Use of reference in the narratives of Kurdish-Persian bilingual children

This study investigates some of the differences and similarities between Kurdish-Persian bilinguals and Persian monolinguals with respect to the use of referring expressions in spoken narratives. The narratives were elicited from 36 participants, consisting of 24 bilinguals (groups 1 and 2) and 12 monolinguals (group 3) in the first four grades of primary school using the Mayer’s (1969) book ‘Frog, where are you?’. The results have revealed that group 1 (bilingual told the story in Kurdish) used definite noun phrases most frequently followed by zero anaphors, indefinite noun phrases and pronouns. Group 2 who narrated the story in Persian produced definite nouns most frequently followed by pronouns, zero anaphors and indefinite noun phrases and group 3 (Persian monolinguals) employed definite noun phrases followed by zero anaphors, pronouns, and indefinite noun phrases. The significant difference between groups 1 and 2 and groups 2 and 3 has been in indefinite noun phrases and between groups 1 and 3 in the use of pronouns. One reason is that children universally apply similar strategies regardless of their first language (Berman, 2001). The conclusion is that some of the differences are due to the difference in the structure between Persian and the dialects of Kurdish.

The limits of human development and the use of energy and natural resources

The development of nations is an unquestionable requirement. A lot of challenges concerning health, education and economy are present. A discussion on these development models has occupied the minds of decision makers in recent years. When energy supply and demand is considered, the situation becomes critical and the crucial question is: how to improve the quality of life of developing countries based on available models of development that are related to the life style of developed countries, for which the necessary use and waste of energy are present? How much energy is essential to humanity for not so as to endangering the survival conditions of future generations? the human development index (HDI) establishes the relationship among energy use, economic growth and social growth. Here it can be seen that 75% of the world population has a significant energy consumption potential. This is a strong reason to consider that the sustainable development concepts on energy policies are strategic to the future of the planet. This paper deals with the importance of seeking alternative development models for human development balance, natural resources conservation and environment through rational energy use concepts. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Health surveys and use of maternal and child health care services in three municipalities within the São Paulo metropolitan area

Objectives. To describe the changes in the use of maternal and child health care services by residents of three municipalities-Embu, Itapecerica da Serra, and Taboao da Serra-in the São Paulo metropolitan area, 12 years after the implementation of the Unified Health System (SUS) in Brazil, and to analyze the potential of population-based health care surveys as sources of data to evaluate these changes.Methods. Two population-based, cross-sectional surveys were carried out in 1990 and 2002 in municipalities located within the São Paulo metropolitan area. For children under 1 year of age, the two periods were compared in terms of outpatient services utilization and hospital admission; for the mothers, the periods were compared in terms of prenatal care and deliveries. In both surveys, stratified and multiple-stage conglomerate sampling was employed, with standardization of interview questions.Results. The most important changes observed were regarding the location of services used for prenatal care, deliveries, and hospitalization of children less than 1 year of age. There was a significant increase in the use of services in the surrounding region or hometown, and decrease in the utilization of services in the city of São Paulo (in 1990, 80% of deliveries and almost all admissions for children less than 1 year versus 32% and 46%, respectively, in 2002). The use of primary care units and 24-hour walk-in clinics also increased. All these changes reflect care provided by public resources. In the private sector, there was a decrease in direct payments and payments through company-paid health insurance and an increase in payments through self-paid health insurance.Conclusions. The major changes observed in the second survey occurred simultaneous to the changes that resulted from the implementation of the SUS. Population-based health surveys are adequate for analyzing and comparing the utilization of health care services at different times.

The use of principal components and univariate charts to control multivariate processes

In this article, we evaluate the performance of the T2 chart based on the principal components (PC chart) and the simultaneous univariate control charts based on the original variables (SU X̄ charts) or based on the principal components (SUPC charts). The main reason to consider the PC chart lies on the dimensionality reduction. However, depending on the disturbance and on the way the original variables are related, the chart is very slow in signaling, except when all variables are negatively correlated and the principal component is wisely selected. Comparing the SU X̄, the SUPC and the T 2 charts we conclude that the SU X̄ charts (SUPC charts) have a better overall performance when the variables are positively (negatively) correlated. We also develop the expression to obtain the power of two S 2 charts designed for monitoring the covariance matrix. These joint S2 charts are, in the majority of the cases, more efficient than the generalized variance |S| chart.

Use of salivary biomarkers for diagnosis of periodontal disease activity: a literature review

Periodontal disease is an infectious disease characterized by the connective tissue destruction and consequent alveolar bone loss in response to plaque accumulation on the tooth surface. The clinical diagnosis of periodontal disease is based both on clinical examination involving the evaluation of probing depth and radiographic examination of alveolar bone loss but these examinations are not enough to determine the activity of the disease process. For that reason, it has been proposed to seek predictive disease markers in an attempt to assess the disease activity and so, evaluate the efficacy of the periodontal disease treatment. The aim of this review is to present recent advances in the development of proteomic, genomics and microbial biomarkers and potential clinical applications. It was concluded that periodontal treatment based on assessing the levels of salivary biomarkers emerges as a promising method in near future and will become an integral part of the evaluation of periodontal health.

Genetic diversity strategy for the management and use of rubber genetic resources: more than 1,000 wild and cultivated accessions in a 100-genotype core collection

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Practices of use of nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) in neonatology in northeastern Brazil

Objective: To investigate the use of nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation (NIPPV) in level three neonatal intensive care units (NICU) in northeastern Brazil. Methods: This observational cross-sectional survey was conducted from March 2009 to January 2010 in all level three NICUs in northeastern Brazil that are registered in the Brazilian Registry of Health Establishments (Cadastro Nacional de Estabelecimentos de Saude, CNES) of the Ministry of Health. Questionnaires about the use of NIPPV were sent to the NICU directors in each institution. Statistical analysis was conducted using the software Epi-Info 6.04 and double data entry. A chi-square test was used to compare variables, and the level of statistical significance was set at p <= 0.05. Results: This study identified 93 level three NICUs in northeastern Brazil registered in CNES, and 87% answered the study questionnaire. Most classified themselves as private institutions (30.7%); 98.7% used NIPPV; 92.8 % adapted mechanical ventilators for NIPPV and used short binasal prongs as the interface (94.2%). Only 17.3% of the units had a protocol for the use of NIPPV. Mean positive inspiratory pressure and positive end-expiratory pressure were 20.0 cmH(2)O (standard deviation [SD]: 4.47) and 5.0 cmH(2)O (SD: 0.84). Conclusion: NICUs in northeastern Brazil use nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation, but indications and ventilation settings are not the same in the different institutions.

Use of epidemiological data as the basis for developing a medical curriculum

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Epidemiology may help educators to face the challenge of establishing content guidelines for the curricula in medical schools. The aim was to develop learning objectives for a medical curriculum from an epidemiology database. DESIGN AND SETTING: Descriptive study assessing morbidity and mortality data, conducted in a private university in São Paulo. METHODS: An epidemiology database was used, with mortality and morbidity recorded as summaries of deaths and the World Health Organization's Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY). The scoring took into consideration probabilities for mortality and morbidity. RESULTS: The scoring presented a classification of health conditions to be used by a curriculum design committee, taking into consideration its highest and lowest quartiles, which corresponded respectively to the highest and lowest impact on morbidity and mortality. Data from three countries were used for international comparison and showed distinct results. The resulting scores indicated topics to be developed through educational taxonomy. CONCLUSION: The frequencies of the health conditions and their statistical treatment made it possible to identify topics that should be fully developed within medical education. The classification also suggested limits between topics that should be developed in depth, including knowledge and development of skills and attitudes, regarding topics that can be concisely presented at the level of knowledge.

"Water users must be efficient producers". Women's access to and use of land in Chókwè irrigation scheme, Mozambique

The irrigation scheme Eduardo Mondlane, situated in Chókwè District - in the Southern part of the Gaza province and within the Limpopo River Basin - is the largest in the country, covering approximately 30,000 hectares of land. Built by the Portuguese colonial administration in the 1950s to exploit the agricultural potential of the area through cash-cropping, after Independence it became one of Frelimo’s flagship projects aiming at the “socialization of the countryside” and at agricultural economic development through the creation of a state farm and of several cooperatives. The failure of Frelimo’s economic reforms, several infrastructural constraints and local farmers resistance to collective forms of production led to scheme to a state of severe degradation aggravated by the floods of the year 2000. A project of technical rehabilitation initiated after the floods is currently accompanied by a strong “efficiency” discourse from the managing institution that strongly opposes the use of irrigated land for subsistence agriculture, historically a major livelihood strategy for smallfarmers, particularly for women. In fact, the area has been characterized, since the end of the XIX century, by a stable pattern of male migration towards South African mines, that has resulted in an a steady increase of women-headed households (both de jure and de facto). The relationship between land reform, agricultural development, poverty alleviation and gender equality in Southern Africa is long debated in academic literature. Within this debate, the role of agricultural activities in irrigation schemes is particularly interesting considering that, in a drought-prone area, having access to water for irrigation means increased possibilities of improving food and livelihood security, and income levels. In the case of Chókwè, local governments institutions are endorsing the development of commercial agriculture through initiatives such as partnerships with international cooperation agencies or joint-ventures with private investors. While these business models can sometimes lead to positive outcomes in terms of poverty alleviation, it is important to recognize that decentralization and neoliberal reforms occur in the context of financial and political crisis of the State that lacks the resources to efficiently manage infrastructures such as irrigation systems. This kind of institutional and economic reforms risk accelerating processes of social and economic marginalisation, including landlessness, in particular for poor rural women that mainly use irrigated land for subsistence production. The study combines an analysis of the historical and geographical context with the study of relevant literature and original fieldwork. Fieldwork was conducted between February and June 2007 (where I mainly collected secondary data, maps and statistics and conducted preliminary visit to Chókwè) and from October 2007 to March 2008. Fieldwork methodology was qualitative and used semi-structured interviews with central and local Government officials, technical experts of the irrigation scheme, civil society organisations, international NGOs, rural extensionists, and water users from the irrigation scheme, in particular those women smallfarmers members of local farmers’ associations. Thanks to the collaboration with the Union of Farmers’ Associations of Chókwè, she has been able to participate to members’ meeting, to education and training activities addressed to women farmers members of the Union and to organize a group discussion. In Chókwè irrigation scheme, women account for the 32% of water users of the familiar sector (comprising plot-holders with less than 5 hectares of land) and for just 5% of the private sector. If one considers farmers’ associations of the familiar sector (a legacy of Frelimo’s cooperatives), women are 84% of total members. However, the security given to them by the land title that they have acquired through occupation is severely endangered by the use that they make of land, that is considered as “non efficient” by the irrigation scheme authority. Due to a reduced access to marketing possibilities and to inputs, training, information and credit women, in actual fact, risk to see their right to access land and water revoked because they are not able to sustain the increasing cost of the water fee. The myth of the “efficient producer” does not take into consideration the characteristics of inequality and gender discrimination of the neo-liberal market. Expecting small-farmers, and in particular women, to be able to compete in the globalized agricultural market seems unrealistic, and can perpetuate unequal gendered access to resources such as land and water.

Use of computer algebra in the calculation of Feynman diagrams

The increasing precision of current and future experiments in high-energy physics requires a likewise increase in the accuracy of the calculation of theoretical predictions, in order to find evidence for possible deviations of the generally accepted Standard Model of elementary particles and interactions. Calculating the experimentally measurable cross sections of scattering and decay processes to a higher accuracy directly translates into including higher order radiative corrections in the calculation. The large number of particles and interactions in the full Standard Model results in an exponentially growing number of Feynman diagrams contributing to any given process in higher orders. Additionally, the appearance of multiple independent mass scales makes even the calculation of single diagrams non-trivial. For over two decades now, the only way to cope with these issues has been to rely on the assistance of computers. The aim of the xloops project is to provide the necessary tools to automate the calculation procedures as far as possible, including the generation of the contributing diagrams and the evaluation of the resulting Feynman integrals. The latter is based on the techniques developed in Mainz for solving one- and two-loop diagrams in a general and systematic way using parallel/orthogonal space methods. These techniques involve a considerable amount of symbolic computations. During the development of xloops it was found that conventional computer algebra systems were not a suitable implementation environment. For this reason, a new system called GiNaC has been created, which allows the development of large-scale symbolic applications in an object-oriented fashion within the C++ programming language. This system, which is now also in use for other projects besides xloops, is the main focus of this thesis. The implementation of GiNaC as a C++ library sets it apart from other algebraic systems. Our results prove that a highly efficient symbolic manipulator can be designed in an object-oriented way, and that having a very fine granularity of objects is also feasible. The xloops-related parts of this work consist of a new implementation, based on GiNaC, of functions for calculating one-loop Feynman integrals that already existed in the original xloops program, as well as the addition of supplementary modules belonging to the interface between the library of integral functions and the diagram generator.

Typical 3-D localization of tumor remnants of WHO grade II hemispheric gliomas--lessons learned from the use of intraoperative high-field MRI control

Complete resection of grade II gliomas might prolong survival but is not always possible. The goal of the study was to evaluate the location of unexpected grade II gliomas remnants after assumed complete removal with intraoperative (iop) MRI and to assess the reason for their non-detection.

Orofacial/cerebral injuries and the use of mouthguards by professional athletes in Switzerland

The objective of the present study was to measure the occurrence of orofacial and cerebral injuries in different sports and to survey the awareness of athletes and officials concerning the use of mouthguards during sport activities. Two hundred and sixty-seven professional athletes and 63 officials participating in soccer, handball, basketball and ice hockey were interviewed. The frequency of orofacial and cerebral trauma during sport practice was recorded and the reason for using and not using mouthguards was assessed. A great difference in orofacial and cerebral injuries was found when comparing the different kinds of sports and comparing athletes with or without mouthguards. 45% of the players had suffered injuries when not wearing mouthguards. Most injuries were found in ice hockey, (59%), whereas only 24% of the soccer players suffered injuries when not wearing mouthguards. Sixty-eight percentage of the players wearing mouthguards had never suffered any orofacial and cerebral injuries. Two hundred and twenty-four athletes (84%) did not use a mouthguard despite general acceptance by 150 athletes (56%). Although the awareness of mouthguards among officials was very high (59%), only 25% of them would support the funding of mouthguards and 5% would enforce regulations. Athletes as well as coaches should be informed about the high risk of oral injuries when performing contact sports. Doctors and dentists need to recommend a more intensive education of students in sports medicine and sports dentistry, and to increase their willingness to become a team dentist.

Use of straight and curved 3-dimensional titanium miniplates for fracture fixation at the mandibular angle

PURPOSE: The aim of this follow-up study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of a new type of 3-dimensional (3D) miniplate for open reduction and monocortical fixation of mandibular angle fractures. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In 20 consecutive patients, noncomminuted mandibular angle fractures were treated with open reduction and fixation using a 2 mm 3D miniplate system in a transoral approach. All patients were systematically monitored until 6 months postoperatively. Among the outcome parameters recorded were infection, hardware failure, wound dehiscence, and sensory disturbance of the inferior alveolar nerve. RESULTS: The mean operation time from incision to wound closure was 65 minutes. Two patients had a mucosal wound dehiscence with no consequences. None developed an infection requiring a plate removal. All but 2 patients had normal sensory function 3 months after surgery. Plate fracture occurred in one patient in whom a preceding surgical removal of the third molar had been the reason for the mandibular fracture. In the absence of clinical symptoms, the patient declined plate removal. On final follow-up, fracture healing was considered clinically complete in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The 3D plating system described here is suitable for fixation of simple mandibular angle fractures and is an easy-to-use alternative to conventional miniplates. The system may be contraindicated in patients in whom insufficient interfragmentary bone contact causes minor stability of the fracture.

Open Data and Earth Observations The Case of Opening Up Access to and Use of Earth Observation Data Through the Global Earth Observation System of Systems

Earth observations (EO) represent a growing and valuable resource for many scientific, research and practical applications carried out by users around the world. Access to EO data for some applications or activities, like climate change research or emergency response activities, becomes indispensable for their success. However, often EO data or products made of them are (or are claimed to be) subject to intellectual property law protection and are licensed under specific conditions regarding access and use. Restrictive conditions on data use can be prohibitive for further work with the data. Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) is an initiative led by the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) with the aim to provide coordinated, comprehensive, and sustained EO and information for making informed decisions in various areas beneficial to societies, their functioning and development. It seeks to share data with users world-wide with the fewest possible restrictions on their use by implementing GEOSS Data Sharing Principles adopted by GEO. The Principles proclaim full and open exchange of data shared within GEOSS, while recognising relevant international instruments and national policies and legislation through which restrictions on the use of data may be imposed.The paper focuses on the issue of the legal interoperability of data that are shared with varying restrictions on use with the aim to explore the options of making data interoperable. The main question it addresses is whether the public domain or its equivalents represent the best mechanism to ensure legal interoperability of data. To this end, the paper analyses legal protection regimes and their norms applicable to EO data. Based on the findings, it highlights the existing public law statutory, regulatory, and policy approaches, as well as private law instruments, such as waivers, licenses and contracts, that may be used to place the datasets in the public domain, or otherwise make them publicly available for use and re-use without restrictions. It uses GEOSS and the particular characteristics of it as a system to identify the ways to reconcile the vast possibilities it provides through sharing of data from various sources and jurisdictions on the one hand, and the restrictions on the use of the shared resources on the other. On a more general level the paper seeks to draw attention to the obstacles and potential regulatory solutions for sharing factual or research data for the purposes that go beyond research and education.

Use of lower gastrointestinal endoscopy and fecal occult blood test in the 2007 Swiss Health Interview Survey respondents aged 50 years and older

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence ranks third among all cancers in Switzerland. Screening the general population could decrease CRC incidence and mortality. The aim of this study was to analyze the use of the fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy in a representative sample of the Swiss population aged ≥ 50 years. METHODS Data were analyzed from the 2007 Swiss Health Interview Survey and the prevalence estimates and 95 % confidence intervals were calculated based on all instances of lower gastrointestinal endoscopy and FOBT use, as well as on their use for CRC screening. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to describe the association between screening use and sociodemographic characteristics, indicators of healthcare system use, and lifestyle factors. RESULTS In 2007, approximately 36 % of the surveyed people who were aged ≥ 50 years had previously undergone FOBT and approximately 30 % had previously undergone lower gastrointestinal endoscopy. CRC screening use was 7.7 % for FOBT (within the past year) and 6.4 % for lower gastrointestinal endoscopy (within the past 5 years). CRC screening by either method was 13 %. The major determinants of participation in CRC screening were found to be sex (male), physician visits during the past year (one or more), type of health insurance (private), and previous screening for other cancer types. CONCLUSIONS The results of the 2007 Swiss Health Interview Survey indicate rather low levels of FOBT and lower gastrointestinal endoscopy use. Furthermore, the results suggest disparities in the use of CRC screening.