The use of digital dental photography in an Eastern European country

Aims. To assess the use of digital photography in dentistry and its relation with the professional experience of the dental practitioners in Romania. Methods. An anonymous questionnaire including eight questions was distributed online to collect information on the use of dental photography. Results. 84.84% of the respondents were using a photographic equipment in their clinical practice. Regarding the type of photographic equipment used, 51.79% of the participants indicated DSLR cameras, 44.05% smartphones, 2.38% compact cameras and 1.78% other devices for taking clinical images. There was a significant association (p<0.05) between the experience of the practitioners and the use of dental photography, type of equipment and protocol used. Conclusions. Respondents with more than 10 years of experience were more likely to use digital photography in their practice than those with less experience. Most of the digital photography users with more than 10 years of experience were taking images with a DSLR Camera (65.52%) followed by 31.04% smartphone users. Conversely, 56.42% of the clinical photography users with less than 5 years of experience mainly preferred a smartphone device and 41.02% a DSLR Camera.

Assessing the optimality of euro adoption in Romania through shock correlations

The present paper is concerned with the prospect of euro adoption in Romania. The study starts from the relevant literature of the Optimum Currency Areas and identifies the most widely acknowledged meta property and methodological model for this purpose: the SVAR Blanchard and Quah decomposition for identifying the supply and demand shocks. Employing the indicated model and the most recent data, we are able extract and analyse the underlying shocks that hit 34 European economic entities in the period 1995-2019, while also taking into account two crucial structural changes for the Romanian economy – central bank independence and EU accession. After performing the pairwise correlations between Romania and the rest of the economic entities for both the supply and demand disturbances, we map them on a bidimensional graph. We discover that while there is relevant integration and connectedness that ensures relatively high correlations between supply shocks, the politically-motivated monetary and fiscal policy disturbances that created ample and hectic demand side movements, are a factor of great concern for the prospect of single currency adoption in this Eastern European country. The findings support the view that there is room for the conduct of macro policies to become more supportive to the process of euro adoption and that the respect of convergence criteria would help in this respect. To our knowledge, this is the first study performing pairwise shock correlations between Romania and many other European economic entities, while also isolating the effect of post 2005 structural changes.

Science rejection in Greece: Spirituality predicts vaccine scepticism and low faith in science in a Greek sample

Recent research has identified spirituality as an important contributor to vaccine scepticism and low faith in science, particularly in WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic) nations. In the present study, we further tested the generalizability of these findings in a religious South-Eastern European country – Greece, with more extensive measures of key constructs. We replicate previous work using measures of improved construct validity. Spirituality was found to be the strongest predictor of vaccine scepticism and low faith in science. In addition, low science literacy was also predictive of vaccine rejection. Climate change scepticism was not associated with spirituality but with political conservatism, which corroborates previous findings. These results provide further evidence for two previously made observations: science scepticism is heterogeneous, and spirituality is an important factor in shaping science rejection.

Retrospective analysis and time series forecasting with automated machine learning of ascariasis, enterobiasis and cystic echinococcosis in Romania

The epidemiology of neglected tropical diseases (NTD) is persistently underprioritized, despite NTD being widespread among the poorest populations and in the least developed countries on earth. This situation necessitates thorough and efficient public health intervention. Romania is at the brink of becoming a developed country. However, this South-Eastern European country appears to be a region that is susceptible to an underestimated burden of parasitic diseases despite recent public health reforms. Moreover, there is an evident lack of new epidemiologic data on NTD after Romania’s accession to the European Union (EU) in 2007. Using the national ICD-10 dataset for hospitalized patients in Romania, we generated time series datasets for 2008–2018. The objective was to gain deep understanding of the epidemiological distribution of three selected and highly endemic parasitic diseases, namely, ascariasis, enterobiasis and cystic echinococcosis (CE), during this period and forecast their courses for the ensuing two years. Through descriptive and inferential analysis, we observed a decline in case numbers for all three NTD. Several distributional particularities at regional level emerged. Furthermore, we performed predictions using a novel automated time series (AutoTS) machine learning tool and could interestingly show a stable course for these parasitic NTD. Such predictions can help public health officials and medical organizations to implement targeted disease prevention and control. To our knowledge, this is the first study involving a retrospective analysis of ascariasis, enterobiasis and CE on a nationwide scale in Romania. It is also the first to use AutoTS technology for parasitic NTD.

Identification of Workers at Increased Risk of Infection During a COVID-19 Outbreak in a Meat Processing Plant, France, May 2020

On 13 May 2020, a COVID-19 cluster was detected in a French processing plant. Infected workers were described. The associations between the SARS-CoV-2 infection and the socio-demographic and occupational characteristics were assessed in order to implement risk management measures targeting workers at increased risk of contamination. Workers were tested by RT-PCR from samples taken during screening campaigns. Workers who tested positive were isolated and their contacts were quarantined. Workers were described and associations with the SARS-CoV-2 infection were assessed through risk ratios using multivariable Poisson regression. Of the 1347 workers, 87.5% were tested: 140 cases were identified; 4 were hospitalised, including 2 admitted to intensive care. In the company, the cluster remained limited to deboning and cutting activities. The attack rate was 11.9% in the company, reaching 16.6% in the cutting department. Being an employee of a subcontractor significantly increased the risk of infection by 2.98 [1.81–4.99]. In the cutting department, an association with virus infection was found for a group of non-French speaking workers from the same Eastern European country (RR = 2.67 [1.76–4.05]). They shared accommodation or carpooled more frequently than the other cases. The outbreak investigation revealed a significantly increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection for workers of subcontractors and some foreign-born workers. There are many such populations in meat processing plants; the observed associations and the ways in which these workers are contaminated need to be confirmed by further work. Prevention campaigns should now target these workers. Environmental risk factors in the workplace setting remain to be clarified.

INDEPENDENT UKRAINE IN POLISH HISTORICAL SOURCES

This year (2021), we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of Ukraine regaining its inde-pendence. Poland was the first country to recognise the independence of this Central-Eastern European country in the international arena. In this article, I would like to present and dis-cuss selected journal articles and monographs written by Polish authors as a comment to this critical event. The analysis will be based on selected histographic sources, especially those analysed in terms of ideology, but it will also be reasonable to highlight the most im-portant problems that, according to the authors, the young state may await. Often the fears for the future accompanying the authors of the 90s, unfortunately, proved to be true when we analyse the situation at the beginning of the 21st century. One thing does not change. How-ever, over the first years of bilateral relations, it is difficult to find significant press articles negatively related to this matter, and if there are negative ones, they are mostly marginal.

The accounting subculture of Russia and the Baltic states in the light of Hofstede and Gray’s concept

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to compare the theoretical assumptions of Gray’s model based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions and the actual evolution of accounting sys-tems in Russia and the Baltic countries, as former Soviet republics (which implies decades of functioning within the same legal and economic system, as well as the financial market). Methodology: A critical analysis and comparative analysis of the literature. Results: The initial characteristics of the Russian accounting subculture were characterized by a strong inclination towards conservatism and discretion, preferring statutory control and uniformity. This is also true of the accounting subculture of the Baltic countries − conserva-tive, but with a tendency towards transparency and professionalism, but at the same time appreciating the role of statutory control, with an ambivalent approach to flexibility. An analy-sis of the development of accounting systems in these countries revealed general compli-ance with the theoretical assumptions of Gray's model, and highest in the case of Russia. Originality/value: The article confirms the correctness of the assumptions of Gray's model regarding the evolution of selected countries’ accounting systems. It fills the existing cognitive gap, because former Soviet republics’ accounting systems are rarely studied in a cultural con-text, especially compared to Russia. Typically, a comparison is made between Russia/the former Soviet republic and Western European countries or another Central/Eastern European country.

The Effects of Solidarity, Income, and Reliance on the State on Personal Income Tax Preferences. The Case of the Czech Republic

The current increase in government spending, caused by COVID epidemics and the increasing visibility of leftist political groups in public media, emphasizes the short-term need for sustainable income taxation. In the long run, rising inequality worldwide makes taxation of high-incomes indispensable for sustainable economic development. This paper empirically studies public attitudes on taxation related to income, preferences for solidarity vs. individual performance, and reliance on the state in the Czech Republic. In this Eastern European country, the dichotomies above bear even more importance due to the communist past. We apply the hierarchical regression analysis with smoothing spline transformations to a representative sample of public opinion data (N = 1104, aged 15–95 years, M ± SD: 47.74 ± 17.39; 51.2% women, 18.50% with higher education). The results suggest that income was associated with the perception that taxes for the rich are inadequately high but was unrelated to perceptions of tax adequacy for average and poor groups of respondents. Higher solidarity and reliance on the state were associated with the desire to increase taxation of high-incomes and decrease taxation of poor income groups. Surprisingly, the reliance on the state was associated with a desire to decrease taxation of average-incomes and total taxation while increasing tax progressivity. Preferences for solidarity were associated with higher preferred overall taxation and more tax progressivity. The explanatory powers of preferences for solidarity and reliance on the state in explaining the variation in tax preferences are at least equivalent and, in some cases, twice as large as the explanatory power of the age, gender, education, and income altogether. The results above present new mechanisms that can contribute to sustainable endogenous economic development.

The Evaluation and Conservation of Plant Genetic Resources Collected in Lithuania

The present work compiles the results of three-year expeditions organized between 2011 and 2013 aimed at plant crop collection in the area of Lithuania, an Eastern European country. Accessions of fruit trees, vegetables, cereals, forage, industrial, fibrous, medical, and spice crops as well as accompanying segetal plants were collected in 5 ethnographic regions of Lithuania. In total, 1010 samples of seeds, bulbs, and plant grafts were obtained. The majority of the collected samples belonged to the Cucurbitaceae, Fabaceae, Solanaceae, Alliaceae, and Rosaceae families. The accessions were described and deposited in the long-term storage in Lithuanian and Polish Gene Banks. Almost all collected cucumbers, pumpkins, squashes, and oat plants were morphologically characterized in field experiments. Cucurbita pepo accessions showed high morphological diversity, while limited diversity of cucumber accessions was observed. Oat plants were characterized by high morphological diversity and resistance to diseases present in some of the investigated accessions. Further characterization of collected apple trees and other accessions is underway. Obtaining germplasm in the area of Lithuania fulfills a gap in current plant crop collections. Collected material could be valuable for pre-breeding evaluation and further breeding programs as well as the study of genetic diversity.

The Problem of Regional Identity as a Factor in the Socio-Political Crisis in Ukraine in 2004

The article is devoted to the role of regional identity in the development of the socio-political crisis in Ukraine in autumn and winter of 2004, known in scientific literature as the “Orange revolution”. The authors analyze the controversial historical past of the territories that were united by the country that gained independence in 1991, and its influence on the development of processes in the field of national-state construction of modern Ukraine. The article considers the attempts of the Ukrainian authorities to develop a single national idea based on the concepts of “ukrainianness”, “sobornost” and unitarity. The leading role in this process was played by the most extreme western regions, which had their own, sometimes radically different from other regions of the country, interpretation of issues of historical memory. In practical terms, this meant the implementation of a policy of Ukrainization, especially in the field of education, which caused discontent among residents of Russian-speaking regions. The authors conclude that the unresolved problem of regional identity during the years of independence played an important role during the “Orange revolution”, which ended with an unconstitutional regime change in this Eastern European country.