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Introduction: The aim of the study was to determine the adaption of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland and especially underlying reasons for potential low adherence to guidelines. Methods: We conducted a non-validated survey among 336 urologic departments in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. RedCap questionnaires were electronically distributed and included 23 items concerning the general NAC administration standards and guideline compliance in patient counseling regarding the actual treatment. Results: The return rate of the questionnaire was 19.1% (63/336). Although 45 departments (71.4%) claim to perform NAC as the standard of care, only 49% of eligible patients actually receive NAC. An advanced disease stage (≥cT3) and a high tumor volume were mentioned to support the application of NAC, whereas 35% of responders worry about deterioration of patients' preoperative status due to NAC. Furthermore, 26.7% of respondents are concerned about the low extent of survival benefit. Conclusion: Application of NAC in eligible MIBC patients in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland remains low. Although the majority of urologic departments discuss NAC and acknowledge the need for intensified treatment in advanced disease stages, not all eligible patients will actually receive NAC before radical cystectomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the question of truth, this article presents the first findings of the empirical study “Children and Religion”. In the study, children from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland are interviewed about their religious attitudes and encounters with religion. It is shown that the children engage with the question of whether all religions are equally right by employing complex ways of reasoning. For instance, they use arguments such as the freedom of belief and freedom of opinion or the inconclusiveness of the question of truth as well as theological and legal arguments to maintain that all religions are equally right. The opinion that not all religions are equally right is justified by the diverse contents of religions and by the differences between them with regard to their origins and their rules. Some children justify why they can’t want to answer the question for reasons. A subject-oriented religious education must take the children’s arguments into account. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We use preference data from the 2015 parliament election in the Austrian federal state of Styria to analyze different voting rules. An exit poll right after the election collected data on ordinal and cardinal preferences from approximately 1000 actual voters. Our analysis is threefold. First, we determine the hypothetical social outcomes under different voting rules; second, we investigate the stability of the outcomes under those rules. Finally, we provide a categorization of different types of parties and analyze the impact of certain voting rules (Plurality Rule, Plurality Run Off, Hare System, Condorcet Method, Approval Voting, Borda Rule, Evaluative Voting, and Majority Judgment) on the performances of parties in those scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on selected results of empirical research, the paper aims to highlight the importance of the Slovenian language and the role of foreign languages in relation to economic variables. The research results confirm that the economy influences both the choice and use of language in specific, economic-category-related situations, meaning that economic variables also affect the status of the Slovenian language in companies established in Slovenia. Various theoretical concepts linking language and the economy are presented, with a stress on Slovenian authors who wrote about and pointed to the connection between language and economy in the past. The central part of the paper presents the results of the empirical phase of the research project, which included interviews with executives in various companies in Slovenia and neighbouring countries - Italy, Austria and Hungary. The main research topics include the value of proficiency and use of language (Slovenian, minority language, foreign language). The results reveal that the value of language proficiency is closely connected to its economic effects for the particular company. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]