bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protein tyrosine kinase 6 is associated with nasopharyngeal carcinoma poor prognosis and metastasis
Authors: Liu Li-na , Huang Pei-yu , Lin Zhi-rui , Hu Li-juan , Liang Jian-zhong , Li Man-zhi , Tang Lin-quan , Zeng Mu-sheng , Zhong Qian , Zeng Bo-hang
Published: June 2013

Background

The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of protein tyrosine kinase 6 (PTK6) in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) samples, and to identify whether PTK6 can serve as a biomarker for the diagnosis and prognosis of NPC.

Methods

We used quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting analysis to detect mRNA and protein expression of PTK6 in NPC cell lines and immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial cell lines. 31 NPC and 16 non-tumorous nasopharyngeal mucosa biopsies were collected to detect the difference in the expression of mRNA level of PTK6 by quantitative RT-PCR. We also collected 178 NPC and 10 normal nasopharyngeal epithelial cases with clinical follow-up data to investigate the expression of PTK6 by immunohistochemistry staining (IHC). PTK6 overexpression on cell growth and colony formation ability were measured by the method of cell proliferation assay and colony formation assay.

Results

The expression of PTK6 was higher in most of NPC cell lines at both mRNA and protein levels than in immortalized nasopharyngeal epithelial cell lines (NPECs) induced by Bmi-1 (Bmi-1/NPEC1, and Bmi-1/NPEC2). The mRNA level of PTK6 was high in NPC biopsies compared to non-tumorous nasopharyngeal mucosa biopsies. IHC results showed the expression of PTK6 was significantly correlated to tumor size (P<0.001), clinical stage (P<0.001), and metastasis (P=0.016). The patients with high-expression of PTK6 had a significantly poor prognosis compared to those of low-expression (47.8% versus 80.0%, P<0.001), especially in the patients at the advanced stages (42.2% versus 79.1%, P<0.001). Multivariate analysis indicated that the level of PTK6 expression was an independent prognostic factor for the overall survival of patients with NPC (P <0.001). Overexpression of PTK6 in HNE1 cells enhanced the ability of cell proliferation and colony formation.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that high-expression of PTK6 is an independent factor for NPC patients and it might serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for patients with NPC.
Enhanced photoluminescence from porous silicon nanowire arrays
Authors: Zhang Chunqian , Li Chuanbo , Liu Zhi , Zheng Jun , Xue Chunlai , Zuo Yuhua , Cheng Buwen , Wang Qiming
Published: June 2013

The enhanced room-temperature photoluminescence of porous Si nanowire arrays and its mechanism are investigated. Over 4 orders of magnitude enhancement of light intensity is observed by tuning their nanostructures and surface modification. It is concluded that the localized states related to Si-O bonds and self-trapped excitations in the nanoporous structures are attributed to the strong light emission.
Threshold optimization of a finite sample-based cognitive radio network using energy detector
Authors: Singh Ajay , Bhatnagar Manav R , Mallik Ranjan K
Published: June 2013

In this paper, we consider a cognitive radio network containing two cognitive radios (CRs) and one primary user. The CRs utilize finite number of received data samples for estimating the energy of the primary signals and forward these energy estimates to a fusion center (FC). The FC combines the energy estimates and utilizes a global threshold based on the exact knowledge of local thresholds of the CRs for determining the presence or absence of the primary signal. We propose selective and semi-selective soft combining schemes for this set-up. For the proposed schemes, we derive the total probability of error of detecting a spectrum hole. By minimizing the total probability of error in sensing a spectrum hole, we find optimized local and global thresholds. Moreover, we also discuss the optimization of conventional non-selective soft and 1-bit hard combining schemes with multiple (equal to or more than two) collaborative CRs under the total probability of error minimization criterion. It is shown by simulations that the proposed selective soft combination-based scheme significantly outperforms the conventional non-selective schemes based on soft combination and 1-bit hard combination. Further, it is shown by simulation that the proposed selective soft combining scheme along with the total probability of error minimization criterion is able to properly utilize a spectrum hole with interference level less than the standard specified value.
A reinvestigation of recruitment to randomised, controlled, multicenter trials: a review of trials funded by two UK funding agencies
Authors: Sully Ben G O , Julious Steven A , Nicholl Jon
Published: June 2013

Background

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are the gold standard assessment for health technologies. A key aspect of the design of any clinical trial is the target sample size. However, many publicly-funded trials fail to reach their target sample size. This study seeks to assess the current state of recruitment success and grant extensions in trials funded by the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) program and the UK Medical Research Council (MRC).

Methods

Data were gathered from two sources: the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) HTA Journal Archive and the MRC subset of the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) register. A total of 440 trials recruiting between 2002 and 2008 were assessed for eligibility, of which 73 met the inclusion criteria. Where data were unavailable from the reports, members of the trial team were contacted to ensure completeness.

Results

Over half (55%) of trials recruited their originally specified target sample size, with over three-quarters (78%) recruiting 80% of their target. There was no evidence of this improving over the time of the assessment. Nearly half (45%) of trials received an extension of some kind. Those that did were no more likely to successfully recruit. Trials with 80% power were less likely to successfully recruit compared to studies with 90% power.

Conclusions

While recruitment appears to have improved since 1994 to 2002, publicly-funded trials in the UK still struggle to recruit to their target sample size, and both time and financial extensions are often requested. Strategies to cope with such problems should be more widely applied. It is recommended that where possible studies are planned with 90% power.
Genetic etiology study of the non-syndromic deafness in Chinese Hans by targeted next-generation sequencing
Authors: Yang Tao , Wei Xiaoming , Chai Yongchuan , Li Lei , Wu Hao
Published: June 2013

Background

Although over 60 non-syndromic deafness genes have been identified to date, the etiologic contribution of most deafness genes remained elusive. In this study, we addressed this issue by targeted next-generation sequencing of a large cohort of non-syndromic deaf probands.

Methods

Probands with mutations in commonly screened deafness genes GJB2, SLC26A4 and MT-RNR1 were pre-excluded by Sanger sequencing. The remaining 125 deaf probands proceeded through targeted exon capturing of 79 known deafness genes and Illumina HiSeq2000 sequencing.

Results

Bi-allelic mutations in 15 less commonly screened deafness genes were identified in 28 deaf probands, with mutations in MYO15A, GPR98, TMC1, USH2A and PCDH15 being relatively more frequent (≥3 probands each). Dominant mutations in MYO6, TECTA, POU4F3 and COCH were identified in 4 deaf families. A mitochondrial MTTS1 mutation was identified in one maternally inherited deaf family. No pathogenic mutations were identified in three dominant deaf families and two consanguineous families.

Conclusions

Mutations in the less commonly screened deafness genes were heterogeneous and contributed to a significant percentage (17.4%) of causes for non-syndromic deafness. Targeted next-generation sequencing provided a comprehensive and efficient diagnosis for known deafness genes. Complementary to linkage analysis or whole-exome sequencing of deaf families, pre-exclusion of known deafness genes by this strategy may facilitate the discovery of novel deafness genes.
Erratum to: Reconstructive management of the rare bilateral oral submucos fibrosisusing nasolabial flap in comparison with free radial forearm flap - a randomisedprospective trial
Authors: Faisal Muhammad , Rana Madiha , Shaheen Anjum , Warraich Riaz , Kokemueller Horst , Eckardt André Michael , Gellrich Nils-Claudius , Rana Majeed
Published: June 2013

Background

Oral sub mucous fibrosis is a rare chronic, progressive, pre malignant collagendisorder of oral mucosa in people of Asian descent characterized by trismus,blanching and stiffness of mucosa, burning sensation in mouth and hypomobility ofsoft palate and tongue with loss of gustatory sensation. Betel nut chewing is themost common etiological agent. Surgery remains the main stay in severe cases andaims at release of fibrotic bands and resurfacing the raw areas with differentoptions. Reconstruction can be done by using nasolabial flap or radial freeforearm flap. The purpose of this study was to compare the mouth opening after thereconstruction with either nasolabial flap or radial free forearm flap.

Methods

This study was carried out on fifty (50) patients with oral sub mucous fibrosis.Twenty five (25) of these were reconstructed by nasolabial flap and twenty five(25) were reconstructed by radial free forearm flap. At different intervals oftheir post-operative visits, they were evaluated for the interincisal distance andthe difference between the two groups was assessed.

Results

Average increase in interincisal distance was greater in patients reconstructedwith radial free forearm flap compared with patient reconstructed by nasolabialflap i.e. 18.96 mm and 15.16 mm respectively with ‘P’ value >0.05.

Conclusions

Based on the results of this study, there was no significant difference in mouthopening after reconstruction with radial forearm free flap compared to nasolabialflap.
Cloning, overexpression and biocatalytic exploration of a novel Baeyer-Villiger monooxygenase from Aspergillus fumigatus Af293
Authors: Mascotti Maria Laura , Juri Ayub Maximiliano , Dudek Hanna , Sanz Marcela Kurina , Fraaije Marco W
Published: June 2013

The presence of several putative Baeyer-Villiger Monooxygenases (BVMOs) encoding genes in Aspergillus fumigatus Af293 was demonstrated for the first time. One of the identified BVMO-encoding genes was cloned and successfully overexpressed fused to the cofactor regenerating enzyme phosphite dehydrogenase (PTDH). The enzyme named BVMOAf1 was extensively characterized in terms of its substrate scope and essential kinetic features. It showed high chemo-, regio- and stereoselectivity not only in the oxidation of asymmetric sulfides, (S)-sulfoxides were obtained with 99% ee, but also in the kinetic resolution of bicyclo[3.2.0]hept-2-en-6-one. This kinetic resolution process led to the production of (1S,5R) normal lactone and (1R,5S) abnormal lactone with a regioisomeric ratio of 1:1 and 99% ee each. Besides, different reaction conditions, such as pH, temperature and the presence of organic solvents, have been tested, revealing that BVMOAf1 is a relatively robust biocatalyst.
Hyperosmotic priming of Arabidopsis seedlings establishes a long-term somatic memory accompanied by specific changes of the epigenome
Authors: Sani Emanuela , Herzyk Pawel , Perrella Giorgio , Colot Vincent , Amtmann Anna
Published: June 2013

Background

In arid and semi-arid environments, drought and soil salinity usually occur at the beginning and end of a plant's life cycle, offering a natural opportunity for the priming of young plants to enhance stress tolerance in mature plants. Chromatin marks, such as histone modifications, provide a potential molecular mechanism for priming plants to environmental stresses, but whether transient exposure of seedlings to hyperosmotic stress leads to chromatin changes that are maintained throughout vegetative growth remains unclear.

Results

We have established an effective protocol for hyperosmotic priming in the model plant Arabidopsis, which includes a transient mild salt treatment of seedlings followed by an extensive period of growth in control conditions. Primed plants are identical to non-primed plants in growth and development, yet they display reduced salt uptake and enhanced drought tolerance after a second stress exposure. ChIP-seq analysis of four histone modifications revealed that the priming treatment altered the epigenomic landscape; the changes were small but they were specific for the treated tissue, varied in number and direction depending on the modification, and preferentially targeted transcription factors. Notably, priming leads to shortening and fractionation of H3K27me3 islands. This effect fades over time, but is still apparent after a ten day growth period in control conditions. Several genes with priming-induced differences in H3K27me3 showed altered transcriptional responsiveness to the second stress treatment.

Conclusion

Experience of transient hyperosmotic stress by young plants is stored in a long-term somatic memory comprising differences of chromatin status, transcriptional responsiveness and whole plant physiology.
Cellular Mechanisms by Which FGF21 Improves Insulin Sensitivity in Male Mice
Authors: Camporez João Paulo G. , Jornayvaz François R. , Petersen Max C. , Pesta Dominik , Guigni Blas A. , Serr Julie , Zhang Dongyan , Kahn Mario , Samuel Varman T. , Jurczak Michael J. , Shulman Gerald I.
Published: June 2013

Fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) is a potent regulator of glucose and lipid metabolism and is currently being pursued as a therapeutic agent for insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. However, the cellular mechanisms by which FGF21 modifies insulin action in vivo are unclear. To address this question, we assessed insulin action in regular chow– and high-fat diet (HFD)–fed wild-type mice chronically infused with FGF21 or vehicle. Here, we show that FGF21 administration results in improvements in both hepatic and peripheral insulin sensitivity in both regular chow– and HFD-fed mice. This improvement in insulin responsiveness in FGF21-treated HFD-fed mice was associated with decreased hepatocellular and myocellular diacylglycerol content and reduced protein kinase Cϵ activation in liver and protein kinase Cθ in skeletal muscle. In contrast, there were no effects of FGF21 on liver or muscle ceramide content. These effects may be attributed, in part, to increased energy expenditure in the liver and white adipose tissue. Taken together, these data provide a mechanism by which FGF21 protects mice from lipid-induced liver and muscle insulin resistance and support its development as a novel therapy for the treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.
Photoinduced Large Increase in the Refractive Index of N-2-Thenoyloxyaryl-4-tert-butylphenoxyacetamide Film
Authors: Arai Taichi , Kobayashi Sakiho , Oshimi Natsuko , Igarashi Tetsutaro , Sakurai Tadamitsu
Published: June 2013

The irradiation of N-2-thenoyloxyaryl-4-tert-butylphenoxyacetamides in their molecular film states at 254 nm was found to selectively afford the corresponding photo-Fries rearranged products. This rearrangement reaction was also found to lead to a large increase in the refractive indices of the films, which ranged from 0.021 to 0.035.
Hearing the Silence: The University of Dayton, the Ku Klux Klan, and Catholic Universities and Colleges in the 1920s
Authors: Trollinger William Vance
Published: June 2013

The "second" Ku Klux Klan exploded into national prominence in the 1920s. While the original Klan was based in the South and concentrated its animus against the newly freed slaves, the second KKK was a national organization that expanded its list of social scapegoats to include Catholics, Jews, and immigrants. Ohio perhaps had more Klan members than any other state, and in the 1920s the Dayton KKK chapter targeted the local Catholic university - the University of Dayton (UD) - with crossburnings and a bombing. While the school's administration avoided confrontation, UD students and the UD football team aggressively challenged the Klan. But while similar events at Notre Dame have received extensive attention from historians, the Klan's attacks on the University of Dayton are absent from the school's institutional histories and are virtually non-existent in the school's institutional memory. A review of histories of Catholic universities in states where the Klan was active reveals a similar silence, even though there are good reasons to believe some of these schools were also targeted by the Klan. As the University of Dayton story indicates, just because institutions and institutional histories are silent does not mean nothing happened. In fact, the silence is deafening.
American Indian Sainthood and the Catholic Church
Authors: Steltenkamp Michael F.
Published: June 2013

Recent decades have witnessed Indian participation diminish within Christian churches. This trend underscores the importance of Kateri Tekakwitha's canonization on October 21, 2012. It was a long overdue acknowledgement of the sanctity that is just as evident within Native North American populations as it is among others. With Indian America now having a woman saint, a male counterpart ought to be close behind her. Nicholas Black Elk is the pre-eminent candidate for this honor. Probably better known than Kateri, Black Elk's popular "life story" was published in 1932, and reprinted many times in at least eleven languages. It was not known until the end of the twentieth century, however, that most of the man's life had gone unreported. Unknown to readers was that Black Elk had been a devout Catholic catechist for close to fifty years. It was this role for which his people held him in high esteem (400 of them baptized because of his missionary labors). In the event Black Elk is canonized, the church can be indicted for doing too little too late. Had it acted more quickly, the church might have provided balance to an Indian cultural resurgence that included heavy doses of anti-Christian rhetoric that encouraged many to forsake affiliation with faith communities.
Friends and Foes: Religious Publications and the Delano Grape Strike and Boycott (1965-1970)
Authors: Jacobs Andrew
Published: June 2013

This article explores the role that national religious publications played in the contentious Delano Grape Strike of 1965. It examines how unionization efforts among California farm workers and the national boycott of table grapes played out in the religious press, with an eye towards its significance for the movement. While conservative opposition and pushback was expressed in a few publications, the majority of the religious press, meanwhile, offered positive and sympathetic accounts of the farm workers and their boycott, which was born out of a struggle for better wages, union representation, and improved working conditions. Amidst this widespread coverage, the U.S. Catholic bishops, initially neutral, intervened in the dispute by acting as a mediator. With the help of the bishops and other church leaders, the dispute was resolved in 1970 on terms favoring the farm workers.
The Politics of Difference in Krishen Jit's Theatre in the 1970s: "A Time of Intense Questioning" in Malaysian Culture
Authors: Rajendran Charlene
Published: June 2013

Contemporary Malaysian theatre has often negotiated the tensions and conflicts of cultural difference, attempting to reflect on and redefine the constructs of identity. Malaysian theatre director Krishen Jit explored alternative performance strategies for looking at depictions of modern society, such as interracial casting and physically stylized enactments of scripts, to expand how constructs of culture could be reshaped. This article focuses on his work in the 1970s, when he began to stage modern Malaysian identities as discursive formations that allowed for permeable boundaries.
Dreamers' Nightmare: The Melancholia of the Taiwanese Centennial Celebration
Authors: Cheng Fan-Ting
Published: June 2013

Dreamers is a musical written by Lai Sheng-Chuan and directed by Ding Nai-Cheng and Lu Poshen to celebrate the centennial of the founding of the Republic of China on 10 October 1911. With us $7 million in government funds, the musical delivered the government's message of Taiwan's economy's strength. However, Dreamers drew criticism from Taiwanese intellectuals for its arguable interpretation of the origin of Taiwan and its failure to address imperative social issues. Employing Sigmund Freud's and Anne Anlin Cheng's model of melancholia, I examine the title, the story, and the staging of Dreamers to see how this musical discloses that Taiwan, on the one hand, desires an independent national subjectivity and, on the other hand, refuses to fully grieve and let go of the loss of China. The musical Dreamers teases out the complex social etiology behind the phenomenon of national grief and injury.
The Case of Princess Baihua : State Diplomatic Functions and Theatrical Creative Process in China in the 1950s and 1960s
Authors: Siyuan Liu
Published: June 2013

Based on archival scripts, discussion records, and interviews of surviving artists, this article examines the impact of China's state diplomatic demand and shifting political and ideological circumstances on the creation and revisions of a jingju (Beijing opera) play titled Princess Baihua in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In 1958, a kunqu scene from the Ming dynasty chuanqi (marvel play) piece The Story of Baihua was selected and significantly revised for a cultural-diplomatic tour to Europe. After the tour, the jingju actress Li Yuru adapted this one-act into a short jingju play. In 1960, as Li and her colleagues at the Shanghai Jingju Theatre were preparing to expand Li's version into a full-length play, foreign minister Chen Yi suggested a fundamental change to the premise of the play in order to utilize it for China's Cold War diplomacy. Chen's directive, however, introduced major creative challenges for the team of actors, playwrights, directors, and cultural officials in charge of the revision process that went through four versions between 1960 and 1961, which was further complicated by the volatile ideological pendulum of the era.
Should Nandan Be Abolished?: The Debate over Female Impersonation in Early Republican China and Its Underlying Cultural Logic
Authors: Wu Guanda
Published: June 2013

This essay examines the debate over female impersonation in theatre in early Republican China (1912-1937). The adversaries of nandan (female impersonators) saw the social equity between the sexes and the normalcy of gender, sex, and sexuality as integral parts of the process of building a modern nation and contended that theatre should contribute to this endeavor. Supporters of female impersonation saw female actors as hedonistic, underscored women's inferiority in xiqu performance, and emphasized that female impersonation was essential to the artistry of xiqu 's distinct aesthetic.
A Celebration of Gamelan Sekar Petak's Thirtieth Anniversary and of the British Gamelan Scene: Wayang Lokananta: The Gamelan of the Gods . University of York, Department of Music, 26-28 April 2012. York, United Kingdom.
Authors: House Ginevra
Published: June 2013

This report discusses the wayang and conference held to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of gamelan at the University of York and discusses the development of wayang and gamelan in the British context.
Bangsawan : Creative Patterns in Production
Authors: Samsuddin Mohd. Effindi , Bujang Rahmah
Published: June 2013

Bangsawan , an operatic form, is a living theatre in Malaysia. This article examines its structure and creative processes, associates it with social issues and acceptance by a multiethnic audience, and relates the history of the genre.
On the Possibility of Elsewhere: A Postsecular Reading of Lois Lowry's Giver Trilogy
Authors: Wend-Walker Graeme
Published: June 2013

The paper argues that the three works in Lois Lowry's Giver trilogy— The Giver, Gathering Blue , and Messenger —articulate together a distinctively postsecular social critique, one addressing both ideological secularism and institutionalized faith. In pitting secular and religious assumptions against each other, these works generate a productive critical ambivalence through which delegitimized modes of interpretation are reclaimed as tools for the thinking of selfhood and otherness. They suggest, finally, that the spiritual might be regarded as a function of poetic invention, one with a capacity to disrupt constructions of the real with images of that which might otherwise appear impossible.
"I must have my gossip with the young folks": Letter Writing and Literacy in The Boys' and Girls' Magazine and Fireside Companion
Authors: Brazeau Alicia
Published: June 2013

This article examines The Boys' and Girls' Magazine and Fireside Companion (1848-1857) as a tool of literacy instruction. In particular, I contend that the correspondence column acts not only as a publication site for young writers, but also as a forum for the editor, "Father Forrester," to instruct readers in letter-writing, a practice he overtly links to the business discourse valued by middle-class, consumer America. In asking readers to compose the column's content, Forrester makes an argument for the value of children's work as writers and mentors young letter-writers into the habits and values of business writing.
Between “Unity of Action” and “Lackeys of Imperialism”: The Contradictory Attitudes of the East German Communists Toward the West German Social Democrats, 1959–1989
Authors: Orlow Dietrich
Published: June 2013

Relations between the Communists and the Social Democrats were almost always acrimonious, and did not improve when the Communists became the East German SED. For forty years the SED attempted to persuade rank-and-file Social Democrats and their leaders to join forces with the Communists. The East German Communists’ efforts reached a climax of sorts in the 1960s when the SED thought the SPD’s Bad Godesberg Program would alienate most rank-and-file members and lead them to join with the Communists. The SED failed at this “unity from below,” and efforts to cooperate with the SPD leaders also made no headway until just before the GDR imploded.
An Apology for Public Apologies?: Transitional Justice and Respect in Germany
Authors: Espindola Juan
Published: June 2013

Public apologies of former perpetrators for their wrongdoing are commonly taken to be an expression of respect for victims. Public apologies are said to involve recognition that the victim deserves redress in the form of an acknowledgment of the wrong done to him or her. This paper seeks to qualify this view by focusing on the case of the public exposure of informers for the infamous secret police or Stasi under the German Democratic Republic. It argues that public apologies may in fact be a way of circumventing the possibility of promoting respect for victims.
„In diesem Sinne hat jede Zeit, hat jedes Volk die Führer, die sie verdienen“—Zum Politik- und Politikerbild des republikanischen Bürgertums in der Weimarer Republik
Authors: Lange Carolin Dorothée
Published: June 2013

From a literary perspective, this article deals with the political culture of the pro-republican middle class during the Weimar Republic and its images of leadership. It aims to show how this group’s perception and interpretation of politics was aesthetically influenced by narratives used to describe an ideal political leader that can be traced back to popularized version of Sturm und Drang ’s concept of genius. During the Weimar era, hugely emotive expectations toward politics are fostered, and they may become a burden for the young state.
Cooperation and Tension: Revisiting Local Activism in the Southern Song Dynasty
Authors: Lee Sukhee
Published: June 2013

Sukhee Lee takes as his point of departure a conundrum: although the local elites of Mingzhou prefecture won glowing praise for their role in building community solidarity, the financial support for their activities actually often came from the state. Because Mingzhou local activism was clearly not a response to a retreating state, Lee focuses on the complex interplay between the state and local elites, especially by examining their sponsorship of official schools, the community drinking ceremony, charitable estates, and the charitable service. He demonstrates that the state and local elites had convergent interests, but he also shows that they differed both in their commitment to local projects and in their visions of elite social responsibility. Two contending but complementary visions, rather than the complete triumph of one over the other, was vital to the success of the local activism of Mingzhou.
Using the Schema-Triggered Affect Model to Examine Disposition Formation in the Context of Sports News
Authors: Kinnally William , Tuzunkan Firat , Raney Arthur A. , Fitzgerald Megan , Smith Jason Kemmitt
Published: June 2013

The current study uses affective disposition theory and the schema-triggered affect model to examine the process of forming affiliations with media characters. In the current study, disposition formation was examined within the nonfiction context of sports news. Individual levels of sports fanship and religiosity were used to examine associations between existing cognitive schema and the disposition toward an unknown athlete and the appreciation of a sports news story. A sample of 195 individuals read a sports magazine article in which a fictitious athlete either expressed a religious affiliation or no religious affiliation. Respondents evaluated the article containing statements of religious affiliation more positively than the similar article containing no expression of religious affiliation. Compared to general and specific sport interest, religiosity was the best predictor of disposition formation toward the athlete and appreciation of the article. This study expands the disposition literature by examining media coverage surrounding sports events and extending our knowledge of how cognitive constructs are related to disposition formation and enjoyment.
The Effects of Fantasy Football Participation on Team Identification, Team Loyalty and NFL Fandom
Authors: Lee Jeremy , Ruihley Brody J. , Brown Natalie , Billings Andrew C.
Published: June 2013

An estimated 35 million people in North America participated in fantasy sport in 2011. This study examines how participation levels in fantasy football affect team identification, team loyalty, fandom of the National Football League ( NFL ), and consumer behavior. Survey results indicate higher fantasy participation levels leading to higher team identification, higher team loyalty, and higher fandom, where fandom of the NFL is higher than team identification. Other results show higher levels of fantasy participation led to more time spent watching NFL games as well as more time spent online researching and updating their fantasy football team. Additionally, 41% of fantasy football participants prefer a win by their fantasy team instead of their favorite team. A win preference of fantasy team resulted in lower team identification and team loyalty, which has major implications on ticket sales, team merchandise sales, and sponsorship sales.
Determining the Effects of Sport Commentary on Viewer Perceptions, Attitudes, Beliefs, and Enjoyment through Violence Justification
Authors: Frederick Evan L. , Lim Choong Hoon , Chung Jinwook , Clavio Galen
Published: June 2013

Three commentary conditions were created in order to determine how perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, and enjoyment were affected by varying levels of violence justification. Specifically, this study employed a between subjects quasi-experimental design. Analysis of Covariance ( ANCOVA ) testing found support for commentary's ability to alter viewer perceptions through violence justification. The neutral condition was found to have the highest mean value for perceptions of aggression and hostility. Conclusions regarding those findings will be discussed further.
Down the Rabbit Hole
Authors: Godley Joanne
Published: June 2013

This narrative symposium examines the relationship of bioethics practice to personal experiences of illness. A call for stories was developed by Tod Chambers, the symposium editor, and editorial staff and was sent to several commonly used bioethics listservs and posted on the Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics website. The call asked authors to relate a personal story of being ill or caring for a person who is ill, and to describe how this affected how they think about bioethical questions and the practice of medicine. Eighteen individuals were invited to submit full stories based on review of their proposals. Twelve stories are published in this symposium, and six supplemental stories are published online only through Project MUSE. Authors explore themes of vulnerability, suffering, communication, voluntariness, cultural barriers, and flaws in local healthcare systems through stories about their own illnesses or about caring for children, partners, parents and grandparents. Commentary articles by Arthur Frank, Bradley Lewis, and Carol Taylor follow the collection of personal narratives.
Should We Tell Annie?: Preparing for Death at the Intersection of Parental Authority and Adolescent Autonomy
Authors: Salter Erica K.
Published: June 2013

This case analysis examines the pediatric clinical ethics issues of adolescent autonomy and parental authority in medical decision–making. The case involves a dying adolescent whose parents request that the medical team withhold diagnosis and prognosis information from the patient. The analysis engages two related ethical questions: Should Annie be given information about her medical condition? And, who is the proper decision–maker in Annie’s case? Ultimately, four practical recommendations are offered.
“The breath goes now”: Questioning a Case Study about Withdrawing a Respirator
Authors: Schilling Carol
Published: June 2013

This narrative symposium examines the relationship of bioethics practice to personal experiences of illness. A call for stories was developed by Tod Chambers, the symposium editor, and editorial staff and was sent to several commonly used bioethics listservs and posted on the Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics website. The call asked authors to relate a personal story of being ill or caring for a person who is ill, and to describe how this affected how they think about bioethical questions and the practice of medicine. Eighteen individuals were invited to submit full stories based on review of their proposals. Twelve stories are published in this symposium, and six supplemental stories are published online only through Project MUSE. Authors explore themes of vulnerability, suffering, communication, voluntariness, cultural barriers, and flaws in local healthcare systems through stories about their own illnesses or about caring for children, partners, parents and grandparents. Commentary articles by Arthur Frank, Bradley Lewis, and Carol Taylor follow the collection of personal narratives.
Reason for Hospital Admission: A Pilot Study Comparing Patient Statements with Chart Reports
Authors: Berger Zackary , Dembitzer Anne , Beach Mary Catherine
Published: June 2013

Providers and patients bring different understandings of health and disease to their encounters in the hospital setting. The literature to date only infrequently addresses patient and provider concordance on the reported reason for hospitalization, that is, whether they express this reason in similar ways. An agreement or common ground between such understandings can serve as a basis for future communication regarding an illness and its treatment. We interviewed a convenience sample of patients on the medical wards of an urban academic medical center. We asked subjects to state the reason why their doctors admitted them to the hospital, and then compared their statement with the reason in the medical record. We defined concordance on reported reason for hospitalization as agreement between the patient’s report and the reason abstracted from the chart. We interviewed and abstracted chart data from a total of 46 subjects. Concordance on reported reason for hospitalization was present in 24 (52%) and discordance in 17 (37%); 5 patients (11%) could not give any reason for their hospitalization. Among the 17 patients whose report was discordant with their chart, 12 (71%) reported a different organ system than was recorded in the chart. A significant proportion of medical inpatients could not state their physicians’ reason for admission. In addition, patients who identify a different reason for hospitalization than the chart often give a different organ system altogether. Providers should explore patient understanding of the reason for their hospitalization to facilitate communication and shared decision making.
A Terrifying Truth
Authors: Dresser Rebecca
Published: June 2013

This narrative symposium examines the relationship of bioethics practice to personal experiences of illness. A call for stories was developed by Tod Chambers, the symposium editor, and editorial staff and was sent to several commonly used bioethics listservs and posted on the Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics website. The call asked authors to relate a personal story of being ill or caring for a person who is ill, and to describe how this affected how they think about bioethical questions and the practice of medicine. Eighteen individuals were invited to submit full stories based on review of their proposals. Twelve stories are published in this symposium, and six supplemental stories are published online only through Project MUSE. Authors explore themes of vulnerability, suffering, communication, voluntariness, cultural barriers, and flaws in local healthcare systems through stories about their own illnesses or about caring for children, partners, parents and grandparents. Commentary articles by Arthur Frank, Bradley Lewis, and Carol Taylor follow the collection of personal narratives.
Informed Consent, An Ongoing Conversation
Authors: Neilen Deirdre
Published: June 2013

This narrative symposium examines the relationship of bioethics practice to personal experiences of illness. A call for stories was developed by Tod Chambers, the symposium editor, and editorial staff and was sent to several commonly used bioethics listservs and posted on the Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics website. The call asked authors to relate a personal story of being ill or caring for a person who is ill, and to describe how this affected how they think about bioethical questions and the practice of medicine. Eighteen individuals were invited to submit full stories based on review of their proposals. Twelve stories are published in this symposium, and six supplemental stories are published online only through Project MUSE. Authors explore themes of vulnerability, suffering, communication, voluntariness, cultural barriers, and flaws in local healthcare systems through stories about their own illnesses or about caring for children, partners, parents and grandparents. Commentary articles by Arthur Frank, Bradley Lewis, and Carol Taylor follow the collection of personal narratives.
The Protectors and the Protected: What Regulators and Researchers Can Learn from IRB Members and Subjects
Authors: Cook Ann Freeman , Hoas Helena , Joyner Jane Clare
Published: June 2013

Clinical research is increasingly conducted in settings that include private physicians’ offices, clinics, community hospitals, local institutes, and independent research centers. The migration of such research into this new, non–academic environment has brought new cadres of researchers into the clinical research enterprise and also broadened the pool of potential research participants. Regulatory approaches for protecting human subjects who participate in research have also evolved. Some institutions retain their own Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), but Independent IRBs, community hospital IRBs and community–based IRBs also fulfill oversight responsibilities. This article sheds light on this evolving world by discussing the findings gleaned from two studies: a study of the decision making processes used by members who serve on different kinds of IRBs and a study of the decision making processes employed by research participants. The article then discusses how the key findings may inform proposed revisions to the Common Rule.
The Education of Josephine’s Mom
Authors: Lee K. Jane
Published: June 2013

This narrative symposium examines the relationship of bioethics practice to personal experiences of illness. A call for stories was developed by Tod Chambers, the symposium editor, and editorial staff and was sent to several commonly used bioethics listservs and posted on the Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics website. The call asked authors to relate a personal story of being ill or caring for a person who is ill, and to describe how this affected how they think about bioethical questions and the practice of medicine. Eighteen individuals were invited to submit full stories based on review of their proposals. Twelve stories are published in this symposium, and six supplemental stories are published online only through Project MUSE. Authors explore themes of vulnerability, suffering, communication, voluntariness, cultural barriers, and flaws in local healthcare systems through stories about their own illnesses or about caring for children, partners, parents and grandparents. Commentary articles by Arthur Frank, Bradley Lewis, and Carol Taylor follow the collection of personal narratives.
What the Experience of Illness Teaches
Authors: Taylor Carol
Published: June 2013

When invited to describe what the experience of illness taught them, a select group of bioethicists took eagerly to the task. This commentary culls three themes from their reflections: responsiveness to vulnerability, love as the proper motive for care, and reflective practice. U.S. bioethics was slow to appreciate the importance of recognizing and responding to human vulnerability. These essays describe its central importance for those suffering illness and make educating a more empathic and responsive generation of caregivers a priority. Descriptions of how family and friendship bonds with an ill person created a unique sense of their inherent dignity and needs clearly raises the question of whether or not love is a necessary motive for professional caregivers. Will our professional care always fall short if not motivated by genuine human love? Finally, each essay teaches anew the importance of the life lessons human experience can teach if we value reflection and seek to experience, understand and learn from our experience.
When Worlds Collide
Authors: Lanoix Monique
Published: June 2013

This narrative symposium examines the relationship of bioethics practice to personal experiences of illness. A call for stories was developed by Tod Chambers, the symposium editor, and editorial staff and was sent to several commonly used bioethics listservs and posted on the Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics website. The call asked authors to relate a personal story of being ill or caring for a person who is ill, and to describe how this affected how they think about bioethical questions and the practice of medicine. Eighteen individuals were invited to submit full stories based on review of their proposals. Twelve stories are published in this symposium, and six supplemental stories are published online only through Project MUSE. Authors explore themes of vulnerability, suffering, communication, voluntariness, cultural barriers, and flaws in local healthcare systems through stories about their own illnesses or about caring for children, partners, parents and grandparents. Commentary articles by Arthur Frank, Bradley Lewis, and Carol Taylor follow the collection of personal narratives.
The Isolation of Illness
Authors: Lewis Bradley
Published: June 2013

Reading the illness narratives of my professional collogues was a moving experience, which reminded me of my own vulnerability and made clear the wisdom of connecting the dots between lived experience and scholarship. Though this wisdom is compelling, it is far from clear how it might be done. Including lived–sexperience in medical humanities scholarship exposes researchers to the vulnerability and isolation that goes with illness. Disability studies analysis offers powerful tools for understanding this vulnerability and isolation. The next step is to take that analysis into applied medical scholarship. These articles provide a valuable start in that direction.
The Theory and Practice of Transculturation: Translating Culture-Specific Concepts in Balys Sruoga's Forest of the Gods
Authors: Ulvydienė Loreta
Published: June 2013

The article discusses the problems that faced the English translator of Balys Sruoga's Forest of the Gods , a novel written immediately after World War II and based on the author's experience as a prisoner in the Stutthof concentration camp. The article shows that, largely owing to the translator's choices in rendering culture-specific concepts and expressions, the original and the translation may acquire different kinds of standing in the literary-historical process.
Introduction: From Translation to Interpretation
Authors: Masiero Pia
Published: June 2013

The forum consists of studies of selected translations of Philip Roth's works into Spanish, French, Italian, and Polish. The translations, along with the interpretations and misinterpretations to which they lead, reflect the time and place in which they are performed but also shed new light on the linguistic and cultural folds of the original text.
"Lectura para Personas de Amplio Criterio": Censorship in the Translations of Philip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint and The Professor of Desire
Authors: Canales Gustavo Sánchez
Published: June 2013

This article focuses on the effects of censorship on the translations of two of Roth's novels into Spanish: Portnoy's Complaint (1969) and The Professor of Desire (1977). These two novels, published in Spanish for the first time in 1977 and 1978 respectively — a period when Spain had barely left behind General Francisco Franco's dictatorship (1939-1975) — suffered various forms of censorship. The article shows how the four criteria (Abellán 1980) used by the censors of the period — sexual morality, linguistic decorum, politics and respect for religion as an institution — were applied in the case of these two Roth novels.
Ventriloquism in Philip Roth's Deception and Its Polish Translation
Authors: Jarniewicz Jerzy
Published: June 2013

The article examines one of the problems of translating Philip Roth's novel Deception into Polish. In the novel, written entirely in dialogues, the speakers are not defined as regards their identity, including their gender. This device contributes to the novel's theme of deception and ventriloquism: all the voices in the novel, no matter how diverse, belong ultimately to the writer as their sole creator. The translator should leave the dialogues untagged, otherwise the meaningful indeterminacy of the text is lost. This, however, proves impossible in the Polish translation, since the Polish language is gendered, and the Polish translator has to disambiguate the text, deciding who makes what utterances in the dialogue. In doing so the translator has to follow clichéd preconceptions about gender or, on the contrary, subvert them. In both cases, what in the source text is left ambiguous and indeterminate becomes concretized and determinate in the process of translation.
The Dawn of Medicine: Ancient Egypt and Athotis, the King-Physician
Authors: Kwiecinski Jakub
Published: June 2013

The earliest physician recorded in history is Athotis (Aha), one of the first rulers of ancient Egypt. While it is debatable whether the story of a king-physician is a fact or just a legend, it is clear that ancient Egyptian medicine developed around the time of his reign. The fortunate combination of earlier medical observations, the development of script, and favorable social conditions made the dawn of ancient Egypt also the dawn of medicine.