The U.S. Hegemonic Model during the Cold War

This paper examines the question about the nature of the US hegemony in the international system during the Cold War. In this paper I will analyze the US hegemonic model during the Cold War, by arguing that the United States promoted and exerted an inclusive hegemony. As theoretical basis for hegemony I will use a mix of theories on hegemony (Robert Gilpin and Antonio Gramsci) and new institutional economics (Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson)

Us future strategy in North-East Asia: Balancing or buck-passing?

This paper examines two strategies that United States can use in order to block the rise of China as a regional hegemon in North-East Asia. The two strategies are balancing and buck-passing and I argue that the first is better for United States than the second. After these two strategies will be presented followsthe demonstration that China is a potential hegemon in North-East Asia and that the other powers in the region ar too weak to oppose, and finally, an explanation of the fact will be provided that why balancing is better for USA in this case than the buck-passing.Adrian Eugen Preda is a first year student at Security and Diplomacy Master, National School of Political and Administrative Studies from Bucharest. His research interests are International Relations Theory, Theory of Alliances, Security Studies and Strategic Studies

LIBERAL HEGEMONY AND INEQUALITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY

The subject of inequality represents a present phenomenon in the contemporary society, even though the issue was analyzed by various authors, since the beginning of the Industrial Age. Ideologues, philosophers, economists or social scientists devoted researches on the subject of inequality, offering various interpretations or solutions, more or less viable, about this issue. The present paper will try to argue, from the viewpoint of International Relations Theory, that social inequality represents the expression of a liberal hegemonic model, still influent at the international system. This hegemonic model is based on the liberal ideology, thus assuming the phenomenon and outcome of inequality as natural. From a theoretical point of view, this paper is based on the hegemonic stability theory, an approach from the International Relations Theory. The main actor which sustains this hegemonic model is represented by the United States, as the hegemonic power in the international system, the world leader that sustains the liberal political and economic institutions at the systemic level. From a methodological point of view, the research adopted a qualitative perspective, with the case study on the influence of the liberal hegemonic model on the subject of inequality

Chronic wound management; surgical therapy and complementary nursing with Manuka honey

Objectives. This study aims to analyze the evolution of chronic wounds treated both surgically and by complementary nursing using Manuka honey. The parameters monitored were: presence/persistence of bacterial infection, the duration of healing, the recovery period and the patients\u27 quality of life. Materials and Methods. The study group and the control group each consisted of 10 patients, aged between 50-60 years, with chronic wounds of various etiologies but without other significant systemic pathologies. Data collection was carried out through anamnesis, physical examination and analysis of medical documents. Results. In the study group, the depth of the wound was reduced rapidly and significantly, with complete epithelialization after about four weeks. In the control group, the wound was completely healed by classical treatment, but in eleven weeks and in the form of an unaesthetic keloid scar. The recovery period of a chronic wound appears to be significantly influenced by the use of Manuka honey. Conclusions. Future studies on large groups of patients need to verify the potential therapeutic properties of this compound (anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, autolytic debridement, etc.), as well as its adjunctive contribution to wound dressing (maintaining a moist environment and reducing trauma and unpleasant odors)

Bioorganically doped sol-gel materials containing amyloglucosidase activity

Amyloglucosidase (AMG) from Aspergillus niger was encapsulated in various matrices derived from tetraethoxysilane, methyltriethoxysilane, phenyltriethoxysilane and vinyltriacetoxysilane by different methods of immobilization. The immobilized enzyme was prepared by entrapment in two steps, in one-step and entrapment/deposition, respectively. The activities of the immobilized AMG were assayed and compared with that of the native enzyme. The effects of the organosilaneprecursors and their molar ratios, the immobilization method, the inorganic support (white ceramic, red ceramic, purolite, alumina, TiO2, celite, zeolite) and enzyme loading upon the immobilized enzyme activity were tested. The efficiency of the sol-gel biocomposites can be improved through combination of the fundamental immobilization techniques and selection of the precursors

A method for capturing dynamic spectral coupling in resting fMRI reveals domain-specific patterns in schizophrenia

IntroductionResting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is a powerful tool for assessing functional brain connectivity. Recent studies have focused on shorter-term connectivity and dynamics in the resting state. However, most of the prior work evaluates changes in time-series correlations. In this study, we propose a framework that focuses on time-resolved spectral coupling (assessed via the correlation between power spectra of the windowed time courses) among different brain circuits determined via independent component analysis (ICA).MethodsMotivated by earlier work suggesting significant spectral differences in people with schizophrenia, we developed an approach to evaluate time-resolved spectral coupling (trSC). To do this, we first calculated the correlation between the power spectra of windowed time-courses pairs of brain components. Then, we subgrouped each correlation map into four subgroups based on the connectivity strength utilizing quartiles and clustering techniques. Lastly, we examined clinical group differences by regression analysis for each averaged count and average cluster size matrices in each quartile. We evaluated the method by applying it to resting-state data collected from 151 (114 males, 37 females) people with schizophrenia (SZ) and 163 (117 males, 46 females) healthy controls (HC).ResultsOur proposed approach enables us to observe the change of connectivity strength within each quartile for different subgroups. People with schizophrenia showed highly modularized and significant differences in multiple network domains, whereas males and females showed less modular differences. Both cell count and average cluster size analysis for subgroups indicate a higher connectivity rate in the fourth quartile for the visual network in the control group. This indicates increased trSC in visual networks in the controls. In other words, this shows that the visual networks in people with schizophrenia have less mutually consistent spectra. It is also the case that the visual networks are less spectrally correlated on short timescales with networks of all other functional domains.ConclusionsThe results of this study reveal significant differences in the degree to which spectral power profiles are coupled over time. Importantly, there are significant but distinct differences both between males and females and between people with schizophrenia and controls. We observed a more significant coupling rate in the visual network for the healthy controls and males in the upper quartile. Fluctuations over time are complex, and focusing on only time-resolved coupling among time-courses is likely to miss important information. Also, people with schizophrenia are known to have impairments in visual processing but the underlying reasons for the impairment are still unknown. Therefore, the trSC approach can be a useful tool to explore the reasons for the impairments

First bioanthropological evidence for Yamnaya horsemanship

The origins of horseback riding remain elusive. Scientific studies show that horses were kept for their milk ~3500 to 3000 BCE, widely accepted as indicating domestication. However, this does not confirm them to be ridden. Equipment used by early riders is rarely preserved, and the reliability of equine dental and mandibular pathologies remains contested. However, horsemanship has two interacting components: the horse as mount and the human as rider. Alterations associated with riding in human skeletons therefore possibly provide the best source of information. Here, we report five Yamnaya individuals well-dated to 3021 to 2501 calibrated BCE from kurgans in Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary, displaying changes in bone morphology and distinct pathologies associated with horseback riding. These are the oldest humans identified as riders so far