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Low levels of trust in institutions in a post- socialist context is a relatively well-documented finding across various disciplines. Building upon this, the paper adds new insights to this discussion by contextualizing institutional trust amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in Croatia. Relying on the results from the national probabilistic sample, the authors explore how three sets of predictors – socio- demographic variables, individual characteristics (i.e., motivational orientations of authoritarianism and social dominance), and participants’ experiences during the coronavirus pandemic determine the level of trust in public institutions. Results unequivocally showcase a fairly weak relationship between authoritarianism and social dominance orientation with institutional trust, unlike situational experiences, which play the most significant role in explaining levels of institutional trust. Contrary to authors’ expectations, adherence to measures and worries about catching the COVID-19 disease in the future were not predictive for institutional trust.

The aim of this article is to shed more light on the effects of technological innovation on economic progress from the institutionalist perspective. Based on historical data on economic growth and ...

The aim of this paper is to outline the impact Coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 has had on health research in New Zealand. We used data from the University of Otago, Christchurch, a research intensiv...

The focus of the paper is on the study of differences between information literacy (IL) capabilities and IL self-assessment among Slovenian lower secondary school students. A total of 229 students ...

This article gives insight into the influence of FDI on income distribution in post-communist new EU member states. Using the method of seemingly unrelated regressions on panel data from 1990–2014,...

The allocation of risk in the construction industry determines to some extent the success of the project as inappropriate allocation has the resultant effects of claims, disputes, tensions, cost ov...

This article investigates the distributive effects of technological progress in the United States during the last four decades. The result of our econometric analysis reveals that the shift in R&D ...

Sovereign citizens, who do not believe they are subject to law, have been identified as a risk for police and government officials as well as a potential terrorist threat. As such, while it...

The article presents an alternative view on the education—income inequality relationship, which calls into question the neoclassical claim that education increases labor productivity and h...

This article examines the effects of institutional changes on the dynamics of income inequality in postcommunist countries in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). The results of a panel analysis sugge...

Knowing how notated dynamic markings map to/from performed loudness have practical implications for music transcription and expression synthesis. Analysing 2000 recordings of 44 Chopin Mazu...

We provide an institutional insight into the trend of income polarization within the U.S. working class. In contrast to the previous industrial waves, the current and ongoing industrial revolution ...

In this manuscript, reconfigurable microstrip patch antenna loaded with switches is presented for gain enhancement. The patch antenna is loaded with three metamaterial Split Ring Resonators...

Our goal is to highlight the relationship between vested interests of the meritocratic elite and the deteriorating situation of the common man. We provide an example of rising income inequality in selected OECD countries over the past thirty years. Income inequality is growing, despite the increase in labor productivity based on technological progress, which we prove by using robust panel regression models. Our findings could be explained by the effect of “extreme meritocracy” that describes a situation in which wages for “the working rich” are growing faster than their productivity, and creating wage stagnation for the middle-class workers.

We present microstrip patch antenna loaded with multiple split ring resonator substrate and superstrate. We analyze how the loading of split ring resonator superstrate and substrate can improve the bandwidth compared to the simple microstrip patch antenna and microstrip patch antenna loaded with split ring resonator superstrate. Another important observation is made for multiple split ring resonator loading in superstrate and substrate of microstrip patch antenna. The design is compared for two, three, and four-ring split ring resonator loading. The designs are also compared for different gap spacing between the rings. All three designs are compared for small gap and large gap between the rings. The design results in the form of reflection coefficient and bandwidth is presented in this manuscript. The design results are also compared with previously published designs.

Our goal is to show the effects of “elitization” on income inequality in affluent countries over the last two decades. By applying a robust regression model on a sample of twenty-one OECD countries, we observe that a high concentration of wealth by the richest “1%” of the population results in reducing the impact of trade unions on income redistribution through political institutions. Insufficient redistribution can be interpreted not only as the elites’ control over the resources that influence public policy and opinion, but also as affecting the evolutionary path of the economy. Moreover, this influence emphasizes the importance of traditional institutions and serves as an inspiration to reconsider the established social consensus regarding the welfare state.

With the globalisation of university education, national frameworks are commonly used to prescribe standardised learning outcomes and achieve accountability. However, these frameworks are generally not accompanied by guiding pedagogy to support academics in adjusting their teaching practices to achieve the set outcomes. This paper reports the results of a scoping review of health science literature aimed at identifying pedagogy and teaching strategies relevant to achieve the learning outcomes specified by the Australian Qualifications Framework at a master's degree level. Eight practical teaching messages emerged from the review and three broad pedagogical trends were identified: the need to use authentic disciplinary-based learning activities; ensure that students are able to discover different perspectives about future practice and bring student reflection about their own knowledge into curricula. More critically, the review highlights that academics attempting to translate national learning outcome frameworks into their teaching practices face a complex and time-consuming task which may involve searching beyond their own disciplinary focus to identify practical teaching strategies to meet prescribed learning outcomes.

This paper presents dual-band wearable antenna using split-ring resonator (SRR). The SRR is placed near patch and feed line. SRR makes a major contribution to the first operating band (2.32 GHz), but it has a minor effect on the second operating band (3.5 GHz). The wearable antenna at 3.5 GHz (without using SRR) is also presented for comparison sake. The simulation results are analyzed and compared with the measured results, which shows that there is a good agreement between them.

The multimodal imaging investigation of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in Parkinson's disease (PD). The role of dopaminergic treatment and other clinical parameters was also evaluated.Seventeen non-demented PD patients with EDS (PD-EDS) and 17 PD patients without EDS were enrolled. Clinical, treatment and MRI data were acquired. Gray matter (GM) volume was examined with voxel-based morphometry, while white matter (WM) integrity was assessed with diffusion tensor imaging by means of fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity measures.Increased regional GM volume was found in the PD-EDS group bilaterally in the hippocampus and parahippocampal gyri. Increased AD values were also shown in the PD-EDS group, in the left anterior thalamic radiation and the corticospinal tract and bilaterally in the superior corona radiata and the superior longitudinal fasciculus. Levodopa equivalent dose differed significantly between the groups and was the only predictor of EDS, while the only predictor of the Epworth sleepiness scale score in the PD-EDS group was the dopamine-agonist dose. Increased frequency of gamblers was also observed in the PD-EDS group.Regional GM increases and increased AD values in certain WM tracts were found in the PD-EDS group. The changes could result from disinhibited signaling pathways or represent compensatory changes in response to anatomical or functional deficits elsewhere. The study findings support also the contribution of the total dopaminergic load in the development of EDS, while the dose of dopamine agonists was found to predict the severity of the disorder.

While natural disasters have been reported internationally in relation to the injury burden, role of rescuers and responders, there is little known about the impact on education in adult professional populations. A 7.1 magnitude earthquake affected the Canterbury region of New Zealand on 4 September 2010 followed by more than 13,000 aftershocks in the three years to September 2013. As part of a larger study, a mixed method survey was used to explore factors impacting nurses engaged in education through polytechnic and university courses. This paper presents factors that were self-identified by students as supporting their ability to continue with education. Participants were recruited from three nursing settings: undergraduate nursing students, Registered Nurses (RNs) engaged in post-registration education and RNs engaged in postgraduate courses. A total of 290 participants took part in the study. A number of factors identified by participants could be addressed in pre-disaster course planning and curricu...

In this paper, we present the design of a metamaterial-based microstrip patch antenna, optimized for bandwidth and multiple frequency operations. A criss-cross structure has been proposed, this shape has been inspired from the famous Jerusalem cross. The theory and design formulas to calculate various parameters of the proposed antenna have been presented. Design starts with the analysis of the proposed unit cell structure, and validating the response using software– HFSS Version 13, to obtain negative response of e and μ– metamaterial. Following this, a metamaterial-based-microstrip-patch-antenna is designed. A detailed comparative study is conducted exploring the response of the designed patch made of metamaterial and that of the conventional patch. Finally, antenna parameters such as gain, bandwidth, radiation pattern, and multiple frequency responses are investigated and optimised for the same and present in table and response graphs. It is also observed that the physical dimension of the metamaterial...

We presented here a parallel-plate structure with and without metamaterial. The effect of embedded metamaterial in parallel-plate structure is explained in this manuscript. Here we have numerically studied and experimentally simulated the parallel-plate structure with and without metamaterial. Many of the researchers all over the world have shown various applications of metamaterials such as cloaking devices, plasmonic metamaterials, terahertz metamaterials, etc. Here, we have embedded metamaterials to improve the results of parallel-plate structure. The negative behavior of metamaterials has been used here to improve the design and its results. This design with metamaterials gives the improvement in the results of a simple parallel-plate structure. The design results of both the parallel-plate structures, with and without split-ring resonator metamaterial, are compared in this manuscript. The design results are carried out using high-frequency structure simulator.

We have introduced metamaterial superstrate in microstrip-based radiating structure to increase its bandwidth. Split ring resonators are added as metamaterial metallic inclusion in superstrate of the conventional design. This changes the basic structure of the material. Material properties such as permittivity and permeability changed due to change in the structure. The change in its material properties enhances the bandwidth of the antenna. The antenna is meandered to achieve better performance at the edges which in a way improve the radiation path of the patch. Here, the proposed antenna works on three bands in the range 3–8 GHz. Maximum 60% bandwidth is enhanced in the third band. The voltage standing wave ratio and return loss (S11) of the entire three bands are shown in the paper. The antenna works on 3.51, 4.86 and 7.8 GHz. Design results are obtained by high-frequency structure simulator which is used for simulating microwave passive components.

In continuation to our published work (Kosta et al. 2003, 2004a, b) on biological electronic circuits and recently submitted research work Kosta et al. (2005a, b) on natural soil (earth) electronic circuits in this paper we present successful experimental studies which scientifically predicated and established a soil (earth) electronic diode possessing conventional diode characteristics. Experimental lay out, schematic diagrams, tables and graphs are presented. Emergence of soil electronic circuit technology is forecast.