Current problems of banking supervision and regulation : a new evidence

At present, in the era of globalization, the banking sector failure in one country can cause negative externalities for the financial institutions of other states. The fundamental problem of implementing standards based on Basel II is that these standards contribute to the development of pro-cyclicality of banking regulation. The authors emphasize the need to design such a regulatory system, which should contribute to innovative development and at the same time restrain socially dubious novelties. Therefore, the article substantiates the need to increase the size of the capital “buffer”, which is intended to address the problem of improving the financial situation and increasing the financial viability of the largest banks and banking systems. This reduces risks and increases the capital “safety cushion”, as well as optimizes the impact on the commercial banks behavior caused by the use of counter-cyclical capital regulation requirements. The conducted research supported the hypothesis put forward by the authors that when forming a countercyclical capital buffer it is necessary to focus on indicators of: return on assets of the banking system (ROА) and return on equity (ROE), depending on GDP growth, but this dependence does not become evident immediately, but with a time lag of 1 year. The object of the research is the banking system of Russia.peer-reviewe

Prevalence of chronic HCV infection in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Russia

BACKGROUND: The poor outcomes of chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and type 2 diabetes determine the socio-economic significance of the combined pathology since they lead to premature death. The proportion of patients with type 2 diabetes with markers of viral hepatitis (VH) in the Russian Federation is not known, which does not allow us to estimate the burden for the state of this medical problem.OBJECTIVE: Assessment of the prevalence of concomitant pathology, HCV infection and type 2 diabetes, as well as the proportion of severe liver damage in its structure, according to the analysis of the primary medical records of four Moscow hospitals.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of the medical records of patients with HCV infection and diabetes mellitus, who admitted at different periods to four hospitals in Moscow, was carried out, as well as a total examination for the presence of anti-HCV in the blood of all patients with diabetes who were admitted within a certain period to the endocrinology department of a multidisciplinary hospital. Additionally, to determine the proportion of patients with liver cirrhosis (LC), an additional examination of patients with this combined pathology was carried out in accordance with the standards for the diagnosis of hepatitis C.RESULTS: In total, according to data from 4 hospitals in Moscow, over a certain period, 2% (105/5298) of diabetes patients with anti-HCV in their blood were identified. Sex ratio for men: women = 54 (51%): 51 (49%). Patients aged 50–69 years prevailed — 70% (74/105). Seroprevalence of HCV in cohorts of patients with type 2 diabetes according to the analysis in 3 health facilities: 0.9% (20/2196), 1.9% (8/432), 1.9% (28/1500). A significant drawback was revealed that did not allow assessing the true seroprevalence of HCV: not all patients were hospitalized with the results of a VH test, and not all of them were assigned an examination for VH markers if it was not performed before hospitalization. The proportion of type 2 diabetes patients with anti-HCV in the blood according to the results of total screening (3.7%; 16/432) became comparable to the proportion of type 2 diabetes patients among patients with CHC admitted to an infectious hospital (4.2%; 49 / 1170). The proportion of patients with LC according to the analysis of the medical records of the infectious hospital is 65% (32/49), in the group of endocrinological patients with additional examination it is 18% (13/71).CONCLUSION: For the first time in the Russian Federation, data were obtained on the prevalence of HCV infection in combination with type 2 diabetes. The results of the study indicate the need to develop effective screening programs to detect active HCV infection in the group of patients with diabetes, as well as patients among them with severe hepatic fibrosis for the timely conduct of highly effective antiviral therapy, which will prevent poor outcomes in a separate perspective

Simulation Methodology for Electron Transfer in CMOS Quantum Dots

The construction of quantum computer simulators requires advanced software which can capture the most significant characteristics of the quantum behavior and quantum states of qubits in such systems. Additionally, one needs to provide valid models for the description of the interface between classical circuitry and quantum core hardware. In this study, we model electron transport in semiconductor qubits based on an advanced CMOS technology. Starting from 3D simulations, we demonstrate an order reduction and the steps necessary to obtain ordinary differential equations on probability amplitudes in a multi-particle system. We compare numerical and semi-analytical techniques concluding this paper by examining two case studies: the electron transfer through multiple quantum dots and the construction of a Hadamard gate simulated using a numerical method to solve the time-dependent Schrodinger equation and the tight-binding formalism for a time-dependent Hamiltonian

A Rapid Synthesis of Oriented Palladium Nanoparticles by UV Irradiation

Palladium nanoparticles of average size around 8 nm have been synthesized rapidly by UV irradiation of mixture of palladium chloride and potassium oxalate solutions. A rod-shaped palladium oxalate complex has been observed as an intermediate. In the absence of potassium oxalate, no Pd nanoparticles have been observed. The synthesized Pd nanoparticles have been characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selective area electron diffraction and energy dispersive analysis by X-rays (EDAX) analyses. XRD analysis indicates the preferential orientation of catalytically active {111} planes in Pd nanoparticles. A plausible mechanism has been proposed for the formation of anisotropic Pd nanoparticles

Genome sequencing and population genomic analyses provide insights into the adaptive landscape of silver birch

201

Responses of zostera marina and cymodocea nodosa to light-limitation stress

The effects of light-limitation stress were investigated in natural stands of the seagrasses Zostera marina and Cymodocea nodosa in Ria Formosa coastal lagoon, southern Portugal. Three levels of light attenuation were imposed for 3 weeks in two adjacent meadows (2–3 m depth), each dominated by one species. The response of photosynthesis to light was determined with oxygen electrodes. Chlorophylls and carotenoids were determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Soluble protein, carbohydrates, malondialdehyde and phenol contents were also analysed. Both species showed evident signs of photoacclimation. Their maximum photosynthetic rates were significantly reduced with shading. Ratios between specific light harvesting carotenoids and the epoxidation state of xanthophyll cycle carotenoids revealed significantly higher light harvesting efficiency of C. nodosa, a competitive advantage in a low light environment. The contents of both soluble sugars and starch were considerably lower in Z. marina plants, particularly in the rhizomes, decreasing even further with shading. The different carbohydrate energy storage strategies found between the two species clearly favour C. nodosa's resilience to light deprivation, a condition enhanced by its intrinsic arrangement of the pigment pool. On the other hand, Z. marina revealed a lower tolerance to light reduction, mostly due to a less plastic arrangement of the pigment pool and lower carbohydrate storage. Our findings indicate that Z. marina is close to a light-mediated ecophysiological threshold in Ria Formosa

MEMS Technologies for Energy Harvesting

The objective of this chapter is to introduce the technology of Microelectromechanical Systems, MEMS, and their application to emerging energy harvesting devices. The chapter begins with a general introduction to the most common MEMS fabrication processes. This is followed with a survey of design mechanisms implemented in MEMS energy harvesters to provide nonlinear mechanical actuations. Mechanisms to produce bistable potential will be studied, such as introducing fixed magnets, buckling of beams or using slightly slanted clamped-clamped beams. Other nonlinear mechanisms are studied such as impact energy transfer, or the design of nonlinear springs. Finally, due to their importance in the field of MEMS and their application to energy harvesters, an introduction to actuation using piezoelectric materials is given. Examples of energy harvesters found in the literature using this actuation principle are also presented

Anhydrobiosis-Associated Nuclear DNA Damage and Repair in the Sleeping Chironomid: Linkage with Radioresistance

Anhydrobiotic chironomid larvae can withstand prolonged complete desiccation as well as other external stresses including ionizing radiation. To understand the cross-tolerance mechanism, we have analyzed the structural changes in the nuclear DNA using transmission electron microscopy and DNA comet assays in relation to anhydrobiosis and radiation. We found that dehydration causes alterations in chromatin structure and a severe fragmentation of nuclear DNA in the cells of the larvae despite successful anhydrobiosis. Furthermore, while the larvae had restored physiological activity within an hour following rehydration, nuclear DNA restoration typically took 72 to 96 h. The DNA fragmentation level and the recovery of DNA integrity in the rehydrated larvae after anhydrobiosis were similar to those of hydrated larvae irradiated with 70 Gy of high-linear energy transfer (LET) ions (4He). In contrast, low-LET radiation (gamma-rays) of the same dose caused less initial damage to the larvae, and DNA was completely repaired within within 24 h. The expression of genes encoding the DNA repair enzymes occurred upon entering anhydrobiosis and exposure to high- and low-LET radiations, indicative of DNA damage that includes double-strand breaks and their subsequent repair. The expression of antioxidant enzymes-coding genes was also elevated in the anhydrobiotic and the gamma-ray-irradiated larvae that probably functions to reduce the negative effect of reactive oxygen species upon exposure to these stresses. Indeed the mature antioxidant proteins accumulated in the dry larvae and the total activity of antioxidants increased by a 3–4 fold in association with anhydrobiosis. We conclude that one of the factors explaining the relationship between radioresistance and the ability to undergo anhydrobiosis in the sleeping chironomid could be an adaptation to desiccation-inflicted nuclear DNA damage. There were also similarities in the molecular response of the larvae to damage caused by desiccation and ionizing radiation

Genome sequencing and population genomic analyses provide insights into the adaptive landscape of silver birch

Silver birch (Betula pendula) is a pioneer boreal tree that can be induced to flower within 1 year. Its rapid life cycle, small (440-Mb) genome, and advanced germplasm resources make birch an attractive model for forest biotechnology. We assembled and chromosomally anchored the nuclear genome of an inbred B. pendula individual. Gene duplicates from the paleohexaploid event were enriched for transcriptional regulation, whereas tandem duplicates were overrepresented by environmental responses. Population resequencing of 80 individuals showed effective population size crashes at major points of climatic upheaval. Selective sweeps were enriched among polyploid duplicates encoding key developmental and physiological triggering functions, suggesting that local adaptation has tuned the timing of and cross-talk between fundamental plant processes. Variation around the tightly-linked light response genes PHYC and FRS10 correlated with latitude and longitude and temperature, and with precipitation for PHYC. Similar associations characterized the growth-promoting cytokinin response regulator ARR1, and the wood development genes KAK and MED5A.Peer reviewe