zugehörigkeitsgefühlen und historischem Bewusstsein gefragt.' (Autorenreferat)'Despite the fact that Austria's post war history is characterized by the immigration of labour migrants and refugees, little is known about the relation of migrants and their descendants towards Austrian history. Whether their historical consciousness is strongly affected by their home countries or can maybe defined as hybrid is more or less undebated. On the basis of a comprehensive survey among pupils in Vienna the article gives answers to the question to what extent there are differences between the historical consciousness of youth with and without migrant background. It is shown whether national Austrian narratives are perceived as foreign history by migrant youth or incorporated as part of their own historical identity. Moreover the article tries to answer the question who possesses the power of interpretation of historical and political topics and investigates the relation of territorial identities and historical consciousness.' (author's abstract)

Verkehrsreduktion durch kompakte Raumstrukturen

'Disperse (d.h. zerstreute) Siedlungsentwicklung führt zu großen Belastungen der Ressourcen und zu einer Fülle von raumstrukturell bedingten Nutzungskonflikten. Obwohl darüber sowie über deren Folgen weitgehend Einigkeit herrscht, gibt es hinsichtlich der quantitativen Kosten bisher wenig konkrete Aussagen. Eine im Frühjahr 2004 im oberösterreichischen Zentralraum durchgeführte Motivenuntersuchung zum Wohnstandortwechsel sowie die Quantifizierung der Folgekosten der mangelhaft vernetzten Raumstruktur auf Basis eines nachfrageorientierten Verkehrsmodells schließen diese Lücke. Die Ergebnisse dieser Arbeit zeigen für die gewählte Untersuchungsregion, dass durch kompakte Raumstrukturen selbst bei sehr vorsichtiger Berechnung Kosten in der Höhe von jährlich 3,4 Mio Euro eingespart werden können.' (Autorenreferat)'A disperse settlement development puts a heavy burden on resources and causes many conflicts concerning spatial structure. Though this statement is widely accepted there is hardly any evidence on the resulting quantitative impacts so far. Research on the motives of migration in central Upper Austria in spring 2004 as well as the quantification of the costs resulting from inferior spatial structure fill this gap. These costs were determined on the basis of a demand oriented traffic model. The results show that compact spatial structures that meet the principles of spatial and traffic planning could help saving an annual minimum of 3,4 Mio. Euro.' (author's abstract)

Gendered Spaces in the City: Critical Topography in Geography Education. GI_Forum|GI_Forum 2015 – Geospatial Minds for Society|

Street names in city maps may be interpreted as traces of memory practices and politics, and can clearly be identified as the products of hegemonic norms and values of a given time and place. In the following article we describe a project-oriented teaching unit for secondary school students. In the course of the project, students are instructed to research either their school or residential neighborhoods, looking at the persons and events commemorated and written into the city. These toponymic inscriptions can be analyzed by studying the naming practice of streets and squares. Which people and events are remembered and which are forgotten? Do these events and people indicate processes of social inclusion, exclusion, marginalization, and discrimination? Investigating naming practices will be the starting point for the students to develop their own naming suggestions, as well as encouraging their active engagement in further negotiation processes regarding naming practices in their towns and villages. The teaching proposal is based on the idea of a geography teaching that educates politically, and meets the requirements of a critical topography approach (VIELHABER 2012). Students will also gain experience in aspects of a critical map reading competence (GRYL 2009) and the work can also be situated within the context of critical place-name studies (ROSE-REDWOOD 2009)

Unravelling Complexities - Understanding Pubic Spaces

Unravelling Complexities - Understanding Public Space

Expression of the Melanin-Concentrating Hormone Receptor in Porcine and Human Ciliary Epithelial Cells

PURPOSE. To evaluate whether the receptors for melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) and its functional antagonist ␣-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (␣-MSH) are expressed in the ciliary epithelium. Furthermore, to examine whether MCH, a neuropeptide involved in fluid and electrolyte homeostasis, may influence ion flux mediated by Na,K (adenosine triphosphatase)-ATPase in a ciliary epithelial cell line. METHODS. Expression of MCH receptors (MCH-R) and ␣-MSH receptors (MSH-R) on primary porcine ciliary pigmented epithelial (PE) cells and on a human nonpigmented ciliary epithelial (NPE) cell line, ODM-2 was investigated by radioligand binding studies and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The MCH-R was further characterized by photocrosslinking. Influence of MCH on Na,K-ATPase activity was evaluated by an Rb ϩ transport assay. RESULTS. MCH-R expression was observed at both the mRNA and protein levels in PE and NPE cells. In contrast, MSH-Rs were not detectable. At the mRNA level, expression of slc-1 was shown and with crosslinking, a 44-kDa protein was labeled. MCH showed no effect on Na,K-ATPase activity of NPE cells. CONCLUSIONS. The presence of MCH-R in ciliary epithelial cells of both human and porcine origin but the absence of MSH-Rs indicates that in these cells, MCH and ␣-MSH do not form a functionally antagonistic hormonal pair as they do in several other systems. Although effects of MCH on intestinal water and ion transport have been documented, a direct control of Na,KATPase activity was not detected in human NPE cells in vitro. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2001;42:206 -209) M CH is a neuropeptide mainly synthesized in the hypothalamus with projections reaching most regions of the brain