Related Changes Research Articles

Dopamine Signaling in Substantia Nigra and Its Impact on Locomotor Function-Not a New Concept, but Neglected Reality.

The mechanistic influences of dopamine (DA) signaling and impact on motor function are nearly always interpreted from changes in nigrostriatal neuron terminals in striatum. This is a standard practice in studies of human Parkinson's disease (PD) and aging and related animal models of PD and aging-related parkinsonism. However, despite dozens of studies indicating an ambiguous relationship between changes in striatal DA signaling and motor phenotype, this perseverating focus on striatum continues. Although DA release in substantia nigra (SN) was first reported almost 50 years ago, assessment of nigral DA signaling changes in relation to motor function is rarely considered. Whereas DA signaling has been well-characterized in striatum at all five steps of neurotransmission (biosynthesis and turnover, storage, release, reuptake, and post-synaptic binding) in the nigrostriatal pathway, the depth of such interrogations in the SN, outside of cell counts, is sparse. However, there is sufficient evidence that these steps in DA neurotransmission in the SN are operational and regulated autonomously from striatum and are present in human PD and aging and related animal models. To complete our understanding of how nigrostriatal DA signaling affects motor function, it is past time to include interrogation of nigral DA signaling. This brief review highlights evidence that changes in nigral DA signaling at each step in DA neurotransmission are autonomous from those in striatum and changes in the SN alone can influence locomotor function. Accordingly, for full characterization of how nigrostriatal DA signaling affects locomotor activity, interrogation of DA signaling in SN is essential.

Bank Deposits as Money Quanta

According to the Accounting View of Money (AVM), the money issued by commercial banks in the form of demand deposits features a hybrid nature, since deposits can be shown to consist of a share of deposits bearing the characteristics of debt (debt-deposits) and a share of deposits bearing the characteristics of equity (equity-deposits), in a mix that depends on factors that relate to the issuing banks and the environment where they operate and interact, which may change over time. Following this important finding of the AVM, it is only consequential to associate the hybrid nature of bank deposits with the dual nature of the objects which is typical in quantum physics, and to investigate whether and how the application of quantum analytical methods and ideas to a form of money showing dualistic features could be used to extract valuable economic information. This article studies demand deposits (which represents the prevailing form of money in all contemporary economies) as a possible form of “money quanta”, that is, quantities reflecting some aspects tipical of quantum physics, and analyzes it using a quantum model to describe some relevant aspects of it, including for instance how banks’ power to create money (i.e., issue deposits typically via the credit channel) is affected by the interactions taking place between the banks and between the banks and their environments, and how system efficiency and stability change in relation to changes in bank behaviors. This article lays the foundations of money quanta and is the first step towards a better understanding of the relevance of quantum mechanical tools and ideas in connection with the study of economics and finance.

Modified motor unit properties in residual muscle following transtibial amputation

Objective. Neural signals in residual muscles of amputated limbs are frequently decoded to control powered prostheses. Yet myoelectric controllers assume muscle activities of residual muscles are similar to that of intact muscles. This study sought to understand potential changes to motor unit (MU) properties after limb amputation. Approach. Six people with unilateral transtibial amputation were recruited. Surface electromyogram (EMG) of residual and intact tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius (GA) muscles were recorded while subjects traced profiles targeting up to 20% and 35% of maximum activation for each muscle (isometric for intact limbs). EMG was decomposed into groups of MU spike trains. MU recruitment thresholds, action potential amplitudes (MU size), and firing rates were correlated to model Henneman’s size principle, the onion-skin phenomenon, and rate-size associations. Organization (correlation) and modulation (rates of change) of relations were compared between intact and residual muscles. Main results. The residual TA exhibited significantly lower correlation and flatter slopes in the size principle and onion-skin, and each outcome covaried between the MU relations. The residual GA was unaffected for most subjects. Subjects trained prior with myoelectric prostheses had minimally affected slopes in the TA. Rate-size association correlations were preserved, but both residual muscles exhibited flatter decay rates. Significance. We showed peripheral neuromuscular damage also leads to spinal-level functional reorganizations. Our findings suggest models of MU recruitment and discharge patterns for residual muscle EMG generation need reparameterization to account for disturbances observed. In the future, tracking MU pool adaptations may also provide a biomarker of neuromuscular control to aid training with myoelectric prostheses.

Abstract C087: Window-of-opportunity trial of metastatic pancreatic cancer reveals mechanisms of response to targeting RAS signaling

Abstract KRAS is mutated in ~85% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients' tumors, suggesting that it is a key node of PDAC targeted therapy. RAF/MEK/ERK signaling is downstream of KRAS signaling. Preclinical studies targeting MEK showed promises but clinical trials failed to show the benefit compared to Standard-of-Care treatment chemotherapy. To elucidate the mechanism of action and resistance to several targeted therapies including MEK inhibition in human PDAC, we conducted a Window-Of-Opportunity trial for Metastatic pancreatic cancer (WOOM trial). In this trial, metastatic PDAC patients received 10 days of Cobimetinib, a FDA approved MEK inhibitor, therapy and specimens of pre- and post- treatment were obtained by biopsy to evaluate the response to targeted treatment using deep multi-omic analytics including DNA-seq, RNA-seq, multiplex IHC, cyclic IF and Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP). The clinical grade KI67 staining positivity was used as a readout of tumor response. We found three of 15 patients’ tumors had significantly decreased KI67 staining after MEKi treatment. Genomic sequence showed that two of three KI67-decreased patient’s tumors had KrasG12R mutations, which is significantly higher penetration compared to none of twelve KI67-non-responsive patient’s tumors. RNA-seq analysis showed that these KI67-decreased tumors are more classical-like compared to Ki67-non-responsive tumors. DSP analysis confirmed the downregulation of ERK phosphorylation after treatment in all examined cases. Moreover, MYC protein expression change is significantly correlated with KI67 protein expression change, which suggests MYC downregulation is the mechanism of action of MEK-inhibitor. Interestingly, MEK phosphorylation was upregulated after treatment in all examined cases. This suggests paradoxical RAF activation as a potential resistance mechanism. Furthermore, we found that Cobimetinib treatment changed the tumor microenvironment. Here, we summarize the multi-omics data and discuss the mechanism of response and resistance to target RAS signaling and related microenvironmental changes. Citation Format: Motoyuki Tsuda, Colin J. Daniel, Carl Pelz, Sam Sivagnanam, Dove Keith, Christopher L. Corless, Koei Chin, Lisa M. Coussens, Jonathan R. Brody, Charles D. Lopez, Gordon B. Mills, Rosalie C. Sears. Window-of-opportunity trial of metastatic pancreatic cancer reveals mechanisms of response to targeting RAS signaling [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Pancreatic Cancer; 2023 Sep 27-30; Boston, Massachusetts. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(2 Suppl):Abstract nr C087.

2022 개정 교육과정 ‘학교자율시간’ 실행 경험 탐색

Objectives ‘School-designed autonomous time’, newly introduced in the 2022 revised curriculum, is a note-worthy change in relation to curriculum autonomy and decentralization as it grants schools the authority to develop subjects at a school-level. This study aimed at expanding the autonomy and authority of regions and schools, seeking concrete implementation strategies for school-designed autonomous time, which is newly introduced in the 2022 revised elementary and middle school curriculum.
 Methods This study was conducted using a qualitative case study method: in-depth interviews with teachers, participatory observations of open lessons and teacher meetings, and artifacts related to school autonomy (e.g., school curriculum documents, research paper, teacher meeting materials).
 Results This study explores the main points of school-designed autonomous time described in the 2021 draft and final version of the 2022 revised curriculum. School-autonomous time is valuable as it is an experimental attempt in a region accepted as a national policy, expansion of school-based curriculum development, and posibilities of teachers’ curriculum.
 Conclusions The specific plan and future tasks of school-designed autonomous time in the 2022 revised curricu-lum were explored.

Don’t be late! Postponing cognitive decline and preventing early unemployment in people with multiple sclerosis: a study protocol

BackgroundUp to 65% of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) develop cognitive deficits, which hampers their ability to work, participating in day-to-day life and ultimately reducing quality of life (QoL). Early cognitive symptoms are often less tangible to PwMS and their direct environment and are noticed only when symptoms and work functioning problems become more advanced, i.e., when (brain) damage is already advanced. Treatment of symptoms at a late stage can lead to cognitive impairment and unemployment, highlighting the need for preventative interventions in PwMS.AimsThis study aims to evaluate the (cost-) effectiveness of two innovative preventative interventions, aimed at postponing cognitive decline and work functioning problems, compared to enhanced usual care in improving health-related QoL (HRQoL).MethodsRandomised controlled trial including 270 PwMS with mild cognitive impairment, who have paid employment ≥ 12 h per week and are able to participate in physical exercise (Expanded Disability Status Scale < 6.0). Participants are randomised across three study arms: 1) ‘strengthening the brain’ – a lifestyle intervention combining personal fitness, mental coaching, dietary advice, and cognitive training; 2) ‘strengthening the mind’ – a work-focused intervention combining the capability approach and the participatory approach in one-on-one coaching by trained work coaches who have MS themselves; 3) Control group—receiving general information about cognitive impairment in MS and receiving care as usual. Intervention duration is four months, with short-term and long-term follow-up measurements at 10 and 16 months, respectively. The primary outcome measure of the Don’t be late! intervention study will be HRQoL as measured with the 36-item Short Form. Secondary outcomes include cognition, work related outcomes, physical functioning, structural and functional brain changes, psychological functioning, and societal costs. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups with stakeholders will be organised to qualitatively reflect on the process and outcome of the interventions.DiscussionThis study seeks to prevent (further) cognitive decline and job loss due to MS by introducing tailor-made interventions at an early stage of cognitive symptoms, thereby maintaining or improving HRQoL. Qualitative analyses will be performed to allow successful implementation into clinical practice.Trial registrationRetrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with reference number NCT06068582 on 10 October 2023.

The relational change mechanisms of child‐centered play therapy with children exposed to adverse childhood experiences

AbstractThe researchers examined the relational mechanisms and coregulatory change mechanisms of child‐centered play therapy (CCPT) with children (ages 5–8) who endured multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). The researchers computed surrogate synchrony analyses to measure heart rate synchrony between counselor and child participants during CCPT treatment. Child participants received between 10 and 14 CCPT sessions in the elementary school setting. Participants and counselor wore Empatica© E4 wristbands during sessions to collect heart rate data continuously during play therapy sessions. The researchers found consistent, large child‐counselor heart rate synchrony levels across play therapy sessions. The researchers discuss the implications of this research for counselors and play therapists working with children impacted by ACEs.

Looking and listening in online therapy

ABSTRACT Looking and listening are activities so well integrated into the practice of psychotherapy that we don’t often study what is involved and what we are making together with these sensory activities. The shift into online working and with the rise of social media, we live more of our social lives through screens. In this essay, I share some anecdotes to explore changes I experience in looking and listening between my in-person and online practice relationships. The changes in spatial and technological relations alter our expectations about what therapy can look like. I explore whether psychotherapy is trying to reproduce old, colonised ways of doing in-person therapy in an online environment. I end by asking how embracing online living might affect how we learn more about the possibilities for doing therapy in virtual worlds.

Mechanisms of γδ T cell accumulation in visceral adipose tissue with aging.

γδ T cells are resident in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) where they show an age-associated increase in numbers and contribute to local and systemic chronic inflammation. However, regulation of this population and mechanisms for the age-dependent accumulation are not known. In this study, we identified a progressive trend of γδ T cell accumulation in VAT over the lifespan in mice and explored physiological mechanisms contributing to accumulation. Using isochronic parabiotic pairs of wild-type (WT) and T cell receptor delta knockout (TCRδ KO) mice at young and old age, we confirmed that VAT γδ T cells are predominately a tissue-resident population which is sustained in aging. Migration of peripheral γδ T cells into VAT was observed at less than 10%, with a decreasing trend by aging, suggesting a minor contribution of recruitment to γδ T cell accumulation with aging. Since tissue-resident T cell numbers are tightly regulated by a balance between proliferation and programmed cell death, we further explored these processes. Using in vivo EdU incorporation and the proliferation marker Ki67, we found that the absolute number of proliferating γδ T cells in VAT is significantly higher in the aged compared to young and middle-aged mice, despite a decline in the proportion of proliferating to non-proliferating cells by age. Analysis of apoptosis via caspase 3/7 activation revealed that VAT γδ T cells show reduced apoptosis starting at middle age and continuing into old age. Further, induction of apoptosis using pharmacological inhibitors of Bcl2 family proteins revealed that VAT γδ T cells at middle age are uniquely protected from apoptosis via a mechanism independent of traditional anti-apoptotic Bcl2-family proteins. Collectively, these data indicate that protection from apoptosis at middle age increases survival of tissue-resident γδ T cells resulting in an increased number of proliferative cells from middle age onward, and leading to the age-associated accumulation of γδ T cells in VAT. These findings are important to better understand how adipose tissue dysfunction and related changes in the immune profile contribute to inflammaging among the elderly.

Estimation of the Changes in Hormone and Blood Parameters during Post-natal Development in Male Pati Duck

Background: The study of hormone and blood parameters in male Pati duck was carried out to investigate the changes that occur in these parameters during the post-natal development as better understanding of physiology is necessary for improving the productivity. Methods: The blood and serum sample were collected from Pati duck at 1 month, 6-8 weeks, 20 weeks, 30 weeks and 40 weeks age groups. For each age group 6 representative samples were collected from the jugular vein. Hormones (testosterone, cortisol, triiodothyronine and thyroxine) were estimated using Radioimmunoassay (RIA) and haematological parameters were studied using digital analyser. Result: Age related change observed with Testosterone hormone with maximum level observed in 40 weeks age group. T3 and T4 hormone were higher in younger age; T3 was highest in 20 weeks while T4 was highest in 1 month age group. Cortisol was higher in older groups and maximum level observed in 40 weeks age group. Among the haematological parameters significant changes was observed in packed cell volume (PCV), white blood cells (WBC), monocyte and neutrophils.

Effects of cardiovascular exercise on eating behaviours: Accounting for effects on stress, depression-, and anger-related emotional eating in women with obesity.

Obesity remains a medical issue of great concern. Behavioural methods attempting to induce weight loss have largely failed because of a minimal understanding of stress- and depression-associated psychosocial correlates. This study extended research into the effects of exercise on weight loss through psychological pathways to improve treatments. Women with obesity (N=108), participating in an original theory-driven cognitive-behavioural treatment within community-based health promotion centres, were evaluated over 24months. Their mean scores on anxiety, depression, and anger at baseline were significantly higher than normative data from a general sample of United States women. Three serial mediation models were specified assessing mediation of the significant exercise→dietary change relationship. These yielded two significant paths: changes in exercise→anxiety→anxiety-associated emotional eating→self-efficacy→diet, and changes in exercise→depression→depression-associated emotional eating→self-efficacy→diet; and one non-significant path: changes in exercise→anger→anger-associated emotional eating→self-efficacy→diet. In a subsequent moderated moderation model, change in eating-related self-regulation moderated the relationship between changes in anxiety and anxiety-associated emotional eating, where exercise-associated self-regulation moderated effects from eating-related self-regulation. Dietary improvement was significantly related to weight loss over 6 (β=-0.40), 12 (β=-0.42), and 24 (β=-0.33) months. Findings indicated an increased treatment focus on the completion of moderate amounts of exercise for weight loss and, following that, attention to improvements in anxiety, depression, anxiety- and depression-associated emotional eating, self-efficacy for controlled eating, and the transfer of exercise-related self-regulation to eating-related self-regulation. Given the scope of the obesity problem, extensions of this research within field settings are warranted to accelerate application opportunities.

Temporal Trends in Substance Use and Cardiovascular Disease-Related Mortality in the United States.

There are limited data on substance use (SU) and cardiovascular disease (CVD)-related mortality trends in the United States. We aimed to evaluate SU+CVD-related deaths in the United States using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-Ranging, Online Data for Epidemiologic Research database. The Multiple Cause-of-Death Public Use record death certificates were used to identify deaths related to both SU and CVD. Crude, age-adjusted mortality rates, annual percent change, and average annual percent changes with a 95% CI were analyzed. Between 1999 and 2019, there were 636 572 SU+CVD-related deaths (75.6% men, 70.6% non-Hispanic White individuals, 65% related to alcohol). Age-adjusted mortality rates per 100 000 population were pronounced in men (22.5 [95% CI, 22.6-22.6]), American Indian or Alaska Native individuals (37.7 [95% CI, 37.0-38.4]), nonmetropolitan/rural areas (15.2 [95% CI, 15.1-15.3]), and alcohol-related death (9.09 [95% CI, 9.07 to 9.12]). The overall SU+CVD-related age-adjusted mortality rates increased from 9.9 (95% CI, 9.8-10.1) in 1999 to 21.4 (95% CI, 21.2-21.6) in 2019 with an average annual percent change of 4.0 (95% CI, 3.7-4.3). Increases in SU+CVD-related average annual percent change were noted across all subgroups and were pronounced among women (4.8% [95% CI, 4.5-5.1]), American Indian or Alaska Native individuals, younger individuals, nonmetropolitan areas, and cannabis and psychostimulant users. There was a prominent increase in SU+CVD-related mortality in the United States between 1999 and 2019. Women, non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native individuals, younger individuals, nonmetropolitan area residents, and users of cannabis and psychostimulants had pronounced increases in SU+CVD mortality.

The effects of multicultural family support services on the longitudinal changes of acculturative stress, peer relations, and school adjustment.

This study investigated the long-term trends of acculturative stress, peer relationship, and school adjustment among adolescents from multicultural families in South Korea, and examined the concurrent and lagged effects of multicultural family support services (MFSS) on the longitudinal changes in the variables of interest. Concurrent and lagged models as well as developmental trajectories via latent growth modeling (LGM) were employed on a sample of 1,443 middle school students (706 boys, 737 girls) from the Multicultural Youth Panel Survey (MAPS). The results revealed that peer relationships and school adjustment perceived by adolescents demonstrated consistent, gradual declines across 3-year time points while there was a lack of significant change in acculturative stress during the same period. The absence of significant change in acculturative stress could be attributed to floor effects, stemming from its initial low mean level. Nevertheless, the LGM modeling also exhibited significant concurrent and lagged effects of MFSS at the first and third time points of investigation. The intermittent significant effects of MFSS and the direction of its improvement were discussed. More educational interventions guiding students from multicultural families would be needed as they navigate the complexities of adolescence.

Plant responses to climate change, how global warming may impact on food security: a critical review.

Global agricultural production must double by 2050 to meet the demands of an increasing world human population but this challenge is further exacerbated by climate change. Environmental stress, heat, and drought are key drivers in food security and strongly impacts on crop productivity. Moreover, global warming is threatening the survival of many species including those which we rely on for food production, forcing migration of cultivation areas with further impoverishing of the environment and of the genetic variability of crop species with fall out effects on food security. This review considers the relationship of climatic changes and their bearing on sustainability of natural and agricultural ecosystems, as well as the role of omics-technologies, genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, phenomics and ionomics. The use of resource saving technologies such as precision agriculture and new fertilization technologies are discussed with a focus on their use in breeding plants with higher tolerance and adaptability and as mitigation tools for global warming and climate changes. Nevertheless, plants are exposed to multiple stresses. This study lays the basis for the proposition of a novel research paradigm which is referred to a holistic approach and that went beyond the exclusive concept of crop yield, but that included sustainability, socio-economic impacts of production, commercialization, and agroecosystem management.

Thermal error compensation for a fluid-cooling ball-screw feed system

Thermal deformation resulted from the heat generated by the motor and the frictional behavior between the moving pairs significantly reduces the positioning accuracy of feed systems and thus influences the machining quality of parts. The internal cooling ball screw takes advantage of the cooling liquid to strengthen the convection heat transfer actively and suppress the temperature rise. Owing to the intermittent starting and stopping operation modes of the cooling machine, the heat flux arising from various heat sources cannot be completely removed by the coolant; consequently, thermal errors still exist. In this study, K-means++ clustering and correlation analyses were used to select thermal key points. A difference equation model of the thermal error was established to describe the transient change relationship between the temperatures of the thermal key points and the ball-screw shaft elongation, which was separated from the thermal characteristic experimental data according to the linear superposition principle of geometric and thermal errors to constitute the positioning error. The model parameters were identified using the least-squares method, and a thermal error compensation strategy based on the origin offset method was implemented. Experiments comparing the thermal error compensation of the three models under different working conditions were conducted to confirm that the thermal error difference equation model can be applied to reduce the thermal error of the feed system effectively and maintain excellent robustness.

Feeding behavior of yellowfin tuna around two insular regions of the western Atlantic Ocean.

The yellowfin tuna is a very abundant tropical tuna species in the western equatorial Atlantic Ocean and an important fishery resource for the Brazilian tuna fleet. In this study we performed stable isotope analysis to better understand the spatial trophodynamics and dietary changes in yellowfin tuna around two insular marine protected areas in Brazil. A total of 65 yellowfin tuna specimens measuring between 47 and 138 cm LT (total length) were sampled around the archipelagos of Fernando de Noronha (FNA; n = 34) and Saint Peter and Saint Paul (SPSPA; n = 31) between July 2018 and September 2019. Bayesian mixing models and generalized additive models were used to investigate the contributions of four different prey items (zooplankton, cephalopods, fish larvae, and flying fish) to yellowfin tuna diet in each area and their potential changes in relation to predator growth. The four prey items were found to have different overall contributions between the two studied areas, with zooplankton being the most important prey in FNA, whereas flying fish was the most relevant prey to the species' diet in SPSPA. Significant changes in the species diet by size were also found, with fish smaller than 90 cm (TL) having a more generalist diet and larger animals relying more on consuming larger and more nutritious prey (i.e., flying fish). Our results suggest that these two marine protected areas play an important role in ocean dynamics, providing important and different foraging grounds for the development of this predator species.

Association between gut health and gut microbiota in a polluted environment

Animals host complex bacterial communities in their gastrointestinal tracts, with which they share a mutualistic interaction. The numerous effects these interactions grant to the host include regulation of the immune system, defense against pathogen invasion, digestion of otherwise undigestible foodstuffs, and impacts on host behaviour. Exposure to stressors, such as environmental pollution, parasites, and/or predators, can alter the composition of the gut microbiome, potentially affecting host-microbiome interactions that can be manifest in the host as, for example, metabolic dysfunction or inflammation. However, whether a change in gut microbiota in wild animals associates with a change in host condition is seldom examined. Thus, we quantified whether wild bank voles inhabiting a polluted environment, areas where there are environmental radionuclides, exhibited a change in gut microbiota (using 16S amplicon sequencing) and concomitant change in host health using a combined approach of transcriptomics, histological staining analyses of colon tissue, and quantification of short-chain fatty acids in faeces and blood. Concomitant with a change in gut microbiota in animals inhabiting contaminated areas, we found evidence of poor gut health in the host, such as hypotrophy of goblet cells and likely weakened mucus layer and related changes in Clca1 and Agr2 gene expression, but no visible inflammation in colon tissue. Through this case study we show that inhabiting a polluted environment can have wide reaching effects on the gut health of affected animals, and that gut health and other host health parameters should be examined together with gut microbiota in ecotoxicological studies.

Experiences of cisgender youth with a transgender and/or nonbinary sibling.

While recent research has begun to address the effects of family support on transgender and/or nonbinary youth (TNY), almost no studies have directly examined how cisgender siblings in families with TNY navigate their sibling's gender disclosure and affirmation within both their families and their larger communities. We conducted an exploratory secondary analysis of in-person, semi-structured interviews with 15 adolescent and young adult siblings (age 13-24 years) of TNY from the northeastern United States from the baseline wave of the community-based, longitudinal, mixed methods Trans Teen and Family Narratives Project. Interview transcripts were analyzed using immersion/crystallization and template organizing approaches. Analyses yielded three main themes: gender-related beliefs and knowledge, peri- and post-disclosure family dynamics, and assessing responses to their sibling. Subthemes included anticipation of their sibling's TN identity, expectations post-disclosure, participants' level of involvement in gender-related family processes, perceptions of changes in family relationships, concern for their sibling (including a high degree of attunement to gender-affirming name and pronoun usage), and concern for themselves. Findings from this study suggest the need to engage directly with siblings of TNY to further elucidate their intrapersonal, intra-familial, and extra-familial experiences related to having a TN sibling and determine their unique support needs. Implications for families, clinicians, and communities are discussed.

Theoretical aspects of the organization of the management decision–making process at the enterprise

At the present stage of economic development of Russian entrepreneurship, the most important task is the formation of directions for making competent and timely management decisions for further improvement of the management of financial, economic and organizational activities of organizations and the development of competitive advantages in the market.The constantly occurring changes in the socio-economic relations of the country, taking into account the policy of the state, the dynamics in consumer demand and market conditions, require economic entities to create an adequate enterprise management system based on managerial decision-making. The decisions themselves, of course, are the result of financial analysis, balanced conclusions and action plans, since they are designed to optimize various aspects of the activities of economic entities.

Soviet-Afghan War Veterans as Violent Specialists amidst State Disintegration and Civil War in Tajikistan, 1990–1992

ABSTRACT The Soviet collapse in the early 1990s left a security vacuum in Tajikistan, where the regime retained few instruments of coercion after Moscow’s rule melted away. One potential source of informal coercive power was Soviet-Afghan War veterans, or afgantsy, who were militarily trained and in many cases combat-experienced and represented what Charles Tilly has termed ‘violent specialists’. This article argues that organized afgantsy initially offered security functions to the Tajik regime but that, as state authority crumbled, their relationship to state bodies became increasingly tenuous. Eventually, many veterans aligned with non-state violent actors during the civil war, performing several coercive functions on their behalf, including establishing, training, and commanding armed formations. The trajectory of the veterans, hence, paralleled that of the state collapse and the informalization of coercive power in Tajikistan. The changing relationship between veterans and political authority offers a point on which to explore wider shifts in the control and deployment of coercive power in the context of the Soviet collapse in Tajikistan.