bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Indicateurs. Une expérience à travers trente ans de réforme de la santé au Québec
Authors: Nguyen Hung
Published: July 2012

Se fondant sur une expérience personnelle de trente ans de réforme de santé au Québec, l'auteur retrace l'évolution parallèle du système de santé et des besoins d'indicateurs de gestion. Les besoins d'indicateurs, engendrant les besoins d'information, résultent principalement de deux dynamiques : celle du système administratif et celle du système de services. La difficulté de s'entendre sur les indicateurs clés de gestion reflète-t-elle, à tous les niveaux, un profond malaise dans la gestion du système de santé? Plusieurs expériences novatrices étant en cours, nous décrivons les types d'indicateurs qui peuvent être générés, sans oublier la spécificité des milieux ruraux. Le projet de capitation expérimenté dans la MRC rurale du Haut-Saint-Laurent requiert ainsi un ensemble d'indicateurs qui permet de gérer le système dans une perspective de santé globale.
L’évaluation en tant qu’instrument d’amélioration des politiques. Une stratégie d’accompagnement
Authors: Potvin Nelson
Published: July 2012

Cet article constitue une réflexion sur la pratique de l'évaluation des politiques au sein du ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec. Nous y proposons différentes avenues afin d'assurer un meilleur arrimage entre le processus d'implantation des politiques et leur évaluation. La stratégie de l'évaluation d'accompagnement, dont il est question dans cet article, ne constitue pas un nouveau type d'évaluation. Elle sert davantage à promouvoir la formulation d'une attitude d'ouverture d'esprit, de la part de l’évaluateur, à l'égard de la mise en place des politiques. Une illustration de cette approche est fournie à partir du bilan d'implantation de la politique de santé mentale.
La recherche évaluative dans le réseau de la santé et des services sociaux en région éloignée. L’expérience de définition d’une évaluation du travail de rue en Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Authors: Simard Paule , Berthiaume Nicole
Published: July 2012

Il existe actuellement un courant propice à l'évaluation dans le réseau de la santé et des services sociaux québécois. Toutefois, en raison du contexte structurel et légal dont doivent tenir compte les régies régionales, l'évaluation tend à répondre beaucoup plus à une logique de planification et de gestion qu'à une logique d'action préoccupée par les besoins des intervenants et des populations visées. Cet article vise à démontrer que, malgré les nombreux obstacles rencontrés, il est pertinent de concevoir des formes d'évaluation qui tiennent compte des intérêts des différents acteurs concernés. Il est ainsi possible de réaliser des évaluations lorsque certaines conditions sont réunies. Le projet d'évaluation du travail de rue à Rouyn-Noranda en est un exemple.
Liens et chaînons manquants dans le processus d’utilisation de la recherche. Utilisation accrue grâce aux méthodes de recherche et développement (Traduction de René Auclair)
Authors: Rothman Jack
Published: July 2012

Après une introduction de base portant sur la R-D sociale, Jack Rothman propose dans son article un modèle de recherche et développement des services d'aide aux personnes. Pour ce faire, il présente d'abord le contexte et l'environnement de la R-D. À l'aide d'une recherche documentaire il se réfère ensuite aux connaissances en sciences sociales, puis formule les concepts dans une perspective de recherche appliquée. Il conçoit les études pilotes et conduit les études sur le terrain. Il produit la R-D proprement dite; il la diffuse et la met en marché, tout en créant les structures et les ressources nécessaires aux centres de R-D sociale.
Évaluation d’un programme d’implication parentale lors du placement du jeune en centre de réadaptation
Authors: Mireault Gilles , Beaudoin André , Paquet Gaétan , Champagne Élise
Published: July 2012

Le présent article rend compte de l’évaluation d’un programme de réadaptation pour les jeunes placés au Centre jeunesse de Québec. Le programme « Transfert des acquis », instauré en 1996, propose de mobiliser, dès le début du placement, le jeune et ses parents dans une démarche d’apprentissage axée sur la résolution des problèmes vécus par la famille et sur le retour éventuel du jeune au sein de cette dernière. Les résultats de l’évaluation montrent que le principe d’impliquer les parents dans la démarche de réadaptation entraîne des changements positifs dans la perception du placement chez le jeune et chez les parents et concourt à augmenter les séjours du jeune dans sa famille au cours du placement. Le programme démontre qu’il est possible, avec le soutien approprié, de mobiliser les parents et le jeune et d’accélérer ainsi le retour de ce dernier dans la famille.
Parents démocratiques et enfants autonomes. Dynamique familiale de la réussite scolaire?
Authors: Bouchard Pierrette , Deslandes Rollande , St-Amant Jean-Claude
Published: July 2012

Cet article est inspiré de certains résultats d’une recherche récente qui montre que, dans les familles réunissant des parents démocratiques et des enfants autonomes, ces derniers ont toutes les chances de réussir à l’école. Après avoir situé ces résultats dans les connaissances récentes sur le sujet, les auteurs illustrent par des exemples contrastés les dynamiques présentes dans deux familles issues d’un milieu ouvrier et populaire. La première présente un style démocratique et l’enfant réussit bien, alors que la deuxième est de type autoritaire et l’enfant connaît des difficultés à l’école. Les contrastes entre les dynamiques familiales font ressortir des pistes à suivre pour prévenir le décrochage scolaire et favoriser le succès à l’école.
The Commission of Conservation as a Forerunner to the National Research Council 1909-1921
Authors: Girard Michel F.
Published: July 2012

This paper links the history of the Canadian Commission of Conservation (1909-1921) to the creation of the National Research Council through the fight between the two organizations for federal funds in scientific research. In my view, the Commission of Conservation (or COC) was abolished in 1921 because it persisted in advocating conservation, an expression of early 20th century environmentalism, in a world which was no longer interested in this issue.
“The Onery Council of Scientific and Industrial Pretence”: Universities in the Early NRC’s Plans for Insdustrial Research
Authors: Enros Philip C.
Published: July 2012

The quarrel between Queen's University and the National Research Council in 1919 provides an opportunity to look at the evolving relationship between university and government science in Canada. Although several factors were involved in the NRC's decision to press for central research laboratories, the main one was the value placed on pure research by the NRC's Chairman, A.B. Macallum.
Some Recollections of the Radio and Electrical Engineering Division of the National Research Council of Canada, 1946-1977
Authors: Covington Arthur E.
Published: July 2012

Studies of extraterrestrial radio noise became world wide after WWII, and were rapidly separated into a number of disciplines. Solar radio astronomy, at a wavelength of 10.7 cm, was initiated in 1946 at the Radio Field Station of the National Research Council. Its development at the Goth Hill Radio Observatory outside Ottawa is outlined until 1962, when the work was transferred to the Algonquin Radio Observatory.
De la physique des plasmas à la fusion nucléaire
Authors: Trépanier Michel
Published: July 2012

Cet article retrace l’émergence et le développement, au Canada et au Québec, des activités de recherche sur la fusion thermonucléaire au cours de la période 1960-1972. Intimement liés au développement de la physique des plasmas, l’histoire de la mise sur pied des principaux groupes de recherche intéressés à la fusion et le sort réservé aux premières tentatives visant à mettre en oeuvre un programme de recherche sur la fusion montrent bien comment des facteurs institutionnels, intellectuels, politiques, économiques et sociaux affectent le rythme de croissance et l’orientation de l’activité scientifique.
“The Assistance of Science and Capital”: The Role of Technology in Establishing B.C.’s Hard Rock Mining Industry, 1876-1906
Authors: Mouat Jeremy
Published: July 2012

This article examines the role of technology and applied science in British Columbia's hard rock mining industry. It focuses on a transitional period, from the decline following the gold rushes of the mid century through to the emergence in 1906 of Cominco, a vertically-integrated mining and smelting complex typical of the large mining companies of the twentieth century. Although many contemporary observers held a naive faith in the possibilities of science and technology, the article argues that the transition to "modern mining" was more difficult and more complex than they had anticipated and its outcome a good deal more ambivalent.
Technology and The North American Forest
Authors: Brown Marian K.
Published: July 2012

This paper is a critical review of recent historical literature relating to nineteenth and twentieth-century European-based technology in the North American forest. My discussion is limited to the industrial technologies of logging, sawmilling, pulp and paper milling, and forestry. These technologies will be discussed with reference to three issues in the history of technology: first, the nature of technological change; second, the environmental and social impacts of technology; and finally, the role of social values in determining choices of technology. Throughout, there will be an attempt to compare Canadian and American perspectives, when these diverge.
Technology Transfer in the Ontario Harvester Industry 1830-1900
Authors: Winder Gordon M.
Published: July 2012

Ontario innovation in harvesting machinery is reviewed in continental context. It is argued that rather than embedding Ontario manufacturers in technological dependence, license agreements taken out by Ontario firms with U.S. licensors transferred technology to Canadian companies. In the period 1830 to 1900 Ontario manufacturers took advantage of U.S. licenses to acquire product designs and by 1880 had mastered ownership of the designs and built the technical ability to produce their own patented designs.
Models for Recording Age in 1692-1851 Canada: The Political-Cognitive Functions of Census Statistics
Authors: Beaud Jean-Pierre , Prévost Jean-Guy
Published: July 2012

As a number of recent studies have emphasized, it is relevant to examine official statistics not just merely to assess the accuracy of historical data, but also in their own right, as political-cognitive devices which, by providing a standard to measure things, allow for an agreement regarding their objective existence and, therefore, the possibility to act upon them. In this paper, we focus on the different manners according to which, prior to the modern census era, ages of respondents were classified. Four different models emerge from this analysis, which in each case can be related to a specific political and social context.
The Most Select and the Most Democratic: A Century of Science in the Royal Society of Canada
Authors: Levere Trevor H.
Published: July 2012

This paper is a history of the Science Academy of the Royal Society of Canada, from its foundation in 1882 until the early 1990s. The RSC has always had an honorific role, but it has sought a more substantive one in science, in advising government, in scientific publication (a role that it has largely lost to the National Research Council and to other scientific societies and journals), in educating the public, in representing Canada internationally, and in undertaking scientific inquiries of public import, for example in assessing the risks associated with nuclear winter, or in the Canadian Global Change Program. Often, Fellows of the RSC have individually achieved more in science than the Society has achieved institutionally; but as this narrative shows, the dynamic between science, government, the RSC, and the Canadian public, has been important in Canadian science and in Canadian history.
Private Property Deforestation and Regeneration and the Clerk of Forestry in Nineteenth-Century Ontario
Authors: Diamantakos Diamando
Published: July 2012

By the latter part of the nineteenth century there was considerable concern in Ontario regarding the loss of forests, as a result of land clearing for agriculture and the harvesting of timber. In response, the provincial government established a department known as the Clerk of Forestry, charged with ensuring a perpetual supply of timber resources and revenues. This department instituted a variety of educational and reforestation initiatives, such as Arbor Day, and the Ontario Tree Planting Act (1883). These initiatives were justified in terms of the supposed effects of forest clearing on the local climate and agricultural productivity. However, their effectiveness was limited by the continuing priority attached to private property rights, doubts concerning the relation between forest loss, climate, and productivity, and a long-standing antagonism towards nature and forests. These issues are examined both in Ontario as a whole, and through a case study of Essex County.
The Committee on Lands of the Conservation Commission, Canada, 1909-1921: Romantic Agrarianism in Ontario in an Age of Agricultural Realism
Authors: Bowley Patricia M.
Published: July 2012

The Conservation Commission of Canada (CCC) was formed in 1909 as an advisory body to Liberal Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier. It was divided into eight committees, each of which dealt with the management of a specific natural resource. The Committee on Lands (CL) was composed of members who were unable to accept or understand the changes in contemporary agriculture as it moved into the twentieth century. Dr. James Robertson, chair of the CL, was a staunch agrarian romantic, who believed that the most important attribute of agriculture was the moral, individual and spiritual benefit which it conveyed to the individual. The recommendations and projects of the CL were inappropriate and often outdated and redundant. Their endeavours were noted and appreciated by farmers, but their work had no lasting effect on agriculture in Ontario. The official concept of 'conservation', defined by the CCC, was based on efficient management of Canadian natural resources, including the soil. In reality, the CL interpreted conservation to mean the preservation of a vanishing rural lifestyle.
La médecine et la santé au Canada français : un bilan historiographique (1987-2000)
Authors: Grenier Guy , Fleury Marie-Josée
Published: July 2012

En 1987, l’historien Jacques Bernier signalait que l’histoire de la médecine et de la santé au Canada français, malgré la publication entre 1976 et 1986 de certains écrits importants, était encore au stade de l’enfance. Depuis, ce champ d’étude a connu un essor considérable. Cet article présente une recension des écrits publiés, regroupés selon les thèmes qui ont été privilégiés, au cours des années 1987 à 2002 sur l’histoire de la médecine et de la santé au Canada français, afin d’illustrer les acquis des seize dernières années. En conclusion, nous discuterons du stade d’avancement de l’histoire de la médecine et de la santé au Canada français en lien avec les différents éléments présentés par les historiens Ludmilla Jordonova et Thomas Brown pour juger de la maturité d’un champ d’étude, et identifierons certains facteurs qui en limitent la consolidation.
A Sixty-Year Evolution of Biochemistry at McGill University
Authors: Johstone Rose
Published: July 2012

The Department of Biochemistry at McGill University was inaugurated close to a century after the Medical School was founded. The roots of the Department, however, can be found at the very beginning of the Medical School in 1829. Because several of the founding faculty members of the Medical School were educated in Edinburgh, McGill's early medical program bore the imprint of the Edinburgh school-particularly in the importance placed on instruction in chemistry and on basic research. This survey of the development of a university department is structured on the succession of department chairs, and describes how the Department's scientific, pedagogical, and administrative activities were influenced by the particular abilities and dispositions of the individuals who were at the helm. It explains how the growth of external research institutes influenced the Department's evolution, and cites some of the noteworthy contributions of its members.
Sorting Out Disasters
Authors: Braun Daniel
Published: July 2012

In Sorting Things Out: Classification and its Consequences, Geoffrey Bowker and Susan Star present a model of classification in which informal classification practices, performed by people through their everyday, ad-hoc decision-making, necessarily subvert the formal classification schemes, characterized as systemic and bureaucratic, within which they are performed. While this model affords significant theoretical purchase on classification practices, this paper show that a more nuanced relationship exists between formal and informal classification. The practices through which Canadian government officials evaluate and respond to requests for financial aid in the wake of disasters provide instances of classification in which informal classification reinforces, rather than subverts, formal classification.
L’instrumentalisation du savoir économique en milieu universitaire québécois : Controverses autour de l’utilité d’une discipline (1950-1975)
Authors: Fournier Jonathan
Published: July 2012

L’article présente quelques-unes des querelles survenues chez les économistes québécois francophones. Bien avant leur uniformisation, les sciences économiques ont longtemps été tiraillées entre leurs volets théorique et appliqué. Comme plusieurs autres sciences sociales tant au Québec qu’ailleurs dans le monde, la discipline s’est d’abord institutionnalisée dans un cadre pragmatique pour ensuite évoluer vers un contenu nettement plus théorique. C’est à cette transition que nous nous intéressons ici. Loin d’être simplement un débat épistémologique entre partisans d’une économie appliquée et d’une économie théorique, le parcours de cette discipline comporte également des enjeux administratifs et idéologiques qu’il est nécessaire de prendre en considération.
L’école privée et la démocratisation : sélection et processus
Authors: Béland Paul
Published: July 2012

À l’aide des données du groupe de recherche A.S.O.P.E., nous tenterons d’évaluer l’à-propos de ces trois affirmations, à savoir :

1) les écoles privées sont au service des enfants de strate sociale forte,

2) elles drainent les meilleurs étudiants,

3) elles les dirigent vers les études supérieures.

4) elle est plus efficace que l’école publique.
De la recherche universitaire en éducation
Authors: Van der Maren Jean-Marie
Published: July 2012

Parmi les principaux problèmes rencontrés dans l’organisation de la formation des chercheurs en éducation se posent les questions du statut des dites sciences de l’éducation face aux disciplines contributoires, de la compétence des pédagogues dans ces disciplines et de leur capacité de valider non seulement les modèles et théories empruntés mais aussi l’emprunt lui-même, d’abandonner une position dogmatique cherchant une légitimation par une fausse scientificité pour accéder, en pratiquant une rupture par rapport aux exigences et aux séductions de l’action, à la recherche d’une connaissance toujours ouverte et problématique.
L’éducation physique scolaire québécoise : une nouvelle mission sociale à découvrir
Authors: Demers Pierre J.
Published: July 2012

L’auteur analyse la problématique de l’éducation physique québécoise. Pour ce faire, il critique la vision traditionnelle de cette discipline. Il fait ressortir le besoin de redéfinition de la mission sociale de l’éducateur physique. Celle-ci doit s’appuyer sur des objectifs nouveaux émanant d’une philosophie nouvelle.

Une triple mission sociale pourrait être adaptée pour réellement intégrer l’éducation physique dans la société. Des missions éducative, sanitaire et écologique sont développées. L’auteur retourne aux sources des concepts sous-jacents à ces trois volets. Ces solutions de rechange rendraient l’éducation physique socialement présente. Les éducateurs physiques sont-ils prêts pour une telle ouverture d’esprit?
La catéchèse scolaire, un écueil au développement cognitif
Authors: Larivée Serge
Published: July 2012

Cet article pose des jalons théoriques en vue de comprendre dans quel sens la catéchèse scolaire à l’élémentaire risque de constituer une entrave au développement intellectuel. La présentation du programme de l’enseignement religieux au cycle élémentaire laisse voir des liens de parenté avec le concept de dogmatisme. Un exposé partiel du processus d’équilibration (Piaget) indique qu’un enseignement religieux précoce risque de contrecarrer le développement des structures cognitives. La catéchèse est présentée comme un contenu qui n’a rien de scolaire. On insiste surtout sur le fait que les enfants du primaire ne possèdent pas les structures cognitives pour assimiler un tel contenu. Qui plus est, sa présentation est susceptible de contribuer à retarder l’accès à la pensée formelle qui permet justement d’assimiler un tel contenu.
Une perspective pour le choix de stratégies d’enseignement
Authors: Brien Robert
Published: July 2012

Il est difficile pour l’enseignant et le concepteur de l’enseignement d’établir s’il existe une compatibilité entre les stratégies d’enseignement envisagées et les objectifs qui doivent être atteints. Pour tenter de simplifier leur tâche, le présent article propose d’aborder cette question dans une perspective cognitive et suggère la classification sommaire d’un certain nombre de stratégies de même qu’une procédure simple pour en effectuer le choix. Ce texte ne prétend pas fournir une solution définitive au problème du choix des stratégies d’enseignement; cependant, il atteindrait son but s’il ne réussissait qu’à démontrer la pertinence d’une approche cognitive dans un tel contexte.
Solar Technology
Authors: Luther Joachim , Nast Michael , Fisch M. Norbert , Christoffers Dirk , Pfisterer Fritz , Meissner Dieter , Nitsch Joachim , Becker Manfred
Published: July 2012

The article contains sections titled:1.Introduction1.1.Concerning the Importance of Solar Energy Conversion1.2.Terrestrial Solar Radiation1.3.Methods of Solar Energy Conversion1.4.Matching of Solar Energy Production and Consumption2.Solar Thermal Energy2.1.Development and Historical Aspects2.2.Solar Thermal Energy Conversion2.3.Technical Utilization of Solar Energy2.3.1.Low‐Temperature Applications2.3.1.1.Design and Function of Flat Collectors2.3.1.2.Systems for Heating Water2.3.1.3.Systems for Room Heating2.3.1.4.Other Low‐Temperature Applications2.3.2.Medium‐Temperature and High‐Temperature Applications2.3.2.1.Solar Concentration2.3.2.2.Concepts for Solar Thermal Power Plants2.3.2.3.Development for Realization2.3.2.4.Solar Thermal Power Plants2.3.2.5.Future Plants and Potential2.3.2.6.Economic Aspects2.3.2.7.Process Heat for Chemical Applications3.Passive Utilization of Solar Energy3.1.Introduction3.2.Building Design3.2.1.Site Analysis3.2.2.Design3.2.3.Heat Conservation3.3.Elements of Passive Utilization3.3.1.Collection3.3.2.Storage and Distribution3.3.3.Shading and Cooling3.3.4.Daylight3.4.Performance of a Solar House4.Photovoltaic Systems4.1.Principle of Operation, PV Materials, and State‐of‐the‐Art Solar Cells4.2.General Structure of PV Systems4.3.Photovoltaic Generators4.3.1.Module Technology and Specifications4.3.2.Tracking and Concentration4.4.Power Conditioning Systems4.5.Storage4.6.Stand‐Alone PV Systems4.7.Grid‐Connected PV Systems4.8.Design Considerations and Modeling4.9.Operational Experience4.9.1.PV Module Performance4.9.2.PV System Efficiency, Annual Energy Output4.10.Economic Aspects, Market, Energy Payback, Prospects4.10.1.Stand‐Alone PV Systems4.10.2.Grid‐Connected PV Systems4.10.3.Energy Payback Time4.10.4.Multifunctional Use of PV Modules5.Photoelectrochemical Solar Energy Conversion5.1.Principles of Photoelectrochemical Solar Energy Conversion5.2.Dye‐Sensitized Photoelectrochemical Solar Cells5.3.Solar Wastewater Detoxification5.4.Direct Photoelectrochemical Water Splitting6.Economic Aspects
Surgical Materials
Authors: Hunt John A. , Chen Rui , Williams David , Bayon Yves
Published: July 2012

This article contains sections titled:1.Introduction2.Surgical Applications of Materials2.1.General Principles2.2.Orthopedic Surgery2.2.1.Bone and Joint Replacement2.2.2.Ligament Augmentation and Repair2.2.3.Fracture Fixation2.3.Maxillofacial Surgery2.3.1.Dental Implants2.3.2.Maxillofacial and Orthognathic Surgery2.4.Cardiovascular Surgery2.4.1.Heart Valves2.4.2.Vascular Prostheses2.4.3.Cardiac Pacemakers2.4.4.Extracorporeal Circuits2.5.Ophthalmology2.5.1.Corneal Replacement2.5.2.Intraocular Lenses2.5.3.Contact Lenses2.5.4.Vitreoretinal Surgery2.6.Neurosurgery2.6.1.Nerve Repair and Regeneration2.6.2.Neuromodulation: Nerve Stimulators2.6.3.Treatment of Hearing Loss2.7.General Surgery2.7.1.Wound Closure and Artificial Skin2.7.2.Soft Tissue Reconstruction: Plastic Surgery2.7.3.Soft Tissue Repair: Hernia and Pelvic Floor Repair2.7.4.Surgery of the Urinary Tract2.8.Artificial Organs3.Criteria for Materials Selection3.1.Mechanical and Physical Properties3.1.1.Mechanical Performance3.1.2.Electrical and Optical Properties3.2.Manufacturing and Sterilization3.2.1.Constraints on Fabrication3.2.2.Market Analyses3.2.3.Legal and Regulatory Constraints3.2.4.Sterilization Techniques3.3.Biocompatibility3.3.1.General Principles3.3.2.Corrosion and Degradation3.3.3.Soft Tissue Biocompatibility3.3.4.Hard Tissue Biocompatibility3.3.5.Blood Compatibility3.3.6.Systemic Biocompatibility3.3.7.Genotoxicity and Carcinogenicity3.3.8.Bioactivity4.Materials4.1.Metals and Alloys4.2.Ceramics and Glasses4.3.Polymers4.4.Carbon4.5.Composites4.6.Surface Modifications and Coatings
Increasing Proportion of Clinical Trials Using Noninferiority End Points
Authors: Murthy Venkatesh L. , Desai Nihar R. , Vora Amit , Bhatt Deepak L.
Published: July 2012

This study was funded in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health (T32 HL094301‐01A1 and T32 HL007604‐27).

Dr. Bhatt discloses the following relationships ‐ Advisory Board: Medscape Cardiology; Board of Directors: Boston VA Research Institute, Society of Chest Pain Centers; Chair: American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines Science Subcommittee; Honoraria: American College of Cardiology (Editor, Clinical Trials, Cardiosource), Duke Clinical Research Institute (clinical trial steering committees), Slack Publications (Chief Medical Editor, Cardiology Today Intervention), WebMD (CME steering committees); Research Grants: Amarin, AstraZeneca, Bristol‐Myers Squibb, Eisai, Ethicon, Medtronic, Sanofi Aventis, The Medicines Company; Unfunded Research: FlowCo, PLx Pharma, Takeda. Drs. Murthy and Desai have received consulting fees from Novo Nordisk.

The authors have no other funding, financial relationships, or conflicts of interest to disclose.
Precommercial forest thinning alters abundance but not survival of snowshoe hares
Authors: Abele Susan L. , Wirsing Aaron J. , Murray Dennis L.
Published: July 2012

Anthropogenic landscape modification is a major threat to global biodiversity and ecosystem integrity. Thus, land use practices that reconcile human needs with protection of species and ecological processes are of interest. Precommercial forest thinning (PCT) is a land use practice that is believed to be less ecologically disruptive than other silvicultural approaches (e.g., clear‐cutting). The impacts of PCT on wildlife populations are not well understood, however, and the effects of this practice on individual animals have not been rigorously examined. Accordingly, we investigated short‐term population and individual responses of snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) to PCT in western Oregon during 2001–2002. We live‐trapped hares (n = 143) seasonally and equipped them with mortality‐sensitive radio‐collars on 3 manipulated sites that were precommercially thinned and on 3 undisturbed controls. We also quantified the activity (movement rates) of all collared hares using an automated data‐logger. As a result, we were able to document the effects of PCT on hare abundance, individual survival, and daily movement. Thinning significantly reduced hare abundance relative to that on control sites, but had no effect on individual mortality or activity. We infer, therefore, that a portion of the hares on thinned sites dispersed to adjacent habitat, where they survived as well as conspecifics on both control and manipulated sites but were unavailable for subsequent capture. We conclude that PCT affects hare density in the short‐term (i.e., at least in the first few years post‐treatment) largely via altered behavior. Thus, if the immediate impacts of this practice on hare populations are to be minimized, thinned stands should be imbedded in a habitat matrix that facilitates the occupancy of individuals dispersing from disturbed patches. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.
On $\mathcal{N} = 2$ truncations of IIB on T
1,1
Authors: Halmagyi Nick , Liu James T. , Szepietowski Phillip
Published: July 2012

Abstract

We study the
$\mathcal{N} = 4$
gauged supergravity theory which arises from the consistent truncation of IIB supergravity on the coset T
1,1. We analyze three
$\mathcal{N} = 2$
subsectors and in particular we clarify the relationship between true superpotentials for gauged supergravity and certain fake superpotentials which have been widely used in the literature. We derive a superpotential for the general reduction of type I supergravity on T
1,1 and this together with a certain solution generating symmetry is tantamount to a superpotential for the baryonic branch of the Klebanov-Strassler solution.
Numerical investigation for shape controlling of ultrathin electron layer
Authors: Tan F. , Wu B. , Zhu B. , Han D. , Zhao Z.-Q. , Hong W. , Cao L.-F. , Gu Y.-Q.
Published: July 2012

To control the shape of the ultra-thin electron layer produced by directly interaction of ultrahigh contrast laser with ultra-thin foil target, we investigated the spacial distribution and temporal evolution of electron layers produced from single and double foil targets through two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations. Results show that electron layers produced from double foil targets can fly with unperturbed velocity for a much longer time than in the single foil case, which can be explained by the integrated contribution of charge separation field from both the two foils. Further studies show that through adjusting the foil expansion, electron layers with different shapes can be obtained. Detailed studies on the forming process of layers show that electron momentum distribution evolves rapidly along with the pump laser and then the vanishing of electron transverse momentum induced by the reflected laser results in the forming of layer shape. So different foil expansion corresponds to different moments that reflected laser interact with electron layer, when the electron transverse momentum distribution is different. After the reflected laser interact with electron layer, the resultant longitude momentum distribution will finally lead to various electron layer shapes.
Transient fields produced by a cylindrical electron beam flowing through a plasma
Authors: Firpo Marie-Christine
Published: July 2012

The out-of-equilibrium situation in which an initially sharp-edged cylindrical electron beam, that could, e.g., model electrons flowing within a wire, is injected into a plasma is considered. A detailed computation of the subsequently produced magnetic field is presented. The control parameter of the problem is shown to be the ratio of the beam radius to the electron skin depth. Two alternative ways to address analytically the problem are considered: one uses the usual Laplace transform approach, the other one involves Riemann's method in which causality conditions manifest through some integrals of triple products of Bessel functions.
Alcohol consumption and bone mineral density in elderly women
Authors: Sommer Isolde , Erkkilä Arja T , Järvinen Ritva , Mursu Jaakko , Sirola Joonas , Jurvelin Jukka S , Kröger Heikki , Tuppurainen Marjo
Published: July 2012

Objective

Findings regarding alcohol consumption and bone mineral density (BMD) in elderly women have been inconsistent. The objective of the present study was to explore the association of alcohol intake with BMD in elderly women.

Design

This cohort study included women from the population-based Kuopio Osteoporosis Risk Factor and Prevention – Fracture Prevention Study (OSTPRE-FPS). Alcohol intake and potential confounders were assessed at baseline and after 3 years of follow-up using a lifestyle questionnaire. In addition, an FFQ was distributed in the third year to measure dietary intake, including alcohol. Women underwent BMD measurements at the femoral neck and lumbar spine at baseline and after 3 years of follow-up.

Setting

Kuopio Province, Finland.

Subjects

Three hundred elderly women (mean age 67·8 years) who provided both BMD measurements and FFQ data.

Results

Alcohol consumption estimated from the FFQ and lifestyle questionnaire was significantly associated with BMD at both measurement sites after adjustment for potential confounders, including lifestyle and dietary factors (P < 0·05). Using the FFQ, women drinking >3 alcoholic drinks/week had significantly higher BMD than abstainers, 12·0 % at the femoral neck and 9·2 % at the lumbar spine. Results based on the lifestyle questionnaire showed higher BMD values for all alcohol-consuming women at the femoral neck and for women drinking 1–3 alcoholic beverages/week at the lumbar spine, compared with non-users.

Conclusions

The results from OSTPRE-FPS suggest that low to moderate alcohol intake may exert protective effects on bone health in elderly women.
Alcohol-Related Cognitive and Affective Impairments in a Sample of Long-Term Care Residents
Authors: Steinmetz Jean-Paul , Federspiel Carine
Published: July 2012

We provide a detailed exploration of cognitive and affective impairments in a small group (N = 8) of detoxified chronic alcohol abusers living in a long-term care facility. The findings of our cognitive test battery suggest impairment in executive functions with reduced mental flexibility, deficits in cognitive estimation, and deteriorated memory performances. The results of our affective tests demonstrate a reduced capability to correctly recognize emotional facial expressions and an impaired processing of affective verbal material included in our sample. Given the present findings, we conclude the necessity of developing local clinical pathways for the management of severely deteriorated alcohol-related brain damaged individuals by elaborating specific lifelong 24 h care programs focusing on sociotherapeutic support.
Serpinb9 (Spi6)‐deficient mice are impaired in dendritic cell‐mediated antigen cross‐presentation
Authors: Rizzitelli Alexandra , Meuter Simone , Vega Ramos Javier , Bird Catherina H , Mintern Justine D , Mangan Matthew SJ , Villadangos Jose , Bird Phillip I
Published: July 2012

Serpinb9 (Sb9, also called Spi6) is an intracellular inhibitor of granzyme B (GrB) that protects activated cytotoxic lymphocytes from apoptosis. We show here that the CD8+ subset of splenic dendritic cells (DC), specialized in major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) presentation of exogenous antigens (cross‐presentation), produce high levels of Sb9. Mice deficient in Sb9 are unable to generate a cytotoxic T‐cell response against cell‐associated antigen by cross‐presentation, but maintain normal MHC‐II presentation to helper T cells. This impaired cross‐priming ability is autonomous to DC and is evident in animals deficient in both Sb9 and GrB, indicating that this role of Sb9 in DC is GrB‐independent. In Sb9‐deficient mice, CD8+ DC develop normally, survive as well as wild‐type DC after antigenic challenge, and exhibit unimpaired capacity to take up antigen. Although the core processing machinery is unaffected, Sb9‐deficient DC appear to process antigen faster. Our results point to a novel, GrB‐independent role for Sb9 in DC cross‐priming.
An ultra low noise telecom wavelength free running single photon detector using negative feedback avalanche diode
Authors: Yan Zhizhong , Hamel Deny R. , Heinrichs Aimee K. , Jiang Xudong , Itzler Mark A. , Jennewein Thomas
Published: July 2012

It is challenging to implement genuine free running single-photon detectors for the 1550 nm wavelength range with simultaneously high detection efficiency (DE), low dark noise, and good time resolution. We report a novel read out system for the signals from a negative feedback avalanche diode (NFAD) [M. A. Itzler, X. Jiang, B. Nyman, and K. Slomkowski, “Quantum sensing and nanophotonic devices VI,” Proc. SPIE 7222, 72221K (2009)10.1117/12.814669; X. Jiang, M. A. Itzler, K. ODonnell, M. Entwistle, and K. Slomkowski, “Advanced photon counting techniques V,” Proc. SPIE 8033, 80330K (2011)10.1117/12.883543; M. A. Itzler, X. Jiang, B. M. Onat, and K. Slomkowski, “Quantum sensing and nanophotonic devices VII,” Proc. SPIE 7608, 760829 (2010)10.1117/12.843588], which allows useful operation of these devices at a temperature of 193 K and results in very low darkcounts (∼100 counts per second (CPS)), good time jitter (∼30 ps), and good DE (∼10%). We characterized two NFADs with a time-correlation method using photons generated from weak coherent pulses and photon pairs produced by spontaneous parametric down conversion. The inferred detector efficiencies for both types of photon sources agree with each other. The best noise equivalent power of the device is estimated to be 8.1 × 10−18 W Hz−1/2, more than 10 times better than typical InP/InGaAs single photon avalanche diodes (SPADs) show in free running mode. The afterpulsing probability was found to be less than 0.1% per ns at the optimized operating point. In addition, we studied the performance of an entanglement-based quantum key distribution (QKD) using these detectors and develop a model for the quantum bit error rate that incorporates the afterpulsing coefficients. We verified experimentally that using these NFADs it is feasible to implement QKD over 400 km of telecom fiber. Our NFAD photon detector system is very simple, and is well suited for single-photon applications where ultra-low noise and free-running operation is required, and some afterpulsing can be tolerated.
Multi-point, high-speed passive ion velocity distribution diagnostic on the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment
Authors: Burke M. G. , Fonck R. J. , Bongard M. W. , Schlossberg D. J. , Winz G. R.
Published: July 2012

A passive ion temperature polychromator has been deployed on Pegasus to study power balance and non-thermal ion distributions that arise during point source helicity injection. Spectra are recorded from a 1 m F/8.6 Czerny-Turner polychromator whose output is recorded by an intensified high-speed camera. The use of high orders allows for a dispersion of 0.02 Å/mm in 4th order and a bandpass of 0.14 Å (∼13 km/s) at 3131 Å in 4th order with 100 μm entrance slit. The instrument temperature of the spectrometer is 15 eV. Light from the output of an image intensifier in the spectrometer focal plane is coupled to a high-speed CMOS camera. The system can accommodate up to 20 spatial points recorded at 0.5 ms time resolution. During helicity injection, stochastic magnetic fields keep Te low (∼100 eV) and thus low ionization impurities penetrate to the core. Under these conditions, high core ion temperatures are measured (Ti ≈ 1.2 keV, Te ≈ 0.1 keV) using spectral lines from carbon III, nitrogen III, and boron IV.
Restoring transmission of irradiated image fiber bundles
Authors: Chrobak C. P. , Van Zeeland M. A. , Moyer R. A. , Yu J. H.
Published: July 2012

Image fiber bundles are employed in fusion experiments and other high radiation environments where they are used to transmit an image from an unprotected objective lens to a radiation shielded camera. Due to their exposure to neutron and gamma radiation the transmission of these expensive image fiber bundles can rapidly degrade, especially at the shorter visible wavelengths, and require costly replacement. A cost-effective, non-destructive heat treatment process in which entire fiber bundles are heated gradually in air to 150°–200°C and held for tens of hours has been shown to recover much of the transmission lost due to the radiation induced absorption. The restoration process can be repeated multiple times without a loss in effectiveness, although some physical degradation of inter-fiber alignment has been observed. The results and the apparatus used for the successful restoration of the transmission of multiple image fiber bundles across their entire wavelength band will be presented.
Disentangling molecular motions involved in the glass transition of a twist-bend nematic liquid crystal through dielectric studies
Authors: López D. O. , Sebastian N. , de la Fuente M. R. , Martínez-García J. C. , Salud J. , Pérez-Jubindo M. A. , Diez-Berart S. , Dunmur D. A. , Luckhurst G. R.
Published: July 2012

Broadband dielectric spectroscopy spanning frequencies from 10−2 to 1.9 × 109 Hz has been used to study the molecular orientational dynamics of the glass-forming liquid crystal 1″,7″-bis (4-cyanobiphenyl-4′-yl)heptane (CB7CB) over a wide temperature range of the twist-bend nematic phase. In such a mesophase two different relaxation processes have been observed, as expected theoretically, to contribute to the imaginary part of the complex dielectric permittivity. For measurements on aligned samples, the processes contribute to the dielectric response to different extents depending on the orientation of the alignment axis (parallel or perpendicular) with respect to the probing electric field direction. The low-frequency relaxation mode (denoted by μ1) is attributed to a flip-flop motion of the dipolar groups parallel to the director. The high-frequency relaxation mode (denoted by μ2) is associated with precessional motions of the dipolar groups about the director. The μ1-and μ2-modes are predominant in the parallel and perpendicular alignments, respectively. Relaxation times for both modes in the different alignments have been obtained over a wide temperature range down to near the glass transition temperature. Different analytic functions used to characterize the temperature dependence of the relaxation times of the two modes are considered. Among them, the critical-like description via the dynamic scaling model seems to give not only quite good numerical fittings, but also provides a consistent physical picture of the orientational dynamics on approaching the glass transition.
A new visible spectroscopy diagnostic for the JET ITER-like wall main chamber
Authors: Maggi C. F. , Brezinsek S. , Stamp M. F. , Griph S. , Heesterman P. , Hogben C. , Horton A. , Meigs A. , Morlock C. , Studholme W. , Zastrow K.-D. ,   JET-EFDA Contributors
Published: July 2012

In preparation for ITER, JET has been upgraded with a new ITER-like wall (ILW), whereby the main plasma facing components, previously of carbon, have been replaced by mainly Be in the main chamber and W in the divertor. As part of the many diagnostic enhancements, a new, survey, visible spectroscopy diagnostic has been installed for the characterization of the ILW. An array of eight lines-of-sight (LOS) view radially one of the two JET neutral beam shine through areas (W coated carbon fibre composite tiles) at the inner wall. In addition, one vertical LOS views the solid W tile at the outer divertor. The light emitted from the plasma is coupled to a series of compact overview spectrometers, with overall wavelength range of 380–960 nm and to one high resolution Echelle overview spectrometer covering the wavelength range 365–720 nm. The new survey diagnostic has been absolutely calibrated in situ by means of a radiometric light source placed inside the JET vessel in front of the whole optical path and operated by remote handling. The diagnostic is operated in every JET discharge, routinely monitoring photon fluxes from intrinsic and extrinsic impurities (e.g., Be, C, W, N, and Ne), molecules (e.g., BeD, D2, ND) and main chamber and divertor recycling (typically Dα, Dβ, and Dγ). The paper presents a technical description of the diagnostic and first measurements during JET discharges.
Polaronic discontinuities induced by off-diagonal coupling
Authors: Zhang Yuyu , Duan Liwei , Chen Qinghu , Zhao Yang
Published: July 2012

In this paper, we study a form of the Holstein molecular crystal model in which the influence of lattice vibrations on the transfers of electronic excitations between neighboring sites (off-diagonal coupling) is taken into account. Using the Toyozawa Ansatz and the Lanczos algorithm, the Holstein Hamiltonian with two types of off-diagonal coupling is studied focusing on a number of analyticity issues in the ground state. For finite-sized lattices and antisymmetric coupling, a sequence of discontinuities are found in the polaron energy dispersion, the size of the ground-state phonon cloud, and the linearized von Neumann entropy used to quantify the quantum entanglement between the exciton and the phonons in the ground state. Such behavior is accompanied by a shift of the ground-state crystal momentum from zero to nonzero values as the coupling strength is increased. In the thermodynamic limit, all discontinuities associated with antisymmetric coupling vanish except the one corresponding to the initial departure of the ground-state wavevector from the Brillouin zone center. For the case of symmetric off-diagonal coupling, a smooth crossover is found to exist in all parameters regimes.
Coexistence of Phases in a Protein Heterodimer
Authors: Krokhotin Andrey , Liwo Adam , Niemi Antti J. , Scheraga Harold A.
Published: July 2012

A heterodimer consisting of two or more different kinds of proteins can display an enormous number of distinct molecular architectures. The conformational entropy is an essential ingredient in the Helmholtz free energy and, consequently, these heterodimers can have a very complex phase structure. Here, it is proposed that there is a state of proteins, in which the different components of a heterodimer exist in different phases. For this purpose, the structures in the protein data bank (PDB) have been analyzed, with radius of gyration as the order parameter. Two major classes of heterodimers with their protein components coexisting in different phases have been identified. An example is the PDB structure 3DXC. This is a transcriptionally active dimer. One of the components is an isoform of the intra-cellular domain of the Alzheimer-disease related amyloid precursor protein (AICD), and the other is a nuclear multidomain adaptor protein in the Fe65 family. It is concluded from the radius of gyration that neither of the two components in this dimer is in its own collapsed phase, corresponding to a biologically active protein. The UNRES energy function has been utilized to confirm that, if the two components are separated from each other, each of them collapses. The results presented in this work show that heterodimers whose protein components coexist in different phases, can have intriguing physical properties with potentially important biological consequences.
Measuring electron-positron annihilation radiation from laser plasma interactions
Authors: Chen Hui , Tommasini R. , Seely J. , Szabo C. I. , Feldman U. , Pereira N. , Gregori G. , Falk K. , Mithen J. , Murphy C. D.
Published: July 2012

We investigated various diagnostic techniques to measure the 511 keV annihilation radiations. These include step-wedge filters, transmission crystal spectroscopy, single-hit CCD detectors, and streaked scintillating detection. While none of the diagnostics recorded conclusive results, the step-wedge filter that is sensitive to the energy range between 100 keV and 700 keV shows a signal around 500 keV that is clearly departing from a pure Bremsstrahlung spectrum and that we ascribe to annihilation radiation.