Breaking Out of Poverty Traps:Internal Migration and Interregional Convergence in Russia

We study barriers to labor mobility using panel data on gross region-to-region migration flows in Russia in 1996–2010. Using both parametric and semiparametric methods and controlling for region-to-region pairwise fixed effects, we find a non-monotonic relationship between income and migration. In richer regions, higher incomes result in lower migration outflows. However, in the poorest regions, an increase in incomes results in higher emigration. This is consistent with the presence of geographical poverty traps: potential migrants want to leave the poor regions but cannot afford to move. We also show that economic growth and financial development have allowed most Russian regions to grow out of poverty traps bringing down interregional differentials of wages, incomes and unemployment rates

Modeling registered migration flows between regions of the Russian Federation

Using the Ross tat panel data for the 2001–2008 period we estimate the gravity model of migration between Russian regions. We show that though the migration flows have been quite stable, their determinants have changed substantially. Special attention is drawn to the role of distance between the regions. So far we have found out that social and economic factors are affecting migration between nearby regions. Yet our attempts to model the flows between distant (>500 km) places have lead to very poor goodness of fit.migration; gravity model; panel data; Russian regions

Structure-Activity Relationship for the Oxadiazole Class of Antibiotics

The structure-activity relationship (SAR) for the newly discovered oxadiazole class of antibiotics is described with evaluation of 120 derivatives of the lead structure. This class of antibiotics was discovered by in silico docking and scoring against the crystal structure of a penicillin-binding protein. They impair cell-wall biosynthesis and exhibit activities against the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus, including methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant and linezolid-resistant S. aureus. 5-(1H-Indol-5-yl)-3-(4-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy)phenyl)-1,2,4-oxadiazole (antibiotic 75b) was efficacious in a mouse model of MRSA infection, exhibiting a long half-life, a high volume of distribution, and low clearance. This antibiotic is bactericidal and is orally bioavailable in mice. This class of antibiotics holds great promise in recourse against infections by MRSA.Fil: Spink, Edward. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Ding, Derong. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Peng, Zhihong. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Boudreau, Marc A.. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Leemans, Erika. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Lastochkin, Elena. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Song, Wei. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Lichtenwalter, Katerina. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: O’Daniel, Peter I.. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Testero, Sebastian Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Química Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Química Rosario; Argentina. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Pi, Hualiang. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Schroeder, Valerie A.. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Wolter, William R.. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Antunes, Nuno T.. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Suckow, Mark A.. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Vakulenko, Sergei. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Chang, Mayland. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados UnidosFil: Mobashery, Shahriar. University of Notre Dame-Indiana; Estados Unido

The International Virus Bioinformatics Meeting 2023

The 2023 International Virus Bioinformatics Meeting was held in Valencia, Spain, from 24–26 May 2023, attracting approximately 180 participants worldwide. The primary objective of the conference was to establish a dynamic scientific environment conducive to discussion, collaboration, and the generation of novel research ideas. As the first in-person event following the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, the meeting facilitated highly interactive exchanges among attendees. It served as a pivotal gathering for gaining insights into the current status of virus bioinformatics research and engaging with leading researchers and emerging scientists. The event comprised eight invited talks, 19 contributed talks, and 74 poster presentations across eleven sessions spanning three days. Topics covered included machine learning, bacteriophages, virus discovery, virus classification, virus visualization, viral infection, viromics, molecular epidemiology, phylodynamic analysis, RNA viruses, viral sequence analysis, viral surveillance, and metagenomics. This report provides rewritten abstracts of the presentations, a summary of the key research findings, and highlights shared during the meeting

Macroeconomic and structural properties of the Russian labor market: A cross-country comparison

We suggest a new way to identify salient features of the Russian labor market. Parameters of basic macroeconomic models pertinent to the Russian labor market are compared to a sample of other countries. We find that estimated values of Okun's coefficient and the elasticity of real wages to labor productivity in Russia are typical for emerging markets. What really distinguishes the labor market is that the elasticity of real wages relative to unemployment in Russia is very high by international standards. The overall conclusion is that the Russian labor market can be characterized by a combination of serious structural problems (such as low employee mobility, the significant size of the shadow sector, etc.) and solid macroeconomic performance, verified by the persistently low rate of unemployment in recent years

Youth unemployment in Italy and Russia:Aggregate trends and individual determinants

Youth unemployment rates in most countries are considerably higher than total unemployment rates and increased significantly in many countries following the global financial crisis (GFC). Young people in long-term unemployment risk becoming a ‘lost generation’. We investigate individual and family characteristics predicting young people’s vulnerability to the scarring effects of long-term unemployment. After overviewing aggregate youth unemployment trends in several EU countries, we focus on Russia and Italy — countries with contrasting structural and institutional conditions and exhibiting different macroeconomic trends — in order to determine whether, despite these differences, there were similar patterns in the relationship between individual and family characteristics and the of risk of unemployment and its adverse impacts. We use a Heckman probit model to estimate the unemployment risk of young people — compared to adults — during the period 2004–2011, before and after the GFC. Despite many differences between the two countries, most of the explanatory variables acted in the same direction in each and so we compare the relative size of such effects. The policy significance of the findings is that personal and family characteristics are more amenable to modification than macroeconomic variables. Specific school-to-work interventions are needed to avoid creating a ‘lost generation

Wage discrimination against foreign workers in Russia

We try to determine with the help of the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition technique whether foreign workers are discriminated against in Russia. We use the Russian Ministry of Labor (Rostrud) data on migrants’ applications and the Russian Longitudinal Monitoring Survey (RLMS, provided by the Higher School of Economics) for the period 2009–2013. We show that there is significant discrimination against foreign workers. The average salary of Russian workers with the same level of productivity as migrants exceeds migrants’ average salary by 40%. The industries in which the workers are employed have made most substantial contribution to the discrimination gap. Moreover, there is evidence that the lower salaries of foreign workers do not reduce the salaries of Russians employed in similar positions

Assessment of Traffic Noise Pollution Due to Urban Residential Road Transport

The problem of combating urban noise is closely linked to the rational transformation of the urban environment, which must go through the elimination or reduction of the number of sources of noise, the localization of the noise emission zone, reducing the level of sound sources and protection against noise for the residential areas. Theoretical and experimental studies of acoustic loading on the territory along the highway for the typical section of the urban territory have been conducted. To estimate the complex noise impact from all sources and from individual sources, as well as to predict the total noise exposure for this site, a noise map was constructed using software. As a measure to combat traffic noise in the territory along the highway, the location of the noise protection screen was justified, taking into account the loss of part of the national income as a result of the continuous impact of noise on a person.The results of the research allow to assess the degree of technogenic impact of noise pollution during the operation of the highway, which allows regulating, by administrative and legislative methods, the nature of the impact on natural objects and human health of certain types of activities, as well as reasonably proposing measures that ensure environmental safety when organizing urban streets traffic

Evaluation of Efficacy of Anionic Surfactant Degradation in the Presence of Concomitant Impurities of Natural Waters

The efficacy of anionic surfactant-sodium alkylbenzene sulfonate (ABS) degradation in the river waters and model solutions containing humic acid by various oxidation processes has been compared. The most effective method is photocatalytic ozonation (O 3 /TiO 2 /UV) which ensures maximum reduction of ABS concentration (94%-95% over 20-30 min) from ∼5 mg/dm 3 to values not exceeding the MPC (<0.5 mg/dm 3 ) and the highest degree of total organic carbon (TOC) removal (up to 74%) at the lowest values of specific ozone consumption per 1 mg/dm 3 of TOC compared to ozonation and O 3 /UV. Photocatalytic oxidation with air oxygen (O 2 /TiO 2 /UV) and O 3 /UV treatment provides a smaller decrease in ABS concentrations (86%-93% and 71%-87% within 20-30 min, resp.) and significantly lowers TOC removal (up to 57% and 47%, resp.). Ozonation and UV irradiation, used separately, are inefficient methods for ABS degradation (<40%), and for TOC removal (<15%)