bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Application of Different Imaging Methods in the Early Diagnosis of Primary Hepatic Carcinoma
Authors: Wu Xin’ai , Li Jianbo , Wang Cheng , Zhang Guojian , Zheng Na , Wang Xuemei
Published: December 2015

Primary hepatic carcinoma (PHC) is the one of the most common tumors and the common cause of cancer death in the world. Detecting PHC in its early stage by imaging methods may greatly increase survival rates of patients. Ultrasound, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and positron emission tomography/computed tomography are common imaging methods in the diagnosis of PHC. In this paper, the application of different imaging methods in diagnosing the primary hepatic carcinoma will be discussed.
Vibration Analysis of Conical Shells by the Improved Fourier Expansion-Based Differential Quadrature Method
Authors: Li Wanyou , Wang Gang , Du Jingtao
Published: December 2015

An improved Fourier expansion-based differential quadrature (DQ) algorithm is proposed to study the free vibration behavior of truncated conical shells with different boundary conditions. The original function is expressed as the Fourier cosine series combined with close-form auxiliary functions. Those auxiliary functions are introduced to ensure and accelerate the convergence of series expansion. The grid points are uniformly distributed along the space. The weighting coefficients in the DQ method are easily obtained by the inverse of the coefficient matrix. The derivatives in both the governing equations and the boundaries are discretized by the DQ method. Natural frequencies and modal shapes can be easily obtained by solving the numerical eigenvalue equations. The accuracy and stability of this proposed method are validated against the results in the literature and a very good agreement is observed. The centrosymmetric properties of these newly proposed weighting coefficients are also validated. Studies on the effects of semivertex angle and the ratio of length to radius are reported.
Vibration Frequencies Extraction of the Forth Road Bridge Using High Sampling GPS Data
Authors: Wang Jian , Meng Xiaolin , Qin Changbiao , Yi Jiaohong
Published: December 2015

This paper proposes a scheme for vibration frequencies extraction of the Forth Road Bridge in Scotland from high sampling GPS data. The interaction between the dynamic response and the ambient loadings is carefully analysed. A bilinear Chebyshev high-pass filter is designed to isolate the quasistatic movements, the FFT algorithm and peak-picking approach are applied to extract the vibration frequencies, and a GPS data accumulation counter is suggested for real-time monitoring applications. To understand the change in the structural characteristics under different loadings, the deformation results from three different loading conditions are presented, that is, the ambient circulation loading, the strong wind under abrupt wind speed change, and the specific trial with two 40 t lorries passing the bridge. The results show that GPS not only can capture absolute 3D deflections reliably, but also can be used to extract the frequency response accurately. It is evident that the frequencies detected using the filtered deflection time series in different direction show quite different characteristics, and more stable results can be obtained from the height displacement time series. The frequency responses of 0.105 and 0.269 Hz extracted from the lateral displacement time series correlate well with the data using height displacement time series.
Predictors of Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in a Large Clinical Population of Males Aged 11 to 26 years in Maryland, 2012–2013
Authors: Clarke Megan A. , Coutinho Francesca , Phelan-Emrick Darcy F. , Wilbur MaryAnn , Chou Betty , Joshu Corinne E.
Published: December 2015

Background: Despite the recommendation for routine human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination in males, coverage estimates remain low. We sought to identify predictors of receiving each HPV vaccine dose among a large clinical population of males.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of electronic medical records for 14,688 males ages 11 to 26 years attending 26 outpatient clinics (January 2012–April 2013) in Maryland to identify predictors of each HPV vaccine dose using multivariate logistic regression models with generalized estimating equations. All analyses were stratified in accordance with vaccine age recommendations: 11 to 12 years, 13 to 21 years, and 22 to 26 years. Analyses of predictors of receipt of subsequent HPV doses were also stratified by the number of clinic visits (≤3 and >3).

Results: Approximately 15% of males initiated the HPV vaccine. Less than half of males eligible received the second and third doses, 49% and 47%, respectively. Non-Hispanic black males (vs. non-Hispanic white) ages 11 to 12 and 13 to 21 years and males with public insurance (vs. private) ages 13 to 21 years had significantly greater odds of vaccine initiation, but significantly decreased odds of receiving subsequent doses, respectively. Attendance to >3 clinic visits attenuated the inverse association between public insurance and receipt of subsequent doses.

Conclusion: Overall, rates of HPV vaccine initiation and of subsequent doses were low. While non-Hispanic black and publicly insured males were more likely to initiate the HPV vaccine, they were less likely to receive subsequent doses.

Impact: Tailoring different intervention strategies for increasing HPV vaccine initiation versus increasing rates of subsequent doses among males may be warranted. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(2); 351–8. ©2015 AACR.
The Stat3/5 Signaling Biosignature in Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells Predicts Response and Outcome in Myelodysplastic Syndrome Patients Treated with Azacitidine
Authors: Miltiades Paraskevi , Lamprianidou Eleftheria , Vassilakopoulos Theodoros P. , Papageorgiou Sotirios G. , Galanopoulos Athanasios G. , Kontos Christos K. , Adamopoulos Panagiotis G. , Nakou Evangelia , Vakalopoulou Sofia , Garypidou Vassilia , Papaioannou Maria , Hatjiharissi Evdoxia , Papadaki Helen A. , Spanoudakis Emmanuil , Pappa Vassiliki , Scorilas Andreas , Tsatalas Constantinos , Kotsianidis Ioannis
Published: December 2015

Purpose: Azacitidine is the mainstay of high-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) therapy, but molecular predictors of response and the mechanisms of resistance to azacitidine remain largely unidentified. Deregulation of signaling via Stat3 and Stat5 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is associated with aggressive disease. Numerous genes involved in cell signaling are aberrantly methylated in MDS, yet the alterations and the effect of azacitidine treatment on Stat3/5 signaling in high-risk MDS have not been explored.

Experimental Design: We assessed longitudinally constitutive and ligand-induced phospho-Stat3/5 signaling responses by multiparametric flow cytometry in 74 patients with MDS and low blast count AML undergoing azacitidine therapy. Pretreatment Stat3/5 signaling profiles in CD34+ cells were grouped by unsupervised clustering. The differentiation stage and the molecular properties of the CD34+ G-CSF–inducible Stat3/5 double-positive subpopulation were performed by flow cytometry and quantitative real-time PCR in isolated MDS progenitors.

Results: The pretreatment Stat3/5 signaling profiles in CD34+ cells correlated strongly with response and cytogenetics and independently predicted event-free survival. We further identified a CD34+ G-CSF–inducible Stat3/5 double-positive subpopulation (DP subset) whose pretreatment levels were inversely associated with treatment response and cytogenetics. The kinetics of the DP subset followed the response to azacitidine and the disease course, whereas its molecular characteristics and cellular hierarchy were consistent with a leukemia propagating cell phenotype.

Conclusions: Our findings provide a novel link among Stat3/5 signaling and MDS pathobiology and suggest that the Stat3/5 signaling biosignature may serve as both a response biomarker and treatment target. Clin Cancer Res; 22(8); 1958–68. ©2015 AACR.
Suppression of Proinflammatory and Prosurvival Biomarkers in Oral Cancer Patients Consuming a Black Raspberry Phytochemical-Rich Troche
Authors: Knobloch Thomas J. , Uhrig Lana K. , Pearl Dennis K. , Casto Bruce C. , Warner Blake M. , Clinton Steven K. , Sardo-Molmenti Christine L. , Ferguson Jeanette M. , Daly Brett T. , Riedl Kenneth , Schwartz Steven J. , Vodovotz Yael , Buchta Anthony J. , Schuller David E. , Ozer Enver , Agrawal Amit , Weghorst Christopher M.
Published: December 2015

Black raspberries (BRB) demonstrate potent inhibition of aerodigestive tract carcinogenesis in animal models. However, translational clinical trials evaluating the ability of BRB phytochemicals to impact molecular biomarkers in the oral mucosa remain limited. The present phase 0 study addresses a fundamental question for oral cancer food–based prevention: Do BRB phytochemicals successfully reach the targeted oral tissues and reduce proinflammatory and antiapoptotic gene expression profiles? Patients with biopsy-confirmed oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) administered oral troches containing freeze-dried BRB powder from the time of enrollment to the date of curative intent surgery (13.9 ± 1.27 days). Transcriptional biomarkers were evaluated in patient-matched OSCCs and noninvolved high at-risk mucosa (HARM) for BRB-associated changes. Significant expression differences between baseline OSCC and HARM tissues were confirmed using a panel of genes commonly deregulated during oral carcinogenesis. Following BRB troche administration, the expression of prosurvival genes (AURKA, BIRC5, EGFR) and proinflammatory genes (NFKB1, PTGS2) were significantly reduced. There were no BRB-associated grade 3–4 toxicities or adverse events, and 79.2% (N = 30) of patients successfully completed the study with high levels of compliance (97.2%). The BRB phytochemicals cyanidin-3-rutinoside and cyanidin-3-xylosylrutinoside were detected in all OSCC tissues analyzed, demonstrating that bioactive components were successfully reaching targeted OSCC tissues. We confirmed that hallmark antiapoptotic and proinflammatory molecular biomarkers were overexpressed in OSCCs and that their gene expression was significantly reduced following BRB troche administration. As these molecular biomarkers are fundamental to oral carcinogenesis and are modifiable, they may represent emerging biomarkers of molecular efficacy for BRB-mediated oral cancer chemoprevention. Cancer Prev Res; 9(2); 159–71. ©2015 AACR.
Serum Antibodies to HPV16 Early Proteins Warrant Investigation as Potential Biomarkers for Risk Stratification and Recurrence of HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer
Authors: Fakhry Carole , Qualliotine Jesse R. , Zhang Zhe , Agrawal Nishant , Gaykalova Daria A. , Bishop Justin A. , Subramaniam Rathan M. , Koch Wayne M. , Chung Christine H. , Eisele David W. , Califano Joseph , Viscidi Raphael P.
Published: December 2015

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is responsible for increasing incidence of oropharyngeal cancer. At present, there are no biomarkers in the surveillance algorithm for HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancer (HPV-OPC). HPV16 E6 antibody precedes oropharyngeal cancer diagnosis. If HPV16 E6 indeed precedes primary diagnosis, it is similarly expected to precede disease recurrence and may have a potential role as a biomarker for surveillance of HPV-OPC. To determine whether HPV antibody titers have a potential role as early markers of disease recurrence or prognosis, a retrospective pilot study was designed to determine whether HPV16 early antibody titers E6, E7, E1, and E2 decrease after treatment of HPV16-positive OPC. Trends in pretreatment, early (≤6 months after treatment), and late posttreatment (>6 months after treatment) HPV16 antibody titers were examined. There were 43, 34, and 52 subjects with serum samples available for pretreatment, early, and late posttreatment intervals. Mean pretreatment antibody levels were higher than posttreatment antibody levels. Average antibody levels decreased significantly over time for E6 (Ptrend = 0.001) and E7 (Ptrend < 0.001). Six disease recurrences were observed during the follow-up period (median, 4.4 years). In univariate analysis, a log-unit increase in pretreatment E6 titer was significantly associated with increased risk of disease recurrence (HR, 5.42; 95% CI, 1.1–25.7; P = 0.03). Therefore, levels of antibodies to HPV16 early oncoproteins decline after therapy. Higher E6 titers at diagnosis are associated with significant increases in the risk of recurrence. These data support the prospective evaluation of HPV16 antibodies as markers of surveillance and for risk stratification at diagnosis. Cancer Prev Res; 9(2); 135–41. ©2015 AACR.
Psychosocial Factors and Risk of Incident Heart Failure
Authors: Ogilvie Rachel P. , Everson-Rose Susan A. , Longstreth W.T. , Rodriguez Carlos J. , Diez-Roux Ana V. , Lutsey Pamela L.
Published: December 2015

Background—

Heart failure (HF) is a major source of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Psychosocial factors have frequently been studied as risk factors for coronary heart disease but not for HF.

Methods and Results—

We examined the relationship between psychological status and incident HF among 6782 individuals from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). Anger, anxiety, chronic stress, depressive symptoms, and hostility were measured using validated scales, and physician reviewers adjudicated incident HF events. Cox proportional hazards models were used to adjust for relevant demographic, behavioral, and physiological covariates. Interactions by age, race, sex, and self-reported health were examined in exploratory analyses. During a mean follow-up of 9.3 years, 242 participants developed incident HF. There was no association between psychosocial factors and HF hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for the highest versus lowest quartile: anger=1.14 (0.81–1.60), anxiety=0.74 (0.51–1.07), chronic stress=1.25 (0.90–1.72), depressive symptoms=1.19 (0.76–1.85), and hostility=0.95 (0.62–1.42). In exploratory analysis, among the participants reporting fair/poor health at baseline, those reporting high versus low levels of anxiety, chronic stress, and depressive symptoms had 2-fold higher risk of incident HF, but there was no association for those with good/very good/excellent self-reported health.

Conclusions—

Overall, these psychosocial factors were not significantly associated with incident HF. However, for participants reporting poor health at baseline, there was evidence that anxiety, chronic stress, and depressive symptoms were associated with increased risk of HF. Future research with greater statistical power is necessary to replicate these findings and seek explanations.
Is Myocarditis an Independent Risk Factor for Post-Transplant Mortality in Pediatric Heart Transplant Recipients?
Authors: Garbern Jessica C. , Gauvreau Kimberlee , Blume Elizabeth D. , Singh Tajinder P.
Published: December 2015

Background—

Previous studies suggest that children with myocarditis who receive heart transplantation (HT) may be at higher risk of post-transplant mortality compared with children who are transplanted for idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. We hypothesized that these differences are because of more severe heart failure at HT in children with myocarditis.

Methods and Results—

We identified 221 children with myocarditis and 1583 with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy who were <18 years old and listed for HT in the United States between July 2004 and December 2013 using the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network database. We compared baseline characteristics at listing and at HT and used Cox models to determine whether myocarditis is independently associated with wait-list mortality (or becoming too sick to transplant) or post-transplant graft loss (death/re-HT). Children with myocarditis were more likely to be listed while on assisted ventilation, mechanical circulatory support and with renal dysfunction. Overall, 137 children with myocarditis and 1249 with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy received HT. In unadjusted analysis, children with myocarditis were at higher risk of wait-list mortality (hazard ratio 2.1; 95% confidence interval 1.5–3.0) and showed a trend toward increased risk of post-transplant graft loss (hazard ratio 1.4; 95% confidence interval 1.0–2.2). However, in adjusted analysis, myocarditis was not associated with wait-list mortality (hazard ratio 1.3, 95% confidence interval 0.9–1.9) or post-transplant graft loss (hazard ratio 1.3, 95% confidence interval 0.9–2.0).

Conclusions—

Among children listed for HT, those with myocarditis have more severe heart failure than children with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. After adjustment for severity of illness, myocarditis does not confer additional risk for wait-list or post-transplant mortality.
Influence of Titration of Neurohormonal Antagonists and Blood Pressure Reduction on Renal Function and Decongestion in Decompensated Heart Failure
Authors: Kula Alexander J. , Hanberg Jennifer S. , Wilson F. Perry , Brisco Meredith A. , Bellumkonda Lavanya , Jacoby Daniel , Coca Steven G. , Parikh Chirag R. , Tang W.H. Wilson , Testani Jeffrey M.
Published: December 2015

Background—

Reduction in systolic blood pressure (SBP reduction) during the treatment of acute decompensated heart failure is strongly and independently associated with worsening renal function. Our objective was to determine whether SBP reduction or titration of oral neurohormonal antagonists during acute decompensated heart failure treatment negatively influences diuresis and decongestion.

Methods and Results—

SBP reduction was evaluated from admission to discharge in consecutive acute decompensated heart failure admissions (n=656). Diuresis and decongestion were examined across a range of parameters, such as diuretic efficiency, fluid output, hemoconcentration, and diuretic dose. The average reduction in SBP was 14.4±19.4 mm Hg, and 77.6% of the population had discharge SBP lower than admission. SBP reduction was strongly associated with worsening renal function (odds ratio, 1.9; 95% confidence interval, 1.2–2.9;
P
=0.004), a finding that persisted after adjusting for parameters of diuresis and decongestion (odds ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.3–3.2;
P
=0.002). However, SBP reduction did not negatively affect diuresis or decongestion (
P
≥0.25 for all parameters). Uptitration of neurohormonal antagonists occurred in >50% of admissions and was associated with a modest additional reduction in blood pressure (≤5.6 mm Hg). Notably, worsening renal function was not increased, and diuretic efficiency was significantly improved with the uptitration of neurohormonal antagonists.

Conclusions—

Despite a higher rate of worsening renal function, blood pressure reduction was not associated with worsening of diuresis or decongestion. Furthermore, titration of oral neurohormonal antagonists was actually associated with improved diuresis in this cohort. These results provide reassurance that the guideline-recommended titration of chronic oral medication during acute decompensated heart failure hospitalization may not be antagonistic to the short-term goal of decongestion.
Cardiovascular Health Status and Incidence of Heart Failure in the Framingham Offspring Study
Authors: Nayor Matthew , Enserro Danielle M. , Vasan Ramachandran S. , Xanthakis Vanessa
Published: December 2015

Background—

The American Heart Association Cardiovascular Health (CVH) score is inversely associated with cardiovascular disease, but its relations to cardiac remodeling traits and heart failure (HF) incidence have not been examined.

Methods and Results—

A 14-point score was constructed for each participant based on the presence of poor, intermediate, or ideal status on each of the 7 CVH metrics (ideal score=14). We related the CVH score to echocardiographic traits cross-sectionally and to HF incidence prospectively in the Framingham Offspring Study. In age- and sex-adjusted models, a higher CVH score was associated with lower left ventricular (LV) mass, LV wall thickness, LV diastolic dimension, and left atrial dimension (
P
<0.01 for all; n=2392; mean age, 58 years; 56% women), and with a 12% to 15% lower odds of prevalent LV concentric remodeling and concentric hypertrophy, respectively (
P
<0.0001 for both). On follow-up (mean, 12.3 years), 188 incident HF events were observed in 3201 participants (mean age, 59 years; 53% women). In age- and sex-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models, the CVH score was inversely associated with HF incidence (hazard ratio per 1-point higher CVH score, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.72–0.83). This association was partially attenuated upon adjustment for LV mass and interim myocardial infarction (hazard ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.76–0.93), and it was consistent for HF with preserved and reduced ejection fractions.

Conclusions—

In our community-based sample, comprised predominantly of middle-aged white individuals of European descent, better CVH was associated with lower HF incidence, in part due to a lower prevalence of adverse cardiac remodeling.
Prediction of All-Cause Mortality Based on the Direct Measurement of Intrathoracic Impedance
Authors: Zile Michael R. , Sharma Vinod , Johnson James W. , Warman Eduardo N. , Baicu Catalin F. , Bennett Tom D.
Published: December 2015

Background—

Intrathoracic impedance-derived OptiVol fluid index calculated using implanted devices has been shown to predict mortality; direct measurements of impedance have not been examined. We hypothesized that baseline measured impedance predicts all-cause mortality; changes in measured impedance result in a change in the predicted mortality; and the prognostic value of measured impedance is additive to the calculated OptiVol fluid index.

Methods and Results—

A retrospective analysis of 146 238 patients within the Medtronic CareLink database with implanted devices was performed. Baseline measured impedance was determined using daily values averaged from month 6 to 9 after implant and were used to divide patients into tertiles: group L=low impedance, ≤65 ohms; group M=medium impedance, 66 to 72 ohms; group H=high impedance, ≥73 ohms. Change in measured impedance was determined from values averaged from month 9 to 12 post implant compared with the 6- to 9-month values. OptiVol fluid index was calculated using published methods. All-cause mortality was assessed beginning 9 months post implant; changes in mortality was assessed beginning 12 months post implant. Baseline measured impedance predicted all-cause mortality; 5-year mortality for group L was 41%, M was 29%, and H was 25%,
P
<0.001 among all groups. Changes in measured impedance resulted in a change in the predicted mortality; the prognostic value of measured impedance was additive to the OptiVol fluid index.

Conclusions—

Direct measurements of intrathoracic impedance using an implanted device can be used to stratify patients at varying mortality risk.
Protocol‐Driven Allied Health Post‐Discharge Transition Clinic to Reduce Hospital Readmissions in Heart Failure
Authors: Donaho Erin K. , Hall Andrea C. , Gass Jennifer A. , Elayda Macarthur A. , Lee Vei‐Vei , Paire Shreda , Meyers Deborah E.
Published: December 2015

Background

Heart failure (HF) patients have high rates of hospitalization and rehospitalization.

Methods and Results

A protocol‐driven clinic staffed by an allied health care team was designed for patients discharged from the hospital with a diagnosis of congestive HF. The clinic provided follow‐up visits 1 week and 4 to 6 weeks after hospital discharge. One‐hundred and fourteen patients were observed at least 1 time, and 80% of these patients completed the 2‐visit protocol. Clinical evaluations were provided by a nurse practitioner specializing in HF and a clinical pharmacist; these evaluations included physical examination, laboratory evaluation, medical education and reconciliation, medication adjustment and titration, and care coordination. Referrals to home health and appropriate services were provided. At visit 1, 25% of patients were hypervolemic and 13% were hypovolemic. At visit 2, 20% were hypervolemic and 13% were hypovolemic. Medicine reconciliation errors were common, with an average of 2.1 and 0.8 errors per person recorded for visits 1 and 2, respectively. Clinic participants showed a 44.3% reduction in 30‐day readmission rates, as compared to the hospital's average 30‐day readmission rates.

Conclusions

Protocol‐driven postdischarge transition care delivered by allied health staff addressed multiple transition issues and was associated with a dramatic reduction in readmission rates.
Magnitude of and Prognostic Factors Associated With 1‐Year Mortality After Hospital Discharge for Acute Decompensated Heart Failure Based on Ejection Fraction Findings
Authors: Coles Andrew H. , Tisminetzky Mayra , Yarzebski Jorge , Lessard Darleen , Gore Joel M. , Darling Chad E. , Goldberg Robert J.
Published: December 2015

Background

Limited data exist about the magnitude of and the factors associated with prognosis within 1 year for patients discharged from the hospital after acute decompensated heart failure. Data are particularly limited from the more generalizable perspective of a population‐based investigation and should be further stratified according to currently recommended ejection fraction (
EF
) findings.

Methods and Results

The hospital medical records of residents of the Worcester, Massachusetts, metropolitan area who were discharged after acute decompensated heart failure from all 11 medical centers in central Massachusetts during 1995, 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006 were reviewed. The average age of the 4025 study patients was 75 years, 93% were white, and 44% were men. Of these, 35% (n=1414) had reduced EF (≤40%), 13% (n=521) had borderline preserved EF (41–49%), and 52% (n=2090) had preserved
EF
(≥50%); at 1 year after discharge, death rates were 34%, 30%, and 29%, respectively (
P
=0.03). Older age, a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, systolic blood pressure findings <150 mm Hg on admission, and hyponatremia were important predictors of 1‐year mortality for all study patients, whereas several comorbidities and physiological factors were differentially associated with 1‐year death rates in patients with reduced, borderline preserved, and preserved EF.

Conclusions

This population‐based study highlights the need for further contemporary research into the characteristics, treatment practices, natural history, and long‐term outcomes of patients with acute decompensated heart failure and varying
EF
findings and reinforces ongoing discussions about whether different treatment guidelines may be needed for these patients to design more personalized treatment plans.
Population Trends in Aspirin Use for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention 1980–2009: The Minnesota Heart Survey
Authors: Luepker Russell V. , Steffen Lyn M. , Duval Sue , Zantek Nicole D. , Zhou Xia , Hirsch Alan T.
Published: December 2015

Background

Daily low‐dose aspirin is recommended for primary prevention of myocardial infarction and stroke in higher‐risk patients. Population trends in aspirin use for cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention in an urban population (Minneapolis/St. Paul, 2010 population 2.85 million) from 1980 to 2009 were evaluated.

Methods and Results

Surveys of randomly selected adults aged 25 to 74 years were collected at 5‐year intervals. Self‐reports of regular aspirin use for CVD prevention and history of CVD were obtained. Six cross‐sectional surveys included 12 281 men and 14 258 women. Age‐adjusted aspirin use for primary prevention increased during this period from 1% to 21% among men and 1% to 12% among women. Aspirin use was highest in those aged 65 to 74 years. For secondary prevention, age‐adjusted aspirin use increased from 19% to 74% among men and 11% to 64% among women. While data are based on self‐report, a substudy using a biochemical indicator of aspirin use (serum thromboxane B
2
) supports the validity of self‐report.

Conclusions

Aspirin for CVD prevention is commonly used by a large and growing portion of the general population. It is not known if this is based on professional advice or self‐prescribed use. It is also likely that many who would benefit do not use aspirin and others use aspirin inappropriately.
John Dewey’s Emergent Naturalism: Conditions and Transfigurations
Authors: Cherlin Paul Benjamin
Published: December 2015

The essay that follows discusses an ordered series of situated environmental “fields” that comprise John Dewey’s “emergent naturalism.” These fields include nature, experience, mind, subconscious, consciousness, and cognitive thought. I propose an order to these fields, and provide an overview of the ways in which fields that are larger in scope stand as the conditions for those that are more limited. I also suggest ways in which cognitive thought further emerges through the process of inquiry. This emergent scheme culminates in a type of inquiry where an agent actively creates conflict in order to enrich experience.
The Reader and the Redeemer
Authors: Ingram Callum
Published: December 2015

I examine the effort that some theorists make to write to, and inspire a new sense of agency in, their readers. I will consider the work of John Dewey and Hannah Arendt, two theorists who attempt to close the gap between political reality and a theoretically informed politics by using their texts to rethink and recreate their reader. By working between a determined past and the possibility of a redeemed future, Dewey and Arendt use their theory to implant a sense that their present readers can become self-aware, free, and potent agents for political change.
Dewey, Addams, and Beyond
Authors: Lake Danielle
Published: December 2015

Traditional, theoretical pedagogical practices based in disciplinary expertise generally fail to prepare students for high-stakes, public problems. In contrast, “Wicked Problems of Sustainability” is an undergraduate course designed to provide students with the opportunity to redress complex, local problems through an experiential, community-engaged model. By implementing pedagogy developed through the integration of a feminist pragmatist framework with the literature on wicked problems, this course offers opportunities to impact real problems, develop skills, and foster virtues necessary for tackling public problems. Given the value of this work, but also the difficulties, this article highlights the potential pitfalls of community work on wicked problems in addition to providing a series of recommendations for a pragmatic, community-based, experiential pedagogy in a “wicked” world.
Intercultural Communicative Performance and the Body
Authors: Holmes Stephen
Published: December 2015

From the standpoint of an intercultural communication trainer in an exploration mode, the author starts by analyzing and evaluating two Third Culture models in order to sort out their contributions to practically improving intercultural communicative performance with the stranger. In his exploration he strives to move from competence to performance by shifting the focus of the abstract potential of competence to the body as an experiencing organism and its environment, the point in a situation where performance takes place. Along his path he also discovers interfaces with related discussions (e.g. the metaphors of music and dance, the pragmatist philosophy of John Dewey and William James, neuroevolution, the deemphasis of language, the concept of the “tacit” in Knowledge management, Learning Organization and a form of communication training called the Dialogue Process). All of these interfaces together the author found are internally commensurable with each other.
Justice Implicit: The Pragmatism of Amartya Sen
Authors: Hannan Jason
Published: December 2015

This paper offers a pragmatist reading of the political thought of Amartya Sen. In his recent book, The Idea of Justice (2009), Sen argues against the transcendental institutionalism of John Rawls in favour of a comparative approach that differentiates what is more from what is less just. Sen’s fallibilistic approach to justice bears a strong affinity to classical and contemporary pragmatism. Reading Sen in a pragmatist light enables us to appreciate the nature, strengths, and weaknesses of his project. Relying on the thought of Robert Brandom, this paper argues that the ongoing and indeterminate process of working out the details of an imperfect and evolving idea of justice through public reason is an example of what Brandom calls “making explicit in principle what is implicit in practice.” Brandom’s inferentialism offers a useful corrective to Sen’s intuitionism about the idea and perception of “manifest injustice.”
Owing Punishment
Authors: Blom Andrew
Published: December 2015

The account of punishment in De iure belli ac pacis develops most fully the relationship Grotius understands between strict rights and those claims arising from dignity or merit, which he associates with ‘expletive’ and ‘attributive’ standards of justice, respectively. The purpose of this article is to provide a philosophical reconstruction of two particular puzzles that arise out of the role Grotius assigns to the concepts of right and merit in the theory of punishment. How, in the first place, can a right to punish be legitimated if not on the grounds that the offender merits punishment for the crime? And then, if merit does not provide the grounds for punishment, why must the penalty be strictly limited to what the offender merits? A reconstruction of Grotius’s arguments grounding the right to punish and justifying the role of penal merit brings out the underlying coherence in Grotius’s theory of punishment, while also revealing that the norms of expletive and attributive justice are inextricably linked in Grotius’s system of natural right.
1741
Authors: Binder Caspar
Published: December 2015

The essay by Caspar Binder, which appeared on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the first edition of the Elector Bible, can be regarded in many respects as a scholarly contribution which has as yet not been bettered. This justifies its republication at this time.
Literary Criticism and the Media
Authors: Trijić Vesna
Published: December 2015

This article deals with literary reviews published in newspapers and their subordination to modern media which tend to give priority to non-verbal forms of communication, such as photography and the graphic shape of titles, which may control or overshadow the meaning of a text. In order to survive in such a context, book reviewers usually accept the language of journalism which imposes an ideological and commercialized dimension on them, forcing them to abandon their original discourse based on literary criticism. The paper poses the question whether there is any place left for literary criticism in the modern media or has criticism proper been relegated to specialized journals?
Draping the Mannequin in Late Capitalism
Authors: Klioutchkine Konstantine
Published: December 2015

The essay explores the role of language in the cultural economy of late capitalism by analyzing the television series Mad Men. Within the framework of the moving but relatively consistent image, language, relying on its polysemic resources, works to generate unlimited play of signification. This process actuates texts and subjectivities alike. Aesthetic products and human subjectivity emerge as commodities whose effectiveness derives from their ability to absorb and reenact affectively the polysemic play in what the show portrays as the Carousel of late-capitalist signification.
Tender Fictions, Exemplary Choices
Authors: Vidić Adrijana
Published: December 2015

This paper deals with the reconceptualization of martyrdom in Želimir Periš’ short story collection Martyrs (2013). A close reading demonstrates a link between these texts and some hagiographic features, such as celibacy, asceticism, and visions. Special attention is given to the aspect of exemplarity, which is emphasized as a result of diverse repetitions. Also, the implications of the cyclical structure of this collection are examined. In conclusion, the analysis of the role of the story and story-telling indicates choice to be the shared motivation of these texts and the essence of martyrdom as it appears here.
Writing as Sacrilege and Necessity
Authors: Vladiv-Glover Slobodanka
Published: December 2015

The paper interprets the collection of stories as a unified generic whole with precedents in the literary canon of former Yugoslavia and in world literature. The stories, united by the sujet of suffering, play with the transgression of myths, from Ancient to Christian, in order to establish sacrilege as poetics and as the necessity of writing.
Research on Business Networks of Overseas Chinese Textile Importers in Colonial Korea
Authors: Yi (李正熙) Junghee
Published: December 2015

This article emphasizes the relative independence from state regulations for Chinese businessmen in arranging their trading across national borders. In the 1920s, Japanese power to undermine the access to Korean markets of British and Chinese textiles did not result from state support to Japanese trading firms, as has been generally assumed thus far, but on the flexibility of Chinese business firms, who changed from British and Chinese to Japanese corporate partners in order to sell textiles in Korea, especially cotton and silk, and not only profited from changed market circumstances, but also from import duties imposed by the Japanese on the import of Chinese silk to Korea. (This article is in Chinese.)
International Trade and the Transformation of Taiwanese Sugar Merchants: A Case Study of the Chen Fuqian Family in Takao, 1860–1905
Authors: Li (李佩蓁) Pei-chen
Published: December 2015

Focusing on the business operation of the Chen Fuqian family in south Taiwan, this paper analyses the importance of traditional business customs and family organization in international trade. Alongside the expansion of trade in Taiwan in the late Qing period, Taiwanese merchants would try to learn Western system of management to better position themselves in the intensive business competition. The development of the Chen family business thus epitomized the interaction between traditional Chinese and Western managerial system. (This article is in Chinese.)
Management of and Experiments in a Colonial Industry: Japanese Government-run Fishermen Migration Project in Taiwan during the Late Meiji Period
Authors: Lin (林玉茹) Yuju
Published: December 2015

Between Meiji 41 and Meiji 44 (1908–1911), the Japanese colonial government implemented a fishermen migration project in five prefectures and six ports in Taiwan. This was set up earlier than the Japanese migration project for farmers. The latter was not formally kicked off until Meiji 43 (1910). Comparing these two Japanese government-run migration projects also shows the following differences: First, the fishermen migration project started at the time when detailed surveys and assessments of Japanese colonial migration to Taiwan had not yet been completed. Second, the later farmer migration project, unlike the fishermen migration project, was under the leadership of the Taiwan Sōtokufu (Office of the Governor-General, Taiwan). The fishermen migration project was basically an agenda set up by local prefectures. Third, it aimed at improving Taiwan’s coastal fisheries through recruiting Japanese fishermen to migrate to Taiwan. The idea was that these Japanese fishermen would be exemplary fishermen who would generate incentives for Taiwanese to compete with them. Therefore, in contrast to agrarian migrants, fishermen migration was more of an economic colonial project than a political one.

Given that the fishermen migration project in Taiwan was initiated by inexperienced local prefectures while the Taiwan Sōtokufu played only a passive role, its limited achievements are not a surprise. The only successful case was in Donggang (東港), where the geographical location and personal cooperation among local and Japanese fishermen helped it become an ideal place for Japanese fishermen migrants. The migration project failed in all the other five ports. In this paper, I will analyze how the fishermen migration project operated. I will show the different governmental strategies implemented between local prefectures and the colonial government at the time when the implementation of fishing reforms was still in the trial-and-error stage of colonial experiments. At the same time, I will argue that the project failed because of the existence of unfavorable structural factors that worked against the development of the migrant industry. The Taiwan Sōtokufu might have been aware of these unfavorable factors in Taiwan, which did not support the promotion of fishermen migration policies focused on coastal fisheries in Taiwan. Out of concern for colonial rationality, the colonial government had to call off the project. Nonetheless, the Taiwan Sōtokufu then expanded spending on fisheries and related industries, and became active in promoting the fishing industry. The industry thus developed during the Japanese colonial era. (This article is in English.)
Nomenclatural notes on Laeliinae-V. New combinations for invalid names in Prosthechea (Orchidaceae)
Authors: Van den Berg Cássio
Published: December 2015

Prosthechea Knowles & Westcott (1838: 111) is the third largest genus of Laeliinae Bentham (1881: 287) with 117 species (Chase et al. 2015). The group of species corresponding to Prosthechea is widespread in the Neotropics, especially in Mexico, Central America and Brazil, and has been treated since the 60’s as distinct from Epidendrum Linnaeus (1763: 1347) but with contradictory generic placement. For example, Dressler & Pollard (1971, 1976) included most species in Encyclia subgenus Osmophytum (Lindley 1841: 81) Dressler & Pollard (1971: 433), but dealt only with Mexican species. Pabst & Dungs (1975, 1977) followed Dressler and treated the Brazilian species also in Encyclia Hooker (1828: t. 2831). Brieger (1960) considered them part of Hormidium (Lindley 1841: 81) Heynhold (1841: 880) and later Pabst et al. (1981) transferred most Brazilian species to Anacheilium Hoffmannsegg (1842: 229). Molecular phylogenetic analyses of plastid and nuclear data confirmed that the whole group was monophyletic (van den Berg et al. 2000, 2009, Higgins et al., 2003). After an extensive discussion on the generic names by Higgins (1997), he established that the oldest name for the whole clade was Prosthechea and proposed most of the new combinations for species previously included in Epidendrum, Encyclia, Anacheilium and Hormidium. Later on, other authors decided to subdivide the group into several segregate genera, and proposed two systems that are themselves conflicting in generic circumscription (Withner & Harding 2004, Chiron & Castro Neto 2003a).
Are they different species or vicariant elevational races of the same species? The case of an Iberian endemic plant, Ranunculus bupleuroides (Ranunculaceae)
Authors: Prieto José Antonio Fernández , Mesa Joaquín Molero , Suárez Marta Pérez , Sanna Mauro , Díaz José Miguel Muñoz , Cires Eduardo
Published: December 2015

The infrageneric taxonomy and evolution of Ranunculus are still not well understood. In this regard, we investigated the origin and genetic diversity of the Iberian endemic plant Ranunculus bupleuroides s.l. by analysis of nuclear internal transcribed spacers (ITS) and plastid (rpl32-trnL, rps16-trnQ, trnK-matK, ycf6-psbM) sequence data. Phylogenetic analysis reveals two geographically well supported subclades: one formed by high mountain plants and another by more typical samples of Ranunculus bupleuroides from the lowlands of the western Iberian Peninsula. The subclade of montane plants includes both plants originating in Gredos and Béjar (Ranunculus cherubicus subsp. cherubicus) and those from Sierra Nevada (R. cherubicus subsp. girelai). In the light of the new molecular results obtained, combined with an assessment of morphological, geographical and ecological characters, a new systematic treatment is proposed.
The reinstatement of Latace Phil. (Amaryllidaceae, Allioideae)
Authors: Sassone Agostina Belen , Belgrano Manuel J. , Guaglianone Encarnación Rosa
Published: December 2015

The monotypic genus Latace has been formerly treated under its related genera Leucocoryne or Nothoscordum. The genus Zoellnerallium, on the other hand, was established to include the atypical Nothoscordum andinum (= Ornithogalum andinum) and, later another similar species, namely Nothoscordum serenense, was also placed in this genus. In this contribution we corroborate that Latace and Zoellnerallium are names applied to the same taxon, and different from Nothoscordum and Leucocoryne. According to the priority rule, Latace is the name to be used instead of Zoellnerallium. Consequently, the name Latace is reinstated, while Zoellnerallium is relegated to the synonymy, and three new combinations are proposed: Latace andina f. andina, Latace andina f. lutea and Latace serenense. In addition, the chromosome identity of Latace (= Zoellnerallium) and morphological features that support Latace as an independent unit are herein highlighted, and presented together with keys to related genera and to species of Latace; lectotypes, neotypes, a distribution map, and illustrations are also included.
Synonymies in Ananas (Bromeliaceae)
Authors: Coppens d'Eeckenbrugge Geo , Govaerts Rafaël
Published: December 2015

To clarify the last pineapple classification, which only recognizes the tetraploid crownless A. macrodontes and the diploid A. comosus, with three cultivated and two wild botanical varieties, we re-establish A. comosus var. microstachys and revise ancient synonymies, underlining misinterpretations and distinguishing horticultural names from botanical names whenever possible.
Molisan cuisine (names of dishes) as an example of multiculturalism and multilingualism
Authors: Słabińska Adrianna
Published: December 2015

Molisan cuisine (names of dishes) as an example of multiculturalism and multilingualism

Today Croats can be found living in many parts of the world. The process of Slavic migrations started in the 7th. Diasporas can be found in Austria, Slovakia, Romania, Czech Republic (Moravia and nowadays Prague), Serbia, Italy, even across the oceans in the USA, South America, RSA and Australia. The Croatian minority in Molise is the smallest Croatian minority in the world. Croatian is spoken there by about 2000 to 2400 people in three isolated mountain communities. They settled in villages, Kruč, Mundimitr and Filić possibly between the 14th and 15th century. Several Turkish invasions took place during this period, so Croats were forced to hide from the Sultan’s armies and they found refuge on the Apennine Peninsula. The country of Croatia, occupied with its battle against the infidels, has forgotten about its fellow countrymen, who had been living in the region of Molis, for a long time. In every day Croatian speech one can hear multiple loan-words. A particular problem can occur when writing some names of dishes which have been passed down but orally only. Molisan-Croatian cuisine and culinary names are part of Croatian cuisine that was created during the time of the Croatian Diaspora.

 

Kuchnia molizańska (nazwy potraw) jako przykład wielokulturowości i wielojęzyczności

Obecnie Chorwaci żyją na całym świecie. Proces migracji Słowian rozpoczął się już w VII wieku. Ich diaspory możemy odszukać w Austrii, Słowacji, Rumunii, Czechach (na Morawach i w obecnej Pradze) i Serbii, Włoszech, a nawet za oceanem Atlantyckim w USA, południowej Ameryce, RPA i Australii. Najmniejszą chorwacką mniejszością narodową są Molizianie. Językiem chorwackim posługuje się od 2 do 2,4 tysięcy ludzi w trzech odizolowanych społecznościach. Początek osiedlenia się we wsiach: Kruču, Mundimitrze i Filiću określa się na XV–XVI wiek. Okres ten obfituje w najazdy tureckie, kiedy to Chorwaci ukryli się przed armią sułtańską i znaleźli schronienie na Półwyspie Apenińskim. Chorwacja okupowana przez Turków zapomniała o swoich rodakach, którzy żyli w regionie Molise przez dłuższy czas. Język chorwacki pojawia się w mowie potocznej mieszkańców, szczególnie w zapożyczeniach. Szczególnym problemem jest określenie nazw kilku dań, które dotychczas funkcjonowały tylko ustnie. Chorwackomolizańska kuchnia oraz jej nazwy kulinarne są częścią kuchni chorwackiej, która została utworzona w czasach diaspory.