bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Une approche multi-attributs de la demande de loisirs sur les espaces naturels : l’exemple de la forêt publique
Authors: Rulleau Bénédicte , Dehez Jeoffrey , Point Patrick
Published: January 2015

The recreational services provided by the natural environment are highly heterogeneous and most of them are non market. for management purpose however, it is useful to fully appreciate individuals preferences for recreation attributes and provide a monetary value for outdoor recreation. visitors of forests for instance, desire both natural features and public equipments. in choosing a recreative destination, one may consequently pose questions regarding the relative importance of each of these characteristics. given the multidimensional character of forest recreation, we have employed the choice experiment as a valuation method. this paper applies the choice experiment to public forest in the gironde area in the southwest of france. a survey for residents was conducted in the summer of 2006. the originality of the questionnaire design lies in the use of the travel distance as a proxy for the price of scenarios (monetary attribute). our results show that residents do not attach a significant value to all attributes. the willingness-to-pay (wtp) is positive and significant for tidiness and, to a lesser degree, for scenic quality, ranging from €1,07 to €6,23 (per person per trip) depending on attri- butes levels. In contrast, the presence of equipments such as picnic tables and cycle lanes, as well as the reduction in congestion, are not statistically significant. Aside from assigning welfare estimates to the characteristics of forest recreation, we demonstrate the interest of using multi-attribute analysis for recreational demand for public forest management practices.
Normes, taxes et pollution diffuse aux nitrates
Authors: Verchère Alban
Published: January 2015

A partir d’une revue critique de divers travaux relatifs à la régulation de la pollution diffuse aux nitrates, on montre que dans le débat opposant instruments-prix et instruments-quantité — et plus largement approches économiques et réglementaires —, il est possible de raffiner, voire de dépasser, les mesures restées jusqu’ici sans effet, mais que cela se traduira par une hausse des coûts d’administration à mettre en balance avec les économies de coûts privés attendues. Nous verrons d’abord que si l’emploi de normes sur les intrants ne paraît pas toujours ou guère plus coûteux que des taxes sur l’azote pour les agents, leur coût de contrôle public est en revanche très élevé et explique sans doute, pour une large part, que divers pays européens ont préféré recourir à des taxes plutôt qu’à des normes en la matière. Nous verrons toutefois qu’en raison d’un problème de double pénalisation injuste et propre aux «taxes au 1er kilo » , les taux sont restés bien trop faibles pour avoir un effet sensible sur l’usage d’azote et réduire la pollution. Constatant alors la nécessité de trouver des instruments qui répondent au mieux à un double souci d’efficacité et d’équité supérieures — lesquelles devraient rester indissociables pour plus d’acceptabilité sociale et politique des mesures — nous procédons enfin, à l’aune de cette double exigence, à l’analyse de plusieurs raffinements ambitieux — testés ou au moins envisagés — et soulevons alors la question de leur coût d’administration public ; mais prix sans doute à payer pour une réduction enfin significative de la pollution diffuse.
Relativiser l’autonomie du contrat de travail à l’égard du tissu conventionnel
Authors: Barthélémy Jacques , Cette Gilbert
Published: January 2015

Alors que la contraction du PIB a été en 2008 et 2009 deux fois plus importante en Allemagne qu’en France, l’emploi et le taux de chômage ne s’y sont pas dégradés contrairement à ce qui a été observé en France. La principale cause de cet écart est la mise en oeuvre, en Allemagne, d’accords conventionnels de réduction transitoire de la durée du travail et des salaires contre des garanties de sauvegarde de l’emploi. De tels accords collectifs ne sont actuellement pas envisageables en France, car ils remettraient substantiellement en cause le contenu des contrats de travail, tandis qu’en Allemagne les accords collectifs s’incorporent au contrat de travail. Ces observations soulèvent avec force la question de l’autonomie du contrat de travail à l’égard du tissu conventionnel. L’étude caractérise les modalités permettant de relativiser l’autonomie du contrat de travail à l’égard du tissu conventionnel. Ces modalités permettraient de renforcer le rôle protecteur du droit social en donnant aux partenaires sociaux la totale maitrise d’une redéfinition de l’articulation entre contrat de travail et accord collectif.
Vers une convergence du management public-privé ? Une revue de littérature économique
Authors: Melnik Ekaterina , Guillemot Danièle
Published: January 2015

Cette revue de la littérature économique a pour but de proposer un éclairage sur le phénomène des réformes du nouveau management public. Ayant pour objectif une amélioration de l''efficacité économique du secteur public, ces réformes ont tendance à transférer certaines pratiques de management issues des organisations marchandes au sein du secteur public. A l’issue de cette revue de littérature, nous concluons que la convergence des pratiques managériales du secteur public vers le secteur privé pourrait avoir quelques conséquences indésirables du point de vue des objectifs fixés par les pouvoirs publics. L’article met également en lumière l’importance d’une prise en compte des valeurs éthiques et de la culture du service public dans les nouvelles vagues de réformes.
Diversité et efficacité des intermédiaires du placement
Authors: Bessy Christian , De Larquier Guillemette
Published: January 2015

Les changements en cours dans les formes d’intermédiation du marché du travail accroissent l’intérêt d’une analyse précise du rôle des intermédiaires et leur positionnement les uns vis-à-vis des autres. À partir de l’enquête Ofer (Dares [ 2005]), ce texte examine la segmentation du «marché du placement » suivant les caractéristiques des entreprises, des emplois et des recrutés. Il étudie ensuite leur efficacité suivant deux critères : durée de la procédure de recrutement et qualité de l’appariement, en s’intéressant en particulier à la nature du lien entre l’intermédiaire et l’entreprise. Les recrutements imputés à un intermédiaire privé ont eu lieu à l’issue de procédures plus longues, alors que, toutes choses égales par ailleurs, il n’y a pas d’effet sur la qualité des appariements. C’est plutôt le recours habituel à l’intermédiaire, avec une attente autre que la simple diffusion de l’annonce d’offre d’emploi, qui améliorerait la qualité du recrutement.
Strain distribution due to surface domains: a self-consistent approach with respect to surface elasticity
Authors: Fuhr Javier , Müller Pierre
Published: January 2015

Elastically mediated interactions between surface domains are classically described in terms of point forces. Such point forces lead to local strain divergences that are usually avoided by introducing a poorly defined cut-off length. In this work, we develop a self-consistent approach in which the strain field induced by the surface domains is expressed as the solution of an integral equation that contains surface elastic constants, Sij. For surfaces with positive Sij the new approach avoids the introduction of a cut-off length. The classical and the new approaches are compared in case of 1-D periodic ribbons.
A SD-IITFOWA OPERATOR AND TOPSIS BASED APPROACH FOR MAGDM PROBLEMS WITH INTUITIONISTIC TRAPEZOIDAL FUZZY NUMBERS
Authors: WU Jian
Published: January 2015

The aim of this article is to investigate an approach to multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) problems in which the information about decision makers (DMs) weights is completely unknown in advance, the attributes are inter-dependent, and the attribute values take the form of intuitionistic trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. First, the concept of similarity degree (SD) for two intuitionistic trapezoidal fuzzy decision matrixes is defined, which measures the level of consensus between individual decision opinion and group decision opinion. Next, we develop some IITFOWA operators to aggregate intuitionistic trapezoidal fuzzy decision matrixes in MAGDM problems. In particular, we present the SD induced IITFOWA (SD-IITFOWA) operator, which induces the order of argument values by utilizing the similarity degree of decision makers. This operator aggregates individual opinion in such a way that more importance is placed on the most similarity one. Then, a SD-IITFOWA operator and TOPSIS method based approach is developed to solve the MAGDM problems with intuitionistic trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. Finally, the developed approach is used to select the right suppliers for a computer company.
RISK MANAGEMENT IN CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS
Authors: IQBAL Shahid , CHOUDHRY Rafiq M. , HOLSCHEMACHER Klaus , ALI Ahsan , TAMOŠAITIENĖ Jolanta
Published: January 2015

Risk management is an important field of construction industry and has gained more importance internationally due to the latest researches carried out on a large scale. However, this relatively new field requires more attention to bring some benefit. Construction projects are facing a number of risks which have negative effects on project objects such as time, cost and quality. This study is based on findings of a questionnaire-based survey on risk management in construction projects in Pakistan, reporting the significance of different type of risk, ultimate responsibility for them and the effectiveness of some most common risk management techniques practiced in the industry. Two types of risk management techniques were considered: preventive techniques which can be used before the start of a project to manage risks that are anticipated during the project execution; and remedial techniques that are used during the execution phase once a risk has already occurred. The study revealed that financial issues for projects, accidents on site and defective design are the most significant risks affecting most of construction projects. As further reported, the contractor is responsible for management of most risks occurring at sites during the implementation phase, such as issues related to subcontractors, labour, machinery, availability of materials and quality, while the client is responsible for the risks such as financial issues, issues related to design documents, changes in codes and regulations, and scope of work. Further reported results of the analysis demonstrate that the production of proper schedule by getting updated data of the project and guidance from previous similar projects are the most effective preventive risk management techniques while close supervision and coordination within projects are the most effective remedial risk management techniques. It may be concluded that the most significant risks must be managed with greater effort to reduce/eliminate their effects on the project. As the study concludes, preparation of a proper schedule and good coordination during the implementation stage are very important as they may help project managers to focus on critical areas for better management of projects in Pakistan.
NAVIGATING SWOT-FANP WITH GSM METHOD TO PRIORITIZE THE STRATEGIC LOCATION
Authors: LEE Yun-Huei
Published: January 2015

This paper proposes a SWOT-FANP (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats – fuzzy analytic network process) analysis, together with the grand strategy matrix method (GSM) to deal with the multiple-criteria decision-making problem of location selection for a second tier city in China. This hybrid method can not only combine both qualitative and quantitative information and utilize fuzzy logic to eliminate vagueness, subjectivity, and imprecision, it can also clearly represents the competitive position of second-tier cities on a the quadrant coordinate to help an enterprise choose a strategy for development. To this end, I empirically chose a multinational pharmaceutical enterprise (MNE) as an illustrative example. The results reveal that Suzhou and Chongqing cities are in the best positions in the competition as a result of having external opportunities for development and internal competing strength. Moreover, the MNE could adopt a niche-focus strategy for the market by focusing on specific ailments to which people in Chinese communities are vulnerable to strengthen their competitive strengths. This study demonstrates and validates that such an enhanced methodology is viable and highly capable of providing enriched insights regarding strategic decision-making management in complex real-world situations.
La redécouverte d'un buste antique sicilien en terre cuite de la collection Janzé
Authors: Colonna Cécile , Buisson Nathalie
Published: January 2015

En 1865, le vicomte de Janzé légua à la Bibliothèque nationale de France, parmi sa riche collection d’antiques, un buste féminin en terre cuite qui, après une restauration récente, s’est révélé d’une remarquable facture. Son étude matérielle et historique permet une meilleure compréhension, à la fois de sa polychromie chatoyante et du contexte de création de ce buste caractéristique des productions hellénistiques de Sicile, que l’on peut rattacher aux ateliers de Centuripe du iii e  s. av. J.-C.
Une figure recomposée de la frise de l'Érechtheion
Authors: Jacob Raphaël
Published: January 2015

Après avoir fait un bilan des données que nous possédons sur les frises de l’Érechtheion, celle du corps central et celle du porche nord, en particulier sur leurs longueurs respectives, l’auteur expose sa reconstitution, à partir de plusieurs fragments, d’une figure masculine nue en pied, qui devait être à l’origine fixée sur une plaque de fond de la frise du corps central.
Une nouvelle stèle funéraire attique, dédiée à la mémoire de Jean Marcadé
Authors: Despinis Georges
Published: January 2015

L’auteur présente le raccord d’un fragment d’une stèle funéraire attique du Musée national archéologique d’Athènes inv. 1141 avec la stèle funéraire du Musée municipal de Laon inv. 37.1193. La nouvelle stèle Athènes-Laon, avec les noms d’Hèdistè et de Plathanè, est datée de la décennie 340-330.
Les couleurs et les ors retrouvés de la sculpture antique...
Authors: Jockey Philippe
Published: January 2015

Jean Marcadé fut l’un des premiers archéologues à reconnaître, dès la fin des années 1940, le rôle clé de la couleur dans l’achèvement de la sculpture grecque, modelé compris. À l’occasion de l’étude des statues polychromes hellénistiques de la Maison de l’Hermès à Délos, il donnait pour la première fois à la polychromie une pleine place, mettant un terme au mythe d’une Grèce blanche. Celui-ci, qui prend ses racines dans l’Antiquité, fut théorisé par J. J. Winckelmann au xviii e  s. et trouva son expression la plus radicale au xx e  s., dans l’entre-deux guerres, quand les couleurs furent rejetées du côté de l’Orient et de la femme (par Ch. Maurras), le blanc étant réservé aux seuls mâles occidentaux. J. Marcadé ne cessa de revenir ensuite sur l’importance des couleurs dans la statuaire grecque, masculine comme féminine, depuis ses premières expressions archaïques jusqu’à l’époque impériale, au fil de ses publications et en dépit du manque d’intérêt de la communauté scientifique. Par une heureuse coïncidence (?), c’est dans Le Mépris (1963) de J.-L. Godard, probable lecteur de J. Marcadé, que l’on peut voir la meilleure illustration de cette colorisation allouée paritairement aux deux sexes, sur certaines des statues grecques les plus célèbres.
Textes et sceaux-cylindres de collections diverses
Authors: Cavigneaux Antoine , Jaques Margaret
Published: January 2015

Publication d’une petite collection inédite entrée récemment au musée de Toul comprenant deux documents administratifs d’Ur III, un texte paléo-babylonien et deux sceaux-cylindres. En outre deux documents d’Ur III égarés dans des collections privées.
Notes et études éblaïtes, I : Le semeion de hiérapolis dans l'ébla paléosyrienne
Authors: Matthiae Paolo
Published: January 2015

L’enseigne cultuelle, formée par une hampe verticale, couronnée par un oiseau, à laquelle sont fixés deux masques représentés de profil, représentée dans une série de cylindres paléosyriens archaïques, provenant presque tous du marché des antiquités, apparait sur trois cylindres découverts à Ébla. L’étude des contextes figuratifs des sceaux où se trouve l’enseigne prouve qu’elle était liée au culte de Hadad d’Ébla et de sa parèdre Ishtar Eblaitu et qu’elle était érigée, probablement près des statues cultuelles de ces divinités, dans le grand sanctuaire de la déesse de la Ville Basse d’Ébla, le Temple P2 du Bronze Moyen II.
Le recrutement collégial
Authors: Gary-Bobo Robert , Trannoy Alain
Published: January 2015

Nous approfondissons l’analogie entre l’université et le partenariat professionnel, mode d’organisation en vigueur dans de nombreux champs d’expertise comme le droit et l’expertise comptable. L’université serait la transcription dans un univers non marchand de ce type d’institution. Nous montrons que les principes du recrutement collégial et de la cooptation à l’université ressemblent à bien des égards à la règle selon laquelle le remplacement d’un associé, dans un partenariat, ne peut se faire qu’avec l’assentiment de tous les autres associés. Nous comparons ce mode de recrutement à d’autres possibilités comme la vente aux enchères des charges universitaires, ou le recours à des « chasseurs de têtes ». Des problèmes d’asymétrie d’information, de maintien d’un capital de réputation, de production jointe et d’effets externes dans l’activité de production universitaire permettent de montrer que le recrutement collégial n’a pas d’alternative dans cet univers non marchand. Toutefois, le fait que les universitaires n’engagent pas leurs capitaux dans l’université, contrairement aux associés dans une structure privée, contribue de manière notable à affaiblir les incitations à retenir le meilleur candidat lorsque le mode de recrutement est collégial. Après avoir élaboré des pistes de réflexion pour remédier à des faiblesses inhérentes à ce mode de recrutement, nous concluons avec l’idée qu’une présidence d’université indépendante du pouvoir proprement académique devrait constituer un rempart contre les dérives possibles de la cooptation.
La concurrence positionnelle dans l'enseignement supérieur
Authors: Menger Pierre-Michel , Marchika Colin , Hanet Danièle
Published: January 2015

Situées dans le périmètre de l’enseignement supérieur public, les grandes écoles de commerce françaises ont quatre caractéristiques fortement distinctives : la liberté de sélectionner leurs étudiants ; le prix inhabituellement élevé des études ; la liberté de gérer le corps enseignant hors des règles de la fonction publique ; la faible dépendance à l’égard des financements publics. Ces écoles sont nettement hiérarchisées entre elles. La concurrence qu’elles se livrent au sein de l’oligopole qu’elles forment est positionnelle. Les leaders dominent en innovant dans leur technologie d’enseignement et de recherche, et leurs innovations percolent au long de la hiérarchie. Il y a plus d’inertie que de variabilité dans cette stratification et dans les classements qui en signalent les différentes dimensions. L’article en propose l’explication et permet de vérifier la pertinence du modèle qui analyse l’enseignement supérieur comme une customer-input technology .
Efficacité d'un affichage environnemental : le cas du service hôtelier
Authors: François-Lecompte Agnès , Gentric Michel , Vendeville Hubert
Published: January 2015

Cet article s’intéresse à la question de l’efficacité de l’affichage environnemental pour la prise en compte du développement durable par les producteurs et consommateurs d’un marché. Pour cela, une étude de cas a été menée auprès d’un groupe d’hôteliers ayant mis en place une étiquette environnementale au sein de leur établissement. Différentes collectes d’information auprès des parties prenantes de ce projet permettent d’en tirer un bilan positif et de réfléchir aux questions soulevées par une éventuelle généralisation de cette démarche. Le rôle de l’étiquette pour aider à la mise en œuvre d’un management environnemental dans les établissements hôteliers semble acquis. L’utilisation de cette information de la part des clients demeure une question en suspens.
La mise à disposition des salariés sous-traitants chez les donneurs d'ordres : une source de malaise professionnel ?
Authors: Everaere Christophe
Published: January 2015

Le développement des pratiques de sous-traitance donne à voir des situations particulières dans lesquelles les salariés d’entreprises prestataires de services sont mis à disposition des entreprises clientes donneuses d’ordres. Contrairement au modèle de l’entreprise flexible de J. Altkinson, nous avons découvert, grâce aux données statistiques de l’enquête COI 2006, que les salariés concernés par ces mises à disposition sont durablement hébergés chez les clients et occupent pour une partie importante d’entre eux des postes à responsabilité. Selon les déclarations des intéressés, leur situation hybride, à fois sur des postes à forts enjeux, mais sans faire partie des effectifs de l’entreprise où ils sont affectés, soulève deux problèmes majeurs que sont le sentiment d’isolement et une incertitude quant à leur avenir professionnel. Il en découle une forme de malaise professionnel qui détériore leur implication dans le travail.
Les associations parlent-elles d'une seule voix face au changement de l'ordre institutionnel ? Apports de l'analyse de discours dans le secteur de la prise en charge des personnes âgées
Authors: Dubost Nathalie
Published: January 2015

Les associations présentes dans le secteur de la prise en charge des personnes âgées font face à l’irruption d’entreprises privées lucratives depuis quelques années. En mobilisant la théorie néo-institutionnelle et en réaffirmant la place du discours comme support de l’action, cette recherche montre que le discours des associations est bien distinct de celui des entreprises privées lucratives, sans être toutefois homogène. Il semble que deux grands types de discours, mettant en avant des légitimités distinctes, émergent suite à l’analyse textuelle des lettres des Présidents. Nous proposons de prolonger cette première analyse par des études de cas sur le terrain.
Drosophila as a model for chromosomal instability
Authors: Liu Dawei , Shaukat Zeeshan , Hussain Rashid , Khan Mahwish , Gregory Stephen L.
Published: January 2015

Chromosomal instability (CIN) is a common feature of tumours that leads to increased genetic diversity in the tumour and poor clinical outcomes. There is considerable interest in understanding how CIN comes about and how its contribution to drug resistance and metastasis might be counteracted. In the last decade a number of CIN model systems have been developed in Drosophila that offer unique benefits both in understanding the development of CIN in a live animal as well as giving the potential to do genome wide screens for therapeutic candidate genes. This review outlines the mechanisms used in several Drosophila CIN model systems and summarizes some significant outcomes and opportunities that they have produced.
Neural stem cell derived tumourigenesis
Authors: Froldi Francesca , Szuperák Milán , Cheng Louise Y.
Published: January 2015

In the developing Drosophila CNS, two pools of neural stem cells, the symmetrically dividing progenitors in the neuroepithelium (NE) and the asymmetrically dividing neuroblasts (NBs) generate the majority of the neurons that make up the adult central nervous system (CNS). The generation of a correct sized brain depends on maintaining the fine balance between neural stem cell self-renewal and differentiation, which are regulated by cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic cues. In this review, we will discuss our current understanding of how self-renewal and differentiation are regulated in the two neural stem cell pools, and the consequences of the deregulation of these processes.
The influence of temperature in a capillary imbibition salt weathering simulation test on Mokattam limestone
Authors: Aly N. , Gomez–Heras M. , Hamed A. , Álvarez de Buergo M. , Soliman F.
Published: January 2015

Limestone is one of the most frequent building stones used in monuments in Egypt from ancient Egyptian times and salt weathering is one of the main threats to these monuments. During this work, cylindrical limestone samples (2 cm diameter and approx. 4 cm length) from Mokattam group, one of the most frequent materials in historic Cairo, were subjected, in a purpose-made simulation chamber, to laboratory salt weathering tests with a 10% weight NaCl solution at different temperatures (20, 30, 40 °C). During each test, temperature was kept constant and salt solutions flowed continuously imbibing samples by capillary rise resembling the way they get into building stone in many real cases. Air temperature, relative humidity inside the simulation chamber and also samples weight were digitally monitored and recorded. Results show the influence of temperature and the ratio between imbibitions and evaporation on the dynamics of salt crystallization in the samples.
Validation of a dynamic modulus predictive equation on the basis of spanish asphalt concrete mixtures
Authors: Mateos A. , Soares J. B.
Published: January 2015

Dynamic modulus is defined as the ratio of peak cyclic stress to peak cyclic strain under harmonic loading. It is one of the most important properties of asphalt mixtures, since it determines the strain response characteristics as a function of loading rate and temperature. Different simplified models exist that can predict this variable from mixture composition and binder rheological data, with Witczak and Hirsh models being the most widely accepted. These models have been evaluated in the present study, on the basis of 352 data points from eight asphalt concrete mixtures that were tested between −5 and 60 °C. A new model is also formulated which improves predictions of the previous ones for Spanish mixtures, even though it is a relatively simple equation that requires very limited binder rheological data compared to Witczak and Hirsch models.
Complementary testing techniques applied to obtain the freeze-thaw resistance of concrete
Authors: Romero H. L. , Enfedaque A. , Gálvez J. C. , Casati M. J.
Published: January 2015

Most of the standards that evaluate the resistance of concrete against freeze-thaw cycles (FTC) are based on the loss of weight due to scaling. Such procedures are useful but do not provide information about the microstructural deterioration of the concrete. The test procedure needs to be stopped after several FTCs for weighing the loss of material by scaling. This paper proposes the use of mercury-intrusion-porosimetry and thermogravimetric analysis for assessing the microstructural damage of concrete during FTCs. Continuous strain measurement can be performed without stopping the FTCs. The combination of the above techniques with the freeze-thaw resistance standards provides better and more precise information about concrete damage. The proposed procedure is applied to an ordinary concrete, a concrete with silica fume addition and one with an air-entraining agent. The test results showed that the three techniques used are suitable and useful to be employed as complementary to the standards.
International Migration and Power Relationships
Authors: Ramokgadi Shadrack B.
Published: January 2015

The individual choice to decide where to live bears directly on personal freedom, and the desire for survival and economic development. The right to geographic mobility is ideally safeguarded by international migration regulatory frameworks that derive from country-specific constitutions and inter-states arrangements. On the other hand, empirical evidence suggests that some countries restrict human mobility to take predetermined migration patterns. This chapter presents that the historical evolution in the relationship between the natural environment and human activities offers the opportunity to explore requirements for the successful implementation of any International Migration Regulatory Framework (IMRF). In doing so, the author contends that extant geopolitical conditions defining such relations need to be explored within state-centric political practices and civil society perceptions, put differently, through the dialogue between the state and civil society on migration processes necessary for successful implementation of regulatory framework while surfacing resources-power relationship between migratory states and citizens.
International Migration through the Tourism Industry
Authors: Henama Unathi Sonwabile , Sifolo Portia Pearl Siyanda
Published: January 2015

The tourism industry has advantages and disadvantages that are evident in South Africa. One of the disadvantages in Cape Town is the growth of particularly urban tourism that has displaced domestic tourists due to the high prices charged. The development of the domestic tourism market is challenged by the dominant unemployment, poverty, and inequality that are affecting the South African economy. Yet, tourism consumption requires the availability of discretionary income as a necessary condition to afford to procure and consume tourism offerings. Government support is visible in the industry as it has the ability to create jobs and opportunities for entrepreneurs. Even though three cities in South Africa, Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg, dominate the urban tourism market, this can also be reflected in the flight frequencies via Johannesburg, which is the regional hub for Southern Africa.
Urban Economy and Sources of Its Efficiency as Factors Addressing the Challenges Faced by Urban Economy
Authors: Chiloane-Tsoka Evelyn , Mabiza Junior Mabiza-ma
Published: January 2015

Rapid growth of density of population and overcrowded and congested cities in the Southern African region due to urban migration from people seeking a better lifestyle and job opportunities, despite high levels of urban unemployment, infrastructure and sanitation, is embedded by lack of accelerated innovation to create sustainable future for most people. However, in South Africa infrastructure is seen as an enabler weapon of development to cultivate growth and confront challenges of efficient operations that are to reduce costs of production and create access to application of modern society. With this in mind, the chapter aims to look at the extent to which sources of efficiency can be used as a tool to address the urban economic challenges affecting the global economic development in the region.
Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts of Urbanization in Lagos, Nigeria
Authors: Onwuemele Andrew
Published: January 2015

Urbanization is simply defined as the shift from rural to an urban society, which is triggered by social, economic, and political developments. Nigerian cities are not left out in the global urbanization trends. Nigeria has an annual urban population growth of 5.8 percent. Lagos as the economic focal point of Nigeria has one of highest rates of urbanization. Several scholars have looked into specific sectoral challenges of urbanization in Lagos; however, there is lack of synthesis posing new challenges for policy development. The goal of the chapter therefore is to examine the socio-economic and environmental consequences of urbanization in Lagos State. The chapter relies on empirical results from literature for its analysis. Results indicate two categories of socio-economic and environmental consequences of urbanization in Lagos. The chapter calls for the termination of urban biased development approach of many sub-national governments in Nigeria as well as equitable deployment of development projects.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Petroleum Industry
Authors: Hrnčević Lidia
Published: January 2015

Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions occur, more or less, in all aspects of the petroleum industry's activities. Besides the direct emissions of some GHG, the petroleum industry is also characterised with high energy intensity usually followed by emissions of adverse gases, especially at old facilities, and also the products with high emission potential. Being the global industry and one of the major players on global market, the petroleum industry is also subjected to global regulatory provisions regarding GHG emissions. In this chapter, the impact of global climate change on the petroleum industry is discussed. The emissions from the petroleum industry are analysed with a special focus on greenhouse gases that occur in petroleum industry activities and types and sources of emissions from the petroleum industry activities. In addition, recommendations for estimation, monitoring, and reductions of GHG emissions from the petroleum industry are given.
Electrochemical Technologies for Industrial Effluent Treatment
Authors: Misra Rohit , Rao Neti Nageswara
Published: January 2015

Electrochemical processes are the most adequate tools in the aqueous effluent treatment. The process will not require chemical addition and indeed electrons are the only reactants added to the process to stimulate the reaction. Anodic oxidation of recalcitrant wastewater in a typical electrochemical set-up is particularly interesting because of its ease of operation and scope for scale-up. Nevertheless, electro oxidation in the three-dimensional carbon bed electrodes is a promising process for electrooxidation of effluents containing non-biodegradable organic compounds. The application of three-dimensional carbon bed electrochemical reactor for the degradation of organic pollutant is demonstrated in this chapter. The role of carbon particles in the three-dimensional electrodes reactor is described in this chapter. It has at least two important functions: 1) adsorption of organic compounds from effluents and 2) act as particle electrode. Various operation and design considerations leading to better understanding of carbon bed electrochemical reactors are discussed.
Water Pollution and its Treatment
Authors: Jaiswal Amita , Chattopadhyaya Mahesh Chandra
Published: January 2015

Water is the most important resource for all kinds of life on this earth. Water pollution is the contamination of water bodies (i.e. rivers, oceans, lakes, and ground water). Water pollution occurs when pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged into water bodies without treatment to remove harmful compounds. Water pollution and its treatment are interconnected to each other so it is not possible to explore one topic without the other. Today, all over world, people suffer from this problem so scientists and researchers are trying to solve these problems by different ways. There are many chemical and biological methods for water pollution treatment. This chapter deals with a brief introduction about water pollution, its types, main reasons that cause water pollution, and their effects on human health and environment, and it is mainly focused on the waste water treatment processes by bioremediation and chemical methods for removing heavy metals, pesticides, organic compounds, and dyes, which are mainly found in industrial and domestic waste water.
Plastics and Priority during the Recycling
Authors: Krehula Ljerka Kratofil , Hrnjak-Murgić Zlata , Katančić Zvonimir
Published: January 2015

Increasing demand for post-consumer plastics recycling comes from growing environmental awareness and the need for sustainability as well as from legislative measures. Generally, the recycling of plastics is important in terms of natural resources preservation (oil, natural gas), energy conservation, saving of landfill spaces, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, overall environmental protection, and economical benefits. The different types of plastics recycling result in valuable raw materials (mechanical and chemical recycling) or in a notable quantity of energy when plastic waste is used as a fuel (energy recovery). A priority during recycling is to create high quality pretreatment processes of post-consumer plastics in order to obtain the best possible product and to minimize recycling expenses. This chapter gives a general overview of plastics recycling, especially of pretreatment procedures, with an emphasis on poly(ethylene-terephthalate), polyethylene, and tire recycling processes. It reveals the main problems during these processes and states their analysis and possible solutions.
Deep Geological Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Waste
Authors: Veinović Želimir , Zelić Biljana Kovačević , Domitrović Dubravko
Published: January 2015

Management of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SF) and High-Level Waste (HLW) is one of the most important and challenging problems of the modern world. Otherwise a clean, cheap, constant, and secure way to produce electricity, nuclear power plants create large amounts of highly hazardous waste. Repositories—deep Geological Disposal Facilities (GDF)—for these types of waste must prevent radionuclides from reaching the biosphere, for up to 1,000,000 years, migrating from a deep (more than 300m), stable geological environment. At present, there are no operating GDFs for SF and/or HLW, mostly due to the difficult and complex task of preparing safety cases and licensing. The purpose of this chapter is to validate the generic R&D activities in this area and present alternative concepts of Radioactive Waste (RW) management: retrievability, reversibility, regional GDFs, long-term storage, and deep borehole disposal, demonstrating the main engineering tasks in solving the problem of RW management and disposal.
Landslides
Authors: Arbanas Snježana Mihalić , Arbanas Željko
Published: January 2015

Landslide research is an interdisciplinary field that primarily encompasses scientists from geomorphology, engineering geology, and geotechnical engineering in collaboration with researchers from such fields as geodesy, hydrogeology, geophysics, and many others. This chapter is intended as a resource for researchers interested in landslide engineering and landslide science to acquire a summarized review of research subjects and the state-of-the-art literature. A wide range of landslide topics are presented in the following sections: landslide mapping, landslide investigation, landslide monitoring, landslide hazard and risk assessment, and landslide stabilization and remediation measures. The results of landslide studies have practical applications to society via the avoidance, prevention, and mitigation of landslide hazards and risks. Landslide avoidance and prevention are the primary interests for land-use policies based on landslide mapping, followed by the prediction of landslide processes and their consequences. Landslide mitigation includes the development of engineering technologies for landslide investigation, monitoring, and remediation.
Environmental Cost Studies and Their Application in Environmental Protection Planning for Electricity Production
Authors: Tomšić Željko
Published: January 2015

Different approaches may be used for estimating environmental costs of electricity generation, and the way they are applied may vary from situation to situation. The extent to which environmental costs should be considered as external costs (i.e. not borne directly by electricity producers) depends partly on the environmental protection policy of the country and on the control instruments that are implemented. Damage costs can be assessed by two approaches: “top-down” (which relies on aggregated data) and “bottom-up” (requires the use of site-specific data). This chapter describes external costs of electricity and impact pathway method for their calculation. This method links burdens to the environment caused by power generation chains with physical impacts they cause and assigns monetary values to those impacts. Calculated external costs can be applied in various environmental policy case studies. Two such applications are illustrated: cost-benefit analysis of imposing stricter NOx emission standard and inclusion of external costs in power system expansion planning.
The Endocytosis and Signaling of the γδ T Cell Coreceptor WC1 Are Regulated by a Dileucine Motif
Authors: Hsu Haoting , Baldwin Cynthia L. , Telfer Janice C.
Published: January 2015

WC1 proteins, which are specifically expressed by bovine γδ T cells from a gene array containing 13 members, are part of the scavenger receptor cysteine-rich family. WC1 cytoplasmic domains contains multiple tyrosines, one of which is required to be phosphorylated for TCR coreceptor activity, and a dileucine endocytosis motif. Like the TCR coreceptor CD4, WC1 is endocytosed in response to PMA. Because WC1 endocytosis may play a role in the activation of γδ T cells, we examined WC1 endocytosis in the adherent cell 293T and Jurkat T cell lines using a fusion protein of extracellular CD4 and the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domain of WC1. Individual mutation of the two leucine residues of the endocytic dileucine motif in the WC1 cytoplasmic domain significantly reduced PMA-induced endocytosis in both cell types and enhanced IL-2 production stimulated by cocross-linking of CD3/TCR and CD4/WC1 in Jurkat cells, suggesting that the sustained membrane coligation of CD3/TCR with WC1 caused by a decrease in endocytosis increases T cell activation. Mutation of two serines upstream of the endocytic dileucine motif affected endocytosis only in adherent 293T cells. Although the two upstream serines were not required for WC1 endocytosis in Jurkat cells, the pan–protein kinase C inhibitor Gö6983 blocked endocytosis of CD4/WC1, and mutation of the upstream serines in WC1 inhibited IL-2 production stimulated by cocross-linking of CD3/TCR and CD4/WC1. These studies provide insights into the signaling of WC1 gene arrays that are present in most mammals and play critical roles in γδ T cell responses to bacterial pathogens.
Expression of Functional Sphingosine-1 Phosphate Receptor-1 Is Reduced by B Cell Receptor Signaling and Increased by Inhibition of PI3 Kinase δ but Not SYK or BTK in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Cells
Authors: Till Kathleen J. , Pettitt Andrew R. , Slupsky Joseph R.
Published: January 2015

BCR signaling pathway inhibitors such as ibrutinib, idelalisib, and fostamatinib (respective inhibitors of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase, PI3Kδ, and spleen tyrosine kinase) represent a significant therapeutic advance in B cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). These drugs are distinctive in increasing blood lymphocytes while simultaneously shrinking enlarged lymph nodes, suggesting anatomical redistribution of CLL cells from lymph nodes into the blood. However, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are incompletely understood. In this study, we showed that the egress receptor, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor 1 (S1PR1), was expressed at low levels in normal germinal centers and CLL lymph nodes in vivo but became upregulated on normal B cells and, to a variable and lesser extent, CLL cells following in vitro incubation in S1P-free medium. Spontaneous recovery of S1PR1 expression on normal B and CLL cells was prevented by BCR cross-linking, whereas treatment of CLL cells with idelalisib increased S1PR1 expression and migration toward S1P, the greatest increase occurring in cases with unmutated IgH V region genes. Intriguingly, ibrutinib and fostamatinib had no effect on S1PR1 expression or function. Conversely, chemokine-induced migration, which requires integrin activation and is essential for the entry of lymphocytes into lymph nodes as well as their retention, was blocked by ibrutinib and fostamatinib, but not idelalisib. In summary, our results suggest that different BCR signaling inhibitors redistribute CLL cells from lymph nodes into the blood through distinct mechanisms: idelalisib actively promotes egress by upregulating S1PR1, whereas fostamatinib and ibrutinib may reduce CLL cell entry and retention by suppressing chemokine-induced integrin activation.
Ndfip1 Regulates Itch Ligase Activity and Airway Inflammation via UbcH7
Authors: Kathania Mahesh , Zeng Minghui , Yadav Viveka Nand , Moghaddam Seyed Javad , Yang Baoli , Venuprasad K
Published: January 2015

The ubiquitin-ligating enzyme (E3) Itch plays a crucial role in the regulation of inflammation, and Itch deficiency leads to severe airway inflammation. However, the molecular mechanisms by which Itch function is regulated remain elusive. In this study, we found that nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae induces the association of Itch with Ndfip1. Both Itch−/− and Ndfip1−/− mice exhibited severe airway inflammation in response to nontypeable Haemophilus influenza, which was associated with elevated expression of proinflammatory cytokines. Ndfip1 enhanced Itch ligase activity and facilitated Itch-mediated Tak1 ubiquitination. Mechanistically, Ndfip1 facilitated recruitment of ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme (E2) UbcH7 to Itch. The N-terminal region of Ndfip1 binds to UbcH7, whereas the PY motif binds to Itch. Hence, Ndfip1 acts as an adaptor for UbcH7 and Itch. Reconstitution of full-length Ndfip1 but not the mutants that fail to interact with either UbcH7 or Itch, restored the defect in Tak1 ubiquitination and inhibited elevated proinflammatory cytokine expression by Ndfip1−/− cells. These results provide new mechanistic insights into how Itch function is regulated during inflammatory signaling, which could be exploited therapeutically in inflammatory diseases.
Staphylococcus lugdunensis Gluteal Abscess in a Patient with End Stage Renal Disease on Hemodialysis
Authors: Mehmood Mansoor , Khasawneh Faisal A.
Published: January 2015

A 57-year-old end stage renal disease patient on hemodialysis (HD) presented with sepsis secondary to right buttock abscess and overlying cellulitis. She was started on broad-spectrum antibiotic therapy and underwent incision and drainage with marked improvement. Her cultures grew methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus lugdunensis. This bacterium is more virulent than other coagulase negative staphylococci and has been implicated in causing a variety of serious infections but it has been underreported as a cause of skin infections in HD patients and possible other patient populations.
Pressure injectors for radiologists: A review and what is new
Authors: Indrajit Inna K , Sivasankar Rajeev , D′Souza John , Pant Rochan , Negi Raj S , Sahu Samresh , PI Hashim
Published: January 2015

Pressure Injectors are used routinely in diagnostic and interventional radiology. Advances in medical science and technology have made it is imperative for both diagnostic as well as interventional radiologists to have a thorough understanding of the various aspects of pressure injectors. Further, as many radiologists may not be fully conversant with injections into ports, central lines and PICCs, it is important to familiarize oneself with the same. It is also important to follow stringent operating protocols during the use of pressure injectors to prevent complications such as contrast extravastion, sepsis and air embolism. This article aims to update existing knowledge base in this respect.
MR defecography for obstructed defecation syndrome
Authors: Thapar Ravikumar B , Patankar Roysuneel V , Kamat Ritesh D , Thapar Radhika R , Chemburkar Vipul
Published: January 2015

Patients with obstructed defecation syndrome (ODS) form an important subset of patients with chronic constipation. Evaluation and treatment of these patients has traditionally been difficult. Magnetic resonance defecography (MRD) is a very useful tool for the evaluation of these patients. We evaluated the scans and records of 192 consecutive patients who underwent MRD at our center between January 2011 and January 2012. Abnormal descent, rectoceles, rectorectal intussusceptions, enteroceles, and spastic perineum were observed in a large number of these patients, usually in various combinations. We discuss the technique, its advantages and limitations, and the normal findings and various pathologies.