bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pilot Study on the Feasibility and Indicator Effects of Collaborative Online Projects on Science Learning for English Learners
Authors: Terrazas-Arellanes Fatima E. , Knox Carolyn , Walden Emily
Published: June 2015

The 2006 National Science Board called for new strategies and instructional materials for teachers to better serve English Learners' (EL) needs. Bilingual Collaborative Online Projects in science were created to assist ELs' construction of science knowledge, facilitate academic English acquisition, and improve science learning. Two bilingual Collaborative Online Project units in science are freely available on an instructional website: the Let's Help Our Environment and the What Your Body Needs units. These projects combine two constructivist approaches, Project-Based Learning and the Cognitive-Affective Theory of Learning with Media, for the teaching of science embedded in culturally and linguistically relevant instruction. This study hypothesizes that Collaborative Online Projects will assist ELs' construction of science knowledge and facilitate academic English. Results of a pre-/post-test design pilot study (N=136) showed statistically significant differences for both tested science units. Teachers also reported that the Collaborative Online Projects were an effective method of online science instruction.
Electronic Booklet
Authors: Silva António , Rocha Álvaro , Cota Manuel Pérez
Published: June 2015

This paper introduces a new method of communication between the school and the family, using an Electronic Booklet developed in the course of the authors' investigation project with the purpose of rendering the communication between both parties more effective. Today there is a general agreement, within educational sciences, as to the fundamental role occupied by the collaboration between the school and the family in the learning process and in educational success. With this Electronic Booklet, the communication becomes synchronous in a web environment. By logging in, educational actors can access a wide range of information: absences, behaviour, teacher advices, final grades, evaluation tools in each subject and corresponding evaluation, personal data, etc., eliminating the obstacles that hinder a successful collaboration between the school and the family.
A Trust-Powered Technique to Facilitate Scientific Tool Discovery and Recommendation
Authors: Zhang Jia , Lee Chris , Votava Petr , Lee Tsengdar J. , Wang Shuai , Sriram Venkatesh , Saini Neeraj , Rao Pujita , Nemani Ramakrishna
Published: June 2015

While the open science community engenders many similar scientific tools as services, how to differentiate them and help scientists select and reuse existing software services developed by peers remains a challenge. Most of the existing service discovery approaches focus on finding candidate services based on functional and non-functional requirements as well as historical usage analysis. Complementary to the existing methods, this paper proposes to leverage human trust to facilitate software service selection and recommendation. A trust model is presented that leverages the implicit human factor to help quantify the trustworthiness of candidate services. A hierarchical Knowledge-Social-Trust (KST) network model is established to extract hidden knowledge from various publication repositories (e.g., DBLP) and social networks (e.g., Twitter and DBLP). As a proof of concept, a prototyping service has been developed to help scientists evaluate and visualize trust of services. The performance factor is studied and experience is reported.
Indri's suitability as a digital library search engine: an evaluation
Authors: Wijewickrema PKCM , Nawarathna IM
Published: June 2015

Information Retrieval (IR) is the process of providing details or facts regarding to the user needs. IR generally investigates automated and mathematical model based solutions. In our investigation, we were able to build a new mathematical IR model in order to give the retrieved documents based on comparison of spaces among the terms in the query with the spaces among the same terms in the document. Therefore, our next step is to implement this new model into an existing IR tool. As this new tool, we have chosen INDRI (is an open-source toolkit designed to facilitate research in language modeling and information retrieval), due to its much supportive features (flexibility and feasibility) which are available. Furthermore, this research seeks the fact, how far INDRI fulfills the requirements that a search engine inside a digital library should comprise. Keywords: digital libraries, information retrieval, information searching tools Journal of the University Librarians Association of Sri Lanka, Vol.13 (Special Issue). 2009 165-179
A Study on Extent of Satisfaction of Users by Library Reference Services
Authors: Thusithakumari WM
Published: June 2015

The foremost responsibility of a library reference service is making resources available for extending boundaries of subject knowledge. The main objective of this study was to examine whether this responsibility is fullfilled by Sri Lankan University Librarians. The study aimed to findout answers to the questions; do such libraries offer reference services, what are those services, and are those sufficient to fullfil user expectations.180 users from three Universities (Peradeniya, Colombo and Kelaniya) and all reference librarians in these Universities were selected as the sample. Two seperate questionnaires were employed for the two groups. The study revealed that reference services are not satisfactory. Many users (65%) did not have a good knowledge about the library catalogue. Seventy percent (70%) don't use the catalogue. Many resources are under utilised because users don't know about those resources.Key words: reference services; reference sources; user educationJournal of the University Librarians Association of Sri Lanka, Vol.13 (Special Issue). 2009 69-84
Birth of characters and development of a writing system in Sri Lanka
Authors: Siriwardana Ashoka Sriyani
Published: June 2015

A writing system is a major component of human culture. Birth of letters gave rise to writing systems. Subsequently the writing system becomes the basis of an information society. Therefore the seeds of the presently developing information society are symbols evolved as characters. This paper discusses historical development of characters as a proper writing system in Sri Lanka, based on different conceptual and objective viewpoints. Key words: characters; script; Ancient Sri Lanka; SinhalaJournal of the University Librarians Association of Sri Lanka, Vol.13 (Special Issue). 2009 105-114
Developing a Faculty-Library Collaboration Model
Authors: Wijayasundara Nayana Darshani
Published: June 2015

The emphasis for lifelong learning and associated graduate capabilities is leading to opportunities for new collaborative practices between lecturers and librarians. Lecturers bring expertise in their disciplines, knowledge of the content to be taught and of course assessment and teaching and learning skills. Librarians support to build up information skills and finds out methods to integrate them into the course. In this role, librarians encourage, support and nudge faculty in the establishment of learning priorities which ensure that students develop the abilities that will allow them to be effective lifelong learners in this ever-changing and increasingly prevalent digital world. The output of universities should fit the available academic careers and into the workforce. This urges the requirement of faculty-library collaboration.In this study 'Faculty-Library Collaboration' is defined as librarians and teaching faculty work together to integrate information to enhance student learning. The attributes of causes and effects of faculty-library collaboration are discussed. Mainly the causes are categorized as membership, knowledge & skills and resources. The effects are categorized as teaching and learning, research and library resources and services. Based on the extensive literature review and some strategies used by the university libraries in other countries a conceptual model on faculty-library collaboration will be presented.Key words: faculty-library collaboration, causes & effects of collaboration, models on collaborationJournal of the University Librarians Association of Sri Lanka, Vol.13 (Special Issue). 2009 131-146
Carpophilus zeaphilus, a new sap beetle species acclimatized in Italy (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)
Authors: Audisio Paolo , Scaramozzino Pierluigi , Sabatelli Simone , Mancini Emiliano , Cline Andrew Richard
Published: June 2015

Carpophilus zeaphilus Dobson, 1969 (Coleoptera, Nitidulidae, Carpophilinae) is an Afrotropical species that has become widespread in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and southern Mediterranean areas in recent years. The species was first recorded from Europe in Portugal and Spain nearly thirty years ago, and it was later intercepted in Sicily near Trapani in 1991. A few specimens of this species were collected in April, 2015 in a sparsely forested area near Rome, which suggests a recent acclimatization into peninsular Italy. Specimens were taken on flowering trees of Prunus spinosa L. (Rosaceae), an unusual occurrence for most introduced species of Carpophilinae that are normally associated with rotten fruit and other decomposing vegetal matter.
Council Regulation (EC) No. 1099/2009: state of the art and its application in a local health unit in Piedmont, Italy
Authors: Paolucci Ginevra , Cagnasso Daniela , Cassani Francesco , Pattono Daniele
Published: June 2015

In the last decade, the European Union has reinforced the concept of animal welfare throughout the food chain, from breeding to slaughtering. Studies and assessments of economic nature led to the adoption of Regulation EC 1099/2009 and at the end of 2014 this regulation will be applied to all the members involved in the food chain. For this reason several local health units organized different initiatives. The local health unit of Turin no. 4 (ASLTO4) has developed a project aimed to train food business operators (FBO) to fulfill all the criteria developed in this Regulation. This initiative was divided into four steps: i) communication to the companies about the criteria of the new regulation; ii) a training course for official veterinarians; iii) slaughterhouse audits in order to get information about animal welfare; iv) and a training course for the personnel involved in slaughterhouses. The purpose of this paper was to report the results of the audits in order to identify critical points of structural, instrumental and documentary facilities. Then, the results can be compared with similar studies in order to develop common strategies and intervention areas.
Comparison of γ-aminobutyric acid and biogenic amine content of different types of ewe’s milk cheese produced in Sardinia, Italy
Authors: Manca Gavina , Porcu Arianna , Ru Antonio , Salaris Margherita , Franco Mario A. , De Santis Enrico P.L.
Published: June 2015

The bioactive compounds γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and biogenic amines (BA), together with protein-free amino acids, were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography in ewe’s milk cheeses produced in Sardinia with different technological traits. The study included three types of cheese: Pecorino Sardo PDO, Pecorino and Casu Marzu. Farmhouse Casu Marzu and Pecorino showed GABA content (maximum levels: 1001.3 and 378.1 mg 100 g–1 respectively) that had never been found so high in cheese before, suggesting that these types of cheese present ideal conditions to produce GABA. These two types of cheese also showed high levels of BA (their total maximum levels were 1035.7 and 288.0 mg 100 g–1 respectively). Pearson correlation analysis detected significant correlation between GABA and the main BA present in the cheeses (tyramine, cadaverine and putrescine), suggesting that the factors affecting the production of GABA are the same as those influencing BA formation.
Evidence-Based Concept Mapping for the Athletic Training Student
Authors: Speicher Timothy E. , Martin Malissa , Zigmont Jason
Published: June 2015

Context

A concept map is a graphical and cognitive tool that enables learners to link together interrelated concepts using propositions or statements that answer a posed problem. As an assessment tool, concept mapping reveals a learner's research skill proficiency and cognitive processing.

Background

The identification and organization of the relationships between concepts are the hallmark of concept mapping that build knowledge acquisition and clinical reasoning skill. Concept mapping does not emphasize linear relationships but the complexity of reciprocal relationships, linking new knowledge to prior knowledge. The brain works by making analogical links between past and current information and utilizes these links to create new mental models to solve a current or future problem. Students engage in a search of the literature and synthesize and critique the findings for integration into an approach to address a clinical question or problem.

Objectives

Provide health profession educators with an understanding of how concept mapping can be utilized to assess and build students' clinical reasoning as well as promote transfer of learning from the classroom to the clinical setting.

Description

An overview of the concept mapping process as well as rationale for its use to build clinical reasoning and decision-making skill is provided. Suggestions are also provided for its use as a competency instruction and assessment tool.

Clinical Advantages

Concept mapping reveals the gaps in a student's clinical reasoning and decision-making process, assists in filling these gaps and builds student understanding and application of evidence-based medicine to inform appropriate clinical decisions.

Conclusions

Through examination of concepts, their associated problems and how best to solve them based on evidence, concept mapping complements the instruction and assessment of educational competencies. The concept mapping process facilitates a student-centered learning approach, which can be peer or instructor evaluated.
Changes over Time in the Predictors of Athletic Training Program Commitment
Authors: Weiss Windee M. , Neibert Peter J.
Published: June 2015

Context

Understanding changes in athletic training program (ATP) commitment over time is crucial in retaining high-quality students in an ATP.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to examine if changes over time in ATP commitment determinants are related to actual changes in ATP commitment.

Design

Longitudinal and cross-sectional survey.

Setting

Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education-accredited ATP.

Patients or Other Participants

A total of 99 male and female athletic training students participated in Time 1. A total of 71 (39% males, 61% females) of the original 99 participants participated in Time 2. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 24 years (mean = 20.05, standard deviation = 1.28).

Data Collection and Analysis

Previously validated measures assessed students' perceptions of enjoyment, attractive alternatives, investments, social constraints and support, benefits and costs, and commitment to ATP over time. Change scores for Times 1 and 2 were calculated for each predictor and commitment to ATP. Two multiple regression analyses determined which changes in the determinants of commitment predicted a change in commitment. A repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) determined the magnitude of change in the model variables over time. Lastly, a multivariate ANOVA compared who continued, graduated, and discontinued in the ATP.

Results

Increases in investments and enjoyment predicted positive changes in commitment from Time 1 to Time 2. Additionally, decreases in classmates' social constraints and increases in professors' social constraints positively predicted changes in commitment. When exploring the magnitude of change in the model variables, only increases and decreases in enjoyment from Time 1 to Time 2 were related to concomitant changes in commitment. Lastly, graduating students reported lower commitment and enjoyment and higher perceived costs than did those students who remained in the ATP and had not yet graduated.

Conclusions

Athletic training program commitment predictors tend to change over time; ATP enjoyment is critical to continued motivation.
Master's Level Professional Athletic Training Programs: Program Characteristics, Graduation Requirements, and Outcome Measures
Authors: Ostrowski Jennifer Lynn , Marshall Brent
Published: June 2015

Context

While currently there are 2 curriculum route options leading to athletic training certification, the future of athletic training education is being heavily debated. While master's-level professional (MLP) athletic training programs account for less than 8% of all accredited programs, these programs have seen tremendous growth in the past decade. Little is known about the characteristics of these MLP programs or the graduates they produce.

Objective

To perform exploratory analysis of MLP program history, cohort characteristics, program and graduation requirements, and outcome measures.

Design

Cross-sectional design involving online survey research.

Patients or Other Participants

Eleven MLP program directors.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Survey data were collected via Formstack.com. Open-ended questions were categorized based on common themes and were coded. Descriptive statistics and correlations were calculated.

Results

Accreditation of MLP programs was pursued for a variety of reasons. Programs admit an average of 13.5 students per year, and, on average, MLPs have 22 students. Ninety-one percent of students are retained into the second year, and 91% of students graduate. Ninety-one percent of MLP programs require either a thesis or structured research project; 45% require a comprehensive examination. The average 3-year aggregate first-time Board of Certification (BOC) examination pass rate was 91.7%. Pass rate was significantly correlated with thesis/structured research requirements. Ninety-three percent of graduates pursue employment using their Athletic Trainer Certified (ATC) credential. Ninety-one percent of program directors believe that MLP programs better prepare students to pass the BOC exam and better prepare them to practice as athletic trainers and believe the undergraduate route to certification should be eliminated.

Conclusions

High retention, graduation, first-time BOC pass rates, and employment using the ATC credential of MLP students make a strong case for MLP programs as the future of athletic training education.
Beyond the Basics of Clinical Outcomes Assessment: Selecting Appropriate Patient-Rated Outcomes Instruments for Patient Care
Authors: Valier Alison R. , Lam Kenneth C.
Published: June 2015

The fifth edition of the Athletic Training Education Competencies emphasizes the concepts of clinical outcomes assessment. In athletic training, clinical outcomes assessment, especially as it relates to patient-rated outcomes (PRO) instruments, is new, which produces uncertainty with regard to how to integrate PROs into athletic training education. Our goal was to review the concepts associated with selecting PRO instruments and to provide a teaching strategy for implementing these concepts into education programs. When selecting a PRO instrument, clinicians should follow a systematic process that evaluates a variety of criteria related to the development and performance of the instrument as well as the clinical utility of the instrument. Considering the importance of the selection process, athletic training educators may be unsure of strategies to guide their students through the process. The process of selecting PRO instruments is not unlike that used to select other clinical tools, such as tools with which to measure range of motion or strength. Selecting PRO instruments requires consideration of both essential elements (ie, instrument development, reliability, validity, responsiveness and interpretability, and precision) and clinical utility components (ie, acceptability, feasibility, and appropriateness). This manuscript provides key considerations for the selection criteria as well as a case scenario assignment that is used to demonstrate how the criteria can be applied to a clinical case. Creating assignment strategies to apply the concepts of clinical outcomes assessment into clinical practice may result in clinicians who appreciate the value of patient outcomes as integral components of patient care. The evaluation of the essential elements and clinical utility of an instrument provides a framework by which to select an appropriate PRO instrument. By using a case scenario assignment, athletic training educators can guide their students through the selection process and highlight important considerations when comparing PRO instruments.
Preferred Learning Styles of Professional Undergraduate and Graduate Athletic Training Students
Authors: Thon Sarah , Hansen Pamela
Published: June 2015

Context

Recognizing the preferred learning style of professional undergraduate and graduate athletic training students will equip educators to more effectively improve their teaching methods and optimize student learning.

Objective

To determine the preferred learning style of professional undergraduate and graduate athletic training students using Marshall and Merritt's Student Learning Style Questionnaire based on Kolb's theory of experiential learning.

Design

Cross-sectional survey.

Setting

Colleges with Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education accredited professional undergraduate and/or graduate athletic training programs.

Patients or Other Participants

Four hundred twenty-nine students (men = 125, women = 303, not available = 1) from 88 professional undergraduate programs and 69 students (men = 27, women = 42) from 21 professional graduate programs.

Intervention(s)

A 40-item Student Learning Style Questionnaire (LSQ) was administered. Participants chose between words that were characteristic of how they learn. After scoring the LSQ, the learning style preferences were determined. The styles were Diverger, Assimilator, Converger, or Accommodator.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Learning Style Questionnaire survey scores were used to determine the preferred learning style of male and female professional undergraduate athletic training students, male and female professional graduate athletic training students, and any significant differences between learning styles. The χ2 goodness of fit test and χ2 test of independence were used to compare differences between the groups.

Results

A significant difference (P ≤ .0001) was observed between learning styles. The Diverger style was preferred by both professional undergraduate and graduate athletic training students. We found no significant difference in preferred learning style between the undergraduate and graduate student groups or between men and women.

Conclusions

Although undergraduate and graduate athletic training students have a variety of learning styles, the Diverger style of learning, which relies on concrete experience and reflective observation, was preferred in our study. Educators should provide learning opportunities in a variety of ways to reach all preferred learning styles.
Avaliação neurológica de recém-nascidos pré-termo
Authors: Grinaboldi Andréa , Hinnig Patrícia , Moura Sheila Peres Severino de , Golin Marina Ortega
Published: June 2015

Objetivo. Avaliar o estado neurológico de recém-nascidos pré-termo (RNPT) com registros de intercorrências no período neonatal e ve­rificar se desempenhos abaixo do esperado estavam correlacionados com tais eventos. Método. Trata-se de um estudo transversal com 20 RNPT do Hospital Estadual Mário Covas, em Santo André (SP), avaliados pelo método Dubowitz. Os seguintes dados foram coleta­dos: peso e idade gestacional ao nascimento e intercorrências e in­tervenções no período neonatal. O método de avaliação foi aplicado ao atingirem idades gestacionais entre 37 e 42 semanas. Resultados. Os participantes apresentaram média de idade gestacional de 31,8 se­manas e de peso ao nascimento de 1553 gramas. As intercorrências mais frequentes foram doenças cardíacas, respiratórias e infecciosas. Dentre estes, 70% apresentaram pontuações totais na avaliação abaixo do esperado para a normalidade com alterações mais frequentes nas dimensões: tipo de tônus (65%) e movimento (60%). O peso ao nas­cimento foi o único fator que apresentou associação significante com o desempenho abaixo do esperado. Conclusão. Na população estudada, as baixas pontuações na avaliação reiteram a literatura científica no to­cante ao alto risco de RNPT desenvolverem complicações no período neonatal, com consequentes repercussões neurológicas.
Fundamentos e aplicabilidade clínica da Estimulação Magnética Transcraniana na Reabilitação das Afasia
Authors: Rodrigues Inês Tello Milheiras
Published: June 2015

A recuperação após um Acidente Vascular Cerebral (AVC) é baseada nos mecanismos de plasticidade neuronal e na forma como o sistema nervoso central se reorganiza para compensar a perda das áreas afeta­das. Neste contexto específico, as técnicas de neuromodulação, onde se enquadra a Estimulação Magnética Transcraniana (EMT), têm tido avanços promissores e suscitado grande interesse por parte da comu­nidade científica pelo seu potencial terapêutico, especialmente nas se­quelas pós-AVC. A EMT resulta da produção de campos magnéticos modulados, induzindo a produção de correntes eléctricas no córtex cerebral, modificando a excitabilidade intra-cortical e ativando ou ini­bindo estruturas corticais e subcorticais distantes ao longo de conexões específicas. Neste sentido, a EMT pode promover os mecanismos de neuroplasticidade e está associada à recuperação funcional de pacien­tes que sofreram AVC´s. Pretende-se, com este artigo, apresentar uma atualização da literatura sobre este tema de forma a evidenciar as dife­rentes aplicações clínicas desta técnica especificamente na reabilitação de pessoas com afasia após AVC.
Woman for President? ‘Alternative’ future in the works of Kenyan women writers
Authors: Rinkanya Alina
Published: June 2015

The article traces the emergence of ‘alternative’, positive vision of the future of African countries under the rule of female leaders in Kenyan women’s literature, using as examples three novels by Kenyan women writers—Rebecca Njau, Margaret Ogola and Monica Genya. The study comes to a conclusion that the aim of these authors was not to create another ‘trivial utopia’, but to draw a picture of a possible and accomplishable future which may serve as a motivation for the reading public.
Wole Soyinka’s dystopian/utopian vision in A Dance of the Forests
Authors: Azumurana Solomon Omatsola
Published: June 2015

Although very few critics have ventured to analyze Wole Soyinka’s A Dance of the Forests owing to its apparent difficulty, yet those who have attempted simply see it as a metaphorical commentary of the sociopolitical situation in Nigeria. While their observations might be valid, taking into cognizance that the play was written in 1960 as part of the celebration of Nigeria’s independence, the problem with such readings is that it does not take into account the structure of the play in which Soyinka traces the past to the present to forecast a dystopian future. While a utopic past and a dystopic present is often enacted as a narrative gesture that concomitantly leads to a utopian future, the reverse is the case in this play. What Wole Soyinka depicts is a dystopian past as well as a dystopian present and future. Therefore, my proposition in this paper is that more than being a work of postindependence disillusionment, Soyinka’s A Dance of the Forests links the hopeless past with the fruitless present to project a bleak future. In this way, my point of departure in this essay is that while the writing of the play has been motivated by the betrayal of the common trust and hope as it relates to the Nigerian socio-political climate, the message of the play has a universal underpinning. In this respect, Soyinka insists that the atrocities that have so often characterized human interactions generally are unavoidable. Yet, by portraying the unavoidability of these human atrocities, Soyinka invariably quests for a futurity that is utopian. My conclusion, therefore, is that within the aesthetic trajectory of Soyinka, the boundary between dystopian and utopian visions is not clear-cut: they are one and the same.
Concordance des temps: De la scénographie dans Demain j’aurai vingt ans d’Alain Mabanckou
Authors: Imorou Abdoulaye
Published: June 2015

This article demonstrates that in Demain j’aurai vingt ans (“Tomorrow I will be Twenty”) Alain Mabanckou, while talking about his childhood in Pointe Noire in Congo, also talks about justifying his adhesion to the littérature-monde movement. In the main, fictional works of Alain Mabanckou portray his vision of African literature, Verre Cassé being a perfect example of this. While this earlier novel only highlights this vision, Demain j’aurai vingt ans tries to prove that this vision is the only pertinent one. In this regard, Mabanckou attempts to deconstruct the argument that the upholders of littérature-monde, to which he belongs, are westernized and too remote from African realities. The article further examines and analyses the strategies of the author based on the notions of paratopy and scenography as developed by Dominique Maingueneau in Le discours littéraire. Paratopie et scène d’énonciation (“Literary Discourse. Paratopy and enunciation scene”).
Posture et écriture. Le Mabanckou post-Renaudot
Authors: De Meyer Bernard
Published: June 2015

The notion of literary posture, developed by Jérôme Meizoz, has recently integrated the field of postcolonial studies, thanks in particular to the edited book by Anthony Mangeon, Postures postcoloniales. Domaines africains et antillais (2012). Based on the concepts of Pierre Bourdieu—field, habitus and especially illusio—posture could be defined, in the domain of literary studies, as a way to “acquire” a position in the field, negotiated and renegotiated in a personal way, in order to inhabit a role, or even a status. The notion of posture would thus allow to better taking hold of the way authors present their positions not only in terms of symbolic capital and notoriety, but also in terms of their worldview. Posture has a rhetoric dimension, which is reflected in the textual, and an “actional” dimension, reflected in the contextual. It is in this framework that this article analyzes the most recent literary production (the textual) of the Franco-Congolese writer Alain Mabanckou, at a time this writer had to reinvent himself, following his huge positive critical acclaim. This production is linked to his activities on the margins of literature (the contextual), mainly his presence on social media and his participation to the Étonnants voyageurs literary festival (and in particular the festival organized in Brazzaville in February 2013). This “child of the postcolony” (Abdourahman Waberi), fervent advocate of the littérature-monde movement, displays in his latest work a certain return to the Africa of his childhood. This posture will be analyzed through his latest works, two novels and two essays, published between 2010 and 2013. The article will conclude on the validity of the notion of posture in postcolonial Francophone studies.
L’art et la guérison—Des impératifs éthiques dans Jardin secret de Julien Kilanga Musinde
Authors: Mwepu Patrick Kabeya
Published: June 2015

This article sets out to analyse a trend in literary (re)positioning in the context of socio-political confrontation. In keeping with the literary approach adopted by Julien Kilanga Musinde in the novel Jardin secret (2010), the article will focus on defining the ultimate objective (s) of literary writing in a context where the novel genre is perceived as a depiction of the author’s worldview. Given the socio-political contradictions and widespread dehumanisation that characterise present-day Africa, it is important to note that Musinde’s novel is one of the answers to the political contradictions that impel postcolonial Africa into a situation of endless crisis. In this philosophical novel, the author endeavours to address the misuse of political power. He is equally at pains to decry the unethical use of scientific knowledge. Much as politics is at the core of the narrative, it is important to note that the political vein is nothing more than a pretext used by the author to broach deeper philosophical issues, which are expressed through ethical imperatives.
Shadows of life, death and survival in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide
Authors: De Beer Anna-Marie , Snyman Elisabeth
Published: June 2015

Various writers and survivors have offered literary responses to the genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda. In 1998, a group of African intellectuals, mostly non-Rwandans, of whom two were female authors, participated in a collective writing project, Rwanda: écrire par devoir de mémoire, tasked to tell the story of the genocide. Genocide survivor, sociologist and psychotherapist, Esther Mujawayo, has since narrated her own story. Although critics have explored the portrayal of trauma in literature in other texts and contexts, a comparative study between these three texts of female authors; one survivor and two intellectuals, focusing on the experience of female survivors and in particular that of being raped has not yet been conducted. This article examines how trauma is made visible to the reader by exploring the characteristics of the ‘death experience’ and their mediated form, as offered by the three authors. This comparative study furthermore highlights the elements in the lives of survivors which influence their ability to move from a position of mere survival to that of embracing life after the genocide.
Abstracts of the 40th Symposium on Cuniculture, ASESCU Santiago de Compostela, Spain, 28th-29th May, 2015
Authors: Conferences, Congresses, Symposiums... Abstracts,
Published: June 2015

The 40th Congress of the Spanish Association of Cuniculture (ASESCU) was held in Santiago de Compostela from 28th to 29th May 2015. This is the 40th edition of the conference, held annually without interruption since 1976. Main papers focused on analysing the current rabbit sector situation in the north-western Iberian Peninsula, genetic improvement of meat rabbit and foundation of new lines. The future of meat rabbit production and the rabbit meat production value chain was discussed, with the results of the partnership between the Spanish Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA) and the rabbit marketing board (INTERCUN) to support research projects. A round table was also held on coccidiosis in rabbit farms. In addition, a total of 32 communications were presented both in working sessions with oral communications and posters (pathology, nutrition, reproduction, ethology, production and products). The meeting was attended by more than 200 participants, including researchers from Spain, Portugal, Mexico, Ecuador and Egypt, among other countries. Abstracts of the contributions presented are reported below.
Modelo de simulación para estimar la carga animal y capacidad de carga en pastizales naturales
Authors: Cantú Brito Jesús Enrique , Cisneros Vázquez José Manuel , Elizalde Téllez José Manuel
Published: June 2015

Se desarrolló un modelo de simulación para estimar la capacidad de carga y carga animal para pastizales naturales de zonas áridas, utilizando hojas de cálculo de Microsoft Excel, a partir de la relación existente entre la cantidad de precipitación y la producción de forraje en materia seca por hectárea (MS·ha-1). Se diseñó un modelo cualitativo, identificando las principales fases dentro del mismo para la estimación de la CC y CA. Se realizó en la URUZA-UACh de octubre de 2010 a octubre de 2011. Después de la calibración solo dos escenarios y dos situaciones reales fueron evaluadas. Para estas últimas, las diferencias fueron de 8.3 y -21.5 % con respecto a la realidad para valores ajustados y sin ajustar. La simulación respecto a lo real tiene diferencias del 20 %. El modelo estimó la CC y CA, así como los ajustes del porcentaje de pendiente y distancia del agua. Los resultados muestran que la producción varía entre tipos de vegetación debido a la variabilidad de la precipitación. Se observó que la productividad del pastizal evaluado es muy baja, ya que solo puede soportar 96.86 UAA, pero con los ajustes al porcentaje de pendiente y distancia del agua, ésta disminuye de 60.06 y 29.73.
Alternativas y toma de decisiones en el manejo de los recursos naturales en áreas degradadas de zonas áridas
Authors: Cruz-Martínez Adriana , Pedroza-Sandoval Aurelio , Trejo-Calzada Ricardo , Sánchez-Cohen Ignacio , Samaniego-Gaxiola José Alfredo , Cantú Brito Jesús Enrique
Published: June 2015

El manejo de los recursos naturales tanto en las zonas áridas como en cualquier otra área, debe estar respaldado por un adecuado análisis de las necesidades reales del sitio. El objetivo del presente estudio fue identificar y evaluar diferentes alternativas de manejo de recursos naturales, con la finalidad de desarrollar opciones de manejo que permitan mejorar las condiciones físicas del suelo en los agostaderos y a la vez, contribuir con las actividades productivas de la población. El estudio fue llevado a cabo en la localidad Roma-Texas que se encuentra a 25° 52’ 25.83” N y 103° 43’ 33.8” W a una altitud de 1,168 m. El presente estudio se llevó a cabo mediante recorridos de campo, para identificar la principal problemática de los recursos naturales en el área. Con el uso de la herramienta RMS Planningtool – SWAPA se definieron probables alternativas que se pueden aplicar en el sitio, mientras que con ayuda de expertos relacionados con el manejo de recursos naturales y la herramienta DSS Facilitator, se procedió a la evaluación y definición de las mejores alternativas para contribuir a la resolución de problemas relacionados al manejo de recursos naturales. Considerando los aspectos físico, social, económico y ambiental, las prácticas mejor evaluadas por su factibilidad, viabilidad y facilidad, fueron: el establecimiento de plantas leñosas (Prosopis spp), y de pastoreo, particularmente el pasto buffel (Cenchrus ciliarisL.), que son capaces de adaptarse a las condiciones de aridez de la zona.
Constraints on ocean circulation at the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum from neodymium isotopes
Authors: Abbott A. N. , Haley B. A. , Tripati A. K. , Frank M.
Published: June 2015

Abstract. Global warming during the Paleocene Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) ~55 million years ago (Ma) coincided with a massive release of carbon to the ocean–atmosphere system, as indicated by carbon isotopic data. Previous studies have argued for a role for changing ocean circulation, possibly as a trigger or response to climatic changes. We use neodymium (Nd) isotopic data to reconstruct short high-resolution records of deep-water circulation across the PETM. These records are derived by reductively leaching sediments from seven globally distributed sites and comparing data with published data from fossil fish debris to reconstruct past deep ocean circulation across the PETM. The Nd data for the leachates are interpreted to be consistent with previous studies that have used fish teeth and benthic foraminiferal δ13C to constrain regions of convection. There is some evidence from combining Nd isotope and δ13C records that the three major ocean basins may not have had substantial exchanges of deep waters. If the isotopic data are interpreted within this framework, then the observed pattern may be explained if the strength of overturning in each basin varied distinctly over the PETM, resulting in differences in deep-water aging gradients between basins. Results are consistent with published interpretations from proxy data and model simulations that suggest modulation of overturning circulation had an important role for global recovery of the ocean–atmosphere system after the PETM.
Gridded climate data from 5 GCMs of the Last Glacial Maximum downscaled to 30 arc s for Europe
Authors: Schmatz D. R. , Luterbacher J. , Zimmermann N. E. , Pearman P. B.
Published: June 2015

Abstract. Studies of the impacts of historical, current and future global change require very high-resolution climate data (≤ 1 km) as a basis for modelled responses, meaning that data from digital climate models generally require substantial rescaling. Another shortcoming of available datasets on past climate is that the effects of sea level rise and fall are not considered. Without such information, the study of glacial refugia or early Holocene plant and animal migration are incomplete if not impossible. Sea level at the last glacial maximum (LGM) was approximately 125 m lower, creating substantial additional terrestrial area for which no current baseline data exist. Here, we introduce the development of a novel, gridded climate dataset for LGM that is both very high resolution (1 km) and extends to the LGM sea and land mask. We developed two methods to extend current terrestrial precipitation and temperature data to areas between the current and LGM coastlines. The absolute interpolation error is less than 1 and 0.5 °C for 98.9 and 87.8 %, respectively, of all pixels within two arc degrees of the current coastline. We use the change factor method with these newly assembled baseline data to downscale five global circulation models of LGM climate to a resolution of 1 km for Europe. As additional variables we calculate 19 "bioclimatic" variables, which are often used in climate change impact studies on biological diversity. The new LGM climate maps are well suited for analysing refugia and migration during Holocene warming following the LGM.
Analysis of COSIMA spectra: Bayesian approach
Authors: Lehto H. J. , Zaprudin B. , Lehto K. M. , Lönnberg T. , Silén J. , Rynö J. , Krüger H. , Hilchenbach M. , Kissel J.
Published: June 2015

Abstract. We describe the use of Bayesian analysis methods applied to time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometer (TOF-SIMS) spectra. The method is applied to the COmetary Secondary Ion Mass Analyzer (COSIMA) TOF-SIMS mass spectra where the analysis can be broken into subgroups of lines close to integer mass values. The effects of the instrumental dead time are discussed in a new way. The method finds the joint probability density functions of measured line parameters (number of lines, and their widths, peak amplitudes, integrated amplitudes and positions). In the case of two or more lines, these distributions can take complex forms. The derived line parameters can be used to further calibrate the mass scaling of TOF-SIMS and to feed the results into other analysis methods such as multivariate analyses of spectra. We intend to use the method, first as a comprehensive tool to perform quantitative analysis of spectra, and second as a fast tool for studying interesting targets for obtaining additional TOF-SIMS measurements of the sample, a property unique to COSIMA. Finally, we point out that the Bayesian method can be thought of as a means to solve inverse problems but with forward calculations, only with no iterative corrections or other manipulation of the observed data.
NCIO 1.0: a simple Fortran NetCDF interface
Authors: Robinson A. , Perrette M.
Published: June 2015

Abstract. The NetCDF (Network Common Data Form) library has become an indispensable tool for data and model output management in geoscience. However for simple tasks, particularly in Fortran, the complexity of native NetCDF functionality can be cumbersome. The NCIO (NetCDF Input/Output) module has been designed as an interface to the NetCDF library with simplicity and ease of use in mind. While this implies that some NetCDF functionality is masked from the user, the subroutines provided here are adequate for basic serial reading and writing tasks of up to 6-D data arrays along with corresponding data attributes. The code is available online via a GitHub repository (http://www.github.com/alex-robinson/ncio), which includes an example program to illustrate the approach.
Modelling Mediterranean agro-ecosystems by including agricultural trees in the LPJmL model
Authors: Fader M. , von Bloh W. , Shi S. , Bondeau A. , Cramer W.
Published: June 2015

Abstract. Climate and land use change in the Mediterranean region is expected to affect natural and agricultural ecosystems by decreases in precipitation, increases in temperature as well as biodiversity loss and anthropogenic degradation of natural resources. Demographic growth in the Eastern and Southern shores will require increases in food production and put additional pressure on agro-ecosystems and water resources. Coping with these challenges requires informed decisions that, in turn, require assessments by means of a comprehensive agro-ecosystem and hydrological model. This study presents the inclusion of 10 Mediterranean agricultural plants, mainly perennial crops, in an agro-ecosystem model (LPJmL): nut trees, date palms, citrus trees, orchards, olive trees, grapes, cotton, potatoes, vegetables and fodder grasses. The model was successfully tested in three model outputs: agricultural yields, irrigation requirements and soil carbon density. With the development presented in this study, LPJmL is now able to simulate in good detail and mechanistically the functioning of Mediterranean agriculture with a comprehensive representation of ecophysiological processes for all vegetation types (natural and agricultural) and in a consistent framework that produces estimates of carbon, agricultural and hydrological variables for the entire Mediterranean basin. This development pave the way for further model extensions aiming at the representation of alternative agro-ecosystems (e.g. agroforestry), and opens the door for a large number of applications in the Mediterranean region, for example assessments on the consequences of land use transitions, the influence of management practices and climate change impacts.
Land-use changes reinforce the impacts of climate change on annual runoff dynamics in a southeast China coastal watershed
Authors: Ervinia A. , Huang J. , Zhang Z.
Published: June 2015

Abstract. Study on runoff dynamics across different physiographic regions is fundamentally important to formulate the sound strategies for water resource management especially in the coastal watershed where peoples heavily concentrated and relied on water resources. The L−R diagram, a conceptual model by which the land-changes evapotranspiration (ΔL) was estimated as the difference between actual and climate evapotranspiration to identify the specific impact of land-use changes on annual runoff changes (ΔR), was developed using the 53-year hydro-climatic data of Jiulong River Watershed, a typical medium-sized subtropical coastal watershed in China. This study found that land-use changes have reinforced the impact of climatic changes on runoff changes where nearly all points were scattered in II and IV quadrant. Deforestation and expansion of built up area has diminished the water retention capacity in a catchment as well as evapotranspiration thus produce extra runoff accounting for 12–183 % of total runoff increase. In contrast, reforestation makes the significant contribution to decreasing annual runoff for about 21–82 % of total runoff loss. This study revealed the river runoff has become more vulnerable to intensive anthropogenic disturbances under the context of climate changes in a coastal watershed.