The Indigenous Small Peoples of the Russian Arctic: Gender Inequality

The article deals with contemporary aspects of gender inequality on the example of indigenous small peoples of the Arctic zone of the Russian Federation, substantiate its main tendencies and develop directions for achieving gender equality in aboriginal society. Historical analysis of the origins of gender inequality among indigenous small peoples was conducted. In the course of the study, such methods as analysis and synthesis were used to generalise gender inequality; a historical method for understanding its origin; statistical methods for determining modern aspects of inequalities; the logical method was used for making conclusions. The natural and economic circumstances of regions of the Russian Arctic in the context of their influence on gender inequality were provided. The traditional social status and the role of women in the Russian Arctic was studied. The novelty of this study lies in the fact that the topic of gender inequality in the Russian Arctic was practically never discussed before. The survey showed that in indigenous people their mentality and their commitment to traditional nature management play an important role, which, according to the opinion of many aboriginal women, need more support at the state and regional levels, development of folk crafts, the creation of jobs and protection of this territory. The methods of achieving gender equality and improving the status of women of small indigenous peoples of the Russian Arctic were suggested. The conclusions stated what steps need to be taken to overcome gender inequality for women, what should be noted first and what is the key to achieving gender equality

The Virtual Space Simulation of the Regional Governance System

The article substantiates the study methodology of social experiment in the virtual space within the system of regional governance. It enables to identify the main alternatives in the formulation and decision-making processes of enhancing the effectiveness of administrative structures using automated information technologies and to transfer the results of the virtual experiment to the actual practice of the regional governance system. The authors suggest their own option of the use of a new pattern recognition technology in formulating and solving problems of regional governance, the establishment of information and sociological grounds as the information base for the experiment with managerial interactions in the virtual space. Keywords: regional governance, public administration, pattern recognition JEL Classifications: C6, H72, R5

Diagnostic value of islet autoantibody assays practised in Russia. 1. Classic immunofluorescence islet cell antibody assay, immunoradiometric glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody assay, and ELISA tyrosine phosphatase antibody and insulin antibody assays

Objective. To estimate performance characteristics and diagnostic value of immunofluorescent islet cell antibody (ICA) assay, immunoradiometric glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (GADA) assay, and ELISA tyrosine phosphatase IA-2 antibody (IA-2A) and insulin antibody (IA) assays. Research Design and Methods. Antibodies were tested in 438 children and adolescents with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus (DM) type 1, and in 891 subjects without DM type 1. ICA were determined by the classic indirect immunofluorescent method recommended by the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation International, GADA were determined with the Immunotech IRMA Anti-GAD kit, and IA-2A and IA were determined with Medizym Anti-IA2 and Orgentec Anti-Insulin ELISA kits, respectively. Sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of the tests were estimated with contingency tables. Diagnostic accuracy was estimated from areas under receiver operating curves (AUC). Results. ICA test was of the greatest diagnostic value (Se=88%, Sp=96%, PPV=96%, NPV=94%, AUC=0,94), followed by IA-2A (Se=66%, Sp=98%, PPV=98%, NPV=59%, AUC=0,82) and GADA (Se=73%, Sp=84%, PPV=75%, NPV=83%, AUC=0,79). IA test exhibited a very low Se (4,3%) and lacked diagnostic accuracy (AUC=0,5). Conclusions. We recommend to use ICA, IA-2A and GADA tests surveyed in our study for diagnosis of DM type 1 and differential diagnosis of DM. We don’t recommend IA testing with an Orgentec Anti-Insulin ELISA kit for usage in clinical practice