Inequality and well-being in transition economies: A non-experimental test of inequality aversion

This paper examines the link between inequality and individual well-being using household survey data from 27 Transition Economies, where income inequality increased considerably since 1989. A test of inequality aversion in individual preferences that draws on the Fehr and Schmidt (QJE, 1999) specification of inequality aversion is proposed, and the difficulties of implementing it in a non-experimental setting are discussed. Estimates based on this model confirm aversion to inequality both in the overall sample and in the regional sub-samples. The Gini index, on the other hand, is unable to capture this negative effect of inequality on well-being. Notably, inequality aversion is not intrinsic. Rather, it appears to be tied to a concern with the fairness of the institutions underlying the distribution of fortunes in society. The evidence is suggestive of inequality of opportunity driving attitudes toward overall inequality. Perceiving inequality to be unfair is also associated with calls for strong government involvement in redistributive policies.inequality aversion, relative deprivation, subjective well-being, transition economies.

Essays on inequality, social mobility and redistributive preferences in Transition Economies

In this dissertation I rely on attitudinal and subjective well-being data from Transition Economies to examine several aspects of the relationship between inequality, social mobility and citizens' preferences for government involvement in redistributive policies. In the second chapter I suggest that if aversion to inequality is driven by social mobility considerations or by differences in status between self and relevant others, then aggregate statistical indices of inequality will be unable to capture in a meaningful way changes in status implicit in inequality dynamics. An alternative test of inequality aversion that derives from the experimental literature is adopted, that is better able to capture status driven aversion to inequality. The third chapter investigates empirically the link between the prospects of upward mobility (POUM) and preferences for redistribution. The POUM hypothesis is tested while directly accounting for other factors affecting preferences for redistribution such as risk aversion, beliefs regarding effort and luck as determinants of success, past economic mobility, or religious preferences. The chapter then looks at what shapes individuals' beliefs vis-a-vis future economic mobility. In particular, I examine the role of perceived inequality of opportunity, conceptualized in the spirit of John Rawls. The fourth chapter is concerned with the body of literature that suggests that relative status is an important determinant of well-being by looking at the effect of one's income relative to some reference group on self-reported life satisfaction. In most of these studies the data come from developed countries, while the reference group of the individual is unknown, and thus imposed by the researcher. This essay looks instead at self-reported relative deprivation based on data from six countries from different parts of Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union and which are at different levels of economic development. The relative salience of several reference groups is examined. Given the cross-sectional nature of the data, an instrumental variable strategy is employed to establish a causal link between relative deprivation and the level of satisfaction with the household's standard of living

A Survey of Recent Advances in Electrochemical Atomic Layer Deposition

Electrochemical Atomic Layer Deposition (E-ALD) has emerged as a promising technique for the precise deposition of thin films and nanostructures with atomic-level control. Recent advances in this field have expanded the range of materials that can be deposited, improved the efficiency and stability of the deposition process, and enabled the integration of E-ALD with other techniques. In this study, we present the following findings: First, we report the development of new electrode designs that enable more efficient and stable E-ALD processes. These electrode designs have resulted in the deposition of high-quality films with improved control over thickness and composition. Second, we describe the use of new precursors in E-ALD, such as metal-organic precursors, which have expanded the range of materials that can be deposited. This has allowed for the deposition of complex materials with improved precision and efficiency. Third, we report on our increased understanding of the deposition mechanisms involved in E-ALD, which has resulted from the use of advanced analytical techniques such as in situ spectroscopy and microscopy. This improved understanding has allowed for the development of more efficient and precise deposition processes. Fourth, we describe the integration of E-ALD with other techniques such as atomic layer etching and surface modification. This integration has led to the creation of new materials and structures with highly ordered nanostructures and precise control over their size and shape. Finally, we report on the promising applications of E-ALD in energy storage and conversion devices such as batteries, supercapacitors, and fuel cells. The precise control over film thickness and composition provided by E-ALD has enabled the development of high-performance electrodes and catalysts with improved durability and efficiency. Our findings demonstrate that recent advances in E-ALD have expanded its capabilities and potential applications, establishing it as a powerful tool for the controlled synthesis of thin films and nanostructures

Complexity-Theoretic Limitations on Blind Delegated Quantum Computation

Blind delegation protocols allow a client to delegate a computation to a server so that the server learns nothing about the input to the computation apart from its size. For the specific case of quantum computation we know that blind delegation protocols can achieve information-theoretic security. In this paper we prove, provided certain complexity-theoretic conjectures are true, that the power of information-theoretically secure blind delegation protocols for quantum computation (ITS-BQC protocols) is in a number of ways constrained. In the first part of our paper we provide some indication that ITS-BQC protocols for delegating $\sf BQP$ computations in which the client and the server interact only classically are unlikely to exist. We first show that having such a protocol with $O(n^d)$ bits of classical communication implies that $\mathsf{BQP} \subset \mathsf{MA/O(n^d)}$. We conjecture that this containment is unlikely by providing an oracle relative to which $\mathsf{BQP} \not\subset \mathsf{MA/O(n^d)}$. We then show that if an ITS-BQC protocol exists with polynomial classical communication and which allows the client to delegate quantum sampling problems, then there exist non-uniform circuits of size $2^{n - \mathsf{\Omega}(n/log(n))}$, making polynomially-sized queries to an $\sf NP^{NP}$ oracle, for computing the permanent of an $n \times n$ matrix. The second part of our paper concerns ITS-BQC protocols in which the client and the server engage in one round of quantum communication and then exchange polynomially many classical messages. First, we provide a complexity-theoretic upper bound on the types of functions that could be delegated in such a protocol, namely $\mathsf{QCMA/qpoly \cap coQCMA/qpoly}$. Then, we show that having such a protocol for delegating $\mathsf{NP}$-hard functions implies $\mathsf{coNP^{NP^{NP}}} \subseteq \mathsf{NP^{NP^{PromiseQMA}}}$.Comment: Improves upon, supersedes and corrects our earlier submission, which previously included an error in one of the main theorem

Classical secure delegation of quantum computations

The rapid evolution of quantum technologies is likely to cause major shifts in the mainstream computing landscape. In order to fully reach their potential in a wide base accessible to any user, remote access of quantum computers and manipulation of data with strong privacy and integrity guarantees are essential. Consider a setting where a client having a fully classical computer wants to determine the result of some quantum computation, but lacks the necessary resources to perform the computation herself. She has access to a more powerful server which has quantum resources and can solve the problem and send the outcome back to the client. However, the client does not trust the powerful server, so she needs to find a way to hide her data. Therefore, the main question that arises is how can we guarantee the client’s privacy of the input and even the computation itself against the server possessing quantum computational capabilities. In the present thesis, we study this problem, denoted here as classical secure delegation of quantum computations (CSDQC) between a fully classical honest client and a quantum untrusted server. We focus on different models of security, analyzing the limitations and potential of each of the settings. Concretely, we first study the CSDQC problem under information-theoretic security. We analyse two categories of quantum computations, decision and sampling problems and in both cases we provide evidence indicating the impossibility of achieving information-theoretic security. Subsequently, we consider relaxing the security framework and specifically, we will analyze this task in the computational security setting (against quantum polynomial-time adversaries). As a result, in the second part of the thesis we put forward the remote state preparation as a key component that would allow us to achieve classical secure delegation of universal quantum computations. We present two protocols realizing the remote state preparation primitive assuming only a classical channel between client and server. The first candidate is shown to be secure in the honest-but-curious model, while the second candidate is proven secure against the server in the malicious setting. The security of both constructions relies on the hardness of the learning with errors problem. Finally, given the important role the remote state preparation plays not only in CSDQC, but also in other quantum communication protocols, we analyze its composable security to determine the privacy loss as a result of using remote state preparation as a sub-module in different protocols

On the Possibility of Classical Client Blind Quantum Computing

Classical client remote state preparation (CC − RSP) is a primitive where a fully classical party (client) can instruct the preparation of a sequence of random quantum states on some distant party (server) in a way that the description is known to the client but remains hidden from the server. This primitive has many applications, most prominently, it makes blind quantum computing possible for classical clients. In this work, we give a protocol for classical client remote state preparation, that requires minimal resources. The protocol is proven secure against honest-but-curious servers and any malicious third party in a game-based security framework. We provide an instantiation of a trapdoor (approximately) 2-regular family of functions whose security is based on the hardness of the Learning-With-Errors problem, including a first analysis of the set of usable parameters. We also run an experimentation on IBM’s quantum cloud using a toy function. This is the first proof-of-principle experiment of classical client remote state preparation

Дисфункция печени у пациентов с тетрадой Фалло после хирургической коррекции

Universitatea de Stat de Medicină şi Farmacie „Nicolae Testemiţanu“, Spitalul Clinic Republican, Conferința naţională de gastroenterologie şi hepatologie cu participare internaţională ”Actualităţi în gastroenterologie şi hepatologie” 16 iunie 2016 Chișinău, Republica MoldovaA reduction in liver function is common after cardiac operations, particularly in children with preexisting cardiac failure. The etiology is multifactorial, but the redistribution of organ blood flow that occurs during cardiopulmonary bypass implicates ischemia as one of the principal causes of injury. Tetralogy of Fallot is the most common cyanotic congenital heart disease, with an incidence of three per 10,000 live births, and represents about 5-7% of all congenital heart disease [4]. Objective: incidence of development, identifying trigger factors and characteristic of hepatic dysfunction in patients undergoing surgical correction of TF in conditions of extracorporeal circulation. Subjects and methods. Retrospectively we reviewed all patients who have undergone surgical correction TOF at our institution from June 2010 to December 2015. Were analyzed demographic and morphological data during preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative periods. Liver dysfunction criteria were considered total bilirubinemia level ≥ 25 micromol/L, prothrombin index ≤80% and ALT levels ≥ 40 IU/l. Results. During the study were subjected to surgical correction 45 patients diagnosed with TOF. The average age of the group was 38.2±5.3 months, average weight 13.4±1.7 kg. The duration of extracorporeal circulation was 142.6±13.02 minutes. Hypoprothrombinemia was detected in 41 (91.1%), hyperbilirubinemia 21 (46.6%) and transaminasemia 24 (53.3%) patients. Conclusion: hepatic dysfunction is frequently encountered in patients undergoing extracorporeal circulation, the main factors are increased during surgery, ino-vasotrop support in the perioperative period.Снижение функции печени частое явление после сердечно-сосудистой хирургии, особенно у детей с ранее существовавшей сердечной недостаточностью. Этиология дисфункций многофакторно, но перераспределение кровотока в органах во время искусственного кровообращения остается одной из основных ее причин. Тетрада Фалло является наиболее распространенным синюшным врожденным пороком сердца, с частотой три на 10000 родившихся живыми, и составляет около 5-7% от всех врожденных пороков сердца. Цель: частота развития и признаки нарушения функции печени у пациентов, подвергающихся хирургической коррекции тетрады Фалло с искусственным кровообращением. Выявление предикторных факторов в возникновении дисфункции печени. Материалы и методы: ретроспективный обзор всех пациентов, которые подверглись хирургической коррекции ТФ в нашем учреждении с июня 2010 года по декабрь 2015 года. Были проанализированы демографические и морфологические данные во время предоперационного, интраоперационного и в послеоперационного периодах. В качестве критерия дисфункции печени рассматривались общий уровень билирубина ≥ 25 мкмоль/л, протромбиновый индекс ≤80% и АЛТ уровенъ ≥ 40 МЕ/л. Результаты. В ходе исследования подверглись хирургической коррекции 45 больных с диагнозом ТФ. Средний возраст группы составил 38,2±5,3 мес., средний вес – 13,4±1,7 кг. Продолжительность искусственного кровообращения была 142,6±13,02 минуты. Гипопротромбинемия была обнаружена у 41 (91,1%) больных, гипербилирубинемия – у 21 (46,6%), высокий трансаминаз – у 24 (53,3%) пациентов. Вывод: печеночная дисфункция часто встречается у пациентов, перенесших искусственное кровообращение. Основными факторами развития явлаются продолжительное время операции, необходнимостъ использования вазоактивных препаратов в периоперационном периоде

Анестезия для пациента с болезнью Вильсона. Клинический случай

Universitatea de Stat de Medicină şi Farmacie „Nicolae Testemiţanu“, Spitalul Clinic Republican, Conferința naţională de gastroenterologie şi hepatologie cu participare internaţională ”Actualităţi în gastroenterologie şi hepatologie” 16 iunie 2016 Chișinău, Republica MoldovaWilson’s disease is a clinical biologically entity related to disorders of copper metabolism, affecting biliary excretion, with accumulation mostly in the liver and other tissues and organs (nervous system, cornea, kidneys, heart, skeletal system), pathogenetic subsequent expression of a genetic defect with autosomal recessive transmission. There are very limited reports of administration of anesthesia in patients with Wilson’s disease, only cases of regional anesthesia for limb surgery and general anesthesia for tooth extraction Болезнь Вильсона является клинико-биологическим состоянием, обусл овл енным расстройством метаболизма меди с нарушением желчной экскреции с последующим накоплением в печени и в других тканях и органах (нервной системе, роговице, почках, сердце, скелетной системе), выражением генетического дефекта, переданного аутосомно-рецессивно. Есть очень мало сведений о введении анестезии у пациентов с болезнью Вильсона, в частности случаи региональной анестезии для хирургии конечностей и общей анестезии для удаления зуба