The Status of structural changes of SMEs and Policy Tasks

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 has mandated that by the year 2015 all oil tankers operating in waters subject to jurisdiction of the United States must have double hulls. This paper examines the Act and the status of regulatory initiatives it has generated. Guidance for new hull construction and retrofit of existing vessels is outlined, and both IMO (International Maritime Organization) and U.S. Coast Guard requirements are discussed. Finally, the structural changes necessary to convert the U.S. Navy's T-AO Class oil tankers to meet the requirements of the Act are specified and illustrated.

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Distinguishing the Degradation of the Interdigital Piezoelectric Fibre Transducers From Structural Damage in Multifunctional Composites

Volume 1: Development and Characterization of Multifunctional Materials; Modeling, Simulation and Control of Adaptive Systems; Structural Health Monitoring ◽

10.1115/smasis2012-8177 ◽

2012 ◽

Author(s):

Mohammad Mehdizadeh ◽

Sabu John ◽

Chun H. Wang ◽

Kamran Ghorbani ◽

Wayne S. T. Rowe

Keyword(s):

Electrical Properties ◽

Structural Damage ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Fatigue Loading ◽

Operational Environment ◽

Multifunctional Composites ◽

The Status ◽

Safety And Reliability ◽

Thermal Features ◽

Sensor Degradation

The next-generation design of structural components involves combining multiple functions. The goal of such Multi-functional structures (MFS) is to incorporate various tasks and functions such as structural, electrical and thermal features within a structural housing. The performance and behaviour characteristics of the multi-functional structures can be affected by degradation of any of the sub-components. This can have consequences on the safety, cost, and operational capability. Therefore, the timely and accurate detection, characterization and monitoring of the degradation in these sub-components are major concerns in the operational environment. This calls for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) as a possible method to improve the safety and reliability of structures and thereby reduce their operational cost. As the application of SHM systems to monitor the status of the MFS increase, it will be increasingly important to determine the durability, reliability, and reparability of the components of SHM system such as sensors. The sensors themselves must be reliable enough so that they do not require replacement at intervals less than the economic lifetime of the structures and components they are monitoring. This is especially important when the deleterious structural changes in the sensor occurs without any discernible change in the structure being monitored In the present work, an assessment is carried out to quantify the degradation in the electric and electromechanical characteristics of polymer composite PZT sensors, under fatigue loading. Changes in the electrical properties of these sensors such as capacitance and inductance have been measured. The strain measurements of the sensor have also been compared to the theoretically calculated strain. The results show that the delineation of structural damage from sensor degradation is possible by monitoring the changes in the key electrical properties of the sensor components such as electrodes and PZT fibers as well as the comparison of experimentally measured and theoretically calculated strain values.

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Analyzing the Structural Changes in the Credit Performance Indicators of Banks of Ukraine

Business Inform ◽

10.32983/2222-4459-2020-9-228-238 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (512) ◽

pp. 228-238

Author(s):

M. S. Rakhman ◽

◽

O. M. Haltseva ◽

Keyword(s):

Financial Services ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Swot Analysis ◽

Banking System ◽

Current Status ◽

Mathematical Functions ◽

The Status ◽

Legal Forms ◽

Banking Institution ◽

The Impact

The revenue part of the banking institution is formed mainly due to the volume of credits provided and depends on the conditions of crediting the financial services market participants. Consequently, the insufficiency or inaccessibility of credit resources adversely affects the status of the entire economy. The article is aimed at an economic and statistical analysis of the current status of credit activity of the banking system of Ukraine in the dynamic conditions of development of the national economy, identifying tendencies, substantiating the prospects for expanding and reducing the risks of credit activities of banking institutions. The role and tasks of the bank’s credit operations in the country’s economy are considered; the status of the credit portfolio of the banking system in recent years is characterized; a new redistribution of banks to groups by the structure of authorized capital and the size of assets is provided. An analysis of the volumes and structure of the banks’ assets in terms of organizational and legal forms of ownership (public, private, foreign) and the proportion of credits in the structure of assets is carried out. The authors analyze changes in the total volumes and dynamics of crediting in terms of: crediting entities; national and foreign currencies; dynamics of the exchange rate and the structure of crediting by type of activity. The impact of seasonality of credit provision is identified. An assessment of the number, structure and volumes of crediting by non-financial credit institutions is provided. The predictive models are developed using different mathematical functions and statistical methods. As a result of the carried out SWOT-analysis, the main problems and shortcomings of the banking system are identified. A project of recommendations on reducing credit risks is proposed.

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Biological Correlates of the Effects of Cognitive Remediation in the Psychoses

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.01.206 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. S48-S48

Author(s):

R. Penades

Keyword(s):

Structural Changes ◽

Neuroprotective Effect ◽

Cognitive Remediation ◽

Serum Levels ◽

Brain Functioning ◽

The Status ◽

Competing Interest ◽

Positive Effect ◽

Dopamine Modulation

Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) deals with the cognitive impairment, which is one of the most disabling symptoms of schizophrenia. Unfortunately, the understanding of its neurobiological correlates is far from complete. Neuroimaging studies have shown that CRT is able to induce neurobiological changes although the results have not always been enough replicated. The most commonly reported changes were those that involved the prefrontal and thalamic regions. Additionally, structural changes were described in both the grey and white matter, suggesting a neuroprotective effect of cognitive remediation. Neuroimaging studies of cognitive remediation in patients with schizophrenia suggest a positive effect on brain functioning in terms of the functional reorganisation of neural networks. From a different perspective, some changes in serum levels of Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have been described. However, our replication of this trial has not been able to find any significant differences. So, nowadays the status of BDNF as a biomarker of cognitive recovery is possibly premature. One possible explanation can be the role of genetics and their different polymorphisms. COMT and BDNF polymorphisms could be accounting for the different outcomes of CRT. Moreover, some studies suggested a role of genes affecting dopamine modulation on outcomes of cognitive remediation.Disclosure of interestThe author declares that he has no competing interest.

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The Impact of Political Events - “Name Issue” on an Emerging Macedonian Stock Market

Journal of Public Administration and Governance ◽

10.5296/jpag.v1i2.926 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 203 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Julijana Angelovska

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Stock Exchange ◽

Abnormal Returns ◽

Candidate Country ◽

The European Union ◽

Political Events ◽

Before And After ◽

The Status ◽

The Impact

The objective of the research is to investigate the impact of political events – “name issue” on the Macedonian Stock Exchange (MSE). Structural changes in volatility of Macedonian capital market seems to be more a consequence of political changes, especially from the perspective of international politics and the association of the country into NATO and the European Union. The research analyzes the response of capital markets to political events. Such an event is the summit in Bucharest as the day D (03/04/2008) which certainly had an impact because of prolonged unresolved problem of the name imposed by Greece. Visa liberalization and the day of solving the status of candidate country for accession to the European Union will be discussed too. An event methodology is employed, and the results suggest that the market respond to all political events connected “name issue”. The results also indicate that there is no difference between the means of abnormal returns before and after the event. Sensitivity of the Macedonian investor related to any information connected to the word "name" is enormous. The Macedonian investor belief is that if “name” issue would be solved, regardless of possible negative real economic flows stock exchange will increase. The paper provides information regarding the effects of solving this name issue on Macedonian investor, and his expectation on this issue. But even if it is solved, the global economic crises and difficult economic situation in Macedonia especially this situation will be temporary and due to low liquidity, foreigners may use local optimism to sell their shares.

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Vasoactive intestinal peptide receptors in rat liver after partial hepatectomy

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj2850515 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 285 (2) ◽

pp. 515-520 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

L G Guijarro ◽

A Couvineau ◽

M S Rodriguez-Pena ◽

M G Juarranz ◽

N Rodriguez-Henche ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Adenylate Cyclase ◽

Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Binding Capacity ◽

Regenerating Liver ◽

Vip Receptors ◽

Receptor Complexes ◽

Binding Data ◽

The Status ◽

Affinity Labelling

We describe the status of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) receptors in regenerating liver. VIP-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity was markedly decreased in proliferating liver 3 days after partial (70%) hepatectomy. This was associated with a reduced efficacy of VIP (53% compared with controls), with no change in the potency of the peptide (ED50 0.8 nM). In contrast, forskolin- and guanosine 5′-[beta gamma-imido]triphosphate (Gpp[NH]p)-stimulated enzyme activities were not decreased after hepatectomy. The expression of Gs protein subunits (alpha and beta) was studied by cholera toxin-catalysed ADP ribosylation of alpha s and by immunoblotting of alpha s and beta subunits. Both subunits were increased in regenerating liver, further suggesting that the decreased response to VIP was not related to a decreased expression of Gs proteins. In fact, the reduced adenylate cyclase response to VIP in regenerating liver was associated with quantitative and structural changes in VIP receptors. Equilibrium binding data obtained with 125I-VIP indicated the presence of two classes of binding sites, the Kds of which were not altered after hepatectomy. In contrast, changes in binding capacity (Bmax.) were as follows: 0.11 +/- 0.01 and 0.05 +/- 0.01 pmol/mg of protein for high-affinity sites in control and hepatectomized rats respectively; and 2.3 +/- 0.2 and 0.65 +/- 0.03 pmol/mg of protein for low-affinity sites in control and hepatectomized rats respectively. Moreover, affinity labelling experiments showed that the M(r) value of 125I-VIP-receptor complexes was higher in regenerating liver than in quiescent hepatocytes, e.g. 58,000 and 53,000 respectively. It is concluded that VIP receptors are altered in regenerating liver, resulting in a decreased response of adenylate cyclase to the neuropeptide.

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First Trip Abroad: Expectations, Experiences and Stories of Transnational Romanians

Social Change Review ◽

10.2478/scr-2014-0003 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 43-71

Author(s):

Alin Croitoru

Keyword(s):

Asylum Seekers ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Qualitative Approach ◽

Communist Country ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Physical Mobility ◽

Different Types ◽

The Status ◽

First Time ◽

Business Travellers

AbstractThe paper analyzes transnational Romanians’ stories about their first trip abroad. The concept of physical mobility is seen in a broader framework for understanding transnational and cosmopolitan behaviours as well as international migration. In order to distinguish between different types of travelling for the first trip abroad the article is constructed keeping in mind the structural changes and constraints regarding physical mobility for Romanian citizens. During the process of transition from a communist country to the status of EU member, Romanian citizens’ stories about travelling abroad for the first time fundamentally changed. Labour migrants, asylum seekers, business travellers, students or tourists left the countries with different expectations and faced different problems at destination. Their attitudes toward origin and destination framed their images about the first trip abroad. Using a qualitative approach and samples of Romanians who live in Denmark, Germany, Italy, Romania, Spain and the United Kingdom, the analysis emphasizes certain differences between different types of travelling for the first time abroad and reconstructs how Romanians started their transnational careers

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When public spending goes local: agricultural expenditure at a key stage in Ghana’s decentralisation reform

Commonwealth Journal of Local Governance ◽

10.5130/cjlg.vi23.7560 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Tewodaj Mogues ◽

Kwaku Owusu-Baah

Keyword(s):

Local Government ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Budget Cuts ◽

Chief Executives ◽

Reporting Practices ◽

New Public ◽

Government Leadership ◽

Reform Period ◽

The Status ◽

Expenditure Reporting

This paper provides a qualitative analysis that highlights the implications on agricultural services of a key stage in decentralisation reforms in Ghana. We assess the status of agricultural expenditure decentralisation and draw out the likely implications for agricultural service delivery and national strategies. The study finds that agricultural officers at all levels (national, regional and district) had concerns about the implementation of the new decentralisation reform. These included budget cuts and delays in releases that coincided with the reform period; the transfer of staff from the civil service to the local government service; and a sense that agriculture may receive less attention when allocation of government resources becomes the preserve of assemblies and district chief executives, rather than the central agricultural ministry. The structural changes also meant that agricultural local government staff now needed to learn to ‘market’ the value of their public services to local government leadership, in order to protect resources for agriculture. The decentralisation reform also necessitated new public expenditure reporting practices to ensure a clear overview of sectoral spending across government tiers.

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Organizational and structural aspects of the formation of the economic efficiency of agricultural enterprises

Ekonomika APK ◽

10.32317/2221-1055.202008098 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 310 (8) ◽

pp. 98-106

Author(s):

Yuliia Okhota

Keyword(s):

Economic Efficiency ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Practical Significance ◽

Scientific Methods ◽

Agricultural Enterprises ◽

Analysis And Synthesis ◽

The Status ◽

Logical Method ◽

General Scientific ◽

Structural Aspects

The purpose of the article is to characterize the organizational and structural aspects of the formation of economic efficiency of agricultural enterprises. Research methods. General scientific methods were used during the research - analysis and synthesis (to identify the links between the factors of formation of economic efficiency of agricultural enterprises, as well as to assess the status unifying effects of its formation); induction (for the implementation of theoretical conclusions about the patterns of causation of organizational and structural changes and the results of economic activity of enterprises); comparison (to compare the dynamics of changes in the structural composition of enterprises in the process of economic reform, as well as the financial efficiency of their activities); abstract-logical method (for structuring the factors and effects of the formation of economic efficiency of agricultural enterprises). Research results. The organizational and structural aspects of the formation of economic efficiency of agricultural enterprises as a representation of their system, as well as individual businesses are substantiated and disclosed. Scientific novelty. Based on the systematization of empirical data on the development of agricultural enterprises, it was identified modern features of the formation of economic efficiency, its organizational and structural aspects with estimates of the enterprises size and their regional specifics of efficiency. Practical significance. The obtained results have an applied, methodological orientation and provide an opportunity to justify management decisions in the development of agricultural enterprises depending on the size and taking into account the organizational form. Tabl.: 4. Refs.: 18.

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Transformative Constitutionalism

The Global South and Comparative Constitutional Law ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198850403.003.0007 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 165-189

Author(s):

Diego Werneck Arguelhes

Keyword(s):

Structural Changes ◽

Constitutional Court ◽

The Public ◽

Judicial Decisions ◽

Government Institutions ◽

The Supreme Court ◽

The Status ◽

Actual Change ◽

The Government ◽

Over Time

The Brazilian experience with a transformative constitution and an empowered constitutional court has so far been mixed. This chapter uses the case of Brazil to draw three sets of lessons. First, courts are part of the broader arrangement of government institutions which are shaped by elections over time; these dynamics may lead to mismatches between blueprints for constitutional transformation, over time and across different actors and institutions. In Brazil, such a mismatch initially led to the Supreme Court resisting the broad transformative mandate it had received in the new constitutional text. Second, a change in how courts describe their transformative mandate in their decisions is a poor measure of actual change in how they perform their role. Third, while judicial decisions might not be enough to transform existing patterns of inequality, they can still positively change the court’s standing before the public, in general, and scholars in particular. This scenario might lead courts to fashion an optical illusion: judges might choose cases with transformative potential and issue rulings requiring major, structural changes in the way the government deals with certain issues, only to refrain from following up on what happens after these decisions are taken. They reap the benefits of being associated with transformative discourse and move on to the next issue, leaving the status quo largely undisturbed. For these reasons, while the Brazilian experiment with transformative constitutionalism has not necessarily been unsuccessful, it should not be read as a success case of ‘court-centric’ approach to transformative constitutionalism when it comes to social rights and material inequality.

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