24,006 research outputs found
GÖRAN ROTHMAN (1739-1778): The Swedish Physician, Botanist, Author and North African Explorer
No full textNo Abstract. Keywords: Göran Rothman, Carl Linnaeus, Tripoli, Libya, Tunisia, Sweden, History of Science, Expeditions Libyan Medical Journal Vol. 4 (1) 2009: pp. 56-5
Tomaso Casoni (1880-1933): A Pioneer Remembered
No full textTomaso Casoni (Figure 1A &1B) earned his fame by the test named after him [1]. Casoni was first to describe a test for immediate allergic reaction to hydatid fluid injected into the skin (Figure 2). This was in a time when hydatid disease caused by infection by Echinococcus granlulosus was endemic in Europe, Africa and the Middle East in addition to many other parts of the world. Therefore such finding was of great clinical significance at that time. However, as the skin test was increasingly replaced by other serological diagnostic methodology [2], the credit to Casoni has been fading away from the memory of medical and scientific community except for a few old Italian monographs [3-5]. There is a paucity of information on his life and works in the English literature even in the specialized web pages dedicated to history of science and medicine. A search using “Tomaso Casoni” as the search term on the internet’s two most commonly used search engines (Yahoo and Google) failed to find any substantial material. Thirty years ago, I was amongst a group of junior medical students in Tripoli, Libya. We learned for the first time about Casoni and his test from a small print foot note in “Bailey and Love’s Short Practice of Surgery”. We were so pleased that such a major textbook mentioned the institution where we were studying though its name changed to “Tripoli Central Hospital” following the independence of Libya. This event stimulated the interest of many in the history of science and medicine
The construction of Karen Karnak: The multi-author-function
No full textThis thesis is situated within the comparatively recent developments of Web 2.0 and the emergence of interactive WikiMedia, and explores the mode of authorship within a Read/Write culture compared to that of a Read/Only tradition. The hypothesis of this study is that the role of the audience has become merged with the author, and as such, represents new functions and attributes, distinct from a more conventional concept of authorship, in which the roles of audience and author are more separate. Read/Write and participatory culture, as defined by this study, is focused on collaboration, and includes the influences of D.I.Y. culture, Open-Source practices and the production of text by multiple authors. Multi-authorship presents a re-thinking of several concepts which support the notion of the individual author, since the focus of multi-authorship is not on attribution and ownership of a finished text, but on the continued malleability of a text. Modes of multi-authorship, demonstrated in the use of the pseudonyms Alan Smithee and Karen Eliot, represent declarative authors whose names signify multiple origins, whilst concurrently indicating a distinct body of work. The function of these names form an important context to this study, since primary research involves the construction of an experimental mode of multi-authorship utilising WikiMedia technology and the interaction of thirty nine participants, who are invited to create a body of work under the collective pseudonym Karen Karnak. The data generated by this experiment is analysed using aspects of Michel Foucault's author-function to identify and determine power structures inherent in the WikiMedia context. The interplay of power structures, including concepts such as identity, ownership and the body of work, affect the resulting mode of authorship and contribute to the construction of Karen Karnak, suggesting further areas of research into the emerging multi-author
Language Change and SA-OT: The case of sentential negation
No full textSimulated Annealing for Optimality Theory (SA-OT) updates Optimality Theory by adding a model of performance to a theory of linguistic competence. Our aim is to show that SA-OT can contribute to language change simulations. Performance "errors" are considered to be one of the causes of variation and change. We have chosen to model the evolution of sentential negation (SN). The descriptive background adopts Jespersen's Cycle, according to which the evolution of sentential negation follows three main stages (1. pre-verbal, 2. discontinuous, and 3. post-verbal). Therefore, we advance a novel model for SN, based on SA-OT. It reproduces the three pure and the two observed mixed stages, whereas it correctly predicts the lack of an intermediate stage between 3 and 1. The success of the approach corroborates the computational, performance-based approach to the data. Finally, we employ the iterated learning paradigm to reproduce historical changes in a "simulated corpus study". This enterprise turns out to be more difficult than one would naively believe.Appeared open access as: Computational Linguistics in the Netherlands Journal (CLIN), vol. 1 (2011), pp. 21-40, and is available at http://www.clinjournal.org/sites/default/files/Lopopolo.pdfA. Lopopolo and Biró, T., “Language Change and SA-OT. The case of sentential negation”, Computational Linguistics in the Netherlands Journal, vol. 1, pp. 21-40, 2011.Peer Reviewe
Care for People with Diabetes during The Moslem Pilgrimage (Haj): An Overview
No full textIntroductionHaj is one of the five cardinal components of Islam commonly known as the five pillars of Islam. Approximately two million Muslims perform it each year. Haj involves travel to the holy sites in and around Mecca and Medina during a specified short period of time in a limited space, not usually inhabited by such a large number of people. This article deals with the effects of this event on diabetes and its management. The importance of this arises from the fact during Haj, the person’s life routine changes as he travels to a different place of his own for a period of 4–6 weeks where geography, weather, diet, and habits are different. During Haj most people live what is effectively a very basic life in very crowded places. Therefore, medical conditions, such as diabetes, whose management depends on a stable routine, would predictably be affected significantly
Stakeholder research CoVE Water SA: CoVE Water SA the umbrella for all stakeholders
No full textThe water and sanitation sector faces well-documented issues that are challenging to address, leading to the establishment of the Platform of Vocational Excellence (PoVE) Water. This platform brings together five regional Centers of Vocational Excellence (CoVE) Water in Europe and South Africa to ensure high-quality skills and competencies in the water sector. These CoVEs facilitate collaboration among stakeholders, enabling the development of vocational education and training programs to increase awareness, responsiveness to industry needs, and address sector challenges. A few months ago, CoVE Water SA was established in South Africa to achieve the previously mentioned goals. Therefore, it is important that the following research question is answered in this initial set-up phase: What actions need to be taken to enhance the effectiveness of the CoVE Water SA? To answer this research question, several important stakeholders were interviewed. Subsequently, the interviews were analysed thematically in order to extract the most important themes and quotes, PI grids were created to assess power and interest dynamics among stakeholders, and a Social Network Analysis was conducted to understand the CoVE Water SA network and potential clusters.The research findings have unveiled key aspects for enhancing the effectiveness of CoVE Water SA. The current network in the water sector has a low density, implying that many collaborations are lacking. This leads to a high degree of interdependence within the network, resulting in a non dynamic system. The lack of collaborations, such as connections with TVET colleges, schools, farmers and local communities, results in a lack of knowledge, funding and connection to the labour market. Governmental stakeholders, like DWS, EWSeta, and BGCMA, have been identified as influential players with extensive networks and important resources, Local Authorities and Research Organizations also play important roles. Universities exhibit substantial international links, making them crucial contributors. These stakeholders have the potential to provide knowledge, collaboration, and power. These are valuable insights for CoVE Water SA, fostering network growth and effectiveness in the water sector. Furthermore, six key themes have been derived from the conducted interviews, addressing the needs of stakeholders and where CoVE can make a valuable contribution. These themes include raising awareness, reducing the skills gap in the water sector, fostering international collaborations, mitigating the labour shortage in the water sector, improving education material and establishing desired collaborations. For each theme, the interviewed stakeholders have presented their views and numerous suggestions on how CoVE Water SA can assist in addressing these issues. Additionally, stakeholders have also mentioned possible failures of CoVE Water SA, which can aid in preventing any shortcomings of the platform. Furthermore, stakeholders mentioned ongoing initiatives related to the six themes, through which they can contribute to the platform. From the Thematic Analysis, PI Grids and the SNA, a set of actions have emerged that are essential for enhancing the effectiveness of CoVE Water SA. These actions revolve around expanding and enhancing the network, organising activities and contributing to educational improvement. In terms of broadening and strengthening the network, the platform should focus on enhancing the collaborations among educational groups, building stronger relations with international institutions in Europe and Africa, involving TVETs and schools within the water network, improving stakeholder involvement and encouraging the involvement of Local Communities to increase awareness and knowledge about water issues. Furthermore, CoVE Water SA should play a role in organising activities to raise awareness of Water Resource Management. Additionally, it should assist in improving curricula, supporting students’ preparation for the workforce and making the education more practical instead of only theoretical. CoVE Water SA should also provide training and learning resources as well as comprehensive courses.However, this study recognizes several limitations that should be considered in future research and when implementing recommendations for CoVE Water SA. These limitations encompass factors like a limited scope due to resource and time constraints, minimal varied interviewee responses, and potential biases in responses. Addressing these limitations will be crucial in guiding future research and actions for CoVE Water SA.CEGM3000Civil Engineerin
Interview with Erica Jolly - teacher, author and founding member of SA Social Studies Teachers Association
No full textErica is a teacher and author who was a founding member of the SA Social Studies Teachers Association (contributing to its text books) and the SA History Teachers Association. She took her Masters in English Literature at Flinders University and taught in Girls and Boys Technical Colleges for 40 years. Erica's published works include a history of vocational education in South Australia from 1897 - 2001, We Came to Marion 1955 - 1995 (1995), A Broader Vision: Voices of Vocational Education in SA (2001), Challenging the Divide: Approaches to Science and Poetry (2010), and Making a Stand (2015)
Historický vývoj a charakteristika rozvojovej pomoci
No full textV príspevku sa autor zaoberá vývojom povojnových rozvojových teórií, ktorých podstatou je skúmanie príčin, dôsledkov zaostalosti krajín rozvojového sveta a vzniku ekonomických a spoločenských disparít medzi jednotlivými regiónmi sveta. Z chronologického hľadiska sa autor v príspevku venuje relevantným historickým aspektom, ktoré ovplyvnili vznik rozvojovej pomoci vo forme ako ju poznáme v súčasnosti. Východiskovou teóriou zahraničnej rozvojovej pomoci sa stala teória „Začarovaného kruhu chudoby“ a z nej vychádzajú mnohí autori, ktorí hľadajú východiská zo zaostalosti a prehlbovania sa rozdielov medzi vyspelými a zaostalými krajinami sveta. Jednotlivé regióny sú špecifické určitými charakteristikami, ktoré autor rozoberá v poslednej časti príspevku.rozvojové teórie, rozvojová pomoc, zahraničná pomoc, začarovaný kruh
Le Dr Doyen, sa Staphylase et sa Mycolysine
No full textDer Dr Doyen, seine Staphylase und seine Mycolysine.
Der Verfasser gibt einige Auskünfte über diese zwei, von Marcel Proust erwähnte Arzneimittel, und deren Hersteller, Eugène-Louis Doyen, 1859 geboren.Dr Doyen, his Staphylase and his Mycolysine.
The author provides some information on these two medications mentioned by Marcel Proust, and on their discover, Eugène-Louis Doyen, born in 1859.Lefebvre Thierry. Le Dr Doyen, sa Staphylase et sa Mycolysine. In: Revue d'histoire de la pharmacie, 79ᵉ année, n°289, 1991. pp. 193-198
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