Central Southeastern Research Articles

Multi-isotope (δ2H, δ13C, δ15N) feather profiles and morphometrics inform patterns of migratory connectivity in three species of North American swallows

Aerial insectivorous birds have suffered steep population declines in North America over the last 60 years. A lack of information on migratory connectivity between breeding and non-breeding grounds for these species limits our ability to interpret factors affecting their population-specific trends. We determined likely Latin American non-breeding regions of Bank (Riparia riparia), Barn (Hirundo rustica) and Cliff (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) swallow from populations across their breeding ranges. We used predicted feather hydrogen (δ2Hf) and carbon (δ13Cf) isoscapes for winter-grown feathers to indicate areas of highest probability of moult origin and incorporated these results into a cluster analysis to determine likely broad non-breeding regions. We also assessed variation in wing length among populations to determine the potential for this metric to differentiate population moult origins. We then investigated patterns of multi-isotopic (δ2Hf, δ13Cf, δ15Nf) and wing-length niche occupancy by quantifying niche size and overlap among populations under the assumption that broad niches were consistent with low within-species migratory connectivity and narrow and non-overlapping niches with higher connectivity. Multivariate assignment identified different non-breeding regions and potential clusters of moult origin generally corresponding to Central America and northern South America, eastern and south-central South America, and the western and southern part of that continent, with variation within and among populations and species. Separate niche space indicated different wintering habitat or areas used by species or populations whereas niche overlap indicated only potential spatial similarity. Wing length varied significantly among populations by species, being longer in the west and north for Bank and Cliff Swallow and longer in eastern Canadian Barn Swallow populations. Barn Swallow occupied consistently larger isotopic and wing length niche space than the other species. Comparisons among populations across species showed variable isotopic and wing-length niche overlap generally being greater within breeding regions and lower between western and eastern breeding populations supporting a general North American continental divide for all species with generally low migratory connectivity for all species. We present a novel approach to assessing connectivity using inexpensive and broad isotopic approaches that provides the basis for hypothesis testing using more spatially explicit expensive techniques.

The Relationship Between Public and Private Capital in Emerging Europe

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper to evaluate the relationship between public and private capital formation in 16 economies from Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe by applying panel-cointegration methods to 2000–2017 data. We find a positive public-private capital formation nexus both in the short and the long-run, with pro-cyclicality of private capital formation and negative relevance of the user costs of capital. The results imply that expansionary public investment policy may be effective in boosting private investment both in the short and the long-run, if fit into a financially sustainable framework that limits negative impact of the user cost of capital.

An integrated model for electricity market coupling simulations: Evidence from the European power market crossroad

Motivated by the project of European Power Exchanges to develop a single price-coupling solution to calculate electricity prices across Europe that respects the cross-border capacity constraints on a day-ahead basis, we empirically examine and quantify market inefficiencies in non-coupled day-ahead electricity markets. These result from inefficient cross-border capacity allocation and its underlying effect on the market clearing prices. Efficient cross-border capacity allocation and new market clearing prices are simulated using a social welfare maximisation algorithm for the capacity of relevant network elements, whereas the order book generation process is reproduced by the econometrically estimated supply price elasticity functions. The estimated vector autoregression model and the underlying impulse response functions examine price shock transmission under different market regimes. The market coupling process is simulated on the historical non-coupled day-ahead market realisations at the junction of three regional power markets: Central Western Europe, Northern Italian, and South Eastern European markets. Simulation results confirm steady, efficient cross-border capacity utilisation, reduced price variance, improved overall price convergence and amplified price shock transmission in coupled electricity markets. Furthermore, in the simulated period, we have estimated an increase in the overall suppliers' and consumers’ surplus of almost EUR 16 million. The proposed simulation framework is a clear choice for applied simulation in coupled day-ahead electricity markets, offering valuable visual insights into the cross-border capacity allocation and its implications on electricity prices.

The impact of the Russian–Ukrainian conflict on Green Deal implementation in central–southeastern Member States of the European Union

AbstractThe purpose of this work is to highlight the views of epistemic communities, but also to support the political decision‐makers for the elaboration and implementation of the Green Deal in the central–southeastern part of the European Union. The investigated states were chosen from the last enlargement's waves. The analysis of this article illustrates the capacities of the Member States from the investigated region to implement the Green Deal and to adapt the involved policies to the new architecture's security from the Eastern neighborhood. The improvement of food and energy security, environmental protection, and the industrial production supply chain, but also social protection and international cooperation, are among the policy recommendations revealed by this study.

Climate Change Estimates Surpass Rates of Climatic Niche Evolution in Primates

Primates might be particularly vulnerable to experiencing adverse effects from climate change, given their level of exposure, sensitivity to climatic conditions, and biological traits associated with extinction proneness (e.g., low dispersal ability). Therefore, a key question is whether primates will be able to adapt fast enough to keep up with future climate change. In this study, we used phylogenetic comparative methods to estimate rates of climatic niche evolution for 293 species of primates. We then compared these with projected rates of future climate change. We show that for temperature-related variables, future rates are in general >2800 times faster than rates of niche evolution characteristic of their recent evolutionary past. For precipitation-related variables, the overall difference between rates is >6700. If emissions continue unabated, differences between past and future rates can be at least 4800-fold for temperature-related variables and >7900-fold for precipitation. Species occurring in Central South America, Central and Eastern Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Malay Archipelago are expected to experience the fastest rates of future climate change, relative to their past rates of climatic niche evolution. Our results suggest that primate adaptation to future climate change would require rates of niche evolution unparalleled in the recent history of the group. These findings reinforce the evidence that climate change is a major threat to primates worldwide.

Erodibility of soils of varying land utilization types and lithologic materials in central southeastern Nigeria


 
 
 Land use and parent materials influence behaviour of soils including responsiveness to erosion forces. The study investigated some soil properties related to erodibility in Abia and Imo States of Nigeria. Soil sampling was guided by geology and land use type. Random sampling technique was adopted in field studies. Two parent materials and three land use types were chosen for the study. In each parent material, three land use types were studied and in each land use, three soil profiles were sunk, described, and sampled using FAO procedure. Soil samples were subjected to laboratory analyses and data generated were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tools. Results showed that sand sized particles ranged from 533.10 to 778.80 g kg–1 and this distribution differed significantly between parent materials. Silt content ranged from 141.70 g kg–1 in soils derived from false-bedded sandstone to 202.20 g kg–1 in shale-derived soils. Clay-sized particles ranged from 77.30 g kg–1 in soils derived from false-bedded sandstone to 264.70 g kg–1 in shale-derived soils, respectively. Water-stable aggregate ranged from 19.38% in false-bedded sandstone to 29.23% in shale-derived soils. The DR (dispersion ratio) mean values ranged between 4.26 in shale and 8.46 in false-bedded sandstone, while the CDI (clay dispersion index) mean values ranged between 2.17 in shale and 8.41 in false-bedded sandstone, respectively. The forest soils had the lowest values of both DR (6.89) and CDI (6.40) for soils of the false-bedded sandstone, 3.85 and 1.59 for those derived from shale. The clay flocculation index (CFI) had mean of 2.16 in false-bedded sandstone and 7.83 in shale. In soils of the varying land use types, the mean soil pH (H2O) ranged from 4.28 to 4.64 in soils derived from false-bedded sandstone and 4.27-5.57 in those derived from Shale. From the results, parent material and land use influenced soil erodibility parameters (water-stable aggregates, mean-weight diameter, DR, CDI, and CFI) and other soil properties such as organic carbon, bulk density, and moisture content.
 
 

Profiting on the Stock Market in Pandemic Times: Study of COVID-19 Effects on CESEE Stock Markets

This research deals with stock market reactions of Central Eastern and South Eastern European (CESEE) markets to the COVID-19 pandemic, via the event study methodology approach. Since the stock markets react quickly to certain announcements, the used methodology is appropriate to evaluate how the aforementioned markets reacted to certain events. The purpose of this research was to evaluate possibilities of obtaining profits on the stock markets during great turbulences, when a majority of the participants panic. More specifically, the contrarian trading strategies are observed if they can obtain gains, although a majority of the markets suffer great losses during pandemic shocks. The contributions to the existing literature of this research are as follows. Firstly, empirical research on CESEE stock markets regarding other relevant topics is still scarce and should be explored more. Secondly, the event study approach of COVID-19 effects utilized in this study has (to the knowledge of the author) not yet been explored on the aforementioned markets. Thirdly, based on the results of CESEE market reactions to specific announcements regarding COVID-19, a simulation of simple trading strategies will be made in order to estimate whether some investors could have profited in certain periods. The results of the study indicate promising results in terms of exploiting other investors’ panicking during the greatest decline of stock market indices. Namely, the initial results, as expected, indicate strong negative effects of specific COVID-19 announcements on the selected stock markets. Secondly, the obtained information was shown to be useful for contrarian strategy in order to exploit great dips in the stock market indices values.

Bank ownership and drivers of credit growth in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe

AbstractIn this paper, we analyse the determinants of credit growth for banks operating in 20 countries in the post-communist Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (CESEE). We focus on foreign-owned banks and the parent-subsidiary nexus against the background of all banks operating in this part of Europe. Our goal is to determine whether the macroeconomic and bank-specific determinants for host countries have a similar impact on the entire group of banks operating in CESEE and on its subset of foreign-owned banks and whether the rate of credit growth could be considered ceteris paribus equal across the foreign-owned and the complete set of banks in the CESEE. To this end, we use panel data regressions on approximately 4,600 bank-year observations over the period from 1995 to 2014. We conclude that the determinants of banks’ behaviour in the CESEE countries are consistent regardless of these banks’ ownership, the period and their EU membership. Although having a foreign investor expands the set of relevant determinants, the presence of such investors does not overshadow the importance of local conditions.

Sinitic as a typological sandwich: revisiting the notions of Altaicization and Taicization

Abstract Decades of works dedicated to the description of (previously) lesser-known Sinitic languages have effectively dispelled the common myth that these languages share a single “universal Chinese grammar”. Yet, the underlying cause of their grammatical variation is still a matter for debate. This paper focuses on typological variation across Sinitic varieties. Through comparing the typological profiles of various Sinitic languages with those of their Altaic and Mainland Southeast Asian (MSEA) neighbors, we discuss to what extent the variation within the Sinitic branch can be attributed to areal diffusion. Taking into account over 360 language varieties of seven different genetic affiliations (Sinitic, Turkic, Mongolic, Tungusic, Hmong-Mien, Tai-Kadai, Austroasiatic) and 30 linguistic features, we conduct a typological survey with the aid of the phylogenetic program NeighborNet. Our results suggest that convergence towards their non-Sinitic neighbors has likely played a pivotal role in the typological diversity of Sinitic languages. Based primarily on their degree of Altaic/MSEA influence, the Sinitic varieties in our database are classified into four areal groups, namely 1) Northern, 2) Transitional, 3) Central Southeastern, 4) Far Southern. This classification scheme reflects the intricate interplay between areal convergence, regional innovations, and retention of archaic features.

NOVEL INTRODUCTION FOR THE INVASIVE RED-RIM MELANIA MELANOIDES TUBERCULATA (MÜLLER) IN SOUTHEASTERN TEXAS

Specimens of the invasive red-rim melania snail, Melanoides tuberculata, were observed in concrete drainage ditches throughout Jefferson County, Texas, from May 2018 to September 2019. The species appears to be well established in this artificial habitat, with a population disjunct from other established areas in central Texas and southeastern Louisiana. This occurrence in Jefferson County is likely the result of an aquarium release event independent of other release events for this species and subsequently spread by tropical storm activity.

Tomographic signatures and origin of the 2016 Meinung earthquake (Mw 6.7), Kaohsiung, SW Taiwan

Abstract In order to investigate the plausible generation mechanism of the 2016 Mw 6.7 Meinung earthquake, a large number of high-quality travel times of P- and S-wave source-receiver pairs are inverted to assimilate high resolution three-dimensional (3-D) seismic velocity (Vp, Vs) and Poisson’s ratio (σ) structures in this study. Our seismic imaging revealed that the 2016 Meinung earthquake occurred along a distinctive edge portion exhibiting high-to-low variations in these parameters in both horizontal and vertical directions across the hypocenter. A continuous low-velocity zone with high-σ is found to be intriguingly associated with the Laonung and Chisan faults where the western upper crust beneath the central coastal plain, western foothills, and southeastern lower crust under the central range are clearly imaged. We propose that weakening of the southeastern crust is attributed to the intrusion of fluids either from the young fold cum thrust fault belt in the shallow crust, or from the dehydration of the subducted Eurasian continental (EC) plate in the lower crust to the upper mantle. The earthquake genesis beneath SW Taiwan is associated with two predominant processes: (i) fluid intrusion into the upper Oligocene to the Pleistocene shallow marine and clastic, shelf units of the Eurasian continental crust; (ii) fluid intrusion into the relatively thin uppermost part of the transitional Pleistocene-Holocene foreland formed along the deformational front due to the subduction of the EC plate. Our estimated models demonstrate that the reduction of anomalous signatures of crustal attributes (Vp, Vs, σ) due to intrusion of fluids might have lowered the seismogenic strength of the source zone and contributed to the genesis of the 2016 Meinung mainshock.

Compositional Variations and Tectonic Settings of Podiform Chromitites Associated with Ultramafic Rocks of the Pan‐African Proterozoic Ophiolites from South Eastern Desert, Egypt

AbstractThe Precambrian podiform chromitites associated with ophiolites are abundant in Pan‐African belt in central Eastern Desert (CED) and south Eastern Desert (SED), Egypt and range from 690 to 890 Ma in age. The studied chromitites associated with Neoproterozoic ophiolites are distributed in southern Eastern Desert, Egypt in Baranis ‐ Shalaten sheet and occur as lenticular bodies with variable dimensions in ultramafic component (serpentinites). We present geochemical and mineralogical data from three areas of ophiolites and associated chromitites namely Gebel Abu Dahr (D), Gebel Arais (A) and Gebel Anbat in the Wadi Hodein area (H) (Fig. 1). The paper studies the compositional variations and tectonic settings of podiform chromitites associated with ultramafic rocks, in addition to the alteration process of chromite during metamorphism.The ophiolite in the present areas is composed of the ultramafic rocks (mainly serpentinites) with minor relics of fresh dunite and harzburgite. All these rocks are affected by metamorphism and subsequent retrograde during subduction and exhumation.Six samples selected from the serpentinites geochemically analyzed for major, trace and some REE elements and the geochemical results reflect that harzburgite and dunite compositions are typical of depleted mantle peridotite. Microprobe analyses and SIMS investigations were carried out for three massive podiform chromitite ore bodies and disseminated chromites in serpentinites (1215 spot probe analyses), and silicate minerals in serpentinite rocks such as serpentine and olivine (102 spots). Serpentine minerals are mainly antigorite with some chrysotile in serpentinite rocks and in chromitites, mainly filling cross‐cutting veins.In this study, we consider that the alteration occurred in two stages: during the first one chromite reacted with olivine and water to form Cr‐ and Fe‐rich, porous chromite and chlorite; during the second event magnetite filled the pores, created in the porous chromite and defused into this chromite to form homogeneous magnetite.According to this, the composition of chromite is a key factor controlling the metamorphic reaction between olivine and chromite because if the primary chromite is very poor in Al, the chlorite‐forming reaction hardly takes place. In this case, during the second event, the addition of magnetite only contributes to create a magnetite corona around the former chromite grains without any diffusion at the chromite‐magnetite boundary as suggested by Gerbilla et al. (2012).Barnes (2000) studied the chromite in komatiites and modification during green schist to mid amphibolite facies metamorphism. He suggested that the chromite cores continually equilibrated with magnetite rims document metamorphic grade conditions. Barnes (2000) suggested that the relative proportions of Cr3+, Al3+ and Fe3+ of chromite are not affected by metamorphism up to lower temperature amphibolite facies implying restricted mobility of these elements occurred under lower amphibolite facies. So, the chromite in lower temperature amphibolite facies preserves its primary igneous chemistry and can be used to estimate the metamorphic grade. Sack and Ghiorso (1991) and Barnes (2000) suggested that all chromite cores are equilibrated at temperature below ∼ 500–550°C corresponding to lowest amphibolite facies metamorphism and reflect magmatic composition not influenced by metamorphism. In this study, there is no alteration but only nearly pure magnetite deposition and development with restricted Cr‐solubility at < 500°C in the chromite rims on crystal boundaries and within fractures as shown in Fig 2a, b. Also magnetite alters later to hematite.The podiform chromitites are common in the Moho transition zone (MTZ) to the mantle section of ophiolites or harzburgite dominant peridotite massifs (e.g., Arai, 1997; Miura et al., 2012). They have been interpreted as a product of peridotite / melt reaction and subsequent melt mixing within the MTZ to the upper mantle; they are basically magmatic cumulates that formed at the upper mantle level (e.g., Arai and Yurimoto, 1994; Zhou et al., 1994). They are thus a good marker of peridotite / melt reaction (e.g., Arai, 1997). The Pan‐African podiform chromitites may have formed in the same way as the Phanerozoic, namely by melt‐ harzburgite reaction and subsequent melt mixing. The podiform chromatites and disseminated chromites are high‐Cr chromites and have range in Cr#(Cr/Cr+Al) atomic ratio from 0.75 to 0.95 and low Ti with boninitic affinity (Fig. 3a), indicating an island arc setting in supra ‐ subduction zone setting. The present massive chromitites and disseminated chromites in serpentinites fall in the field of chromites de Bou Azer, chromites de Cordoba, Argentinia in the Cr# versus Mg# diagram (Fig. 3b, c) (Gervilla et al., 2012)The studied chromatites contain some grains of platinum‐group minerals (PGM) such as sulfides (Os‐rich laurite) and Os–Ir alloy as shown in Fig. 4 and as reported in South Eastern Desert by Ahmed (2007).

Trade unions in CEE and SEE

This article focuses on trade unions as important stakeholders in the system of labour relations in the countries of Central East and Southeast Europe, namely Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia – now North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo.Our hypothesis is that the development of trade unions in these regions, with their traditional company-centred organisation (syndicalism), is embedded in a discrete Central Eastern and South Eastern European type of neo-liberal economy. The cleavage of the EU in the East and West goes far beyond labour relations and the development of trade unions and determines other societal fields as well.This empirical evidence comes from a multi-level evaluation of a prolonged consultancy project (1998–2013) involving German, Dutch, European and global trade unions and political foundations and aimed at modernising selected trade unions in the CEE and SEE countries. Beyond the necessary analysis of documents, 92 expert interviews with trade unionists, representatives of employers’ associations and politicians were carried out between 2009 and 2013. The results were presented and discussed in five regional conferences involving different country groupings; these discussions influenced the final results by way of a reflexive process.In summary, because of the faltering process of modernising trade unions in these regions, the trade unions are endangered and may sink into insignificance.

Indian Ocean tripole mode and its associated atmospheric and oceanic processes

Differing from the Indian Ocean dipole (IOD) that has sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTAs) of opposing signs over the tropical southeastern and western Indian Ocean, a tripole pattern, characterized by positive (negative) SSTAs over the tropical central (southeastern and western) Indian Ocean, is observed and named the Indian Ocean tripole (IOT). This study proposes the concept of the IOT and further investigates the associated atmospheric and oceanic processes. Using empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis, the IOT (IOD) is represented by the third (second) leading mode of the monthly SSTAs in the tropical Indian Ocean, explaining about 8.2% (10.3%) of the total variance. The IOT peaks in boreal summer, while the IOD has its mature phase in boreal fall. The spatio-temporal differences, together with the significant separation of these two EOF patterns, illustrate that the IOT is independent of the IOD. Heat budget diagnoses indicate that the anomalous temperature over the southeastern and western Indian Ocean is mainly generated by the net heat flux during April–May and by the total ocean advection in June–August. In contrast, the anomalous temperature is mainly driven by the advection of the mean temperature by the anomalous current in April and the residual term in May–June over the central Indian Ocean, which is replaced by advection of the anomalous temperature by the mean zonal current in July.

Regional trends of lightning activity in the tropics and subtropics

Based on 18 years of lightning data from 1996 to 2013 detected by optical transient detector (OTD) and lightning imaging sensor (LIS), the variation trend of lightning flash density (LFD) in the tropics and subtropics are investigated. Meteorological parameters from observational and reanalysis datasets are analyzed to understand the causes of LFD trends. The averaged LFD shows no significant trend during the period of analysis in the tropics and subtropics, while the regional LFD trends are significant. LFDs show significant negative linear trends in southeast North America (SENA), central South America (CSA) and eastern Australia (EA), with trend values of −0.26 fl km−2 year−1, −0.17 fl km−2 year−1, and − 0.14 fl km−2 year−1, respectively. At the same time, LFDs increased significantly in northwest South Asia (NWSA), with a trend of 0.24 fl km−2 year−1. Using a multiple linear regression method, the possible causes of LFD trends over these regions are investigated. The negative linear trends in SENA, CSA and EA are more likely due to the decreases of the convective available potential energy (CAPE), which may contribute −0.13 fl km−2 year−1, −0.14 fl km−2 year−1, and − 0.11 fl km−2 year−1 to the LFD trends in these regions, respectively. Increase of aerosol optical depth (AOD) exerts more influence on the increasing of LFD in NWSA, and could explain 0.08 fl km−2 year−1 of the LFD trends.

Determinants of Public Health Care, Education and Administration Efficiency in Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe

This paper analyses determinants of public sector efficiency in 15 Central Eastern and South Eastern European (CESEE) countries. Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and panel Tobit regressions we analyse the efficiency of public expenditure on health care, education, and public administration. This paper represents the first analysis of public expenditure efficiency for this region. The countries in the sample share a similar economic transition background and transition related challenges in terms of government size and efficiency. In this paper we use input-oriented DEA to calculate efficiency scores and apply Tobit regressions to identify the determinants of public expenditure efficiency for each category. According to our results, the health care sector shows the most room for improvement. With an average input efficiency score of 0.87, the analysed countries could attain the same output with an average 13% fewer resources. The results show that Bulgaria, Estonia, and Slovenia are the most efficient, whilst Serbia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are the worst performers. GDP per capita has a positive effect on efficiency in the health care sector, the rising share of the elderly population reduces the efficiency coefficient, whilst a higher level of education has a positive effect on the efficiency score, as recorded in earlier studies. In education, our results suggest that countries waste an average 10% of their resources. The Czech Republic, Estonia, Poland, Romania, and the Slovak Republic represent the frontier, while the worst performers are Slovenia, Lithuania, and Latvia. The results show that GDP per capita has a positive effect on efficiency in the education sector, whilst a higher unemployment rate leads to lower efficiency scores. Regarding public administration, the average efficiency score of the analysed countries is 0.9, which indicates that countries are wasting an average 10% of their resources. Estonia and Romania are fully efficient, whilst Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Hungary are the most inefficient countries in the sample. As expected, GDP per capita and institutional quality have positive effects on the efficiency of public administration.

PHP40 - European Experiences of Cross-Border Collaboration in Procurement of Health Technologies

Due to the high cost of pharmaceutical products, the European Union (EU) health care systems, particularly in low-resource settings, have begun to voluntarily enter cross-border collaborations in order to improve patient access to health technologies. The aim of this study was to identify and discuss the aims of the agreements and collaborations available across Europe as efforts made to address the challenges of the healthcare market. A literature review through PUBMED, EMBASE, and additional websites, was conducted to identify policy initiatives and opportunities in EU countries. Since 2012, 9 cross-border collaborations have been established in Europe: 4 collaborations focused on the procurement of innovative medicines: “Valletta Declaration” (2017), “Southern European initiative” (2016), “Nordic Pharmaceuticals Forum” (2015) and “BeNeLuxA” (2015), and five collaborations aimed to facilitate the procurement of pharmaceuticals and medical devices: “Declaration of Sofia” (2016), “Central Eastern European and South Eastern European Countries Initiative” (2016), “Romanian and Bulgarian Initiative” (2015), and “Baltic Partnership Agreement” (2012). Through these collaborations, EU countries tend to centralize medicines purchase in order to present a bigger patient pool to pharmaceutical companies to facilitate lower prices and to ensure continuity of access. Their principal objectives were horizon scanning, information sharing, enhancing transparency and price negotiation. The first Baltic States’ experience (Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia) in purchasing BCG vaccine failed in 2015 because no tender was submitted. Since 2015, there have been several successful joint purchasing of vaccines between Baltic countries (rotavirus vaccine, pneumococcal vaccine). Payers’ collaboration can lead to lower drug prices and to development and collaboration on patient registries. However, establishing and implementing sustainable cross-border collaborations in procurement seems to be challenging. Experiences in Europe are still limited and too recent to allow clear conclusions to be derived on these collaborations’ effectiveness and impact.

Reappraisal of the kinematic history of Nugrus shear zone using PALSAR and microstructural data: implications for the tectonic evolution of the Eastern Desert tectonic terrane, northern Nubian Shield

Nugrus shear zone (NSZ) is a NW-trending semiductile-semibrittle high-strain zone exhibiting obvious sinistral sense of shear. It is regarded by some workers to represent the boundary between the Central Eastern Desert (CED) and South Eastern Desert (SED) of Egypt. A variety of Neoproterozoic lithologies are remarkably affected by the NSZ, encompassing high-grade gneisses, metavolcanics and metavolcaniclastics, gneissose granite, and ophiolitic melange. Visual interpretation and automated lineament extraction have been applied on the local sigma-filtered level 1.5 PALSAR data. Results of directional filtering and line algorithm techniques support the dominance of NW and NE structural trends in the study area. Microstructural and finite strain analyses have been done for the oriented samples of gneisses, metavolcanics, metavolcaniclastics, and gneissose granite using CSS, Fabric 8, and EllipseFit software. The Rf/ϕ and Fry methods demonstrate that the strain ratios of the collected samples are closely compatible and consistent. The core of Hafafit culmination gave 1.5 strain ratio with top-to-the-NW sense of shear, whereas the two rims show 1.7 strain ratio with top-to-the-NE sense of shear. Samples collected along the flanks of Wadi Nugrus show the two types of shear but the NW is dominant with 1.8 strain ratio and sinistral sense of shear, whereas those collected from Wadi Abu Rashid and Wadi Sikiat display 1.4 strain ratio with dextral sense of movement. Finite strain results along with field relations and observations prove that the NSZ and environs experienced a prolonged tectonic history involving at least three deformations (Dl, D2, and D3). D1 phase involves NE-SW shortening and is documented by large-scale NW-trending, NE-dipping, imbricate thrust sheets with NE plunging stretching lineation. D2 was a transpressional phase (660–645 Ma), coeval with the Najd Shear System (NSS), and expressed by the NW- to NNW-trending, steeply dipping, strike-slip shear zones with frequent subvertical foliation and subhorizontal lineation. Exhumation of gneissic domes in Hafafit area was related to this phase. The D3 phase (645–540 Ma) was responsible for the formation of NE-oriented shear with dextral sense of movement. Whether the NW and NE shears are conjugate pairs or not will be a matter of much discussion.

Institutions and Firms’ Performance in Transition Countries: The Case of Selected Cesee Countries

Abstract Institutional reforms in the countries of Central Eastern and South Eastern Europe (CESEE) brought about a redefinition of the role of the state, the market and the business sector. We assess the effects of various dimensions of the institutional environment on the labour productivity of manufacturing firms in selected CESEE countries by employing a multilevel model. Our findings reveal that the curbing of corruption and the provision of inter-industrial externalities through the development of a commercial and professional infrastructure have beneficial effects on firm productivity. At the same time, a stricter political and legal framework and the provision of R&D infrastructure have an adverse effect. Such a finding is typical for producers of standardised products in countries with low levels of legal framework development for which R&D and legal adjustments incur cost disadvantages. The implication is that institutional development should be accompanied by a strengthening of firms’ absorptive capacity in order for businesses to benefit from such changes

Geographic structure of sibling species and cytotypes of the Simulium arcticum complex (Diptera: Simuliidae) in rivers of central Idaho and southeastern Washington, United States of America

AbstractWe made 37 collections and analysed the polytene chromosomes of salivary glands of 726 larvae of the Simulium arcticum Malloch (Diptera: Simuliidae) complex from 10 locations in an unstudied region from central Idaho and southeastern Washington, United States of America. We compared our results to previous population cytotaxonomic research on larvae of this complex from western Montana, northern Idaho, and eastern Washington, United States of America. We identified four sibling species, S. brevicercum Knowlton and Rowe, S. saxosum Adler, S. arcticum sensu stricto, S. apricarium Adler, Currie, and Wood; and three cytotypes, S. arcticum IIL-9, IIL-17, and IIL-79, previously described by us. We discovered a new cytotype, S. arcticum IIL-80, at three locations in the western region of our sample area. We also found combinational (ancestral) types between S. saxosum and S. arcticum sensu stricto and between S. saxosum and S. arcticum IIL-79, suggesting that ancestral populations of the complex still exist. Geographic structuring of these sibling species and cytotypes are documented given that S. saxosum occurred in western regions, S. arcticum IIL-79 in northeastern regions, and S. apricarium in southeastern regions of our study area.