Regulating sovereign wealth funds operating overseas through an external fund manager

This article looks at the relationship between SWFs and their recipient countries, with a focus on the impact it may have depending on the nature of the objectives pursued by the SWF from the perspective of a principal-agent framework. In particular, when the SWF has multiple objectives, there is a risk that signals are misinterpreted and lead to misguided reactions by authorities in the recipient country. Thus, hard to interpret signals do not provide a sufficient case for imposing constraints on the SWF. However, we will show that requiring the SWF to invest through intermediary asset managers may foster cooperation, especially when the objectives of the SWF and of the authorities are closely aligned. SWFs may also alleviate the concerns in recipient countries by acting as an investor (and accepting the funds) of other SWF and non-SWF investors.

ATTAR RESEARCH IN EUROPE

Abstract. Helmutriert, Margaret Smith, Aghazgar Tehrani and others. By translating the works of Attar,Neyshaburi has attracted the attention of some other nations to the works of Attar. If these translations are introduced more and more, young researchers and seekers will be useful, as well as those who are interested in studying the mystical works, will benefit from the familiarization and study of these translations. By seeing and studying these translations, other scholars may also be able to translate Attar's works into other languages that have not been translated. And this will make the human community more familiar with the works of this mystic and expensive poet. And as a result, the costly development of Islamic culture and literature for the international community will be more and more evident. n the area of bibliography of Attar, works have been carried out so far, and books such as "Attar's Bibliography" by Ali Mir Ansari and "The Influence and Propagation of Tadzkera Al-Alawi Attar in Pakistan," and soon. But in the area of analytical work of Attar Research, especially outside of Iran, less has been studied. Hence, the authors of this article have taken a moment to reflect on this subject.Keywords: Arabic, Astrology, Literature, Sufism, Translation

Differential Display Analysis of the Early Compatible Interaction Between Soybean and the Soybean Cyst Nematode

The marked cellular changes during feeding site formation of the soybean cyst nematode (Heterodera glycines) indicate major changes in soybean gene expression. We used differential display of mRNA to detect host gene expression changes during the early compatible interaction between soybean and H. glycines. Fifteen cDNA clones corresponding to mRNAs with different abundances in H. glycines-infected versus uninfected roots were identified. Differential display results indicated that abundances of five mRNAs increased in infected roots, whereas abundances of 10 mRNAs decreased. Transcripts for nine of these 15 cDNAs could be detected on RNA blots, and their hybridization signals confirmed the differential display results for eight of these nine cDNAs. Sequence analyses identified five cDNAs with decreased mRNA levels in infected roots as corresponding to two putative aldolase genes, a transcription-factor TFIIA homologue, the soybean small GTP-binding protein gene sra1, and the soybean auxin down-regulated gene ADR12. RNA blot analyses of other auxin down-regulated genes revealed a decrease in their mRNA abundances in H. glycines-infected roots as well

Individual characteristics, identity styles, identity commitment, and teacher's academic optimism

AbstractThe academic optimism construct is an individual belief in teachers consisting of three components: sense of efficacy, teacher trust in parents and students and academic emphasis which through creating an active and positive learning environment leads to the academic progress and success of the students. The aim of this study was to determine the relation between individual characteristics, identity styles, and identity commitment and the teacher's academic optimism. A sample consisting of 303 primary and middle school teachers (172 female and 131 male) were selected by stratified sampling and completed the revised version of Identity Styles Inventory (ISI-4) (Smits et al., Unpublished) and Teacher's Academic Optimism Questionnaire (Woolfolk Hoy, Hoy & Kurz, 2008). The data were analyzed by a stepwise regression analysis and the results indicated that the informational identity style was the main predictor of the teacher's academic optimism

Regulating sovereign wealth funds operating overseas through an external fund manager

This article looks at the relationship between SWFs and their recipient countries, with a focus on the impact it may have depending on the nature of the objectives pursued by the SWF from the perspective of a principal-agent framework. In particular, when the SWF has multiple objectives, there is a risk that signals are misinterpreted and lead to misguided reactions by authorities in the recipient country. Thus, hard to interpret signals do not provide a sufficient case for imposing constraints on the SWF. However, we will show that requiring the SWF to invest through intermediary asset managers may foster cooperation, especially when the objectives of the SWF and of the authorities are closely aligned. SWFs may also alleviate the concerns in recipient countries by acting as an investor (and accepting the funds) of other SWF and non-SWF investors

MODELLING CELL POPULATION GROWTH

The growth of biological matter, e.g., tumor invasion, depends on various factors, mainly the tissue’s mechanical properties, implying elasticity, stiffness, or apparent viscosity. These properties are impacted by the characteristics of the tissue’s extracellular matrix and constituent cells, including, but not limited to, cell membrane stiffness, cell cytoskeleton mechanical properties, and the intensity and distribution of focal adhesions over the cell membrane. To compute and study the mechanical properties of tissues during growth and confluency, a theoretical and computational framework, called CellSim3D, was developed in our group based on a three-dimensional kinetic division model. In this work, CellSim3D is updated with a new set of cell mechanical parameters and force fields such as the asymmetric division rule, shape diversity, apoptosis process, and boundary conditions, e.g., periodic and Lees-Edwards boundary conditions. The package is upgraded to operate on multiple GPUs to further accelerate computations. This enables the inclusion of more complexity in the system. For instance, the simulation of macroscopic scale bicellular tissue growth with precise control over the mechanical properties of cells is now more feasible than before. The effects of cell-cell adhesion strength and intermembrane friction on growth kinetics and interface roughness dynamics of epithelial tissue were studied. It is reported that with fine alterations of the mechanical parameters such as the cell-cell adhesion strength, one could reliably reproduce different interface roughness scaling behaviors such as Kardar–Parisi–Zhang (KPZ)-like and Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE)-like scaling. In addition, it was observed that substrate heterogeneity and geometry have significant impacts on the morphology and interface roughness scaling of epithelial tissue. The results suggest that the interface roughness scaling of epithelial tissues cannot be classified by any well-known scaling universality class. Instead, it strongly depends on several other factors, such as the cell-cell adhesion strength. This explains the controversies observed in earlier experimental works over the interface roughness scaling of expanding epithelial tissue

Transgenic Plant-Produced Hydrolytic Enzymes and the Potential of Insect Gut-Derived Hydrolases for Biofuels

Various perennial C4 grass species have tremendous potential for use as lignocellulosic biofuel feedstocks. Currently available grasses require costly pre-treatment and exogenous hydrolytic enzyme application to break down complex cell wall polymers into sugars that can then be fermented into ethanol. It has long been hypothesized that engineered feedstock production of cell wall degrading (CWD) enzymes would be an efficient production platform for of exogenous hydrolytic enzymes. Most research has focused on plant overexpression of CWD enzyme-coding genes from free-living bacteria and fungi that naturally break down plant cell walls. Recently, it has been found that insect digestive tracts harbor novel sources of lignocellulolytic biocatalysts that might be exploited for biofuel production. These CWD enzyme genes can be located in the insect genomes or in symbiotic microbes. When CWD genes are transformed into plants, negative pleiotropic effects are possible such as unintended cell wall digestion. The use of codon optimization along with organelle and tissue specific targeting improves CWD enzyme yields. The literature teaches several important lessons on strategic deployment of CWD genes in transgenic plants, which is the focus of this review

Green Energy Depends on Critical Minerals. Who Controls the Supply Chains?

In light of the transition away from fossil fuel–based energy, this paper highlights the importance of understanding who controls vital parts of the global supply chains of critical minerals and rare earth elements (REEs). Analysis of direct ownership does not reveal the real sources of control over the decisions of the company. To identify those sources, we use an index that measures the degree to which important shareholders can affect voting decisions. This analysis is not straightforward, because companies along the supply chain are not necessarily incorporated in the countries in which mining and production activities take place, and shareholders can exert influence through multiple layers of subsidiaries. Our analysis reveals that China’s control over the global value chains involving critical minerals and REEs extends beyond what is commonly assumed. It also sheds light on environmental, social, and governance issues in the countries in which mining and/or production take place. The paper advocates increasing transparency regarding the sources of control to better assess and manage economic and geopolitical risks; enhancing recycling, to reduce dependency on foreign supply; avoiding protectionist and trade-reducing reactions; and encouraging research and development in order to speed up the adoption of technologies of substitution