The Professional Identity of Gameworkers Revisited. A Qualitative Inquiry on the Case Study of German Professionals

The phenomena of computer games and the plethora of game cultures have already been drawing attention of researchers for many years, whereas the people behind computer games – the so called gameworkers – undeservingly remained in the shadows until quite recently. The lack of information about this workforce and its professional identity makes this research object especially interesting. The analysis relies on a pilot study about the issue of the professional identity of gameworkers, which aimed to dig deeper with the means of qualitative research. During that project nine German gameworkers were interviewed and an attempt to give an in-depth description of their professional identity was made. The study shows that the respondents have a very strong coherence with their profession and perceive themselves as a part of their profession and the team/studio they work with/at. The most salient reason for this is the deep interest the respondents have in computer games (for both making and playing games)

Generating and sustaining the image of Berlin: an empirical analysis of the city PR-strategy based on the groundes theory methodology

This thesis investigates the phenomenon of city PR. City PR is a complex, but not comprehensively examined phenomenon, which has been overlooked by PR-researchers. Within this work, the author aims at investigating the phenomenon by empirically analyzing the Berlin city PR-strategy. An empirical analysis on the Berlin PR-strategy with help of the Grounded Theory Methodology (GTM) was conducted. The author decided for GTM because this methodology is considered especially effective in areas which have not been that thoroughly researched yet – like the city PR phenomenon. Moreover, the methodology promises a great deal of flexibility within an iterative process of data collection, data analysis, and theory building. Several interviews with people who directly work within the system of Berlin city PR – from such organizations as the Senate Chancellery (Berliner Senatskanzlei), Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH, Kulturprojekte Berlin GmbH – were conducted. The collected data provided rich insights and understanding of the phenomenon “from the inside”. During the analysis, gaps in the data were identified. In this way, document analysis was conducted. Relevant complementary data was collected from yearly reports, articles, press releases, websites, and so forth.  The guidelines of GTM were rigorously followed. The analytic process contained initial and focused coding, category development, and theoretical coding. The analytic process was accompanied by constant comparative method and memo-writing. All in all, seven major categories were developed. Afterward, two theoretical concepts arose – ‘collaboration’ and ‘core of city PR’.  As a result, a substantive theory of city PR was developed. What is more, the research gaps delineated at the beginning of the work were filled. Several insights into PR research were made. Besides, a series of practical insights, which is especially relevant in today’s situation of growing competition between cities, were provided.Diese Arbeit ist dem Phänomen Public-Relations von Städten (hier nachfolgend mit "City PR" bezeichnet) gewidmet. Das Thema City PR ist ebenso komplex wie es nicht erschöpfend untersucht worden ist. PR-Forscher haben jenem Phänomen bislang wenig Aufmerksamkeit gewidmet. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wird der Themenkomplex City PR anhand einer empirischen Analyse der PR-Strategie der Großstadt Berlin (hier Hauptstadt der Bundesrepublik Deutschland) erforscht. Vorgenannte empirische Analyse der PR-Strategie der Großstadt Berlin wird unter Anwendung der Grounded Theory Methodology (GTM) durchgeführt. Die Autorin dieser Dissertation hat sich für die Methode GTM entschieden, da diese in weitestgehend unerforschten Bereichen, wie im Feld der City PR, angewandt, besonders wirksam ist. Ferner hat die Autorin dieser Arbeit das Vorgehen GTM gewählt, da es innerhalb iterativer Datenerhebungs- und Analyseprozesse wie auch des iterativen Prozesses der Entwicklung der Theorie, die erforderliche Flexibilität aufweist. Im Rahmen der Dissertation wurden mehrere Interviews mit Personen, die unmittelbar am PR-Strategieprozess der Stadt Berlin mitwirken durchgeführt. Zu diesen zählen Beschäftigte der Berliner Senatskanzlei, der Unternehmen Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie GmbH und der Berlin Kulturprojekte GmbH. Auf Grundlage erhobener Daten werden ein umfassender Einblick und das Verständnis interner Prozesse (Innenansicht) des untersuchten Phänomens City PR herbeigeführt. Im Wege der Datenanalyse wurden Lücken der Datenerhebung identifiziert. Um die Lücken auszufüllen wurde eine Dokumentenanalyse vorgenommen. Dazu wurden einschlägige Dokumente - hier vor allem Jahresberichte, Veröffentlichungen, Pressemitteilungen und Webseiten - analysiert. Dem Vorgehen GTM konsequent folgend, basiert die Datenanalyse dieser Arbeit auf den Phasen initial, focused coding, category development und theoretical coding. Der Analyseprozess selbst, wurde durch constant comparative method und memo-writing begleitet. Im Ergebnis werden sieben Hauptkategorien beschrieben. Auf deren Grundlage werden zwei Konzepte - 'collaboration' und 'core of city PR' - vorgestellt. Abschließend wird die substantive theory of city PR dargelegt. Die in dieser Arbeit dokumentierten Forschungslücken wurden geschlossen. Ferner wurden neue Erkenntnisse auf dem Forschungsgebiet PR gewonnen. Darüber hinaus gewährt diese Arbeit praktische, aufgrund zunehmender Herausforderungen denen konkurrierende Städte ausgesetzt sind, aktuelle und nützliche Einblicke in die PR von Städten

Phenological shifts of abiotic events, producers and consumers across a continent

Ongoing climate change can shift organism phenology in ways that vary depending on species, habitats and climate factors studied. To probe for large-scale patterns in associated phenological change, we use 70,709 observations from six decades of systematic monitoring across the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Among 110 phenological events related to plants, birds, insects, amphibians and fungi, we find a mosaic of change, defying simple predictions of earlier springs, later autumns and stronger changes at higher latitudes and elevations. Site mean temperature emerged as a strong predictor of local phenology, but the magnitude and direction of change varied with trophic level and the relative timing of an event. Beyond temperature-associated variation, we uncover high variation among both sites and years, with some sites being characterized by disproportionately long seasons and others by short ones. Our findings emphasize concerns regarding ecosystem integrity and highlight the difficulty of predicting climate change outcomes. The authors use systematic monitoring across the former USSR to investigate phenological changes across taxa. The long-term mean temperature of a site emerged as a strong predictor of phenological change, with further imprints of trophic level, event timing, site, year and biotic interactions.Peer reviewe

Chronicles of nature calendar, a long-term and large-scale multitaxon database on phenology

We present an extensive, large-scale, long-term and multitaxon database on phenological and climatic variation, involving 506,186 observation dates acquired in 471 localities in Russian Federation, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. The data cover the period 1890-2018, with 96% of the data being from 1960 onwards. The database is rich in plants, birds and climatic events, but also includes insects, amphibians, reptiles and fungi. The database includes multiple events per species, such as the onset days of leaf unfolding and leaf fall for plants, and the days for first spring and last autumn occurrences for birds. The data were acquired using standardized methods by permanent staff of national parks and nature reserves (87% of the data) and members of a phenological observation network (13% of the data). The database is valuable for exploring how species respond in their phenology to climate change. Large-scale analyses of spatial variation in phenological response can help to better predict the consequences of species and community responses to climate change.Peer reviewe

Effect of aliskiren on post-discharge outcomes among diabetic and non-diabetic patients hospitalized for heart failure: insights from the ASTRONAUT trial

Aims The objective of the Aliskiren Trial on Acute Heart Failure Outcomes (ASTRONAUT) was to determine whether aliskiren, a direct renin inhibitor, would improve post-discharge outcomes in patients with hospitalization for heart failure (HHF) with reduced ejection fraction. Pre-specified subgroup analyses suggested potential heterogeneity in post-discharge outcomes with aliskiren in patients with and without baseline diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods and results ASTRONAUT included 953 patients without DM (aliskiren 489; placebo 464) and 662 patients with DM (aliskiren 319; placebo 343) (as reported by study investigators). Study endpoints included the first occurrence of cardiovascular death or HHF within 6 and 12 months, all-cause death within 6 and 12 months, and change from baseline in N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) at 1, 6, and 12 months. Data regarding risk of hyperkalaemia, renal impairment, and hypotension, and changes in additional serum biomarkers were collected. The effect of aliskiren on cardiovascular death or HHF within 6 months (primary endpoint) did not significantly differ by baseline DM status (P = 0.08 for interaction), but reached statistical significance at 12 months (non-DM: HR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.64-0.99; DM: HR: 1.16, 95% CI: 0.91-1.47; P = 0.03 for interaction). Risk of 12-month all-cause death with aliskiren significantly differed by the presence of baseline DM (non-DM: HR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.50-0.94; DM: HR: 1.64, 95% CI: 1.15-2.33; P < 0.01 for interaction). Among non-diabetics, aliskiren significantly reduced NT-proBNP through 6 months and plasma troponin I and aldosterone through 12 months, as compared to placebo. Among diabetic patients, aliskiren reduced plasma troponin I and aldosterone relative to placebo through 1 month only. There was a trend towards differing risk of post-baseline potassium ≥6 mmol/L with aliskiren by underlying DM status (non-DM: HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 0.71-1.93; DM: HR: 2.39, 95% CI: 1.30-4.42; P = 0.07 for interaction). Conclusion This pre-specified subgroup analysis from the ASTRONAUT trial generates the hypothesis that the addition of aliskiren to standard HHF therapy in non-diabetic patients is generally well-tolerated and improves post-discharge outcomes and biomarker profiles. In contrast, diabetic patients receiving aliskiren appear to have worse post-discharge outcomes. Future prospective investigations are needed to confirm potential benefits of renin inhibition in a large cohort of HHF patients without D

Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTIC‐HF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials

Aims: The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTIC‐HF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTIC‐HF and how these compare with other contemporary trials. Methods and Results: Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA) ≥ II, EF ≤35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokinetic‐guided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50 mg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), non‐white (22%), mean age 65 years] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NT‐proBNP 1971 pg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTIC‐HF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressure &lt; 100 mmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate &lt; 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitril‐valsartan at baseline (n = 1594). Conclusions: GALACTIC‐HF enrolled a well‐treated, high‐risk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation

Description of a new species Gyraulus (Pulmonata: Planorbidae) from the land thermal spring Khakusy of Lake Baikal

A new species of the family Planorbidae is described from the land thermal spring Khakusy, on the north-eastern shore of Lake Baikal. The description of Gyraulus takhteevi sp. n. includes morphological characters and gene sequences (COI of mtDNA) for the species separation from sister taxon Gyraulus acronicus (A. Férussac, 1807) collected from the small Krestovka River in-flowing into the south-western part of the Lake. The new species differs from G. acronicus in small shell size of adults, having smaller number of prostate folds (maximal up to 26 in G. takhteevi n. sp. vs. 40 in G. acronicus), a short preputium (approximately twice shorter than the phallotheca), and an elongated bursa copulatrix. The population of Gyraulus takhteevi sp. n. consists of two co-existent morphs: one of them has a narrow shell spire and the second is characterized by wide spire similar to the shell of G. acronicus. One of the two revealed haplotypes of the new species includes both morphs, while the second consists of snails with wide spired shells