bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Comparative Study of Rat Lung Decellularization by Chemical Detergents for Lung Tissue Engineering
Authors: Tebyanian Hamid , Karami Ali , Motavallian Ebrahim , Aslani Jafar , Samadikuchaksaraei Ali , Arjmand Babak , Nourani Mohammad Reza
Published: December 2017

BACKGROUND: Lung disease is the most common cause of death in the world. The last stage of pulmonary diseases is lung transplantation. Limitation and shortage of donor organs cause to appear tissue engineering field. Decellularization is a hope for producing intact ECM in the development of engineered organs.AIM: The goal of the decellularization process is to remove cellular and nuclear material while retaining lung three-dimensional and molecular proteins. Different concentration of detergents was used for finding the best approach in lung decellularization.MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this study, three-time approaches (24, 48 and 96 h) with four detergents (CHAPS, SDS, SDC and Triton X-100) were used for decellularizing rat lungs for maintaining of three-dimensional lung architecture and ECM protein composition which have significant roles in differentiation and migration of stem cells This comparative study determined that variable decellularization approaches can cause significantly different effects on decellularized lungs.RESULTS: Results showed that destruction was increased with increasing the detergent concentration. Single detergent showed a significant reduction in maintaining of three-dimensional of lung and ECM proteins (Collagen and Elastin). But, the best methods were mixed detergents of SDC and CHAPS in low concentration in 48 and 96 h decellularization.CONCLUSION: Decellularized lung tissue can be used in the laboratory to study various aspects of pulmonary biology and physiology and also, these results can be used in the continued improvement of engineered lung tissue.
Apelin, Nitric Oxide and Vascular Affection in Adolescent Type 1 Diabetic Patients
Authors: El Dayem Soha M. , Battah Ahmed A. , El Bohy Abo El Maged , Yousef Rash Nazih , Ahmed Azza M. , Talaat Ahmed A.
Published: December 2017

AIM: To evaluate the relationship of apelin and nitric oxide (NO) to endothelial dysfunction in type 1 diabetics.PATIENTS AND METHODS: Sixty two type 1 diabetics and 30 healthy age and sex matched controls were included. Blood samples for apelin, NO, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and lipid profile were collected. Albumin/creatinine ratio was assessed in urine. Flow mediated dilatation (FMD) via ultrasound was done.RESULTS: The mean age of diabetics were 16.3 ± 1.5 yrs (14.0 – 19.0 yrs), and duration of disease, were 9.4 ± 2.9 yrs (5.0 – 16.5 yrs). FMD and FMD/nitrate mediated dilatation (NMD) ratio were lower in diabetics. NO was decreased, while apelin and albumin/creatinine ratio were increased significantly in diabetics. There was a positive correlation between apelin and HbA1c. On the contrary, NO had a negative correlation with HbA1c, albumin/creatinine ratio, LDL-c and OxLDL.CONCLUSION: Diabetic patients had endothelial dysfunction and high apelin level, with no related to each other. High level of apelin is associated with bad glycemic control. Obesity had no role to increase in apelin level. NO is related to diabetic nephropathy and atherosclerosis. We recommend a further large study to evaluate the relationship of apelin with endothelial dysfunction.
Prosthodontic Rehabilitation of Patient with Anterior Hyper Function Syndrome
Authors: Korunoska-Stevkovska Vesna , Guguvcevski Ljuben , Menceva Zaklina , Gigovski Nikola , Mijoska Aneta Nikola , Nikolovska Julijana , Bajraktarova-Valjakova Emilija
Published: December 2017

BACKGROUND: The success of prosthetic rehabilitation in patients with removable dentures depends on the achievement of the aesthetics, phonetics and most of all, proper use in the mastication process. All the patients that receive removable prostheses need a feeding education program. They must cut the food into smaller pieces, extend the length of time necessary for chewing and place the food upon both the right and left sides of the mouth at once. Bilaterally chewing with dentures will contribute to increased efficiency and denture stability during mastication. Using the anterior teeth for biting, as a result of increased pressure on the anterior ridge may lead to the anterior hyperfunction syndrome.CASE REPORT: The patient requested dental rehabilitation in our clinic for prosthetic dentistry two and a half years ago. We examined him and made therapy plan, for complete removable maxillary denture and partial mandibular denture. Besides our instructions for proper use of dentures and necessity for regular controls, his next visit was after two and a half years. He came with enlarged tuberosity and papillary hyperplasia in the pre-maxillary region. After oral surgery treatment (laser removing of hyperplastic tissue) and a healing period of four weeks, we made indirect relining on the upper denture, re-occlusion and re-articulation achieving weak contacts between the lower natural teeth and upper teeth of the complete denture. The patient was advised not to bite food with his anterior teeth, and avoid chewing very hard food which tends to imprint and displace dentures.CONCLUSION: Anterior hyperfunction syndrome with its high incidence is a disease with the need of interdisciplinary therapy approach. Fast diagnosis, thorough clinical examination using all available diagnostic tools, and choosing the right treatment is very challenging.
Antigenotoxic and Antioxidant Activity of Methanol Stem Bark Extract of Napoleona Vogelii Hook & Planch (Lecythidaceae) In Cyclophosphamide-Induced Genotoxicity
Authors: Ikumawoyi Victor , Agbaje Esther , Awodele Olufunsho
Published: December 2017

BACKGROUND: Napoleona vogelii is used in traditional medicine for cancer management.AIM: The study was conducted to evaluate the antigenotoxic and antioxidant activities of methanol stem bark extract of N. vogelii in male Sprague Dawley rats.MATERIALS AND METHOD: Thirty male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into group 1 (control) administered 10 mL/kg distilled water, groups 2 and 3 were co-administered 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg of N. vogelli and 5 mg/kg cyclophosphamide (CPA) respectively for 7 days p.o. Groups 4 and 5 were administered only 5 mg/kg CPA and 200 mg/kg NV respectively.RESULTS: The LD50 oral was greater than 4 g/kg. There were significant (p < 0.0001) increases in plasma enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant enzymes and significant (p < 0.0001) decrease in percentage micronuclei in bone marrow of extract treated rats compared to rats administered 5 mg/kg CPA alone. There was steatosis pointing to cytotoxic injury in the liver of rats co-administered 200 mg/kg NV and 5 mg/kg CPA. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the extract showed the presence of phytol and unsaturated fatty acids.CONCLUSION: N. vogelii possesses antigenotoxic and antioxidant activities associated with the presence of phytochemicals, phytol and unsaturated fatty acids.
« Ein Gastling im Fremdenzimmer ». Zum Werk von José F.A. Oliver
Authors: de la Torre María Eugenia
Published: December 2017

Depuis ses débuts voici trente ans, José F.A. Oliver (né en 1961) a publié de nombreux volumes de poésie et trois CD de poèmes lus ou chantés ainsi que deux recueils d’essais. Il y réfléchit aux relations entre les langues allemande et espagnole, à l’identité, et met en regard Forêt Noire et Andalousie. Pour José F.A. Oliver, sa relation à l’allemand et à l’espagnol représente « deux conditions distinctes, deux sentiments et deux pensées différents, elle pourrait être comparée à cette question : qui aimez-vous le plus, votre mère ou votre père ? » L’article analyse ses essais contenus dans les recueils Fremdenzimmer (2015) et Wenn ich einst tot… 1. Entwurf. 1. Tristolog (2016) sous l’angle du langage, de la tradition et des espaces culturels comme éléments constitutifs de l’identité.
Borderscapes – Grenz-Erfahrungen und Grenz-Werte in Emine Sevgi Özdamars Prosa
Authors: Geiser Myriam
Published: December 2017

Lors de la remise d’un prix littéraire à Emine Sevgi Özdamar, la critique Sigrid Löffler souligne dans son discours d’hommage que « [l]a première chose dont l’être humain prend conscience dans sa vie, c’est l’existence de frontières. Et la première chose que l’homme apprend, c’est que toute frontière peut être franchie. La vie entière est constituée de transgressions, et de nouveaux tracés de frontières. » C’est ainsi que, selon Löffler, les frontières deviennent des « zones de présence d’esprit augmentée, et de perception affinée ». Les protagonistes-narratrices des romans d’Özdamar semblent disposer de compétences spécifiques pour ce type de zones. Elles sont expertes en expériences-limites de tout genre, elles les expriment et les transmettent. Actuellement, c’est le concept de borderscapes , issu de recherches en sciences humaines et sociales, qui permet de saisir la construction culturelle et l’aspect dynamique des frontières. Özdamar insiste justement sur ce caractère arbitraire et fabriqué. Cette étude se propose de sonder les « paysages-frontières », géographiques et idéels, auxquels le lecteur est confronté dans ses romans.
Herbesin oor die opleiding van natuurwetenskaponderwysers in Suid-Afrika: Lesse uit Finland
Authors: De Beer Josef , Ankiewicz Piet
Published: December 2017

Finland word dikwels gesien as die ‘goudstandaard‘ in natuurwetenskaponderwys, danksy die land se uitmuntende prestasie in internasionale toetse soos die program vir internasionale studentassessering (PISA) en tendense in internasionale wiskunde- en natuurwetenskapstudie (TIMSS). Daarteenoor laat Suid-Afrika se prestasie in TIMSS veel te wense oor. Volgens die Wêreld-Ekonomiese Forum (WEF) se wêreldwye mededingendheidsverslag (2010–2011), is Suid-Afrika 137ste op die ranglys van 139 lande wat betref die gehalte van wiskunde- en natuurwetenskaponderwys. Die skrywers van hierdie artikel beskou die gehalte van natuurwetenskaponderwysers as die sleutel om hierdie probleem die hoof te bied. Ons dink na oor Finland as die ‘superoutoriteit’ in natuurwetenskaponderwys en oor lesse wat Suid-Afrika kan leer omtrent die verskaffing van beter voordiensopleiding vir studente wat hulle as natuurwetenskaponderwysers wil bekwaam. In hierdie artikel verbind ons ontluikende temas wat uit kwalitatiewe navorsingsdata na vore gekom het met aanbevelings oor hoe voordiensopleiding vir voornemende onderwysers verbeter kan word, gebaseer op die beste gebruike in Finland. Ons gebruik onderhoude met Finse onderwysers en onderwysdosente, skoolwaarneming in beide lande, artefakte soos die refleksies van Suid-Afrikaanse onderwysstudente oor hulle ondervindings in skole, en onderwysers se reaksies op die Sienings van die Aard van Natuurwetenskappe (Views of the Nature of Science)-vraelys. Die derdegenerasie–kultuurhistoriese aktiwiteitsteorie (KHAT) word gebruik as ’n navorsingslens om ‘spanning/onderstrominge’ in natuurwetenskaponderwys in Suid-Afrika te beklemtoon, en ons dui aan hoe hierdie aspekte by die opleiding van onderwysers verreken kan word.
Adjusting Challenge–Skill Balance to Improve Quality of Life in Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Yoshida Ippei , Hirao Kazuki , Nonaka Tetsushi
Published: December 2017

OBJECTIVE. We sought to investigate whether occupational therapy that includes adjusting the challenge–skill balance improves health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for older adults in comparison with standard occupational therapy.

METHOD. In this single-blind, randomized controlled trial, 56 older adults were assigned to two groups that received 10 sessions of occupational therapy with and without adjustment of challenge–skill balance. The primary outcome was change in HRQOL after 10 sessions of occupational therapy.

RESULTS. Significant differences were observed in HRQOL using the EuroQol–5 Dimension score (p = .022, d = 0.76) and the eight-item Short-Form Health Survey scores for general health (p = .001, d = 0.99) and in flow experience using the Flow State Scale for Occupational Tasks (p = .008, d = 0.82).

CONCLUSION. Assessment and adjustment of the challenge–skill balance of activities may effectively improve older adults’ HRQOL.
Introduction to the Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration® (EASI)
Authors: Mailloux Zoe , Parham L. Diane , Roley Susanne Smith , Ruzzano Laura , Schaaf Roseann C.
Published: December 2017

Comprehensive, reliable, and valid assessment is essential for individually tailored, appropriate, and effective intervention planning and implementation. Research, education, and practice using an Ayres Sensory Integration® (ASI) approach have a long history of prioritizing comprehensive assessment. To meet the need for a set of tests that will fully evaluate the constructs of ASI with psychometrically strong, internationally appropriate, and easily accessible measurement tools, the development of the Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration® (EASI) has been initiated. This article introduces the EASI, describes the overarching plan for its development, and reports the results of promising preliminary analyses of discriminative validity data.
The Impact of Transport Model Differences on CO2 Surface Flux Estimates from OCO-2 Retrievals of Column Average CO2
Authors: Basu Sourish , Baker David F. , Chevallier Frédéric , Patra Prabir K. , Liu Junjie , Miller John B.
Published: December 2017

Abstract. We estimate the uncertainty of CO2 flux estimates in atmospheric inversions stemming from differences between different global transport models. Using a set of Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs), we estimate this uncertainty as represented by the spread between five different state-of-the-art global transport models (ACTM, LMDZ, GEOS-Chem, PCTM and TM5), for both traditional in situ CO2 inversions as well as inversions of XCO2 estimates from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2). We find that in the absence of relative biases between in situ CO2 and OCO-2 XCO2, XCO2-based estimates of terrestrial flux for TRANSCOM-scale land regions are more robust to transport model differences compared to corresponding in situ CO2 inversions. This, however, does not hold for oceanic fluxes or flux estimates for zonal bands. We also find that the transport-driven uncertainty in fluxes is comparable between well-sampled northern temperate regions and poorly sampled tropical regions. Furthermore, we find that spatiotemporal differences in sampling, such as between OCO-2 land and ocean soundings, coupled with imperfect transport, can produce differences in flux estimates that are larger than flux uncertainties due to transport model differences. This highlights the need for sampling with as complete a spatial and temporal coverage as possible (e.g., using both land and ocean retrievals together for OCO-2) to minimize the impact of selective sampling. Finally, our annual and monthly estimates of transport-driven uncertainties can be used to evaluate the robustness of conclusions drawn from real OCO-2 and in situ CO2 inversions.
IMAGE-BASED RECONSTRUCTION AND ANALYSIS OF DYNAMIC SCENES IN A LANDSLIDE SIMULATION FACILITY
Authors: Scaioni M. , Crippa J. , Longoni L. , Papini M. , Zanzi L.
Published: December 2017

Abstract. The application of image processing and photogrammetric techniques to dynamic reconstruction of landslide simulations in a scaled-down facility is described. Simulations are also used here for active-learning purpose: students are helped understand how physical processes happen and which kinds of observations may be obtained from a sensor network. In particular, the use of digital images to obtain multi-temporal information is presented. On one side, using a multi-view sensor set up based on four synchronized GoPro 4 Black® cameras, a 4D (3D spatial position and time) reconstruction of the dynamic scene is obtained through the composition of several 3D models obtained from dense image matching. The final textured 4D model allows one to revisit in dynamic and interactive mode a completed experiment at any time. On the other side, a digital image correlation (DIC) technique has been used to track surface point displacements from the image sequence obtained from the camera in front of the simulation facility. While the 4D model may provide a qualitative description and documentation of the experiment running, DIC analysis output quantitative information such as local point displacements and velocities, to be related to physical processes and to other observations. All the hardware and software equipment adopted for the photogrammetric reconstruction has been based on low-cost and open-source solutions.
Learning by Making. Long-term collaborations and socially productive outcomes
Authors: Burnham Richard , Wallis Louise
Published: December 2017

The Learning-by-Making (LBM) program at the University of Tasmania has 20 years experience in collaborative, community-based “live” studios. Academics involved in the program have intuitively understood that a learning environment integrated with the public realm, and based in a constructed reality affords students an immersive understanding of the design process. More recently the program has shifted its focus from stand-alone, client-responsive projects to a long-term, design-led research agenda. Individual projects - including micro-dwellings, scout huts, an exhibition stand and a mobile playground - are seen as steps in the evolution of an innovative building system that harnesses the creative and socially productive potentials of digital fabrication. The benefits of this shift for academics and clients are clear. For academics, research and teaching activities can be mutually supportive, while clients benefit from a design/fabricate/assemble process that has been tested, analysed, applied and incrementally improved. The primary focus of this paper will however attempt to identify the educational impact on participating students, and will do so using the analytical lens of a relevant educational theory called threshold concepts1. The theory suggests that students can overcome barriers to learning when specific criteria or “dimensions” are present.
The results of this analysis indicate that in this environment learning can be transformative, resulting in irreversible conceptual links between design idea, fabrication and practice. The conceptual space of the project is bounded by the research objective, budget, technology and client requirements, and integrative in that they inevitably involve decisions on materials, structures, habitation patterns and climate control. The learning is discursive as students are required to articulate their opinions on design decisions, both within the student group and with community collaborators. The primary data sources for this investigation have been students’ reflective journals, combined with teacher observations.
Digital matter as interdisciplinary commodity
Authors: Rieger Uwe
Published: December 2017

With the current exponential growth in the sector of Spatial Data Technology and Mixed Reality display devises we experience an increasing overlap of the physical and digital world. Next to making data spatially visible the attempt is to connect digital information with physical properties. Over the past years a number of research institutions have been laying the ground for these developments. In contemporary architecture architectural design the dominant application of data technology is connected to graphical presentation, form finding and digital fabrication.
The arc/sec Lab for Digital Spatial Operations at the University of Auckland takes a further step. The Lab explores concepts for a new condition of buildings and urban patterns in which digital information is connected with spatial appearance and linked to material properties. The approach focuses on the step beyond digital re-presentation and digital fabrication, where data is re-connected to the multi-sensory human perceptions and physical skills. The work at the Lab is conducted in a cross disciplinary design environment and based on experiential investigations. The arc/sec Lab utilizes large-scale interactive installations as the driving vehicle for the exploration and communication of new dimensions in architectural space. The experiments are aiming to make data “touchable” and to demonstrate real time responsive environments. In parallel they are the starting point for both the development of practice oriented applications and speculation on how our cities and buildings might change in the future.
The article gives an overview of the current experiments being undertaken at the arc/sec Lab. It discusses how digital technologies allow for innovation between the disciplines by introducing real time adaptive behaviours to our build environment and it speculates on the type of spaces we can construct when digital matter is used as a new dynamic building material.
University praxis. On exchange between professional and academic practices in architectural education
Authors: Southcombe Mark , Charleson Andrew
Published: December 2017

This paper records and reflects on two architecture design studios situated between academic and professional practice contexts. It is motivated by the level of both student and external engagement generated by the studios, which occurred at a significantly higher level than that generated by similar studios that regularly run at VUW School of Architecture and other schools of architecture. The objective is to retrospectively understand the unique or special aspects of these studios for future reference.
As a working method, the Cuba Street studios are first described in terms of the motivation, the context, the community engagement set up, their brief and their modus operandi. Outcomes of the studios are then evaluated through our observations and critical reflection on the ways engagement between University and professional practices occurred, and how these interactions affected the student learning and external engagement. Reference is made to the relevant literature, the critical intents of the studios, the immediacy of both the proximity and the seriousness of the motivating problem, the inputs of external bodies, and the detail of the student outcomes in terms of both expectations, and the nature of the outcomes.  
The paper argues that clarity about characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of academic practices, can augment the potential effectiveness of future architecture design teaching associated with professional engagement, and that the collective framing of student research-led design can deliver research outcomes with a significance greater than the sum of their parts.
Re-solved. Iterating design solutions by understanding failure
Authors: McPherson Peter , Pretty Annabel C.
Published: December 2017

Design is considered one of the most important parts of an architectural education.  Much emphasis is placed upon the Design Studio within a School of Architecture, yet in the traditional tutor/student model how much opportunity is there for the student to understand the process of designing when emulation forms the heart of the learning?
This paper reflects upon a series of large scale fabrication projects offered to students from 2012-2014 in Christchurch, New Zealand, under the umbrella of FESTA.  These projects challenged the students to confront a series of ‘firsts’; to work collaboratively, to present themselves professionally, to navigate regulatory bodies, to engage with a client, and to realise a project at full, one to one, scale.
These projects tend to exist without a specific precedent for students to draw upon, as would be usual when designing one of any number a normal building typology.  This forces students into a space of discovery, one where a design can change for any multitude of reasons.  Students are moved from the usual Design Studio experience of problem solving to one where the situation is uncertain and problematic, to a space of problem setting.
FESTA Festival of Transitional Architecture in Christchurch, New Zealand
Authors: Halliday Jessica
Published: December 2017

In 2012 FESTA emerged in Christchurch, New Zealand as a collective response to the extraordinary circumstances of a natural disaster. As a place-based (and now biennial) weekend-long festival of architecture and urbanism it continues to seek and find relevance to that place, its people, and to all involved in the event (participants, audience, funders and supporters) as the extraordinary fades into a more ordered and ordinary existence.
On 22 February 2011, a large earthquake hit the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was the second largest, and most destructive, of a series of over 11,000 earthquakes recorded in the region over a 2-year period from September 2010. 185 people died as a result of the February quake and over 75% of the built fabric of the central city was demolished. Christchurch’s central city was cordoned off from the public and put under army control, portions of it for over two years. A new government agency was established to direct the city’s recovery. It commissioned and backed a new spatial plan for the central city (‘The Blueprint’), designed to retain existing land values and incentivise new and current investment as well as renew public spaces and amenities. Land damage caused whole suburban areas to be deemed unrepairable and these neighbourhoods were ‘red zoned’ and purchased by the central government. Over 4 years, 8000 homes in the suburban red zones were demolished. Drastic change and uncertainty touched most aspects of Christchurch people’s lives in the years following the earthquake.
What do Adolescents Know about Mental Health Illnesses? A Case Study based on Learning and Service in a Secondary School
Authors: Mila Maria Lourdes , Alvarez Isabel
Published: December 2017

The aim of this study is to show how the perceptions and attitudes of secondary school students towards mental health issues changed over the course of a Learning and Service project. The Learning and Service project was carried out by 58 students, together with the residents of a mental health institution during three months. Both students and residents shared several activities to bring them closer. Secondary school students did not have any previous experience with mental health residents before. The analysis took place during the course of the process, with the students responding to four questionnaires, each one after having done an activity together. The study demonstrates that through this Learning and Service project most of the students' perspectives changed for the better, some even viewed radical change while others were positive and finally few students only experienced neutral evolution of their ideas with respect to people with mental health disorders.
Salvemos las Naciones Unidas
Authors: Ibisate Francisco Javier
Published: December 2017

UN is not the only responsible of the increase of the three great challenges of “an unfair world economy, world disorder and the common despise of human rights”. The institutions that were created after World War II (IMF, WB, WTO and the UN) are responsible for these problems. It these international organizations have not fulfilled its foundational aims, it is necessary to ask if there is a common cause of phenomenon for these four global crisis. Realidad: Revista de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades No. 110, 2006: 501-524
Cristologías liberadoras. Una aproximación al pensamiento de Jon Sobrino y Elisabeth Schussler
Authors: Vásquez Olga
Published: December 2017

Christology is one of the most discussed issues in the christian tradition. There is a christologic tradition inherited from the European continent, which has been acknowledged as the true tradition by the Catholic Church. Hence, the christological proposals of Jon Sobrino and Elisabeth Schussler criticize that “official” christological discourse. Their work is aimed to descontruct the hegemonic christologic discourses and the alienating images of Jesus in order to articulate a liberator christologic discourse.Realidad: Revista de Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades No. 110, 2006: 585-614
Memorias del futuro: apología pro vita sua
Authors: Miller Katherine
Published: December 2017

No abstract available.
No Clear Benefit of Chlorhexidine Use at Home Before Surgical Preparation
Authors: Makhni Melvin Chugh , Jegede Kolawole , Lombardi Joseph , Whittier Susan , Gorroochurn Prakash , Lehman Ronald A. , Riew K. Daniel
Published: December 2017

Introduction:

Several studies have evaluated the efficacy of home use of chlorhexidine before surgery to reduce bacterial colonization. However, these studies have provided conflicting evidence about the potential efficacy of this strategy in decreasing bacterial loads and infection rates across surgical populations, and no prior study has analyzed the benefit of this intervention before spine surgery. We prospectively analyzed the effectiveness of chlorhexidine gluconate wipes for decreasing bacterial counts on the posterior neck.

Methods:

Sixteen healthy adults participated in this prospective study. The right side of each participant’s neck was wiped twice (the night before and the morning of the experiment) with chlorhexidine gluconate wipes. The left side was used as the control region. Bacterial swabs were obtained as a baseline upon enrollment in the study, then upon arrival at the hospital, and, finally, after both sides of the neck had received standard preoperative scrubbing.

Results:

All patients had positive baseline bacterial growth (median >1,000 colonies/mL). When chlorhexidine gluconate wipes were used, decreased bacterial counts were noted before the preoperative scrub, but this finding was not statistically significant (P = 0.059). All patients had zero bacteria identified on either side of their neck after completion of the preoperative scrub.

Conclusion:

At-home use of chlorhexidine gluconate wipes did not decrease the topical bacterial burden. Therefore, using chlorhexidine gluconate wipes at home before surgery may offer no added benefit.
WITHDRAWAL NOTICE
Authors: Editorial CUAJ
Published: December 2017

N/A
Effect of Dietary Additives on Rabbit Performance, Carcass Traits and Some Blood Constituents under Egyptation Summer Season
Authors: Sherif Sara Khalil
Published: December 2017

Sixty 7-week-old New Zealand White rabbits were randomly distributed into 5 equal experimental groups. The experimental rabbits were fed the tested diets till 14 weeks of age during summer season. The basal diet without feed additives (control; T1) and the other experimental diets were supplemented with enzymes at 0.5 g/kg (T2), organic acids at 1.0 g/kg (T3), Beta-pro at 0.2 g/kg (T4) or their combination (T5). The criteria of response were body weight, weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, some blood constituents, carcass traits and economic efficiency. The obtained results can be summarized as follows: Positive effects of feed additives were observed on live body weight, daily weight gain and feed conversion of growing rabbits. There were no significant effects on blood parameters or carcass traits due to feed additives. It can be concluded that dietary Beta-pro (enzymes+probiotics) or a combination of enzymes, organic acids and Beta-pro at the tested levels can be used to improve the rabbit performance, with no adverse effects on carcass characteristics or blood parameters.
Characterisation of Rice Production Systems in Northern Agro-Ecological Zone, Uganda
Authors: Akongo G. O. , Gombya-Ssembajjwe W. , Buyinza M. , Namaalwa J. J.
Published: December 2017

Rice growing is an important source of food and income to the farming community in the northern agro-ecological zone (NAEZ) of Uganda. NAEZ comprised of 16 districts which form Acholi and Lango sub-regions and it is categorized by tropical dry climate with bimodal rainfall patterns. However, inspite of the importance of rice in the NAEZ, very little information exists that could support prioritization of development in the sector. This paper therefore, bridges information gap by analyzing characteristics of rice production system in the study area based on data obtained from a field survey conducted during 2016. The study used cross-sectional design to collect data which was analysed using the descriptive statistics of the STATA computer package. The results revealed marked difference in households’ characteristics, production output and input utilization, production practices and constraints between lowland and upland systems. The study has concluded that: climate variability, pest and diseases, lack of improved seed variety, labour related constraints and lack of specialization are potential causes of low rice production and productivity in the NAEZ. However, to improve production performance of the systems, the study recommends promotion of climate smart farming in rice and further research into system based effects of climate on productivity as well as farmers’ adaptation to climate variability.
Reflections on . . . Nudges Across the Curriculum
Authors: Mower Deborah S. ,   Society for Ethics Across the Curriculum
Published: December 2017

The primary problem we face when educating for social justice involves making problems and issues ‘real’ in ways that enable deep comprehension of the nature of injustice, the effects of systemic and dynamic causes, and the interaction of structures and policies on the lives of individuals. To address this problem, I examine work from behavioral economics and moral psychology as theoretical resources. I argue that we can glean insights from the notions of behavioral nudges and virtue labeling and propose a new account of nudges, which I call experiential nudges. Experiential nudges provide an important mechanism in educating for social justice, in particular, and can be extended within moral education more broadly.
Parameterized Complexity of 1-Planarity
Authors: Bannister Michael , Cabello Sergio , Eppstein David
Published: December 2017

We consider the problem of drawing graphs with at most one crossing per edge. These drawings, and the graphs that can be drawn in this way, are called $1$-planar. Finding $1$-planar drawings is known to be ${\mathsf{NP}}$-hard, but we prove that it is fixed-parameter tractable with respect to the vertex cover number, tree-depth, and cyclomatic number. Special cases of these algorithms provide polynomial-time recognition algorithms for $1$-planar split graphs and $1$-planar cographs. However, recognizing $1$-planar graphs remains ${\mathsf{NP}}$-complete for graphs of bounded bandwidth, pathwidth, or treewidth.
On the Maximum Crossing Number
Authors: Chimani Markus , Felsner Stefan , Kobourov Stephen , Ueckerdt Torsten , Valtr Pavel , Wolff Alexander
Published: December 2017

Research about crossings is typically about minimization. In this
paper, we consider maximizing the number of crossings over
all possible ways to draw a given graph in the plane. Alpert et
al. [Electron. J. Combin., 2009] conjectured that any graph has a
convex straight-line drawing, that is, a drawing with vertices
in convex position, that maximizes the number of edge crossings. We
disprove this conjecture by constructing a planar graph on twelve
vertices that admits a non-convex drawing with more crossings than
any convex drawing. Bald et al. [Proc. COCOON, 2016] showed that it
is NP-hard to compute the maximum number of crossings of a geometric
graph and that the weighted geometric case is NP-hard to
approximate. We strengthen these results by showing hardness of
approximation even for the unweighted geometric case. We also
prove that the unweighted topological case is NP-hard.
Aesthetics as an Aspect of Good in Enderby Novels by Anthony Burgess
Authors: Smyslova Ekaterina V. , Khabibullina Liliya F.
Published: December 2017

This article considers the interaction of ethics and aesthetics in A. Burgess's worldview. It is based on an analysis of the novels about the minor poet Enderby, who is interpreted as the writer's alter ego. The material for the article is represented by the novels "Inside Mr. Enderby", "Enderby outside", "The Clockwork Testament, or Enderby's End", "Enderby's Dark Lady", or "No End of Enderby". Particular attention is paid to the personality of the protagonist and his worldview. In the course of the analysis, the superficial interpretations of Enderby's image and the system of his relationships with the outside world are rejected in favor of deeper ones, arising from the system of the author's outlooks on creativity. The material of other writer's novels is also attracted to the study ("A Clockwork Orange", "The Wanting Seed", "Little Wilson and Big God", etc), where his religious and ethical views are most clearly manifested. The analysis of Burgess's search for faith, his path from congenital Catholicism through Manichaeism to the development of his own religious and ethical picture of the world has been performed in this paper. It has shown that according to Burgess the Beauty is of primary value and the writer is seen as the creator of such a world view where the original duality of reality can be overcome through the language.
Motor performance in Prader-Willi syndrome patients and its potential influence on caregiver’s quality of life
Authors: Chiu Valeria Jia-Yi , Tsai Li-Ping , Wei Jang-Ting , Tzeng I-Shiang , Wu Hsin-Chi
Published: December 2017

Background

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a complex, multisystem genetic disorder characterized by a variety of physical, cognitive, and behavioral impairments. PWS is a unique sarcopenia model characterized by an abnormal increase in body fat mass and a decrease in muscle mass that predisposes patients to reduced physical activity, functional limitations, and disability. These manifestations may require both symptomatic and supportive management, thus negatively influencing their lifelong family caregiver’s quality of life. The aim of this study was to examine the functional motor performance of adults with PWS in Taiwan and to measure the quality of life of their primary family caregivers.

Methods

The functional motor tests consisted of the following: (1) 30-s sit-to-stand test, (2) timed up-and-go test, (3) hand grip and lateral pinch strength tests, and (4) Berg Balance Scale. The World Health Organization Quality of Life-short form (WHOQOL-BREF) and the Short-Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36) were used to evaluate health-related quality of life, and the parenting stress index was used to assess the magnitude of stress within the parent-child system.

Results

The participants included seven adults (two females and five males) with genetically confirmed PWS and their respective main caregivers. The mean age of the adults with PWS was 25.28 years; range 18–31 years, SD 5.10; the mean BMI was 29.2 kg/m2, SD 6.43. All adults with PWS showed lower hand grip and lateral pinch strengths, fewer sit-to-stand cycles during the 30-s chair stand test, and greater average time during the timed up-and-go test when compared to the normative data on healthy adults. Balance was negatively correlated with the caregiver’s health concepts of social functioning (rs−0.879,P = 0.009) and with role limitations due to physical problems (rs−0.899,P = 0.006) and emotional problems (rs−0.794,P = 0.033); hand grip strength was negatively correlated with bodily pain (rs−0.800,P = 0.031), as assessed using the SF-36 questionnaire. The timed up-and-go test was positively correlated with the social relationship domain (rs0.831,P = 0.021), as assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. The parenting stress index showed no association with the PWS patient’s physical activities.

Conclusions

All adults with PWS showed decreased upper and lower limb strength and functional mobility when compared to healthy adults. Some of their motor performance might have negative effects on their primary family members in terms of social participation and physical and emotional role limitations. Future research should explore the relationship between physical performances, psychological difficulties of PWS and caregiver’s QOL.
The Molybdenum Isotope System as a Tracer of Slab Input in Subduction Zones: An Example From Martinique, Lesser Antilles Arc
Authors: Gaschnig Richard M. , Reinhard Christopher T. , Planavsky Noah J. , Wang Xiangli , Asael Dan , Chauvel Catherine
Published: December 2017

Molybdenum isotopes are fractionated by Earth‐surface processes and may provide a tracer for the recycling of crustal material into the mantle. Here, we examined the Mo isotope composition of arc lavas from Martinique in the Lesser Antilles arc, along with Cretaceous and Cenozoic Deep Sea Drilling Project sediments representing potential sedimentary inputs into the subduction zone. Mo stable isotope composition (defined as δ98Mo in ‰ deviation from the NIST 3134 standard) in lavas older than ∼7 million years (Ma) exhibits a narrow range similar to and slightly higher than MORB, whereas those younger than ∼7 Ma show a much greater range and extend to unusually low δ98Mo values. Sediments from DSDP Leg 78A, Site 543 have uniformly low δ98Mo values whereas Leg 14, Site 144 contains both sediments with isotopically light Mo and Mo‐enriched black shales with isotopically heavy Mo. When coupled with published radiogenic isotope data, Mo isotope systematics of the lavas can be explained through binary mixing between a MORB‐like end‐member and different sedimentary compositions identified in the DSDP cores. The lavas older than ∼7 Ma were influenced by incorporation of isotopically heavy black shales into the mantle wedge. The younger lavas are the product of mixing isotopically light sedimentary material into the mantle wedge. The change in Mo isotope composition of the lavas at ∼7 Ma is interpreted to reflect the removal of the Cretaceous black shale component due to the arrival of younger ocean crust where the age‐equivalent Cretaceous sediments were deposited in shallower oxic waters. Isotopic fractionation of Mo during its removal from the slab is not required to explain the observed systematics in this system.
Changing Abundance of Magnetofossil Morphologies in Pelagic Red Clay Around Minamitorishima, Western North Pacific
Authors: Usui Yoichi , Yamazaki Toshitsugu , Saitoh Masafumi
Published: December 2017

Recent investigations have discovered an unexpected abundance of magnetofossils in oxic pelagic red clays. These have potential to serve as paleoenvironmental tracers in otherwise nonfossiliferous sediments. Here, we report on variations in the abundance and morphology of magnetofossils in red clay from the western North Pacific. Magnetic measurements revealed that magnetofossils dominate the magnetic mineral assemblage of the sediments. An endmember analysis of isothermal remanent magnetization acquisition curves, supplemented by an analysis of S ratios, indicates that the magnetic assemblage can be unmixed into three endmembers, two corresponding to magnetofossils and one to terrigenous magnetic minerals. Direct counting of magnetofossil morphologies under a transmission electron microscope shows that the two magnetofossil endmembers differentiate equant magnetofossils and bullet‐shaped magnetofossils, respectively. The stratigraphic variation of the endmember contributions revealed that the equant magnetofossils are dominant for the most part, while an interval at around 7 m in core depth shows higher abundance of the bullet‐shaped magnetofossils. This may reflect enhanced organic carbon flux to the sediments. The organic carbon content is low throughout the sediments, and it does not show any change corresponding to the increase of bullet‐shaped magnetofossils, pointing at extensive remineralization of the organic carbon. On the basis of lithostratigraphic correlation to nearby drilling sites, we tentatively estimate the age of the bullet‐shaped magnetofossil increase as sometime between ∼75 and 25 Ma. These results suggest that environmental information can be obtained from magnetofossils in pelagic red clay.
Neogene Uplift and Magmatism of Anatolia: Insights From Drainage Analysis and Basaltic Geochemistry
Authors: McNab F. , Ball P. W. , Hoggard M. J. , White N. J.
Published: December 2017

It is agreed that mantle dynamics have played a role in generating and maintaining the elevated topography of Anatolia during Neogene times. However, there is debate about the relative importance of subduction zone and asthenospheric processes. Key issues concern onset and cause of regional uplift, thickness of the lithospheric plate, and the presence/absence of temperature and/or compositional anomalies within the convecting mantle. Here, we tackle these interlinked issues by analyzing and modeling two disparate suites of observations. First, a drainage inventory of 1,844 longitudinal river profiles is assembled. This database is inverted to calculate the variation of Neogene regional uplift through time and space by minimizing the misfit between observed and calculated river profiles subject to independent calibration. Our results suggest that regional uplift commenced at 20 Ma in the east and propagated westward. Second, we have assembled a database of geochemical analyses of basaltic rocks. Two different approaches have been used to quantitatively model this database with a view to determining the depth and degree of asthenospheric melting across Anatolia. Our results suggest that melting occurs at depths as shallow as 60 km in the presence of mantle potential temperatures as high as 1400°C. There is evidence that temperatures are higher in the east, consistent with the pattern of subplate shear wave velocity anomalies. Our combined results are consistent with isostatic and admittance analyses and suggest that elevated asthenospheric temperatures beneath thinned Anatolian lithosphere have played a first‐order role in generating and maintaining regional dynamic topography and basaltic magmatism.
Predicting Sediment Thickness on Vanished Ocean Crust Since 200 Ma
Authors: Dutkiewicz A. , Müller R. D. , Wang X. , O'Callaghan S. , Cannon J. , Wright N. M.
Published: December 2017

Tracing sedimentation through time on existing and vanished seafloor is imperative for constraining long‐term eustasy and for calculating volumes of subducted deep‐sea sediments that contribute to global geochemical cycles. We present regression algorithms that incorporate the age of the ocean crust and the mean distance to the nearest passive margin to predict sediment thicknesses and long‐term decompacted sedimentation rates since 200 Ma. The mean sediment thickness decreases from ∼220 m at 200 Ma to a minimum of ∼140 m at 130 Ma, reflecting the replacement of old Panthalassic ocean floor with young sediment‐poor mid‐ocean ridges, followed by an increase to ∼365 m at present‐day. This increase reflects the accumulation of sediments on ageing abyssal plains proximal to passive margins, coupled with a decrease in the mean distance of any parcel of ocean crust to the nearest passive margin by over 700 km, and a doubling of the total passive margin length at present‐day. Mean long‐term sedimentation rates increase from ∼0.5 cm/ky at 160 Ma to over 0.8 cm/ky today, caused by enhanced terrigenous sediment influx along lengthened passive margins, superimposed by the onset of ocean‐wide carbonate sedimentation. Our predictive algorithms, coupled to a plate tectonic model, provide a framework for constraining the seafloor sediment‐driven eustatic sea‐level component, which has grown from ∼80 to 210 m since 120 Ma. This implies a long‐term sea‐level rise component of 130 m, partly counteracting the contemporaneous increase in ocean basin depth due to progressive crustal ageing.