PR as a Tool of Political Technologies (on the Example of the 2020 Parliamentary Elections in Kyrgyzstan)

The main task of elections in a democratic state is not only to elect representatives of power, but also to ensure the legitimacy of newly elected persons and the political system as a whole. Today, elections are one of the most democratic ways for voters to freely express their opinion in matters of appointing the heads of legislative and executive bodies of power. Consequently, the most important and indispensable condition for a democratic system is free elections. Elections are designed to perform functions such as electing a new political elite, resolving conflicts, reflecting the interests and opinions of various peoples, social strata and groups of society, mobilizing the population to support party programs and social values, etc. PR-technologies occupy a special place in election campaigns. In this regard, the article examines PR-technologies used by parties in the 2020 parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan. The study covers the time period from September 4 to October 3, 2020. As part of the study, a linguistic analysis of information posted on the official websites and social pages of parties, media reports and reports of relevant organizations was carried out. Based on the results of the study, a number of practical recommendations have been developed that must be taken into account during the next parliamentary and presidential elections.

Insurance in the digital economy: science, practice, education

The monograph deals with the transformation of the insurance business in the conditions of digitalization. The logic of scientific analysis is based on the impact of digitalization on all environmental systems of the insurance business, which, in turn, require the transformation of all aspects of the insurer's activities. The scientific analysis of the usefulness of insurance services is given, the influence of digitalization on the formation of information flows and business processes in the insurance business is considered. The experience of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkey in the development of digitalization of the insurance market is summarized, development problems are formulated and a number of practical recommendations are given. A significant block of material is devoted to the analysis of social aspects of the insurance business, including the tasks and opportunities of insurance organizations in the formation of sustainable development. The problems of ensuring the quality of insurance services in the conditions of digitalization, regulatory activities in this area, protection of the interests of the consumer of insurance services are considered. New approaches to training personnel for the insurance market are considered, domestic and foreign experience is summarized. The results of a study of the use of digital technologies at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation and partner universities are presented. For a wide range of readers interested in insurance problems. It can be useful for students, postgraduates and teachers of economic universities.

Galvanising and fostering sub-national government leadership for area-wide sanitation programming

Government leadership at both the national and sub-national levels is an essential step towards ensuring safely managed sanitation services for all. Though the importance of sub-national government leadership for water, sanitation and hygiene is widely acknowledged, to date much of the focus has been on the delivery of water services. This article sets out to start to address this imbalance by focusing on practical ways to galvanise and foster sub-national government leadership for sanitation programming. By focusing on the experiences across three sub-national areas in East Africa where positive changes in the prioritisation of sanitation by local governments have been witnessed, we (a group of researchers, local government representatives and development partner staff) cross-examine and identify lessons learnt. The results presented in this paper and subsequent discussion provide practical recommendations for those wishing to trigger a change in political will at the local level and create the foundation to strengthen sanitation governance and the wider system needed to ensure service delivery for all.

Design and Build Flotocombines and Water Combines Based on the Principle of Biosimile

In the article offered to the attention of readers, for the first time in the world literature, both the theoretical foundations for creating flotocombines based on a multi-stage and generalized flotation model are considered, and practical recommendations based on the principles of biosimile. Possible schemes of flotocombines of the KBS type and special purpose are shown. New aeration systems for use in various flotation apparatus, including flotocombines, are considered. Practical examples of the use of new flotation equipment are described. It is offered to a wide range of readers, including researchers, university professors, graduate students, masters, bachelors and senior students.

What Makes Cow-Dung Stabilised Earthen Block Water-Resistant

The water-resistance of cow-dung has made it a widely used stabiliser in traditional earthen structures in several Asian and African countries. Multiple studies have shown an improvement in water-resistance with the addition of cow-dung, but none provides insight into this behaviour. The present study investigates the water-resistance behaviour of cow-dung stabilised earthen blocks through an extensive experimental programme to identify and characterise the components of cow-dung responsible for its water-resistance. Fresh cow-dung was collected and separated into fibres (>63 μm), medium-sized microbial aggregates (1-63 μm) and small-sized microbial aggregates (0.5-7 μm). Each component was mixed with soil and samples were prepared at different water contents (optimum water content corresponding to the highest dry density and water content higher than optimum) and compacted with 2.5 MPa force to prepare compressed blocks. The water-resistance of these blocks was evaluated through the immersion and modified drip/rain test. It was found that the small-sized microbial aggregates are almost entirely responsible for water-resistance behaviour of cow-dung stabilised earthen blocks. Small-sized microbial aggregates were further characterised by gas chromatography, mercury intrusion porosimetry, N2- BET surface area, zeta potential measurement and electron microscopy. The results indicate that the small-sized microbial aggregates are composed of clay-sized negatively charged particles that are rich in fatty acids. The hydrophobicity of these particles is hypothesised to be responsible for water-resistance behaviour. These insights are further used to produce stabilised blocks that performed at least 30 times better than the unstabilised blocks in both water-resistance tests. The study concludes with practical recommendations for the use of wet cow-dung over dry cow-dung and a reduction of fibre content to increase the water-resistance of earthen blocks.

Analysing Factory Workers’ Acceptance of Collaborative Robots: A Web-Based Tool for Company Representatives

Collaborative robots are a new type of lightweight robots that are especially suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises. They offer new interaction opportunities and thereby pose new challenges with regard to technology acceptance. Despite acknowledging the importance of acceptance issues, small and medium-sized enterprises often lack coherent strategies to identify barriers and foster acceptance. Therefore, in this article, we present a collection of crucial acceptance factors with regard to collaborative robot use at the industrial workplace. Based on these factors, we present a web-based tool to estimate employee acceptance, to provide company representatives with practical recommendations and to stimulate reflection on acceptance issues. An evaluation with three German small and medium-sized enterprises reveals that the tool’s concept meets the demands of small and medium-sized enterprises and is perceived as beneficial as it raises awareness and deepens knowledge on this topic. In order to realise economic potentials, further low-threshold usable tools are needed to transfer research findings into the daily practice of small and medium-sized enterprises.