Does participation lead to moderation? Understanding changes in Egyptian Islamist parties post-Arab Spring

Is it still important to consider the issue of participation and moderation in post-Spring Egypt? The question of inclusion and moderation was at the heart of debates about the prospect of the ‘taming’ of Islamist movements and parties throughout the early 2000s, that is at a time when democratisation seemed to be a possibility, albeit a distant one. In the post-Spring era, which saw the return of an authoritarian regime under President ‘Abd al-Fatah al-Sisi, there seems to be little taste for discussing whether there is still scope for the inclusion of Islamists in the political system. Yet, there is good reason to stipulate an ongoing relevance of this topic, particularly when studying Egypt’s Islamist parties in the post-Spring setting. The aim of this chapter is to critically examine the ‘participation-moderation’ thesis and, moreover, to engage in an original analysis of the political trajectories of Islamist parties in post-Spring Egypt. Focusing on those Islamist parties which demonstrated considerable influence in the period of democratic transition, in particular, the 2011/12 parliamentary elections as well as in the post-coup parliamentary elections of 2015, we can see that Salafi parties choose to participate for strategic reasons while reformist Islamist parties opted for non-participation. While the participation-moderation thesis remains a good starting point for analysing Islamist movements, the chapter reveals that the model has conceptual limitations with regards to the predicting ideological reform

The metamorphosis of social movements into political parties during democratic transition processes. A comparison of Egyptian and Tunisian movements and parties

Social Movements play a crucial role in the process of democratic transformation. They are the driving force in challenging authoritarianism. It is less recognized that SMs are also the fundamental building blocks for emerging political parties. While there is a significant body of work on the role of SMs in ending authoritarianism, there is little systematic research on either successful or indeed failed transitions into parties. Focusing on the transitions in Egypt and Tunisia following the Arab Spring, the paper studies newly established political parties with roots in SM activism, including Islamists and those on the secular spectrum. The aim is to observe whether and to what degree SMs develop formal boundaries which mark their institutionalization into independent parties. Although Goldstone pointed out that the differentiation between SMs and political parties is in any case ‘fuzzy’, the paper argues that the formation of formal boundaries is in fact essential to the success of the democratic transition process. The failure of democratic transition in Egypt in July 2013, to which pro-democratic movements and new political parties contributed, demonstrates this fact. The Tunisian case shows a more comprehensive metamorphosis of SMs into political parties, thus enabling a relatively structured process of transition. Tags: Social Movement Theory; social movements; political parties; democratic transition; authoritarianism; Arab Spring; Middle East; Egypt; Tunisi

The metamorphosis of social movements into political parties. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and the Tunisian al-Nahda as cases for a reflection on Party Institutionalisation Theory

The article studies newly established parties with roots in social movements. Using the post-Spring development of Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and Tunisian al-Nahda as in-depth empirical cases, the study reflects on prevalent theoretical explanations for the transitions of social movements into political parties. The article argues that extant literature on party system institutionalisation and on the development of social movement do not adequately explain the driving factors for the transition process of movements into parties. A focus on party systems does not take note of the dynamics of movement-party relations, while social movement theory remains steeped in conceptions of institutional evolution and ‘natural progression’ in politics. When rethinking party institutionalisation, it needs to be recognised that it is a precarious process during which features of social movement activism overlap with the formalised engagement that characterises political parties. The comparative study of the Muslim Brotherhood-led Freedom and Justice Party and the Tunisian al-Nahda Movement and its al-Nahda Party exemplifies that the degree to which leading parties emancipate themselves from the guardianship of their ‘mother-organisations’ is an essential factor for democratic state-building

[F18] FDG-PET/CT for manual or semiautomated GTV delineation of the primary tumor for radiation therapy planning in patients with esophageal cancer: is it useful?

BACKGROUND Target volume definition of the primary tumor in esophageal cancer is usually based on computed tomography (CT) supported by endoscopy and/or endoscopic ultrasound and can be difficult given the low soft-tissue contrast of CT resulting in large interobserver variability. We evaluated the value of a~dedicated planning F18 FDG-Positron emission tomography/computer tomography (PET/CT) for harmonization of gross tumor volume (GTV) delineation and the feasibility of semiautomated structures for planning purposes in a~large cohort. METHODS Patients receiving a~dedicated planning F18~FDG-PET/CT (06/2011-03/2016) were included. GTV was delineated on CT and on PET/CT (GTVCT and GTVPET/CT, respectively) by three independent radiation oncologists. Interobserver variability was evaluated by comparison of mean GTV and mean tumor lengths, and via Sørensen-Dice coefficients (DSC) for spatial overlap. Semiautomated volumes were constructed based on PET/CT using fixed standardized uptake values (SUV) thresholds (SUV30, 35, and 40) or background- and metabolically corrected PERCIST-TLG and Schaefer algorithms, and compared to manually delineated volumes. RESULTS 45~cases were evaluated. Mean GTVCT and GTVPET/CT were 59.2/58.0 ml, 65.4/64.1 ml, and 60.4/59.2 ml for observers~A-C. No significant difference between CT- and PET/CT-based delineation was found comparing the mean volumes or lengths. Mean Dice coefficients on CT and PET/CT were 0.79/0.77, 0.81/0.78, and 0.8/0.78 for observer pairs AB, AC, and BC, respectively, with no significant differences. Mean GTV volumes delineated semiautomatically with SUV30/SUV35/SUV40/Schaefer's and PERCIST-TLG threshold were 69.1/23.9/18.8/18.6 and 70.9 ml. The best concordance of a~semiautomatically delineated structure with the manually delineated GTVCT/GTVPET/CT was observed for PERCIST-TLG. CONCLUSION We were not able to show that the integration of PET/CT for GTV delineation of the primary tumor resulted in reduced interobserver variability. The PERCIST-TLG algorithm seemed most promising compared to other thresholds for further evaluation of semiautomated delineation of esophageal cancer

Stereoscopic X-ray imaging, cone beam CT, and couch positioning in stereotactic radiotherapy of intracranial tumors: preliminary results from a cross-modality pilot installation

Background: To assess the accuracy and precision of a fully integrated pilot installation of stereoscopic X-ray imaging and kV-CBCT for automatic couch positioning in stereotactic radiotherapy of intracranial tumors. Positioning errors as detected by stereoscopic X-ray imaging are compared to those by kV-CBCT (i.e. the accuracy of the new method is verified by the established method), and repeated X-ray images are compared (i.e. the precision of new method is determined intra-modally). Methods: Preliminary results are reported from a study with 32 patients with intracranial tumors. Patients were treated with stereotactic radiotherapy guided by stereoscopic X-ray imaging and kV-CBCT. Patient positioning was automatically corrected by a robotic couch. Cross-modal discrepancies in position detection were measured (N = 42). Intra-modal improvements after correction and re-verification by stereoscopic X-ray imaging were measured (N = 70). The accuracy and precision of stereoscopic X-ray imaging and the accuracy and precision of CBCT were confirmed in phantom measurements (N = 12 shifts of a ball bearing phantom, N = 24 shifts of a head phantom). Results: After correction based on stereoscopic X-ray imaging 95% of residual mean errors were below 0.4, 0.4, 0.5, and 0.7 mm (lateral, longitudinal, vertical, radial, respectively). Stereoscopic X-ray imaging and CBCT were in close agreement with an average discrepancy of 0.1, 0.5, 0.3 and 0.8 mm, respectively. 95% of discrepancies were below 0.8, 1.2, 1.0, and 1.4 mm, respectively. After correction and re-verification by stereoscopic X-ray imaging, the remaining intra-modal residual error was consistent with zero (p = 0.31, p = 0.48, p = 0.81 in lateral, longitudinal, and vertical direction;p-values from two-tailed t-test). The inherent technical accuracy and precision of stereoscopic X-ray imaging and the accuracy and precision of CBCT were found to be of the order of 0.1 mm in controlled phantom settings. Conclusions: In a routine clinical setting, both stereoscopic X-ray imaging and CBCT were able to reduce positioning errors by an order of magnitude. The end-to-end precision of the system, measured from the discrepancy (mean) between ExacTrac and CBCT, in a clinical setting seems to be about 0.8 mm radially, including couch positioning. The precision (measured from repeatability of ExacTrac, intra-modal) was found to be about 0.7 mm radially in a clinical setting

Recurrence pattern analysis after [Ga-68]-DOTATATE-PET/CT-planned radiotherapy of high-grade meningiomas

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of the applied safety margins of modern intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) in patients with high-grade meningiomas on local control and recurrence patterns. Methods: Twenty patients with a neuropathological diagnosis of a high-grade meningioma (WHO degrees II or degrees III) treated with adjuvant or definitive radiotherapy between 2010 and 2015 were included in the present retrospective analysis. All patients were planned PET-based. Recurrence patterns were assessed by means of MRI and/or DOTATATE-PET/computertomography (CT). Results: The median follow-up was 31.0 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 20.1-42.0] and the progressionfree survival (PFS) after 24 months was 87.5%. Overall, four patients had a local recurrence of their meningioma. Of these, three were located in field according to the prior radiotherapy treatment region, while only one patient had a distant relapse. There were no independent factors influencing progression-free or overall survival (OS). Conclusion: After radiotherapy (RT), patients with atypical or anaplastic meningiomas still have a defined risk of tumor recurrence. The aim of the present study was to examine mono-institutional data concerning target volume definition and recurrence patterns after radiotherapy of high-grade meningiomas as there are limited data available. Our data suggest that extended safety margins are necessary to achieve a favorable local control for high-grade meningiomas

A gut bacterial signature in blood and liver tissue characterizes cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma

BackgroundHCC is the leading cause of cancer in chronic liver disease. A growing body of experimental mouse models supports the notion that gut-resident and liver-resident microbes control hepatic immune responses and, thereby, crucially contribute to liver tumorigenesis. However, a comprehensive characterization of the intestinal microbiome in fueling the transition from chronic liver disease to HCC in humans is currently missing.MethodsHere, we profiled the fecal, blood, and liver tissue microbiome of patients with HCC by 16S rRNA sequencing and compared profiles to nonmalignant cirrhotic and noncirrhotic NAFLD patients.ResultsWe report a distinct bacterial profile, defined from 16S rRNA gene sequences, with reduced α-and β-diversity in the feces of patients with HCC and cirrhosis compared to NAFLD. Patients with HCC and cirrhosis exhibited an increased proportion of fecal bacterial gene signatures in the blood and liver compared to NAFLD. Differential analysis of the relative abundance of bacterial genera identified an increased abundance of Ruminococcaceae and Bacteroidaceae in blood and liver tissue from both HCC and cirrhosis patients compared to NAFLD. Fecal samples from cirrhosis and HCC patients both showed a reduced abundance for several taxa, including short-chain fatty acid-producing genera, such as Blautia and Agathobacter. Using paired 16S rRNA and transcriptome sequencing, we identified a direct association between gut bacterial genus abundance and host transcriptome response within the liver tissue.ConclusionsOur study indicates perturbations of the intestinal and liver-resident microbiome as a critical determinant of patients with cirrhosis and HCC

Genetic Determinants of Lipid Traits in Diverse Populations from the Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) Study

For the past five years, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of common variants associated with human diseases and traits, including high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglyceride (TG) levels. Approximately 95 loci associated with lipid levels have been identified primarily among populations of European ancestry. The Population Architecture using Genomics and Epidemiology (PAGE) study was established in 2008 to characterize GWAS–identified variants in diverse population-based studies. We genotyped 49 GWAS–identified SNPs associated with one or more lipid traits in at least two PAGE studies and across six racial/ethnic groups. We performed a meta-analysis testing for SNP associations with fasting HDL-C, LDL-C, and ln(TG) levels in self-identified European American (∼20,000), African American (∼9,000), American Indian (∼6,000), Mexican American/Hispanic (∼2,500), Japanese/East Asian (∼690), and Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian (∼175) adults, regardless of lipid-lowering medication use. We replicated 55 of 60 (92%) SNP associations tested in European Americans at p<0.05. Despite sufficient power, we were unable to replicate ABCA1 rs4149268 and rs1883025, CETP rs1864163, and TTC39B rs471364 previously associated with HDL-C and MAFB rs6102059 previously associated with LDL-C. Based on significance (p<0.05) and consistent direction of effect, a majority of replicated genotype-phentoype associations for HDL-C, LDL-C, and ln(TG) in European Americans generalized to African Americans (48%, 61%, and 57%), American Indians (45%, 64%, and 77%), and Mexican Americans/Hispanics (57%, 56%, and 86%). Overall, 16 associations generalized across all three populations. For the associations that did not generalize, differences in effect sizes, allele frequencies, and linkage disequilibrium offer clues to the next generation of association studies for these traits

Prison talk: the muslim brotherhood's internal struggle during Gamel Abdel Nasser's persecution, 1954 to 1971

These words, which were written by the unnamed editor of the book Duʿat la Qudat (Preachers Not Judges), summarize the Society of the Muslim Brothers' (Jamʿiyya al-Ikhwan al-Muslimin) prison discourse in the late 1960s. The writer claims that once the organization became aware that radical ideas had surfaced in its midst, it objected to these ideas, even as it lived through the very context of their germination, namely Gamal Abdel Nasser's prisons