1,013 research outputs found
A review of the feasibility of alternative energy system using an energy return on investment analysis
To support further technology development and to promote the growth of a renewable biofuels industry that will satisfy the stated expectations of anticipated energy needs, it is essential that energy production systems provide a net energy gain over the course of their lifetime. As a means to provide accurate analysis to the value of alternative energy systems this paper provides a mechanism to evaluate energy systems in terms of energy generation ratios that is in terms of existing analysis techniques utilized in existing energy generation areas, such as the oil industry. This paper also proposes techniques that help perform this net energy analysis in terms of the specific economy considering the infrastructure investment
La peur de l'accouchement: quel accompagnement les sages-femmes peuvent-elles proposer? : Travail de Bachelor
Introduction: La grossesse entraĂźne des bouleversements et des changements autant psychiques que physiques qui ont pour rĂ©percussion un Ă©tat de vulnĂ©rabilitĂ© plus ou moins important. Cet Ă©tat peut favoriser le dĂ©veloppement de certaines craintes chez les femmes enceintes vis Ă vis de la grossesse et de lâaccouchement. Objectif: Lâobjectif de ce travail est de mieux comprendre les diffĂ©rentes peurs des femmes enceintes en regard de lâaccouchement, les impacts de celles-ci sur la grossesse, lâaccouchement et le post-partum ainsi que le rĂŽle des sages-femmes dans l'accompagnement de ces femmes. MĂ©thode: Cinq Ă©tudes ont Ă©tĂ© sĂ©lectionnĂ©es Ă partir de plusieurs bases de donnĂ©es telles que Pubmed et CINHAL. Elles ont ensuite Ă©tĂ© analysĂ©es et critiquĂ©es. Celles-ci ont Ă©tĂ© rĂ©alisĂ©es en Europe et en Australie entre 2009 et 2015. RĂ©sultats!: 11% des femmes enceintes sont touchĂ©es par la peur sĂ©vĂšre de lâaccouchement. Les peurs les plus exprimĂ©es par celles-ci sont principalement la perte de contrĂŽle, la santĂ© du bĂ©bĂ© et le fait de devenir mĂšre. Une ancienne expĂ©rience nĂ©gative de lâaccouchement, le manque de soutien social ainsi que des symptĂŽmes de dĂ©pression augmentent le risque de souffrir de peur de lâaccouchement. Les peurs de lâaccouchement ont un impact sur le comportement des femmes ainsi que sur le dĂ©roulement de la grossesse, de lâaccouchement et du post-partum. Le rĂŽle des sages-femmes est important car il influence le vĂ©cu des femmes. Conclusion: En tant que professionnel de la santĂ© il est important dâoffrir Ă ces femmes un espace de parole et dâĂ©coute afin quâelles se sentent considĂ©rĂ©es et comprises. Un accompagnement personnalisĂ© et adaptĂ© Ă leurs besoins augmente leur capacitĂ© Ă faire face Ă ces peurs
Induced neophobic predator avoidance in hatchery-reared juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)
Hatchery-reared fishes, especially salmonids, are routinely stocked into natural waterways as a part of population enhancement and recovery programs, and conservation efforts. These initiatives, however, are often met with limited success due to poor post-stocking survival of hatchery fish. It has been suggested that a failure to recognize predators by hatchery-reared fish leads to disproportionately low post-stocking survival rates. A commonly advocated approach to enhancing post-stocking survival is to condition hatchery fish to recognize and avoid relevant threats through âlife skills trainingâ. However, such approaches have yielded decidedly mixed results. Here, I tested the prediction that phenotypically plastic neophobic predator avoidance (the avoidance of novel cues) can be induced in hatchery reared Atlantic salmon. This response may lead to the enhancement of post-stocking survival among hatchery reared juvenile Atlantic salmon; making it a new approach to life skills training. Initially, I tested the prediction that hatchery reared juvenile salmon subjected to alarm cue (a known, reliable cue indicating a predation event) for a prolonged period of time would elicit a neophobic response (defined as a significant decrease in time spent on the substrate and foraging attempts) to a novel cue during testing. During the treatment phases of three or six days, juvenile hatchery Atlantic salmon were given either alarm cue (high risk) or a water control (low risk). Following the treatment phases, fish from both treatment conditions were given a stimulus of either novel odour or a water control. The test fishâs time on substrate and foraging attempts were recorded pre- and post- stimulus, allowing me to investigate changes in behaviour caused by the presence of the novel stimuli. My results suggested that juvenile Atlantic salmon pre-exposed to alarm cue for three days did not demonstrate neophobic predator avoidance behaviour, however those pre-exposed for six days did exhibit an increase in time on substrate and a reduction in foraging attempts. Secondly, I tested the prediction that a neophobic response induced in hatchery reared fish over a six-day treatment phase would be retained throughout a transportation and stocking event. Conditioned salmon were transported to Catamaran Brook (Catamaran Research Centre), and tested for their response to a novel cue vs. water control. My results suggest that juvenile Atlantic salmon pre-exposed to alarm cue for six days and transported and released into a semi-natural environment did not demonstrate neophobic behaviour towards a novel cue. This suggests that the neophobic response was not retained throughout a transportation and stocking event. Finally, I tested the prediction that neophobic predator avoidance could be induced in hatchery reared and wild juvenile Atlantic salmon in a semi-natural environment. Wild and hatchery fish were subjected to alarm cue or water (control) for six days in a semi-natural environment after which their behaviour towards a novel cue was tested (in the same fashion as in experiment one) in the semi-natural environment. My results suggested that hatchery-reared fish given alarm cue for six days in a semi-natural environment demonstrated a neophobic predator avoidance response to a novel cue during behavioural testing in the semi-natural environment; however wild fish in the same conditions did not
Insertion ou désertion professionnelle : étude de trajectoires professionnelles de jeunes enseignantes et enseignants québécois
Tableau dâhonneur de la FacultĂ© des Ă©tudes supĂ©rieures et postdoctorales, 2013-2014.De plus en plus de chercheurs dans le domaine de lâĂ©ducation constatent que les premiĂšres annĂ©es de pratique en enseignement au QuĂ©bec sont ardues, et sâinquiĂštent de la dĂ©sertion prĂ©maturĂ©e de certains enseignants novices. Le prĂ©sent mĂ©moire vise Ă mieux comprendre cette pĂ©riode nĂ©vralgique dâinsertion dans la carriĂšre enseignante et Ă repĂ©rer les facteurs pouvant inciter les novices Ă rester ou Ă quitter ce champ professionnel durant ces annĂ©es cruciales. Pour ce faire, la dĂ©sertion enseignante y est non pas uniquement considĂ©rĂ©e comme un aboutissement possible de la pĂ©riode dâinsertion dans le mĂ©tier, mais bien comme un processus Ă part entiĂšre, le pendant inverse de cette insertion. Par lâanalyse en profondeur de vingt-deux trajectoires professionnelles de jeunes enseignants ayant persĂ©vĂ©rĂ© dans la profession (onze trajectoires) ou ayant choisi de se rĂ©orienter pendant leurs premiĂšres annĂ©es de pratique (onze trajectoires), nous avons observĂ© les interrelations dominantes entre les facteurs propres aux individus et les facteurs propres aux structures du monde enseignant qui conditionnent le choix de poursuivre ou de quitter la profession. On constate que, dans bien des cas, lâidentitĂ© de lâacteur exerce un rĂŽle prĂ©pondĂ©rant, alors que dans dâautres, des Ă©lĂ©ments du contexte influencent davantage les dĂ©cisions des nouveaux enseignants. NĂ©anmoins, tous les facteurs en cause prĂ©sentent des Ă©lĂ©ments relevant tant de la dynamique des acteurs que de celle des structures. Six types de dynamiques ont Ă©tĂ© repĂ©rĂ©s, lesquels indiquent que maints Ă©lĂ©ments constitutifs de lâidentitĂ© de lâindividu âpar exemple, le choix de carriĂšre et le rĂ©alisme des attentes nourries en cours de formation, le degrĂ© de compatibilitĂ© sentie avec les mandats ou la structure Ă©ducationnels en place, la façon dâĂȘtre et dâagir durant les expĂ©riences dâenseignement, ainsi que lâimportance relative accordĂ©e au travail enseignant au regard des autres sphĂšres de la vie (la famille notamment)â jouent un rĂŽle important dans la dĂ©cision de certains rĂ©pondants de poursuivre ou dâabandonner leur projet professionnel. En ce qui concerne les structures du monde du travail enseignant, les paramĂštres de lâemploi (durĂ©e dâaccĂšs Ă un statut stable), du travail (conditions de pratique, charges de travail, mandats, nature des groupes) et du milieu (notamment le soutien institutionnel et celui des collĂšgues) influencent Ă©galement le choix des enseignants de persĂ©vĂ©rer ou de cesser dâenseigner.More and more, researchers in the field of education are acknowledging the hard times that constitute the early years of teaching practice in QuĂ©bec, and worry about premature leaves of novice teachers. The research here presented seeks to offer a better understanding of this crucial moment of integration in the teaching profession, and to examine the determinants that can influence novices to persevere or to abandon this professional field. To do so, attrition of novice teachers is not only considered as a probable outcome of the insertion process, but as a process on its own, the opposite equivalent of this insertion. By thorough analysis of twenty-two professional trajectories of beginning teachers who have persevered in teaching (eleven trajectories), as well as novices who have chosen to redirect their career during their first in-service years (eleven trajectories), we observed the dominant interrelations between factors inherent to individuals and factors belonging to the education system as a structure that influence the choice to continue or to quit teaching. We found that in many cases, interactions are further driven by individual elements whereas in some other cases, elements of the context, which are independent of the social players, appeared to be the leading force of the decision process. Nevertheless, all the factors involved in the decision-making of the novices we met implied dynamics inherent to both actors and structures. Six types of interrelations have emerged from the study. They show that many elements pertaining to the identity of young teachers, such as career choice and realism of expectations created before and often maintained during pre-service training, the degree of adequacy felt between the novice on one hand and the mandates and the structural organization of education on the other hand, the ways of being and reacting during the early teaching experiences, and the relative importance attached to the field of work versus other fields of life (especially family and children), play important roles in the decision process of some participants regarding their professional teaching project. Concerning the elements of context, employment parameters (time needed to get a stable status), work parameters (working conditions, workloads, mandates, composition of the class) and environment parameters (particularly support received from other staff and principal) also have a noticeable influence on the choices made by the subjects interviewed in regards to continuing in the teaching profession, or leaving it
De la thérapeutique au spiritualisme : le baron du Potet de Sennevoy (1796-1881), prophÚte du magnétisme à Paris
Jules du Potet de Sennevoy (1796-1881), dit le baron du Potet, est une figure majeure du magnĂ©tisme animal au xixe siĂšcle. Il navigue entre les diffĂ©rentes Ă©coles magnĂ©tistes, du thĂ©rapeutisme au spiritualisme, avec un esprit rassembleur, parfois opportuniste. Directeur du Journal du MagnĂ©tisme (1845-1861), il constitue et anime pendant prĂšs de soixante ans un important rĂ©seau de magnĂ©tiseurs, en France et Ă lâĂ©tranger. FormĂ© auprĂšs de Deleuze et Faria, il pratique en milieu hospitalier puis, aprĂšs le rejet dĂ©finitif du magnĂ©tisme par lâAcadĂ©mie de mĂ©decine en 1842, se rapproche des milieu occultistes, spirites puis thĂ©osophiques. Partisan dans sa jeunesse dâun magnĂ©tisme psychofluidiste, il Ă©volue peu Ă peu vers une conception plus spiritualiste, oĂč le magnĂ©tisme est assimilĂ© Ă la force vitale de lâunivers. Il dĂ©fend une conception horizontale du magnĂ©tisme, sâĂ©levant contre les Ă©lites mĂ©dicales et religieuses coupables de nâavoir pas voulu sâemparer de la rĂ©vĂ©lation magnĂ©tique. AnticlĂ©rical convaincu, toute son Ćuvre est pourtant marquĂ©e par la prĂ©gnance des motifs religieux ; il se proclame le prophĂšte dâune vĂ©ritĂ© qui tarde Ă ĂȘtre reconnue.Jules du Potet de Sennevoy (1796-1881), known as Baron du Potet, was a major figure in 19th-century animal magnetism. He navigated between the different schools of magnetism, from therapeutism to spiritualism, with a unifying, sometimes opportunistic spirit. Director of the Journal du MagnĂ©tisme (1845-1861), he built up and ran a large network of magnetists in France and abroad for nearly sixty years. Trained by Deleuze and Faria, he practiced in hospitals and then, after the definitive rejection of magnetism by the Academy of Medicine in 1842, moved closer to occultist, spiritualist and, lastly, theosophical circles. In his youth, he was a supporter of psychofluidist magnetism, but gradually moved towards a more spiritualist conception, in which magnetism was equated with the vital force of the universe. He defended a horizontal conception of magnetism, speaking out against the medical and religious elites who were guilty of not wanting to take hold of the magnetic revelation. Despite his strong anticlerical convictions,, his entire work is nevertheless marked by the influence of religious motives; he is the self-proclaimed prophet of a truth whose recognition is long overdue
Preparation of reproducible alkaline phosphatase-antibody conjugates for enzyme immunoassay using a heterobifunctional linking agent
peer reviewedConjugates of alkaline phosphatase (AP) and mouse monoclonal immunoglobulins G (IgG) were prepared by means of the heterobifunctional linker, N-succinimidyl 3-(2-pyridyldithio)-propionate. The efficiency of such conjugates can be improved by optimizing the degree of substitution of IgG and AP. We have determined conditions yielding better performing conjugates than those synthesized by methods described previously. Moreover, the results obtained with the technique presented here are quite reproducible with all four monoclonal antibodies tested
L'observance du plan alimentaire et la satisfaction de vie chez les personnes diabétiques : contribution à long terme de l'efficacité personnelle de l'autodétermination
La prĂ©sente Ă©tude vise Ă vĂ©rifier les contributions Ă long terme respectives de l'efficacitĂ© personnelle et de l'autodĂ©termination sur lâobservance et la satisfaction de vie des personnes atteintes de diabĂšte. LâĂ©chantillon Ă lâĂ©tude est constituĂ© de 278 participants ayant rĂ©pondu Ă deux envois de questionnaires Ă 16 mois dâintervalle. Les rĂ©sultats rĂ©vĂšlent que le sentiment dâefficacitĂ© personnelle sâavĂšre, Ă long terme, un excellent prĂ©dicteur de lâobservance au plan alimentaire et de la satisfaction de vie. Ils sont cependant moins patents pour ce qui est de l'autodĂ©termination, la valeur prĂ©dictive de celle-ci sur lâobservance et la satisfaction de vie ne se voyant pas confirmĂ©e. Toutefois, la contribution de lâautodĂ©termination nâest pas Ă nĂ©gliger puisque son utilisation en complĂ©mentaritĂ© avec lâefficacitĂ© personnelle laisse entrevoir une voie dâavenir intĂ©ressante
Body composition estimation from selected slices:equations computed from a new semi-automatic thresholding method developed on whole-body CT scans
Background Estimating volumes and masses of total body components is important for the study and treatment monitoring of nutrition and nutrition-related disorders, cancer, joint replacement, energy-expenditure and exercise physiology. While several equations have been offered for estimating total body components from MRI slices, no reliable and tested method exists for CT scans. For the first time, body composition data was derived from 41 high-resolution whole-body CT scans. From these data, we defined equations for estimating volumes and masses of total body AT and LT from corresponding tissue areas measured in selected CT scan slices. Methods We present a new semi-automatic approach to defining the density cutoff between adipose tissue (AT) and lean tissue (LT) in such material. An intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to validate the method. The equations for estimating the whole-body composition volume and mass from areas measured in selected slices were modeled with ordinary least squares (OLS) linear regressions and support vector machine regression (SVMR). Results and Discussion The best predictive equation for total body AT volume was based on the AT area of a single slice located between the 4th and 5th lumbar vertebrae (L4-L5) and produced lower prediction errors (|PE| = 1.86Â liters, %PE = 8.77) than previous equations also based on CT scans. The LT area of the mid-thigh provided the lowest prediction errors (|PE| = 2.52Â liters, %PE = 7.08) for estimating whole-body LT volume. We also present equations to predict total body AT and LT masses from a slice located at L4-L5 that resulted in reduced error compared with the previously published equations based on CT scans. The multislice SVMR predictor gave the theoretical upper limit for prediction precision of volumes and cross-validated the results
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