Search

This article discusses the International Monetary Fund’s recent effort to garner legitimacy by incorporating the reduction of economic inequality in its lending programs. It argues that the impact of the US as a major shareholder on conditionality and geopolitical considerations beyond objective and measurable economic necessities detract from these efforts to expand legitimacy. Using a panel data analysis of International Monetary Fund programs between 1980 and 2013, the article shows that US-allied left-wing governments receive a larger number of labor conditions in their programs compared to non-allied and right-wing governments. The article argues that this is part of left-wing governments’ strategy of maintaining their alliance with the US and demonstrating ideological proximity. In exchange, the US uses its influence to secure fewer conditions in total for its allied governments. This not only shifts the burden of adjustment on labor groups but also harms the Fund’s procedural legitimacy, as conditions are not objectively determined. It also has adverse implications for outcome legitimacy by distorting economic policies and outcomes and increasing income inequality.

Food price bubbles are a phenomenon in which the cost of some food items or food commodities climbs quickly and unreasonably before collapsing due to reasons such as speculation, supply and demand imbalances, meteorological occurrences, and governmental actions. Governments and academics keep an eye on food prices to spot and address these bubbles. The aim of this paper is to analyze the food price bubble phenomenon despite the global slowdown by examining its origins, consequences, and policy solutions. The study’s contribution lies in its investigation of the presence of a potential bubble formation in food prices, which have experienced a surge globally and particularly in Turkey in recent years. The research examines the behavior of bubble formation in food prices in Turkey, the FAO, the OECD, and the IMF between 1992 and 2022 using the ADF, SADF, and GSADF tests. These tests can help identify when asset prices deviate significantly from their fundamental values and may be at risk of a sharp correction. The TUR, FAO, OECD, and IMF variables all show distinct bubble formations, with the TUR variable having 130 periods from 1995 to 2006, the FAO having 8 price bubble occurrences, the OECD having 12 different bubble formations, and the IMF having 4 distinct bubble formations. The results indicate the existence of food price bubbles that demonstrate disparities from their inherent values grounded in market fundamentals.

Intramuscular fat (IMF) is a key index to measure the tenderness and flavor of pork. Wannanhua pig, a famous indigenous pig breed in Anhui Province, is renowned for its high lipid deposition and high genetic divergence, making it an ideal model for investigating the lipid position trait mechanisms in pigs. However, the regulatory mechanisms of lipid deposition and development in pigs remain unclear. Furthermore, the temporal differences in gene regulation are based on muscle growth and IMF deposition. The purpose of this study was to study the expression changes of longissimus dorsi (LD) at different growth stages of WH pigs at the molecular level, to screen the candidate genes and signaling pathways related to IMF during development by transcriptome sequencing technology, and to explore the transcriptional regulation mechanism of IMF deposition-related genes at different development stages. In total, 616, 485, and 1487 genes were differentially expressed between LD60 and LD120, LD120 and LD240, and LD60 and LD240, respectively. Numerous differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with lipid metabolism and muscle development were identified, and most of them were involved in IMF deposition and were significantly up-regulated in LD120 and LD240 compared to LD60. STEM (Short Time-series Expression Miner) analysis indicated significant variations in the mRNA expression across distinct muscle development stages. The differential expression of 12 selected DEGs was confirmed by RT-qPCR. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the molecular mechanism of IMF deposition and provide a new way to accelerate the genetic improvement of pork quality.

What are the effects of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) monitoring activities? We argue that IMF surveillance exercises – known as Article IV consultations – move financial markets. Our argument is based on the design of the IMF’s surveillance function, which is a relatively strong form of monitoring by the standards of most international organizations (IOs). We test this argument using an event study analysis of 428 IMF Article IV consultations. We find that the average surveillance mission has a substantial impact on sovereign debt with much greater impacts in emerging than high income economies. Interviews with market participants support and help to contextualize these findings. By illustrating the effects of surveillance, this article contributes to our understanding of whether, and to what extent international institutions are a source of vital public information.

Background Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is a determining factor for meat taste. The Luchuan pig is a fat-type local breed in southern China that is famous for its desirable meat quality due to high IMF, however, the crossbred offspring of Luchuan sows and Duroc boars displayed within-population variation on meat quality, and the reason remains unknown. Results In the present study, we identified 212 IMF-correlated genes (FDR ≤ 0.01) using correlation analysis between gene expression level and the value of IMF content. The IMF-correlated genes were significantly enriched in the processes of lipid metabolism and mitochondrial energy metabolism, as well as the AMPK/PPAR signaling pathway. From the IMF-correlated genes, we identified 99 genes associated with expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) or allele-specific expression (ASE) signals, including 21 genes identified by both cis-eQTL and ASE analyses and 12 genes identified by trans-eQTL analysis. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) of IMF identified a significant QTL on SSC14 (p-value = 2.51E−7), and the nearest IMF-correlated gene SFXN4 (r = 0.28, FDR = 4.00E−4) was proposed as the candidate gene. Furthermore, we highlighted another three novel IMF candidate genes, namely AGT, EMG1, and PCTP, by integrated analysis of GWAS, eQTL, and IMF-gene correlation analysis. Conclusions The AMPK/PPAR signaling pathway together with the processes of lipid and mitochondrial energy metabolism plays a vital role in regulating porcine IMF content. Trait correlated expression combined with eQTL and ASE analysis highlighted a priority list of genes, which compensated for the shortcoming of GWAS, thereby accelerating the mining of causal genes of IMF.

В статье рассматривается ретроспектива роли СДР в мировой экономике, а также их роль на современном этапе. Осложнения мирохозяйственных связей в условиях пандемии потребовали принятия на международном уровне срочных и эффективных мер по предоставлению ликвидности участникам рынков. В этой ситуации оказалось, что в современной мировой валютной системе такую роль может выполнить только СДР., The article discusses a retrospective of the role of SDRs in the global economy, as well as their role at the present stage. Complications of world economic relations in the context of the pandemic required urgent and effective measures to be taken at the international level to provide liquidity to market participants. In this situation, it turned out that in the modern world monetary system, only the SDR can fulfill such a role., Экономика и предпринимательство, Выпуск 3 (152) 2023, Pages 155-159

Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs) and Structural Adjustment Loans (SALs) are commonly employed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in countries of the Global South experiencing balance of payment issues. Extensive research has shown that these programs have a detrimental impact on the health outcomes of local populations, including children’s health outcomes. This thesis examines the connection between SAPs & SALs and the concepts of necropolitics and slow violence, specifically focusing on how these programs contribute to the impoverishment of local populations. To explore this relationship, the history of the IMF and SAPs is discussed, followed by an analysis of the relevant theories: necropolitics, slow violence, and poverty. The investigation further delves into two pivotal case studies, Argentina and Ghana, bridging the historical context with theoretical perspectives. The findings indicate a correlation between the recurring implementation of SAPs and SALs and the emergence of necropolitical and slow-violence-like circumstances for the affected populations. This conclusion is supported by examining poverty rates and how they relate to the absolute poverty line over time in specified periods of interest.

International audience; The fatty acids profile has been playing a decisive role in recent years, thanks to technological, sensory and health demands from producers and consumers. The application of NIRS technique on fat tissues, could lead to more efficient, practical, and economical in the quality control. The study aim was to assess the accuracy of Fourier Transformed Near Infrared Spectroscopy technique to determine fatty acids composition in fat of 12 European local pig breeds. A total of 439 spectra of backfat were collected both in intact and minced tissue and then were analyzed using gas chromatographic analysis. Predictive equations were developed using the 80% of samples for the calibration, followed by full cross validation, and the remaining 20% for the external validation test. NIRS analysis of minced samples allowed a better response for fatty acid families, n6 PUFA, it is promising both for n3 PUFA quantification and for the screening (high, low value) of the major fatty acids. Intact fat prediction, although with a lower predictive ability, seems suitable for PUFA and n6 PUFA while for other families allows only a discrimination between high and low values. The proportions of fatty acids in pork fat took on a decisive role over the years, both due to the degree of fat unsaturation representing a key factor in the technological quality of processed meat and to the significant influence on qualitative parameters linked to sensory and nutritional profile 1. High quality meat demand of consumers and processing industry is increasing, in particular meat and meat-products derived from local breeds has been growing interest due to the positive perception of their quality products in terms of health and animal welfare 2 .

We study the effect of geopolitics on short-term financial market reactions to IMF program approvals. If IMF programs are influenced by geopolitics, they may be less successful in stabilizing the economy. This could lead financial market participants to sell the country's assets and thus reduce the catalytic effect of IMF programs. Using a monthly panel data set for about 100 IMF members covering 1993-2019, we find that if geopolitics are involved, the approval of a new IMF program increases risk aversion of financial market participants. To measure geopolitical interest, we focus on program approvals for temporary members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). We find that temporary UNSC members receiving an IMF program face higher bond and bill yields, depreciating exchange rates, and weaker stock market developments. This is consistent with investors reducing exposure to the country's financial assets. Such a negative investor reaction is not observed for IMF program approvals for non-UNSC temporary members., Review of International Political Economy, ISSN:0969-2290, ISSN:1466-4526

The Global Financial Safety Net (GFSN) – the institutions and arrangements that provide short-term crisis finance – has turned into a highly complex, uncoordinated system of global, multilateral, and bilateral instruments. The present paper elaborates on a composite index of the GFSN to analyse its preparedness for shielding countries from financial crises. This first-of-its-kind index comprises six components that measure the vulnerability and resilience of individual countries to financial crises derived from economic and political economy financial crisis literature. We apply this index to data from 192 UN member countries we collected in the GFSN tracker for the period of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of their asses to and use of the GFSN. This index, and the use of novel forms of graphical displaying, allow us to identify a hierarchy in the access to short-term liquidity by the GFSN. At the bottom, we find low-income countries with sole access to IMF standard conditional crisis finance, while we find at the top countries with access to bilateral currency swaps, especially those provided by the US Federal Reserve. Our analysis also reveals that first, the temporary reformed unconditional access of IMF crisis finance during the pandemic has temporarily improved those countries’ position in the GFSN hierarchy; second, bilateral swaps as crisis finance instruments reinforce the GFSN hierarchy. Since access to adequate emergency liquidity is decisive for a country’s financial crisis prevention capacity and the ability to engage in social cohesion and climate policy, we suggest to flatten the hierarchy by keeping access to IMF unconditional finance open beyond the COVID-19 crisis, expanding regional financial arrangements, and by coordinating GFSN elements, including currency swap providing central banks.

In 2016, Angola was one of the biggest oil exporters in Africa, with the implication being that the country became dependent on oil revenues to fund its budget. The significant drop and fluctuations in the oil prices resulted in tough economic times, forcing Angola to seek help from the IMF. However, the IMF program in 2018 also came after a long period of poor fiscal policies and general mismanagement in the government. The presented descriptive research paper looks into the economic situation in Angola during the period of the past 6 years in order to determine whether the IMF program has had a positive impact on it or not. The results show that the IMF’s intervention has had a strong positive impact on the Angolan economy in certain areas such as: the achievement of a macroeconomic stability through more coordinated economic policies and the improvement of the country’s external credibility. Nevertheless, the Angolan economy still faces a number of problems and risks, especially due to the possibility of oil prices fluctuations and persistent debt. The conclusion of the dissertation provides recommendations on how to improve the economy and move forward. Em 2016, Angola era um dos maiores exportadores de petróleo em África, tornando-se assim dependente das receitas petrolíferas para financiar e sustentar o seu orçamento. A queda significativa e as diversas flutuações do preço do petróleo, resultaram em tempos económicos difíceis, obrigando Angola a procurar ajuda do Fundo Monetário Internacional. No entanto, o programa do FMI em 2016, também veio após um longo período de más políticas fiscais e má gestão geral do governo. Esta pesquisa, analisa a situação económica em Angola durante os últimos 6 anos, com a finalidade de determinar se o programa do FMI teve um impacto positivo ou não. Os resultados mostram que a intervenção do FMI teve um impacto positivo na economia angolana em certas áreas como: a consecução de uma estabilidade macroeconómica através de políticas económicas mais coordenadas e a melhoria da credibilidade externa do país. No entanto, a economia angolana continua a atravessar diversos problemas e riscos, especialmente devido a possibilidade das flutuações e dívida persistente. A conclusão da dissertação fornece recomendações em como se pode melhorar a economia angolana.

The global financial crisis means the emergence of financial problems in the economy, eroding the economic and financial potential of various countries. Our generation is witnessing one of the biggest economic crises in history, where we have seen how one big financial institution goes bankrupt one after another or how the “Domino Effect” operates, about which until now we had heard and had read only in texts. Kosovo has gone through various difficulties, both financial and numerous economic constraints, which have brought for many years its unresolved status for many years. Hence the emergence of the financial crisis found the country's economy unstable and powerless on the verge of Independence. The main channels through which the crisis affected the economy of Kosovo are: revenues from abroad, mainly remittances and foreign direct investment which decreased during this period. The global financial crisis and family reunification are the main factors reducing the amount of remittances in the country. Other factors such as low wages, job insecurity, socio-economic situation and consumption, have an impact but are mainly related to the crisis and are its derivatives. The analysis that compares how remittances are positioned against other factors of the FDI crisis, savings, wages, unemployment, etc., highlights the role of each indicator and all together in the domestic economy. However, this will not apply to foreign investment because in the last six years, the biggest concern is the very sharp decline in the amount of FDI in Kosovo, which has been reduced by up to 29%. This shows a not very interesting option of attracting foreign investment in the country and shows signs of an economy where living standards and consumption are closely related to the contribution of the diaspora, as an important category in the economic life of the country. The decline in exports, which were already low, and the low rate of production, negatively affected the economic activity in the country and made Kosovo having a high trade deficit.

Intramuscular fat (IMF) content is vital for pork quality, serving an important role in economic performance in pig industry. Non-coding RNAs, with mRNAs, are involved in IMF deposition; however, their functions and regulatory mechanisms in porcine IMF remain elusive. This study assessed the whole transcriptome expression profiles of the Longissimus dorsi muscle of pigs with high (H) and low (L) IMF content to identify genes implicated in porcine IMF adipogenesis and their regulatory functions. Hundreds of differentially expressed RNAs were found to be involved in fatty acid metabolic processes, lipid metabolism, and fat cell differentiation. Furthermore, combing co-differential expression analyses, we constructed competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNA) regulatory networks, showing crosstalk among 30 lncRNAs and 61 mRNAs through 20 miRNAs, five circRNAs and 11 mRNAs through four miRNAs, and potential IMF deposition-related ceRNA subnetworks. Functional lncRNAs and circRNAs (such as MSTRG.12440.1, ENSSSCT00000066779, novel_circ_011355, novel_circ_011355) were found to act as ceRNAs of important lipid metabolism-related mRNAs (LEP, IP6K1, FFAR4, CEBPA, etc.) by sponging functional miRNAs (such as ssc-miR-196a, ssc-miR-200b, ssc-miR10391, miR486-y). These findings provide potential regulators and molecular regulatory networks that can be utilized for research on IMF traits in pigs, which would aid in marker-assisted selection to improve pork quality.

This paper assesses the evolution of thinking, analysis, and discourse about inequality in the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund since their inception in 1944, on the basis of bibliometric analysis, a reading of the literature, and personal experience. Whereas the Fund was largely unconcerned with economic inequality until the 2000s but has shown a rapidly growing interest since then, the Bank’s approach has been characterized by ebbs and flows, with five phases being apparent. The degree of interest in inequality in the two institutions appears to be largely determined by the prevailing intellectual profile of the topic in academic research, particularly in economics, and by ideological shifts in major shareholder countries, propagated downward internally by senior management. Data availability, albeit partly endogenous, also plays a role. Looking ahead, World Bank and International Monetary Fund researchers continue to have an important role to play, despite a much more crowded field in inequality research. The paper suggests that this role involves holding firm to an emphasis on inequality “at the bottom” and highlighting four themes that may deserve special attention.

Subject of research. The purpose of the study is the investment attractiveness of Ukraine and ways to improve using the Index of Investment Attractiveness of Ukraine. The purpose of writing this article is to identify ways to improve the investment climate in Ukraine. Methodology of work - methods of statistical analysis and synthesis, method of graphic modeling of investment attractiveness of economic climate in Ukraine. Results - As a result of the study, the following priorities were identified for 2021 to improve the investment climate in Ukraine: reboot of the judicial system; de-oligarchization of power; development of an effective and independent anti-corruption infrastructure; getting rid of bureaucracy; reduction of administrative and tax pressure on business; appointment of pro-European reformers to public office; restoration and support of cooperation with international financial institutions; law enforcement reform and effective fight against smuggling, including through increased fiscalization; establishing equal rules of the game for business. Scope of results. Economic branch: management of national economy, macroeconomics, economic theory. Conclusions. The biggest obstacles to the Ukrainian market as a result of the survey identified - exchange rate fluctuations, close ties between the economy and politics, insufficient legal order, corruption of public authorities, labor shortages and access to finance.

Resumen Entre 2015 y 2019, la economia argentina experimento grandes transformaciones en su forma de inserción financiera, lo cual desencadenó una de las crisis externas más importantes de la región en los últimos 20 años. A pesar de que existian signos de estar frente a los clásicos problemas estructurales de balance de pagos, la liberalización cambiaria y financiera incrementó la fragilidad financiera externa. Desde una perspectiva minskiana para economias abiertas, el objetivo de este articulo es analizar la gestación y secuencia de la crisis argentina de 2018, enfatizando la dimensión desregulatoria y de inestabilidad financiera creada por la inversión LEBACs (Letras del Banco Central), la persistencia de la salida de dólares y la inefectividad del acuerdo con el FMI para estabilizar la situación. JEL: G01; F32; F34. Abstract In the period from 2015 to 2019, Argentina's economy underwent major transformations in the regulations of its financial market that ended up in generating one of the largest external crises in the region in the last 20 years. Despite the fact that the economy faced problems related to the historical balance-of-payment constraints, both exchange rate and financial liberalization increased external financial fragility. From a Minskian framework for open economies, the aim of this paper is to analyze the gestation of the last Argentinian financial crisis, the sequence of the crisis and, finally, the outflow of capital. We focus on the deregulatory dimension and the dynamics of financial instability produced by LEBACs investment, persistence of dollar outflows and the failure of the IMF agreement to stabilize the economy.

The collapse of the USSR pushed Ukraine for pursuing a policy aimed at expanding cooperation with Western countries. Ukraine placed great emphasis on economic cooperation with the EU and United States, as well as financial assistance from Western countries and international financial organizations, primarily the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Such interest in collaborating with the IMF was driven by the needs of the Ukrainian economy to solve current social and economic problems, maintain the political stability for the elites in power. The increased focus of the Ukrainian side on external financial assistance related to the Ukraine failure to address economic challenges, appeared after the collapse of the USSR, and initiate a new foreign economic policy. The inefficiency of the economy was aggravated by clear-cut governmental policy deficiency. At the same time, Ukraine continued to open up the country to Western capital. This weakened Ukraine’s position on world markets, negatively affected its economic potential. Hence, Ukraine went in for cooperation with the IMF to gain financial assistance and tackle its economic problems. On the other hand, the IMF showed great attention to Ukraine, granting funds to Ukraine as a part of cooperation programs but setting economic conditions and political demands. The ongoing borrowing policy has led to Ukraine foreign debt increase, triggering the dependence of the Ukrainian authorities on the IMF. In recent years, under the new President of Ukraine V. Zelensky, Ukraine has proceeded with the policy of cooperation with the IMF.

Funder: University of Cambridge, The liberal international economic order has been facing high-profile legitimacy challenges in recent years. This article puts these challenges in historical context through a systematic analysis of rhetorical challenges towards both the order per se and specific global economic institutions. Drawing on Albert Hirschman’s classic typology of exit, voice and loyalty, we coded leaders’ speeches in the General Debate at the UN General Assembly between 1970 and 2018 as articulating intentions to abandon elements of the order, challenges or calls for reform, unequivocal support, or factual mentions of cooperation. Surprisingly, we find that explicit criticisms towards the liberal order are at an all-time low and that exit threats remain rare. An analysis of the historical evolution of criticisms to global economic institutions reveals a move away from the Cold War insider-outsider conflict towards insider contestation. For example, we find that as countries’ economies become more open, their leaders expressed more support for global economic institutions during the Cold War but less support since. Finally, we demonstrate consistency between the public policy positions leaders announce in UNGA General Debate speeches and their government positions on consequential reform debates on debt relief.

This paper presents a novel method combining extreme learning machine (ELM) and multiple empirical mode decomposition (MEMD) to identify flow patterns of oil–water two-phase flow. The proposed method can recognize accurately five typical flow patterns of horizontal oil–water two-phase flow. Taking the Lorenz system as an example, we verify the MEMD is more suitable for simultaneous decomposition of multi-channel signals than empirical mode decomposition and ensemble empirical mode decomposition. In the proposed method, we employ the MEMD to decompose the multivariate conductance signal of oil–water two-phase flow to obtain the same intrinsic mode function modes, select the normalized energy of the high-frequency components as the eigenvalue, and utilize the trained ELM to achieve a good recognition result. The experimental results show that the proposed method is not only fast and generalized, but also has high accuracy in identifying flow patterns of oil–water two-phase flow.

The IMF’s recent loan to Brazil is the best seen as a mechanism of political control rather than economic assistance, except in a very unsustainable short run. Thus hard choices between the priorities of Brazil’s working population and those of international creditors cannot be avoided. This essay explores policy options, and goes on to suggest that while the financial sector is certain to dominate American policy discussion in these matters, it would be wiser to view the larger national economic interest of the United States as aligned with those who advocate stable and sustainable national development in Brazil. RESUMO O recente empréstimo do FMI para o Brasil é o mais bem visto como um mecanismo de controle político e não de assistência econômica, exceto em um curto prazo muito insustentável. Assim, escolhas difíceis entre as prioridades da população trabalhadora brasileira e as dos credores internacionais não podem ser evitadas. Este ensaio explora as opções políticas, e continua sugerindo que, embora o setor financeiro esteja certo de dominar a discussão política americana nesses assuntos, seria mais sensato ver o interesse econômico nacional mais amplo dos Estados Unidos alinhado com aqueles que defendem o desenvolvimento nacional sustentável no Brasil.

This article aims to discuss the overall picture of education as the prism of the multilateral organizations of direct influence on regional policies, especially in developing countries. The concept of education as a business sector and opening up foreign investment in education by the WTO, World Bank and IMF, is an abrupt change in educational relations and set the foundations for an educational exclusion increasingly in developing countries. The role of UNESCO and its representation as a legitimate international authority in partnership with the World Bank put in doubt the real interests of the goals of both institutions in the world and the direct consequences of this relationship in the education field. And what can we expect of education policies based on international agreements with funding agencies? Education as commodity will be the future?

In this article we argue that a feminist political economy (FPE) approach is critical in understanding why standard policy prescriptions for postwar economic recovery fail to support the building of sustainably peaceful countries and secure lives for their citizens. Whilst many scholars criticize the IFIs’ policies in war-affected countries, our FPE approach provides two overlooked but crucial insights. First, it reveals the disjunction (indeed, chasm) between a country’s economic recovery from war and the IFIs’ focus on the recovery of the economic system. Second, it locates the conceptual underpinnings of this chasm in the profoundly gendered assumptions of neoclassical economics. That is, we find the IFIs’ failure to prioritize financing the social infrastructure that could repair war’s damages, enhance human security, and support the ecosystems on which human security depends has its roots in the fundamental misconception of human reproductive, caring and subsistence labor, and of nature, as external to the economy rather than as central to the ability of the formal economy to function. We illustrate these points with a focus on one pervasive example of the IFIs’ approach to postwar recovery, their encouragement of the large-scale extraction and export of natural resources. Finally, we show how adopting the work of feminist economists who emphasize care, social reproduction and the value of nature, though not without its challenges, can offer radically new visions for postwar economies.

BackgroundIntramuscular fat (IMF) content is an important factor in porcine meat quality. Previously, we showed that miR-34a was less abundant in liver tissue from pigs with higher backfat thickness, compared to pigs with lower backfat thickness. The purpose of this present study was to explore the role of miR-34a in adipogenesis.ResultBioinformatics analysis identified Acyl-CoA synthetase long chain family member 4 (ACSL4) as a putative target of miR-34a. Using a luciferase reporter assay, we verified that miR-34a binds theACSL4mRNA at the 3’UTR. To examine the role of the miR-34a-ACSL4interaction in IMF deposition in the pig, mRNA and protein expression of theACSL4gene was measured in primary intramuscular preadipocytes transfected with miR-34a mimic and inhibitor. Our results showed thatACSL4is expressed throughout the entire differentiation process in pig preadipocytes, similar to the lipogenesis-associated genesPPARγandaP2.Transfection with miR-34a mimic reduced lipid droplet formation during adipogenesis, while miR-34a inhibitor increased lipid droplet accumulation. Transfection with miR-34a mimic also reduced the mRNA and protein expression ofACSL4and lipogenesis genes, includingPPARγ, aP2,andSREBP-1C, but increased the expression of steatolysis genes such asATGLandSirt1. In contrast, the miR-34a inhibitor had the opposite effect on gene expression. Further, knockdown ofACSL4decreased lipid droplet accumulation.ConclusionsOur results support the hypothesis that miR-34a regulates intramuscular fat deposition in porcine adipocytes by targetingACSL4.

This paper aims to analyze the innovations introduced in the functions of the International Monetary Fund in the context of the 2008 economic and financial crisis. This promoted an action that aimed to strengthen the surveillance function through the adoption of the Integrated Surveillance. Thus, alongside the traditional conditionality based on an a posteriori implementation of adequate economic policies, a criterion of ex ante conditionality in the precautionary branches was also introduced or based on the economic characteristics of the country to be financed. Concerning traditional conditionality, it will be asked whether the IMF has adopted a less extensive approach than its role.

The aim of this contribution is to propose a numerical scheme for solving linear and nonlinear boundary value problems. The scheme is implicit and it is constructed on three grid points. The stability of the proposed implicit scheme is provided. In addition to this, a mathematical model for heat and mass transfer using induced magnetic field (IMF) is modified. Furthermore, this model is transformed into boundary value problems by employing similarity transformations. The dimensionless model of boundary value problems is solved using the proposed numerical scheme. The scheme is applied with a combination of a shooting approach and an iterative method. From the obtained results, it can be seen that velocity profile declines with enhancing Weissenberg number. The results are also compared with those given in past research. In addition to this, a neural network approach is applied that is based on the input and outputs of the considered model with specified values of parameters.

The U.S. Dollar emerged as the dominant world currency after the end of World War II. Though the global economy has changed drastically since then, the U.S. Dollar is still the leading currency. This thesis provides strategies if China wishes to challenge U.S. Dollar dominance as the internationalization of the Chinese Renminbi continues to expand. First, I will evaluate the history of the U.S. Dollar���s replacement of the British Pound Sterling as the dominant world currency. Second, I will present the benefits and disadvantages of China���s currency becoming a leading international currency. Third, I will discuss the potential strategies China could take to undo U.S. Dollar dominance.

This thesis investigates the relationship between World Bank reactions to Chinese aid through a Great Power Competition lens, while also considering the literature on the rise of China. This paper centers on the question: Does the treatment a given African country receives from the World Bank change if it has been a recipient of Chinese aid? The existing literature suggests that financial institutions like the IMF in many instances act as proxies the hegemon, thus in the current global governance order following U.S. foreign policy objectives. Development aid in Africa provides an avenue for power competition between the U.S. hegemon and rising power China; Consequently, the World Bank may, similarly to the IMF follow U.S. foreign policy objectives and act as a proxy for hegemonic power, responding to Chinese investment in Africa in some way. The research question is investigated through two primary analyses using OLS regressions: The relationship between Chinese aid and aid amounts and World Bank classification (determining the conditions of loans), and the relationship between Chinese aid amounts and debt cancellation under the HIPC Initiative. The findings show a weak positive relationship between Chinese aid and World Bank classifications, and a stronger negative relationship between Chinese aid amounts and debt cancellations under the HIPC Initiative. Specifically, the more aid a given African country receives in the previous year, the more likely they are to have a higher World Bank classification, which indicates worse loan conditions. Simultaneously, under the HIPC Initiative, the amount of aid received does not seem to have a relationship with the approval for partial debt cancellation, but it does have a stronger negative relationship with the approval for full debt cancellation. Thus, receiving more Chinese aid the previous year makes a given African country less likely to be approved for full debt cancellation the following year. This suggests that the World Bank does employ limited sanctions and at times, aims to positively entice lending countries back into its sphere of influence, and thus American influence. This study serves as a first cut, and indicates that further research is needed, however, the results suggest that the World Bank to some extent does follow American policy objectives and serve as a power proxy for the U.S., although perhaps less than the IMF (as per Thacker, 1999).

In this work, we investigate the interhemispheric transpolar arc (TPA) conjugacy using four previously published datasets based on Polar UV images, DMSP particle data, and IMAGE images, and a new TPA list based on DMSP SSUSI images during 1 Sep to 15 Oct 2015. IMF Bₓ and the Earth’s dipole tilt have often been suggested to influence the TPA conjugacy, as both induce a north-south asymmetry on the magnetosphere. However, by comparing these parameters at TPA formation with the background distribution for each dataset, we find that neither the dipole tilt nor Bₓ plays a major role for the TPA conjugacy in four of the five datasets. The well-known correlation between initial TPA location and IMF By appears in all datasets with information about the TPA formation. In addition, we find that a minority of dawnside TPAs form during the “wrong” By sign. In the northern (southern) hemisphere, dawn TPAs appear also during weakly duskward (dawnward) IMF. Due to the polar orbit of DMSP satellites, TPA conjugacy and location can be examined on a case-by-case basis with the new dataset. The results show that at least 73% of TPAs appear in both hemispheres simultaneously. IMF Bₓ and dipole tilt values for conjugate TPAs do not differ from those for non-conjugate TPAs. Most conjugate (isolated) TPAs appear on opposite oval sides in each hemisphere (57%). Interestingly, in case northern and southern hemisphere TPAs form on the same oval side, they appear typically at dawn during weak IMF By.

The story of Iceland’s successful economic recovery from financial meltdown in 2008 is different from the rest of this book. Temporally, it deals with a dramatic episode of crisis management, not ongoing public policy. Furthermore, while the typical policy success refers to a circumscribed programme, a full-scale economic crisis demands that fires are put out all over the place. Iceland had to deal with foreign policy, the IMF, financial, economic and social issues, simultaneously. To do so it combined Keynesian crisis fighting means such as propping up demand and capital controls We deem Iceland’s ability to stop the largest financial meltdown in history (relative to GDP) from wreaking lasting real economic damage a policy success along all four dimensions specified by the (PPPE)-framework, although the political success experienced by those who handled most of the clean-up job turned out to be more precarious than what they would have hoped for.

С целью оценки возможности применения математического аппарата для внешнеэкономической деятельности Узбекистан были сопоставлены данные экспортно-импортных товарных потоков, опубликованные на сайте ЮНКТАД и предоставляемые Государственным Таможенным комитетом Республики Узбекистан, и выявлены существенные расхождения, особенно в части вывоза товаров из республики. На основе анализа документов Международного валютного фонда (МВФ) и показателей качества национальной статистики Всемирного банка были описаны основные направления улучшения статистики внешнего сектора Узбекистан, а также рассказано о роли, которую в этом сыграл МВФ., In order to assess the possibility of applying the mathematical apparatus to Uzbekistan’s foreign economic activity, the data on export-import commodity flows released on the UNCTAD website and provided by the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan were compared, and significant discrepancies were identified, especially in terms of exports of goods from the Republic. Based on the analysis of the documents of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the quality indicators of national statistics of the World Bank, the main areas of improvement in Uzbekistan’s external sector statistics, as well as the role played by the IMF, are described.

В статье рассмотрены оценка МВФ по экономики России на 2021 год, оценки независимых рейтинговых агентств S&P и Moody’s и оценки независимых экспертов по рекомендациям от МВФ. The article considers the IMF assessment of the Russian economy for 2021, the assessments of independent rating agencies S&P and Moody's and the assessments of independent experts on recommendations from the IMF.

Grassland degradation is one of the most pressing challenges in natural environment and anthropogenic society. However, there is yet no effective approach for monitoring the spatio-temporal pattern of large-scale grassland degradation. In particular, the research on grassland changes in the harsh natural environment such as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is still in its infancy due to complexity, and it is extremely difficult for humans to reach these remote areas. The annual changes in the grassland biomass might be the results of climate fluctuations or grassland degradation. To test the hypothesis, the impact of inter-annual climate fluctuations needs to be considered when monitoring the grassland degradation based on spatio-temporal change of grassland biomass. In this paper, we propose a Novel Climate Use Efficiency index (NCUE) by considering rainfall, temperature, sunlight time, wind speed, surface temperature, accumulated temperature, time lag effect, light, temperature and water suitability and their coordination climatic factors that mainly affect vegetation growth comprehensively, to monitor grassland change suitable for cold and dry climate characteristics of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, and to reduce the effect of inter-annual variability of grassland productivity caused by climate fluctuation. As a consequence, grassland degradation monitoring could be more accurate and objective than existing ecological indicators. Our experiments show that the slope of NCUE over 31 years from 1982 to 2012 is 0.0028, showing a recovery trend in grassland. Degradation and restoration of grassland exist at the same time, and their proportions are 20.49% and 23.89%, respectively. By comparing with in-situ measurements in 2013 and 2009, 68% consistency was achieved with our prediction, and the 70% consistency is achieved by comparing with the positive and negative change trend of accumulated NDVI during the growing season. Moreover, the comparative analysis of land use/cover changes (LUCC) from 1990 to 2010 shows 69% of consistency. The ratio of the area of grassland significantly degradation and recovered predicted by NCUE change trend is 1.41% and 1.43%, respectively. It occupies a very small area of the study area. Yet, that predicted by NDVI change trend is 42.17% and 31.90%, respectively, and about 70% of the area is detected as drastic changes. It shows that NDVI is sensitive to climate fluctuations, while NCUE reduces the impact of climate fluctuations, reflecting change of grassland being affected by human activities and long-term climate change. The novel NCUE has great potential and utility to minify the impact of climate fluctuation and reflect grassland changes over space and time quantitatively. Such ecological index provides a new understanding of spatial and temporal patterns of grassland degradation in the Three River Headwaters Region (TRHR) at the same time.

This study aims to extract the energy feature distributions in the form of marginal frequency (MF) and Hilbert spectrum (HS) in the intrinsic mode functions (IMF) domain for actual movement (AM)-based and motor imagery (MI)-based electroencephalogram (EEG) signals using the Hilbert–Huang transformation (HHT) time frequency (TF) analysis method. Accordingly, F5 and F6 EEG signal TF energy feature distributions in delta (0.5–4 Hz) rhythm are explored. We propose IMF-based and residue function (RF)-based MF and HS feature information extraction methods with IMFRFERDD (IMFRF energy refereed distribution density), IMFRFMFERDD (IMFRF MF energy refereed distribution density), and IMFRFHSERDD (IMFRF HS energy refereed distribution density) parameters using HHT with application to AM, MI EEG F5, and F6 signals in delta rhythm. The AM and MI tasks involve simultaneously opening fists and feet, as well as simultaneously closing fists and feet. Eight samples (32 in total) with a time duration of 1000 ms are extracted for analyzing F5AM, F5MI, F6AM, and F6MI EEG signals, which are decomposed into five IMFs and one RF. The maximum average IMFRFERDD values of IMF4 are 3.70, 3.43, 3.65, and 3.69 for F5AM, F5MI, F6 AM, and F6MI, respectively. The maximum average IMFRFMFERDD values of IMF4 in the delta rhythm are 21.50, 20.15, 21.02, and 17.30, for F5AM, F5MI, F6AM, and F6MI, respectively. Additionally, the maximum average IMFRFHSERDD values of IMF4 in delta rhythm are 39,21, 39.14, 36.29, and 33.06 with time intervals of 500–600, 800–900, 800–900, and 500–600 ms, for F5AM, F5MI, F6AM, and F6MI, respectively. The results of this study, advance our understanding of meaningful feature information of F5MM, F5MI, F6MM, and F6MI, enabling the design of MI-based brain-computer interface assistive devices for disabled persons.

(1) Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate stability and complications following mandibular setback using intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy (IVRO) and provide an assessment of IMF (Inter-maxillary Fixation) compliance. (2) Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study. It included a total of 39 patients who underwent 78 IVRO for the treatment of mandibular prognathism between 2005 and 2021 at Sheba Medical Center. Radiographic and clinical examinations were performed preoperatively (T0), 3 days post-surgery (T1) and 8 months post-surgery (T2). Measurements of dental and skeletal stability, as well as neurosensory disturbances and TMJ dysfunctions, were statistically analyzed. (3) Results: The mean mandibular setback was 5.6 mm. A relapse of less than 2 mm was observed at T2. A short-term neurological disturbance was reported in 38.46% of the 39 patients, and 17.94% of them showed full recovery by T2. In 21 patients who underwent IVRO without genioplasty, only 14.28% reported long-term sensory disturbance. In addition, when a vertical osteotomy was performed, neurological damage was 174% higher as compared to oblique osteotomy. The IMF compliance rate for the 6 weeks postoperatively was 100%. (4) Conclusions: IVRO is still a relevant and valid technique for the treatment of mandibular prognathism that provides stable results with minimal complications rate.

保加利亚共产党员格奥尔基耶娃在中国共产党领导下如何统治世界的

Intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition is one of the most important factors to affect meat quality in livestock and induce insulin resistance and adverse metabolic phenotypes for humans. However, the key regulators involved in this process remain largely unknown. Although liver kinase B1 (LKB1) was reported to participate in the development of skeletal muscles and classical adipose tissues. Due to the specific autonomic location of intramuscular adipocytes, deposited between or within muscle bundles, the exact roles of LKB1 in IMF deposition need further verified. Here, we cloned the goat LKB1 coding sequence with 1,317 bp, encoding a 438 amino acid peptide. LKB1 was extensively expressed in detected tissues and displayed a trend from decline to rise during intramuscular adipogenesis. Functionally, knockdown of LKB1 by two individual siRNAs enhanced the intramuscular preadipocytes differentiation, accompanied by promoting lipid accumulation and inducing adipogenic transcriptional factors and triglyceride synthesis-related genes expression. Conversely, overexpression of LKB1 restrained these biological signatures. To further explore the mechanisms, the RNA-seq technique was performed to compare the difference between siLKB1 and the control group. There were 1,043 differential expression genes (DEGs) were screened, i.e., 425 upregulated genes and 618 downregulated genes in the siLKB1 group. The Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis predicted that the DEGs were mainly enriched in the focal adhesion pathway and its classical downstream signal, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway. Specifically, knockdown of LKB1 increased the mRNA level of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and vice versa in LKB1-overexpressed cells, a key component of the activated focal adhesion pathway. Convincingly, blocking this pathway by a specific FAK inhibitor (PF573228) rescued the observed phenotypes in LKB1 knockdown adipocytes. In conclusion, LKB1 inhibited goat intramuscular adipogenesis through the focal adhesion pathway. This work expanded the genetic regulator networks of IMF deposition and provided theoretical support for improving human health and meat quality from the aspect of IMF deposition.

For almost two years, Lebanon has been suffering from a severe economic downturn, the worst since the end of the civil war (1975‐90). This has led to a complete financial collapse, with significant material losses incurred by the Lebanese Central Bank (BDL). It has also fuelled protests against the rampant corruption plaguing the country. Since the beginning of the banking crisis in Lebanon characterized by a lack of liquidity and the cessation of banks from dealing in US dollars, the risks surrounding deposits belonging to residents and non-residents, as well to foreigners, have emerged. This exacerbated the absence of procedures to determine the fate of deposits and the applicable legislation that protects these deposits. This article examines the resulting imbalances in the financial paradigm and demonstrates the illegality of actions or restrictions taken by banks. Consequently, this article explores the means to protect depositors’ rights and the legal steps followed by depositors to retrieve their money or at least to save what is left of it.

Meat quality data can only be obtained after slaughter when selection decisions about the live animal are already too late. Carcass estimated breeding values present major precision problems due to low accuracy, and by the time an informed decision on the genetic merit for meat quality is made, the animal is already dead. We report for the first time, a targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of lipid metabolism genes in Tattykeel Australian White (TAW) sheep of the MARGRA lamb brand, utilizing an innovative and minimally invasive muscle biopsy sampling technique for directly quantifying the genetic worth of live lambs for health-beneficial omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA), intramuscular fat (IMF), and fat melting point (FMP). NGS of stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), fatty acid binding protein-4 (FABP4), and fatty acid synthase (FASN) genes identified functional SNP with unique DNA marker signatures for TAW genetics. The SCD g.23881050T&gt, C locus was significantly associated with IMF, C22:6n-3, and C22:5n-3, FASN g.12323864A&gt, G locus with FMP, C18:3n-3, C18:1n-9, C18:0, C16:0, MUFA, and FABP4 g.62829478A&gt, T locus with IMF. These add new knowledge, precision, and reliability in directly making early and informed decisions on live sheep selection and breeding for health-beneficial n-3 LC-PUFA, FMP, IMF and superior meat-eating quality at the farmgate level. The findings provide evidence that significant associations exist between SNP of lipid metabolism genes and n-3 LC-PUFA, IMF, and FMP, thus underpinning potential marker-assisted selection for meat-eating quality traits in TAW lambs.

Bu çalışmanın temel amacı, para politikasına genel bir bakış ve Afganistan’da uygulanan para politikası amacları ve bu amaclar çerçevesinde kullanılan para politikası araçlarının tarihsel gelişimini ve değişimini genel hatlarıyla incelemektedir. Çalışmanın konusu Afganistan’da para politikasının gelişimidir. Ayrıca bu çalışmanın amacı, Afganistan’ın en önemli problemlerinden olan paranın değerin düşmesi ve fiyatların yükselmesi sorununun, temel sebeplerini araştırmak, yapılan uygulamalar ile yapılan para politikalarının ülkeye etkilerini araştırıp, bu politikaların ne kadar başarıya ulaştığını ortaya çıkarmaktır. Afganistan’da para politikası ile ilgili yapılan uygulamaların, Afganistan’a ne kadar yarar sağladığını, paranın değerini ne ölçüde etkilediğini, sürdürülebilir büyümenin sağlanmasına yönelik çözümleri, işsizliğin azalmasına uygun çalışma alanı ve enflasyonun düşmesinin çözümünü araştırmak da çalışmamızın hedeflerindendir. Afganistan’da uygulanan para politikası araçlarını iki kısma ayırarak, birinci kısmını 1980 öncesini kısaca özetleyerek daha sonra 1980 sonrası özellikle 2003 yılından sonra para politikası amacları detaylı bir şekilde incelenerek, Afganistan Merkez bankasının son yıllarda kullandığı para politikası, enflasyon, işsizlik, GSYİH ve döviz kuru üzerine etkisi açıklanmaya çalışılmaktadır. Bu çalışma dört bölümden oluşmaktadır. Birinci, ikinci ve üçüncü bölümler teorik olarak incelenmiştir. Dördüncü bölüm ise Afganistan ekonomisindeki enflasyon, işsizlik, GSYİH oranı ve döviz kuru değişkenleri dikkate alınarak incelenmektedir. Bu çalışmada, değişkenler arasındaki ilişkiyi elde etmek için sıradan en küçük kareler yöntemini kullanmaktadır. Ayrıca araştırmanın regresyon denklemlerini yapmak için OLS yöntemini uygulanmıştır. Ancak ondan önce, verinin durağanlığını bilmek için Birim kök testini gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu çalışmada 2003-2020 arasında 17 yıllık veriler kullanılmıştır. Söz konusu analizler, Eviews 9 kullanılarak gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bu çalışmadan, merkez bankasının 2003-2020 yıllarında izlediği para politikasının etkili olmadığını tespit ettik. Sadece döviz kurunu etkilemektedir, enflasyonu, işsizliği ve ekonomik büyümeyi etkilememektedir. The main purpose of this study is to give an overview of monetary policy and the aims of monetary policy implemented in Afghanistan and to analyze the historical development and change of monetary policy instruments used within the framework of these purposes. The subject of the study is the development of monetary policy in Afghanistan. In addition, the aim of this study is to investigate the main causes of the problem of the decrease in the value of money and the increase in prices, which are among the most important problems of Afghanistan, to investigate the effects of the practices and monetary policies on the country to reveal how successful these policies have been. It is also one of the objectives of our study to investigate how the monetary policy practices in Afghanistan benefit Afghanistan, to what extent they affect the value of money, the solutions to ensure sustainable growth, the appropriate working area to reduce unemployment and the solution to the decrease in inflation. By dividing the monetary policy instruments implemented in Afghanistan into two parts, by briefly summarizing the first part before 1980, then by examining the monetary policy objectives after 1980, especially after 2003, the monetary policy, inflation, unemployment, GDP and exchange rate used by the Afghanistan Central Bank in recent years effects on it are tried to be explained. This study consists of four parts. The first, second and third chapters are examined theoretically. In the fourth part, the variables of inflation, unemployment, GDP and exchange rate in the Afghanistan economy are examined. In this study, the ordinary least squares method is used to obtain the relationship between the variables. In addition, the OLS method was applied to make the regression equations of the research. But before that, Unit root test was performed to know the stationarity of the data. In this study, 17 years of data between 2003 and 2020 were used. These analyzes were performed using Eviews 9. From this study, we determined that the monetary policy followed by the central bank in 2003-2020 was not effective. It only affects the exchange rate, not inflation, unemployment and economic growth.

espanolEste estudio explora la descomposicion empirica de modos (EMD), tecnica local y adaptativa que descompone una serie de tiempo en un conjunto finito de funciones de modo intrinseco (IMF), senales con amplitud y frecuencia variable que permiten representar un modelo no lineal y no estacionario con la ventaja de no perder el significado fisico subyacente. Para el caso se examinan series de tiempo provenientes de mediciones sEMG de un estudio de caso de individuos sanos y con sindrome de tunel del carpo. Debida la cantidad de multiples niveles de detalle, todos alrededor de una frecuencia central y evocados a la cantidad de IMFs obtenidas a traves de la EMD, se estudia el aporte informativo de cada uno a nivel intermodal e interindividual a traves de la entropia de Shannon, de manera que se logre establecer un marco general que propicie un enfoque al estudio espectral dada la transformada de Hilbert Huang (HHT) a grados de informacion destacables. Los resultados permiten evidenciar que sobre las ultimas componentes IMF se logran los estados mas potenciales al desorden, aun cuando comprometen un comportamiento mas regular, aglomeran mas informacion tiempo-frecuencia y del mismo modo, concentran las caracteristicas mas diferenciables para un proceso de individualizacion de patrones. EnglishThe empirical mode decomposition (EMD) decomposes a local and adaptive time series into a finite set of intrinsic mode functions (IMF), AM-FM signals that allow to represent a non-linear and non-stationary model with the advantage of not losing the underlying meaning. This study examines time series of sEMG measurements for a case study of healthy individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome. Due to the amount of multiple levels of detail, all around a central frequency and evoked by the number of IMFs obtained through EMD, the informational contribution of each at the intermodal and interindividual level is studied through Shannon entropy to establish a general framework of spectral study given Hilbert Huang's (HHT) transformation to remarkable degrees of information. The results show that the latest IMFs have more disordered states even when they engage in apparently regular behavior, agglomerate more time-frequency information, and in the same way, concentrate more differentiable characteristics for a process of individualization of patterns.

The mаin mission of the Internаtionаl Monetаry Fund is to ensure the stаbility of the internаtionаl monetаry system, the exchаnge rаte аnd internаtionаl раyments system thаt аllows countries аnd citizens to trаde with eаch other. The IMF рerforms 3 mаin functions: suрervision, technicаl аssistаnce аnd lending. We chose this toрic becаuse we believe thаt Romаniа hаs а lot to gаin from this collаborаtion with the IMF аnd the World Bаnk. For а more innovаtive аnd рrosрerous stаndаrd of living, we аррreciаte thаt Romаniа must strengthen comрliаnce with Euroрeаn norms, be more imрosing in аchieving the objectives thаt Euroрeаn раrtners рroрose for sustаinаble develoрment.