The Egyptian Cardiothoracic Surgeon (ECTS - E-Journal)
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'The Great Desideratum in Government': James Madison, Benjamin Constant, and the Liberal-Republican Framework for Political Neutrality
No full textThe liberal and republican traditions of political thought are commonly treated as divergent political-philosophical doctrines which existed in a state irreconcilable opposition in late eighteenth-century France and America. The present study challenges this notion through examining the concept of political neutrality as discussed and expounded in the political and constitutional writings of James Madison and Benjamin Constant. In seeking to account for not only why, but also how, both thinkers endeavoured to construct political systems geared toward securing the production of neutral laws, this thesis explores and highlights the complex interdependent relationship between the liberal and republican philosophical traditions in late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century political theory. It is argued that in their desire to construct political-constitutional systems tailored toward guaranteeing the materialisation of neutral laws, Madison and Constant incorporated republican, or ‘Real Whig’, concepts into their respective constitutional strategies. Their shared objective, it is shown, was to form limited and neutral states through exploiting the diversity of public opinion in such a way that would render popular sovereignty self-neutralising. More specifically, this thesis suggests that both Madison and Constant placed considerable emphasis on de-legitimising particular justifications for legislative action, and that their respective efforts in this area were motivated by a desire to restrict the legislature to the promotion of objective, and impartially-conceived, accounts of the public good. Thus through examining Madison’s and Constant’s attempts to form neutral states, this thesis challenges the traditional account of the development of modern liberalism through pointing to the existence of an autonomous liberal-republican philosophy in post-revolutionary French and American political thought. It is argued that this hybrid political philosophy – which underpinned the constitutionalisms advanced by both Madison and Constant – had as its principal objective the reconciliation of the practice of popular governance with the restoration and maintenance negative individual liberty. Both thinkers, in other words, exploited republican concepts and institutions in order to realise the distinctly liberal end of forming limited and neutral states
The Invention of Corruption:Political Malpractice and Selective Prosecution in Colonial Northern Nigeria
No full textGroup 3 innate lymphoid cells: regulating host-commensal bacteria interactions in inflammation and cancer.
No full textA delicate balance exists between the mammalian immune system and normally beneficial commensal bacteria that colonize the gastrointestinal tract, which is necessary to maintain tissue homeostasis. Dysregulation of these interactions between the host and commensal bacteria is causally associated with chronic inflammation and the development of cancer. In contrast, recent reports have highlighted that commensal bacteria also play an essential role in promoting anti-tumor immune responses in several contexts, highlighting a paradox whereby interactions between the host and commensal bacteria can influence both pro- and anti-tumor immunity. Given the critical roles for group 3 innate lymphoid cells (ILC3s) in regulating inflammation, tissue repair and host-microbe interactions in the intestine, here we discuss new evidence that ILC3s may profoundly influence the development, progression and control of tumors. In this review, we provide an overview of recent advances in understanding the impact of commensal bacteria on tumorigenesis, discuss recent findings identifying ILC3s as critical regulators of host-microbe interactions and highlight the emerging role of this immune cell population in cancer and their potential implication as a therapeutic target
Role of reverse phenotyping in interpretation of next generation sequencing data and a review of INPP5E related disorders.
No full textINTRODUCTION: Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is a useful tool in diagnosis of rare disorders but the interpretation of data can be challenging in clinical settings. We present results of extended studies on a family of multiple members with global developmental delay and learning disability, where another research group postulated the underlying cause to be a homozygous RABL6 missense variant. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using data from the Exome Variant Server, we show that missense RABL6 variants are unlikely to cause early onset rare developmental disorder. Protein structural analysis, cellular functional studies and reverse phenotyping proved that the condition in this family is due to a homozygous INPP5E mutation. An in-depth review of mutational and phenotypic spectrum associated with INPP5E demonstrated that mutations in this gene lead to a range of cilliopathy-phenotypes. DISCUSSION: We use this study as an example to demonstrate the importance of careful clinical evaluation of multiple family members, reverse phenotyping, considering the unknown phenotypic variability of rare diseases, utilizing publically available genomic databases and conducting appropriate bioinformatics and functional studies while interpreting results from NGS in uncertain cases. We emphasize that interpretation of NGS data is an iterative process and its dynamic nature should be explained to patients and families. Our study shows that developmental delay, intellectual disability, hypotonia and ocular motor apraxia are common in INPP5E-related disorders and considerable intra-familial phenotypic variability is possible. We have compiled the INPP5E mutational spectrum and provided novel insights into their molecular mechanisms
The Role of Parental and Peer Attachment Relationships and School Connectedness in Predicting Adolescent Mental Health Outcomes
No full textAdolescent attachment relationships with parents and peers and the sense of connectedness with the schools attended have been established as salient predictors of psychological well-being. Few studies, however, have assessed the relative importance of each attachment or connectedness relationship and how they interrelate to influence mental health outcomes. Method: A total of 203 adolescents (11–16 years) completed self-report measures of parental and peer attachment (Inventory of Parental & Peer Attachment – Revised; Gullone & Robinson, 2005); school connectedness (Psychological Sense of School Membership; Goodenow, 1993); conduct problems, emotional symptoms and prosocial behaviour (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; Goodman, 1997). Results: Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that more insecure parental attachment (although not peer attachment or school connectedness) predicted conduct problems and emotional difficulties. Peer attachment and school connectedness were significant predictors of prosocial behaviour, whereas parental attachment was not. A mediational analysis revealed that peer attachment and school connectedness both mediate the relationship between parental attachment and prosocial behaviour. No significant moderation effects of either peer attachment or school connectedness on the relationship between parental attachment and mental health outcomes were found. Conclusions: Different attachment and connectedness relationships, although related, predict adolescent mental health outcomes in distinct ways. Improving parental attachment may have particular salience in reducing negative behaviours such as conduct problems and emotional difficulties, whereas improving peer attachment and school connectedness could be important for the display of prosocial behaviour
Spirit of the future: movement, kinetic distribution and personhood among Siberian Eveny
No full textThe article discusses the concept of djuluchen (“a spirit that travels ahead�) among Siberian Eveny, which can illuminate the human potential to foreshadow one’s own future. Looking closely at Eveny adolescents’ case-studies reveals that the act of planning, narrating or envisioning the future event, heavily charged and empowered by djuluchen, moves the future event to its fulfilment. Drawing from Deleuzian notion of becoming, the author shows the connection between prediction and fulfillment involved in the Eveny conceptualization of personhood and destiny. The discussion of kinetic distribution and illocutionary act uncovers the principle of detachability and partibility of personhood among Siberian reindeer herders
Age and Smoking Related Changes in Metal Ion Levels in Human Lens:Implications for Cataract Formation
No full textAge-related cataract formation is the primary cause of blindness worldwide and although treatable by surgical removal of the lens the majority of sufferers have neither the finances nor access to the medical facilities required. Therefore, a better understanding of the pathogenesis of cataract may identify new therapeutic targets to prevent or slow its progression. Cataract incidence is strongly correlated with age and cigarette smoking, factors that are often associated with accumulation of metal ions in other tissues. Therefore this study evaluated the age-related changes in 14 metal ions in 32 post mortem human lenses without known cataract from donors of 11 to 82 years of age by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry; smoking-related changes in 10 smokers verses 14 non-smokers were also analysed. A significant age-related increase in selenium and decrease in copper ions was observed for the first time in the lens tissue, where cadmium ion levels were also increased as has been seen previously. Aluminium and vanadium ions were found to be increased in smokers compared to non-smokers (an analysis that has only been carried out before in lenses with cataract). These changes in metal ions, i.e. that occur as a consequence of normal ageing and of smoking, could contribute to cataract formation via induction of oxidative stress pathways, modulation of extracellular matrix structure/function and cellular toxicity. Thus, this study has identified novel changes in metal ions in human lens that could potentially drive the pathology of cataract formation.</p
Jun-mediated changes in cell adhesion contribute to mouse embryonic stem cell exit from ground state pluripotency
No full textModeling and Analysis of Cellular Networks with Elastic Data Traffic
No full textWe devise a framework using tools from stochastic geometry and queuing theory for the study of irregular cellular networks when user traffic varies randomly in time and space. We consider a typical wireless cell with a guard zone surrounded by an interference environment comprised of a dominant node at the cell-edge plus an outer-bound Poisson field of sources. A systematic approach is presented to characterize the cell flow capacity in the presence of elastic data traffic with closed-form expressions of the intended signal power and aggregate interference statistics over Nakagami-m fading channels accordingly derived. We then formulate and solve an optimization problem for computing the traffic capacity defined as the maximum data flow intensity for which the cell remains unsaturated