This article puts forward love, care, and reverence for all people and our nonhuman kin as the center of posthumanist education. Opening our spiritual eye and building intimate relationships with nature and with all elements of the universe is envisioned as part of a schooling or post-schooling experience; our body, heart and spirit, along with our mind, is an essential part of learning. The article describes the experiences of students taking a graduate level course focusing on global climate change and education at a university in the United States. We use the course as an example to explore what posthumanist education entails. In this qualitative study, students taking the course, along with the faculty designing and teaching the course, describe the course curriculum and pedagogies and reflect on the course's impact on them. Data sources include the syllabus, students' reflection papers, nature contact journals, final projects, art works, and group conversations. Although situated in North America, the article is rich with international perspectives as student authors came from six different countries. The article posits that posthumanist education must be eco-centric and love-based, engaging students' whole being to feel for and love Mother Nature.

ABSTRACT Purpose: Grades III and IV haemorrhoids have been preferentially treated with surgery for years. The decision to pursue surgical therapy for haemorrhoids is based on the severity of symptoms and the traditional classification of haemorrhoid prolapse. In this study, an alternative technique known as hand-sewn haemorrhoidopexy (HHP) was conducted using a modified anoscope. Methods: A total of 51 patients requiring surgical treatment for grades III and IV prolapsing haemorrhoids were treated by HHP. Hospitalstay duration, costs, time of work-off, operative time, wound healing-time, complications and outcomes were recorded after the operation. Results: Shorter wound healing-time and lower complication rates were observed after the patients were subjected to HHP. These patients also exhibited better tolerance for the operation and incurred significantly lower costs than patients who were treated with other therapies. Conclusions: Hand-sewn haemorrhoidopexy using is a safe, effective and painless surgical procedure to treat patients with grades III and IV or mixed haemorrhoids.

RESUMEN Propósito: Las hemorroides de grados III y IV han sido preferentemente tratadas mediante cirugía durante muchos años. La decisión de continuar la terapia quirúrgica para las hemorroides se basa en la severidad de los síntomas y la clasificación tradicional del prolapso hemorroidal. En este estudio, se llevó a cabo una técnica alternativa conocida como hemorroidopexia por sutura manual(HPM) mediante un anoscopio modificado. Métodos: Un totalde 51 pacientes que requerían tratamiento quirúrgico de hemorroides prolapsadas de grados III y IV fueron tratados por HPM. Tras la operación se registraron la duración de la estancia hospitalaria, los costos, el tiempo de trabajo, el tiempo de operación, el tiempo de curación de las heridas, las complicaciones, y los resultados. Resultados: En los pacientes fueron operados con HPM, se observó un menor tiempo de curación de las heridas, y tasas de complicaciones más bajas. Estos pacientes mostraron también una mejor tolerancia de la operación y tuvieron costos significativamente más bajos que los pacientes que fueron tratados con otras terapias. Conclusiones: Hemorroidopexia manuales un procedimiento quirúrgico seguro, eficaz e indoloro con el cual tratar a los pacientes con hemorroides de grados III y IV, o hemorroides mixtas.

During endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA), a needle is commonly used with a stylet, although recently the stylet has been omitted. This prospective study aimed to compare the quality of specimens obtained by EBUS-TBNA performed with and without a stylet. Between November 2013 and November 2014, 131 patients with lung cancer underwent EBUS-TBNA, with a total of 148 mediastinal or hilar lymph nodes sampled both with and without an inner-stylet, yielding 296 cytological specimens. Specimens were scored cytologically using five parameters: background blood or clot, amount of cellular material, degree of cellular degeneration, degree of cellular trauma, and retention of appropriate architecture. The procedure with a stylet required significantly longer operation time than without a stylet (14.5±0.8 vs 12.7±1.1 min, P<0.001). Excellent specimens were obtained in 261/296 and 260/296 samples in the procedures with and without a stylet, respectively (P=0.9), while the remaining 35 and 36 samples, respectively, were adequate. The diagnosing and staging of lung cancer using EBUS-TBNA did not differ significantly between the groups. In conclusion, specimen collection by EBUS-TBNA without a stylet is easier and faster than the procedure using a stylet and absence of a stylet did not alter specimen quality or diagnostic accuracy.

Chronic systemic inflammation and repetitive damage of vascular endothelia by incompatible dialysis system are probable causes of cardiovascular disease in patients on dialysis. The present study aimed to assess in vitro biocompatibility and anti-inflammatory effect of hemodialysis fluid supplemented with rosmarinic acid (RA) using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). HUVECs (5×106 cells/mL) were pre-exposed to 1 μg/mL of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and incubated with RA-supplemented hemodialysis fluid (HDF). Cytotoxicity was assessed qualitatively by morphologic assessment and quantitatively by MTT assay. Expressions of proinflammatory mediators were assessed using quantitative real-time PCR and production of NO was quantified. Phosphorylation of AKT and nuclear localization of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) were examined using western blotting. Exposure of HUVECs to RA-supplemented HDF had no influence on morphology and viability. Inhibition of proinflammatory mediator production in HUVECs by RA supplementation to HDF was significant in a dose-dependent manner. Exposure to RA-supplemented HDF resulted in a decrease in nitric oxide synthase expression and reduction of NO production in LPS-stimulated HUVECs. RA supplementation of HDF suppressed Akt activation in LPS-stimulated HUVECs. In addition, the level of cellular IκB was increased in parallel to a reduced nuclear translocation of NF-κB in LPS-induced endothelial cells. Our results suggest that RA-supplemented HDF is biocompatible and significantly suppressed inflammation induced in endothelial cells. In this respect, the use of HDF supplemented with RA could alleviate inflammation and improve long-term treatment of patients with renal failure on dialysis. Further clinical studies are required to confirm the effects.

ABSTRACT Background: In Taiwan, persons over 65 years old have higher prevalence of hepatitis C. Among these patients, around 50% have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Since cardiovascular diseases and diabetes are main causes of death in this age group, in this cross-sectional study, we tried to evaluate the effects of NAFLD and hepatitis C on the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Methods: In total, 25 116 subjects over 65 years old who presented for routine health check-ups were enrolled. From the results of seropositivity for hepatitis C and abnormal echogenicity, they were classified into four groups: normal (N), subjects with only hepatitis C (C), subjects with only abnormal echogeni-city (E) and subjects with both hepatitis C and abnormal echogenicity (CE). Results: Subjects in both groups E and CE had higher abnormal MetS components than group C. Among all five components, triglyceride (TG) was the one having the highest odds ratio (OR) in determining the incidence of MetS in groups C and E. Finally, compared to group N, both groups E and CE had significantly higher OR for having MetS. However, after adjusting for confounding factors, only the significance between groups E and N remained. In other words, higher MetS was noted in group E compared to group N and there was no difference in incidence of MetS between group CE and group N. Conclusions: Chronic hepatitis C is a protective factor against having MetS and this effect might be due to lower TG level in the elderly. Further studies are warranted for the underlying mechanisms.

RESUMEN Antecedentes: En Taiwán, las personas mayores de 65 años tienen mayor prevalencia de hepatitis C. De estos pacientes, aproximadamente el 50% padece la enfermedad del hígado graso no alcohólico (HGNA). Puesto que la diabetes y las enfermedades cardiovasculares son la principal causa de muerte en este grupo etario, en este estudio transversal tratamos de evaluar los efectos de la EHGNA y la hepatitis C sobre el riesgo de síndrome metabólico (SMet). Métodos En total, se inscribieron 25116 sujetos mayores de 65 años que se presentaron para hacerse chequeos de salud rutinarios. A partir de los resultados de seropositividad para la hepatitis C y la ecogenicidad anormal, estos fueron clasificados en cuatro grupos: sujetos normales (N), sujetos sólo con hepatitis C (C), sujetos sólo con ecogenicidad anormal (E), y sujetos con hepatitis C y ecogenicidad anormal (CE). Resultados: Los sujetos en los grupos E y CE tuvieron componentes de SMet anormales más altos que los del grupo C. De los cinco componentes, el triglicérido (TG) fue el que tuvo el cociente de probabilidades (OR) más alto a la hora de determinar la incidencia de SMet en los grupos C y E. Finalmente, en comparación con el grupo N, tanto el grupo E como el CE tuvieron OR significativamente mayores por poseer SMet. Sin embargo, después del ajuste de los factores de confusión, solamente permaneció la significación entre los grupos E y N. En otras palabras, se observaron SMet más altos en el grupo E en comparación con el grupo N, y no hubo diferencias de incidencia entre el grupo CE y el grupo N. Conclusiones: La hepatitis C crónica es un factor protector frente al SMet, y este efecto podría deberse al bajo nivel de TG en los ancianos. Se requieren otros estudios en relación con los mecanismos subyacentes.

Three hundred and nineteen ,Guanximiyou, pummelo (Citrus grandis) orchards from Pinghe county, the southern region of Fujian province, China, were selected for this study. The objectives were to determine (i) the soil and leafnutrient status, (ii) the relationships between leaf mineral elements and the corresponding soil elements, and (iii) the relationships between fruit quality and mineral nutrients. The results showed that soil acidification was a major problem in these orchards, with an average pH of 4.34. Soil acidification affected the availability of soil N, P, Ca, Mg, S, B, Cu and Zn and the levels of organic matter (OM) and cation exchange capacity (CEC), thus inducing soil and leaf nutrient imbalance. Indeed, severe nutrient imbalance existed in these orchard soils. 77.4% and 65.8% of soils were sub-optimum in exchangeable Mg and Ca, while 96.6% and 82.1% of soils were super-optimum in available S and P, respectively. Besides, severe nutrient deficiencies and excesses co-existed in leaves. 46.8% and 35.6% of leaves were deficient in N and Mg, while 74.8% and 70.4% of leaves were excess in B and Cu, respectively. Regressive analysis showed that leaf content of mineral elements was poorly related with the available content of the corresponding soil elements, respectively. In some orchards, severe juice sac granulation, an important factor affecting fruit quality, was observed. Regressive analysis indicated that Mg, S, Cu and Mn played a role in juice sac granulation of fruits. In conclusion, soil acidification might lead to severe soil nutrient imbalance, thus inducing leaf nutrient imbalance, eventually impairing fruit quality parameters such sac granulation.

Combining Global Positioning System (GPS) and Short Message Service (SMS), this paper develops a realistic system, called Mobile Navigation and Tracking System (MNTS), to provide navigation and target tracking services. MNTS is an Android based mobile application which integrated many enhanced mechanisms for navigation and target tracking services. MNTS not only provides users with the GPS navigation capability, but also supports Quick Response (QR) code decoding, nearby scenic spot searching, friend positioning and target tracking. In target tracking, MNTS utilizing SMS mainly adopts two proposed novel approaches: location prediction and dynamic threshold to reduce the number of short message transmissions while maintaining location accuracy within an acceptable range. Location prediction utilizes the current target’s location, moving speed, bearing to predict its next location. When the distance between the predicted location and the actual location exceeds a threshold, the target sends a short message to the tracker to update the actual location. Based on the movement speed of the target, the threshold is dynamically adjusted to balance the location accuracy and the number of short messages. Furthermore, as MNTS is free and open-source software, service providers or developers can easily extend their own services based on this system.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of the present study was to assess knowledge and attitudes related to HIV/AIDS among the migrant female workers in the restaurant industry in Guangzhou City, China. METHODS: We performed a questionnaire survey using a judgmental sampling method in the health examination clinic of Yuexiu District of Guangzhou during March 2011. A total of 428 participants completed and returned the questionnaires and data were analysed by descriptive statistics, t-test, one way ANOVA, and Wilcoxon test. RESULTS: Of 428 respondents, the average score of HIV/AIDS-related knowledge was 19.6 (full marks, 26). Knowledge on HIV/AIDS among respondents was classified as poor for 8.2%, fair for 42.5%, and good for 49.3%. The average score of AIDS-related attitudes of respondents was 7.2 (full marks, 10). Most of the respondents (88.8%) had relatively positive attitudes toward AIDS. Unmarried status, ages less than 30 years old and higher levels of education had higher scores of knowledge. Among the respondents who had sex experiences, 57.7% (130/225) reported that they never or only some of the time used condom. The young, unmarried women had significantly higher proportion of condom use than those above 30 years old, and/or married ones. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, a half of respondents had only moderate and low levels of awareness about HIV/AIDS knowledge, although most of them had tolerant and positive attitudes toward HIV/AIDS. In addition, a relatively lower rate of condom use was reported. The findings indicate that there exists broad space for improvement of knowledge and behaviours toward HIV/AIDS for migrant women in China.

OBJETIVO: El objetivo del presente estudio fue evaluar los conocimientos y actitudes relacionadas con el VIH/SIDA entre las trabajadoras emigrantes en la industria de restaurantes en la ciudad de Guangzhou, China. MÉTODOS: Realizamos una encuesta en forma de cuestionario utilizando un método de muestreo a juicio en la clínica de examen de salud del distrito de Yuexiu de Guangzhou en marzo de 2011. Un total de 428 participantes llenaron y entregaron los cuestionarios, y los datos fueron analizados mediante estadísticas descriptivas, prueba t, ANOVA unidireccional, y prueba de Wilcoxon. RESULTADOS: De las 428 encuestadas, la puntuación media de los conocimientos relacionados con el VIH/SIDA fue 19.6 (puntuación máxima, 26). El conocimientos sobre el VIH/SIDA entre las encuestadas fue clasificado de pobre por el 8.2 por ciento, aceptable por el 42.5%, y bueno por el 49.3%. La puntuación promedio de las actitudes relacionadas con el SIDA entre las encuestadas fue 7.2 (puntuación máxima, 10). La mayoría de las encuestadas (88.8%) tenían actitudes relativamente positivas hacia el SIDA. El estado civil de soltero, las edades menores de 30 años, y los niveles de educación más altos, estuvieron asociados con puntuaciones más altas de conocimiento. Entre las encuestadas que tenían experiencias sexuales, el 57.7% (130/225) reportó no haber usado condones nunca, o sólo algunas veces. Las mujeres jóvenes solteras hicieron un uso del condón en proporción significativamente mayor que las mujeres mayores de 30 años, y/o las casadas. CONCLUSIONES: En general, la mitad de las encuestadas tenía sólo niveles de conciencia moderados y bajos en cuanto a conocimientos de VIH/SIDA, aunque la mayoría de ellas tenía actitudes tolerantes y positivas hacia el VIH/SIDA. Además, se reportó una tasa relativamente baja de uso del condón. Los hallazgos indican que existe un amplio espacio para mejorar tanto los conocimientos como las conductas hacia el VIH/SIDA para las mujeres emigrantes en China.

Bioflocculants produced by Herbaspirillium sp. CH7, Paenibacillus sp. CH11, Bacillus sp. CH15 and a Halomonas sp. were preliminarily evaluated as flocculating agents in the treatment of industrial wastewater effluents. Industrial (1 local chemical-industry and 2 textile-industry: Biavin 109-medium blue dye and Whale dye) effluent (9 mℓ) containing various heavy metals was vortexed with 1 mℓ of bioflocculant in a 25 mℓ test tube. One mℓ of water (Millipore Elix purification system, 17 megaΩ) was substituted for the bioflocculant in the control. After 5 min, the heavy metal concentrations, the microbial population and the turbidity of the top layer of the industrial effluent were determined using ICP-OES, spread-plate technique and a turbidity meter respectively. The flocculating activity was calculated based on absorbance at a wavelength of 550 nm. Bioflocculants produced in this study were capable of removing several heavy metals from industrial effluents simultaneously and effectively. This was significant (p < 0.05) when applied to Biavin medium blue dye, with 95% of Cr2+ and 94% of Ni2+ removed by the presence of bioflocculants. Bioflocculants also removed almost all of the bacteria and reduced 50-80% of the turbidity of the chemical effluent sample, simultaneously. Bacterial bioflocculants may provide an alternative means of treating industrial wastewater resulting in environmental and economical benefits. However, our findings suggest that the treatment of industrial effluents using bioflocculants might be effluent-dependent. In order to explore the potential of bioflocculants in the treatment of industrial effluents, a preliminary study to determine the optimal conditions is crucial.

OBJECTIVES: The neuroanatomical basis and the neurochemical abnormalities that underlay juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) are not fully defined. While the thalamus plays a central role in synchronization of widespread regions of the cerebral cortex during a seizure, emerging evidence suggests that all cortical neurons may not be homogeneously involved. The purpose of this study was to investigate the cerebral metabolic differences between patients with JME and normal controls. METHODS: All patients had a JME diagnosis based on seizure history and semiology, EEG recording, normal magnetic resonance neuroimaging (MRI) and video-EEG. Forty JME patients (JME-P) were submitted to 1.5 T MRI proton spectroscopy (1H-MRS), multi-voxel with PRESS sequence (TR/TE = 1500/30 ms) over the following locations: prefrontal cortex (PC), frontal cortex (FC), thalamus, basal nuclei, posterior cingulate gyrus (PCG), insular, parietal and occipital cortices. We determined ratios for integral values of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) and glutamine-glutamate (GLX) over creatine-phosphocreatine (Cr). The control group (CTL) consisted of 20 age and sex-matched healthy volunteers. RESULTS: Group analysis demonstrated a tendency for lower NAA/Cr ratio of JME-P compared to CTL predominantly on FC, PC, thalamus and occipital cortex. When compared to CTL, JME-P had a statistically significant difference in GLX/Cr on FC, PC, insula, basal nuclei, PCG and on thalamus. When evaluating the relationship among the various components of this epileptic network among JME-P, the strongest correlation occurred between thalamus and PC. Also, we found a significant negative correlation between NAA/Cr and duration of epilepsy. CONCLUSION: Reductions in NAA may represent loss or injury of neurons and/or axons, as well as metabolic dysfunction while glutamate is considered to be an excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain which is involved in the pathogenesis of epileptogenic seizures.