Effectiveness of Justice-Based Measures in Managing Trust and Privacy Concerns on Social Networking Sites: Intercultural Perspective

The unprecedented success of social networking sites (SNSs) has been recently overshadowed by concerns about privacy risks. As SNS users grow weary of privacy breaches and thus develop distrust, they may restrict or even terminate their platform activities. In the long run, these developments endanger SNS platforms’ financial viability and undermine their ability to create individual and social value. By applying a justice perspective, this study aims to understand the means at the disposal of SNS providers to leverage the privacy concerns and trusting beliefs of their users—two important determinants of user participation on SNSs. Considering that SNSs have a global appeal, empirical tests assess the effectiveness of justice measures for three culturally distinct countries: Germany, Russia and Morocco. The results indicate that these measures are particularly suited to address trusting beliefs of SNS audience. Specifically, in all examined countries, procedural justice and the awareness dimension of informational justice improve perceptions of trust in the SNS provider. Privacy concerns, however, are not as easy to manage, because the impact of justice-based measures on privacy concerns is not universal. Beyond theoretical value, this research offers valuable practical insights into the use of justice-based measures to promote trust and mitigate privacy concerns in a cross-cultural setting.

Genetic consequences of habitat fragmentation during a range expansion

We investigate the effect of habitat fragmentation on the genetic diversity of a species experiencing a range expansion. These two evolutionary processes have not been studied yet, at the same time, owing to the difficulties of deriving analytic results for non-equilibrium models. Here we provide a description of their interaction by using extensive spatial and temporal coalescent simulations and we suggest guidelines for a proper genetic sampling to detect fragmentation. To model habitat fragmentation, we simulated a two-dimensional lattice of demes partitioned into groups (patches) by adding barriers to dispersal. After letting a population expand on this grid, we sampled lineages from the lattice at several scales and studied their coalescent history. We find that in order to detect fragmentation, one needs to extensively sample at a local level rather than at a landscape level. This is because the gene genealogy of a scattered sample is less sensitive to the presence of genetic barriers. Considering the effect of temporal changes of fragmentation intensities, we find that at least 10, but often >100, generations are needed to affect local genetic diversity and population structure. This result explains why recent habitat fragmentation does not always lead to detectable signatures in the genetic structure of populations. Finally, as expected, long-distance dispersal increases local genetic diversity and decreases levels of population differentiation, efficiently counteracting the effects of fragmentation.

Biographien und Netzwerke im Kaffeehandel zwischen Deutschland und Zentralamerika, 1920-1959

Kaffee ist nicht nur ein beliebtes Getränk, sondern vernetzte auch unterschiedliche Welten: Der Kaffeehandel band Hamburg und Bremen in transnationale Netzwerke ein, die sich zwischen Europa und Lateinamerika erstreckten. Zentralamerika war für den globalen Kaffeehandel wichtig, weil die Region als erste die „nasse“ Form der Aufbereitung einführte. Die hohe Qualität dieser „gewaschenen“ Kaffees machte sie auf dem Weltmarkt begehrt. Deutsche Einwanderer prägten die Handelsverbindungen zwischen den zentralamerikanischen Kaffee-Anbauregionen und den norddeutschen Hafenstädten: Sie gründeten Exportfirmen, erwarben Kaffeeplantagen und beteiligten sich an der Vorfinanzierung der Ernten. Christiane Berth analysiert Biografien und Netzwerke deutscher Kaffee-Akteure in Guatemala, Costa Rica und Chiapas. Dabei zeigt sie, wie deren Handelsnetzwerke durch wirtschaftliche Krisen und neue außenpolitische Konstellationen brüchig wurden, im Nationalsozialismus unter Druck gerieten und während des Zweiten Weltkrieges zerbrachen. Trotzdem blieben auch in der Nachkriegszeit Handelsbeziehungen zwischen Nationalstaaten, Netzwerke in der Kaffeebranche und Biografien der Kaffee-Akteure eng miteinander verknüpft.

Castanea sativa in Europe: distribution, habitat, usage and threats

The sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) is the only native species of the genus in Europe. The broad diffusion and active management by man resulted in the establishment of the species at the limits of its potential ecological range, which makes it difficult to trace its original natural area. The present distribution ranges from North-Western Africa (e.g. Morocco) to North-Western Europe (southern England, Belgium) and from south-western Asia (e.g. Turkey) to Eastern Europe (e.g. Romania), the Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia) and the Caspian Sea. In Europe the main chestnut forests are concentrated in a few countries such as Italy, France and the Iberian Peninsula. The sweet chestnut has a remarkable multipurpose character, and may be managed for timber production (coppice and high forest) as well as for fruit production (traditional orchards), including a broad range of secondary products and ecosystem services.

Distribution and variability of deformed wing virus of honeybees (Apis mellifera) in the Middle East and North Africa.

Three hundred eleven honeybee samples from twelve countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) (Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Yemen, Palestine and Sudan) were analyzed for the presence of deformed wing virus (DWV). The prevalence of DWV throughout the MENA region was pervasive, but variable. The highest prevalence was found in Lebanon and Syria, with prevalence dropping in Palestine, Jordan and Egypt before increasing slightly moving westwards to Algeria and Morocco Phylogenetic analysis of a 194 nucleotide section of the DWV Lp gene did not identify any significant phylogenetic resolution among the samples, although the sequences did show consistent regional clustering, including an interesting geographic gradient from Morocco through North Africa to Jordan and Syria. The sequences revealed several clear variability hotspots in the deduced amino acid sequence, that furthermore showed some patterns of regional identity. Furthermore, the sequence variants from the Middle East and North Africa appear more numerous and diverse than those from Europe. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Feminism, gender equity and sexual/reproductive health in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region

Sexual/reproductive/health and rights are crucial public health concerns that have been specifically integrated into the Millennium Development Goals to be accomplished by 2015. These issues are related to several health outcomes, including HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence (GBV) among women. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region comprises Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), West Bank and Gaza (WBG), and Yemen. This region is primarily Arabic speaking (except for Israel and Iran), and primarily Muslim (except for Israel). Some traditional and cultural views and practices in this region engender gender inequalities, which manifest themselves in the economic, political and social spheres. HIV and gender-based violence in the region may be interlinked with gender inequalities which breed justification for partner violence and honour killings, and increase the chance that HIV will transform into an epidemic in the region if not addressed. A feminist framework, focused on economic, political and social empowerment for women would be useful to consider applying to sexual/reproductive health in the region.^

Las escuelas pianísticas en Argentina : una aproximación preliminar

El presente trabajo forma parte de una investigación en curso sobre "La escuela pianística argentina", proyecto aprobado y subsidiado por la Agencia Nacional de Investigaciones Científi cas y Técnicas (Proyecto Picto Artes 00043-2007) y la Secretaría de Ciencia, Técnica y Posgrado de la UNCuyo. En él pretendemos aproximarnos en nuestro camino hacia la demostración de la existencia de una escuela pianística argentina, partiendo de la teoría expuesta por Piero Rattalino en su libro de 1983 Le grandi scuole pianistiche, en la que elabora un árbol genealógico-pianístico que engloba, a partir de Mozart, Clementi y Beethoven la evolución de la técnica pianística desde los comienzos del pianoforte hasta llegar a los grandes pianistas-pedagogos del SXX.

La persistente pertinencia del enfoque de género en la investigación socio-histórica

El siguiente artículo se inscribe en el debate de los estudios feministas que se proponen hacer una historia inclusiva en donde las mujeres, por su condición y posición, no queden relegadas al margen de los hechos sociales que tienen lugar en el tiempo y el espacio; que la mirada androcéntrica no gane la batalla y que esos hechos, algo invisibles a simple vista, puedan ser observados, analizados y revelados. En fin, que la genealogía de los procesos históricos, tal cual lo señala Foucault, nos permita ir más allá para descubrir lo que la historia oficial no ha descubierto, o bien, ha velado y omitido por su poca o mucha trascendencia. Deseamos plasmar aquí una entrada que retoma varios aspectos teórico- metodológicos que, en sí mismos, no son novedosos, de modo que el aporte consiste en cómo se relacionan estos constructos, cómo se articulan entre sí para avanzar y contribuir con el desarrollo de las reflexiones, en particular, la participación de las mujeres en hechos socio-históricos.

Perspectivas y abordajes en torno a la nación y los nacionalismos : tensiones y complejidades de una problemática inconclusa

La cuestión de la nación y los nacionalismos es uno de los tópicos que se ha trabajado polémicamente en los últimos años, a través de la crítica a la idea genealógica de nación y su postulación como construcción social y representación imaginaria. Este punto de inflexión requiere una reconsideración de ciertos textos, desde el cruce entre la historia de las ideas y la historia intelectual. Los temas abordados refieren a las ambiguas relaciones entre liberalismo y nacionalismo, la cuestión nacional y sus contenidos, los diversos significados del nacionalismo y sus relaciones con otras corrientes políticas ideológicas, estableciendo los anclajes necesarios en sus itinerarios históricos e historiográficos.