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From a historical point ofview, it can be argued that the cultivated arrangement ofthe relationship between man and woman, the support ofthe institution ofmarriage, and therefore families, have always been one ofthe important requirements ofindividual cultures and religions. There is also a close connection between the state ofsociety (and the dominant requirements in it) and the form ofpersonal and family life. In the Western cultural space with the decisive ecclesiastical discourse, the view ofmarriage and the family was not spared from one-sidedness and problematic practice. The current magisterium ofthe Catholic Church remains critical ofsome contemporary trends and phenomena, including the questioning ofthe very institution ofmarriage and the family. At the same time, it remains open to new challenges in this field.The article aims to critically reflect on some issues related to the current situation ofmarriage and the family, especially the individual and social ethical context ofmarried and family life in contemporary Western culture.Using a reflection ofthe findings ofselected authors, especially ofsociologists (Lipovetsky, Beck), the article demonstrates the reality ofproblematic "points" ofthe present time (marked by magisterial texts by Pope Francis) and their connection to married and family life. It thus verifies the thesis that the preconditions for marriage and the family are currently weakened in the Western area. This state ofaffairs include even the institutions that want to invoke the necessary personal and social responses to the problematic situation. Although the study does not capture the full range ofissues and problems currently associated with marriage and the family, it does demonstrate that marital and family relationships in contemporary Western culture are conditioned by a number offactors. Those cannot be fully influenced by the individuals directly affected. The study points to the crucial role ofpolitics, including its responsibility and to the exclusive role ofthe Church. The Church can, in many respects, increase respect for the institutions and bring a concrete help to the people.The result ofthe study is an emphasis on the fact that, in the current situation, it is not easy for individuals or families to maintain their own integrative values. It is not easy to withstand the pressures from the outside, to not succumb to the vision ofsuccess offered by the majority society. It is also problematic that the focus ofpolitics is not predominantly on the family but, above all, on the immediate interests ofthe individual. Politics is irresponsibly undercutting itself in order to get into favor ofindividuals.The conclusion ofthe study confirms the validity ofthe magisterial belief that the prosperity ofthe family is crucial for the future ofthe world and the Church. Marriage and the family are natural communities that correspond to a person's anthropological setting. They allow him or her to find his or her own identity. They are a guarantee ofthe humanization ofthe person and society, a protection against deformations ofthe individualistic or collectivist type.

Yanjiao Shen,1,* Yuting Wang,2,* Qingyang Shi,1 Lisha Hou,3 Xiaoyan Chen,4 Birong Dong,3 Qiukui Hao3,5 1Department of Guideline and Rapid Recommendation, Cochrane China Centre, MAGIC China Centre, Chinese Evidence-Based Medicine Centre, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada; 3The Center of Gerontology and Geriatrics/National Clinical Research Center of Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China; 4Zigong Mental Health Center, Zigong, Sichuan, People's Republic of China; 5School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Qiukui HaoThe Center of Gerontology and Geriatrics/National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, #37 Guoxue Lane, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86-28-85422321Email haoqiukui@gmail.comIntroduction: To assess whether the electronic frailty index (eFI) is independently associated with all-cause mortality and chemotherapy adverse reactions among older Chinese patients with lung cancer.Methods: This is a retrospective, single-institution, chart review, and not a prospective cohort study. All patients ≥ 60 years with primary lung cancer in the West China Hospital from 2010 to 2017 were included in this cohort. The eFI was established using 35 frailty-related variables in the electronic medical record (EMR) system and was cut by a value of 0.2 to classify the patients into frail (eFI ≥ 0.2) and robust/non-frail groups (eFI< 0.2). The long-term outcome was all-cause mortality identified by government databases and telephone interviews. Short-term outcomes were any infection, bone suppression, chemotherapy discontinuation, impaired liver function, any gastrointestinal reactions and length of hospitalization. An inverse probability weighting method was used to eliminate the potential confounders. An adjusted Kaplan–Meier estimator and a weighted Cox model were used to calculate the survival and hazard ratio. A weighted logistic model was used to calculate the odds of short-term outcomes.Results: A total of 997 patients were included in this study with a median follow-up of 34 months. Compared with non-frail patients, frail patients had an increased risk of mortality and shortened overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] of mortality, 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05 to 1.60; adjusted restricted mean survival time [aRMST] difference, − 5.68 months; 95% CI, − 10.15 to − 1.21 months). For short-term outcomes, frail patients had increased odds of infection compared to non-frail patients (odds ratio, 1.83; 95% CI, 1.09 to 3.06). No other outcome showed a significant result.Conclusion: This study of older Chinese patients with primary lung cancer suggests that eFI-based frail patients had worse prognoses with increased risk of all-cause mortality and shortened survival times.Keywords: electronic frailty index, all-cause mortality, lung cancer

This paper provides a chronology and overview of events and policy initiatives aimed at addressing irrigation sustainability issues in the San Joaquin River Basin (SJRB) of California. Although the SJRB was selected in this case study, many of the same resource management issues are being played out in arid, agricultural regions around the world. The first part of this paper provides an introduction to some of the early issues impacting the expansion of irrigated agriculture primarily on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and the policy and capital investments that were used to address salinity impairments to the use of the San Joaquin River (SJR) as an irrigation water supply. Irrigated agriculture requires large quantities of water if it is to be sustained, as well as supply water of adequate quality for the crop being grown. The second part of the paper addresses these supply issues and a period of excessive groundwater pumping that resulted in widespread land subsidence. A joint federal and state policy response that resulted in the facilities to import Delta water provided a remedy that lasted almost 50 years until the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 was passed in the legislature to address a recurrence of the same issue. The paper describes the current state of basin-scale simulation modeling that many areas, including California, are using to craft a future sustainable groundwater resource management policy. The third section of the paper deals with unique water quality issues that arose in connection with the selenium crisis at Kesterson Reservoir and the significant threats to irrigation sustainability on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley that followed. The eventual policy response to this crisis was incremental, spanning two decades of University of California-led research programs focused on finding permanent solutions to the salt and selenium contamination problems constraining irrigated agriculture, primarily on the west side. Arid-zone agricultural drainageinduced water quality problems are becoming more ubiquitous worldwide. One policy approach that found traction in California is an innovative variant on the traditional Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) approach to salinity regulation, which has features in common with a scheme in Australia's Hunter River Basin. The paper describes the real-time salinity management (RTSM) concept, which is geared to improving coordination of west side agricultural and wetland exports of salt load with east side tributary reservoir release flows to improve compliance with river salinity objectives. RTSM is a concept that requires access to continuous flow and electrical conductivity data from sensor networks located along the San Joaquin River and its major tributaries and a simulation model-based decision support designed to make salt load assimilative capacity forecasts. Web-based information dissemination and data sharing innovations are described with an emphasis on experience with stakeholder engagement and participation. The last decade has seen wide-scale, global deployment of similar technologies for enhancing irrigation agriculture productivity and protecting environmental resources.

Yanqiu Wu,1,2 Jiangyue Qin,1,2 Junyun He,3 Yongchun Shen,1,2 Hao Wang,1,2 Yanping Li,4 Qianglin Zeng,5 Jiajia Dong,1,2 Yunfei An,6 Shuguang Xiong,7 Mei Feng,2 Fuqiang Wen1,2 1Division of Pulmonary Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of China, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China; 3Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Hospital of Chengdu Office of People's Government of Tibetan Autonomous Region, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China; 4Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Third People's Hospital of Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China; 5Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China; 6Department of Laboratory Medicine, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China; 7Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 416 Hospital of Nuclear Industry, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Fuqiang WenDivision of Pulmonary Diseases, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy of China, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of ChinaTel +86-28-8542 2350Email wenfuqiang@scu.edu.cnBackgrounds and Aims: It is well known that angiogenesis contributes to the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by initiating the remodeling of bronchial vasculature. However, the specific molecular mechanisms are incompletely understood. This research aimed to explore whether endostatin, a member of endogenous antiangiogenic proteins, is a biomarker in COPD and plays a role in the angiogenesis of COPD.Methods: 100 stable COPD patients, 130 patients with acute exacerbation (AECOPD) and 68 healthy volunteers were recruited in this research. Lung function test was conducted in the healthy people and stable COPD patients. Serum endostatin, C-reactive protein (CRP) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) of all the subjects were measured by Human Magnetic Luminex Screening Assay.Results: Serum endostatin level was significantly higher in stable COPD compared with healthy control and even more in AECOPD patients (P< 0.001). Besides, stable COPD patients with frequent exacerbation (≥ 2 exacerbations per year) in the last 1 year had a higher concentration of endostatin in the circulation compared to the patients with less exacerbation (P=0.037). Furthermore, circulatory endostatin was negatively associated with forced expiratory volume in 1 s % predicted (FEV1%pre), an index of lung function in the stable COPD group (P=0.009). Finally, endostatin was positively correlated to serum CRP in COPD group (including stable and AECOPD) (P=0.005) and all the subjects (P< 0.001), but only associated with VEGF in the total participants (P=0.002), not in the COPD group.Conclusion: These results suggested that endostatin is a biomarker for COPD and associated with lower lung function, exacerbation, and systemic inflammation. Endostatin potentially contributes to the pathogenesis of COPD.Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, endostatin, lung function, angiogenesis, inflammation

This paper provides a chronology and overview of events and policy initiatives aimed at addressing irrigation sustainability issues in the San Joaquin River Basin (SJRB) of California. Although the SJRB was selected in this case study, many of the same resource management issues are being played out in arid, agricultural regions around the world. The first part of this paper provides an introduction to some of the early issues impacting the expansion of irrigated agriculture primarily on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley and the policy and capital investments that were used to address salinity impairments to the use of the San Joaquin River (SJR) as an irrigation water supply. Irrigated agriculture requires large quantities of water if it is to be sustained, as well as supply water of adequate quality for the crop being grown. The second part of the paper addresses these supply issues and a period of excessive groundwater pumping that resulted in widespread land subsidence. A joint federal and state policy response that resulted in the facilities to import Delta water provided a remedy that lasted almost 50 years until the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 was passed in the legislature to address a recurrence of the same issue. The paper describes the current state of basin-scale simulation modeling that many areas, including California, are using to craft a future sustainable groundwater resource management policy. The third section of the paper deals with unique water quality issues that arose in connection with the selenium crisis at Kesterson Reservoir and the significant threats to irrigation sustainability on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley that followed. The eventual policy response to this crisis was incremental, spanning two decades of University of California-led research programs focused on finding permanent solutions to the salt and selenium contamination problems constraining irrigated agriculture, primarily on the west side. Arid-zone agricultural drainage-induced water quality problems are becoming more ubiquitous worldwide. One policy approach that found traction in California is an innovative variant on the traditional Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) approach to salinity regulation, which has features in common with a scheme in Australia&rsquo ; s Hunter River Basin. The paper describes the real-time salinity management (RTSM) concept, which is geared to improving coordination of west side agricultural and wetland exports of salt load with east side tributary reservoir release flows to improve compliance with river salinity objectives. RTSM is a concept that requires access to continuous flow and electrical conductivity data from sensor networks located along the San Joaquin River and its major tributaries and a simulation model-based decision support designed to make salt load assimilative capacity forecasts. Web-based information dissemination and data sharing innovations are described with an emphasis on experience with stakeholder engagement and participation. The last decade has seen wide-scale, global deployment of similar technologies for enhancing irrigation agriculture productivity and protecting environmental resources.

Following the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. Azerbaijan gained an opportunity to shape its energy policy based on its own national interests. In the several years after attaining independence, Azerbaijan's energy policy was heavily influenced by in­ternal events related to the power struggle within the Azerbaijani elite. This impeded the expansion of Azerbaijan's cooperation with Western oil and gas companies, which expressed an increased interest in this Caspian state's petroleum resources. Internal political struggles did not affect the country's energy policy priorities. The latter involved, first and foremost, the choice of strategic partners for cooperation that would allow Azerbaijan to expect an increase in oil and gas production. The choice was made in favor of foreign petroleum companies and strengthening relations with Western states. Their support played a key role in further development of petroleum fields and the choice of routes for oil export. Between 1991 and 2017, Azerbaijan's energy policy went through several stages. In the early 1990s, Azerbaijan focused on oil production, engaging Western petroleum companies, whose interest was sparked by evidence of considerable petroleum reserves, in field development. Azerbaijan possessed well-developed infrastructure and experienced personnel, and had longstanding oil production traditions that arose in the 19th century, when Baku was the world capital of oil production. The key goal of Azerbaijan's energy policy was not merely to increase Caspian oil field production volumes, but also to construct new pipelines that would ensure the delivery of Azerbaijani oil to export markets. Azerbaijan managed to achieve substantial progress in this area, having built new pipelines for exporting oil with the assistance of the petroleum business community and Western countries. In addition, the surge in oil production volumes allowed Azerbaijan to stabilize the political situation and resolve social and economic issues that emerged following the disintegration of the Soviet Union due to the disruption of trade and economic bonds with ex- Soviet republics. In the early 21st century, Azerbaijan's energy policy underwent a major transformation. Having begun its development as an oil state, Azerbaijan has consequently focused on developing gas fields that were discovered in the course of oil field development. Proven gas reserves and gas production volumes allowed Baku to plan an increase of exports to outside markets. In recent years, Azerbaijan has been pursuing an energy policy that aims to secure its role as a petroleum resource exporter to European countries. The expansion of cooperation with Turkey is contributing to the resolution of this issue. Cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkey allowed to begin the implementation of new gas pipeline projects, the construction of which will increase the volume of Azerbaijan natural gas deliveries to outside markets. Azerbaijan's energy policy is in keeping with EU interests, which regards Caspian energy resources as an alternative to Russian gas export. © 2017, CA and CC Press AB. All rights reserved.

Publisher's version (útgefin grein) ; Importance: Diet may play a role in testicular function, but data on how adherence to different diet patterns influences human testicular function are scarce. Objective: To determine whether adherence to specific dietary patterns is associated with testicular function in young men. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional study included 2935 young Danish men unselected regarding fertility status who were enrolled from April 1, 2008, through May 31, 2017. Data were analyzed from July 1, 2017, to January 30, 2019. Exposures: Dietary patterns identified with principal component analysis based on responses to a validated food frequency questionnaire. Main Outcomes and Measures: Standard semen quality assessment; serum concentrations of testosterone, free testosterone, estradiol, inhibin B, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and sex hormone-binding globulin; and testicular volume measured with ultrasonography. Results: Among the 2935 participants included in the analysis, median age was 19 (interquartile range, 19-20) years and 2290 (78.0%) had normal body mass index. The 4 dietary patterns identified included Western, prudent, open-sandwich (a traditional Danish eating pattern), and vegetarianlike. The greatest adherence to the prudent pattern was associated with the highest total sperm count (median, 167 [95% CI, 146-183] million), followed by adherence to vegetarianlike (median, 151 [95% CI, 134-168] million) and open-sandwich (median, 146 [95% CI, 131-163] million) patterns. Adherence to the Western pattern was associated with the lowest total sperm count (median, 122 [95% CI, 109-138] million), which was significantly lower than sperm count in the other 3 diet patterns. After adjusting for confounders, the median total sperm count for men in the highest quintile of adherence to the Western pattern was 26 million lower (95% CI, -42 to -9 million) than for men in the lowest quintile of adherence to this pattern. Conversely, the median total sperm count of men in the highest quintile of adherence to the prudent pattern was 43 million (95% CI, 23-63 million) higher than that of men in the lowest quintile. Men with the highest adherence to the Western pattern had a lower median ratio of inhibin B to follicle-stimulating hormone (-12 [95% CI, -20 to -3]) and higher median ratio of free testosterone to luteinizing hormone (10 [95% CI, 2-19]) compared with men with lowest adherence to this pattern. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional study, adherence to generally healthy diet patterns was associated with better semen quality, with potentially more favorable fertility potential among adult men. ; This work was supported by project 2101-08-0058 from the Danish Council for Strategic Research, Program Commission on Health, Food and Welfare, grant 8020-00218B from the Independent Research Fund Denmark, grant 212844 from the European Union, DEER, the Danish Ministry of Health, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, grant 95-103-72087 from the Kirsten and Freddy Johansen Foundation, and grant P30DK046200 from the National Institutes of Health. ; Peer Reviewed

The continental slope and rise seaward of the Totten Glacier and the Sabrina Coast, East Antarctica features continental margin depositional systems with high sediment input and consistent along-slope current activity. Understanding their genesis is a necessary step in interpreting the paleoenvironmental records they contain. Geomorphic mapping using a systematic multibeam survey shows variations in the roles of downslope and along slope sediment transport influenced by broad-scale topography and oceanography. The study area contains two areas with distinct geomorphology. Canyons in the eastern part of the area have concave thalwegs, are linked to the shelf edge and upper slope and show signs of erosion and deposition along their beds suggesting cycles of activity controlled by climate cycles. Ridges between these canyons are asymmetric with crests close to the west bank of adjacent canyons and are mostly formed by westward advection of fine sediment lofted from turbidity currents and deposition of hemipelagic sediment. They can be thought of as giant levee deposits. The ridges in the western part of the area have more gently sloping eastern flanks and rise to shallower depths than those in the east. The major canyon in the western part of the area is unusual in having a convex thalweg; it is likely fed predominantly by mass movement from the flanks of the adjacent ridges with less sediment input from the shelf edge. The western ridges formed by accretion of suspended sediment moving along the margin as a broad plume in response to local oceanography supplemented with detritus originating from the Totten Glacier. This contrasts with interpretations of similar ridges described from other parts of Antarctica which emphasise sediment input from canyons immediately up-current. The overall geomorphology of the Sabrina Coast slope is part of a continuum of mixed contourite-turbidite systems identified on glaciated margins ; We thank the Marine National Facility, the IN2017-V01 scientific party-led by the Chief Scientists L.K. Armand and P. E. O'Brien, MNF support staff and ASP crew members led by Capt. M. Watson for their help and support on board the RV Investigator . We thank laboratory staff from Geoscience Australia for sediment grainsize analysis, particularly Ian Long, Christian Thun, Aziah Williamson and Simon Webber. This Project is supported through funding from the Australian Government's Australian Antarctic Science Grant Program ( AAS #4333 ) and by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council ( DP170100557 ). Seismic data acquisition and processing was supported by the Italian Programma Nazionale di Richerch in Antartide (PNRA) under the TYTAN Project . A. López-Quirós and D. Evangelinos acknowledge funding provided by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grants CTM2014-60451-C2-1-P and CTM2017-89711-C2-1-P ). A. Post publishes with the permission of the CEO, Geoscience Australia, under Creative Commons. We also thank the anonymous reviewers for their comments. ; Peer reviewed

After the collapse of the USSR Ukraine and Georgia began to develop their interstate relations actively. This development was facilitated by the political processes in each of the states, as well as the foreign policy pursued by Kiev and Tbilisi. Initially, countries focused on expanding interaction with Western countries, which were considered to be potential partners. Ukraine and Georgia were eager to develop the relations with the EU and NATO. In turn, European countries and the United States paid increased attention to Ukraine and Georgia.The alignment of forces in each of the states contributed to the rapprochement of Kiev and Tbilisi. The political forces of both countries pursued a course of distancing from Russia and rapprochement with Western countries. As a result, Ukrainian-Georgian relations relied on similar political positions, which allowed countries to expand cooperation on a bilateral basis and within the framework of multilateral cooperation mechanisms.In recent years Ukrainian-Georgian relations have been developing dynamically. Two states are pursuing a policy of joining NATO, expanding cooperation with the EU. Ukraine is interested in deepening cooperation with Tbilisi due to strained relations with Russia. In addition, Ukraine seeks to use the Western sanctions policy towards Russia to solve domestic political and socio-economic problems. Whereas, Western countries are interested in strengthening the Ukrainian-Georgian tandem hoping to use it in promotion of their interests in the post-Soviet space and in implementing policies towards Russia.This article explores the prospects for the development of interstate Ukrainian-Georgian relations, which will reflect the political processes in the post-Soviet countries. ; После распада СССР Украина и Грузия стали активно развивать межгосударственные отношения. Этому способствовали политические процессы в каждом из государств, а также внешнеполитический курс, который проводили Киев и Тбилиси. Изначально страны ориентировались на расширение взаимодействия с западными странами, которые рассматривались в качестве потенциальных партнеров. Украина и Грузия стремились развивать отношения с ЕС и НАТО. В свою очередь, европейские страны и США уделяли Украине и Грузии повышенное внимание.Сближению Киева и Тбилиси способствовала расстановка сил в каждом из государств. В двух странах у власти находились политические силы, которые проводили курс на дистанцирование от России и сближение с западными странами. В результате, украинско-грузинские отношения опирались на схожие политические позиции, которые позволили странами расширить взаимодействие на двусторонней основе и в рамках многосторонних механизмов сотрудничества.В последние годы украинско-грузинские отношения развиваются динамично. Два государства проводят курс на вступление в НАТО, расширение сотрудничества с ЕС. Украина заинтересована в углублении взаимодействия с Тбилиси из-за обострения отношений с Россией. Кроме этого, Украина стремится использовать санкционную политику Запада в отношении России для решения внутриполитических и социально-экономических проблем. В свою очередь, западные страны заинтересованы в укреплении украинско-грузинского тандема, рассчитывая использовать его в продвижении своих интересов на постсоветском пространстве и реализации политики в отношении России. Развитие межгосударственных украинско-грузинских отношений будет сказываться на политических процессах в странах постсоветского пространства.

Workplace bullying has gained more attention in many Western countries and in some Asian countries than in Laos. It is a serious workplace health and safety issue for both individuals and organisations. In order to understand workplace bullying experienced by individuals, it is important to put bullying in a gendered context. This will help people better understand the perceptions and coping tactics of individuals who have experienced workplace bullying. Where existing studies consider gender, they mainly focus on statistical differences in patterns of bullying experienced between women and men and only a few discuss the gendered processes of workplace bullying. This is an exploratory study addressing gender and workplace bullying in a distinctive non-Western context, taking specific cultural factors into account. This thesis studies the perceptions of ten Laotian women, including myself, of bullying in their current and previous workplaces. These include NGOs, private and public organisations. In this national context, the concept of workplace bullying is not well recognised and understood, and gendered and workplace bullying has not been studied at all. The topic is seen as an extremely sensitive one. Snowball sampling techniques were used to recruit participants. Selected key concepts of workplace bullying from Western-based studies were adapted in order to identify and explore bullying in the Laotian context. In addition, a qualitative epistemology, in which social constructionism and interpretivism were employed, was used to understand and interpret the forms of workplace bullying as experienced by the Laotian women in the study. Semi-structured interviews were developed to help identify experiences of bullying in relation to gender and culture. The analysis of gender and workplace bullying is based on gendered organisation theory and social dominance theory. The findings indicate a number of risk factors that I have identified associated with workplace bullying in Laos. These include gender and culture factors such as marital status, power distance, ethnocentrism, Westerner privilege and religion. These risk factors give more context to the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) framework when understanding and interpreting the nature of workplace bullying. Importantly, gender and culture have a strong relationship and cannot be separated from each other when understanding workplace bullying. Various forms of workplace bullying appear to be different from that found in many Western studies and are based on the risk factors. Remedies are also different because of the lack of support systems available, and the fact that participants often have to cope with the bullying by themselves. I hope that my findings can inform the Lao government to pay more attention in developing policies to address and prevent the phenomenon of workplace bullying in Lao organisations, and also can educate women's organisations about the nature of this problem so that they can find effective ways to better address and prevent the problems associate with workplace bullying.

The Indian education system is undergoing a significant pedagogical transition from a traditional teacher-centred to student-centred approach to teaching and learning. The Indian government expects these educational changes to occur in teaching and learning development in Andhra Pradesh polytechnic colleges and in its technical education system. However, research indicates that there is an ongoing ambiguity in regard to the teaching and learning approaches adopted in Andhra Pradesh polytechnic colleges and in tertiary institutions. This seems to suggest that the introduction of Western concepts such as student-centred learning models brought about tension and conflict among Indian teachers and students. Moreover, previous Andhrapradesh studies revealed that different cultures have different norms and values, and these cultural differences have a strong influence on educational practices. Therefore, there is a need to examine and develop appropriate pedagogies for the specific educational traditions, rather than assuming that Western ideas are effective and desirable in every context. Thus, the purposes of this study are to explore: (1) Andhra Pradesh polytechnic teachers understanding about teaching, (2) Andhra Pradesh polytechnic students' understanding about learning, and (3) the relationships between teacher and students' perceptions of teaching/learning and their actual teaching/learning practices. This research was conducted in Andhra Pradesh teacher education programme. It employed a case study using a qualitative approach with the adoption of several research methods: Individual interviews; focus group interviews; classroom observations; stimulated recall interviews; and document analysis. Involved in this study, were a total of twenty nine teachers from differing backgrounds of teaching experience, and 59 final year students. The major findings of the study are that: (1) In Andhra Pradesh teacher participants and the student participants had adopted a combination of traditional teacher-centred and student-centred learning approaches because of the benefits that both approaches could offer to them, (2) The Andhra Pradesh teacher participants' understanding of teaching and the student participants' understanding of learning were a reflection of their educational beliefs , (3) The actual teaching/learning practices of the Andhrapradesh teachers and the student participants have been considerably influenced by their beliefs, (4) Several education philosophies are compatible with student-centred learning (Western learning models). (5) The learning perspectives of Indian students are influenced by their religion beliefs, thus differentiating them from other Asian learners (who have been found to exhibit Confucian values in the educational research literature). The findings of my research into Indian teachers and students result in understanding teaching/learning from a rural college's viewpoint, distinguishing rural teaching and learning from an urban college's environment. The research generates possible significant insight for other countries in the development of language learning strategies. The findings of this study suggest that the Andhra government and its policy makers should be more aware of the appropriateness or otherwise of the Western models for Andhra Pradesh education systems.

Neoliberalism became a mainstream concept in the field of international political economy for more than forty years. Starting from the 1970s, Western countries and later the rest of the world started to question the role of the state in the market. As a result, under the new ideas of neoliberalism, governments transformed from providers of public welfare into promoters of the free market and competition among individuals. Under neoliberalism, we are living in the world of free market and liberalization of trade and capital. Neoliberalism is associated with the Western countries and their ideology of democracy and freedom. Thus, the economic model of China that has experienced a spectacular growth after the 1990s was considered by a number of scholars as a more egalitarian and humane alternative to the Anglo-Saxon model of capitalism. The aim of the thesis is to analyze Chinese development path and compare it with the development path of the neoliberal model peculiar to the Western countries. The main hypothesis of the thesis is that the economic model implemented in China cannot be considered as an alternative to neoliberalism. The Chinese government implemented a number of neoliberal principles and ideas in order to achieve economic development and become part of the international economy. Thus, China did not create an alternative development model to Western neoliberalism. The main argument of this thesis is that Chinese development strategy should be understood as "neoliberalism with Chinese characteristics". Keywords: Neoliberalism, Washington Consensus, China, Beijing Consensus, Globalization ; ÖZ: Neoliberalizm, kırk yıldan fazla bir süredir uluslararası politik ekonomi alanında temel kavram haline geldi. 1970'lerden başlayarak, Batılı ülkeler ve dünyanın geri kalanı devletin piyasadaki rolünü sorgulamaya başladı. Sonuç olarak, neoliberalizmin yeni fikirleri çerçevesinde devletler kamu refahının sağlayıcısı kurumlardan serbest piyasayı ve bireyler arasında rekabeti destekleyen kurumlara dönüşmüştür. Neoliberalizm altında serbest piyasa ve ticaretin ve sermayenin serbestleştiği bir dünyada yaşıyoruz. Neoliberalizm, Batı ülkeleriyle ve onların demokrasi ve özgürlük ideolojileriyle bağlantılandırılmıştır. Bu nedenle 1990lardan sonra muazzam bir büyüme yakalayan Çin Halk Cumhuriyeti'nin uyguladığı ekonomik model, muhtelif araştırmacılar tarafından Anglo-Saxon kapitalizm modeline daha eşitlikçi ve insani bir alternatif olarak görülmüştür. Bu tezin amacı, Çin'in izlediği kalkınma rotasını Batı ülkelerine özgü neoliberal kalkınma rotasıyla karşılaştırmaktır. Tezin temel hipotezi, Çin'de uygulanan ekonomik modelin neoliberalizme bir alternatif olarak görülemeyeceğidir. Çin hükümeti, ekonomik kalkınmayı sağlamak ve uluslararası ekonominin bir parçası olmak için muhtelif neoliberal prensipler ve fikirler uygulamıştır. Dolayısıyla, Çin, Batı neoliberalizmine alternatif bir gelişme modeli oluşturmadı. Bu tezin temel argümanı, Çin'deki kalkınma stratejisinin "Çin'e ait özelliklerle belirlenen bir neoliberalizm" olarak anlaşılması gerektiğidir. Anahtar Kelimeler: Neoliberalizm, Washington Konsensüsü, Çin, Pekin Konsensüsü, Küreselleşme ; Master of Arts in International Relations. Thesis (M.A.)--Eastern Mediterranean University, Faculty of Business and Economics, Dept. of International Relations, 2019. Supervisor: Assist. Prof. Dr. Umut Bozkurt.

Frente à experiência histórica do Ocidente, na qual o ciclo de hegemonia, competição, guerra e nova hegemonia tem se repetido desde que o Tratado de Vestfália, em 1648, criou o atual sistema de estados-nação independentes, a ascensão recente da China à condição de grande potência e o concomitante declínio do "soft power" e do "hard power" dos Estados Unidos tem levado muitos a prever um inevitável confronto entre os dois países na disputa pela hegemonia mundial. Mesmo nos Estados Unidos, a preocupação de que a China possa vir a tomar seu lugar como potência hegemônica global tem gerado reações fortes, com a China sendo apresentada para a opinião pública como o inimigo a ser contido e derrotado. Os chineses, por seu turno, alegam que a lógica poder-hegemonia está baseada na experiência histórica dos países ocidentais e que a mesma não se aplica ao caso da China. Afirmam que não é da natureza da China buscar a hegemonia, que a China pode alcançar o desenvolvimento sem buscar a hegemonia e que a busca da hegemonia seria um convite para sua própria destruição. Para os chineses, o atual sistema de governança global pelo Ocidente está em desacordo com o atual balanço de poder mundial e, por isso, advogam um novo modelo de governança compartilhada entre o Ocidente e o Oriente.

Abstract: In the face of Western historical experience in which the cycle of hegemony, competition, war and new hegemony has been repeated since the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 created the present system of independent nation-states, China's recent rise to the condition of great power and the concomitant decline of soft power and hard power in the United States has led many to foresee an inevitable confrontation between the two countries in the struggle for world hegemony. Even in the United States, concern that China may take its place as a global hegemonic power has generated strong reactions, with China being presented to public opinion as the enemy to be restrained and defeated. The Chinese, for their part, claim that the logic of power-hegemony is based on the historical experience of Western countries and that it does not apply to the case of China. They assert that it is not China's nature to seek hegemony, that China can achieve development without seeking hegemony and that the pursuit of hegemony would be an invitation to its own destruction. For the Chinese, the current system of global governance by the West is at odds with the current balance of world power and therefore advocate a new model of shared governance between the West and the East.
Key-words: China, United States, Hegemony.


Recebido em: Agosto/2018.
Aprovado em: Outubro/2018.

Background Following the economic crisis in Greece in 2010, the country's ongoing austerity measures include a substantial contraction of health-care expenditure, with reports of subsequent negative health consequences. A comprehensive evaluation of mortality and morbidity is required to understand the current challenges of public health in Greece. Methods We used the results of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 to describe the patterns of death and disability among those living in Greece from 2000 to 2010 (pre-austerity) and 2010 to 2016 (post-austerity), and compared trends in health outcomes and health expenditure to those in Cyprus and western Europe. We estimated all-cause mortality from vital registration data, and we calculated cause-specific deaths and years of life lost. Age-standardised mortality rates were compared using the annualised rate of change (ARC). Mortality risk factors were assessed using a comparative risk assessment framework for 84 risk factors and clusters to calculative summary exposure values and population attributable fraction statistics. We assessed the association between trends in total, government, out-of-pocket, and prepaid public health expenditure and all-cause mortality with a segmented correlation analysis. Findings All-age mortality in Greece increased from 944·5 (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 923·1–964·5) deaths per 100 000 in 2000 to 997·8 (975·4–1018) in 2010 and 1174·9 (1107·4–1243·2) in 2016, with a higher ARC after 2010 and the introduction of austerity (2·72% [1·65 to 3·74] for 2010–16) than before (0·55% [0·24 to 0·85] for 2000–10) or in western Europe during the same period (0·86% [0·54 to 1·17]). Age-standardised reduction in ARC approximately halved from 2000–10 (−1·61 [95% UI −1·91 to −1·30]) to 2010–16 (−0·87% [–2·03 to 0·20]), with post-2010 ARC similar to that in Cyprus (−0·86% [–1·4 to −0·36]) and lower than in western Europe (−1·14% [–1·48 to −0·81]). Mortality changes in Greece coincided with a rapid decrease in government health expenditure, but also with aggregate population ageing from 2010 to 2016 that was faster than observed in Cyprus. Causes of death that increased were largely those that are responsive to health care. Comparable temporal and age patterns were noted for non-fatal health outcomes, with a somewhat faster rise in years lived with disability since 2010 in Greece compared with Cyprus and western Europe. Risk factor exposures, especially high body-mass index, smoking, and alcohol use, explained much of the mortality increase in Greek adults aged 15–49 years, but only explained a minority of that in adults older than 70 years. Interpretation The findings of increases in total deaths and accelerated population ageing call for specific focus from health policy makers to ensure the health-care system is equipped to meet the needs of the people in Greece.

The image of Russia in Joseph Conrad's literary works has been discussed in both Russian and Western literary studies. The correlation between the image of Russia and the writer's aesthetic position, the relations between the Russian and Western worlds, the Russian national character and the place of Russia in human civilisation are reflected in Conrad's famous novels The Secret Agent and Under Western Eyes: however, The Warrior's Soul and The Heart of Darkness have not been studied so closely from this point of view. Using the methods of imagology and receptive aesthetics, the author argues that the image of Russia in Conrad's literary world is a complicated phenomenon, with features of social and political aggression and tendencies to self-destruction caused by an oppressive political system. The retaliatory open social aggression, its organised forms, its impulsiveness, and cruelty make such traits of the Russian national character as passion, cynicism, love for abstract ideas, and lack of principles come to the fore. Other features typical of Conrad's Russian characters are intrinsically connected with the boundless territories of Russia. They are indefinite in everything: empathy, sensibility, and irresponsibility. The quality of "openness" in the Russian space and character gives Conrad's Russia an open, unknown, non-oppressive future. Conrad depicts Russia as part of contemporary European, or universal, civilisation, which is, at its core, aggressive and dark. Life penetrates Conrad's Russia, as well as his European world, through individuals who, under any circumstances, choose humanity, compassion, and self-sacrifice. ; Вопрос о специфике образа России в художественном творчестве Джозефа Конрада неоднократно обсуждался как в отечественном, так и в западном литературоведении. При этом открытыми остаются вопросы связи образа России с эстетической позицией писателя, взаимоотношений русского и западного мира, русского национального характера, места России в человеческой цивилизации. В статье с использованием методологии компаративистики и имагологии, а также идей рецептивной эстетики они рассматриваются на материале как известных романов The Secret Agent («Секретный агент») и Under Western Eyes («На взгляд Запада»), так и менее изученных с этой точки зрения произведений – The Warrior's Soul («Душа воина») и The Heart of Darkness («Сердце тьмы»). Показано, что основу конрадовского художественного образа России составляют черты социально-политической агрессии и тенденции к разрушению, вызванной деспотической политической системой. Ответная открытая социальная агрессия, ее организованные формы, импульсивность и жестокость предстают связанными с глубинными чертами национального русского характера: страстностью, цинизмом, любовью к абстрактным идеям, отсутствием четких принципов. Безграничные пространства России определяют другой ряд черт русских героев Конрада: неопределенность во всем, эмоциональную отзывчивость, восприимчивость, безответственность. За этим рядом просматривается открытость – особое качество русского пространства и русского характера. Именно она дает конрадовской России неведомое, но новое, не связанное с агрессией будущее. В то же время Россия в художественном мире Конрада предстает частью современной европейской или общечеловеческой цивилизации, в сердце которой бьются тьма и агрессия. Свет жизни проникает в конрадовскую Россию, как и в европейский мир, через отдельных людей, которые при любых обстоятельствах выбирают человечность, сочувствие и самопожертвование.