20,870 research outputs found
ADAM SMITH'S OPTIMISTIC TELEOLOGICAL VIEW OF HISTORY
No full textAdam Smith's four-stage theory provides the framework for his writings on history. The fourth stage is the commercial epoch; the culmination of history in this stage is a key component in the conventional interpretation of Adam Smith as a prophet of commercialism. In two historical case studies Smith shows the capacity of commercial society to regenerate itself. This potent capacity suggests that commercial society is inevitable. At a certain point in time it also overcomes the major obstacles to its permanence. Smith's philosophy of history anticipates the end of history views of Kant and Hegel.Political Economy,
How Might Adam Smith Pay Professors Today?
No full textAdam Smith’s proposal for paying professors was intended to induce increased faculty knowledge. If students have imperfect information about what they learn, and universities can only imperfectly measure the input of faculty time in student learning, publications may be used to measure faculty knowledge. If professors’ ability to publish is positively related to their ability to produce student learning, which universities can imperfectly measure, publications may be necessary to attract more able professors. Since research signals faculty knowledge, schools that do not value publications per se could require higher publication standards and pay higher wages than schools that value only publications.
ADAM SMITH'S VIEW OF HISTORY: CONSISTENT OR PARADOXICAL?
No full textThe conventional interpretation of Adam Smith is that he is a prophet of commercialism. The liberal capitalist reading of Smith is consistent with the view that history culminates in commercial society. The first part of the article develops this optimistic interpretation of Smith's view of history. Smith implies that commercial society is the end of history because 1) it supplies the ends of nature that he identifies; 2) it is inevitable; and 3) it is permanent. The second part of the article shows that Smith has some dark moments in his writings where he seems to reject completely such teleological notions. In this more civic humanist mood he confesses that commercial society does not supply the ends of nature, nor is it inevitable, nor is it permanent. Both views exist in Smith and the commentator is forced to choose between passages in Smith's work in order to support a particular interpretation of the former's view of history.Political Economy,
Applications of next-generation technologies in the diagnosis of haematological diseases and cancer
No full textThe advent of massively-parallel next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods has provided researchers with a powerful tool with which to interrogate and characterise the molecular landscape of cancer genomes. Compared to existing methods of DNA sequencing, NGS platforms generate massive amounts of sequence data and, as a consequence, can reveal information not just on single nucleotide variations (SNVs), but also on copy-number aberrations, translocations and large insertions and deletions in a single experiment. Furthermore, targeted NGS provides the capability to focus on a small number of targets simultaneously, with high accuracy and sensitivity. The presence of specific molecular markers acts as predictors of disease outcome, survival rates and treatment response in individual patients. Screening for such markers has become routine practice in diagnostic laboratories using traditional methods of DNA analysis, are widely used in diagnostic laboratories around the world. Whilst these methods are proven and reliable, their limitations lie in the fact that they focus on only the most prevalent mutations in a particular cancer. The ability to investigate multiple gene targets within individual patients, to a high level of accuracy, and to monitor these changes over time will be a valuable tool in cancer diagnostics. As such, there is a potential use case for NGS techniques in routine diagnostics. Therefore, this thesis investigated the extent to which NGS platforms could be used in a clinical setting for the diagnosis and risk-stratification of both lymphoid and myeloid malignancies.
A targeted next-generation sequencing panel was designed and validated against existing diagnostic methods. All mutations in the validation cohort were correctly identified. Both the specificity and sensitivity of the assay were determined and were considerably better than those of the current ‘gold-standard’ techniques. This panel has been fully validated and implemented into the diagnostic service at the John Radcliffe Hospital. The research applications of this panel were also demonstrated through the sequencing of a cohort of del(5q) MDS patients. It was not only found that mutations in TP53 and ASXL1 may be key drivers in the progression of del(5q) MDS into AML but also that 40% of del(5q) patients harboured at least one mutation. A number of mutations were below the limit of detection for Sanger sequencing, and so this study expands our knowledge of the del(5q) mutational landscape.
Whole genome sequencing of 42 CLL cases revealed a high level of molecular heterogeneity, with mutations in key CLL driver genes including TP53, SF3B1, NOTCH1 and ATM. Both clinically relevant CNAs and translocations were detected in the cohort. Four mutation signatures were detected across the CLL genomes and are both associated with, and vary in their prevalence according to, specific clinical characteristics, including age and chemo-refractoriness. Mutations introduced as part of the SHM process in B-cells are present throughout the genome, including in patients with unmutated IgHV genes. Regions of localised hypermutation are present in CLL, with a number affecting genes associated with coding mutations in CLL, including ATM, KLHL6 and MEGF9. A number of mutation clusters are also identified in potentially regulatory regions of genes.
In summary, this thesis demonstrates that both whole genome sequencing and targeted sequencing panels can be introduced into diagnostics to aid the clinical decision-making process and also reveal important new findings that increase our understanding of the pathogenesis of leukaemia
A Fit of Absence of Mind? Learning about British Imperialism in the 21st Century
No full textThe British Empire was instrumental in shaping the modern world as we know it. Despite its significance for today, controversies rage over how we should teach it to younger generations. Writing for Frontier, Dr Adam D. Burns discusses his recent investigations into the different educational factors influencing students' perceptions of the British Empire
Adam Smith and Roman Servitudes
No full textThis essay is a preprint of an article that appeared at: Tijdschrift voor Rechstsgeschiedenis, 72 (2004), 327–57.This essay discusses Adam Smith historical jurisprudence and his use of Roman law materials in his Lectures on Jurisprudence. It argues that Smith found it difficult to maintain his theory of legal development in the face of a highly developed body of Roman law literature
Adam Burns, American Imperialism: The Territorial Expansion of the United States, 1783-2013
No full textAdam Burns, American Imperialism: The Territorial Expansion of the United States, 1783-2013 Edinburgh: Edinburgh UP, 2017. ISBN 978 1 4744 0216 3 Theodora D. Patrona Adam Burns’s title leaves no doubt as to the book’s content: a historical volume set to explore the popular topic of American Imperialism. The author’s obvious goal, to make an original and significant contribution to the field, is no easy task given the vastness of the existing literature a brief overview of which is offered in..
Chandler, Nahum Dimitri, editor. Du Bois, W. E. B. The Problem of the Color Line at the Turn of the Twentieth Century: The Essential Early Essays
No full textChandler, Nahum Dimitri, editor. Du Bois, W. E. B. The Problem of the Color Line at the Turn of the Twentieth Century: The Essential Early Essays. New York: Fordham University Press, 2015, pp. 400. Adam Burns Nahum Chandler has dedicated many years to studying the works of one of the twentieth century’s foremost thinkers, W. E. B. Du Bois – something illustrated both in this volume and in his recent monograph, X – The Problem of the Negro as a Problem for Thought (Fordham UP, 2014). Chandler..
THE THEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION OF ADAM SMITH'S WORK
No full textThe paper will discuss the theological foundation to Smith's writings. Teleology, final causes and divine design were initially seen as central to understanding Smith's writings. Over time, this view fell out of fashion. In the period after World War II, with the rise of positivism, commentators tended to overlook or downplay this interpretation. In the last decade, or so, teleology has started to be restored to its former position as an essential element in understanding Smith. After spelling out Smith's teleology and his view of final causes, divine design and the ends of nature, we try to explain the Panglossian nature of the 'new theistic view' of Smith. While our view differs somewhat, we agree with the essence of the 'new view' claim: a theological view exists in Smith which underpins his moral and economic theories.Political Economy,
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