Search

We investigate how consumer information affects price adjustment in the Austrian retail gasoline market. Our measure of consumer information is obtained from detailed census data on commuting behavior, as commuters can freely sample prices on their commuting route and are thus better informed about prices. A threshold error-correction model suggests that prices adjust more quickly if cost shocks exceed certain thresholds. Parametric and semi-parametric regressions show that a larger share of informed consumers increases both transmission speed and pass-through rate, but has no effect on the asymmetry of cost transmission.

Older adults are often affected by a decline of mental and physical abilities, which results in frailty, anxiety and reclusiveness. They often live alone; family and friends cannot visit them on a regular basis and thus they suffer from social exclusion and loneliness. TACTILE tackles this problem by fostering an active lifestyle and the wellbeing of the elderlies. TACTILE’s novelty is the use of Mixed Reality that makes the remote partner virtually present. Continuous user feedback collected in three workshops guarantees that the user interaction and experience will meet the end users’ needs. In this paper we describe the TACTILE system and its components, the strong end-user involvement, and the results from the second user workshop, where the second prototype was tested. The system will be validated in final field trials in two test countries – Austria and the Netherlands – with the elderly people and secondary end-users (family members and caregivers).

Using a representative sample of European firms, we study whether financing constraints affect employers’ investments in employee training and physical capital differently. We measure financing constraints with an index that combines survey and balance sheet data. We instrument this index with the non-performing loans ratio of the bank that provided the last loan to the firms or with the average ratio of banks in the local area. We find that financing constraints have no effect on investment in training, but substantially reduce investment in physical capital.

Biomedical engineering online 20, 8 (2021). doi:10.1186/s12938-020-00841-9, Published by BioMed Central, London

Elderly people are frequently affected by a decline of mental and physical abilities, which results in anxiety, frailty and reclusiveness. Often, they live alone, spatially separated from their families or friends, unable to meet them on a regular basis. The TACTILE project addresses these challenges and fosters an active lifestyle and well-being of older adults via an enjoyable, innovative, and user-friendly Mixed Reality (MR) solution. The system enables training both the cognitive and physical state using MR technology and maintaining social contacts by connecting seniors with family and friends. Cognitive trainings are provided by conventional and physically available board games - such as Ludo - that are completed with virtual game pieces of a remote partner. Since the system uses real physical game pieces, the user experiences a tactile feedback that enables a more familiar feeling and thus novel way of digital interaction. Physical trainings are provided by a virtual avatar that explains and shows dedicated exercises, adaptable to the individual needs and physical restrictions of the user. Thus, the avatar accompanies the user during the physical training in a more natural way.

The role of three-dimensional power Doppler ultrasonography of the endometrium in assisted reproduction is still far from clear. In this retrospective cohort study, transvaginal three-dimensional power Doppler examinations were performed 30 min before frozen-thawed embryo transfer. After pregnancy tests, two cohorts were established: P (pregnant, n = 31) and NP (nonpregnant, n = 31). The study only included nullipara with no uterine abnormalities who were undergoing infertility treatment at the Department of Gynecology, Obstetrics and Gynecological Endocrinology, Kepler University Hospital, Linz, Austria. The main outcome measures were the vascularization flow index (VFI), flow index (FI), and vascularization index (VI) in the endometrium/subendometrium, assessed using Virtual Organ Computer-aided AnaLysis (VOCAL™), and the endometrial volume. A total of 62 patients were enrolled in the study, forming two cohorts (pregnant, P; nonpregnant, NP). There were no significant differences between the two cohorts with regard to demographic data, numbers of embryos transferred, or embryo grading, but there was a significant difference in endometrial volume (cohort P, 3.17 ± 0.84 mL; cohort NP, 2.36 ± 0.9 mL; P = 0.001) and the pregnancy rate rises with larger volume. No differences were observed in the vascularization parameters FI, VFI, and VI in the endometrium and subendometrium. In the cohort of pregnant patients, there were 26 (41.9%) live births, with 21 term deliveries (80.8%). The endometrial volume was larger in the cohort of pregnant patients. Measurements were performed 30 min before embryo transfer, and no differences were observed in vascularization parameters in the subendometrium and endometrium.

In the last years the importance of biometric authentication in border control procedures increased in a way that biometrics have become the core of most border management systems. Current commercial products for mobile border control have not satisfactorily solved both the demand for increasing security checks and the user requirements driven by security personnel such as border guards yet. Due to their flexibility, portable devices are commonly desired during the control process. This paper presents on-going work of an advanced mobile device for border control focusing on usability and integrating new technologies to envision next-generation of mobile devices. The device is based on the MobilePass device [13] but significantly improved. A key technology of the new device is a contactless 4-fingerprint authentication instead of only one in existing solutions. Results based on real data shows the advantages of 4-fingerprint versus 1-fingerprint authentication.

There is an absence of broad-based and binding curricular requirements for structured competency-based post-graduate medical training in Germany, and thus no basis for comparing the competencies of physicians undergoing training in a medical specialty (Ärzte im Weiterbildung). In response, the German Society of Primary Care Pediatrics’ working group on post-graduate education (DGAAP) has identified realistic entrustable professional activities (EPAs) in primary care, defined their number, scope and content, selected competency domains, specified required knowledge and skills, and described appropriate assessment methods. These guidelines are referred to as PaedCompenda and can be accessed electronically by educators in pediatric medicine; the use and effectiveness of these guidelines are monitored by the German Association for Medical Education’s committee on post-graduate education (GMA). Teaching and training in pediatric medicine should take EPAs into consideration. To accomplish this, phases dedicated to primary care should be integrated into formal medical specialty training. Primary care pediatrics must enhance the sites where such training takes place into learning environments that prepare physicians trainees and turn the practicing specialists into mentoring educators., Für eine strukturierte kompetenzbasierte Weiterbildung fehlt eine flächendeckende, verbindliche curriculare Vorgabe und damit die Grundlage der Vergleichbarkeit der Kompetenzen von Ärztinnen in Weiterbildung (ÄiW). Die Arbeitsgruppe Weiterbildung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Ambulante Allgemeine Pädiatrie (DGAAP) hat deshalb nach dem Konzept der Entrustable Professional Activities reale anvertraubare professionelle Tätigkeiten (APT) der Grundversorgung identifiziert, Anzahl und Umfang entschieden, Titel und Inhalte definiert, Kompetenzdomänen ausgewählt, erforderliches Wissen und notwendige Fähigkeiten spezifiziert und Prüfungsmethoden beschrieben. Diese Handreichung steht für pädiatrische Weiterbilder unter dem Namen PaedCompenda elektronisch zur Verfügung und wird in Anwendung und Wirksamkeit vom GMA-Ausschuss Weiterbildung begleitet. Die Praxis der Weiterbildung in der Pädiatrie sollte APTs berücksichtigen. Dazu ist die Einbindung ambulanter Abschnitte in der Facharztweiterbildung wünschenswert. Die primärversorgende Pädiatrie muss dazu ihre Lernorte zu vorbereiteten Lernumgebungen für Ärztinnen in Weiterbildung und ihre Praxisinhaber zu Lehrern weiterentwickeln., GMS Journal for Medical Education; 34(5):Doc67

ERP systems help companies to manage their business processes. The simpler and more efficient the business processes in companies run, the more profitable these businesses can be. Therefore, the process of selecting and implementing an ERP system is an important success factor. The qualitative analysis of ERP evaluation models examines necessary phases and activities for selecting a new ERP system.

SUMMARY A vast number of people with disabilities are supported by assistive technologies (AT). Often, AT solutions do not directly fit the specific requirements of a user, making costly adaptations necessary. Assistive Technology Rapid Integration & Construction Set (AsTeRICS) aims to change this situation by employing rapid prototyping technologies in AT. A construction set of building blocks to create flexible prototypes for each individual user is provided. This set is configured by a visual modelling software application which allows to connect all building blocks as needed, tailoring the prototype to the user's abilities and needs. Building blocks include sensors (which in this context includes not only stand-alone sensors such as simple switch inputs but also vision systems, brain computer interfaces, and many more), data processing elements (mathematical and flow control), and actuators (such as mouse/keyboard replacement, smart environments, and mobile phone access). As central part of AsTeRICS, a runtime environment has been developed, handling all signal processing and data exchange operations needed for the interaction of the building blocks. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.