External Position Research Articles

ОСУЧАСНЕННЯ НАПРЯМІВ НІВЕЛЮВАННЯ ФІНАНСОВОЇ НАПРУЖЕНОСТІ : ЗАГРОЗИ ВИНИКНЕННЯ ПРОДОВОЛЬЧОЇ КРИЗИ

Recent decades have been defined by the principles of development, liberal democracy, market economy and sophisticated competition. A new generation grew up on these claims, believing that economic growth, interdependence, freedom of thought and speech, and human progress were as predictable as they were inevitable. However, in 2022 the situation has changed radically, the consequences of which are the basis for the spread of the food crisis, both in Ukraine and in the world as a whole. The aim of the article is to identify obvious and inconspicuous factors of the food crisis in Ukraine and the world, characterize the risks of new segments of financial tensions, identify issues of segmentation of markets and production, the formation of relevant trade blocs. The subject of research - current trends of financial tensions, changes in financial, economic and food supply chains, new threats of food crises. The research hypothesis is the unconditional influence of the consequences of financial and economic deformations on the tendencies of modification of food chains, regional centers of food security, the emergence and spread of the food crisis on all continents and opportunities to prevent it. Methods used in the study: comparison, comparison, systematic and analytical approaches, generalization and classification, dialectical and formal logic. Presenting main material. It is established that currently Ukrainian society is at a critical stage of historical development, the existing economic landscapes are changing instantly. The global pandemic, new external positions, and climate change indicators have already made a negative contribution to the future of the economy and financial markets: too much external debt, too low projected growth and too fast-growing inflation are currently being noted. Neither the government nor civil society is able to meet these challenges alone, so domestic and global cooperation is becoming vital to us. Some countries are taking unilateral trade measures today, which is exacerbating the crisis. It is emphasized that the lack of food security is a catalyst for all crises, which directly leads to armed conflict. The originality and practical significance of the results is the possibility of applying the recommendations to improve accounting and analytical and financial control procedures, improving the efficiency of business processes of economic entities in modern conditions. Conclusions of the study. Thus, the current year becomes the starting point of the economic downturn, which causes the application of austerity measures, which in turn will lead to new manifestations of populism and new uncompromising positions. Regardless of whether discount rates will rise or oil prices fall, influential investors will continue to grow and determine the direction of the global financial capital market.

Botswana

As of end-2021, Botswana had recovered to its pre-crisis output level thanks to a strong rebound in demand for diamonds, a successful vaccination campaign, and policy support. Fiscal and current account deficits both narrowed sharply, and foreign reserves stabilized but buffers are yet to be fully rebuilt. Inflation exceeded the central bank’s medium-term objective range, while unemployment rose close to record highs. Growth in 2022 and beyond is expected to be around potential, while fiscal and external positions are projected to strengthen with more favorable terms of trade and strong fiscal consolidation. Risks to the outlook are associated with the war in Ukraine, the pandemic, and the implementation of fiscal consolidation and economic diversification plans.

Central African Economic and Monetary Community

CEMAC ended 2021 in a fragile external position, with gross reserves at only 2.7 months of prospective imports and net foreign assets (NFA) at their lowest level in decades, despite the availability of Fund financing, the SDR allocation, and monetary policy tightening. The terms of trade shock this year is expected to be broadly positive for CEMAC. This more favorable outlook is, however, subject to heightened external uncertainties associated with the fallout from the war in Ukraine (notably global inflation pressure, global growth uncertainties, and high oil price volatility), faster-than-anticipated global financial tightening, possible emergence of new COVID strains and risks from cryptoassets. Current high oil prices, if sustained, will help rebuild fiscal and external buffers, provided fiscal policies remain prudent. Shielding vulnerable populations from soaring energy and food prices adds to the complexity of navigating this uncertain environment, given CEMAC’s already limited policy options.

Analysis of SWOT Strategy in Sustainable Management of Mangrove Ecosystems in Kaliwlingi Village, Brebes Sub-district, Brebes District

This study aims to obtain a strategy for managing sustainable mangrove ecosystems in Kaliwlingi Village, Brebes Sub-district, Brebes District. This study uses qualitative research with phenomenological methods. The data needed in this research is primary data obtained directly from respondents and secondary data obtained from data sources that do not directly provide data. The analytical method used in this research is the analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT), and Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) to determine the right strategy in managing sustainable mangrove ecosystems. The results of the Internal Factor Evaluation (IFE) calculation have a score of 2.21, which is below the average score of 2.50, indicating a less strong internal position. The results of the External Factor Evaluation (EFE) calculation show that the total score of 2.03 is below the average score of 2.50, indicating a less strong external position. The integration stage of IFE and EFE uses a SWOT matrix. The results of the combined score between IFE and EFE are 2.21; 2.03 in the first quadrant position, which is a favorable situation. The results of the QSPM show the Total Attractiveness Score (TAS) of strategy I as much as 6,009 has the highest TAS value and is the chosen alternative priority strategy. The results of the study show that the expansion strategy that must be taken by the Brebes Regency Government is to provide opportunities for the community to manage the mangrove ecosystem independently with assistance from the Government of Brebes District.

Portrait of the polemic of Fraud In Conventional and Sharia Insurance Company

This study examines the effect of fraud on insurance companies, both conventional and sharia insurance, from 2017 to 2021. This study aims to describe the existence of fraud committed through systems or humans, whether intentional or unintentional, even in Conventional and Sharia Insurance companies. The independent variables used are financial stability, financial targets, manager supervision ineffectiveness, auditor turnover, board turnover, and dualism positions. The insurance companies sampled in this study are listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange and meet the criteria in this study. This study shows that financial stability affects fraud detection in financial statements. External pressure affects fraud detection, while the external pressure variable, ineffective supervision, auditor replacement, director change, and dualism position do not affect detecting fraudulent financial statements.
 Keywords: Fraud; Financial Stability; External Pressure; Ineffective Supervision; Change Of Auditor; Change Of Directors; Dualism Position.

External Balance Sheets and the COVID-19 Crisis

At the onset of the COVID-19 economic crisis, as in other crisis episodes, we observed a rapid appreciation of “safe haven” currencies. We quantify currency-induced balance sheet valuation effects for aggregate external positions as well as for broadly defined asset classes for the first quarter and the full year 2020. To do so, we use new data on the currency composition of cross-border assets and liabilities for 46 countries. In contrast with past financial crises, many emerging markets did not experience losses on their aggregate external balance sheets despite facing a domestic currency depreciation. This was partly due to currency-induced valuation gains on equity positions offsetting losses on debt positions, and partly due to reduced currency mismatch on their external debt positions. We conduct the stock-flow reconciliation of net international investment positions to measure overall valuation effects and compute the proportion that is due to changes in currency values. For about half of the countries in our sample, currency-induced valuation effects were substantial, representing over 50 percent of total valuation effects in 2020Q1 and the full year 2020.

Comprehensive lipid profiles of sea cage aquaculture cobia (Rachycentron canadum) based on lipidomics

Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) is a significant fish species for mariculture with high nutritional value. This research aims to comprehensively investigate the lipid profiles of cobia tissues, including fatty acid profiles, characteristics of phospholipids (PL) and triacylglycerols (TAG), and lipid molecular species. The results showed that cobia contained high levels of total lipids (2.89 −32.09 % of wet weight), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 10.83 −14.69 % of total fatty acids) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 3.54 −9.68 %). Compared with TAG, higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, DHA/EPA in particular, were concentrated in PL. Interestingly, DHA was predominantly distributed in the sn-1 position of PL and the sn-2 position of TAG, whereas EPA was predominantly distributed in the external positions of PL and TAG. Additionally, at least 693 molecular species from 23 subclasses were identified by ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole exactive-mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Exactive-MS). Glycerophospholipids (63.19 −66.61 %) and glycerolipids (19.17 −22.21%) were the major lipid classes in cobia tissues, and the majority of them contained DHA and EPA. Hence, this comprehensive analysis will help to evaluate the lipid nutritional values and facilitate exploitation in cobia consumption and processing.

Greece: 2022 Article IV Consultation-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Greece

Greece has weathered the pandemic well, with a considerably stronger-than-expected recovery. Reforms progressed in several areas, including digitalization, privatization, improving the fiscal policy mix, and bank balance sheet repair. Greece finalized its early repayment to the IMF on April 4 and is expected to graduate from the quarterly European Institutions’ Enhanced Surveillance framework on schedule by August 2022. Despite the adverse impact of the war in Ukraine, growth is projected to remain robust at 3.5 percent this year. High energy prices are expected to push up average inflation to 6.1 percent. Public debt is on a downward trajectory and rollover risks appear manageable. The external position last year was moderately weaker than that consistent with fundamentals and desirable policies.

How can a language have double-passives but lack antipassives?

Passivization in Turkish may target both internal and external argument positions, for passives of unaccusatives, unergatives and transitives are possible in the language. Interestingly, Turkish also has double passives where the passive morpheme is iterated and both argument positions are saturated. However, the language does not allow for antipassives, where only the internal argument position of a transitive predicate is saturated by passivization. Importantly, under plausible compositional analyses, antipassives are fully predicted, contrary to the fact. Hence, the unavailability of antipassives in a language that has double passives (and passives of unaccusatives) remains as a puzzle, which this paper sets out to solve. In particular, we argue that antipassives are ruled out on the grounds that the passive morpheme is visible to the case calculus in terms of Dependent Case Theory but has to remain caseless throughout the derivation. We show that this account also correctly predicts that internal argument positions that happen to be lexical case positions can never be targeted by passivization. Finally, we provide a fine-grained analysis of internal argument suppression accounting for the aspectual restrictions it has been reported to have, and compare our work to the existing proposals.

Quantum Chemistry Study on the Structures and Electronic Properties of Bimetallic Ca2-Doped Magnesium Ca2Mgn (n = 1-15) Clusters.

Here, by utilizing crystal structure analysis through the particle swarm optimization (CALYPSO) structural searching method with density functional theory (DFT), we investigate the systemic structures and electronic properties of Ca2Mgn (n = 1–15) clusters. Structural searches found that two Ca atoms prefer to occupy the external position of magnesium-doped systems at n = 2–14. Afterward, one Ca atom begins to move from the surface into the internal of the caged skeleton at n = 15. Calculations of the average binding energy, second-order difference of energies, and HOMO–LUMO gaps indicated that the pagoda construction Ca2Mg8 (as the magic cluster) has higher stability. In addition, the simulated IR and Raman spectra can provide theoretical guidance for future experimental and theoretical investigation. Last, further electronic properties were determined, including the charge transfer, density of states (DOS) and bonding characteristics. We hope that our work will provide theoretical and experimental guidance for developing magnesium-based nanomaterials in the future.

UAV Vision Aided INS/Odometer Integration for Land Vehicle Autonomous Navigation

Autonomous navigation without external GNSS aiding is crucial for some kinds of land vehicle applications, such as military vehicles and unmanned vehicles navigation under GNSS denied environments. A typical solution for autonomous navigation can be achieved by integrating Inertial Navigation System (INS) and odometer, where the odometer can provide velocity aiding for INS. The INS/odometer integration approach can dramatically improve the navigation performances compared with the standalone INS approach, however its positioning error is still gradually accumulating with time because of lacking external position correction. This paper proposes an approach to aid the INS/odometer integration by using vision positioning, where a UAV is used to carry the vision camera and helps to realize the positioning of the vehicle by image matching. The UAV vision positioning acts a role like GNSS and provides constant position correction for INS/odometer integration. A dual-rate Kalman filter is proposed and utilized to realize the data fusing of vision, INS and odometer. Simulation and filed tests show that the proposed approach can dramatically improve the autonomous navigation performances for land vehicles.

In vivo magnetic resonance imaging study of the hip joint capsule in the flexion abduction external rotation position

Although the flexion abduction external rotation (FABER) test is a useful hip provocation test, hip soft tissue characteristics in the FABER position remain unclear. This study investigated the in-vivo joint capsule characteristics, including its articular cavity area and relation to the fat pad surrounded by the joint capsule and pericapsular muscles, in the FABER position using magnetic resonance imaging. Thirteen hips from 13 healthy volunteers were analyzed. The images were obtained, with the participant hips at 15°-extension, 45°-flexion, and in the FABER position, to analyze the articular cavity size and fat pad and calculate these ratios to size of the femoral neck. The articular cavity area and its ratio to the femoral neck were significantly greatest in the FABER position, followed by those in the hip flexion and extension. Additionally, the area of the fat pad in the inter-pericapsular muscle space and its ratio to the femoral neck in the FABER position were significantly larger than those in the hip flexion and, as a tendency, larger than those in hip extension. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first in-vivo study to show the interrelationship among the joint capsule, pericapsular muscles, and fat pad in the FABER position.

Effect of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation technique on the treatment of frozen shoulder: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Background and objectivesFrozen shoulder is a common painful disease of the shoulder joint characterized by structural changes in the shoulder joint, restricting both active and passive shoulder joint activities. Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) effectively improved and maintained the range of motion; however, it is not clear whether it can improve the shoulder joint structure in patients with frozen shoulder. This pilot study used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) observation to assess the improvement of the local structure of the shoulder joint upon PNF treatment to elucidate a target based on structure for the treatment of frozen shoulder.Materials and methodsForty-eight patients with frozen shoulder were randomly divided into the traditional manual therapy group and the PNF technique group. Changes in the thicknesses of the coracohumeral ligament (CHL) and capsule in axillary recess (CAR) of the shoulder joint were observed via MRI upon admission and at 4 weeks after treatment. A visual analog scale (VAS) and passive shoulder range of motion (ROM) at abduction, anteflexion and external rotation position were used to evaluate the improvement of shoulder joint pain and function in the initial, mid-term, and discharge of the two groups of patients.ResultsThe primary outcome results shown that the PNF joint mobilization significantly reduced the thickness of the CHL (p = 0.0217) and CAR (p = 0.0133). Compared with simple joint mobilization, The mid-term and discharge rehabilitation assessment results showed that PNF has a better effect on shoulder pain. At the mid-term evaluation, the ROM of the PNF group was significantly better than that of the Control group in the three directions (p < 0.05).ConclusionAs an adjunctive therapy, PNF can improve the shoulder joint structure of patients with frozen shoulder and is an effective treatment strategy for frozen shoulder.

Deciphering Internal and External π-Conjugation in C3 -Symmetric Multiple Azobenzene Connected Systems in Self-Assembly.

Two tripodal C3 -symmetric photoswitchable molecular systems T1 and T2 are reported that have extended conjugation at external and internal positions using an acryl group. The influence of the extended π-bonds in their absorption properties, thermal relaxation of the photoisomers and their propensities in forming supramolecular self-assemblies have been explored through spectroscopy, and microscopic studies. In particular, the investigations on the self-assembly have been carried out using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), polarized optical microscopy (POM), X-ray diffraction studies (XRD) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Remarkably, the position of the acryl group influences the behaviour of the two target molecules in supramolecular assembly, and also in the formation of photoresponsive organic hydrogels or microcrystals.

New evidence on wine in French international trade (1848–1913): Import discrimination as export quality promotion

AbstractUsing an original dataset and theoretical framework, this paper offers a reinterpretation of the French wine international trade after external shocks during wine globalisation based on trade policy. To maintain its external position, particularly after the arrival of phylloxera in the 1860s, French authorities promoted the development of Algerian vineyards by complex discrimination in tariffs. We highlight a negative relationship between discrimination in tariff policy and market share for wine trade partners to the detriment of Spain, Italy, and Portugal and in favour of Algeria. By combining a counterfactual analysis and two theoretical models, we consider Algeria as a new competitor in an imperfect competition. Moreover, using data of wine quality at a disaggregated level, we reveal that the control of imports by France allowed the diversification of the range of exports and maximisation of profits.

Development of AI-driven prediction models to realize real-time tumor tracking during radiotherapy

BackgroundIn infrared reflective (IR) marker-based hybrid real-time tumor tracking (RTTT), the internal target position is predicted with the positions of IR markers attached on the patient’s body surface using a prediction model. In this work, we developed two artificial intelligence (AI)-driven prediction models to improve RTTT radiotherapy, namely, a convolutional neural network (CNN) and an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) model. The models aim to improve the accuracy in predicting three-dimensional tumor motion.MethodsFrom patients whose respiration-induced motion of the tumor, indicated by the fiducial markers, exceeded 8 mm, 1079 logfiles of IR marker-based hybrid RTTT (IR Tracking) with the gimbal-head radiotherapy system were acquired and randomly divided into two datasets. All the included patients were breathing freely with more than four external IR markers. The historical dataset for the CNN model contained 1003 logfiles, while the remaining 76 logfiles complemented the evaluation dataset. The logfiles recorded the external IR marker positions at a frequency of 60 Hz and fiducial markers as surrogates for the detected target positions every 80–640 ms for 20–40 s. For each logfile in the evaluation dataset, the prediction models were trained based on the data in the first three quarters of the recording period. In the last quarter, the performance of the patient-specific prediction models was tested and evaluated. The overall performance of the AI-driven prediction models was ranked by the percentage of predicted target position within 2 mm of the detected target position. Moreover, the performance of the AI-driven models was compared to a regression prediction model currently implemented in gimbal-head radiotherapy systems.ResultsThe percentage of the predicted target position within 2 mm of the detected target position was 95.1%, 92.6% and 85.6% for the CNN, ANFIS, and regression model, respectively. In the evaluation dataset, the CNN, ANFIS, and regression model performed best in 43, 28 and 5 logfiles, respectively.ConclusionsThe proposed AI-driven prediction models outperformed the regression prediction model, and the overall performance of the CNN model was slightly better than that of the ANFIS model on the evaluation dataset.

Deep Neural Network-Based Physics-Inspired Model of Self-Sensing Displacement Estimation for Antagonistic Shape Memory Alloy Actuator

The paper introduces a self-sensing feature that utilizes differential resistance measurement of an antagonistic Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuator to estimate linear displacement. The external position sensor used for control feedback becomes extraneous while utilizing an electrical resistance as feedback. The self-sensing capability provides additional advantages such as the overall reduction in size, weight, and interface complexity of an actuator. SMA actuator wires were used in the antagonistic configuration for the bi-directional actuation of the targeted application. A Deep Neural Network (DNN) having Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) layers were used to estimate the dynamic relation of resistance and displacement. A novel DNN model was developed for estimation purposes inspired by the physics-based description of the SMA actuation phenomenon. Accordingly, DNN was developed using the first and last layers as LSTM and a middle layer of feedforward neural network. Estimation results are presented with performance evaluation in terms of the R-squared index and mean absolute error (MAE) of the proposed model; also, the model has been compared with the generic LSTM 2-layered model.

Diagnostic performance of MRA in abduction and external rotation position in the detection of glenoid labral lesions: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

To compare the diagnostic performance of direct magnetic resonance arthrography (MRA) for labral lesions during conventional, abduction and external rotation (ABER), conventional plus abduction, and external rotation (ABER) positioning by using a systematic review and meta-analysis. A comprehensive literature search was performed on the two main concepts of magnetic resonance arthrography: extremity position and labral lesions. Inclusion criteria consisted of original studies that assessed the diagnostic accuracy of MR arthrography in ABER and conventional position alone or combined for the diagnosis of labral lesions by using surgical findings as the reference standard. Meta-analyses were performed that compared MR arthrography during conventional positioning, ABER, and conventional plus ABER positioning. Nine studies met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 733, 504, and 313 lesions assessed by conventional MRA, ABER MRA, and conventional plus ABER MRA, respectively, were included in our analysis. Pooled sensitivities of MRA in conventional, ABER, and conventional plus ABER position for labral tear diagnosis were 81.5%, 81.6%, and 95.7%, respectively. Pooled specificities of MRA in conventional, ABER, and conventional plus ABER position for labral tear diagnosis were 88.8%, 85.6%, and 94.5%, respectively. Summary receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve demonstrated improved accuracy of conventional plus ABER MRA compared with conventional MRA or ABER MRA with the area under the curve (AUC) of 0.99, 0.90, and 0.88, respectively. Conventional plus ABER MRA showed increased diagnostic accuracy compared to both ABER MRA and conventional MRA alone in the diagnosis of labral lesions.

A numerical study of chloride migration in concrete under electrochemical repair

Electrochemical repair (ECR) is one of the most effective methods of removing chloride from offshore engineering structures to improve their durability. The diffusion of chloride and electrochemical migration are key stages in this process. In this work, a new numerical chloride migration–diffusion model was established using the Nernst–Planck equation. The distributions of free chloride ions in concrete in the stages of free chloride diffusion and ECR were simulated and the effects of the external potential and cathode position on ECR efficiency were analysed. The results showed that ECR can effectively remove chloride ions from concrete. After 12 weeks of ECR, the chloride removal efficiency was more than 66%. With an increase in the repair time, the ECR efficiency decreased gradually. In the initial stage of ECR, the chloride concentration on the rebar surface decreased rapidly. After 4 weeks of ECR, the chloride concentration tended to stabilise. The ECR efficiency also improved with an increase in external potential increases, with the chloride concentration on the reinforcing bar surface decreasing rapidly. When cathodes are set on both sides of the concrete, the ECR time should be extended and the external potential should be increased to achieve a better repair effect.

Surplus in balance of payments and some policy recommendations for Vietnam

The balance of payments (BoP) is a critical macroeconomic indicator that helps understand the overall picture of a country's economic transactions with foreign ones. Vietnam's BoP has continuously been in surplus in recent years, even when heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on descriptive statistical methods, comparison, analysis and synthesis, this article has shown that the surplus in the current account of Vietnam was mainly due to the surplus in the trade balance. In addition, despite receiving large remittances, the amount of money that Vietnam had to pay to foreign investors was always much more excess than that Vietnam earns from investing abroad, causing the balance of income to run in deficit. Vietnam's financial account was also in surplus because she has received an enormous amount of foreign direct investments. The surplus in Vietnam's BoP has enhanced Vietnam's external position, but it has put pressure on the domestic currency to appreciate and warn of future macroeconomic uncertainties. Therefore, in the future, Vietnam needs to determine the priority in its policy whether to stabilise the exchange rate or have an independent monetary policy in the context of increasingly liberalised capital accounts.