The interdisciplinarity of ethnomathematics: challenges of ethnomathematics to mathematics and its education

Since the creation of the International Study Group on Ethnomathematics, several researchers have debated on how could or should a theory of ethnomathematics exist, and, if so, how it is to be conceptualized. So far, there exists no consensus on how this theory should be defined. During the last International Conference on Ethnomathematics (ICEm-4) in Towson, Maryland (July, 2010), Rik Pinxten emphasized on the necessity of reopening this debate. Ethnomathematics will only be acknowledged by other scientific communities if we, as ethnomathematicians, are able to establish a proper conceptualization of this field of study. This article aims to at least one possible approach to a conceptualization of a theory of ethnomathematics. As we will show, this theory needs to be regarded as an interdisciplinary discipline that covers theories from both the exact and social sciences

Ethnomathematik : neue Ansätze zu ihrer Theorie und Praxis

Verdugo Rohrer UA. Ethnomathematics : new approaches to its theory and application. Bielefeld (Germany): Bielefeld University; 2010.This work introduces new approaches to the theory and application of ethnomathematics. Ethnomathematics is a field of research focused on the study of different mathematics, which are specific for each (sub-)culture. First, the author gives a detailed description of a new historiography of ethnomathematics, showing that this field of research has been studied and practiced since the 1920s, when Ewald Fettweis pursued his first research on this subject. Two other important forerunners of ethnomathematics are, according to the author, Otto Raum and Raymond Wilder. The author proposes a new approach for the theory of ethnomathematics, namely a supplementary interdisciplinary theory that corresponds to the intersection of mathematics, its history and education, and cultural anthropology, ethnology, ethnography and ethnoscience. Two innovating field researches, undertaken separately in Mozambique and Brazil, are presented by the author. These contribute to the consolidation of the supplementary interdisciplinarity of this field of ethnomathematics

Transmission Dynamics of Extended-Spectrum β-lactamase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae in the Tertiary Care Hospital and the Household Setting

Transmission of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae in households outweighs nosocomial dissemination in the non-outbreak setting. Importation of ESBL producers into the hospitals is as frequent as transmission during hospital stay. ESBL-Klebsiella pneumoniae might be more efficiently transmitted within the hospital than ESBL-Escherichia col

Progranulin plasma levels predict the presence of GRN mutations in asymptomatic subjects and do not correlate with brain atrophy: results from the GENFI study.

We investigated whether progranulin plasma levels are predictors of the presence of progranulin gene (GRN) null mutations or of the development of symptoms in asymptomatic at risk members participating in the Genetic Frontotemporal Dementia Initiative, including 19 patients, 64 asymptomatic carriers, and 77 noncarriers. In addition, we evaluated a possible role of TMEM106B rs1990622 as a genetic modifier and correlated progranulin plasma levels and gray-matter atrophy. Plasma progranulin mean ± SD plasma levels in patients and asymptomatic carriers were significantly decreased compared with noncarriers (30.5 ± 13.0 and 27.7 ± 7.5 versus 99.6 ± 24.8 ng/mL, p 61.55 ng/mL, the test had a sensitivity of 98.8% and a specificity of 97.5% in predicting the presence of a mutation, independent of symptoms. No correlations were found between progranulin plasma levels and age, years from average age at onset in each family, or TMEM106B rs1990622 genotype (p > 0.05). Plasma progranulin levels did not correlate with brain atrophy. Plasma progranulin levels predict the presence of GRN null mutations independent of proximity to symptoms and brain atrophy

Critical structure factors of bilinear fields in O(N)-vector models

We compute the two-point correlation functions of general quadratic operators in the high-temperature phase of the three-dimensional O(N) vector model by using field-theoretical methods. In particular, we study the small- and large-momentum behavior of the corresponding scaling functions, and give general interpolation formulae based on a dispersive approach. Moreover, we determine the crossover exponent $\phi_T$ associated with the traceless tensorial quadratic field, by computing and analyzing its six-loop perturbative expansion in fixed dimension. We find: $\phi_T=1.184(12)$, $\phi_T=1.271(21)$, and $\phi_T=1.40(4)$ for $N=2,3,5$ respectively.Comment: 27 page

Distinct patterns of brain atrophy in Genetic Frontotemporal Dementia Initiative (GENFI) cohort revealed by visual rating scales.

BACKGROUND: In patients with frontotemporal dementia, it has been shown that brain atrophy occurs earliest in the anterior cingulate, insula and frontal lobes. We used visual rating scales to investigate whether identifying atrophy in these areas may be helpful in distinguishing symptomatic patients carrying different causal mutations in the microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT), progranulin (GRN) and chromosome 9 open reading frame (C9ORF72) genes. We also analysed asymptomatic carriers to see whether it was possible to visually identify brain atrophy before the appearance of symptoms. METHODS: Magnetic resonance imaging of 343 subjects (63 symptomatic mutation carriers, 132 presymptomatic mutation carriers and 148 control subjects) from the Genetic Frontotemporal Dementia Initiative study were analysed by two trained raters using a protocol of six visual rating scales that identified atrophy in key regions of the brain (orbitofrontal, anterior cingulate, frontoinsula, anterior and medial temporal lobes and posterior cortical areas). RESULTS: Intra- and interrater agreement were greater than 0.73 for all the scales. Voxel-based morphometric analysis demonstrated a strong correlation between the visual rating scale scores and grey matter atrophy in the same region for each of the scales. Typical patterns of atrophy were identified: symmetric anterior and medial temporal lobe involvement for MAPT, asymmetric frontal and parietal loss for GRN, and a more widespread pattern for C9ORF72. Presymptomatic MAPT carriers showed greater atrophy in the medial temporal region than control subjects, but the visual rating scales could not identify presymptomatic atrophy in GRN or C9ORF72 carriers. CONCLUSIONS: These simple-to-use and reproducible scales may be useful tools in the clinical setting for the discrimination of different mutations of frontotemporal dementia, and they may even help to identify atrophy prior to onset in those with MAPT mutations

Conceptual framework for the definition of preclinical and prodromal frontotemporal dementia

The presymptomatic stages of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) are still poorly defined and encompass a long accrual of progressive biological (preclinical) and then clinical (prodromal) changes, antedating the onset of dementia. The heterogeneity of clinical presentations and the different neuropathological phenotypes have prevented a prior clear description of either preclinical or prodromal FTD. Recent advances in therapeutic approaches, at least in monogenic disease, demand a proper definition of these predementia stages. It has become clear that a consensus lexicon is needed to comprehensively describe the stages that anticipate dementia. The goal of the present work is to review existing literature on the preclinical and prodromal phases of FTD, providing recommendations to address the unmet questions, therefore laying out a strategy for operationalizing and better characterizing these presymptomatic disease stages