A Primer on R for Numerical Analysis in Educational Research

Researchers engaged in the scholarship of teaching and learning seek tools for rigorous, quantitative analysis. Here we present a brief introduction to computational techniques for the researcher with interest in analyzing data pertaining to pedagogical study. Sample dataset and fully executable code in the open-source R programming language are provided, along with illustrative vignettes relevant to common forms of inquiry in the educational setting

Zur Rezeption der Psychoanalyse in der akademischen Pädagogik (1900-1945)

Die Dissertation versteht sich als Beitrag zur Rezeptionsgeschichte der Psychoanalyse in der deutschsprachigen Pädagogik zwischen 1900 und 1945. Neben dem Verlauf der Rezeptionsintensität über den Untersuchungszeitraum hinweg, werden dazu insbesondere inhaltliche Schwerpunkte der pädagogischen Psychoanalyserezeption und Psychoanalysekritik am Beispiel von pädagogischen Enzyklopädien und Wörterbüchern herausgearbeitet und vor dem Hintergrund ausgewählter Aspekte der Disziplinentwicklung diskutiert.The doctoral thesis aims to contribute to the history of adoption of psychoanalytic ideas within the German speaking science of education between 1900 and 1945. Quantitative characteristics and topical issues of the adoption process are highlighted by analysing encyclopedias and dictionaries of education. The findings are discussed against the background of selected aspects of disciplinary development

Die aktuelle unbewusste Dynamik in der Interviewsituation und die psychoanalytische Frage nach dem Biographischen: Grenzen und Möglichkeiten der Arbeit mit einer Modifikation der Methode der "work discussion"

"Um zu Aussagen über den Zusammenhang zwischen biographischen Erfahrungen und der Ausbildung von Persönlichkeitsstrukturen zu kommen, wurde zur Bearbeitung eines schriftlich vorliegenden narrativen Interviews nach einer modifizierten Fassung der Methode der 'work discussion' gearbeitet. Nach der Vorstellung dieser psychoanalytischen Methode wird der Prozess der Bearbeitung des Interviewtranskripts nachgezeichnet. Weiters werden Überlegungen darüber angestellt, welche biographischen Erfahrungen welchen Einfluss auf die Entwicklung der psychischen Strukturen der interviewten Person gehabt haben könnten, sowie methodenkritische Punkte diskutiert." (Autorenreferat)"A modified version of the 'work discussion' method was used to analyze the transcript of a narrative interview. The aim was to come to conclusions concerning the link between biographical experiences and the formation of personality structures. A presentation of this psychoanalytic method is followed by a detailed description of the process of analyzing the transcript. The paper further reflects about how the formation of the interviewee’s mental structures may have been affected by certain biographical experiences, and discusses critical issues of methodology." (author's abstract

Bibliometric analysis of authorship trends and collaboration dynamics over the past three decades of BONE's publication history

The existence of a gender gap in academia has been a hotly debated topic over the past several decades. It has been argued that due to the gender gap, it is more difficult for women to obtain higher positions. Manuscripts serve as an important measurement of one's accomplishments within a particular field of academia. Here, we analyzed, over the past 3 decades, authorship and other trends in manuscripts published in BONE, one of the premier journals in the field of bone and mineral metabolism. For this study, one complete year of manuscripts was evaluated (e.g. 1985, 1995, 2005, 2015) for each decade. A bibliometric analysis was then performed of authorship trends for those manuscripts. Analyzed fields included: average number of authors per manuscript, numerical position of the corresponding author, number of institutions collaborating on each manuscript, number of countries involved with each manuscript, number of references, and number of citations per manuscript. Each of these fields increased significantly over the 30-year time frame (p < 10− 6). The gender of both the first and corresponding authors was identified and analyzed over time and by region. There was a significant increase in the percentage of female first authors from 23.4% in 1985 to 47.8% in 2015 (p = 0.001). The percentage of female corresponding authors also increased from 21.2% in 1985 to 35.4% in 2015 although it was not significant (p = 0.07). With such a substantial emphasis being placed on publishing in academic medicine, it is crucial to comprehend the changes in publishing characteristics over time and geographical region. These findings highlight authorship trends in BONE over time as well as by region. Importantly, these findings also highlight where challenges still exist

Recombinant H77C gpE1/gpE2 heterodimer elicits superior HCV cross-neutralisation than H77C gpE2 alone

Background & Aims An optimal HCV vaccine requires the induction of antibodies that neutralise the infectivity of many heterogenous viral isolates. In this study, we have focused on determining the optimal recombinant envelope glycoprotein component to elicit cross-neutralising antibodies against global HCV genotypes. We compared the immunoreactivity and antigenicity of the recombinant HCV genotype 1a strain H77C envelope glycoprotein heterodimer gpE1/gpE2 with that of recombinant gpE2 alone derived from an infectious molecular clone (H77C). Methods Characterization of the envelope glycoproteins was accomplished by determining their ability to bind to a panel of broadly cross-neutralising monoclonal antibodies (bNAbs). Immunogenicity was determined by testing the ability of vaccine antisera to neutralise the infectivity in vitro of a panel of pseudotyped HCV particles in which gpE1/gpE2 derived from representative isolates of the major global HCV genotypes were displayed. Results gpE1/gpE2 binds to more diverse bNabs than gpE2 alone and elicits a broader profile of cross-neutralising antibodies in animals, especially against more heterologous, non-1a genotypes. While not all heterologous HCV strains can be potently inhibited in vitro by gpE1/gpE2 antisera derived from a single HCV strain, the breadth of heterologous cross-neutralisation is shown to be substantial. Conclusions Our work supports the inclusion of gpE1/gpE2 in an HCV vaccine in order to maximise the cross-neutralisation of heterogenous HCV isolates. Our data also offers future directions in formulating a cocktail of gpE1/gpE2 antigens from a small selection of HCV genotypes to further enhance cross-neutralisation of global HCV strains and hopefully, achieving global protection. Impact and implications An HCV vaccine is urgently required to prevent the high global incidence of HCV infection and disease. Since HCV is a highly heterogeneous virus, it is desirable for a vaccine to elicit antibodies that neutralise the infectivity of most global strains. To this end, we have compared the immunoreactivity and antigenicity of recombinant H77C E1E2 heterodimer with that of H77C E2 alone and show that the former exhibits more cross-neutralising epitopes and demonstrates a broader cross-neutralisation profile in vitro. In addition, our data suggests a way to further broaden cross-neutralisation using a combination of E1E2 antigens derived from a few different HCV clades. Our work provides encouragement for the development of an effective global HCV vaccine

Common Roadblocks for Biomaterials Metrologists

In this issue, Naylor et al. [1] report on the surface topography of prosthetic phalanges, important research that is increasingly vital to researchers and clinicians alike.[...

Common Roadblocks for Biomaterials Metrologists

In this issue, Naylor et al. [1] report on the surface topography of prosthetic phalanges, important research that is increasingly vital to researchers and clinicians alike.[...

Measuring the evolution of a revised document

By analyzing two drafts of a single written piece, we open windows into that document's evolution that may not be knowable otherwise. However, existing document comparison tools generally do not facilitate scientific inquiry, as they are generally low-throughput and lacking in visual accessibility. Here, we introduce sequence homology analysis (SHA) as an alternative approach to measuring changes between two documents. SHA is a technique common to molecular biologists viz. studies of amino acid- and DNA sequences, and has been extensively validated. Whereas there is no known application of sequence homology analysis in writing researches, we give overview to its implementation and interpretation, and present a novel algorithm which incorporates SHA into the study of any number of documents in a semi-automated fashion. Additionally, we propose a method for visualization based on standard network analytic conventions. We illustrate SHA, the algorithm, and the network visualization via a publicly accessible dataset of historical significance: consecutive drafts of United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower's farewell speech (EFS). Additionally, we describe the parameterization of this routine, its potential for further automation, and its extension into other areas of writing research