TRENDS AND PROSPECTS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS IN THE CONTEXT OF INCREASING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE ECONOMY

This article examines the competitiveness of the national economy in terms of institutional reforms. Presents the definition of «institutional reforms», «changes» and determined that the institutional environment is an important prerequisite to improve the competitiveness of the national economy. Are designated priority areas of institutional reform for the specific conditions of the Tajik economy. It was determined that the competition institutional reforms can make the development of infrastructure, human capital, macroeconomic stabilization and liberalization, privatization, and liberalization of foreign trade

TRENDS AND PROSPECTS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS IN THE CONTEXT OF INCREASING THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE ECONOMY

This article examines the competitiveness of the national economy in terms of institutional reforms. Presents the definition of «institutional reforms», «changes» and determined that the institutional environment is an important prerequisite to improve the competitiveness of the national economy. Are designated priority areas of institutional reform for the specific conditions of the Tajik economy. It was determined that the competition institutional reforms can make the development of infrastructure, human capital, macroeconomic stabilization and liberalization, privatization, and liberalization of foreign trade

Interdisciplinary Study of Combating Hybrid Threats

NPS NRP Executive SummaryOur nation and allies are coming under increased attack by states and non-state actors who seek to exploit our vulnerabilities through employ non-attributable actions below the threshold of war in order to weaken our competitive advantage across all domains, steal intellectual property, or undermine the cohesiveness of our alliances. These hybrid threats can be in the form of hacking networks, cyber-attacks against critical infrastructure, disinformation campaigns, electoral interference, etc. These unconventional actions cannot be responsibly answered with conventional military forces and thus require a new set of response options. This research seeks to answer three broad questions on hybrid threats: what are the current hybrid threat challenges, how should we respond, and what do we need in order to execute such a response? The answers to these questions will achieve the main objectives of this research. First, arrive at a common understanding on the concept of hybrid threats. Second, develop an analytical framework to support designing actions to address and combat hybrid threats. Lastly, identify key issues and capability gaps for further research. The research methodology will begin with understanding the current depth of knowledge on hybrid threats, then developing case states to expand this knowledge, and lastly developing an analytical framework to combat hybrid threats. The analytical framework will help assess the actor, domain(s), methods, and desired intentions and objectives.N7 - Warfighting DevelopmentThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Interdisciplinary Study of Combating Hybrid Threats

NPS NRP Project PosterOur nation and allies are coming under increased attack by states and non-state actors who seek to exploit our vulnerabilities through employ non-attributable actions below the threshold of war in order to weaken our competitive advantage across all domains, steal intellectual property, or undermine the cohesiveness of our alliances. These hybrid threats can be in the form of hacking networks, cyber-attacks against critical infrastructure, disinformation campaigns, electoral interference, etc. These unconventional actions cannot be responsibly answered with conventional military forces and thus require a new set of response options. This research seeks to answer three broad questions on hybrid threats: what are the current hybrid threat challenges, how should we respond, and what do we need in order to execute such a response? The answers to these questions will achieve the main objectives of this research. First, arrive at a common understanding on the concept of hybrid threats. Second, develop an analytical framework to support designing actions to address and combat hybrid threats. Lastly, identify key issues and capability gaps for further research. The research methodology will begin with understanding the current depth of knowledge on hybrid threats, then developing case states to expand this knowledge, and lastly developing an analytical framework to combat hybrid threats. The analytical framework will help assess the actor, domain(s), methods, and desired intentions and objectives.N7 - Warfighting DevelopmentThis research is supported by funding from the Naval Postgraduate School, Naval Research Program (PE 0605853N/2098). https://nps.edu/nrpChief of Naval Operations (CNO)Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Countering International Extremism

The article is devoted to the study of countering international extremist activity features, including the intensifying corresponding Internet threats. The author notes that in modern conditions, threats of extremism require an integrated approach at the national and international levels, more effective mobilization of state and interstate forces and resources (financial, information, etc.), including acts of blocking relevant contacts and illegal virtual resources. The article contains statistical data showing an increase in extremist threats, including the youth environment, and, accordingly, the need to intensify and expand measures to counter such negative phenomena

Ken Loach, 'Family life' and socialist realism: some historical and theoretical aspects

This article considers some historical and theoretical aspects of Ken Loach’s 1971 film about mental illness, Family Life. Historically, it explores the film’s influences, particularly that of the 1960s ‘anti-psychiatrist’ and counter-cultural figure, R.D. Laing. In this respect, the article specifies a contemporaneous critique of Family Life in Peter Sedgwick’s (1972) hostile review for Socialist Worker. In light of this critique, the article then reconsiders, theoretically, Loach’s strategies of socialist-realist representation in Family Life, particularly as they relate to: 1) mental illness and institutional psychiatry; and 2) the distinction drawn by Raymond Williams between artistic and political forms of representation

Discovery of Nigri/nox and Panto/pox site-specific recombinase systems facilitates advanced genome engineering

Precise genome engineering is instrumental for biomedical research and holds great promise for future therapeutic applications. Site-specific recombinases (SSRs) are valuable tools for genome engineering due to their exceptional ability to mediate precise excision, integration and inversion of genomic DNA in living systems. The ever-increasing complexity of genome manipulations and the desire to understand the DNA-binding specificity of these enzymes are driving efforts to identify novel SSR systems with unique properties. Here, we describe two novel tyrosine site-specific recombination systems designated Nigri/nox and Panto/pox. Nigri originates from Vibrio nigripulchritudo (plasmid VIBNI_pA) and recombines its target site nox with high efficiency and high target-site selectivity, without recombining target sites of the well established SSRs Cre, Dre, Vika and VCre. Panto, derived from Pantoea sp. alpha B, is less specific and in addition to its native target site, pox also recombines the target site for Dre recombinase, called rox. This relaxed specificity allowed the identification of residues that are involved in target site selectivity, thereby advancing our understanding of how SSRs recognize their respective DNA targets

Pachydermoperiostosis Masquerading as Acromegaly.

Context: Acromegaly usually is suspected on clinical grounds. Biochemical confirmation is required to optimize therapy, but there are other differential diagnoses. Case Description: We describe a 24-year-old Uzbek man who presented with many clinical symptoms and signs of apparent acromegaly. On examination, the patient showed a rugose folding of his scalp, with the formation of tender, painful, rough skin folds in the parietal-occipital region, resembling cerebral gyri (i.e., cutis verticis gyrate). There was also a thickening and enlargement of the eyelids due to cartilaginous hypertrophy, dystrophic changes of the conjunctiva, and atrophy of the Meibomian glands, with the formation of multiple cysts and granulomas. He perspired excessively. There was thickening of the facial skin, with increased oiliness, increased rugosity, and seborrheic dermatitis. The skin over the hands was thick and apparently fixed to the underlying tissues. However, the patient had a low-normal insulin-like growth factor-1 level. More detailed analysis revealed a family history of relatives with similar problems, and certain features were not in keeping with this diagnosis. The disorder pachydermoperiostosis, or pulmonary hypertrophic osteoarthropathy, was suspected, and next-generation screening confirmed that the patient was homozygous for a pathogenic mutation in the SLCO2A1 gene, c.764G>A (p.Gly255Glu). Conclusion: The condition of pachydermoperiostosis may masquerade as acromegaly but is a genetic disorder, usually autosomal recessive, leading to elevated prostaglandin E2 levels. This is an important, albeit rare, differential diagnosis of acromegaly

Pedagogy of the Privileged: Elite Universities and Dialectical Contradictions in the UK

This paper considers the role and function of Left academics within ‘elite’ (i.e. Russell Group) universities within the UK. Deploying Marxist theory and critical realism, it analyses the ‘dialectical contradictions’ experienced in such a role and reflects upon productive strategies for resisting the hegemony of neo-liberalism within those milieu

Women, self-harm, and the moral code of the prison

Discriminatory attitudes directed at women who nonfatally self-harm have been documented in psychiatric wards and medical settings, especially in Accident and Emergency departments. Such attitudes constitute a “moral code,” which surrounds the act of self-harm and subjects it to negative comparison to accidents, physical illness, and completed suicide. What is less clear, however, are the characteristics of that moral code which governs self-harm in prisons, despite the fact that high rates of self-harm in women’s prisons are well known. Reporting the findings of a research project in one English prison, this article identifies the characteristics of that “moral code” and the way it affects the experiences of women in prison