Democracy in the MENA

There is not sufficient evidence that the Middle East will be able to democratize effectively. First and foremost, most attempts of implementing democracy have failed. The landscape and lack of industrialization also plays a role in the inability to apply democratic systems into this area. Lastly, the educational system, or lack thereof, struggles to educate their children and citizens as a whole and education is one of the biggest factors in the success of democracy

The dialectics of media representation: 'Je Suis Charlie' as fetishization of an image

The terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine on January 7, 2015, lead to a swift response from media conglomerates in the form of powerful images and narratives that sought to preserve the official mythology and to reverse the effects of the violent terrorist communication. In the dialectics of media representations, the texts are transformed into images and images into icons. We are referring here to the highlighting of the Je suis Charlie theme as a particular image that was used as a rallying cry. Analysing the production of symbolic forms, especially in the international media representation with a special accent on headlines and visual and textual images we come to the conclusion that Je suis Charlie slogan suffered an ideological transformation, the image becoming a fetish. Hence, we have spoted an iconoclastic reaction from some international media outlets that were suggesting the need for an ambivalent narrative, avoiding an absolute, frozen meaning

1 Hz dissipation factor

The dielectric frequency response has evolved into a definitive analysis to determine the condition of the insulation system. The analysis of the NB DFR tests spectrum provides valuable pieces of information that can be used for the diagnostics of high voltage equipment. A case study has been conducted for a 10 MVA, 69/13.09 kV Dyn1 two-winding transformer that is tested in the field after OLTC repairs and before re-energization

Influence d'une faculte´ des sciences de l'administration sur les valeurs humaines de ses e´tudiants

This study indicates that schools of business influence the personal values of their students. Current management education produces individuals who have ego-centered rather than society or other-centered values. Given this framework the authors raise the question, "Do business schools produce the type of manager that is needed in the future?".Cette e´tude indique que les e´coles d'administration influencent les valeurs personnelles de leurs e´tudiants. L'e´ducation manage´riale actuelle produit des individus centre´s sur eux- me^mes pluto^t que sur des valeurs socie´tales ou sur d'autres types de valeurs. Etant donne´ cette situation, les auteurs posent la question: "Est-ce que les e´coles d'administration pro- duisent le type de gestionnaire dont nous aurons besoin dans l'avenir"

Clinical review: Ventilator-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction - human studies confirm animal model findings!

Diaphragmatic function is a major determinant of the ability to successfully wean patients from mechanical ventilation. However, the use of controlled mechanical ventilation in animal models results in a major reduction of diaphragmatic force-generating capacity together with structural injury and atrophy of diaphragm muscle fibers, a condition termed ventilator-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction (VIDD). Increased oxidative stress and exaggerated proteolysis in the diaphragm have been linked to the development of VIDD in animal models, but much less is known about the extent to which these phenomena occur in humans undergoing mechanical ventilation in the ICU. In the present review, we first briefly summarize the large body of evidence demonstrating the existence of VIDD in animal models, and outline the major cellular mechanisms that have been implicated in this process. We then relate these findings to very recently published data in critically ill patients, which have thus far been found to exhibit a remarkable degree of similarity with the animal model data. Hence, the human studies to date have indicated that mechanical ventilation is associated with increased oxidative stress, atrophy, and injury of diaphragmatic muscle fibers along with a rapid loss of diaphragmatic force production. These changes are, to a large extent, directly proportional to the duration of mechanical ventilation. In the context of these human data, we also review the methods that can be used in the clinical setting to diagnose and/or monitor the development of VIDD in critically ill patients. Finally, we discuss the potential for using different mechanical ventilation strategies and pharmacological approaches to prevent and/or to treat VIDD and suggest promising avenues for future research in this area

Epigenetic suppression of hippocampal calbindin-D28k by ΔFosB drives seizure-related cognitive deficits.

The calcium-binding protein calbindin-D28k is critical for hippocampal function and cognition, but its expression is markedly decreased in various neurological disorders associated with epileptiform activity and seizures. In Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) and epilepsy, both of which are accompanied by recurrent seizures, the severity of cognitive deficits reflects the degree of calbindin reduction in the hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG). However, despite the importance of calbindin in both neuronal physiology and pathology, the regulatory mechanisms that control its expression in the hippocampus are poorly understood. Here we report an epigenetic mechanism through which seizures chronically suppress hippocampal calbindin expression and impair cognition. We demonstrate that ΔFosB, a highly stable transcription factor, is induced in the hippocampus in mouse models of AD and seizures, in which it binds and triggers histone deacetylation at the promoter of the calbindin gene (Calb1) and downregulates Calb1 transcription. Notably, increasing DG calbindin levels, either by direct virus-mediated expression or inhibition of ΔFosB signaling, improves spatial memory in a mouse model of AD. Moreover, levels of ΔFosB and calbindin expression are inversely related in the DG of individuals with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) or AD and correlate with performance on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). We propose that chronic suppression of calbindin by ΔFosB is one mechanism through which intermittent seizures drive persistent cognitive deficits in conditions accompanied by recurrent seizures

ΔFosB Regulates Gene Expression and Cognitive Dysfunction in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer\u27s Disease.

Alzheimer\u27s disease (AD) is characterized by cognitive decline and 5- to 10-fold increased seizure incidence. How seizures contribute to cognitive decline in AD or other disorders is unclear. We show that spontaneous seizures increase expression of ΔFosB, a highly stable Fos-family transcription factor, in the hippocampus of an AD mouse model. ΔFosB suppressed expression of the immediate early gene c-Fos, which is critical for plasticity and cognition, by binding its promoter and triggering histone deacetylation. Acute histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition or inhibition of ΔFosB activity restored c-Fos induction and improved cognition in AD mice. Administration of seizure-inducing agents to nontransgenic mice also resulted in ΔFosB-mediated suppression of c-Fos, suggesting that this mechanism is not confined to AD mice. These results explain observations that c-Fos expression increases after acute neuronal activity but decreases with chronic activity. Moreover, these results indicate a general mechanism by which seizures contribute to persistent cognitive deficits, even during seizure-free periods

Nerve growth factor improves the muscle regeneration capacity of muscle stem cells in dystrophic muscle.

Researchers have attempted to use gene- and cell-based therapies to restore dystrophin and alleviate the muscle weakness that results from Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Our research group has isolated populations of muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) from the postnatal skeletal muscle of mice. In comparison with satellite cells, MDSCs display an improved transplantation capacity in dystrophic mdx muscle that we attribute to their ability to undergo long-term proliferation, self-renewal, and multipotent differentiation, including differentiation toward endothelial and neuronal lineages. Here we tested whether the use of nerve growth factor (NGF) improves the transplantation efficiency of MDSCs. We used two methods of in vitro NGF stimulation: retroviral transduction of MDSCs with a CL-NGF vector and direct stimulation of MDSCs with NGF protein. Neither method of NGF treatment changed the marker profile or proliferation behavior of the MDSCs, but direct stimulation with NGF protein significantly reduced the in vitro differentiation ability of the cells. NGF stimulation also significantly enhanced the engraftment efficiency of MDSCs transplanted within the dystrophic muscle of mdx mice, resulting in the regeneration of numerous dystrophin-positive muscle fibers. These findings highlight the importance of NGF as a modulatory molecule, the study of which will broaden our understanding of its biologic role in the regeneration and repair of skeletal muscle by musclederived cells