Compulsory reduced working time in Belarus: Incidence, operation and consequences

This article examines compulsory reduced working time (CRWT) in five Belarusian factories, to assess its impact on employment relationships and evaluate arguments about ‘Soviet legacies’ and labour ‘patience’. Local use of CRWT increased between 2001 and 2012, and took a form more inimical to worker interests, thereby differing from official macro statistics. Managers expressed discontent at being pushed by state policy to use CRWT, but used it as a disciplinary tool. Workers perceived worsening work relationships and threats of collective response were in evidence. Arguments about ‘Soviet legacies’ and labour’s ‘patience’ therefore currently appear inappropriate

Megafloods in Europe can be anticipated from observations in hydrologically similar catchments

Megafloods that far exceed previously observed records often take citizens and experts by surprise, resulting in extremely severe damage and loss of life. Existing methods based on local and regional information rarely go beyond national borders and cannot predict these floods well because of limited data on megafloods, and because flood generation processes of extremes differ from those of smaller, more frequently observed events. Here we analyse river discharge observations from over 8,000 gauging stations across Europe and show that recent megafloods could have been anticipated from those previously observed in other places in Europe. Almost all observed megafloods (95.5%) fall within the envelope values estimated from previous floods in other similar places on the continent, implying that local surprises are not surprising at the continental scale. This holds also for older events, indicating that megafloods have not changed much in time relative to their spatial variability. The underlying concept of the study is that catchments with similar flood generation processes produce similar outliers. It is thus essential to transcend national boundaries and learn from other places across the continent to avoid surprises and save lives

Ovarian development and function in follitropin receptor knockout (FORKO) mice

This dissertation examines the ovarian development and function in genetically modified mice that lack FSH receptor (FSH-R) signaling. We propose that a complete or partial loss of FSH-R causes ovarian insufficiency resulting in estrogen deficiency and premature aging in female mice.Targeted disruption of FSH-R caused a gene dose related endocrine and gametogenic abnormality in female mice. The resulting FOllitropin R&barbelow;eceptor K&barbelow;nockO&barbelow;ut (FORKO) mutants were acyclic and infertile due to ovulatory defects, even with very high levels of FSH. Lack of FSH-R signaling in females caused a severe ovarian underdevelopment, producing estrogen deficiency. As a consequence, the null mutants developed obesity and skeletal abnormalities. The expression of nuclear estrogen receptor(s) alpha and beta genes and the corresponding proteins in the ovary and uterus of FORKO mice were maintained intact, as estrogen administration induced uterine growth and decreased accumulation of the adipose tissue. By 12 months of age, 92% of FORKO animals developed ovarian neoplasms of sex cord-stromal type similar to pathology observed in women. Our results showed, for the first time, that the loss of the FSH-R signaling mechanisms predisposes the ovary to molecular and structural changes causing tumor formation.In contrast to acyclic and infertile FORKO (-/-) females, a phenotype of FORKO mice with a partial (+/-) disruption of the receptor gene exhibits irregular cyclicity and reduced fertility, undergoing early reproductive senescence. Our findings also demonstrate that the loss of a single allele of the FSH receptor gene causes a premature exhaustion of gonadal reserves accompanied by age-related changes in the hypothalamic-pituitary axis.The study concludes that the FSH receptor signaling offers a protective mechanism, which gradually weakens upon reproductive senescence (menopause in women); therefore this knockout constitutes a unique and promising animal model for studying the physiology and molecular mechanisms of gonadal receptors and hormones

Measuring Brand Equity : Methods of Evaluation and Effects on Business

The purpose of the research is to explore what brand equity is, examine different approaches to brand evaluation and study the current situation on the high tech market. The subject of the research is the value of brand as measure of efficiency of company's performance

Measuring Brand Equity : Methods of Evaluation and Effects on Business

The purpose of the research is to explore what brand equity is, examine different approaches to brand evaluation and study the current situation on the high tech market. The subject of the research is the value of brand as measure of efficiency of company's performance.The purpose of the research is to explore what brand equity is, examine different approaches to brand evaluation and study the current situation on the high tech market. The subject of the research is the value of brand as measure of efficiency of company's performance