bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Women’s magazines and their readers: The relationship between textual features and practices of reading
Authors: Ytre-Arne Brita
Published: April 2011

Research on women’s magazines has provided important insights about magazine texts as possible purveyors of ideology and pleasure, and about magazine reading as a social practice situated in everyday life. While the methodological focus has shifted from textual analysis to ethnography, very few studies actually combine audience studies with the textual analysis of magazines as they appear to readers. This article explores the possible connections between magazine reading as a social practice, investigated through a qualitative questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews with magazine readers, and magazines as texts with certain characteristics, investigated through reader-guided textual analysis. The aim of this approach is to gain a more profound understanding of the relationship between practices of reading and textual features.
‘I could well have said I was Norwegian but nobody would believe me’: Ethnic minority youths’ self-representation on social network sites
Authors: Mainsah Henry
Published: April 2011

This article addresses questions of identities on the web by examining how Norwegian immigrant youth use social network sites as spaces of personal expression and identity work. The data for the empirical analysis are drawn from a series of selected individual profiles authored by 16 to 20-year-old youth. Elements of text and images were analysed to explore how cultural identities were reproduced or contested in the process of self-presentation. This article explores how the process of identity construction in these online spaces reflects the sort of identity politics played out within the everyday context of the multicultural society and how youth position themselves.
Distinction, intentions, and the consumption of fiction: Negotiating cultural legitimacy in a gay reading group
Authors: Allington Daniel
Published: April 2011

The relationship between the ‘legitimate’ (or highbrow) and the ‘popular’ (or lowbrow) in cultural consumption has been extensively researched and debated in relation to Pierre Bourdieu’s concepts of ‘distinction’ and ‘cultural capital’ and Richard Peterson’s concept of ‘omnivorousness’. This paper contributes to that sociological tradition by carrying out qualitative discourse analysis of a gay reading group’s verbal responses to Joe Keenan’s comic novel, My Lucky Star (2006) — a strategy that is acknowledged to be controversial, given the discourse analytic critique of sociology. It is found that members of the reading group studied here exhibit aspects of distinction and omnivorous openness in their arguments over the novel’s merits (or lack thereof), and that perceptions of authorial intention — in particular, Keenan’s non-intention to write a ‘serious’ book — are deeply implicated in this evaluative discourse. Evidence is found not only for a high degree of alignment between the group’s discourse on the novel and written discourse on the same novel in the mass media, but also for the importance of a specifically gay variety of ‘subcultural capital’, to which some group members appeal in order to contest other members’ dismissal of the book as insufficiently ‘serious’ to be worthy of discussion.
Atrial fibrillation with symptoms other than palpitations: incremental diagnostic sensitivity with at-home tele-cardiology assessment for emergency medical service
Authors: Brunetti Natale Daniele , De Gennaro Luisa , Pellegrino Pier Luigi , Dellegrottaglie Giulia , Antonelli Gianfranco , Di Biase Matteo
Published: April 2011

Background: Clinical presentation of atrial fibrillation (AF) is usually represented by palpitations; nevertheless, atypical presentation of AF with symptoms other than palpitations may be not uncommon in elderly patients. This study therefore aimed to evaluate incremental diagnostic value of tele-medicine at-home assessment in patients who called emergency medical service (EMS).

Methods: A total of 27,841 consecutive EMS patients referred for suspected heart disease underwent ECG assessment with a mobile ECG-recorder device. ECGs were transmitted with mobile-phone support to a tele-cardiology ‘hub’ active 24/7 where a cardiologist read the ECGs. Rate of prevalence of AF, age of patients, and symptoms were analysed.

Results: AF was diagnosed in 11.67% of patients who underwent ECG examination. Typical symptoms were complained by 6.56% of whole patients, only 14.05% of patients with AF: rate of subjects with AF and typical symptoms significantly decreased with age (<65 years 29.58%, 65–75 years 17.06%, >75 years 10.35%, p < 0.001). Number needed to diagnose an AF with atypical presentation (number needed to treat) decreased from 45 (<65 years) to 9 (65–75 years) and 5 (>75 years) ( p < 0.001). Tele-cardiology support increased the rate of at-home diagnosis of AF from two-fold (in 40-year-olds) up to four-fold (60-year-olds) and seven-fold (70-year-olds).

Conclusions: AF with symptoms other than palpitations is a common finding in elderly EMS patients. Tele-cardiology support improves the sensitivity of diagnosis of AF in elderly EMS patients and is useful in at-home identification of subjects with AF and atypical presentation.
Survey of physicians’ practices in the control of cardiovascular risk factors: the EURIKA study
Authors: Dallongeville Jean , Banegas José R , Tubach Florence , Guallar Eliseo , Borghi Claudio , Backer Guy De , Halcox Julian PJ , Massó-González Elvira L , Perk Joep , Sazova Ogün , Steg Philippe Gabriel , Artalejo Fernando Rodriguez
Published: April 2011

Objectives: To assess the practices of physicians in 12 European countries in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Methods: In 2009, 806 physicians from 12 European countries answered a questionnaire, delivered electronically or by post, regarding their assessment of patients with cardiovascular risk factors, and their use of risk calculation tools and clinical practice guidelines (ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT00882336). Approximately 60 physicians per country were selected (participation rate varied between 3.1% in Sweden and 22.8% in Turkey).

Results: Among participating physicians, 85.2% reported using at least one clinical guideline for CVD prevention. The most popular were the ESC guidelines (55.1%). Reasons for not using guidelines included: the wide choice available (47.1%), time constraints (33.3%), lack of awareness of guidelines (27.5%), and perception that guidelines are unrealistic (23.5%). Among all physicians, 68.5% reported using global risk calculation tools. Written charts were the preferred method (69.4%) and the most commonly used was the SCORE equation (35.4%). Reasons for not using equations included time constraints (59.8%), not being convinced of their usefulness (21.7%) and lack of awareness (19.7%). Most physicians (70.8%) believed that global risk-equations have limitations; 89.8% that equations overlook important risk factors, and 66.5% that they could not be used in elderly patients. Only 46.4% of physicians stated that their local healthcare framework was sufficient for primary prevention of CVD, while 67.2% stated that it was sufficient for secondary prevention of CVD.

Conclusions: A high proportion of physicians reported using clinical guidelines for primary CVD prevention. However, time constraints, lack of perceived usefulness and inadequate knowledge were common reasons for not using CVD prevention guidelines or global CVD risk assessment tools.
Ethnic division in Cyprus and a policy initiative on promoting peaceful coexistence: toward an agonistic democracy for citizenship education
Authors: Zembylas Michalinos
Published: April 2011

This article uses as a point of departure for its analysis a recent educational policy initiative to promote peaceful coexistence in the context of ongoing ethnic division in Cyprus. It is argued that, although it seems as if the teaching of peaceful coexistence is a laudable initiative that can contribute toward unity and democratic state-building for all Cypriots, the insistence on assuming that there are two conflicting and immutable ethnic identities could slow down and be potentially counter-productive to the country’s effort for reconciliation and democratic state-building. The author argues that a framework of agonistic democracy provides the needed critical perspective in education from which to launch an understanding of the community as a contingent achievement of political action. As such, an agonistic framework of democracy in citizenship education suggests the disentanglement of goals for peace and reconciliation from state-sanctioned efforts that appeal to essentialist ethnic identities.
Displacing activism? The impact of international service trips on understandings of social change
Authors: Cermak Michael J. , Christiansen Jonathan A. , Finnegan Amy C. , Gleeson Aideen P. , White Shelley K. , Leach Darcy K.
Published: April 2011

This article reports key findings from in-depth interviews with undergraduate students returning from international service trips (ISTs). These interviews examined students’ perceptions of social change activities and assessed students’ affinity toward service and activism independently as well as the perceived relationship and interaction between the two. Using an identity project model, we argue that far from being complementary, service and activism may act as competing identities with service being preferred. We further argue that ISTs can incorporate and model a broader range of civic engagement activities to help students better understand the different approaches taken to enacting social change. In particular, we call for the deliberate incorporation of strategic activist skill-building, and discussions of the history and ideology of activism within ISTs.
Marriage of convenience? Public service broadcasters’ cross-national partnerships in factual television
Authors: Mjøs Ole J
Published: April 2011

This article explores how public service broadcasters (PSBs) in Europe form cross-national partnerships to secure factual television programming and develop new television channels in response to globalization and transformations within the media sector. The article’s main case study is the BBC/Discovery partnership — the most extensive formal agreement in international television history for factual television. This partnership serves as a case to explore the feasibility of such collaborations for other PSBs in Europe. In doing so, two different regional partnership models emerge: the Nordic public—public model and the model adopted by PSBs in German-speaking Europe that mixes the Nordic and the BBC’s Anglo-American approach. While the BBC/Discovery partnership is unique in scale and global impact due to Discovery’s financial weight, and the BBC’s production experience and position in the programming market, as well as the partners’ linguistic advantage, the two other models exemplify the possibilities for less wealthy European PSBs in smaller linguistic markets.
Postwar propaganda as public relations: British containment of militant nationalism in Nigeria, 1945—60
Authors: Nwafor Mordi Emmanuel
Published: April 2011

This article studies postwar propaganda as an instrument of British containment of militant nationalism in Nigeria, 1945—60. It seeks to elucidate the mechanisms, dynamics and impacts of the stratagems, subsumed under propaganda but presented as public relations for acceptability, which characterized the decolonization process in Nigeria. By using the historical method based on archival and newspaper sources ignored by previous scholars, the article establishes, contrary to conventional wisdom, that propaganda was not a temporary expedient, but a major feature of British colonial imperialism. It concludes that British application of this strategy in Nigeria led to the defeat of postwar militant nationalism, and the transfer of power to the pliable wing of the emergent elite at independence.
Al-Jazeera vs Al-Jazeera: A comparison of the network’s English and Arabic online coverage of the US/Al Qaeda conflict
Authors: Fahmy Shahira S , Al Emad Mohammed
Published: April 2011

In light of US criticism that Al-Jazeera network is biased in its coverage against the United States by aiding the terrorist cause and the fact that most of the accusations of bias continue to be based on the claim that Arab media such as Al-Jazeera Arabic include the language of terror organizations, while its English-language counterpart, Al-Jazeera English, is being cleansed by changes and omissions, this research sought to investigate whether these claims could be validated. Examining online coverage of the US/Al Qaeda conflict in the Arabic-language Al-Jazeera website, these claims were measured against online coverage of the conflict in the English-language Al-Jazeera website. By content analyzing prominence of news stories (frequency and placement), use of sources and tone of coverage, the research demonstrates a significant difference regarding the placement of news stories between the English- and Arabic-language Al-Jazeera websites, but no further differences were found. The overwhelming majority of attributed sources were from the United States and its allies. Furthermore, results revealed Al-Jazeera websites did not shy away from negative coverage regarding all those involved in the conflict. By and large in a highly competitive media environment, our findings suggest that in reporting the US/Al Qaeda conflict Al-Jazeera websites did not provide different perspectives of the war to Arabic- and English-language online users.
The Written and the Sung
Authors: Gossett Philip
Published: April 2011

This article—part of a Common Knowledge symposium titled “Between Text and Performance”—argues that the publication of a new edition of Il barbiere di Siviglia in Works of Gioachino Rossini (Bärenreiter-Verlag, Kassel) offers an excellent opportunity to reflect upon the written text of an opera and its relationship to the work that performers must do to realize the opera in the theater. Rossini wrote many passages that demand the intervention of performers (performing them “as written” is simply an error), yet this does not mean necessarily that “anything goes.” The new edition not only gives Rossini's own variations for the opera, but also (in an appendix prepared by Will Crutchfield) indicates the nature of ornamentation and variations employed by singers before 1850. Many of the variations still heard today in the opera house reflect practices from the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. There is no moral obligation to avoid such practices, but one wants singers to be fully aware of what they are doing. This essay provides extensive examples of the kind of autograph notation that signals the obligatory intervention of performers and offers many examples from performers who were contemporaries of Rossini as to how they went about their task of representing the composer's work on stage.
Mechanical Chopin
Authors: Kallberg Jeffrey
Published: April 2011

When we view Chopin's later works in the context of his biography, we find a conjunction of real-life machines (trains, the telegraph), mimetic mechanical music (music boxes), and prolific textual variants. Particularly fascinating are several late pieces that feature canons, a form of strict counterpoint that at once evokes the notion of “machine music”—the leading line seems automatically to generate the following line—and produces relatively few textual variants that concern pitch. Variants in the realm of performing indications, though, occur frequently. Chopin worked hard to ensure fidelity of pitch, but—this article shows—in giving the performer leeway to choose among various modes of performance, he ensured a role for individual expression in musical textures otherwise evocative of notions of science and logic.
Performing the Social Text
Authors: Jones Steven E.
Published: April 2011

This article continues from where the author's 2008 book The Meaning of Video Games concluded and concerns what he learned from playing the simulation game Spore by Sims-creator Will Wright, especially the extent to which a social-network model had become during the development process the infrastructural backbone of the game. Spore's approach to the problem of building an asynchronous content-creation and content-sharing system aligned the video game with the most important trends in text-based digital humanities scholarship today. Thus this article compares video games and digital texts, not in terms of their supposedly shared narrative content (not in terms of their content at all) but, rather, formally—in terms of how they model complex systems, how both video games and digital-text environments work by creating networked environments for the production, reproduction, transmission, and reception (indeed for the continual reediting) of their respective content-objects. Both texts and video games are systems, with their own special affordances and constraints, that provide both “spores” and “spurs,” seeds and provocations, prompts for new performances of meaning.
Drama and Performance
Authors: Puchner Martin
Published: April 2011

In theater studies, the dramatic text tends to be treated as a remnant of an older and even old-fashioned type of theater that has now been replaced by a “post-dramatic” theater, answering only to the logic of performance. Against that view, the article argues for the continuing importance of the dramatic text across different types of theater, including those termed post-dramatic. For what has changed in the case of theater groups such as the Wooster Group that are associated with post-dramatic theater is not that they discard the dramatic text, but rather that they envision a different relation to it. In order to capture the different functions of text in theater, the essay proposes three models and touches on their historical manifestations. The first assumes that the dramatic text dictates theatrical performance; the second, that the dramatic text needs to be supplemented by theatrical performance; and the third, that the text needs to undergo a process of adaptation. This third model is then applied to two case studies, the production by the Wooster Group of Gertrude Stein's Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights and the production by Big Dance Theater of Mac Wellman's Antigone.
“I Have Both the Note, and Dittie About Me”
Authors: Stern Tiffany
Published: April 2011

Songs in early modern playbooks—printed books of the plays of Shakespeare and other authors—differ from the surrounding dialogue in a number of ways. They are often in italic though the dialogue tends to be in roman lettering; and they are frequently topped with the heading “Song,” self-evident information that is a statement rather than a stage direction. On other occasions, songs are missing from the text altogether, leaving a stranded heading, “Song,” though no words are supplied at all. This article asks why it is that songs have a different story from their surrounding dialogue. In so doing, it considers how playwrights conveyed their songs to composers and composers conveyed their songs to player-singers. Moments of textual oddity in printed and manuscript plays, it is argued (with numerous examples), are revelatory about performance even when the songs themselves are absent from the text.
ATP release due to Thy-1–integrin binding induces P2X7-mediated calcium entry required for focal adhesion formation
Authors: Henríquez Mauricio , Herrera-Molina Rodrigo , Valdivia Alejandra , Alvarez Alvaro , Kong Milene , Muñoz Nicolás , Eisner Verónica , Jaimovich Enrique , Schneider Pascal , Quest Andrew F. G. , Leyton Lisette
Published: April 2011

Thy-1, an abundant mammalian glycoprotein, interacts with αvβ3 integrin and syndecan-4 in astrocytes and thus triggers signaling events that involve RhoA and its effector p160ROCK, thereby increasing astrocyte adhesion to the extracellular matrix. The signaling cascade includes calcium-dependent activation of protein kinase Cα upstream of Rho; however, what causes the intracellular calcium transients required to promote adhesion remains unclear. Purinergic P2X7 receptors are important for astrocyte function and form large non-selective cation pores upon binding to their ligand, ATP. Thus, we evaluated whether the intracellular calcium required for Thy-1-induced cell adhesion stems from influx mediated by ATP-activated P2X7 receptors. Results show that adhesion induced by the fusion protein Thy-1-Fc was preceded by both ATP release and sustained intracellular calcium elevation. Elimination of extracellular ATP with Apyrase, chelation of extracellular calcium with EGTA, or inhibition of P2X7 with oxidized ATP, all individually blocked intracellular calcium increase and Thy-1-stimulated adhesion. Moreover, Thy-1 mutated in the integrin-binding site did not trigger ATP release, and silencing of P2X7 with specific siRNA blocked Thy-1-induced adhesion. This study is the first to demonstrate a functional link between αvβ3 integrin and P2X7 receptors, and to reveal an important, hitherto unanticipated, role for P2X7 in calcium-dependent signaling required for Thy-1-stimulated astrocyte adhesion.
Regulation and function of the fission yeast myosins
Authors: East Daniel A. , Mulvihill Daniel P.
Published: April 2011

It is now quarter of a century since the actin cytoskeleton was first described in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe. Since then, a substantial body of research has been undertaken on this tractable model organism, extending our knowledge of the organisation and function of the actomyosin cytoskeleton in fission yeast and eukaryotes in general. Yeast represents one of the simplest eukaryotic model systems that has been characterised to date, and its genome encodes genes for homologues of the majority of actin regulators and actin-binding proteins found in metazoan cells. The ease with which diverse methodologies can be used, together with the small number of myosins, makes fission yeast an attractive model system for actomyosin research and provides the opportunity to fully understand the biochemical and functional characteristics of all myosins within a single cell type. In this Commentary, we examine the differences between the five S. pombe myosins, and focus on how these reflect the diversity of their functions. We go on to examine the role that the actin cytoskeleton plays in regulating the myosin motor activity and function, and finally explore how research in this simple unicellular organism is providing insights into the substantial impacts these motors can have on development and viability in multicellular higher-order eukaryotes.
Simple Oligothiophene-Based Dyes for Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSCs): Anchoring Group Effects on Molecular Properties and Solar Cell Performance
Authors: Miyazaki Eigo , Okanishi Takashi , Suzuki Yuki , Ishine Nozomi , Mori Hiroki , Takimiya Kazuo , Harima Yutaka
Published: April 2011

Simple oligothiophene-based dyes with a cyanoacrylic acid anchor were synthesized and evaluated as a photosensitizer for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Although the molecular properties of the dyes at a glance are quite similar to those of related oligothiophene dyes with a carboxylic acid anchor, the DSSC performance of the former (up to η = 4.8%) is fairly improved over the latter (≈1.2%). Absorption spectra of the oligothiophene dyes with the cyanoacrylic acid are red-shifted compared to those with the carboxylic acid, resulting in the improved photocurrent conversion efficiency at above 600 nm in the DSSCs. With the aid of theoretical calculations, electronic properties of the oligothiophene dyes were investigated, and it turned out that the excited states of the dyes are significantly affected by the anchoring groups. The cyanoacrylic acid anchor brings about a stabilized LUMO with localized electron density on the cyanoacrylic acid moiety, whereas the carboxylic acid dye has relatively a high-lying LUMO with delocalized electron density over the oligothiophene moiety. Thus, the difference in the DSSC performance is rationalized by the different electronic structure at the excited states caused by the anchoring groups on the oligothiophene cores.
Formation Mechanism of C2+ in a Gas Chromatography Coupled to Time-of-flight Mass Spectrometry
Authors: Wang Mang , Song Le Xin , Dang Zheng , Zhu Lin Hong , Yang Jun
Published: April 2011

The presence of several inorganic compounds induced the degradation of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) into C2+ in different abundances in a gas chromatography coupled to time-of-flight mass spectrometry. A probable formation mechanism of C2+ was proposed. The finding is significant and useful for generating molecular C2 ions in laboratory conditions.
Silica Sulfuric Acid-promoted Deacylation of α-Bromo-β-diketones
Authors: Aoyama Tadashi , Kubota Sho , Takido Toshio , Kodomari Mitsuo
Published: April 2011

Novel deacylation of α-bromo-β-diketones using silica sulfuric acid (SSA) has been developed. Deacylation of 3-bromopentane-2,4-diones and 2-bromobutane-1,3-diones were carried out in the presence of SSA in dichloroethane under mild conditions to obtain the corresponding α-bromo ketones in good to excellent yields. SSA also promoted the Friedel–Crafts type alkylation of benzene with 3-(sec-alkyl)-2,4-pentanediones to give the corresponding triarylmethanes in high yields in benzene.
Ion Transport across Planar Bilayer Lipid Membrane Driven by d-Fructose Dehydrogenase-catalyzed Electron Transport
Authors: Sasakura Keisuke , Shirai Osamu , Hichiri Kei , Goda-Tsutsumi Maiko , Tsujimura Seiya , Kano Kenji
Published: April 2011

Electron transport catalyzed by a membrane-bound enzyme, d-fructose dehydrogenase (FDH), from one aqueous phase (W1) containing d-fructose to another one (W2) containing [Fe(CN)6]3− across a planar bilayer lipid membrane (BLM) containing 7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) was investigated electrochemically. We found that the ion transport across the BLM was driven at the same time by the electromotive force generated by the electron transport.
Monitoring access to out-of-hours care services in Scotland – a review
Authors: Godden Sylvia , Hilton Simon , Pollock Allyson M
Published: April 2011

Objectives

Changes in the contractual responsibilities of primary care practitioners and health boards have resulted in a plethora of arrangements relating to out-of-hours healthcare services. Rather than being guaranteed access to a GP (usually either their own or another through a local GP co-operative), patients have a number of alternative routes to services. Our objective was to identify and assess the availability and adequacy of relevant standards, responsibilities and information systems in Scotland to monitor the impact of contractual changes to out-of-hours healthcare services on equity of access.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

All providers of primary care out-of-hours services in Scotland.

Participants

Not applicable.

Main outcome measures

First, identification and policy review of current standards and performance monitoring systems, data and information, primarily through directly contacting national and local organizations responsible for monitoring out-of-hours care, supplemented by literature searches to highlight specific issues arising from the review; and second, mapping of data items by out-of-hours provider type to identify overlap and significant gaps.

Results

In Scotland, data monitoring systems have not kept pace with changes in the organization of out-of-hours care, so the impact on access to services for different population groups is unknown. There are significant gaps in information collected with respect to workforce, distribution of services, service utilisation and clinical outcomes.

Conclusions

Since 2004 there have been major changes to the way patients access out-of-hours healthcare in the UK. In Scotland, none of the current systems provide information on whether the new services satisfy the key NHS principle of equity of access. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive review of data standards and systems relating to out-of-hours care in order to monitor and evaluate inputs, processes and outcomes of care not least in respect of access and fairness of distribution of resources.
Adenosquamous Carcinoma of the Lung
Authors: Tochigi Naobumi , Dacic Sanja , Nikiforova Marina , Cieply Kathleen M. , Yousem Samuel A.
Published: April 2011

Molecular testing of pulmonary adenocarcinomas for EGFR and KRAS mutations is becoming more common as tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy is used for EGFR-mutated adenocarcinomas. Adenosquamous carcinomas represent a hybrid carcinoma, and there is no literature addressing the frequency of EGFR and KRAS mutations in this subset of lung carcinomas in Western populations. For this study, 23 adenosquamous carcinomas were microdissected with the glandular and squamous components analyzed for EGFR and KRAS mutations and EGFR amplification. In 3 cases (13%), there were EGFR mutations, with 2 having the identical mutation in the glandular and squamous elements. In 3 cases (13%), there were KRAS mutations in both histologic elements. Great heterogeneity existed in the rates of EGFR amplification in the 2 histologic components. Amplification was most common in both glandular and squamous components (11/23 [48%]). EGFR mutations occur in adenosquamous carcinoma in the same percentages as in conventional adenocarcinoma in the Western population. KRAS mutations are less common.
Pathology Archive
Authors: Smith Matthew A. , Barnes E. Leon , Chiosea Simion I.
Published: April 2011

Tissue repositories maintained by pathology departments represent an abundant resource of clinically annotated human specimens. The storage expenses associated with pathology archives are known to administrators of most pathology departments. However, such basic repository characteristics as the quality of stored materials, ease of access, and search and retrieval rates are often unclear.

The aims of our work were to design a framework to assess the quality of a historic pathology archive, to propose the definition of “archive integrity,” and to provide benchmarks for tissue block retrieval rates and DNA integrity. We share our experience with scanning approximately 120,000 pathology reports from 1956 to 1979 into an electronically searchable archive, with a $9,000 budget, completed in 6 weeks. Several ethical and legal considerations that shaped the technical side of this project are discussed.
Clinical Outcome for Atypia of Undetermined Significance in Thyroid Fine-Needle Aspirations
Authors: VanderLaan Paul A. , Marqusee Ellen , Krane Jeffrey F.
Published: April 2011

In the Bethesda System for reporting thyroid fine-needle aspirations (FNAs), atypia of undetermined significance (AUS) is a category with limited reported follow-up and outcome data. We report a retrospective analysis of our institution’s experience during nearly 4.5 years with a tiered classification scheme conforming to the Bethesda System in which repeated FNA was recommended for most patients with an initial AUS diagnosis. Of 4,691 thyroid FNAs, 512 (10.9%) had a diagnosis of AUS. Cytologic or histologic outcome data were available for 331 cases (64.6%), of which 240 (72.5%) were benign and 91 (27.5%) were malignant. Of patients with a surgical diagnosis, there was no statistically significant difference in malignancy rate among patients who went directly to surgery after a single AUS diagnosis (37/90 [41%]), patients having 2 successive AUS FNA diagnoses (22/51 [43%]), and patients with a benign aspirate after AUS (2/7 [29%]). Although AUS confers an intermediate risk of malignancy, guidelines recommending repeated FNA for most cases should be reevaluated.
Evaluation of European Concerted Action on Anticoagulation Lyophilized Plasmas for INR Derivation Using the PT/INR Line
Authors: Ibrahim Saied A. , Jespersen Jørgen , Pattison Albert , Poller Leon
Published: April 2011

The prothrombin time/international normalized ratio (PT/INR) Line method based on 5 certified European Concerted Action on Anticoagulation (ECAA) plasmas provides reliable local INR values without conventional World Health Organization international sensitivity index calibrations. The present study investigated the use of different numbers and types of ECAA calibrant plasmas to derive accurate PT/INR Lines and reliable INR values. The numbers ranged from 3 to 10 plasmas in a set with normal or abnormal samples. Sets were selected, and sampling was repeated 1,000 times for each center to derive PT/INR Lines. The lines were selected randomly or from clusters. The INR values of 5 independent “validation” plasmas were compared before and after correction.

In 56 calibrations, 5 ECAA plasmas gave better results than did fewer plasmas. Plasmas with wide-ranging INR values gave better results than randomly selected sets, and including a normal plasma was not essential. The INR deviations of validation plasmas from certified values were reduced with sets of human, bovine/combined, and rabbit reagents. Deviations of more than 10% from certified INR values were significantly reduced (P < .001).
Hemoglobin A1c Testing Alone Does Not Sufficiently Identify Patients With Prediabetes
Authors: Bersoux Sophie , Cook Curtiss B. , Wu Qing , Burritt Mary F. , Hernandez James S. , Verona Patricia M. , Larson Marcia H. , LaRosa Carolyn S.
Published: April 2011

Whether hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) values are suitable for diagnosing diabetes has been debated. We sought to assess the prevalence of elevated HbA1c levels in a prediabetes patient population.

Oral glucose tolerance tests and HbA1c levels were analyzed for patients entering a diabetes prevention program between January 1, 2007, and September 13, 2009. We calculated the percentage of patients with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and/or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) who had HbA1c values in the 6.0% to 6.4% range or in the 5.7% to 6.4% range.

The mean age of the 242 patients was 62 years; 64.0% were women, and 88.0% were white. Isolated IFG was detected in about 56.2% of patients and combined IFG and IGT in about 37.2%. Only 28.5% of patients had HbA1c values in the 6.0% to 6.4% range, whereas 65.3% had values in the 5.7% to 6.4% range.

Our data suggest that reliance on HbA1c testing alone to identify candidates for a diabetes prevention program would miss a substantial number of eligible patients.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia With t(14;19)(q32;q13) Is Characterized by Atypical Morphologic and Immunophenotypic Features and Distinctive Genetic Features
Authors: Huh Yang O. , Schweighofer Carmen D. , Ketterling Rhett P. , Knudson Ryan A. , Vega Francisco , Kim Ji E. , Luthra Rajyalakshmi , Keating Michael J. , Medeiros L. Jeffrey , Abruzzo Lynne V.
Published: April 2011

The t(14;19)(q32;q13) involving the IGH@ and BCL3 loci is an infrequent cytogenetic abnormality detected in B-cell malignancies. We describe the clinicopathologic, cytogenetic, and molecular genetic characteristics of 14 cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL/SLL) with t(14;19)(q32;q13). All patients (10 men and 4 women) had lymphocytosis; 10 had lymphadenopathy. Blood and bone marrow lymphocytes were predominantly small, but cytologically and immunophenotypically atypical. In all cases, t(14;19) was found in the neoplastic stem line; it was the sole abnormality in 4. Ten cases showed additional cytogenetic abnormalities, including trisomy 12 in 9 and complex karyotypes in 7. Fluorescence in situ hybridization demonstrated IGH@/BCL3 fusion gene in all cases. In all cases, the IGHV genes were unmutated, but only 7 expressed ZAP70. Seven cases preferentially used IGHV4-39. Our results indicate that t(14;19)(q32;q13) identifies a subset of CLL/SLL with distinctive clinicopathologic and genetic features. Furthermore, t(14;19) may represent an early, possibly primary, genetic event.
Association of JAK2 Mutation Status and Cytogenetic Abnormalities in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms and Myelodysplastic/Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
Authors: Dunlap Jennifer , Kelemen Katalin , Leeborg Nicky , Braziel Rita , Olson Susan , Press Richard , Huang James , Gatter Ken , Loriaux Marc , Fan Guang
Published: April 2011

Myeloproliferative neoplasms and myelodysplastic/myeloproliferative neoplasms are heterogeneous disorders. JAK2 mutation testing and karyotyping are routinely used for diagnosis but have not been incorporated into risk stratification in Philadelphia chromosome–negative myeloproliferative neoplasms. This study correlated cytogenetic abnormalities with disease stage and JAK2 status. A total of 179 cases were analyzed for the JAK2 mutation. Among them, cytogenetic data were available for 97 cases—45 of 106 JAK2+ and 52 of 73 JAK2–. The JAK2+ group showed a higher frequency of cytogenetic anomalies than the JAK2– group (23/45 [51%] vs 14/52 [27%]). Chromosome 9, chromosome 7, and 20q– were recurrent abnormalities in the JAK2+ group, whereas 13q– and trisomy 21 were common in the JAK2– group. In the JAK2+ group, chromosome 7 and complex cytogenetic abnormalities were associated with excess blasts/blastic transformation (P < .05), whereas no cases with 20q– underwent blastic transformation. Our results suggest that incorporation of JAK2 mutation testing and karyotyping allows for monitoring of disease progression with prognostic and therapeutic implications.
Intermolecular interaction between a branching ribozyme and associated homing endonuclease mRNA
Authors: Birgisdottir Ása B. , Nielsen Henrik , Beckert Bertrand , Masquida Benoît , Johansen Steinar D.
Published: April 2011

RNA tertiary interactions involving docking of GNRA (N; any base; R; purine) hairpin loops into helical stem structures on other regions of the same RNA are one of the most common RNA tertiary interactions. In this study, we investigated a tertiary association between a GAAA hairpin tetraloop in a small branching ribozyme (DiGIR1) and a receptor motif (HEG P1 motif) present in a hairpin structure on a separate mRNA molecule. DiGIR1 generates a 2′, 5′ lariat cap at the 5′ end of its downstream homing endonuclease mRNA by catalysing a self-cleavage branching reaction at an internal processing site. Upon release, the 5′ end of the mRNA forms a distinct hairpin structure termed HEG P1. Our biochemical data, in concert with molecular 3D modelling, provide experimental support for an intermolecular tetraloop receptor interaction between the L9 GAAA in DiGIR1 and a GNRA tetraloop receptor-like motif (UCUAAG-CAAGA) found within the HEG P1. The biological role of this interaction appears to be linked to the homing endonuclease expression by promoting post-cleavage release of the lariat capped mRNA. These findings add to our understanding of how protein-coding genes embedded in nuclear ribosomal DNA are expressed in eukaryotes and controlled by ribozymes.
Current Practice in Assessing and Reporting Speech Outcomes of Cleft Palate and Velopharyngeal Surgery: A Survey of Cleft Palate/Craniofacial Professionals
Authors: Kummer Ann W. , Clark Stacey L. , Redle Erin E. , Thomsen Leisa L. , Billmire David A.
Published: April 2011

Objective

To determine methods by which professionals serving cleft palate/craniofacial teams are evaluating velopharyngeal function and to ascertain what they consider as a successful speech outcome of surgery.

Design

A 12-question survey was developed for professionals involved in management of velopharyngeal dysfunction.

Participants

The survey was distributed through E-mail lists for the American Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Association and Division 5 of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Only speech-language pathologists and surgeons were asked to complete the survey. A total of 126 questionnaires were completed online.

Results

Standard speech evaluations include perceptual evaluation (99.2%), intraoral examination (96.8%), nasopharyngoscopy (59.3%), nasometry (28.9%), videofluoroscopy (19.2%), and aerodynamic measures (4.3%). Significant variation existed in the types and levels of perceptual rating scales. Pharyngeal flap (52.9%) is the most commonly performed procedure for velopharyngeal insufficiency, followed by sphincter pharyngoplasty (27.5%). Criteria for surgical success included normal speech (50.8%), acceptable speech (27.9%), and “improved” speech (8%). However, most respondents felt that success should be defined as normal speech (71.2%). Most respondents believed that surgical success should be determined by the team speech-language pathologist (81.5%); although, some felt success should be determined by the patient/family (17.7%).

Conclusion

This survey shows considerable variability in the methods for evaluating and reporting speech outcomes following surgery. There is inconsistency in what is considered a successful surgical outcome, making comparison studies impossible. Most respondents thought that success should be defined as normal speech, but this is not happening in current practice.
Multi‐primary‐color LCD: Its characteristics and extended applications
Authors: Tomizawa Kazunari , Nakamura Kohzoh , Ueki Shun , Yoshida Yuichi , Mori Tomohiko , Hasegawa Makoto , Yoshida Akiko , Narutaki Yohzoh , Itoh Yasuhisa , Yoshida Yasuhiro , Teragawa Masatsugu
Published: April 2011

Abstract— The development of multi‐primary‐color (MPC) display systems is one of the big paradigm shifts in recent display technologies and induces new potentials of display devices. The development of MPC display systems for different goals is briefly reviewed. Especially, by employing MPC systems, it is possible to reproduce the real material colors faithfully and efficiently. For signal processing, MPC systems have a big advantage in the so‐called color‐reproduction redundancy. A number of applications can be derived from this characteristic, such as improving the viewing‐angle dependency issue and power savings. On the other hand, MPC systems have a typical trade‐off versus RGB‐standardized input signals, especially for reproducing bright green. New algorithms to moderate this trade‐off on MPC systems by employing color‐reproduction redundancy are proposed. The goal of our algorithms is to maintain the compatibility with RGB‐based input signals though the initial display design so that the characteristics of MPC systems are not changed or lost. These algorithms indicate that MPC display systems are applicable not only for a specifically limited objective but also for other applications, e.g., TV broadcasting.
Study on wet patterning of thin films in vertical‐transfer wet station for thin‐film‐transistor manufacturing
Authors: Lee Sang‐Hyuk , Park In‐Sun , Choe Hee Hwan , Hong Mun‐Pyo , Seo Jong Hyun , Kim Pal‐gon
Published: April 2011

Abstract— To overcome the “pseudo‐puddling effect” in a low‐angle‐tilt transfer system with an oversized glass substrate over 2 m, a vertical transfer is suggested. The aim of the present work is to study the wet‐etching behavior of an aluminum/molybdenum double layer deposited on the glass substrate in a vertical transfer wet etching system and compare it with a typical 5°‐tilt‐transfer system. Compared with the tilt‐transfer wet station, the vertical etching system has three advantages, namely, 50% space savings, higher throughput due to the high etch rate, and good etch uniformity over the entire glass for thin‐film‐transistor application. The computational fluid‐dynamics analysis is used to predict the change of the etch uniformity as a function of the tilt angle of the glass substrate.
Limonene as a chiral dopant for liquid crystals: Characterization and potential applications
Authors: Zola Rafael S. , Yang Young‐Cheol , Yang Deng‐Ke
Published: April 2011

Abstract— The chiral molecule D(L)‐Limonene was used to induce thermotropic cholesteric‐liquid‐crystal phases. A description of the methods used to identify and characterize the chiral nematic phase and its features will be given. D‐Limonene was substituted for conventional synthesized chiral dopants in a twisted‐nematic (TN) cell and a bistable cholesteric reflective cell and showed an improvement in the response time. Further analysis showed that D(L)‐Limonene reduces the rotational viscosity of the mixture by a considerable amount. It may be considered as a “molecular lubricant.” It is surprising how many more synthesized chiral molecules have been used as the liquid‐crystal field moves forward in comparison to naturally occurring molecules. Despite the large number of synthesized molecules used as a chiral dopant, D(L)‐Limonene, can be used as a dopantfor making cholesteric phases having the advantage of being a naturally occurring substance, environmentally friendly, and with very low cost.
Polymer‐stabilized pretilt angle on the surface of nanoparticle‐induced vertical‐alignment surface for multi‐domain vertical‐alignment liquid‐crystal display
Authors: Kim Dae Hyun , Kwon Dong Won , Gim Hye Young , Jeong Kwang‐Un , Lee Seung Hee , Jeong Yeon Hak , Ryu Jae Jin , Kim Kyeong Hyeon
Published: April 2011

Abstract— By introducing polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) nanoparticles along with a controlled amount of UV‐curable reactive mesogen (RM) into a liquid‐crystalline (LC) medium, a multi‐domain vertical‐alignment LC device was successfully demonstrated. The device, possessing a vertically aligned LC director in four different azimuthal directions, exhibited a fast response time and wide‐viewing‐angle characteristics, in the absence of conventional polymer‐type vertical‐alignment layers. Electro‐optic characteristics of the fabricated device, before and after UV curing of the cell, were studied. The surface morphology of the substrate surfaces were analyzed by using field‐emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). The experimental results show that the technology will possibly be applicable to cost‐effective vertical‐alignment liquid‐crystal devices and is suitable for green‐technology liquid‐crystal displays.
Evaluation of an In Vivo Measure of Thought–Action Fusion
Authors: Berman Noah C. , Abramowitz Jonathan S. , Wheaton Michael G. , Pardue Caleb , Fabricant Laura
Published: April 2011

Thought–action fusion (TAF) refers to maladaptive beliefs about the relationship between mental events and behaviors, and is associated with obsessional problems. Currently, the self-report Thought–Action Fusion Scale (TAFS) is the most widely used measure of TAF, but a single assessment modality limits research that can be conducted on this phenomenon. This study evaluated the validity of an in vivo paradigm that assesses both Moral TAF (the belief that thoughts are the moral equivalent of actions) and Likelihood TAF (the belief that thinking about a negative event increases the probability of the event itself). In this paradigm, participants were asked to contemplate two negative events involving a beloved relative: (a) I hope (relative) is in a car accident today and (b) I hope I have sex with (relative). Participants then provided in vivo ratings of anxiety, estimates of likelihood, and moral wrongness related to the negative thoughts. Results provided evidence for the convergent validity of the in vivo ratings for both sentences. These findings are discussed in terms of clinical care, the assessment of TAF, and the implications for future research on this theoretically important construct.