Production and terror: The operation of the Karelian Gulag, 1933-1939.

RésuméProduction et terreur : le fonctionnement du Goulag de Carélie, 1933-1939.Cet article est la seconde partie d’une étude portant sur les origines, l’expansion et le fonctionnement du système « spécial » des camps en Carélie entre 1923 et 1939 et visant à examiner de façon extensive et détaillée la question du développement du Goulag au niveau régional. En juin 1933, l’OGPU acheva la construction du canal Belomor et mit en place un réseau étendu de camps de détention dans le centre et le nord de la Carélie et sur la péninsule de Kola afin d’exploiter les ressources économiques locales. La direction du camp avait l’intention de transformer le Belomorsko-Baltijskij Kombinat (BBK) et d’en faire un « combinat Oural-Kuzneck en plus petit ». Cependant, le pouvoir central refusa d’allouer les subventions suffisantes pour la réalisation du projet, et le camp se spécialisa alors dans l’abattage et le traitement du bois. Cet article examine tout d’abord la façon dont le BBK organisa la vie et le travail des prisonniers autour de cette activité, et ses relations avec les autorités civiles, le parti et la sécurité. Dans un deuxième temps, il étudie le rôle du BBK au moment de la Grande Terreur de 1937-1938, lorsque les activités du camp se concentrèrent sur la production et la répression. Enfin, il décrit comment Beria s’efforça de rationaliser et de réduire le fonctionnement du camp à la veille de la guerre.AbstractThis is the second of two papers surveying the origins, expansion and operation of the Karelian ‘special’ camp system between 1923 and 1939. Together, they aim to offer an extended and detailed case study of the development of the Gulag at regional level. In June 1933, the OGPU completed construction of the Belomor Canal and established an extensive network of prison camps in central and northern Karelia and on the Kola Peninsula to exploit regional economic resources. The camp authorities envisaged the transformation of the Belomorsko-Baltiiskii Kombinat (BBK) into “a Urals-Kuznetsk Combine on a smaller scale.” The Soviet centre, however, refused to allocate sufficient funding to realise this vision, and the camp instead specialised in timber felling and processing. This paper first considers how the BBK regulated the lives and labour of its prisoner population in these activities, and how it interacted with the regional civil, party and security authorities. It then investigates the BBK’s role in the Great Terror of 1937-1938, which focused the camp on its core productive and repressive functions. In conclusion, it describes Beria’s efforts to rationalise and further retrench the camp’s operations on the eve of war

Using machine learning to classify the diffuse interstellar bands

Using over a million and a half extragalactic spectra we study the correlations of the Diffuse Interstellar Bands (DIBs) in the Milky Way. We measure the correlation between DIB strength and dust extinction for 142 DIBs using 24 stacked spectra in the reddening range E(B-V) < 0.2, many more lines than ever studied before. Most of the DIBs do not correlate with dust extinction. However, we find 10 weak and barely studied DIBs with correlations that are higher than 0.7 with dust extinction and confirm the high correlation of additional 5 strong DIBs. Furthermore, we find a pair of DIBs, 5925.9A and 5927.5A which exhibits significant negative correlation with dust extinction, indicating that their carrier may be depleted on dust. We use Machine Learning algorithms to divide the DIBs to spectroscopic families based on 250 stacked spectra. By removing the dust dependency we study how DIBs follow their local environment. We thus obtain 6 groups of weak DIBs, 4 of which are tightly associated with C2 or CN absorption lines.Comment: minor changes, MNRAS accepte

Conflict and complicity : The expansion of the Karelian Gulag, 1923-1933.

RésuméConflit et complicité : l’expansion du Goulag carélien, 1923-1933.Notre article, qui se base sur des documents d’archives récemment déclassifiés, retrace l’expansion du système « spécial » des camps en Carélie depuis l’installation du camp de désignation spéciale des îles Solovki en 1923 jusqu’à l’achèvement du canal Belomor en 1933. Les camps « spéciaux » furent placés sous l’autorité de la police politique soviétique et non sous celle des organes civils ou judiciaires de Carélie et eurent pour mission initiale d’isoler les prisonniers politiques les plus dangereux et les criminels réfractaires. Cependant, au cours de la décennie en question, le camp des îles Solovki se transforma en une organisation économique puissante qui faisait travailler ses détenus dans de nombreux secteurs de la région. Le gouvernement de Carélie tenta de s’opposer à l’expansion progressive du camp sur son territoire, mais ne put mettre fin à l’utilisation contractuelle croissante de la main-d’œuvre du camp dans l’économie locale, qui manquait cruellement de travailleurs non détenus. Après 1929, le gouvernement carélien et la direction du camp finirent bon gré mal gré par faire cause commune en faisant campagne pour le développement régional. L’intérêt de la police politique pour la Carélie atteignit son point culminant avec la construction du canal Belomor pour laquelle le « camp spécial » mobilisa plus de 175000 détenus. Notre article examine aussi les fluctuations de la relation entre le gouvernement carélien et l’administration du « camp spécial », relation qui alternait entre conflit et complicité.AbstractUsing recently declassified archival documents, this paper traces the expansion of the Soviet ‘special’ camp system in Karelia from the establishment of the Solovetskii Camp of Special Designation in 1923 to the completion of the Belomor Canal in 1933. The ‘special’ camps came under the authority of the Soviet political police, rather than the Karelian civil or judicial organs, and were initially intended to isolate the most dangerous political prisoners and recalcitrant criminals. However, the Solovetskii camp evolved in the course of the decade into a powerful economic organisation which employed its prisoners in many sectors throughout the region. The Karelian government strove to resist the camp’s progressive expansion throughout its territory, but could do nothing to halt the growing use of the prisoner workforce under contract in the regional economy, which suffered from an intense shortage of free labour. After 1929, the Karelian and Solovetskii camp authorities came reluctantly to find common cause in the promotion of regional development. The political police’s interest in Karelia culminated with the construction of the Belomor Canal, for which the ‘special’ camp mobilised over 175,000 prisoners. As well as describing the expansion of the Karelian Gulag, this paper focuses on the changing relationship, at times conflictual and at times complicitous, between the Karelian authorities and the ‘special’ camp administration in this process

Solar Viability in the Historic District of Worthington

Course Code: ENR/AEDE 4567This project explores the economic viability of introducing solar energy within the Historic District of Worthington, Ohio as well as energy efficiency measures for the municipality.Academic Major: Environment, Economy, Development, and Sustainabilit

Prospect relativity: how choice options influence decision under risk.

In many theories of decision under risk (e.g., expected utility theory, rank-dependent utility theory, and prospect theory), the utility of a prospect is independent of other options in the choice set. The experiments presented here show a large effect of the available options, suggesting instead that prospects are valued relative to one another. The judged certainty equivalent for a prospect is strongly influenced by the options available. Similarly, the selection of a preferred prospect is strongly influenced by the prospects available. Alternative theories of decision under risk (e.g., the stochastic difference model, multialternative decision field theory, and range frequency theory), where prospects are valued relative to one another, can provide an account of these context effects

Quality of life assessment of cabozantinib in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma in the CELESTIAL trial

BACKGROUND: The CELESTIAL trial (NCT01908426) demonstrated overall survival benefit for cabozantinib versus placebo in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC) who had received prior sorafenib treatment. This analysis of CELESTIAL compared the impact of cabozantinib versus placebo on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Health status was assessed using the EuroQol five-dimension five-level (EQ-5D-5L) questionnaire over the 800-day follow-up period. EQ-5D-5L health states were mapped to health utility scores using reference values for the UK population. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were calculated for each treatment group as the area under the curve for the plot of health utility score over time. The between-treatment group difference in restricted mean QALYs was calculated by generalized linear models and adjusted for baseline differences. A difference of 0.08 in health utility score (or in QALY) was deemed a minimally important difference and to be clinically significant. RESULTS: At week 5, the difference in mean health utility score between cabozantinib and placebo was -0.097 (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: -0.126, -0.067; p ≤ 0.001). Between-group differences in health utility scores diminished over time and were generally non-significant. The cabozantinib group accrued more QALYs than the placebo group over follow-up. Differences in mean QALYs (cabozantinib minus placebo) were statistically and clinically significant, ranging from +0.092 (95% CI: 0.016, 0.169) to +0.185 (95% CI: 0.126, 0.243) in favour of cabozantinib, depending on the reference value set used. CONCLUSIONS: These HRQoL findings support a positive benefit-risk profile for cabozantinib in previously treated patients with aHCC

An intervention modelling experiment to change GP's intentions to implement evidence-based practice : using theory-based interventions to promote GP management of upper respiratory tract infection without prescribing antibiotics #2

Background: Psychological theories of behaviour may provide a framework to guide the design of interventions to change professional behaviour. Behaviour change interventions, designed using psychological theory and targeting important motivational beliefs, were experimentally evaluated for effects on the behavioural intention and simulated behaviour of GPs in the management of uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). Methods: The design was a 2 × 2 factorial randomised controlled trial. A postal questionnaire was developed based on three theories of human behaviour: Theory of Planned Behaviour; Social Cognitive Theory and Operant Learning Theory. The beliefs and attitudes of GPs regarding the management of URTI without antibiotics and rates of prescribing on eight patient scenarios were measured at baseline and post-intervention. Two theory-based interventions, a "graded task" with "action planning" and a "persuasive communication", were incorporated into the post-intervention questionnaire. Trial groups were compared using co-variate analyses. Results: Post-intervention questionnaires were returned for 340/397 (86%) GPs who responded to the baseline survey. Each intervention had a significant effect on its targeted behavioural belief: compared to those not receiving the intervention GPs completing Intervention 1 reported stronger self-efficacy scores (Beta = 1.41, 95% CI: 0.64 to 2.25) and GPs completing Intervention 2 had more positive anticipated consequences scores (Beta = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.46 to 1.98). Intervention 2 had a significant effect on intention (Beta = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.41 to 1.38) and simulated behaviour (Beta = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.19 to 0.74). Conclusion: GPs' intended management of URTI was significantly influenced by their confidence in their ability to manage URTI without antibiotics and the consequences they anticipated as a result of doing so. Two targeted behaviour change interventions differentially affected these beliefs. One intervention also significantly enhanced GPs' intentions not to prescribe antibiotics for URTI and resulted in lower rates of prescribing on patient scenarios compared to a control group. The theoretical frameworks utilised provide a scientific rationale for understanding how and why the interventions had these effects, improving the reproducibility and generalisability of these findings and offering a sound basis for an intervention in a "real world" trial. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00376142This study is funded by the European Commission Research Directorate as part of a multi-partner program: Research Based Education and Quality Improvement (ReBEQI): A Framework and tools to develop effective quality improvement programs in European healthcare. (Proposal No: QLRT-2001-00657)

Translating clinicians' beliefs into implementation interventions (TRACII) : a protocol for an intervention modeling experiment to change clinicians' intentions to implement evidence-based practice

Background: Biomedical research constantly produces new findings, but these are not routinely incorporated into health care practice. Currently, a range of interventions to promote the uptake of emerging evidence are available. While their effectiveness has been tested in pragmatic trials, these do not form a basis from which to generalise to routine care settings. Implementation research is the scientific study of methods to promote the uptake of research findings, and hence to reduce inappropriate care. As clinical practice is a form of human behaviour, theories of human behaviour that have proved to be useful in other settings offer a basis for developing a scientific rationale for the choice of interventions. Aims: The aims of this protocol are 1) to develop interventions to change beliefs that have already been identified as antecedents to antibiotic prescribing for sore throats, and 2) to experimentally evaluate these interventions to identify those that have the largest impact on behavioural intention and behavioural simulation. Design: The clinical focus for this work will be the management of uncomplicated sore throat in general practice. Symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections are common presenting features in primary care. They are frequently treated with antibiotics, and research evidence is clear that antibiotic treatment offers little or no benefit to otherwise healthy adult patients. Reducing antibiotic prescribing in the community by the "prudent" use of antibiotics is seen as one way to slow the rise in antibiotic resistance, and appears safe, at least in children. However, our understanding of how to do this is limited. Participants will be general medical practitioners. Two theory-based interventions will be designed to address the discriminant beliefs in the prescribing of antibiotics for sore throat, using empirically derived resources. The interventions will be evaluated in a 2 × 2 factorial randomised controlled trial delivered in a postal questionnaire survey. Two outcome measures will be assessed: behavioural intention and behavioural simulation.This study is funded by the European Commission Research Directorate as part of a multi-partner program: Research Based Education and Quality Improvement (ReBEQI): A Framework and tools to develop effective quality improvement programs in European healthcare. (Proposal No: QLRT-2001-00657)