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Education for global citizenship is a priority in international and Australian education policy. This paper offers educators a brief analysis of some philosophical debates on cosmopolitanism, the foundational idea behind global belonging, interconnection and responsibility. The scholarly discourse can assist in interrogating different possible conceptualisations of global citizenship and cosmopolitan mindsets to be cultivated in Australian schools. We review some key approaches to global citizenship education and explore pedagogical perspectives to help guide teachers to more critical orientations. We conclude with some recommendations to expand imaginings of active global citizenship through engagement with a plurality of knowledge systems within a transformative human rights framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnic diversity in Pakistan encompasseslinguistic,religious, tribal, and regional differences. This article examines some of the narratives around ethnic diversity in upper secondary school textbooks, the challenges of providing inclusive opportunities for diverse groups within Pakistan faced by citizenship educators and learners’ perceptions of the representation of ethnic diversity. The article draws on Civics and Pakistan Studies textbooks, focus group interviews with sixteen students and semi-structured interviews with sixteen teachers from eight schools and colleges in Punjab, Pakistan. Both the textbooks and the interviews are analyzed through the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). Key messages about citizenship from Pakistani textbooks are brought into dialogue with data gathered from interviews with Pakistani teachers and students to illuminate contrasting perspectives on the representation of Pakistani ethnic diversity. Findings indicate that the textbooks used in schools represent a view of Pakistan as a homogeneous country united by its distinctive Islamic foundation and its national language. They also project an image of Pakistan attempting to offer an inclusive embrace to those of other languages and religions within the borders of the Pakistani nation. The article concludes with some reflections on the challenges of developing students’ civic knowledge and understanding about multidimensional identity in Pakistan, given the limited and idealized treatment of ethnic diversity in the analyzed texts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent comments by the Federal Education Minister, Alan Tudge, have reignited the socalled history and culture war in Australian schools. Tudge has argued that the newest draft version of the Australian Curriculum is critical of Australia's proud history and does not leave students feeling optimistic about their future in Australia. This paper examines the accuracy of Tudge's claims by carefully placing them within the context of the draft and current version of the Australian Curriculum in relation to History and Civics and Citizenship and also examining them in relation to the history of political involvement in the development of curriculum. By doing so, it demonstrates that Tudge's claims are not founded on an understanding of the content and structure of the curriculum and betray a limited understanding of both the teaching of History and Civics and Citizenship, and the development of curriculum as a whole. The paper concludes with advice for teachers seeking to navigate the troubled waters of curriculum and education at this time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coup leaders often purport to restore constitutional order. During Burkina Faso's 2014 'insurrection', however, Blaise Compaoré's opponents advanced detailed (international) legal arguments that significantly constrained their subsequent conduct. Theirs was to be a legal revolution. This article situates this stance within Burkina Faso's distinctive history of urban protest, whilst emphasising under-analysed international sources for the insurrection. 'Insurgent' lawyers, it argues, used international instruments to reinvigorate longstanding activist attempts to reconcile constitutional rights with a language of popular justice promoted by the revolutionary regime of Thomas Sankara (1983–7). After the insurrection, however, their emphasis on legality was used by Compaoré's supporters to expose the transitional authorities' double-standards. Meanwhile, insurgent lawyers working for the transition had to work hard to reconcile (international) legal justifications for the insurrection with the expedient politics needed to defend the new dispensation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: During insertion of the cochlear implant electrode array, the tip of the array may fold back on itself and can cause serious complications to patients. This article presents a sensing system for cochlear implantation in a cochlear model. The electrode array fold-over behaviors can be detected by analyzing capacitive information from the array tip. Method: Depending on the angle of the array tip against the cochlear inner wall when it enters the cochlear model, different insertion patterns of the electrode array could occur, including smooth insertion, buckling, and foldover. The insertion force simulating the haptic feedback for surgeons and bipolar capacitance signals during the insertion progress were collected and compared. The Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) was applied to the collected capacitive signals to discriminate the fold-over pattern. Results: Forty-six electrode array insertions were conducted and the deviation of the measured insertion force varies between a range of 20% and 30%. The capacitance values from electrode pair (1, 2) were recorded for analyzing. A threshold for the PCC is set to be 0.94 that can successfully discriminate the fold over insertions from the other two types of insertions, with a success rate of 97.83%. Conclusions: Capacitive measurement is an effective method for the detection of faulty insertions and the maximization of the outcome of cochlear implantation. The proposed capacitive sensing system can be used in other tissue implants in vessels, spinal cord, or heart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are two competing and contrasting perspectives about what makes a good Pakistani citizen, a theocratic vision and liberal democratic vision. Tensions between these visions create an ongoing struggle for teachers to enable principles and educational practices to align in classrooms. These perspectives sit alongside two competing ideological discourses -- social conservatism and social transformation, promoting democratic pluralism in an Islamic context. Syllabuses and textbooks at all levels in the Pakistan education system have struggled to represent the complexities of Pakistan as a diverse changing society. The purpose of this paper is to explore how the Pakistani curriculum is seeking to accommodate more progressive agendas in the context of a particular national, societal, and religious set of perspectives around gender. A sample of Pakistani teachers' and 16-19-year-old students' perspectives on gender in education is explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rick Abel's classic Politics by Other Means (1995) used South Africa to argue for law's 'potential nobility', but it did so avoiding a heroic mode characteristic of much anti‐apartheid writing. Abel showed how law could, with strenuous exertion, be turned into a defensive shield for the oppressed. As a sword, however, it was 'two‐edged'. It allowed the powerful to frustrate or overturn hard‐won symbolic victories. Recently, the heroic mode has returned to South Africa. The Constitutional Court, in particular, is lauded for having combated 'state capture' under deposed President Jacob Zuma. A closer examination of this period, however, does much to vindicate Abel's earlier scepticism about law's offensive value. The spectacular deployment of law to fight politicians' crimes has exposed the judiciary to unexpected political threats. Meanwhile, civil society's efforts to entrust judges with administrative duties shirked by the government has inevitably entailed the sacrifice of some rule of law values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizenship and political education has increasingly been identified as an important component in educating young people for democratic citizenship. The National Curriculum Framework for School Education in Nepal 2007, the Nepalese social studies school curriculum, and textbooks explicitly underline the promotion of a democratic system and culture along with the development of civic and citizenship skills among Nepalese citizens. This article reports on a qualitative analysis of selected civic awareness images in Nepalese social studies textbooks using a 'visual grammar' framework. The analysis reveals that the images attempt to promote a message of national unity and respect for diversity in the country. However, the low quality black and white images and textbooks have some adverse teaching and learning implications for teachers and students and tend towards idealized representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hereditary gingival fibromatosis (HGF) and amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) are two rare oral conditions with genetic etiologies. The case of a 17-year-old boy affected by HGF, AI, anterior open bite, and pyramidal impaction of the maxillary molars is reported. Internal bevel gingivectomies were carried out to reduce gingival overgrowth. Clinical examination of the family revealed the presence of HGF and AI in his 12-year-old sister (both in milder forms) and of HGF in his older half brother. Genetic sequencing analyses were performed to detect any of the known mutations leading to HGF and AI. Histologic analysis revealed the presence of fibroepithelial hyperplasia, consistent with a diagnosis of GF. Sequencing genetic analysis failed to identify any of the common mutations leading to HGF (SOS-1) or AI (enamelin and amelogenin genes). This phenotype, similar to what has been described in other families, may represent a new syndrome caused by an as-yet unknown genotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Titanium (Ti) is widely used as a biomaterial for endosseous implants due to its relatively inert surface oxide layer that enables implanted devices the ability of assembling tissue reparative components that culminate in osseointegration. Topographic modifications in the form of micro- and nanoscaled structures significantly promote osseointegration and enhance the osteogenic differentiation of adult mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs). While the biological mechanisms central to the differential responses of tissues and cells to Ti surface modifications remain unknown, adhesion and morphological adaptation are amongst the earliest events at the cell-biomaterial interface that are highly influenced by surface topography and profoundly impact the regulation of stem cell fate determination. This study correlated the effects of Ti topographic modifications on adhesion and morphological adaptation of human MSCs with phenotypic change. The results showed that modified Ti topographies precluded the adhesion of a subset of MSCs while incurring distinct morphological constraints on adherent cells. These effects anomalously corresponded with a differential expression of stem cell pluripotency and Wnt signalling-associated markers on both modified surfaces while additionally differing between hydrophobic and hydrophilic surface modifications—though extent of osteogenic differentiation induced by both modified topographies yielded similarly significant higher levels of cellular mineralisation in contrast to polished Ti. These results suggest that in the absence of deposited proteins and soluble factors, both modified topographies incur the selective adhesion of a subpopulation of progenitors with relatively higher cytoskeletal plasticity. While the presence of deposited proteins and soluble factors does not significantly affect adherence of cells, nanotopographic modifications enhance expression of pluripotency markers in proliferative conditions, which are conversely overridden by both modified topographies in osteogenic inductive conditions. Further deciphering the mechanisms underlying cellular selectivity and Ti topographic responsiveness will improve our understanding of stem cell heterogeneity and advance the potential of MSCs in regenerative medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationalist models of judicial decision-making expect courts to defend their institutional integrity in politically sensitive cases. This article presents two African case studies of courts not doing so. They have elicited predictable backlash from executives and placed their institutions in avoidable danger. I argue that judges’ desire for esteem from emerging global judicial networks can explain this otherwise puzzling behaviour. These new networks become particularly salient in human rights cases. This conclusion partially supports Anne-Marie Slaughter’s controversial claims about the significance of ‘the global community of law’ but also identifies risks this poses for courts’ domestic authority. The argument is made with reference to two recent and well-known decisions by the High Court of Botswana and the Southern African Development Community Tribunal. The first case, Sesana (2006), dealt with the vexed question of indigenous rights in Africa. The second case, Campbell (2008), concerned the compensation of expropriated commercial farmers from Zimbabwe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Africa has more international courts than any other continent, yet International Relations scholarship has failed to explain this move to law on the African continent. This article provides such an explanation using Jean-François Bayart's concept of extraversion. It shows how the creation of international courts in the 1990s and early 2000s was the result of extraverted strategies for attracting international resources and pre-empting donor pressures for political and legal reforms. By adopting these strategies, African states failed to behave in the 'strategic' manner anticipated by both constructivist and liberal institutionalist International Relations theories. International court creation did not reflect the pursuit of national interests or a response to normative NGO pressures. Making this argument, the article analyses the design and ratification of two new international courts: the SADC Tribunal and International Criminal Court. Using the case studies of Zimbabwe and Kenya, it shows how global scripts were repeated by even those states which have, in recent years, most vocally asserted their national interests against these courts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various articles within the issue on topics including made between global citizenship and children's literature; environmental stewardship education in the Anthropocene era; and overlaps between history education and citizenship education.

In Pakistan, the school subjects of Social Studies, Civics and Pakistan Studies are explicitly used to construct Pakistani national identity and young people's sense of citizenship. This article draws upon interviews with 27 Pakistan Studies teachers from a town in the Punjab region of Pakistan. The interviews aimed to explore the teachers' perceptions and teaching practices with respect to teaching about regional, national and global identity content within the area of Pakistan Studies. The research found that in seeking to reconcile conflicting binary policy discourses most of the teachers continued to subscribe to relatively traditional pedagogical practices constrained by an examination system that overwhelmingly assesses students' knowledge of textbook content. Most of the teachers had more inclination towards developing students' national identity based upon Sunni Islamic values rather than multi-layered identities, reflecting more localized cultural diversity or global outlooks and viewpoints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School farms were established in Tasmania in the 1930s following a visit of an Australian eduation offi cial to the United States and the United Kingdom. There are still more than 30 school farm operations functioning in some capacity throughout the state, unlike in the rest of Australia where similar small school farms are not common. In this article we analyze interviews undertaken in 2016 with 22 school farm educators about the state of Tasmania's school farms, what they do, how they are seen in their communities, what challenges they face, and how they integrate the agricultural program with the demands of contemporary curriculum. While these school farms face considerable challenges, we conclude that they have a unique place in the state's education system, a powerful symbolic presence in rural communities, and signifi cant potential to provide relevant, valuable, and potentially transformative curriculum and pedagogy in support of educational and rural development policy agendas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus question grounding this paper is "How can teachers use a visit to Port Arthur to promote historical and critical thinking and develop the capacity of upper primary children to make meaning from their affective experience at a site of human suffering?" The interpretational qualitative data drawn upon for the paper comes from second year pre-service primary teachers writing about past visits to Port Arthur as part of a unit introducing them to the aims and purposes of humanities and social sciences education, including History. The paper makes use of the education students' assignments to analyse the potential of Port Arthur to engage the emotions in developing a critical and empathetic approach to the past. The paper advocates for teachers to implement a sophisticated place-based pedagogy that foregrounds affective history and emotional responses to a site of punishment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surface roughness on implant materials has been shown to be highly influential on the behavior of osteogenic cells. Four surface topographies were engineered on cobalt chromium molybdenum (CoCrMo) in order to examine this influence on human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). These treatments were smooth polished (SMO), acid etched (AE) using HCl 7.4% and H2SO4 76% followed by HNO3 30%, sand blasted, and acid etched using either 50 μm Al2O3 (SLA50) or 250 μm Al2O3 grit (SLA250). Characterization of the surfaces included energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), contact angle, and surface roughness analysis. Human MSCs were cultured onto the four CoCrMo substrates and markers of cell attachment, retention, proliferation, cytotoxicity, and osteogenic differentiation were studied. Residual aluminum was observed on both SLA surfaces although this appeared to be more widely spread on SLA50, whilst SLA250 was shown to have the roughest topography with an Ra value greater than 1 μm. All substrates were shown to be largely non-cytotoxic although both SLA surfaces were shown to reduce cell attachment, whilst SLA50 also delayed cell proliferation. In contrast, SLA250 stimulated a good rate of proliferation resulting in the largest cell population by day 21. In addition, SLA250 stimulated enhanced cell retention, calcium deposition, and hydroxyapatite formation compared to SMO ( p < 0.05). The enhanced response stimulated by SLA250 surface modification may prove advantageous for increasing the bioactivity of implants formed of CoCrMo. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 103A: 3747-3756, 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Politique Africaine is the property of Karthala Editions Diffusion 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 current gold standard material for orthopedic applications is titanium (Ti), however, other materials such as cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (CoCrMo) are often preferred due to their wear resistance and mechanical strength. This study investigates if the bioactivity of CoCrMo can be enhanced by coating the surface with titanium oxide (TiO2) by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (CVD), thereby replicating the surface oxide layer found on Ti. CoCrMo, TiO2-coated CoCrMo (CCMT) and Ti substrates were used for this study. Cellular f-actin distribution was shown to be noticeably different between cells on CCMT and CoCrMo after 24 h in osteogenic culture, with cells on CCMT exhibiting greater spread with developed protrusions. Osteogenic differentiation was shown to be enhanced on CCMT compared to CoCrMo, with increased calcium ion content per cell ( p < 0.05), greater hydroxyapatite nodule formation ( p < 0.05) and reduced type I collagen deposition per cell ( p < 0.05). The expression of the focal adhesion protein vinculin was shown to be marginally greater on CCMT compared to CoCrMo, whereas AFM results indicated that CCMT required more force to remove a single cell from the substrate surface compared to CoCrMo ( p < 0.0001). These data suggest that CVD TiO2 coatings may have the potential to increase the biocompatibility of CoCrMo implantable devices. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 103A: 1208-1217, 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ideational approaches to politics are frequently criticised for indeterminacy. In comparative constitutional politics, critics have alleged that the ‘human rights revolution’ cannot explain why bills of rights were adopted in different places and different times. Ideational scholars have not responded convincingly. Focusing on the famous South African case study, and drawing on theories of belief formation and legitimation in interpretive political science, this paper argues that new beliefs can be explained by historically specifiable dilemmas. It uses process-tracing to show how scholars have mistakenly assumed that key players in the post-apartheid transition only adopted beliefs in rights in order to rationalise interests. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The concept of a hand guided robotic drill has been inspired by an automated, arm supported robotic drill recently applied in clinical practice to produce cochleostomies without penetrating the endosteum ready for inserting cochlear electrodes. The smart tactile sensing scheme within the drill enables precise control of the state of interaction between tissues and tools in real-time. This paper reports development studies of the hand guided robotic drill where the same consistent outcomes, augmentation of surgeon control and skill, and similar reduction of induced disturbances on the hearing organ are achieved. The device operates with differing presentation of tissues resulting from variation in anatomy and demonstrates the ability to control or avoid penetration of tissue layers as required and to respond to intended rather than involuntary motion of the surgeon operator. The advantage of hand guided over an arm supported system is that it offers flexibility in adjusting the drilling trajectory. This can be important to initiate cutting on a hard convex tissue surface without slipping and then to proceed on the desired trajectory after cutting has commenced. The results for trials on phantoms show that drill unit compliance is an important factor in the design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Robotic assistance in the context of lateral skull base surgery, particularly during cochlear implantation procedures, has been the subject of considerable research over the last decade. The use of robotics during these procedures has the potential to provide significant benefits to the patient by reducing invasiveness when gaining access to the cochlea, as well as reducing intracochlear trauma when performing a cochleostomy. Presented herein is preliminary work on the combination of two robotic systems for reducing invasiveness and trauma in cochlear implantation procedures. A robotic system for minimally invasive inner ear access was combined with a smart drilling tool for robust and safe cochleostomy; evaluation was completed on a single human cadaver specimen. Access to the middle ear was successfully achieved through the facial recess without damage to surrounding anatomical structures; cochleostomy was completed at the planned position with the endosteum remaining intact after drilling as confirmed by microscope evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is based on an analysis of the different arguments utilized in the Pakistani news media in relation to the riots in Karachi after a bomb blast in the Ashura procession on 29 December 2009. From a framing analysis of the related columns and editorials written in The News International for a month after the incident, the article argues that the columnists and editorials articulated opinions and arguments based upon a variety of different interpretations of the causes of ethnic violence. However, there was some consensus around instrumentalist interpretations in the opinion and editorial columns, which emphasized the role of elites and governmental inadequacies in triggering the ethnic mobilization and conflict. The article concludes that any explanation of ethnic violence must combine insights from a variety of perspectives to explain riots. An enhanced understanding of the driving forces behind ethnic violence might lead to richer understandings about how to circumvent or prevent it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is based on an analysis of the different arguments utilized in the Pakistani news media in relation to the riots in Karachi after a bomb blast in the Ashura procession on 29 December 2009. From a framing analysis of the related columns and editorials written in The News International for a month after the incident, the article argues that the columnists and editorials articulated opinions and arguments based upon a variety of different interpretations of the causes of ethnic violence. However, there was some consensus around instrumentalist interpretations in the opinion and editorial columns, which emphasized the role of elites and governmental inadequacies in triggering the ethnic mobilization and conflict. The article concludes that any explanation of ethnic violence must combine insights from a variety of perspectives to explain riots. An enhanced understanding of the driving forces behind ethnic violence might lead to richer understandings about how to circumvent or prevent it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During cochlear implantation, hearing preservation is a concern. Minimizing disturbances to the cochlea and protection of the underlying endosteal membrane during the formation of a cochleostomy are considered important factors. The robotic micro-drill system tested in this article is the first example of an autonomous surgical drill successfully producing a cochleostomy, which keeps the underlying endosteal membrane intact. This study compares induced disturbances within the cochlea during formation of cochleostomy using the robotic micro-drill with that of conventional manual drilling. The disturbance of the endosteal membrane is measured using a Microscope Scanning Vibrometer at a third window, produced in the cochlea. Results show that the highest velocity amplitude measured was associated with manual drilling technique. The robotic micro-drill technique produced only about 1% of the peak velocity amplitude seen in manual drilling and exhibited much more uniform behaviour, while keeping the underlying membrane intact. The technique applied when using the robotic drill could be a major step in reducing the trauma to the cochlea, by reducing disturbance levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bright curvilinear features arising from the geometry of man-made structures are characteristic of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images of urban areas, particularly due to double-reflection mechanisms. An approach to urban earthquake damage detection using double-reflection line amplitude change in single-look images has been established in previous literature. Based on this method, this paper introduces an automated tool for fast, unsupervised damage detection in urban areas. Ridge-based curvilinear features are extracted from a preevent SAR image, and double-reflection candidates are selected using prior probability distributions derived from a simple geometrical building model. The candidate features are then used with the ratio of a pair of single preevent and postevent SAR single-look amplitude images to estimate damage levels. The algorithm is very efficient, with overall computational complexity of O(N\log k) for an N-pixel image containing features of mean length k. The technique is demonstrated using COSMO-SkyMed data covering L'Aquila, Italy, and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stem cells continue to receive widespread attention due to their potential to revolutionise treatments in the fields of both tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Adult stem cells, specifically mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), play a vital role in the natural events surrounding bone healing and osseointegration through being stimulated to differentiate along their osteogenic lineage and in doing so, they form new cortical and trabecular bone tissue. Understanding how to control, manipulate, and enhance the intrinsic healing events modulated through osteogenic differentiation of MSCs by the use of modified surfaces and biomaterials could potentially advance the fields of both orthopaedics and dentistry. This could be by either using surface modification to generate greater implant stability and more rapid healing following implantation or the stimulation of MSCs ex vivo for reimplantation. This review aims to gather publications targeted at promoting, enhancing, and controlling the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs through biomaterials, nanotopographies, and modified surfaces for use in implant procedures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores a comparatively undocumented gap in the history of citizenship education in England. Drawing upon archival material from the Civic Education League, the study analyses calls for citizenship education around the time of the First World War and its aftermath. On the face of it social and political circumstances after 1918 were propitious for citizenship education. The article goes on to explain why arguments in favour of enhancing citizenship education in schools failed to gain significant purchase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Franch-Chillida F, Nibali L, Madden I, Donos N, Brett P. Association between interleukin-6 polymorphisms and periodontitis in Indian non-smokers. J Clin Periodontol 2010; 37: 137–144. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-051X.2009.01501.x. Aim: Genetic polymorphisms (SNPs) in the interleukin-6 ( IL-6) gene have been associated with the presence of periodontitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between five SNPs in the IL-6 promoter region and the periodontal status of a rural Indian population. Materials and Methods: Two hundred and fifty-one systemically healthy volunteers were clinically assessed by a single calibrated examiner and divided into: healthy individuals and periodontitis patients based on the European Workshop on Periodontitis definitions and on a recently suggested definition, which takes into account age and clinical attachment levels. Their genomic DNA was analysed blindly using real-time polymerase chain reaction to study IL-6 variants. The association between genetic factors and the presence of periodontitis was assessed by logistic regression. Results: The IL-6−174 GG genotype was associated with periodontitis in non-smokers and older subjects (>45 years old). No statistically significant associations were detected between IL-6 haplotypes and periodontal status, after adjusting for confounders. Conclusions: The IL-6−174 polymorphism showed some evidence of an association with the periodontal status in non-smokers and older subjects in this rural Indian population. This association might be mediated by the effect of IL-6 on inflammatory responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the vibration characteristics of the coupling system of a microscale fluid-loaded rectangular isotropic plate attached to a uniformly distributed mass. Previous literature has, respectively, studied the changes in the plate vibration induced by an acoustic field or by the attached mass loading. This paper investigates the issue of involving these two types of loading simultaneously. Based on Lamb's assumption of the fluid-loaded structure and the Rayleigh-Ritz energy method, this paper presents an analytical solution for the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the coupling system. Numerical results for microplates with different types of boundary conditions have also been obtained and compared with experimental and numerical results from previous literature. The theoretical model and novel analytical solution are of particular interest in the design of microplate-based biosensing devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The aim of this analysis was to investigate the relationship between a vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphism and the diagnosis and progression of periodontitis. Material and Methods: Data were derived from two different studies, including 231 subjects with healthy periodontium, 224 aggressive periodontitis and 79 chronic periodontitis (CP) patients in a case–control investigation. Sixty-one of these CP patients also took part in an observational study with a 1-year follow-up, in which progression of periodontitis was determined at the subject level. All 534 subjects provided a blood sample from which genomic DNA was extracted to study VDR −1056 TaqI polymorphism. Results: The interaction between smoking and VDR polymorphism was associated with the diagnosis of periodontitis in Caucasians [ p=0.001, odds ratio (OR)=1.33, 95% confidence intervals (CI)=1.12–1.57] and all subjects ( p=0.033, OR=1.60, 95% CI=1.04–2.48). In the longitudinal study, subjects were divided into two clusters at 1 year according to the median number of progressing sites (Δcumulative attachment loss >2 mm). Logistic regression analysis revealed that the interaction between VDR Taq-I polymorphism and smoking showed limited evidence of association with the “severe progression” cluster ( p=0.033, OR=15.24, 95% CI=1.24–187.42). Conclusions: Vitamin D receptor Taq-I TT polymorphism was moderately associated with both the presence and the progression of periodontitis in smokers, while no association was detected in non-smoking individuals. VDR genetic factors may interact with smoking in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Growing evidence suggests that individual genetic susceptibility may influence the host's response to infections. Previously, we showed that a common variation in the interleukin (IL)-6 gene was associated with increased odds of detection of common periodontal pathogens from individuals with aggressive periodontitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between IL-6 polymorphisms and periodontopathogenic bacteria in a larger, ethnically mixed population of subjects with periodontitis. Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from 107 subjects diagnosed with severe forms of periodontitis to study a cluster of polymorphisms in inflammatory genes, including IL-6. The presence of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (previously Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans), Porphyromonas gingivalis, and Tannerella forsythia (previously T. forsythensis) in their subgingival biofilm was determined by polymerase chain reaction analysis. Serum IL-6 and C reactive protein (CRP) concentrations were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the IL-6 -6106 polymorphism was associated with the detection of A. actinomycetemcomitans (P= 0.009; odds ratio [OR] = 3.5; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.38 to 9.16) and the concomitant detection of A. actinomycetemcomitans and P, gingivalis (P= 0.015; OR = 3.6; 95% CI: 1.28 to 10.04). The IL-6 - 174 polymorphism was associated with increased odds of the concomitant detection of A. actinomycetemcomitans and P. gingivalis (P = 0,042; OR = 28; 95% CI: 1.04 to 7.75). Haplotype analysis of all five IL-6 polymorphisms confirmed an association with the detection of A. actinomycetemcomitans (P= 0.046). The IL-6-6106 polymorphism was also associated with CRP serum levels at multivariate analysis (P= 0.024). Conclusions: These findings confirm the hypothesis that complex interactions between the microbiota and host genome are at the basis of susceptibility to periodontitis. Periodontal disease may represent a useful model to study the pathways and mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions in inflammatory diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interleukin-6 (IL-6) polymorphisms have been shown to affect IL-6 promoter activity. This study investigated the possible role of IL-6 genetic polymorphisms and haplotypes in the predisposition to aggressive periodontitis (AgP). Material and Methods: A case–control association study on 224 AgP patients and 231 healthy controls was performed in order to detect differences in genotype distributions of five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the promoter region of the IL-6 gene. Results: The IL-6 −1363 polymorphism was associated with a diagnosis of AgP in subjects of all ethnicities ( p=0.006, adjusted logistic regression). The −1480 SNP was associated with LAgP in subjects of all ethnicities ( p=0.003). The −1480 and −6106 polymorphisms were associated with Localized AgP in Caucasians ( n=24) ( p=0.007 and 0.010, respectively). Haplotypes determined by the −1363 and −1480 polymorphisms were also associated with LAgP ( p=0.001) in Caucasians. Conclusions: This study supports the hypothesis of a link between IL-6 genetic factors and AgP and highlights the importance of two IL-6 polymorphisms (−1363 and −1480) in modulating disease phenotype and susceptibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Estudios Sobre Educacion is the property of Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Navarra, S.A. 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.)

D'Aiuto F, Parkar M, Andreaou G, Brett PM, Ready D, Tonetti MS: Periodontitis and atherogenesis: causal association or simple coincidence? J Clin Periodontol 2004 doi: 10.1111/j.1600-051X.2004.00580.x. © Blackwell Munksgaard, 2004. The aim of this study was to assess the systemic effects of treating severe widespread periodontitis in a population of otherwise healthy individuals by examining treatment associated changes in markers of inflammation that are also implicated in cardiovascular atherosclerotic diseases. The potential impact of specific polymorphisms in cytokine genes known to influence both periodontitis and cardiovascular diseases was also examined. A convenience sample of patients affected with severe generalised periodontitis was enrolled into a prospective single blind longitudinal intervention trial with a 6 months follow-up. Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were assessed by high-sensitivity assays. Serological and clinical periodontal parameters were evaluated at baseline, 2 and 6 months after completion of non-surgical periodontal therapy. In the 94 subjects that completed this pilot trial improvements in all clinical periodontal parameters were achieved. These were accompanied with significant reductions in serum IL-6 and CRP concentrations. In a multivariate model, serum CRP levels were significantly associated with the outcome of periodontal treatment after correcting for potential covariates (age, body mass index, gender, smoking) and polymorphisms in the IL-6 (−174 C/G) and IL-1A (−889) genes. A median decrease in serum CRP of 0.5 mg/l (95% CI 0.4–0.7 mg/l) was observed 6 months after completion of periodontal therapy in this population. Subjects with above average response to periodontal therapy (<30 residual pockets and <30% of sites bleeding on probing) accounted for the observed improvement in serum CRP. Control of periodontitis, achieved with non-surgical periodontal therapy, significantly decreased serum mediators and markers of acute phase response. The significance of the serum response was associated with the half of the population that responded better to non-surgical periodontal therapy. The results of this pilot study indicate that severe generalised periodontitis causes systemic inflammation. This is consistent with a causative role of periodontitis in atherogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that described a tactile sensing system used to determine a description of a load in contact with a surface. Information on tactile sensing; Description of the experimental one-dimensional tactile system; Details on the model of the sensing system; Discussion on the automated interpretation algorithm and the automated interpretation of the sensory data.

Focuses on the identification of sensory data that can be used to provide feedback on the position of the tip of surgical needles in soft tissues. Description of the automated needle feed system; Force measurement and control strategy.

Discusses a design of high-level controls for an intelligent mechatronics drilling tool in order to enable the estimation of stapes thickness from measurable drilling data use in stapedectomy. Background on the surgical procedure aimed at treatment of hearing impairment due to otosclerosis; Details of the treatment; Safety precautions used.