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The article problematizes the discourse on Central Europe by tracing a trajectory from the twentieth-century geopolitics and region-building projects based on identity politics to the contemporary geopoetics and literary self-identifications shaped in relation to place and time. The different historical circumstances that opened and closed “the short twentieth century” produced different experiences and understandings of Central Europe. German Mitteleuropa and the renaissance of the idea of Central Europe at the end of the Cold War are the two moments in the geopolitical legacy of the concept. This paper, however, focuses on the second geopoetic, literary pole of the conceptual trajectory of the discourse on Central Europe, which is nourished by negative categories and consists of particular articulations of being a Central European in a time of historical discontinuities and crises. The paper addresses several contemporary writers’ self-identifications based on “autobiographical sites”, which provide insight into some shared articulations of certain elements of the Central European myth (problematic identity, spatial in-between-ness and sense of transience, mobility of borders, idealized Habsburg monarchy). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building elements, especially partitions, floors and external walls significantly affect indoor acoustic comfort. Their ability to reduce noise transmission from neighbouring rooms or from outdoors depends on the element composition and the building materials used. In Central Europe, the heavyweight masonry or concrete walls and slabs are typical elements both for family and residential buildings. However, increasing popularity of lightweight multi-layered structures is noticeable. This creates new opportunities for the gradual replacement of traditional materials with renewable and recycled ones, both for load-bearing components and for fillings and other layers of building elements. This paper introduces such design changes in relation to acoustics, particularly airborne sound insulation. The greatest attention is paid to the replacement of masonry and mineral wool insulation with timber and wood fibres. The overview is supplemented by examples of low-energy house external wall and timber wall with recycled infill whose sound insulation has been determined by measurements in the acoustic laboratory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on topics of a conference on the government of the members of the European Union (EU) in Central and Eastern Europe is presented. It sates that the congress focused on dealing with the challenges that EU member states will face. It also adds that the Committee on the Regions (CoR) opened a debate forum regarding the involvement of sub-national authorities on EU multilevel governance. Moreover, it says that 82 papers were discussed during the plenary meetings of the conference.

Nitrous oxide is one of the atmospheric greenhouse gases whose amount is significantly influenced by human activity. Its major anthropogenic sources are the agricultural soils but the emission is known only with large uncertainty yet. The paper presents a tall tower based measuring system installed in Hungary, which is designed for the long-term monitoring of nitrous oxide emission of a regionally typical composition of agricultural fields by means of eddy covariance technique. Due to the careful calibration of the gas analyzer applied the measuring system is also suitable for the recording of the atmospheric concentration of nitrous oxide on the globally compatible scale (WMO X2006A). The paper reports the results of the first two years of the monitoring program, which is the first of its kind in Central Europe. For the period of July 2015–June 2017 the concentration measurements indicate an increasing trend of 0.91 nmol mol −1 year −1 with an average concentration of 330.64 nmol mol −1 . During the two years of the project, the monitoring system recorded a total of 441 ± 195 mg N 2 O-N m −2 nitrous oxide emission with late spring/early summer maximum. The measurements also revealed the episodic nature of the emission typically triggered by major precipitation events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents changes in water and sewage management in the cross-border Oder River basin in the period since the post-communist political and economic system transformation, including the period after Poland's accession to the European Union. The Oder River basin, with an area of 124,000 km2, is the second largest basin in the Baltic Sea Basin, and therefore requires particular protection. It was emphasised that in the years 1989–2017, water withdrawal for production purposes considerably decreased (by 42%), as well as water withdrawal for exploitation of the water supply system (by 33%). The amount of sewage discharged to rivers was also reduced (by approximately 50%), and treatment technologies considerably improved. Changes in water and sewage management were presented in spatial form, i.e. by hydrographic regions of the Oder River basin. Particular attention was paid to changes in sewage management in cities. They involved among others the liquidation of mechanical treatment plants and a considerable increase in the number of cities with treatment plants with increased nutrient removal. The analysis of the effect of the changes in water and sewage management on the quality of the Oder River and Baltic Sea was also performed, and the rate of decrease in loads of contaminants most harmful to water ecosystems was determined. The role of European Union funds and national funds in the implementation of investments in the scope of water management was emphasised. Finally, attention was drawn to the need to intensify works for protecting waters in agricultural areas, which currently constitute the primary threat to their quality. Several top-priority tasks were also specified that should be implemented in the near future for the purpose of obtaining a good ecological state of waters in the Oder River basin pursuant to the Water Framework Directive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the policy implemented by the city of Milan to deal with the migrants crossing the city en route to central Europe from 2013, mainly from Syria and the Horn of Africa. To understand the city's response to this wave of migration, a qualitative case study was conducted that included interviews with volunteers, public employees, legal advisers and refugees. Milan's initiative is discussed in the context of the expansion of sanctuary city policies in Europe during the period of the "migration crisis". In particular, we will see that the sistema profughi was from 2013 to 2017 an alternative to national and international policies on transit migration in terms of law, narrative and implementation, in supporting the right to the transit and challenging European and Italian policies on the matter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper generally builds on the concept of justice in social science. It attempts to interpret this concept in a geographical and particularly in a spatial context. The paper uses the concept of accessibility to define the principle of spatial equity. The main objective of the paper is to propose an approach with which to assess the level of spatial equity in the administrative division of a territory. In order to fulfil this objective the paper theoretically discusses the concept of spatial equity and relates it to other relevant concepts, such as spatial efficiency. The paper proposes some measures of spatial equity and uses the territory of four Central European countries (Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia) as example of the application of the proposed measures and the corroboration of the proposed approach. The analysis is based on the administrative division of four countries and is carried out at different hierarchical levels as defined by the Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics (NUTS). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Renewable energy can be transported by mixing hydrogen into natural gas pipelines. • Current pipelines limit hydrogen supply from North Africa to 9.5–23.2 TWh/a. • North Africa can supply renewable hydrogen to Europe for min. 54–119 €/MWh in 2020. Abstract Strong efforts are necessary to stem climate change. It requires to switch to renewable fuels. But as energy demand in Central Europe is high, renewable energy resources are of moderate quality, and available potentials are limited, energy imports from areas with beneficial renewable resources – such as North Africa – might be a promising option. Against this background this paper investigates the costs and potentials for hydrogen produced on the basis of electricity from wind and solar energy in North Africa and the subsequent transport as a blend with natural gas in existing pipelines. Linear optimization using hourly wind and solar data yields minimum hydrogen production cost. 2419 locations covering a 2° proximity of the existing natural gas pipeline infrastructure are considered in a lower and higher cost case for a near-term future (ca. 2020). Modell results provide lowest hydrogen production cost of 45 resp. 99 €/MWh. The production potential is in the range of PWh/a and therefore exceeds the hydrogen that can be transported in the existing infrastructure: Operating pipelines are potentially able to carry 10 vol% hydrogen in the natural gas feed with negligible adjustments to the infrastructure so that 9.5–23.2 TWh/a of hydrogen can be transported to Europe at minimum transport costs of 9 resp. 19 €/MWh. As these transport costs are low, supplying hydrogen leads to lower cost than transforming it to methane, Diesel or gasoline and is therefore the cheapest form of supplying a power based fuel. The hydrogen costs sum up to supply costs of 54 resp. 119 €/MWh free Central Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the analysis of long-term changes in population densities at the regional and macro-regional scale and in the density of metapopulations. The following issues concerning estimations are addressed: chronological resolution of demographic changes, estimation of the weight of values for population density in order to transform the initial values included in the sample into the values that may be compared with each other at the regional scale, calibration of the transformed values into real population densities, and the estimation of the weight of values for population density at the scales of macro-regions and for the density of metapopulations. The proposed methods are tested on demographic changes in Central Europe, Southern Scandinavia, Southeastern Europe, and the Near East. The obtained results represent major trends in demographic development, while the proposed methodology could also be applied in other wide-scale demographic analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we focus on mapping and analysing the spatial patterns of unemployment in four Central European countries - Austria, Czechia, Germany, and Poland, on municipal level in 2010. Specifically, based on the geo-social differentiation patterns, we are searching for secondary axes stretching from the Blue Banana (the major European economic development axis running from London to Milan) towards Eastern Europe. Unemployment is supposed to approximate economic development, thanks to its close relation to GDP and other economic indicators. To study spatial patterns and development axes on a micro scale, we use the concept of spatial autocorrelation, specifically Moran's I and LISA analysis. While we analyse more than 44,000 units, the resulting maps are very detailed and difficult to interpret on small scales. In this paper, we take advantage of the opportunity to present large-scale maps (1:2,500,000 and 1:6,000,000), which are also more suitable for the analytical conclusions that follow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Central and Eastern European countries have experienced significant imbalances starting with 2008 that have affected their business environment profoundly. Thus, the firms operating in the region have faced, and continue to face, difficulties and major challenges. Through this paper we aim at analyzing the key indicators that characterize the business environment of a country, and by analyzing their values through time, we want to compare the situation from ten countries from CEE. We analyzed the indicators for a period of eight years, between 2007 and 2014. This period presents interest because it comprises the period of the recent financial crisis. By using indicators characterizing the business environment we analyze the ease of doing business, but also the ease of getting credit, domestic credit to private sector and reforms adopted in order to improve the access to credit by the CEE countries. We also analyze the time needed to start a business and the regulations regarding start-ups, which may encourage or discourage the new firms to enter the market. The results obtained show that the CEE countries are starting to recover from the current financial crisis, but are still lagging behind the developed countries of the European Union. However, the business environment has registered a series of improvements in the majority of the analyzed countries in the last two years, improving especially the areas of starting a business, getting a credit and paying taxes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to present the similarities between the components of competitiveness and investment attractiveness as two complementary categories, and to show the role of new locational advantages in determining the level of investment attractiveness of a country. Another objective of this paper was to provide a comparative analysis of Central and Eastern European countries in terms of their investment attractiveness. Thus this paper was organized as follows: the first part of the paper focused on a country's competitiveness, and the traditional and new location advantages that determine its investment attractiveness in view of direct investment inflows in the light of M. Porter's model of a diamond, an eclectic paradigm of J. H. Dunning and new growth theories. The second part presented the results of investment attractiveness analysis including selected countries of CEE in the years 1995-2013. Comparing the investment attractiveness of Central and Eastern European countries shows that a rather narrow group of countries attracts a greater amount of FDI, and many more countries have experienced a decline in FDI. Therefore, the research results allow for the conclusion that Central and Eastern Europe reduced its investment attractiveness over the past years. This means that the majority of Central and Eastern European countries are becoming less successful in attracting FDI, and therefore in shaping the environment in which foreign companies wish to conduct their business. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we provide further evidence of the reliability of a lumped parameter urban canopy model coupled with an EnergyPlus building energy model to estimate urban temperatures. In a previous paper, we presented a preliminary validation of the model using data measured at Masdar Institute, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. At present, we conduct a more comprehensive validation based on BUBBLE experimental data measured in the Sperrstrasse, a street canyon located in Basel downtown, Switzerland. To extend the coupled scheme for the Sperrstrasse and future work, we developed methods for approximating waste heat releases generated by a heating system, anthropogenic heat gains created by traffic, and direct normal solar irradiance. Based on a baseline coupled scheme model for the Sperrstrasse, we evaluate the sensitivity of urban temperature estimates to ±20% variations of each parameter. We finally show, through Monte-Carlo analysis, that the coupled scheme can achieve satisfactory accuracy in a dense Central European city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aimof this paper is to assess the role of human capital in attracting fdi in the light of selected empirical studies conducted in Poland and globally. The literature on factors determining fdi location, including those relating to the importance of human capital, is dominated with studies at national or supranational level. Attracting foreign investment has become a key component of national strategies for the cee countries. The paper makes an attempt to assess the relevance of human capital for fdi inflow at regional and local levels in Poland. At the same time, results of analyses were contrasted with quantitative surveys conducted in Central and Eastern Europe. Investing in education and human capital is important for creating good climate for investment. Evidence shows that achieving a certainminimumlevel of education is the precondition for a country to attract andmaintain foreign direct investment andmaximise indirect effects connected with human capital and resulting from the presence of businesses with foreign capital and maximise indirect effects connected with human capital and resulting from the presence of businesses with foreign capital. We should also stress that such aminimum is different for different sectors of the economy. Results of the study conducted in the Lodz Region demonstrated that human capital is an important factor, which attracts fdi to the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Old maps are a fundamental source for land-use reconstruction frequently used in biodiversity conservation and environmental management. In particular, cadastral maps as one type of old maps, depict both land tenure (discrete category) and land-use (continuous category); thus resulting in uncertainties in determination of individual parcels and their use. These uncertainties pose fundamental questions that are addressed in this paper: (i) to what extent land-use determined the delimitation of parcels?; (ii) how significant did the contrast between two land-use classes have to be to in order to delineate a new boundary? Agroforestry land-use classes were chosen as an example to demonstrate the approaches in the delimitation of parcels among different land-use combinations. We used Franciscan Cadastre, created in the mid-19th century under the Habsburg Monarchy (Central Europe), which depicts up to 10 agroforestry classes, to analyse factors that could influence delimitation of borders between patches (parcels) in old cadastral maps. The study area was located in the rural landscape of N Czechia, where approximately 10% of the agroforestry land area was used. We based our analysis on a detailed database of parcels and their land use type and property information. The novel approach to patch contrast indicator for old map analyses is introduced. The approach is based on statistical testing of the differences between parcel boundaries, separating similar/different owner, similar/different land-use and considering the length of the boundaries. Total number of identified parcels for all districts was 4108. Half of the boundaries length and 60% of boundaries count separated land of different owners. The rest of them separated land of one owner with different owner or with distinct parcels geometry. Our results indicate variable contrast between pairs of neighbouring land use categories. In particular, the contrast between pastures, wood-pastures and forests proved to be very low. Various factors, including land ownership, land-use, as well as landscape patch geometry and configuration were important to delineate a single parcel. We have concluded that these factors have important implications on inaccuracies and uncertainties of land use reconstructions based on old cadastral maps and used as historical baselines for current considerations on land change and environmental management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper contributes to the fulfilment of the environmental targets of the EU by introducing an innovative solution for envelopes of nearly zero-energy buildings (nZEB). It presents the development of an environmentally friendly alternative to aluminium curtain wall systems for new constructions or renovations. The research and development were from the early stages led by design strategies for low embodied energy and embodied carbon structures. The first technical concept was analysed using comparative life cycle assessment (LCA). Prototypes were tested to verify their technical performance (air- and water tightness, fire resistance, acoustic properties, short- and long-term hygrothermal monitoring). The final pre-production design was subjected to a detailed LCA, and various possibilities for its improvement were suggested and assessed. The early-stage LCA showed a high potential for reduction of the embodied environmental impact by utilization of natural materials. The results of the experimental testing proved that thus developed curtain wall system fulfilled the standard technical requirements. The detailed pre-production LCA study proved that the fabrication of one panel of the curtain wall system being developed causes significantly lower environmental impact compared with a panel of a common aluminium curtain wall system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transition from state-socialism to capitalism has not been the only process reshaping the urban landscapes in Central and Eastern Europe but some cities were affected by war destructions, like in the Caucus region or in the former Yugoslavia. The case study of Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, is helpful to understand how the urban transformation is performed in post-war contexts, an arena neglected in the current literature on post-socialist cities. This paper aims at exploring the interplay between postsocialist urban restructuring and the peace-building process. It presents results of a series of fieldworks conducted in Sarajevo in 2010 and 2013. It is argued that in spite of the liberal policies implemented by the international community and the belated physical renewal, the transition from socialism to capitalism has been continuously undermined by the local power reconfiguration carried out during the war. The paper analyses the restructuring policies of the post-war period and its impact on the urban spatial structure. The first two sections focus on the urban restructuring processes of post-socialist cities also in post-war contexts, in which the nature of the internationally-led reconstruction and peace-building is analysed as differential processes. Finally, both processes are considered in the case of Sarajevo in relation to the transformation of its urban structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the location decision for foreign direct investments (FDI) in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries based on the attractiveness of policies most influenced by public officials. Our assessment of the FDI inflows in a country is based on four pillars: infrastructure, quality of institutions, labor market and taxes. The attraction degree of the CEE countries in 2007 and 2010 is calculated using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) method, a tool usually used for decision-making issues. The empirical result indicates that Estonia is the most attractive country for investments (as regards the public policy approach). Globally, the paper establishes the state's role in attracting FDI and identifies whether there is room for further improvement on the public policy side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Risk factors for bone loss in HIV patients might differ or have a different impact in African descent compared to Caucasian populations. The aim of the paper is to analyze the relevance of risk factors on surrogate markers of bone metabolism in HIV-infected African descent and Caucasian patients. This is a cross-sectional study in a single HIV-specialized research and clinical care center in Munich, Germany. We included 889 patients in the study, among them 771 Caucasians (86.7%). Only in Caucasians lower vitamin D levels [OR: 2.5 (95CI: 1.6-3.7)], lower calcium levels [OR: 1.8 (1.2-2.8)], and the use of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate [OR: 2.8 (1.8-4.4)] were significantly associated with elevated PTH in multivariate analysis. Likewise, only in Caucasians elevated PTH was significantly associated with elevated markers of c-terminal telopeptides of collagen type 1 (ß-CTX) [OR: 1.7 (1.0-3.0)]. Effects of traditional risk factors for secondary hyperparathyroidism and increased markers of bone turn-over seem to be less distinct in African descent HIV patients. The clinical impact and generalizability of this finding as well as the significance of vitamin D supplementation in African descent patients therefore warrants further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most important elements of place marketing is the creation of an attractive urban landscape which require significant financial resources. For this reason local authorities of Central Europe use regional policy grants from European Union for this purpose. In the light of the above, the aim of this paper is to examine the role of European Union grants in the improvement of the built environment in North Great Plain Region (Hungary), one of the least developed regions of Hungary. In the course of the above, on the one hand, we intend to provide a general overview of the situation in Hajdú-Bihar County, also located in this region, and on the other hand, through the example of a specific settlement, we will also present the processes in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Stołowe Mountains are a stepped tableland within the Sudetes range, which otherwise represents valley-and-ridge fluvio-denudational relief. Reasons for the distinctiveness of the Stołowe Mountains are lithostructural and related to the presence of a nearly flat-lying clastic sedimentary sequence, with massive sandstone beds separated by fine-grained rock complex. Consequently, the geomorphic system of the area is distinctive too. Lacking long-term measurements of process rates, this paper attempts to provide qualitative characteristics of this system. Under contemporary conditions slope-channel connectivity is very limited and coupling between the two subsystems is episodic at most. Due to low gradient surface processes on extensive plateaus are of very low efficacy, whereas escarpments tend to disintegrate in situ rather than are subject to frequent rock slope failures. Subsurface processes of sand grain detachment, joint-guided transport and removal away from the rock massif play an important part. Rock control in the broad sense is so pervasive that it is nearly impossible to identify with confidence inherited landforms, whether from the Pleistocene or late Neogene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – This paper aims to empirically explore the impact of absorptive capacity (AC) on explorative and exploitative innovation in business cluster settings, and the environment's moderating role on these relationships. Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of Central European companies, the paper applies multivariate data analysis techniques to test the effect of AC on innovation performance and potential moderators, respectively. Findings – The empirical evidence indicates that AC impacts both explorative and exploitative innovation, and that the strength of the impact depends on the business clusters' level of dynamism and competitiveness. Environmental dynamism and competitiveness positively moderate the effect of AC on explorative innovation, and negatively moderate the effect of AC on exploitative innovation. Research limitations/implications – Several research limitations apply. First, only one interview per firm was conducted on a self-reporting basis. Second, the survey's focus was on SMEs. Third, questionnaire translations and differing interviewer behaviour may bias the results. Practical implications – The findings suggest that firms in business clusters must develop AC to gain the fruits of agglomeration effects. Furthermore, attention should be paid to the cluster's environmental conditions, since dynamism and competition play a significant role for innovation. Originality/value – Although the importance of AC has often been highlighted, much more remains to be understood about its role in business cluster settings. This issue is addressed in this work by providing systematic, empirical evidence on how AC affects innovation performance at the firm level, and on how this relationship depends on the business cluster's environmental characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at pointing out the evolution in real and financial plans in order to adhere to the EMU, using a comparative approach, on the example of Romania, the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary. The main results of the study are the following: the four countries have made notable progress in the years preceding the current crisis; however, considerable efforts are still needed in order to comply with the euro zone, in terms of living standards, economic structure, degree of openness of the economy, etc.; refer the financial convergence, directions are needed to increase the financial intermediation and financial depth in Romania and Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary recording slightly more favourable indicators. On the other hand, central banks, except the Polish one, should significantly improve the transmission mechanism of monetary policy upon the financial and real sphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates feasibility of the new Air Traffic Management (ATM) organisation in Functional Airspace Block Central Europe (FAB CE) and specifies the implementation scenarios that are proposed by Central European Air Traffic Services Coordination Group (CEATS CG). The paper elaborates elements of required Functional Airspace Block Central Europe implementation and identifies and assesses the implementation blockers. Provision of air navigation services in European Civil Aviation Conference (ECAC) area is diversely regulated and highly fragmented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents the MULTEXT-East language resources, a multilingual dataset for language engineering research, focused on the morphosyntactic level of linguistic description. The MULTEXT-East dataset includes the morphosyntactic specifications, morphosyntactic lexica, and a parallel corpus, the novel '1984' by George Orwell, which is sentence aligned and contains hand-validated morphosyntactic descriptions and lemmas. The resources are uniformly encoded in XML, using the Text Encoding Initiative Guidelines, TEI P5, and cover 16 languages, mainly from Central and Eastern Europe: Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, English, Estonian, Hungarian, Macedonian, Persian, Polish, Resian, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, and Ukrainian. This dataset, unique in terms of languages covered and the wealth of encoding, is extensively documented, and freely available for research purposes. The paper overviews the MULTEXT-East resources by type and language and gives some conclusions and directions for further work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: On 25 June 2008, severe thunderstorms caused widespread damage and two fatalities in the Czech Republic. Significant features of the storms included numerous downbursts on a squall line that exhibited a bow echo reflectivity pattern, with sustained wind gusts over 32m/s at several reporting stations. Moreover, a tornado and several downbursts of F2 intensity occurred within the convective system, collocated with the development of mesovortices within the larger scale bow echo. The extent of the event was sufficient to call it a derecho, as the windstorm had affected Eastern Germany, Southern Poland, Slovakia, Austria and Northern Hungary as well. Ahead of the squall line, several well-organized isolated cells occurred, exhibiting supercellular characteristics, both from a radar and visual perspective. These storms produced large hail and also isolated severe wind gusts. This paper deals mostly with the forecasting challenges that were experienced by the meteorologist on duty during the evolution of this convective scenario. The main challenge of the day was to identify the region that would be most affected by severe convection, especially as the numerical weather prediction failed to anticipate the extent and the progress of the derecho-producing mesoscale convective systems (MCSs). Convective storms developed in an environment conducive to severe thunderstorms, with strong wind shear confined mostly to the lower half of the troposphere. These developments also were strongly influenced by mesoscale factors, especially a mesolow centered over Austria and its trough stretching to Eastern Bohemia. The paper demonstrates how careful mesoscale analysis could prove useful in dealing with such convective situations. Remote-sensing methods are also shown to be useful in such situations, especially when they can offer sufficient lead time to issue a warning, which is not always the case. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Central and Eastern Europe Countries (CEECs) have been shaped by the EU conditionality, meaning that these countries were obliged to develop their administrative capacities in completely convergence with the acquis communautaire in order to join the European Union. The 2004 and 2007 enlargement of the EU and the accession negotiations have brought a systemic transformation of the CEECs through what is known in the literature as Europeanization. It seems to be a strong connection between conditionality and Europeanization, the former giving way to the latter. Therefore the capacity and the willingness of candidate countries to transfer the acquis into the domestic legal context have had a significant influence in the way in which the Europeanization process has succeeded in inhabiting the governance system of the CEECs. Considering these, the purpose of this paper is to examine through which mechanisms it was realized the correspondence between EU conditionality and the process of central and eastern enlargement-led Europeanization which seems to have been internalized distinctively by the CEECs, where administrative resources to comply with European standards were lagging behind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- Strategies of embedding into the local environment are considered critical for multinational companies (MNCs) operating in Central and Eastern Europe. The purpose of this paper is to analyze such strategies in Romania. Design/methodology/approach -- The theoretical framework draws on social network theory to investigate the extent, structure, and features of embedding in the context of four case studies. Findings -- The results suggest a shift in how MNCs respond to a changing competitive landscape in Romania. The findings indicate that, contrasting proficient strategies of establishing numerous connections at entry, the most valuable approaches are currently aimed at building a diverse but non-redundant network of relationships that gives the company access to information and flexibility to react quickly to changes. Direct relationships with the government are found to be potentially detrimental, even if they may have been important at market entry. Research limitations/implications -- The limitations of the research relate to the subjective nature of the testimony-based material. Practical implications -- The findings suggest that the local subsidiary management should stay connected with organizations that allow access to information about their industries, applicable legislation and future competitive pressures, while corporate headquarters need to give local management enough decision-making freedom for the subsidiary to evolve with the environment. Originality/value -- The paper enhances knowledge of a strategic approach used extensively in transition and emerging markets, and adds to the understanding of MNCs' strategies in Romania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is a shortened overview of the Nationat and University Library building that formed part of the 1983 monograph "Rudolf Lubynski, National and University Library", which has never been published. The paper brings a comparative analysis of architectural works created in Central Europe and Vienna in 1896-1913, the period in which Lubynski established his architectural reputation. The paper aims to ascertain models, similarities and differences and provide a temporal and spatial context for the library building. The selected buildings share certain features with the Zagreb library, namely, stylistic features of Secession and Neo-classicism and tendency for monumentalism. Additionally, the paper presents the hypothesis that the mentioned period was not a transition to something better but that it maintains the values which are congruent with the developments leading to the formation of the International style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an alternative view of work-family policies and looks especially at how families in different European countries are addressing issues of reconciliation between work and family at the present time. This relational differentiation influences the make-up of the sub-systems of family and work by creating new forms of interchange. These interchanges, which entail a mutual referencing code that enables the specialization of the interrelations between the sub-systems, are characterized by spill-over functions. This paper aims to address the questions of how -- and toward which model (functional or relational differentiation) -- the situation in Europe is evolving, questions which are ever more pressing in Europe's current social and political climate. As new countries join the European Union, a change is taking place in both balances and structures, as well as a commitment on the part of member nations to modify existing polices, and to develop new policies and legislative apparatus in accordance with an EU master plan regarding work-family issues. This paper highlights emerging tendencies regarding family and work on the personal as well as the policy level in Central and Eastern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A radical change had occurred in the definition of the economics in Central and Eastern Europe at end of the 80's. Since then, the theoretical economists focused their attention on the concept of scarcity. This shift was strongly connected to the theoretical turn that pointed from the political economics towards the economics in the Western sense. In the paper, firstly, we argue that even the definition of the economics in the Western sense was not always attached to the concept of scarcity, and the scarcity was part of the economic thinking only in the 20thcentury. Secondly, we emphasize that the adaptation of the economics in the Western sense cannot be successful in Central and Eastern Europe based merely on the concept of scarcity. The scarcity, and particularly its Central and Eastern European interpretation will not promote the adaptation of the Western managerial culture, on the contrary, it preserves the bad technical-managerial traditions whose liquidation was the real sense of the transition. Finally, we make a suggestion for a new approach of the definition of the economics due to the above mentioned. The examination of the philosophical basis of the economic thinking is an indispensable part of this approach. Our standpoint is that the economics - as every science - has its own philosophical basis, and dealing with this basis is the integral part of the theoretical economics. The economics of Central and Eastern Europe has a certain tradition that banks on it and this can be the comparative advantage of the economic research undertaken in this paper. The rebirth of the political economy in this sense is a perceptible tendency in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse the phenomenon of neo-regionalism in Central-Eastern Europe (CEE) identified in this research as a phenomenon of geo-politicoeconomical co-existence that represents a new form of multidimensional integration in the chosen area. Such a definition is primarily based on the recognition of states as political actors, rather than regions within states. Given that the concept of European regionalisation has been irrevocably connected to the concept of European integration, the CEE is arguably experiencing major geo-political 'mutations'. In December 2005, several CEE states (namely Estonia, FYR Macedonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia and Ukraine) opted to establish a new regional political association -- the Community of Democratic Choice. Our paper scrutinises this new and unique regional grouping. Is it a hectic game of political 'pigmies' intended for short-term gains in desire to 'buy' recognition from more powerful neighbours? Or is it an activity of maturing European political powers and promising markets with a long-term perspective, which perhaps could result in a more cohesive Europe (if not a more enlarged European Union)? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: This paper questions the necessity and legitimacy of transitional arrangements in the field of free movement of workers imposed on the ten Central and Eastern European states which joined the EU in 2004 and 2007. It addresses the issue of free movement of labour in the enlarged Union in the context of the policy reasoning behind such transitional arrangements. Present transitional periods are contrasted with other solutions (such as allowing immigration quotas), which would have been politically fairer and psychologically wiser in confronting the arguments on the divide between 'first class' and 'second class' EU membership. The paper suggests that the results of the most recent studies, showing that the fears of the old Member States were mostly unfounded and that economic and social benefits result from the free movement of workers in the EU, should be taken into consideration for the next enlargement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the logic of explanation according to which identity is an attribute or a feature of subjects like states and nations. Drawing examples from the scholarship on identity in Central Europe, especially Estonia, it argues that the story by which identity is customarily told is circular, presupposing the very subject for which it seeks to give an account. The puzzle, then, is how to overcome the perspective of a subject already formed in order to account for its becoming. The paper deploys the concept of performativity to address that puzzle. Performative approaches do not treat identity as an attribute or a property of the subject – something that subjects such as individuals or states express. It conceives subjectivity explicitly in processual terms, not as a source but as an effect of identity claims. Identity then is not something that states, groups or individuals have, but something that groups and individuals do. Reframing identity research from doers to deeds opens up the discussions of actor-ness and subjectivity without dictating what kind of subjects can be realized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the collapse of the Berlin wall, women and girls have been trafficked from central and eastern Europe to work as prostitutes in the European Union. This paper looks at the response of the international community to the problem of sex trafficking as it impacts on the EU. The focus is on criminal justice intervention with respect to protection of and assistance to 'victims', and a specially witness protection, in the light of the following: the tensions and promises between treatment of trafficked women as 'victims' of crime and criminal justice informants; and the need to re-focus on a 'woman-centred' approach to criminal justice intervention for trafficked women. Given the diverse nature of law and criminal justice practice between EU Member States, the paper necessarily presents a generic critique of current EU and international 'best practice' recommendations, with some commentary on practice based on the author's research, with respect to what 'gold standards' of practice offer in theory and what is delivered in reality. The question of 'victim-centred' justice and/or 'woman-centred' justice is raised in an effort to promote effective policy recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and environmental policies are widely discussed, but much less is known about emissions embodied in goods traded internationally, and the distinction between emission producers and consumers. The carbon dioxide emissions embodied in international trade in Central European countries are subject to examination in this paper. As a result of industrial restructuring and environmental legislation, air pollution has improved significantly in Central European countries since the 1989 transition. On the other hand, economic growth has been accompanied by a rise in consumerism. Despite the increasing role of exports, the Visegrad group countries have become net importers of carbon dioxide emissions between 1995 and 2008. This seems to be the 'standard trajectory' of a country's transition toward a more developed and consumption-oriented economy. The global patterns of carbon dioxide emissions embodied in manufacturing exports are also mapped, using network analysis and constructing 'product space'. The analysis confirms that industrial re-structuring played an important role in lowering the production of carbon dioxide emissions in the Visegrad countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents models of potential geographical distribution of Xanthoparmelia delisei, X. loxodes, and X. verruculifera in Central Europe. The models were developed with MaxEnt (maximum entropy algorithm) based on 224 collection localities and bioclimatic variables. The applied method enabled to identify the areas where climatic conditions are the most suitable for modeled species outside their known localities. According to obtained model, high potential distribution of the X. delisei and X. loxodes was found in the northern and northeastern Poland, when areas most suitable for X. verruculifera were placed in the south, especially in the Carpathians. Model also suggests that potential distribution of X. delisei could be wider than known data on its occurrence and extend to Lithuania, Belarus and the Czech Republic. MaxEnt modeling of X. loxodes showed the widest potential distribution for this species in Central Europe with the best regions in Lithuania. Potential distribution in all models was strongly influenced by precipitation-related variables. All the modelled species prefer areas where precipitation in the coldest quarter is very low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the faunal remains from the new excavation area at the Lower Paleolithic site of Schöningen. The focus of the study is on the southern extension of the main find horizon (Spear Horizon South), which includes the layer that yielded the famous Schöningen spears (13 II-4). Taxonomic data corroborate previous studies, that hominins primarily hunted Equus mosbachensis , a large Pleistocene horse. Equid body part representation at the site suggests that the animals were hunted and butchered locally. There is no evidence for density-mediated attrition in the assemblage. Weathering damage is uncommon, though there is ample evidence that carnivores had access to the bone. Carnivore bite sizes were measured and compared to experimental data provided by previous authors. Based on relationships between bite size and carnivore behavior and body size, we conclude that the primary modifying agents were large carnivores (i.e., wolves or saber-toothed cats). Previous studies show that carnivores often had secondary access to the remains, after hominins. Cut marks are commonly arranged haphazardly on the bones. This may indicate that multiple hominins participated in the butchery of horse skeletons, or that they were butchered over the course of hours or days. Cut marks on axial elements are more “orderly,” which probably reflects the physical logistics of orienting one's body in relation to a large carcass. These data differ from sites formed by Middle and Upper Paleolithic hominins, which might suggest that in later times, a system of organized meat provisioning was already in place. Taken together, the faunal evidence from the Spear Horizon South indicates that late Lower Paleolithic hominins using the site understood the behaviors of different prey species, hunted socially to take down large game, and successfully competed with large carnivores on the landscape for primary access to ungulate remains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pleistocene sequence of Schöningen provides a key link between unglaciated and glaciated areas in western Central Europe and is an important point of reference for the subdivision of the glaciated late Middle Pleistocene. This locality yields paleoecological and geological evidence of at least four interglacial periods prior to the Holocene and younger than the Elsterian glaciation. The Pleistocene deposits at Schöningen are valuable archives of climate, landscape, and human evolution, containing outstanding information on past environmental changes and human adaptation. This paper presents paleoenvironmental and biostratigraphical results from the Middle Pleistocene archaeological lakeshore site of Schöningen, focusing on the so-called reference profile Schöningen 13 II of 2003. We discuss the lithological, palynological, and macrobotanical evidence and present a revised subdivision and reinterpretation of late phases of the Reinsdorf Interglacial. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radical transformations in the former communist countries of Central and Eastern Europe (C&EE) have prompted a growing body of scholarship concerned to analyzed both the dramatic decline and the de facto restructuring of research systems throughout the region, and future opportunities for rebuilding them. This paper provides some basic background information on how science and technology (S&T) were organized before the transformations, and the changes since. It then briefly indicates why the topic is important for the field of science and technology studies (S&TS), and describes some trends in the development of S&TS in and on C&EE, before introducing the individual contributions in this Special Issue. This paper analyzes the transformation of research systems in Central and Eastern Europe as a coincidence of opportunities and trouble. Political rebuilding has bought opportunities for the greater self-regulation of research which ahs been demanded by many researchers. But an appropriate institutional rebuilding of the research system is strongly restricted by sharply reduced resource, and by political pressure towards research orientated to short-term applications in industry. These factors have shaped the dynamics of the transformation of research systems in the post-communist countries and have led, so far, to rather unsatisfactory outcomes. This paper give an overview of these developments, emphasizing the similarities between the different countries. The economic crisis, shrinking markets and falling funds have not just brought about decline in formerly communist research systems: in response to external pressures, and on the basis of their accumulated knowledge and skills, research orgaziations have developed new structures and mechanisms to distribute their results and use their expertise. This paper draws on evidence and anaylsis generated by a study which focused on the new arrangements appearing in and around research organizations. The objective of this study was not only to search for new organizational forms and to understand their operation, but also to evaluate their potential, in newly emerging innovation systems, to enhance knowledge flows into industry from academic and university research. This analytical approach is underpinned by a comparison of 'Science Park'-type developments in Western and Eastern Europe. Although there are clearly difference in their contexts, the comparison provides grounds for optimism. We can see already both the generation of the new, and the recombination of the old, knowledge, skills and contacts which will be necessary to economic regeneration in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. This paper analyzes the present situation of Russian academic science, and explicates both the direct causes and the deep social roots of its recent crisis. The unfavourable position of Russian science is partly linked to traditional notions of the essence of Russian society, in which modern science exists as an inorganic, alien section, completely dependent on authorities whose current interests are not oriented towards modernization and the support of science. This approach suggests a way of understanding the social history of Russian science. A description of the spreading and growing crisis in the Russian Academy of Science after 1992 makes clear the background and atmosphere within which, in March 1994, a diagnostic study of the academic community was undertaken. This paper presents and interprets the survey's results in relation to major aspects of scientific activity: motivation, moods and intentions of scientists; their evaluation of the general situation in science and personal conditions of research; and current problems of science financing and organization. A compound picture derived from these data does not allow any definite predictions of the Academy's future: the processes revealed contain possibilities for both its positive transformation and its decay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the transformation of research systems in Central and Eastern Europe as a coincidence of opportunities and trouble. Political rebuilding has bought opportunities for the greater self-regulation of research which ahs been demanded by many researchers. But an appropriate institutional rebuilding of the research system is strongly restricted by sharply reduced resource, and by political pressure towards research orientated to short-term applications in industry. These factors have shaped the dynamics of the transformation of research systems in the post-communist countries and have led, so far, to rather unsatisfactory outcomes. This paper give an overview of these developments, emphasizing the similarities between the different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual paper discusses key instruments for territorial cohesion in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) from a comparative historical analytical perspective amidst the neoliberalisation of EU Regional Policy, which has implications for the production and reinforcement of spatial inequalities in regional development. The neoliberalisation processes unfolding in the diff erent political-institutional contexts of CEE have implications for the movement, transformation and eff ectiveness of policies such as Regional Policy, complicating the holistic understanding of policy eff ects. Increasingly neoliberal regional policies across Europe, and in the diff erent path dependent political-institutional contexts of CEE in particular, raise questions about the eff ectiveness of Regional Policy to achieve territorial cohesion. Comparative historical analysis provides a method of inquiry into path dependent processes shaping institutions and aff ecting policy outcomes, and is therefore a useful approach for conceptualising regional political-institutional contexts and their implications for Regional Policy. Operational Programmes encompassed in national strategic documents from the Czech Republic, Estonia and Hungary over three programming periods are examined as the key instruments for the implementation of Regional Policy, the comparison of which reveals a diff erence in perspectives towards the common EU goals of competitiveness and growth as a means of achieving territorial cohesion. The research thus points to the need for deeper comparative understanding of the political-institutional contexts in the three countries in order to identify factors of eff ective policies and to tailor eff ective policy solutions to specific regional contexts, a task to be advanced in future studies of Regional Policy and political-institutional contexts of CEE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the significance of the valuation effect in determining the dynamics of the net international investment position of CEE economies. For this purpose an analysis of BoP and IIP time series for the four largest CEE economies (Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania) for the years 2005-2013 was carried out. The exercise revealed that the valuation effect (VE) is, in the short run, the key determinant of net IIP changes (for most observed years). Nevertheless, in the long-run its influence decreases as valuation gains and losses tend to cancel each other out. As the VE is relatively volatile, it is important to analyse its dynamics over the mid and long-term when evaluating the IIP. The significance of the VE for determining net IIP dynamics turned out to be non-investment-type specific because valuations of both the short-term and longterm investments contributed in a large part to the change in the net IIP. Similarities in the dynamics of the VE in CEE countries prove that the VE depends to a large extent on the general price fluctuations in financial markets that nowadays exhibit strong correlations across countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the extinction of the communist regimes in Central and Eastern Europe and the vacuum left behind by them, states have entered a stage of political crisis and establishing future trajectories in terms of governance. In this paper we propose to discusses several aspects concerning different trajectories of post-communist states and the factors that influenced their journey [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presented paper deals with the issue of the efficient use of solar energy potential gained from thermal panels via tracking the Sun’s trajectory. Based on long-term measurements of the selected parameters, the efficiency of the installed system in relation to the ecliptic was evaluated in the static regime as well as in a rotary regime. In the comparison of rotary and fixed system of the collectors the presented results show an increase of the effectiveness of rotary one during the period of the day. On closer view the increase is not constant. During the day it varies: the most significant increase is in the afternoon, while the time from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. the effectiveness of both systems almost identical. The utilisation of the rotary system as a suitable instrument for the elimination of the system stagnation was also evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenge of converting global agricultural food, fiber and energy crop cultivation into an ecologically and economically sustainable production process requires the most efficient agricultural management strategies. Development, control and maintenance of these strategies are highly dependent on temporally and spatially continuous information on crop status at the field scale. This paper introduces the application of a process-based, coupled hydro-agroecological model (PROMET) for the simulation of temporally and spatially dynamic crop growth on agriculturally managed fields. By assimilating optical remote sensing data into the model, the simulation of spatial crop dynamics is improved to a point where site-specific farming measures can be supported. Radiative transfer modeling (SLC) is used to provide maps of leaf area index from Earth Observation (EO). These maps are used in an assimilation scheme that selects closest matches between EO and PROMET ensemble runs. Validation is provided for winter wheat (years 2004, 2010 and 2011). Field samples validate the temporal dynamics of the simulations (avg. R2 = 0.93) and > 700 ha of calibrated combine harvester data are used for accuracy assessment of the spatial yield simulations (avg. RMSE = 1.15 t·ha-1). The study shows that precise simulation of field-scale crop growth and yield is possible, if spatial remotely sensed information is combined with temporal dynamics provided by land surface process models. The presented methodology represents a technical solution to make the best possible use of the growing stream of EO data in the context of sustainable land surface management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The existing building stock has an immense impact on preserving a social, economic and ecologic sustainability – especially in Central Europe with low rates of new construction. This paper focuses on life-cycle based renovation strategies considering not only structural and thermal refurbishment, but also the social aspects of an ageing society needs, as well as a preservation of cultural heritage. For a case study of a specific housing block of the Red Vienna historic period, several refurbishment variants were developed and evaluated in a quantitative as well as qualitative way for the economic (life cycle costs and yields), ecologic (CO 2 emissions) and socio-cultural impacts (monument protection, accessibility, assisted living). According to the research, there are great potentials in structural refurbishment of the building stock for support of assisted living models. These prove to be substantially more cost efficient than the institutional care, providing a better comfort for the inhabitants, as well as the necessary social mix by a trans-generation housing in the social housing facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of GPS with GLONASS is very important in satellite-based positioning because it can clearly improve reliability and availability. However, unlike GPS, GLONASS satellites transmit signals at different frequencies. This results in significant difficulties in modeling and ambiguity resolution for integrated GNSS positioning. There are also some difficulties related to the antenna Phase Center Variations (PCV) problem because, as is well known, the PCV is dependent on the received signal frequency dependent. Thus, processing simultaneous observations from different positioning systems, e.g. GPS and GLONASS, we can expect complications resulting from the different structure of signals and differences in satellite constellations. The ASG-EUPOS multifunctional system for precise satellite positioning is a part of the EUPOS project involving countries of Central and Eastern Europe. The number of its users is increasing rapidly. Currently 31 of 101 reference stations are equipped with GPS/GLONASS receivers and the number is still increasing. The aim of this paper is to study the height solution differences caused by using different PCV calibration models in integrated GPS/GLONASS observation processing. Studies were conducted based on the datasets from the ASG-EUPOS network. Since the study was intended to evaluate the impact on height determination from the users' point of view, a so-called 'commercial' software was chosen for post-processing. The analysis was done in a baseline mode: 3 days of GNSS data collected with three different receivers and antennas were used. For the purposes of research the daily observations were divided into different sessions with a session length of one hour. The results show that switching between relative and absolute PCV models may cause an obvious effect on height determination. This issue is particularly important when mixed GPS/GLONASS observations are post-processed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents new directional archeomagnetic data from nine Meso-/Neolithic fireplaces, sampled in a cave shelter, at Arconciel, in western Switzerland. Rock magnetic measurements indicate a homogenous magnetic mineralogy in all fireplaces, with magnetite as the main magnetic carrier. The remanent magnetization is stable and generally shows one characteristic directional component. Nine new directions, which were obtained from Arconciel, are combined with 356 other archeomagnetic data from a circular area with a radius of 700 km around this site, to obtain a penalized least square spline fit for the past 9000 yr. We found in general good agreement with other local compilations, such as the Balkan curve, the regional SCHA.DIF.8k model and with lake sediments from UK, Fennoscandia and Switzerland. Nevertheless, a time lag of several centuries is observed for a declination maximum between the archeomagnetic spline fit and the other European data records around 5900 BC. This time lag is also observed in the Swiss lake sediment record; therefore we interpret this shift as a local feature of the Earth's magnetic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]