Alternative Forms of Resistance: Afghan Women Negotiating for Change

In this paper we examine how Afghan women resist, strategize and negotiate family and societal constraints to take advantage of the expanding education and employment opportunities in the post-Taliban era. We focus on how these women exercise agency and what resources they mobilize to maximize their opportunities in the face of potential constraints. We argue that to understand women’s agency and changing gendered power relations in the family, it is crucial to examine every day individual behaviors that deviate from prescribed dominant gender behavior and infuse altered meanings to dominant gendering discourses. Our research highlights that gendered power is partial, interrupted by situated emotions and relationships. Afghan women employ a range of resistance methods to overcome constraints placed in their way, and we discuss them through three thematic frameworks of resistance in acts of submission, sacrifice and situated agreement, resistance in acts of open defiance, and resistance in acts of negotiation. The analyses is based on in-depth interviews with 64 women from 40 households in Kabul, and illustrate the significance of the family as a site in which gendered power and subordination are disrupted, fragmented, negotiated, and interdependent, challenging assumptions of the family as a site of monolithic oppressive power against women

Studying of Medium Manifestations Aspects in Relation to Some Recent Earthquakes

In June 1991 on the International Conference on Induced Seismicity in Baku and in August 1991, at International Congress of Geophysics and Geodesics in Vienna we introduced materials about strongest changes of microseisms starting from January, 15, 1991 on the territory of Absheron peninsula (Azerbaijan) which were connected with military activity in Iraq at the distance as far as 1000 km. In Turkey, Caucasus, Iran and other countries from January to June 1991 in comparison with previous 5 years frequency of earthquakes considerably increased. It is possible to say that exactly the same situation appears after April, 20, 1999 when started the operations in Yugoslavia. The microseisms registered at the distances of 1200 km, 3000 km and 5000 km evidently witnesses of the considerable disturbances in their behavior. What is more, these results say that if such disturbances appear at so big distances they can be distributed and influence everywhere. As a result of uncontrolled human activity the world Ecosystem has become exclusively sensitive and today even small impact has its response practically at any distances and all spheres. On the basis of previous research and data received we can suppose that many seismic events that happened in last year may have an induced character: they may have been sufficiently increased in intensity and quicken in time of occurrence. Increased sensitiveness of the medium and intensity of uncontrollable influence on it requires the creation of world induced effects control system

Risk of stroke in hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 infected patients: A multinational study

Background: There is an increased attention to stroke following SARS-CoV-2. The goal of this study was to better depict the short-term risk of stroke and its associated factors among SARS-CoV-2 hospitalized patients. Methods: This multicentre, multinational observational study includes hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 patients from North and South America (United States, Canada, and Brazil), Europe (Greece, Italy, Finland, and Turkey), Asia (Lebanon, Iran, and India), and Oceania (New Zealand). The outcome was the risk of subsequent stroke. Centres were included by non-probability sampling. The counts and clinical characteristics including laboratory findings and imaging of the patients with and without a subsequent stroke were recorded according to a predefined protocol. Quality, risk of bias, and heterogeneity assessments were conducted according to ROBINS-E and Cochrane Q-test. The risk of subsequent stroke was estimated through meta-analyses with random effect models. Bivariate logistic regression was used to determine the parameters with predictive outcome value. The study was reported according to the STROBE, MOOSE, and EQUATOR guidelines. Findings: We received data from 26,175 hospitalized SARS-CoV-2 patients from 99 tertiary centres in 65 regions of 11 countries until May 1st, 2020. A total of 17,799 patients were included in meta-analyses. Among them, 156(0.9) patients had a stroke�123(79) ischaemic stroke, 27(17) intracerebral/subarachnoid hemorrhage, and 6(4) cerebral sinus thrombosis. Subsequent stroke risks calculated with meta-analyses, under low to moderate heterogeneity, were 0.5 among all centres in all countries, and 0.7 among countries with higher health expenditures. The need for mechanical ventilation (OR: 1.9, 95 CI:1.1�3.5, p = 0.03) and the presence of ischaemic heart disease (OR: 2.5, 95 CI:1.4�4.7, p = 0.006) were predictive of stroke. Interpretation: The results of this multi-national study on hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection indicated an overall stroke risk of 0.5(pooled risk: 0.9). The need for mechanical ventilation and the history of ischaemic heart disease are the independent predictors of stroke among SARS-CoV-2 patients. Funding: None. © 2020 The Author

CarotidSCORE.RU — risk stratification for complications after carotid endarterectomy

Aim. To demonstrate the first Russian computer program (carotidscore.ru) for risk stratification of postoperative complications of carotid endarterectomy (CE).Material and methods. The present study is based on the analysis of a multicenter Russian database including 25812 patients after CE operated on from January 1, 2010 to April 1, 2022. The following types of CE were implemented: conventional CE with patch angioplasty — 6814 patients; eversion CE — 18998 patients. Following postoperative complications were assessed during the study: death, stroke, myocardial infarction (MI), composite endpoint (death + stroke + MI).Results. During inhospital postoperative period, 0,18% of participants died, while 0,14% had MI, 0,35% — stroke. The composite endpoint was recorded in 0,68%. For each factor present in patients, a predictive coefficient was estimated. The predictive coefficient was considered as a numerical parameter reflecting the strength of the effect of each factor on the development of postoperative complications. Based on this equation, predictive coefficients were calculated for each factor present in patients in our study. The total contribution of these factors was reflected as a percentage and denoted the risk of postoperative complications with a minimum of 0% and a maximum of 100%. On the basis of obtained calculations, a CarotidSCORE program was created. Its graphical interface is based on the QT framework. It is possible not only to estimate the risk of a complication, but also to save all data about a patient in JSON format. The CarotidSCORE program contains 47 patient parameters, including clinical, demographic, anamnestic and angiographic characteristics. It makes it possible to choose one of the four CE types, which will provide an accurate stratification of the complication risk for each of them.Conclusion. CarotidSCORE (carotidscore.ru) may determine the probability of postoperative complications in patients undergoing CE

Ten-year long-term outcomes of conventional and eversion carotid endarterectomy. Multicenter study

Aim. To analyze the immediate and long-term outcomes of eversion and conventional carotid endarterectomy (CE) with patch angioplasty.Material and methods. For the period from February 1, 2006 to September 1, 2021, the present retrospective multicenter open comparative study included 25106 patients who underwent CE. Depending on the technique of operation, the following groups were formed: group 1 (n=18362) — eversion CE; group 2 (n=6744) — conventional CE with patch angioplasty. The long-term follow-up period was 124,7±53,8 months.Results. In the hospital postoperative period, the groups were comparable in incidence of all complications: lethal outcome (group 1: 0,19%, n=36; group 2: 0,17%, n=12; p=0,89; odds ratio (OR) =1,1; 95% confidence interval (CI) =0,57- 2,11); myocardial infarction (MI) (group 1: 0,15%, n=28; group 2: 0,13%, n=9; p=0,87; OR=1,14; 95% CI=0,53-2,42); stroke (group 1: 0,33%, n=62; group 2: 0,4%, n=27; p=0,53; OR=0,84; 95% CI=0,53-1,32); bleeding with hematoma formation (group 1: 0,39%, n=73; group 2: 0,41%, n=28; p=0,93; OR=0,95; 95% CI=0,61-1,48); internal carotid artery (ICA) thrombosis (group 1: 0,05%, n=11; group 2: 0,07%, n=5, p=0,9; OR=0,8; 95% CI=0,28-2,32). In the long-term follow-up, the groups were comparable only in MI incidence: group 1: 0,56%, n=103; group 2: 0,66%, n=45; p=0,37; OR=0,84; 95% CI=0,59-1,19. All other complications were more frequent after conventional CE with patch angioplasty: all-cause death (group 1: 2,7%, n=492; group 2: 9,1%, n=616; p<0,0001; OR=0,27; 95% CI=0,24-0,3); lethal ischemic stroke (group 1: 1,0%, n=180; group 2: 5,5%, n=371; p<0,0001; OR=0,17; 95% CI=0,14-0,21); non-lethal ischemic stroke (group 1: 0,62%, n=114; group 2: 7,0%, n=472; p<0,0001; OR=0,08; 95% CI=0,06-0,1); ICA restenosis >60%, requiring re-revascularization (group 1: 1,6%, n=296; group 2: 12,6%, n=851; p<0,0001; OR=0,11; 95% CI=0,09-0,12). Thus, the composite endpoint (lethal ischemic stroke + non-lethal ischemic stroke + MI) after conventional CE with patch angioplasty was more than 6 times higher than this parameter of eversion CE: group 1: 2,2%, n=397; group 2: 13,2%, n=888; p<0,0001; OR=0,14; 95% CI=0,12-1,16.Conclusion. Conventional CE with patch angioplasty is not prefer for cerebral revascularization in the presence of hemodynamically significant ICA stenosis due to the high prevalence of deaths, stroke, and ICA restenosis in the long-term follow-up

Alternative Forms of Resistance: Afghan Women Negotiating for Change

In this paper we examine how Afghan women resist, strategize and negotiate family and societal constraints to take advantage of the expanding education and employment opportunities in the post-Taliban era. We focus on how these women exercise agency and what resources they mobilize to maximize their opportunities in the face of potential constraints. We argue that to understand women’s agency and changing gendered power relations in the family, it is crucial to examine every day individual behaviors that deviate from prescribed dominant gender behavior and infuse altered meanings to dominant gendering discourses. Our research highlights that gendered power is partial, interrupted by situated emotions and relationships. Afghan women employ a range of resistance methods to overcome constraints placed in their way, and we discuss them through three thematic frameworks of resistance in acts of submission, sacrifice and situated agreement, resistance in acts of open defiance, and resistance in acts of negotiation. The analyses is based on in-depth interviews with 64 women from 40 households in Kabul, and illustrate the significance of the family as a site in which gendered power and subordination are disrupted, fragmented, negotiated, and interdependent, challenging assumptions of the family as a site of monolithic oppressive power against women

Response of two-storey RC frame with special base-isolation using Ruaumoko 2D program

The control of structural vibrations due to ground motion can be done by the installation of a passive, active, and hybrid base isolation system. The primary function of the base isolator is to support the superstructure and provide huge horizontal flexibility and a long period of vibration. In this paper, a special HRDB base isolator is made from natural rubber with special elastic property and hardness. This base isolator is designed to support gravity loads of two-story RC building. The experimental hysteresis loop of this isolator is validated with analytical modeling hysteresis loop using Hysteresis program. The Bouc hysteresis rule was chosen as a model the hysteresis loop, and it is similar to experimental hysteresis loops. Later, a single bay two-story RC frame with a base isolation system was modeled using Ruaumoko 2D program subjected to three levels of earthquake excitations. After analyzing this frame under the 1994 Pacoima Dam Earthquake, the 1995 Kobe Earthquake and the 1940 El-Centro 1940 Earthquake. The numerical results show that this isolator is quite efficient in reducing the damage of structural and non-structural elements of the structure through minimizing inter-story drift, lateral displacement, and story acceleration. Therefore, this special HRDB based isolator is recommended to be used for low rise and medium-rise building in seismic regions

A follow-up study on outcomes of endoscopic transsphenoidal approach for acromegaly

PubMed: 32927330Objective: A thorough follow-up study in which the same clinic presents the change in the surgical outcomes of acromegaly over the years, is still lacking in the endoscopic era. in this study, we intended to evaluate the clinical characteristics, radiological features, surgical and late remission rates of newly diagnosed acromegaly patients treated in our clinic between 2014 and 2019 in order to delineate the surgical remission status according to radiological, microscopic, and hormonal features. As a follow-up to our initial report, we also aimed to display the change of surgical remission rates over time in a tertiary center. Methods: A total of newly diagnosed 106 patients with acromegaly, who underwent endoscopic endonasal trans-sphenoidal approach (EETSA) in the last five years were retrospectively analyzed and presented in this study. Medical records were reviewed in clinical, biochemical, pathological, and radiological aspects to assess the relationship of preoperative patient characteristics with surgical remissions. Results: the percentages of the giant pituitary adenomas (?4 cm), adenomas with suprasellar extension and adenomas with surgically proven invasion of the cavernous sinus in the present series were 13%, 34%, and 20%, respectively. Gross total resection was achieved in 80% of the patients. Surgical remission and late remission rates were 66% and 86%, respectively. Nine (9.4%) patients in our current report had postoperative transient diabetes insipidus. the mean follow-up period in this series was 36.1 ± 18.1 (range 12–59) months. Conclusion: the presented surgical results are considerably better than our published initial series of acromegaly patients operated in the same clinic between 2007 and 2014. the improvement in surgical remission rate support a positive surgical volume - remission rate relationship for acromegaly in the era of endoscopic endonasal skull base approaches. One possible factor for better results may be the increasing surgical experience in EETSA, which follows a trend toward gradual improvement of long-term late remissions via a multidisciplinary approach. © 2020 Elsevier B.V.The authors would like to thank Esra Gungormus, Registered Nurse (RN) in Cerrahpasa Pituitary Center, for providing pre- and postoperative critical care to our patients with pituitary pathologies

Varieties of Party Identity and Organization (V-Party) Dataset V1,Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Project

Item does not contain fulltextVarieties of Party Identity and Organization (V-Party