THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FINANCIAL CRISIS UPON EMERGING AND DEVELOPPING COUNTRIES

The authors of the research analyze the impact and the effects of the financial crisis upon the emerging and developing countries. Moreover, the impact of the international economic crisis upon the new member states of the European Union has proved to be more severe than it had been anticipated a few months before, and its effects appeared immediately. Also, the study shows how important it is for the developing countries to take immediate, decided and systematic measures, to be ready for future events, in order to reduce the recession risks. A correct management of the crisis besides prevention policies and strategies also involves management methods corresponding to the type of crisis.drinking public, effects, crisis, measures, emerging.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS BY BENCHMARKING APPLICATION

Within the performed survey, the authors analyze the benchmarking definitive elements, identify the main categories of the approach referring to benchmarking, and underline the positive aspects and the critics in connection with it. All the said aspects are analyzed in order to set forth a basis for benchmarking application within the public institutions, such way to lead to the improvement of quality and performance management. It is evidenced that benchmarking does not refer only to performance’ measurement, but, it represents a strategy aiming public institutions reach a certain competitive level.public, institutions, benchmarking, quality, performance.

Mobility and Translocation of TAT Peptides in Model Membranes

Cell penetrating peptides (CPPs) like HIV1-TAT have the special property to traverse the cell membrane and to function as vectors for various macromolecular cargoes such as fluorophores, nucleotides, drugs, proteins, DNA, and peptide-nucleic acids, and even liposomes and magnetic nanoparticles. In spite of the fact that TAT peptides were intensively investigated, the exact internalization mechanism is still controversial. Despite the controversy and uncertainty regarding the uptake mechanism, the property of TAT to deliver non-permeable molecules into living cells makes it an attractive tool for biological sciences as well as medicine and biotechnology. It is therefore essential to identify precisely the criteria which can yield an efficient cell penetration with a high degree of drug transfer. To elucidate the non-endocytic entry routes and the transduction mechanism, one possibility is to analyse interaction of TAT peptides with model membrane systems. In this study we use giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) as cyto-mimetic model system since the micrometer scale of the GUVs enables microscopic observation of these liposomes. In this study we applied high-speed single-particle tracking (SPT) and confocal laser scanning microscopy to systematically examine factors that affect membrane binding, mobility and penetration of fluorescence labelled TAT peptides in the GUVs with different composition. To focus onto interaction between TAT and lipids the first experiments were performed in sucrose/glucose solution with all ions excluded from the media. As a reference we first examined the mobility of fluorescent lipids within the GUV bilayer. As expected, lipid mobility varied clearly with the phase state of the membranes, whereas peptide mobility was independent on membrane hydrophobic core, but dependent on headgroup of lipids in the bilayer. CLSM experiments revealed that in GUVs formed by phosphatidylcholine (PC) and cholesterol no translocation of TAT peptides but just accumulation on the membrane. The same effect was observed also for anionic GUVs containing 15-30 mol % phosphatidylserine (PS). Additional SPT experiments and evaluation of diffusion coefficients revealed that TAT peptides “float” on neutral membranes and they are partial inserted in the headgroup of anionic bilayers. Introduction of a significant amount of anionic lipids (40 mol %) or lipids inducing locally a negative curvature into the membranes (20 mol %) affected TAT translocation across these membranes. Notably, we discovered that TAT peptides were not only able to directly penetrate such membranes in a passive manner, but they were also capable of forming physical pores, which could be passed by small but not large dye tracer molecules. For the physiological relevance of the study, additional experiments in the presence of salt solutions were performed. CLSM experiments showed that physiological salt solution dramatically changed the TAT interaction with the GUV membrane. Binding of TAT to GUVs of all employed compositions was completely lost, and the peptides now efficiently translocated into the GUV interior. In confocal images no membrane staining was observable and dye release indicated again pore formation. Also the sensitive single molecule microscope did not detect any trace of peptides on the GUV surface. This result was obtained for neutral or anionic, liquid-ordered or liquid-disordered membranes. Also, there was no difference for GUVs without cholesterol or in case of other salt solutions at the same concentration, 100 mM (CaCl2, CaCO3 or PBS)

TAX AVOIDANCE FOR RESIDENT BUSINESS BY ESTABLISHING OFFSHORE COMPANIES

Until nowadays, a wide spectrum of offshore services satisfying various business needs has been developed. The offshore industry has turned into a global business, and reached all corners of the world, covering about a half of the world’s financial transactions. The offshore companies are a solution for everyone who is planning new activity and are interested in business development and tax reduction.Over the last twenty years, increasing client demand for offshore facilities has mostly resulted in political and economical instability, market globalization, high tax regimes and more effective tax recovery. Clients often ask which offshore area is the best for company incorporation. The answer really depends on the intended use of the offshore entity and the client’s own personal or business reasons.offshore (tax heaven), profit, tax, revenues, globalization

Country Risk – Barrier or Key Factor of Globalization

Country risk and globalization are two terms that at first sight may seem incompatible, globalization meaning opening, expansion of international economic relations, while country risk indicator generates limits or adjustments for the external activities. The present scientific approach aims to demonstrate, both theoretically and empirically, the complementarity, the positive correlation between the two terms. Briefly, all studies conducted by experts, lead to the same conclusion: open economies grow faster. Thereby, the premises for reducing country risk are created as, in general, the increase in the globalization level has led to improved country rating. Of course, there are exceptions. For example, the comparison between the globalization ranking A.T. Kearney with the ratings given by one of the best known rating agencies, Standard & Poor’s has shown that countries with a high rank in the globalization index (Hungary, Portugal) were downgraded, while others, with lower index rank received the same rank. One explanation is represented by the "perverse" globalization effects, which means that not always the effects of globalization on economic and human progress are positive. Of course, it shouldn’t be neglected the fact that the opening led to increased interdependence and therefore of vulnerability. Country risk is not therefore an obstacle to globalization, however, it may be considered one of the factors which led to polarization, to marginalization of poor countries and hence, low listed in the risk rankings. In general however, development of the statistical data within the real economies states the mutual inter-relationship between the two concepts.country risk, index of globalization, cross-compliance, international economic flows, macroeconomic indicators

Actin Dynamics Associated with Focal Adhesions

Cell-matrix adhesion plays a major role during cell migration. Proteins from adhesion structures connect the extracellular matrix to the actin cytoskeleton, allowing the growing actin network to push the plasma membrane and the contractile cables (stress fibers) to pull the cell body. Force transmission to the extracellular matrix depends on several parameters including the regulation of actin dynamics in adhesion structures, the contractility of stress fibers, and the mechanosensitive response of adhesion structures. Here we highlight recent findings on the molecular mechanisms by which actin assembly is regulated in adhesion structures and the molecular basis of the mechanosensitivity of focal adhesions

A clinical feasibility study of the Forensic Psychiatry and Violence Oxford (FoVOx) tool

Background: Risk assessment informs decisions around admission to and discharge from secure psychiatric hospital and contributes to treatment and supervision. There are advantages to using brief, scalable, free online tools with similar accuracy to instruments currently used. We undertook a study of one such risk assessment, the Forensic Psychiatry and Violence Oxford (FoVOx) tool, examining its acceptability, feasibility, and practicality. Methods: We completed the FoVOx tool on all discharges from six secure psychiatric hospitals in one region in England over two years. We interviewed 11 senior forensic psychiatrists regarding each discharge using a standardized questionnaire. Their patient’s FoVOx score was compared to clinical risk assessment, and the senior clinicians were asked if they considered FoVOx scores accurate and useful. A modified thematic analysis was conducted, and clinicians were surveyed about current risk assessment practice on discharge. Results: Of 90 consecutive discharges, 84 were included in the final analysis. The median FoVOx probability score was 11% risk of violent recidivism in two years after discharge. We estimated that 12 (14%) individuals reoffended since discharge; all were in the medium or high risk FoVOx categories. Clinical assessment of risk agreed with the FoVOx categories in around half the cases. Clinicians were more likely to provide lower risk categories compared with FoVOx ones. FoVOx was considered to be an accurate representation of risk in 67% of cases; clinicians revised their view on some patient’s risk assessment after being informed of their FoVOx scores. Completing FoVOx was reported to be helpful in the majority of cases. Reasons included improved communication with other agencies, reassurance to clinical teams, and identifying additional factors not fully considered. 10 of the 11 respondents reported that FoVOx was practical, and seven of 11 reported that they would use it in the future, highlighting its brevity and speed of use compared to existing risk assessment tools. Conclusions: Senior clinicians in this regional forensic psychiatric service found the FoVOx risk assessment tool feasible, practical, and easy to use. Its use addressed a lack of consistency around risk assessment at the point of discharge and, if used routinely, could assist in clinical decision-making.</br

A direct interaction between fascin and microtubules contributes to adhesion dynamics and cell migration

Fascin is an actin-binding and bundling protein that is highly upregulated in most epithelial cancers. Fascin promotes cell migration and adhesion dynamics in vitro and tumour cell metastasis in vivo. However, potential non-actin bundling roles for fascin remain unknown. Here we show for the first time that fascin can directly interact with the microtubule cytoskeleton and that this does not depend upon fascin-actin bundling. Microtubule binding contributes to fascin-dependent control of focal adhesion dynamics and cell migration speed. We also show that fascin forms a complex with focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and Src, and that this signalling pathway lies downstream of fascin-microtubule association in the control of adhesion stability. These findings shed light on new non actin-dependent roles for fascin and may have implications for the design of therapies to target fascin in metastatic disease

Mechanical activation of vinculin binding to talin locks talin in an unfolded conformation

The force-dependent interaction between talin and vinculin plays a crucial role in the initiation and growth of focal adhesions. Here we use magnetic tweezers to characterise the mechano-sensitive compact N-terminal region of the talin rod, and show that the three helical bundles R1-R3 in this region unfold in three distinct steps consistent with the domains unfolding independently. Mechanical stretching of talin R1-R3 enhances its binding to vinculin and vinculin binding inhibits talin refolding after force is released. Mutations that stabilize R3 identify it as the initial mechano-sensing domain in talin, unfolding at ~5 pN, suggesting that 5 pN is the force threshold for vinculin binding and adhesion progression