bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A novelcis ABallele derived from aBallele through a single point mutation
Authors: Roubinet Francis , Janvier Daniel , Blancher Antoine 
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND:The very rare cis AB phenotype, first described in 1964, corresponds to a specialABOallele encoding a glycosyltransferase that is capable of synthesizing both A and B substances. Until now, gene sequences of only twocis ABalleles were partially characterized. One involved theA1*02allele with a single nonsynonymous substitution at codon 268, whereas the second arose from a single nonsynonymous substitution at codon 266 in exon 7 of aB1*01allele.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:A cis AB phenotype was identified in a French family. The serologic characteristics of this phenotype were determined. Thecis ABallele was characterized from exon 6 to exon 7 by cloning and sequencing.RESULTS:Thecis AB.tlse*01allele is identical toB1*01except for a single point mutation at nucleotide position 700, where a T replaces a C, implying a change of amino acid 234 (theB1*01proline being replaced by a serine).CONCLUSION:Thecis AB.tlse*01allele clearly differs from all previously reportedABO,including the two previouscis ABdescribed.
Prestorage WBC filtration of RBC units with soft‐shell filters: filtration performance and impact on RBCs during storage for 42 days
Authors: Müller‐Steinhardt Michael , Hennig Holger , Kirchner Holger , Schlenke Peter 
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: The introduction of universal WBC filtration of RBCs prior to storage is currently under consideration in many countries, as it is thought to minimize the incidence of transfusion‐associated adverse effects. Centrifugation of blood containers with newly developed soft‐shell WBC filters is more convenient, and so of great interest. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Two different quadruple blood pack systems with integrated soft‐shell WBC filters were compared (Sepacell OptiPure RC, Baxter Biotech, vs. LCR 5, Maco Pharma). Buffy coat‐depleted RBC units were investigated from whole‐blood donations that were held for 2 to 3 hours before centrifugation and subsequent filtration at 22°C (Group 1, OptiPure RC, 450 mL; Group 2, LCR 5, 450 mL; Group 3, OptiPure RC, 500 mL; Group 4, LCR 5, 500, mL, n = 12 per group). Filtration performance was analyzed, and the impact of WBC filtration on hemolysis rate, Hb content, pH, supernatant potassium, ATP, and 2,3 DPG was investigated weekly during storage for 42 days. RESULTS: Filtration reduced the WBC count by 4.4 to 5.1 log. Mean ± SD Hb content was 44.7 ± 3.0, 41.2 ± 3.3, 53.1 ± 5.0, and 51.5 ± 6.3 g per unit, respectively, with a corresponding mean RBC recovery after filtration of 71.0 ± 3.0, 68.3 ± 3.3, 76.6 ± 1.7, and 68.9 ± 4.5 percent. WBC filtration resulted in a significant reduction of Hct (0.10‐0.14) in all four groups. Investigation of all RBC storage variables revealed acceptable values throughout the storage for 42 days. CONCLUSION: WBC filtration with two newly developed soft‐shell filters showed acceptable WBC‐reduction efficacy without any difference between filter types in buffy coat‐depleted RBCs from 450‐ and 500‐mL whole‐blood donations. However, the application of both filters resulted in an unacceptably low RBC recovery after filtration, which was particularly evident with the LCR5 filter. Our findings raise concern that WBC reduction with these filters may result in the production of RBCs with an inappropriately low Hb concentration.
Sensitivity of HCV RNA and HIV RNA blood screening assays
Authors: Lelie P. Nico , Van Drimmelen Harry A.J. , Cuypers H. Theo M. , Best Susan J. , Stramer Susan L. , Hyland Catherine , Allain Jean‐Pierre , Moncharmont Pierre , Defer Christine , Nübling Micha , Glauser Andreas , Da Silva Cardoso Marcia , Viret Jean‐François , Lankinen Mervi H. , Grillner Lena , Wirthmüller Urs , Coste Joliette , Schottstedt Volkmar , Masecar Barbara , Dax Elizabeth M. 
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: The FDA requirement for sensitivity of viral NAT methods used in blood screening is a 95‐percent detection limit of 100 copies per mL, whereas the NAT screening system should have a sensitivity of at least 5000 copies per mL per individual donation. According to the Common Technical Specifications of the European Directive 98/79/EC for in vitro diagnostics, viral standard dilutions (calibrated against the WHO standard) should be tested at least 24 times for a statistically valid assessment of the 95‐percent detection limit. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Viral standard dilution panels (PeliCheck, VQC‐CLB) were prepared for HCV RNA genotypes 1 and 3 and for HIV RNA genotypes B and E. In a multicenter study, 23 laboratories tested the panels all together in 8 to 91 test runs per NAT method. RESULTS: The following 95‐percent detection limits (and 95% CIs) were found on the HCV RNA genotype 1 reference panels (shown as geq/mL): Gen‐Probe TMA, 85 (64‐118); AmpliScreen, 126 (83‐225); AmpliScreen with NucliSens Extractor, 21 (13‐44); Amplicor with NucliSens Extractor, 69 (50‐102), and Amplicor with Qiagen extraction technology, 144 (74‐102). On HIV RNA genotype B dilution panels, the following 95‐percent detection limits were found (shown as geq/mL): Gen‐Probe TMA, 31 (20‐52); AmpliScreen, 126 (67‐311); AmpliScreen with NucliSens Extractor, 37 (23‐69), and NucliSens QL assay, 123 (51‐566). HIV RNA genotype E panels were detected with equal sensitivity as HIV RNA genotype B panels. In the Gen‐Probe TMA assay, the 50‐percent detection limits on HIV RNA type B and type E were 3.6 (2.6‐5.0) and 3.9 (2.4‐5.8) geq per mL, respectively. The HCV RNA genotype 1 and 3 standards were detected with equal sensitivity. CONCLUSION: The differences in sensitivity between NAT assays can be explained by the input of isolated viral nucleic acid in the amplification reactions. The FDA requirements for sensitivity of NAT blood screening assays can be met by the Gen‐probe TMA, as well as by the AmpliScreen assays, particularly when combined with the NucliSens Extractor.
Quantification of HCV RNA levels and detection of core antigen in donations before seroconversion
Authors: Grant P.R. , Sims C.M. , Tedder R.S. 
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND: Detection of HCV during the window phase of infection before seroconversion is important in blood screening. HCV RNA levels were measured before seroconversion and compared with HCV core antigen and anti‐HCV detection.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 41 plasma samples from 17 US plasmapheresis donors and one English National Blood Service donor in the window phase before seroconversion of HCV infection were tested for the presence of anti‐HCV, HCV RNA, and HCV core antigen.RESULTS: HCV RNA levels between 5.4 × 102and 3.4 × 107IU per mL were measured. HCV core antigen was detected in 11 of 18 donors at the same time point as RNA was detected.CONCLUSIONS: A wide range of HCV RNA levels can be detected during the seronegative window phase of HCV infection. HCV core antigen can be used to detect HCV infection during the window phase of infection.
Severe autoimmune hemolytic anemia caused by a warm IgA autoantibody directed against the third loop of band 3 (RBC anion‐exchange protein 1)
Authors: Janvier Daniel , Sellami Fatiha , Missud Florence , Fenneteau Odile , Vilmer Etienne , Cartron Jeannine , Rohrlich Pierre 
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND : Autoimmune hemolytic anemia associated with only IgA autoantibodies reacting optimally at 37°C (WAIHA) is exceedingly rare. When identified, warm IgA autoantibodies specificities are usually directed to antigens of the Rh system. However, like IgG autoantibodies, the specificity of the majority of these antibodies is not identified. CASE REPORT : A case of a 3‐year‐old boy in whom a life‐threatening IgA WAIHA occurred suddenly is reported. Following initial RBC transfusions and treatment with steroids at a dose of 3 mg per kg, which was slowly tapered, stabilization to a state of compensated hemolysis was achieved, persisting 4 months before complete resolution. There was no recurrence within a 16‐month follow‐up. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS : The standard DAT in a gel column method with anti‐IgG and anticomplement reagents was negative. However, the same method with an anti‐IgA was strongly positive. RESULTS : The serum and the eluate obtained after acid elution reacted with all normal RBCs tested. Enzymatic treatment of panel RBCs by α‐chymotrypsin and pronase abolished the reactivity. The reaction was completely inhibited by RBC incubation with four different MoAbs directed against the third extracellular loop of band 3, the RBC anion‐exchange protein 1 (AE1), whereas MoAbs against other specificities showed no effect. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of an IgA autoantibody directed against the band 3 (AE1) protein and, more specifically, against the third loop. Moreover, this case underlines the importance of including IgA research in the initial diagnostic evaluation when a hemolytic anemia is suspected to be autoimmune and when IgG and complement are not detected on the patient's RBCs.
Attitudes toward blood donation incentives in the United States: implications for donor recruitment
Authors: Glynn Simone A. , Williams Alan E. , Nass Catharie C. , Bethel James , Kessler Debra , Scott Edward P. , Fridey Joy , Kleinman Steven H. , Schreiber George B. ,   Retrovirus Epidemiology Donor Study
Published: March 2003

BACKGROUND : The potential effectiveness of various donation incentive programs may vary by demographics, first‐time or repeat status, and collection site. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS : Attitudes toward future incentives were obtained from a 1998 anonymous survey sent to 92,581 US blood donors. Responses (encouraged, discouraged, no difference) to incentives were compared within demographic groups, donations sites, and between first‐time and repeat community whole‐blood (WB) donors using chi‐square tests and logistic regressions adjusted for sample design. RESULTS : Incentives most likely to encourage donation return among all 45,588 WB respondents were blood credits (61%), cholesterol screening (61%), and prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) screening (73% of men). Younger donors (≤25 years old) were 4 to 5 times more likely to be encouraged to donate if offered compensatory incentives (tickets to events, discounts or lottery and/or raffle tickets), gifts, or a token of appreciation than were those donors older than 55. This age effect influenced positive attitudes toward incentives in first‐time donors and in donors giving at schools, universities, or military sites. Among all donors, up to 7 to 9 percent reported they would be discouraged to return if offered compensatory incentives. CONCLUSIONS : Blood credits and cholesterol and PSA screening would be well received at all donation sites. Gifts, compensatory incentives, and tokens of appreciation appeal more to younger donors. These data may allow blood centers to optimize recruitment by tailoring limited incentive resources more effectively.
Delayed Afterdepolarization Inhibitor: A Potential Pharmacologic Intervention to Improve Defibrillation Efficacy
Authors: CHATTIPAKORN NIPON , IDEKER RAYMOND E. 
Published: March 2003

DAD Inhibitor Improves Defibrillation. Introduction: Electrical and optical mapping studies of defibrillation have demonstrated that following shocks of strength near the defibrillation threshold (DFT), the first several postshock cycles always arise focally. No immediate postshock reentry was observed. Delayed afterdepolarizations (DADs) have been suggested as a possible cause of this rapid repetitive postshock activity. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that DFT is decreased by application of a DAD inhibitor.
Methods and Results: Six pigs (30–35 kg) were studied. First, control DFT was determined using a three‐reversal up/down protocol. Each shock (RV‐SVC, biphasic, 6/4 msec) was delivered after 10 seconds of ventricular fibrillation (VF). Then, flunarizine (a DAD inhibitor) was injected intravenously (2 mg/kg bolus and 4 mg/kg/hour maintenance) and the DFT was again determined. A third DFT was determined 50 minutes after drug infusion was terminated to allow the drug to wash out. DFT after flunarizine application

(520 ± 90 V, 14 ± 3 J)

was significantly lower than control DFT

(663 ± 133 V, 23 ± 4 J)

. After the drug washed out, DFT

(653 ± 107 V, 22 ± 4 J)

returned to the control DFT value

(P = 0.6)

. Flunarizine reduced the DFT ∼22% by leading‐edge voltage and ∼40% by energy.
Conclusion: Flunarizine, a DAD inhibitor, significantly improved defibrillation efficacy. This finding suggests that DADs could be the source of the rapid repetitive focal activation cycles arising after failed near‐DFT shocks before degeneration back into VF. Future studies are needed to investigate the cause of the earliest postshock activation and to determine if the DADs are responsible.
The Reception of Hayden White
Authors: Vann Richard T. 
Published: March 2003

Evaluation of the influence of Hayden White on the theory of history ismade difficult by his preference for the essay form, valued for its experimental character, and by the need to find comparable data. A quantitative study of citations of his work in English and foreign‐language journals, 1973–1993, reveals that although historians were prominent among early readers of Metahistory, few historical journals reviewed White'stwo subsequent collections of essays and few historians—except inGermany—cited them. Those historians who did tended still to cite Metahistory and often the parts of it devoted specifically to nineteenth‐century historians.Literary critics, on the other hand, were relatively late to discover White, but during the “narrative turn” of the 1970s and 1980s his work was important for students of the novel and the theater. Recognition of it was especially marked in Spanish‐speaking countries and in Germany.As a result, salient themes of White's later work—the ideological andpolitical import of narrativization, the “historical sublime,” and writing in the “middle voice”—have largely gone unremarked by historians and philosophers. Both these groups have tended to be irritated by White's bracketing of questions of historical epistemology; some have accused him of effacing the line between fiction and history, while White's numerous literary readers have generally applauded his tendencies in thisdirection. White however has consistently maintained that there is a difference, although not the one conventionally postulated. His exploration of writing in the “middle voice” brings his work full circle, in that it promises a “modernist” realism appropriate for representing the “sublime” events of our century.
Memory and History: Liturgical Time and Historical Time
Authors: Spiegel Gabrielle M. 
Published: March 2003

This article investigates the differential structure and representation of time in memory and history. It examines two moments in Jewish historical thought—in the Middle Ages, and in works written within and after the Holocaust—and demonstrates the fundamentally liturgical nature of Jewish historical memory in selected texts from these two periods. Following the groundbreaking work of Yerushalmi, it seeks to demonstrate that for Jews, historical experience is incorporated into the cyclical reenactment of paradigmatic events in Jewish sacred ritual. Recent or contemporary experiences acquire meaning only insofar as they can be subsumed within Biblical categories of events and their interpretation bequeathed to the community through the medium of Scripture, that is to say, only insofar as they can be transfigured, ritually and liturgically, into repetitions and reenactments of ancient happening. In such liturgical commemoration, the past exists only by means of recitation; the fundamental goal of such recitation is to make it live again in the present, to fuse past and present, chanter and hearer, into a single collective entity. History, in the sense that we understand it to consist of unique events unfolding within irreversible linear time, is absorbed into cyclical, liturgical memory.This article argues that the question of Jewish history—both medieval and post‐Holocaust—poses in a compelling fashion the question of the relationship between memory and history more generally, and serves to contest the current tendency in academic historiography to collapse history into memory. It claims that to the extent that memory “resurrects,”“re‐cycles,” and makes the past “reappear” and live again in the present, it cannot perform historically, since it refuses to keep the past in the past, to draw the line, as it were, that is constitutive of the modern enterprise of historiography.
A Reexamination of the Conglomerate Merger Wave in the 1960s: An Internal Capital Markets View
Authors: Hubbard R. Glenn , Palia Darius 
Published: March 2003

AbstractOne possible explanation for bidding firms earning positive abnormal returns in diversifying acquisitions in the 1960s is that internal capital markets were expected to overcome the information deficiencies of the less‐developed capital markets. Examining 392 bidder firms during the 1960s, we find the highest bidder returns when financially “unconstrained” buyers acquire “constrained” targets. This result holds while controlling for merger terms and for different proxies used to classify firms facing costly external financing. We also find that bidders generally retain target management, suggesting that management may have provided company‐specific operational information, while the bidder provided capital‐budgeting expertise.
Foreign Accent, Comprehensibility, and Intelligibility in the Speech of Second Language Learners
Authors: Munro Murray J. , Derwing Tracey M. 
Published: March 2003

One of the chief goals of most second language learners is to be understood in their second language by a wide range of interlocutors in a variety of contexts. Although a nonnative accent can sometimes interfere with this goal, prior to the publication of this study, second language researchers and teachers alike were aware that an accent itself does not necessarily act as a communicative barrier. Nonetheless, there had been very little empirical investigation of how the presence of a nonnative accent affects intelligibility, and the notions of “heavy accent” and “low intelligibility” had often been confounded. Some of the key findings of the study—that even heavily accented speech is sometimes perfectly intelligible and that prosodic errors appear to be a more potent force in the loss of intelligibility than phonetic errors—added support to some common, but weakly substantiated beliefs. The study also provided a framework for a program of research to evaluate the ways in which such factors as intelligibility and comprehensibility are related to a number of other dimensions. The authors have extended and replicated the work begun in this study to include learners representing other L1 backgrounds (Cantonese, Japanese, Polish, Spanish) and different levels of learner proficiency, as well as other discourse types (Derwing & Munro, 1997; Munro & Derwing, 1995). Further support for the notion that accent itself should be regarded as a secondary concern was obtained in a study of processing difficulty (Munro & Derwing, 1995), which revealed that nonnative utterances tend to require more time to process than native‐produced speech, but failed to indicate a relationship between strength of accent and processing time.The approach to L2 speech evaluation used in this study has also proved useful in investigations of the benefits of different methods of teaching of pronunciation to ESL learners. In particular, it is now clear that learner assessments are best carried out with attention to the multidimensional nature of L2 speech, rather than with a simple focus on global accentedness. It has been shown, for instance, that some pedagogical methods may be effective in improving intelligibility while others may have an effect only on accentedness (Derwing, Munro, & Wiebe,1998).
Photogrammetric Reverse Engineering of the “Angel of the North”
Authors: Newton I. , Mills J. P. 
Published: March 2003

The Department of Geomatics and the Regional Centre for Innovation in Engineering Design in the University of Newcastle upon Tyne collaborated in a project to produce precise measurements for use in the fabrication of the body of the “Angel of the North” sculpture. This 20 m high edifice, by the sculptor Antony Gormley, is located adjacent to the A1(M) in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.This paper reviews the photogrammetric reverse engineering work carried out on a 1:10 scale plaster maquette of the “Angel of the North”, which is a life‐size model of the sculptor's body without any arms. The three dimensional measurements of the maquette, made by analytical photogrammetric techniques, were then processed to produce a fully functional three dimensional CAD model from which the dimensions needed by the fabricating company, Hartlepool Steel Fabrications Ltd., could be extracted. Additionally, the VirtuoZo digital photogrammetric software package was used to investigate the potential of automated measurement for this type of work and the results were compared with those obtained analytically.
Representing Engineering Information for Constructional Steelwork
Authors: Crowley Andrew J. , Watson Alastair S. 
Published: March 2003

This paper examines the concept of data representation in the construction industry. It is concerned with the formal representation of engineering information to facilitate a more integrated and effective approach to construction. It considers the need for change, describes some of the concepts and methodologies employed in the development of product models, and considers the relevance of ISO/STEP to construction.This paper discusses two techniques in particular— IDEF1X (a graphic modeling language) and EXPRESS (now an International Standard)—emphasizing their relative strengths and weaknesses. The authors suggest approaches to translation between the two languages, highlighting the problems arising from differences in functionality.This paper is based on the authors’ experience during the development and implementation of the CIMsteel Logical Product Model (LPM). The LPM is a product model for structural steelwork building frames, currently covering the design stage of the life cycle.
What Science Offers Teachers of Reading
Authors: Spear‐Swerling Louise , Sternberg Robert J. 
Published: March 2003

Although educators may teach well without knowledge of scientific research, students obtain greater benefits from knowledgeable teachers who ensure that scientific research is incorporated into their instruction. In this paper, scientific findings and practical implications are compared and some suggestions to close the gap between science and practice are provided.In this article we examine what science offers general and special educators who teach reading. We review some well‐established scientific findings about reading and their practical implications, not only for children with reading disabilities, but for other children as well. In addition, we consider some broader ways that science may be useful to educators. We conclude with some suggestions for individual teachers interested in becoming more familiar with scientific research on reading.