bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shakespeare in the Arab Jordanian Consciousness: Shylock in the Poetry of ʿArār (Mustafa Wahbi Al-Tal)
Authors: Alhawamdeh Hussein A. , Almazaidah Ismail Suliman
Published: January 2019

Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice has been reimagined, adapted, and appropriated by Arab playwrights and poets. The Arab Jordanian poet ʿArār (Mustafa Wahbi Al-Tal; 1897–1949) appropriates Shakespeare's anti-archetype of the figure of the Jew, Shylock, to criticize two local issues in the early twentieth-century context in Jordan and Palestine. First, the phenomenon of money-lending by Jordanian merchants, which led to the confiscation of the poor peasants' lands in the early twentieth century. Second, the condemnation of Zionism and its association with Western colonialism. Shakespeare's Shylock, on one hand, is recreated as a Jordanian Shylock, who is a usurer, and, on the other, as a Zionist Shylock. This remoulding of Shakespeare's Shylock as an Arab and Zionist reveals the post-Shakespeare Arab audience's new perception of The Merchant of Venice as a play about the political and behavioral affiliations of Shylock rather than about his Jewish ethnicity.
Anomie Écrasant, Religiopolitical Fundamentalism and American Evangelicalism: The Advent of Rightest Americanism and Islamophobia
Authors: Chak Farhan Mujahid
Published: January 2019

This article explains how intensifying levels of Durkheim's “anomie”—that is, the weakening of social bonds, social alienation and normlessness—lead to the development of a fundamentalist offshoot of American Evangelicalism termed “Rightest Americanism” and its virulent Islamophobia. To begin, it does so by arguing the anomic condition is not uniform, and a variety of intensities are possible. Consequently, Teymoori, Bastian and Jetten describe “high anomie” as containing high levels of disregulation and disintegration. Adding to that, Chak (2019) argues that at its most intense manifestation “anomie écrasant,” it includes value incoherence and moral ambivalence across social spheres leading to high levels of social frustration. Collectively, that intense anomic condition leads to a uniquely “conflicted” cultural milieu that cultivates religiopolitical fundamentalism. And, in the United States, this led to a vitriolic strain within Evangelicalism described as “Rightest Americanism,” which weaves together the return of Jesus Christ, the destruction of Al-Aqsa Mosque and Islamophobia into a violent, apocalyptic social imaginary. Not only that, it also advocates for World War III and the end of the world. Now, with the presidency of Donald Trump, there are legitimate concerns on how this dangerous ideology poses a danger to global peace.
The Mercantilist Root of the United States, Europe and Japan's Refusal to Accept China's Market Economy Status
Authors: Wu Shanlin
Published: January 2019

The United States, the European Union and Japan refused to accept China's market economy status (MES), so as to continue fleecing the flock of China. They are pursuing trade protectionism by means of default partly because of a deep mercantilist tradition. Although it has long been outside the mainstream academic discourse system, this tradition was clearly demonstrated in the economic policies and played an important role in the rising and incumbent stage of some countries. Nowadays, the world economy is still shrouded in the economic crisis; countries concerned are no longer shy about trade protectionism to get out of sluggish growth and to delay the rise of China. This article seeks to examine the essence of the United States, Europe and Japan's group default and its root from a mercantilist perspective. It also expresses concern about the prospect of the international economic situation.
Trump's Deja Vu China Trade War
Authors: Rasmus Jack
Published: January 2019

The Trump administration is pursuing a “dual track” trade offensive. Track One, announced with US steel-aluminum tariffs, seeks token adjustments to preexisting trade terms with allies in NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), Europe, South Korea, and other US bilateral free trade agreements. The recent South Korea-US negotiations represent the soft template. In Track Two, Trump is pursuing a hard line with China. US objectives are threefold: limit technology transfer to China, obtain more access to China markets for US business, and reduce the US current account deficit with China. US elites are internally split, however, on which objective should be given priority: the US defense establishment prioritizes the first, US multinational corporations and trade groups the second, while Trump seeks the third as means to mobilize his domestic political base with evidence that his “economic nationalist” policies are producing results. China's counter to Trump is a “carrot & stick” response offering concessions to the second and third US objectives, while holding firm on the first. The US-China trade dispute should be viewed as a weak US attempt to reproduce Reagan's 1985 Plaza Accord targeting Japan, and Nixon's 1971 abandonment of the Bretton Woods dollar-gold peg standard, targeting Europe. Trump's offense will prove less successful, however. The author predicts a US-China full blown trade war will be averted, as Trump and US capitalists settle for gains in objectives two and three, while denying China acquisitions of US corporations.
Pedagogía del arte dramático y aprendizaje en línea: ¿una herramienta potencial para aprender en una sociedad del conocimiento?
Authors: Lynch Douglas E. , Haj-Mohamadia Sourena , Murphy Yeoman Lauren , Sparangis Themistocles
Published: January 2019

Este artículo presenta evidencias de que el aprendizaje en línea no se ha diferenciado significativamente del aprendizaje presencial y que ambos se basan en gran medida en la pedagogía didáctica centrada en el aula. Por ello, se presenta como alternativa el uso de propuestas pedagógicas como la pedagogía de las artes dramáticas, que se alinea muy bien con las habilidades del siglo XXI y sugiere que existen oportunidades para futuras investigaciones sobre la aplicación de dichas aproximaciones para enseñar habilidades propias del siglo XXI en línea.
Un modelo conceptual de transformación digital. Openergy y el caso de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Authors: Arango Serna Martín Darío , Branch John W. , Castro Benavides Lina María , Burgos Daniel
Published: January 2019

La transformación digital en la Universidad se aborda como un punto de inflexión creado por nuevos paradigmas que surgen del mundo digital, y que la ha llevado a repensarse como institución para seguir siendo competitiva, visible en su dinámica de transformación social, sostenible a través del tiempo, y no perder su vigencia en el desarrollo tecnológico que surge, en constate cambio, atendiendo así las necesidades del entorno social del que forma parte. Al asumir este reto, la universidad reconoce que es de vital importancia, como primera medida, realizar una Transformación Cultural. Este artículo presenta el caso de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia (U.N.), que abordó este cambio, en su fase inicial, a través de la divulgación con los integrantes de la alta dirección. Para lograrlo, se diseñó una metodología, que prioriza su intervención en dos aspectos: el primero, la generación de la cultura organizacional alrededor de la Transformación Digital; el segundo, la creación del Proyecto Estratégico Institucional “Transformación Digital U.N. 2030”. Ambos aspectos buscan alinear la cultura corporativa existente con las nuevas realidades digitales de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, a través de un estudio de prospectiva. La red Openergy y la Universidad Nacional de Colombia aúnan visiones sobre la definición de la Transformación Digital como un proceso de cambio cultural dentro de una entidad con impacto en todo su contexto. La Universidad Nacional de Colombia aporta a Openergy su experiencia de definición e implementación de la visión 2030, lo que supone aportaciones desde la gestión, la docencia, la tutorización y la interacción con los diversos actores de ese proceso. En este artículo se presentan los resultados más relevantes que se identificaron en la recopilación de información primaria, y en la caracterización de los imaginarios y expectativas de los diferentes participantes y actores del proceso de transformación digital. Lo que arroja una aproximación a un modelo que los autores han denominado el Gran Partenón, que se explicita en este artículo. Adicionalmente, se reflexiona sobre las características del proceso que pueden ser aplicadas a la red Openergy y cómo puede contribuir activamente. Finalmente, se presentan las conclusiones más relevantes que se han encontrado en este ejercicio de modelización, pretendiendo mostrar la alineación y coordinación de las políticas institucionales con el quehacer universitario.
COSTAL HUMPBACK RESECTION AS A FINAL STAGE OF IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS SURGICAL TREATMENT
Authors: Gubina Elena Vladimirovna , Mikhailovsky Mikhail Vitalyevich , Sarnadsky Vladimir Nikolayevich
Published: January 2019

Objective. To analyse results of multistage surgical treatment of idiopathic scoliosis including costal humpback resection. Material and Methods. From 1996 to 2005 twenty girls with idiopathic scoliosis underwent spine deformity correction with Harrington distraction rod with Drummond interspinous wires (Group I) or with Cotrel – Dubousset Horizon Instrumentation (Group II). The final long-dated stage after correction of deformity included the costal humpback resection at the convex side only. Radiologic and topographic examinations were performed, and lung vital capacity parameter was used for lung function assessment. Patients answered the Russian version of SRS-24 questionnaire after correction and at each follow-up examination. Results. In Group I the mean curvature was 81.7° ± 26.7° (range, 55–107°) before correction and 34.5° ± 13.1° after correction (primary curve correction 57.8 ± 14.1 %). Mean correction loss in dynamics before resection was 8°, after resection 4.3°. In Group II the primary curve magnitude before correction was 87.4° ± 27.1° (range, 48–126°), after correction 42.7° ± 16.9° (primary curve correction 51.9 ± 9.6 %). Average correction loss in dynamics before resection was 3.5°, after resection 2.4°. Spirometric findings presented the following dynamics: lung vital capacity before resection was 1980 ml with mean early postoperative decrease by 16.8 % and subsequent reversion to the preoperative level or increase to 2010 ml. According to the questionnaire survey 100 patients gave the consent for surgery. Conclusion. Costal humpback resection as a cosmetic intervention improves the patient’s assessment of spine deformity surgical correction result.
TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH GRADE III–IV THORACOLUMBAR SCOLIOSIS AFTER PRIOR SURGERY BY HARRINGTON METHOD
Authors: Sampiev Mukhammad Tablikhanovich , Laka Aleksandr Andreyevich , Balashov Stepan Petrovich
Published: January 2019

Objective. To analyze the results of idiopathic scoliosis correction with instrumentation developed by the authors in patients previously operated by the Harrington method. Material and Methods. Ten patients of 14–31 years of age with grade III–IV scoliotic deformity previously operated by the Harrington method were reoperated with universal endocorrector. The reasons for repeat surgery included a fracture of Harrington rod, insufficient correction of scoliotic deformity, perforation of the vertebral arch by distractor hook, and the trunk imbalance. All patients underwent simultaneous two-stage surgery involving distractor removal and scoliosis correction with universal endocorrector. The follow-up period was 6–24 months. Results. Mean correction in rod fracture group was 61.08 % without complications, in undercorrection group (mean correction 27.24 %) it achieved 63.39 %. In the group of patients with vertebra arch penetration and pain syndrome the mean correction by universal endocorrector was 34.29 % with 100 % reduction of pain. During the 6–24 months follow- up there were no correction loss or neurologic and septic complications in operated patients. Conclusions. The new instrumentation provides greater correction (1.8 times) of scoliotic deformity than Harrington rod instrumentation. It is successfully used in repeat surgery and equally effective both in adolescent and in adult scoliosis.
TREATMENT OF OSTEOPOROTIC VERTEBRAL FRACTURES
Authors: Rakhmatillaev Shukhrat Numonzhonovich , Rerikh Viktor Viktorovich , Sadovoy Mikhail Anatolyevich
Published: January 2019

Objective. To analyze treatment results in patients with osteoporitic fractures of the thoracic and lumbar vertebral bodies. Material and Methods. The study was performed in 301 patients (aged 20 to 81 years) with noncomplicated fractures of thoracic and lumbar vertebral bodies associated with osteoporosis. Compression fractures were diagnosed in 42.5 % of patients, splintered – in 21.3 %, and burst – in 36.2 %. Grade I osteoporosis was observed in 12.6 %, Grade II – in 52.5 %, Grade III – in 27.5 %, and Grade IV – in 7.4 % of patients. Conservative treatment was performed in 188 patients. After pain syndrome relief and fixation with removable spinal brace the patients were discharged for follow-up care. Another 113 patients underwent surgical treatment: transpedicular fixation was done in 15.0 % of cases, transpedicular fixation with osteoplasty – in 50.4 %, two-stage surgical procedure – in 24.7 %, and vertebroplasty – in 9.9 %. Results. The outcomes after conservative treatment for osteoporotic vertebral fractures was good in 13.0 % of patients, satisfactory in 43.0 %, and nonsatisfactory in 44.0 %. Patients showed a progression of osteoporosis and deformity magnitude between 8 and 36 weeks after the treatment. Surgical treatment of veretbral fractures had excellent results in 27.4 % of patients, good results in 51.6 %, satisfactory in 19.7 %, and nonsatisfactory in 1,5 %. Correction of all deformity components of the injured spine segment was observed in the postoperative period. Conclusion. Differentiated treatment for osteoporotic fractures of the thoracic and lumber vertebral bodies associated with osteoporosis improves the treatment results and reduces the treatment failure rate.
BIOMECHANICAL SUBSTANTIATION OF OPTIMAL CONTENT OF COMPOSITE USED IN PERCUTANEOS VERTEBROPLASTY
Authors: Prodan Aleksandr Ivanovich , Gruntovsky Gennady Kharlampyevich , Popov Andrey Ivanovich , Karpinsky Mikhail Yuryevich , Subbota Igor Abatolyevich , Karpinskaya Elena Dmitryevna
Published: January 2019

Objectives. To specify optimal content of the injectable composite material for percutanious vertebroplasty. Material and Methods. Two sets of experiments were performed. Alimentary osteoporosis was induced in 19 rats and confirmed histologically in 3 rats. Sixteen rats underwent anterior procedure of spherical defect drilling in L6 vertebral body. The defect was filled with bone cement (Osteopol-V) in group I (n = 8) and with composite material (Osteopol-V – 80 %; hydroxiapatite (HAP) – 4 %; tricalcium phosphate (TCP) – 16 %) in group II (n = 8). Vertebral bodies were extirpated three months after vertebroplasty. Four bodies in each group were subjected to biomechanical testing, another four – to hystological one. Results. The elastic modulus of composite material is most similar to that of the cortical bone when it contains 80–90 % of bone cement with HAP/TCP ratio to be 2:8, as was confirmed by mathematical calculations. Mechanical testing of specimens have shown that the most strong composite contain 80 % of bone cement, 4 % of HAP, and 16 % of TCP. Experimental testing of intact osteoporotic vertebral bodies vs vertebral bodies 3 months after vertebroplasty with bone cement (Group I) and with composite material (Group II) has clearly shown, that composite material provides a higher strength, bone tissue ingrowth into resorbable ceramic, and a solid osteointegration. Conclusion. New injectable composite material significantly increases the strength and stiffness of both fractured and nonfractured osteoporotic vertebrae. This material can be used for restabilization of osteoporotic compression fracture and for prevention of vertebral body compression in osteoporosis.
SOME PECULIARITIES OF SURGICAL TREATMENT FOR SEVERE IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS IN ADOLESCENTS
Authors: Vasyura Aleksandr Sergeyevich , Novikov Vyacheslav Viktorovich , Mikhailovsky Mikhail Vitalyevich , Khanaev Albert Leonidovich , Gubina Elena Vladimirovna , Udalova Inga Gennadyevna , Sarnadsky Vladimir Nikolayevich , Korel Anastasia Viktorovna
Published: January 2019

Objective. To analyse the outcomes of surgery for severe idiopathic scoliosis. Material and Methods. Seventy nine patients at the age of 12 to 20 years (male and female ratio is 8:71) with spine deformity more than 90° operated on with CDI with ventral fusion (72 patients) and without it (7 patients) were examined. Average follow-up is 1.3 years. Data of X-ray, COMOT examination, intervertebral disk morphological study and Russian version of SRS-4 questionnairy were analyzed. Results. Average correction was 55.0°. Postoperative progression was 3.4°. CDI correction with previous intervertebral disk excision at the apex of scoliotic arch added 26.5° to preoperative correction in lateral bending, and in combination with skeletal traction – 40.6°. Counter-curvature initially averaged 69.7°, correction was 36.5°, and postoperative progression – 4.0°. Preoperative thoracic kyphosis was 59.6°, postoperative – 33.8°, lumbar lordosis was decreased from 68.1° to 48.7°. Patient’s satisfaction was 100.0 % and did not decline in time. Positive dynamics was noted in all parameters of dorsal trunk shape. Conclusion. Contemporary segmental instrumentation for treatment of severe idiopathic scoliosis allows achieving and reliably retaining substantial correction of deformity. Various types of preoperative traction can be replaced by intraoperative release of the deformed spine including discectomy.
CLINICAL HEMODYNAMIC DISORDERS IN ADOLESCENTS WITH VERTEBROGENIC SYNDROME OF VERTEBRAL ARTERY
Authors: Mamonova Elena Yuryevna
Published: January 2019

Objective. To study peculiarities of vertebral and cerebral hemodynamic disorders in adolescents with cervical spine osteochondrosis. Material and Methods. The examination of 220 adolescents at the age of 14 to 18 years was conducted, which included clinical, radiographic, neuropsychologic, ultrasonic and neurophysiologic techniques. Results. Asymmetry of linear blood velocity in vertebral artery (VA) was observed in 95.0 % of cases with compression irritative type of vertebrogenic VA syndrome and in 77.2 % – with reflex angiospastic type. Bilateral reduction of linear blood velocity in VA was revealed in 5.0% of cases with compression irritative type and in 22.8 % – with reflex angiospastic type of VA syndrome. Conclusion. Hemodynamic changes in VA in adolescents with cervical osteochondrosis manifest themselves through asymmetry and bilateral reduction of linear blood velocity in VA.
SURGICAL TREATMENT OF CERVICAL SPINE INJURIES BY PRIMARY STABLE FIXATION WITH METAL CONSTRUCTIONS
Authors: Vetrile Stepan Timofeyevich , Krupatkin Aleksandr Ilyich , Yundin Sergey Viktorovich
Published: January 2019

Objective. To study efficiency of primary stable metal constructions and halo-vest for lower cervical spine injuries. Material and Methods. Experience in surgical treatment of 62 patients with various injuries of lower cervical spine has been analyzed and summarized. The patients were grouped according to two main factors causing the injured spine dysfunction: dislocation damages (dislocations, fracture-dislocations), in which compression of neurovascular structures and disturbance of spine support ability are caused by vertebra dislocation; and vertebral body fractures (compression, compression-splintered) in which the compression and disturbance are arising from vertebral body destruction. In the first case a reduction of dislocated vertebra by various methods depending on the duration and rigidity of the injury was performed. In the second case a destroyed vertebral body was resected with subsequent stabilization. Results. The choice of surgical tactics with use of modern metal fixation devices was substantiated for treatment of lower cervical spine injuries. Indications for the application of anterior and posterior stabilizing constructions were determined considering a compression direction of neurovascular structures and a degree of destruction of the spine support columns. An algorithm of surgical treatment was suggested basing on a principle of damage reposition irrespective of injury duration. High efficiency of Halo-traction for treatment of lower cervical spine injuries was proved and its most effective application (combination with various methods of internal fixation) was determined. Conclusion. The application of primary stable metal devices in combination with halo fixation is a method of choice for treatment of lower cervical spine injuries.
ON ETIOPATHOGENESIS OF IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS
Authors: Dudin Mikhail Georgyevich , Pinchuk Dmitry Yuryevich , Bekshaev Sergey Stepanovich , Svyatogor Irina Aleksandrovna , Pinchuk Olga Dmitryevna , Bumakova Svetlana Anatolyevna , Pavlova V. B. , Rybka Dina Olegovna
Published: January 2019

Objectives. To study a role of the central nervous system (CNS) in development of idiopathic scoliosis (IS) and to reveal potential neurophysiologic mechanisms participating in this process. Material and Methods. Electroencephalography (EEG) has been applied to examine patients with IS. For the first time the received data were processed by a mathematical method which allowed to establish the temporal organization of basic brain rhythm formation (α, β, θ). Results. Variants of deviations in functioning of basal structures of the brain and its trunk distinctive for sluggish and rapid progressing forms of IS are revealed. Theoretical description of pathogenetic links of idiopathic three-plane spine deformity formation is suggested. It is proved that a basic condition for its development is a disturbance in longitudinal growth conjugation of the spine bone structures and the spinal cord, which demands certain compensating reactions. Conclusion. Long-term uncontrolled asymmetric change in paravertebral muscle tone is a key link in a clinical formation of IS.
CORRELATION BETWEEN THE RATE OF DECOMPENSATION IN SPINAL MEMBRANE BLOOD CIRCULATION, THE MAGNITUDE OF SPINAL DEFORMITY AND THE OUTCOMES OF SURGICAL TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS
Authors: Schurova Еlena Nikolayevna , Khudyaev Aleksandr Timofeyevich , Kovalenko Pavel Ivanovich
Published: January 2019

Objective. To study microcirculation in spinal membranes, and its correlation with the magnitude of spinal deformity and the outcomes of surgical treatment in patients with grade III–IV idiopathic scoliosis. Material and Methods. Intraoperative laser Doppler flowmetry was performed to measure microcirculation in spinal membranes at the deformity apex and adjacent segments during surgical correction of scoliosis in 10 patients at the age of 14 to 17 years. Results. It was revealed that the volumetric capillary blood flow in spinal membranes at the deformity apex was decreased by 27–57 % as compared to sufficient level. Decompensation of microcirculation in membranes was more expressed in Sshaped deformity. Blood flow reduction is in direct relation to the angle of spine deformity. Spine deformity correction with intraoperative distraction measuring from 5 to 20 mm could cause neurologic complications if blood flow in spinal membranes at the apex of deformity is less than 20ml/min per 100 g and cranial blood flow ranges from 18 to 40 ml/min per 100 g. These patients should be treated with a more sparing intraoperative distraction of the spine (≤5 mm) followed by conservative enhancement of spinal cord microcirculation. Conclusion. Parameters of volumetric capillary blood flow in spinal membranes at the deformity apex and adjacent segments could be used for prediction of neurological complications in surgical correction of idiopathic scoliosis.
MODERN PRINCIPLES OF DISPENSARY SYSTEM FOR CHILDREN WITH SPINE DEFORMITIES IN REMOTE REGIONS
Authors: Batrshin Ilgis Timergadievich , Sadovoy Mikhail Anatolyevich , Mikhailovsky Mikhail Vitalyevich , Sadovaya Tatyana Nikiforovna
Published: January 2019

Objective. To analyze the efficacy of dispensary system for children with spine deformities in remote regions of Western Siberia. Material and Methods. Total of 4400 children at the age of 6 to 16 years were screened being divided into three groups: 1 – children of aborigines residing in habitual country-side; 2 – children of aborigines residing in towns; 3 – children of migrants. Control group included 2200 schoolchildren from Novosibirsk City. A posture and a spine shape were evaluated by Computer Optical Topograph (COMOT). Screening and monitoring of children living in remote villages was performed in expeditions with mobile version of COMOT. Results. Children of Group 1 have the smallest degree of spine deformity. This group presented the lowest incidence of scoliosis, absence of severe forms, and the largest number of healthy children (18.8 %). There were the smallest figures (3.63°) of spine curvature and the lowest index (0.62) of arch lateral tilt among overall sample in this group. The spine curvature in this group is the smallest (3.63°) from that of the whole sample, as well as the lowest index of lateral arch deviation (0.62). In accordance with standard topographic criteria for assessing posture disorder and spine deformity in three planes only 4.7 % of all examined children and adolescents were healthy and had a balanced posture. Children of aborigines have the most balanced posture and the smallest degree of spine deformity. Conclusion. Revealing of risk territories and factors, and possible zoning of spine pathology distribution are the priorities of preventive spine medicine. Account must be taken of territorial risk factors and peculiarities of aborigine constitution when specialized medical care is organized in remote regions.
ETIOLOGY AND PATHOGENESIS OF IDIOPATHIC SCOLIOSIS
Authors: Zaidman Alla Mikhailovna , Korel Anastasia Viktorovna , Rykova Valentina Ivanovna , Grigoryeva Elvira Vitalyevna , Eschenko Tatyana Yuryevna , Sadovaya Tatyana Nikiforovna
Published: January 2019

Objective. To study etiologic factors and pathogenetic mechanisms of scoliosis development. Material and Methods. We investigated vertebral body growth plates (GP) from convex and concave sides of the curve, intervertebral discs (IVD), and vertebral bone tissue – surgical material obtained from 100 patients at the age from 10 to 14 years with III–IV grade idiopathic scoliosis (IS). Structural components of the spine of 12–14 years old children obtained from the forensic medicine department were used as controls. The methods of morphohistochemistry, biochemistry, and ultrastructural analysis were used to study glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), oxidation-reduction enzymes, alkali and acid phosphatases, RNA, DNA, qualitative and quantitative composition of GAGs. The expression of proteoglycan genes of cartilage tissue and their protein products was investigated with molecular genetic assays. Results. Pathogenetic mechanism of spine deformity formation in idiopathic scoliosis was formulated. It was shown that idiopathic scoliosis development is predetermined by a disorder in regulation and synthesis of proteoglycans in vertebral GP. The decrease of chondroitin sulphate and increase of keratan sulphate components in proteoglycans indicate the change of proteoglycan spectrum in IS. The revealed keratan sulphate fraction is a result of increased expression of lumikan gene in condition of sharp decrease of aggrecan gene expression and its protein product quantity in chondroblasts of patients with III–IV grade IS. Conclusion. Alteration in aggrecan gene expression at the level of transcription and translation testifies for its involvement in scoliosis development.
Orthotropic mechano-sorptive creep behavior of Chinese fir during the moisture adsorption process determined in tensile mode via dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA)
Authors: Peng Hui , Jiang Jiali , Lu Jianxiong , Cao Jinzhen
Published: January 2019

The orthotropic viscoelastic creep (VEC) at a constant moisture content (MC) and mechano-sorptive creep (MSC) during the adsorption process were examined for Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) under tension at 20, 40, 60 and 80% relative humidity (RH) (30°C). Free swelling was performed on matched specimens based on the strain partition assumption to better understand the characteristics of the mechano-sorptive (MS) phenomenon. Expansion, elastic and time-dependent creep behaviors of radial (R) and tangential (T) specimens were affected by the MC to a higher degree than those of the longitudinal (L) specimen. A higher proportion of elastic strain in total strain was found in the L specimen as compared with transverse specimens, regardless of VEC and MSC. The RH level had a greater effect on relaxation behavior in the L specimen for MSC. According to the three tests, expansion mainly dominated the creep strain during adsorption, especially for the L specimen. The MS strain exerted more influence on transverse specimens and had less contribution to the L specimen. Moreover, under all RH isohume (RHI) conditions, the unstable state contributed to MS strain diminishing as MC approached equilibrium moisture content (EMC). A shorter adsorption time to a new equilibrium state was achieved at the expense of intensifying the unstable state of the wood cell wall.
A “miracle” pregnancy outcome of severe placental abruption
Authors: Ting Joyce Chin Sing , Wong Xiu Sing , Yong Soon Leong , Kang Marcus
Published: January 2019

Severe placental abruption is associated with high maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. Prompt delivery is usually mandatory in this situation. We report a case of a 33-year-old woman, gravida 5, para 3 + 1, at 26 weeks + 3 days’ gestation who had severe placental abruption involving 40% of the placental surface complicated with maternal moderate anaemia and thrombocytopenia. In view of the extreme foetal prematurity and stable condition of both mother and foetus, expectant management was undertaken. The pregnancy was further complicated by foetal growth restriction detected 2 weeks later. At 30 weeks of gestation, an emergency caesarean section was performed for foetal distress. The surgery was uneventful and she delivered a live baby with good Apgar scores. This case report illustrates an atypically satisfactory pregnancy outcome of severe placental abruption. Conservative management of severe placental abruption is possible in rare cases, taking into consideration the gestational week as well as the maternal haemodynamic condition and foetal well-being. When severe placental abruption is confounded by severe prematurity, a decision on whether to prolong the pregnancy to improve the perinatal outcome and neonatal survival needs to be carefully weighed against the usual management option of immediate delivery.
Comparison of Al-Zn-Mg Alloy P-MIG Welded Joints Filled with Different Wires
Authors: Dianlong Wang , Guangyun Diao , Zhimin Liang
Published: January 2019

Three kinds of welding filler wires, named ER5356, ER5087 and ER4043, were used to joint 12 mm thick Al-Zn-Mg alloy plate by the pulsed MIG(P-MIG) welding. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the joints were analyzed and compared. The results showed that the average tensile strengths of the joints filled with ER5356, ER5087 and ER4043 were 294 MPa, 313 MPa and 237 MPa, respectively, and the average elongations were 7.9%, 7.6% and 1.6%, respectively. All the joints’s fracture locations were near the fusion boundary. The microhardness test showed that the locations of the lowest hardness were all in the center of cross section. The results revealed that the weld filler by ER5087 was consist of more columnar crystals of larger grain size, while the weld filled by ER5356 was consist of more equiaxed grains of smaller grain size. The microstructure of the weld by ER4043 was typical eutectic dendrites structure.
Two-year prospective study of characteristics and outcome of adolescents referred to an adolescent urgent psychiatric clinic
Authors: Roberts Nasreen , Booij Linda , Axas Nicholas , Repetti Leanne
Published: January 2019

Objective:

(a) To describe the clinical characteristics and outcome of adolescents referred for urgent psychiatric consultation, and (b) compare suicidal with non-suicidal referrals.

Methods:

This was a 2-year prospective study. Data was gathered on demographic, historical and clinical variables. Comparison of suicidal and non-suicidal patients was conducted using χ2. A hospital database was used for referral and wait times.

Results:

Of 805 assessments, 55% were referred by emergency physicians and 28% by primary care physicians. Sixty-four percent of referrals were referred for suicidal behavior and depression and 19.6% for aggression. Eighty percent had a positive family psychiatric history and 59% were bullied. The most frequent psychiatrist assigned diagnosis was attention deficit disorder/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD). Almost a quarter did not require psychiatric follow-up. Referrals to an outpatient clinic and admission were reduced significantly. Greater suicidality was associated with being female, presence of bullying-victimization and substance abuse [χ2(1)=9.33, p=0.002].

Conclusion:

Suicidal behavior is the most common reason for urgent psychiatric consults. ADHD was the most frequent psychiatrist assigned diagnosis. Urgent psychiatric services can reduce admissions, referrals and wait times for hospital based clinics for low lethality, low intent suicidal behaviors and facilitate triage to community services.
A Note on the Decline of Collective Bargaining Coverage: The Role of Structural Change
Authors: Ellguth Peter , Kohaut Susanne
Published: January 2019

In the last 20 years there is a sharp decline in collective bargaining coverage in Germany. Research on the determinants of collective bargaining shows: subscribing to a sectoral bargaining system depends on several structural factors, like firm size, branch affiliation, owner-ship, firm age and work force composition. Parameter that – at least partly - were subject to considerable changes in the last two decades. With data of the IAB establishment panel we want to determine which part of the decline in collective bargaining coverage is due to structural change. We use a decomposition technique (Fairlie 2005) to break down the differences in coverage between 1998 and 2016. Further-more we take a look at distinct subgroups of establishments (along firm size). Our findings show that there is some influence of structural factors on the decline of collective bargaining coverage in the long run. And there are considerable differences between small and large firms with the decisions of the latter being more dependent on structural change.
Voluntary Quits: Do Works Councils Matter? An Analysis of the Reform of the German Works Constitution Act 2001
Authors: Adam Julian B.
Published: January 2019

Most of the literature on the effects of German works councils does not deal with the issue of potential endogeneity of works council existence. Exploiting exogenous variation in works council authority stemming from a 2001 reform of the German Works Constitution Act, I apply a regression difference-in-difference using establishment panel data. I find that increasing works council size and the introduction of one full-time councilor causally reduces the number of voluntary quits by about 30 %. This decline is driven entirely by collective voice effects and there is no evidence for monopoly effects in place. Similar to the findings of previous research, the effect is significant only in establishments which are subject to a collective agreement. The results suggest that the effectiveness of works councils either heavily relies on the support of unions, or that works councils mainly serve as a guardian of collective agreements.
Method and Algorithm for Topology Automatic Discovery in Complicated Passive Optical Network Architecture
Authors: Qin Panke , Liu Tao , Ye Qing , Zhao Zongqu , Tang Yongli
Published: January 2019

Passive Optical Network (PON) plays an important role in optical access network due to its characteristics of resources saving and network protocol transparency. In the process of running and operating a PON system, a reliable network management system (NMS) is necessary. In order to acquisition the management object, NMS should perform topology automatic discovery process with the help of embedded software. Aiming at various types of the convergence network’s topology and the complicated architecture, this article proposes a topology automatic discovery algorithm to promote the network management. We have designed and verified the automatic discovery method on our simulation platform with SNMP-Agent-enabled OLTs.
Customised birthweight standard for a Slovenian population
Authors: Premru-Srsen Tanja , Verdenik Ivan , Mihevc Ponikvar Barbara , Hugh Oliver , Francis Andre , Gardosi Jason
Published: January 2019

Objective

To produce a customised birthweight standard for Slovenia.

Methods

This retrospective study used a cohort from the National Perinatal Information System of Slovenia (NPIS). Prospectively collected information from pregnancies delivered in all of Slovenia’s 14 maternal hospitals between 1st January 2003 and 31st December 2012 was included. Coefficients were derived using a backward stepwise multiple regression technique.

Results

A total of 126,627 consecutive deliveries with complete data were included in the multivariable analysis. Maternal height, weight in early pregnancy and parity as well as the baby’s sex were identified as physiological variables, with coefficients comparable to findings in other countries. The expected 280-day birthweight, free from pathological influences, of a standard size mother (height 163 cm, weight 64 kg) in her first pregnancy was 3451.3 g. Pathological influences on birthweight within this population included low and high maternal age, low and high body mass index (BMI), smoking, pre-existing and gestational diabetes and pre-existing and gestational hypertension.

Conclusion

The analysis confirmed the main physiological variables that affect birthweight in studies from other countries, and was able to quantify additional pathological factors of maternal age and gestational diabetes. Development of a country-specific customised birthweight standard will aid clinicians in Slovenia with the distinction between normal and abnormal small-for-gestational age (SGA) fetuses, thus avoiding unnecessary interventions and improving identification of at risk pregnancies, and long-term outcomes for infants.
In situ measurement of terrestrial gamma dose rates in eastern region of Peninsular Malaysia and its relation to geological formation and soil types
Authors: Saleh Muneer Aziz , Ramli Ahmad Termizi , Hamzah Khaidzir Bin , Zainal Jasman , Sies Mohsin Mohd , Gabdo Hamman Tukur , Garba Nuraddeen Nasiru
Published: January 2019

This present study aims to obtain baseline data of environmental terrestrial radiation and to assess the corresponding health risk in the ambient environment in eastern region of Peninsular Malaysia. The measurements were taken 1 m above the soil surface using NaI [Ti] detector with a total of 2144 measured points which covered all geological formations and soil types. The measured gamma dose rates ranged from 26 nGy h−1 to 750 nGy h−1 with a mean value of 172±90 nGy h−1. The mean gamma dose rate is three times higher than world averages of 57 nGy h−1. The data of gamma dose rates show the reading of the gamma dose rates not fit to the normal distribution. The variations of gamma dose rates based on geological formation and soil types were investigated using the unbalanced one way ANOVA. The results indicated strong significant differences due to the different geological formations and soil types. The T-test of gamma dose rates for each pair of soil types or geological formations and their hypothesis test at 95 % confidential level were compared to shows the significant difference between each pairs. The results indicate that the gamma dose rates for all pairs of soil types were significant differed except the miscellaneous soil while the gamma dose rates of the pairs of geological formation were also significant differed except the intermediate and intrusive geological formations. Acid intrusive and intermediate intrusive geological formations has the highest mean values of 223 nGy h−1 and 278 nGy h−1, respectively. These values are approximately four and five times the world average. Soil type (Steep land) has the highest gamma dose rate with the mean value of 215 nGy h−1. The radiological health information which are the total annual effective dose equivalent, the collective effective dose, lifetime effective dose and the lifetime cancer risk for each person are 0.844 mSv, 3.53×103 man Sv y−1, 59.10 mSv and 3.25×10−3, respectively. The results in eastern region of Peninsular Malaysia were comparable to different areas in Malaysia, which indicate the value reported in UNSCEAR, 2000 should be adjusted to the current status in Malaysia.
Die Gewissheit der Orientierung
Authors: Stegmaier Werner
Published: January 2019

In his treatises A Defence of Common Sense (1925), Proof of an External World (1939), and Certainty (1941), G.E. Moore wanted to put an end to the modern doubts about the certainty of reality and the ‘external world’ by pointing to the undeniable plausibilities of ‘empirical propositions,’ such as ‘I know that this is my hand’ or ‘I know that the earth had existed before my body was born.’ Wittgenstein, who was intensely grappling with Moore’s proofs during the last one and a half years before his expected death, still questioned these proofs and countered them with his concept of language games – including a different logic of the ‘connection with reality.’ Philosophically, he thereby left many loose ends in all places and admittedly a ‘gap’ between them, which he was no longer able to close. But he prepared for closing the gap by means of his concept of orientation, which he had initiated in his Philosophical Investigations without defining it in this term. In a new interpretation of On Certainty from the perspective of the Philosophy of Orientation, this paper tries to show how the attention to the phenomenon of orientation and the language game in which it is expressed can close this gap and thus carry on Wittgenstein's late philosophy to a certain point.
A Brief Update on Editions Offered by the Wittgenstein Archives at the University of Bergen and Licences for their Use (as of June 2018)
Authors: Pichler Alois
Published: January 2019

The paper presents the resources offered by the Wittgenstein Archives at the University of Bergen (WAB) on Wittgenstein Source. Moreover, it describes the conditions for their use. Finally, the paper also briefly introduces WAB’s “Nachlass transcriptions” site from which all of WAB’s transcriptions of the Wittgenstein Nachlass can be downloaded, and the tool WiTTFind which permits lemmatized online search in the entire Nachlass and is the result of more than five years of close cooperation between WAB and the Centrum für Informations- und Sprachverarbeitung (CIS) at the Ludwig Maximilians Universität München.
Knowing our own Body?
Authors: Brusotti Marco
Published: January 2019

How do we know the position and movements of our limbs? Wittgenstein repeatedly deals with one received answer to this epistemological question: our ‘kinaesthetic sensations’ teach us about our posture and movements. However, he does not reject only this specific solution. He puts into question the very idea of an epistemology of bodily awareness. His critical arguments are not simply reductionist, but neither are they “mainly introspective”, and nor does he lean towards a “perceptual view” (Harcourt). The paper also touches upon the issue of how Wittgenstein's views relate to Anscombe’s much discussed claim that one ordinarily knows the position of one’s limbs “without observation”.
Temptation and Therapy
Authors: Miguens Sofia
Published: January 2019

Although many philosophers have, throughout history, regarded themselves as answering the skeptic, the question arises whether answering the skeptic is the thing to do. If not, the question becomes how else to respond to her. Wittgenstein-inspired stances are, in general, therapeutic. In this article I focus on the problem of other minds in order to analyze and compare the different shapes such therapeutic stances may have. I begin by showing how crucial resisting the temptation to answer the skeptic was for John McDowell’s early formulations of disjunctivism in the 1980s. In his article “Criteria, Defeasibility, and Knowledge” I identify substantial positions such as the rejection of highest common factor views, the diagnosis of the connection between such highest common factor views and an (untenable) conception of appearances, as well as the proposal of a non-Cartesian, or modest, approach to indistinguishability for a subject. Whatever his success in these other enterprises, McDowell continues to regard both the temptation to answer the skeptic and a substitute therapeutic stance as epistemologically motivated. But if skepticism is more than an intellectual conundrum, as maintained by Stanley Cavell, the source of such temptation has to be considered in a completely different light.
Circadian Misalignment and Cardiovascular Risk
Authors: Ashby Tracy , Louis Mariam
Published: January 2019

All organisms, ranging from single-celled organisms to humans, demonstrate circadian rhythms that are near 24-h patterns that are present independent of environmental cues. Disruption of this process, called circadian misalignment, is associated with deleterious health outcomes. The most extreme example of this misalignment is shift work, and there is evidence suggesting a strong association between shift work and certain cardiovascular outcomes. The outcomes of most studies include obesity, metabolic syndrome, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, and cardiovascular events. In this article we review the current literature with an emphasis on women’s cardiovascular health. The data are conflicting, and there is a paucity of robust evidence with regard to women’s cardiovascular health and circadian misalignment. More studies are needed to better delineate the sex differences as well as the pathophysiology of the associations between circadian misalignment and cardiovascular diseases so that we can provide patients with more personalized care.
Les faits de corruption à l’échelle internationale : le rôle des pouvoirs publics canadiens et des outils de soft law
Authors: Lapointe Benoit , Simard Jeanne , Morency Marc-André , Ouedraogo Salmata
Published: January 2019

Toute action efficace visant la corruption internationale requiert l’établissement en infraction pénaledes comportements visés et la mise en oeuvre de mesures répressives destinées à rendre ces pratiquesmoins attractives. C’est le modèle qu’a instauré, en 1998, le Canada, en adoptant la Loi sur la corruption des agentspublics étrangers et en modifiant, en 2004, le Code criminel afin que la responsabilité des organisations soit désormaisétablie en fonction des actes et des intentions de leurs « cadres supérieurs ». De façon parallèle, différentsorganismes multilatéraux (l’OCDE, l’ONU, le G20) ont élaboré au fil des ans des normes anticorruption afinde promouvoir de meilleures pratiques en matière de responsabilité sociale au sein des entreprises multinationales.Mais au-delà de l’adoption d’une régulation étatique, multilatérale ou internationale, le succès de la lutteà la corruption paraît également résider dans l’adoption, au sein même des organismes et des entreprises activesà l’échelle internationale, d’une politique de conformité et d’un système de gestion interne dont l’objet est deprévenir, détecter et lutter contre les faits de corruption. Cela requiert plus largement de modifier la consciencedes acteurs sociaux en favorisant l’instauration d’une culture organisationnelle plus éthique, du haut en bas del’entreprise, mais aussi plus transparente autant du côté des opérateurs économiques que des pouvoirs publics.