NJHS HISTO

NJHS HISTO-SECTION
NJ HS HI S T O - S E C T I O N
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New Jersey Society for Histotechnology Newsletter
Autumn 2009
NJSH Officers &
Committee
Chairs
Chairman of the
Board
Joe Tamasi
President
Diana Goodwin
Vice President
Pedro Louro
Treasurer
Kelly Porter
Secretary
Cheryl Hughes
Trustees
Barbara Bujak
Betsy Uberti
Tara Kennedy
Education
Michele French
Membership
Cheryl Hughes
Pedro Louro
Newsletter
Diana Goodwin
Public Relations
Open
Website
Joe Tamasi
The following is excerpted from Surgical Pathology in the Era of the Civil War: The Remarkable Life and
Accomplishments of Joseph Janvier Woodward, MD, Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Oct
2005 by Amy V. Rapkiewicz, Alan Hawk,
Adrienne Noe, and David M. Berman
J
oseph Janvier Woodward (1833-1884) was born in Philadelphia, Pa, where he attended
medical school at the University of Pennsylvania (1853). He was the published author of
several papers related to microscopic studies and a founding member of the Pathological
Society of Philadelphia in 1857. Following the outbreak of the Civil War, Woodward volunteered for the US Army. Initially, he served as an assistant surgeon and brevet major, participating in several battles, including the first Battle at Bull Run. In June 1862, Woodward was assigned to the Office of the Surgeon General to prepare the medical section of the Medical and
Surgical History of the War of the Rebellion (MSHWR). His duties included acquiring gross
pathologic specimens to document medical conditions suffered by American soldiers along with
the case history. Two years later, he was given control of the Medical and Microscopical sections of the Army Medical Museum (currently the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology) and the
Office of the Surgeon General
Records and Pension Division,
where he remained for the rest
of his career. In addition to collecting specimens for the museum's archive, he coauthored the
definitive medical history of the
Civil War in the 6-volume 1870
publication of the MSHWR.
Woodward's technique using aniline dyes for staining thin sections of tissue, along with his pioneering work in photomicroscopy, helped prepare the groundwork for modern surgical pathology. Woodward's interest in
pathology began during his
tenure at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was known as
a superb teacher of microscopic
technique. He was a wellrespected gross anatomist; he attended the postmortem autopsy of President Abraham Lincoln and was one of the physicians for President James Garfield
after he had been shot. In
1882, he was the first active-duty
US Army physician elected
president of the American Medical
Association. Woodward can
arguably be considered as one of
the first American academic
surgical pathologists who invented
novel techniques and lectured
widely on the controversial theories
of the day. Woodward is also considered to be one of the first pathologists in the United States,
particularly in the military setting, to use the microscope as a tool for diagnosis of disease.
Woodward's lecture entitled "On the Structure of Cancerous Tumours and the Mode in Which
Adjacent Parts Are Invaded," given at the first of the renowned Toner's lecture series at the
Smithsonian Institution probably represents one of the first surgical pathology slide presentations. He projected lantern slides of his photomicrographs to illustrate the current theories on the
origins of cancerous cell. Woodward and Dr Edward Curtis used a straight razor or small knife to
manually cut histology sections from frozen tissue mounted on the microtome, which served as
a guide to ensure thin sections. The tissue was then immobilized in either cork or wax and the
tissue section mounted onto a glass slide using gum, glycerin, Venetian turpentine, and/or Canada balsam. The latter medium was preferred because it had a good refractive index and adhesive qualities.
In this era, natural dyes were used to stain tissue sections. However, Woodward was not satisfied with the dyes because they were unstable and did not provide enough contrast. Through
experimentation, he popularized in America the use of synthetic red and yellow aniline dyes developed in Europe. One of these, Eosin, a synthetic aniline dye, is still routinely used in all anatomic pathology labs throughout the world.
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NJ HS HI S T O - S E C T I O N
NJSH A CKNOWLEGES
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OUR SUSTAINING MEMBERS
WE SINCERELY APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT!
Electron Microscopy sciences
1560 Industry Road, P.O. Box 550
Hatfield, PA 19440
www.emsdiasum.com
Stacie Kirsch
(215) 412-8400
Fax: (215) 412-8450
E-mail: [email protected]
Ventana Medical Systems, Inc.
7 Regency Ct
Marlton, NJ 08053
www.ventanamed.com
Rande Kline
(800) 227-2155
Fax: (520) 229-4207
[email protected]
Advanced Imaging Concepts, Inc.
301 North Harrison Street
Princeton, NJ 08540
www.aic-imagecentral.com
Scott E. Berman
(609) 921-3629
Fax (609) 924-3010
[email protected]
Leica Microsystems, Inc.
2345 Waukegan Rd.
Bannockburn, IL 60015
Www.leica-microsystems.com
Craig Wolf
(609) 709-8302
Fax (847) 236-3049
[email protected]
Lab Vision Corporation
A ThermoFisher Scientific Company
47777 Warm Springs Blvd.
Fremont, CA 94539
www.labvision.com
Virgil Hernandez
(603)759-6082
(800) 828-1628
Fax: 510-991-2826
[email protected]
Sakura Finetek USA, Inc.
7102 Prospect Ave
Atlantic Highlands, NJ 07716
www.sakuraus.com
Bob Edmonston
(800) 725-8723, ext. 7265
Fax: (732) 872-7258
[email protected]
Tech-One Biomedical Services, Inc.
111 Lake St., PMB 163
Oak Park, IL 60301
www. techoneweb.com
Rob Mills
(603)942-8191
Fax: (603)942-8333
[email protected]
Raymond A. Lamb, Inc.
5409 Lumley Rd.
Durham, NC 27703
www.ralamb.net
Jerry Helisek
(919) 957-1964
Hacker Instruments and Industries Inc. Fax: (919) 957-1972
P.O. Box 1176
[email protected]
Winnsboro, SC 29180
www.hackerinstruments.com
Dorothy Murphy Traczyk
Polysciences, Inc.
(803) 712-6100
400 Valley Road
Fax (803) 712-6116
Warrington, PA 18976
[email protected]
www.polysciences.com
Dolbey-Jamison Optical Company, Inc.
213 Jones Blvd., Suite 105
Pottstown, PA 19464
Www.dolbey-jamison.com
William Jamison
(610) 495-2010, ext. 13
Fax (610) 495-2005
[email protected]
Surgipath Medical Industries, Inc.
P.O. Box 528
Richmond, IL 60071
Www.surgipath.com
John F. Schuld, Jr.
(800) 225-8867, ext. 1103
Fax (815) 678-2216
[email protected]
Val Grover
(215) 343-6481
Fas (215) 343-0214
[email protected]
Cell Marque Corporation
6600 Sierra College Blvd.
Rockun, CA 95677
Www.cellmarque.com
Jeff Gordon
(800) 665-7284, ext. 8939
Fax (916)746-6049
[email protected]
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Highlights from the NSH Symposium/Convention 2008
Pittsburgh, PA
By Michele French
Region II Meeting Summary
The newly elected Region II Director, Carol Barone, called the meeting to order with approximately 28 people in
attendance. Carol started the meeting by reiterating her goals as the new Director. She stressed the importance
of her role as advocate for the members of Region II. She sent out a letter to all current state presidents in the
region, asking for feedback about what the members want to see change on both the state and national level.
would like to develop a Region II webpage and have a newsletter on-line, so that information from NSH can
reach the members accurately and quickly.
The next item of business was a summary of the NSH Strategic Planning Meeting that Carol had attended. She
shared some of the most important points that were under discussion. The first was about building NSH Membership: Why don’t people renew? What can the NSH do differently to retain members? There was feedback regarding a tendency to join just to get the registration discount for the National meeting, as well as some feelings that
the return for the membership fee (subscriptions to the JOH and newsletter) are not adequate. (Maybe the NSH
needs to promote the benefits of belonging to the society better?). Others said that their employers won’t pay the
fee anymore. If any Region II members have any thoughts to add or ideas to build membership, please contact
Carol Barone. The second point discussed was the concern about the 13.7% vacancy rate across the US for
histotechs. This rate is the highest of all the laboratory technician specialties. The following question was posed:
“How can we recruit new HTs to the field?” Many believe that the first thing necessary is to get histologists recognized as “professionals” and not just a “pair of hands in the lab”. Carol stressed that we must work together to
promote our profession and the significant impact that our daily contributions to laboratory medicine have on national healthcare. The NSH is in the process of putting together an “Advocacy Tool Kit”. It will be a compilation of
information that can be used to educate doctors, politicians, patients, perspective students, and even the general
public. Carol would like Region II members to work together and write a “job description” that will encompass all
aspects of the field, from hospitals to research facilities, to veterinary medicine. You can contribute by sending an
e-mail or note to Carol describing what you do, and why histotechnology is your chosen profession. It was
agreed overall that the time has come to bring our field to a new level, to get an increase in salary/compensation
for the service we perform, and to gain the same rights, privileges and recognition as other laboratory professionals.
The next point of discussion was centered on how to fill the current gap in the workforce, and prepare for an
even greater vacancy rate in the future. The average age of the histotechnologist working in the majority of labs
today is over 45! An outreach program focused on students in high school was suggested, as well as one to target students enrolled in general BS degree programs, such as biology and chemistry. Some thoughts on connecting with the new generation of scientists included updating the NSH website to make it more interactive and
“slick”, including more videos and sound. One initiative that has been successful so far is the “Career Day Program” run during the National S/C for the past two years. However, many of the teachers contacted actually requested that we develop some sort of traveling program, so that NSH can come to their schools instead. The
challenges to the logistics of this were discussed, and NSH suggested that this should be developed on a regional or state basis; however, the current limited volunteer pool makes this approach unrealistic at this time. It
was suggested that we could start by making a video about the profession and sending it out to science teachers / career counselors.
The last item of business was the drawing for the $500 Scholarship to be given to a member of Region II. The
winner was Leticia Figliuolo. The meeting was adjourned and then the current state presidents met with Carol to
discuss the revitalization of the Virginia Society.
Carol Barone’s Contact Info
e-mail: [email protected] Phone: 302-651-6827
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NSH General Membership Meeting Summary
Vinnie DellaSperanza announced the 2008-2010 Board of Directors as follows:
President, Kerry Crabb
Vice President, Elizabeth Sheppard
Secretary, Jennifer Hofecker
Treasurer, Diane Sterchi
Speaker of the House, Janet Tunnicliffe
Immediate Past President, Vinnie DellaSperanza
Region I Director, Angela Fogg
Region II Director, Carol Barone
Region III Director, Jerry Santiago
Region IV Director, Monty Hyten
Region V Director, Konnie Zeitner
Region VI Director, Melissa Hill
Region VII Director, Andrea Grantham
Region VIII Director, Kathy Rohrbach
Region IX Director, Heather Nymeyer
Aubrey Wanner presented some statistics for the Pittsburgh S/C. There were 1364 registered attendees, 120
“exhibits only” attendees, 150 presenters, 109 exhibitors with 316 booths rented, 38 posters and 79 career
day attendees. The First Timers met for dinner this year instead of breakfast, and the change in format was a
huge hit. 275 people attended the dinner. For the House of Delegates, 136 people had credentialed out of the
187 possible delegates. Total NSH membership current count was 4995.
Vinnie DellaSperanza asked the Chair of the Nominations-Elections Committee, Cindy Higgerson, to clarify
the handling of ballot mailings. There was some confusion about the reason why people had to put their return
address on the outside of the envelope. The BOD was concerned that members did not return ballots because
they questioned the confidentiality of the voting process. 4089 ballots were mailed and only 863 were returned
(21%). Cindy explained that in order for a returned ballot to get counted, they had to first verify that the voter
was eligible (a current NSH member in good standing who had not already voted). After the return address
was verified, the outer envelope was opened and the inner, sealed ballot was separated from the outer envelope. The outer envelopes with the name and address of the sender were set aside, and the sealed ballots
were put into a separate bin to be opened and counted later, thus retaining confidentiality of the ballot.
Jean Mitchell announced the remaining award winners that had not been presented during the banquet.
Please visit the www.NSH.org and click on “Awards & Scholarships” for a complete listing of awards, winners,
and how to apply for next year. One highlight of the presentation was that the “First Time Presenters Award”
went to someone from Region II! Carol McCollough from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources presented a wet workshop entitled “Histology for Aquatic and Marine Organisms”. Congratulations, Carol! Another highlight: an individual from each region was awarded a $500 scholarship to be used as a first time attendee for a state, regional or national meeting next year. The Region II winner was Anthony Green. The
membership was reminded that there is $30,000 available in scholarship money from the NSH. Please take
advantage of these awards if your place of employment will not fund your continuing education efforts! Go to
www.nsh.org and click on the “Awards and Scholoarhips” link.
Carrie Diamond talked about some new features of the NSH website. She asked everyone to update their personal profile under the “My NSH” link, and make sure to set your mailing preference to your home or work address. Check out the information on new ways to receive FREE contact hour credits. You can present a workshop, present a poster at the NSH S/C, author a paper for the JOH, or complete the questions for the specified review articles in the JOH four times per year.
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Hello-o-o-o-o Region II !!!
I am looking forward to seeing region members at the NSH Symposium Convention in Birmingham
this October 2-7, 2009. If you will not be attending, no fretting…the region has many other educational things going on for you to get those CEU’s and keep your career in the professional UPSWING!
The New Jersey Society for Histotechnology is planning a one day event November 2nd in Princeton,
New Jersey. The program is listed on the NSH Webpage under “Meeting and Events”. It is a single
day travel for most of us in northern Region II.
We have another meeting in the planning for Virginia Beach, VA on November 7th. So save the date!
Or, save both dates! NSH-approved CEU’s will be possible from each event! We really want you to
attend. The costs for the meetings are minimal, and travel possible without a sleep over! We couldn’t
make it any easier or cost-thoughtful for you, in these difficult times for us all.
NSH Up-Date
In August, the NSH Board of Directors (BOD) held it’s second BOD phone conference this annual
year. As a new kid on the block I have found these very helpful in keeping up with what is happening
nationally, with “our” National Society. More than ever, I understand the importance of being a member of a Professional Organization, such as NSH. What I have learned in my first year as Region Director is… amazing…and I want to share it all. I never realized so many things were happening at
NSH - behind the scenes, every day. So here is my up-date for the most important person in NSH…
you, the member!
1. NSH continues to pursue professional status for our members
- Through recognition by other professional organizations such as the APC, CLIS and ASCP
and others
- NSH Committee investigating ONET and the Department of Labor as a pat
- Professional status means respect and better wages could be on the way!
2. NSH is up-dating educational materials - available to all members through the NSH (formerly in
booklets)..up-dating the materials and making available on video and CDs to you.
3. National recognition for you, with a national Histology Day: the first one is set for March 10, 2010.
Events, similar to National Laboratory Professionals Week will be held to instill public awareness
of what we do!!!!
4. NSH is also investigating licensure. Is it good or bad for histologists? NSH will create a position
paper and will be looking at differences in licensure state to state, as licensure is a state decision.
5. A Mohs Committee has been added to NSH list of active committees and will report at S/C
6. BOD is investigating the effect of its transition to a calendar year membership cycle…
7. NSH is placing a strong focus on new memberships and renewals of old memberships. They
have tried out a membership retention tool which seems to have had very positive feed-back!
Though membership is down from its highest point of a few years ago, it is maintaining at last
year’s levels with signs of increasing again. Barbara Bujak is heading the membership committee
– Region II steps up to the plate again! Thx Barb!
I am here…and I am both your ear and your voice to NSH - Carol Barone, Region II Director
[email protected]
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NJSH Education Committee Update
by Michele French
The NJSH in conjunction with the NSH hosted a one-day meeting on Friday, September 25. I
am pleased to report it was a great success! We had a total of 57 participants. The speakers
were excellent and the topics were all very stimulating. The day went as scheduled with no problems, and we got lots of positive feedback. Thanks to Pedro Louro for all his on-site support,
Betsy Uberti for registration help and Tara Kennedy for being on the IHC Panel!
The next meeting will be held in Princeton on November 2nd. The vouchers/registration information was mailed to all NJSH members, and I will open up registration to the public after Oct. 1st
by having it posted on the NSH website, Histonet and doing a mailing to Region II NJ residents
that are not NJSH members. After the S/C in Birmingham, I will e-mail blast a reminder to all of
Region II.
I am pleased to announce that New Jersey will host the next Region II Meeting. The tentative
location is the Clarion Atlantic City west on April 22-24, 2010. The hotel offers a free shuttle service to Atlantic City, and a free breakfast every morning to all guests. The entire hotel has been
recently renovated and updated. More information will be forthcoming as soon as the plans have
been finalized.
If you have any ideas for speakers or topics, please contact me at 609-818-3278 or e-mail [email protected]
From the Editor
I would like to thank all of those who contributed to the last publication of the Histo-Section. Technical procedures, career opportunities, educational opportunities, and seasonal recipes are just a few of the types of
articles you may submit for publication. Please make submissions via e-mail to dianagoodwin@ comcast.net. Attachment in MS Word or JPG/JPEG format are preferred. Suggestions for articles or columns in
the Histo-Section are also welcome!
Advertising Charges* Business Card Size
Quarter Page
Half Page
Full Page or Insert+
$20.00
$25.00
$50.00
$100.00 - please send 150 copies
*Above charges are for black and white ads. Color ads will be printed for an additional charge of $40.00
Sustaining Members will receive one free business card size add per year. A 10% discount is offered for an
add which runs for 3 consecutive issues. Submit electronic ad via e-mail to [email protected].
JPEG or MS Word files preferred. Make check payable to NJSH. Please submit payment to:
NJSH Newsletter
10 Carty Drive
Bordentown, NJ 08505
Questions? Contact me at (609) 499-9076 or [email protected]
—Diana Goodwin
NJ HS HI S T O - S E C T I O N
Career Day at the NSH Symposium/Convention in Pittsburgh, PA
September 15, 2008.
By Betsy Uberti
Since I am now retired, and the NSH was in our Region this year, I decided to go to the convention
and spend my time as a volunteer. My hat is off to my fellow histo-techs, under the direction of Gloria Limetti, President of the PA Histotechnology Society, who worked so hard before and during the
annual S/C to make sure we all had a very successful learning and as well as social experience.
This was the third “Career Day” presented by the NSH. The program is offered to local high school
and vo-tech students in the area as an opportunity to learn about Histotechnology as a profession.
Linda Jenkins of South Carolina’s Clemson University organized and set-up the framework for the
day. Materials, such as paraffin, slides, stains and tissue blocks, as well as equipment, such as microtomes, embedding centers, stainers, and microscopes, were lent from local hospitals and vendors.
The day started as the students were welcomed and shown a short video about what Histologic
Technique is, and also a tribute to Lee Luna, the founder of the NSH. They were presented with
convention bags, filled with stuffed animals and various histology handouts from the exhibits. The
students then donned PPE – plastic aprons, disposable gloves and goggles. They were escorted
into our makeshift “histology lab” – a transformed meeting room in the beautiful Pittsburgh Convention Center – where they were divided into groups. Each group spent 15 or 20 minutes at each
“workstation” and then rotated to the next station. The students were able to observe grossing of
real tissue. It was interesting and sometimes amusing to see their reactions – some looked away
and some were really fascinated. Next, embedding was demonstrated and the students were each
able to create their own blocks. Microtomy was next, where they first observed and then performed
the cutting of a block, laying the paraffin ribbons onto the water bath and making their own slides.
These slides were stained on an automatic stainer and then the finished slides were projected from
the microscope to a computer screen and photographed. Two images were printed, one to be hung
in the exhibit hall and one to be taken home.
There were medical devices to look at, such as artificial heart valves, and replacement joints. A PhD
candidate explained their use and answered questions. Sets of slides were set up at the microscopes; they included a normal lung and a lung with coal dust, a normal skin and a tattooed skin.
The students seemed very intrigued by the entire process.
After lunch, a scavenger hunt was set up for the students in the exhibit hall. As they went through
the hall, they were challenged to find different objects from the vendors. This created a chance for
them to interact with the attendees and the vendors at the same time. The feedback from the students was very positive. They all had a lot of fun and many said they would seriously consider a career in Histotechnology. As one of the Career Day trainers, I enjoyed demonstrating my profession
would be happy to do it again!
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NJSH 2009 Fall Meeting and Member Appreciation Day
Monday, November 2nd
Location: New Jersey Hospital Association & Conference Center
Address: 760 Alexander Road Princeton, NJ 08543
Phone: 609-275-4000
Meeting Schedule:
8:00-9:00 Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00-12:15 AM Session
12:15-1:15 LUNCH
1:15-4:30 PM Session
ROOM 1
AM SESSION: “Review of Basic Theories of Histotechnology”
Linda Foster-Brown, MS, HTL(ASCP) AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Wilmington, Delaware
This workshop will serve as a review for working Histologists to help them deal effectively with the daily operations of the histology laboratory. It will also serve as overview for the registry eligible candidates preparing
for the HT/HTL registry exam. Topics that will be covered include histological theories on the following: lab
safety, fixation, processing, microtomy, and staining, as well as registry eligibility requirements.
PM SESSION: “Troubleshooting Automated Special Stains”
Debra Cobb, MBA, HT (ASCP) Manager of R&D, Artisan
In today’s world of automation in the Histology Laboratory, troubleshooting special stains and adjusting the
workflow has become more complicated. This workshop will address the common issues such as: Background
staining on slides, Debris on Slides, Uneven staining, Stain too dark/too light, Workflow, Turn around Time,
and will address the statement “This doesn’t happen when I stain manually!” This speaker is sponsored by
DAKO.
ROOM 2
AM SESSION: “Where Do I Find That Antibody & What Do I Do With It Once I Have It?”
Christine ‘Charlie’ Dorner, HT(ASCP) Dako Applications Specialist – Trainer
In the ever changing world of IHC, there are new antibodies and clones being developed every day by many
different sources. This seminar will first cover the various ways of locating and obtaining antibodies and different formats that they are available in. Additional discussion will center on choosing Monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies, picking the right detection kit, and use of additional blocking or enhancements. Participants
will then learn what to do with new antibodies once they are in their lab including optimization, troubleshooting, deciding on proper control and testing materials and record keeping. Upon completion of this course, the
participants will have ideas to aide in the development and structure of an antibody development program for
their facility. This speaker is sponsored by DAKO.
NJ HS HI S T O - S E C T I O N
PM SESSION: “Ethics in Imaging”
Anne Lewin, BS, HT(ASCP)QIHC Bristol-Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ
A growing concern in the scientific community is the ease in which image manipulation can occur.
Something that used to be done in a darkroom is now processed digitally, and there are many powerful image editing programs available. Data can be highlighted or erased with ease, and in the case of
histology samples, colors can be changed or created in an image. A potential pit-fall is that an image
can be altered in an unethical manner without the person realizing it. Many times an image will be
“cleaned up” and important data will be lost or altered. In the case of immunohistochemical analysis, when cell number counts are used for statistical significance, attempting to get a nicer picture
could skew the raw data points by missing weakly positive cells or by counting background staining
as positive. This workshop will look into the history of image manipulation and the credibility issues
journalists have faced since the early days of photography. We will then move onto the many options for digital image capture. Most scientific journals have very few guidelines as to what sorts of
digital manipulations are acceptable when preparing a manuscript for submission. Examples of image adjustments will be presented, and potential digital imaging guidelines will be discussed.
DIRECTIONS:
An extensive list of directions can be found on the NJHA Conference Center Website:
www.njha.com/conferencecntr/html/mc.directions.aspx
TO REGISTER:
A mail-in registration form is included with this newsletter
This meeting is brought to you in part by:
DAKO North America, Inc.
In 1906, the Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine was shared by two histologists,
Camillo Golgi and Santiago Ramón y Cajal.
It was awarded for work done on the
nervous system
Did
You
Know...
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