Articoli di riviste sul tema "Pays émergents"

Interest spread, the difference between what a bank earns on its assets and what it pays on its liabilities, has been on an upward trend during the last few years: during 2005 the average interest spread of the banking sector has increased by 2.14 percent. An increase in the interest spread implies that either the depositor or the borrower or both stand to loose. In the context of developing economies, the lack of alternate avenues of financial intermediation aggravates the adverse impact of increase in spread.1 Interest spread also has implications for the effectiveness of the bank lending channel. For example, with a commitment to market based monetary policy, the central bank influences the yield on treasury bills (T. bill hereafter) that in turn affects the deposit and lending rates.2 The change in these rates influences the cost of capital that in turn affects the level of consumption and investment in the economy. If the pass-through of the changes in yield on T. bill rate to the deposit and lending rates is asymmetric then this changes the spread, for better or worse, depending upon the nature of asymmetry. If the increase in spread is due to lower return to depositors then this discourages savings; alternatively if it is due to higher charge on loans, investment decisions are affected. In either case the increase in spread has an adverse bearing upon the effectiveness of bank lending channel of monetary policy and has therefore important implications for the economy......

The article considers basic areas of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) that are peculiar of modern companies based on logistics tools as auxiliary elements when planning various stages of preparing, carrying out and completing the integration or corporation. On this basis modern understanding of the M&A changes both globally and regionally is formed. The article pays special attention to the control over M&A transactions through the efficient implementation of logistics in intercompany processes of various business structures regardless of the scale and sector. It defines modern trends on accelerating M&A transactions in various areas (financial, industrial, energy) based on the extended tools of generally accepted approaches that make it possible to maximize the synergetic effect.

PurposeMunicipal amalgamation (or merger or consolidation) is commonly employed in countries around the world to improve efficiency in public service. While mergers occur among jurisdictions of all sizes, the municipal amalgamation discourse is typically limited to one national setting and a focus on mergers of larger local jurisdictions. The existing municipal amalgamation literature pays little attention to predicate conditions for successful mergers. This study seeks to address these deficiencies by examining the premerger conditions and effects of municipal amalgamations that recently took place in four small jurisdictions of similar size in Thailand and the United States.Design/methodology/approachA holistic multiple case study approach was employed. These two cases share a geographical attribute: one municipal jurisdiction encircled by another.FindingsThe evidence indicates that factors associated with what the researchers refer to as “familiarity” facilitated both successful approval of and outcomes resulting from the amalgamation actions. While the study's findings align with international research regarding the potential for reducing administrative support costs through consolidation, its findings diverge from existing international evidence in that the evidence indicates operating effectiveness and efficiency improvements. Economies of scope and marginal economies of scale are in evidence. Although findings from this study indicate that there might be problematic effects regarding political representation and participation, in that the consolidated jurisdictions remain small in size, negative citizen engagement and participation consequences may be less than that evidenced in larger consolidated jurisdictions.Originality/valueThe study introduces the “familiarity” theorem as a theoretical lens to assist in understanding the cases.

Neutron star binaries, such as the one observed in the famous binary pulsar PSR 1913+16, end their life in a catastrophic merger event (denoted here NS2M). The merger releases ∼5 1053 ergs, mostly as neutrinos and gravitational radiation. A small fraction of this energy suffices to power γ-ray bursts (GRBs) at cosmological distances. Cosmological GRBs must pass, however, an optically thick fireball phase and the observed γ rays emerge only at the end of this phase. Hence, it is difficult to determine the nature of the source from present observations (the agreement between the rates of GRBs and NS2Ms providing only indirect evidence for this model). In the future a coinciding detection of a GRB and a gravitational-radiation signal could confirm this model.

Galaxy formation is a diverse range of ongoing processes. Numerical simulations suggest that disk galaxies in collision pass through a massive burst of star formation, and produce ‘elliptical–like’ remnants similar to bone fide elliptical galaxies. The observed relative numbers of merging systems and elliptical galaxies are consistent with this picture (Toomre 1977). We here investigate further by studying the distribution of old stars in a sample of merging galaxies : the ultraluminous IR galaxies (ULIRGs). We selected ten ULIRGs from the literature (Clements & Baker 1996; Leech et al. 1994; Zhenglong et al. 1991; Melnick & Mirabel 1990) by two criteria: proximity (redshifts z < 0.15), for good spatial resolution; and confirmed signs of merging. We obtained deep K–band images (tint ~ 1000 - 2700s) in good seeing using MAGIC on the Calar Alto 3.5m telescope. Our data have a field–of–view roughly equivalent to 10 - 20 effective radii for the galaxies. We have fitted analytic surface brightness profiles to the data for the exponential disk and the de Vaucouleurs r1/4 elliptical descriptions. We strongly favour the elliptical-like description in 8 out of 10 cases, supporting the picture that collision and merger of classical spiral galaxies can produce classical elliptical galaxies, through tidal disruption, violent star formation accompanied by prodigious infrared emission, and gravitational relaxation. These data can also constrain the properties of the ULIRG (double) nuclei and hence the lifetime of the ULIRG phase (Baker & Clements 1998).

In this contribution I shall first briefly review the arguments suggesting that most galaxies pass through a quasar or AGN phase early in their lifetime, perhaps concurrent with bulge formation. Then, as a footnote to the paper by van der Marel, I will discuss how relic black holes in quiescent galaxies could reveal themselves by the occasional flares resulting from tidal disruption of stars. In conclusion, I shall briefly discuss the phenomena associated with binary black holes, arguing that these are the likely outcome of galaxy mergers.

AbstractThis article examines the survival rates of cooperatives in the French wine industry. Traditional theory claims that cooperatives are inefficient and consequently are prone to failure, but recent literature suggests a higher resilience. Can cooperatives cope better? We find that French wine cooperatives survive longer than corporations. This result is robust in semi-parametric and parametric models, even when we control for mergers and acquisitions. The higher survival rate of wine cooperatives seems to be associated with their ability to pass changes in their business environments on to their members. (JEL Classifications: C41, G30, Q13)

&#192; partir des ann&#233;es 1950, la France a d&#233;velopp&#233; une politique migratoire envers l&#8217;Afrique qui favorisait l&#8217;arriv&#233;e d&#8217;hommes seuls ayant laiss&#233; leur famille dans leur pays d&#8217;origine. Cette absence prolong&#233;e du p&#232;re, rythm&#233;e par des retours au pays une fois ou deux dans l&#8217;ann&#233;e, ne pouvait manquer d&#8217;avoir des r&#233;percussions sur la vie familiale et sur l&#8217;image du p&#232;re aux yeux des enfants. Dans certains cas, le p&#232;re a compl&#232;tement disparu des pr&#233;occupations des enfants, laissant sa place &#224; un autre adulte exer&#231;ant une fonction &#233;ducative envers eux&#160;: grand-p&#232;re, oncle, fr&#232;re a&#238;n&#233;, voire voisin&#8230; m&#232;re, grand-m&#232;re ou tante, plus rarement. Dans d&#8217;autres cas, son absence a &#233;t&#233; source de souffrances et les retrouvailles ont &#233;t&#233; marqu&#233;es par des conflits. Certains hommes ont fait venir dans le pays d&#8217;accueil un de leurs enfants sur le tard pour les accompagner dans leur vieillesse. La plupart du temps, ces enfants ont eu beaucoup de mal &#224; s&#8217;adapter &#224; leur nouvel environnement. Parfois ces retrouvailles ont pu, au contraire, favoriser l&#8217;&#233;mergence d&#8217;une image beaucoup plus positive du p&#232;re. &#192; partir d&#8217;une recherche men&#233;e au d&#233;but des ann&#233;es 2000 1 , cet article se propose d&#8217;analyser les diverses configurations que peuvent prendre les retrouvailles avec un p&#232;re vivant &#224; distance.

With over a century of combined nondestructive testing (NDT) experience, the authors of this article would like to pass along some legacy knowledge of the NDT business from the perspective of services, equipment, training, and certification. Over their multi-decade careers, they have held numerous roles in field deployments, sales, marketing, management, mergers and acquisitions, accounting, government relations, and product development. In all cases, they learned that the key to success in NDT was about providing solutions to customer problems. The authors have experienced firsthand the incredible technical and commercial development of the NDT marketplace and desire to share their insights with the readers of Materials Evaluation.

Abstract A hybrid method is presented for the integration of low-, mid-, and high-frequency driver filters in loud-speaker crossovers. The Pascal matrix is exploited to calculate denominators; the locations of minimum values in frequency magnitude responses are associated with the forms of numerators; the maximum values are used to compute gain factors. The forms of the resulting filters are based on the physical meanings of low-pass, band-pass, and high-pass filters, an intuitive idea which is easy to be understood. Moreover, each coefficient is believed to be simply calculated, an advantage which keeps the software-implemented crossover running smoothly even if crossover frequencies are being changed in real time. This characteristic allows users to efficiently adjust the bandwidths of the driver filters by subjective listening tests if objective measurements of loudspeaker parameters are unavailable. Instead of designing separate structures for a low-, mid-, and high-frequency driver filter, by using the proposed techniques we can implement one structure which merges three types of digital filters. Not only does the integration architecture operate with low computational cost, but its size is also compact. Design examples are included to illustrate the effectiveness of the presented methodology

AbstractMid-infrared (mid-IR) spectra from ~5 to 14 μm of five, nearby (< 70 Mpc) elliptical galaxies are presented that were observed with the Infrared Spectrograph on the Spitzer Space Telescope. The sample galaxies have a main stellar component that is typical for normal, passively evolving ellipticals; however, they are rich in cold gas and dust and have morphological-merger signatures from which a time order of the galaxies since the merger or accretion events can be estimated. The presented results are significant because (1) emission due to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and associated species is detected for the first time in these galaxies and (2) the detected mid-IR spectra are independently exploited as a probe of current or recent star-formation that, in this case, is assumed to be triggered by the merger. As shown in exemplary spectra of the early-age merger NGC 3656, the strength of the PAH emission is more centrally peaked in the earlier-age mergers, suggesting that the PAH data are indeed probing star-formation that is correlated with the time since the mergers and systematically depletes the centrally located gas, becoming weaker and more flatly distributed as the merger evolves.

Abstract The coalescence of binary neutron stars can yield the expulsion of a fast-moving, quasi-isotropic material, which may induce thermal radiation and give rise to kilonova emission. Moreover, the interaction between the ejected material and the surrounding environment generates an external shock, which can result in a long-lasting radio signal that persists for several decades following the merger. In contrast to supernova ejecta, the kilonova ejecta exhibits a relatively lesser mass and higher velocity, and its expansion may ultimately result in the ejecta density becoming so low that the medium particles can freely pass through the ejecta. It would thereby lead to a kind of incomplete sweeping on the interstellar medium. Employing a toy model, our investigation reveals that such incomplete sweeping may considerably diminish the late-time radio radiation power, irrespective of whether the binary neutron star merger results in the formation of a black hole or a neutron star. Our findings thus imply that the previously reported radio upper limits for certain short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) may not necessarily place stringent constraints on the presence of a long-lived magnetar remnant in these short GRBs.

The articles represents a research of general approaches of BRICS countries legislation and legal order to counteraction against such an anticompetitive market strategy and a means of both global and regional governance as abuse of control and dominant market power in legal orders of China, India, Russia and South Africa. The author pays particular attention to current legislation of BRICS countries in the field of competition protection with regard to provisions related to market structure control and restrictions of anticompetitive mergers and acquisitions (further on - M&As) and ‘concentrationʼ of enterprises' market power control fixed by Asian (China and India), Euro-Asian (Russia) and African (South Africa) legal orders. The analysis of substantial contents of laws on competition and monopolies of the abovementioned BRICS countries and relevant case law shows the existence of a number of conventional generally acknowledged (unified) provisions and norms. At the same time there are specific features making them different. These generally acknowledged provisions and peculiarities will be in focus in the article.

This master thesis explores the intricate dynamics of Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) with a focus on understanding the dual dimensions of value creation and risk management. In the contemporary corporate landscape, M&A activities have emerged as pivotal strategic tools for companies seeking growth, diversification, and competitive advantage. The research aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of how these transactions contribute to shareholder value while effectively navigating associated risks. The literature review establishes the foundation by synthesizing existing knowledge on M&A, spanning historical context, economic impact, financial performance, and corporate governance. Special attention is given to theories and models related to value creation and risk management in M&A, providing a comprehensive overview of the multifaceted nature of these transactions. The research methodology adopts a mixed-methods approach, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative techniques. A carefully selected sample of companies engaged in M&A activities serves as the focal point for data collection. Financial analyses, surveys, and content analysis of relevant documents constitute the primary tools for gathering insights into the chosen topic. Variables related to value creation and risk management are defined and measured using a combination of financial metrics, qualitative assessments, and established measurement scales. The study pays close attention to ethical considerations, ensuring participant privacy and data confidentiality throughout the research process. The anticipated findings aim to shed light on the factors influencing successful value creation in M&A, providing insights into post-merger integration strategies, financial performance, and the broader economic implications of these transactions. Additionally, the research seeks to identify effective risk management practices that contribute to mitigating challenges associated with M&A, including cultural differences, regulatory compliance, and integration hurdles. By presenting a rigorous and well-justified research methodology, this thesis seeks to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on M&A, providing valuable insights for practitioners, policymakers, and academics interested in understanding the intricacies of value creation and risk management in the context of mergers and acquisitions Index Terms- Mergers, Acquisitions, Risk management, Value creation, Facebook, Du Pont, WhatsApp.

Abstract Blue large-amplitude pulsators (BLAPs) are hot low-mass stars that show large-amplitude light variations likely due to radial oscillations driven by iron group opacities. Period changes provide evidence of both secular contraction and expansion among the class. Various formation histories have been proposed, but none are completely satisfactory. Zhang et al. proposed that the merger of a helium-core white dwarf with a low-mass main-sequence star (HeWD+MS) can lead to the formation of some classes of hot subdwarfs. We have analyzed these HeWD+MS merger models in more detail. Between helium-shell ignition and full helium-core burning, the models pass through the volume of luminosity–gravity–temperature space occupied by BLAPs. Periods of expansion and contraction associated with helium-shell flashes can account for the observed rates of period change. We argue that the HeWD+MS merger model provides at least one BLAP formation channel.

Experiments were done in α-chloralose-anesthetized, paralyzed, and artificially ventilated rats to investigate the effect ofl-glutamate (Glu) stimulation of the substantia nigra (SN) and ventral tegmental area (VTA) on arterial pressure (AP) and heart rate (HR). Glu stimulation of the SN pars compacta (SNC) elicited decreases in both mean AP (MAP; −18.9 ± 1.3 mmHg; n = 52) and HR (−26.1 ± 1.6 beats/min; n = 46) at 81% of the sites stimulated. On the other hand, stimulation of the SN pars lateralis or pars reticulata did not elicit cardiovascular responses. Stimulation of the adjacent VTA region elicited similar decreases in MAP (−18.0 ± 2.6 mmHg; n = 20) and HR (−25.4 ± 3.8 beats/min; n = 17) at ∼74% of the sites stimulated. Intravenous administration of the dopamine D2-receptor antagonist raclopride significantly attenuated both the MAP (70%) and the HR (54%) responses elicited by stimulation of the transitional region where the SNC merges with the lateral VTA (SNC-VTA region). Intravenous administration of the muscarinic receptor blocker atropine methyl bromide had no effect on the magnitude of the MAP and HR responses to stimulation of the SNC-VTA region, whereas administration of the nicotinic receptor blocker hexamethonium bromide significantly attenuated both the depressor and the bradycardic responses. These data suggest that dopaminergic neurons in the SNC-VTA region activate a central pathway that exerts cardiovascular depressor effects that are mediated by the inhibition of sympathetic vasoconstrictor fibers to the vasculature and cardioacceleratory fibers to the heart.

Firms may be able to create new and improved products as a result of merging. These “demand-side efficiencies” should be considered by competition authorities in considering whether to allow a merger. Unlike reductions in costs that merged firms may not pass on to consumers, new and better products necessarily make consumers better off. Moreover, the value of demand-side efficiencies can be quite large, as recent studies of improved products ranging from toilet paper to minivans has demonstrated. Of course, competition authorities should seek evidence that mergers will facilitate new and improved products and weigh these benefits against increased prices and other costs the merger may create. A review of European Union merger cases shows that the Commission needs to consider demand-side efficiencies, and provides further caution against making efficiencies an “offence” rather than a “defence”.

Attosecond technology is a radical departure from all the optical (and collision) technology that preceded it. It merges optical and collision physics. The technology opens important problems in each area of science for study by previously unavailable methods. Underlying attosecond technology is a strong laser field. It extracts an electron from an atom or molecule near the crest of the field. The electron is pulled away from its parent ion, but is driven back after the field reverses. It can then recollide with its parent ion. Since the recolliding electron has a wavelength of about 1 Å, we can measure Angstrom spatial dimensions. Since the strong time-dependent field of the light pulse directs the electron with subcycle precision, we can control and measure attosecond phenomena. PACS Nos.: 33.15.Mt, 33.80.Rv, 39.90.+d, 42.50.Hz, 42.65.Ky

Abstract Circumferential tire grooves form pipes in the contact patch and generate the nuisance noise, for which the fundamental natural frequency is approximately 1000 Hz for passenger car tires. The frequency coincides with the peak of pass-by noise spectrum. Therefore, controlling the groove resonance is of a main motivation of this paper to reduce environmental noise. If one lateral slot end is terminated in tread rib and if the other end merges to a circumferential groove, it is found that the slot performs as a side-branch or a Helmholtz subresonator to counteract to the pipe resonance. The slot parameters, such as cavity volume and the change in section area, determine the resonant frequency and effectively influence on the acoustic characteristics of whole groove space. Optimal slot geometry is widely investigated by using numerical analysis and validated by experiments. It is shown that the proposed tread design can significantly reduce groove noise without sacrificing other performances.

This research project aims to advance healthcare data and diagnostic imaging delivery by employing a digital Picture Archiving and Communication System, also known as PACS, alongside a web application that is internet accessible. The study explores two main areas, which are User Interface design and system functionality. The User Interface design merges the aesthetic of traditional paper documentation with the advantages of electronic displays to enhance both readability and overall user experience. The system functionality has been assessed and confirmed to offer secure and efficient transmission of medical diagnostic data as well as radiographic images. By complying with the Personal Data Protection Act of 2019 or PDPA, the system ensures the safe handling of confidential personal information. Test results show that the system meets performance standards and has been well-received by users. The project serves as a timely solution for today's medical industry, focusing on the speed and security of diagnostic data and image transmission.

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the causes of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) deals that acquiring firms pay excess premium beyond the market-expected level and examine the relation between the announcement return and long-term performance of the acquiring firms.Design/methodology/approachBased on a sample of 1,767 US firms’ M&A deals from 2000 to 2014, the authors use the expectation model used by Ang and Ismail (2015) to measure normal offer premium in an M&A deal. They conduct the standard event study methodology to observe the market reaction for acquiring companies on the announcement day. Buy-and-hold abnormal returns are used for the main explanatory variable so as to find the impact of the premium paid on the long-term performance of the acquirer.FindingsFirst, acquiring firms are faced with negative market returns when acquiring firms pay excess premiums. Second, poor long-term performance of the acquiring firms is observed if acquiring firms pay excess premium. Finally, the negative relation between excess premium and acquiring firms’ long-term performance weakens, as the sample period becomes longer.Research limitations/implicationsThe hypotheses and results of the empirical study are as follows. First, the acquirer’s market reaction on the announcement day is negative when it pays an excess offer premium. This is because the market perceives the premium to be greater than the value of the deal, which damages the value of the market, as it is not perceived as a proxy for future synergy. Second, the acquirer’s long-term performance is low when it pays the excess offer premium. It is the same result as the acquirer’s market reaction on the announcement day. This shows that the excess premium does not result in either a short-term positive reaction or a long-term profit for the acquiring shareholders. However, it is found that the relationship between the excess premium and the long-term performance of the acquirer decreases with time. This is because the long-term performance of the acquirer is more affected by management and other events after the deal.Originality/valueThe authors divide the total premium paid into the normal offer premium and the excess premium, and their focus is on the excess premium part. The main contribution of this paper is that it analyzes how the excess premium affects the market reaction on the announcement day and the long-term performance of acquiring firms.

The plethora of changes that have taken place in policy formulations on higher education in recent years in Greece has led to unification, the abolition of departments or technological educational institutions (TEI) and mergers at universities. As a result, many students are required to complete their studies in departments of the abolished TEI. Dropout or a delay in graduation is a significant problem that results from newly joined students at the university, in addition to the provision of studies. There are various reasons for this, with student performance during studies being one of the major contributing factors. This study was aimed at predicting the time required for weak students to pass their courses so as to allow the university to develop strategic programs that will help them improve performance and graduate in time. This paper presents various components of educational data mining incorporating a new state-of-the-art strategy, called AutoML, which is used to find the best models and parameters and is capable of predicting the length of time required for students to pass their courses using their past course performance and academic information. A dataset of 23,687 “Computer Networking” module students was used to train and evaluate the classification of a model developed in the KNIME Analytics (open source) data science platform. The accuracy of the model was measured using well-known evaluation criteria, such as precision, recall, and F-measure. The model was applied to data related to three basic courses and correctly predicted approximately 92% of students’ performance and, specifically, students who are likely to drop out or experience a delay before graduating.

Abstract: In the realm of Computer Science, integrated circuits (ICs) have propelled microprocessor and digital signal processor development, hinging on the 1-bit full adder's significance for mathematical tasks. To amplify overall efficiency, enhancing this adder is pivotal. As demand surges for power-efficient devices like smartphones and MP3 players, maintaining a balance between speed, size, and power usage becomes imperative. Engineers tackle this challenge while bridging battery technology gaps. We propose advanced 1-bit full adder designs, evaluated via Cadence Virtuoso. A hybrid version merges Pass-Transistor Logic (PTL), Transmission Gates (TGs), and static CMOS logic. An optimized alternative incorporates efficient 3T-XOR logic. The comparative study considers crucial metrics: the existing FA’s 8.83µW power vs. the proposed's 8.49µW; the proposed's shorter delay of 64.53ps vs. the existing FA’s 83.1ps (18 vs. 22 transistors). At 64 bits, the existing FA’s consumes 66.8µW with a 470.94ps delay (1408 transistors), while the proposed maintains 35.05µW, 64.53ps, and fewer transistors (1152). In summary, the proposed adder excels in efficiency, delay, and transistor use for energy-efficient arithmetic operations.

Abstract White dwarf (WD) stars evolve simply and predictably, making them reliable age indicators. However, self-consistent validation of the methods for determining WD total ages has yet to be widely performed. This work uses 1565 wide (>100 au) WD+WD binaries and 24 new triples containing at least two WDs to test the accuracy and validity of WD total age determinations. For these 1589 wide double WD binaries and triples, we derive the total age of each WD using photometric data from all-sky surveys, in conjunction with Gaia parallaxes and current hydrogen atmosphere WD models. Ignoring the initial-to-final mass relation and considering only WD cooling ages, we find that roughly 21%–36% of the more massive WDs in a system have a shorter cooling age. Since more massive WDs should be born as more massive main-sequence stars, we interpret this unphysical disagreement as evidence of prior mergers or the presence of an unresolved companion, suggesting that roughly 21%–36% of wide WD+WD binaries were once triples. Among the 423 wide WD+WD pairs that pass high-fidelity cuts, we find that 25% total age uncertainties are generally appropriate for WDs with masses >0.63 M ⊙ and temperatures <12,000 K and provide suggested inflation factors for age uncertainties for higher-mass WDs. Overall, WDs return reliable stellar ages, but we detail cases where the total ages are least reliable, especially for WDs <0.63 M ⊙.

Abstract We present resolved H i synthesis maps from the Very Large Array of three interacting dwarf systems: the NGC 3664 dwarf pair, the NGC 3264 dwarf pair, and the UGC 4638 dwarf triplet. All three dwarf systems are captured at various stages of interaction and span a range of environments. We detect clear hallmarks of tidal interactions through the presence of H i bridges and diffuse H i extensions that surround the dwarfs. We overlay the H i data on Pan-STARRS r-band images and find further evidence of tidal interactions through coincident distorted H i and tidal stellar features in NGC 3264 and UGC 4638, and an unwound spiral arm pointing toward its smaller companion in NGC 3264. In UGC 4638, both the gas and diffuse stars are extended to similar radii east of the primary, which could indicate that the smaller dwarf in the system has already completed one pass through the primary. We additionally find that our three systems, and those from the Local Volume TiNy Titans survey, are not H i deficient and thus the interaction has not resulted in a loss of gas from the systems. A comparison with noninteracting dwarf galaxies shows that the interactions have a significant impact on the kinematics of the systems. Our new resolved H i kinematics, combined with detailed stellar and H i morphologies, provide crucial constraints for future dynamical modeling of hierarchical mergers and the baryon cycle at the low-mass scale.

In this paper, we publish the algorithm to create a dual image manifested in the infrared and visible spectrum. To distinguish the information in the two light spectra, twin dyes are introduced for the inkjet plotter and printing realization for garment and canvas items. The graphics, invisible to the naked eye, are designed for the near infrared (NIR) spectrum and are suitable for urban security where surveillance cameras with IR detectors are installed. The duality of dyes is presented in tables, and the analysis is a basis for programming and developing new algorithms for the application of “Infrared Dyeing” on different materials and printing technologies. Through spectroscopy, this innovative solution demonstrates twin colorants by printing in one pass through the plotter such that one image remains visible, while the other one is hidden to the bare eye. The uniform and the school bag cover presented in this paper are kept simple in design because they incorporate information hidden to the naked eye but visible with surveillance cameras and all the other infrared detectors. The article provides mathematical models of duality coloring as a basis for programming the graphic prepress that merges both of the images, the visual one and the infrared one. A topic is the fusion of two images with colors that represent two graphs, with independent contents for the visual and near-infrared spectrum.

This paper introduces and describes a novel architecture scenario based on Cloud Computing and counts on the innovative model of Federated Learning. The proposed model is named Integrated Federated Model , with the acronym InFeMo . InFeMo incorporates all the existing Cloud models with a federated learning scenario, as well as other related technologies that may have integrated use with each other, offering a novel integrated scenario. In addition to this, the proposed model is motivated to deliver a more energy efficient system architecture and environment for the users, which aims to the scope of data management. Also, by applying the InFeMo the user would have less waiting time in every procedure queue. The proposed system was built on the resources made available by Cloud Service Providers (CSPs) and by using the PaaS (Platform as a Service) model, in order to be able to handle user requests better and faster. This research tries to fill a scientific gap in the field of federated Cloud systems. Thus, taking advantage of the existing scenarios of FedAvg and CO-OP, we were keen to end up with a new federated scenario that merges these two algorithms, and aiming for a more efficient model that is able to select, depending on the occasion, if it “trains” the model locally in client or globally in server.

AbstractWe report the results from a systematic search for molecular (OH 119 μm) outflows with Herschel-PACS† in a sample of 43 nearby (z < 0.3) galaxy mergers, mostly ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) and QSOs. We find that the character of the OH feature (strength of the absorption relative to the emission) correlates with that of the 9.7-μm silicate feature, a measure of obscuration in ULIRGs. Unambiguous evidence for molecular outflows, based on the detection of OH absorption profiles with median velocities more blueshifted than −50 km s−1, is seen in 26 (70%) of the 37 OH-detected targets, suggesting a wide-angle (~ 145°) outflow geometry. Conversely, unambiguous evidence for molecular inflows, based on the detection of OH absorption profiles with median velocities more redshifted than +50 km s−1, is seen in only 4 objects, suggesting a planar or filamentary geometry for the inflowing gas. Terminal outflow velocities of ~ −1000 km s−1 are measured in several objects, but median outflow velocities are typically ~ −200 km s−1. While the outflow velocities show no statistically significant dependence on the star formation rate, they are distinctly more blueshifted among systems with large AGN fractions and luminosities [log (LAGN/L⊙) ≥ 11.8 ± 0.3]. The quasars in these systems play a dominant role in driving the molecular outflows. In contrast, the most AGN dominated systems, where OH is seen purely in emission, show relatively modest OH line widths, despite their large AGN luminosities, perhaps indicating that molecular outflows subside once the quasar has cleared a path through the obscuring material.

Moral construction is to build a whole society through the education system if it is in the family, school and all the official beginning of the individual as he is responsible for himself and his family, including that of morality on the whole is the gain of the father or mother or family or community, or from everyone. If ( all the same, including earned hostage) that ensures for individuals to know what is the moral they construct, so this acquisition is of sound architecture basic principle here that the morality of the individual's behavior in itself and society, and the two could not have detract from the importance of each of them, it is a modern confused civil attributes and mergers and non-discrimination between humans Kid is in line with the reality of moral sense, until the evolution must be taking into account the educational system. If someone know a culture and level of moral community and the awareness that he wanted the community can ask for their reality educational regulars and family, and how this reality instilling in his people the values ​​and principles morality ?, sound morality is a reality as a result of that community who knew how to develop and elevating its members? and how it promotes good ethical practices? How is following his community in such practices as normal?, every manifestation of life sound constantly happening and choose the natural behavior that proved its validity experience in the community, it came to pass then choose to upgrade and develop the basic measure under the cultural evolution of the human being in a very serious matter in a very simple moral ground.

In isolated canine lung lobes perfused with a pulsatile pump, arterial occlusions were performed and the postocclusion arterial pressure profiles were analyzed to estimate the pulmonary capillary pressure. A solenoid valve interposed between the pump and the lobar artery was used to perform arterial occlusions at several instants equally distributed within a pressure cycle. Double occlusions were also accomplished by simultaneously activating the solenoid valve and clamping the venous outflow of the lung lobe. To analyze an arterial occlusion pressure profile, we computed the best monoexponential fit of the pressure decay over a short period of time after the occlusion maneuvers. Two estimates of the capillary pressure were derived from this analysis: 1) the extrapolation of the exponential fit to the instant of occlusion, and 2) the point at which the recorded pressure decay curve merges with the exponential fit. The pressures thus determined were compared with the double occlusion pressure that provided an independent estimate of the pulmonary capillary pressure. Our results show that, under a wide range of conditions, the estimates of the capillary pressure obtained from the arterial occlusion data are nearly equal to the double occlusion pressures. Additionally, we estimated the capillary pressure variations within a pressure cycle by examining the occlusion pressures sampled at different instants of the cycle. The pulsatility of the pulmonary microvascular pressure varied with the pump frequency as well as the state of arterial and venous vasoaction. These variations are consistent with the representation of the lung vasculature as a low-pass filter.

PurposeThe paper aims to explain bank interest spread from 2000 to 2014.Design/methodology/approachThe study used the ordinary least square panel corrected standard errors (OLS-PCSE) estimation. Generalised least squares results (unreported but available on request) are consistent with the OLS-PCSE results. This is done for 110 developing countries, 50 Europe & Central Asia countries, 33 Latin American countries, 21 Middle East and North African (MENA) countries, 46 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) counties and 8 South Asia countries. The developing countries are further grouped into small, medium and large-size banking markets.FindingsThe study finds consistent results which indicate that the bigger a bank the less margin charged. The results further show an ambiguous relationship between concentration and net interest margin. The authors find strong evidence to show that less competition leads to inefficient banking market. The study finds lower operational efficiency can lead to higher or lower margin depending on the region or market size. General growth in the economy can lead to a more efficient banking market. The results allude to the fact that inflationary shocks do pass on to deposit and loan rates at different extent and speed. Little evidence show that higher presence of foreign banks leads to higher margins.Practical implicationsThe study recommends Central banks to encourage banks to grow/expand either through mergers or acquisitions. This could be done by increasing minimum capital requirements. When this is done, it is most likely that economies of scale among the merged banking entities will be materialised, potentially causing a sizable reduction in overhead costs that could eventually also increase the intermediation efficiency. While at this, further efficiency should be ensured through stirring up competition.Originality/valueThis study is the first to give new evidence of banking spread using country level data for developing countries and across different continents.

Background: Contemporarily, the use of innovative orthodontic appliances or their components has increased for safer, quicker results, and more comfort of the patient. But, researchers rarely highlight the potential demerits of accidental ingestion of these appliances. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the evidence-based literature on the accidental swallowing of these appliances and their effect on the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and airway. Method: An electronic search was performed on PubMed, Medline, Scopus, The Cochrane Library, and EMBASE until April 11, 2021. Methodological quality and synthesis of case series and case report tool (MQCC) was applied to determine the quality of these case reports and series. The outcome variable was to assess its effect on airway and GIT, and methods of removal of these foreign bodies. Meta-analysis was not performed as the study included case reports and case series in which no control groups were present. Results: Out of 113 case reports and series, 29 articles were included in this systematic review. Only 31% of articles have satisfied the MQCC scale and maintained as high-quality case reports, 43% of articles were medium to high quality, and 26% designated as low quality. Conclusions: Eighty percent of the accidental ingested orthodontic appliances that pass uneventfully through the gastrointestinal system require a fiber-rich diet and laxatives. A total of 10% to 20% lacerates oral, pharyngeal, and gastrointestinal mucosa result in pain, bleeding requires laryngoscope, endoscopically and laparoscopy with use of Magill’s forceps. Only 1% of cases have presented with a high morbidity and mortality alarming for surgical removal of ingested component. Thus, the precautions to be taken to overcome such incidences are tying silk thread to activation key, use of recent bonding method, use of contrast colors of removable appliances as the color merges with mucosal color, and operator position should be 7 O′ clock.

By some measures, the U.S. public corporation appears to be in the midst of a significant decline, as Michael Jensen predicted 25 years ago in a Harvard Business Review article called “The Eclipse of the Public Corporation.” Based on an analysis of ten industries during the 48‐year period from 1966 through the end of 2013, the author reports a 60% drop in the number of publicly traded U.S. companies, as measured from each of the industry peaks to the end of 2013. Mergers and acquisitions, together with the private‐equity transactions hailed by Jensen in his 1989 HBR article, have contributed significantly to this reduction in numbers. But so has the remarkable growth of “uncorporate” (or pass‐through) structures such as Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) and Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), both of which address governance as well as tax problems faced by public C‐corporations.But along with this drop in numbers, the author's analysis of the performance of U.S. public companies—as measured both by operating returns on equity and Tobin's Q ratios—also shows a growing separation of the “best” from the “rest” over time. Intense global product market competition, the growing benefits (and urgency) of achieving efficient scope and scale, high U.S. corporate income tax rates, and a vigorous market for corporate control are all significantly “thinning the herd” of public corporations. The “winners” have been emerging as larger, more efficient, and more influential enterprises than ever before, as the rise of massive U.S. multinationals (and, in countries outside the U.S., state‐owned enterprises) over the past two decades has increasingly blurred the line between private business and government.Viewed in this light, the overall trends, both in the U.S. and abroad, suggest an evolution rather than an eclipse of the public corporation. Such trends also suggest that over the next 25 years, the success of the public corporation will increasingly depend on issues such as its ability to resolve conflicts between controlling shareholders (including sovereign governments) and minority shareholders, regulatory (in particular, antitrust) policy, and the role (and investment horizons) of activist shareholders.

Today, Manchuria which includes Heilongjiang Province of the People’s Republic of China is generally perceived as the territory of Qing before “entering the pass(ruguan).” However, this is a misconception coming from connecting the modern geographical idea of Manchuria with the home of the Manchus, the ruling group of the Qing Dynasty. In fact, the base of Nurhaci’s native group, Jianzhou Jurchen, was the north of Changbai Mountain and the east of Liaodong Peninsula. Even if the regional bases of the Jurchens were combined, the region was limited to the southern part of Manchuria. ‘The military district of Heilongjiang general’ was established in the Amur-Nun River basin and the direct rule of the Qing Dynasty began in 1680s, along the conflict with Russia. Qing court established military bases and traffic routes mainly around Willow Palisade(liutiaobian) until the 1670s, and there were only few temporary bases outside Willow Palisade such as Ninguta. The direct territory of Qing was expanded in the 1670s due to the development of Jilin and the establishment of New Willow Palisade(xinbian), but the vast Amur-Nun River basin, the northern area of Mukden-Jilin-Ninguta, was still regarded as one of ‘the outer feudatories(waifan)’, which was not under the direct control of Qing. This situation changed in the 1680s when Russians built a fortress in Albazin, located on the upper middle Amur River basin. As Albazin grew into a self-sufficient stronghold, Kangxi emperor proceeded an expedition to drive the Russians out of the Amur River basin. The First and Second Albazin Expeditions, which were commanded by the newly established Heilongjiang general, ended with the conclusion of the Nerchinsk treaty in 1689. In this treaty, the military district of Heilongjiang general was recognized as Qing territory. Rather than the conduct of the war or the demarcation of borders, the expansion of Qing’s control over the region before and after the expedition was more important in terms of the formation of the military district of Heilongjiang general. Unlike the lower Amur and Songhua River basins, where Russians and Qing troops had conflict in the 1670s, the upper and middle Amur River basin did not have sufficient foundations to wage war in the 1680s. To mobilize a large army to attack Albazin, it was necessary to establish a Qing army garrison, and to develop supply routes for military provisions and postal relay routes for manpower and information. Kangxi emperor first dispatched officials to conduct a geography survey on the upper and middle Amur River basin. In addition, supply routes and postal relay routes were constructed, connecting Aihūn with the areas previously controlled by the Qing, such as Mukden and Jilin. The Qing court’s geographical understanding of the Amur-Nun River basin gradually deepened as a banner garrison(Zhufang) was installed in Mergen, which was confirmed to be important in the process of constructing the postal relay system. The Amur-Nun River basin changed from one of the outer feudatories, which had only a loose relationship with Qing court, to ‘the military district of Heilongjiang general’, a ‘direct territory’ governed by a Garrison General of Qing.

One article describes the writings of Uldis Bērziņš, one of the most prominent Latvian poets and translators (and also a dissident) who made his debut in the 1960s. It focuses on the aspect of time and space. The 20th century is a time of re-evaluation of values and of a search for new ways of self-expression. Entrenched mythical notions experience transformation and renaissance. Hystorical myths as a source of instigation for Latvian literature (also in folklore) reach their climax in the 1920-40s and 1960-80s, i.e. in a period when problems of ethnic identity were emphasized more than ever. Uldis Bērziņš in his poetry successfully blends trends of modernism (and some of postmodernism) with mythical reality. He thereby refreshes the message of Latvian life, as well as reinforces particular trends common for whole humankind, which the author accomplishes with the help of cultural signs densely introduced into the texts. The objective of the paper is therefore to identify and emphasize dominant details of mythical time and space in the following anthologies by the Uldis Bērziņš: „Piemineklis kazai” („A Goat’s Monument”, 1980), „Poētisms baltkrievs” („The Poetism Belarussian”, 1984), „Nenotikuši atentāti” („Assassinations which never took place”, 1990), „Laiks” („Time”, together with Juris Kronbergs, 1994) and „Nozagti velosipēdi” („Stolen bicycles”, 1999). For the more detailed description of the peculiarities of the author’s works and for understanding the connection between the linguistic elements and the ethnical specifics of thinking, it was decided to use methods which are new to Latvian literary theory and are not so commonly referred to. Namely, a philological method was used for the in-depth text analysis (Николина 2007), and a linguo-culturological one for researching the connection of language and culture (Хороленко 2006). Speaking about U. Bērziņš’ notion of mythical time and space, it is referred to as an „eternal now” situation, which also includes details of historical and psychological time and space. However, mythical time and space is dominant: texts of the poems contain a very dense layer of mythologems (Odin, Odysseus, Thor), images (trees, mountains, wheels) and mythical concepts. This layer very often merges with the layers of folklore and religion which are introduced into the texts by means of stylization and reminiscences or allusions. The paper is organized according to the three dominant features of myths in the texts of Uldis Bērziņš – dichotomy, cyclicity, and syncretism. These are revealed with the help of particularly rich micro details and cultural signs and the transformation of folklore motives. Dichotomy as a disclosure of two aspects of one whole is carried out in the artistic space within the oppositions here and there, on the top and on the bottom, center and periphery, or insider and alien. These are characterized by symbolic notions of a mountain or a bridge, images of Riga and the Daugava, as well as the introduction of a mediator (a goat, bird or a ghost), which reach over the borders of time and space. Thereby the poet emphasizes fundamental ontological aspects which are concentrated in the semantic meanings of the notions of time, eternity and lifetime. In turn, by means of linguistic elements (not only semes, but also syntactical structure and pragmatic elements) Uldis Bērziņš pays attention to the multifunctionality and uniqueness of a language, and is trying to reach the level of a parent language. Within these dichotomies, the images, motives and signs also actualize a historic time and space. Thereby, a background for the disclosure of subtextual layers is organized, and simultaneously a point of view for several artistic chronotopes is expressed, which is interpreted as a symbiotic process in the poetry of Uldis Bērziņš. The search of oneself in the context of eternity is expressed with the help of the cyclicity principle. This is at the same time a tool for the illustration of different time spaces, which creates a synthesized model of an artistic world with a polyphony of linguistic elements. The cyclicity indicators in the poetry of Uldis Bērziņš are the images of a wheel, mill, and ball, as well as the interaction of the change of cycles of nature and human life. Special attention is paid to the points of intersection of time, thereby marking the Latvian year and the course of human life. In addition, the acknowledgment that the cycle is never-ending and repetitive, makes us look for interconnections with the philosophy of existentialism and a possible fulfillment of the meaning of life. Syncretism, on the contrary, as a combination of several different traditions, allows Uldis Bērziņš to emphasize features of cultural, linguistic and ethnic identity. In the united whole, i.e. in the interpretations of a sign, motive, image or myth, there is an accumulation of a few notions that create a peculiar effect of surrealism in a poetic text. For Bērziņš, syncretism is discovered in an image of a city, a sound, personal names (Peteris, Juris), religious characters (Jesus Christ, Krishna), and myths of the creation of the world. To find features of syncretism in a text, a reader does not only have to have some knowledge of mythology, religion, or culturology, but also needs associative thinking, since the poet often plays with phonemes and facts by linking them in rhythmically symbolic combinations. To sum up Uldis Bērziņš’ notions of mythical time and space, it can be concluded that the poet successfully uses the means of language, its meanings, its peculiar functions and associative nets in order to create a synthesized model of the mythical, historical, and psychological time space. This requires additional attention from a reader, because each poem is a subtextually dense discloser of a cultural heritage and an indicator of the search of oneself.

This paper is meant to study the apocalyptic scenario of the at the perspectives of the Great Acceleration. the apocalyptic scenario is not a pure imagination of the literature works. Instead, scientific evidences are in favour of dramatic change in the climatic conditions related to the climax of Man actions. the modelling of the future climate leads to horrible situations including intolerable temperatures, dryness, tornadoes, and noticeable sear level rise evading coastal regions. Going far from these scientific claims, Homo Sapiens Sapiens extended his imagination through the Climate-Fiction (cli-fi) to propose a dramatic end. Climate Fiction is developed into a recording machine containing every kind of fictions that depict environmental condition events and has consequently lost its true significance. Introduction The Great Acceleration may be considered as the Late Anthropocene in which Man actions reached their climax to lead to dramatic climatic changes paving the way for a possible apocalyptic scenario threatening the existence of the humanity. So, the apocalyptic scenario is not a pure imagination of the literature works. Instead, many scientific arguments especially related to climate change are in favour of the apocalypse1. As a matter of fact, the modelling of the future climate leads to horrible situations including intolerable temperatures (In 06/07/2021, Kuwait recorded the highest temperature of 53.2 °C), dryness, tornadoes, and noticeable sear level rise evading coastal regions. These conditions taking place during the Great Acceleration would have direct repercussions on the human species. Considering that the apocalyptic extinction had really caused the disappearance of many stronger species including dinosaurs, Homo Sapiens Sapiens extended his imagination though the Climate-Fiction (cli-fi) to propose a dramatic end due to severe climate conditions intolerable by the humankind. The mass extinction of animal species has occurred several times over the geological ages. Researchers have a poor understanding of the causes and processes of these major crises1. Nonetheless, whatever the cause of extinction, the apocalyptic scenario has always been present in the geological history. For example, dinosaurs extinction either by asteroids impact or climate changes could by no means denies the apocalyptic aspect2.At the same time as them, many animal and plant species became extinct, from marine or flying reptiles to marine plankton. This biological crisis of sixty-five million years ago is not the only one that the biosphere has suffered. It was preceded and followed by other crises which caused the extinction or the rarefaction of animal species. So, it is undeniable that many animal groups have disappeared. It is even on the changes of fauna that the geologists of the last century have based themselves to establish the scale of geological times, scale which is still used. But it is no less certain that the extinction processes, extremely complex, are far from being understood. We must first agree on the meaning of the word "extinction", namely on the apocalyptic aspect of the concept. It is quite understood that, without disappearances, the evolution of species could not have followed its course. Being aware that the apocalyptic extinction had massacred stronger species that had dominated the planet, Homo Sapiens Sapiens has been aware that the possibility of apocalyptic end at the perspective of the Anthropocene (i.e., Great Acceleration) could not be excluded. This conviction is motivated by the progressive defaunation in some regions3and the appearance of alien species in others related to change of mineralogy and geochemistry4 leading to a climate change during the Anthropocene. These scientific claims fed the vast imagination about climate change to set the so-called cli-fi. The concept of the Anthropocene is the new geological era which begins when the Man actions have reached a sufficient power to modify the geological processes and climatic cycles of the planet5. The Anthropocene by no means excludes the possibility of an apocalyptic horizon, namely in the perspectives of the Great Acceleration. On the contrary, two scenarios do indeed seem to dispute the future of the Anthropocene, with a dramatic cross-charge. The stories of the end of the world are as old as it is, as the world is the origin of these stories. However, these stories of the apocalypse have evolved over time and, since the beginning of the 19th century, they have been nourished particularly by science and its advances. These fictions have sometimes tried to pass themselves off as science. This is the current vogue, called collapsology6. This end is more than likely cli-fi driven7and it may cause the extinction of the many species including the Homo Sapiens Sapiens. In this vein, Anthropocene defaunation has become an ultimate reality8. More than one in eight birds, more than one in five mammals, more than one in four coniferous species, one in three amphibians are threatened. The hypothesis of a hierarchy within the living is induced by the error of believing that evolution goes from the simplest to the most sophisticated, from the inevitably stupid inferior to the superior endowed with an intelligence giving prerogative to all powers. Evolution goes in all directions and pursues no goal except the extension of life on Earth. Evolution certainly does not lead from bacteria to humans, preferably male and white. Our species is only a carrier of the DNA that precedes us and that will survive us. Until we show a deep respect for the biosphere particularly, and our planet in general, we will not become much, we will remain a predator among other predators, the fiercest of predators, the almighty craftsman of the Anthropocene. To be in the depths of our humanity, somehow giving back to the biosphere what we have taken from it seems obvious. To stop the sixth extinction of species, we must condemn our anthropocentrism and the anthropization of the territories that goes with it. The other forms of life also need to keep their ecological niches. According to the first, humanity seems at first to withdraw from the limits of the planet and ultimately succumb to them, with a loss of dramatic meaning. According to the second, from collapse to collapse, it is perhaps another humanity, having overcome its demons, that could come. Climate fiction is a literary sub-genre dealing with the theme of climate change, including global warming. The term appears to have been first used in 2008 by blogger and writer Dan Bloom. In October 2013, Angela Evancie, in a review of the novel Odds against Tomorrow, by Nathaniel Rich, wonders if climate change has created a new literary genre. Scientific basis of the apocalyptic scenario in the perspective of the Anthropocene Global warming All temperature indices are in favour of a global warming (Fig.1). According to the different scenarios of the IPCC9, the temperatures of the globe could increase by 2 °C to 5 °C by 2100. But some scientists warn about a possible runaway of the warming which can reach more than 3 °C. Thus, the average temperature on the surface of the globe has already increased by more than 1.1 °C since the pre-industrial era. The rise in average temperatures at the surface of the globe is the first expected and observed consequence of massive greenhouse gas emissions. However, meteorological surveys record positive temperature anomalies which are confirmed from year to year compared to the temperatures recorded since the middle of the 19th century. Climatologists point out that the past 30 years have seen the highest temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere for over 1,400 years. Several climatic centres around the world record, synthesize and follow the evolution of temperatures on Earth. Since the beginning of the 20th century (1906-2005), the average temperature at the surface of the globe has increased by 0.74 °C, but this progression has not been continuous since 1976, the increase has clearly accelerated, reaching 0.19 °C per decade according to model predictions. Despite the decline in solar activity, the period 1997-2006 is marked by an average positive anomaly of 0.53 °C in the northern hemisphere and 0.27 °C in the southern hemisphere, still compared to the normal calculated for 1961-1990. The ten hottest years on record are all after 1997. Worse, 14 of the 15 hottest years are in the 21st century, which has barely started. Thus, 2016 is the hottest year, followed closely by 2015, 2014 and 2010. The temperature of tropical waters increased by 1.2 °C during the 20th century (compared to 0.5 °C on average for the oceans), causing coral reefs to bleach in 1997. In 1998, the period of Fort El Niño, the prolonged warming of the water has destroyed half of the coral reefs of the Indian Ocean. In addition, the temperature in the tropics of the five ocean basins, where cyclones form, increased by 0.5 °C from 1970 to 2004, and powerful cyclones appeared in the North Atlantic in 2005, while they were more numerous in other parts of the world. Recently, mountains of studies focused on the possible scenario of climate change and the potential worldwide repercussions including hell temperatures and apocalyptic extreme events10 , 11, 12. Melting of continental glaciers As a direct result of the global warming, melting of continental glaciers has been recently noticed13. There are approximately 198,000 mountain glaciers in the world; they cover an area of approximately 726,000 km2. If they all melted, the sea level would rise by about 40 cm. Since the late 1960s, global snow cover has declined by around 10 to 15%. Winter cold spells in much of the northern half of the northern hemisphere are two weeks shorter than 100 years ago. Glaciers of mountains have been declining all over the world by an average of 50 m per decade for 150 years. However, they are also subject to strong multi-temporal variations which make forecasts on this point difficult according to some specialists. In the Alps, glaciers have been losing 1 meter per year for 30 years. Polar glaciers like those of Spitsbergen (about a hundred km from the North Pole) have been retreating since 1880, releasing large quantities of water. The Arctic has lost about 10% of its permanent ice cover every ten years since 1980. In this region, average temperatures have increased at twice the rate of elsewhere in the world in recent decades. The melting of the Arctic Sea ice has resulted in a loss of 15% of its surface area and 40% of its thickness since 1979. The record for melting arctic sea ice was set in 2017. All models predict the disappearance of the Arctic Sea ice in summer within a few decades, which will not be without consequences for the climate in Europe. The summer melting of arctic sea ice accelerated far beyond climate model predictions. Added to its direct repercussions of coastal regions flooding, melting of continental ice leads to radical climatic modifications in favour of the apocalyptic scenario. Fig.1 Evolution of temperature anomaly from 1880 to 2020: the apocalyptic scenario Sea level rise As a direct result of the melting of continental glaciers, sea level rise has been worldwide recorded14 ,15. The average level of the oceans has risen by 22 cm since 1880 and 2 cm since the year 2000 because of the melting of the glaciers but also with the thermal expansion of the water. In the 20th century, the sea level rose by around 2 mm per year. From 1990 to 2017, it reached the relatively constant rate of just over 3mm per year. Several sources contributed to sea level increase including thermal expansion of water (42%), melting of continental glaciers (21%), melting Greenland glaciers (15%) and melting Antarctic glaciers (8%). Since 2003, there has always been a rapid rise (around 3.3 mm / year) in sea level, but the contribution of thermal expansion has decreased (0.4 mm / year) while the melting of the polar caps and continental glaciers accelerates. Since most of the world’s population is living on coastal regions, sea level rise represents a real threat for the humanity, not excluding the apocalyptic scenario. Multiplication of extreme phenomena and climatic anomalies On a human scale, an average of 200 million people is affected by natural disasters each year and approximately 70,000 perish from them. Indeed, as evidenced by the annual reviews of disasters and climatic anomalies, we are witnessing significant warning signs. It is worth noting that these observations are dependent on meteorological survey systems that exist only in a limited number of countries with statistics that rarely go back beyond a century or a century and a half. In addition, scientists are struggling to represent the climatic variations of the last two thousand years which could serve as a reference in the projections. Therefore, the exceptional nature of this information must be qualified a little. Indeed, it is still difficult to know the return periods of climatic disasters in each region. But over the last century, the climate system has gone wild. Indeed, everything suggests that the climate is racing. Indeed, extreme events and disasters have become more frequent. For instance, less than 50 significant events were recorded per year over the period 1970-1985, while there have been around 120 events recorded since 1995. Drought has long been one of the most worrying environmental issues. But while African countries have been the main affected so far, the whole world is now facing increasingly frequent and prolonged droughts. Chile, India, Australia, United States, France and even Russia are all regions of the world suffering from the acceleration of the global drought. Droughts are slowly evolving natural hazards that can last from a few months to several decades and affect larger or smaller areas, whether they are small watersheds or areas of hundreds of thousands of square kilometres. In addition to their direct effects on water resources, agriculture and ecosystems, droughts can cause fires or heat waves. They also promote the proliferation of invasive species, creating environments with multiple risks, worsening the consequences on ecosystems and societies, and increasing their vulnerability. Although these are natural phenomena, there is a growing understanding of how humans have amplified the severity and impacts of droughts, both on the environment and on people. We influence meteorological droughts through our action on climate change, and we influence hydrological droughts through our management of water circulation and water processes at the local scale, for example by diverting rivers or modifying land use. During the Anthropocene (the present period when humans exert a dominant influence on climate and environment), droughts are closely linked to human activities, cultures, and responses. From this scientific overview, it may be concluded apocalyptic scenario is not only a literature genre inspired from the pure imagination. Instead, many scientific arguments are in favour of this dramatic destiny of Homo Sapiens Sapiens. Fig.2. Sea level rise from 1880 to 2020: a possible apocalyptic scenario (www.globalchange.gov, 2021) Apocalyptic genre in recent writing As the original landmark of apocalyptic writing, we must place the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in 587 BC and the Exile in Babylon. Occasion of a religious and cultural crossing with imprescriptible effects, the Exile brought about a true rebirth, characterized by the maintenance of the essential ethical, even cultural, of a national religion, that of Moses, kept as pure as possible on a foreign land and by the reinterpretation of this fundamental heritage by the archaic return of what was very old, both national traditions and neighbouring cultures. More precisely, it was the place and time for the rehabilitation of cultures and the melting pot for recasting ancient myths. This vast infatuation with Antiquity, remarkable even in the vocabulary used, was not limited to Israel: it even largely reflected a general trend. The long period that preceded throughout the 7th century BC and until 587, like that prior to the edict of Cyrus in 538 BC, was that of restorations and rebirths, of returns to distant sources and cultural crossings. In the biblical literature of this period, one is struck by the almost systematic link between, on the one hand, a very sustained mythical reinvestment even in form and, on the other, the frequent use of biblical archaisms. The example of Shadday, a word firmly rooted in the Semites of the Northwest and epithet of El in the oldest layers of the books of Genesis and Exodus, is most eloquent. This term reappears precisely at the time of the Exile as a designation of the divinity of the Patriarchs and of the God of Israel; Daily, ecological catastrophes now describe the normal state of societies exposed to "risks", in the sense that Ulrich Beck gives to this term: "the risk society is a society of catastrophe. The state of emergency threatens to become a normal state there1”. Now, the "threat" has become clearer, and catastrophic "exceptions" are proliferating as quickly as species are disappearing and climate change is accelerating. The relationship that we have with this worrying reality, to say the least, is twofold: on the one hand, we know very well what is happening to us; on the other hand, we fail to draw the appropriate theoretical and political consequences. This ecological duplicity is at the heart of what has come to be called the “Anthropocene”, a term coined at the dawn of the 21st century by Eugene Stoermer (an environmentalist) and Paul Crutzen (a specialist in the chemistry of the atmosphere) in order to describe an age when humanity would have become a "major geological force" capable of disrupting the climate and changing the terrestrial landscape from top to bottom. If the term “Anthropocene” takes note of human responsibility for climate change, this responsibility is immediately attributed to overpowering: strong as we are, we have “involuntarily” changed the climate for at least two hundred and fifty years. Therefore, let us deliberately change the face of the Earth, if necessary, install a solar shield in space. Recognition and denial fuel the signifying machine of the Anthropocene. And it is precisely what structures eco-apocalyptic cinema that this article aims to study. By "eco-apocalyptic cinema", we first mean a cinematographic sub-genre: eco-apocalyptic and post-eco-apocalyptic films base the possibility (or reality) of the end of the world on environmental grounds and not, for example, on damage caused by the possible collision of planet Earth with a comet. Post-apocalyptic science fiction (sometimes abbreviated as "post-apo" or "post-nuke") is a sub-genre of science fiction that depicts life after a disaster that destroyed civilization: nuclear war, collision with a meteorite, epidemic, economic or energy crisis, pandemic, alien invasion. Conclusion Climate and politics have been linked together since Aristotle. With Montesquieu, Ibn Khaldûn or Watsuji, a certain climatic determinism is attributed to the character of a nation. The break with modernity made the climate an object of scientific knowledge which, in the twentieth century, made it possible to document, despite the controversies, the climatic changes linked to industrialization. Both endanger the survival of human beings and ecosystems. Climate ethics are therefore looking for a new relationship with the biosphere or Gaia. For some, with the absence of political agreements, it is the beginning of inevitable catastrophes. For others, the Anthropocene, which henceforth merges human history with natural history, opens onto technical action. The debate between climate determinism and human freedom is revived. The reference to the biblical Apocalypse was present in the thinking of thinkers like Günther Anders, Karl Jaspers or Hans Jonas: the era of the atomic bomb would mark an entry into the time of the end, a time marked by the unprecedented human possibility of 'total war and annihilation of mankind. The Apocalypse will be very relevant in describing the chaos to come if our societies continue their mad race described as extra-activist, productivist and consumerist. In dialogue with different theologians and philosophers (such as Jacques Ellul), it is possible to unveil some spiritual, ethical, and political resources that the Apocalypse offers for thinking about History and human engagement in the Anthropocene. What can a theology of collapse mean at a time when negative signs and dead ends in the human situation multiply? What then is the place of man and of the cosmos in the Apocalypse according to Saint John? Could the end of history be a collapse? How can we live in the time we have left before the disaster? Answers to such questions remain unknown and no scientist can predict the trajectory of this Great Acceleration taking place at the Late Anthropocene. When science cannot give answers, Man tries to infer his destiny for the legend, religion and the fiction. Climate Fiction is developed into a recording machine containing every kind of fictions that depict environmental condition events and has consequently lost its true significance. Aware of the prospect of ecological collapse additionally as our apparent inability to avert it, we tend to face geology changes of forceful proportions that severely challenge our ability to imagine the implications. Climate fiction ought to be considered an important supplement to climate science, as a result, climate fiction makes visible and conceivable future modes of existence inside worlds not solely deemed seemingly by science, however that area unit scientifically anticipated. Hence, this chapter, as part of the book itself, aims to contribute to studies of ecocriticism, the environmental humanities, and literary and culture studies. References David P.G. Bondand Stephen E. Grasby. "Late Ordovician mass extinction caused by volcanism, warming, and anoxia, not cooling and glaciation: REPLY." Geology 48, no. 8 (Geological Society of America2020): 510. Cyril Langlois.’Vestiges de l'apocalypse: ‘le site de Tanis, Dakota du Nord 2019’. Accessed June, 6, 2021, https://planet-terre.ens-lyon.fr/pdf/Tanis-extinction-K-Pg.pdf NajouaGharsalli,ElhoucineEssefi, Rana Baydoun, and ChokriYaich. ‘The Anthropocene and Great Acceleration as controversial epoch of human-induced activities: case study of the Halk El Menjel wetland, eastern Tunisia’. Applied Ecology and Environmental Research 18(3) (Corvinus University of Budapest 2020): 4137-4166 Elhoucine Essefi, ‘On the Geochemistry and Mineralogy of the Anthropocene’. 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AbstractThis art review responds to Aziz Hazara's audio-visual work Bow Echo, exhibited in the Biennale of Sydney, 2020 at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Australia. Considering anechoic chambers and stifled sound, this review explores the individual experience of warfare in Afghanistan. By metaphorically associating natural storms with military devastation, this review pays close attention to the mechanics of tone and the choreography of movement within the video work. Overall, Hazara artfully merges digital technology and installation design to create an affecting environment in memoriam of lives lost.

We contribute to the literature on auditor’s task-specific expertise by examining the role of auditor experience in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), a complicated and increasingly prevalent corporate event that can give rise to misreporting. We find that in industries with more complex accounting, clients of M&A expert auditors are less likely to experience M&A-related misstatements. In industries with less complex accounting, M&A experts pass audit fee savings to their clients during acquisition years. Additional analyses suggest that firms are more likely to switch to an M&A expert auditor during an acquisition year, but only in industries with complex accounting. Overall, our results suggest that firms with an acquisitive strategy that engage with M&A expert auditors experience improved M&A-related audit outcomes.

Conglomerate merger control went out of fashion in the United States and the European Union several decades ago. Both jurisdictions embraced the premise that nonhorizontal mergers should normally be considered benign because exclusionary theories of harm are economically implausible, and nonhorizontal mergers are almost always certain to result in significant efficiency effects that the merged entity can be expected to pass on to consumers. Conglomerate effects analysis subsequently all but disappeared from the enforcement practice. However, the emergence of a handful of powerful digital platforms with vast global ecosystems of interconnected services is currently causing competition agencies a great deal of concern. Their growth has not been entirely internal. Collectively, Alphabet, Meta, Apple, Amazon, and Apple have acquired over eight hundred companies. Many of their targets were innovative start-ups operating in complementary markets. This contribution compares and critically assesses how this development has affected the U.S., EU, and U.K. competition agencies’ approach to conglomerate merger control. It finds that, as a reaction to the advent of Big Tech, conglomerate effects analysis has made a significant comeback in EU merger control. While the U.S. and U.K. authorities have not yet intervened against any conglomerate acquisitions in practice, evidence suggests that they are also more open to nonhorizontal theories of harm again.

AbstractThe final version of the 2023 Merger Guidelines, which were issued in December 2023, is a vast improvement over an earlier draft—which indicates that the Agencies took the many comments that they received on a draft very seriously. These Guidelines break some new ground that older Guidelines did not address, and make many positive contributions, which this paper spells out. They are also excessively nostalgic for a past era, however, and this may explain their propen sity to treat empirical questions as issues of law: This is one way to insulate these Guidelines from further revision. The excessive reliance on one decision, Brown Shoe, is unfortunate—particularly since that decision has been so often repudiated, even by the Supreme Court itself. This paper pays particular attention to: the Guidelines’ treatment of structural triggers and direct measures of competitive effects; their aggressive position on potential competition mergers; their willingness to weigh a “trend” toward concentration as a factor; and their treatment of serial acquisitions. The Guidelines include a welcome new section on mergers involving multi-sided networks, although their view of networks is too one-sided; and the Guidelines also contain an expanded section on mergers with harmful effects on suppliers—including labor. The Guidelines’ treatment of market definition is likely to lead to underenforcement because they define markets too broadly. Finally, the Guidelines could have made better use of recent retrospective studies—many of which would have provided further support for the substantive positions that the Guidelines take.

The paper investigates the representation of Central Europe and its hinterlands in selected works by 20th-century South African writers. It pays special attention to Dan Jacobson’s Heshel’s Kingdom about Jacobson’s travel to Lithuania in search of the writer’s “middle-European” patrimony. Drawing on previously unpublished archival records, the study argues that Jacobson’s book merges Central European hinterlands (their histories, identities, landscapes) with South African ones in a radical act of re-mapping both areas. The paper also insists on recognising a distinctive mode of conflating Central Europe and South Africa. This hinternational poetics annuls the existing imperial cartography and builds transnational connections between different hinterlands and their pasts. Additionally, the article demonstrates how the need to “unlearn” imperial history allows for a geographic/spatial overlap between the “heart of the country” and the “core of Europe,” as well as creation of a network of transnational solidarity and implication across nations and ethnicities.

Background Canada issuffering a crisisin local newslargely attributable to regulatory failure. Its largest newspaper chain, Postmedia Network, took over the second-largest chain in late 2014, and in early 2016 it merged the newsrooms at its duplicate dailies in four of Canada’s six largest cities. Parliamentary hearings on local media ensued, and a mid-2017 reportrecommended, among otherthings, changest o the Competition Act to more effectively deal with news media mergers and takeovers.Analysis The Competition Bureau is dominated by economists who may lack sufficient grounding in media issues to effectively deal with mergers and takeovers in news industries.Conclusion and implications Reform of the country’s Competition Act, which has been called for by successive federal media inquiries, is more urgently required than ever. Keywords Newspapers; Postmedia; Competition Bureau; Concentration of press ownershipRÉSUMÉContexte Le Canada est en train de souffrir d’une crise dansles nouvelleslocales, largement attribuable à un échec de réglementation. La plus grande chaîne de journaux au pays, Postmedia Network, a acquis la seconde chaîne fin 2014, et début 2016 elle a combiné les salles de nouvelles de ses quotidiensrivaux dans quatre dessix plus grandes villes du Canada. Il s’est ensuivi des audiences parlementaires sur les médias locaux, et en mi-2017 un rapport a recommandé, entre autres, des changements à la Loisurla concurrence afin de mieux gérer les fusions et acquisitions parmi les médias d’information.Analyse Le Bureau de la concurrence se voit dominer par des économistes n’ayant peut-être pas assez de connaissances sur les médias pour traiter de fusions et d’acquisitions dans ce domaine.Conclusion et implications Plusieurs comités fédéraux successifs ont recommandé la réforme de la Loi sur la concurrence. Une telle réforme s’avère plus urgente que jamais. Mots clés Journaux; Postmedia; Bureau de la concurrence; Concentration des médias

AbstractWe propose TrendSegment, a methodology for detecting multiple change-points corresponding to linear trend changes in one dimensional data. A core ingredient of TrendSegment is a new Tail-Greedy Unbalanced Wavelet transform: a conditionally orthonormal, bottom-up transformation of the data through an adaptively constructed unbalanced wavelet basis, which results in a sparse representation of the data. Due to its bottom-up nature, this multiscale decomposition focuses on local features in its early stages and on global features next which enables the detection of both long and short linear trend segments at once. To reduce the computational complexity, the proposed method merges multiple regions in a single pass over the data. We show the consistency of the estimated number and locations of change-points. The practicality of our approach is demonstrated through simulations and two real data examples, involving Iceland temperature data and sea ice extent of the Arctic and the Antarctic. Our methodology is implemented in the R package , available from CRAN.

ABSTRACT In this paper, we analyze the bank merger between DnB and Gjensidige Bank in 2003, ranked by market share as number one and number three in the Norwegian bank market. Focusing on loans to firms, our difference-in-differences analysis shows no increase of concentration of new loans. The concentration in affected markets (markets where both merging parties were present) developed similar to unaffected markets. Moreover, the interest rate tended to be lower in the affected markets relative to unaffected markets, but this relationship is weak and not statistically significant. The merger also affected the riskiness of loans only marginally. These weak effects could be the result of efficiency gains in the form of lower costs being pass-through to customers, and the increased market power (and consequently higher interest rates) canceled each other out. The remedial measures imposed by the Norwegian Competition Authority on the two merging parties are also likely to explain some of the modest effects of the merger. The weak effects are largely coincident with international literature showing the effects of mergers and acquisitions in the banking sector to be modest.

on this paper we proposed, a novel structure to help and mechanize the gauge of diseases from PC based totally photograph examination methodology the utilization of substance based by and large photo recovery (cbir).cbir is the device of recovering related photographs from huge database accumulations by strategy for technique for utilizing low degree photo highlights including shading, surface and shape and packs of others. we have utilized comfortable texton and discrete shearlet move up to clear surface and structure abilties. the fact of the matter is to manual medicinal fundamental authority, the pass on of a hard and fast dataset which merges pix of a tremendous kind of past pathologically-affirmed events from great assortments of diseases dealing a particular organ which might be shown to be of over the top closeness to the ones of different new obscure occasions basic leadership by techniques for the usage of recovering and showing up past occasions apparently like the handiest under test with pertinence comments utilizing help vector machines.

Purpose of the study: The aim of this study is to gain an understanding of the merger experiences academic staff were exposed to during the pre-merger phase of the University of Johannesburg merger. Of particular interest is how these experiences translate into acceptance of the merger amongst academic staff. The study was borne out of the transformation of the higher education landscape in South Africa, which is typified by a spate of mergers between higher education institutions. Design/methodology/approach: As the purpose of the study was, inter alia, aimed at understanding the merger experiences of academic staff, the study was conducted according to an interpretive research paradigm, where interpretation of data calls for an insider perspective, in order to "see things through their eyes" as it were. In this regard, a qualitative methodology was employed. Findings: Findings indicate that academic staff members at the University of Johannesburg experience two distinct mental states during the pre-merger phase. Following the announcement of the merger, reaction and experience tend to be emotionally driven but as merging efforts become more concrete over time, this emotive state is replaced by a more rationally driven disposition. Implications: The distinction between an emotive and rational demeanour during the pre-merger phase of a merger affords managers and leaders the opportunity to plan change interventions in such a way that irrational, emotive responses and behaviour do not hamper progress in terms of merger implementation. In a more general sense, this study highlights the process of transition individual staff members pass through as they have to come to terms with the changes brought about by a merger. Originality / Value: The majority of merger literature, as well as change literature, focuses on the organisational context of change during a merger. Limited literature exists on the personal effects of a change event such as a merger. This study can thus contribute to the understanding of the personal effects of change during a merger. Furthermore, scant literature exists concerning mergers that are not driven by "conventional" economic motives. As the University of Johannesburg is this type of merger, this study presents the opportunity of gaining a better understanding of this type of merger.

Abstract Since the 1980s, the Nonesuch label, a longstanding subsidiary of the Warner Music Group (WMG), has become noteworthy for its steady market performance during a period of volatility for media multinationals. Nonesuch Records, having once been an adventurous boutique classical label under Teresa Sterne, has developed over the last three decades as a creatively idiosyncratic and commercially successful “adult” imprint under Robert Hurwitz, the erstwhile director of the Munich-based Edition of Contemporary Music jazz label. Nonesuch has not historically been understood as a jazz label, though it has served as a home for a few jazz acts, including Bill Frisell, Fred Hersch, and the World Saxophone Quartet. By the early years of the new millennium, though, Nonesuch had become one of the few major label subsidiaries willing to maintain an active roster of jazz instrumentalists, harnessing its diversified roster as a source of strength. This paper examines the Nonesuch label's cultivation of a distinctive jazz niche and situates this development against the backdrop of a period of structural turbulence for the WMG. The leveraged buyout of WMG in 2004, which precipitated the dissolution of the Warner Jazz subsidiary and the transfer of much of its jazz roster to Nonesuch, reflects a contemporary logic of financialization, where value extraction has become the overriding goal of corporate restructuring. Mergers and acquisitions enacted at the uppermost reaches of major label corporate hierarchies pass along significant costs to the label subsidiaries and their artist rosters, installing precarity at the core of the music industry's creative ecologies.