In this paper, we study a novel approach to asynchronous hyperproperties by reconsidering the foundations of temporal team semantics. We consider three logics: , and , which are obtained by adding quantification over so-called time evaluation functions controlling the asynchronous progress of traces. We then relate synchronous to our new logics and show how it can be embedded into them. We show that the model checking problem for with Boolean disjunctions is highly undecidable by encoding recurrent computations of non-deterministic 2-counter machines. Finally, we present a translation from to Alternating Asynchronous Büchi Automata and obtain decidability results for the path checking problem as well as restricted variants of the model checking and satisfiability problems.
Urbanization poses complex challenges and opportunities for biodiversity conservation, yet most studies rely on single taxa or a limited set of environmental dimensions. We calculated multispecies-diversity and abundance for 49 extensively managed dry grassland sites across an urban-to-rural gradient in Berlin, Germany, encompassing 13 taxonomic groups from primary producers to a top predator and 158 Red-listed species. We evaluated the relative influence of urban structure (impervious surface cover, patch size, habitat connectivity), environmental factors (air temperature, non-native plant cover), socioeconomic context (composite social index), and historical landscape configuration (historical connectivity) on total multispecies richness and abundance, as well as on Red-listed species richness. Historical connectivity was the strongest predictor for Red-listed species richness, indicating that many urban populations persist as relicts and may be subject to extinction debt. Impervious surface cover showed a nonlinear effect on total diversity, with substantial declines only beyond 40% coverage, suggesting conservation opportunities up to moderate development. Socioeconomic status positively influenced all multispecies measures (indices), consistent with the luxury effect, whereas 2D and 3D connectivity exhibited neutral and negative association with total multispecies richness and abundance. Patch size was important for Red-listed species but not for total multispecies diversity, while local temperature and non-native plant cover were not significantly related to any diversity index. Overall, biodiversity responses to urbanization were context-dependent and nonlinear, and often differed between total and Red-listed multispecies diversity. Consequently, urban conservation planning requires multidimensional approaches that integrate historical land-use legacies, socioeconomic conditions, and historical connectivity to support both common and endangered species in cities.
This article explores how to use the Experimental Organization Development (ExOD) approach to transform higher education institutions (HEIs) and applies it to ecological and social sustainability. The study investigates learning processes within universities and experimental pathways toward transformation. This undertaking matters because top-down directives at HEIs often fail to achieve lasting changes. Practically, this research explores alternatives for initiating change. Theoretically, we examine organizational learning processes for sustainability in public administration systems through a case study approach. The article compares and synthesizes findings from two cases that applied the ExOD approach to sustainability challenges at two German universities. The study collected qualitative and quantitative data to identify transformational processes and the potential of the chosen approach. The results from the two cases show broad consensus among participants that changes toward sustainability are necessary. In both cases, issues of status and hierarchies play an important role in preventing change. The ExOD approach can mitigate these issues to some degree because its participatory principle fosters acceptance and voluntary commitment to institutional transformation. Nevertheless, ExOD has limited scope and impact, and it primarily produces pilot projects and proofs of concept. Overall, this study implies that low-risk experimentation can facilitate organizational learning for institutional sustainability transitions.
In the current context of democratic backsliding, different political systems, such as democracies and autocracies, as well as political differences between democracies, play an important role in shaping economic relationships. Yet, studies of political factors in international business mostly focus on destination country politics or political distance, conceptualized as cross-country differences in political institutions. We argue that these approaches do not capture the full range of political differences between countries. We disaggregate political distance into polity distance (the difference between political institutions), politics distance (ideological differences between governing parties), and policy distance (substantive differences in policies). In a novel cross-country panel dataset, we combine firm internationalization with country-level political characteristics. We find that polity, politics, and policy distances negatively impact firm internationalization, with polity distance having a stronger negative effect on the internationalization of firms from more democratic countries, and politics distance having a stronger negative effect on firms from countries with right-wing governments, highlighting that these distances have both absolute and directional effects.
This study examines associations between student teachers’ professional competencies and elementary school children’s learning behavior, and explores how children’s learning behavior relates to their reading achievement and motivation. During a five-month professionalization program, 33 student teachers implemented a differentiated, evidence-based reading training in small groups with 216 children. Student teachers’ self-reported knowledge, self-efficacy, and instructional beliefs were assessed before the training. After each training session, the student teachers rated children’s learning behavior. Children’s reading achievement and motivation were measured with standardized assessments before and after the training. Structural equation modeling revealed that student teachers’ self-efficacy, transmissive, and constructivist beliefs were significantly associated with children’s learning behavior, which positively predicted children’s reading achievement and motivation development. Higher student teachers’ self-efficacy corresponded with greater motivation and fewer disruptions during training. Findings should be interpreted in light of the non-causal study design and the use of student teachers’ self-reports and ratings of children’s learning behavior. Overall, results highlight the role of teacher competencies in students’ learning processes even in standardized learning settings.
