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The government publishes 3 different public report surgical site infection (SSI) metrics, all called standardized infection ratios (SIRs), that impact perceived hospital quality. We conducted a non-random cross-sectional observational pilot study of 20 California hospitals that voluntarily submitted colon surgery and SSI data. Discordant SIR values, leading to contradictory conclusions, occurred in 35% of these hospitals. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;1-5.

This article responds to a "what-if" question regarding education, raised by a woman inmate. Emerging in the midst of a research project with women in prison, the unexpected question haunts the two authors, both educational researchers, who in turn reconsider education's role in difficult circumstances. For guidance, the authors turn to Hannah Arendt's concept of natality as the capacity to renew, and Natasha Levinson's claim that the preservation of natality is critical to education. The authors examine the gap between past and future as a potential space to imagine education otherwise, within both the project and the larger perspective of education.

In this action research report 4 teachers and 1 teacher educator use the Japanese lesson study model of professional development for 15 months in rural Carlinville, Illinois. In March 2001, 4 teachers identified a goal to improve their students' understanding of two step word problems in 2nd grade elementary mathematics. Teachers completed three cycles of researching, planning, teaching, evaluating and reflecting. They were motivated, empowered, and found lesson study effective professional development in their rural setting. It focused on the classroom lesson; provided an effective lesson plan and hours of focused professional development; supported attempts to put into practice best professional knowledge of reform mathematics; and developed a professional community among them.

Interdisciplinary and collaborative projects between industry and academia provide exceptional opportunities for learning. Project Sanitarium is a serious game for Windows PC and Tablet which aims to embed learning about tuberculosis (TB) through the player taking on the role of a doctor and solving cases across the globe. The project developed as a collaboration between staff and undergraduate students at the School of Arts, Media and Computer Games at Abertay University working with academics and researchers from the Infection Group at the University of St Andrews. The project also engaged industry partners Microsoft and DeltaDNA. The project aimed to educate students through a workplace simulation pedagogical model, encourage public engagement at events and through news coverage and lastly to prototype whether games could be used to simulate a virtual clinical trial. The project was embedded in the Abertay undergraduate programme where students are presented with real world problems to solve through design and technology. The result was a serious game prototype that utilized game design techniques and technology to demystify and educate players about the diagnosis and treatment of one of the world's oldest and deadliest diseases, TB. Project Sanitarium aims to not only educate the player, but allows the player to become a part of a simulated drug trial that could potentially help create new treatments in the fight against TB. The game incorporates a mathematical model that is based on data from real-world drug trials. The interdisciplinary pedagogical model provides undergraduates with workplace simulation, wider industry collaboration and access to academic expertise to solve challenging and complex problems.

Introduction: Candida dubliniensis was reclassified from the C. albicans genotype D, and reports show its frequent detection in HIV-positive individuals and easy acquisition of antifungal drug resistance. However, the oral carriage rate in healthy people and contribution to candidiasis in Japan is unclear. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey of the C. dubliniensis carriage rate, performed genotyping and tested antifungal drug susceptibility and protease productivity. Specimens from 2432 Japanese subjects in six regions (1902 healthy individuals, 423 with candidiasis individuals, 107 HIV-positive individuals) were cultured using CHROMagarTMCandida, and the species was confirmed via 25S rDNA amplification and ITS sequences analyzed for genotyping. Results: The C. dubliniensis carriage rate in healthy Japanese was low in the central mainland (0–15%) but high in the most northerly and southerly areas (30–40%). The distribution of these frequencies did not differ depending on age or disease (HIV-infection, candidiasis). Genotype I, previously identified in other countries, was most frequent in Japan, but novel genotypes were also observed. Six antifungal drugs showed higher susceptibility against C. albicans, but protease productivity was low. Conclusions: Oral C. dubliniensis has low pathogenicity with distribution properties attributed to geography and not dependent on age or disease status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tumor suppressor protein, p53, plays a critical role as a transcriptional activator of downstream target genes involved in the cellular response to DNA damaging agents. We examined the cell cycle checkpoint response of human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) and their isogenic fibroblast counterparts to ionizing (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation, two genotoxic agents whose DNA damage response pathways involve p53. Using flow cytometric analysis, we found that both mortal and immortalized HMEC, which contain wild-type p53 sequence, do not exhibit a G1 arrest in response to IR, but show an intact G2 checkpoint. Supportive evidence from Western analyses revealed that there was neither an increase in p53 nor one of its downstream targets, p21WAF1, in HMEC exposed to IR. In contrast, isogenic mammary fibroblasts arrest at the G1 checkpoint and induce the p53 and p21WAF1 proteins following IR. By comparison, HMEC exposed to UV displayed an S phase arrest and induced the expression of p53 and p21WAF1. Our results show that the cellular response to DNA damage depends on both the type of damage introduced into the DNA and the specific cell type.

In "Cinema Paradiso" (Tomatore, 1988), Salvatore's love of movies came from spending his earlier, young life inside a cinema with the fatherly projectionist Alfredo, now blind and bitter. Alfredo is right. Life is much harder, yes, yet still very much "like in the movies" filled with frustrated actions, performed inside blind and repetitive constellations of every-day-ness and non-stop antinomies. "Cinema Paradiso," among other cinematic gems, is curriculum to a seminar in Urban Education that probes, tussles, even attempts to seduce the grand problem of education, as posed by Hannah Arendt: "[F]or the sake of what is new and revolutionary in every child, education must … preserve this newness and introduce it as a new thing into an old world" (1968, p. 193). In this essay the authors, characters themselves and co-instructors, tell the story of this seminar and its pedagogy. In the telling, each plays a different role--Meyer recounts the narrative in seven scenes, Vellani weaves in five "Counterpoint Moments" of its hermeneutics, set up as notes between the scenes. The narrative feature, "Matinee Dreams," unfolds an argument in prose, of lived curricular and cinematic moments with teachers from urban contexts--graduate students, at times a weeping audience, and co-authors in children's lives. In front of the screen in a makeshift cinema, all are beholden to the Arendtian question of pedagogy: What does it mean to be a teacher amid the onslaught of newcomers and the unpredictable plurality, in a world, old and weary?

Questions the phenomenon and the implications of being female in school science through girls' and young women's stories interwoven with a narrative from the author, a female researcher in science education. Discusses several directions within teaching that interpret bell hooks' engaged pedagogy which emphasizes a commitment to self-actualization and well being for both teacher and student. (Author/PVD)

Examines student discourse in both small and large contexts. Explores the role of shared inquiry and the nature of consensus-building in students' development of explanations from a collaborative knowledge-building stance. Concludes that two forms of discourse (constructive and generative, dialectic and persuasive) effectively promote progressive discourse and thereby facilitate shared coherent explanations of phenomena. Contains 31 references. (Author/JRH)

Discusses children's ideas about colored objects and colored shadows, with special attention to the organization of these ideas into mental models. The clarification of these models provides instructional tools that serve to assess and confront students' naive conceptions. Subjects were visitors to a science museum who engaged in interactive problem-solving exhibits that involved predictions, explanations, and manipulations. (14 references) (Author/JJK)

[english] Introduction: The aim of the study was to examine the effect of an elaborate feedback and an audience response system (ARS) on learning success. Methods: Students of the 1 clinical semester were randomly assigned to a study and a control group. The randomization was carried out considering the factors of age, gender and power spectrum during preliminary dental examination. Within 10 lectures 5 multiple-choice questions were asked about the learning objectives and answered by the students using an ARS. Only the study group received an immediate comprehensive feedback on the results. A final exam at the end was carried out in order to evaluate whether the elaborate feedback leads to a successful learning. Furthermore the effect of the ARS on the lecture atmosphere was investigated. Result: The results of the final exams showed no significant difference between the study and the control group regarding the learning success. Conclusion: Although no significant effect on learning success was found, the ARS creates a more interactive, positive learning environment.[german] Einleitung: Die Studie soll die Frage klären, ob sich durch Anwendung von elaboriertem Feedback und einem Audience-Response-Systems (ARS) der Lernerfolg im Studienfach Zahnerhaltung signifikant verbessert. Methodik: Die Studierenden des 1. klinischen Semesters wurden in eine Studien- und eine Kontrollgruppe randomisiert eingeteilt. Die Randomisierung erfolgte unter Berücksichtigung der Faktoren Alter, Geschlecht und Note im Physikum. Im Verlauf von 10 Vorlesungen wurden pro Vorlesung 5 Multiple-Choice-Fragen zu den formulierten Lernzielen gestellt. Diese wurden unter Anwendung eines ARS von den Studierenden beantwortet. Nur die Studiengruppe erhielt sofort ein elaboriertes Feedback zu den Ergebnissen. Die am Ende durchgeführte Abschlussklausur und Evaluation sollten ermitteln, ob das elaborierte Feedback zu einem Lernerfolg führt und welchen Effekt das ARS auf die Vorlesungsatmosphäre hat. Ergebnisse: Die Ergebnisse der Abschlussklausuren ergaben keinen signifikanten Unterschied zwischen dem Lernerfolg der Studien- und der Kontrollgruppe. Schlussfolgerung: Durch das elaborierte Feedback zeigte sich in dieser Untersuchung kein Unterschied im Lernerfolg. Mit dem ARS ließ sich jedoch eine interaktivere, positivere Lernatmosphäre schaffen.

Periodontal disease develops as a result of oral microbiota in dysbiosis, followed by the growth of periodontal pathogens such as Porphyromonas gingivalis and Prevotella intermedia. In case of acute symptoms, antibacterial agents and disinfectants are administered, however the appearance of drug-resistant bacteria and allergies cause problems. In recent years, studies on the effects of probiotics have been conducted as an alternative therapy for periodontitis. However, the basic mechanism of the inhibitory effect of probiotic bacteria on periodontal disease has not been clearly elucidated. To clarify the antibacterial mechanism of probiotics against periodontal pathogens, we used Limosilactobacillus (Lactobacillus) fermentum ALAL020, which showed the strongest antibacterial activity against P. gingivalis and P. intermedia among 50 screened lactic acid bacteria strains. The antibacterial substances produced were identified and structurally analyzed. After neutralizing the MRS liquid culture supernatant of ALAL020 strain, the molecular weight (m/z) of the main antibacterial substance separated by gel filtration column chromatography and reverse phase HPLC was 226.131. This low molecular weight compound was analyzed by LC-MS and disclosed the composition formula C11H18O3N2, however the molecular structure remained unknown. Then, structural analysis by NMR revealed C11H18O3N2 as the cyclic dipeptide, "hexahydro-7-hydroxy-3- (2-methylpropyl) pyrrolo [1,2-a] pyrazine-1,4-dion cyclo (Hyp-Leu) ". Based on the results of this analysis, cyclo (Hyp-Leu) was chemically synthesized and the antibacterial activity against P. gingivalis and P. intermedia was measured. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 2.5 g/L and the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was shown to be less than 5 g/L. In addition, an in vitro epithelial tissue irritation test at 10 g/L showed no tissue toxicity. So far there are no reports of this peptide being produced by probiotic bacteria. Furthermore, antibacterial activity of this cyclic dipeptide against periodontal disease bacteria has not been confirmed. The results of this study might lead to a comprehensive understanding of the antibacterial mechanism against periodontal disease bacteria in future, and are considered applicable for the prevention of periodontal disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The findings of a study testing the effectiveness of using group inquiry and discourse as a teaching approach in teaching science concepts indicated that it is useful in connecting students' thinking and experience with science concepts. It also produced a learning environment which encouraged collaborative inquiry. The students were able to progress beyond situation- specific explanations into broader and deeper understanding of science concepts.

Kinetic study of the cycloaddition-cycloreversion reactions of the zirconium-imido complex with organic amines and azides reveals that the first step involves reversible (2 + 2) retrocycloaddition, which produces a transient intermediate CP2ZrN double bond Ph. Trapping experiments indicate the involvement of retro (3 + 2) cycloaddition in the azide metathesis. Formation of diazazirconacyclobutane and tetraazazirconacyclopentene complexes involves the addition of Zr double bond NR unit to organic imines and azides, respectively.

The complexes Re2HeL2(mu-dmpm)3 PF6 and ReHL4(mu-dmpm)3 PF6 were formed from the reaction of the dirhenium polyhydride complex, Re2(mu-H)H4(mu-dmpm)3 PF6, with tert-butyl isocyanid, xylyl isocyanide and carbon monoxide. In this reaction, the electronic unsaturation of the polyhydride complex was relieved in a step-wise formation of a new series of lower-valent dirhenium complex. The x-ray structures of the resulting crystals were determined and discussed.

The reactivity of Re2H8(dppe)2 toward dppe and other phosphines and the routes to dirhenium polyhydride complexes that contain the Me2PCH2PMe2 (dmpm) ligand were investigated. Re2H8(dppe)2 reacts with dppe to yield the complex Re2H4(dppe)3. Similar procedures also yielded the mixed-phosphine complexes Re2H4(dppe)2(dppm) and (Re2H5 dppe2 dppm)BF4. The reaction of Re2H8(PMe3)4 with dppe proved to be a better alternative in the production of the mixed dppe-PMe3 complex Re2H4(PMe3)4(dppe). Re2H8(dmpm)2 was synthesized from the Re2(mu-O2CCH3)Cl4(mu-dmpm)2.

Calcified sclerites are common in many invertebrate species and are frequently used as taxonomic indicators; however, little is known about the function of sclerites. To determine whether sclerites could function as antipredator defenses, we conducted field assays in which sclerites from the Indo-Pacific soft corals Sinularia maxima, S. poludactyla, and S. sp. were incorporated into an artificial diet and offered to a natural assemblage of fishes in the field. Sclerites from both the tips and bases of all three species of Sinularia reduced feeding by a natural assemblage of generalist carnivorous fishes off Guam by 27-44%; however, sclerites from the bases of the colonies were 18-51% more deterrent than tip sclerites. The greater effectiveness of sclerites from the bases of the colonies was largely attributable to their high concentrations. Sclerites in the tips of the colonies occurred in mean concentrations from 24 to 58% by dry weight and were generally less than 0.5 mm in length. Sclerites in the bases of the colonies were larger and occurred in average concentrations of 82-88%. Sinularia sclerites were increasingly effective as feeding deterrents with increasing concentration at concentrations less than 30-50% by dry weight. The effectiveness of sclerites as deterrents leveled off at higher concentrations. Sclerite morphology was also important in determining antipredator activity. Although sclerites can play a role in predator deterrence, they can also function in the structural support of colonies. Thus, the sizes, shapes, and abundances of sclerites at different locations within colonies will be determined by their functions at particular locations as well as constraints upon their use or production.

Abstract The investigation of plant mixtures used in traditional medicine in Northern Peru yielded a total of 974 herbal preparations used to treat 164 different afflictions. Psychosomatic disorders were, with almost 30% of all recipes applied, the most important afflictions treated. In most cases, healers used only one or two mixtures to treat an illness. However, up to 49 different preparations were used to treat the same disease. This indicates a high degree of experimentation. Altogether 330 plant species, representing almost 65% of the medicinal flora used in the region were applied in mixtures. The overwhelming number of plant mixtures contained 2-7 different plant species, although in the most extreme case 27 distinct species were included. The cluster analysis confirmed that mixtures used for applications like inflammations, infections and blood purification, as well as cough, cold, bronchitis or other respiratory disorders, or urinary infection and kidney problems had similar floristic compositions. Mixtures used for nervous system disorders, anxiety and heart problems often had a similar composition

Through narrative, poetry, photographs, and philosophical reflection, this essay attends to the possibilities and impossibilities of hospitality in encounters between particular Canadian teacher-educators, Somali student-teachers, and those hosting and facilitating their encounters in the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya. The scenes of educational hospitality trouble the boundaries between host and guest, teacher and student, implacement and displacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying community‐driven priorities to improve health outcomes is crucial toward achieving health equity. Seldom are communities experiencing health disparities included in community health assessment (CHA) and health improvement planning efforts (Pennel, McLeroy, Burdine, Matarrita‐Cascante, & Wang, 2017). The purpose of this project was to conduct a CHA using a socio‐ecological framework and community engagement (CE) process. In this paper we describe an exemplar engaging local residents as community facilitators to assess indicators of neighborhood livability, challenges and lessons learned, and implications for public health and community/public health nursing. Community residents were trained to facilitate focus groups and participated in analyzing these data. Data analysis yielded five neighborhood livability indicators and priorities reflecting the social determinants of health. Engaging community residents as stakeholders in CHA and health improvement planning is critical for identifying structural factors affecting neighborhood livability and priorities to improve health and well‐being. Public health and health care system partnerships employing inclusive CE practices are necessary to improve overall population health outcomes. Public health nursing's role as strategy and system leaders can contribute toward the success of these cross‐sector partnerships with diverse communities and populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bacterial peptidoglycan is constructed by cross-linking sugar chains carrying pentapeptide building blocks with two d -alanine residues at the C-terminus. Incorporation into the polymer and subsequent breakdown of peptidoglycan releases a tetrapeptide with a single d -alanine residue. Removal of this residue is necessary for the tripeptide to receive a new D-Ala-D-Ala dipeptide in the synthetic pathway, but proteases are generally unable to work with substrates having residues of unusual chirality close to the scissile bond. Processing of the tetrapeptide is carried out by a dedicated ld -carboxypeptidase, which is of interest as a novel drug target. We describe the high resolution crystal structure of the enzyme from E. coli , and demonstrate the dimeric structure is highly conserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2,4-diazametallacyclobutane results from a formal (2+2) cycloaddition reaction with benzaldehyde N-phenylimine applied to Cp2Zr(double bond N-t-Bu)-(THF). The associated hetero-metallacycle, with release of benzaldehyde N-tert-butylimine, results from the reaction of the reaction product with a second molecule of N-phenylimine.

Copyright of GMS Zeitschrift für Medizinische Ausbildung is the property of German Medical Science Publishing House gGmbH and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The investigation of plant mixtures used in traditional medicine in Northern Peru yielded a total of 974 herbal preparations used to treat 164 different afflictions. Psychosomatic disorders were, with almost 30% of all recipes applied, the most important afflictions treated. In most cases, healers used only one or two mixtures to treat an illness. However, up to 49 different preparations were used to treat the same disease. This indicates a high degree of experimentation. Altogether 330 plant species, representing almost 65% of the medicinal flora used in the region were applied in mixtures. The overwhelming number of plant mixtures contained 2-7 different plant species, although in the most extreme case 27 distinct species were included. The cluster analysis confirmed that mixtures used for applications like inflammations, infections and blood purification, as well as cough, cold, bronchitis or other respiratory disorders, or urinary infection and kidney problems had similar floristic compositions. Mixtures used for nervous system disorders, anxiety and heart problems often had a similar composition [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine pulpal vitality in teeth suffering dental trauma during orthodontic therapy with fixed appliances. Materials and Methods: Pulpal condition was evaluated in 59 teeth that had suffered dental trauma during orthodontic treatment (TO-group), in 800 orthodontically treated teeth without previous dental trauma (0-group), and in 193 orthodontically untreated teeth with previous dental trauma (T-group). Pulpal vitality was examined clinically and with radiographs. Degree of pulp obliteration was rated as absent, partial, or total. All teeth in the TO-group showed a positive sensibility test prior to resumption of orthodontic therapy. Results: Teeth in the TO-group revealed a significantly higher frequency of pulp necrosis than teeth in the 0-group or teeth in the T-group (P < .001, respectively). In the TO-group, teeth with extrusive or lateral luxation (P = .031) and teeth with intrusive luxation (P = .015) injuries showed a significantly higher rate of pulp necrosis than teeth with fracture of enamel. In addition, teeth with total pulp obliteration showed a significantly higher frequency of pulp necrosis than teeth without pulp obliteration (P = .013). Conclusion: Teeth with severe periodontal injury during orthodontic therapy and subsequent total pulp obliteration have an increased risk of pulp necrosis during additional orthodontic treatment stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents an examination on the methods of seed collection, germination and cultivation of prairie turnip in an effort to allow gardeners and commercial producers to successfully cultivate this species for seed and food production. To assess the potential of prairie turnips as a new crop species, the plant's nutritional value was analyzed and compared with common root crops. The prairie turnip planting requirements and growth rates were also examined to determine the conditions needed to optimize their production.

Custody disputes are often the crisis point in the divorcing process and the numbers of contested custody cases are increasing. Mental health professionals are being called upon to provide evaluations of these families more frequently than ever. This article focuses on how to perform child custody evaluations. It touches on the highly troublesome cases where accusations of abuse and alcoholism have been made, and how to convey to attorneys the findings of an evaluation. It begins by reviewing developments in child custody law and concludes by addressing the problems between behavioral sciences and the law in the decision making process, while addressing the contextual setting for these cases as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In science education the nature and value of science laboratory activities are the subject of critical debate. We believe a better understanding of what students do and think while purposefully engaged with materials will provide insights. The intent of this study is to explore elementary students’ actions and the knowledge they use while conducting an investigative task. Eight grade 4 and eight grade 7 students participated in the study. The problem and the materials within the task invoked a selection of knowledge schemes from the students’ personal repertoires. This knowledge appears to have included: models of magnetism and ‘strength'; procedures and specific strategies that prescribe how to find a solution. Our findings document ways the students comprehended the problem, what they manipulated, how they monitored what they observed, how they interpreted the results, and the strategies they used for deciding on a conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]