National policies shaping income inequality in transition economies: the cases of the Czech and Slovak Republics and the Baltic States

The thesis aims to investigate the influence of national policies on income distribution patterns in the countries that share similar historical legacies. The focus is on the postcommunist countries that went through transition process. Moving from central planned to market economy inevitably lead to the rise of income inequality, although the countries experienced it to different extent: some managed to maintain income inequality at a low level, while others relatively failed to provide the social safety net for their citizens. The study is based on the analysis of a large number of statistical sources concerning the data on two selected group of countries – the Czech and Slovak Republics and the Baltic States – from 1985, when first processes of economy liberalisation started, to 2014, which marks the countries’ ten years anniversary within the European Union. The former group represents one of the most successful countries on the European continent in terms of mitigating income inequality, while the latter one has the highest income inequality levels in the European Union. When controlling for significant macroeconomic and demographic indicators, such as the level of urbanisation and adjusted wage share, the thesis explicitly elaborates on the role of governmental policies of the countries of interest from their independence until 2014. Policies such as privatisation, taxation, and cash benefits distribution turned out to have big influence on income inequality level in a long term.https://www.ester.ee/record=b5192865*es

Whey Permeate Mineral Profile at Various Stages of Membrane Filtration

Background and Objective: Whey permeate powder is widely used in technologies of various line groups of food products, but the major limiting factor of its use is its high ash content. The aim of this study was to establish efficiency of ash decrease and change of mineral profile at various stages of production for producing demineralized whey permeate powder appropriate for further use in technologies of lactose. Material and Methods: Experiments were carried out based on the referee method and the common methods used in research practice. In this study, cheese whey and its concentrates and permeates achieved in the process of ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, electrodialysis, vacuum-evaporating and spray drying were used. Results and Conclusion: Ultrafiltration made it possible to partially remove Ca2+, total phosphorus and Mg2+ from cheese whey and nanofiltration was effective in partially remove of K+, Ca2+, Fe2+, Mg2+, Cu2+, Cl- and total phosphorus from ultrafiltration-permeates. Use of polymer membranes made it possible to prepare nanofiltration-concentrates with majorly lactose and increase the efficiency of electrodialysis due to their high permeability relative to water as well as their ability to eliminate proteins and partially ions of mineral salts. The mass fraction of ash in the final product decreased by 93.0%, compared to cheese whey. Furthermore, Na+ and K+ decreased by 89-94%, Ca2+ and Mg2+ decreased by 60-75%, the total phosphorus decreased by 78% and chlorides decreased by 70%. Results allow justifying the technological operation sequence to make products appropriate for further uses as raw materials for highly purified lactose. Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest

Modern Aspects of Schoolchildren’s Creative Thinking Development

This article is about actual problems of schoolchildren’s creative thinking development. The changes happening in our society show absolutely different requirements to the younger generation than they were before which will become not only an active component of the state, but also the leading force in its further development in the closest future. Pedagogy of ideological dogmas, reproductive training, compounding and regulation of teacher and pupils’ activity corresponded to the society of totalitarian consciousness, priority of a political and ideological orientation in full measure. Nowadays pedagogical technologies differ in the rigid organization of school life, suppression of pupils’ initiative and independence, application of requirements and coercions. The personal focused technologies which gained new development at present moment are characterized by anthropocentricity, humanistic and psychotherapeutic orientation. They are aimed at versatile, free and creative development of the child. Only such active, creative personality is capable to realize in difficult social relationship of modern society. From the carried-out analysis of psychology and pedagogical literature it is possible to note that schoolchildren’s creative thinking development is becoming the priority direction

The research of whey permeate mineral profile at different stages of membrane filtration

Whey permeate powder is widely used in technologies of various line groups of food products, but the main limiting factor of its application is its high ash content. This research aimed to establish the efficiency of ash reduction and change of mineral profile at various stages of production for obtaining demineralized whey permeate powder suitable for further usage in technologies of lactose. The experiments were carried out following the referee method and the common methods used in research practice. The objects of research were cheese whey and its concentrate and permeate obtained in the process of ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), electrodialysis (ED), vacuum-evaporating and spray drying. UF made it possible to remove partially Ca2+, total phosphorus, and Mg2+ from cheese whey, NF was effective in removing part of K+, Ca2+, Fe2+, Mg2+, Cu2+, Cl- and total phosphorus from UF-permeate. Using polymer membranes made it possible to obtain the NF-concentrate containing mainly lactose and increase the efficiency of ED due to their high permeability relative to water, as well as their ability to eliminate proteins and partially some ions of mineral salts. The mass fraction of ash in the finished product decreased by 93.0% compared with cheese whey, as well as Na+ and K+ by 89-94%, and Ca2+ and Mg2+ by 60-75%; the total phosphorus – by 78%; chlorides – by 70%. The obtained results allow to justify the technological operation sequence to produce a product suitable for further usage as a raw material for highly purified lactose

Проблемы и перспективы становления российского информационного общества

The information society, to which we have aspired and which we have been building, while being facilitative of extensive technological and economic growth, is also known to entail some social costs, like information inequality, information/psychological warfare, and information deprivation, which are causing declines in people’s standard and quality of living, stimulating a social phenomenon such as poverty. The purpose of this empirical study is to explore the key features of poverty in the nation and the nation’s administration potential for minimizing and preventing undesirable impacts from social transformations during the making of the information-type society. The study’s empirical basis is grounded in the findings from a sociological study on one of the nation’s northern regions, which involved interviews with at-risk (disadvantaged) families. The study’s practical part includes a secondary analysis of data, based on comparing the findings from a body of fundamental sociological research on the issue. The study has helped identify a set of risk factors linked to social inequality and the formation of the culture and worldview of disadvantagedness by reference to the social and economic characteristics of a specific northern región.La sociedad de la información a la que aspiramos y que formamos, además de la información ubicua y el desarrollo económico, conlleva costos sociales: desigualdad de la información, información y guerras psicológicas, privación de la información, que provoca un deterioro en la calidad y el nivel de vida y estimula un fenómeno social como la pobreza. El objetivo de la investigación empírica fue estudiar los aspectos específicos de la pobreza y el potencial de gestión para minimizar y prevenir las consecuencias de las transformaciones sociales en el proceso de formación de una sociedad de tipo informativo. La base empírica de la investigación es presentada por los resultados de una investigación sociológica realizada en la región norte, el método principal fue entrevistar a las familias de riesgo (familias de bajos ingresos). En la parte práctica del estudio, se realizó un análisis secundario de los datos, comparando los resultados de la investigación sociológica fundamental sobre los temas que se están analizando. Como resultado del estudio, se identificaron factores de riesgo que contribuyen a la formación de la desigualdad social, la cultura y la cosmovisión de los bajos ingresos, teniendo en cuenta los aspectos sociales y económicos de la región norte.Информационное общество, к которому мы стремились, и которое мы формировали, помимо повсеместного информационно-экономического развития влечет и социальные издержки: информационное неравенство, информационно-психологические войны, информационную депривацию, что становится причинами снижения качества и уровня жизни и стимулирует такой социальный феномен как бедность. Целью эмпирического исследования было изучение специфики бедности и управленческого потенциала, направленного на минимизацию и профилактику последствий социальных трансформаций в процессе становления общества информационного типа. Эмпирическая база исследования представлена результатами социологического исследования, проведенного в северном регионе, основным методом было интервьюирование семей риска (малообеспеченных семей). В практической части исследования был проведен вторичный анализ данных, сопоставление результатов фундаментальных социологических исследований по анализируемой проблематике. В результате исследования были выявлены факторы риска, способствующие формированию социального неравенства, культуры и мировоззрения малообеспеченности с учетом социальных и экономических аспектов северного региона

Transcription regulation of the EcoRV restriction–modification system

When a plasmid containing restriction–modification (R–M) genes enters a naïve host, unmodified host DNA can be destroyed by restriction endonuclease. Therefore, expression of R–M genes must be regulated to ensure that enough methyltransferase is produced and that host DNA is methylated before the endonuclease synthesis begins. In several R–M systems, specialized Control (C) proteins coordinate expression of the R and the M genes. C proteins bind to DNA sequences called C-boxes and activate expression of their cognate R genes and inhibit the M gene expression, however the mechanisms remain undefined. Here, we studied the regulation of gene expression in the C protein-dependent EcoRV system. We map the divergent EcoRV M and R gene promoters and we define the site of C protein-binding that is sufficient for activation of the EcoRV R transcription

The Rehydration Ability of Whey Ingredients

The purpose of this research was to studythe ability of whey protein concentrates (WPC) and whey permeate produced with ultrafiltration of cheese whey to rehydrate. The products studied were cheese whey concentrate witha PDM percentage of 80% (WPC-80), and cheese whey permeate, both produced under the conditions of the PJSC Dairy “Voronezhsky”.WPC-80 and the whey permeate dissolution processes were studied using microscopy. Water-impermeable hydrophobic layers were formed at the boundary, preventing water penetration into dry particles. The result was a higher dissolution timeforWPC-80 compared with whey permeate. When WPC-80 came into contact with water,it initially formed an obtuse wetting angle with a slow change over time. Whey permeate reached the equilibrium wetting angle more quickly. Quickreconditioning of WPC moisture content required avoiding capillary penetration of water, which created a turbulent liquid flow. The application of these ingredients in different food industry areas can reduce the costs for finished products, contribute to cost-effectiveness, increase the total production, and reduce environmental risks. Keywords: whey protein concentrate, whey permeate powder, water-wetting, dissolutio

Comparative study of quality characteristics of Kashkaval cheese from fresh and chilled curd

The influence of chilledcurd on Kashkavalcheese microbiological, functional, textural and sensorial characteristics was studied. It was found that salting the curd in a hot solution influenced to a greater degree the microflora reduction from the starter culture in Kashkaval cheese obtained fromfresh curd. In terms of species composition, Streptococcusssp. had a higher survival rate compared to Lactobacillusssp. During maturation, this trend changed and the number of Lactobacillusssp. increased, while that of Streptococcus ssp. remained constant and even slightly decreased in both studied samples. Melting and textural characteristics of the two studied cheese samples did not differ significantly at the end of the maturation process. The overall scores of the sensory profile were higher in the cheese obtained from fresh curd but no statistical differences (p>0.05) between separate sensory indices were established. The obtained results indicated that "Cagliata"can be successfully used as an alternative raw material for fresh curd in the production of Kashkaval cheese.publishedVersio