bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Learners’ errors in secondary algebra: Insights from tracking a cohort from Grade 9 to Grade 11 on a diagnostic algebra test
Authors: Pournara Craig , Hodgen Jeremy , Sanders Yvonne , Adler Jill
Published: October 2016

It is well known that learner performance in mathematics in South Africa is poor. However, less is known about what learners actually do and the extent to which this changes as they move through secondary school mathematics. In this study a cohort of 250 learners was tracked from Grade 9 to Grade 11 to investigate changes in their performance on a diagnostic algebra test drawn from the well-known Concepts in Secondary Maths and Science (CSMS) tests. Although the CSMS tests were initially developed for Year 8 and Year 9 learners in the UK, a Rasch analysis on the Grade 11 results showed that the test performed adequately for older learners in SA. Error analysis revealed that learners make a wide variety of errors even on simple algebra items. Typical errors include conjoining, difficulties with negatives and brackets and a tendency to evaluate expressions rather than leaving them in the required open form. There is substantial evidence of curriculum impact in learners’ responses such as the inappropriate application of the addition law of exponents and the distributive law. Although such errors dissipate in the higher grades, this happens later than expected. While many learner responses do not appear to be sensible initially, interview data reveals that there is frequently an underlying logic related to mathematics that has been previously learned.
Innovation and organisational performance: A critical review of the instruments used to measure organisational performance
Authors: Sethibe Tebogo , Steyn Renier
Published: October 2016

Background: Innovation is recognised as one of the most important determinant of organisational performance. Yet, the results of studies that investigate the relationship between innovation and organisational performance are inconclusive. The inconsistency has been attributed to a number of factors, which include, among others, the measures used to evaluate organisational performance.

Aim: This study was set out to identify, categorise and critically analyse the instruments used to assess organisational performance when investigating the relationship between innovation and organisational performance.

Setting: The study focuses on all scientific publications reporting on organisational performance, inclusive of both financial and non-financial indicators of performance, and are not limited to any specific country or industry.

Methods: The systematic literature review methodology was used to identify studies which investigated the relationship between innovation and organisational performance. Once identified, articles were analysed on the way organisational performance was measured. Classification was done with reference to financial and non-financial indicators, accounting and market-based, as well as objective and subjective measures.

Results: The findings show that profitability, sales growth and return on assets (ROA) are the most preferred accounting-based financial measures of organisation performance. In addition, Tobin’s Q was found to be the most favoured market-based financial measure of organisational performance. The study further reveals that market share, customer satisfaction and productivity are the most popular non-financial-based measures of organisational performance.

Conclusion: The use of measures of organisational performance is often left to the discussion of the researcher, which is not implicitly wrong, but does little to contribute to the body of knowledge on this important topic. Researchers are firstly urged to clearly define which aspects of organisational performance they intend to study, secondly to use established instruments or often used indicators of organisational performance, and thirdly to combine both objective and subjective measures of organisational performance. This would allow for researchers to build on the work of other and strengthen the body of knowledge in this area.
Hacia el grado cero de la arquitectura. El Panteón en hormigón armado.
Authors: Blanes Eduardo
Published: October 2016

Entre 1926 y 1938, en una distancia de apenas doce años, se identifica una intensa actividad investigadora por parte del  arquitecto italiano Adalberto Libera. Durante esos años, permanece invariable el estudio en torno a dos cuestiones presentes en el pequeño dibujo titulado “el Panteón en hormigón armado”. Por un lado, la aceptación del arquetipo o modelo como forma necesaria para poder reconstruir la verdadera arquitectura y, por otro lado, la consideración de la técnica o la praxis, no como sabiduría heredada, sino como invención y manifestación de una determinada época.
Objeto Ideal - Objeto Empírico. La visión sublimada del funcionalismo en Mart Stam
Authors: López Martín Pablo
Published: October 2016

El Movimiento Moderno supuso un intrincado cruce de voces que conduce a pensar que las diferentes vías de aproximación a los postulados modernos confluyeron por caminos independientes. Así tenemos por un lado la del funcionalismo pseudo-científico y por el otro, la vía más próxima a visiones humanistas o sociológicas. El ejemplo del arquitecto holandés Mart Stam, del que este año se cumplen 30 años de su muerte, nos ayuda a entender como esas visiones fueron a menudo híbridas. Así, a través de sus propuestas, podremos entender cómo detrás de un uso aparentemente rígido y determinista de la estructura subyace una lectura que trasciende el propio uso instrumental de la misma hasta convertirse en puro emblema de la modernidad.
Rehabilitando con hormigón
Authors: Palomares Maite , Portalés Ana
Published: October 2016

Editorial del número 21
Anesthesia Management of Adenotonsillectomy
Authors: Fernandes Sarita , Suvarna Deepa
Published: October 2016

Tonsillectomy is one of the most common pediatric surgeries done. Anesthesia for tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy is one of the most challenging to administer even in modern times. The types of anesthesia and drugs are usually dictated by the patient's own pathophysiology and the anesthesiologist's experience. The restricted space for working in these surgeries mandates an understanding and cooperation between the surgeon and anesthesiologist. Postoperative bleeding and airway obstruction have been leading causes of death in the postoperative period. Mortality though overall low may increase with reoperations. Most of these surgeries are carried out on ambulatory basis in modern times thus greater care has to be taken by the anesthesiologist to ensure street fitness in these patients. Even seemingly trivial issues like postoperative nausea vomiting may be of significant importance in these patients.

How to cite this article

Suvarna D, Fernandes S. Anesthesia Management of Adenotonsillectomy. Int J Otorhinolaryngol Clin 2015;7(1):17-21.
The Feminist Uncanny in Theory and Art Practice
Authors: Kokoli Alexandra M.
Published: October 2016

The Feminist Uncanny in Theory and Art Practice investigates the widely debated, deeply flawed yet influential concept of the uncanny through the lens of feminist theory and contemporary art practice. Not merely a subversive strategy but a cipher of the fraught but fertile dialogue between feminism and psychoanalysis, the uncanny makes an ideal vehicle for an arrangement marked by ambivalence and acts as a constant reminder that feminism and psychoanalysis are never quite at home with one another.

The Feminist Uncanny begins by charting the uncanniness of femininity in foundational psychoanalytic texts by Ernst Jentsch, Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan and Mladen Dolar, and contextually introduces a range of feminist responses and appropriations by Hélène Cixous, Julia Kristeva and Sarah Kofman, among others. The book also offers thematically organised interpretations of famous artworks and practices informed by feminism, including Judy Chicago’s Dinner Party, Faith Ringgold’s story quilts and Susan Hiller’s ‘paraconceptualism’, as well as less well-known practice, such as the Women’s Postal Art Even (Feministo) and the photomontages of Maud Sulter. Dead (lexicalised) metaphors, unhomely domesticity, identity and (dis)identification, and the tension between family stories and art's histories are examined in and from the perspective of different artistic and critical practices, illustrating different aspects of the feminist uncanny.

Through a ‘partisan’ yet comprehensive critical review of the fascinating concept of the uncanny, The Feminist Uncanny in Theory and Art Practice proposes a new concept, the feminist uncanny, which it upholds as one of the most enduring legacies of the Women's Liberation Movement in contemporary art theory and practice.
Nerd Ecology
Authors: Lioi Anthony
Published: October 2016

Drawing on a wide range of examples from literature, comics, film, television and digital media, Nerd Ecology is the first substantial ecocritical study of nerd culture’s engagement with environmental issues. Exploring such works as Star Trek, Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly, the fiction of Thomas Pynchon, The Hunger Games, and superhero comics such as Green Lantern and X-Men, Anthony Lioi maps out the development of nerd culture and its intersections with the most fundamental ecocritical themes. In this way Lioi finds in the narratives of unpopular culture - narratives in which marginalised individuals and communities unite to save the planet - the building blocks of a new environmental politics in tune with the concerns of contemporary ecocritical theory and practice.
Semiotics and Pragmatics of Stage Improvisation
Authors: Pietropaolo Domenico
Published: October 2016

Analysis of improvisation as a compositional practice in the Commedia dell’Arte and related traditions from the Renaissance to the 21st century. Domenic Pietropaolo takes textual material from the stage traditions of Italy, France, Germany and England, and covers comedic drama, dance, pantomime and dramatic theory, and more. He shines a light onto ‘the signs of improvised communication’.

The book is comprehensive in its analysis of improvised dramatic art across theatrical genres, and is multimodal in looking at the spoken word, gestural and non-verbal signs. The book focusses on dramatic text as well as:

- The semiotics of stage discourse, including semantic, syntactic and pragmatic aspects of sign production

- The physical and material conditions of sign-production including biomechanical limitations of masks and costumes.

Semiotics and Pragmatics of Stage Improvisation is the product of an entire career spent researching the semiotics of the stage and it is essential reading for semioticians and students of performance arts.
A folk-psychological ranking of personality facets
Authors: Roivainen Eka
Published: October 2016

Background

Which personality facets should a general personality test measure? No consensus exists on the facet structure of personality, the nature of facets, or the correct method of identifying the most significant facets. However, it can be hypothesized (the lexical hypothesis) that high frequency personality describing words more likely represent important personality facets and rarely used words refer to less significant aspects of personality.

Participants and procedure

A ranking of personality facets was performed by studying the frequency of the use of popular personality adjectives in causal clauses (because he is a kind person) on the Internet and in books as attributes of the word person (kind person).

Results

In Study 1, the 40 most frequently used adjectives had a cumulative usage frequency equal to that of the rest of the 295 terms studied. When terms with a higher-ranking dictionary synonym or antonym were eliminated, 23 terms remained, which represent 23 different facets. In Study 2, clusters of synonymous terms were examined. Within the top 30 clusters, personality terms were used 855 times compared to 240 for the 70 lower-ranking clusters.

Conclusions

It is hypothesized that personality facets represented by the top-ranking terms and clusters of terms are important and impactful independent of their correlation with abstract underlying personality factors (five/six factor models).

Compared to hierarchical personality models, lists of important facets probably better cover those aspects of personality that are situated between the five or six major domains.
Individual differences in eyewitness identification accuracy between sequential and simultaneous line-ups: consequences for police practice and jury decisions
Authors: Willmott Dominic , Sherretts Nicole
Published: October 2016

Background

Although previous research has indicated that sequential line-up procedures result in fewer mistaken identifications, this was found to be at the expense of accurate identifications more typical within simultaneous procedures. Hence, there remains a lack of agreement about which procedure is superior, and the interaction such procedures have with eyewitness confidence. The interaction between witness demographics and identification accuracy also remains unclear.

Participants and procedure

The opportunistic sample, consisting of 60 people from the general population, was divided randomly into two experimental conditions: simultaneous (SIM) and sequential (SEQ). Participants in the sequential procedure observed 12 photographs, one at a time, deciding if they believed the suspect to be the person shown in the current photograph and unable to return to a given picture once they decided the individual shown was not the suspect described. Participants in the simultaneous condition were shown all 12 photographs concurrently and asked to determine which, if any, of the photographs was the suspect described.

Results

No significant differences were found in identification accuracy between line-up procedures, but significant differences in confidence levels between the two line-up procedures were found. Additionally, analysis of demographic features showed previous line-up experience to be significantly associated with identification accuracy.

Conclusions

The present research provides new insight into the interaction of eyewitness confidence between line-up techniques, offering an alternative explanation of witness confidence as well as procedural fairness. Evidence of practice effects increasing the accuracy of identification provides beneficial future implications for police line-up procedures and safer jury decisions, often reliant on identification evidence.
Psychological well-being of individuals after divorce: the role of social support
Authors: Kołodziej-Zaleska Anna , Przybyła-Basista Hanna
Published: October 2016

Background

Divorce is a transition period in which divorcing individuals face restructuring of the family system and adjustment to changes. The psychological well-being of divorcees can serve as an important indicator of the adjustment process. The achievement of well-being does not come easily for many reasons, one of which is the experience related to a sense of loss associated with the marriage break-up. Social support is a major relational resource for overcoming the crisis and successfully adjusting to post-divorce life.

Participants and procedure

The sample consisted of 157 individuals after divorce: 120 women and 37 men (mean age = 41.29). Instruments employed in the study included the Sense of Loss Scale (DS), the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL), the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ-23), and sociodemographic data.

Results

Our results show that perceived social support is a partial mediator of the relationship between the sense of loss associated with divorce and the psychological well-being of individuals after divorce. For the vast majority of the respondents their parents, friends and acquaintances were the major source of support. About one third of the participants were given support by their siblings and their own children.

Conclusions

The study confirms the mediating role of support in building well-being after experiencing loss related to dissolution of marriage. This means that for divorced women and men perceived social support is one of the key resources that have a significant impact on achieving psychological well-being after divorce, since it is related to mitigating the negative impact of the sense of loss associated with marriage break-up.
Health behaviours and body image of girls in the second phase of adolescence
Authors: Liberska Hanna , Boniecka Klaudia
Published: October 2016

Background

The concept of body image was introduced by Paul Schilder, who recognised that this is a picture of our own body, which we create in our mind and which is the way in which the body is revealed to us. He proposed a definition centred around the cognitive aspect and assumed the relative stability of this structure. However, he highlighted the fact that the body image may be shaped by various experiences, and thus an individual can modify his own body image during life.

Participants and procedure

The study group consisted of 112 high school students aged 17 and 18 years. The study was conducted from March to June 2014 in Poland. Techniques: The Body Esteem Scale (BES) by S. Franzoi and S. Shields was used for the purpose of the research. The scale is used to study body image. The second tool used in the research was the Health Behaviour Inventory (HBI) by Z. Juczyński. Although the standards are set for adults, the same tool is frequently used in research among youth.

Results

It was found that only the overall health behaviour indicator correlates with body evaluation. The higher the overall health behaviour indicator was, the higher was body evaluation among the girls involved in the study. However, no significant correlation was found between body mass index (BMI) and overall body evaluation.

Conclusions

The research demonstrated that the body image of adolescent girls significantly correlates with their health care to a large extent and with the desire to be slim to a lesser extent. This is a very positive result considering the idea of a healthy lifestyle.
Physical activity, evaluation of menopause, life satisfaction and influence tactics in marriage of perimenopausal women
Authors: Mandal Eugenia , Sitko-Dominik Magdalena
Published: October 2016

Background

Domination of the biomedical approach to menopause may imply creation of negative attitudes to the phenomenon, and at the same time negatively affect women’s life satisfaction and behaviour in the family. It is assumed that physical activity may be a defensive factor, as this type of activity may reduce the intensity of menopause symptoms. The aim of the research was to determine the relation between menopause evaluation, life satisfaction and tactics of influence employed in marriage by women who differ in involvement in physical exercise.

Participants and procedure

The research was conducted among 90 women, at the age of 45-55: 45 physically active women and 45 women who do not engage in any physical activity. The following research methods were used: the Menopause Evaluation Scale, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) and the Questionnaire of Influence in Close Relations of Women and Men.

Results

Positive evaluation of menopause was related to involvement in physical exercise as well as to a stronger tendency to use positive strategies of exerting influence on one’s spouse. The research also showed a slight correlation between life satisfaction and involvement in physical exercise. Negative evaluation of menopause was related to avoiding physical activity.

Conclusions

Physical activity is more frequently related to a positive attitude towards menopause and the use of more positive tactics of exerting influence on one’s spouse, and slightly positively conducive to one’s life satisfaction level.
The level of social relations comprehension and its impact on text comprehension in individuals with autistic spectrum disorder
Authors: Sotáková Hana , Kucharská Anna
Published: October 2016

Background

The study was carried out within the research “Reading comprehension – typical development and its risks”. The article contains data from a component study focused on 4th grade students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who were incorporated into a group of readers with reading comprehension development risks. The main aim was to establish whether variable results in children’s reading and comprehension tests relate to the level of understanding of social relations.

Participants and procedure

We tested 20 students with ASD in two phases: T1 and T2. Each phase consisted of 2 individual sessions. Under the leadership of a research assistant, during each of these sessions a student would carry out the test focused on general intellectual skills, language skills, reading, and reading comprehension. For students with autistic spectrum disorder the Strange Stories test was added in order to ascertain the level of social relations understanding.

Results

The results in reading and reading comprehension tests among students with ASD varied significantly. Based on a correlation analysis it was found that the Strange Stories results substantially correlate with tests focused on reading, text comprehension and language skill levels.

Conclusions

Our research proved the following: the Strange Stories test results show that the level to which an individual is able to understand social relations and social behavior is significantly related to his/her ability to comprehend a text. Consequently, this can influence his/her learning skills as well as the quality of life in society. Cultivation of social abilities, social communication and understanding of social situations and relations is therefore necessary for compensation of autistic spectrum disorder expressions.
Comparative analysis of educational needs of patients with rheumatic diseases selected based on the Polish version of the Educational Needs Assessment Tool (Pol-ENAT)
Authors: Sierakowska Matylda , Sierakowski Stanisław , Sierakowska Justyna , Krajewska-Kułak Elżbieta
Published: October 2016

Objectives:  Chronic rheumatic diseases, which have a progressive course, lead to large deficits in physical, mental and social functioning. In the process of the planned and systematic education of patients/families, it is extremely important to identify patients’ health problems as well as their needs and expectations. Study objectives: To assess the learning needs of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic sclerosis (SSc).

Material and methods:  This was a multicenter, cross-sectional study conducted in seven rheumatology centers in Poland. Health problems were defined as disability (HAQ-DI), pain (Pain VAS), fatigue (Fatigue VAS) and severity of disease (0–100). The educational needs were measured using the Pol-ENAT (0–156). Statistical analysis was performed using PQStat v.1.4.2 and Excel.

Results:  The study involved 277 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 140 with systemic sclerosis. The average age of respondents was comparable in RA (53.3 ±13.0 years) and SSc (54.1 ±14.2 years). Patients suffered from RA on average for 13.7 ±10.6 years and from SSc for 10.9 ±10.3 years. With age and duration of disease, the health problems worsened (p < 0.05). The reported needs of education (Pol-ENAT) were generally at the secondary level – RA 66.4 ±29.3 – younger people (p = 0.008) and those with early RA (r = –0.151, p = 0.011); SSc 71.5 ±27.7 – regardless of age and duration of SSc. Educational needs of patients with SSc correlated with the severity of certain health problems and health evaluation (pain r = 0.334, p < 0.001; fatigue r = 0.243, p = 0.004; severity of disease r = 0.242, p = 0.004 and disability r = 0.291, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: All patients reported the need for education, although it was slightly higher in patients with SSc. There was a decline in interest in education with progressive disability in RA, while in SSc interest in education increased with the progress and severity of the disease.
"Mad Men", "Los Soprano" y el "American way of life". Historia del capital en dos tiempos
Authors: Hernández Pérez Elisa , Revert Gomis Jordi
Published: October 2016

Don Draper (Mad Men, Matthew Weiner, AMC: 2007-2015) participa del nacimiento y consolidación dela sociedad de consumo sin ser consciente de la gran ficción que intenta creerse. Tony Soprano (TheSopranos, David Chase, HBO: 1999-2007) se agarra desesperadamente a los últimos restos de un idealde superación y esfuerzo que no solo está agotado sino que nunca fue verdaderamente coherente. Estetexto realiza un análisis textual, sociológico y discursivo comparativo de ambas figuras en cuantorepresentativas de la evolución del discurso capitalista en la segunda mitad del siglo XX, es decir, laartificialidad del discurso hegemónico de búsqueda de la felicidad como uno de los grandes mitos delneoliberalismo norteamericano de postguerra.
“To Soften the Heart”: George Saunders, Postmodern Satire, and Empathy
Authors: Neeper Layne
Published: October 2016

George Saunders's postmodern fiction serves as the exemplar for early twenty-first century American satire's new attention to affect, to empathy specifically, and the example afforded by his story collection Tenth of December (2013) allows us to delineate a potent strand of the postmodern satiric aesthetic in the new millennium. When we turn to the short fiction of Saunders, we find a curious reworking of the age-old satiric formula at the hands of a writer who shares most of postmodernism's abiding concerns, but who, unlike his twentieth-century peers, is in the end committed to a definable cumulative effect on readers that is unmistakably intended as moral and salutary. His fiction identifies vice and folly with withering exactitude; he does so in wildly imaginative and dramatic fictional worlds, but, rather than stories ending with the emergence of some amorphous sense of correction, Saunders's stories instead propose the empathetic development of his audience.
Sobre Ixcán: Masacres y sobrevivencia de Ricardo Falla
Authors: Rocha José Luis
Published: October 2016

Conocí este texto de Ricardo Falla en 1989. Estaba oculto en las catacumbas de una comunidad jesuita en Nicaragua, donde el régimen sandinista –que estaba al borde de su colapso– lo libraba de persecución. Estuvo ahí entre 10 y 15 años. Allí no corría riesgo de ser requisado, sometido al escrutinio policial o quemado. Formaba parte de cinco abultados folders mecanografiados que su autor o algún buen amigo había disimulado entre miles de otros papeles en un desvencijado archivador metálico. Era una investigación impublicable, escrita por una leyenda viviente que todavía acompañaba a las Comunidades de Población en Resistencia (CPR).
Comentarios en la presentación del libro Ixcan: Masacres y Sobrevivencia, cuarto volumen de la serie Al atardecer de la vida, de Ricardo Falla
Authors: Cabanas Andrés
Published: October 2016

¿Cómo podemos definir este cuarto volumen de la colección Al atardecer de la vida? ¿De qué nos habla Ricardo Falla? ¿Sobré qué nos invita a pensar y reflexionar?Masacres y sobrevivencia, el volumen que hoy se presenta en la capital, es el registro pormenorizado de una época en la que se institucionalizó la barbarie o, dicho de otro modo, en la que la barbarie hecha Estado impuso un ciclo de violencia y muerte que todavía no termina. Violencia y muerte ejecutadas con una racionalidad política implacable e impecable.
El movimiento social nicaragüense por la defensa de la tierra, el agua y la soberanía
Authors: Serra Luis
Published: October 2016

En primer lugar, se describen las características del proyecto del canal interoceánico y otras inversiones concedidas por el gobierno de Nicaragua a una empresa extranjera por un periodo de 116 años en una zona de 3,423.9 km2, donde viven 119,200 personas. En segundo lugar, se expone el surgimiento y desarrollo del movimiento campesino hasta la fecha (17-06-2016), las acciones realizadas, la modalidad organizativa, las alianzas y las respuestas del gobierno. Luego se presenta un análisis sociológico de los factores históricos y coyunturales que permiten comprender la conformación de este movimiento en un contexto de restricción de libertades públicas. Por último, se plantean algunas reflexiones sobre los resultados, retos y perspectivas de este movimiento social.
The whole genome sequencing of Acinetobacter-calcoaceticus-baumannii complex strains involved in suspected outbreak in an Intensive Care Unit of a pediatric hospital
Authors: Ugolotti Elisabetta , Marco Eddi Di , Bandettini Roberto , Tripodi Gino , Biassoni Roberto
Published: October 2016

Background: To analyze the genetic characteristics of Acinetobacter-calcoaceticus-baumannii complex strains isolated in suspected outbreak in a Intensive Care Unit of a pediatric hospital in order to promptly stop the dissemination of this dangerous strain.Methods: This study described the use of whole genome obtained by Next Generation Sequencing to define the clonality of 13 Acinetobacter-calcoaceticus-baumannii complex strains and to study their Resistoma. This was required because Acinetobacter baumannii is known to be resistant to desiccation and to disinfectants and is difficult to treat and eradicate. Thus, this microorganism is a major problem that demands a rigorous outbreak monitoring program to prevent and control the spread of the dangerous strain.Results: The first result of our analysis has been to describe precisely the characteristics of isolates involved in the nosocomial infection, reduce the dimension of the more problematic isolates sustaining the outbreak and promptly facilitate the control of the strains diffusion. Indeed, our study indicated that among the 13 Acinetobacter baumannii-calcoacteticus complex strains, identified by biochemical and mass-spectrometry assays, 7 were Acinetobacter baumannii, 5 were Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, and one was Acinetobacter haemolyticus. The analysis of clonality of Acinetobacter baumannii indicated that three strains of ST744 were identical for > 99.8% among them and thus have sustained an outbreak in Intensive Care Unit. All personnel and possible environment samples were also monitored and all the procedures aimed to the prevention and control of Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI), have been strictly enforced by the Hospital Infection Control Committee. This gave the possibility to trace a strain from an environmental contamination characterized by high degree of clonality with the one isolated from a patient. On the contrary Acinetobacter calcoaceticus strains were different from each other and thus they were not responsible for any outbreak. The Resistoma analysis indicated a correspondence between phenotypic and genotypic characteristics of analyzed strains.Conclusions: Next Generation Sequencing is an appropriate technique to trace the circulation of dangerous strains sustaining nosocomial infections. The combination of the high resolution genotyping together with the definition of the antibiotic genetic determinants and the precise species identification make this technique a useful tool employed as standard practice to control HAI.
Diagnosis, Treatment, and Return to Play for Four Common Sports Injuries of the Hand and Wrist
Authors: Goldfarb Charles A. , Puri Sameer K. , Carlson Michelle Gerwin
Published: October 2016

Hand and wrist injuries in the high-level athlete are challenging because they may be underestimated by the patient, family, and team, and return to play may be longer than desired. The needs of the player and the team must be balanced with the long-term functional ramifications of the injury. Four common soft-tissue sports injuries are flexor digitorum profundus avulsion, flexor pulley rupture, extensor carpi ulnaris dislocation, and thumb metacarpophalangeal joint ulnar collateral ligament injury. For each of these injuries, the assessment, treatment, and considerations for return to play should be individualized on the basis of the patient, the sport, and the timing of the injury.
Cost Savings From Utilization of an Ambulatory Surgery Center for Orthopaedic Day Surgery
Authors: Fabricant Peter D. , Seeley Mark A. , Rozell Joshua C. , Fieldston Evan , Flynn John M. , Wells Lawrence M. , Ganley Theodore J.
Published: October 2016

Introduction:

Healthcare providers are increasingly searching for ways to provide cost-efficient, high-quality care. Previous studies on evaluating cost used estimated cost-to-charge ratios, which are inherently inaccurate. The purpose of this study was to quantify actual direct cost savings from performing pediatric orthopaedic sports day surgery at an ambulatory surgery center (ASC) compared with a university-based children’s hospital (UH).

Methods:

Custom-scripted accounting software was queried for line-item costs for a period of 3 fiscal years (fiscal year 2012 to fiscal year 2014) for eight day surgery procedures at both a UH and a hospital-owned ASC. Hospital-experienced direct costs were compared while controlling for surgeon, concomitant procedures, age, sex, and body mass index.

Results:

One thousand twenty-one procedures were analyzed. Using multiple linear regression analysis, direct cost savings at the ASC ranged from 17% to 43% for seven of eight procedures. Eighty percent of the cost savings was attributed to time (mean, 64 minutes/case; P < 0.001) and 20% was attributed to supply utilization (P < 0.001). Of the time savings in the operating room, 73% (mean, 47 minutes; P < 0.001) was attributed to the surgical factors whereas 27% (17 minutes; P < 0.001) was attributed to anesthesia factors.

Conclusions:

Performing day surgery at an ASC, compared with a UH, saves 17% to 43% from the hospital’s perspective, which was largely driven by surgical and anesthesia-related time expenditures in the operating room.

Level of Evidence:

Level II
Quality of Life in Thalassemia Major Patients in an Iranian District
Authors: Zahmatkeshan Nasrin , Mobasser Noushin , Zamanzadeh Vahid
Published: October 2016

INTRODUCTION: Beta thalassemia major is a chronic inherited disease which leaves a lot of physical and mental effects on the individual and family. The present research was carried out with the objective of a study on quality of life in thalassemia major patients of Boeir-Ahmad.

METHOD: This research is a descriptive- analytical study which was carried out on 72 thalassemia patients referring to thalassemia center of Boeir-Ahmad. The patient’s quality of life was studied using an Iranian version of short questionnaire with 36 options on quality of life. The social and individual characters of Patient’s were evaluated and reported. Data are reported using descriptive statistics such as frequency, mean and standard deviation and also inferential statistics.

RESULTS: The age mean and standard deviation (SD) of participants were 20.5± 4.7 years, 65% were single, and 40% with mild to moderate face deformities. The findings in the research showed the quality of life was relatively desirable in 52 % of the patients, undesirable in 19% and desirable in 29%. Also the findings showed that the emotional role is most affected aspect of quality of life. A significant correlation was observed only with facial changes (p<0.001).undesirable and relatively desirable quality of life and also the high prevalence of facial deformities are significant health problems in Boirahmad thalassemia patients.

CONCLUSION: So we suggest applying appropriate educational plans and psychiatric consultations and also better medical services to reduce the complications of the disease in these patients.
Reviewer Acknowledgements for Global Journal of Health Science, Vol. 9, No. 5
Authors: Grey Erica
Published: October 2016

Reviewer Acknowledgements for Global Journal of Health Science, Vol. 9, No. 5, 2017.
The Effect of Short Term Weight Loss Program in Iranian Obese Veterans
Authors: Angoorani Pooneh , Ejtahed Hanieh-Sadat , Heidari Masoud , Farzinmehr Azizeh
Published: October 2016

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the effectiveness of a structured multidisciplinary non-surgical obesity therapy program on the weight loss of overweight and obese veterans after 6 weeks.METHODS: This is a prospective study carried out on 250 overweight and obese [Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥25] male veterans referred to a multidisciplinary weight control clinic of Sasan Hospital in Tehran, Iran, during 2012-2015. A low-calorie-diet was prescribed to obese veterans for 6 weeks, and additional intervention performed by psychologist, endocrinologist and sport medicine specialist. Weight, height and waist circumference (WC), were measured before and after intervention BMI was calculated.RESULTS: About 28% of participants had amputations or spinal cord injuries, more than 90% suffer from psychiatric problems and about 30% reported exposure to chemical weapons. 144 subjects with the mean age 47.0±5.9 years completed the study and remained for longitudinal analysis. No significant difference was observed between subjects followed and those lost to follow up, except for weight and BMI; subjects lost to follow up had higher weight and BMI, compared to subjects followed. The mean weight, WC and BMI of followed subjects were 95.1±19.2 kg, 109.0±13.2 cm and 32.0±6.1 kg/m2 respectively. At the end of study, reductions in weight, WC and BMI were statistically significant (0.7±0.8 kg, 2.1±2.4 cm and 2.2±2.9 kg/m2 respectively) (P<0.001).CONCLUSIONS: The present non-surgical intervention program is an effective treatment of obesity in veterans and could be a valuable basis for future weight maintenance strategies required for sustained success.
The Effect of Religion on Ethnic Tolerance in Malaysia: The Application of Rational Choice Theory (RCT) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)
Authors: Idris Fazilah , Abdullah Mohd Richard Neles , Ahmad Abdul Razak , Mansor Ahmad Zamri
Published: October 2016

There has been little research done on explaining the ethnic tolerance behavior from the perspective of sociological theories. The authors chose rational choice theory and the theory of planned behavior as they are widely used in explaining the human social behaviour. In this article, the theories are used to explain the effects of religion on ethnic tolerance in Malaysia. The authors also reviewed a number of literatures to study how religion is associated with ethnic tolerance. From the rational choice theory perspective, it was found that ethnic tolerance can be influenced by one’s religious belief if those who practice it are reciprocated with the promise of retributions from God. The theory of planned behavior on the other hand suggests that religion can affect behavior, subjective norms and perception on how one deal with ethnic tolerance. It is recommended that the theories are used by future studies in order to further expand knowledge base on the subject of ethnic tolerance. This study provides ways and means to inculcate ethnic integration in Malaysia and helps to diffuse religious and ethnic prejudices.
Content Based Lesson Plans inside the English Rural Classrooms
Authors: Corzo Josefina Quintero , Lopera Catherine Julieth Lopera
Published: October 2016

This piece of work gives account of a classroom research project done in a rural state institution in Colombia whose main purpose was to contextualize the foreign languages teaching and learning in line with the current curriculum regulations stated by the National Ministry of Education. Content-based instruction inside a rural English classroom was examined and informed. The results revealed that the content-based instruction approach was useful to integrate environmental issues with the grammar and the communicative uses of the language. Rural high school students get more motivated when they feel a stronger and real connection between the language they learn and their touching and closest reality they perceive. It was also found that applying these environmental issues in a rural scholar context caused awareness in students according to the use and importance the English as a foreign language can be imply in their social development highlighting the real relevance in their current lives. Conclusions highlight some perspectives and implications derived from the application of several lesson plans incorporating the crisis of the planet and its possible solutions as the core content.
Development a Program to Enhance Curriculum and Learning Management Competency of Private Primary School Teachers
Authors: Panichpongsapak Ratthasart , Tesaputa Kowat , Sri-ampai Anan
Published: October 2016

The aims of this research were: 1) to study the factors and indicators to enhance curriculum and learning management competency of private primary school teachers, 2) to study current situations and desirable situations and techniques, 3) to develop a program and 4) to study the effects of a program. The study comprised 4 phases: Phase 1, Studying the factors and indicators to enhance curriculum and learning management competency, Phase 2, Studying current situations and desirable situations and techniques, Phase 3. Developing a program and Phase 4, Studying the effects of a program. The 32 subjects were the teachers of Aekpanya School, private school in Somdej district, Kalasin province. The instruments used for data collection were: a suitable evaluation form, a questionnaire, a satisfied evaluation form, a competency evaluation form and a test. The statistics used for data analysis were percentage, mean, standard deviation and data description presentation. The findings found that there were five factors including with 5 learning themes. The current situations of the curriculum and learning management competency was in ‘moderate’ level in overall, and the desirable situations of the curriculum and learning management competency of private primary school teachers was in ‘very much’ level in overall. The five techniques of development the curriculum and learning management competency were ranked as follows: workshop, self-learning, coaching, mentoring and supervision. The effects of a program to enhance curriculum and learning management competency found that it increased significantly and it was in ‘very much’ level.
Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Education Studies, Vol. 9, No. 11
Authors: Lee Chris
Published: October 2016

Reviewer acknowledgements for International Education Studies, Vol. 9, No. 11, 2016.
Preschool Teachers’ Views on Schools’ Indoor and Outdoor Environment Safety
Authors: Konakli Tugba , Ulcetin Esra
Published: October 2016

The aim of this research is to analyze opinions of teachers who work in preschool education institutions concerning precautions that should be taken for indoor and outdoor security. Study group of this research is determined by criterion sampling from purposeful sampling techniques. The study group of this research is consist of eight preschool teachers who work in four private and four public schools in Kocaeli İzmit district in the fall semester of 2013-2014 Academic Year. For the purpose of the research, data are collected with semi-structured interview technique. During the research, the interviews are recorded with tape recorder and the interviews are put down on paper then analyzed. After the recorded data are submitted to approval of participants, the analysis of the data has started. Date are analyzed with descriptive analysis method and coded then interpreted. In order to ensure validity of the research, the data are tried to be analyzed with direct quotes of the participants. Research findings show that the most important risk factors are caused by defective design of schools. Research results also show that schools have not only indoor security problems such as stairs and door but also external security problems such as garden and playgrounds.
An Empirical Review of Asset Pricing Models for the Japanese Share Market
Authors: Maeda Brooke Alexandra
Published: October 2016

This paper conducts an empirical review of asset pricing models for the Japanese share market. Researchers are continually attempting to describe a model which explains share returns and share anomalies more accurately. This paper reviews financial literature which applies the most common models to the Japanese share market and analyzes their robustness. Based on the performance of the four models, the characteristics which appear to be significant to the Japanese share market are discussed.
An Analysis of the Relationship between Crude Oil Prices, Current Account Deficit and Exchange Rates: Turkish Experiment
Authors: Basarir Çagatay , Erçakar Mehmet Emin
Published: October 2016

In this study, the effect of raw oil prices and exchange rates on current account deficit of the Turkish Economy has been examined by investigating the short and long run relationship between the current account deficit of the Turkish Economy, raw oil prices (Brent oil prices) and exchange rates (USD/TRY). The Monthly Data between December 1991 and January 2016 were used in the study. The relationships between the variables were tested with the VAR (Vector Auto Regressive) Model. None of the series was found stable after the unit root tests, but it was observed that all the variables became stable when their first differences were taken. Firstly, an unrestricted VAR model was built to determine the long term relationship between the variables. After the long term relationship was found between the variables, the VECM (Vector Error Correction) Model was estimated in order to determine the short term relationship. A mutual granger causality relationship is detected between crude oil prices and current account deficit variables. No causality relationship is found between the other variables.
Organic Agriculture, Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Environmental Efficiency: An Empirical Study on OECD Countries
Authors: Agostino Mariarosaria
Published: October 2016

The impact of organic farming on greenhouse gas emissions is a much debated issue, which has been predominantly investigated by case studies. This paper seeks to provide empirical evidence at an aggregate level, considering a sample of OECD countries, in the period 1990-2010, and applying both parametric and non-parametric approaches. According to the results obtained, organic agriculture seems negatively associated to per capita emissions. However, it does not appear robustly associated with improvements in environmental efficiency in the agricultural sector. These findings, conditioned to some extent by the availability of unbalanced panel data, suggest the need for further research to assess the role that organic agriculture could play in mitigating climate change.
Dynamic Analysis of Structural Shifts of Fiscal Revenue in Nigeria, 1999-2016
Authors: Akinkunmi Mustapha A.
Published: October 2016

The oil sector that eased the financial constraint of Nigerian government in the 1970s is presently acting as the source of financial constraints to the country due to a continuous decline in government revenue, arising from the recent drastic fall in world crude oil prices. This calls for the government to diversify its revenue base through improving taxation. This study examined the influence of economic performance on the government revenue as well as the various sources of tax revenues in Nigeria. Monthly data spanning 1999 to 2016 were utilized to estimate vector error correction models (VECM) for five sources of government tax revenues based on data availability. Empirical results revealed that there is a significant relationship between real GDP and real company income tax revenues, and between real GDP and real excise duty revenues in the long run. However, in the short run, the one-year lag of tax revenue varieties poses a significant influence on the various sources of tax revenues.