Rehabilitating broken youth: Archi-therapy

This thesis aims to explore the powerful synergy between the architectural constructs of a rehabilitative children’s home in collaboration with both clinical and non-clinical therapeutic approaches – particularly with regard to treating sexually abused children in their school-going years. Sadly, with the rising number of sexual child abuse cases in South Africa, there is a very dire need for such a facility as the care provided in a standard children’s home is not enough. The use of space to ensure a reciprocal and beneficial relationship between architecture and healing is ultimately what this thesis wishes to achieve and it will thus focus on how the treatment affects the building and how the building affects the treatment. Archi-therapy expands on the consideration of recent discoveries in the treatment of trauma in sexually abused children. Initial treatments were heavily based on a clinical aspect, not really considering the people and the place in which this healing occurs. Only in recent years has the importance of environment, activity and social interaction been considered. In addition to the clinical aspects of the healing process, certain hobbies and pastime interests also play a significant role as they can form part of an on-going, multi-faceted therapeutic process to assist with the overcoming of the trauma. In turn, this creates a positive developmental and rehabilitation platform for these broken youth, in a manner that goes beyond the limited realm of clinical therapy. Through interviews, literature and site visits, I hope to bring to light that architecture can be interactive, and more than a mere container of a variety of therapeutic activities. Architecture and the nature of the context can be part of the healing process and assist with the sustainability of the specialised children’s home that is proposed. Archi-therapy considers the nature of the architecture, activities, people and therapies (clinical and non-clinical) alongside their significant roles in the healing process of these precious children

Intraoperative radial nerve injury during coronary artery surgery – report of two cases

BACKGROUND: Peripheral nerve injury and brachial plexopathy are known, though rare complications of coronary artery surgery. The ulnar nerve is most frequently affected, whereas radial nerve lesions are much less common accounting for only 3% of such intraoperative injuries. CASE PRESENTATIONS: Two 52- and 50-year-old men underwent coronary artery surgery. On the first postoperative day they both complained of wrist drop on the left. Neurological examination revealed a paresis of the wrist and finger extensor muscles (0/5), and the brachioradialis (4/5) with hypoaesthesia on the radial aspect of the dorsum of the left hand. Both biceps and triceps reflexes were normoactive, whereas the brachioradialis reflex was diminished on the left. Muscles innervated from the median and ulnar nerve, as well as all muscles above the elbow were unaffected. Electrophysiological studies were performed 3 weeks later, when muscle power of the affected muscles had already begun to improve. Nerve conduction studies and needle electromyography revealed a partial conduction block of the radial nerve along the spiral groove, motor axonal loss distal to the site of the lesion and moderate impairment in recruitment with fibrillation potentials in radial innervated muscles below the elbow and normal findings in triceps and deltoid. Electrophysiology data pointed towards a radial nerve injury in the spiral groove. We assume external compression as the causative factor. The only apparatus attached to the patients' left upper arm was the sternal retractor, used for dissection of the internal mammary artery. Both patients were overweight and lying on the operating table for a considerable time might have caused the compression of their left upper arm on the self retractor's supporting column which was fixed to the table rail 5 cm above the left elbow joint, in the site where the radial nerve is directly apposed to the humerus. CONCLUSION: Although very uncommon, external compression due to the use of a self retractor during coronary artery surgery can affect – especially in obese subjects – the radial nerve within the spiral groove leading to paresis and should therefore be included in the list of possible mechanisms of radial nerve injury

Τεχνικές Προγραμματισμού με βάση την C

Το αντικείμενο της εργασίας είναι η ανάλυση διαφόρων τεχνικών προγραμματισμού, οι οποίες αν ακολουθηθούν θα έχουν σαν αποτέλεσμα να γράφεται σωστός και κατανοητός κώδικας, τόσο από εμάς όσο και από τρίτους που δεν το έχουν ξαναδεί. Για να επιτευχθεί αυτό αναλύουμε στην αρχή την μορφή την οποία θα πρέπει να έχει ο κώδικάς μας, καθώς και την συμπεριφορά που πρέπει να έχει το πρόγραμμα μας ώστε να γίνεται κατανοητό. Συνεχίζουμε παρουσιάζοντας τι είναι δομημένος προγραμματισμός και αναλύοντας μεθόδους σχεδιασμού των προγραμμάτων καθώς και το πώς να ελέγχουμε τα μη σωστά προγράμματα. Τέλος αναλύουμε το πως πρέπει να είναι ένα καλοσχεδιασμένο δομικό στοιχείο (module) σε ένα πρόγραμμα. Τα κύρια αποτελέσματα της εργασίας μας είναι ότι είναι ωφέλιμο να δαπανηθεί κάποια ώρα, πριν ακόμα ξεκινήσουμε να γράφουμε τον κώδικα μας, ώστε να γίνει σωστή ανάλυση και σχεδιασμός του προγράμματος μας γιατί με αυτόν τον τρόπο θα γλιτώσουμε πολλαπλάσιο χρόνο στην συνέχεια. Επίσης καταλήξαμε ότι αν ακολουθηθούν κάποιοι απλοί κανόνες για το γράψιμο του κώδικα τότε ο κώδικας γίνεται πολύ πιο ευανάγνωστος και θα αποφευχθούν πολλά λάθη και χρόνος. Τέλος είδαμε ότι αν αποφασίσουμε να διορθώσουμε όλα τα λάθη του κώδικα και της λογικής μας στο τέλος, αυτή θα είναι μια εξαιρετικά κουραστική, επίπονη και χρονοβόρα διαδικασία.The subject of the thesis is the analysis of various programming techniques, which if followed will result in written code that will be equally correct and comprehensible to us and any third parties who have not seen it before. In order to achieve this, we first analyze the format that our source code should have, as well as the behavior of the whole program so that it can be apprehended. We proceed to explain what is structured programming and we follow up by analyzing program design methods and how to fix faulty programs. Finally, we analyze how a well-designed module should be represented in our program. The main conclusion of our thesis is that it is beneficial to spend some time before starting to write the source code so that you can properly analyze and design your program. This has been proven to save a lot of time in the long term. We have also come to the conclusion that if some simple code rules are followed, then the code becomes much easier to read, and many errors and time will be avoided. Finally we have observed that if we decide to correct all the errors of our code and fix the logic issues in the end, it will be an extremely tedious, laborious and time-consuming process

Μείωση των Mετεγχειρητικών Eνδοκοιλιακών Συμφύσεων με τη χρήση του "Methylene Blue"

Στην παρούσα έρευνα μελετήθηκαν 26 ανθρώπινα πτώματα αλλά λόγω του ότι ήταν νεκροτομικό υλικό δεν μπορέσαμε να μελετήσουμε την προς μελέτη ουσία methylene blue για τον ρόλο της στις ενδοκοιλιακές συμφύσεις. Για τον λόγο αυτό χρησιμοποιήθηκαν ως πειραματόζωα θήλεα ποντίκια 40 στον αριθμό τα οποία χωρίσθηκαν σε δυο ομάδες. Από αυτά σε 20 εγινε εκπλυση της περιτοναϊκής κοιλότητας με φυσιολογικό ορό και 20 με την ουσία προς μελέτη<< methylene blue>>. Ολες οι παρατηρήσεις του ερευνητή τοποθετήθηκαν σε ηλεκτρονική τράπεζα πληροφοριών (DATA) για την ασφαλή εξαγωγή παρατηρήσεων και συμπερασμάτων.In the present study ,26 human carcasses were studied but because of their necrotizing material we could not study the methylene blue to be studied for its role in intra-abdominal adhesions. For this reason, 40 female mice were divided into two groups as experimental animals. Of these, 20 were washed in the normal peritoneal cavity and 20 were washed with<< methylene blue>>. All of the researcher's observations were placed in a DATA database for the safe extraction of observations and conclusions

Reduction of post surgical adhesions by the use of ''methylene blue''

In the present study, 26 human carcasses were studied, but because of their necrotizing material we could not study the ''methylene blue'' to be studied for its role in inta-abdominal adhedions. For thes reason, 40 female mice were divided into two groups as experimental animals. Of these, 20 were washed in the normal peritoneal cavity and 20 were washed with ''methylene blue''. All of the researcher's observations were placed in a DATA database for the safe extraction of observations and conclusions.Στήν παρούσα έρευνα μελετήθηκαν 26 ανθρώπινα πτώματα αλλά λόγω του ότι ήταν νεκροτομικό υλικό δεν μπορέσαμε να μελετήσουμε την προς μελέτη ουσία ''methylene blue'' για τον ρόλο της , στις ενδοκοιλιακές συμφύσεις. Για τον λόγο αυτό χρησιμοποιήθηκαν ως πειραματόζωα θήλεα ποντίκια 40 στον αριθμό τα οποία χωρίσθηκαν σε δυο ομάδες. Από αυτά σε 20 έγινε έκπλυση της περιτοναικής κοιλότητος με φυσιολογικό ορό και 20 με την ουσία πρός μελέτη ''methylene blue''. Όλες οι παρατηρήσεις του ερευνητή τοποθετήθηκαν σε ηλεκτρονική τράπεζα πληροφοριών (DATA) για την ασφαλή εξαγωγή παρατηρήσεων και συμπερασμάτων