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Introduction Methods Results Conclusion Activation‐induced cytidine deaminase (AID) deficiency is a rare autosomal recessive inborn error of immunity (IEI) characterized by increased susceptibility to infections, autoimmunity, and/or autoinflammation. AID plays an important role in immunoglobulin class switching and somatic hypermutation. AID deficiency patients have very low or absent levels of IgG, IgA, and IgE, while IgM level is elevated. The disease is designated as type 2 hyperimmunoglobulin M syndrome (HIGM‐2). To date, around 130 patients with HIGM‐2 have been reported, none from Egypt.Four patients from three different consanguineous families with elevated serum IgM and low IgG and IgA were included in the study. After the exclusion of CD40 and/or CD40L deficiency by flow cytometry, patients’ samples were tested by a panel covering 452 genes (four bases PID‐Pro) on the Illumina Miseq platform.All patients suffered repeated infections since childhood. Patients 1–3 had inflammatory bowel disease‐like (IBD‐like) symptoms, while patient 4 did not have autoimmune manifestations. Patient 1 is the first HIGM‐2 patient to be reported to have renal amyloidosis as part of the autoinflammation. Patients 1–3 had the same pathogenic variant (NM_020661.4 (AID):c.406del, p.Ile136Ter), while patient 4 had another pathogenic variant (NM_020661.4 (AID):c.374G > A, p.Gly125Glu). The variant p.Ile136Ter was not reported before in any of the documented HIGM‐2 patients.HIGM‐2 is a rare IEI that can be overlooked; hence, patients’ diagnosis is delayed. Autoimmune and autoinflammatory manifestations develop later in the disease course leading to significant morbidities. The diagnosis can be suspected after exclusion of CD40/CD40L deficiencies by flow cytometry, and the diagnosis can be confirmed by genetic testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nigerian state is expected to perform functions critical to the protection of citizens against disasters and harmful emergency situations through effective management of humanitarian aid. However, the reality in Nigeria shows that the government is only interested in the relocation of internally displaced people (IDP) rather than their daily survival in humanitarian camps. In addressing this problem, this article examined the indicators, reasons, and implications of the unsustainability of humanitarian aid. It is believed that research in this direction would provide an understanding of a better approach to improving the sustainability of humanitarian aid. Drawing on the state fragility theory and mixed qualitative methods involving observations, interviews, and document analysis, the findings identified a lack of capacity to control violence causing displacement, weak institutional support, political will, and capacity to finance humanitarian aid as reasons why humanitarian aid is unsustainable in IDP camps in Nigeria. It also identified the depletion of host communities’ resources, untimely deaths, harmful coping strategies, and an increased rate of out-of-school children, among others, as the implications of unsustainable humanitarian aid. The findings suggest means through which the Nigerian government can sustain humanitarian aid in IDP camps in Nigeria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antibody diversification is essential for an effective immune response, with somatic hypermutation (SHM) serving as a key molecular process in this adaptation. Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) initiates SHM by inducing DNA lesions, which are ultimately resolved into point mutations, as well as small insertions and deletions (indels). These mutational outcomes contribute to antibody affinity maturation. The mechanisms responsible for generating point mutations and indels involve the base excision repair (BER) and mismatch repair (MMR) pathways, which are well coordinated to maintain genomic integrity while allowing for beneficial mutations to occur. In this regard, translesion synthesis (TLS) polymerases contribute to the diversity of mutational outcomes in antibody genes by enabling the bypass of DNA lesions. This review summarizes our current understanding of the distinct molecular mechanisms that generate point mutations and indels during SHM. Understanding these mechanisms is critical for elucidating the development of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) and autoantibodies, and has implications for vaccine design and therapeutics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the European Union's (EU) aid policy process and, more precisely, the factors through which member states (MS) shape the formulation of development cooperation policy at the EU level. Following literature on EU policy processes, we identify the several influence factors available for MS to advance their priorities in the context of defining EU aid policy and legislation. Thematically, these refer to MS' national institutional frameworks, their strategic vision and coordination, their human resources, the interactions among representatives and actors in Brussels and structural factors. The relevance and functioning of these factors when MS shape EU development cooperation policy are then explored through semi-structured interviews, showing that the exertion of power on the part of MS is not limited to their economic size or financial contributions and that influence is the result of the combination of a wide array of factors in the domains of coalitions, power resources, networks, institutions, and critical junctures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Larq Journal for Philosophy, Linguistics & Social Sciences is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

AbstractNGOs are perceived as organisations that are always seeking funding. However, there are many instances where donations are refused by NGOs. This counter-intuitive decision, given the often grave humanitarian needs, is not well documented beyond brief references or individual cases. Refusal is an expression of values and principles, important for actors that are often portrayed as having little to no agency or power in relation to donors. We developed a database of 32 examples of funding refusals by NGOs detailing the reasons for refusal. To classify and compare the refusals, we developed a preliminary typology of NGO motivations for donor refusal, which contains four types (independence, impartiality, neutrality, and humanity) that align with humanitarian principles. Each category and type are defined and examples of each are provided. Given the focal nature of NGOs in development activity, the lack of attention to funding refusal is notable. We address this lacuna by creating a database and developing a preliminary typology to provide a foundation for future research. This study contributes a novel typology to an under-studied topic. In so doing, this paper provides a foundation for studies of refusal to follow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the human ecology framework, which describes social structure as dynamic and social action as environmentally contingent, this article examines behavior and attitudes around accepting help after disaster. Through two years of longitudinal in-depth interviews with 59 households in one community whose homes flooded during Hurricane Harvey, this study describes perceived shifts in the help provided by local organizations, institutions, and the social networks of community members—or what we call the local ecology of aid. While flood victims experienced an immense, and seemingly universal, outpouring of support in the immediate aftermath of the storm, in the ensuing months they reported a sharp decrease in this interpersonal support. In the absence of a local ecology of aid marked by the universal provision of aid, concerns about stigmatization began to inform decisions about accepting help. Our findings have implications for ecological theorizing, for understanding stigma and help-seeking or accepting help, as well as for fostering community resilience—a growing concern given the expanding scope and intensity of climate-related disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Korea’s national healthcare system after liberation often described as transformation from ‘sanitation’ to ‘public health’. The U.S. military government introduced public health nursing as the primary vehicle for communicating the newly introduced concept of public health to the Korean public. This meant that nursing, which had been in a subordinate position within the healthcare system during the Japanese occupation, had to be repositioned within the healthcare system as an independent and leading professional agent of healthcare. At the same time creating positions for public health nurses within the newly envisioned health center system, and convincing the public that nurses were the primary agents of public health activities. Yet, in resource limited setting, the role of public health nurses was significantly scaled back. Initial plans for institutionalized, community-wide health care through home visits shifted to addressing the challenges facing Korean society, including maternal and child health and infectious disease prevention. Ironically, the expansion of health centers during late 1950s diminished the position of public health nurses within local government health systems, who were gradually replaced by male administrative staff. The role of public health nurses was greatly curtailed in the 1960s, but they laid the groundwork for later community nursing and health care efforts. At the same time, public health nurses were assigned with new role of ‘visiting’ local health centers for observation, education, and management. Public health nursing allows to look beyond the ideological and institutional dimensions to examine how new concepts and practices of “public health” were actually transmitted to communities in post-liberation Korea.

Based on panel data from 2000 to 2021 covering African 52 countries under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), and utilizing a system generalized method of moments with instrumental variables, the study finds that China's financing has played a positive role in both export and import intensities of African countries with China. However, the impacts of different financing types on trade intensities vary by different country groups and periods. First, Chinese outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) has a much bigger impact on both export intensity and import intensity, and aid has a much bigger impact on export intensity in resource-rich African countries than other countries. Second, Chinese OFDI has a much bigger impact on export intensity and aid has a much bigger impact on both export and import intensities in low-income African countries than other countries. Third, the regression results from different periods indicate that Chinese financing has enhanced the bidirectional trade relations between China and Africa since BRI launch. The study is conducive to the exploration of multinational corporations and foreign aid's role in trade relations and will help African countries use Chinese capital to promote bilateral cooperation and get rid of poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the practice of using aid to control migration, which we refer to as 'inducement aid'. We examine two potential objections to inducement aid, each of which concerns a message that the practice communicates to two corresponding audiences: would-be migrants and other developed states. We suggest that the first objection has intuitive force but is undermined by a powerful reply. This finding seems to bolster the intuitive appeal that inducement aid might exhibit as a non-compulsory and apparently option-enhancing form of migration control. However, we argue that the second objection, which targets inducement aid in its capacity as a form of development assistance, has greater power. Developing the second objection, we argue that inducement aid threatens the establishment and maintenance of important international norms, thereby risking degrading the options of the world's poorest people and setting back the cause of cosmopolitan morality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why do substate actors engage in foreign affairs even if endowed with limited formal powers? How are these activities institutionalised and legitimised? This article addresses these questions by examining a critical case: the rise of Scotland's international development cooperation. The spotlight is put on the domestic sources of foreign policy formation. Our core argument is that the politics of nation-building underpins both the ambition and the increased distinctiveness of the Scottish approach to development. This nation-building effort is mainly reflected in the emergence of an assertive narrative: 'Scotland as a good global citizen'. Another core insight is the strong articulation between domestic and international representations. The external projections of the Scottish Government mirror the domestic agenda. Our article places the striking Scottish case in analytical and comparative perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research from displacement contexts globally has shown that refugees actively collaborate to establish learning centres in order to address educational service gaps facing their communities, such as lack of access or low-quality education. However, much of the existing research focuses on refugee-led educational initiatives that lack national accreditation. Less is known about nationally accredited refugee-led education initiatives – independently established, funded, and managed solely by refugees, especially in refugee camps. With this study, I contribute to the understanding of this lesser-known phenomenon. I examine the conditions underlying the emergence of nationally accredited refugee-led schools in Kenya's Dadaab camps and what these schools do to improve education quality and their students' performance in national exams. I draw on six months of ethnographic research and virtual follow-ups between 2020 and 2022. In the context of the evolving localisation of humanitarian aid discourse, this study broadens insights into governance practices that yield effective service delivery, good quality education, and better results in national examinations. The case of the nationally accredited refugee-led schools in Dadaab camps teaches us that direct support to the state and refugees, rather than intermediary INGOs, can improve students' results in national exams and the quality of education overall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aid relations in protracted displacement comprise a diversity of actors with different influence and involvement over time. Building on the case of Sri Lanka's northern Muslim's expulsion from the north of the country in 1990, this paper investigates the dynamic space of aid relations in their drawn‐out internal displacement. The study draws on 38 key informant interviews and 10 focus‐group discussions, conducted in Sri Lanka (Jaffna, Mannar, Puttalam, and Colombo) in 2022. The paper contributes new knowledge of the local dynamics of assistance in protracted displacement, by analysing the roles of a wide set of actors within this dynamic space of aid relations over time. The analysis incorporates angles and voices often overlooked in mainstream humanitarian studies, including internally displaced persons, hosts, and Middle Eastern aid funders. The study argues that a long‐term perspective and a variety of voices provide foundations for more productive engagement with localisation in humanitarian action in protracted displacement crises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID)-single-strand (ss)DNA binding mode determines both microscale WRC preference and mesoscale complementarity determining region (CDR) preference; apolipoprotein B editing complex (APOBEC3)A uses a distinct binding mode and shows different DNA sequence preferences. The flexible ssDNA are AID-favored substrates in vitro and in vivo. Chromatin loop extrusion, superenhancer, and transcription stalling create a hierarchical order for AID deamination in chromatin loop domains. 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine binding, ES cell specific (HMCES) is the factor that prevents AID lesions from processing into double-strand breaks in somatic hypermutation (SHM). Aberrant SHM directly regulates oncogene expression in lymphomagenesis, and promotes cell growth for a fraction of B cells expressing autoantibodies. A safer base editor could be designed based on the knowledge of AID-lesion repair. Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) initiates somatic hypermutation (SHM) by introducing base substitutions into antibody genes, a process enabling antibody affinity maturation in immune response. How a mutator is tamed to precisely and safely generate programmed DNA lesions in a physiological process remains unsettled, as its dysregulation drives lymphomagenesis. Recent research has revealed several hidden features of AID-initiated mutagenesis: preferential activity on flexible DNA substrates, restrained activity within chromatin loop domains, unique DNA repair factors to differentially decode AID-caused lesions, and diverse consequences of aberrant deamination. Here, we depict the multifaceted regulation of AID activity with a focus on emerging concepts/factors and discuss their implications for the design of base editors (BEs) that install somatic mutations to correct deleterious genomic variants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Islamic Economics / İslam Ekonomisi Dergisi is the property of Journal of Islamic Economics / Islam Ekonomski Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Turkey is one of the highest donors in the world, who also receives substantial amount of aids from various entities and countries. This paper aims to investigate the on going nexus between economic growth (EG) and foreign aid (AID) in Turkey; utilizing yearly data between 1960 and 2022 by employing wavelet analysis tools: namely the power spectrum, wavelet coherence, wavelet cohesion and Continuous Wavelet Transform (CWT) causality approach, which provides information of both long‐run and short‐run linkages for separate subperiods of time and frequencies. Our results reveal that; (a) the result of the power spectrum indicates that at different frequency and period, there is evidence of significant variation in EG and AID; (b) the outcome of the wavelet coherence confirms that there is comovement at varying frequencies and varying periods between EG and AID, with AID leading; (c) the outcome of the wavelet cohesion shows a positive/negative connection in the short and medium term, but a negative connection in the long term; (d) the result of the CWT causality approach confirmed the 'feedback hypothesis' at the aggregate level, in‐phase and out‐phase condition. As a result, policymakers should be more effective in supporting EG at high frequencies and only under the rule of the economic cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informal groupings like the G7 aim to address global development challenges but lack the administrative and budgetary capacity to drive change directly. Instead, the G7 seeks to catalyze international action that reflects its priorities. For example, the G7 attempts to set the international development agenda by publishing annual communiqués with actionable commitments designed to influence the behavior of G7 donor countries, non-G7 donor countries, and international organizations. But questions about the G7's ultimate impact persist, as critics contend the informal G7 can do little more than pay lip service to development challenges. We provide empirical evidence that the G7 shapes international development in two ways. First, when the G7 emphasizes a policy area in its annual communiqués, donors allocate more aid to that policy area. Second, when the G7 highlights a policy area in its annual communiqués, donors establish more trust funds in that policy area. This suggests the G7 serves simultaneous coordination and orchestration roles in international development: it coordinates its member states' aid and orchestrates non-G7 bilateral and multilateral aid. The study's theory, approach, and findings can inform further research on whether and how informal organizations ultimately affect states, formal international organizations, international cooperation, and global governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To investigate whether the positive effects on glycaemic outcomes of 3‐month automated insulin delivery (AID) achieved in 2‐ to 6‐year‐old children endure over an extended duration and how AID treatment affects time in tight range (TITR), defined as 3.9–7.8 mmol/L. Research Design and Methods: We analysed 18 months of follow‐up data from a non‐randomized, prospective, single‐arm clinical trial (n = 35) conducted between 2021 and 2023. The main outcome measures were changes in time in range (TIR), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), time above range (TAR), TITR, and mean sensor glucose (SG) value during follow‐up visits (at 0, 6, 12 and 18 months). The MiniMed 780G AID system in SmartGuard Mode was used for 18 months. Parental diabetes distress was evaluated at 3 and 18 months with the validated Problem Areas in Diabetes—Parent, revised (PAID‐PR) survey. Results: Between 0 and 6 months, TIR and TITR increased, and HbA1c, mean SG value and TAR decreased significantly (p < 0.001); the favourable effect persisted through 18 months of follow‐up. Between 3 and 18 months, PAID‐PR score declined significantly (0 months: mean score 37.5; 3 months: mean score 28.6 [p = 0.06]; 18 months: mean score 24.6 [p < 0.001]). Conclusions: Treatment with AID significantly increased TITR and TIR in young children. The positive effect of AID on glycaemic control observed after 6 months persisted throughout the 18 months of follow‐up. Similarly, parental diabetes distress remained reduced during 18 months follow‐up. These findings are reassuring and suggest that AID treatment improves glycaemic control and reduces parental diabetes distress in young children over an extended 18‐month follow‐up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aims to clarify how and why South Korea initiated and maintained a fragmented aid structure, even though discussions about integration existed before the establishment of its aid institutions. The research utilises a path dependence framework for its analysis. This analysis reveals that discussions concerning the fragmented structure of South Korean aid began in the 1960s and ultimately led to the establishment of South Korean aid agencies. This paper delves into the issue of integrating fragmented aid within the South Korean government by using newspaper articles, government documents, and reports. Path dependence is further illuminated by its relationship to the policy environment and institutional context. In conclusion, the persistence of this fragmented structure can be ascribed to factors such as the intricate nature of the aid policy, which combines diplomatic and economic policies within the policy environment. In terms of the institutional context, the claims of legitimacy for preserving the policy authority of aid-related ministries and the diminished coordination authority of the Economic Planning Board in the 1980s steered the path dependence of the fragmented aid structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In present study, 222Rn, 220Rn and progeny concentrations have been estimated by using passive techniques for radiological protection purpose. The average equilibrium factor for 222Rn has been found to be 0.43, 0.29 and 0.30 for rainy, winter and summer seasons, respectively and 0.06, 0.05 and 0.05 for rainy, winter and summer seasons for 220Rn. The annual equilibrium factor for 222Rn was found quite close to the globally accepted value of 0.40 while for 220Rn it was higher than the globally accepted 0.02. A statistically significant difference was obtained between inhalation dose estimated using global assumed equilibrium factors and calculated equilibrium factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reflects historically and contemporaneously on the relationship between 'International Education and Development' actors and foreign intervention in our colonial past and present, with a particular focus on Education in Emergencies (EiE), a sub-field of research and practice within 'International Education and Development'. Theoretically, this work is underpinned by a critical application of the 'implicated subject', Rothberg's (2019) conceptual addition to the study of violence and injustice which seeks to go beyond binaries of 'victim and perpetrator' and recognise the way many others are 'implicated' in systems of violence and injustice. In the first section we explore this framing for researchers and practitioners in the field of EiE and the complex ways that researchers and practitioners might be understood as 'implicated subjects'. In the second part we explore two dimensions of EiE actors as 'implicated subjects': Diachronic and Synchronic. In the diachronic dimension we highlight the way the colonial past hangs heavy in the present and in the synchronic dimension we explore the case of Afghanistan, and the links between military, development and education strategy. In the conclusion we reflect on their implication for improved ethical practices in EiE and in the broader field of International Education and Development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to identify the impact of a proposed curriculum using an auxiliary educational tool in teaching some offensive skills in fencing to students. It involved the preparation of proposed educational units using the auxiliary tool to teach these skills. The researchers employed the experimental method with a group design appropriate to the research nature, consisting of an experimental group and a control group with pre- and post-tests. The research sample included 28 students, selected intentionally. Group (A), comprising 14 students, served as the experimental sample, while Group (B), also comprising 14 students, served as the control sample. The educational program was implemented over six weeks, with one educational unit per week. The researchers concluded that the use of the proposed method with the educational tool had a positive and significant impact on skill learning.