bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“I'll Rise”: Rememory, Hope and the Creation of a New Public Sphere In Ben Harper's Music
Authors: Gras Delphine
Published: May 2019

Recent studies about resistance music in the United States primarily focus on the hip-hop movement. However, it does not offer the only musical discourse contesting contemporary injustices. Even though the debate about hip-hop is a crucial one that deserves full attention, it seems necessary to widen the current conversation on music to take into account a wider array of musical genres and artists. This will in turn allow us to see the revolutionary power of music in its full force. In the United States, black music, from the Spirituals to Rhythm and Blues, has undeniably been a potent agent for social change. Because they enable strangers to identify with each other through a common discourse, songs from many different genres have fostered what Benedict Anderson calls “imagined communities.”
Memories of Home: Reading the Bedouin In Arab American Literature
Authors: Wardi Anissa J. , Wardi-Zonna Katherine
Published: May 2019

In an urban neighborhood with a large Jewish population near my home, there is an Arabic restaurant. Name, menu and ownership mark its ethnic identification, yet its politics are otherwise obscured. An American flag, permanently placed in the restaurant's window since 9/11, greets American customers with a message of reconciliation. I am one of you, it says: come; eat; you are welcome here. In a climate where “Arabs, Arab-Americans and people with Middle Eastern features, everywhere are struggling to merely survive the United States' aggressive drive to ‘bring democracy to the Middle East'’ (Elia 160) and where the hostility toward Arab Americans is manifest in covert “othering” and aggressive acts of surveillance, detainment and bodily harm, the steady bustle of my neighborhood eatery is of consequence.
The Dialectics of “Oriental” Images in American Trade Cards
Authors: Kim Sue J.
Published: May 2019

A late nineteenth-century trade card, or a color-printed circulating advertisement, touts Shepherd and Doyle's new “Celluloid” waterproof collars, cuffs and shirt bosoms (Fig. 1).1 These “economical, durable, and handsome” clothing items require less starching and washing, and so remove the need for Chinese laundries. The text on the reverse side includes directions on how “to remove yellow stains,” and the image enacts a kind of literal version of this removal. The slovenly laundryshop (the clothes overflowing the basket, the linens hung up askew, the steaming basins), the mix-and-match, gender-ambiguous garments of the workers, and their thin, slouching bodies all participate in the racist stereotype of Asians as dirty, effeminate and alien others. The caption proclaims the product to be “The Last Invention”; the “last” indicates finality, both in terms of modernity as the final stage of history and of a solution to the problem of unwanted immigrants. A group of Chinese male laundry-workers are so taken aback by this product that their pigtails stand in erect consternation. Their reaction stems both from the realization that they must return to China because their services have become unnecessary as well as from pure awe at the invention itself; in both cases, the scenario and its appeal apparently rely on these acts of recognition by the Chinese characters. Furthermore, the advertisement's status as such - merely advertisement - hides the illogicality of the celluloid salesman's presence in the laundry at all. The salesman, wearing a garish plaid suit and a bowler hat, appears to be one of those traveling salesmen who might peddle patent medicines, yet he bears the product eliciting such awe and consternation. Rather than selling the product to the Chinese workers, he appears simply to be taking gratuitous pleasure in introducing the workers to the agent of their impending misfortunes.
The Tastes from Portugal: Food as Remembrance in Portuguese American Literature
Authors: Silva Reinaldo
Published: May 2019

Contemporary Portuguese American literature written by Thomas Braga (1943-), Frank Gaspar (1946-), and Katherine Vaz (1955-) share a profusion of topics - with ethnic food being, perhaps, the most representative one. What these writers have in common is that their roots can be traced to Portugal's Atlantic islands - the Azores - and not to continental Portugal. They are native Americans and write in English, though their characters and themes are Portuguese American. Some of them lived close to the former New England whaling and fishing centers of New Bedford and Nantucket, which Herman Melville has immortalized in Moby-Dick and in his short story, “The 'Gees,” in The Piazza Tales. These seaports were renowned worldwide and eventually attracted Azorean harpooners. The Azorean background of Thomas Braga and Frank Gaspar helps us to understand why fish and seafood feature so extensively in their writings instead of dishes containing meat as is the case in the fiction of Katherine Vaz.
Ethnic Politics, Political Corruption and Poverty: Perspectives on Contending Issues and Nigeria's Democratization Process
Authors: Yagboyaju Dewale Adewale
Published: May 2019

It is common to interpret African politics in tribal or ethnic terms. In the case of Nigeria, the dominant political behaviour can be defined, on the one hand, in terms of “incessant pressures on the state and the consequent fragmentation or prebendalizing of state-power” (Joseph, 1991:5). On the other hand, such practices can also be related to “a certain articulation of the factors of class and ethnicity” (ibid). For a better understanding of the essentials of Nigerian politics and its dynamics, it is necessary to develop a clearer perspective on the relationship between the two social categories mentioned above and their effects on such issues as political corruption and poverty.
Black Mayors in Non-Majority Black (Medium Sized) Cities: Universalizing the Interests of Blacks
Authors: Perry Ravi K.
Published: May 2019

The nature of political representation of Black constituents' interests from their elected Black representatives is changing in the twentyfirst century. Increasingly, African Americans are being elected to political offices where the majority of their constituents are not African American. Previous research on this question tended to characterize Black politicians' efforts to represent their Black constituents' interests in two frames: deracialized or racialized (McCormick and Jones 1993; Cruse 1990). However, the advent of the twenty-first century has exhausted the utility ofthat polarization. Black politicians no longer find explicit racial appeals appropriate for their electoral goals, given the changing demographic environment, and greater acceptance of African American politicians in highprofile positions of power. Black politicians also increasingly find that a lack of attention to racial disparities facing constituents within their political boundaries does not effectively address why certain groups like Blacks are disproportionately and negatively affected than others, across a range of issues. Rather than continue to make efforts to represent Black interests within those two frames, Black politicians have begun to universalize the interests of Blacks.
Editor's Notes
Authors: Scott Otis L.
Published: May 2019

The scholarly narratives comprising the ethnic studies project take into the multidimensional worlds of diverse ethnic communities both in the United State and abroad. Using the conceptual, analytical and experiential lenses of ethnic studies scholars we are presented opportunities for learning more about the multifarious experiences of ethnic groups.
George S. Schuyler, Black and Conservative
Authors: Lock Helen
Published: May 2019

When George S. Schuyler published his autobiography Black and Conservative in 1966, its title was intended to be paradoxical, underscoring how the two adjectives were rarely used together, particularly in an era that had recently seen the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965. When it came to political affiliation, the general assumption was that African Americans, more or less by definition, were not likely to be conservatives; rather, conservatism meant a desire to preserve the pre-existing status quo, making very little sense in Civil Rights era for a majority of African Americans to take a conservative stance.
Editor's Notes
Authors: Rojas Maythee
Published: May 2019

Since the passing of two high-profile state legislative bills aimed at Arizona's Latino residents this past April, the significance of ethnicity for American citizens has once again surfaced as a topic for national debate. Whether to legitimize, or just as frequently deny, what defines American identity, the question and meaning of one's ethnic roots continues to be a contested matter for many Americans. In particular, HB 2281, a bill targeting the restriction of ethnic studies curricula in Arizona's K-12 educational system, has prompted accusations that Ethnic Studies scholarship and teachings work against a unified sense of nationhood by encouraging separatism and anti-American sentiment. Yet, as most Ethnic Studies proponents would counter, it is instead the artificial notion of a monolithic American identity, predicated upon a hegemonic rendering of what it is to be an American, that promotes divisions and distrust within a nation. In either case, the ambivalence over how to read the ambiguities of race and ethnicity implicit in U.S. citizenry underscore the ongoing need to address them. As such, the six authors featured in this issue provide fresh and thoughtful examinations of how race and ethnicity complicate understandings of self. Although diverse in content, the articles collectively consider the effects of how the ambivalence of ethnic origins both expand and challenge the meaning of American identity.
Women without a Voice: The Paradox of Silence in the Works of Sandra Cisneros, Shashi Deshpande and Azar Nafisi
Authors: Wilson Sharon K. , Vaz Pelgy
Published: May 2019

Women of every culture face a similar problem: loss of voice. Their lives are permeated with silence. Whether their silence results from a patriarchal society that prohibits women from asserting their identity or from a social expectation of gender roles that confine women to an expressive domain-submissive, nurturing, passive, and domestic-rather than an instrumental role where men are dominant, affective and aggressive-women share the common bond of a debilitating silence. Maria Racine, in her analysis of Janie in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God, reaffirms the pervasiveness of this bond: “For women, silence has crossed every racial and cultural boundary” (283). Indeed, Elaine Mar, a Chinese-American writer, in her memoir, Paper Daughter, elucidates the implications of silence for women, “Like Mother I was learning to disappear. Frequently, I sought refuge with her in the basement room, in the silence of empty spaces. But I was also learning to vanish in full sight of others, retreating into myself when physical flight wasn't possible. My voice withered. Silent desire parched my throat” (48). Silence and loss of voice debilitate and stifle women, as they are forced to sublimate their identity in order to survive in their worlds.
Structuring Liminality: Theorizing the Creation and Maintenance of the Cuban Exile Identity
Authors: Colona Jaclyn , Grenier Guillermo J.
Published: May 2019

In this article, we examine the exilic experience of the Cuban-American community in South Florida through the dual concepts of structure and liminality. We postulate that in the case of this exilic diaspora, specific structures arose to render liminality a persistent element of the Cuban-American identity. The liminal, rather than being a temporal transitory stage, becomes an integral part of the group identity. This paper theorizes and recasts the Cuban-American exile experience in Miami as explicable not only as the story of successful economic and political incorporation, although the literature certainly emphasizes this interpretation, but one consisting of permanent liminality institutionalized by structural components of the exiled diaspora. We argue that the story of exemplary incorporation so prevalent in the academic literature is a result of structured liminality. We apply Turner's conceptualization to the creation and maintenance of the Cuban-American Exile Identity (Grenier and Perez, 2003). While testing the theoretical postulates is beyond the scope of this article, we interpret previous research through our new theoretical lens.
Thematic Shifts in Contemporary Vietnamese American Novels
Authors: Ha Quan Manh
Published: May 2019

This article examines the thematic shifts in three contemporary Vietnamese American novels published since 2003: Monique Truong's The Book of Salt, Dao Strom's Grass Roof, Tin Roof, and Bich Minh Nguyen's Short Girls. I argue that by concentrating on the themes of inferiority and invisibility and issues related to ethnic and racial relationships in U.S. culture (instead of concentrating on the Vietnam War and the refugee experiences), some contemporary Vietnamese American authors are attempting to merge their voices into the corpus of ethnic American literature, which usually is thematically characterized by identity, displacement, alienation, and cultural conflict, etc. Each author explores the problems confronted by individuals caught up in various phases of the Vietnamese diaspora of the twentieth century. These important works are treated primarily thematically, even as the theoretical approaches of various critics are employed to examine those themes. All three novels take Vietnamese American literature in new thematic directions, which signals great promise for future developments.
First Impressions, “America's Paper” and Pre-Primary Black Presidential Candidates: The New York Times Coverage of Rev. Jesse Jackson (1983), Rev. AI Sharpton (2003), and Sen. Barack Obama (2007) Campaign Announcements and Initial Days
Authors: Perry Ravi
Published: May 2019

Recent research documents how party rules, election reforms, and the growth of primaries and caucuses have greatly changed the presidential nomination process. Acknowledging that most Americans get their information about presidential candidates through the news and that mass media have played a significant role in introducing candidates to potential voters, I conduct an longitudinal content analysis of the New York Times articles to ethnographically explain how language, article placement and content in ‘America's Paper’ has significantly impacted the framing of black presidential candidates' pre-primary presidential campaigns. In particular, the data reveal how the newspaper's coverage of the candidates appears to vary based on perceived viability and as willingness to vote for a black president increases.
Economic Development at the Cost of Indigenous Land
Authors: Chama Brian
Published: May 2019

The notion of economic development has affected the general welfare of indigenous groups worldwide. The major conflict has been on land ownership claims on which they have occupied for many years and government quest to bring about economic development. The indigenous groups have struggled to retain their lands despite appealing to both customary and international laws. The paper argues as to whether customary law and international law are vital sources for indigenous land claims. It also presents empirical cases to land claims while making these arguments within the context of economic development.
Identity and the Legislative Decision Making Process: A Case Study of the Maryland State Legislature
Authors: Brown Nadia
Published: May 2019

Both politicians and the mass public believe that identity influences political behavior yet, political scientists have failed to fully detail how identity is salient for all political actors not just minorities and women legislators. To what extent do racial, gendered, and race/gendered identities affect the legislation decision process? To test this proposition, I examine how race and gender based identities shape the legislative decisions of Black women in comparison to White men, White women, and Black men. I find that Black men and women legislators interviewed believe that racial identity is relevant in their decision making processes, while White men and women members of the Maryland state legislature had difficulty deciding whether their identities mattered and had even more trouble articulating how or why they did. African American women legislators in Maryland articulate or describe an intersectional identity as a meaningful and significant component of their work as representatives. More specifically, Black women legislators use their identity to interpret legislation differently due to their race/gender identities.
“For Heart, Patriotism, and National Dignity”: The Italian Language Press in New York City and Constructions of Africa, Race, and Civilization
Authors: Vellon Peter G.
Published: May 2019

“For Heart, Patriotism, and National Dignity”: The Italian Language Press in New York City and Constructions of Africa, Race, and Civilization” examines how mainstream and radical newspapers employed Africa as a trope for savage behavior by analyzing their discussion of wage slavery, imperialism, lynching, and colonialism, in particular Italian imperialist ventures into northern Africa in the 1890s and Libya in 1911-1912. The Italian language press constructed Africa as a sinister, dark, continent, representing the lowest rung of the racial hierarchy. In expressing moral outrage over American violence and discrimination against Italians, the press utilized this image of Africa to emphatically convey its shock and disgust. In particular, Italian prominenti newspapers capitalized on this racial imagery to construct a narrative of Italianness and Italian superiority in order to combat unflattering depictions of Italian immigrants arriving in the United States.
Dirty Jew-Dirty Mexican: Denver's 1949 Lake Junior High School Gang Battle and Jewish Racial Identity in Colorado
Authors: Lee Michael
Published: May 2019

This article details how Jews and Mexicans in Denver, Colorado came together in 1949 in the wake of a widely publicized interracial gang battle at one of the city's local middle schools. It documents the response of the local chapter of the Anti-Defamation League and its involvement in a interracial neighborhood council and how Jewish racial identity in Denver was informed by the broader racial geography of the West-a racial geography that was too often shaped by contrast with Mexicans. The article also challenges the notion that Denver was relatively free of anti-Semitism. Indeed, the 1905 lynching of Jacob Wesskind suggests a more nuanced story than the received wisdom about Jews being “at home” in Denver.
Black Political Attitudes and Political Rap Music
Authors: Bonnette Lakeyta M.
Published: May 2019

Many argue that political or message rap no longer exists. Scholars and critics point to rap music as a genre that is completely negative and only diminishes the progress of the Black community by offering and supporting stereotypes of African Americans (Johnson, Jackson and Gatto 1995; Carpentier, Knobloch and Zillman 2003). On the contrary, I argue that all rap music is not the same and that in fact, there is a subgenre in rap music, political rap, that discusses political issues and candidates exclusively. In this article, I proffer a criterion for identifying political rap music to demonstrate a distinction between the subgenres of rap and the prevalence of political rap within mainstream radio. Finally, I examine the lyrical content of political rap for the assertion of Black Nationalist ideology.
Ida B. Wells and the Forces of Democratization
Authors: Duran Jane
Published: May 2019

The work of Ida B. Wells is examined not only from the standpoint of her anti-lynching writings, but from a perusal of her diaries and her efforts as a young woman. It is concluded that she exemplifies the best of the notion of a genuine democratic political force.
Understanding the Nature and Effects of Police-Citizen Encounters in Social Context: The Road Less Traveled
Authors: D'Anca Alfred R.
Published: May 2019

Aggressive policing tactics have been identified as contributors to declining crime rate trends in urban, culturally diverse neighborhoods. They encompass stop and frisk practices which have spawned negative public opinion that contrasts with its justification by criminal justice officials as an effective means for the control and prevention of crime. The issue, however, begs deeper questions not readily addressed: how does the nature of police-citizen suspicion-based encounters influence the attitudes and behavior of both stakeholders; and does it contribute to effective crime control and prevention? Based on an analysis of theoretical and empirical research in the field, this article argues that a sense of shame and perception of fairness or unfairness are endemic to face-to-face suspicion-based encounters between police officers and the public, and have significant implications for the experience of justice, control and prevention of crime, and policy initiatives to promote community safety.
Recent Trends in American Attitudes toward the Level of Immigration
Authors: Yang Philip Q. , Mena Marco
Published: May 2019

In the current immigration debate, although illegal immigration is at the center of the controversy, legal immigration is also gaining attention. However, there is a lack of analysis of how American attitudes toward the level of legal immigration have changed in the recent years of the twenty-first century. This study investigates recent trends in American attitudes toward the level of immigration to the United States using data from General Social Surveys 2004–2014. Bivariate analysis indicates that, contrary to popular expectations, American attitudes toward support for an increased level of immigration had actually become somewhat more positive from 2004 to 2014. The results of multiple regression analysis show that, controlling for other variables, American attitudes toward support for an increased level of immigration have remained more positive since 2010. This article explores plausible explanations for the more positive trends.
The Black Press Centering on Injustice (1938)
Authors: Baker Sean , Tait Alice A. , Meiss Guy T.
Published: May 2019

This is a content analysis of coverage by the Seattle Times, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, the Seattle Star (mainstream papers), and the Northwest Enterprise (NWE, a Black press weekly newspaper) of the 1938 Berry Lawson police brutality case in Seattle, Washington. This study proposed to answer three research questions: (1) How did each type of news organization, Eurocentric and Black, frame the Lawson case? (2) Are these frames the same for both types of papers? (3) If not, how do the papers frame the case differently? The NWE’s frame was Afrocentric. The mainstream papers’ frame was Eurocentric.
Clinico-pathologic and dynamic prognostic factors in sporadic and familial medullary thyroid carcinoma: an Israeli multi-center study
Authors: Twito Orit , Grozinsky-Glasberg Simona , Levy Sigal , Bachar Gideon , Gross David J , Benbassat Carlos , Rozental Alon , Hirsch Dania
Published: May 2019

Objective

Multiple clinical, pathological and biochemical variables, including the response to initial treatment, are associated with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) prognosis. Studies that include separate analyses of familial and sporadic MTC patients followed for long period are scarce. This study evaluated the association between baseline clinico-pathologic variables and response to initial treatment and short- and long-term disease outcomes in sporadic and familial MTC.

Methods

Patients treated for MTC at four tertiary medical centers were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical and pathological data were collected. The outcomes measured included disease persistence 1 year after diagnosis, disease persistence at last follow-up, disease-related mortality (DRM) and all-cause mortality.

Results

The study enrolled 193 patients (mean age: 48.9 ± 18.7, 44.7% males), of whom 18.1% were familial cases. The mean follow-up period was 10.1 ± 9.4 years (8.5 ± 8.1 in sporadic and 16.9 ± 11.6 in familial MTC). Disease persistence 1-year after diagnosis and at last follow-up was detected in 56.1 and 60.4% patients, respectively. All-cause and DRM were 28.5 and 12.6%, respectively. Extra-thyroidal extension (ETE) and distant metastases (DM) were associated with disease persistence at last follow-up. ETE and DM were also significantly associated with DRM. Complete remission 1 year after diagnosis had high correlation with no evidence of disease at last follow-up (Cramer’s V measure of association 0.884,P < 0.001) and with 100% disease-specific survival (Cramer’s V measure of association 0.38,P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Apart from clinico-pathologic parameters, close correlation was found between 1-year status and long-term prognosis. These results underscore the importance of combining classical and dynamic factors for both sporadic and familial MTC prognostication and treatment decision making.
The role of adipokines in developmental programming: evidence from animal models
Authors: Reynolds Clare M , Vickers Mark H
Published: May 2019

Alterations in the environment during critical periods of development, including altered maternal nutrition, can increase the risk for the development of a range of metabolic, cardiovascular and reproductive disorders in offspring in adult life. Following the original epidemiological observations of David Barker that linked perturbed fetal growth to adult disease, a wide range of experimental animal models have provided empirical support for the developmental programming hypothesis. Although the mechanisms remain poorly defined, adipose tissue has been highlighted as playing a key role in the development of many disorders that manifest in later life. In particular, adipokines, including leptin and adiponectin, primarily secreted by adipose tissue, have now been shown to be important mediators of processes underpinning several phenotypic features associated with developmental programming including obesity, insulin sensitivity and reproductive disorders. Moreover, manipulation of adipokines in early life has provided for potential strategies to ameliorate or reverse the adverse sequalae that are associated with aberrant programming and provided insight into some of the mechanisms involved in the development of chronic disease across the lifecourse.
Descifrando el clima espacial: ciclos solares y ondas magnéticas de Rossby
Authors: Márquez-Artavia Xiomara
Published: May 2019

El objetivo de esta investigación es explorar si existe una relación entre las ondas magnéticas de Rossby rápidas o lentas y ciertas observaciones de la actividad solar de largo y muy largo plazo (meses, años, décadas…). El artículo intenta mostrar si los periodos de esas ondas y sus características corresponden a los valores de duración los ciclos de Rieger, Haly, o bien cuasiperiodos de llamaradas y eyecciones de masa coronal. Se inicia con una revisión bibliográfica y un resumen de los resultados de una tesis doctoral que resuelve completamente el modelo matemático en cuestión, con las ecuaciones derivadas de ese trabajo previo, se calcula los periodos de las ondas que serán comparados con las observaciones. Estos resultados teóricos sugieren que cierta actividad solar podría deberse a las ondas magnéticas de Rossby, originadas en el interior del Sol, específicamente en la tacoclina. Las ondas lentas se proponen ligadas a las periodicidades de largo y muy largo plazo y las ondas rápidas de Rossby se asocian con periodicidades de unos años a meses. El estudio de estas perturbaciones de Rossby y sus propiedades, sin duda, va a ayudar a comprender el origen y las características del campo magnético del Sol.
Estudio del efecto de un terremoto sobre un marco geodésico de referencia
Authors: Valverde-Calderón Jose
Published: May 2019

El objetivo de esta investigación es determinar el impacto en un conjunto de dieciséis estaciones GNSS localizadas en Costa Rica, tras el terremoto del 05 de septiembre de 2012. La investigación es de tipo explicativa y el enfoque que se utilizó es el cálculo de soluciones semanales libres, las cuales fueron luego combinadas para estimar la solución final. Basado en esta, se generaron series temporales que muestran la variación en el tiempo de la posición de las estaciones. Como resultado, se observa que las estaciones GNSS, localizadas a una distancia máxima de 140 km con respecto al epicentro del evento, sufrieron cambios tanto en su ubicación como en la dirección del movimiento y en la magnitud de su velocidad, siendo las estaciones ubicadas en la península de Nicoya las que presentan los mayores cambios. Se concluye que el evento estudiado modificó de forma significativa la posición de trece de las estaciones analizadas, mientras que tres no fueron afectadas.
Favorable Outcome of Severe Poisoning by Snake Green Mamba (Dendroaspis viridis) Clinical Case
Authors: Nasibullina A. R. , Lodyagin A. N. , Vdovin V. A. , Filippova N. E. , Batotsyrenov B. V. , Glushkov S. I.
Published: May 2019

This clinical case of acute poisoning due to bite of snake Dendroaspis viridis seems interesting to share because of its rare incidence inRussiaand management peculiarities: the critical care was conducted without specific antidote therapy due to absence of the antidote.

The prevailing clinical presentation included signs of toxic myopathy combined with paresis of skeletal and breathing muscles that led to development of acute respiratory failure and metabolic disorders. The processes described were induced by the action of snake poison dendrotoxins featuring the activities of potassium channel blockers and acetyl cholinesterase inhibitors.

The proper critical care included conduct of syndrome therapy aimed at maintaining life support systems adequately to condition (replacement of the breathing and circulation functions), antibiotic therapy and desensitizing treatment and metabolic care by administration of drugs characterized by antihypoxant/antioxidant mechanism of action.

The comprehensive therapy applied has resulted in a favorable outcome of acute poisoning by snake green mamba without development of possible complications even when the specific antidote drug has not been included into the treatment protocol.
The Role of Apoptosis in the Pathogenic Mechanism of Critical States (Review)
Authors: Glukhov A. I. , Gryzunova G. K. , Usai L. I. , Aleynikova T L. , Chernikova N. V. , Burt A. Yu.
Published: May 2019

The purpose of the overview is to analyze the role of apoptosis in the pathogenesis of critical illness and discuss specific features of contributed biochemical processes. The paper reviews 117 publications, 76 of which were published during the recent five years. Published data show that the ability to control endogenic apoptotic processes offers opportunities for the development of functional therapy approaches to various diseases.
Etanercept With IVIg for Acute Kawasaki Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Portman Michael A. , Dahdah Nagib S. , Slee April , Olson Aaron K. , Choueiter Nadine F. , Soriano Brian D. , Buddhe Sujatha , Altman Carolyn A. ,   for the EATAK Investigators
Published: May 2019

OBJECTIVES:

Patients with Kawasaki disease can develop life-altering coronary arterial abnormalities, particularly in those resistant to intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy. We tested the tumor necrosis factor α receptor antagonist etanercept for reducing both IVIg resistance and coronary artery (CA) disease progression.

METHODS:

In a double-blind multicenter trial, patients with Kawasaki disease received either etanercept (0.8 mg/kg; n = 100) or placebo (n = 101) subcutaneously starting immediately after IVIg infusion. IVIg resistance was the primary outcome with prespecified subgroup analyses according to age, sex, and race. Secondary outcomes included echocardiographic CA measures within subgroups defined by coronary dilation (z score >2.5) at baseline. We used generalized estimating equations to analyze z score change and a prespecified algorithm for change in absolute diameters.

RESULTS:

IVIg resistance occurred in 22% (placebo) and 13% (etanercept) of patients (P = .10). Etanercept reduced IVIg resistance in patients >1 year of age (P = .03). In the entire population, 46 (23%) had a coronary z score >2.5 at baseline. Etanercept reduced coronary z score change in those with and without baseline dilation (P = .04 and P = .001); no improvement occurred in the analogous placebo groups. Etanercept (n = 22) reduced dilation progression compared with placebo (n = 24) by algorithm in those with baseline dilation (P = .03). No difference in the safety profile occurred between etanercept and placebo.

CONCLUSIONS:

Etanercept showed no significant benefit in IVIg resistance in the entire population. However, preplanned analyses showed benefit in patients >1 year. Importantly, etanercept appeared to ameliorate CA dilation, particularly in patients with baseline abnormalities.
Identification of resistance sources of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) to angular leaf spot (Pseudocercospora griseola)
Authors: Rodríguez Diego , Beaver James , Estévez de Jensen Consuelo , Porch Tim
Published: May 2019

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the most important edible legume in the world and is an important source of income for farmers and food for millions of families. Angular Leaf Spot (ALS), caused by the fungus Pseudocercospora griseola (Sacc.) Ferraris, is one of the most important diseases in the production of common bean with the potential to cause significant seed yield losses. An effective and environmentally friendly alternative to control this disease is the use of improved varieties that combine resistance genes of Andean and Mesoamerican origin. In this study, the response of 181 bean genotypes (coming from different breeding programs of several countries including the USA, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Ecuador, Colombia, Tanzania, Malawi, and Angola) to two angular spot isolates (races 61:11 and 63:51, prevalent in Isabela and Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico) were evaluated. Many of these genotypes contained resistant genes to different biotic and to abiotic stress. A total of 16 lines were identified to have resistance to both races. The resistant lines include the Andean breeding lines CAL 143, 277 and the Mesoamerican cultivar ‘Ouro Negro’ that possess the resistance genes Phg-5, Phg-1, Phg-3, respectively. This information can help common bean breeding programs to pyramid genes from the Andean and Mesoamerican gene pools to generate varieties with long-lasting resistance to this disease.
Gestión directiva y clima organizacional en la educación de personas adultas en Chile
Authors: Sagredo Lillo Emilio , Castelló Tarrida Antoni
Published: May 2019

El clima organizacional percibido en contextos educativos y la gestión desarrollada para aportar al ambiente institucional son clave para el desarrollo del proceso aprendizaje-enseñanza. Este tema se ha investigado en educación, pero no se ha encontrado evidencia de él en la educación para personas jóvenes y adultas, población relevante para el desarrollo social y económico del país. El objetivo del presente artículo es conocer la correlación que podría existir entre la gestión directiva, la motivación y el compromiso de docentes en establecimientos de educación para personas adultas de la región del Biobío, Chile. Se utilizó una metodología selectiva o correlacional, su diseño es de tipo no experimental, transversal e intrasujeto. Se trabajó con una hipótesis de asociación o co-variación, pues se pretende buscar la relación entre variables. La población de la presente investigación está conformada por docentes que se desempeñan en centros de educación para personas adultas de la Región del Biobío Chile, la muestra es de 40 docentes de establecimientos de las Comunas de Los Ángeles y Concepción. Como instrumento de recolección de datos se utilizó una encuesta en escala Likert, para su análisis se trabajó con la correlación de Spearman debido a que la muestra no cumple criterios de normalidad. Los resultados muestran que en la percepción de docentes que se desempeñan en el nivel educativo estudiado existe una correlación positiva y significativa entre la gestión directiva, la motivación docente y el compromiso. También, se encontró una correlación positiva y significativa entre motivación y compromiso docente.
Conocimiento pedagógico del profesorado de inglés en Chile y su necesidad percibida de actualización
Authors: Cisterna Zenteno Cecilia , Díaz Larenas Claudio , Boundón Araneda Javiera , Larenas Ma Edith
Published: May 2019

El presente artículo corresponde a un estudio no experimental y trasversal realizado en la provincia de Concepción, Chile, el cual tuvo como objetivo identificar la percepción de un grupo de docentes de inglés sobre su conocimiento en distintas áreas relacionadas con la enseñanza del idioma inglés y su necesidad de actualización. Esta investigación nace como un diagnóstico para la creación de videos didácticos destinados a fortalecer las áreas metodológicas más débiles en el cuerpo docente de la provincia. Se investigó a 80 docentes, quienes, mayoritariamente, se desempeñaban en zonas rurales. Para ello se utilizó una encuesta tipo escala de Likert. A través de los resultados de esta encuesta, se observó que, en general, quienes participaron del estudio tienen un alto nivel de conocimiento sobre la enseñanza, aprendizaje y evaluación del idioma; no obstante, manifiestan, de igual manera, un alto interés por actualizar dichos conocimientos. Se concluye que los profesionales encuestados demuestran un serio compromiso con la profesión docente y, por lo mismo, desean perfeccionarse, aún teniendo un alto nivel de conocimiento en la mayoría de las áreas consultadas. Además, se observa que existe un bajo de nivel de conocimiento en el área de las necesidades educativas especiales. El aporte de videos didácticos a la labor docente, contribuiría a mejorar sus competencias pedagógicas en las áreas deficitarias.
Antibacterial activity of the skin secretion of Phyllomedusa azurea (Anura: Hylidae) from the Central Brazil Cerrado
Authors: De Almeida Daniela Andrade , Dietz Jefferson Do Carmo , De Oliveira Bruno Francesco Rodrigues , Vieira José Daniel Gonçalves , Magalhães Marta Regina , Jesuíno Rosália Santos Amorim
Published: May 2019

Phyllomedusa azurea is a frog species well distributed geographically in South America, including Brazilian biomes as Pantanal and Cerrado. Compared with other anurans from the Phyllomedusinae family, there are few reports on the bioactive potential of skin-derived molecules from this species. In this perspective, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activity of skin secretion of P. azurea by detection of Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) of the growth of bacterial indicator strains and to determine if occurs a changing in the bacterial cell envelope permeability. The MIC determination was carried out by the microdilution plate method. The absorbance was measured and analyzed statistically using the t-test to compare two groups (0.05 % of significance). The impact of the crude extract on cell envelope permeability of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 was conducted by the crystal violet assay, and the absorbance was measured spectrophotometry followed by the calculation of the crystal violet uptake percentage. The specific MIC for S. aureus ATCC 25923 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 was 31.25 µg/mL, while for Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 was 125 µg/mL and Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853 was 250 µg/mL. The treatment with crescent concentrations of frog skin secretion increased the crystal violet uptake by S. aureus ATCC 25923 cells, suggesting an action on the cell plasma membrane. The results demonstrated that the skin secretion of P. azurea presents antibacterial activity and merit further investigations to characterize the bioactive molecules.
The diversity of Odonata adults’s at Pampa Biome from Brazil
Authors: Garcia Junior Manoel Daltro Nunes , Rakes Matheus , Pazini Juliano De Bastos , Pasini Rafael Antonio , Garcia Flávio Roberto Mello , Grützmacher Anderson Dionei
Published: May 2019

The growth of humankind has brought with it several environmental problems that have worsened over time, including the loss of insect biodiversity. The Odonata order have been indicated by several authors as relevant bioindicators for assessing and monitoring environmental conditions of specific locations. The main objective of this study was to conduct an inventory of the Odonata diversity in the Pampa Biome, of the Southern region of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The species survey was conducted between November 2014 and October 2015. Adult insects were collected in Capão do Leão, Pelotas and Rio Grande cities. Each location was visited nine times, totalizing 54 samplings. Entomological nets were used for capturing adult insects, which were then kept in entomological envelopes. The identification of the specimens was carried out with taxonomic keys of Lencioni and Heckman. In addition, Chao-1, the Shannon-Wiener and Jackknife indexes were associated with the sampling areas. During the species survey a total of 2 680 Odonata specimens were collected, representing 45 species encompassed in 22 genera and six families. The Libellulidae and Coenagrionidae families were registered in 60 and 30 % of the specimens sampled, followed of the Aeshnidae, Calopterygidae, Gomphidae and Lestidae, of reduced occurrence. The genera Erythrodiplax, Micrathyria and Ischnura were found at least once in all the visited sites. The study resulted in the registration for the first time of the following species: Progomphus complicatus Selys, Lestes minutus Selys, Homeoura ambigua Ris, and Tauriphila xiphea Ris. These species were not previously reported in any Odonata study of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. In regard to Odonata diversity in the Southern region of Rio Grande do Sul, Libellulidae and Coenagrionidae are the families more abundants. Erythrodiplax and Micrathyria are the most common genera. Miathyria marcella represented 9.6 % of all collected libellulidae and was the most abundant specie. Capão do Leão has the largest species diversity (wealth), the largest number of collected specimens and more diversity than Pelotas and Rio Grande. However, the results showed that the Odonatofauna in the State are still little known, and new studies are needed to better describe this group in other regions.
Catharanthus roseus (Apocynaceae) naturally infected with diverse phytoplasmas in Costa Rica
Authors: Villalobos William , Bottner-Parker Kristi D. , Lee Ing-Ming , Montero-Astúa Mauricio , Albertazzi Federico J. , Coto-Morales Teresita , Sandoval-Carvajal Izayana , Garita Laura C. , Moreira Lisela
Published: May 2019

Phytoplasmas (class Mollicutes) are causal agents of plant diseases with an economic impact on crops or threatening local biodiversity. A survey was conducted from 2012 to 2016 on infected Catharanthus roseus plants that exhibited symptoms reminiscent of phytoplasma infection throughout Costa Rica. A total of 73 plants were collected exhibiting symptoms such as virescence, phyllody, axillary proliferation, little leaf, leaf malformation, chlorosis, or yellowing. All samples were tested by nested PCR using phytoplasma universal and specific primer pairs. Phytoplasma infection was detected in 52 (71.2 %) of the plants collected. Phytoplasmas of six subgroups belonging to 16Sr groups I, III, IX, XIII and XV were identified based on sequencing and in silico RFLP analyses. ´Candidatus Phytoplasma asteris´ (16SrI) was the predominant group among the positive samples (n = 30) showing variety of symptoms and wide distribution from sea level to ca. 1 400 masl in six of the seven Costa Rican provinces. Group 16SrIII was the second most abundant (14 samples); and the remaining three groups were seldom found in C. roseus (8 samples). Moreover, group 16SrXIII phytoplasma was detected for the first time in the country. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of natural infection of C. roseus with phytoplasma subgroups 16SrI-B, 16SrI-P, 16SrIII-F, 16SrIX-F, 16SrXIII-A, and 16SrXV-B in Costa Rica and Central America.
Significados de reflexión sobre la acción docente en el estudiantado y sus formadores en una universidad chilena
Authors: Nocetti de la Barra Alejandra Viviana , Medina Moya Jose Luis
Published: May 2019

La política educativa chilena promueve la reflexión para mejorar la calidad de la formación docente. Resulta problemático que el cuerpo docente tenga dificultades para definir la reflexión y la utilicen como sinónimo de otros términos. El objetivo fue explorar la comprensión del significado que el profesorado en formación y sus formadores le dan a la reflexión pedagógica, profundizando en los vínculos que se establecen con el momento en el cual ocurre la reflexión y la racionalidad que la fundamenta. El enfoque metodológico fue interpretativo y se empleó un estudio de Casos Instrumental. Participaron 28 estudiantes de pedagogía en Biología quienes desarrollaban su práctica en la provincia de Concepción, seis formadores universitarios y 14 profesores guías de los centros de prácticas de los estudiantes. Se desarrollaron entrevistas en profundidad y focalizadas. Mediante análisis de contenido se observó el predominio de la reflexión entendida como proceso evaluativo, evidenciando una racionalidad técnica la cual separa la teoría y la práctica. Una minoría propone un significado deliberativo y no se encontró una noción crítica de reflexión. Se concluye que existe una vinculación entre la racionalidad del plan formativo, el significado de reflexión y el momento en que este proceso ocurre. Esto exige formadores universitarios y profesores guías que compartan una noción de reflexión y una actitud favorable hacia la reflexión práctica y crítica. Asimismo, se reconoce la importancia de revisar la racionalidad del plan de estudio, el cual podría constituir un obstáculo para que los profesores de biología en formación logren un mayor nivel de reflexión docente.
Docentes de audición y lenguaje itinerante: el trabajo colaborativo, reto pendiente para un nuevo perfil
Authors: Luque de la Rosa Antonio , Hernández Garre Carmen María , Fernández Martínez María del Mar , Carrión Martínez José Juan
Published: May 2019

Este estudio pretende contribuir a la comprensión de la realidad del maestro de audición y lenguaje itinerante en su actuación con la comunidad escolar, con los equipos de orientación educativa, al analizar la dimensión colaborativa y de coordinación en su labor, así como los obstáculos para su desarrollo. Esta investigación es abordada desde una metodología naturalista, utilizando como técnicas de recogida de información la entrevista, la observación y el análisis documental. El trabajo se ha llevado a cabo en un contexto de ámbito provincial, con siete unidades organizativas analizadas correspondientes a igual número de equipo de orientación y diez informantes clave. Entre los principales hallazgos se ha encontrado que el modelo educativo basado en el trabajo colaborativo y la coordinación docente, como base de la intervención de los maestros y maestras itinerantes de audición y lenguaje es todavía una reto pendiente de alcanzar. En concordancia con lo anterior, la coordinación entre maestros de audición y lenguaje y el centro es escasa, constatándose la inexistencia de periodos de dedicación a los centros y/o comunidades educativas para tareas de planificación, coordinación, atención, etc., lo cual dificulta su coordinación entre estos, a lo que se une un aparente desinterés familiar y la concepción como especialista-externo por parte de los centros. Teniendo en cuenta esta situación, se hace necesario replantear las líneas de actuación de estos docentes con objeto de potenciar mecanismos que canalicen estrategias de colaboración con los diversos actores incidentes en el proceso educativo del alumnado que atiende.