Dilemmas of Globalization

Globalizacija može državama donijeti niz pogodnosti. S jedne strane, ona predstavlja prigodu za ekonomski rast, priljev stranog kapitala i postupno uklanjanje sveprisutnog siromaštva. S druge strane, globalizacija često rezultira i masovnim premještanjima, gubitkom nacionalne kontrole nad temeljnim ekonomskim dobrima te društvenom eksploatacijom. Za skupinu izabranih ona otvara mogućnost ulaska na nova tržišta i de facto političku dominaciju. Tako je koncept globalizacije poprimio nekoliko značenja i služi u nekoliko svrha. Pojam navodno objedinjuje objektivnu dijagnozu prilika u svijetu; sažima doktrinarne preferencije; sadrži u sebi i temelje za suprotan stav koji odbacuje te preferencije (odnosno antitezu) te potiče ciljanu političko-kulturološku kritiku usmjerenu na promjenu postojeće globalne hijerarhije temeljene na sili. U svakoj od ovih manifestacija koncept globalizacije služi kao određujuća značajka bilo empirijske, bilo normativne stvarnosti. Za neke on predstavlja sliku onoga što i kako jest; drugima služi kao definicija onoga kako bi trebalo biti, za treće, pak, kako ne bi trebalo biti; dok mnogima znači sve ovo istovremeno.Globalization offers states a mix of incentives. On one hand, it presents an opportunity for economic growth, the inflow of foreign capital, and the gradual reduction of widespread poverty. On the other hand, it often threatens massive dislocation, loss of national control over basic economic assets, and social exploitation. For a select group, it provides an opening to new markets and de facto political domination. The concept of globalization has thus acquired several meanings and serves several purposes. The term all at once provides an allegedly objective diagnosis of world conditions; encapsulates a doctrinal preference; precipitates a counter-creed (or an antithesis) that rejects that preference; and generates a pointed political-cultural critique designed to alter the existing global power hierarchy. ln every one of these manifestations, the concept of globalization serves as the defining feature of either empirical or normative reality. For some, it dissects what it is; for others, it defines what ought to be; for others still, what ought not to be; and for many, it does all of this at the same time

rac-6-Hy­droxy-2,5,7,8-tetra­methyl­chroman-2-carboxamide from synchrotron data

The crystal structure of the title water-soluble analogue of vitamin E, trolox amide, C14H19NO3, solved and refined against synchrotron diffraction data, contains two mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit. In both molecules, the heterocyclic ring is in a half-chair conformation. The crystal packing features a herring-bone pattern generated by N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the hy­droxy and amide groups. O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds also occur

(1RS,2SR,5SR)-9-Benzyl-2-[(1RS)-1-hy­droxy­benz­yl]-9-aza­bicyclo­[3.3.1]nonan-3-one from synchrotron data

In the crystal structure of the racemic title compound, C22H25NO2, solved and refined against sychrotron diffraction data, the hy­droxy group and the carbonyl O atom participate in the formation of O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds between pairs of enanti­omers related by a crystallographic centre of symmetry

Effect of L-thyroxine treatment on peripheral blood dendritic cell subpopulations in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

Recent reports suggested dendritic cells (DCs) to be important players in the pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid processes in humans. However, there are virtually no data addressing the influence of thyroid autoaggression-associated disturbances of thyrometabolic conditions on DCs biology. The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of L-thyroxine supplementation on conventional and plasmacytoid peripheral blood DCs subtypes in patients with hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT). Eighteen patients with newly diagnosed hypothyroidism due to HT were included into the study. All patients received L-thyroxine treatment with doses adjusted to reach euthyroidism. Peripheral blood DC subtypes structure and immunoregulatory phenotype were analyzed by flow cytometry in the same patient prospectively at two time points: (i) beforeand (ii) 3 months after beginning of L-thyroxine treatment (hypothyroidism vs. euthyroidism, respectively). Percentage of plasmacytoid DCs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells fraction was significantly decreased in the course of L-thyroxine treatment (0.27 ± 0.19 vs. 0.11 ± 0.08; p < 0.05), whereas we did not observe any changes in the number of conventional DCs. However, the phenotypic analysis showed a significant increase of conventional DCs expressing CD86 and CD91 (64.25 ± 21.6% vs. 86.3 ± 11%; p < 0.05 and 30.75 ± 11.66% vs. 44.5 ± 13.3%; p < 0.05; respectively) in euthyroid patients. Standard L-thyroxine supplementation in HT patients exerted significant immunoregulatory effects, associated with quantitative and phenotypic changes of peripheral blood DC subpopulations

2,2,5,7,8-Penta­methyl­chroman-6-yl 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-α-d-glucopyran­oside from synchrotron data

The crystal structure of the title compound, C28H38O11, solved and refined against synchrotron diffraction data, contains two formula units in the asymmetric unit. In both mol­ecules, the dihydro­pyran ring along with its methyl substituents is disordered and adopts two alternative half-chair conformations. The occupancy of the major conformers of the two mol­ecules refined to 0.858 (5) and 0.523 (5)