Restructuring Marriage and Family in Industrial Kazakhstan: Axes of Inequality and Conjugality in a Former Soviet Steel Plant

This paper addresses how changing patterns of conjugality, family and labour play out in a gender-mixed, multi-ethnic industrial setting built in Soviet times and nowadays owned by foreign corporate capital. Matrimonial relationships among Kazakhstani steel workers have come under sustained pressure as a consequence of privatization and labour restructuring. As a result, workers must accommodate their family lives and partnership prospects to their own precarious situation in an increasingly adverse world of industrial labour. Kazakh, Russian, male, female, precarious and regular workers are differently affected and adopt different strategies. Mirroring workplace related inequalities, marriage and family patterns rooted in distinctive traditions in multi-ethnic Kazakhstan are currently being reshaped. At the same time, marriage and family have become more important in determining workers’ wellbeing at work and beyond

Kolkhozes, Sovkhozes, and Shirkats of Yangibazar (1960-2002): Note on an archival investigation into four decades of agricultural development of a district in Khorezm (Uzbekistan)

While most anthropological analyses of rural transformations in Central Asia privilege the village or the former kolkhoz as its unit of analysis, my idea was it to approach a rayon as an administrative body, and as a political and social carrier of “community” defined more at large. I selected Yangibazar as my case study for fieldwork because here, one out of four pilot districts over all the republic of Uzbekistan, in the process of the acceleration of the reform of the agricultural sector all shirkats were disbanded and substituted by private farm enterprises (‘fermer khüjaligi’), anticipating a nation-wide trend. As a consequence, the district state archive acquired the documentation of the 11 dismissed shirkats (including in their turn that of the predecessors of the Soviet period — 9 kolkhozes and 2 sovkhozes). Together with Khiva and Hanka, Yangibazar is one of the three district level branches of the Khorezmian state archive in Urgench.Tandis que la plupart des analyses anthropologiques axées sur les transformations rurales en Asie centrale privilégient le village ou l’ancien kolkhoze en tant qu’unité d’analyse, mon idée était d’appréhender un district (raïon) en tant qu’entité administrative et en tant que corps politique et social d’une « communauté » définie plus en détails. J’ai sélectionné Yangibazar, l’un des quatre districts pilotes existant dans toute la République d’Ouzbékistan, comme étude de cas pour mon terrain car, ici, dans le processus d’accélération des réformes du secteur agricole, toutes les shirkat ont été dissolues et substituées à des entreprises de fermes privées (fermer khüjaligi), anticipant une tendance nationale. En conséquence, les archives nationales du district ont hérité de la documentation des 11 shirkat dissoutes (y compris dans leur changement de prédécesseurs de la période soviétique, soit 9 kolkhozes et 2 sovkhozes). Avec Khiva et Hanka, Yangibazar constitue l’un des trois niveaux de branches de district des archives nationales du Khorezm à Urgentch

Neuanfang im Schatten der Krise: Kirgistan nach dem Regimewechsel

"Der Machtwechsel im April 2010 und die darauf folgenden Pogrome gegen die usbekische Minderheit im Süden haben Kirgistan in eine Krise gestürzt, von der es sich nur mit Mühe erholen wird. Zum einen hat das ressourcenarme Land mit gravierenden wirtschaftlichen Problemen zu kämpfen. Zum anderen wird der Versuch eines politischen Neuanfangs - gekennzeichnet durch die Einführung der parlamentarischen Demokratie und eine in Zentralasien beispiellose Öffnung des politischen Systems - von nationalistischen Ressentiments überschattet. Sie sind vor allem im Süden des Landes verbreitet und begünstigen den Ausschluss der Usbeken aus dem gesellschaftlichen Leben. Gleichwohl hat sich mit dem Regimewechsel der Raum für öffentliche Debatten spürbar erweitert. Die Bürger Kirgistans haben nun Gelegenheit, den Umgang mit einer Pluralität von Stimmen und Meinungen zu erproben. Hier kann die Politik der Europäischen Union und ihrer Mitgliedstaaten ansetzen. Sie kann den demokratischen Neuanfang unterstützen, indem sie Kapazitäten bereitstellt, um öffentliche Reflexion zu fördern. Dabei sollte sie sich nicht scheuen, politisch klar Position zu beziehen. Die EU sollte sich denjenigen Akteuren verpflichtet fühlen, die sich ein demokratisches Kirgistan wünschen und bereit sind, ihr politisches Handeln danach auszurichten." (Autorenreferat

Direct-acting antivirals and hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis C: A few lights and many shadows

With the introduction of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAA), the rate of sustained virological response (SVR) in the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has radically improved to over 95%. Robust scientific evidence supports a beneficial role of SVR after interferon therapy in the progression of cirrhosis, resulting in a decreased incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, a debate on the impact of DAAs on the development of HCC is ongoing. This review aimed to analyse the scientific literature regarding the risk of HCC in terms of its recurrence and occurrence after the use of DAAs to eradicate HCV infection. Among 11 studies examining HCC occurrence, the de novo incidence rate ranged from 0 to 7.4% (maximum follow-up: 18 mo). Among 18 studies regarding HCC recurrence, the rate ranged from 0 to 54.4% (maximum "not well-defined" followup: 32 mo). This review highlights the major difficulties in interpreting data and reconciling the results of the included studies. These difficulties include heterogeneous cohorts, potential misclassifications of HCC prior to DAA therapy, the absence of an adequate control group, short follow-up times and different kinds of follow-up. Moreover, no clinical feature-based scoring system accounts for the molecular characteristics and pathobiology of the tumours. Nonetheless, this review does not suggest that there is a higher rate of de novo HCC occurrence or recurrence after DAA therapy in patients with previous HCV infection. \ua9 2018 The Author(s). Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved

Platelets and hepatocellular cancer: Bridging the bench to the clinics

Growing interest is recently being focused on the role played by the platelets in favoring hepatocellular cancer (HCC) growth and dissemination. The present review reports in detail both the experimental and clinical evidence published on this topic. Several growth factors and angiogenic molecules specifically secreted by platelets are directly connected with tumor progression and neo-angiogenesis. Among them, we can list the platelet-derived growth factor, the vascular endothelial growth factor, the endothelial growth factor, and serotonin. Platelets are also involved in tumor spread, favoring endothelium permeabilization and tumor cells' extravasation and survival in the bloodstream. From the bench to the clinics, all of these aspects were also investigated in clinical series, showing an evident correlation between platelet count and size of HCC, tumor biological behavior, metastatic spread, and overall survival rates. Moreover, a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the platelet-tumor axis represents a paramount aspect for optimizing both current tumor treatment and development of new therapeutic strategies against HCC

Optimasi Portofolio Resiko Menggunakan Model Markowitz MVO Dikaitkan dengan Keterbatasan Manusia dalam Memprediksi Masa Depan dalam Perspektif Al-Qur`an

Risk portfolio on modern finance has become increasingly technical, requiring the use of sophisticated mathematical tools in both research and practice. Since companies cannot insure themselves completely against risk, as human incompetence in predicting the future precisely that written in Al-Quran surah Luqman verse 34, they have to manage it to yield an optimal portfolio. The objective here is to minimize the variance among all portfolios, or alternatively, to maximize expected return among all portfolios that has at least a certain expected return. Furthermore, this study focuses on optimizing risk portfolio so called Markowitz MVO (Mean-Variance Optimization). Some theoretical frameworks for analysis are arithmetic mean, geometric mean, variance, covariance, linear programming, and quadratic programming. Moreover, finding a minimum variance portfolio produces a convex quadratic programming, that is minimizing the objective function ðð¥with constraintsð ð 𥠥 ðandð´ð¥ = ð. The outcome of this research is the solution of optimal risk portofolio in some investments that could be finished smoothly using MATLAB R2007b software together with its graphic analysis

MUSiC : a model-unspecific search for new physics in proton-proton collisions at root s=13TeV

Results of the Model Unspecific Search in CMS (MUSiC), using proton-proton collision data recorded at the LHC at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1), are presented. The MUSiC analysis searches for anomalies that could be signatures of physics beyond the standard model. The analysis is based on the comparison of observed data with the standard model prediction, as determined from simulation, in several hundred final states and multiple kinematic distributions. Events containing at least one electron or muon are classified based on their final state topology, and an automated search algorithm surveys the observed data for deviations from the prediction. The sensitivity of the search is validated using multiple methods. No significant deviations from the predictions have been observed. For a wide range of final state topologies, agreement is found between the data and the standard model simulation. This analysis complements dedicated search analyses by significantly expanding the range of final states covered using a model independent approach with the largest data set to date to probe phase space regions beyond the reach of previous general searches.Peer reviewe

Search for new particles in events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A search is presented for new particles produced at the LHC in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV, using events with energetic jets and large missing transverse momentum. The analysis is based on a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 101 fb(-1), collected in 2017-2018 with the CMS detector. Machine learning techniques are used to define separate categories for events with narrow jets from initial-state radiation and events with large-radius jets consistent with a hadronic decay of a W or Z boson. A statistical combination is made with an earlier search based on a data sample of 36 fb(-1), collected in 2016. No significant excess of events is observed with respect to the standard model background expectation determined from control samples in data. The results are interpreted in terms of limits on the branching fraction of an invisible decay of the Higgs boson, as well as constraints on simplified models of dark matter, on first-generation scalar leptoquarks decaying to quarks and neutrinos, and on models with large extra dimensions. Several of the new limits, specifically for spin-1 dark matter mediators, pseudoscalar mediators, colored mediators, and leptoquarks, are the most restrictive to date.Peer reviewe

Measurement of prompt open-charm production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

The production cross sections for prompt open-charm mesons in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13TeV are reported. The measurement is performed using a data sample collected by the CMS experiment corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 29 nb(-1). The differential production cross sections of the D*(+/-), D-+/-, and D-0 ((D) over bar (0)) mesons are presented in ranges of transverse momentum and pseudorapidity 4 < p(T) < 100 GeV and vertical bar eta vertical bar < 2.1, respectively. The results are compared to several theoretical calculations and to previous measurements.Peer reviewe

Combined searches for the production of supersymmetric top quark partners in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A combination of searches for top squark pair production using proton-proton collision data at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb(-1) collected by the CMS experiment, is presented. Signatures with at least 2 jets and large missing transverse momentum are categorized into events with 0, 1, or 2 leptons. New results for regions of parameter space where the kinematical properties of top squark pair production and top quark pair production are very similar are presented. Depending on themodel, the combined result excludes a top squarkmass up to 1325 GeV for amassless neutralino, and a neutralinomass up to 700 GeV for a top squarkmass of 1150 GeV. Top squarks with masses from 145 to 295 GeV, for neutralino masses from 0 to 100 GeV, with a mass difference between the top squark and the neutralino in a window of 30 GeV around the mass of the top quark, are excluded for the first time with CMS data. The results of theses searches are also interpreted in an alternative signal model of dark matter production via a spin-0 mediator in association with a top quark pair. Upper limits are set on the cross section for mediator particle masses of up to 420 GeV