bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
O Movimento de Reconceituação na América Latina e suas expressões internacionais: análise crítica da participação e contribuição do CBCISS
Authors: Aquino Isaura Gomes de Carvalho , Silva Aline Pereira Ribeiro , Vieira Pedro Leonardo Cedrola
Published: February 2018

Resumo – O presente artigo visa apresentar análises preliminares de resultado de pesquisa acerca da participação e contribuição do CBCISS no Movimento de Reconceituação da América Latina, no período compreendido entre a década de 1960 até 1980. Sendo o CBCISS uma instituição sem participação direta na formação profissional, protagonizou, quase exclusivamente, não só a organização das produções sobre a sistematização da prática e da formação profissionais, como também foi responsável pela divulgação do material coletado em âmbito mundial. Organizou os seminários de teorização do Serviço Social, dos quais foi estudado, nesta fase da pesquisa, o Documento de Araxá, com o objetivo de retomar o Serviço Social na história, através de mediações determinantes, possíveis em face do acúmulo teórico-metodológico produzido pelo Serviço Social na esteira da “intenção de ruptura”. Palavras-Chave: movimento de reconceituação; CBCISS; análise crítica.  Abstract – This article aims to present preliminary analyzes of research results on the participation and contribution of the Brazilian Center for Cooperation and Interchange in Social Services (CBCISS, in Portuguese) in the Latin American reconceptualization movement between 1960 and 1980. The CBCISS is an institution with no direct participation in professional training, but it was, almost solely, not only the organizer of the academic production on the systematization of professional practice and training, but also the responsible for the dissemination of the collected material worldwide. It organized seminars on the theory of social work, of which it was studied in this research a 1967 seminar in Araxá, Minas Gerais. This choice had the purpose of recovering social work throughout history, through determinant mediations, possible in face of the theoretical and methodological accumulation produced by social work in the wake of the “intention of rupture.” Keywords: reconceptualization movement; CBCISS; critical analysis.
“Entre o assistir e o cuidar”: tendências teóricas no Serviço Social brasileiro
Authors: Passos Rachel Gouveia
Published: February 2018

Resumo – O presente artigo é fruto das reflexões que compõem a pesquisa de pós-doutoramento. Tem-se como objetivo contribuir para a compreensão da diferença entre assistência e cuidado a partir de uma análise marxista. Na atualidade, essas categorias encontram-se esvaziadas de sentidos teóricos, principalmente nas políticas de saúde e assistência social, uma vez que o irracionalismo contribui para esse esvaziamento. Nesse caminho, o artigo divide-se em três partes: no primeiro momento, abordaremos o conceito de assistência a partir de autoras que já tratavam sobre o assunto no Serviço Social desde os anos 1980. No segundo momento, desenvolveremos a concepção de cuidado que parte do marxismo, além de dissertarmos sobre o cuidado social e o care social. Por fim, serão apresentadas as principais concepções de cuidado que perpassam o Serviço Social brasileiro. Palavras-Chave: assistência; cuidado; Serviço Social.   Abstract – This article is the result of the reflections composing a postdoctoral research. The objective is to contribute for an understanding of the difference between assistance and care based on a Marxist analysis. At present, these categories are in general emptied of theoretical meanings, mainly in the policies of health and social assistance, since irrationalism contributes to this emptying. In this way, the article is divided in three parts: first, we will approach the concept of assistance from authors who have already dealt with the subject of social work since the 1980s. Second, we develop the concept of care according to Marxism, in addition to lecturing on different definitions of “social care.” Finally, the main meanings of care that permeate Brazilian social work will be presented. Keywords: assistance; care; social work.
Movimento de Reconceituação e Serviço Social argentino
Authors: Moljo Carina Berta , Silva José Fernando Siqueira da , Zampani Roberto
Published: February 2018

Resumo – O presente artigo debate o Serviço Social argentino entre as décadas de 1960 a 1980. Além disso, analisa o processo de Reconceituação na Argentina e seus dilemas no conjunto do Movimento de Reconceituação latino-americano, analisando-o no contexto da mundialização capitalista-monopolista tardia e suas expressões na América Latina. Palavras-Chave: Reconceituação; história do Serviço Social; Argentina.   Abstract – This article discusses Argentine social work from the 1960s to the 1980s. It analyses the process of Reconceptualization in Argentina as part of the Latin American movement of Reconceptualization in the context of late monopolist-capitalist globalization and its expressions in Latin America. Keywords: reconceptualization; history of social work; Argentina.
A experiência brasileira das fábricas recuperadas
Authors: Carvalho Mariana Costa
Published: February 2018

PIRES, A. S. S. As fábricas recuperadas no Brasil: o desafio da autogestão. São Carlos: EdUFSCcar, 2016.
Carlos Nelson Coutinho em debate: interpretações, polêmicas e atualidade do seu pensamento
Authors: Silva Pedro Claesen Dutra
Published: February 2018

BRAZ, M.; RODRIGUES, M. (Orgs.). Cultura, democracia e socialismo: as ideias de Carlos Nelson Coutinho em debate. - 1.ed. - Rio de Janeiro: Mórula, 2016. 248 p.
Indícios para a história do Serviço Social a partir da Justiça de Transição
Authors: Backx Sheila De Souza
Published: February 2018

Resumo − Este trabalho decorre da pesquisa (recente e em curso) intitulada Mulheres na linha de frente, que faz uma articulação entre violência estatal e violência de gênero às práticas de tortura perpetradas no período da ditadura civil-militar no Brasil (1964-1985), no âmbito do estado do Rio de Janeiro. No decorrer desse estudo, foram encontrados dados que possibilitam situar o Serviço Social na história – apesar de não ser seu objeto privilegiado. Assim, a partir de evidências reveladas pelo campo da Justiça de Transição pode-se melhor avaliar a participação de assistentes sociais nos movimentos de resistência desse período da formação social brasileira, a partir de um corpus documental identificado pelas Comissões de Verdade, Memória e Reparação. Palavras-Chave: Serviço Social; história; justiça de transição; movimento social.   Abstract − This work stems from a recent (and ongoing) research entitled Women on the front line, which links state violence and gender violence to torture practices perpetrated during the period of the civil-military dictatorship in Brazil (1964-1985), in the state of Rio de Janeiro. In the course of this study, data have been found that make it possible to situate social work in history – although not as its privileged subject. Thus, from evidence revealed by the field of transitional justice, it is possible to evaluate better the participation of social workers in the resistance movements of this period of social formation in Brazil, based on a documentary corpus identified by the Commissions of Truth, Memory and Reparation. Keywords: social work; history; transitional justice; social movements.
Fundo público, política social e Venezuela Bolivariana
Authors: Ribeiro Vicente Neves da Silva
Published: February 2018

Resumo — A formação social venezuelana é caracterizada por sua condição de exportadora de petróleo e o papel cumprido pela renda petroleira internacional captada. Busca-se debater a relação entre renda petroleira, fundo público e política social durante a história recente da Venezuela, marcada sobretudo a partir de 1999 pelo processo bolivariano. A partir de uma discussão teórica mais geral sobre fundo público e política social, busca-se compreender a especificidade assumida no período recente na Venezuela, tendo em vista o aumento da renda petroleira disponível e a centralidade atribuída à questão social pelo governo bolivariano. Como conclusão indicamos a relação entre a população trabalhadora excedente e a renda petroleira como um traço marcante do processo bolivariano, bem como a presença de significativa fuga de capitais.   Palavras-chave: Venezuela; Renda Petroleira; Fundo Público; Política Social; Processo Bolivariano.     Abstract — The Venezuelan social formation is characterized by its condition of oil exporter and the role fulfilled by the international oil rents. This paper seeks to discuss the relationship between oil rents, public fund and social policy during the recent history of Venezuela, marked since 1999 by the Bolivarian process. From a more general theoretical discussion on the public fund and social policy, it is sought to understand the specificity assumed in the recent period in Venezuela in view of the increase of available oil rents and the centrality attributed to the social question by the Bolivarian government. As a conclusion, we indicate the relation between the surplus working population and the oil rents as an important feature of the Bolivarian process as well as the presence of significant capital flight.   Keywords: Venezuela; Oil Rent; Public Fund; Social Policy; Bolivarian Process.
Estágio Extracurricular e Educação Inclusiva: dilemas e percepções de alunas do primeiro ano de um Curso de Pedagogia
Authors: Freitas Ana Paula de , Dainez Débora
Published: February 2018

Na esteira das políticas inclusivas, ações voltadas às formas de organização escolar para assegurar o acolhimento educacional de alunos com deficiência têm sido realizadas. Dentre essas ações, municípios têm contratado estagiários de cursos de licenciaturas para acompanhamento de alunos com deficiência na sala de aula comum. Neste artigo, investigamos, a partir dos dizeres de alunas de um curso de Pedagogia que realizam estágio extracurricular, seus modos de participação na dinâmica da sala de aula em que há alunos com deficiência, atentando-nos às funções que lhes são atribuídas e aos dilemas enfrentados no cotidiano escolar. Examinamos, ainda, suas percepções em relação aos processos de ensino-aprendizagem da criança com deficiência.
AS ATRIBUIÇÕES E AS OPORTUNIDADES DE FORMAÇÃO DO PROFESSOR DE SALA DE RECURSOS MULTIFUNCIONAIS: UMA PESQUISA EM ROLIM DE MOURA-RONDÔNIA
Authors: Pansini Flávia , De Souza Edi Carlos
Published: February 2018

O artigo aborda as atribuições desempenhadas por uma professora que atua em sala de recursos multifuncionais, confrontando às oportunidades de formação a que teve acesso. A pesquisa foi realizada em uma escola municipal de Rolim de Moura-Rondônia, utilizando entrevistas e registro fotográfico. Os resultados mostram que a professora possuía quantidade significativa de atribuições às quais não podiam ser desempenhadas com qualidade tendo em vista a reduzida jornada de trabalho. Além disso, a maioria dos cursos a que teve acesso foi custeada pela própria docente e apresentava carga horária restrita e conteúdos simplificados. Em síntese, a pesquisa mostra que a preocupação maior é com a quantidade de alunos atendidos e não com a qualidade desse atendimento.
Smoking cessation in cardiovascular diseases
Authors: Despoina Kalea , Vogiatzis Ioannis
Published: February 2018

There is substantial evidence linking tobacco use with various health problems—particularly with a significant incidence of cardiovascular disease and corresponding mortality. It has been estimated that 7 million deaths worldwide each year are attributed to coronary heart disease. In Greece, according to recent data, it was the third cause of death (13.3% of total mortality—about 16 825 individuals). Use of tobacco remains a significant problem in many developed and developing countries worldwide. In addition, passive smoking is responsible for about 35 000–40 000 deaths from heart disease per year. An important intervention for the protection of the population is the application of prevention programmes and legislative government initiatives, as well as assistance with smoking cessation, which is provided via dedicated smoking cessation units. Special programmes include drug therapy treatment for nicotine detoxification and respective substitution, behaviour modifications, self-help approaches, and psychological support in the areas of health, labor, and in the community. It is important for health professionals, such as nurses working in cardiac care, to show increasing initiative in the management of their patients who need help to quit smoking, and to signpost them to appropriate community and health resources.
ECG of the month
Authors: Regan Martin
Published: February 2018

Martin Regan presents an ECG for you to analyse
All about… literacy
Authors: Rawstrone Annette
Published: February 2018

Effective literacy teaching involves much more than synthetic phonics, explains Annette Rawstrone
Essential experiences… transport
Authors: Tassoni Penny
Published: February 2018

Taking young children on public transport will be exciting for them as well as developmentally beneficial, explains Penny Tassoni
In comfort
Authors: Weinstein Nicole
Published: February 2018

Getting the right amount of sleep at home and in settings is essential to children's well-being. Nicole Weinstein offers some tips and resources
Paws for thought
Authors: Beattie Ruth
Published: February 2018

Animal therapy is becoming increasingly popular in the early years. Ruth Beattie finds out why
Team cohesive thinking
Authors: Phillips Ann
Published: February 2018

With the highest age-specific prevalence of diabetes occuring in those aged 60–79 years, there is a higher chance of co-morbidity. Therefore, Anne Phillips discusses the importance of team cohesive thinking to deliver person-centred care in people with diabetes
Comparison of gait kinetics in total and unicondylar knee replacement surgery
Authors: Miller S , Agarwal A , Haddon WB , Johnston L , Arnold G , Wang W , Abboud RJ
Published: February 2018

Introduction

The aim of this study was to compare kinetical data from gait analysis of patients who have undergone total and uni-condylar knee replacement.

Materials and methods

Thirteen patients with unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and 13 unicondylar knee arthroplasty (UKA), were included, all performed by the same surgeon more than one year prior. The Vicon gait analysis system was used. Statistical power was calculated using SPSS.

Results

No significant difference was found in the spatiotemporal parameters of gait and survival years of the knee prosthesis between the two groups. The UKA group was found to have significantly larger moments than the TKA group in knee adduction on the operated side and knee flexion moment on the unoperated side during the loading phase. The maximum and minimum sagittal plane moments of the operated sides in the TKA group were significantly lower than the unoperated side. The difference was most significant at pre-swing. The maximum and minimum moments on the operated sides in the UKA group were significantly lower for the knee flexion and adduction moments when compared with the unoperated side and were most prevalent during the loading phase.

Conclusions

These results are relevant in terms of prosthesis wear. The TKA knees had smaller magnitude moments than the UKA knees in the sagittal and coronal planes. This could explain the higher revision rates for UKA. In both groups, the non-operated knees had significantly larger moments than the operated knees, which implies that after unilateral knee replacement of either type, the non-operated knee is being put under greater stress.
The use of a novel adhesive tissue patch as an aid to anastomotic healing
Authors: Trotter J , Onos L , McNaught C , Peter M , Gatt M , Maude K , MacFie J
Published: February 2018

Introduction

One of the most feared complications of colorectal surgery is anastomotic leak. Numerous techniques have been studied in the hope of decreasing leakage. This study was designed to assess the handling characteristics of a novel adhesive tissue patch (TissuePatch™; Tissuemed, Leeds, UK) applied to colorectal anastomoses in a pilot study. This was with a view to assessing its potential role in aiding anastomotic healing in subsequent trials.

Methods

A patch was applied to colorectal anastomoses after the surgeon had completed the anastomosis and prior to abdominal closure. Handling characteristics and patient outcomes were recorded prospectively.

Results

Nine patients were recruited before the study was prematurely terminated. In one patient, the patch fell off and in another patient, the surgeon omitted to apply it. Six patients had significant postoperative problems (1 confirmed leak necessitating return to theatre and excision anastomosis, 3 suspicious of leak on computed tomography delaying discharge, 2 perianastomotic collections). One patient had an uneventful recovery.

Conclusions

Although the handling characteristics of this novel tissue patch were deemed satisfactory, it appears that wrapping a colorectal anastomosis with an adhesive hydrophilic patch has significant deleterious effects on anastomotic healing. This could be a consequence of the creation of a microenvironment between the patch and the anastomosis that impairs healing. Further research is required to better understand the mechanisms involved. At present, the use of such patches on colorectal anastomoses should be discouraged outside the confines of a well monitored trial.
Synchronous subcutaneous granular cell tumours, a rare presentation
Authors: Goetz A , Nweze N , Joshi A , Farma J
Published: February 2018

We describe a unique presentation of a rare disease presentation of a granular cell tumour. A 36-year-old woman presents with a large symptomatic left flank mass that had been slowly increasing in size. Multiple synchronous subcutaneous masses were found at presentation on the left breast, right auricle and right cheek. After diagnosis of granular cell tumour by core needle biopsy, the masses were excised with histopathological and immunohistochemical analysis of both specimens confirming the presence of non-malignant granular cell tumours. Granular cell tumours are rare Schwann cell derived tumours that are typically asymptomatic and benign. These tumours are most often located in the head and neck, with multifocal disease present in approximately 5–16% of patients. Final pathology is necessary for diagnosis and frozen section is rarely helpful. Malignancy is present in approximately 2% of cases and can be diagnosed by the presence of a high mitotic rate, large nucleoli, necrosis, spindling and pleomorphism are other suspicious features. Granular cell tumours do not generally require adjuvant treatment. The mainstay of therapy is surgical resection with surveillance.
Cervical tuberculous lymphadenitis: diagnosis and demographics, a five-year case series in the UK
Authors: Moualed D , Robinson M , Qureishi A , Gurr P
Published: February 2018

Introduction

Cervical tuberculous lymphadenitis is a low-volume condition in the UK with a potential for delayed diagnosis. This study describes typical demographic and clinical features of patients diagnosed with cervical tuberculous lymphadenitis in a UK population. The utility of cytological, histological and microbiological investigations is reviewed with comparison between fine-needle aspiration and open biopsy. This information can facilitate recognition of new cases and guide initial management.

Methods

Patients diagnosed with cervical tuberculous lymphadenitis between January 2009 and December 2013 at two district general hospitals were identified from local infectious disease databases. Retrospective case-note review was undertaken to collect demographic and diagnostic data and associated complications.

Results

Full data were available for 51 patients aged 19–70 years (mean 32.4 years) with mean follow-up of 370 days; 49/51 patients were immigrants to the UK with a wide geographic spread in the countries of origin and time since arrival; 42/51 had no significant comorbidities, although two patients had coexistent HIV infection. The clinical presentation was most frequently without constitutional symptoms (39/51) and often with no history of tuberculosis contact. Posterior triangle neck nodes were most commonly involved (26/51).

Conclusion

The ‘typical’ patient with cervical tuberculous lymphadenitis in our region is a young healthy individual who came to the UK from a high-risk country several years earlier. Diagnosis by fine-needle aspiration is as effective as open biopsy if fluid/pus is aspirated. Open biopsy is potentially associated with complications but does not appear to increase chronic wound discharge rates in our series.
Bowel obstruction caused by broad ligament hernia sucessfully repaired by laparoscopy
Authors: Toolabi K , Zamanian A , Parsaei R
Published: February 2018

Internal hernais are rare bowel obstructions. We present a case of small bowel obstruction in a 37-year-old woman caused by internal herniation through a defect in broad ligament, which was managed by laparoscopic surgery.
Routine blood group and antibody screening prior to emergency laparoscopy
Authors: Barrett-Lee J , Vatish J , Vazirian-Zadeh M , Waterland P
Published: February 2018

Introduction

Studies show that rates of blood transfusion associated with general surgical laparoscopy are low. Currently, there are no national guidelines in the UK regarding blood group and antibody screening (G&S) for patients undergoing emergency laparoscopy. The aim of this study was to assess whether using G&S before emergency laparoscopic general surgery routinely is worthwhile by identifying rates of perioperative transfusion.

Methods

Data were collected retrospectively on all emergency laparoscopic procedures at a single district general hospital between January 2014 and 31 December 2016. Emergency laparoscopic general surgical cases were included and gynaecological cases excluded. Records were reviewed to ascertain whether G&S was performed, whether antibodies were detected and whether patients were transfused.

Results

A total of 562 emergency laparoscopic cases were performed. The median age was 28 years (range: 6–95 years). Laparoscopic appendicectomy (n=446), diagnostic laparoscopy (n=47) and laparoscopic cholecystectomy (n=25) were the most common procedures. Of the total patient cohort, 514 (91.5%) and 349 (70.1%) had a first and second G&S respectively while 30 (5.3%) had no G&S. Four patients (0.71%) had antibodies detected. One patient (0.18%) received a transfusion. This patient had undergone laparoscopic repair of a perforated duodenal ulcer and there was no major intraoperative haemorrhage but he was transfused perioperatively for chronic anaemia.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate a low rate of blood transfusion in emergency laparoscopic general surgery. The majority of these patients had a low risk of major intraoperative haemorrhage and we therefore argue that G&S was not warranted. We propose a more targeted approach to the requirement for preoperative G&S and the use of O negative blood in the event of acute haemorrhage from major vessel injury.
The host-guest relationship is the key to sustainable hospitality: Lessons learned from a Dutch case study
Authors: Cavagnaro Elena , Düweke Anna , Melissen Frans
Published: February 2018

As for any other business, our collective challenge to realize sustainable development requires hotels to incorporate the principles of sustainability in their operations and to simultaneously create economic, social and environmental value. Although hotels are increasingly engaged with specific aspects of sustainability, many if not most hospitality professionals still seem to assume that guests are predominantly driven by hedonic and gain motives, view sustainable measures as a threat to their hospitality experience, and are therefore not willing to accept more progressive sustainability measures. This article explores whether this assumption is correct and whether guests are willing and able to focus on sustainability related (normative) values during their stay in a hotel, and thus accept an adjustment to the current host-guest relationship in hotels. By reviewing relevant literature and analysing the results of interviews with hotel guests, this article concludes that as far as the guest is concerned, the host-guest relationship within hotels need not be limited to a purely economic transaction but actually offers room for an open and informed discussion between host and guest on ways to transform this relationship to one that actually supports sustainable development of the hotel sector and wider society. This conclusion will hopefully inform a more mature approach by hotels to the integration of sustainability in their strategy and operations, and a more unreserved and collaborative dialogue with guests about current and future sustainability measures.
The career constructions of hospitality students: A rocky road
Authors: Mooney Shelagh , Jameson Stephanie
Published: February 2018

This article presents the first set of data from an ongoing three-year longitudinal study, which explores how hospitality undergraduates develop a career identity during the course of their studies. Previous, generally quantitative, studies have discovered that many hospitality students choose not to follow a hospitality career after they graduate, however, these studies do not attempt to discover when their career intentions change, nor explain why. The New Zealand study on which the article is based, employed an interpretative, social-constructionist approach informed by intersectional theorizing, using data collected from semi-structured interviews with first-year hospitality and culinary arts degree students. Career construction theory is used to interpret positive or negative career adaptive behaviours and effects are analysed at macro, meso and micro levels. A fusion of global and societal factors and personal characteristics influenced the construction of participants’ professional hospitality identities. Age, gender and ethnicity-based intersections were evident in the ways students developed career adaptive behaviours. A significant contribution of this article is that negative workplace experiences appear to change students’ motivation to follow a hospitality career because they reduce the individual’s belief of being suited to the industry under current prevailing conditions. This finding can shed light on the type of student who is likely to eventually pursue a career in hospitality, the potential role of the internship in the development of career identity and the responsibility of employers. Employers should be aware and validate the idea of ‘the hospitality career as a calling’ by recruiting and developing highly motivated employees and facilitating the development of a professional hospitality identity in their younger workers.
Balance of Cost, Time, and Quality Related to Construction Projects Regarding the Reinforced Concrete of Underground Structures using a Meta-Heuristic Algorithm
Authors: Hosseini S. A. , Akbarpour A. , Ahmadi H. , Aminnejad B.
Published: February 2018

Underground spaces having features such as stability, resistance, and being undetected can play a key role in reducing vulnerability by relocating infrastructures and manpower. In recent years, the competitive business environment and limited resources have mostly focused on the importance of project management in order to achieve its objectives. In this research, in order to find the best balance among cost, time, and quality related to construction projects using reinforced concrete in underground structures, a multi-objective mathematical model is proposed. Several executive approaches have been considered for project activities and these approaches are analyzed via several factors. It is assumed that cost, time, and quality of activities in every defined approach can vary between compact and normal values, and the goal is to find the best execution for activities, achieving minimum cost and the maximum quality for the project. To solve the proposed multi-objective model, the genetic algorithm NSGA-II is used.
Efficiency and Limitations of Decompressive Craniectomy in Patients after Traumatic Brain Injury – Preliminary Results
Authors: Hanko M , Richterova R , Kolarovszki B.
Published: February 2018

Introduction: Decompressive craniectomy (DC) has been recently proven effective tier II therapeutic procedure in the treatment of refractory posttraumatic intracranial hypertension. However, its full potential and effectivity is yet to be described and this surgery remains controversial. The goals of our study include analysis of efficiency of DC and description of risk factors associated with unfavourable outcome.

Methods: 24 patients who underwent DC at the Clinic of Neurosurgery, JFM CU in Martin, during years 2015–2016 were prospectively observed. Selected demographic, clinical, and radiographic factors were analysed and compared with patient’s GOS (Glasgow Outcome Scale) at the time of their first ambulatory control (after 3.5 months in average).

Results: We observed mortality of 29.17 %. Good outcome (GOS 4–5) was achieved by 29.17 % of the patients as well. Preoperative GCS ≤ 5 (p = 0.049), intraventricular bleeding (p = 0.0268), midline shift ≥ 15 mm (p = 0.0067), and the volume of intracranial lesion (R = −0.41, p = 0.046), especially its extracerebral component (R = −0.46, p = 0.02), were identified as statistically significant negative prognostic factors.

Conclusion: DC is effective in the management of patients with traumatic brain injury. Good outcome is achieved by 29.17 % of the patients. Described negative prognostic factors (preoperative GCS ≤ 5, intraventricular bleeding, midline shift ≥ 15 mm, and increasing the volume of traumatic mass lesion) could help in targeting this surgery only to patients who are expected to benefit from it.
An Analog of the Neumann Problem for the 1-Laplace Equation in the Metric Setting: Existence, Boundary Regularity, and Stability
Authors: Lahti Panu , Malý Lukáš , Shanmugalingam Nageswari
Published: February 2018

We study an inhomogeneous Neumann boundary value problem for functions of least gradient on bounded domains in metric spaces that are equipped with a doubling measure and support a Poincaré inequality. We show that solutions exist under certain regularity assumptions on the domain, but are generally nonunique. We also show that solutions can be taken to be differences of two characteristic functions, and that they are regular up to the boundary when the boundary is of positive mean curvature. By regular up to the boundary we mean that if the boundary data is 1 in a neighborhood of a point on the boundary of the domain, then the solution is −1 in the intersection of the domain with a possibly smaller neighborhood of that point. Finally, we consider the stability of solutions with respect to boundary data.
Extinction for a Singular Diffusion Equation with Strong Gradient Absorption Revisited
Authors: Iagar Razvan Gabriel , Laurençot Philippe
Published: February 2018

When

2
⁢
N

/

(

N
+
1

)

<
p
<
2

{2N/(N+1)<p<2}

and

0
<
q
<

p
/
2

{0<q<p/2}

, non-negative solutions to the singular diffusion equation with gradient absorption

∂
t

⁡
u

-

Δ
p

⁢
u

+

|

∇
⁡
u

|

q

=

0
 

in 
⁢

(
0
,
∞
)

×

ℝ
N

\partial_{t}u-\Delta_{p}u+|\nabla u|^{q}=0\quad\text{in }(0,\infty)\times% \mathbb{R}^{N}

vanish after a finite time. This phenomenon is usually referred to as finite-time extinction and takes place provided the initial condition

u
0

{u_{0}}

decays sufficiently rapidly as

|
x
|

→
∞

{|x|\to\infty}

. On the one hand, the optimal decay of

u
0

{u_{0}}

at infinity guaranteeing the occurrence of finite-time extinction is identified. On the other hand, assuming further that

p
-
1

<
q
<

p
/
2

{p-1<q<p/2}

, optimal extinction rates near the extinction time are derived.
Existence and Regularizing Effect of Degenerate Lower Order Terms in Elliptic Equations Beyond the Hardy Constant
Authors: Arcoya David , Molino Alexis , Moreno-Mérida Lourdes
Published: February 2018

In this paper, we study the regularizing effect of lower order terms in elliptic problems involving a Hardy potential. Concretely, our model problem is the differential equation

-

Δ
⁢
u

+

h
⁢

(
x
)

⁢

|
u
|

p
-
1

⁢
u

=

λ
⁢

u

|
x
|

2

+

f
⁢

(
x
)

 

in 
⁢
Ω

,

-\Delta u+h(x)|u|^{p-1}u=\lambda\frac{u}{|x|^{2}}+f(x)\quad\text{in }\Omega,

with Dirichlet boundary condition on

∂
⁡
Ω

{\partial\Omega}

, where

p
>
1

{p>1}

and

f
∈

L
h
m

⁢

(
Ω
)

{f\in L^{m}_{h}(\Omega)}

(i.e.

|
f
|

m

⁢
h

∈

L
1

⁢

(
Ω
)

{|f|^{m}h\in L^{1}(\Omega)}

) with

m
≥

p
+
1

p

{m\geq\frac{p+1}{p}}

. We prove that there is a solution of the above problem even for λ greater than the Hardy constant; i.e.,

λ
≥
ℋ
=

(

N
-
2

)

2

4

{\lambda\geq\mathcal{H}=\frac{(N-2)^{2}}{4}}

and nonnegative functions

h
∈

L
1

⁢

(
Ω
)

{h\in L^{1}(\Omega)}

which could vanish in a subset of Ω. Moreover, we show that all the solutions are in

L
h

p
⁢
m

⁢

(
Ω
)

{L^{pm}_{h}(\Omega)}

. These results improve and generalize the case

h
⁢

(
x
)

≡

h
0

{h(x)\equiv h_{0}}

treated in [2, 10].
Conference “Modern Stellar Astronomy 2017”
Authors: Malkov Oleg Yu. , Rastorguev Alexey S.
Published: February 2018

Here we give a brief overview on the eighth annual conference on Modern Stellar Astronomy held in the Ural FederalUniversity (Ekaterinbourg, Russia) in June 2017, to commemorate the 100th birthday of Prof. K. Barkhatova (1917-1990).
Pragmatic Perspectives on Understanding Strangers
Authors: Várhegyi Nikolett , Furkó Péter
Published: February 2018

The present paper approaches the theme of “understanding strangers” through discussing some of the methodological issues in interlanguage pragmatics (ILP), with special reference to Hungarian-English Interlanguage (IL) requests. Written discourse completion tasks (WDCT) were used to collect data from 20 English major university students. The CCSARP Project’s 9-scale request strategies table proposed by Blum-Kulka, House, and Kasper (1989) was incorporated into the research, the proposed categories were extended by labels relating to mixed strategies and responses where no answers were provided. The structure of the paper is as follows: after a brief overview of the literature in the field of ILP with a special focus on WDCT, the validity of the methodology is highlighted through the discussion of issues relating to labelling/coding categories as well as interannotator (dis)agreements. By analysing and comparing utterances on the basis of our annotation output and validating the results with the aid of ReCal, we have confirmed that WDCT is a reliable and valid tool for testing ILP competence in speech acts performance.
Implementation of Statistical Process Control (SPC) in the Sewing Section of Garment Industry for Quality Improvement
Authors: Abtew Mulat Alubel , Kropi Subhalakshmi , Hong Yan , Pu Linzi
Published: February 2018

The main aim of this research was to implement appropriate Statistical Process Control (SPC) techniques for quality characteristics on sewing floor of garment Industry. Among different SPC quality improvements tools, control charts have been selected. After analyzing and selecting different critical parameters based on company and customer requirements, the X-bar and R charts for variable and c-charts for attribute quality characteristics have been identified and implemented in the trouser sewing lines for quality improvement. The check points for selected control chart implementation have also been designed. Remedial action plans for the occurred special cause variations and process stability were developed. The project incorporated theoretical and on-job training schemes for different quality team members, to understand the SPC concept and its implementation procedure. After implementation, significant improvements in the sewing section were achieved. The four months analysis before and after implementation of the SPC tools showed that the rejection percentage was reduced from 9.141% to 6.4%. Successful implementation of the result of this project can significantly improve process performance of other similar manufacturing units with appropriate modification.
Two Concepts of Freedom in Criminal Jurisprudence
Authors: Rosenberg Roni
Published: February 2018

The goal of this essay is to identify and discuss two aspects of liberty by examining the distinction between act and omission in criminal jurisprudence. Criminal law makes a significant distinction between harmful actions and harmful omissions and, consequently, between killing and letting die. Any act that causes death is grounds for a homicide conviction -- subject, of course, to the existence of the other elements necessary for establishing criminal liability, such as causation and mens rea. However, liability for death by omission is subject to the additional identification of a duty to act. In other words, the defendant will be liable only if we can identify such a duty and show that the breach of this duty resulted in the victim’s death. This distinction between act and omission is rooted in an ethical perspective, in which we instinctively see a difference between actively behaving in a manner that causes harm and passively failing to prevent such harm. Nevertheless, since the beginning of the 1960s, there has been a significant movement to attack and criticize this moral distinction. This critique impacts upon the legal sphere as well, since if the moral distinction between act and omission is not obvious, the legal distinction cannot be clear-cut either. This lack of clarity has led to many attempts to lay a logical foundation for the intuitive understanding that there is indeed a legal distinction between act and omission.

This essay focuses on two principles that reflect different aspects of human liberty which are reflected in criminal jurisprudence. The first is liberal liberty, and the second which I propose, is personal autonomy. While both relate to liberty of the individual, they approach it from different angles, and this difference in perspective results in different definitions of act and omission in criminal jurisprudence.
The Protection of Legitimate Expectations in Administrative Law: A Horizontal Perspective
Authors: Parchomiuk Jerzy
Published: February 2018

The term “protection of legitimate expectations” in administrative law traditionally draws our attention to vertical relationships between the State and an individual. In my text I propose a non-traditional approach to the issue of protection of legitimate expectations in administrative law. Instead of analysing the problem from the perspective of the relationship between the administrative body and the individual, I have attempted to tackle the problem from the perspective of entities involved in peer relationships.

The subject of my analysis is the principle of good faith as the axiological foundation for the protection of legitimate expectations in administrative law. Next the article addresses the specific legal institutions that express the protection of legitimate expectations in horizontal perspective: prohibition to make assertions contradictory to prior position (estoppel), institutions that express the protection of legitimate expectations in administrative contracts, as well as the principle of good faith in relationship between administrative bodies. The principle of good faith is a universal legal construct that forms the foundation of the legal system. Thus it is applicable in the sphere of administrative law, especially in the case of the relationship between equal-level entities.
Performance evaluation of cobas HBV real-time PCR assay on Roche cobas 4800 System in comparison with COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HBV Test
Authors: Kim Hanah , Hur Mina , Bae Eunsin , Lee Kyung-A , Lee Woo-In
Published: February 2018

Background:

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT) is important for the diagnosis and management of HBV infection. We evaluated the analytical performance of the cobas HBV NAAT (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Mannheim, Germany) on the cobas 4800 System in comparison with COBAS AmpliPrep/COBAS TaqMan HBV Test (CAP/CTM HBV).

Methods:

Precision was evaluated using three levels of cobas HBV/HCV/HIV-1 Control Kit, and linearity was evaluated across the anticipated measuring range (10.0–1.0×109 IU/mL) at seven levels using clinical samples. Detection capability, including limit of blank (LOB), limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ), was verified using the 4th WHO International Standard for HBV DNA for NAT (NIBSC code: 10/266). Correlation between the two systems was compared using 205 clinical samples (102 sera and 103 EDTA plasma).

Results:

Repeatability and total imprecision (coefficient of variation) ranged from 0.5% to 3.8% and from 0.5% to 3.5%, respectively. Linearity (coefficient of determination, R2) was 0.999. LOB, LOD and LOQ were all acceptable within the observed proportion rate (85%). Correlation was very high between the two systems in both serum and plasma samples (correlation coefficient [r]=0.995).

Conclusions:

The new cobas HBV real-time PCR assay on the cobas 4800 System showed reliable analytical performances.
Anti-streptavidin IgG antibody interference in anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) IgG antibody assays is a rare but important cause of false-positive anti-CCP results
Authors: Berth Mario , Willaert Sofie , De Ridder Carol
Published: February 2018

Background:

The detection of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) IgG antibodies in blood is mainly used for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Falsely elevated anti-CCP IgG antibodies due to anti-streptavidin IgG antibodies were suspected in our laboratory.

Methods:

In this study, we evaluated, in a standardized approach, the prevalence of anti-streptavidin IgG antibodies in a primary care setting and the effect of anti-streptavidin IgG antibodies on anti-CCP IgG assays from three different important commercial manufacturers (Abbott, Roche Diagnostics, Thermo Fisher Scientific). Three different populations were consecutively and prospectively studied: serum samples from 1000 ambulatory patients, 286 serum samples from patients for which anti-CCP was requested and 89 serum samples from patients which had previously given a positive anti-CCP result on Architect® i2000.

Results:

The frequency of confirmed anti-streptavidin IgG-positive samples detected in this study was 0.6% (8/1375). Anti-CCP IgG was determined on the eight samples with confirmed anti-streptavidin IgG antibodies: with the Cobas® method, seven positive anti-CCP results were observed and five positive anti-CCP results with the Architect® method. No positive anti-CCP IgG results were obtained with the EliA™ method. Rheumatoid factor was negative in these eight samples.

Conclusions:

Anti-streptavidin IgG antibodies rarely cause false-positive results in some anti-CCP assays. However, despite being an infrequent assay problem, it could possibly lead to diagnostic confusion or even an incorrect diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.
Roman Jakobson in Retrospect
Authors: Shapiro Michael
Published: February 2018

An aperçu of the early years (1961–1965) in the life of a working scholar with a lasting record of achievement that touches on many details in the fraught relations between Roman Jakobson and the author, one of his most outstanding students. The account of these peripeteia, framed in cultural as well as biographical terms, provides an unusual insight into the sociology of knowledge as it pertains to the development of linguistics and semiotics in the twentieth century.
Continua and clustering processes
Authors: Ponzio Julia
Published: February 2018

Peirce’s definition of topology is strictly related to the connection models of the parts of continua. In the last part of his life, Peirce elaborated his topological analysis of continuity in order to answer some important questions which arose in his early works. This paper demonstrates that it is very important to connect the topological analysis of continuity with the questions it tries to answer. If not connected to the basic questions topology tries to answer, topological analysis may appear as the search for a hidden structure that keeps reality together, something to which reality must be traced back to be understood. This hidden structure is the continuum conceived as a precondition that justifies the unity of reality. By contrast, if we reconnect Peirce’s idea of continuum to the questions it attempts to answer, the continuum appears no longer as the condition of possibility for the relations that constitute the unity of reality. On the contrary, it appears as a form whose formation itself is conditioned by relations.
Solving systems of linear Boolean equations with noisy right-hand sides over the reals
Authors: Alekseev Evgeny K. , Oshkin Igor’ B. , Popov Vladimir O. , Smyshlyaev Stanislav V.
Published: February 2018

The paper is concerned with the problem of solution of a system of linear equations with noisy right-hand side in the following setting: one knows a random m × N-matrix A with entries from {–1, 1} and a vector xA + ξ ∈ ℝ
N
, where ξ is the noise vector from ℝ
N
, whose entries are independent realizations of a normally distributed random variable with parameters 0 and σ
2, and x is a random vector with coordinates from {–1, 1}. The sought-for parameter is the vector x. We propose a method for constructing a set containing the sought-for vector with probability not smaller than the given one and estimate the cardinality of this set. Theoretical calculations of the parameters of the method are illustrated by experiments demonstrating the practical implementability of the method for cases when direct enumeration of all possible values of x is unfeasible.
Financial-return Crowdfunding and Regulatory Approaches in the Shadow Banking, FinTech and Collaborative Finance Era
Authors: Macchiavello Eugenia
Published: February 2018

The relationship between financial innovators and regulators has been historically tense, with financial innovators taking advantage of loopholes and regulators desperately trying to keep pace with innovations while dealing with limited resources and long bureaucratic processes. Nonetheless, in recent years, FinTechs – un-regulated start-ups applying technology to finance – have exponentially accelerated such race, making innovative regulatory approaches and new perspectives necessary. The present paper discusses relevant issues pertaining to the regulation of FinTech, using financial-return crowdfunding (FR-crowdfunding) as case study and model, deriving from its FinTech, shadow banking and collaborative economy natures, important indications for regulators. Current trends in regulating FR-crowdfunding in Member States are also analysed, together with related shortcomings and benefits, with the view to proposing a more harmonised regime for the sector, tailored to its risks and features and advancing Capital Markets Union objectives.
Corporate Indemnification
Authors: Ramos Maria Elisabete Gomes
Published: February 2018

This article discusses whether a company benefits from the faculty or has the statutory duty to reimburse its directors for losses caused by litigation. In the United States of America this question is stated and intensely regulated in various jurisdictions while in Germany, Italy and Portugal, this issue depends on general rules concerning the distribution of the procedural costs, the mandate, on the waiver and settlement of the right to indemnification by the company. This article argues that corporate indemnification is a business practice shaped from international standards, which have been spread by Side B of the D&O Insurance policies. The mandatory nature of legal rules concerning the civil liability of directors, enforced in Germany Italy and Portugal, does not prevent companies from reimbursing its directors from litigation costs. However, the company may not reimburse litigation expenses caused by breach of duties owed by the directors to the company nor for compensation which the director has been ordered to pay to the company. The mandatory regimes in force in Germany, in Italy and Portugal allow for the waiver and settlement of corporate indemnification but prevent, particularly with regard to stock corporations, limitation and exclusive clauses concerning directors’ liability.