GIS-Based modelling of spatial pattern of snow cover duration in an alpine area
The data collection contains 171 root samples, where the root mass, the root length and the root depth are given. Furthermore, the database contains the main environmental parameters that influence rooting (climate, land use, soil,... more
The data collection contains 171 root samples, where the root mass, the root length and the root depth are given. Furthermore, the database contains the main environmental parameters that influence rooting (climate, land use, soil, vegetation composition). The rooting data are provided separately for three root categories: (1) very fine roots (diameter between 0 - 1 mm), (2) fine roots (diameter between 1 - 5 mm), and (3) coarse roots (diameter between 5 - 20 mm). Roots of woody species with a diameter larger than 20 mm were not considered, as the distribution and diameter of coarse roots (especially trees) in the soil vary greatly spatially. The rooting samples were taken between 1994 and 2017 in the most widespread vegetation communities and land-use types in 13 Alpine study sites along a north-south transect from Tyrol (Austria) via South Tyrol to Trentino (both in Italy). 15 samples were taken from arable land, 56 samples from intensively used hay meadows, 15 samples from extens...
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Fish are some of the most threatened vertebrates in the world due to their often-sensitive response to environmental changes. Major land-use changes in the European Alps have direct and indirect impacts on fish communities, and these... more
Fish are some of the most threatened vertebrates in the world due to their often-sensitive response to environmental changes. Major land-use changes in the European Alps have direct and indirect impacts on fish communities, and these impacts are expected to increase in the future. Therefore, the identification of factors that are associated with the distribution of fish communities is of great importance to develop guidelines for management, precautions and sustainable use of running waters. In this study, the relationship of various factors - landscape structure and land use, topography, morphology, hydrology, physical and chemical water characteristics, hormonally active substances, pesticides, food availability, fisheries and piscivores birds - with fish assemblages are analysed. Field data from 81 stream sections from 2001 metres above sea level (m.a.s.l.) down to 219 m.a.s.l. are used in the study. The results reveal that the number of fish species has a strong association with topographic characteristics in the catchment area as well as with landscape configuration. Fish abundance and biomass are associated mostly with land-use type, hydrology, morphology as well as topography. In addition, there are indirect connections between fish abundance and biomass through land-use type, topography, water properties and hydromorphology. The results clearly indicate that not a single factor, but a multitude of factors are associated with the fish communities in the Eastern European Alps.
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Converting waste to resource may mitigate environmental pollution and global resource limitation. The platform chemical lactic acid can be produced from biowaste and its liquid fraction after solid-liquid separation. A fermentation step... more
Converting waste to resource may mitigate environmental pollution and global resource limitation. The platform chemical lactic acid can be produced from biowaste and its liquid fraction after solid-liquid separation. A fermentation step for lactic acid production prior to the conversion of biowaste to methane and organic fertilizer would increase the biowaste's value. Despite the huge potential and promising results of the treatment procedure, the reasons for efficiency loss observed previously need to be addressed in order to pave the way for an up-scaling of the fermentation process. Therefore, biowaste was fermented applying pH control, acid extraction and glucose addition in order to counteract reasons such as acidification, end-product inhibition and carbon limitation, respectively. The fermentation was competitive compared to other renewable lactic acid production substrates and reached a maximum productivity of >5gClactic acidg(-1)Ch(-1) and a concentration exceeding 30gL(-1). A combination of acidification and end-product inhibition was identified as major obstacle. Lactobacillus crispatus and its closest relatives were identified as key lactic acid producers within the process using Miseq Illumina sequencing.
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Supplementary Files: A Physical and Behavioral Barrier for Enhancing Fish Downstream Migration at Hydropower Dams: The Flexible FishProtector
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Fish protection at hydropower plants is important for the sustainability of hosting ecosystems and the acceptance of hydropower. On their way downstream, fish are exposed to hydropower plants and various related negative effects, ranging... more
Fish protection at hydropower plants is important for the sustainability of hosting ecosystems and the acceptance of hydropower. On their way downstream, fish are exposed to hydropower plants and various related negative effects, ranging from a delay in downstream movement to being injured or killed by a turbine. Understanding the behavior of fish in close proximity to protection devices is essential in order to establish efficient fish protection facilities. In this study, physical (horizontal steel cables) and behavioral barriers (electric field) for fish protection were developed (Flexible FishProtector) and their effectiveness was investigated. The behavior of brown trout (Salmo trutta fario), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), grayling (Thymallus thymallus) and chub (Squalius cephalus) at the Flexible FishProtector was analyzed using video evaluation. The experimental setup was a non-scaled section model of a runoff river power plant. The used electric field induced a flight ...
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The alpine life zone is expected to undergo major changes with ongoing climate change. While an increase of plant species richness on mountain summits has generally been found, competitive displacement may result in the long term. Here,... more
The alpine life zone is expected to undergo major changes with ongoing climate change. While an increase of plant species richness on mountain summits has generally been found, competitive displacement may result in the long term. Here, we explore how species richness and surface cover types (vascular plants, litter, bare ground, scree and rock) changed over time on different bedrocks on summits of the European Alps. We focus on how species richness and turnover (new and lost species) depended on the density of existing vegetation, namely vascular plant cover. We analyzed permanent plots (1 m × 1 m) in each cardinal direction on 24 summits (24 × 4 × 4), with always four summits distributed along elevation gradients in each of six regions (three siliceous, three calcareous) across the European Alps. Mean summer temperatures derived from downscaled climate data increased synchronously over the past 30 years in all six regions. During the investigated 14 years, vascular plant cover dec...
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ObjectiveTo investigate whether κ-free light chain (κ-FLC) index predicts multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity independent of demographics, clinical characteristics, and MRI findings.MethodsPatients with early MS who had CSF and serum... more
ObjectiveTo investigate whether κ-free light chain (κ-FLC) index predicts multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity independent of demographics, clinical characteristics, and MRI findings.MethodsPatients with early MS who had CSF and serum sampling at disease onset were followed for 4 years. At baseline, age, sex, type of symptoms, corticosteroid treatment, and number of T2 hyperintense (T2L) and contrast-enhancing T1 lesions (CELs) on MRI were determined. During follow-up, the occurrence of a second clinical attack and start of disease-modifying therapy (DMT) were registered. κ-FLCs were measured by nephelometry, and κ-FLC index calculated as [CSF κ-FLC/serum κ-FLC]/albumin quotient.ResultsA total of 88 patients at a mean age of 33 ± 10 years and female predominance of 68% were included; 38 (43%) patients experienced a second clinical attack during follow-up. In multivariate Cox regression analysis adjusting for age, sex, T2L, CEL, disease and follow-up duration, administration of c...
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Research Interests: Performance, Neural Networks, Image Classification, Seasonality, Discriminant Analysis, and 15 moreLandscapes, Land Cover, Maximum Likelihood, Classification, Land Use, Focus, Performances, Accuracy, Precision, Land Cover Mapping, Artificial Neural Network, Classification Accuracy, Land Use Land Cover, Maximum Likelihood classification, and Foyer
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Social capital is widely regarded to constitute an important indicator for the economic performance of a society. This paper analyzes the impact of various socio-demographic characteristics on social capital. Proxy variables for social... more
Social capital is widely regarded to constitute an important indicator for the economic performance of a society. This paper analyzes the impact of various socio-demographic characteristics on social capital. Proxy variables for social capital are obtained from a comprehensive principal components analysis exercise using survey data from the British Household Panel Survey (BHPS). The BHPS provides information on social and economic change at the individual and household levels in Britain and the UK with an annual survey of ca. 10,000 individuals from ca. 5,000 households. Based on the 13th wave of this database, we investigate the impact of exogenous qualities, individually acquired characteristics, and of the social environment using a spatial auto-regression framework. The results show that the formation of social capital can be modeled to a very high degree of statistical accuracy. The structural effect from the households contributes substantially to the social capital level of ...
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Plant rooting strongly affects most hydrological, biogeochemical and ecological processes in terrestrial ecosystems, as it presents the main pathway for carbon, water and nutrient transfer from soil to the atmosphere and is a key factor... more
Plant rooting strongly affects most hydrological, biogeochemical and ecological processes in terrestrial ecosystems, as it presents the main pathway for carbon, water and nutrient transfer from soil to the atmosphere and is a key factor in stabilizing the soil layer. Few studies have actually investigated the link between phytosociological and structural vegetation composition and diversity in soil rooting parameters. Our study provides a comprehensive evaluation of plant cover and diversity effects on rooting parameters dependent on different land-use types along a north–south transect in the Eastern Alps. We conducted field studies of root biomass, rooting density and rooting depth for the six main land-use types: intensively and lightly used hay meadows, pastures, arable land, agriculturally unused grasslands and forests. The variation in rooting parameters was explained by different aspects of species and functional richness, species and functional composition, functional traits...
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Subjective well-being (SWB) is becoming increasingly important as welfare concept in both scientific research and politics, as it comprises additional welfare aspects compared to the GDP per capita. Consequently, it becomes important to... more
Subjective well-being (SWB) is becoming increasingly important as welfare concept in both scientific research and politics, as it comprises additional welfare aspects compared to the GDP per capita. Consequently, it becomes important to explicitly identify its driving forces and clarify still ambivalent findings of the literature. For this purpose, with a multilevel model we investigate the extent to which individual-level and national variables together influence subjective well-being. Moreover, we expect that life satisfaction of people in developing countries is determined differently than life satisfaction of people in industrialized countries. The database used includes both individual and national variables and is split into two subsamples of 40 industrialized countries and 41 developing countries. The results show that the national environment is highly important for a person’s SWB. Thus, neglecting this national level would generate biased estimates. Moreover, the split into...
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The paper presents an empirical demonstration of the well-known fact that theories and persons are differently seen and often differently evaluated by of different countries and in different times. To test these hypotheses, the authors... more
The paper presents an empirical demonstration of the well-known fact that theories and persons are differently seen and often differently evaluated by of different countries and in different times. To test these hypotheses, the authors have chosen the presentations of physiocratic theory in textbooks covering the history of economics. They also propose to establish a function, which quantifies effects of those perceptions
Several recent papers draw attention to a lack of rigorous research on public policies supporting women entrepreneurs' competitiveness. This paper evaluates the effect of small business development gender-specific matching grants... more
Several recent papers draw attention to a lack of rigorous research on public policies supporting women entrepreneurs' competitiveness. This paper evaluates the effect of small business development gender-specific matching grants using a quasi-experimental approach. The grants have a positive effect on firm survival, as well as positive effects on obtaining bank loans, turnover, value added, employment, and total factor productivity. Heterogeneous treatment effects show that the grants increase the chance of young women entrepreneurs' firm survival and are even more effective for firms owned by mature women. Cost-benefit analysis estimates an increase in value added, which outweighs scheme-induced costs by 80% in the short-run and 170% in the long run.
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Several studies confirm the finding that nature conservation can not be successful without the involvement of the local population (Colchester 2004; G rainger & G rainger 2003; T rakolis 2001; W hite & Lovett 1999). Our study was... more
Several studies confirm the finding that nature conservation can not be successful without the involvement of the local population (Colchester 2004; G rainger & G rainger 2003; T rakolis 2001; W hite & Lovett 1999). Our study was conducted within the Nationalpark Stilfserjoch, which is due to its history and the very complex landscape with high human influence and wide altitude range predestined for an acceptance study (Gafta & Pedrotti 1997). In 2001, a representative survey of 1100 residents ofthe National Park has been carried out in face-to-face Interviews, and acceptance has been evaluated considering ecological aspects (attitude towards natural resources and conservation), social aspects (effects of the national park on various groups of people and land use, relevance of and satisfaction with the park authorities), as well as political and economical aspects (management of protected areas, clash of economic and ecological interest). Only 5.6% of the interviewees were against t...
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Seed germination and seedling recruitment are key processes in the life cycle of plants. They enable populations to grow, migrate, or persist. Both processes are under environmental control and influenced by site conditions and... more
Seed germination and seedling recruitment are key processes in the life cycle of plants. They enable populations to grow, migrate, or persist. Both processes are under environmental control and influenced by site conditions and plant–plant interactions. Here, we present the results of a seed-sowing experiment performed along an elevation gradient (2000–2900 m a.s.l.) in the European eastern Alps. We monitored the germination of seeds and seedling recruitment for 2 years. Three effects were investigated: effects of sites and home sites (seed origin), effects of gaps, and plant–plant interactions. Seeds of eight species originating from two home sites were transplanted to four sites (home site and ± in elevation). Seed sowing was performed in experimentally created gaps. These gap types (‘gap + roots’, ‘neighbor + roots’, and ‘no-comp’) provided different plant–plant interactions and competition intensities. We observed decreasing germination with increasing elevation, independent of ...
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This study provides new evidence on the impact of tourism grants for service-standard improvement on tourism firm performance. Small matching grants provided to firms in two economically different regions are considered. We study... more
This study provides new evidence on the impact of tourism grants for service-standard improvement on tourism firm performance. Small matching grants provided to firms in two economically different regions are considered. We study additionality caused by the grants in the performance indicators of firms while taking into account regional heterogeneity and differing tourism demand. In the context of tourism firms in Croatia, we estimate the causal effect via a matching difference-in-differences estimator. We find a positive effect on tourism firm sales, value-added, capital, and labor in the region with higher tourism demand but not in the one with lower tourism demand. A cost–benefit analysis suggests that, in more developed regions, the benefits of the grant scheme for tourism outweigh the grant’s direct costs.
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Background Bispectral index (BIS) monitoring of depth of anesthesia has pioneered the field for more recent monitoring devices like the A-line ARX Index (AAI) or the state (SE) and response entropy (RE) monitoring devices. Following an... more
Background Bispectral index (BIS) monitoring of depth of anesthesia has pioneered the field for more recent monitoring devices like the A-line ARX Index (AAI) or the state (SE) and response entropy (RE) monitoring devices. Following an observational design the present study aimed to simultaneously compare in the same patient recorded BIS, AAI and entropy values. Methods Data from patients (n = 32) undergoing minor gynecological operations were analyzed. For all patients, standardized anesthesia was used. Before induction of anesthesia AEP electrodes, BIS and entropy sensors were simultaneously placed on the forehead and recordings were started at 3 minutes before induction and continued until patient transfer to the postanesthesia care unit. Markers were set at defined landmarks. Results Anesthesia reduced mean BIS, AAI and entropy values. During uneventful, and even more pronounced, during eventful anesthesia BIS/ entropy and BIS/ AAI values showed better correlation than did AAI a...
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In both academic literature and political discussions the concept of innovation is recognized as an essential ingredient in economic development and competitiveness for firms, regions, and nations. Innovation also ranks at the top of... more
In both academic literature and political discussions the concept of innovation is recognized as an essential ingredient in economic development and competitiveness for firms, regions, and nations. Innovation also ranks at the top of policy agendas in the field of regional policy. Therefore, the attractiveness of an appropriate innovation index for ranking regions and further developing them along a more or less objective measurement scale is evident. However, whether such rankings help convey a better understanding of innovation and its drivers, or whether they are merely a special type of i?½beauty contesti?½ with little substance is the focus of our analyses. To deny the latter, the innovation output indicators used for the composite index have to be appropriate representatives of the underlying innovation concept and each indicator has to be driven by the same impact factors. If this is not the case, interpretation of the index inevitably gives rise to partly inappropriate polic...
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Background: Free light chains (FLC) have been proposed as diagnostic biomarker in patients with inflammatory central nervous system diseases. The objective of this study was to investigate the diagnostic utility of intrathecal κ- and... more
Background: Free light chains (FLC) have been proposed as diagnostic biomarker in patients with inflammatory central nervous system diseases. The objective of this study was to investigate the diagnostic utility of intrathecal κ- and λ-FLC synthesis in patients with neuroborreliosis. Methods: κ- and λ-FLC were measured by nephelometry under blinded conditions in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum sample pairs of 34 patients with neuroborreliosis and compared to a cohort of 420 control patients. κ-FLC index was calculated as [CSF κ-FLC/serum κ-FLC]/[CSF albumin/serum albumin], and λ-FLC index in analogy. Results: κ-FLC and λ-FLC index were significantly elevated in patients with neuroborreliosis compared to the control group. At a specificity level of 95%, κ-FLC and λ-FLC index showed a diagnostic sensitivity of 88.2% and 100%. In comparison, IgM and IgG synthesis according to Reiber formula, IgG index >0.7 and OCB status reached a sensitivity of 83.9%, 44.1%, 58.8% and 64.7%. Co...
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Risk of natalizumab-related progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is associated with the presence of anti-JC-virus (JCV) antibodies. To investigate the longitudinal evolution of anti-JCV antibody index and to determine the predictive... more
Risk of natalizumab-related progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy is associated with the presence of anti-JC-virus (JCV) antibodies. To investigate the longitudinal evolution of anti-JCV antibody index and to determine the predictive value of baseline anti-JCV antibody index for long-term stability of anti-JCV antibody status. MS patients from the MS centre of Medical University of Innsbruck, who had serum sampling for a time period of 4-6 years at intervals of 6±3 months, were included in this retrospective, longitudinal study. Anti-JCV antibody serological status and index were determined by 2-step second-generation anti-JCV antibody assay. 154 patients were included in this study. Median follow-up time was 63.7 months, with median 11 samples available per patient. At baseline, 111 (72.1%) patients were anti-JCV antibody positive. Baseline anti-JCV antibody index significantly correlated with age (R = 0.22, p = 0.005); there was no difference with respect to sex, disease dura...
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In the last decades, rural landscape in Europe has evolved from an agricultural by-product to an important public good. This development creates not only new challenges to farming practices, it also makes participation and public... more
In the last decades, rural landscape in Europe has evolved from an agricultural by-product to an important public good. This development creates not only new challenges to farming practices, it also makes participation and public involvement an indispensable tool for sustainable landscape planning. This is especially true for many European mountain regions, where tourism represents an important source of income and conflicts between locals’ and tourists’ interests should be avoided. In our study, we analyze whether discrepancies in the perception of the Alpine landscape can be located between locals and tourists and, if these differences exist, in which aspects these two groups are differing. A model employing three general factors able to describe landscape preferences regardless of the personal background is suggested and validated by confirmatory factor analysis. Our major finding shows that an attractive landscape for tourists does not have to be contradictory to a landscape tha...