bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Translation and adaptation into Brazilian Portuguese of the Obsessional Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ-44)
Authors: Bortoncello Cristiane Flôres , Vivan Analise , Gomes Juliana Braga , Cordioli Aristides Volpato
Published: May 2012

INTRODUCTION: The Obsessional Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ-44) is a self-administered instrument comprised of 44 items, designed to assess the beliefs of patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). The objective of this study was to describe the process of translation and adaption of the questionnaire into Brazilian Portuguese. METHOD: For the translation and adaptation of the OBQ-44, we first obtained authorization from the authors of the original scale to use the instrument. Subsequently, the scale was independently translated from English into Brazilian Portuguese by two health professionals with proficiency in English. Following comparison of the two translations, a preliminary version was obtained and tried out on a sample of 20 patients with a primary diagnosis of OCD. This pretest aimed to assess the patients' understanding of the items and to make any necessary language adaptations. Then, the scale was independently back-translated by two psychiatrists, also with proficiency in English. Following comparison of the two back-translations, a final version in English was developed; this version was evaluated and approved by the authors of the original instrument. RESULTS: The Brazilian Portuguese version of the OBQ-44, after the process of translation and adaptation here described, showed to be of easy interpretation by patients with different educational levels. The instrument can therefore be used to assess patients from different Brazilian socioeconomic contexts. CONCLUSION: OBQ-44 is a self-administered instrument of easy application. Therefore, it can be useful in the identification of dysfunctional beliefs in OCD patients, contributing toward a better understanding of the role played by such beliefs in the onset and maintenance of the disorder.
Quality of Life with Gefitinib in Patients with EGFR-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Quality of Life Analysis of North East Japan Study Group 002 Trial
Authors: Oizumi Satoshi , Kobayashi Kunihiko , Inoue Akira , Maemondo Makoto , Sugawara Shunichi , Yoshizawa Hirohisa , Isobe Hiroshi , Harada Masao , Kinoshita Ichiro , Okinaga Shoji , Kato Terufumi , Harada Toshiyuki , Gemma Akihiko , Saijo Yasuo , Yokomizo Yuki , Morita Satoshi , Hagiwara Koichi , Nukiwa Toshihiro
Published: May 2012

Background.

For non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, first-line gefitinib produced a longer progression-free survival interval than first-line carboplatin plus paclitaxel but did not show any survival advantage in the North East Japan 002 study. This report describes the quality of life (QoL) analysis of that study.

Methods.

Chemotherapy-naïve patients with sensitive EGFR-mutated, advanced NSCLC were randomized to receive gefitinib or chemotherapy (carboplatin and paclitaxel). Patient QoL was assessed weekly using the Care Notebook, and the primary endpoint of the QoL analysis was time to deterioration from baseline on each of the physical, mental, and life well-being QoL scales. Kaplan–Meier probability curves and log-rank tests were employed to clarify differences.

Results.

QoL data from 148 patients (72 in the gefitinib arm and 76 in the carboplatin plus paclitaxel arm) were analyzed. Time to defined deterioration in physical and life well-being significantly favored gefitinib over chemotherapy (hazard ratio [HR] of time to deterioration, 0.34; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.23–0.50; p < .0001 and HR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.28–0.65; p < .0001, respectively).

Conclusion.

QoL was maintained much longer in patients treated with gefitinib than in patients treated with standard chemotherapy, indicating that gefitinib should be considered as the standard first-line therapy for advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC in spite of no survival advantage.
Linking cone penetration resistances measured in calibration chambers and the field
Authors: Pournaghiazar M. , Russell A. R. , Khalili N.
Published: May 2012

Cone penetration tests (CPTs) conducted in sands in small calibration chambers may be heavily influenced by chamber sizes and boundary conditions, placing uncertainty on how results are related to those measured in the field. This article demonstrates how penetration resistances measured in chambers may be converted to equivalent field values, using a semi-analytical procedure based on a solution for spherical cavity expansion in soils of finite radial extent. Account is also given to differences in vertical stress states around the cone in the field and in chambers in a simple way. The procedure is validated using resistances measured in three sands by accurately predicting observed cone–chamber diameter ratio influences.
Detected Renal Cysts Are Tips of the Iceberg in Adults with ADPKD
Authors: Grantham Jared J. , Mulamalla Sumanth , Grantham Connor J. , Wallace Darren P. , Cook Larry T. , Wetzel Louis H. , Fields Timothy A. , Bae K. T.
Published: May 2012

Background and objectives

In autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, progressive renal enlargement secondary to expanding cysts is a hallmark. The total cyst load and range of cyst diameters are unknown. The purpose of this study was to quantify the total number and range of diameters of individual cysts in adults with preserved GFR.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements

A retrospective, morphometric analysis of renal cyst number and diameter using magnetic resonance images from eight adult autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease patients was performed at baseline and after 6.9 years. Cyst number and diameter were measured in microscopic sections of nephrectomy specimens from five different adults.

Results

The diameters of 1010 cysts ranged from 0.9 to 77.1 mm in baseline T2 magnetic resonance images, and the mean total number of cysts increased from 682 to 1002 in 6.9 years. However, magnetic resonance imaging detects only cysts above the lower limit of detection. In 405 cysts measured in nephrectomy specimens, 70% had diameters <0.9 mm. Cyst counts by magnetic resonance in eight subjects compared with histology revealed approximately 62 times more cysts below the limit of magnetic resonance imaging detection than above it.

Conclusions

This study presents quantitative data indicating that renal cysts develop in a minority of renal tubules. Increased numbers detected by magnetic resonance imaging are caused primarily by cysts below detection at baseline enlarging to a detectable diameter over time. The broad range of diameters, with a heavy concentration of microscopic cysts, may be most appropriately explained by a formation process that operates continuously throughout life.
Nephrology Quiz and Questionnaire
Authors: Golper Thomas A. , Glassock Richard J. , Bleyer Anthony J.
Published: May 2012

Presentation of the Nephrology Quiz and Questionnaire has become an annual “tradition” at the meetings of the American Society of Nephrology. It is a very popular session judged by consistently large attendance. Members of the audience test their knowledge and judgment on a series of case-oriented questions prepared and discussed by experts. They can also compare their answers in real time, using audience response devices, with those of program directors of nephrology training programs in the United States, acquired through an Internet-based questionnaire. Topics presented here include fluid and electrolyte disorders, transplantation, and ESRD and dialysis. Cases representing each of these categories along with single best answer questions were prepared by a panel of experts (Drs. Palmer, Hricik, and Golper, respectively). After the audience responses, the “correct” and “incorrect” answers then were briefly discussed and the results of the questionnaire were displayed. This article aims to recapitulate the session and reproduce its educational value for a larger audience—readers of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. Have fun.
Socio-cultural models as an important element of the site selection process in rural waste management
Authors: Nenkovic-Riznic Marina
Published: May 2012

The problem of waste management in rural areas has not been the subject of
detailed specific researches since most of the research has been directed
towards the study of means, mechanisms and procedures of waste elimination in
urban settlements. The reason for the reduced scope of research in this field
lies in the fact that rural settlements cannot be considered as "grateful"
subjects due to usual deficiency of specific data (population number,
fluctuations, amount of waste, waste composition, methods of waste
elimination, etc.). In addition, for several decades the villages have
primarily eliminated waste spontaneously. This has proven difficult to
research because of the variations of methods applied to each specific
locale, as well as different environmental variables. These criteria are
based on patterns of behavior, customs and habits of the local population,
but they also insist on absolute participation of local stakeholders in waste
management. On the other hand, although Serbia has a legislative frame which
is fully harmonized with European laws, there is a problem within unclearly
defined waste management system which is oriented mainly on rural areas. The
reason for this is the fact that waste management in rural areas is the part
of regional waste management, and does not operate independently from the
system in "urban" areas. However, since rural areas require the construction
of recycling yards, this paper will present a new methodology, which equally
valuates techno-economic criteria and social criteria in determining waste
elimination locations. This paper will also point out varieties of actors in
the process of waste elimination in rural areas, as well as the possibility
of their participation.
The right of servitude between public interest and undisturbed use of private property
Authors: Petovar Ksenija , Jokic Vesna
Published: May 2012

For obtaining the land in order to build the magistral pipeline a specific
form of land expropriation is applied, namely the Right of servitude. The
Right of servitude can be realized on the basis of established public
interest, which can be defined according to the spatial plan of the relevant
area. The Right of servitude is analyzed from the point of its influence on
the respect of basic human rights of property owners to enjoy their property
in safety and without disturbance. Current legal framework in Serbia that
regulates procedures for acquiring land for the purpose of public interest
allows for breach of private property rights. There is a mutual inconsistency
between a number of decrees that regulate property rights for large
infrastructural development projects. A specific, and possibly a greater
problem, is the status of the local population, the land owner and other real
estate. It concerns their awareness of their private and individual rights,
as well as technical and other legal standards, which must be applied during
the preparation, construction and working stages of an energy facility.
Applying the Right of servitude as a way to acquire land for construction of
the Pipeline, there is direct breach of the basic human right as stated in
the first Protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights, namely that
?every natural or legal person is entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of his
possessions? (Article 1, Protocol 1). The Right of servitude allows the
investor to use ?public interest? as a way of gaining access to another?s
land, and under better financial conditions than if he were to apply
permanent expropriation. While the owner retains his/her ownership of the
land, inconvenienced by numerous limitations of its use, usability and market
value of the land becomes substantially reduced.
Strategic environmental assessment and climate change in the Republic of Serbia: Support to development and adjustment process
Authors: Crncevic Tijana , Maric Igor , Josimovic Bosko
Published: May 2012

The paper analyzes the SEA status in the Republic of Serbia in the context of
climate change problem. In addition to an overview of current legal
framework, status and relationship towards the planning process, special
attention has also been dedicated to the analysis of current practice - the
SEA of plans of different hierarchical levels - for the purpose of giving
insight into the current state. The paper stress that the development of the
SEA in Serbia has stagnated since the introduction of the Law on Strategic
Environmental Impact Assessment (?Official Gazette of the Republic of
Serbia?, no.135/2004 and 88/2010) in the sense that there are no special
activities in innovating methodological and procedural framework, nor public
participation initiatives. Further, results of research that has been carried
out indicate that climate change problems have not been systematically
treated in the SEA, i.e. in plans, and that the existing legal framework is
not fully supportive of this problem area. Based on the results, the
recommendations have also been formulated which, amongst other things,
include the formulation of special guidelines for carrying out the SEA which
would, in particular, treat climate change in the sense of instructions
related to phases of planning, level and coverage of plans including also
examples of good practice, as well as strengthening of institutional
framework and permanent education.
Cultural based preconceptions in aesthetic experience of architecture
Authors: Stevanovic Vladimir
Published: May 2012

On a broader scale, the aim of this paper is to examine theoretically the
effects a cultural context has on the aesthetic experience of images existing
in perceived reality. Minimalism in architecture, as direct subject of
research, is a field of particularities in which we observe functioning of
this correlation. Through the experiment with the similarity phenomenon, the
paper follows specific manifestations of general formal principles and
variability of meaning of minimalism in architecture in limited areas of
cultural backgrounds of Serbia and Japan. The goal of the comparative
analysis of the examples presented is to indicate the conditions that may
lead to a possibly different aesthetic experience in two different cultural
contexts. Attribution of different meanings to similar formal visual language
of architecture raises questions concerning the system of values, which
produces these meanings in their cultural and historical perspectives. The
establishment of values can also be affected by preconceptions resulting from
association of perceived similarities. Are the preconceptions in aesthetic
reception of architecture conditionally affected by pragmatic needs, symbolic
archetypes, cultural metaphors based on tradition or ideologically
constructed dogmas? Confronting philosophical postulates of the Western and
Eastern traditions with the transculturality theory of Wolfgang Welsch, the
answers may become more available.
An evaluation of the integrated poverty alleviation and housing scheme in Botswana, case of Ramotswa village
Authors: Ikgopoleng Horatio , Cavric Branko
Published: May 2012

This article evaluates the effectiveness of the Integrated Poverty
Alleviation and Housing Scheme (IPAHS) in Ramotswa; an urban village located
32 km south-east of the capital city of Botswana, Gaborone. This study
emanates from the fact that low income urban and rural residents with no
formal employment were left out of the Self Help Housing Scheme (SHHA). The
SHHA was mandated to facilitate the acquisition of subsidised land and loan
to purchase building materials. One of the major conditions to qualify for
SHHA is that applicants should have formal employment.; the IPAHS was
specifically introduced to facilitate economic empowerment to poor
households who do not qualify under the SHHA scheme. The IPAHS scheme is a
twothronged approach mandated to equip the residents with skills to
build/improve houses for themselves and create employment for themselves
through molding of bricks for sale in an effort to alleviate poverty. This
paper is based on documentary and field research. The field research has a
participatory component involving discussion and open ended interviews with
relevant government departments. It also involves the administration of
structured questionnaire survey to 30 beneficiaries of the scheme. Results
show that despite high uptake of the scheme within the country, there are
several challenges such as insufficient income to build or improve their
houses, signs of poverty in living environments of beneficiaries,
uncoordinated roles of various institutions which are major stakeholders in
the implementation of the scheme. The scheme requires pragmatic policies
geared to meet the needs and aspirations of the poor. There is a need for
policy interventions through Government commitment to principles such as the
right to housing by every citizen, coordination of roles played by different
stakeholders to support the sustainability of the scheme.
Crucial European and international strategic documents for guiding the spatial development of the Danube region in Serbia
Authors: Maksin Marija
Published: May 2012

Corridor VII, the Danube development belt and the Danube River Basin
represent a basis for the development of Serbia?s spatial, economic, social
and cultural relations with the Danube countries and the implementation of
the European strategic documents concerning the management of the sustainable
spatial development of the Danube Region. Therefore, this paper analyzes the
implementation approaches, priority areas, actions and instruments determined
by the relevant European and international strategic documents for the
Danube, and the umbrella European document for all Danube countries -
European Union Strategy for the Danube Region. The implementation of an
integrated approach, strategic framework, obligations and recommendations
determined by the analyzed European and international strategic documents and
conventions is especially important for improving the management of the
spatial development of the Danube Region and Serbia as a whole. From that
aspect, the paper recommends the necessary activities and facilities for
harmonizing our strategic planning and management system and practice with
the analyzed European documents concerning the Danube and Danube Region.
City vs. climate changes - the future and its (un)sustainability: The global applicability of Sarriguren and Jätkäsaari?
Authors: Stupar Aleksandra , Nikezic Zoran
Published: May 2012

The global reality, intensively exposed to the challenges caused by climate
changes, demands new ideas, methods and tools which could eventually prevent
or mitigate the consequences of carbon emissions. Therefore, the contemporary
cities, as focal points of the new global comprehension, have become testing
grounds for numerous initiatives based upon imperatives of sustainability,
environmental consciousness, energy efficiency and ?green? life style. In
Serbia, experience in matters of the built environment has had a tendency to
be formed exclusively on the basis of authentic local initiatives,
aspirations, successes and failures. In the global effort for sustainable
development, considering the commitments imposed by climate change and carbon
emission, a greater reliance on results achieved elsewhere would be a welcome
change. Consequently, this article will present and comment two eco-driven
projects - Sarriguren and J?tk?saari, both covering a wide range of useful
ideas, intriguing concepts and globally applicable solutions for the
challenges caused by climate shifts.
Chemical U-Th-Pb geochronology: A precise explicit approximation of the age equation and associated errors
Authors: Săbău Gavril
Published: May 2012

In a single decaying system, the age determined from the exponential decay law is directly related to its linear Maclaurin approximation. This relationship can be additively extended to several decaying systems resulting in the same daughter element, by using proportionality functions, thus allowing an explicit formulation of the age as a function of element concentrations. The values of the binary proportionality function for the 238U-235U-Pb system and the ternary proportionality function for the 232Th-238U-235U-Pb system were determined by iterations of the exponential decay formula up to 4 Ga, with a step of 10 Ma, for a set of 24 different U/Th ratios. From the iteration data, the expressions of the two functions and the associated coefficients were determined by polynomial regression and mathematical programing on conveniently separated time and compositional intervals.

Additional time- and composition-dependent age corrections optimized by mathematical programming of the residuals lead to an accuracy of 0.005 Ma of the resulting age. The error propagation can be traced through all the operations defined by explicit formulas according to simple error propagation rules, finally allowing the calculation of the standard error of the result. The formulas and parameters derived can be used in a calculation spreadsheet.
REE in fluid inclusions of quartz from gold deposits of north-eastern Russia
Authors: Vikent’eva Olga , Gamyanin Gennady , Bortnikov Nikolay
Published: May 2012

Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) has been used to determine rare earth element concentrations in aqueous solutions extracted from fluid inclusions. Quartz has been sampled from ores of three major types of polygenic gold hydrothermal systems of North-Eastern Russia: (1) gold-quartz-sulphide (Au-Q, Nezhdaninsk); (2) gold-antimony (Au-Sb, Sarylakh) and (3) intrusion-related gold-bismuth-siderite-polysulphide (Au-Bi-Sid, Arkachan) large deposits located in terrigenous rocks of the Verkhoyansk fold belt. The total concentration of REE in the fluid inclusions is not high (up to 52 ppm). The contribution of LREE dominates in REE balance (ΣLREE/ΣHREE=7.4–112.1). The chondrite-normalized REE patterns of inclusion fluids for the Au-Q and Au-Bi-Sid deposits are characterized by LREE enrichment with a positive or negative Eu anomaly. REE patterns for the regenerated quartz from Au-Sb deposits are characterized by pronounced differentiation between light and heavy lanthanides in fluid inclusions. Significant total REE concentration decreasing (on 1–2 order) from early to late stages of Nezhdaninsk and Arkachan deposits is revealed. The positive correlations of total REE concentrations with Rb, Cs, Li and B contents in fluid inclusions are shown. The REE distribution in fluid inclusions can be used as indicators of the contribution of magmatic fluid in the hydrothermal system.
Usefulness of f-18 FDG PET/CT in subcutaneous panniculitis-like t cell lymphoma: disease extent and treatment response evaluation
Authors: Kim Jin-Suk , Jeong Young Jin , Sohn Myung-Hee , Jeong Hwan-Jeong , Lim Seok Tae , Kim Dong Wook , Kwak Jae-Yong , Yim Chang-Yeol
Published: May 2012

Background. Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma (SPTCL) is a rare form of cutaneous lymphomas, accounting for less than 1% of cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18 FDG) positronemission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) findings of SPTCL before and after treatment were rarely reported.

Case report. We report a case of SPTCL in which F-18 FDG PET/CT showed increased FDG accumulations in numerous subcutaneous nodules without extracutaneous disease. Contrast-enhanced CT during F-18 FDG PET/CT showed multiple minimally enhancing nodules with an infiltrative pattern in the subcutaneous layer throughout the body. Follow-up F-18 FDG PET/CT after three cycles of CHOP chemotherapy showed a complete metabolic remission of the lesions.

Conclusions. F-18 FDG PET/CT is suggested to be useful in assessing the disease activity, extent and treatment response in SPTCL.
Conditions for preparations for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games in the opinion of the Polish national team
Authors: Sobiecka Joanna , Plinta Ryszard , Drobniewicz Katarzyna , Kłodecka-Różalska Jadwiga , Cichoń Katarzyna
Published: May 2012

Conditions for preparations for the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games in the opinion of the Polish national team

Study aim: To evaluate the process of preparing Polish athletes with disabilities for the 2008 Beijing Summer Paralympic Games.

Material and methods: The study included 31 women and 58 men representing 11 Paralympic disciplines, accounting for 97.8% of the Polish team taking part in the games. The average age was 32 years; the average amount of experience with sports training, 12 years. The method of diagnostic survey applied in the study was a questionnaire by J. Kłodecka-Różalska that was adapted to the needs of athletes with disabilities. The interpretation of the results was based on the arithmetic mean of individual evaluations. After checking the confidence interval, the factors were classified into one of three categories of conditions: satisfactory, sufficient, or unsatisfactory.

Results: Data analysis revealed different levels of care and conditions created for the Polish national team during their preparations for the Beijing Paralympic Games. The athletes were fully satisfied with the conditions of the central camps and consultation (food, accommodation, sports equipment) and social relations (atmosphere of cooperation between the athletes and cooperation between the athletes and national team coaches of various disciplines). Issues requiring more professional attention are the health of athletes nominated to participate in the Paralympic Games (medical care and individual orthopaedic equipment) and contact with the media, which shapes the image of sport of the disabled people.

Conclusions: In preparation for Paralympic Games, these athletes need to be provided with the constant and highlevel assistance of a psychologist and a nutritionist. In the perspective of future athletic goals set for the representatives of our country, a high standard of sports facilities, individual sports equipment, transport to the central camps and consultation, as well as professional care in the field of wellness, physiotherapy and massage, should be taken into account for Paralympic Game preparations.
Damage of testicular cell macromolecules and reproductive capacity of male rats following co-administration of ethambutol, rifampicin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide
Authors: Shayakhmetova Ganna , Bondarenko Larysa , Kovalenko Valentina
Published: May 2012

Damage of testicular cell macromolecules and reproductive capacity of male rats following co-administration of ethambutol, rifampicin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide

The necessity to minimize adverse effects of tuberculosis chemotherapy requires a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of antituberculosis drugs on the reproductive system and testicular cell macromolecules. The epidemiological situation of tuberculosis in Central and Eastern Europe is getting worse. Data on adverse effects of antituberculosis drugs are scare concerning particularly their effects on the reproductive system. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential effect of ethambutol, rifampicin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide co-administration on lipid peroxidation, glutathione content and protein SH-groups, DNA fragmentation levels, the reproductive capacity of Wistar male rats and the antenatal development of their posterity. The rats (150-170 g) were divided into two groups: group I - received antituberculosis drugs suspended in 1% starch gel per os: ethambutol - 155 mg/kg b.w./day, rifampicin - 74.4 mg/kg b.w./day, isoniazid - 62 mg/kg b.w./day, pyrazinamide - 217 mg/kg b.w./day, group II (control) - received only starch gel in corresponding volumes. The contents of TBA-active compounds, glutathione and protein SH-groups in testis and sperm were determined spectrophotometrically, the DNA-fragmentation was determined using an UV transilluminator (BIORAD, USA), reproductive system indices were measured by standard methods. The co-administration of therapeutic doses of ethambutol, isoniazid, rifampicin and pyrazinamide to male rats during the period of spermatogenesis caused an increase in the rate of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances formation in testis and sperm, decrease of testis glutathione and protein SH-group contents, significant changes in DNA fragmentation, fatal decrease of male fertilizing capacity and fertility, and increase of pre- and post-implantation embryo lethality. The changes in reproductive indices could be the result of direct or indirect effects of one or more drugs investigated.
Acetylcholine and an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor neostigmine can aggravate tularemia progress in BALB/c mice
Authors: Pohanka Miroslav , Pavlis Oto , Svobodova Hana , Pikula Jiri
Published: May 2012

Acetylcholine and an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor neostigmine can aggravate tularemia progress in BALB/c mice

The present experiment was aimed at assessing the application of neostigmine, an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) pseudo-irreversible inhibitor with poor penetration through the hematoencephalitic barrier, and the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh). The experiment was done to evaluate their ability to modulate an infectious disease: tularemia. Mice infected withFranciselle tularensisand exposed to either ACh or neostigmine had a higher mortality and spleen bacterial burden when compared to infected mice exposed to saline solution only. The activated cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway suppressed pathways necessary for tularemia resolution. Administration of AChE inhibitors to the individuals suffering from tularemia is contra-indicatory. Drugs based on AChE inhibition should be restricted when tularemia or disease with a similar pathogenesis is suspected.
Arsenic levels in tube-wells water, food, residents' urine and the prevalence of skin lesions in Yatenga province, Burkina Faso
Authors: Somé Issa , Sakira Abdoul , Ouédraogo Moustapha , Ouédraogo Theodore , Traoré Adama , Sondo Blaise , Guissou Pierre
Published: May 2012

Arsenic levels in tube-wells water, food, residents' urine and the prevalence of skin lesions in Yatenga province, Burkina Faso

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the levels of arsenic in tube-well water, food and residents' urines samples in Yatenga province, Burkina Faso. The prevalence of skin lesions was evaluated as well. The study was cross-sectional in design. It was conducted during April 2009. Permanent residents of 20 villages were included in the study. Water samples were collected from 31 tube-wells located in the selected villages. Tomatoes, cabbages, and potatoes produced in the selected village were randomly sampled. Arsenic content in water, food, and residents' urine was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry using hydride generation method. Finally, 240 people were examined by a medical doctor for skin lesions. Arsenic concentrations from the tube-well water ranged from 1 to 124 μg/l. Arsenic concentrations of more than one-half (52%) of the water samples exceeded the WHO guideline value (10 μg/l). No trace of arsenic was found in the samples of tomatoes, cabbages, and potatoes. Variation in arsenic concentrations in the urines was correlated to arsenic concentrations in tube-well water. Clinical examinations revealed that melanosis and keratosis were respectively identified in 29.26% and 46.34% of the population. Both conditions were observed in 24.39% of the population. The frequency of skin lesions was positively associated with the arsenic concentration in tube-well water. A great majority (89.53%) of those who had skin lesions were at least 18 years old. In conclusion, chronic arsenic poisoning remains a major public health problem in the province of Yatenga (Burkina Faso).
FIIs and Indian Stock Market: A Causality Investigation
Authors: Paliwal Minakshi , Vashishtha S. D.
Published: May 2012

While the volatility associated with portfolio capital flows is well known, there is also a concern that foreign institutional investors might introduce distortions in the host country markets due to the pressure on them to secure capital gains. In this context, present chapter attempts to find out the direction of causality between foreign institutional investors (FIIs) and performance of Indian stock market. To facilitate a better understanding of the causal linkage between FII flows and contemporaneous stock market returns (BSE National Index), a period of nineteen consecutive financial years ranging from January 1992 to December 2010 is selected. Granger Causality Test has been applied to test the direction of causality.
European Works Councils Experiences
Authors: Skorupińska Katarzyna
Published: May 2012

In September, 2011 there was 15th anniversary of the implementation of the first EU directive creating European Works Councils (EWCs). This is also the year when the new version of the directive was put in force, i.e. Directive 2009/38/EC. EWCs are a form of indirect employee participation on European level which guarantees workers the right to information and consultation. The employees’ representatives of all undertakings of transnational company were given the opportunity to voice their opinion about the decisions to be made by central management of the company. In this article three major topics are discussed: the role of European Works Councils in EU countries, the range of these institutions of employee participation on European level and changes in EWCs’ functioning introduced by the new EWC directive. The main aim of the paper is to present diverse patterns of these institutions as well as to attempt the evaluation of EWCs effectiveness and their influence on the system of industrial relations in Europe.
Influence of the Climate Policy of the European Union on the Competitiveness of Pollution-generating Sectors of the Polish Economy in the Context of Sustainable Development
Authors: Burchard-Dziubińska Małgorzata
Published: May 2012

The text analyses the influence of the EU climate policy on the competitiveness pollution-generating of sectors of the Polish economy. Study of literature and the results of the questionnaire survey, carried out in 2008 in enterprises located in Poland and representing the steel, glass, aluminium and cement industries became a basis for formulating conclusions concerning the consequences of the climate policy already implemented and planned after 2012. The EU climate policy, particularly the common system of emission allowances trade, makes the enterprises face new developmental barriers. The expected increase in production costs will not only slow down the production dynamics, but may also entail lowering the competitiveness of Polish companies compared to companies from outside the EU, to which the greenhouse gasses emission limits do not apply. Adverse consequences for employment and for regional development should also be considered indisputable. If that was accompanied by an emission leakage outside the EU, achieving the global purposes of the climate policy would also become questionable. The businesses surveyed represent industries which are pollution generators by their nature and even ecologically-oriented technological progress is incapable of ensuring considerable emission reductions without general switching of the economy to renewable energy sources.
Social Aspects of New Technologies - the CCTV and Biometric (Framing Privacy and Data Protection) in the Case of Poland
Authors: Wysokinska Zofia , Dziuba Radosław
Published: May 2012

The purpose of this paper is to review the institution responsible for the protection of personal data within the European Union and national example - Polish as a country representing the new Member States. The analysis of institutional system - providing legal security of communication and information institutions, companies and citizens against the dangers arising from the ongoing development of innovative new technologies in the European Union and Poland. This article is an attempt to analyze the possibility of using security systems and Biometry CTTV in Poland in terms of legislation. The results of the analysis indicate that, in terms of institutions Poland did not do badly in relation to the risks arising from the implementation of technology. The situation is not as good when it comes to the awareness of citizens and small businesses. This requires that facilitate greater access to free security software companies from data leakage or uncontrolled cyber-terrorist attacks. With regard to the use of security systems, CCTV and biometrics, Poland in legal terms is still early in the process of adapting to EU Directive. The continuous development of technology should force the legislature to establish clear standards and regulations for the application of CCTV technology and biometrics, as it is of great importance in ensuring the fundamental rights and freedoms of every citizen of the Polish Republic.
Certainty of career choice at the beginning of university studies - general strategies and attributions in achievement situations, and career motives
Authors: Hirsto Laura
Published: May 2012

Certainty of career choice at the beginning of university studies - general strategies and attributions in achievement situations, and career motives

The focus of this paper is on certainty of career choice at the beginning of university studies, and how this relates to students' career motives and more general strategies and attributions in achievement situations. The paper sample comprised 137 first-year students of theology, who completed a questionnaire developed on the basis of earlier studies on motives for studying theology and certainty of career choice. The questionnaire included a section on strategies and attributions in achievement situations (SAQ), a section covering the reasons and motives for starting to study theology and a scale measuring uncertainty of career choice. According to the results, uncertainty of career choice related positively to being assured of a place to study, and negatively to having a spiritual calling, a helping orientation and self-fulfillment. In the first year of university studies it also related positively to task avoidance and social pessimism, and negatively to success expectation. Stepwise regression analysis showed that being assured of a place to study, having a spiritual calling and low self-fulfillment explained 57 percent of the total variance. The strategies and attributions the students used in achievement situations were very modest predictors of uncertainty in career choice. Success expectation and task avoidance explained nine percent of the variance.
Fostering Academic Self-Concept
Authors: Curtin Nicola , Stewart Abigail J. , Ostrove Joan M.
Published: May 2012

International doctoral students in the United States face challenges of acculturation in academia yet complete graduate school at higher rates and more quickly than their domestic counterparts. This study examined advisor support, sense of belonging, and academic self-concept among international and domestic doctoral students at a research university in the Midwestern United States. International students placed a higher value on research-related and other academic experiences than domestic students; they also reported a stronger sense of belonging. Advisor support was associated with a stronger sense of belonging and academic self-concept for both groups. However, while sense of belonging was related to academic self-concept among domestic students, there was no relationship between the two among international students.
What Do the California Standards Test Results Reveal About the Movement Toward Eighth-Grade Algebra for All?
Authors: Liang Jian-Hua , Heckman Paul E. , Abedi Jamal
Published: May 2012

In California, an increasing number of 8th graders have taken algebra courses since 2003. This study examines students’ California Standards Test (CST) results in grades 7 through 11, aiming to reveal who took the CST for Algebra I in 8th grade and whether the increase has led to a rise in students’ taking higher-level mathematics CSTs and an improved performance in following years. Results show that the pipeline of 8th-grade algebra and following years’ higher-level mathematics CSTs has a significant leak in it. Furthermore, the longitudinal analysis reveals that 9th-grade students have a 69% greater chance of succeeding in algebra if they passed the CST for General Mathematics in 8th grade compared to those who failed the CST for Algebra I.
La place des parents en néonatologie : introduction
Authors: Casper Charlotte
Published: May 2012

Résumé Cet article est une introduction à ce numéro spécial sur les parents en néonatologie. La présence des parents n’est pas autorisée24 heures/24 de façon uniforme, ce qui est le cas plus souvent en Europe du Nord que dans le Sud, la France occupant une position intermédiaire avec 50% d’unités en accès libre par les parents. Divers méthodes et programmes sont passés en revue ici pour augmenter l’implication des parents dans les soins de leur enfant en néonatologie.
L'implication des parents en néonatologie et le processus de caregiving
Authors: Guédeney Nicole , Beckechi Violaine , Barbey-Mintz Anne-Sophie , Saive Anne-Lise
Published: May 2012

Résumé Les auteurs étudient certaines réactions des parents impliqués dans les soins à leur bébé prématuré à la lumière de connaissances récentes sur les processus parentaux. L’importance de la peur et de la notion de danger sont au cœur de cette lecture. Les auteurs résument les principaux apports de la théorie de l’attachement avec la notion de système motivationnel et, en particulier, ceux de l’attachement et du caregiving . Ils résument également les apports des connaissances actuelles sur les systèmes de régulation de la peur, sur le rôle de l’ocytocine et sur la notion de psychologie de l’évolution. Cet éclairage permet de comprendre l’impact de l’hospitalisation néonatale sur les réactions et attitudes des parents, indépendamment de leur histoire personnelle.
Quels sont les bénéfices de l'implication précoce des parents en néonatologie : le point de vue du bébé
Authors: Pierrat Véronique , Zaoui-Grattepanche Catherine , Rousseau Sylvaine , Truffert Patrick
Published: May 2012

Résumé Dans le domaine de la prématurité et du développement, la dernière décennie a vu émerger de nombreux travaux de recherche qui ont permis de mieux comprendre les mécanismes et les lésions neuro-anatomiques cérébrales associées à la naissance prématurée. Ces lésions sont des lésions diffuses qui touchent la phase d’organisation du système nerveux central et l’établissement des connexions interneuronales. Elles sont en lien avec l’environnement sensoriel délétère auquel est le plus souvent soumis le bébé né prématurément. La privation de la présence parentale est un élément déterminant de cet environnement sensoriel. Plusieurs stratégies ont été développées pour offrir au nouveau-né prématuré un environnement plus adapté à ses besoins et redonner aux parents une place centrale auprès de leur bébé. Le programme NIDCAP de soins individualisés et de soutien au développement est actuellement celui qui aborde les choses dans leur plus grande complexité. Il est étroitement associé à la philosophie de soins centrés sur la famille. Les unités kangourou, le soutien àl’allaitement maternel sont également des stratégies qui impliquent activement les parents et dont les bénéfices pour le bébé ont été démontrés. En dehors de leur impact sur la qualité de l’attachement, les aspects les plus étudiés de ces bénéfices portent sur la prévention de la douleur, de la privation de sommeil et le développement du bébé.
Quels sont les bénéfices de l'implication précoce des parents en néonatologie : le point de vue des parents
Authors: Glorieux Isabelle , Montjaux Nathalie , Bloom Marie-Claude , Casper Charlotte
Published: May 2012

Résumé Les bénéfices de l’implication des parents auprès de leur enfant hospitalisé sont connus depuis le début du siècle dernier mais les unités de néonatologie n’ont été ouvertes aux parents que très progressivement au cours de la deuxième moitié du XX e siècle, en même temps qu’étaient développées les notions de soins de développement et de soins centrés sur la famille. Malgré tout, de nos jours, les pratiques concernant la place faite aux parents dans les unités de néonatologie restent très variables d’un centre à l’autre et les réticences médicales sont encore nombreuses. Pourtant, les bénéfices que les parents retirent de leur présence et implication dans les soins de leur bébé hospitalisé sont multiples : amélioration du vécu parental de l’hospitalisation, réduction du stress et du risque de dépression maternelle, amélioration des interactions parents-enfant, augmentation des taux et des durées d’allaitement maternel, retour plus précoce et plus serein à domicile. Nous développons, dans cet article, ces différentes stratégies et leur impact respectif pour les parents.
Quels sont les obstacles à l'implication précoce des parents en néonatologie ?
Authors: Casper Charlotte , Raynal Françoise , Glorieux Isabelle , Montjaux Nathalie , Bloom Marie-Claude
Published: May 2012

Résumé La réanimation et les soins intensifs de néonatologie reflètent les grandes avancées technologiques de ce domaine depuis quelques décennies. Cet environnement hautement technique peut être perturbant pour le nouveau-né prématuré (procédure de soins, luminosité, volume sonore). Des données de recherche en neurosciences ont montré l’importance de l’environnement humain dans le développement d’un cerveau immature. Elles ont montré les capacités d’un nouveau-né, même prématuré, à interagir avec l’environnement et ses parents. Dans la pratique, un état des lieux européen, conduit en 2005, décrit un accueil très hétérogène des parents dans les unités de néonatologie, avec un gradient Nord/Sud. La présence des parents et l’environnement humain sont un axe de recherche de plus en plus étudié et avec des résultats très prometteurs. L’intégration de ces données dans les pratiques cliniques reste cependant difficile, mais indispensable pour l’environnement hospitalier en néonatologie en France.
L'Italie et la crise de suez
Authors: Onelli Frederica
Published: May 2012

Résumé Durant la seconde moitié des années 1950, l’Italie a essayé de retrouver une position importante en Méditerranée et au Moyen-Orient en se libérant des limites imposées à sa diplomatie à la suite de sa défaite lors de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. La péninsule avait en effet traditionnellement assuré une fonction de pont entre l’Occident et le monde arabe. La crise de Suez fut un test important pour mesurer les forces et les faiblesses de l’activité diplomatique de la nouvelle République italienne. À cette occasion, Nasser s’est montré assez disposé à considérer Rome comme un canal utile de communication avec le bloc occidental, mais les divergences d’opinion parmi les acteurs politiques et diplomatiques italiens ont fini par compromettre le rôle de la diplomatie italienne.
L'Italie, la France et la guerre d'Algérie
Authors: Bagnato Bruna
Published: May 2012

Résumé L’Italie adhère hypocritement à la thèse française sur le caractère « intérieur » des « événements » d’Algérie puisqu’elle craint les effets d’une attitude différente. Ses craintes changent tout au long de la guerre. Jusqu’en mars 1957, l’Italie appuie la France en Algérie par crainte de saboter, autrement, le processus d’intégration européenne. Dans les mois suivants et jusqu’en mai 1958, l’on craint que l’« abandon » de la France pourrait y favoriser un tournant autoritaire ou « gauchiste » et une reconsidération de ses relations occidentales. Après le retour au pouvoir de De Gaulle, on considère que le Général ne peut opter pour une solution libérale pour l’Algérie que s’il obtient des satisfactions pour la France, en termes de prestige et de solidarité, sur les terrains européen et atlantique.