bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A pilot project to increase health literacy among youth from seasonal farmworker families in rural eastern North Carolina: a qualitative exploration of implementation and impact
Authors: Mendez Israel M. , Pories Mary Lisa , Cordova Leah , Malki Andreina , Wiggins Melinda F. , Lee Joseph G. L.
Published: April 2019

Objective: There are substantial health inequalities for seasonal agricultural workers and their families in the United States. One identified inequality is in health literacy. The authors explored the implementation and impact of connecting youth from seasonal farmworker families who participated in a leadership and college pipeline program with Internet access by providing a tablet with a paid cellular data plan and university library–based health literacy training.Methods: With the support of a National Network of Libraries of Medicine Health Information Outreach Award, we conducted a qualitative, utilization-focused evaluation by conducting semi-structured interviews from December 2017 through February 2018 with middle and high school age participants in the program (n=10). After parental consent and youth assent, we recorded interviews with participants at program activity locations or in their homes. We then utilized inductive thematic analysis with 2 primary coders.Results: We identified four themes: (1) having access to the Internet can be transformative, (2) access resulted in increased knowledge of and interest in one’s own and others’ health, (3) “Google” is the norm, and (4) participant training increased self-efficacy to determine credible sources and resources.Conclusion: Providing Internet access and iPads was possible to implement and resulted in increased utilization of health information. The combination of Internet access with training on information literacy was a key factor in achieving these positive outcomes. The findings suggest the importance of ensuring equitable access to the Internet in efforts to improve educational and health outcomes for seasonal farmworkers and their families.
Medical Education in East Asia: Past and Future
Authors: Stevens Gregg A.
Published: April 2019

This collection of essays in Medical Education in East Asia: Past and Future outlines the history of medical education in five East Asian countries and territories: China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong.
Ever-evolving: introducing the Medical Heritage Library, Inc.
Authors: Novak Gustainis Emily R.
Published: April 2019

The Medical Heritage Library, Inc. (MHL), is a collaborative digitization and discovery organization committed to providing open access to history of medicine and health resources. Since its founding in 2010, it has aspired to be a visible, research-driven history of medicine and health community that serves a broad, interdisciplinary constituency. The MHL’s goal is to make important historical medical content, derived from leading medical libraries, available online free of charge and to simplify and centralize the discovery of these resources. To do so, it has evolved from a digitization collaborative of like-minded history of medicine libraries, special collections, and archives to an incorporated entity seeking not just to provide online access to digital surrogates, but also to embrace the challenges of open access, the retention and use of records containing health information about individuals, and service to the digital humanities. This organizational expansion was further spurred by the MHL’s recently completed National Endowment for the Humanities grant, “Medicine at Ground Level: State Medical Societies, State Medical Journals, and the Development of American Medicine” (PW-228226-15), which received additional financial support from Harvard University Medical School and the Arcadia Fund through the Harvard University Library.
Blackened Debate at the End of the World
Authors: Kelsie Amber E.
Published: April 2019

At the End of the World there is blackness doing the (im)possible. This essay considers the (im)possibility of debate in our contemporary crisis through an examination of the domestication of potentiality in rhetorical dialectic. Debate, in its presupposition of stasis, parallels sovereignty's ontologizing operations of antiblack racial terror that suspend contingency. Meanwhile, blackness was already getting it done. The U.S. Civil War serves as a privileged example for thinking through blackness as the groundless constitutive outside to the possible that yet gestures toward other generative moments found in refusal of the disappointing options that pass for politics offered to us today.
Direct admission to a surgical service reduces hospital length of stay for patients with biliary disease
Authors: Corwin Gregory S. , Reif Rebecca , Sexton Kevin W.
Published: April 2019

Background: Biliary tract disease is a common condition often necessitating surgical intervention. It has been suggested that categorically admitting these patients to a surgical service rather than a medical service may improve patient outcomes. Our objective was to assess the impact of a protocol change that mandated preferentially admitting patients with biliary disease to a surgical service.Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of patients presenting with biliary disease to a single institution before and after a protocol change that mandated admitting these patients directly to a surgical service. A generalized linear regression model was conducted to analyze the effect of practice change on length of stay, which was primary studied outcome.Results: A total of 3,389 patients were included in the study (n = 1,866 for pre, and n=1,523 for post). There was no difference in hospital length of stay between pre and post groups for non-operative patients (1.9 days ± 4.3 versus 1.9 days ±5.2, p = .972).  However, for operative patients, length of stay was shorter for the post group (4.1 days ± 6.1 vs 6.3 days ± 14.0, p = .066). The linear regression model found that operative patients had an increased probability of having a longer length of stay (coefficient, 0.21; 95% CI, 0.14, 0.29; p < .001).Conclusion: Admission of patients with biliary disease to a surgical service rather than a medical service is associated with shorter length of stay for patients who undergo an operative intervention. An approach of admitting all patients presenting with biliary disease to a surgical service has the potential to significantly reduce hospital costs. Our study supports primary responsibility for surgeons in the care of patients with potentially operative conditions.
Developing culturally competent and compassionate healthcare leaders: A European model
Authors: Kouta Christiana , Rousou Elena , Marios Vasiliou , Papadopoulos Irena
Published: April 2019

Objective: This paper aims to describe the development of a European model that refers for healthcare leadership. The model promotes the values of cultural competence and compassion.Methods: The development of this model is part of the IENE 4 EU funded project with participating countries: United Kingdom, Spain, Cyprus, Romania, Italy, Denmark, Turkey. Its development is based on a) a needs assessment survey among healthcare leaders in the partner countries (N = 199), b) two round Delphi study with 14 experts and c) a focus group with healthcare leaders after the development of the model.Results: The components of this model include the basic principles, values and skills that a health care leader should have as a role model and a coach of his/her staff in delivering compassionate and culturally competent care. This model was further used within the IENE 4 project, as a tool for creating learning tools, aiming to improve the quality of care within a cultural framework. Fourteen such learning tools were developed and piloted in all partner countries.Conclusions: Health care leaders need to guide, mentor and support their staff and collaborate among them and with patients and families, as to provide quality care within a safe, compassionate and culturally appropriate environment. This model highlights the key principles of culturally competent and compassionate health care leadership.
Shoulder Arthroplasty for a Fracture Is Not the Same as Shoulder Arthroplasty for Osteoarthritis: Implications for a Bundled Payment Model
Authors: Malik Azeem Tariq , Bishop Julie Y. , Neviaser Andrew S. , Beals Corey T. , Jain Nikhil , Khan Safdar N.
Published: April 2019

Introduction:

The Center for Medicare Services currently bundles all shoulder arthroplasties, total shoulder arthroplasty and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty, into one Diagnosis-Related Group on which bundled reimbursements are then further characterized. An arthroplasty performed for traumatic indications, such as fractures, may have a different postoperative course of care compared with the one being done for degenerative arthritis/osteoarthritis (OA), despite having the same Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and Diagnosis-related Group code.

Methods:

The 2012 to 2016 American College of Surgeons—National Surgical Quality Improvement Program databases were queried using CPT-23472 to retrieve records of patients undergoing total shoulder arthroplasty/reverse total shoulder arthroplasty for degenerative arthritis/OA or proximal humerus fracture.

Results:

A total of 8,283 (92.5%) and 667 (7.5%) patients underwent a shoulder arthroplasty for OA and proximal humeral fracture, respectively. After adjustment, the fracture group was associated with a higher risk for a longer length of stay of >2 days (P < 0.001), 30-day surgical complications (P = 0.005), revision surgeries within 30 days (P = 0.008), 30-day medical complications (P < 0.001), pulmonary embolism (P = 0.013), postoperative transfusions (P < 0.001), non-home discharge (P < 0.001), and 30-day readmissions (P < 0.001).

Discussion:

Shoulder arthroplasty is associated with higher resource utilization when this procedure is performed for a fracture. As we move toward the era of bundled payment models, an appropriate risk adjustment based on the indication of surgery should be promoted to maintain the quality of care for all patients.
The Impact of Soil Transmitted Helminth (Sth) Towards Anemia Case in Elementary School Student in the District of Northwest Sumba
Authors: Paun Rafael , Olin Wilhelmus , Tola Zachry
Published: April 2019

BACKGROUND: Anemia is a condition where body is having less eritrosit. Worms is an infectious sickness caused by worms’ parasite that endanger health. Worms sickness that usually infects and gives very bad affect is worms infection transmitted through soil or usually called “Soil Transmited Helmintes (STH).” In directly STH could affects supply and absorption and food metabolism to human body. Cumulatively, STH caused disadvantages like decreasing in calori and protein and loss of blood. This research aims to analysis impact factors of The Infection of Soil Transmitted Helminth (STH) towards.

SUBJEK AND METHOD: This is a quantitative research with cross sectional study design. This research is done in the District of Northwest Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara Province. Subject of this research is elementary schoold students with number of sampels are 105 students chosen by using Multistage Random Sampling Technique. Independent Variabel is the Infektion of Soil Transmitted Helminth and dependent variabel is Anemia. Data collecting technique is by checking the faeces using direct method and by checking capiler blood using strip test method, continued by interviewing using quisionaire and analyzed using simple Logistic Regresion.

RESULT: Number of Infektion of Soil Transmitted Helminth (STH) cases in elementary school students in the District of Northwest Sumba is 40%. Worms’ egg found majority are Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura (38.1%), in a single infection was found Ascaris lumbricoides (31%) and Trichuris trichiura (21%), and the minority worms found were Hookworm Ancylostoma duodenale (2.4%). Number of anemia cases in Elementary School students is 57.1%. Statictic examination test shows that the infection of Soil Transmitted Helminth (STH) positively and significantly affects the anemia cases with (OR= 27,3; 95% CI = 13,1-57,0; p = 0.001).

CONCLUSION: The probability of infection of Soil Transmitted Helminth (STH) positively and significantly affects the anemia cases in Elementary School Students.
Legal Origins and the Financial Conservatism of Private Firms
Authors: Fan Hongzhong , Ali Talib Mirza Nouman , Chen Pan
Published: April 2019

Following the literature of corporate law and finance, our study emphasizes on differences of legal origins and their laws influencing the capital structures of the private firms following suboptimal conservative policies. The countries considered in each legal origin represents common law countries (UK, Australia, India, Pakistan and Thailand) and Roman backed civil law countries (Japan, South Korea, Germany) respectively. The time series considered for the study is 2000-2017. The findings provide that the conservative private firms are smaller in size with less investments but are positively related with profitability in both legal origins. However, the dividend payouts and non-debt tax shields have significant positive relation with conservative policies in civil law countries. It shows that the presence of minority shareholders’ protection law in civil law countries directs the firms to pay more dividends which may also help them in reducing agency costs. We further exhibit that, before financial crises of 2008, the conservative firms in both legal origins are less directed towards dividends, especially in common law countries. Nevertheless, private conservative firms of civil law countries are more inclined towards dividend payouts after financial crises. The study implicates that the difference of laws in legal origins affect the capital structures of the conservative private firms. It further provides that because of the less effective credit markets, private firms may also be forced to adopt conservative policies in civil law countries but may also have less agency problems due to high probability of having dividend payouts.
Air Pollutants Exposure with Respiratory Symptoms and Lung Function among Primary School Children nearby Heavy Traffic Area in Kajang
Authors: Arifuddin Azizul Ashraff , Jalaludin Juliana , Hisamuddin Nur Hazirah
Published: April 2019

The high loading of air pollutants in heavy traffic area has urged researcher to pay greater attention as it frequently associated with significant health impact particularly among children. This study aims to determine the association between traffic-related air pollutants and respiratory health among Malay primary school children in heavy traffic area and low traffic area. A cross-sectional comparative study was carried out among Malay children in heavy traffic area (N=69, Kajang) and low traffic area (N=69, Hulu Langat) areas. Air quality monitoring was conducted in 6 primary schools which include parameters of PM10, PM2.5, ultrafine particles (UFP), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2). A set of standardized questionnaire was distributed to obtain respondents’ background information, exposure history and respiratory health symptoms. Spirometry test was carried out to determine the lung function of the respondents. Traffic count survey was conducted at two time intervals per day (7.00-7.30 am and 1.00-1.30 pm). The result showed that there is a significant difference between concentration of PM10 [t=22.37; p≤0.001], PM2.5 [t=9.73; p≤0.001], UFP [Z= -3.36; p=0.001], NO2 [t=5.73; p=0.001], SO2 [t=6.88; p≤0.001] and CO2 [t=15.67; p≤0.001] in school in exposed and comparative area. Lung function abnormalities found in children in exposed area was 3 times higher than comparative area. All respiratory symptoms show significant difference between both exposed and comparative groups. All pollutants show a significant association with lung function abnormality among the respondents. The finding indicated that higher PM10 and PM2.5 will increase the FVC abnormality by 4 and 6 times of getting FVC abnormality and increase the FVC abnormality by 2 and 3 times of getting FEV1 abnormality. The finding concluded that exposures to traffic-related air pollutants, especially PM10, PM2.5 increase the risk of getting lung function abnormality and respiratory health symptoms among respondents.
Potential Diversified Transportation Energy Mix Solutions for the ASEAN Countries
Authors: Oka Kazutaka , Mizutani Wataru , Ichikawa Shoichi
Published: April 2019

The objective of this study is to investigate potential diversified transportation energy source solutions and their effective use up to 2030 in order to establish sustainable energy use in road transportation. Five Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries (Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam) are examined by considering their economy, energy status, and automotive market scale. In this study, existing energy policies, fuel supply, demand status, petroleum and alternative fuel products, such as natural gas and biofuels, and oil refining/biofuels production capacity are investigated as components of energy mixing. If there are gaps between oil reduction targets and Business as Usual (BAU) consumption, or the required amount of biofuel use to achieve introduction target and possible supply, measures such as improved new vehicle fuel economy, adjustment of biofuel utilization, and natural gas utilization are considered to minimize gaps or to meet policy targets. An appropriate and cost-effective combination of measures is proposed as an alternative case for each country’s needs. Results show that biofuel utilization is one of the measures that is crucial in meeting policy targets. Even in the alternative case, however, estimated demand volume of biofuel exceeds domestic supply volume in some countries, while estimated demand volume of biofuel is lower than domestic supply volume in other countries. In order to solve these gaps and cultivate bio-fuel security within the ASEAN region, a concept of multi-national cooperation of biofuel is proposed. Creating policies to diminish barriers that prevent the trade of biofuels between neighboring countries is the key to success.
VALUE-ORIENTED ANTI-RISK FUNCTIONAL MODELING OF PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT PROCESSES FOR SCIENCE-BASED PROJECTS OF ENTERPRISES
Authors: Kharytonov Yurij , Savina Oksana
Published: April 2019

Effective management of project portfolios at science-based enterprises, which are now challenged by a dynamic turbulent environment, requires a continuous integrating activity. The goal of the latter is to maximize the return on implementation of the entire set of projects, bearing uncertainties and losses in mind. Thus, the article covers latest research in and approaches to project portfolio management. The methods and mechanisms of project portfolio management are analyzed, the weaknesses of project portfolios are detected; major issues and factors influencing their management are identified as well. The functional model of the value-oriented anti-risk science-based project portfolio management using the functional modeling methodology of IDEF0 are constructed. It takes into account the basic
value indicators of the projects and portfolios that meet specified requirements, minimizes losses and uncertainties, and provides the maximum integrated value of project portfolios.
MANAGEMENT OF WAREHOUSING PROCESSES ON X COMPANY EXAMPLE
Authors: Budzik Anna , Szczepańska Aleksandra
Published: April 2019

The process of storage is one of integral parts of the modern company and warehouses themselves are nowadays complex structures used for the storage of goods. In the present paper, there has been presented the problem of the storage of goods, taking into account a range of elements characterizing this process. In the empirical part, the process of storage in the X company has been subjected to the analysis. A very important aspect is rational storage of goods since it directly affects the maintenance of liquidity and efficiency of the processes of distribution, sales etc
Assessing adolescent self-efficacy in ‘body and health’ - Exploring the psychometric properties of the SEBH scale
Authors: Naigaga Desire Alice , Pettersen Kjell Sverre , Guttersud Øystein , Henjum Sigrun
Published: April 2019

Self-efficacy beliefs are significant predictors of achievement in education. However, majority of existing self-efficacy measures are rather ‘general’ and assess aggregated perceptions of students’ proficiencies within broad academic disciplines. Applying Rasch analysis, the present study explored the psychometric properties of the five-item ‘self-efficacy in body and health’ (SEBH) scale as administered to 1622 tenth-graders aged 15-16years in Norway. Based on our sample, the SEBH scale stood out as well targeted and reliable with acceptable overall fit to the partial credit parameterization of the polytomous unidimensional Rasch model. Except for a slightly reversed threshold in item 1, which could be explained by few persons located at low levels of self-efficacy, the locally independent items had ordered response categories and functioned in the same way for the different levels of relevant person factors. Adapting this scale to different fields of education would contribute to development of more specific measures of perceived capability.
Gastric antral vascular ectasia should not be overlooked in erythropoietin resistance: a series of case reports
Authors: Rimševičius Laurynas , Galkauskas Domantas , Lavinskas Julius , Šestelinska Evelina , Mačionienė Ernesta , Laučytė-Cibulskienė Agnė , Rėkutė Skirmantė , Miglinas Marius
Published: April 2019

Background. Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is currently recognized as an important cause of upper gastrointestinal (GI) haemorrhage, being responsible for about 4% of non-variceal upper GI haemorrhages and typically presents in middle-aged females. GAVE, also called “watermelon stomach”, is diagnosed through esophagogastroduodenoscopy and is characterized by the presence of visible columns of red tortuous enlarged vessels along the longitudinal folds of the antrum. The pathogenesis is still obscure and many hypotheses have been proposed such as mechanical stress, humoral and autoimmune factors. In the last two decades, numerous therapeutic strategies have been proposed, including surgical, endoscopic, and medical choices, yet successful treatment of GAVE continues to be a challenge. Currently, given the rapid response, safety, and efficacy, endoscopic ablative modalities have largely usurped medical treatments as first-line therapy, particularly using argon plasma coagulation. The actual GAVE prevalence in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is not clear, yet in difficult cases it should be considered as a cause of erythropoietin resistance.
Case presentation. We report four clinical cases of GAVE syndrome patients diagnosed with stage 4 to 5 chronic kidney disease. All patients presented with anaemia and GI haemorrhage, the origin of which turned out to be GAVE syndrome.
Conclusions. GAVE syndrome is a serious condition in ESRD patients, especially in those presenting with treatment-refractory anaemia. Realization of its aetiology and characteristics is essential to suspect, diagnose, and treat gastric ectasia. Only proper diagnosis and well-timed disease treatment can significantly improve a patient’s medical condition and future prognosis.
Angina pectoris and sinus of Valsalva aneurysm: a rare manifestation of an uncommon disease
Authors: Simonavičius Justas , Jarašūnienė Dalia
Published: April 2019

Sinus of Valsalva aneurysm is an uncommon finding. The present paper describes a case report of a 57-year-old female patient who developed angina pectoris due to the left sinus of Valsalva aneurysm. Clinical presentation, localization, unruptured status and concomitant coarctation of the aorta make the case presented in this document extremely rare and interesting. Current knowledge about the disease is briefly discussed.
Construire la mémoire d’une communauté : le cas de la francophonie ontarienne
Authors: Hotte Lucie
Published: April 2019

Cet article explore certaines pistes de réflexion au sujet des rapports entre la valorisation du patrimoine culturel, la préservation de la mémoire collective et la constitution de fonds d’archives, leur numérisation et leur diffusion en ligne à partir de l’expérience acquise lors d’un projet de recherche financé par le Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada intitulé « Construction d’une mémoire française à Ottawa » (projet dirigé par Anne Gilbert). Après une brève présentation du projet, l’article se penche sur les rôles que jouent la mémoire et, conséquemment, les archives pour les communautés minoritaires, puis réfléchit à l’apport des outils numériques pour la préservation du patrimoine culturel et sa diffusion.
Accroitre sa performance académique : le rôle des préférences d’apprentissage
Authors: Benoit-Chabot Gabrielle , Denis Pascale L.
Published: April 2019

Individuellement, l’aptitude cognitive générale, la personnalité et les préférences d’apprentissage prédisent la performance académique. Or, l’interaction entre ces variables dans la prédiction de la performance demeure méconnue. Selon Furnham (1995), les préférences d’apprentissage modèreraient la relation entre l’aptitude cognitive générale et la performance, ainsi qu’entre la personnalité et la performance. L’objectif de cette étude consiste à tester empiriquement cette idée. Pour ce faire, les résultats de 192 étudiant⋅e⋅s universitaires à divers tests (c’est-à-dire Wonderlic [1992], NEO PI-3 [2010] et l’inventaire des styles d’apprentissage de Kolb [2005]) ont été mis en lien avec des mesures de performance académique. Les résultats suggèrent que seule la préférence pour l’expérimentation active modèrerait la relation entre le facteur Conscience et la performance académique. Plus précisément, les étudiant⋅e⋅s consciencieux⋅euses obtiendraient de meilleurs résultats à l’examen final lorsqu’ils ou elles ont une préférence pour l’apprentissage par expérimentation active. Les implications théoriques (pour le modèle de Furnham) et empiriques seront discutées.
LA PREUVE PSYCHOLOGIQUE DEVANT LES TRIBUNAUX : BARRIÈRES COMMUNICATIONNELLES ET ÉPISTÉMIQUES
Authors: Da Silva Guerreiro Joao , Poitras Karine , Casoni Dianne , Leclerc Philippe
Published: April 2019

Le présent article vise à documenter les défis liés à la communication entre décideurs judiciaires et psychologues experts, leurs rôles différents et besoins respectifs de même que les difficultés des psychologues experts à traduire les connaissances en psychologie au profit de meilleures décisions judiciaires. Trois concepts psychologiques seront examinés plus attentivement : la dangerosité, la capacité parentale et le meilleur intérêt de l’enfant. Nous rappellerons les besoins de formation spécialisée à la lumière des défis identifiés ainsi que l’importance d’une utilisation éthique des connaissances dans le domaine de la psychologie pour éclairer les tribunaux.
DU SILENCE AU DÉVOILEMENT : LA RÉSISTANCE DES ENFANTS À RAPPORTER UNE AGRESSION SEXUELLE EN CONTEXTE D’ENTREVUE D’ENQUÊTE
Authors: Légaré Marily , Dion Jacinthe , Cyr Mireille , Boulianne-Simard Catherine
Published: April 2019

Le dévoilement d’une agression sexuelle est une étape critique pour entreprendre des mesures légales et de protection bien que plusieurs enfants soient résistants à dévoiler. Cet article présente une recension des écrits sur le processus de dévoilement dans le cadre de l’entrevue d’enquête et sur les facteurs associés au phénomène de la résistance. Les enjeux méthodologiques pour les recherches futures sont discutés, dont l’importance d’une conceptualisation multidimensionnelle du dévoilement et d’une approche multifactorielle des prédicteurs de la résistance au dévoilement. Enfin, les recommandations pour l’utilisation des méthodes d’entrevue les plus susceptibles de conduire à des dévoilements exacts et détaillés de même que l’intérêt de ces connaissances pour les cliniciens sont présentés.
Regard sur la justice sociale à travers la situation des mères qui ont un enfant placé par les services de protection de l’enfance
Authors: Noël Julie
Published: April 2019

Cet article présente une réflexion critique sur la situation des mères d’enfants placés jusqu’à leur majorité à la lumière de définitions de la justice sociale. Plusieurs auteurs contemporains placent la reconnaissance de la dignité des personnes au coeur de leur définition, comme le démontrent les écrits d’Axel Honneth, d’Emmanuel Renault et de Nancy Fraser. La conceptualisation de la justice sociale selon ces trois auteurs est sommairement présentée, afin de mettre en exergue quelques-unes de leurs particularités, et surtout, de montrer comment ces définitions peuvent se traduire lorsqu’on examine la situation de ces mères.
Les problèmes de qualification de la compétence internationale des tribunaux québécois : la solution réside dans l’alliance du Code de procédure civile et du Code civil du Québec
Authors: Guillemard Sylvette
Published: April 2019

Le Code de procédure civile répartit les règles de compétence des tribunaux de première instance en deux catégories parfaitement étiquetées, soit la compétence matérielle et la compétence territoriale. À chacune correspondent des particularités propres — et opposées —, notamment en ce qui a trait au rôle des personnes concernées et à la mise en oeuvre des moyens déclinatoires.

Lorsque le litige comporte un élément d’extranéité, la compétence directe des tribunaux québécois est prévue dans le livre X du Code civil du Québec et le codificateur l’a intitulée « compétence internationale ». Il est pourtant absolument nécessaire de la ranger dans une catégorie connue en droit interne pour des raisons procédurales.

Certains, peu versés dans le droit international privé, pourraient penser que la question ne présente pas de difficulté et que la réponse est simple, tant elle paraît évidente. Pourtant, le chemin qui mène de l’une à l’autre en passant par le Code civil et le Code de procédure civile est semé d’embûches, presque de pièges, qu’une analyse fine et minutieuse permet à la fois de déceler et de surmonter. Il faut en outre déplorer que le législateur n’ait pas réglé le problème à l’occasion de la récente réforme du Code de procédure civile, le maintenant ainsi dans un flou peu salutaire.
Bacterial Type VI secretion system could have evolved from co-opted tail sheath tube of bacteriophages
Authors: Ng Wenfa
Published: April 2019

Bacterial cells utilize a variety of nanomachines to secrete proteins and other molecules into the extracellular environment or target cells. One example is the Type VI secretion system (T6SS) in Gram-negative bacteria. Armed with a contractile mechanism similar to that used by bacteriophages to inject phage DNA into bacterial cells, the T6SS shares a common evolutionary origin with tail associated proteins of bacteriophages at both the structural and protein composition levels. Specifically, proteins constituting the T6SS are known to share provenance with those of the phage tail protein. More importantly, the T6SS is strikingly similar to the phage tail protein in both structure and function. However, a more important question concerns whether the T6SS evolved from the phage tail protein and if yes, what is the mechanism responsible for its development? One possibility could be the co-opt of the tail protein structure by bacterial cells through integration of the genes encoding the tail protein structure within the bacterial genome. In this case, expression of the phage tail protein genes would have resulted in a multiprotein structure without apparent function, which meant that a significant gap remains in comparison with extant T6SS that spans the inner and outer cell membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. While it is desirable to trace the evolutionary steps taken by phage tail proteins to transform into functional T6SS, multiple selection pressure and strong mutational propensity might have erased molecular evidence of such transformation. Hence, the challenge lies in uncovering as much structural and sequence evidence as possible that points to distinct steps in the evolutionary pathway towards T6SS. Structural studies offer a particularly promising route to unentangle the details but it must be augmented with sequence evidence that pins down the molecular events that shape the evolution of the complex multiprotein structure, where clefts from one protein fit into the folds of another in yielding a function that could evolve over eons. Collectively, structural and functional similarity between T6SS and phage tail protein suggests a common evolutionary origin for both macromolecular complexes, which has been established through combined structural, compositional and sequence analysis. But the steps underpinning the transformation of phage tail protein into T6SS remain unclear, which obfuscate understanding of the evolutionary forces that shape the transformation. One possible evolutionary trajectory posits that genes expressing phage tail proteins were co-opted and integrated into the bacterial genome. However, significant gap remains between a phage tail protein structure with unclear function in the cytoplasm and a functional T6SS that spans two bacterial membranes. Future detective work at the structural and sequence level might offer clues to the evolutionary path trodden by a precursor of the bacterial T6SS.
Felietonowo sprofilowana publicystyka ewangelizacyjna w ujęciu dyskursywnym (na wybranych przykładach)
Authors: Wojtak Maria
Published: April 2019

The article contains an analysis of a monothematic and isofunctional set of author’s utterances implementing genre conventions of the column. However, they are not analyzed in the genre per- spective. The author aims to illustrate the issue of identity parameters of texts, perceiving them as a mosaic of relations determined by concepts in the eld of culturally entangled communication such as: journalism, evangelization, (evangelistic, press) discourse, genre, and text. The arrange- ment of concepts from types of human activity, communication spaces and discourses through genre lters to texts allowed to extract and characterize the phenomenon of the column pro led evangelization journalism in analyses embedded in discourse analysis, yet without displaying its speci c current.
Kreacje Obcego w dyskursie współczesnych polskich nacjonalistów
Authors: Ciesek Bernadetta
Published: April 2019

Category of The Other and its instances are an obligatory element of the world’s visions constructed by social actors within many various discourses present in Polish modern social space. Discursive communities shape an attitude towards The Other that is compatible with worldview line of discourse to which they belong. The Other can be therefore perceived as The Second, coexisting beside The Yours. It can also be presented as The Stranger or even as The Enemy. This rule is valid in the nationalistic discourse where the strangeness is contrasted with hominess and it becomes one of the strategies of building the identity. It is also a strategy that places everything what is different not only beyond the discursive community’s boundaries but also beyond the national community.
Non-destructive and rapid discrimination of hard-to-cook beans using hyperspectral imaging
Authors: Diaz-Contreras Lina , Erkinbaev Chyngyz , Paliwal Jitendra
Published: April 2019

Dry beans stored under sub-optimal conditions tend to develop hard-to-cook (HTC) defect, which extends the cooking time making them less palatable while reducing their nutritional value. The current methods of identifying HTC beans are time-consuming, destructive, and unreliable. A rapid non-destructive inspection technique for pre-screening beans could help identify and discard HTC beans prior to processing. To this end, the potential of hyperspectral imaging technique covering the entire visible to near infrared (NIR) spectral range (400‒2500 nm) was evaluated for rapid and non-destructive identification of HTC beans. The HTC phenomenon was artificially induced in healthy white beans using two different combinations of suboptimal storage conditions of temperature and relative humidity (35℃, 75% RH for 45 days and 60℃, 75% RH for 10 days). Subsequently, the beans were cooked for specified durations and their hardness measured using a texture analyzer. The HTC and control (i.e. easy-to-cook (ETC)) beans were scanned with push-broom hyperspectral imaging systems. Results indicate that both sets of storage conditions rendered the beans HTC but the phenomenon induced by the two different methods was detected in different spectral ranges using hyperspectral imaging. Wavelengths across the entire visible and NIR ranges of electromagnetic spectrum were found useful in detecting HTC as beans stored at 35℃ and 75% RH for 45 days were identified mainly in the 1000‒2500 nm range and those stored at 60℃ and 75% RH for 10 days were identified in the 400‒1000 nm region. The degree of HTC defect could not be ascertained using this technique and requires further investigation.
Structural basis for mammalian nucleotide sugar transport
Authors: Ahuja Shivani , Whorton Matthew R
Published: April 2019

Nucleotide-sugar transporters (NSTs) are critical components of the cellular glycosylation machinery. They transport nucleotide-sugar conjugates into the Golgi lumen, where they are used for the glycosylation of proteins and lipids, and they then subsequently transport the nucleotide monophosphate byproduct back to the cytoplasm. Dysregulation of human NSTs causes several debilitating diseases, and NSTs are virulence factors for many pathogens. Here we present the first crystal structures of a mammalian NST, the mouse CMP-sialic acid transporter (mCST), in complex with its physiological substrates CMP and CMP-sialic acid. Detailed visualization of extensive protein-substrate interactions explains the mechanisms governing substrate selectivity. Further structural analysis of mCST’s unique lumen-facing partially-occluded conformation, coupled with the characterization of substrate-induced quenching of mCST’s intrinsic tryptophan fluorescence, reveals the concerted conformational transitions that occur during substrate transport. These results provide a framework for understanding the effects of disease-causing mutations and the mechanisms of this diverse family of transporters.
Effects of Cannabis Use on Sedation Requirements for Endoscopic Procedures
Authors: Twardowski Mark A. , Link Margaret M. , Twardowski Nicole M.
Published: April 2019

Context

Cannabis (or marijuana) became legal for recreational use in Colorado in 2012, and this legislation change has created both challenges and opportunities in medicine. More patients are using cannabis, and more patients are now willing to admit cannabis use than in the past, which increases the likelihood that they will be forthcoming about use during medical questioning. Cannabis use may have implications during medical care, including procedural sedation.

Objective

To determine whether regular cannabis use had any effect on the dose of medication needed for sedation during endoscopic procedures.

Methods

A total of 250 medical records were reviewed from 1 endoscopy center and 1 endoscopist to minimize the variability in sedation technique for the study purposes. The cohort was reviewed with regard to age and gender to determine whether differences were present among different groups as to the relative amount of sedation medication required in cannabis users vs nonusers.

Results

Medical records from 250 patients were reviewed, and researchers found that compared with people who did not regularly use cannabis, people who regularly used cannabis required an amount of sedation for endoscopic procedures that was significantly higher (P=.05). The statistical significance persisted when adjusted for age, sex, and use of alcohol, benzodiazepines, and opiates.

Conclusion

Determining cannabis use before procedural sedation can be an important tool for planning patient care and assessing both medication needs and possible risks related to increased dosage requirements during endoscopic procedures.
Operation of thin-film thermoelectric generator of Ge-rich poly-Ge1-xSnx on SiO2 fabricated by a low thermal budget process
Authors: Takahashi Kouta , Ikenoue Hiroshi , Sakashita Mitsuo , Nakatsuka Osamu , Zaima Shigeaki , Kurosawa Masashi
Published: April 2019

A thin-film thermoelectric generator composed of p- and n-type poly-Ge1−x
Sn
x
(x ∼ 0.02) on a Si(001) covered with SiO2 has been successfully fabricated by low thermal budget processes (under 300 °C) and demonstrated for the first time. Both the crystallization and dopant activation were simultaneously performed using pulsed UV laser irradiation in flowing water. A recorded activation ratio of Sb in the poly-Ge1−x
Sn
x
enabled a relatively high power factor (9.2 μ Wcm−1 K−2 at RT), which is comparable to the counterparts of n-type Ge1−x
Sn
x
layers epitaxially grown on InP(001).
Enhancing the performance of the aggregated bit vector algorithm in network packet classification using GPU
Authors: Abbasi Mahdi , Tahouri Razieh , Rafiee Milad
Published: April 2019

Packet classification is a computationally intensive, highly parallelizable task in many advanced network systems like high-speed routers and firewalls that enable different functionalities through discriminating incoming traffic. Recently, graphics processing units (GPUs) have been exploited as efficient accelerators for parallel implementation of software classifiers. The aggregated bit vector is a highly parallelizable packet classification algorithm. In this work, first we present a parallel kernel for running this algorithm on GPUs. Next, we adapt an asymptotic analysis method which predicts any empirical result of the proposed kernel. Experimental results not only confirm the efficiency of the proposed parallel kernel but also reveal the accuracy of the analysis method in predicting important trends in experimental results.
Too trivial to test? An inverse view on defect prediction to identify methods with low fault risk
Authors: Niedermayr Rainer , Röhm Tobias , Wagner Stefan
Published: April 2019

Background

Test resources are usually limited and therefore it is often not possible to completely test an application before a release. To cope with the problem of scarce resources, development teams can apply defect prediction to identify fault-prone code regions. However, defect prediction tends to low precision in cross-project prediction scenarios.

Aims

We take an inverse view on defect prediction and aim to identify methods that can be deferred when testing because they contain hardly any faults due to their code being “trivial”. We expect that characteristics of such methods might be project-independent, so that our approach could improve cross-project predictions.

Method

We compute code metrics and apply association rule mining to create rules for identifying methods with low fault risk (LFR). We conduct an empirical study to assess our approach with six Java open-source projects containing precise fault data at the method level.

Results

Our results show that inverse defect prediction can identify approx. 32–44% of the methods of a project to have a LFR; on average, they are about six times less likely to contain a fault than other methods. In cross-project predictions with larger, more diversified training sets, identified methods are even 11 times less likely to contain a fault.

Conclusions

Inverse defect prediction supports the efficient allocation of test resources by identifying methods that can be treated with less priority in testing activities and is well applicable in cross-project prediction scenarios.
Informing the management of acute malnutrition in infants aged under 6 months (MAMI): risk factor analysis using nationally-representative demographic & health survey secondary data
Authors: Kerac Marko , Frison Severine , Connell Nichola , Page Bethan , McGrath Marie
Published: April 2019

Background

Tackling malnutrition is a global health priority, helping children both survive and thrive. Acute malnutrition (wasting) in infants aged under 6 months (u6m) is often neglected. Worldwide, some 8.5 million infants u6m are affected yet recent World Health Organization malnutrition guidelines highlight numerous evidence gaps on how to best manage them. To inform future research, policy and programming, we aimed to identify risk factors associated with infant u6m wasting.

Methods

We did secondary data analysis of nationally representative, cross sectional Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in the last 10 years. We compared wasted infants u6m (weight-for-length <−2 z-scores) vs. non-wasted (weight-for-length ≥−2 z-score). We used simple and adjusted (for infant age, sex, socio-economic status) logistic regression to calculate odds of wasting associated with risk factors spanning three broad categories: household-related; maternal-related; infant-related.

Results

We analysed 16,123 infants u6m from 20 countries. Multiple risk factors were statistically associated with wasting. These included: poverty (Odds ratio, OR 1.22 (95% CI [1.01–1.48], p = 0.04)); low maternal body mass index (adjusted OR 1.53(1.29–1.80, p < 0.001); small infant size at birth (aOR 1.32(1.10–1.58, p < 0.01)); delayed start of breastfeeding (aOR 1.31(1.13–1.51, p < 0.001)); prelacteal feed (aOR 1.34(1.18–1.53, p < 0.001)); recent history of diarrhoea (aOR 1.37(1.12–1.67, p < 0.01)); mother disempowered (experiences violence; does not make decisions about health issues; does not engage with health services such as antenatal care, does not give birth in a health facility). ‘Protective’ factors associated with significantly decreased odds of infant u6m wasting included: educated mother (OR 0.64(0.54–0.76, p < 0.001)); mother in work (OR 0.82(0.72–0.94, p < 0.01)); currently breastfed (aOR 0.62(0.42–0.91, p = 0.02)), exclusively breastfed (aOR 0.84(0.73–0.97, p = 0.02).

Discussion

Infant u6m wasting is a complex, multifactorial problem associated with many risk factors; knowing them will help shape international and national management strategies. Whilst our observational study cannot prove causation, many factors identified are biologically plausible and/or socially important. They should be considered when assessing and managing infants u6m. Although supporting breastfeeding is core to future interventions, this alone is unlikely to be sufficient; strategies should involve multiple sectors, beyond just health and nutrition. By noting our results, future intervention studies could focus resources and maximise chances of achieving impact.