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As humanity reaches the 5.0 industrial revolution, education plays a critical role in boosting the quality of human resources. This paper reports bibliometric research on emerging TiP during 1993-2022 in the educational field to analyse its development on any level of education during the last three decades. This study employed a Scopus database. The findings are that the trend of TiP publication in educational fields has tended to increase every year during the past three decades and conference paper became the most published document type, the USA is the country which produces the most publications; "Students" being the most occurrences keyword and total link strength. The publication of the TiP is ranked to the Quartile 1, which implies that a publication with the cited performance is a publication with credibility because the publisher has a good reputation. Researchers can find the topics most relevant to other metadata sources such as Web of Science, Publish, and Perish.

This paper reviews the issue of surrogacy. The author analyzes surrogacy and continues by conducting a comparative overview of two legal systems with different approaches to surrogacy. The analysis first looks at the legal system of Russia, as it represents a country that allows all forms of surrogacy, and then that of Germany, as a country with norms prohibiting all forms of surrogacy. In turn, the author reviews Serbian legal provisions, which also forbid all forms of surrogacy. The paper further explores whether there is justification for such legal provisions, i.e., it pinpoints potential problems that could arise if the legal provisions were to be changed. It is concluded that the Serbian legislator has decided to remain silent on this issue, most probably due to the fact that any amendments could raise questions that, at least for the time being, have no clear answers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which started on February 24, 2022, has marked a turning point in Russian-Western relations. While liberal democratic societies' unanimous condemnation of that invasion was followed by unprecedented sanctions and a rupture of diplomatic and economic relations with Russia, some Western social and political actors supported, to some extent, the Russian rhetoric regarding the invasion of Ukraine. Consequentially, this paper not only reveals that Russian state discourses aimed to justify the invasion, it also identifies the selective dissemination of Russian state discourses by the AfD in Germany. Moreover, it compares the antagonistic discursive dynamics in the authoritarian pseudo-civil sphere and the similar discourses of the radical right in the democratic civil sphere, and examine their reception in Russia and Germany. Drawing on Multilayered Narrative Analysis, which relies on a combination of cultural sociological Civil Sphere Theory (CST) and mnemonic figurations developed in the historical sociology of Bernhard Giesen, this paper first describes the Russian state discourses intended to sacralize the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It then examines to what extent the populist radical right disseminated these in Germany, before analyzing and comparing the symbolic influence of such discourses in the Russian pseudo-civil and German civil spheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This article presents a collaborative initiative of members of the Committee of the International Representatives of the International Cluttering Association (ICA) upon celebrating the 10th anniversary of the ICA. Such collaborative efforts are designed to improve communication skills, enlighten lives of people with cluttering, and serve as models for speech therapists and other health care professionals in countries around the globe. Method: This initiative began with a seminar at the Inaugural Joint World Congress in Japan in 2018 and continues with an article on cluttering based on the contents of the papers presented at the Congress. Sixteen researchers and speech therapists from 15 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe (East and West), America (North and South), and the Middle East have explored the following themes related to cluttering: cluttering awareness, research, professional preparation, intervention, and self-help groups. Results: This article adds to the body of international literature on cluttering and illustrates that, for the past 10 years, hypothesis-testing research in cluttering continues to be conducted across language barriers and national boundaries, and interventions that are implemented in some locales are being tested and taught in other parts of the world; furthermore, new cluttering treatments are being disseminated for professional preparation and clinical practices. Conclusions: This article demonstrates how global engagement of the ICA's international representatives has led to the exchange of ideas about awareness of cluttering and professional preparation and the best strategies for the treatment of this communication disorder in countries around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International commerce can be determined by the political climate between the exporter and the importer. Arms transfers are a much complex process, where beyond economic factors, alliance ties, security perception and defence planning are also considered. Still, they might not be independent of political relations. This paper aims to capture the arms supplier-recipient relations between the Visegrád countries and Russia, the United States and Germany from 1999 to 2020. More specifically, how do the two factors affect each other: are good political relations necessary for arms deals? Or do arms deals facilitate a friendly political climate? Our conclusion is as follows. On the one hand, a cooperative political climate increases the probability of arms deals, but they are not a necessity, as mutual benefits and security perceptions can override the current political climate. On the other hand, however, arms transfers can deepen cooperation or alleviate the existing differences between the parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing number of personal vehicles and cargo transportation requires the development of a well-planned transport policy within states and states associations. The existing normative acts give different directions in the field of regulation of transportation processes. One of the most important aspects in assessing the existing state transport arteries and planning new ones is the analysis of their capacity, which could be performed in various ways. The classical approach defines capacity as a certain value that is constant for the entire period under consideration. However, this value is changing at any given point in time depending on various factors (weather, psychological, accidental), and this fact determines the stochastic nature of this indicator. The paper presents an overview of existing approaches and a perspective approach that defines capacity as a random variable. The paper also presents the method to model highway capacity, which delivers greater accuracy compared to traditional approaches used in Russia and Germany. Using the proposed approach it is possible to obtain adequate values of highway capacity, which is important in assessing the quality of the functioning of existing highways and planning new ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The geopolitical situation created by Russia and China over Ukraine has made it difficult for businesses in Germany, mostly small and medium-sized enterprises, to manage their logistics and supply chain processes effectively. The objective of this paper was to examine the impact of the geopolitical situation on the supply chain of German family-owned SMEs in 2022, focusing on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and China. The researchers used a quantitative research study that sampled 50 participants drawn from four family-owned SMEs in Germany. Questionnaires were used to collect data from the participants. The path analysis results reveal a significant relationship between price changes and Germany's family-owned SMEs' supply chain processes (b = 0.716, t = 15.469, t < 0.05). The positive sign indicates that an increase in the independent variable results in an increase in the dependent variable. The positive sign indicates that an increase in organizational characteristics increases attitude towards green practices. The study concludes that supply inflation, price cost, and supply cost fundamentally affect the supply chain processes of Germany-owned SMEs. The German government and other stakeholders in the SME sectors should develop policies that aim to provide financial and regulatory assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany through public-private partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deutschland verfügt über eine Vielzahl von Wissen und Erfahrungen über Russland und den Umgang mit Russland. Dennoch haben sich die politischen Entscheidungsträger in Deutschland über viele Jahre schwer damit getan, zu begreifen, dass Moskaus Versuche, die Mächtebalance in Europa neu zu strukturieren, einen frontalen Angriff auf Deutschlands Interessen darstellen, die auf Integration in die EU und NATO basieren. Für Deutsche sind Konflikte mit Russland etwas zutiefst Unbehagliches; allein der Gedanke weckt Emotionen, die klares Denken und konsistentes Handeln behindern. Dieser Artikel beleuchtet die Herausforderung, die diese Einstellungsmuster für Deutschland bei der Entwicklung politischer Strategien im Umgang mit Russland darstellt. Er analysiert, wie mehrere aufeinanderfolgende Bundesregierungen zwischen 1991 und 2014 die russischen Absichten missverstanden und unbeabsichtigt die Herausbildung eines russischen Systems gefördert haben, das deutschen Interessen gegenüber feindlich gesonnen ist. Despite Germany's unparalleled knowledge and experience of Russia, German policy makers have so far struggled to accept that Moscow's efforts to rebalance Europe are an attack on Germany's interests based on its integration into the EU and NATO. For Germans, conflict in relations with Russia is deeply discomforting, and arouses emotions that impede clear thinking and consistent action. This paper explains the scale of the challenge facing Germany in designing policies to manage relations with a changing Russia. It analyses how successive German governments from 1991 to 2014 misread Russian intentions and inadvertently supported the emergence of a Russian system hostile to German interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to understand the foremost challenges in the transition to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study adopts the PRISMA approach to screening the selection of journal articles and review papers according to the research aims and the inclusion criteria. The journal articles and review papers were extracted and stored in Microsoft Excel and Google Scholar, Academic. Microsoft, Semantic Scholar, Elsevier, and Emerald Insight databases searched relevant documents using formulated keywords. A statistical technique was applied using the M.S. Excel analysis tool (PivotTable and an independent t-Test) to analyze data and determine the differences between teachers and students. The review revealed the evidence that the majority of the studies were primarily focused on the individual developing countries and results from other developing countries were not considered. In addition, the foremost challenges in the transition to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic were inadequate skills and training, inadequate Internet/Infrastructure, lack of supporting resources and lack of online student engagement and feedback. Finally, the independent t-test reveals there is no statistically significant difference in challenges in the transition to online teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Both teachers and students encounter similar challenges. The systematic review raised concerns that higher learning needs to effectively implement long term strategies and support teachers and students in getting into online teaching and learning.

International commerce can be determined by the political climate between the exporter and the importer. Arms transfers are a much complex process, where beyond economic factors, alliance ties, security perception and defence planning are also considered. Still, they might not be independent of political relations. This paper aims to capture the arms supplier-recipient relations between the Visegrád countries and Russia, the United States and Germany from 1999 to 2020. More specifically, how do the two factors affect each other: are good political relations necessary for arms deals? Or do arms deals facilitate a friendly political climate? Our conclusion is as follows. On the one hand, a cooperative political climate increases the probability of arms deals, but they are not a necessity, as mutual benefits and security perceptions can override the current political climate. On the other hand, however, arms transfers can deepen cooperation or alleviate the existing differences between the parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to substantiate the influence of approaches to the economic mechanisms formation for managing supply chains on export and import volumes as well as local cargo transportation. Design/methodology/approach: The study outlines that the information technology use, in particular, highly specialized supply chain management (SCM) software, is necessary for the effective functioning of global supply chains (GSCs). For the purposes of the one-factor regression models of the relationship between the signs for the analyzed factors, volume of external cargo transportation, volume of internal cargo transportation and amount of investment in SCM software were built, and the correlation coefficients were also determined. The research was based on data of the Russian Federation, China and Germany. Findings: According to the results, for local cargo transportation for all three counties (Russian Federation: R² = 0.3679, China: R² = 0.441, Germany: 0.441), the correlation coefficients indicated no connection between the factors under study, while for external ones, they denoted a strong direct relationship: Russian Federation: R² = 0.906, China: R² = 0.8692, Germany: 0.926. It is statistically confirmed that external transportations are carried out by enterprises involved in GSCs, while the local ones are mainly performed by the domestic market-oriented companies. Originality/value: The study presents a model for the formation of economic mechanisms of SCM from the perspective of a systemic approach. It allows for structural analysis of the SCM strategy's impact on the functioning of participants within three management levels (corporate, business and functional). The study contributes to the practical domain of SCM: the results of the study can be applied by top managers of companies in developing SCM strategies, as well as by officials in developing and implementing governmental supply chain-related policies. In terms of scientific contribution, the research can also be of use: its methods and results can be applied by scientists in researching approaches to the economic mechanisms formation for managing supply chains on export and import volumes, as well as local cargo transportation in various countries and regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a study which compares repatriation policies of Germany, Russia, and Kazakhstan. The choice of cases is based on a “most similar case design.” The Russian case results in unsuccessful and unsustainable repatriation, the German case exhibits a change from sustainable repatriation to a slow termination of the program, while the case of Kazakhstan is one of sustainable and relatively successful repatriation. The main argument of the paper is that in order for a repatriation program to be sustainable, the program must contain both a practical component and an ideological component. If a repatriation program lacks ideological backing which permeates other aspects of political life in a state, then the repatriation program grinds to a halt. If a repatriation program has ideological backing, but is rendered impractical and does not meet the economic, demographic and labor market needs of a state, then the further development of the program stops. The findings of this study merit further reflection on issues of changing national identities, on transnational migration pathways, and on the “post-Soviet condition” which has set the stage for all of the aforementioned processes and transformations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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Aim: Individual experiences shape perceptions of illness. Post-Soviet migrants have different expectations of chronic disease treatment than German patients. This study aimed to delve into perceptions of diabetes mellitus, a topic of increasing importance in global migration. Design: Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 post-Soviet migrants with diabetes and three Russian-speaking diabetes counselors, mainly recruited through a snowball system. Methods: The research data were analyzed using a hermeneutic approach. The categories of the common-sense self-regulation model and developed subcategories were scrutinized by means of content analysis, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the data. Results: The perception of diabetes mellitus varied depending on the country where the diagnosis was made. This included the individual recording of symptoms, the expected time course, and the allocation of different competencies. Opportunities for access to the local healthcare system in the former Soviet Union influenced these expectations. Conclusion: The study’s findings underscore the importance of healthcare access in the country of origin and the patient’s knowledge of diabetes mellitus in shaping their perception and treatment. These factors, influenced by the social environment and the patient’s level of education, continue to play a role even after immigration to Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a study, which models and measures the competencies of higher education students in business and economics--within and across countries. To measure student competencies in a valid and reliable way, the Test of Understanding in College Economics was used, which assesses microeconomic and macroeconomic competencies. The test was translated into several languages and adapted for different university contexts. In the presented study, the test contents were also compared with regard to the educational standards and the university curricula in Russia and Germany. Our findings from the cross-national analysis suggest one strong general factor of economic competence, which encompasses micro- and macroeconomic dimensions. This points to a stronger interconnection between learning and understanding economic contents than previous research suggests and indicates far-reaching curricular and instructional consequences for higher education economics as well as needs for further research, which are discussed in this paper.

One of the most important tasks of higher educational institutions is the training of specialists to be able to adapt to changes in their professional life. At the end of the twentieth and the beginning of the 21st centuries, some methods for developing foreign language competence, needed for their future professional activity, were created by teachers. However, the effectiveness of these methods has not been studied. This fact has aroused the authors' interest and generated the idea about the necessity to conduct scientific research in order to identify the most effective methods of teaching foreign languages for special purposes. Methods: The given research paper is based on the analysis of Russian and foreign scholars' scientific works covering the problem of teaching foreign languages for special purposes to the students of humanitarian professions, as well as on the basis of the results from questioning students of bachelor degree programs who study foreign languages for special purposes in the field of humanitarian professions, and also of the results from questioning teachers specializing in teaching foreign languages for special purposes. Results: In the students' opinion, the most effective methods of teaching foreign languages for special purposes in the field of humanitarian professions are the following: discussion, ICT (information and communication technologies), and SCRUM (framework that helps teams work together, encourages team to learn through on a problem). According to the interviewed teachers' opinion, the most effective methods are discussion, ICT, and round table. The "dilemma" method is the least effective according to the students. As for the teachers, the less effective method is CLIL (content and language integrated learning). Conclusions: The study showed some common views among teachers and students concerning the effectiveness of methods of teaching foreign languages for professional purposes, such as discussion and ICT. The effectiveness of the discussion method is explained by the fact that it allows the integration of students' knowledge from different areas when solving a problem and provides an opportunity to apply language knowledge and skills into practice. This contributes to forming students' ability to think clearly, to perceive information critically, to highlight the main idea and find the means and arguments to confirm and substantiate it, and, consequently, to improve the understanding of any theoretical material. The use of ICT in the educational process allows the efficiency of the educational process itself to be improved significantly and leads to new approaches and organizational forms of educational work. In fact, while preparing educational programs and creating didactic materials, special attention should be given to the implementation of ICT methods and discussions in educational activities. Nevertheless, the respondents' subjective opinion should not reduce the scientific value and effectiveness of other methods of teaching a foreign language for professional purposes. The authors of the paper believe that methods that have not found much support from students and teachers should be studied more thoroughly and carefully. To this end, it could be recommended to organize special training seminars that would allow teachers to be informed of new methods of teaching foreign languages for professional purposes, of their particularities, and to help their active implementation in the learning process.

Abstract: The paper considers the current state and prospects for the development of the production of the main material, polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon), used in micro and power electronics and photovoltaics. The dynamics of the polysilicon market dynamics are analyzed. It is noted that the growth in the output of polysilicon is determined by the growing needs of photovoltaics and the global trend towards renewable power generation. It is expected that polysilicon production will grow at a rate faster than 10-15% per annum. For the intensive development of photovoltaics, an important role is played by the development level of polysilicon technology and the availability of this material for the large-scale production of highly efficient solar cells. The main technology used in the industry based on the Siemens process is forecast to remain dominant in the long term. OOO Kremniitechnoprom is developing a state-of-the-art polysilicon production facility based on the original developments and modernization of the Siemens process, which is planned to be implemented in Russia involving leading specialists and enterprises from Germany (SPSC GmbH, GEC GmbH). The new enterprise ensures the maximum production safety, despite the potential risks inherent in the technology, primarily through the guarantee of the performance of modern hardware and process flow schemes, the reliability of the equipment and design solutions, and an emergency protection system. Toxic waste will be processed into safe substances and the end products will be sold. The enterprise will be optimized by key indicators for competitive production, such as the product price, production volume, specific capital investment, and current unit costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to identify the literacy skills of individuals whose highest level of education was in the field 'teacher training and educational sciences'. The study sample comprised 10,618 individuals in the field of teacher training and educational sciences, selected from 31 countries (participating in the International Adult Skills Assessment Programme during the 2014-2015 survey) using a multi-stage sampling method. The study employed multi-level latent class analysis and three-step analysis in order to determine both the number of multi-level latent classes of educators' literacy scores as well as the selected independent variables' success in predicting those latent classes. The analysis revealed that educators in Germany constituted the group with the highest literacy skills while educators from Singapore comprised the group with the lowest literacy skills. [This study was presented at the 9th International Congress of Educational Research. Ordu University, Ordu, Turkey.]

Examining and comparing the FinTech investment environments of major economies has untapped potential when it comes to comparing their innovativeness in the financial sector. Therefore, this paper examines the development of FinTech companies from Germany and Russia by investigating funding circumstances and by analyzing equity investments. The goal of the article is to analyze the growth and development of equity funding in FinTech companies in both countries. The underlying hypothesis for this investigation is the applicability of an exponential growth model for the examined funding rounds. The analysis shows that the German market has more FinTech start-ups pursuing equity funding rounds. From Pre-Seed to Series D funding, the considered investment market is about 18 times larger in Germany than it is in Russia. The German market shows strong evidence of exponentially increasing investment tickets based on the behavior of the total data set. This is further supported by testing exponential and linear models on the averages for the investment stages. In this analysis, the exponential model shows a significantly better fit than its linear counterpart. The analysis of the Russian market is not supportive of the hypothesis, as substantial evidence of the superiority of a linear model over an exponential model could be found. This, combined with comparatively compact average funding sizes, signals a more immature equity investment market in Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contemporary international situation is characterized by the humanitarian crisis and a great wave of refugees. The border crossing point of a host country separates the refugees` former life full of suffering and pain and the expectations of a new peaceful life. Here a language mediator is considered like a person who can show the refugee the way to a new life. The issue of the language mediation to refugees at border points is the subject matter of this paper. The main purpose of the research is to study the practical experience of different countries in the provision of the language mediation assistance to refugees. The research papers concerning various aspects of the refugees' migration, the UN documents and the various materials on the topic and the practical experience of Austria, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Russian Federation are examined. The government departments in the countries under study that are responsible for the work and assistance to refugees are stated. The professional activity of a language mediator is viewed from various angles. In the framework of the research a survey on the language mediation activity, the refugee obstacles at border crossing points and the opinions of the language mediators from Austria, Germany and Russia was held. The findings of the survey were generalized and the recommendations to improve the translators/interpreters activity were made. The research is implemented within the framework of the RUDN university participation in the Russia-wide 5-100 project.

In this work, we develop a trade model that explains the pattern of trade between countries based on differences in total factor productivity (TFP) while also accounting for differences in relative factor endowments. The novelty stems from the introduction of production functions derived by combining the Ricardian and Heckscher–Ohlin–Samuelson (H-O-S) theories, with TFP differences serving as the basis of comparative advantage. To this end, a testable hypothesis is derived. For the empirical measurement of the TFP in each industry and country, a constant elasticity of substitution (CES)-type production function was employed, and the TFP was calculated as the Solow residual from the production function's fixed term. To offer a better understanding, the model was tested for the bilateral trade between Germany and Russia, and Germany and the Czech Republic. It was found that TFP differences can be used as a basis for explaining comparative advantages and, consequently, the bilateral pattern of trade between two countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration scholars have long regarded the trajectory of the third generation as a critical test of assimilation; however, scholarship to date has been limited and largely focused on socioeconomic attainment. In this article, we rely on a large dataset of adolescent respondents in England, Germany, and the Netherlands to compare the second and third generations in terms of their social networks and cultural identities. The third generation shows stronger ties to the native fourth-plus generation alongside weaker ties to coethnics. We document comparable, albeit more moderate, dynamics of assimilation over generations in regard to national and ethnic identification, along with substantial variation by country of destination and ethnic origin group. Our results point to a dominant trend of assimilation at the third generation and suggest future challenges to provide a more durable assessment of postwar migration waves two generations after settlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the health care systems in Europe are considered the global benchmark, European nations were severely affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This manuscript aimed to examine the strategies implemented to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Germany, and Russia and their outcomes in terms of the number of cases, testing, and deaths. This is the first review of its kind that extensively analyzes the preparedness, mitigation, and response strategies against the COVID-19 pandemic adopted by these nations. This paper further suggests a strategic preparedness model for future pandemics. From the analysis, we found that a decentralized approach, prompt decision-making and timely execution, coordination between local health authorities, and public participation in the implementation of strategies could substantially reduce the case fatality rate. Nations with a high percentage of gross domestic product invested in the health sector, as well as more nurses, physicians, hospital beds, intensive care unit beds, and ventilators, better managed the pandemic. Instead, nations that postponed their pandemic response by delaying tracking, tracing, testing, quarantine, and lockdown were badly affected. The lessons learned from the present pandemic could be used as a guide to prepare for further pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a compilation of personal reflections from 66 contributors on the impact of, and responses to, COVID-19 in accounting education in 45 different countries around the world. It reveals a commonality of issues, and a variability in responses, many positive outcomes, including the creation of opportunities to realign learning and teaching strategies away from the comfort of traditional formats, but many more that are negative, primarily relating to the impact on faculty and student health and well-being, and the accompanying stress. It identifies issues that need to be addressed in the recovery and redesign stages of the management of this crisis, and it sets a new research agenda for studies in accounting education.

This article describes the views proposed by researchers over the years on the dating of the Great Shigir Idol (originally found in a Ural peat bog) and the interpretation of images carved on the body of the wooden sculpture. Special attention is paid to finds from the Volvoncha I settlement (the Eneolithic) located on the Konda River in Western Siberia: these discoveries allow a comparison with the anthropomorphic creatures on the idol, composed in the skeleton version of the X-ray style. Analogues of the Shigir images can be found among figurative images in cave carvings. An anthropomorphic image from the Far Hall of the Ignatievka cave allows us to not only identify the sex of the characters at the base of the idol, but also to propose a radical revision of the age of the Shigir sculpture. 14C calibrated dates obtained in Russia and Germany indicate that the larch from which the idol is carved is from the early Holocene, which demonstrates the validity of searching for parallels in other artefacts of late Paleolithic art. This is relevant to not only cave painting, but also to small art objects found in Western European monuments, which implement similar artistic techniques like the transfer of perspective. It is from this point of view that the carvings - chevrons above some of the likenesses on the idol – are studied in this paper. Each element of the chevron reflects a separate figurative image, following the principle "pars pro toto". In the Shigir sculpture, one can discern a new iconographic canon in the representation of anthropomorphic images, with wide variation in the X-ray style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In modern literary criticism, the concept and so-called genre 'migration literature' is commonly associated with the experience of exile, often for political reasons; by contrast, writers who have left their country for reasons other than political are labelled as 'migrant-writers', 'writers abroad', or 'diaspora writers'. The use of such a different terminology to categorise authors and their writings highlight the fact that there are some distinctive characteristics distinguishing them. While I do share this perspective to a certain degree, I also would like to draw attention to a major literary trend of the last two decades: the appearance of writers who expatriate voluntarily without being persecuting politically but yet are in a situation which I define as 'self-exile' or 'voluntary exile'. Despite their different languages and countries of origin and residence, an analysis of their texts demonstrates that these authors are united by two common features: 1) a reflection on the tragic past of their compatriots, who have experienced forced mass emigration, and an attempt to find echoes of this experience in everyday life; and 2) an awareness of their own position (that is, the situation of self-exile) as a productive process and creative basis for their writing work. The hypothesis I suggest in this paper is that the texts written by 'writers who are in self-exile' are characterised by certain writing strategies and themes typical of migrant writers yet they also have some unique features, which are related to the voluntary experience of leaving their home country. Home is to be understood broadly, not in terms of a certain geopolitical location, but as belonging to one single culture, community, and language. The aim of this article is to examine these very features. This article focuses on the novels by two famous contemporary authors: Aleksej Makušinskij (Russia/Germany) and Winfried Sebald (Germany/United Kingdom). In their works, the representation of the condition of self-exile has led the authors to develop a multilingual discourse and recreate the new transitory literary world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although concepts such as research without borders have become more commonplace in recent decades, few studies have investigated the capabilities that global researchers require to cross both cultural and disciplinary borders. This paper explores global capabilities along with strategies and spaces that may facilitate academic researchers' acquisition and development of global research competence. The study's dataset comprises responses of 26 participants across 15 countries -- all of whom are members of a specific comparative education society -- who contributed their views via e-questionnaire. Findings indicate that research capacity building is a dynamic process and global competence calls for complex skills and conscious attitudes. Commitment to expand scientific curiosity beyond one's own culture and academic discipline appears to be a main criterion in achieving global competence. Results of this study are not meant to be prescriptive but rather exploratory and informative for a broad group of academic stakeholders.

Victor von Richter (1841-1891) was one of the important chemists of the second half of the 19th century. The purpose of this paper is to familiarize readers with the important events in the life of Richter and his writing activities, in particular with his chemistry textbooks for higher education, well-known in different countries. In addition, his research activities is briefly described, and especially the chemical reactions named after him. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers the analysis of the national security strategies of Russia and Germany regarding the establishment of social values and humanism along with the foreign policy interests. The authors emphasize the interconnection of external and internal threats to national security due to the globalization processes. The common features of the two countries’ national security systems include ensuring the rights of a man and a citizen and the existence of a social and humanistic orientation. The strategies differences are conditioned by different social and economic development of the two countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 has had an impact on almost every aspect of life throughout the world. The quarantine, limited social life, and fear of contamination have triggered psychological symptoms in societies. The need for mental health services has increased, and online psychological counselling, which provides psychological help with no risk of infection, has become more popular. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of the COVID-19 on psychological counselling services and compare the general situation of publications on online psychological counselling before and during the pandemic. For this purpose, 463 publications related to online psychological counselling in the Web of Science (WoS) database were examined. The results were discussed in the context of trends and differences before and during COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration, displacement, and flight are major worldwide phenomena and typically pose challenges to mental health. Therefore, migrants' mental health, and the factors which may predict it, have become an important research subject. The present population-based cross-national comparison study explores symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatization, as well as quality-of-life in samples of ex-Soviet Jewish migrants settling in three new countries: Germany, Austria and Israel, as well as in a sample of non-migrant ex-Soviet Jews in their country of origin, Russia. In the current study, we investigate the relationship of perceived xenophobiа and antisemitism, acculturation attitudes, ethnic and national identity, as well as affiliation with Jewish religion and culture to the psychological well-being of these migrants. Furthermore, we consider xenophobic and antisemitic attitudes as well as the acculturation orientation of the new countries' societies, assessed in the native control samples. Our data suggest that attitudes of the new country's society matter for the mental health of this migrant group. We conclude that the level of distress among ex-Soviet Jewish migrants seems to depend, among other factors, on the characteristics of the new country and/or specific interactions of the migrant population with the society they are settling in. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the chronological sequence of species of the genus Meleagrinella Whitfield, 1885 (family Oxytomidae Ichikawa, 1958) established in the Toarcian deposits of Northeast Russia, eastern Siberia, and southern Germany, a biochronological zonation is proposed for the Lower Toarcian. Three oxyto-zones corresponding to zones of the Boreal Ammonite Scale are established: Meleagrinella golberti oxyto-zone = Tiltoniceras antiquum and Harpoceras falciferum zones; Meleagrinella substriata oxyto-zone = Dactylioceras commune Zone; Meleagrinella prima oxyto-zone = Zugodactylites braunianus and Pseudolioceras compactile zones. Using the proposed zonation, an interregional correlation of sections of the Lower Toarcian of Northern Russia (Astronomicheskaya, Saturn, Brodnaya, Start rivers), eastern Siberia (Anabar Bay, Markha, Tyung, Vilyui, Kelimyar, Motorchuna river, and boreholes in the Vilyui Syneclise) and southern Germany (the Ludwig Canal) is performed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study of the problems hindering improvement of the system of training through standardization of qualification requirements is relevant because, in a globalized system of teaching staff and high rates of migration, not only national but also international requirements for employees should be considered. This increases the competitiveness of university and college graduates in different countries. The purpose of this paper is to develop recommendations for the creation of a system of lifelong learning through the application of professional standards. Design/methodology/approach: The leading method in the study of this problem is the comparative analysis of the experiences of different countries to improve the training system based on the use of qualification frameworks. Findings: The paper offers science-based measures of integration and the international experience of lifelong learning, through the application of standards of World Skills International, as well as the requirements of professional standards. Originality/value: The authors formulate the conceptual directions for the application of professional standards in not only the continuous training and qualification of personnel, which allows identifying "gaps" in the competences, but also building individual educational trajectory. Article submissions are of practical value to the organization, personnel training as well as scientists engaged in the study of international best practice using standardization requirements for the qualification of personnel in education.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate and determine the effectiveness of university education on the economy of various countries. Design/methodology/approach: To determine the necessity and expedience of making provision for the effectiveness of university education on the market economy, this work uses the method of regression and correlation analysis. Evaluation of effectiveness of the system of university education is performed separately for students, state, and employers by taking as example countries with specially developed formulas. Findings: The authors substantiate the necessity for provision of effectiveness of university education on the market economy, view the effective system of university education as a basis for the development of a knowledge economy, determine approaches to evaluate the effectiveness of university education on the market economy, perform evaluation of effectiveness of the system of university education by the example of various countries, determine its connection with indicators of economic growth and development, and provide recommendations for provision of effectiveness of the system of university education on modern market economies. Practical implications: The practical value of results of the conducted research consists in the possibility to use the developed formulas for determining the level of effectiveness of the system of university education on various countries of the world. Originality/value: Theoretical value of this paper consists in the possibility for the application of authors' conclusions and recommendations in the process of development of the policy of management of effectiveness of university education system.

Taking advantage of the users' posts on Twitter, we investigate the impact of COVID-19 on tourism in the early months of the epidemic. For this purpose, more than two million tweets published in the first months of the outbreak are analyzed. A comprehensive lexicon of keywords in the field of tourism, as well as international airlines, is collected and used for extracting tourism-related tweets. Employing a new model based on the RoBERTa language, we extract the sentiments of tweets for different countries. The results show differences in users' positive or negative views in different countries. While in some countries, such as Germany, the public view is positive, the public view is negative in other countries, such as Russia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the examination of the researches about the use of technology by fine arts teachers. The study was conducted according to the content and citation analysis model. In this context, Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection indexes were included. In the document scanning in the WOS environment, the keywords 'Fine arts', 'Teachers' and 'Technology' were searched. In total, 169 documents were examined and analysed one by one. They were analysed according to year, document type, WOS content category, country, source title, organisation and citation, authors, publication language and categories. As a result of this research, the first study was conducted in 2004, while the most studies were conducted in 2016. It was concluded that the published studies had the most Proceedings papers as the document type. The area where the studies of fine arts teachers on the use of technology are mostly carried out is Education Educational Research, according to the Web of Science content category. The most researched title in the distribution according to the Source Title field is 'International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conferences on Social Sciences and Arts.' The university with the most studies is Kazan Federal University. The 19 authors who conducted the studies have a large number of studies in this field. It was concluded that other authors had only one study in the field. Again, when we look at the distribution of the countries and documents according to the language of writing, the country with the most studies is China and the language of the documents is English. The area continues to evolve.

Context: International comparative research on Vocational Education and Training (VET) is gaining importance, as global cooperation and mutual learning in VET grows. However, it is characterized by a high degree of complexity, due on one hand, to the heterogeneity of the VET sector, and on the other hand to the unique challenges of international comparisons. In addition, comparative research projects are increasingly conducted in the form of cross-border collaborations, which have their own particular organizational and methodological considerations, opportunities, and challenges. This paper presents an example of a cooperative research process, aimed at investigating the complex phenomenon of the competence-based approach in Russian and Chinese VET. In providing an example of developing an instrument for curriculum analysis and comparison, we discuss and reflect on the methodological and organizational peculiarities and challenges of the research process conducted collaboratively by an international team. Method: The instrument for analysis and comparison of curricular documents, was developed in an iterative multi-stage process, combining deductive and inductive steps. The embeddedness of the elements of a competence-based approach in curricular documents is investigated, using qualitative content analysis. To develop a coding frame, we started with a comprehensive partially systematic literature review of international, Russian and Chinese discourses on competence-based curricula. The frame was built on the selected model of competence-based education, and on accumulated results of the literature analysis of national discourses. Furthermore, during the first coding process, an iterative adaptation of the developed instrument took place. Results: The result of this process was the development of an analysis instrument which, on the one hand, is well-adapted to each national context and, on the other hand, allows a comparison of results along the same dimensions of analysis, in our case, elements of the competence-based approach in curriculum. Conclusion: Developing an analysis framework for a cross-cultural comparative investigation of such a diffuse and heterogeneous construct as the competence-based approach, can pose a methodological challenge for an international team of researchers. However, an effective application of own team resources such as proficiency in different languages, insider and outsider perspectives, along with continuous intensive communication and a flexible, iterative research process, allows development of a well-adapted analysis instrument for international comparison.

Preschool education is an education process that prepares children for primary education, provides the training and upbringing conditions in the home and also aims to remove the inequalities in terms of language and society in the early period. The audit is to evaluate learning and all the factors that affect learning and also prepare the environment and conditions for effective learning. The purpose of this research was to develop a comprehensive point of view for preschool education audit in the world and our country. Document analysis that is one of the qualitative research methods were utilized in this paper as the method. The documents related to the systems in France, Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Switzerland, Russia, China, Israel, America, Saudi Arabia, Japan, India Jordan, Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland, Kosovo and Turkey were researched out within the scope of this study.

Academic libraries, apart from their main function, which is to provide information services to academic communities, may also perform a number of social roles in the broad meaning of the term. Accordingly, they now tend to serve as the third place offering inclusion and animation activities to academic as well as local communities (including potential students) and to groups in risk of social exclusion (immigrants, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, etc.) or in need of various kinds of care and support. However, for libraries to be able to fulfil those tasks, they need properly trained staff who not only have the required competencies but also the right social attitudes. The paper presents an analysis of the social attitudes of academic librarians from twenty countries across the world as compared to the personnel of other types of libraries. The level of individual social capital, activity in social networks, aspirations in life and social and civic engagement were investigated. It was noted that the respondents tend to undervalue the importance of the work done by libraries for local communities. At the same time, the research showed that academic librarians have a somewhat lower level of individual social capital and trust than public librarians and less extensive social networks. Nonetheless, they are open to relationships with others, which enables them to engage in various social projects.

Deutschlands gescheiterte Russland-Politik der letzten beiden Jahrzehnte mit ihren kollektiven Fehlannahmen und Fehleinschätzungen ist eng verbunden mit seiner Energiepolitik seit 2002, insbesondere mit der Gasimportabhängigkeit von Russland. Der Faktor Versorgungssicherheit und die damit verbundenen geopolitischen Risiken wurden von den Bundesregierungen, aber auch den einschlägigen Ökonomen und Wirtschaftsjournalisten sowie der Wirtschaft weitgehend ausgeblendet oder marginalisiert. Die steigende Gasimportabhängigkeit war auch Folge des deutschen Doppelausstiegs aus der Kernenergie und der Kohle. Sowohl Deutschlands Russlandpolitik wie seine energiepolitischen Alleingänge haben in Brüssel und bei den Nachbarstaaten Deutschlands und in den USA erhebliches Misstrauen verursacht. In der Perzeption vieler Europäer hat Deutschland als größte und mächtigste Wirtschaftsmacht in Europa das Kernprinzip der politischen Solidarität wiederholt nicht beachtet und nicht vorgelebt. Aus diesen Fehlern muss Deutschland nun die richtigen Schlussfolgerungen für seine „Zeitenwende" ziehen, um weitere kostspielige Fehlentscheidungen und außenpolitische Kollateralschäden bei seiner künftigen Energiewende zu vermeiden. Germany's failed policy towards Russia during the past two decades was based on collective errors and wrong assessments. It was closely linked with an energy policy that was misguided too and which has led to a disastrous German dependency from Russian in the field of gas supplies. Security of supply risks were more or less ignored by the German government, even after it became evident that Russia was determined to use dependencies as a means for geopolitical influence. The growing dependence of Germany from Russian gas supplies was also a consequence of the German double-exit from coal and nuclear energy. Germany's foreign policy vis a vis Russia and its unilateralism in energy policy have contributed with its European partners to a considerable mistrust into the political intentions of Berlin. In the view of other Europeans, Germany as the most powerful European economy has flatly disregarded one of the core principles of European integration: solidarity. The new German government has – in order to implement its Zeitenwende – to learn from the failures of the past and to re-adjust not only its Russia-policy, but also its energy policy (Energiewende). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the spending of Italy in research and development (R&D), the innovation and technology policies in Germany, and the innovation at the companies in Russia.

Background and purpose: Social engagement is an important active aging strategy to promote older adults' mental health. The purposes of this study were to compare social engagement in older populations around the world and explore associations with mental health outcomes. Materials and methods: An international cross‐sectional survey was conducted from 2017 to 2019. Data were retrieved from The International Social Survey Programme for a secondary data analysis across 30 countries. This study applied the Taxonomy of Social Activities and its six levels as operational definitions for a consistent concept of social engagement for international comparisons. Results: In total, 9403 older adults with a mean age of 72.85 ± 6.40 years responded. The highest levels of older adults' social engagement were found in Switzerland, Thailand, and New Zealand. Older adults of a higher age, with a lower educational level, who were permanently sick or disabled, who had no partner, who were widowed or whose civil partner had died, who lived alone, and who had lower self‐placement in society had significantly lower social engagement than did their counterparts. In the regression model, older adults' social engagement positively predicted general health, self‐accomplishment, and life satisfaction, but negatively predicted loneliness and depression. Conclusions: In aging societies worldwide, encouraging older adults' social engagement would be beneficial to promote mental health. Implications for nursing practice and health policies: Community professional nurses can develop strategies of social engagement based on the needs and sociodemographic factors of older adults to improve their mental health. Developing efficient strategies and local policies by learning from successful experiences in other countries is important to promote social engagement in aging societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The war in Ukraine has sensitized German policy makers towards the negative economic impact of a curtailment of natural gas flows from Russia. Given its large import dependency, Germany has implemented regulatory measures for mitigating a possible gas shortage and is seeking to diversify from pipeline imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG). In this context, we provide a comprehensive review of the natural gas crisis in Europe and place it in the context of the peculiar role of natural gas in Germany. We critically discuss the economic impact of an embargo, and assess demand and supply factors capable of mitigating a supply shortage. We derive a short-term import substitution potential of 13 bcm, assuming timely installation of Floating Storage and Regasification Units (FSRUs). We discuss the potential for demand reductions in the power sector, in industry consumption, and in households, and estimate a combined maximum of 24.1 bcm. Under decreased industrial demand, the most optimistic scenario indicates an import gap of about 9 bcm for a one-year perspective. Given our findings, we advocate for the delayed phasing out of coal and nuclear power, the accelerated deployment of renewable energy, and caution in the initial execution of storage quotas and restrictions to industrial consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An overview of the parasites, bacteria and viruses of Glis glis (Rodentia, Gliridae) inhabiting the Western Palearctic is given. A total of 85 articles published from 1895 to 2021 were reviewed and analysed in our study. According to the literature's data, 104 species associated with G. glis are recorded: 4 viruses, 8 Protozoa, 6 Cestoda, 6 Trematoda, 4 Nematoda, 1 Heteroptera, 2 Anoplura, 39 Siphonaptera and 34 Acari. The most studied group is ectoparasites. To a lesser extent, parasitic worms in G. glis were studied. There is very little data about the dormouse protozoans and viruses. The most studied parasites, viruses and protozoans of G. glis are in Germany, where 21 species were noted. The largest number of parasites was found in the dormouse in Russia (22), but of two groups only: helminths and ectoparasites. Only 20 out of 104 parasite species recorded in G. glis are host-specific. Most parasites (60 species) found in G. glis have a Palaearctic and cosmopolitan distribution. Three viruses, six species of protozoa and three helminths have veterinary and medical significance as potential pathogens of dangerous zoonoses. Also, many species of fleas, mites and ticks found on G. glis are vectors of a number of dangerous vector-borne diseases in humans and domestic and wild animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The criminal act of theft is one of the criminal offenses which were known by oldest criminal legislation. In the text of this paper we will pay attention and to conceptual definition, elements and main characteristics of the criminal offense of theft, as well as carry out a comparative analysis of the legal and criminal offense of theft in the laws of Germany, Russia, Switzerland, Croatian, Macedonia, Slovenia and Montenegro with special reference to the same act in criminal Code of the Republic of Serbia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]