bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Life of Thaïs and The Life of Abraham and his Niece Mary: An Intertextual Connection
Authors: Van Pelt Julie
Published: August 2017

This article brings to light an intertextual connection between two hagiographical texts that has not been acknowledged in scholarship: the Life of Thaïs (bhg 1695) and the Greek Life of Abraham and his Niece Mary (bhg 5). The first part of the article presents an overview of the different possibilities of interdependence. Next, the textual correspondences and the contextual divergences between the two passages are discussed. In the final part, the intertextual connection between the two stories is understood as the result of a shared narrative purpose, and the divergences are interpreted within the specific narrative context of each text. This discussion considers the two texts against the background of other Lives of so-called ‘holy harlots’.
Enhypostaton: Being “in Another” or Being “with Another”?—How Chalcedonian Theologians of the Sixth Century defined the Ontological Status of Christ’s Human Nature
Authors: Krausmüller Dirk
Published: August 2017

This article focuses on the term enhypostaton. It makes the case that this term was originally coined in order to express three modes of being: “by itself”, “with another” and “in another”. The first and third of these modes could not explain the status of the flesh as a nature, which does not have a hypostasis of its own, since they denoted full-blown hypostases and mere accidents. By contrast, the second mode was tailored to the specific case of the human being where soul and body as complete natures come together to form a single hypostasis, which had traditionally served as a paradigm for the incarnation.
Emecheta, Culture, and The Bride Price
Authors: DURAN JANE
Published: August 2017

Buchi Emecheta’s novel The Bride Price is examined for its overall literary strength, and particularly for its use of syncretism. Her work is compared with that of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, and it is concluded that both writers assist us in understanding today’s African diaspora. In addition, it is argued that several key passages in Bride Price are resonant for their extensive use of metonymy, and that Emecheta’s writing exhibits strong strands of the postcolonial, including the trope that the female body can be the site of multiple instantiations of hegemony and dominance.
Bourgeois Politics and Ideology in Vincent Egbuson’s Womandela
Authors: BAMIDELE DELE , AKWU SUNDAY VICTOR
Published: August 2017

With few exceptions, African countries have suffered perennial bad governance, bloody civil wars, and coups-d’état. The continent suffocates in the grip of political elites and military juntas. Capitalism as an economic system empowers a few who lord it over the weak majority. The ruling class also contributes to the suffering of the masses by flagrantly looting the nation’s treasury and flaunting it while the majority of the populace wallow in abject poverty. African writers problematize and diagnose this scenario and the Weltschmerz bedevilling African socio-political life, in a bid to offering lasting solutions, in the process experimenting with ‘home-made’ as well as ‘imported’ ideologies in the struggle for the African utopia. Vincent Egbuson, a ‘new-generation’ African writer, is indubitably a committed writer. In confronting the African socio-political malady in Womandela, he has adopted divergent ideologies to sharpen his social vision. The purpose of this study is, accordingly, to scrutinize the ideological bent of Egbuson’s novel and to determine its efficacy against the backdrop of the socio-political reality of contemporary Africa.
Myths, Legends, and Contemporary Nigerian Theatre
Authors: AFEJUKU TONY E. , ADELEKE E.B.
Published: August 2017

Femi Osofisan belongs to the new breed of writers, inadequately referred to as ‘second generation’. An accomplished writer whose works include plays, poems, essays and novels, Osofisan is widely regarded as the most significant playwright in Africa after Soyinka. As a committed playwright, Osofisan focuses on the reappraisal of his immediate society and the challenges of living in this society. He calls attention to all that is undesirable in the politics, economy, and religion of contemporary Nigeria and asks for a change of attitude which, hopefully, will bring sanity to the country. One of the means by which Osofisan achieves his artistic objective is the use of myths and legends from Yorùbá mythology. Specifically, we shall show in this essay that Osofisan makes use of the myths of OEango and Èṣú and the legends of Môrèmi and Solarin as a means of thematic exploitation. By so doing, he creates a unique contemporary Nigerian theatre which other playwrights emulate and develop. Many Colours Make the Thunder King, Esu and the Vagabond Minstrels, Morountodun, and Who Is Afraid of Solarin? are used as illustrative texts.
Fictional and Street Narratives
Authors: ODARTEY–WELLINGTON DOROTHY
Published: August 2017

Contemporary African fiction is a source of dystopian urban images juxtaposed with the kinds of ‘good cities’ to which the wielders of political or economic power subscribe. This article examines the dominant representations of the ‘good city’ and how they are contested or subverted from various narrative perspectives. It focuses on inscriptions of the city in fictional narratives and on inscriptions such as street signs and place names found in cities in order to explore the tensions and the contradictions in images of urban experience in Africa.
La Question de différence dans l’oeuvre de Marie NDiaye
Authors: KING ADELE
Published: August 2017

A study of Marie NDiaye’s portrayal of difference, particularly in En famille, Rosie Carpe, Mon coeur à l’étroit, Trois femmes puissantes, and Ladivine. She creates characters who are aware they do not fit into normal social categories, often because of racial mixing, although this is seldom brought to the surface. Her characters are without much normal interaction with others and are sometimes capable of acts of great cruelty. To escape from their awareness of difference, they seek to metamorphose into animals.
Rorty’s Aversion to Normative Violence: The Myth of the Given and the Death of God
Authors: Sachs Carl B.
Published: August 2017

Among the deeper strata of Rorty’s philosophy is what I call his aversion to normative violence. Normative violence occurs when some specific group presents itself as having a privileged relation to reality. The alternative to normative violence is recognizing that cultural politics has priority over ontology. I trace this Rortyan idea to its origins in Nietzsche and Sellars. Rorty’s contribution is to combine Nietzsche on the death of God and Sellars on the Myth of the Given. However, I conclude with a suggestion that Rorty ultimately goes too far in thinking that avoiding normative violence requires abstaining from metaphysics and epistemology as such.
From Irony to Robust Serenity – Pragmatic Politics of Religion after Rorty
Authors: Mueller Martin
Published: August 2017

What is the cash value of Richard Rorty’s philosophy and politics of religion? This paper analyzes the political promise of Rorty’s shift from atheism to anticlericalism in the last decade of his life. It seeks to deliver primarily a concise summary of this shift, and of its transformative motivation. Then a critique of this shift is followed by the suggestion of a friendly amendment: its extension towards a pragmatic pluralism. The outlined Rortyan conception of a serene, and, at the same time robust, politics of religion is proposed as a promising answer to the question of how secular liberal citizens should react to the “return of the gods.”
EU-Russia Energy Relations: From a Liberal to a Realist Paradigm?
Authors: Siddi Marco
Published: August 2017

Energy trade has been an important and largely cooperative field of the EU-Russia relationship for nearly five decades. After the Cold War, liberal theories of international relations, which highlighted the two sides’ interdependence, became entrenched as an explanatory framework for EU-Russia energy relations. From the late 2000s, Russia’s increasingly assertive foreign policy, culminating in the annexation of Crimea in 2014, changed dramatically the political framework of the energy relationship. As a result, realist understandings of Russia’s energy policy (re)gained popularity. However, despite the political crisis, EU-Russia energy trade has continued without major disruptions; indeed, Russian gas exports to Europe have grown after 2014. This article examines the evolution of the EU-Russia energy relationship and argues that it continues to respond to a commercial logic. Russia’s use of an ‘energy weapon’ appears highly unlikely. Meanwhile, eu market and competition rules have strengthened the case for a liberal understanding of the relationship.
Three new taxa of Noctuidae from China (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)
Authors: GYULAI PÉTER , SALDAITIS AIDAS
Published: August 2017

The descriptions of new taxa in Noctuidae are given: a new species of Acronictinae (Subleuconycta sola sp. nov.), and two new subspecies of Noctuinae (Isochlora grumi multirosea ssp. nov.) and Poliinae (Polia atrax vargai ssp. nov.).
Clustering of Observed Diurnal Cycles of Precipitation over the United States for Evaluation of a WRF Multiphysics Regional Climate Ensemble
Authors: Mooney P. A. , Broderick C. , Bruyère C. L. , Mulligan F. J. , Prein A. F.
Published: August 2017

The diurnal cycle of precipitation during the summer season over the contiguous United States is examined in eight distinct regions. These were identified using cluster analysis applied to the diurnal cycle characteristics at 2141 rainfall gauges over the 10-yr period 1991–2000. Application of the clustering technique provides a physically meaningful way of identifying regions for comparison of model results with observations. The diurnal cycle for each region is specified in terms of 1) total precipitation, 2) frequency of precipitation occurrence, and 3) intensity of precipitation per occurrence on an hourly basis averaged over the 10-yr period. The amplitude and phase of each element of the diurnal cycle was obtained from harmonic analysis and has been compared with the results of a 24-member multiphysics ensemble of simulations produced by the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) Model on a region-by-region basis. Three cumulus schemes, two radiation schemes, two microphysics schemes, and two planetary boundary layer schemes were included in the ensemble. Simulations of total precipitation showed reasonable agreement with observations in regions where the diurnal cycle is directly influenced by solar radiation, (e.g., the U.S. Southeast), but they were less successful in regions where other factors influence the diurnal cycle (e.g., the central United States). The diurnal cycle of precipitation frequency and intensity showed substantial biases in the simulations of all eight regions, namely, overestimation of occurrences and underestimation of intensities. Simulations were sensitive to the cumulus and radiation schemes but were largely insensitive to either microphysics or planetary boundary layer schemes.
Customized Versus Noncustomized Sound Therapy for Treatment of Tinnitus: A Randomized Crossover Clinical Trial
Authors: Mahboubi Hossein , Haidar Yarah M. , Kiumehr Saman , Ziai Kasra , Djalilian Hamid R.
Published: August 2017

Objectives:

To determine the effectiveness of a customized sound therapy and compare its effectiveness to that of masking with broadband noise.

Methods:

Subjects were randomized to receive either customized sound therapy or broadband noise for 2 hours per day for 3 months and then switched to the other treatment after a washout period. The outcome variables were tinnitus loudness (scored 0-10), Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), minimum masking levels (MML), and residual inhibition (RI).

Results:

Eighteen subjects completed the study. Mean age was 53 ± 11 years, and mean tinnitus duration was 118 ± 99 months. With customized sound therapy, mean loudness decreased from 6.4 ± 2.0 to 4.9 ± 1.9 ( P = .001), mean THI decreased from 42.8 ± 21.6 to 31.5 ± 20.3 ( P < .001), mean BAI decreased from 10.6 ± 10.9 to 8.3 ± 9.9 ( P = .01), and MML decreased from 22.3 ± 11.6 dB SL to 17.2 ± 10.6 dB SL ( P = .005). After 3 months of broadband noise therapy, only BAI and, to a lesser degree, MML decreased ( P = .003 and .04, respectively).

Conclusions:

Customized sound therapy can decrease the loudness and THI scores of tinnitus patients, and the results may be superior to broadband noise.
Postoperative Nasal Septal Abscess Following Use of 2-Octylcyanoacrylate and Polydioxanone Plate in Open Septorhinoplasty: A Case Series
Authors: Gall Ryan , Bevans Scott , Robitschek Jon
Published: August 2017

Background:

The employment of 2-octylcyanoacrylate adhesive (Dermabond) to assist graft placement in open septorhinoplasty has been increasingly used to stabilize cartilage grafts. Literature regarding this application has been mixed, with some showing the possibility of increased rates of inflammation, if not infection. We present an original comparative case series involving postoperative septal abscess formation adjacent to caudal strut grafting where both Dermabond and an absorbable polydioxanone (PDS) plate were used.

Objective:

To report an original comparative case series of patients who developed a postoperative septal abscess following open septorhinoplasty in the context of Dermabond application to affix cartilage to a PDS plate to facilitate caudal septal strut grafting.

Design:

Retrospective comparative series with relevant clinical photographs, culture studies, and surgical figures.

Setting:

Tertiary medical treatment facility.

Results:

Two patients underwent primary open septorhinoplasty with placement of an autologous caudal septal extension graft, which was stabilized using a PDS plate and secured into position using both Dermabond and PDS suture. Postoperatively, both patients presented a nasal septal abscess at an average of 8 weeks that required serial drainage and subsequent removal of the PDS plate in 1 of the patients. Cultures demonstrated mixed flora as well as Proteus mirabilis, previously unreported in the nasal septal abscess literature. In comparison to 8 patients who underwent reconstruction with PDS plate alone (without Dermabond application), this represents a relative risk of 15 ( P value = .053) for a septal abscess complication when Dermabond is employed .

Conclusions:

We present an original case series on our limited, though impactful experience with PDS plate reconstruction using Dermabond to facilitate caudal septal graft placement in open septorhinoplasty. In conjunction with previously reported case series, which demonstrated elevated risk of prolonged inflammation and infection, we would recommend avoidance of subcutaneous Dermabond as an adjunct, particularly in combination with PDS plate utilization.
Translational delivery of Cool Little Kids to prevent child internalising problems: Randomised controlled trial
Authors: Bayer Jordana K , Beatson Ruth , Bretherton Lesley , Hiscock Harriet , Wake Melissa , Gilbertson Tamsyn , Mihalopoulos Cathrine , Prendergast Luke A , Rapee Ronald M
Published: August 2017

Objective:

To determine whether a population-delivered parenting programme assists in preventing internalising problems at school entry for preschool children at-risk with temperamental inhibition.

Methods:

Design: a randomised controlled trial was used. Setting: the setting was 307 preschool services across eight socioeconomically diverse government areas in Melbourne, Australia. Participants: a total of 545 parents of inhibited 4-year-old children: 498 retained at 1-year follow up. Early intervention: Cool Little Kids parenting group programme was implemented. Primary outcomes: the primary outcomes were child DSM-IV anxiety disorders (assessor blind) and internalising problems. Secondary outcomes: the secondary outcomes were parenting practices and parent mental health.

Results:

At 1-year follow up (mean (standard deviation) age = 5.8 (0.4) years), there was little difference in anxiety disorders between the intervention and control arms (44.2% vs 50.2%; adjusted odds ratio = 0.86, 95% confidence interval = [0.60, 1.25], p = 0.427). Internalising problems were reduced in the intervention arm (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: abnormal – 24.2% vs 33.0%; adjusted odds ratio = 0.56, 95% confidence interval = [0.35, 0.89], p = 0.014; symptoms – mean (standard deviation) = 2.5 (2.0) vs 2.9 (2.2); adjusted mean difference = –0.47, 95% confidence interval = [–0.81, –0.13], p = 0.006). Parents’ participation in the intervention was modest (29.4% attended most groups, 20.5% used skills most of the time during the year). A priori interaction tests suggested that for children with anxious parents, the intervention reduced anxiety disorders and internalising symptoms after 1 year.

Conclusion:

Offering Cool Little Kids across the population for inhibited preschoolers does not impact population outcomes after 1 year. Effects may be emerging for inhibited children at highest risk with parent anxiety. Trial outcomes will continue into mid-childhood.
Prospective associations between personality and bullying among Australian adolescents
Authors: Kelly Erin V , Newton Nicola C , Stapinski Lexine A , Teesson Maree
Published: August 2017

Objective:

This study aimed to examine whether high-risk personality dimensions increased susceptibility to bullying victimisation and perpetration among Australian adolescents.

Method:

Longitudinal cohort study of 527 secondary school students in Australia (baseline average age = 13 years, 67% female and 93% Australian-born). Bullying was measured using an amended version of the Revised Olweus Bully/Victim Scale. Personality was measured using the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale. The data were analysed using mixed models, examining the association between baseline personality scores and frequency of victimisation/perpetration 12 months later.

Results:

Baseline hopelessness and baseline impulsivity were positively associated with frequency of victimisation 12 months later. Baseline anxiety sensitivity was negatively associated with victimisation 12 months later for males. There was a positive association between baseline impulsivity and frequency of bullying perpetration 12 months later.

Conclusion:

High-risk personality dimensions predicted later bullying victimisation and bullying perpetration among Australian adolescents. This indicates that adding a personality-focused intervention for high-risk adolescents to existing universal bullying prevention approaches may be effective in improving the prevention of bullying among adolescents, as well as reducing other associated emotional and behavioural problems.
Gender Differences in Environmental Behaviors Among the Chinese Public: Model of Mediation and Moderation
Authors: Xiao Chenyang , Hong Dayong
Published: August 2017

The environmental concern literature consistently finds that women when compared with men participate more in private environmental behaviors such as recycling and green consumer activities. A common argument posits that this is because women possess stronger proenvironmental values, beliefs, and attitudes relative to men. Research findings in China, however, do not seem to support this argument. We use data from the 2010 Chinese General Social Survey to reexamine this argument by testing a model of the mediation effects of postmaterialism, environmental knowledge, and the New Ecological Paradigm, as well as a model of the moderation effect of postmaterialism. Our results show that lower levels of environmental knowledge of Chinese women relative to men hinder their participation in private environmental behaviors. There is also some evidence for the moderation effect of postmaterialism. We conclude this study by stating theoretical and policy implications of our findings, and offering insights for future research.
Effects of Monetary Versus Environmental Information Framing: Implications for Long-Term Pro-Environmental Behavior and Intrinsic Motivation
Authors: Steinhorst Julia , Klöckner Christian A.
Published: August 2017

Monetary incentives can reduce the performance of pro-environmental behavior, but it remains unclear if they undermine pro-environmental intrinsic motivation. In this longitudinal intervention study, we investigated how monetarily versus environmentally framed behavioral information influences pro-environmental intrinsic motivation, intentions, and behavior. Clients of a local German energy provider ( N = 657) were randomly assigned to receive electricity saving tips, combined with a savings potential in € (monetary framing) or in CO2 (environmental framing). Both types of framed tips positively influenced long-term electricity saving intentions (after 9 months), compared with a control group (receiving no tips), but not behavioral change ( n = 285). Monetarily framed tips did not reduce pro-environmental intrinsic motivation (vs. a control group), but only environmentally framed tips increased pro-environmental intrinsic motivation, which mediated effects on intentions. Hence, environmental framing of behavioral interventions may be preferred when promoting long-term pro-environmental behavior without continuous monetary benefits. Otherwise, both framing strategies can be equally effective.
Social support perceptions of Turkish people with schizophrenia: What helps and what doesn’t help
Authors: Karanci Nuray A , Gök Ali Can , Yıldırım Büşra , Borhan Nilsu
Published: August 2017

Background:

Social support is an important facilitator of the quality of life for people with schizophrenia. This study examines what is perceived as helpful and unhelpful support from the members of the natural social networks by 32 Turkish people with schizophrenia.

Material:

Semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis were used to examine what is perceived as helpful and unhelpful support.

Discussion and Conclusion:

The findings suggested that instrumental, emotional and socialization supports were the general categories that capture the perceptions of support. Intrusion and belittling/rejection appeared as unhelpful. It is important to take these perceptions into account in providing psychoeducation to families and in designing psychosocial intervention programs.
Predicting Job Crafting From the Socially Embedded Perspective: The Interactive Effect of Job Autonomy, Social Skill, and Employee Status
Authors: Sekiguchi Tomoki , Li Jie , Hosomi Masaki
Published: August 2017

Job crafting represents the bottom-up process of change employees make in their work boundaries and plays an important role in the management of organizational change. Following the socially embedded perspective, we examine the roles of job autonomy, social skill, and employee status in predicting job crafting. Study 1 with a sample of 509 part-time employees found that job autonomy and social skill not only directly but also interactively influenced job crafting. Study 2 with a sample of 564 full-time employees further revealed that job autonomy had a stronger impact on job crafting when employee status was high, but for those with a high level of social skill, job autonomy influenced job crafting regardless of the level of employee status. Our results suggest that managers and change agents can promote job crafting for organizational change by enhancing employees’ ability to interact with others effectively, along with the increase of job autonomy.
Cross-Cultural Psychology and the Rise of Academic Capitalism: Linguistic Changes in CCR and JCCP Articles, 1970-2014
Authors: Holtz Peter , Deutschmann Emanuel , Dobewall Henrik
Published: August 2017

Recently, several studies have investigated developments in academic language over the last four decades: An analysis of a large number of PubMed abstracts by Vinkers, Tijdink, and Otte showed a dramatic rise in use of positive words such as “innovative,” “robust,” “novel,” and “unprecedented.” In the field of psychology, Pritschet, Powell, and Horne found an increase in mentions of marginally significant statistical findings, and social psychologist Michael Billig raised concerns about a surge of technical jargon in the social sciences. All these phenomena are believed to be a consequence of higher publication pressure and the need to become visible as a researcher in an increasingly competitive climate that is often referred to as academic capitalism. In our study, we tested the aforementioned indicators of linguistic change for a sample of 1,680 research articles from the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology (JCCP) and 657 research articles from Cross-Cultural Research (CCR), published between 1970 and 2014. Overall, we found a consistent increase in positive framing, a rise in reports of marginally significant statistical findings, and indicators for growth in technical jargon. These findings suggest that self-marketing strategies are also on the rise in cross-cultural psychology.
Suicides by drowning in Greece: Findings from a 10-year sample (2006–2015)
Authors: Paraschakis Antonios , Michopoulos Ioannis , Efstathiou Vasiliki , Christodoulou Christos , Boyokas Ilias , Douzenis Athanassios
Published: August 2017

We studied a sample of suicide victims from Greece’s main port of Piraeus area (population: approx. 700,000 individuals) and investigated all suicides for the 10-year period 2006–2015, collecting data from the victims’ forensic records at the Piraeus Department of Forensic Medicine. Sixty-nine (15.9%) out of 435 suicides were due to drowning, 51 (73.9%) males and 18 (26.1%) females. Drowning was the third most common suicide method with most in the sea (92.8%), fewer in wells (7.2%). Median age: males 52.2 years (standard deviation (SD): 20.3, range: 27–89) and females 58.8 years (SD: 15.2, range: 32–84). Psychiatric medications: antidepressants (6 cases, 8.9%), benzodiazepines (6 cases, 8.9%) and antipsychotics (1 case, 1.5%). Other substances: alcohol (14 cases, 20.9%), cocaine (1 case, 1.5%) and opioids (1 case, 1.5%). No seasonal effect was observed for suicides by drowning. Greece, being a country with an embracing coastline, could provide a field of study for suicide by drowning.
Thickening Rhetorical Political Analysis with a Theory of Distance: Negotiating the Greek Episode of the Eurozone Crisis
Authors: Price-Thomas Gareth , Turnbull Nick
Published: August 2017

Rhetoric has re-emerged in political analysis. We identify two broad trends in the rhetorical analysis of politics, ‘thin’ and ‘thick’. Thin conceptions view rhetoric as primarily a matter of oratory. In contrast, the proponents of Rhetorical Political Analysis have developed an emerging thick approach, in which rhetorical concepts are applied more broadly and with more depth. However, this approach is significantly limited in its influence because it does not adequately speak to other sub-disciplines in political science, in which non-rhetorical theories are preferred. This shortcoming is addressed by applying Meyer’s new philosophy of rhetoric. The approach supports methodological extension through a theory of practice, grounded in social distance. An analysis of the Greek episode of the Eurozone crisis shows how rhetoric is used by key actors for the purpose of strategic positioning, in concert with non-rhetorical means of distanciation, namely, economic and political relations.
Examining the Impact of Immediate Family Members on Gulf Arab EFL Students’ Strategic Language Learning and Development
Authors: Hajar Anas
Published: August 2017

This article provides a qualitative inquiry into the influences of immediate family members (i.e. parents and siblings) on a group of Gulf Arab EFL students regarding their language learning experiences and strategy use in their Arab homelands. The participants came from financially comfortable families, with different levels of education. The data collected from a written narrative and four subsequent semi-structured interviews suggest that the occupation and educational attainment of the participants’ family figures (mostly parents) affected the amount and kind of support these families offered to the participants while learning English. Less educated parents involved themselves indirectly in their children’s English language learning, and their involvement appeared at a late stage in the participants’ academic lives in the form of emotional and/or financial support. The language learning strategies (LLSs) used by these participants were mainly exam-oriented. Conversely, higher educated parents contributed to enabling their children to enact their desired future self-images confidently as English speakers from the beginning, for example by sending them to well-resourced private educational establishments throughout their education. From this qualitative study, pedagogical implications as well as areas for ongoing research are suggested.
Hypersensitivity Reactions to Obinutuzumab in Cynomolgus Monkeys and Relevance to Humans
Authors: Husar Elisabeth , Solonets Maria , Kuhlmann Olaf , Schick Eginhard , Piper-Lepoutre Hanna , Singer Thomas , Tyagi Gaurav
Published: August 2017

Obinutuzumab (GA101, Gazyva™, Gazyvaro®, F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland) is a humanized, glycoengineered type II antibody targeted against CD20. The preclinical safety evaluation required to support clinical development and marketing authorization of obinutuzumab included repeat-dose toxicity studies in cynomolgus monkeys for up to 6-month dosing with a 9-month recovery period. Results from those studies showed decreases in circulating B cells and corresponding B-cell depletion in lymphoid tissues, consistent with the desired pharmacology of obinutuzumab. Hypersensitivity reactions were noted at all doses in the 6-month study and were attributed to the foreign recognition of the drug construct in cynomolgus monkeys. Findings in monkeys were classified as acute hypersensitivity reactions that were evident immediately after dosing, such as excessive salivation, erythema, pruritus, irregular respiration, or ataxia, or chronic hypersensitivity reactions characterized by glomerulonephritis, arteritis/periarteritis, and inflammation in several tissues including serosal/adventitial inflammation. Immune complex deposits were demonstrated in tissues by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and electron microscopy. Some of, but not all, the animals that developed these reactions had detectable antidrug antibodies or circulating immune complexes accompanied by loss of drug exposure and pharmacodynamic effect. On the basis of clinical evidence to date, hypersensitivity reactions following obinutuzumab are rare, further supporting the general view that incidence and manifestation of immunogenicity in nonclinical species are generally not predictive for humans.
Induction of Severe Chronic Hyperplastic Candidiasis in Rat by Opportunistic Infection of C. albicans through Combination of Diabetes and Intermittent Prednisolone Administration
Authors: Terayama Yui , Matsuura Tetsuro , Ozaki Kiyokazu
Published: August 2017

Chronic hyperplastic candidiasis progresses from squamous cell hyperplasia to squamous cell carcinoma (SCC); however, the oncogenic mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, we attempted to induce opportunistic Candida albicans infection and establish chronic hyperplastic candidiasis in rats by combining diabetic condition and prednisolone administration, followed by analysis of the inflammatory cells involved in the disease progression. Female Wistar Bunn/Kobori (WBN/Kob) rats were divided into 3 groups: alloxan-induced diabetic rats (A group) along with diabetic (AP group) and nondiabetic (P group) rats intermittently treated with prednisolone. Animals were euthanized at 42 weeks of age. Squamous cell hyperplasia following C. albicans infection in the forestomach was observed in almost all AP and A group rats. The lesions in the AP group were significantly more severe than those in the A group. In addition, SCC was detected in 1 AP group animal. Cluster of differentiation (CD)4-positive T cell and CD68-positive macrophage infiltration in the AP group was significantly stronger than that in the A group. These findings suggest that the combination of diabetes and intermittent prednisolone administration could induce chronic hyperplastic candidiasis without direct C. albicans inoculation and that CD4-positive T cells and CD68-positive macrophages may be highly involved in the pathogenesis of these hyperplastic lesions.
Effect of cane length and swing arc width on drop-off and obstacle detection with the long cane
Authors: Shik Kim Dae , Wall Emerson Robert , Naghshineh Koorosh
Published: August 2017

A repeated-measures design with block randomization was used for the study, in which 15 adults with visual impairments attempted to detect the drop-offs and obstacles with the canes of different lengths, swinging the cane in different widths (narrow vs wide). Participants detected the drop-offs significantly more reliably with the standard-length cane (79.5% ± 6.5% of the time) than with the extended-length cane (67.6% ± 9.1%), p < .001. The drop-off detection threshold of the standard-length cane (4.1 ± 1.1 cm) was also significantly smaller than that of the extended-length cane (6.5 ± 1.8 cm), p < .001. In addition, participants detected drop-offs at a significantly higher percentage when they swung the cane approximately 3 cm beyond the widest part of the body (78.6% ± 7.6%) than when they swung it substantially wider (30 cm; 68.5% ± 8.3%), p < .001. In contrast, neither cane length ( p = .074) nor cane swing arc width ( p = .185) had a significant effect on obstacle detection performance. The findings of the study may help orientation and mobility specialists recommend appropriate cane length and cane swing arc width to visually impaired cane users.
Glances and stares: Validating the feelings of patients with thyroid-associated orbitopathy
Authors: Morgante James D , Hwang Catherine J , Chokron-Garneau Helene , Steinsapir Kenneth , Goldberg Robert , Carvalho Pereira Jorge M , Johnson Scott P
Published: August 2017

This investigation was aimed at validating the feelings of patients with thyroid-associated orbitopathy (TAO), who commonly report psychosocial impairments due to the cosmetic disfigurement caused by the disease. In all, 50 adults, equally divided between two experimental conditions, participated. Adults’ visual behavior was recorded with a corneal reflection eye-tracking system as they viewed side-by-side photograph pairings of affected and non-affected individuals’ upper facial region. Adults in Experiment 1 viewed photographs of patients before corrective surgery and those in Experiment 2 viewed photographs of patients after corrective surgery. Visual behavior measures of interest included the number of stares and cumulative time spent staring. Adults appear to differentially attend to patients with TAO, staring more often and longer at these individuals, regardless of surgical correction. TAO patients’ feeling of self-consciousness and being more concerned about their appearance may be due to differential persistence of fixations (i.e. staring) from their peers.
Current use of contracted and uncontracted French braille in Quebec
Authors: Laroche Louise , Labbé Charles-André , Benoît Catherine , St-Pierre-Lussier Fabien , Wittich Walter
Published: August 2017

In the French braille code, becoming an efficient contracted braille user requires a considerable investment in time and effort. Students must learn 1217 abbreviations to allow time- and space-saving, but practitioners are questioning whether this investment is worthwhile. The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency of contracted braille use by adults and their perceptions about the importance of this code. A total of 23 Quebec braille users (aged 18–40 years) completed a telephone interview with quantitative questions about the frequency of their braille use, and their use of technologies as well as qualitative items regarding their perceptions of braille now and in the future, 12 of whom completed a brief braille reading test.In all, 85% of participants used uncontracted braille for reading, 59% used contracted braille, and 95% used text-to-speech. Contracted braille was used mostly for tasks that require continuous reading (e.g. novels). All except one recognized the need to learn uncontracted braille and 78% considered contracted braille useful. In all, 11 participants indicated that they “can read faster” with contracted braille, a finding that was not replicated by our reading test, whereby reading speeds were not statistically significantly different between the two conditions . The portrait that emerges from the current use of contracted French braille in Quebec indicates that it is not often used in the life of blind individuals. However, the faith of our participants in the relevance of the contracted code is still very strong. This may be explained by the fact that braille is part of their identity. The potential increase in reading speed with contracted braille may not justify the time, effort, and cognitive resources required to learn/teach this code in French. The educational challenge remains to find the proper balance between the uses of French braille versus other technologies such as text-to-speech.
Teenagers with visual impairment and new media: A world without barriers
Authors: Della Líbera Bianca , Jurberg Claudia
Published: August 2017

Mobile communication technology is an essential part of life of adolescents nowadays, and those with visual impairments are no exception. In focus group interviews with students from a school for the blind and the visually impaired in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, we found that, despite the visual nature of social media, they use and enjoy these resources as much as their sighted peers. These students are aware of the possibilities and constraints that social media might bring to them but, with the help of assistive technology, make the most of it. After listening to their voices, we noticed that it is high time we incorporate social media in our pedagogical practice, in order to develop their learning process and life skills.
Supporting leisure and communication in people with visual and intellectual disabilities via a smartphone-based program
Authors: Lancioni Giulio E , Singh Nirbhay N , O’Reilly Mark F , Sigafoos Jeff , Alberti Gloria , Perilli Viviana , Zimbaro Carmen , Chiariello Valeria
Published: August 2017

This study evaluated a smartphone-based program to promote independent leisure and communication engagement in five participants with visual impairment and mild intellectual disability. A smartphone with Android 5.1 Operating System and S-Voice application, Internet connection, contacts unit, and media player was used. The smartphone was fitted with MP3 files of leisure events and the names and telephone numbers of selected communication partners. The participants were taught to use the smartphone (open the files and reach the partners) through specific verbal utterances. The results showed that all participants learned to use the smartphone. Their independent engagement times (leisure plus communication combined) increased from baseline values of zero to means of between about 75% and 85% of the session lengths. These results indicate that a smartphone-based program may support independent leisure and communication engagement in people with visual impairment and intellectual disability who possess verbal skills.
How to succeed? Physical activity for individuals who are blind
Authors: Brunes Audun , Krokstad Eli , Berit Augestad Liv
Published: August 2017

The aim of our case study was to examine the perceived experiences of participation in physical activity (PA). The cases comprised two individuals with blindness (a girl aged 12 years and a man aged 23 years), both of whom lived in Norway and had succeeded in becoming physically active. Both participants were recruited from Statped, the Norwegian support service for special needs education. Data were gathered from individual structured interviews with open and closed questions. A narrative descriptive analysis was used to analyse the data. The results showed that important factors for the blind participants’ PA participation were having good instructors, support or visual interpreters, active family members, a safe sports environment, having tried many sports, private transportation to the exercise facilities, and a positive social environment, with peers, friends, and family members. Although some differences were found between the participants’ responses, important reasons for them to engage in PA were stated as the sense of fun, energy, and self-esteem that they derived from it, in addition to physical fitness. In conclusion, the study provides knowledge of factors that could increase PA adherence of individuals with blindness being included in PA and sports together with sighted peers.
People and tools
Authors: Henry Virginia
Published: August 2017

This article discusses an effective approach to encouraging adoption of, and rewarding interaction with, technology in the workplace. It explores technology implementation from the perspective of the ‘humane factor’ – putting people at the heart of the process.
Toward a unified theory of business information
Authors: Kirkwood Hal P
Published: August 2017

This article analyses and discusses concepts of business information, with a view to developing a unified theory of business information to help underpin professional information work.
(De-)personalization of mediated political communication: Comparative analysis of Yugoslavia, Croatia and the United Kingdom from 1945 to 2015
Authors: Šimunjak Maja
Published: August 2017

This article explores the ways in which the personalization of mediated political communication developed since 1945 in an authoritarian, transitional and established democratic system. Findings from a longitudinal content analysis of Yugoslav (authoritarian) and Croatian (transitional) daily newspapers are compared with those from Langer’s study of personalization in the United Kingdom (established democracy). The comparison of the data related to the personalized media reporting from Yugoslavia and Croatia with that from the United Kingdom shows that the trends observed in the transitional context are counter to the existing personalization scholarship and that they run in the opposite direction from trends found in established democracies. Consequently, two new theories are formed that may help explain the personalization trends in transitional societies. These are continuation theory and democratization theory.
Effect of zolpidem on functional recovery in a rat model of ischemic stroke
Authors: Oh Min-Kyun , Yoon Kyung Jae , Lee Yong-Taek , Chae Seoung Wan , Choi Hye Young , Shin Hee Suk , Park Yun Hee , Chun Se-Woong , Park Young Sook
Published: August 2017

Objective

To evaluate the effects of zolpidem on functional recovery in a rat model of acute ischemic stroke.

Methods

Following ischemic stroke procedures, 42 rats (six in each group) were randomly assigned to receive zolpidem (0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0 or 4.0 mg/kg) or normal saline administer intraperitoneally once daily for two weeks. Motor behavioural index (MBI) scores, radial 8-arm maze (RAM) test times and brain MRI scans were obtained 24 hours (Day 1) and two weeks (Day 14) post-procedure. Immunohistochemistry was performed on Day 14.

Results

By comparison with the normal saline group, the 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg zolpidem groups showed statistically significant improvements in MBI scores and increased numbers of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) stained cells over the two week dosing period. By contrast, the 4.0 mg/kg zolpidem group had statistically significantly impaired MBI scores compared with the control group. No differences among groups were found in RAM times or infarction volumes.

Conclusions

This study in a rat model showed that 0.5–1.0 mg/kg of zolpidem had beneficial effects on behavioural recovery by enhancing neural plasticity without causing any memory impairment in acute ischemic stroke.
Women in Prison With Traumatic Brain Injury: Prevalence, Mechanism, and Impact on Mental Health
Authors: Woolhouse Rachel , McKinlay Audrey , Grace Randolph C.
Published: August 2017

Relatively little is known about the characteristics of female offenders. Here, we studied the prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and mental health issues in an exclusively female prison population in New Zealand. Participants ( N = 38) were recruited from all security levels at Christchurch Women’s Prison. Measures for depression, anxiety, and stress, sleep, and a history of TBI were administered; 94.7% (36/38) of participants presented with a history of TBI. Younger age at first injury was associated with an increased risk of mental health problems. The study concludes that TBI is highly prevalent among female offenders and may be linked to increased mental health problems. TBI should be considered as an important factor in offender pathways and treatment programs.
Perceptions of the Meaningfulness of Work Among Older Social Purpose Workers: An Ecological Momentary Assessment Study
Authors: Matz-Costa Christina , Cosner Berzin Stephanie , Pitt-Catsouphes Marcie , Halvorsen Cal J
Published: August 2017

The ecological momentary assessment (EMA) method was used to examine the antecedents and correlates of older adults’ in-the-moment perceptions of meaning at work. Data were collected six times per day for 7 days from 30 older adults who were mostly social entrepreneurs and who were engaged in purpose work (i.e., work that addresses a social problem or issue). We found concurrent effects of two types of affective states (i.e., relaxed and energetic) and generative work behaviors (i.e., sharing information about one’s work and encouraging/inviting others into one’s work) on three measures of perceptions of meaningful work (i.e., high passion for one’s work, high sense of engagement in one’s work, and high connection to a sense of meaning in life). Feeling energetic had a lagged effect on meaningful work approximately 2.5 and 5 hr later in the day. We consider ways to foster engagement in meaningful work as a path toward healthy aging.
Rationality and Power in Land Use Planning
Authors: Adjei-Poku Bernard
Published: August 2017

The realities of power influences in rational decisions in planning became topical following Flyvbjerg’s work in 1998. Yet the characterization of the relationship has remained in Flyvbjerg’s basic notion of there being “stable power relations.” In this review, I argue that the nature of the relations may be stable outwardly, but inherently, it may appear more competitive, compromising, confined, or complementary; and that complementary relations between rationality and power are to be preferred. In an attempt to inform planning practice, I propose a conceptual framework for understanding the dynamic relationship between power and rationality and how it can contribute to theoretical development based on Hytonen’s “localization” approach.
Fringe Benefits
Authors: Brinkley Catherine
Published: August 2017

By fusing land-use theory from urban and rural development, this work builds a new theory based on the urban perimeter as a functional interface important to the health of both urban and rural lands. This new theory has its antecedents in biophysical sciences where studies on structural complexity offer insight into metabolism, growth, and resilience. For example, the structural complexity of a coral reef’s surface is an important indicator of growth and resilience for the reef itself as well as the many organisms that depend upon it. This work concludes with a research and practice agenda allied with the field of ecology.