Taking its cue from the 90th anniversary commemorations of November 2008, this work explores the relationship between state and nationhood during the three phases to date in Latvia's existence as a ...territorial entity: the sovereign statehood of 1918-1940; the Soviet and Nazi occupations of 1940-1944 and the ensuing half-century within the USSR; and the post-1991 period, which has seen the restoration of independence on the basis of legal continuity from the inter-war period and - latterly - accession to the European Union. The aim in relation to all three eras is to go beyond the often essentialising contours of Cold War and post-Cold War debates and reveal the underlying complexities and ambiguities of political and social development.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a major global health concern. In contrast to adults, the course of the disease has been observed to be mild or even asymptomatic in children. It is therefore ...both clinically and epidemiologically important to measure the seroprevalence in children and adolescents to discern the overall morbidity of the disease and to compare these findings with similar data collected globally. We conducted a cross-sectional study between March and July of 2022 at the Children Clinical University Hospital in Riga, Latvia, to evaluate the seroprevalence of antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Participants aged 0 to 18 years were enrolled during hospitalization for reasons other than COVID-19. The levels of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and nucleocapsid antibodies were measured in blood samples. The possibility of transplacental antibody transport was evaluated by directly interviewing the mothers of participants aged 18 months and younger. Various demographic and epidemiological risk factors and their association with seroprevalence were analyzed. Positive SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibodies were designated the main criterion for seropositivity. Of 200 enrolled children, 173 were found to be seropositive, resulting in an overall seroprevalence of 86.5%. The highest seroprevalence was detected in children and adolescents aged 12 to 18 years. With the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic, the seroprevalence in children has increased significantly. We found that almost 1-third of seropositive children in our study population were unaware of being previously infected with SARS-CoV-2 due to an asymptomatic course of the disease. Our study findings pertaining to high seropositivity among children and adolescents might be beneficial for public authorities to adapt epidemiological strategies and prevention measures. The high seroprevalence rate reported here and in many other populations around the world suggests that COVID-19 will likely become one of the many seasonal viral infections.
Disturbances by fire are essential for the functioning of boreal/hemiboreal forests, but knowledge of long-term fire regime dynamics is limited. We analysed macrocharcoal morphologies and pollen of a ...sediment record from Lake Lielais Svētiņu (eastern Latvia), and in conjunction with fire traits analysis present the first record of Holocene variability in fire regime, fuel sources and fire types in boreal forests of the Baltic region. We found a phase of moderate to high fire activity during the cool and moist early (mean fire return interval; mFRI of ∼280 years; 11,700–7500 cal yr BP) and the late (mFRI of ∼190 years; 4500–0 cal yr BP) Holocene and low fire activity (mFRI of ∼630 years) during the Holocene Thermal Optimum (7500–4500 cal yr BP). Charcoal morphotypes and the pollen record show the predominance of frequent surface fires, occasionally transitioning to the crown during Pinus sylvestris-Betula boreal forests and less frequent surface fires during the dominance of temperate deciduous forests. In contrast to the prevailing opinion that fires in boreal forests are mostly low to moderate severity surface fires, we found evidence for common occurrence of stand-replacing crown fires in Picea abies canopy. Our results highlight that charcoal morphotypes analysis allows for distinguishing the fuel types and surface from crown fires, therefore significantly advancing our interpretation of fire regime. Future warmer temperatures and increase in the frequency of dry spells and abundant biomass accumulation can enhance the fire risk on the one hand, but will probably promote the expansion of broadleaf deciduous forests to higher latitudes, on the other hand. By highlighting the capability of broadleaf deciduous forests to act as fire-suppressing landscape elements, our results suggest that fire activity may not increase in the Baltic area under future climate change.
•Charcoal morphologies a promising tool to distinguish surface from crown fires.•Pinus-Betula dominant boreal forest linked to surface fires with occasional crown fires.•Picea abies dominant boreal forest associated with increased occurrence of crown fires.•Temperate deciduous forest connected with surface fires.•Deciduous forest can offset the effect of climate on fire regime.
Baltic Musics Beyond the Post-Soviet is a collection of essays and conversations bringing together different generations of scholars and artists to advance critical conversations in Baltic cultural ...studies from the position of music and sound. The book focuses on chronologies and imaginaries emerging as the post-Soviet – always once occupied, once colonized – is decentred in Baltic musical life and scholarship, particularly within generations less impacted by direct experiences of Soviet occupation and coloniality (including non-Baltic researchers and artists). With contributions from scholars in music studies, comparative literature, and sociology, performers, and composers, this book revisits archives and musical media, rethinks historiographic and ethnographic practices, and repositions the work of creation and performance. In thinking beyond the post-Soviet, this book offers alternative accounts of sounds marking the Baltic musical past and compelling accounts of the Baltic musical present.
For a long time the approach of the both two Baltic states to the Soviet heritage was formed by: (1) international and bilateral agreements which obliged states to protect monuments and memorial ...sites of the Soviet Army as well as (2) numerous Russian-speaking community for whom the Soviet statues constitute its cultural identity. The situation has significantly changed due to Russia’s aggressive policy against Ukraine, when the authorities made several attempts to remove the Soviet monuments. This brought some controversies and objections among the Russian-speaking communities in Latvia and Estonia. The paper focuses on the transformation of the national historical narrative toward the Soviet monuments and the processes of the adapting of the Russian-speaking community to the official memory discourse. More specifically, the aim is to explore the ways in which the Russian-speaking residents reacted to the removal of the Soviet monuments. The concept of resistance was applied in order to explore and synthesize the outcomes of the interviews carried out among Russian-speaking communities in Latvia and Estonia. It is argued here that the reconstruction of the public space by shifting the most visual symbol of the victory of the Red Army in the WWII has not induced hot feelings among the Russian-speaking society, and thus, it has not motivated community to take part in the open protest against the removal. Most of the minority representatives stayed passive and silent adapting to the new reality.
Ilgą laiką požiūrį į sovietinį paveldą Latvijoje ir Estijoje formavo: 1. tarptautiniai ir dvišaliai susitarimai, įpareigojantys valstybes saugoti sovietų armijos paminklus bei memorialines vietas; 2. gausios rusakalbių bendruomenės, laikančios sovietinius paminklus savo kultūrinės tapatybės dalimi. Situacijos pokytį lėmė agresyvi Rusijos politika Ukrainos atžvilgiu, paskatinusi politinius lyderius pašalinti sovietinius paminklus. Latvijos ir Estijos rusakalbių bendruomenėse tai sukėlė ginčus ir nesutarimus. Straipsnyje aptariamas nacionalinio istorinio naratyvo sovietinių paminklų atžvilgiu transformacijos procesas ir rusakalbių bendruomenės prisitaikymas prie oficialaus atminties diskurso. Kitaip tariant, siekiama išanalizuoti, kaip rusakalbiai gyventojai reagavo į sovietinių paminklų pašalinimą. Analizėje taikyta pasipriešinimo sąvoka siekta ištirti ir apibendrinti interviu su Latvijos ir Estijos rusakalbių bendruomenių atstovais rezultatus. Teigiama, kad viešųjų erdvių rekonstrukcija, pašalinant vizualiuosius Raudonosios armijos pergalės Antrajame pasauliniame kare simbolius, rusakalbių bendruomenėse nesukėlė „karštų“ emocijų, todėl nemotyvavo bendruomenių atvirai protestuoti prieš sovietinių paminklų pašalinimą. Dauguma mažumų atstovų liko pasyvūs ir tylūs bei prisitaikė prie naujos tikrovės.
•Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania had a precarious starting point entering the COVID-19 pandemic.•The Baltic countries promptly declared a state of emergency, before 30 reported cases.•While case ...numbers remained low, the countries built up infrastructure and capacities.•The ‘Baltic bubble’ countries employed a highly centralized national response.•Health workforce strengthening and service delivery flexibility would support resilience.
The Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania shared a similar response to the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the information available on the COVID-19 Health System Response Monitor platform, this article analyzed measures taken to prevent transmission, ensure capacity, provide essential services, finance the health system, and coordinate their governance approaches. All three countries used a highly centralized approach and implemented restrictive measures relatively early, with a state of emergency declared with fewer than 30 reported cases in each country. Due to initially low COVID-19 incidence, the countries built up their capacities for testing, contact tracing, and infrastructure, without a major stress test to the health system throughout the spring and summer of 2020, yet issues with accessing routine health care services had already started manifesting themselves. The countries in the Baltic region entered the pandemic with a precarious starting point, particularly due to smaller operational budgets and health workforce shortages, which may have contributed to their escalated response aiming to prevent transmission during the first wave. Subsequent waves, however, were much more damaging. This article focuses on early responses to the pandemic in the Baltic states highlighting measures taken to prevent virus transmission in the face of major uncertainties.
This third edition of Historical Dictionary of Latvia contains a chronology, an introduction, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 500 cross-referenced entries ...on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture.
PDF
