bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Red cell distribution width and risk of peripheral artery disease: Analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2004
Authors: Zalawadiya Sandip K , Veeranna Vikas , Panaich Sidakpal S , Afonso Luis
Published: May 2012

Red cell distribution width (RDW) is an independent predictor of the 10-year estimated risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) events. However, RDW’s association with peripheral artery disease (PAD) – a CHD risk equivalent – has not been evaluated to date. In this cross-sectional study, we examined 6950 participants of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999–2004. PAD was defined as an ankle–brachial index below 0.9 ( n = 618). RDW was divided into quartiles (Q) (Q1: ≤ 12.2; Q2: 12.3–12.5; Q3: 12.6–13.0; Q4: ≥ 13.1) and PAD risk was compared across these quartiles using adjusted multivariate logistic regression. A graded increase in prevalent PAD with increasing RDW quartiles was observed (4.2% in Q1 vs 13.9% in Q4; test of trend p < 0.001). Risk of PAD was significantly higher (odds ratio (OR) 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06–1.34; p = 0.003) after adjusting for age, sex, race, body mass index, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, smoking, estimated glomerular filtration rate, C-reactive protein, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, and nutritional factors (folate, iron and vitamin B12) deficiencies with each unit (0.1) increase in RDW. Upon receiver-operating characteristics analysis, the predictive accuracy of the American College of Cardiology / American Heart Association (ACC/AHA)-defined PAD screening criteria (for a high-risk population) was 0.657 at best, but improved significantly (0.727) after addition of RDW ( p < 0.0001). In conclusion, higher levels of RDW are independently associated with a higher risk of PAD and can significantly improve the risk prediction beyond that estimated by ACC/AHA-defined PAD screening criteria.
Elements of ancient power in the Cahokian world
Authors: Baltus Melissa R. , Baires Sarah E.
Published: May 2012

Power in ancient eastern North America cannot be segregated a priori into political, social, and religious dimensions. Rather, it was a commonly dispersed attribute of human/non-human social fields that might be transferred, gathered, embodied, or emplaced. Thus, political power was realized, at least in part, through socio-religious practices involving ancestors, elements, and otherworldly forces. Deconstructing the dichotomy of religion and politics, we focus on practices of material manipulation, burning, and burial at and around the eleventh- and twelfth-century complex of Cahokia along the Mississippi River. Specifically, we detail a number of contexts where temple buildings, human remains, and objects were transubstantiated, especially through burning, and hence their power transformed. Persons were constructed, places of power were built, political agents were defined, and enemies were eliminated through fire and earth.
GIS, critique, representation and beyond
Authors: Hacιgüzeller Piraye
Published: May 2012

Geographical information systems (GIS) have been a part of archaeological research practices for over two decades, yet many significant questions related to the technology remain unanswered. Long-standing ambiguities about GIS use in archaeology can be associated with a particular research atmosphere within the discipline, where a large number of practitioners consider theory-laden critical approaches to GIS optional, if not peripheral, to conducting spatial analysis. This article calls on archaeological GIS practitioners to carry existing GIS theory and critique to another level. It also argues that the critique of the epistemological implications of GIS use in archaeology has largely (and at times rather implicitly) been structured by representational thinking habits and that a move to non-representational thinking would provide novel considerations of the technology.
Presentation factors affecting reading behaviour in readers of newspaper media: an eye-tracking perspective
Authors: Leckner Sara
Published: May 2012

This paper examines reading behaviour in readers of printed and online newspaper media. The aim is to identify how much reading behaviour is dependent on various presentation factors, and how this dependence and its magnitude are related to output media. The work is based on review and analysis of empirical studies, primarily those employing methods using eye-tracking. The results show that some factors, such as text-based elements, size and placement, are an important guide to salience in both media. Images, on the other hand, have mostly been found not to elicit major visual attention online, affecting, for example, how ads are perceived. Reading behaviour is, however, a complicated process, and eye-tracking research does not consistently point in one direction.
‘I Am Elena’: rhetorical analysis as the first step to a ‘best practices’ formula for sex trafficking Public Service Announcements
Authors: Stiles Siobahn
Published: May 2012

This paper utilizes rhetorical analysis and feminist semiotic methodology to examine an anti-trafficking Public Service Announcement video produced in the United Kingdom and widely distributed online for a global audience. Rhetorical analysis necessitates looking not just at the meanings and possible interpretations of a communicated message, but also at the creators’ intent and the effect of the message through actual – or potential – audience response. All of these sites of meaning and interpretation are examined in this research project, and the author concludes with several guidelines for future anti-trafficking mass media campaigns, as well as suggestions for further research, specifically audience studies.
Properties of SnZn lead free solders bearing rare earth Y
Authors: Zhang L , Han J-G , Guo Y-H , He C-W
Published: May 2012

Rare earth (RE) Y has been incorporated into eutectic SnZn solders to study the wettability, mechanical properties, oxidation resistance, microstructures and thermal fatigue behaviours. The results indicate that adding trace amount of RE Y can remarkably improve the wettability of SnZn solders. When the content of RE Y is 0·06 wt-%, the tensile and shear forces of SnZn-xY solder joints give 24·1% and 27·2% increase after soldering. In addition, it is found that SnZn0·06Y has better oxidation resistance than that of SnZn solder, and the microstructures of SnZn solders can be refined by the addition of RE Y; the size of Zn rich phase can be reduced obviously. Moreover, SnZn0·06Y shows superior thermal fatigue property over SnZn solders. It can be concluded that the optimum content of RE Y is 0·06 wt-% for SnZn solders.
Effect of relative location of laser beam and TIG arc in different hybrid welding modes
Authors: Liu L M , Yuan S T , Li C B
Published: May 2012

The laser leading hybrid welding mode [laser tungsten inert gas (laser-TIG)] and TIG leading hybrid welding mode (TIG-laser) were utilised in the magnesium alloy welding process. The effects of TIG arc current and the distance between laser beam and TIG electrode (Dla) on penetration depth and melting efficiency in different hybrid welding modes were investigated. Results reveal that there is a decided difference in variation trend of penetration depth with Dla in different welding modes. The penetration depth increases first and then decreases with the Dla increasing from 1 to 7 mm in TIG-laser hybrid welding mode while the penetration depth decreases monotonously with Dla in laser-TIG hybrid welding mode. The increase percentage of melting efficiency remains at ∼20% in laser-TIG hybrid welding mode while the increase percentage fluctuates acutely and achieves the maximal value (∼53·14%) at the arc current of 120 A in TIG-laser hybrid welding mode.
Improved soft magnetic properties and thermal stability for Fe82·65Cu1·35Si2B14 alloys with Nb, Zr, Ta or Co addition
Authors: Liu Z W , Li Y M , Wang J , Zhong X C , Yu H Y , Zeng D C
Published: May 2012

Nanocrystalline Fe81·65Cu1·35Si2B14M (M = Ta, Nb or Zr) alloys were obtained by melt spinning followed by annealing. The addition of Ta, Nb or Zr not only significantly increased the Δ Tx of the Fe82·65Cu1·35Si2B14 alloy, which is defined as the temperature interval between the first and second crystallisation temperatures, but also had advantages in reducing grain size. In particular, Zr doping increased Δ Tx from 91 to 155·2°C, and the Fe81·65Cu1·35Si2B14Zr alloy had good soft magnetic properties even after annealing at 500°C. Ta added alloy can still maintain fine grain size below 35 nm after annealing at 450°C. The effects of partial replacement of Fe with Co in the (Fe1−xCox)82·65Cu1·35Si2B14 alloys ( x = 0, 0·3, 0·5 and 0·7) on the structure and magnetic properties were also investigated. Increasing the Co content reduced the first crystallisation temperature, and 30Co substituted alloy had the highest saturation magnetisation. Co improved the thermal stability through increasing both Curie temperature Tc of the amorphous phase and Δ Tx.
Microstructural characteristics of directionally solidified Ni–43Ti–7Al alloys
Authors: Zhou L , Zheng L J , Zhang H R , Zhang H
Published: May 2012

Ni–43Ti–7Al (at-) alloy was directionally solidified at different withdrawal rates (2, 20 and 100 μm s−1) and a constant temperature of 1550°C by liquid metal cooling method. Results show that as the withdrawal rate decreases from 100 to 2 μm s−1, the cellular arm spacing increases from 39·5 to 126 μm, the size of Ti2Ni and the stability of the liquid/solid interface also increase, while the volume fraction of Ti2Ni decreases from 3·1 to 0·9. Moreover, microstructural analysis reveals that a NiTi+Ti2Ni anomalous eutectic structure is formed in intercellular regions of directionally solidified samples withdrawn at 20 and 100 μm s−1. However, in the sample withdrawn at 2 μm s−1, Ti2Ni phases represent strip and liquid droplet morphologies in the intercellular region. Finally, the possible explanation to the change of microstructure is discussed.
Aluminum overload increases oxidative stress in four functional brain areas of neonatal rats
Authors: Yuan Chia-Yi , Lee Yih-Jing , Hsu Guoo-Shyng Wang
Published: May 2012

Background

Higher aluminum (Al) content in infant formula and its effects on neonatal brain development are a cause for concern. This study aimed to evaluate the distribution and concentration of Al in neonatal rat brain following Al treatment, and oxidative stress in brain tissues induced by Al overload.

Methods

Postnatal day 3 (PND 3) rat pups (n =46) received intraperitoneal injection of aluminum chloride (AlCl3), at dosages of 0, 7, and 35 mg/kg body wt (control, low Al (LA), and high Al (HA), respectively), over 14 d.

Results

Aluminum concentrations were significantly higher in the hippocampus (751.0 ± 225.8 ng/g v.s. 294.9 ± 180.8 ng/g; p < 0.05), diencephalon (79.6 ± 20.7 ng/g v.s. 20.4 ± 9.6 ng/g; p < 0.05), and cerebellum (144.8 ± 36.2 ng/g v.s. 83.1 ± 15.2 ng/g; p < 0.05) in the HA group compared to the control. The hippocampus, diencephalon, cerebellum, and brain stem of HA animals displayed significantly higher levels of lipid peroxidative products (TBARS) than the same regions in the controls. However, the average superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, and brain stem were lower in the HA group compared to the control. The HA animals demonstrated increased catalase activity in the diencephalon, and increased glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, cerebellum, and brain stem, compared to controls.

Conclusion

Aluminum overload increases oxidative stress (H2O2) in the hippocampus, diencephalon, cerebellum, and brain stem in neonatal rats.
The changes in female physical and childbearing characteristics in china and potential association with risk of breast cancer
Authors: Zhang Qiang , Liu Li-yuan , Wang Fei , Mu Kun , Yu Zhi-gang
Published: May 2012

Background

There has been a sharp increase in the incidence of breast cancer in China in recent years. A number of female physical characteristics, such as age at menarche, menopause, first birth and the duration of breastfeeding, have been linked to breast cancer, yet data on these factors in Chinese women is largely missing both for aggregate and age-specific data. Thus, the objective of this study was to explore changes in female menstrual and childbearing characteristics as a possible explanation for increasing rates of breast cancer in this country.

Method

From July to September 2008, a population based cross-sectional breast cancer survey covering 124,758 females from 4 provinces or cities in Eastern China was carried out, using multi-stage and cluster methods. In-person interviews based on a self-designed structured questionnaire were performed, in which female physiological and reproductive factors, such as age at menarche and menopause, menstrual cycle history, childbearing history, breastfeeding methods, abortions or miscarriage, were included. For every 10-year age category, the subjects were divided, and across those age groups, all the above factors were compared respectively and changes in physical and childbearing characteristics were evaluated. ANOVA was used to compare the differences across the groups.

Results

A total of 122058 subjects were included in the final analysis. The mean age at menarche was 15.39 years, the mean number of full-term pregnancies was 1.58, the mean duration of breastfeeding was 22.68 months, the mean age at first birth was 23.75 years, the mean frequency of miscarriage was 0.36, and the mean age at menopause was 48.63 years. Significant differences across the several age groups were noted for the age at menarche, number of full-term pregnancies, accumulated duration of breastfeeding, age at first birth, number of miscarriages, and age at menopause. These data clearly showed a gradual shift towards an earlier age at menarche, fewer pregnancies and shorter breastfeeding lengths.

Conclusions

Significant changes in female physical and childbearing characteristics across a number of different age ranges were detected. These changes may be related to the increasing trend of breast cancer in China.
Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of the Age-Dependency of Opioid Analgesia and Tolerance
Authors: Zhao Jing , Xin Xin , Xie Guo-Xi , Palmer Pamela Pierce , Huang Yu-Guang
Published: May 2012

The age-dependency of opioid analgesia and tolerance has been noticed in both clinical observation and laboratory studies. Evidence shows that many molecular and cellular events that play essential roles in opioid analgesia and tolerance are actually age-dependent. For example, the expression and functions of endogenous opioid peptides, multiple types of opioid receptors, G protein subunits that couple to opioid receptors, and regulators of G protein signaling (RGS proteins) change with development and age. Other signaling systems that are critical to opioid tolerance development, such as N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors, also undergo age-related changes. It is plausible that the age-dependent expression and functions of molecules within and related to the opioid signaling pathways, as well as age-dependent cellular activity such as agonist-induced opioid receptor internalization and desensitization, eventually lead to significant age-dependent changes in opioid analgesia and tolerance development.
Efficacy of two educational interventions about inhalation techniques in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). TECEPOC: study protocol for a partially randomized controlled trial (preference trial)
Authors: Leiva-Fernández Francisca , Leiva-Fernández José , Zubeldia-Santoyo Fernando , García-Ruiz Antonio , Prados-Torres Daniel , Barnestein-Fonseca Pilar
Published: May 2012

Background

Drugs for inhalation are the cornerstone of therapy in obstructive lung disease. We have observed that up to 75 % of patients do not perform a correct inhalation technique. The inability of patients to correctly use their inhaler device may be a direct consequence of insufficient or poor inhaler technique instruction. The objective of this study is to test the efficacy of two educational interventions to improve the inhalation techniques in patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

Methods

This study uses both a multicenter patients´ preference trial and a comprehensive cohort design with 495 COPD-diagnosed patients selected by a non-probabilistic method of sampling from seven Primary Care Centers. The participants will be divided into two groups and five arms. The two groups are: 1) the patients´ preference group with two arms and 2) the randomized group with three arms. In the preference group, the two arms correspond to the two educational interventions (Intervention A and Intervention B) designed for this study. In the randomized group the three arms comprise: intervention A, intervention B and a control arm. Intervention A is written information (a leaflet describing the correct inhalation techniques). Intervention B is written information about inhalation techniques plus training by an instructor. Every patient in each group will be visited six times during the year of the study at health care center.

Discussion

Our hypothesis is that the application of two educational interventions in patients with COPD who are treated with inhaled therapy will increase the number of patients who perform a correct inhalation technique by at least 25 %. We will evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions on patient inhalation technique improvement, considering that it will be adequate and feasible within the context of clinical practice.

Trial registration

Current Controlled Trials ISRTCTN15106246
Comparison of five methods for genomic breeding value estimation for the common dataset of the 15th QTL-MAS Workshop
Authors: Wang Chong-Long , Ma Pei-Pei , Zhang Zhe , Ding Xiang-Dong , Liu Jian-Feng , Fu Wei-Xuan , Weng Zi-Qing , Zhang Qin
Published: May 2012

Background

Genomic breeding value estimation is the key step in genomic selection. Among many approaches, BLUP methods and Bayesian methods are most commonly used for estimating genomic breeding values. Here, we applied two BLUP methods, TABLUP and GBLUP, and three Bayesian methods, BayesA, BayesB and BayesCπ, to the common dataset provided by the 15th QTL-MAS Workshop to evaluate and compare their predictive performances.

Results

For the 1000 progenies without phenotypic values, the correlations between GEBVs by different methods ranged from 0.812 (GBLUP and BayesCπ) to 0.997 (TABLUP and BayesB). The accuracies of GEBVs (measured as correlations between true breeding values (TBVs) and GEBVs) were from 0.774 (GBLUP) to 0.938 (BayesCπ) and the biases of GEBVs (measure as regressions of TBVs on GEBVs) were from 1.033 (TABLUP) to 1.648 (GBLUP). The three Bayesian methods and TABLUP had similar accuracy and bias.

Conclusions

BayesA, BayesB, BayesCπ and TABLUP performed similarly and satisfactorily and remarkably outperformed GBLUP for genomic breeding value estimation in this dataset. TABLUP is a promising method for genomic breeding value estimation because of its easy computation of reliabilities of GEBVs and its easy extension to real life conditions such as multiple traits and consideration of individuals without genotypes.
Astrocytes generated from patient induced pluripotent stem cells recapitulate features of Huntington’s disease patient cells
Authors: Juopperi Tarja A , Kim Woon Ryoung , Chiang Cheng-Hsuan , Yu Huimei , Margolis Russell L , Ross Christopher A , Ming Guo-li , Song Hongjun
Published: May 2012

Background

Huntington’s Disease (HD) is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder that clinically manifests as motor dysfunction, cognitive impairment and psychiatric symptoms. There is currently no cure for this progressive and fatal disorder. The causative mutation of this hereditary disease is a trinucleotide repeat expansion (CAG) in the Huntingtin gene that results in an expanded polyglutamine tract. Multiple mechanisms have been proposed to explain the preferential striatal and cortical degeneration that occurs with HD, including non-cell-autonomous contribution from astrocytes. Although numerous cell culture and animal models exist, there is a great need for experimental systems that can more accurately replicate the human disease. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a remarkable new tool to study neurological disorders because this cell type can be derived from patients as a renewable, genetically tractable source for unlimited cells that are difficult to acquire, such as neurons and astrocytes. The development of experimental systems based on iPSC technology could aid in the identification of molecular lesions and therapeutic treatments.

Results

We derived iPSCs from a father with adult onset HD and 50 CAG repeats (F-HD-iPSC) and his daughter with juvenile HD and 109 CAG repeats (D-HD-iPSC). These disease-specific iPSC lines were characterized by standard assays to assess the quality of iPSC lines and to demonstrate their pluripotency. HD-iPSCs were capable of producing phenotypically normal, functional neurons in vitro and were able to survive and differentiate into neurons in the adult mouse brain in vivo after transplantation. Surprisingly, when HD-iPSCs were directed to differentiate into an astrocytic lineage, we observed the presence of cytoplasmic, electron clear vacuoles in astrocytes from both F-HD-iPSCs and D-HD-iPSCs, which were significantly more pronounced in D-HD-astrocytes. Remarkably, the vacuolation in diseased astrocytes was observed under basal culture conditions without additional stressors and increased over time. Importantly, similar vacuolation phenotype has also been observed in peripheral blood lymphocytes from individuals with HD. Together, these data suggest that vacuolation may be a phenotype associated with HD.

Conclusions

We have generated a unique in vitro system to study HD pathogenesis using patient-specific iPSCs. The astrocytes derived from patient-specific iPSCs exhibit a vacuolation phenotype, a phenomenon previously documented in primary lymphocytes from HD patients. Our studies pave the way for future mechanistic investigations using human iPSCs to model HD and for high-throughput therapeutic screens.
An anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial flavone glycoside from flowers of Cleome viscosa
Authors: Senthamilselvi Musiri Maruthai , Kesavan Devarayan , Sulochana Nagarajan
Published: May 2012

Background

Natural products isolated from plant sources have been demonstrated as potential candidates against several ailments. The scientific investigations on the underlying principles of phytotherapy can pave way for the convergence of traditional medicines and modern science and technologies.

Results

Quercetin 3-O-(2′′-acetyl)-glucoside obtained from ethyl acetate fraction of Cleome viscosa is studied against inflammatory of carrageenan-induced rat paw edema ( in vivo) and microbial activity on ( in vitro). The structure of the glycoside is confirmed by means of hydrogen-1 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, carbon nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, attached proton test, and mass spectrum. The flavonoid glycoside showed significant anti-inflammatory activity of on carrageenan-induced rat paw edema ( in vivo) and anti-microbial activity ( in vitro) on Staphylococcus aureus (gram positive) and Escherichia coli (gram negative). The anti-inflammatory effect of the flavonoid glycoside may be due to the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis. Selective toxicity with flavonoid glycoside towards the gram-positive bacteria was found on S. aureus.

Conclusions

The present study reveals the anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities of an isolated quercetin 3-O-(2′′-acetyl)-glucoside from a natural source ( C. viscosa).
Enhanced susceptibility to lipopolysaccharide-induced arthritis and endotoxin shock in interleukin-32 alpha transgenic mice through induction of tumor necrosis factor alpha
Authors: Nakayama Masanori , Niki Yasuo , Kawasaki Toshiki , Takeda Yuki , Horiuchi Keisuke , Sasaki Aya , Okada Yasunori , Umezawa Kazuo , Ikegami Hiroyasu , Toyama Yoshiaki , Miyamoto Takeshi
Published: May 2012

Introduction

The present study assessed the potential functions of interleukin (IL)-32α on inflammatory arthritis and endotoxin shock models using IL-32α transgenic (Tg) mice. The potential signaling pathway for the IL-32-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)α axis was analyzed in vitro.

Methods

IL-32α Tg mice were generated under control of a ubiquitous promoter. Two disease models were used to examine in vivo effects of overexpressed IL-32α: Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligand-induced arthritis developed using a single injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or zymosan into the knee joints; and endotoxin shock induced with intraperitoneal injection of LPS and D-galactosamine. TNFα antagonist etanercept was administered simultaneously with LPS in some mice. Using RAW264.7 cells, in vitro effects of exogenous IL-32α on TNFα, IL-6 or macrophage inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2) production were assessed with or without inhibitors for nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) or mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK).

Results

Single injection of LPS, but not zymosan, resulted in development of severe synovitis with substantial articular cartilage degradation in knees of the Tg mice. The expression of TNFα mRNA in inflamed synovia was highly upregulated in the LPS-injected Tg mice. Moreover, the Tg mice were more susceptive to endotoxin-induced lethality than the wild-type control mice 48 hours after LPS challenge; but blockade of TNFα by etanercept protected from endotoxin lethality. In cultured bone marrow cells derived from the Tg mice, overexpressed IL-32α accelerated production of TNFα upon stimulation with LPS. Of note, exogenously added IL-32α alone stimulated RAW264.7 cells to express TNFα, IL-6, and MIP-2 mRNAs. Particularly, IL-32α -induced TNFα, but not IL-6 or MIP-2, was inhibited by dehydroxymethylepoxyquinomicin (DHMEQ) and U0126, which are specific inhibitors of nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB) and extracellular signal regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2), respectively.

Conclusions

These results show that IL-32α contributed to the development of inflammatory arthritis and endotoxin lethality. Stimulation of TLR signaling with LPS appeared indispensable for activating the IL-32α-TNFα axis in vivo. However, IL-32α alone induced TNFα production in RAW264.7 cells through phosphorylation of inhibitor kappa B (IκB) and ERK1/2 MAPK. Further studies on the potential involvement of IL-32α-TNFα axis will be beneficial in better understanding the pathology of autoimmune-related arthritis and infectious immunity.
Elevated plasma levels of heparin-binding protein in intensive care unit patients with severe sepsis and septic shock
Authors: Linder Adam , Åkesson Per , Inghammar Malin , Treutiger Carl-Johan , Linnér Anna , Sundén-Cullberg Jonas
Published: May 2012

Introduction

Rapid detection of, and optimized treatment for, severe sepsis and septic shock is crucial for successful outcome. Heparin-binding protein (HBP), a potent inducer of increased vascular permeability, is a potentially useful biomarker for predicting outcome in patients with severe infections. Our aim was to study the systemic release and dynamics of HBP in the plasma of patients with severe sepsis and septic shock in the ICU.

Methods

A prospective study was conducted of two patient cohorts treated in the ICU at Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge in Sweden. A total of 179 patients was included, of whom 151 had sepsis (126 with septic shock and 25 patients with severe sepsis) and 28 a non-septic critical condition. Blood samples were collected at five time points during six days after admission.

Results

HBP levels were significantly higher in the sepsis group as compared to the control group. At admission to the ICU, a plasma HBP concentration of ≥15 ng/mL and/or a HBP (ng/mL)/white blood cell count (109/L) ratio of >2 was found in 87.2% and 50.0% of critically ill patients with sepsis and non-septic illness, respectively. A lactate level of >2.5 mmol/L was detected in 64.9% and 56.0% of the same patient groups. Both in the sepsis group (n = 151) and in the whole group (n = 179), plasma HBP concentrations at admission and in the last measured sample within the 144 hour study period were significantly higher among 28-day non-survivors as compared to survivors and in the sepsis group, an elevated HBP-level at baseline was associated with an increased case-fatality rate at 28 days.

Conclusions

Plasma HBP levels were significantly higher in patients with severe sepsis or septic shock compared to patients with a non-septic illness in the ICU. HBP was associated with severity of disease and an elevated HBP at admission was associated with an increased risk of death. HBP that rises over time may identify patients with a deteriorating prognosis. Thus, repeated HBP measurement in the ICU may help monitor treatment and predict outcome in patients with severe infections.
Housing Booms and City Centers
Authors: Glaeser Edward L , Gottlieb Joshua D , Tobio Kristina
Published: May 2012

Popular discussions often treat the great housing boom of the 1996-2006 period as if it were a national phenomenon with similar impacts across locales, but across metropolitan areas, price growth was dramatically higher in warmer, less educated cities with less initial density and higher initial housing values. Within metropolitan areas, price growth was faster in neighborhoods closer to the city center. The centralization of price growth during the boom was particularly dramatic in those metropolitan areas where income is higher away from the city center. We consider a number of different explanations for this connection, and find that the connection between centralized price growth and decentralized income seems to be most explained by the faster price growth in central cities that use relatively more public transit.
Estimating Sovereign Default Risk
Authors: Bi Huixin , Traum Nora
Published: May 2012

This paper uses Bayesian methods to estimate the sovereign default probability for Greece and Italy in the post-EMU period. We build a real business cycle model that allows for interactions among fiscal policy instruments, sovereign default risk, and a “fiscal limit,” which measures the maximum level of debt the government is willing to finance. We estimate the full nonlinear model using likelihood inference methods. Although we find that Greece historically had a lower default probability than Italy for a given debt level, our estimates suggest that the Italian government is more willing to service debt than the Greek government.
Flight Home, Flight Abroad, and International Credit Cycles
Authors: Giannetti Mariassunta , Laeven Luc
Published: May 2012

This paper shows that banks exhibit a weaker (stronger) home bias in the extension of new loans when funding conditions in their home country improve (deteriorate). We refer to these changes in home bias as flight abroad and flight home effects, respectively, and show that they are unrelated to the better known flight to quality effect that arises during periods of market turmoil. Our results also indicate that global banks amplify the effect of homegrown shocks on foreign countries while they are a stabilizing factor for the supply of credit in their home countries.
From Financial Crisis to Great Recession: The Role of Globalized Banks
Authors: Aiyar Shekhar
Published: May 2012

This paper provides evidence of the role of globalized banks in transmitting financial stresses to the real economy during the global financial crisis. A novel dataset is constructed from quarterly balance sheet reports provided by all UK-resident banks to the Bank of England. I find that the shock to bank funding from non-resident creditors was transmitted domestically through a significant reduction in bank credit supply. Resident subsidiaries and branches of foreign-owned banks reduced lending by a larger amount than domestically-owned banks, while the latter calibrated the reduction in domestic lending more closely to the size of the funding shock.
Kinship and Financial Networks, Formal Financial Access, and Risk Reduction
Authors: Kinnan Cynthia , Townsend Robert
Published: May 2012

Kinship networks are beneficial for smoothing consumption and investment, but the channels are not well understood. We study the financing devices used for consumption and investment by Thai households. Households that are connected to banks achieve significantly better consumption smoothing than unconnected households; indirect connections via inter-household borrowing are as effective as direct borrowing. Investment appears to be facilitated by kinship: households with kin in the village display reduced sensitivity of investment to income, while connections to banks do not significantly reduce sensitivity. Kin may act as “implicit collateral,” permitting borrowing that would violate repayment constraints in its absence.
Information Processing and Limited Liability
Authors: Maćkowiak Bartosz , Wiederholt Mirko
Published: May 2012

Decision-makers often face limited liability and thus know that their loss will be bounded. We study how limited liability affects the behavior of an agent who chooses how much information to acquire and process in order to take a good decision. We find that an agent facing limited liability processes less information than an agent with unlimited liability. The informational gap between the two agents is larger in bad times than in good times and when information is more costly to process.
How Financial Literacy Affects Household Wealth Accumulation
Authors: Behrman Jere R , Mitchell Olivia S , Soo Cindy K , Bravo David
Published: May 2012

This study isolates the causal effects of financial literacy and schooling on wealth accumulation using a new household dataset and an instrumental variables (IV) approach. Financial literacy and schooling attainment are both strongly positively associated with wealth outcomes in linear regression models, whereas the IV estimates reveal even more potent effects of financial literacy. They also indicate that the schooling effect only becomes positive when interacted with financial literacy. Estimated impacts are substantial enough to imply that investments in financial literacy could have large wealth payoffs.
Financial Education and Timely Decision Support: Lessons from Junior Achievement
Authors: Carlin Bruce Ian , Robinson David T
Published: May 2012

Using data from a finance theme park at Junior Achievement of Southern California, we explore how timely decision support is impacted by previous exposure to financial education. Some students received a 19-hour curriculum before participating, and some did not. Trained students were more frugal, paid off debt faster, and relied less on credit financing. However, trained students purchased less comprehensive health insurance, exposing themselves to greater financial risk and wealth volatility. This disparity can be explained by differences in decision support within the park. As such, it appears that education and decision support should be considered complements, not substitutes.
Effectiveness of Employer-Provided Financial Information: Hiring to Retiring
Authors: Clark Robert L , Morrill Melinda Sandler , Allen Steven G
Published: May 2012

Workers plan and save for retirement throughout their careers. Individuals must navigate complex financial instruments and understand public and employer-provided retirement plan characteristics. Beginning when a worker is first hired, most employers provide the option to contribute to retirement saving plans. As workers near retirement, they face many choices that have considerable consequences for their retirement income security. At these two important periods, employers can provide timely information assisting workers in making choices that optimize lifetime wellbeing. Our research, conducted in cooperation with several large employers, illustrates the importance of employer-provided education in increasing worker understanding of several retirement-related issues.
Shifts in Privacy Concerns
Authors: Goldfarb Avi , Tucker Catherine
Published: May 2012

This paper explores how digitization and the associated use of customer data have affected the evolution of consumer privacy concerns. We measure privacy concerns by reluctance to disclose income in an online marketing research survey. Using over three million responses over eight years, our data show: (1) Refusals to reveal information have risen over time, (2) Older people are less likely to reveal information, and (3) The difference between older and younger people has increased over time. Our results suggest that the trends over time are partly due to broadening perceptions of the contexts in which privacy is relevant.
After Airline Deregulation and Alfred E. Kahn
Authors: Rose Nancy L
Published: May 2012

Among Alfred E. “Fred” Kahn's many accomplishments, none is better remembered than his pivotal role in deregulation of the US airline industry. Kahn's commitment to marry core microeconomic principles with institutional analysis, willingness as Chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board to step outside the “regulation as usual box,” and appealing wit made him the face of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978, one of the great microeconomic policy triumphs. Lessons drawn from Kahn's work and the airline deregulation experience remain instructive for current academic research and regulatory policy design across broad sectors of the economy.
Telecommunications Deregulation
Authors: Hausman Jerry A , Taylor William E
Published: May 2012

From Fred Kahn's writings and experiences as a telecommunications regulator and commenter, we draw the following conclusions: prices must be informed by costs; costs are actual incremental costs; costs and prices are an outcome of a Schumpeterian competitive process, not the starting point; excluding incumbents from markets is fundamentally anticompetitive; and a regulatory transition to deregulation entails propensities to micromanage the process to generate preferred outcomes, visible competitors and expedient price reductions. And most important, where effective competition takes place among platforms characterized by sunk investment—land-line telephony, cable and wireless —traditional regulation is unnecessary and likely to be anticompetitive.
Offshoring, Transition, and Training: Evidence from Danish Matched Worker-Firm Data
Authors: Hummels David , Munch Jakob R , Skipper Lars , Xiang Chong
Published: May 2012

We combine matched Danish worker-firm-trade data with detailed individual-worker training data. We find: 1) workers displaced from offshoring firms take up more vocational-training and have a harder time getting re-attached to the labor-force than other displaced workers, and they also exhibit higher vocational-training take-up rates 2 years before layoffs; 2) the staying workers with offshoring firms take up more vocational-training than those with non-offshoring firms; and 3) the post-secondary-training take-up rates for displaced workers are no different than for the general population.
Tariff Revenue and Tariff Caps
Authors: Amador Manuel , Bagwell Kyle
Published: May 2012

We characterize the design of an optimal trade agreement when governments are privately informed about the value of tariff revenue. We show that the problem of designing an optimal trade agreement in this setting can be represented as an optimal delegation problem when a money burning instrument is available. In a specification with quadratic payoffs and a uniform distribution, we find that the tariff cap and the probability of binding overhang are higher when the upper bound of the support distribution is higher and when the support distribution has greater width.
Salience in Experimental Tests of the Endowment Effect
Authors: Bordalo Pedro , Gennaioli Nicola , Shleifer Andrei
Published: May 2012

We provide a novel account of experimental evidence for the endowment effect using the salience mechanism (Bordalo, Gennaioli, and Shleifer, 2011). The two-stage procedure implemented in experiments implies that the endowed good and other goods are evaluated in different contexts. We describe conditions under which the standard effect occurs, but also account for recent evidence such as a reverse endowment effect for bads and a role for reference prices in modulating the WTA-WTP gap.
The Impact of the Massachusetts Health Care Reform on Health Care Use Among Children
Authors: Miller Sarah
Published: May 2012

In 2006 Massachusetts enacted a major health care reform aimed at achieving near-universal coverage in the state. While other studies have found that this reform substantially affected the use of health services in general, the impact of the reform on children is largely unexplored. Children are of special interest to policymakers because it is widely believed that better health in early childhood results in large payoffs to adult health and achievement. I analyze how the reform affected the insurance coverage, health care utilization patterns, and health outcomes of children under 18 years old.
Unemployment in the Great Recession: Did the Housing Market Crisis Prevent the Unemployed from Moving to Take Jobs?
Authors: Farber Henry S
Published: May 2012

The labor market in the Great Recession and its aftermath is characterized by great difficulty in escaping unemployment. I present two empirical analyses of a particular explanation for that difficulty, that the housing market crisis has prevented the unemployed from selling their homes and moving to take new jobs. First, I examine post-job-loss mobility rates by home ownership status using data from the Displaced Workers Survey. Second, I examine mobility rates for unemployed homeowners and renters from the month-to-month CPS match. Neither analysis provides any support for the idea that the housing market crisis has reduced mobility of the unemployed.
Contract Form, Wage Flexibility, and Employment
Authors: Lemieux Thomas , MacLeod W. Bentley , Parent Daniel
Published: May 2012

We begin with two uncontroversial hypotheses - firm productivity is expensive to measure and employment entails relationship-specific investments. These assumptions imply that firms would optimally choose fixed-wage contracts, and complement these with bonus pay when measuring employee performance is not too costly. These assumptions imply that under an optimal employment contract hours of work is less responsive, while total compensation is more responsive to shocks under bonus-pay contracts compared to fixed wage contracts. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) where shocks are proxied using the local unemployment rate, we find strong support for these two implications.
The Employment of Low-Skilled Immigrant Men in the United States
Authors: Duncan Brian , Trejo Stephen J
Published: May 2012

Using microdata from the 2000 Census, we analyze how the employment rates of foreign-born and US-born men vary with education. After a period of adjustment during the first few years upon arrival, the overall employment rate of immigrant men quickly approaches that of US natives. Among those with the lowest education levels, immigrants exhibit substantially higher rates of employment than comparable natives. This pattern is consistent with a simple theoretical model of migrant selectivity that jointly considers a potential migrant's decisions regarding where to locate and whether to work.
Love and Money by Parental Matchmaking: Evidence from Urban Couples in China
Authors: Huang Fali , Jin Ginger Zhe , Xu Lixin Colin
Published: May 2012

Parental involvement in marriage matchmaking may distort the optimal spouse choice because parents are willing to substitute love for money. The rationale is that the joint income of married children can be shared among extended family members more easily than mutual attraction felt by the couple themselves, and as a result, the best spouse candidate in the parents' eyes can differ from what is optimal to the individual, even though parents are altruistic and care dearly about their children's welfare. We find supporting evidence for this prediction using a unique sample of urban couples in China in the early 1990s.
Hiring, Churn, and the Business Cycle
Authors: Lazear Edward P , Spletzer James R
Published: May 2012

Hires occur for two reasons - to grow a business and to replace those who have left (churn). Churn is an important part of employment dynamics, allowing workers to move to their most productive use. We present evidence on churn from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS). Churn is procyclical. During the 2007-09 recession, four-fifths of hiring reductions are associated with reduced churn, not with reductions in job creation. We estimate that the cost of reduced churn is about two-fifths of a percentage point of GDP annually throughout the three-and-one-half year period since the beginning of the recession.
Job-to-Job Flows in the Great Recession
Authors: Hyatt Henry , McEntarfer Erika
Published: May 2012

We develop prototype job-to-job flow measures to provide new evidence on labor turnover and earnings dynamics in the Great Recession. We find a sharp drop in job mobility in the Great Recession, much sharper than the previous recession, and higher earnings penalties for job transitions with an intervening nonemployment spell. Focusing on residential construction separators in particular, we find increasing rates of industry change and higher earnings penalties from job change in the Great Recession.
Recruiting Intensity during and after the Great Recession: National and Industry Evidence
Authors: Davis Steven J , Faberman R. Jason , Haltiwanger John C
Published: May 2012

We measure job-filling rates and recruiting intensity per vacancy at the national and industry levels from January 2001 to September 2011 using data from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. Industry-level movements in these variables are at odds with implications of the standard matching function in labor search theory but consistent with a generalized function that incorporates an important role for recruiting intensity. Construction makes up less than five percent of employment but accounts for more than 40 percent of the large swings in the job-filling rate during and after the Great Recession.
Fiscal Policy in a Financial Crisis: Standard Policy versus Bank Rescue Measures
Authors: Kollmann Robert , Roeger Werner , Veld Jan in't
Published: May 2012

A key dimension of fiscal policy during the financial crisis was massive government support for the banking system. The macroeconomic effects of that support have, so far, received little attention in the literature. This paper fills this gap, using a quantitative dynamic model with a banking sector. Our results suggest that state aid for banks may have a strong positive effect on real activity. Bank state aid multipliers are in the same range as conventional fiscal spending multipliers. Support for banks has a positive effect on investment, while a rise in government purchases crowds out investment.
Debt Financing in Asset Markets
Authors: He Zhiguo , Xiong Wei
Published: May 2012

We study rollover risk and collateral value in a dynamic asset pricing model with endogenous debt financing by extending the framework of Geanakoplos (2009) with a generic binomial tree and time-varying heterogeneous beliefs. Optimistic borrowers face rollover risk if the belief dispersion between the borrowers and the pessimistic lenders widens after interim bad news. We demonstrate the optimality of the maximum riskless short-term debt financing for optimistic borrowers even in the presence of the rollover risk. We also highlight the role of interim trading which, by allowing creditors to sell seized collateral to other optimists with saved cashes, boosts the asset's collateral value and equilibrium price.