European Social Fund Research Articles

Can public venture capital support sustainability in the social economy? Evidence from a social innovation fund.

The Social Innovation Fund (SIF) - funded by Scottish Government and the European Social Fund - adopts a ‘public venture capital’ model to support socially innovative organisations. This article critically explores the use of public venture capital programmes to fund and grow the social economy through the case study of Heavy Sound Community Interest Company. We conclude that, while SIF funding helped Heavy Sound to scale-up an effective intervention in the short term, further significant scaling might undermine the project’s success and long-term sustainability was not assured. We call for further research into the long-term consequences of public venture capital programmes coming to an end, including coordinated evaluation of the SIF.

Soil and water threats in a changing environment

The guest editors are extremely thankful to prof. Jose Luis Domingo Roig for the support in the organization of this special number. We want to acknowledge the authors and reviewers for their work, to Jia Yang, Yixuan Zhao and Nikita Deep. Paulo Pereira was supported by the project A09.3.3-LMT-K-712-01-0104 Lithuanian National Ecosystem Services Assessment and Mapping (LINESAM) is funded by the European Social Fund according to the activity “Improvement of researchers” qualification by implementing world-class R&D projects.

Governance Structure and Ideology: Analysing National Administrative Conditions for Gender Equality in the EU’s Regional Policy

ABSTRACT The European Union’s regional policy, one of the world’s largest public policies, promotes project activities funded by the Structural Funds, including the European Social Fund (ESF). Besides the goals of increased employment, competitiveness and growth, the ESF aims to increase gender equality (GE). GE is implemented in the ESF through administrative processes in national and regional institutions. Despite public administration’s central role in defining and organizing the GE policy, administrative variations have received little attention. Drawing on interviews and policy documents, this study analyses differences in Sweden and Spain to explore the ideological consequences of governance structures for GE policies.

Public legal means of investment of small and medium innovative entrepreneurship in the European Union

Problem setting. The development of social relations, the economic well-being of the population and the stable social structure of any state in the present circumstances are conditioned by a series of factors, one of which is the development of innovative infrastructure. One of the most important directions of development of the economic sector of our country was the formation of an innovative model of the economy, which puts to law the new tasks of clarifying the purpose and social value of law as a regulator of social relations. Analysis of recent researches and publications. The current state of the study of the selected issues indicates that the sources from which public-law organizations are investing innovative activities of small and medium-sized innovative entrepreneurship in the EU are insufficient. At the same time, the state policy of the EU countries in the scientific and technical sphere is realized through the use of various instruments, which include: legislation, tax policy, size and nature of the allocation of budget funds, including for the implementation of works in priority areas, the formation and maintenance of infrastructure, personnel, etc. Target of research is to identify the public and legal means of investing small and medium innovative entrepreneurship in the EU. Article’s main body. In the EU, the innovative component of public policy encompasses the scope of national scientific institutions (institutes, research centers, university laboratories, etc.). There are government programs that receive partial funding from the state budget. The state is guided by different criterias when deciding on the financing of specific works. First, the prospect of each specific direction is evaluated from the point of view of preserving the country’s achieved position on the world market in the future. Second, the recognition at the governmental level of innovation as a vital factor of economic development, the conduct of a broad government company on the problems of innovation. The current state of regulatory support suggests that structural funds such as the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund should be considered as the main public sources of investment for innovative enterprises. In particular, such funds are implementing EIC Pathfinder Pilot, FET Innovation Launchpad, EIC Transition to Innovation Activity, EIC Accelerator, Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (COSME) etc. Conclusions and prospects for the development. In the EU, the investment of small and medium enterprises is not homogeneous, but a large part of them, despite the large number of investment support tools for such companies, face significant challenges in accessing investment resources. Developing a successful pan-European policy requires an indepth understanding of the problems and specifics of financing the innovation activities of small and medium innovative enterprises in EU Member States.

Replacement of semi-natural cover with artificial substrates in urban parks causes a decline of house sparrows Passer domesticus in Mediterranean towns

This research was supported by the Generalitat Valenciana and the European Social Fund who gave a PhD grant to E. Bernat-Ponce (grant number ACIF/2018/015).

Analysis of the Impact of the European Social Fund on the SME Sector in Poland

Analysis of the Impact of the European Social Fund on the SME Sector in Poland

Fogyasztói jóllét a hazai alternatív élelmiszerellátási hálózatokban

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER This research project aims at understanding the nature of subjective well-being (SWB) in relation to alternative food networks in the frame of one of the sub-projects of the EFOP-3.6.2-16-2017-00007 research. The study of alternative food networks (AFNs), including food cooperatives, community gardens and community-supported agriculture and box schemes, enables the analysis of hybrid organisations, networks and value-chains of social innovations. The paper introduces the concept of subjective well-being from the perspective of consumers of AFNs. METHODOLOGY An exploratory qualitative research approach was chosen to investigate subjective well-being in AFNs. Data was collected through 23 in-depth interviews. Sample consisted of men and women from Budapest with middle and upper middle status who have been members of different types of AFNs for maximum one year or minimum three years. As a result, the study covered opinion of both new and experienced AFN members. The data analysis strategy followed a combined approach of deductive (literature-based) and inductive (derived from the data) coding and thematic analysis. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS Results show that the participation in AFNs contributes to consumers’ well-being, nevertheless some of the AFNs’ characteristics have a negative influence on consumer SWB. Differences between new and experienced users, users with different motivations and across different types of AFNs have been detected. RECOMMENDATIONS Recent results are able to contribute to a better understanding of consumers in these networks, therefore AFNs can be improved in order to better serve consumer needs. It is also highlighted what constitutes the main limitations of the current business models for AFNs. Acknowledgements: This research was supported by the project nr. EFOP-3.6.2-16-2017-00007, titled “Aspects on the development of intelligent, sustainable and inclusive society: social, technological, innovation networks in employment and digital economy”. The project has been supported by the European Union, co-financed by the European Social Fund and the budget of Hungary. The authors are grateful to the whole research team on social enterprise and social innovation for their continuous intellectual support and their critical feedback in multiple phases of the research process.

Nucleolin-SLe <sup>A</sup> Glycoforms as E-Selectin Ligands and Potentially Targetable Biomarkers at the Cell Surface of Gastric Cancer Cells

Gastric cancer (GC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with half of patients developing metastases within 5 years after treatment, urging the need for novel biomarkers for diagnosis and more efficient therapeutic targeting. The sialyl-Lewis A (SLeA) antigen, a terminal glycoepitope of glycoproteins and glycolipids, offers tremendous potential towards this objective. This glycan is rarely expressed by healthy tissues and blood cells but is often present in cancer cells of high metastatic potential, as well as in the metastases. The SLeA antigen is also directly involved in E-selectin mediated metastasis, making it an ideal target to control disease dissemination. To improve further on cancer specificity, we have zoomed in on the SLeA-glycoproteome of six distinct GC cell models. Emphasis was set on glycoproteins showing affinity for E-selectin. A bioinformatics-assisted algorithm, used for the first time in this study, identified nucleolin (NCL), a nuclear protein frequently observed at the cell-surface in cancer cells, as a potential targetable biomarker potentially involved in metastasis development. Several immunoassays, including western blot and in situ proximity ligation reinforced the existence of NCL-SLeA glycoforms at the cancer cells surface and in GC. The NCL-SLeA glycophenotype was associated with decreased survival and was not reflected in relevant healthy tissues, supporting its tremendous potential for precise cancer targeting with limited off-target effects. To our knowledge, this is also the first report describing SLeA in a protein preferentially found in the nucleus, setting a new paradigm for cancer biomarkers discovery and targeted therapies. Funding Statement: Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the human resources grants: PhD grant BD/103571/2014 (EF), SFRH/BD/111242/2015 (AP), SFRH/BD/146500/2019 (MRS), SFRH/BD/142479/2018 (JS), SFRH/BD/105355/2014 (RA), SFRH/BD/127327/2016 (CG); and FCT assistant researcher grant CEECIND/03186/2017 (JAF). FCT is co-financed by European Social Fund (ESF) under Human Potential Operation Programme (POPH) from National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF). The authors also acknowledge FCT the funding for CI-IPOP research unit (PEst-OE/SAU/UI0776/201), the Portuguese Oncology of Porto Research Centre (CI-IPOP-29-2014; CI-IPOP-58-2015; CI-IPOPProj.70-bolsa2019-GPTE) and PhD Programs in Biomedical and Pathology and Molecular Genetics of ICBAS-University of Porto. The authors EF, DF and MRS also acknowledge the financial support of the Research Group of Digestive Cancers (GICD) and the “Early stage cancer treatment, driven by context of molecular imaging (ESTIMA)” framework (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000027), IPO-Score (DSAIPA/DS/0042/2018) and “Towards a single therapy with a synergistic combination against triple negative breast cancer and neuroblastoma by nucleolin mediated multicellular targeting” (EU joint call ENMed/0006/2015) for financial support. This article is also a result of the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000012, supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This work was financed by FEDER - Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional funds through the COMPETE 2020 - Operacional Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation (POCI), Portugal 2020, and by Portuguese funds through FCT - Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia/Ministerio da Ciencia, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior in the framework of the project Institute for Research and Innovation in Health Sciences (POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007274). Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interests. Ethics Approval Statement: All procedures concerning the inclusion of patients were approved by the institutional Ethics Committee after patient’s informed consent.

A vásárlói magatartás elemzése az élelmiszer- és üzletválasztást befolyásoló tényezők alapján

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER The aim of the study is to test the food shopping decisions of the Hungarian consumers based on factors that influence their food choice and store selection. METHODOLOGY To identify the features of the food shopping behaviour a representative nationwide research involving 1002 consumers was carried out. In each region and settlements the method of random walking was used to select the proper households. In each household birthday key method was used to identify the person who was suitable for the interview. The data collection was done with personal interviews using standard questionnaires in the respondents’ home. During data processing besides descriptive statistics factor- and cluster analyses were used to characterise the consumers’ way of thinking, or different segments were created based on the factors that influence the selection of the store. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS For the majority of the consumers the most important factors influencing purchase are still the favourable price to value ratio, the outstanding sensory appeal, as well as the family traditions. It is the store selection viewpoints that adjust to these factors, complemented by the fast and wide purchasing possibilities. These preferred benefits can mainly be provided by the hypermarkets and discount stores, however, the multinational chain stores are more popular among the customers compared to the Hungarian ones, whose positions are weaker. During the research work four clusters were identified. They are the following: Ambitious and motivated shoppers (44.7%), Fast and convenient shoppers (22.1%), Sales and price sensitive shoppers (19.8%), Neutrals (13.4%). According to their analysis, the interest towards food-purchase is increasing and the grocery stores responded to this trend by modifying their product policies. RECOMMENDATIONS Although the shopping decisions are rather rational than emotional, in a real shopping situation the emotional factors also influence the shopping decision, which means that it is vital to build an emotional tie (brand, image, shopping atmosphere). From strategic view it means a great challenge to widen the consumer scope of the Hungarian chain stores. The conditions to ensure greater penetration are the comfortable and fast shopping facilities, reasonable prices, a wide range of the products, and within this, to increase the diversification of the private labels. The demands of the more conscious and involved consumers have to be met by increasing the range of environment friendly and health protective products. Acknowledgement: The publication is supported by the EFOP-3.6.2-16-2017-00003 project. The project is co-financed by the European Union and the European Social Fund.

Az innovációs rendszerek mérési módszereinek feltérképezése és összefoglalása

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER This study aims to summarize, what kind of methods can be used for measuring and modeling the performance of innovation systems. The presented methods can be classified into three groups according to their functions. The first group consists of methods that can measure and compare the performance of innovation systems of different nations or regions. The second group involves statistical models that explain the effect of different factors on innovative performance. The third group includes simulation methods, which can be used to model complex and dynamic relationships. METHODOLOGY This is a descriptive study, which presents and groups the methods for modeling and measuring innovation systems. After introducing the different tools, illustrative examples are given to show what kind of analyses can be conducted with each methodology. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS The examined methods are different according to their functions, complexity and the quality and quantity of required data. Therefore, one can choose the appropriate method according to the aim of the analysis and available data. Composite indicators are good starting points since they are able to capture a wide range of indicators with one value. However, the measurement of innovation systems’ efficiency can be an important complement to them. The different statistical and econometrical methods are able to analyze the correlation between the inputs and outputs of innovation. The complexity of innovation systems can be best tackled by the simulation methods. RECOMMENDATIONS Each of the examined methods can be used for supporting policy-making. With the help of composite indicators, one can analyze its different dimensions and define the strengths and weaknesses of the system, where policy intervention is needed. Simulation models are suitable for ex-ante analysis of policy interventions by comparing different scenarios. Acknowledgements: This publication/research has been supported by the European Union and Hungary and co-financed by the European Social Fund through the project EFOP-3.6.2-16-2017-00017, titled "Sustainable, intelligent and inclusive regional and city models".

Discriminant validity of the positive and negative processes in the C–A–P Questionnaire

This Project/Research was funded by the European Social Fund (Project No. 09.3.3-LMT-K-712-02-0083).

Nemzeti innovációs rendszerek a visegrádi országokban

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER This paper undertakes a comparison of post-socialist countries on the basis of their national innovation systems, as well as their emerging innovation policies. The main focus of the study is the Visegrad group, with some general remarks concerning Slovenia, the Baltic countries, and South-Eastern Europe. METHODOLOGY The paper is based on a synthesis of available international studies, supplemented with comparative statistics. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS Innovation systems in the Visegrad countries show a stagnant or lagging dynamic in comparison with leading innovators. In addition to state-financed innovation activity, business innovation also shows considerable weakness, greatly affected by the dominant “dependent market economy” development model. Endogenous innovation capacities are weak, and do not represent the global state-of-the-art. Innovation policy struggles with significant weaknesses and low efficiency. Competitive support schemes redistribute resources to already successful innovators, without encouraging a catching-up process. The weakness of the regional and local tier in public policy leads to the increase of territorial polarisation. RECOMMENDATIONS Innovation policy should meet real demands, with support systems tailored to serve the catching-up of domestic enterprises. Grants should take into account the different needs of different actors, and undertake their activities in a territorially differentiated manner. Acknowledgements: This publication/research has been supported by the European Union and Hungary and co-financed by the European Social Fund through the project EFOP-3.6.2-16-2017-00017, titled Sustainable, intelligent and inclusive regional and city models.

Intelligens szakosodás stratégia minden régiónak? Az elmúlt évek tapasztalatai

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER The smart specialization strategy has become an important element of the regional policy inside the European Union. At the end of the budgetary period, 2014-2020, and before the next planning period, it is important to sum up the results of the concept. Successful and less successful examples show, that the efficiency of the S3 strategy is not homogeneous over the regions, therefore the question arises, what can influence the outcome of the strategy. The aim of the paper is to introduce the S3 concept, its main practical experiences and to sum up the most important changes in the updated concept based on conclusions of previous years. METHODOLOGY The methodology used in the study is literature review. The smart specialization strategy, the experiences of its implementation in the regions with different development level, the most important challenges of S3 are shown based on the literature. In addition, the improved S3 concept is also introduced in the paper. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS Based on the literature, it can be stated, that the smart specialization strategy has been implemented in the majority of the EU regions with different results. The developed regions could satisfy the conditions of the S3 easily, but in the lagging regions the realization of the strategy was obstructed typically by insufficient capacities. Accordingly, the S3 can be considered successful in the developed regions, however it could not bring significant improvements in every instance. In case of the underdeveloped regions, the strategy was profitable only by the improvement of capabilities needed for the implementation of the concept. RECOMMENDATIONS The distinct regions can reach different results by S3, thus it is important to know the type of the region, the capacities and the barriers it has to face for strategy making and for determining the expected results. Acknowledgements: This publication/research has been supported by the European Union and Hungary and co-financed by the European Social Fund through the project EFOP-3.6.2-16-2017-00017, titled Sustainable, intelligent and inclusive regional and city models.

Vállalkozók, vállalkozások és innovációk Pécsett a dualizmus korában

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER To examine how the 19th century economic modernisation (Western type of industrialisation, technological transformation and the birth of the manufacturing industry) unfolded in Central Europe; and more importantly in Hungary, in Pecs, and what technological innovations were created by local entrepreneurs. METHODOLOGY Literature review including the history of the manufacturing industry. We involved sources from monographies, employment and census records, reminiscences and our own data from researches of archives. The research framework is the history of distinct businesses. We introduced five businesses whose economic effects influenced the operations of Pecs in the long run. We made a structural analysis examining the entrepreneur and its business together. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS The Austrian First-Danube-Steamboat-Shipping Company (DDSG) became the largest works in the city by starting the intensive coal mining and creating modern technological background since 1852. It employed four thousand souls in the beginning of the 20th century and the city profited a lot from its developments (railway construction and electric power plant). The Zsolnay Porcelain Manufactory has quickly become the synonym of Pecs. Vilmos Zsolnay ended up being a world famous entrepreneur because of his technological innovations (eosin, pyrogranite, etc…) and products. The term „Glove of Pecs” came alive in the ages of the dual monarchy. Janos Hamerli founded the first glove manufacturing plant in the country. The Angster Organs have being played for hundred and fifty years. The company founded by Jozsef Angster emerged at the end of the 19th century and represented state of art technology. The multitalented Adolf Engel’s businesses aided the spa culture (Balokany), the wood industry, the construction industry and the coal mining at Komlo. ECONOMIC POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS The innovations and the economic development were promoted by the dominant policy of the era, the economic liberalism; the liberal entrepreneur environment, the huge market of the Dual Monarchy, the technological creativity and the increase in the populations’ needs. Acknowledgements: This publication/research has been supported by the European Union and Hungary and co-financed by the European Social Fund through the project EFOP-3.6.2-16-2017-00017, titled Sustainable, intelligent and inclusive regional and city models.

A tudásalapú fejlődés lehetőségei az EU lemaradó régióiban

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER Nowadays, the knowledge-based development as a goal is getting more emphatic inside the European Union. The growth of innovation and so the productivity is important not only for the developed regions but for regions lagging behind. However, the practical experiences show that the lagging regions have to face many challenges in this field. The aim of the paper is to show the hindering factors and also the supportive recommendations in relation to the catching up process of the underdeveloped regions. METHODOLOGY The methodology used in the paper is literature review. The factors which hinder the knowledge-based development in the lagging regions and also the developmental suggestions given for them are collected from the scientific literature. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS Based on the literature, the barriers of the knowledge-based catch up can be defined as the lack of skilled human capital, weak entrepreneurship, insufficient institutional environment, risk of lock-in, low return of R&D expenditures and in many cases the history of the region. Many suggestions have been formed in order to solve these problems, e.g. the development of absorption capacities, formation of a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem, the improvement of the institutional environment, the implementation of a place-based innovation policy and the development of the skills of all actors of the regional innovation system. RECOMMENDATIONS Despite their significant deficiencies, also the lagging regions should seek to reach the knowledge-based development. Since they face specific challenges, it is not sufficient to imitate the good practices of developed regions, but they should adjust their regional policy to their available capacities. Acknowledgements: This publication/research has been supported by the European Union and Hungary and co-financed by the European Social Fund through the project EFOP-3.6.2-16-2017-00017, titled "Sustainable, intelligent and inclusive regional and city models".

A turisztikai foglalkoztatásban rejlő lehetőségek vizsgálata a nyugdíjaskorú munkavállalók jóllétének tükrében. Az esztergomi Duna Múzeumban és a Pécsváradi Várban készített mélyinterjúk tanulságai

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER Our research attempts to reflect on the demographic trend associated with the drastically changing age composition of the society, using the theoretical framework of well-being research while interpreting phenomena found in the practical field of seniors’ tourism employment in Hungary. Based on the lessons learnt in the Danube Museum in Esztergom and in the Castle of Pecsvarad, the goal of our research is to explore the impacts of involving elderly as employees, into the supply side of tourism, on their subjective well-being. METHODOLOGY Preliminary results of our three-year long research project are based on in-depth interviews with thirteen senior employees working in various positions related to tourism. Based on the thematic analysis of the transcripts significant differences can be identified among the senior workers across the four key emerging themes, which also makes the grouping of employees possible in terms of the scope of their activities, their contact with the visitors and the type of their daily tasks. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS Our results show that the capabilities, skills and experience of seniors involved in tourism services, make them well-suited for tasks of heritage presentation, and that employment in these positions is related to the well-being of these older workers. RECOMMENDATIONS The phenomenon of aging societies is a global trend nowadays, that requires highly proactive solutions. Although statistics undoubtedly and accurately predict the tendencies, political and economic decision-makers and the society itself are still lacking detailed and well-designed action plans in this regard. However, there is an unprecedented need to take into consideration the well-being of older people and focus our attention on incentives that are aiming to raise it. The results of our research project highlight the potential of domestic tourism industry for employing retired seniors in a way that contributes both to the well-being of the employees and represents value for the visitors. Acknowledgements: The study has been supported by the European Union, co-financed by the European Social Fund within the framework of the EFOP-3.6.2-16-2017-00017 – „Sustainable, intelligent and inclusive regional and city models” project.

Az innovációs rendszerek irodalmának áttekintése

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER The systemic concept of innovation is now widespread, which implicates that innovation is considered as the outcome of the interplay between different actors situated in a specific environment. The study aims to introduce this concept and to analyze the literature of the innovation systems. The paper includes the definition of national, regional, technological, and sectoral innovation systems, and the specification of their position in the literature. Besides, the paper examines the new challenges that innovation systems must face. METHODOLOGY This study is a literature review, which consists of three parts. First, we describe the four types of innovation systems according to the most influential publications. Then, we analyze the evolution of the literature with bibliometric tools and describe the relationship between the different types of innovation systems. Finally, we introduce the new theoretical challenges of innovation systems. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS The results show, although during the last three decades there has been a dynamic rise in the innovation system literature, in the last few years it stopped. It shows that the innovation system approach is beyond its most dynamic expansion. Also, it faces several challenges in order to remain a relevant analytical framework for newer aspects of innovation research. Therefore several approaches have been integrated that take into account the social and environmental impacts of innovation. RECOMMENDATIONS The innovation system as an analytical framework needs to be renewed, but it is still a widespread, relevant concept. In addition to the efforts made so far, further research is needed to enable a broader interpretation of innovation within this framework. Acknowledgements: This publication/research has been supported by the European Union and Hungary and co-financed by the European Social Fund through the project EFOP-3.6.2-16-2017-00017, titled Sustainable, intelligent and inclusive regional and city models.

Az MKTOR piacorientációt mérő modell adaptációja és kapcsolata a vállalati teljesítménnyel

THE AIMS OF THE PAPER This study aimed to examine the relationship between the market orientation and the performance of SMEs in the Hungarian food and agriculture sector. METHODOLOGY The market orientation was defined by the internationally validated MKTOR scale, which has been adapted to and validated for the Hungarian food and agriculture sector by using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The business performance was measured by a three-dimension indicator based on the subjective perception of performance. The basis of the primary research was a personal interview survey representative by firm size and scope of activity, conducted among the marketing staff (or in the absence of this, the executives) of 250 agricultural and food sector firms, queried by interviewers. The relationship between market orientation and business performance was tested by structural equation modelling (SEM). MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS Based on our primary research, the most common measure of market orientation, i.e. the MKTOR scale can be seen as obsolete now. Besides, SEM revealed a positive relationship between the extent of market orientation and the performance of the firms, moreover, similar relationships were found between the market orientation and the specific dimensions of business performance. RECOMMENDATIONS For the researchers to gain accurate understanding of market orientation, it is necessary to develop the methodology related to the research of market orientation, as well as to adapt the scales measuring market orientation. Since an increase in the market orientation leads to better performance, businesses have to place particular emphasis on developing their market orientation. Acknowledgement: This publication was supported by the EFOP-3.6.2-16-2017-00003 project. The project is co-financed by the European Union and the European Social Fund.

568 Imaging and quantitative estimation of thrombus burden in patients with ST elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI) with the use of micro-computed tomography-A methodological approach

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Operational Program "Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning" - co-financed by the European Social Fund and Greek national funds Background Acute myocardial infarction with ST elevation (STEMI) remains one of the leading causes of mortality. High thrombus burden has been proven to be an independent risk factor for stent thrombosis and for Major Adverse Clinical outcomes. However randomized controlled trials concerning thrombus aspiration showed controversial results, providing no evidence of benefits for thrombus aspiration. A possible explanation is that aspiration was performed as a routine strategy, whereas these patients should be considered as a heterogeneous group and they should be risk-stratified. Thus, it is important to classify patients according to the volume of thrombus burden. The currently existing classifications of thrombus burden are based on visual assessment of angiographic characteristics and they are not reflecting the volume of the thrombi in actual numbers. To the best of our knowledge, never before has the exact volume of thrombus burden been quantified. Purpose The study aims to assess for the first time, through the application of innovative technologies (micro-Computed Tomography, micro-CT), important characteristics of aspirated thrombi (volume and density), which might be linked to certain clinical outcomes, in patients with STEMI. Methodology After being aspirated, thrombi are preserved in formalin. As they consist of soft tissue with low X-ray absorption, thrombi have to be stained using contrast enhancing chemicals prior to scanning; in particular a solution containing 0.3% phosphotungstic acid is used (Metscher protocol). The scanning procedure results into a series of projection images arranged in the form of image stacks which, in turn, are reformed in sections with the use of special software, which applies a modified algorithm of backward projection Feldkamp. The resulting sections are combined to create the 3D models which are further analyzed to extract useful measurements for the characteristics of the thrombi, such as volume and density. Results From January 2018 to May 2019, 66 patients were enrolled in the study. Mean age was 60.36 (±11.71) years and the majority of them (78.7%) were men. Revascularization was achieved in mean 358 ± 255 minutes from symptom onset. Distal embolization was observed in 27.5% of the patients and no-reflow phenomenon was seen in 11.6%. Angiographically evident residual thrombus burden was observed in 6 patients (8.7%). Micro-CT managed to effectively quantify the volume and the density of aspirated thrombi. Mean volume was 12.98 ± 10.84 mm3, mean density was 2992 ± 872 HU and mean surface was 0.206 ± 0.19. Conclusion Micro-CT can be used as a tool to effectively assess important characteristics of aspirated thrombi, which might be linked to certain clinical outcomes. This method could become the gold standard for the exact measurement of thrombus burden and could be used in larger, clinically-oriented trials to help stratify patients with thrombus burden according to their risk for adverse outcomes. Abstract 568 Figure. Coronary thrombi as depicted on micro-CT

Az in-store marketing innovációinak szerepe a vásárlói élmény megteremtésében és kapcsolódása a digitális térhez

  THE AIMS OF THE PAPER The study reviews the innovations and trends that determine the opportunities and challenges of in-store marketing today and in the near future and at the same time play an important role in creating a customer experience. We also focus on the question of how the opportunities created by the digitization of commerce can be fitted to in-store tools. METHODOLOGY Our study examines four groups of factors from the in-store marketing tools by processing the literature related to the topic and using the reports of research institutes. These are: the store atmosphere, especially the physical environment, product and brand offerings, promotional offers, and innovative solutions for connecting to the digital space. MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS In today’s commerce, the complex customer experience is through which the loyalty of a customer can be gained and maintained in the long run. Consumer behaviour has changed, the new consumer expects new experiences, which is also reflected by the innovations that have taken place in the field of in-store marketing. The optimization of the physical environment and the space of the shops enables the fast and efficient execution of purchases, which has become a basic requirement. A strategic role was given to the product range and the expanded store brand range in line with the new trends, the well-designed in-store promotion, and the operation of loyalty programs more efficient than before. A new challenge is the hybrid purchasing behaviour of consumers (online and offline) to which traders and manufacturers must also adapt. The use of the digital advances of our time in the presentation of goods, communication or payment will also be a fundamental competitive factor in the commercial sector. RECOMMENDATIONS From a practical point of view, two areas are worth highlighting: Omnichannel user behaviour, i.e., simultaneous and combined usage of online and offline environments, is increasingly popular, therefore in spite of the possible dangers, today it is not a viable option for merchants not to invest in online commerce. Beside this, another area to be highlighted is customization, to which in-store marketing may contribute with its several tools, from personalized services through loyalty programs, to taking advantage of the almost limitless opportunities of digitization. Acknowledgement: The publication is supported by the EFOP-3.6.2-16-2017-00003 project. The project is co-financed by the European Union and the European Social Fund.