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Background: The Covid pandemic and its aftermath have triggered new alarm and social unrest across the Global South over the deepening international debt crisis that now threatens to derail Universal Health Coverage (UHC), other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), future pandemic preparedness, and global warming mitigation. The recent Globalization and Health article by Alex Kentikelenis and Thomas Stubbs (May 2024), "Social protection and the International Monetary Fund: promise versus performance", offers a meticulously quantified rendering of the social costs imposed by the crisis and takes aim at IMF solutions. They advocate for a rejection of IMF austerity programs and offer a valuable prescription for change through the International Labor Organization's "Universal Social Protection" concept. Main body: Similar to the Jubilee movement at the turn of the century, global civil society, humanitarian aid, and health organizations are mobilizing in a variety of global networks to call for debt cancellation and restructuring as well as an end to austerity. These include new debt law campaigns in London and New York to rein in private creditors, calls for new IMF issuance of "Special Drawing Rights", demands for "Global Public Investment", and promotion of Universal Social Protection. Conclusion: The Universal Social Protection approach described by Kentikelenis and Stubbs provides a focal point for these demands to confront this latest and worst episode of sovereign debt crisis already undermining global health progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To what extent is neoliberal global economic governance transforming in a world where states play greater roles as promoters, supervisors and owners of capital? Do these transformations signal a potential paradigm shift? To answer these questions, we focus on global financial governance and the trade and investment regime. We analyse recent policy documents from the IMF, World Bank and WTO – the 'Unholy Trinity' of neoliberal global governance. Our analysis reveals a growing acceptance of state interventionism within and across these organizations. Although this accommodation is significant, we argue that it constitutes a limited transformation. We observe attempts to incorporate emerging state interventionist practices and state-owned entities into established governance arrangements in order to discipline, curtail and control them. We argue that this does not signify a shift towards post-neoliberal plurality within Western-dominated global economic governance, but rather a defensive, 'mutating neoliberalism' which seeks to incorporate depoliticized and commercially oriented state ownership into its mainframe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies the interdependence between Argentina's public over-indebtedness and climate change. It addresses the following questions: What type of productive model does the Argentine public debt profile promote, and what is its impact on climate change? In a debt-servicing scheme marked by fiscal consolidation, which strongly conditions the state budget, what public funds are available to invest in adaptation and mitigation? Finally, what is the role of the IMF in this fiscal-environmental scheme? The article first presents the international commitments of the Argentine State in the face of climate change and the estimated fiscal cost of implementing the necessary adaptation and mitigation measures. It then describes the situation of Argentina's debt in historical perspective up to the present and explains how the external debt has been determining the productive specialization of the national economy, which seeks to boost the country's primary export capacity, particularly agribusiness, the fossil fuel sector, and open-pit metalliferous mining. It also analyzes the role of the IMF in Argentina as a catalytic actor in the climate crisis, describing the IMF's centrality in the national economy, its economic-environmental policy on the production pattern that accelerates climate change, and the incidence of this phenomenon in Argentina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiscal rules are spreading fast among countries. However, why and when governments enact fiscal rules and strengthen their national fiscal legal frameworks are less well understood. This article argues that governments use fiscal rules to signal commitment to fiscal prudence to both creditors and national voters. It investigates this theoretical argument empirically by using a worldwide panel of countries from 1985 to 2015. The empirical analyses find robust evidence that fiscal rules enactment becomes more likely, and that fiscal rules stringency increases when government debt is high and in election years but less evidence that being under an IMF program increases the strength of fiscal rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractWhile several studies examine the effects of IMF conditionalities and IMF programs in relation to climate change, to our knowledge, there are no studies that empirically examine the effect of IMF conditionalities on recipient states’ readiness to address climate change. Using a two-stage least square instrumental variable approach, we found that IMF conditionalities related to the fiscal balance policy area and, to a lesser extent, the external debt policy area weaken the recipient states’ climate change readiness. These findings are supported by a series of robustness checks. Nonetheless, this reflects that IMF conditionalities that fiscally restrain states can weaken their fiscal capacity to invest in climate change adaptation. Therefore, our research findings carry policy implications for the IMF, and future research is needed to examine the IMF in relation to its climate change initiatives. The limitations of this study are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article will explain how a series of educator strikes in 2022 in Ghana led to increased awareness of and calls for tax justice and debt relief from a growing movement of public sector workers and civil society organisations. We chart how the issues and demands of teacher organisations and other public sector workers shifted and increased over time, bringing in a new public imaginary to critique IMF driven austerity policies, build and link to global campaigns around debt relief, and signal new possibilities for generating more stable domestic public sector tax revenues. We examine the evolving strategies of growing educator strikes and show how unions are joining together with other civil society and advocacy groups to challenge fiscal austerity and government policies that affect not only their schools and classrooms but their lives and livelihoods. This case describing what Ghanaian teacher unions are doing to organise members to learn about and challenge austerity policies highlights the importance of public sector workers' knowledge, understanding and engaging governmental macro-economic policies and offering alternative solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meat quality in goats is partly determined by the intramuscular fat (IMF) content, which is associated with the proliferation and differentiation of intramuscular preadipocytes. Emerging studies have suggested that miRNA plays a crucial role in adipocyte proliferation and differentiation. In our recent study, we observed the expression variations in miR-196a in the longissimus dorsi muscle of Jianzhou goats at different ages. However, the specific function and underlying mechanism of miR-196a in IMF deposition are still unclear. This study demonstrated that miR-196a significantly enhanced adipogenesis and apoptosis and reduced the proliferation of preadipocytes. Subsequently, RNA-seq was employed to determine genes regulated by miR-196a, and 677 differentially expressed genes were detected after miR-196a overexpression. The PI3K-Akt pathway was identified as activated in miR-196a regulating intramuscular adipogenesis via Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis and further verified via Western blot and rescue assays. Lastly, using RT-qPCR, Western blot, dual-luciferase, and rescue assays, we found that miR-196a promoted adipogenesis and suppressed the proliferation of intramuscular preadipocytes by the downregulation of MAP3K1. In summary, these results suggest that miR-196a regulates IMF deposition by targeting MAP3K1 and activating the PI3K-Akt pathway and provide a theoretical foundation for improving goat meat quality through molecular breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the impact of International Monetary Fund (IMF)-linked conditionality on government education expenditures in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Understanding the impact of conditional lending by international financial institutions on education spending is important due to the pivotal role education plays in fostering social and economic development. We use country-level panel data encompassing a representative set of 10 MENA countries from 1990 to 2020 and employ a cross-national fixed effects regression model. Our findings suggest that IMF conditionality demonstrates a positive relationship with government education expenditures in the MENA region. The proposed explanation is that the application of IMF policy advice can have a catalytic effect on donor financing, including for education. This indicates that the Fund's financing arrangements in the region can free up fiscal space for social spending, which, in turn, signals a sort of departure of the IMF from the reputation that typically precedes it—its traditional bias for macroeconomic stability irrespective of social costs. We argue that our findings are instructive for policy, especially if one shares the idea that education is a necessary prerequisite for achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: guaranteeing inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting enduring learning opportunities for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yak (Bos grunniens) is a special breed of livestock predominantly distributed in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau of China. Intramuscular fat (IMF) content in beef cattle is a vital indicator of meat quality. In this study, RNA-Seq and Protein-Seq were respectively employed to sequence the transcriptome and proteome of the longissimus dorsi (LD) tissue from 4-year-old yaks with significant differences in IMF content under the same fattening conditions. Five overlapping genes (MYL3, ACADS, L2HGDH, IGFN1, and ENSBGRG00000000-926) were screened using combined analysis. Functional verification tests demonstrated that the key gene ACADS inhibited yak intramuscular preadipocyte (YIMA) differentiation and proliferation, promoted mitochondrial biogenesis gene expression, and increased the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP). Furthermore, co-transfection experiments further demonstrated that interfering with ACADS reversed the effect of PPARα agonists in promoting lipid differentiation. In conclusion, ACADS potentially inhibits lipid deposition in YIAMs by regulating the PPARα signalling pathway. These findings offer insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying yak meat quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a new mathematical framework and large multi-year multi-mission data sets, we reconstruct electric currents and magnetic fields around the dayside magnetopause and their dependence on the incoming solar wind, IMF, and geodipole tilt. The model architecture builds on previously developed mathematical frameworks and includes two separate blocks: for the magnetosheath and for the adjacent outer magnetosphere. Accordingly, the model is developed in two stages: 1) reconstruction of a best-fit magnetopause and underlying dayside magnetosphere, based on a simple shielded configuration, and 2) derivation of the magnetosheath magnetic field, represented by a sum of toroidal and poloidal terms, each expanded into spherical harmonic series of angular coordinates and powers of normal distance from the boundary. The spacecraft database covers the period from 1995 through 2022 and is composed of data from Geotail, Cluster, Themis, and MMS, with the total number of 1-min averages about 3 M. The modeling reveals orderly patterns of the IMF draping around the magnetosphere and of the magnetopause currents, controlled by the IMF orientation, solar wind pressure, and the Earth's dipole tilt. The obtained results are discussed in terms of the magnetosheath flux pile-up and the dayside magnetosphere erosion during periods of northward or southward IMF, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the results of treating anterior mandibular fractures with lag screws, focusing on specific clinical and radiographic characteristics. Method: Ten patients with anterior mandibular fractures were selected and given anesthesia. A local anesthetic with a vasoconstrictor (1:80000 adrenaline) was used at the surgical site. A vestibular incision of 3–4 mm was made, extending from 34–44. A gauze pad and the blunt side of a periosteal elevator were used to lift the mucoperiosteal flap. Metrogyl irrigation was then performed to remove any fibers stuck to the bone. The fracture site was exposed and the fracture edges were refined. Intermaxillary fixation was carried out once the broken fragments were minimized. Two lag screws, ranging in length from 16 to 20 mm, were used to secure the fragments, depending on the needs of each case. Result: Fracture stability, occlusion, mental nerve injury, screw position, accuracy of reduction, bone healing, tenderness, and edema were assessed up to the sixth week. Significant improvement was observed in all parameters by the end of the sixth week. Conclusion: The effectiveness of this treatment approach has been gained through a thorough examination of radiographic examinations, patient-reported metrics, and clinical outcomes.

Introduction: Maxillofacial trauma treatment involves maxillomandibular fixation. Despite reduced need for post-operative MMF with plating devices, temporary intraoperative MMF is still necessary for proper tooth positioning. The aim of this research is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness, impact on patient gingival health, glove perforation, and time required for utilizing the Ultra Lock Ezy Bar compared to Erich’s Arch Bar. Methods: Ten patients with mandibular fractures were randomly split into two groups for treatment: Group A (study) and Group B (control). Group A received treatment with an Ultra Lock Ezy Bar and screws, while Group B received treatment using an Erich’s Arch Bar and wires. Follow-ups were done for suture removal, wound healing, and evaluations on gingival index, glove perforations, and treatment times. Results: In application time, group A had mean of 44.00 ± 3.391 and group B had 90 ± 9.354, with no significant difference. Neither group showed significant mean differences in removal time. Group B had statistically significant glove perforation (4.80 ± 0.837) compared to 0 in group A. Pre-operative gingival index comparison showed significance. After four weeks, group B’s mean index was 1.720 ± 0.2387 and group A’s was 1.120 ± 0.2049 with no statistical distinctions. Conclusion: To sum up, the randomized control experiment produced convincing results when comparing Erich’s Arch Bar with Ultra Lock Ezy Bar for mandibular fixation in ten patients. With notably quicker application and removal times, no glove perforations, and comparable gingival health immediately following surgery, Ultra Lock Ezy Bar showed clear benefits.

ABSTRACT: Introduction: Maxillofacial trauma treatment involves maxillomandibular fixation. Despite reduced need for post-operative MMF with plating devices, temporary intraoperative MMF is still necessary for proper tooth positioning. The aim of this research is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness, impact on patient gingival health, glove perforation, and time required for utilizing the Ultra Lock Ezy Bar compared to Erich's Arch Bar. Methods: Ten patients with mandibular fractures were randomly split into two groups for treatment: Group A (study) and Group B (control). Group A received treatment with an Ultra Lock Ezy Bar and screws, while Group B received treatment using an Erich's Arch Bar and wires. Follow-ups were done for suture removal, wound healing, and evaluations on gingival index, glove perforations, and treatment times. Results: In application time, group A had mean of 44.00 ± 3.391 and group B had 90 ± 9.354, with no significant difference. Neither group showed significant mean differences in removal time. Group B had statistically significant glove perforation (4.80 ± 0.837) compared to 0 in group A. Pre-operative gingival index comparison showed significance. After four weeks, group B's mean index was 1.720 ± 0.2387 and group A's was 1.120 ± 0.2049 with no statistical distinctions. Conclusion: To sum up, the randomized control experiment produced convincing results when comparing Erich's Arch Bar with Ultra Lock Ezy Bar for mandibular fixation in ten patients. With notably quicker application and removal times, no glove perforations, and comparable gingival health immediately following surgery, Ultra Lock Ezy Bar showed clear benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT: Aims: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the results of treating anterior mandibular fractures with lag screws, focusing on specific clinical and radiographic characteristics. Method: Ten patients with anterior mandibular fractures were selected and given anesthesia. A local anesthetic with a vasoconstrictor (1:80000 adrenaline) was used at the surgical site. A vestibular incision of 3–4 mm was made, extending from 34–44. A gauze pad and the blunt side of a periosteal elevator were used to lift the mucoperiosteal flap. Metrogyl irrigation was then performed to remove any fibers stuck to the bone. The fracture site was exposed and the fracture edges were refined. Intermaxillary fixation was carried out once the broken fragments were minimized. Two lag screws, ranging in length from 16 to 20 mm, were used to secure the fragments, depending on the needs of each case. Result: Fracture stability, occlusion, mental nerve injury, screw position, accuracy of reduction, bone healing, tenderness, and edema were assessed up to the sixth week. Significant improvement was observed in all parameters by the end of the sixth week. Conclusion: The effectiveness of this treatment approach has been gained through a thorough examination of radiographic examinations, patient-reported metrics, and clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photovoltaic (PV) power fluctuates with weather changes, and traditional forecasting methods typically decompose the power itself to study its characteristics, ignoring the impact of multidimensional weather conditions on the power decomposition. Therefore, this paper proposes a short-term PV power generation method based on MVMD (multivariate variational mode decomposition) feature extraction and the Informer model. First, MIC correlation analysis is used to extract weather features most related to PV power. Next, to more comprehensively describe the relationship between PV power and environmental conditions, MVMD is used for time–frequency synchronous analysis of the PV power time series combined with the highest MIC correlation weather data, obtaining frequency-aligned multivariate intrinsic modes. These modes incorporate multidimensional weather factors into the data-decomposition-based forecasting method. Finally, to enhance the model's learning capability, the Informer neural network model is employed in the prediction phase. Based on the input PV IMF time series and associated weather mode components, the Informer prediction model is constructed for training and forecasting. The predicted results of different PV IMF modes are then superimposed to obtain the total PV power generation. Experiments show that this method improves PV power generation accuracy, with an MAPE value of 4.31%, demonstrating good robustness. In terms of computational efficiency, the Informer model's ability to handle long sequences with sparse attention mechanisms reduces training and prediction times by approximately 15%, making it faster than conventional deep learning models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research work reports the boundary layer flow behavior and heat transfer properties of Maxwell fluid across an exponentially stretched sheet. Thermal radiation, porous media, and heat generation\absorption factors are incorporated into the simulation of flow equations. More specifically, an impact of induced magnetic field (IMF) is implemented to analyzing the magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) flow. This provides a profound effect on fluid flow design, thus, it is necessary to control the nature of the flow rate more precisely. By implementing the necessary transforms, the requisite system of ordinary ones is accomplished. BVP4C scheme is executed to solve nonlinear systems. The effects of the physical model are tabulated and graphically shown. We presented dual solutions by comparing the results of Maxwell's fluid with the Newtonian fluid. Some of the important conclusions are that for enhanced values of the magnetic parameter, the induced magnetic field becomes stronger and a reverse effect occurs, when the reciprocal Prandtl number becomes larger. Radiation and heat source/sink parameter accelerate temperature, which has the opposite effect on Prandtl number. Furthermore, velocity curve intensifies for higher estimation of magnetic and porosity variables. It is also noteworthy to make a comparison between previously available results and the current outcomes under certain conditions. The assessments are, therefore, considered to be in perfect agreement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the IMF, the current public debt makes up nearly 40 percent of the global debt, marking the highest share since the mid-1960s. Despite the vast research on alarming levels of sovereign default, the literature remains inconclusive. This paper investigates macroeconomic, financial, and political determinants of IMF credit use in the post-2010 era. The main contribution of our study lies in its temporal analysis as we investigate how the robustness of different factors has evolved. By utilizing an extensive dataset on 216 countries over the period of 2010–2021 and employing a variant of the Extreme Bounds Analysis (EBA) method, our study reveals that fluctuations in the IMF credit to external debt ratio can be attributed to changes in the total reserves to external debt ratio, where this relationship is statistically significant and reliable. However, high political risks seem to no longer affect the IMF's decision, post 2010. Furthermore, our findings demonstrate that excluding countries with low debt arrears strengthens the results' robustness. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the complexities surrounding IMF credit use in the contemporary global economic scene and offer new standpoints on the Fund's lending choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modification of the solar wind parameters at the bow shock (BS) and through the magnetosheath (MSH) is essential for the solar wind-magnetosphere interaction chain. The present study uses two approaches to determine the spatial profile of magnetic field strength and plasma parameters and their fluctuations along the Sun-Earth line under different interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) orientations with an emphasis on radial IMF conditions. The first method is based on the superposed epoch analysis of all the complete THEMIS MSH crossings between 2007 and 2010. The second approach uses the distance of the observing spacecraft from the model magnetopause (MP) expressed in units of an MSH thickness for all THEMIS observations. The results of both these analyses are consistent, and their comparison with simulations reveals the following features: 1) the sign of the IMF north-south component has a negligible effect on the spatial profile of the magnetic field strength or plasma parameters as well as on the level of fluctuations; 2) the ion temperature is enhanced for a radial MF and it is nearly isotropic throughout MSH; 3) the fluctuation level of plasma parameters just downstream BS is enhanced under a radial IMF, but it gradually decreases toward MP to a value typical for other IMF orientations; 4) magnetic field fluctuations are enhanced by a factor of 1.7 in the whole magnetosheath when IMF points radially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the reliability and life of the wind turbine, this paper takes the rolling bearing in the experimental platform of the wind turbine as the research object. In order to obtain the intrinsic mode function (IMF) of each fault type, the original signals of different fault states of the rolling bearing on the experimental platform are decomposed by using the overall average empirical mode decomposition method (EEMD) and the wavelet packet decomposition method (WPD), respectively. Then the energy ratio of the IMF component of the different types of faults to the total energy value is calculated and the eigenvectors of different types of faults are constructed. The extreme learning machine (ELM) and probabilistic neural network (PNN) are used to learn fault types and eigenvector samples to identify the faults of the rolling bearing. It is found that the bearing fault characteristics obtained by the WPD method are more obvious, and the results obtained by the same recognition method are ideal; and the PNN method is obviously superior to the extreme learning machine method in bearing fault recognition rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Argentina has a history of tumultuous agreements with the International Monetary Fund. While the IMF has provided essential economic support, their loan agreements have often caused further economic issues that most profoundly impact the middle and working class, such as high inflation and poverty rates. This has created much frustration among the people, and they have taken these frustrations into music, protesting the damage and harm that is produced by the IMF's involvement in Argentina. These protest songs can be analyzed through Jeneve Brooks' EMM-framing theory, with EMM standing for emotive, moral, and mnemonic, to understand how the IMF is negatively represented and how the songs can influence the public's opinion on the IMF. This paper makes use of this theoretical framework to analyze three examples of Argentine protest songs against the IMF: "Estoy tocando fondo" by Viuda e Hijas de Roque Enroll,"F.M.I. (Sufre Sudamérica)" by Fun People, and "Sinceramente militamos" by La Cámpora. This analysis provides insight into the increasing reactiveness of the Argentine people against the IMF, which was witnessed in 2021 and 2022 when protests broke out over negotiations between the IMF and the Argentine government even though an agreement had yet to be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is entering a period of unprecedented challenge. Countries need its assistance to deal with debt distress, the post-Covid development crisis, new threats of financial instability, and the fallout of a decade of unconventional monetary policy. But the IMF faces two challenges of its own. As powerful countries 'reset' the rules on which the IMF's work proceeds, it must build a new paradigm for advising its borrowers. Equally, as those same powerful countries show less willingness to cooperate with each other in international organizations, the IMF must keep them involved and working together within the institution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes parameters characterizing anticrisis financing of the global financial safety net (GFSN) with an emphasis on international reserves. A new approach was used, in which the analysis was carried out through the prism of the global currency liquidity concept. The article shows the role of international currency reserves as a key element providing interconnection, on the one hand, of official and private components of global liquidity, and, on the other hand, of national and international currency systems. Facilitating the redistribution of global currency liquidity, reserves are at the same time free from the disadvantages inherent in other components of the global financial safety net. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ningxiang pig, a distinguished local breed in China, is recognized for its good meat quality traits. This study examines the proteomics of Ningxiang pigs at three developmental stages and delves into the upstream transcriptomics of these proteomics. Such an analysis facilitates a deeper understanding of the molecular interplay between proteins and transcriptomes in the Ningxiang pig muscle, influencing muscle growth and development. In this research, we analyzed the muscles of Ningxiang pigs at three developmental stages: 30 days in weaned piglets, 90 days in nursery pigs, and 210 days in late fattening pigs. There a total of 16 differentially co-expressed miRNAs (ssc-miRNA-1, ssc-miRNA-378, ssc-miRNA-143, ssc-miRNA-30e, etc.), 74 differentially co-expressed mRNA (PLIN3, CPT2, IGF2 and HSP90AB1, etc.) have been identified in the three stages. 572 differentially abundant proteins (DAPs) (APOC3, NDUFA2, HSPD1, ATP5E, PDHA1, etc.) were readily identified by comparing different time periods. According to the KEGG enrich pathway results that DAPs most enriched in growth and development pathways, immune mechanism pathways and maintaining functions of physical. Through short time-series expression miner (STEM) association analysis, a total of 571 negative miRNA-mRNA interaction pairs and 2 negative miRNA-mRNA-protein (Chr05_11955-Pig.17268.1-ATP5F1B, ssc-miR-194a-3p-Pig.15802.1-ACY1) interaction pairs were found. Our study provides a theoretical basis on molecular mechanism for the study of IMF deposition, muscle growth and immunity in Ningxiang pig breed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the livestock industry, an excessive accumulation of subcutaneous fat diminishes the proportion of lean meat, while elevated intramuscular fat (IMF) content is associated with enhanced meat quality. However, the heterogeneity of various fat depots in pigs remains incompletely understood. Comprehensive tissue section, lipidomic, and transcriptomic analyses indicated that the maturity of IMF was significantly less than that of both intermuscular and subcutaneous fats. We identified 467 lipids across 29 lipid classes in total, revealing that IMF exhibits unique lipid composition and transcriptional profiles. More importantly, several lipids, including GalCer, S1P, CL, AcCa, PC-O, PE-O, and sulfatide, are highly enriched in intramuscular fat and may play pivotal roles in neuromodulation, mitochondrial function, lipogenesis, and membrane signaling. In conclusion, we unveiled unique lipid composition and molecular regulatory pathways of porcine IMF, offering new insights for the synergistic breeding that aims at optimizing pig backfat thickness and IMF content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines whether the IMF sentiment conveyed by the Regional Economic Outlook (REO) provides new information capable of influencing government bond markets. To measure IMF sentiment, we use text mining techniques on an original dataset based on the qualitative content of the REO reports for 16 countries across three regions covered by the REO, Asia and Pacific, Europe, and Western Hemisphere, from 2005 to 2018. Our results suggest that the qualitative content of the REO reports has significant repercussions on bond yields, particularly in the Asia and Pacific region, and provides a positive signal in bond markets of countries participating in an IMF program in the Europe and Western Hemisphere regions. IMF sentiment towards the leading trade partner can also be an essential source of bond markets' reactions. These findings are robust when controlling for IMF quantitative forecasts in the empirical procedure, accounting for an alternative sentiment measure and controlling for other potential determinants of bond yields. They thus shed new light on the importance of IMF communication for guiding and managing markets' expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a meticulously organized dataset derived from the International Monetary Fund's World Economic Outlook (IMF WEO) forecasts, including GDP growth, CPI inflation, and current account balances for 196 countries from 1990 to 2024. Sourced from the WEO historical database and updated to 2024, the dataset contains forecasts of crucial economic indicators — GDP growth, CPI inflation, and current account balance — in an accessible and user-friendly Excel format. This dataset is a valuable resource for academic researchers, economists at central banks, finance ministries, and other stakeholders, enabling diverse analyses such as evaluations of IMF forecasts, research into optimism bias, and studies on equilibrium exchange rates. Additionally, it may be useful for foreign investors in making informed strategic investment decisions.

Subject. The variety of international financial institutions (IFIs) that regulate international monetary, credit and financial relations (IMCFR) raises the question of assessing the effectiveness of their activities and the degree of influence on financial stability in the global financial market. Objectives. Based on the categorization of MFIs and a systematic approach to assessing the degree of their mutual influence on the IMCFO system and the global economic system, develop criteria for assessing the effectiveness of MFIs in terms of achieving their statutory goals and ensuring financial stability. Methods. Dialectical methods, the method of system analysis, the method of analysis and synthesis, and the didactic method were used. Results. MFIs are divided into 3 groups according to the taxonomy of influence on ensuring financial stability; within the framework of a systems approach, direct and reverse channels of influence of MFIs of 3 groups on each other and on the IMCFO system and the world economy, the economy as a whole, are analyzed. The criteria for assessing the effectiveness of IFIs are substantiated, including: assessing the degree of influence of IFIs on the composition of economic relations in the IMF; the relationship between the international competence of the institution in regulating the International Monetary Fund and the availability of the necessary powers and financial resources to solve the assigned tasks; simplicity and ease of procedure for allocating the necessary resources to mitigate financial shocks in the IMF and solve short-term problems with the balance of payments. Conclusions. Based on reasonable efficiency criteria, the growing importance of type 2 and type 3 MFIs is recorded, with a certain degradation of “classical” type 1 MFIs and segmentation of regulatory contours to the level of regional associations and professional communities.

Porcine latissimus dorsi muscle (LDM) is a crucial source of pork products. Meat quality indicators, such as the proportion of muscle fibers and intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition, vary during the growth and development of pigs. Numerous studies have highlighted the heterogeneous nature of skeletal muscle, with phenotypic differences reflecting variations in cellular composition and transcriptional profiles. This study investigates the cellular-level transcriptional characteristics of LDM in large white pigs at two growth stages (170 days vs. 245 days) using single-nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNA-seq). We identified 56,072 cells across 12 clusters, including myofibers, fibro/adipogenic progenitor (FAP) cells, muscle satellite cells (MUSCs), and other resident cell types. The same cell types were present in the LDM at both growth stages, but their proportions and states differed. A higher proportion of FAPs was observed in the skeletal muscle of 245-day-old pigs. Additionally, these cells exhibited more active communication with other cell types compared to 170-day-old pigs. For instance, more interactions were found between FAPs and pericytes or endothelial cells in 245-day-old pigs, including collagen and integrin family signaling. Three subclasses of FAPs was identified, comprising FAPs_COL3A1+, FAPs_PDE4D+, and FAPs_EBF1+, while adipocytes were categorized into Ad_PDE4D+ and Ad_DGAT2+ subclasses. The proportions of these subclasses differed between the two age groups. We also constructed differentiation trajectories for FAPs and adipocytes, revealing that FAPs in 245-day-old pigs differentiated more toward fibrosis, a characteristic reminiscent of the high prevalence of skeletal muscle fibrosis in aging humans. Furthermore, the Ad_PDE4D+ adipocyte subclass, predominant in 245-day-old pigs, originated from FAPs_PDE4D+ expressing the same gene, while the Ad_DGAT2+ subclass stemmed from FAPs_EBF1+. In conclusion, our study elucidates transcriptional differences in skeletal muscle between two growth stages of pigs and provides insights into mechanisms relevant to pork meat quality and skeletal muscle diseases.