Geometric Links Between 2d Patterns and 3d Structures in Islamic Architectures of Andalusia - Abstract

The paper intends to highlight the links between two-dimensional geometric matrices and three-dimensional structures in Andalusian architectures of Islamic origin. The deep ambivalence between plane and spatial geometries maintains a very strong evidence, for example, in the flat projections of the articulated vaulted surfaces ribs or the muquarnas cellular structures. The creative process underlying the geometric grid systems of these shapes is based on analogous proportioning systems and geometries, underlying the plane patterns. This article then analyzes in particular the geometrical principles, the transformations and the design aspects that were used to create the modules of the flat decorations and how they can be understood as structural schemes for the architectural buildings. To this end, some emblematic buildings of Islamic architectural production in Andalusia were examined, focusing on the most significant dome structures. In these it was possible to highlight how the purely ornamental aspect linked to the geometric design, constantly interacts with the architectural form

Are there regional variations in the diagnosis surveillance, and control of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus?

OBJECTIVE: To assess the way healthcare facilities (HCFs) diagnose, survey, and control methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). DESIGN: Questionnaire. SETTING: Ninety HCFs in 30 countries. RESULTS: Evaluation of susceptibility testing methods showed that 8 laboratories (9%) used oxacillin disks with antimicrobial content different from the one recommended, 12 (13%) did not determine MRSA susceptibility to vancomycin, and 4 (4.5%) reported instances of isolation of vancomycin-resistant S. aureus but neither confirmed this resistance nor alerted public health authorities. A MRSA control program was reported by 55 (61.1%) of the HCFs. The following isolation precautions were routinely used: hospitalization in a private room (34.4%), wearing of gloves (62.2%), wearing of gowns (44.4%), hand washing by healthcare workers (53.3%), use of an isolation sign on the patient's door (43%), or all four. When the characteristics of HCFs with low incidence rates (< 0.4 per 1,000 patient-days) were compared with those of HCFs with high incidence rates (≥ 0.4 per 1,000 patient-days), having a higher mean number of beds per infection control nurse was the only factor significantly associated with HCFs with high incidence rates (834 vs 318 beds; P = .02). CONCLUSION: Our results emphasize the urgent need to strengthen the microbiologic and epidemiologic capacities of HCFs worldwide to prevent MRSA transmission and to prepare them to address the possible emergence of vancomycin-resistant S. aureus.link_to_subscribed_fulltex