bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Language Educators’ Understanding of Authenticity in Teaching and Its Impacts on Their Practices
Authors: Ramezanzadeh Akram
Published: July 2017

This grounded theory study explored the conceptualization of authenticity in language education. The participants were 30 Iranian English language educators, who were studied as adult learners. The findings revealed that authenticity was conceptualized by language educators as a social and reflective practice under the influence of the instructions of Islam and the collectivist culture of Iran as a country in the Middle East. Three main themes were identified as follows: three-way pedagogical relationship, reflectivity, and context-appropriate adjustments. Three-way pedagogical relationship addressed educators’ learning experiences, subjects driven from the context, and the importance of learners. Also, reflectivity included reflection on content, process, and premise. Furthermore, context-appropriate adjustments referred to the disagreement with conformity to educational systems encouraging nativeness. Indeed, the participants conceptualized authenticity as finding one’s own voice in the midst of the dominant native voices, while reflecting on one’s own pedagogical practices and respecting one’s own religion and context.
Psychiatric Hospital Workers’ Exposure to Disturbing Patient Behavior and Its Relation to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms
Authors: Hilton N. Zoe , Ham Elke , Dretzkat Alecia
Published: July 2017

Background

About 10% of health-care workers experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); the rate is higher among workers exposed to aggression.

Objective

We extended this research by examining PTSD and exposure to violence and other disturbing patient behaviors, among nursing and other staff on inpatient psychiatric units (forensic and nonforensic).

Method

Surveys were completed online or in person by 219 respondents (30% response rate). Participants indicated which disturbing behaviors they had been exposed to and ranked the worst three behaviors in each of three categories: most unpleasant to work with, most disruptive to patient care, and most upsetting. Most ( n = 192) also completed the PTSD Checklist (PCL).

Results

All but two participants reported exposure to at least one disturbing behavior and ranked violence, feces smearing, and screaming constantly as the worst experiences overall. On the PCL, 24% scored above the cut off for probable PTSD. Nursing staff had the highest scores, with no difference between nursing staff on forensic versus nonforensic units. PCL score showed a small positive correlation with the number of disturbing behaviors experienced.

Conclusion

PTSD symptoms are common among psychiatric hospital workers, not only nursing staff. Future research using clinical assessment, longitudinal designs, and measurement of nonviolent disturbing behaviors is recommended.
The generation of the GDR
Authors: Düppe Till
Published: July 2017

The German Democratic Republic (GDR) was in existence for 41 years. A single generation spent its whole professional life there – namely those born in the early 1930s who carried this state’s hopes. With Karl Mannheim’s notion of generations as a unit in the sociology of knowledge in mind, this article describes this generation’s typical experiences from the point of view of a particularly telling group: economists at the Humboldt University of Berlin. I present their socialization in Nazi Germany, their formative years in the aftermath of the Second World War that led to their choice of a politically driven profession, their studies during the first years of the GDR, when Stalinism was still the dominating dogma, and their commitment to a state career when writing their dissertations and habilitations. Ready to shoulder Honecker’s regime, their daily lives as professors were characterized by continuing attempts to reform teaching and research. In 1989 the ultimate reform transpired, and it encompassed the end of the state as well as of their professional careers. This narrative historicizes, on an experiential level, a tension often noted in GDR research, that between the ideological and productive functions of knowledge in socialism, that is, between loyalty and relevance.
Functional Smiles: Tools for Love, Sympathy, and War
Authors: Rychlowska Magdalena , Jack Rachael E. , Garrod Oliver G. B. , Schyns Philippe G. , Martin Jared D. , Niedenthal Paula M.
Published: July 2017

A smile is the most frequent facial expression, but not all smiles are equal. A social-functional account holds that smiles of reward, affiliation, and dominance serve basic social functions, including rewarding behavior, bonding socially, and negotiating hierarchy. Here, we characterize the facial-expression patterns associated with these three types of smiles. Specifically, we modeled the facial expressions using a data-driven approach and showed that reward smiles are symmetrical and accompanied by eyebrow raising, affiliative smiles involve lip pressing, and dominance smiles are asymmetrical and contain nose wrinkling and upper-lip raising. A Bayesian-classifier analysis and a detection task revealed that the three smile types are highly distinct. Finally, social judgments made by a separate participant group showed that the different smile types convey different social messages. Our results provide the first detailed description of the physical form and social messages conveyed by these three types of functional smiles and document the versatility of these facial expressions.
Does a Scientific Breakthrough Increase Confidence in Science? News of a Zika Vaccine and Trust in Science
Authors: Hilgard Joseph , Jamieson Kathleen Hall
Published: July 2017

How can public support for science be encouraged? In early August 2016, a Zika vaccine entered its first human trial. Extensive media coverage followed. Using repeated cross-sectional surveys, we observed that, following this media coverage, survey respondents reported greater attention to Zika news and an increased trust in science as providing solutions to problems. Whereas the increase in attention was long-lived, lasting 6 weeks or more, the increase in trust was short-lived, lasting only 2 weeks. This result provides insight into the duration of media effects and suggests conditions that facilitate trust in science.
Connected to Orlando: An Autoethnography in Three(ish) Acts
Authors: Edmonds Shaun E.
Published: July 2017

The massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, impacted the lives of queer people across the world. As a gay White male living hundreds of miles from the horrific events, I was intimately connected with the aftermath through social media, blogs, and news reports. Through autoethnographic exploration of three distinct text-based digital conversations in the days following the massacre, I reflect on the ways that virtual and nonvirtual communication intra-acted to produce and mediate powerful emotional moments. As a performative work told in three(ish) acts, I contextualize these conversations in the fears, desires, and frustrations of my lived experience.
Distributive Politics and Party Participation in the U.S. House
Authors: Meinke Scott R.
Published: July 2017

A range of research shows that distributive spending is allocated disproportionately to members in positions of power or who contribute to collective efforts. In this article, I ask whether House members who participate in their party caucus’ internal organizations enjoy earmarking advantages either as a direct benefit or by avoiding earmarking losses that are usually associated with declining electoral vulnerability. Adding new data on party involvement to several earmarking data sets, I find mixed evidence. Democratic party participants enjoyed somewhat better outcomes in the 1990s, but this result does not hold in other contexts. Evidence from the traditional pork barrel area of transportation earmarks supports the expectation that the electoral vulnerability effect is confined to nonparticipants, but this pattern does not appear for Appropriations earmarks in the 2000s. The results suggest that contributions to party goals can relate to distributive outcomes but that the effects vary by issue and party context.
Electric-powered wheelchair with stair-climbing ability
Authors: Tao Weijun , Xu Junyi , Liu Tao
Published: July 2017

As an autonomic and convenient assistance device for people with disabilities and the elderly climbing up and down stairs, electric-powered wheelchairs with stair-climbing ability have attracted great attention in the past two decades and some various electric-powered wheelchairs with stair-climbing were developed. By using the developed electric-powered wheelchairs with stair-climbing, many patients with walking difficulties are able to descend the stairs conveniently to participate in outdoor activities, which are beneficial to both their physical rehabilitation and mental health. In this article, a review of electric-powered wheelchair with stair-climbing current technology is given and its future tendency is discussed to inform electric-powered wheelchair with stair-climbing researchers in the development of more applicable and popular products. Firstly, the development history is reviewed and electric-powered wheelchairs with stair-climbing are classified based on an analysis of their stair-climbing mechanisms. The respective advantages and disadvantages of different types of electric-powered wheelchairs with stair-climbing are outlined for an overall comparison of the control method, cost of mechanical manufacture, energy consumption, and adaption to different stairs. Insights into the future direction of stability during stair-climbing are discussed as it is an important aspect common to all electric-powered wheelchairs with stair-climbing. Finally, a summary of electric-powered wheelchairs with stair-climbing discussed in this article is provided. As a special review to the electric-powered wheelchairs with stair-climbing, it can provide a comprehensive understanding of the current technology about electric-powered wheelchairs with stair-climbing and serve as a reference for the development of new electric-powered wheelchairs with stair-climbing.
Orofacial neuropathic pain induced by oxaliplatin
Authors: Ling Jennifer , Erol Ferhat , Viatchenko-Karpinski Viacheslav , Kanda Hirosato , Gu Jianguo G
Published: July 2017

Neuropathic pain induced by chemotherapy drugs such as oxaliplatin is a dose-limiting side effect in cancer treatment. The mechanisms underlying chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain are not fully understood. KCNQ2 channels are low-threshold voltage-gated K+ channels that play a role in controlling neuronal excitability. Downregulation of KCNQ2 channels has been proposed to be an underlying mechanism of sensory hypersensitivity that leads to neuropathic pain. However, it is currently unknown whether KCNQ channels may be downregulated by chemotherapy drugs in trigeminal ganglion neurons to contribute to the pathogenesis of chemotherapy-induced orofacial neuropathic pain. In the present study, mechanical sensitivity in orofacial regions is measured using the operant behavioral test in rats treated with oxaliplatin. Operant behaviors in these animals show the gradual development of orofacial neuropathic pain that manifests with orofacial mechanical allodynia. Immunostaining shows strong KCNQ2 immunoreactivity in small-sized V2 trigeminal ganglion neurons in controls, and the numbers of KCNQ2 immunoreactivity positive V2 trigeminal ganglion neurons are significantly reduced in oxaliplatin-treated animals. Immunostaining is also performed in brainstem and shows strong KCNQ2 immunoreactivity at the trigeminal afferent central terminals innervating the caudal spinal trigeminal nucleus (Vc) in controls, but the KCNQ2 immunoreactivity intensity is significantly reduced in oxaliplatin-treated animals. We further show with the operant behavioral test that oxaliplatin-induced orofacial mechanical allodynia can be alleviated by the KCNQ2 potentiator retigabine. Taken together, these findings suggest that KCNQ2 downregulation may be a cause of oxaliplatin-induced orofacial neuropathic pain and KCNQ2 potentiators may be useful for alleviating the neuropathic pain.
Modeling of hydrodynamics of fine particles deposition in packed-bed reactors
Authors: Rabbani Shahid , Sassi Mohamed , Shamim Tariq
Published: July 2017

With the passage of time for chemical operations involving packed-bed reactors, especially in petroleum refining and petrochemical industries, non-filterable fines such as coke, corrosion products and fine clay in oilsands bitumen deposit on the catalyst particles. The gradual entrapment and deposition of fine particles of range 0.7–20 µm cause the pore-plugging phenomenon to occur which consequently blocks the flow passages inside the porous medium. To understand the plugging phenomenon and its effect on hydrodynamic of the reactor, we developed a computational fluid dynamics model which is based on reactor collection efficiency, filtration rate, Brownian motion and interfacial momentum exchange terms to simulate the pressure drop due to deposition of fine particles in real conditions. With the help of this model, we have studied the effect of fines deposition on bed porosity and clogging. This is for the first time that Ansys Fluent has been used to simulate fine-particle deposition in packed-bed conditions. The result was a Eulerian–Eulerian 2-D computational fluid dynamics model which considered all the three phases, i.e. liquid, catalyst and fine particles. The results were validated against the experiments reported in the literature and reached good agreement.
Fog Computing and Edge Computing Architectures for Processing Data From Diabetes Devices Connected to the Medical Internet of Things
Authors: Klonoff David C.
Published: July 2017

The Internet of Things (IoT) is generating an immense volume of data. With cloud computing, medical sensor and actuator data can be stored and analyzed remotely by distributed servers. The results can then be delivered via the Internet. The number of devices in IoT includes such wireless diabetes devices as blood glucose monitors, continuous glucose monitors, insulin pens, insulin pumps, and closed-loop systems. The cloud model for data storage and analysis is increasingly unable to process the data avalanche, and processing is being pushed out to the edge of the network closer to where the data-generating devices are. Fog computing and edge computing are two architectures for data handling that can offload data from the cloud, process it nearby the patient, and transmit information machine-to-machine or machine-to-human in milliseconds or seconds. Sensor data can be processed near the sensing and actuating devices with fog computing (with local nodes) and with edge computing (within the sensing devices). Compared to cloud computing, fog computing and edge computing offer five advantages: (1) greater data transmission speed, (2) less dependence on limited bandwidths, (3) greater privacy and security, (4) greater control over data generated in foreign countries where laws may limit use or permit unwanted governmental access, and (5) lower costs because more sensor-derived data are used locally and less data are transmitted remotely. Connected diabetes devices almost all use fog computing or edge computing because diabetes patients require a very rapid response to sensor input and cannot tolerate delays for cloud computing.
Bioabsorbable Versus Metal Screw in the Fixation of Tibial Tubercle Transfer: A Cadaveric Biomechanical Study
Authors: Nurmi Janne T. , Itälä Ari , Sihvonen Raine , Sillanpää Petri , Kannus Pekka , Sievänen Harri , Järvinen Teppo L.N.
Published: July 2017

Background:

In tibial tubercle transfer (TTT) procedures, the osteotomized and transferred tibial tubercle is usually fixed into the host bone using metal screws.

Purpose:

To compare the strength of fixation provided by a single bioabsorbable screw versus a metal screw for TTT.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Twenty-two pairs of human cadaveric tibiae were used to compare the fixation strength of a single 4.5-mm bicortical bioabsorbable or metal screw for TTT. In our 2-phase biomechanical testing protocol, the specimens were first subjected to a cyclic-loading test (1500 loading cycles between 50 and 300 N at 0.5 Hz frequency), after which they were loaded to failure (single-cycle load-to-failure test). To control for possible differences in bone quality, volumetric bone mineral density was determined using peripheral quantitative computed tomography.

Results:

No significant displacement differences were observed between the 2 groups for the cyclic-loading test. In the subsequent single-cycle load-to-failure test, the mean yield load was 566 ± 234 N in the bioabsorbable screw group and 984 ± 630 N in the metal screw group ( P = .002). The failure mode of bioabsorbable screws was breakage and/or bending, and that of metal screws was bending and/or pull-out. Bone density was similar in the 2 groups.

Conclusion:

A metal screw seems to provide greater fixation strength than a biodegradable screw in the TTT of a human cadaveric knee. However, considering the maximum quadriceps pull in vivo, the strength of fixation provided by a biodegradable screw seems clinically sufficient.

Clinical Relevance:

Bioabsorbable screws, particularly if used in duplicate, could provide a viable option for metal screws in TTT fixation.
Development of a Prediction Model for Stress Fracture During an Intensive Physical Training Program: The Royal Marines Commandos
Authors: Sanchez-Santos Maria T. , Davey Trish , Leyland Kirsten M. , Allsopp Adrian J. , Lanham-New Susan A. , Judge Andrew , Arden Nigel K. , Fallowfield Joanne L.
Published: July 2017

Background:

Stress fractures (SFs) are one of the more severe overuse injuries in military training, and therefore, knowledge of potential risk factors is needed to assist in developing mitigating strategies.

Purpose:

To develop a prediction model for risk of SF in Royal Marines (RM) recruits during an arduous military training program.

Study Design:

Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

RM recruits (N = 1082; age range, 16-33 years) who enrolled between September 2009 and July 2010 were prospectively followed through the 32-week RM training program. SF diagnosis was confirmed from a positive radiograph or magnetic resonance imaging scan. Potential risk factors assessed at week 1 included recruit characteristics, anthropometric assessment, dietary supplement use, lifestyle habits, fitness assessment, blood samples, 25(OH)D, bone strength as measured by heel broadband ultrasound attention, history of physical activity, and previous and current food intake. A logistic least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression with 10-fold cross-validation was used to select potential predictors among 47 candidate variables. Model performance was assessed using measures of discrimination (c-index) and calibration. Bootstrapping was used for internal validation of the developed model and to quantify optimism.

Results:

A total of 86 (8%) volunteer recruits presented at least 1 SF during training. Twelve variables were identified as the most important risk factors of SF. Variables strongly associated with SF were age, body weight, pretraining weightbearing exercise, pretraining cycling, and childhood intake of milk and milk products. The c-index for the prediction model, which represents the model performance in future volunteers, was 0.73 (optimism-corrected c-index, 0.68). Although 25(OH)D and VO2max had only a borderline statistically significant association with SF, the inclusion of these factors improved the performance of the model.

Conclusion:

These findings will assist in identifying recruits at greater risk of SF during training and will support interventions to mitigate this injury risk. However, external validation of the model is still required.
Exosomes derived from gemcitabine-resistant cells transfer malignant phenotypic traits via delivery of miRNA-222-3p
Authors: Wei Feng , Ma Chengyuan , Zhou Tong , Dong Xuechao , Luo Qinghua , Geng Li , Ding Lijuan , Zhang Yandong , Zhang Li , Li Nan , Li Yang , Liu Yan
Published: July 2017

Background

Although gemcitabine-based chemotherapy has been established as a core multimodal therapy for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treatment, its clinical efficacy remains limited by the development of acquired resistance following tumor metastasis and relapse. In this study, we investigated how gemcitabine-resistant (GR) cells contribute to the development of NSCLC tumor malignancy via exosome-mediated transfer of microRNAs.

Methods

We first studied the mechanism of exosome internalization via PKH-67 staining and an immunofluorescence assay, then confirmed our finding by transmission electron microscopy and western blot analysis. Candidate miRNAs were identified through microarray analysis. Thereafter, RT-PCR, MTS, Transwell and soft agar assays were performed to assess the role of exosomic miR-222-3p in vitro. A 3’ untranslated region reporter assay was applied to identify the target of miR-222-3p. A lung metastasis mouse model was constructed to evaluate tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Finally, clinical samples were used for correlation analysis between exosomic miR-222-3p levels and patients’ response to gemcitabine.

Results

A549-GR–derived exosomes were internalized by receipt cells via caveolin- and lipid raft-dependent endocytosis, which allowed the transfer of miR-222-3p. Exosomic miR-222-3p enhanced the proliferation, gemcitabine resistance, migration, invasion, and anti-anoikis of parental sensitive cells by directly targeting the promoter of SOCS3. In addition, a higher level of exosomic miR-222-3p in sera usually predicted worse prognosis in NSCLC patients.

Conclusion

Our data demonstrate that exosomic-miR-222-3p functions as a principal regulator of gemcitabine resistance and malignant characteristics by targeting SOCS3. The exosomic miR-222-3p level in sera may be a potential prognostic biomarker for predicting gemcitabine sensitivity in NSCLC patients.
Increase in body weight over a two‐year period is associated with an increase in midfoot pressure and foot pain
Authors: Walsh Tom P. , Butterworth Paul A. , Urquhart Donna M. , Cicuttini Flavia M. , Landorf Karl B. , Wluka Anita E. , Michael Shanahan E. , Menz Hylton B.
Published: July 2017

Background

There is a well‐recognised relationship between body weight, plantar pressures and foot pain, but the temporal association between these factors is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between increasing weight, plantar pressures and foot pain over a two‐year period.

Methods

Fifty‐one participants (33 women and 18 men) completed the two‐year longitudinal cohort study. The sample had a mean (standard deviation (SD)) age of 52.6 (8.5) years. At baseline and follow‐up, participants completed the Manchester Foot Pain and Disability Index questionnaire, and underwent anthropometric measures, including body weight, body mass index, and dynamic plantar pressures. Within‐group analyses examined differences in body weight, foot pain and plantar pressures between baseline and follow up, and multivariate regression analysis examined associations between change in body weight, foot pain and plantar pressure. Path analysis assessed the total impact of both the direct and indirect effects of change in body weight on plantar pressure and pain variables.

Results

Mean (SD) body weight increased from 80.3 (19.3), to 82.3 (20.6) kg, p = 0.016 from baseline to follow up. The change in body weight ranged from −16.1 to 12.7 kg. The heel was the only site to exhibit increased peak plantar pressures between baseline and follow up. After adjustment for age, gender and change in contact time (where appropriate), there were significant associations between: (i) change in body weight and changes in midfoot plantar pressure (B = 4.648, p = 0.038) and functional limitation (B = 0.409, p = 0.010), (ii) plantar pressure change in the heel and both functional limitation (B = 4.054, p = 0.013) and pain intensity (B = 1.831, p = 0.006), (iii) plantar pressure change in the midfoot and both functional limitation (B = 4.505, p = 0.018) and pain intensity (B = 1.913, p = 0.015). Path analysis indicated that the effect of increasing body weight on foot‐related functional limitation and foot pain intensity may be mediated by increased plantar pressure in the midfoot.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that as body weight and plantar pressure increase, foot pain increases, and that the midfoot may be the most vulnerable site for pressure‐related pain.
Genome-wide DNA methylation profile analysis identifies differentially methylated loci associated with ankylosis spondylitis
Authors: Hao Jingcan , Liu Yang , Xu Jiawen , Wang Wenyu , Wen Yan , He Awen , Fan Qianrui , Guo Xiong , Zhang Feng
Published: July 2017

Background

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic rheumatic and autoimmune disease. Little is known about the potential role of DNA methylation in the pathogenesis of AS. This study was undertaken to explore the potential role of DNA methylation in the genetic mechanism of AS.

Methods

In this study, we compared the genome-wide DNA methylation profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) between five AS patients and five healthy subjects, using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to validate the relevance of the identified differentially methylated genes for AS, using another independent sample of five AS patients and five healthy subjects.

Results

Compared with healthy controls, we detected 1915 differentially methylated CpG sites mapped to 1214 genes. The HLA-DQB1 gene achieved the most significant signal (cg14323910, adjusted P = 1.84 × 10–6, β difference = 0.5634) for AS. Additionally, the CpG site cg04777551 of HLA-DQB1 presented a suggestive association with AS (adjusted P = 1.46 × 10–3, β difference = 0.3594). qRT-PCR observed that the mRNA expression level of HLA-DQB1 in AS PBMCs was significantly lower than that in healthy control PBMCs (ratio = 0.48 ± 0.10, P < 0.001). Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway enrichment analysis of differentially methylated genes identified four GO terms and 10 pathways for AS, functionally related to antigen dynamics and function.

Conclusions

Our results demonstrated the altered DNA methylation profile of AS and implicated HLA-DQB1 in the development of AS.
Lenalidomide Maintenance After Autologous Stem-Cell Transplantation in Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: McCarthy Philip L. , Holstein Sarah A. , Petrucci Maria Teresa , Richardson Paul G. , Hulin Cyrille , Tosi Patrizia , Bringhen Sara , Musto Pellegrino , Anderson Kenneth C. , Caillot Denis , Gay Francesca , Moreau Philippe , Marit Gerald , Jung Sin-Ho , Yu Zhinuan , Winograd Benjamin , Knight Robert D. , Palumbo Antonio , Attal Michel
Published: July 2017

Purpose

Lenalidomide maintenance therapy after autologous stem-cell transplantation (ASCT) demonstrated prolonged progression-free survival (PFS) versus placebo or observation in several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM). All studies had PFS as the primary end point, and none were powered for overall survival (OS) as a primary end point. Thus, a meta-analysis was conducted to better understand the impact of lenalidomide maintenance in this setting.

Patients and Methods

The meta-analysis was conducted using primary-source patient-level data and documentation from three RCTs (Cancer and Leukemia Group B 100104, Gruppo Italiano Malattie Ematologiche dell'Adulto RV-MM-PI-209, and Intergroupe Francophone du Myélome 2005-02) that met the following prespecified inclusion criteria: an RCT in patients with NDMM receiving ASCT followed by lenalidomide maintenance versus placebo or observation with patient-level data available and achieved database lock for primary efficacy analysis.

Results

Overall, 1,208 patients were included in the meta-analysis (605 patients in the lenalidomide maintenance group and 603 in the placebo or observation group). The median PFS was 52.8 months for the lenalidomide group and 23.5 months for the placebo or observation group (hazard ratio, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.41 to 0.55). At a median follow-up time of 79.5 months for all surviving patients, the median OS had not been reached for the lenalidomide maintenance group, whereas it was 86.0 months for the placebo or observation group (hazard ratio, 0.75; 95% CI, 0.63 to 0.90; P = .001). The cumulative incidence rate of a second primary malignancy before disease progression was higher with lenalidomide maintenance versus placebo or observation, whereas the cumulative incidence rates of progression, death, or death as a result of myeloma were all higher with placebo or observation versus lenalidomide maintenance.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis demonstrates a significant OS benefit and confirms the PFS benefit with lenalidomide maintenance after ASCT in patients with NDMM when compared with placebo or observation.
“The Sea, Not the Ocean”: Anthropocene Fiction and the Memory of (Non)human Life
Authors: Vermeulen Pieter
Published: July 2017

Starting from the observation that the notion of the Anthropocene invites us to alter the ways in which we imagine human life (and the relations between different human lives), this essay argues that transnational accounts of literature and culture—in the fairly new field of oceanic studies, for instance—need to expand their scope from intercultural relations to include the relationships between different (human) forms of life and (human as well as nonhuman) life forms. The essay develops this argument through a dialogue between J. M. Ledgard's planetary novel Submergence from 2011 and contemporary theories of the posthuman (Ray Brassier, Eugene Thacker) and the Anthropocene (Ian Baucom, Dipesh Chakrabarty), in order to demonstrate that the literary novel has a vital role to play in the imagining of new forms of (non)human relatedness. Developing Submergence's distinction between the (radically nonhuman) ocean and the (human-related) sea, the essay puts forward the argument that human life in the Anthropocene is marked by what the essay theorizes, with the help of Emmanuel Levinas, Giorgio Agamben, and Walter Benjamin, as “immemorial life”: a relation to radically nonhuman life forms that cannot be actualized in the imagining and remembering of human life in the Anthropocene.
Psychoanalysis on Sunday: Lacan, Cinema, Comedy
Authors: Buse Peter
Published: July 2017

This article examines the place of film comedy in Jacques Lacan's psychoanalysis. It takes as its starting point Lacan's most extensive consideration of a single film, the comedy Never on Sunday (1960), directed by Jules Dassin and set in the Greek port of Piraeus. It places Lacan's reading of the film in relation to his other interventions on cinema, which are scattered throughout his seminars and are more numerous and heterogeneous than generally assumed, drawing especially on cinema of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The article shows how Lacan's analysis of Never on Sunday contributes to the articulation of a theory of comedy in The Ethics of Psychoanalysis, a seminar best known for its treatment of Antigone and tragic drama. It then locates this theory of comedy and reading of Never on Sunday in relation to key concepts of the Ethics such as jouissance and the moral good(s). It finishes by proposing a general model of Lacanian reading as “cut” rather than interpretation, that is, an analysis that does not seek to account for a text as a whole but, rather, to find the correct point at which to break into it.
Paul's Letter to the Congolese: Allegory, Optimism, and Universality in Alain Mabanckou's Blue White Red
Authors: Arnett James , Wright Angela
Published: July 2017

This essay takes a close look at the way Alain Mabanckou positions himself vis-à-vis discipline and market by way of his negotiations of a range of terms—French, francophone, postcolonial, and world literature—and the ways that such disciplinarity and appeal might be generated in his first major novel, Blue White Red. How Mabanckou picks his way through these intercalating terms speaks to the appeal and centrality of his work in a world literature canon. The authors argue that Mabanckou quite consciously and effectively makes use of the figures of allegory and parable from a distinctly biblical context, mapping the permutations and vicissitudes of his protagonist's rise and fall in fortunes to the life and narrative of Saint Paul—primarily his conversion and his epistolary interventions in the shape of a universal(ized) Christianity. The authors ground this Pauline allegory in Alain Badiou's own mobilization of Saint Paul as the engineer and emissary of a certain kind of antiphilosophical intervention. This parallel thereby foregrounds the liminality of the transnational African emigrant and his or her struggles with identity, citizenship, economics, and esteem in the novelistic form, which is read as a complex cautionary tale about the erosion and challenges to those transnational aspirations of success and seamless transnational citizenship. In this manner, Blue White Red disempowers narratives that blindly valorize emigration, and the text serves as a kind of epistle to those whose aspirations require self-conscious blindness to the complexities and hurdles to effortless movement across borders in the globalized economy.
SHAPE analysis of the htrA RNA thermometer from Salmonella enterica
Authors: Choi Edric K. , Ulanowicz Kelsey A. , Nguyen Yen Anh H. , Frandsen Jane K. , Mitton-Fry Rachel M.
Published: July 2017

RNA thermometers regulate expression of some genes involved in virulence of pathogenic bacteria such as Yersinia, Neisseria, and Salmonella. They often function through temperature-dependent conformational changes that alter accessibility of the ribosome-binding site. The 5′-untranslated region (UTR) of the htrA mRNA from Salmonella enterica contains a very short RNA thermometer. We have systematically characterized the structure and dynamics of this thermometer at single-nucleotide resolution using SHAPE (selective 2′-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by primer extension) assays. Our results confirm that the htrA thermometer adopts the predicted hairpin conformation at low temperatures, with conformational change occurring over a physiological temperature regime. Detailed SHAPE melting curves for individual nucleotides suggest that the thermometer unfolds in a cooperative fashion, with nucleotides from both upper and lower portions of the stem gaining flexibility at a common transition temperature. Intriguingly, analysis of an extended htrA 5′ UTR sequence revealed not only the presence of the RNA thermometer, but also an additional, stable upstream structure. We generated and analyzed point mutants of the htrA thermometer, revealing elements that modulate its stability, allowing the hairpin to melt under the slightly elevated temperatures experienced during the infection of a warm-blooded host. This work sheds light on structure–function relationships in htrA and related thermometers, and it also illustrates the utility of SHAPE assays for detailed study of RNA thermometer systems.
ΜΟΝΤΕΛΟΠΟΙΩΝΤΑΣ ΠΡΟΒΛΗΜΑΤΑ ΣΤΑΤΙΣΤΙΚΟΥ ΣΥΛΛΟΓΙΣΜΟΥ
Authors: ΠΑΠΑΡΙΣΤΟΔΗΜΟΥ ΕΦΗ , ΜΕΛΕΤΙΟΥ- ΜΑΥΡΟΘΕΣΗ ΜΑΡΙΑ , SERRADO BAYES ANNA
Published: July 2017

Η συμβολή της μοντελοποίησης μέσω της αξιοποίησης δυναμικών στατιστικών πακέτων για την καλύτερη κατανόηση των στατιστικών εννοιών και την εκτίμηση της πρακτικής τους αξίας κρίνεται ως ιδιαίτερα σημαντική στη σύγχρονη βιβλιογραφία  (π.χ., Gil & Ben-Zvi, 2011). Η  εργασία εστιάζει στο πώς οι εκπαιδευτικοί ως μεταπτυχιακοί φοιτητές1 μοντελοποιούν προβλήματα στατιστικού συλλογισμού και παρουσιάζει τα αποτελέσματα έρευνας, η οποία πραγματοποιήθηκε στο πλαίσιο μεταπτυχιακού μαθήματος ποσοτικών προσεγγίσεων απευθυνόμενου σε υποψήφιους και εν ενεργεία εκπαιδευτικούς. Τα ευρήματα της έρευνας καταδεικνύουν ότι η άτυπη προσέγγιση της στατιστικής συμπερασματολογίας που υιοθετήθηκε στο μάθημα, η οποία επικεντρώθηκε στην μοντελοποίηση και προσομοίωση μέσω της χρήσης του λογισμικού δυναμικής στατιστικής TinkerPlots2®, συνέβαλε στην ανάπτυξη τόσο της στατιστικής συλλογιστικής των φοιτητών, όσο και του βαθμού εκτίμησης της πρακτικής αξίας της μοντελοποίησης στη διαδικασία λήψης αποφάσεων. Η δυνατότητα που προσφέρει το τεχνολογικό εργαλείο για την κατασκευή μοντέλων και στη συνέχεια την προσομοίωσή τους με σκοπό την επίλυση ρεαλιστικών προβλημάτων, βοήθησε τους φοιτητές-εκπαιδευτικούς να κατανοήσουν τη σχέση του μέρους και του όλου στα δεδομένα τους, την επίδραση του Νόμου των Μεγάλων Αριθμών και τη σύνδεση της θεωρητικής με την  εμπειρική πιθανότητα.
ΧΑΙΡΕΤΙΣΜΟΣ
Authors: ΣΤΑΘΟΠΟΥΛΟΥ ΧΑΡΟΥΛΑ , ΤΖΕΚΑΚΗ ΜΑΡΙΑΝΝΑ
Published: July 2017

Χαιρετισμός για την ηλεκτρονική έκδοση
Specific Features of Political Communication In the East: the Problem of Overcoming Socio-Cultural Barriers
Authors: Василенко И. , Vasilenko I.
Published: July 2017

The article deals with the basic principles and rules of discourse eastern negotiation, you need to know to effectively manage the communication process in the countries of the East. The author notes that the political communication in the East have a bright national specifics, here specific relation to time and space, the culture and traditions. Of particular importance are high context negotiation communication, a high content of non-verbal signs, indirect communication style, expressed the emphasis on personal connections and relations, underlined the value status. Despite the fact that the East is represented by a variety of national cultures, its system of political communications is woven from a large number of original negotiating practices, we can talk about the features of the eastern negotiating culture in general, because some of the important principles of communication common to most Eastern cultures. The article substantiates the conclusion that the basic characteristics of the eastern negotiating culture significantly different from the Russian and Western, but the sociocultural barriers can be overcome, if we pay attention to the basic rules of discourse eastern and eastern wisdom.
“A Believer” And “A Man of Religion” — Different Concepts of the Modern Mental Age
Authors: Оганесян Сергей , Oganesyan Sergey
Published: July 2017

The article reveals the reasons, by virtue of which the words “religion” and “faith”, as well as the words “a believer” and “a religious person, which were in the recent past complete synonyms, have acquired various meanings in the modern world. It is proved that among the main reasons can be called a change of mental ages (civilizations). For today the bulk of humanity is in the stage of transition from religious mental civilizations (paganism and monotheism) to a scientific worldview.
Pharmaceutical Product Recalls: Category Effects and Competitor Response
Authors: Bala Ram , Bhardwaj Pradeep , Chintagunta Pradeep K.
Published: July 2017

In the pharmaceutical industry, a product recall financially impacts not only the firm undertaking the recall but also other competitors in the category since it affects physician and consumer perception of the category as a whole. Often, such competitors have to engage in defensive marketing at the category level without complete certainty about whether a recall will occur or not. Such defensive effort could then lead to a change in postrecall sales effort directed at capturing market share in that category. This decision is affected by the probability of the recall and the size of the loyal segment in the category facing the recall, i.e., physicians who will continue to prescribe the category even without marketing effort. We focus on competitor reaction to product recalls where the competitor participates in multiple product categories that exhibit (dis)economies of scope in sales effort across them. Equilibrium analysis of our game-theoretic model uncovers several managerial insights that illustrate the importance of scale (dis)economies on the competitor’s promotional strategy in the wake of a recall. First, economies of scope across the two products leads to either an increase or decrease in postrecall sales effort for both products simultaneously depending on the loyal market size for the category. Second, diseconomies of scope can lead to a complete withdrawal of postrecall sales effort from one of the two products depending on the size of the loyal market, the cross-category price, and the recall probability. Third, as the recall probability increases, category-defense effort and postrecall sales effort are unequivocally complementary given economies of scope across the two products but may be substitutes given diseconomies of scope.

The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mksc.2017.1054 .
An Analysis of Self-efficacy Perceptions of Physical Education and Sport Teacher Candidates and Other Teacher Candidates on Teaching Profession
Authors: Ozer Tugce , Demirel Duygu H.
Published: July 2017

Aim of this research is to identify the self-efficacy perception levels of teacher candidates studying at department of Physical Education and Sport and other teaching departments towards teaching profession, to present whether these the self-efficacy perceptions differ or not depending on independent variables acquired from the personal information of the candidates. It is important that Physical Education teacher candidates have high levels of self-efficacy perception on teaching profession. A total of 904 teacher candidates 175 of whom are studying at department of Physical Education and Sport participated into the research voluntarily. “The Self-efficacy Perception Scale of Teacher Candidates towards Themselves” is used in the research. It is seen that Physical Education teacher candidates have higher levels of self-efficacy perception than other teacher candidates and that self-efficacy perceptions on teaching profession differ depending on gender variable. Also, it is found out that the correlation coefficient between scores obtained in the scale is meaningful both for Physical Education teacher candidates and other teacher candidates.
Effect of Pedagogical Formation Program on Pre-Service History Teachers’ Perceived Self-Efficacy
Authors: Yazici Fatih , Yildirim Tercan
Published: July 2017

The purpose of the present study is to investigate pre-service history teachers’ perceived self-efficacy and the effect of pedagogical formation training on this perception. The study is based on a one-group pretest-posttest research design, which is a type of pre-experimental design. For the purpose of the study, in the first week of the formation training, the “Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale” developed by Tschannen-Moran and Hoy and adapted to Turkish by Capa, Cakiroglu and Sarikaya was administered as a pre-test to a group of 178 pre-service history teachers who underwent pedagogical formation training in 2016-2017 academic year in two different universities in Turkey. The same scale was administered again as a post-test at the end of the 28-week training. The study has found out that the pedagogical formation training did not make a significant difference in pre-service history teachers’ perceived self-efficacy except for the classroom management subscale, in which the self-efficacy scores of pre-service history teachers decreased after the pedagogical formation training.
Learning to let go: Phenomenologically exploring the experience of a grip and release in salsa dance and everyday life
Authors: Lloyd Rebecca J.
Published: July 2017

Within the context of salsa dance, an exemplar that is highly attuned to gestural communication, there are moments when a perceptual merge, what Csikszentmihalyi posits as flow, is experienced. Movements are not anticipated, rather the fullness of the moment ripples out in fluid responsiveness to miniscule pressures and undulations in the simplest of gestures. Yet, achieving such a flow of reciprocity is not easy, as one must move not from a cognitive place of intention, but rather from a somatic sensibility premised on a corporeal openness. This enquiry thus explores what it is like to let go of habitual tensions that stand in the way of gestural communication within the context of salsa dance, and in so doing, the depth of connection to which attention is drawn represents the intertwining capabilities of relationships between bodies in any relational merge. And in delving into the nuances of gestural fluid responsiveness as guided by Daniel Stern’s notion of emotive motility living within the present moment, we may explore what it is like to form and feel a perceptual connection and the meaning that such moments hold, particularly for those who wish to heal and transform their daily relational existence.
Surface Activation Leukocyte Markers and Humoral Factors in Cord Blood of Newborns at Risk of Early Infection
Authors: Rozsíval Pavel , Pařízková Eva , Vokurková Doris , Buriánková Božena , Andrýs Ctirad
Published: July 2017

Due to immaturity of both specific and non-specific immune mechanisms, neonates are at risk of serious infections. The risk group definition is vague, clinical signs are non-specific and common laboratory markers are not as useful as in later ages, especially due to delayed reactions. In an attempt to find early, sensitive and specific markers, we assessed a defined set of surface leukocyte markers and humoral factors in cord blood. Several differences were noted – children in the risk group had a higher proportion of CD19+/23+, CD16+/64+, CD45RO cells and higher levels of IL-6. We find it promising that already at birth there are notable signs of reaction to infection and that a follow-up of a set of infectious markers could be useful to identify the children in need of antibiotic treatment and for diminishing unnecessary treatment.
The Incidence of Group A Beta Hemolytic Streptococci in Throat Specimens from Upper Respiratory Infections
Authors: Sevinc Irfan , Enoz Murat
Published: July 2017

Objective: The aim of the study is researching the incidence of group A beta hemolytic streptococci (GABHS) in upper respiratory tract infections in Turkey. Study design: This is a descriptive study. Subject and Methods: Totally, 3964 throat swabs obtained from patients with upper respiratory tract infections were cultured for isolation of GABHS in Corlu Military Hospital, Department of Microbiology, between April 2002 and April 2004. Standard microbiological techniques were used in the screening. Results: In this study, GABHS were isolated from 230 (5.80 %) of 3964 patients. The rate of isolation was 79 (5.65 %)/914 in 2002 year, 103 (5.55 %)/1857 in 2003 year, and 48 (6.77 %)/709 in 2004 year. The rate of isolation was 50 (5.47 %)/914 in the spring, 21 (3.21 %)/642 in the summer, 49 (5.81 %)/844 in the autumn, and 110 (7.03 %)/1564 in the winter. Conclusion: We found that the overall incidence of GABHS in respiratory tract infections (5,80 %) was lower than other studies and the incidence was the highest in the winter.