Educating children with Down's syndrome in the United Arab Emirates

It is always instructive to hear about the experiences of those seeking to promote inclusion in a range of cultures and countries around the world. In this article Dr Gaad, Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of the United Arab Emirates, reports on her Government-funded research into the education of children with Down's syndrome in her country. As an Arabic speaker, Dr Gaad was able to gather the views of parents, professionals and policy makers in some depth. As an educator, she brought a critical level of analysis to the lessons she observed.
In the following pages, Dr Gaad reflects on the attitudes, values and beliefs that impact upon the education of children with Down's syndrome in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). She discusses the educational services that are currently provided for these children and gives focused consideration to the issue of inclusion. The article closes with Dr Gaad's recommendations for future practice.     

Delayed diagnosis and treatment of extreme hypertriglyceridemia due to rejection of a lipemic sample

IntroductionMost laboratories routinely determine haemolysis, icterus and lipemia indices to identify lipemic samples and reject potentially affected results. Hypertriglyceridemia is the most common cause of lipemia and severe hypertriglyceridemia (≥ 11.3 mmol/L) is a major risk factor of acute pancreatitis.Laboratory analysisA 56-year-old woman attended the outpatient clinic for a follow-up visit 1 month after a kidney transplantation. Her immunosuppressive therapy consisted of corticosteroids, cyclosporine, and mycophenolic acid. The routine clinical chemistry sample was rejected due to extreme lipemia. The comment “extreme lipemic sample” was added on the report, but the requesting physician could not be reached. The Cobas 8000 gave a technical error (absorption > 3.3) for the HIL-indices (L-index: 38.6 mmol/L) which persisted after high-speed centrifugation. The patient was given a new appointment 2 days later. The new sample was also grossly lipemic and gave the same technical error (L-index: 35.9 mmol/L).What happenedThe second sample was manually diluted 20-fold after centrifugation to obtain a result for triglycerides within the measuring range (0.10–50.0 mmol/L). Triglycerides were 169.1 mmol/L, corresponding to very severe hypertriglyceridemia. This result was communicated to the nephrologist and the patient immediately recalled to the hospital. She received therapeutic plasma exchange the next day and did not develop acute pancreatitis.Main lessonThis case illustrates the delicate balance between avoiding the release of unreliable results due to lipemia and the risk of delayed diagnosis when results are rejected. Providing an estimate of the degree of hypertriglyceridemia might be preferable to rejecting the result.     

Louis IX in Medieval Arabic Sources: The Saint,the King,and the Sicilian Connection

This article examines the portrayal of Louis IX in medieval Arabic historiography to show the importance of cross-cultural Mediterranean interaction. It argues that the image of Louis was influenced by information originating from the Sicilian Hohenstaufen court and reports that Frederick II sent to Egypt. Arab historians connected to the courts of Frederick and Manfred disseminated a “Sicilian narrative” that shaped Louis's portrayal in Arabic historiography. This argument on the importance of cross-cultural transfer in understanding Arabic historiography is buttressed by reports about the King, the Pope, and the Emperor that are traced back to the entourage of prominent Muslims closely linked to Sicily. Moreover, it is argued that Arab authors were aware of Louis's proto-sanctity and pious reputation. This led to the infusion of medieval Arabic historiography with Western ideas about sacrosanctity. Finally, this research assesses how the portrayal of King Louis during his captivity was used in internal Muslim rivalries.     

Reduced plasma ascorbic acid and red cell glutathione contents in sickle cell disease—A preliminary report

Glutathione and ascorbic acid in erythrocytes are suggested to be essential in the detoxification of superoxide radicals and hydrogen peroxide formed during red cell metabolism. In sickle cell patients who are more prone to haemolysis have greater propensity for the formation of superoxide radical and hydrogen peroxide. In the present study conducted on sickle cell patients provide evidence for the presence of reduced levels of both ascorbic acid and glutathione in the red cells. This may seem to suggest that vitamin C supplementation may help such patients who are prone to haemolysis.     

阿尔泰额尔齐斯带东段酸性岩墙群地球化学特征及其地质意义

野外地质调查发现在阿尔泰南缘额尔齐斯构造带东段、额尔齐斯活动断裂与富蕴-锡泊渡断裂之间发育了一套未变形的酸性岩墙群.岩墙群侵位于海西期片麻岩化花岗岩和上石炭统深变质的额尔齐斯组岩层中,薄片鉴定和岩石地球化学分析确定为具有细晶结构的流纹斑岩.岩石的SiO2含量为70.9%～75.38%,K2O＋Na2O含量为7.55%～8.99%;大部分样品Na2O＞K2O,里特曼指数值为1.8～2.5之间,Al2O3=12.80%～14.53%,A/CNK=0.9～1.1,NK/A=0.7～0.9,具有准铝质-弱过铝质、低镁、高钾钠、低钙和锶、高（Fe）mol/（Mg）mol特点,具A型花岗岩类特点,属于亚碱性脉岩.岩石轻稀土富集,大离子亲石元素相对富集,具有明显的中等负铕异常,壳源特征明显.锆石U-Pb二次粒子微探针测年显示岩墙群形成于277～286Ma.推断岩墙是阿尔泰海西期造山运动结束后,在拉张构造环境下的地壳局部熔融产物.     

Validating the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal

This study validated the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Appraisal (WGCTA) on a sample of 273 private university students in Lebanon. For that purpose, evidence for construct validation was investigated through identifying the test’s factor structure and subscale total correlations, in addition to differences in scores by gender, different levels, and streams using a series of ANOVA tests. Evidence for the test’s reliability and concurrent validity was also collected. Moreover, students in five courses that emphasize critical thinking were pre–post tested using the WGCTA. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a unidimensional factor while results showed no significant differences in scores on the WGCTA between males and females or between students at different levels except for graduate students in the Business stream. Furthermore, results revealed significant differences for the senior students between different streams. Finally, results showed no statistically significant changes in the mean scores of students who were pre- and post-tested except for nursing students. The test’s significant correlations with various criterion measures provided evidence of its convergent and divergent validities. The results were discussed in terms of the nature of the construct itself, and the effects of training and effective instructional strategies on growth of critical thinking. Recommendations for future research were proposed.     

贯彻《规程》精神 挖掘图书馆职能

介绍了兴隆县教育局贯彻落实教育部颁发的《中小学图书馆(室)规程(修订)》精神，以卓有成效的举措挖潜图书馆职能，促进学生健康发展的实践与体会。