bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Islamic Modernism and Saudi Arabia: Confluence or Conflict?
Authors: Quamar Md. Muddassir
Published: August 2015

Debates on Islamic modernism has its roots in Egypt, Iran and British India during the late nineteenth century as Muslim societies reacted to modern thought coming from the West. The Arabian Peninsula, more importantly its central region of Najd, remained secluded from such ideas as Wahhabi-Islam dominated the socio-political landscape. Once the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was formed, its founder Ibn Saud chose to introduce modern administrative, economic, scientific, educational and technological tools to stabilise the polity with aspiration to become a modernized state from a tribal political union. The alliance of Al Saud and Al Shaikh managed to align pre-dominant section of the society that accepted their Political legitimacy. Ibn Saud pioneered the method of ruling in the name of Islam and modernization. Subsequently, the monarchy stuck to the formula, using its commitment towards modernization and Islamic heritage as the means for sustaining the legitimacy. The process could be further strengthened due to generation of massive oil-wealth and gradual but sustained process of modernization. It, however, has impacted the individual and collective thought process of citizens leading to a change in people’s attitude and aspirations. In fact, modern judicial and political elements too have been introduced to adjust to changing realities, more so during the last two decades. This article raises the question whether the co-existence of Islam and modernity in the Saudi context can be seen as a confluence or it can only be seen through the lens of conflict? It argues that even though everything cannot be explained through an Islamic modernist perspective, it can best explain the process of reform and change being experienced in Saudi Arabia.
Muslim in Australia: Celebrating National Days
Authors: Yasmeen Samina
Published: August 2015

The new millennium has drawn renewed attention to Muslim presence in Australia despite the fact that the links between Muslims and the continent predate the European settlement. A complex set of informational, institutional, and political factors have shaped multiple identities of Muslims in the country with the set of views and identities ranging from orthodox to more modernist interpretations of what it means to be a Muslim in a majority non-Muslim state. The complexity is consistently being reinforced and rendered more complex due to the emergence of organizations, groups and forces that present what they assume to be the ‘definitive’ view of Islam. The phenomenon exists in both Muslim and non-Muslim communities in Australia. Among Muslims, this diversity has expressed itself, among other issues, with reference to national days that have come to symbolize Australian identity. This article will explore this diversity of views and responses with reference to Australia Day celebrations and the ANZAC Day. It argues that despite the presence of ideas promoting a global caliphate of Islam, as well as a tendency to present an essentialist nature of Islam and Muslims, the responses by Muslim communities in Australia have differed with respect to these national days—an indication of the flaws inherent in conceiving Muslim presence as a singular identity in Australia.
Ennahda Movement in Power: A Long Path to Democracy
Authors: Ayari Farida
Published: August 2015

The coming to power and subsequent loss of the Ennahda in Tunisia after the Jasmine revolution has created one of the most interesting scenarios in the Arab world. In fact, Tunisia has come out as an exception in the larger trend of failing states, civil war and re-emergence of authoritarian military leaders in the post-Arab Spring Arab world. This can be attributed to many factors including the pragmatic approach of the Ennahda leader Rached Gannouchi. The article tries to put the trajectories of Ennahda’s progress towards democratic process in historical perspective and concludes that it was partly the crisis in Egypt and other Arab countries that prompted Ennahda to make important concessions and seek recourse to democratic consensus building.
Neonatal Abdominal Aortic Thrombus
Authors: Langan Melissa
Published: August 2015

Umbilical artery catheterization is considered the standard of care for arterial access in neonates. Studies have shown, however, that umbilical artery catheterization carries a high risk of aortic thrombosis, which can be fatal. Neonatal aortic thrombosis can be difficult to treat appropriately, in part because of the absence of reliable data for this patient population and nonstandardized reporting of the condition. Sonography of the abdominal aorta in neonates provides a noninvasive means of diagnosing the presence and extent of aortic thrombus, which assists in managing the patient’s plan of care. An important case also has been made for long-term follow-up studies using sonography as the diagnostic tool in patients who received umbilical artery catheters as infants.
The Role of Sonographic Imaging to Assess the Pathophysiology of Cording in Patients Treated for Breast Cancer
Authors: O’Toole Jean , Hannon Kathleen , Skolny Melissa N. , Swaroop Meyha N. , Elliott Krista N. , Ferguson Chantal M. , Miller Cynthia L. , Jammallo Lauren S. , Weinberg Ido , Schainfeld Robert M. , Jaff Michael R. , Taghian Alphonse G.
Published: August 2015

The pathophysiology of cording (visible bands of tissue that can form in the ipsilateral axilla and arm following breast cancer surgery) remains equivocal. Cording can be a painful and functionally limiting condition. Our aim was to assess the role of duplex ultrasonographic imaging as a diagnostic tool for assessment of this condition. We evaluated five women who had undergone surgery for unilateral breast cancer. Cording was identified by self-report and confirmed by physical examination. Duplex ultrasonography was performed within one week of the clinical diagnosis of cording. Duplex ultrasonography failed to identify the cording structures and does not appear to be a useful diagnostic tool for determining the pathophysiology of cording following treatment for breast cancer. Research focusing on intervention strategies to facilitate the clinical resolution of cording following breast cancer surgery is needed.
New potential diagnostic biomarkers for pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Tiede Svenja L. , Gall Henning , Dörr Oliver , Guilherme Marina dos Santos , Troidl Christian , Liebetrau Christoph , Voss Sandra , Voswinckel Robert , Schermuly Ralph T. , Seeger Werner , Grimminger Friedrich , Zeiher Andreas M. , Dimmeler Stefanie , Möllmann Helge , Hamm Christian W. , Ghofrani Hossein Ardeschir , Nef Holger M.
Published: August 2015

This study aimed to determine whether the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family members soluble VEGF receptor 1 (also called soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1)) and placental growth factor (PlGF) could be used as biomarkers for pulmonary hypertension (PH).

Consecutive patients undergoing right heart catheterisation were enrolled (those with mean pulmonary arterial pressure ≥25 mmHg were classed as having PH; those with mean pulmonary arterial pressure <25 mmHg acted as non-PH controls). Plasma from the time of PH diagnosis was analysed for PlGF and sFlt-1 using enzyme immunoassays.

In total, 247 patients with PH were enrolled: 62 with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), 14 with associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (APAH), 21 with collagen vascular disease (CVD), 26 with pulmonary venous hypertension, 67 with lung disease-associated PH and 57 with chronic thromboembolic PH. The non-PH control group consisted of 40 patients. sFlt-1 plasma levels were significantly higher in patients with IPAH, APAH, CVD and lung disease-associated PHversuscontrols; PlGF levels were significantly higher in all PH groupsversuscontrols. The combination of sFlt-1 and PlGF resulted in a sensitivity of 83.7% with specificity of 100% for pulmonary arterial hypertension. There was no association between sFlt-1 or PlGF and haemodynamic parameters, 6-min walking distance or survival.

In summary, PlGF and sFlt-1 are promising diagnostic biomarkers for PH.
Biomarkers for risk of developing active tuberculosis in contacts of TB patients: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Rakotosamimanana Niaina , Richard Vincent , Raharimanga Vaomalala , Gicquel Brigitte , Doherty T. Mark , Zumla Alimuddin , Rasolofo Razanamparany Voahangy
Published: August 2015

Identifying thoseMycobacterium tuberculosislatent-infected individuals most at risk of developing active tuberculosis (TB) using routine clinical and laboratory tests remains a huge challenge in TB control efforts. We conducted a prospective longitudinal study of clinical and laboratory markers associated with the risk of developing active TB in contacts with latentM. tuberculosisinfection.

HIV-negative household contacts (n=296) of pulmonary TB patients underwent monitoring of clinical features, full blood cell counts, tuberculin skin text (TST) and chest radiography performed regularly during 18 months of follow-up. Paired statistical tests, a Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazard modelling were performed on variables between contacts progressing or not progressing to active TB.

The appearance of TB disease symptoms in contacts was significantly associated with an elevated peripheral percentage of blood monocytes (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 6.25, 95% CI 1.63–23.95; p<0.01), a ≥14 mm TST response (aHR 5.72, 95% CI 1.22–26.80; p=0.03) and an increased monocyte:lymphocyte ratio (aHR 4.97, 95% CI 1.3–18.99; p=0.03). Among contacts having TST ≥14 mm, a strong association with risk of progression to TB was found with an elevated blood monocyte percentage (aHR 8.46, 95% CI 1.74–41.22; p<0.01).

Elevated percentage of peripheral blood monocytes plus an elevated TST response are potential biomarkers for identifying contacts of TB patients at highest risk of developing active TB.
Cost-effectiveness of adult pneumococcal conjugate vaccination in the Netherlands
Authors: Mangen Marie-Josée J. , Rozenbaum Mark H. , Huijts Susanne M. , van Werkhoven Cornelis H. , Postma Douwe F. , Atwood Mark , van Deursen Anna M.M. , van der Ende Arie , Grobbee Diederick E. , Sanders Elisabeth A.M. , Sato Reiko , Verheij Theo J.M. , Vissink Conrad E. , Bonten Marc J.M. , de Wit G. Ardine
Published: August 2015

The Community-Acquired Pneumonia Immunization Trial in Adults (CAPiTA) demonstrated the efficacy of 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in preventing vaccine-type community-acquired pneumonia and vaccine-type invasive pneumococcal disease in elderly subjects. We examined the cost-effectiveness of PCV13 vaccination in the Netherlands.

Using a Markov-type model, incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) of PCV13 vaccination in different age- and risk-groups for pneumococcal disease were evaluated using a societal perspective. Estimates of quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), costs, vaccine efficacy and epidemiological data were based on the CAPiTA study and other prospective studies. The base-case was PCV13 vaccination of adults aged 65–74 years compared to no vaccination, assuming no net indirect effects in base-case due to paediatric 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine use. Analyses for age- and risk-group specific vaccination strategies and for different levels of hypothetical herd effects from a paediatric PCV programme were also conducted.

The ICER for base-case was €8650 per QALY (95% CI 5750–17 100). Vaccination of high-risk individuals aged 65–74 years was cost-saving and extension to medium-risk individuals aged 65–74 years yielded an ICER of €2900. Further extension to include medium- and high-risk individuals aged ≥18 years yielded an ICER of €3100.

PCV13 vaccination is highly cost-effective in the Netherlands. The transferability of our results to other countries depends upon vaccination strategies already implemented in those countries.
Acute exacerbation of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: shifting the paradigm
Authors: Ryerson Christopher J. , Cottin Vincent , Brown Kevin K. , Collard Harold R.
Published: August 2015

The goal of this review is to summarise the clinical features, management, and prognosis of acute exacerbations of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (AE-IPF). AE-IPF has previously been defined based on clinical and radiological features that include the subacute onset of dyspnoea, bilateral ground glass changes on chest high-resolution computed tomography, and the absence of an identifiable aetiology. The annual incidence of AE-IPF is typically reported at 5–15%, but is less common in mild disease. Features of diffuse alveolar damage are present when a biopsy is performed. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients with acute respiratory worsening are often initially treated with high dose corticosteroids and antimicrobials; however, there are no clear data to support these therapies, and the short-term mortality of AE-IPF is ∼50%. Recent studies have shown that the features and prognosis of AE-IPF are similar to other causes of acute respiratory worsening, including infection, aspiration, air pollution and mechanical injury to the alveolar epithelium. Based on this emerging evidence, we propose a novel approach to the classification of acute respiratory worsening events in patients with IPF that focuses on clinical and radiological findings consistent with an underlying pathobiology of diffuse alveolar damage.
Molecular and clinical diseasome of comorbidities in exacerbated COPD patients
Authors: Faner Rosa , Gutiérrez-Sacristán Alba , Castro-Acosta Ady , Grosdidier Solène , Gan Wenqi , Sánchez-Mayor Milagros , Lopez-Campos Jose Luis , Pozo-Rodriguez Francisco , Sanz Ferran , Mannino David , Furlong Laura I. , Agusti Alvar
Published: August 2015

The frequent occurrence of comorbidities in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suggests that they may share pathobiological processes and/or risk factors.

To explore these possibilities we compared the clinical diseasome and the molecular diseasome of 5447 COPD patients hospitalised because of an exacerbation of the disease.The clinical diseasome is a network representation of the relationships between diseases, in which diseases are connected if they co-occur more than expected at random; in the molecular diseasome, diseases are linked if they share associated genes or interaction between proteins.

The results showed that about half of the disease pairs identified in the clinical diseasome had a biological counterpart in the molecular diseasome, particularly those related to inflammation and vascular tone regulation. Interestingly, the clinical diseasome of these patients appears independent of age, cumulative smoking exposure or severity of airflow limitation.

These results support the existence of shared molecular mechanisms among comorbidities in COPD.
Benefits of physical activity on COPD hospitalisation depend on intensity
Authors: Donaire-Gonzalez David , Gimeno-Santos Elena , Balcells Eva , de Batlle Jordi , Ramon Maria A. , Rodriguez Esther , Farrero Eva , Benet Marta , Guerra Stefano , Sauleda Jaume , Ferrer Antoni , Ferrer Jaume , Barberà Joan A. , Rodriguez-Roisin Robert , Gea Joaquim , Agustí Alvar , Antó Josep M. , Garcia-Aymerich Judith ,   the PAC-COPD Study Group
Published: August 2015

The present study aims to disentangle the independent effects of the quantity and the intensity of physical activity on the risk reduction of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) hospitalisations.

177 patients from the Phenotype Characterization and Course of COPD (PAC-COPD) cohort (mean±sdage 71±8 years, forced expiratory volume in 1 s 52±16% predicted) wore the SenseWear Pro 2 Armband accelerometer (BodyMedia, Pittsburgh, PA, USA) for eight consecutive days, providing data on quantity (steps per day, physically active days and daily active time) and intensity (average metabolic equivalent tasks) of physical activity. Information on COPD hospitalisations during follow-up (2.5±0.8 years) was obtained from validated centralised datasets.

During follow-up 67 (38%) patients were hospitalised. There was an interaction between quantity and intensity of physical activity in their effects on COPD hospitalisation risk. After adjusting for potential confounders in the Cox regression model, the risk of COPD hospitalisation was reduced by 20% (hazard ratio (HR) 0.79, 95% CI 0.67–0.93; p=0.005) for every additional 1000 daily steps at low average intensity. A greater quantity of daily steps at high average intensity did not influence the risk of COPD hospitalisations (HR 1.01, p=0.919). Similar results were found for the other measures of quantity of physical activity.

Greater quantity of low-intensity physical activity reduces the risk of COPD hospitalisation, but high-intensity physical activity does not produce any risk reduction.
Modeling Sources of Teaching Self-Efficacy for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Graduate Teaching Assistants
Authors: DeChenne Sue Ellen , Koziol Natalie , Needham Mark , Enochs Larry
Published: August 2015

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have a large impact on undergraduate instruction but are often poorly prepared to teach. Teaching self-efficacy, an instructor’s belief in his or her ability to teach specific student populations a specific subject, is an important predictor of teaching skill and student achievement. A model of sources of teaching self-efficacy is developed from the GTA literature. This model indicates that teaching experience, departmental teaching climate (including peer and supervisor relationships), and GTA professional development (PD) can act as sources of teaching self-efficacy. The model is pilot tested with 128 GTAs from nine different STEM departments at a midsized research university. Structural equation modeling reveals that K–12 teaching experience, hours and perceived quality of GTA PD, and perception of the departmental facilitating environment are significant factors that explain 32% of the variance in the teaching self-efficacy of STEM GTAs. This model highlights the important contributions of the departmental environment and GTA PD in the development of teaching self-efficacy for STEM GTAs.
The Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment (URSSA): Validation for Use in Program Evaluation
Authors: Weston Timothy J. , Laursen Sandra L.
Published: August 2015

This article examines the validity of the Undergraduate Research Student Self-Assessment (URSSA), a survey used to evaluate undergraduate research (UR) programs. The underlying structure of the survey was assessed with confirmatory factor analysis; also examined were correlations between different average scores, score reliability, and matches between numerical and textual item responses. The study found that four components of the survey represent separate but related constructs for cognitive skills and affective learning gains derived from the UR experience. Average scores from item blocks formed reliable but moderate to highly correlated composite measures. Additionally, some questions about student learning gains (meant to assess individual learning) correlated to ratings of satisfaction with external aspects of the research experience. The pattern of correlation among individual items suggests that items asking students to rate external aspects of their environment were more like satisfaction ratings than items that directly ask about student skills attainment. Finally, survey items asking about student aspirations to attend graduate school in science reflected inflated estimates of the proportions of students who had actually decided on graduate education after their UR experiences. Recommendations for revisions to the survey include clarified item wording and increasing discrimination between item blocks through reorganization.
The influence of personality disorder on outcome in adolescent self-harm
Authors: Ayodeji Eunice , Green Jonathan , Roberts Chris , Trainor Gemma , Rothwell Justine , Woodham Adrine , Wood Alison
Published: August 2015

Background

Little is currently known about the presence and impact of personality disorder in adolescents who self-harm.

Aims

To evaluate personality disorder in repeated self-harm in adolescence and its impact on self-harm psychopathology and adaptation outcomes over 1 year.

Method

A clinical referral sample (n= 366) of adolescents presenting with repeated self-harm aged 12–17 years, as part of a randomised controlled trial (Assessment of Treatment in Suicidal Teenagers study, ASSIST). Personality disorder was assessed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II (SCID-II). One-year outcomes included frequency and severity of repeat self-harm, self-reported suicidality, mood and functional impairment.

Results

About 60% of the referred adolescents showed one or more forms of personality disorder. Personality disorder was associated with significantly greater severity of self-harm, overall psychopathology and impairment. There was a complex association with treatment adherence. Personality disorder predicted worse 1-year outcomes in relation to self-harm frequency and severity, as well as impairment, suicidality and depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

Personality disorder can be reliably measured in adolescence and showed high prevalence in this clinical self-harm sample. Controlling for other variables, it showed a strong independent association with self-harm severity at referral and predicted adherence to treatment and clinical outcomes (independent of treatment) over 1 year. Consideration of personality disorder diagnosis is indicated in the assessment and management of adolescents who repeatedly self-harm.
Phenotypic Characterization of Mice Carrying Homozygous Deletion of KLF11, a Gene in Which Mutations Cause Human Neonatal and MODY VII Diabetes
Authors: Mathison Angela , Escande Carlos , Calvo Ezequiel , Seo Seungmae , White Thomas , Salmonson Ann , Faubion William A. , Buttar Navtej , Iovanna Juan , Lomberk Gwen , Chini Eduardo N. , Urrutia Raul
Published: August 2015

We have previously shown that amino acid changes in the human Kruppel-Like Factor (KLF) 11 protein is associated with the development of maturity onset diabetes of the young VII, whereas complete inactivation of this pathway by the −331 human insulin mutation causes neonatal diabetes mellitus. Here, we report that Klf11−/− mice have decreased circulating insulin levels, alterations in the control of blood glucose and body weight, as well as serum dyslipidemia, but do not develop diabetes. Functional assays using ex vivo liver tissue sections demonstrate that Klf11−/− mice display increased insulin sensitivity. Genome-wide experiments validated by pathway-specific quantitative PCR arrays reveal that the Klf11−/− phenotype associates to alterations in the regulation of gene networks involved in lipid metabolism, in particular those regulated by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ. Combined, these results demonstrate that the major phenotype given by the whole-body deletion of Klf11 in mouse is not diabetes but increased insulin sensitivity, likely due to altered transcriptional regulation in target tissues. The absence of diabetes in the Klf11−/− mouse either indicates an interspecies difference for the role of this transcription factor in metabolic homeostasis between mouse and humans, or potentially highlights the fact that other molecular factors can compensate for its absence. Nevertheless, the data of this study, gathered at the whole-organism level, further support a role for KLF11 in metabolic processes like insulin sensitivity, which regulation is critical in several forms of diabetes.
FABP4-Cre Mediated Expression of Constitutively Active ChREBP Protects Against Obesity, Fatty Liver, and Insulin Resistance
Authors: Nuotio-Antar Alli M. , Poungvarin Naravat , Li Ming , Schupp Michael , Mohammad Mahmoud , Gerard Sarah , Zou Fang , Chan Lawrence
Published: August 2015

Carbohydrate response element binding protein (ChREBP) regulates cellular glucose and lipid homeostasis. Although ChREBP is highly expressed in many key metabolic tissues, the role of ChREBP in most of those tissues and the consequent effects on whole-body glucose and lipid metabolism are not well understood. Therefore, we generated a transgenic mouse that overexpresses a constitutively active ChREBP isoform under the control of the fatty acid binding protein 4-Cre-driven promoter (FaChOX). Weight gain was blunted in male, but not female, FaChOX mice when placed on either a normal chow diet or an obesogenic Western diet. Respiratory exchange ratios were increased in Western diet-fed FaChOX mice, indicating a shift in whole-body substrate use favoring carbohydrate metabolism. Western diet-fed FaChOX mice showed improved insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in comparison with controls. Hepatic triglyceride content was reduced in Western diet-fed FaChOX mice in comparison with controls, suggesting protection from fatty liver. Epididymal adipose tissue exhibited differential expression of genes involved in differentiation, browning, metabolism, lipid homeostasis, and inflammation between Western diet-fed FaChOX mice and controls. Our findings support a role for ChREBP in modulating adipocyte differentiation and adipose tissue metabolism and inflammation as well as consequent risks for obesity and insulin resistance.
Information Rigidity and the Expectations Formation Process: A Simple Framework and New Facts
Authors: Coibion Olivier , Gorodnichenko Yuriy
Published: August 2015

We propose a new approach to test the full-information rational expectations hypothesis which can identify whether rejections of the null arise from information rigidities. This approach quantifies the economic significance of departures from the null and the underlying degree of information rigidity. Applying this approach to US and international data of professional forecasters and other agents yields pervasive evidence consistent with the presence of information rigidities. These results therefore provide a set of stylized facts which can be used to calibrate imperfect information models. Finally, we document evidence of state-dependence in the expectations formation process. (JEL C53, D83, D84, E13, E31, E37)
Yours, Mine, and Ours: Do Divorce Laws Affect the Intertemporal Behavior of Married Couples?
Authors: Voena Alessandra
Published: August 2015

This paper examines how divorce laws affect couples' intertemporal choices and well-being. Exploiting panel variation in US laws, I estimate the parameters of a model of household decision-making. Household survey data indicate that the introduction of unilateral divorce in states that imposed an equal division of property is associated with higher household savings and lower female employment, implying a distortion in household assets accumulation and a transfer toward wives whose share in household resources is smaller than the one of their husband. When spouses share consumption equally, separate property or prenuptial agreements can reduce distortions and increase equity. (JEL D13, D14, D91, J12, J16, K36)
In the Name of the Son (and the Daughter): Intergenerational Mobility in the United States, 1850 –1940
Authors: Olivetti Claudia , Paserman M. Daniele
Published: August 2015

This paper estimates historical intergenerational elasticities between fathers and children of both sexes in the United States using a novel empirical strategy. The key insight of our approach is that the information about socioeconomic status conveyed by first names can be used to create pseudo-links across generations. We find that both father-son and father-daughter elasticities were flat during the nineteenth century, increased sharply between 1900 and 1920, and declined slightly thereafter. We discuss the role of regional disparities in economic development, trends in inequality and returns to human capital, and the marriage market in explaining these patterns. (JEL D63, J12, J16, J24, J62, N31, N32)
On Discrimination in Auctions with Endogenous Entry
Authors: Jehiel Philippe , Lamy Laurent
Published: August 2015

When entry is exogenous, strong buyers should be discriminated against weak buyers to maximize revenues (Myerson 1981). When entry is endogenous so that entrants' expected payoffs do not depend on the proposed mechanism, optimal discrimination takes a completely different form. The revenue-maximizing equilibrium requires that there should be no discrimination with respect to entrants irrespective of their ex ante characteristics. Besides, those buyers who always participate should be discriminated against entrants independently of their strength. These predictions are independent of the equilibrium selection when the number of potential entrants grows large. The optimality of first-price auctions is also discussed. (JEL D44, H57)
Macrophage Gene Therapy: opening novel therapeutic avenues for immune disorders
Authors: Singh Gyanesh , Pachouri U.C. , Chopra Chirag , Bajaj Preeti , Singh Pushplata
Published: August 2015

Macrophages are probably the most important cells of the mammalian immune system, and compromised macrophage function is known to cause several diseases. Their involvement in arthritis, cancer, infections, atherosclerosis, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders is well known. There has been a constantly growing need to transfer therapeutic genes into macrophages. Like most non-macrophage gene therapies,in vitrogene transfer has been attempted much more frequently in case of macrophages. However, primary macrophages are still somewhat recalcitrant to transfection. Macrophage-specific synthetic promoters, which were recently used successfully, can have up to 100-fold higher activity than that of native promoters.  Adenovirus, lentivirus, and adeno-associated virus are commonly used for macrophage gene therapy. A number of non-viral methods are also popular for the transfer of exogenous DNA into macrophages. Gene transfer to macrophages using naked DNA has also been successful in a few cases. Macrophages have speciﬁc mechanisms to recognize and respond to bacterial DNA because of the presence of unmethylated CpG dinucleotides, which are rare in eukaryotic DNA. With interesting developments in this area, macrophage gene therapy appears to have great potential for immune therapies.
TO THE QUESTION OF NEED OF DEVELOPMENT OF REGIONAL STRATEGY OF REALIZATION OF THE STATE CULTURAL POLICY IN THE ORYOL REGION
Authors: Ливцов  , Livtsov Viktor
Published: August 2015

In the article the question of preservation of cultural heritage in the Russian Federation is considered. Special attention is paid to the regional aspect of the problem, using the Orel region as an example. Using data of sociological polls and official statistics, the author substantiates the need to develop a new regional strategy of realization of state cultural policy for the given region.
ACTUAL PROBLEMS OF TERMINATION OF LAND OWNERSHIP RIGHTS DUE TO LAND SEIZURE FOR STATE AND MUNICIPAL NEEDS
Authors: Ястребов  , Yastrebov Aleksey
Published: August 2015

The article examines the main aspects of termination of land ownership rights due to land seizure for state and municipal needs. Analyzing law and judicial practice the author distinguishes problems appeared in legal precedents of land seizure. The article contains the commentary on several changes in the Land Code of the Russian Federation and formulates suggestions for improving legal regulations of termination of land ownership rights.
FORMATION MARKETING ENVIRONMENT FOR SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT IN THE REGIONAL CONTEXT
Authors: Тычинская  , Tychinskaya Irina , Комаревцева  , Komarevtseva Olga
Published: August 2015

The article deals with the problems of small business development as a subject of regional marketing environment. Regional marketing environment - an environment in which a particular regional government opened new horizons search capabilities of the region´s economy and effective solutions to the problems arising in the implementation of regional social and economic policy. The great potential to attract the region´s economy population, owners and the authorities have small business. In the article the author´s interpretation of regional marketing, entrepreneurship, marketing environment, carried out an integrated assessment of the level of entrepreneurial potential of the Oryol region.
SOCIAL FACTORS OF TRANSFORMATION OF LOCAL SELFGOVERNMENT IN MODERN RUSSIA
Authors: Черкашин  , Cherkashin Sergey , Магомедов  , Magomedov Kerem
Published: August 2015

Local self-government in Russia remains a problematic link in the national system of public process. Lack of efficiency of local authorities reduces the development potential of the entire Russian society. Many of the problems faced by Russian citizens in their daily lives, are the responsibility of local government, but their solutions are not always achieved in the form and completeness, which can satisfy the population of municipalities. This is due to the influence of various social factors on local government. Study of the effect of such factors is not only scientific, but also of practical interest. In the article on the materials of sociological research on actual problems of functioning and development of local self-government in the Russian Federation carried out by the sociological group of the Institute of Public Administration and Management of the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration in 2014, some of the significant issues of the influence of social factors on the effective functioning of local governments in the Russian Federation are discussed.
FORMATION OF FACULTIES OF MORAL AND POLITICAL SCIENCES AT RUSSIAN UNIVERSITIES
Authors: Ирхин  , Irkhin Yuriy
Published: August 2015

The article analyses mission of the departments of moral and political sciences in Russia at the beginning of XIX century.The features of the activity of the faculty of moral and political science at Moscow University, as the largest in Russia, are shown. Materials on the dynamics of the faculty and its professors are presented. The value of the first historical attempt of institutionalization of political science in Russia and its importance forthe genesis of domestic political science are considered.
Cluster Policy Dynamic Optimization of High-Tech Industries in Conditions of Forced Autarky
Authors: Юсим  , Yusim Vyacheslav , Быстров  , Bystrov Andrey , Свирчевский  , Svirchevskiy Vadim
Published: August 2015

The article is currently justified a new industrial policy, which will allow to enter Russia in the Group of the world’s technology leaders. The proposed methodology for the management of industrial development should ensure the highest development rates for unlimited time period. It uses objective criteria to achieve an optimal choice, provides objects for investment financing, investments and dynamic development. The proposed industrial policy takes into account the role of the human factor and the features of the institutional environment of the country.
State Management of Rationale for the Selection of Engineering Development of Industrial Complexes for Targeted Support
Authors: Смирнов  , Smirnov E. , Смирнова  , Smirnova M.
Published: August 2015

The article analyzes the problem of managing the rationale for the selection of engineering (rationalist) type of development enterprises among the existing industrial complexes for targeted support on economic activity. The article develops a criterion that enables to make informed choices of one NACE activity businesses for state support. This in turn will provide consistent long term and short term development of country’s economy. The use of criteria that allows transition to managed development of economy is substantiated. The potential of the rationalist development and its dynamics were estimated for various economic activities.
The Effect of Tax Changes on Financial Leasing in the Czech Republic
Authors: Grebikova Monika
Published: August 2015

The article is focused on fixed assets, especially on purchase by financial leasing. There are summarized tax changes of income tax and VAT. The main aim of the article is to find out the legal framework and to analyze the effect of the tax changes on financial leasing in the Czech Republic.
The Effects of a Change in the Environment on Business Valuation Using the Income Capitalization Approach
Authors: Reznakova Maria , Karas Michal
Published: August 2015

Determining the company value in the conditions of unstable development is a very difficult, almost sophisticated activity. The experience of authors confirms high sensitivity of the resulting company value in relation to critical input parameters, which are known as value drivers. One of these drivers, in case of determining the company value using the income capitalization approach, is the expected sales. In practice, some authors, but mainly experts, limit sales forecast to extrapolation of the identified trend of the past development, while neglecting the importance of the strategic analysis. The aim of the strategic analysis is to identify all factors which may influence future company objectives, i.e. also future sales. This article provides a possible approach to the correction of sales forecast based on the information gained from the strategic analysis.
Practice nurses connect at Leeds conference
Authors: Davis Kelly
Published: August 2015

The third annual practice nurse conference in Leeds was held on the 2 July 2015. This year's theme was ‘Let's Connect’
A model for the continuous quality improvement of the Sing With Us choir leaders
Authors: Morris Jessica Ruth , Dow Rosie
Published: August 2015

Sing With Us is a network of fifteen research-led community choirs run weekly by the cancer charity Tenovus Cancer Care, as a form of support for people affected by cancer in Wales. This article discusses a model created by Tenovus Cancer Care to train and develop their team of eight community Choir Leaders (CLs). It explores the theoretical frameworks and methodology through which a system of continuous quality improvement has been developed for them, and looks specifically at the initial results of a first team assessment. This article will explore the idea that by professionalizing and valuing the roles of the CLs and the work they do, this will create a positive impact in the service that is provided. It will suggest that by implementing a process to ensure a quality leadership in a community choir setting, choristers will be more likely to have a richer experience on which they place high value and will be engaged for longer.
‘We’re all on the path ourselves’: The ‘reflective practitioner’ in participatory arts with older people
Authors: Wakeling Kate
Published: August 2015

This article explores the role of the ‘reflective practitioner’ in participatory arts projects with older people, as articulated by creative practitioners themselves. Research into participatory arts activity with older people, which focuses on the process rather than the outcome of such activity remains sparse, as does scholarship that engages closely with artist-practitioners themselves as a rich source of knowledge and insight in this field. Supported by theory concerning the development and utility of reflective praxis, the article foregrounds the perspectives of a range of experienced artist-practitioners, as obtained through interviews and the findings of a ‘reflective learning group’ practitioner CPD programme. Research found that the creative practitioners consulted had developed a range of diverse reflective practices in order to engage and nurture the older participants they worked with, including: highly flexible and dialogic approaches; seeking ‘kinaesthetic empathy’ with participants; applying a form of ‘micro-responsiveness’ to participants; and fostering strong reflective practices among participants themselves. These findings hold important implications as to how we understand the processes by which practitioners enhance participant experience in the participatory arts, how creative practitioners are best supported in their work, and for the design, management and evaluation of participatory arts projects.
‘It’s really scared of disability’: Disabled comedians’ perspectives of the British television comedy industry
Authors: Lockyer Sharon
Published: August 2015

For over twenty years British television broadcasters, regulators and critics have been, and continue to be, united in their desire to increase the number of disabled staff working across the television industry and to improve the representation of disabled people in television programmes. However, little research focuses on the lived experiences of disabled television writers and performers working within the television industry. Via thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with disabled comedy writers and performers, this article specifically focuses on the everyday working experiences of disabled comedy professionals in the contemporary television comedy industry. Two main interconnected themes are highlighted and explored: (1) institutional dynamics of the television comedy industry; and (2) limits of current portrayals of disability in television comedy. These themes reveal the disabling institutional norms experienced by disabled comedy professionals and their critical perceptions of the representations of disability in recent television comedy programmes, including I’m Spazticus (2012–2013) and The Last Leg (2012–).
Supersize vs. Superskinny: (Re)framing the freak show in contemporary popular culture
Authors: Leadley Allison
Published: August 2015

While the freak show once dominated western stages and was, as scholar Robert Bogdan notes, one of the most popular forms of entertainment for nearly a century, the increasing concern surrounding the political, ethical and moral implications of gazing openly upon abnormal bodies cemented the eventual decline of its popularity in the early- to mid-twentieth century. However, as scholars have noted, the eventual decline of the freak show did not necessarily signal the end to the public’s fascination with looking at anomalous or extraordinary bodies. Instead, this fascination was reconfigured within contemporary culture to sites such as reality television, tabloid publications and medical documentaries. Within this article, I focus on the popular Channel 4 reality documentary series: Supersize vs. Superskinny (2008– 2014). The programme, which spans seven series, follows two pairs of participants with disparate body sizes and ‘extreme’ diets as they swap their usual meals with one another for one full week in an attempt to challenge their current relationship to food and diet. Like the freak show – a complex performance practice that extends beyond the sideshow or carnival stages to include modes of looking at bodies that included medical theatres and lectures, ethnographic displays, and museums – Supersize vs. Superskinny is a hybrid of spectacle, entertainment and medical clinic, and thus, has emerged as a prime case study of these aforementioned contemporary socially sanctioned sites of gazing upon Othered bodies. In this article, I intend to conduct a close reading of two episodes from within the series as a means of not only exploring the aesthetic and narrative similarities between the programme and the historic freak show, but to explore how the programme, in its framing and presentation of exceptional bodies, implicitly reinforces the moral, political and cultural superiority of the so-called ‘normate’.
Disability and television: Notes from the field
Authors: Barton Sarah
Published: August 2015

Drawing on extensive experience working in film and television production, this article reflects on the practical and cultural problems encountered by programmemakers working with participants with disabilities. This article aims to give advice to other programme-makers, and does so within practical contexts such as budgetary constraints and ‘typical’ working practices. In doing so, the intention here is to support wider diversity on-screen, and to enable television to better work with, and represent, people with disabilities.
Nonlinear analysis of pupillary dynamics
Authors: Onorati Francesco , Mainardi Luca Tommaso , Sirca Fabiola , Russo Vincenzo , Barbieri Riccardo
Published: August 2015

Pupil size reflects autonomic response to different environmental and behavioral stimuli, and its dynamics have been linked to other autonomic correlates such as cardiac and respiratory rhythms. The aim of this study is to assess the nonlinear characteristics of pupil size of 25 normal subjects who participated in a psychophysiological experimental protocol with four experimental conditions, namely “baseline”, “anger”, “joy”, and “sadness”. Nonlinear measures, such as sample entropy, correlation dimension, and largest Lyapunov exponent, were computed on reconstructed signals of spontaneous fluctuations of pupil dilation. Nonparametric statistical tests were performed on surrogate data to verify that the nonlinear measures are an intrinsic characteristic of the signals. We then developed and applied a piecewise linear regression model to detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). Two joinpoints and three scaling intervals were identified: slopeα0, at slow time scales, represents a persistent nonstationary long-range correlation, whereasα1andα2, at middle and fast time scales, respectively, represent long-range power-law correlations, similarly to DFA applied to heart rate variability signals. Of the computed complexity measures,α0showed statistically significant differences among experimental conditions (p<0.001). Our results suggest that (a) pupil size at constant light condition is characterized by nonlinear dynamics, (b) three well-defined and distinct long-memory processes exist at different time scales, and (c) autonomic stimulation is partially reflected in nonlinear dynamics.
Brain tumor classification and segmentation using sparse coding and dictionary learning
Authors: Salman Al-Shaikhli Saif Dawood , Yang Michael Ying , Rosenhahn Bodo
Published: August 2015

This paper presents a novel fully automatic framework for multi-class brain tumor classification and segmentation using a sparse coding and dictionary learning method. The proposed framework consists of two steps: classification and segmentation. The classification of the brain tumors is based on brain topology and texture. The segmentation is based on voxel values of the image data. Using K-SVD, two types of dictionaries are learned from the training data and their associated ground truth segmentation: feature dictionary and voxel-wise coupled dictionaries. The feature dictionary consists of global image features (topological and texture features). The coupled dictionaries consist of coupled information: gray scale voxel values of the training image data and their associated label voxel values of the ground truth segmentation of the training data. For quantitative evaluation, the proposed framework is evaluated using different metrics. The segmentation results of the brain tumor segmentation (MICCAI-BraTS-2013) database are evaluated using five different metric scores, which are computed using the online evaluation tool provided by the BraTS-2013 challenge organizers. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves an accurate brain tumor classification and segmentation and outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.