Suchergebnisse

This paper analyses how the four candidates for prime minister in the 2016 Spanish general elections interacted with journalists and media professionals via Twitter, a social media platform considered by various experts (Bakshy et al., 2011) to be a "natural laboratory" for the study of patterns of information dissemination. NodeXL software, a well known open source social network analysis tool (Hansen et al., 2010), was used to capture activity corresponding to Twitter accounts maintained by these candidates and to identify the protagonists of online dialogues maintained during the election campaign as well as the characteristics and content of the messages they exchanged. Semantic relationships in the text and hashtags present in tweets were examined carefully in order to identify patterns of meaning. Findings indicate that the four politicians in question made a minimal effort to interact with journalists and media professionals via Twitter during the run-up to the 2016 elections. Analysis reveals that all used their Twitter accounts as an additional means of promoting their candidacies and publicizing party-related activities rather than a forum for discussing issues in depth. None appeared to be willing to enter into debates with journalists or the media through this particular social networking platform. ; Esta investigación estudia cómo se relacionaron en la red de microblogging los principales candidatos a las elecciones generales en España en 2016 con periodistas y medios de comunicación. Dicha plataforma fue elegida por considerarla un interesante laboratorio para estudiar las pautas de difusión de información (Bakshy et al., 2011). Toda la actividad de estas cuentas se capturó mediante el software NodeXL, uno de los principales programas de análisis de código abierto para redes (Hansen et al., 2010). A través de él se identificaron los actores con los que más interactuaron los políticos y se estudiaron las características y contenidos de los mensajes que estos intercambiaron en la red de microblogging. En este sentido, se prestó atención a las redes semánticas y redes de hashtag presentes en dichos tuits para descubrir patrones de significados. El estudio revela que los cuatro políticos analizados se mostraron poco inclinados a interactuar con periodistas y medios de comunicación a pesar de que era un año electoral. El artículo también coincide con otras investigaciones en que Twitter fue empleado como un instrumento de autopromoción para publicitar las actividades del político o de su partido y no como un espacio donde debatir los temas en profundidad; ninguno se atrevió a mantener debates de calado con los periodistas o medios de comunicación.

Suchmaschinenmarketing (Paid Search) stellt eines der beliebtesten Online-Werbeinstrumente dar. In den vergangenen Jahren entstanden vielfältige Forschungsarbeiten, welche Suchmaschinenmarketing aus einer wissenschaftlichen Perspektive analysieren. Trotz der hohen wissenschaftlichen Aufmerksamkeit analysiert die aktuelle Literatur vorrangig die Auswirkungen des Suchmaschinenmarketings auf Einkäufe über den Online-Kanal. Die aktuelle Forschung exkludiert Händler, die ihre Produkte ausschließlich über lokale Geschäfte verkaufen und in Suchmaschinenmarketing investieren, um Verbraucher während der Suchphase zu erreichen. Dementsprechend ist das Hauptziel dieser Dissertation, das Verständnis dafür zu verbessern, wie der stationäre Handel Suchmaschinenmarketing effizient einsetzen kann. Diese Dissertation umfasst sechs Forschungsarbeiten. Zunächst beurteile ich den aktuellen Stand der Literatur in einer systematischen Literaturrecherche, aus der ich empirische Verallgemeinerungen für eine zukünftige Forschungsagenda ableite (Schlangenotto et al. 2018a). Basierend auf dieser Überprüfung konzentrieren sich die folgenden fünf empirischen Arbeiten auf die wichtigsten Entscheidungen, mit denen jeder Einzelhändler konfrontiert ist, wenn dieser in Suchmaschinenmarketing investieren will. Die empirischen Beiträge untersuchen, ob Einzelhändler in Suchmaschinenmarketing investieren sollten (Schlangenotto et al. 2018b; Schlangenotto 2018), welche Suchanfragen sie kaufen sollten (Schlangenotto und Kundisch 2017), wo sie ihre Anzeigen auf einer Suchergebnisseite platzieren sollten (Schlangenotto et al. 2017) und wie sie ihre Anzeigen formulieren sollten (Schlangenotto und Kundisch 2016).. - As of today, paid search is one of the most popular online advertising instruments. As such, paid search has received a high degree of scholarly interest especially in the fields of Information Systems and Marketing. However, despite this high level of scholarly attention, the current body of literature primarily analyses the impact of paid search on purchases made via the online channel. Surprisingly, the current literature lacks any research on bricks-and-mortar retailers who sell their products solely via their local stores and invest in paid search to reach consumers during their search phase. Considering that bricks-and-mortar retailers still represent one third of all retailers, this represents a blatant gap in the literature. Accordingly, the main goal of this dissertation is to enhance understanding of how bricks-and-mortar retailers should approach paid search.This dissertation comprises six research papers. First, I assess the current state of the literature in a systematic literature review in regard to paid search, from which I derive empirical generalizations to outline a future research agenda (Schlangenotto et al. 2018a). Based on this review, the subsequent five empirical papers focus on the main decisions that every bricks-and-mortar retailer faces when approaching paid search. Each paper explores one of the core questions, respectively, whether bricks-and-mortar retailers should invest in paid search (Schlangenotto et al. 2018b; Schlangenotto 2018), which search requests they should buy (Schlangenotto and Kundisch 2017), where they should place their ads on a SERP (Schlangenotto et al. 2017) and how they should phrase their ads (Schlangenotto and Kundisch 2016).

We investigate (i) the characteristics of real economic and price convergence, (ii) the relationship between economic growth (convergence) and real exchange rate (RER) misalignments within the European Union (EU) during the period 1995-2016. In addition to the relative external price level of GDP, we quantified an alternative indicator for the RER: the internal relative price of services to goods, as measured from the expenditure side of GDP. We interpreted RER-misalignments as deviations from levels consistent with levels of economic development among EU countries. Regarding real convergence, the "catching up" of the less developed member states to the more affluent ones within the EU was expressly rapid in terms of relative per capita growth measured at current PPPs; it was less impressive if measured at constant PPPs, and rather modest in terms of relative real GDP-growth. As for price levels and the relative price of services to goods, a rapid convergence could be observed until the international financial crisis, but this process halted in 2008. Using pooled OLS and dynamic panel techniques, we found that within the EU there is a negative relationship between the contemporaneous sign of RER-misalignment (based on both the external price level and internal relative prices) and economic growth: over- (under-) valuations are associated with lower (higher) growth. This is mainly due to developments in countries operating under fixed exchange rate regimes. Our results indicate that the level of development does not influence the strength of the growth-misalignment relationship within the EU. These results are robust to the applied panel estimation method. Regarding the external price level, we find that the positive relationship between undervaluation and growth diminishes with increasing size of undervaluation. The aggregate effect of misalignments is significantly negative on both export market shares and the ratio of gross fixed capital formation to GDP: both the competitiveness and the investment channel play an important role in the relationship between growth and RER misalignments. As an extension, we analyse the relationship between growth and the misalignment of wages from productivity levels; "wage-misalignments" are also negatively associated with economic growth. Although our study carries policy messages - in particular, mild real exchange rate undervaluations are positively, while overvaluations are negatively associated with growth and real economic convergence - the RER is an endogenous variable, which is not under direct policy control. Our results point to the importance of a growth strategy avoiding overvaluation on the one hand, and to the futility of aiming at excessive undervaluation, on the other.

The paper analyses the rise of the current account balance in Germany by around ten percentage points (relative to GDP) in the period 1999-2016. A big part of the rise is due to subdued domestic final demand which tends to suppress growth of imports. This demand-side effect has to do with weak wage dynamics, unequal income distribution and fiscal restraint. Despite ups and downs, the trend seems to be persistent. On the supply side, the cost and price competitiveness of the German economy is superior in European comparison. However, much more important is the superior non-price competitiveness in various dimensions. Exports grow in line with world exports which tend to grow markedly faster than imports and GDP in Germany. If this wedge between growth rates of imports and exports continues, the current account tends to rise, irrespective of short-term ups and downs. Germany follows an unsustainable trend.On the supply side, it is the strength of German manufacturing, the basis of the country's surplus. It has emerged in parallel with a process of creeping deindustrialisation in other EMU member states. The export championship, seemingly the crown jewel of the economy, has the mirror image of an Achilles heel. The surplus cannot be understood without the dysfunctions of the EMU which has no mechanisms to prevent and correct current account imbalances. Many policy makers are blinded by export success and vested interests of German export industries. They trust in "laisser-faire" and "no activism" advice, in contrast to concerns from the European Commission and the IMF. In this sense, there exists a time-bomb for the cohesion of the Euro area. ; In der Studie wird der Anstieg des deutschen Leistungsbilanzsaldos um zehn Prozentpunkte (relativ zum BIP) im Zeitraum 1999-2016 untersucht. Ein erheblicher Teil des Anstiegs ist dem schwachen Wachstum der Endnachfrage geschuldet, das Importe gebremst hat. Diese Nachfrageeffekte rühren aus der schwachen Lohndynamik, der veränderten Einkommensverteilung und einer zu restriktiven Fiskalpolitik. Trotz der Aufs und Abs der verschiedenen Impulse ist der Trend zum Anstieg des Leistungsbilanzüberschusses stabil. Auf der Angebotsseite hat die deutsche Volkswirtschaft eine - im europäischen Vergleich - überlegene preisliche Wettbewerbsfähigkeit. Wichtiger ist jedoch die nicht-preisliche Wettbewerbsfähigkeit in verschiedenen Dimensionen. Die Exporte wachsen ähnlich stark wie die Weltexporte, während die Importe und das deutsche BIP viel langsamer wachsen. Der Keil zwischen der Wachstumsrate der Exporte und der der Importe lässt den Überschuss tendenziell weiter steigen, unabhängig von kurzfristigen Einflüssen. Deutschland folgt offensichtlich einem nicht-nachhaltigem Trend.Auf der Angebotsseite ist die Stärke der verarbeitenden Industrie die Basis der Exportüberschüsse. Diese Stärke hat sich parallel zur schleichenden Deindustrialisierung in den meisten anderen EU-Ländern herausgebildet. Erscheinen die starken Exporte wie ein Kronjuwel der deutschen Volkswirtschaft, so sind sie doch ihre Achillesferse. Diese kann nicht verstanden werden ohne die europäische Währungsunion, die keine Mechanismen entwickelt hat, relative außenwirtschaftliche Ungleichgewichte zu korrigieren.Viele Politiker haben sich durch die Exporterfolge und auch die Interessenlage der Exportindustrien blenden lassen. Sie vertrauen auf Ratschläge für "laisser faire" und "kein Aktivismus", im Gegensatz zu deutlichen Mahnrufen der Europäischen Kommission und des IWF. In diesem Sinne sind die Exportüberschüsse eine Zeitbombe, die die Kohäsion in der Währungsunion untergräbt.

Рассматриваются сфрагистические материалы из фондов Государственного архива Алтайского края, принадлежащие горным служащим различных классов. Хронологические рамки использованных в исследовании печатей ограничиваются последней четвертью XVIII – второй четвертью XIX в. Предметом исследования являются композиционные особенности печатей горных чиновников, их сравнительная характеристика. Помимо анализа собственно сфрагистического материала, были привлечены биографические данные для соотнесения с информацией генеалогического характера на гербовых печатях. В результате анализа было выделено три группы композиций печатей, наиболее часто применяющиеся для печатей горных чиновников, а также были выявлены случаи применения особенных единичных вариантов оформления печатей, которые при дальнейшем накоплении материалов могут также быть сформированы в группы.Наибольшее число применяемых печатей являются гербовыми либо стилизованными под гербовые, далее идут печати с композицией, построенной на основе вензеля. К категории единичных относятся печати с изображением портретов неизвестных людей и предметов, относящихся к военно-инженерной деятельности. Среди элементов, использованных в оформлении печатей, чрезвычайно редко встречаются предметы, характеризующие профессиональную деятельность горных чиновников, но очень часто используются элементы, свидетельствующие о принадлежности хозяина печати к дворянскому сословию, что, вероятно, имело большое значение в этой среде.DOI 10.14258/izvasu(2017)5-31 ; The article considers the sphagic materials from the collections of the Regional State Archive of the Altai Territory, owned by mining employees of different classes. The chronological framework of the stamps used in the research are limited to the last quarter of the 18th — second quarter of the 19th centuries. The study focuses on the stamp design of the stamps of the mining officials and their comparative characteristics. Besides the analyses of the sphafic material proper, biographical data were used to correlate them with genealogical information on the stamp seals. The analysis revealed three groups of stamp design which were most commonly used for the stamps of the mining officials, and also some cases of the specific stamp design which could further be allocated in groups. The largest number of stamps is stamp seals or stylized as stamp seals. The next group is stamps with the monogram based composition. The group of the specific design stamps includes the stamps with the picture of famous people and the objects related to the military engineering. Among the elements used in the design of the seals the items characterizing the professional activity of mining officials is extremely rare, but very common are the elements indicating the noble origin of the officials which probably was of great importance in the society.DOI 10.14258/izvasu(2017)5-31

Die Forschungsfrage dieser Arbeit lautet: Wurde vom österreichischen Gesetzgeber bei seinen Regelungen der §§ 7 und 9 AlVG der Grundsatz der Gleichbehandlung iSd Europäischen Gemeinschaftsrechts ausreichend berücksichtigt? Im Arbeitslosenversicherungsrecht ist es vorgesehen, dass arbeitslos gewordenen Personen unter bestimmten zu erfüllenden Voraussetzungen eine existentielle Absicherung ermöglicht wird. Die gesetzlichen Regelungen dazu stehen im Arbeitslosenversicherungsgesetz (AlVG). Dort sind ua in den §§ 7 und 9 die zentralen Anspruchsgrundlagen für eine dahingehende Leistung festgehalten. In diesen Regelungen wurden vom Gesetzgeber auch gesetzliche Betreuungsverpflichtungen thematisiert. Für welchen Personenkreis eine gesetzliche Verpflichtung zur Betreuung bestehen kann, wurde in diesen Regelungen nicht explizit festgehalten, aber es wird unterschieden zwischen der gesetzlichen Betreuungsverpflichtung für erwachsene Angehörige (§ 137 Abs 1 ABGB, § 90 Abs 1 ABGB, § 8 Abs 2 EPG) und der für Kinder (§ 137 Abs 2 ABGB, § 199 StGB, JSchG der Bundesländer). Eine Analyse zur praktischen Anwendung der §§ 7 und 9 hat gezeigt, dass es durch die festgelegten Bedingungen und die Grenzen in denen Betreuungsverpflichtungen berücksichtigt werden, durchaus zu Erschwernissen für arbeitslose Personen mit Betreuungsverpflichtungen kommt. Ob diese aus gleichheitsrechtlicher Sicht eine Unverhältnismäßigkeit darstellen, wurde anhand eines VwGH-Entscheides mit unionsrechtlichen Fragestellungen betrachtet. In einer Beschwerde wurde ein gemeinschaftsrechtlicher Hintergrund, insb das Diskriminierungsverbot des Art 4 Abs 1 der RL 79/7/EWG geltend gemacht. Diese RL soll die schrittweise Verwirklichung des Grundsatzes der Gleichbehandlung von Männern und Frauen im Bereich der sozialen Sicherheit gewährleisten. Sie findet Anwendung auf die Erwerbsbevölkerung, deren Erwerbstätigkeit durch Krankheit, Unfall oder unverschuldete Arbeitslosigkeit unterbrochen ist und bietet Schutz gegen Krankheit, Invalidität, Alter, Arbeitsunfall, Berufskrankheit und Arbeitslosigkeit. In Art 4 ist die Gleichbehandlung in Bezug auf jede unmittelbare oder mittelbare Diskriminierung aufgrund des Geschlechtes geboten, insbesondere im Hinblick auf die Bedingungen betreffend die Geltungsdauer und die Aufrechterhaltung des Anspruchs auf die Leistungen. Bei diesem Fall wurde der arbeitslosen Mutter einer 14-jährigen Tochter vom AMS eine Beschäftigung als Buffetkassiererin in einem Gastronomiebetrieb mit Dreischichtbetrieb zugewiesen. In einem Dreischichtbetrieb sind die Arbeitszeiten wechselnd und können tagsüber, nachts oder auch am Wochenende sein. Die Arbeitslose brachte den Einwand der Ungleichbehandlung von Frauen und Männern vor im Hinblick darauf, dass vorwiegend Frauen die Betreuungsverpflichtungen in der Familie übernehmen. Dem hielt der VwGH entgegen, dass es sich bei dieser Thematik nicht um eine Frage des Gleichbehandlungsrechtes handelt, da die Arbeitslosenversicherung in erster Linie dem Zweck der Wiedereingliederung von arbeitslosen Personen in den Arbeitsmarkt dient und keine familienpolitische Leistung darstellt. Aufgrund des sozialpolitischen Zweckes der Leistung liegt auch keine indirekte Diskriminierung iSd § 4 Abs 1 RL im Hinblick darauf vor, dass Frauen durch die Grenzen in denen Betreuungsverpflichtungen in § 9 Abs 3 berücksichtigt werden, weit mehr benachteiligt sind als Männer. Die dahingehende sachliche Rechtfertigung erscheint schlüssig, Arbeitslosengeld ist keine Leistung die den sozialpolitischen Zweck erfüllen soll Betreuungsverpflichtungen zu erleichtern. Damit liegt hier tatsächlich keine Diskriminierung iSd Rechts der Europäischen Union nach Geschlecht, Alter, Religion usw vor. Jedoch ist es eine Wertungsfrage, ob nicht angesichts des weiten Spielraums, den das Gemeinschaftsrecht den Mitgliedstaaten in der Gestaltung ihrer Sozialpolitik einräumt, der Inhalt der Regelungen der §§ 7 und 9 im Kontext mit einer Betreuungsverpflichtung nicht doch als unverhältnismäßig gesehen werden kann. Soziale Gerechtigkeit ist eine der Grundprinzipien der Europäischen Union (Art 3 EUV ex Art 2 EUV). Die ungenauen und ungleichen (16 bzw 20 WSt) Formulierungen der §§ 7 und 9 führen zu Problematiken bei der Arbeitssuche, welche zu einer ungleichen Betroffenheit für Personen mit Betreuungsverpflichtungen führen. Ebenso wirkt die geringe Bedachtnahme auf soziale Gerechtigkeit für pflegende Angehörige in der Erwachsenenpflege, auf die der Gesetzgeber an anderer Stelle weit mehr Rücksicht genommen hat (zB Möglichkeit der begünstigten Versicherung für pflegende Angehörige ), an dieser Stelle unverhältnismäßig erschwerend. Damit wurden die Grundprinzipien der Europäischen Union in den §§ 7 und 9 nicht ausreichend berücksichtigt. Eine Möglichkeit die Leistungen bei Arbeitslosigkeit mit der Erfüllung familiärer Verpflichtungen in Einklang bringen würde sich im Rahmen der geplanten Änderung der Zumutbarkeitsbestimmungen bieten. ; eingereicht von Ines Bandolin ; Universität Linz, Diplomarbeit, 2018 ; (VLID)2845430

Due to increasing internationalization, management control systems (MCS) are becoming more and more important - companies are demanding more flexibility and, rapid changes, as well as adaptation processes, already belong to the daily task spectrum of enterprises. However, these changes due to advancing technology and globalization are not only facing companies but also universities. This diploma thesis deals with the internal and external influences on the introduction and execution of (MCS) in universities and is based on four theories: Principal-Agency-Theory, Self-Determination-Theory, Contingency Theory, and Stakeholder Theory. The method of meta-analysis was used to collect data, analyzing 57 articles identified by a search string in three databases and by pre-established inclusion and exclusion criteria. The results of the meta-analysis show that the complex relationships between university policy, administration and management, the environment of universities, a lack of public interest perspective, leadership style, culture, management consistency and fairness play an essential role. The incentive systems are not adapted to individual academics, and difficulties in developing common goals between government and university are encountered the Principal-Agency-Theory provides a theoretical background for a better understanding of this relationship. The Self-Determination-Theory in the context of university culture provides suggestions as to how intrinsic motivation can be maintained among researchers. In summary, it was clear that the identification of all relationships with internal and external stakeholders is necessary, as well as the consideration of the environment, the specific conditions of a university and the highly motivational culture for a development of a best possible MCS. ; Durch die zunehmende Internationalisierung werden Management Control Systems (MCS) immer wichtiger - Unternehmen fordern mehr Flexibilität, und schnelle Veränderungen sowie Anpassungsprozesse gehören bereits zum täglichen Aufgabenspektrum von Unternehmen. Diese Veränderungen treffen jedoch nicht nur auf Unternehmen, sondern stellen auch eine Herausforderung für Universitäten dar. Diese Diplomarbeit beschäftigt sich mit den inneren und äußeren Einflüssen bei der Einführung und Durchführung von MCS an Universitäten und basiert auf vier Theorien: der Prinzipal-Agenten-Theorie, der Selbstbestimmungstheorie, der Contingency Theorie und der Stakeholder-Theorie. Die Methode der Meta-Analyse wurde zum Sammeln von Daten verwendet. Dabei wurden 57 Artikel analysiert, die anhand eines Searchstrings in drei Datenbanken und anhand von vordefinierten Einschluss- und Ausschlusskriterien identifiziert wurden. Die Ergebnisse der Metaanalyse zeigen, dass die komplexen Zusammenhänge zwischen Hochschulpolitik, Verwaltung und Management, dem Umfeld der Hochschulen, mangelnder Perspektive des öffentlichen Interesses, Führungsstil, Kultur, Konsistenz des Managements und Fairness eine wesentliche Rolle spielen. Die Anreizsysteme sind nicht auf einzelne Wissenschaftler abgestimmt und es gibt Schwierigkeiten bei der Entwicklung gemeinsamer Ziele zwischen Regierung und Universität - die Prinzipal-Agenten-Theorie bietet einen theoretischen Hintergrund für ein besseres Verständnis dieser Beziehung. Die Selbstbestimmungstheorie im Kontext der Universitätskultur gibt Anregungen, wie die intrinsische Motivation unter Forschern aufrechterhalten werden kann. Zusammenfassend lässt sich erkennen, dass die Identifikation aller Beziehungen zu Stakeholdern sowie die Berücksichtigung der Umwelt, der spezifischen Bedingungen einer Universität und der von Motivation geprägten Kultur für die Entwicklung eines bestmöglichen MCS erforderlich sind. ; submitted by Daniela Zweimüller ; Universität Linz, Diplomarbeit, 2018 ; (VLID)3401103

Introduction: In the State of São Paulo, the concentration of fluoride in the public water supply should be maintained in the range of 0.6 to 0.8 mg/L, in order to prevent caries and avoid the risk of fluorosis. Objective: To evaluate the concentration of fluoride in public water supply in the municipalities covered by the Bauru Sanitary Surveillance Group. Method: Data were extracted from the routine of the Adolfo Lutz Institute – Bauru, from 38 municipalities monitored by the Proágua Program, in the period 2007–2016. Laboratory analyses were performed using the potentiometric method with ion-selective electrode and the interpretation of the results was based on Resolution SS-250/95 and the classification proposed by the Collaborating Center of the Ministry of Health in Oral Health Surveillance (CECOL) Results: Of the 8,887 samples analyzed, 31.1% had inadequate levels of fluoride ions, with 22.7% being below and 8.4% above the limit established by the legislation. According to the CECOL proposal, 59.4% of the samples showed maximum benefit for caries prevention and 0.6% revealed a very high risk for the production of dental fluorosis. Conclusions: These data point out the need to improve the operational control of the fluoridation process and emphasize the importance of water quality surveillance. ; Introdução: No estado de São Paulo, a concentração de flúor na água de abastecimento público deve ser mantida na faixa de 0,6 a 0,8 mg/L, a fim de prevenir a cárie e evitar o risco de fluorose. Objetivo: Avaliar a concentração de fluoretos na água de abastecimento público dos municípios de abrangência do Grupo de Vigilância Sanitária de Bauru. Método: Os dados foram extraídos da rotina do Instituto Adolfo Lutz – Bauru e oriundos de 38 municípios monitorados pelo Programa de Vigilância da Qualidade da Água para Consumo Humano (Proágua), no período de 2007–2016. As análises laboratoriais foram realizadas utilizando-se o método potenciométrico com eletrodo íon-seletivo e a interpretação dos resultados baseou-se na Resolução SS nº 250/95 e na classificação proposta pelo Centro Colaborador do Ministério da Saúde em Vigilância da Saúde Bucal (CECOL). Resultados: Das 8.887 amostras analisadas, 31,1% apresentaram teores inadequados de íons fluoretos, sendo que 22,7% estavam abaixo e 8,4% acima do limite estabelecido pela legislação. De acordo com a proposta do CECOL, 59,4% das amostras exibiram benefício máximo para prevenção de cárie e 0,6% revelaram risco muito alto para produção de fluorose dentária. Conclusões: Tais dados apontam a necessidade de aprimorar o controle operacional do processo de fluoretação e enfatiza a importância da vigilância da qualidade da água.

Many measures customarily employed within states to provide checks to and surveillance of the exercise of power, such as public elections, are not available with regard to the political institutions of global governance. For this reason, the accountability of such institutions is frequently a subject of particular discussion. A key institution in global governance whose legitimacy is constantly being challenged is the Group of 20 (G20). In this paper, we analyse the existing mechanisms pertaining to the accountability of the G20 and discuss the challenges that the new role of the G20 with regard to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development poses to them.To do so, we develop a concept of accountability which is applicable to the G20 as an institution of global governance. According to this concept, accountability consists of three elements: transparency, justification, and the possibility of sanctions in response to the activities of the institution. In addition, many accountability mechanisms fulfil an additional function with respect to the internal learning of an institution from past experiences. Based on this conceptualisation of accountability, we identify interaction with the media, the publication of accountability reports, and the interaction process with Engagement Groups from business, academia, and civil society as the most important accountability mechanisms of the G20. These mechanisms differ with regard to their primary addressees as well as with regard to the elements of accountability they are contributing to.In order to increase the accountability of the G20, several suggestions can be made, particularly in light of the demands set by its new role in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. To increase the effectiveness and credibility of its accountability processes, the G20 should facilitate a more independent evaluation of its activities such as by its Engagement Groups or through public discussion. For this to become possible, the work of the G20 must first and foremost become more transparent. Possible ways of achieving this range from the establishment of a permanent website, over the allowing of selected civil society members to attend its working group meetings, to publishing agendas and minutes. Self-reports should concentrate on descriptions rather than evaluations and should cover G20 policies relevant to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda coherently.Such improvements in the existing system of accountability mechanisms cannot fully compensate for the shortcomings – also with regard to accountability – that are related to the limited membership of the G20. Nevertheless, they would constitute important steps forward towards a more accountable G20.

The Swedish government has taken initiatives to intensify the conservational work at landscape scale. That is, to analyse different needs for biodiversity, and together with different actors, for example the forestry sector, find ways for long time conservation of the biodiversity. Old growth, moist spruce forests constitute an important habitat for a substantial part of the species belonging to the taiga. One of them is the saproxylic beetle Pytho kolwensis, in Sweden considered as endangered. The larvae feed on cambium on newly fallen spruces for about five years. After 10-15 years the log can no longer provide food for the larvae and the adult beetles have to lay eggs in other spruce logs. The logs are typically large trunks of old spruces (> 200 yr.), a structure no longer produced in the managed forest landscape. This type of old forest is today only found as fragments and the species is known from only about 20 localities in Sweden. Although the habitat today is rare, it is comparably easily restored. Given enough time a spruce stand of average productivity will eventually become suitable for P. kolwensis, as long as no large-scale disturbance takes place. The question is; will the adult beetles find these fragments of suitable forest stands in a landscape dominated by young managed stands, i.e. is the dispersal ability of the species sufficient? In order to reach an answer to the question, 54 spruce logs were felled in 2010 at different distances, at most about one kilometre, from a forest stand with a strong population of P. kolwensis. Preferably large old spruces were chosen, but in some cases, no such were found. Hence felled trees were 72-326 yr. old with a breast height diameter of 23-55 cm. Some of the cut trees were in stands in close vicinity to the source stand. Other were situated in stands surrounded by open areas without trees, habitat that possibly is avoided by flying adult beetles. The study is performed in the central part of Sweden and is run by the County administration of Västernorrlands län. The inventory of felled trees will continue until all logs have passed the suitable stage as habitat for kolwensis-larvae. On ECCB 2018 the first results are presented, showing that so far some of the nearest situated logs have been colonized. The presentation also embraces what type of logs that have been used by the species. ; peerReviewed

Aliya Naheed,1,* Victoria Haldane,2,* Tazeen H Jafar,3,4 Nantu Chakma,1 Helena Legido-Quigley2 On behalf of the COBRA-BPS Study Group 1Initiative for Noncommunicable Diseases, International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research (icddr), Dhaka, Bangladesh; 2Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore; 3Program for Health Services and Systems Research, Duke NUS Medical School, Singapore; 4Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: Hypertension is an increasing threat to global public health, a leading cause of premature death, and an important modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Despite evidence on the efficacy of antihypertensive medication for blood-pressure control and mortality prevention, a large proportion of individuals are undiagnosed and untreated, especially in resource-constrained settings. This qualitative study explored patient pathways to care, as well as knowledge of and adherence to hypertension care. Methods: We conducted in-depth interviews with 20 hypertensive patients in two rural districts in Bangladesh. Interviews were conducted and transcribed in Bangla and translated to English. QSR NVivo 10 software was used for analyses. We mapped patient pathways and report here on patient experiences accessing care from local pharmacies, the government, and private clinics. Results: Overall, most patients reported hypertension awareness prior to diagnosis and were conscious about consequences of hypertension. However, patients had little knowledge about prevention and treatment strategies. Most patients considered hypertension an important disease, albeit reporting taking medication only when symptomatic. Patients were aware of dietary advice; however, they were largely sedentary. Qualified doctors in both private and government settings diagnosed hypertension in the majority of the patients, and some were diagnosed by an informal provider and a few reported self-care at home. Patients followed three pathways: specialized hospitals for acute care, private hospitals/local pharmacy for nonacute symptoms, and incidental hypertension identification while being treated for another condition. Conclusion: We identify barriers to access to hypertension prevention and care that prevented patients from seeking and receiving treatment from government facilities. Challenges included a lack of support to enable community screening by government health workers, long waiting times, and inadequate supplies for hypertension treatment. Expanding community-health workers' scope in the dissemination of chronic-disease information may improve patient pathways to hypertension care in rural communities in Bangladesh. Keywords: Bangladesh, hypertension, diagnosis, awareness, medication, barrier, qualitative

António Duarte-de-Araújo,1–3 Pedro Teixeira,1,2 Venceslau Hespanhol,4,5 Jaime Correia-de-Sousa1,2,6 1Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), School of Medicine, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal; 2ICVS/3B's, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga, Portugal; 3Respiratory Department, H. Sª Oliveira, Guimarães, Portugal; 4Department of Pneumology, Centro Hospitalar de S. João, Porto, Portugal; 5Faculty of Medicine (FMUP), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; 6Horizonte Family Health Unit, Matosinhos, Portugal Background and objective: Adherence to inhaled medications by COPD patients is a challenging issue, but relatively understudied. The aim of this study is the characterization of adherence to inhaled medications by COPD patients, with a focus on patient-related determinants. Methods: Stable COPD outpatients ≥40 years of age from a respiratory unit and diagnosed according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease criteria were included in a cross-sectional study. The Measure of Treatment Adherence (MTA), the Beliefs about Medications Questionnaire (BMQ) and demographic, clinical, and COPD questionnaires were used. After completing these questionnaires, semi-structured interviews were carried out and participants were encouraged to justify their opinions and behaviors. Field notes were made during the interviews and each interview was analyzed before the next one. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of the variables were then performed. Results: A total of 300 out of 319 participants (mean age =67.7 years, 78.1% males) completed the MTA questionnaire. Of these, 31.3% were considered poorly adherent and 16.7% as non-adherent to the inhaled therapy. A statistically significant negative association was found between adherence and current smoking status (P=0.044), and between adherence and FEV1% (P=0.000). The mean BMQ Necessity score was higher in adherent patients (P=0.000), but the the mean Concern score was similar for both (P=0.877). We found nine patterns of poor-adherence, six reasons given for poor-adherence behaviors, five reasons for good-adherence behaviors and three patient-related domains on adherence to medications. Conclusion: Adherence is related to need perception and to the functional severity of the disease. A non-adherent patient is usually a current smoker with lower degree of airflow limitation and lower perception of medication necessity. New information obtained was related to the patterns and reasons for different adherence behaviors, which are based on three major groups of patient related-determinants: health-related experiences, health-related behaviors and health-related beliefs. Keywords: COPD, adherence, inhaled medications, adherence behaviors, beliefs

The paper analyses the development of national identities among Balkan Orthodox Christians from the 1780s to 1914. It points to pre-modern political subsystems in which many Balkan Orthodox peasants lived in the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The Serbian and Greek uprisings/revolutions are analyzed in the context of the intellectual climate of the Enlightenment. Various modes of penetration of the ideas of the Age of Revolution are analyzed as well as the ways in which new concepts influenced proto-national identities of Serbs and Romans/Greeks. The author accepts Hobsbawm's concept of proto-national identities and identifies their ethno-religious identity as the main element of Balkan Christian Orthodox proto-nations. The role of the Orthodox Church in the formation of ethno-religious proto-national identity and in its development into national identity during the nineteenth century is analyzed in the cases of Serbs, Romans/ Greeks, Vlachs/Romanians and Bulgarians. Three of the four Balkan national movements fully developed their respective national identities through their own ethnic states, and the fourth (Bulgarian) developed partially through its ethnic state. All four analyzed identities reached the stage of mass nationalism by the time of the Balkan Wars. By the beginning of the twentieth century, only Macedonian Slavs kept their proto-national ethno-religious identity to a substantial degree. Various analyzed patterns indicate that nascent national identities coexisted with fluid and shifting protonational identities within the same religious background. Occasional supremacy of social over ethnic identities has also been identified. Ethnification of the Orthodox Church, in the period 1831-1872, is viewed as very important for the development of national movements of Balkan Orthodox Christians. A new three-stage model of national identity development among Balkan Orthodox Christians has been proposed. It is based on specific aspects in the development of these nations, including: the insufficient development of capitalist society, the emergence of ethnic states before nationalism developed in three out of four analyzed cases, and an inappropriate social structure with a bureaucratic class serving the same role as the middle class had in more developed European nationalisms. The three phases posed three different questions to Balkan Christian Orthodox national activists. Phase 1: Who are we?; Phase 2: What to do with our non-liberated compatriots; and Phase 3: Has the mission of national unification been fulfilled?.

Through a feminist and intersectional reading of the "post-conflict"/post-agreement context, this study analyses: i) the violence against women as an instrumental and displayed power in war contexts; ii) the impact of violences against afrodescendant women during the armed conflict, drawn from Official Victims' Registries as well as from their own narratives; iii) the multiple overlapped violences that afrodescendant women suffer, as part of a continuum, understanding war as the setting where the violences are embodied and become more lethal publicly; iv) the transitional justice as contested arena, specially with the signing of the Peace Agreements. For that purpose, the work focuses in the narratives of afrodescendant women as political and active subjects in the transitional justice process, in order to provide truth, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition to victims. In this regard, it reads through the victim qua victim, assuming a constructivist approach to understand this category –as well as we try to overcome essentialist and patronizing perspectives. Finally, this research proposes the resignification of agency ability of these women to redefine and dispute over the State's control of justice, truth, reparation, and memory processes ; A través de una lectura feminista interseccional del escenario de "postconflicto"/post-acuerdo en Colombia, este trabajo analiza: i) la violencia contra las mujeres en contextos de guerra como poder exhibido e instrumental; ii) el impacto de las violencias contra las mujeres afrodescendientes en el conflicto armado –para lo cual se ha utilizado tanto la información disponible del Registro Único de Víctimas (RUV) como los relatos de las víctimas; iii) las múltiples violencias superpuestas que sufren las mujeres afrodescendientes, como parte de un continuum, entendiendo la guerra como un escenario en el que éstas se encarnan y letalizan de forma pública; y iv) la justicia transicional como arena en disputa, especialmente a raíz de la firma de los Acuerdos de Paz. Para ello, se parte de las propias narrativas de las mujeres afrodescendientes como sujetos políticos activos en el proceso de justicia transicional –verdad, reparación y garantías de no repetición–. En esta línea, se parte de una revisión de la víctima qua víctima, adoptando una mirada constructivista de esta categoría –en un intento por superar concepciones esencialistas y paternalistas de la misma–, y abogando por la resignificación de la capacidad de agencia de dichas mujeres para retejer y disputar al Estado el control sobre los procesos de justicia, verdad, reparación y memoria.

A state of the art regarding the issue in which some interpretative proposals will be presented. The role that the army has developed as a nation building agency has been largely referred to the experts of this area of knowledge. However, there is still a lack of research focused on this issue, especially on the 20th century. As far as our country, Spain, is concerned, this field of investigation has been limited to some researches which focused on the 19th century and on Miguel Primo de Rivera's dictatorship. This paper deals with the main features of the Spanish compulsory army service during the period of Franco's dictatorship, and tries attempts to analyse the role that this phenomenon played in the process of Spanish nation building, and in the creation of Spanish national identity: the definitive universality of the service, the combination between theoretical and practical training, Spanish history learned by recruits and the literacy lessons. Yet, not only is this the main purpose of the essay, since it also aims to depict the lack of specification in the theoretical teaching, the discrimination that the recruits suffered based on their geographical origin, and the influence of other conscripts with different national identities. Finally, we question some aspects of the conscription's nation-building capacity. ; Se realiza un estado de la cuestión en el que se ofrecen algunas propuestas interpretativas. El papel del Ejército como agente de nacionalización ha sido ampliamente referenciado por la literatura científica, pero faltan estudios detallados de caso, especialmente del siglo xx. En España, su estudio se ha reducido a trabajos parciales referidos al siglo xix y a la Dictadura de Miguel Primo de Rivera. En este artículo se analizan algunas de las características del servicio militar obligatorio en España durante el franquismo, y se identifican algunas de sus posibles aportaciones al proceso de construcción nacional y de arraigo de una identidad española durante esta época: la definitiva universalización del servicio, la complementación de la instrucción militar con formación teórica, la historia de España enseñada a los reclutas, las clases de alfabetización, etc. También se analizan la falta de concreción en la instrucción teórica, la falta de formación de los mandos, el reduccionismo y la dejadez con el que se trataba la formación teórica, las diferencias en el trato de los reclutas en función de su origen geográfico o el encuadramiento de reclutas con identidades alternativas a la española. Finalmente se cuestionan algunos aspectos de la capacidad nacionalizadora del servicio militar.