bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation improves skeletal muscle regeneration through satellite cell fusion with myofibers in healthy elderly subjects
Authors: Di Filippo Ester Sara , Mancinelli Rosa , Marrone Mariangela , Doria Christian , Verratti Vittore , Toniolo Luana , Dantas José Luiz , Fulle Stefania , Pietrangelo Tiziana
Published: June 2017

The aim of this study was to determine whether neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) affects skeletal muscle regeneration through a reduction of oxidative status in satellite cells of healthy elderly subjects. Satellite cells from the vastus lateralis skeletal muscle of 12 healthy elderly subjects before and after 8 wk of NMES were allowed to proliferate to provide myogenic populations of adult stem cells [myogenic precursor cells (MPCs)]. These MPCs were then investigated in terms of their proliferation, their basal cytoplasmic free Ca2+concentrations, and their expression of myogenic regulatory factors ( PAX3, PAX7, MYF5, MYOD, and MYOG) and micro-RNAs (miR-1, miR-133a/b, and miR-206). The oxidative status of these MPCs was evaluated through superoxide anion production and superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities. On dissected single skeletal myofibers, the nuclei were counted to determine the myonuclear density, the fiber phenotype, cross-sectional area, and tension developed. The MPCs obtained after NMES showed increased proliferation rates along with increased cytoplasmic free Ca2+concentrations and gene expression of MYOD and MYOG on MPCs. Muscle-specific miR-1, miR-133a/b, and miR-206 were upregulated. This NMES significantly reduced superoxide anion production, along with a trend to reduction of superoxide dismutase activity. The NMES-dependent stimulation of muscle regeneration enhanced satellite cell fusion with mature skeletal fibers. NMES improved the regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle in elderly subjects. Accordingly, the skeletal muscle strength and mobility of NMES-stimulated elderly subjects significantly improved. NMES may thus be further considered for clinical or ageing populations.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY The neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) effect on skeletal muscle regeneration was assessed in healthy elderly subjects for the first time. NMES improved the regenerative capacity of skeletal muscle through increased myogenic precursor cell proliferation and fusion with mature myofibers. The increased cytoplasmic free Ca2+concentration along with MYOD, MYOG, and micro-RNA upregulation could be related to reduced O2·−production, which, in turn, favors myogenic regeneration. Accordingly, the skeletal muscle strength of NMES-stimulated lower limbs of healthy elderly subjects improved along with their mobility.
Oxytetracycline Inhibits Mucus Secretion and Inflammation in Human Airway Epithelial Cells
Authors: Shah Said Ahmad , Ishinaga Hajime , Takeuchi Kazuhiko
Published: June 2017

Oxytetracycline is a broad-spectrum antibiotic, but its nonantibacterial effects in the human respiratory tract are unknown. In this study, the effects of oxytetracycline on mucus secretion and inflammation were examined by PCR and ELISA in the human airway epithelial cell line NCI-H292. Oxytetracycline (10 μg/mL) significantly inhibited TNF-α-induced MUC5AC gene expression and MUC5AC protein levels in NCI-H292 cells. It also downregulated IL-8 and IL-1β gene expression and IL-1β protein levels. Our findings demonstrated that oxytetracycline suppressed mucus production and inflammation in human respiratory epithelial cells, providing further evidence for the usefulness of oxytetracycline for human airway inflammatory diseases.
Concurrent CCR7 Overexpression and RelB Knockdown in Immature Dendritic Cells Induces Immune Tolerance and Improves Skin-Graft Survival in a Murine Model
Authors: Dong Zhiwei , Chen Yajie , Peng Yuan , Wang Fan , Yang Zichen , Huang Guangtao , Chen Yu , Yuan Zhiqiang , Cao Tongtong , Peng Yizhi
Published: June 2017

Background/Aims: Skin transplantation aims to cover skin defects but often fails due to immune rejection of the transplantated tissue. Immature dendritic cells (imDCs) induce immune tolerance but have a low migration rate. After stimulation, imDCs transform into mature DCs, which activate immune rejection. Thus, inducing imDC to obtain a high migration counteracts development of immune tolerance. Methods & Results: We transfected imDCs with a recombinant adenovirus carrying the CCR7 gene (Ad-CCR7) and a small interfering RNA targeting RelB (RelB-siRNA) to concurrently overexpress CCR7 and downregulate RelB expression. Functionally, such cells showed a significantly enhanced migration rate in the chemotactic assay and decreased T-cell proliferation after lipopolysaccharide stimulation in mixed lymphocyte reactions. Cotransfected cells showed an increased ability to induce immune tolerance by upregulating T regulatory (Treg) cells and shifting the Th1/Th2 ratio. Cotransfection of Ad-CCR7 and RelB-siRNA endowed imDCs with resistance to apoptosis and cell death. CCR7 overexpression and RelB knockdown (KD) in imDCs improve skin-graft survival in a murine skin-transplantation model. Conclusion: Transfection with Ad-CCR7 and RelB KD in imDCs may be an effective approach inducing immune tolerance, thus being potentially valuable for inhibiting allograft rejection.
MicroRNA-30b Regulates High Phosphorus Level-Induced Autophagy in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells by Targeting BECN1
Authors: Wang Jian , Sun Yi-Ting , Xu Tian-Hua , Sun Wei , Tian Bin-Yao , Sheng Zi-Tong , Sun Li , Liu Lin-Lin , Ma Jian-Fei , Wang Li-Ning , Yao Li
Published: June 2017

Background/Aims: Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism that affects the survival and functions of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). We explored the role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in regulating autophagy in VSMCs exposed to high phosphorus (Pi) levels. Methods: VSMCs were isolated from the thoracic aorta of rats and were cultured primarily. Real-time PCR was used to measure the mRNA expression of indicated genes. Western blotting was performed to detect the protein expression of autophagy-related markers. Results: We found that treatment with high Pi levels (1 and 3 mM) activated LC3II expression and promoted autophagic flux in VSMCs. Conversely, treatment with an autophagy inhibitor decreased LC3II expression. Pi stimulation dysregulated the expression of several miRNAs such as miR-18a, miR-21, miR-23a, miR-30b, and miR-31a. However, miR-30b overexpression decreased Pi-induced expression of autophagy-related marker genes such as BECN1, ATG5, and LC3b, whereas miR-30b downregulation increased Pi-induced expression of these genes. In addition, we found that miR-30b directly targeted BECN1. Conclusions: These data suggest that miR-30b plays an important role in the regulation of high Pi level-induced autophagy in VSMCs by targeting BECN1.
Filter Size Not the Anticoagulation Method is the Decisive Factor in Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy Circuit Survival
Authors: Miklaszewska Monika , Korohoda Przemysław , Zachwieja Katarzyna , Kobylarz Krzysztof , Stefanidis Constantinos J. , Sobczak Alina , Drożdż Dorota
Published: June 2017

Background/Aim: As continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) has emerged as a standard therapy in pediatric intensive care units (PICU), many related issues that may have an impact on circuit survival have gained in importance. Objective of the study was an evaluation of factors associated with circuit survival, including anticoagulation (ACG). Methods: Retrospective study that included 40 patients, who in total received 7636 hours of CRRT during 150 sessions (84 filters, 4260 hours with heparin anticoagulation (Hep-ACG); 66 filters, 3376 hours with regional citrate anticoagulation (RCA)). Results: The Kaplan-Meier analysis of the total circuit survival time depending on the type of ACG did not demonstrate a significant difference between Hep-ACG and RCA. The percentage of clotted filters was significantly higher in case of smaller filters (HF20: 58.8%; ST60: 29.5%; ST100: 15.8%), and their lifetime was significantly lower regardless of ACG (the mean and median lifetime for HF20: 38.7/27.0 h; for ST60: 54.1/72.0 h., for ST100: 62.1/72.0 h, respectively). Conclusions: Irrespectively of filter size, filter clotting occurs within the first 24 hours after the initiation of CRRT. Most commonly, clotting affects small filters, and their lifetime is significantly shorter as compared to larger filters regardless of the type of the ACG.
Can ameloblastomas arise from odontogenic keratocysts?
Authors: Rozatto Juliana Rodrigues , Do Canto Alan Motta , Braz-Silva Paulo Henrique , Freitas Ronaldo Rodrigues
Published: June 2017

O ameloblastoma é um tumor odontogênico localmente agressivo, com altas taxas de recorrência. Raramente o ameloblastoma apresenta aspecto histológico semelhante ao queratocisto odontogênico devido à presença de áreas queratinizadas. O objetivo deste estudo é relatar um caso de ameloblastoma na mandíbula, diagnosticado e tratado incorretamente como um queratocisto odontogênico devido a características macroscópicas incomuns e aspectos histológicos raros que prejudicaram um correto diagnóstico. Relato de caso: Paciente do sexo feminino, 57 anos, apresentando lesão assintomática no ângulo mandibular esquerdo tratado inicialmente com biópsia incisional e descompressão. Os achados histológicos mostraram um aspecto sugestivo de queratocisto odontogênico. No pós operatório de 3 anos, a paciente retornou com uma nova lesão no lado esquerdo da mandíbula e foi então submetida a curetagem. Desta vez, as seções histológicas mostraram um padrão de ameloblastoma e, devido a este fato, a paciente permaneceu com um seguimento de 6 meses. No pós operatório de 4 anos da segunda operação, a paciente retornou apresentando nova recidiva. A biópsia mostrou um ameloblastoma e a mesma foi submetida a ressecção mandibular e reconstrução como tratamento. Após o procedimento final, a recuperação foi sem intercorrências e a paciente passou por um pós-operatório de quatro anos sem recidivas. Conclusão: Este caso destaca a importância de se realizar uma biópsia e um exame adequado por profissional especializado, devido à possibilidade de lesões atípicas que ocorrem restritas à região da cabeça e pescoço.
Oxidized Phospholipids and Risk of Calcific Aortic Valve Disease
Authors: Kamstrup Pia R. , Hung Ming-Yow , Witztum Joseph L. , Tsimikas Sotirios , Nordestgaard Børge G.
Published: June 2017

Objective—

Lipoprotein(a) is causally associated with calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). Lipoprotein(a) carries proinflammatory and procalcific oxidized phospholipids (OxPL). We tested whether the CAVD risk is mediated by the content of OxPL on lipoprotein(a).

Approach and Results—

A case–control study was performed within the Copenhagen General Population Study (n=87 980), including 725 CAVD cases (1977–2013) and 1413 controls free of cardiovascular disease. OxPL carried by apoB (apolipoprotein B-100; OxPL-apoB) or apolipoprotein(a) (OxPL-apo(a)) containing lipoproteins, lipoprotein(a) levels,
LPA
kringle IV type 2 repeat, and rs10455872 genetic variants were measured. OxPL-apoB and OxPL-apo(a) levels correlated with lipoprotein(a) levels among cases (
r
=0.75 and
r
=0.95; both
P
<0.001) and controls (
r
=0.65 and
r
=0.93; both
P
<0.001). OxPL-apoB levels associated with risk of CAVD with odds ratios of 1.2 (95% confidence interval [CI]:1.0–1.6) for 34th to 66th percentile levels, 1.6 (95% CI, 1.2–2.1) for 67th to 90th percentile levels, 2.0 (95% CI, 1.3–3.0) for 91st to 95th percentile levels, and 3.4 (95% CI, 2.1–5.5) for levels >95th percentile, versus levels <34th percentile (trend,
P
<0.001). Corresponding odds ratios for OxPL-apo(a) were 1.2 (95% CI, 1.0–1.5), 1.2(95% CI, 0.9–1.6), 2.1(95% CI, 1.4–3.1), and 2.9(95% CI, 1.9–4.5; trend,
P
<0.001) and were similar for lipoprotein(a).
LPA
genotypes associated with OxPL-apoB, OxPL-apo(a), and lipoprotein(a) levels and explained 34%, 46%, and 39%, respectively, of the total variation in levels.
LPA
genotypes associated with risk of CAVD; a doubling in genetically determined OxPL-apoB, OxPL-apo(a), and lipoprotein(a) levels associated with odds ratio of CAVD of 1.18 (95% CI, 1.10–1.27), 1.09 (95% CI, 1.05–1.13), and 1.09 (95% CI, 1.05–1.14), respectively, comparable to the corresponding observational estimates of 1.27 (95% CI, 1.16–1.39), 1.13 (95% CI, 1.08–1.18), and 1.11 (95% CI, 1.06–1.17).

Conclusions—

OxPL-apoB and OxPL-apo(a) are novel genetic and potentially causal risk factors for CAVD and may explain the association of lipoprotein(a) with CAVD.
Unethical Human Experimentation in Developing Countries and International Criminal Law: Old Wine in New Bottles?
Authors: Negri Stefania
Published: June 2017

Since Nuremberg, the ethics of scientific research involving human beings has been for decades the source of concern and controversy. Profit-driven experimentation sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry has progressively migrated to the South, turning into a widespread phenomenon imbued with ethical challenges and dilemmas. The protection of vulnerable communities from the risks of unethical behaviour and exploitation, often associated with the outsourcing of clinical trials in developing countries, calls for respect of internationally agreed standards. This Article argues that massive experiments conducted in disregard of universal bioethical principles and human rights may amount to crimes against humanity under international criminal law. It also suggests that, in such cases, the International Criminal Court would have jurisdiction over a broad range of liable individuals, including public officials of host and sponsoring States, physicians and researchers acting in their private capacity, as well as officers and directors of pharmaceutical corporations.
Two new species of Rhopalopsole (Plecoptera: Leuctridae) from China
Authors: QIAN YU-HAN , DU YU-ZHOU
Published: June 2017

Two new species of the genus Rhopalopsole, R. brevidigitata Qian & Du, sp. nov. and R. faciursina Qian & Du, sp. nov. are described and illustrated from Yunnan Province of southwestern China. The new species are compared to similar taxa in the R. vietnamica and R. shaanxiensis groups, respectively.
Speaking Sociologically with Big Data: Symphonic Social Science and the Future for Big Data Research
Authors: Halford Susan , Savage Mike
Published: June 2017

Recent years have seen persistent tension between proponents of big data analytics, using new forms of digital data to make computational and statistical claims about ‘the social’, and many sociologists sceptical about the value of big data, its associated methods and claims to knowledge. We seek to move beyond this, taking inspiration from a mode of argumentation pursued by Piketty, Putnam and Wilkinson and Pickett that we label ‘symphonic social science’. This bears both striking similarities and significant differences to the big data paradigm and – as such – offers the potential to do big data analytics differently. This offers value to those already working with big data – for whom the difficulties of making useful and sustainable claims about the social are increasingly apparent – and to sociologists, offering a mode of practice that might shape big data analytics for the future.
Guidelines for the Provision and Assessment of Nutrition Support Therapy in the Pediatric Critically Ill Patient: Society of Critical Care Medicine and American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition
Authors: Mehta Nilesh M. , Skillman Heather E. , Irving Sharon Y. , Coss‐Bu Jorge A. , Vermilyea Sarah , Farrington Elizabeth Anne , McKeever Liam , Hall Amber M. , Goday Praveen S. , Braunschweig Carol
Published: June 2017

This document represents the first collaboration between 2 organizations—the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and the Society of Critical Care Medicine—to describe best practices in nutrition therapy in critically ill children. The target of these guidelines is intended to be the pediatric critically ill patient (>1 month and <18 years) expected to require a length of stay >2–3 days in a PICU admitting medical, surgical, and cardiac patients. In total, 2032 citations were scanned for relevance. The PubMed/MEDLINE search resulted in 960 citations for clinical trials and 925 citations for cohort studies. The EMBASE search for clinical trials culled 1661 citations. In total, the search for clinical trials yielded 1107 citations, whereas the cohort search yielded 925. After careful review, 16 randomized controlled trials and 37 cohort studies appeared to answer 1 of the 8 preidentified question groups for this guideline. We used the GRADE criteria (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) to adjust the evidence grade based on assessment of the quality of study design and execution. These guidelines are not intended for neonates or adult patients. The guidelines reiterate the importance of nutrition assessment—particularly, the detection of malnourished patients who are most vulnerable and therefore may benefit from timely intervention. There is a need for renewed focus on accurate estimation of energy needs and attention to optimizing protein intake. Indirect calorimetry, where feasible, and cautious use of estimating equations and increased surveillance for unintended caloric underfeeding and overfeeding are recommended. Optimal protein intake and its correlation with clinical outcomes are areas of great interest. The optimal route and timing of nutrient delivery are areas of intense debate and investigations. Enteral nutrition remains the preferred route for nutrient delivery. Several strategies to optimize enteral nutrition during critical illness have emerged. The role of supplemental parenteral nutrition has been highlighted, and a delayed approach appears to be beneficial. Immunonutrition cannot be currently recommended. Overall, the pediatric critical care population is heterogeneous, and a nuanced approach to individualizing nutrition support with the aim of improving clinical outcomes is necessary.
The NADPH Oxidase Inhibitor Apocynin Suppresses Preneoplastic Liver Foci of Rats
Authors: Fuji Satoshi , Suzuki Shugo , Naiki-Ito Aya , Kato Hiroyuki , Hayakawa Masashi , Yamashita Yoriko , Kuno Toshiya , Takahashi Satoru
Published: June 2017

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been revealed to be important factors for carcinogenesis and tumor progression. Therefore, we focused on an ROS-generating protein, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase, and evaluated whether its inhibitor, apocynin, could suppress hepatocarcinogenesis in a medium-term rat liver bioassay. The number and size of glutathione S-transferase placental form (GST-P)-positive foci were significantly reduced by apocynin in a dose-dependent manner. The reduction of ROS generation by apocynin was confirmed by dihydroethidium staining. Apocynin treatment also significantly reduced Ki-67 positivity, downregulated cyclooxygenase 2, and suppressed the activation of the c-Myc pathway. Meanwhile, ROS generation was not different between GST-P-positive foci and surrounding GST-P-negative areas of the liver. In conclusion, the present data suggest that apocynin possesses a potential antihepatocarcinogenic property.
Multimodels computation for adsorption capacity of activated carbon
Authors: Wang Guodong , Tian Yun , Jiang Jianchun , Wu Jianzhong
Published: June 2017

The pore size distribution of activated carbon is conventionally characterized with nitrogen adsorption measurements at 77 K. The adsorption isotherms are commonly analyzed with a nonlocal density functional theory in combination with a mathematical model for the pore size and geometry. While nonlocal density functional theory is significantly more accurate than the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller theory for gas adsorption, its application to materials characterization is mostly based on a mean-field approximation for van der Waals attractions that is only qualitative in comparison with alternative versions of nonlocal density functional theory or molecular simulations. Toward development of a more reliable theoretical procedure, we compare mean-field approximation-nonlocal density functional theory with three recent versions of non-mean-field methods for gas adsorption at conditions corresponding to experiments for porous materials characterization. The potential applicability of different nonlocal density functional theory methods for pore size distribution predictions is evaluated in terms of the theoretical error bound scale analysis. We find that the weight density approximation is the most reliable for predicting the pore size distribution of amorphous porous materials. In addition to accurate isotherm, weight density approximation yields the theoretical error bound scale for pore size distribution prediction nearly 104 times narrower than that corresponding to mean-field approximation. The new theoretical procedure has been used to analyze the pore size distribution of four activated carbon samples and to predict the adsorption capacities of these materials.
Exploring Variation in Certified Nursing Assistant Assignments From the Perspective of Nursing Home Residents: A Comparison of Adopters and Nonadopters of Consistent Assignment
Authors: Roberts Tonya J. , Nolet Kimberly , Bowers Barbara
Published: June 2017

Objective: To describe and compare certified nursing assistant (CNA) staffing between adopter and nonadopters of consistent assignment. Data sources: One month of preexisting CNA assignment and scheduling sheets from a purposive sample of 30 homes. Study design: A descriptive comparative study was conducted to calculate and compare numbers of CNAs assigned per resident across homes. Data extraction: Resident names and CNA assignments were abstracted from assignment records and entered into the Advancing Excellence consistent assignment tool to calculate numbers of CNAs assigned per resident. Principal findings: Both variation and overlap existed in the number of CNAs per resident within and between homes. Adopters assigned significantly fewer CNAs per resident. Conclusion: Research is needed to determine how assignment variations affect resident perceptions of quality.
Designing and assessing wheel/rail profiles for improved rolling contact fatigue and wear performance
Authors: Magel Eric , Kalousek Joe
Published: June 2017

A quick survey of wheel and rail profiles used around the world reveals a huge range of options. Wheels come in cylindrical, conical, and concave variations, while rails range in shape from a very flat 14 in. (350 mm) head radius to a tightly crowned 6 in. (150 mm) head radius. The rationale for implementing one or the other is often institutional inertia—a strong tendency to continue doing what has been done in the past. But the impacts of wheel and rail profiles on the performance of the vehicle/track interaction are large and the decision should not be made lightly. Unfortunately, there are few well-matched “off-the-shelf” solutions from the existing commercially available profiles, such that new rails and wheels often suffer early failures or infant mortality. Through examples and case studies, this paper discusses the significant role that wheel and rail profiles play with respect to performance and safety and makes the case for wheel and rail profiles specifically suited to the needs of each railway. Various techniques for assessing the performance of systems of wheels and rails are reviewed and discussed.
Propensity score analysis with partially observed covariates: How should multiple imputation be used?
Authors: Leyrat Clémence , Seaman Shaun R , White Ian R , Douglas Ian , Smeeth Liam , Kim Joseph , Resche-Rigon Matthieu , Carpenter James R , Williamson Elizabeth J
Published: June 2017

Inverse probability of treatment weighting is a popular propensity score-based approach to estimate marginal treatment effects in observational studies at risk of confounding bias. A major issue when estimating the propensity score is the presence of partially observed covariates. Multiple imputation is a natural approach to handle missing data on covariates: covariates are imputed and a propensity score analysis is performed in each imputed dataset to estimate the treatment effect. The treatment effect estimates from each imputed dataset are then combined to obtain an overall estimate. We call this method MIte. However, an alternative approach has been proposed, in which the propensity scores are combined across the imputed datasets (MIps). Therefore, there are remaining uncertainties about how to implement multiple imputation for propensity score analysis: (a) should we apply Rubin’s rules to the inverse probability of treatment weighting treatment effect estimates or to the propensity score estimates themselves? (b) does the outcome have to be included in the imputation model? (c) how should we estimate the variance of the inverse probability of treatment weighting estimator after multiple imputation? We studied the consistency and balancing properties of the MIte and MIps estimators and performed a simulation study to empirically assess their performance for the analysis of a binary outcome. We also compared the performance of these methods to complete case analysis and the missingness pattern approach, which uses a different propensity score model for each pattern of missingness, and a third multiple imputation approach in which the propensity score parameters are combined rather than the propensity scores themselves (MIpar). Under a missing at random mechanism, complete case and missingness pattern analyses were biased in most cases for estimating the marginal treatment effect, whereas multiple imputation approaches were approximately unbiased as long as the outcome was included in the imputation model. Only MIte was unbiased in all the studied scenarios and Rubin’s rules provided good variance estimates for MIte. The propensity score estimated in the MIte approach showed good balancing properties. In conclusion, when using multiple imputation in the inverse probability of treatment weighting context, MIte with the outcome included in the imputation model is the preferred approach.
Lord Rennell, Chief of AMGOT: A Study of His Approach to Politics and Military Government (c.1940–43)
Authors: Boobbyer Philip
Published: June 2017

Following Operation Husky in 1943, Francis Rodd, Lord Rennell (1895–1978) was Chief Civil Affairs Officer of AMGOT (Allied Military Government of Occupied Territories) in Sicily and Southern Italy. He had previously held important posts in civil affairs in Africa. This article examines his approach to politics and military government, with particular reference to his support for ‘indirect rule’. This doctrine helped rationalize the fact that British/Allied military rule often rested on a small number of staff. Rennell’s thoughts on AMGOT’s administrative structures are also covered. A geographer and banker by background, Rennell emerges here as a reform-minded pragmatist.
Board Activity and Firm Performance
Authors: Paul Jyoti
Published: June 2017

Because of recent failures in the past, the role of Board and the Board monitoring have become important. The directors are expected to be more accountable. In this study, the researcher tries to investigate the relationship between the level of board activity and firm value for firms in FMCG sector over a three-year period from 2010–2011 to 2012–2013. The primary aim of the article is to provide empirical evidence and specifically find out the impact of board activity measured by number of meetings and its impact on firm performance. The results indicate that the attendance in board meetings is significantly positively correlated with ROA. The OLS results with both the performance measures show that the point estimates of attendance at board meetings were significant indicating that attendance in such meetings is perceived to be an indicator of good monitoring activities of the board.
Re-examination of the Non-linear Relationship Between Management Ownership and Earnings Management: Evidence from Japan
Authors: Mazumder Mohammed Mehadi Masud
Published: June 2017

The purpose of this article is to provide further evidence on the functional form of relationship between management ownership and earnings management in the Japanese context. Applying regression model with third-order polynomial like Teshima and Shuto (2008) , this study finds evidence of non-monotonic (cubic) relationship between management ownership and earnings management which supports alignment–entrenchment–alignment hypothesis. However, this study attempts to confirm the robustness of such findings with two additional approaches, namely piecewise linear regression and third-order polynomial regression with mean-centring adjustment. Unlike initial results, further evidence indicates that though the relationship between management ownership and earnings management is non-linear but the nature is quadratic (‘U’-shaped) which supports alignment–entrenchment hypothesis. Such conflicting findings will surely assist the future researchers to be cautious in designing non-linear models while investigating the relationship between ownership structure and earnings management.
The Impact of Corporate Governance Attributes on Environmental Disclosures: Evidence from India
Authors: G. Ezhilarasi , Kabra K. C.
Published: June 2017

This article empirically investigates the impact of corporate governance attributes on companies’ decision to disclose environmental information since corporate governance ensures fair, responsible, credible and transparent corporate behaviours to its stakeholders. The corporate governance attributes used in the study are board size, chief executive officer duality, domestic institutional ownership and foreign institutional ownership. Environmental disclosures are measured by a checklist of items based on Global Reporting Initiative guidelines as well as environmental regulations prevailing in India. Disclosure scores are drawn individually by using content analysis of annual reports for a sample of 177 most polluting companies in India for a period of 6 years, that is, from 2009–2010 to 2014–2015. Employing panel data regression model, the result indicates that foreign institutional ownership is the most important corporate governance attribute that engages corporates in environmental disclosure behaviour. In addition to this, firm-specific characteristics such as company size and environmental certification are more likely to influence environmental disclosures. For better environmental disclosure, the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) should mandate all the companies to disclose detailed monetary and non-monetary information on environmental issues in their companies’ periodic report and also more emphasis should be given to strengthen the corporate governance attributes.
A Grounded Theory of Mothering in the Early Years for Women Recovering From Substance Use
Authors: Marcellus Lenora
Published: June 2017

Women in recovery from addiction experience significant sociostructural barriers to reestablishing self, family, and home after having a baby. The aim of this grounded theory study was to describe pathways that women and their families followed and how transitions were experienced in the early years after receiving services through an integrated community-based maternity program. Eighteen women completed questionnaires and participated in a series of semistructured interviews over 2 years. The overall process women experienced was that of holding it together, which women did by restoring their sense of self during recovery, becoming a strong center for their family, and creating a sense of home no matter what the circumstances. Key elements supporting women in their transition to recovery and parenthood included longer term health, social, and recovery programs and services that addressed determinants of health (in particular, gender, housing, and income), and receiving support provided from strengths-based perspectives.
Revising Working Models Across Time: Relationship Situations That Enhance Attachment Security
Authors: Arriaga Ximena B. , Kumashiro Madoka , Simpson Jeffry A. , Overall Nickola C.
Published: June 2017

We propose the Attachment Security Enhancement Model (ASEM) to suggest how romantic relationships can promote chronic attachment security. One part of the ASEM examines partner responses that protect relationships from the erosive effects of immediate insecurity, but such responses may not necessarily address underlying insecurities in a person’s mental models. Therefore, a second part of the ASEM examines relationship situations that foster more secure mental models. Both parts may work in tandem. We posit that attachment anxiety should decline most in situations that foster greater personal confidence and more secure mental models of the self. In contrast, attachment avoidance should decline most in situations that involve positive dependence and foster more secure models of close others. The ASEM integrates research and theory, suggests novel directions for future research, and has practical implications, all of which center on the idea that adult attachment orientations are an emergent property of close relationships.
“Different than an infantry unit down in Georgia”: Narratives of queer liberation in the post-DADT military
Authors: Connell Catherine
Published: June 2017

More than five years out from its implementation, we still know relatively little about how members of the US military and its ancillary institutions are responding to the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Contrary to what one might expect given the long history of LGBTQ antipathy in the military, I found in interviews with Boston area Reserve Officer Training Core (ROTC) cadets unanimous approval for the repeal of DADT. When pressed to explain why there was so much homogeneity of favorable opinion regarding the repeal, interviewees repeatedly offered the same explanation: that Boston, in particular, is such a progressive place that even more conservative institutions like the ROTC are spared anti-gay sentiment. They imagined the Southern and/or rural soldier they will soon encounter when they enter the US military, one who represents the traditionally homophobic attitudes of the old military in contrast to their more enlightened selves. This “metronormative” narrative has been critiqued elsewhere as inadequate for understanding the relationship between sexuality and place; this article contributes to that critique by taking a new approach. Rather than deconstruct narratives of queer rurality, as the majority of metronormativity scholarship has done, I deconstruct these narratives of urban queer liberation. I find that such narratives mask the murkier realities of LGBTQ attitudes in urban contexts and allow residents like the ROTC cadets in this study to displace blame about anti-gay prejudice to a distant Other, outside of their own ranks.
Cartoon characters, equality nurseries and children’s ‘best interests’: On childhood and sexuality in Poland
Authors: Stańczyk Ewa
Published: June 2017

The aim of this article is to explore the intersections of childhood and sexuality as they come to light in a variety of public arenas. Looking at three case studies from Poland, I explore how spaces culturally assigned to childhood become symbolically ‘invaded’ by contexts that are stereotypically associated with adulthood. In particular, I analyse the debate about the popular children’s television series Teletubbies that raged in Poland in 2007 and the more recent discussions surrounding the opposition to the naming of a playground in the provincial town of Tuszyn after Winnie-the-Pooh. Moreover, I look at the educational programme on gender equality that has been implemented in some Polish nurseries since 2011 and the anxiety it generated at both political and social levels. I place these debates in the political context of Poland, pointing to the continued supremacy of the conservative right as one of the defining factors in these contentious debates.
Competitive Equilibrium in Generalized Games: A New Interpretation
Authors: Lahiri Somdeb
Published: June 2017

The purpose of this paper is to provide an alternative version of a generalized game, slightly different from the one provided in the seminal paper of Arrow and Debreu (1954). In this revised framework, we introduce the concept of a competitive equilibrium and show how it can be applied to a slightly modified prisoners’ dilemma and the traditional model of general equilibrium theory. We obtain a ‘folk theorem’ for some generalized games which are like repeated non-cooperative games. A significant result that we obtain is that a strategy profile is a competitive equilibrium if and only if it is a second period maximizer of every Bergson–Samuelson social welfare function. We prove existence results for the case where all the strategy sets are subsets of Euclidean spaces and for the case where all the strategy sets are non-empty and finite. The Arrow–Debreu economy is introduced in our setting as an illustration of a finite abstract economy where the preferences of the agents are independent of the strategy profile chosen in the initial period. Finally, we suggest a refinement of competitive equilibrium called an optimal competitive equilibrium and study its relationship with competitive equilibrium through some examples.
Robust patient-derived xenografts of MDS/MPN overlap syndromes capture the unique characteristics of CMML and JMML
Authors: Yoshimi Akihide , Balasis Maria E. , Vedder Alexis , Feldman Kira , Ma Yan , Zhang Hailing , Lee Stanley Chun-Wei , Letson Christopher , Niyongere Sandrine , Lu Sydney X. , Ball Markus , Taylor Justin , Zhang Qing , Zhao Yulong , Youssef Salma , Chung Young Rock , Zhang Xiao Jing , Durham Benjamin H. , Yang Wendy , List Alan F. , Loh Mignon L. , Klimek Virginia , Berger Michael F. , Stieglitz Elliot , Padron Eric , Abdel-Wahab Omar
Published: June 2017

Key Points

Genetically accurate xenografts of CMML are achievable with near 100% frequency in NSGS mice. Robust human engraftment and overt phenotypes of CMML and JMML xenografts here facilitate preclinical therapeutic evaluation in vivo.
Response to Medical Errors
Authors: Webb Adam
Published: June 2017

Despite improvements in patient safety science over the past 15 years since the Institute of Medicine’s publication of To Err Is Human, medical errors remain a major contributor to adverse patient outcomes and mortality. In the aftermath of a harmful medical error, providers often face dilemmas regarding how to best report and disclose errors.
Safety Considerations During Transitions of Care From Inpatient to Outpatient Settings
Authors: Ponce de Leon Marcus , Hohler Anna D.
Published: June 2017

Hospital admissions are times of intense change. New medications are started, treatment regimens are modified, and care plans that will continue in the outpatient setting are initiated. After discharge, most patients receive care from different providers than those seen in the hospital. This situation will increase as inpatient-based practice patterns, such as neurohospitalist practices, become more prevalent. Communication failures during the transition from hospital to clinic increase the risk of adverse events. Providers must realize that successful transition can impact the patient’s health as significantly as treatment of the admitting diagnosis. The transition should be carefully planned and standardized. This article discusses common pitfalls encountered during the transition period and highlights methods to improve patient care and safety.
Coding for Medication-related Poisoning and Adverse Effects
Authors: Yu Melissa
Published: June 2017

Accurate coding is important for proper reimbursement and documentation of care provided. This article provides an overview of coding considerations for patient encounters associated with medication use, abuse, or poisoning.
Environmental Neurologic Injuries
Authors: Savica Rodolfo
Published: June 2017

Purpose of Review: This article discusses neurologic complications resulting from environmental injuries and the treatment modalities for these conditions.

Recent Findings: Recent advances include improved management of altitude sickness. Relatively uncommon conditions, such as keraunoparalysis (lightning-induced paralysis) and high-pressure neurologic syndrome, are areas of ongoing study.

Summary: Environmental injuries may be associated with serious neurologic sequelae. This article reviews thermal and electrical injuries as well as injuries related to aviation, altitude, and diving. Recognition of signs and symptoms of such complex injuries and exposures will permit accurate diagnoses and improved outcomes.
Toy Stories
Authors: Smith Vanessa
Published: June 2017

“Toy Stories” takes Maggie Tulliver's “grinding and beating” of her broken doll in The Mill on the Floss as a starting point for thinking about manifestations of childish distress, rage, and shame in the nineteenth-century novel. Using Melanie Klein's play theories, it argues that the child's toy is the archetypal object of the “prosaic imaginary,” at once material and symbolic, internal and external, partial and whole, destructive and therapeutic; an everyday object that is not simply typical high realist ballast but also the stuff of dreams. The essay suggests that the nineteenth-century development of educational theory was shadowed by a prescient fictional vision of childish destructiveness emblematized in the broken toy, and it asks what this might mean in particular for the bildungsroman and its educative telos. Franco Moretti has claimed that the European bildungsroman depends on the hero's breaking with, rather than remaining faithful to, youthful impressions. Startlingly actualized toy stories, however, risk keeping the narrative childish, backward glancing, even as they look forward to an impending modernity and the language of object-relations psychoanalysis. The essay sketches the “toy story” as an alternative narrative working within and against the imperatives of the bildungsroman: “grinding and beating” at its certainties; forgetting and losing its plots.
Everyday War: Sylvia Townsend Warner and Virginia Woolf in World War II
Authors: Ellmann Maud
Published: June 2017

For Britons during World War II, war was in the air, in the form of bombing raids, but also on the air, in the form of news and propaganda on the radio. “Everyday War” shows how Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Townsend Warner respond to war in the air by turning to the English countryside, reworking the conventions of pastoral under the pressure of the national emergency. Woolf's posthumous novel Between the Acts, written from 1939 to 1941, portrays a “remote village in the very heart of England” on the brink of war; Warner's The Corner That Held Them (1948), also written during the war years, chronicles the collective life of an isolated medieval convent in the Norfolk Broads. Neither author addresses air war directly, but air itself looms large in both their works—in the “airy world” of Poyntz Hall, as Woolf describes the rural setting of Between the Acts, and in the pestilential atmosphere of the Black Death in The Corner That Held Them. Disaffected with subjectivism, both writers look for new ways to open up their fiction to collective, “choral” consciousness. What they seek in the pastoral tradition is not a pristine national identity unsullied by miscegenation but a common folk culture inhering in the habits and ceremonies of everyday life. By focusing on the rhythms of communal existence rather than the inner life of their protagonists, these wartime novels exemplify the “outward turn” that Thomas S. Davis and others identify as characteristic of late modernism.
Moisture-stable Perovskite Material with 1,3-Propanediaminium Cation for Solar Cell Application
Authors: Jiang Linqin , Qiu Yu , Zhang Hao , Lin Lingyan , Yan Fengbo , Chen Dagui
Published: June 2017

We report on the synthesis and the optical properties of a series of perovskite-type materials containing different organic ammonium cations. The band gaps of the series decrease with the increasing alkyl chain length and the number of the ammonium groups. The (CH2)3(NH3)2PbI4 (DAPPbI4) perovskite synthesized from 1,3-diaminopropane exhibits wide light absorption up to 950 nm and high moisture stability. A pristine solar cell made with the DAPPbI4 absorber layer achieves a power conversion efficiency of 0.141% without any optimization. Our results pave a promising way toward stable and optically tunable perovskites for solar cell applications by altering the organic cation chemistry.
Measuring the Impacts of Teachers: Comment
Authors: Rothstein Jesse
Published: June 2017

Chetty, Friedman, and Rockoff (2014a, b) study value-added (VA) measures of teacher effectiveness. CFR (2014a) exploits teacher switching as a quasi-experiment, concluding that student sorting creates negligible bias in VA scores. CFR (2014b) finds VA scores are useful proxies for teachers' effects on students' long-run outcomes. I successfully reproduce each in North Carolina data. But I find that the quasi-experiment is invalid, as teacher switching is correlated with changes in student preparedness. Adjusting for this, I find moderate bias in VA scores, perhaps 10–35 percent as large, in variance terms, as teachers' causal effects. Long-run results are sensitive to controls and cannot support strong conclusions. (JEL H75, I21, J45)
ABSTRACTING AS A WAY OF DEVELOPING AND ASSESSING READING SKILLS WHILE WORKING WITH ESP TEXTS IN NON-LINGUISTIC UNIVERSITIES
Authors: Левченко  , Levchenko Victoria , Любимова  , Lubimova Tatiana
Published: June 2017

The article deals with topical issues of ESP. The authors have analyzed syllabus and its main components, necessary requirements for speech material, types of ESP texts and criteria for their selection while teaching professionally oriented foreign language to students of non-linguistic universities. The issue of particular importance is teaching abstracting which is one of the most efficient ways to acquire foreign language skills to use the language in situations of practical application.
PRINCIPLES OF TRAININIG ESSAY JENRE IN THE COURSE OF THE DISCIPLINE «RUSSIAN LANGUAGE»
Authors: Капенова  , Kapenova Zhanarsyn
Published: June 2017

The article gives a theoretical description of the principles of teaching essays. A feature of written speech is the integration of language, speech, thinking, cognition and logic. The content of the essay is characterized by a holistic reflection of the world picture, which should be taken into account when working on the creation of this kind of composition. Therefore, a system of methodological principles reflects the specifics of essay training
STRUCTURE AND CONTENTS OF A VOLLEYBALL LESSON. METHODOLOGICAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHERS
Authors: Чайка  , Chayka Natalya
Published: June 2017

The article describes the process of gaining and teaching motion skills under the conditions of learning how to play volleyball. It outlines theoretical and practical aspects of volleyball players’ physical education.

Methodological recommendations deal with several relevant problems of motion skills development. These skills depend on active motion activity, physical development, gaining sports skills. The research contains recommendations on training, planning a lesson, using special means and methods for students with different physical fitness level.

Applying this methodology to physical education lessons increases students’ physical and theoretical volleyball skills.