Normalization and Charter 77 : Violence, Commitment and Resistance in Czechoslovakia

In Czechoslovakia, the occupation of 1968 denoted the beginning of normalization , a political and societal stagnation that lasted two decades. Dissident initiative Charter 77 emerged in 1977, demanding that the leaders of the country respect human rights. The Helsinki process provided a macro-level framework that influenced opposition and dissident activities throughout Eastern Europe. The study contributes a focused empirical analysis of the period of normalization and the dissident movement Charter 77. Dissent in general is seen as an existential attitude; it can be encapsulated as a morally rationalized critical stance as derived from shared experience or interpretation of injustice, which serves as a basis for a shared collective identity comprising oppositional consciousness as one unifying factor. The study suggests that normalization can be understood as a fundamentally violent process and discusses the structural and cultural manifestations of violence with relation to Charter 77. In general, the aim of the system was to passivize the society to such an extent that it would not constitute a potential threat to the hegemonic rule of the regime. Normalization caused societal stagnation and apoliticization, but it also benefited those who accepted the new political reality. The study, however, questions the image of Czechoslovakia s allegedly highly repressive rule by showing that there was also quite considerable tolerance of Charter 77 and consideration before severe repression was brought to bear against dissidents. Furthermore, the study provides understanding of the motives and impetuses behind dissent, the strategic shifts in Charter 77 activities, and the changes in the regime s policies toward Charter 77. The study also adds new perspective on the common image of Charter 77 as a non political initiative and suggests that Charter 77 was, in fact, a political entity, an actively political one in the latter half of the 1980s. Charter 77 was a de facto hybrid of a traditional dissident initiative and an oppositional actor. Charter 77 adopted a two-dimension approach: firstly, it still emphasized its role as a citizens initiative supporting human rights, but, secondly, at the same time, it was a directly political actor supporting and furthering the development of political opposition against the ruling power.

High pressure clamp for electrical measurements up to 8 GPa and temperature down to 77 K

A compact clamp-type high pressure cell for carrying out electrical conductivity measurements on small solid samples of size 1 mm or less at pressures upto 8 GPa (i.e., 80 kbar) and for use down to 77 K has been designed and fabricated. The pressure generated in the sample region has been calibrated at room temperature against the polymorphic phase transitions of Bismuth and Ytterbium. The pressure relaxation of the clamp at low temperatures has been estimated by monitoring the electrical conductivity behavior of lead. Review of Scientific Instruments is copyrighted by The American Institute of Physics.

Long-term clinical outcome after liver transplantation

With transplant rejection rendered a minor concern and survival rates after liver transplantation (LT) steadily improving, long-term complications are attracting more attention. Current immunosuppressive therapies, together with other factors, are accompanied by considerable long-term toxicity, which clinically manifests as renal dysfunction, high risk for cardiovascular disease, and cancer. This thesis investigates the incidence, causes, and risk factors for such renal dysfunction, cardiovascular risk, and cancer after LT. Long-term effects of LT are further addressed by surveying the quality of life and employment status of LT recipients. The consecutive patients included had undergone LT at Helsinki University Hospital from 1982 onwards. Data regarding renal function – creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) – were recorded before and repeatedly after LT in 396 patients. The presence of hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, impaired fasting glucose, and overweight/obesity before and 5 years after LT was determined among 77 patients transplanted for acute liver failure. The entire cohort of LT patients (540 patients), including both children and adults, was linked with the Finnish Cancer Registry, and numbers of cancers observed were compared to site-specific expected numbers based on national cancer incidence rates stratified by age, gender, and calendar time. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL), measured by the 15D instrument, and employment status were surveyed among all adult patients alive in 2007 (401 patients). The response rate was 89%. Posttransplant cardiovascular risk factor prevalence and HRQoL were compared with that in the age- and gender-matched Finnish general population. The cumulative risk for chronic kidney disease increased from 10% at 5 years to 16% at 10 years following LT. GFR up to 10 years after LT could be predicted by the GFR at 1 year. In patients transplanted for chronic liver disease, a moderate correlation of pretransplant GFR with later GFR was also evident, whereas in acute liver failure patients after LT, even severe pretransplant renal dysfunction often recovered. By 5 years after LT, 71% of acute liver failure patients were receiving antihypertensive medications, 61% were exhibiting dyslipidemia, 10% were diabetic, 32% were overweight, and 13% obese. Compared with the general population, only hypertension displayed a significantly elevated prevalence among patients – 2.7-fold – whereas patients exhibited 30% less dyslipidemia and 71% less impaired fasting glucose. The cumulative incidence of cancer was 5% at 5 years and 13% at 10. Compared with the general population, patients were subject to a 2.6-fold cancer risk, with non-melanoma skin cancer (standardized incidence ratio, SIR, 38.5) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (SIR 13.9) being the predominant malignancies. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma was associated with male gender, young age, and the immediate posttransplant period, whereas old age and antibody induction therapy raised skin-cancer risk. HRQoL deviated clinically unimportantly from the values in the general population, but significant deficits among patients were evident in some physical domains. HRQoL did not seem to decrease with longer follow-up. Although 87% of patients reported improved working capacity, data on return to working life showed marked age-dependency: Among patients aged less than 40 at LT, 70 to 80% returned to work, among those aged 40 to 50, 55%, and among those above 50, 15% to 28%. The most common cause for unemployment was early retirement before LT. Those patients employed exhibited better HRQoL than those unemployed. In conclusion, although renal impairment, hypertension, and cancer are evidently common after LT and increase with time, patients’ quality of life remains comparable with that of the general population.

Field-induced dielectric properties of laser ablated antiferroelectric (Pb0.99Nb0.02)(Zr0.57Sn0.38Ti0.05)0.98O3 thin films

Niobium-modified lead zirconate stannate titanate antiferroelectric thin films with the chemical composition of (Pb0.99Nb0.02)(Zr0.57Sn0.38Ti0.05)0.98O3 were deposited by pulsed excimer laser ablation technique on Pt-coated Si substrates. Field-induced phase transition from antiferroelectric to ferroelectric properties was studied at different fields as a function of temperature. The field forced ferroelectric phase transition was elucidated by the presence of double-polarization hysteresis and double-butterfly characteristics from polarization versus applied electric field and capacitance and voltage measurements, respectively. The measured forward and reverse switching fields were 25 kV/cm and 77 kV/cm, respectively. The measured dielectric constant and dissipation factor were 540 and 0.001 at 100 kHz, respectively, at room temperature.

Sapientia, 1965, Vol. XX, nº 77 (número completo)

Contenido: El trabajo humano / Octavio N. Derisi – El valor moral / Joseph de Finance – La historicidad del arte / Vicente O. Ciliberto – Meditación sobre la calumnia / Alberto Caturelli – Notas y comentarios -- Bibliografía

Evaluación del efecto de tres sustratos en el desarrollo de plantas de Moringa oleifera en vivero

El presente estudio se realizó en la Universidad Nacional Agraria ubicada en el municipio de Managua, con el objetivo de evaluar el efecto de tres sustratos en el desarrollo de plantas de Moringa oleifera en vivero, determinando el sustrato que presento mejores resultados en germinación, sobrevivencia, crecimiento en altura, diámetro, numero de hojas, comportamiento de la raíz y la variable índice de calidad de planta. La metodología utilizada fue el establecimiento de un vivero en la Universidad Nacional Agraria, utilizando un diseño completamente aleatorio (DCA) con tres tratamientos y 20 repeticiones por tratamiento. En cada una de las unidades experimentales se establecieron 180 plantas de Moringa oleifera, para un total de 540 plantas para los tres tratamientos. Las plantas se establecieron en bolsas de polietileno de 20x30 cm (diámetro de bolsa), sembrando dos semillas por bolsa. Los tratamientos consistieron en tres tipos de sustratos: Sustrato 1 o compost que consiste en 70% compost más 30 % suelo; Sustrato 2 o estiércol, que consiste en 70% estiércol más 30% suelo y, sustrato 3 o suelo, correspondiendo a 100% de suelo común. Los mejores porcentajes de germinación a nivel de vivero los obtuvo el sustrato compost con 100%, seguido del sustrato suelo con 98.89% y 97.77% para el estiércol. El sustrato que expreso mayor % de sobrevivencia fue el compost con 98.33%, seguido del sustrato suelo con 96.62% y por último el estiércol con 94.31%. El sustrato que se mostró superior en cuanto a la altura, diámetro, número de hojas, y raíz de las plantas fue el sustrato compost. En cuanto al comportamiento del índice de calidad de la planta fue el sustrato compost con 0.64, seguido del suelo con 0.37, y estiércol con 0.19. Los análisis de varianza realizados para todas las variables, para los tres sustratos, muestran que hubo diferencias altamente significativas entre tratamientos a un nivel significativo del 5% para los tres sustratos mostrándose superior en todas las variables el sustrato compost. Estos resultados se deben a la buena adaptabilidad de la especie al sustrato.

Edital nº 01/77 : concurso público para Assessor Legislativo

Torna público as inscrições para concurso público destinado ao preenchimento de cargos em comissão de Assessor Legislativo da Câmara dos Deputados.

Diário da Constituinte [gravação de vídeo] : [programa n. 540]

Pela primeira vez uma Constituição brasileira vai tratar da questão urbana, a reforma estrutural das nossas cidades. Alguns pontos são muito polêmicos: a questão do usocapião urbano, a outra questão é se fica um lote ou 250 metros, quanto ao transporte coletivo, definir se é do poder público, de uma maneira genérica, ou se fica na questão municipal como instância de governo. Dentro da política urbana, a propriedade deverá atender a uma função social. A nova Carta estabelece a desapropriação das propriedades que não cumprirem função social. A desapropriação só ocorrerá após serem aplicadas punições sucessivas. A Reforma Urbana será votada até o final da Sessão. O capítulo 1º da Ordem Econômica foi concluído antes da votação da Reforma Urbana. O acordo foi fechado e a Reforma Urbana foi votada. Resultado: aprovada com 322 votos.

Artisanal and inshore fisheries development in Nigeria: Status paper on the FAO/UNDP Project NIR/77/001

The UNDP/FAO supported Federal Fisheries Project for the Development of Artisanal and Inshore Fisheries in Nigeria has the specific objective of increasing fish production through an integrated approach aimed at upgrading the rural coastal fishermen and improving their living conditions. The project has an operating life-span of three years and envisages a total outlay of nearly N3 million in terms of personnel and services. This paper attempts to review the activities of the project during the first two years of the operational phase and highlight some of its specific achievements.

A study of the reproductive biology of dace in the middle Ob [introduction , summary and table captions only] [Translation from: Trudy tomsk. gos. Univ. 125, pp.77-91]

The Siberian Dace (Leuciscus leuciscus baicalensis (Dyb)is an important trade fish in Siberian waters. In the Ob basin more than 30,000 centners are produced annually. Catches of dace fluctuate significantly both between different rivers and between years in the Tomsk region. Defining the stocks of dace in the waters of the Tomsk region and explaining the fluctuations over time seems to be a very important and relevant question for the workers of the fishing industry. An answer, however, requires an accurate knowledge of the biology of dace; its reproductive, feeding and migration habits and the conditions of wintering etc. In the following we examine one of the above questions i.e. the biology of the reproduction of dace. The study was carried out in the Middle Ob in May 1951. This tranlations provides the introduction, summary and table captions only of the original article.

Summary of fishery statistics, 1974-77

This fisheries report summarises developments of the years 1974-77 in the region of the North West Water Authority. This report provides catch statistics, rod and line and commercial for salmon and sea trout, fish culture and hatchery operations, restocking with trout and freshwater fish, upstream fish movement recorded at Authority fish counters, counts of salmon and sea trout spawning redds, fish mortalities, licences issued, and prosecutions.

光纤位移传感器在77和4.2 K下的输出特性研究

介绍了一种可用于低温装置内的补偿式光纤位移传感器(CFODS),讨论了该传感器在低温下的输出特性并在液氮温度(77 K)和液氦温度(4.2 K)下进行了实验研究.结果表明,该传感器在液氮温度下的灵敏度0.311 mm~(-1),高于液氦温度下的灵敏度0.278 mm~(-1).