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Abstract. This paper is focused on the issue how educational systems might increase the economic and business potential of the regional centers and contribute to the innovations and sustainable economic development. Rapidly growing economies are marked by social fragmentation and economic divisions but have the potential to become the drivers for shrinking social divisions and creating opportunities for all the citizens. Carefully designed educational policies becomes a solution for most of the economic and social problems by offering formal and non-formal educational activities. Policy-makers in the educational realm learn to engage with the realities of social exclusion, political alienation, and economic marginalization -through both public policy and private initiatives. Educational initiatives and policies across might include carefully orchestrated public policies, spending the money from the structural funds all aimed at stabilizing communities and establishing cooperation and integration, non-formal educational initiatives to Vol.10, No.3, 2017 286 reduce marginalization, or expansion of the formal school system aimed at raising aspirations.

The human-biometeorological conditions in Ukraine during two mega-heat waves were analyzed. The evaluation is based on physiologically equivalent temperature (PET). The calculation of PET is performed utilizing the RayMan model. The results revealed these two mega-heat waves produced strenuous human-biometeorological conditions on the territory of Ukraine. During the summer 2010 mega-heat wave, strong and extreme heat stress prevailed at about midday at the stations where this atmospheric phenomenon was observed. The mega-heat wave of August 2015 was characterized by a lower heat load. The diurnal variation of PET values during the researched mega-HW was similar to that of the diurnal variation of air temperature with minimum values in the early morning and maximum values in the afternoon. On the territory where mega-heat waves were observed, the number of days during which heat stress occurred for 9 h amounted to 97.6% for the period from 31 July to 12 August 2010 and 77.1% for the mega-heat wave of August 2015.

This study considers the impact of religion on perceptions of happiness and quality of life, and is especially focused on the adjunct effects of religion on the standard of living in the economically developing countries of Turkey, Ukraine, Senegal, and Morocco. The data have been collected using a survey carried out in 2012, and the empirical analysis was based on non-parametric tests and multinomial logistic regression. The results indicate that there are differences between devout followers of religion and atheists regarding gender, marital status, and perceptions of personal financial realities. Demographically, females, irrespective of whether they are married or single, tend to be more religious, and religious adherents, irrespective of gender, are such largely for the acquisitive aim of achieving improvements in standard of living or contentment with the standard of living which they have. When compared to atheists it was found that the latter was more affluent and thus stressed a more secular approach to life that emphasizes a sense of perennial discontent with social status and even a more acquisitive aim of procuring more money and status. Based on a mixed-effects generalized linear model that considers differences between countries as random effects, it may be concluded that negative perceptions regarding standard of living cause religiosity, but also allows for more satisfaction in daily life. Taking into account the countries that were selected for this study, it can be said that the results are truly cross-cultural in nature. Moreover, most of the conclusions that were reached are, to some extent, relevant to other developing economies of Eastern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.

The aim of this study is assessment of thermal comfort conditions during heat waves in Ukraine in the years 1961-2015. The assessment is based on the thermal index Physiologically Equivalent Temperature. This study uses data from 29 meteorological stations across Ukraine. The research showed an increasing frequency of occurrence of heat waves (HWs) in the territory of Ukraine in the last decades. East and south Ukraine (except of coastal stations) experienced the most strenuous human-biometeorological conditions whilst HWs were recorded in the country. Lower mean PET values were found in Western region of the country. The obtained results suggest that the HW event of 2010 was the longest and the most strenuous HW in human-biometeorological terms since 1961.