bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Structure of the sensory domain of McpX fromSinorhizobium meliloti, the first known bacterial chemotactic sensor for quaternary ammonium compounds
Authors: Shrestha Manisha , Compton Karl K. , Mancl Jordan M. , Webb Benjamin A. , Brown Anne M. , Scharf Birgit E. , Schubot Florian D.
Published: November 2018

The α-proteobacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti can live freely in the soil or engage in a symbiosis with its legume host. S. meliloti facilitates nitrogen fixation in root nodules, thus providing pivotal, utilizable nitrogen to the host. The organism has eight chemoreceptors, namely McpT to McpZ and IcpA that facilitate chemotaxis. McpX is the first known bacterial sensor of quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) such as choline and betaines. Because QACs are exuded at chemotaxis-relevant concentrations by germinating alfalfa seeds, McpX has been proposed to contribute to host-specific chemotaxis. We have determined the crystal structure of the McpX periplasmic region (McpXPR) in complex with the proline betaine at 2.7 Å resolution. In the crystal, the protein forms a symmetric dimer with one proline betaine molecule bound to each monomer of McpXPR within membrane-distal CACHE module. The ligand is bound through cation–πinteractions with four aromatic amino acid residues. Mutational analysis in conjunction with binding studies revealed that a conserved aspartate residue is pivotal for ligand binding. We discovered that, in a striking example of convergent evolution, the ligand-binding site of McpXPR resembles that of a group of structurally unrelated betaine-binding proteins including ProX and OpuAC. Through this comparison and docking studies, we rationalized the specificity of McpXPR for this specific group of ligands. Collectively, our structural, biochemical, and molecular docking data have revealed the molecular determinants in McpX that are crucial for its rare ligand specificity for QACs.
Overexpression of miR-758 inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion, and promoted apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer cells by negatively regulating HMGB
Authors: Zhou Guo-Hua , Lu Yi-Yu , Xie Jing-Lian , Gao Zi-Kun , Wu Xiao-Bo , Yao Wei-Shen , Gu Wei-Guang
Published: November 2018

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the most fatal types of cancer with significant mortality and morbidity worldwide. MicroRNAs (miRs) have been confirmed to have positive functions in NSCLC. In the present study, we try to explore the role of miR-758 in proliferation, migration, invasion, and apoptosis of NSCLC cells by regulating high-mobility group box (HMGB) 3 (HMGB3.) NSCLC and adjacent tissues were collected. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) was employed to detect expression of miR-758 and HMGB3 in NSCLC and adjacent tissues, in BEAS-2B cells and NSCLC cell lines. The targetted relationship between miR-758 and HMGB3 was identified by dual luciferase reporter gene assay. The effects of miR-758 on proliferation, migration, invasion, cell cycle, and apoptosis of A549 cells. MiR-758 expression was lower in NSCLC tissues, which was opposite to HMGB3 expression. The results also demonstrated that miR-758 can target HMGB3. The cells transfected with miR-758 mimic had decreased HMGB3 expression, proliferation, migration, and invasion, with more arrested cells in G1 phase and increased apoptosis. Our results supported that the overexpression of miR-758 inhibits proliferation, migration, and invasion, and promotes apoptosis of NSCLC cells by negative regulating HMGB2. The present study may provide a novel target for NSCLC treatment.
Effects of OPRM1 and ABCB1 gene polymorphisms on the analgesic effect and dose of sufentanil after thoracoscopic-assisted radical resection of lung cancer
Authors: Zhao Zhonghai , Lv Bin , Zhao Xiaodong , Zhang Yunlong
Published: November 2018

Objective: To study the effects of single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the OPRM1 and ABCB1 genes on the analgesic effect and consumption of sufentanil after thoracoscopic-assisted radical resection of lung cancer.

Methods: A total of 225 Chinese Han nationality patients undergoing thoracoscopic-assisted radical resection of lung cancer were enrolled in the present study. Among them, 132 were males (58.67%) and 93 (41.33%) were females having American Society of Anesthesiologists statuses classified as grades I or II. The rs1799971, rs563649 and rs1323040 genotypes of the OPRM1 gene and rs2032582, rs1045642 and rs1128503 genotypes of the ABCB1 gene were detected by Sanger sequencing. The state anxiety index and pressure pain threshold were assessed preoperatively. Sufentanil was administered intravenously to maintain anesthesia. The doses and side effects of sufentanil consumed 6 h (T1), 24 h (T2) and 48 h (T3) after surgery were recorded.

Results: The sufentanil doses at T1, T2 and T3 were significantly higher in radical-operation lung cancer patients with mutant homozygous rs1799971 and rs1323040 loci in the OPRM1 gene and rs2032582 and rs1128503 loci in the ABCB1 gene. The doses of sufentanil consumed by mutant heterozygous lung cancer patients at T1, T2 and T3 were significantly higher than those consumed by patients without mutations, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in sufentanil doses consumed by lung cancer patients with mutant homozygous, mutant heterozygous and wild-type rs563649 locus of the OPRM1 gene and rs1045642 locus of the ABCB1 gene at T1, T2 and T3 (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the visual analog scale scores at T1, T2 and T3 for different genotypes of OPRM1 and ABCB1 genes in lung cancer patients (P>0.05). No significant difference was found between the adverse reactions of OPRM1 and ABCB1 genotypes in patients undergoing radical resection of lung cancer (P>0.05).

Conclusion: The rs1799971 and rs1323040 polymorphisms of the OPRM1 gene and rs2032582 and rs1128503 polymorphisms of the ABCB1 gene are related to the analgesic effect and consumed dose of sufentanil in Chinese Han patients undergoing radical operation of lung cancer.
Molecular mechanism by which Apis cerana cerana MKK6 (AccMKK6)-mediated MAPK cascades regulate the oxidative stress response
Authors: Wang Xinxin , Wang Chen , Cui Xuepei , Wang Lijun , Liu Zhenguo , Xu Baohua , Li Han
Published: November 2018

Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases (MKKs) are important components of the MAPK signaling pathways, which play a key role in responding to stress and inflammatory stimuli. Here, a new MKK gene, AccMKK6, was identified and functionally analyzed in Apis cerana cerana. Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and Western blot analysis demonstrated that the AccMKK6 expression level was up-regulated by several environmental stresses. Moreover, the knockdown of AccMKK6 by RNA interference technology altered the expression levels of some antioxidant genes. In addition, the knockdown of AccMKK6 resulted in increased malonyldialdehyde (MDA) concentration and decreased antioxidant-related enzymes activity in honeybees. To explore the MAPK signaling pathways involved in AccMKK6, we identified the transcription factor kayak in A. cerana cerana. We analyzed the interactions of AccMKK6, Accp38b, and Acckayak using the yeast two-hybrid system. AccMKK6 and Acckayak showed similar expression profiles after several stress treatments. In addition, the expression level of Acckayak was significantly increased when AccMKK6 was silenced. Therefore, we speculate that AccMKK6 may be involved in the MAPK cascades, which play a crucial role in counteracting oxidative stress caused by external stimuli.
Techniques for Remotely Programming Children With Cochlear Implants Using Pediatric Audiological Methods via Telepractice
Authors: Hughes Michelle L. , Sevier Joshua D. , Choi Sangsook
Published: November 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this report is to describe the equipment setup and techniques for successfully testing behavioral thresholds in young children with cochlear implants (CIs) using telepractice. We will also discuss challenges associated with pediatric CI programming that are unique to the use of distance technology, and we will describe ways to overcome those challenges. Last, we will review the results from 2 recent studies specifically targeted toward testing behavioral thresholds in young children with CIs.

Method

Conditioned play audiometry or visual reinforcement audiometry was used to measure behavioral thresholds (T levels) for 35 young children with CIs (
n
= 19 for conditioned play audiometry and
n
= 16 for visual reinforcement audiometry). Participants were tested in the traditional in-person condition and in the remote condition using an AB-BA study design over 2 visits.

Results

There was no significant difference in T levels between the in-person and remote conditions, indicating that it is feasible to test young children using conventional pediatric testing procedures via remote technology. The primary challenges encountered were in regard to proper camera and video monitor placement at the remote site and the timing of communication between the audiologist and test assistant.

Conclusions

The results from studies to date suggest that distance technology can be used successfully to program CI sound processors for young children using standard, age-appropriate testing techniques. The alternative of remote testing has substantial implications for reducing time and travel burdens for families, potentially leading to the construction of appropriate maps for young children with CIs in a timelier manner.
Comprehensive review on structure and operation of virtual power plant in electrical system
Authors: Zhang Gao , Jiang Chuanwen , Wang Xu
Published: November 2018

Constrained by low capacity and volatility, the rapid growth of distributed energy resources are obviously slowdown resulting in consumption difficulty and investment obstacle. As an effective integration and management technology, virtual power plant (VPP) becomes a suitable cornerstone of renewable energy future development. Based on current scientific research, this study intends to provide a detailed review of VPP from an internal perspective (e.g. energy resources’ integration and operation) to the external aspect including participation in electricity market. In accordance with market diversity, different bidding strategy optimisation problems of VPP are formulated and their corresponding mathematical solution methods are literately reviewed. To extract characteristics of VPP, a comparison between energy management techniques (e.g. VPP, microgrid, active distribution network, and load aggregator) is conducted, where advantages and defects of VPP are also concluded. Meanwhile, realistic deployments of VPP in European electricity markets are elaborated to verify its feasibility and applicability. To better accommodate future development of renewable energy, a flexible structure and effective management mechanism of VPP should be built leading to its technical innovation and management reform. Possessed with the threefold development orientation, VPP will undoubtedly improve the utilisation and management of renewable energy sources as a coordinated and operational entity.
Integrated soft switching cell and clamp circuit for interleaved high‐step‐up converters
Authors: Packnezhad Mohsen , Farzanehfard Hosein , Adib Ehsan
Published: November 2018

An integrated soft switching cell and clamp circuit suitable for interleaved high‐step‐up converters with coupled inductors is proposed in this study. This cell is applied to an interleaved boost converter with winding cross‐coupled inductors and series capacitors. The main contribution of the study is presenting a simple auxiliary circuit which provides soft switching condition and acts as a clamp circuit. In addition, only one auxiliary circuit is utilised for both phases of the proposed converter in order to absorb the energy of the leakage inductances and achieve fully soft switching condition. To verify the theoretical analysis and the operation of the proposed converter, a 300 W prototype converter with 24–380 V conversion ratio is implemented.
Complete “stress-strain” diagrams of rolled steal beams
Authors: Fomin Stanislav , Izbash Yuriy , Bondarenko Yuriy , Butenko Serhii , Plakhotnikova Iryna
Published: November 2018

This paper covers features of rolled steel beams used in composite structures. Composite structures consist of reinforced concrete slabs and rolled steel beams. To calculate its fire resistance it is necessary to know their complete “stress-strain” diagrams. Steel girders, which work together with reinforced concrete slabs, are widely used in bridge building. The tests on samples cut from web and a rack of an I-beam were conducted. The results of experimental studies of the “stress-strain” diagrams of rolled beams indicate the difference in the physicalmechanical characteristics of steel in the web and flanges of the beams. The experimental studies of diagrams were carried out at temperatures of 20, 400, 500, 600, 700 and 800 °C. The properties of the steel were significantly affected by the temperature. The “stress-strain” diagrams of rolled beams and table of results of experimental studies were obtained. The complete “stress-strain” diagrams of the rolled beams were studied. Experimental studies have been conducted using a newly developed patented installation. The differences of diagrams in the web and flanges of the steel I-beams were found.
Investigation of the structure of cement stone, obtaining and optimization of high-strength concrete on mechanically activated binder
Authors: Ksonshkevych Liubov , Krantovska Olena , Petrov Mykola , Synii Sergii , Uhl Anna
Published: November 2018

Physico-chemical methods of the study of hydrated cement by mechanically activated binding substance with organo-mineral additive (microsilica + C-3) were presented. It was explored the influence of the additive into the kinetics of formation lowly-basic calcium hydrosilicate. The experiment conducted in accordance with a three-factorial D-optimum plan enabled to establish an influence of blending and technological factors (x1 – content of microsilica in the binder - 5±5%; x2 – binder consumption in concrete - 450±100 kg/m3; x3 – specific area (Ssp) of Portland cement 400±100 m2/kg) on physical and mechanical properties of concrete (compression strength, water absorption). It was established that the use of the mechanically activated blended Portland cement of general purpose with an organomineral additive (microsilica+C-3) makes it possible to obtain high-strength concretes which compression strength on the 28th day reaches 120 MPa. Optimization of concrete mixes was achieved on the basis of obtained mathematical models that reflect the influence of blending and technological factors on physical and mechanical properties of a high-strength concrete.
Casting of concrete and reinforced concrete pipes by vibro-vacuum technique
Authors: Younis Basheer , Kazimahomedov Ibragim , Salem Saad , Kostuk Tatiana , Dedenyova Elena
Published: November 2018

This article deals with the casting of concrete and reinforced concrete pipes by vibro-vacuum technique. The existing techniques are investigated, the shortcomings are revealed and the solutions to major issues with the improved techniques were offered. Improvement of a technological process of concrete and reinforced concrete pipes production is an important and current task. Development of such technologies should ensure the required supporting capacity reducing the cost of pipeline construction thereof. In this article the existing ways of molding concrete and reinforced concrete pipes have been evaluated. Their engineering deficiencies in terms of labour-intensity and obtaining the products with increased physical and mechanical characteristics have been identified. The offered solution addressing the problems has been identified, namely, the casting of concrete pipes by vibro-vacuum technique. Pilot studies have confirmed that this method makes it possible to achieve the sufficiently high physico-mechanical characteristics of the products. Tensile strength of vibro-vacuum pipes is 40% higher than that of pipes obtained by layer-by-layer axial compaction.
A new perspective in the road asset management with the use of advanced monitoring system & BIM
Authors: Cafiso Salvatore , Di Graziano Alessandro , D'Agostino Carmelo , Pappalardo Giuseppina , Delfino Emanuele
Published: November 2018

The present paper reports different applications which have a common data source: Automatic Road Analyzer (ARAN) of the Transport Infrastructure Laboratory of the University of Catania. Data surveyed with ARAN were used to develop performance indicators of the road asset. A BIM model makes possible to improve the flexibility in information access and to merge data with the aim to allow a complete Road Asset Management (RAM) application in the same environment Data Collected and stored with high efficiency equipment allows to get high quality and detailed information of the road asset and offers the chance to create georeferenced database which can be used both for safety assessment and for the other RAM related applications. BIM provides a comprehensive approach involving the generation and management of transport infrastructure assets using 3D digital representations of their physical and functional characteristics allowing to produce ad hoc output for investigate in the same environment different parts of the RAM.
The influence of attention distraction on the drivers’ behaviour
Authors: Gąsiorek Kamila , Tarnowski Adam , Harasimczuk Justyna
Published: November 2018

Distraction of the driver's attention is one of the key aspects of research conducted by automotive companies. It concerns not only on-board devices, but also the factors outside the vehicle, such as advertising displays. Too much attention focused on advertisements can have negative impact on the driver's behaviour and driving quality. The 2-second distraction can more than double the risk of an accident. The paper presents the results of a simulator-based study, in which 60 drivers (including 30 women) age- 18-64 take part. All participants had a valid driving license and differed in their driving experience. It has been verified how the time of focusing the attention on the roadside advertisements affects the given safety and driving performance indicators.
A new method of psychotechnical testing of transport operators
Authors: Chruzik Katarzyna , Korchut Aleksander
Published: November 2018

New expectations in the field of psychotechnical tests and screening of transport operators has led to the improvement of theoretical foundations and increase in quality of the psychological judicature, which has proved to be challenging to the scientific units and health centers. The purpose of the abovementioned adjudicating is to determine the existence or the absence of the contraindications to drive a vehicle or to perform the duties of an instructor or an examiner. This is particularly difficult in case of the branch of unit based transport (that is road transport) where the results of the emergencies are usually incomparably lesser than in others means of transport (air, rail, sea). These tests have been presented only from the perspective of professional transport operators and their range is limited. The publication contains the description of a new methodology of testing transport operators with the use of a device that allows to determine the level of functional efficiency of the nervous system and the correlation of mental processes (such as the efficiency of cognitive, intellectual, and psychomotor functions and selected personality features, temperament) with the physiological parameters (pulse, GRS etc.) – that is Psychotronics. This device allows to diagnose the psychomotor efficiency of people employed in professions requiring special psychomotor vigilance and human activity where current psychological possibilities determine the life and safety of others.
Design and Implementation of Subject-based Learning Website Based on Scrum
Authors: Yu Jiujiu
Published: November 2018

From the two points of view of software engineering and teaching strategy, the functional features and key elements on designing of the subject-based learning website are analysed in detail. A design method based on scrum is proposed and implemented of a subject-based learning website for the "Office Automation" course. The method improves the traditional process of scrum, it mainly integrates the designing of self-learning tasks in the form of user stories cards into the product backlogs of functionality requirements of the subject-based learning website, and establishes a scrum committee which contains of high educational experts and college leaders to ensure the agile development of the project. Finally, further researches on how to refine and evaluate the user stories reasonably, how to implement the test automation combined with manual test for agile project, how to manage and coordinate the work arrangements of team members to stimulate them self-driven awareness are expected in the paper.
Research on the tea bud recognition based on improved k-means algorithm
Authors: Shao Peidi , Wu Minghui , Wang Xianwei , Zhou Jun , Liu Sheng
Published: November 2018

The identification and extraction of tea buds is the key technology for the development of automated tea picking robots. Machine vision technology is an effective tool for tea bud recognition. In this paper, the tea tree leaves in the tea garden picking period are taken as research objects, and the research experiments are carried out from the aspects of tea image collection, image enhancement, image segmentation, edge detection, binarization and foreground extraction. After continuous exploration and research, the HSI color model is finally selected. After the S factor was used to grayscale the tea image, the improved K-means algorithm was used to identify and separate the tea shoots. The experimental results show that the improved K-means algorithm has a good effect on the segmentation of young leaves in tea images. This study can provide reference and reference for tea bud recognition algorithm.
Development of a smart axial strain sensor for static load testing of foundation piles
Authors: Zhang Peng , Wang Kuihua
Published: November 2018

Sensors of stress or strain currently used in geotechnical and civil engineering applications have the disadvantage that a large quantity of measuring points would result in large bundles of cables. Based on the principle of resistive strain gauge, a type of smart sensor that supports serial communication over RS-485 is developed for the measurement of strain or stress of foundation piles, which has the benefit of good noise tolerance. All the sensors installed along a pile could share a common cable for power supply and communication, and there is no actual limits to pile length. The installation in the field is simple, convenient and efficient. The sensor has a compact structure with reliable waterproof protection. The internal measurement circuit mainly consists of a Wheatstone bridge excitation module, a signal conditioning module, a microcontroller with ADC, a precision voltage reference, and a RS-485 communication module. A group of sensors were calibrated after being assembled, and the calibration results obtained have shown their functionality and reliability.
Comparative organ dose levels for dentomaxillofacial examinations performed with computed tomography, cone beam CT and panoramic radiographs
Authors: Sans Merce M. , Damet J. , Becker M.
Published: November 2018

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the radiation dose delivered to radiosensitive organs (thyroid, parotid glands and eye lens) during dentomaxillofacial imaging with multislice computed tomography (CT), cone beam CT (CBCT) and panoramic radiographs (orthopantomography, OPT). The dose was estimated individually for each modality and each clinical protocol by measuring the absorbed dose at the surface of a head phantom with thermoluminescence dosimeters. The measured radiation dose was between 0.01–1.22 mGy for the thyroid gland (systematically outside the primary beam), 1.34–29.11 mGy for the parotid glands (systematically exposed to the primary beam) and 0.02–26.22 mGy for the eye lens (in the primary beam depending on imaging protocol). For all organs, CT was found to be the most irradiating modality followed by CBCT and OPT. However, CBCT with a “limited dental” protocol and OPT deliver similar doses to the parotid glands.
19 G nitinol needle versus 22 G needle for transduodenal endoscopic ultrasound-guided sampling of pancreatic solid masses: a randomized study
Authors: Laquière Arthur , Lefort Christine , Maire Frédérique , Aubert Alain , Gincul Rodica , Prat Frédéric , Grandval Philippe , Croizet Olivier , Boulant James , Vanbiervliet Geoffroy , Pénaranda Guillaume , Lecomte Laurence , Napoléon Bertrand , Boustière Christian
Published: November 2018

Background The aim of this prospective multicenter study was to compare a flexible 19 G needle with nitinol shaft (19 G Flex) with a standard 22 G needle for transduodenal endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided sampling of pancreatic head tumors.

Methods Patients with pancreatic head tumors requiring tissue diagnosis were randomized into two arms: puncture with either a 19 G Flex needle or a 22 G needle. The primary end point was diagnostic accuracy for malignancy. The secondary end points were ergonomic scores, sample cytohistological quality, and complications. A 6-month follow-up was performed.

Results 125 patients were randomized and 122 were analyzed: 59 patients in the 19 G Flex arm and 63 patients in the 22 G arm. The final diagnosis was malignancy in 111 patients and benign condition in 11. In intention-to-treat analysis, the diagnostic accuracy for malignancy of the 19 G Flex and 22 G needles was 69.5 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 56.1 % – 80.8 %) vs. 87.3 % (95 %CI 76.5 % – 94.4 %), respectively (P = 0.02). In per-protocol analysis excluding eight technical failures in the 19 G Flex group, the diagnostic accuracy of the 19 G Flex and 22 G needles was not statistically different: 80.4 % (95 %CI 66.9 % – 90.2 %) vs. 87.3 % (95 %CI 76.5 % – 94.4 %; P = 0.12). Technical success was higher in the 22 G arm than in the 19 G Flex arm: 100 % (95 %CI 94.3 % – 100 %) vs. 86.4 % (95 %CI 75.0 % – 94.0 %), respectively (P = 0.003). Transduodenal EUS-guided sampling was more difficult with the 19 G Flex (odds ratio 0.68, 95 %CI 0.47 – 0.97).

Conclusion The 19 G Flex needle was inferior to a standard 22 G needle in diagnosing pancreatic head cancer and more difficult to use in the transduodenal approach.
Growth of Si-doped AlN on sapphire (0001) via pulsed sputtering
Authors: Sakurai Yuya , Ueno Kohei , Kobayashi Atsushi , Ohta Jitsuo , Miyake Hideto , Fujioka Hiroshi
Published: November 2018

The Si-doped AlN films were grown on sapphire (0001) by pulsed sputtering deposition (PSD), and their structural and electrical properties were investigated. A combination of PSD and high-temperature annealing process enabled the growth of high-quality AlN (0001) epitaxial films on sapphire (0001) substrates with atomically flat stepped and terraced surfaces. The transmission electron microscopy observations revealed that the majority of the threading dislocations in AlN belonged to the mixed- or edge-type, with densities of 2.8 × 108 and 4.4 × 109 cm−2, respectively. The Si-doping of AlN by PSD yielded a clear n-type conductivity with a maximum electron mobility of 44 cm2 V−1 s−1, which was the highest value reported for AlN that was grown on sapphire. These results clearly demonstrated the strong potential of the PSD technique for growing high-quality conductive n-type AlN on sapphire.
Probabilistic control of HIV latency and transactivation by the Tat gene circuit
Authors: Cao Youfang , Lei Xue , Ribeiro Ruy M. , Perelson Alan S. , Liang Jie
Published: November 2018

Significance

The reservoir of HIV latently infected cells is the major obstacle for complete eradication of HIV infection. Latency and its transactivation in HIV-infected cells are controlled by the intracellular HIV Tat gene circuit. By reconstructing the probability landscape of the circuit through exact solution of the underlying chemical master equation we examined the detailed mechanism of probabilistic intracellular control of latency and transactivation. We show that while the Tat circuit lacks deterministic bistability its probability landscape exhibits bimodality. Moreover, by exploring changes in the probability landscapes under different perturbations, our study suggests effective therapeutic targets for strategies of “shock and kill” to eliminate latently infected cells and “block and lock” to enforce deep latency.
Anne Bradstreet
Authors: Martin Wendy
Published: November 2018

Anne Bradstreet’s early work developed from a fixed and faithful deference to the established modes and conventions of English poetry, with a focus on historical and political issues, such as the English Civil War. However, the lyric poetry that followed was deeply personal and expressed Bradstreet’s feelings of love, loss, and self-doubt. Bradstreet’s career as a poet and her journey as a Pilgrim in New England chronicled her evolution from dutiful daughter and wife whose early work honored traditional male poetic and religious authorities to a woman who thought for herself and wrote poems foregrounding her personal experience, challenging traditional gender roles as well as legitimizing the importance of her own work. Bradstreet’s resolution to write from her individual experience as mother, wife, and sometimes conflicted Christian is the wellspring of her best poetry—poetry that has emphatically established her place in American literature.
Norris, Frank
Authors: Goggans Jan
Published: November 2018

Benjamin Franklin Norris Jr. was born on March 5, 1870, in Chicago, Illinois. A scant thirty-two years later, he died after fictively returning to Chicago, the setting for his final novel, The Pit (1903). During his brief life, Norris wrote essays defining literary naturalism, the genre with which he is most associated, as well as verse and novels. Influenced by Émile Zola and determinism, Norris defined naturalism in ways specific to Zola as well as his own writing. His work joins that of Zola and Thomas Hardy (Europe) and Theodore Dreiser and Stephen Crane (United States), addressing themes of inevitable misery, commonplace corruption and vice, unsympathetic poverty, and unchallenged prostitution, racism, and violence. Naturalism was not easily embraced, and those who maintained its philosophies were often alone.

Best known for his California novels, McTeague (1899), and The Octopus (1901), he has found a resurgence in California studies. The Octopus, a study of the policies and politics behind California’s great agricultural concerns, has been the most enduring, partly because of late-20th-century scholarship that focused on the role of literature in shaping our responses to the wilderness, and particularly the western landscape. Responses to Norris’s writing at that time, however, looked not only at the content of his novels but at the philosophy that drives his plot and characterizations. In these analyses, the difficulties of limiting a writer to a certain genre became evident, for Norris was alternatively classified as a naturalist, a realist, a romantic, and a transcendentalist. Far from posing a problem, however, the discussion pointed to Norris’s value as an American writer. It is because of the rich vein of philosophical thought found within his novels, and the wealth of historical detail they afford, that they remain as relevant and important as they were in the early 20th century.
Rukeyser, Muriel
Authors: Levi Jan Heller , Keller Christoph
Published: November 2018

As expansive as Whitman, as subversive as Dickinson, Muriel Rukeyser pursued a prescient engagement with the limitations, but also the possibilities, of the American imagination. Her poems grapple with the connections between love and revolution, between poetry and political action; between the private life of the individual and the communal life of the species, between the searching for truth(s) in both art and science, and between what Rukeyser called “verifiable fact”—documents, statistics—and “unverifiable fact”—memories, myths, and dreams. She spoke out, in her writing and in her life, against war, sexism and homophobia, xenophobia, racism, (trans)gender and body discrimination, and the suppression of what has been buried or lost in American culture and created a body of work that continues to be a model of independence, insight, and inspiration for poets, scholars, and theorists.

Her best known poems include “Poem Out of Childhood”; “Effort at Speech Between Two People”; “Theory of Flight”; “Homage to Literature”; “The Book of the Dead”; “Boy with His Hair Cut Short”; “Ajanta”; “Letter to the Front” with its sonnet,” “To be a Jew in the twentieth century”; “Nine Poems for the unborn child”; Elegies; “Night Feeding”; “Waterlily Fire”; “The Poem as Mask”; “The Outer Banks”; “Akiba”; “Käthe Kollwitz”; “Waking This Morning”; “Despisals”; “Myth”; “Searching/Not Searching”; “Ballad of Orange and Grape”; “Wherever”; “St. Roach”; “Double Ode”; “Islands”; “Then”; and “The Gates”; her best-known prose work is The Life of Poetry.
Anderson, Sherwood
Authors: Bunge Nancy
Published: November 2018

After watching his family struggle financially as a boy, the adult Sherwood Anderson threw himself into making money and, unlike his father, he supported his family well. But he also wrote fiction in order to discover and face the truth. On November 28, 1912, the tension between Anderson’s life and the dispositions he uncovered through his writing became so strong that he walked out of his office and vanished for four days. He had no clear memory of where he had been, but he realized this event signaled that he needed a life that coordinated more successfully with his values. He sold his business and moved to Chicago, where he began writing the short story collection generally considered his masterpiece: Winesburg, Ohio.

Anderson subsequently moved through marriages to Tennessee Mitchell and Elizabeth Prall while writing a series of novels about men struggling to establish good relationships with women: Poor White (1920), Many Marriages (1923), and Dark Laughter (1925). In 1925, Anderson retreated with Prall to the Virginia countryside, where he bought two newspapers and wrote whatever the newspapers needed, sometimes in the folksy voice of a character named Buck Fever. After that marriage ended, Anderson met and married Eleanor Copenhaver, a social activist who helped educate Anderson about the lives of working people. These experiences informed his next novel, Beyond Desire, a pessimistic work about relationships that holds out one element of hope: a socially aware woman named Louise whom the narrator suggests would make a great wife if she met a courageous man. And, indeed, Anderson’s marriage to Eleanor lasted the rest of his life. Perhaps because he had resolved his marital issues, in his last novel Anderson moved outside his own experiences; Kit Brandon focuses on a female protagonist who muses about the difficulties of marriage in modern life.

Anderson realized that one’s culture inevitably shapes one, and so throughout his career his novels contain asides that worry about industrialism’s negative impact on his contemporaries’ ability to connect with one another. Toward the end of his career, Anderson produced nonfiction books that address his concerns directly. In A Story Teller’s Story (1924) and The Modern Writer (1925), he suggests that authors must resist the forces corrupting society. In Perhaps Women (1931), he argues that in cooperating with the machine, men have become impotent, so all hope of redeeming society rests with women. In No Swank (1934), when he writes of authors he admires, he praises their generosity, not their craft. And, indeed, literary achievement mattered far less to Anderson than did writing the truth in a way that could help his contemporaries imagine ways to redeem their lives.
Literary Theory in North America
Authors: Hogan Patrick Colm
Published: November 2018

Like writers elsewhere, literary theorists in North America have drawn on philosophical, psychological, political, and other writings to understand the nature and function of literature. Indeed, American literary theory is in some ways best thought of as reworking—selecting, hierarchizing, interpreting, and above all synthesizing—a particular body of such precursor texts in order to produce ideas and practices that have value for literary study in an American context. To understand the precise nature of this re-fashioning of theory, we need to begin with an understanding of just what literary theory is, what topics it addresses, what varieties it comprises. Though often seen as a unitary field, literary theory may be normative or descriptive and explanatory; it may address individual works or groups of works. In short, it has many varieties. Next, it is important to consider the context in which theory and criticism are produced. Specifically, we need to understand the professional and institutional structures in which theory is articulated and applied, in particular the ways it enters into teaching and publication practices. There are also ideological or cultural influences on the nature and development of literary theory in America, including issues of national self-concept. These bear especially on the ways in which theorists address political concerns or take up political rhetoric.

Of course, to understand American literary theories, one must consider not only the institutional, professional, and cultural backgrounds, but the theories themselves. These theories may be broadly organized into global and local or topical theories, theories that provide a general basis for theoretical reflection and theories that focus on specific topics, such as LGBT literature or African American literature. American literary theory has tended to be of the latter sort. In connection with this, American theory has tended to draw on a few global theories and a few “master theorists,” as we might call them. The most common way of treating these global theories and theorists in topical theories is to intertwine them syncretistically, producing mixed or eclectic theories. Finally, one might distinguish canonical and non-canonical theories, which is to say, theories that are widely recognized and taught as theories and theories that are advocated by a more limited group of partisans. This division is often consequential for the development of intellectual trends as the challenges and opportunities posed by non-canonical theories, theories that offer alternatives to the status quo, may affect the historical trajectory of literary theory, changing its course. That redirection of theory may be particularly likely in the current social context, where the humanities are threatened both politically and institutionally (e.g., in university funding).
London, Jack
Authors: Niemi Robert
Published: November 2018

In the history of American literature, no writer has been as riddled with contradictions, as controversial, as prolific and popular in his time, or as fascinating as Jack London. He was a racist adherent of Social Darwinism yet an ardent socialist with a fierce sense of justice and an unflagging identification with the underdog. A self-taught professional deeply committed to his art and a supremely self-disciplined writer who churned out forty books and a thousand articles in less than twenty years, London never tired of declaring that he hated to write and that his motivations were entirely mercenary. Though he was a proletarian by background and was his era’s most class-conscious writer, London was equally a man avid for wealth and fame. A hard-drinking adventurer and hedonist, London struggled to be a devoted father and husband, fighting to balance his burning drives with his social conscience. Perhaps more than any other 20th-century artist, Jack London epitomizes the unbearable contradiction that lies at the heart of the American Dream: the communal, utopian desire to be on the side of justice and social progress that is forever at odds with the individualist imperative to escape poverty and powerlessness.
Acculturation and Intergroup Communication
Authors: Bourhis Richard Y.
Published: November 2018

Acculturation is the process of bidirectional change that occurs when two ethnolinguistic groups come in sustained contact with one another. Acculturation usually occurs between groups of unequal power, status, and demographic background. At stake for the unity of multilingual states are intergroup relations between language minorities and majorities that yield harmonious to conflictual outcomes. The Interactive Acculturation Model (IAM) is adapted to intergroup relations between language communities in four parts. The first part of the model provides an overview of the ethnolinguistic vitality framework accounting for the strength of minority/majority language communities as they struggle to gain the institutional support they need to develop as distinctive and thriving language communities. The second part of the IAM offers an analysis of the pluralist, civic, assimilationist, and exclusionist ideologies that underpin language policies regulating the co-existence of minority/majority language communities. The third part examines the acculturation orientations endorsed by majority and minority language group speakers. The fourth part of the IAM proposes that the interaction of majority and minority acculturation orientations yield intergroup communication outcomes that may range from harmonious, problematic, to conflictual. Taken together, the IAM model offers a conceptual tool for analyzing the fate of linguistic minorities as they seek to survive in the dominant majority group environments of post-modern globalizing states.
Diversionary Theory of War in Foreign Policy Analysis
Authors: Hagan Joe D.
Published: November 2018

Diversionary explanations are a key FPA approach to understanding how domestic politics shape foreign policy and, in particular, the resort to force and risk of war, arguing that increasingly vulnerable leaders manipulate foreign policy in order to enhance their domestic political position. This literature has emerged in major ways since Levy’s early critique in which he noted wide disparity between the lack of theoretical rigor and empirical findings in political science research and the richness of qualitative research by historians offering compelling cases of diversionary wars such as the First World War. Nearly three decades later, however, this situation has significantly changed. A vibrant political science literature has emerged that provides significant empirical evidence based on, first, longitudinal studies of mostly the U.S. case and the presidential use of force since World War II (WWII); and, second, cross-national studies that capture variance in the diversionary resort to force across regime types (and subtypes) and different international contexts. In contrast, historical literature on the origins of World War I (WWI) has come to view the German case as more complex and has placed it into comparative perspective with the other four great powers. Historical research suggests that leaders in all five powers faced rising domestic opposition in the prewar decades; that they subsequently adopted new (yet varied) political strategies for containing opposition; and, at the brink of war, that diversionary and other political motivations played out in indirect and different ways. This article reviews these literatures and suggests that there has been some convergence of themes in the research of political scientists and historians. Consistent with FPA approaches, these literatures point to complex patterns of domestic oppositions across different institutional arenas, contingencies affecting the willingness and ability of leaders to resort to diversionary force, the role of agency stemming from leader beliefs about political stability and the consequences of risking war, and the importance of decision making dynamics in the ultimate resort to war.
Multicultural Education in Japan
Authors: Tokunaga Tomoko
Published: November 2018

As Japanese society diversifies with an influx of foreigners, multicultural education has a critical role to play in achieving educational equity and affirming cultural diversity of students from various cultural, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. Since the 1980s, Japanese scholars and educators have introduced, interpreted, and reappropriated multicultural education from the West, and have developed the field in conjunction with different education genres (e.g., human rights education, Dowa education, Zainichi Korean education, and education for international understanding). Scholars often use the term multicultural coexistence education (tabunka kyosei kyoiku) to discuss the role of education to realize a society of multicultural coexistence. Contemporary debates and controversies regarding multicultural education focus on the “3F” (namely, food, festival, and fashion) approach, the absence of social justice perspectives, its narrow scope, and the invisibility of majority Japanese.

Although the concept of multicultural education was imported from the West relatively recently, when the number of newcomer students increased in public schools during the early 1990s, Japan has its own versions of multicultural education, such as Dowa education and Zainichi Korean education. These forms of multicultural education policies and practices, which were primarily developed in the Kansai area, take a somewhat progressive approach toward achieving educational equity and reducing discrimination against minorities. Today, multicultural education is often associated with education for newcomer students.

Although the national government has provided remedial education (e.g., Japanese language and adaptation classes) under the notion of equal treatment, numerous nonformal education sites have played critical roles in achieving equity and empowering newcomer students. Multicultural education policies and practices remain peripheral in Japan at the national government level; nevertheless, grass-roots movements have emerged where local governments, nonprofit organizations (NPOs), nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), concerned teachers, researchers, minority youth and parents, and community organizers are attempting to transform assimilative education policies and practices into more equitable and inclusive ones. With the rise of multicultural coexistence (tabunka kyosei) discourse, Japanese society is taking incremental steps toward achieving the goals of multicultural education.