USSR countries; Soviet higher education reform; Soviet higher education policy; Post-Soviet higher education; vertical system differentiation; horizontal system differentiation
Surface sciences elucidate the physical and chemical aspects of the surfaces and interfaces of materials. Of great interest in this field are nanomaterials, which have recently experienced breakthroughs in synthesis and application. As such, this book presents some recent representative achievements in the field of surface science, including synthesis techniques, surface modifications, nanopart…
Nanostructured materials (NMs) are attracting interest as low-dimensional materials in the high-tech era of the 21st century. Recently, nanomaterials have experienced breakthroughs in synthesis and industrial and biomedical applications. This book presents recent achievements related to NMs such as graphene, carbon nanotubes, plasmonic materials, metal nanowires, metal oxides, nanoparticles, me…
This open access book examines the conversations around gendered mental health in contemporary Western media culture. While early 21st century-media was marked by a distinct focus on happiness, productivity and success, during the 2010s negative feelings and discussions around mental health have become increasingly common in that same media landscape. This book traces this turn to sadness in wo…
Advanced carbon materials such as graphene, fullerenes, hierarchical carbon, and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have exceptional physical properties, making them useful for several applications in fields ranging from energy and industry to electronics and drug delivery. This book includes comprehensive information on fabrication, emerging physical properties, and technological applications of advanced…
More than 46 million people are currently victims of 21st-century slavery globally, most of whom are women and children. This book, 21st Century Slavery - The Various Forms of Human Enslavement in Today’s World provides a comprehensive overview of modern-day slavery, also known as contemporary slavery, neo-slavery, institutional slavery, and numerous other terms. It includes eight chapters th…
This book is open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license. This book is arranged and developed around the theme of “2050 China,” it analyzes the factors and advantages of the Chinese road to socialist modernization, explores and summarizes the development goal and the basic logic of the socialist modernization of China, and further shows the general basis of the primary stage of socialism. A…
The CESEE Bank Lending Survey is a unique instrument developed in the context of the Vienna Initiative to monitor cross-border banking activities and deleveraging in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. It serves to better understand the determinants/constraints influencing credit growth in the region and to gain forward-looking insights into the strategies of cross-border banks and marke…
This unique insight into the corporate investment in the European Union examines companies 39; finance needs and the constraints they face. The 2023 edition also provides insight into the pressing issues facing firms, such as climate change, high energy costs and the green transition. The survey, which has been administered since 2016, covers about 13 000 firms across the European Union, includ…
The European Investment Bank is the world’s biggest multilateral investor. This report lays out the EU bank’s priorities and details its investments in the projects that support those policy goals. The European Investment Bank devotes more than half its financing to climate action and environmental sustainability. The Bank aims to support the transition to renewable energy sources such as g…