bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ремоделювання сонних артерій у жінок з артеріальною гіпертензією та його зв’язок із додатковими факторами ризику
Authors: Koval O.A. , Zubko I.N.
Published: February 2017

Актуальність. Артеріальна гіпертензія (АГ) разом із дією інших додаткових факторів серцево-судинного ризику обумовлює зміни в стінці артерій, що виражається в потовщенні комплексу інтима-медіа (КІМ), головним чином за рахунок середньої оболонки — медії. Мета дослідження: вивчити особливості ремоделювання загальних сонних артерій у жінок з АГ за допомогою ультразвукової пошарової оцінки інтими і медії та визначити вплив на них додаткових факторів серцево-судинного ризику. Матеріали та методи. Обстежено 98 жінок з АГ I і II стадії 1-го і 2-го ступеня (основна група) та 42 здорові жінки (контрольна група). На апараті LOGIC PRO P5 у В-режимі вимірювали товщину КІМ, інтими, медії та діаметр загальних сонних артерій. Проведено добове моніторування артеріального тиску, допплерехокардіографію, оцінку індексу маси тіла, швидкості клубочкової фільтрації, ліпідограми, рівня креатиніну, глюкози плазми крові. Результати. При пошаровому скануванні стінки загальних сонних артерій у жінок з АГ порівняно з контрольною групою виявлено достовірне збільшення товщини КІМ (0,068 ± 0,009 см проти 0,052 ± 0,009 см, р < 0,001) переважно за рахунок шару медії (0,042 ± 0,008 проти 0,028 ± 0,009 см, р < 0,001). Товщина шару інтими в досліджуваних групах була статистично порівнянна (р > 0,05). Виявлений прямий кореляційний зв’язок товщини КІМ і медії з віком (r = +0,26; р < 0,001 і р = 0,56; р < 0,001), рівнем систолічного артеріального тиску (r = +0,30; р < 0,01 і r = +0,31; р < 0,01), глюкози (r = +0,37; р < 0,001 і r = +0,31, р < 0,01), з індексом маси тіла (r = +0,27; р < 0,01 і r = +0,22; р < 0,05) і обернений — зі швидкістю клубочкової фільтрації (r = –0,36; р < 0,001 і r = –0,41; р < +0001). Висновки. У жінок з АГ товщина КІМ на 30,8 %, а шару медії — на 33,4 % більша, ніж у контрольній групі (р < 0,001). Загальний внесок таких факторів, як рівень систолічного артеріального тиску, індекс маси тіла, швидкість клубочкової фільтрації, концентрація холестерину ліпопротеїнів низької щільності, глюкози, у прогресування потовщення КІМ становив 68 % і збігся з впливом на шар медії — 62 % на відміну від впливу на шар інтими, де їх внесок становив 26 %.
Direitos de Aprendizagem em Ciências Naturais no Pacto Nacional pela Alfabetização na Idade Certa
Authors: Flôr Cristhiane Cunha , Andrade Guilherme Trópia Barreto
Published: February 2017

No presente trabalho temos o objetivo de discutir o fundamento formativo de professores denominado “Direitos de Aprendizagem” desenvolvido no Pacto Nacional pela Alfabetização na Idade Certa (PNAIC). Iniciamos pela discussão das possibilidades de representação do termo Direito que podem ser produzidas no campo educacional, como a dualidade direito-dever, a perspectiva legalista ou o direito como possibilidade de trabalho nas articulações entre as diferentes componentes curriculares. Em seguida exploramos a questão “que ciências temos o direito de aprender nas escolas?” a partir de concepções que apropriam ou deslocam a questão da neutralidade da ciência e suas implicações no ensino de ciências. Por fim, apresentamos uma possível articulação entre os Direitos de Aprendizagem e as ciências que temos o direito de aprender a partir de uma situação exemplar. Defendemos o direito de aprender ciências numa perpectiva em que exploramos a vida e experimentamos o mundo em novos pensamentos e conhecimentos, em detrimento às ciências em que os conhecimentos já estão prontos para serem apenas desvelados por alunos e professores.
Gênese da confiança e educação para o “estar junto”
Authors: Vincent Hubert
Published: February 2017

Este artigo é uma análise de dois parágrafos da Teoria da Justiça de J. Rawls, § 70: A autoridade moral; § 71: A moral do grupo. Estes parágrafos me pareceram importantes porque há neles uma análise muito profunda e uma noção bastante heterodoxa de autoridade. Pode-se dizer que previamente não há nenhuma autoridade dada e sim uma relação em que a autoridade é construída ou não. Se esta relação depende de adultos, pode-se dizer que eles são responsáveis; no entanto, é, em um sentido muito especial, a noção de dependência. Finalmente, estes argumentos são fixados a uma certa imagem da subjetividade e uma reavaliação de passividade.
O trabalho docente na educação infantil: os desafios do processo de profissionalização do ensino
Authors: Recco Kethylin Viotto , Souza Neto Samuel de , VedovattoIza Dijnane Fernanda
Published: February 2017

Este estudo trata do trabalho docente na Educação Infantil, tendo como foco os desafios do processo de profissionalização do ensino, chamando atenção para a questão da cultura da colaboração. Como objetivo geral buscamos compreender os aspectos que apontam para uma cultura de colaboração no processo de profissionalização do ensino, envolvendo o trabalho docente entre professoras de Educação Física e de Educação Infantil. Na busca dos dados optou-se pela pesquisa qualitativa, do tipo exploratório, utilizando como técnica: a entrevista semiestruturada. Para o tratamento dos dados foi utilizado a análise de conteúdo. Participaram do estudo nove professoras alocadas em três escolas. Assim, com base nos resultados verificamos uma ausência de tempo e espaços para um trabalho colaborativo entre as docentes. Além disso, o trabalho docente é realizado de maneira individualizada e fragmentada por momentos distintos de áreas do conhecimento, não havendo na maioria dos casos analisados, nenhuma conexão e continuidade entre as práticas pedagógicas. A colaboração profissional pode ser um caminho para integrar os professores promovendo uma reflexão na qual há valorização do trabalho docente e que permite outros modos de ser professor dentro de uma nova cultura profissional.
Standard of living, quality of life and per capita GDP: a South African experience
Authors: Mpofu Raphael Tabani
Published: February 2017

This study looked at the phenomenon of the quality of life (QoL) as measured by the Human Development Index (HDI), which is a composite statistic used to rank countries by the level of “human development”. Measuring and determining what is QoL is not an easy task. In this study, using HDI as the yardstick for QoL, the concepts of standard of living and per capita income were examined closely in relation to the role of government in its public expenditure programmes and how these programmes in turn influenced QoL. This research question was seen as the key to addressing the phenomenon of QoL. In particular, the role of government expenditure on health and education seems to signify the commitment of a government in improving the HDI or QoL. Using data on government expenditure of South Africa for the period 1995 to 2011, the relationships amongst these variables were examined. The findings indicate that there seems to be a significant correlation between HDI and government spending on health and education as a percentage of GDP, but there seems to be of no significance to include the variable government spending on health and education as a percentage of total government spending. The findings tell us that between 1995 and 2011, government spending on education as a percentage of GDP has had a positive impact on HDI. However, government spending on health as a percentage of GDP has had a retarding effect as shown by the negative coefficient of variation. It then implies that for South Africa to realize the MDG goals and improve on the HDI, public spending on health as a percentage of GDP needs to be significantly increased.
HIV and AIDS in South Africa: a social and moral responsibility in shaping organisational action
Authors: Rampersad Renitha
Published: February 2017

In recent years, the interest in corporate social responsibility issues has shown an increase. Worldwide problems, especially those related to HIV/AIDS, caught public attention towards Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) themes. In a country with more people living with HIV/AIDS than in any other nation (UNAIDS 2007), prevention and treatment is critical. HIV/AIDS is seen to be threatening the communities in which businesses are functioning and is further threatening the business itself.
This article examines the moral and social responsibility of the corporate sector in its effort to deal with the issue of HIV/AIDS. Big business leaders have recognized the threat of HIV/AIDS to the workplace and have positioned responses towards the disease from an ethical, legal and cost-effective business perspective; however the response from small to medium businesses is relatively weak. This article conveys a descriptive critique, based on bibliographic research on Corporate Social Responsibility, HIV/AIDS and related concepts.
Corporate governance in the public sector: Dimensions; guidelines and practice In India and New Zealand
Authors: Scrimgeour Frank , Duppati Geeta
Published: February 2017

Corporate governance is obviously a matter of global concern and has gained tremendous importance in recent years in the context of globalisation of economies and financial markets. The financial crisis of 2008 and the 2012 European crisis involving Greece, Italy and Spain revealed corporate governance failures in financial institutions and corporations, leading to systemic consequences (Classens and Yurtoglu, 2013). Earlier, two major scandals: Enron and WorldCom in the USA resulted in the enactment of Sarbanes Oxley Act, 2002 as a measure to ensure and restore investors’ confidence in business in particular and the interest of society at large. This lead to corporate governance reforms worldwide impacting corporate board composition, conduct, and responsibility at the legal and regulatory levels.
Brand advocates – an Apple phenomenon? an exploratory study on brand advocacy amongst apple consumers
Authors: Cant Michael Colin , Machado Ricardo , Seaborne Helen C.
Published: February 2017

Apple consumers are well known for their loyalty. Unlike ordinary computer or mobile device users, Apple consumers do not simply buy the products; they become fans. Besides word-of-mouth recommendations the Apple advocates tend to have an emotional connection with the brand they love, they defend the brand and could overlook dissatisfaction. This study made used of qualitative research to explore and gain insights into the characteristics of the Apple brand advocates. The researcher made use of informal conversations to collect data on two Apple community blogs. The data was analysed by using content analysis and six main themes emerged from this study. Apple brand advocates make use of word-of-mouth to recommend and have a sense of trust with the brand. They believe Apple products meet their expectations and find the functionality and design of the products useful. They also enjoy being in an Apple community and find that Apple is irreplaceable by other competitive products.
Corporate governance, expected operating performance, and pricing
Authors: Füerst Oren , Kang Sok-Hyon
Published: February 2017

We examine whether ownership and governance characteristics are associated with the firm’s operating performance and stock price. We hypothesize that while ownership structure and governance mechanisms impact the firm’s operating performance, they can also impact stakeholders’ abilities to expropriate rents from other stakeholders. We use a two-step estimation approach to assess whether the benefit of a better governance system manifest itself as higher operating performance or a premium on share price. To mitigate potential problems from using conventional accounting performance measures, we use Ohlson’s (1995) expected residual income (ERI) valuation metric which incorporates the expected operating performance of the firm. Results suggest that (1) higher share ownership of the CEO, corporate insiders, and outside directors has a strong positive association with both firm performance (measured by the ERI metric) and market value; (2) large ownership of outside shareholders has a negative association with the firm’s operating performance; (3) presence of a controlling shareholder is negatively related to market value; (4) after controlling for ownership, there is no improvement in operating performance or share value from having greater representation of outside directors, or having a larger board; and (5) variables representing the CEO’s stature – the CEO’s tenure and the board chairmanship – have a negative association with operating performance or market value.
The composition of French boards of directors: Changes since 1995
Authors: Carminatti-Marchand Géraldine , Paquerot Mathieu
Published: February 2017

The debate over Corporate Governance has been gathering pace in France for several years. Most of the studies on this topic are based on the Anglo-Saxon view. It should nevertheless be noted that French capitalism has peculiarities, which have their origin in its methods of Corporate Governance. Carminatti-Marchand and Paquerot [2000] underline the specificities of the principles of Corporate Governance in France. An essential aspect of this is the nature of the leaders of major companies: more than 50% of the bigger French firms CEOs are graduated from Polytechnic Institute (familiarly referred to as “X”) and of ENA (Ecole Nationale d’Administration). Since 1995, however, the economic and financial environment of French companies has changed considerably. We note today the omnipresence of foreign investors on the Paris Stock Exchange. That presence alters the rules of Corporate Governance and gives us reason to believe that a movement of convergence towards the directors and managers who are graduates of ENA and/or Polytechnic? The results of the study reveal significant losses of posts for graduates of X and ENA in the management structures of large French companies between 1995 and 1999
Agency costs and the dividend decision
Authors: Brunarski Kelly , Harman Yvette , Kehr James B.
Published: February 2017

We examine the relation between the firm’s agency costs and the decision to distribute cash to shareholders by declaring a nonrecurring special dividend or by significantly increasing the firm’s regular dividend. The independence of the board of directors, the voting rights of outside blockholders and the presence of antitakeover charter amendments all proxy for the level of agency costs within the firm. We find firms that significantly increase their regular dividend are more likely to have a greater proportion of independent directors on their boards and greater outside blockholdings, and are less likely to adopt antitakeover charter amendments than firms that declare a special dividend. The evidence supports the notion that firms with greater agency costs are more likely to pay a special dividend, whereas firms with lower agency costs are more likely to increase their regular dividend.
orporate governance in a transition economy: A case study of Russia
Authors: Preobragenskaya Galina G. , McGee Robert W.
Published: February 2017

Corporate governance has become a popular topic in recent years. Although much attention has been given to corporate governance in the United States and other Western countries as a result of recent scandals, and in Japan and other East Asian countries because of the financial crisis that occurred there a few years ago, much has also been going on in Russia and other transition economies in the area of corporate governance. This paper discusses recent developments in corporate governance in Russia and includes information gathered during interviews conducted in Russia during the summer of 2003.
Corporate control and governance in banking
Authors: Hassan M. Kabir , Wolfe David R. , Maroney Neal C.
Published: February 2017

Banking firms face an industry specific set of agency problems. The heavily regulated nature of the industry alters the shareholder/manger relationship. The scope of market discipline in the industry is severely limited due to regulatory oversight. This article surveys the state of the corporate governance literature with an emphasis on reviewing the agency problems unique to the banking industry.
Interactions between free cash flow, debt policy and structure of governance: Three stage least square simultaneous model approach: evidence from the Tunisian stock exchange
Authors: Fatma Ben Moussa , Chichti Jameleddine
Published: February 2017

This research tests the efficiency of the ownership structure and the debt policy as mechanism of resolution of agency conflicts between shareholders and managers due to the problem of overinvestment, in the limitation of the problem of the free cash flow, by estimating three stage least square simultaneous model and on the basis of a sample of 35 non-financial Tunisian listed companies selected for the period 1999–2008. Our results are in favour of the theory of free cash flows of Jensen (1986) that stipulates that the debt policy represents the principal governance mechanism that can limit the risk of free cash flow. However, the ownership concentration and managerial ownership increase the risk of the free cash flow.
Performance management in the public service with particular reference to the senior management service cadre in South Africa: A perspective
Authors: Penceliah Yogi
Published: February 2017

The Performance Management and Development System (PDMS) for the South African Public Service was introduced in 2001,and driven by the transformative agenda to achieve both acceptable levels of service delivery and measurable results. Accordingly, there has been a shift from bureaucratic rules-driven approaches in public service management to a results-oriented approach to government performance. Although the main concern that should underpin the implementation of the PMDS is service delivery; the level of service delivery to date falls grossly short of being delivered at an acceptable level or quality. In this regard, the role of the Senior Management Service (SMS) cadre is critical as it is accountable for service provision and to demonstrate to the public that its needs are being addressed.
Sustainable organizational development and reflection: A good combination?
Authors: Naudé Marita
Published: February 2017

In the current global business environment companies continually face a range of very complex and multi-faceted challenges. Consequently, directors, members of corporate boards and managers need to implement innovative resources, capabilities and strategies to ensure both short and long term success and survival. One possible strategy is a tridimensional approach to Sustainable Development (SD) which includes economic, social and environmental dimensions at an equal level combined with practical SD initiatives, programs and strategies. In addition, reflection is a crucial skill in fast changing business environments as managers and practitioners who use reflection take more thoughtful, purposeful and value-driven action. The author accepts that reflection is a deliberate and complex analytical process to integrate knowledge with the demands of the situation as part of innovative practice, to integrate past experiences and consider influence of future hopes and fears to open a range of possible alternatives while simultaneously taking into account other people’s perspectives. The paper highlights the possibility to combine SD and reflection and describes generic guidelines to enhance practical implementation and highlights both management and research implications relevant to a practical context.
Synthesis of highly porous Al2O3-YAG composite ceramics
Authors: Egelja Adela , Majstorovic Jelena , Vukovic Nikola , Stankovic Miroslav , Bucevac Dusan
Published: February 2017

Al2O3-YAG composite was obtained by sintering of porous Al2O3 preforms
infiltrated with water solution of aluminium nitrate nonahydrate,
Al(NO3)3?9H2O and yttrium nitrate hexahydrate, Y(NO3)3?6H2O. Al2O3 preforms
with porosity varying from 26 to 50% were obtained after sintering at
temperature ranging from 1100 to 1500?C. Sintering of the infiltrated Al2O3
preforms led to formation of YAG particles due to reaction between Y2O3 and
Al2O3 at high temperature. It was found that variation of porosity of alumina
preforms and sintering temperature is an effective way to fabricate Al2O3-YAG
composite with an unusual combination of properties. Open porosity was in the
range 15-35%, specific surface was 0.6-6.1 m2/g, pore size was 150-900 nm
whereas compressive strength was from 50 to 250 MPa. The effect of sintering
temperature on YAG formation and phase composition were investigated using
X-ray diffractometry whereas microstructure of the composite was analysed by
scanning electron microscopy.
Cross sections and transport properties for Na+ in (DXE) gas
Authors: Nikitovic Zeljka , Gilic Martina , Petrovic Milica , Romcevic Nebojsa , Raspopovic Zoran , Stojanovic Vladimir
Published: February 2017

In this work we select most probable reactions of alkali metal ion Na+ with
dimethoxyethane (DXE) molecule. Appropriate gas phase enthalpies of formation
for the products were used to calculate scattering cross section as a
function of kinetic energy with Denpoh-Nanbu theory. Calculated cross
sections were compared with existing experimental results obtained by guided
ion beam tandem mass spectrometry. Three body association reactions of ions
with DXE is studied and compared to experimental results. Calculated cross
sections were used to obtain transport parameters for alkali metal ion in DXE
gas.
The Integration of ERM and Strategy: Implications for Corporate Governance
Authors: Viscelli Therese R. , Hermanson Dana R. , Beasley Mark S.
Published: February 2017

SYNOPSIS

Since the early 2000s, expectations have increased for organizations to strengthen corporate governance with enterprise risk management (ERM) processes, with the accounting profession playing a major role in these efforts. The ultimate goal of an effective ERM process is to help boards and senior executives to manage risks in the context of strategy so that the organization is more likely to achieve its key objectives. We conduct semi-structured interviews of 15 ERM champions to provide insights about whether the ERM process is integrated with the strategic-planning and execution processes of the firm. We find that while the decision to launch ERM often is based on a desire for ERM to provide strategic value, the integration of ERM with strategy typically is limited. We then examine the ERM implementation process to identify possible ERM implementation practices limiting ERM's integration with strategy. We find that organizations' (1) culture and approach to preparing for ERM's launch, (2) ERM leadership structure, and (3) management of key risks appear to limit the intersection of ERM and strategy. Our summary of key findings highlights important considerations for boards of directors, executive management, and auditors as they assess the effectiveness of their risk oversight efforts in overseeing the strategic direction of the enterprise.
The Impact of Senior Management Competencies on the Voluntary Adoption of an Innovative Technology
Authors: Boritz J. Efrim , Efendi Jap , Lim Jee-Hae
Published: February 2017

The adoption of innovative technologies holds both promise and risk. We focus on the voluntary adoption of innovative financial reporting and disclosure technologies (IFRDTs) using the voluntary adoption of XBRL as an exemplar for our study. In particular, since IFRDTs have both financial reporting (FR) and information technology aspects (IT), we examine the impact of IT and FR competencies possessed by members of the top management team (CEOs and CFOs) on the voluntary adoption of XBRL beyond the impact of environmental, organizational, technological, and financial characteristics of their firms. We find that the voluntary adoption of XBRL was positively associated with higher levels of IT competencies; but, surprisingly, voluntary adoption of this innovation was negatively associated with higher levels of FR competencies, regardless of the functional role played by the executive. These results extend the literature on the influence of management characteristics on corporate decisions and can be used as a guide for investigating top executives' roles in the voluntary adoption of other IFRDTs, such as the use of social media for financial reporting or voluntary standardized business reporting in jurisdictions where such reporting is not mandatory.
Whole-Day Gait Monitoring in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Relationship between Attention and Gait Cycle
Authors: Higuma Maya , Sanjo Nobuo , Mitoma Hiroshi , Yoneyama Mitsuru , Yokota Takanori
Published: February 2017

Background: Gait impairment in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and its relationship with cognitive function has been described, but reports of gait analysis in AD in daily living are limited.

Objective: To investigate whether gait pattern of patients with AD in daily living is associated with cognitive function.

Methods: Gait was recorded in 24 patients with AD and 9 healthy controls (HC) for 24 hours by using a portable gait rhythmogram. Mean gait cycle and gait acceleration were compared between the AD and HC groups. For the AD group, these gait metrics were assessed for correlations with cognitive function, as determined by the Mini Mental State Examination and Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R).

Results: Although both gait parameters were not different between the patients with AD and HC, gait cycle in patients with AD was positively correlated with attention/concentration scores on the WMS-R ( r = 0.578), and not with memory function. Patients with AD with attention scores as high as HC displayed a longer gait cycle than both HC ( p = 0.048) and patients with AD with lower attention scores ( p = 0.011). The patients with AD with lower attention scores showed a similar gait cycle with HC ( p = 0.994).

Conclusion: Patients with AD with impaired attentional function walk with faster gait cycle comparable to HC in daily living walking, which was unexpected based on previous gait analysis in clinical settings. This result probably reflects diminished consciousness to either the environment or instability of gait in the patients with AD with impaired attention.
Functional Connectivity in the Default Mode Network is Reduced in Association with Nocturnal Awakening in Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: McKinnon Andrew C. , Duffy Shantel L. , Cross Nathan E. , Terpening Zoe , Grunstein Ron R. , Lagopoulos Jim , Batchelor Jennifer , Hickie Ian B. , Lewis Simon J.G. , Shine James M. , Naismith Sharon L.
Published: February 2017

Background: Sleep disturbance is prevalent in MCI, and is a risk factor for cognitive deterioration.

Objective: To identify functional connectivity deficits in the default mode network (DMN) in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and sleep disturbance, relative to MCIs with intact sleep.

Methods: Participants comprised 47 adults aged 55 years and over, recruited from the Healthy Brain Ageing Clinic at the Brain and Mind Centre, Sydney, Australia. This sample contained 15 controls and 32 participants meeting criteria for MCI. Participants underwent resting-state fMRI and actigraphy, along with comprehensive neuropsychological, medical and psychiatric assessment. MCIs were split into two groups according to average wake after sleep onset (WASO) per night. WASO equal to or greater than 1 standard deviation (SD) above the control mean was deemed to reflect disturbed sleep. There were 11 patients in the MCI sleep-disturbed group, and 21 in the MCI sleep-intact group.

Results: Relative to controls, MCIs demonstrated significant connectivity reductions between parietal and temporoparietal regions, and between temporal regions. Relative to MCIs with intact sleep, MCIs with sleep disturbance demonstrated reductions in functional connectivity between temporal and parietal regions, and between temporal and temporoparietal regions.

Conclusions: MCIs with nocturnal awakenings demonstrate reductions in DMN connectivity. These reductions comprise brain regions that are crucially involved in sleep and memory processes. These results strengthen our previous findings, which found reduced connectivity in MCIs with self-reported sleep disturbances. Future studies may build on these findings through incorporating complementary neuroimaging techniques and experimental manipulations of sleep.
Financial and Health Literacy Predict Incident Alzheimer’s Disease Dementia and Pathology
Authors: Yu Lei , Wilson Robert S. , Schneider Julie A. , Bennett David A. , Boyle Patricia A.
Published: February 2017

Background: Domain specific literacy is a multidimensional construct that requires multiple resources including cognitive and non-cognitive factors.

Objective: We test the hypothesis that domain specific literacy is associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia and AD pathology after controlling for cognition.

Methods: Participants were community-based older persons who completed a baseline literacy assessment, underwent annual clinical evaluations for up to 8 years, and agreed to organ donation after death. Financial and health literacy was measured using 32 questions and cognition was measured using 19 tests. Annual diagnosis of AD dementia followed standard criteria. AD pathology was examined postmortem by quantifying plaques and tangles. Cox models examined the association of literacy with incident AD dementia. Performance of model prediction for incident AD dementia was assessed using indices for integrated discrimination improvement and continuous net reclassification improvement. Linear regression models examined the independent association of literacy with AD pathology in autopsied participants.

Results: All 805 participants were free of dementia at baseline and 102 (12.7%) developed AD dementia during the follow-up. Lower literacy was associated with higher risk for incident AD dementia ( p < 0.001), and the association persisted after controlling for cognition (hazard ratio = 1.50, p = 0.004). The model including the literacy measure had better predictive performance than the one with demographics and cognition only. Lower literacy also was associated with higher burden of AD pathology after controlling for cognition (β= 0.07, p = 0.035).

Conclusion: Literacy predicts incident AD dementia and AD pathology in community-dwelling older persons, and the association is independent of traditional measures of cognition.
Waist-up protection for blind individuals using the EyeCane as a primary and secondary mobility aid
Authors: Buchs Galit , Simon Noa , Maidenbaum Shachar , Amedi Amir
Published: February 2017

Background: One of the most stirring statistics in relation to the mobility of blind individuals is the high rate of upper body injuries, even when using the white-cane.

Objective: We here addressed a rehabilitation- oriented challenge of providing a reliable tool for blind people to avoid waist-up obstacles, namely one of the impediments to their successful mobility using currently available methods (e.g., white-cane).

Methods: We used the EyeCane, a device we developed which translates distances from several angles to haptic and auditory cues in an intuitive and unobtrusive manner, serving both as a primary and secondary mobility aid. We investigated the rehabilitation potential of such a device in facilitating visionless waist-up body protection.

Results: After ∼5 minutes of training with the EyeCane blind participants were able to successfully detect and avoid obstacles waist-high and up. This was significantly higher than their success when using the white-cane alone. As avoidance of obstacles required participants to perform an additional cognitive process after their detection, the avoidance rate was significantly lower than the detection rate.

Conclusion: Our work has demonstrated that the EyeCane has the potential to extend the sensory world of blind individuals by expanding their currently accessible inputs, and has offered them a new practical rehabilitation tool.
Reduce beam hardening artifacts of polychromatic X-ray computed tomography by an iterative approximation approach
Authors: Shi Hongli , Yang Zhi , Luo Shuqian
Published: February 2017

BACKGROUND: The beam hardening artifact is one of most important modalities of metal artifact for polychromatic X-ray computed tomography (CT), which can impair the image quality seriously.

OBJECTIVE: An iterative approach is proposed to reduce beam hardening artifact caused by metallic components in polychromatic X-ray CT.

METHODS: According to Lambert-Beer law, the (detected) projections can be expressed as monotonic nonlinear functions of element geometry projections, which are the theoretical projections produced only by the pixel intensities (image grayscale) of certain element (component). With help of a prior knowledge on spectrum distribution of X-ray beam source and energy-dependent attenuation coefficients, the functions have explicit expressions. Newton-Raphson algorithm is employed to solve the functions. The solutions are named as the synthetical geometry projections, which are the nearly linear weighted sum of element geometry projections with respect to mean of each attenuation coefficient. In this process, the attenuation coefficients are modified to make Newton-Raphson iterative functions satisfy the convergence conditions of fixed pointed iteration(FPI) so that the solutions will approach the true synthetical geometry projections stably. The underlying images are obtained using the projections by general reconstruction algorithms such as the filtered back projection (FBP). The image gray values are adjusted according to the attenuation coefficient means to obtain proper CT numbers.

RESULTS: Several examples demonstrate the proposed approach is efficient in reducing beam hardening artifacts and has satisfactory performance in the term of some general criteria. In a simulation example, the normalized root mean square difference (NRMSD) can be reduced 17.52% compared to a newest algorithm.

CONCLUSIONS: Since the element geometry projections are free from the effect of beam hardening, the nearly linear weighted sum of them, the synthetical geometry projections, are almost free from the effect of beam hardening. By working out the synthetical geometry projections, the proposed approach becomes quite efficient in reducing beam hardening artifacts.
Metaphase Spindle Assembly
Authors: Kapoor Tarun
Published: February 2017

A microtubule-based bipolar spindle is required for error-free chromosome segregation during cell division. In this review I discuss the molecular mechanisms required for the assembly of this dynamic micrometer-scale structure in animal cells.
Un atelier monétaire gaulois près de Poitiers : les Rochereaux à Migné-Auxances (Vienne)
Authors: Adamski Frédéric , Benquet Laurence , Fluzin Philippe , Hiernard Jean , Orengo Lionel , Poirier Philippe , Toledo I Mur Assumpcio , Pernot Michel
Published: February 2017

Résumé. L’attribution du statut d’atelier monétaire à l’établissement rural de plaine des Rochereaux à Migné-Auxances (Vienne) se fonde sur:

•la découverte de l’espace physique de l’atelier de bronziers, spécialisé dans la fabrication de flans monétaires, associé à des structures

de combustion et à des outils;

•la présence dans les cendres du foyer central de quarante flans monétaires, dont certains sont encore associés en grappe; •une estimation minimale qui conduit à proposer que, à partir d’une seule utilisation des 152 creusets recensés, 15 000 flans

monétaires ont pu être fabriqués;

•les coïncidences entre alliages, modules et poids des flans et des monnaies du site ainsi que la concentration de ce type de monnaies

en territoire picton.

La production des flans et leur très plausible frappe sur place eut lieu entre 130 et 100 av. J.-C. Il est fort possible que le site, situé à 5 km de Poitiers, ait entretenu des liens de dépendance étroits avec cet oppidum.
Avec les pionniers de la recherche minière en Afrique Occidentale Française
Authors: Chermette Alexis
Published: February 2017

As a member of the geological survey of French Western Africa between the two world wars, the author is sent to the Dahomey territory (State of Bénin today) in 1932. He describes the life of the geologist in the field, and tells personal memories concerning the methods of prospection as well as geological discoveries.
Les Enjeux ekphrastiques de la montagne à l’époque romantique
Authors: Morel Michel
Published: February 2017

The notion of Ekphrasis is here enlarged to include the reciprocal creation of text by image and image by text, a discourse that both states what it sees, and makes us see; in itself a transhistoric process necessarily assuming historical contents, in the present case Romantic ones. A paradigmatic change in values occurs at the time, the sense of discrepancy of which allows one to become aware of what is inevitably hidden by the common run of things. Indeed, a unified thematic prevails, clearly evinced in four extracts selected from contemporary works: a) The Prelude (Wordsworth); b) The Mysteries of Udolpho (Mrs Radcliffe); c) Waverley (Scott); d) Frankenstein (Mary Shelley). Their versions of mountains seem to belong to a clichéd contemporary discourse, the outlook of the first three being more retrospective, while the fourth tends to the prospective. What is at stake is a fascination tainted with fear, even horror (the sublime): an archetypal experience, here anatomised by Wordsworth, whose fundamentals are somehow shifted in terms of axiology—from the negative to the positive— in Frankenstein. The ekphrastic mediation thus serves as a catalyst for a whole contemporary culture seized in its very mutation, at the same time as it foregrounds the other fundamental dimension of mountains, the illumination and the sense of distance promised, if not granted, to the climber, in the here and now
Que dire de la montagne ? Arthur Young dans les Pyrénées (1787)
Authors: Raynaud Jacques
Published: February 2017

At the end of the XVIIIth century, travel literature was supposed to provide information about the places visited by the author/narrator. Consequently, description is an essential feature of those books. When travel writers came to places which had no equivalent in their home country, they had nothing to refer their readers to to give them an idea of what they were talking about. That is the problem Arthur Young had to face during his stay in the Pyrenees in 1787. Objective description was practically impossible. The only way to convey an idea of what high mountains are like is through emotion but Young is obviously reluctant to let his feelings show. At the time, outbursts of feeling were considered as improper in that type of literature
"On the very brink of a precipice": Landscapes of the Mind in Wilkie Collins’s Basil (1852)
Authors: Τalairach-Vielmas Laurence
Published: February 2017

Le roman de Wilkie Collins, Basil (1852), se déroule en plein cœur de Londres, décrivant les mésaventures amoureuses d’un protagoniste nerveusement éprouvé par le rythme effréné de la capitale. Pourtant, c’est sur les falaises de Cornouailles que l’intrigue mène finalement le lecteur, alors que le héros regarde chuter le "villain" gothique qui le poursuit. C’est à partir des échos entre le roman de Collins et Frankenstein de Mary Shelley que cet article mettra en lumière l’importance de l’espace déchiré de la fin du roman où les falaises et les gouffres servent à Collins à métaphoriser l’esprit tourmenté de son protagoniste, réécrivant ainsi les clichés romantiques du promeneur solitaire
La « Montagne raciale » : et après ? Parcours identitaires dans deux romans ghanéens contemporains
Authors: Gauffre Marie-Jeanne
Published: February 2017

Afro-American poet Langston’s Hughes’s challenge to the "Negro artist" in 1926—to run away from "the race towards whiteness" and climb the "racial mountain" in order to "discover himself and his people" reverberated throughout the colonial and later postcolonial world. Echoes of his plea have long been found in West African literary works concerned with restoring a positive image of the black self, but other "mountains" to be conquered have more recently come into view, especially in women’s writings. Two Ghanaian novels, Our Sister Killjoy or Reflections from a Black-Eyed Squint (1977), by Ama Ata Aidoo, and Beyond the Horizon (1995), by Amma Darko, illustrate some transformations of the issue raised by Hughes
Coming Down the Mountain: Text and Counter-text in Rick Bass’s Caribou Rising
Authors: Grandjeat Yves-Charles
Published: February 2017

Loin d’illustrer une tension entre engagement politique (écologique) et qualité littéraire, l’œuvre de Rick Bass montre au contraire que les choix politiques et éthiques de son auteur se traduisent aux niveaux les plus larges (récit, discours) et les plus petits (comparaisons, métaphores) par des choix littéraires tout à fait significatifs dans le cadre d’une esthétique fondamentalement binaire. L’article cherche à définir la "politique discursive" et "l’éthique de la représentation" de Caribou Rising (2004), de Bass, en particulier au niveau de l’imbrication des discours scientifiques, politiques et lyriques. Les discours politique et scientifique tiennent lieu de contre-discours rappelant à Tordre d’une réalité parfois sordide le discours du romantisme lyrique dirigé vers le paysage naturel. Mais même la relation au milieu naturel fait l’objet d’une sorte de contre-discours interne. Le récit de quête initiatique est miné par une ironie profonde que manifestent l’échec de la quête initiale, l’affichage d’une réflexivité critique, et le recours systématique à des comparaisons aberrantes renvoyant le lecteur, loin de toute communion mystique avec la nature, à l’atelier où se fabrique le texte
Le théâtre de Pierre : espace urbain et (inter)textualité dans Pierre, ou les ambiguïtés
Authors: Ludot-Vlasak Ronan
Published: February 2017

This article, which explores the textuality, intertextuality and fictionality of urban space in Melville’s Pierre aims at challenging the apparent opposition between urban and rural spaces in the novel. The hero’s departure from Saddle Meadows does not put an end to his distorted and distorting vision of reality: the urban space Pierre is confronted with is nothing but a new imaginary construct filtered through his readings. The persistence of intertextual references once Pierre moves to the Apostles testifies to his attempt at encoding urban space, but also reveals the growing gap between the hero and the environment he lives in, his perception of the city being that of a fragmented world which turns out to be an illegible text as well as a labyrinthine theatrical space.
La possibilité d’une île : la mythologie du Bronx, archipel enchanté, dans trois textes autobiographiques de Jerome Charyn
Authors: Vallas Sophie
Published: February 2017

Jerome Charyn recently published an autobiographical trilogy (The Dark Lady from Belorusse, 1997; The Black Swan, 2000 and Bronx Boy, 2007) in which the main focus, more than his adored and fascinating mother at the heart of the story, more than Charyn’s childhood and adolescence, is the Bronx. The Bronx is the neighborhood in which Charyn grew up and learnt about life the hard way, but also a haunting place in his whole work. This paper proposes to see Charyn’s nostalgic painting of the Bronx in the 1940s first as a historically documented evocation, but also as a mythologizing enterprise: as the reader follows Charyn from one mythical landmark to the next, he realizes that an imaginary geography, a magical cartography of the Bronx are being drawn before his eyes while a powerful Melvillian intertext puts the final touches to the recollection of an "evilly enchanted ground". The Bronx appears as an isolated, self-reliant archipelago reconstructed by distance, memory and mythopsychosis.
New York as Shadow-Line in Philip Roth's Exit Ghost
Authors: Levy Ellen
Published: February 2017

Dans la nouvelle de Conrad intitulée "Shadow-Line", la "ligne d'ombre" est la frontière que franchit un jeune marin lorsqu'il quitte l'insouciance de la jeunesse et se voit contraint de passer de l'imprudence au sens des responsabilités, de l'inconséquence à l'âge adulte. Métaphore d'une voie maritime chez Conrad, la ligne d'ombre resurgit dans Exit Ghost de Philip Roth au niveau de l'agencement même de la ville de New York où Nathan Zuckerman, le protagoniste de Roth, revient après une absence de onze ans. Nous sommes à la veille des élections présidentielles de 2004—l'Amérique a, elle aussi, franchi des seuils déterminants et Nathan découvre qu'il ne lui est désormais plus possible de traverser le gouffre qui sépare l'indifférence où l'ont mené la maturité ou la maladie et les ardeurs d'une vie passée, pleinement vécue.L'objet de cet article est d'examiner la manière dont la géographie de la cité fonctionne dans le roman, et en particulier dont elle établit une carte d'impératifs transformant la ville en lieu de confrontation entre le passé et le présent, mais aussi en gardien de la mémoire et en carte vierge d'un impossible avenir. Avec les mots de Nathan, la ville est l'Ici et le Maintenant, l'Alors et l'Aujourd'hui, et la Fin du Présent. Pour Nathan, désormais étranger, la réalité de la ville est une invitation à mesurer son aliénation dans le monde contemporain; mais aussi un encouragement à considérer les mots comme une alternative ou comme un reflet du monde dont il s'est retiré.Par une série de rencontres fortuites, Exit Ghost évoque aussi l'entrée de Nathan dans le canon de Roth une trentaine d'années auparavant (The Ghost Writer, 1979). Le roman présente ainsi le franchissement paradoxal d'une ligne d'ombre narrative, séparant l'hôte et le fantôme: la voix de Nathan devient l'instrument qui enregistre son passage hors du monde imaginaire de l'auteur.
Eggleston : la ville à l'épreuve de la démocratie
Authors: Chouard Géraldine
Published: February 2017

The proof of democracy is in the city. This article analyses the representation of cities as seen by contemporary American photographer Eggleston, whose work is here approached in terms of four defining characteristics: signaletics, eccentricity, kineticity, and dialogality. The aim of this study is to define the link between these urban images and the concept of "democracy", a term applied by Eggleston himself to his 1989 album, The Democratic Forest.
Suaires de papier : Ernest Pignon-Ernest. Interventions et recouvrance
Authors: Louvel Liliane
Published: February 2017

Ernest Pignon-Ernest is a French contemporary artist whose technique consists in printing his (black and white pencils, pen and ink) drawings after great masters (particularly Baroque ones like Caravaggio, but not only) and to stick them up at night on city walls. Thus he left his silkscreen drawings on the walls of Naples, Paris, Soweto, Charleroi, as so many posters meant to shock and make the inhabitants react to some social concern. For his is also a form of committed art; he defended women’s right to abortion, the rights of immigrants, and reinscribed the dead bodies of Les Communards on the stairs of Montmartre. He also "intervened" in Soweto and in Algiers. Cities thus double as necessary backgrounds to the prints. But first and foremost his art is fascinating and his technique absolutely perfect.