bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Social Security Monopoly in front of the History of the Former Private Social Protection
Authors: Marques Nicolas
Published: November 2009

Dans la lignée de Kenneth Arrow, les théoriciens du bien-être présentent la mise en oeuvre des programmes publics de Sécurité sociale comme le moyen de pallier les défaillances du marché. Or, cette approche nest pas confortée par une analyse du développement des premières protections sociales. Dune part, les offres privées, loin davoir été défaillantes, se sont développées selon un processus dessais et derreurs leur ayant permis dacquérir un avantage comparatif dans la gestion de lasymétrie de linformation.Dautre part, lintervention publique a entravé le développement de ces protections privées en favorisant la constitution de rentes politiques et financières dès le XIXème siècle. La disparition ultérieure du marché français, loin dêtre une conséquence de ses propres défaillances, apparaît comme la résultante dun phénomène déviction.Following of Kenneth Arrow, Welfare Economics see social security as the only way to solve market failures. This approach is not supported by a careful analysis of the development of the former kinds of private social protections.On the one hand, private institutions, far from being deficient, developed according to a trial and error process, which provided them with a competitive advantage in the management of informational asymmetry.On the other hand, public regulation hampered the development of those first private institutions. Governments favored, as far back as the 19th century, the supply of political and financial rents. The subsequent disappearance of the market, far from being the consequence of its own failures, seems to be the result of a crowding out phenomenon.
Motor Control Exercise for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial
Authors: Costa Leonardo O.P. , Maher Christopher G. , Latimer Jane , Hodges Paul W. , Herbert Robert D. , Refshauge Kathryn M. , McAuley James H. , Jennings Matthew D.
Published: November 2009

Background

The evidence that exercise intervention is effective for treatment of chronic low back pain comes from trials that are not placebo-controlled.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of motor control exercise for people with chronic low back pain.

Design

This was a randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Setting

The study was conducted in an outpatient physical therapy department in Australia.

Patients

The participants were 154 patients with chronic low back pain of more than 12 weeks’ duration.

Intervention

Twelve sessions of motor control exercise (ie, exercises designed to improve function of specific muscles of the low back region and the control of posture and movement) or placebo (ie, detuned ultrasound therapy and detuned short-wave therapy) were conducted over 8 weeks.

Measurements

Primary outcomes were pain intensity, activity (measured by the Patient-Specific Functional Scale), and patient's global impression of recovery measured at 2 months. Secondary outcomes were pain; activity (measured by the Patient-Specific Functional Scale); patient's global impression of recovery measured at 6 and 12 months; activity limitation (measured by the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire) at 2, 6, and 12 months; and risk of persistent or recurrent pain at 12 months.

Results

The exercise intervention improved activity and patient's global impression of recovery but did not clearly reduce pain at 2 months. The mean effect of exercise on activity (measured by the Patient-Specific Functional Scale) was 1.1 points (95% confidence interval [CI]=0.3 to 1.8), the mean effect on global impression of recovery was 1.5 points (95% CI=0.4 to 2.5), and the mean effect on pain was 0.9 points (95% CI=−0.01 to 1.8), all measured on 11-point scales. Secondary outcomes also favored motor control exercise.

Limitation

Clinicians could not be blinded to the intervention they provided.

Conclusions

Motor control exercise produced short-term improvements in global impression of recovery and activity, but not pain, for people with chronic low back pain. Most of the effects observed in the short term were maintained at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups.
International Activities in Metrology in Chemistry
Authors: Wielgosz Robert I. , Kaarls Robert
Published: November 2009

In today's economy goods and information are being exchanged globally, international travel is commonplace as is the cross-boarder transport of livestock and agricultural products, and this trend is set to continue. Just as important are issues that impinge on our quality of life, such
as health care, the environment and food quality. A strong international measurement and standards infrastructure is critical to assure equity in trade and a high quality of life, by ensuring that products and services meet their specifications. In the field of chemical measurements, certified
reference materials (CRMs), measurement standards and reference measurement results provide stated references upon which analytical laboratories can anchor their measurement results. The traceability of measurement results to internationally accepted stated references, together with their
stated measurement uncertainties, as described in ISO/IEC 17025, provides the basis for their comparability and global acceptance. Recent global activities which are succeeding in developing a system for the international acceptance of chemical measurements are described, notably: activities
of the National Metrology Institutes and the BIPM; the Mutual Recognition Arrangement of the International Committee of Weights and Measures (CIPM MRA) for National Calibration Certificates and Measurement Capabilities; the Inter-Laboratory Comparisons organised through the working groups
of the Consultative Committee for Amount of Substance – Metrology in Chemistry (CCQM), and the activities of the Joint Committee for Traceability in Laboratory Medicine (JCTLM).
Amount of Substance and the Mole
Authors: Milton Martin J. T. , Mills Ian M.
Published: November 2009

The unit mole is very familiar amongst both chemists and physicists, but the name of the corresponding quantity 'amount of substance' is not so familiar and the concept is still a source of difficulty for many students. This paper reviews and clarifies these concepts and also discusses
the definition of the unit mole, and its possible revision.
Expert System for the Evaluation of Measurement Uncertainty: Making Use of the Software Tool uncertaintyMANAGER®
Authors: Rösslein Matthias , Wampfler Bruno
Published: November 2009

An expert system for the evaluation of the measurement uncertainty is presented. It follows the four-step process established by the Eurachem/CITAC guide QUAM. The expert system provides a considerably better estimate of the overall measurement uncertainty than certain summary approaches
used nowadays in most private and public laboratories and in industry. This is demonstrated by an example from the production control in a pharmaceutical lab. In addition, the expert system allows performing the entire process to evaluate the measurement uncertainty much faster than the summary
approaches used in industry.
Metrological Traceability Concept for Electrolytic Conductivity and pH
Authors: Seitz Steffen , Spitzer Petra , Jakobsen Pia T. , Jensen Hans D.
Published: November 2009

The metrological traceability concept links measurement results by a chain of calibrations to the quantity values of primary standards, which are realised by primary measurement procedures. These procedures undergo periodical international comparison measurements, in order to guarantee
worldwide comparability of measurement results. In this article we demonstrate how the metrological traceability concept applies to electrolytic conductivity and pH measurements. Furthermore we will outline promising activities in current metrological research to extend traceability of electrolytic
conductivity measurements down to the low ?S cm?1 level.
Traceable Standards for Electrolytic Conductivity Measurements Required for Pharmaceutical Production
Authors: Arquint Philipp , Bühler Hannes , Worbs Stefan
Published: November 2009

Certified reference materials for low electrolytic conductivity can now be produced successfully that meet the basic criteria of a high quality technical standard for industrial purposes. The materials are very stable and easy to handle. The values for these high quality references
have low uncertainties and are traceable to international standards by an unbroken chain of comparison. These certified reference materials can be used to check the compliance with the requirements for pharmaceutical grades of water. Water for injection (WFI) or highly purified water (HPW)
can now be checked reliably against the limiting values set by the European and United States Pharmacopeia using instruments that are calibrated with low level electrolytic standards. The comparability of the results has been demonstrated on occasion of an intercomparison between expert reference
laboratories.
Traceability of Long-Term Atmospheric Composition Observations across Global Monitoring Networks: Chemical Metrology Applied to the Measurements of Constituents in Air, Water, and Soil
Authors: Buchmann Brigitte , Klausen Jörg , Zellweger Christoph
Published: November 2009

High-quality and long-term comparable time series of the relevant atmospheric observations are the essential prerequisite to understand the dynamical, physical and chemical state of the atmosphere from seasonal to multi-decadal time scales. For relevant gaseous compounds such as ozone,
methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO), the requirements are secured by tracing back these observations to common primary standards. Periodical audits of the system in operation and the performance of measurement sites provide additional information about data quality and comparability.
The results of 48 audits conducted by the World Calibration Centre for Surface Ozone, Carbon Monoxide and Methane (WCC-Empa) at global stations of the Global Atmosphere Watch programme (GAW) from 1996 to 2009 show that most of the audited sites meet the data quality objectives for ozone and
methane whereas the situation is less uniform for carbon monoxide.
IMEP Interlaboratory Comparisons – A Tool to Establish Confidence in Measurements
Authors: Baer Ines , Van Nevel Lutgart , De la Calle Beatriz , Taylor Philip
Published: November 2009

The International Measurement Evaluation Programme (IMEP) is owned by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. IMEP organises interlaboratory comparison (ILC) in support of the policies of the European Union, covering a wide range of measurement tasks from food safety to environmental
pollution. IMEP can be considered as a whole metrological process underlining the need for reliability and comparability of measurements. The article describes shortly the history and purpose of IMEP, and furthermore sums up its activities, links and impacts on the European measurement community.
TrainMiC®: Providing a Tool for the Inter-Calibration of Technical Assessors in Europe in the Area of Chemical Measurements
Authors: Taylor Philip , Bulska Ewa , Duta Steluta , Majcen Nineta , Vassileva Emilia , Van Nevel Lutgart
Published: November 2009

The TrainMiC® (Training in Metrology in Chemistry) programme is a European programme for Life-Long Learning in metrology in chemistry, which is a truly unique system operational across many parts of Europe (19 countries) via national teams. It uses shareware pedagogic
tools and the learning content has been harmonised at the European level by a joint effort of many experts across Europe working via an Editorial Board. This paper gives an overview of the activities within the TrainMiC® programme where there is an interaction with national
accreditation bodies and the European Cooperation for Accreditation. It is the responsibility of the accreditation bodies to ensure that outcome of the assessments is reliable and transparent and is meeting the relevant requirements. The paper explains the potential of TrainMiC®
in providing a tool for accreditation bodies to ensure a harmonised level of knowledge in a specific sector of those who are involved in technical assessments for accreditation in the field of chemical measurements. Some use the word inter-calibration to describe this process.
Bacteroides sp. as a cause of anaerobic keratitis in a pony
Authors: Johns I. C.
Published: November 2009

This Case Report describes anaerobic infection of the conjunctiva and cornea in a pony. A 13‐year‐old pony was admitted for evaluation following suspected ocular trauma. Bacterial conjunctivitis and keratitis were diagnosed based on clinical appearance of the eye and cytological evaluation of a corneal scraping. The pony responded poorly to topical therapy, and enucleation was performed. Culture of the corneal scraping yieldedCorynebacteriumsp. and Bacteroides sp. Anaerobic keratitis and conjunctivitis is uncommonly reported in horses, but should be suspected when there is a history of ocular trauma or skin disease, or when a malodorous ocular discharge is identified.
Excused Versus Unexcused: How Student Absences in Elementary School Affect Academic Achievement
Authors: Gottfried Michael A.
Published: November 2009

The literature on school absences has focused predominantly on the reasons for student truancy, or it has assessed only aggregate student absences in their effect on achievement. However, this study brings forth a new issue: the relationship between types of absences—excused versus unexcused—and school performance. With a quantitative model of educational achievement on a longitudinal multilevel data set of all second-through fourth-grade students in the Philadelphia School District from 1994 to 2000, this study disaggregated absence information to provide new insight on the attendance–achievement relationship. Specifically, a model using fixed effects with classroom-level clustering was employed to determine how the distinction among varying proportions of excused versus unexcused absences related to students’ standardized test performance in reading and math. This article demonstrates that distinguishing between students with high rates of excused or unexcused absences is significant. Having a higher proportion of excused absences to total absences exhibits a positive relationship between reading and math test scores. Conversely, students with a higher proportion of unexcused absences places them at academic risk, particularly in math achievement and as early as in elementary school. Implications for policy are discussed.
Homosexuality as a Risk Factor for Eating Disorder Symptomatology in Men
Authors: Boisvert Jennifer A. , Harrell W. Andrew
Published: November 2009

Sexual orientation, body shame, body mass index (BMI), weight discrepancy and age were investigated as risks for eating disorder symptomatology in gay and heterosexual men ( N = 230). Higher body shame (the dominant predictor) was associated with higher eating disorder symptomatology. Body shame appeared to be an expression of muscularity. BMI was the next strongest predictor, with heavier men reporting greater weight discrepancy, and in turn, eating disorder symptomatology. Overall, gay men were at greater risk for eating disorder symptomatology than heterosexual men, and a thin-muscular body ideal applies to younger rather than older gay men. These findings have important implications for intervention, prevention and promotion of men's health.
Was Aldo Leopold a Pragmatist? Rescuing Leopold from the Imagination of Bryan Norton
Authors: Grove-Fanning William , Rowland Jennifer , Baskind Daniel , French Robert Heath , Walker Kerry
Published: November 2009

Aldo Leopold was a pragmatist in the vernacular sense of the word. Bryan G. Norton claims that Leopold was also heavily influenced by American Pragmatism, a formal school of philosophy. As evidence, Norton offers Leopold's misquotation of a definition of right (as truth) by political economist, A.T. Hadley, who was an admirer of the philosophy of William James. A search of Leopold's digitised literary remains reveals no other evidence that Leopold was directly influenced by any actual American Pragmatist or by Pragmatism (although he may have been indirectly influenced by Pragmatism early in his career). A 1923 reference, by Leopold, to Hadley and Hadley's putative definition of truth, cited by Norton, is dripping with irony. Leopold, as he matured philosophically, regarded a profound cultural shift from anthropocentric dominionism and consumerism to an evolutionary-ecological worldview and an associated non-anthropocentric ‘land ethic’ to be necessary for successful and sustainable conservation. Hadley espoused a brutal form of Social Darwinism and his philosophy, as expressed in the book of Hadley's that Norton cites, is politically reactionary, militaristic and unconcerned with conservation. Leopold's mature philosophy and Hadley's – far from consonant, as Norton claims – are diametrically opposed.
Landscape and Ambience on the Urban Fringe: From Agricultural to Imagined Countryside
Authors: Goddard Joseph
Published: November 2009

This article stems from ongoing research on the creation of penurbia since 1945 which examines the development of hybrid city-country landscapes around large urban areas that mesh stylised countryside with functional links to the cities. Simply put, penurbia looks like country but often thinks like the city, and gives a name and an explanation for a concept that had previously been neglected. The term amalgamates the solar metropolis' penumbra as an area of influence and visual awareness without defined focus. The urban fringe has grown dramatically since 1945, as emigrants from urban areas hoped that life in the country would provide a haven against the rush and thrust of life in the city. Ill-formed and dimly understood cultural ideals fuelled flight to rural areas where individuality, nature, familiarity, purity, hope and tradition would trump practical and economic considerations. This paper relates the story of the development of distinct penurban landscapes and ambiences in three eastern U.S. counties.
'When The Well's Dry': Water and the Promise of Sustainability in the American Southwest
Authors: Jenkins David
Published: November 2009

The Colorado River has become part of a vast plumbing system. It is still a natural system, dependent upon weather patterns, geological processes and laws of physics. But it is also a cultural system, governed by dams, laws and political relationships. The river is neither natural nor unnatural, but both - separating the categories makes little sense. This article argues that it is more accurate to combine the categories of nature and culture, to see humans as inextricably and deeply entwined with the natural world, and to recognise all environmental issues as characterised by the contradictory relationships humans have developed with the world they inhabit.
Goats, Marginality and the 'Dangerous Other'
Authors: Siddle David
Published: November 2009

Mediterranean vegetation is increasingly subject to high summer temperatures. Scrubland grazing by the omnivorous goat could reduce the risk of widespread fires. But goat populations have been controlled by bans and restrictions for many centuries. The political, economic and cultural reasons why the animal had such an unsavoury reputation are explored.
‘It Brought Some Kind of Neatness to Mankind’: Mass Literacy, Community Development and Democracy in 1950s Asante
Authors: Skinner Kate
Published: November 2009

This article is concerned with mass education in late colonial Ghana. The first part examines how people in the Ashanti Region interpreted and responded to a policy that was conceived in the period of power sharing between an African nationalist legislative assembly and a civil service that was still dominated by British expatriates. Literacy campaigns and related community development activities were shaped by the expectations and ideals of the Asantes who participated as learners, tutors, volunteer leaders and salaried employees. Mass education was popular partly because new skills, techniques and materials could be used to pursue older ideals about enlightenment, progress, cleanliness and good character. Government policy indicated that literacy campaigns and community development activities would help to build democracy from the grassroots, yet, in spite of its popularity, mass education remained beyond the control of elected local government. The later part of this article focuses on the small town of Kwaso in order to establish why this was so and what one local resident was able to do about it.
Transport of Heat and Charge in Electromagnetic Metrology Based on Nonequilibrium Statistical Mechanics
Authors: Baker-Jarvis James , Surek Jack
Published: November 2009

Current research is probing transport on ever smaller scales. Modeling of the electromagnetic interaction with nanoparticles or small collections of dipoles and its associated energy transport and nonequilibrium characteristics requires a detailed understanding of transport properties. The goal of this paper is to use a nonequilibrium statistical-mechanical method to obtain exact time-correlation functions, fluctuation-dissipation theorems (FD), heat and charge transport, and associated transport expressions under electromagnetic driving. We extend the time-symmetric Robertson statistical-mechanical theory to study the exact time evolution of relevant variables and entropy rate in the electromagnetic interaction with materials. In this exact statistical-mechanical theory, a generalized canonical density is used to define an entropy in terms of a set of relevant variables and associated Lagrange multipliers. Then the entropy production rate are defined through the relevant variables. The influence of the nonrelevant variables enter the equations through the projection-like operator and thereby influences the entropy. We present applications to the response functions for the electrical and thermal conductivity, specific heat, generalized temperature, Boltzmann’s constant, and noise. The analysis can be performed either classically or quantum-mechanically, and there are only a few modifications in transferring between the approaches. As an application we study the energy, generalized temperature, and charge transport equations that are valid in nonequilibrium and relate it to heat flow and temperature relations in equilibrium states.
What is Fair Pay for Executives? An Information Theoretic Analysis of Wage Distributions
Authors: Venkatasubramanian Venkat
Published: November 2009

The high pay packages of U.S. CEOs have raised serious concerns about what would constitute a fair pay. Since the present economic models do not adequately address this fundamental question, we propose a new theory based on statistical mechanics and information theory. We use the principle of maximum entropy to show that the maximally fair pay distribution is lognormal under ideal conditions. This prediction is in agreement with observed data for the bottom 90%–95% of the working population. The theory estimates that the top 35 U.S. CEOs were overpaid by about 129 times their ideal salaries in 2008. We also provide an insight of entropy as a measure of fairness, which is maximized at equilibrium, in an economic system.
Lyngbyastatins 8–10, Elastase Inhibitors with Cyclic Depsipeptide Scaffolds Isolated from the Marine Cyanobacterium Lyngbya semiplena
Authors: Kwan Jason  C. , Taori Kanchan , Paul Valerie  J. , Luesch Hendrik
Published: November 2009

Investigation of an extract from the marine cyanobacterium Lyngbya semiplena, collected in Tumon Bay, Guam, led to the identification of three new cyclodepsipeptides, lyngbyastatins 8–10 (1–3). The structures of 1–3 were determined by NMR, MS, ESIMS fragmentation and chemical degradation. Compounds 1–3 are closely related to lyngbyastatins 4–7. Like the latter compounds, we found 1–3 to inhibit porcine pancreatic elastase, with IC50 values of 123 nM, 210 nM and 120 nM, respectively.
Impact of Marine Drugs on Animal Reproductive Processes
Authors: Silvestre Francesco , Tosti Elisabetta
Published: November 2009

The discovery and description of bioactive substances from natural sources has been a research topic for the last 50 years. In this respect, marine animals have been used to extract many new compounds exerting different actions. Reproduction is a complex process whose main steps are the production and maturation of gametes, their activation, the fertilisation and the beginning of development. In the literature it has been shown that many substances extracted from marine organisms may have profound influence on the reproductive behaviour, function and reproductive strategies and survival of species. However, despite the central importance of reproduction and thus the maintenance of species, there are still few studies on how reproductive mechanisms are impacted by marine bioactive drugs. At present, studies in either marine and terrestrial animals have been particularly important in identifying what specific fine reproductive mechanisms are affected by marine-derived substances. In this review we describe the main steps of the biology of reproduction and the impact of substances from marine environment and organisms on the reproductive processes.
The Impact of Field Size on the Environment and Energy Crop Production Efficiency for a Sustainable Indigenous Bioenergy Supply Chain in the Republic of Ireland
Authors: Deverell Rory , McDonnell Kevin , Devlin Ger
Published: November 2009

This paper investigates, using the GIS platform, the potential impacts of meeting national bioenergy targets using only indigenous sources of feedstock on the habitats and carbon stores that exist within Ireland’s field boundaries. A survey of the Republic of Irelands field was conducted in order to estimate and map the size and geographic distribution of the Republic of Ireland’s field boundaries. The planting and harvesting costs associated with possible bioenergy crop production systems were determined using the relationship between the seasonal operating efficiency and the average field size. The results indicate that Ireland will need a large proportion of its current agricultural area (at least 16.5%) in order to its meet national bioenergy targets by 2020. The demand cannot be met by the current area that both has suitable soil type for growing the bioenergy crops and is large enough for the required operating efficiency. The results of this study indicate that implementing and meeting national bioenergy targets using only indigenous feedstock will likely impact the country’s field boundary resources negatively, as crop producers seek to improve production efficiency through field consolidation and field boundary removal. It was found that such boundary removal results in a loss of up to 6 tC/km2 and 0.7 ha/km of previously permanent habitat where average field size is small. The impact of field consolidation on these resources reduces substantially as larger fields become consolidated.
Le rôle de la confiance dans l'explication de la satisfaction
Authors: Sirieix Lucie , Dubois Pierre-Louis
Published: November 2009

Quality, trust and satisfaction : a model empirically tested on fast-food industry

Research regarding consumer behavior has focused on identifying the antecedents of consumers' satisfaction. Although brand theorists suggest empirical relationship between product quality, the brand and the consumer's satisfaction, more systematic research on these effects is needed. A conceptual model of quality, trust and satisfaction, is developed in this paper by identifying the antecedents of consumers' satisfaction, including trust in the brand. The model is empirically tested on fast-food industry. The authors conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for marketing managers and further research.
Multifonctionnalité de l'agriculture et statuts d'activité
Authors: Blanchemanche Sandrine , Laurent Catherine , Mouriaux Marie-Françoise , Peskine Elsa
Published: November 2009

En France, la nouvelle Loi d'Orientation agricole votée en 1999 affirme la volonté politique de reconnaître la multifonctionnalité de l'agriculture et de subordonner l'octroi d'une fraction croissante des transferts publics au respect d'objectifs concernant l'environnement et l'emploi. Ces nouvelles orientations conduisent à s'interroger sur les désajustements entre l'évolution des situations d'activité des personnes et le modèle de référence auquel restent adossés les différents ensembles juridiques (civil, social, fiscal) qui contribuent à définir le statut de ceux qui exercent une activité agricole.
Une brève histoire de l'industrie alimentaire
Authors: Rastoin Jean-Louis
Published: November 2009

A short economic story of french food industry - This paper presents an historical picture of the French agro-food dynamics in the second part of the XX th century. After emphasizing the remarkable economic expansion in this sector (specially the contribution to the balance of trade and to direct or inferred employment), the author listed the different scientific publications on this subject. He pointed out that we passed from an « agricolo-centrée» approach to a «strategic» vision. A prospective analysis indicates that the agrofood industry will have to face 3 challenges in the forthcoming years: like new forms of competition (by concentration, innovation, and quality), value-creation for the partners of the firm (shareholders, wage-earners, suppliers and customers) and governance (towards a loss of autonomy for small firms ?).
Incitations et offre du coton au Togo. Une estimation économétrique
Authors: Koffi-Tessio Egnonto
Published: November 2009

Les mesures d'incitation du coton au Togo durant les Programmes d'ajustement structurel (pas) concernent surtout l'accroissement des prix au producteur. À partir d'une estimation économétrique de l'offre du coton, les facteurs prix et non- prix apparaissent comme des déterminants importants. D'une part, les mesures d'incitation par les prix n'ont pas été favorables au secteur cotonnier avant et durant les PAS malgré la rigidité à la baisse de l'offre de coton. Le coton et le maïs, cultures complémentaires avant les PAS deviennent concurrentes durant les PAS dans les Régions maritime et des plateaux alors qu'il est complémentaire au mil-sorgho dans les Régions centrale, Kara et Savanes avant et durant les PAS. D'autre part, les facteurs non-prix notamment l'investissement ont eu en général des effets favorables sur l'offre de coton dans les deux zones de production avant et durant les PAS. Il convient donc d'agir à la fois sur les deux facteurs avec un accent particulier sur les facteurs non-prix dans l'élaboration des politiques de relance du secteur cotonnier au Togo.
L'État face à la répartition de ressources publiques entre entreprises. Un éclairage à partir des théories de la justice
Authors: Leseur Alexia
Published: November 2009

Cet article cherche à éclairer le problème de la distribution de ressources publiques (permis d'émission négociables ou aides directes aux agriculteurs) entre entreprises à partir des théories de la justice distributive, branche de la philosophie morale qui propose des règles de répartition équitable de biens entre des individus. Nous expliquons d'abord en quel sens l'entreprise peut être considérée comme une entité morale, puis nous présentons les principaux courants, en insistant sur les caractéristiques de l'individu que chacune met en valeur. Il en ressort que la responsabilité est la notion centrale; c'est à partir de cette notion que la transposition entre individus et entreprises devra être abordée.
Structures de marché et pratiques facilitant la collusion une approche par la théorie des jeux répétés
Authors: Pénard Thierry
Published: November 2009

Ces dernières années, les secteurs liés à l'agro-alimentaire ont été particulièrement actifs en matière de cartel et de collusion (Vitamine, acide citrique, lysine...). L'objectif de cet article est de comprendre comment ces cartels ont pu se mettre en place et se maintenir pendant de nombreuses années. Pour cela, nous mobilisons la théorie des jeux répétés qui fournit le meilleur cadre d'analyse des phénomènes de collusion. En particulier, les jeux répétés permettent d'identifier les structures de marché propices à la collusion. Cette théorie permet aussi de mieux apprécier le rôle que peuvent jouer au sein d'un cartel certaines pratiques comme des échanges d'information, des guerres de prix ou des surinvestissements en capacités. A partir des principaux enseignements des jeux répétés, nous procédons à une relecture d'une des décisions des autorités européennes relative au cartel de la lysine.
L'intégration spatiale de marchés et échange discontinu : une analyse des marchés spot urbains pour la tomate au Zimbabwe
Authors: Mabaya Edward
Published: November 2009

Cette recherche vise à comprendre le fonctionnement des marchés agricoles où interviennent des petits exploitants au Zimbabwe, en évaluant le degré d'intégration entre les différents marchés spot (au comptant) urbains pour la tomate. Utilisant des séries de prix et de coûts de transfert entre les marchés, cette analyse utilise le modèle avec seuils de parité de Baulch qui permet de prendre en considération le caractère discontinu de l'échange et donc les cassures dans les relations de prix entre marchés. Pour la plupart des couples de marchés considérés, les résultats montrent des probabilités élevées d'être à l'intérieur des seuils de parité pour la plupart des marchés, suggérant des coûts de transport prohibitifs (coûts de transfert entre marchés plus élevés que les différences de prix). Des probabilités significatives de transgresser les conditions d'arbitrage spatial, indiquant des inefficacités, apparaissent pour seulement trois des quinze couples de marchés. Pour améliorer le bien-être des exploitants agricoles par l'intermédiaire les marchés agricoles, la politique publique doit se concentrer sur la façon de réduire les coûts de transfert entre marchés pour qu'un arbitrage puisse exister. Les méthodes possibles pour diminuer les coûts de transport incluent la location des camions gouvernementaux peu ou pas utilisés et le back-hauling par des compagnies privées.
A Cognitive–Affective Positioning Analysis of Convention Cities: An Extension of the Circumplex Model of Affect
Authors: Baloglu Seyhmus , Love Curtis
Published: November 2009

This study investigates relative images and positions of select US convention cities as perceived by association meeting planners. Based on a cognitive–affective framework, it utilizes a perceptual mapping technique and controls direct experiences of the meeting planners with
the convention cities. Data were collected from randomly selected members of the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) about Las Vegas, Chicago, Dallas, Atlanta, and Orlando. For each city, no image difference was found between the planners who had direct experience and those
who did not. The findings suggested that the convention cities should use both cognitive and affective evaluations in developing a positioning strategy because they provide a picture from different angles and complement each other. The joint perceptual map also helps identify major and minor
competitors. The findings also demonstrated that the circumplex model of affect holds for, and can be applied to, domestic and well-known convention cities. The study also extends the model in the sense that it examines places (cities), cognitive evaluations, and affective responses simultaneously
and still finds support for the theorized structure of the model. The study provides implications for positioning, communication, and/or product development strategies for the convention cities, and discusses future research.
An Examination of the Norwegian Demand for Package Tours Abroad in the 1990s
Authors: Thrane Christer
Published: November 2009

This article draws attention to a neglected field in tourism research: the study of the demand for package tours. In particular, two research questions were addressed. First, the possible changes in the demand over time for package tours abroad were examined using Norwegian household
expenditures data from 1989 to 1999. Second, the article examined how a number of sociodemographic and locational variables affected the demand for this kind of tourism. Because a large number of households in the data did not take part in a package tour abroad in the period studied, a sample-selection
regression procedure was adopted as the estimation strategy. Three results were especially noteworthy: 1) An increasing number of Norwegian households took part in a package tour as the decade progressed. 2) Among those households that took part in a package tour, the mean expenditures decreased
throughout the decade. 3) Permanent income had a positive influence on both the propensity of taking part in package tours and on the expenditures on such tours.
Why Do Australians, New Zealanders, and Americans Travel to Fiji? Evidence from Cointegration, Unit Roots, and Parameter Stability Tests
Authors: Narayan Paresh Kumar
Published: November 2009

The aim of this study was to estimate the demand for Fiji's tourism from its three main source markets—Australia, New Zealand, and the US—using the bounds testing approach to cointegration. Our main finding was that visitor arrivals to Fiji and its key determinants are cointegrated over the 1970–2000 period. We then used the autoregressive distributed lag model to estimate short-run and long-run elasticities and found that income in origin countries, transport costs, and prices were significant determinants of Fiji's tourism demand. We also found that coups negatively impact visitor arrivals from all markets. In testing for parameter stability, we established that the series were integrated of order one in the presence of a structural break. We then used the Hansen test for parameter stability and found that the parameters of our long-run model are stable over time.
New Methodology for Analyzing Competitive Positions: A Demonstration Study of Travelers' Attitudes Toward Their Modes of Transport
Authors: Mazanec Josef A.
Published: November 2009

This research introduces a new methodology for analyzing the competitive relationships among a set of choice alternatives. The nonparametric methodology recommended for analyzing the competitive relationships works on a disaggregate level. It combines an exploratory step—condensing
the attitudes about modes into a small set of attitudinal patterns—with an inferential step of using contingency for pairs of alternatives to examine relationships. A simple coefficient derived from these tables indicates the amount of “similarity” competition. Data on travelers'
attitudes toward the modes of transport train, air, and bus are used to illustrate applying the methodology. Segments are identified based on specific attitudes. Interdependence of attitudes means that, for example, a consumer's judgment of air travel influences his/her simultaneous judgment
of train travel. Asymmetry of the travelers' belief systems implies that managers of airline, train, or bus companies face unequal attitudinal conditions in their target groups leading to competitive advantage or disadvantage. For the segments the meaning and implication of attitudes towards
modes being interdependent and not symmetric is considered. The results obtained are not meant to be generalized. Rather they are a vehicle to highlight the method's value for both researchers and practitioners for studying the competitive positions of businesses associated with classes of
tourist products or services.
An efficient partial synthesis of 4′-O-methylquercetin via regioselective protection and alkylation of quercetin
Authors: Li Nian-Guang , Shi Zhi-Hao , Tang Yu-Ping , Yang Jian-Ping , Duan Jin-Ao
Published: November 2009

An efficient partial 5-step synthesis of 4′-O-methylquercetin from quercetin in 63% yield is reported. This strategy relies on the selective protection of the catechol group with dichlorodiphenylmethane in diphenyl ether as solvent and on the selective protection of the hydroxyl groups at positions 3 and 7 with chloromethyl ether.
Caciques y cabildos: organización socio-política de los pueblos de indios en la Alcaldía Mayor de Sonsonate (s. XVI)
Authors: Tous Meritxell
Published: November 2009

Este estudio analiza los mecanismos desarrollados en el siglo XVI por el grupo Pipil de la región de los Izalcos que les permitieron mantener, aunque no en su totalidad, los aspectos esenciales de su organización socio-política prehispánica. Las autoridades tradicionales (caciques y principales) desempeñaron un papel fundamental en la adecuación de dicho sistema al modelo castellano impuesto, el cabildo indígena. También se demuestra cómo dicha institución, a pesar de ser totalmente ajena al orden prehispánico, constituyó una pieza clave para la supervivencia de su organización socio-política tradicional.
Los indígenas de Buenos Aires a comienzos del siglo XVIII: los reales pueblos de indios y la declinación de la encomienda
Authors: Birocco Carlos María
Published: November 2009

Durante el siglo XVII, las encomiendas de buenos aires fueron desapareciendo debido a la incidencia de las enfermedades infecciosas, la fuga y la mestización. A comienzos del siglo siguiente los pocos indígenas encomendados fueron agrupados en pueblos bajo administración real y se los organizó bajo el sistema de mita. En ellos se los sometió al reparto de textiles y a una dieta de proteínas de origen vacuno, a fin de que no distrajeran esfuerzos en la agricultura y se concentraran en el servicio de mita.
La tradición indígena frente a los cambios liberales
Authors: Menegus Margarita
Published: November 2009

El objetivo de este artículo es estudiar los cambios que sufrió la institución del cacicazgo en la región de la mixteca baja ubicada en el estado de Oaxaca a lo largo de los siglos XVIII y XIX. El trabajo se propone analizar los efectos que tuvo la revolución de independencia sobre el cacicazgo, tanto desde el punto de vista de la propiedad como de las relaciones sociales dentro del mismo. El artículo concluye que, a pesar de las propuestas de Cádiz y de las reformas que impulsaron los gobiernos liberales, el cacicazgo permaneció durante buena parte del siglo XIX sin muchos cambios. Fue el impuesto sobre la propiedad rústica a partir de la década de 1860 que motivó la venta de tierras pertenecientes a los cacicazgos entre sus antiguos terrazqueros.
HMGB1 Enhances the Proinflammatory Activity of Lipopolysaccharide by Promoting the Phosphorylation of MAPK p38 through Receptor for Advanced Glycation End Products
Authors: Qin Yang-Hua , Dai Sheng-Ming , Tang Gu-Sheng , Zhang Jun , Ren Ding , Wang Zhi-Wei , Shen Qian
Published: November 2009

High mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) protein was originally characterized as a nuclear DNA-binding protein, and was described to have an extracellular role when involved in cellular activation and proinflammatory responses. In the present study, we have found that the proinflammatory activity of recombinant HMGB1 proteins is determined by the containing endotoxin level, and HMGB1 that contains few endotoxins fails to stimulate macrophages to secrete proinflammatory cytokines. HMGB1 acts as a ligand of receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and works in synergy with LPS in activating the macrophages in vitro. In vivo, intra-articular injections of HMGB1 act in synergy with LPS to induce experimental arthritis in mice. HMGB1 promotes the phosphorylation of MAPK p38 and the activation of NF-κB through RAGE, and then enhances the expression of proinflammatory cytokines. These results demonstrate that HMGB1 enhances the proinflammatory activity of LPS by promoting the phosphorylation of MAPK p38 and by the activation of NF-κB through RAGE.
International financial markets and development
Authors: Wahl Peter
Published: November 2009

The current financial crisis has not come about by chance. It is the result of a system that has emerged over the last 30 years and which Keynes may well have called the ‘casino economy’. The dominance of finance over real economy characterises the financial crisis, while finance itself is dominated by the all-encompassing target of maximum profit at all times. Other aims of economic activity such as job creation, social welfare and development have fallen by the wayside. In response, new actors are surfacing, e.g. the institutional investor (hedge funds, private equity funds, etc.), while new instruments are leading to highly leveraged and destabilising derivatives. The casino system has been promoted by governments and intergovernmental institutions to liberalise and deregulate financial markets. Although developing countries have not participated in the casino system, they have been suffering most from the spill-over into the real economy. The main lesson learnt is that the casino has to be closed.
Theological reflections on empire
Authors: Boesak Allan A.
Published: November 2009

Since the meeting of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches in Accra, Ghana (2004), and the adoption of the Accra Declaration, a debate has been raging in the churches about globalisation, socio-economic justice, ecological responsibility, political and cultural domination and globalised war. Central to this debate is the concept of empire and the way the United States is increasingly becoming its embodiment. Is the United States a global empire? This article argues that the United States has indeed become the expression of a modern empire and that this reality has considerable consequences, not just for global economics and politics but for theological refl ection as well.
God, the Christ and the Spirit in William P. Young’s bestseller The shack seen from a Pauline and Johannine perspective
Authors: Van Aarde Andries G.
Published: November 2009

Among its more than a million readers, The shack has empowered traditionalists and seekers among Christian spirituals but has also been condemned for patripassionism and modalism. This article consists mainly of two sections. The first section considers the issue of reviewers of The shack often assessing its religious legitimacy and the value of its message by means of critically questioning its adherence to texts in the Christian Bible. The second section focuses on the accusation that, dogmatically seen, The shack’s narrative point of view is heresy, especially because of its nonstandard view of Christian dogma with regard to God Triune. The aim of the article is to argue that a great deal of commonality exists between the author of The shack and both Pauline and Johannine mysticism. With regard to their God talk, the author and these biblical writers express more of a present immanent communion with the transcendental God than an expectancy of authenticity that still lies in the future and exists outside humankind’s immanent time and space. It is as if they draw the end time into the sphere of the here and now by passionately talking about communion with God as a process of the future, inhaled by the present. By doing so, the God-threesome meet wounded humankind in a ‘shack’, not in the ‘church’ as such or ‘Scripture’ as such as if God could be placed in a box.
‘n Kerk met karakter: Die perspektief van Gerben Heitink
Authors: Dreyer Theuns F.J.
Published: November 2009

A church with character: The perspective of Gerben HeitinkMainstream churches worldwide are experiencing a decline in membership. The wellknown Dutch practical theologian Gerben Heitink’s (2007) latest book Een kerk met karakte, Tijd voor heroriëntatie is an attempt to address this phenomenon. This article is an overview of his book, with comments from other authors. Although emerging churches is constitute a movement separate from the institutional churches, Heitink still takes the existing church as point of departure. He suggests a process of reorientation and transformation within based on a matrix of eight critical factors. In conclusion, the article evaluates Heitink’s model from a personal perspective within the context of the Netherdutch Reformed Church of Africa.