Context Of Relations Research Articles

‘We want bread and work’: patterns of labour protest and union involvement in Bulgaria

ABSTRACT The end of communism in Central and Eastern Europe resulted in wide-ranging social change, with established practices and relations being overturned in a relatively short period. Labour relations were an area that saw considerable upheaval as unions were released from state control and clandestine worker bodies were able to emerge. This article considers the medium-term effects of these changes by examining the characteristics of labour focused contention in Bulgaria from 2000 to 2019. This was a period during which the uncertainty that characterised the post-transition decade was settling, with new challenges and opportunities in the form of accession to the European Union, the global financial crisis, and the anti-government protests of 2013–2014 shaping the context for labour relations. This article draws on a unique dataset of labour protests to examine the claims, actors, and actions adopted to identify how the labour movement responded to these changes and the degree of trade union involvement in contentious events. The findings suggest there has been a shift from economic claims to encompass broader rights-based issues. They also suggest that unions have been visible in contentious actions but have been joined by a more diverse group of actors in advancing workers’ claims.

Modular representations emerge in neural networks trained to perform context-dependent tasks.

The brain has large-scale modular structure in the form of brain regions, which are thought to arise from constraints on connectivity and the physical geometry of the cortical sheet. In contrast, experimental and theoretical work has argued both for and against the existence of specialized sub-populations of neurons (modules) within single brain regions. By studying artificial neural networks, we show that this local modularity emerges to support context-dependent behavior, but only when the input is low-dimensional. No anatomical constraints are required. We also show when modular specialization emerges at the population level (different modules correspond to orthogonal subspaces). Modularity yields abstract representations, allows for rapid learning and generalization on novel tasks, and facilitates the rapid learning of related contexts. Non-modular representations facilitate the rapid learning of unrelated contexts. Our findings reconcile conflicting experimental results and make predictions for future experiments.

Introduction to a Special Issue: Social Europe: The Changing Contours of Transnational Employment Relations in the European Union

Employment relations in Europe today differ from how they were prior to the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, as key terms and conditions (e.g., wages) and sectors of economic activity (e.g., platform work and the green economy) are now subject to direct political intervention by the European institutions. Transnational (horizontal) competition within the Single European Market has long provided a context for national employment relations in Europe, and various national institutions impacted workers’ rights and conditions of employment. Under the new economic governance (NEG) regime triggered by the financial crisis, political (vertical) intervention in employment relations created strong pressure toward the commodification of labor. The COVID pandemic involved policymaking in the opposite (decommodifying) direction. That said, and as the articles in this special issue clearly demonstrate, commodifying pressures are still strong, and the full realization of Social Europe is arguably as elusive as ever.

AUDITORIA DE CONFORMIDADE LEGAL AMBIENTAL: PERSPECTIVAS, DESAFIOS E IMPORTÂNCIA

Environmental legal compliance audits have established themselves as an essential tool in modern environmental management, being increasingly used by companies and organizations that seek to ensure the adequacy of their activities to environmental standards. The audit process involves a systematic assessment of an organization’s processes, products and activities, verifying whether they comply with the legal requirements applicable by current environmental laws, provisions and standards. There are several types of environmental legal compliance auditing. This article seeks to explore in depth the main aspects related to environmental legal compliance audits, addressing their concepts, objectives, application methods, practical challenges and strategic importance in the current context in relation to legal compliance audit processes relevant to the NBR ABNT standard ISO 14.001:2015, Environmental Due Diligence and CONAMA Resolution 306/2002. Despite it is a powerful control tool, environmental legal compliance auditing faces practical challenges, which can compromise its effectiveness if not properly managed. Although the legal assessment of ISO 14001, environmental Due Diligence and the environmental audit of CONAMA Resolution 306 share the common objective of promoting environmental compliance, each has different focuses and is applicable in different contexts. ISO 14001 focuses on continuous and internal management, while environmental Due Diligence is focused on specific transactions and hidden risks. The CONAMA 306 audit offers a broader view of compliance and environmental performance, focusing on large projects and legal inspection. Thus, each approach presents specific advantages and challenges, being complementary in many business situations, especially when it comes to companies that deal with major environmental impacts.

Family Concept Representation in English and Chinese Media: A Cognitive Matrix Modelling Approach

This article examines the representation of the FAMILY concept in English and Chinese newspapers. The research material was gathered from ten information sources and included 200 news articles, selected through continuous sampling using the keyword FAMILY / 家庭. The articles were analyzed to identify relevant issues and categorized based on their thematic content. In each article, key content elements—words and phrases that carry significant semantic meaning—were identified and used for cognitive matrix modeling. The findings reveal cognitive asymmetry in how the FAMILY concept is portrayed in English and Chinese media. In English-language media, the concept is centered on fundamental semantic components that form the cognitive core of the FAMILY concept, such as family members and their relationships. The representation also extends to areas like family activities, children, finances, employment, family pets, and legal issues. In contrast, Chinese media emphasizes the government’s role in educating the younger generation on family behavior, fostering a new generation of families that adhere to the country’s ethical norms, traditional cultural values, and moral standards. The central aspect of the FAMILY concept in Chinese media is the significant governmental support and societal focus on family needs and moral education, with family being viewed within the broader context of societal relations. The observed asymmetry is attributed to cultural, economic, social, and political differences. In capital-oriented social systems, the family is seen as an independent unit capable of self-sufficiency without substantial government intervention. This study is particularly relevant for understanding the role of professional discourse in shaping public perceptions of family across different cultures, highlighting how media narratives reflect and influence broader societal values and professional communication practices.

Family Concept Representation in English and Chinese Media: A Cognitive Matrix Modelling Approach

This article examines the representation of the FAMILY concept in English and Chinese newspapers. The research material was gathered from ten information sources and included 200 news articles, selected through continuous sampling using the keyword FAMILY / 家庭. The articles were analyzed to identify relevant issues and categorized based on their thematic content. In each article, key content elements—words and phrases that carry significant semantic meaning—were identified and used for cognitive matrix modeling. The findings reveal cognitive asymmetry in how the FAMILY concept is portrayed in English and Chinese media. In English-language media, the concept is centered on fundamental semantic components that form the cognitive core of the FAMILY concept, such as family members and their relationships. The representation also extends to areas like family activities, children, finances, employment, family pets, and legal issues. In contrast, Chinese media emphasizes the government’s role in educating the younger generation on family behavior, fostering a new generation of families that adhere to the country’s ethical norms, traditional cultural values, and moral standards. The central aspect of the FAMILY concept in Chinese media is the significant governmental support and societal focus on family needs and moral education, with family being viewed within the broader context of societal relations. The observed asymmetry is attributed to cultural, economic, social, and political differences. In capital-oriented social systems, the family is seen as an independent unit capable of self-sufficiency without substantial government intervention. This study is particularly relevant for understanding the role of professional discourse in shaping public perceptions of family across different cultures, highlighting how media narratives reflect and influence broader societal values and professional communication practices.

An exploration of psychological and socio-cultural facets in perinatal distress of Pakistani couples: a triangulated qualitative study

The phenomenon of perinatal distress in terms of depression, anxiety, bipolar, and psychotic disorders is well-explored in the West but barely investigated in South Asia; particularly research evidence highlighting the cultural expression of couples’ mental health with respect to Pakistan is rare. The purpose of this research is to focus on the exploration of psycho-socio-cultural expression of couples’ perinatal distress and coping strategies used in the Pakistani context in relation to maternal and paternal mental health, with implications for the wellbeing of their unborn or born progeny. The research design focused on qualitative interpretative approaches. In data triangulation, reflexive thematic analysis and interpretative phenomenological analyses were applied on the verbatim of the semi-structured interviews conducted with the mental health professionals (n = 9) and the couples (n = 8), screened positive for perinatal distress. Four couples were screened out of 325 perinatal women visiting the gynaecological ward of Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital, Gujrat. Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 and Washington Early Recognition Center Affectivity and Psychosis Screen are the standardized instruments considered to be used for screening perinatal distress among couples. The Urdu version of WERCAP Screen was developed by a standardized forward-backward translation procedure. The rest of the four couples were purposively selected from the psychiatric ward of the same hospital. The Simplified Negative and Positive Symptoms Interviews were administered to the couples after getting approval for the Urdu version form. All couples were probed with an indigenously developed Structured Clinical Interview Schedule for DSM Disorders based on DSM-5-TR. The triangulation carried out with reflexive thematic analysis and interpretative phenomenological analysis revealed cultural conception of perinatal distress as perceived by the mental health professionals and experienced by the couples during the antenatal and postnatal period of their lives. They were enlightened with a constructive view aimed at promoting transformational change in terms of their mental health care and coping. The implications suggested implementation of a psychotherapeutic intervention for reduction in the level of distress and subsequent enhancement of well-being in couples during the perinatal period.

Ethnicity in Nigeria:Reflections on Achieving Unity in Diversity

Ethnicity is an important factor of interactions in a multi-ethnic societies like Nigeria. This explains its centrality in the nature and character of Nigerian state within the context of inter-group relations. The complexity of ethnicity has adversely affected inter-group relations in Nigeria. Thus, the influence of ethnic consciousness on the politics of Nigeria cannot be ignored. Rather than becoming more unified and cohesive, Nigeria remains deeply divided as ever before. This paper argues that no matter the centrality of conflict in inter-group relations, social interactions are usually dynamic and the pervasiveness of conflict also depends on the strategies in which group relations are managed. The paper seeks to demonstrate on one hand the historical exploration of ethnicity and ethnic politics in contemporary Nigeria and on the other hand, the need to use ethnicity as a national integration project. Thus, it is pertinent to evolve a state-wide national identity from the many ethno-cultural groupings with which they are presently constituted in Nigeria. This is important because unity in diversity can be a tool for socio-economic development in Nigeria.

Energy Independency and Sustainable Development in International Relations Context

Energy Independency and Sustainable Development in International Relations Context

A Confucian Criticism of Scientism: Revisiting the 1923 Controversy of the Life-View

The life-views ( renshengguan ) of the supporters of scientism and of metaphysics in the 1923 controversy are distinct in their concept of the person, with consequences bearing on the nature of a proposed social order. This distinction became apparent when I deciphered the structure based on Confucian and Lebensphilosophie sources that underlie their views. Analysis demonstrates the radical approach of the supporters of science who are generally committed to a homogeneous context regardless of human or material. One attendant consequence of their argument is a concept of the person who realizes themselves in isolation from their surroundings. In contrast, the implicit framework of this-worldliness adopted by the supporters of metaphysics departs from the emotive and moral core of the person, acknowledging the resilience of lived experience. Endorsing the idea of human interrelatedness and interaction they denoted the heterogeneous context of human relations, contending that the person realizes herself in considerate responsiveness.

They are still children: a scoping review of conditions for positive engagement in elite youth sport

ObjectiveThe objective of this study is to characterise the key factors that influence positive engagement and desirable developmental outcomes in sport among elite youth athletes by summarising the methods, groups...

Mobilising Transnational Labour Law in Search of Transformation in Europe

Abstract This paper provides a critical map of trade unions’ strategic engagements with transnational legal mechanisms in Europe. Despite high profile defeats and challenges faced by workers and trade unions before supranational courts, they have continued to mobilise complaint and supervisory mechanisms at the transnational level. This raises questions about the reasons why and how law is mobilised in the industrial relations context and over the transformative potential of transnational labour law. Legal argumentation has been mobilised to defend and redetermine legislative rights to protect vulnerable workers and provide the conditions for democracy at work. The experience of legal mobilisation detailed in this paper encourages a sceptical and pragmatic approach to social transformation via legal mobilisation. It will set out the legal opportunities that shape the effectiveness of transnational labour law mobilisation, as well as the structural limitations and competing normative interests that delimit the interpretive trajectory, recognition, and enjoyment of collective labour rights in contemporary Europe.

Shuddhi and The Nav-Hindu in Goa: Dynamics of Identity Politics

In a much-publicised event in 1928, a section of the Goan Catholics of tribal origin reconverted to Hinduism. In this highly charged political context, the act of shuddhi framed the event as a straightforward homecoming, masking conflicting underlying interests. Analysing the palpable tensions around this event allows better understanding of how shuddhi was made possible and perceived at the local level, appreciating specifically the vulnerability of the Christian Gauda tribal population. Drawing on archival and ethnographic research, this article rethinks shuddhi in Goa through the changing dynamics of politics, in which new definitions of Hindu identity were being worked out by the Hindu elite. Examining the relationships between the Portuguese colonial state, the local Hindu elite, the reconverts and multiple trans-local connections, the article identifies the formation of a new identity of the reconverts within the broader context of caste and community relations.

Phylogenetic systematics of Vigna sensu stricto in the context of Physostigma and allies.

Vigna includes economically vital crops and wild species. Molecular systematic studies of Vigna species resulted in generic segregates of many New World (NW) species. However, limited Old World (OW) sampling left questions regarding inter- and intraspecific relationships in Vigna s.s. African species, including the putative sister genus Physostigma, were comprehensively sampled within the context of NW relatives. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses of the chloroplast matK-trnK and nuclear ribosomal ITS/5.8 S (ITS) DNA regions were undertaken to resolve OW Vigna taxonomic questions. Divergence dates were estimated using BEAST to date key nodes in the phylogeny. Analyses of matK and ITS data supported five clades of Vigna s.s.: subg. Lasiospron, a reduced subg. Vigna, subg. Haydonia, subg. Ceratotropis, an enlarged subg. Plectrotropis, and a clade including V. kirkii and V. stenophylla. Genome size estimates of 601 Mb for V. kirkii are near the overall mean of the genus, whereas V. stenophylla had a larger genome (810 Mb), similar to some Vigna subg. Ceratotropis or Plectrotropis species. Former subg. Vigna is reduced to yellow- and blue-flowered species and subg. Plectrotropis is enlarged to mostly all white-, pink-, and purple-flowered species. The age of the split between NW and OW Vigna lineages is ~6-7 Myr. Genome size estimates cannot rule out a polyploid or hybrid origin for V. stenophylla, potentially involving extinct lineage ancestors of Vigna subg. Ceratotropis or Plectrotropis, as indicated by network and phylogenetic analyses. Taxonomic revisions are suggested based on these results.

CHINESE HIGH-PERFORMING UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ SELF-EFFICACY AND SELF-PRIDE IN LEARNING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE

Background and Purpose: Both self-efficacy and self-pride play an important role in second/foreign language learning. Yet, they have seldom been researched simultaneously in the same context in relation to language learning. The current study aimed to examine Chinese high-performing university students’ English learning self-efficacy and self-pride and their predictive effects on the students’ English performance. Methodology: 520 Chinese high-performing university students completed the 5-item Self-Pride Scale, the 3-item English Learning Self-Efficacy Scale and a background questionnaire, 14 of whom were interviewed. Findings: Major findings were: a) the participants generally had a high level of English learning self-efficacy and self-pride, b) female students had significantly greater English learning self-efficacy and self-pride, c) English learning self-efficacy was significantly positively correlated with self-pride, d) both English learning self-efficacy and self-pride were significantly positively correlated with and predicted the students’ English performance, and e) the participants identified several causes for their English learning self-efficacy and self-pride. Contributions: This study was one of the few that explored the relationship between English learning self-efficacy and self-pride and their predictive effects on students’ English performance. The findings thus provide insights for developing self-efficacy and self-pride in students to improve their learning of a second/foreign language. Key words: Self-efficacy, self-pride, English performance. Cite as: Liu, M., & Liu, J. (2024). Chinese high-performing university students’ self-efficacy and self-pride in learning English as a foreign language. Journal of Nusantara Studies, 9(2), 420-440. http://dx.doi.org/10.24200/jonus.vol9iss2pp420-440

Modernity of Women Subject in Eka Kurniawan’ Cantik Itu Luka (2002): A Study of Post-Colonial Feminist Literary Criticism

This study aims to dismantle the narrative of the female subject’s modernity which was built by the author as a representative of a social group or class. In order to achieve this objective, the researchers used qualitative approach, which prioritizes data quality to data size. The data in this study is the novel Cantik Itu Luka by Eka Kurniawan, and other information related to the research topic. Then, the data were analyzed using binary opposition deconstruction and postcolonial feminism theory. Data analysis focuses on the narrative structure of the text and its ideas regarding colonial discourse and the narrative construction of the modernity of female subjects, as well as the author's historical and sociological context in relation to the text. The results show that the construction of the female subject presented in the text Cantik Itu Luka (2002) is a woman who is resistant to the discourse of modernity. In the context of colonial discourse, the female subject is a woman who participates in the rebellion against patriarchal cultural oppression and globalization. The discourse of modernity built by Eka Kurniawan is that women are required to maintain their national identity amidst the commotion of global culture. The construction of the female subject in the text is an ideal formed by male critical intellectual groups to represent and advocate women who have difficulty getting space and position in the social order.

The Impact of Soviet Union's Five-Year Plans on Türkiye's First Five-Year Industrial Plan within the Context of Turkish-Russian Economic Relations

The Bolshevik Revolution marked a pivotal shift in Turkish-Russian relations, ending longstanding conflicts and fostering political and economic cooperation. Notably, economic ties flourished, benefitting Türkiye significantly. Emulating the Soviet Union's Five-Year Plan, Russian experts devised an industrialisation plan for Türkiye, focusing on agriculture and underground resources. The plan's execution, aided by Soviet loans, machinery, and expert labour, saw the establishment of Soviet-style facilities in Anatolia from the 1930s onwards. The transfer of Soviet expertise and technology played a crucial role in Türkiye's industrialisation, showcasing the substantial impact of the Soviet five-year plans on Turkish industry post-1928.

Where engagement happens: Parent perspectives on engagement in behavioural interventions

ABSTRACT Engagement of parents in interventions for their children has many reported benefits. Despite recent advances in conceptualisations of parent engagement within child development and rehabilitation fields, there are limited understandings of parent engagement from a behaviour analytic account. This study aimed to understand how parents experience engagement in child-focused behaviour analytic interventions in Aotearoa New Zealand. An Interpretive Description study was undertaken, involving 14 semi-structured interviews with a sample of 15 parents who had experienced a child-focused behavioural intervention. Four themes were developed including a) the system as the environment, b) what parents bring, c) what clinicians bring, and d) where engagement happens. Themes are presented using an analogy of a river ecosystem, detailing how each theme comes together into an intervention context, where engagement is negotiated through humble communication, development of working relationships, and responsive approaches to intervention delivery. Findings support behaviour analysts attending to antecedent conditions for parent engagement, in efforts to further effective intervention, rather than prioritising focus on treatment adherence at the outset of intervention delivery. The outcomes of the study closely align with other allied health literatures, offering behaviour analysts insight into parent engagement from related service delivery contexts.

The Usable Quality of Information as an Element of the Humanization of Work in the Development of Modern Organizations

Theoretical background: In the article, the authors discuss research on aspects of the human centric approach to the process of implementing IT devices due to the specificity of human resources. The authors emphasize the importance of the dynamic development of modern information technologies (IT), which is of fundamental importance for the sustainable development of enterprises. The authors indicate the possibility of integrating various company resources, and above all, the phenomenon of creating an environment for the increase in the importance of human resources in the process of business digitization. A special place in this process is occupied by IT, which activate the employee through various forms. The authors present research that captures the above aspect in terms of the systemic assessment of the usability of interaction and communication processes. The scope of the work concerns communication with the use of IT devices used in the implementation of the goal-oriented tasks. The authors identified factors contributing to the development of job humanization through the flexible improvement of IT devices in a task related context. Purpose of the article: The aim of this article is to present the findings of a study on the impact of usability on the development of the phenomenon of job humanization among positional employees involved in the manufacturing process. Additionally, it discusses the results of in-depth research seeking to answer the question: Do multifunctional information devices, not dedicated to the profile of professional activities, hinder the employee’s work? If not, what are the consequences for job humanization? Research methods: The objective of the study was achieved through the use of structured interview methodology. Subsequently, in-depth research was conducted. Main findings: The results obtained indicate a relationship between the usability of information technology devices and the frequency of their use in the workplace. The outcomes of relational interviews highlight the significant importance of sophisticated, multifunctional information tools that enhance employee engagement and their interest in implementing forms of job humanization, such as job enrichment and enlargement, autonomous groups, and flexible work methods. The main conclusion drawn from the research is that high usability quality of information technology devices forms the basis for the organizational improvement process. This occurs bottom-up, through the personal engagement of employees and their openness to multifunctional, intuitive information tools. For organizations, these are favorable conditions for implementing various forms of organizational humanization. However, a question arises about the limits of this phenomenon due to the limited psychophysical capabilities of humans. This topic will be further developed in the subsequent planned research.

ACTUALIZATION OF THE PROBLEMS OF ONOMASTIC PSYCHOLOGY WITH REFERENCE TO THE THEORY OF LINQUOPSYCHO ACCENTUATION

The subject of the article is actualization of the study of onyms with stress on their psycholinguistic aspect .The relevance of the study is stipulated by the fact that it is necessary to keep developing the theoretical provisions on onomastic proceeding from the newly evolved trends, one of which is psycholinquistic which meanwhile not duly studied. Since the study of onomastic psycholinguistics is to some extend fall to the range of problems of literature onomastics, its analysis requires application of some methods eligible for psycholinquistic science, while the achieved scientific gains are actualized with positive results.The anymic material is thoroughly analyzed by applying descriptive method particularly involving analysis of psychological sources, namely studies of K. Leonhard and A. Lychko about accentuated individuals.The subject of the article is to present some separate elements of the onymic picture of the world via vision of accentuated individuals, to outline the prospects for definition of the psycholinquistic onomastic as new onomastic trend, and estimate the prospects for development of this theory from the point view of new trends arising in the field of functioning of onyms. Special attention is drawn to the anyms used in the fiction and publicist texts of the Ukrainian classical writes (V. Vinnichenko ,P. Kulish , L. Ukrajinka, M. Kotsubynsky) and the regional writers of Zakarpattya (I. Chandei and F. Potushniak). It is pointed out that psychological information may be presented inherently by itself — by the form of onyms or adherently — by lexical environment. Herein the onyms are presented as they (1) become markers of linguo-psycho-accentuation provided they are used highly frequently what is specially visible in the potent text correlation, (2) manifest themselves potentially in the modeling expressive connotations in the relative context and (3) become sources for origination of new denotative contacts. Herein the examination carried out of а) anyms of titles, b) anyms of dedication c) anyms of pseudonyms as they are actualized within the context of hysteroidity, hyperthymism, depression, and paranoidness. It is proved that the anymic picture of the world of an accentuated individual is determined by his specific psychotype, while the prospective investigation is defined as requirement of development of new trend nominated as psycholinquistic anomastic, in particular , it is necessary to examine the specifics of modeling of relevant linguistic elements via prism of psychic processes.