Chronicle of a referendum foretold: what next for the Malvinas/Falklands?

The announcement of the result of the March 2013 referendum on whether the Falklands/Malvinas should remain a British overseas territory came as no surprise in either Britain or Argentina, or on the South Atlantic islands themselves. Indeed, perhaps the biggest shock of all was the news that three inhabitants actually voted against remaining under British rule. As bewildered Kelpers in the close-knit island community speculated on where the voices of dissent had come from, in the aftermath of the referendum we consider what has really changed and offer insight into what will happen next. In particular, we argue that it is in both British and Argentine self-interest to change their stances in order to resolve the issue

Travelers to truth in Piers Plowman1)

Piers Plowman, a vast and complex poem in three different texts (the B. version, considered here, is c. 1377), is in many ways the ideal complement to Chaucer’s work, just as Langland, its author, is apart from Chaucer the greatest Middle English poet whom we know by name. Chaucer the greatest Middle English poet whom we know by name. Chaucer is urbane, witty, civilized, sophisticated; Langland is earnest, dedicated, hard-hitting. Where the former is largely (but not entirely) concerned with man’s earthly life, Piers Plowman sees man’s existence as a pilgrimage, a preparation for the life hereafter

Religion, literature and identity in South Africa: the case of Alan Paton

This article draws on recent research into the early unpublished work of Alan Paton to suggest that the interrelationship of (English-language) literature and religion in South Africa is a much under-researched field despite numerous examples of such research elsewhere. One short case study based on Paton’s lecture on “God in modern thought” (1934) is offered. The value of a hermeneutic approach to literature that considers human identity in terms of incarnation, for example, is briefly argued and other possibilities suggested

Some verbal patterns in the Castle of Perseverance

The pure fifteenth and sixteenth century ‘morality play’, of which The Castle of Perseverance is an instance, is far from being the dry ethical study this inaccurate term would suggest. Far more than dealing only with morals it sets out a complete plan of salvation for the individual. Sometimes, as with this play, it will deal with the entire life of one person, his triumphs and failures and eventual attainment to grace; occasionally it will touch upon the most dramatic event in that life, namely the approach of death. Hence the leading character is normally a figure of mankind, bearing a name such as Everyman or Humanum Genus, and he is surrounded by crowds of good and evil characters who allegorically portray the various influences on him. The intent of such plays is avowedly didactic and theological; one might term them dramatized sermons, though not with complete accuracy. In the sixteenth century the original purpose of these plays is rather lost sight of, and secularized ‘moralities’ appear, portraying social or political ideals such as good government

Synthesis of human plasminogen by the liver

Genetic types of plasminogen were determined from a donor and a recipient before and after hepatic homotransplantation. Examination of the plasminogen types demonstrated that the liver is the principal site of synthesis of human plasminogen. Copyright © 1980 AAAS

Introduction revisiting the Argentine crisis a decade on: changes and continuities

This introductory chapter to the book "Argentina Since the 2001 Crisis Recovering the Past, Reclaiming the Future" analyses crisis and its associated responses and subsequent recovery in the context of Argentina’s multiple implosion of 2001-02 whilst also assessing its legacies for the country’s social, cultural, economic and political realms during the last decade. It recognises that "crisis" is a term that is much used in the post-Lehman Brothers world and that the subsequent responses and associated recoveries (or lack of) have been the subject of a cascade of academic, government, media, and think-tank investigation ever since. The chapter instead seeks to understand the nature of how crisis and its impacts should be investigated and interrogated, by rejecting false dichotomies of ‘old’ and ‘new’ and synthesising understanding to form an analysis that draws both elements of continuity and elements of change. Secondly, it argues that crisis manifests itself in a number of realms, and that heuristic devices employed to investigate them must subsequently also be drawn from across a range of disciplinary perspectives. Thirdly, it examines how the 2001-02 crisis in Argentina led to a series of responses that both rejected the neoliberal model yet also recovered elements of it. Finally it outlines the structure of the rest of the book, briefly summarising the chapters in turn

Evaluation of cystatin C for the detection of chronic kidney disease in cats

BackgroundSerum cystatin C (sCysC) and urinary cystatin C (uCysC) are potential biomarkers for early detection of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats. An in-depth clinical validation is required. ObjectivesTo evaluate CysC as a marker for CKD in cats and to compare assay performance of the turbidimetric assay (PETIA) with the previously validated nephelometric assay (PENIA). AnimalsNinety cats were included: 49 CKD and 41 healthy cats. MethodsSerum CysC and uCysC concentrations were prospectively evaluated in cats with CKD and healthy cats. Based on plasma exo-iohexol clearance test (PexICT), sCysC was evaluated to distinguish normal, borderline, and low GFR. Sensitivity and specificity to detect PexICT<1.7mL/min/kg were calculated. Serum CysC results of PENIA and PETIA were correlated with GFR. Statistical analysis was performed using general linear modeling. ResultsCats with CKD had significantly higher meanSD sCysC (1.4 +/- 0.5mg/L) (P<.001) and uCysC/urinary creatinine (uCr) (291 +/- 411mg/mol) (P<.001) compared to healthy cats (sCysC 1.0 +/- 0.3 and uCysC/uCr 0.32 +/- 0.97). UCysC was detected in 35/49 CKD cats. R-2 values between GFR and sCysC or sCr were 0.39 and 0.71, respectively (sCysC or sCr=+GFR+epsilon). Sensitivity and specificity were 22 and 100% for sCysC and 83 and 93% for sCr. Serum CysC could not distinguish healthy from CKD cats, nor normal from borderline or low GFR, in contrast with sCr. ConclusionSerum CysC is not a reliable marker of reduced GFR in cats and uCysC could not be detected in all CKD cats

Observational study of the association of first insulin type in uncontrolled type 2 diabetes with macrovascular and microvascular disease

&lt;p&gt;Aims: To compare the risk of vascular disease, HbA1c and weight change, between first prescribed insulins in people with type 2 diabetes.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Methods: People included in THIN United Kingdom primary care record database who began insulin (2000–2007) after poor control on oral glucose-lowering agents (OGLD) were grouped by the number of OGLDs in their treatment regimen immediately before starting insulin (n = 3,485). Within OGLD group, Cox regression compared macrovascular (all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome and stroke) and microvascular disease (peripheral neuropathy, nephropathy, and retinopathy) between insulin type (basal, pre-mix or Neutral Protamine Hagedorn, NPH) while ANCOVAs compared haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and weight change.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Results: Mean follow-up was 3.6 years. Rates of incident macrovascular events were similar when basal insulin was compared to pre-mix or NPH, adjusted hazard ratio versus basal: pre-mix 1.08 (95% CI 0.73, 1.59); NPH 1.00 (0.63, 1.58) after two OGLDs, and pre-mix 0.97 (0.46, 2.02); NPH 0.77 (0.32, 1.86) after three OGLDs. An increased risk of microvascular disease in NPH versus basal after 3 OGLDs, adjusted hazard ratio1.87 (1.04, 3.36), was not seen after two agents or in comparisons of basal and pre-mix. At one year, after two OGLDs, weight increase was less with basal compared with pre-mix. After three OGLDs, mean HbA1c had reduced less in basal versus pre-mix or NPH at 6–8 and at 9–11 months, and versus pre-mix at 12–14 months.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Conclusion: We found no difference in the risk of macrovascular events between first insulins in the medium term when started during poor glycaemia control. The increased risk of microvascular events with NPH warrants further study. In certain groups, first use of basal insulin was associated with less gain in weight and decrease in HbA1c compared to other insulins.&lt;/p&gt

Secondary Natural Gas Recovery: Targeted Technology Applications for Infield Reserve Growth in Deltaifc Sand-Rich Low to Conventional Permeability Reservoirs in the Wilcox Group, Lake Creek Field, Texas

The potential for secondary incremental recovery of natural gas exists in complex fluvial-deltaic reservoirs of the Texas Gulf Coast. Four deltaic parasequences were identified using well logs calibrated to cores in the G sandstone. Engineering evaluations of production performance and pressures are compared with reservoir facies; these evaluations demonstrate the importance of identifying reservoir facies in maximizing recovery of natural gas. A well-log-based model to predict the free-water level and effective gas permeabilities was tested and calibrated using Wilcox gas reservoirs. Key reservoir parameters of porosity, water saturation, permeability, and capillary pressure are related in a single equation. Analysis of natural gas reservoirs from the Wilcox Deltaic sandstones in the Houston Embayment (WX-1) in East Texas indicates that reserve growth potential of approximately 60 percent over the current estimate of ultimate recovery is possible in deltaic sandstone reservoirs in the Lake Creek Unit. Detailed geologic, engineering, and petrophysical evaluation of the G sandstone reservoir in the Lake Creek Unit indicates that the maximum additional incremental gas opportunities exist in the flank region adjacent to the area currently developed in the Lake Creek field. The location, number, and economic feasibility of additional wells required to convert this resource to producible reserves were not evaluated.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Psychiatric blood biomarkers: avoiding jumping to premature negative or positive conclusions

Blood biomarkers may provide a scientifically useful and clinically usable peripheral signal in psychiatry, as they have been doing for other fields of medicine. Jumping to premature conclusions, negative or positive, can create confusion in this field. Reproducibility is a hallmark of good science. We discuss some recent examples from this dynamic field, and show some new data in support of previously published biomarkers for suicidality (SAT1, MARCKS and SKA2). Methodological clarity and rigor in terms of biomarker discovery, validation and testing is needed. We propose a set of principles for what constitutes a good biomarker, similar in spirit to the Koch postulates used at the birth of the field of infectious diseases