Migration scholarship in post-Soviet Russia: between Western approaches and Eurasian geographies

This review explores Russian academic debates around migration, highlighting theoretical, empirical and policy issues which are specific to the Former Soviet Union (FSU). In global terms, FSU migration volumes are high: the Ukraine-Russia migration corridors are second only to those straddling the border between Mexico and the United States. Russia’s wealthiest regions are the primary destinations of both internal and FSU migrants. In line with global trends, the response by host countries’ populations and authorities is one of hostility informed by media-fuelled xenophobia. The chaotic and disruptive nature of post-socialist transformations has buffered the effects and lessened the perception of the multiple crises which have enveloped the European Union in the last decade. Eurasian integration and the rift with the West have produced different economic and political conjunctures, whose defining moments are the Ukrainian conflict, Western sanctions and worsening terms of trade for key exports. In Russia, migration debates have focused on FSU-specific emergencies including demographic unbalances, the repatriation of the Russian diaspora and the prospects of large scale Central Asian migration. Migration processes, their subjective understanding as well as Russian policies directed at them, have been informed by the long history of mobility across the Eurasian space. FSU migrants who make up the vast majority of Russia’s migrant population still view the latter as ‘a common house’, a transnational space open to all FSU citizens irrespective of current nationality

Social failures of EU enlargement: a case of workers voting with their feet' [Book review]

Review of "Social Failures of EU Enlargement: A Case of Workers Voting with their Feet", by Guglielmo Meardi. Routledge, London, New York, 2012

International migration and labour turnover: workers’ agency in the construction sector of Russia and Italy

This article focuses on migrant workers’ agency through exploring the relationship between working and employment conditions, on one side, and labour mobility, on the other. The study is based on qualitative research involving workers from Moldova and Ukraine working in the Russian and Italian construction sector. Fieldwork has been carried out in Russia, Italy and Moldova to investigate informal networks, recruitment mechanisms and employment conditions to establish their impact on migration processes. Overcoming methodological nationalism, this study recognises transnational spaces as the new terrain where antagonistic industrial relations are rearticulated. Labour turnover is posited as a key explanatory factor and understood not simply as the outcome of capital recruitment strategies but also as workers’ agency

Labour mobility in construction: migrant workers’ strategies between integration and turnover

The construction industry historically is characterised by high levels of labour mobility favouring the recruitment of migrant labour. In the EU migrant workers make up around 25% of overall employment in the sector and similar if not higher figures exist for the sector in Russia. The geo-political changes of the 1990s have had a substantial impact on migration flows, expanding the pool of labour recruitment within and from the post-socialist East but also changing the nature of migration. The rise of temporary employment has raised concerns about the weakness and isolation of migrant workers and the concomitant risk of abuse. Migrant workers though cannot be reduced to helpless victims of state policies and employers’ recruitment strategies. Findings of the research presented here unveil how they meet the challenges of the international labour market, the harshness of debilitating working conditions and the difficult implications for their family life choices

Implementing Recent Curricular Changes to English Language Instruction in Israel: Opinions and Concerns of Teachers in Israeli Arab Schools

In 2013, the English curriculum of the Israeli educational system underwent a significant reform, aimed to improve students' achievements in English and close the gaps between students’ achievements in Israel, and students’ achievements in other OCED countries in the subject matter. However, all indicators show that after the implementation of the new program, achievements of most Israeli students' in English, especially those of Israeli Arab students, do not meet expectations. Therefore, we interviewed 10 English teachers working in the Israeli Arabic school system, with at least 13 years seniority, in hope to find out why the new curriculum does not accomplish its goals. The findings of this study reveal that teaching English according to the new curriculum is challenged in several ways, some of which are curriculum related, others relate to the training of the teachers, and other challenges relating to the school, and the students population

Electrical conductivity measured in atomic carbon chains

The first electrical conductivity measurements of monoatomic carbon chains are reported in this study. The chains were obtained by unraveling carbon atoms from graphene ribbons while an electrical current flowed through the ribbon and, successively, through the chain. The formation of the chains was accompanied by a characteristic drop in the electrical conductivity. The conductivity of carbon chains was much lower than previously predicted for ideal chains. First-principles calculations using both density functional and many-body perturbation theory show that strain in the chains determines the conductivity in a decisive way. Indeed, carbon chains are always under varying non-zero strain that transforms its atomic structure from cumulene to polyyne configuration, thus inducing a tunable band gap. The modified electronic structure and the characteristics of the contact to the graphitic periphery explain the low conductivity of the locally constrained carbon chain.Comment: 21 pages, 9 figure

Electrical and galvanomagnetic properties of AuAl2+6%Cu intermetallic compounds at low temperatures

The AuAl2 intermetallic compounds are of substantial interest in view of their application potential. The investigated intermetallics AuAl 2+6%Cu were prepared from fine powders of AuAl2 and Cu by vacuum sputtering on a glass substrate and consisted of films with a thickness of about one micrometer. The films were annealed. The temperature and field dependence of the electroresistivity, the magnetoresistivity and the Hall effect of AuAl2+6%Cu films were measured in the temperature interval from 4.2 to 100 K and at magnetic fields of up to 15 T. We demonstrate that the temperature dependence of the electroresistivity has a minimum at T = 20 K and a metallic behavior above this temperature. The magnetoresistivity is very small (less then 1%), positive at low temperatures and negative above 12 K. The Hall coefficient is positive, which corresponds to the holes in a one zone model with a charge carrier concentration of about 1.6 1020 cm-3. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd

Synthetic Data Generation and Defense in Depth Measurement of Web Applications

Measuring security controls across multiple layers of defense requires realistic data sets and repeatable experiments. However, data sets that are collected from real users often cannot be freely exchanged due to privacy and regulatory concerns. Synthetic datasets, which can be shared, have in the past had critical flaws or at best been one time collections of data focusing on a single layer or type of data. We present a framework for generating synthetic datasets with normal and attack data for web applications across multiple layers simultaneously. The framework is modular and designed for data to be easily recreated in order to vary parameters and allow for inline testing. We build a prototype data generator using the framework to generate nine datasets with data logged on four layers: network, file accesses, system calls, and database simultaneously. We then test nineteen security controls spanning all four layers to determine their sensitivity to dataset changes, compare performance even across layers, compare synthetic data to real production data, and calculate combined defense in depth performance of sets of controls

Proteomic analysis of plasma exosomes from cystic echinococcosis patients provides in vivo support for distinct immune response profiles in active vs inactive infection and suggests potential biomarkers

The reference diagnostic method of human abdominal Cystic Echinococcosis (CE) is imaging, particularly ultrasound, supported by serology when imaging is inconclusive. However, current diagnostic tools are neither optimal nor widely available. The availability of a test detecting circulating biomarkers would considerably improve CE diagnosis and cyst staging (active vs inactive), as well as treatments and follow-up of patients. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles involved in intercellular communication, including immune system responses, and are a recognized source of biomarkers. With the aim of identifying potential biomarkers, plasma pools from patients infected by active or inactive CE, as well as from control subjects, were processed to isolate exosomes for proteomic label-free quantitative analysis. Results were statistically processed and subjected to bioinformatics analysis to define distinct features associated with parasite viability. First, a few parasite proteins were identified that were specifically associated with either active or inactive CE, which represent potential biomarkers to be validated in further studies. Second, numerous identified proteins of human origin were common to active and inactive CE, confirming an overlap of several immune response pathways. However, a subset of human proteins specific to either active or inactive CE, and central in the respective protein-protein interaction networks, were identified. These include the Src family kinases Src and Lyn, and the immune-suppressive cytokine TGF-β in active CE, and Cdc42 in inactive CE. The Src and Lyn Kinases were confirmed as potential markers of active CE in totally independent plasma pools. In addition, insights were obtained on immune response profiles: largely consistent with previous evidence, our observations hint to a Th1/Th2/regulatory immune environment in patients with active CE and a Th1/inflammatory environment with a component of the wound healing response in the presence of inactive CE. Of note, our results were obtained for the first time from the analysis of samples obtained in vivo from a well-characterized, large cohort of human subjects

The efficacy of angiotensin–I receptor blocker Valsartan in patients with cronic obstructive lung disease

Department of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Chiril Draganiuc Institute of Phthysiopulmonology, Department of Functional Diagnostic, Republican Diagnostic Medical Center, Chisinau, the Republic of MoldovaBackground: The purpose of this study was the clinical, functional and instrumental evaluation of efficacy and safety of angiotensin-I receptor blocker Valsartan in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Material and methods: There were investigated 25 patients (mean age 50.5 ± 4.34 years) with moderate to severe forms of obstructive lung disease – initial and after 5 weeks of treatment with angiotensin – I receptor blocker Valsartan (Nortivan, ,,Gedeon Richter’’, Hungary), mean dose 54.5 ± 15.4 mg once-daily, using standard ECG, EchoCG with Doppler, bodyplethysmography, ultrasound Doppler (for endothelial function estimation), pulmonary diffusion capacity for CO, cycloergometry - initial and after short – term treatment with Nortivan. Results: There were not detected any negative changes on bronchial permeability after the treatment. Significant improvement of endothelial function, pulmonary diffusion capacity, parallel with considerable decreasing of pulmonary artery systolic and mean pressure and total bronchial resistance – were observed after 5 weeks of treatment. Conclusions: Nortivan is well-tolerated and highly effective in patients with moderate to severe forms of obstructive lung disease