THE LOGIC OF RELIGIOUS RITUAL: THE PATHOS OF FAITH OR THE TRIUMPH OF MAGISM

The article examines the phenomenon of ritual, understood as an independent phenomenon that goes beyond the scope of religious culture. Referring to the works of religious studies, anthropology and psychology, the main features of ritual are identified, allowing to talk about ritual as a peculiar form of archetypal consciousness. Particular attention is focused on religious discourse, for it is here that the nature of ritual in its most varied forms emerges most clearly. It is established that ritual practices in the religious and psychological spheres have a common cause – the symbolic function of protection from the outside world by means of certain actions, verbal formulas, and ceremonials. The idea is postulated that ritual as a magical action is opposed to conscious faith; ritual dependence is opposed to religious freedom. It is emphasized that “inside” the developed religious systems the concept of ritual is used more often in a negative sense. The theoretical basis is mainly represented by the works of V. Terner, K. Jung, B. Malinowski, and M. Eliade. The methodology of the work includes phenomenological, textual, conceptual and comparative analysis. The data of the study can be used in philosophical and theological analysis of the phenomenon of ritual. The practical value of the study lies in the possibility of including the results of the study in the classes of philosophy, religious studies, psychology and theology

Modular nanotransporters: a multipurpose in vivo working platform for targeted drug delivery

Tatiana A Slastnikova1,2, Andrey A Rosenkranz1,2, Pavel V Gulak1, Raymond M Schiffelers3, Tatiana N Lupanova1,4, Yuri V Khramtsov1, Michael R Zalutsky5, Alexander S Sobolev1,21Laboratory of Molecular Genetics of Intracellular Transport, Institute of Gene Biology, Moscow, Russia; 2Department of Biophysics, Biological Faculty, Moscow State University, Vorobyevy Gory, Moscow, Russia; 3Laboratory for Clinical Chemistry and Haematology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; 4Department of Bioengineering, Biological Faculty, Moscow State University, Vorobyevy Gory, Moscow, Russia; 5Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USABackground: Modular nanotransporters (MNT) are recombinant multifunctional polypeptides created to exploit a cascade of cellular processes, initiated with membrane receptor recognition to deliver selective short-range and highly cytotoxic therapeutics to the cell nucleus. This research was designed for in vivo concept testing for this drug delivery platform using two modular nanotransporters, one targeted to the α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (αMSH) receptor overexpressed on melanoma cells and the other to the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor overexpressed on several cancers, including glioblastoma, and head-and-neck and breast carcinoma cells.Methods: In vivo targeting of the modular nanotransporter was determined by immunofluorescence confocal laser scanning microscopy and by accumulation of 125I-labeled modular nanotransporters. The in vivo therapeutic effects of the modular nanotransporters were assessed by photodynamic therapy studies, given that the cytotoxicity of photosensitizers is critically dependent on their delivery to the cell nucleus.Results: Immunohistochemical analyses of tumor and neighboring normal tissues of mice injected with multifunctional nanotransporters demonstrated preferential uptake in tumor tissue, particularly in cell nuclei. With 125I-labeled MNT{αMSH}, optimal tumor:muscle and tumor:skin ratios of 8:1 and 9.8:1, respectively, were observed 3 hours after injection in B16-F1 melanoma-bearing mice. Treatment with bacteriochlorin p-MNT{αMSH} yielded 89%–98% tumor growth inhibition and a two-fold increase in survival for mice with B16-F1 and Cloudman S91 melanomas. Likewise, treatment of A431 human epidermoid carcinoma-bearing mice with chlorin e6- MNT{EGF} resulted in 94% tumor growth inhibition compared with free chlorin e6, with 75% of animals surviving at 3 months compared with 0% and 20% for untreated and free chlorin e6-treated groups, respectively.Conclusion: The multifunctional nanotransporter approach provides a new in vivo functional platform for drug development that could, in principle, be applicable to any combination of cell surface receptor and agent (photosensitizers, oligonucleotides, radionuclides) requiring nuclear delivery to achieve maximum effectiveness.Keywords: drug delivery, nanobiotechnology, nanomedicine, cancer therapy, photosensitizers, multifunctional nanotransporte

Losses and depolarization of ultracold neutrons on neutron guide and storage materials

At Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) and Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), we have measured the losses and depolarization probabilities of ultracold neutrons on various materials: (i) nickel-molybdenum alloys with weight percentages of 82/18, 85/15, 88/12, 91/9, and 94/6 and natural nickel Ni100, (ii) nickel-vanadium NiV93/7, (iii) copper, and (iv) deuterated polystyrene (dPS). For the different samples, storage-time constants up to ∼460s were obtained at room temperature. The corresponding loss parameters for ultracold neutrons, η, varied between 1.0×10−4 and 2.2×10−4. All η values are in agreement with theory except for dPS, where anomalous losses at room temperature were established with four standard deviations. The depolarization probabilities per wall collision β measured with unprecedented sensitivity varied between 0.7×10−6 and 9.0×10−6. Our depolarization result for copper differs from other experiments by 4.4 and 15.8 standard deviations. The β values of the paramagnetic NiMo alloys over molybdenum content show an increase of β with increasing Mo content. This is in disagreement with expectations from literature. Finally, ferromagnetic behavior of NiMo alloys at room temperature was found for molybdenum contents of 6.5 at.% or less and paramagnetic behavior for more than 8.7 at.%. This may contribute to solving an ambiguity in literature

Antitumor Activity of Auger Electron Emitter 111In Delivered by Modular Nanotransporter for Treatment of Bladder Cancer With EGFR Overexpression

Gamma-ray emitting 111In, which is extensively used for imaging, is also a source of short-range Auger electrons (AE). While exhibiting negligible effect outside cells, these AE become highly toxic near DNA within the cell nucleus. Therefore, these radionuclides can be used as a therapeutic anticancer agent if delivered precisely into the nuclei of tumor target cells. Modular nanotransporters (MNTs) designed to provide receptor-targeted delivery of short-range therapeutic cargoes into the nuclei of target cells are perspective candidates for specific intracellular delivery of AE emitters. The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of 111In attached MNTs to kill human bladder cancer cells overexpressing epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The cytotoxicity of 111In delivered by the EGFR-targeted MNT (111In-MNT) was greatly enhanced on EJ-, HT-1376-, and 5637-expressing EGFR bladder cancer cell lines compared with 111In non-targeted control. In vivo microSPECT/CT imaging and antitumor efficacy studies revealed prolonged intratumoral retention of 111In-MNT with t½ = 4.1 ± 0.5 days as well as significant dose-dependent tumor growth delay (up to 90% growth inhibition) after local infusion of 111In-MNT in EJ xenograft-bearing mice

Exchange-rate-based stabilization syndrome: Credible disinflation, capital inflows, and the domestic banking system

Interactions between the banking sector and an open capital account are investigated as rationalizations for the empirical regularities that characterize disinflation programs anchored by fixing the exchange rate. Financial intermediation and bank money creation are formalized within a dynamic general equilibrium model with multiple monetary aggregates and a financial system characterized by imperfections such as incomplete markets and an externality in the bank lending process. Financial markets are incomplete in the sense that bank loans are the sole source of external finance for nonfinancial firms, and bank deposits are the only form of household savings. The bank lending externality arises because individual banks do not internalize the effect of their lending decisions on the quality of information about potential borrowers received by other banks, and therefore extend more credit than they otherwise would. Simulation of the model economy's equilibrium dynamics shows that an initial increase in the supply of loanable funds resulting from remonetization of the economy in the wake of disinflation can translate into a further rapid expansion of bank credit financed by short-term capital inflows. A credit-driven boom results, accompanied by a currency overvaluation and current account deficits. Together, these generate systemic financial fragilities and make the economy vulnerable to a small shock that can trigger banking and balance-of-payment crises. The model is thus capable of replicating the empirical regularities observed in exchange-rate-based stabilization programs without relying on imperfect credibility or nominal rigidities. Accounting for the role of the banking sector can help to explain why even well-designed exchange-rate-based stabilization programs may set in motion a dynamic process that can lead to a financial crisis and the program's collapse. The policy implication for developing countries is that the authorities should pay attention not only to the design of monetary and exchange rate policies but also to the framework of monetary and financial institutions. The results of the study suggest that diversifying the source of investment finance away from banks and reducing externalities associated with bank lending may be essential preconditions for implementing successful stabilization programs

HIGH AND VOLATILE TREASURY YIELDS IN TANZANIA: THE ROLE OF STRATEGIC BIDDING AND AUCTION MICROSTRUCTURE

The observed increase in the level and volatility of Tanzania's Treasury yields in recent years against an otherwise benign macroeconomic backdrop presented a puzzle for policymakers, while raising concerns about the fiscal burden of rising debt interest payments and diversion of bank credit away from the private sector. Using evidence from bid-level data, and supported by a simple theorising of bidder incentives under unorthodox issuance practices, this paper traces the recent volatility in yields to the emergence of a sharp segmentation of the T-bill market between sophisticated financial market players (foreign-controlled banks) and a less-experienced group of investors (domestic pension funds and small banks). An important policy recommendation that emerges is that public debt managers should avoid micro-managing Treasury bill auctions by issuing amounts in excess of those offered or by dipping into oversubscribed segments of the yield curve, as such practices seriously disadvantage the less-sophisticated (but more competitive) investors vis-à-vis the more sophisticated players. Copyright (c) 2009 The Authors. Journal compilation (c) 2009 Economic Society of South Africa.

Repressive Poetics: Genesis and Representativeness

В статье «Репрессивная поэтика: генезис и репрезентативность» рассматривается феномен репрессивной поэтики, его ключевые компоненты и особенности функционирования в современном социуме. Особое внимание уделяется историко-философскому осмыслению поэтики как культурного феномена (в частности, рассматриваются идеи Платона, Аристотеля, Хайдеггера) и, кроме того, анализируется ряд лингвистических и философских концепций феномена образа как имманентного свойства поэтики. Предлагается понятийное определение «репрессивной поэтики» и «репрессивного образа». Репрезентативность репрессивной поэтики в современной культуре иллюстрируется на примере городского мифа