bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ESPAC-4: A multicenter, international, open-label randomized controlled phase III trial of adjuvant combination chemotherapy of gemcitabine (GEM) and capecitabine (CAP) versus monotherapy gemcitabine in patients with resected pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
Authors: Neoptolemos John P. , Palmer Dan , Ghaneh Paula , Valle Juan W. , Cunningham David , Wadsley Jonathan , Meyer Tim , Anthoney Alan , Glimelius Bengt , Falk Stephen , Segersvard Ralf , Izbicki Jakob R. , Middleton Gary William , Ross Paul J. , Wasan Harpreet , Mcdonald Alec , Crosby Tom David Lewis , Psarelli Eftychia Eirini , Hammel Pascal , Buchler Markus W.
Published: May 2017

LBA4006

Background: The ESPAC-3 trial compared adjuvant GEM with 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid for resected pancreatic cancer. GEM is the standard of care based on similar survival and less toxicity. ESPAC-4 aimed to determine whether combination chemotherapy with GEM/CAP improved survival compared to GEM monotherapy. Methods: Patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma were randomized within 12 weeks of surgery (stratified for R0/R1 resection margin status and country) to have either six 4 week cycles of IV GEM alone or GEM with oral CAP. The primary endpoint was overall survival; secondary endpoints were toxicity, relapse free survival, 2 and 5 year survival and quality of life. 722 patients (480 expected events), 361 in each arm, were needed to detect a 10% difference in 2 year survival rates with 90% power (log-rank test with 5% two-sided alpha). Results: Between Nov 10 2008 and Sep 11 2014, 732 patients were randomized with 730 included in the full analysis set (366 GEM, 364 GEM/CAP). Median age was 65 years, 57% were men. WHO performance status was 0, 1 or 2 in 42% 55% and 3% respectively. Postoperative median CA19-9 was 19 kU/L. Median maximum tumor size was 30 mm, 60% were R1 resections, 80% were node positive and 40% were poorly differentiated. On Dec 11 2015 the Independent Trial Steering Committee requested that the trial proceed to full analysis. The data freeze was on March 2 2016. Median survival (months) for patients treated with GEM/CAP was 28.0 (95% CI, 23.5 – 31.5) and 25.5 (22.7 – 27.9) for GEM. Stratified log-rank analysis revealed an HR=0.82 [95% CI, 0.68 – 0.98]; χ2 (1) = 4.61, P=0.032. 196 out of 366 GEM patients in the safety set reported 481 grade 3/4 adverse events, while 226 out of 359 GEM/CAP patients reported 608 grade 3/4 adverse events ( P=0.242). Conclusions: Adjuvant GEM/CAP for pancreatic cancer had a statistically significant improvement in survival compared to GEM monotherapy. Clinical trial information: ISRCTN96397434.
Heritage: A phase III safety and efficacy trial of the proposed trastuzumab biosimilar Myl-1401O versus Herceptin.
Authors: Rugo Hope S. , Barve Abhijit , Waller Cornelius F. , Hernandez-Bronchud Miguel , Herson Jay , Yuan Jinyu , Manikhas Alexey , Bondarenko Igor , Mukhametshina Guzel , Nemsadze Gia , Parra Joseph D. , Tiambeng Maria Luisa T. Abesamis , Baramidze Kakhaber , Akewanlop Charuwan , Vynnychenko Ihor , Sriuranpong Virote , Manillapalli Gopichand , Ray Sirshendu , Yanez Ruiz Eduardo Patricio , Pennella Eduardo J.
Published: May 2017

LBA503

Background: Trastuzumab has revolutionized treatment of HER2+ breast cancer. Globally accessible alternatives are a critical need. We evaluated Myl-1401O, a proposed trastuzumab biosimilar, as treatment for HER2+ metastatic breast cancer (MBC), based on physicochemical analyses, nonclinical, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies*. Methods: Heritage is a double-blind, randomized clinical trial designed to evaluate comparative efficacy and safety of Myl-1401O vs Herceptin. Eligible patients (pts) had centrally confirmed, measurable HER2+ MBC without prior chemotherapy or trastuzumab for metastatic disease. Pts were randomized to receive either Myl-1401O or Herceptin with docetaxel or paclitaxel for a minimum of 8 cycles. Trastuzumab was continued until progression. The primary endpoint was overall response (ORR) at Week 24 by blinded central evaluation using RECIST 1.1. Secondary endpoints include progression free survival (PFS), overall survival, and safety. A sample size of 456 pts was calculated to demonstrate equivalence in ORR at Week 24 for MYL-1401O vs Herceptin, defined as a 90% confidence interval (CI) for the ratio of best ORR within the equivalence margin (0.81, 1.24). Results: 500 pts were randomized, 458 were evaluable for efficacy. 44% had hormone receptor positive MBC, 84% received docetaxel. Week 24 ORR was 69.6% for Myl-14010 compared to 64% for Herceptin. The ratio of ORR was 1.09; both 90% CI (0.974-1.211) and 95% CI (0.954-1.237) were within the pre-defined equivalence margin. Median PFS is not yet reached (41 events for MYL-1401O vs 48 events for Herceptin). Safety was comparable; serious adverse events (primarily neutropenia related) occurred in 38% (MYL-1401O) vs 36% (Herceptin), with 4 fatal events in each arm. There was no significant change in cardiac function from baseline to Week 24 in either arm. Conclusions: MYL-1401O was equivalent to Herceptin, given in combination with a taxane as first-line therapy for MBC, as measured by 24 week ORR. Safety was comparable. The proposed trastuzumab biosimilar MYL-1401O could be a new treatment option for HER2+ MBC. * Presented at: British Pharmacological Society, Pharmacology Meeting; 2015 Dec 15-17; London, UK. Clinical trial information: 2011-001965-42.
Treatment Decision Regret Among Long-Term Survivors of Localized Prostate Cancer: Results From the Prostate Cancer Outcomes Study
Authors: Hoffman Richard M. , Lo Mary , Clark Jack A. , Albertsen Peter C. , Barry Michael J. , Goodman Michael , Penson David F. , Stanford Janet L. , Stroup Antoinette M. , Hamilton Ann S.
Published: May 2017

Purpose

To determine the demographic, clinical, decision-making, and quality-of-life factors that are associated with treatment decision regret among long-term survivors of localized prostate cancer.

Patients and Methods

We evaluated men who were age ≤ 75 years when diagnosed with localized prostate cancer between October 1994 and October 1995 in one of six SEER tumor registries and who completed a 15-year follow-up survey. The survey obtained demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical data and measured treatment decision regret, informed decision making, general- and disease-specific quality of life, health worry, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) concern, and outlook on life. We used multivariable logistic regression analyses to identify factors associated with regret.

Results

We surveyed 934 participants, 69.3% of known survivors. Among the cohort, 59.1% had low-risk tumor characteristics (PSA < 10 ng/mL and Gleason score < 7), and 89.2% underwent active treatment. Overall, 14.6% expressed treatment decision regret: 8.2% of those whose disease was managed conservatively, 15.0% of those who received surgery, and 16.6% of those who underwent radiotherapy. Factors associated with regret on multivariable analysis included reporting moderate or big sexual function bother (reported by 39.0%; OR, 2.77; 95% CI, 1.51 to 5.0), moderate or big bowel function bother (reported by 7.7%; OR, 2.32; 95% CI, 1.04 to 5.15), and PSA concern (mean score 52.8; OR, 1.01 per point change; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.02). Increasing age at diagnosis and report of having made an informed treatment decision were inversely associated with regret.

Conclusion

Regret was a relatively infrequently reported outcome among long-term survivors of localized prostate cancer; however, our results suggest that better informing men about treatment options, in particular, conservative treatment, might help mitigate long-term regret. These findings are timely for men with low-risk cancers who are being encouraged to consider active surveillance.
Molecular insights into Adgra2/Gpr124 and Reck intracellular trafficking
Authors: Bostaille Naguissa , Gauquier Anne , Twyffels Laure , Vanhollebeke Benoit
Published: May 2017

Adgra2, formerly known as Gpr124, is a key regulator of cerebrovascular development in vertebrates. Together with the GPI-anchored glycoprotein Reck, this adhesion GPCR (aGPCR) stimulates Wnt7-dependent Wnt/β-catenin signaling to promote brain vascular invasion in an endothelial cell-autonomous manner. Adgra2 and Reck have been proposed to assemble a receptor complex at the plasma membrane, but the molecular modalities of their functional synergy remain to be investigated. In particular, as typically found in aGPCRs, the ectodomain of Adgra2 is rich in protein-protein interaction motifs whose contributions to receptor function are unknown. In opposition to the severe ADGRA2 genetic lesions found in previously generated zebrafish and mouse models, the zebrafish ouchless allele encodes an aberrantly-spliced and inactive receptor lacking a single leucine-rich repeat (LRR) unit within its N-terminus. By characterizing this allele we uncover that, in contrast to all other extracellular domains, the precise composition of the LRR domain determines proper receptor trafficking to the plasma membrane. Using CRISPR/Cas9 engineered cells, we further show that Adgra2 trafficking occurs in a Reck-independent manner and that, similarly, Reck reaches the plasma membrane irrespective of Adgra2 expression or localization, suggesting that the partners meet at the plasma membrane after independent intracellular trafficking events.
Escapes in copepods: comparison between myelinate and amyelinate species
Authors: Buskey Edward J. , Strickler J. Rudi , Bradley Christina J. , Hartline Daniel K. , Lenz Petra H.
Published: May 2017

Rapid conduction in myelinated nerves keeps distant parts of large organisms in timely communication. It is thus surprising to find myelination in some very small organisms. Calanoid copepods, while sharing similar body plans, are evenly divided between myelinate and amyelinate taxa. In seeking the selective advantage of myelin in these small animals, representatives from both taxa were subjected to a brief hydrodynamic stimulus that elicited an escape response. The copepods differed significantly in their ability to localize the stimulus: amyelinate copepods escaped in the general direction of their original swim orientation, often ending up closer to the stimulus. However, myelinate species turned away from the stimulus and distanced themselves from it, irrespective of their original orientation. We suggest that faster impulse conduction of myelinated axons leads to better precision in the timing and processing of sensory information, thus allowing myelinate copepods to better localize stimuli and respond appropriately.
Implementing the Care Certificate: a developmental tool or a tick-box exercise?
Authors: Gilding Moorene
Published: May 2017

Introduction:

The review into the role of healthcare support workers (HCSWs), carried out by Camilla Cavendish, resulted in the recommendation for standardised training for HCSWs ( Cavendish, 2013 ). Consequently, the ‘Care Certificate’ ( Health Education England (HEE), 2015 ) was introduced, with the aim of standardising initial training of HCSWs. However, no guidance on its implementation was provided nationally.

Methodology:

A ‘Day 2 Care Certificate Follow-up’ workshop was introduced by a team of clinical skills tutors in a London mental health trust, as a pilot study to evaluate the programme's effectiveness. Some 8 mandatory workshops were facilitated by tutors, 7 weeks after each group's induction. A total of 38 HCSWs and 32 clinical supervisors attended. Feedback on experiences was collated from a ‘Tabletop’ exercise, group discussions and course evaluation forms.

Findings:

Whereas the developmental value of completing the Care Certificate was acknowledged by attendees, there were overwhelming reports of inadequate support in clinical areas. Significant variations were identified for accessing protected time, team support and supervision. The findings suggest major systemic barriers impacting on HCSWs' achievement of the Care certificate.

Discussion:

Most competency-based training is supported by a framework that allows for protected time and pastoral support as part of the learning process. A good example is pre-registration courses for nurses. Student nurses are not expected to achieve their competency without adequate supernumerary time and support of their assessor (mentor). While not suggesting that HCSWs be made supernumerary throughout their ‘Care Certificate’ programme, clear guidance must be given nationally on implementation, outlining compulsory support systems to avoid the Care Certificate becoming another ‘tick-box’ exercise.

Conclusion:

While the Care Certificate has great potential for enhancing the educational development of HCSWs, the idea of national standardisation and a care passport is far from being a reality. Further consideration must be given to the impact of giving employers full control over implementation without clear guidance on method of delivery, quality assurance and a support framework.
The key to personalised medicine
Authors: Foster Sam
Published: May 2017

Sam Foster, Chief Nurse at Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, has been brushing up on her understanding of genomics, and the opportunities it presents to the NHS
John G. Brandon and ‘Coutts Brisbane’: Two Australian contributors to Sexton Blake and inter-war popular fiction
Authors: Arnold John
Published: May 2017

This article will look at the careers of two Australian expatriate writers, John Gordon Brandon and Robert Coutts Armour, better known as ‘Coutts Brisbane’. Both were born in Australia and both travelled to England to further their careers in their mid-to-late 20s, one in the theatre and the other as an artist. They both became, however, writers of popular fiction, especially of stories for boys, both being frequent contributors to the Sexton Blake Library. Coutts Brisbane was also a pioneer Science Fiction writer. Neither returned to Australia, but their stories and books did and it can well be argued that, despite their being known today only to collectors and a few specialists, both made interesting contributions to popular culture in England (and to Australia) in the second to fourth decades of the last century.
Travelling design: Learning from Hanoi’s craft streets through design-centred Vietnam study tours
Authors: Phuong Dinh Quoc
Published: May 2017

This article looks at the experiences of design students who took part in study tours of Vietnam offered as summer courses by the School of Design at Swinburne University of Technology in 2014, 2015 and 2016. It discusses the role that travel played in their design projects and their design education in general. The author suggests that looking at aspects of Vietnamese everyday life, including its built environment and local crafts, creates greater awareness and a better understanding of the social and cultural aspects of the design process. As outsiders based in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, over the course of the study tour the students achieved what Edward Relph (1976) called ‘empathetic insiderness’ – i.e. a willingness to be open to the significance of a place and to feel and appreciate this significance – as a result of exploring and engaging with the city’s architecture and everyday life.
Nostalgia is not what it used to be: Rural idylls and the American diner
Authors: Scully Mike
Published: May 2017

The author was drawn to visit the mid-western American conurbation of Minneapolis-St Paul by the long-running radio variety programme, A Prairie Home Companion (1974 – present), which gently satirises small-town rural culture. In a fine example of serendipity, he came across Mickey’s Diner, a traditional fast-food outlet that has operated in the same location continuously for almost 78 years. This became a springboard for examining the history of a uniquely American institution and its relevance to today’s cuisine and culture. It was also the chance to look at a city with a population only slightly less than that of Melbourne in a state proud of its rural and Scandinavian heritage.
Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport and the modern jet city: ‘Your destination awaits you’
Authors: Chandu Arun , Darian Smith Kate
Published: May 2017

The 1960s saw the introduction of intercontinental jet aircrafts across the world. Australian Australia was eager to join this international jet set and was given its first opportunity to do so through the construction of a new airport for Melbourne. Built between 1964 and 1970, Melbourne airport, Tullamarine, was Australia’s first purpose-built jetport and the world’s first planned airport city by modernday standards. With all its cutting-edge features, Tullamarine instantly became an edifice to the jet age and the jet set, designed to be enjoyed by both travellers and visitors alike. It was a gateway to Victoria and Australia, but also allowed Victorians their first real taste of international travel. It was the starting point for many a memorable journey.
Just another day in the life of Hopalong Cassidy
Authors: Groves Derham
Published: May 2017

The American actor William Boyd (1895–1972) was world famous for his portrayal of Clarence E. Mulford’s fictional cowboy Hopalong Cassidy via comics, films, radio and television. In November 1954, Boyd travelled to Australia (Darwin, Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney) for sixteen hectic days to raise money for disabled children. ‘Just another day in the life of Hopalong Cassidy’ focuses on Friday, 12 November 1954, one of the four days that Boyd spent in Melbourne. Somewhat in the manner of French writer Georges Perec (Perec [1978] 2009), it documents Boyd’s activities on that very busy day – including his visits to the Royal Children’s Hospital, Yooralla, the Victorian School for Deaf Children, and Wirth’s Circus – from the points of view of Boyd himself and several people who either saw or met their cowboy hero on the 12th. In the process of re-telling their stories, a unique picture of everyday life in Melbourne in 1954 emerges.
Axiological relationships between audio-visual political and commercial messages in Spain from 2008 to 2015
Authors: Hernández Olmedo José Luis
Published: May 2017

Politics and commerce are fundamental activities for the development of a society. This article proposes that the two are interrelated, and the proof of it are the values that are included in their respective discourses. This article describes the axiological relationships of both typologies, through a rhetorical root analysis model designed to identify values. To exemplify these relationships, we will examine the spots of election cycles in Spain for 2008, 2011 and 2015. With this information, a values map will be drawn, and the function of the persuasive process in mass communication will be defined through a new construct called the Axiological Conversion Thesis (ACT). This article may be of interest to the fields of economics and politics, as it attempts to identify links between the public and the private, and concludes that according to contemporary audio-visual messages, commercial product brands and political parties have more points in common than differences.
Watchdog journalism or hush-puppy silencing? Framing the banking crisis of 2013 in Cyprus through the press
Authors: Maniou Theodora , Photiou Irene
Published: May 2017

From Ida Tarbell to Bob Woodward, journalists crusading for truth have bravely defended democracy from the incursions of corruption and undue influence despite being forced to live with the ‘consequences’ of their actions. In Cyprus, the debt of major Cypriot banks and their financial bailout culminated in the banking crisis of March 2013. As expected, the crisis has altered modes of everyday life and the images with which it is depicted, leading most Cypriots to a different notion of reality. This article focuses on the examination of the news items published in the daily newspapers of the highest circulation with different political alignments in March 2013, during which the bailout and austerity measures were negotiated by the Cyprus government, the parliament and the Troica. Based on the concept of investigative journalism, the article particularly examines the model of watchdog journalism and the extent to which this model can be applied to the role performance of the Press in times of crisis. Using framing analysis, this article aims to examine the way(s) in which these negotiations were communicated to the public through the Press. By identifying the specific frames they used, we attempt to investigate the possible relation(s) of the specific representations to the political/ideological orientation of each newspaper. The initial research question for this study is the following: Did the orientation of the newspapers examined steer their coverage of the crisis in general and what is the link (if any) with watchdog journalism?
The downfall of Spanish stereotypes: Andalusian, Basque and Catalan identities in ‘plurinational’ Spain
Authors: Caballero Gálvez Antonio A.
Published: May 2017

In a historically controversial moment for Spanish territorial politics, where the traditional regional system of the State and regional politics are constantly fluctuating – especially considering the referenda in the Basque Country and Catalonia –, the films Ocho apellidos vascos (Spanish Affair) directed by Martínez-Lázaro in 2014 and Ocho apellidos catalanes (Spanish Affair 2) in 2015 have become the most successful films in the history of Spanish cinema. In these films, the Andalusian, Basque and Catalan stereotypes are taken to the extreme, breaking down the negative stigma they have acquired by reducing all their possible meanings to a simple gag. Consequently, the overindulgence of these stereotypical representations has proposed their very deactivation as a legitimate category of representation. The study of stereotypes and prejudices reflects an interest in relationships between social groups. Therefore, if intergroup affairs focus their discussions on beliefs that describe actions such as violence, alliance, or negotiation, this means that perceptions, beliefs and attitudes must mediate all intergroup affairs. According to Fredric Jameson, in order for images not to unfold just their own stereotypes and confirm themselves as realities, a considerable distance should be kept between the contents and what they represent. The proposed goal of this study is to analyse both films from a critical discourse analysis (CDA) in relation to the stereotypes categorization defined by Jaakko Lehtonen. The announcement of the end of the armed struggle by the terrorist group ETA and the eccentric political fights in the last Catalan elections have allowed the production and success of these comedies. These films question the sense of the Basque, Catalan and Andalusian stereotypes, the latter being the primary internationally recognized Spanish stereotype, showing the ‘plurinational’ origin of the Spanish State.
‘What we see with’: Redefining plot
Authors: Jauss David
Published: May 2017

The conventional definition of a plot, which focuses on causality and character change, is inadequate and misleading, especially in short fiction that focuses more on character revelation than character evolution. This essay defines and illustrates with examples from a wide range of short fiction seven alternative kinds of plot or organizing principles, most of which have been in existence for centuries but nonetheless remain unrecognized by most writers, scholars and teachers of creative writing – plots we can call episodic, juxtapositional, argumentative, expository, associative, lyrical or hybrid.
Class wars between women in Maeve Brennan’s ‘The Anachronism’
Authors: Shumaker Jeanette
Published: May 2017

Maeve Brennan’s mid-twentieth century stories set in a wealthy village in New York are often read as critiques of prejudice against Irish-American maids. However, in ‘The Anachronism’ (1954), Maeve Brennan suggests that class, even more than nationality, is central to women’s identity in the United States during the 1950s. In this story, Brennan revises stereotypes of class and nationality regarding Irish and English immigrants. Betty, a maid from England, and Mrs. Conroy, an Irish-American widow, forge bonds based on class despite their expected enmity based on nationality.
‘A Victorian Fable (with Glossary)’: Authorship as imposture
Authors: Thomas Karima
Published: May 2017

Angela Carter’s ‘A Victorian Fable (with Glossary)’ can be read as an allegory of the production/reception processes as well as the author/reader relationship. Through the study of its language, structure and enunciative economy, important premises concerning authorship are undermined. First, the myth of the author as a prophet gave way to the image of the author as a craftsman; second, the illusion of the author’s will-to-say gave way to the reader’s role in meaning ascription and the revelation of the Reader-as-author imposture. As a reader of Carter’s short story, I will in my turn find myself in the position of an impostor, calling upon the real author and quoting her declarations, trying to build conformity between the real author and the authorial figure interpellated in the text.
Report on the 14th International Conference on the Short Story in English, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 13–16 July 2016
Authors: McCrory Moy
Published: May 2017

An attendee’s summing up of an international conference on the short story: ‘Influence and Confluence in the short story: East and West’ which raises questions of identity, ownership, ‘othering’ and reveals the differences aired, notably those of writer versus scholar, and writer versus critic, roles which, while not always seen as convergent in the academy, are in practice fulfilled by authors equally.
French North African self-representation: Visibility in layers and shades
Authors: Brown Stéphanie
Published: May 2017

The antagonism around questions of conflicting customs of French secularism and Muslim traditions has regularly been re-ignited with political debates on the veil in public spaces since 2010 and the tragic events of 2015 in Paris. In this article French North African women’s own interpretation of their identity is termed ‘cultural layers and historical shades’. The works of writer Nina Bouraoui and graffiti artist Princess Hijab interact with competing cultural codes and create a new identitarian dynamics based not on clearly defined binaries of postcolonial concepts of Self and Other but on layers and shades. The aim of this article is less to focus on the challenges of such dynamics as elements to be resolved as it is to shed light on the ingenuity and originality of Bouraoui’s and Princess Hijab’s artistic interpretations of the veil as a point of contention. It uses translation theory to examine their renewed vision of ‘recognition’ subsequent to the ephemerality and fluidity of their cultural identity and its consequential vulnerability to misrecognition.
Femme écrite du cinéaste Lahcen Zinoun: Corps à corps dansé de l’écrit et de l’image
Authors: Tissières Hélène
Published: May 2017

This article looks at the film Written woman (Mouchouma) by the Moroccan filmmaker and dancer Lahcen Zinoun, which was released in 2012. The work is centered on an Amazigh poet, marginalized by her profession as a prostitute, whose body is tattooed – inscription/writing of her story and of History. It is based on multiple quests – mystical, historical, cultural – through an anthropologist who travels to the Atlas Mountains to investigate the life of Mririda N’Aït Attik who passed away around 1930. Seeking an actress for the film he wishes to make to pay homage to this figure, he falls madly in love with Adjou Aït Ashaak, a prostitute who works in the same brothel as Mririda did. Through their conversations, the viewer learns about the signification of her tattoos (images/signs), the danger of erasing such a heritage, the power of the arts to which the film refers: painting, writing, literature, music, dance, which help reach other dimensions, align the individual with telluric forces, inscribe wounds to better transgress them. The migration of one art form to another brings about exile and recalls the values of many facets of Moroccan identity, and the importance of halting violence.
(Re)Locating space in Hakim Belabbas’s khayṭ al-rūḥ and Farida Belyazid’s bāb smā maftūḥ
Authors: Simour Lhoussain
Published: May 2017

This article is a re-reading of both Hakim Belabbas’s khayṭ al-rūḥ and Farida Belyazid’s bāb smā maftūḥ from a postcolonially inflected concern. It attempts to consider how khayṭ al-rūḥ (‘Threads’, 2003), and bāb smā maftūḥ (‘A Door to the Sky’, 1988), focus excessively on the aesthetics and poetics of the city space, respectively, Abū al-ja’d and Fez, as a powerful structuring force that is twistingly manipulated to become a homogenizing icon of Moroccan identity. Such heavy concentration on spatial configurations of the city locales as sites of contestation over the construction of Moroccan identity results in counter-effects. The article argues that the filmic aestheticization of locality shifts into the creation of a set of anxieties and a knot of ambivalences that render the film directors’ attempt to foreground a new version of the native’s space vulnerable to the conventional orientalist tradition of the Other’s space representation. Both Belabbas’s and Belyazid’s works become complicit with the dynamics of folkloric space and with the orientalist tradition characteristic of colonial cinema set in Morocco during precolonial and colonial periods.
Coming to painting
Authors: Talbot Emma
Published: May 2017

This article is a response to Sunil Manghani’s article ‘Painting as commitment’, and its opening discourse, allying ‘commitment’ in painting to Sartre’s notion of a committed writer. In the light of Manghani’s reference to the writing of Hélène Cixous, this article seeks to draw comparisons between Hélène Cixous’s meditations on and approaches to writing with a personal account of approaching painting. In particular, this article will look at the issue of painting from personal experience and the intimate as material for making work.
William Morris and the atomic
Authors: Mabb David
Published: May 2017

A Provisional Memorial to Nuclear Disarmament was made in response to a visit to HMS Courageous, a decommissioned nuclear powered submarine furnished with William Morris ‘Rose’ fabrics. The Ministry of Defence commissioned the fabric for its nuclear submarines for over 30 years, from the 1960s through to the late 1990s, including the Vanguard Class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines that are armed with Trident nuclear-armed missiles. In the black and white photographs that follow, each of the fourteen works is represented twice, from the front and the back. The works consist of old projection screens in which the white screen fabric has been removed and replaced. The fronts of the screens are mostly painted black, with some Morris patterns. On the back of the screens William Morris patterned fabrics have been painted with anti-nuclear slogans and signs.
Painting as commitment
Authors: Manghani Sunil
Published: May 2017

Jean-Paul Sartre opens What is Literature? with the comment, ‘No, we do not want to “commit” painting, sculpture, and music “too”, or at least not in the same way. And why would we want to?’ Sartre’s idea of the committed writer was a dominant and evocative account of intellectuals of the Left in the immediate postwar period, but was superseded with the arrival of ‘theory’ from Althusser onwards, and with post-structuralist notions fully decentring the subject. What might this mean for the painter? Taking an existential account of painting as its starting point, the article offers a reappraisal of the anti-aesthetic and postmodern debates of the 1980s, and suggests the need to re-situate painting as commitment in itself. Rather than simply the need to place painting within wider social networks, it is the inherent appeal to freedom that remains significant about the medium.
Commercial temptation: Cross-border radio and the comparative transformation of public service broadcast policy in Britain, South Africa and India, 1930–67
Authors: Jenks John
Published: May 2017

Britain pioneered the idea of broadcasting as a commercial-free and culturally uplifting monopoly, which its imperial progeny in South Africa and India adopted. But all three soon found themselves vulnerable to entrepreneurs broadcasting commercials and pop culture from accommodating locations just across national frontiers. Listeners in all three countries tuned in by the millions and advertisers rushed to sponsor shows and buy commercials. Radio Luxembourg outdrew the British Broadcasting Corporation on Sundays in the 1930s, Radio Ceylon easily bested All India Radio in the 1950s, and Lourenço Marques Radio dominated the white South African youth market in the 1960s. Governments tried to fight the cross-border broadcasters through diplomacy, economic pressure and petty harassment, but in all cases popular ‘light’ culture and, eventually, advertising prevailed. This article details the common experiences and connections among these broadcasters, and points the way for future research.
BBC Radio and public value: The governance of public service radio in the United Kingdom
Authors: Ramsey Phil
Published: May 2017

Between 2007 and 2017 in the United Kingdom, BBC radio services were regulated by the BBC Trust, with the performance of BBC radio stations monitored against the so-called ‘drivers of public value’. Utilizing the Reach, Quality, Impact and Value for Money performance framework (RQIV), periodical reviews of BBC Radio Service Licences were carried out. This article considers two such reviews, of BBC radio stations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and BBC Local Radio services in England. The use of the public value approach in the governance of public service radio in the United Kingdom is assessed. It is argued that the public value approach places a serious focus on audience responses, but that the use of the RQIV framework is problematic when considering the cultural nature of broadcasting. It is suggested that the BBC is increasingly being forced to make decisions for political-economic reasons, rather than for reasons of public value.
Comparison of efficacy and safety of the combined laser treatment technology versus conventional laser photocoagulation in diabetic macular edema management
Authors: Doga Aleksander Victorovich , Kachalina Galina Fedorovna , Pedanova Elena Konstantinovna , Buryakov Dmitry Anatolievich
Published: May 2017

Aim. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the novel combined laser treatment technology compared with those of the conventional laser photocoagulation in diabetic macular oedema management.
Material and methods. Fifty eyes of 44 patients with clinically significant diabetic macular oedema were enrolled. Patients of the main group (25 eyes) underwent combined laser treatment, whereas patients in the control group (25 eyes) underwent modified ETDRS (mETDRS) focal/grid photocoagulation.
Results. Mean central point thickness (CPT) in the main group decreased from 411.24 126 m to 359.86 120.4 m (p 0.05), with a subsequent increase in the mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) from 0.52 0.2 at baseline to 0.71 0.2 (p 0.05) at the 12-month follow-up. The mean central retinal sensitivity (RS) improved from 11.27 3.8 dB to 13.24 3.2 dB (p 0.05). In the control group, our results showed similar improvement in BCVA and CPT values at the 12-month follow-up (from 0.59 0.12 to 0.72 0.23 and from 424.17 68.12 m to 387.51 93.45 m, respectively, p 0.05). The RS value, on the contrary, decreased from 12.32 0.90 dB to 10.14 0.71 dB (p 0.05).
Conclusions. The combined laser technology is a safe treatment technique that allows to minimise the extent of laser-induced chorioretinal complex damage due to the contribution of subthreshold micropulse laser photocoagulation. The efficacy of this novel technology is comparable with that of the mETDRS technique in the resolution of macular oedema and BCVA increase. This technology also provides an advantage of RS improvement and the possibility of safe and repetitive treatment sessions.
Endothelial progenitor cells and vascular endothelial growth factor after endovascular interventions in patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Michurova Marina Sergeevna , Kalashnikov Victor Yurievich , Smirnova Olga Michailovna , Terekhin Sergey Anatol'evich , Ivanova Olga Nikolaevna , Stepanova Svetlana Michailovna , Ilin Aleksandr Victorovich , Dedov Ivan Ivanovich
Published: May 2017

Aim. To study the quantity of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and levels of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) after endovascular interventions on coronary and peripheral arteries.
Materials and methods. We observed 68 patients with stable angina pectoris and critical limb ischaemia, admitted for elective percutaneous coronary intervention and endovascular revascularisation of the lower extremity. The number of CD34+VEGFR2+CD45- and CD34+CD133+CD45- cells and levels of VEGF-A were determined before endovascular intervention and 24 days after the surgery.
Results. We found that in patients without diabetes, the levels of EPCs increased significantly after endovascular interventions (CD34+VEGFR2+CD45-cells, p 0.0001; CD34+ CD133+CD45-cells p = 0.041). The levels of EPCs in the peripheral blood of patients with T2DM before and after endovascular interventions did not significantly differ. The analysis of VEGF-A showed a statistically significant increase after intervention in both groups. In addition, in patients with an HbA1c level of 8% and duration of diabetes of 10 years, the levels of EPCs significantly increased (p = 0.001 and 0.005, respectively). In patients with an HbA1c level of 8% and duration of diabetes of 10 years, the levels of EPCs before and after endovascular interventions did not significantly differ.
Conclusions. Patients with diabetes exhibited impaired EPC mobilisation after endovascular interventions. Poor glycaemic control and a long duration of diabetes are among the risk factors of EPC mobilisation.
New insights on microRNAs in diabetic nephropathy: potential biomarkers for diagnosis and therapeutic targets
Authors: Kamyshova Elena Sergeevna , Bobkova Irina Nikolaevna , Kutyrina Irina Mikhailovna
Published: May 2017

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a severe complication of diabetes mellitus associated with the progressive deterioration of renal function. Although microalbuminuria is considered as a gold standard for DN diagnosis, it has limited predictive powers and specificity as a diagnostic tool for the early stage of DN. Therefore, new biomarkers are required for the early detection of DN. Studies using in vitro and in vivo models of DN have revealed an important role of microRNAs (miRNAs), short non-coding RNAs that modulate physiological and pathological processes by inhibiting target gene expression, in DN development. Recent studies have shown that the dysregulation of miRNAs, which is associated with the key features of DN, such as the mesangial expansion and accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins, is related to fibrosis and glomerular dysfunction. Thus, the up- and downregulation of miRNA expression in the renal tissue or biological fluids, including urine, may represent new biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of DN progression. In this review, we highlight the significance of miRNAs as biomarkers for the early detection of DN and emphasise their potential role as a therapeutic target.
Efficiency of Montessori method
Authors: Eratay Emine
Published: May 2017

The aim of this study is to examine the efficiency of Montessori Method in disabled and nondisabled preschool children.

For this purpose, a total of 15 children, consisting of one hyperactive child, one child diagnosed with autism and 13 non-disabled children under "Inclusive Project for Disabled and Nondisabled Preschoolers" financed by European Union has been included into the study and they have been given Montessori education for a period of two months. Descoeudres Dictionary Test, Dictionary and Language Test, Peabody Picture Word Test and Denver II Developmental Scanning Test have been applied to the children in the beginning and end of the study, which was designed with an experimental single group pretest ' final test model, and daily observations have been made for two months.

According to the results of this study, a meaningful difference has been reported between the pretest ' final test t test results of Descoeudres Dictionary Test, Dictionary and Language Test, Peabody Picture Word Test while pretest results of Denver II Developmental Scanning Test showed that 10 of nondisabled children were normal and 3 of them were found to be questionable, and the result of the hyperactive child was reported as abnormal while the result of the autistic child was found as being untestable. In terms of the final test results for Denver II Developmental Scanning Test, test results of all of the nondisabled children were reported as normal and they were observed to be capable of achieving advanced articles; the test result of the hyperactive child was found to be normal while the autistic child was observed to have reached development level in conformity with his/her age in terms of personal- social and fine and gross motor skills and that this child could achieve some of the language articles while failing in others. As a result of the daily observations made for a period of two months, excessive activity, aprosexia, anxiety, and failure in following directives, frequent crying, being offended and aggression were observed initially in hyperactive and autistic children while such behaviors were reported to be reduced significantly after the Montessori education. Achievement of such results in disabled and nondisabled children gives the impression that Montessori Method is efficient.
A priori error analysis of the implicit Euler, spectral discretization of a nonlinear equation for a flow in a partially saturated porous media
Authors: Abdellatif Nahla , Bernardi Christine , Touihri Moncef , Yakoubi Driss
Published: May 2017

The aim of this work is the numerical study of a nonlinear equation, which models the water flow in a partially saturated underground porous medium under the surface. We propose a discretization of this equation that combines Euler’s implicit scheme in time and spectral methods in space. We prove optimal error estimates between the continuous and discrete solutions. Some numerical experiments confirm the interest of this approach. We present numerical experiments which are in perfect coherence with the analysis.
Advanced lipoprotein testing for cardiovascular diseases risk assessment: a review of the novel approaches in lipoprotein profiling
Authors: Clouet-Foraison Noémie , Gaie-Levrel Francois , Gillery Philippe , Delatour Vincent
Published: May 2017

With the increasing prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) worldwide, finding reliable and clinically relevant biomarkers to predict acute cardiovascular events has been a major aim of the scientific and medical community. Improvements of the understanding of the pathophysiological pathways of the disease highlighted the major role of lipoprotein particles, and these past decades have seen the emergence of a number of new methodologies to separate, measure and quantitate lipoproteins. Those methods, also known as advanced lipoprotein testing methods (ALT), have gained acceptance in the field of CVD risk assessment and have proven their clinical relevance. In the context of worldwide standardization and harmonization of biological assays, efforts have been initiated toward standardization of ALT methods. However, the complexity of lipoprotein particles and the multiple approaches and methodologies reported to quantify them have rendered these initiatives a critical issue. In this context and to better understand these challenges, this review presents a summary of the major methods available for ALT with the aim to point out the major differences in terms of procedures and quantities actually measured and to discuss the resulting comparability issues.
Back to the Human in John Logan’s “Red”
Authors: Gómez Armin , Martínez Eva Citlali
Published: May 2017

Laureate play “Red,” by John Logan, is a dramatic representation of biographical facts about and intellectual positions of the Abstract Expressionist painter Mark Rothko (1903–1970). With the tool of semiotic methodology named “Dramatology” it is possible to appreciate both text and staging – which go beyond a theatrical experience. “Red” leads the reader/spectator to question current human pragmatism and environmental insensitivity. Its main character wants to change the usual perspective of seeing and understanding pictures in order to achieve a more emotional and enriching art experience. The staging embraces certain tasks such as the construction of a large-format frame and the application of red paint on a canvas to stimulate the audience’s senses, breaking theatrical illusion. Ecocriticism allows us to describe the dramatic strategies of “Red” that raise audience awareness.
Apple in the Semiotic Square
Authors: Tao Yue
Published: May 2017

As the products of Apple Inc. have become increasingly prevalent around the world, more and more potential purchasers are starting to pay attention to the advertisements issued by Apple. The advertising slogan as one of the main components in an advertisement can deliver a great deal of information to its targets, for it is the only linguistic message in the advertisement, which constitutes a great part of the communication. The semiotic matrix theory put forward by Greimas can to a large extent assist in better understanding the true intention of the linguistic information expressed in an advertising slogan. The semiotic matrix can demonstrate a clear internal structure of a linguistic message, so it is an appropriate theory to apply to analyzing the real meaning of advertising slogans. Therefore, consumers can become much more aware when they choose the products advocated in certain advertisements. At the same time, advertising designers can create more slogans with stronger pertinence.
A closedness theorem for normed spaces
Authors: Poppe Harry
Published: May 2017

For spaces
On the principle of uniform boundedness for LSC convex processes in a strictly 𝒩 locally convex spaces
Authors: Lahrech S. , Jaddar A. , Hlal J. , Ouahab A. , Mbarki A.
Published: May 2017

In this paper we establish the principle of uniform boundedness for LSC convex processes in some class of locally convex spaces (strictly
Integral submanifolds of r-contact manifolds
Authors: Cappelletti Montano Beniamino
Published: May 2017

We study the properties of integral submanifolds of the contact distribution of an
Filippov Lemma for certain differential inclusion of third order
Authors: Bartuzel Grzegorz , Fryszkowski Andrzej
Published: May 2017

We propose a version of the Filippov Lemma for differential inclusions of the type
On certain subclasses of meromorphically p-valent functions
Authors: Lashin A. Y.
Published: May 2017

In this paper we introduce the class
The nonlocal Darboux problem on the unbounded region in Banach spaces
Authors: Majcher Piotr
Published: May 2017

In this paper we study existence theorems of solutions for the hyperbolic Darboux problem of the form
On Nemytskij operator of substitution in the C1 space of set-valued functions
Authors: Ludew Jakub Jan
Published: May 2017

We consider the Nemytskij operator, i.e., the operator of substitution, defined by (
On lacunary generalized difference sequence spaces defined by Orlicz functions in a seminormed space and Δqm $\Delta _q^m $ -lacunary statistical convergence
Authors: Bhardwaj Vinod K. , Bala Indu
Published: May 2017

The main purpose of this paper is to introduce a new concept of
Some remarks on Origami and its limitations
Authors: Maszczyk Tomasz , Świrszcz Grzegorz
Published: May 2017

From a mathematical point of view the Japanese art of Origami is an art of finding isometric injections of subsets of ℝ
On new Ostrowski type inequalities
Authors: Liu Wenjun , Dong Jianwei
Published: May 2017

In this short note, some new inequalities of Ostrowski type involving two functions and their derivatives for mapping whose derivations belong to
Polynomials in additive functions and generalized polynomials
Authors: Schwaiger Jens , Prager Wolfgang
Published: May 2017

We consider polynomials