The role of International trade in improving the competitiveness of Saint Petersburg

This article aims to explore the prospects for the development of international trade and the impact of trade on increasing competitiveness of Saint Petersburg. To this end, the authors study the theoretical aspects of regional competitiveness as such, analyse the ten years’ data on the city’s international trade, and explore the significance of image, reputation, and information support for the region’s international trade provided by business information centres abroad. The authors employ the methods of expert opinion and statistical analysis as well as the authors’ own data to consider the problems of international trade development in Saint Petersburg and the ways to improve the city’s competitiveness. The authors estimate the international trade performance of Saint Petersburg and outline the key areas for increasing the city’s competitive ability. This article has theoretical and practical significance for experts studying regional competitiveness, for regional authorities, and the business community

Ferritin self-assembly, structure, function, and biotechnological applications

Ferritin is a vital protein complex responsible for storing iron in almost all living organisms. It plays a crucial role in various metabolic pathways, inflammation processes, stress response, and pathogenesis of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. In this review we discuss the role of ferritin in diseases, cellular iron regulation, its structural features, and its role in biotechnology. We also show that molecular mechanisms of ferritin self-assembly are key for a number of biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications. The assembly pathways strongly depend on the interface context of ferritin monomers and the stability of its different intermediate oligomers. To date, several schemes of self-assembly kinetics have been proposed. Here, we compare different self-assembly mechanisms and discuss the possibility of self-assembly control by switching between deadlock intermediate states