Rethinking Yugoslavia: Serbian Intellectuals and the National Question in Historical Perspective

This article examines the evolving concepts of the state among Serbian intellectuals since the nineteenth century, and then focuses on their final attempt at conceptualising a new and reformed Yugoslavia before the disintegration of the country in 1991. Three concepts of the state historically existed in Serbian national thought: a centralised Yugoslav state, a federal Yugoslav union and a ‘Greater Serbia’ acting as an alternative to South Slav unification. This article argues that the Serbian intellectuals' main platform of the 1980s, the ‘Contribution to the Public Debate on the Constitution’ of 1988, remained within the main ‘pro-Yugoslav’ tradition, but that its proposals were neither genuinely ‘centralist’ nor ‘decentralist’. Rather, they were shaped by exclusively Serbian concerns and were too incoherent to resuscitate Yugoslavia

Tales of Darkness and Light

"Soso Tham (1873–1940), the acknowledged poet laureate of the Khasis of northeastern India, was one of the first writers to give written poetic form to the rich oral tradition of his people. Poet of landscape, myth and memory, Soso Tham paid rich and poignant tribute to his tribe in his masterpiece The Old Days of the Khasis. Janet Hujon’s vibrant new translation presents the English reader with Tham’s long poem, which keeps a rich cultural tradition of the Khasi people alive through its retelling of old narratives and acts as a cultural signpost for their literary identity. This book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Indian literature and culture and in the interplay between oral traditions and written literary forms. This edition includes: • Original text • English translation • Critical apparatus • Embedded audio recordings of the original text

China’s influence on the quality of democracy in Georgia

Despite the Georgian Dream’s democratic agenda to change Saakashvili’s authoritarian regime and its success in achieving the closest-ever relations with the European Union, the democratic quality in Georgia witnessed a decrease during the six-year period between 2013 and 2019. Georgia thus failed to make a historical move and deliver a genuine democratic system. Simultaneously, China – an external actor promoting authoritarianism – emerged in the region and since 2013 substantially strengthened relations with Georgia. The current scholarship fails to systematically and theoretically explain the Chinese impact on the democratic quality in Georgia. Hence, the aim of the following case study is to fill the existing research gap and analyse how China has affected the quality of democracy in Georgia during the 2013-2019 period. The study is framed under the combined theoretical framework of the neo-Institutionalism and modified Linkage and Leverage analytical model. The dependent variable of the research is the degree of democracy and the independent variable – the degree of leverage. The study assesses the degrees of economic, political, and normative leverage to evaluate China’s impact on democracy in Georgia. Additionally, the analysis evaluates the European Union’s as well as Russian leverages to Georgia to avoid merely looking at correlation and instead to be able to demonstrate the causality between the democratic quality in Georgia and China’s leverage to Georgia. The research employs secondary statistical data collection and directed (deductive) qualitative content analysis to identify specific data and themes for the assessment of economic, political and normative leverages of China, the European Union and Russia to Georgia. The research results show that the Chinese leverage to Georgia has been low throughout the entire 2013-2019 period and has remained considerably lower than that of the European Union. The study reveals that China’s mechanisms of autocracy promotion in Georgia, i.e. socialisation and soft power, have not influenced the quality of democracy in Georgia during the period between the years 2013 and 2019. Thus, China has had no impact (or minimal) on the quality of democracy in Georgia.https://www.ester.ee/record=b5379745*es

Chemical constituency and odor of semiochemicals: Studying the chemical composition and odor of volatile organic compounds of great cat marking fluid in an effort to aid tiger and lion conservation

In conjoining the disciplines of ethology and chemistry the field of Ethochemistry has been instituted. Ethochemistry is an effective tool in conservation efforts of endangered species and the understanding of behavioral patterns across all species. Chemical constituents of scent-markings have an important, yet poorly understood function in territoriality, reproduction, dominance, and impact on evolutionary biology, especially in large mammals. Scent-markings are comprised of semiochemicals which are the key components in biota signaling. Sensory analyses of scent-markings could address knowledge gaps in ethochemistry and provide an insight into the animal‘s sensory perception. The overall objective of this research is to determine the chemical constituents of the African lion (Panthera leo) and Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) marking fluid scent-markings using simultaneous, state-of-the art chemical and sensory analyses. The specific objectives of this study were to: 1) develop a novel method for the simultaneous chemical and scent identification of lion and tiger marking fluid in its totality and 2) identify the characteristic odorants responsible for the overall scent of lion and tiger marking fluid. Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) for scent collection from mixed MF and urine and multidimensional gas-chromatography-mass spectrometry-olfactometry (mdGC-MS-O) for analyses were used. Simultaneous chemical and sensory analyses with chromatography-olfactometry hyphenation could potentially aid conservation efforts by linking perceived odor, compounds responsible for odor, and resulting behavior. To date, no study reported scent and composition of marking fluid (MF) from P. leo or P. tigris altaica. 2,5-Dimethylpyrazine, 4-methyl phenol, and 3-methylcyclopentanone were isolated and identified as the three compounds responsible for the characteristic odor of lion MF. Twenty-eight volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from lion MF were identified, adding a new list of compounds previously unidentified in lion urine. In addition, chemicals in nine new compound groups were identified: ketones, aldehydes, alcohols, amines, aromatics, sulfur containing compounds, phenyls, phenols, and acids. Eighty-nine VOCs emitted from tiger MF were identified. Additional odorants besides 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, i.e. 3-methylbutanamine, R-3-methylcyclopentanone, propanedioic acid, urea, furfural, and 3-hydroxy-butanal were also identified as contributing to the characteristic MF odor. Simultaneous chemical and sensory analyses improved characterization of scent-markings and identified new MF compounds not previously reported in other tiger species. This research will assist animal ecologists, behaviorists, zoo keepers, and conservationists in understanding how scents from specific MF compounds impact great cat communication and improve management practices related to animal behavior in captivity and in the wild. The analytical approach for simultaneous chemical and sensory analyses can be applicable to unlock scent-marking information for other species and potentially aid conservation and management. Likewise, the analytical approach for simultaneous chemical and sensory analyses can be useful to many aspects of animal production systems, such as breeding and behavior

Przygotowanie specjalistów w z akresie geografii i rekreacji na wyższych uczelniach ZSRR. Przykład Uniwersytetu Tbiliskiego

Dans l’article, on a présenté les informations générales sur la pré­ paration des spécialistes de la géographie de récréation dans les écoles supérieures de l’URSS et sur ce fond, on a désigné la manière d’enseigner les cadres spécialistes à l’Université de Tbilisi. On a joint à l’article le plan de la spécialisation "La chorographie et l’organisation des entreprises touristiques et d ’excursions" réalisé dans cette université.Specjalizację z zakresu krajoznawstwa i organizacji imprez turystyczno-wycieczkowych zorganizowano na Uniwersytecie Tbiliskim w roku 1980 w oparciu o Katedrę Geografii Ekonomicznej. Program tej specjalizacji został tu zmodyfikowany w stosunku do zalecanego przez Ministerstwo i dostosowany do miejscowej specyfiki, potrzeb i możliwości. Wprowadzono do niego m. in. przedmioty, w ra­mach których studenci poznają historię, etnografię i archeologię Gruzji, a także historię sztuki tego regionu. Dużą rolę w kształceniu specjalizacyjnym przywią­zuje się na Uniwersytecie Tbiliskim do praktyk. Do artykułu autorzy załączyli przedmiotowy program realizowany na specjalizacji "Krajoznawstwo i organizacja imprez turystyczno-wycieczkowych" na Uniwersytecie Tbiliskim.Specialization in touring and organization of tourist events was opened at The University of Tbilisi in 1980 in the Department of Economic Geography. The programme of this specialization was modified here in comparison with that recommended by the Ministry and it was adapted to specific characteristics of the region, existing needs and possibilities. There were introduced to the programme subjects such as history, ethnography and archeology of Georgia, as well as history of art in this region. A great deal of attention in this type of education is paid at The University of Tbilisi to traineeships, which students take during the third year (production traineeships), the fourth year (M.A. trainseeships), and the fifth year of their studies (traineeships in organization and piloting of tours). The article contains the teaching programme for the specialization "Touring and organization of tourist events" at The University of Tbilisi

Tales of Darkness and Light: Soso Tham's The Old Days of the Khasis

Soso Tham (1873–1940), the acknowledged poet laureate of the Khasis of northeastern India, was one of the first writers to give written poetic form to the rich oral tradition of his people. Poet of landscape, myth and memory, Soso Tham paid rich and poignant tribute to his tribe in his masterpiece The Old Days of the Khasis. Janet Hujon’s vibrant new translation presents the English reader with Tham’s long poem, which keeps a rich cultural tradition of the Khasi people alive through its retelling of old narratives and acts as a cultural signpost for their literary identity. This book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Indian literature and culture and in the interplay between oral traditions and written literary forms. This edition includes: • English translation • Critical apparatus • Embedded audio recordings of the original tex

Analysis of Odorants in Marking Fluid of Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) Using Simultaneous Sensory and Chemical Analysis with Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction and Multidimensional Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry-Olfactometry

Scent-marking is the most effective method of communication in the presence or absence of a signaler. These complex mixtures result in a multifaceted interaction triggered by the sense of smell. The objective was to identify volatile organic compound (VOC) composition and odors emitted by total marking fluid (MF) associated with Siberian tigers (Panthera tigris altaica). Siberian tiger, an endangered species, was chosen because its MF had never been analyzed. Solid phase microextraction (SPME) for headspace volatile collection combined with multidimensional gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-olfactometry for simultaneous chemical and sensory analyses were used. Thirty-two VOCs emitted from MF were identified. 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, the sole previously identified compound responsible for the “characteristic” odor of P. tigris MF, was identified along with two additional compounds confirmed with standards (urea, furfural) and four tentatively identified compounds (3-methylbutanamine, (R)-3-methylcyclopentanone, propanedioic acid, and 3-hydroxybutanal) as being responsible for the characteristic aroma of Siberian tiger MF. Simultaneous chemical and sensory analyses improved characterization of scent-markings and identified compounds not previously reported in MF of other tiger species. This research will assist animal ecologists, behaviorists, and zookeepers in understanding how scents from specific MF compounds impact tiger and wildlife communication and improve management practices related to animal behavior. Simultaneous chemical and sensory analyses is applicable to unlocking scent-marking information for other species