bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A new paradigm of development as a modern challenge in agriculture
Authors: Czyżewski Andrzej , Czyżewski Bazyli
Published: July 2014

The authors of the paper propose a thesis of a necessary change of an industrial development paradigm of agriculture to a socially sustainable one. They present the mechanism of functioning of the first one proving that by stimulating the growth of production of agricultural raw materials it leads to a decreasing marginal productivity and, as a result, to lower incomes of farmers in the conditions of incomplete internalisation of costs. The pressure on natural environment leads to the deterioration of the natural environment welfare. Therefore, the change of that paradigm to the socially sustainable one is necessary. The effects of that model, which exceed the productive and economic sphere, were presented. They take into account the fact that agriculture is also a supplier of public goods. In that case a new concept of a land rent was included, assuming that the agricultural land independently creates a part of a land utility which is subject to market or institutional valorisation if it is limited to some extent of intensity of agricultural economics. However, there must be a declaration of a social demand for that utility of a public character. That process has already started and it determines the evolutionary change of the paradigm of the agricultural development.
‘The Edification of the Church’: Richard Hooker’s Theology of Worship and the Protestant Inward / Outward Disjunction
Authors: Littlejohn W. Bradford
Published: July 2014

Sixteenth-century English Protestants struggled with the legacy left them by the Lutheran reformation: a strict disjunction between inward and outward that hindered the development of a robust theology of worship. For Luther, outward forms of worship had more to do with the edification of the neighbour than they did with pleasing God. But what exactly did ‘edification’ mean? On the one hand, English Protestants sought to avoid the Roman Catholic view that certain elements of worship held an intrinsic spiritual value; on the other hand, many did not want to imply that forms of worship were spiritually arbitrary and had a merely civil value. Richard Hooker developed his theology of worship in response to this challenge, seeking to maintain a clear distinction between the inward worship of the heart and the outward forms of public worship, while refusing to disassociate the two. The result was a concept of edification which sought to do justice to both civil and spiritual concerns, without, pace Peter Lake and other scholars, conceding an inch to a Catholic theology of worship
‘From the Footstool to the Throne of God’: Methexis, Metaxu, and Eros in Richard Hooker’s of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Polity
Authors: Dominiak Paul
Published: July 2014

Commentators have commonly noted the metaphysical role of participation (methexis) in Richard Hooker’s Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Polity: participation both describes how creation is suspended from God and also how believers share in Christ through grace. Yet, the role in Hooker’s thought of the attendant Platonic language of ‘between’ (metaxu) and ‘desire’ (eros) has not received sustained attention. Metaxu describes the ‘in-between’ quality of participation: the participant and the participated remain distinct but are dynamically related as the former originates from and returns to the perfection of the latter. Within this metaxological dynamic, desire (eros) acts as the physical and psychic motor driving the move between potentiality and perfect actuality, that is to say from multiplicity to divine unity: desire aims at goodness and so ultimately tends towards that which is goodness itself, namely God’s nature. For Hooker, desire becomes couched in amorous affectivity and has an erotic register. This essay explores, then, how Hooker appeals to a language of ‘between’ and ‘desire’ within his accounts of participation. First, it examines how human beings exist between the footstool and throne of God in Hooker’s legal ontology. Here, angelic desire acts as a hierarchical pattern of and spur to erotic participation in the divine nature. Second, this essay examines how theurgy transforms desire in Hooker’s account of liturgical participation as a redemptive commerce between heaven and earth. Here, angels still act as invisible, hierarchical intermediaries within earthly worship, but soon give way to immediate grace through participation in Christ within the sacraments.
Finding God in the Darkness: A Fresh Look at Richard Hooker’s a Learned and Comfortable Sermon of the Certaintie and Perpetuitie of Faith in the Elect
Authors: Russell Andrea
Published: July 2014

Richard Hooker’s sermon A Learned and Comfortable Sermon of the Certaintie and Perpetuitie of Faith in the Elect appears, on the face of it, to be further evidence of his commitment to Reformed theology. History, however, tells a slightly different story as readers have debated just exactly what theological position Hooker was taking. Over the years it has attracted comment from those who have used it both to align Hooker with and to separate Hooker from the Magisterial Reformers. These debates continue. This article, however, does not pursue this particular method of engagement. Instead, through a careful reading of the text, Hooker’s more complex and often startling theology is revealed- as he locates God’s presence in the pivot between doubt and despair, in places where God is thought to be absent. Hooker’s aim seems to be to find God in the darkness and in so doing he transcends the usual questions and debates that surround the doctrine of certainty and offers to present day readers a creative and sensitive approach to the anxiety caused by doubt.
Vegetation And Stratigraphic Interpretation Of The Mazovian (Holsteinian) Interglacial Profile From Dobropol and other New Sites in the West Polesie Region (SE Poland)
Authors: Hrynowiecka Anna , Żarski Marcin , Winter Hanna
Published: July 2014

Geological mapping in eastern Poland resulted in the new find of organic deposits near Włodawa. Pollen and plant macrofossils analyses at the Dobropol site proved deposition during the Mazovian (Holsteinian) Interglacial (MIS 11). Pollen spectra indicated strong predominance of Carpinus in the optimum phase (pollen period III), suggesting intensive influence of continental climate in this part of Po land. The paleolake Dobropol was shallow, with many species of rushes in a littoral zone. During the Liviecian (MIS 10) and the Krznanian (MIS 8) Glaciations the reservoir was occupied by an ice-dam lake, in which silt and clay de position prevailed. The Mazovian Interglacial organic deposits were also recorded in immediate surroundings of the study area. Based on geological and paleobotanical examination of the Dobropol site, the ice sheet of the Krznanian Glaciation seemed to have reached at least the southern part of Włodawa. The ice sheet has not covered pre sum ably the whole study area as its advance occurred in several lobes. The surroundings of Włodawa in the West Polesie Region are the third largest Mazovian paleo-lakeland area in Po land, apart from the vicinities of Biała Podlaska and the Łuków Plain.
Hypervalent Sulfur Fluorides and the Design of Liquid Crystals
Authors: Kirsch Peer , Bremer Matthias
Published: July 2014

Hypervalent sulfur fluorides are providing functional materials – such as liquid crystals – with unique physicochemical properties and new geometric structural elements.
Fluorotetrahydroquinolines from Diethyl 2-Fluoromalonate Ester
Authors: Fisher Craig A. , Harsanyi Antal , Sandford Graham , Yufit Dmitri S. , Howard Judith A. K.
Published: July 2014

A short series of fluorotetrahydroquinolines was synthesised in two steps from diethyl fluoromalonate and appropriate ortho-nitrobenzyl bromide precursors.
[3,3]-Sigmatropic Rearrangements of Fluorinated Allyl (Thio)cyanates – A Tool for the Synthesis of Fluorinated (Thio)ureas
Authors: Ramb Daniel C. , Kost Lisa , Haufe Günter
Published: July 2014

The first (thio)cyanate to iso(thio)cyanate rearrangements based on 2-fluoroallylic alcohols are presented. Long-chain 2-fluoroallylic alcohols were converted to corresponding N-unsubstituted carbamates by treatment with trichloroacetyl isocyanate. Dehydration using trifluoroacetic
anhydride in the presence of triethylamine formed intermediate allylic cyanates, which immediately underwent sigmatropic rearrangement to fluorinated allyl isocyanates. Without isolation the latter delivered fluorinated ureas by addition of amines. The thiocyanate to isothiocyanate rearrangements
started from the same fluorinated allylic alcohols, which were first converted to mesylates. Heating in THF with potassium thiocyanate led to fluorinated allyl isothiocyanates, via [3,3]-sigmatropic rearrangement of intermediate allyl thiocyanates. The formed products were further reacted
with amines to fluorinated thioureas.
An Improved Process for the Preparation of an ?,?-Difluorosulfonylisoxazoline Herbicide
Authors: Belie Chantal , Plant Andrew , Mulholland Nick , McLachlan Matthew , McCormack Derek , Longstaff Adrian , Kozakiewicz Tony , Knee Andy , Ingram Katharine , Qacemi Myriem El , Diggelmann Martin , Dallimore Jonathan , Dalençon Anne , Clarke Eric , Boehmer Jutta , Williams John
Published: July 2014

An efficient synthesis of a difluorosulfone-containing herbicide has been achieved by selective reductive silylation of a symmetrical bis(trifluoromethyl)-1,2,3-triazole. Subsequently, a fluoride-induced reaction led to a difluoromethyl anion equivalent, which was reacted with a sulfur electrophile leading ultimately to the key difluorosulfide moiety.
The Effect of Drama-Based Pedagogy on PreK–16 Outcomes
Authors: Lee Bridget Kiger , Patall Erika A. , Cawthon Stephanie W. , Steingut Rebecca R.
Published: July 2014

The President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities report heartily supported arts integration. However, the President’s Committee called for a better understanding of the dimensions of quality and best practices. One promising arts integration method is drama-based pedagogy (DBP). A comprehensive search of the literature revealed 47 quasi-experimental DBP intervention studies conducted since 1985. The literature showed that designs were generally weak for making causal inferences and that outcomes other than achievement were infrequently studied. A meta-analysis of this research suggested that DBP has a positive, significant impact on achievement outcomes in educational settings. Effects were strongest when the intervention (a) was led by a classroom teacher or researcher rather than a teaching artist, (b) included more than five lessons, and (c) was integrated into English language arts or science curriculum compared to other domains. Positive effects across psychological and social outcomes were found. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.
Vocabulary Instruction in Fifth Grade and Beyond
Authors: Ford-Connors Evelyn , Paratore Jeanne R.
Published: July 2014

Increasing the vocabulary knowledge of young adolescent and adolescent students has been a focal point of educational research and many teacher professional development initiatives. Yet many teachers continue to use traditional, but generally ineffective, methods of classroom-based vocabulary instruction. Synthesizing the literature around the general topics of vocabulary instruction, classroom discourse, and teacher talk, this review provides a comprehensive and critical examination of instruction that supports vocabulary learning in older students with a particular focus on practices that promote productive discussions of content.
Italian Views on Sustainable Energy: Trends in the Representations of Energy, Energy System, and User, 2009–2011
Authors: Sarrica Mauro , Brondi Sonia , Cottone Paolo
Published: July 2014

This article examines the contents of the representations of sustainable energy in Italy from 2009 to 2011. In particular it explores the representations of energy, energy systems, and users. The article's starting point was the assumption that critical points may change the relationship between communities and the represented issues, and that new representations may be dialogically elaborated following relevant societal events. Political debates and newspaper articles dealing with sustainable energy were subjected to content analyses. Results show that the representations bear witness to the prevalence of economic and strategic approaches and a view of citizens whereby, even when involved in decentralized systems, they are required to stay passive. Alternative contents seem not to challenge the hegemonic view of energy. A clear trend toward sustainability is lacking, suggesting the absence of a continuing motivation to look at energy taking into account the civic growth of the population.
Family Dynamics and Social Practice Theories: An Investigation of Daily Practices Related to Food, Mobility, Energy Consumption, and Tourism
Authors: Bartiaux Françoise , Reátegui Salmón Luis
Published: July 2014

Based on empirical data on “green” practices according to household size, this article questions the role, if any, given to close personal relationships by social practice theories in sustaining or not daily life practices. Data are mainly drawn from an Internet survey conducted in Belgium in 2006 by WWF-Belgium on daily practices, related to food, energy consumption, mobility, and tourism. Results show that smaller households carry out more numerous “green” practices than larger ones. The concluding discussion underlines the relevance of including social interactions—namely within the household—into the conceptual framework derived from the social theories of practices, to take into account the rearticulating role of social interactions and domestic power claims when carrying out a practice or a set of practices, and when changing it.
Reaktion von Weisstannen auf ein- bis mehrmaligen Verbiss entlang von Lichtgradienten
Authors: Kolly Anna Camille , Kupferschmid Andrea Doris
Published: July 2014

Response of Abies alba saplings to single and repeated browsing along light gradients

Browsing of silver fir (Abies alba) saplings by ungulates is one of the most important issues concerning decreasing regeneration of this tree species. In addition to genetic drivers, environmental factors such as light availability play an important role for the response of a browsed tree. Using an experimental design with fences, we investigated the influence of natural browsing on tree growth along a light gradient. The few fir saplings that responded by flagging up a lateral shoot compensated the browsing induced height difference compared to unbrowsed trees within four vegetation periods. Most firs however reacted with new shoots and remained smaller than unbrowsed ones. The more often a fir sapling was damaged on its terminal shoot, the smaller the tree remained. A positive relation between tree height and light was found only up to a canopy openness of 11%. Mortality over the whole five years was high in low light (<10%) and in forest gaps (>15%), due to desiccation, competition with other plants or browsing (50% of total mortality). We recommend regenerating firs under moderately shaded conditions.
Processus épeirogéniques et eustatiques en Basse Côte-d'Ivoire depuis 5000 ans B.P (étude radiométrique)
Authors: Pomel René-Simon
Published: July 2014

Résumé. - Tourbes et vermetidae attestent des niveaux + 1, + 2,50 et + 7 mètre, respectivement vers 5000, 2000 et 750 ans BP. Entre ceux-ci s'intercalent des lignes d'« arrécifes » sous le niveau marin actuel et datés 4000 et 1500 ans B.P. Ces oscillations semblent la résultante d'un mouvement eustatique lent de la mer, croissant entre 5000 et 2000 ans B.P. et décroissant ensuite, et d'une ondulation épéirogénique plus rapide et saccadée du continent, avec des maxima datés 4000 et 1500 ans B.P. C'est le cas des côtes du golfe de Guinée à la charnière du socle épilibérien et en liaison avec les failles transformantes de l'Atlantique Sud. Le littoral ivoirien ainsi soumis à un stade régressif depuis le douzième siècle après J.-C, succédant à des oscillations durant plus de 4000 ans, présente une flexure transverse inversée avec des bombardements latéraux non négligeables.
Bouturage sous brouillard. Critique des différentes techniques, résultats et applications d'un nouveau système (suite et fin)
Authors: Assaf Raphaël
Published: July 2014

La présente étude constitue tout d'abord une mise au point des connaissances actuelles en matière de multiplication sous brouillard. Il existe quelques ouvrages généraux sur cette question, mais ils ont avant tout, un caractère de documentation.

Notre but était d'aborder le sujet sous l'angle à la fois physiologique «t pratique. Ceci nous a conduit à un assez long travail de bibliographie et à une discussion de certaines données paraissant contradictoires.

En dehors de ce travail de mise au point, dont le plan est donné au début de cette étude, un certain nombre de résultats nouveaux sont signalés, qui ont pu être obtenus girâce en particulier à l'installation que nous avons montée à Toulouse, laquelle sur divers points, diffère notablement des installations usuellles.
An Eligibility Criteria Query Language for Heterogeneous Data Warehouses
Authors: Taweel A. , Miles S. , Delaney B. C. , Bache R.
Published: July 2014

Introduction: This article is part of the Focus Theme of Methods of Information in Medicine on “Managing Interoperability and Complexity in Health Systems”.

Objectives: The increasing availability of electronic clinical data provides great potential for finding eligible patients for clinical research. However, data heterogeneity makes it difficult for clinical researchers to interrogate sources consistently. Existing standard query languages are often not sufficient to query across diverse representations. Thus, a higher- level domain language is needed so that queries become data-representation agnostic. To this end, we define a clinician-readable computational language for querying whether patients meet eligibility criteria (ECs) from clinical trials. This language is capable of implementing the temporal semantics required by many ECs, and can be automatically evaluated on heterogeneous data sources.

Methods: By reference to standards and examples of existing ECs, a clinician-readable query language was developed. Using a model-based approach, it was implemented to transform captured ECs into queries that interrogate heterogeneous data warehouses. The query language was evaluated on two types of data sources, each different in structure and content.

Results: The query language abstracts the level of expressivity so that researchers construct their ECs with no prior knowledge of the data sources. It was evaluated on two types of semantically and structurally diverse data warehouses. This query language is now used to express ECs in the EHR4CR project. A survey shows that it was perceived by the majority of users to be useful, easy to understand and unambiguous.

Discussion: An EC-specific language enables clinical researchers to express their ECs as a query such that the user is isolated from complexities of different heterogeneous clinical data sets. More generally, the approach demonstrates that a domain query language has potential for overcoming the problems of semantic interoperability and is applicable where the nature of the queries is well understood and the data is conceptually similar but in different representations.

Conclusions: Our language provides a strong basis for use across different clinical domains for expressing ECs by overcoming the heterogeneous nature of electronic clinical data whilst maintaining semantic consistency. It is readily comprehensible by target users. This demonstrates that a domain query language can be both usable and interoperable.
cpDNA microsatellite markers for Lemna minor (Araceae): Phylogeographic implications
Authors: Wani Gowher A. , Shah Manzoor A. , Reshi Zafar A. , Atangana Alain R. , Khasa Damase P.
Published: July 2014

• Premise of the study: A lack of genetic markers impedes our understanding of the population biology of Lemna minor. Thus, the development of appropriate genetic markers for L. minor promises to be highly useful for population genetic studies and for addressing other life history questions regarding the species.

• Methods and Results: For the first time, we characterized nine polymorphic and 24 monomorphic chloroplast microsatellite markers in L. minor using DNA samples of 26 individuals sampled from five populations in Kashmir and of 17 individuals from three populations in Quebec. Initially, we designed 33 primer pairs, which were tested on genomic DNA from natural populations. Nine loci provided markers with two alleles. Based on genotyping of the chloroplast DNA fragments from 43 sampled individuals, we identified one haplotype in Quebec and 11 haplotypes in Kashmir, of which one occurs in 56% of the genotypes, one in 8%, and nine in 4%, respectively. There was a maximum of two alleles per locus.

• Conclusions: These new chloroplast microsatellite markers for L. minor and haplotype distribution patterns indicate a complex phylogeographic history that merits further investigation.
Growth and characterization of CNT–TiO2 heterostructures
Authors: Zhang Yucheng , Utke Ivo , Michler Johann , Ilari Gabriele , Rossell Marta D , Erni Rolf
Published: July 2014

A thriving field in nanotechnology is to develop synergetic functions of nanomaterials by taking full advantages of unique properties of each component. In this context, combining TiO2 nanocrystals and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) offers enhanced photosensitivity and improved photocatalytic efficiency, which is key to achieving sustainable energy and preventing environmental pollution. Hence, it has aroused a tremendous research interest. This report surveys recent research on the topic of synthesis and characterization of the CNT–TiO2 interface. In particular, atomic layer deposition (ALD) offers a good control of the size, crystallinity and morphology of TiO2 on CNTs. Analytical transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques such as electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) in scanning transmission mode provides structural, chemical and electronic information with an unprecedented spatial resolution and increasingly superior energy resolution, and hence is a necessary tool to characterize the CNT–TiO2 interface, as well as other technologically relevant CNT–metal/metal oxide material systems.
USING SIMILARITY NUMBERS FOR THE DIAGNOSTICS OF AIRCRAFT HYDROGENERATOR
Authors: Bencalik Karol , Tretina Karel
Published: July 2014

In aviation, great emphasis is placed on aircraft safety. The current technical condition of the aircraft and its systems is an important parameter for its airworthiness. In this respect, the usage of diagnostics without disassembly is considered an advantage. This method provides information on the technical condition of the aircraft or its parts throughout their operational and technical life. The technical condition of the elements measured during a flight should be compared to parameters specified by the manufacturer and measured in laboratory conditions. This article deals with the possibility of the use of dimensionless numbers for the diagnostics of the hydro generator.
IMPLICATIONS OF EVOLVING CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY REGULATIONS ON THE SAFETY OUTCOMES OF AIR TRANSPORT INDUSTRY AND AIRPORTS
Authors: Yadav Devinder K. , Nikraz Hamid
Published: July 2014

Historically, the aviation industry has been highly regulated under national and international regulations and various agreements due to instinctive safety risks associated with operations of an aircraft. Therefore, safety sensitive aviation activities used to be regulated under prescriptive standards and regulatory regimes by respective national civil aviation authorities. Airports and commercial aircraft operators are experiencing tremendous commercial pressure due to the globalization and liberalization of the industry in recent years. Consequently, the civil aviation industry is moving progressively from prescriptive safety rules to performance based legislation. This paper analyses the significance of this regulatory shift in aviation safety. Furthermore, the potential safety risks associated with the outcome based legislative framework and deregulation of safety sensitive aviation activities are also indicated in this study together with an example of the maritime industry.
CORRELATION-EXTREME VISUAL NAVIGATION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS BASED ON SPEED-UP ROBUST FEATURES
Authors: Kharchenko Volodymyr , Mukhina Maryna
Published: July 2014

The peculiarities of correlation-extreme visual navigation are considered. Descriptors with 64 elements of feature points of surface images are selected on the basis of the speed-up robust feature method. An analysis of possible criteria correlation functions is carried out to find the best match between the template descriptors and current images. The use of normalized correlation function is proposed based on the matrix multiplication properties of descriptors. It allows minimizing the number of false matches in comparison with the Euclidean distance in the descriptor space. The proposed matching strategy sufficiently decreases the computation time.
IDEOLOGICAL STATUS OF VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF POLITICS: ANALYSIS OF CZECH ONLINE NEWS PHOTOGRAPHS / VIZUALIOJO POLITIKOS REPREZENTAVIMO IDEOLOGINIS STATUSAS: ČEKIJOS NAUJIENŲ NUOTRAUKŲ, PASKELBTŲ INTERNETE, ANALIZĖ
Authors: Teplá Jana
Published: July 2014

During the first direct Presidential election in the Czech Republic in 2013, Czech newspapers tended to support one of the final candidates. The main aim of this study is to interpret the strategies of photographic representations of the two final candidates in online medium Lidovky.cz, which had publicly declared to support the right-wing candidate, and to compare these strategies. The theoretical context of this research is built upon a visual studies approach to culture. It is mostly inspired by the issues of visual literacy, critical analysis of visual culture, image based research and by the concept of ideologies defined in terms of social knowledge, society and discourse. A semiotic analysis was used for uncovering the patterns of visual representation.
Per 2013 m. pirmuosius tiesioginius Čekijos Respublikos prezidento rinkimus Čekijos laikraščiuose vyravo tendencija paremti vieną iš finalinių kandidatų. Pagrindinis šio tyrimo tikslas – interpretuoti ir palyginti dviejų finalinių kandidatų reprezentacijų nuotraukose strategijas interneto medijoje Lidovky.cz, kuri viešai pareiškė palaikanti dešiniojo sparno kandidatą. Teorinis šio tyrimo kontekstas paremtas vizualumo studijų priartėjimu prie kultūros ir yra inspiruotas ginčijamų vizualiojo raštingumo klausimų, vizualiosios kultūros kritinės analizės, įvaizdžiu pagrįsto tyrimo ir ideologijų, apibrėžiamų socialinės žinijos, visuomenės ir diskurso terminais.
Association of Bone Edema with the Progression of Bone Erosions Quantified by Hand Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Remission
Authors: Lisbona Maria Pilar , Pàmies Anna , Ares Jesús , Almirall Miriam , Navallas Maria , Solano Albert , Maymó Joan
Published: July 2014

Objective.

To evaluate the association of synovitis, bone marrow edema (BME), and tenosynovitis in the progression of erosions quantified by hand magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 1 year in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in remission.

Methods.

A total of 56 of 196 patients with early RA in remission at 1 year and with available MRI data at baseline and at 12 months were included. MRI images were assessed according to the Rheumatoid Arthritis Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scoring (RAMRIS) system. Persistent remission was defined as 28-joint Disease Activity Score-erythrocyte sedimentation rate ≤ 2.6 and/or Simplified Disease Activity Index ≤ 3.3 and/or the new boolean American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism remission criteria for a continuous period of at least 6 months. Progression of bone erosions was defined as an increase of 1 or more units in annual RAMRIS score for erosions compared to baseline.

Results.

At 1 year, the majority of patients with RA in sustained remission showed some inflammatory activity on MRI (94.6% synovitis, 46.4% BME, and 58.9% tenosynovitis) and 19 of the 56 patients (33.9%) showed MRI progression of bone erosions. A significant difference was observed in MRI BME at 1 year, with higher mean score in patients with progression compared to nonprogression of erosions (4.8 ± 5.6 and 1.4 ± 2.6, p = 0.03).

Conclusion.

Subclinical inflammation was identified by MRI in 96.4% of patients with RA in sustained clinical remission. Significantly higher scores of BME after sustained remission were observed in patients with progression of erosions compared to patients with no progression. The persistence of higher scores of BME may explain the progression of bone erosions in patients with persistent clinical remission.
Has the Severity of Rheumatoid Arthritis at Presentation Diminished Over Time?
Authors: Diffin Janet G. , Lunt Mark , Marshall Tarnya , Chipping Jacqueline R. , Symmons Deborah P.M. , Verstappen Suzanne M.M.
Published: July 2014

Objective.

To examine the pattern of disease severity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at presentation to the Norfolk Arthritis Register (NOAR) over 20 years.

Methods.

NOAR is a primary-care–based cohort of patients with recent-onset inflammatory polyarthritis. At baseline, subjects are assessed and examined by a research nurse. The Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) is administered and the DAS28 (28-joint Disease Activity Score) is calculated. Information is collected on disease-modifying antirheumatic drug exposure. In this study, patients (symptom duration of < 2 years at baseline) were grouped into 4 cohorts (Cohort 1: 1990–1994; Cohort 2: 1995–1999; Cohort 3: 2000–2004; Cohort 4: 2005–2008). The American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism (ACR/EULAR) 2010 criteria for RA were applied retrospectively at baseline. Regression analyses were used to examine whether calendar year of presentation to NOAR was associated with baseline HAQ and DAS28 scores. Potential confounders included age at symptom onset, sex, rheumatoid factor, and anticyclic citrullinated peptide antibody positivity.

Results.

A total of 1724 patients met the ACR/EULAR 2010 RA criteria at baseline. Unadjusted mean DAS28 scores decreased over time. Calendar year of presentation to NOAR was significantly associated with lower DAS28 scores over time [Y = 4.51 + (–0.56 × year) + (0.44 × year2)]. Although unadjusted median HAQ scores increased over time, calendar year of presentation to NOAR was not significantly associated with HAQ scores [Y = (1.1) + (0.023 × year) + (0.05 × year2)]. Similar results were observed in each subpopulation of patients.

Conclusion.

While baseline disease activity has lessened slightly over time, there has been no improvement in baseline levels of functional disability.
Longterm Blood Pressure Variability in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Its Effect on Cardiovascular Events and All-cause Mortality in RA: A Population-based Comparative Cohort Study
Authors: Myasoedova Elena , Crowson Cynthia S. , Green Abigail B. , Matteson Eric L. , Gabriel Sherine E.
Published: July 2014

Objective.

To examine longterm visit-to-visit blood pressure (BP) variability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) versus non-RA subjects and to assess its effect on cardiovascular (CV) events and mortality in RA.

Methods.

Clinic BP measures were collected in a population-based incident cohort of patients with RA (1987 American College of Rheumatology criteria met between January 1, 1995, and January 1, 2008) and non-RA subjects. BP variability was defined as within-subject SD in systolic and diastolic BP.

Results.

The study included 442 patients with RA (mean age 55.5 yrs, 70% females) and 424 non-RA subjects (mean age 55.7 yrs, 69% females). Patients with RA had higher visit-to-visit variability in systolic BP (13.8 ± 4.7 mm Hg) than did non-RA subjects (13.0 ± 5.2 mm Hg, p = 0.004). Systolic BP variability declined after the index date in RA (p < 0.001) but not in the non-RA cohort (p = 0.73), adjusting for age, sex, and calendar year of RA. During the mean followup of 7.1 years, 33 CV events and 57 deaths occurred in the RA cohort. Visit-to-visit systolic BP variability was associated with increased risk of CV events (HR per 1 mm Hg increase in BP variability 1.12, 95% CI 1.01–1.25). Diastolic BP variability was associated with all-cause mortality in RA (HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.03–1.27), adjusting for systolic and diastolic BP, body mass index, smoking, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and use of antihypertensives.

Conclusion.

Patients with RA had higher visit-to-visit systolic BP variability than did non-RA subjects. There was a significant decline in systolic BP variability after RA incidence. Higher visit-to-visit BP variability was associated with adverse CV outcomes and all-cause mortality in RA.
Fragmentation et consolidation de l'opposition armée
Authors: Pierret Thomas
Published: July 2014

Le projet d’unir au sein d’une « Armée Syrienne Libre » (ASL) l’essentiel des unités combattant le régime de Bachar al-Assad a largement échoué. Toutefois, les structures de l’insurrection syrienne se sont graduellement consolidées du fait de regroupements de taille plus modeste, mais dotés d’une cohésion et d’une cohérence supérieures à celles de l’ASL.
La Syrie, foyer de déstabilisation régionale ?
Authors: Bitar Karim Émile
Published: July 2014

Phagocytée par le jeu des puissances, la révolution syrienne s’est transformée en un conflit international qui se décline en une série de guerres par procuration qui risquent aujourd’hui de déstabiliser plusieurs pays voisins. Sur fond de bras de fer irano-saoudien et de réactivation des solidarités communautaires et ethniques transfrontalières, l’Irak et le Liban se rapprochent dangereusement du point de rupture. En Irak, l’autoritarisme débridé du Premier ministre Nouri al-Maliki peut être analysé comme une façon de conjurer l’affaiblissement manifeste des autorités face à des forces centrifuges de plus en plus marquées. Au Liban, la crise syrienne est venue approfondir les lignes de faille préexistantes et le pays subit de plein fouet une intense polarisation et un afflux massif de réfugiés syriens. Les répercussions de la guerre en Syrie sur la fragile monarchie jordanienne sont également considérables, alors que la politique syrienne du gouvernement turc d’Erdogan a montré ses limites et provoqué un retour de bâton. Les risques de déstabilisation régionale sont d’autant plus préoccupants que la crise syrienne a illustré le blocage total des mécanismes de la gouvernance collective et l’impuissance de la « communauté internationale ».
Les diplomaties des monarchies du Conseil de coopération du Golfe dans la crise syrienne
Authors: Dazi-Héni Fatiha
Published: July 2014

Cette contribution a pour objectif d’éclairer les modalités d’engagement des diplomaties du Golfe dans la crise syrienne et d’évaluer les stratégies utilisées dans le contexte d’une puissance globale américaine qui rechigne à intervenir en Syrie. Le Golfe s’est illustré par l’engagement très actif des diplomaties saoudienne et qatarie sur la crise syrienne. Alors que leur objectif commun est de combattre le régime syrien, les deux monarchies vont y contribuer par leurs rivalités, en divisant et semant la confusion parmi les opposants et les combattants syriens sur le terrain. Les Emirats arabes unis de leur côté, très anxieux sur l’après-Bachar et la montée en puissance du djihadisme vont concentrer leurs efforts sur le soutien logistique et humanitaire des populations syriennes réfugiées dans les pays voisins. Le Koweït, dont le gouvernement campe sur une position plutôt réservée, deviendra la base arrière régionale des financements privés qui vont affluer pour soutenir les djihadistes en Syrie. Oman et Bahreïn restent plutôt en retrait, le premier car il a pour tradition de refuser de s’ingérer dans les affaires internes, le second du fait de son alignement sur les positions saoudiennes. La confusion et les rivalités entre pays du Golfe qui ont pris l’ascendant en matière de soutien à la rébellion syrienne vont contraindre le royaume saoudien à changer de stratégie, en concertation avec Washington, et à opter pour une option sécuritaire visant à fragiliser les combattants djihadistes et à renforcer et restructurer l’Armée syrienne libre. L’éviction de Bandar ben Sultan en est la plus claire illustration. Le Qatar est quant à lui plus marginalisé.
Trajectoires de femmes en sortie des addictions : quelle place pour les grossesses ?
Authors: Simmat-Durand Laurence , Vellut Natacha , Jauffret-Roustide Marie , Michel Laurent , Mougel Sarra , Lejeune Claude , Planche Maëlle
Published: July 2014

La grossesse ou la maternité sont souvent décrites comme un point d’inflexion possible des femmes dans leurs trajectoires des addictions. Dans le cadre d’une recherche sur les sorties des addictions, 116 femmes ont renseigné un questionnaire biographique en face-à-face sur différents aspects de leur vie, dont la totalité de leurs grossesses menées à terme ou non. Parmi elles, 23 n’ont jamais été enceintes, les autres ont eu au moins une grossesse, se répartissant pratiquement pour moitié entre des IVG ou des fausses-couches et des naissances. La place des grossesses dans leurs trajectoires d’addiction est nettement différenciée selon leur génération de naissance : les plus jeunes ont consommé de manière plus précoce, ont été prises en charge plus rapidement et ont eu leurs enfants plus tard. De ce fait, contrairement aux femmes âgées de plus de 45 ans à l’enquête, leur vie reproductive est décalée par rapport à leur « carrière » dans les produits.
Les seuils de la substitution : regard sociologique sur l'accès aux traitements de substitution aux opiacés
Authors: Dassieu Lise
Published: July 2014

Le concept de seuil d’exigence est couramment utilisé par les acteurs de la prise en charge des addictions, sans que sa signification ne soit toujours réinterrogée. Cet article se propose de recenser les différents usages du « seuil », des définitions aux pratiques, en se centrant plus particulièrement sur son utilisation dans le cadre des traitements de substitution aux opiacés. Ainsi, la notion de seuil, souvent pensée « par le bas », est tour à tour considérée comme un enchaînement chronologique d’étapes de la prise en charge ou comme une diversité de modalités de dispensation des traitements en fonction des publics. Or, les deux extrémités que représentent le haut seuil et le bas seuil d’exigence s’inscrivent en réalité comme des prises en charge d’exception, des solutions spécifiques proposées aux patients éprouvant le plus de difficultés à s’intégrer dans un traitement.
Challenges facing the biological control strategy for eliminating aflatoxin contamination
Authors: Ehrlich K.C. , Moore G.G. , Mellon J.E. , Bhatnagar D.
Published: July 2014

Competition withAspergillus flavus isolates incapable of aflatoxin production is currently the most widely used biocontrol method for reducing aflatoxin contamination in maize and cottonseed where aflatoxin contamination is a persistent problem for human and animal health. The method involves spreading non-aflatoxigenicA. flavus spores onto the field prior to harvest. How competition works is not fully understood. Current theories suggest that atoxigenicA. flavus either simply displaces aflatoxin-producing isolates or that competition is an active inhibition process that occurs when the fungi occupy the same locus on the plant. In this paper we describe several challenges that the biocontrol strategy should address before this practice is introduced worldwide. These include the need to better understand the diversity ofA. flavus populations in the agricultural soil, the effects of climate change on both this diversity and on plant susceptibility, the ability of the introduced biocontrol strain to outcross with existing aflatoxin-producingA. flavus, the adaptation of certainA. flavus isolates for predominant growth on the plant rather than in the soil, the difficulty in timing the application or controlling the stability of the inoculum, the effect of the introduction of the biocontrol strain on the soil microenvironment, the potential damage to the plant from the introduced strain, and the overall need to better understand the entireA. flavus toxin burden, beyond that of aflatoxin, that may result fromA. flavus contamination. In addition, the cost/benefit ratio for the biocontrol method should be considered in comparing this method to other methods for reducing food and feed contamination with aflatoxins.
Using commercial immunoassay kits for mycotoxins: ‘joys and sorrows’?
Authors: Li Wei , Powers S. , Dai S.Y.
Published: July 2014

Rapid test methods are widely used for measuring mycotoxins in a variety of matrices. This review presents an overview of the current commercially available immunoassay rapid test formats. Enzyme linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA), lateral flow tests, flow through immunoassay, fluorescent polarisation immunoassay, and immunoaffinity columns coupled with fluorometric assay are common formats in the current market. The two existing evaluation programs for commercial testing kits by United State Department of Agricultural Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration (USDA-GIPSA) and AOAC Research Institute are introduced. The strengths and weaknesses of these test kits are discussed with regard to the application scope, variance, specificity and cross reactivity, accuracy and precision, and measurement range. Generally speaking, the current commercially available testing kits meet research and industrial needs as ‘fit-for-purpose’. Furthermore, quality assurance concerns and future perspectives are elaborated for broader application of commercial test kits in research, industry and regulatory applications. It is expected that new commercial kits based on advanced technologies such as electrochemical affinity biosensors, molecularly imprinted polymers, surface plasmon resonance, fluorescence resonance energy transfer, aptamer-based biosensors and dynamic light scattering might be available to users in the future. Meanwhile, harmonisation of testing kit evaluation, incorporation of more quality assurance into the testing kit utilisation scheme, and a larger variety of kits available at lower cost will expand the usage of testing kits for food safety testing worldwide.
Ocular Biomechanical Metrics by CorVis ST in Healthy Brazilian Patients
Authors: Valbon Bruno Freitas , Ambrósio Renato , Fontes Bruno Machado , Luz Allan , Roberts Cynthia J. , Alves Milton Ruiz
Published: July 2014

PURPOSE:

To evaluate ocular biomechanical metrics given by the CorVis ST (Oculus, Inc., Berlin, Germany) in a population of healthy Brazilian patients.

METHODS:

An observational and cross-sectional study involving 1 eye randomly selected from 90 healthy patients. Studied parameters (including deformation amplitude, first applanation time, highest concavity time, second applanation time, first applanation length, second applanation length, curvature radius highest concavity, curvature radius normal, velocity in, and velocity out) derived from the CorVis ST were correlated to central corneal thickness from the Pentacam (Oculus, Inc.). Differences between data on the basis of gender were evaluated.

RESULTS:

Mean patient age was 35.80 ± 12.83 years (range: 21.07 to 78.84 years). Mean central corneal thickness was 547.50 ± 32.00
μ
m (range: 490 to 647
μ
m) and mean spherical equivalent refraction was −3.29 ± 3.69 diopters (range: −9.50 to +10.37 diopters). Mean deformation amplitude was 1.05 ± 0.08 mm (range: 0.91 to 1.26 mm). Highest concavity time was 18.38 ± 0.93 ms (range: 16.95 to 21.07 ms). Intraocular pressure was 16.43 ± 2.15 mm Hg (range: 11.50 to 21.0 mm Hg). First applanation time was 8.32 ± 0.33 ms (range: 7.53 to 9.12 ms) and second applanation time was 23.80 ± 0.44 ms (range: 22.76 to 24.95 ms). First applanation length (max) was 2.07 ± 0.38 mm (range: 1.20 to 3.10 mm) and second applanation length (max) was 2.37 ± 0.47 mm (range: 1.33 to 4.12 mm). Curvature radius highest concavity was 11.09 ± 2.06 mm (range: 7.58 to 15.98 mm) and curvature radius normal was 7.59 ± 0.67 mm (range: 6.82 to 11.02 mm). Velocity in was 0.21 ± 0.05 m/s (range: 0.16 to 0.72 m/s) and velocity out was −0.33 ± 0.07 m/s (range: −0.72 to −0.20 m/s). Studied parameters were not associated with gender.

CONCLUSIONS:

Eight of 11 ocular biomechanical metrics given by the CorVis ST were associated with central corneal thickness, but the influence of central corneal thickness on these measurements was low.

[
J Refract Surg.
2014;30(7):468–473.]
Borracheras, huidas y rebeldía entre los indios de Chile colonial.Decretos, autos y bandos de los siglos XVI y XVII
Authors: Contreras Cruces Hugo
Published: July 2014

Los documentos que presentamos a continuación brindan un cuadro del mosaico político, social y étnico de Chile colonial. Conforman un corpus administrativo revelador de profundas ambigüedades en una zona confuertes dinámicas de frontera. Ellos expresan la voz de los representantes directos de la Corona o de los miembros de los cuerpos colegiados integrados por las elites, es decir, los cabildos y en particular el Cabildo de Santiago, señalando problemas cotidianos que debían afrontar los funcionarios, reaccionando ante situaciones que se explicaban por el precario dominio territorial que jueces, corregidores y aun los propios encomenderos podían ejercer sobre los grupos indígenas y otros sujetos colonizados de Chile central. Estos participaban de las costumbres, ritos, juegos y conductas penalizadas, incluyendo aquellas que se desplegaban en los ámbitos urbano y rural. Estos documentos constituyen actos jurídicos derivados de la actividad de la Corona y sus representantes en el país, diagnosticando ciertos hechos que, a los ojos tanto de las autoridades como de la elite española, conspiraban contra la seguridad del reino, la implantación del cristianismo y aun contra la integridad moral y física de los involucrados.
Veinte mil argentinos en un barco. Cartas de voluntarios para poblar las islas recuperadas, abril de 1982(
Authors: Lorenz Federico
Published: July 2014

El artículo analiza el impacto de la guerra de Malvinas (1982) a partir de un conjunto de cartas escritas por ciudadanos argentinos que se ofrecieron voluntarios para ir a poblar el archipiélago recuperado o desempeñar distintas tareas en las islas. Identifica algunas de las ideas y representaciones acerca de la Argentina y la Patagonia que se hicieron visibles en los ofrecimientos de los civiles movilizados por la “recuperación” del archipiélago.
Corpus indígenas en la Conquista del Paraguay (siglo XVI)
Authors: Candela Guillaume
Published: July 2014

El documento elegido para la publicación en este dossier incluye una serie de interrogatorios realizados a indígenas por medio de intérpretes guaraní parlantes en el Paraguay de la Conquista, durante el período 1542-1543. Este documento temprano devuelve el interés por una etapa temprana de la conquista en una zona periférica poco estudiada hasta el momento, de la que a menudo se ha afirmado que carece de suficientes fuentes. El documento, existente en el Archivo General de Indias, revela el uso de clasificaciones étnicas y la interacción entre indígenas y conquistadores en el contexto de expansión territorial y la búsqueda de riquezas.