Suchergebnisse

Hitze ist für viele Menschen und insbesondere für bestimmte Bevölkerungsgruppen eine große Belastung. Daneben können gleichzeitig die schädliche ultraviolette (UV) Strahlung sowie die Ozonkonzentration erhöhte Werte annehmen. Das zeitliche Auftreten dieser Faktoren und deren Abhängigkeit untereinander werden näher betrachtet und für den Zeitraum von 2010 bis 2014 statistisch ausgewertet. Als Messstationen dienen zwei an der Ostsee gelegene Küstenstationen (Barth und Zingst) sowie zwei Mittelgebirgsstationen im Südschwarzwald (Schauinsland und Feldberg). Für das troposphärische Ozon wird für jeden Tag der maximale 8-h-Mittelwert errechnet. Zur Beurteilung der Hitzebelastung wird der thermische Index der gefühlten Temperatur (GT) im Zeitraum von 10 bis 17 h UTC berechnet und die UV-Strahlung hinzugezogen. Die statistische Auswertung der Korrelation nach Pearson zeigt schließlich die Abhängigkeit im Auftreten der thermischen Indizes und des Ozons bzw. der UV-Strahlung, jeweils nach Jahren und Jahreszeiten getrennt. Die Ergebnisse können für die untersuchten Stationen keine direkte lineare Abhängigkeit aufzeigen. Die Wintermonate weisen für alle Parameter ein sehr schwaches Bestimmtheitsmaß (R²) auf. Potenziell höhere Werte werden für den Sommer ermittelt, ausgenommen für den Zusammenhang zwischen der GT und UV an den Küstenstationen, und erreicht Werte bis zu 0. In den Übergangsjahreszeiten sind sowohl höhere als auch niedrigere R² gegeben.

ABSTRACT  Previous cross‐cultural studies of religion's evolution that employed Swanson's High Gods measure are plagued by methodological difficulties, especially the lack of proper statistical controls. Here, we attempted to rectify this, using the Standard Cross‐Cultural Sample to test five hypotheses employing multivariate statistical techniques. Results provided weak support for Swanson's Sovereign Groups hypothesis concerning High Gods and also limited support for a previously unexplored factor: writing and record keeping. In phase two of the study, we introduced a new measure, the Stage of Religious Evolution, based on Anthony Wallace's typology. When this new dependent variable was substituted for High Gods, much stronger results were obtained. The best predictors of Stage of Religious Evolution were mode of subsistence economy, writing and record keeping, and total population size. These findings allowed us to construct a new evolutionary interpretation of the development of different modes of religious life.

As one of the first pieces of published research on New York's conditional cash transfer (CCT) programme, this paper presents the nuts-and-bolts of Opportunity New York City. It details the programme's performance-based conditionalities, contrasts its different subcomponents, and compares its design and conception to that of its precursor CCT programmes in Latin America. Finally, the paper considers whether Opportunity NYC will be able to harness broad political support in the city and become an enduring solution to education reform in the largest public school system in the United States. Critics of its conception and practice certainly abound.

What do scholars know about the internet, social media, and other ICTs in African elections? Information on the role electronic media plays in politics on the African continent is limited, with little scholarly work empirically examining the role of electronic media in African elections. In this report, we focus specifically on crowd-sourced publics in the Kenyan context. We intend to contribute to literature on ICT4D and governance, particularly highlighting the potential and limitations of non-profit ICT-using intermediaries and their work to re-define the relationship between citizens and the State. Throughout this report, we center on questions about the role of the crowdsourcing initiative Uchaguzi. This inquiry examines technical challenges, the organization's ability to catalyze responses to reports of violence, the organization's connection with the media establishment and the wider public as well as Uchaguzi's overall role in strengthening electoral transparency and accountability. To address these questions, we employed mixed methods involving both qualitative and quantitative analyses as well as field methods and desk research. Data collection focused on review of documentary sources in addition to collection of both qualitative and quantitative data. Empirical and qualitative sources included fourteen semi-structured qualitative interviews with founders, designers, and implementers. We also conducted a short survey to assess citizens' familiarity with Uchaguzi, reaching a total of 446 people and covering most regions in Kenya.

'Collective Choice Processes: A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Foreign Policy Decision-Making' by Irmtraud N. Gallhofer and Willem E. Saris is reviewed.

Exploring the stability of states and political systems is of interest to scientists and politicians all around the world. One of the most important questions in this field is the question of the relationship between stability and freedom. This paper considers the relationship between economic freedom and stability with regards to the example of countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The study uses quantitative analysis and the operationalisation of economic freedom through the Index of Economic Freedom (IEF); furthermore, stability is studied through the Fragile States Index (FSI), and the Political Stability and Absence of Violence/Terrorism Index (PSI). The analysis reveals a strong correlation between economic freedom and stability. According to linear regression models obtained by the author, economic freedom has a strong impact on stability. Models show that most of the components of IEF increase stability, whilst some components decrease it. This means that the same factors affect economic freedom and stability in different ways. In particular, taxes have a very positive effect on stability. At the same it is obvious that taxes reduce economic freedom. This fact allows us to resolve the existing contradictions among politicians and scientists, who differently assess the impact of economic freedom on stability. It may be stated that whilst economic freedom has in general a strong positive effect on stability, it can also have a negative effect.

Exploring the stability of states and political systems is of interest to scientists and politicians all around the world. One of the most important questions in this field is the question of the relationship between stability and freedom.This paper considers the relationship between economic freedom and stability with regards to the example of countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The study uses quantitative analysis and the operationalisation of economic freedom through the Index of Economic Freedom (IEF); furthermore, stability is studied through the Fragile States Index (FSI), and the Political Stability and Absence of Violence/Terrorism Index (PSI).The analysis reveals a strong correlation between economic freedom and stability. According to linear regression models obtained by the author, economic freedom has a strong impact on stability. Models show that most of the components of IEF increase stability, whilst some components decrease it. This means that the same factors affect economic freedom and stability in different ways. In particular, taxes have a very positive effect on stability. At the same it is obvious that taxes reduce economic freedom. This fact allows us to resolve the existing contradictions among politicians and scientists, who differently assess the impact of economic freedom on stability. It may be stated that whilst economic freedom has in general a strong positive effect on stability, it can also have a negative effect.