Tempêtes sur des crânes : la phrénologie à l’ère victorienne

International audienc

Business as Usual'? Britain’s First Women’s Convict Prison, Brixton 1853-1869

This article concerns the 16 year penal experiment at Brixton, Britain's first convict prison for women (1853-1869). From the start, the regime at Brixton was seen by Home Office officials and prison staff alike as a second-best solution, since contemporary views on 'appropriate' women's work ruled out the hard physical labour of the men's public works prisons, felt to bring salutary effects to both body and mind. The emphasis was placed instead on inculcating those domestic, 'womanly' values felt to be under threat from the social forces unleashed by the Industrial Revolution. However, a combination of the enforced sedentary lifestyle, together with women's supposedly 'impulsive' and 'excitable' natures, were blamed for creating an unexpected problem of discipline in the prison. Despite removing some of the worst cases to Millbank for a dose of separate confinement, the prison authorities felt continually frustrated and powerless in the face of persistent rule-breaking at Brixton. Caught between the conflicting demands of the reformatory project and calls from outside to tighten the penal screw, and clearly divided on the question of just what punishments were suitable for women prisoners, they saw no solution except to build a new prison and try again

Corps et délinquance juvénile en Angleterre dans les années 1830-1865 : le milieu remis en question ?

A juvenile criminal-type ? Theorising the delinquent body in England, c. 1830-1865 This article considers the way in which attitudes to juvenile delinquency in Britain in the period 1830-65 were linked to enduring and powerful stereotypes of the criminal body. Both traditional historiography and its Foucauldian critics have tended to confine their attention to the writings of a small number of contemporary humanist reformers. The latter emphasised the strength of environmental forces in moulding the young criminal, and the need for “reformatories” to be built to purge him or her of those nefarious influences. In reality, however, the debate was more complex than this. The kind of hereditarian explanations of crime familiar from work on adult (particularly habitual) offenders can also be found in discussions of juvenile delinquents. Thus alongside the more well-known environmental explanations of youth offending, there existed a discourse drawing on physiognomic, phrenological and anthropological theories which offered body – particularly facial – characteristics as “proof” of an innate propensity to crime.Cet article montre comment le débat sur le « problème de la délinquance juvénile » en Grande-Bretagne dans la période 1830-1865 puisait dans les stéréotypes très enracinés et durables de l'existence d'un « corps criminel ». L'historiographie traditionnelle, tout comme la critique foucaldienne, a eu tendance à limiter son analyse aux écrits d'un petit nombre de réformateurs humanistes. Ces derniers mettaient en exergue une explication de la criminalité juvénile fondée sur le milieu et préconisaient la mise en place d'un système de maisons de redressement (« reformatories ») qui devait permettre de libérer les jeunes des mauvaises influences de leur environnement. En réalité, le débat fut beaucoup plus complexe. Le type d'explications innéistes du comportement criminel des adultes (en particulier des récidivistes) que l'on rencontre couramment dans les écrits de l'époque, trouve son écho dans le débat sur la délinquance juvénile. Cet article met en évidence l'existence, pendant toute la période, d'un discours, trop souvent occulté, inspiré par les théories de la physiognomonie, de la phrénologie et de l'anthropologie, qui affirmait que des tares physiques « prouvaient » l'existence de pulsions criminelles innées.http://rhei.revues.org/index367.htm

Recent Developments in Phyroshock Simulation Using Fixtures With Tunable Resonant Frequencies

Pyroshock is a potentially severe environment produced by the detonation of explosively actuated components and stage separation hardware. Electronic components exposed to pyroshock events during flight or deployment can be damaged by this high frequency, high G shock. Flight qualification of these components may be accomplished using one of many existing techniques to simulate the pyroshock environment in the laboratory. Two new techniques developed at Sandia National Laboratories allow larger components to be tested to a wide variety of pyroshock environments. The frequency content and amplitude of the simulated pyroshock can be easily controlled in a predictable manner. The pyroshock environment is produced by the resonant response of a test fixture that has been excited by a mechanical impact. The resonant fixture has a dominant frequency that can be continuously adjusted over a frequency range that is typically found in most pyroshock environments. The test apparatus and techniques utilized by each method will be described in this paper. Experimental results will be presented which illustrate the capabilities of each method

Pyroshock simulation for satellite components using a tunable resonant fixture - phase 2

Aerospace components are often subjected to pyroshock events during flight and deployment, and must be qualified to this frequently severe environment. Laboratory simulation of pyroshock using a mechanically excited resonant fixture, has gained favor at Sandia for testing small (<8 inch cube) weapon components. With this method, each different shock environment required a different resonant fixture that was designed such that it`s response matched the environment. In Phase 1 (SAND92-2135) of this research, a new test method was developed which eliminated the need to have a different resonant fixture for each test requirement. This was accomplished by means of a tunable resonant fixture that has a response which is adjustable over a wide frequency range. The adjustment of the fixture`s response is done in a simple and deterministic way. This report covers Phase 2 of this research, in which several ideas were explored to extend the Phase 1 results to a larger scale. The test apparatus developed in Phase 1 was capable of testing components with up to a 10 inches x 10 inches base. The goal of the Phase 2 research was to produce an apparatus capable of testing components with up to a 20 inches x 20 inches mounting base. This size capability would allow the testing of most satellite and missile components which frequently consist of large electronic boxes. Several methods to attain this goal were examined, including scaling up the Phase 1 apparatus. Only one of these proved capable of meeting the Phase 2 goals. This report covers all details from concept through fabrication and testing of this Phase 2 apparatus

Survival and activity of an indigenous iron-reducing microbial community from MX80 bentonite in high temperature / low water environments with relevance to a proposed method of nuclear waste disposal

MX80 bentonite clay has been selected as the buffer and backfill in a proposed method for long-term deep geological storage of nuclear waste. Extensive studies have been carried out on the geomechanical properties of the clay; however, it is not clear what effect microbes, specifically iron-reducing bacteria, will have on its ability to function as an affective barrier. Iron-reducing bacteria can reduce structural or external Fe(III) to Fe(II) and have been previously identified in the indigenous microbial community of MX80 bentonite. Experiments to assess bacterial survival at the high temperature and low water conditions likely to exist in the repository were carried out at different temperatures with the addition of steel to represent a nuclear waste canister. The resulting microbial enrichments were analysed, and mineralogical and geomechnical analysis was carried out on the clay. Microbial sequencing revealed that iron-reducing bacteria, and other indigenous species can survive these conditions in MX80 bentonite in either an active or dormant state. Microbial influenced mineralogical changes may lead to a loss of silica from the clay and reduction of Fe(III) to Fe(II). These changes could alter the ability of the clay to act as an effective barrier in nuclear waste disposal. Furthermore, evidence of reduced steel corrosion when microbes were present suggested that microbial activity may lead to either a protective coating on the steel or depletion of oxygen to slow corrosion. The production of such a layer would benefit nuclear waste disposal by inhibiting corrosion of a metal waste canister

Use of clinically relevant responder threshold criteria to evaluate the response to treatment in the Phase III PATENT-1 study

Abstract BACKGROUND: In PATENT-1, riociguat significantly improved 6-minute walking distance (6MWD) and a range of secondary end-points in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We investigated whether riociguat increased the proportion of patients achieving clinically relevant responder thresholds compared with placebo during PATENT-1. METHODS: In PATENT-1, a randomized, double-blind study, treatment-naïve patients or patients on background PAH-targeted therapy with symptomatic PAH received 12 weeks of treatment with placebo, riociguat up to 2.5 mg 3 times daily, or riociguat up to 1.5 mg 3 times daily. Increases in 6MWD ≥40 m, 6MWD ≥380 m, cardiac index ≥2.5 liter/min/m(2), mixed venous oxygen saturation ≥65%, World Health Organization functional class I/II, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide <1,800 pg/ml, and right atrial pressure <8 mm Hg were chosen as threshold criteria of a positive response. RESULTS: Riociguat increased the proportion of treatment-naïve patients and patients on background PAH-targeted therapy with 6MWD ≥380 m at Week 12 (+21% and +15%, respectively), whereas there was a small reduction in 6MWD in placebo-treated patients for both sub-groups. Riociguat also increased the proportion of treatment-naïve patients and patients on background PAH-targeted therapy achieving World Health Organization functional class I/II (+12% and +19%, respectively) and cardiac index ≥2.5 liter/min/m(2) (+30% and +33%, respectively) at Week 12, whereas there was little change in the respective placebo groups. CONCLUSIONS: Compared with placebo, riociguat increased the proportion of treatment-naïve patients and patients on background PAH-targeted therapy who fulfilled criteria defining a positive response to therapy

Collaboration and modelling – tools for integration in the Motueka catchment, New Zealand

A conceptual model of integrated catchment management (ICM) is presented in which ICM is defined as a process to achieve both ecosystem resilience and community resilience. It requires not only biophysical knowledge developed by hydrologists and other environmental scientists, but an active partnership with catchment communities and stakeholders to break the ‘paradigm lock’ described by the UNESCO-HELP programme.This paper reports observations from ICM research in the Motueka HELP demonstration basin in the upper South Island of New Zealand. The Motueka occupies 2 170 km2 of land yet the river effects are felt on the seabed more than 50 km2 offshore, so the true ‘catchment’ is larger. A hydrologically temperate mountainous catchment with horticultural, agricultural, plantation forestry and conservation land uses, the Motueka also hosts an internationally recognised brown trout fishery. Land and water management issues driving ICM research include water allocation conflicts between instream and irrigation water uses, impacts on water quality of runoff from intensifying land uses, catchment impacts on coastal productivity and aquaculture, and how to manage catchment processes in an integrated way that addresses cumulative effects of development.Collaboration with catchment stakeholders can be viewed as having two primary purposes:• Building knowledge and commitment of resource users towards sustainable resource management (collaborative learning)• Stakeholder involvement in resource management itself (governance).Examples are presented of a Collaborative Learning Group on Sediment learning of their differing perspectives on fine sediment impacts, and a Catchment Landcare Group working with scientists to improve water quality in their river. Success factors for water user committees making decisions about water resource management include creating opportunities to communicate and build trust, share scientific knowledge on the issue, and willingness to compromise. Functioning catchment groups have potential to take on delegated governance responsibility for meeting agreed water quality and other community goals.Finally a scenario modelling framework IDEAS (Integrated Dynamic Environmental Assessment System) is presented, in which environmental indicators such as nutrient fluxes are simulated alongside socio-economic indicators such as job numbers and catchment GDP for a range of land and marine use options.Keywords: integrated catchment management (ICM), resilience, HELP, UNESCO, water governance, Landcare, scenario modelling, collaborative learning, water allocation, water user committees, catchment groups, watershed managemen

Use of responder threshold criteria to evaluate the response to treatment in the phase III CHEST-1 study

BackgroundIn the Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension Soluble Guanylate Cyclase - Stimulator Trial 1 (CHEST-1) study, riociguat improved 6-minute walking distance (6MWD) vs placebo in patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension or persistent/recurrent pulmonary hypertension after pulmonary endarterectomy. In this study, the proportion of patients who achieved responder thresholds that correlate with improved outcome in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension was determined at baseline and at the end of CHEST-1.MethodsPatients received placebo or riociguat individually adjusted up to 2.5 mg 3 times a day for 16 weeks. Response criteria were defined as follows: 6MWD increase ≥40 m, 6MWD ≥380 m, cardiac index ≥2.5 liters/min/m2, pulmonary vascular resistance <500 dyn∙sec∙cm−5, mixed venous oxygen saturation ≥65%, World Health Organization functional class I/II, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide <1,800 pg/ml, and right atrial pressure <8 mm Hg.ResultsRiociguat increased the proportion of patients with 6MWD ≥380 m, World Health Organization functional class I/II, and pulmonary vascular resistance <500 dyn∙sec∙cm−5 from 37%, 34%, and 25% at baseline to 58%, 57%, and 50% at Week 16, whereas there was little change in placebo-treated patients (6MWD ≥380 m, 43% vs 44%; World Health Organization functional class I/II, 29% vs 38%; pulmonary vascular resistance <500 dyn∙sec∙cm−5, 27% vs 26%). Similar changes were observed for thresholds for cardiac index, mixed venous oxygen saturation, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, and right atrial pressure.ConclusionsIn this exploratory analysis, riociguat increased the proportion of patients with inoperable chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension or persistent/recurrent pulmonary hypertension after pulmonary endarterectomy achieving criteria defining a positive response to therapy

Evaluation of uniaxial and triaxial shock isolation techniques for a piezoresistive accelerometer

Development of both uniaxial and triaxial shock isolation techniques for pyroshock and impact tests has continued this year. The uniaxial shock isolation technique has demonstrated acceptable characteristics for a temperature range of {minus}50{degrees}F to +186{degrees}F and a frequency bandwidth of DC to 10 kHz. The triaxial shock isolation technique has demonstrated acceptable results for a temperature range of {minus}50{degrees}F to 70{degrees}F and a frequency bandwidth of DC to 10 kHz. 5 refs., 7 figs