Need a Push? Restoring EU Influence in the Balkans

The credibility of the European Union is declining in the Western Balkans. Candidate states see the date for accession negotiations fading further into the future and doubt whether they’ll ever be able to join

The Future of Sino-Russian Cooperation: A Rough Road Ahead

After spending two semesters on the Chinese-Russian border, Henry reflects on the future of Sino-Russian relations and whether the West should worry

Home Appreciation Participation Notes: A Solution to Housing Affordability and the Current Mortgage Crisis

This paper introduces Home Appreciation Participation Notes (HAPNs), an innovative new housing finance tool. Housing is a commodity providing two distinct utilities: shelter and investment. Traditionally, buyers have had to purchase both elements in tandom. HAPNs allow buyers to purchase these elements individually. Thus, buyers can focus on purchasing housing units that best fit their shelter needs, investing in housing appreciation to whatever extent is appropriate for the needs of their investment portfolio. HAPNs are different from previous financing tools in three key ways: there is no payment burden until ownership of the home is transferred, the risk of housing price declines is shifted to investors, and the final payoff is indexed to the appreciation rates of local housing prices. With these three features, HAPNs considerably improve the affordability of homeownership while reducing the risk of default and avoiding the moral hazard associated with shared appreciation instruments.

An Optimality Theoretic analysis of vowel harmony in Kazan Tatar

Kazan Tatar is a Kipchak language spoken in the Republic of Tatarstan (Ethnologue). Previous literature has described a backness harmony system, with weak rounding harmony in the mid vowels (Comrie 1997, Berta 1998, Poppe 1968). This work utilizes novel data to investigate Tatar's harmony under an Optimality Theory (OT) (Prince & Smolensky 1993) framework, contributing new observations regarding the lack of rounding harmony in Tatar, contrary to previous accounts. Through investigation of Tatar's harmony system, we gain insight into the workings of the language's phonology and find crucial evidence for the gradual decay of rounding harmony in Turkic languages

Long-term Geophysical Monitoring of Simulated Clandestine Graves using Electrical and Ground Penetrating Radar Methods: 4–6 Years After Burial

This ongoing monitoring study provides forensic search teams with systematic geophysical data over simulated clandestine graves for comparison to active cases. Simulated “wrapped,”“naked,” and “control” burials were created. Multiple geophysical surveys were collected over 6 years, here showing data from 4 to 6 years after burial. Electrical resistivity (twin electrode and ERI), multifrequency GPR, grave and background soil water were collected. Resistivity surveys revealed that the naked burial had low-resistivity anomalies up to year four but then difficult to image, whereas the wrapped burial had consistent large high-resistivity anomalies. GPR 110- to 900-MHz frequency surveys showed that the wrapped burial could be detected throughout, but the naked burial was either not detectable or poorly resolved. 225-MHz frequency GPR data were optimal. Soil water analyses showed decreasing (years 4 to 5) to background (year 6) conductivity values. Results suggest both resistivity and GPR surveying if burial style unknown, with winter to spring surveys optimal and increasingly important as time increases

Clinical features and molecular genetic analysis in a Turkish family with oral white sponge nevus

Oral white sponge nevus (WSN) is a rare autosomal dominant benign condition, characterized by asymptomatic spongy white plaques. Mutations in Keratin 4 (KRT4) and 13 (KRT13) have been shown to cause WSN. Familial cases are uncommon due to irregular penetrance. Thus, the aim of the study was: a) to demonstrate the clinical and histopathological features of a three-generation Turkish family with oral WSN b) to determine whether KRT4 or KRT13 gene mutation was the molecular basis of WSN. Out of twenty members of the family ten were available for assessment. Venous blood samples from six affected and five unaffected members and 48 healthy controls were obtained for genetic mutational analysis. Polymerase chain reaction was used to amplify all exons within KRT4 and KRT13 genes. These products were sequenced and the data was examined for mutations and polymorphisms. Varying presentation and severity of clinical features were observed. Analysis of the KRT13 gene revealed the sequence variant Y118D as the disease-causing mutation. One patient revealed several previously unreported polymorphisms including a novel mutation in exon 1 of the KRT13 gene and a heterozygous deletion in exon 1 of KRT4. This deletion in the KRT4 gene was found to be a common polymorphism reflecting a high allele frequency of 31.25% in the Turkish population. Oral WSN may manifest variable clinical features. The novel mutation found in the KRT13 gene is believed to add evidence for a mutational hotspot in the mucosal keratins. Molecular genetic analysis is required to establish correct diagnosis and appropriate genetic consultation