Assessing human resource at the macro level in the context of enhancing country competitiveness: international comparisons

The purpose of the study. an integrated approach to the assessment of human resources potential at the macro level (availability of development opportunities and growth of the country's economy through the deployment of human resources) is proposed. Materials and methods. On the basis of a study of the human development index, the human capital index, the global competitiveness index, and the industrial competitiveness index, this paper proposes a comprehensive approach to the assessment of human resource potential at the macro level in the context of improving the competitiveness of countries, including four parameters (human capital, labor productivity, labor market, macroeconomic stability). These parameters include elements grouped on the basis of affiliation. The level of development of each of these elements is evaluated on the basis of the database of the aforementioned international indices. Thus importance of each of their parameters of an indicator of an estimation of personnel potential on a macrolevel in a context of increase of competitiveness of the countries it is offered to accept equivalent. Results. The evaluation methodology was tested on the data of a number of countries and the following results were obtained - Japan and the USA are leaders among other countries by labor productivity, but Belarus and Russia are at the same level with them by human capital and labor market indicators. However, corporate training needs to be strengthened, and this requires joint efforts of public administration, business and universities to develop practical and effective training courses. Conclusion. The developed methodology for assessing human resource potential at the macro level not only ultimately provides an overall comprehensive international comparison, but also provides procedural data that are of greater research value for adjusting the country's human resource development strategy. Their use makes it possible to identify areas in which the country lags behind compared to other countries and, thus, to indicate the potential direction and prospects of this country in the competition, which will ultimately improve the competitiveness of countries.Цель – предложить комплексный подход к оценке кадрового потенциала на макроуровне (наличие возможностей развития и точек роста экономики страны за счет использования человеческих ресурсов). Материалы и методы. На основе изучения индекса развития человеческого потенциала, индекса человеческого капитала, индекса глобальной конкурентоспособности, индекса конкурентоспособности промышленности в данной работе предлагается комплексный подход к оценке кадрового потенциала на макроуровне в контексте повышения конкурентоспособности стран, включающий четыре параметра (человеческий капитал, производительность труда, рынок труда, макроэкономическая стабильность). Эти параметры включают в себя элементы, сгруппированные по признаку принадлежности. Уровень развития каждого из этих элементов оценивается на основе базы данных вышеупомянутых международных индексов. При этом важность каждого их параметров показателя оценки кадрового потенциала на макроуровне в контексте повышения конкурентоспособности стран предлагается принять равнозначной. Результаты. Методика оценки была апробирована на данных ряда стран, и получены следующие результаты - Япония и США лидируют среди других стран по производительности труда, но Беларусь и Россия находятся на одном уровне с ними по показателям человеческого капитала и рынка труда. Однако корпоративное обучение должно быть усилено, и это требует совместных усилий органов государственного управления, бизнеса и университетов для разработки практических и эффективных учебных курсов. Заключение. Разработанная методика оценки кадрового потенциала на макроуровне не только обеспечивает в конечном итоге общее комплексное международное сравнение, но и позволяет получить процедурные данные, которые имеют большее исследовательское значение для корректировки стратегии развития кадрового потенциала страны. Их использование позволяет выявить направления, в которых страна отстает по сравнению с другими странами и, таким образом, обозначить потенциальное направление и перспективы этой страны в конкурентной борьбе, что, в конечном итоге, позволит повысить конкурентоспособность стран

A P53-TLR3 Axis Ameliorates Pulmonary Hypertension by Inducing BMPR2 Via IRF3

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) features pathogenic and abnormal endothelial cells (ECs), and one potential origin is clonal selection. We studied the role of p53 and toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) in clonal expansion and pulmonary hypertension (PH) via regulation of bone morphogenetic protein (BMPR2) signaling. ECs of PAH patients had reduced p53 expression. EC-specific p53 knockout exaggerated PH, and clonal expansion reduced p53 and TLR3 expression in rat lung CD117+ ECs. Reduced p53 degradation (Nutlin 3a) abolished clonal EC expansion, induced TLR3 and BMPR2, and ameliorated PH. Polyinosinic/polycytidylic acid [Poly(I:C)] increased BMPR2 signaling in ECs via enhanced binding of interferon regulatory factor-3 (IRF3) to the BMPR2 promoter and reduced PH in p53−/− mice but not in mice with impaired TLR3 downstream signaling. Our data show that a p53/TLR3/IRF3 axis regulates BMPR2 expression and signaling in ECs. This link can be exploited for therapy of PH

Optimization of morphological parameters for mitigation pits on rear KDP surface : experiments and numerical modeling

In high power laser systems, precision micro-machining is an effective method to mitigate the laser-induced surface damage growth on potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KDP) crystal. Repaired surfaces with smooth spherical and Gaussian contours can alleviate the light field modulation caused by damage site. To obtain the optimal repairing structure parameters, finite element method (FEM) models for simulating the light intensification caused by the mitigation pits on rear KDP surface were established. The light intensity modulation of these repairing profiles was compared by changing the structure parameters. The results indicate the modulation is mainly caused by the mutual interference between the reflected and incident lights on the rear surface. Owing to the total reflection, the light intensity enhancement factors (LIEFs) of the spherical and Gaussian mitigation pits sharply increase when the width-depth ratios are near 5.28 and 3.88, respectively. To achieve the optimal mitigation effect, the width-depth ratios greater than 5.3 and 4.3 should be applied to the spherical and Gaussian repaired contours. Particularly, for the cases of width-depth ratios greater than 5.3, the spherical repaired contour is preferred to achieve lower light intensification. The laser damage test shows that when the width-depth ratios are larger than 5.3, the spherical repaired contour presents higher laser damage resistance than that of Gaussian repaired contour, which agrees well with the simulation results

Characterization of manufacturing-induced surface scratches and their effect on laser damage resistance performance of diamond fly-cut KDP crystal

Manufacturing-induced defects have drawn more and more attentions to improve the laser damage resistance performance of KDP crystal applied in high-power laser systems. Here, the morphology of surface scratches on diamond fly-cut KDP crystal is characterized and their effect on the laser damage resistance is theoretically and experimentally investigated. The results indicate that surface scratches could lower laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) by modulating incident lasers and producing resultant local light intensifications. The induced maximum light intensity enhancement factors (LIEFs) are dependent on scratch shapes and dimensions. The diffraction effects originating from scratch edges are responsible for the strongest light intensification. Even for ultra-precision finished KDP surface with scratches that well satisfy the currently applied scratch/dig specification, the induced LIEFs are quite high, indicating that the actual defect dimension allowance should be amended and specified according to the defect-induced LIEFs. The effect of scratches on laser damage resistance is experimentally verified by the tested LIDT, which is approximately consistent with the simulation one. The morphologies of laser damage sites further confirm the role of scratches in lowering LIDT. This work could offer new perspective and guidance for fully evaluating the performance of ultra-precision manufactured optical materials applied in high-power laser facilities

Methoxychlor induces oxidative stress and impairs early embryonic development in pigs

Introduction: Methoxychlor (MXC) is an organochlorine pesticide (OCP) that was formerly used worldwide as an insecticide against pests and mosquitoes. However, MXC is not biodegradable and has lipophilic characteristics; thus, it accumulates in organisms and affects reproductive function. MXC, as an estrogenic compound, promotes oxidative stress, induces oxidative stress damage to ovarian follicles, and causes miscarriages and stillbirths in females. In this research endeavor, our primary objective was to explore the ramifications of MXC regarding the developmental processes occurring during the initial stages of embryogenesis in pigs.Methods: In this study, we counted the blastocyst rate of early embryos cultured in vitro. We also examined the reactive oxygen species level, glutathione level, mitochondrial membrane potential, mitochondrial copy number and ATP level in four-cell stage embryos. Finally, apoptosis and DNA damage in blastocyst cells, as well as pluripotency-related and apoptosis-related genes in blastocyst cells were detected. The above experiments were used to evaluate the changes of MXC damage on early parthenogenetic embryo development.Results and Discussion: The results showed that early embryos exposed to MXC had a significantly lower cleavage rate, blastocyst rate, hatching rate, and total cell count compared with the control group. It was also of note that MXC not only increased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), but also decreased the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm) and mitochondrial copy number during the development of early embryos. In addition, after MXC treatment, blastocyst apoptosis and DNA damage were increased, decreased cell proliferation, and the expression of pluripotency-related genes SOX2, NANOG, and OCT4 was down-regulated, while the expression of apoptosis-related genes BAX/BCL-2 and Caspase9 was up-regulated. Our results clearly show that MXC can have deleterious effects on the developmental processes of early porcine embryos, establishing the toxicity of MXC to the reproductive system. In addition, the study of this toxic effect may lead to greater concern about pesticide residues in humans and the use of safer pesticides, thus potentially preventing physiological diseases caused by chemical exposure

The Asian arowana (<i>Scleropages formosus</i>) genome provides new insights into the evolution of an early lineage of teleosts

The Asian arowana (Scleropages formosus), one of the world’s most expensive cultivated ornamental fishes, is an endangered species. It represents an ancient lineage of teleosts: the Osteoglossomorpha. Here, we provide a high-quality chromosome-level reference genome of a female golden-variety arowana using a combination of deep shotgun sequencing and high-resolution linkage mapping. In addition, we have also generated two draft genome assemblies for the red and green varieties. Phylogenomic analysis supports a sister group relationship between Osteoglossomorpha (bonytongues) and Elopomorpha (eels and relatives), with the two clades together forming a sister group of Clupeocephala which includes all the remaining teleosts. The arowana genome retains the full complement of eight Hox clusters unlike the African butterfly fish (Pantodon buchholzi), another bonytongue fish, which possess only five Hox clusters. Differential gene expression among three varieties provides insights into the genetic basis of colour variation. A potential heterogametic sex chromosome is identified in the female arowana karyotype, suggesting that the sex is determined by a ZW/ZZ sex chromosomal system. The high-quality reference genome of the golden arowana and the draft assemblies of the red and green varieties are valuable resources for understanding the biology, adaptation and behaviour of Asian arowanas