Storytelling in the gutter

Chinese engagement in African states has increased tremendously over the last decade, much in line with Chinese globalisation strategies and supported by state encouragement and financial support. The size and potential of China as a world power leads to the level of expectations the country faces from the developing world. However, some elements of these expectations are also created through political discourses which emphasise differences with Western countries. The types of promises that the Chinese leadership makes to create such enthusiastic welcome amongst African political leaders are linked closely to the discourse on South–South cooperation. Albeit different from Western development assistance promises and parallel attempts to produce moderate expectations, the current discourse is thus partly sowing the seeds for future disappointment. This article takes a closer look at the discussions around South–South cooperation in China–Africa relations and at key rhetorical features (‘mutual benefit’; ‘non-interference’) and at the practice of this cooperation. It concludes that the Chinese discourse is creating large public expectations in African countries and while China delivers on many projects, its impact on development is less certain. The overall development success of this strategy builds on longer-term success and is implicitly linked to the occurrence of more reforms in Africa. Chinese policy thus ‘bets on the future’ in their foreign relations with Africa; the success of this strategy is dependent on political circumstances among the partners that are largely beyond Chinese control. In a number of cases, it can thus be expected that currently up-beat political rhetoric is going to meet obstacles that will require adjustments in a discourse that, in its current form, might undermine Chinese credibility if not the core elements of South–South cooperation altogether.

Purpose Marketing theory and practice is under severe criticism – socialists and the practitioners criticize marketing in its current form which calls for active efforts by marketers to reposition the discipline – making it beneficial to the masses. The Western world is thoroughly investigated based on the opinions of public regarding marketing as a discipline. However, studies which present a non-Western consumer’s attitudes toward the role of marketing in a society are scant. This purpose of this study is to encapsulate Pakistani consumers’ understandings and attitudes toward marketing with an emphasis on their perceptions of the ethicality and transformative power of the discipline. Design/methodology/approach A purposive convenience sample of 40 professionals with diverse non-marketing backgrounds and of the widest possible demographic profile participated in in-depth, unstructured interviews. The content analysis and grounded theory method were used for the analysis. Findings Marketing is appreciated for creating product awareness and, occasionally, combating social problems, but this positive image is clouded by severely criticizing it for promoting materialism, being irritatingly pervasive and pushy, as well as for using unethical and unfair practices. Practical implications The study offers a valuable insight into the discipline’s performative and social legitimation in a fast-growing Asian economy. The authors recommend paths for a positive repositioning of the discipline that will improve its public image and enhance its potential for being recognized as a force for positive social change. Originality/value Further to enhancing our understanding of consumer attitudes toward marketing, this paper’s value lies in it being the first ever exploration of the developing country perspective. Most importantly, it contributes to a debate that could enlighten the much-needed repositioning of marketing as a discipline to make it useful for masses.

Background: Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), eosinophilic gastroenteritis (EGE), and eosinophilic colitis (EoC) have been diagnosed with an increasing frequency over the last decades. All these diseases share pathogenic similarities with respect to triggering by food antigens in the majority of patients once secondary causes of tissue eosinophilia have been excluded. While diagnostic criteria for EoE have been published, the exact criteria for EGE and EoC still need to be defined. This review highlights similarities and differences between affected patients when comparing the Western with the Eastern world. Summary: The incidence and prevalence of EoE are on the rise in countries from the Western and Eastern world. Very limited epidemiologic data exist regarding EGE and EoC. Characteristics of patients with eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorders regarding gender distribution, age at diagnosis, and associated comorbidities are similar when comparing Eastern with Western countries. Similar modalities are applied to diagnose EoE, EGE, and EoC when comparing Eastern with Western countries. Additionally, comparable therapeutic measures are applied to treat eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases in Eastern and Western countries. While EoE treatment recommendations are based on increasingly solid evidence, recommendations for the treatment of EGE and EoC are based on low evidence. Key Messages: Eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases are diagnosed and treated using similar approaches in Eastern and Western countries. Further efforts should be undertaken to help clarify the underlying pathogenic mechanisms and to establish evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic protocols.

Since the 19th century, interactions between humans have begun to be carried out in new ways that are not bound by distance, which causes no barriers between various parts of the world. All phenomena that occur can be seen clearly in a relatively short time. Various cultures and traditions began to mingle and lose their identity. One of the things that has become a hot topic of discussion from the western world in recent months is childfree, namely the decision of a married couple not to have children with several factors being the reason. In the Western world, childfree is not a complicated thing to be debated. However, what about the Eastern world, especially Indonesia with the thick rules of each religion. Moreover, Islam adheres to the holy book al-Qur'an, in which it is narrated that Prophet Ibrahim a.s. and the Prophet Zakaria a.s pleaded with God to be given offspring from the pious group, as stated in the QS. As-Saffat verse 100 and QS. Maryam verses 4 to 5. From an Islamic perspective, children are something that is highly coveted and fought for in marriage. A child seems to be a glory for his parents, not only in this world but also into the hereafter. Hasan as-Sayyid Hamid Khitob in his book Maqas{i>d an-Nika>h{ wa Atharuha> explains that among the main purposes of marriage are expecting children, multiplying the descendants of the people of the Prophet Muhammad SAW., guarding the genitals, and maintaining lineage. But what if it is related to the childfree phenomenon which is starting to be followed by many people in Indonesia who are even Muslim, where they actually do not want to bring children into their marriage.

Are rheumatic diseases the same in the Western and the Eastern world? This is a major question for physicians because the majority of textbooks come from the Western world and all the figures and statistics and the clinical picture of diseases are those seen in the Western world. It is therefore important to know if they are applicable to the Eastern world. The first step is to know how they are distributed in the APLAR region (Asia and Pacific area). COPCORD (Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases) was created by the collaboration of World Health Organization (WHO) and the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) in 1983. The aim of the program was the recognition, prevention, and the control of Rheumatic diseases in developing countries, where two-thirds of the world's population live. The program was designed to work with small monetary and material resources. It had three stages: 1 – prevalence of rheumatic disorders and identification of risk factors; 2 – education of primary health care physicians, paramedical professionals, and the community; 3 – improved health care, and environmental aetiologic research of rheumatic diseases. Sixteen countries have performed the program, among them 12 countries from the APLAR region (Fig. 1). The latest study was done in Iran and was finished in September 2005. These countries are Australia,1 Bangladesh,2 China,3–5 Indonesia,6 India,7 Iran,8,9 Kuwait,10 Malaysia,11 Pakistan,12 Philippines,13–15 Thailand16 and Vietnam.17 COPCORD in APLAR countries. Stage 1 was designed to evaluate at least 1500 adult people (over 15 years of age). Many of the participating countries, depending on their resources, performed the program on higher numbers. The largest number of evaluated people in a single population was the Iran study with 10 000 participants. Data from Iran are not all compiled and the results presented here are preliminary results on 7000 participants. The number of participants in the Australian study was 1437. There was another study in Aboriginals on 847 persons. The Bangladeshi study was on 5211 people, in China (Shanghai study) on 2010, the China (Shanghai 1998 study) on 6584, in China (Beijing study) on 4192, in China (Shantou study) on 5057, and in China (Chenghai study) on 2040. The Indonesian urban study was on 1071 individuals and the Indonesian rural study on 4683, the Indian study on 4092, the Iranian study on 10 000, the Kuwaiti study on 7670, the Malaysian study on 2594, the Pakistani study on 2090, the Philippine rural study on 846 and the urban study on 3006, the Thai study on 2463, and the Vietnamese study on 2119 people (Fig. 2). Number of people interviewed. The prevalence of rheumatic complaints (Fig. 3) varied largely from one country to another. In Australia it was 34%, in Australian Aboriginals 33% (only patients with pain during the last week), Bangladesh 26.3%, China (Shanghai) 24.3%, China (Shanghai 1998) 13.3%, China (Beijing) 40.3%, China (Shantou) 9.7%, China (Chenghai) 18.1%, Indonesia (urban) 31.3%, Indonesia (rural) 23.6%, India 18.2% (last week only complaint), Iran (urban) 52.4% and rural 54.3%, Kuwait 26.8%, Malaysia 21.1% (last week only complaint), Pakistan 14.8% (last week only complaint), Philippines (rural) 21.4%, Philippines (urban) 16.3%, Thailand 36.2%, and Vietnam 14.9%. There is a large difference between the Northern part of China (Beijing) with 40.3% and the Southern part (Shantou) with 9.7%. It is also interesting to notice that in Pakistan, India, and Philippines (urban), the prevalence is under 20% as it is for Shantou and Shanghai in China. Rheumatic complaints. Low back pain is one of the major reasons people consult rheumatologists. In China (Beijing study) 35% complained of having low back pain. This is one-third of the adult population over 15 years of age. Beijing is in the northern part of China. The next highest number is Indonesia, the urban study with 23% and then Australia (urban study) with 22%. Then comes Iran (urban study) with 21% followed by Iran (rural study) with 19%. China (Shanghai study) is 16%, Indonesia (rural) 15%, China (Shantou) 13%, Malaysia and Bangladesh 12% and Australia (Aboriginal) 12%, India and Vietnam and Philippines (rural) 11%, Chenghai 10% and Thailand 4%, and Pakistan as low as 2%. Looking at the Chinese study the large difference between north and south is again striking. Neck pain is a less frequent complaint. The highest number was in Australia (urban study) with 17%, followed by Iran (urban) 14%, and Indonesia (urban) 12%. The other figures are all much lower, under 10%. It was 7% for Indonesia (rural study), 6% for Iran (rural), 6% Malaysia, 6% India, 5% China (Beijing), 5% Indonesia (rural), 4% China (Chenghai), 3.5% China (Shanghai), 2% China (Shanghai), and 2% China (Shantou). This time there was not much difference between different Chinese studies. Knee pain is one of the most important and frequent complaints in rheumatology. It was very high in China (Beijing) with 30%. This was followed by Iran (urban study) 26%, Iran rural (18%), Vietnam 18%, Australia (urban) 15%, India 13%, Australia (Aboriginal) 11%, China (Shanghai) 11%, China (Shanghai) 7%, Philippines (rural) 7%, China (Chenghai) 6.5%, Thailand 6%, and China (Shantou) 3%. Looking back at the China studies, there is again a huge difference between the Beijing study (30%) and the Shantou study (3%). Complaint of hip pain is rare in Asia. Apart from Iran with 7.5% (urban) and Iran 2% (rural), the other figures are under 1%. It was 0.8% in Shanghai, 0.2% in the Philippines (rural study) and as low as 0.08% in Thailand. Shoulder pain is more often reported. In Iran (urban study) it was 15%, followed by Australia (urban) 10%, Australia (Aboriginal) 9%, India 7%, China (Beijing, Shanghai, Shantou) 5%, China (Chenghai) 2%, and Thailand just 1%. Elbow pain was seen in 7% in Iran (urban), 6.5% in India, 6% Australia (urban), 4% China (Beijing), 3% Indonesia (rural), 2% China (Chenghai), 2% Thailand, 1% China (Shantou), 1% China (Shanghai), and 0.5% China (Shanghai). We don't have much data about hand pain. It was reported in 10% from Iran (urban study), 9% from China (Shanghai), 6% from India, 2% from China (Shanghai), and as low as 0.6% from Thailand. Ankle pain was reported by 10% in Iran (urban study), 6.5% in India, 0.8% in Thailand, 0.8% in China (Shanghai), 0.6% in China (Shanghai), and 0.5% in Philippines (rural). Osteoarthritis is one of the most important and frequently encountered diseases in the rheumatology field. The prevalence is high in Iran (rural study) at 16%. The figure is 15% in Iran (urban study), 13% in China (Shanghai), 11% in Thailand, 9% in Bangladesh, 8% in Australia (urban), 6% in India, 5.5% in Australia (Aboriginal), 4% in Philippines (urban), 4% in Vietnam, and 4% in Pakistan. Most osteoarthritis is of the knee joint. Hip osteoarthritis is rare in Asia. Soft tissue rheumatism is seen with high frequency in Vietnam, around 15%. In other countries it is reported in less than 10%. It is 7% for Australia (Aboriginals), 6% Iran (rural), 6% Australia (urban), 5.5% India, 5% Iran (urban), 4% Philippines (urban), 3.5% China (Shanghai), 3% China (Shanghai 1998), 3% Bangladesh, 2% Pakistan, and 1.5% Thailand. Fibromyalgia was rarely reported and with a low prevalence rate. The highest was reported from Bangladesh with 4%. Then it was from Pakistan 2%, Iran (rural) 1%, Iran (urban) 0.5%, and Philippines (urban) 0.2%. Rheumatoid arthritis did not reach the classic 1% prevalence in any of the APLAR countries. The highest prevalence reported was from Australia (rural) with 0.7%. Next was Pakistan with 0.55% and India with 0.5%. Then were China (Shanghai 1998) 0.47%, Iran (urban) 0.37%, China (Beijing) 0.34%, Iran (rural) 0.32%, China (Shantou) 0.32%, Indonesia (urban) 0.3%, Vietnam 0.28%, Indonesia (rural) 0.2%, Philippines (rural) 0.2%, China (Shanghai) 0.2%, Philippines (urban) 0.17%, Malaysia 0.15%, and Thailand 0.12%. Seronegative spondylarthropathies were seen in 0.5% of Australians (Aboriginal), 0.34% of Iranians (urban), 0.26% of Chinese (Beijing), 0.26% of Chinese (Shantou), and 0.21% of Australians (urban study). The prevalence was 0.12% in Malaysia and Thailand, 0.11% in China (Shanghai 1998), 0.10% in Pakistan, 0.08% in Iran (rural), and 0.03% in Philippines (urban study). Connective tissue diseases were seen rarely in Asia. It was seen at 0.1% in Iran (urban study), 0.09% in Vietnam, 0.08 in Thailand, 0.06 in China (Shanghai), 0.05 in Pakistan, 0.02% in China (Shantou), and 0.01 in China (Beijing). Gout is known to be quite frequent in South-east Asia. It was seen in 4% of the population in Australia in the Aboriginal study and in 1.5% in the urban study. In Indonesia it was 0.8%, in the Philippines in 0.6%, in Iran (rural) 0.3%, in China (Shanghai 1998) in 0.3%, in China (Shanghai) in 0.2%, in Thailand in 0.2%, in Vietnam and Pakistan in 0.14%, in Philippines (urban) 0.13%, in India 0.12%, and in Iran (urban study) in 0.10%. It is interesting to note that gout is five times more frequent in the rural study from the Philippines than in the urban study. The same difference exists for the Iran study, but gout is only three times more frequent in the rural study. This may be explained by the genetic background of the studied population. In rural areas (in villages) people have a greater possibility of being from the same family or related families than in big cities. The mean prevalence of rheumatic diseases in APLAR countries was calculated by the mean results of individual countries after adjustment for the number of samples from each country. Rheumatic complaints were seen in 26.3% of the adult population over the age of 15 years. Low back pain was reported by 13.8%, neck pain by 6.2%, knee pain by 14.2%, hip pain by 3%, shoulder pain by 6.7%, ankle pain by 4.6%, elbow pain by 3.7%, wrist pain by 5.2%, and hand pain by 5.6%. Osteoarthritis was detected in 9.6%, soft tissue rheumatism in 4.7%, fibromyalgia in 1.5%, rheumatoid arthritis in 0.33%, seronegative spondylarthropathy in 0.19%, connective tissue diseases in 0.06%, and gout in 0.38%. Prevalence of rheumatic diseases in Asia was estimated by the results of individual countries after adjustment for population total of each country. Rheumatic complaints were seen in 21.4% of the adult population over the age of 15 years. Low back pain was reported by 15.9%, neck pain by 4.7%, knee pain by 12.3%, hip pain by 0.85%, shoulder pain by 5.7%, ankle pain by 3.3%, elbow pain by 4%, wrist pain by 3.4%, and hand pain by 5.5%. Osteoarthritis was detected in 9.3%, soft tissue rheumatism in 4.4%, fibromyalgia in 2.1%, rheumatoid arthritis in 0.38%, seronegative spondylarthropathy in 0.2%, connective tissue diseases in 0.08%, and gout in 0.22% of the general population. Although there are multiple differences between different studies, the overall estimation of rheumatic diseases in APLAR countries is 1/5 in adults (over the age 15). Osteoarthritis is at twice the level of soft tissue rheumatism. Fibromyalgia is quite rare. Rheumatoid arthritis is one-third of what is classically estimated in the Western countries. Gouty arthritis is as frequent as rheumatoid arthritis. Although the COPCORD questionnaire is standard, the way it was applied differed in different studies. In some studies, it was self-applied if the interviewed person was literate. In some others, the questionnaire was applied by a trained interviewer to all subjects. In some studies, subjects needing a physical examination were examined the same day and in others with some delay (up to several weeks). The results therefore are not all obtained within a strict methodology. A standardized method for each step for the COPCORD project is warranted for future studies.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to do a thorough literature review to assess the current status of corporate sustainability (CS) practices, issues and challenges in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and based on literature suggest a model that can improve and strategically manage their sustainability practices in the emerging market context of Asia.Design/methodology/approachAfter setting the theoretical background on why the corporations need to shoulder the responsibility of sustainable development, the authors did a high level literature review to estimate the gap area and based on the findings formulated some research questions on why the SMEs, more specifically those in Asian emerging market, are lagging behind in terms of CS practices. Next, using the “literature survey” as the methodology the authors did a thorough in-depth literature review to answer the above research questions and organised the findings in light of those research questions. Considering the research gap and the crucial role of SMEs in a country’s economic progress the authors restricted the literature search on CS in the case of SMEs only.FindingsCS is a well-practiced area in big organisations. However, the literature suggests that in the case of SMEs the situation is different. Social and environmental practices are grossly neglected in SMEs more specifically in emerging markets. Existing literature mentions that collaborative mode of operation, government policy and facilitation, supporting organisation culture can positively influence SME’s sustainability performance, and hence, improve their financial performance.Research limitations/implicationsThe conceptual model has been developed based on suggestions and recommendations in western countries context. To establish the validity of the model in the Asian business scenario it needs to be tested with a sizable sample of SMEs in the Asian market.Practical implicationsThe current paper has practical implications both for academic research on sustainable development and also in business development. The proposed model in the current form is based on the literature survey only. Once such a model is empirically established this can be proved beneficial for providing guidance to SMEs to enhance the sustainability of their business operations. Moreover, environmental and social best practices adopted by SMEs will also have a positive influence on society and the environment in the long run.Originality/valueThis paper had done a country-wise comparison of sustainable practices in SMEs and based on the recommendations and suggestions of different scholars as found in the detailed literature review, the authors developed few research propositions and also presented a conceptual model. Finally, to address the gap it mentions some future research possibilities to test and validate the proposed model in the context of SMEs in emerging markets of Asia.

The lack of records about the involvement and contribution of women in Sufism texts cannot be used as an excuse that women have a small role and position in the development and dissemination of Sufism teachings, doctrines and practices. So far, the well-known female Sufis, namely Rabi'ah al-Adawiyah (717-801) and Aishah al-Ba'uniyyah (c. 1456-1517), are two big names who prove that women have equal opportunities in spiritual attainment. Many researchers discuss female Sufis but focus on the eastern world and parts of India, only a few researchers have written about female Sufis in the West, therefore the authors are interested in discussing female Sufis in the West. This research is a library research. The author uses a literature review with the data sources used in this paper are secondary data originating from the literature such as books, journals, articles, and various sources that are relevant to the theme of the discussion in this paper.. The results of the study describe female Sufisin the contemporary era such as Hajjah Amina Adil and Hajjah Naziha Adil with their organizations engaged in philanthropy. Then another female Sufi is Nahid Angha who is known as one of the founders of the International Sufi Woman Organization, a world Sufi women's organization. This organization is concerned with peace programs and women's empowerment.The next female Sufi, namely Eva de Vitray in the path of Sufism, Eva de Vitray-Meyerovitch or Hawwa Hanim, took allegiance to the murshid of the Qadiriyah order from Morocco, Sheikh Hamzah al-Qadiri al-Boutchichi. Eva is also connected with Sheikh Khaled Bentounes, a murshid of the Syadziliyah-Alawiyahtarekat who lives in France

Co-branding, or the collaboration of two or more brands to reach the objectives of all brands involved, is a strategic business option for many hotels and restaurants in the Western world, especially the United States and Europe. But many questions remain unanswered about hotel—restaurant co-branding in the Eastern world, especially in China, one of the world’s fastest growing and most promising tourism markets. As a new venue of inquiry within tourism and hospitality, co-branding has been investigated by only a few researchers, and mainly from the perspective of the industry in the West. The objective of the current study was to shed light on consumer perspectives in the East and to examine empirically how hotel—restaurant partnerships in China are potentially perceived by consumers of diverse characteristics. The findings indicate several opportunities, as well as threats, for both hotels and restaurants as potential co-branding partners in the Chinese market. The research and the practical implications are provided.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in males in the western world and is an emerging malignancy in eastern world as well. It is less invasive and easily curable in early stages. It requires efficient and accurate diagnosis strategy to detect it early. To date, the standard diagnosis procedure involves a blind biopsy with a high rate of false negative results. Trans-perineal prostate biopsy is re-emerging after decades of being an underused alternative to trans-rectal biopsy guided by trans-rectal ultrasonography. In order to overcome these limitations, the paper proposes the method and advantages of trans-perineal prostate biopsy.

Cholelithiasis is one of the most common diseases in the Western world and is increasing in the incidence in the Eastern world too. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is gold standard treatment for cholelithiasis. Some surgeons may even thinking that a very large gallstone is an indication for a classical open cholecystectomy.

One approach that can be used is the study of hadith with the approach of the science of maqāṣid al-syarī'ah. 'Abdullah bin Bayyah as one of the scholars who concentrates in the field of maqāṣid certainly has a theory that can be applied, especially his very well-accepted figure in the Eastern and Western worlds. This study aims to describe how the science of maqāṣid al-syarī'ah in the approach of 'Abdullāh bin Bayyah is used to understand the hadith of the Prophet, as well as simple applications that can be carried out. The method used by the researcher is qualitative with the type of library research that makes the book Masyāhid min al-Maqāṣid the main data source, which is then supported by other data sources. The application that the researcher does is on the study of the hadith about seeking treatment with ḥabbat al-saudā'. The research results reveal that after being studied with the maqāṣid approach, the hadith of ḥabbat al-saudā' has the understanding that the main purpose of the hadith is the command to protect oneself or ḥifẓ al-nafs by seeking treatment, and the derivative purpose is that protecting oneself can be done by seeking treatment, resting, eating and drinking nutritious food, exercising, and all things that are in accordance with the needs of each individual for himself. This is because the hadith is general in nature and the Prophet said it based on observations of one of the companions who was sick, then he recommended that medicine.

Etrüskler adıyla anılan kavim, aslında Anadolu’lu Troyalılar ile Türk kökenli İskitler’in (Sakalar) İtalya’da karışıp kaynaşmasıyla oluşan ve İtalya’daki mevcut köy kültürünü şehir kültürüne dönüştüren önemli bir halk grubudur. Grekler onları Tyrsenler veya Tyrhenler adıyla anarken, Romalılar bu kavme Tuscalar ya da Etrusclar demiştir. Oysaki Etrüskler, kendilerine Rasenna diyorlardı. İnsanlık tarihinde Doğu ve Batı dünyalarının ilk büyük mücadelesi olarak kabul edilen Troya Savaşları’nda Doğu Bloku’nun temsilcisi olarak ortaya çıkan Troyalılar, on yıllık bir mücadelenin sonunda Batı’yı temsil eden Akalar’a yenilmişlerdi. Bir süre sonra Ege Göçleri’ne (Deniz Kavimleri Göçü) katılmak zorunda kalan Troyalılar, birdenbire kendilerini Mısır kapılarında bulmuşlardı. Ege Göçleri’nin hem birinci hem de ikinci aşamasına katılan Troyalılar, Mısır firavunlarına karşı verdikleri mücadeleyi ne yazık ki, kaybetmişlerdi. Çanakkale yöresindeki anavatanlarına dönmek zorunda kalan Troyalılar, yurtlarının yaşanmaz bir duruma geldiğini görerek, biraz daha güneydeki İzmir yöresine yerleşmişlerdi. Ancak Yunanistan’dan bu bölgeye göç eden Akalı göçmenler yüzünden, MÖ 10. yüzyıl başlarında Anadolu’yu tamamen terk ederek, deniz yoluyla İtalya’nın Toskana bölgesine göç etmişlerdi. Bu hadiseden yaklaşık iki asır sonra, Kafkaslar üzerinden Anadolu’ya giren iki Türk kavmi ile karşılaşıyoruz. Bunlar, İskit ve Kimmer kavimleridir. Anadolu’ya yaklaşık 80 yıl hükmeden Kimmerler, Orta Anadolu’daki Frig Devleti’ni de ortadan kaldırmışlardı. Kimmerler’in peşinden Anadolu topraklarına giren İskitler, Herodotos’a göre, 28 yıl Doğu Anadolu’ya hükmettikten sonra Kimmerler’in boşalttığı Güney Rusya topraklarını istila ederek, burada Büyük İskit İmparatorluğu’nu kurmuşlardı. Ancak İskitler’in bir kısmı geri dönmeyip batı istikametindeki yürüyüşlerine devam ederek, Batı Anadolu kıyılarına ulaşmış ve buradan gemilerle İtalya’ya göç etmişlerdi. İşte İskitler’in (Sakalar) bu grubu ile daha önceden İtalya’ya göç etmiş olan Troyalılar karışıp kaynaşarak İtalya’da Türklük özelliklerinin ağır bastığı yeni bir topluluğun oluşumuna zemin hazırlamışlardır ki, bu kavim yukarıda bahsi geçen Etrüskler ya da Tursakalar adıyla anılan kavimdir. Biz bu çalışmamızda, Etrüskler’in Roma medeniyetinin oluşumunda ne gibi roller üstlendiğini yazılı ve arkeolojik kaynakların ışığında gözler önüne sermeye çalıştık.

Recently, metabolic associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) became the leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide and one of the most frequent causes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Nonetheless, in this epidemiological trend, viral hepatitis remains the major driver in hepatic carcinogenesis. Globally, hepatitis B virus (HBV) is the leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma, with an overall attributable risk of approximately 40%, followed by hepatitis C virus (HCV), which accounts for 28-30% of cases, with significant geographic variations between the Eastern and Western world. Considering all the etiologies, HCC risk increases proportionally with the progression of liver disease, but the risk is consistently higher in patients with viral triggers. This evidence indicates that both direct (due to the oncogenic properties of the viruses) and indirect (through the mechanisms of chronic inflammation that lead to cirrhosis) mechanisms are involved, alongside the presence of co-factors contributing to liver damage (smoking, alcohol, and metabolic factors) that synergistically enhance the oncogenic process. The aim of this review is to analyze the oncogenic role of hepatitis viruses in the liver, evaluating epidemiological changes and direct and indirect viral mechanisms that lead to liver cancer.

Energy is essential for economic development of South Africa. All areas for development and economic growth i.e. reducing poverty and improving quality of life require affordable access to reliable energy services. When the challenges of energy provision to the population of a state remain unresolved, the resulting misery often leads to conflicts and violence, which in turn affect development efforts and impact on regional and global stability.The Integrated Resource Plan 2010 (DoE 2010) allocates 9.6 GW electrical generation capacity to nuclear technology. At the date of writing this paper –almost 5 years later‐ this allocation has not yet been committed to a build program. This situation is perhaps not surprising, since the National Development Plan, generally viewed as a vision and master plan for South Africa's economic development, is not supportive of the nuclear option (NPC 2011). The plan calls for further investigation into the need for nuclear electricity, citing gas and shale gas as possible alternatives for base load power generation.Against this background, the paper presents a framework for moving towards political consensus on the generation of electricity using nuclear technology. The framework builds on the notion that a “political system” can be characterized as a Complex Adaptive System (CAS). It defines political consensus by applying seven criteria which should be met for successful consensus building. These criteria, originally developed by Innes, (Innes and Booher 2009) have been thoroughly tested, and are increasingly used as a strategy to achieve consensus amongst stakeholders on complex and controversial planning and policy tasks. (Innes and Booher 2009).This paper presents a set of principles on which a political alignment framework should be founded, for example: that South Africa's economic development vision and long term economic development plan should be elevated above party political considerations; that people power is the lifeblood of a democratic society. Give the people the power of knowledge, and allow them to make their own informed decisions ‐ in this case regarding nuclear.A description is presented as to how the criteria for consensus building could be met in the South African political system. This description is informed by the development of nuclear lectricity in other political systems in both the eastern and western worlds. It further draws on the views of key political parties in respect of nuclear electricity, and proposes that political parties should implement within their own ranks, their own consensus building initiatives in respect of these national priorities.The paper concludes that if the consensus seeking framework is executed in an honest and transparent way, it could lead to consensus in respect of nuclear electricity, not only on a political but also at a national level.

This research is part of a wider scientific Italian-Indo project finalised to shed lights on pottery fabrication and trade circulation in Tamil Nadu region during Early Historical Period. The recent archaeological excavations carried out in Alagankulam—a famous harbour trading with the eastern and western world—and in Keeladi—the most ancient civilization centre attested in Tamil Nadu region—provided numerous fragments of archaeological ceramics. The typological analysis enabled the identification of different pottery classes, suggesting the presence of local productions, possible imports and imitations. Studied shards included common Indian vessels, fine wares and luxury ware repertoire. The provenance identification of some of the studied typologies is still debated in the literature; for long time, the misattribution of several ceramic classes has led to wrong interpretations on the commercial connections between India and the Western and Eastern Mediterranean area. The minero-petrographic and spectroscopic investigation of several ceramic fragments from the two investigated archaeological sites enabled the systematic compositional characterization of specific ceramic classes both locally manufactured and imported. The obtained results contributed to draw short-range and long-range connections in Tamil Nadu area.