bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Spontaneous Immune Responses against Long Peptides Derived from Bcl-X(L) in Cancer Patients Using Elispot
Authors: Larsen Stine Kiaer , Hansen Morten , Svane Inge Marie , Straten Per Thor , Andersen Mads Hald
Published: April 2012

In recent years we and others have used the ELISPOT assay successfully to identify novel tumor antigens by the characterization of spontaneous HLA class I restricted immune responses against a number of minimal 9–10 amino acid long peptide epitopes. In the present study, we examined the capability of using longer peptides when scrutinizing Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells (PMBC) from melanoma patients for spontaneous immunity by means of ELISPOT IFN-γ secretion assay. To this end, we examined PBMC for the presence of specific T-cell responses against long peptides derived from the tumor associated antigen BCL-X(L). The protein product of the larger BCL-X(L) differs from Bcl-X(S) protein by an inserted region (amino acids 126–188). Thus, we scrutinized eight long peptides covering this inserted region for spontaneous immunity. The peptides were overlapping and consisted of 20–23 amino acids. PBMC were pre-stimulated with peptide-pulsed autologous dendritic cells (DC) and subjected to the IFN-γ ELISPOT assay. Four of the BCL-X(L) derived peptides elicited very frequent responses in several patients. Additionally, in all patients responses against more than one of the peptides could be detected. In conclusion several long BCL-X(L) derived peptide epitopes exist, which may be used in anti-cancer immunity. Furthermore, the ELISPOT assay offers an attractive and sensitive method for the characterization of spontaneous immune reactivity against long peptides.
Micro-Ramps for Hypersonic Flow Control
Authors: Saad Mohd R. , Zare-Behtash Hossein , Che-Idris Azam , Kontis Konstantinos
Published: April 2012

Shock/boundary layer interaction (SBLI) is an undesirable phenomenon, occurring in high-speed propulsion systems. The conventional method to manipulate and control SBLI is using a bleed system that involves the removal of a certain amount of mass of the inlet flow to control boundary layer separation. However, the system requires a larger nacelle to compensate the mass loss, larger nacelles contribute to additional weight and drag and reduce the overall performance. This study investigates a novel type of flow control device called micro-ramps, a part of the micro vortex generators (VGs) family that intends to replace the bleed technique. Micro-ramps produce pairs of counter-rotating streamwise vortices, which help to suppress SBLI and reduce the chances of flow separation. Experiments were done at Mach 5 with two micro-ramp models of different sizes. Schlieren photography, surface flow visualization and infrared thermography were used in this investigation. The results revealed the detailed flow characteristics of the micro-ramp, such as the primary and secondary vortices. This helps us to understand the overall flow physics of micro-ramps in hypersonic flow and their application for SBLI control.
Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Activities of Essential Oils of Satureja thymbra Growing Wild in Libya
Authors: Giweli Abdulhmid , Džamić Ana M. , Soković Marina , Ristić Mihailo S. , Marin Petar D.
Published: April 2012

The composition of essential oil isolated from Satureja thymbra, growing wild in Libya, was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. The essential oil was characterized by γ-terpinene (39.23%), thymol (25.16%), p-cymene (7.17%) and carvacrol (4.18%) as the major constituents. Antioxidant activity was analyzed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging method. It possessed strong antioxidant activity (IC50 = 0.0967 mg/mL). The essential oil was also screened for its antimicrobial activity against eight bacterial and eight fungal species, showing excellent antimicrobial activity against the microorganisms used, in particular against the fungi. The oil of S. thymbra showed bacteriostatic activity at 0.001–0.1 mg/mL and was bactericidal at 0.002–0.2 mg/mL; fungistatic effects at 0.001–0.025 mg/mL and fungicidal effects at 0.001–0.1 mg/mL. The main constituents thymol, carvacrol and γ-terpinene also showed strong antimicrobial activity. The commercial fungicide bifonazole showed much lower antifungal activity than the tested oil.
Poly(ethylene glycol)-Lipid-Conjugated Antibodies Enhance Dendritic Cell Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cancer Cells
Authors: Tomita Urara , Yamaguchi Satoshi , Sugimoto Yoichiro , Takamori Satoshi , Nagamune Teruyuki
Published: April 2012

A simple method for attaching immunoglobulin G (IgG) on the cell surface was successfully developed for enhancing phagocytosis of apoptotic tumor cells (ATCs) by dendritic cells (DCs) ex vivo. By conjugating with a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-lipid, named the biocompatible anchor for the membrane (BAM), arbitrary IgG could be incorporated into the cell membrane. In particular, when IgG-BAM conjugates were prepared at the optimal molar ratio of IgG to BAM (1 to 20), almost all cells were efficiently modified with IgG by treatment with IgG-BAM. This simple method was successfully applied to four types of mammalian cells. Furthermore, treatment of ATCs with the IgG-BAM conjugate increased the phagocytosis ratio of ATCs by DCs two-fold when compared to no treatment. This phagocytosis-enhancing effect was nearly identical to treatment with a tumor-specific IgG. Thus, without employing the tumor-specific IgG, which is difficult to obtain for any tumor cells and is expensive, the present method could opsonize ATC with the use of arbitrary IgG. The results strongly indicate that IgG-BAM treatment represents a promising method for opsonizing ATC with human serum IgG, and that this approach will lead to objective clinical responses in DC vaccines.
New Light on a Lost Cause: Atticus G. Haygood’s Universalizing Spirituality
Authors: Kwilecki Susan
Published: April 2012

The American tragedy of slavery and the Civil War provides the backdrop for the exemplary spirituality of Atticus Haygood (1839–1896). The son of a Georgia slaveholder, Haygood served as a chaplain in the Confederate army. At the War’s end, he returned to Atlanta to suffer poverty and humiliation under the martial law of conquerors. His spirituality developed as a positive response to the chaos of Reconstruction. Following a mid-life transformation, he earned a national reputation as a progressive Southerner and crusader for the rights and education of former slaves. As a Southern Methodist clergyman, Haygood blended the ideals of evangelism and the social gospel, envisioning an America in which Northerners and Southerners, blacks and whites joined together to build the Kingdom of God. His spirituality evolved to the “universalizing” pinnacle of James Fowler’s stages of faith, a perspective from which all persons—regardless of race, status, and place of birth—participate as equals in fellowship with a just and loving deity.
A High Precision Position Sensor Design and Its Signal Processing Algorithm for a Maglev Train
Authors: Xue Song , Long Zhiqiang , He Ning , Chang Wensen
Published: April 2012

High precision positioning technology for a kind of high speed maglev train with an electromagnetic suspension (EMS) system is studied. At first, the basic structure and functions of the position sensor are introduced and some key techniques to enhance the positioning precision are designed. Then, in order to further improve the positioning signal quality and the fault-tolerant ability of the sensor, a new kind of discrete-time tracking differentiator (TD) is proposed based on nonlinear optimal control theory. This new TD has good filtering and differentiating performances and a small calculation load. It is suitable for real-time signal processing. The stability, convergence property and frequency characteristics of the TD are studied and analyzed thoroughly. The delay constant of the TD is figured out and an effective time delay compensation algorithm is proposed. Based on the TD technology, a filtering process is introduced in to improve the positioning signal waveform when the sensor is under bad working conditions, and a two-sensor switching algorithm is designed to eliminate the positioning errors caused by the joint gaps of the long stator. The effectiveness and stability of the sensor and its signal processing algorithms are proved by the experiments on a test train during a long-term test run.
Context-Based Tourism Information Filtering with a Semantic Rule Engine
Authors: Lamsfus Carlos , Martín David , Alzua-Sorzabal Aurkene , López-de-Ipiña Diego , Torres-Manzanera Emilio
Published: April 2012

This paper presents the CONCERT framework, a push/filter information consumption paradigm, based on a rule-based semantic contextual information system for tourism. CONCERT suggests a specific insight of the notion of context from a human mobility perspective. It focuses on the particular characteristics and requirements of travellers and addresses the drawbacks found in other approaches. Additionally, CONCERT suggests the use of digital broadcasting as push communication technology, whereby tourism information is disseminated to mobile devices. This information is then automatically filtered by a network of ontologies and offered to tourists on the screen. The results obtained in the experiments carried out show evidence that the information disseminated through digital broadcasting can be manipulated by the network of ontologies, providing contextualizedinformation that produces user satisfaction.
Architecture of a Framework for Providing Information Services for Public Transport
Authors: García Carmelo R. , Pérez Ricardo , Lorenzo Álvaro , Quesada-Arencibia Alexis , Alayón Francisco , Padrón Gabino
Published: April 2012

This paper presents OnRoute, a framework for developing and running ubiquitous software that provides information services to passengers of public transportation, including payment systems and on-route guidance services. To achieve a high level of interoperability, accessibility and context awareness, OnRoute uses the ubiquitous computing paradigm. To guarantee the quality of the software produced, the reliable software principles used in critical contexts, such as automotive systems, are also considered by the framework. The main components of its architecture (run-time, system services, software components and development discipline) and how they are deployed in the transportation network (stations and vehicles) are described in this paper. Finally, to illustrate the use of OnRoute, the development of a guidance service for travellers is explained.
Angular Motion Estimation Using Dynamic Models in a Gyro-Free Inertial Measurement Unit
Authors: Edwan Ezzaldeen , Knedlik Stefan , Loffeld Otmar
Published: April 2012

In this paper, we summarize the results of using dynamic models borrowed from tracking theory in describing the time evolution of the state vector to have an estimate of the angular motion in a gyro-free inertial measurement unit (GF-IMU). The GF-IMU is a special type inertial measurement unit (IMU) that uses only a set of accelerometers in inferring the angular motion. Using distributed accelerometers, we get an angular information vector (AIV) composed of angular acceleration and quadratic angular velocity terms. We use a Kalman filter approach to estimate the angular velocity vector since it is not expressed explicitly within the AIV. The bias parameters inherent in the accelerometers measurements’ produce a biased AIV and hence the AIV bias parameters are estimated within an augmented state vector. Using dynamic models, the appended bias parameters of the AIV become observable and hence we can have unbiased angular motion estimate. Moreover, a good model is required to extract the maximum amount of information from the observation. Observability analysis is done to determine the conditions for having an observable state space model. For higher grades of accelerometers and under relatively higher sampling frequency, the error of accelerometer measurements is dominated by the noise error. Consequently, simulations are conducted on two models, one has bias parameters appended in the state space model and the other is a reduced model without bias parameters.
Nonlinear Adaptive PID Control for Greenhouse Environment Based on RBF Network
Authors: Zeng Songwei , Hu Haigen , Xu Lihong , Li Guanghui
Published: April 2012

This paper presents a hybrid control strategy, combining Radial Basis Function (RBF) network with conventional proportional, integral, and derivative (PID) controllers, for the greenhouse climate control. A model of nonlinear conservation laws of enthalpy and matter between numerous system variables affecting the greenhouse climate is formulated. RBF network is used to tune and identify all PID gain parameters online and adaptively. The presented Neuro-PID control scheme is validated through simulations of set-point tracking and disturbance rejection. We compare the proposed adaptive online tuning method with the offline tuning scheme that employs Genetic Algorithm (GA) to search the optimal gain parameters. The results show that the proposed strategy has good adaptability, strong robustness and real-time performance while achieving satisfactory control performance for the complex and nonlinear greenhouse climate control system, and it may provide a valuable reference to formulate environmental control strategies for actual application in greenhouse production.
Redox Potential as a Means to Control the Treatment of Slurry to Lower H2S Emissions
Authors: Hjorth Maibritt , Pedersen Christina Ø. , Feilberg Anders
Published: April 2012

Slurry can be oxidized to eliminate undesirable emissions, including malodorous hydrogen sulfide (H2S). However, it is difficult to assess the optimal amount of oxidizing agent required. In this study, one cow and one pig manure, each in three particle size ranges were oxidized with 0–350 mg ozone/L manure. Redox and H2S concentration were measured continuously. During ozonation the manures gave equivalent redox potential curves. A relatively rapid rise in redox potential was observed within a range of −275 mV to −10 mV, with all manures changing as a minimum from −200 mV to −80 mV. The gaseous H2S emissions were decreased by 99.5% during the redox increase (−200 mV to −80 mV). This is attributed to H2S oxidation by ozone and oxygen, and is not due to H2S deprotonation or gas flushing. By identifying the initiation of the final redox level following the rise, the amount of ozone required to remove H2S from the manure samples was estimated to be in the range of 6–24 mg O3/L manure, depending on the type of manure. Hence, continuous monitoring of redox potential (termination of the redox rise) during the oxidation treatment is a simple method of achieving cost-effective minimization of H2S emissions from slurry.
A Framework for Supervising Lifestyle Diseases Using Long-Term Activity Monitoring
Authors: Han Yongkoo , Han Manhyung , Lee Sungyoung , Sarkar A. M. Jehad , Lee Young-Koo
Published: April 2012

Activity monitoring of a person for a long-term would be helpful for controlling lifestyle associated diseases. Such diseases are often linked with the way a person lives. An unhealthy and irregular standard of living influences the risk of such diseases in the later part of one’s life. The symptoms and the initial signs of these diseases are common to the people with irregular lifestyle. In this paper, we propose a novel healthcare framework to manage lifestyle diseases using long-term activity monitoring. The framework recognizes the user’s activities with the help of the sensed data in runtime and reports the irregular and unhealthy activity patterns to a doctor and a caregiver. The proposed framework is a hierarchical structure that consists of three modules: activity recognition, activity pattern generation and lifestyle disease prediction. We show that it is possible to assess the possibility of lifestyle diseases from the sensor data. We also show the viability of the proposed framework.
Disintegrins from Hematophagous Sources
Authors: Assumpcao Teresa C. F. , Ribeiro José M. C. , Francischetti Ivo M. B.
Published: April 2012

Bloodsucking arthropods are a rich source of salivary molecules (sialogenins) which inhibit platelet aggregation, neutrophil function and angiogenesis. Here we review the literature on salivary disintegrins and their targets. Disintegrins were first discovered in snake venoms, and were instrumental in our understanding of integrin function and also for the development of anti-thrombotic drugs. In hematophagous animals, most disintegrins described so far have been discovered in the salivary gland of ticks and leeches. A limited number have also been found in hookworms and horseflies, and none identified in mosquitoes or sand flies. The vast majority of salivary disintegrins reported display a RGD motif and were described as platelet aggregation inhibitors, and few others as negative modulator of neutrophil or endothelial cell functions. This notably low number of reported disintegrins is certainly an underestimation of the actual complexity of this family of proteins in hematophagous secretions. Therefore an algorithm was created in order to identify the tripeptide motifs RGD, KGD, VGD, MLD, KTS, RTS, WGD, or RED (flanked by cysteines) in sialogenins deposited in GenBank database. The search included sequences from various blood-sucking animals such as ticks (e.g., Ixodes sp., Argas sp., Rhipicephalus sp., Amblyomma sp.), tabanids (e.g., Tabanus sp.), bugs (e.g., Triatoma sp., Rhodnius prolixus), mosquitoes (e.g., Anopheles sp., Aedes sp., Culex sp.), sand flies (e.g., Lutzomyia sp., Phlebotomus sp.), leeches (e.g., Macrobdella sp., Placobdella sp.) and worms (e.g., Ancylostoma sp.). This approach allowed the identification of a remarkably high number of novel putative sialogenins with tripeptide motifs typical of disintegrins (>450 sequences) whose biological activity remains to be verified. This database is accessible online as a hyperlinked worksheet and displays biochemical, taxonomic, and gene ontology aspects for each putative disintegrin. It is also freely available for download (right click with the mouse) at links http://exon.niaid.nih.gov/transcriptome/RGD/RGD-Peps-WEB.xlsx (web version) and http://exon.niaid.nih.gov/transcriptome/RGD/RGD-sialogenins.zip (stand alone version).
Spatial Vulnerability: Bacterial Arrangements, Microcolonies, and Biofilms as Responses to Low Rather than High Phage Densities
Authors: Abedon Stephen T.
Published: April 2012

The ability of bacteria to survive and propagate can be dramatically reduced upon exposure to lytic bacteriophages. Study of this impact, from a bacterium’s perspective, tends to focus on phage-bacterial interactions that are governed by mass action, such as can be observed within continuous flow or similarly planktonic ecosystems. Alternatively, bacterial molecular properties can be examined, such as specific phage‑resistance adaptations. In this study I address instead how limitations on bacterial movement, resulting in the formation of cellular arrangements, microcolonies, or biofilms, could increase the vulnerability of bacteria to phages. Principally: (1) Physically associated clonal groupings of bacteria can represent larger targets for phage adsorption than individual bacteria; and (2), due to a combination of proximity and similar phage susceptibility, individual bacteria should be especially vulnerable to phages infecting within the same clonal, bacterial grouping. Consistent with particle transport theory—the physics of movement within fluids—these considerations are suggestive that formation into arrangements, microcolonies, or biofilms could be either less profitable to bacteria when phage predation pressure is high or require more effective phage-resistance mechanisms than seen among bacteria not living within clonal clusters. I consider these ideas of bacterial ‘spatial vulnerability’ in part within a phage therapy context.
Alkoxide-induced ring opening of bicyclic 2-vinylcyclobutanones: A convenient synthesis of 2-vinyl-substituted 3-cycloalkene-1-carboxylic acid esters
Authors: Ji Xiufang , Li Zhiming , Wang Quanrui , Goeke Andreas
Published: April 2012

The fused 2-vinyl or 2-phenyl substituted cyclobutanones 4 undergo stereoselective ring openings by the action of alkoxide ions (t-BuO− or MeO−) to produce novel vicinally disubstituted cycloalkene derivatives 5 and 6 in moderate to high yields. The ring cleavage usually occurs with complete regioselectivity. The accessibility of γ,δ-unsaturated ester or acid derivatives makes this transformation a good supplementary method for the well-established Johnson–Claisen rearrangement.
Workers of Writing, Materials of Information
Authors: Denis Jérôme , Pontille David
Published: April 2012

As the transparent circulation of information became a watchword for data flows, this text underlines the crucial role of the work done behind the scenes of telecommunication networks, whether in science, law, administration, cultural industries or service innovations. Pointing to the contribution of infrastructure studies to an anthropology of knowledge, it invites us to broaden the range of situations usually investigated, by highlighting three main aspects: the multiple forms of the work invisibility, the commitments and judgments at the core of the writing production, and the heterogeneity of the materials that make up the information produced on a daily basis within scriptural infrastructures.
L’écriture collective du code source informatique
Authors: Couture Stéphane
Published: April 2012

Cet article analyse l’écriture collective du code source informatique. Le code source est l’objet de la programmation informatique et peut être défini comme l’ensemble des instructions qui décrivent le fonctionnement d’un logiciel ou d’un système informatique. L’article s’appuie sur différents travaux en sociologie des sciences et des techniques et en anthropologie de l’écriture qui ont en commun d’insister sur le travail, parfois invisible, nécessaire à la stabilité et à la vitalité des écrits et des infrastructures d’informations. Nous analysons la manière dont sont gérées les différentes versions du code source, en étudiant plus particulièrement l’acte informatique du « commi ». Nous insistons particulièrement sur les enjeux de visibilité liés à cet acte de commit, qui prend une importance grandissante comme indicateur de la contribution dans la société de l’information.
« Zéro papier » et « pense-bêtes » à l’aune de l’informatisation du dossier de soins
Authors: Mayère Anne , Bazet Isabelle , Roux Angélique
Published: April 2012

Le domaine des services de santé est un des secteurs au sein desquels ont été développées de longue date d’importantes infrastructures informationnelles, et sont formulés des projets toujours plus ambitieux en la matière. Les règles d’écriture et principes d’autorité relatifs aux dossiers des patients sont très étroitement spécifiés par un ensemble de décrets et de réglementations. Cet article étudie la façon dont l’informatisation des dossiers de soins vient renouveler le cadre déjà constitué et réactiver les enjeux associés. Il interroge la façon dont les règles ainsi équipées redessinent les territoires du travail invisible de l’information, tel que mis en œuvre par les infirmiers. Le travail de ces « petites mains » s’avère fait d’un ensemble de pratiques qui visent à combler les vides de la rationalité informatisée, en réintroduisant les récits des patients et l’intrigue ouverte que constitue leur trajectoire de soins. Il s’agit d’un travail distribué, au sein du collectif infirmier et avec d’autres objets techniques, qui vise à produire les conditions d’une activité maîtrisable.
La science en réseau
Authors: Millerand Florence
Published: April 2012

Les développements technologiques contemporains en matière d’infrastructures numériques permettent d’observer de nouvelles formes de travail, voire de nouvelles catégories de travailleurs, dans les milieux scientifiques. Basé sur une étude ethnographique d’un réseau américain de chercheurs en écologie, cet article s’attache au travail des gestionnaires d’information (information managers), « techniciens invisibles » responsables de la gestion des données scientifiques au sein des laboratoires. Il montre comment le développement d’un projet de très grande base de données s’accompagne de processus de mise en visibilité et invisibilité des gestionnaires d’information et de leur travail, et discute des enjeux de la mise en invisibilité des activités de documentation des données en particulier, sur les processus de production des connaissances scientifiques. L’invisibilité des gestionnaires d’information apparaît reliée à un aspect fondamental de leur travail, en l’occurrence un « travail d’articulation » caractérisé par des activités de bricolage, de traduction et d’effacement. Le travail des petites mains de la gestion et de la documentation des données dans les sciences est sans cesse à refaire et à réinventer.
Un travail de Pénélope au musée
Authors: Beltrame Tiziana Nicoletta
Published: April 2012

L’élaboration d’une base de données muséale donne lieu à la transformation des relations entre informations, objets et personnes, et à la création de nouveaux liens. Cet article étudie la reconfiguration des collections du musée du quai Branly, amorcée en 2001 avec l’informatisation des données et l’indexation des objets au sein du dispositif de classement « TMS objets ». Les conservateurs valident les informations qui sont accommodées par les responsables de la base de données. Les logiques informatiques et de conservation se croisent pour aboutir à l’existence informatique de l’objet de la collection. Au sein des nouveaux classements, les liens entre informations et objets sont d’abord défaits pour rendre possible leur nouveau rattachement : l’artefact fait corps avec la fiche numérique. Parallèlement, les métiers de conservation et gestion de la documentation se confrontent autour de la création sans fin du thésaurus « catégories » d’objets. Ces échanges opèrent la recomposition d’une communauté de pratiques muséales.
Aimer trop
Authors: Arnoux Dominique J.
Published: April 2012

Résumé La difficulté à saisir psychologiquement la sexualité, ce fait biologique, appartient proprement à la psychanalyse. Cette difficulté est un fait choisi. « Tout en en débordant les acceptions usuelles (de la sexualité), la psychanalyse n’en récuse aucune et, pour elle, la sexualité recouvre le sens élargi du mot aimer. » Le psychanalyste, où qu’il soit, est interpellé pour ce qui concerne chez l’humain l’aimer trop. Le pari de cet article est d’envisager les caractéristiques de ce trop à partir des expériences psychanalytiques qui ont été dans des champs variés qu’ils soient hospitalier, de recherche ou médico-social ou de divan. Ce qui ne varie pas, c’est la résonance intrapsychique d’un tel travail d’écoute des éléments intrapsychiques et intersubjectifs à partir de l’organisation et du respect obstinés du cadre de travail psychique pour la compréhension mutuelle. À cette condition, l’émergence du nouveau est une autocréation.
De l'impuissance à la toute-puissance : Proust et l'horreur de la pénétration
Authors: Bernateau Isée
Published: April 2012

Résumé Marcel Proust fut dans son œuvre l’observateur pénétrant et le théoricien de sa propre vie sexuelle, dont il tenta de cerner l’originalité, la complexité et même la bizarrerie. L’horreur de la pénétration y côtoie un sadisme dont les liens à la figure maternelle sont patents. L’auteur tente de démêler les fils de cette complexité, afin de montrer, par-delà la fixation maternelle, dont l’impuissance est le corollaire, comment la représentation spécifique des sexes masculin et féminin ouvre sur une angoisse de néantisation venant empêcher l’exercice de la sexualité, qui trouve néanmoins dans la sublima- tion une voie d’accomplissement célébrant le retour à la sexualité infantile.
Impuissance « actuelle » dans la clinique interstitielle des configurations périnévrotiques
Authors: Boucherat-Hue Valérie
Published: April 2012

Résumé La question de l’impuissance peut être problématisée dans le cadre des cliniques actuelles vectorisées par le handicap somatopsychique. Cette posture épistémologique, centrée sur les effecteurs psychodynamiques de l’impuissance psychique, implique de retenir l’« inhibition à penser » comme traducteur du handicap subjectif, ce qui suppose de concevoir celle-ci, d’un point de vue psychosomatique, comme une figure répressive inscrite dans le creuset contra-régressif de l’organisation caractérielle. Au plan métapsychologique, il s’agirait de soutenir, ce qui ne va pas de soi, que le contre-investissement économique, qui obère la perception et évacue le conflit pulsionnel, se différencie clairement du refoulement dynamique des représentations, qui traite ce dernier dans l’appareil psychique, ne serait-ce que pour en éviter l’élaboration et/ou le dégagement. Le patient (somato)névrotique plutôt que (psycho)névrotique dont il est question ici est aux prises avec une excitation dont le contrôle psychique est aléatoire, ce qui laisse entrevoir un noyau de trauma toujours actif et mobilisable dans la cure psychanalytique aménagée. Moyennant quoi, dans une proximité avec la clinique des névroses traumatiques et des névroses de caractère, sera discuté le diagnostic de névrose actuelle versus névrose d’angoisse, afin de montrer que ces configurations psychopathologiques, qu’on peut appeler « périnévrotiques », partagent des modalités communes de figuration de l’impuissance psychique.
La volonté d'impuissance
Authors: Laffont Isabelle , Servant Benoît
Published: April 2012

Résumé Se référant à la conception freudienne qui, partant de la nature sexuelle de l’impuissance et de la frigidité, leur donne une signification élargie, les auteurs centrent leur travail sur le conflit puissance/impuissance, dans la relation de couple mère-enfant, amoureuse et analytique. Ils formulent ainsi l’hypothèse que l’intensité de ce conflit est directement liée à une différenciation insuffisante de la topique psychique, qui rend compte de la menace représentée par l’expression pulsionnelle et permet de comprendre la fonction de l’impuissance. S’en déduisent les objectifs du traitement, illustrés par l’exposé de deux cures, l’une de couple et l’autre analytique individuelle.
Troublante sexualité...
Authors: Sechaud Évelyne
Published: April 2012

Résumé La sexualité est troublante. Elle jette le trouble dans les corps et les esprits. La pulsion sexuelle, qui la stimule et provoque le désir, anime les fantasmes et les conduites. Elle peut être source de plaisir autant que d’angoisse. Si la sexualité favorise l’épanouissement, elle suscite aussi symptômes, inhibitions ou conduites addictives. Mais son développement et ses manifestations issues de la sexualité infantile varient selon l’organisation psychique des sujets. La frigidité névrotique se met en scène dans un rêve œdipien. Alors que l’évolution de deux frères, issus du roman de Michel Houellebecq, Les Particules élémentaires , déroule le destin d’une sexualité, inhibée chez l’un et addictive chez l’autre. Leur histoire d’enfance révèle traumatismes infantiles et distorsion des relations précoces.
Aux sources du lien tyrannique
Authors: Ciccone Albert
Published: April 2012

Résumé Les sources de la tyrannie sont explorées dans les zones infantiles du fonctionnement psychique du tyran, mais aussi chez l’enfant et le bébé tyrans. La tyrannie relève de logiques archaïques mêlées à des logiques œdipiennes. Elle évolue dans un monde anal. Elle consiste pour le tyran à détruire un objet interne de celui qu’il soumet pour en prendre la place, exportant dans cet autre ses propres angoisses et affects qu’il ne peut tolérer en lui. La victime du tyran devient un « porte-affects ». La tyrannie attaque la parentalité, dans le monde interne du sujet comme dans le lien aux objets externes. Elle s’extrapole facilement de la sphère intime à l’espace public et social. Chez l’enfant qui « pousse à bout », la tyrannie masque une quête de l’objet. Elle répond aussi à l’héritage narcissique et fantasmatique dont l’enfant est l’objet, héritage qu’elle dénonce et réalise dans le même temps. Elle témoigne également d’un échec du travail d’intégration de la destructivité, travail dévolu d’abord à l’objet. La tyrannie plonge ses racines dans le monde infantile, mais aussi dans l’expérience du bébé, dans la haine ordinaire et extra-ordinaire que mobilise le bébé et dans les échecs de la parentalité. La tyrannie témoigne du et est organisée par le passage de la détresse à la violence, lorsque la détresse n’est pas entendue ou pas prise en compte, pas comprise.
Les rappels de produits : comment les gérer et les prévenir?
Authors: Turgeon Normand
Published: April 2012

Résumé Les cas de rappels de produits font l’objet de nouvelles dans les médias traditionnels, les sites Web et les réseaux sociaux. Au-delà de l’impact financier des rappels de produits, il ne faut pas perdre de vue les conséquences sur l’image de l’organisation et sur les effets qui peuvent être tragiques sur le plan de la santé des personnes, voire de leur vie. Cet article vise à aider les gestionnaires aux prises avec des dossiers de rappels de produits. D’abord, nous distinguons un retour, un retrait et un rappel de produits. Ensuite, nous analysons les raisons pour lesquelles les organisations font des rappels et décrivons les différents types de rappels. Finalement, nous donnons des conseils sur la façon de faire un rappel, sur ce qui gagne à être effectué après le rappel et sur ce qui peut être fait pour prévenir les rappels.
La gestion d'un rappel de produits : un enjeu logistique à maîtriser
Authors: Beaulieu Martin , Roy Jacques , Desrosiers Rachel
Published: April 2012

Résumé Toutes les entreprises sont susceptibles de vivre un jour ou l’autre un rappel de produits. Si le rappel est mal géré, il peut avoir des conséquences à long terme sur la confiance des clients et des actionnaires. Cet article vise à aider les dirigeants et les cadres à mieux affronter les enjeux logistiques d’un rappel, comme la traçabilité, le choix des transporteurs, la disposition des produits ou la fabrication de pièces de remplacement. Tout en montrant que les différentes situations de rappels ne sont pas équivalentes, l’article insiste sur les défis suivants : la constitution d’un réservoir de capacité pour faire face au rappel de produits; le contrôle de la qualité pendant tout le cycle de vie des produits; la mise en place de systèmes de collecte et de transmission de données fiables; enfin, le suivi, l’évaluation et le contrôle des pratiques de gestion des sous-traitants et des fournisseurs étrangers.
Faire les choses différemment afin d'embaucher des personnes handicapées
Authors: Séguin Claude , Foisy Carole
Published: April 2012

Résumé Les statistiques en matière d’emploi révèlent que les personnes handicapées font encore l’objet d’une discrimination. Pourtant, de nombreux facteurs juridiques, politiques et démographiques favorisent leur embauche. S’appuyant sur des témoignages recueillis auprès de dirigeants et de professionnels de différentes entreprises, cet article montre comment des changements dans les façons de faire peuvent favoriser l’embauche des personnes handicapées. De nombreux témoignages confirment les bienfaits d’une meilleure intégration professionnelle des personnes handicapées sur les plans organisationnel, sociétal et individuel.
Comment intégrer les clients à la démarche marketing?
Authors: Capelli Sonia , Dantas Danilo C.
Published: April 2012

Résumé La révolution numérique a permis à un grand nombre d’entreprises de servir leurs clients de façon plus personnalisée et même de les intégrer dans la démarche marketing. En donnant des exemples réels, l’article illustre comment les clients peuvent participer, à l’égard des produits et des services, à la production, à la communication, à la fixation du prix et à la distribution. Après avoir résumé les atouts et les risques du co-marketing, nous insistons sur les conditions de succès à réunir pour en optimiser les retombées, soit donner aux clients des signaux les incitant à interagir, distinguer les compétences relationnelles, créer un système d’information interactif et respecter la voix du client.
Evaluating Information Systems
Authors: Duarte João , Vasconcelos André
Published: April 2012

In the past decade, the rush to technology has created several flaws in terms of managing computers, applications, and middleware and information systems. Therefore, organizations struggle to understand how these elements behave. Even today, as Enterprise Architectures grow in significance and are acknowledged as advantageous artifacts to help manage change, their benefit to the organization has yet to be fully explored. In this paper, the authors focus on the challenge of real-time information systems evaluation, using the enterprise architecture as a boundary object and a base for communication. The solution proposed is comprised of five major steps: establishing a strong conceptual base on the evaluation of information systems, defining a high level language for this activity, extending an architecture creation pipeline, creating a framework that automates it, and the framework’s implementation. The conceptual framework proposed avoids imprecise definitions of quality and quality attributes, was materialized in a model-eval-display loop framework, and was implemented using Model Driven Software Development practices and tools. Finally, a prototype is applied to a real-world scenario to verify the conceptual solution in practice.
Semantic User Interfaces
Authors: Tilly Károly , Porkoláb Zoltán
Published: April 2012

Semantic User Interfaces (SUIs), are sets of interrelated, static, domain specific documents having layout and content, whose interpretation is defined through semantic decoration. SUIs are declarative in nature. They allow program composition by the user herself at the user interface level. The operation of SUI based applications follow a service oriented approach. SUI elements referenced in user requests are automatically mapped to reusable service provider components, whose contracts are specified in domain ontologies. This assures semantic separation of user interface components from elements of the underlying application system infrastructure, which allows full separation of concerns during system development; real, application independent, reusable components; user editable applications and generic learnability. This article presents the architecture and components of a SUI framework, basic elements of SUI documents and relevant properties of domain ontologies for SUI documents. The basics of representation and operation of SUI applications are explained through a motivating example.
Toward UML-Compliant Semantic Web Services Development
Authors: Sánchez Diana M. , Acuña César J. , Cavero José María , Marcos Esperanza
Published: April 2012

The emerging Semantic Web and, in particular, Semantic Web services (SWS), demands the inclusion of new components in applications involving this technology. Therefore, Web development methodologies must be tailored to support the systematic development of such new components. In previous works we presented a UML profile, which extends the SOD-M method for service oriented Web Information System development of the MIDAS model-driven framework, to address the development of Semantic Web Services using WSMO (Web Service Modeling Ontology). The UML profile allows for the modeling of the new elements required by WSMO Web Services. This paper focuses on studying the possibility of improving the proposed UML profile, including the OCL (Object Constraint Language), for the representation of WSMO logical axioms through three case studies. This would allow developers, whose knowledge does not extend beyond UML, to develop applications that use Semantic Web services.
Integrating Web Portals with Semantic Web Services
Authors: Acuña César J. , Minoli Mariano , Marcos Esperanza
Published: April 2012

Several systems integration proposals have been suggested over the years. However these proposals have mainly focused on data integration, not allowing users to take advantage of services offered by Web portals. Most of the mentioned proposals only provide a set of design principles to build integrated systems and lack in suggesting a systematic way of how to develop systems based on the integration architecture they propose. In previous work we have developed PISA (Web Portal Integration Architecture)—a Web portal integration architecture for data and services—and MIDAS-S, a methodological approach for the development of integrated Web portals, built according to PISA. This work shows, by means of a case study, how both proposals fit together integrating Web portals.
An Interdisciplinary Design Project in Second Life
Authors: Triggs Riley , Jarmon Leslie , Villareal Tracy A.
Published: April 2012

Virtual environments can resolve many practical and pedagogical challenges within higher education. Economic considerations, accessibility issues, and safety concerns can all be somewhat alleviated by creating learning activities in a virtual space. Because of the removal of real-world physical limitations like gravity, durability and scope, virtual space allows for an expansion of possibilities and approaches to knowledge transfer and discovery learning and becomes an “environment for information” rich with collaborative possibilities. Experimentation and participation in conceptual as well as applied projects is encouraged for both students and instructors. One of these virtual environments, Second Life, was used in a cross-disciplinary project for the creation of a Marine Science virtual class environment as an assignment for design students at a major southwestern research university in the United States. This paper reports on the findings from a project that utilized Second Life as a medium for enhancing and extending design education using a process of interdisciplinary collaboration.
Mechanics Simulations in Second Life
Authors: Black Kelly
Published: April 2012

This paper examines the use of the 3-D virtual world Second Life to explore basic mechanics in physics. In Second Life, students can create scripts that take advantage of a virtual physics engine in order to conduct experiments that focus on specific phenomena. The paper explores two particular examples of this process: 1) the movement of an object under the influence of gravity, and 2) the movement of an object using simple forces. Findings suggest that Second Life offers a flexible and wide range of possibilities for simulations in mechanics; paradoxically, however, the environment also presents challenges for effective use by instructors and learners. Any implementation making use of the Second Life application requires technical knowledge of the system and a wide range of pedagogical and learner skills related to building, scripting, and educational design.
Affective Load and Engagement in Second Life
Authors: Nahl Diane
Published: April 2012

New users of virtual environments face a steep learning curve, requiring persistence and determination to overcome challenges experienced while acclimatizing to the demands of avatar-mediated behavior. Concurrent structured self-reports can be used to monitor the personal affective and cognitive struggles involved in virtual world adaptation to specific affordances while performing particular tasks and activities with avatars. Examination of user discourse in self-reports reveal that participants focus on micro-management concerns about how to proceed in an activity, replete with intense emotions and uncertainty over how to operate affordances. Concurrent structured self-reports engage users in meta-affective and meta-cognitive reflection and facilitate coping with confusion and negative emotions. As Second Life is a complex virtual world with hundreds of affordances, people experience a continuous stream of information needs. Urgent, persistent, and long-term information needs are associated with differing qualities and intensities of affective load, such as impatience, irritation, anxiety, and frustration. When a particular information need is met, affective engagement results in intensity proportional to the affective load. Constructing user discourse during virtual activities serves as a coping mechanism that facilitates adaptation by raising meta-cognitive and meta-affective awareness.
The Development of a Personal Learning Environment in Second Life
Authors: Andrews Sandra Sutton , Stokrocki Mary , Jannasch-Pennell Angel , DiGangi Samuel A.
Published: April 2012

In this qualitative pilot study, the authors report on curriculum field trials within a personal learning environment (PLE) designed by a collaboration of academic researchers and nonprofit volunteers working together in the virtual world of Second Life. The purpose of the PLE is to provide learners less likely to have access to educational opportunities with a means to create a ‘new life’ in the real world, through a basic web-based curriculum and an advanced Second Life curriculum. Field trials of the Second Life curriculum were held with youth from underserved populations (n=6) to identify participant characteristics that facilitate success with the curriculum. Performance on instructional outcomes was examined in addition to a participatory action research methodology (PAR) that was employed with participants as co-researchers. To protect identities, the authors use a case study approach to track one composite participant/co-researcher through the curriculum.
Material Cultures and Moral Mediators in Human Hybridization
Authors: Magnani Lorenzo
Published: April 2012

We already are hybrid humans, fruit of a kind of co-evolution of both our brains and the common, scientific, social, and moral knowledge we have produced by ourselves starting from the birth of material culture with our ancestors until the recent effects generated by the whole field of technological artifacts and of information and communication technologies (ICTs). We all are “constitutively” natural-born cyborgs, that is biotechnological hybrid minds. Our minds should not be considered to be located only in the head: human beings have solved their problems of survival and reproduction, “distributing” cognitive and ethical functions to external non-biological sources, props, and aids, which originate cultures. The paper also illustrates the interplay between cultures and distributed cognition and stresses the role of some technological artifacts as moral mediators. The second part of the paper is related to the analysis of the interplay between cultures, morality, and cognition and of some consequences concerning the problem of intercultural communication in the light of the role of moral mediators, docility, and cyberprivacy. Finally, I discuss some suggestions concerning the problem of what I call the moral principle of isolation of cultures, with respect to the effects of ICTs.
The Ethics of Outsourcing Online Survey Research
Authors: Allen Peter J. , Roberts Lynne D.
Published: April 2012

The increasing level of Internet penetration over the last decade has made web surveying a viable option for data collection in academic research. Software tools and services have been developed to facilitate the development and deployment of web surveys. Many academics and research students are outsourcing the design and/or hosting of their web surveys to external service providers, yet ethical issues associated with this use have received limited attention in academic literature. In this article, the authors focus on specific ethical concerns associated with the outsourcing of web surveys with particular reference to external commercial web survey service providers. These include threats to confidentiality and anonymity, the potential for loss of control over decisions about research data, and the reduced credibility of research. Suggested guidelines for academic institutions and researchers in relation to outsourcing aspects of web-based survey research are provided.