Open Access Books

Dental caries is one of the most frequent diseases worldwide and due to its prevalence, phytotherapy began to be used as an alternative treatment. Hibiscus sabdariffa L. has a wide variety of therapeutic properties, of which its antibacterial activity stands out in this study. Objective: The objective of this research was to determine the in vitro antibacterial effect of the ethanolic extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. on strains of Streptococcus mutans at 24 and 48 hours. Materials and methods: The research was applied to experimental design and prospective measurement. The sample was obtained from patients who signed the informed consent in order to obtain the Streptococcus mutans strains. They were cultivated in 16 Petri dishes and 7 discs of filter paper No. 4 were distributed in each plate, the technique was Kirby Bauer disc diffusion with wells, with a total of 112 discs and wells; the Petri dishes were divided into 4 groups according to the concentrations of the ethanolic extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. that was obtained by maceration with 96% alcohol to obtain a sample of 100% ethanolic extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. and to obtain the concentrations of 25%, 50% and 75% alcohol was used to make the dilutions. Chlorhexidine 0.12% was considered as positive control and distilled water as negative control. Results: It was shown that Hibiscus sabdariffa L. has an inhibitory effect. The best effect was recorded at 48 hours at 100% concentration. Obtaining an inhibition halo of 14.23mm. Conclusion: The ethanolic extract of Hibiscus sabdariffa L. does have an in vitro antibacterial effect on Streptococcus mutans strains.

This book offers a timely and compelling look at religion and poverty, focusing primarily on the two largest world religions, Christianity and Islam, and considering religion and poverty in the United States and international contexts. Written by social scientists, the book incorporates relevant theology with a focus on how theology is lived in relation to issues of poverty. Topics include religion as it relates to social service provision, lived religion, philanthropy, faith-based social movements, public policy, and more. This volume synthesizes existing research on religion and poverty and includes new original research. It is an essential resource for upper-level undergraduate or graduate courses focused on religion and poverty and is also an outstanding supplementary text for broader courses in religion, poverty, social welfare, philanthropy, and non-profit organizations.

Technological advancements in drug discovery for health and nutrition are improving human health but may lead to drug resistance, which might forebode challenges for health and the environment. Hence, it is necessary to explore and use some natural remedies such as probiotics. Advances in Probiotics for Health and Nutrition provides a comprehensive, techno-commercial overview of probiotics and their production, mechanisms of action, applications, and effectiveness in health and nutrition, as well as information on safety regulations in health and nutraceuticals. This book is a useful resource for researchers, academics, scientists, and budding entrepreneurs.

At the forefront of current digital literacy studies in education, this Handbook uniquely systematizes emerging interdisciplinary themes, new knowledge, and insightful theoretical contributions to the field. The chapter topics identified through academic conference networks, rigorous analysis, and database searches of trending themes are organized in five thematic sections: Digital Futures; Digital Diversity; Digital Lives; Digital Spaces; Digital Ethics. This essential guide to digital writing and literacies research, with transformational ideas for educational and professional practice, will enable researchers to position their studies in the field and to generate new themes of inquiry.

The ability of non-equilibrium plasmas to modify surfaces has been known for many years. And a promising way to perform surface modifications without altering the bulk properties is plasma polymerization since this technique is versatile and can be applied to a wide range of materials. Plasma polymer films usually show good biocompatibility when compared to classical biomaterials. The possible biomedical use of plasma polymers motivates the study of their behavior during storage and in aqueous environment. Therefore, it is of major importance to understand the change of properties of these plasma polymers over time and when in contact with certain fluids. Recently, plasma polymer gradients (surfaces that display a change in at least one physicochemical property over distance) have attracted significant attention from the biomedical filed where the interaction of cells with a material surface is of major interest. This chapter discusses biomaterial functionalization via plasma polymerization focusing on their use in the biomedical field as well as their aging and stability behaviors. Plasma polymer gradients as valuable tools to investigate cell-surface interactions will also be reviewed.

How does one become a recognized architect? Where does the inspiration come from and how is it transformed into buildings, streets and cities? With his Architectural Journal Rob Krier takes the readers on a fascinating journey, guiding one through pivotal moments of early stages of his career as an architect. With a sense of humour, empathy and charm Krier tells a story of his professional path, starting with holidays spent with his grandparents, images, colors and smells that shaped his future choices. He talks about his triumphs and stumbles, giving an intimate insight into the architectural profession, deprived of any pretence to eternal greatness and heroic narrative. The journal encompasses 15 formative years of Krier’s career, starting from architectural studies in Munich, through trips and temporary settlements in Luxemburg, Stuttgart and Lausanne. Krier’s memories are accompanied by theoretical texts. Here he touches upon architect’s responsibilities, importance of historical legacy and exhorts to boycott ugliness in the name of beauty. Striving for something else than pure functionality in architecture, Krier calls for poetical approach, so characteristic for his work, stating: Poetry is in the breath of the building, the aroma that exudes from all its nooks”. Rob Krier is one of the most influential architects and urban planners of the second half of the 20th century. His theoretical writings deal with the idea of town planning informed by traditional notions of harmony, civic space and community.

Daryl Tarte writes emotively, in great detail, about his personal experience of growing up on a remote island during the colonial era, when races were segregated, and white people lived an elite existence.

La première moitié du XVIIe siècle a vu naître dans la plupart des pays de l'Europe occidentale la nouvelle physique mécaniste, dont la construction est notamment associée aux noms de Galilée et de Descartes. Mais la constitution de la science moderne n'a pas signifié pour autant la disparition des modes de pensée hérités d'une histoire plus ou moins lointaine ; pas plus que son avènement ne s'est accompli sans hésitations ni tâtonnements. Les comptes rendus des conférences hebdomadaires du Bureau d'adresse organisées de 1633 à 1642 par Théophraste Renaudot, médecin de son état, fondateur de la Gazette et protégé du Cardinal de Richelieu, offrent par excellence le moyen de prendre la mesure du foisonnement et de la richesse de la culture savante de leur époque comme de la complexité des phénomènes de la transition intellectuelle dont ces conférences ont été contemporaines. Source unique en leur temps, les cinq volumes des Centuries du Bureau d'adresse offrent en outre un témoignage incomparablement précis sur les académies du premier XVIIe siècle, souvent ignorées au profit de leur contemporaine, l'Académie française, ou de leurs héritières comme l'Académie royale des sciences, qui furent des institutions officielles de la monarchie. Le livre de Simone Mazauric nous donne à découvrir aussi bien la vie quotidienne de l'académie de Renaudot que les savoirs dont celle-ci fut un lieu de diffusion. Les procès-verbaux publiés des conférences du Bureau d'adresse deviennent ainsi un moyen d'accès privilégié à la connaissance des modèles intellectuels de l'âge baroque comme ils portent témoignage sur la crise d'une pensée qui s'est accomplie sur le fond d'une mutation sociale et politique décisive.

Since the Middle Ages, next to churches the courts have been the most important employers of professional musicians. The important role of court music in European and particularly in German music history has not been reflected in the efforts made by musicological scholarship in the past. Although there are numerous studies on particular courts, comparative studies are still lacking. This publication documents the current state of research on the most important court chapels, as well as selected smaller aristocratic chapels in southern Germany during the eighteenth century.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) represent a powerful system for the recognition and elimination of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) from bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens and damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) released from dying cells. Typical PAMPs include bacterial cell wall components, viral pathogens, or pathogenic nucleic acids, including viral RNA and DNA. Activation of TLRs leads to the production of proinflammatory cytokines and type I interferons which are important for the induction of the host immune response against bacterial and viral infections. However, dysregulation and overstimulation can be detrimental, leading to hyper-inflammation, sepsis, and loss of tissue integrity. The involvement of TLRs in inflammation and bacterial infection has been recognized for a long time. There is an increasing number of reports demonstrating the involvement of TLR activation in a variety of viral infections, associated with protective immunity, but also immune hyper activation and even viral replication. Recent data show the involvement of TLR activation in various acute respiratory viral infections, including SARS-CoV-2 and indicate an essential role in COVID-19 pathology. It aimed to gather newest data and hypotheses regarding molecular and cellular mechanisms of TLR triggering and activation and their downstream signaling pathways by viral infections, and their correlation to immunology and pathophysiology of the associated diseases, to facilitate translational research resulting in new targets for the treatment of viral infectious diseases including COVID-19.

Outlines the principles underpinning measurement for healthcare improvement, emphasising the importance of using multiple measures and approaches to gathering data. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

Avec l'année 2006 s'est achevé notre cycle de rencontres commencé en janvier. Partant de ces fondements économiques, nous avons pu constater que la mondialisation s'étend bien au-delà du domaine des marchés et des échanges commerciaux : l'avènement d'un espace mondial bouleverse les modes de vie, l'urbanisme, les migrations, les communications, les relations politiques, les cultures... Avec les derniers débats, nous avons abordé encore l'environnement, l'évolution du droit, la planétarisation...

Der Tarifvertrag zur Qualifizierung für die Beschäftigten in der Metall- und Elektroindustrie Baden-Württemberg (TV Quali) ist seit 20 Jahren in Kraft. Aus Anlass des Jubiläums beleuchten in diesem Sammelband namhafte Autorinnen und Autoren aus Wissenschaft und Praxis die Herausforderungen und Chancen der Gestaltung des Strukturwandels durch berufliche Weiterbildung. In ihren Beiträgen schildern sie Erfahrungen aus der Betriebspraxis, beschreiben zukünftige Anforderungen an die berufliche Weiterbildung und zeigen Optionen für zukünftige Qualifizierungsmaßnahmen auf. Nach einem Überblick über die Rolle und Struktur der beruflichen Weiterbildung in Deutschland beleuchten die Autorinnen und Autoren aktuelle Aufgaben der beruflichen Weiterbildung. In den Beiträgen zur Zusammenarbeit von Arbeitgebern und Betriebsräten, zur Anerkennung informell erworbener Kompetenzen und zum beruflichen Lernen in der Zukunft werden Möglichkeiten für innovative Weiterbildungskonzepte sichtbar. Auch die Notwendigkeit neuer Lernformen und der Ausbau digitaler Grundkompetenzen werden untersucht. Zum Abschluss wird die Frage gestellt, vor welchen Herausforderungen die berufliche Weiterbildung wohl im Jahr 2041 stehen wird. Der Band liefert wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse zum Thema Berufliche Weiterbildung und bietet Orientierung für die Berufspraxis.

Vingt-neuf communications sont rassemblées dans ce volume des Actes du colloque international du Centre Universitaire d'Études et de Recherches Médiévales d'Aix (CUER MA/EA 2207) qui s'est tenu à l'Université dé Provence (Aix-Marseille I) les 9,10 et 11 mars 2006, en vue de dégager la spécificité de cet acte d'écriture complexe qu'est la fabrique du personnage à l'époque médiévale. Le lecteur trouvera des études portant sur les divers domaines littéraires et sur les phénomènes d'intertextual...

The optically pumped magnetometer (OPM) is a class of atomic devices that rely on the measurement of Larmor precession of an atomic spin ensemble in a magnetic field. They need the specific frequency light to complete the pumping and detection process. OPMs typically work under the Earth's magnetic field or a limited field. When operating in near-zero field, they can realize the spin-exchange relaxation-free (SERF) regime, thereby promoting a substantial increase in sensitivity. At present, OPMs have been widely used in magnetoencephalography, magnetocardiography, geomagnetic detection, and inertia measurement (comagnetometer). There are a large number of researchers engaged in the study of relevant mechanisms, devices, technologies, and applications. More importantly, supported by MEMS technology and micro/nano optics, OPMs have the potential to move toward chip-scale sensors. This special issue contains some latest developments in OPMs and related areas. We hope the reprint can provide valuable references for researchers in the related field.