Music and Arts University of the City of Vienna

The research field of software protections—including code obfuscation and software tamperproofing—has introduced many new concepts and methodologies over the past three decades. However, while in other research fields (such as cryptography) the strength of new approaches can be accurately measured, evaluations in the field of software protections are often less methodologically sound due to several challenges. One major problem is the poor availability of samples. The majority of evaluations in the field of software protections is based on small, single-function toy programs or benchmarks borrowed from other domains and do not represent very well the variety of programs that are to be protected in practice. Furthermore, most measurements performed on these samples focus on evaluating the costs (i. e. negative effects on runtime performance) and not the strength of a protection. In this paper, we present OSAGE, a novel, open framework for creating and evaluating appropriate samples for software protections research. It combines a hand-crafted set of 141 programs including individual test cases as a foundation for sample generation, several different compilers and obfuscators, as well as a set of 16 static code analysis methods in a fully automated sample generation and analysis framework. OSAGE enables software protection researchers to easily conduct sound evaluations of their methodologies in regard to costs, protection strength, and stealth and helps compare the results with other protections. In a large-scale evaluation of the framework we demonstrate its practicality in software protections research as well as the reproducibility and comparability of research utilizing OSAGE.

Charlotte Mayenberger: Bad Buchau. Meine Stadt. Landschaft. Geschichte. Kultur. Biberach: Biberacher Verlagsdruckerei 2017; 167 S., 293 Abb., geb., 14,80 EUR

In my paper I undertake basic research on comics and knowledge transfer by comparing scientific comics with other forms of visualization in (the history of) science. In doing so, I elaborate the central characteristics of comics in reference to current research, and relate them to philosophical theories of images by arguing that the specific materiality of the images in general, and in comics in particular, has received too little attention so far. The central thesis is that materiality is decisive for images not only to illustrate scientific theories but to become knowledge-generating media themselves.

Guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) has the potential to reduce the risks of mortality and hospitalisation in patients with heart failure (HF) with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). However, real-world data indicate that many patients with HFrEF do not receive optimised GDMT, which involves several different medications, many of which require up-titration to target doses. There are many challenges to implementing GDMT, the most important being patient-related factors (comorbidities, advanced age, frailty, cognitive impairment, poor adherence, low socioeconomic status), treatment-related factors (intolerance, side-effects) and healthcare-related factors that influence availability and accessibility of HF care. Accordingly, international disparities in resources for HF management and limited public reimbursement of GDMT, coupled with clinical inertia for treatment intensification combine to hinder efforts to provide GDMT. In this review paper, authors aim to provide solutions based on available evidence, practical experience, and expert consensus on how to utilise evolving strategies, novel medications, and patient profiling to allow the more comprehensive uptake of GDMT. Authors discuss professional education, motivation, and training, as well as patient empowerment for self-care as important tools to overcome clinical inertia and boost GDMT implementation. We provide evidence on how multidisciplinary care and institutional accreditation can be successfully used to increase prescription rates and adherence to GDMT. We consider the role of modern technologies in advancing professional and patient education and facilitating patient-provider communication. Finally, authors emphasise the role of novel drugs (especially sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors), and a tailored approach to drug management as evolving strategies for the more successful implementation of GDMT.

The aim of this study was to illustrate how compression is performed worldwide in proximal DVT and if compression management has changed recently. A global online survey, consisting of 36 questions, was used. The survey was solicited from membership lists of Union Internationale de Phlébologie (UIP) membership societies. For differences between the continents in comparison to Western Europe odds ratios and 95% Confidence Intervals (95%CI) where calculated. We received 626 answers from 41 countries. Compression is routinely used in proximal DVT in all regions (82.8%). 81.4% start compression immediately after diagnosis. In the acute phase of DVT reduction of pain and swelling (91.7%) and PTS prevention (66.2%) are the main reasons for compression. 33.2% recently changed their compression management with 43.5% starting compression earlier and 7.0% later. Compression is still used routinely in proximal DVT in addition to anticoagulation. The changes in international guidelines towards the non-routine use of compression in proximal DVT have not caused significant changes in DVT management.

Immunosuppression of various origins is associated with an increased risk of infection; therefore the prevention of infectious diseases by vaccination is especially important in immunocompromised patients. However, the response to vaccinations is often reduced in these risk groups and the application of live vaccines is contraindicated during immunosuppression.In the following expert statement, recommendations for vaccination were created on the basis of current evidence and theoretical/immunological considerations. Afirst, general part elaborates on efficacy and safety of vaccinations during immunosuppression, modes of action of immunosuppressive medications and recommended time intervals between immunosuppressive treatments and vaccinations. Acore piece of this part is agraduation of immunosuppression into three stages, i. e. no relevant immunosuppression, mild to moderate and severe immunosuppression and the assignment of various medications (including biologicals) to one of those stages; this is followed by an overview of possible and necessary vaccinations in each of those stages.The second part gives detailed vaccination guidelines for common diseases and therapies associated with immunosuppression. Primary immune deficiencies, chronic kidney disease, diabetes mellitus, solid and hematological tumors, hematopoetic stem cell transplantation, transplantation of solid organs, aspenia, rheumatological-, gastroenterologic-, dermatologic-, neurologic diseases, biologicals during pregnancy and HIV infection are dealt with.These vaccination guidelines, compiled for the first time in Austria, aim to be of practical help for physicians to facilitate and improve vaccination coverage in immunocompromised patients and their household members and contact persons.