On LSE in regression model for long-range dependent random fields on spheres

We study the asymptotic behaviour of least squares estimators (LSE) in regression models for long-range dependent random fields observed on spheres. The LSE can be given as a weighted functional of long-range dependent random fields. It is known that in this scenario the limits can be non-Gaussian. We derive the limit distribution and the corresponding rate of convergence for the estimators. The results were obtained under rather general assumptions on the random fields. Simulation studies were conducted to support theoretical findings.     

Left divergence,right convergence: anarchists,Marxists, and nationalist polarization in the Ukrainian conflict, 2013–2014

ABSTRACT

The article traces nationalist polarization and divergence within the Ukrainian new left in response to the Maidan and Anti-Maidan protests in 2013–2014, and the military conflict in Eastern Ukraine. The ideological left-wing groups in the protests were too weak to push forward any independent progressive agenda. Instead of moving the respective campaigns to the left, they were increasingly converging with the right themselves and degraded into marginal supporters of either pro-Ukrainian or pro-Russian camps in the conflict. The liberal and libertarian left supported the Maidan movement on the basis of abstract self-organization, liberal values and anti-authoritarianism. In contrast, the Marxist-Leninists attempted to seize political opportunities from supporting more plebeian and decentralized Anti-Maidan protests and reacting to the far-right threat after the Maidan victory. They deluded themselves that Russian nationalists were not as reactionary as their Ukrainian counterparts and that the world-system crisis allowed them to exploit Russian anti-American politics for progressive purposes.     

Franchise Contracting: The Effects of The Entrepreneur's Timing Option and Debt Financing

We solve a sequential‐moves game that involves three players: the franchisor, the entrepreneur, and the banks. The franchisor chooses the contract terms (a one‐time franchise fee and a royalty rate for on‐going payments). The entrepreneur dynamically decides when to sign this contract, open a store, and apply for debt financing to cover the initial investment. In response to the entrepreneur's application, banks competitively determine loan rates. We find that the franchisor should use royalty cash flows and not the franchise fee to extract value from the entrepreneur. This is a new explanation of empirical evidence that franchise contracts favor royalties over franchise fees. To account for the possibility of the entrepreneur's bankruptcy and bankruptcy costs, the franchisor should decrease the royalty rate. However, despite a lower rate, the threshold for the entrepreneur to open the store is higher in the model with financing than in the model without financing. This threshold is much higher than it would have been for the integrated system, which in turn is higher than the static break‐even‐NPV threshold. If a franchisor ignores financing considerations, she will suffer from having to wait longer for the store opening and from a higher bankruptcy probability. We predict that the franchisor is the main beneficiary of the entrepreneur's greater initial wealth and that the franchisor will benefit more if she assumes a greater share of the store's operating costs.     

Tritrophic association on dandelion in a European capital city: a pilot quantitative study on the herbivore weevil <Emphasis Type="Italic">Glocianus punctiger</Emphasis> and its parasitoid wasp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Entedon costalis</Emphasis>

This study is a first attempt to estimate the degree of tritrophic association between the common dandelion Taraxacum officinale complex, the herbivorous weevil Glocianus punctiger and its parasitoid Entedon costalis, as an environmental marker in urban ecosystems. The study was conducted on 3926 dandelion flowering stems spread across 24 sample plots situated within the municipal borders of Kyiv (Ukraine). Eighteen plots were infested by the weevils, and 14 plots were infested by E. costalis. Of all the examined dandelion stems, 359 (9.1 %) were infested by weevils, and 21.4 % of these weevil-infested stems were parasitized by E. costalis. Thirty-two incidents of superparasitism were registered in nine sample plots. Seven environmental variables were chosen for characterization of the sample plots and for testing their possible effects on the tritrophic association. The results indicate that the infestation of dandelions by weevils is strongly limited by the grasslands’ mowing. Apart from that, the presence of anthropogenic barriers bounding the study areas negatively affected the parasitism of G. punctiger by E. costalis. This is regarded as an example of the crucial effect of habitat fragmentation on the specialist herbivore and the specialist parasitoid of this tritrophic system. Both the mowing and habitat fragmentation are linked with human land-use regimes on the sample plots.     

Challenges and practical aspects of obtaining temporary protection in EU countries and the impact of obtaining protection on the right to work

In general, the situation that has developed in Ukraine on the border with the European Union shows that despite the long history of the UN and the agreement of states to resolve all conflicts through negotiations, the prohibition of the use of force and threat of force, respect for the independence of other states, there are still terrorist states in the world that do not recognize and violate international law. Thus, the states that follow the norms and principles of international law, respect the key European values, support and protect human rights and peace on the continent must unite to overcome armed aggression. That is why the granting of temporary protection to Ukrainian citizens is an important issue, as it is one of the EU's significant contributions to the protection of the identity of the Ukrainian people, who are fighting for their independence. The purpose of the article was to study the peculiarities of obtaining temporary protection in the EU, to compare it with refugee status, to analyse the approaches to this procedure in individual states, as well as to determine the impact of obtaining the relevant status on the realization of the fundamental right to work. The main method used for the research is the method of analysis and synthesis. Its application provided reliable results in many areas of research. First of all, this method was applied in the analysis of EU and international law in the context of granting refugee status and temporary protection. Also, the method of analysis and synthesis was used by the author in the study of the peculiarities of temporary protection in individual Member States. Finally, the author used this method to analyse the problems currently faced by Ukrainian citizens and their possible solutions.