A Game-theoretical Perspective

Die Ausgestaltung von Wirtschaftspolitik wird als Prozess wiederholter Interaktion zwischen einer zentralisierten Politikinstanz und privaten Individuen vorgestellt. Diese Interaktion ist inhärent strategisch und eignet sich daher für eine spieltheoretische Behandlung. Die in dieser Arbeit auf der Grundlage der Spieltheorie erarbeiteten makroökonomischen Modelle dienen der Formalisierung eines dynamischen Prozesses von Politikgestaltung. In diesen Spielen bildet ein autonom handelnder Privatsektor Erwartungen über die zukünfitgen Handlungen einer Regierung. Die dabei entstehende Rückkopplung von der Erwartungsbildung des Privatsektors auf die Anreize der Regierung hat weitreichende Konsequenzen für die Entwicklung sowohl nominaler als auch realer Größen in der Wirtschaft. Aufbauend auf dem grundlegenden Prinzip der rationalen Erwartungen erarbeitet die Analyse eine Konzeptionalisierung der makroökonomischen Glaubwürdigkeit (Zeitkonsistenz) und Reputation vor dem Hintergrund vo! n Strukturreform und Stabilierungspoltik in Entwicklungsländern. Unterschiedliche Ansätze sind besonders der Geld- und Wechselkurspoltiik zur Inflationsbekämpfung gewidmet

Aboriginal English and Responsive Pedagogy in Australian Education

Aboriginal English1, the language many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students bring to the classroom, represents the introduction of significant change into the English language. It is the argument of this paper that the linguistic, social and cultural facts associated with the distinctiveness of Aboriginal English need to be taken into account in the English language education of both Aboriginal/Torres Strait Islander and non-Indigenous students in Australia. The paper illustrates seven significant changes of expression which Aboriginal English has made possible in English. It then proposes a “responsive pedagogy” to represent a realistic and respectful pedagogicalresponse to the linguistic, social and cultural change which underlies Aboriginal English, drawing on current literature on second language and dialect acquisition and making frequent reference to materials whichhave been developed to support such pedagogy. It is implied that only with a pedagogy responding to Aboriginal English as it is, and to its speakers, will a viable English medium education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people be enabled. 1Aboriginal English” is the term used to denote “a range of varieties of English spoken by many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and some others in close contact with them which differ in systematic ways from Standard Australian English at all levels of linguistic structure and which are used for distinctive speech acts, speech events and genres” (Malcolm 1995, p 19)

Der Osten im Buch: Besprechungen der wichtigsten Ostliteratur 1936, Ostpreußen, Polen, Korridor, Danzig, Memel, Litauen, Lettland, Estland

Mašīnraksta litogrāfija.Inhalt: Vorwort ; Ostpreussen ; Polen: I. Wirtschaft. II. Geschichte, Politik, Landeskunde. III. Nationalpolitische Fragen ; Danzig ; Baltikum : I. Allgemeines. II. Memel. III. Litauen IV. Lettland. V. Estland

Predictors of Early Neurological Improvement and Its Relationship to Thrombolysis Treatment and Long-Term Outcome in the WAKE-UP Study

Introduction: The aims of this study were to evaluate the relationship of clinical and imaging baseline factors and treatment on the occurrence of early neurological improvement (ENI) in the WAKE-UP trial of MRI-guided intravenous thrombolysis in unknown onset stroke and to examine the association of ENI with long-term favorable outcome in patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis. Methods: We analyzed data from all patients with at least moderate stroke severity, reflected by an initial National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score >= 4 randomized in the WAKE-UP trial. ENI was defined as a decrease in NIHSS of >= 8 or a decline to zero or 1 at 24 h after initial presentation to the hospital. Favorable outcome was defined as a modified Rankin Scale score of 0-1 at 90 days. We performed group comparison and multivariable analysis of baseline factors associated with ENI and performed mediation analysis to evaluate the effect of ENI on the relationship between intravenous thrombolysis and favorable outcome. Results: ENI occurred in 93 out of 384 patients (24.2%) and was more likely to occur in patients who received treatment with alteplase (62.4% vs. 46.0%, p = 0.009), had smaller acute diffusion-weighted imaging lesion volume (5.51 mL vs. 10.9 mL, p <= 0.001), and less often large-vessel occlusion on initial MRI (7/93 [12.1%] versus 40/291 [29.9%], p = 0.014). In multivariable analysis, treatment with alteplase (OR 1.97, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.954-1.100), lower baseline stroke volume (OR 0.965, 95% CI: 0.932-0.994), and shorter time from symptom recognition to treatment (OR 0.994, 95% CI: 0.989-0.999) were independently associated with ENI. Patients with ENI had higher rates of favorable outcome at 90-day follow-up (80.6% vs. 31.3%, p <= 0.001). The occurrence of ENI significantly mediated the association of treatment with a good outcome, with ENI at 24 h explaining 39.4% (12.9-96%) of the treatment effect. Conclusion: Intravenous alteplase increases the odds of ENI in patients with at least moderate stroke severity, especially when given early. In patients with large-vessel occlusion, ENI is rarely observed without thrombectomy. ENI represents a good surrogate early marker of treatment effect as more than a third of good outcome at 90 days is explained by ENI at 24 h

Extent of FLAIR Hyperintense Vessels May Modify Treatment Effect of Thrombolysis: A Post hoc Analysis of the WAKE-UP Trial

Background and Aims: Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) hyperintense vessels (FHVs) on MRI are a radiological marker of vessel occlusion and indirect sign of collateral circulation. However, the clinical relevance is uncertain. We explored whether the extent of FHVs is associated with outcome and how FHVs modify treatment effect of thrombolysis in a subgroup of patients with confirmed unilateral vessel occlusion from the randomized controlled WAKE-UP trial. Methods: One hundred sixty-five patients were analyzed. Two blinded raters independently assessed the presence and extent of FHVs (defined as the number of slices with visible FHV multiplied by FLAIR slice thickness). Patients were then separated into two groups to distinguish between few and extensive FHVs (dichotomization at the median <30 or ≥30). Results: Here, 85% of all patients (n = 140) and 95% of middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion patients (n = 127) showed FHVs at baseline. Between MCA occlusion patients with few and extensive FHVs, no differences were identified in relative lesion growth (p = 0.971) and short-term [follow-up National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score; p = 0.342] or long-term functional recovery [modified Rankin Scale (mRS) p = 0.607]. In linear regression analysis, baseline extent of FHV (defined as a continuous variable) was highly associated with volume of hypoperfused tissue (β = 2.161; 95% CI 0.96-3.36; p = 0.001). In multivariable regression analysis adjusted for treatment group, stroke severity, lesion volume, occlusion site, and recanalization, FHV did not modify functional recovery. However, in patients with few FHVs, the odds for good functional outcome (mRS) were increased in recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) patients compared to those who received placebo [odds ratio (OR) = 5.3; 95% CI 1.2-24.0], whereas no apparent benefit was observed in patients with extensive FHVs (OR = 1.1; 95% CI 0.3-3.8), p-value for interaction was 0.11. Conclusion: While the extent of FHVs on baseline did not alter the evolution of stroke in terms of lesion progression or functional recovery, it may modify treatment effect and should therefore be considered relevant additional information in those patients who are eligible for intravenous thrombolysis. Clinical Trial Registration: Main trial (WAKE-UP): ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT01525290; and EudraCT, 2011-005906-32. Registered February 2, 2012

Polypharmacy, functional outcome, and treatment effect of intravenous alteplase for acute ischemic stroke

Background: Polypharmacy is an important challenge in clinical practice. We aimed at determining the effect of polypharmacy on functional outcome and treatment effect of alteplase in acute ischemic stroke. Methods: Post‐hoc analysis of the randomized, placebo‐controlled WAKE‐UP trial of MRI‐guided intravenous alteplase in unknown onset stroke. Polypharmacy was defined as intake of ≥5 medications at baseline. Comorbidities were assessed by the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). The primary efficacy variable was favorable outcome defined by a score of 0‐1 on the modified Rankin Scale at 90 days. We used logistic regression analysis to test for an association of polypharmacy with functional outcome, and for interaction of polypharmacy and the effect of thrombolysis. Results: Polypharmacy was present in 133/503 (26%) patients. Patients with polypharmacy were older (mean age 70 vs 64 years; P&lt;0.0001) and had a higher score on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale at baseline (median 7 vs 5; P=0.0007). A comorbidity load defined by a CCI score ≥2 was more frequent in patients with polypharmacy (48% vs 8%; P&lt;0.001). Polypharmacy was associated with lower odds of favorable outcome (adjusted odds ratio 0.50, 95% CI, 0.30‐0.85; P=0.0099), while the CCI score was not. Treatment with alteplase was associated with higher odds of favorable outcome in both groups, with no heterogeneity of treatment effect (test for interaction of treatment and polypharmacy, P=0.29). Conclusion: In stroke patients, polypharmacy is associated with worse functional outcome after intravenous thrombolysis independent of comorbidities. However, polypharmacy does not interact with the beneficial effect of alteplase

Clinical relevance and biology of circulating tumor cells

Most breast cancer patients die due to metastases, and the early onset of this multistep process is usually missed by current tumor staging modalities. Therefore, ultrasensitive techniques have been developed to enable the enrichment, detection, isolation and characterization of disseminated tumor cells in bone marrow and circulating tumor cells in the peripheral blood of cancer patients. There is increasing evidence that the presence of these cells is associated with an unfavorable prognosis related to metastatic progression in the bone and other organs. This review focuses on investigations regarding the biology and clinical relevance of circulating tumor cells in breast cancer

Eine narratologische Vergleichsanalyse der Erzählungen “Die Nase des Mönches Zenchi” aus der Konjaku monogatari shū und “Hana” von Akutagawa Ryūnosuke

In this article narratological methods are applied to compare two versions of the same tale, “The Monk Zenchi from Ikeno’o” from the Konjaku monogatari shû (28, Nr. 20) and Akutagawa Ryûnosuke's adaptation of this story in “Hana” (The Nose). First of all, a syuzhet/fabula analysis is carried out in order to contrast the structures of the two versions. The structure thus elaborated is then analyzed according to Gérard Genette’s idea of “narrative time” versus “story time”. As a conclusion, it can be shown that the original version from the Konjaku monogatari shû, which deals with the interiority of the character to a lesser extent than Akutagawa’s tale, is singularly effective as a critique of the powerful world of the Buddhist clergy