Methodological approaches to assessing economic security in foreign trade

Economic security of foreign trade can be measured through a set of different special indicators with no standardised composition and regulations. The purpose of the study is to analyse the existing methods for assessing the level of economic security in the sphere of foreign trade and to develop an optimal system of indicators for its identification. The research involved scientific publications by national and foreign scholars, official statistical data in the field of Russian export and import as well as the following methods – monography, observation, comparison, economic analysis, analogue and hypothetical modelling. The article assesses various indicators for assessing economic security in foreign trade, applied in Russia and abroad. The authors identified the most informative indicators, proposed a number of threshold requirements for them; included two additional indicators (increment rate of counterfeit goods, share of counterfeit goods in imports), developed a rating-based approach to identify high, average, low, critical and catastrophic levels of economic security in the sphere of export/import operations. Foreign trade is an important activity for any state; however, it involves a number of risks and threats to be carefully assessed and minimised. Therefore, it is necessary to select efficient ways of assessing economic security in foreign trade transactions

Influence of silver-ion-containing pharmacotherapeutic system for repair of anterior abdominal wall on connective tissue formation in experiment

In modern medicine new pharmacotherapeutic systems significantly reducing the risk of complications are being actively searched for. The study undertaken was aimed at studying one of such systems consisting of a prosthesis coated with silver ions. The article notes that use of FCS contributes to the acceleration of reparative processes, earlier resolution of inflammation and stimulation of collagenesis both under sterile conditions and under microbial condition

A look at new therapeutic opportunities in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide, and is considered to be the liver manifestation of metabolic syndrome. Currently, there is no etiotropic treatment of NAFLD, so an active research for new methods of treatment is underway. In the meantime, drugs are used to treat comorbid conditions, such as dyslipidemia, arterial hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, which are present in varying degrees in patients. This review considers medications that are used in patients with NAFLD and related concomitant features, and also describes new strategies for regressing changes in liver tissue in NAFLD. In our opinion, one of the promising groups of drugs are agonists of the farnesoid X receptor (FXR). FXR belongs to the group of nuclear receptors, which are ligand-activated transcription factors that regulate the genes involved in metabolism. FXR agonists can claim to be a new promising drug for the treatment of NAFLD and related diseases influencing carbohydrate metabolism, fat metabolism, bile acid metabolism, as well as inflammatory processes in the liver to ensure metabolic homeostasis

Contributions from Pilot Projects in Quantum Technology Education as Support Action to Quantum Flagship

The GIREP community on teaching and learning quantum physics and the Education section of the Quantum flagship project of the European Union (QTEdu) have brought together different stakeholders in the field of teaching quantum physics on all levels, including outreach. The goal of QTEdu is to pave the way for the training of the future quantum workforce. To this end, it is necessary to understand the needs of the quantum technology (QT) field, make the general public aware of the existence and importance of QT, and introduce quantum physics already in high school, so that high school students can choose QT as their field of study and career. Finally, new university courses need to be established to support emerging specific profiles such as a quantum engineer. In this symposium, four QTEdu pilot projects were brought together to demonstrate how their complementary approaches have worked towards realising the above goals

Metabolic and miRNA Profiling of TMV Infected Plants Reveals Biphasic Temporal Changes

Plant viral infections induce changes including gene expression and metabolic components. Identification of metabolites and microRNAs (miRNAs) differing in abundance along infection may provide a broad view of the pathways involved in signaling and defense that orchestrate and execute the response in plant-pathogen interactions. We used a systemic approach by applying both liquid and gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry to determine the relative level of metabolites across the viral infection, together with a miRs profiling using a micro-array based procedure. Systemic changes in metabolites were characterized by a biphasic response after infection. The first phase, detected at one dpi, evidenced the action of a systemic signal since no virus was detected systemically. Several of the metabolites increased at this stage were hormone-related. miRs profiling after infection also revealed a biphasic alteration, showing miRs alteration at 5 dpi where no virus was detected systemically and a late phase correlating with virus accumulation. Correlation analyses revealed a massive increase in the density of correlation networks after infection indicating a complex reprogramming of the regulatory pathways, either in response to the plant defense mechanism or to the virus infection itself. Our data propose the involvement of a systemic signaling on early miRs alteration

Investment policy of the banking sector: data from Russia

The growing investment activity of banking sector organisations is an important condition for securing diversification of assets and obtaining additional sources of income, as well as maintaining the required level of liquidity. Economic crises and instability of stock markets affect the investment policy of a bank, the quality of its investment portfolio, and the scope of investment transactions with securities. The purpose of the research is to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the investment mechanism of the Russian banking sector and its organisation, to characterise the investment policy and risks connected with investment activities, to determine the criteria for financial instruments included in the structure of investment portfolios of Russian credit institutions. The authors used the analytical, regulatory, comparative, and statistical methods of research to define the dynamics, composition, and structure of investment portfolios and risks involved in the business of financial and credit institutions, in the course of the formation of investment policy. It was concluded, as a result of the research, that enhanced performance, stability, and liquidity of credit institutions were conditioned by the structure and quality of portfolio investments. Improving the efficiency of the banking investment mechanism is a priority area of development, for strengthening the competitive positions of credit institutions in the national banking system. The article presents conclusions regarding the quality of investment operations and transactions with securities effectuated by banks at the present stage. The authors undertook a comparative analysis of indicators characterising the structure of investment assets of the banking sector, grouped by types of investment portfolio. Proceeding from the above, particular directions were developed for practical use, that allow for efficient selection of stock market instruments for inclusion in the investment portfolio of credit institutions in the conditions of high volatility and uncertainty of the financial market

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: cause or consequence of insulin resistance?

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are pathological conditions that are co-occurring, and have been reaching epidemic proportions. One of the most significant risk factors for the development of both T2DM and NAFLD is obesity, which increases existing insulin resistance (IR). IR thought to be one of the main pathogenic causes linking T2DM and NAFLD. In recent years, there has been increased interest in obtaining non-invasive methods for assessing fibrosis and determining indications for liver biopsy, such as the NAFLD fibrosis score, extended liver fibrosis panel, and transient elastography. However, liver biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosing NAFLD. Given that patients with T2DM are at higher risk of NAFLD than the general population, and that the presence of diabetes is a risk factor for the progression of NAFLD, patients with T2DM should be more closely monitored by clinicians. The present review paper is devoted to the search for causeeffect relationships of concurrent diseases such as NAFLD and disorders of carbohydrate metabolism, and priority areas of diagnosis of NAFLD

TurvaSiipi-koulutuksilla tuetaan turvallisen hoitokulttuurin kehittämistä psykiatrisessa sairaalassa

TurvaSiipi-hankkeessa ylemmän ammattikorkeakoulututkinnon opiskelijat suunnittelivat opinnäytetyönään uutta Turvatila-hoitomallia hankkeen pilotointia varten. Henkilökunnalle luotiin ja opetettiin periaatteet, milloin potilasta hoidetaan turvatilassa. TurvaSiipi-hankkeessa myös tutkitaan tämän toimintamallin vaikutuksia