bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Clinical and Radiological Outcomes of Lumbar Interbody Fusion Using a Combination of Hydroxyapatite and Demineralized Bone Matrix and Autografts for Lumbar Degenerative Spondylolisthesis
Authors: Gatam Asrafi Rizki , Gatam Luthfi , Lumban Tobing Singkat Dohar
Published: October 2017

Study Design

Prospective, cohort, non-inferiority study.

Purpose

This study evaluated the clinical and radiological outcomes of interbody fusion using a combination of demineralized bone matrix (DBM) and hydroxyapatite (HA).

Overview of Literature

The use of autografts remains a gold standard in lumbar interbody fusion, but the limited availability and donor site morbidity encourages the use of bone substitutes. In addition to autografts, a combination of HA and DBM is being increasingly use for lumbar interbody fusion. However, there are no data on the clinical and radiological outcomes of this procedure.

Methods

We examined 35 patients with lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis who underwent transforaminal interbody fusion. Autografts were used in 18 patients, and 17 patients received a combination of HA and DBM. Clinical outcomes were evaluated using the visual analog scale (VAS) for back and leg pain, Oswestry disability index (ODI), and Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Fusion was evaluated using computed tomography images obtained at 12 months postoperatively.

Results

The mean ODI, JOA, and back and leg pain VAS scores increased significantly in both groups. However, the VAS, JOA, and ODI scores did not differ significantly between the two groups (p=0.599, p=0.543, and p=0.780, respectively). The fusion rates at 1 year postoperatively were 77.8% and 76.5% in the autograft and HA+DBM groups, respectively (p=0.99).

Conclusions

The clinical and radiological outcomes of using a combination of HA and DBM in lumbar interbody fusion were not inferior to those of using autografts. A combination of HA and DBM can be considered as an alternative in patients with lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis requiring surgery.
The “Skipped Segment Screw” Construct: An Alternative to Conventional Lateral Mass Fixation–Biomechanical Analysis in a Porcine Cervical Spine Model
Authors: Padhye Kedar Prashant , Murugan Yuvaraja , Milton Raunak , Nambi Raj N. Arunai , David Kenny Samuel
Published: October 2017

Study Design

Cadaveric biomechanical study.

Purpose

We compared the “skipped segment screw” (SSS) construct with the conventional “all segment screw” (ASS) construct for cervical spine fixation in six degrees of freedom in terms of the range of motion (ROM).

Overview of Literature

Currently, no clear guidelines are available in the literature for the configuration of lateral mass (LM) screwrod fixation for cervical spine stabilization. Most surgeons tend to insert screws bilaterally at all segments from C3 to C6 with the assumption that implants at every level will provide maximum stability.

Methods

Six porcine cervical spine specimens were harvested from fresh 6–9-month-old pigs. Each specimen was sequentially tested in the following order: intact uninstrumented (UIS), SSS (LM screws in C3, C5, and C7 bilaterally), and ASS (LM screws in C3–C7 bilaterally). Biomechanical testing was performed with a force of 2 Nm in six degrees of freedom and 3D motion tracking was performed.

Results

The two-tailed paired t-test was used for statistical analysis. There was a significant decrease in ROM in instrumented specimens compared with that in UIS specimens in all six degrees of motion (p<0.05), whereas there was no significant difference in ROM between the different types of constructs (SSS and ASS).

Conclusions

Because both configurations provide comparable stability under physiological loading, we provide a biomechanical basis for the use of SSS configuration owing to its potential clinical advantages, such as relatively less bulk of implants within a small operative field, relative ease of manipulating the rod into position, shorter surgical time, less blood loss, lower risk of screw-related complications, less implant-related costs, and most importantly, no compromise in the required stability needed until fusion.
Normal Age-Adjusted Sagittal Spinal Alignment Is Achieved with Surgical Correction in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis
Authors: Ramchandran Subaraman , Foster Norah , Sure Akhila , Errico Thomas J. , Buckland Aaron J.
Published: October 2017

Study Design

Retrospective analysis.

Purpose

Our hypothesis is that the surgical correction of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) maintains normal sagittal alignment as compared to age-matched normative adolescent population.

Overview of Literature

Sagittal spino-pelvic alignment in AIS has been reported, however, whether corrective spinal fusion surgery re-establishes normal alignment remains unverified.

Methods

Sagittal profiles and spino-pelvic parameters of thirty-eight postsurgical correction AIS patients ≤21 years old without prior fusion from a single institution database were compared to previously published normative age-matched data. Coronal and sagittal measurements including structural coronal Cobb angle, pelvic incidence, pelvic tilt, thoracic kyphosis, lumbar lordosis, sagittal vertical axis, C2–C7 cervical lordosis, C2–C7 sagittal vertical axis, and T1 pelvic angles were measured on standing full-body stereoradiographs using validated software to compare preoperative and 6 months postoperative changes with previously published adolescent norms. A sub-group analysis of patients with type 1 Lenke curves was performed comparing preoperative to postoperative alignment and also comparing this with previously published normative values.

Results

The mean coronal curve of the 38 AIS patients (mean age, 16±2.2 years; 76.3% female) was corrected from 53.6° to 9.6° (80.9%, p<0.01). None of the thoracic and spino-pelvic sagittal parameters changed significantly after surgery in previously hypo- and normo-kyphotic patients. In hyper-kyphotic patients, thoracic kyphosis decreased (p=0.003) with a reciprocal decrease in lumbar lordosis (p=0.01), thus lowering pelvic incidence-lumbar lordosis mismatch mismatch (p=0.009). Structural thoracic scoliosis patients had slightly more thoracic kyphosis than age-matched patients at baseline and surgical correction of the coronal plane of their scoliosis preserved normal sagittal alignment postoperatively. A sub-analysis of Lenke curve type 1 patients (n=24) demonstrated no statistically significant changes in the sagittal alignment postoperatively despite adequate coronal correction.

Conclusions

Surgical correction of the coronal plane in AIS patients preserves sagittal and spino-pelvic alignment as compared to age-matched asymptomatic adolescents.
Postoperative Spinal Subdural Lesions Following Lumbar Spine Surgery: Prevalence and Risk Factors
Authors: Nagamoto Yukitaka , Takenaka Shota , Aono Hiroyuki
Published: October 2017

Study Design

Retrospective case–control study

Purpose

To clarify the prevalence and risk factors for spinal subdural lesions (SSDLs) following lumbar spine surgery.

Overview of Literature

Because SSDLs, including arachnoid cyst and subdural hematoma, that develop following spinal surgery are seldom symptomatic and require reoperation, there are few reports on these pathologies. No study has addressed the prevalence and risk factors for SSDLs following lumbar spine surgery.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective analysis of the magnetic resonance (MR) images and medical records of 410 patients who underwent lumbar decompression surgery with or without instrumented fusion for degenerative disorders. SSDLs were classified into three grades: grade 0, no obvious lesion; grade 1, cystic lesion; and grade 2, lesions other than a cyst. Grading was based on the examination of preoperative and postoperative MR images. The prevalence of SSDLs per grade was calculated and risk factors were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Results

Postoperative SSDLs were identified in 123 patients (30.0%), with 50 (12.2%) and 73 (17.8%) patients being classified with grade 1 and 2 SSDLs, respectively. Among these, one patient was symptomatic, requiring hematoma evacuation because of the development of incomplete paraplegia. Bilateral partial laminectomy was a significantly independent risk factor for SSDLs (odds ratio, 1.52; 95% confidence interval, 1.20–1.92; p<0.001). In contrast, a unilateral partial laminectomy was a protective factor (odds ratio, 0.11; 95% confidence interval, 0.03–0.46; p=0.002).

Conclusions

The prevalence rate of grade 1 SSDLs was 30%, with no associated clinical symptoms observed in all but one patient. Bilateral partial laminectomy increases the risk for SSDLs, whereas unilateral partial laminectomy is a protective factor.
Managing the Pediatric Spine: Growth Assessment
Authors: Cheung Jason Pui Yin , Luk Keith Dip-Kei
Published: October 2017

Management of pediatric spinal deformities requires an accurate prediction of growth spurts to allow for timely initiation of treatment and prevention of curve progression. Determining remaining growth potential is also important for avoiding prolonged unnecessary treatment, e.g. bracing for patients nearing skeletal maturity. Many clinical and radiological growth parameters have been developed to aid clinicians in growth prediction. Of these, several commonly used measures such as height and arm span growth trends, timing of menarche, and the Risser sign are mostly retrospective and lack strong predictive utility. Bone age assessments, such as digital skeletal age and the distal radius and ulna classification, are more accurate parameters, but further research is required to determine interethnic variations and develop their role in management decisions.
Computing Optimal Forcing Using Laplace Preconditioning
Authors: Brynjell-Rahkola M. , Tuckerman L. S. , Schlatter P. , Henningson D. S.
Published: October 2017

For problems governed by a non-normal operator, the leading eigenvalue of the operator is of limited interest and a more relevant measure of the stability is obtained by considering the harmonic forcing causing the largest system response. Various methods for determining this so-called optimal forcing exist, but they all suffer from great computational expense and are hence not practical for large-scale problems. In the present paper a new method is presented, which is applicable to problems of arbitrary size. The method does not rely on timestepping, but on the solution of linear systems, in which the inverse Laplacian acts as a preconditioner. By formulating the search for the optimal forcing as an eigenvalue problem based on the resolvent operator, repeated system solves amount to power iterations, in which the dominant eigenvalue is seen to correspond to the energy amplification in a system for a given frequency, and the eigenfunction to the corresponding forcing function. Implementation of the method requires only minor modifications of an existing timestepping code, and is applicable to any partial differential equation containing the Laplacian, such as the Navier-Stokes equations. We discuss the method, first, in the context of the linear Ginzburg-Landau equation and then, the two-dimensional lid-driven cavity flow governed by the Navier-Stokes equations. Most importantly, we demonstrate that for the lid-driven cavity, the optimal forcing can be computed using a factor of up to 500 times fewer operator evaluations than the standard method based on exponential timestepping.
Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of Asymptomatic Malaria: Bridging the Gap Between Annual Malaria Resurgences in a Sahelian Environment
Authors: Coulibaly Drissa , Travassos Mark A. , Tolo Youssouf , Laurens Matthew B. , Kone Abdoulaye K. , Traore Karim , Sissoko Mody , Niangaly Amadou , Diarra Issa , Daou Modibo , Guindo Boureima , Rebaudet Stanislas , Kouriba Bourema , Dessay Nadine , Piarroux Renaud , Plowe Christopher V. , Doumbo Ogobara K. , Thera Mahamadou A. , Gaudart Jean
Published: October 2017

In areas of seasonal malaria transmission, the incidence rate of malaria infection is presumed to be near zero at the end of the dry season. Asymptomatic individuals may constitute a major parasite reservoir during this time. We conducted a longitudinal analysis of the spatio-temporal distribution of clinical malaria and asymptomatic parasitemia over time in a Malian town to highlight these malaria transmission dynamics. For a cohort of 300 rural children followed over 2009–2014, periodicity and phase shift between malaria and rainfall were determined by spectral analysis. Spatial risk clusters of clinical episodes or carriage were identified. A nested-case-control study was conducted to assess the parasite carriage factors. Malaria infection persisted over the entire year with seasonal peaks. High transmission periods began 2–3 months after the rains began. A cluster with a low risk of clinical malaria in the town center persisted in high and low transmission periods. Throughout 2009–2014, cluster locations did not vary from year to year. Asymptomatic and gametocyte carriage were persistent, even during low transmission periods. For high transmission periods, the ratio of asymptomatic to clinical cases was approximately 0.5, but was five times higher during low transmission periods. Clinical episodes at previous high transmission periods were a protective factor for asymptomatic carriage, but carrying parasites without symptoms at a previous high transmission period was a risk factor for asymptomatic carriage. Stable malaria transmission was associated with sustained asymptomatic carriage during dry seasons. Control strategies should target persistent low-level parasitemia clusters to interrupt transmission.
Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency Genetic Variants in Malaria Patients in Southwestern Ethiopia
Authors: Carter Tamar E. , Mekonnen Seleshi Kebede , Lopez Karen , Bonnell Victoria , Damodaran Lambodhar , Aseffa Abraham , Janies Daniel A.
Published: October 2017

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency is an X-linked erythrocyte enzyme disorder with relevance to malaria treatment policy. Treatment with the antimalarial primaquine can result in hemolytic anemia in G6PD-deficient patients. With increased interest in primaquine use, it is important to identify G6PD variants in Ethiopia to inform malaria treatment policy. In the present study, mutations in the G6PD gene are identified in a sample of patients with malaria in Jimma town in southwest Ethiopia. Plasmodium species of infection were confirmed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and gel electrophoresis. PCR and Sanger sequencing were performed to observe a portion of the G6PD gene where the common G6PD mutations (A376G, G202A, and C563T) are found. Molecular analysis revealed that most of the samples were single Plasmodium vivax infections (83.7%). For G6PD genotyping, A376G was detected in 23.26% of individuals, whereas G202A and C563T were absent. Three other uncommon mutations were identified: rs782669677 (535G→A), rs370658483, (485 + 37 G→T), and a new mutation at chrX:154535443(C→T). Bioinformatic analysis of these mutations’ potential functional impact suggests minimal effect on protein function. The discovery of both common and uncommon G6PD mutations contributes to the discussion on G6PD deficiency and appropriate primaquine treatment in Ethiopia.
Trayectoria delictiva y factores de riesgo de los menores que ejercen violencia filioparental
Authors: Cuervo Keren , Palanques Natalia , Busquets Pilar
Published: October 2017

En los últimos años, en los medios de comunicación han aumentado alarmantemente los casos de lo que parece un nuevo y preocupante fenómeno de violencia doméstica: la violencia filio-parental. De esta forma, el objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar la trayectoria delictiva y los factores de riesgo de los/as menores que han cometido violencia filio-parental en función del sexo.

Los participantes de este estudio son 57 menores del Juzgado de Castellón (34 chicos y 23 chicas), cuyo rango de edad oscila entre 14 y 17 años, configurando una media de 15,81. El 82,5% de los/as jóvenes de la muestra han nacido en España, mientras que el 10,5% proceden de países del este de Europa, el 5,3% de países del sur de América y el 1,8% de países árabes.

El perfil encontrado en este estudio para este tipo de delito sería el de un varón de 16 años de edad, nacido en España, que cuenta con una agresión filio-parental, que también ha cometido otro tipo de delitos y presenta riesgo en las áreas de Pautas educativas y Educación formal/empleo. En relación al perfil femenino, sería el de una chica de 15 años de edad, nacida en España, que cuenta con un expediente de violencia filio-parental, que no ha cometido otro tipo de delitos y con riesgo en el área de ocio y tiempo libre. 
Alcohol-related Attentional Bias Variability and Conflicting Automatic Associations
Authors: Gladwin Thomas E. , Vink Matthijs
Published: October 2017

Attentional bias variability may be related to alcohol abuse. Of potential use for studying variability is the anticipatory attentional bias: Bias due to the locations of predictively-cued rather than already-presented stimuli. The hypothesis was tested that conflicting automatic associations are related to attentional bias variability. Further, relationships were explored between anticipatory biases and individual differences related to alcohol use. 74 social drinkers performed a cued Visual Probe Task and univalent Single-Target Implicit Associations Tasks. Questionnaires were completed on risky drinking, craving, and motivations to drink or refrain from drinking. Conflict was related to attentional bias variability at the 800 ms Cue-Stimulus Interval. Further, a bias related to craving and risky drinking was found at the 400 ms Cue-Stimulus Interval. Thus, the selection of attentional responses was biased by predicted locations of expected salient stimuli. The results support a role of conflicting associations in attentional bias variability.
Providing Quality Rights Metadata for Digital Collections Through RightsStatements.org
Authors: Ballinger Linda , Karl Brandy , Chiu Anastasia
Published: October 2017

In April 2016, the Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) and Europeana officially introduced RightsStatements.org, a new controlled vocabulary for international, standardized, machine-operable statements about the copyright status of digital resources. This article describes the rights statements, provides guidance and examples on how to apply the most common ones, and addresses common pitfalls. It outlines how assigning rights statements fits into the digital resources workflow at Penn State, including contributing to the DPLA through PA Digital, Pennsylvania’s Service Hub. Finally, it offers suggested resources for libraries and other cultural heritage institutions to help make their own rights determinations when they lack the expertise of a copyright officer.
In the PaLPaP Spotlight: Lee Arnold
Authors: Campbell Stephanie
Published: October 2017

N/A
Table of Contents
Authors: Reinsfelder Tom
Published: October 2017

Table of Contents - Fall 2017
La fusión de las cooperativas: las expectativas de gestión relacionados con los indicadores financieros
Authors: Alberto Zin Roque
Published: October 2017

¿Las cooperativas tienen las mismas motivaciones de las otras empresas para llevar a cabo una fusión? Con este objetivo se realizó el presente estudio. Empezó con la fusión de cinco cooperativas con las siguientes características: las asociaciones de agricultores, pequeñas empresas, que pertenece al mismo sector industrial, con productos y mercados similares. Con base en la teoría, un cuestionario con escala tipo Likert de cinco puntos fue desarrollado con el fin de verificar las hipótesis más citados en la literatura. Los cuestionarios fueron respondidos por los gerentes que tomaron la decisión de fusión y participaron en todo el proceso. Los resultados de la hipótesis se compararon con los indicadores financieros de la empresa y confirmaron la opinión de los gesto
Grammatical Intricacy in EFL Textbooks
Authors: To Vinh
Published: October 2017

Grammatical intricacy is an important concept in charactering complexity of language (Halliday, 2008). However, this concept has not yet been fully investigated in the teaching and learning of English as a foreign language (TEFL), particular in English as a foreign language (EFL) textbooks in higher education. This paper aims to examine grammatical intricacy across textbook levels in a book series used in tertiary education in the Vietnamese context. This is part of a larger research project looking at linguistic complexity of English textbooks in the TEFL setting. The research employed Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) as the main theoretical framework and Halliday’s method as a measure of grammatical intricacy to look at how this language feature was used in reading comprehension texts in four textbooks at different levels including elementary, pre-intermediate, inter-mediate and upper-intermediate. The findings revealed that grammatical intricacy increased in accordance with the book levels. Particularly, the mean scores of grammatical intricacy showed a gradual increase from the elementary to the intermediate book level; though they were not different significantly and the upper-intermediate textbook did not show the topmost grammatical complexity. These findings suggest that the use of grammatical intricacy in the investigated textbooks was appropriate for EFL learners across levels; however, the use of other linguistic features such as lexical density and nominalisation may potentially impact the use of simple clauses in the textbooks at a higher level. Thus, further investigations are recommended to fully explore the complexity of textbook language.
Training of Teachers: Difficulties and Proposals in Mexico
Authors: Solovieva Yulia
Published: October 2017

According to Vigotskian conception, teaching might be considered as a collective and joint dialectical process. Preschool and school psychological development of children occurs not in spontaneous way, but is directed by adults’ attitudes and actions. Among such actions, concrete actions of children at school occupy the central place. Actions of teachers are based on their conception of psychological development and children’s possibilities. Children never learn alone, but according to orientation and participation of adults. The presence or absence of the knowledge zone of proximate or actual development is crucial for the actions of teachers. From this perspective, it is important to learn about the methods of pedagogical preparation and training of teachers. The situation with such preparation in many countries in general and in Mexico particularly might be described as critical. Cultural and historical conception of human development and the concept of the zone of proximate development, proposed by L.S. Vigotsky is rarely taught and used in practice in traditional pedagogical institutions. Traditional methods of teaching, at all levels, are full of memorization, repetition and reproductive operations. Real and concrete cultural actions are absent both in Pedagogical Institutions and in Schools. The article describes original practice of attempts of organization of non-traditional type of preparation of teachers and to show how they can teach children. Experience in a small private school in the city of Puebla (Mexico) is included. The authors discuss qualitative achievements in teaching and learning based on activity theory and historic-cultural conception of development.
The Prognostic Impact of Neutrophil Lymphocytic Ratio (NLR) on Survival of Patients with Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM): A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Rayan Amal , Morsy Aiat M. M.
Published: October 2017

Background and aim: Neoplasia related inflammation now is proved to be a factor determining the outcomes in patients with cancer including glioblastoma, we aimed to determine the prognostic value of NLR on the progression free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for patients with GBM.Methods: The baseline complete blood picture prior to the initiation of any corticosteroid and cancer therapy (surgery and RT) was obtained then NLR was determined and correlated with PFS and OS for patients with GBM.Results: patients with NLR ≤4 had a significantly better PFS (the median PFS=12±1.614 months, CI=8.836-15.164 for those with NLR ≤4 vs. a Median PFS=6±1.239 months, CI=3.572-8.428 for those with NLR>4, P<0.009) and OS (the median OS=15±3.627 months, CI=7.890-22.110 vs. a median OS=7±1.038 months, CI=4.966-9.034, P<0.002 for those with NLR≤4 vs. those with NLR>4 respectively). And this effect of NLR was dependant on other prognostic factors.Conclusion: NLR had a prognostic effect on PFS and OS, but it wasn't an independent factor for survival.
The Consequences of Perceived Usefulness of Training (PUT): The Self-Efficacy Perspective
Authors: Yang Jih-Hua , Fang Shih-Chieh , Huang Ching-Ying
Published: October 2017

This study aimed to exploring the consequences of perceived usefulness of training (PUT) and use self-efficacy perspective. Questionnaire was the tool of collecting data from a sample of (240) pharmacists. Our findings confirmed that there is a positive effect of PUT on task performance and context performance. As well as, there are full effect professional competency and core competency on the relationship between PUT and task performance and context performance. Finally, our study proposed some theoretical and managerial implications.
Can Supplier Governance Improve Sustainable Performance of Manufacturing Firms?
Authors: Sapukotanage S. , Warnakulasuriya B. N. F. , S. Yapa S. T. W.
Published: October 2017

Establishing relationships with suppliers has been found critically important for manufacturing organizations in meeting the challenges faced by them for maintaining sustainability in global supply chains. At the same time, managing these relationships so formed, by way of governance strategies is considered equally important in ensuring positive outcomes through the relationships established. This assertion of acquiring positive outcomes through managed relationships, suggested by the transaction cost theory was tested using data from the apparel manufacturing and exporting industry of Sri Lanka in relation to the sustainable performance of manufacturing firms. The results revealed that supplier governance negatively influences the relationship between sustainable practices and sustainable performance of manufacturing firms in the apparel manufacturing and exporting industry of Sri Lanka indicating that governance strategies do not always bring positive outcomes. These findings contribute to the knowledge by providing evidence as to the viability of governance mechanisms in achieving positive outcomes through buyer-supplier relationships in the context of developing countries.
Effect of Preemptive Clonidnine Versus Pethidine and Ketamine on Postoperative Shivering During Spinal Anesthesia
Authors: Ghasemi Mahshid , Behnaz Faranak , Mad Massumeh Hashemi
Published: October 2017

Introduction: Postoperative Shivering is an early postoperative complication. Incidence of postoperative shivering (POS) following surgeries varies between 20 to 60%. There is still no consensus on treatment modalities especially in opioid-dependent patients. Aim: To compare the effect of preemptive clonidine, ketamin and pethidine in controlling postoperative shivering in addicted patients who undergo spinal anesthesia. Methods: In a clinical trial, 81 patients who underwent spinal anesthesia for elective orthopaedic surgery for lower limb were enrolled and assigned to groups of 27 patients of the study based on accidental numbers, and 2 patients in Pethidine group and 2 patients in ketamine group were excluded from the study. Clonidine 2 mg was administered orally prior to surgery. Ketamin 2mg/kg and pethidine 0.5 mg/kg were administered in recovery to the patients. Postoperative shivering was measured in patients during stay in post anethesia care unit. Blood pressure and heart rate was recorded during 30 minutes after spinal anethesia in operating room. Results: No significant differences in blood pressure and heart rate were observed between patients. Incidence of postoperative shivering was 28% in clonidine, 36% in pethidine and 48% in ketamin group. Risk of shivering was significantly reduced in patients received clonidine in compare to ketamine (RR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.138-0.856, p=0.022) which was significant and compare to pethidine (RR=0.79, 95% CI: 0.272-2.323, p=0.67) which was not significant. Conclusion: preemptive Clonidine has superior effect compare to postoperative ketamin and pethidine in controlling postoperative shivering.
Interrogating the Revenue Allocation in Intergovernmental Relations, Fiscal Federalism and Local Government Finance in Nigeria
Authors: Shiyanbade Bolanle W.
Published: October 2017

This study examined the relationship between fiscal federalism, governance and local government finances in Nigeria, focusing on the administration of local governments and other subsidiary issues on revenue generation in the country. It analysed the legal, institutional and procedural mechanisms for administration, as well as assessed the effect of intergovernmental relations on local government under federal system of governance in the country. This is with a view to providing information on revenue allocation and intergovernmental relations as important elements in understanding and addressing the fiscal federalism on local council finance in Nigeria in the context of their divergent governance experiences since the fourth republic.The paper discovered that beyond the function of revenue generation or allocation, fiscal relations influenced governance positively by creating the expediency of transparency and responsiveness in government as well as a corresponding three levels of government has responsibilities and roles to play in the lives of citizenry in order to bring governance to the grassroots. However, the work found evidences of lack of fiscal autonomy and independent of local government as well as delay in local government election has resulted to poor performance of local administration in Nigeria at large. The results also revealed that a very important factor affecting the local government administration in Nigeria still remains the overbearing contribution of about 93% oil revenue to the national income; a situation that, both state and local governments in Nigeria cannot generate up to twenty five percent (25%) of their expenditure and poor tax culture amongst the citizenry. The study concluded among others that effective human resources, improved strategy, and enhanced capacity building, are critical to improved revenue generation and allocation, which in turn could go a long way to alleviating good governance in Nigeria.
Over preventief guardianship: er zijn is vaak genoeg
Authors: Elffers Henk
Published: October 2017

Preventive guardianship: just being there does the trick

The most important mechanism for crime prevention is just the presence of guardians. Some counter arguments against this thesis are discussed and rejected. By manipulating the presence of guardians it is possible to influence the level of prevention. It is argued that a large scale evaluation of such measures is wanted.
Vechter buiten de ring; Narratief en biografie
Authors: van Gemert Frank
Published: October 2017

Fighter outside the ring; Narrative and biography

The most important mechanism for crime prevention is just the presence of guardians. Some counter arguments against this thesis are discussed and rejected. By manipulating the presence of guardians it is possible to influence the level of prevention. It is argued that a large scale evaluation of such measures is wanted.
Szkoły typu Open-Air: eksperymenty architektoniczno-pedagogiczne szkolnictwa w pierwszych dziesięcioleciach XX wieku
Authors: Szpytma Cezary
Published: October 2017

The aim of the article is to present the contribution of Open-Air schools in the context of the evolution of the school environment and development of modern pedagogy. The article takes into account the historical context of evolution and the historical development of pedagogical ideas. The article focuses on the connection between pedagogy and architecture – regarding school, both disciplines are inextricably linked. Pedagogy is the theoretical foundation of teaching practice, implemented in an architectural space. The quality of this space is of great importance for learning outcomes. Consciously the design and architecture of a school creates something more than a simple housing for the process of education. It can create an environment for education and could strengthen that process in a synergistic manner. In reality, we can observe almost the opposite situation, when the school space, instead of comprehensively stimulating the students, becomes a materialized symbol of the oppressive nature of the educational system. Open-Air schools of the early twentieth century seem to be still an avant-garde and a model, which should be rediscovered. They offer the opportunity to develop social, emotional, and creative skills. These objectives are itemized by many as essential for education in the future.
Unwanted, rejected, unaccepted: around the problem of “invisible” Romani and Dom children in Georgia
Authors: Markowska-Manista Urszula
Published: October 2017

The text outlines fragments of Georgian Romani and Dom children’s reality through the prism of their everyday life and educational practices. Romani (or Roma) and Dom children are usually perceived by the majority of society as well as by national and ethnic minorities as an identical, uniform group. Their images are burdened with stereotypes and they themselves – as begging participants in public space – have become inconvenient for the majority of the society, hence excluded and marginalized. With regard to social representations, Roma and Dom children can be included in the category of “street children”, children “out of place”, “invisible” children, and children remaining “at the crossroads” of tradition and postmodernity. A portrayal of the situation of Roma and Dom minorities in Georgia reveals the reality of children in big city environments as well as the dimensions of their social exclusion and poverty. The text was written within field research: “The forgotten minorities in Georgia” conducted by the author in 2013 and 2014 in Georgia, South Caucasus.
The Kurdish educational curriculum: an unreflected philosophical base
Authors: Hussein Saeed Haval
Published: October 2017

At this point in time, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, an educational philosophy underpinning the educational system is being neither reflected upon nor consciously implemented. This serious situation is the subject of this research and will be presented using logical and political explanations as well as analytical methodology. The facts and conclusions included will be assessed for accuracy. The entire contents of the educational plan and curriculum of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region will be explained in a manner that is both understandable and problematized when necessary. Later in the study, the current curriculum and programmes in Iraq, and especially the educational system of Iraq, will be more generally explained and analyzed. At another point, as education and philosophy are discussed, an attempt will be made to determine whether there is any relation between the current educational model and a philosophy. At a final point, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s educational philosophy is discussed with a view to analyzing its impact, if any, on the educational system and curricula. In addition, the study looks at whether the aim and philosophy of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s education system is clear and understandable by international standards.
Koncepcja pedagogiczna i program leśnych przedszkoli na przykładzie przedszkola w Lipsku na terenie Niemiec
Authors: Janik Agnieszka
Published: October 2017

This article is the result of the author’s study visit that took place in the forest kindergarten “Wurzeln & Flügel e.V.” in Leipzig, Germany on 23–27th of July 2014. The study visit created an opportunity for the author to participate in the educational process in its unique environment – in the park. This publication is an attempt to describe the observed reality of a forest kindergarten, especially in terms of its pedagogical dimension.
Przemoc w wychowaniu w świetle opinii społecznej oraz relacji rodziców – zarys problemu na tle raportu Rzecznika Praw Dziecka
Authors: Jarosz Ewa , Kurkowski Cezary
Published: October 2017

The paper describes the results of the survey focused on the social attitudes towards violence in upbringing made in 2015. The survey is a means of monitoring violence against children carrying out by the Ombudsman for Children since 2011. The research findings reveal a declining tendency in violence in upbringing acceptance over the study period. However, the violence in upbringing acceptance among the Poles remains at a high level. The survey shows that too many Poles consider beating children to be an effective method of upbringing and that too many parents use spanking and beating in their everyday relations with children. The final part of the paper concentrates on the possible solutions to stop using corporal punishment in Poland.
Rousseau’s errors: they persist today in educational theory
Authors: Gray Peter
Published: October 2017

In this essay, the author contends that the approach to education described by Rousseau in Émile is not only impractical but is founded on four misconceptions concerning human nature and development. These are (1) the vulnerable-child child fallacy (that children must be protected from learning the wrong things); (2) the stage-of-development fallacy (that children can learn only certain kinds of things at certain ages); (3) the lone-child-in-nature fallacy (that children learn best from interacting physically with nature, not from interacting verbally with other people); and (4) the controllability fallacy (that is is possible to know a child so well as to be able to control, through subtle means, what the child learns). The author’s own research indicates that the ideal environment for children’s natural, self-directed learning is very different from, in many ways opposite to, that outlined by Rousseau.
Emilu rozwijaj się, albo… Poza edukacyjną dyscyplinę
Authors: Chutorański Maksymilian
Published: October 2017

In my paper I will argue that the development and the need of support of development (also in Rousseau sense) takes a strategic position in the contemporary power relations. The pedagogical thinking built on the need/demand of support of development can justify the mechanisms of power in a legal scheme, and consequently, to justify them in terms of natural human right. My paper assumes the following order: Firstly, pay attention to the specifics of contemporary power relations. Secondly, problematize the need of support the development and show how educational dispositif works. Thirdly, I ask about the emancipatory potential of Rousseau’s pedagogical ideas.
Pojęcie ukształcalności i jego miejsce w teorii wychowania Jeana Jacquesa Rousseau
Authors: Stępkowski Dariusz , Benner Dietrich
Published: October 2017

The philosophical and pedagogical work of Jean Jacques Rousseau still raises many disputes and polemical debates. In this article, the authors focus on only one concept – perfectibilité, which is, according to them, the key to understanding his theories. By using the concept of perfectibilité, Rousseau defines the ambivalent characteristic of modern man, i.e., his ontological need to learn. The article consists of three parts. In the first, the authors try to locate the concept of perfectibilité in Rousseau’s philosophical and pedagogical texts. In the second, the meaning of the term is reconstructed in relation to the conditions of becoming a man. Finally, in the third, the project of upbringing and education from Rousseau’s Emil is re-read.
Historyczno-prawna analiza sytuacji dzieci w epoce Rousseau
Authors: Różycka-Jaroś Sylwia
Published: October 2017

The aim of this article is to bring the reader closer, in a synthetic way, to the legal realities in which children had to work in the eighteenth century in Europe. The analysis applies in particular to the private law shaping the relationship between parents and children. The first issue taken into account was the varied situation of children of married and unmarried couples because of the fact that children born out of wedlock lived outside the family and had no personal rights and property such as were due to the child born in a marriage. A considerable part of the publication is devoted to the rights resulting from parental authority over a child, which directly shaped his position in the family and in society. The emphasis was put on a particularly strong position in order to stress the father as a head of the family. The rules prevailing at that time relating to the upbringing of children and their education were illustrated, taking into account the different situation of sons and daughters. Important issues were presented relating to the entering into marriage by adolescent children, and their financial situation. Also mentioned briefly were legal sanctions threatened for abuse by children of parents, as well as parents for abandoning or killing a child. In the final part of the article legal regulations of eighteenth-century Europe are quoted. The enforcement of these regulations foreshadowed a change in legal concepts of the child and the treatment of children within a legal system.
Po co matematykom Jan Jakub Rousseau?
Authors: Kalinowska Alina , Stański Adam
Published: October 2017

One day, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who was known mainly as a philosopher and a pedagogue, told a deer hunting story. In doing so, he managed to play a small role in the development of the branch of maths called ‘game theory’. Later his story was converted into a game. Initially game theory was used to explain exchange in the field of economics. Over time, the mathematical modeling was found to be useful in the social sciences. A game theory describes diverse and cognizant participants forced to make decisions. In regards to the game based on cooperation, a choice is at the same time a dilemma. It can be viewed as a moral or philosophical predicament and in addition it gives as an inside into the human psyche and behaviour. Game theory has the potential to offer an attractive mathematical model, useful in analyzing social interactions. Though currently unappreciated by pedagogy, it has the potential to be successfully used in pedagogical studies analyzing conflict of interest of all participants in an educational process.
Angels with Dirty Faces: Gosha Rubchinskiy and the Politics of Style
Authors: Roberts Graham
Published: October 2017

In many ways, twenty-first century Russia is the land par excellence of extreme masculinity. President Putin himself regularly indulges in spectacular performances of extreme masculinity, whether it be pledging to ‘bump off’ Chechen terrorists in their ‘shithouses’, swimming in ice-cold Siberian lakes, or posing in the pilot’s seat of a supersonic strategic bomber. Men’s fashion and fashion imagery is one of the rare areas of Russian culture where the kind of masculinity embodied (in a literal sense) by Putin is still challenged, and indeed subverted. Perhaps the most interesting Russian men’s fashion designer working today, certainly the designer who has engaged most persistently with political change, is Gosha Rubchinskiy. In his work he foregrounds various ‘extreme’ forms of Russian masculinity, from the angelic youth at one end of the spectrum through the brown-shirted neo-fascist adolescent, to the shaven-headed football fan at the other end. He does so, he maintains, in order to change the way Russia is perceived in the world. Indeed, if Dostoevsky once claimed that ‘beauty will save the world,’ Rubchinskiy self-consciously enlists what he refers to as the ‘beauty’ of his models in an attempt to challenge the negative image of Russia generated by western media as part of what he has called an ‘informational [sic] war’ against his native country. Borrowing concepts from Bakhtin (the chronotope, carnival) and Foucault (heterotopia), I examine Rubchinskiy’s extreme masculinities, and the questions they raise about masculinity, about the cultural relationship between Russia and the West, fashion as a discrete cultural practice, and the place and role of the fashion designer in society.
Utilização de Técnicas de Aprendizado de Máquina para Acompanhamento de Fóruns Educacionais
Authors: Rolim Vitor , Ferreira Rafael , Costa Evandro
Published: October 2017

With the growth of distance education, and the adoption of computational systems as an educational support tool, the use of virtual learning environments has also grown. These environments offer various tools that could be used to assist in the teaching-learning process, one of these tools is the forum. Discussion forums in online educational platforms often require monitoring of thousands of users. Due to the large number of posts, it is difficult to supervise all students. In order to perform an effective monitoring, it is necessary computational tools to assist the teacher. This study aims to develop an approach to manage educational forums posts. To achieve this goal, two steps were performed: the identification of posts classified as doubt, and the extraction of the subject from post. In the Identification stage, the neural network algorithm achieved 97% of accuracy. For subject extraction step was proposed an algorithm based on unsupervised learning and Wikipedia. This algorithm achieved a 76.1% of accuracy. Moreover, the system recommended videos to the student according to the subject extracted from posts. This approach assists the teacher by reducing the time used to answer the students’ questions, and the student by providing supplementary materials to help solve his doubt.
Use Science to Size Your Pumps
Authors: Sarrouh Sami
Published: October 2017

Science‐based pump selection helps water utilities optimize pump performance by targeting ideal pump curves.
If Your Language Was a Car… The Object(s) of Linguistic Research, or: Towards a Shared Geography of Linguistics
Authors: Harder Peter
Published: October 2017

The article suggests that there are underexplored possibilities for fruitful communication between formal and functionalist linguistics. A key issue is the question of exactly what each approach is aiming to capture about language. This is especially relevant for understanding the status of claims about autonomy. The role of distributional regularities and their precise relations with semantic motivation is argued to be a shared problem that could fruitfully be addressed from both sides of the divide – and the role of niche construction as a dimension of evolutionary theory is put forward as providing a new take on the innateness debate. Torben Thrane’s work is discussed as an illustration example.
Semantics and Pragmatics of Bridge Language
Authors: Nølke Henning
Published: October 2017

No abstract.
Scientific Instruments on the move in the North American Magnetic Survey, 1843-1844
Authors: Goodman Matthew
Published: October 2017

In 1843-4, John Henry Lefroy conducted a geomagnetic survey of Hudson’s Bay Company territory in British North America. Lefroy and his instruments, guided by French Canadian voyageurs and Indigenous guides moved within the HBC network of forts and outposts. This paper complements and extends historical accounts of Lefroy’s survey by examining how, and how well, Lefroy’s instruments moved on this extensive survey. The recent material turn in the history and historical geography of science provides the framework for a closer reading of the spatial biographies of several of Lefroy’s instruments. Focusing on their varying states of disrepair—and solutions to repair them—this paper not only recaptures the materiality of these instruments, but adds to our understanding of repair and maintenance in the history of survey science. Looking at instruments as objects to be carried and managed also helps illuminate the overlooked role of Indigenous and French Canadian voyageurs in scientific expeditions.