bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Information as exclusion: Towards a critical understanding of everyday life
Authors: Smith Harrison
Published: January 2013

This paper seeks to critique the theoretical components of everyday life information seeking through an exogenous incorporation of the sociology of everyday life. In particular, it focuses on the way in which everyday life spaces are increasingly being produced and sustained by practices of surveillance in order to structure information users into geo‐demographic typologies of information consumers. The argument advanced is that an analysis of the production of space can enable a more theoretically solid groundwork for understanding the relationship between information users and the social contexts of everyday information seeking.
Image similarity as assessed by users: A quantitative study
Authors: Tirilly Pierre , Mu Xiangming , Huang Chunsheng , Xie Iris , Jeong Wooseob , Zhang Jin
Published: January 2013

Image retrieval systems are generally based on the notion of image similarity: they compute similarity scores between the images of the database and a query (image or text), and organize the images according to these scores. However, this notion is ill‐defined, and the collections used to train and evaluate image retrieval systems are based on similarity judgments that rely on simplistic, non‐realistic, assumptions. This paper addresses the issue of the definition of image similarity, and more precisely the two following questions: do humans assess image similarity in the same way? Is it possible to define reference similarity judgments that would correspond to the perception of most users? An experiment is proposed, in which human subjects are assigned two tasks that fall in principle to the system: rating the similarity of images and ranking images according to a reference image. The data provided by the subjects is analyzed quantitatively to the light of the two aforementioned questions. Results show that the subjects do not have collective strategies of similarity assessment, but that a satisfying consensus can be found individually on the data samples used in the experiments. Based on this, methods to define reference similarity scores and rankings are proposed, that can be used on a larger scale to produce realistic ground truths for the evaluation of image retrieval systems. This study is a first step towards a general, realistic, definition of the notion of image similarity in the context of image retrieval.
From vision to reality: The emerging information professional
Authors: Hirsh Sandra , Bates Marcia , Dalrymple Prudence
Published: January 2013

What will it mean to be an information professional in coming decades? How can we shape the public perception of our slice of the economy? How will job opportunities change? This panel session shares the insights from two recent conferences that brought together thought leaders from around the country to envision the future of information professionals. Panelists who are on the front lines of recruitment and who hire information professionals in different environments – biomedical, industry, and government – will then share their perspectives about information professionals. Following initial presentations, the attendees will be encouraged to pose questions to the panelists in an interactive discussion.
Deliberation in Wikipedia: Rationales in article deletion discussions
Authors: Xiao Lu , Askin Nicole
Published: January 2013

In this paper, we describe a study‐in‐progress aimed at evaluating and improving the quality of online deliberation. We analyze the use of rationales in article deletion discussions on Wikipedia. Our preliminary findings suggest that the majority of participants in these discussions were concerned with the notability and credibility of the topics, and for the most part presented cogent rationales based on established site policies.
Identifying factors of online news comments
Authors: Williamson Jeanine , Christopher Eaker P.E. , Lounsbury John
Published: January 2013

Bawden and Robinson (2009) state: “[t]here is no single generally accepted definition of information overload. The term is usually taken to represent a state of affairs where an individual's efficiency in using information in their work is hampered by the amount of relevant, and potentially useful, information available to them.” (pp. 182‐183) We concentrate on the subjective dimension of information overload, defining it as: distress associated with the perception that there is too much information. We utilize psychometric scale development procedures to measure information overload and correlate it with demographic and psychological variables. Our poster reports preliminary findings that information overload is correlated significantly with gender (being female); age and year in college (positively); and measures of life satisfaction (negatively).
Groups in Mendeley: Owners' descriptions and group outcomes
Authors: Jeng Wei , He Daqing , Jiang Jiepu , Zhang Yang
Published: January 2013

Using four factors borrowed from traditional social group theories, we examined owners' group descriptions in Mendeley to study the applicability of traditional social group theories for large, loosely‐formed online groups. We manually annotated the descriptions for 529 Mendeley groups, and correlated the appearances of the factors with two measures of the groups' outcomes: the changes in the numbers of group members and the changes of the articles shared within the groups between 2011 and 2012. Our results suggest that, in general, all four factors are important in online groups, which indicates the usefulness of traditional group theories in the study of online groups. In addition, although a majority of the factors have helped the growth of group size being higher than average increase, several factors have caused the increase of the shared articles within the groups to be smaller than average increase.
Moving courses online as a catalyst of pedagogical innovation: An activity theory‐based view
Authors: Khanova Julia
Published: January 2013

The poster illustrates the use of Activity Theory as an analytical tool for study of pedagogical innovation. This exploration is based on the in‐depth study of the process of converting several face‐to‐face courses to online teaching format in the context of one university. Data from interviews with participants in different roles in the process is analyzed using the activity theory framework. The study findings suggest that exposure to online teaching technologies and methods can act as a catalyst of pedagogical innovation. The poster also illustrates the utility of activity theory for examination of the dynamic processes mixing pedagogy and technology in the complex contexts of higher education institutions.
Application of radio frequency identification technology for the study of information‐seeking behavior of public library users: Preliminary analysis
Authors: Sugie Noriko
Published: January 2013

This study examines the possibility of applying radio frequency identification (RFID) technology as a method to collect quantitative data on library user behavior, and thus determine common features. An innovative method of users observation was conducted at Chiyoda Public Library in 2012. Each user was asked to carry an antenna to receive the radio waves emitted from RFID tags, and a personal digital assistant (PDA) to record the data, and went about using the library as usual. RFID tags attached to books and magazines were used to identify the locations of users. Data was obtained on the time spent in the library, travel distance, traveling path, time spent browsing in each zone and time spent browsing books by subject. It was found that the users who spent less than 30 minutes in the library made up the largest percentage of these groups, while some users spent more than 2 hours. It was also found that users tended to browse general books more than other materials.
Homage to Helen Brownson: Information science pioneer
Authors: Jayroe Tina J.
Published: January 2013

Helen Brownson (1917–) was a federal government employee from 1941–1970 and was responsible for many scientific events, technologies, and foundational aspects which fostered the transformation of the field of documentation into the field of information science. As Program Director for Scientific Documentation at the National Science Foundation's Office of Scientific Information, Brownson published dozens of reports and articles pertaining to information‐handling, scientific communication, and machine‐translation problems. She presented at and reported on international conferences and would allocate federal grant money toward pioneering projects—all in order to develop better methods for access, storage, and retrieval of recorded scientific information. She was responsible for identifying and supporting the Cranfield Experiments and founded the Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST) as well as the two technical systems publications which precipitated the need for an annual review. This poster is a concise history of Brownson's career taken directly from the forthcoming article, A Humble Servant: The Work of Helen L. Brownson and the Early Years of Information Science Research. More specifically, it is an opportunity to showcase many of the personal, historical, visual images collected during personal interviews with, and through scholarly research on this influential pioneer.
Can you relate? A study of user perceptions of thesaural subject relationships
Authors: Clarke Rachel Ivy , Lee Jin Ha
Published: January 2013

This poster describes a pilot study investigating what, if any, associative thesaural relationships are identifiable and distinguishable to information seekers. Using associative relationships from the Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), we asked potential library users via Amazon Mechanical Turk to identify six narrower distinctions of established associative relationship types. Preliminary results from the survey indicate that some associative relationship types, such as near synonym and agent/process, are indeed identifiable, while others, like position in time and space, remain problematic.
L.A. meta (data): Exploring vocabulary interoperability in libraries, Archives and Museums
Authors: Mitchell Erik , Srikantaiah T. Kanti
Published: January 2013

This poster session reports the examination of user tasks in the context of domain specific vocabulary interoperability. Two vocabularies, Library of Congress Subject Headings and the Art and Architecture thesaurus, were selected for comparison using a single user task (Cross‐vocabulary discovery). Analyzing the structure of the vocabularies in the context of this task found challenges associated with the differences in concept representation, differences in vocabulary structures and varying levels of specificity. The exploration found that the similarities in structure and semantics for these two vocabularies provide a solid foundation for both user‐determined on demand and automatically derived interoperability in the context of the cross‐vocabulary discovery task. The exploration of AAT and LCSH vocabularies also found that considering the impact on stakeholders (e.g., end users, vocabulary creators, vocabulary implementers) is important when considering how to design and implement vocabulary interoperability applications.
Unbiased learning of controversial topics
Authors: Vydiswaran V.G.Vinod , Zhai ChengXiang , Roth Dan , Pirolli Peter
Published: January 2013

When presented with many relevant documents about a controversial topic, humans do not always read and trust them uniformly. Instead, they tend to follow and agree with articles and sources that hold similar viewpoints as theirs, a phenomenon known as confirmation bias. This suggests that when acquiring additional knowledge about a controversial topic, human biases and viewpoints about the topic may affect what information is considered trustworthy. We designed a user study to analyze various factors that may help in learning about a controversial topic without bias. In this paper, we study the impact of presenting contrasting viewpoints on learning about controversial claims. Our analysis shows that exposing subjects to contrasting viewpoints helped them learn more efficiently and reduce strongly‐held biases.
An examination of user tags in a digitized humanities online collection
Authors: Choi Youngok , Syn Sue Yeon
Published: January 2013

The purpose of this study is to examine user tags that describe digitized archival collections for humanities domains. For the current study, we observed what attributes users describe for primary historical and classical resources as tags, and whether tags in digital scholarly collections go beyond content description. Findings of the study show that topic‐related tags were more than half of tags while tags representing opinion, usage context, or self‐reference were few. Terms related to genre or physical format of a resource were found to be frequently used in describing primary archival resources. The findings help understand users' tagging behavior and resource interpretation in primary and historical resources in humanities.
Who disseminates academic library information on Twitter?
Authors: Kim Hae Min , Abels Eileen G. , Yang Christopher C.
Published: January 2013

The purpose of this study is to investigate information dissemination by academic libraries through an analysis of retweet users on Twitter. Academic libraries have posted a variety of information for their patrons on Twitter; however, we know little about who has an interest in academic library tweets and to whom the information is disseminated. To this end, we explored a network of academic libraries by analyzing categories of users who are involved in retweet activity. The results show which user groups disseminate academic library information. We collected 571 retweets and 506 retweet users from 10 academic libraries' Twitter accounts, and categorized them into 12 groups. The results indicate that the primary groups disseminating the tweets of academic libraries are units within universities and students.
Completeness, coverage & equivalence in scientific data records
Authors: Thomer Andrea K. , Baker Karen S. , Sacchi Simone , Dubin David
Published: January 2013

Previously we asked, “When is a record data and when is it a fish?” (Wickett et al., 2012). In this work, we ask, “when and in what contexts are a record and a fish equivalent?” We describe and compare a collection of potentially equivalent records describing a Mola mola, or Ocean Sunfish, specimen. We calculate the Metadata Coverage Index (MCI) of each record and explore the use the Systematic Assertion Model (Dubin, 2010) to support investigation of the assertions contained in these data records.
Gender and ethnicity trends in journal peer review: An empirical investigation using JASIST
Authors: Zhang Guo , Demarest Bradford , Sugimoto Cassidy R.
Published: January 2013

This study analyzed rates of acceptance to the Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology between June 2009 and May 2011, in order to shed light on extra‐scientific social trends (specifically, gender and ethnicity of authors and reviewers) in academic journal submission acceptance.
Factors influencing STEM researchers' data sharing behaviors
Authors: Kim Youngseek
Published: January 2013

In modern research activities, scientific data sharing is essential in terms of data‐intensive science and scholarly communication. Scientific communities are making continuous endeavors to promote scientific data sharing. Currently, however, it is not always well‐deployed throughout science and engineering disciplines. The objective of this research is to investigate the factors which influence scientists' data sharing behaviors. Two theoretical perspectives, institutional theory and theory of planned behavior, are employed in developing a conceptual model, which shows the complementary nature of the institutional and individual factors influencing scientists' data sharing behaviors. Institutional theory can explain the context in which individual scientists are acting; whereas the theory of planned behavior can explain the underlying motivations behind scientists' data sharing behaviors in an institutional context. This research will use a survey method to investigate the data sharing factors at individual and institutional levels. The findings from this study have the potential to accelerate both scientific collaborations and further enable data‐intensive scientific research. This research can provide useful guidelines for designing data sharing repositories, developing relevant policies for data sharing, and facilitating individual scientists' data sharing within different scientific communities.
Repurposing existing digital resources and smoothing interdisciplinary communication: Environmental policy collection development
Authors: Hall Nathan , Alemneh Daniel Gelaw , Phillips Mark Edward
Published: January 2013

Given the proliferation of scholarly digital contents, it has become increasingly difficult for researchers to find relevant contents in their own, not to mention related, disciplines. The situation is even worse in interdisciplinary fields such as environmental sciences. Many academic libraries provide services to support the creation, organization, management, use, and reuse of digital contents. This poster describes the University of North Texas (UNT) Libraries' initiative to provide digital infrastructure and stewardship in order to ensure long‐term access to the resources collected. The preliminary results from usage and related statistics analysis suggest significant research and educational impact of the Environmental Policy Collection. Based on the University of North Texas Libraries' experience in integrating heterogeneous digital resources from diverse sources and providing seamless access, this poster will also provide guidelines for future digital collection development, and make recommendations for further study of collection development strategies.
Elaborating the technology acceptance model with social pressure and social benefits for social networking sites (SNSs)
Authors: Choi Gilok , Chung Hyewon
Published: January 2013

With its heavy traffic and technological capabilities, social networking sites (SNSs) introduced a new means of building and maintaining social relationships. This study aims to identify underlying factors and causal relationships that affect behavioral intention to use SNSs. For this purpose, this research developed an extended technology acceptance model (TAM), incorporating subjective norm (SN) and perceived social capital (PSC). Exploratory correlation and path analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between five constructs; perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), subjective norm (SN), perceived social capital (PSC), and intention to use (IU). The results showed that PU and PEOU had robust effects on the user's intention to use SNSs. The research findings also demonstrated that SN and PSC were significant predictors of both PU and PEOU, and therefore should be considered as potential variables for extending TAM.
All‐visual retrieval: How people search and respond to an affect‐driven visual information retrieval system
Authors: Benoît Gerald , Agarwal Naresh
Published: January 2013

The design of information retrieval (IR) systems must respond to the goals, intentionality and prior domain knowledge of the users. During focus groups conducted, end users complained that instead of looking for specific‐items, they might be interested in a spectrum of concepts – all things related to something or all things of a particular color. To respond to these needs, an entirely visuals‐driven information retrieval system project was developed using a test‐bed of copyright‐free images reflecting monographs, graphics, and work collections. In the absence of such IR systems, not much is known about how users will interact with a visuals‐only retrieval system. This poster describes the project in general and its usage to explore (a) how users interact with graphic‐only retrieval for exploring traditional and non‐traditional access points and (b) how the affective component impacts the use of such systems. Findings based on the study will help shed light on research based on visual information systems and user behavior when interacting with such systems. The findings will be useful both in designing systems that respond to user needs, and add to prior research in information seeking and retrieval.
Arterial stiffness, lifestyle intervention and a low‐calorie diet in morbidly obese patients—A nonrandomized clinical trial
Authors: Nordstrand N. , Gjevestad E. , Hertel J.K. , Johnson L.K. , Saltvedt E. , Røislien J. , Hjelmesæth J.
Published: January 2013

Objective:

Arterial stiffness is an independent predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to compare the 7‐week effect of a low‐calorie diet (LCD) and an intensive lifestyle intervention program (ILI) on arterial stiffness in morbidly obese individuals.

Design and Methods:

Nonrandomized clinical trial. The LCD provided 900 kcal/day, and participants in the LCD group were instructed to maintain their habitual physical activity level. The ILI included two 90‐min supervised training sessions 3 days a week at moderate to high intensity (4‐8 METs) and a caloric restriction of 1000 kcal/day.

Results:

A total of 179 individuals completed the study, 88 (56 women) in the ILI group and 91 (57 women) in the LCD group. High‐fidelity applanation tonometry (Millar®, Sphygmocor®) was used to measure carotid‐femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV). After adjustment for relevant confounders, the ILI group had a significantly greater reduction in PWV than the LCD group; −0.4 (−0.6, −0.1) m/s, P = 0.004. When compared to the LCD group, the ILI group showed a larger reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure −5 (−9, −1) and −5 (−7, −2) mmHg, P = 0.038 and P ≤ 0.001 respectively, whereas no difference was observed regarding pulse pressure, P = 0.661. No significant differences between groups were found regarding the loss of fat mass, P = 0.259, but the loss of muscle mass was larger in the LCD group, 0.8 (0.5, 1.1) kg, P ≤ 0.001.

Conclusion:

Despite the limitations of a nonrandomized design, our findings indicate that for morbidly obese individuals a moderate caloric restriction combined with aerobic physical exercise is associated with a greater decline in PWV than a LCD alone.
A finite equivalence of multisecret sharing based on Lagrange interpolating polynomial
Authors: Zhao Hui , Sun Jonathan Z. , Wang Fengying , Zhao Lei
Published: January 2013

We give an abstraction of multisecret sharing based on Lagrange interpolating polynomial that is accessible to a fully mechanized analysis. This abstraction is formalized in the applied pi‐calculus by using an equational theory that characterizes the cryptographic semantics of multisecret sharing based on Lagrange interpolating polynomial. We also present an encoding from the equational theory into a convergent rewriting system, which is suitable for the automated protocol verifier ProVerif. Finally, we verify the Yang–Chang–Hwang (YCH) protocol in ProVerif. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Maximum Displacement for Linear Probing Hashing
Authors: PETERSSON NICLAS
Published: January 2013

In this paper we study the maximum displacement for linear probing hashing. We use the standard probabilistic model together with the insertion policy known as First-Come-(First-Served). The results are of asymptotic nature and focus on dense hash tables. That is, the number of occupied cellsnand the size of the hash tablemtend to infinity with ration/m→ 1. We present distributions and moments for the size of the maximum displacement, as well as for the number of items with displacement larger than some critical value. This is done via process convergence of the (appropriately normalized) length of the largest block of consecutive occupied cells, when the total number of occupied cellsnvaries.
Effects of grain microstructure on magnetic properties in FePtAg-C media for heat assisted magnetic recording
Authors: Pisana S. , Mosendz O. , Parker G. J. , Reiner J. W. , Santos T. S. , McCallum A. T. , Richter H. J. , Weller D.
Published: January 2013

L10 FePt has been proposed as a magnetic medium suitable for heat assisted magnetic recording, owing to its high magnetocrystalline anisotropy and moderate Curie temperature. Carbon has previously been used as a segregant creating small magnetically decoupled grains by sputter deposition at high temperature. Here, we deposit granular, segregated FePt films having a high degree of chemical order, coercive fields of 4.8 T, high remanence, and average grain size of 7.2 nm with 17% size distribution. Magnetic characterization reveals a large intrinsic switching field distribution of 15 kOe. We incorporate the results obtained by transmission electron microscopy, magnetometry, and x-ray diffraction into a micromagnetic model to better understand the origin of the intrinsic switching field distribution. We find that the dominant contributions to the observed magnetic properties are (i) a grain-size dependent distribution in anisotropy field and (ii) small angle variations in perpendicular anisotropy axis orientation. The presence of small superparamagnetic grains, contributions originating from the grain size distribution, as well as from grains with longitudinal or randomly oriented anisotropy axis are found to play a relatively small role. The results help understand the observed magnetization loops used to evaluate FePt media.
Engineering allosteric control to an unregulated enzyme by transfer of a regulatory domain
Authors: Cross Penelope J. , Allison Timothy M. , Dobson Renwick C. J. , Jameson Geoffrey B. , Parker Emily J.
Published: January 2013

Allosteric regulation of protein function is a critical component of metabolic control. Its importance is underpinned by the diversity of mechanisms and its presence in all three domains of life. The first enzyme of the aromatic amino acid biosynthesis, 3-deoxy-
D
-
arabino
-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase, shows remarkable variation in allosteric response and machinery, and both contemporary regulated and unregulated orthologs have been described. To examine the molecular events by which allostery can evolve, we have generated a chimeric protein by joining the catalytic domain of an unregulated 3-deoxy-
D
-
arabino
-heptulosonate 7-phosphate synthase with the regulatory domain of a regulated enzyme. We demonstrate that this simple gene fusion event on its own is sufficient to confer functional allostery to the unregulated enzyme. The fusion protein shares structural similarities with its regulated parent protein and undergoes an analogous major conformational change in response to the binding of allosteric effector tyrosine to the regulatory domain. These findings help delineate a remarkably facile mechanism for the evolution of modular allostery by domain recruitment.
Predictability of spatio-temporal patterns in a lattice of coupled FitzHugh–Nagumo oscillators
Authors: Grace Miriam , Hütt Marc-Thorsten
Published: January 2013

In many biological systems, variability of the components can be expected to outrank statistical fluctuations in the shaping of self-organized patterns. In pioneering work in the late 1990s, it was hypothesized that a drift of cellular parameters (along a ‘developmental path’), together with differences in cell properties (‘desynchronization’ of cells on the developmental path) can establish self-organized spatio-temporal patterns (in their example, spiral waves of cAMP in a colony ofDictyostelium discoideumcells) starting from a homogeneous state. Here, we embed a generic model of an excitable medium, a lattice of diffusively coupled FitzHugh–Nagumo oscillators, into a developmental-path framework. In this minimal model of spiral wave generation, we can now study the predictability of spatio-temporal patterns from cell properties as a function of desynchronization (or ‘spread’) of cells along the developmental path and the drift speed of cell properties on the path. As a function of drift speed and desynchronization, we observe systematically different routes towards fully established patterns, as well as strikingly different correlations between cell properties and pattern features. We show that the predictability of spatio-temporal patterns from cell properties contains important information on the pattern formation process as well as on the underlying dynamical system.
Introducing Performativity to Crisis Management Theory: An Illustration from the 2003 French Heat Wave Crisis Response
Authors: Adrot Anouck , Moriceau Jean‐Luc
Published: January 2013

While current crisis management literature focuses on the necessity of consistent data and shared interpretation to coordinate effectively, contrastingly, this paper highlights the predominating influence of crisis responders' performances on information transmission. Based on an exploratory interpretive analysis of the 2003 French heat wave crisis response, our findings reveal that performances can support immediate reaction and involvement, but can also generate conflicts or misunderstandings that may burden coordination. This work's contribution to the crisis management literature is in threefold. First, we enrich the crisis management literature by proposing performativity as a potential analytical lens for collective action during crisis response. Second, we propose some practical recommendations to improve crisis management training through the application of the concept of performativity. Finally, we propose a critical perspective on tacitly held assumptions in crisis management.
Modeling Employer Self‐Insurance Decisions after the Affordable Care Act
Authors: Cordova Amado , Eibner Christine , Vardavas Raffaele , Broyles James , Girosi Federico
Published: January 2013

Objective

To present a microsimulation model that addresses the methodological challenge of estimating the firm decision to self‐insure.

Methodology

The model considers the risk that the firm bears when self‐insuring and the opportunity to mitigate that risk by purchasing stop‐loss insurance. The model makes use of a structural, utility maximization framework to account for numerous aspects of the firm decision, and a multinomial probit to reproduce the elasticity of the firm's demand for health insurance.

Findings and Conclusions

Our simulations provide three important conclusions. First, they project significant increases in self‐insurance rates among small firms‐‐presumably induced by the desire to avoid ACA's rate‐banding and risk adjustment regulations—only if generous stop‐loss policies become widely available. Second, they show that this increase would be due to this hypothetical adoption of widespread, generous reinsurance by the market and not by passage of the ACA. Third, even with a substantial increase of self‐insurance rates among small firms, they project negligible adverse selection in the exchanges, as indicated by our finding that the increase in exchange premium is less than 0.5% when assuming very generous stop‐loss policies after implementation of the ACA.
Chronic activation of vasopressin V2 receptor signalling lowers renal medullary oxygen levels in rats
Authors: Dietrich A. , Mathia S. , Kaminski H. , Mutig K. , Rosenberger C. , Mrowka R. , Bachmann S. , Paliege A.
Published: January 2013

Aim

In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the effects of chronic vasopressin administration on renal medullary oxygen levels.

Methods

Adult Sprague Dawley or vasopressin‐deficient Brattleboro rats were treated with the vasopressin V2 receptor agonist, desmopressin (5 ng/h; 3d), or its vehicle via osmotic minipumps. Immunostaining for pimonidazole and the transcription factor HIF‐1α (hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α) were used to identify hypoxic areas. Activation of HIF‐target gene expression following desmopressin treatment was studied by microarray analysis.

Results

Pimonidazole staining was detected in the outer and inner medulla of desmopressin‐treated rats, whereas staining in control animals was weak or absent. HIF‐1α immunostaining demonstrated nuclear accumulation in the papilla of desmopressin‐treated animals, whereas no staining was observed in the controls. Gene expression analysis revealed significant enrichment of HIF‐target genes in the group of desmopressin‐regulated gene products (P = 2.6*10−21). Regulated products included insulin‐like growth factor binding proteins 1 and 3, angiopoietin 2, fibronectin, cathepsin D, hexokinase 2 and cyclooxygenase 2.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrate that an activation of the renal urine concentrating mechanism by desmopressin causes renal medullary hypoxia and an upregulation of hypoxia‐inducible gene expression.
Effect of systemic antibiotics on clinical and patient‐reported outcomes of implant therapy – a multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial
Authors: Tan Wah Ching , Ong Marianne , Han Jie , Mattheos Nikos , Pjetursson Bjarni E. , Tsai Alex Yi‐Min , Sanz Ignacio , Wong May C.M. , Lang Niklaus P. ,   on Behalf of the ITI Antibiotic Study Group
Published: January 2013

Objectives

To determine the effect of various systemic antibiotic prophylaxis regimes on patient‐reported outcomes and postsurgical complications in patients undergoing conventional implant installation.

Material and methods

Three hundred and twenty‐nine healthy adults in need of conventional implant installation were randomly assigned to one of four groups: (i) preoperatively 2 g of amoxycillin 1 h before surgery (positive control, PC), (ii) postoperatively 2 g of amoxycillin immediately following surgery (test 1, T1), (iii) preoperatively 2 g of amoxycillin 1 h before and 500 mg thrice daily on days 2 and 3 after surgery (test 2, T2), (iv) preoperatively 2 g of placebo 1 h before surgery (negative control, NC). Subjects were examined clinically by blinded examiners over 8 weeks after implant installation. In addition, Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) for pain, swelling, bruising and bleeding were obtained over 14 days. ANOVA was performed for the VAS. Chi‐square tests were applied for postsurgical complications.

Results

All VAS scores were low for all groups and decreased over time (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences for the VAS scores between the various groups at any time point (P > 0.05). There was only a significant difference in flap closure at week 4, where NC had 5% of the subjects not achieving complete wound closure compared to 0% for the three other groups (P = 0.01), with no other significant differences for any postsurgical complications (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

For standard single implant placement, prophylactic systemic antibiotics either before or after, or before and after the surgical procedure do not improve patient‐reported outcomes or prevalence of postsurgical complications.
Image analysis of hyperchromatic crowded cell groups in SurePath cervical cytology
Authors: Evered A. , Edwards J. , Powell G.
Published: January 2013

Objective:  The discrimination of hyperchromatic crowded cell groups (HCCGs) in cervical cytology is a difficult and error‐prone interpretive task. While the classic features of dyskaryosis are of undoubted value, the contribution of size, shape and colour intensity of HCCGs is less certain. This study employed morphometric analysis to determine whether HCCG area, shape and colour intensity are useful in categorising them.

Methods:  Seventy‐five digital images from each of six categories of HCCG were subjected to image analysis. Ten variables relating to HCCG size, shape and colour intensity were assessed by discriminant function analysis. A further 28 cases were employed as a test set to determine the classification accuracy of the discriminant model. All samples were SurePath liquid‐based cytology preparations.

Results:  Nine of the 10 variables contributed significantly to the model (P < 0.001) but no single variable had sufficient discriminative ability. Classification accuracy was highest for abnormal endocervical HCCGs and lowest for squamous metaplastic cells (64.0 vs. 17.3% correct classification rate).

The accuracy of the model for distinguishing normal and abnormal HCCGs was 70.0%, which was significantly higher than chance (P < 0.0001), but this reduced to 64.3% for the test cases, which was no better than chance (P > 0.05).

Conclusions:  The area, shape and colour intensity of HCCGs, either alone or in combination, have little discriminative value. Practitioners and trainers should focus on the well‐established features of dyskaryosis, such as chromatin pattern, nuclear membrane irregularities and group architecture. In terms of morphometric analysis, DNA ploidy and chromatin texture analysis may be more fruitful avenues of investigation.
Multimodality Imaging of a Right Atrial Thrombus Obliterating Inferior Vena Cava
Authors: Demirkol Sait , Yesil Fahri Gurkan , Bozlar Ugur , Unlu Murat , Balta Sevket , Sahin Mehmet Ali
Published: January 2013

Mini‐Abstract

We herein report a case of large right atrial thrombus at the junction of inferior vena cava and right atrium using multimodality imaging. When a right‐sided cardiac mass is encountered, it is important to clarify the type of the mass. Atrial myxoma, thrombus, vegetation, metastatic tumors, and primary benign or malignant tumors should be considered in the differential diagnoses of intraatrial masses. However, it is usually hard to make an accurate diagnosis before surgery.
Chinese Emigration to Australia around 1900: A Re‐examination of Australia’s ‘Great White Walls’
Authors: Taylor Antony
Published: January 2013

This article reassesses the debates around Chinese emigration into the Australian colonies before Federation in 1901. Drawing on the literature relating to the emergence of the Chinese community in Australia, it argues that pressures exerted by anti‐Chinese organisations that thrived following the expansion of representative democracy in the Australian colonies, and the emergence of organised labour parties, were instrumental in the creation of exclusionary campaigns waged against Chinese migrants. By depicting the Chinese as temperamentally unsuited to democracy and through campaigns to highlight the impact of imported, low cost manual workers into the Australian colonies, the new forces of colonial labour led by radical politicians were at the heart of an attempt to erect ‘White Walls’ against migrants from South‐East and East Asia. These campaigns drew on a fund of images and popular fears that cohered around the role of the opium den, and the solitary, itinerant Chinese male.
A case of antibacterial‐responsive mucocutaneous disease in a seven‐year‐old dwarf lop rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) resembling mucocutaneous pyoderma of dogs
Authors: Benato L. , Stoeckli M. R. , Smith S. H. , Dickson S. , Thoday K. L. , Meredith A.
Published: January 2013

A seven‐year‐old, ovariohysterectomised female dwarf lop rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) was referred with severe swelling and erythema of the mucocutaneous junctions of the lips, nares and vulva. Bilateral, severe periocular dermatitis was also present. Heavy pure growths of a member of the Staphylococcus intermedius group were cultured from nasal and aural swabs and skin biopsies. Other possible differential diagnoses were eliminated by standard tests. The clinical features and histopathological characteristics of the biopsies were most consistent with mucocutaneous pyoderma, a dermatosis previously reported in dogs but not in rabbits. Treatment of the bacterial infection with oral marbofloxacin and topical ofloxacin eye drops together with supportive therapy resulted in resolution of the lesions. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of mucocutaneous bacterial pyoderma, similar to mucocutaneous pyoderma of dogs, in a rabbit.
Managerial Delegation under Alternative Unionization Structures
Authors: Fanti Luciano , Meccheri Nicola
Published: January 2013

This paper studies the effects of managerial delegation in a duopoly game under alternative unionization structures. Introducing managerial delegation in a framework with centralized unionization leads to incentives for sales, lower profits and higher consumer surplus as well as overall welfare. In contrast, delegating output decisions to managers in the presence of decentralized unionization produces opposite results unless unions are strongly employment‐oriented. Moreover, managerial delegation makes unionization structure neutral in relation to consumer surplus and overall efficiency. Finally, the timing of moves in the three‐stage game proves to be important for obtaining the above qualitative results under decentralized unionization.
Two‐step evolution of the hepatitis B drug‐resistant mutations in a patient who developed primary entecavir resistance
Authors: Lee Guan‐Huei , Inoue Masafumi , Toh Jimmy K.‐P. , Chong Roxanne H.‐H. , Aung Myat‐Oo , Koay Evelyn S.‐C. , Lim Seng‐Gee
Published: January 2013

Aim

Few cases of primary entecavir resistance in chronic hepatitis B patients have been reported to date. The serial profiling of the HBV polymerase gene mutations from a treatment‐naive patient who developed drug resistance after 32 months of entecavir therapy is presented here.

Design

Serum samples were collected at multiple time points from before the start of therapy to virological and biochemical breakthrough. The evolution of the hepatitis B virus polymerase gene mutations was analysed with commercial line probe assay and pyrosequencing.

Results

Drug resistance mutation analysis by pyrosequencing revealed a two‐step process in the selection of drug resistance. The patient had a good initial response to entecavir 0.5 mg/day. A partially resistant HBV strain first emerged as the predominant species from as early as 2 weeks. After a period of non‐compliance to therapy, there was virological breakthrough, which resolved on restarting entecavir. Shortly after, there was secondary failure of entecavir therapy, caused by a new resistant strain carrying all three mutations required.

Conclusion

In this patient, pre‐existence of minor population of partially resistant viral strains and treatment non‐compliance probably contributed to his development of primary entecavir resistance.
Anchoring Agreement in Comprehension
Authors: Mancini Simona , Molinaro Nicola , Carreiras Manuel
Published: January 2013

Most linguistic theories of language offer analysis of agreement describing the rules and constraints involved in the computation and interpretation of this dependency. A good testing ground for theoretical accounts of agreement is mismatching patterns. In this article we focus on a mismatch available in the Spanish agreement system – Unagreement – in which there is a person mismatch in the realization of plural subject‐verb agreement. Unagreement seems to challenge both purely syntactic and lexicalist analyses of agreement, as the realization of this pattern cannot be carried out either on a strictly formal basis or by simply postulating a lexically‐driven asymmetry. We propose an approach that overcomes the limitations of existing analyses and that is able to successfully account for standard as well as non‐standard agreement patterns.
Realizing the Rights Revolution: Litigation and the American State
Authors: Staszak Sarah
Published: January 2013

The implementation and enforcement of civil rights laws in the aftermath of the mid-twentieth-century rights revolution has been a prominent concern for a multidisciplinary group of scholars. This article reviews a recent literature that is devoted to better understanding the dynamics of judicial authority and enforcement power and, in particular, how courts are frequently empowered to enforce laws through complex interactions with an array of public and private actors. The article emphasizes new books by Charles Epp and Sean Farhang, which each examine different features of this enforcement process. In The Litigation State: Public Regulation and Private Lawsuits in the U.S. (2010), Farhang explores the frequency with which Congress has chosen to enforce its civil rights statutes through incentivizing private litigation. In Making Rights Real: Activists, Bureaucrats, and the Creation of the Legalistic State (2010), Epp examines how civil rights are enforced and transformed through the relationship between administrators, activists, and lawmakers within bureaucratic organizations. Together, these books expand our understanding of the politics and processes of implementing rights in practice and, more broadly, challenge and enrich our perspective on the effectiveness of the American state in enforcing rights. The often complex series of self-conscious legislative, judicial, and administrative choices and interactions necessary in order to deliver rights protections requires that we view policy enforcement from a broader institutional and political perspective. From that perspective, we can see that effective implementation is far from automatic.
Characteristics and outcomes of haematology patients admitted to the intensive care unit
Authors: McCaughey Caroline , Blackwood Bronagh , Glackin Marie , Brady Michele , McMullin Mary Frances
Published: January 2013

Aim

To profile the characteristics and outcomes of adult haematology patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).

Background

The role of intensive care support for haematology patients is contentious due to high mortality rates thus generating debate regarding the inappropriate use of limited resources versus denial of effective care.

Methods

Medical notes, laboratory records and Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) data for all adult haematology patients admitted to Belfast City Hospital ICU in 2009 were analysed.

Results

Twenty one patients were admitted to the ICU; mean age was 56 years (SD 12·5), 52% were male and 82% (n = 19) had a malignant diagnosis. The main indication for admission was neutropenic sepsis with associated organ impairment (n = 18, 85%). ICU mortality was 43%. Three‐month and six‐month mortality rates were 62% and 67%, respectively. ICU survivors had lower acute physiology and chronic health evaluation (APACHE II) scores, and decreased requirements for invasive ventilation and inotropic support. Of the post‐six‐month survivors, one had a relapse, one had responding disease and five remained in remission. Two patients have subsequently undergone a reduced intensity conditioning transplant.

Conclusion

One third of patients survived for >6 months indicating that critically ill haematology patients can benefit from ICU admission, allowing progression to potentially curative therapies.

Relevance to clinical practice

This study highlights the necessity of individualized assessment regarding patient suitability for admission to a critical care facility, incorporating the perspective of both the haematologist and the intensivist.