bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Health, Climate Change and Energy Vulnerability: A Retrospective Assessment of Strategic Health Authority Policy and Practice in England
Authors: Richardson J. , Kagawa F. , Nichols A.
Published: November 2017

Background

A number of policy documents suggest that health services should be taking climate change and sustainability seriously and recommendations have been made to mitigate and adapt to the challenges health care providers will face. Actions include, for example, moving towards locally sourced food supplies, reducing waste, energy consumption and travel, and including sustainability in policies and strategies. A Strategic Health Authority (SHA) is part of the National Health Service (NHS) in England. They are responsible for developing strategies for the local health services and ensuring high-quality performance. They manage the NHS locally and are a key link between the U.K. Department of Health and the NHS. They also ensure that national priorities are integrated into local plans. Thus they are in a key position to influence policies and practices to mitigate and adapt to the impact of climate change and promote sustainability.

Aim

The aim of this study was to review publicly available documents produced by Strategic Health Authorities (SHA) to assess the extent to which current activity and planning locally takes into consideration climate change and energy vulnerability.

Methods

A retrospective thematic content analysis of publicly available materials was undertaken by two researchers over a six month period in 2008. These materials were obtained from the websites of the 10 SHAs in England. Materials included annual reports, plans, policies and strategy documents.

Results

Of the 10 SHAs searched, 4 were found to have an absence of content related to climate change and sustainability. Of the remaining 6 SHAs that did include content related to climate change and energy vulnerability on their websites consistent themes were seen to emerge. These included commitment to a regional sustainability framework in collaboration with other agencies in the pursuit and promotion of sustainable development. Results indicate that many SHAs in England have yet to embrace sustainability, or to integrate preparations for climate change and energy vulnerability within their organisational strategies. Evidence also suggests that SHAs that have recognised the importance of sustainability within their documentation and policies have yet to fully demonstrate this in practice through the implementation of these policies.

Conclusions

Further research is required to investigate means by which SHAs (U.K.) and agencies responsible for health service policy in other countries may be enabled to include a greater consideration of sustainability and climate change within their policies, and to find effective ways of implementing these policies within daily working practice.
Article Commentary: Women, Environments and Chronic Disease: Shifting the Gaze from Individual Level to Structural Factors
Authors: Hemsing Natalie , Greaves Lorraine
Published: November 2017

Introduction

Chronic heart and respiratory diseases are two of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality affecting women. Patterns of and disparities in chronic diseases between sub-populations of women suggest that there are social as well as individual level factors which enhance or impede the prevention or development of chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. By examining the sex, gender and diversity based dimensions of women's lung and heart health and how these overlap with environmental factors we extend analysis of preventive health beyond the individual level. We demonstrate how biological, environmental and social factors interact and operate in women's lives, structuring their opportunities for health and abilities to prevent or manage chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.

Methods

This commentary is based on the findings from two evidence reviews, one conducted on women's heart health, and another on women's lung health. Additional literature was also reviewed which assessed the relationship between environmental factors and chronic heart and lung diseases. This paper explores how obesogenic environments, exposure to tobacco smoke, and the experience of living in deprived areas can affect women's heart and respiratory health. We discuss the barriers which impede women's ability to engage in physical activity, consume healthy foods, or avoid smoking, tobacco smoke, and other airborne contaminants.

Results

Sex, gender and diversity clearly interact with environmental factors and shape women's promotion of health and prevention of chronic respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The environments women live in structure their opportunities for health, and women navigate these environments in unique ways based on gender, socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity and other social factors.

Discussion

Future research, policy and programs relating to the prevention of chronic disease need to move beyond linear individually-oriented models and address these complexities by developing frameworks and interventions which improve environmental conditions for all groups of women. Indeed, in order to improve women's health, broad social and economic policies and initiatives are required to eliminate negative environmental impacts on women's opportunities for health.
Patterns of Stochastic Behavior in Dynamically Unstable High-Dimensional Biochemical Networks
Authors: Rosenfeld Simon
Published: November 2017

The question of dynamical stability and stochastic behavior of large biochemical networks is discussed. It is argued that stringent conditions of asymptotic stability have very little chance to materialize in a multidimensional system described by the differential equations of chemical kinetics. The reason is that the criteria of asymptotic stability (Routh-Hurwitz, Lyapunov criteria, Feinberg's Deficiency Zero theorem) would impose the limitations of very high algebraic order on the kinetic rates and stoichiometric coefficients, and there are no natural laws that would guarantee their unconditional validity. Highly nonlinear, dynamically unstable systems, however, are not necessarily doomed to collapse, as a simple Jacobian analysis would suggest. It is possible that their dynamics may assume the form of pseudo-random fluctuations quite similar to a shot noise, and, therefore, their behavior may be described in terms of Langevin and Fokker-Plank equations. We have shown by simulation that the resulting pseudo-stochastic processes obey the heavy-tailed Generalized Pareto Distribution with temporal sequence of pulses forming the set of constituent-specific Poisson processes. Being applied to intracellular dynamics, these properties are naturally associated with burstiness, a well documented phenomenon in the biology of gene expression.
Comparison of Statistical Data Models for Identifying Differentially Expressed Genes Using a Generalized Likelihood Ratio Test
Authors: Seng Kok-Yong , Glenny Robb W. , Madtes David K. , Spilker Mary E. , Vicini Paolo , Gharib Sina A.
Published: November 2017

Currently, statistical techniques for analysis of microarray-generated data sets have deficiencies due to limited understanding of errors inherent in the data. A generalized likelihood ratio (GLR) test based on an error model has been recently proposed to identify differentially expressed genes from microarray experiments. However, the use of different error structures under the GLR test has not been evaluated, nor has this method been compared to commonly used statistical tests such as the parametric t-test The concomitant effects of varying data signal-to-noise ratio and replication number on the performance of statistical tests also remain largely unexplored. In this study, we compared the effects of different underlying statistical error structures on the GLR test's power in identifying differentially expressed genes in microarray data. We evaluated such variants of the GLR test as well as the one sample t-test based on simulated data by means of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Further, we used bootstrapping of ROC curves to assess statistical significance of differences between the areas under the curves. Our results showed that i) the GLR tests outperformed the t-test for detecting differential gene expression, ii) the identity of the underlying error structure was important in determining the GLR tests’ performance, and iii) signal-to-noise ratio was a more important contributor than sample replication in identifying statistically significant differential gene expression.
Gene Expression in Pre-MBT Embryos and Activation of Maternally-Inherited Program of Apoptosis to be Executed at around MBT as a Fail-Safe Mechanism in Xenopus Early Embryogenesis
Authors: Shiokawa Koichiro , Aso Mai , Kondo Takeshi , Uchiyama Hiroaki , Kuroyanagi Shinsaku , Takai Jun-Ichi , Kajitani Senji Takahashi Masayuki , Kaito Chikara , Sekimizu Kazuhisa , Takayama Eiji , Igarashi Kazuei , Hara Hiroshi
Published: November 2017

S-adenosylmethionine decarboxylase (SAMDC) is an enzyme which converts S-adenosylmethione (SAM), a methyl donor, to decarboxylated SAM (dcSAM), an aminopropyl donor for polyamine biosynthesis. In our studies on gene expression control in Xenopus early embryogenesis, we cloned the mRNA for Xenopus SAMDC, and overexpressed the enzyme by microinjecting its mRNA into Xenopus fertilized eggs. In the mRNA-injected embryos, the level of SAMDC was enormously increased, the SAM was exhausted, and protein synthesis was greatly inhibited, but cellular polyamine content did not change appreciably. SAMDC-overexpressed embryos cleaved and developed normally up to the early blastula stage, but at the midblastula stage, or the stage of midblastula transition (MBT), all the embryos were dissociated into cells, and destroyed due to execution of apoptosis. During cleavage SAMDC-overexpressed embryos transcribed caspase-8 gene, and this was followed by activation of caspase-9. When we overexpressed p53 mRNA in fertilized eggs, similar apoptosis took place at MBT, but in this case, transcription of caspase-8 did not occur, however activation of caspase-9 took place. Apoptosis induced by SAMDC-overexpression was completely suppressed by Bcl-2, whereas apoptosis induced by p53 overexpression or treatments with other toxic agents was only partially rescued. When we injected SAMDC mRNA into only one blastomere of 8- to 32-celled embryos, descendant cells of the mRNA-injected blastomere were segregated into the blastocoel and underwent apoptosis within the blastocoel, although such embryos continued to develop and became tadpoles with various extents of anomaly, reflecting the developmental fate of the eliminated cells. Thus, embryonic cells appear to check themselves at MBT and if physiologically severely-damaged cells occur, they are eliminated from the embryo by activation and execution of the maternally-inherited program of apoptosis. We assume that the apoptosis executed at MBT is a “fail-safe” mechanism of early development to save the embryo from accidental damages that take place during cleavage.
Preclinical Assessment of wt GNE Gene Plasmid for Management of Hereditary Inclusion Body Myopathy 2 (HIBM2)
Authors: Jay Chris , Nemunaitis Gregory , Nemunaitis John , Senzer Neil , Hinderlich Stephan , Darvish Daniel , Ogden Julie , Eager John , Tong Alex , Maples Phillip B
Published: November 2017

Hereditary Inclusion Body Myopathy (HIBM2) is a chronic progressive skeletal muscle wasting disorder which generally leads to complete disability before the age of 50 years. There is currently no effective therapeutic treatment for HIBM2. Development of this disease is related to expression in family members of an autosomal recessive mutation of the GNE gene, which encodes the bifunctional enzyme UDP-GlcNAc 2-epimerase/ManNAc kinase (GNE/MNK). This is the rate limiting bifunctional enzyme that catalyzes the first 2 steps of sialic acid biosynthesis. Decreased sialic acid production, consequently leads to decreased sialyation of a variety of glycoproteins including the critical muscle protein alpha-dystroglycan (a-DG). This in turn severely cripples muscle function and leads to the onset of the syndrome. We hypothesize that replacing the mutated GNE gene with the wildtype gene may restore functional capacity of GNE/MNK and therefore production of sialic acid, allowing for improvement in muscle function and/or delay in rate of muscle deterioration. We have constructed three GNE gene/CMV promoter plasmids (encoding the wildtype, HIBM2, and Sialuria forms of GNE) and demonstrated enhanced GNE gene activity following delivery to GNE-deficient CHO-Lec3 cells. GNE/MNK enzyme function was significantly increased and subsequent induction of sialic acid production was demonstrated after transfection into Lec3 cells with the wild type or R266Q mutant GNE vector. These data form the foundation for future preclinical and clinical studies for GNE gene transfer to treat HIBM2 patients.
Epidemiological and Clinicopathological Analysis of 92 Odontogenic Tumors: A 5-year Retrospective Study
Authors: Sharma Ipsita , Venkatesh Deepa , Bawa Geetanjali , Vaseemuddin Syed , Joseph Amit , Sangtani Jimmy K
Published: November 2017

Introduction

Odontogenic tumors (OTs) are a heterogeneous group of lesions that are derived from odontogenic apparatus comprised of odontogenic epithelium, ectomesenchyme, and/or mesenchymal elements. The OTs show marked geographical variation. This study was conducted to analyze the epidemiology and clinicopathological presentation of OTs based on age, sex, and site.

Materials and methods

This study was conducted in Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology. Records were reviewed retrospectively for all the lesions of oral cavity from January 2010 to December 2015. A total of 92 lesions were found to be OTs and were classified into benign and malignant tumors. They were further subdivided into three subtypes based on the types of odontogenic tissues involved. These were epithelial OTs (EOTs), mixed OTs (MIXOTs), and mesenchymal OTs (MOTs).

Results

Of 92 OTs, 84 were benign (males 48, females 36) and 8 were malignant (male 2, females 6). The most common benign tumor was ameloblastoma (AME) (20), followed by keratocystic OT (KCOT) (17), calcifying EOT (CEOT) (14), compound odontome (OD-Cd) (12), complex odontome (OD-Cx) (10), odontogenic fibroma (OF) (5), odontogenic myxoma (OM) (4), and cementoblastoma (CB) (2). The most common malignant tumor was primary intraosseous squamous cell carcinoma (PIOSCC) (3) followed by fibrosarcoma (FS) (3) and ameloblastic carcinoma (AC).

Conclusion

Author concluded that there was geographic and demographic variation in distribution of OTs, which may be attributed to socioeconomic and genetic factors.

Clinical significance

Literature showing prevalence of OTs in India is negligible. By this article, we have analyzed the frequency of various OTs according to sex, age, and site. A comprehensive record of OTs should be started so that pathologists and surgeons would be able to acquire the information about the tumor for reference in the future.

How to cite this article

Sharma I, Venkatesh D, Bawa G, Vaseemuddin S, Joseph A, Sangtani JK. Epidemiological and Clinicopathological Analysis of 92 Odontogenic Tumors: A 5-year Retrospective Study. J Contemp Dent Pract 2017;18(11):1056-1060.
Comparison of Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty vs Hemiarthroplasty for Acute Fractures of the Proximal Humerus: Systematic Review
Authors: Borade Amrut U , Familiari Filippo , Choi Kyubo , Joseph Jacob , McFarland Edward G
Published: November 2017

The optimal treatment of proximal humerus fractures is debated; however, reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) has become increasingly popular as the primary treatment. We systematically reviewed the PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus databases to identify English-language clinical studies (evidence levels I through IV) comparing the results of RTSA with those of hemiarthroplasty (HA) for the treatment of acute proximal humerus fractures. We evaluated the following outcomes: Range of motion, patient-reported outcome measures (including pain relief), and complications. We identified eight published studies comparing RTSA with HA for treatment of acute proximal humerus fractures. The RTSA group (180 patients) showed significantly better postoperative pain relief, active anterior elevation, Constant-Murley scores, and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) scores compared with the HA group (439 patients; all p < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups for overall complications (RTSA, 11.8% vs HA, 20.8%), infections (2% for both groups), dislocations (RTSA, 0% vs HA, 2.5%), or nerve injury (RTSA, 1% vs HA, 2.8%). Scapular notching occurred in 15.8% of RTSA cases (grade I, 53%; grade II, 32%; grade III, 16%; and grade IV, 0%). In the treatment of acute proximal humerus fractures, RTSA provided better pain relief, postoperative anterior elevation, and outcome scores after surgery compared with HA and had similar complication rates.

Keywords

Complications, Outcomes, Pain, Reverse total shoulder, Shoulder hemiarthroplasty, Surgery, Systematic review.

How to cite this article

Borade AU, Familiari F, Choi K, Joseph J, McFarland EG. Comparison of Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty vs Hemiarthroplasty for Acute Fractures of the Proximal Humerus: Systematic Review. J Postgrad Med Edu Res 2017;51(4):182-187.
Characterizing the evolution of physical properties and mixing state
of black carbon particles: from near a major highway to the broader
urban plume in Los Angeles
Authors: Krasowsky Trevor S. , McMeeking Gavin R. , Sioutas Constantinos , Ban-Weiss George
Published: November 2017

Abstract. Black carbon particles can have deleterious human health consequences and impact regional and global climate. Uncertainties remain in part due to incomplete knowledge on the evolution of physical properties and mixing state of black carbon from sources to the remote atmosphere. We aim to understand how road-to-ambient processing and longer timescale aging in an urban plume affect black carbon physical properties. Refractory black carbon (rBC) was measured during summer 2016 using a Single Particle Soot Photometer (SP2) in two distinct environments: near a major freeway and downwind of downtown Los Angeles. The near-road measurements were made at distances ranging from 30 to 114 m downwind of Interstate 405 in Los Angeles. These results were compared with measurements performed 100 km east of Los Angeles in Redlands, California. Coatings on rBC particles were quantified using two methods. As distance from the highway increased at the near-road site, we observed decreases in rBC mass and number concentrations and increases in the number fraction of rBC particles with thick coatings (f). The latter likely occurred due to rapid processing of the highway plume and entrainment of urban background particles. Most rBC-containing particles measured near the highway were either uncoated or thinly-coated. In Redlands, we found that rBC mass concentrations on weekdays were similar to those observed at the furthest measured distance from the highway (114 m). However, rBC number concentrations for the smallest measured sizes were an order of magnitude lower in Redlands than all measured distances from the highway. Observations of f indicate that values in Redlands during periods when estimated photochemical age was highest (6–8 hours) were similar to corresponding values at the furthest measured distance from the highway. This suggests that the residence time of air in the Los Angeles basin under typical summertime conditions measured during this campaign may not be sufficient for rBC to acquire thick coatings. However, under certain meteorological conditions, f was observed to be ~0.20 in Redlands, with coating thickness histograms showing a larger contribution of rBC particles with coating thickness > 80 nm. This occurred during a weekend day when local emissions from diesel vehicles were lower (compared to weekdays) and winds brought air from the desert regions to the Northeast of Los Angeles, both of which would increase the relative contribution of remote sources of rBC. Afternoon values of f (and O3) were found to be systematically higher on weekends than weekdays, suggesting that the “weekend effect” can create more thickly-coated rBC particles presumably due to enhanced secondary organic aerosol and reduced available rBC as condensation sites.
Impact of elevated precipitation, nitrogen deposition and warming on soil respiration in a temperate desert
Authors: Yue Ping , Cui Xiaoqing , Gong Yanming , Li Kaihui , Goulding Keith , Liu Xuejun
Published: November 2017

Abstract. Soil respiration (Rs) is the most important source of carbon dioxide emissions from soil to atmosphere. However, it is unclear what the interactive response of Rs would be to environmental changes such as elevated precipitation, nitrogen (N) deposition and warming, especially in unique temperate desert ecosystems. To investigate this an in situ field experiment was conducted in the Gurbantunggut Desert, northwest China, from September 2014 to October 2016. The results showed that precipitation and N deposition significantly increased Rs, but warming decreased Rs, which was mainly through its impact on the variation of soil moisture at 5 cm depth. In addition, the interactive response of Rs to combinations of the factors was much less than that of any single-factor, and the main interaction being a positive effect, except interaction from increased precipitation and high N deposition (60 kg N ha−1 yr−1). Although Rs was found to be a unimodal change pattern with the variation of soil mositure, soil temperature and soil NH4+-N content, and it was signicantly postively correlated to soil dissloved organic carbon (DOC) and pH, but from a structural equation model found that soil temperature was the most important controlling factor. Those results indicated that Rs was mainly interactively controlled by the soil multi-environmental factors and soil nutrients, and was very sensitive to elevated precipitation, N deposition and warming. But the interactions of multiple factors largely reduced between-year variation of Rs more than any single-factor, suggesting that the carbon cycle in temperate deserts could be profoundly influenced by positive carbon-climate feedbacks.
Implicit-explicit (IMEX) Runge-Kutta methods for non-hydrostatic
atmospheric models
Authors: Gardner David J. , Guerra Jorge E. , Hamon François P. , Reynolds Daniel R. , Ullrich Paul A. , Woodward Carol S.
Published: November 2017

Abstract. The efficient simulation of non-hydrostatic atmospheric dynamics requires time integration methods capable of overcoming the explicit stability constraints on time step size arising from acoustic waves. In this work we investigate various implicit-explicit (IMEX) additive Runge-Kutta (ARK) methods for evolving acoustic waves implicitly to enable larger time step sizes in a global non-hydrostatic atmospheric model. The IMEX formulations considered include horizontally implicit-vertically implicit (HEVI) approaches as well as splittings that treat some horizontal dynamics implicitly. In each case the impact of solving nonlinear systems in each implicit ARK stage in a linearly implicit fashion is also explored. The accuracy and efficiency of the IMEX splittings, ARK methods, and solver options are evaluated on a gravity wave and baroclinic wave test case. HEVI splittings that treat some vertical dynamics explicitly do not show a benefit in solution quality or run time over the most implicit HEVI formulation. While splittings that implicitly evolve some horizontal dynamics increase the maximum stable step size of a method, the gains are insufficient to overcome the additional cost of solving a globally coupled system. Solving implicit stage systems in a linearly implicit manner limits the solver cost but this is offset by a reduction in step size to achieve the desired accuracy. Overall, the third order ARS343 and ARK324 methods performed the best, followed by the second order ARS232 and ARK232 methods.
Analysis of three-dimensional unsaturated-saturated flow induced by localized recharge in unconfined aquifers
Authors: Chang Chia-Hao , Huang Ching-Sheng , Yeh Hund-Der
Published: November 2017

Abstract. In the process of groundwater recharge, surface water usually enters an aquifer by passing an overlying unsaturated zone. Up to now, little attention has been given to the effect of unsaturated flow on the hydraulic head within the aquifer due to recharge. This paper develops a mathematical model to depict three-dimensional transient unsaturated-saturated flow in an unconfined aquifer with localized recharge on the ground surface. The model contains Richards’ equation for unsaturated flow, a flow equation for saturated formation, and the Gardner constitutive model describing the behavior of unsaturated soil properties. Both flow equations are coupled through the continuity conditions of the head and flux at the water table. The semi-analytical solution to the coupled flow model is derived by the methods of Laplace transform and Fourier cosine transform. A sensitivity analysis is performed to explore the head response to the change in each of the aquifer parameters. A quantitative tool is presented to assess the recharge efficiency signifying the percentage of the water from the recharge to the aquifer. We found that the effect of unsaturated flow on the saturated hydraulic head is negligible if two criteria associated with the unsaturated soil properties and initial aquifer thickness are satisfied. The head distributions predicted from the present solution match well with those from finite element simulations. The predictions of the present solution also agree well with the observed data from a field experiment at an artificial recharge pond in Fresno County, California.
Atlantic meridional overturning circulation at 14.5° N and 24.5° N during 1989/1992 and 2013/2015: volume, heat and freshwater fluxes
Authors: Fu Yao , Karstensen Johannes , Brandt Peter
Published: November 2017

Abstract. The Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) is analyzed using hydrographic data from trans-Atlantic sections along 14.5° N, occupied in 1989 and 2013, and along 24.5° N, occupied in 1992 and 2015. Comparison between the periods shows that the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) became warmer and saltier at 14.5° N, and the density of the densest Antarctic Bottom Water decreased at both sections. By applying a box inverse model, the absolute meridional velocity across the sections and dianeutral velocity across neutral surfaces were determined. Corresponding to the warming and salinification of the AAIW at 14.5° N, the intermediate layer transport was also considerably weaker in 2013 than in 1989. The AMOC was generally stronger during 1989/1992 than during 2013/2015 (18.6 ± 2.7 vs. 14.7 ± 3.9 Sv at 14.5° N, and 19.2 ± 1.7 vs. 16.9 ± 1.6 Sv at 24.5° N, respectively). The inverse solution suggests that the transport changes are caused by reduction in the northward thermocline and intermediate water transport, which is balanced by decrease in the southward upper North Atlantic Deep Water transport at both sections. The AMOC strength of the inverse solution agrees well with that of dynamically consistent and data-constrained ocean state estimate GECCO2 (15.8 ± 3.4 Sv at 14.5° N, and 17.7 ± 3.6 Sv at 24.5° N) and derived by the RAPID array data (16.9 ± 4.4 Sv), but is generally smaller than that derived by the MOVE array data (24.1 ± 4.1 Sv). Instead of any long-term trend, the GECCO2 shows strong seasonal to interannual variability of the AMOC at both latitudes, which may explain the observed changes of the AMOC in the box inverse model. Sensitivity tests of the inverse solution suggest that the overturning structure and heat flux across the 14.5° N section are sensitive to the Ekman transport, while freshwater flux is sensitive to the transport-weighted salinity at the western boundary.
A Review of Acid Mine Drainage in a Water-Scarce Country: Case of South Africa
Authors: Bwapwa Joseph Kapuku
Published: November 2017

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a very acidic effluent containing high levels of sulphates, metals, sulphides, and salts. AMD management requires particular attention in order to avoid environmental adversity. Currently, there is a tremendous need for new technologies, effective management strategies and treatment processes regarding AMD in South Africa and worldwide. This includes the development of nearly zero waste processes. AMD in South Africa and many countries worldwide involves massive environmental issues that cannot be solved in the short to medium term. To address this problem much effort is required to develop efficient, innovative and costs effective methods to resolve the challenge of AMD. This review analyzes some major active treatment technologies and management options for AMD reclamation. It is also including some technical and economic strengths as well as setbacks related to some treatment methods.
A New Form of Christian Presence: The Case of Christian Higher Education in China in Recent Decades
Authors: Ng Peter Tze Ming
Published: November 2017

As part of the world Christianity movement, Chinese Christianity finds its full expression in local Chinese contexts. The present essay is an attempt to use Christian higher education as a case study. For the most part Christian higher education totally disappeared from China after the 1950s, only to be revived again in the 1980s. There has been a resurgence in the study of the history of Christian colleges since the 1980s. There have also been important activities undertaken by the alumni associations of Christian colleges, such as the celebration of the ninety-fifth anniversary of the founding of Yenching University in Beijing in 2014. These are marks of a revival of the spirit of Christian higher education in China. This article will report some of the activities going on in the past several decades that signify a revival of the spirit of Christian higher education in China. It is clearly a different kind of Christian higher education today, and thus a new form of Christian presence in China, illustrating a distinctive form of world Christianity that deserves scholarly attention.
Academic Performance and Family Cohesion in a Private Junior High School in the U.S. – Mexico Border
Authors: Cruz-Ramos Ana Magdalena , Heredia-Escorza Yolanda , Cannon Bertha Yvonne
Published: November 2017

This paper summarizes the results to the research question: what is the relationship between academic performance and family cohesion? Given the various factors to which humans are exposed within their academic journey, the interest arose to analyze how family relationships affect the academic performance. This study was conducted in a private secondary school in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The objective was to determine whether there is an influence of family cohesion on academic performance. Data was collected using the FACES III test, a socio-demographic questionnaire, and the student transcripts. The Pearson correlation test showed that there is a moderate positive correlation between family cohesion and academic performance, r(128) = .316, p < .05. The relationship between these two variables did not differ in the light of the participants’ gender.
Subjacency Violations in Second Language Acquisition: Some Evidence from Chinese Mandarin Speakers of L2 English
Authors: Dai Xia
Published: November 2017

The literature review shows that many previous studies have used Subjacency to test the availability of UniversalGrammar (UG) in second language acquisition. Schachter (1989) claimed that L2 learners do not have access to UGprinciples, while Hawkins and Chan (1997) suggested that L2 learners had partial availability of UG, for they foundthere was a strong difference between the elementary L2 learners and the advanced L2 learners in judging theungrammaticality of Subjacency violations; that is, the elementary L2 learners owned the highest accuracy. Underthe hypothesis of partially availability of UG in second language acquisition, L2 learners are only able to acquire theproperties instantiated in their L1s. Although they may accept violations of universal constraints, it is only at facevalue; rather the L2 learners develop different syntactic representations from the native speakers. This study has beenundertaken as a follow-up study of Hawkins and Chan (1997), and tested on L1 Mandarin speakers of L2 English injudging the grammaticality of their Subjacency violations. The results of the Grammaticality Judgement Test showthat the accuracy of Chinese speakers in judgement increased with English proficiency and that they rejectedresumptives inside islands as a repair. Contrary to the previous findings, this study provides evidence that UG isavailable in adult second language acquisition.
The Analysis of the Science Textbooks for the First Three Grades in the Brimary Education in Jordan in the Domain of Science Process Skills (2017)
Authors: Mohammad Alayasrah Mohammad Nayef , Salih Yahyaa Shima’ Mkhymr
Published: November 2017

The current study aims at detecting the essential and integrated science process skills in the first three grades of the primary education in Jordan using the analytical and descriptive Method. The study population consists of the science textbooks of the first three grades in the primary education in Jordan in 2015/2016.The sample of the study is its population. The study has shown that the most basic science process skills included in the science textbooks is the observation process. The textbooks also include all the integrated science process skills, and the experimental process is the most frequent one. However, the books do not include the processes of using time and place elations and the connection process. According to its results, the study has recommended the following. The process of using numbers in the science textbooks of the first grade, and also the processes of using time and place processes, and connections process in the first three grades science books along with the basic science process skills in an organized and balanced form, in the first three grades should be included, it also suggests conducting a study about the evaluation of the first three grades teachers, and the changes in the science textbooks of the first three grades in Jordan.
Onmiddellijke voorzieningen voorafgaand aan een beslissing op het enquêteverzoek – ‘only use in case of emergency’
Authors: Analbers R.
Published: November 2017

Onmiddellijke voorzieningen voorafgaand aan een beslissing op het enquêteverzoek – ‘only use in case of emergency’

De OK heeft de bevoegdheid om onmiddellijke voorzieningen te treffen voorafgaand aan een beslissing op het enquêteverzoek. Van deze bevoegdheid dient de OK terughoudend gebruik te maken. In dit artikel wordt aan de hand van de jurisprudentie van de OK in de afgelopen twee jaar bekeken of de OK zich daar in de praktijk aan houdt.
De arbeidsovereenkomst van de bestuurder na een statutair ontslag: een lege huls met uitgeholde ontslagbescherming?
Authors: Sterk S.J.
Published: November 2017

De arbeidsovereenkomst van de bestuurder na een statutair ontslag: een lege huls met uitgeholde ontslagbescherming?

Recent oordeelde de Rechtbank Overijssel dat het ontslag van een werknemer als statutair bestuurder van een moedermaatschappij een redelijke grond opleverde voor diens arbeidsrechtelijke ontslag bij de dochtermaatschappij. In deze bijdrage wordt geanalyseerd of deze redenering zich verdraagt met het arbeidsrecht.
Procederen of schikken?
Authors: Philips R.J.
Published: November 2017

Procederen of schikken? The war puzzle

Er wordt wereldwijd jaarlijks USD 150 miljard uitgegeven aan juridische procedures. In dit artikel onderzoekt de auteur waarom partijen er ondanks de hoge kosten voor kiezen zakelijke conflicten te beslechten door te procederen. Op basis van de uitkomsten bepleit hij aan de hand van een casus dat een meer kwantitatief financiële beoordeling van het nut van procederen veel procedures kan voorkomen.
La producción científica reciente en didáctica de la geografía a través de las sociedades geográficas. Declaraciones, publicaciones y proyectos a nivel nacional e internacional
Authors: De Miguel González Rafael
Published: November 2017

En los últimos años, las diferentes asociaciones científicas geográficas han incrementado sus actividades relacionadas con el fomento de la investigación educativa por medio de congresos, proyectos y publicaciones en forma de revistas o de libros. La propia Unión Geográfica Internacional, a través de su Comisión de Educación Geográfica, ha suscrito diversos documentos hasta llegar a la Declaración Internacional sobre Educación Geográfica de 2016. Otras sociedades, como la American Association of Geographers, la European Association of Geographers, la Geographical Association o la Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles, han promovido igualmente el debate y la investigación sobre la didáctica de la geografía en educación primaria y secundaria, debido a los retos que se plantean hoy en día en la enseñanza y el aprendizaje en cuestiones como el currículo, los contenidos en un sistema global y la metodología docente, pero, especialmente, el impacto de las tecnologías de naturaleza geoespacial en el aula.
Darreres aportacions en l’ensenyament de la geografia a Catalunya i a Espanya
Authors: Medir Huerta Rosa Maria , Calabuig Serra Salvador
Published: November 2017

Aquest article té com a finalitat realitzar una cartografia de les aportacions principals que s’han fet en els darrers anys, a Catalunya i a Espanya, sobre la recerca de l’ensenyament de la geografia. Es tracta d’un estudi d’anàlisi documental que s’ha centrat en les revistes científiques principals sobre ensenyament i aprenentatge de la geografia. També s’hi han analitzat les publicacions derivades dels congressos i de les trobades de la Secció de Didàctica de la Geografia de l’Associació de Geògrafs Espanyols (AGE). Els principals camps de recerca tractats inclouen la presència de la geografia al currículum escolar; l’ensenyament competencial; l’educació per la sostenibilitat i altres desafiaments, i l’ús de la tecnologia. L’article acaba amb una reflexió sobre cap a on es dirigeix la docència de la geografia del futur.
La contribución de la geografía de los niños y de las niñas a la enseñanza de la geografía
Authors: Malatesta Stefano , Granados Sánchez Jesús
Published: November 2017

Una de las principales aportaciones de las geografías de los niños y de las niñas a la disciplina geográfica ha sido su inclusión como actores de creación o producción de espacio, ya que lo utilizan y lo viven según sus necesidades y sus criterios, y lo hacen de forma legítima. La escuela debe, por tanto, beneficiarse de este conocimiento y conectarlo con la manera de enseñar la geografía, para que, así, el alumnado comprenda mejor el uso que realizan del espacio. El objetivo del presente artículo es conectar estos dos ámbitos que han permanecido distantes y, para ello, se aporta una propuesta acerca de cómo las geografías de los niños y de las niñas puede incorporarse a la enseñanza de la geografía a partir de los cuatro aspectos principales siguientes: considerar que los niños y las niñas son actores socioespaciales, tener en cuenta el modo cómo se lleva a cabo la apropiación del espacio en la infancia, atender a las primeras representaciones de la experiencia espacial y conocer cómo son los lugares del alumnado que se educa.
D’ensenyar geografia a través del paisatge a educar en paisatge
Authors: Batllori i Obiols Roser , Serra i Sala Joan Maria
Published: November 2017

L’estudi del paisatge és un tema recurrent en la impartició de la geografia a l’educació obligatòria. Aquest article té dos propòsits: d’una banda, pretén revisar l’ensenyament del concepte de paisatge analitzant principalment les aportacions relacionades amb el Conveni europeu del paisatge, que ha estat promogut pel Consell d’Europa des de l’any 2002. D’altra banda, també s’hi presenta un cas concret d’aplicació d’educació en paisatge, el projecte Ciutat, territori i paisatge, que planteja com la ciutat estructura i transforma el territori d’arreu de Catalunya i com aquesta expansió afecta l’aspecte de l’entorn. El projecte està orientat a l’educació secundària i se centra en dotze indrets de qualitat paisatgística que entren en crisi per les diferents facetes de l’expansió de la ciutat. La seva finalitat és proporcionar una educació en paisatge, entesa com un procés per a l’educació intel·lectual, emocional i per a l’acció.
Young, Michael; Lambert, David; Roberts, Carolyn y Roberts, Martin (2015). Knowledge and the future school: Curriculum and social justice
Authors: Puig Latorre Gemma
Published: November 2017

Young, Michael; Lambert, David; Roberts, Carolyn y Roberts, Martin (2015)Knowledge and the future school: Curriculum and social justiceLondres: Bloomsbury, 224 p.ISBN 978-1-4725-3473-6
Benejam i Arguimbau, Pilar (2014). Quina educació volem?
Authors: Fontich Xavier
Published: November 2017

Benejam i Arguimbau, Pilar (2014)Quina educació volem?Barcelona: Associació de Mestres Rosa Sensat, 157 p.ISBN 9788494273162
La formulación de buenas preguntas en didáctica de la geografía
Authors: Granados Sánchez Jesús
Published: November 2017

El conocimiento avanza a medida que se formulan nuevas y buenas preguntas. El presente texto pretende evidenciar la importancia de las preguntas en el avance tanto epistemológico como didáctico de la enseñanza de la geografía. Así, el artículo tiene un doble objetivo: por una parte, se reflexiona sobre la naturaleza de la geografía escolar y se hace una propuesta de cuáles son las grandes cuestiones geográficas de la actualidad. Por otro lado, se considera que plantear buenos interrogantes es una estrategia de gran valor didáctico, puesto que ayuda a alcanzar una mejor comprensión de los fenómenos y crea conciencia. En este aspecto, el texto pretende guiar acerca de cómo formular buenas preguntas, tanto por parte del profesorado como del alumnado, y además aporta una propuesta de diferenciación de tipos de preguntas geográficas según el nivel de demanda intelectual y cognitiva.
«Geovivència», el vídeo participatiu per estudiar geografia a l’ensenyament secundari
Authors: Royo Climent Jordi
Published: November 2017

La nostra percepció de la situació actual de l’ensenyament de la geografia a secundària i a batxillerat no és positiva, ja que hi predominen uns enfocaments que no interessen a l’alumnat i que projecten una imatge poc útil de la disciplina. Les tecnologies digitals poden oferir un valuós servei a l’educació, i el vídeo participatiu, en particular, és una eina eficient per transmetre conceptes abstractes propis de les ciències socials, com ara la morfologia urbana, la segregació socioespacial, la història d’un barri o la seva memòria històrica. L’article presenta la valoració d’una experiència didàctica on estudiants de tercer i quart d’ESO han realitzat set curtmetratges de manera col·lectiva. El projecte ha permès potenciar dinàmiques transversals i augmentar la motivació i l’interès dels nois i noies per la geografia.
El estudio del divorcio andino. ¿Hacia dónde avanzar?
Authors: Izquierdo Díaz Jorge Simón
Published: November 2017

El objetivo de la comunicación es poner en perspectiva el estudio del divorcio andino y, por extensión, el amerindio, desde un enfoque global. Llevando el concepto de ’globalización desde abajo’ (globalisation from below) un paso adelante para incluir las experiencias de la gente corriente, en esta comunicación se admite que la globalización no es un proceso unidireccional , y se propone que el estudio de la cara humana de la globalización en los entornos glocales abre la posibilidad al antropólogo de preguntar y ponerse en el lugar del Otro. Si bien la antropología suma nuevos conceptos, muchos de los que se usan en análisis comparativos no se han definido con precisión y otros se han abandonado. Así sucede, en mi opinión, con el divorcio. La desconfianza que rompe el silencio sobre el Otro (oriental) en las narrativas occidentales parece aplicarse a este tema. Desde Westermarck , o incluso desde la narrativa colonial, se sostiene que en los Andes no hay divorcio, sin que quede claro si esta afirmación la imponen los antropólogos o la sostienen los indígenas, ni quede tampoco claro si se trata de una tesis normativa, teórica o local, que se corresponda o no con los datos etnográficos. A este silencio sobre el divorcio, y a si las rupturas matrimoniales se dan o no en la práctica, me enfrento desde mi trabajo bibliográfico y de campo en Tarabuco (Chuquisaca, Bolivia).
Synthesis; Redox behaviour; Composites; Sensors; Biosensors; Supercapacitors; Electrocatalysis
Authors: Inzelt György
Published: November 2017

In my plenary lecture delivered at the 6th Regional Symposium on Electrochemistry of South-East Europe (RSE-SEE) that was held between June 11 and 15, 2017, in Balatonkenese, Hungary I surveyed the developments in the field of conducting polymers based on my 40 years of experience in this area. It is intended to give an overview including thermodynamical considerations, redox transformations and transport processes, methods of investigation, redox polymers, electropolymerization, characterization, and applications with abundant examples from my research results.
Евгений Владимирович Васьковский и его „Учебник
гражданского права”. К 150-летию со дня рождения автора и 120-летию
выхода „Учебника”
Authors: Biełow Wadim
Published: November 2017

Evgeniy Vaskovsky always enjoyed well-deserved reputation, in the first place as a specialist in the civil process. His fame as a material civil lawyer and, in particular, as a civil lawyer-educator, somewhat less; even in Russia, the star of his civil-name is eclipsing by other many civil stars, more bright and flashy. The article attempts to at least partially fix this obvious injustice – tell about “The Handbook of Civil Law” by Evgeniy Vaskovsky. Unfortunately, the Handbook was left unfinished: it was limited to only two parties – the General Provisions and the Rights in Rem. Despite this fact, as well as those one hundred thirty years that have passed since its publication, “The Handbook of Civil Law” by Evgeniy Vaskovsky continues to be more than relevant, useful and even instructive piece not only academic, but also scientific as well as practical destination.
Правовые пределы свободы творчества
Authors: Bratuś Diana
Published: November 2017

The author based on the fundamental ideas freedom of opinion and expression, prohibition of censorship, etc. analyses the natural and legal content of the principle of artistic freedom in copyright law and the limits of this freedom. The author builds a position to address specific theoretical and applied problems, compares the mechanisms of protection of moral rights in terms of public and civil law.