Challenges for Monetary Policy in the Enlarged European Monetary Union

The eastward enlargement of the Euro area entails significant implications for the accession candidates in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the existing Euro system and the monetary policy of the European Central Bank (ECB). The present analysis assesses the challenges and critical aspects in monetary policy modeling with special emphasis to enlargement. The focus is on the difficulty of implementing a unique currency policy in view or growing heterogeneity within the enlarged monetary union, and secondly the issue of the voting mechanism within the ECB. When analyzing those two issues, it is conclusive that the difficulties for the ECB and the current Euro zone members will increase. For the enlarged Euro zone, which is becoming more divergent, it will be very hard to find adequate recipes to meet the needs and requirements of all. The big question is: whether centralisation of monetary policy is a sustainable and superior solution?European Monetary Union, EU enlargement, Monetary policy, ECB reform

Quasiparticle energy spectrum in ferromagnetic Josephson weak links

The quasiparticles energy spectrum in clean ferromagnetic weak links between conventional superconductors is calculated. Large peaks in DOS, due to a special case of Andreev reflection at the ferromagnetic barrier, correspond to spin-splitt bound states. Their energies are obtained as a function of the barrier thickness, exchange field strength, and of the macroscopic phase difference $\phi$ at the link, related to the Josephson current. In the ground state, $\phi$ can be 0 or $\pi$, depending on the ferromagnetic barrier influence. Conditions for the appearence of the zero-energy bound states (ZES) and for the spin polarized ground state (SPGS) are obtained analytically. It is shown that ZES appear only outside the weak link ground state.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure

Spin paramagnetism in d-wave superconductors

The Ginzburg-Landau equations are derived from the microscopic theory for clean layered superconductors with $d_{x^2-y^2}$ pairing symmetry, including the Pauli paramagnetism effect. The upper critical field $H_{c2}$ parallel to the $c$ axis is calculated. A comparison with the experimental data for YBCO suggests that, relative to the orbital effect, the Pauli paramagnetism contribution to $H_{c2}$ is significant. The reversible magnetization $M$ in high magnetic fields is also calculated, showing strong temperature dependence of the slope $dM/dH$, as a consequence of the spin paramagnetism. A simple expression for the high temperature spin susceptibility is derived, in a good agreement with the Knight shift measurements on YBCO.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures; minor changes are included; reference 35 is added; shorter version will be published in Phys. Rev. B, scheduled issue 01 July 200

Spatial prediction of species’ distributions from occurrence-only records: combining point pattern analysis, ENFA and regression-kriging

A computational framework to map species’ distributions (realized density) using occurrence-only data and environmental predictors is presented and illustrated using a textbook example and two case studies: distribution of root vole (Microtes oeconomus) in the Netherlands, and distribution of white-tailed eagle nests (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Croatia. The framework combines strengths of point pattern analysis (kernel smoothing), Ecological Niche Factor Analysis (ENFA) and geostatistics (logistic regression-kriging), as implemented in the spatstat, adehabitat and gstat packages of the R environment for statistical computing. A procedure to generate pseudo-absences is proposed. It uses Habitat Suitability Index (HSI, derived through ENFA) and distance from observations as weight maps to allocate pseudo-absence points. This design ensures that the simulated pseudo-absences fall further away from the occurrence points in both feature and geographical spaces. The simulated pseudo-absences can then be combined with occurrence locations and used to build regression-kriging prediction models. The output of prediction are either probabilitiesy of species’ occurrence or density measures. Addition of the pseudo-absence locations has proven effective — the adjusted R-square increased from 0.71 to 0.80 for root vole (562 records), and from 0.69 to 0.83 for white-tailed eagle (135 records) respectively; pseudo-absences improve spreading of the points in feature space and ensure consistent mapping over the whole area of interest. Results of cross validation (leave-one-out method) for these two species showed that the model explains 98% of the total variability in the density values for the root vole, and 94% of the total variability for the white-tailed eagle. The framework could be further extended to Generalized multivariate Linear Geostatistical Models and spatial prediction of multiple species. A copy of the R script and step-by-step instructions to run such analysis are available via contact author’s website

Estabilishment of SSCP profile reference panel for analysis of the major histocompatibility complex class II DRB gene in the red deer (Cervus elaphus)

Imunološko prepoznavanje vlastitog od stranog djelomično je kontrolirano setom gena unutar glavnog sustava tkivne podudarnosti (MHC). Ti geni kodiraju sustav membranskih glikoproteinskih receptora čija je glavna uloga prepoznati strane proteine, prezentirati ih specijaliziranim imunosnim stanicama, te pokrenuti imunološki odgovor. Veća varijabilnost genskih lokusa MHC omogućuje prepoznavanje šireg spektra antigena, pa posljedično i bolju obranu od patogena. Istraživanja varijabilnosti lokusa MHC analizom sekvenci fragmenata DNA umnoženih PCR reakcijom, obično uključuju i molekularno kloniranje. Uvođenjem metode analize polimorfizma konformacije jednolančane DNA (SSCP) postupak utvrđivanja genske varijabilnosti bio bi jednostavniji, brži i jeftiniji smanjujući potrebu za molekularnim kloniranjem i dodatnim sekvenciranjem. U ovom istraživanju, po prvi puta u Hrvatskoj, uvela sam metodu SSCP u istraživanje raznolikosti alela lokusa DRB, te uspostavila referentni panel SSCP profila spomenutih alela u jelena (Cervus elaphus). U ispitivanim uzorcima utvrdila sam postojanje ukupno sedam različitih alela, te postojanje dupliciranog lokusa DRB. Na referentnom panelu, svaki od pojedinačnih alela pokazuje jedinstven SSCP profil, ali utvrđeno je i preklapanje pojedinih vrpci različitih alela. Kod nekoliko odabranih uzoraka, analiza SSCP izravno umnoženih fragmenata alela potvrdila je rezultate dobivene molekularnim kloniranjem i sekvenciranjem. No, za rutinsku uporabu SSCP panela u procjeni imunogenetičke varijabilnosti jelena u Hrvatskoj, trebalo bi metodu dodatno optimizirati i unaprijediti.Immunological self/nonself recognition is partly controlled by a set of genes in the major histocompatbility complex (MHC). These genes encode complex of membrane glicoproteine receptors which primary role is to recognize foreign proteins, present them to specialist immune cells and initiate an immune response. Increased variability of MHC gene loci enables identification of a broader range of antigens, and consequently a better defense against pathogens. Investigation of MHC variability by analyses of sequence fragments multiplied by PCR reaction, usually includes molecular cloning. By introducing SSCP (single strand conformation polymorphism) method, the process of determining gene variability would be simpler, faster and cheaper and reduce the need for molecular cloning and additional sequencing step. In this experment, for the first time in Croatia, I introduced the SSCP method to explore the diversity of alleles of the DRB locus and estabilished a reference panel of the SSCP profile of the mentioned alleles in the red deer (Cervus elaphus). In analyzed samples, I determined the presence of seven unique alleles in total and a duplication of DRB locus. On the reference panel, each of the alleles showed a unique SSCP profile; however, the overlapping of some indivudual bands of different alleles was found. In chosen representative samples, SSCP analysis of directly amplified allele fragments confirmed the results obtained by molecular cloning and sequencing. Nonetheless, the use of SSCP panel in routine determination of immunigenetic variability of deer in Croatia should be further optimized and improved

Challenges for monetary policy in the enlarged European monetary Union

The eastward enlargement of the Euro area entails significant implications for the accession candidates in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), the existing Euro system and the monetary policy of the European Central Bank (ECB). The present analysis assesses the challenges and critical aspects in monetary policy modeling with special emphasis to enlargement. The focus is on the difficulty of implementing a unique currency policy in view or growing heterogeneity within the enlarged monetary union, and secondly - the issue of the voting mechanism within the ECB. When analyzing those two issues, it is conclusive that the difficulties for the ECB and the current Euro zone members will increase. For the enlarged Euro zone, which is becoming more divergent, it will be very hard to find adequate recipes to meet the needs and requirements of all. The big question is: whether centralization of monetary policy is a sustainable and superior solution?

“Das ist Walter”: The Evolving Figure of the Archetypal Hero Embodied by Velimir Bata Živojinović in the Yugoslav War Film

Velimir Bata Živojinović boasts a body of work which traverses 350 motion pictures from Classical Yugoslav Cinema over The New Film to Contemporary Serbian Cinema, historical epic to film noir, family comedy to radical avant-garde. A legendary actor and one of the most significant personalities of Yugoslav cinema, he is best remembered as the archetypal hero of the Partisan film. This research examines the ways in which Živojinović’s popular figure was constructed through the genre of the war film and the brand of Partisan film distinct to Yugoslavia. By situating Živojinović’s star image in the context of his oeuvre, defining Partisan aesthetics and closely analysing three different periods in the actor’s career, with respect to the films which are central in developing his image as the archetypal hero, namely Kozara (Veljko Bulajić 1962), Valter brani Sarajevo/Walter Defends Sarajevo (Hajrudin Krvavac 1972), and Lepa sela lepo gore/Pretty Village, Pretty Flame (Srđan Dragojević 1996), I demonstrate how the indestructible partisan figure embodied by Velimir Bata Živojinović was established in on-screen cinematic space, and how this figure continued to develop, transform, and evolve across films, and, finally, through off-screen public space