bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Individual and Institutional Factors on Turnover Intent Among Taiwanese Correctional Staff
Authors: Lai Yung-Lien
Published: June 2015

The existing literature on turnover intent among correctional staff conducted in Western societies focuses on the impact of individual-level factors; the possible effects of institutional contexts have been largely overlooked. Moreover, the relationships of various multidimensional conceptualizations of both job satisfaction and organizational commitment to turnover intent are still largely unknown. Using data collected by a self-reported survey of 676 custody staff employed in 22 Taiwanese correctional facilities during April of 2011, the present study expands upon theoretical models developed in Western societies and examines the effects of both individual and institutional factors on turnover intent simultaneously. Results from the use of the hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) statistical method indicate that, at the individual-level, supervisory versus non-supervisory status, job stress, job dangerousness, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment consistently produce a significant association with turnover intent after controlling for personal characteristics. Specifically, three distinct forms of organizational commitment demonstrated an inverse impact on turnover intent. Among institutional-level variables, custody staff who came from a larger facility reported higher likelihood of thinking about quitting their job.
Chewing Accidents
Authors: Saerberg Siegfried
Published: June 2015

This article compares two variations of bodily practices and bodily-grounded orientations and systems of relevance: the blind and the sighted life-worlds. Blindness is conceptualized as a particular style of perception being in no way a deficit but on equal footing with sight. Comparison will show differences and commonalities that may give a deeper insight into how bodily and sensory orientation and practice work in a mundane situation. This situation is feeding behavior and in particular its failure in “Chewing Accidents” focusing on three variations: tongue biting, swallowing a wasp, and biting on a cherry pit. Data are taken from participant observation, focused interviews, and online sources such as blogs and medical forums. By virtue of a detailed phenomenological description of chewing behavior, the article shows that blindness is not the contradiction of sight and vice versa. Invisibility is an element of the everyday life-world, with the latter being dependent on dark areas.
What Accounts for Personality Maturation in Early Adulthood?
Authors: Bleidorn Wiebke
Published: June 2015

During early adulthood, individuals tend to increase in personality traits that mark greater social maturity. The compelling question is why most young adults change in the direction of greater maturity. Recently, this question has been addressed by a diverse array of research, ranging from behavioral-genetic to prospective longitudinal and cross-cultural studies. The present article reviews the new insights gained from these studies, discusses their implications for two theoretical accounts of personality-trait development, and highlights challenges for future research.
Layout design optimization of dynamic environment flexible manufacturing systems
Authors: Qudeiri Jaber Abu , Umer Usama , Khadra Fayiz Abu , Hussein HMA , Al-Ahmari Abdulrahman , Darwish Saied , Abidi MH
Published: June 2015

The proper positioning of machine tools in flexible manufacturing system is one of the factors that lead to increase in production efficiency. Choosing the optimum position of machine tools curtails the total part handling cost between machine tools within the flexible manufacturing system. In this article, a two-stage approach is presented to investigate the best locations of the machine tools in flexible manufacturing system. The location of each machine tool is selected from the available specific and fixed locations in such a way that it will result in best throughput of the flexible manufacturing system. In the first stage of the two-stage approach, the throughput of randomly selected locations of the machine tool in flexible manufacturing system is computed by proposing a production simulation system. The production simulation system utilizes genetic algorithms to find the locations of the machine tools in flexible manufacturing system that achieve the maximum throughput of the flexible manufacturing system. In the second stage, the generated locations are fed into artificial neural network to find a relation between a machine tool’s location and the throughput that can be used to predict the throughput for any other set of locations. Artificial neural network will result in mitigating the computational time.
‘We have to start showing who is boss now’: Constructing methamphetamine use and users in the South African print media
Authors: Howell Simon
Published: June 2015

This paper critically engages with media representations of the use and users of methamphetamine, or ‘tik’, in South Africa. It makes two primary claims. First, the paper argues that the media has drawn on the themes of criminality, pathology and victimhood in articulating the ‘tik’ phenomenon. Second, it is argued that these themes intersect with much deeper discourses, discourses that are especially pertinent to the South African context – such as race, sex and HIV/AIDS – in order to make meaning. The resulting moral framework encourages punitive approaches to the regulation of ‘tik’, while undermining reductive or rehabilitation-orientated regulation strategies. This occurs despite punitive efforts having never been consistently effective in the country. Consequently, the paper argues that media constructions of ‘tik’ oversimplify a complex socio-political, economic and historically rooted phenomenon, frequently encouraging stigma and the exclusion of the ‘tik’ user from society. This not only prevents more effective measures being thought possible, but frequently also serves to exclude those who already live at the very margins of society.
A Classification of Healthcare Facilities
Authors: Ahmed Tarek M. F. , Rajagopalan Priyadarsini , Fuller Robert
Published: June 2015

Objective

In the literature, there is no consistent classification of healthcare facilities. In order to benchmark, assess, and compare the environmental performance of these buildings, it is important to clearly identify the typology within the scope of a particular research. This article identifies the different typologies within the healthcare sector, particularly in Australia, with the aim of the development of energy performance benchmarks for day surgery/procedure centers.

Background

Healthcare buildings encompass a wide range of facilities. They all share the same purpose of healing and offering a health service for patients. However, they vary significantly in terms of patient type and service provided. These buildings consume a considerable amount of energy, and as a result of the different designs and sizes, their pattern of energy consumption varies.

Methods

The research used a systematic review of the literature to determine how the term “healthcare facility” has been employed in different contexts. In order to better understand the differences in healthcare facilities, definitions and the origin of hospitals and healthcare facilities are introduced and a framework for the classification of healthcare facilities and hospitals is proposed.

Results

Healthcare facilities are classified into the following six categories: patient type, care provided, management and ownership, level of care, facility size, and location. Based on these classifications, a categorization for the studies of energy performance in healthcare is introduced.

Conclusions

This study provides a basis for assessment and comparison for a particular healthcare building typology that will assist researchers working in the field of design and energy assessment of healthcare facilities.
Concomitant use of two or more antipsychotic drugs is common in Sweden
Authors: Bergendal Annica , Schiöler Helena , Wettermark Björn , Björkstén Karin Sparring
Published: June 2015

Objectives:

To assess the prevalence of concomitant use of two or more antipsychotic drugs and other psychotropic drugs in the Swedish population.

Methods:

Data for this observational cohort study were collected from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register including all dispensed drugs to the entire Swedish population (9.4 million inhabitants). We identified all individuals with at least one dispensed prescription of antipsychotic drug during January to June 2008. After 12 months, a second exposure period was chosen. Individuals who were dispensed two or more antipsychotic drugs in both periods were considered long-time users of antipsychotic polypharmacy.

Results:

In 2008, 1.5% of the Swedish population was dispensed antipsychotic drugs, the majority (75%) using only one antipsychotic drug. Out of individuals who were dispensed 2 or more antipsychotic drugs during the first period, 62% also was also dispensed at least 2 antipsychotic drugs during the second period. A total of 665 different unique combinations were used in 2008. Individuals prescribed two or more antipsychotic drugs during both periods were more often dispensed anxiolytics and sedatives than those who were dispensed only one antipsychotic drug. Elderly were dispensed antipsychotic drugs much more often than younger persons.

Conclusions:

In Sweden, 25% of patients dispensed antipsychotic drugs receive a combination of two or more antipsychotic drugs. Individuals who are dispensed antipsychotic polypharmacy are more often dispensed anxiolytics and sedatives than those prescribed only one antipsychotic drug. Long-term observational studies are needed to assess the efficacy and safety of such combinations.
Embedment of Methylene Blue in natural and synthetic phillipsite
Authors: Kowalak Stanisław , Szyld Małgorzata , Jankowska Aldona , Zalewska Alina , Colella Abner , de Gennaro Bruno
Published: June 2015

Phillipsite was crystallized from a high siliceous aluminosilicate mixture containing Zn cations and methylene blue (MB). The presence of MB did not affect the crystallization, but it resulted in a substantial amount of dye being anchored to the zeolite, despite its narrow channels. Dye-free synthetic phillipsite modified with MB solution showed markedly lower dye content, which, however was considerably higher than those in the MB-treated natural phillipsite and mordenite. The ultra violet/visible (UV-vis) spectra of the dye-modified synthetic phillipsites indicated the presence of MB monomers and oligomers, whereas the spectra of the modified natural zeolites showed protonated MB also. The electron spin resonance spectra of samples crystallized with MB indicated the presence of paramagnetic species.
Evaluation of the possible use of a Bulgarian clinoptilolite for removing strontium from water media
Authors: Lihareva N. , Petrov O. , Tzvetanova Y. , Kadiyski M. , Nikashina V.A.
Published: June 2015

The sorption of Sr2+ ions by natural clinoptilolite was investigated using the batch method. The effects of pH, contact time and strontium concentrations were tested and the optimal conditions for sorption were determined. The process was very fast initially and equilibrium was reached within 24 h. Kinetic sorption data were fitted to pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order and intra-particle diffusion models. The simple pseudo-second-order rate model provides good agreement with the experimental data for Sr2+ uptake. The respective rate constants, k2, calculated at different initial Sr2+ concentrations, were obtained. The equilibrium data were analysed by applying the Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin–Raduchkevich isotherm models. The Langmuir model describes the observed Sr2+ uptake most accurately and the value of the monolayer sorption capacity is 32.81 mg Sr2+/g. The effect of Na+ ions and the effectiveness of uptake from low saline groundwater simulated solutions were also studied and discussed.
Comparison of two different folic acid doses with methotrexate – a randomized controlled trial (FOLVARI Study)
Authors: Dhir Varun , Sandhu Amit , Kaur Jasbinder , Pinto Benzeeta , Kumar Phani , Kaur Prabhdeep , Gupta Nidhi , Sood Ankita , Sharma Aman , Sharma Shefali
Published: June 2015

Introduction

There is reasonable evidence that folic acid 5–10 mg per week leads to reduction in methotrexate (MTX) toxicity in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, this is based on studies conducted with lower MTX dosage than used currently. It is unclear whether higher doses of folic acid may be better in reducing toxicity.

Methods

This was a double-blind randomized controlled trial of 24 weeks duration. To be eligible, patients should have rheumatoid arthritis (1987 American College of Rheumatology criteria), be 18–75 years of age, not be on MTX and have active disease as defined by ‘Modified Disease Activity Score using three variables’ (DAS28(3)) > 3.2. MTX was started at 10 mg/week and escalated to 25 mg/week by 12 weeks. Folic acid was given at a dose of 10 mg (FA10) or 30 mg per week (FA30). Co-primary endpoints were incidence of toxicity (undesirable symptoms and laboratory abnormalities) and change in disease activity by 24 weeks. Intention-to-treat and per-protocol analyses were performed.

Results

Among 100 patients enrolled, 51 and 49 were randomized to FA10 and FA30 respectively. By 24 weeks, there were 6 patient withdrawals in either group and mean(±SD) dose of MTX was 22.8 ± 4.4 and 21.4 ± 4.6 mg per week (p = 0.1). Frequency of patients with undesirable symptoms was non-significantly lower by 7.4 % (95 % confidence interval −27.4 to 12.7 %) in FA10 compared to FA30. There was also no difference in frequency of transaminitis (>Upper limit of normal (ULN)) (42.6, 45.7 %, p = 0.7) or transminitis as per primary endpoint (>2xULN) (10.6, 8.7 %, p = 1.0) or cytopenias (4.3, 4.3 %, p = 0.9). There was no difference in the primary end-point of occurrence of any adverse effect (symptom or laboratory) in FA10 and FA30 (46.8, 54.3 %, p = 0.5). At 24 weeks, DAS28(3) declined in both groups by a similar extent (−1.1 ± 1.0, −1.3 ± 1.0, p = 0.2) and ‘European League Against Rheumatism’ good or moderate response occurred in 56.9 and 67.4 % (p = 0.3).

Conclusions

Even with the high doses of MTX used in current practice, there was no additional benefit (or harm) of a higher dose of folic acid (30 mg/week) over a usual dose (10 mg/week).

Trial Registration

Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01583959 Registered 15 March 2012
Geophysical investigation for the detection of liquefaction phenomena in an archaeological site, Lechaion, Greece
Authors: Apostolopoulos George , Minos-Minopoulos Despina , Pavlopoulos Kosmas
Published: June 2015

The area of Lechaion located in the northeastern part of the Peloponnese (Greece) is of great archaeological interest because it represents the western harbor of ancient Corinth and includes the remains of an early Christian basilica destroyed during a series of earthquakes in the sixth century AD. Numerous depressions and buckling structures of circular and linear geometry observed on the decorated floor of the basilica are indicative of ground deformation processes possibly related to earthquake-induced ground liquefaction. Electromagnetic (with a conductivity meter), ground penetrating radar (GPR) (with 250 MHz shielded antenna), and electric (ERT) methods have been applied in an effort to study the properties of the substratum and to identify indicative features related to ground liquefaction phenomena. The electromagnetic survey that was used as a reconnaissance method with both coil orientations provided valuable information through data processing, identifying zones of higher conductivity that favor liquefaction, or even the detection of the features themselves. The GPR method detected vertical zones that could represent sand vents either directly with multiple diffractions or indirectly through severe wave attenuation and reduction of the anomaly intensity due to finer sand and increased water saturation. Finally, the ERT method detected layering and the geologic status of the survey area but more importantly, it successfully detected narrow vertical zones of lower resistivity at shallow depths corresponding to sand vents via distinct variations in grain size and permeability. This combination of geophysical methods has successfully detected the dominant trend of east-northeastern–west-southwestern direction and a minor vertical one of north-northwestern–south-southeastern direction of surface depressions caused by liquefaction and generally can successfully provide valuable information on the extent and characteristics of ground liquefaction features in areas of geotechnical or archaeological interest located in regions of intense seismic activity.
The Emblem and Authenticity: A New Historicist Reading of Henry Peacham'sMinerva Britanna(1612)
Authors: Chardin Jean-Jacques
Published: June 2015

New Historicism, a reaction against formalist criticism, attempts to read literary texts of the Renaissance in relation to the nonliterary text production of the period. One of its central assumptions is that early modern humans are the subject of power relations shaped by social forces, but New Historicism equally argues that a sense of autonomous self is often encoded within documents based on the discourse of power. Among such documents is the emblem, a conjunction of several texts and one image delivering a moral lesson. Using the theoretical framework of New Historicism, I mean to show that Henry Peacham's Minerva Britanna (1612), a book of emblems illustrating part of King James I's Basilikon Doron (1599), can be understood as an attempt to construct a new sense of self within the discourse of power it is based upon. The essay will also examine how Minerva Britanna engages in a playful treatment of orthodoxies by questioning the paradigms upon which Renaissance culture is founded.
Distinct developmental and genetic mechanisms underlie convergently evolved tooth gain in sticklebacks
Authors: Ellis Nicholas A. , Glazer Andrew M. , Donde Nikunj N. , Cleves Phillip A. , Agoglia Rachel M. , Miller Craig T.
Published: June 2015

Teeth are a classic model system of organogenesis, as repeated and reciprocal epithelial and mesenchymal interactions pattern placode formation and outgrowth. Less is known about the developmental and genetic bases of tooth development and replacement in polyphyodonts, vertebrates with continual tooth replacement. Here we leverage natural variation in the threespine stickleback fish Gasterosteus aculeatus to investigate the developmental genetic bases of tooth development and replacement. We find that two derived freshwater stickleback populations have both convergently evolved more ventral pharyngeal teeth through heritable genetic changes. In both populations, evolved tooth gain manifests late in development. Using pulse-chase vital dye labeling to mark newly forming teeth in adult fish, we find that both high-toothed freshwater populations have accelerated tooth replacement rates relative to low-toothed ancestral marine fish. Despite the similar evolved phenotype of more teeth and an accelerated adult replacement rate, the timing of tooth number divergence and the spatial patterns of newly formed adult teeth are different in the two populations, suggesting distinct developmental mechanisms. Using genome-wide linkage mapping in marine-freshwater F2 genetic crosses, we find that the genetic basis of evolved tooth gain in the two freshwater populations is largely distinct. Together our results support a model where increased tooth number and an accelerated tooth replacement rate have evolved convergently in two independently derived freshwater stickleback populations using largely distinct developmental and genetic mechanisms.
The intracellular domains of Notch1 and 2 are functionally equivalent during development and carcinogenesis
Authors: Liu Zhenyi , Brunskill Eric , Varnum-Finney Barbara , Zhang Chi , Zhang Andrew , Jay Patrick Y. , Bernstein Irv , Morimoto Mitsuru , Kopan Raphael
Published: June 2015

Although Notch1 and Notch2 are closely related paralogs and function through the same canonical signaling pathway, they do contribute to different outcomes in some cell and disease contexts. To understand the basis for these differences we examined in detail mice in which N1ICD and N2ICD were swapped. Our data point to the conclusion that strength (defined here as the ultimate number of intracellular domain molecules reaching the nucleus, integrating ligand-mediated release and nuclear translocation) and duration (half life of NICD/RBPjk/MAML/DNA complexes, integrating cooperativity and stability dependent on shared sequence elements) are the factors that underlies much of the differences between Notch1 and Notch2 in all the contexts we examined including T cell development, skin differentiation and carcinogenesis, the inner ear, the lung, and the retina. We were able to show that phenotypes in the heart, endothelium, and marginal zone B cells are attributed to haploinsufficiency but not intracellular domain composition. Tissue-specific differences in NICD stability were most likely caused by alternative scissile bond choices by tissue specific γ-secretase complexes following the ICD swap. Reinterpretation of clinical finding based on our analyses suggests that differences in outcome segregating with Notch1 or Notch2 are likely to reflect outcomes dependent on the overall strength of Notch signals.
Reflex-Medical Complex in the Treatment of Patients with Dorsopathies
Authors: Агасаров  , Agasarov L. , Кузьмина  , Kuzmina I.
Published: June 2015

The article presents the comparative analysis of the effectiveness of various technologies of acupuncture in treatment of patients with vertebrogenic syndromes. The study included 90 patients at the age of 52 years with a diagnosis of lumbo-sacral dorsopathy; methods of examination of this group were clinical, pathopsychological and instrumental, including analysis of somatosensory evoked potentials. The correction methods were intramuscular injection of homeopathic drug Target T and pharmacopuncture as this tool, and saline solution. The authors indicate that the results observed in the course of pharmacopuncture, are not only reflex and medical components. However, the healing mechanisms of the technology didn’t fully disclosed; the researchers deliberately avoid use simulation pharmacopuncture (placebo) in dorsopathy, indicating the complexity of its implementation and an a priori lack of effectiveness. The present work is aimed at solving this problem by extending the evidence base of reflexology. The study found that the rate of formation of positive reactions and their stability are directly dependent on the applied reflex-technologies. In particular, the reflex potentiation and drug effects in the course of pharmacopuncture with the use of the drug Target T, and the volatility of results in response to the use of saline solution were identified. In addition, delayed, cumulative therapeutic effects of the standard use of the drugs were presented. It was confirmed by follow-up data. The solution of the concrete problem - the possibility of using placebo in studies on acupuncture - has been achieved.
Le nouveau roman africain, au carrefour des langues et des dialectes
Authors: Serghini Jaouad
Published: June 2015

One of the characteristics of the writing of the new generation of African writers is the substantial intrusion of the foreign language into the text. This intrusion, the consequence of linguistic mixing, brings us to the question of an identity that is between here and elsewhere. Indeed,
the insertion of the foreign language into the language of writing establishes a certain dialogue between the book’s readership and its socio-cultural background. As a result of these intrusions, the reader is plunged into the heart of another culture. The novel that makes its progress
through bilingualism draws upon popular inheritance, not in a vision of shrivelled realism, but rather in a particular relational poetics. The cohabitation of French and the other language, or the ‘bi-language’ as Khatibi called it, within the novel conceived as a space of free
writing, is in fact a form of this opening up of the word, a linguistic intertextuality that results in the space of the novel becoming a laboratory, which must take account of this state of mistrust towards the doxa. What then is this multilingualism? What reading should be given to this
linguistic dislocation? Should we inscribe it in a dialectical relationship with the language of writing?

Une des caractéristiques de l’écriture de la nouvelle génération des écrivains africains est l’intrusion massive de la langue étrangère
dans le texte. Cette intrusion qui s’inscrit dans un rapport de métissage linguistique redonne à penser la question de l’identité entre l’ici et l’ailleurs. En effet, l’insertion de la langue étrangère dans la langue d’écriture
instaure un certain dialogue entre le destinataire du livre et son milieu socioculturel. Par ces intrusions le lecteur est ainsi plongé au cœur de sa propre culture. Le roman qui effectue son cheminement à travers le bilinguisme convoque l’héritage populaire
non pas dans une vision de réalisme racorni mais plutôt dans un rapport de poétique relationnelle assez particulier. La cohabitation de la langue française et la langue-autre ou la ‘bi-langue’ comme l’avait baptisée Khatibi, au sein du roman
conçu tel un espace de l’écriture libre, est en fait une forme de cette béance au monde, une intertextualité linguistique qui fait que l’espace du roman se mue en un laboratoire qui rend compte de cet état de défiance vis-à-vis de
la doxa. Qu’en est-il de ce plurilinguisme ? Quelle lecture donner à cet éclatement linguistique ? Faut-il l’inscrire dans un rapport dialectique avec la langue d’écriture ?
Les écrivains francophones du Maghreb face à la langue française: Lingua franca ou ‘gueule du loup’?
Authors: Boudraa Nabil
Published: June 2015

This article examines the position of Maghrebi Francophone writers vis-à-vis the French language in both colonial and postcolonial contexts. To some writers, using the language of the ‘Other’ is synonymous with what Frantz Fanon calls ‘alienation’. Consequently,
some writers simply stop writing altogether (as was the case for Malek Haddad). Others view French merely as a linguistic tool that they ‘borrow’ for their writing, since their native language (colloquial Arabic, for example) is not written. In this process of writing in French,
a clash takes place between the mother tongue and the borrowed language which, for scholars like Edouard Glissant and Abdelkébir Khatibi, makes way for new and very interesting phenomena. The Other’s language also functions as a liberating force for women’s writing; such
is the case of Assia Djebar. Last, but not least, this article examines how Kateb Yacine switches to another mode of creation (theatre), using the vernacular languages of everyday life, including derja and Kabyle.

Cet article analyse la position des écrivains francophones du Maghreb
par rapport à la langue française dans les contextes colonial et postcolonial. Pour certains d’entre eux, l’utilisation de la langue de l’Autre est synonyme d’aliénation (selon le terme de Frantz Fanon), et par conséquent, certains écrivains
abandonnent l’écriture, tel est le cas de Malek Haddad. Pour d’autres, le français n’est qu’un instrument linguistique qu’ils ‘empruntent’ pour leur écriture puisque leur(s) langue(s) maternelle(s) ne s’écri(ven)t
pas. Dans ce processus d’écriture en langue française, un choc s’opère entre le souffle de la langue maternelle et la langue d’emprunt, ce qui engendre des phénomènes nouveaux et très intéressants pour des intellectuels tels
Edouard Glissant et Abdelkébir Khatibi. La langue de l’Autre peut aussi fournir une force libératrice pour l’écriture des femmes; c’est le cas d’Assia Djebar. Kateb Yacine, quant à lui, fait un retour vers les langues que le peuple pratique
tous les jours, à savoir l’arabe dialectal et le kabyle, et ce par le biais du théâtre populaire.
Multilingual literature and official bilingualism in Cameroon: Francis Nyamnjoh’s A Nose for Money (2006) and Patrice Nganang’s Temps de chien (2001)
Authors: Baker Charlotte
Published: June 2015

This article considers the literary comment of two contemporary Cameroonian writers on the mismatch between the official policy of bilingualism and the linguistic reality of what has been described as ‘one of the most multilingual countries on earth’. Francis Nyamnjoh and
Patrice Nganang write from opposite sides of Cameroon’s official language divide – Nyamnjoh’s A Nose for Money is written in English, and Nganang’s Temps de chien in French. However, the writers share a preoccupation with the question of language, as well as with the
sociopolitical realities of contemporary Cameroon. This article outlines the context against which the policy of official bilingualism was instituted in Cameroon, and considers the strategies adopted by Nyamnjoh and Nganang in order to portray the constraints of official bilingualism, drawing
on Edouard Glissant’s notion of multilingualism to understand the creative ways in which Nyamnjoh and Nganang express the multilingual reality of Cameroon in their literary texts.

Cet article considère le commentaire littéraire de deux écrivains camerounais contemporains
sur la disparité entre la politique officielle du bilinguisme officiel et la réalité linguistique d’un pays décrit comme ‘one of the most multilingual countries on earth’. Francis Nyamnjoh et Patrice Nganang écrivent des côtés
opposés de cette division linguistique officielle – A Nose for Money de Nyamnjoh est écrit en anglais et Temps de chien de Nganang en français. Cependant, les deux écrivains partagent une même préoccupation à l’égard des questions
linguistiques aussi que des réalités sociopolitiques du Cameroun contemporain. Cet article souligne le contexte contre lequel la politique du bilinguisme officiel a été instituée au Cameroun et considère les stratégies adoptées par Nyamnjoh
et Nganang afin de représenter les contraintes de ce bilinguisme, s’appuyant sur la notion de multilinguisme d’Edouard Glissant pour mieux comprendre les stratégies créatives adoptées par Nyamnjoh et Nganang afin d’exprimer la réalité
multilingue du Cameroun dans leur textes littéraires.
Los problemas del sector agrario alicantino y propuestas de desarrollo
Authors: Segrelles Serrano José Antonio
Published: June 2015

Actualmente, la agricultura alicantina se haya sumida en una profunda crisis de carácter estructural que amenaza su futuro. A ello se debe añadir la próxima liberalización del comercio mundial y la competencia de varios países europeos. Es urgente e inevitable llevar a cabo una actuación decidida en varios frentes que proporcione un nuevo impulso a nuestra agricultura y contribuya al desarrollo integral de las áreas rurales.
Riesgos climáticos en las tierras valencianas: incidencia en la actividad agraria
Authors: Olcina Cantos Jorge
Published: June 2015

La actividad agraria es el sector económico que, con mayor frecuencia, sufre los efectos de episodios atmosféricos excepcionales que ocasionan graves pérdidas de cosecha y daños en campos de cultivo e infraestructura agraria (caminos, redes de riego). El campo valenciano no es ajeno a estos eventos, por lo demás condignos a sus condiciones climáticas (lluvias torrenciales, heladas, tormentas de granizo, temporales de viento y sequías), que precisan estudio de causas, consecuencias económicas y localización territorial de sectores de riesgo, para la posterior propuesta de medidas de actuación. La relación de prácticas de defensa puestas en práctica en tierras valencianas ante estos sucesos atmosféricos completa el presente estudio.
Aumento de recursos de agua: nuevas tecnologías y repercusión socioeconómica en la Vega Baja y Bajo Vinalopó
Authors: Juárez Sánchez-Rubio Cipriano
Published: June 2015

La comarca Meridional agraria de Alicante reúne una serie de condiciones objetivamente ventajosas que la convierten en una de las zonas con mayor potencial agrícola del arco mediterráneo español. Todas las condiciones son favorables menos la extensión de la explotación y el déficit hídrico estructural que soporta, agravado por el período de sequía, 1991-1995. La corrección por economía del agua mediante la nueva tecnología de la desalinización de aguas salobres subterráneas, como alternativa coyuntural para paliar la sequía, permite: mantener en producción la superficie regada, asegurar los niveles de producción y calibre de los productos, ser rentable económicamente, no disminuir la capacidad de trabajo y no provocar pérdidas medio ambientales. No obstante, la solución para erradicar el déficit hídrico, como factor limitante de la actividad económica, pasa por hacer realidad el principio de la intercomunicación de las cuencas hidrográficas, que propone el Plan Hidrológico Nacional.
Aspectos socio-económicos de las migraciones recientes en España en el contexto de la Europa meridional: elementos para una posible teoría
Authors: Ferrieri Gaetano
Published: June 2015

Se analizan las características geográficas y las implicaciones socio-económicas de los recientes flujos inmigratorios que recibe España, relacionando las tendencias económicas y las tendencias migratorias; el ejemplo español se estudia en el contexto de la Europa meridional, como nueva meta de las migraciones internacionales. El estudio concluye con la propuesta de una posible teoría sobre el ciclo migratorio-económico.
Procesos de erosión en los badlands alicantinos
Authors: Cerdà i Bolinches Artemio , Navarro i Moreno Rosina
Published: June 2015

Los procesos de erosión son muy activos en la provincia de Alicante debido a las reducidas e irregulares precipitaciones, al substrato altamente erosionable y al milenario uso antrópico. Estas condiciones dan lugar a la formación de zonas acarcavadas o badlands, los cuales contribuyen con elevados volúmenes de agua y sedimentos a los cauces. A partir de experimentos con lluvia simulada se estudian los procesos de erosión y se cuantifican sus tasas a escala de entre-regueros (< 1 m2) en dos zonas de badlands típicos del territorio alicantino: Monnegre y Petrer. En general, las tasas de erosión y escorrentía son muy elevadas, lo que se debe al rápido encharcamiento y la inmediata formación de la escorrentía superficial con la lluvia. La zona de Monnegre presenta menores pérdidas de agua, suelo y solutos que la de Petrer, aunque las diferencias dentro de cada zona son mayores que entre ellas. La inexistencia de cubierta vegetal y fragmentos de roca da lugar a altas tasas de escorrentía (54%) y concentración de sedimentos que oscilan entre 20 y 82 g l-1, por lo que las tasas de erosión son muy altas (1,5 Kg m2 h-1). La pendiente es el factor más importante de las tasas de erosión en los badlands, a lo que hay que sumar el control químico de los procesos de erosión.
Propuesta de un «índice de homogeneidad» para el estudio de la influencia de la «estructura temporal de la lluvia» sobre la escorrentía en zonas semiáridas
Authors: Ceballos Barbancho Antonio , Fernández-Toledo Pedro , Gómez Amelia Dionisia
Published: June 2015

En medios áridos y semiáridos la precipitación total y la intensidad de la misma son los factores que explican en mayor grado la generación y producción de escorrentía. Sin embargo, se observa que en determinados casos también es necesario el análisis de la estructura temporal del evento de lluvia para comprender la respuesta de la escorrentía. En este trabajo se presenta un índice que considera la continuidad o discontinuidad de la lluvia y la variabilidad de las intensidades durante el evento.
Leviafan / ‘Leviathan’ (2014)
Authors: Foster Samuel
Published: June 2015

Click here to read the review
Soziologie und Lebensstilforschung in der Volksrepublik China
Authors: Schirmer Dominique
Published: June 2015

In der Studie von Dominique Schirmer wird erstens Lebensstilforschung als Mikrotheorie gesellschaftlichen Wandels vorgestellt und am Untersuchungsthema empirisch überprüft. Sie bietet zweitens eine Einführung und Analyse der gegenwärtigen festlandchinesischen Soziologie und Lebensstilforschung - beides fehlt bisher in der westlichen Chinaforschung und Soziologie. Drittens wird die Wechselwirkung Soziologie - Praxis theoretisch diskutiert und das Verhältnis Soziologie - Politik - gesellschaftlicher Wandel in der VR China untersucht. Dort wendet sich die zunehmend selbstbewusste Soziologie an Politik und Gesellschaft, welche zur neuen Definitionsmacht gegenüber der Politik wird.
Schwarz werden
Authors: Ege Moritz
Published: June 2015

Soul-Musik und »Black Power«-Solidarität, blonde »Afros« und schwarz-weiße Werbekampagnen: Afroamerikanisches hatte in verschiedenen Feldern der Gegen- und Popkultur der Bundesrepublik um 1968 Konjunktur. Diese Studie zeigt Formen und Hintergründe der »Afroamerikanophilie« auf und zeichnet damit ein ungewohntes Bild der Zeit um 1968, als ein zunehmend »exklusives« afroamerikanisches Selbstbewusstsein entstand und die »weiße« Suche nach imaginären Einlassstellen in die »schwarze« Welt zugleich eine neue Qualität gewann. Aus einer Vielzahl von Quellen werden dabei auch theoretische Fragen nach dem Zusammenspiel von Identifikation und Solidarität, Rassismus, Aneignung und Nachahmung entwickelt.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension
Authors: Pektas Ayhan , Olgunturk Rana , Cevik Ayhan , Terlemez Semiha , Kacar Emre , Oner Yusuf Ali
Published: June 2015

The present study aims to determine the efficacy and reliability of cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in establishing the diagnosis and prognosis of pulmonary hypertension in children.

This is a retrospective comparison of 25 children with pulmonary hypertension and a control group comprising 19 healthy children. The diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension was made when the mean pulmonary artery pressure was ≥25 mmHg by catheter angiography.

The children with pulmonary hypertension had significantly lower body mass indices than did the healthy children (P=0.048). In addition, the children with pulmonary hypertension had significantly larger main pulmonary artery diameters and ascending aortic diameters (both P=0.001) but statistically similar ratios of main pulmonary artery diameter-to-ascending aortic diameter. If the main pulmonary artery diameter was ≥25 mm, pediatric pulmonary hypertension was diagnosed with 72% sensitivity and 84% specificity. In the event that the ratio of main pulmonary artery diameter-to-ascending aorta diameter was ≥1, pediatric pulmonary hypertension was diagnosed with 60% sensitivity and 53% specificity. When compared with children who had New York Heart Association functional class II pulmonary hypertension, the children with functional class III pulmonary hypertension had significantly larger main (P=0.046), right (P=0.036), and left (P=0.003) pulmonary arteries.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging is useful in the diagnosis of children with pulmonary hypertension. Pediatric pulmonary hypertension can be diagnosed with high sensitivity and specificity when the main pulmonary artery diameter measures ≥25 mm.
Unusual Presentation of Listerial Myocarditis and the Diagnostic Value of Cardiac Magnetic Resonance
Authors: Ladani Amit P. , Biswas Abhishek , Vaghasia Nishit , Generalovich Thomas
Published: June 2015

Listeria monocytogenes is an infrequent cause of bacterial myocarditis. Myocarditis without evidence of endocarditis is even rarer. Management in such cases involves early diagnosis, antibiotic therapy, and emergency treatment of arrhythmias.

We report the case of a 47-year-old man who presented with features of acute ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction complicated by ventricular tachycardia that necessitated urgent electrical cardioversion. Contrast-enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance images revealed hypertrophy, necrosis, and a mass that was determined to be an abscess caused by L. monocytogenes. Antibiotic treatment led to resolution of the listerial myocarditis.

In addition to reporting our patient's case, we discuss the comparative advantages of cardiac magnetic resonance versus transthoracic echocardiography in characterizing myocarditis, upon presentation and in follow-up evaluation.
How Responsive Are EU Coal-Burning Plants to Changes in Energy Prices?
Authors: Meyer Andrew , Pac Grzegorz
Published: June 2015

The European Union (EU) Emissions Trading System (ETS) has implicitly made it more expensive to burn coal relative to natural gas because coal has a higher carbon content. Therefore, it is important to understand how much plants reduce their coal usage in response to higher coal prices to assess the effectiveness of the ETS in reducing carbon emissions. We analyze a novel panel of coal-burning large combustion plants from a subsample of eight EU countries and found that, holding constant the natural gas price, a 1% increase in the coal price results in a 0.36% decrease in coal consumption. At current ETS prices, this implies that the average large combustion plant in our sample EU countries is burning 7% less coal than it would be absent in the ETS. This suggests that the ETS has significantly reduced carbon emissions from coal-fired plants for the eight countries represented in our sample.
An application of canonical variate analysis in profile comparison of dry matter content of white clover between ozone-sensitive and ozone-resistant clones exposed in ambient air conditions
Authors: Kayzer Dariusz , Budka Anna , Borowiak Klaudia , Zbierska Janina , Lisiak Marta
Published: June 2015

Summary

Tropospheric ozone affects plant growth and the yield of main pasture species all around the world. Experiments are usually performed in fully controlled conditions; the number of investigations in ambient air conditions is still limited. Moreover, most investigations of the effect of ozone on white clover biomass production consider one series after the other, including a period without leaves. Hence, based on the recommendations, additional series are proposed and studied here. The responses of sensitive and resistant white clover clones are presented and compared using multivariate analysis of variance and profile analysis. The canonical variate analysis used here makes it possible to present the profile comparison of dry matter content of white clover graphically in Euclidean space. The investigations revealed a difference in response between clones and the necessity of using the additional series.
Prosodic phrasing of relative clauses with two possible antecedents in Spanish: A comparison of Spanish native speakers and L1 Basque bilingual speakers
Authors: de la Cruz-Pavía Irene , Elordieta Gorka
Published: June 2015

The present production study investigates the prosodic phrasing characteristic of sentences containing a relative clause with two possible noun phrase antecedents [Noun Phrase 1 Noun Phrase 2 Relative Clause] in the variety of Spanish spoken in the Basque Country. It aims to establish the default prosodic phrasing of these structures, as well as whether differences are found in phrasing between native and non-native speakers. Additionally, it examines the effect on prosodic phrasing of constituent length and familiarity with the sentences (skimming the sentences prior to reading them aloud). To do that, the productions of 8 Spanish monolinguals, 8 first language (L1) Spanish/second language (L2) Basque bilinguals, and 8 L1Basque/L2Spanish bilinguals are examined. A default phrasing consisting of the prevalence of a prosodic break after NP2 ([NP1 NP2/RC]) is obtained, and differences are found between the prosodic contours of native and non-native speakers. Additionally, a constituent length effect is found, with a higher frequency of prosodic boundaries after NP2 as RC length increases, as predicted by Fodor’s Same Size Sister Constraint. Last, familiarity with the sentences was found to increase the frequency of occurrence of the default phrasing.
What Kind Of Systemic Risks Do We Face In The European Banking Sector? The Approach Of CoVaR Measure
Authors: Karkowska Renata
Published: June 2015

We measure a systemic risk faced by European banking sectors using the CoVaR measure. We propose the conditional value-at-risk for measuring a spillover risk which demonstrates the bilateral relation between the tail risks of two financial institutions. The aim of the study is to estimate the contribution systemic risk of the bank i in the analyzed banking sector of a country in conditions of its insolvency. The study included commercial banks from 8 emerging markets from Europe, which gave a total of 40 banks, traded on the public market, which provided a market valuation of the bank’s capital. The conclusions are that the CoVaR seems to be a better measure for systemic risk in the banking sector than the VaR, which is more individual. And banks in developing countries in Europe do not provide significant risk for the banking sector as a whole. But it must be taken into account that some individuals that may find objectionable. Our results hence tend to a practical use of the CoVaR for supervisory purposes.
Energy Demands Of The Existing Collective Buildings With Bearing Structure Of Large Precast Concrete Panels From Timisoara
Authors: Pescari S. , Stoian V. , Tudor D. , Măduţa Carmen
Published: June 2015

One of the targets of EU Directives on the energy performance of buildings is to reduce the energy consumption of the existing buildings by finding efficient solutions for thermal rehabilitation. In order to find the adequate solutions, the first step is to establish the current state of the buildings and to determine their actual energy consumption. The current paper aims to present the energy demands of the existing buildings with bearing structure of large precast concrete panels in the city of Timisoara. Timisoara is one of the most important cities in the west side of Romania, being on the third place in terms of size and economic development. The Census of Population and Housing of 2011 states that Timisoara has about 127841 private dwellings and 60 percent of them are collective buildings. Energy demand values of the existing buildings with bearing structure of large precast concrete panels in Timisoara, in their current condition, are higher than the accepted values provided in the Romanian normative, C107. The difference between these two values can reach up to 300 percent.
The Circumstances of Intergenerational Justice
Authors: Brandstedt Eric
Published: June 2015

Some key political challenges today, e.g. climate change, are future oriented. The intergenerational setting differs in some notable ways from the intragenerational one, creating obstacles to theorizing about intergenerational justice. One concern is that as the circumstances of justice do not pertain intergenerationally, intergenerational justice is not meaningful. In this paper, I scrutinize this worry by analysing the presentations of the doctrine of the circumstances of justice by David Hume and John Rawls. I argue that we should accept the upshot of their idea, that justice is context sensitive, even if this at first sight seems to invalidate intergenerational justice. On the basis of moral constructivism, I subsequently provide a fresh reading of the doctrine according to which it conveys the idea that justice is the solution to a practical problem. However, as the problem background is evolving, we need to properly characterize the relevant practical problem in order to make ethical theorizing relevant. Contrary to what has been claimed, the circumstances of justice do not then clash with intergenerational justice, but are the necessary presuppositions for its advancement.
Increasing the Quality of Agricultural Machinery Testing – A Comparison Between Italian and Polish Experience
Authors: Klembalska Agnieszka , Fancello Giulio
Published: June 2015

Safety of agricultural machinery is a key aspect in carrying out agrotechnical treatments. Appropriate testing of machines and equipment guarantees better protection of life or health. Applicable conformity assessment procedures do not require (except for particularly dangerous machines) participation of the third party - a professional, specialized, accredited, notified testing laboratory what raises a common fear of the dangers arising from ignorance of manufacturers.