Commoning our futures? An anarchist urban political ecology

One response to the increasing pressure of urban living is in the re-appropriation of public spaces and urban green to help sustain and enhance the environmental, social and cultural life of cities. But a major paradox arises here: while they are increasingly leaning on voluntarist discourses of sustainability, the pressure of privatization, the implementation of risk-based policies and the general principles of consumer-based urban economies only scarcely fit with the notion of common, public spaces, and hardly accommodate with the freedom of their users or their alternative or even subversive occupation. Using an explicitly anarchist analytical lens and based on extensive fieldwork in Birmingham and Belfast (UK) and Amsterdam (NL), this thesis uses an ethno-geographic approach, consisting mainly of documents and policy analysis, semi-structured interviews and field notes to replace urban green commons in their broader spatial, social and political networks. It demonstrates how sustainability is a consensual but ultimately undetermined political object. Emerging co-operative processes of environmental governance and stewardship are identified and traced to the development of a new category of actors and networks. The potential of urban green commons to foster more resilient, socially inclusive cities is assessed alongside the need for radically re-politicized urban environments

Raw material exploitation strategies on the flint mining site of Spiennes (Hainaut, Belgium)

The flint mines of Spiennes (Hainaut Province, Belgium) are among the most important mining sites in Europe as evidenced by the huge extension of the site and its very long duration of occupation, probably covering a period between 4350 and 2300 BCE. What explains such a spectacular achievement? The paper first explores the geological constraints but also the social and material conditions that made possible such a continuity of mining activities. The site of Spiennes offers both extremely rich flint resources and a specific geographical configuration that made the discovery and the exploitation of the deposit relatively easy in the Neolithic. The paper next focuses on deducing the mining strategies implemented to extract good quality raw materials on basis of both stratigraphical evidence and the flint productions in direct relation with the mines. The mining strategies variability from a synchronic and a diachronic point of view as well as the knapping techniques implemented will be analysed. These are then put into perspective with what is known of the social context in which the mining activities took place. At the turn of the 5th and the 4th millennium BCE a permanent settlement was built near the mining site. As the Michelsberg populations who exploited the mines in Spiennes were first and foremost farmers, this leads us to propose a tentative hypothesis about the seasonality of the mining activities. Living close to a hugely rich flint deposit, these farmers were able to develop sometimes complex mining techniques to reach specific seams, deemed adequate for the production of standardised axeheads and blades. Century-old traditions, group specialisation in mining and knapping and close social control of flint resources allowed the mines to dominate the raw material supply of the Mons Basin for centuries

The Quality of Primary Care in a Country with Universal Health Care Coverage

BACKGROUND: Standard indicators of quality of care have been developed in the United States. Limited information exists about quality of care in countries with universal health care coverage. OBJECTIVE: To assess the quality of preventive care and care for cardiovascular risk factors in a country with universal health care coverage. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective cohort of a random sample of 1,002 patients aged 50-80years followed for 2years from all Swiss university primary care settings. MAIN MEASURES: We used indicators derived from RAND's Quality Assessment Tools. Each indicator was scored by dividing the number of episodes when recommended care was delivered by the number of times patients were eligible for indicators. Aggregate scores were calculated by taking into account the number of eligible patients for each indicator. KEY RESULTS: Overall, patients (44% women) received 69% of recommended preventive care, but rates differed by indicators. Indicators assessing annual blood pressure and weight measurements (both 95%) were more likely to be met than indicators assessing smoking cessation counseling (72%), breast (40%) and colon cancer screening (35%; all p 75% for hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes. However, foot examination was performed only in 50% of patients with diabetes. Prevention indicators were more likely to be met in men (72.2% vs 65.3% in women, p < 0.001) and patients <65years (70.1% vs 68.0% in those ≥65years, p = 0.047). CONCLUSIONS: Using standardized tools, these adults received 69% of recommended preventive care and 83% of care for cardiovascular risk factors in Switzerland, a country with universal coverage. Prevention indicator rates were lower for women and the elderly, and for cancer screening. Our study helps pave the way for targeted quality improvement initiatives and broader assessment of health care in Continental Europ

Accurate fundamental parameters of CoRoT asteroseismic targets: the solar-like stars HD 49933, HD 175726, HD 181420 and HD 181906

The CoRoT satellite has provided high-quality light curves of several solar-like stars. Analysis of the light curves provides oscillation frequencies that make it possible to probe the interior of the stars. However, additional constraints on the fundamental parameters of the stars are important for the theoretical modelling to be successful. We will estimate the fundamental parameters (mass, radius and luminosity) of the first four solar-like targets to be observed in the asteroseismic field. In addition, we will determine their effective temperature, metallicity and detailed abundance pattern. To constrain the stellar mass, radius and age we use the SHOTGUN software which compares the location of the stars in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram with theoretical evolution models. This method takes into account the uncertainties of the observed parameters including the large separation determined from the solar-like oscillations. We determine the effective temperatures and abundance patterns in the stars from the analysis of high-resolution spectra. We have determined the mass, radius and luminosity of the four CoRoT targets to within 5-10 percent, 2-4 percent and 5-13 percent, respectively. The quality of the stellar spectra determines how well we can constrain the effective temperature. For the two best spectra we get 1-sigma uncertainties below 60 K and for the other two 100-150 K. The uncertainty on the surface gravity is less than 0.08 dex for three stars while for HD 181906 it is 0.15 dex. The reason for the larger uncertainty is that the spectrum has two components with a luminosity ratio of Lp/Ls = 0.50+-0.15. While Hipparcos astrometric data strongly suggest it is a binary star we find evidence that the fainter star may be a background star, since it is less luminous but hotter.Comment: 10 pages, accepted by A&

Fatores associados à eficiência de acaricidas sobre diferentes populações de Rhipicephalus microplus

Tick infestation causes major problems in cattle. Tick parasitism accounts for significant economic losses in many beef and dairy herds in the vast majority of the states in the Brazilian territory including the State of Santa Catarina in the southern region of the country. Tick resistance to several active principles occurs due to a number of factors including the indiscriminate, injudicious and inadequate use of tick insecticides. Considering the great importance of fighting off tick infestations in cattle, we evaluated the efficiency of 8 different topical active principles against the ixodid tick R. microplus and identified the main factors that contribute to the development of ticks that are resistant to acaricides in the farms and bovine herds studied. For such purpose, R. microplus telegionae were collected in 39 farms locates in different municipalities of the West of Santa Catarina, south Brazil. At the time of sample collection, information about the management, the history of the acar used in the herd, the number of annual applications of these pesticides, the frequency of acaricide rotation, and the frequency of technical monitoring for strategic tick control were retrieved. We collected this data in order determine contributing factors to the development resistant R. microplus populations. For the sensitivity profile of these ticks to a number of different acaricides tested, 10 engorged females for each principle and a control were used. The results of our study show that most associations between pyrethroids and organophosphates had an efficiency between 96.6% and 100% in the control of R. microplus except for the combination of Alfacipermetrine 15%, Ethion 16%, and Chlorpyrifos 8.5% that had 93.4% of efficiency. Among the chemicals not associated with any other type of compound, Amitraz 12.5% ​​was effective in 98.3% of the cases. In contrast, Cypermethrin 15% had an efficiency in only 25.8% of the farms/herds analyzed. Based on the results of the present study, we may infer that the methods of control and management used by producers may be related to the low indexes of resistance to topical acaricides in the different populations of ticks in the study area.A infestação por carrapatos em bovinos gera grandes problemas, sendo esse parasito responsável por elevados prejuízos econômicos em diversos rebanhos de produção de corte e também de leite na maioria das regiões brasileiras, inclusive em Santa Catarina. A resistência dos carrapatos frente aos diversos princípios ativos pode ser decorrente de fatores como o uso indiscriminado de carrapaticidas, bem como a inadequada forma de aplicação dos mesmos. Tendo em vista a grande importância em combater essas infestações, buscou-se avaliar a eficiência de oito diferentes princípios ativos de contato contra o carrapato Rhipicephalus microplus, bem como identificar os principais fatores que possam contribuir com a seleção de carrapatos resistentes nas propriedades avaliadas. Para isso, teleóginas de R. microplus foram coletadas em 39 propriedades de diferentes municípios do Oeste de Santa Catarina. No momento da coleta também foram obtidas informações referentes ao sistema de manejo dos animais, histórico dos carrapaticidas utilizados, número de aplicações anuais, frequência de rodízios de acaricidas, e frequência de acompanhamento técnico para controle estratégico, com a finalidade de evidenciar os diferentes fatores que possam estar contribuindo para o surgimento de eventual resistência das populações do R. microplus. A avaliação de suscetibilidade foi realizada através da técnica de biocarrapaticidograma, utilizando 10 teleóginas ingurgitadas para cada princípio e mais o controle. Dentre os principais resultados obtidos, a maioria das associações entre piretróides e organofosforados demonstraram ter eficiência entre 96,6% e 100%, com exceção da associação de Alfacipermetrina 15%, Ethion 16% e Clorpirifós 8,5% com 93,4% de eficiência. Dentre as bases químicas sem nenhum tipo de associação o Amitraz 12,5% demonstrou ser eficaz em 98,3%, em contrapartida a Cipermetrina 15% teve eficiência em apenas 25,8% das propriedades analisadas. A partir dos resultados obtidos, pode se afirmar que as formas de controle e manejo adotados pelos produtores podem estar relacionadas com os baixos índices de resistência aos carrapaticidas de contato, nas diferentes populações de carrapato na região do estudo

032: Thirty months outcomes after PCI of unprotected left main coronary artery according to the SYNTAX score

AimsTo assess middle term outcomes according to SYNTAX score and rates of delayed surgical/bleeding events after unprotected left main (LM) coronary artery (ULMCA) PCI in an unselected patients population.MethodsConsecutive patients treated by PCI for ULMCA were included among a single center 3508 PCI database within 36 months. Syntax scores were calculated, post discharge extracardiac surgery or hemorrhage were recorded during follow-up as clinical outcomes (Death, TVR, MACCE=cardiovascular death+MI+stroke+TLR).Results102 (3.6%) patients underwent PCI of the LM, including 21 protected LM. Among the 81 patients with PCI of ULMCA, mean age was 65±13, 27% had urgent PCI for AMI or cardiogenic shock, 61% had DES.SYNTAX score was 28±14 in mean and ≤22 in 30 (37%), 23 to 32 in 22 (27%) and ≥33 in 29 (36%) patients.At 30±11 months follow up (98% of the patients), death occurred in 24 patients (30%), TVR in 16 (20%) and MACCE in 35 (43%). Clinical events according to the SYNTAX score are shown in figure. No cardiovascular death occurred in patients with syntax ≤22. MACCE rates were significantly lower when DES were used (24% vs. 64%, p<0.05) and in case of non-urgent PCI (36% vs. 71%, p<0.05).During follow-up, 20 (25%) and 12 (15%) patients underwent unplanned extracardiac surgery and/or hemorrhage, leading to antiplatelet withdrawal in 31% of the cases.ConclusionsIn unselected patients treated by PCI of ULMCA with Syntax score ≤22, outcomes were found to be excellent with no cardiovascular death observed at 30 months. DES and non-urgent PCI were associated with a better prognosis. One patient out of three underwent unplanned extracardiac surgery or hemorrhage during follow up.Figure: 30-months outcomes according to SYNTAX scor

Psychometric properties of the Social Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ) in a longitudinal population-based sample

We assessed the psychometric properties of the Social Behavior Questionnaire (SBQ), a 30-item questionnaire evaluating social (e.g., disruptive behaviors, bullying) and emotional problems (e.g., anxiety, depression) among children aged 3.5-12 years. Children (n = 1,950, 50.21% boys) were drawn from the Quebec Longitudinal Study of Child Development. Mothers reported the frequency with which children presented social and emotional behaviors from 3.5 to 8 years of age, and teachers from 6 to 12 years. We assessed internal structure using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, reliability using Cronbach's alpha, and convergent and discriminant validity using a multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) approach. The six-factor (emotional distress, withdrawal, impulsive/hyperactive/inattentive, disruptive behaviors, prosocial behaviors, and peer relationships difficulties) structure of the SBQ showed good fit from ages 3.5 to 12 years. Reliability estimates were good to excellent (alphas > .7), and MTMM showed good convergent and discriminant validity. Overall, the SBQ presented good psychometric properties with a large population-based sample aged 3.5-12 years. Further studies should assess its screening potential by investigating its convergent validity with diagnostic information