Population of Chernigov in the 10th–13th Centuries According to Paleodemographic Data

The work is devoted to the 10th–13th-century paleodemographic data regarding the city of Chernigov and its districts, and to their introduction into the scientific domain. The study is based on the data on the anthropological series of Chernigov in the 10th–13th centuries, divided into three samples according to the topographic principle. This series is characterized by a low average life expectancy in comparison to other southern Old Rus cities. The feature of the necropolises of Chernigov indicating the predominance of female burials over male ones, revealed in the 1980s, has been confirmed at a new level. A study of the demographic parameters of the Chernigov population groups in the 10th–13th centuries, united on a territorial basis, has shown differences in their structure, probably reflecting the peculiarities of the life quality, social status, and professional specialization of the population of different parts of the city. Further research into the remains of the city’s population with methods of paleopathology, osteometry, osteoscopy, radiology, etc., as well as the analysis of aspects of the political history of the region, would help shed light on the possible causes of the identified features of the demographic structure of the population in the pre-Mongolian period.

EFFECTS OF DEMOGRAPHIC STRUCTURE IN GROWTH ACCOUNTING AND LABOUR MARKET DECOMPOSITIONS

Impact of demographic structure on labor market and macroeconomic aggregates might be pronounced in some countries. Despite this fact, only a handful of approaches dealing with quantifications such effects have been derived so far. The aim of this paper is therefore to fill this methodological gap and to introduce methodological approaches for capturing changes in demographic structure, with many applications in growth accounting and labor market decompositions. Firstly, a novel additive decomposition will be presented, as an alternative to traditional models using fixed population weights. This will be followed by the presentation of a multiplicative decomposition, which can be applied to all kinds of growth accounting exercises based on multiplicative identities.

Phytocoenology and Population Structure of Species of the Genus Malva L. in the Ganja-Gazakh Region (Azerbaijan)

The article presents the results of a study of the mallow genus — Malva L. characteristic of the meadow vegetation of the Ganja-Gazakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan. From 11 species of the genus Malva L. distributed on the territory of Azerbaijan, 4 species (Malva sylvestris L., Malva nicaeensis All., Fl. Pedem, Malva pusilla Sm., Malva parviflora L.) are found in the Ganja-Gazakh region. The species M. parviflora was first identified by us in this territory. The species M. parviflora and M. sylvestris are not widely distributed in this territory. The structure of populations of M. pusilla and M. nicaeensis species was studied. 7 populations in which M. pusilla and M. nicaeensis species are distributed were phytocoenological evaluated. 3 cenopopulations in which the species M. nicaeensis is common were evaluated in different years. All groups of plant ontogenesis are found in the studied populations. It was found that in different years in the populations of these two species of the genus mallow, recovery is weak, and aging is intense. During the analysis of the population structure, reproduction indices — Ib and aging — Iq were determined, which are important population indicators. The integral characteristic of the demographic structure of M. pusilla and M. nicaeensis species is determined, the populations are estimated, the composition, age (height) and the degree of effectiveness of their ontogenesis are studied. The dynamics of changing ontogenesis in the cenopopulations of M. pusilla and M. nicaeensis species in various environmental conditions, depending on the positive or negative influence of its factors on the structure of ontogenesis, is revealed.

Do Regulations Matter in Fighting the COVID-19 Pandemic? Lessons from Poland

In this article, we argue that the design and timing of regulatory responses, as well as the adherence of the population to the relevant rules, have a critical impact on the progression and public health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. This hypothesis is empirically tested using the example of Poland, a country that experienced, compared to its Western European neighbours, a relatively mild first phase of the pandemic. In this context, we compare Poland with selected countries, including France, Germany, Spain and the UK, and we supplement them with examples from other Visegrad Four (V4) countries – Czechia, Slovakia and Hungary. On that basis, we conclude that while the observed differences between the countries in the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic are the result of a multitude of complex and interrelated reasons (such as demographic structure, population density and connectivity or cultural factors), well-designed public health measures, which are implemented early as a part of the proactive strategy that anticipates and reacts quickly to changing circumstances, can effectively decrease the number of COVID-19 infections and related deaths, provided that the adherence of the relevant population is high.

Serbian, Croatian and Spanish consumers' beliefs towards artisan cheese

PurposeIn the past two decades the popularity of artisan cheese emerged. The present study aimed to investigate similarities and differences in beliefs towards artisan cheeses among participants from Serbia, Croatia and Spain and to determine consumer profiles. Better understanding of their behaviours and beliefs could serve as the basis for the development of appropriate production and marketing strategies and for further popularisation of artisan cheeses.Design/methodology/approachThe data on demographic structure, behaviours and beliefs of 947 participants in total were obtained via a questionnaire collected online. In order to identify consumer profiles and to define their specific beliefs, a cross-country cluster analysis has been conducted. Four clusters were identified: “highly educated men”, “highly educated women”, “millennials” and “educated senior women”. Mann–Whitney U test was used to identify statistically significant differences between countries and clusters.FindingsRespondents from different countries had different preferences for cheese types and different ways of consumption. All participants valued artisan cheeses more than industrial cheeses in terms of healthiness and quality, but they believe that there is still much to be done in terms of proper packaging, labelling, branding, widening of assortment and providing better availability. The results of the present study revealed that participants had no clear opinion regarding trust in artisan cheese safety.Originality/valueUp to date, no study investigated beliefs of consumers from Serbia and Croatia towards artisan cheese. Original consumer pool has unique characteristics: they are far more oriented towards open markets and purchasing cheese directly from producers; they have different preferences towards cheese types and different consuming habits. Unique consumer characteristics provided original findings considering their beliefs.

Vaccination strategies in structured populations under partial immunity and reinfection

Optimal protocols of vaccine administration to minimize the effects of infectious diseases depend on a number of variables that admit different degrees of control. Examples include the characteristics of the disease and how it impacts on different groups of individuals as a function of sex, age or socioeconomic status, its transmission mode, or the demographic structure of the affected population. Here we introduce a compartmental model of infection propagation with vaccination and reinfection and analyse the effect that variations on the rates of these two processes have on the progression of the disease and on the number of fatalities. The population is split into two groups to highlight the overall effects on disease caused by different relationships between vaccine administration and various demographic structures. We show that optimal administration protocols depend on the vaccination rate, a variable severely conditioned by vaccine supply and acceptance. As a practical example, we study COVID-19 dynamics in various countries using real demographic data. The model can be easily applied to any other disease and demographic structure through a suitable estimation of parameter values. Simulations of the general model can be carried out at the interactive webpage https://mybinder.org/v2/gh/IkerAtienza/SIYRD/main?urlpath=\%2Fvoila\%2Frender\%2FSimulator.ipynb

Vaccinating against COVID-19: The Correlation between Pro-Vaccination Attitudes and the Belief That Our Peers Want to Get Vaccinated

This study verifies whether there is a strong correlation between the pro-vaccination, against COVID-19 attitude of the respondents and their belief that most of those around them want to be vaccinated against COVID-19. For this purpose, we analyzed data from a sociological survey conducted in April 2021 in Romania. The sample size was of 1001 respondents, the selection process was randomized and the population included in the sample is representative of the socio-demographic structure of Romania. The tool used to collect the data was CATI (telephonic interview). In order to test the existence of these correlations we performed the following tests: Chi-Square test, Kendall τ, Spearman ρ tests and Freeman’s z-test. The pro-vaccination attitude strongly correlates with the perception of subjects that their primary group accepts vaccination and even correlates with the perception that the general public is rather pro-vaccination. The vaccination decision is closely linked to the social relations system and the rules of the community in which the subject lives. In this paper we discuss the correlation between attitude and belief, not the existence of a causal relation between the two of them.