Spotlight on measles 2010: Increased measles transmission in Ferrara, Italy, despite high vaccination coverage, March to May 2010

We report an increase in the incidence of measles in a population with consistently high and improving immunisation coverage in Ferrara province, northern Italy. During the first six months of 2010, 19 cases were confirmed, 10 of which were hospitalised. General practitioners, paediatricians and local healthcare authorities were alerted about the outbreak and asked to notify all suspected cases. We need to further increase immunisation coverage and to maintain and implement the monitoring system

Madeleine Pelletier

Les femmes seraient-elles par «nature» des êtres «religieux» ? Nombre de dictionnaires du XIXe siècle reprennent cette association présupposée pour en faire un personnage de bigoterie, raillé par la littérature satirique et la caricature journalistique. Ce type de représentation littéraire exprimerait déjà une forme de séparation, d\u27ordre sexué, entre le politique et le religieux. Aux hommes, reviendrait l\u27espace public et le champ du politique, aux femmes, serait réservé le domaine privé dans lequel se situerait le religieux pour les héritiers de la Révolution. La République invente donc le citoyen masculin tandis que l\u27Église catholique concordataire s\u27appuie sur ses bataillons de femmes pratiquantes et de religieuses pour résister aux laïcisations. Ce modèle envisage plus que jamais à la fin du XIXe siècle le fonctionnement des sociétés modernes à partir de la séparation du religieux et du politique, autrement dit de la sécularisation. Les sociologues français ont alors tendance à concevoir le religieux comme la persistance d\u27un archaïsme au sein de la société qu\u27il est nécessaire d\u27éradiquer ou de limiter aux consciences privées afin que celle-ci puisse emprunter les voies de la modernité. Au cours du siècle suivant, la réflexion s\u27effectuera essentiellement à travers le prisme de l\u27autonomisation des deux champs du politique et du religieux, voire de la disparition progressive de ce dernier, qualifiée de «désenchantement du monde». Dès lors, l\u27emprisonnement du religieux dans l\u27espace privé l\u27assimile à la «nature féminine», le réduisant à des attitudes «sensibles», éloignée des comportements rationnels que l\u27autre nature, «masculine» cette fois, déploierait dans sa marche vers le progrès. Une certaine historiographie contemporaine française a alors été influencée par ce modèle d\u27analyse qui considère l\u27association «femmes et religions» comme une approche archaïsante. De fait, ces deux champs sont d\u27abord réduits aux «silences de l\u27histoire». Cependant, l\u27histoire religieuse va progressivement s\u27émanciper de l\u27histoire politique, accédant à l\u27autonomie et à l\u27institutionnalisation. Plus tard, l\u27histoire des femmes est enfantée par l\u27histoire sociale, un territoire marqué par une historiographie nationale et républicaine, aux relents parfois misogynes. Chacune de leur côté, méfiante l\u27une envers l\u27autre, l\u27histoire sociale et l\u27histoire religieuse ont ignoré ce nouveau territoire de l\u27historien(ne) construit à partir des femmes

PSS Users and Harley Davidson Riders: : The importance of consumer identity in the diffusion of sustainable consumption solutions

This is the peer-reviewed version of the following article: Catulli, M., Cook, M. and Potter, S. (2016), ‘Product Service Systems Users and Harley Davidson Riders: The Importance of Consumer Identity in the Diffusion of Sustainable Consumption Solutions’, Journal of Industrial Ecology, which has been published in final form at 10.1111/jiec.12518. Under embargo. Embargo end date: 2 December 2018. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving. © 2016 by Yale UniversityThis paper sets out an approach to researching socio-cultural aspects of Product Service Systems (PSS) consumption in consumer markets. PSS are relevant to Industrial Ecology as they may form part of the mix of innovations that move society toward more sustainable material and energy flows. The paper uses two contrasting case studies drawing on ethnographic analysis, Harley Davidson motorcycles and Zip Car Car Club. The analysis draws on Consumer Culture Theory to explicate the socio-cultural, experiential, symbolic and ideological aspects of these case studies, focusing on product ownership. The paper shows that ownership of Harley Davidson motorcycles enables riders to identify with a brand community and to define themselves. Owners appropriate their motorcycles through customization. In contrast, Zip Car users resist the company’s attempts to involve them in a brand community, see use of car sharing as a temporary fix and even fear contamination from shared use of cars. We conclude that iconic products such as Harley Davidson motorcycles create emotional attachment and can challenge PSS propositions. But we also suggest that somewhat standardized products may present similar difficulties. Knowing more about socio-cultural aspects of PSS may help designers overcome these difficulties.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Content and Feedback Analysis of YouTube Videos: Football Clubs and Fans as Brand Communities

The use of Web 2.0 tools has been transforming the interaction between companies and their clients, especially for those that are selling emotional products. Consumers are generating and sharing contents concerning their favourite products on the web. Even if this process has been widely acknowledged, only a few studies have been specifically devoted to the analysis of both the contents and the feedback the consumers receive from other users. This article analyzes the online presence of sport brands through contents that are generated by sport clubs (official contents) and their fans (User Generated Content, UGC) on YouTube. After a description and classification of video contents, it examines the factors that influence the performance of the videos in terms of passive (videos views) and active behaviour (any kinds of interaction with videos) among the viewers. In order to carry out this analysis, 125 YouTube channels were considered thereby accounting for a total of 375 videos. Results show that official contents are those preferred by the users/consumers and that if the video displays a passive/purely informative content, the chance of getting an active behaviour from the users tends to decrease. These findings may help companies manage their online presence, creating awareness about contents and information that should be spread and shared on the web

Reduced Deadtime and Higher Rate Photon-Counting Detection using a Multiplexed Detector Array

We present a scheme for a photon-counting detection system that can be operated at incident photon rates higher than otherwise possible by suppressing the effects of detector deadtime. The method uses an array of N detectors and a 1-by-N optical switch with a control circuit to direct input light to live detectors. Our calculations and models highlight the advantages of the technique. In particular, using this scheme, a group of N detectors provides an improvement in operation rate that can exceed the improvement that would be obtained by a single detector with deadtime reduced by 1/N, even if it were feasible to produce a single detector with such a large improvement in deadtime. We model the system for continuous and pulsed light sources, both of which are important for quantum metrology and quantum key distribution applications.Comment: 6 figure

Hacking commercial quantum cryptography systems by tailored bright illumination

The peculiar properties of quantum mechanics allow two remote parties to communicate a private, secret key, which is protected from eavesdropping by the laws of physics. So-called quantum key distribution (QKD) implementations always rely on detectors to measure the relevant quantum property of single photons. Here we demonstrate experimentally that the detectors in two commercially available QKD systems can be fully remote-controlled using specially tailored bright illumination. This makes it possible to tracelessly acquire the full secret key; we propose an eavesdropping apparatus built of off-the-shelf components. The loophole is likely to be present in most QKD systems using avalanche photodiodes to detect single photons. We believe that our findings are crucial for strengthening the security of practical QKD, by identifying and patching technological deficiencies.Comment: Revised version, rewritten for clarity. 5 pages, 5 figures. To download the Supplementary information (which is in open access), go to the journal web site at http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2010.21

Multidimensional performance of periurban horticulture:Assessing agroecological transition and soil health

This study aims to produce evidence on the performance of horticultural systems in the peri-urban area of Buenos Aires (Argentina), based on the 10 Elements of Agroecology with an emphasis on soil health. To this end, we performed a survey with the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) Step 1, and we measured soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in family farms self-defined as agroecological or conventional. Results reflected overall low transition-to-agroecology indices and poor soil quality in the studied area. However, self-defined agroecological systems have made significant strides toward agroecological transition with higher scores mainly affecting elements describing management and innovation aspects of the agroecological transition but also those describing the social aspects and the enabling environment. Finally, self-defined agroecological farms exhibit better soil health scores for the indicators aggregates stability, soil organic carbon, and soil basal respiration, than conventional farms. Nevertheless, there is still potential to be exploited and constraints to be overcome to improve the transition to agroecology of horticultural systems in this area.</p

Multidimensional performance of periurban horticulture:Assessing agroecological transition and soil health

This study aims to produce evidence on the performance of horticultural systems in the peri-urban area of Buenos Aires (Argentina), based on the 10 Elements of Agroecology with an emphasis on soil health. To this end, we performed a survey with the Tool for Agroecology Performance Evaluation (TAPE) Step 1, and we measured soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in family farms self-defined as agroecological or conventional. Results reflected overall low transition-to-agroecology indices and poor soil quality in the studied area. However, self-defined agroecological systems have made significant strides toward agroecological transition with higher scores mainly affecting elements describing management and innovation aspects of the agroecological transition but also those describing the social aspects and the enabling environment. Finally, self-defined agroecological farms exhibit better soil health scores for the indicators aggregates stability, soil organic carbon, and soil basal respiration, than conventional farms. Nevertheless, there is still potential to be exploited and constraints to be overcome to improve the transition to agroecology of horticultural systems in this area.</p