bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of hospital-learning environment for pediatric residency in eastern region of Saudi Arabia
Authors: BuAli Waleed H. , Khan Abdul Sattar , Al-Qahtani Mohammad Hussain , aldossary Shaikha
Published: April 2015

Purpose: No study had been conducted to assess the hospitals’ environment for learning purposes in multicenter sites in Saudi Arabia. It aims to evaluate the environment of hospitals for learning purposes of pediatric residents. Methods: We applied Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM) to measure the learning environment at six teaching hospitals in the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia from September to December 2013. Results: The number of respondents was 104 (86.7%) out of 120 residents and 37 females and 67 male residents have responded. The residents’ response scored 100 out of 160 maximum score in rating of PHEEM that showed overall learning environment is favorable for training. There were some items in the social support domain suggesting improvements. There was no significant difference between male and female residents. There was a difference among the participant teaching hospitals (p<0.05). Conclusion: The result pointed an overall positive rating. Individual item scores suggested that their social life during residency could be uninspiring. They have the low satisfactory level and they feel racism, and sexual discrimination. Therefore, there is still a room for improvement.
La population, sujet de géographie (Population, a subject of geography)
Authors: George Pierre
Published: April 2015

Résumé. - La place de la population a progressivement changé au sein de la géographie. Localisation et mouvements sont les questions essentielles pour le géographe.
La transition sanitaire dans le monde (World health transition)
Authors: Picheral Henri
Published: April 2015

Résumé. - Les phases et les stades de la transition épidémiologique, élargie à la notion de transition sanitaire, permettent d'établir une géographie mondiale de la mortalité selon les causes de décès qui constituent de bons indicateurs de développement.
La baisse de la fécondité dans le monde (The decrease of fertility in the world)
Authors: Véron Jacques
Published: April 2015

Résumé. - La fécondité a fortement baissé au cours des trois dernières décennies mais elle reste élevée dans une partie des pays en développement, spécialement en Afrique. Les disparités sont, de ce fait, très marquées (l'indice conjoncturel de fécondité varie de 1,3 à 7,6 enfants par femme). Les causes des disparités et des changements sont diverses et complexes. Elles sont avant tout liées au processus de développement.
Eaux dormantes, eaux courantes (Still waters, running waters...)
Authors: Tabeaud Martine
Published: April 2015

Abstract. - The volume of continental liquid waters is very small, compared with other reservoirs (oceans, for instance). Nevertheless, they are of particular importance to human societies. Still waters and running waters are the consequence of a positive water balance, which varies with space and time. They induce an original kind of ecosystems, changing and fleeting. Taking into account natural and technical processes on long periods allows the perpetuation of those geosys- tems based on the exploitation of such environments.
L'eau à la surface des continents : une approche zonale (Continental liquid water : a zonal approach)
Authors: Lamarre Denis
Published: April 2015

Abstract. - A global typology of continental liquid water surfaces and swamp areas is done here. The problem is treated with a zonal, climatic approach. Seasonal phenomena, which are components of the water budget, explain the surface conditions and spatial increase of these areas. But, at last, human work leads the land use.
Etat de la mer et des niveaux marins (Sea state and sea level)
Authors: Pirazzoli Paolo Antonio
Published: April 2015

Abstract. - Predictions of global heating by greenhouse effect also imply, according to certain climatic models, a global sea-level rise. The heating observed during the last century is actually less than that predicted by models. As concerns recent sea-level changes, a rise has probably occurred during the last century, but its accurate determination is made difficult by the important «background noise» of tide-gauge records. In certain low-lying coastal areas, problems related to sea- level rise are often worsened by land subsidence phenomena.
Les mécanismes du trou d'ozone antarctique : l'expérience Stratéole (Mechanism of ozone role in Antartica)
Authors: Vial François
Published: April 2015

Résumé. - Après avoir brièvement présenté nos connaissances actuelles sur l'ozone atmosphérique, nous décrivons les mécanismes responsables de la formation du trou d'ozone au-dessus de l'Antarctique en fin d'hiver et au début du printemps polaire. Si les processus photochimiques liés à la formation du trou sont raisonnablement connus à l'heure actuelle, des incertitudes beaucoup plus grandes subsistent encore sur les phénomènes de transport de constituants minoritaires jouant un rôle dans la chimie de l'ozone. Ceci implique des mesures précises de vents, de rayonnement et de certaines espèces chimiques dans la basse stratosphère polaire qui sont les objectifs de l'expérience Stratéole, qui devrait avoir lieu en l'an 2000. Elle permettra d'étudier la structure et l'évolution du tourbillon antarctique et sa relation avec le trou d'ozone, ses propriétés de diffusion et de mélange, la perméabilité de la frontière du tourbillon aux flux de constituants minoritaires, l'impact des ondes de gravité et de la turbulence sur la dynamique et les propriétés de mélange du tourbillon, ainsi que l'évolution du trou d'ozone et sa disparition après la cassure du tourbillon.
Forêts et réchauffement global (Forests and greenhouse warming)
Authors: Tabeaud Martine , Simon Laurent
Published: April 2015

Résumé. - Les activités anthropiques modifient le taux de CO2 atmosphérique et contribueraient ainsi à un effet de serre additionnel. Quel rôle jouent et pourraient jouer la biosphère, et donc les forêts, dans l'équilibre écologique planétaire ? Les forêts couvrent 4 milliards d'hectares. Quand elles sont adultes et en bonne santé, leur bilan carboné est nul. La déforestation des pays en développement, évaluée à 154 millions d'hectares lors de la dernière décennie, rejette 0,5 à 1,5 Gt/an de carbone dans l'atmosphère, soit seulement 10 à 30% des surplus annuels de gaz à effet de serre. Si le réchauffement planétaire attendu se confirme, la répartition des grands biomes devrait s'en trouver affectée : remontée en latitude de la «tree-line», élévation altitudinale de la limite supérieure de la forêt, stress hydrique accru de certaines forêts sèches tropicales. En dehors des problèmes de vitesse de déplacement, le bilan de la ressource forestière risque d'accroître encore le fossé entre pays riches et pays en développement.
Sécheresse, désertification et albédo des sols (Drought, desertisation and soils albedo)
Authors: Mainguet Monique
Published: April 2015

Abstract. - In the land degradation of the Sahel, is it possible to precise the part of the causes resulting from natural changes of the climate (droughts for example) and the part resulting from human activities ? Even at the end of the twentieth century is'nt it imprudent to attribute the whole degradation to human actions ? The notions of radiatif balance, albedo and spectral reflectance are reviewed so as to understand the hypothesis proposed in the seventies of land degradation responsible in the increase of the albedo, itself cause of the upsetting of the climate equilibrium and of increased droughts. To have a better estimate of the degree of environmental degradation and the threshold of desertification (defined at a human tide span as irreversible land degradation) since the fifties, air photographies and later on satellite imagery are analysed.
Problèmes de l'environnement planétaire : conclusions (Problems in the environment of the Earth : conclusions)
Authors: Pagney Pierre
Published: April 2015

Résumé. - L'environnement planétaire est abordé ici en termes de changement. On y retrouve l'effet de serre anthropique, avec ses incertitudes (réalité du phénomène ? modalités ? ampleur ?). A ce propos, la collaboration des géographes et des physiciens permet une prise en compte pertinente de l'atmosphère et de son interface, à diverses échelles spatio-temporelles. Le comportement actuel du niveau marin suggère une présomption de réchauffement. Si la tendance se confirme, elle restera peut-être relativement limitée et largement diversifiée dans ses effets.
Alliance et filiation dans le monde arabe (Affinity and kinship in the Arab world)
Authors: Caratini Sophie
Published: April 2015

Résumé. - L'analyse anthropologique de la parenté arabe montre que le discours sur la tribu, qui met en avant un système de filiation fondé sur une idéologie, masque le rôle social et politique des stratégies d'alliances. La compréhension de ces faits de parenté est donc une des clés de l'étude de l'organisation sociale, partant de l'analyse géographique de l'espace.
La maîtrise de l'eau dans le Wadi Zabid, Yémen (Irrigation on the Wadi Zabid area (Yemen))
Authors: Bonnenfant Paul
Published: April 2015

Abstract. - The presentation of irrigation systems in the Wadi Zabid area (Yemen) points out the recent technical and social changes. The area was opened to the markets and the peasants have been partly freed from an economical and social status in which they were exploited.
Diaspora et dimensions de la territorialité : le cas palestinien (Diaspora and dimensions of territoriality : the Palestinian case)
Authors: Destremau Blandine
Published: April 2015

Abstract. - The dimensions of Palestinian territoriality proceed mainly from two specificities of this people's history : the annexation and the occupation of their territory, which have caused the dispersion of the Palestinian people, on one hand ; the existence of a political movement claiming a territory, on the other. My paper deals with two aspects of this territoriality : first, the esperienced territory, that of practices, of spoliations and exile, of host countries and diaspora networks ; second, the territory of reference, in relation to which memories, hopes, claims and disappointments are built. As a concrétisation of the hope of return into a territorial and political project, the peace process dramatically alters the set-up of Palestinians' relationships to their territories.
Le tourisme en Tunisie : acteurs et enjeux (Tourism in Tunisia : who does what and what is at stake)
Authors: Miossec Jean-Marie
Published: April 2015

Résumé. - La Tunisie est depuis plusieurs années le premier pays touristique arabe si l'on se réfère au tourisme international. A cette fréquentation d'étrangers s'ajoutent des flux de plus en plus nourris de vacanciers nationaux. Ces performances assurent, pour l'économie nationale, des revenus nets élevés. Ces réalisations ont été rendues possibles par une bonne organisation du système touristique, les règles du jeu ayant été respectées. Il n'est donc pas étonnant de voir s'engouffrer dans cette branche les capitaux des groupes d'acteurs privés parmi les plus dynamiques du pays, l'Etat continuant à jouer cependant un rôle essentiel d'encadrement et de contrôle. La poussée d'une activité exigeante, très étroitement implantée sur le littoral, n'est pas sans enjeux, principalement pour l'eau, l'emploi et l'espace. Cette croissance se poursuit, à un rythme élevé, désormais dans un contexte où le développement inscrit dans la durée est une préoccupation majeure : les problèmes de capacité de charge, de tourisme supportable, de compatibilité entre l'impératif environnemental et l'impératif touristique sont donc d'actualité, d'autant plus que les différentes formes de tourismes et de loisirs accentuent une littoralisation qui est l'essence même du pays.
Eléments sur la structuration de l'espace et l'aménagement en Arabie Saoudite (Elements about the spatial structuration and the territorial planning in Saudi Arabia)
Authors: Seguin Jacques
Published: April 2015

Résumé. - Les contraintes de l'espace et de l'environnement en Arabie saoudite ne se limitent pas à l'aridité et aux distances entre les lieux. La structuration générale, l'organisation tripôlaire et l'existence d'axes de développement parallèles, à forte dimension historique, conditionnent également les choix d'aménagement. Etat jeune, le royaume, créé par une famille du Nejd, a été confronté dès les débuts de son existence au problème de l'intégration de régions bien distinctes, au particularisme marqué. La stratégie spatiale conçue par les experts a entériné des choix politiques de sédentarisation et de concentration, mais les propositions qui tendaient à organiser le territoire national selon les principes de sa structuration en profondeur n'ont pas été retenues. Le pouvoir politique s'attache d'abord à préserver une cohésion et des intérêts qu'il estime menacés par les dynamiques spatiales recommandées par cette stratégie.
Territoires nomades réinventés? Le cas mauritanien (Reinvented nomad territories ? The Mauritanian example)
Authors: Frérot Anne-Marie
Published: April 2015

Résumé. - A partir du cas de la République islamique de Mauritanie, réflexion sur le devenir des territoires de la mobilité et sur l'impact de la décentralisation sur l'organisation de l'espace dans les pays arides et semi-arides à composante nomade dominante. Après avoir «renié» ses espaces périphériques, l'Etat décentralise et attribue une valeur nouvelle à ces régions, lieux d'investissement privilégiés. Les nomades doués d'un fort potentiel d'innovations recomposent leurs territoires et redonnent du sens à leur espace.
Les paramètres de la géopolitique indienne (The parameters of India's geopolitics)
Authors: Racine Jean-Luc
Published: April 2015

Résumé. - Tranchée par la partition de 1947 qui la fit naître amputée du Pakistan, l'Inde indépendante offre l'exemple extrême d'un Etat de premier plan qui doit gérer une diversité sans pareille. Malgré la pluralité des langues, des religions, des castes ; malgré ses disparités régionales et les relations de pouvoir parfois tendues entre le Centre et les Etats de l'Union ; confronté à de multiples régionalismes voire à des sécessionnismes armés, le pays tient bon, alors même qu'il opère, en s'ouvrant plus que jamais à l'économie mondiale, une réforme économique d'importance. Autant de paramètres qui définissent la géopolitique indienne qu'on tente d'exposer ici.
Pour une approche géographique des revenus agricoles en France (Geographical approach of farmer's incomes in France)
Authors: Bonnamour Jacqueline , Sanchez Pascal
Published: April 2015

Résumé. - Le revenu des agriculteurs est abordé ici sous l'angle de sa répartition géographique et de ses modifications en fonction de l'évolution récente de la PAC. La valeur ajoutée a été choisie comme indicateur relativement fiable et pertinent des résultats des exploitations et par conséquent de leur niveau de revenu ; elle a été calculée pour 6 années test : 1970, 1980, 1988, 1990, 1992, et 1993, par hectare, par exploitation et par homme pour chaque département. Le calcul du ratio aides directes/valeur ajoutée montre que l'inégale répartition des revenus d'un point à l'autre du territoire est étroitement liée aux procédures de distribution des aides instaurées par la nouvelle PAC en 1993.
Les politiques agri-environnementales dans le contexte de la réforme de la PAC : l'exemple de l'OGAF des boucles de la Seine en aval de Rouen (Environmental and agricultural policies in the context of the CAP reform : the example of the Seine's valley downstream from Rouen)
Authors: Fruit Jean-Pierre , Vélard Béatrice
Published: April 2015

Résumé. - Dans la basse vallée de la Seine, une politique agri-environnementale a été expérimentée depuis 1992 pour préserver les prairies humides du lit majeur du fleuve. La procédure (opération groupée d'aménagement foncier au titre de «l'article 19»), antérieure aux mesures agri-environnementales d'accompagnement de la réforme de la PAC, est d'abord présentée dans son cadre géographique. Dans un deuxième temps, l'examen de la carte de localisation des parcelles qui ont fait l'objet d'un contrat montre qu'elles sont loin de couvrir tout le périmètre éligible. Les explications sont alors fournies et complétées par une étude approfondie des agriculteurs contractants. Pour finir, un bilan est fourni à titre provisoire, l'opération devant être menée à son terme seulement en 1997. Le constat est plutôt positif, mais non dépourvu d'interrogations quant à l'avenir.
Human Neural Stem Cell Transplantation Provides Long-Term Restoration of Neuronal Plasticity in the Irradiated Hippocampus
Authors: Acharya Munjal M. , Rosi Susanna , Jopson Timothy , Limoli Charles L.
Published: April 2015

For the majority of CNS malignancies, radiotherapy provides the best option for forestalling tumor growth, but is frequently associated with debilitating and progressive cognitive dysfunction. Despite the recognition of this serious side effect, satisfactory long-term solutions are not currently available and have prompted our efforts to explore the potential therapeutic efficacy of cranial stem cell transplants. We have demonstrated that intrahippocampal transplantation of human neural stem cells (hNSCs) can provide long-lasting cognitive benefits using an athymic rat model subjected to cranial irradiation. To explore the possible mechanisms underlying the capability of engrafted cells to ameliorate radiation-induced cognitive dysfunction we analyzed the expression patterns of the behaviorally induced activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc) in the hippocampus at 1 and 8 months postgrafting. While immunohistochemical analyses revealed a small fraction (4.5%) of surviving hNSCs in the irradiated brain that did not express neuronal or astroglial makers, hNSC transplantation impacted the irradiated microenvironment of the host brain by promoting the expression of Arc at both time points. Arc is known to play key roles in the neuronal mechanisms underlying long-term synaptic plasticity and memory and provides a reliable marker for detecting neurons that are actively engaged in spatial and contextual information processing associated with memory consolidation. Cranial irradiation significantly reduced the number of pyramidal (CA1) and granule neurons (DG) expressing behaviorally induced Arc at 1 and 8 months postirradiation. Transplantation of hNSCs restored the expression of plasticity-related Arc in the host brain to control levels. These findings suggest that hNSC transplantation promotes the long-term recovery of host hippocampal neurons and indicates that one mechanism promoting the preservation of cognition after irradiation involves trophic support from engrafted cells.
Stemness Enhancement of Human Neural Stem Cells following Bone Marrow MSC Coculture
Authors: Haragopal Hariprakash , Yu Dou , Zeng Xiang , Kim Soo-Woo , Han In-Bo , Ropper Alexander E. , Anderson Jamie E. , Teng Yang D.
Published: April 2015

Rapid loss of stemness capacity in purified prototype neural stem cells (NSCs) remains a serious challenge to basic and clinical studies aiming to repair the central nervous system. Based on the essential role of mesodermal guidance in the process of neurulation, we hypothesized that coculture of human NSCs (hNSCs) with human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal stem cells (hMSCs) could enhance the stemness of hNSCs through Notch-1 signaling. We have now tested the hypothesis by assessing behaviors of hNSCs and hMSCs under systematically designed coculture conditions relative to monocultures, with or without Notch-1 manipulation in vitro. Our data demonstrate that expression levels of Notch-1 and Hes-1 as determined by immunocytochemistry are significantly higher in hNSCs cocultured with hMSCs than those of controls. Furthermore, coculturing significantly increases immunoreactivity of CD15, a neural stemness marker, but decreases CD24, a marker of neural/neuronal commitment in hNSCs. The effect is independent from the physical status of cell growth since coculture and notch signaling actually promotes hNSC adhesion. Importantly, coculture with hMSCs markedly augments hNSC proliferation rate (e.g., higher yield in G2/M phase subpopulation in a notch-dependent manner detected by flow cytometry) without diminishing their lineage differentiation capabilities. The results suggest that coculture of hNSCs with hMSCs enhances stemness biology of hNSCs partially via activation of Notch-1 signal transduction. Our finding sheds new light on mesoderm-ectoderm cell fate determination via contact-based hMSC-hNSC interactions and provides mechanistic leads for devising effective regimens to sustain and augment stemness of in vitro established hNSC and hMSC lines for basic science, translational and clinical applications.
Pathologic Potential of Astrocytic Vesicle Traffic: New Targets to Treat Neurologic Diseases?
Authors: Vardjan Nina , Verkhratsky Alexei , Zorec Robert
Published: April 2015

Vesicles are small intracellular organelles that are fundamental for constitutive housekeeping of the plasmalemma, intercellular transport, and cell-to-cell communications. In astroglial cells, traffic of vesicles is associated with cell morphology, which determines the signaling potential and metabolic support for neighboring cells, including when these cells are considered to be used for cell transplantations or for regulating neurogenesis. Moreover, vesicles are used in astrocytes for the release of vesicle-laden chemical messengers. Here we review the properties of membrane-bound vesicles that store gliotransmitters, endolysosomes that are involved in the traffic of plasma membrane receptors, and membrane transporters. These vesicles are all linked to pathological states, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, neuroinflammation, trauma, edema, and states in which astrocytes contribute to developmental disorders. In multiple sclerosis, for example, fingolimod, a recently introduced drug, apparently affects vesicle traffic and gliotransmitter release from astrocytes, indicating that this process may well be used as a new pathophysiologic target for the development of new therapies.
Proof of Concept Studies Exploring the Safety and Functional Activity of Human Parthenogenetic-Derived Neural Stem Cells for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease
Authors: Gonzalez Rodolfo , Garitaonandia Ibon , Crain Andrew , Poustovoitov Maxim , Abramihina Tatiana , Noskov Alexander , Jiang Chuan , Morey Robert , Laurent Louise C. , Elsworth John D. , Snyder Evan Y. , Redmond D. Eugene , Semechkin Ruslan
Published: April 2015

Recent studies indicate that human pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-based therapies hold great promise in Parkinson's disease (PD). Clinical studies have shown that grafted fetal neural tissue can achieve considerable biochemical and clinical improvements in PD. However, the source of fetal tissue grafts is limited and ethically controversial. Human parthenogenetic stem cells offer a good alternative because they are derived from unfertilized oocytes without destroying viable human embryos and can be used to generate an unlimited supply of neural stem cells for transplantation. Here we evaluate for the first time the safety and engraftment of human parthenogenetic stem cell-derived neural stem cells (hpNSCs) in two animal models: 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rodents and 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated nonhuman primates (NHPs). In both rodents and nonhuman primates, we observed successful engraftment and higher dopamine levels in hpNSC-transplanted animals compared to vehicle control animals, without any adverse events. These results indicate that hpNSCs are safe, well tolerated, and could potentially be a source for cell-based therapies in PD.
Roles of Kinins in the Nervous System
Authors: Negraes Priscilla D. , Trujillo Cleber A. , Pillat Micheli M. , Teng Yang D. , Ulrich Henning
Published: April 2015

The kallikrein-kinin system (KKS) is an endogenous pathway involved in many biological processes. Although primarily related to blood pressure control and inflammation, its activation goes beyond these effects. Neurogenesis and neuroprotection might be stimulated by bradykinin being of great interest for clinical applications following brain injury. This peptide is also an important player in spinal cord injury pathophysiology and recovery, in which bradykinin receptor blockers represent substantial therapeutic potential. Here, we highlight the participation of kinin receptors and especially bradykinin in mediating ischemia pathophysiology in the central and peripheral nervous systems. Moreover, we explore the recent advances on mechanistic and therapeutic targets for biological, pathological, and neural repair processes involving kinins.
Highly selective generation of vanillin by anodic degradation of lignin: a combined approach of electrochemistry and product isolation by adsorption
Authors: Schmitt Dominik , Regenbrecht Carolin , Hartmer Marius , Stecker Florian , Waldvogel Siegfried R
Published: April 2015

The oxidative degradation of lignin into a variety of valuable products has been under investigation since the first half of the last century. Especially, the chance to claim this cheap, abundant and renewable source for the production of the important aroma chemical vanillin (1) was one of the major driving forces of lignin research. So far most of the developed methods fail in technical application since no viable concept for work-up is included. This work represents a combined approach of electrochemical conversion of Kraft lignin and product recovery by adsorption on a strongly basic anion exchange resin. Electrolysis conditions are optimized regarding reaction temperatures below 100 °C allowing operation of aqueous electrolytes in simple experimental set-up. Employing ion exchange resins gives rise to a selective removal of low molecular weight phenols from the strongly alkaline electrolyte without acidification and precipitation of remaining lignin. The latter represents a significant advantage compared with conventional work-up protocols of lignin solutions.
When Faithful Consumption Meets Modernism
Authors: Yetişer Begüm , Genç Burcu
Published: April 2015

Today's Islamic understanding cannot be explained by only rules determined by that religion. The interpretation of Islam is altering, leaving an open discussion of how much of the Islamic rules are interpreted and put into real life practice. This chapter aims to understand this dynamic behavior of consumers under the framework of Islam: how it alters consumption intentions and behavior. This altering process will intensely be observed with Turkish consumers, knowing that Turkey has a unique characteristic among the countries that practice Islam as the major religious belief. Thus, the authors make a review to emphasize different preference related issues from a wider perspective. They start by focusing on general consumption contexts followed by patterns including fashion, travel, food intake, finance, anti-consumption activities, and other special occasions, finalized by conclusions and future research directions.
Islam and Consumption
Authors: Shaikh Farhan , Sharma Dinesh
Published: April 2015

Today Islam is world's second largest religion but has the highest growth rate among all the top religions. In a few decades, the Muslim population will be the largest consumers on this planet. This chapter tries to bring forth the interpretations of Holy Quran and Ahadees as is along with the current consumer behavior of Muslims using different products. There are different schools of thought based on the understanding of the religion. There are gaps in the actual meaning and the portrayal of the message, along with different interpretations of the theories around Islam. Like every other aspect of life, religion too has its existence in areas which are beyond black and white, in shades of grey, and here lies the marketing potential to fill up this void by understanding the Muslim consumer behavior.
Practical Applications in Marketing Strategies and Consumer Behaviour in an “Islamic” Context
Authors: Karimova Gulnara Z.
Published: April 2015

The focus of this chapter is on marketing practices in an Islamic world. The chapter consists of two main parts: it begins by investigating the basic contradictions of the term Islamic marketing and continues by offering insights derived from a broad knowledge base of theory, research, and practice in the field of marketing in an Islamic context. It leads readers through the four fundamental elements of marketing—product, price, place, and promotion—using examples and short cases from the business environment in countries that call themselves Islamic. Such a journey can equip practitioners with the tools necessary for operating in more efficient and effective ways in Muslim countries.
Zakat and its Socio-Economic Merits
Authors: Al-Banna Mohammed Abdul Karim , Michael Ian
Published: April 2015

The chapter investigates the role Zakat (alms giving) in eradicating poverty around the world. It (Zakat) is one of the five main pillars of Islam; it is the practice of charitable giving by Muslims based on accumulated wealth and is expected to be paid by all practicing Muslims having the financial means. As part of the study, a questionnaire that consisted of five questions to enquire about how Zakat can eradicate poverty was administered to 200 Muslim people living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Further, the questions were designed targeting the core goals of a Zakat institution that also reflected the Muslims psychometric behavioural aspects. Islam has 1.57 billion followers, making up over 23 percent of the world population (Pew Research, 2011). With such a vast population, the role of Zakat in alleviating poverty is an achievable objective.
Jamaica's Internet Story based on the GDI Framework
Authors: Thompson Samantha , Nchise Abinwi , Ngwa Oneurine , Conti Allison B. , Mbarika Victor , Duggan Evan
Published: April 2015

In this paper the authors examine the diffusion of the Internet in Jamaica through the lens of the Global Diffusion of the Internet (GDI) framework, which characterizes Internet diffusion along six dimensions: Pervasiveness, Geographical Dispersion, Sectoral Absorption, Connectivity Infrastructure, Organizational Infrastructure, and Sophistication of Use. Jamaica, like most developing nations, has faced numerous challenges to expanding its Internet and other information infrastructures over the past decade (; ). However, much of these efforts have yielded positive outcomes. For instance, the liberalization of the telecommunications sector in the late 1990's has led to increased access to the Internet and related applications for Jamaican citizens. The authors use this development as baseline for examining the pivotal role the Internet can play in economic, political, and social development through e-commerce, e-government, tele-education, and tele-medicine and discuss some “unintended” consequences of the Internet in Jamaica such as the use of technology to facilitate sex tourism. The authors conclude by offering implications of our study for research, practice and policy development.
A Case Study of Dynamic Analysis to Locate Unexpected Side Effects Inside of Frameworks
Authors: Kume Izuru , Nakamura Masahide , Nitta Naoya , Shibayama Etsuya
Published: April 2015

Recently many frameworks are deployed without proper documents to explain their correct usage. In the absence of proper documents, application developers often write code to call a framework API in a wrong way. Such a wrong API call tends to bring about a failure after its complex chain of infection inside of a framework. The complexity and the lack of implementation knowledge about a framework make it difficult for application developers to debug this kind of failure. In the preceding study the authors focused on unexpected side effects that are caused by wrong API calls and bring about failures, and developed a dynamic analysis technique to detect such side effects. In this paper, the authors introduce a case study to find a wrong API call using our technique.
Business Model for Mobile Payment in China
Authors: Guo Jie , Nikou Shahrokh , Bouwman Harry
Published: April 2015

Despite the predicted success of mobile payment, the market remains immature in most countries. Major concerns are the relationship between push and pull technologies, and the role of platforms, service innovation, power and control in ecosystems. As the first step in their mixed-method research approach, using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) as a research approach and the STOF business model as a research framework, the authors aim to identify design issues for m-payment services from mobile network operators' perspectives. Furthermore, the authors compare insights from semi-structured interviews with experts in the field to the empirical findings, to assess how the actual business model of Chinese m-payment services can be improved based on design issues derived from the business model. The results show that components such as building customer trust on payment services, innovative payment experience, and extend market to new segments, guarantee security and privacy issues, user profile management, and hardware problems involving existing infrastructure, customer/merchant relationship, platform interoperability, and cost saving on fraud detection need to be improved to enhance the potential of m-payment, supported by a viable and sustainable business model. There is also a role for policy and regulation to be played.
Software Change Impact Analysis
Authors: Gupta Chetna , Gupta Varun
Published: April 2015

This paper presents an approach to prioritize program segments within the impact set computed using functional call graph to assist regression testing for test case prioritization. The presented technique will first categorize the type of impact propagation and then prioritize the impacted segments into higher and lower levels based on propagation categorization. This will help in saving maintenance cost and effort by allocating higher priority to those segments which are impacted more within the impacted set. Thus a software engineer can first run those test cases which cover segments with higher impacted priority to minimize regression test selection.
Hemoglobin SE Disease in Hatay, in the Southern Part of Turkey
Authors: Acipayam Can , Oktay Gonul , Ilhan Gul , Çürük Mehmet Akif
Published: April 2015

Double heterozygosity for hemoglobin (Hb) E and S, known as HbSE disease, is a rare, clinically benign condition involving mild hemolysis. Only 25 cases have been reported to date. The current literature generally associates HbSE with a benign clinical course, although vaso-occlusive complications have been reported. Although only single case reports were previously available, we have observed 20 cases of HbSE and wish to report them. We examined the records of patients presenting to our hemoglobinopathy center in 2001–2013. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for hematological assessment of blood samples with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. Eight patients were male and 12 female. Mean hemoglobin electrophoresis values were Hb A1: 6.3%, Hb E 34.5%, HbS: 59.5% and Hb F: 1.9%. Three patients (15%) were symptomatic with vaso-occlusive crisis and one had cerebral stroke. These were siblings. The patient with cerebral stroke was using hydroxyurea. The incidence of HbSE disease is rising due to population admixtures and racial intermarriages. Increased numbers of cases of HbSE have been detected after premarital hemoglobinopathy screening in the Antakya and Çukurova regions of Turkey. The aim of this study was to report large numbers of patients with HbSE diagnosed through the routine HPLC method. The secondary aim was to emphasize that severe vaso-occlusive crisis such as infarction symptoms could be seen in HbSE.
Clinical Associate students’ perception of the educational environment at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Authors: Dreyer Abigail , Gibbs Audrey , Smalley Scott , Mlambo Motlatso , Pandya Himani
Published: April 2015

Background: An important determinant of a student’s behaviour and performance is the school’s teaching and learning environment. Evaluation of such an environment can explore methods to improve educational curricula and academic atmosphere.Aim: To evaluate the educational environment of the Bachelor of Clinical Medicine Practice programme as perceived by students at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa.Setting: This cross-sectional study was conducted with all final-year students (n = 25) enrolled in 2011, with a response rate of 88% (n = 22). Students were in two groups based in the Gauteng and North-West provinces.Methods: Data were collected using the Dundee Ready Educational Environmental Measure questionnaire, which was administered to all students. Total and mean scores for all questions were calculated for both groups.Results: The learning environment was given an average score of 130/196 by the students. Individual subscales show that ‘Academic self-perception’ was rated the highest (25/32), whilst ‘Social self-perception’ had the lowest score (13/24). Positive aspects of the academic climate included: student competence and confidence development; student participation in class; constructive criticism provided; empathy in medical profession; and friendships created. Areas for improvement included: feedback provision to students; course time-tables; ensure non-stressful course; provision of good support systems for students; and social life improvement.Conclusion: Students’ perceptions of their learning environment were ‘more positive’ than negative. Results from this study will be used to draw lessons for improving the curriculum and learning environment, improve administrative processes and develop student support mechanisms in order to improve their academic experience
Superficial temporal artery pseudoaneurysm presenting as extradural hematoma: A case report and review of literature
Authors: Madhusudan Hassan , Krishnamoorthy Naveen , Suresh Praveen , Subramaniam Venugopal
Published: April 2015

Superficial temporal artery (STA) pseudoaneurysm after a craniotomy is very rare with only nine cases reported in the literature. However, no cases have been reported in the literature about this entity presenting as an emergency in the form of extradural hematoma (EDH). This case being one of the rare ones and is also unique wherein the indication for craniotomy being intracranial tuberculoma that is not yet reported in the literature. We report the first case of a postcraniotomy STA pseudoaneurysm induced EDH following craniotomy for intracranial tuberculoma.
Cushing's ulcer: Further reflections
Authors: Kemp William , Bashir Asif , Dababneh Haitham , Cohen-Gadol Aaron
Published: April 2015

Background: Brain tumors, traumatic head injury, and other intracranial processes including infections, can cause increased intracranial pressure and lead to overstimulation of the vagus nerve. As a result, increased secretion of gastric acid may occur which leads to gastro-duodenal ulcer formation known as Cushing's ulcer. Methods: A review of original records of Dr. Harvey Cushing's patients suffering from gastro-duodenal ulcers was performed followed by a discussion of the available literature. We also reviewed the clinical records of the patients never reported by Cushing to gain his perspective in describing this phenomenon. Dr. Cushing was intrigued to investigate gastro-duodenal ulcers as he lost patients to acute gastrointestinal perforations following successful brain tumor operations. It is indeed ironic that Harvey Cushing developed a gastro-duodenal ulcer in his later years with failing health. Results: Clinically shown by Cushing's Yale Registry, a tumor or lesion can disrupt this circuitry, leading to gastroduodenal ulceration. Cushing said that it was "reasonable to believe that the perforations following posterior fossa cerebellar operations were produced in like fashion by an irritative disturbance either of fiber tracts or vagal centers in the brain stem." Conclusion: Harvey Cushing's pioneering work depicted in his Yale registry serves as a milestone for continuing research that can further discern this pathway.
Cerebral phaeohyphomycosis: A rare case from central India
Authors: Nandedkar Shirish , Bajpai Trupti , Bhatambare Ganesh , Sakhi Pramod
Published: April 2015

Cerebral phaeohyphomycosis is a rare and frequently fatal disease, often caused by hematogenous spread of pathogens that are inoculated in the skin of the extremities following minor trauma, and its mortality rate is much high despite aggressive treatment. A rare case of 25-year-old immuno-competent man with cerebral abscess has been described. The etiological agent was microbiologically proved to be a dematiaceous fungi Cladophilaophora bantiana, which is primarily a neurotropic fungus causing deep-seated intra-cranial infections. Treatment was individualized by surgical intervention and appropriate anti-fungal therapy. Thus, it has been described as a successfully managed case of cerebral phaeohyphomycosis known to be associated with a high degree of morbidity and mortality.
Life-threatening large subcutaneous hematoma after minor head trauma: A young female patient who was suspected of having new Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Authors: Fujimoto So , Ota Takahiro , Mizutani Tohru
Published: April 2015

Life-threatening large subcutaneous hematomas after minor injury are rare clinical states for young people; however these patients may have hidden diseases, which can cause a tendency to bleed. A 31-year-old woman visited our hospital after minor injury. The first computed tomography (CT) scan revealed a small subcutaneous hematoma, but her head bulged and the second CT scan revealed her subcutaneous hematoma had become enlarged. Two surgeries were needed to stop the bleeding and. Though she received intensive care, she died 48 days after onset. The new Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), known as EDS Kosho type (EDSKT), is a connective tissue disease, in which patients often experience large subcutaneous hematomas. We suspected our patient had EDSKT because her clinical features were compatible with this syndrome. Our findings support the notion that large subcutaneous hematomas in young patients with connective tissue disease can be fatal; a careful follow-up is required.
Pluralismo informativo y medios públicos. La involución de TVE en el contexto del cambio político (2012-2013)
Authors: Humanes María Luisa , Fernández Alonso Isabel
Published: April 2015

Se describe y analizan las políticas adoptadas en España con respecto al modelo de gobierno de TVE tras ganar el Partido Popular las elecciones de 2011. Se abordan las reformas y sus implicaciones para los Servicios Informativos de Televisión Española, así como las consecuencias en la información y el nivel de pluralismo. Metodología: Se ha realizado un análisis de contenido sobre dos muestras de tres semanas del primer trimestre delos años 2012 y 2013 (1294 unidades de análisis). Resultados y conclusiones: La regubernamentalización de los órganos de gestión de RTVE ha incrementado la banalización de los contenidos de la televisión pública, en detrimento de los grandes temas de actualidad. Se advierte una reducción de los puntos de vista y del número de fuentes en la información laboral. Asimismo, esta regubernamentalización se acompaña de un predominio del periodismo interpretativo sobre el descriptivo, con un incremento del tono positivo en las informaciones de carácter económico.
Гауссовские оптимизаторы и проблема аддитивности в квантовой теории информации
Authors: Holevo Alexander Semenovich
Published: April 2015

Дается обзор двух замечательных аналитических проблем квантовой теории информации. Основную часть составляет подробное изложение недавнего (частичного) решения квантовой проблемы гауссовских оптимизаторов, которое устанавливает оптимальное свойство глауберовских когерентных состояний - специального случая чистых квантовых гауссовских состояний. Мы развиваем понятие квантового гауссовского канала как некоммутативного аналога интегрального оператора с гауссовским ядром и доказываем, что когерентные состояния, и при определенных условиях только они, минимизируют широкий класс вогнутых функционалов от выходного состояния гауссовского канала. Таким образом, выходные состояния, соответствующие гауссовскому входу, являются "наименее хаотичными", мажорируя все другие выходные состояния. Решение, однако, существенно ограничено калибровочно-инвариантным случаем, в котором особую роль играет выделенная комплексная структура.
Мы также обсуждаем известную гипотезу аддитивности, которая была в принципе решена в отрицательном смысле около пяти лет назад. Эта гипотеза относится к свойствам аддитивности или мультипликативности (относительно тензорных произведений каналов) информационных величин, связанных с классической пропускной способностью квантового канала, таких как $(1\to p)$-нормы канала или минимальные выходные энтропии фон Неймана и Реньи. Замечательное следствие настоящего решения квантовой проблемы гауссовских оптимизаторов заключается в том, что эти свойства аддитивности, не справедливые в общем случае, выполняются в важном и интересном классе калибровочно-ковариантных гауссовских каналов.
Библиография: 65 названий.
Evritmija v delovnem procesu - Proces jaz-ti-mi kot nova metoda za izobraževanje na delovnem mestu
Authors: Kočar Primož
Published: April 2015

V besedilu je predstavljena metoda evritmija za podjetja in organizacije, ki je bila v Sloveniji uporabljena prvič. Izobraževanje poteka med delovnim časom z namenom ustvarjanja in negovanja pogojev za dobre medosebne odnose na delovnem mestu, cilj izobraževanja pa je prebujanje posameznika za podrobnosti, ki se pojavljajo v delovnih procesih in so pomembne za ustvarjanje dobre klime v timu ali celotni organizaciji. Izobraževanje izvedemo s pomočjo evritmije v štirih korakih, poimenovanih: prostor, čas, odnosi, intenca.
Beg iz anonimnega pisanja – Delavnice dr. Noaha Charneyja na Filozofski fakulteti v Ljubljani
Authors: Petković Mirjana
Published: April 2015

Marsikdo od ljudi, ki jih poznam, piše: dnevnik, pesmi, esej, pisma ali celo knjigo. Nekateri pišejo in objavljajo na družbenih omrežjih, predvsem na Facebooku, kjer svoje življenje razgalijo množici »prijateljev«, od katerih je večina le bežnih znancev. Dostikrat svoje mnenje povedo na forumih (a skoraj vedno pod psevdonimom). Vprašanje pa je, kako svoja dela pripraviti tako, da bi jih lahko objavili pri založbi. Ko posameznik napiše neko besedilo, ima pogosto težavo z objavo svojega dela. Napiše pesem, roman ali strokovno razpravo in ta obtiči v računalniku ... Kam s tem gradivom? Včasih nam uspe najti domačega založnika ali prispevek objaviti v slovenski strokovni reviji. Če se posameznik odloči izdati knjigo v samozaložbi, mora prevzeti še vse druge obveznosti v zvezi s financiranjem, promocijo in prodajo. Slovenski bralski trg je razmeroma majhen in število bralcev je omejeno, zato se sprašujemo tudi o tem, kako svoje delo objaviti tam, kjer bo doseglo več bralcev.
DEMOLA - Globalni primer dobre prakse za inovacije in prenos znanja v prakso
Authors: Superina Argene , Stojmenova Emilija
Published: April 2015

Pobuda, imenovana Demola, je nastala v finskem mestu Tampere. Kdor mesto pozna, ve, da je to zelo inovativno okolje, kjer ima sedež veliko naprednih in visokotehnoloških podjetij. Prav ta podjetja so spodbudila nastanek prvih projektov v okviru Demole. Zanimalo jih je, kako na njihove storitve in rešitve, ki jih ponujajo na trgu, gledajo mladi ter kako bi se z njihovimi vsakodnevnimi problemi in izzivi spopadli posamezniki, ki niso obremenjeni s tem, kaj »se da« in česa se »ne da«, ter ob tem tudi ne poznajo zgodovine podjetja, panoge in podobno. Podjetja so opisala svoje izzive in jih predala v reševanje multidisciplinarnim ekipam študentov.