New Horizons For Research Research Articles

Comparison between Althamy and Khaqani In Terms Of Grieving For a Lost Child

Comparative literature is a valuable knowledge which has enlightened new horizons for research and study in the context of literature. It includes a comparison between two or more languages and literatures in terms of value for similar works, elements, styles, periods and effects and influences of scholars. This paper is a comparative study which tends to compare two famous and popular Odes from two great poets of the rich literatures of Arabic and Persian. One of these two odes is A. Althamy's and the other belongs to Khaqani Shervani. These two poets have written these odes as a grieving for a lost child. The paper introduces the poets via providing a short summary of their personal and social status and further, introduces a comparative analysis on the aforementioned two odes. Afterwards, the two odes are compared in terms of meaning, concept, shape and method (fashion). It is also tried to technically explain the lexical and semantic similarities that exist between these two odes.

Bíblia, mídia e fundamentalismo: obstáculos para o estudo acadêmico da história antiga de Israel

This article aims to analyze how the biblical text, the media and the fundamentalism constitute themselves as obstacles to a critical investigation of the history of Israel. We also intend to denounce the conservatism that prevailed in the studies about ancient Israel so that for a long time what has been observed is the existence of a biblical history of Israel and not exactly an academic history which, to some extent, has distanced the ancient Israel from professional discussions in the sphere of ancient eastern history. Nevertheless we aim to present new horizons of research besides demonstrating how the exegetical and archaeological research impacted the relevant historiography for ancient Israeli society.

Meeting report from "Frontiers in Nutritional Science: Nutritional Metabolomics".

The potential for transforming nutritional and health research through the discovery and application of non-invasive markers of dietary intake and metabolic status is profound. The science of metabolomics for the fingerprinting of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from expired human breath holds great promise in this regard. Coupled with tools utilising sensor technology, breath volatile signatures allow a new horizon of research in which indicators of metabolic risk and indicators of dietary intake could be collected at a population level with unprecedented simplicity and low cost. Metabolomics (measuring metabolites from physiological process) provides a “window into the body”, which could transform how we measure health, how we identify and monitor people most at risk of disease and the way we monitor food intake. [...]

Virtual patients as activities: exploring the research implications of an activity theoretical stance.

Virtual patients are computer-based simulators of patient encounters for the purposes of instruction, practice, and assessment. Although virtual patients have been around for some time they have yet to become part of mainstream medical education. A major reason for this would seem to be a lack of clarity as to what educational value virtual patients actually have. This paper argues that virtual patients should be seen as activities rather than artifacts and that activity theory can be used to generate different ways to frame scholarship in and around virtual patients. Drawing on the work of Leont’ev and Engeström this paper describes a range of perspectives based on the operations, actions, and objectives in and around virtual patients; the use of virtual patients to mediate activities; and the sociocultural context and the participants in virtual patient activities. This approach allows us to move beyond the ‘does or does not work’ discourse of much of the existing scholarship around virtual patients and, to an extent, around educational technologies as a whole. Activity perspectives, and activity theory in particular, offer new horizons for research and evaluation that address many of the limitations of intervention-based paradigms of inquiry.

Sustainability and heritage: from a case study, new horizon of research

Changes in contemporary age force the scientific community to face the challenges of sustainability also within the historical context. It is not just a purely investigation on ecological footprint or energy efficiency; it is a crucial issue for human activity and behaviour. The article presents the new horizon of research opened within the work of a multidisciplinary group on the complex of the Albergo dei Poveri of Genoa, in order to facilitate its complete re-use as humanistic didactic university pole. The research is finalised to set up a knowledge system to improve the management process of any future intervention on the complex, touching the four pillars of sustainability: economics, environmental, social and cultural, beyond the purely technical and energetic sphere. Main objective is also to reach more general results, touching also the methodological sphere.

Modal Analysis of Nanoparticles Reinforced Natural Rubber

The voids in microstructural network of rubber favors the reinforcement of micro and nanosized fillers with a wide range of physical and mechanical properties. This phenomenon of nanofiller reinforcement opens a new horizon for researchers with a tremendous scope to design and investigate nanocomposite materials especially for energy storage, shock absorbing and vibration damping applications. In this study the possibilities of designing a new nanocomposite vibration damper is investigated through the mode of reinforcement of alumina-zirconia (Al2O3-ZrO2) hybrid nanocomposite particles in natural rubber (NR). TEM images of nanoparticles indicate clearly the particle size and reinforcement of ZrO2 in Al2O3 matrix and SEM images of nanocomposite NR shows the surface morphology and entanglement of elastomeric chains. Finite element method is applied to validate the results and it was recorded that the free vibration amplitude decay time is reduced by 25% alongwith excellent 260% enhancement in storage modulus with 15% filler concentration. A sensitivity analysis is carried out for the improvement in storage modulus of nanocomposite rubber as a function of nanofiller concentration.

Strategic Role of HRD in Employee Skill Development: An Employer Perspective

Literature shows that an employee’s skill development is dependent on its HR Department, especially in today’s dynamic and uncertain environment, it is very important that HRD activities should be carried out in the organization while paving the way for future sustainability and to cope with the challenges / competition of global arena. In this regards, HRD role could be effective only if the employer is interested to invest on employee skill development. What exactly is employer’s perspective is the motive of this paper to be explored while focusing Pakistani Manufacturing Industry included in KSE-100 Index. The paper is based on presenting the employers’ perspective through secondary data of 20 manufacturing units of Pakistan from KSE-100 index; though, theoretical view has also been organized. Strategic role of HRD, employee skill development, employer perspective generally and then focusing Pakistani employers through literature insights are argued thoroughly. However, interconnection between HRD’s role and employee skill development and employer has been the focus of this paper while highlighting its importance and effect. Moreover, the behavior and attitude of Pakistani Employer has been discussed practically while showing the current behavior and needs for improvement on investing on employees. Additionally, Employer’s perspective hasn’t been discussed earlier in the literature, especially focusing Pakistani Industry which opens new horizon for researchers to focus, an emerging market of developing country.

The Future of Human–Landscape Interactions: Drawing on the Past, Anticipating the Future

Without question, humanity is at a crossroad amidst rapid environmental changes. Some of these changes are natural, such as climate variability, but human-induced alterations on Earth have accelerated in recent decades, reaching a scale and intensity like never before. Virtually no place on Earth remains untouched by human activity. With a growing human population expected to exceed 10 billion people in coming decades (United Nations 2010), human interactions with Earth will likely continue to accelerate. A formal proposal to name a new timeframe within the Geological Time Scale, the ‘‘Anthropocene’’ (Crutzen and Stoermer 2000), is in development for consideration by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (Zalasiewicz et al. 2011). This proposed geologic timeframe recognizes the undeniable role of human activity in affecting Earth’s functioning, and is now widely debated among academic scientists, practitioners, and the public alike (e.g., Balter 2013). In light of increasing recognition of human interactions with Earth, this special feature explores new scientific questions and frameworks for tackling research frontiers for understanding human–landscape systems. These questions and frameworks derive from multidisciplinary perspectives, developing from discussions among 50 physical, social, and biological scientists gathered in a 3-day workshop sponsored by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), held at the University of Oregon, USA (Chin et al. 2010). The workshop responded to a need to catalyze new research paradigms about the future of Earth’s surface in light of increasing human interactions. Outlined in recent reports to NSF’s Geosciences Directorate (NSF 2009; NRC 2010), these paradigms require development of new theories and predictive capacity for integrated human–landscape systems. In particular, the report by the U.S. National Research Council, Landscapes on the Edge: New Horizons for Research on Earth’s Surface (NRC 2010) identified a Grand Challenge in: ‘‘How will Earth’s surface evolve in the ‘‘Anthropocene’’? In highlighting the need to account explicitly for human–process interactions in understanding the change on Earth’s surface, the report recommended creation of new collaborations across the geosciences, biological sciences, social sciences and engineering, in addition to development of new conceptual frameworks and methods. Team-based interdisciplinary studies of Earth’s surface processes were also a primary recommendation in NRC’s 2011 report, New Research Opportunities in the Earth Sciences, specifying development of models of the active role of humans in landscape change. The papers in this feature contribute to a view of human–landscape systems in which advances in a range of disciplinary sciences feed into an integrated core (Fig. 1; Harden et al. 2014, this issue). These disciplines span the social, biological, and geological sciences and include anthropology, archeology, atmospheric science, ecology, economics, geography, geomorphology, political science, and sociology. Harden et al. provide an overview of the science of human–landscape systems as explored in the 2010 Oregon workshop. Key questions are identified within contributing disciplines, leading to a discussion of A. Chin (&) University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO, USA e-mail: anne.chin@ucdenver.edu

Teoría de la compuerta (Ronald Melzack y Patrick D. Wall, 1965)

El conocimiento del dolor ha tenido momentos cruciales en los que el curso evolutivo se modificó y que cambiaron los conceptos aceptados y abrieron nuevos horizontes de investigación, entendimiento y tratamiento. Cuando Melzack y Wall desarrollaron la teoría de la compuerta aclararon fenómenos básicos del entendimiento del dolor y sustentaron múltiples tratamientos, que son la base de procedimientos actuales. Son cincuenta años que se cumplen de la publicación de aquel artículo en la revista Science (“Pain Mechanism: A New Theory. A Gate Control System Modulates Sensory Input from the Skin before it Evoques Pain Perception and Response”). Este se escribió en un contexto científico particular y a la luz de dos vidas diferentes que ilustran un proceso ejemplar de desarrollo de la ciencia. El análisis, aquí presentado, es no solo científico, sino humano de lo que ha sido este artículo para el entendimiento de las ciencias del dolor.

Academic Performance at the First Grade of Secondary Schools (Gymnasium) of Students Who Attended Small Rural Primary School

Aims: The aim of this research was to investigate the progress of students who study at Small Rural Primary School (SRPS), made in the first three grades of high school, based on their school performance since there is not such an empirical research in Greek bibliography. Study Design: An empirical Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Primary education University of Ioannina between September 2007 to June 2010. Methodology: The sample was taken from three prefectures of North Greece. Choosing by lot from the high schools of the above prefectures, there were chosen those high schools which accommodated students from the three types of SRPS. From those students were chosen those ones that attended SRPS during their six year attendance in primary school. As far as the social background of the students there was no problem, as they all came from agricultural families with medium or inferior educational level of the parents. Based on the above criteria the sample consisted of 146 students. Results: Summing up the findings of this research, a general statement is inferred: That SRPS are able to provide essential and adequate teaching work, reversing the opposite viewpoint. From the findings of the research, also we conclude that they can be combined with the corresponding findings of other researches contacted internationally and which lead to the estimation that there should be a differentiated approach of SRPS towards the elevation and the support of their educational and teaching work. The tendency therefore, of the educational policy as well as that of the rulers (those in office) should head for its functional improvement and not unsubstantiated logic of its “abolition”. Research Article British Journal of Education, Society & Behavioural Science, 2(2): 85-102, 2012 86 Conclusion: Concluding, it is stressed that with the present research is covered an essential bibliographical gap, whereas simultaneously new horizons for research and approach of SRPS open.

Liberalism Triumphant—But Where is the World System?

World-System is a pioneering work that opens up new horizons for research, gener ates new problems, and elaborates new methods. At the same time, it is a difficult work that proceeds not by constructing a his tory, but by critiquing the categories of existing historiography. For this reason it seems as if the world-system approach is an historicized version of Parsonian structural-functionalism where the social system determines everything. Indeed it has frequently been interpreted in this way However, this is a one-sided reading that misses the perspective's potential. The vol ume under review here breaks with liberal

КОММУНИКАТИВНЫЕ ПРАКТИКИ В ПРОЦЕССЕ СОЦИАЛИЗАЦИИ

Language appears as a special reality within which a man finds himself. In the nature of language human understanding of the world and socialization takes place, and the willingness to cooperate on various levels (interpersonal and intercultural) is forming. For a given area we may consider the problem of understanding from two standpoints: as the way of being, that is, the ontology of understanding, and in relation of the ontology of understanding with the epistemology of interpretation. The consideration of each of the parties allows extending the troublesome field to a given topic and opening up new horizons for research.

Cultural Competence: How Qualified Are You?

Cultural Competence: How Qualified Are You?

The impact of management on medical professionalism: a review

In the last three decades, medical doctors have increasingly been exposed to management control measures. This phenomenon has been reflected in a number of studies in various disciplines, including sociology, organisation studies, management, and health service research. This article seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of the studies dealing with the impact of management on professional control. In particular, it seeks to bridge the diversity of assumptions, theoretical perspectives and conceptual underpinnings at play, by exploring synergies between them and opening up new horizons for research. The review shows how the relationship between clinicians and management has been analysed at an organisational level using two interconnected analytical frameworks focusing on the sociocultural and task-related dimensions of professionalism. In the final discussion, we argue that comparative, longitudinal and cross-sectional research is necessary, and there is a need to overcome the hegemony/resistance framework in current analyses of the impact of management on professionalism. Such an approach would contribute to the revision of macro theories of professionalism and stimulate emerging research by examining different perspectives towards management in medical specialisations. This approach might also stimulate a discussion of medical professionals' relationships with members of other professional groups, including nurses and healthcare managers.

New Horizons: Understanding the Processes and Practices of Youth Development

This article presents new horizons for research on youth development by focusing on the challenges youth face in learning teamwork and in coming to terms with diversity. These are both essential competencies for navigating the “real world” of the 21st century. We examine how youth experience these challenges within programs; also how they present second-order challenges to practitioners. The underlying message of this article is that it is essential for researchers to see programs from the point of view of the people in them. Researchers have learned quite a bit of what can be learned from arm’s length: that programs can make a difference in youths’ lives and that certain features of settings are associated with these changes. To go further, researchers need to work side-by-side with practitioners and youth to understand their complex worlds as they experience them.

Effect of Macroeconomic Factors on Capital Structure Decisions of Firm: Evidence from a Developing Country

The focal theme of this research paper is to investigate the effect of macroeconomic parameters on the capital structure of Pakistani firms. According to the best of our knowledge this is the first study of its kind in Pakistan and it will open new horizons of research in this area ultimately helping practitioners and academicians. Previous researches in the context of Pakistan have taken firm specific variables only while this study considers macroeconomic factors besides company specific variables. A panel data (for a period of 2003 to 2009) for KSE-I 00 (non-financial firms) has been analyzed by using SUR (Seemingly Unrelated Regression) model. The main findings of this study elucidate that macroeconomic variables have varying effects as far as capital structure's measurement is concerned. The market size (stock market development) has a positive effect on debt choice of Pakistani firms. Bank size is directly related with long term debt to equity of these firms. The correlation between inflation rate and financial leverage (long term debt to equity as well) is negative, whereas, it has a positive relation with external financing ratio. GDP per capita is inversely related with all debt ratios. SBP discount rate is though negative but statistically insignificantly related with all debt ratios. All firm level variables, like ROE, ROA, Q ratio, Assets tangibility, Dividend payout policy and risk proved to be significant with all debt ratios. Hence, this research study supports the existing literature related to capital structure, chiefly in the case of company specific variables.

Pastas de Rhodomonas salina (Cryptophyta) como alimento para Brachionus plicatilis (Rotifera)

Rotifers are an important live feed for first feeding larvae of many fish species. The use of concentrated algae cells in the mass culture of the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis (Brachionidae) has opened new horizons for research on this organism. Pastes of Rhodomonas salina (Pyrenomonadaceae) obtained either by centrifugation or flocculation with chitosan were preserved, with or without vitamin C, at -20 degrees C for four weeks and were evaluated biochemically (proteins, lipids, pigments and fatty acids contents) and subsequently, were used to feed the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis at a ratio of 25 mg/L/day. Four different microalgae pastes were prepared: (1) centrifuged and preserved with vitamin C (CV), (2) centrifuged and preserved without vitamin C (C), (3) flocculated and with vitamin C (FV) and (4) flocculated without vitamin C (F). All treatments showed similar contents of proteins and total lipids with respect to control culture (a fresh culture of R. salina), with mean values of 40.0 +/- 2.32% and 12.0 +/- 1.45%, respectively. The pheophytin a/chlorophyll a ratio, a general indicator of the chemical status of microalgal concentrates, was similar (0.09-0.11) between centrifuged pastes and control culture, but was found to be higher in flocculated pastes (1.28-1.48). The fatty acid profile varied with respect to the control culture, mainly in the proportion of the essential polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs): eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Total PUFAs, EPA and DHA contents were statistically similar between centrifuged pastes and control culture (PUFAs: 47%, EPA: 4% and DHA: 4.7%), whereas values obtained for flocculated pastes were significantly lower. The rotifers grew equally well when fed with centrifuged pastes or control culture (maximum density: 320 rotifers/mL; instantaneous growth rate: 0.23 rotifers/day, fecundity: 1.49 eggs/female and productivity: 43 x 10(3) rotifers/L/day. No significant effect of vitamin C was found when used as a paste preservative. We concluded that centrifugation is an effective harvesting method, and that freezing to -20 degrees C for four weeks (no vitamin added), may help maintain the nutritional quality of R. salina paste, similar to fresh microalgae and can be offered to Brachionus plicatilis.

On data analysis in PTR-TOF-MS: From raw spectra to data mining

Recently the coupling of proton transfer reaction ionization with a time-of-flight mass analyser (PTR-TOF-MS) has been proposed to realise a volatile organic compound (VOC) detector that overcomes the limitations in terms of time and mass resolution of the previous instrument based on a quadrupole mass analysers (PTR-Quad-MS). This opens new horizons for research and allows for new applications in fields where the rapid and sensitive monitoring and quantification of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is crucial as, for instance, environmental sciences, food sciences and medicine. In particular, if coupled with appropriate data mining methods, it can provide a fast MS-nose system with rich analytical information. The main, perhaps even the only, drawback of this new technique in comparison to its precursor is related to the increased size and complexity of the data sets obtained. It appears that this is the main limitation to its full use and widespread application. Here we present and discuss a complete computer-based strategy for the data analysis of PTR-TOF-MS data from basic mass spectra handling, to the application of up-to date data mining methods. As a case study we apply the whole procedure to the classification of apple cultivars and clones, which was based on the distinctive profiles of volatile organic compound emissions.

New Horizons in Research on Diabetic Complications of the Eye: Special Emphasis on Diabetic Cataracts and Retinopathy

The incidence of diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate all over the world. As a consequence, the complications related to diabetes, including those affecting the eye (cataracts and retinopathy), nerve, and kidneys, are also becoming more prevalent. In the eye, diabetes affects both lens and retina resulting in devastating effects on vision. Although significant advances have been made towards understanding their pathophysiology using animal models of diabetes, progress in the area of development of pharmacological means for their prevention and treatment is still very minimal, if any. The pathogenetic mechanisms underlying both of these ocular complications of diabetes are considered multifactorial. The major factors considered to be involved in diabetic cataractogenesis are the hyperglycemia-induced excessive generation of free radicals and consequent oxidative stress as well as aberrations in tissue metabolism. Free radicals have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy (DR). In addition, DR is considered to be associated with aberrations in several other cellular signaling pathways mediated via inflammatory intermediators, pigment epithelium-derived factor, various kinases, and Rho and Ras GTPases. Identification of pathways/molecules that can be targeted for modification by appropriate compounds is highly essential for the development of pharmacological therapy for these highly prevalent blinding diseases. In this special issue intended to present new research on diabetic cataracts and retinopathy, we have invited papers that address these issues. The first four articles in this issue are focused on cataract formation in diabetes. The first one provides an overview of the pathogenesis of diabetic cataracts, clinical studies investigating the association between diabetes and the development of cataract, and current treatment of cataracts in the diabetic population. The anticataractogenic potential of aldose reductase inhibitors and antioxidants has also been discussed. The article by Petrash et al. focuses on the role of aldo-ketoreductases in the eye. The expression profiles of the AKR1B1 and AKRB10 have been characterized in various human ocular tissues and their implications in the pathogenesis of diabetic cataract have been discussed. The next article examines the role of glyoxalase I in the inhibition of methylglyoxal advanced glycation end products-AGEs formation in lenses of transgenic mice overexpressing human glyoxalase I, and the fourth one reviews the pathophysiological characteristics of ocular complications in the Spontaneously Diabetic Torii rat such as the formation of cataracts which can become hypermature. It also suggests the suitability of this model for the study of DR. Subsequent articles in this issue focus on the pathogenesis of DR and examine possible targets for pharmacological intervention. The article by Daniel Ng reviews the genetic aspects of DR, and the next article identifies genes associated with DR among Mexican Americans from Starr County in Texas using genome-wide association study. The seventh paper examines the possibility of treatment with the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, trandolapril, for regression of DR, and the 8th paper discusses the role of toxic AGEs receptor in the pathogenesis of DR. This is followed by a review implicating Rho/ROCK (Rho Kinase) pathway in DR and suggests the possibility of this pathway being a target for therapeutic intervention. The article by Wu et al. investigates the role of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) mediated signaling in modulating glucose-induced expression of VEGF. The final paper in this issue compares NADPH oxidase versus mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species in glucose-induced apoptosis of pericytes in early DR. This special issue will therefore provide the readers an insight into some of the latest research being pursued to elucidate the mechanisms underlying DR and cataracts. It also presents some interesting targets which could be manipulated pharmacologically for potential clinical use. Kavita R. Hegde Renu A. Kowluru Susanne Mohr Ram H. Nagaraj J. Mark Petrash

Promoting Competence and Resilience in the School Context

Four decades of research on resilience in young people provide compelling data and models for applications in the school context. Resilience theory and findings are highly congruent with Strengths-Based School Counseling (SBSC) as formulated by Galassi and Akos (2007). In this article, resilience is defined in relation to competence in developmental tasks and risks to positive development, with reference to key promotive and protective roles of schools and school personnel. Implications of a resilience framework for schools are delineated, including positive approaches to mission statements, models of change, measuring positive progress, and mobilizing powerful systems for changing the direction of human development. New horizons of research on resilience are described, along with the potential of integrating SBSC and resiliencebased frameworks in transformative efforts to promote the successful development of young people.