Does Trade Openness Affect Bank Risk-Taking Behavior? Evidence from BRICS Countries

In this paper, we examine the impact of trade openness on bank risk-taking behavior employing a panel dataset of 899 banks from the BRICS (i.e., Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) countries over the period 2000–2017. We find that higher trade openness lowers bank risk-taking. Our results are robust when we use alternative proxies of trade openness and bank risk-taking, estimate country-wise regressions, or use alternative estimation methods such as system Generalized Methods of Moments (GMM), fixed effects, pooled Ordinary Least Square (OLS), and Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) models. We also observe higher trade openness decreases bank risk-taking in both the short and long run. Moreover, banks in more open countries perform relatively better during the crisis period further signifying the diversification benefits of openness. Together, our findings imply the beneficial impact of trade openness for financial sector stability

Lorentz-invariant CPT violation

A Lorentz-invariant CPT violation, which may be termed as long-distance CPT violation in contrast to the familiar short-distance CPT violation, has been recently proposed. This scheme is based on a non-local interaction vertex and characterized by an infrared divergent form factor. We show that the Lorentz covariant $T^{\star}$-product is consistently defined and the energy-momentum conservation is preserved in perturbation theory if the path integral is suitably defined for this non-local theory, although unitarity is generally lost. It is illustrated that T violation is realized in the decay and formation processes. It is also argued that the equality of masses and decay widths of the particle and anti-particle is preserved if the non-local CPT violation is incorporated either directly or as perturbation by starting with the conventional CPT-even local Lagrangian. However, we also explicitly show that the present non-local scheme can induce the splitting of particle and anti-particle mass eigenvalues if one considers a more general class of Lagrangians.Comment: 28 pages; note added in proof; version published in Eur. Phys. J. C (2013) 73: 234

New horizons in geriatric medicine education and training: the need for pan-European education and training standards

The ageing population ought to be celebrated as evidence for the efficacy of modern medicine, but the challenge that this demographic shift presents for 21st century healthcare systems, with increasing numbers of people living with multi-morbidity and frailty, cannot be ignored. There is therefore a need to ensure that all healthcare professionals grasp the basic principles of care of older people. In this paper, we make a case for the development of pan-European education and training standards for the field of geriatric medicine. Firstly, the challenges which face the implementation and delivery of geriatric medicine in a systematic way across Europe are described – these include, but are not limited to; variance in geriatric medicine practice across Europe, insecurity of the specialty in some countries and significant heterogeneity in geriatric medicine training programs across Europe. The opportunities for geriatric medicine are then presented and we consider how engendering core geriatric medicine competencies amongst nongeriatricians has potential to bridge existing gaps in service provision across Europe. Finally, we consider how work can proceed to teach sufficient numbers of doctors and health professionals in the core knowledge, skills and attitudes required to do this. To safeguard the future of the specialty across Europe, we contend that there is a need to strive towards harmonisation of post-graduate geriatric medicine training across Europe, through the establishment of pan-European education and training standards in the specialty

Wave Function Based Characteristics of Hybrid Mesons

We propose some extensions of the quark potential model to hybrids, fit them to the lattice data and use them for the purpose of calculating the masses, root mean square radii and wave functions at the origin of the conventional and hybrid charmonium mesons. We treat the ground and excited gluonic field between a quark and an antiquark as in the Born-Oppenheimer expansion, and use the shooting method to numerically solve the required Schr$\ddot{\textrm{o}}$dinger equation for the radial wave functions; from these wave functions we calculate the mesonic properties. For masses we also check through a Crank Nichelson discretization. For hybrid charmonium mesons, we consider the exotic quantum number states with $J^{PC} = 0^{+ -}, 1^{- +}$ and $2^{+ -}$. We also compare our results with the experimentally observed masses and theoretically predicted results of the other models. Our results have implications for scalar form factors, energy shifts, magnetic polarizabilities, decay constants, decay widths and differential cross sections of conventional and hybrid mesons.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, Erratum is submitted to EPJ

Volume I. Introduction to DUNE

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, the dynamics of the supernovae that produced the heavy elements necessary for life, and whether protons eventually decay—these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our universe, its current state, and its eventual fate. The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an international world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions as it searches for leptonic charge-parity symmetry violation, stands ready to capture supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. The DUNE far detector technical design report (TDR) describes the DUNE physics program and the technical designs of the single- and dual-phase DUNE liquid argon TPC far detector modules. This TDR is intended to justify the technical choices for the far detector that flow down from the high-level physics goals through requirements at all levels of the Project. Volume I contains an executive summary that introduces the DUNE science program, the far detector and the strategy for its modular designs, and the organization and management of the Project. The remainder of Volume I provides more detail on the science program that drives the choice of detector technologies and on the technologies themselves. It also introduces the designs for the DUNE near detector and the DUNE computing model, for which DUNE is planning design reports. Volume II of this TDR describes DUNE\u27s physics program in detail. Volume III describes the technical coordination required for the far detector design, construction, installation, and integration, and its organizational structure. Volume IV describes the single-phase far detector technology. A planned Volume V will describe the dual-phase technology

Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), far detector technical design report, volume III: DUNE far detector technical coordination

The preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe, the dynamics of the supernovae that produced the heavy elements necessary for life, and whether protons eventually decay—these mysteries at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics are key to understanding the early evolution of our universe, its current state, and its eventual fate. The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is an international world-class experiment dedicated to addressing these questions as it searches for leptonic charge-parity symmetry violation, stands ready to capture supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. The DUNE far detector technical design report (TDR) describes the DUNE physics program and the technical designs of the single- and dual-phase DUNE liquid argon TPC far detector modules. Volume III of this TDR describes how the activities required to design, construct, fabricate, install, and commission the DUNE far detector modules are organized and managed. This volume details the organizational structures that will carry out and/or oversee the planned far detector activities safely, successfully, on time, and on budget. It presents overviews of the facilities, supporting infrastructure, and detectors for context, and it outlines the project-related functions and methodologies used by the DUNE technical coordination organization, focusing on the areas of integration engineering, technical reviews, quality assurance and control, and safety oversight. Because of its more advanced stage of development, functional examples presented in this volume focus primarily on the single-phase (SP) detector module

Determination of Activity Concentrations of the Naturally Occurring Radionuclides and the dose Rates from the Samples Collected from the Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL), Bangladesh

Abstract: The activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K have been determined for solid, liquid and product (urea) samples collected from the Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL), Chittagong, Bangladesh. A total of 15 samples of different kinds were analyzed by using a calibrated high purity germanium (HpGe) detector of relative efficiency of 38%. For solid samples, the mean activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K have been found 78.67±2.87, 59.74±2.27 and 463.71±9.16 Bq/Kg, respectively. The mean activity concentrations of product samples for the corresponding radionuclide were 73.12±2.83, 74.59±2.32 and 391.58±9.38 Bq/Kg, respectively. For the case of liquid samples, the mean activity concentrations for the same nuclides were 25.09±1.71, 11.34±1.55 and 39.59±1.49 Bq/Kg, respectively. The artificial radionuclide 137Cs was not detected in any of the samples. The mean radiological hazard parameter values of outdoor absorbed dose rate, indoor absorbed dose rate, external radiation hazard, internal radiation hazard, annual effective dose equivalent, radium equivalent activity and representative level index were 95.72±9.04, 114.32±9.11 nGyh-1, 0.530±.05, 0.7±50.05, 113.59±11.41μSvy-1, 199.80±17.41 and 1.390±.14 Bq/Kg respectively, in solid samples. For the product samples, the mean values of the corresponding radiological indices were 97.10+9.71, 117.56+10.32 nGyh-1, 0.57±0.05 , 0.76±0.06, 119.50 ±11.72μSvy-1 , 209.50±17.72 and 1.50±0.14 Bq/Kg, respectively. Also in the liquid samples, the mean values for the corresponding radiological parameters were 18.43±2.69, 22.13±2.77 nGy.h−1, 0.12±0.03 , 0.19±0.05, 23.59± 2.36 μSvy1, 43.65±3.54 and 0.32±0.03 Bq/Kg, respectively. The obtained results of this study show that for some samples the values are lower and for the remaining are higher than the World average values. The mean representative index value is less than unity which confirms that the area is safe for the factory workers and the public nearby. The results can be used as a baseline data for further researchers

Determination of Activity Concentrations of the Naturally Occurring Radionuclides and the dose Rates from the Samples Collected from the Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL), Bangladesh

Abstract: The activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K have been determined for solid, liquid and product (urea) samples collected from the Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited (CUFL), Chittagong, Bangladesh. A total of 15 samples of different kinds were analyzed by using a calibrated high purity germanium (HpGe) detector of relative efficiency of 38%. For solid samples, the mean activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K have been found 78.67±2.87, 59.74±2.27 and 463.71±9.16 Bq/Kg, respectively. The mean activity concentrations of product samples for the corresponding radionuclide were 73.12±2.83, 74.59±2.32 and 391.58±9.38 Bq/Kg, respectively. For the case of liquid samples, the mean activity concentrations for the same nuclides were 25.09±1.71, 11.34±1.55 and 39.59±1.49 Bq/Kg, respectively. The artificial radionuclide 137Cs was not detected in any of the samples. The mean radiological hazard parameter values of outdoor absorbed dose rate, indoor absorbed dose rate, external radiation hazard, internal radiation hazard, annual effective dose equivalent, radium equivalent activity and representative level index were 95.72±9.04, 114.32±9.11 nGyh-1, 0.530±.05, 0.7±50.05, 113.59±11.41μSvy-1, 199.80±17.41 and 1.390±.14 Bq/Kg respectively, in solid samples. For the product samples, the mean values of the corresponding radiological indices were 97.10+9.71, 117.56+10.32 nGyh-1, 0.57±0.05 , 0.76±0.06, 119.50 ±11.72μSvy-1 , 209.50±17.72 and 1.50±0.14 Bq/Kg, respectively. Also in the liquid samples, the mean values for the corresponding radiological parameters were 18.43±2.69, 22.13±2.77 nGy.h−1, 0.12±0.03 , 0.19±0.05, 23.59± 2.36 μSvy1, 43.65±3.54 and 0.32±0.03 Bq/Kg, respectively. The obtained results of this study show that for some samples the values are lower and for the remaining are higher than the World average values. The mean representative index value is less than unity which confirms that the area is safe for the factory workers and the public nearby. The results can be used as a baseline data for further researchers

Blockchain-based Secure CIDS Operation

For large, intricate, and multi-layered networks like that of Industrial IoT, an individual instance of intrusion detection system cannot efficiently work against advanced attack strategies. The reason is that it would not be aware of the overall context, environment, and relevant incidents in other networks. This necessitates a collaborative intrusion detection system that allows multiple intrusion detection systems to communicate with each other and share information on emerging cyber-attack incidents. Thus, immunizing themselves and preventing the attack from escalating. However, the main challenge here is to manage the trust among the peers, where an insider attacker may input false attack signatures to the network, thus degrading the performance. Hence, we propose a blockchain-based trustfree collaborative intrusion detection system, in which threat alert messages will only be propagated in the network after network consensus