Effect of axial temperature gradient on chromatographic efficiency under adiabatic conditions

The effect of axial temperature gradient on the chromatographic efficiency was studied under adiabatic conditions by a modeling approach. The Equilibrium-Dispersive model of chromatography was used for the calculations. The model was extended by taking into account the axial temperature gradient. The results show that due to the temperature gradient, there are retention and migration velocity gradients in the column. Since the retention factor, k is not constant in the column, k cannot be calculated as the ratio of net retention and hold-up times. As a result of the gradual increase of migration velocity, the retention times of solutes decreases as the slope of temperature gradient increases. In addition, the band in the column have extra broadening due to larger migration velocity of the front of band. The width of bands becomes larger at larger change of temperature. In the same time, however, the release velocity of the compounds from the column is increasing as ΔT increases. Accordingly, an apparent peak compression effect makes the peaks thinner. As a result of the two counteracting effects (peak expansion, apparent peak compression) the column efficiency does not change significantly in case of axial temperature gradient under adiabatic conditions. The resolutions, however, decreases slightly due to the decrease of retention times

CSR Reporting Practices of Hungarian Banks

The disclosure of information on the exercise of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the tool most frequently used by companies to promote understanding of the social and environmental performance of an organisation and to improve relationships with stakeholders. For most of the world’s largest companies, reporting on non-financial information appears to be a continuing trend, so it is essential to present the new corporate reporting trends of the 21st century. The disclosure of socially responsible information will be analysed, with a focus on the application of the Global Reporting Initiative guidelines related to CSR. Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) is the best-known framework for voluntary reporting of environmental and social performance by business worldwide. The main objective of the paper is to explore the corporate voluntary disclosure practices of the listed and non-listed banks in Hungary. The extent of voluntary disclosure has significantly improved for decades worldwide, but the situation is not that obvious regarding the Hungarian financial sector. This paper aims to describe the status of disclosure practices of corporate sustainability in the annual reports, sustainability reports or CSR reports of the banking industry in Hungary. Also, increased corporate visibility and financial risk increase stakeholder demand for transparency on the social impact of financial institutions and their CSR practices. Finally, the analysis and subsequent comparison of available CSR reports of banks will be presented

Essays on the Theory of Two-Sided Markets

Several markets have emerged in which consumers and sellers interact and make transactions through an intermediary or platform. Examples include smart phones, bank cards, game consoles, shopping centers but even airports. The peculiarity of these markets is that the actors join them because the platforms have a large number of members of either their own or the other segment. Such markets are referred to in the literature as two-sided markets, which, through the development of technology, have now appeared in many forms in our daily lives. Although the analysis of two-sided markets is already extensive, it still has unexplored areas. In addition, due to their different functioning from traditional markets, they are also of great interest from a regulatory point of view, whereas the impact of the regulatory tools used may be different and may be particularly harmful in some cases. The chapters in this thesis contribute to a better understanding of two-sided markets. The results presented in the different chapters are not closely related, so they can be interpreted independently. In each chapter, duopolistic models are presented to determine the impact of platforms' product differentiation decisions, the use of public and private contracts, and the entry of the state in the market on optimal pricing. Because consumers typically do not consider when purchasing a platform's product or service that they will later purchase compatible products, they do not internalize the benefits of their future consumption, so the models presented are sequential in nature. To analyze these and determine their equilibrium, the tools of game theory are used. Depending on the type of model, the aim is to determine the subgame-perfect Nash equilibrium or the symmetric perfect Bayesian equilibrium. In the dissertation, the following results can be highlighted: 1. Profit-maximizing platforms provide users with either maximum customizability at a positive price or somewhat limited customizability at a zero price, depending on the utility from consumption. 2. Leveraging the dominance of a platform from market power is somewhat hampered by the possibility of customization. In two-sided markets, competition on one side of the market will automatically spread to the other side of the market and, if not in terms of prices, will have an impact on some other dimension. 3. In the case of public contracts, the platforms and the consumers prefer the case when sellers decide on multi-homing. 4. Beliefs are not affected by the relationship between platform-specific products for competing platforms. 5. In the case of competing platforms, the use of private contracts changes the pricing strategy of the platforms on the seller side: a positive price is charged for the previously supported segment. However, on the consumer side, a positive price is still set, in contrast to the result obtained in the literature, where consumers were supported by the platforms. In contrast, the subscription fee for private contracts is lower than for public contracts. 6. As a result of the franchise fee included in the private contract, the sellers set collusive prices. 7. Private platforms are encouraged to use public contracts, while for consumers, the preferred output is a function of the network effect, the transportation cost, and the relationship between products. 8. Neither service provider's decision to differentiate a product in the case of mixed duopoly is influenced by the competitor's decision, while on the consumer side, as a result of competition, subscription fees converge. 9. With the abolition of the state platform, the strategy of regulation of entry will lose its strength in the case of two-sided markets

Termékdifferenciálás kétoldalú piacokon

Cikkünkben aszimmetrikus kétoldalú piacok árazásával foglalkozunk, és azt a kérdést vizsgáljuk, hogy a felhasználók fogyasztásból származó hasznának függvényében a platformok milyen árakat választanak, valamint a termékek, szolgáltatások testreszabhatóságának milyen mértékét teszik elérhetővé a felhasználók számára. Eredményeink azt sugallják, hogy a platformok limitált testreszabhatóságot és nulla árat vagy maximális testreszabhatóságot és pozitív árat fognak választani.* Journal of Economic Literature (JEL) kód: D43, L11, L13

High Performance Anion Chromatography of Gadolinium Chelates

High performance anion chromatography (HPIC) method to separate ionic Gd chelates,[GdDTPA]2− , [GdEDTA]− , [GdDCTA]− and free matrix anions was developed. At alkaline pHs, polydentate complexing agents such as ethylene-diamine-tetraacetate, diethylene-triamine penta-acetate and trans-1,2-diamine-cyclohexane-tetraacetate tend to form stable Gd chelate anions and can be separated by anion exchange. Separations were studied in the simple isocratic chromatographic run over the wide range of pH and concentration of carbonate eluent using suppressed conductivity detection. The ion exchange and complex forming equilibria were quantitatively described and demonstrated in order to understand major factors in the control of selectivity of Gd chelates. Parameters of optimized resolution between concurrent ions were presented on a 3D resolution surface. The applicability of the developed method is represented by the simultaneous analysis of Gd chelates and organic/inorganic anions. Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-AES) analysis was used for confirmation of HPIC results for Gd. Collection protocols for the heart-cutting procedure of chromatograms were applied. SPE procedures were also developed not only to extract traces of free gadolinium ions from samples, but also to remove the high level of interfering anions of the complex matrices. The limit of detection, the recoverability and the linearity of the method were also presented

Koronavírus után háború = War after the coronavirus

Az elmúlt két évet a koronavírus és az ezzel kapcsolatos intézkedések miatti gazdasági sokkhatás határozta meg. A magyar gazdaság a járványhelyzetet a lehetőségekhez képest jól viselte, a vírus előtti kibocsátási szintet gyorsan utolérte. A gazdasági helyzet alapján február közepéig közel hatszázalékos gazdasági növekedésre számítottunk 2022-re, ekkor azonban a szomszédunkban háború tört ki. Idén ez az a tényező, amely jelentős bizonytalanságot hoz az előrejelzésekbe, hiszen a konfliktus és a kapcsolódó szankciók rövid, illetve hosszú távú hatásait sem látjuk még tisztán. Mostani várakozásunk szerint a magyar gazdaság teljesítménye idén 4 százalék körüli ütemben bővülhet, míg jövőre a növekedés volumene 4,7 százalékot tehet ki. = The past two years have been dominated by the economic shock of the coronavirus and the measures taken in response to it. The Hungarian economy coped well with the epidemic situation, catching up quickly with pre-virus output levels. Based on the economic situation, economic growth was expected to be close to six percent in 2022 until mid-February, when war broke out in our neighbouring country. This year, this factor introduces considerable uncertainty into the forecasts, as the short- and long-term effects of the conflict and the related sanctions are not yet clear. We now expect the Hungarian economy to expand at a rate of around 4 percent this year, while next year growth could reach 4.7 per cent

Konjunktúrakutatás a makrogazdasági adatok fényében

A tanulmány a Századvég 2015 szeptembere és 2018 májusa között zajlott lakossági, illetve vállalati konjunktúrakutatásának eredményeit mutatja be, összevetve azokat a makrogazdasági mutatók alakulásával. A lakossági kutatás eredményei szerint a vizsgált időszakban a háztartások gazdasági helyzetmegítélése trendszerűen javult. A konjunktúraindex egyes alindexei együtt mozogtak a makrostatisztikák kapcsolódó mutatóival. Mindössze az infláció indexe volt negatív – még a jegybank inflációs céljánál mérsékeltebb pénzromlás ellenére is. Szintén trendszerű javulás tapasztalható a vállalatvezetők konjunktúraérzete kapcsán. Az erre vonatkozó indikátorok is pozitív, az előbbieknél azonban kisebb mértékű korrelációt mutatnak a makrogazdasági statisztikákkal. A vállalatvezetők megítélése alapján leginkább az üzleti környezet kedvezőbbé válása segíthetné a konjunktúraérzet javulását, amely változó felmérése azért is fontos, mert erre vonatkozóan nem létezik statisztikai adat. = This paper presents the results of the consumer and business survey conducted between September 2015 and May 2018 by Századvég Group, comparing it with the macroeconomic data. According to the results of the residential survey, the perception of the economic situation improved continuously during the period under review. The sub-indices of the business cycle index moved in line with the related macroeconomic indicators. Only the index of inflation was negative – even though it was lower than the central bank’s target. One can see an improving trend in the CEOs’ economic sense, too. The relevant indicators also show correlation but to a lesser extent with the macroeconomic statistics. Based on the CEOs’ opinion, if the economic sense would be more favourable that would be the best way to improve the business environment. Surveying business environment is especially important, as no related statistical data exists