Thematic Review of Master’s Theses of Iranian Students on Relationship between Russian and Persian Literatures

The review of master’s theses defended in the period of 2006-2016 at the Department of Russian language of Tehran University in the field of literary relations between Iran and Russia is made. The authors highlight the main perspectives of comparative studies of Iranian undergraduates who studies Russian, identify the main features of the process of mutual influences of Persian and Russian literature. It is shown which Russian and Persian writers, periods in history of literature and scientific approaches are most popular in the academic and educational environment of Iran. The article also reveals a number of thematic areas that remain outside the field of view of undergraduates, although their scientific development seems very promising. Special attention is paid to research methodology. The conclusion is made that in Iran the themes in which influence of East, Islamic world on creativity of the Russian writers is revealed are deeply studied. Comparison of Russian and Iranian folklore is carried out. It is noted that among the “white spots” of scientific research in Iranian literature there is the study of modern Russian literature, coverage of the role of Persian translations of works of Russian writers and their reception in Iran, as well as generalizing research of a theoretical nature

Value-Driven Analysis of New Paradigms in Space Architectures: An Ilities-Based Approach

Current commercial, civil, and military space architecture designs perform exquisitely and reliably. However, today’s architecture paradigms are also characterized by expensive launches, large and expensive high-performance spacecraft, long development cycles, and wide variations in ground architectures. While current assets provide high-quality services, and future assets are slated to improve performance within the same design frameworks, proposed future architectures may not be capitalizing on technology improvements, system innovations, or policy alternatives explored during the last two decades. This paper identifies five “trends” along which space architectures may develop, aimed at granting systems several “ilities,” such as resiliency, robustness, flexibility, scalability, and affordability. The trends examined include: commercialization of space, significant reductions in launch costs and the development of hybrid or reusable launch systems, development of on-orbit infrastructure and servicing, aggregation or disaggregation of orbital assets, and the automation and standardization of ground architectures. Further refinement of these key technological and system trends could result in major paradigm shifts in the development and fielding of space operations as well as lead to space architecture designs in the future that are radically different from those today. Within the framework of systems engineering ilities and risk management, this paper reviews current literature surrounding these new change trends and justifies their potential to cause significant paradigm shifts. By examining the work and research conducted so far through an ilities-based approach, systems engineers can more fully appreciate the value being offered by these trends

Blogging the Virtual: New Geographies of Domination and Resistance In and Beyond Russia

Russia’s accelerating authoritarian turn has not ignored the internet, and in recent years, the Russian state has clamped down on internet activities that diverge from the statist line, employing a variety of strategies to dominate online spaces. Nevertheless, oppositional voices flourish on the Russian internet, taking shape in independent blogs and videos. This paper explores three political bloggers through surveillant and resistance assemblages, making sense of this contestation through an interpretation of the Deleuzian virtual that underscores the emancipatory potential of online activities for producing more egalitarian configurations, but also taking stock of the ways that these technologies have increased domination. Encompassing the blurriness between digital and corporeal spaces, the paper contributes by revealing new geographies of contestation against state strategies to dominate the Russian internet. Overlapping with but not corresponding to Russian territorial boundaries, these dynamics highlight shifting spaces of power and resistance in the increasingly illiberal world

Common and distinct patterns of grey-matter volume alteration in major depression and bipolar disorder: evidence from voxel-based meta-analysis.

Finding robust brain substrates of mood disorders is an important target for research. The degree to which major depression (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) are associated with common and/or distinct patterns of volumetric changes is nevertheless unclear. Furthermore, the extant literature is heterogeneous with respect to the nature of these changes. We report a meta-analysis of voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies in MDD and BD. We identified studies published up to January 2015 that compared grey matter in MDD (50 data sets including 4101 individuals) and BD (36 data sets including 2407 individuals) using whole-brain VBM. We used statistical maps from the studies included where available and reported peak coordinates otherwise. Group comparisons and conjunction analyses identified regions in which the disorders showed common and distinct patterns of volumetric alteration. Both disorders were associated with lower grey-matter volume relative to healthy individuals in a number of areas. Conjunction analysis showed smaller volumes in both disorders in clusters in the dorsomedial and ventromedial prefrontal cortex, including the anterior cingulate cortex and bilateral insula. Group comparisons indicated that findings of smaller grey-matter volumes relative to controls in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and left hippocampus, along with cerebellar, temporal and parietal regions were more substantial in major depression. These results suggest that MDD and BD are characterised by both common and distinct patterns of grey-matter volume changes. This combination of differences and similarities has the potential to inform the development of diagnostic biomarkers for these conditions.TW, AJC, AHY receive and DA has received funding support from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Mental Health Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, or the Department of Health. DA is supported by the Academy of Medical Sciences (reference AMS-SGCL8). ACN is funded through the National Institutes of Health. MJK is funded by an MRC CDA Fellowship (MR/J008915/1). MJvT was supported by a VENI grant (NWO grant number 016.156.077). MLP is funded by NIH grants R01MH1000, 1 P50 MH106435, R01 MH073953, R01 MH060952. FA has received funding from the Trinity College School of Medicine. JR received grant support from Instituto de Salud Carlos III - Subdirección General de Evaluación and the European Regional Development Fund (personal grant Miguel Servet CP14/00041 and project PI14/00292 integrated into the National Plan for research, development and innovation).This is the author accepted manuscript. It is currently under an indefinite embargo pending publication by Nature Publishing Group

A Study on the Social Aspect of Mehr Cooperative Housing Project: A Case Study of Karaj Township

Proper accommodation is one of the most fundamental needs of the modern man. The Iranian Constitutional Law commits the Government to provide affordable accommodation through cooperative entities under Mehr Housing Project for the people coming from lower deciles. As a result, the entire bodies of the Government have been marshaled to accomplish the abovementioned goal. Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour and Social Affairs, thereof, undertakes a number of duties in this regard, the most important of them being the identification of the low-income groups and provision of grounds for their accommodation through various means such as facilities. The current paper which is about Mehr Housing Project in 1388-89 (2009-2010) in Karaj Township focuses on its positive and negative social aspects which have been neglected. Thus it is a contribution to a relatively more comprehensive understanding in this regard. The research involves documentary, note-taking, field survey, and questionnaire and interview techniques. The statistical population consists of the entire Mehr Accommodation Cooperatives in Karaj Township, out of which 48 with 10986 members were sampled through quota sampling. The results suggest that 90 percent of the household heads who have applied for Mehr accommodation are men. The female household heads which constitute 10 percent, according to their education, income and employment, were found to be coming from low socio-economic status. Holding a larger average household size than the urban standard, 40 percent of these female household heads are still deprived of any accommodation despite 25 years into their family life. Moreover, some 7 percent of them are immigrants from rural areas in search of occupation and are struggling with family problems. These facts have provided every reason for the current paper to shed light upon Mehr Housing Project from a social standpoint, which seems to have been ignored in the literature

Synbiotic supplementation and the effects on clinical and metabolic responses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Synbiotic intake may be associated with reduced inflammation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) due to optimised inflammatory markers, oxidative stress and insulin resistance. This research was conducted to assess the effects of synbiotic supplementation on the clinical and metabolic parameters of patients with RA. A total of fifty-four patients with RA were allocated into two groups to receive either a synbiotic capsule (n 27) or a placebo (n 27) for 8 weeks in this randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Fasting blood samples were taken at baseline and week 8 of the study to quantify related markers. After the 8-week intervention, compared with the placebo, synbiotic supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels (–1427·8 (sd 3267·2) v. +2833·4 (sd 5639·7) ng/ml, P=0·001). In addition, compared with the placebo, synbiotic supplementation improved disease activity score-28 joints (DAS-28) (–1·6 (sd 0·8) v. –0·3 (sd 0·5), P<0·001) and visual analogue scales (VAS) pain (–30·4 (sd 18·7) v. –11·5 (sd 15·9), P<0·001). In addition, a significant elevation in plasma nitric oxide (NO) (+0·8 (sd 4·4) v. –2·6 (sd 4·5) µmol/l, P=0·008), and significant reductions in insulin values (–13·8 (sd 26·4) v. +4·2 (sd 28·2) pmol/l, P=0·01), homoeostasis model of assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (–0·5 (sd 1·0) v.+0·1 (sd 1·1), P=0·03) and homoeostatic model assessment-β-cell function (HOMA-B) (–9·4 (sd 17·9) v. +3·3 (sd 18·9), P=0·01) following supplementation with the synbiotic compared with the placebo. Compared with the placebo, synbiotic supplementation also resulted in a significant increase in plasma GSH (+36·6 (sd 63·5) v. –58·5 (sd 154·4) µmol/l, P=0·005). Overall, our study demonstrated that synbiotic supplementation for 8 weeks among patients with RA had beneficial effects on hs-CRP, DAS-28, VAS, NO, insulin levels, HOMA-IR, HOMA-B and GSH levels

Clinical and metabolic response to probiotic supplementation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Objective: This study was performed to determine the effects of probiotic supplementation on clinical and metabolic status of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods: Sixty patients with RA aged 25�70 years were assigned into two groups to receive either probiotic capsules (n = 30) or placebo (n = 30) in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. The patients in the probiotic group received a daily capsule that contained three viable and freeze-dried strains: Lactobacillus acidophilus (2 � 109 colony-forming units CFU/g), Lactobacillus casei (2 � 109 CFU/g) and Bifidobacterium bifidum (2 � 109 CFU/g) for 8 weeks. The placebo group took capsules filled with cellulose for the same time period. Fasting blood samples were taken at the beginning and the end of the study to quantify related markers. Results: After 8 weeks of intervention, compared with the placebo, probiotic supplementation resulted in improved Disease Activity Score of 28 joints (DAS-28) (�0.3 ± 0.4 vs. �0.1 ± 0.4, P = 0.01). In addition, a significant decrease in serum insulin levels (�2.0 ± 4.3 vs. +0.5 ± 4.9 μIU/mL, P = 0.03), homeostatic model assessment-B cell function (HOMA-B) (�7.5 ± 18.0 vs. +4.3 ± 25.0, P = 0.03) and serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) concentrations (�6.66 ± 2.56 vs. +3.07 ± 5.53 mg/L, P &lt; 0.001) following the supplementation of probiotics compared with the placebo. Subjects who received probiotic capsules experienced borderline statistically significant improvement in total- (P = 0.09) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels (P = 0.07) compared with the placebo. Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study indicated that taking probiotic supplements for 8 weeks among patients with RA had beneficial effects on DAS-28, insulin levels, HOMA-B and hs-CRP levels. © 2016 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Lt