Dynamics of Wealth Inequality

We study an agent-based model of evolution of wealth distribution in a macro-economic system. The evolution is driven by multiplicative stochastic fluctuations governed by the law of proportionate growth and interactions between agents. We are mainly interested in interactions increasing wealth inequality that is in a local implementation of the accumulated advantage principle. Such interactions destabilise the system. They are confronted in the model with a global regulatory mechanism which reduces wealth inequality. There are different scenarios emerging as a net effect of these two competing mechanisms. When the effect of the global regulation (economic interventionism) is too weak the system is unstable and it never reaches equilibrium. When the effect is sufficiently strong the system evolves towards a limiting stationary distribution with a Pareto tail. In between there is a critical phase. In this phase the system may evolve towards a steady state with a multimodal wealth distribution. The corresponding cumulative density function has a characteristic stairway pattern which reflects the effect of economic stratification. The stairs represent wealth levels of economic classes separated by wealth gaps. As we show, the pattern is typical for macro-economic systems with a limited economic freedom. One can find such a multimodal pattern in empirical data, for instance, in the highest percentile of wealth distribution for the population in urban areas of China.Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures (references added, some material moved to appendix

Will Politics be Tweeted? New Media Use by Iranian Youth in 2011

A survey of 2,800 Iranian youths regarding their consumption of media and social media indicates that the Internet and state-run television are their primary source for news and information, followed by traditional media and personal connections. Twitter, long thought to be the catalyst of the post-election discontent in 2009, did not show up on the radar of news and information sources. The survey was conducted in 2011 by the Annenberg School for Communication’s Center for Global Communication Studies (CGCS) and is reported in the journal New Media & Society. The article “Will politics be tweeted? New media use by Iranian youth in 2011” by Magdalena Wojcieszak, Ph.D. (Gr ’09), IE University in Spain; and Briar Smith, associate director of CGCS, reported on efforts to determine what sources younger Iranians use for information, the extent to which they rely on new media (such as social media) for political exchanges, their experiences with online censorship, and political efficacy as related to new media. The uprisings in Iran following the 2009 contested elections and debate over new media’s potential to affect dissent was, in part, a backdrop to the research. The survey was conducted at a time when the “Arab Spring” was taking place, raising the question of whether new media can empower popular protests

Finding a Way - How Iranian Reach for News and Information

The Iran Media Program publishes its groundbreaking 2011-2012 report on media consumption in Iran: Finding a Way – How Iranians reach for news and information. The report was authored by Magdalena Wojcieszak, Briar Smith and Mahmood Enayat and encompasses the results of two surveys conducted over the past year: the first is a field-based, systematically recruited sample of Iranians in several major metropolitan areas which mirrored the demographics of the country. The second study is an online questionnaire among young, metropolitan, educated and technologically savvy Iranians, and was aimed at illustrating the extent to which these youth employ new media for political purposes over a year after the contested Iranian elections and during the Tunisia, Egypt and Libya uprisings. The report combines the two studies for a comprehensive look at media consumption in Iran. Both studies obtained information on what sources Iranians consider most important for news and information, what kinds of new and traditional media are used and for what purposes, and which new media are used to discuss various issues. The prevalence of Internet use, online activities, and speed of access was assessed, as was the use of and engagement with certain platforms such as blogs, Facebook and Twitter. The surveys also examined the use of circumvention tools as well as the extent to which Iranians think citizens can be empowered through the use of new media

Outside In: The Practices of Iranian Diaspora Journalists

The Iran Media Program (IMP) conducted a survey of Iranian journalists living and working outside Iran. The IMP’s aim was to examine more closely the role and relationship between Iranian reporters abroad and their international and domestic audiences, as well as to broaden our knowledge of the Iranian diaspora media culture. With this report, the IMP hopes to contribute new insights regarding the transnational dimensions of Iranian journalism, as well as how Iranian journalists working outside Iran view their roles within and perspectives on the broader Iranian media ecosystem. The IMP’s research adds to a growing body of knowledge regarding the dynamics of Iran’s domestic media environment and news-consuming public

Facing Boundaries, Finding Freedom: An In-Depth Report on Iranian Journalists Working in Iran

Despite extensive documentation of and attention to direct state pressure on journalists and the almost continual reissuing of “red lines” as a pretense for these media-repressive tactics, little systematic research has been done about the field of journalism in Iran. Beyond direct state repression—harassment, arrests, imprisonment—Iranian journalists face a myriad of regulatory and bureaucratic controls that restrict editorial freedom and the flow of information between journalists and citizens. Yet we know little about how reporters in Iran contend with these challenges on an everyday basis, and in particular outside the context of tightened state controls and crackdowns on journalists during political elections. Hence, there is a need to look “beyond the prison cell” and to examine more closely the everyday operating conditions in which Iranian journalists work, as well as their professional ethics and standards, in order to illustrate a fuller picture of the dynamics of Iran’s media culture. With this report, the Annenberg School for Communication’s Iran Media Program offers—to our knowledge—the first systematic evidence of the working environment of Iranian journalists. It addresses a critical information and research gap regarding the reporting practices of Iranian journalists, their perceptions of editorial freedoms, their ideas of what the media’s role is in society, and the ways in which reporters and editors contend with Internet filtering and censorship. The fundamental aim of this study is to generate a deeper understanding of how Iranian journalists operate both within and despite an environment of heavy state oversight and restrictions, as well as to broaden our perspective of the complexities of media censorship in Iran

Reakcje wybranych podmiotów na zniszczenie gazociągów Nord Stream. Problem jakości informacji obecnej w przestrzeni publicznej

The destruction of the Nord Stream gas pipelines in September 2022 resulted in the appearance of very diverse opinions in the world media regarding the perpetrators of this attack. According to the author, it can be argued that in the very diverse message coming from many entities, it is very difficult to try to identify the perpetrators of this act. In addition to the naturally contradictory views of the representatives of the individual countries concerned, there is a lot of information in cyberspace that is intended not so much to convey the position of specific players as to mislead the recipients. Western media usually blame Russia for the attack, but opponents of this view point to its weaknesses. The paper presents examples of disinformation contained in the media coverage regarding the attacks on Nord Stream, including the role of fake news, sometimes relatively easy to detect, but undoubtedly affecting the formation of public opinion. The article uses the factor method as well as the prognostic method.  Zniszczenie gazociągów Nord Stream we wrześniu 2022 roku spowodowało pojawienie się w światowych mediach bardzo zróżnicowanych opinii dotyczących sprawców tego ataku. Według autora, można postawić tezę, że w bardzo zróżnicowanym przekazie płynącym od wielu podmiotów bardzo trudno jest próbować wskazać sprawców tego czynu. Oprócz, co naturalne, sprzecznych ze sobą poglądów przedstawicieli poszczególnych zainteresowanych państw, w cyberprzestrzeni pojawia się bardzo wiele informacji mających nie tyle przekazać stanowisko określonych graczy, ile wprowadzić w błąd odbiorców. Zachodnie media najczęściej winą za atak obarczają Rosję, jednak przeciwnicy tego poglądu wskazują jego słabe strony. W pracy przedstawiono przykłady dezinformacji zawartych w przekazie medialnym w sprawie ataków na Nord Stream, w tym rolę fake newsów, niekiedy stosunkowo łatwych do wychwycenia, lecz niewątpliwie wpływających na kształtowanie się poglądów opinii publicznej. W artykule zastosowana została metoda czynnikowa, a także metoda prognostyczna

POWODY WĘDRÓWEK DUCHOWIEŃSTWA W ŚWIETLE POSTANOWIEŃ PÓŹNOANTYCZNYCH ZGROMADZEŃ BISKUPICH (IV, V WIEK)

The paper addresses the reasons why the late-antique clergy (4th – 5th century) moved from place to place in the light of ecclesiastical normative texts promulgated at episcopal assemblies of the Roman Empire. At times this mobility had its reasons in the canon law and sometimes in either personal ambition, prestige, disagreement with excommunication, or in various scandals. Canons established by synods and councils were our main source. The collections of normative texts are abundant and from this it is possible to reconstruct the parts of a wider picture of clerical disciplinary issues and of the many problems besetting Christians at that time. The question of clerical mobility needs further research, especially in the analysis of other late antique sources.W artykule zajęliśmy się przyczynami wędrówek późnoantycznego duchowieństwa (IV, V w.), które pojawiały się w kościelnych tekstach normatywnych ustalanych na zgromadzeniach biskupich Cesarstwa Rzymskiego. Poruszyliśmy kwestie powodów wędrówek osób duchownych podzielone na te zgodne z prawem kanonicznym i wszelkie inne wynikające z powodów czy to ambicjonalnych, prestiżowych, niezgadzania się na ekskomuniki, czy to różnych skandali. Kanony ustalane przez synody i sobory były naszym głównym źródłem. Kolekcja tekstów normatywnych jest bogata i można na jej podstawie odtwarzać fragmenty obrazu dyscypliny duchowieństwa (i wielu problemów nękających ówczesnych chrześcijan) w interesującej nas epoce. Temat wędrówek potrzebuje dalszych badań, zwłaszcza w analizie innych późnoantycznych źródeł

Znaczenie pielgrzymek dla chrześcijan epoki późnego antyku w relacji św. Paulina z Noli (354/355-431)

In this article we engaged in the issue of importance of pilgrimages for christian from late-antiquity period in the eyes of christian erduite, Paulinus of Nola. Paulinus of Nola was a poet and senator. He held the office of suffect consul in 377 AD and governor of Campanina in 381 AD. Then, after emperor Gratian’s death and many private causes, like the death of his brother and death of his child, Paulinus converted to a Christian faith and started an ascetic life in Nola. The rich source collection of his writings has not survived, but we tried to present a picture slice of life of a christian society in the IVth and Vth century. We discussed the importance of pilgrimages in a christian life, incentives for them, ways of treating pilgrims in holy places and the most popular directions of pilgrimages. Unfortunately, many issues are not mentioned by Paulinus, such as the dangers of travel or he was writing about some issues briefly, such as the relics and cult of it, which was related to the pilgrimages (relics were often some kind of souvenir from pilgrimage). The subject itself requires further researches, especially in analysis of other christian authors from the late-antiquity period.W artykule zajęliśmy się kwestią znaczenia pielgrzymek dla chrześcijanina z epoki późnego antyku widzianych oczyma chrześcijańskiego erudyty Paulina z Noli (zm. 431r.). Poruszone zostały zagadnienia ważności pielgrzymki w życiu chrześcijańskim, zachęty do nich, sposoby podejmowania pielgrzymów w miejscach świętych oraz najpopularniejsze kierunki peregrinatio i przywożone z nich relikwie lub pamiątki. Kolekcja źródeł Paulina z Noli nie jest bogata, jednak spróbowaliśmy zaprezentować wycinek obrazu z życia chrześcijańskiego społeczeństwa w IV i Vw. Wielu kwestii Paulin niestety nie porusza, jak np. niebezpieczeństwa podróży lub czyni to pobieżnie jak w kwestii relikwii. Sam temat wymaga dalszych badań, zwłaszcza w analizie innych późnoantycznych chrześcijańskich autorów

Aducanumab and lecanemab – two novel antibodies against pathologic species of amyloid beta in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia worldwide. According to the widely accepted theory, it is caused by neurodegeneration initiated by the deposition of a pathological protein, amyloid β, in the brain. Amyloid β can aggregate to form neurotoxic oligomers, which also contribute to other pathological changes: hyperphosphorylation of the Tau protein and its deposition in the form of neurofibrillary tangles, and neuroinflammation. Despite the considerable efforts of the scientific community and pharmaceutical companies, no new drug against AD has been registered over the last decades. In addition, the four drugs currently available in Europe act only symptomatically and do not inhibit the progression of pathophysiological changes that cause the disease. Over the past two years, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two new drugs modifying the course of Alzheimer's disease - monoclonal antibodies against toxic forms of amyloid β: aducanumab and lecanemab. Both drugs have been approved using an accelerated pathway based on their effectiveness in reducing amyloid content in patients' brains. This caused controversy among the scientific community because these preparations were approved based on surrogate endpoints of clinical trials whose primary endpoints, i.e. a significant slowing of the progression of dementia, were not achieved, and therefore the clinical efficacy of these antibodies has not been unequivocally demonstrated. Safety of the therapy brings another concerns. In studies of both medicines, changes in the brains of patients, such as edema, micro- and macrohaemorrhages, were observed. At present, both antibodies have not received a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA). Since it is believed that passive immunization with humanized monoclonal antibodies may be a new and groundbreaking form of AD therapy, the research done on aducanumab and lecanemab deserves attention. The paper discusses in detail data from preclinical and clinical studies published by the manufacturers of both preparations