I fondi sovrani

Nella tesi, il capitolo 1 introduce le definizioni, le caratteristiche, le classificazioni dei fondi sovrani, successivamente si parla dei soggetti coinvolti, la storia, la situazione attuale e lo sviluppo futuro dei fondi sovrani. Nel capitolo 2, viene analizzata l’influenza che i fondi sovrani esercita sulla stabilità dei mercati finanziari, vengono studiati gli effetti dei fondi sovrani a breve termine sui mercati azionari, e poi si è analizzata l’influenza che gli investimenti dei fondi sovrani hanno sui flussi di capitali, sul tasso di cambio, sulla valuta di riserva internazionale e sulla struttura dei mercati dei capitali. Nel capitolo 3 viene descritta la sorveglianza multilaterale e la regolamentazione internazionale. Molte volte la proprietà governativa dei fondi sovrani ha suscitato dubbi, ostacoli e avversità da molte parti, da cui nasce un forte senso protezionista. I paesi europei ed americani si preoccupano del fatto che i fondi sovrani sono controllati dai governi, quindi inevitabilmente negli investimenti vengono introdotti dei fattori politici, considerando poi la mancanza di trasparenza, possono portare un grande impatto sui mercati finanziari interni dei paesi beneficiari, facendo emergere anche il fenomeno della manipolazione del mercato. Per questo tali paesi hanno imposto forti richieste sulla sorveglianza e trasparenza dei fondi sovrani. Sulla base degli argomenti trattati precedentemente, nel capitolo 4 si è cercato di analizzare iI fondo sovrano cinese -- il China Investment Corporation. Il CIC è stato molto discusso fin dalla sua nascita, dal suo primo investimento in Blackstone Group al successivo impegno in Morgan Stanley nonché gli suoi altri investimenti, che sono state tutti in perdite. Di fronte alle accuse dei media nazionali, il CIC ha dovuto sopportare enormi pressioni, tutto ciò è causato sia dalla sua inesperienza, che da una mancanza di personale specializzato in investimenti, ma è anche strettamente legato alla crisi subprime. Questo capitolo non tratta del problema se il CIC debba essere creato o meno, ma parte da un punto di vista pratico, descrivendo in modo oggettivo e dettagliato lo sfondo, le strategie di investimento, i casi di investimento del CIC; infine si conclude con alcuni consigli e punti di vista personali

Comparing shade tolerance measures of woody forest species

Shade tolerance, the minimum light requirement for plant survival, is a key trait for understanding community assembly and forest dynamics. However, it is poorly defined for tree species to date. Current methods of measuring shade tolerance vary considerably in their performance. For instance, some measures of shade tolerance are unreliable except under some specific conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to compare the performance of these methods to provide guidance of choosing appropriate shade tolerance measures in future studies. We collected a large dataset of light traits and other life history traits for 137 understory wood species in a subtropical forest and tested the performance of five commonly used shade-tolerance indices. Results showed that all the shade-tolerance measures, except the low-light abundance index, performed poorly in distinguishing and ranking shade tolerance of the tested species. The shade tolerance quantified by the low-light abundance was consistent with empirical classification of shade-tolerance/intolerance groups and successional seral stages of species. Comparison of the shade tolerance between trees of different diameter at breast height (DBH) or height classes further confirmed the reliability of low-light abundance. We conclude that low-light abundance is the most objective and practical of the five most commonly-used methods for measuring and ranking shade tolerance of understory wood species in our study forest, and likely in other forests as well. The simplicity of the method should greatly facilitate the assessment of light niche differentiation between species and thus contribute to understanding coexistence of tree species in forests

Observation of Fractionally Quantized Anomalous Hall Effect

The integer quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) effect is a lattice analog of the quantum Hall effect at zero magnetic field. This striking transport phenomenon occurs in electronic systems with topologically nontrivial bands and spontaneous time-reversal symmetry breaking. Discovery of its putative fractional counterpart in the presence of strong electron correlations, i.e., the fractional quantum anomalous Hall (FQAH) effect, would open a new chapter in condensed matter physics. Here, we report the direct observation of both integer and fractional QAH effects in electrical measurements on twisted bilayer MoTe$_2$. At zero magnetic field, near filling factor $\nu = -1$ (one hole per moir\'e unit cell) we see an extended integer QAH plateau in the Hall resistance $R_\text{xy}$ that is quantized to $h/e^2 \pm 0.1 \%$ while the longitudinal resistance $R_\text{xx}$ vanishes. Remarkably, at $\nu=-2/3$ and $-3/5$ we see plateau features in $R_\text{xy}$ at $3h/2e^2 \pm 1\%$ and $5h/3e^2 \pm 3\%$, respectively, while $R_\text{xx}$ remains small. All these features shift linearly in an applied magnetic field with slopes matching the corresponding Chern numbers $-1$, $-2/3$, and $-3/5$, precisely as expected for integer and fractional QAH states. In addition, at zero magnetic field, $R_\text{xy}$ is approximately $2h/e^2$ near half filling ($\nu = -1/2$) and varies linearly as $\nu$ is tuned. This behavior resembles that of the composite Fermi liquid in the half-filled lowest Landau level of a two-dimensional electron gas at high magnetic field. Direct observation of the FQAH and associated effects paves the way for researching charge fractionalization and anyonic statistics at zero magnetic field.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figures for main text. 8 extended data figure

An improved ant colony optimization-based approach with mobile sink for wireless sensor networks

Traditional wireless sensor networks (WSNs) with one static sink node suffer from the well-known hot spot problem, that of sensor nodes near the static sink bear more traffic load than outlying nodes. Thus, the overall network lifetime is reduced due to the fact some nodes deplete their energy reserves much faster compared to the rest. Recently, adopting sink mobility has been considered as a good strategy to overcome the hot spot problem. Mobile sink(s) physically move within the network and communicate with selected nodes, such as cluster heads (CHs), to perform direct data collection through short-range communications that requires no routing. Finding an optimal mobility trajectory for the mobile sink is critical in order to achieve energy efficiency. Taking hints from nature, the ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm has been seen as a good solution to finding an optimal traversal path. Whereas the traditional ACO algorithm will guide ants to take a small step to the next node using current information, over time they will deviate from the target. Likewise, a mobile sink may communicate with selected node for a relatively long time making the traditional ACO algorithm delays not suitable for high real-time WSNs applications. In this paper, we propose an improved ACO algorithm approach for WSNs that use mobile sinks by considering CH distances. In this research, the network is divided into several clusters and each cluster has one CH. While the distance between CHs is considered under the traditional ACO algorithm, the mobile sink node finds an optimal mobility trajectory to communicate with CHs under our improved ACO algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can significantly improve wireless sensor network performance compared to other routing algorithms

miRNA-135a promotes breast cancer cell migration and invasion by targeting HOXA10

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>miRNAs are a group of small RNA molecules regulating target genes by inducing mRNA degradation or translational repression. Aberrant expression of miRNAs correlates with various cancers. Although miR-135a has been implicated in several other cancers, its role in breast cancer is unknown. <it>HOXA10 </it>however, is associated with multiple cancer types and was recently shown to induce p53 expression in breast cancer cells and reduce their invasive ability. Because <it>HOXA10 </it>is a confirmed miR-135a target in more than one tissue, we examined miR-135a levels in relation to breast cancer phenotypes to determine if miR-135a plays role in this cancer type.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Expression levels of miR-135a in tissues and cells were determined by poly (A)-RT PCR. The effect of miR-135a on proliferation was evaluated by CCK8 assay, cell migration and invasion were evaluated by transwell migration and invasion assays, and target protein expression was determined by western blotting. GFP and luciferase reporter plasmids were constructed to confirm the action of miR-135a on downstream target genes including <it>HOXA10</it>. Results are reported as means ± S.D. and differences were tested for significance using 2-sided Student"s t-test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we report that miR-135a was highly expressed in metastatic breast tumors. We found that the expression of miR-135a was required for the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells, but not their proliferation. <it>HOXA10</it>, which encodes a transcription factor required for embryonic development and is a metastasis suppressor in breast cancer, was shown to be a direct target of miR-135a in breast cancer cells. Our analysis showed that miR-135a suppressed the expression of <it>HOXA10 </it>both at the mRNA and protein level, and its ability to promote cellular migration and invasion was partially reversed by overexpression of <it>HOXA10</it>.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In summary, our results indicate that miR-135a is an onco-miRNA that can promote breast cancer cell migration and invasion. <it>HOXA10 </it>is a target gene for miR-135a in breast cancer cells and overexpression of <it>HOXA10 </it>can partially reverse the miR-135a invasive phenotype.</p

Effects of Anacetrapib in Patients with Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease

BACKGROUND: Patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease remain at high risk for cardiovascular events despite effective statin-based treatment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. The inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) by anacetrapib reduces LDL cholesterol levels and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. However, trials of other CETP inhibitors have shown neutral or adverse effects on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 30,449 adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive atorvastatin therapy and who had a mean LDL cholesterol level of 61 mg per deciliter (1.58 mmol per liter), a mean non-HDL cholesterol level of 92 mg per deciliter (2.38 mmol per liter), and a mean HDL cholesterol level of 40 mg per deciliter (1.03 mmol per liter). The patients were assigned to receive either 100 mg of anacetrapib once daily (15,225 patients) or matching placebo (15,224 patients). The primary outcome was the first major coronary event, a composite of coronary death, myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 4.1 years, the primary outcome occurred in significantly fewer patients in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (1640 of 15,225 patients [10.8%] vs. 1803 of 15,224 patients [11.8%]; rate ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 0.97; P=0.004). The relative difference in risk was similar across multiple prespecified subgroups. At the trial midpoint, the mean level of HDL cholesterol was higher by 43 mg per deciliter (1.12 mmol per liter) in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (a relative difference of 104%), and the mean level of non-HDL cholesterol was lower by 17 mg per deciliter (0.44 mmol per liter), a relative difference of -18%. There were no significant between-group differences in the risk of death, cancer, or other serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive statin therapy, the use of anacetrapib resulted in a lower incidence of major coronary events than the use of placebo. (Funded by Merck and others; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN48678192 ; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01252953 ; and EudraCT number, 2010-023467-18 .)

Influence of Urban Agglomeration Expansion on Fragmentation of Green Space: A Case Study of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Urban Agglomeration

Loss of green space habitats and landscape fragmentation are important reasons for the decline in environmental quality, degradation of ecosystem functions, and decline in biodiversity. Quantifying the spatio-temporal characteristics of landscape fragmentation of green space and its relationship with urban expansion mode is an important basis for improving urban development mode and enhancing urban ecological functions. For this paper, we took the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) urban agglomeration as the research object, a typical rapidly urbanizing area. Through multi-scale landscape pattern analysis and statistical analysis, the spatial–temporal evolution characteristics of green space fragmentation in the BTH urban agglomeration from 2000 to 2020 and the influence of urban expansion were analyzed, and the land-use situation in 2030 was predicted by the Future Land Use Simulation (FLUS) model. The main conclusions are as follows: The BTH urban agglomeration has developed rapidly in the last 20 years, showing the characteristics of diffusion and corridor development. The intensity and pattern of urban expansion have significantly affected the pattern of green space, leading to the intensification of domestic green space fragmentation. Among them, urban expansion exerts most severe effects on the fragmentation of farmland, followed by grassland and water. The influence of urban expansion on the scale and fragmentation of forestland is limited. The forecast results in 2030 show that built-up areas may continue to occupy green space. The rate of occupation of farmland will slow down while that of grassland will intensify

Ecological Connectivity : Soft landscape design proposal for the dead points on the UBC campus

Human activities have changed the ecological function and structure of the environment, and the fragmented green space has reduced the ecosystem services. Therefore, it is very necessary to strengthen the connection between green spaces and create new soft landscapes so as to increase fauna habitats and improve the connection among habitats with high species richness and ecological potential. This report will analyze the isolated soft landscapes on the University of British Columbia (UBC) Vancouver campus that cannot connect to surrounding green spaces and then put forward effective soft landscape intervention schemes according to the current conditions of each site. Finally, we will visually present the comparison before and after implementing soft landscape interventions through GIS maps. The presented results of the GIS maps show that after the interventions are added near these isolated soft landscapes, all soft landscapes on campus overlap each other after adding a 10m buffer, which means that the connectivity among soft landscapes has been improved. Disclaimer: “UBC SEEDS provides students with the opportunity to share the findings of their studies, as well as their opinions, conclusions and recommendations with the UBC community. The reader should bear in mind that this is a student project/report and is not an official document of UBC. Furthermore readers should bear in mind that these reports may not reflect the current status of activities at UBC. We urge you to contact the research persons mentioned in a report or the SEEDS Coordinator about the current status of the subject matter of a project/report.”Forestry, Faculty ofUnreviewedUndergraduat