An oasis of democracy in an authoritarian sea? Civil society,social, and institutional trust in Georgia

We examine whether the existence of civil society in Georgia has promoted social and institutional trust in the population. As much of the literature suggests, Georgia is different from its neighbors in that civil society development is more advanced. Does participation in civil society lead to more social and institutional trust? Using survey data from the Caucasus Barometer and the World Values Survey, we find that attitudes regarding social and institutional trust are more developed in Georgia than in its neighbors, and that activity in voluntary organizations is positively associated with social and institutional trust in Georgia.     

Educação do Campo [Education for and by the countryside] as a political project in the context of the struggle for land in Brazil

Latin American and Brazilian rural social movements believe that significant social transformation requires the collective construction of a political project of an historical character. Education is conceived as an historical–cultural and political project to transform the peasantry into an historical subject through emancipatory educational–pedagogical praxis. The Landless Workers Movement (MST), the most emblematic peasant movement in Brazil, has played the leading role in this debate, which also includes many other peasant organizations. The MST has identified education as the key element in forging an historical–political actor out of the landless peasantry. This is articulated through the struggle for education for rural peoples, and along a theoretical–epistemic axis that revolves around the emergent concept of Educação do Campo (‘Education for and by the Countryside’). I ask how the MST conceptualizes education, and what the role is of education in strengthening peasant resistance and sharpening the dispute between political projects for the countryside. I focus on the epistemic dimensions of the concepts of education and pedagogy in the trajectory of the MST in Brazil, and I examine Educação do Campo as an educational-political project and in terms of policy conquests in the political dispute between the rival political projects for the Brazilian countryside of peasants and capital.     

The Islamist Uprising in Syria, 1976–82: The History and Legacy of a Failed Revolt

The Islamist Uprising in Syria between 1976 and 1982 remains understudied in view of the growing availability of new primary sources on the subject. The present article explores the unfolding of the Revolt, examining the causes for its eventual defeat and the long-term legacy of the Uprising. It argues that the Islamist Uprising in Syria failed for a variety of reasons, first and foremost internal disunity and indecisiveness, leading to a lack of military preparedness, planning, and coordination at critical junctures, and a lack of mass mobilization for the Revolt. Failure to rally sufficient foreign support made the Uprising crumble in the face of the regime’s unrestrained brutality. Rather than serving as a rallying cry for the Syrian opposition, the defeat at Hama has had a divisive effect, illustrated by the contradictory narratives embraced by the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and their jihadi opponents.     

Are lions democrats? The impact of democratization on economic growth in Africa, 1980–2010

If we look back at the past two decades, timing seems to point to a close connection between democratic reforms and economic growth in sub-Saharan states. Most countries in the area introduced multiparty politics and made dramatic – if incomplete – democratic progress between 1990 and 1994. Quite strikingly, it is exactly from 1994 to 1995 (and particularly from 2000) that the region began to undergo a period of significant economic progress. Because of the undeniable temporal sequence experienced in the region – that is, first political reforms, then economic growth – some observers pointed to a nexus between democratic progress and economic performance. But is there evidence in support of a causal relationship? As of today, no empirical research has been conducted on the democracy–growth nexus in the early twenty-first century's so-called “emerging Africa”. To fill this gap, we discuss the different arguments claiming an economic advantage of democracies, we present our theoretical framework and carry out an empirical analysis of the growth impact of political regimes in 43 sub-Saharan states for the entire 1980–2010 period. Our findings confirm that African countries, many of which had long suffered the combination of authoritarian rule and predatory practices, derived some economic dividends from democratic progress.     

猪伪狂犬病病毒GZ-Z1株的分离鉴定

为获得1株猪伪狂犬病病毒贵州分离株,将贵阳市某猪场送检的流产胎儿病料经一系列处理后接种Vero细胞,并对分离毒株分别进行了病毒理化特性、电镜形态观察、中和试验、动物接种试验、核酸检测等鉴定。当盲传至第3代时,出现细胞变圆变亮、脱落、呈拉网状特征的细胞病变;分离毒不耐酸和热,对5-碘脱氧尿核苷和有机溶剂氯仿敏感,能被伪狂犬病病毒标准阳性血清中和;透射电镜下可见位于囊泡中呈近圆形、有囊膜、150～180 nm大小的成熟病毒粒子,在胞核中可见衣壳呈晶格状排列的病毒包涵体以及空心、实心2种无囊膜的病毒粒子;将分离毒株接种家兔,能引起家兔奇痒、麻痹死亡;PCR扩增产物经测序证明系PRV gD基因的部分序列。结果表明,成功分离获得了1株猪伪狂犬病病毒贵州株。     

中国大鲵维氏气单胞菌病的组织病理学观察

运用病理切片和HE染色技术,对维氏气单胞菌自然感染大鲵的肌肉、肝、肾、肺、肠道等器官的组织病理学变化进行了观察。结果显示,肝可见大量淋巴细胞和少量中性粒细胞,肝细胞空泡状变性,肝血窦内见大量血细胞;肾集合管中可见少量蛋白样物,血管球扩张,有的溶解坏死;心肌纤维溶解,甚至坏死,可见充血和出血;胰细胞颗粒变性;肺偶见充血;脾索排列紊乱,脾窦中充满大量红细胞和巨噬细胞;肠道内肠绒毛溶解脱落,有充血现象;肌纤维蜡样坏死,肌细胞核浓缩凝固,深染,破碎。证实,维氏气单胞菌能使中国大鲵的多个组织器官出现严重的病理变化而导致死亡。     

血液、尿液中氯胺酮及其代谢物去甲氯胺酮的HPLC分析

目的 建立血液、尿液中氯胺酮及其代谢物去甲氯胺酮的高效液相色谱(HPLC)分析方法.方法 以非那西丁为内标,检材加入10%的氢氧化钠溶液调节pH值为14,用甲苯提取,离心后取有机层,水浴下吹干,乙腈定容后进HPLC仪分析.结果 检测血液中氯胺酮和去甲氯胺酮的线性范围均是0.05～10μg/mL(r2＞0.999 3),检测尿液中氯胺酮和去甲氯胺酮的线性范围均是0.01～50 μg/mL(r2＞0.999 5).氯胺酮和去甲氯胺酮在血液和尿液中的检测限分别是0.006 μg/mL和0.003 μg/mL.血液和尿液中氯胺酮和去甲氯胺酮的回收率不低于82.4%.检测血液和尿液中氯胺酮和去甲氯胺酮的日内精密度和日间精密度均小于10.0%.将所建的方法应用于给大鼠氯胺酮后的血液和尿液中的氯胺酮和去甲氯胺酮的测定,得到了氯胺酮和去甲氯胺酮在大鼠的药时曲线和尿排药速率曲线. 结论本方法简便、快捷,适用于血液、尿液中氯胺酮及其代谢物去甲氯胺酮的分析.