bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coin Rotation Task: A Valid Test for Manual Dexterity in Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Heldner Mirjam R. , Vanbellingen Tim , Bohlhalter Stephan , Mattle Heinrich P. , Müri René M. , Kamm Christian P.
Published: June 2014

Background

Impaired manual dexterity is frequent and disabling in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Therefore, convenient, quick, and validated tests for manual dexterity in people with MS are needed.

Objective

The aim of this study was to validate the Coin Rotation Task (CRT) for examining manual dexterity in people with MS.

Design

This was a cross-sectional study.

Methods

A total of 101 outpatients with MS were assessed with the CRT, the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA), and the Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS); muscle strength and sensory deficits of the hands were noted. The concurrent validity and diagnostic accuracy of the CRT were determined by comparison with the 9-Hole Peg Test (9HPT). Construct validity was determined by comparison with a valid dexterity questionnaire. Multiple regression analyses were done to explore correlations of the CRT with the EDSS, SARA, MAS, muscle strength, and sensory deficits.

Results

The CRT correlated significantly with the 9HPT (r=.73, P<.0001), indicating good concurrent validity. The cutoff values for the CRT relative to the 9HPT were 18.75 seconds for the dominant hand (sensitivity=81.5%, specificity=80.0%) and 19.25 seconds for the nondominant hand (sensitivity=90.3%, specificity=81.8%); these values indicated good diagnostic accuracy. Furthermore, the CRT correlated significantly with the dexterity questionnaire (r=−.49, P<.0001), indicating moderate construct validity. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the EDSS was the strongest predictor for impaired dexterity.

Limitations

Most of the people examined had relapsing-remitting MS and EDSS scores of up to 7.

Conclusions

This study validated the CRT as a test that can be used easily and quickly to evaluate manual dexterity in people with MS.
Meningeal fibroma: a rare meningioma mimic
Authors: Kakkar Aanchal , Sharma Mehar C. , Goyal Nishant , Sarkar Chitra , Suri Vaishali , Garg Ajay , Kale Shashank S. , Suri Ashish
Published: June 2014

Meningeal fibromas are rare intracranial tumors that mimic meningiomas radiologically as well as histologically. The authors report 2 cases of meningeal fibroma with detailed clinical, radiological, histopathological, and immunohistochemical features, and discuss the differential diagnosis of this entity. Knowledge of this rare tumor is essential for pathologists to be able distinguish it from more common meningeal tumors, especially in younger patients. This knowledge is also essential for neurosurgeons, as incomplete resection may lead to tumor recurrence, and such patients require close follow-up.
Leakage detection on CT myelography for targeted epidural blood patch in spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid leaks: calcified or ossified spinal lesions ventral to the thecal sac
Authors: Yoshida Hiroki , Takai Keisuke , Taniguchi Makoto
Published: June 2014

Object

The purpose of this study was to describe significant CT myelography findings for determination of the leak site and outcome of targeted epidural blood patch (EBP) in patients with spontaneous CSF leaks.

Methods

During 2005–2013, spontaneous CSF leaks were diagnosed for 12 patients with orthostatic headaches. The patients received targeted EBP on the basis of CT myelography assessments.

Results

Computed tomography myelograms revealed ventral extradural collection of contrast medium distributed over multiple spinal levels (average 16 levels). Intraforaminal contrast medium extravasations were observed at multiple spinal levels (average 8.2 levels). For 8 (67%) of 12 patients, spinal lesions were noted around the thecal sac and included calcified discs with osteophytes, an ossified posterior longitudinal ligament, and an ossified yellow ligament; lesions were mostly located ventral to the thecal sac and were in close contact with the dura mater. The levels of these spinal lesions were considered potential leak sites and were targeted for EBP. For the remaining 4 patients who did not have definite spinal lesions around the thecal sac, leak site determination was based primarily on the contrast gradient hypothesis. The authors hypothesized that the concentration of extradural contrast medium would be the greatest and the same as that of intradural contrast medium at the leak site but that it would decrease with increased distance from the leak site according to the contrast gradient.

Epidural blood patch was placed at the level of spinal lesions and/or of the greatest and same concentration of contrast medium between the intradural and extradural spaces. For 10 of the 12 patients, the orthostatic headaches decreased significantly within a week of EBP and disappeared within a month. For the remaining 2 patients, headaches persisted and medical treatment was required for several months. For 3 patients, thick chronic subdural hematomas caused severe headaches and/or disturbed consciousness because of the mass effect of the hematomas, which were removed by bur hole drainage surgery. For 1 patient, bur hole drainage before EBP on the day of admission to hospital resulted in subdural tension pneumocephalus. The patient's headache immediately disappeared after EBP, and the hematoma did not recur. The other 2 patients underwent EBP followed by bur hole drainage, which resulted in improvements and disappearance of the hematomas. Over the follow-up period (mean 39 months), no CSF leaks or chronic subdural hematomas had recurred in any patient after EBP; by the final follow-up visit, all patients had returned to their jobs.

Conclusions

The most significant finding of this study was that spinal ventral calcified or ossified lesions, which may be associated with a dural tear, were present in approximately 70% of patients. Targeted EBP to these lesions resulted in good outcomes.
Rapid Development of Microsatellite Markers for Plantago ovata Forsk.: Using Next Generation Sequencing and Their Cross-Species Transferability
Authors: Fougat Ranbir , Joshi Chaitanya , Kulkarni Kalyani , Kumar Sushil , Patel Anand , Sakure Amar , Mistry Jigar
Published: June 2014

Isabgol (Plantago ovata Forsk.) is an important medicinal plant having high pharmacological activity in its seed husk, which is substantially used in the food, beverages and packaging industries. Nevertheless, isabgol lags behind in research, particularly for genomic resources, like molecular markers, genetic maps, etc. Presently, molecular markers can be easily developed through next generation sequencing technologies, more efficiently, cost effectively and in less time than ever before. This study was framed keeping in view the need to develop molecular markers for this economically important crop by employing a microsatellite enrichment protocol using a next generation sequencing platform (ion torrent PGM™) to obtain simple sequence repeats (SSRs) for Plantago ovata for the very first time. A total of 3447 contigs were assembled, which contained 249 SSRs. Thirty seven loci were randomly selected for primer development; of which, 30 loci were successfully amplified. The developed microsatellite markers showed the amplification of the expected size and cross-amplification in another six species of Plantago. The SSR markers were unable to show polymorphism within P. ovata, suggesting that low variability exists within genotypes of P. ovata. This study suggests that PGM™ sequencing is a rapid and cost-effective tool for developing SSR markers for non-model species, and the markers so-observed could be useful in the molecular breeding of P. ovata.
Correction: Liberati, S., et al. Loss of TRPV2 Homeostatic Control of Cell Proliferation Drives Tumor Progression. Cells 2014, 3, 112–128
Authors: Liberati Sonia , Morelli Maria , Amantini Consuelo , Farfariello Valerio , Santoni Matteo , Conti Alessandro , Nabissi Massimo , Cascinu Stefano , Santoni Giorgio
Published: June 2014

The authors wish to make the following corrections to this paper [1]: [...]
Flux-Grown Piezoelectric Materials: Application to α-Quartz Analogues
Authors: Armand Pascale , Lignie Adrien , Beaurain Marion , Papet Philippe
Published: June 2014

Using the slow-cooling method in selected MoO3-based fluxes, single-crystals of GeO2 and GaPO4 materials with an α-quartz-like structure were grown at high temperatures (T ≥ 950 °C). These piezoelectric materials were obtained in millimeter-size as well-faceted, visually colorless and transparent crystals. Compared to crystals grown by hydrothermal methods, infrared and Raman measurements revealed flux-grown samples without significant hydroxyl group contamination and thermal analyses demonstrated a total reversibility of the α-quartz ↔ β-cristobalite phase transition for GaPO4 and an absence of phase transition before melting for α-GeO2. The elastic constants CIJ (with I, J indices from 1 to 6) of these flux-grown piezoelectric crystals were experimentally determined at room and high temperatures. The ambient results for as-grown α-GaPO4 were in good agreement with those obtained from hydrothermally-grown samples and the two longitudinal elastic constants measured versus temperature up to 850 °C showed a monotonous evolution. The extraction of the ambient piezoelectric stress contribution e11 from the CD11 to CE11 difference gave for the piezoelectric strain coefficient d11 of flux-grown α-GeO2 crystal a value of 5.7(2) pC/N, which is more than twice that of α-quartz. As the α-quartz structure of GeO2 remained stable up to melting, a piezoelectric activity was observed up to 1000 °C.
A Maximum Entropy Method for a Robust Portfolio Problem
Authors: Xu Yingying , Wu Zhuwu , Jiang Long , Song Xuefeng
Published: June 2014

We propose a continuous maximum entropy method to investigate the robustoptimal portfolio selection problem for the market with transaction costs and dividends.This robust model aims to maximize the worst-case portfolio return in the case that allof asset returns lie within some prescribed intervals. A numerical optimal solution tothe problem is obtained by using a continuous maximum entropy method. Furthermore,some numerical experiments indicate that the robust model in this paper can result in betterportfolio performance than a classical mean-variance model.
A One Line Derivation of EGARCH
Authors: McAleer Michael , Hafner Christian
Published: June 2014

One of the most popular univariate asymmetric conditional volatility models is the exponential GARCH (or EGARCH) specification. In addition to asymmetry, which captures the different effects on conditional volatility of positive and negative effects of equal magnitude, EGARCH can also accommodate leverage, which is the negative correlation between returns shocks and subsequent shocks to volatility. However, the statistical properties of the (quasi-) maximum likelihood estimator of the EGARCH parameters are not available under general conditions, but rather only for special cases under highly restrictive and unverifiable conditions. It is often argued heuristically that the reason for the lack of general statistical properties arises from the presence in the model of an absolute value of a function of the parameters, which does not permit analytical derivatives, and hence does not permit (quasi-) maximum likelihood estimation. It is shown in this paper for the non-leverage case that: (1) the EGARCH model can be derived from a random coefficient complex nonlinear moving average (RCCNMA) process; and (2) the reason for the lack of statistical properties of the estimators of EGARCH under general conditions is that the stationarity and invertibility conditions for the RCCNMA process are not known.
Dehydroabietic Acid Isolated from Commiphora opobalsamum Causes Endothelium-Dependent Relaxation of Pulmonary Artery via PI3K/Akt-eNOS Signaling Pathway
Authors: Gao Wenyan , Dong Xiaoyan , Xie Nan , Zhou Chunlan , Fan Yuhua , Chen Guoyou , Wang Yanming , Wei Taiming , Zhu Daling
Published: June 2014

Commiphora opobalsamum is a Traditional Chinese Medicine used to treat traumatic injury, mainly by relaxing blood vessels. In this study, two diterpenes, dehydroabietic acid (DA) and sandaracopimaric acid (SA) were obtained from it by a bioassay-guided approach using isolated rat pulmonary artery rings. The structures of the two compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic methods (IR, 1H- and 13C-NMR, HR-ESI-MS). Both DA and SA reduced the contraction of phenylephrine-induced pulmonary arteries in a concentration-dependent manner, and endothelium contributed greatly to the vasodilatory effect of DA. This effect of DA was attenuated by NG-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, an eNOS inhibitor). Meanwhile, DA increased nitric oxide (NO) production, along with the increase of phosphorylation level of eNOS and Akt in endothelial cells. LY294002 (a PI3K inhibitor) could reverse this effect, which suggested the endothelial PI3K/Akt pathway involved in the mechanism underlying DA-induced relaxation of pulmonary artery. This work provided evidence of vasorelaxant substances in Commiphora opobalsamum and validated that PI3K/Akt-eNOS pathway was associated with DA-induced pulmonary artery vasodilation.
Cis-[Cr(C2O4)(pm)(OH2)2]+ Coordination Ion as a Specific Sensing Ion for H2O2 Detection in HT22 Cells
Authors: Jacewicz Dagmara , Siedlecka-Kroplewska Kamila , Pranczk Joanna , Wyrzykowski Dariusz , Woźniak Michał , Chmurzyński Lech
Published: June 2014

The purpose of this study was to examine the application of the coordinated cis-[Cr(C2O4)(pm)(OH)2]+ cation where pm denotes pyridoxamine, as a specific sensing ion for the detection of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). The proposed method for H2O2 detection includes two key steps. The first step is based on the nonenzymatic decarboxylation of pyruvate upon reaction with H2O2, while the second step is based on the interaction of cis-[Cr(C2O4)(pm)(OH2)2]+ with the CO2 released in the previous step. Using this method H2O2 generated during glutamate-induced oxidative stress was detected in HT22 hippocampal cells. The coordination ion cis-[Cr(C2O4)(pm)(OH2)2]+ and the spectrophotometric stopped-flow technique were applied to determine the CO2 concentration in cell lysates, supernatants and cell-free culture medium. Prior to CO2 assessment pyruvate was added to all samples studied. Pyruvate reacts with H2O2 with 1:1 stoichiometry, and consequently the amount of CO2 released in this reaction is equivalent to the amount of H2O2.
Loddigesiinols G–J: α-Glucosidase Inhibitors from Dendrobium loddigesii
Authors: Lu Yu , Kuang Ming , Hu Gu-Ping , Wu Rui-Bo , Wang Jun , Liu Lan , Lin Yong-Cheng
Published: June 2014

Four new polyphenols, loddigesiinols G–J (compounds 1–4) and a known compound, crepidatuol B (5), were isolated from the stems of Dendrobium loddigesii that have long been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and have recently been used to treat type 2 diabetes. Compounds 1–5 structures were elucidated based on spectroscopic analysis. The absolute configurations of compounds 1–4 were determined using theoretical calculations of electronic circular dichroism (ECD), and the absolute configuration of compound 5 was determined by a comparison of the experimental ECD spectra and the literature data. Compounds 1–5 are strong inhibitors of α-glucosidase, with IC50 values of 16.7, 10.9, 2.7, 3.2, and 18.9 μM, respectively. Their activities were significantly stronger than trans-resveratrol as a positive control (IC50 values of 27.9 μM).
Evaluation of a Triple-Helical Peptide with Quenched Fluorophores for Optical Imaging of MMP-2 and MMP-9 Proteolytic Activity
Authors: Zhang Xuan , Bresee Jamee , Cheney Philip , Xu Baogang , Bhowmick Manishabrata , Cudic Mare , Fields Gregg , Edwards Wilson
Published: June 2014

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) 2 and 9, the gelatinases, have consistently been associated with tumor progression. The development of gelatinase-specific probes will be critical for identifying in vivo gelatinoic activity to understand the molecular role of the gelatinases in tumor development. Recently, a self-assembling homotrimeric triple-helical peptide (THP), incorporating a sequence from type V collagen, with high substrate specificity to the gelatinases has been developed. To determine whether this THP would be suitable for imaging protease activity, 5-carboxyfluorescein (5FAM) was conjugated, resulting in 5FAM3-THP and 5FAM6-THP, which were quenched up to 50%. 5FAM6-THP hydrolysis by MMP-2 and MMP-9 displayed kcat/KM values of 1.5 × 104 and 5.4 × 103 M−1 s−1, respectively. Additionally 5FAM6-THP visualized gelatinase activity in gelatinase positive HT-1080 cells, but not in gelatinase negative MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, the fluorescence in the HT-1080 cells was greatly attenuated by the addition of a MMP-2 and MMP-9 inhibitor, SB-3CT, indicating that the observed fluorescence release was mediated by gelatinase proteolysis and not non-specific proteolysis of the THPs. These results demonstrate that THPs fully substituted with fluorophores maintain their substrate specificity to the gelatinases in human cancer cells and may be useful in in vivo molecular imaging of gelatinase activity.
Carbon Nanotubes and Chronic Granulomatous Disease
Authors: Barna Barbara , Judson Marc , Thomassen Mary
Published: June 2014

Use of nanomaterials in manufactured consumer products is a rapidly expanding industry and potential toxicities are just beginning to be explored. Combustion-generated multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) or nanoparticles are ubiquitous in non-manufacturing environments and detectable in vapors from diesel fuel, methane, propane, and natural gas. In experimental animal models, carbon nanotubes have been shown to induce granulomas or other inflammatory changes. Evidence suggesting potential involvement of carbon nanomaterials in human granulomatous disease, has been gathered from analyses of dusts generated in the World Trade Center disaster combined with epidemiological data showing a subsequent increase in granulomatous disease of first responders. In this review we will discuss evidence for similarities in the pathophysiology of carbon nanotube-induced pulmonary disease in experimental animals with that of the human granulomatous disease, sarcoidosis.
Investigating the Relationship between the Inter-Annual Variability of Satellite-Derived Vegetation Phenology and a Proxy of Biomass Production in the Sahel
Authors: Meroni Michele , Rembold Felix , Verstraete Michel , Gommes Rene , Schucknecht Anne , Beye Gora
Published: June 2014

In the Sahel region, moderate to coarse spatial resolution remote sensing time series are used in early warning monitoring systems with the aim of detecting unfavorable crop and pasture conditions and informing stakeholders about impending food security risks. Despite growing evidence that vegetation productivity is directly related to phenology, most approaches to estimate such risks do not explicitly take into account the actual timing of vegetation growth and development. The date of the start of the season (SOS) or of the peak canopy density can be assessed by remote sensing techniques in a timely manner during the growing season. However, there is limited knowledge about the relationship between vegetation biomass production and these variables at the regional scale. This study describes the first attempt to increase our understanding of such a relationship through the analysis of phenological variables retrieved from SPOT-VEGETATION time series of the Fraction of Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation (FAPAR). Two key phenological variables (growing season length (GSL); timing of SOS) and the maximum value of FAPAR attained during the growing season (Peak) are analyzed as potentially related to a proxy of biomass production (CFAPAR, the cumulative value of FAPAR during the growing season). GSL, SOS and Peak all show different spatial patterns of correlation with CFAPAR. In particular, GSL shows a high and positive correlation with CFAPAR over the whole Sahel (mean r = 0.78). The negative correlation between delays in SOS and CFAPAR is stronger (mean r = −0.71) in the southern agricultural band of the Sahel, while the positive correlation between Peak FAPAR and CFAPAR is higher in the northern and more arid grassland region (mean r = 0.75). The consistency of the results and the actual link between remote sensing-derived phenological parameters and biomass production were evaluated using field measurements of aboveground herbaceous biomass of rangelands in Senegal. This study demonstrates the potential of phenological variables as indicators of biomass production. Nevertheless, the strength of the relation between phenological variables and biomass production is not universal and indeed quite variable geographically, with large scattered areas not showing a statistically significant relationship.
Correction: Buranda, T. et al. Equilibrium and Kinetics of Sin Nombre Hantavirus Binding at DAF/CD55 Functionalized Bead Surfaces. Viruses 2014, 6, 1091-1111
Authors: Buranda Tione , Swanson Scarlett , Bondu Virginie , Schaefer Leah , Maclean James , Mo Zhenzhen , Wycoff Keith , Belle Archana , Hjelle Brian
Published: June 2014

The procedure for blocking infection with H319 antibodies in polarized Vero E6 cells, grown in transwell inserts, was erroneously omitted on page 1104, Section 3.13. (entitled ‘Infectivity Assays’) of [1]. It is important to note that robust blocking with H319 anti-DAF anti-bodies, as shown in Figure 5B, was measured in polarized cells, seeded on filter supports in transwell plates, as described below. [...]
Western links of the Lykaonia plain in the Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age
Authors: Bahar Hasan , Koçak Özdemir
Published: June 2014

In this article seven settlements situated north-northwest of Konya and the Chalcolithic-EBA (Early Bronze Age) cultures are examined. This area links the Lykaonia Plain with the west. This article shows that this area possesses geographical and cultural unity and important natural routes. In addition we attempt to determine to which neighbouring settlements the area is linked.

Our area, approximately 25-35 km north of Konya, is located on the Bozdağlar mountains (Map 1-2). These mountains are the northern range of the Taurus. This region is the natural border between ancient Lykaonia and Phrygia. The climate is different in each part of this mountainous region. We studied especially seven settlements : Malas II, Sızma, Pınarbaşı Yuğ Tepesi, Meydan Yolu, Gelemiş, Çaltı Peynirli and Büyükpınar.

We treat this subject in two main sections. In the first part we deal with settlement features and conditions, and in the second part we evaluate the archaeological finds .
Quel français pour l'enseignement professionnel ?
Authors: Groux Gérard
Published: June 2014

Existe-t-il un français propre à l'enseignement professionnel ? Malgré ses spécificités cette filière n'a pas réellement développé une approche originale des problèmes de langue, s'en remettant à la bonne volonté des professeurs de français pour nouer le dialogue avec leurs collègues. Les expériences menées soulignent pourtant l'efficacité de ces pratiques particulièrement lorsqu'elles peuvent s'appuyer sur une bonne connaissance de la distinction langue écrite - langue orale.
Une technicité masquée : la lecture des énoncés et consignes
Authors: Demarty Warzée J
Published: June 2014

The terms and Instructions of exercises or problems are not transparent They pertain to a particular code, which masks the task involved ; therefore they require the acquisition of a textual competence, which is prerequisite to an efficient reading.
"Fusibilité : c'est un conducteur d'électricité." Termes abstraits en -té, et usage de la définition
Authors: Estavel J
Published: June 2014

L'analyse des définitions pratiquées dans l'enseignement de la techno- logie en Lycée Professionnel fait surgir des questions utiles à la pratique de la pkuidiscipUnarité. Un traitement spécifique et harmonisé des difficultés tenant à la langue, au discours, à la métalangue, et aux notions apparaît indispensable.
Reflets de la terminologie financière des PTT dans deux structures antagonistes : le thésaurus et le lexique
Authors: Petit Gérard
Published: June 2014

Thesaurus et lexique sont des structures qui s'opposent par leurs modalités de fonctionnement L'intervention d'une contrainte socio-linguistique homogène comme principe de constitution (création d'un lexique et d'un thesaurus à destination d'usagers non spécialistes de la terminologie postale), loin de rapprocher les deux objets, les conduit à investir des stratégies formelles, sémantiques et notionnelles radicalement divergentes.
L'image des sciences du langage dans des banques de données bibliographiques — de l'indexation à l'épistémologie
Authors: Rastier François
Published: June 2014

L'indexation des articles et des ouvrages de linguistique dans les bases de données bibliographiques soulève des problèmes d'ordre théorique auxquels un linguiste ne peut rester indifférent. D'abord simplement descriptive, cette étude en vient à considérer l'image de la discipline qui s'y trouve reflétée : elle engage en fait des questions épistémologiques.
La menace comme acte de langage : étude diachronique de quelques formules de français
Authors: Weill I
Published: June 2014

This paper aims at analyzing, within the frame of Oxford pragmatics, a very peculiar speech act, threatening and the instanciations of that act in a diachronic study which runs from old French to modern French. First we describe the constructions including the verb "menacer" and we see that threatening belongs to the class of indirect acts, then we analyze the oblique formulas that convey them. Finally we bring out the predominance of verbs borrowed from the lexicon of market terms, which indicates the concern for maintaining, even in fiction, a normalized linguistic interchange.
Éléments pour une description linguistique de la personne physique
Authors: Leeman Danielle
Published: June 2014

We are interested in the description of the person as it reveals itself through the construction to haveNAdj (Jean a les cheveux frisés, "John has curly hair") and in the different cases when this structure allows the move to to be Adj (Jean est frisé "John is curly-haired"). There is no possible equivalence for every N (Il a les yeux bleus "He has blue eyes", * II est bleu "He is blue") nor for every Adj (II a les cheveux raides "He has a stiff hair", Il est raide "He is stiff), which may lead us to conclude that language has its own criteria when constructing reference.
Structure rythmique et prosodique du français : pour une approche psycho-cognitive
Authors: Delais E
Published: June 2014

The prosodie structure of a French utterance cannot be correctly derived by taking into account the linguistic information alone (in particular syntax). Certain phenomena such as rhythmic alternation, syllabic balancing between constituents also play an important role in the way the speaker cuts an utterance into prosodie chunks. It is however difficult to formalise them in terms of principles and to give them as much weight as to the linguistic information, as they result from biological and psychocognitive factors. This paper presents the approach used to infer these biological and psychocognitive principles from a recorded speech corpus. The aim of the work presented is then to build up a prosodie model based on the interaction and the conflict resolution between linguistic constraints and biological or psychocognitive constraints. In the first part, the inadequacy of linguistics-based models is demonstrated. The second part is a presentation of models which give interesting viewpoints, as they also take linguistic and psychocognitive information into account. The third part of the article presents our approach and the preliminary results we obtained.
Comment les enfants perçoivent leur propre parole dans la transcription "Alfonic" ?
Authors: Koskas Éliane
Published: June 2014

I'll try in this paper, by analyzing children's verbal productions actualized in a phonological way through "Alfonic", to show how they perceive their own speech. The results found seem to occur in a regular way and so may be considered as rules. Then from a psychological point of view, I wanted to show how children used in such a way to communicating either orally or in their own written way are induced to consider reading, not as an artificial decoding but as a means of understanding the others' intents to mean or messages.
A propos de la négation dans les phrases complexes
Authors: Zuber R.
Published: June 2014

Given the strong hypothesis that properties of relations used to interpret linguistic expressions semantically do not depend on the grammatical category of these expressions, some tools of the generalized quantifiers theory are used to analyse negation. It is shown in particular that the notion of conservativity allows a generalized treatment of the "various" types of negation in complex sentences with intensional operators.
La négation comme jugement : une application aux interrogatives
Authors: Muller Claude
Published: June 2014

Cet article présente une nouvelle analyse de l'interrogation, basée sur l'opposition entre les connaissances ou présupposés pragmatiques d'arrière-plan et la notion de premier plan, à l'origine de la question. La présence ou non d'une négation peut, dans ce cadre, illustrer la stratégie du locuteur : dans le même contexte, celui-ci peut soit mettre en doute son opinion d'arrière-plan, soit anticiper sur la vérité du premier plan. On peut ainsi décrire l'interronégative sans faire intervenir la rhétorique de l'argumentation et du dialogue, également exprimable dans ce cadre avec les distinctions polyphoniques d'énonciateurs.

Cette analyse conduit à la mise en évidence d'un type surprenant de question : les interronégatives en "par hasard", dont on montre que l'origine probable est à chercher dans un arrière-plan faisant partie des savoirs partagés : tout élément non avéré est a priori concevable comme un présupposé négatif - à l'exception notable d'états de faits généralement posés comme positifs, et qui précisément bloquent la formation de ce type de questions.
Ce n'est pas que, non que
Authors: Attal Pierre
Published: June 2014

La forme négative ce n'est pas que, qui est parfois en concurrence avec non que, pose de nombreux problèmes : les principaux sont les rapports entre ce n'est pas que et c'est que, surtout quand ce dernier est suivi d'une négation, et la valeur ou les valeurs de cette tournure. En général, on la décrit comme causale ("Ce n'est pas parce que"), mais un large relevé d'exemples montre que ce n'est pas systématique. Par contre, en regardant les choses de près, on peut lui attribuer toutes les valeurs de ne pas, y compris lorsque ce dernier n'est pas "contre- argumentatif ' ou contradictoire ("Ce n'est pas qu'il ne l'aime pas, il le déteste"). Mais le plus souvent ce n'est pas que a bien un rôle contre- argumentatif.
Le rôle de la sémantique dans l'interprétation de aucun
Authors: Heldner Christina
Published: June 2014

Les syntagmes nominaux déterminés par l'indéfini AUCUN - que l'on peut envisager comme un quantificateur existentiel intégré dans le champ de la négation - reçoivent deux interprétations distinctes, surtout en position de sujet, suivant qu'ils apparaissent dans un énoncé déclaratif ou existentiel.

Une lecture non référentielle s'impose en proposition existentielle, où ces SN contribuent à asserter la non existence ou l'absence d'objets (ou de substances ou d'ensembles d'objets) de la catégorie désignées par le nom tête. L'énoncé Dans cette région, il n'y a aucune classe maternelle de plus de quatorze enfants en constitue un exemple caractéristique.

Dans des énoncés déclaratifs, comme Aucune maison n'a été épargnée, ce quantificateur négatif opère sur un sous-ensemble fini et spécifique d'objets de la catégorie dénotée par la tête nominale (c'est-à- dire maisons). L'existence de ce sous-ensemble étant présupposée, cette lecture est qualifiée de référentielle.

Le problème traité dans cet article est celui d'identifier les facteurs responsables de la sélection de l'une ou de l'autre lecture. En fait, il n'existe pas de critère formel simple permettant de décider si un énoncé donné doit s'analyser comme déclaratif ou existentiel, sauf quand celui- ci fait intervenir une construction impersonnelle comme il y a. L'approche adoptée ici consiste à explorer les possibilités d'une analyse purement sémantique cantonnée dans la phrase. Une éventuelle analyse pragmatique interviendra à un stade ultérieur pour rendre compte des cas demeurés ambigus au niveau phrastique. Un examen des données fournies par un corpus informatisé a donné les résultats suivants :

Un SN déterminé par AUCUN et sujet d'un verbe passif accepte seulement la lecture non référentielle, lorsqu'il a un nom tête syncatégorématique marqué [abstrait] et qu'il s'accompagne d'un verbe support. Quant aux SN en AUCUN sujets d'un verbe existentiel, ils manifestent une forte tendance à recevoir une interprétation non référentielle. En revanche, la lecture référentielle s'impose dès que le nom tête du SN sujet est catégorématique et marqué [animé] ou [concret] et que la structure sémantique du verbe est suffisamment riche pour lui assurer une certaine autonomie. En combinant un verbe qui impose peu de contraintes sémantiques à son sujet - ou aucune - à un SN sujet dénotant un réfèrent concret ou animé, on obtiendra souvent une phase ambiguë, dont l'ambiguïté ne sera levée que par une prise en compte de facteurs discursifs ou pragmatiques.
L'enseignement de l'oral dans la préparation professionnelle. Rapport sur l'après-midi du 22 décembre
Authors: Groux Gérard
Published: June 2014

Failure at school is a very painful experience for both pupils and teachers and failure in the French language soon becomes a drama. This failure is quite obvious, since it appears through our language, our everyday tool. In written language its symptoms are textual incoherence, incorrect syntax, poor punctuation, misspellings, all significantly present in the texts written by students of vocational curricula. My analysis takes the opposite point of view to that generally held : I judge these so-called mistakes not as being proof of a lacking ability but as the sign that there is a new mode of expression, which I call "scriptoral", entrenched in the writer's memory. I hope such an approach may help in choosing suitable didactic options, so that these students might master their language, whatever may be the type of writing aimed at.
La problématique du français parlé et son application dans l'enseignement professionnel
Authors: Blanche-Benveniste Claire
Published: June 2014

What could be the use of a reflexion on one's spoken language in the classroom ? Any tentative to study spontaneous spoken language proved fallacious. The proposal of this paper is to focus on a less spontaneous type of spoken language, produced when people give explanations about professional items.
L'enseignement de l'oral en C.F.A. : un état des lieux
Authors: Gadet Françoise , Barges Nicole , Dubreuil Christian , Wolff Coryne , Abraham Carole , Rougié Muriel , Sand Jergen
Published: June 2014

In the "Centres de Formation d'Apprentis" (apprentice training centres), as with all levels of education in France, the teaching of language is primarily concerned with the written language. The focus of this paper is to present the point of view of the protagonists involved in the process of French teaching : the role of official documents, text and exercise books, as well as the reactions of teachers and pupils to this process. The conclusions that we arrived at lead us to believe that the situation as it now exists is untenable. If it is acknowledged that the teaching of oral language is critical in improving the way pupils speak, it would then be necessary to change the whole program.
Déficits dans la maîtrise des procédés de cohésion
Authors: Reichler-Béguelin Marie-José
Published: June 2014

Pupils' compositions in short-term vocational education bear traces of characteristic difficulties in cohesion and in mastery of linguistic processes. This study presents a typology and an analysis of the main deficiencies observed, based on a corpus of 263 papers provided by the organizers of the symposium. The main problems observed concern the articulation between texts and instructions, the choice of a deictic location and of an argumentative line, the use of anaphoric expressions, the choice of referential expressions, managing agreements and logical and argumentative linking.
Textes, contexte et cohérence
Authors: Djellal Nouamane
Published: June 2014

C'est parce qu'ils ne correspondent pas à nos attentes en tant qu'enseignants/ que l'on peut a priori qualifier les textes argumentatifs des apprentis d'incohérents. Les difficultés des apprentis ne sont pas dues à des problèmes purement linguistiques, leurs productions écrites résultant de l'interaction de plusieurs paramètres (lieu social, énonciateur, destinataire, but). Les acteurs de cette interaction n'ont pas tous le même statut dans cette énonciation particulière qu'est le discours scolaire des apprentis. En effet, l'école bénéficie d'un pouvoir exorbitant, celui de provoquer le discours et de le nier en tant que discours.
Cohérence de l'incohérence dans un cadre incohérent
Authors: Chekour Karim
Published: June 2014

Adult learners in a professional or pre-professional context call for an efficient way to deal with their writing problems, which begins with the explanation of their errors ; we suggest three examples : on the one hand, the reader's feeling of incoherence may come not from text contents, but from its manner of presentation, which does not comply with the type envisaged in the guide lines ; on the other hand, what we usually term as an incapability to treat a subject only reflects, in real terms, a refusal to perform it ; and finally, the vocabulary is likely to play a crucial role in the coherence (or incoherence) of the text, the error not being attributable to a failure to master the syntactic structure or the skilful treatment of the information but to the inappropriate inferences on what we consider to be the meaning of the term used.
Jurer est-il déjà un verbe performatif en ancien français ?
Authors: Lignereux M
Published: June 2014

S'appuyant sur le fait que le verbe jurer est un verbe performatif en français moderne, on s'interrogera sur la valeur de je jure en ancien français à partir d'un corpus de textes du XII° et XIII° siècles.

On remarquera alors que pour prêter serment, on conjugue divers facteurs, linguistiques ou extra-linguistiques : formule de serment si m'ait Dex, présence de reliques, etc. ; je jure n'apparaît pas, si ce n'est dans un emploi métadiscursif.

En dehors de ce contexte, on relèvera quelques occurrences de je jure, ce qui nous permettra de tracer une évolution diachronique.
Aménagement linguistique et norme langagière au Québec
Authors: Lepicq Dominique , Bourhis Richard
Published: June 2014

La force d'attraction de l'anglais sur le continent nord-américain y maintient le français en position de précarité. Ce facteur parmi beaucoup d'autres a incité les gouvernements québécois à une politique musclée sur le plan linguistique comme en témoigne la loi 101 qui a eu des répercussions sur le statut et l'usage au Québec des deux langues officielles du Canada. Cette politique linguistique qui prend racine dans l'essor nationaliste des années 60 et 70 a conduit à réexaminer la qualité du français au Québec et à relancer le débat sur la norme.
Métalexique, métadiscours et interactions métalinguistiques
Authors: Trévise Anne
Published: June 2014

This article proposes some clarifications in the terminology : more or less sophisticated metalinguistic discourses, using metaterms or metalexicon, are opposed to le métalinguistique at work in most forms of discourses. Didactics should take into account the different types of metadiscourses produced by learners as well as the types of interactions in which they can be found.
Shall et will : un futur pas si simple (1740-1914)
Authors: Clavères Marie-Hélène
Published: June 2014

In this article, I analyze the treatment of shall and will jon a set of grammars and text books used to teach English to the French, and published in France between 1740 and 1967. After 1870, the importance attached to the use of paraphrases or to discursive and pragmatic variations declines and the tendency is to define rules for the producing of sentences based on syntactic criteria.
Grammaires excentriques et cultures métalinguistiques
Authors: Beacco Jean-Claude
Published: June 2014

Les difficultés rencontrées par des apprenants de langue au contact, direct ou indirect, des descriptions métalinguistiques impliquées dans l'enseignement ne tiennent peut-être pas essentiellement à la métalangue. Celle-ci peut introduire des perturbations, par exemple quand les mêmes phénomènes sont appréhendés au moyen de dénominations différentes d'une langue à l'autre. Et c'est souvent le cas quand sont au contact des langues apparentées qui ont été décrites au sein de traditions linguistiques elles-mêmes proches. Ce qui semble en jeu, ce sont les catégorisations construites pour décrire la langue cible : elles ont toutes une origine savante et l'on ignore si elles sont compatibles avec les catégorisations que construisent les apprenants dans les processus d'apprentissage. On propose comme hypothèse que ceux-ci peuvent mobiliser une culture métalinguistique non savante, issue de l'enseignement de langue maternelle et de la métalangue naturelle, et que l'on peut identifier, dans des grammaires "locales", des traces des tentatives d'adaptation, faites en classe, des descriptions "orthodoxes" aux cultures métalinguistiques des apprenants.
Le nom propre et le signe zéro oscillant dans Le lieutenant Kijé
Authors: Feigenbaum S , Tsirlin Marc
Published: June 2014

The paper presents a semiotic analysis of how the zero sign works, by studying the case of a character in two ways fictional of a Russian novel by Tynianov, Lieutenant Kijé. Kijé did not exist ever ; he was engendered by a copist's writing mistake. On the basis of assumptions inspired by Jakobson, Barthes or even Chomsky, we demonstrate how a being that is nothing but a name without a referent can assume some consistence in opposition to the other protagonists of the narration. Kijé appears not only as a remarkable linguistic and novelistic object, but as the symbol of a bureaucratic and absurd State.
Forecasting Recreational Visitation at US National Parks
Authors: Wilmot Neil A. , McIntosh Christopher R.
Published: June 2014

This study evaluates forecasting accuracy among several competing methodologies, including time series and econometric methods, on visitation to 255 US National Park Service (NPS) sites. The performance of these models is contrasted with the model currently in use by the NPS. One-yearahead,
2-year-ahead, and combined (1- and 2-year-ahead) forecasting performance at the individual park level is examined utilizing several measures of forecasting accuracy, including root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). Results indicate incorporating economic variables
can significantly improve forecasts, particularly for large and small parks. For medium size parks the naive forecast errors were typically lowest. Furthermore, the naive model performed well, often producing the best forecast, followed by the econometric model. Regionally, the naive and econometric
models preform best, with the Pacificwest region being the exception. Utilizing the most accurate model for each park leads to a 24% improvement over current forecasts (1-year horizon) and suggests that a mixed model approach is optimal.
Chinese Immigrants' Psychological Well-Being and Homeland Visit
Authors: Io Man-U , Oguchi Takashi
Published: June 2014

Given the limited research in immigrants' psychological well-being with respect to homeland tourism, this study explored the Chinese immigrants' psychological well-being and the relationship with their homeland visit. A survey was conducted for a sample of 500 immigrants. The CES-D
was used to measure respondents' psychological well-being. The results revealed that respondents' psychological well-being not only significantly varied across different demographic variables, but also significantly correlated with their homeland visit. The results suggest that even though
respondents may have adapted well to the new living environment of Macao due to a high degree of cultural similarities, they still tend to keep a connection with their homeland through homeland visit as it could benefit their psychological well-being. Through homeland visit, respondents could
regain or affirm their connection with and emotional social support through the old social circle in their homeland. The study contributes to the understanding of the positive relationship between homeland tourism and immigrants' psychological well-being and reveals the need for further research
in homeland tourism.
Role of a Center of Excellence Program in Improving the Quality of Peritoneal Dialysis—A Chinese Experience
Authors: Yao Qiang , Zhou George
Published: June 2014

Improving the quality of peritoneal dialysis (PD) in areas with a rapid increase in PD patient numbers constitutes the most significant PD challenge in China. Here, we share our experience of implementing a quality improvement program in 8 PD centers, with guidance from matched experienced centers.
Impact of Continuous Quality Improvement Initiatives on Clinical Outcomes in Peritoneal Dialysis
Authors: Yu Yusheng , Zhou Yan , Wang Han , Zhou Tingting , Li Qing , Li Taoyu , Wu Yan , Liu Zhihong
Published: June 2014

Objective

We evaluated the role of a quality improvement initiative in improving clinical outcomes in peritoneal dialysis (PD).

Methods

In a retrospective analysis of 6 years of data from a hospital registry, the period between 1 July 2005 and 30 June 2008 (control group) provided baseline data from before implementation of systemic outcomes monitoring, and the period between 1 July 2008 and 30 June 2011 [continuous quality improvement (CQI) group] represented the time when a CQI program was in place. Peritonitis incidence, patient and technique survival, cardiovascular status, causes of death, and drop-out were compared between the groups.

Results

In the 370 patients of the CQI group and the 249 patients of the control group, the predominant underlying kidney diseases were chronic glomerulonephritis and diabetic nephropathy. After implementation of the CQI initiative, the peritonitis rate declined to 1 episode in 77.25 patient–months from 1 episode in 22.86 patient–months. Ultrasound parameters of cardiac structure were generally unchanged in the CQI group, but significant increases in cardiothoracic ratio and interventricular septal thickness were observed in the control group (both p < 0.05). Patient survival at 1, 2, and 3 years was significantly higher in the CQI group (97.3%, 96.3%, and 96.3% respectively) than in the control group (92.6%, 82.4%, and 67.3% respectively, p < 0.001). Implementation of the CQI initiative also appeared to significantly improve technique survival rates: 95.6%, 92.6%, and 92.6% in the CQI group compared with 89.6%, 79.2%, and 76.8% in the control group ( p < 0.001) after 1, 2, and 3 years respectively.

Conclusion

Integration of a CQI process into a PD program can significantly improve the quality of therapy and its outcomes.