The growth-poverty nexus: Evidence from Kazakhstan

This paper examines the extent, dynamics and distribution of poverty in Kazakhstan during the period of 2001-2004. Furthermore, the study decomposes changes in poverty into growth and redistribution components. The analysis demonstrates that over the period of 2001-2004 both the incidence and the depth of poverty have significantly declined, improving the living standards of population. The decomposition of changes in poverty reveals that the fall in poverty was entirely driven by the improvements in the inequality, whereas the growth appears to be poverty enhancing

Nature's blessing or nature's curse: The political economy of transition in resource-based economies

This paper analyses the reform progress made in the energy-rich states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (AKTU for short) and contrasts their development to that in the resource-poor countries at the CIS periphery. The main argument of the paper is that far from being a blessing that would have allowed energy-rich countries to cushion the impact of reforms and thus make faster progress, energy rents have often been wasted or appropriated by the ruling elites. Progress in key structural reforms has in some cases lagged even behind other CIS countries and significant policy challenges need to be addressed if natural resource wealth is not to turn into a curse for the region

Nature's blessing or nature's curse : The political economy of transition in resource-based economies

This paper analyses the reform progress made in the energy-rich states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan (AKTU for short) and contrasts their development to that in the resource-poor countries at the CIS periphery. The main argument of the paper is that far from being a blessing that would have allowed energy-rich countries to cushion the impact of reforms and thus make faster progress, energy rents have often been wasted or appropriated by the ruling elites. Progress in key structural reforms has in some cases lagged even behind other CIS countries and significant policy challenges need to be addressed if natural resource wealth is not to turn into a curse for the region

A preliminary evaluation of monetary policy rules for Russia

The paper reviews the recent conduct of monetary policy and the central bank's rule-based behavior in Russia. Using different policy rules, we test whether the central bank in Russia reacts to changes in inflation, output gap and the exchange rate in a consistent and predictable manner. Our results indicate that during the period of 1993-2002 the Bank of Russia has used monetary aggregates as a main policy instrument in conducting monetary policy

Epigenetic Small Molecules Rescue Nucleocytoplasmic Transport and DNA Damage Phenotypes in C9ORF72 ALS/FTD

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease with available treatments only marginally slowing progression or improving survival. A hexanu-cleotide repeat expansion mutation in the C9ORF72 gene is the most commonly known genetic cause of both sporadic and familial cases of ALS and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The C9ORF72 expansion mutation produces five dipeptide repeat proteins (DPRs), and while the mechanistic determinants of DPR-mediated neurotoxicity remain incompletely understood, evidence suggests that disruption of nucleocytoplasmic transport and increased DNA damage contributes to pathology. Therefore, characterizing these disturbances and determining the relative contribution of different DPRs is needed to facilitate the development of novel therapeutics for C9ALS/FTD. To this end, we generated a series of nucleocytoplasmic transport “biosensors”, composed of the green fluorescent protein (GFP), fused to different classes of nuclear localization signals (NLSs) and nuclear export signals (NESs). Using these biosensors in conjunction with automated microscopy, we investigated the role of the three most neurotoxic DPRs (PR, GR, and GA) on seven nuclear import and two export pathways. In addition to other DPRs, we found that PR had pronounced inhibitory effects on the classical nuclear export pathway and several nuclear import pathways. To identify compounds capable of counteracting the effects of PR on nucleocytoplasmic transport, we developed a nucleocy-toplasmic transport assay and screened several commercially available compound libraries, totaling 2714 compounds. In addition to restoring nucleocytoplasmic transport efficiencies, hits from the screen also counteract the cytotoxic effects of PR. Selected hits were subsequently tested for their ability to rescue another C9ALS/FTD phenotype—persistent DNA double strand breakage. Overall, we found that DPRs disrupt multiple nucleocytoplasmic transport pathways and we identified small molecules that counteract these effects—resulting in increased viability of PR-expressing cells and decreased DNA damage markers in patient-derived motor neurons. Several HDAC inhibitors were validated as hits, supporting previous studies that show that HDAC inhibitors confer therapeutic effects in neurodegenerative models

ADDED VALUE TAX IN THE SYSTEM OF INDIRECT TAXES OF THE REPUBLIC OF UZBEKISTAN

This article considers economic essence and role of value added tax in the system of indirect taxes of the Republic of Uzbekistan as well as a mechanism for improving the administration of this tax

Natural and forsed osculations of pipelines in contact with the Wincler medium

In this paper, the pipeline is modeled as a curved rod in contact with the Winkler medium. Linear oscillations of a curved viscoelastic rod lying on the Winkler base are considered. The general formulation of the problem of free oscillations of a spatially curved viscoelastic rod with variable parameters is reduced to a boundary value problem for a system of ordinary integro-differential equations of the 12th order with variable coefficients relative to eigenstates; it can be solved by the method of successive approximations. The relations allowing to present the solution of the boundary value problem for the rod in an analytical form are formulated. It is established that the dimensionless complex frequencies of natural oscillations of a spatially curved rod, while maintaining the elongation of the rod constant, do not depend on it. The Poisson's ratio has little effect on the dimensionless real and imaginary parts of the natural frequencies

Findings to the flora of Russia and adjacent countries: New national and regional vascular plant records, 4

With this paper we continue a new annual series, the main purpose of which is to make significant floristic findings from Russia and neighboring countries more visible in Russia and abroad. In total, this paper presents new records for 48 vascular plant species from 6 Eurasian countries, obtained during field explorations, as well as during taxonomic revisions of herbarium materials. For the first time, a new locality of Leontopodium leiolepis is recorded for Russia, Rheum uzengukuushi for China, Rorippa prolifera for Lithuania, Lappula marginata for Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Anthriscus caucalis, Chenopodium ficifolium, Euphorbia prostrata for Uzbekistan, Adonis × hybrida, Potamogeton × franconicus, Solidago × niederederi for the Asian part of Russia, Echinochloa esculenta, Poa jamalinensis, Puccinellia poecilantha for Siberia, Potentilla intermedia for the Caucasus, Rhynchospora alba for the Russian part of Altai, Poa sphondylodes, Veronica beccabunga for Eastern Siberia, Asclepias syriaca for the Republic of Altai, Chimaphila umbellata, Orobanche korshinskyi, Veronica scutellata for the Republic of Buryatia, Cirsium alatum, Thalictrum simplex for the Republic of Crimea, Thymus rariflorus, Th. terekensis for the Republic of Ingushetia, Berberis thunbergii, Crataegus maximowiczii, Prunus serotina for the Republic of Mordovia, Oenothera villosa for the Republic of Tatarstan, Astragalus sulcatus, Galium mollugo for the Republic of Tyva, Phragmites altissimus for the Chelyabinsk Region, Senecio dubitabilis for the Magadan Region, Asclepias syriaca, Galatella villosa, Potentilla recta for the Novosibirsk Region, Dodartia orientalis for the Omsk Region, Viola hultenii for the Sakhalin Region, Phragmites tzvelevii for the Samara Region and the Middle Volga, Jacobaea ferganensis for the Samara Region, Carex media, Impatiens parviflora for the Tyumen Region. There are some more findings which are not new for the region but they contribute significantly to the understanding of species distribution

RADIATION DEFECT FORMATION IN STEATITE CERAMICS OF SNS UNDER HIGH-DOSE Γ-IRRADIATION

The effect of high-dose γ-radiation on the thermoluminescent properties of the SNС ste-atite ceramics is investigated. It is shown that high-dose γ-radiation in the steatite ceramics forms deep levels of capture. The high thermal stability of these trapping centers indicated their structural origin

Investigation of Radiation Defects in Irradiated SNC Steatite Ceramics by Optical Spectroscopy

Radiation defects formed in steatite ceramics of SNC irradiated with high doses of γ- and reactor no-γ-irradiation were studied by the method of diffuse reflection. During no-γ-irradiation of the reactor, in comparison with γ-irradiation, additional structural defects are formed