Isaac Butt: a Singular Political Path

Cet article se propose d’essayer de cerner plus précisément et plus justement les positions d’Isaac Butt qui, de prime abord, peuvent paraître contradictoires : unioniste et nationaliste. Elément de brouillage supplémentaire, la polarisation politique du débat à partir des années 1878-1880 a aussi fossilisé une alliance entre libéraux et partisans du Home Rule d’une part, et conservateurs et unionistes d’autre part. Nous verrons ici que l’évolution politique de Butt ne relève pas d’une rupture, mais d’une véritable trajectoire, où conservatisme, nationalisme et impérialisme, loin de s’opposer, se nourrissent les uns des autres.This article aims to try and define more precisely and accurately the political views of Isaac Butt, as they may first seem contradictory: was he a nationalist? A unionist? This issue is made more confusing by the fact that from 1878-80 onwards, British political life became polarised between the supporters of Home Rule allied with the Liberals on the one hand and, on the other hand, the Conservatives and Unionists. What will be shown is that Isaac Butt’s evolution politically was not marked by a rupture but by continuity and that his conservatism fed into his nationalism and his imperialism and vice versa

Incidence of HIV-related anal cancer remains increased despite long-term combined antiretroviral treatment: results from the french hospital database on HIV.

PURPOSE: To study recent trends in the incidence of anal cancer in HIV-infected patients receiving long-term combined antiretroviral treatment (cART) compared with the general population. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From the French Hospital Database on HIV, we identified 263 cases of invasive anal squamous cell carcinoma confirmed histologically between 1992 and 2008. We compared incidence rates of anal cancer across four calendar periods: 1992-1996 (pre-cART period), 1997-2000 (early cART period), and 2001-2004 and 2005-2008 (recent cART periods). Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated by using general population incidence data from the French Network of Cancer Registries. RESULTS: In HIV-infected patients, the hazard ratio (HR) in the cART periods versus the pre-cART period was 2.5 (95% CI, 1.28 to 4.98). No difference was observed across the cART calendar periods (HR, 0.9; 95% CI, 0.6 to 1.3). In 2005-2008, HIV-infected patients compared with the general population had an excess risk of anal cancer, with SIRs of 109.8 (95% CI, 84.6 to 140.3), 49.2 (95% CI, 33.2 to 70.3), and 13.1 (95% CI, 6.8 to 22.8) for men who have sex with men (MSM), other men, and women, respectively. Among patients with CD4 cell counts above 500/μL for at least 2 years, SIRs were 67.5 (95% CI, 41.2 to 104.3) when the CD4 nadir was less than 200/μL for more than 2 years and 24.5 (95% CI, 17.1 to 34.1) when the CD4 nadir was more than 200/μL. CONCLUSION: Relative to that in the general population, the risk of anal cancer in HIV-infected patients is still extremely high, even in patients with high current CD4 cell counts. cART appears to have no preventive effect on anal cancer, particularly in MSM

Olivine formation processes and fluid pathways in subducted serpentinites revealed by in-situ oxygen isotope analysis (Zermatt-Saas, Switzerland)

Dehydration of serpentinites plays a crucial role in mass transfer into the Earth's interior by releasing aqueous fluids and forming new minerals. These minerals, such as metamorphic olivine, can serve as tracers of fluid-related processes. High-pressure (HP) antigorite, metamorphic olivine, and coexisting magnetite in serpentinites from a continuous, km-scale outcrop within the Zermatt-Saas HP ophiolite were analyzed in situ for trace elements and oxygen isotopes to identify differences in the initial serpentinization conditions and to investigate fluid pathways during subduction-related metamorphism. The oxygen isotopic composition, and As and Sb concentrations in antigorite reveal two distinct serpentinization conditions within the studied region: i) high As and Sb (1–25 μg/g and 0.5–5 μg/g, respectively), coupled with δ18O of +6 to +7 ‰, suggesting serpentinization at relatively low temperatures near the seafloor, and ii) low As and Sb (0.03–5 μg/g and ≤ 0.1 μg/g, respectively), coupled with mostly lower δ18O of +4 to +6 ‰, suggesting serpentinization at higher temperatures by interaction with fluids deeper below the seafloor. Olivine produced in situ by the brucite + antigorite dehydration reaction during subduction shows isotopic equilibrium with antigorite, and coexisting magnetite with ∆18OAtg-Ol of +1.5–2.5 ‰ and ∆18OOl-Mt of ∼+3 ‰ at reaction temperature conditions of 550–600 °C. The obtained isotopic signatures of metamorphic olivine with δ18O values of +1 to +2 ‰ and + 4 to +5 ‰ correspond to two different isotopic compositions of the released fluid of +5 to +6 ‰ and + 8 to +9 ‰ at these temperature conditions. This suggests that fluids released from subducted serpentinites may have variable δ18O under forearc conditions. The presence of fluids with variable δ18O can cause olivine in structures associated with fluid flow (e.g., shear bands, shear zones and veins) to be in isotopic equilibrium with magnetite, but in either isotopic equilibrium or disequilibrium with antigorite. Isotopic equilibrium with antigorite is achieved when the fluid responsible for olivine crystallization is internally derived. Isotopic disequilibrium is due to an externally derived fluid released by dehydration of serpentinite with a different isotopic composition than the serpentinite with which the fluid interacts. The restricted occurrence of non-equilibrated olivine only in shear bands and nearly pure Ol-veins indicates channelized fluid flow in subduction zone settings and demonstrates that isotopic disequilibrium can be used as a tracer for fluid infiltration

Home Rule, 1870-1914: an Introduction

Recent events have been raising the question of the future of the British Union. The results of the Brexit referendum in Scotland, which showed that a majority of the Scots backed the remain option, contrary to the Welsh and the English, have given fresh impetus to the idea of organising a second referendum on Scottish independence following the failure of the first one in September 2014. In Northern Ireland, where a majority of voters also supported the United Kingdom’s remaining in the UE, ..

Epidemiology of the anal cancer

Le cancer anal est un cancer rare. Sa fréquence est très inférieure à celle des cancers colorectaux puisqu’il ne représente que 3 % de l’ensemble des cancers de la partie basse du tube digestif. Dans la population générale, le cancer de l’anus est plus fréquent chez les femmes que chez les hommes et survient très généralementaprès 60 ans. L’infection à Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) est lefacteur étiologique le plus important avec l’immunodépression quifavorise la transformation maligne des dysplasies anales induitespar l’infection HPV. La population infectée par le VIH, etsingulièrement les patients homosexuels, sont plus à risque de cancer anal que la population générale. En France, l’incidence du cancer anal a été récemment estimée à 1,4/100000 personnes/année (PA) en population générale, à 56,3/100 000 PA dans la population infectée par le VIH et à 95,0/100000 PA dans le sous-groupe des homosexuels masculins VIH+. Un tel sur-risque justifie de mettre en place un dépistage systématique dans la population infectée par le VIH d’autant plus que les combinaisons antirétrovirales semblent sans effet sur le risque d’apparition du cancer anal.Anal cancer is a rare tumor that represents 3 % of all cancer of the lower gastrointestinal tract. In the general population, anal cancer is more frequent in women than in men and usually arises after 60 years. Human Papilloma Virus infection is the most important etiologic factor together with immunodepression that facilitates the malignant transformation of HPV-induced anal dysplasia. In France, the incidence of anal cancer has been estimated to 1.4/100000 person-years (PY) in the general population and to 56.3/100000 PY in HIV-infected patients. This increased risk is in favor of adapting surveillance and screening programs for HIV-infected patients especially since combined antiretroviral therapy does not seem to have any impact on the risk of anal cancer occurrence

High‐spatial‐resolution measurements of iron isotopes in pyrites by secondary ion mass spectrometry using the new Hyperion‐II radio‐frequency plasma source

International audienceIron isotopic signatures in pyrites are considered as a good proxy to reconstruct paleoenvironmental and local redox conditions. However, the investigation of micro-pyrites less than 20µm in size has been limited by the evaluable analytical techniques. The development of the new brighter radio-frequency plasma ion source (Hyperion-II source) enhances the spatial resolution by increasing the beam density 10 times compared with the Duoplasmatron source.Here we present high-spatial-resolution measurements of iron isotopes in pyrites using a 3 nA–3 μm primary 16O− beam on two Cameca IMS 1280-HR2 ion microprobe instruments equipped with Hyperion sources at CRPG-IPNT (France) and at SwissSIMS (Switzerland). We tested analytical effects, such as topography and crystal orientation, that could induce analytical biases perceptible through variations of the instrumental mass fractionation (IMF).Results: The δ56Fe reproducibility for the Balmat pyrite standard is ±0.25‰ (2 standard deviations) and the typical individual internal error is ±0.10‰(2 standard errors). The sensitivity on 56Fe+ was 1.2 × 107 cps/nA/ppm or better. Tests on Balmat pyrites revealed that neither the crystal orientation nor channeling effects seem to significantly influence the IMF. Different pyrite standards (Balmat and SpainCR) were used to test the accuracy of the measurements. Indium mounts must be carefully prepared with a sample topography less than 2 μm, which was checked using an interferometric microscope. Such a topography is negligible for introducing change in the IMF. This new source increases the spatial resolution while maintaining the high precision of analyses and the overall stability of the measurements compared with the previous Duoplasmatron source.Conclusions: A reliable method was developed for performing accurate and highresolution measurements of micrometric pyrites. The investigation of sedimentary micro-pyrites will improve our understanding of the processes and environmental conditions during pyrite precipitation, including the contribution of primary (microbial activities or abiotic reactions) and secondary (diagenesis and/or hydrothermal fluid circulation) signatures

Seasonality and Malaria in a West African Village: Does High Parasite Density Predict Fever Incidence?

In this cohort study, the authors studied the effect of blood malaria parasite density on fever incidence in children in an endemic area with 9 days' follow-up of 1- to 12-year-old children during two time periods: the end of the dry season (May 1993: n = 783) and the end of the rainy season (October 1993: n = 841) in Bougoula, West Africa (region of Sikasso, Mali). The cumulative incidence of fever (temperature >38.0°C) was 2.0% in the dry season and 8.2% in the rainy season (p 15, 000/μl (RR = 2.7, 95% Cl 1.4-5.4); in children with an enlarged spleen (RR = 2.0, 95% Cl 1.2-3.3); or in those with anemia (hematocrit <30%: RR = 1.8, 95% Cl 1.1-2.9). In the dry season, anemia was the only predictor of fever incidence. In the rainy season, the best predictors of fever were, in order, age (<4 years), enlarged spleen, and high parasite density. Even in the higher risk groups, the cumulative incidence was <20%. The authors conclude that most children with high parasite density do not develop fever subsequently. The association between parasite density and fever varies according to age and season. Since even high levels of parasite density do not reliably predict fever incidence, parasite density should be considered as just one of a group of indicators that increase the probability of a fever of malarial origin. Am J Epidemiol 1997; 145: 850-

Surface Analysis by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS): Principles and Applications from Swiss laboratories

Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) extracts chemical, elemental, or isotopic information about a localized area of a solid target by performing mass spectrometry on secondary ions sputtered from its surface by the impact of a beam of charged particles. This primary beam sputters ionized atoms and small molecules (as well as many neutral particles) from the upper few nanometers of the sample surface. The physical basis of SIMS has been applied to a large range of applications utilizing instruments optimized with different types of mass analyzer, either dynamic SIMS with a double focusing mass spectrometer or static SIMS with a Time of Flight (TOF) analyzer. Here, we present a short review of the principles and major applications of three different SIMS instruments located in Switzerland

Des identités professionnelles en construction

Le métier de chef d’établissement en France est abordé par cinq experts issus de la recherche et de l’encadrement à différents niveaux. Tiraillés entre les héritages du passé et des modèles de management largement inspirés du monde de l’entreprise, les chefs d’établissements doivent se construire une identité nouvelle dans un contexte marqué par l’influence des comparaisons internationales, la diversité des contextes d’exercice et l’obligation croissante d’améliorer les résultats des élèves. Les débats explorent des aspects stratégiques de cette évolution, notamment en matière de développement d’une gestion autonome et responsable de l’établissement, ainsi que de pilotage pédagogique. Les pratiques professionnelles des chefs d’établissement français doivent évoluer pour s’adapter aux profondes transformations d’une école qui veut se moderniser tout en respectant les valeurs fondatrices de la République.The position of school head in France is discussed by five experts from research and education policy makers at different levels. Torn between past traditions and the largely business-inspired management models, school heads must forge a new identity for themselves under the influence of international comparisons, in a context of diverse working environments and in view of the mounting pressure for ever better academic results. Their debates explore the strategic aspects of this change, particularly in terms of developing an independent and responsible school management method and of education management. The professional practices of French school heads must adapt to the profound changes taking place in schools that are endeavouring to keep up with the times whilst staying true to the founding values of the French Republic.Se aborda aquí el oficio de jefe de establecimiento en Francia a través del punto de vista de cinco expertos, tanto investigadores como directivos de distintos niveles. A la vez fieles a las herencias del pasado y atraidos por unos modelos de management muy inspirados por el mundo de la empresa, los jefes de establecimiento deben construirse una identidad nueva en un contexto marcado por la influencia de las comparaciones internacionales, la diversidad de los contextos de ejercicio y la obligación creciente de mejorar los resultados de los alumnos. Los debates exploran aspectos estratégicos de esta evolución, sobre todo en materia de desarrollo de una gestión autónoma y responsable del establecimiento así como de pilotaje pedagógico. Las prácticas profesionales de los jefes de establecimiento franceses deben evolucionar para adaptarse a los profundas mutaciones de una escuela que quiere modernizarse respectando los valores fundamentales de la República