bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
La justice contractuelle
Authors: Smorto Guido
Published: May 2013

Au siècle dernier, la réflexion sur le droit des contrats en Europe a été dominée quasi exclusivement par la théorie classique du contrat et par l’idéologie du «laissez-faire», alors que la réflexion sur la justice contractuelle est restée en marge de l’attention. La naissance lors de la dernière décennie du droit européen des contrats a eu pour conséquence d’une part l’abandon progressif du raisonnement traditionnel propre aux droits privés nationaux et, d’autre part, l’intensification du débat autour de la notion de justice. Ce changement n’a pas toujours abouti à une amélioration de la qualité du débat, souvent caractérisé par une polarisation idéologique entre une politique de droite, au service d’un droit à connotation mercantile, et une politique de gauche, soutenant les droits des consommateurs, ces deux courants politiques proposant des solutions fondées sur le «sens commun». L’auteur estime que ceci est dû principalement à l’absence d’un cadre théorique clair. L’étude des diverses conceptions contemporaines de la justice proposée dans cet article est la seule voie permettant d’identifier un modèle social européen sur la base duquel définir les règles régissant le contrat et pour apporter au débat juridique sur le droit contractuel européen un cadre théorique solide et contrôlable de façon rationnelle. Dans cet article, l’auteur expose ainsi les options de répartition des ressources suggérées par les principales traditions de la philosophie politique sur l’organisation du marché et sur le droit des contrats.
La nullité de la sentence arbitrale : lecture croisée franco-espagnole
Authors: Martel David
Published: May 2013

La demande en nullité de la sentence arbitrale suscite deux séries de difficultés auxquelles les différentes législations nationales répondent différemment. La première des difficultés est l’encadrement des motifs de nullité. S’agissant de l’ordre public et de la mission de l’arbitre l’on constate un flottement inapproprié des notions. Mais là où le droit français sanctionne par la nullité sur le fondement d’un motif flou, le droit espagnol préfère une absence de sanction à des obligations pourtant bien définies. La seconde difficulté est la forme de la demande : la demande de nullité n’étant pas un mode de révision de la sentence, elle doit être envisagée comme une action indépendante de l’instance arbitrale et non comme une voies de recours. Le droit espagnol et le droit français fournissent à ce propos des réponses différentes.
Dynamic and Rapid Changes in Viral Quasispecies by Udps in Chronic Hepatitis C Patients Receiving Telaprevir-Based Therapy
Authors: Trimoulet Pascale , Pinson Patricia , Papuchon Jennifer , Foucher Juliette , Vergniol Julien , Chermak Faiza , Wittkop Linda , Castaing Nadège , Merrouche Wassil , Reigadas Sandrine , Molimard Mathieu , Kann Michael , Fleury Hervé , De Lédinghen Victor
Published: May 2013

Background

Telaprevir (TVR) is a protease inhibitor (PI) used in chronic hepatitis C treatment with pegylated interferon plus ribavirin. We analysed the prevalence and kinetic development of TVR resistance upon treatment.

Methods

A total of 24 cirrhotic patients (genotype 1a, n=8; genotype 1b, n=16) previously non-responders to standard therapy were treated with TVR-based therapy. The distribution of TVR-resistant variants was assessed at every HCV-RNA-positive time point by 454 ultra-deep pyrosequencing (UDPS) during a mean follow-up period of 9.4 months.

Results

A median of 6,837 reads/specimen was studied. Based on control UDPS, we considered mutations as real when present >0.4%. TVR-resistant variants were found at baseline in 8/24 patients (33.3%). Four of the 24 patients (16.7%), all genotype 1a, did not achieve HCV RNA<100 IU/ml between week (W)2 and W12 and stopped treatment. No statistical significant difference was observed in the prevalence of resistant mutants between responders and non-responders (25% [5/20] and 75% [3/4], respectively). The proportion of genotype 1a patients with R155K/T/Q at baseline was higher in non-responders than in responders (50% versus 0%). During treatment failure, significant enrichment in V36A/M and R155K/T/Q was observed but their frequency reverted back to baseline after TVR discontinuation.

Conclusions

TVR-resistant variants are widely present at baseline. The presence of TVR-resistant mutants at baseline, even in high abundance (>20%), did not always preclude TVR treatment success. The detection of R155K/T/Q at baseline may predict failure in genotype 1a patients. At failure, which occurred in genotype 1a patients, a significant enrichment in V36A/M and R155K/T/Q was observed.
E-Government Systems Development Methodologies, Tools and Platforms
Authors: Fonou-Dombeu Jean Vincent , Huisman Magda , Ojo Adegboyega
Published: May 2013

The analysis of e-government initiatives of various countries shows that the development and deployment of e-government systems for effective online service delivery to citizens remain a key priority in e-government development. On the other hand, given the complex nature of the public administration system with several departments and agencies, thousands of legislations and operating procedures, added to the high number of technologies needed for developing e-government systems, there is a need to learn about the software development practices in e-government. This chapter provides an overview of the methodologies, tools and platforms for software development processes of e-government systems. Firstly, the state-of-the-art software development practices in e-government are reviewed. Secondly, the methodological approaches employed for developing e-government systems including stage of growth models, agile software engineering and Semantic Web techniques are presented and illustrated with real world case studies for their application in e-government projects. Thirdly, the tools and platforms used for the analysis, design, implementation and deployment of e-government systems including traditional software engineering tools and platforms, Semantic Web ontology languages and platforms, database management systems and semantic query languages are analysed and discussed in detail. Finally, the state-of-the-art of e-government systems integration techniques are reviewed and discussed.
Towards Inclusive E-Government
Authors: Bernhard Irene , Grundén Kerstin
Published: May 2013

In this chapter, five case studies of the implementation of contact centers in Swedish municipalities are described and discussed with a focus on inclusive e-government. The research methods used are mainly qualitative interviews with different categories of municipal personnel and also with some citizens. The main conclusions are that the implementation of contact centers seems to contribute to increased accessibility of municipal services, even for those citizens who might have problems using Internet services. The study indicates that development towards increased equal treatment of citizens and a contribution to reducing problems is mainly related to the “digital divide.” Municipal services became more adapted to citizens’ needs by using citizen-centric methods and dialogue during the development process and in the daily work of the contact centers. The implementation of municipal contact centers can thus be seen as a step towards inclusive e-government, but there is still a need to go further in this direction.
Rhetoric vs. Realities in Implementation of E-Government Master Plan in Nepal
Authors: Rupakhetee Kiran , Heshmati Almas
Published: May 2013

This study discusses different facets of implementation of e-government in Nepal. With the background theoretical information about e-government in general, the Nepalese case of e-government initiatives is discussed with a specific focus on the “e-government Master Plan.” Important pillars of any e-government initiatives, namely infrastructure, human resources, institutions, and policy and legal aspects are looked into from the perspective of feasibility of e-government implementation in Nepal. While doing so, Heeks’s e-government success/failure model has been taken into consideration accounting for different dimensions, namely information, technology, process, objectives and values, staffing and skills, management systems and structures, and other resources, which are responsible to create design reality gap thereby jeopardizing the success of e-government projects. This study is the first in the Nepalese perspective, which tries to analyze the constraints in e-government implementation resulted from shortcomings in infrastructure, human resources, institutions, and policy and legal aspects. The authors believe that failure of e-GMP to achieve targeted objectives by the end of 2011 can also be attributed to these factors. The insights inferred can be useful in facilitating a smoother implementation of the master plan related to e-government.
The Impact of Students’ Temporal Perspectives on Time-On-Task and Learning Performance in Game Based Learning
Authors: Romero Margarida , Usart Mireia
Published: May 2013

The use of games for educational purposes has been considered as a learning methodology that attracts the students’ attention and may allow focusing individuals on the learning activity through the SG game dynamic. Based on the hypothesis that students’ Temporal Perspective has an impact on learning performance and time-on-task, this paper aims to analyze the relation between these variables in the SG MetaVals. The authors expect students’ TP to relate to higher performance, both for individual and collaborative GBL. Moreover, they analyze the relation between the time-on-task and the students’ temporal perspectives. A case study was conducted in a Masters course in finance. Results showed no significant differences in game performances among individuals with different TP. However, present-oriented students showed a higher time-on-task, both for individual and collaborative phases of the game. These results could point to the fact that including SG in the curriculum could help leveraging students learning performance.
Challenges for the NoSQL systems
Authors: Bogdan George Tudorica
Published: May 2013

The concept described by the term NoSQL (Not Only SQL) is a database that is distributed, may not require fixed table schemas, usually avoids join operations and is typically horizontally scalable, it does not offer SQL query interface and is available in most cases as open source - some bibliographic sources use the term to refer to a completely unrelated system. This concept is also assimilated by sources in the academic world as a structured form of storage. The two terms seem not to be entirely equivalent; relational databases, for example, also meet the official definition of data storage structures, but they are somewhat opposite qualities to the concept of NoSQL. The aim of this paper is to discuss the challenges met by the NoSQL solutions and to propose solutions for these challenges.
A Case Study of the Emergence of Data Analytics in Health Care
Authors: Vo Au , Bhaskar Rahul
Published: May 2013

In the era of health care reforms, the executives and CEO of the SBC Company are faced with many questions. They wonder about the impact of these changes on their market share. They also wanted to determine the impact on prices they can charge for their services. The changes in the ways the health care will be bought were causing a rapid transformation in the behavior of the consumers. The executives determined that they need to focus on specific areas to keep abreast of all the changes. These will have a profound impact on the information technology implementation across the company. For example, the need for analyzing a large amount of data and data in real time was becoming acute among many departments; there was a need for different skillsets in the employees in almost all the departments across the company. These changes across the industry were presenting new and unique challenges to the executive team.
ICT and Building a Knowledge-Based Society in Egypt
Authors: Rizk Nagla , Kamel Sherif
Published: May 2013

This article aims to evaluate Egypt’s progress on the road towards a knowledge society. The paper discusses the evolution and assesses the outcomes of ICT initiatives in place in Egypt. Equally, the paper analyzes the status and potential of factors that are necessary for the realization of such a society at this turning point in the country’s history. The paper pinpoints the progress achieved on many fronts and identifies necessary steps to match leading knowledge and digital societies. The paper suggests some useful strategies for the government to expand access and contribution to knowledge – promoting a shared knowledge society in co-operation with the private sector in order to bridge the gaps. Efforts should not only be focused on expanding and enhancing connectivity and technology, but should also promote content development, provide educational opportunities and foster a comprehensive enabling environment.
Search Efforts, Selective Appropriation, and the Usefulness of New Knowledge
Authors: Suzuki Osamu
Published: May 2013

Prior research calls for more attention to organizational contexts’ moderating effects on a relationship between diversity in antecedent knowledge and resultant new knowledge generation. The authors examined 11,939 firms granted 103,952 U.S. patents between 1975 and 1999, and found a stronger positive association between the diversity and resultant new knowledge’s degree of usefulness under the context more strongly characterized with extensive search efforts (i.e., U.S. applicants). Under the context more strongly characterized with selective appropriation (i.e., non-U.S. applicants), the study found a weaker inverted U-shape association between the diversity and resultant new knowledge’s variability in usefulness. Author’s findings show that it is important needed to properly control for the effect of such organizational contexts for a more conclusive explanation on the role of antecedent knowledge diversity in new knowledge generation.
Contributions to a Future Inertial Motor and More
Authors: Ciulin Dan
Published: May 2013

For a future interplanetary trip, a space ship must be able to take off and/or land on a planet and travel at a convenient speed, insure convenient life conditions for the embarked crew, and keep contact with Earth. Chemical jet-engines used for the space ships must throw masses with enough speed to insure a convenient lifting force. Ion jet-engines, which have a much bigger jet-speed than chemical, may work for a longer time but the resulting force is small and cannot insure the take off and/or landing on a planet. A future inertial motor does not need to throw masses but needs only energy to produce the necessary lifting force. The paper presents contributions to build such a motor. As on a given vehicle, mainly rotations may be done to insure its propulsion, we start by presenting generally the rotations, at first for the electronic devices and then for mechanical one Methods that may convert the rotation into translation are after presented. Observing that the mathematical models used for rotations are extended from trigonometric functions to elliptical and ultra-elliptical ones, the author presents the differential equations that define such functions. Finally, using the modified Euler equations, a mathematical model for the gravitational waves is deduced. By using this type of waves, a permanent contact between an interplanetary ship and the earth can be kept. The presented tools may be used for modeling the fields and insure also a more comprehensive understanding.
Measurement of Service Efficiency in Different Types of Banking Services
Authors: Tinnilä Markku
Published: May 2013

As the share of services in economies grow globally, the efficiency of service production becomes crucial. Despite the many studies on service efficiency, it has proven difficult to find the right measures. The main reason is wide range of services from simple to complex, and from mass to professional services. Consequently, there are no commonly accepted measurement frameworks for comparing the efficiency of different types of services. The Service process matrix developed by Schmenner is one of the most widespread and has been extended and applied by many other researchers. This paper uses the classification of the Service process matrix and its four basic services types recognized in the analysis of service efficiency measurement. The focus of analysis is on banking services, as the industry has services in all of the main services categories. Each category is analysed separately, literature is reviewed for suitable measures and suitable measures of efficiency for all service types are proposed.
A Paradox Between Technological Autonomy and Ethical Heteronomy of Philosophy of Technology
Authors: Cao GuiHong
Published: May 2013

With entering postmodern techne time since 1960s, society has experienced technical turn in 1985. After the emergence in 1877, philosophy of technology has undergone engineering ethics turn in 1970s and empirical turn in 1980s. A paradox (technoethics)(TE) highlights between technological autonomy (TA) and ethics heteronomy (EH) from philosophy of technology. Traced with the underlined reasons and responsibility party, social control system for TE need set up a set of social control principles (respect TA, enhance EH, minimize risk and maximize perfection via responsibility, imagine diversification via uplifting) and social control strategies (technical control mechanism, technical ethical education, technical law mechanism) among technicians, engineers, philosophers of technology, and technical users etc. Then, techne can develop towards rational perfection, under the reflection and supervising from ethics of philosophy of technology and law.
Peptide Vaccines and Peptidomimetics of EGFR (HER-1) Ligand Binding Domain Inhibit Cancer Cell Growth In Vitro and In Vivo
Authors: Foy Kevin Chu , Wygle Ruthie M. , Miller Megan J. , Overholser Jay P. , Bekaii-Saab Tanios , Kaumaya Pravin T. P.
Published: May 2013

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a validated target for several cancers including lung, colorectal, and certain subtypes of breast cancer. Cetuximab targets ligand binding of EGFR, but major problems like high cost, short t1/2, toxicity, and emergence of resistance are associated with the drug. Immunization with EGFR B cell epitopes will train the immune system to produce specific Abs that can kill cancer cells. Also, therapy with stable, less-expensive, and nontoxic EGFR peptide mimics will block EGFR signaling and inhibit cancer growth. We designed three peptides based on the contact sites between EGF and EGFR. The B cell epitopes were synthesized alone and also linked with the measles virus T cell epitope to produce a chimeric peptide vaccine. The peptide vaccines were immunogenic in both mice and rabbits and Abs raised against the vaccine specifically bound EGFR-expressing cells and recombinant human EGFR protein. The peptide mimics and the anti-peptide Abs were able to inhibit EGFR signaling pathways. Immunization with the peptide vaccine or treatment with the B cell epitopes significantly reduced tumor growth in both transplantable breast and lung cancer models. Immunohistochemical analysis also showed significant reductions in microvascular density and actively dividing cells in the tumor sections after treatment in the FVB/n breast cancer model. The 418–435 B cell epitope was the best candidate both as a vaccine or peptide mimic because it caused significant inhibition in the two mouse models. Our results show that this novel EGFR B cell epitope has great potential to be used as a vaccine or treatment option for EGFR-expressing cancers.
Lovastatin production by Aspergillus terreus in solid state and submerged fermentations
Authors: Gulyamova T.G. , Ruzieva D.M. , Nasmetova S.M. , Sattarova R.S. , Lobanova K.V. , Abdulmyanova L.A. , Rasulova G.A.
Published: May 2013

Lovastatin production by Aspergillus terreus indigenous strains in submerged (SmF) and solid state fermentations (SSF) have been studied. To evaluate the ability to produce lovastatin various cultivation media and substrates have been used. The obtained data showed good lovastatin yield by A. terreus 4 and A. terreus 20 both in SmF and SSF. At submerged cultivation of A. terreus 4 and A. terreus 20 on five different glucose and lactose based media the highest titer of lovastatin has been obtained on lactose based media, namely 276 mg/l and 236 mg/l, respectively. Five various types of bran have been tested as solid substrates for production of lovastatin in SSF - wheat bran, oat bran, maize bran, rice bran and mix of wheat and peanut bran. It has been observed that fermentation of A. terreus 4 on wheat and A. terreus 20 on oat bran causes the highest lovastatin yield - 9.7 and 9.56 mg/g, respectively.Keywords: lovastatin, submerged fermentation, solid state fermentation, production
Estimating the benefits of improved drainage on pavement performance
Authors: Azad Prashant Kumar , Shah Yogesh U. , Jain S.S. , Parida M
Published: May 2013

The drainage quality is an important parameter which affects the performance of highway pavements. In India, since last few years considerable importance has been given to the drainage as per of pavement. A poor quality of drainage results in premature deterioration of the pavement structure and necessitating large amount of costly repairs or replacement, before they reach their design life. This study presents investigations for premature deterioration of a stretch on National Highway (NH 58) between Rishikesh (km 231) and Shivpuri (km 242) due to poor sub-surface drainage. The sections at km 233.800 and km 235.900 were identified for this study. Investigations were carried out by field measurements and laboratory tests on samples of permeable base (water bound macadam – WBM) and sub-base (granular sub-base – GSB) layer materials. Laboratory investigations included determination of gradation, optimum moisture content, maximum dry density, and permeability. Three samples were prepared for each test for both WBM and GSB material and average results were used. The pavement sections were evaluated structurally by deflection measurements and functionally by measuring the road roughness. In this study, the benefits of providing good drainage over the service life of the pavement were quantified in terms of vehicle operating cost (VOC). Performances in terms of deflection and roughness were predicted for do-nothing and after applying required maintenance. Vehicle operating costs were computed based on the maintenance strategy for good and poor drainage pavement sections and benefits due to maintenance strategy were estimated. Afterwards, economic benefits of good drainage and poor drainage for identified pavement section were compared.Keywords: Pavement sub-surface drainage, Pavement performance, Vehicle operating cost
High-resolution mapping of combustion processes and implications for CO2 emissions
Authors: Wang R. , Tao S. , Ciais P. , Shen H. Z. , Huang Y. , Chen H. , Shen G. F. , Wang B. , Li W. , Zhang Y. Y. , Lu Y. , Zhu D. , Chen Y. C. , Liu X. P. , Wang W. T. , Wang X. L. , Liu W. X. , Li B. G. , Piao S. L.
Published: May 2013

Abstract. High-resolution mapping of fuel combustion and CO2 emission provides valuable information for modeling pollutant transport, developing mitigation policy, and for inverse modeling of CO2 fluxes. Previous global emission maps included only few fuel types, and emissions were estimated on a grid by distributing national fuel data on an equal per capita basis, using population density maps. This process distorts the geographical distribution of emissions within countries. In this study, a sub-national disaggregation method (SDM) of fuel data is applied to establish a global 0.1° × 0.1° geo-referenced inventory of fuel combustion (PKU-FUEL) and corresponding CO2 emissions (PKU-CO2) based upon 64 fuel sub-types for the year 2007. Uncertainties of the emission maps are evaluated using a Monte Carlo method. It is estimated that CO2 emission from combustion sources including fossil fuel, biomass, and solid wastes in 2007 was 11.2 Pg C yr−1 (9.1 Pg C yr−1 and 13.3 Pg C yr−1 as 5th and 95th percentiles). Of this, emission from fossil fuel combustion is 7.83 Pg C yr−1, which is very close to the estimate of the International Energy Agency (7.87 Pg C yr−1). By replacing national data disaggregation with sub-national data in this study, the average 95th minus 5th percentile ranges of CO2 emission for all grid points can be reduced from 417 to 68.2 Mg km−2 yr−1. The spread is reduced because the uneven distribution of per capita fuel consumptions within countries is better taken into account by using sub-national fuel consumption data directly. Significant difference in per capita CO2 emissions between urban and rural areas was found in developing countries (2.08 vs. 0.598 Mg C/(cap. × yr)), but not in developed countries (3.55 vs. 3.41 Mg C/(cap. × yr)). This implies that rapid urbanization of developing countries is very likely to drive up their emissions in the future.
Comparison of mixed layer heights from airborne high spectral resolution lidar, ground-based measurements, and the WRF-Chem model during CalNex and CARES
Authors: Scarino A. J. , Obland M. D. , Fast J. D. , Burton S. P. , Ferrare R. A. , Hostetler C. A. , Berg L. K. , Lefer B. , Haman C. , Hair J. W. , Rogers R. R. , Butler C. , Cook A. L. , Harper D. B.
Published: May 2013

Abstract. The California Research at the Nexus of Air Quality and Climate Change (CalNex) and Carbonaceous Aerosol and Radiative Effects Study (CARES) field campaigns during May and June 2010 provided a data set appropriate for studying characteristics of the planetary boundary layer (PBL). The NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) airborne High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) was deployed to California onboard the NASA LaRC B-200 aircraft to aid in characterizing aerosol properties during these two field campaigns. Measurements of aerosol extinction (532 nm), backscatter (532 and 1064 nm), and depolarization (532 and 1064 nm) profiles during 31 flights, many in coordination with other research aircraft and ground sites, constitute a diverse data set for use in characterizing the spatial and temporal distribution of aerosols, as well as the depth and variability of the daytime mixed layer (ML), which is a subset within the PBL. This work illustrates the temporal and spatial variability of the ML in the vicinity of Los Angeles and Sacramento, CA. ML heights derived from HSRL measurements are compared to PBL heights derived from radiosonde profiles, ML heights measured from ceilometers, and simulated PBL heights from the Weather Research and Forecasting Chemistry (WRF-Chem) community model. Comparisons between the HSRL ML heights and the radiosonde profiles in Sacramento result in a correlation coefficient value (R) of 0.93 (root-mean-square (RMS) difference of 157 m and bias difference (HSRL – radiosonde) of 57 m). HSRL ML heights compare well with those from the ceilometer in the LA Basin with an R of 0.89 (RMS difference of 108 m and bias difference (HSRL – Ceilometer) of −9.7 m) for distances of up to 30 km between the B-200 flight track and the ceilometer site. Simulated PBL heights from WRF-Chem were compared with those obtained from all flights for each campaign, producing an R of 0.58 (RMS difference of 604 m and a bias difference (WRF-Chem – HSRL) of −157 m) for CalNex and 0.59 (RMS difference of 689 m and a bias difference (WRF-Chem – HSRL) of 220 m) for CARES. Aerosol backscatter simulations are also available from WRF-Chem and are compared to those from HSRL to examine differences among the methods used to derive ML heights.
Calibrated digital images of Campbell–Stokes recorder card archives for direct solar irradiance studies
Authors: Horseman A. M. , Richardson T. , Boardman A. T. , Tych W. , Timmis R. , MacKenzie A. R.
Published: May 2013

Abstract. A systematic, semi-automatic method for imaging the cards from the widely used Campbell–Stokes sunshine recorder is described. We show how the application of inexpensive commercial equipment and practices can simply and robustly build an archive of high-quality card images and manipulate them into a form suitable for easy further analysis. Rectified and registered digital images are produced, with the card's midday marker in the middle of the longest side, and with a temporal scaling of 150 pixels per hour. The method improves on previous, mostly manual, analyses by simplifying and automating steps into a process capable of handling thousands of cards in a practical timescale. A prototype method of extraction of data from this archive is then tested by comparison with records from a co-located pyrheliometer at a resolution of the order of minutes. The comparison demonstrates that the Campbell–Stokes recorder archive contains a time series of downwelling solar-irradiance-related data with similar characteristics to that of benchmark pyrheliometer data from the Baseline Surface Radiation Network. A universal transfer function for card burn to direct downwelling short-wave radiation is still some way off and is the subject of ongoing research. Until such time as a universal transfer function is available, specific functions for extracting data in particular circumstances offer a useful way forward. The new image-capture method offers a practical way to exploit the worldwide sets of long-term Campbell–Stokes recorder data to create a time series of solar irradiance and atmospheric aerosol loading metrics reaching back over 100 yr from the present day.
0.355 μm direct detection wind lidar under testing during a field campaign in consideration of ESA's ADM-Aeolus Mission
Authors: Lolli S. , Delaval A. , Loth C. , Garnier A. , Flamant P. H.
Published: May 2013

Abstract. The atmospheric wind field information is a key issue to Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) and climate studies. A space based Wind Doppler lidar mission so-called ADM-Aeolus is currently developed by the European Space Agency for a launch in 2015. Such a Doppler lidar will provide accurate direct measurements of horizontal wind velocity in the depth of atmosphere. The wind data will be evenly distributed at a global scale. The goal is to enhance the present meteorological observation system over sparse wind data regions, and more important to provide direct wind information in the tropics where no geostrophic wind can be derived from passive radiometer satellite. ADM-Aeolus is basically a 0.355 μm high spectral resolution backscatter lidar. This concept was under test during a field campaign conducted at the Haute Provence Observatory in France 1999. It was the opportunity to address the self-consistency of wind measurements made by different active remote sensors i.e. lidars and a 72-MHz radar, and balloon radio soundings.
Predicting tree heights for biomass estimates in tropical forests
Authors: Molto Q. , Hérault B. , Boreux J.-J. , Daullet M. , Rousteau A. , Rossi V.
Published: May 2013

Abstract. The recent development of REDD+ mechanisms require reliable estimation of carbon stocks, especially in tropical forests that are particularly threatened by global changes. Even if tree height is a crucial variable to compute the above-ground forest biomass, tree heights are rarely measured in large-scale forest census because it requires consequent extra-effort. Tree height have thus to be predicted thanks to height models. Height and diameter of all trees above 10 cm of diameter were measured in thirty-three half-ha plots and nine one-ha plots throughout the northern French Guiana, an area with substantial climate and environmental gradients. We compared four different model shapes and found that the Michaelis–Menten shape was the most appropriate for the tree biomass prediction. Model parameters values were significantly different from one forest plot to another and neglecting these differences would lead to large errors in biomass estimates. Variables from the forest stand structure explained a sufficient part of the plot-to-plot variations of the height model parameters to affect the AGB predictions. In the forest stands dominated by small trees, the trees were found to have rapid height growth for small diameters. In forest stands dominated by larger trees, the trees were found to have the greatest heights for large diameters. The above-ground biomass estimation uncertainty of the forest plots was reduced by the use of the forest structure-based height model. It demonstrates the feasibility and the importance of height modeling in tropical forest for carbon mapping. Tree height is definitely an important variable for AGB estimations. When the tree heights are not measured in an inventory, they can be predicted with a height-diameter model. This model can account for plot-to plot variations in height-diameter relationship thank to variables describing the plots. The variables describing the stand structure of the plots are efficient for this. We found that variables describing the plot environment (rainfall, topography,...) do not improve the model much.
Flood discharge measurement of a mountain river – Nanshih River in Taiwan
Authors: Chen Y.-C.
Published: May 2013

Abstract. This study proposes a more efficient method of flood discharge measurement in mountain rivers that accounts for personal safety, accuracy, and reliability. Because it is based on the relationships between mean and maximum velocities and between cross-sectional area and gauge height, the proposed method utilizes a flood discharge measurement system composed of an acoustic Doppler profiler and crane system to measure velocity distributions, cross-sectional area, and water depths. The flood discharge measurement system can be used to accurately and quickly measure flood data that is difficult to be collected by the conventional instruments. The measured data is then used to calibrate the parameters of the proposed method for estimating mean velocity and cross-sectional area. Then these observed discharge and gauge height can be used to establish the water stage–discharge rating curve. Therefor continuous and real-time estimations of flood discharge of a mountain river can become possible. The measurement method and system is applied to the Nanshih River at the Lansheng Bridge. Once the method is established, flood discharge of the Nanshih River could be efficiently estimated using maximum velocity and the water stage. Results of measured and estimated discharges of the Nanshih River at the Lansheng Bridge differed only slightly from each other, demonstrating the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method.
Identification of the Problems Faced by Secondary School Teachers in District Karak (Pakistan)
Authors: Suleman Qaiser , Hussain Ishtiaq , Ahmad Sarfraz
Published: May 2013

Teachers possess the most important and critical position in the entire education system. Successful and effective teaching learning process depends upon the quality of a teacher. The purpose of this research study was to identify the problems which affect the performance of secondary school teachers. The objectives of the study were: (a) to identify the problems faced by male and female secondary school teachers in District Karak (b) to make workable recommendations to enhance the performance of male and female secondary school teachers. All the male and female secondary school teachers in District Karak, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Pakistan) constituted the population of the study. The study was delimited to only 60 female and 80 male Govt. High Schools. In order to ensure adequate representation of the population, only 120 female and 160 male secondary school teachers were selected as sample randomly. The study was descriptive type and the researchers designed a questionnaire on five likert rating scale for the collection of data. Pilot testing was conducted to remove the misconceptions, ambiguities and weakness of the questions in the questionnaire. After pilot testing the questionnaire was revised and its final version was prepared in the light of suggestions given by the experts. In order to collect data, the researchers personally visited to the respective participants and distributed questionnaires among them and data was collected. Then it was organized, tabulated and analyzed. For the statisitcal analysis of the data, the percentage, means, standard deviations, and differences of means were computed for each male and female SSTs. Significance of difference between the mean opinions of both the male and females SSTs were tested at 0.05 level by applying t-test. After statistical analysis of the data, the researchers arrived at the conclusions that there are various problems which negatively affect the performance of secondary school teachers. These problems are: unattractive pay package; lack of basic facilities; overcrowded classes; misbehaviors of students; financial crises of teachers; overwork load; long distance to school; autocratic environment inside school etc. In the light of the findings and conclusions, it is recommended that teachers should be given attractive salaries and pay scale. Educational facilities should be provided to them. Heads of the institutions should be democratic minded and adopted the principles of equality. KEYWORDS: Identification, problems, secondary school teachers, secondary school level
The “Agential Spiral”:
Authors: VanderHaagen Sara C.
Published: May 2013

This article mines the work of philosopher Paul Ricoeur in order to construct a critical framework for the rhetorical analysis of public memory. Through a reading of Ricoeur's concept of “threefold mimesis,” I develop the idea of the “agential spiral.” The “spiral” frames a repetitive yet progressive process in which a series of agents or groups of agents both interpret and act in response to the past. When linked together, these moments of agency form a spiral that metaphorizes the process of creating and deploying public memories across time. I argue that the concept of the agential spiral enables scholars to focus not only on the ways that memories unite human agents synchronically but also on how those memories structure a relationship among agents across time through the performance and representation of agency. I situate this argument within scholarship on rhetorical studies and public memory.
Actions conflictuelles à Montréal depuis 1980 : des mobilisations territorialisées aux échelles multiples
Authors: Fontan Jean-Marc , Hamel Pierre , Morin Richard
Published: May 2013

Les restructurations économiques et les nouvelles formes de régulation étatique qui accompagnent le processus de mondialisation de même que le phénomène de métropolisation qui prend de plus en plus d’importance ont transformé les agglomérations urbaines au cours des dernières décennies. Parmi les répercussions de ces transformations, deux ressortent grandement : l’accroissement des inégalités sociales et l’aggravation des problèmes environnementaux. Les actions collectives conflictuelles ont contribué à mettre au jour ces impacts et à soulever les enjeux de société qui y sont reliés. Nous présentons dans cet article les éléments de synthèse qui se dégagent du repérage d’événements conflictuels touchant aux questions de la justice sociale et de l’environnement entre 1980 et 2006 à Montréal. Nous distinguons deux types d’actions collectives : celles qui interviennent dans la ville en lien avec des problèmes généraux de société qui s’y manifestent et celles qui se concentrent sur la ville, c’est-à-dire sur le cadre de vie urbain, sur les équipements et les services de proximité ainsi que sur la gestion municipale. Nous nous intéressons aussi à la localisation de ces actions, et ce, en fonction de l’échelle des enjeux.
Le réaménagement des Plaines LeBreton : une occasion de « rendre justice » à la communauté francophone d’Ottawa ?
Authors: Benali Kenza
Published: May 2013

À l’instar de plusieurs villes occidentales, la capitale canadienne a mis en place, dès le tournant du 21esiècle, une politique de densification urbaine pour contrecarrer les effets néfastes de l’étalement urbain. C’est dans ce contexte qu’elle lança son premier projet de reconversion de friche en quartier durable, à savoir celui des Plaines LeBreton. Après être restées près de quarante ans à l’état de terrain vague − gagné à coups d’expropriations massives durant les années 1960 −, les Plaines accueille aujourd’hui une des plus importantes réalisations « durables » de la capitale. Cependant, dès son annonce en 1998, le projet suscita de fortes réactions, largement manifestées dans l’espace médiatique. Au-delà des questionnements sur les impacts potentiels du projet, cet article s’attarde sur les espoirs, mais aussi sur le « souvenir douloureux », qu’il a pu éveiller chez les francophones expropriés. Le récit de la rénovation urbaine des années 1960 est ainsi convoqué pour justifier leur retour dans le nouveau quartier, un retour évoqué comme une « dette de justice » envers la minorité francophone de la capitale.
Le réseau intégré de services aux aînés en perte d’autonomie des Bois-Francs : une innovation mise à l’épreuve
Authors: Demers Louis , Pelchat Yolande
Published: May 2013

Bien qu’il bénéficie d’une appréciation généralement positive, le système sociosanitaire québécois est l’objet de plusieurs critiques qui font ressortir ses lacunes, tant sur le plan de l’accessibilité que de la continuité des services. Depuis la publication du rapport de la Commission Clair, en 2000, il est devenu usuel d’attribuer les problèmes de discontinuité à un fonctionnement dit « en silos ». Entre le personnel de différentes organisations et les praticiens de professions diverses se dresseraient des barrières qui entraveraient la collaboration nécessaire à la production de services mieux intégrés. À ce chapitre, diverses expériences locales ont été menées au cours des années 1990, notamment pour répondre aux besoins des aînés en perte d’autonomie. La plus ancienne d’entre elles se situe dans les Bois-Francs. Lancée en 1997, elle incarne l’un des modèles d’intégration les plus avancés, non seulement au Québec, mais aussi en Amérique du Nord. Dans cet article, nous montrons en quoi cette expérience est exemplaire du travail collectif qui doit être accompli, par une variété d’acteurs de professions, de localisations et de niveaux hiérarchiques différents, pour qu’une innovation se produise et dure. Nous montrons également comment la réforme du système sociosanitaire québécois lancée en 2003 a mis cette innovation à l’épreuve en retirant l’initiative de l’innovation des mains des intervenants et des gestionnaires qui l’avaient pensée et réalisée.
Le retour du chanoine Groulx malgré Pierre Vallières : l’hypothèse d’une palinodie dans les années 1970
Authors: Livernois Jonathan
Published: May 2013

Cette étude cherche à mettre en relief le retour en force de Lionel Groulx dans le discours social des années 1970. À partir des Scorpions associés (1978) de Pierre Vallières et des discours entourant les festivités du centenaire de la naissance du chanoine Groulx, nous présenterons deux niveaux de lecture de ce renversement : politique et patrimonial. Nous verrons en outre que la mémoire de Groulx parasite même les textes de ceux qui, comme l’ex-felquiste et ex-péquiste Vallières, cherchent à refuser et à dénoncer sa présence sur la scène politique et intellectuelle au Québec.
Scar Endometriosis in a Patient With Bladder Exstrophy
Authors: Kitajima Takahito , Inoue Mikihiro , Uchida Keiichi , Otake Kohei , Kusunoki Masato
Published: May 2013

Endometriosis is an ectopic occurrence of tissue morphologically and functionally resembling endometrial tissue in regions outside the uterine cavity. Although scar endometriosis after surgery has been shown to be most common among all the extrapelvic forms of endometriosis, endometriosis after bladder exstrophy surgery has not been reported, and here we present the first known case. A 26-year-old woman with a history of bladder exstrophy was aware of a painful induration at the operative scar located in the left lower abdominal wall, and presented at our hospital. Although the symptoms resolved, recurring exacerbation was observed after 9 months. Abdominal magnetic resonance imaging showed a heterogeneous mass 16 mm in diameter in the left abdominal wall with high signal intensity on T1W1 and T2W1 images. She underwent excisional biopsy of the lesion under general anesthesia. Histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of endometriosis. Eighteen months after surgery, she was well and free from recurrence.
Gene Transfer to the CNS Using Recombinant Adeno‐Associated Virus
Authors: Stoica Lorelei , Ahmed Seemin S. , Gao Guangping , Sena‐Esteves Miguel
Published: May 2013

Recombinant adeno‐associated virus (rAAV) vectors are great tools for gene transfer due to their ability to mediate long‐term gene expression. rAAVs have been used successfully as gene transfer vehicles in multiple animal models of CNS disorders, and several clinical trials are currently underway. rAAV vectors have been used at various stages of development with no apparent toxicity. There are multiple ways of delivering AAV vectors to the mouse CNS, depending on the stage of development. In neonates, intravascular injections into the facial vein are often used. In adults, direct injections into target regions of the brain are achieved with great spatiotemporal control through stereotaxic surgeries. Recently, discoveries of new AAV vectors with the ability to cross the blood brain barrier have made it possible to target the adult CNS by intravascular injections. Curr. Protoc. Microbiol. 29:14D.5.1‐14D.5.18. © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Poliovirus: Generation, Quantification, Propagation, Purification, and Storage
Authors: Burrill Cecily P. , Strings Vanessa R. , Andino Raul
Published: May 2013

Poliovirus (PV) is the prototypical picornavirus. It is a non‐enveloped RNA virus with a small (∼7.5‐kb) genome of positive polarity. It has long served as a model to study RNA virus biology, pathogenesis, and evolution. cDNA clones of several strains are available, and infectious virus can be produced by the transfection of in vitro transcribed viral genomes into an appropriate host cell. PV infects many human and non‐human primate cell lines including HeLa and HeLa S3 cells, and can grow to high titer in culture. Protocols for the production, propagation, quantification, and purification of PV are presented. Curr. Protoc. Microbiol. 29:15H.1.1‐15H.1.27. © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Poliovirus: Generation and Characterization of Mutants
Authors: Burrill Cecily P. , Strings Vanessa R. , Schulte Michael B. , Andino Raul
Published: May 2013

Poliovirus (PV) is the prototypical picornavirus. It is a non‐enveloped RNA virus with a small (∼7.5‐kb) genome of positive polarity. cDNA clones of several strains are available, and infectious virus can be produced by the transfection of in vitro–transcribed viral genomes into an appropriate host cell. The ease of genetic studies in poliovirus is a primary reason that it has long served as a model to study RNA virus biology, pathogenesis, and evolution. Protocols for the generation and characterization of PV mutants are presented. Curr. Protoc. Microbiol. 29:15H.2.1‐15H.2.32. © 2013 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.