bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Information Retrieval (IR) and Extracting Associative Rules
Authors: Dami Asmae , Fakir Mohamed , Bouikhalene Belaid
Published: March 2015

This paper is located in the intersection of two research themes, namely: Information Retrieval and Knowledge Discovery from texts (Text mining). The purpose of this paper is two-fold: first, it focuses on Information Retrieval (IR) whose purpose is to implement a set of models and systems for selecting a set of documents satisfying user needs in terms of information expressed as a query. An information retrieval system is composed mainly of two processes the representation and retrieval process. The process of representation is called indexing, which allows representation of documents and queries by descriptors, or indexes. These descriptors reflect the contents of documents. The retrieval process consists on the comparison between documents representations and query representation. The second aim of this paper is to discover the relationships between terms (keywords) descriptors of documents in a document database. The correlations (relationships) between terms are extracted by using a technique of the Text mining, mainly association rules.
Explanation in OLAP Data Cubes
Authors: Errattahi Rahhal , Fakir Mohammed , Salmam Fatima Zahra
Published: March 2015

OLAP is an important technology that offers a fast and interactive data navigation, it also provides tools to explore data cubes in order to extract interesting information from a multidimensional data structures. However, the OLAP exploration is done manually, without tools that could automatically extract relevant information from the cube. In addition OLAP is not capable of explaining relationships that could exist within data. This paper presents a new approach to coupling between data mining and online analytical processing. Its approach provides the explanation in OLAP data cubes by using the association rules between the inter-dimensional predicates. The mining process could be done by one of the two algorithms, Apriori and Fp-Growth, in which aggregate measures to calculate support and confidence are exploited. It also evaluates the interestingness of mined association rules according to the Lift criteria.
Myeloid HIFs Are Dispensable for Resolution of Inflammation during Skeletal Muscle Regeneration
Authors: Gondin Julien , Théret Marine , Duhamel Guillaume , Pegan Katarina , Mathieu Jacques R. R. , Peyssonnaux Carole , Cuvellier Sylvain , Latroche Claire , Chazaud Bénédicte , Bendahan David , Mounier Rémi
Published: March 2015

Besides their role in cellular responses to hypoxia, hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) are involved in innate immunity and also have anti-inflammatory (M2) functions, such as resolution of inflammation preceding healing. Whereas the first steps of the inflammatory response are associated with proinflammatory (M1) macrophages (MPs), resolution of inflammation is associated with anti-inflammatory MPs exhibiting an M2 phenotype. This M1 to M2 sequence is observed during postinjury muscle regeneration, which provides an excellent paradigm to study the resolution of sterile inflammation. In this study, using in vitro and in vivo approaches in murine models, we demonstrated that deletion of hif1a or hif2a in MPs has no impact on the acquisition of an M2 phenotype. Furthermore, using a multiscale methodological approach, we showed that muscles did not require macrophagic hif1a or hif2a to regenerate. These results indicate that macrophagic HIFs do not play a crucial role during skeletal muscle regeneration induced by sterile tissue damage.
Correlation Between Serum Levels of Anti-Endothelial Cell Autoantigen and Anti-Dengue Virus Nonstructural Protein 1 Antibodies in Dengue Patients
Authors: Cheng Hsien-Jen , Luo Yueh-Hsia , Wan Shu-Wen , Lin Chiou-Feng , Wang Shan-Tair , Hung Nguyen Thanh , Liu Ching-Chuan , Ho Tzong-Shiann , Liu Hsiao-Sheng , Yeh Trai-Ming , Lin Yee-Shin
Published: March 2015

We have previously shown that anti–dengue virus nonstructural protein 1 (anti-DENV NS1) antibodies cross-react with endothelial cells, and several autoantigens have been identified. This study shows that the antibody levels against these self-proteins are higher in sera from patients with dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) than those in control sera. Anti–protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) and anti–heat shock protein 60 (anti-HSP60) IgM levels correlated with both anti–endothelial cells and anti-DENV NS1 IgM titers. A cross-reactive epitope on the NS1 amino acid residues 311–330 (P311–330) had been predicted. We further found that there were higher IgM and IgG levels against P311–330 in DHF patients' sera than those in the control sera. In addition, correlations were observed between anti-PDI with anti-P311–330 IgM and IgG levels, respectively. Therefore, our results indicate that DENV NS1 P311–330 is a major epitope for cross-reactive antibodies to PDI on the endothelial cell surface, which may play an important role in DENV infection–induced autoimmunity.
Age-Stratified Profiles of Serum IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α Cytokines Among Kenyan Children with Schistosoma haematobium, Plasmodium falciparum, and Other Chronic Parasitic Co-Infections
Authors: Bustinduy Amaya L. , Sutherland Laura J. , Chang-Cojulun Alicia , Malhotra Indu , DuVall Adam S. , Fairley Jessica K. , Mungai Peter L. , Muchiri Eric M. , Mutuku Francis M. , Kitron Uriel , King Charles H.
Published: March 2015

In a study of children having polyparasitic infections in a Schistosoma haematobium–endemic area, we examined the hypothesis that S. haematobium–positive children, compared with S. haematobium–negative children (anti-soluble worm antigen preparation [SWAP] negative and egg negative) have increased systemic production of pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin [IL]-6, tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α) and decreased down-regulatory IL-10. A total of 804 children, 2–19 years of age, were surveyed between July and December 2009 and tested for S. haematobium, Plasmodium falciparum, filariasis, and soil-transmitted helminth infections. Plasma levels of IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10 were compared for S. haematobium–positive and S. haematobium–negative children, adjusting for malaria, filaria, and hookworm co-infections, and for nutritional status, age group, sex, and geographic location. IL-10 was significantly elevated among children infected with S. haematobium, showing bimodal peaks in 7–8 and 13–14 years age groups. IL-10 was also higher among children who were acutely malnourished, whereas IL-10 levels were lower in the presence of S. haematobium–filaria co-infection. After adjustment for co-factors, IL-6 was significantly elevated among children of 5–6 years and among those with P. falciparum infection. Lower levels of IL-6 were found in malaria–hookworm co-infection. High levels of TNF-α were found in children aged 11–12 years regardless of infection status. In addition, village of residence was a strong predictor of IL-6 and IL-10 plasma levels. In adolescent children infected with S. haematobium, there is an associated elevation in circulating IL-10 that may reduce the risk of later morbidity. Although we did not find a direct link between S. haematobium infection and circulating pro-inflammatory IL-6 and TNF-α levels, future T-cell stimulation studies may provide more conclusive linkages between infection and cytokine responses in settings that are endemic for multiple parasites and multiple co-infections.
The Effect of Storage and Extraction Methods on Amplification of Plasmodium falciparum DNA from Dried Blood Spots
Authors: Schwartz Alanna , Baidjoe Amrish , Rosenthal Philip J. , Dorsey Grant , Bousema Teun , Greenhouse Bryan
Published: March 2015

Extraction and amplification of DNA from dried blood spots (DBS) collected in field studies is commonly used for detection of Plasmodium falciparum. However, there have been few systematic efforts to determine the effects of storage and extraction methods on the sensitivity of DNA amplification. We investigated the effects of storage conditions, length of storage, and DNA extraction methods on amplification via three PCR-based assays using field samples and laboratory controls. Samples stored as DBS for 2 or more years at ambient temperature showed a significant loss of sensitivity that increased with time; after 10 years only 10% samples with parasite densities > 1,000 parasites/μL were detectable by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Conversely, DBS and extracted DNA stored at −20°C showed no loss of sensitivity with time. Samples with low parasite densities amplified more successfully with saponin/Chelex compared with spin-column-based extraction, though the latter method performed better on samples with higher parasite densities stored for 2 years at ambient temperature. DNA extracted via both methods was stable after 20 freeze-thaw cycles. Our results suggest that DBS should be stored at −20°C or extracted immediately, especially if anticipating 2 or more years of storage.
The Impact of Two Semiannual Treatments with Albendazole Alone on Lymphatic Filariasis and Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections: A Community-Based Study in the Republic of Congo
Authors: Pion Sébastien D. S. , Chesnais Cédric B. , Bopda Jean , Louya Frédéric , Fischer Peter U. , Majewski Andrew C. , Weil Gary J. , Boussinesq Michel , Missamou François
Published: March 2015

Implementation of mass drug administration (MDA) with ivermectin plus albendazole (ALB) for lymphatic filariasis (LF) has been delayed in central Africa because of the risk of serious adverse events in subjects with high Loa loa microfilaremia. We conducted a community trial to assess the impact of semiannual MDA with ALB (400 mg) alone on LF and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections in the Republic of Congo. Evaluation at 12 months showed that ALB MDA had not significantly reduced Wuchereria bancrofti antigenemia or microfilaria (mf) rates in the community (from 17.3% to 16.6% and from 5.3% to 4.2%, respectively). However, the geometric mean mf count in mf-positive subjects was reduced from 202.2 to 80.9 mf/mL (60% reduction, P = 0.01). The effect of ALB was impressive in 38 subjects who were mf-positive at baseline and retested at 12 months: 37% had total mf clearance, and individual mf densities were reduced by 73.0%. MDA also dramatically reduced the hookworm infection rate in the community from 6.5% to 0.6% (91% reduction), with less impressive effects on Ascaris and Trichuris. These preliminary results suggest that semiannual community MDA with ALB is a promising strategy for controlling LF and STH in areas with coendemic loiasis.
Friedrich Nietzsche zwischen Philosophie und Literatur
Authors: Kos Matevž
Published: March 2015

Der Artikel beschäftigt sich mit dem Verhältnis zwischen Philosophie und Literatur. Besondere Aufmerksamkeit liegt auf den Dionysos-Dithyramben, dem letzen Text von Nietzsche, den er vor seinem psychischen Zusammenbruch zum Druck vorbereitet hat. Die literarischen Texte von Nietzsche sind eine Art andere Natur , die Rückseite seines Denkens, zugleich spricht jedoch Nietzsches Dichtung auch über die wesentlichen Angelegenheiten seiner Philosophie. In diesem Sinne verlangt sie eine interpretative Abhandlung. Die Frage nach den Dionysos-Dithyramben ist auch die Frage nach dem besonderen Status der Dichtung innerhalb von Nietzsches Schaffen - aber auch nach dem Status des Buches Also sprach Zarathustra, soweit wir es vor allem als einzigartige philosophische Dichtung verstehen, das heisst, auch als literarische bzw. halbliterarische Gattung.
Slovene critics on Sinclair Lewis's novels
Authors: Avsenak Vanja
Published: March 2015

The purpose of this article is to present the reception of Sinclair Lewis's novels by Slovene critics. Initially, the article focuses on the life and workof Sinclair Lewis, giving special emphasis to social influences that made the author a representative figure in the literary and social world. Thus his works are nowadays to be understood primarily as fiction, but on the other hand also as sociological documents of a social and political situation of the period between the two world wars. Generally, the effect they produce is one of a critical discussion of the nation of the United States. When speaking of the social relevance that Lewis's novels have, it is obvious that his works are the portrayals of Americans and their deficiencies. At the time of their publication Lewis's novels received unfavourable criticism on accountof his overly open pro-European attitude and Slovene critics of the period before World War II emphasise this in much detail. It was precisely this anti-American propaganda in the novels themselves and sincerity on the part of the novelist that won the European critics as well as the readers whenit came to appreciating his works. However, Lewis's view of the Americans, as presented throughout his works, only enhanced his literary credibility as a modern writer. That is why the articles by Slovene critics that appeared after the Second World War, and even more significantly after Lewis's death, almost minutely reflect a more favourable attitude to Sinclair Lewis, which was also the case with foreign literary criticism of the post-war period. Critics still discuss the qualities and flaws of Lewis's novels, but being more lenient they no longer profess that the novels lack in artistic value. They remain, however, primarily relevant as social documents of the pre- and post-war era, which fully presented the American middle-class mentality in America and elsewhere. For this reason, the Nobel Prize for Literature awarded to Sinclair Lewis in 1930 seems duly justified. It signifies appreciation and respect that the American and European readers as well as critics used to have and still have for Sinclair Lewis. Therefore, it is no surprise that his novels are being translated in several foreign languages even in modern times.
Modal structure in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-five
Authors: Kavalir Monika
Published: March 2015

The article analyses modal structure (tense, polarity) in Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse-Five within the framework of Systemic-Functional Grammar. The analysis of the Mood element shows the prevailing pattern to be past positive; the use of present tenses embodies Vonnegut's specific non-linear concept of time. Similarly, the absence of negative polarity builds the deterministic belief that pervades the novel.
Frauenfiguren in Heinrich Bölls Werken und ihre Rollen in der Erzählstruktur: zu Frauenfiguren in Heinrich Bölls Romanen Billiard um halb zehn, Ansichten eines Clowns, Gruppenbild mit Dame und Erzählung Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum
Authors: Jokić Kristina
Published: March 2015

The following article presents female characters and their role in four important novels by Heinrich Böll. The central female characters, who are the subject of this research, are Johanna Fähmel from the novel Billard um halb zehn (1959), Marie Derkum (Ansichten eines Clowns, 1963), Leni Pfeiffer, the heroine of the novel Gruppenbild mit Dame (1971) and Katharina Blum from the novel Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum (1974). Heinrich Böll's novels were often studied and analysed. However, in those studies very little attention was devoted to female characters. At first sight, they appear to be of lesser importance; however, their role in the narrative structure should not be neglected. Although some literature researchers including Dorothee Römhild and Evelyn T. Beck were very critical of them and labelled them as dependent, traditional and completely subordinate to men, this article is trying to prove the opposite. Female characters in Heinrich Böll's novels are very complex, and the society tends to be ambivalent about them. Still, the most important fact is that they affect the narrative structure both directly and indirectly, thus representing an indispensable element in Böll's novels.
The mythology of the divine in P. Beroaldo's Commentaries on Book 11 of Apuleius' Metamorphoses
Authors: Weiss Sonja
Published: March 2015

The article investigates Beroaldo's approach to the theological themes of Book 11 of Apuleius' Metamorphoses focusing on his interpretation of the figure of Isis, represented by Apuleius as the Moon goddess of many names. A symbol of Nature, Fortune and Fate, at the same time changeable and motionless, Isis is no less than the transcendent deity ruling the universe. In Beroaldo's commentaries, Antiquity not only coexists with Christianity but actually stimulates it, and their symbiosis is an edifying model proposed by Beroaldo to the audience of his readers and students.
Louis Adamic's early days: translator of Croatian literature
Authors: Petrič Jerneja
Published: March 2015

The article analyzes Louis Adamic's early translation phase that included, apart from his translations from Slovenian, also Croatian literature. His translations had a double function: to help him improve his English and to promote him as a writer. He randomly chose some Croatian short stories which he partly translated and partly adapted. He also did his best to introduce the authors to the American readers. The stories were published in American magazines but Adamic's repeated effort to publish a book of Yugoslav translations sadly failed. In spite of this, he was an important groundbreaker in the field paving the way for other translators who followed in his wake.
Indigenous Australian autobiography and the question of genre: an analysis of scholarly discourse
Authors: Haag Oliver
Published: March 2015

This article is concerned with the different genre applications to Indigenous Australian autobiographies. Scholarship has not employed a consistent genre designation for this literature. This article identifies the reasons for a particular genre choice in scholarship and draws on interviews with scholars and authors to test their motivation for either adopting or rejecting the term 'autobiography' for Indigenous life narratives.
The exploitation of heroic conventions in the OE poem Andreas: an artistic misconduct or a convincing blend of traditional literary concepts and new Christian ideas?
Authors: Divjak Alenka
Published: March 2015

This paper examines the function of traditional heroic concepts, typical of the traditional military Germanic society, in the Christian environment of the Old English poem Andreas, whose indebtedness to the traditional heroic poetry has been generally recognised. The paper juxtaposes four examples of traditional heroic ethos from Beowulf, the most detailed example of heroic poetry, and the text to which Andreas is verbally and stylistically very close, with the relevant parallels from Andreas, in order to determine to what extent the traditional images relating to the life of traditional heroic society still retain in Andreas their traditional connotations and to what extent they are imbued with the new Christian meaning.
Et le pouce, où est-il, qui montrera vers le ciel? (Sonnet XXXII)
Authors: Pintarič Miha
Published: March 2015

Lʼarticle soumet à une brève analyse les Sonnets romains dʼAndrej Capuder, homme de politique, diplomate, professeur dʼuniversité, écrivain, traducteur et poète. Le passé et le souvenir mélancolique de lʼamour de jeunesse, lʼavenir et la rencontre prochaine avec Dieu, entre lʼun et lʼautre, tant de choses si terrestres, tantôt jugées avec sévérité, tantôt tolérées et tantôt même rendues complices.
Janez Stanonik - nonogenarian
Authors: Jurak Mirko
Published: March 2015

Janez Stanonik - nonogenarian
Die "poetische Autobiographie" Mehr Meer von Ilma Rakusa
Authors: Jesenovec Barbara
Published: March 2015

The goal of the following contribution is to analyse the book Mehr Meer by theSwiss author Ilma Rakusa in terms of genre designation. The fascinating text contains many autobiographical elements and references but is exquisitelyliterary formed, in style it does not differ from other texts of the author. Because Mehr Meer is written in an explicit poetic style, typical for the Swiss Author, and because the work is formed by different literary strategies, the most appropriate terms seem to be literalized or poeticized autobiography
L'habitus de la Bible dans l'oeuvre dramatique de Maurice Maeterlinck
Authors: Turk Boštjan Marko
Published: March 2015

Lʼétude présente se donne pour objectif dʼétablir le rapport entre lʼunivers de la Bible et lʼoeuvre dramatique de Maurice Maeterlinck. En fait, lʼauteur belge vouait une prédilection aux sujets relatifs à lʼAncien et au Nouveau Testament. Ceux-ci mettent en relief lʼintégralité de lʼexistence de lʼhomme, ce qui présente ipso facto un soubassement sans pareil pour lʼexploatation dramatique, à tel point les histoires de la Bible sont imprégnées de dynamisme, reposant sur lʼeschatologie du tragique et de lʼinévitable. MauriceMaeterlinck en tant que dramaturge poursuit ces principes jusquʼaux moindres détails ce qui fait de lui un auteur important de lʼinspiration biblique.
Teju Cole's Nigeria and the open cities of New York and Brussels
Authors: Maver Igor
Published: March 2015

The novel Open City (2011) by the Nigerian-born and raised author Teju Cole isset in New York City, where he has lived since 1992. The narrator and protagonist of the book, the young Nigerian doctor Julius in is a veritable flâneur in the Big Apple, who is observing the rapidly changing multiethnic character of the city and meditating on (his) history and culture, identity and solitude, and the world beyond the United States, with which it is interconnected through the global history of violence and pain. He is juxtaposing the past and the present, the seemingly borderless open city of New York, Nigeria, and the various European locales, particularly Brussels.Thenovel, although set in the United States, is constantly interspersed with his recollections of his past experiences conditioned by hiscomplex hybrid Nigerian-European-American identity.
Orientalism in Not without my daughter by Betty Mahmoody
Authors: Mugerle Maja
Published: March 2015

The term Orientalism has long been used to describe constructed interpretations of the Eastby the Westerners. Nowadays, these stereotypes most frequently apply to Arabs and Muslims, as wellas others who find themselves in conflicts with the USA. At an appropriate historical moment, a singlestory can have a devastating influence on our perception of the Other. One example is the book byBetty Mahmoody, Not Without My Daughter, which was released in a period when the West showedan increased interest in the Iranian culture due to various conflicts in the region. The story of a womanand her daughter, who are held captive in Iran and finally make a heroic escape, became more than justa true story of one individual. Instead of focusing on problems which need to be discussed, like therole of women in Muslim societies, it exposed a number of condemning cultural, ethnic and religiousstereotypes about the East.
Norman Mailer - the most influental critic of contemporary reality in the second half of the twentieth century
Authors: Potočnik Topler Jasna
Published: March 2015

Norman Mailer, one of the most influential authors of the second half of the twentieth century, faithfully followed his principle that a writer should alsobe a critic of contemporary reality. Therefore, most of his works portray the reality of the United States of America and the complexities of the contemporary American scene. Mailer described the spirit of his time - from the terror of war and numerous dynamic social and political processes to the 1969 moon landing. Conflicts were often in the centre of his writing, as was the relationship between an individual and the society; he speaks of politicalpower and the dangerous power of capital, while pointing to the threat of totalitarianism in America. Mailer spent his entire career writing about violence, power, perverted sexuality, the phenomenon of Hitler, terrorism, religion and corruption. He continually pointed out that individuals were in constant danger of losing freedom and dignity.
Tra polemica e risemantizzazione: la posizione di G. Bruno rispetto a Petrarca, petrarchisti, antipetrarchisti
Authors: Farinelli Patrizia
Published: March 2015

The gnoseological reflection of Giordano Bruno in De gli eroici furori (1585) is widely shaped by the use of expressive structures and images of the poetry which leads back to Petrarch and to the current referring to him. According to this hypothesis, the elements which explain this choice chiefly consist in structural analogies between the phenomenology of love as outlined in Petrarchan poetry and Bruno's conception of the relationship that connects a knowing subject and a known object (the infinite One). Even though Bruno in the end - against his intentions - highlighted exactly a certain philosophical value in Petrarch's lyrical poetry, he was not willing to recognize himself in any bond with that tradition. His radical rejection of Petrarch and those imitating and parodying him - on which prefatory pages are centered - particularly shows a necessity to differentiate between the actual object of inquiry and the most widespread profane lyrical poetry of his century (as well as the tout court lyrical poetry). Even leaving aside author's polemical position in order to rather comprehend what is evident from the text itself, the possibility to consider Bruno as much Petrarchist as Antipetrarchist nevertheless continues to elude. The reason for this is that adaptation and philosophical resemantization of that lyrical code are in Bruno's case set in a singular way compared to the then widespread relation between imitatio, inventio, emulatio; more generally, they are set outside of literary communication: that code primarily enters his work in cognitive function.
Electronic Health Records and Patient Safety
Authors: Gans D. , White J. , Nath R. , Pohl J. , Tanner C.
Published: March 2015

Background: The role of electronic health records (EHR) in enhancing patient safety, while substantiated in many studies, is still debated.

Objective: This paper examines early EHR adopters in primary care to understand the extent to which EHR implementation is associated with the workflows, policies and practices that promote patient safety, as compared to practices with paper records. Early adoption is defined as those who were using EHR prior to implementation of the Meaningful Use program.

Methods: We utilized the Physician Practice Patient Safety Assessment (PPPSA) to compare primary care practices with fully implemented EHR to those utilizing paper records. The PPPSA measures the extent of adoption of patient safety practices in the domains: medication management, handoffs and transition, personnel qualifications and competencies, practice management and culture, and patient communication.

Results: Data from 209 primary care practices responding between 2006–2010 were included in the analysis: 117 practices used paper medical records and 92 used an EHR. Results showed that, within all domains, EHR settings showed significantly higher rates of having workflows, policies and practices that promote patient safety than paper record settings. While these results were expected in the area of medication management, EHR use was also associated with adoption of patient safety practices in areas in which the researchers had no a priori expectations of association.

Conclusions: Sociotechnical models of EHR use point to complex interactions between technology and other aspects of the environment related to human resources, workflow, policy, culture, among others. This study identifies that among primary care practices in the national PPPSA database, having an EHR was strongly empirically associated with the workflow, policy, communication and cultural practices recommended for safe patient care in ambulatory settings.

Citation: Tanner C, Gans D, White J, Nath R, Pohl J. Electronic health records and patient safety – co-occurrence of early EHR implementation with patient safety practices in primary care settings. Appl Clin Inf 2015; 6: 136–147

http://dx.doi.org/10.4338/ACI-2014-11-RA-0099
Dust–air pollution dynamics over the Eastern Mediterranean
Authors: Abdelkader M. , Metzger S. , Astitha M. , Levin Z. , Lelieveld J.
Published: March 2015

Abstract. Interactions of desert dust and air pollution over the Eastern Mediterranean (EM) have been studied, focusing on two distinct dust transport events on 22 and 28 September 2011. The atmospheric chemistry–climate model EMAC has been used at about 50 km grid spacing, applying an online dust emission scheme and calcium as a proxy for dust reactivity. EMAC includes a detailed tropospheric chemistry mechanism, aerosol microphysics and thermodynamics schemes to describe dust "aging". The model is evaluated using ground-based observations for aerosol concentrations and aerosol optical depth as well as satellite observations. Simulation results and back trajectory analysis show that the development of synoptic disturbances over the EM can enhance dust transport from the Sahara and Arabian deserts in frontal systems that also carry air pollution to the EM. The frontal systems are associated with precipitation that control the dust removal. Our results show the importance of chemical aging and deposition of the dust during transport. The relatively long travel periods of Saharan dust result in more sustained aging compared to Arabian dust. Sensitivity simulations indicate three times more rapid dust deposition of aged relative to pristine dust, which significantly decreases the dust lifetime and loading.
Biogeochemical processes and buffering capacity concurrently affect acidification in a seasonally hypoxic coastal marine basin
Authors: Hagens M. , Slomp C. P. , Meysman F. J. R. , Seitaj D. , Harlay J. , Borges A. V. , Middelburg J. J.
Published: March 2015

Abstract. Coastal areas are impacted by multiple natural and anthropogenic processes and experience stronger pH fluctuations than the open ocean. These variations can weaken or intensify the ocean acidification signal induced by increasing atmospheric pCO2. The development of eutrophication-induced hypoxia intensifies coastal acidification, since the CO2 produced during respiration decreases the buffering capacity in any hypoxic bottom water. To assess the combined ecosystem impacts of acidification and hypoxia, we quantified the seasonal variation in pH and oxygen dynamics in the water column of a seasonally stratified coastal basin (Lake Grevelingen, the Netherlands). Monthly water-column chemistry measurements were complemented with estimates of primary production and respiration using O2 light–dark incubations, in addition to sediment–water fluxes of dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and total alkalinity (TA). The resulting data set was used to set up a proton budget on a seasonal scale. Temperature-induced seasonal stratification combined with a high community respiration was responsible for the depletion of oxygen in the bottom water in summer. The surface water showed strong seasonal variation in process rates (primary production, CO2 air–sea exchange), but relatively small seasonal pH fluctuations (0.46 units on the total hydrogen ion scale). In contrast, the bottom water showed less seasonality in biogeochemical rates (respiration, sediment–water exchange), but stronger pH fluctuations (0.60 units). This marked difference in pH dynamics could be attributed to a substantial reduction in the acid–base buffering capacity of the hypoxic bottom water in the summer period. Our results highlight the importance of acid–base buffering in the pH dynamics of coastal systems and illustrate the increasing vulnerability of hypoxic, CO2-rich waters to any acidifying process.
Techno-Economic Investigation of a Thermal Cure Center Excess Heat Recovery System for Producing Hot Water for a Hotel in Antsirabe Madagascar
Authors: Rakotondramiarana Hery Tiana , Radanielina Mamy Harimisa , Ramananjatovo Andriamaholisoa Yvan
Published: March 2015

Energy saving is a significant feature to take in account in the choice of renewable energy technologies to use. This paper techno-economically investigates an excess heat recovery system that is proposed to be installed in a thermal cure center geothermal source for producing domestic hot water to be conveyed through piping to a nearby three star hotel located in Antsirabe Madagascar. For that purpose, the hotel hot water needs were determined by using an available online free code, called Solo, and the effectiveness-NTU method was used to size the plate heat exchanger to be used to recover the geothermal heat. The proposed hybrid geothermal solution performance was compared with that of hybrid solar energy water-heaters in terms of electricity consumption related to water temperature adjustment. It follows from comparison results that the proposed hybrid geothermal solution is more profitable and allows about 73.2 (%) of electric energy saving while it is 54.9 (%) for hybrid solar option. Besides, economic evaluation confirmed that the geothermal installation allows a shorter return on investment more favorably.
Knowledge Governance
Authors: Nelson Richard
Published: March 2015

This book argues that the current international intellectual property rights regime, led by the World Trade Organization (WTO), has evolved over the past three decades toward overemphasizing private interests and seriously hampering public interests in access to knowledge and innovation diffusion. This approach concentrates on tangible and codified knowledge creation and diffusion in research and development (R&D) that can be protected via patents and other intellectual property rules and regulations. In terms of global policy initiatives, however, it is becoming increasingly clear that the WTO in particular is mostly a conflict-resolution facility rather than a global governance body able to generate cooperation and steer international coordinated policy action. At the same time, rent extraction and profits streaming from legal hyperprotection have become pervasively important for firm strategies to compete in a globalized marketplace. “Knowledge Governance: Reasserting the Public Interest” offers a novel approach – knowledge governance – in order to move beyond the current regime.
The Kidney Transplant Morbidity Index (KTMI): A Simple Prognostic Tool to Help Determine Outcome Risk in Kidney Transplant Candidates
Authors: Pieloch Daniel , Dombrovskiy Viktor , Osband Adena J. , DebRoy Meelie , Mann Richard A. , Fernandez Sonalis , Mondal Zahidul , Laskow David A.
Published: March 2015

Background

The Kidney Transplant Morbidity Index (KTMI) is a novel prognostic morbidity index to help determine the impact that pretransplant comorbid conditions have on transplant outcome.

Objective

To use national data to validate the KTMI.

Design

Retrospective analysis of the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network/United Network for Organ Sharing database.

Setting and Participants

The study sample consisted of 100 261 adult patients who received a kidney transplant between 2000 and 2008.

Main Outcome Measure

Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to demonstrate 3-year graft and patient survival for each KTMI score. Cox proportional hazards regression models were created to determine hazards for 3-year graft failure and patient mortality for each KTMI score.

Results

A sequential decrease in graft survival (0 = 91.2%, 1 = 88.2%, 2 = 85.4%, 3 = 81.7%, 4 = 77.8%, 5 = 74.0%, 6 = 69.8%, and ≥7 = 68.7) and patient survival (0 = 98.2%, 1 = 96.6%, 2 = 93.7%, 3 = 89.7%, 4 = 84.8%, 5 = 80.8%, 6 = 76.0%, and ≥7 = 74.7%) is seen as KTMI scores increase. The differences in graft and patient survival between KTMI scores are all significant ( P < .001) except between 6 and ≥7. Multivariate regression analysis reveals that KTMI is an independent predictor of higher graft failure and patient mortality rates and that risk increases as KTMI scores increase.

Conclusion

The KTMI strongly predicts graft and patient survival by using pretransplant comorbid conditions; therefore, this easy-to-use tool can aid in determining outcome risk and transplant candidacy before listing, particularly in candidates with multiple comorbid conditions.
Health Literacy and Kidney Transplant Outcomes
Authors: Kazley Abby S. , Hund Jessica Jordan , Simpson Kit N. , Chavin Ken , Baliga Prabhakar
Published: March 2015

Context

Kidney disease is a common disease that is best treated through kidney transplant. The kidney transplant process is complex and can be difficult to navigate and most likely requires an adequate amount of health literacy.

Objective

To assess the relationship between health literacy and transplant outcomes, including whether a patient was listed for or received a transplant.

Design

A cross-sectional study measuring patients' health literacy and transplant outcomes.

Setting and Participants

Participants from a single transplant center were invited to participate if they were referred to the center for transplant and spoke English. Of the 92 patients, 30 (33%) were in the vascular access clinic, 31 (34%) were posttransplant, and 31 (34%) were pretransplant.

Intervention

Health literacy was measured by using 3 tools: Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy of Medicine-Transplant (REALM-T), Newest Vital Sign (NVS), and Decision-Making Capacity Assessment Tool (DMCAT).

Main Outcome Measure

Two dichotomous variables: whether the patient was listed for transplant and/or received a transplant. Descriptive and univariate statistics were calculated. Six logistic regression models were used to test for a correlation between each of the tools and patients' likelihood to be listed for and/or receive a transplant.

Results

Fifty-three patients (58%) were formally listed for a transplant, and 36 (39%) received a transplant. The REALM-T, NVS, and DMCAT each significantly predicted whether or not a patient was listed for transplant (odds ratios, 1.044, 1.672, and 1.408). The NVS and DMCAT significantly predicted whether a patient received a transplant (odds ratios, 1.667 and 1.256). Health literacy is a positive and significant predictor of transplant outcomes. Clinicians should take assessments of health literacy into account when speaking to patients about kidney transplant.
Dommages punitifs (exemplaires) et droit du travail québécois : questions et pistes de réflexion à la suite de l’arrêt de Montigny
Authors: Nadeau Denis
Published: March 2015

Les dommages punitifs ou exemplaires ont semblé, pendant de nombreuses années, incompatibles avec l’essence même des divers modes de réparation adoptés par les différentes instances décisionnelles ayant à trancher des litiges en lien avec le régime des relations collectives du travail. Cette tendance s’est toutefois graduellement modifiée au cours de la dernière décennie à l’occasion de l’introduction des recours contre le harcèlement psychologique ou fondés sur les droits fondamentaux. Au lendemain de l’arrêt de la Cour suprême du Canada dans l’affaire de Montigny c. Brossard (Succession), le présent texte présente un bilan contemporain de l’activité décisionnelle en matière de dommages punitifs ou exemplaires dans le monde du travail et propose quelques avenues afin que tous les tribunaux, y incluant l’arbitrage de griefs, soient associés à l’intégration de cette délicate question dans leur corpus jurisprudentiel tout en préservant la spécificité de leur mission.
Du contrat hospitalier au modèle « légal et réglementaire » : bilan provisoire d’une évolution inachevée
Authors: Saint-Pierre Louis
Published: March 2015

Depuis une dizaine d’années, les juges québécois considèrent que les relations entre un patient et un établissement public hospitalier sont régies par un modèle « légal et réglementaire ». Ce faisant, ils refusent désormais d’engager la responsabilité de ces établissements pour la faute commise par des médecins hospitaliers. Cette position, critiquée à juste titre lors de son adoption par la doctrine majoritaire, semble se pérenniser malgré tout. Pourtant, la solution ne convainc pas, puisqu’elle associe l’élargissement du rôle et des fonctions des hôpitaux québécois à une atrophie de leur responsabilité civile. Cette incohérence amène à souhaiter que les tribunaux, ou à défaut le législateur, ne se contentent pas de cette étape intermédiaire dans la construction d’un cadre rénové du statut de l’usager de rétablissement public hospitalier. Ce cadre rénové pourrait s’inspirer de la solution dégagée en droit français, où la relation statutaire entre le patient et l’hôpital public prévoit une responsabilité exclusive de ce dernier pour tout dommage causé dans l’exécution de sa mission de soins, y compris pour une faute commise par un médecin.
L’interprétation des droits socioéconomiques en Inde et en Afrique du Sud : par-delà le texte, la volonté judiciaire
Authors: Robitaille David
Published: March 2015

Dans ce texte, l’auteur cherche à démontrer qu’au-delà du texte, l’interprétation des droits économiques et sociaux relève souvent du choix exercé par le juge et de sa volonté à participer au changement socioéconomique. Pour faire cette démonstration, l’auteur mobilisera d’abord la jurisprudence de la Cour suprême indienne, puis dans une seconde partie, celle de la Cour constitutionnelle sud-africaine. Il en ressortira qu’une constitution qui limite les droits socioéconomiques au rang de principes d’interprétation non justiciables ne constitue pas nécessairement un obstacle à la reconnaissance judiciaire de véritables droits économiques et sociaux constitutionnels. Inversement, une constitution qui consacre le même statut normatif à tous les droits et libertés, n’est pas gage d’une jurisprudence si progressiste. Tout dépend, en effet, de l’interprétation que choisissent d’en faire les juges, et de l’interprétation qu’ils font du contexte.
Le droit camerounais des successions dépouillé des conceptions civilistes
Authors: Timtchueng Moïse
Published: March 2015

Pendant la colonisation, les successions au Cameroun étaient l’objet d’un dualisme juridique et judiciaire bien cloisonné. À côté des juridictions traditionnelles appliquant les coutumes locales aux affaires intéressant les Africains, alors appelés indigènes, existaient des juridictions dites modernes, jugeant suivant le droit civil les personnes de statut civil européen ou assimilé. Après l’indépendance, les différents statuts civils ont été abolis, alors que le dualisme juridique et judiciaire a été maintenu. L’absence de critère précis permettant de déterminer les sujets de tel ou tel ordre juridique a conduit les juges à emprunter, à l’occasion de la même affaire, des solutions à la fois du Code civil et des coutumes locales. Cependant, l’examen minutieux de la jurisprudence révèle une option nette en faveur de l’éviction des règles coutumières et de la promotion des principes civilistes, dans une matière où des considérations religieuses et sociales restent pourtant très solides. Il en est résulté une dénaturation du sens des successions pour le Négro-Africain et un certain désordre au sein des familles. L’objet de la présente réflexion est de retourner aux sources du droit traditionnel africain des successions pour en restituer les fondements et les valeurs. Au bout du compte, on s’aperçoit que certains de ses aspects étaient très en avance par rapport au Code civil. La preuve de leur mérite découle de ce que certaines réformes législatives récentes intervenues dans certains États européens et certaines conventions internationales ont fini par consacrer ces idées qui, pendant longtemps, ont été jugées inadmissibles.
L’adoption coutumière autochtone au Québec : quête de reconnaissance et dépassement du monisme juridique
Authors: Fournier Anne
Published: March 2015

Cet article part de la prémisse qu’une approche classique du droit, comme l’enseigne Hans Kelsen, conduit à une impasse lorsqu’il s’agit de concevoir un modèle de reconnaissance de l’« adoption coutumière » autochtone. L’auteure propose donc d’emprunter une approche anthropologique et pluraliste du droit pour étudier la question. Au Canada, la législature d’une province et celle de deux territoires consacrent déjà la reconnaissance formelle de l’« adoption coutumière ». Ces exemples serviront de trame de fond pour discuter des différentes formes d’expression du pluralisme juridique. L’auteure se prononcera en faveur d’un modèle de reconnaissance qui soit l’expression d’un pluralisme de coopération ou de coordination, puisqu’il est celui qui offre au(x) régime(s) autochtone(s) d’adoption les meilleures garanties d’indépendance et d’autonomie.
Les logiques de la rationalité judiciaire et le processus de la preuve dans le contentieux des droits des peuples autochtones : le cas des récits oraux
Authors: Houde Marie , Otis Ghislain
Published: March 2015

Cet article porte sur la rationalité judiciaire dans l’appréciation de la preuve, et plus précisément sur la manière par laquelle s’opère la réflexion judiciaire dans l’évaluation de la valeur probante de la preuve sous la forme de récits oraux dans le contentieux relatif aux droits des peuples autochtones. À la lecture de la jurisprudence pertinente, on note qu’une fois admis en preuve, les récits oraux sont tantôt surévalués, tantôt sous-évalués, voire même ignorés, lors de la détermination des faits par le juge. Ces courants jurisprudentiels nous amènent à conclure que la rationalité judiciaire dans l’appréciation de la preuve sous la forme de récits oraux se déploie selon trois logiques : (1) la logique systématique, (2) la logique réconciliatrice et (3) la logique empathique. La découverte de ce triptyque de la rationalité judiciaire dans l’appréciation de la preuve sous la forme de récits oraux nous permet d’apporter un nouvel éclairage sur la complexité de l’acte de juger dans le cadre de litiges mettant en jeu un droit visé par le paragraphe 35(1) de la Loi constitutionnelle de 1982. Cette analyse jette la lumière sur le fait que la démarche d’appréciation de la preuve dans le contentieux relatif aux droits des peuples autochtones est encore largement expérimentale et vient valider empiriquement l’assertion de la Cour suprême du Canada selon laquelle la résolution des revendications autochtones entraîne le droit, et donc le juge, dans les univers mal balisés de l’histoire, des légendes, de la politique et des obligations morales.
L’OIT et les Nations Unies : une étude de cas portant sur la collaboration interinstitutionnelle dans le domaine des droits fondamentaux du travail
Authors: Frate Benoît , Ménard-Kilrane Monique , Lamarche Lucie
Published: March 2015

Cet article analyse près de 200 Observations finales adoptées par le Comité du Pacte international relatif aux droits économiques, sociaux et culturels des Nations Unies (PIDESC) pour la période allant de la 8e à la 40e session de ses travaux. Il vise à établir la contribution de l’Organisation internationale du travail (OIT) à ces Observations finales. Seule la partie de ces Observations concernant les droits fondamentaux du travail garantis par les articles 6 à 10 du PIDESC a été considérée. L’analyse conclut que les contributions spécialisées de VOIT aux travaux du PIDESC sont déterminantes et constituent un exemple de meilleures pratiques en matière de collaboration interinstitutionnelle. L’impact de ces contributions démontre notamment la prise en compte évolutive du sort des travailleurs de la marge par le Comité du PIDESC et par les instances de contrôle du suivi des conventions de l’OIT. L’étude illustre aussi le fait que de telles convergences ne portent pas atteinte à la mission respective des institutions qui, au contraire, dégagent leur marge de maoeuvre propre devant des situations systémiques d’abus des droits des travailleurs. Les conclusions de cette étude confirment la nécessité de préserver l’intégralité des différents mécanismes de contrôle international des droits des travailleurs.