Gold as a Tool for Hedging Financial Risks

The article discusses gold as a protective asset, which claims to be a high-efficiency tool for hedging financial risks. In the introductory part the general characteristics of hedging as a method of full or partial risk elimination is given, and the main known types of risk hedging typical for a financial asset portfolio holder are considered. Further, dynamics of the world prices for gold is analyzed in a historical retrospective, whereby the conclusion is drawn on a tendency of this asset to grow during the periods of financial instability, and also if new financial assets appear. In the final part of the article the assessment of gold as a tool for hedging financial risks is given

Совершенствование методик определения примесей в антимикробных лекарственных средствах хроматографическими методами на примере анализа ципрофлоксацина

The need to reduce analysis time when controlling impurities in medicinal products remains an urgent challenge. The aim of the study was to use the example of ciprofloxacin in order to select chromatographic conditions that will significantly accelerate and simplify determination of impurities in medicinal products. Methods: the study was performed using the Chromolith® Performance RP-18e 100×4.6 mm and Acquity UPLC BEH C18 1.7 μm, 100×2.1 mm columns and the Agilent 1290 Infinity chromatography system with a diode array detector. Results: the authors of the study worked out gradient elution modes for determination of ciprofloxacin impurities that involved 15 min run time for fast high-performance liquid chromatography and 12 min run time for ultra-performance liquid chromatography. The identification of impurities was performed based on relative retention times of impurity peaks and their comparison with the reference standard chromatogram. Conclusions: the study demonstrated the possibility of replacing the thin-layer chromatography method used for determination of fluoroquinolonic acid (ciprofloxacin impurity A) with high-performance liquid chromatography. The proposed test conditions allow for identification of ciprofloxacin impurities specified in well-established pharmacopoeias and manufacturers’ product specification files. The obtained data may be used for further development of rapid methods of ciprofloxacin impurities determination in medicinal products. Необходимость сокращения времени анализа при мониторинге содержания примесей в лекарственных средствах является актуальной проблемой. Цель работы: выбор условий хроматографирования, позволяющих значительно ускорить и упростить определение примесей в лекарственных средствах на примере анализа ципрофлоксацина.Методы: для достижения поставленной цели были использованы хроматографические колонки Chromolith® Performance RP-18e 100×4,6 мм и Acquity UPLC BEH C18 1,7 мкм 100×2,1 мм. Исследования проводились на хроматографе «Agilent 1290 Infinity» с диодно-матричным детектором.Результаты: Разработаны режимы градиентного элюирования примесей ципрофлоксацина со временем хроматографирования в течение 15 минут для варианта быстрой высокоэффективной жидкостной хроматографии и 12 минут для варианта ультра высокоэффективной жидкостной хроматографии. Идентификация примесей проведена с использованием относительных времен удерживания их пиков и при сравнении с эталонной хроматограммой.Выводы: Показана возможность замены метода тонкослойной хроматографии для определения фторхинолоновой кислоты (примеси А ципрофлоксацина) методом высокоэффективной жидкостной хроматографии. Предложенные условия анализа позволяют идентифицировать примеси ципрофлоксацина, нормируемые ведущими фармакопеями и нормативными документами. На основе полученных данных возможна дальнейшая разработка экспрессных методик определения примесей ципрофлоксацина в лекарственных средствах

Investigation of photoconductivity of individual InAs/GaAs(001) quantum dots by Scanning Near-field Optical Microscopy

Исследовано распределение фототока по поверхности Ga s p–i–n диода cо встроенными квантовыми точками (КТ) In s при фотовозбуждении зондом сканирующего ближнепольного оптического микроскопа (СБОМ). На СБОМ изображениях фототока наблюдались неоднородности, связанные с межзонным поглощением в КТ.The photocurrent distribution in GaAs p–i–n diode with embedded InAs quantum dots (QDs) was studied with the photoexcitation through a Scanning Near-field Probe Microscope (SNOM) probe. The inhomogeneities related to the interband absorption in the QDs were observed in the photocurrent SNOM images.Работа выполнена при поддержке РФФИ (16-02-00450)

Exogenous spatial precuing reliably modulates object processing but not object substitution masking

Object substitution masking (OSM) is used in behavioral and imaging studies to investigate processes associated with the formation of a conscious percept. Reportedly, OSM occurs only when visual attention is diffusely spread over a search display or focused away from the target location. Indeed, the presumed role of spatial attention is central to theoretical accounts of OSM and of visual processing more generally (Di Lollo, Enns, & Rensink, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 129:481–507, 2000). We report a series of five experiments in which valid spatial precuing is shown to enhance the ability of participants to accurately report a target but, in most cases, without affecting OSM. In only one experiment (Experiment 5) was a significant effect of precuing observed on masking. This is in contrast to the reliable effect shown across all five experiments in which precuing improved overall performance. The results are convergent with recent findings from Argyropoulos, Gellatly, and Pilling (Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance 39:646–661, 2013), which show that OSM is independent of the number of distractor items in a display. Our results demonstrate that OSM can operate independently of focal attention. Previous claims of the strong interrelationship between OSM and spatial attention are likely to have arisen from ceiling or floor artifacts that restricted measurable performance

Studying the genetic diversity of the varicella-zoster virus in selected regions of the Russian Federation using high-throughput sequencing

Introduction. Varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the causative agent of the disease of the same name and herpes zoster, is phylogenetically divided into 8 clades, the distribution of which is characterized by geographic reference to certain regions of the world. For most countries, VZV clades circulating in their territories have been identified, however, such information is almost unavailable for Russia. The purpose of the study is to develop an effective method for VZV typing using high-throughput sequencing technologies to identify the prevalence of various VZV clades in Moscow, Moscow Region, and Stavropol Territory. Materials and methods. To genotype VZV, it is enough to refer to 7 nucleotide positions. Their unique combinations can be used to assign the virus to one of the clades. Short sections of nucleotide sequences of open reading frames were obtained using a developed set of primers. Results. A VZV genotyping technique has been developed and optimized. Using this technique, primary data on the distribution of VZV clades in the studied regions have been obtained. Thus, it has been established that in Moscow and a number of other regions, the 1st, 3rd, and 5th clades of VZV are predominantly distributed. Conclusion. The developed technique, including a primer panel and a genotyping algorithm, allows VZV typing in a short time while reducing specimen preparation costs and simultaneously increasing the number of specimens in one sequencing cycle. The results obtained using this assay allow us to assume that in Moscow, Moscow Region, Stavropol Territory, VZV, clades 1, 3, and 5 are the most represented ones. To confirm this hypothesis, it is necessary to include a larger number of clinical specimens in subsequent studies, including from other regions of the country

The Real-Time Predictive Content of Asset Price Bubbles for Macro Forecasts

This paper contributes to the debate of whether central banks can \lean against the wind" of emerging stock or house price bubbles. Against this background, the paper evaluates if new advances in real-time bubble detection, as brought forward by Phillips et al. (2011), can timely detect bubble emergences and collapses. Building on simulations, the paper shows that the detection capabilities of all indicators are sensitive to their exact specifications and to the characteristics of the bubbles in the sample. Therefore, the paper suggests a combination approach of different bubble indicators which helps to account for the uncertainty around start and end dates of asset price bubbles. Additionally, the paper then investigates if the individual and combination indicators carry predictive content for inflation and output growth when the real-time availability of all variables is taken into account. It finds that a combination indicator is best suited to uncover the most common stock and house price bubbles in the U.S. and shows that this indicator improves output forecasts

Mutations in the ELANE Gene are Associated with Development of Periodontitis in Patients with Severe Congenital Neutropenia

# The Author(s) 2011. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Background Patients with severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) often develop periodontitis despite standard medical and dental care. In light of previous findings that mutations in the neutrophil elastase gene, ELANE, are associated with more severe neutropenic phenotypes, we hypothesized an association between the genotype of SCN and development of periodontitis. Methods Fourteen Swedish patients with SCN or cyclic neutropenia harboring different genetic backgrounds were recruited for periodontal examination. Peripheral blood, gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), and subgingival bacterial Thomas Modéer and Katrin Pütsep have contributed equally to the study