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The article describes the revolutionary new ways of communicating the written word when moving from the Medieval to Modern period in Europe, primarily the use of paper and moveable typeface printing and how these catalysed important cultural developments. A similar revolution has taken place in the last 50 years with the development of the internet. The article looks at how scientific publishing has changed with electronic publishing, including the development of Open Access. The journal Heritage Science is placed into this context. Especially important for scientific journals in an era when anyone can post anything on a webpage, is maintaining standards through high quality refereeing which distinguishes formal scientific literature from informal websites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the strategy of Europa Press Holdings Co. in the creation its daily national newspaper, and explores the development of "Avastar," an electronic newspaper, by Bild.T-Online.de AG & Co. KG in Europe. It states that Europa Press Holdings' research and development team has created a website which provides an opportunity for customers to contribute ideas and opinions on the creation of the newspaper. In addition, the company has also created a marketing campaign and contest which focus on employing skilled individuals that will help in designing the publication. Bild.T-Online.de has used the website Second Life for the publication of "Avastar" in the Internet to attract a large group of readers.

To protect user privacy, legislators have regulated the use of tracking technologies, mandating the acquisition of users' consent before collecting data. As a result, websites started showing more and more consent management modules--i.e., Consent Banners--the visitors have to interact with to access the website content. Since these banners change the content the browser loads, they challenge web measurement collection, primarily to monitor the extent of tracking technologies, but also to measure web performance. If not correctly handled, Consent Banners prevent crawlers from observing the actual content of the websites. In this paper, we present a comprehensive measurement campaign focusing on popular websites in Europe and the US, visiting both landing and internal pages from different countries around the world. We engineer Priv-Accept, a Web crawler able to accept the Consent Banners, as most users would do in practice. It lets us compare how webpages change before and after accepting such policies, if present. Our results show that all measurements performed ignoring the Consent Banners offer a biased and partial view of the Web. After accepting the privacy policies, web tracking is far more pervasive, and webpages are larger and slower to load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. In this study, a model is developed for making purchasing decisions by consumers on the travel agency market. Method. Research on the purchasing process by tourists was carried out applying the diagnostic survey method. Making efforts to ensure that research on the behaviour of consumers regarding tourist services and determinants concerning participation of Polish society in tourism are characterised by reliability, the selection of the sample was purpose-specific, while the control variables were region, gender, type of residence (city, village) and age. The community structure was determined as 0.01% of the entire Polish population (precisely, 3,071 persons). Data from the surveys were developed in the Statistica 13.3 program using the logistic regression model. Findings. Prior travel traditions, fashion and desire to rest influence the need to travel. Stimulating the need for travel is necessary to start the purchasing process by a potential consumer of tourist services. When choosing a travel agency, potential tourists are mainly guided by a wide range of tourist services catalogues, the number and attractiveness of last-minute offers, as well as trip safety. However, to attract loyal customers, a travel agency should primarily take care of after-sales contact, send birthday and holiday wishes to its clients, efficiently respond to all types of queries, and quickly and reliably respond to complaints. They should also make sure the website of their travel agency is interesting. Research and conclusions limitations. The characteristics of the participants constitute a limitation, as they all come from Poland. Therefore, future research must replicate this study with residents from other geographical and cultural contexts to generalise the present findings to Europe. According to some researchers, using multiple regression analysis and null hypothesis significance testing is not an appropriate scientific practice. Better results are presumed to be obtained by using asymmetric case outcome modelling. Practical implications. The research results may be helpful for travel agency executives and other tourism entrepreneurs. Knowing the factors that influence the choice of a travel agency and the correct after-sales contact with the tourist will help tour operators gain regular customers. Originality. The innovativeness of the work concerns developing a new graphic model of tourist behaviour on the travel agency market. To indicate the determinants of travel, factors influencing the purchase process and the choice of travel agencies, and how the post-sale contact between tour operators and tourists should be conducted. Type of paper. In the article, the results of empirical research are presented, based on which the theoretical model of tourist behaviour on the travel agency market was created. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an update of one written in 2002, when online surveys had made a significant impact on research in the USA, but were yet to take hold in Europe and elsewhere. This latest paper - part 1 of 2 - describes how online market research has now become a de facto methodology for many organizations. It describes the key drivers for growth of online access panels, plus the benefits, issues and applications of the other main quantitative research tools and techniques, including online surveys, river sampling, client panels and databases, and website visitor surveys. Part 2, to be published in the next issue of JDDDMP, will describe developments in qualitative online market research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The web is continuously growing in content and functionality having an important impact on society. An objective of the Digital Agenda for Europe is to make the web technologies available for all. Recently, a European directive has been issued that requires the accessibility of public websites by September 2020. Given the low accessibility of public websites, systematic evaluation and monitoring strategies are needed. Covering the huge number of public websites with reasonable effort is only possible in a tool-based approach which makes the selection of a suitable tool a critical issue. The goal of this paper is to compare six accessibility evaluation tools as regards the coverage of accessibility-related issues, identification, reporting, and documenting of accessibility errors. The comparison is illustrated with six case studies of Romanian municipal websites. The results show large differences as regards the way of reporting and the number of errors which suggest that only one tool is not enough. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to describe research undertaken for the European Internet Accessibility Observatory (EIAO) project. It aims to demonstrate how, using a task-based approach, statistical measures can be applied to an initial assessment of a web site's accessibility, which could then be applied to further assessments to provide an evolving picture of the ongoing accessibility of a web site. Design/methodology/approach - Task-based assessments were used to assess the accessibility of web sites, using quantitative and qualitative analysis. The findings from this approach were mapped onto a probabilistic model, developed to assess the probability of an accessibility barrier relating to a specific feature or features of a web site. Findings - The paper finds that providing participants with a task instead of allowing them to randomly explore and evaluate a web site yielded more comparable results. For the EIAO project team, the benefit of the task-based approach was that it allowed them to compare the user testing results with the results of the automated testing tool developed by the project. From the aggregation models included in the analysis, the most appropriate model and parameters were selected, and adjustments were made according to the comparison outcome. Research limitations/implications - Due to resource limitations and efficiency requirements, the assessments undertaken were limited to automatic evaluation, which could also be tested by the users. Therefore not all accessibility barriers in a web site could be identified. Despite this, it is felt that the outcome of the automatic analysis can be utilised as indicator for the overall accessibility of the web site. Originality/value - This paper provides a framework for web designers, commissioners, and policy makers to undertake a user focussed assessment of the accessibility of their web sites, which could be used in conjunction with other assessment methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to explore a common European tourism marketing initiative orchestrated by the organisation European Travel Commission (ETC) and communicated via www.visiteurope.com. Particular focus is given to the position of the Nordic countries - how they are depicted and which imagery is used to represent these countries. The paper raises the question whether it makes sense to name the initiative a “Brand Europe” as suggested by the president of ETC and whether common denominators are sought thereby facilitating the creation of a European brand profile, or whether the website is just a collection of links to national websites thereby functioning as a medium for national tourism destination promotion. Theoretically the point of departure is taken in place-branding theory, and scrutinising this literature it appears that attention has centred on branding the city and the nation whereas little attention has been paid to branding supra-national entities. In this article focus is on stakeholder interests and consumer images and their implications on communicative choices in place-branding efforts. The analysis shows that www.visiteurope.com, on the one hand, is a shared European platform which thematically sketches experiences to be had in Europe, and which constitutes more than just the marketing from national destinations in Europe. On the other hand, it is hardly possible to term this initiative “a brand” as it lacks a holistic approach not only to promotion but also product development. Keywords in the shared profile are diversity, history, culture and nature that, taken together, stand out as quite a generic catch-all presentation of Europe, however, there seems to be potential in the place-branding concept that can be exploited more extensively in future, also at the supra-national level of Europe as a destination. The Nordic countries appear as a region “in the far corner of Europe” presented as primarily a location with extreme nature conditions and exotic cultural habits combined with peaceful, sunny cafe environments which only links up marginally with the overall European profile. Still, for a relatively unknown region in the global tourist market, it is deemed relevant for the Nordic countries to be part of a European brand in future, but the integration of a regional profile into a future European brand needs substantial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - The internet is becoming increasingly important in the communication between local governments and citizens, which makes the usability of municipal web sites a critical factor in government-citizen communication. The purpose of this paper is to propose and test a model for evaluating the potential of municipal web sites. Design/methodology/approach - In this work an objective investigation of the issue has been conducted by manually accessing and evaluating 84 European municipal web sites. Quality of web home pages was determined using an original Web Assessment Index, which focuses on four categories: accessibility, speed, navigability and content. Findings - A detailed report of the results arising from this investigation is presented and systematically analyzed. Originality/value - The most valuable output from this paper is not the ability to identify the best sites, but to see how each municipal site is compared to related sites and to spot ideas and practices that can improve city sites. These findings will be useful for both researchers and practitioners who seek to understand the issues relevant to municipal e-government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates how specific notions of gender and ethnicity are integrated into diversity discourses presented on 241 top European company websites. Large European companies increasingly disclose equality and diversity policies in statements on websites. Such statements may be used to promote an ethical image of the company in terms of how well it manages diversity and guards against discrimination. In this paper, we argue that diversity statement discourses are important as they play a key part in socially constructing how diversity should be regarded in the company by minority and majority groups, as well as indicating corporate values to external stakeholders (investors, government, community, press etc.). Sometimes, the notions of gender or ethnic diversity are positioned as a liability in need of protection, whilst in others, as a source of competitive advantage. We find evidence of use of discursive tools such as problematisation, rationalisation, fixation, reframing and naturalisation of the notions of gender and ethnic diversity, reinforced by use of symbols, such as statistics, photographs, membership badges and awards. Few statements directly associate gender and ethnic diversity with enhanced corporate performance. We found that diversity statements sometimes appear to reinforce existing business stereotypes of women and people from ethnic minorities, and in a few discourses, create new ones, particularly evident in photographs illustrating the diversity web pages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of IFLA Journal is the property of Sage Publications, Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose an analytical model that shows causal relationships between the amount and nature of information on strategies and the governance of city councils, as well as the contents of different dimensions of sustainability that are disclosed on the websites of local governments in big European cities. This model could reveal if the information is disseminated in a homogeneous and coordinated way and could improve the quality of the information, its coherence and its comparability. Design/methodology/approach – The authors have designed a questionnaire with 75 variables from the Global Reporting Initiative proposal to specify information disclosed on sustainability. The level of information about each of these variables has been gathered by consulting the contents published on the websites of the 142 local governments in the sample. Finally the authors propose a model about the cause-effect relationships between the amount and nature of the information in different dimensions of sustainability on the websites of large cities’ local governments based on the structural equation modelling methodology. Findings – The model obtained reveals that there is coherence in the sustainability information disclosed by large European cities on their websites. However, it is demonstrated that the relations between the amount of information about strategies and the dissemination of information on each of the dimensions of sustainability (economic, social and environmental) do not have the same intensity. Originality/value – The proposed model can be useful as a reference framework to structure online information supplied in a balanced and comprehensive way. This conceptual model can suggest ways for sustainable improvements based on the experience of analysed local governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents various developments related to the "European Spine Journal." The 20.000 Euro GRAMMER European Spine Journal Award for basic science has been announced. The journal has launched the web site, www.orthosurg.org.uk. The journal will be represented at the BritSpine 2012 event to be held from May 2-4, 2012, in Newcastle, England.

To meet the challenges of today's Internet economy and be competitive in a global market, enterprises are constantly adapting their business processes and adjusting their information systems. In this article, the authors analyze the applicability and benefits of using semantic technologies in contemporary information systems. By using an illustrative case study of deployment of Semantic Web technologies in Human Resources sector at the Mihajlo Pupin Institute, this paper shows how the latest semantic technologies could be used with existing Enterprise Information Systems and Enterprise Content Management systems to ensure meaningful search and retrieval of expertise for in-house users as well as for integration in the European research space and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between September 2004 and September 2007, a generous grant from the Leverhulme Trust enabled The Women's Library to sponsor a research project on the international networks of Josephine Butler. A listing was compiled of her and her colleagues' manuscript letters in six European countries: France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands. This is to be found on The Women's Library website, at http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/thewomenslibrary/aboutthecollections/butler. Two international colloquia were convened on 17 November 2006 and 31 March 2007, at which scholars from these countries and further afield discussed Butler's influence and legacy, and most of their papers are published in this issue.1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the experiences of working on a joint European project to develop an online Gateway of website resources in addictions by members of ELISAD, the European Association of Libraries and Information Services on Alcohol and other Drugs. A brief overview is given of the work of ELISAD, and of its sister organisation SALIS. The project is described along with an exploration of the benefits and barriers in working collaboratively. The paper draws on these experiences to highlight the lessons learnt through the Gateway and other activities. Issues considered include: genesis of the project; funding; project management; working styles; language; benefits and barriers; and key observations regarding how to make partnerships work. Although the paper is based upon a joint European project, it includes some reflections upon ELISAD's international links. The paper is written from the personal experiences of the authors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose - An overview of the contents and design of web pages of the European national libraries. Design/methodology/approach - The theoretical part features the concepts, problems and guidelines for design related to web sites of national libraries. Based on this knowledge, an expert evaluation was carried out, including a brief overview of all homepages of European national libraries, accessible from the Gabriel sewer in 2004, as well as a much broader survey of web sites of nine national libraries (Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Denmark, Italy (Florence), Poland, Slovenia, Spain, UK). Findings - The survey shows that European national library web sites do, in fact, have a common core of content and, in large part, follow the design guidelines, but there are still some deviations from the recommendations. National libraries of the economically better developed countries have better web sites in terms of the following guidelines, whereas national libraries of the Eastern and Southern European countries fare slightly worse. Originality/value - This paper identifies the sites that set the example for other libraries to follow. Also, a list of actual shortcomings of the existing web sites is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EUROMED-ETS pilot system offers a number of security functionalities using off-the-shelf available products, in order to protect Web-based medical applications. The basic concept used by the proposed security architecture is the Trusted Third Party (TTP). A TTP is used in order to generate, distribute and revoke digital certificates to medical practitioners and healthcare organizations that wish to communicate securely. Digital certificates and digital signatures are used to provide peer and data origin authentication and access control. The paper demonstrates how TTPs can be used effectively in order to develop medical applications that run securely over the World Wide Web. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers various information related to medicine in Europe. It offers announces on the introduction of the 20.000 Euro GRAMMER European Spine Journal award. It also offers information on the website established for the ODI http://www.orthosurg.org.uk/odi/, which aims to carry validated translations of the instrument for use by non-English speakers.

The article offers news briefs on the Grammer "European Spine Journal" Award, Oswesty Disability Index website and translations, and several symposiums for 2008. To encourage basic science research in the field of Spinal disorders, the Journal is proud to announce the 20.000 Euro Grammer "European Spine Journal" Award for basic science. The "European Spine Journal" have established a website for the ODI, which is http:www.orthosurg.org.uk/odi/.

The article presents several announcements related to the field of spine in Europe. The Spine Society has developed a website which translates the use of instruments for oswestry disability in 13 languages. The symposium on the Management of Complications and Errors in Spinal Surgery will be on February 8-9, 2008 in Bern, Switzerland. The 10th annual meeting of the Spine Society of Europe will be on May 26-31, 2008 in Geneva, Switzerland.

The article presents spine-related news. The Euro GRAMMER "European Spine Journal" award encourages research in basic science. Fellowships are available from the AOSpine International and the Regional AOSpine North America and Europe. A website has been developed for the Oswestry Disability Index, which offeres validated translations of the instrument for use by non-English speakers.

The article announces various events and developments related to spinal diseases in Europe. The "European Spine Journal" is launching the Grammer European Spine Journal Award 2006 for research on spinal disorders. A web site for the Oswestry Disability Index and translation have been established to carry validated translations of the instrument for use by non-English speakers. In addition, the 2nd International Football and Sport Medicine Conference 2006 will be held on March 3-4, 2006 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

This article explores how parliaments in Europe are adopting digital media to promote public engagement with citizens. Drawing on a meta-analysis of previous similar studies and a content analysis of parliamentary websites, the article concludes that parliaments are selective in their public engagement activities, are still mainly using ICT to report parliamentary business, and are timidly embracing the opportunities brought on by ICT to actively engage citizens. Two innovative mechanisms found in the analysis are discussed in detail: cases of online discussion forums and digital debates on social media and cases of crowdsourcing platforms that integrate citizens' views into the law-making process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) represents many thousands of health care workers and volunteers working in or with an interest in palliative care. In 2016, the EAPC has individual members from 48 nations across the world, and collective members from 57 national palliative care associations in 32 European countries. Throughout its history, the EAPC has produced guidance on a range of palliative care issues. The biennial congresses and research congresses and the comprehensive Web site (www.eapcnet.eu) are renowned and well utilized platforms for dissemination and exchange of palliative care information. The EAPC has also published a newsletter specifically for Eastern European and Central Asian countries that has been available in both English and Russian from 2005 to 2012. In addition, for a period of time, a Russian Web site (www.eapcspeaksrussian.eu) was also available. A survey of palliative care in Central and Eastern European nations sponsored by Open Society Foundation's International Palliative Care Initiative found that in most countries, the national language is preferred rather than using English or Russian for the provision of information. Accordingly, the EAPC Web site provides translations of white papers, position papers, and blog posts in a number of languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the insights from Comparative Education Society in Europe (CESE) President Hans-Georg Kotthoff regarding their website www.cese-europe.org. He states that the website contains crucial links that reflects the developments of the society such as the affiliation with European Education and the 25th CESE Conference in Salamanca, Spain.

This paper seeks to draw attention upon the most recent media instrument through which the European Union (and the DG Communication, in particular) seeks to contribute to the consolidation of a deliberative arena dedicated to the public debate on European subjects. We propose an examination of this media tool - presseurop.eu portal - in order to see the extent to which it is able to serve its designated purpose. We look at the structure of the portal, at its content, its functionality and at the characteristics of its audience. Our analysis starts from the theoretical discussions around the emergence of a European public sphere and the correlation with its intrinsically related concept of public sphere. Given the great amount of literature on the subject, we have chosen to briefly point out the ideas that have significantly influenced research carried out in the field. Our goal is to demonstrate how media tools used to enhance communication on Europe may affect the transmission and the reception of the content, irrespective of the theoretical stance taken towards the constitution of the European public sphere as such. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the European Society of Neuroradiology (ESNR) related to its members, awards, future congresses, courses in Neuroradiology, and new website. It cites that the ESNR Annual Congress presented the first "Lucien Appeal Prize of the ESNR" in Barcelona, Spain in 2005. ESNR also holds every year a scientific congress at a place and date designated by the Executive Committee.

This paper reviews the accessibility laws and regulations in the United States and selected European countries to provide information on Web accessibility to rehabilitation educators. Readers can use this information to gain an understanding of what is being done to make websites accessible in order to better advocate for persons with disabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bulletin des bibliothèques de France is the property of ENSSIB and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to investigate Western and Central European consumers and web retailers with respect to the importance and accessibility of delivery information online prior to purchase. Design/methodology/approach - To investigate the importance and accessibility of delivery information online, a survey was conducted of 715 internet consumers from the UK, Hungary and the Czech Republic to explore how important they rate online delivery information. In addition to this, retailing web sites from leading retailers in the UK, Hungary and the Czech Republic were content analysed in order to establish the extent to which they provided online delivery information. Findings - The research identifies that consumers rate delivery pricing guides, delivery guarantees and delivery schedules as the most important delivery information they expect online prior to purchase. However, content analysis of retailer web sites reveals that many retailers do not adequately provide information about how they ‘guarantee product delivery’. Practical implications - It is recommended here that prior to purchase online retailers should make detailed delivery information more accessible to consumers (e.g. pricing guides, timing schedules, etc.) and should consider using delivery service guarantees to assure consumers of delivery service standards and retailer responsibilities. Originality/value - This paper makes a decisive contribution to e-shopping behaviour and online retailing by providing insight into why visits to retailing web sites may not be followed up by purchase. This insight results from an examination of an often neglected area of the online buying process, namely ‘order delivery and fulfilment’. By examining the expectations of e-consumers across Europe it investigates the role access to delivery information can have in managing customer delivery service expectations and in building trust in online retailers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on online mass media. It reports on the result of a preliminary survey conducted on Interactive Info Graphics in Europe, which added value to online mass media. After more than a decade in existence, online mass media in Europe still face serious economic challenges, accompanied by a paradox: on the one hand, a growing number of Internet users choose online media as their first source of information; on the other hand, most of those users are not willing to pay for the content. Although banner advertisements and other online advertising instruments are increasing at significant rates, they still represent a small portion of the overall advertising market. As a consequence only a few news sites are profitable. The industry and researchers world-wide continually search for adequate business models. One key issue seems to be that online mass media must offer content or services that their conventional counterparts cannot provide. The article also reveals the factors on which mass media web site depends. Design and methods of certain case studies have been given in this context. Results of the preliminary survey proves that interactive info graphics play only a marginal role on European news sites.

This paper explores the development of a knowledge base within the European Public Health and Environment Network (EPHEN) research group at University College London, which had a pressing need to change the way its work activities were conducted. It is intended to provide some insight to managers, group members within EPHEN, as to how this development can bring about changes to service delivery and practice that empowers service users and involves them in the process. It seeks also to identify possible difficulties that might be anticipated. Also a public Web site will be integrated into the system to promote health awareness, especially as EPHEN's primary concern is to encourage public health in society. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Digitalization and technological innovations provide many benefits for citizens worldwide, increasing the quality of life in several ways, including by enhancing access to information. However, people with disabilities can face challenges when retrieving online information as they often use assistive technologies that might not be fully supported by web pages. Municipalities' websites are an important source of information for all citizens, regardless of their individual characteristics. To be able to support all citizens' needs, several standards provide support for web developers. One of the standards is "Standard EN 301 549–Accessibility requirements suitable for public procurement of ICT products and services" in Europe. This study addresses the accessibility of public government services, more specifically municipalities' websites, where there are still accessibility challenges. With a systematic literature review, we found no studies that would analyze the government web pages' compliance with Standard EN 301 549. Therefore, this research had two main research goals: (1) to verify whether the websites of Slovenian municipalities were compliant with the Standard EN 301 549 in the years 2017 and 2018, and (2) to compare the results before and after the adoption of Standard EN 301 549 in Slovenia. The answers to the research questions were obtained with an accessibility evaluation of 189 Slovenian municipalities' websites. The results, based on a descriptive analysis, indicate that, in 2017, none of the evaluated websites were fully compliant with the web content requirements of Standard EN 301 549, while at the end of 2018, 62 websites (33%) were fully compliant with the aforementioned standard. Furthermore, the results from an extended statistical analysis indicate improvement in websites standard compliance in 2018, even significant improvement for some web requirements after the adoption of the standard. A secondary contribution of this research is twofold: (1) a detailed presentation of the accessibility evaluation procedure and (2) its application on a specific domain (government domain) and in a specific geographical area (Slovenia). The same procedure could be applied to other domains and other countries around Europe (or even around the world in case Standard EN 301 549 is replaced with a relevant accessibility standard that applies to the chosen area of research). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports on developments related to spine specialists in Europe. Announcement of the European Spine Journal award for basic science; Offer of a fellowship dedicated to outcome research by the Spine Society of Europe; Establishment of the Oswestry Disability Index website and translation services.

Library home pages and digital library sites have many properties and purposes in common with the Baroque wall-system libraries of seventeenth- and eighteenthcentury Europe. Like their Baroque antecedents, contemporary library Web sites exploit the moment of entrance and the experience of the threshold to create and sustain the illusion of a "three-dimensional world enclosed by a frame" (Lev Manovich). Now, as then, this other world is crafted to be an aesthetically inviting representation of the vast, complex—and potentially intimidating—abstraction that is library space. Unlike Baroque libraries, however, which were static simulations, computer-mediated interactivity allows the modern electronic library to "morph" based on user input, opening the door to new methods for matching user needs with library resources. The new visual culture of the electronic library combines the universal, panoptical view afforded by the Baroque library with synoptic views on library collections derived from real-time user-computer interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forage and more widely grassland systems are difficult to analyze in economic terms because a large proportion of what is produced is not marketed. Economic misestimation of these farm products may dramatically alter projected climate change impacts. This study estimates the economic value of grass and assesses the impact of climatic variations on grassland-livestock systems by taking various environmental and climatic factors into account. Accordingly, grass yield responses to nitrogen inputs (N-yield functions) have been simulated using the grassland biogeochemical PaSim model and then fed into the economic farm-type supply AROPAj model. We developed a computational method to estimate shadow prices of grass production, allowing us to better estimate the effects of climatic variability on grassland and crop systems. This approach has been used on a European scale under two Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change climate scenarios (AR4 A2 and B1). Results show a significant change in land use over time. Accordingly, due to decreases in feed expenses, farmers may increase livestock, thereby increasing overall greenhouse gas emissions for all scenarios considered. As part of autonomous adaptation by farming systems, N-yield functions extending to pastures and fodders allow us to improve the model and to refine results when marketed and non-marketed crops are considered in a balanced way. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the rise of ultra-right ideologies in Europe, this article offers an indepth analysis of the discourse on immigration presented by CasaPound Italia (CPI), a self-defined fascist organization in Italy. This case study illustrates the importance of media and communication activism for the promotion of contemporary ultra-right movements. Specifically, the analysis focuses on how CPI reported one of the first widely covered immigration-related disaster in the Mediterranean, on 3 October 2013, and on the audience interactions that followed on the organisation's website. In this article, I argue that CasaPound Italia's online communiqué and its members' comments need to be considered as one discursive event in which the encoding/decoding processes at play can be explored in detail. The examination, which draws from critical discourse studies, reveals audiences' contributions in unpacking the implicit message contained in the original communiqué and underlines the active role that "rank and file" members play in the promotion of ultra-right ideologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers several announcements related to medical research. The "European Spine Journal" announces the 20.000 Euro GRAMMER European Spine Journal Award for papers that deal with basic science. Meanwhile, the EUROSPINE-The Spine Society of Europe offers a job opportunity for a two-year research fellowship position. The article also launches the website www.orthosurg.org.uk/odi/ for the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI).

Background and purpose Move for Change is an online pan-European patient survey based on the European Parkinson's Disease Association (EPDA) Charter for People with Parkinson's Disease ( PD), which states that all PD patients have the right to: be referred to a doctor with a specialist interest in PD; receive an accurate diagnosis; have access to support services; receive continuous care; and take part in managing their illness. Methods This part of the survey focuses on the final two elements of the Charter. It was administered online through the EPDA website and through affiliated patient associations' websites. A total of 1591 questionnaires were received and 1546 were analysed (97.2%). Results Approximately half of the patients (53.0%) consulted a neurologist regularly (every 4-6 months). Consultations were usually arranged as part of a follow-up process (65.5%) and lasted for 15-30 min (63.2%), with 16.1% lasting <10 min and 17.9% lasting >30 min. Patients were largely satisfied with the attention they received (63.2%) but just 11.6% of patients were involved in treatment decisions, and 39.1% prepared a list of symptom changes for discussion. Two hundred caregivers also took part in the survey, and 71.4% felt included in the treatment plan by the doctor. Conclusions These results highlight that PD disease-management is driven by the clinician; he/she arranges consultations and makes the majority of management decisions, rather than patients being included in the process. This survey can be used to raise awareness for PD patients, encouraging greater involvement in the management of PD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on several conferences, conventions and meetings that were held in 2013 and 2014 and are going to be held in 2014, which include the European Group for Public Administration (EGPA) Annual Conference from September 11-13, 2013 in Edinburgh, Scotland. It also presents an obituary for periodical's editor-in-chief Andrew Massey is presented, and informs that the new website of the International Institute of International Sciences has been live since December 2013.

This study analyzes the features offered by the websites of the top 100 independent hotels on four continents, as listed in Travel + Leisure in 2010. The study demonstrates the application of a modified extended Model of Internet Commerce Adoption (eMICA) technique for technical depth and content analysis for breadth as well as inferential statistics and perceptual mapping. The study assesses the presence of fifty-nine website features on the hotels’ websites grouped according to the three eMICA stages of promotion, provision, and processing and also grouped in seven dimensions determined by the content analysis, namely, functionality, innovation, interactivity, marketing, navigation, online processing, and service. The results of website evaluation modeling suggest that (1) hotels in Asia have more of the features than those of the other continent, (2) Europe and Asia were the leading continents in website development depth based on the eMICA model, and (3) each continent’s webpages were distinct as follows: (a) European hotel webpages emphasized online and multilanguage support, (b) Asian sites emphasized on real-time interaction services and privacy policies, (c) Africa’s pages emphasized travel tips and weather information services, and (d) American hotel webpages led in Web 2.0 features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN; http://easin.jrc.ec.europa.eu) aims to facilitate the exploration of existing alien species information from distributed sources through a network of interoperable web services, and to assist the implementation of European policies on biological invasions. The network allows extraction of alien species information from online information systems for all species included in the EASIN catalogue. This catalogue was based on an inventory of reported alien species in Europe that was produced by reviewing and standardizing information from 43 online databases. It includes information on taxonomy, synonyms, common names, pathways of introduction, native range in Europe, and impact. EASIN catalogue entails the basic information needed to efficiently link to existing online databases and retrieve spatial information for alien species distribution in Europe. Using search functionality powered by a widget framework, it is possible to make a tailored selection of a subgroup of species based on various criteria (e.g., environment, taxonomy, pathways). Distribution maps of the selected species can be produced dynamically and downloaded by the user. The EASIN web tools and services follow internationally recognized standards and protocols, and can be utilized freely and independently by any website, while ownership of the data remains with its source, which is properly cited and linked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The WIFO Gateway to Research on Education in Europe (http://www.wifo-gate.org) is an Internet portal focusing on vocational education and training and human resource development. Launched 10 years ago by the Research Forum Education and Society (Wissenschaftsforum Bildung und Gesellschaft - WIFO) Berlin, it has developed in several stages in close collaboration with research partners across Europe. Several dimensions of linking educational research activities at the European level are addressed in this article: linking research content, both over time and across the field; linking research and information; and linking researchers in collaboration. These dimensions are outlined by drawing on evidence of piloting from the WIFO site, including thematic resource bases on European research projects, a synopsis of national research across countries in the European Union, directories of doctoral dissertations and Master's programmes, and an indexed edition of ECER/VETNET proceedings (papers presented at the annual European Conference on Educational Research [ECER] by the European Research Network in Vocational Education and Training [VETNET]), and finally the Newsletter for European Research in Learning and Work as an efficient tool for linking the online platform with the community of researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]