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Scientific research performance measurement and its analysis creates the context where universities are forced to develop strategies to increase the values obtained from indicators such as number of scientific articles, the number of citations of these articles, h-index, g-index, etc. The purpose of this article is to analyze the performance differences arising in the socio-economic science between major universities in South-Eastern Europe, many of them EU Members. In addition, to see where they stand compared to Western Europe, will include a brief review of the results of a major university as London School of Economics and Political Science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cladocerans and copepods are globally important freshwater zooplankton groups, differing in reproductive modes and dispersal abilities. We compared genetic variation of two common taxa of these crustaceans, the Daphnia longispina species complex (known to harbour multiple cryptic lineages) and Eucyclops serrulatus (morphologically and ecologically variable morphospecies), in lakes of ten Eastern European mountain ranges. We expected to discover cryptic lineages in both groups, and to observe different geographical patterns of diversity because of differences in life cycles. Within E. serrulatus, limited sampling through lowland habitats indeed showed the presence of eight highly divergent clades, probably cryptic species, but most of these were not found in the studied mountain lakes. Such a pattern was congruent with the diversity of the D. longispina complex. Regional coexistence of multiple clades within respective species complexes (two in Eucyclops and three in Daphnia) was observed only in the Tatra Mountains (on the Polish−Slovak border). In all other studied mountain ranges (in the Balkans), only single lineages of Daphnia and Eucyclops, respectively, were present, showing similar intraspecific patterns and no evidence for stronger dispersal limitation in Eucyclops than in Daphnia. Our results indicate that substantial cryptic variation may be expected in seemingly widespread copepod taxa. However, detection of cryptic lineages is not a general pattern in mountain lakes, although these habitats harbour substantial genetic diversity in crustacean zooplankton. © 2012 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2012, 166, 754-767. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we investigate the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) concept by utilizing a database of monthly real exchange rates from 12 Central and Eastern European economies with respect to different numeraire currencies. Owing to the elaborated limitations of linear specifications by verifying this exchange rate theory, we apply a nonlinear unit root test based on the Exponential Smooth Transition Autoregressive (ESTAR) model proposed by Kapetanios et al. (KSS; 2003). Our analysis shows that after taking into account the nonlinear reversion of real exchange rates of European transition economies with respect to the euro, the validity of PPP is confirmed for the majority of countries in the sample. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The question of the validity of the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) hypothesis in European transition countries remains relevant and empirically unsettled. This article aims to contribute to this debate by using an updated monthly database on real exchange rates for 12 Central and Eastern European economies. We implemented a range of panel unit root tests characterized by the rejection of the cross-sectional independence hypothesis and taking the US Dollar (USD) and the euro as numeraire currencies separately into account in the testing procedures. The results reported in this study provide additional evidence supporting the PPP proposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses cooperation among exiled political leaders from Eastern European countries such as Albania, Bulgaria, and Czechoslovakia in the United States from 1949 to 1954, focusing on the origins of the Assembly of Captive European Nations Inc. (ACEN) political organization. The author highlights American support of exiled political leaders following World War II in terms of anticommunist attitudes in the U.S. during the Cold War, and special attention is paid to the establishment of the U.S. National Committee for Free Europe (NCFE). Other topics include the role of federalism in exile cooperation, the Central Eastern European Committee, and the United National Committees and Councils in Exile (UNCCE).

The medieval historiography on the origins of the various nations of Europe remained in agreement with the expectations of society, playing an essential role in the formation of identity-related discourses, even if their working paradigms pertained to the literary field and despite the fact that most of the theories propounded at the time were later invalidated by modern historiography. Seen as part of the cultural heritage of Antiquity and enhanced by the Christian coordinates of medieval culture, the issue of the origins of the medieval nations emerged at the point of contact between historical investigations, identity-related discourse, and medieval patriotic propaganda. The investigation of the discourse pertaining to the origin of nations could help us better understand the Middle Ages and eliminate the fallacies associated with that period, allowing us to perceive it as a time of ethnic, linguistic, and axiological syntheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on research conducted with men arriving from eastern Europe in London after the expansion of the EU in 2004, this article examines how migrants’ narratives of the city construct a counter-discourse to a ‘global’ London. It is argued that the use of ‘visual narratives’– a combination of participant-directed photography and semi-structured interviews as a methodology—allows for the exploration of embodied and material aspects of everyday lives in the city, which destabilise traditional urban pictorial approaches to the city. Such narratives of participants’ embodied movements through London relocate the observer as the everyday mobile-subject; they highlight the connections between urban and transnational mobilities; and they present participants’ constructions of different kinds of affective spaces in the city where they begin to negotiate home, belonging and return. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The European Union has achieved a substantial contribution to building a new order in Europe after the fall of the Berlin wall. Its main instrument was the accession of new member states. By associating and finally the accession of the ten central eastern European countries, the EU extended the values and standards on which it is founded. Moreover, it benefited politically and economically from this export of stability. However, the conditions in the Eastern Neighbourhood for further enlargement as a foreign and security policy are difficult. Considering this, the article recommends a further development of the European Neighbourhood Policy and a prioritisation of deepening European integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationship between voluntary participation in environmental organisations and the justifiability of littering behaviour. Previous empirical work regarding determinants oflittering and littering behaviour remains scarce, particularly in socio-economic analysis. We address these deficiencies, demonstrating a strong empirical link between environmental participation and reduced public littering in the European Values Survey (EVS) data for 30 Western and Eastern European countries. The results suggest that membership in environmental organisations is related to a stronger commitment to anti-littering behaviour, thereby supporting improved environmental quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers an analysis of precisely how civil society and its relation to democracy were conceptualised by its East European and South American proponents in their pre-democratic contexts, through an examination of declarations, newspaper articles, samizdat essays, diaries, letters from prison, academic articles and prize acceptance speeches written at the time. The analysis of these source materials is organised under three main themes: the first concerns activists' understanding of the nature of the regime, its aims and its relation to society; the second relates to the features of the emergent civil society the writers of these documents desired, observed, and helped to create; and the final section discusses their strategies and aspirations in relation to ‘democratisation’. On the basis of an analysis of commonalities in ideas across these two very different regional and ideological contexts, hypotheses are formulated as building blocks for a political theory of civil society under authoritarian rule, which may apply in yet other, contemporary contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents the personal experiences of refugees from Bosnia-Herzegovina related to their employment in Sweden. It is based on 35 interviews conducted in 2009 with asylum claimants and resettled refugees who came to Sweden in the early 1990s, aiming at their own perceptions and subjective assessments of their employment paths. The variety of experiences within each of these two groups suggests that individual employment paths can neither be fully explained by the admission category, nor in terms of the type of education, age, or gender. Although they admit the importance of these factors, the interviewees perceive chance as a decisive issue with regard to their initial access to the labour market, and its strong impact on their further success. They see official channels of professional recognition as far less functional than informal paths leading into the labour market that depend on personal encounters and connections. Against the background of laws and policies, personally experienced employment integration is revealed as a chance-ridden individual process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the main characteristics of the (re-)emerging foreign aid policies of the Visegrád countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia), concentrating on the allocation of their aid resources. I adopt an econometric approach, similar to the ones used in the literature, for analysing the aid allocation of the OECD DAC donors. Using this approach, I examine the various factors that influence aid allocation of the Visegrád countries, using data for the years between 2001 and 2008. The most important conclusion is that the amount of aid a partner country gets from the four emerging donors is not influenced by the level of poverty or the previous performance of the recipients (measured by the level of economic growth or the quality of institutions). The main determining factor seems to be geographic proximity, as countries in the Western Balkans and the Post-Soviet region receive much more aid from the Visegrád countries than other recipients. Historical ties (pre-1989 development relations) and international obligations in the cases of Afghanistan and Iraq are also found to be significant explanatory factors. This allocation is in line with the foreign political and economic interests of these new donors. Although there are clear similarities between the four donors, this paper also identifies some individual country characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study examines the experiences of 50 immigrant mothers and fathers from Eastern European countries raising children in the United States. Qualitative analysis of in-depth personal interviews resulted in three themes related to: (1) issues of discipline and decline of parental authority; (2) opportunities to build a child's self-esteem and confidence; and (3) a need to balance and integrate two cultures. This study illustrates the process of negotiation between two cultures that immigrant parents engage in and provides support for integration as an acculturation strategy. Narratives .of immigrant parents demonstrate that they are changing their childrearing practices to give their children more choices and allow children more power in the family, while, at the same time, trying to maintain their authority and discipline. As a result of exposure to the host culture, these immigrant parents also report placing greater value on developing their children's self-esteem, and assertiveness as important qualities for successful adaptation to the new context. While selectively adopting new childrearing values and strategies, these parents report retaining some attitudes and practices from their original cultures in order to keep their children grounded in reality. Participants' quotes provide rich descriptions of their experience of parenting in immigration and contribute to our understanding. of the cultural factors guiding their childrearing decisions. This study may be useful to researchers and practitioners working with immigrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper discusses findings from a qualitative longitudinal study which explored the process of leaving long-stay institutional state care in Romania during 2002–4, a period at the heart of accelerated EU-enforced childcare reform. 28 young people were interviewed before leaving care and 17 were tracked up to 8months after discharge. 18 practitioners were also interviewed. The findings confirmed Pinkerton''s (2006) emphasis on the impact of global and national factors on the individual experience of leaving care. This study took place in a country undergoing widespread change. The care leavers'' irreversible transition took place within the simultaneous professional transition of their carers and that of the community with which they needed to integrate. This insight is widely relevant in the current context of public funding cuts and changes in welfare policy in many countries, including the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. Bridges (2009) was used to understand the experiences of care leavers and their carers. Bridges stresses the role of the leader in creating protective conditions for traversing three unavoidable transition stages: 1. ending old identity/behaviour; 2. a neutral zone of deconstruction and transformation; and 3. a new beginning. Preparation for leaving care can be viewed as learning to end care, followed by the neutral zone which begins at discharge. When lacking family support, formal carers are the young people''s main transition guides. However, their professional transition also needs management. Because of top-down, accelerated childcare reforms, the Romanian carers'' transitions appeared stuck in the neutral zone, affecting preparation for leaving care. Yet, the availability of learning opportunities after discharge changed the nature of the neutral zone for most of the sample who did better than expected at follow-up. This, supported by Bridges'' proposal that learning during transition influences future coping, offers a foundation for new theory. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Using employment register data, this study compares the outcomes of male foreign workers from different East and West European countries who entered the German labor market between 1995 and 2000 with those of male German workers. Although the wage differentials are highest for Poles, results from Oaxaca/Blinder type decompositions show that the East Europeans are not generally worse off. Actually, we find considerable heterogeneity also within nationality groups. Quantile decompositions show that coefficients effects tend to be larger at the bottom of the wage distribution and, by that, give evidence for sticky floors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The transformation of the seven central and eastern European countries' political system has undergone constant changes for more than twenty years, and has been influenced by various kinds of political thought. In these twenty years, political thought has gone through four great stages . Each stage has a profound impact on the political situation of these countries. In the first stage, the wave of anti-communist and liberalist thought is on the upsurge, the right parties are in power. There has serious confrontation between various political parties. In the second stage, the wave of anti-communist subsides and the thought of democratic socialism returns; the left parties are in power again and the pattern of political parties is formed. In the third stage, the thought of developing national economy becomes the most important, and multiparty competition is formed, taking turns to rule the country. In the fourth stage, populism rises and left-middle parties and right-middle parties begin to cooperate; the substitute of regime becomes more stable. The transformation of the seven central and eastern European countries' political system hasn't come to the end yet, and the process of political system transformation will be influenced deeply by the political thought in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an examination into the social dynamics of Eastern European migrants in London, England with regard to housing accommodation. The author draws on interviews with Lithuanian and Lithuanian migrants to showcase their active strategies of searching and utilizing the English housing market to find the most beneficial arrangement despite their limited means. Attention is then given to the social philosophical aspects of crafting a home within the circumstances of temporary accommodation.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate foreign language teachers' experiences, understanding, attitudes and expertise in regard to the assessment of foreign languages at the primary level in three Eastern European countries (the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Croatia). The central part of the paper focuses on the current assessment research practices in young learner language education and shows different attempts to introduce assessment in primary school situations, and provides some perspective to the classroom-based assessment. It also introduces the recent practice of foreign language assessment in primary situations in three Eastern European countries. The research shows that the majority of teachers had received no additional teacher training in assessing pupils' foreign language development and they express a great desire for additional teacher training in assessing young learners. In all three countries the traditional belief prevails that teachers are the most responsible for assessment. The majority of teachers in all three countries approve of assessing young learners, and they prefer descriptive rather than numerical assessment methods. However, there are significant differences in practice among the three countries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article presents evidence on the development and patterns of self-employment in four Central-Eastern European (CEE) countries, with a special focus on the Czech Republic and in comparison with Austria and Germany. After a brief historical overview, it provides new comparative evidence on persons and households engaged in self-employment. First, the author points out the specific features of the development of these categories in communist and market regimes. Next, he shows in more detail the changes in the number and position of self-employed in the Czech Republic after 1990. Third, he draws on the EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) to compare self-employed persons in CEE countries, Austria and Germany. Fourth, the same data source is used to describe couples and households of self-employed people and their incomes in comparison with employee households. While the shares of self-employed in the countries compared are becoming increasingly similar, there are still significant differences in the living conditions of the self-employed between and within them. Relative to employees, a certain polarisation in the situation of self-employed households is apparent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The institution of the credit bureau is one of the most important elements in controlling the indebtedness levels of a population. All credit bureaus have specific functional characteristics which are able to influence the development of indebtedness. This research aims to identify the most important characteristics of a credit bureau, to quantify those characteristics and to identify causal relationships between the characteristics of the credit bureau and trends in indebtedness per capita levels. The paper introduces the Credit Bureau Functional Index which presents a quantified value of the functional characteristics of the Credit Bureau. The paper establishes a correlation between this index and indebtedness per capita and finds the formula governing this relationship to be linear. The paper concludes that indebtedness levels can be targeted through a mix of characteristics of a credit bureau. Research on this theme is absent in academic literature to date. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A literary criticism of Bernard Shaw's play "Arms & the Man" is presented, noting the Bulgarian aspects of the play, which is set in the Balkans. It addresses Shaw's negative portrayals of Bulgarians in comparison to his portrayals of Western Europeans. Topics include Shaw's portrayal of Bulgarians' hygiene habits, his representation of Bulgarian military action in the 1885 Serbo-Bulgarian War, and his alleged ignorance of Bulgarian history, culture, and literature.

The article assesses the current state of corruption literature and conducts relevant empirical tests. It explores the validity of the corruption indicators regarded as having high explanatory power and juxtaposes them with empirical facts from several Eastern European countries. The article points out the existing problems with corruption indicators and the oversimplification of the term corruption as well as calls for a more comprehensive approach to studying corruption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past several decades, the "politics of history" has become a significant aspect of domestic politics and international relations within Europe and around the world. The politicizing and instrumentalizing of history usually pursues two main objectives: first is the construction of a maximally cohesive national identity and rallying the society around the powers that be; second is eschewing the problem of guilt. The two are clearly interlinked; having liberated oneself of the sense of historical, political, moral or whatever responsibility, it is arguably much easier to take pride in one's newly minted "unblemished" identity based on the celebratory interpretation of one's country's "glorious past." This article intends to explore how the memories of some momentous developments in the tumultuous 20th century (above all, the experience of totalitarian dictatorships, World War II, the "division" and "reunification" of Europe, the collapse of the Soviet Union) and their historical interpretations relate to concepts of national identity in the post-Soviet lands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines East European migrants' relationships with other communities in the context of waged work through in-depth interviews with recent Polish and Lithuanian migrants to London. These migrants found themselves newly surrounded by greater racial and ethnic diversity. By distinguishing themselves from other workers on the basis of skin color and legal status, they present themselves as members of the host country's 'white' majority, which places them in a position of power in relation to other migrant groups in London. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contributes to the ongoing discussion on the normative efficiency of strategic control and the operational oversight of business in public limited companies from the Eastern European point of view, especially since some Polish regulation could be seen as an example of best practice for international shareholders. The article will attempt to answer the question: Using the appropriate legal tools and instruments available under Polish company law, is a balance of power possible within a corporation's bodies? It will consider various aspects of company law such as: the composition, powers and functioning of management boards as well as; the specific position and related duties of supervisors, their conflicts of interest, the role of external auditors, liability, the expected behavior of shareholders and the use of business judgment rules. There are certain factors and underlying forces which determine a divergence of the Polish regulation from that of the celebrated theories in Western Europe. The evidence of empirical observation regarding the type of ownership structure leads to an exceptional legal diversification of the monitoring and enforcement of corporate governance and subsequently allows us to see the advantages and disadvantages of such a system. More than three years after the begin of the economic crisis, it is necessary to review recent evidence and the possible impacts of the forthcoming EC measures on ''crisis management''. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Monetary Studies (Bank of Lithuania) is the property of Bank of Lithuania and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Analytical methods generally use a wide range of statistical mathematical functions, such as the linear function, the hyperbolic function, the higher-order parabolic function and the exponential function to better approximate economic trends. The testing of a wide range of functions is mandatory, in order to choose the ones that offer the possibility of predicting trends more accurately. In the current report, we introduce several functions and compare them on datasets concerning foreign trade of Romania over the 1996 to 2000 period. We conclude that some of the complexities of transitioning from a communist to a capitalist economy, as reflected in the foreign trade, are best captured by complex and logistic functions defined below. Furthermore, we describe a seasonal variation in the volume of trade, which may be characteristic for all transition economies in East-European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The share of Old and New Commonwealth migrants in Britain greatly diminished between 1971 and 2002. The decline of former colonial Commonwealth migrants occurred alongside the rise of Central, Eastern European and Middle Eastern migrants. This paper focuses on the chances of social mobility of the previously little-studied new migrant groups and outlines the differences in employment patterns between them and UK-born Whites and old migrants. It establishes that huge differentials exist between new immigrant groups in their labour-market participation, employment rates and occupational attainment. The disadvantage of EU10, Eastern European, Turkish and Middle Eastern migrants in terms of their probabilities of being active, employed and accessing intermediate positions cannot be explained by a lack of human capital, and their situation is not likely to improve with time. For migrant women, inactivity rather than unemployment seems the greatest concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Education Policy Analysis Archives / Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas / Arquivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas is the property of Educational Policy Analysis Archives & Education Review and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An essay is presented on the translation of Christian texts into Jewish languages. Particular focus is given to Yiddish translations of the Second Testament that were written by Eastern European Jews who converted to Christianity starting in the early seventeenth century. An exploration of the Yiddish language as an opposition to all things Christian is provided.

The article offers the authors' insights on the March 2011 issue of the publication "Common Ground Journal" and non-formal education. It states that a contributor to the issue originated in Central or Eastern Europe, offering an indigenous style and voice of communication from this region. It discusses observations on the benefits of non-formal education, including integration of experience and content, accessibility, and student motivation, and challenges including financial sustainability.

This article explores the experiences of young, well-educated Eastern Europeans who have moved to Western Europe in search of opportunities for professional development, opportunities that, for the most part, are not available in their home countries. The focus of this paper is on the resulting outcome of downskilling, where these individuals work in positions well below their levels of education and capability. Based on 22 in-depth interviews with workers living in Ireland, England, the Netherlands, Poland and the Czech Republic, the study offers two major findings. First, although self-directed expatriates move to host countries specifically for professional development opportunities, they do little to research on their career and employment options prior to moving to the host country. Second, organizations are not fully utilizing the available human capital offered by Eastern Europeans, suggesting untapped opportunities to achieve competitive advantage through human capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Children with special needs have been a focus of institutional reforms in Serbia for nearly two decades. Historically, as in other Eastern European countries, children with severe developmental, emotional, and/or behavior disorders in Serbia were often placed in institutions far from their families for much of their lives. Since the fall of communism, extensive government reforms in Serbia, guided by Western development agencies, have focused on deinstitutionalizing youth, but only with modest results. Underdeveloped special education programs within the Serbian public school system, have also contributed to children with special needs being at increased risk for leaving school and having legal problems. However, newly passed legislation is empowering Serbian schools and communities to serve as safety nets for vulnerable youth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Hersch Lauterpacht would have welcomed the development of international investment law and the surge in investor-State arbitrations. However, he may have been surprised at the extent of the erosion of the perception of the State as a sovereign on the international plane, which has been occurring in recent years. This article examines some international investment arbitrations in which Central and Eastern European States have been involved. It points out the factors that make these States particularly vulnerable as respondents and contains an overview of the different approaches taken by investment tribunals in these cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay focuses on the struggle among conflicting language ideologies that occurs in immigrant communities. Specifically, it analyzes verbal art performed in Spanish and Yiddish among second-generation Argentine Jews, the offspring of Eastern European Jews who emigrated to Argentina in the 1920s and 1930s. Despite the prevalence of Spanish in daily communication and the use of Hebrew as an emblematic language, Yiddish is still used in certain poetic speech forms. This analysis addresses the effects of contradictory language ideologies—hegemonic and otherwise—on the performance of verbal art and on performers' reflections about their speech forms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Danube and the Douro rivers are geographic objects of international importance as a result of their direct influence on the territories surrounding them. The present article attempts to make a geographic parallel on the importance of both rivers in their respective geographic locations - Southwest Europe and Southeast Europe. It explores the influence of Douro River on Northern Portugal and the Atlantic, as well as the history of the Eastern-European people who resided alongside the Danube River. Moreover, it also examines the future of the lands they occupy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Contributions / Prilozi is the property of Institute for History, University of Sarajevo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The process generally referred to as 'the transition' implied a complex set of social changes in Central and Eastern European countries (CEE). On the one hand, there were institutional reforms which were launched to abolish the socialist economic and political systems. On the other hand, the provision of welfare was also affected by 'transition'. The change could be observed at the institutional level (i.e., through the welfare state) as well as at the social and individual level - in the ways individuals associated, how they perceived new risks and with whom they engaged to confront them. In this article we focus on social support provision from informal sources, i.e., ego-centered social support networks, which are an important foundation for the quality of everyday life. We would like to find out whether changes in the socio-economic system are reflected in and accompanied by changes in social support providers. How have people responded to transition? Did the patterns of support and social support providers change in this period? Consequently, the research question addressed in this article is the following: do the current types of social networks differ from those in the 1980s? We try to answer it by analyzing and comparing the data on social support networks in 1987 and 2002. The data are interpreted in the context of the transition that was happening in Slovenia at the time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents estimations of the shadow economies for 162 countries, including developing, Eastern European, Central Asian, and high income OECD countries over 1999 to 2006/2007. According to our estimations, the weighted average size of the shadow economy (as a percentage of 'official' GDP) in Sub-Saharan Africa is 37.6%, in Europe and Central Asia (mostly transition countries) 36.4% and in high income OECD countries 13.4%. We find that an increased burden of taxation (direct and indirect ones), combined with (labour market) regulations and the quality of public goods and services as well as the state of the 'official' economy are the driving forces of the shadow economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background in ethnomusicology and linguistics. Church bells have played and still play an important role in Eastern European communities (cf. Sachs, 1930, p. 54; Vilys, 2000; Agapkina, 1999). In Lithuania, sets of three to five bells are used; the techniques of ringing and the sizes of the bells are different for different announcements. These formulaic techniques are reflected in the vocal imitations of bells (a layer of folklore). So far these imitations of bells have not been studied at all. From the point of view of quantitative linguistics, these imitations could be analyzed in terms of frequencies of certain sounds and their combinations. Quite a few studies have dealt with the frequencies in standard Lithuanian (see below). Background in acoustics. The basics of bell acoustics are well known (cf. Fletcher & Rossing, 1998, p. 675-707). For the present study, knowledge of the dominant bands in the bell spectrum and the decay times for different partials (long for low partials and short for high partials; cf. Perrin et al. 1983) seem to be the most applicable. Relevant features of voice acoustics are also well studied; namely, the dependence of vowel phonetics on two first formants as well as the features of nasals and plosives (cf. Kent & Read, 2002). Phonetic analogies of instrumental timbres have been discussed (e.g., for guitar timbre: Traube & Depalle, 2004). Aims. We aim to reveal the regularities in phonetics of bell imitations (Lithuanian traditional bell imitations and nonsense syllables) and their origins in bell acoustics. Main contribution. Frequencies of occurrences of certain speech sounds and their combinations in standard Lithuanian, traditional Lithuanian vocal imitations of bells, and in the nonsense syllables evoked by bell strokes (imitation experiment) were analyzed. The statistical analysis of bell imitations reveals some correspondence between bell size and the phonetic quality of vowels. The largest bell frequently evokes a perception of back vowels, while the smallest one results predominantly in front vowels. Some syllables are especially frequent in the imitations (based on different vowel diphthongs or starting from voiced plosives and ending with nasals, such as [din], [dan]). On the other hand, the acoustical analysis of the bell spectra also reveals similar correspondences between bell size and the acoustic-phonetic quality of vowels (in terms of formants). The perception of consonants (first of all, the initial [d] and the final nasals), can be attributed to the overall dynamics and the dynamic changes in the spectra (prominence of low partials at the end of sound due to their slow decay, etc.). Generally, the traditional imitations and the statistics of their phonetics present an intermediate case between standard Lithuanian and the imitations of bells using nonsense syllables. Implications. Phonetics of vocal imitations of bells can be explained by features of bell acoustics collated to acoustical phonetics. The present study could be further extended to other cases of onomatopoeia, also to a cross-cultural domain. It provides new data for research regarding analogies between instrumental timbres and phonetics. A comprehensive account of the phenomena of folk onomatopoeia requires expertise in both the humanities (ethnomusicology, music analysis, etc.) and the sciences (acoustics, statistics). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The laboratory diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections in many Eastern European countries remains suboptimal. The main objective of the present evidence-based guidelines is to provide comprehensive information regarding the laboratory diagnosis of infections caused by Trichomonas vaginalis in East European countries. In particular, the present guidelines recommend: (i) to encourage examination of the wet mounts of vaginal exudates, instead of stained smears, at all clinical settings; (ii) nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) or culture could be employed if no trichomonads are detected on microscopic examination of the wet preparation and there is a strong indication of infection and (iii) the use of NAATs is encouraged in screening, using non-invasive specimens, or high volume testing situations. In the absence of internationally recognized commercial NAAT systems, tests developed in-house should be validated using obtainable international standards and quality assured strictly. Individual East European countries may be required to make minor national adjustments to these guidelines as a result of lack of accessibility to some reagents or equipment, or laws in a specific country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parental perceived discrimination was investigated as a risk factor in a U.S. sample of 1,579 internationally adopted children ages 5 to 18 years. Drawing on stress proliferation theory, we hypothesized a positive association between parental perceived discrimination and child problem behaviors, controlling for preadoption adversity. We also expected differences by world region and age of the child. Adoptive parents with Asian and Latin American children reported more discrimination than parents with Eastern European children. Perceived discrimination was uniquely associated with greater problem behaviors for adopted children from Asia and Latin America, with the strongest association among Latin American adolescents. The study findings highlight the need to study postadoption risk factors related to adoption and minority status for internationally adopted individuals and families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper examines newspaper coverage of the impact on NHS Scotland of recent Central and Eastern European immigration. It follows rising public interest in the impacts of ‘record’ and ‘unexpected’ levels of migration after the 2004 and 2007 European Union (EU) enlargements. We reviewed reporting in six Scottish newspapers during 2004–2008 to track underlying themes within their coverage of EU migration. The framework of Social Representations Theory (SRT) was used to analyse how migration’s impact was conceptualised and explained. This research shows that portrayal of migrants posing a threat to the NHS (e.g. European staff with inadequate qualifications), has increased in frequency but changed in nature over the past 4 years. Meanwhile, reports have also portrayed themes of reassurance (e.g. NHS management control) to allay societies’ fears. The overall pattern is of representations of threat in the Scottish press being closely followed by those of reassurances. The most important reassurances relate to Scottish socioeconomic conditions, which raises questions might be seen in other UK newspapers as well as what will happen in Scotland if A8 migration decreases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socialist ideology in Eastern Europe strived to remodel all aspects of social life and to provide a framework for political, economic, and moral authority. For twenty years after the fall of socialism in 1989, Eastern Europeans have been entangled in dynamic transitions from socialism to democracy, from nationalized to privatized economies, and from 'thinking local' to 'thinking global.' Now, they are struggling with a new set of transformations: becoming part of the European project for politico-economic and socio-cultural integration. This multifarious process affects people in different ways according to their age, economic status and gender, among other factors. This paper investigates how age affects the experiences and conceptualizations of European integration of citizens in one post-socialist EU member-state-Bulgaria. It attempts to reveal differences in ideological motivations, degree of intensity and nuances in experiencing, conceptualizing, and engaging with the European Union. Exploration of these various experiences and conceptualizations suggests the existence of significant conceptual and metaphoric discrepancies between the pre-and post-1980s generations and within the youth generation of the 1980s itself. Both disappointment with the failure of the Soviet model of social engineering and nostalgia for the socialist past inform anticipation of the effects of and reaction to European integration. However they do not capture or explain new ways of reconstructing the past or emerging narratives of the present and the future, influenced by the differential access to a range of new economic opportunities, social realities, and domains of knowledge enabled by European integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on an April 2010 conference in Moscow, Russia, held in honor of the birthday of Russian Marxist revolutionary, leader, and political philosopher Vladimir Lenin. The meeting featured television coverage and Eastern European participants' linked to the conference by the interactive Internet service Skype. The thematic focus of the conference was on Lenin's Marxist ideology and his legacy for contemporary times.

Since the end of the Cold War, the International Media Training Center has brought dozens of Eastern European journalists to study in non-degree programs at U.S. universities. This study is a cultural critique of one such program. The analysis is based on in-depth interviews, participant observation, and articles from university newsletters. The trainees reveal that support from mentors is often insufficient, and some participants face significant hostility after returning to their native countries. The fast-paced media environments in those countries have not forgiven their yearlong absence: organizational power has been redistributed, connections have been weakened, and new colleagues have aggressively taken over one's old turf. The findings suggest that training a few journalists from disparate media outlets is unlikely to have much effect on media professionalism in emerging democracies, unless the trainees are guaranteed an opportunity to become trainers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the relationship between underemployment and children's emotional and behavioural health in professional immigrant families in the greater Vancouver area of British Columbia. According to the authors, the results of their research underline the strong linkages between the stress and low economic status associated with underemployment and children's behavioural patterns. Southeast Asian families interviewed in the study reported the highest rates of underemployment and poor emotional health, while Eastern European immigrants reported the lowest. It is suggested that differences in acculturation and discrimination between visible and non-visible minorities could explain these findings.

Interviews with 44 families in New Zealand who had adopted children from Russia or Romania found that parents' interest in and children's exposure to the birth culture were related to the children's birth culture interest, but less related to their ethnic identification with the birth culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the comparative analysis of the process of construction of a new cultural space with its specific history and its cognitive geography, securing a firm, which foots the intrinsic centre. Belarusian cognitive map in particular and the Eastern European one in general have their own specifics of a description of social reality. Particularly, philosophical discourse is usually used here as a main way of interaction between subject and social reality. First of all, the presentation aims at an investigation of the emergence of the Belarusian cognitive center through the writings of national intellectual history. This article intends to present the conceptual analysis of our recent attempts to re-conceptualize and to line up the contemporary Belarusian national space with related "big picture" of Belarusian thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]