On Being an Adolescent in Zawiya. Review of Susan S. Davis and Douglas A. Davis, \u3cem\u3eAdolescence in a Moroccan Towan: Making Social Sense\u3c/em\u3e

Although adolescence is a well-accepted stage of life in Western society, the issue of whether it exists as a separate life stage in all cultures remains an open and important question. As part of the cross-cultural Harvard Adolescence Project directed by Beatrice and John Whiting, this book is an assessment of traditional concepts of adolescence in Morocco. Based on 11 months of intensive fieldwork, as well as multiple years of work in the same village, the authors used ethnographic observation, interviews, and psychological testing to collect a wide array of data on about 50 families including 150 children in the rural Moroccan town of Zawiya. Recurring themes in the lives of these adolescents, including maturity, self-awareness, gender, hierarchy, and ambivalence, are interwoven into a discussion of the basic social organization of Moroccan life

A Contribution to Cross-Cultural Child Development Research. Review of Gustav Jahoda and I.M. Lewis (Eds.), \u3cem\u3eAcquiring Culture: Cross Cultural Studies in Child Development\u3c/em\u3e

The field now termed cultural psychology has begun to take on more importance in theories of child development and psychology as we have come to better understand the Eurocentric bias of Western science. However, cross-cultural studies that combine both psychological and anthropological methods are still rare. This book attempts to show the value of such a combined approach to research in child development

The geology and rock mass quality of the Cenozoic Kalahari Group, Nchwaning Mine Northern Cape.

Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.With the extension of the Nchwaning Mine shaft complex in the Northern Cape Province, various geological and geotechnical complications needed to be identified in order to ensure correct use of tunnelling methods and support techniques. An understanding of the geological history of the area and the resulting geotechnical nature was important in defining the rock mass quality ahead of shaft development. A total of 12 geotechnical boreholes were drilled, and an additional 18 old boreholes revisited to accurately detennine the stratigraphy, geological structure and associated weathering effects. Various soils and rock testing helped quantify the materials encountered. Sands of the Gordonia Fonnation form the surface cover of this area, and together with the weathered calcrete, calc-arenite, conglomerate and clay, they form part of the Cenozoic Kalahari Group. The 30m thick basal unit of red clay is common throughout this region. This silty clay material is problematic in that it is expansive and hygroscopic. The clay unit rests unconformably on folded, faulted and highly weathered shale of the Proterozoic Lucknow and Mapedi Formations of the Olifantshoek Supergroup. Unconformably below this sequence lies the manganiferous ore deposits of the Hotazel Member, which is contained within the Voelwater Formation of the Griqualand West Supergroup. For the development of the decline shaft through the Gordonia Formation a box cut was excavated to a depth of 25m. The anticipated poor geotechnical conditions for a further 125m below the Gordonia sands called for high quality permanent tunnel support in the upper weathered horizons. Barton's Q-analysis was adopted as a recognized tunnelling quality index to predict and quantify the rock mass characteristics ahead of the shaft. The highly variable and generally low Q-values from borehole core analysis indicated that precast tunnel lining be used for 800m (at 11.5°) through the entire weathered Cenozoic sequence and into the weathered shales immediately below the Red Clay

Inflammatory cytokines in newborn infants.

Serum levels of IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha were measured in 48 healthy, termed neonates on the 1st (N1), 5th (N5) and 40th (N40) day after birth, compared with those in maternal serum (MS), umbilical cord (UC) and adult controls. Cytokine values in N1 and N5 were significantly elevated, than those in UC and in controls (P<0.0001). IL-1beta and IL-6 declined significantly from N1 to N40 (P<0.0001), while TNF-alpha increased significantly from N1 to N5 and declined thereafter. MS infinity IL-1beta and IL-6, but not MS infinity TNF-alpha, were significantly higher than those of controls (P<0.0001). IL-1beta values depended on the mode of delivery. In conclusion, the increased concentrations of IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha during the perinatal period might suggest their involvement in an inflammation-like process during normal parturition, and reflect also a newborn immune response to the stress of delivery and environmental changes

Theory of mechanical unfolding of homopolymer globule: all-or-none transition in force-clamp mode vs phase coexistence in position-clamp mode

Equilibrium mechanical unfolding of a globule formed by long flexible homopolymer chain collapsed in a poor solvent and subjected to an extensional force f (force-clamp mode) or extensional deformation D (position-clamp mode) is studied theoretically. Our analysis, like all previous analysis of this problem, shows that the globule behaves essentially differently in two modes of extension. In the force-clamp mode, mechanical unfolding of the globule with increasing applied force occurs without intramolecular microphase segregation, and at certain threshold value of the pulling force the globule unfolds as a whole ("all-or-none" transition). The value of the threshold force and the corresponding jump in the distance between the chain ends increase with a deterioration of the solvent quality and/or with an increase in the degree of polymerization. In the position-clamp mode, the globule unfolding occurs via intramolecular microphase coexistence of globular and extended microphases followed by an abrupt unraveling transition. Reaction force in the microphase segregation regime demonstrates an "anomalous" decrease with increasing extension. Comparison of deformation curves in force and position-clamp modes demonstrates that at weak and strong extensions the curves for two modes coincide, differences are observed in the intermediate extension range. Another unfolding scenario is typical for short globules: in both modes of extension they unfold continuously, without jumps or intramolecular microphase coexistence, by passing a sequence of uniformly elongated configurations.Comment: 19 pages, 13 figures, 1 tabl

Infections associated with mesh repairs of abdominal wall hernias : Are antimicrobial biomaterials the longed-for solution?

The incidence of mesh-related infection after abdominal wall hernia repair is low, generally between 1 and 4%; however, worldwide, this corresponds to tens of thousands of difficult cases to treat annually. Adopting best practices in prevention is one of the keys to reduce the incidence of mesh-related infection. Once the infection is established, however, only a limited number of options are available that provides an efficient and successful treatment outcome. Over the past few years, there has been a tremendous amount of research dedicated to the functionalization of prosthetic meshes with antimicrobial properties, with some receiving regulatory approval and are currently available for clinical use. In this context, it is important to review the clinical importance of mesh infection, its risk factors, prophylaxis and pathogenicity. In addition, we give an overview of the main functionalization approaches that have been applied on meshes to confer anti-bacterial protection, the respective benefits and limitations, and finally some relevant future directions. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Efficient unfolding pattern recognition in single molecule force spectroscopy data

BackgroundSingle-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) is a technique that measures the force necessary to unfold a protein. SMFS experiments generate Force-Distance (F-D) curves. A statistical analysis of a set of F-D curves reveals different unfolding pathways. Information on protein structure, conformation, functional states, and inter- and intra-molecular interactions can be derived.ResultsIn the present work, we propose a pattern recognition algorithm and apply our algorithm to datasets from SMFS experiments on the membrane protein bacterioRhodopsin (bR). We discuss the unfolding pathways found in bR, which are characterised by main peaks and side peaks. A main peak is the result of the pairwise unfolding of the transmembrane helices. In contrast, a side peak is an unfolding event in the alpha-helix or other secondary structural element. The algorithm is capable of detecting side peaks along with main peaks.Therefore, we can detect the individual unfolding pathway as the sequence of events labeled with their occurrences and co-occurrences special to bR\u27s unfolding pathway. We find that side peaks do not co-occur with one another in curves as frequently as main peaks do, which may imply a synergistic effect occurring between helices. While main peaks co-occur as pairs in at least 50% of curves, the side peaks co-occur with one another in less than 10% of curves. Moreover, the algorithm runtime scales well as the dataset size increases.ConclusionsOur algorithm satisfies the requirements of an automated methodology that combines high accuracy with efficiency in analyzing SMFS datasets. The algorithm tackles the force spectroscopy analysis bottleneck leading to more consistent and reproducible results

Adherence to the screening program for HBV infection in pregnant women delivering in Greece

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B infection (HBV) is a major Public Health Problem. Perinatal transmission can be prevented with the identification of HBsAg(+) women and administration of immunoprophylaxis to their newborns. A national prevention programme for HBV with universal screening of pregnant women and vaccination of infants is in effect since 1998 in Greece. METHODS: To evaluate adherence to the national guidelines, all women delivering in Greece between 17–30/03/03 were included in the study. Trained health professionals completed a questionnaire on demographic data, prenatal or perinatal screening for HBsAg and the implementation of appropriate immunoprophylaxis. RESULTS: During the study period 3,760 women delivered. Prenatal screening for HBsAg was documented in 91.3%. Greek women were more likely to have had prenatal testing. HBsAg prevalence was 2.89% (95%CI 2.3–3.4%). Higher prevalence of HBV-infection was noted in immigrant women, especially those born in Albania (9.8%). Other risk factors associated with maternal HBsAg (+) included young maternal age and absence of prenatal testing. No prenatal or perinatal HBsAg testing was performed in 3.2% women. Delivering in public hospital and illiteracy were identifiable risk factors for never being tested. All newborns of identified HBsAg (+) mothers received appropriate immunoprophylaxis. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HBsAg in Greek pregnant women is low and comparable to other European countries. However, immigrant women composing almost 20% of our childbearing population, have significant higher prevalence rates. There are still women who never get tested. Universal vaccination against HBV at birth and reinforcement of perinatal testing of all women not prenatally tested should be discussed with Public Health Authorities

Thai visitors’ expectations and experiences of explainer interaction within a science museum context

© The Author(s) 2015. In Western literature, there is evidence that museum explainers offer significant potential for enhancing visitors’ learning through influencing their knowledge, content, action, behaviour and attitudes. However, little research has focused on the role of explainers in other cultural contexts. This study explored interactions between visitors and museum explainers within the setting of Thailand. Two questionnaires were distributed to 600 visitors and 41 museum explainers. The results demonstrated both potential similarities and differences with Western contexts. Explainers appeared to prefer didactic approaches, focussing on factual knowledge rather than encouraging deep learning. Two-way communication, however, appeared to be enhanced by the use of a ‘pseudo-sibling relationship’ by explainers. Traditional Thai social reserve was reduced through such approaches, with visitors taking on active learning roles. These findings have implications for training museum explainers in non-Western cultures, as well as museum communication practice more generally

META Score: An International Consensus Scoring System on Mesh-Tissue Adhesions

Background: Currently, the lack of consensus on postoperative mesh-tissue adhesion scoring leads to incomparable scientific results. The aim of this study was to develop an adhesion score recognized by experts in the field of hernia surgery. Methods: Authors of three or more previously published articles on both mesh-tissue adhesion scores and postoperative adhesions were marked as experts. They were queried on seven items using a modified Delphi method. The items concerned the utility of adhesion scoring models, the appropriateness of macroscopic and microscopic variables, the range and use of composite scores or subscores, adhesion-related complications and follow-up length. This study comprised two questionnaire-based rounds and one consensus meeting. Results: The first round was completed by 23 experts (82%), the second round by 18 experts (64%). Of those 18 experts, ten were able to participate in the final consensus meeting and all approved the final proposal. From a total of 158 items, consensus was reached on 90 items. The amount of mesh surface covered with adhesions, tenacity and thickness of adhesions and organ involvement was concluded to be a minimal set of variables to be communicated separately in each future study on mesh adhesions. Conclusion: The MEsh Tissue Adhesion scoring system is the first consensus-based scoring system with a wide backing of renowned experts and can be used to assess mesh-related adhesions. By including this minimal set of variables in future research interstudy comparability and objectivity can be increased and eventually linked to clinically relevant outcomes