Testing the pecking order theory of Capital structure: Kazakhstan Experience

The aim of this work is to test whether publicly available companies from Kazakhstan follow the pecking order theory of capital structure in their financial decisions. We defined the importance of the financial leverage ratio as a key coefficient demonstrating financial stability of the company. The financial reports of the biggest companies were used to identify the independent variables which become the determinants of capital structure choice. Results of econometric analysis partially confirmed the predicted hypotheses of the relationship between leverage ratio and determinants. Overall, the outcomes of this work assist financial managers in terms of financial risk management and strategical decision making in defining the capital structure of the firm

Tom Stoppard and postmodernism (based on «rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead»)

У статті розглянуто та проаналізовано ті риси п’єси «Розенкранц та Гільденстерн мертві», які вказують на те, що це зразок постмодерністичної літератури. Серед них пародія, структура твору «п’єса в п’єсі», двозначність, інтертекстуальність, плюралізм, бінарна опозиція та мінімалізм. (The article deals with analysis of those features of the play «Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead» which prove that it is an example of postmodern literature. Among them there are parody, the structure «play within the play», ambiguity, intertextuality, pluralism, binary opposition, minimalism.

Діалог у п'єсі Тома Стопарда «Розенкранц та Гільденстерн мертві» (Dialogue in Tom Stoppard’s «Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead»)

У статті розглянуто та проаналізовано лінгвістичні і структурні особливості діалогу у п’єсі Тома Стоппарда «Розенкранц та Гільденстерн мертві». Виокремлено такі риси діалогу, як: повтор, кліше, абзаци з елементами мюзик-холу, штучна мова, гра слів і вербальні натяки. Виявлено структурну схожість аналізованої п’єси із п’єсою Семюеля Беккета «В Очікування Годо». (The article deals with analysis of linguistic and structural peculiarities of dialogue in «Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead» by Tom Stoppard. Such features of dialogue as repetition, clichés, music-hall passages, ready-made language, play of words and verbal byplay have been singled out. It has been discovered that the play under study is structurally close to the play «Waiting for Godot» by Samuel Beckett. Some of the music-hall exchanges in «Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead» seem to be direct parallels to those in «Waiting for Godot». In the play under analysis the music-hall talk consists of ready-made stock sentences. There are passages where the order of the lines is not the only possible one, but could be changed without affecting the «intelligibility» of the dialogue. In such passages the sentences have become almost interchangeable building blocks and speech merely a game. One more peculiarity concerns the cohesive relations within music-hall passages. The bulk of the passage forms one logical and associative entity. There is a tendency in «Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead» towards considerable logical and associative cohesion within music-hall passages. Stoppard strives for smooth transitions from one scene to the next, providing associative and logical links between topical units. The associative and logical links can, however, be somewhat artificial, contrived through verbal trickery.

THE PHENOMENON OF SILENCE IN S. BECKETT’S PLAYS. (Феномен мовчання в п'єсах С. Беккета)

У статті розглянуто та проаналізовано феномен мовчання у п’єсах С. Беккета. Виявлено, що мовчання актуалізоване у досліджуваних творах як на рівні структури п’єс, так і лексично. Мовчання представлене як авторською ремаркою «пауза» або «тиша», так і дієсловами та похідними іменниками, що позначають розумові процеси. Частіше за все мовчання є більш інформативно змістовним, ніж вчинки персонажів. (The article deals with analysis of the phenomenon of silence presented in S. Beckett’s plays. It is discovered that silence is actualized at both structural and lexical levels of the plays under study. Silence is shown with the help of author’s remark «pause» or «silence» as well as verbs and derivative nouns denoting mental processes. Silence is often.) more informative than personages’ actions

Структурні та лінгвістичні особливості п’єси «Everyman» (Structural and linguistic peculiarities of the play «everyman»)

У статті розглянуто та проаналізовано структурні і лінгвістичні особливості середньовічної п’єси мораліте «Everyman»крізь призму цінностей епохи Середніх віків. У центрі п’єси – християнська доктрина про грішність та спасіння людини. П’єсі притаманна структура зростання-спадання, що стосується самої дії п’єси, семантичного наповнення прологу і епілогу, рими та римування. П’єсі властиві також мовна економія та урочиста і позбавлена емоційності мова. (The article deals with analysis of structural and linguistic peculiarities of medieval morality play «Everyman» through values, beliefs, mentality and socio-cultural attitudes of such epoch as the Middle Ages. The play focuses on Christian doctrine of human sinfulness and salvation which became the central notions of this era. The typical feature of this drama is two-part structure – descent-ascent pattern which is obvious in dramatic action, semantic content of prologue and epilogue, rhyme scheme. Through the two-part structure the pattern deepens the importance of the doctrine and evokes the inevitable emotional tension. Solemn, serious and non-emotional but at the same time economic language is inherent of the drama «Everyman». Every idea or thought is expressed in as little words as possible and repeated only once in the flow of the speech. The most prevalent use of structure can be found in the rapidly successive rhyming verses shared between characters involved in dialogue. The distribution of rhymes throughout dialogue provides insight to the pace and flow of the scene. The use of punctuation is unusual. The heavy use of commas breaking up the first half of thoughts elevates tension and creates a sense of building up and up until a reader comes to a certain point. The structure and the language of the play fulfil a didactic function to make a reader think and learn a lesson.

Quantization of a charged scalar field on a charged black hole background

We study the canonical quantization of a massless charged scalar field on a Reissner-Nordstrom black hole background. Our aim is to construct analogues of the standard Boulware, Unruh and Hartle-Hawking quantum states which can be defined for a neutral scalar field, and to explore their physical properties by computing differences in expectation values of the scalar field condensate, current and stress-energy tensor operators between two quantum states. Each of these three states has a non-time-reversal-invariant ``past'' and ``future'' charged field generalization, whose properties are similar to those of the corresponding ``past'' and ``future'' states for a neutral scalar field on a Kerr black hole. In addition, we present some tentative, time-reversal-invariant, equilibrium states. The first is a ``Boulware''-like state which is as empty as possible at both future and past null infinity. Second, we posit a ``Hartle-Hawking''-like state which may correspond to a thermal distribution of particles. The construction of both these latter states relies on the use of nonstandard commutation relations for the creation and annihilation operators pertaining to superradiant modes.Comment: 48 pages, 12 figures, minor changes, accepted for publicatio

Quantum superradiance on static black hole space-times

We study the quantum analogue of the classical process of superradiance for a massless charged scalar field on a static charged black hole space-time. We show that an “in” vacuum state, which is devoid of particles at past null infinity, contains an outgoing flux of particles at future null infinity. This radiation is emitted in the superradiant modes only, and is nonthermal in nature

Case Report: Non-typhoidal Salmonella infections transmitted by reptiles and amphibians

Non-typhoidal Salmonella infections (NTSI) can cause bacterial diarrhea, mostly leading to self-limiting gastroenteritis. However, in at-risk populations, NTSI can have severe complications. As transmission is most commonly foodborne, infection is rare in the breast- or bottle-fed very young. Another route is increasingly implicated, however, in newborns and infants especially: Contact with reptiles and amphibians. We describe infection with Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica ser. Monschaui (S. Monschaui), transmitted from bearded dragons, in a three-week-old boy. The boy initially appeared well, on the next morning deterioration was dramatic, with tachypnea, tachycardia, and mottled skin. Gram-negative sepsis was documented on day 2. His case prompted a review of published instances of reptile- and amphibian-associated salmonellosis (RAAS), summarized here. Association of S. Monschaui infection with exposure to reptiles and amphibians prompted inquiry into household pets. The parents had kept bearded dragons (Pogona sp.), the last of which died two weeks before the patient was born; confirmation of colonization with S. Monschaui was thus precluded. Among 63 reports (−5,000 cases) of RAAS or S. Monschaui, 62 appeared between 1995 and 2022, 10 were single case reports, and 53 were original articles with −5,000 cases; vectors included turtles, frogs, lizards, and snakes. RAAS is not a new phenomenon, but its incidence recently has risen due to the increased popularity of reptiles and amphibians as non-traditional pets. These animals can carry Salmonella sp. and transmit it to humans, posing a risk particularly to infants and other vulnerable persons. Risk mitigation requires that those bringing such pets into the home be informed of dangers associated with reptile and amphibian contact; that those selling reptiles and amphibians be mandated to inform customers comprehensively may be in order