Kazakhstan : an ambitious pension reform

The pension reform in Kazakhstan was instituted to remove a deteriorating, and costly pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) system with limited liabilities, a relatively low worker to pensioner ratio, and accumulating pension arrears. Analysis was conducted to assess whether the economy could sustain a radical reform, which would make the implicit pension debt explicit. The first section of this report reviews the reform, and provides a synopsis of the thinking behind its development, including the events leading up to it, and the failings of the PAYGO system. In the second section, the administrative, business, and regulatory structures created by the pension reform legislation are described. In the third section, the progress of these entities in meeting the objectives of the reform is evaluated, particularly in terms of regulatory, and financial market performance.Pensions&Retirement Systems,Economic Stabilization,Banks&Banking Reform,Economic Theory&Research,Environmental Economics&Policies

Holocene stable isotope record of insolation and rapid climate change in a stalagmite from the Zagros of Iran

We explore Holocene climatic changes recorded by geochemical proxies in a single, well-dated, stalagmite from the northern Zagros Mountains of Iran, a region where stalagmite records have so far only provided short glimpses of Holocene climatic changes. Stalagmite KT-3 from Katalekhor Cave began growing ~9.5 ka under wet early Holocene conditions coincident with the timing of Sapropel 1. At this time d18O values were at or below 9.0‰, stalagmite growth diameter was at its maximum, 234U/238U0 activity values were low and trace element contents indicate flushing of the epikarst. Progressive reduction in winter precipitation amount after 7.0 ka, is recorded by increasing d18O and 234U/238U0 activity values and reduction in trace element contents and growth diameter until ~2.0 ka. These trends follow the reduction in summer insolation and agree with model-simulated changes in total rainfall and rainwater isotopes. Sub-centennial-scale variability is not a feature of the d18O or trace element records; this suggests a stable winter recharge regime, a feature that might militate against KT-3 d18O recording changes in the seasonality of rainfall. KT-3 d13C compositions are enriched relative to lower altitude stalagmites in the Levant, implying low soil CO2 contribution (thin montane soils). However, a broadly decreasing millennial-scale trend in d13C suggests that soil carbon contributions increased with time despite the progressive reduction in winter precipitation amount. The d13C changes probably reflect decreasing summer temperatures and less extreme wintertime coldness, driven by reducing summer and increasing winter-insolation respectively. These combined effects decreased effective evaporation and improved soil-moisture availability favouring vegetation development during the growth season. The d13C values also show ~1.5‰ centennial-scale variability with higher d13C values between 9.0 and 8.7 ka, 8.3 - 7.7 ka, 6.5 - 5.5 ka, 5.4 - 4.5 ka and ~4.3- 2.0 ka: three of these correspond with Rapid Climate Change (RCC) events based on non-seasalt potassium (Kþ) in Greenland ice cores. Higher d13C values indicate poor soil development caused by aridity. The centennial-scale d13C anomaly (8.3-7.7 ka) is in part overprinted by the ~160 year-long, 8.2 ka cold/dry event, but culmination ~7.7 ka corresponds with other records suggesting an intensified Siberian High Pressure system affecting regional climate. The centennial-scale d13C anomaly between 4.3 and 2.0 ka overlaps the 2.65 to 2.50 ka ‘Assyrian megadrought’ evident in stalagmite stable isotope records in northern Iraq. The KT-3 record is key in better understanding Holocene climate change in the central Zagros region, representative of montane ‘fertile crescent’ environments

New times, new politics: history and memory during the final years of the CPGB

This article examines the relationship between collective memory, historical interpretation and political identity. It focuses on the dissolution of the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) as constructed through collective narrative memory, and on Marxist interpretations of history. The divisions within the party and the wider Marxist community, stretching from 1956 until 1991, were often framed around questions of historical interpretation. The events of 1989–1991 created an historical and mnemonic crisis for CPGB members who struggled to reconcile their past identities with their present situation. Unlike the outward-facing revisionism of other political parties, this was an intensely personal affair. The solution for many was to emphasise the need to find new ways to progress socialist aims, without relying on a discredited grand narrative. In contrast, other Communist parties, such as the Communist Party of Britain, which had been established (or ‘re-established’) in 1988, fared rather better. By adhering to the international party line of renewal and continued struggle, the party was able to hold its narrative together, condemning the excesses of totalitarian regimes, while reaffirming the need for international class struggle

Microfluidics on the fly: Inexpensive rapid fabrication of thermally laminated microfluidic devices for live imaging and multimodal perturbations of multicellular systems

Microfluidic devices provide a platform for analyzing both natural and synthetic multicellular systems. Currently, substantial capital investment and expertise are required for creating microfluidic devices using standard soft-lithography. These requirements present barriers to entry for many nontraditional users of microfluidics, including developmental biology laboratories. Therefore, fabrication methodologies that enable rapid device iteration and work “out-of-the-box” can accelerate the integration of microfluidics with developmental biology. Here, we have created and characterized low-cost hybrid polyethylene terephthalate laminate (PETL) microfluidic devices that are suitable for cell and micro-organ culture assays. These devices were validated with mammalian cell lines and the Drosophila wing imaginal disc as a model micro-organ. First, we developed and tested PETLs that are compatible with both long-term cultures and high-resolution imaging of cells and organs. Further, we achieved spatiotemporal control of chemical gradients across the wing discs with a multilayered microfluidic device. Finally, we created a multilayered device that enables controllable mechanical loading of micro-organs. This mechanical actuation assay was used to characterize the response of larval wing discs at different developmental stages. Interestingly, increased deformation of the older wing discs for the same mechanical loading suggests that the compliance of the organ is increased in preparation for subsequent morphogenesis. Together, these results demonstrate the applicability of hybrid PETL devices for biochemical and mechanobiology studies on micro-organs and provide new insights into the mechanics of organ development

SUMO chain formation is required for response to replication arrest in S. pombe

SUMO is a ubiquitin-like protein that is post-translationally attached to one or more lysine residues on target proteins. Despite having only 18% sequence identity with ubiquitin, SUMO contains the conserved betabetaalphabetabetaalphabeta fold present in ubiquitin. However, SUMO differs from ubiquitin in having an extended N-terminus. In S. pombe the N-terminus of SUMO/Pmt3 is significantly longer than those of SUMO in S. cerevisiae, human and Drosophila. Here we investigate the role of this N-terminal region. We have used two dimensional gel electrophoresis to demonstrate that S. pombe SUMO/Pmt3 is phosphorylated, and that this occurs on serine residues at the extreme N-terminus of the protein. Mutation of these residues (in pmt3-1) results in a dramatic reduction in both the levels of high Mr SUMO-containing species and of total SUMO/Pmt3, indicating that phosphorylation of SUMO/Pmt3 is required for its stability. Despite the significant reduction in high Mr SUMO-containing species, pmt3-1 cells do not display an aberrant cell morphology or sensitivity to genotoxins or stress. Additionally, we demonstrate that two lysine residues in the N-terminus of S. pombe SUMO/Pmt3 (K14 and K30) can act as acceptor sites for SUMO chain formation in vitro. Inability to form SUMO chains results in aberrant cell and nuclear morphologies, including stretched and fragmented chromatin. SUMO chain mutants are sensitive to the DNA synthesis inhibitor, hydroxyurea (HU), but not to other genotoxins, such as UV, MMS or CPT. This implies a role for SUMO chains in the response to replication arrest in S. pomb