bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of a Spotted Fever Group Rickettsia Public Health Surveillance System in Tennessee
Authors: Fill Mary-Margaret A. , Moncayo Abelardo C. , Bloch Karen C. , Dunn John R. , Schaffner William , Jones Timothy F.
Published: July 2017

Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsioses are endemic in Tennessee, with ∼2,500 cases reported during 2000–2012. Because of this substantial burden of disease, we performed a three-part evaluation of Tennessee's routine surveillance for SFG rickettsioses cases and deaths to assess the system's effectiveness. Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) SFG rickettsioses surveillance records were matched to three patient series: 1) patients with positive serologic specimens from a commercial reference laboratory during 2010–2011, 2) tertiary medical center patients with positive serologic tests during 2007–2013, and 3) patients identified from death certificates issued during 1995–2014 with SFG rickettsiosis–related causes of death. Chart reviews were performed and patients were classified according to the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists' case definition. Of 254 SFG Rickettsia–positive serologic specimens from the reference laboratory, 129 (51%) met the case definition for confirmed or probable cases of rickettsial disease after chart review. The sensitivity of the TDH surveillance system to detect cases was 45%. Of the 98 confirmed or probable cases identified from the medical center, the sensitivity of the TDH surveillance system to detect cases was 34%. Of 27 patients identified by death certificates, 12 (44%) were classified as confirmed or probable cases; four (33%) were reported to TDH, but none were correctly identified as deceased. Cases of SFG rickettsioses were underreported and fatalities not correctly identified. Efforts are needed to improve SFG rickettsiosis surveillance in Tennessee.
Killing of Cryptosporidium sporozoites by Lactoferrin
Authors: Paredes Jose Luis , Sparks Hayley , White Jr. A. Clinton , Martinez-Traverso Griselle , Ochoa Theresa , Castellanos-González Alejandro
Published: July 2017

Intestinal infection caused by Cryptosporidium is a major contributor to diarrhea morbidity and mortality in young children around the world. Current treatments for children suffering from cryptosporidiosis are suboptimal. Lactoferrin is a glycoprotein found in breast milk. It has showed bacteriostatic and antimicrobial activity in the intestine. However, the effects of lactoferrin on the intestinal parasite Cryptosporidium have not been reported. In this study, we investigated the anticryptosporidial activity of human lactoferrin on different stages of Cryptosporidium. Physiologic concentrations of lactoferrin killed Cryptosporidium parvum sporozoites, but had no significant effect on oocysts viability or parasite intracellular development. Since sporozoites are essential for the infection process, our data reinforce the importance of breastfeeding and point to the potential of lactoferrin as a novel therapeutic agent for cryptosporidiosis.
Antibiotic Resistance in Young Children in Kilosa District, Tanzania 4 Years after Mass Distribution of Azithromycin for Trachoma Control
Authors: Bloch Evan M. , West Sheila K. , Mabula Kasubi , Weaver Jerusha , Mrango Zakayo , Munoz Beatriz , Lietman Thomas , Coles Christian
Published: July 2017

Mass administration of azithromycin (MDA) is integral to trachoma control. Recent studies suggest that MDA may increase drug-resistant pathogens, yet findings from prior studies suggest little long-term impact on resistance. This disparity may be linked to differences in pre-MDA community-level resistance patterns. We describe carriage prevalence and antibiotic resistance patterns for Streptococcus pneumoniae (Spn) (nasopharyngeal swab collection), Staphylococcus aureus (SA) (nasopharyngeal swabs), and Escherichia coli (EC) (rectal swabs) in 1,047 children ages 1–59 months in a district with MDA cessation 4 years ago. Antibiotic susceptibility was evaluated by disk diffusion and Etest. The carriage rates for Spn, SA, and EC were 43.5% (455/1,047), 13.2% (138/1,047), and 61.7% (646/1,047), respectively. Resistance to AZM was observed in 14.3%, 29.0%, and 16.6% of the Spn, SA, and EC isolates, respectively. Spn resistance was variable (0–67%) by hamlet. Future analyses will assess the influence of pre-MDA antibiotic resistance patterns on those observed following MDA.
The ‘bloody Moloch’: Osler and van Helmont on bloodletting
Authors: Donaldson IML
Published: July 2017

In a passage on the treatment of pneumonia, Osler quoted van Helmont’s remark that ‘a bloody Moloch presides in the chairs of medicine’. This paper explores Helmont’s use of ‘Moloch’ as a term of abuse against the bloodletting of traditional Galenist physicians and his vigorous opposition to the use of bleeding in treating diseases. The possible reasons for Helmont’s opposition to the practice of bloodletting are discussed, leading to the conclusion that it arose from his theories of the origin of diseases, reinforced by some observations of its malign effects on a patient who had been bled excessively. The question of whether Helmont knew of Harvey’s discovery of the circulation of the blood is explored and the conclusion reached that, if he did, he ignored it completely. Helmont believed that ‘pure’ and ‘impure’ blood coexisted in disease and could be affected selectively by bloodletting which, in effect, concentrated the ‘impure’ at the expense of the ‘pure’ blood to the great detriment of the patient.
Radiation Safety: Endodontic Perspective
Authors: Prasanth Dhanapal T , Joy Manayanipuram Noble , Anna Cherian Anuja
Published: July 2017

Endodontists belong to the category of specialist dentists who depend much on dental radiography. Starting from the stage of disease diagnosis, radiography is of much importance in different stages of endodontic therapy, and further on radiographic evaluation is a tool for assessment of endodontic treatment. There is a heavy dependency on dental radiography in some form or other in the speciality of endodontics. As is the case with any ionizing radiation, radiation hazard is a phenomenon that matters a lot to this group of dental professionals. There needs to be a change in our attitude toward radiation safety measures, as many of our professional colleagues are seen much not to be bothered about the cumulative outcomes of radiation hazard, which can create havoc in our professional and personal lives. This article outlines the potential hazards that can happen by routine radiographic utilization in endodontic setup and tries to highlight the measures that need to be taken to mitigate the negative effects.

How to cite this article

Manayanipuram NJ, Dhanapal P, George L, Charlie KM, Cherian AA. Radiation Safety: Endodontic Perspective. Cons Dent Endod J 2017;2(1):8-11.
Management of an Anterior Tooth with External and Internal Resorption
Authors: Anilkumar Aadit , Nazar Faisal , Rajendran Ratheesh
Published: July 2017

Tooth resorption is a condition associated with either a physiologic or a pathologic process resulting in a loss of dentin, cementum, and/or bone. Inflammatory process is initiated when the predentin or precemental layer of the tooth is damaged. Resorption can either be external or internal in form. In order to control the tooth resorption, it is necessary to treat the root canal by removing all the pulp tissue. Due to varied root canal morphology, root canal treatment poses a challenge for the clinician. In such cases a combination of conventional lateral compaction and thermoplasticized gutta percha can enable the three-dimensional obturation of the canal space. This case report describes a nonsurgical mode of management of a tooth having internal and external (surface) resorption.

How to cite this article

Anilkumar A, Nair KR, Nazar F, Rajendran R. Management of an Anterior Tooth with External and Internal Resorption. Cons Dent Endod J 2017;2(1):32-35.
Time varying parameter models for catchments with land use change: the importance of model structure
Authors: Pathiraja Sahani , Anghileri Daniela , Burlando Paolo , Sharma Ashish , Marshall Lucy , Moradkhani Hamid
Published: July 2017

Abstract. Rapid population and economic growth in South-East-Asia has been accompanied by extensive land use change with consequent impacts on catchment hydrology. Modelling methodologies capable of handling changing land use conditions are therefore becoming ever more important, and are receiving increasing attention from hydrologists. A recently developed Data Assimilation based framework that allows model parameters to vary through time in response to signals of change in observations is considered for a medium sized catchment (2880 km2) in Northern Vietnam experiencing substantial but gradual land cover change. We investigate the efficacy of the method as well as the importance of the chosen model structure in ensuring the success of time varying parameter methods. The framework was utilized with two conceptual models (HBV and HyMOD) that gave good quality streamflow predictions during pre-change conditions. Although both time varying parameter models gave improved streamflow predictions under changed conditions compared to the time invariant parameter model, persistent biases for low flows were apparent in the HyMOD case. It was found that HyMOD was not suited to representing the modified baseflow conditions, resulting in extreme and unrealistic time varying parameter estimates. This work shows that the chosen model can be critical for ensuring the time varying parameter framework successfully models streamflow under changed land cover conditions. It also serves as an effective tool for separating the influence of climatic and land use change in retrospective studies where the lack of a paired control catchment precludes such an assessment.
Land use change affects biogenic silica pool distribution in a subtropical soil toposequence
Authors: Unzué-Belmonte Dácil , Ameijeiras-Mariño Yolanda , Opfergelt Sophie , Cornelis Jean-Thomas , Barão Lúcia , Minella Jean , Meire Patrick , Struyf Eric
Published: July 2017

Abstract. Land use change (deforestation) has several negative consequences for the soil system. It is known to increase erosion rates, which affect the distribution of elements in soils. In this context, the crucial nutrient Si has received little attention, especially in a tropical context. Therefore, we studied the effect of land conversion and erosion intensity on the biogenic silica pools in a subtropical soil in the south of Brazil. Biogenic silica (BSi) was determined using a novel alkaline continuous extraction where Si ∕ Al ratios of the fractions extracted are used to distinguish BSi and other soluble fractions: Si ∕ Al > 5 for the biogenic AlkExSi (alkaline-extractable Si) and Si ∕ Al < 5 for the non-biogenic AlkExSi. Our study shows that deforestation can rapidly (< 50 years) deplete the biogenic AlkExSi pool in soils depending on the slope of the study site (10–53 %), with faster depletion in steeper sites. We show that higher erosion in steeper sites implies increased accumulation of biogenic Si in deposition zones near the bottom of the slope, where rapid burial can cause removal of BSi from biologically active zones. Our study highlights the interaction of erosion strength and land use for BSi redistribution and depletion in a soil toposequence, with implications for basin-scale Si cycling.
Unmanned aerial system nadir reflectance and MODIS nadir BRDF-adjusted surface reflectances intercompared over Greenland
Authors: Burkhart John Faulkner , Kylling Arve , Schaaf Crystal B. , Wang Zhuosen , Bogren Wiley , Storvold Rune , Solbø Stian , Pedersen Christina A. , Gerland Sebastian
Published: July 2017

Abstract. Albedo is a fundamental parameter in earth sciences, and many analyses utilize the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF)/albedo (MCD43) algorithms. While derivative albedo products have been evaluated over Greenland, we present a novel, direct comparison with nadir surface reflectance collected from an unmanned aerial system (UAS). The UAS was flown from Summit, Greenland, on 210 km transects coincident with the MODIS sensor overpass on board the Aqua and Terra satellites on 5 and 6 August 2010. Clear-sky acquisitions were available from the overpasses within 2 h of the UAS flights. The UAS was equipped with upward- and downward-looking spectrometers (300–920 nm) with a spectral resolution of 10 nm, allowing for direct integration into the MODIS bands 1, 3, and 4. The data provide a unique opportunity to directly compare UAS nadir reflectance with the MODIS nadir BRDF-adjusted surface reflectance (NBAR) products. The data show UAS measurements are slightly higher than the MODIS NBARs for all bands but agree within their stated uncertainties. Differences in variability are observed as expected due to different footprints of the platforms. The UAS data demonstrate potentially large sub-pixel variability of MODIS reflectance products and the potential to explore this variability using the UAS as a platform. It is also found that, even at the low elevations flown typically by a UAS, reflectance measurements may be influenced by haze if present at and/or below the flight altitude of the UAS. This impact could explain some differences between data from the two platforms and should be considered in any use of airborne platforms.
O silenciamento do debate da segurança pública nas narrativas jornalísticas sobre violência na Amazônia Paraense
Authors: Peter Samuel Kristopher-Jon , Do Espirito Santo Ferreira Junior Sergio , Cristina Costa Alda
Published: July 2017

Este trabalho objetiva refletir sobre como as narrativas produzidas pelos programas televisivos de caráter policial na Amazônia paraense contribuem para a negação de um debate sobre violência urbana e segurança pública. As narrativas midiáticas passam a se concentrar no crime, na criminalidade e nos fatos violentos, estabelecendo um silenciamento sobre segurança pública como forma de compreender o problema social violência, apontando para a consolidação de um industrialismo da violência, em que os meios de comunicação ignoram e institucionalizam a negação do debate. As narrativas são construídas por meio da reticência sobre as práticas de políticas públicas, da visibilidade e seletividade das instituições, da adesão irrestrita aos dados e informações institucionais, dentre outras práticas midiáticas que privilegiam a violência como ocorrência, mais do que como problemática social complexo. O corpus a ser analisado consiste num recorte dos programas televisivos de duas emissoras paraenses: Rede Brasil Amazônia de Televisão – RBATV e Record Belém.
Close de Garota: A Representação da Mulher Transexual em Campanhas de Beleza
Authors: Barreto Malta Renata , Oliveira dos Santos Ruhan Victor , Cruz Reis Ana Alinny
Published: July 2017

As relações entre publicidade, gênero e representação frequentemente convergem em um cenário de debates e contestações. A crítica a um modelo de produção publicitário que reforça os padrões hegemônicos de raça e dos binarismos compulsórios entre sexo e gênero tem sido contraposta a um movimento tímido e ainda recente por novos modelos de representação. Por meio do arcabouço teórico dos Estudos Culturais, esse artigo analisa a representação da mulher transexual em vídeos publicitários das marcas Redken, Clean &Clear, MAC, Avon e L’oréal entre janeiro de 2015 a maio de 2016. Utilizando abordagem teórico-metodológica proposta por Bordwell (2008), buscamos compreender em qual contexto a mulher transexual é posicionada e quais significados podem ser percebidos na construção de uma narrativa ideológica sobre a experiência transexual.
América do Sul e os desafios da integração regional: a UNASUL como paradigma na cobertura do Portal teleSUR
Authors: Alves de Almeida Domingos , Shuen Li-Chang
Published: July 2017

Este trabalho tem como objetivo discutir o papel da União de Nações Sul-americanas (Unasul) no processo de integração regional da América do Sul e analisar os desafios enfrentados por esse bloco geopolítico na atualidade. Utilizamos a perspectiva teórica da integração regional e do campo da comunicação e evocamos os preceitos da Teoria Construcionista (SOUSA, 2002). Além da revisão de literatura, utilizamos como metodologia a Análise do Discurso (AD) de vertente francesa, na perspectiva de Eni Orlandi (2010), aplicada à cobertura do portal de notícias da rede de televisão teleSUR, especificamente sobre a X Cúpula Unasul, realizada no dia 28 de janeiro de 2016, em Quito, capital equatoriana e sede da entidade. Aponta-se para a construção, ainda que discursiva, de uma autonomia regional, baseada nas potencialidades da América do Sul.
Sila nestálosti: volatilita voličov na Slovensku vo voľbách 2016
Authors: Gyárfášová Oľga , Bahna Miloslav , Slosiarik Martin
Published: July 2017

Electoral behavior in Slovakia is characterized by high instability. The study identifies the level of aggregated and individual volatility from a historical perspective, focusing specifically on the 2016 general election. Based on exit-poll data, it argues that the traditional mainstream parties (KDH, SDKU, which failed to surpass the 5% threshold, and also Smer-SD) have lost many of their loyal core voters. The beneficiaries of voter mobility were the new anti-system parties – above all, We Are A Family and the extreme-right People’s Party Our Slovakia (ĽSNS). The paper identifies a specific segment of the electorate – voters who abstained in 2012 but were mobilized for the more recent election. It argues that as the turnouts were about the same in 2012 and 2016, other segments of voters were mobilized in the 2016 election. The fact that a large proportion of these voters decided for the parties We Are A Family and ĽSNS means that they were effectively addressed by a protest, anti-establishment alternative. Based on exit-poll data, the study argues that the level of abstention in the 2012 general election (excluding first-time voters) was the strongest predictor of voter preference for these two parties. Moreover, the extreme-right ĽSNS has been very successful in attracting first-time voters.
Zonas con potencial agroturístico en la región citrícola de Nuevo León, México: un análisis a partir del álgebra de mapas
Authors: Alcalá Escamilla Brenda , López López Álvaro
Published: July 2017

La Región Citrícola de Nuevo León se caracteriza por una tradición agrícola de más de un siglo en el cultivo de naranjas, mandarinas y toronjas. No obstante, en los últimos años ha buscado diversificar y eslabonar la agricultura con el turismo. El objetivo del estudio fue identificar a través de un análisis de álgebra de mapas zonas con potencial agroturístico mediante la ubicación, coincidencia y concentración de la citricultura, la agroindustria, los recursos de interés turístico, la infraestructura básica, los servicios de vinculación turística y la accesibilidad.
Preferencias y valoración de los navegantes europeos en Canarias (España)
Authors: Lam González Yen Elízabeth , León González Carmelo Javier , De León Ledesma Javier
Published: July 2017

El turismo náutico es un sector estratégico para el desarrollo turístico de España y para la sostenibilidad de sus destinos tradicionales, aun cuando existen pocos estudios en esta área. Para Canarias el sector es prioritario, con una reconocida apuesta pública por la especialización del Archipiélago y su reposicionamiento como destino náutico de excelencia a nivel europeo. El presente artículo, resultado de encuestar a 122 navegantes de nacionalidad europea en tránsito por Canarias entre 2013 y 2014, aborda el estudio de las preferencias y motivaciones de viaje de estos turistas náuticos, y profundiza en el análisis contrastado de sus percepciones y valoraciones del puerto y el destino náutico. Los resultados obtenidos permiten elaborar una serie de recomendaciones en torno a la oferta náutico-turística, y a las estrategias de gestión y de promoción del destino.
Análisis de los perfiles de corta y larga duración de los turistas de ocio de Barcelona
Authors: Moll de Alba Jorge , Prats Lluís , Coromina Lluís
Published: July 2017

Este artículo analiza el efecto de la duración de la estancia en relación a los conceptos de motivación, satisfacción, imagen, repetitividad y recomendación. El modelo teórico se basa en la literatura y utiliza una metodología de ecuaciones estructurales a través de un análisis multigrupo. El tamaño de la muestra es de 10,953 encuestas a turistas. Los resultados confirman la mayoría de las hipótesis. Por ejemplo, la imagen tiene un efecto en la repetitividad, recomendación y satisfacción. Además, se encuentran diferencias en los efectos de las variables según los turistas de short y long break.
Incidencia de factores personales y laborales en los salarios del sector hostelero: una visión de género
Authors: Ons-Cappa Míriam , García-Pozo Alejandro , Sánchez-Ollero José Luis
Published: July 2017

Este artículo aporta evidencia empírica sobre las diferencias en los rendimientos salariales desde una perspectiva de género en el sector hostelero español, comparándolas con otros sectores de la economía española. Mediante la estimación de una función minceriana, los resultados obtenidos revelan una significativa diferencia negativa del rendimiento del capital humano en la hostelería frente al resto de sectores y una mayor penalización salarial asociada al rendimiento educativo para el caso de la mujer en la hostelería, en contraposicicón a lo que ocurre en el resto de sectores analizados.
Análisis del equilibrio entre el potencial turístico y la oferta de alojamientos en turismo rural mediante técnicas de estadística espacial. Una aplicación a la provincia de Cáceres (España)
Authors: Sánchez Martín José Manuel , Sánchez Rivero Marcelino , Rengifo Gallego Juan Ignacio
Published: July 2017

La distribución de la oferta de alojamiento rural se concentra en espacios muy concretos coincidentes, en buena parte de los casos, con la presencia de los atractivos naturales más relevantes. Entre ellos destacan el relieve y la red hidrográfica como elementos preferidos por la demanda. No obstante, parte de la oferta alojativa se localiza en áreas con menos aptitudes para desarrollar esta modalidad turística. Por ello, proponemos realizar un análisis que nos permita determinar la bondad de la adecuación entre la oferta y el atractivo turístico mediante la utilización de estadística espacial. En concreto, se propone utilizar la regresión geográficamente ponderada y su modelo de ajuste para determinar si los alojamientos se localizan en las zonas idóneas o, por el contrario, están en áreas menos adecuadas para la práctica del turismo rural.
La oferta turística vinculada a las áreas de influencia socioeconómica de los parques nacionales de Castilla-La Mancha: Tablas de Daimiel y Cabañeros
Authors: Serrano Gil Óscar , Aparicio Guerrero Ana Eulalia
Published: July 2017

La declaración de un nuevo Espacio Natural Protegido (ENP) sobre un territorio determinado, especialmente si esa declaración es la mayor figura de protección que recoge la normativa estatal (Parque Nacional), supone, entre otros factores, un revulsivo económico para las Áreas de Influencia Socioeconómica (AIS) en las que se sitúan, llegando a convertirse, en algunos casos, en un complemento a las economías locales dominadas principalmente por la agricultura y la ganadería. El turismo rural y de naturaleza, aunque no es la panacea universal ni representa la solución definitiva a algunos de los problemas que presenta el mundo rural, se ha convertido, por el valor que puede generar en estos territorios (Daimiel y Cabañeros), en una herramienta indispensable para el desarrollo social y económico de las áreas protegidas.
L’engagement professionnel affectif chez les nouveaux enseignants du primaire et du secondaire : une étude canadienne1
Authors: Barroso da Costa Carla , Loye Nathalie
Published: July 2017

Dans le monde actuel, les enseignants doivent constamment s’adapter aux changements sociaux et économiques. L’adaptation à ces transformations s’accompagne de plusieurs défis pour les nouveaux enseignants. À force de persévérer, un certain nombre d’entre eux franchissent les obstacles imposés par la profession grâce à leur engagement professionnel affectif qui les incite à continuer à exercer leurs activités d’enseignement. Les auteurs de la présente étude analysent des éléments liés à l’engagement professionnel affectif de 483 nouveaux enseignants canadiens du primaire et du secondaire, en utilisant la modélisation aux équations structurelles. Les résultats mettent en évidence l’importance de la satisfaction extrinsèque au travail, du sentiment de compétence et des expériences émotionnelles pour la variabilité de l’engagement professionnel affectif. Pour les nouveaux enseignants, les émotions positives en classe sont le facteur principal lié à l’engagement professionnel affectif.
Analyse des caractéristiques du contexte éducatif qui favorisent le développement d’attitudes de leadership1
Authors: Rubat du Merac Émiliane
Published: July 2017

Cette recherche se propose d’analyser l'effet de la perception des contextes éducatifs de la classe et de la troupe scoute sur les attitudes et capacités de leadership (value-based leadership) des adolescents de 15 et 16 ans. L'étude a été menée sur un échantillon de jugement, composé de 600 élèves et 231 Scouts inscrits en 4eet 5esecondaire à Rome. Les instruments utilisés sontl’Educational context perception questionnaire -ECPQ, et laSocially responsible leadership scale-SRLSà laquelle a été ajoutée une échelle de Capacités de leadership. Les analyses confirment l'hypothèse que le contexte éducatif a un impact sur le développement du leadership des adolescents. Cet article décrit les résultats en termes de leadership, de perception du groupe classe et scout et d’impact du contexte éducatif sur les attitudes et capacités de leadership. Les différences liées au genre, au fait d’assumer ou non des responsabilités au sein de l’établissement scolaire, d’aimer ou non l’école, d’être perçu comme un bon ou mauvais élève, sont aussi présentées.
The integrity of persons elected, appointed or exercising public functions
Authors: Nano Agathi
Published: July 2017

By decision no. 32 of 2015, “On the establishment of a special parliamentary commission for the implementation of the issues in the resolution on the agreement between the majority and the opposition in the Albanian Parliament” was approved the establishment of a special parliamentary commission for the implementation of the resolution adopted on 24 December 2014, which, among other things, foresaw the commitment of the parties involved to work together with consensus, supported by the European Union, on the issue of individuals with criminal records, who hold a public post or seek to be elected or appointed to one, based on European standards and the assistance of the Venice Commission. On 17 December 2015, Members of the Albanian Parliament adopt by consensus the constitutional amendments and legislative framework which are necessary to introduce in our country a clear mechanism for the exclusion of criminal offenders from public offices. In this paper we examine regulatory issues relating to the legal framework necessary to guarantee the integrity of public officials, the verification and ascertainment of the prohibition of exercising public functions and the implementation of the prohibitive measures provided for by law no. 138/2015 “On guaranteeing the integrity of the persons elected and/or appointed to, or exercising public functions”, the so called “decriminalisation” law.
The manifestation of disturbing behavior on adolescents as a result of using violent video-games
Authors: Papa Gusho Leticja , Mitrushi Marsela
Published: July 2017

The use of violent video-games among teenagers is becoming undisputed. The goal of this study is identifying the video-game typology played by teenagers in two most important High Schools in the two most important cities of Albania and present the effect of this video-games. There were twenty-six participants in this study, all students in the tenth grade.  Of these selected students, sixteen were boys and ten were girls. For selecting the participants in the study, it was used the accidental sampling method and for the data collection it was used the semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis is used to analyze the data collected.  One of the most interesting findings of this study is that the use of violent video-games can cause a remodeling in teenager’s behavior, accompanied by a psychological vitality, which in many cases could be negative, especially when this experience is direct. The study doesn’t have a generalizing character.
Three growing questions about Masonry
Authors: Crimi Davide C.
Published: July 2017

Through three capital questions, this short essay tries to offer a general panorama and a better understanding of the proteiform complex body or Masonry. Through by a multi-level hermeneutic, this study get the ambition to be comprehensible both to Readers who are not used to this kind of literature and to the ones advanced and skilled in symbolic thought. The main important conclusion owes the quality of the symbolic level, which is the property to refuse a single interpretation: notwithstanding, this does not prevent from a clear historical and political evaluation of the phenomena under analysis, according the methodologies of social sciences. This political evaluability drives to the main valuable output of the essay, which concerns the anthropological statement that the logical label of Masonry, with this name or many others, it exists since always. Under the category of initiatory institution, we may consider the step between individual and society, and a society inside a larger one. Evolving from the needs of the individuals to the ones of social groups, the matter joins to the land of political sciences. The sociological meaning can be posed under analytic view in reason of the functionalist meaning emerging from the alternative couples status-quo/emancipation and conservatism/progressivism. Through by this perspective, anyway the theme seems not to reveal much more, because this “proteiform complex body” manifest itself as something too much complex in its inner core to be considered in a way or in another. What remains is strictly symbolic, with some theological and eschatological points that refuse to be posed under restrain.
The Code of the Administrative Procedures according to the Principle of the Power Separation and Balancing in the Central and Local Government Bodies in Albania
Authors: Sadushi Mimoza , Shatku Saimir
Published: July 2017

Different authors at different times have given an unequal definition to the term of public administration compared to what it is used today. The author Georges Vestel has defined the public administration as “the set of activities aimed at maintaining the public peace and meeting other needs of the general interest. This definition corresponds to the etymology of the term administration - “administration” which means “to serve”. But Jean-Jacques Rousseau in his work, Social Charter, defined the public administration under the government term. He stated that: “I call a government or a supreme administration the legitimate exercise of the executive power. Some authors use “administrative” and “executive” terms in an alternate way, with the same meaning. Other authors make a clear distinction between terms. They define the state administration as “an activity which is carried out for the concrete fulfilment of the functions of the state and the duties of the organs of the state administration”. So these authors distinguish the state administration from the executive activity which the executive bodies perform. The paper aims to suggest a set of strategies and improvements by starting from a theoretical background of the definition of power balance and separation in public administration and governing bodies and its evolutionary definition over time, and by reflecting those findings as a set of suggestions, by considering the actual Albanian Code of Administrative procedures, strategies and practices.
Editorial: Humour in Eastern European countries
Authors: Shilikhina Ksenia
Published: July 2017

Editorial: Humour in Eastern European countries
A compendium of ERK targets
Authors: Ünal Evrim B. , Uhlitz Florian , Blüthgen Nils
Published: July 2017

The RAF‐MEK‐ERK cascade is one of the most studied signaling pathways as it controls many vital cellular programs. There has been an immense amount of effort to determine ERK target proteins involved in regulating these programs. Classical biochemical and genetic approaches have elicited hundreds of direct ERK substrates, and with the advent of phospho‐proteomic technologies, numerous studies have expanded the number of ERK target proteins. Here, we compile a comprehensive ERK target phospho‐site archive, in which we gathered information from various research studies, and we provide this archive as an online database to form a searchable compendium of ERK targets.
Ancient Narratives ofChina
Authors: Ye Yang
Published: July 2017

In the Chinese tradition, fiction was, for a long time, generally considered to be lowbrow and trivial as a literary genre. The Chinese term for fiction,xiao shuo(literally “small talk”), was used as early as in theMonograph on Artsin theHistory of the Han, a work from the first centuryce, during China's Early Imperial Period, where it was defined as “street gossip, talk of the town, and hearsay from travelers,” and those who engaged in the composition ofxiao shuowere placed at the very last in the categorization of authors. Over many centuries, a large variety of miscellaneous writings fell under the genre ofxiao shuo, or fiction, includingmythology, fable, anecdote, and the supernatural tale.
Ancient Narratives of
S
outh
A
sia
Authors: McCrea Lawrence
Published: July 2017

South Asian literature, in the broadest sense of that term, begins with the Vedic scriptures, the earliest of which is the
Rigveda
(ca. 1500–1000
bce
). The earliest portions of the Vedic corpus consist of versified hymns, typically addressed to one or more divine beings and invoking their blessings. These hymns contain frequent allusions to what must have been well‐known stories of the deeds of the gods, but these are generally brief and cryptic. A few hymns take the form of dialogues, but these too are opaque and allusive; there is little in the way of straightforward narrative. The later Vedic canon, particularly the prose texts called
Brahmanas
(ca. 1000–500
bce
) that grew up around the earlier collections of hymns, contains many, mostly brief, narrative sections, some providing context for the hymns themselves, and others explaining or providing justifications for elements of the elaborate rituals prescribed by the texts.
Asian American Novel
Authors: Lee James Kyung‐Jin
Published: July 2017

Since the 1970s, writers and critics have struggled to determine the contours around which a novel—and the larger culture from which it derives—might be considered “Asian American.” The Asian American novel, according to generic convention, might be defined as a novel written by a person of Asian descent who resides in the U.S. But such delineation would be put under almost immediate crisis. For there is little if any agreement over what constitutes any of these terms: Asian, American, or novel.
Bildungsroman/Künstlerroman
Authors: Slaughter Joseph R.
Published: July 2017

Bildungsromanis the technical German term for the “novel of formation,” popularly known as the coming‐of‐age novel. There is no complete consensus on what constitutes a bildungsroman; the term can be capacious enough to cover any story of social initiation that maybe found in any culture, or it can be so narrowly construed that, as one critic has quipped, only three and a half examples may be included among a small group of late eighteenth‐century German novels, of which Johann Wolfgang von Goethe'sWilhelm Meisters Lehrjahre(1795–96,The Apprenticeship of Wilhelm Meister)is typically taken to be the epitome (Sammons). However, the original impulse for the genre is generally traced to the philosophical humanism of the German Romantics—including Johann Gottfried von Herder (1744–1803), Friedrich von Schiller (1759–1805), Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831), Goethe, and Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767–1835). In its ideal form, the bildungsroman narrates “the reconciliation of the problematic individual… with concrete social reality,” in whose structures and institutions the protagonist finds “responses to the innermost demands of his soul” (Lukács, 132–33). In other words, the early idealistic German novels imagine the possibility of the individual and society achieving a mutually beneficial and fulfilling harmony (see lukács, philosophical).
British Isles (18th Century)
Authors: Richetti John
Published: July 2017

Narrative fiction in Britain in the first two decades of the eighteenth century was not substantially different from what it had been in the later seventeenth century. After the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 and into the early decades of the eighteenth century, British fiction (including many translations from French and Spanish) breaks down into a few types. The novel, as it is now understood, did not yet exist (see
definitions
). Long prose narratives (more than, say, a hundred printed pages) dealing with the lives of fictional but realistically rendered individuals did exist. For example, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's
Don Quixote
(1605, 1615) is one of the founding texts of the modern novel genre. So, too, Spanish and French
picaresque
fiction, a genre Cervantes's novel has affinities with, narrates the racy lives of marginal characters and
picaros
(rogues or criminals) and portrays the lower levels of society: for example, the anonymous
Lazarillo de Tormes
(1554), a short tale of a resourceful servant boy, Francisco de Quevedo's
El buscón
(1604,
The Swindler)
, and Mateo Alemán's
Guzman de Alfarache
(1599–1604), which narrate the adventures of minor criminals, were all widely read in English translations. Richard Head's and Francis Kirkman's popular
The English Rogue
(1665, but appearing in sequels and abridgments until 1759), which was much imitated in titles such as
The French Rogue
(1672) or
The Dutch Rogue
(1683), is closely modeled on Alemán's book, and “Guzman” became a synonym for rogue. At the end of the seventeenth century, many accounts of actual criminals were presented in quasi‐fictional form which was influenced by the picaresque tradition, such as Francis Kirkman's
The Counterfeit Lady Unveiled
(1673), the life of the con woman Mary Moders (1642–73), and Elkanah Settle's
The Complete Memoirs of the Life of that Notorious Impostor Will Morrell
(1694).
British Isles (20th Century)
Authors: Marx John
Published: July 2017

In the twentieth century, prose fiction circulated in a highly stratified literary marketplace. To grapple with “the novel” in this century, therefore, is to come to grips with the form's plurality. Publishers and critics sorted an ever‐greater quantity of novels into ever‐proliferating categories ofgenreand aesthetic type for an ever‐more diverse readership. Such differentiation was well underway in the Victorian era, which was already busily generating reproducible modes, including thedetective noveland the imperialromance. In the twentieth century, however, the production and reproduction of genres became subject to new institutional forces as publishers and periodicals competed and collaborated with new university programs in literature to codify, contest, and disseminate literary tastes (seenovel theory, 20thc.). If London remained the organizational hub for an increasingly global book trade, the British university was responsible for formulating and then exporting a discipline organized around a canon of English literature. That canon's exact parameters were frequently disputed, however, depending on who was speaking and from where.
Canada
Authors: Cabajsky Andrea
Published: July 2017

The novel in Canada has developed formally and thematically in relation to changing conceptions of the Canadian identity. From popular romances written in English and French, which dominated literary production in the mid‐eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, to subgenres of literary
romance
and
realism
that proliferated in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the novel's changing structures and themes reflect the variously imperial, bicultural, regionalist, and pluralist conceptions of Canada that have comprised the nation's complex cultural and political life since the publication of the first Canadian novel, Frances Brooke's
The History of Emily Montague
(1769). Renowned Canadian novelists today include Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, Antonine Maillet, and Anne Hébert. Their popularity in Canada and abroad has reflected widespread readerly interest in Canada's cultural, regional, and linguistic heterogeneity. Earlier novelists, such as John Richardson, Philippe Aubert de Gaspé, Susanna Moodie, Hugh MacLennan, and Gabrielle Roy, among others, garnered popular and critical attention for their works which variously negotiate the formative relationship between individuals and societies at key moments in Canada's sociopolitical development.
C
aribbean
Authors: Díaz Roberto Ignacio
Published: July 2017

Divided by several languages and split into diverse political entities, the Caribbean is often difficult to imagine as one clearly recognizable cultural or literary community. The Caribbean archipelago includes thirteen sovereign states—from Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba, which obtained their independence in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to Jamaica, Trinidad, Tobago, and seven other former British colonies now part of the Commonwealth of Nations—as well as territories variously linked to old and new imperial powers, including Guadeloupe and Martinique, overseas departments of France; Puerto Rico, a U.S. commonwealth; Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles, self‐governing regions within the evolving Kingdom of the Netherlands; plus numerous possessions of Britain, France, and the U.S. The languages of the Caribbean include standard and non‐standard versions of Spanish and English, French and French‐based creóles, and Dutch and Papiamentu, plus various others (Alleyne, 166), a linguistic plurality that bespeaks and contributes to a fragmentation within the Caribbean by distancing geographical neighbors, even as the same plurality draws some places closer to more distant cultural configurations. Authors and readers in the Spanish‐speaking Caribbean, for instance, have stronger bonds with their counterparts in other parts of Latin America, or even Spain, than with literary communities in, say, Barbados or Guadeloupe, which, in turn, are drawn to larger bodies, such as Commonwealth and Francophone literatures, respectively.
C
entral
A
merica
Authors: Osegueda Roy C. Boland
Published: July 2017

Although Central America is a cultural mosaic, it shares a common literary tradition within the six Spanish‐speaking republics of Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. The Central American novel is thought to begin in Guatemala with
La hija del adelantado
(1866, The Governor's Daughter), by José Milla. He initiated a vogue for historical
romances
followed in Nicaragua by José Dolores Gámez, in Panama by Gil Colunje, and in Costa Rica by Manuel Argüello. Guatemalan Agustín Meneos Franco drew inspiration from Walter Scott and Alexandre Dumas for
Don Juan Núñez García
(1898), a stirring account of an Indian rebellion against colonial rule in Chiapas, while Honduran Carlos F. Gutiérrez wrote a curious historical romance,
Angelina
(1898), which combines themes of mystery, madness, and honor with eroticism.
Closure
Authors: Merrill Trevor Cribben
Published: July 2017

Closure conventionally denotes a satisfying sense of completion at the end of a literary work. The term is no mere synonym for “ending,” as a poem or novel can stop without providing closure. In other words, closure suggests not just the de facto end‐point of a literary text but some kind of relief or release. In popular psychology, it refers to a therapeutic resolution to trauma, a final stage in the grieving process. In
The Sense of an Ending
(1967), considered a seminal mid‐century contribution to scholarly debates on closure, Frank Kermode argues that we need fictive ends to grasp time as something meaningful and human: there is an innate anthropological hunger for closure, yet at the same time a desire for peripeteia and surprise. We like our expectations to be thwarted before they are satisfied.
Decorum/Verisimilitude
Authors: Hendel William T.
Published: July 2017

“Decorum” refers to the norm of propriety in a literary work, and maybe understood in various possible, often overlapping ways. Decorum requires, first, the author to adopt a style and tone appropriate to the work'sgenreand subject matter, and to represent the speech and actions of individual characters in a manner appropriate to their respective stations in life. Just as, for instance, a tragic work requires a serious tone and style, so must a king speak with the grandness of a king, and a peasant act with the simple rusticity of a peasant (seedialect). Second, decorum refers more generally to the appropriateness of the literary work for reception by the public. Historically, decorum required that nothing should appear in a literary work that would offend against the given culture's prevailing moral and social norms.
Early
A
merican Novel
Authors: Tennenhouse Leonard
Published: July 2017

Most accounts of the American novel show it serving to shape the nation or what Benedict Anderson calls an “imagined community.” These accounts scour early American novels for self‐conscious signs of
national
aspiration, nominate characters as early versions of the ideal citizen‐subject, analyze plots for what they may say about a national politics, study landscapes for their uniquely American topography, and explain the sheer number of
gothic
and sentimental texts in terms of how they sought to unite a disparate readership around those aspirations, ideals, and political goals. While a few novels reward the stalwart critic with evidence to justify one or more of these procedures, most do not, especially those written before the 1820s. Critics consequently skip over most early examples of American fiction and settle on James Fenimore Cooper's frontier fiction—particularly
The Pioneers
(1823),
The Last of the Mohicans
(1826), and
The Prairie
(1827)—as the first to create a uniquely American hero to mediate the struggle among the different groups—French, British, American, and Native American—which gave shape and coherence to the new nation.
Epic
Authors: Toohey Peter
Published: July 2017

The three most famous works of ancient epic poetry are the
Iliad
and the
Odyssey
by Homer (ninth or eighth century
bce
?) and the
Aeneid
by Virgil (70–19
bce
). This trio overshadows the many other extant examples of Greek and Roman epic poetry. Little wonder. These three poems represent the pinnacle of ancient literary achievement in the West. Their prominence, however, has led to the neglect both by classicists and by readers of modern literature of a number of other very interesting texts. This neglect tends to distort the manner by which ancient epic, and perhaps epic generally, is understood.