Steel Community Research Articles

Comparison of different reference values for lung function: implications of inconsistent use among centers

BackgroundFor interpretation of pulmonary function tests (PFTs), reference values based on sex, age, height and ethnicity are needed. In Norway, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) reference values remain widely used, in spite of recommendations to implement the more recent Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) reference values.ObjectiveTo assess the effects of changing from ECSC to GLI reference values for spirometry, DLCO and static lung volumes, using a clinical cohort of adults with a broad range in age and lung function.MethodsPFTs from 577 adults (18–85 years, 45% females) included in recent clinical studies were used to compare ECSC and GLI reference values for FVC, FEV1, DLCO, TLC and RV. Percent predicted and lower limit of normal (LLN) were calculated. Bland-Altman plots were used to assess agreement between GLI and ECSC % predicted values.ResultsIn both sexes, GLI % predicted values were lower for FVC and FEV1, and higher for DLCO and RV, compared to ECSC. The disagreement was most pronounced in females, with mean (SD) difference 15 (5) percent points (pp) for DLCO and 17 (9) pp for RV (p < 0.001). With GLI, DLCO was below LLN in 23% of the females, with ECSC in 49% of the females.ConclusionsThe observed differences between GLI and ECSC reference values are likely to entail significant consequences with respect to criteria for diagnostics and treatment, health care benefits and inclusion in clinical trials. To ensure equity of care, the same reference values should be consistently implemented across centers nationwide.

The Seventh Member State: Algeria, France and the European Community

Megan Brown’s The Seventh Member State makes a bold and exciting contribution to our understanding of contemporary France, decolonization and European integration. Tracing the story of Algeria’s relationship with the nascent European Community, Brown recounts in lively prose how and why French officials pushed to have Algeria included in the 1957 Treaty of Rome, which established the European Economic Community (EEC), and how independent Algeria retained this ambiguous status as a ‘seventh member state’ of the EEC until 1976—fourteen years after gaining independence. The book is divided into three sections, with two chapters apiece. The first section deals with the origins of ‘Eurafrican’ ideology and the place of Algeria in the first post-war European initiatives, most notably the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) from which Algeria was specifically excluded. Brown also argues compellingly that the European Defence Community (EDC), an initiative proposed by France in 1950 only to be vetoed by the French National Assembly four years later, failed in part due to French insistence of minimizing external (namely German) influence on its colonial affairs.

Sweden’s Policy of Non-Alignment in the European Integration Processes, 1950s — Early 1960s

The article deals with the position of Stockholm in relation to the integration processes in Europe in the 1950s — early 1960s. It makes an attempt to explain the reason why the Swedish leadership avoided participating in the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community. It is also considered the motives of the Swedish Government, which prompted to participate in the European Free Trade Association for the purpose of long-term cooperation. The author refers to the minutes of the meetings of the Swedish Riksdag (Riksdagens protokoll), which allow to determine the positions in various political circles of Sweden regarding the “Schumann Plan” and the Treaty of Rome, as well as the possible participation of Stockholm in the integration processes. In addition, the article shows the reaction of the leaders of the bipolar system blocs — the USSR and the USA — to the actions of the Swedish leadership in relation to the European integration processes.

Distribution of Power and Ordered Competition in the European Coal and Steel Community

Distribution of Power and Ordered Competition in the European Coal and Steel Community

„In Vielfalt geeint“ – eine „Ode an die Quadratur des Kreises“

The former Italian Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi was one of the great architects of European integration. His commitment after the Second World War to German-Italian friendship, the Coal and Steel Community and the idea of a federal Europe will be traced here. The motto of the European Union "united in diversity" will serve as the leitmotif of the observations, thereby examining its current significance in more detail.

The Settlement of the Status of National Minorities in the Danish-German Borderlands in Light of The Post-War Reconciliation Between Denmark and Germany (1945—1955)

The article deals with the legal settlement of the status and rights of the Danish and German minorities in South Schleswig and South Jutland and it significance for the postwar reconciliation between Denmark and Germany. Whereas in the case of France and Germany the integration of the coal and steel industries within the framework of the European Coal and Steel Community provided a practical basis and simultaneously became the symbol of their postwar reconciliation, in the case of Denmark and Germany such basis and symbol was embodied by the Danish-German model of national minorities’ protection and political emancipation which was reflected in the Copenhagen-Bonn Declarations of 1955. Since the question of Germany&amp;apos;s accession to NATO became inseparable from the problem of the Danish and German national minorities, the German government headed by K. Adenauer considered it possible to make significant concessions to the Danish side and to provide the Danish minority with a possibility to achieve a broad political representation both at the local and the federal level.

The latence of the European colonial past: a reply by the author

AbstractIn The Seventh Member State, I show that imperial concerns were central to the original shape of the European Communities, in particular French anxieties about Algeria. The latter had been imagined by several generations of French as an extension of the metropole across the Mediterranean, while at the same time a majority of the population was not granted citizenship rights. While in 1951 France opted for the exclusion of Algeria from the territory of the Coal and Steel Community, in 1957 the strategy followed was the opposite, and Algeria was made part of the EEC, not least because this seemed to reinforce French claim that the territory was part of France and, perhaps above all, it rendered possible to obtain the financial support of the other five founding states for costly Algerian development projects. Labelling Algeria a seventh member state, as is done in the title of the book, calls the attention of the reader not only to the sweeping expanse of postwar European institutions, which lasted even after states such as Algeria gained independence, but also to the contestable and contested conception of Member State. Mainly intended as a piece in French history, the book illuminates the extent to which Europe was the main vehicle of the rescue of the imperial nation-state, and how white supremacy and colonial rule were maintained through a peculiar combination of the rule of law and states of emergency.

ФУНКЦИОНАЛЬНЫЕ НАРУШЕНИЯ СИСТЕМЫ ДЫХАНИЯ У БОЛЬНЫХ АНКИЛОЗИРУЮЩИМ СПОНДИЛИТОМ И ИХ ДИНАМИКА ПОСЛЕ ПЕРЕНЕСЕННОЙ НОВОЙ КОРОНАВИРУСНОЙ ИНФЕКЦИИ

Abstract. Introduction. Lung function disorders in patients with ankylosing spondylitis can be caused both by the disease itself and the side effect of the treatment. Aim. The aim was to investigate the lung function in patients with ankylosing spondylitis and analyze its dynamics after COVID-19 on the example of clinical case. Material and methods. 29 patients were enrolled in the study. Spirometry, body plethysmography, diffusion test was performed. In 1 patient the dynamics of parameters was analysed after COVID-19. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 23.0. Quantitative data with a normal distribution were presented as the mean and standard deviation (m±σ). The data with different type of distribution were presented as the median and interquartile range (Me [Q1 ; Q3 ]). The differences between quantitative parameters were assessed by student’s t-test for data with normal distribution and by the Wilcoxon test for data with different distribution. To assess the differences between qualitative parameters the Fisher’s exact test was used. A value of p&lt;0,05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results and discussion. A retrospective cross-sectional study was performed. The predicted values of the European Community for Steel and Coal 1993 and the Global Lung function Initiative were used in the analysis. On average, no ventilation disorders were detected in the group. However, 7 (24%) patients had airway obstruction. Restriction and impaired lung diffusion capacity were detected in 3 (10%) and 12 (41%) patients using European Community for Steel and Coal 1993 predicted values system and in 2 (7%) and 6 (21%) patients using the Global Lung function Initiative predicted values system respectively. The differences were statistically significant. In clinical case, the previously established lung function disorders became more pronounced after COVID-19: ventilation capacity, total lung capacity, diffusion lung capacity decreased by 50%, 35%, 38% respectively. Conclusion. Lung function tests should be included in the examination plan of patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Patients with ankylosing spondylitis may have a more severe course of COVID-19. The system of the predicted values used should be presented in the medical report.

유럽과 아프리카 관계

In 1957, the six ECSC(European Coal ans Steel Community) members agreed to include the “Black Africa” in the European Economic Community (EEC) through the Treaty of Rome. The Article 131 of the Treaty of Rome identified the “Association of Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT)”. The Treaty of Rome first institutionalized the issue of European-African cooperation at the European Community level. The problem of including the overseas colonial territories in the European Integration Organization clearly shows the contradictions and uncertainties left by European colonial history. The colonial problem in the European integration has created ‘Europeans’ far away from geographical Europe, and extended the boundary of Europe to the Africa. As a result, this made Europe an ambiguous and fluid geopolitical entity with uncertain borders. It can be seen that the shadow of the past colonial era was still hanging in the process of European integration in the 1950s. Relations between Europe and Africa were often glorified by modifiers such as solidarity, complementarity, or interdependence, but the reality of the relationship has been constantly disproportionate. This study deals with the theme of European integration and colonization, which has been neglected in research on the history of European integration. This topic will reveal a side of the uncomfortable truth of European integration, which has not abandoned colonialism while talking about European integration.

The European Dream – The International Authority for Ruhr and the emergence of the European Coal and Steel Community

The present essay seeks to emphasize the importance that the Intarnational Authority for Ruhr, along with the European Coal and Steel Community, had the maintenance of peace on the European continent, but also in shaping the ideal of European unity. The International Authority for Ruhr was one of the institutions designed to ensure the disarment and demilitarization of Germany. At the same time, albeit indirectly, the organization had a substantial role in the recovery and reconstruction of the European countries, including Democratic Germany, by promoting the cooperation of each of their economic sectors. Today's peaceful and prosperous Europe would not have been possible without the establishment of the International Authority, that made sure that the resourses of the Ruhr will not be used in destructive purposes. On the 9th of May, 1950, the Schuman-Monet Plan will provide solutions for the challenges that the International Authority oh Ruhr has been confronting – in particular, for the representation of Western Germany in the organization`s structure. The remarkable French proposal to pool the French and German resources of coal and steel not only solves the democratization of the organization, but also opens the horizon of participation to other desirable countries, while allowing the gradual withdrawal of the U.S.A. from the European cooperation and construction.

Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus!: Photographs from the Sacred Steel Community

Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus!: Photographs from the Sacred Steel Community

Reading Brexit Backwards: British Eurosceptic Fiction from the European Coal and Steel Community to Maastricht

The post-war years were a period of introspection for British society as the nation endeavoured to remain fiercely insular yet became increasingly troubled by geopolitical relations reshaping the war-torn continent. Britain swiftly assumed the role of the reluctant European; their opposition to integration hindered by a destructive nostalgia for the past, the perceived erosion of cultural heritage and a sense of English exceptionalism. Beginning with a brief contextual analysis of the events leading to the 2016 EU Referendum, this article will argue that early warning signs of British antipathy were evident in literary responses to integration from the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) to the signing of the Maastricht Treaty which established the European Union.Through a close reading of selected fictions by key figures in this period, including Kingsley Amis, Nancy Mitford, Angus Wilson and Malcolm Bradbury, the article identifies how early warning signs of British antipathy to European integration were clearly evident in post-war literature. By reading Brexit backwards, the article excavates the historical roots of Euroscepticism implanted in the cultural imaginary.

The Role of Energy Directives in Ensuring EU Energy Security and the Problems of Implementation in Ukrainian Legislation

This article attempts to analyze the role of energy directives in ensuring energy security of the European Union, as well as the analysis of the current state of their implementation in the legislation of Ukraine in accordance with the Treaty establishing the Energy Community and the Association Agreement with the EU. The development of legal security of energy sphere in the EU from the Treaty of Paris on the European Coal and Steel Community to the fourth energy package, which allowed to provide the development of competition among producers and suppliers of energy resources, to provide equal access to the energy distribution and gas-distribution networks, to liberalize the energy sector and energy resources, to increase the use of green energy, to reduce emissions into the atmosphere, and to raise the level of energy security in Ukraine. In this article, authors have used the systematic approach and legal method analysis of the implementation process of EU Energy Directives in the Ukrainian legislation, in particular the Law "On Natural Gas Market", the Law "On Electricity Market", the Law "On Energy Efficiency", the Law "On Energy Land and Legal Regime of Special Zones of Energy Facilities", and the Energy Strategy of Ukraine till 2035 "Security, Energy Efficiency, Competitiveness".

Why Does Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 Provide for the Imposition of Penalties Only on Undertakings?: A Historical Perspective

According to Article 23(2)(a) of Regulation (EC) No 1/2003, the Commission may impose any fines for the breach of substantive competition rules only on ‘undertakings’. The provision does not contemplate the imposition of fines on individuals considered responsible for the conduct of the undertaking concerned, even though, as explained in this article, this position is not imposed by the relevant legal basis (Article 83 EC [the Treaty establishing the European Community in the version following the Treaty of Amsterdam], corresponding to Article 87 EEC Treaty [the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community in its version of 1957] and the present Article 103 TFEU [the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union]) That legal basis would indeed allow such liability to be established. From a policy point of view, however, it is often argued that sanctions should also be imposed on such individuals. This raises the question as to why the Union legislator chose not to provide for corresponding powers on the Commission’s part. From the relevant legislative history exposed in this article, it emerges that the approach of Article 23(2)(a) ultimately originates from the ECSC Treaty [theTreaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community]. In this latter context, it reflected the particular limits placed by its authors on that Treaty. It did not reflect the contemporary orientations at national level regarding punitive sanctions. The approach gradually found its way into Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 without any further specific discussion on the way, despite the different context offered by the relevant provisions of the EEC/EC Treaty. It was first transplanted into Regulation No 11, based on Article 79 EEC Treaty (today Article 95 TFEU) and concerning the abolition of discrimination in transport rates and conditions. The negotiations preceding the adoption of this Regulation brought to light strong reserves regarding the conferral of sanctioning powers upon the (then) EEC, and it was no doubt unrealistic to expect that it would have been granted powers more far-reaching than those available under the ECSC Treaty. When Regulation No 17 (and specifically Article 15) was elaborated, the drafters were aware of the scheme established by Regulation No 11, which served as a reference. No genuine discussion regarding possible powers to punish the persons considered responsible for the conduct of the ‘undertaking’ took place. It is likely that any such innovation would not have been realistic at that point. Lastly, the reform brought about by Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 focused on other aspects regarding the implementation of competition law, and the scheme of Article 15(2) of Regulation No 17 has been taken over into Article 23(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1/2013 without major changes. No consideration was given to the possible imposition of penalties on natural persons implicated in the commission of breaches of competition law. EU antitrust sanctions, European Commission, individual sanctions, Regulation No. 1/ 2003, Regulation No 17, Regulation No 11, ECSC Treaty, history

Functional disorders of the respiratory system in patients with penetrating lung wounds: study prospective design

Background. Lung function tests should be performed to patients with penetrating wounds of the lungs to identify lung function disorders, and the data obtained should be taken into account when correcting medical treatment and prescribing individual medical rehabilitation programs.&#x0D; The aim was to study the impact of penetrating lung wounds on the lung function in the early recovery period.&#x0D; Materials and methods. 13 patients were enrolled in the study, 100% male, median age 26 [21; 31] years. Spirometry, body plethysmography, and a diffusion test were performed on an average of 14 days from the injury.&#x0D; Results. A prospective cross-sectional study was performed. A moderate decrease in the vital capacity (VC), the forced vital capacity (FVC), the volume of forced exhalation in the first second (FEV1) was revealed while the total lung capacity (TLCpl) and the FEV1/FVC ratio were within normal values. However, in 2 (15.4%) and 3 (23%) patients, a restrictive ventilation disorders (TLC lower limit of normal) was detected when using Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) and European Community for Steel and Coal (ECSC) 1993 predicted value system, respectively. The residual lung (RV) and RV/TLCpl were increased. Functional residual capacity (FRC), FRCpl/TLCpl, airway resistance remained within normal values. The diffusion lung capacity impairment was detected in 92.3% and 61.5% cases according to the ECSC 1993 and the GLI system, respectively.&#x0D; Conclusion. In the early period of recovery after penetrating lung wounds, a nonspecific pattern of ventilation disorders was the most often abnormality namely a decrease in VC while TLC and FEV1/FVC were within normal values. Less frequently, the classic restrictive pattern of ventilation disorders was diagnosed. Besides, the diffusion lung capacity impairment was detected. The system of predicted values has a significant impact on the frequency of detection of the lung function disorders. The revealed functional disorders should be taken into account for adjusting medical and rehabilitation interventions.

Spirometry: how to evaluate the results?

Introduction. The European Respiratory Society, the American Thoracic Society, and the Russian Respiratory Society are currently working on updating the technical standards and interpretive strategies for routine lung function tests. There is a search for recommendations for the best choice of reference values, the optimal limits of normal and severity grading of detected impairments. An important step in this work is the standartization of pulmonary function tests interpretation, including spirometry. Aim. Review of existing concepts for the spirometry interpretation, according to new approaches to their quantitative and qualitative assessment. Materials and methods. The scientific publications on the PubMed and eLIBRARY.RU platforms were analyzed. The materials posted on the official websites of the European Respiratory Society, the Russian Respiratory Society, the American Thoracic Society and the Global Lung Function Initiativewere also used. Results. A brief overview of the main reference values for spirometry is presented: the European Coal and Steel Community (1993), Global Lung Function Initiative (2012, 2021), R.F.Klement et al. (1986, 1991). The issues of defining the lower limit of the normal, diagnosing ventilatory impairments and assessing the severity of lung function reduction using the z-score and a percentage of the predicted value when analyzing the results of spirometry are considered. Conclusion. The type of ventilatory impairment and severity should be presented in the spirometry interpretation just like the vital capacity assessment. The obstructive ventilatory impairment is generally diagnosed by spirometry, if the signs of restrictive or mixed patterns are present, it is recommended to determine the total lung capacity by body plethysmographymethod. Assessment of the limits of normal and the severity levels for any spirometry indices should be carried out using the z-score values.

Brussels I regulation: Recognition and enforcement of foreign court decisions in civil and commercial matters

The process of integration of European countries began with the formation of the Coal and Steel Community and as a historical category in a certain domain continues. This decades-long integration has been carried out in phases and in certain segments, and this very way of integration has resulted in these areas not consistently following the basic principles on which the EU is based. The self-proclaimed goal of European integration, its maintenance and development as areas of freedom, security and justice, necessarily required, among other things, instruments and measures related to judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters, which would ensure the smooth functioning of the EU internal market. The rules of Brussels and regulations establish a single system of recognition and enforcement of foreign court decisions, overcoming the differences that exist in the national systems of member states, and unified rules on simplification of procedures for faster and simpler recognition and enforcement of such decisions. The authors below present the achieved level of unification of these rules from the aspect of functionality, primarily the time needed to execute a foreign decision, reduction of formalities, certainty of outcome and impossibility of conducting a parallel procedure, as the primary goal of Brussels I regulation.

Reformuvannia instytutsiinoi systemy Yevropeiskoho Soiuzu za Lisabonskym dohovorom

The article examines the process of reforming the institutional system of the European Union from the creation of the first Communities to the modern European Union. The main constituent acts of the European Coal and Steel Community, the European Economic Community and the European Atomic Energy Community have been studied and established. It is stated that in 1965, when the Merger Treaty was signed, the governing bodies of all the Communities were merged into joint institutions: The Commission, the Council, the Assembly and the Court of Justice. This common structure for the three different Communities is considered to be one of the main institutional changes of the European Union. The Maastricht, Amsterdam, Nice and Lisbon treaties are considered. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the Lisbon Treaty of 2007, which introduced significant changes to the institutional system of the European Union. The EU Treaty identifies seven main institutions: The European Council, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Central Bank and the Accounting Chamber. It has been established that in the special institutional structure of the European Union, the European Council, which brings together leaders at national and EU level, sets broad EU priorities. Elected Members of the European Parliament represent European citizens in the European Parliament. The interests of the EU as a whole are defended by the European Commission, which is an executive body. The members of the European Commission are appointed by national governments. Governments defend their country’s national interests in the Council of the European Union. It is determined that within the European Union the bicameral legislature is the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament. The EU Court of Justice, which is the EU’s highest court, regulates differences between EU Member States and the EU itself, between institutions and upholds the rule of European law. It is established that the process of reforming the EU institutional system will continue.

Перспективы евроинтеграции Республики Молдова и конституционная составляющая

The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 28 European countries. The population is 508 million people, 24 official and working languages and about 150 regional and minority languages. The origins of the European Union come from the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) and the European Economic Community (EEC), consisting of six states in 1951 - Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. These countries came together to put an end to the wars that devastated the European continent, and they agreed to share control over the natural resources needed for war (coal and steel). The founding members of ECSC have determined that this European project will not only be developed in order to share resources or to prevent various conflicts in the region. Thus, the Rome Treaty of 1957 created the European Economic Community (EEC), which strengthened the political and economic relations between the six founding states. The relevance of the topic stems from their desire of peoples and countries to live better. The purpose of the study is to identify the internal and external development mechanisms of European countries and, on this basis, to formulate a model of economic, legislative and social development for individual countries. The results of the study provide a practical guideline for determining the vector of the direction of efforts of political, economic, legislative, humanitarian, etc.

FRANCO-GERMAN TANDEM AND ITS ROLE IN ESTABLISHING OF THE SECURITY POLICY OF EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

Security became an important factor of integration development. The impetus to form United Europe was based on the French initiative to create European Steel and Coal Community that was the first step towards overcoming contradictions between French and Germans. Further Frenko-German cooperation in the fields of security significantly stimulated the European integration process and made a basis for creating and modern development of the second pillar of the European Union.