bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mentalités anglaises au temps d'Henri II Plantagenêt d'après les Proverbs of Alfred
Authors: Crépin André
Published: February 2012

The Proverbs of Alfred are known through four mss of the XlIIth c. and are attributed to Alfred, king of Wessex (871-899). Being echoed in The Owl and the Nightingale, they were probably written during Henry's reign.

The text is made of stanzas which provide political and ethical advice : the duties of earls, barons and knights, the attitude to have towards friends, women, etc. There is in one MS an explicit parallel with King Solomon and, interestingly, William of Newburgh also draws a parallel between Henry II and Solomon. Alfred's influence remains important, witness the copies made of his translations in the Xth-XIIth c. and reference is made to his proverbs by Aelred of Rievaulx and the Winchester Chronicle.

The general attitude is one of distrust, which is typical of a time of feuds between close relatives. And also the advice to share riches partakes of the early medieval image of the lord (as opposed to the tyrant). The likelihood of Alfred's authorship dwindles as the text unfolds. Yet the attribution is more than mere convenience. Some evidence points to Alfredian inspiration, e.g. the parallelism between wisdom and riches, or the importance of being able to read.

Alfred's influence, not superseded yet by that of Arthur, is still felt in the Proverbs as it was in the mentalities of Henry II's time.
La confrontation Becket-Henri II comme paradigme historique
Authors: Marc'Hadour Germain
Published: February 2012

The parallel between the two Thomases confronted with two Henrys, bridging the gap of four centuries of history, has struck historians as well as playwrights. The striking feature of the murder perpetrated on December 29th, 1170 is that the Christian martyr was being persecuted not by an enemy of Christianity, but by a monarch anointed and supported by archbishop Theobald.

The parallel was no coincidence, since Thomas Becket's shrine in Canterbury was destroyed by Henry VIII in 1538. And Thomas, as a given name, then became very frequent and a feature of Englishmen (e. g. as described by Rabelais in Pantagruel) until the Reformation. Though the name is not so frequent now (or precisely because of that), the author of Murder in the Cathedral is likely to have been aware of the historical impact of his first name.

Thomas More himself wrote that he "longed to go to God [...] tomorrow for it is St Thomas' Even", and the parallel with Becket was made explicit by his son-in-law, William Roper and his biographer, Thomas Stapleton.

Another such parallel may be drawn apropos of Pius VI and the French National Assembly of 1790. The Pope's brief addressed to the French bishops mentions the perfect resemblance between the attitude of the Assembly and that of Henry II (about the oath required of the bishops, the confiscation of property, the refusal to consider the bishops' distinction between temporal power and spiritual authority).

In spite of the differences between the two martyrs, similarities predominate (their social origin, their education as lawyers, their influence on monarchs some 12 to 15 years younger).
Le roi et son historien : Henri II Plantagenêt et Robert de Torigni, abbé du Mont-Saint-Michel
Authors: Van Houts Elisabeth M. C.
Published: February 2012

Robert de Torigni was a faithful supporter of the Plantagenets. He continued the Gesta Normannorum ducum started by Guillaume de Jumièges. He had received from Henry of Huntingdon a copy of the latter's Historia Anglorum, which prompted him to do the same for Normandy. And so he did from 1149 to his death in 1186, both when prior of Bec and abbot of Mont-Saint-Michel. He was visited there by Henry who donated the churches of Pontorson to his abbey. The close examination of charters in connection with his chronicle reveals an opportunistic attitude on his part, which he diplomatically concealed in his historical writings.
La mort et les funérailles d'Henri II
Authors: Wood Charles T.
Published: February 2012

Lors du conflit qui opposa en 1189 Richard à Henri, ce dernier retranché à Chinon dut négocier à des conditions défavorables, et le ralliement de Jean Sans Terre à Richard l'anéantit. Il mourut le 6 juillet et fut inhumé à Fontevraud le 8. Son désir avait été de reposer à Grandmont pour lequel il avait donné de l'argent et fait livrer du plomb d'Angleterre, et où il avait fait enterrer les entrailles de son fils Henri. Son enterrement à Fontevraud a été fortuit, choix sans doute de Guillaume le Maréchal (qui organisa les obsèques) et de Geoffroi, fils bâtard qui lui resta fidèle. À l'époque, les conditions dramatiques de sa mort furent attribuées à l'origine satanique, par la Mélusine, des comtes d'Anjou ; à la malédiction de Becket ; au châtiment de Dieu pour la « bigamie » de Mathilde et d'Aliénor. Henri II était loin d'être le candidat idéal pour une belle mort ! Les chroniqueurs des obsèques font référence à Richard comme « comte de Poitiers » et semblent considérer qu'Henri demeurait sans successeur.
Le Florimont d'Aimon de Varennes : un prologue du Roman d'Alexandre
Authors: Harf-Lancner Laurence
Published: February 2012

Aimon de Varennes' Florimont has been written as a prologue to the Roman d'Alexandre. In 1188, most of the French verse Alexander romances were already born, especially Alexandre de Paris' version, which unites several former texts to create a complete biography of the hero. Aimon imagines the story of Alexander's ancestors : Florimont has a son, Philip, who marries Princess Olympias and fights, before Alexander himself, Enchanter Nectanebo. The chivalric ideal in both novels is focused on liberality : both Florimont and Alexander conquer gold and realms only to lavish them on their friends. Besides, Aimon's novel has been inserted in the Alexander cycle, in a XIIIth century manuscript. And in XVth and XVIth centuries, Florimont owns its success (several translations in prose) to this link with glorious Alexander.
Proverbes anglo-normands : tradition insulaire ou héritage européen?
Authors: Schulze-Busacker Elisabeth
Published: February 2012

Although even a proverb is only a proverb for a certain period of time, bound to an historical context that is demonstrated in proverb collections but is of little importance to those engaged in paremiological research, we should be able to be more precise about the terms of its existence. From this point of view, an examination of the vernacular proverbs found in three types of documents dating from 1150 to 1350, originating in the British and Channel Isles (including the costal region of Normandy), and written in Norman French or Anglo-Norman, is revealing.

In the first place, there exists a clear parallelism between the development of proverb tradition on the one hand and literary tradition on the other. Thus, the translation of Salomon's Proverbs in Sanson de Nantuil's version (c. 1150) reflects the transitional phase between the medieval Latin tradition and the emerging vernacular one. A second group of texts, comprising Anglo-Norman romances and tales dating from 1150 to 1250, attests to the fluctuating fortunes of the Proverbes au vilain. Contrasting with this, the third type of documents, in particular Jean de Saint Martin's Vie du Bienheureux Thomas Elie de Biville (c. 1340), belongs to a proverb tradition arising from its own historical, geographical and intellectual context.
Et magnae silvae creverunt... Observations sur le thème du rinceau peuplé dans l'orfèvrerie et l'ivoirerie liturgiques aux époques ottonienne et romane
Authors: Caillet Jean-Pierre
Published: February 2012

In Bernward's liturgical candlesticks at Hildesheim as in Abbot Peter's one at Gloucester or in the Trivulzio candelabrum of Milano, inhabited scroll theme appears having been used to express human destiny (Fall and Redemption). With some variations, other items belonging to the same period beetween the year 1000 and about 1200 also seem to convey this notion. Such an iconography is first explained by drawing back to its paleochristian and early medieval sources.

But it is then necessary to examine doctrinal basis likely to have, during Romanesque period itself, conditioned a metaphorical use of inhabited scroll. Neo-platonician tradition takes here an important position, as do some speculations which insist on negative role of the forest (for instance by Hildegard of Bingen) ; meanings of the word silva must also be considered. A mental background is then defîned, and the nuances it includes are well enough connected to those in formulations of our theme. Moreover, this preoccupation of embracing the universe with all its components and duration is manifested in our items just as it is in monumental programs ; and the seemingly marginal developments which scrolls are composing may then also carry about an essential part of the message.
L'architecture préromane et romane au château royal de Cracovie
Authors: Pianowski Zbigniew
Published: February 2012

Les plus anciennes parties du château de Cracovie, construites en pierre, datent de la première monarchie des Piast (de la fin du Xe s. aux années 30 du XIe s.). À ce jour, ont été découverts les vestiges de trois rotondes (une à quatre absides, dite de la Sainte-Vierge, une à deux absides, dite de l'église « B », une à une seule abside), la partie inférieure du cellarium au sommet de la colline du Wawel, ainsi que quelques fragments de murs des basiliques romanes (cathédrale et église Saint-Géréon). Les bâtiments préromans, mentionnés ci- dessus ont probablement fait partie du palais, de la cathédrale et du village aux multiples fonctions, situé au centre et dans la partie ouest de la colline.

Vers le milieu du XIe s., on a commencé à élever les bâtiments romans : le palais ducal avec la grande salle de réception, l'église palatine Saint-Géréon, ainsi qu'une rotonde à tribune occidentale située à l'extrémité sud de la colline. A l'époque de transition entre le XIe et le XIIe s., on a construit la cathédrale romane, agrandi le palais ducal et élevé la tour de défense carrée.

Outre les bâtiments mentionnés ci-dessus, le Wawel abritait deux églises du premier âge gothique (Saint- Michel et Saint-Georges), le manoir des évêques de Cracovie et le monastère de chanoines. Ces constructions, l'église Saint-Michel exceptée, ne sont pas encore localisées du point de vue archéologique. Aux XIIIe et XIVe s., la plupart des bâtiments préromans et romans ont été démolis et remplacés par des bâtiments gothiques.
Les inscriptions romanes des musées Ochier et du Farinier à Cluny
Authors: Michaud Jean
Published: February 2012

Le petit corpus d'inscriptions lapidaires romanes des musées Ochier et du Farinier à Cluny constitue une source documentaire importante pour l'historien et l'historien de l'art (épitaphe de l'abbé Aymar, consécration de l'autel de la chapelle Saint-Gabriel, chapiteau des Saisons et des Vertus et chapiteaux des Tons du plain-chant, clef de voûte de l'ancienne abbatiale Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul). L'étude épigraphique de ces textes permet en effet d'affiner une datation demeurée incertaine, à la fois à partir de l'examen paléographique des inscriptions et de l'argumentation d'ordre historique offerte par ces documents.
Geoffroi de Monmouth et les merveilles du lac de Linligwan : l'émergence d'un nouvel imaginaire culturel
Authors: Milin Gaël
Published: February 2012

Les merveilles du lac de Linligwan, décrites par Geoffroi de Monmouth dans l'Historia regum Britanniae, s'inscrivent à l'évidence dans la tradition, héritée de l'Antiquité gréco-latine, des mirabilia géographiques ; mais la transposition aux « confins » occidentaux et septentrionaux de l'Europe (ici par Geoffroi, ailleurs par l'évêque Patrick, ou par Giraut de Cambrie) des mirabilia que l'Antiquité localisait, elle, plutôt au sud-est de l'oikoumène (« les merveilles de l'Inde ») constitue un fait culturel d'importance, significatif, en tout cas, de la fonction des terres celtiques dans l'imaginaire médiéval. Le rôle de descripteur de ces merveilles dévolu au roi Arthur dans l'H.R.B. complète et précise l'information précédente : le goût de la connaissance que le roi partage avec Alexandre, son illustre devancier, vient s'ajouter à la volonté de puissance et à la valeur guerrière pour en faire la version médiévale, l'émule et le successeur du conquérant universel, le souverain en qui se concilieraient chevalerie et clergie. Enfin la restriction, du moins dans ce passage de l'H.R.B., des mirabilia à des faits appartenant au folklore des eaux, particulièrement bien attestés dans le domaine celtique, l'affleurement dans le texte de mythes celtiques concernant l'Autre Monde (conservés dans le mythe irlandais du Puits de Nechtan), traduisent, au-delà du processus d'acculturation défini plus haut, un effort d'appropriation, une tentative d'adaptation des mirabilia géographiques au substrat, à l'environnement culturel. Il ne s'agit donc pas là d'un banal travail de faussaire, mais de l'émergence dans l'Occident médiéval d'un nouvel imaginaire, d'une nouvelle culture.
Lemmata sanctorum. Thiofrid d'Echternach et le discours sur les reliques au XIIe siècle
Authors: Ferrari Michele Camillo
Published: February 2012

I Flores epytaphii sanctorum di Thiofrido, che fu abate di Echternach e mori nel 1110, sono con il De sanctis et eorum pigneribus di Guiberto di Nogent (mori nel 1124) l'unico trattato medievale dedicato al culto delle reliquie. In esso Thiofrido schizza una tipologia delle diverse forme di reliquie basata sulle loro qualità sensibili e non sulla gerarchia dei santi o su altre categorie simboliche. La reliquia viene cioè percepita innanzitutto quale oggetto defînito dai sensi. Il testo dei Flores e le miniature che lo accompagnano in due manoscritti provenienti dallo scriptorium di Echternach documentano cosi la nuova valutazione della percezione sensoriale manifestatasi con particolare vigore nella seconda meta dell'XI secolo nella controversia eucaristica che ebbe corne protagonista Berengario di Tours (mori nell 1088). Anche Guiberto di Nogent prende posizione su questo dibattito nel suo trattato sulle reliquie.
Le baiser de paix utilisé lors du couronnement des rois de Pologne et déposé au Trésor de Notre-Dame de Paris. Considérations sur l'importance des croix et des reliques pour le couronnement des rois de Pologne
Authors: Derwich Marek
Published: February 2012

Die Reliquie des heiligen Kreuzbaumes in Gestalt eines doppelten Kreuzes, zur Zeit in Paris aufbewahrt, entstand gegen Hälfte des 13. Jhs. auf Bestellung von Manuel I. Komnen von Trébizonde. 1420 wurde des Reliquiar dem polnischen König Ladislaus Jagiello vin Abordnung des Kaisers Manuel II. Paleolog übergeben. Ähnlich wie die anderenkreuze vom Kronschatz, was es beil königlichen Krönungszeremonieen benutzt, und gerad dieses als Pacificale, das dem König bei Erteilung des Friedensküsses während der Krönungsmesse zum Küssen gegeben wurde. Aus Polen wurde es vom König Johannes Casimir, kurz nach dessen Abdankung im Jahre 1668 ausgeführt.
La couleur et le vitrail
Authors: Perrot Françoise
Published: February 2012

Cette note a pour but de rappeler les rapports que le vitrail entretient avec la couleur et, à partir des travaux antérieurs et plus récents, d'ouvrir le champ d'investigation : relecture des textes du XIIe s. concernant la lumière et des grands recueils de recettes, recherches techniques sur la transmission de la lumière.
Invention du récit : La « Brutiade » de Geoffroy de Monmouth (Historia regum Britanniae, § 6-22)
Authors: Tilliette Jean-Yves
Published: February 2012

Even if Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia regum Britanniae has been the subject of much attention by philologists, historians and folklorists, one can hardly say it has received a proper literary analysis. It is claimed here that, even from this point of view, this text is the result of a concerted project. The analysis of the first part of the Historia — the adventures of Brutus, the eponymous founder of the Britons — proves that Geoffrey consciously set out to integrate successively the three « matieres » of Rome (the ancient epic), of France (the « chanson de geste ») and of the Britons (the celtic marvellous myths and legends), in order to accomplish what could be called a « comprehensive narrative ». The aim of such an enterprise, addressed to a public that is not exclusively clerical, is to replace the kind of writing inherited from the High Middle Ages, directed towards an audience whose expectation were exclusively eschatological, with the secularised expression of a new experience of time.
Frequency of local, regional, and long‐distance dispersal of diploid and tetraploidSaxifraga oppositifolia(Saxifragaceae) to Arctic glacier forelands
Authors: Müller Eike , Eidesen Pernille Bronken , Ehrich Dorothee , Alsos Inger Greve
Published: February 2012

•Premise of the Study:Climate change forces many species to migrate. Empirical small‐scale data on migration and colonization in the Arctic are scarce. Retreating glaciers provide new territory for cold‐adapted plant species, but the genetic consequences depend on dispersal distances and frequencies. We estimated local, regional, and long‐distance dispersal frequencies, as well as their effect on levels of genetic diversity, in diploid and tetraploid individuals ofSaxifraga oppositifolia.

•Methods:Samples were collected in four aged moraines in each of three glacier forelands, in surrounding areas and reference populations in the Arctic archipelago Svalbard. These samples were analyzed for neutral amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs,n= 707) and ploidy levels (n= 30).

•Key Results:Genetic clustering and ploidy analyses revealed two distinct genetic groups representing diploids and tetraploids, with few intermediate triploids. The groups were intermixed in most sampled populations. No differences in genetic diversity were found between tetraploids and diploids, or between established and glacier foreland populations. Seeds were dispersed over local, regional, and long distances, with the highest proportions of seeds originating from close sources. A minimum of 4–15 founding individuals from several source populations had initially established in each glacier foreland.

•Conclusions:Our data suggest thatS. oppositifoliacan rapidly colonize new deglaciated areas without losing genetic diversity. Thus, glacier forelands can be alternative habitats for cold‐adapted vascular plants tracking their climatic niche. Our data show no difference in colonization success between diploid and tetraploid individuals.
Isolation and characterization of 36 polymorphic microsatellite markers in Schima superba (Theaceae)
Authors: Niu Hong‐Yu , Li Xiao‐Yi , Ye Wan‐Hui , Wang Zheng‐Feng , Cao Hong‐Lin , Wang Zhang‐Ming
Published: February 2012

• Premise of the study: Our objective was to develop microsatellite markers to investigate the level of genetic diversity within and among populations in a dominant evergreen broad‐leaved tree, Schima superba, in southern China.

• Methods and Results: Thirty‐six microsatellite markers were developed and showed polymorphism in three populations. The number of alleles per locus ranged from six to 34, with an average of 19. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.242 to 1.000 and from 0.504 to 0.945, respectively.

• Conclusions: The developed microsatellites will be useful for studying genetic diversity and population structure in S. superba.
Self-assembly of Ru4 and Ru8 assemblies by coordination using organometallic Ru(II)2 precursors: Synthesis, characterization and properties
Authors: Shanmugaraju Sankarasekaran , Samanta Dipak , Mukherjee Partha Sarathi
Published: February 2012

Coordination-driven self-assembly of binuclear half-sandwich p-cymene ruthenium(II) complexes [Ru2(μ-η4-C2O4)(MeOH)2(η6-p-cymene)2](O3SCF3)2 (1a) or [Ru2(μ-η4-N,N'-diphenyloxamidato)(MeOH)2(η6-p-cymene)2](O3SCF3)2 (1b) separately with an imidazole-based tetratopic donor L in methanol affords two tetranuclear metallamacrocycles 2a and 2b, respectively. Conversely, the similar combination of L with 2,5-dihydroxy-1,4-benzoquinonato (dhbq) bridged binuclear complex [Ru2(μ-η4-C6H2O4)(MeOH)2(η6-p-cymene)2](O3SCF3)2 (1c) in 1:2 molar ratio resulted in an octanuclear macrocyclic cage 2c. All the self-assembled macrocycles 2a–2c were isolated as their triflate salts in high yields and were characterized fully by multinuclear (1H, 13C and 19F) NMR, infrared (IR) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESIMS). In addition, the molecular structure of macrocycle 2a was established unequivocally by single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and adopts a tetranuclear rectangular geometry with the dimensions of 5.53 Å × 12.39 Å. Furthermore, the photo- and electrochemical properties of these newly synthesized assemblies have been studied by using UV–vis absorption and cyclic voltammetry analysis.
The Strategy of a Belgian multiple grocer: Delhaize Le Lion, 1867-1940. An essay in comparative retailing history
Authors: Van Den Eeckhout Patricia , Scholliers Peter
Published: February 2012

Résumé Une comparaison internationale fondée sur des archives très riches éclaire les voies multiples de la grande distribution. En Grande-Bretagne les maisons d’alimentation à succursales multiples servaient comme clientèle principale les ouvriers avant la Première Guerre mondiale. Elles y parvenaient grâce à une gamme limitée de produits et des coûts et des services réduits au minimum. Dans l’entre-deux-guerres la concurrence passa des prix au service. En Belgique, est-ce que le détaillant à succursales multiples Delhaize a suivi la même trajectoire ? L’entreprise familiale Delhaize-Le Lion a commencé son activité en 1867, connu une expansion rapide et acquis ses propres usines et marques et un réseau de distribution national. Avant comme après la Première Guerre mondiale, il s’avère que Delhaize a ciblé une clientèle hétérogène, ce qui l’a amené à porter ses efforts à la fois sur les prix et le service 1 .
Sauver d'une réification de la conscience la tâche de la phénoménologie
Authors: Barbaras Renaud
Published: February 2012

Résumé L’accès à ce qui constitue l’objet propre de la phénoménologie, à savoir l’apparaître comme tel, suppose une épochè radicalisée. Celle-ci conduit à caractériser le sens d’être des deux pôles de la corrélation phénoménologique – l’apparaissant transcendant et la conscience – en échappant à toute forme de réification. Or, une telle méthode, loin de fonder un principe de clôture pour la phénoménologie, permet au contraire de mettre en évidence un nécessaire autodépassement de la phénoménologie, à la fois vers une cosmologie et une métaphysique.
What Is a Gap and How Do I Fill It?
Authors: Dickerson Pamela S.
Published: February 2012

Planning educational activities for continuing nursing education (CNE) is focused on developing learning experiences that “fill the gap” between where the learner is and where he or she needs to be. This column explores needs assessment and gap analysis processes that guide planning, implementation, and evaluation of CNE activities.
Effectiveness of Prisms in the Management of Diplopia in Patients Due to Diverse Etiologies
Authors: Tamhankar Madhura A. , Ying Gui-shuang , Volpe Nicholas J.
Published: February 2012

Purpose:

To study the effectiveness of prisms in the management of diplopia from different etiologies and over a broad range of ocular misalignment.

Methods:

In this retrospective cohort study, resolution of diplopia in 94 patients who were prescribed prisms was studied.

Results:

Among 94 patients, 88% reported complete or partial resolution of double vision (95% confidence interval: 84.1% to 95.6%) with highest improvement noted in the divergence insufficiency and skew deviation group (100%) compared to 64% improvement noted in patients with convergence insufficiency. More than 85% of patients who were prescribed greater than 10 diopters of prism and those with oblique prism prescriptions also reported resolution of diplopia. Eighty-nine percent of the cohort continued with prism use and 11% opted for strabismus surgery.

Conclusion:

In this study, prisms were effective in alleviation of diplopia over a broad range and for different etiologies of double vision.
Intrastromal Femtosecond Laser Presbyopia Correction: 1-year Results of a Multicenter Study
Authors: Holzer Mike P. , Knorz Michael C. , Tomalla Mark , Neuhann Tobias M. , Auffarth Gerd U.
Published: February 2012

PURPOSE:

To investigate functional outcomes of the INTRACOR femtosecond laser–based intrastromal procedure to treat presbyopia.

METHODS:

Sixty-three eyes from 63 presbyopic patients (median age: 54 years) with mild hyperopia were enrolled in this prospective, ethics committee–approved, multi-center, nonrandomized clinical trial. The INTRACOR procedure was performed using the Technolas femtosecond laser (Technolas Perfect Vision GmbH) in the nondominant eye. Postoperatively, follow-up was performed at 1 day, 1 week, and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months and included near and distance visual acuity tests, slit-lamp examinations, and corneal topography.

RESULTS:

All 63 surgeries were uneventful. Twelve months postoperatively, outcomes of 58 (92.1%) eyes were available for evaluation. Median uncorrected distance visual acuity (0.1 logMAR [range: 0.5 to 0.0 preoperatively and 0.5 to −0.1 postoperatively]) and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) (0.0 logMAR [range: 0.2 to −0.2 preoperatively and 0.3 to −0.1 postoperatively]) remained stable. Median spherical equivalent changed from +0.63 diopters (D) preoperatively to 0.00 D postoperatively. Median uncorrected near visual acuity increased significantly from 0.7 logMAR (range: 1.0 to 0.2) preoperatively to 0.2 logMAR (range: 0.8 to −0.1) postoperatively and eyes gained a median of 4 lines (range: 1 to 9 lines). Losses of 2 lines of CDVA were noted in 7.1% of eyes. Ring cuts were faintly visible at 12 months.

CONCLUSIONS:

The INTRACOR presbyopia procedure showed good and stable visual acuity outcomes over 12-month follow-up but loss of CDVA occurred in 7% of eyes. Overall patient satisfaction with the procedure was approximately 80%. Short treatment time and maintained corneal surface integrity are advantages of this procedure.
Comparison of the Ziemer FEMTO LDV Femtosecond Laser and Moria M2 Mechanical Microkeratome
Authors: Zhou Yuehua , Zhang Jing , Tian Lei , Zhai Changbin
Published: February 2012

PURPOSE:

To assess and compare the dimensions of LASIK flaps created by the Ziemer FEMTO LDV “Classic” femtosecond (FS) laser and Moria M2 microkeratome with 110-μm head and −20 blade.

METHODS:

Seven hundred twenty eyes from 360 consecutive patients were enrolled in this study and divided into two groups of equal size for flap creation with the Ziemer LDV (FS laser group) and Moria M2 mechanical microkeratome (microkeratome group). Nominal flap thickness was 110 μm for all patients and for both devices. Flap thickness was measured by Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography in 14 specified positions on each flap 1 week after surgery to analyze the regularity, uniformity, and accuracy of the two types of LASIK flaps.

RESULTS:

The mean deviation between achieved and attempted flap thickness was smaller in the FS laser group than in the microkeratome group. The flaps in the FS laser group were more regular and uniform, showing an almost planar configuration, whereas flaps in the microkeratome group had a meniscus shape and were significantly thicker near the flap edge. Nasal and temporal flap thickness did not differ significantly in the FS laser group, whereas in the microkeratome group, characteristic differences in temporal versus nasal flap thickness were noticed. Within the 5040 individual measurements of the 360 eyes, deviations of >20 μm were observed in 0.73% of eyes in the FS laser group and 42.4% in the microkeratome group.

CONCLUSIONS:

The dimensions of flaps created by the Ziemer LDV femtosecond laser were more uniform and accurate than those created by the Moria M2 microkeratome.
Irregularity of the Posterior Corneal Surface During Applanation Using a Curved Femtosecond Laser Interface and Microkeratome Cutting Head
Authors: Vetter Jan M. , Holtz Carsten , Vossmerbaeumer Urs , Pfeiffer Norbert
Published: February 2012

PURPOSE:

To evaluate the irregularity of the posterior corneal surface and intrastromal dissection during the preparation of donor tissue for Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK) using a curved interface femtosecond laser and microkeratome.

METHODS:

Sixteen human donor corneas unsuitable for transplantation were divided into two groups: a femtosecond (FS) laser group (n=7) using the VisuMax femtosecond laser (Carl Zeiss Meditec) and a microkeratome group (n=9) using the Amadeus II microkeratome (Ziemer Ophthalmic Group). The corneas were fixed on artificial anterior chambers. Horizontal cross-sections were obtained using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography prior to applanation, during applanation, as well as during and after intrastromal dissection at 450-μm corneal depth. The posterior surface and the dissection line were evaluated for irregularity by fitting a second-order polynomial curve using regression analysis and obtaining the root-mean-square error (RMSE). Groups were compared using analysis of variance.

RESULTS:

The RMSE of the posterior surface prior to applanation was 9.7±3.1 μm in the FS laser group and 10.2±2.3 μm in the microkeratome group. The RMSE increased to 50.7±9.4 μm and 20.9±6.1 μm during applanation and decreased again to 10.6±1.4 μm and 8.1±1.8 μm after applanation in the FS laser and microkeratome groups, respectively. The RMSE of the intrastromal cut was 19.5±5.7 μm in the FS laser group and 7.7±3.0 μm in the microkeratome group (
P
<.001).

CONCLUSIONS:

Our results show significantly greater irregularity with the curved interface femtosecond laser–assisted cleavage compared to microkeratome-assisted corneal dissection, possibly due to applanation-derived deformation of the posterior cornea.
E-Government Between Developed and Developing Countries
Authors: Nawafleh Sahem , Obiedat Ruba , Harfoushi Osama
Published: February 2012

E-government aims to offer services the countrys' communities both in public or private sectors by using the ICT tools to reduce the cost and times by eradication of manifestations of routines and bureaucracy. All countries around the world are seeking to implement and diffuse e-government services, especially the developing countries, and to do that they have to overcome a range of factors that prevent the effective implementation of e-government in the countries.

This paper discusses and analyzes E-government topics and revolves around the most important factors behind the success of this program, and tries to analyze and study the E-government program in Finland as a developed country, and Saudi Arabia as a developing one. It aims to find out the most important strategies that have been used to overcome the challenges; these factors & strategies, including such as infrastructure, technical, social, political and cultural in order to study some of these factors in each of them and try to make a comparison between to contribute to the success of the program in other developing countries, as well as to beneficial from developed country's experiences in this field. The reason behind selecting Finland and Saudi Arabia is the qualitative leap made by both of them, especially Saudi Arabia as a developing country and their success in the program with a record time.
Des discours aux chiffres : les effets d’une décennie de lois réformatrices en matière de justice des mineurs
Authors: Delarre Sébastien
Published: February 2012

La décennie récente a été marquée par un durcissement de la justice des mineurs. Le constat est récurrent dans la littérature sociologique et juridique contemporaine. Mais à quel niveau s’applique-t-il ? Les lois traditionnelles visent à se réaliser dans des actes judiciaires réels, régulant les pratiques qui leur sont assujetties. Les lois dites « symboliques » en revanche remplissent des fonctions qui dépassent largement le cadre de leur mise en application pratique, pour trouver ailleurs une raison d’être. Or, les commentaires effectués ces dernières années sur la justice des mineurs semblent osciller souvent entre ces deux lectures, de premier et de second degré ; de ce fait, le diagnostic des transformations pénales n’est pas tout à fait stabilisé. Cette recherche propose alors simplement de mesurer in concreto, sur la base de données semi-administratives, l’impact des diverses lois passées dans le cadre des réformes récentes. Une méthode ancienne est reprise, la représentation des filières pénales sous la forme de graphes, afin de comparer terme à terme les deux extrémités de la décennie récente.
SHP-1 As a Critical Regulator of Mycoplasma pneumoniae-Induced Inflammation in Human Asthmatic Airway Epithelial Cells
Authors: Wang Ying , Zhu Zhou , Church Tony D. , Lugogo Njira L. , Que Loretta G. , Francisco Dave , Ingram Jennifer L. , Huggins Molly , Beaver Denise M. , Wright Jo Rae , Kraft Monica
Published: February 2012

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease in which airway epithelial cells are the first line of defense against exposure of the airway to infectious agents. Src homology protein (SHP)-1, a protein tyrosine phosphatase, is a negative regulator of signaling pathways that are critical to the development of asthma and host defense. We hypothesize that SHP-1 function is defective in asthma, contributing to the increased inflammatory response induced by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, a pathogen known to exacerbate asthma. M. pneumoniae significantly activated SHP-1 in airway epithelial cells collected from nonasthmatic subjects by bronchoscopy with airway brushing but not in cells from asthmatic subjects. In asthmatic airway epithelial cells, M. pneumoniae induced significant PI3K/Akt phosphorylation, NF-κB activation, and IL-8 production compared with nonasthmatic cells, which were reversed by SHP-1 overexpression. Conversely, SHP-1 knockdown significantly increased IL-8 production and PI3K/Akt and NF-κB activation in the setting of M. pneumoniae infection in nonasthmatic cells, but it did not exacerbate these three parameters already activated in asthmatic cells. Thus, SHP-1 plays a critical role in abrogating M. pneumoniae-induced IL-8 production in nonasthmatic airway epithelial cells through inhibition of PI3K/Akt and NF-κB activity, but it is defective in asthma, resulting in an enhanced inflammatory response to infection.
Type I IFN Drives a Distinctive Dendritic Cell Maturation Phenotype That Allows Continued Class II MHC Synthesis and Antigen Processing
Authors: Simmons Daimon P. , Wearsch Pamela A. , Canaday David H. , Meyerson Howard J. , Liu Yi C. , Wang Ying , Boom W. Henry , Harding Clifford V.
Published: February 2012

Microbial molecules or cytokines can stimulate dendritic cell (DC) maturation, which involves DC migration to lymph nodes and enhanced presentation of Ag to launch T cell responses. Microbial TLR agonists are the most studied inducers of DC maturation, but type I IFN (IFN-I) also promotes DC maturation. In response to TLR stimulation, DC maturation involves a burst of Ag processing with enhanced expression of peptide–class II MHC complexes and costimulator molecules. Subsequently, class II MHC (MHC-II) synthesis and expression in intracellular vacuolar compartments is inhibited, decreasing Ag processing function. This limits presentation to a cohort of Ags kinetically associated with the maturation stimulus and excludes presentation of Ags subsequently experienced by the DC. In contrast, our studies show that IFN-I enhances DC expression of MHC-II and costimulatory molecules without a concomitant inhibition of subsequent MHC-II synthesis and Ag processing. Expression of mRNA for MHC-II and the transcription factor CIITA is inhibited in DCs treated with TLR agonists but maintained in cells treated with IFN-I. After stimulation with IFN-I, MHC-II expression is increased on the plasma membrane but is also maintained in intracellular vacuolar compartments, consistent with sustained Ag processing function. These findings suggest that IFN-I drives a distinctive DC maturation program that enhances Ag presentation to T cells without a shutdown of Ag processing, allowing continued sampling of Ags for presentation.
Endogenous IL-33 Is Highly Expressed in Mouse Epithelial Barrier Tissues, Lymphoid Organs, Brain, Embryos, and Inflamed Tissues: In Situ Analysis Using a Novel Il-33–LacZ Gene Trap Reporter Strain
Authors: Pichery Mélanie , Mirey Emilie , Mercier Pascale , Lefrancais Emma , Dujardin Arnaud , Ortega Nathalie , Girard Jean-Philippe
Published: February 2012

IL-33 (previously known as NF from high endothelial venules) is an IL-1 family cytokine that signals through the ST2 receptor and drives cytokine production in mast cells, basophils, eosinophils, invariant NKT and NK cells, Th2 lymphocytes, and type 2 innate immune cells (natural helper cells, nuocytes, and innate helper 2 cells). Little is known about endogenous IL-33; for instance, the cellular sources of IL-33 in mouse tissues have not yet been defined. In this study, we generated an Il-33–LacZ gene trap reporter strain (Il-33Gt/Gt) and used this novel tool to analyze expression of endogenous IL-33 in vivo. We found that the Il-33 promoter exhibits constitutive activity in mouse lymphoid organs, epithelial barrier tissues, brain, and embryos. Immunostaining with anti–IL-33 Abs, using Il-33Gt/Gt (Il-33–deficient) mice as control, revealed that endogenous IL-33 protein is highly expressed in mouse epithelial barrier tissues, including stratified squamous epithelia from vagina and skin, as well as cuboidal epithelium from lung, stomach, and salivary gland. Constitutive expression of IL-33 was not detected in blood vessels, revealing the existence of species-specific differences between humans and mice. Importantly, IL-33 protein was always localized in the nucleus of producing cells with no evidence for cytoplasmic localization. Finally, strong expression of the Il-33–LacZ reporter was also observed in inflamed tissues, in the liver during LPS-induced endotoxin shock, and in the lung alveoli during papain-induced allergic airway inflammation. Together, our findings support the possibility that IL-33 may function as a nuclear alarmin to alert the innate immune system after injury or infection in epithelial barrier tissues.
Cutting Edge: Independent Roles for IRF-3 and IRF-7 in Hematopoietic and Nonhematopoietic Cells during Host Response to Chikungunya Infection
Authors: Schilte Clémentine , Buckwalter Matthew R. , Laird Melissa E. , Diamond Michael S. , Schwartz Olivier , Albert Matthew L.
Published: February 2012

The host response to Chikungunya virus is dependent on the direct action of type I IFN on infected nonhematopoietic cells. Prior studies have demonstrated that multiple host sensors coordinate an antiviral response; however, the tissue source(s) and signaling pathways for IFN production remain unknown. In this study, we demonstrate that IRF-3 and IRF-7 are functionally redundant, but lack of both factors results in lethal infection in adult mice. Reciprocal bone marrow chimeras indicated that IRF-3 or IRF-7 expression in either hematopoietic or nonhemotopoietic cell compartments was capable of inducing an antiviral response. Interestingly, redundancy of IRF-3 and IRF-7 was age dependent, as neonatal animals lacking either factor succumbed to infection. We further demonstrate that IPS-1 is essential in nonhematopoietic cells and preferentially required during early life. These results highlight the interplay between nonimmune and immune cells during Chikungunya virus infection and suggest an important role for nonhematopoietic cells as a critical source of IFN-α/β.
Murine Membranous Nephropathy: Immunization with α3(IV) Collagen Fragment Induces Subepithelial Immune Complexes and FcγR-Independent Nephrotic Syndrome
Authors: Zhang Jun-Jun , Malekpour Mahdi , Luo Wentian , Ge Linna , Olaru Florina , Wang Xu-Ping , Bah Maimouna , Sado Yoshikazu , Heidet Laurence , Kleinau Sandra , Fogo Agnes B. , Borza Dorin-Bogdan
Published: February 2012

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is a leading cause of nephrotic syndrome in adults and a significant cause of end-stage renal disease, yet current therapies are nonspecific, toxic, and often ineffective. The development of novel targeted therapies requires a detailed understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms, but progress is hampered by the lack of a robust mouse model of disease. We report that DBA/1 mice as well as congenic FcγRIII−/− and FcRγ−/− mice immunized with a fragment of α3(IV) collagen developed massive albuminuria and nephrotic syndrome, because of subepithelial deposits of mouse IgG and C3 with corresponding basement membrane reaction and podocyte foot process effacement. The clinical presentation and histopathologic findings were characteristic of MN. Although immunized mice produced genuine anti-α3NC1 autoantibodies that bound to kidney and lung basement membranes, neither crescentic glomerulonephritis nor alveolitis ensued, likely because of the predominance of mouse IgG1 over IgG2a and IgG2b autoantibodies. The ablation of activating IgG Fc receptors did not ameliorate injury, implicating subepithelial deposition of immune complexes and consequent complement activation as a major effector pathway. We have thus established an active model of murine MN. This model, leveraged by the availability of genetically engineered mice and mouse-specific reagents, will be instrumental in studying the pathogenesis of MN and evaluating the efficacy of novel experimental therapies.
Long-Term Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer with Panitumumab
Authors: López-Gómez Miriam , Merino María , Casado Enrique
Published: February 2012

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. More than 30% patients present with metastases at diagnoses and will require systemic chemotherapy. In recent years many anti-EGFR targets have been developed. Among them, panitumumab, a fully human IgG2 monoclonal antibody has shown important benefits in the treatment of this disease.
Observations of atmosphere-biosphere exchange of total and speciated peroxynitrates: nitrogen fluxes and biogenic sources of peroxynitrates
Authors: Min K.-E. , Pusede S. E. , Browne E. C. , LaFranchi B. W. , Wooldridge P. J. , Wolfe G. M. , Harrold S. A. , Thornton J. A. , Cohen R. C.
Published: February 2012

Abstract. Peroxynitrates are responsible for global scale transport of reactive nitrogen. Recent laboratory observations suggest that they may also play an important role in delivery of nutrients to plant canopies. We measured eddy covariance fluxes of total peroxynitrates (ΣPNs) and three individual peroxynitrates (APNs ≡ PAN + PPN + MPAN) over a ponderosa pine forest during the Biosphere Effects on AeRosols and Photochemistry EXperiment 2009 (BEARPEX 2009). Concentrations of these species were also measured at multiple heights above and within the canopy. While the above-canopy daytime concentrations are nearly identical for ΣPNs and APNs, we observed the downward flux of ΣPNs to be 30–60% slower than the flux of APNs. The vertical concentration gradients of ΣPNs and APNs vary with time of day and exhibit different temperature dependencies. These differences can be explained by the production of peroxynitrates other than PAN, PPN, and MPAN within the canopy (presumably as a consequence of biogenic VOC emissions) and upward fluxes of these PN species. The impact of this implied peroxynitrate flux on the interpretation of NOx fluxes and ecosystem N exchange is discussed.
Observations and WRF simulations of fog events at the Spanish Northern Plateau
Authors: Román-Cascón C. , Yagüe C. , Sastre M. , Maqueda G. , Salamanca F. , Viana S.
Published: February 2012

Abstract. The prediction of fogs is one of the processes not well reproduced by the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models. In particular, the role of turbulence in the formation or dissipation of fogs is one of the physical processed not well understood, and therefore, not well parameterized by the NWP models. Observational analysis of three different periods with fogs at the Spanish Northern Plateau has been carried out. These periods have also been simulated with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) numerical model and their results have been compared to observations. The study includes a comparison of the skill of different planetary boundary layer (PBL) parameterizations, surface layer schemes and a test of the gravitational settling of clouds/fogs droplets option. A statistical analysis of this comparison has been evaluated in order to study differences between the periods and between the various parameterizations used. The model results for each PBL parameterization were different, depending on the studied period, due to differences in the features of each fog. This fact made it difficult to obtain generalized conclusions, but allowed us to determine which parameterization performed better for each case. In general, judging from the models results of liquid water content (LWC), none of the PBL schemes were able to correctly simulate the fogs, being Mellor-Yamada Nakanishi and Niino (MYNN) 2.5 level PBL scheme the best one in most of the cases. This conclusion is also supported by the root mean square error (RMSE) calculated for different meteorological variables.
Biogeochemistry of an amazonian podzol-ferralsol soil system with white kaolin
Authors: Lucas Y. , Montes C. R. , Mounier S. , Loustau-Cazalet M. , Ishida D. , Achard R. , Garnier C. , Melfi A. J.
Published: February 2012

Abstract. Podzol-ferralsol soil systems cover great areas in Amazonia and in other equatorial regions, they are an end-member of old equatorial landscape evolution, are frequently associated with kaolin deposits and store and export large amounts of carbon. Their biogeochemistry was usually inferred from soil mineralogy and from spring or river water properties. This paper presents a database for groundwaters sampled in situ in a typical podzol-ferralsol soil catena from the Alto Rio Negro region, Brazil; the sampling periods allowed to sample under high- and low-level water-table conditions. The compositions of the groundwaters percolating the soil system are consistent with the currently observed mineral and organic paragenesis. The acidity and the site density of the dissolved organic matter (DOM) produced and circulating in the podzol white sand horizons are similar to what was observed in acid podzolic temperate zone. The aggressiveness of the white sand groundwater with regard to secondary minerals favours the podzol development at the expense of the ferralsolic or kaolin material. Some DOM is able to percolate in depth through clayey material with concentrations up to 9.7 mgC l−1 (4.0 on average). This DOM is characterized by high site densities indicating a large proportion of small carboxylic acids. In the deep kaolin and in the ferralsolic horizons, the Si and Al content of the groundwater is controlled by gibbsite and kaolinite precipitation/dissolution and by quartz dissolution. The mobility of Fe, mainly transported as Fe2+, is sensitive to small variations in EH. The bleaching of the deep kaolin at the upper part of the slopes is favoured by the high content of small carboxylic compounds and by the redox conditions of the solutions issuing from the podzolic horizons. The transfer of Al and Fe result in the precipitation of Al-nodules in slope horizons and of Fe-oxides in the upper downslope horizon. It can be inferred that thick bleached kaolin are likely everywhere presently active giant podzols are close to a slope gradient sufficient to allow deep percolation of groundwater.