Conflict resolution in Libya

This paper examines the role of key conflict elements such as solidarity among disagreeing groups and partisan foreign intervention in the complexification of the Libyan conflict. Incorporating evidentiary events along with a comparative application of different conflict theories (ripeness theory, instrumentalism, primordialism, protracted social conflict and constructivism), this paper argues that ideational factors top merely material factors in the Libyan conflict and no permanent solution can be achieved without changing people 's socially constructed identities and world view

Epóxidos y aziridinas de ciclohexano relacionados estructuralmente con la galactosa como inhibidores selectivos de galactosidasas

La presente invención se refiere a una familia de epóxidos y aziridinas derivadas de ciclohexano que poseen una similitud estructural con la galactosa y presentan propiedades como inhibidores de galactosidasas. Además la presente invención también se refiere al uso de estos compuestos como herramienta biotecnológica, como reactivo de biología molecular, así como, para la preparación de un medicamento para el tratamiento de enfermedades asociadas a la glicosilación de lípidos y proteínas.Peer reviewedConsejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España)A1 Solicitud de patente con informe sobre el estado de la técnic

La variole du dromadaire chez le jeune au Maroc. Isolement et identification du virus. Mise au point du vaccin et application à la prophylaxie

La variole cameline est une pathologie majeure de l'espèce. Le virus (Orthopoxvirus cameli) a pu être isolé au Maroc. La souche isolée après huit passages sur cellules Vero a été dénommée T8. Un vaccin inactivé a pu être mis au point et évalué par le test de séroneutralisation et par la détermination de l'index de protection après l'épreuve virulente. Ce vaccin a été utilisé dans les campagnes de vaccination au Maroc à partir de 1993. Chaque année, 15 000 jeunes dromadaires sont immunisés. Son innocuité est totale et son efficacité reconnue. (Résumé d'auteur

From Student Questions to Student Profiles in a Blended Learning Environment

International audienceThe analysis of student questions can be used to improve the learning experience for both students and teachers. We investigated questions (N = 6457) asked before the class by first-year medicine/pharmacy students on an online platform, used by professors to prepare for Q&A sessions. Our long-term objectives are to help professors in categorizing those questions, and to provide students with feedback on the quality of their questions. To do so, we developed a coding scheme and then used it for automatic annotation of the whole corpus. We identified student characteristics from the typology of questions they asked using the k-means algorithm over four courses. Students were clustered based on question dimensions only. Then, we characterized the clusters by attributes not used for clustering, such as student grade, attendance, and number and popularity of questions asked. Two similar clusters always appeared (lower than average students with popular questions, and higher than average students with unpopular questions). We replicated these analyses on the same courses across different years to show the possibility of predicting student profiles online. This work shows the usefulness and validity of our coding scheme and the relevance of this approach to identify different student profiles. Notes for Practice • Questions provide important insights into students' level of knowledge, but coding schemes are lacking to study this phenomenon. • After providing a bottom-up coding scheme of student questions in a blended environment, we analyzed the relationship between the questions asked and the student profiles. • Profiling students based on their questions over a year allows us to predict the profiles of future students to help the teacher understand who asks what. • These results provide both a coding scheme that can be reused in various contexts involving questions, and a methodology that can be replicated in any context where students ask many questions, in particular to help the teacher in prioritizing them according to their own criteria. • Teachers need to focus on the nature of questions asked by their students, because they can reveal information about their profile (attendance, activity, etc.)

Évaluation de la sécurité des héparines de bas poids moléculaire en hémodialyse au Québec : une étude de cohorte rétrospective

Le nombre de personnes avec insuffisance rénale terminale et de patients nécessitant un traitement d’hémodialyse chronique est en constante augmentation à travers le monde. L’hémodialyse nécessite une anticoagulation appropriée afin de réduire la formation de caillots sanguins dans le circuit extracorporel. L’héparine non fractionnée (HNF) est la forme d’anticoagulant la plus répandue pour cette indication au Canada. Cependant, l’héparine de bas poids moléculaire (HBPM) a été récemment introduite comme alternative à l’HNF. L’utilisation de l’HBPM est plus simple que l’HNF puisqu’elle nécessite moins d’injections et de monitoring, offrant au personnel infirmier en hémodialyse plus de temps pour d’autres soins. Parmi les patients sans insuffisance rénale chronique (IRC), la sécurité de l’HBPM a été longuement évaluée et est maintenant le traitement de choix pour de nombreuses applications cliniques. Bien que l’HBPM soit utilisée dans plusieurs unités d’hémodialyse, la probabilité d’accumulation et d’augmentation du risque de saignement reste une source d’inquiétude chez les patients en IRC. Quelques petites études ont évalué la sécurité des HBPM en hémodialyse mais leurs conclusions restent controversées. Le but de cette étude était d’évaluer la sécurité comparative de l’HBPM pour l’anticoagulation en hémodialyse. Nous avons tout d’abord effectué une revue systématique et méta-analyse afin d’évaluer la sécurité des HBPM en hémodialyse chronique comparativement à l’HNF. Ensuite, nous avons mené une étude de cohorte rétrospective multicentrique auprès de patients incidents et prévalents en hémodialyse chronique au Québec entre 2007 et 2013 dont les objectifs spécifiques étaient de comparer l’HBPM à l’HNF et le risque de saignements majeurs et mineurs, le risque de fracture ostéoporotique et le risque d’infection. Les données ont été extraites des bases de données de la RAMQ et de Med-Écho. L’exposition à l’héparine a été collectée auprès de 21 unités d’hémodialyse au Québec. Le risque de chaque issue d’intérêt a été estimé en utilisant un modèle de régression de COX ou un modèle temps dépendant de régression de COX, selon le plus approprié, en ajustant pour de multiples variables. Comparativement à l’HNF, l’HBPM n’a pas montré de différence de risque pour les saignements et les fractures ostéoporotiques. Une diminution du risque d’infection a été observée chez les patients recevant l’HBPM comparé à l’HNF en hémodialyse chronique.The proportion of patients with end-stage renal disease and patients receiving hemodialysis treatments chronically is constantly increasing worldwide. The hemodialysis procedure requires an appropriate anticoagulation to avoid blood clots in the extracorporeal circuit. Unfractionated heparin (UFH) is the most commonly used anticoagulant for this indication in Canada. However, low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) has recently been introduced as an alternative to UFH. The use of LMWH is more convenient than UFH since it requires fewer injections and monitoring, allowing time to dialysis nurses to perform other care. Among patients without chronic kidney disease (CKD), safety of LMWH was extensively evaluated and LMWH is now a first-choice agent in various clinical settings. While LMWH is now used by an increasing number of hemodialysis units, concerns remain due to drug accumulation and increase risk of bleeding reported with LMWH use among CKD patients. Only a few small studies evaluated safety of LMWH in the hemodialysis setting, and their conclusions remain controversial. The overall aim of this study is to evaluate the comparative safety of LMWH when used for hemodialysis anticoagulation. We first conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis in order to evaluate the safety of LMWH in chronic hemodialysis compared to UFH. We then conducted an observational retrospective multicentre study among a cohort of all incident and prevalent chronic hemodialysis patients in Québec between 2007 and 2013 which specific aims are to compare between LMWH and UFH the risk of major and minor bleeding; to evaluate the risk of osteoporotic fractures; and to evaluate the risk of infection. The data was extracted from existing databases (RAMQ-Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec, Med-Echo-Maintenance et exploitation des données pour l’étude de la clientèle hospitalière. The information on exposure to heparin type was collected from 21 hemodialysis units in Québec. We estimated the risk for each outcome of interest using a COX proportional model or a time-dependent COX proportional model where appropriate, adjusting for multiple covariates. Compared to UFH, LMWH showed no risk difference for bleeding and osteoporotic fracture. A decreased risk of infection was observed for patients receiving LMWH compared to UFH in chronic hemodialysis

Towards Improving Students’ Forum Posts Categorization in MOOCs and Impact on Performance Prediction

International audienceGoing beyond mere forum posts categorization is key to understand why some students struggle and eventually fail in MOOCs. We propose here an extension of a coding scheme and present the design of the associated automatic annotation tools to tag students’ questions in their forum posts. Working of four sessions of the same MOOC, we cluster students’ questions and show how the obtained clusters are consistent across all sessions and can be sometimes correlated with students’ success in the MOOC. Moreover, it helps us better understand the nature of questions asked by successful vs. unsuccessful students