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European Continent (european + continent)
Selected AbstractsA survey into the use of derivatives by large non-financial firms operating in BelgiumEUROPEAN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT, Issue 3 2000Marc J. K. De Ceuster Empirical evidence on the use of derivatives for risk management on the European continent is virtually non-existent. To fill this gap, our survey documents the usage of derivatives by non-financial large firms operating in Belgium. This paper provides descriptive evidence with respect to several questions that are raised in the literature. Why do firms hedge? Which financial risks are being managed? How widespread is the use of derivatives? Which derivatives are used for which purposes? How is a risk management policy implemented? How are performance measurement and reporting structured? [source] Lithosphere structure of Europe and Northern Atlantic from regional three-dimensional gravity modellingGEOPHYSICAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL, Issue 1 2002T. P. Yegorova Summary Large-scale 3D gravity modelling using data averaged on a 1° grid has been performed for the whole European continent and part of the Northern Atlantic. The model consists of two regional layers of variable thickness,the sediments and the crystalline crust, bounded by reliable seismic horizons,the ,seismic' basement and the Moho surface. Inner heterogeneity of the model layers was taken into account in the form of lateral variation of average density depending on the type of geotectonic unit. Density parametrization of the layers was made using correlation functions between velocity and density. For sediments, sediment consolidation with depth was taken into account. Offshore a sea water layer was included in the model. As a result of the modelling, gravity effects of the whole model and its layers were calculated. Along with the gravity modelling an estimation of isostatic equilibrium state has been carried out for the whole model as well as for its separate units. Residual gravity anomalies, obtained by subtracting the gravity effect of the crust from the observed field, reach some hundred mGal (10,5 m s,2) in amplitude; they are mainly caused by density heterogeneities in the upper mantle. A mantle origin of the residual anomalies is substantiated by their correlation with the upper-mantle heterogeneities revealed by both seismological and geothermal studies. Regarding the character of the mantle gravity anomalies, type of isostatic compensation, crustal structure, age and supposed type of endogenic regime, a classification of main geotectonic units of the continent was made. As a result of the modelling a clear division of the continent into two large blocks,Precambrian East-European platform (EEP) and Variscan Western Europe,has been confirmed by their specific mantle gravity anomalies (0 ÷ 50 × 10,5 m s,2 and ,100 ÷,150 × 10,5 m s,2 correspondingly). This division coincides with the Tornquist,Teisseyre Zone (TTZ), marked by a gradient zone of mantle anomalies. In the central part of the EEP (over the Russian plate) an extensive positive mantle anomaly, probably indicating a core of ancient consolidation of the EEP, has been distinguished. To the west and to the east of this anomaly positive mantle anomalies occur, which coincide with a deep suture zone (TTZ) and an orogenic belt (the Urals). Positive mantle anomalies of the Alps, the Adriatic plate and the Calabrian Arc, correlating well with both high-velocity domains in the upper mantle and reduced temperatures at the subcrustal layer, are caused by thickened lithosphere below these structures. Negative mantle anomalies, revealed in the Western Mediterranean Basin and in the Pannonian Basin, are the result of thermal expansion of the asthenosphere shallowing to near-Moho depths below these basins. [source] Religion, Power and Parliament: Rothschild and Bradlaugh RevisitedHISTORY, Issue 305 2007DENNIS GRUBE The British parliament in the nineteenth century reflected the increasingly democratic stability of the British state in a century that saw numerous convulsions on the European continent. It embodied the majesty of British law, the idea that all adult males who dwelt in Britain shared the universal rights of a true-born Englishman, including the right to speak on the affairs of the nation. The repeated attempts of the Jewish Baron Lionel de Rothschild and the atheist Charles Bradlaugh to take their seats after having been lawfully elected to parliament showed, however, that barriers remained against those who were in some way considered ,un-British'. The debates that the perseverance of both men engendered inside the parliament reveal how strongly the conservative British establishment clung on to what it considered to be the Protestant national character. To make British laws, one had to be British in more than citizenship. In essence, it was a debate about British national identity in an increasingly ,liberal' world. The eventual inclusion of both Rothschild and Bradlaugh marked a further shift away from religious conformity as a measure of ,Britishness' as the century drew to a close. [source] Temperature trends in Switzerland and Europe: implications for climate normalsINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLIMATOLOGY, Issue 5 2006Simon C. Scherrer Abstract This study discusses problems of the concept of normal period,based anomalies arising from climate variability and ongoing climate change. The widely used WMO 1961,1990 (61,90) standard normal period is compared to other consecutive 30-year normal periods in detail. Focus is given to the temperature distribution in Switzerland and on the European continent. In these regions, the temperature trend of the last decades led to an unusually high number of months with positive temperature anomalies relative to the WMO 61,90 standard normal period. Swiss anomalies based on the 61,90 normal are up to 1.25 K higher than those based on the Latest 30-years Running Normal (LRN). The probability to observe a positive temperature anomaly with respect to the 61,90 normal increased from 50% to near 80% for certain months of the year. Compared to the LRN, this change is statistically significant for 7 out of the 12 months on the 95% level. The strongest signal can be found for the summer months, whereas temperatures in fall do not show any trends. Similar results are found for more than 90% of the European continental area. For most regions, 2,5 are statistically inconsistent with the 61,90 distribution. For southern France, parts of Spain and southern Scandinavia even 7,9 months are inconsistent. Copyright © 2005 Royal Meteorological Society. [source] The career paths of a group of Romanian nurses in Italy: a 3-year follow-up studyINTERNATIONAL NURSING REVIEW, Issue 2 2008A. Palese rn, bnsc Purpose:, The objective of this study was to describe for how long a homogeneous group of 17 Romanian nurses who first arrived at the ,Teaching Hospital' in Italy in 2003, stayed in the same hospital/ward of the host country, why and when they decided to move from one hospital to another, and their levels of competence in core skills, after either 6 months or 3 years. Methods:, A longitudinal study design was adopted. The first phase was carried out in 2004, the second in 2006. We used an anonymous questionnaire. Results:, Only ten of the 17 nurses, who had started working in Italy 3 years before, remained in the same Hospital where they first started working. In spite of being given the opportunity to stay, some decided to move to hospitals where it is possible to earn more money or where they could save more by living in less expensive towns. The first nurse left the hospital in the first year, five in the second and one in the third year. Levels of perceived professional independence after 3 years are very good: the permanent group had improved their skills in all areas even though they felt a lack of confidence during the first 6 months. Conclusions:, This study, within the limits of the sample and the methods, shows that foreign nurses are highly mobile in the host country and this revolves around the opportunity to earn more. With increasing recruitment of nurses from within the European continent, it is necessary to continue studying the factors that sustain foreign nurses, to find out how they can be helped, how to value their imported professional skills, how to reduce the initial lack of faith in their own abilities and to discover which strategies would encourage them to stay in the hospital where they arrived. [source] The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages: Ten Years of Protecting and Promoting Linguistic and Cultural DiversityMUSEUM INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2008Alexey Kozhemyakov With about 250 languages spoken throughout Greater Europe, the European continent represents an excellent testing-ground for finding the proper identity and fostering the mutual understanding of linguistic groups, and promoting the perception of linguistic diversity as a part of national and all-European cultural wealth. [source] | |||||||||||||