bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
JUST WHAT IS VAGUENESS?
Authors: Bueno Otávio , Colyvan Mark 
Published: February 2012

AbstractWe argue that standard definitions of ‘vagueness’ prejudice the question of how best to deal with the phenomenon of vagueness. In particular, the usual understanding of ‘vagueness’ in terms of borderline cases, where the latter are thought of as truth‐value gaps, begs the question against the subvaluational approach. According to this latter approach, borderline cases are inconsistent (i.e., glutty not gappy). We suggest that a definition of ‘vagueness’ should be general enough to accommodate any genuine contender in the debate over how to best deal with the sorites paradox. Moreover, a definition of ‘vagueness’ must be able to accommodate the variety of forms sorites arguments can take. These include numerical, total‐ordered sorites arguments, discrete versions, continuous versions, as well as others without any obvious metric structure at all. After considering the shortcomings of various definitions of ‘vagueness’, we propose a very general non‐question‐begging definition.
BETWEEN THE OLD METAPHYSICS AND THE NEW EMPIRICISM: COLLINGWOOD'S DEFENCE OF THE AUTONOMY OF PHILOSOPHY
Authors: D'Oro Giuseppina 
Published: February 2012

AbstractCollingwood has failed to make a significant impact in the history of twentieth century philosophy either because he has been dismissed as a dusty old idealist committed to the very metaphysics the analytical school was trying to leave behind, or because his later work has been interpreted as advocating the dissolution of philosophy into history. I argue that Collingwood's key philosophical works are a sustained attempt to defend the view that philosophy is an autonomous discipline with a distinctive domain of inquiry and that Collingwood's attempt to defend the autonomy of philosophy is intimately connected to his defence of intensional notions against the kind of meaning scepticism which came to prevail from the 1920s. I defend the philosophical claim that there is a third way between the idealist metaphysics with which Collingwood is often associated and the neo‐empiricist agenda which characterised analytic philosophy in mid‐century by defending the hermeneutic thesis that Collingwood's work is a sustained attempt to articulate a conception of philosophy as an epistemologically first science. Since there is a via media between the old metaphysics and the new empiricism there is no need to choose between a certain kind of armchair metaphysics and a scientifically informed ontology.
Fetal loss in women with hereditary thrombophilic defects and concomitance of other thrombophilic defects: a retrospective family study
Authors: Korteweg FJ , Folkeringa N , Brouwer J‐LP , Erwich JJHM , Holm JP , van der Meer J , Veeger NJGM 
Published: February 2012

Please cite this paper as: Korteweg F, Folkeringa N, Brouwer J, Erwich J, Holm J, van der Meer J, Veeger N. Fetal loss in women with hereditary thrombophilic defects and concomitance of other thrombophilic defects: a retrospective family study. BJOG 2012;119:422–430.Objective  To assess the absolute risk of fetal loss associated with hereditary deficiencies of antithrombin (AT), protein C (PC) and protein S (PS), and the contribution of additional thrombophilic defects to this risk.Design  A retrospective family cohort study.Setting A tertiary referral teaching hospital.Population Women from families with hereditary deficiencies of AT, PC and PS, and their non‐deficient relatives.Methods  We assessed the absolute risk of fetal loss, comparing deficient women with non‐deficient female relatives.Main outcome measures  Early, late and total fetal loss rates; odds ratios of fetal loss.Results  We evaluated 289 women, who had 860 pregnancies. The total fetal loss rates were 23% (AT deficient), 26% (PC deficient), 11% (type‐I PS deficient) and 15% (type‐III PS deficient), compared with 11, 18, 12 and 13% in non‐deficient women, respectively. Odds ratios were 2.3 (95% CI 0.9–6.1), 2.1 (95% CI 0.9–4.7), 0.7 (95% CI 0.2–1.8) and 1.1 (95% CI 0.6–2.0), none of which reached statistical significance. Differences were mainly the result of higher late fetal loss rates in women deficient in AT (OR 11.3, 95% CI 3.0–42.0) and PC (OR 4.7, 95% CI 1.3–17.4). The concomitance of factor‐V Leiden and prothrombin G20210A was observed in 19% of women, and did not increase the risk of fetal loss.Conclusions  Although absolute risks of fetal loss were high, odds ratios of total fetal loss were not statistically significant in deficient versus non‐deficient women. However the higher absolute risks appeared to reflect higher late fetal loss rates as opposed to early fetal loss rates. An additional effect of concomitance of factor‐V Leiden and prothrombin G20210A was not demonstrated, which may result from the exclusion of women at highest risk of venous thromboembolism, or from the small numbers sampled in the study.
Polymerase chain reaction–based tests for pan‐species and species‐specific detection of human Plasmodium parasites
Authors: Mahajan Babita , Zheng Hong , Pham Phuong Thao , Sedegah Mary Y. , Majam Victoria F. , Akolkar Namita , Rios Maria , Ankrah Isaac , Madjitey Parnor , Amoah George , Addison Ebenezer , Quakyi Isabella A. , Kumar Sanjai 
Published: February 2012

BACKGROUND: There is still a need to improve the sensitivity of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for malaria to detect submicroscopic asexual stage Plasmodium infections during the early phase and chronic, asymptomatic phase of infection when the parasite burden is very low.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: The inhibitory effect of hemoglobin (Hb) on PCR limits the volume of blood that can be used in the PCR‐based detection of intraerythrocytic Plasmodium parasites. We lysed red blood cells with saponin to reduce the Hb concentration in extracted nucleic acid and, as a result, significantly increased the volume of blood that can be tested by PCR. The analytical sensitivity of the PCR was determined using whole blood spiked with ring‐stage Plasmodium falciparum parasites, and its clinical sensitivity by testing blood film–positive and blood film–negative samples from individuals living in an endemic area in Ghana.RESULTS: We have developed a pan‐Plasmodium PCR that detects all five human Plasmodium species with the highest analytical sensitivity of two P. falciparum parasites/mL of whole blood and species‐specific PCR tests that distinguished between the five human Plasmodium species. Pan‐Plasmodium PCR detected 78 of 78 (100%) blood film–positive and 19 of 101 (18.81%) blood film–negative samples from asymptomatic individuals living in Ghana. Pan‐Plasmodium PCR was equally sensitive with samples collected as anticoagulated whole blood and clotted blood and in blood collected by finger stick into capillaries.CONCLUSION: We have developed PCR tests with the highest reported sensitivity to date for pan‐Plasmodium diagnosis and species‐specific diagnosis and detected blood film–negative asymptomatic infections in individuals living in malaria‐endemic countries.
Response and survival of patients with chronic graft‐versus‐host disease treated by extracorporeal photochemotherapy: a retrospective study according to classical and National Institutes of Health classifications
Authors: Del Fante Claudia , Scudeller Luigia , Viarengo Gianluca , Bernasconi Paolo , Perotti Cesare 
Published: February 2012

BACKGROUND: Chronic graft‐versus‐host disease (cGVHD) classification has recently been improved by the National Institutes of Health (NIH); patients’ stratification with those new criteria has implications for patients' prognosis.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: To assess whether the NIH consensus classification (NCC) better predicts survival and response to extracorporeal photochemotherapy (ECP), and to identify variables associated with response and survival, we retrospectively analyzed 102 patients with cGVHD reclassified according to NCC treated with ECP (1997‐2010) at our center. Cox regression was used in univariate and multivariate models.RESULTS: Of the 102 patients, 64 (62.7%) had classic cGVHD, 24 (23.5%) had overlap cGVHD, and seven (6.9%) patients each had late and persistent acute GVHD. The cumulative ECP‐specific follow‐up was 2333.3 person‐years. Response was complete in 16 (15.7%), partial in 38 (37.3%), minimal in 28 (27.5%), and absent in 20 (19.6%). Of the 22 deaths, 15 (68.2%) occurred among patients with minimal or no response (p = 0.031). The only variables associated with response were nonmyeloablative transplant (hazard ratio, 3.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.36‐9.08; p = 0.009), donor lymphocyte infusion (hazard ratio, 2.58; 95% CI, 1.2‐5.56; p = 0.015), and lung involvement (hazard ratio, 0.34; 95% CI, 0.12‐0.94; p = 0.038).CONCLUSION: ECP is a safe and effective treatment for cGVHD and response to ECP is the only variable that influences survival. We found no correlation between response and NCC clinical subtype, number, or degree of organ involvement, except for lung, or the variables mentioned above. Prospective studies are needed to identify subsets of patients with higher probability of response.
Pathogen reduction treatment of buffy coat platelet concentrates in additive solution induces proapoptotic signaling
Authors: Reid Samantha , Johnson Lacey , Woodland Narelle , Marks Denese C. 
Published: February 2012

BACKGROUND: Pathogen reduction technology (PRT) can potentially reduce the risk of transfusion‐transmitted infections. However, PRT treatment of platelet (PLT) concentrates also results in reduced PLT quality and increased markers of apoptosis during storage. The aim of this study was to investigate changes to the expression and activation of proteins involved in apoptosis signaling.STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Samples from riboflavin and ultraviolet light PRT‐treated and untreated (control) buffy coat–derived PCs in 70% SSP+ and 30% plasma were taken on Days 1, 5, and 7 of storage. Phosphatidylserine (PS) exposure, expression of Bcl‐2 family proteins, cytochrome c release, and cleavage of caspase‐3 and caspase‐3 substrates were analyzed using flow cytometry and Western blotting.RESULTS: Compared to untreated controls, markers of apoptosis signaling were increased after PRT and subsequent storage. PS exposure on the PLT outer membrane was significantly higher after PRT on Days 5 and 7 of storage (p < 0.05). Expression of proapoptotic Bak and Bax was higher after PRT and subsequent storage. Cytochrome c release and caspase‐3 cleavage were also greater and occurred earlier in the PRT‐treated PLTs. The cleavage of caspase‐3 substrates gelsolin and ROCK I were also increased after PRT, compared to untreated controls.CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated an increase in proapoptotic signaling during PLT storage, which was exacerbated by PRT. Many of these differences emerged outside the current 5‐day storage period. These changes may not currently influence PLT transfusion quality, but will need to be carefully evaluated when considering extending PLT storage beyond 5 days.
Training traditional birth attendants on the WHO Essential Newborn Care reduces perinatal mortality
Authors: GARCÉS ANA , MCCLURE ELIZABETH M. , HAMBIDGE MICHAEL , KREBS NANCY F. , MAZARIEGOS MANOLO , WRIGHT LINDA L. , MOORE JANET , CARLO WALDEMAR A 
Published: February 2012

Abstract Objectives. To evaluate the impact of birth attendant training using the World Health Organization Essential Newborn Care (ENC) course among traditional birth attendants, with a particular emphasis on the effect of acquisition of skills on perinatal outcomes. Design. Population‐based, prospective, interventional pre‐post design study. Setting. 11 rural clusters in Chimaltenango, Guatemala. Population. Health care providers. Methods. This study analyzed the effect of training and implementation of the ENC health care provider training course between September 2005 and December 2006. Outcome measures. The primary outcome measure was the rate of death from all causes in the first seven days after birth in fetuses/infants ≥1500g. Secondary outcome measures were overall rate of stillbirth, rate of perinatal death, which included stillbirths plus neonatal deaths in the first seven days in fetuses/infants ≥1500g. Results. Perinatal mortality decreased from 39.5/1000 pre‐ENC to 26.4 post‐ENC (RR 0.72; 95%CI 0.54–0.97). This reduction was attributable almost entirely to a decrease in the stillbirth rate of 21.4/1000 pre‐Essential Newborn Care to 7.9/1000 post‐ENC (RR 0.40; 95%CI 0.25–0.64). Seven‐day neonatal mortality did not decrease (18.3/1000 to 18.6/1000; RR 1.05; 95%CI 0.70–1.57). Conclusion. Essential Newborn Care training reduced stillbirths in a population‐based controlled study with deliveries conducted almost exclusively by traditional birth attendants. Scale‐up of this intervention in other settings might help assess reproducibility and sustainability.
Outcomes from the evaluation of an emergency department‐based mental health nurse practitioner outpatient service in Australia
Authors: Wand Timothy , White Kathryn , Patching Joanna , Dixon Judith , Green Timothy 
Published: February 2012

Abstract  Purpose: To evaluate an emergency department (ED)‐based mental health nurse practitioner (MHNP) outpatient service in Sydney, Australia.Data sources: Data collection incorporated waiting times for follow‐up outpatient appointments, two brief self‐report measures (the K‐10 measure of psychological distress and the General Self‐Efficacy Scale), a satisfaction tool, and interviews conducted with a random selection of outpatients and a stratified, purposive sample of ED staff.Conclusions: Over 60% of outpatients were followed up within 5 days of their initial presentation. The mean K‐10 score at baseline was 32 (very high psychological distress, n= 101) but this had decreased by two categories to 24 at follow‐up (moderate psychological distress, n= 51). There was a modest association between decreased psychological distress and an increase in perceived self‐efficacy. Participant satisfaction with aspects of the outpatient service was generally rated as high to very high. Interviewed outpatients (n= 23) were particularly positive about the accessibility, immediacy, and flexibility of the service and overall therapeutic benefits. Emergency staff (n= 20) considered the outpatient service enhanced service provision by facilitating access to a population of patients who were previously underserved.Implications for practice: The ED‐based MHNP role enhances access to specialized mental health care and also supports emergency staff.
Lung cancer and benign lung diseases in patients with serious vitamin D deficiency in eastern China
Authors: Li Rong , Wu Jing , Xiong Liwen , Han Baohui 
Published: February 2012

AbstractBackground:  Vitamin D deficiency is a global problem.Objective:  We examined the 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations to confirm whether patients with lung diseases in eastern China showed vitamin D deficiency and whether this deficiency was related to the risk of lung cancer. We used chemiluminescence to estimate the 25(OH)D concentrations in 250 patients from eastern China, of whom 197 had untreated stage III/IV lung cancer and 53 had benign lung diseases.Results:  The mean serum 25(OH)D concentration of patients with lung cancer was 10.63 ± 7.04 ng/mL, while the mean serum of patients with benign lung disease was 9.62 ± 6.37 ng/mL. Although there was no significant difference between the values, the mean serum concentrations of 25(OH)D obtained in patients with lung cancer and benign lung diseases were lower than the normal value (>20 ng/mL); P values in both cases were less than 0.0001. Among the 250 patients, 90 showed low serum 25(OH)D levels of ≤4 ng/mL.Conclusions:  Patients with lung diseases in eastern China have low serum levels of 25(OH)D, and the average serum 25(OH)D level is well below the normal vitamin D level. As the average serum 25(OH)D levels in patients with lung cancer or benign lung diseases are very low, we cannot conclude whether the low levels of 25(OH)D are a risk factor for lung cancer.
Predictability of Mesoscale Variability in the East Australian Current Given Strong-Constraint Data Assimilation
Authors: Zavala-Garay Javier , Wilkin J. L. , Arango H. G. 
Published: February 2012

Abstract
One of the many applications of data assimilation is the estimation of adequate initial conditions for model forecasts. In this work, the authors evaluate to what extent the incremental, strong-constraint, four-dimensional variational data assimilation (IS4DVAR) can improve prediction of mesoscale variability in the East Australian Current (EAC) using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). The observations considered in the assimilation experiments are daily composites of satellite sea surface temperature (SST), 7-day average reanalysis of satellite altimeter sea level anomalies, and subsurface temperature profiles from high-resolution expendable bathythermograph (XBT). Considering all available observations for years 2001 and 2002, ROMS forecast initial conditions are generated every week by assimilating the available observations from the 7 days prior to the forecast initial time. It is shown that assimilation of surface information only [SST and sea surface height (SSH)] results in poor estimates of the true subsurface ocean state (as depicted by the XBTs) and therefore poor forecast skill of subsurface conditions. Including the XBTs in the assimilation experiments improves the ocean state estimation in the vicinity of the XBT transects. By introducing subsurface pseudo-observations (which are called synthetic CTD) based on an empirical relationship between satellite surface observations and subsurface variability, the authors find a significant improvement in ocean state estimates that leads to skillful forecasts for up to 2 weeks in the domain considered.
Parent needs and family support service outcomes in a Canadian sample
Authors: McConnell David , Breitkreuz Rhonda , Savage Amber 
Published: February 2012

• Summary: Parent support needs and family support service (FSS) outcomes were investigated. A total of 923 parent participants were recruited through 20 community-based FSS providers in Alberta, Canada. Participants completed a survey, incorporating well validated child, parent and family outcome measures, a minimum of 8–12 weeks after utilizing their FSS. • Findings: Overall, parent need satisfaction was high. However, low socio-economic status, English as a second language, parental disability or chronic health condition, and child disability or chronic health condition were associated with lower levels of parent need satisfaction. Higher levels of need satisfaction were linked to lower levels of parenting stress and more positive parent–child interactions. These, in turn, were linked to more positive family functioning and fewer child difficulties. • Applications: Mediation analysis and qualitative findings suggest that family support services are making a positive difference by creating points of ‘connection’, including opportunities for informal learning and peer-support. We argue that the informal, ‘social networking’ role of family support services should be valued alongside evidence-based parenting training programs.
Clinical and pharmacoeconomic aspects of omalizumab: a 4-year follow-up
Authors: Menzella Francesco , Facciolongo Nicola , Piro Roberto , Formisano Debora , Roggeri Alberto , Simonazzi Anna , Castagnetti Claudia , Carbonelli Cristiano , Zucchi Luigi 
Published: February 2012

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the stability of the effectiveness of omalizumab as add-on treatment in 11 patients with severe persistent allergic asthma followed for 4 years. Secondary outcomes were safety and economic impact, in terms of use of healthcare resources. Methods: This retrospective study was designed to analyse a series of patients with severe allergic asthma treated with omalizumab. Patients were initially enrolled as part of the CIGE025A2425 international multicentre clinical trial. At the end (week 32), 11 responsive patients went on to complete the study and continued omalizumab treatment until June 2010. The monitoring visits coincided with the timescales planned for administering the drug and for the follow up. To estimate the economic impact, the PRE–POST treatment comparison was obtained by comparing the annual pretreatment costs with an annual average of the 4-year posttreatment period costs Results: After 4 years, 81.8% of patients showed a good/excellent Global Evaluation of Treatment Effectiveness scale score and 81.2% showed an excellent increase (>1.5) in the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire score. The average forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) at 4 years was 75.3% compared with the predicted normal value for each patient, with a net increase ( p = 0.009) compared with baseline FEV1 values (58.6%). The frequency of serious exacerbations dropped by 94.7% compared with the pretreatment period, while mild–moderate exacerbations fell by 41.8%. A reduction in costs was observed for hospital admissions (97.3%), visits to emergency department (ED) (97.5%) and mild–moderate exacerbations (84%). The average cost reduction of concomitant drugs remained at 36%. Conclusions: This study confirms the effectiveness and reliability of omalizumab over the long term, while providing an excellent safety profile. The additional cost due the use of omalizumab was offset by the medium- and long-term savings associated with the reduction in hospital admissions and access to ED.
The changing pattern of acute respiratory distress syndrome over time: a comparison of two periods
Authors: Pierrakos Charalampos , Vincent Jean-Louis 
Published: February 2012

This study aimed to assess whether patterns and outcomes of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) have changed due to improvements in mechanical ventilation techniques and support of critically ill patients, by comparing patients from two different periods in the same hospital.We reviewed data from all patients with a diagnosis of ARDS (according to American–European Consensus Conference criteria) who were treated in our multidisciplinary department of intensive care (Erasme Hospital, Brussels) between January 2006 and April 2009 (group B,n=210) and compared them with our previously reported data (January 1993 to February 1995) (group A, n=129).The prevalence of ARDS has decreased (from 2.5% in group A to 1.7% in group B, p<0.001). ARDS patients are now older and sepsis-related ARDS is more common. Multiple transfusion and trauma are less common causes of ARDS than in the past. Intensive care unit length of stay among survivors is shorter (13±9versus17±17 days, p=0.025), and there was a trend to lower mortality rates in the more recent cohort (46%versus52%, p=0.158). Multiple organ failure (MOF) was the most common cause of death in both periods.The pattern of ARDS has changed over time in our department. Patients with ARDS are now older and more severely ill. Sepsis-related ARDS is more frequent whereas trauma-related and/or transfusion-related ARDS has decreased. MOF still represents the most frequent cause of death.
Pólya-type polynomial inequalities in Orlicz spaces and best local approximation
Authors: Cuenya Héctor H , Levis Fabián E , Ridolfi Claudia V 
Published: February 2012

Abstract
We obtain an extension of Pólya-type inequalities for univariate real polynomials in Orlicz spaces. We also give an application to a best local approximation problem.

MSC 2010: 41A10; 41A17.