Consumer credit in comparative perspective

We review the literature in sociology and related fields on the fast global growth of consumer credit and debt and the possible explanations for this expansion. We describe the ways people interact with the strongly segmented consumer credit system around the world—more specifically, the way they access credit and the way they are held accountable for their debt. We then report on research on two areas in which consumer credit is consequential: its effects on social relations and on physical and mental health. Throughout the article, we point out national variations and discuss explanations for these differences. We conclude with a brief discussion of the future tasks and challenges of comparative research on consumer credit.Accepted manuscrip

Light Sterile Neutrinos: A White Paper

This white paper addresses the hypothesis of light sterile neutrinos based on recent anomalies observed in neutrino experiments and the latest astrophysical data

Comparative Analysis of Moor Frog Anomalies (Rana arvalis Nils., 1842) in Different Areas of Surgut City

In the local populations of moor frogs in Surgut city, 30 types of morphological anomalies were discovered. The quantity and frequency of anomalies were high in industrial and multistoried areas of the city. Individual subjects could have 1 to 4 different anomalies. The paper reveals that major variations in anomalies occurs in industrial and multistoried areas of the city. &nbsp

Enabling Attributes for Team-Based Knowledge Sharing: A Preliminary Empirical Test

This study proposes and empirically tests a conceptual model of knowledge sharing in a team-based environment. Relationships among people in organizations play a significant role in the transfer of knowledge. Using social psychology as our theoretical frame of reference, we propose that empathy and helping behaviors lead to enhanced knowledge sharing. A written survey was developed and piloted to test these two enabling conditions. Our data show that both result in higher levels of transacting behaviors in which knowledge is shared

Spill over effects of Geopolitical risk on the banking sector of CIS countries

This study examines the spill over effects of geopolitical risks (GPR) and extreme shocks on Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) economies, as result of the Russia – Ukraine war, with particular focus on financial institutions. Further, we investigate whether the performance of CIS banks has been impacted by economic sanctions imposed on Russia since the start of the conflict. Understanding GPR transmission mechanisms and consequences on Russia’s neighbouring countries allows policymakers and financial institutions to formulate and implement risk management strategies. For a global measure of geo-political risk, we employ the global GPR index from Caldara and Iacoviello (2022) and we use the Diebold-Yilmaz (2012) connectedness model to estimate the spill over effect. First, we investigate the spill over effect of the recent conflict on the returns of banks for a sample of CIS countries. Further, we examine the spill over effect on macro-economic indicators of our sample of countries. Our preliminary results do not show significant GPR transmissions in terms of returns and risk within the banking sectors of the CIS countries examined

Measurement of the solar neutrino capture rate with gallium metal

The solar neutrino capture rate measured by the Russian-American Gallium Experiment (SAGE) on metallic gallium during the period January 1990 through December 1997 is 67.2 (+7.2-7.0) (+3.5-3.0) SNU, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. This represents only about half of the predicted Standard Solar Model rate of 129 SNU. All the experimental procedures, including extraction of germanium from gallium, counting of 71Ge, and data analysis are discussed in detail.Comment: 34 pages including 14 figures, Revtex, slightly shortene

Measurement of the solar neutrino capture rate by SAGE and implications for neutrino oscillations in vacuum

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Measurement of the solar neutrino capture rate by SAGE and implications for neutrino oscillations in vacuum

The Russian-American solar neutrino experiment has measured the capture rate of neutrinos on metallic gallium in a radiochemical experiment at the Baksan Neutrino Observatory. Eight years of measurement give the result 67.2 (+7.2,-7.0) (+3.5,-3.0) SNU, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The restrictions these results impose on vacuum neutrino oscillation parameters are given

Levels of DNA methylation vary at CpG sites across the BRCA1 promoter, and differ according to triple negative and "BRCA-like" status, in both blood and tumour DNA

Triple negative breast cancer is typically an aggressive and difficult to treat subtype. It is often associated with loss of function of the BRCA1 gene, either through mutation, loss of heterozygosity or methylation. This study aimed to measure methylation of the BRCA1 gene promoter at individual CpG sites in blood, tumour and normal breast tissue, to assess whether levels were correlated between different tissues, and with triple negative receptor status, histopathological scoring for BRCA-like features and BRCA1 protein expression. Blood DNA methylation levels were significantly correlated with tumour methylation at 9 of 11 CpG sites examined (p<0.0007). The levels of tumour DNA methylation were significantly higher in triple negative tumours, and in tumours with high BRCA-like histopathological scores (10 of 11 CpG sites; p<0.01 and p<0.007 respectively). Similar results were observed in blood DNA (6 of 11 CpG sites; p<0.03 and 7 of 11 CpG sites; p<0.02 respectively). This study provides insight into the pattern of CpG methylation across the BRCA1 promoter, and supports previous studies suggesting that tumours with BRCA1 promoter methylation have similar features to those with BRCA1 mutations, and therefore may be suitable for the same targeted therapies