Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Vita Merlini – Missing Link or a Blind Alley in Merlin’s Character Development?

This article discusses briefly the character of Merlin created by Geoffrey of Monmouth in his early twelfth-century poem Vita Merlini and draws analogies between Merlin’s figure in the poem and earlier, mainly Welsh, sources, as well as the thirteenth-century French literature. Following Merlin’s character development and the major motifs connected with his figure across medieval texts the article tries to establish the place Vita Merlini occupies among other medieval texts dealing with Merlin’s character.

Dime qué biblioteca tienes y te diré qué Alcalde eres: panorama de las bibliotecas municipales de la Región Metropolitana.

Exploratory study on the situation of 40 municipal central libraries of the metropolitan area. It highlights the role of the Chilean government and the participation of mayors in the development of such cultural and civic centers

Kunskapsbanken: en kvantitativ studie om vilka faktorer som påverkar lärande och motivation till en specifik utbildning

Denna undersökning har gjorts på en bank i södra Sverige under hösten 2013 med anledning av en nyligen genomförd utbildningsinsats. Utbildningen har oavkortat genomförts i grupp och syftar till att ge medarbetare en ökad kunskap i personlig försäljning. Studien ämnar studera om faktorerna motivation, feedback, reflektion samt lärande i grupp påverkar hur lärorik en utbildning uppfattats av 23 medarbetare inom bankväsendet. Den syftar även till att undersöka om antal år i en organisation, tidigare utbildningsbakgrund och att ha förväntningar och mål som är viktiga för individen att uppnå påverkar motivationen till utbildningen. Detta har gjorts genom en enkätundersökning där samtliga 23 medarbetare svarat. Denna kvantitativa studie visar på att framförallt feedback, reflektion och att lära i grupp har haft en positiv påverkan på hur lärorik utbildningen uppfattats. Den visar även att ha mål som viktiga för individen att uppnå har bidragit till att medarbetarna känt sig motiverade till utbildningen

Dime qué biblioteca tienes y te diré qué Alcalde eres: panorama de las bibliotecas municipales de la Región Metropolitana.

Exploratory study on the situation of 40 municipal central libraries of the metropolitan area. It highlights the role of the Chilean government and the participation of mayors in the development of such cultural and civic centers

Open Surgical versus Minimal Invasive Necrosectomy of the Pancreas-A Retrospective Multicenter Analysis of the German Pancreatitis Study Group

Background Necrotising pancreatitis, and particularly infected necrosis, are still associated with high morbidity and mortality. Since 2011, a step-up approach with lower morbidity rates compared to initial open necrosectomy has been established. However, mortality and complication rates of this complex treatment are hardly studied thereafter. Methods The German Pancreatitis Study Group performed a multicenter, retrospective study including 220 patients with necrotising pancreatitis requiring intervention, treated at 10 hospitals in Germany between January 2008 and June 2014. Data were analysed for the primary endpoints "severe complications" and "mortality" as well as secondary endpoints including "length of hospital stay", "follow up", and predisposing or prognostic factors. Results Of all patients 13.6% were treated primarily with surgery and 86.4% underwent a step-up approach. More men (71.8%) required intervention for necrotising pancreatitis. The most frequent etiology was biliary (41.4%) followed by alcohol (29.1%). Compared to open necrosectomy, the step-up approach was associated with a lower number of severe complications (primary composite endpoint including sepsis, persistent multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and erosion bleeding: 44.7% vs. 73.3%), lower mortality (10.5% vs. 33.3%) and lower rates of diabetes mellitus type 3c (4.7% vs. 33.3%). Low hematocrit and low blood urea nitrogen at admission as well as a history of acute pancreatitis were prognostic for less complications in necrotising pancreatitis. A combination of drainage with endoscopic necrosectomy resulted in the lowest rate of severe complications. Conclusion A step-up approach starting with minimal invasive drainage techniques and endoscopic necrosectomy results in a significant reduction of morbidity and mortality in necrotising pancreatitis compared to a primarily surgical intervention

Participación de las bibliotecas municipales de la Región Metropolitana en el Fondo Nacional de Fomento del Libro y la Lectura.

Exploratory study on the statistics of presentation and awarding of projects to different national grants for public libraries in the Metropolitan Area of Santiago, Chile