On the Definition of Public Goods. Assessing Richard A. Musgrave's contribution

This paper provides an explanation of the emergence of the standard textbook definition of public goods in the middle of the 20th century. It focuses on Richard Musgrave's contribution in defining public goods as non-rival and non-excludable - from 1939 to 1969. Although Samuelson's mathematical definition is generally used in models of public goods, the qualitative understanding of the specificity of pure public goods owes more to Musgrave's emphasis on the impossibility of exclusion. This paper also highlights the importance of the size of the group to which benefits of a public good accrue. This analysis allow for a reassessment of the Summary table of goods which first appeared in Musgrave and Musgrave (1973) textbook.

Bacterial colonization and infection of electrophysiological cardiac devices detected with sonication and swab culture.

BACKGROUND: Electrophysiological cardiac devices are increasingly used. The frequency of subclinical infection is unknown. We investigated all explanted devices using sonication, a method for detection of microbial biofilms on foreign bodies. METHODS AND RESULTS: Consecutive patients in whom cardiac pacemakers and implantable cardioverter/defibrillators were removed at our institution between October 2007 and December 2008 were prospectively included. Devices (generator and/or leads) were aseptically removed and sonicated, and the resulting sonication fluid was cultured. In parallel, conventional swabs of the generator pouch were performed. A total of 121 removed devices (68 pacemakers, 53 implantable cardioverter/defibrillators) were included. The reasons for removal were insufficient battery charge (n=102), device upgrading (n=9), device dysfunction (n=4), or infection (n=6). In 115 episodes (95%) without clinical evidence of infection, 44 (38%) grew bacteria in sonication fluid, including Propionibacterium acnes (n=27), coagulase-negative staphylococci (n=11), Gram-positive anaerobe cocci (n=3), Gram-positive anaerobe rods (n=1), Gram-negative rods (n=1), and mixed bacteria (n=1). In 21 of 44 sonication-positive episodes, bacterial counts were significant (>or=10 colony-forming units/mL of sonication fluid). In 26 sterilized controls, sonication cultures remained negative in 25 cases (96%). In 112 cases without clinical infection, conventional swab cultures were performed: 30 cultures (27%) were positive, and 18 (60%) were concordant with sonication fluid cultures. Six devices and leads were removed because of infection, growing Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mitis, and coagulase-negative staphylococci in 6 sonication fluid cultures and 4 conventional swab cultures. CONCLUSIONS: Bacteria can colonize cardiac electrophysiological devices without clinical signs of infection.

[Illustrations de Livre de l'estat et mutation des temps...] / [Non identifié] ; Richard Roussat, aut. du texte

Comprend : [Fig. p.75 : astronomie. XVIè siècle.] La création du monde. [cote : microfilm m 9658/R 34080] ; [Fig. p.87 : astronomie. XVIè siècle.] Figure de titubation du firmament. [cote : microfilm m 9658/R 34080] ; [Fig. p.143 : astronomie. XVIè siècle.] Figure des quatre saisons du monde. [cote : microfilm m 9658/R 34080] ; [Fig. en reg. p.180 : astronomie. XVIè siècle.] Figure de la création du monde. [cote : microfilm m 9658/R 34080] ; [Fig. p.181 : astronomie. XVIè siècle.] Figure de titubation du Firmament. [cote : microfilm m 9658/R 34080] ; [Fig. en reg. p.181 : astronomie. XVIè siècle.] Figure des saisons et âges du monde. [cote : microfilm m 9658/R 34080]

[Captain Richard Francis Burton] / A. Claudet

Donateur : Jackson, James (1843-1895)

Coordenades clàssiques de Shadowlands de Richard Attenborough (sobre la vida i obra de C. S. Lewis)

L'objectiu d'aquest article és mostrar els parámetres clàssics de Shadowlands de R. Attenborough, amb guió de W. Nicholson, sobre la vida i obra de C. S. Lewis. Basant-se en una anàlisi acurada dels textos de Lewis, l'autor proposa d'interpretar l'oposició Lewis / Gresham com la traducció en la vida real de la oposició entre els temperaments platònic o idealista i aristotèlic o materialista que ja mencionava Coleridge. En qualsevol cas, són moltes les referències clàssiques que cal tenir en compte si volem comprendre fins a quin punt el cristianisme de Lewis és també un cristianisme clàssic, és a dir, grecollatí.