bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Age and Dietary Vitamin C Intake Affect Brain Physiology in Genetically Modified Mice Expressing Human Lipoprotein(A) and Unable to Synthesize Vitamin C
Authors: Shi Lei , Niedzwiecki Aleksandra , Rath Matthias 
Published: July 2021

Aims:
Lipoprotein (a) deposition in coronary vascular plaques and cerebral vessels is a
recognized risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and research supports its role as a “repair factor”
in vascular walls weakened by vitamin C deficiency.

Background:
Humans depend on dietary vitamin C as an important antioxidant and as a cofactor in
collagen synthesis, yet are prone to vitamin C deficiency. The brain is the one with the highest vitamin
C content, owing to its high oxygen consumption and oxidative stress. It has been shown that
brain aging is accompanied by accumulated oxidative damage, which can lead to memory decline
and neurological diseases.

Objective:
Our transgenic mouse, Gulo (-/-); Lp(a)+, presents a unique model for the study of key
aspects of human metabolism with respect to a lack of internal vitamin C synthesis and the production
of human lipoprotein(a).

Methods:
This mouse model was used in our study to investigate the effects of prolonged intake of
low and high levels of vitamin C, at different ages, on oxidative damage, cholesterol levels and lipoprotein(
a) deposition in the brain.

Result:
The results show that a long-term high vitamin C intake is important in maintaining brain
cholesterol homeostasis and preventing oxidative damage in Gulo(-/-);Lp(a)+ mice as they age.
Moreover, we observed that the formation of brain lipoprotein(a) deposits was negatively correlated
with brain level of vitamin C, thereby confirming its role as a stability factor for an impaired extracellular
matrix.

Conclusion:
Our study emphasizes the critical role of vitamin C in protecting brain health as we age.

Other:
Our findings show that optimal vitamin C intake from early life to old age is important for
brain health as it prevents oxidative stress damage and maintains cholesterol homeostasis in the
brain. More importantly, the negative correlation between brain ascorbic levels and the formation
of Lp(a) deposit on the choroid plexus further emphasizes the critical role of vitamin C in protecting
brain health throughout the normal aging process.
De sociale struktuur en het politieke proces : Een vergelijkende studie in 147 Belgische Gemeenten
Authors: Aiken Michael , Van Gassel Hugo 
Published: July 2021

This paper is concerned with the question of how the social and economic structure of cities affects the degree of political competition and how in turn these factors affect the degree of a political stability. It isbased on a comparative empirical study of the outcomes of the communal elections of 1952, 1958 and 1964 in 147 Belgian cities that had a population size of 10.000 or more in 1947.In the first place the following generalizations are made with regard to the election outcomes in these cities during the 1952-1964 period. 1. A general proliferation of lists or parties participating in the elections from 1952 to 1964.2. A trend from one-party-control over the college (executive committee) of the city council toward coalition-control.3. A net increase in the number of catholic lists and a net decrease in the number of socialist and liberal lists participating in the colleges of these townships.4. An increase in the number of cities in which newer, smaller and nontraditional parties or lists participated in the college of the city council.Three measures of politica! competitions are employed :1. The average number of parties or lists, that entered the communal election of 1952, 1958 and 1964.2. The average number of lists that received at least ten per cent of the vote in these three elections, and3. The presence or absence of a coalition on the college of the city council in 1952.The two measures of politica! stability, which are also based on the results of the same elections, are :1. The degree of stability in the lists and parties participating in the college of the city council, and2. The degree of stability in the list or party controlling the college of the city council.In general, measures of structural differentiation, linguistic diversity, industrial diversity, and social heterogeneity (i.e. , the presence of a large middle class) are found to be positively related to the degree of competition in local politics. In turn, measures of each of these structural factors and the measures of political competition are found to be negatively related to measures of political stability. Regression analysis supports the interpretation that diversity and heterogeneity in the social structure of cities - specifically, population size, density, and the presence of many persons with high occupational status - contribute to greater politica! competition in local polities, but that it is the degree of political competition that most strongly affects the degree of political stability.The conclusion is drawn that cities with a high degree of social and economic heterogeneity have a greater amount of conflict and cleavage. This results in greater competition in the political arena whichin turn predisposes such cities to have a high degree of instability in the control of their city governments.
De werkzaamheden van de staatscommissie voor ethische problemen
Authors: Verrycken Marriette 
Published: July 2021

The article attempts to describe the constitution, the methods of work and the conclusions of the Commission of State for Ethical Problems in Belgium.This Commission was requested by the Government to study the problems of family-planning, of anonymity of the mother and of abortion. The Commission was composed by 25 members telling 11 doctors, 1 chemist, 1 biologist, 1 sociologist and 11 doctors in law. Two reports were presented to the Government: one signed by 13 members and one signed by 12 members. The author, who was member of the group of the 13 gives her opinion about all the activities of the Commission.
Les problèmes de l'énergie et le rapport de la Commission des Sages
Authors: Cyprès René 
Published: July 2021

The author discusses the position of coat in the energetic future of Belgium.The report of the «Commission des Sages» has carefully studied only the problem of the applications of nuclear energy.During the next century, the energy of all origins wilt be used. The future must not be mortgaged by putting forward solutions which bring only marginal contributions.The actual reserves of coat in Belgium and in the world are enormous. In 2000, only 2 % of these reserves wilt be consumed.There is enough coat in the world to cover the energetic needs during several centuries.The use of Belgian or imported coat to produce electricity induces to study simultaneously the development of a modern carbochemistry which will progressively replace petroleum and gas by the manufacture of substituted gas and motor fuel.Methanol is the car motor-fuel for the future. Coat underground pressurised gasification shows interesting views for the upgrading of deep seams and of those who are not exploitable because of their small thickness.A sequence based on the production of electricity from high volatile coat, previously distilled at low temperature is proposed. This sequence allows a progressive and immediate development of a carbochemical industry in Belgium without important investments.
L'opinion et le Roi : 1940-1944
Authors: Gotovitch José 
Published: July 2021

This present study tries to encircle the image of King Leopold III as it was fashioned by public opinion during the occupation. It excludes the collaborationist movements and the exiled Belgians in London. Different sources have been interrogated : reports on public opinion destinated to the Cabinet-in-exile in London, available diaries and most of all underground leafl,ets and newspapers.The public opinion underwent a strong evolution from 1940 till 1944 and changed according to social classes. The author particularly describes some significant moments: the surrender of the army, the King's marriage, the forced labour. After a highly pronounced admiration during 1940, a very clear turn is already palpable at the end of 1941. This reverse is due to regained confidence in democracy. It translates the refusalof dictatorial projects formulated in certain circles, intending to invest the King with absolute power in a corporative society, which should be rid of parliament and political parties. The image of the Royal prisoner of war received a decisive blow by his marriage. This deconsacration was reinforced by the germanophile sentiments, imputed to His court,and by the royal silence kept about some methods of the occupational power.The Church however proved to be a resolute defender of the King. On the other hand, Flanders and Wallonia react differently. At Liège, the hostility even spreads among some christian-democratic circles.Gradually the Royal Question, which has agitated the opinion from 1940-1942, fades away, and the deportation of Leopold III took place in a climate of indifference.However, not a single authorized voice of the underground movement demands the retirement of the King at the moment of the liberation. For all groups and parties it remains an open question, their only wish being to obtain explanations.Thus, the Royal Question, based on the positions adopted during the occupation, can only be explained by the circumstances which happened after the war.
De partijpolitisering als instrument van particratie : Een overzicht van de ontwikkeling sinds de Tweede Wereldoorlog
Authors: De Winter Lieven 
Published: July 2021

The Belgian political system is of ten qualified as a particracy, this is a variation of the classical parliamentary democracy, in which political parties dominate the political decision-making process more than the other subsystems, such as parliament, the government, the public administration, the judiciary power, the broadcasting institutions, the written press etc. This preponderancy is achieved by the partypolitisation of the positions in and the functio ning of these subsystems.Partyleaders exert nowadays a major influence on the constellation of a new government and the designation of its ministers. Through the governmental program and special extraparliamentary pacts they map out more and more government's future policies. The ministerial cabinets execute the control over the public administration on behalf of the parties of the majority and aften take over some of its peculiar functions. The recruitment of public servants and their promotion depend highly upon the institutionalized patronage of the governmental parties.The power to select the candidates for the general elections has shifted away from the rank-and-file member to the local and national partyleaders.Partydiscipline is one of the major causes of the shift of the government making function, the legislative and controlling functions of parliament to the party headquaters.The recruitment and the promotions of magistrates was already before World War II largely politicized.Although the structural integration between the newspapers and parties has decreased since 1945, the political parties have strengthened their control over the designation of the diree:tors and administrators of the Belgian broadcasting institutions.
Souveraineté régionale et finances publiques : Approche par les recettes et les masses budgétaires
Authors: Dersin Arthur 
Published: July 2021

1. A short analysis of the institutional reform legislation of August 1980 allows the ascertainment that the competences «granted» by the central power to the regions are truncated.2. Financial means are also «granted». They consist in merely listing sources of revenues : receipts other then tax, black grants, tax shares, limited tax entitlement and borrowing power. Those financial means are arbitrary chosen, they are not related to the competences granted, they are insufficient.3. Anyway, the existing budgeting system (functional and economic classification) does not allow connecting policies and financial means. A new classification (program budgeting) should be of more adequacy to achieve this end.4. Actual regional sovereignty implies that all competences explicitely attributed to the federal level should belong to the regions. In the countries where such a system exists, the regions are mastering 40 to 60 % of the revenues. The kind of regionalisation implemented in Belgium only grants about 8 % to the regions.It is pointed out that 65 % of the current revenues and 46 % of the expenditures could technically be subject to federalisation. Should also the financial system of social security be federalized, then should the part of both ressources and expenditures belonging to the regions increase to 7 5 % .On the long way to federalism in Belgium, the new legislation is just a step, not an arrival. The forthcoming years will probably confirm it.
De standenvertegenwoordiging in de Christelijke Volkspartij en de Parti Social Chrétien
Authors: Smits Jozef 
Published: July 2021

The in 1945 established Christian Social Party (The Flemish CVP and the French speaking PSC) showed some important differences in comparison with the prewar Catholic Party. The structure of the CVP-PSC was unitary, based upon individual membership instead of the prewar federation of « estates » (standen) . With this unitary structure, the founding fathers of the CVP-PSC tried to avoid the conflicts between the estates, a permanent cause of criticism and disurtity in the Catholic Partyduring the interwar period. In spite of the new organizational structure of the CVP-PSC, new methods of informal recognition of the estates were introduced for the aggregation of their claims and their representation within the party.The way this informal recognition of the estates in the CVP-PSC was solved, is briefly described in the first part of this article. Subsequent to the survey of the evolution of the political position of the estates and their relation to the CVP-PSC, the composition of the lists of candidates in the CVP-PSC for the general elections of 8 november 1981 is discussed. Special attention is paid to the balancing in number and the ranking ofcandidates from the estates. Finally, the representation of the estates in the parliamentary group of the CVP-PSC is calculated for the general elections of 1974, 1977, 1978 and 1981.
Martens IV - Eyskens I - Martens V
Authors: Platel Marc 
Published: July 2021

It is striking to note that the political unrest and instability in 1981 coincided with continual and serious unrest on the national money market. On the political party level, one notes that the Christian Democratic Parties and the Socialist Parties had more and more difficulties in getting along with each other. This probably is related to the policyof the new chairman of the French-speaking Socialist Party, who has resolutely chosen to back Wallonia. The Flemish Christian Democratic Party, has still difficulties in seeing itself as the largest party in Flanders and to act appropriately. In addition, the French-speaking Socialist Party feels confident in the conviction that influential circles, including the Court, prefer not to see the Socialists in the opposition. This has motivated some to cling as long as possible to the formation of a three -party cabinet. The actual political situation, however, has clearly demonstrated that such a three-party cabine! cannot fu nction for a long time. The question remains why the Christian Democratic Party has not pursued elections with the same energy as it did in September af ter the resignationof the Martens IV government. In the meantime, it has become evident that the state reform of August 1980 is certainly not «completed», that is should best be redone, andthat the consequences of this reorganization can be gauged only with difficulty.
Eenpartijstaten in Zwart Afrika : Evolutie, recente ontwikkelingen, perspectieven
Authors: Reyntjens Filip 
Published: July 2021

Together with the emergence of strong executive presidencies and the frequency of coups d'Etat, the single party is one of the striking features of the political development in Africa South of the Sahara since 1960.More than half the countries of the continent are presently under one-party rule. This article attempts to analyse the origins, recent developments, and perspectives in the field of African single-party states. Sameelements favourable to the emergence of this phenomenon were the colonial heritage, the precolonial tradition, and the aura of legitimacy of the national liberation movements. Several techniques were usedby African leaders to impose rule by one party; distinction is made between political, legal and institutional, and authoritarian means. African leaders have relied on several justifications to rationalise the introduction of such regimes : economie development, national unity and nation-building, the absence of class-differentiation, the unanimitarian tradition, and the need to give constitutional recognition to a de facto situation. A critical analysis shows that these arguments do not, in general, withstand closer examination. The conclusion is that the single-party «ideology» serves mainly to protect the hegemony of a small and privileged political class of rulers against challenge of its position. As far as perspectives are concerned, three possibilities seem to be developing simultaneously : the Party-State, the no-party state, and the multi-party state. It is argued in a conclusion that the single-party state need not be undemocratic ; some conditions for a democratic one-party system are set forth.
Omroep en objectiviteit : De politieke agenda-setting functie van de externe kritiek op de omroep (radio) berichtgeving (periode 1970-1977)
Authors: Burgelman Jean-Claude 
Published: July 2021

Analysing the debate in the press concerning the most crucial and sensible point of Public Service Broadcasting in Belgium, i.e. an objective and nationwide representative news service, shows clearly that this critizing of the news has primarily a political function because its aim is not to demonstrate how subjectivc or so the news is supposed to be.Accepting and demonstrating the point that a public service organization of broadcasting is no worse for objective newsreporting than a commercial or a Dutch one; it follows from this that these critics must 'hide' other interests ( namely pressure to political conformity and financial motives).Strong correlations are found between this press debate and the political debate on the nature of this system and the wish to change it. Thus the press, being part of the party system in Belgium, reveals itself as (literally) an agenda-setter of political action.These results do not suggest that the press bas an ultimate influence in political matters but it certainly demonstrates that the press indicates how the debate wilt develop.Showing up the agenda-setting concept in the dynamics of politics could be a more fruitfull way to define the political functions of the mass media.
Analyse discriminante et vocabulaire politique : Essai méthodologique
Authors: Chapelle Jacqueline , Couvreur Pierre , Pagano Giuseppe 
Published: July 2021

This paper aims at testing the hypothesis of growing ideological uniformity of political speeches. If political speeches lack ideological differences, it should be difficult to re-classify them only by analyzing the presence or absence of lexical items. We first worked out a method to classify political speeches and then carried a test on two speeches by leading Belgian French-speaking politicians. The method is based on discriminant analysis. It utilizes the words most encountered in one speech and not in the other as discriminant factors. Statistical softwares then assess a discriminant function used to re-classify short parts of each speech called blocks. The most discriminating 10 factors re-classify correctly 89% of the blocks. The percentage increases to 93% with 20 factors and to 98% with 30 factors.However the results should be taken with caution because of the limited sample, the test tends to question the growing uniformity of political speeches. The sampled ones had enough specific features for allowing a rather simpte method to re-classify most parts of them correctly, even if some typically ideological items are not to be found.
Prediction of remodeling of arteries of kidneys of small diameter in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis
Authors: Levickaja E. S. , Batiushin M. M. , Sinel’nik E. A. , Bagmet A. D. , Mokrushin A. A. , Cherkashina M D. , Chumakova I. E. , Gaponenko N. I. , Nazheva M. I. 
Published: July 2021

Objective: to determine the significance of clinical, laboratory and morphometric indicators of structural restructuring of kidney tissue in the prognosis of remodeling of small-diameter kidney arteries in patients with primary chronic glomerulonephritis. Materials and methods: the study included 97 patients with primary chronic glomerulonephritis and indications for puncture nephrobiopsy. In all patients, anamnestic and clinical and laboratory risk factors were recorded, and nephrobiopsy was performed. When performing morphometric analysis of nephrobiopsy, the state of the tissue and vessels of the kidneys of small diameter was studied. To achieve this goal, all patients were divided into two groups, the ranking of which was carried out according to the median wall thickness of the interlobular artery. Results: Among all the risk factors studied, a statistically significant effect of an increase in the stages of hypertension (χ2 criterion = 4.24, p = 0.03) and a decrease in GFR (χ2 criterion = 5.92, p = 0.015) on the risk of increasing the thickness of the interlobular artery was found. The indicators of structural reconstruction of the renal tissue did not have a statistically significant effect on the likelihood of remodeling of the arterial wall. However, a direct correlation of weak strength was found between the severity of tubulointerstitial inflammation and the thickness of the wall of the interlobular artery (r = 0.23, p = 0.02). Conclusions: this work shows the paramount importance of hypertension, accompanied by damage to target organs, as a marker of remodeling of the vascular wall of the interlobular artery in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis.
Idiopathic inflammatory demyelining diseases: optimization of early diagnosis, predictors of the course
Authors: Goncharova Z A. , Pogrebnova Y. Y. 
Published: July 2021

Objective: to describe the clinical and epidemiological features of idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases and to determine the factors influencing their course. Materials and methods: the study included 803 patients with idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases using patient questionnaires and scales, laboratory and instrumental research methods. Statistical processing of the results was carried out using a point biserial coefficient and programs for analyzing large data arrays and machine learning. Results: a dynamic increase in the prevalence of some forms of idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases was revealed, the difficulties of differential diagnosis of rare forms of demyelination and the need to create a unified version of their classification are reflected. In the studied population, the effectiveness of liquorological examination in the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in the early stages of the disease was shown. It has been shown that the likelihood of developing highly active multiple sclerosis is influenced by both a genetic factor and concomitant inflammatory, allergic and autoimmune diseases, surgical interventions, dietary habits, childhood infections, and a history of pregnancy. Conclusions: given the complexity of the differential diagnosis of idiopathic inflammatory demyelinating diseases and the appointment of modifying therapy in multiple sclerosis in the early stages, it is necessary to create a combined classification and maintain a common register.