Documents found
-
781.More information
AbstractThis paper analyses the notion of “cybercrime” from a criminological point of view and proposes a number of ways in which it can be useful in the study of criminalisation and the organisation of official, organisational and individual responses. “Cybercrime” is defined as the use of computer networks in activities defined as criminal. This definition raises new questions regarding opportunity, harm, victimisation and other related concepts.
Keywords: cybercrime, cyberterrorisme, criminologie, contrôle social, commerce électronique, criminalité, droit, Cyber-crime, Cyber-terrorism, Criminology, Social Control, Electronic Commerce, Crime, Law
-
782.More information
In Quebec and in France, as in all developed countries, the combined effect of technological development, enhanced knowledge of life, globalization, demographic evolution and environmental degradation is exerting considerable pressure on the healthcare system, which is responding less and less effectively to the demands of the population. In order to remain faithful to the values of their populations and thus preserve the very basis of their legitimacy, governments, in modern democracies, must re-orient their current healthcare systems. Such reform means truly taking up collective responsibility, since it involves an institution unlike any other and a sector from which the government cannot withdraw. The question of healthcare reform is not merely operational or technical in nature; it is, above all, ethical and political insofar as it calls into question the value systems of society and leads to a rethinking of the role of government, in particular, with regard to its responsibility for healthcare.
-
783.More information
In this work, we question the ability of a free banking regime to regulate the money supply in the absence of a central bank. We first present the main features of such a monetary regime, and we describe the mechanisms which should permit the control of the money supply. Byway of numerical simulations we then examine the ability of a bank to detect an overissue emanating from another bank. This ability appears to be rather limited, and when detection is effective, it can take long lags. It follows that the money supply may be dynamically unstable.
-
784.More information
Digital libraries are made up of electronic resources and include the functions enabling access to these resources. This article describes the origins of digital libraries from their early beginnings in computer science, drawing upon the traditions of several disciplines and institutions, each with a different point of view. Several types of digital libraries, as well as their characteristics, are described. The economic, technological and legal challenges of digital libraries are identified and the possible research venues for the community are raised. The article predicts the possible future developments for the disciplines and institutions involved.
-
785.More information
Dissolved organic compounds (dissolved organic carbon (DOC), biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC), total amino acids and humic substances) and their chlorine demand were analyzed monthly at different steps of the water treatment plant of Méry-sur-Oise (Paris, France, 270 000 m3/d, Fig. 1).Total dissolved amino acids were determined by HPLC analysis with fluorimetric detection after hydrolysis of combined amino acids (proteins, polypeptides) by hydrochloric acid (DOSSIER BERNE et al., 1994 a); the separation of 17 amino acids was performed after orthophthaldialdehyde (OPA) pre-column derivatization. Humic substances were determined according to the method developed by THURMAN and MALCOLM (1981), by gravity feeding XAD-8 resins with acidified samples. The humic fraction was expressed as the difference between DOC before and after passage through the column. The method developped by JORET and LÉVI (1986) using a biologically active sand inoculum was used for the determination of BDOC.For the determination of chlorine consumption, the kinetic model described by JADAS- HÉCART et al. (1992) was used; it takes into account the long-term chlorine demand in terms of potential demand. This method was automated (DOSSIER BERNE et al., 1994 b) and computer-assisted. The chlorine dose was chosen depending on the DOC value and on the N-NH4+ content of the water; the applied dose was: 3 mg Cl2/mg DOC + 10 mg Cl2/mg N-NH4+. Chlorine determination was performed automatically by the spectrophotometric N, N-diethylphenylene-1,4-diamine (DPD) method.In raw water, DOC values may reach 5.6 to 6.5 mg C l-¹ during the cold season, but the average yield of elimination was generally close to 40 % (Fig. 2). The biodegradable fraction of the organic carbon (BDOC), which represents 25 to 50 % of the DOC in the raw water, was partially removed in the plant and the residual concentration in treated water varied between 0.4 to 1.8 mg C l-¹ (Fig. 2). A transitory increase in the BDOC values was generally observed during the ozonation step; it reached 0.2 to 0.5 mg C l-¹ (Figs. 6 and 7).Whatever the period of the year, extracted humic substances constituted about 50 % of the DOC found in raw water (Fig. 3). This hydrophobic fraction was significantly removed in the treatment plant reducing the proportion of humic substances in the DOC of treated water to 16 - 23 % (Figs. 3, 6 and 7). The concentrations of total dissolved amino acids ranged from 100 to 260 µg l-¹ C in raw water and from 50 to 150 µg l-¹ C in produced water (Fig. 4); the main part of this elimination occurred during the clarification step (Figs. 6 and 7). No important seasonal variations could be observed for chlorine demand (Fig. 5); its removal occurred at each step of treatment and the average global elimination by the plant was of the order of 70 % (Figs. 6 and 7).On account of the low concentrations of amino acids, no direct relation could be shown between amino acid concentrations and the respective values of BDOC or of chlorine demand potential (Figs. 9 and 10). With regards to BDOC and chlorine demand potential, no correlation could be shown between these two parameters either (Fig. 8). However, it was possible to calculate the contribution of specific classes of dissolved organic compounds to chlorine demand and to BDOC. This calculation is based: i) on the concentrations of humic substances and amino acids measured during the monthly experiments at each point of the treatment plant, ii) on bibliographic data concerning the contribution to BDOC (biodegradability) and chlorine consumption of a large variety of model molecules (free or combined amino acids, aquatic humic substances). The results obtained in this way are reported in Table 3 for the treated water of the M?ry sur Oise plant. These results indicate that the small amounts of total dissolved amino acids present in treated water may account for 5 to 25 % of the BDOC value and for 5 to 23 % of the total chlorine demand potential. With regard to humic substances, their biodegradability was assumed to be very low but their contribution to the chlorine demand of the treated water was estimated between 10 to 40 %, whereas their DOC contribution ranges from 16 to 35 %. As a consequence, both amino acids and humic substances could account for 40 to 60 % to the chlorine demand of treated water. A special point should be noticed for total amino acids: their contribution to the DOC values of treated water was only 2 to 7 %, but they may account for a larger proportion of BDOC or chlorine demand potential (5 to 25 %).
Keywords: Eau potable, filière de traitement, acides aminés, demande en chlore, CODB, Drinking water, treatment plant, amino acids, chlorine demand, biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC)
-
786.More information
At first sight, the relation between patents and freedom may seem simple: A patent is a title granting an exclusive right to use an invention. It therefore restricts the freedom of other (potential) actors on the market. The aim of this article is to show that the relation is much more complex than that. We show through a literature a review and two complementary empirical studies that patents have various functions among which some tend to increase the freedom of both firms and individuals.
Keywords: brevet, propriété intellectuelle, liberté, stratégie, patent, intellectual property, freedom, strategy, patente, derechos de propiedad intelectual, libertad, estrategia
-
787.
-
788.More information
The Sentence Verification Technique (SVT) (Royer Hastings and Hook, 1979) has been used by teachers to assess the readability of texts intended for their students. After reading short texts, participants indicate whether or not isolated sentences presented to them correspond to what they just read. These sentences are modifications of sentences from the text (paraphrases, meaning changes), intact sentences, or added distracters. This paper reports on the creation of the first SVT test developed for measuring reading comprehension ability in English as a second language. Four English texts of general interest with 12 sentences each were submitted to two readability scales. Readers are guided through the various steps in the creation of this instrument, in light of previous research, followed by the testing of the instrument with more than 200 French-speaking university students learning English as a second language. For researchers, current standardized tests are not open access, involve costs, and take time to complete. Results from this experiment suggest that our instrument is a promising alternative to standardized tests for measuring reading comprehension ability in English as a second language.
Keywords: technique de vérification de phrases, compréhension en lecture, test de lecture, lisibilité, langue seconde, sentence verification technique, reading comprehension, reading test, readability, second language, técnica de verificación de frases, comprensión de lectura, prueba de lectura, legibilidad, segunda lengua
-
789.More information
Sound creation is a form of musical creation that exploits expressive qualities of sound beyond traditional patterns of melody, harmony, and measured rhythm. Since the 1960s, educators from various countries—Canada, the United States, England, and France—proposed teaching models based on different approaches to sound creation, while sharing the common goal of a musical education that is both fundamental and in-depth. These models were integrated into Quebec's curriculum at the turn of the 1970s. However, despite efforts made by the Ministry of Education over many decades, sound creation is still not implemented effectively, neither in the undergraduate music education programs nor in teaching practices in schools.