The Idealised Subject of Freedom and the Refugee

As with terms such as “human rights”, “democracy”, and “equality”, the notion of “freedom” has an emblematic character with highly normative overtones. After the declaration of universal human rights, one might argue that freedom is – at least formally – a universal entitlement belonging to every human being. However, this universalist structure is built upon a conflictual foundation, as the juridico-political meaning of freedom is determined by the boundaries of national citizenship, statehood, and territorial sovereignty. This chapter examines refugeehood as a normal by-product of the post-colonial world order, embodying the counter-history of nation-states whose internal borders, walls, and external fortifications are growingly being militarised and reinforced. Refugeehood represents an anomalous juridico-political condition that cannot be elucidated by colonial-racial binaries such as inclusion versus exclusion or rightlessness versus national citizenship. The central idea of this chapter is that, for refugees, the meaning of freedom and unfreedom are intertwined and should be approached as a dynamic relationship characterising the state of (non)-subjectivity. As political (non)-subjects, refugees call structural determinations of unfreedom into question. Refugees’ freedom is expressed in the act of flight and border crossing, irregular migratory movement, language games of resistance, and other emancipatory signifying practices by which they claim a place of refuge in the world

Rethinking freedom from the perspective of refugees: Lived experiences of (un)freedom in Europe’s border zones

In mainstream political discourse, refugeehood is increasingly being associated with victimhood, powerlessness, abnormality, and political crises. On the one hand, refugees are, often, viewed as voiceless victims who should be offered protection and assistance on humanitarian grounds under exceptional circumstances. On the other hand, they are, increasingly, being portrayed as enemy-like strangers who pose a threat to the borders, stability of receiving states, and the well-being of their citizens. This prevailing framework fundamentally disregards refugees’ political subjectivity and ignores emancipatory phenomena and practices of freedom, which are embedded and expressed in refugees’ migratory movements. This philosophical investigation aims to contribute to our understanding of the dynamic relationship of freedom and unfreedom from the perspective of refugees. To examine this dynamic relationship, this study situates itself in the autonomy of migration approach and draws on narratives and lived experiences of refugees, which were collected during in-depth interviews with refugees (Greece). These experiential accounts have been analysed and theoretically discussed in accordance with the guidelines of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Through an interpretative process, this study critically contextualizes refugees’ perceptions and understandings of freedom in ongoing theoretical discussions concerning refugeehood and freedom. Based on these critical discussions, this study develops a theoretical examination of the dynamics of freedom and unfreedom in different spatio-temporal phases of refugeehood. In doing so, it explores the multifaceted act of flight, lived experiences of (un)freedom, socio-political structures of abandonment, and autonomous relations and arrangements by which refugees enact freedom in receiving states. Moreover, it challenges the prevalent conceptual distinctions between citizens versus non-citizens, hosts (nationals) versus guests (migrants), genuine refugees versus economic migrants, and the included (right-holders) versus the excluded (the rightless)

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19 patients with a history of cardiovascular disease

New emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) primarily affects the lungs, but the virus may cause cardiovascular disease (CVD), and a history of CVD is usually associated with comorbidities, which could increase the severity of infections. In this study, we collected demographic and clinical characteristics data from 123 patients with a history of CVD, who were confirmed to have SARS-CoV-2 infection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test in Razi Hospital, Rasht, Iran, from March 2021 to June 2021. Chi-Square and Fisher's Exact test with a significance level of P less than 0.05 was performed. All statistical analysis was performed with SPSS software version 26.0. Among the studied patients, 99 patients were discharged and 24 of them died. 62 (50.4%) of the study population were female and 61 (49.6%) were male, and there is no significant association between gender and the outcome of patients (P = 0.159). The total mean age of patients was 68.35±12.41. Statistical analysis has represented a significant relation of death outcomes in CVD patients with age 60 years and older (P = 0.001), in comparison with patients younger than 60 years. In this present study, no significant relation between underlying disease and mortality rate was reported, but in COVID-19 patients with a history of CVD and age upper than 60 years, death outcome was more probable

Global, regional, and national cancer incidence, mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-Adjusted life-years for 29 cancer groups, 1990 to 2017 : A systematic analysis for the global burden of disease study

Importance: Cancer and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are now widely recognized as a threat to global development. The latest United Nations high-level meeting on NCDs reaffirmed this observation and also highlighted the slow progress in meeting the 2011 Political Declaration on the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases and the third Sustainable Development Goal. Lack of situational analyses, priority setting, and budgeting have been identified as major obstacles in achieving these goals. All of these have in common that they require information on the local cancer epidemiology. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study is uniquely poised to provide these crucial data. Objective: To describe cancer burden for 29 cancer groups in 195 countries from 1990 through 2017 to provide data needed for cancer control planning. Evidence Review: We used the GBD study estimation methods to describe cancer incidence, mortality, years lived with disability, years of life lost, and disability-Adjusted life-years (DALYs). Results are presented at the national level as well as by Socio-demographic Index (SDI), a composite indicator of income, educational attainment, and total fertility rate. We also analyzed the influence of the epidemiological vs the demographic transition on cancer incidence. Findings: In 2017, there were 24.5 million incident cancer cases worldwide (16.8 million without nonmelanoma skin cancer [NMSC]) and 9.6 million cancer deaths. The majority of cancer DALYs came from years of life lost (97%), and only 3% came from years lived with disability. The odds of developing cancer were the lowest in the low SDI quintile (1 in 7) and the highest in the high SDI quintile (1 in 2) for both sexes. In 2017, the most common incident cancers in men were NMSC (4.3 million incident cases); tracheal, bronchus, and lung (TBL) cancer (1.5 million incident cases); and prostate cancer (1.3 million incident cases). The most common causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for men were TBL cancer (1.3 million deaths and 28.4 million DALYs), liver cancer (572000 deaths and 15.2 million DALYs), and stomach cancer (542000 deaths and 12.2 million DALYs). For women in 2017, the most common incident cancers were NMSC (3.3 million incident cases), breast cancer (1.9 million incident cases), and colorectal cancer (819000 incident cases). The leading causes of cancer deaths and DALYs for women were breast cancer (601000 deaths and 17.4 million DALYs), TBL cancer (596000 deaths and 12.6 million DALYs), and colorectal cancer (414000 deaths and 8.3 million DALYs). Conclusions and Relevance: The national epidemiological profiles of cancer burden in the GBD study show large heterogeneities, which are a reflection of different exposures to risk factors, economic settings, lifestyles, and access to care and screening. The GBD study can be used by policy makers and other stakeholders to develop and improve national and local cancer control in order to achieve the global targets and improve equity in cancer care. © 2019 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Freedom and the Imaginary Dimension of Society

The notion of 'freedom' has gained an emblematic character in contemporary political discourse. It is, commonly, viewed as the central value and political goal of modern societies. Similarly, human rights documents conceive of freedom as their founding principle with universal validity. In contradistinction to this prevalent approach to freedom, this paper aims to demonstrate that freedom is, primarily, a political signifier with social-historical variability. One cannot, therefore, simply and uncritically assume that freedom has (or should have) universal validity or transhistorical significance. In the first section of this paper, the structure of the contemporary liberal discourse on freedom is discussed and called into question. In light of Arendt's interpretation of freedom and through her analysis of the public domain, I reflect on the social-historical variability of the meaning of freedom and its inextricable nexus with a particular form of society. In the second section and drawing on Castoriadis, the notion of 'freedom' is approached in view of human signifying practices and imaginary dimension of society. This examination reveals in what way freedom––in the sense of a central social imaginary signification––contributes to the institution of an autonomous mode of society and determines the affective disposition and intentional vector of its inhabitants

Municipal Construction Project Failure Factors in Tehran, Iran

Worldwide, residential construction projects are essential to the prosperity and development of nations. It is disappointing to see, nevertheless, that a sizable proportion of building projects have ongoing problems that underscore their success. These problems show up as delays, cost overruns, poor quality, and, in the worst situations lead to project failures. To assure the completion of residential building projects, encourage sustainable urban growth, and satisfy the housing demands of expanding populations, it is imperative to address these issues. The focus of this study is to uncover and examine the crucial factors that contribute to project failures, with a particular emphasis on residential buildings in Tehran, Iran. A thorough knowledge of the reasons why residential construction projects fail is built by looking at a variety of case studies, literature reviews, and expert interviews. It addressed the opinions of the professionals regarding the reasons why residential projects fail as well as their perception of the challenges and solutions in this area. The second group of experts is chosen from among the participants to be questioned by examining the primary questionnaire. The results are analyzed and Inflation, material price fluctuation, changes in market and economy, delay in progress payment from the owner, and poor project management as the main risk factors in the built environment of Tehran are obtained

Municipal Construction Project Failure Factors in Tehran, Iran

Worldwide, residential construction projects are essential to the prosperity and development of nations. It is disappointing to see, nevertheless, that a sizable proportion of building projects have ongoing problems that underscore their success. These problems show up as delays, cost overruns, poor quality, and, in the worst situations lead to project failures. To assure the completion of residential building projects, encourage sustainable urban growth, and satisfy the housing demands of expanding populations, it is imperative to address these issues. The focus of this study is to uncover and examine the crucial factors that contribute to project failures, with a particular emphasis on residential buildings in Tehran, Iran. A thorough knowledge of the reasons why residential construction projects fail is built by looking at a variety of case studies, literature reviews, and expert interviews. It addressed the opinions of the professionals regarding the reasons why residential projects fail as well as their perception of the challenges and solutions in this area. The second group of experts is chosen from among the participants to be questioned by examining the primary questionnaire. The results are analyzed and Inflation, material price fluctuation, changes in market and economy, delay in progress payment from the owner, and poor project management as the main risk factors in the built environment of Tehran are obtained

Investigating the 1981 Massacre in Iran : On the Law-Constituting Force of Violence

The 1981 massacre of political dissidents could be considered the most extensive atrocity committed by the Iranian government after the 1979 Revolution. Yet, this massacre is one of the least investigated aspects of state-sponsored violence in contemporary Iran. In this article, we aim to shed light on the nature and scope of this forgotten massacre. The central thesis of this article is twofold. First, we claim that the 1981 massacre was a mass atrocity characterized by the extra-legal use of state violence. To substantiate this claim, we draw on first-hand archival material and empirical evidence that were collected during fieldwork. Secondly, we claim that the 1981 massacre played a major role in establishing the legal foundations of the theocracy that has remained in power for more than four decades. On a political level, this massacre took place within a crisis that was caused by post-revolutionary circumstances. During this crisis, the clerical rule seized power by suspending the pre-revolutionary legal order. On a legal level, the execution of political dissidents was carried out within a legal vacuum. The practices of Islamic Revolutionary Courts filled this legal vacuum and paved the way for the ratification of the first Islamic Penal Code (1982). The manifestation of state violence during the 1981 massacre embodies the fundamental characteristics of a political system that has built its foundations upon the disintegrated bodies and ruins of its political others

Comparison of success rate of pulpotomy in primary teeth and related factors using formocresol conducted by dental students in Hamedan dental school

Background and Aims: The structural distinction of primary teeth compared to the permanent teeth leads to a faster penetration of the caries into the pulp, which makes effective treatment necessary. The aim of this study was to determine the success rate of pulpotomy in primary molar teeth and its effective factors using formocresol by students and residents at the department of pediatric dentistry of Hamedan dental school. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 113 children who previously had pulpotomy by formecresol in their primary molars (30 children by residents and 83 children by the students) were randomly evaluated based on referral time (at least 12 months after treatment) in terms of clinical and radiographic success rates. Data were analyzed by SPSS20 software using Chi-square and descriptive statistics. Results: The success of the pulpotomy of primary molar teeth was 81.7%. The success rates of the general students and residents were 79.3% and 87.3%, respectively. The percentage of successful pulpotomy was significantly higher in general students at Stainless Steel Crown (S.S.C), second molar in maxilla (P0.05). The percentage of pulpotomy success performed by residents did not have a significant correlation with gender, age, type of repair, type of teeth and jaws (P>0.05). In general, the percentage of success in S.S.C, the second molar and maxillary jaw was higher. Also, the success rate of pulpotomy by residents was significantly higher than that of general- students (P<0.05). The highest rates of pulpotomy failure were related to internal analysis. Conclusion: Formocresol pulpotomy using S.S.C in the maxillary second molar teeth had higher success rate