bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Role of Mineralocorticoid Receptor in Adipogenesis and Obesity in Male Mice
Authors: Ferguson Daniel , Hutson Irina , Tycksen Eric , Pietka Terri A , Bauerle Kevin , Harris Charles A 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Increased visceral adiposity and hyperglycemia, 2 characteristics of metabolic syndrome, are also present in conditions of excess glucocorticoids (GCs). GCs are hormones thought to act primarily via the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). GCs are commonly prescribed for inflammatory disorders, yet their use is limited due to many adverse metabolic side effects. In addition to GR, GCs also bind the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), but there are many conflicting studies about the exact role of MR in metabolic disease. Using MR knockout mice (MRKO), we find that both white and brown adipose depots form normally when compared with wild-type mice at P5. We created mice with adipocyte-specific deletion of MR (FMRKO) to better understand the role of MR in metabolic dysfunction. Treatment of mice with excess GCs for 4 weeks, via corticosterone in drinking water, induced increased fat mass and glucose intolerance to similar levels in FMRKO and floxed control mice. Separately, when fed a high-fat diet for 16 weeks, FMRKO mice had reduced body weight, fat mass, and hepatic steatosis, relative to floxed control mice. Decreased adiposity likely resulted from increased energy expenditure since food intake was not different. RNA sequencing analysis revealed decreased enrichment of genes associated with adipogenesis in inguinal white adipose of FMRKO mice. Differentiation of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) showed modestly impaired adipogenesis in MRKO MEFs compared with wild type, but this was rescued upon the addition of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonist or PPARγ overexpression. Collectively, these studies provide further evidence supporting the potential value of MR as a therapeutic target for conditions associated with metabolic syndrome.
Filling the Organ Donor Pool by Giving Priority
Authors: Meng Matthew D. , Clarke Roberta N. 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
Context: Many of the alternatives for procuring donor organs are considered either ineffective, unethical, or illegal. One possibility that may not face such challenges is a priority system whereby individuals who register as an organ donor are given priority to receive an organ over those who have not registered. However, providing extrinsic rewards can sometimes paradoxically reduce the target behavior, especially for those who are more altruistically motivated.
Methods: Two behavioral experiments were employed and data were analyzed using regressions as well as examining open-ended responses.
Findings: The results suggest that giving priority to receive an organ to those who register to donate postmortem could increase overall registration rates. Further, the effect of providing priority appears to work by inducing anticipated regret, which can be used to overcome common obstacles to registration. Finally, it was found that a priority system is most effective in increasing donor rates for those individuals who are less altruistically motivated and does not reduce registration rates for those who are more altruistically motivated.
Conclusions: Given the unabated shortage of transplant organs, the finding that a priority system could increase the willingness to register as a donor without crowding out altruistically motivated individuals is highly encouraging.
When State Policy Makes National Politics: The Case of “Obamacare” Marketplace Implementation
Authors: Trachtman Samuel 
Published: November 2019

AbstractContext: State governments have been powerful sites of Republican resistance to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the Democratic Party's signature 2010 law. By influencing how citizens experience the ACA, state-level implementation can affect the national-level political implications of the law.Methods: I examine three largely unstudied areas of marketplace implementation: navigator laws, transitional plan termination, and rating area configurations. For each policy area, I use linear probability models to investigate the determinants of state lawmakers bolstering or eroding marketplaces.Findings: In each case, Democrat-controlled states were more likely to bolster marketplaces than Republican-controlled states were, with decisions more polarized in those policy areas—navigator laws and transitional plan termination—and with greater potential for national-level feedback. For navigator laws, where Republican state lawmakers were most cross-pressured by national party interests and local interests, marketplace eroding policy was highly associated with strength of conservative networks.Conclusion: Crafters of federal legislation cannot expect state lawmakers to universally implement federal law to maximize the direct benefits to their constituents. Rather, we should expect state lawmakers to, in many instances, implement federal law in ways that benefit their parties.
An automated approach for the optimised estimation of breast density with Dixon methods
Authors: Goodburn Rosie , Kousi Evanthia , Macdonald Alison , Morgan Veronica , Scurr Erica , Reddy Mamatha , Wilkinson Louise , O'Flynn Elizabeth , Pope Romney , Allen Steven , Schmidt Maria Angélica 
Published: November 2019

Objective:
To present and evaluate an automated method to correct scaling between Dixon water/fat images used in breast density (BD) assessments.

Methods:
Dixon images were acquired in 14 subjects with different T 1 weightings (flip angles, FA, 4°/16°). Our method corrects intensity differences between water (W) and fat (F) images via the application of a uniform scaling factor (SF), determined subject-by-subject. Based on the postulation that optimal SFs yield relatively featureless summed fat/scaled-water (F+WSF) images, each SF was chosen as that which generated the lowest 95th-percentile in the absolute spatial-gradient image-volume of F+WSF . Water-fraction maps were calculated for data acquired with low/high FAs, and BD (%) was the total percentage water within each breast volume.

Results:
Corrected/uncorrected BD ranged from, respectively, 10.9–71.8%/8.9–66.7% for low-FA data to 8.1–74.3%/5.6–54.3% for high-FA data. Corrected metrics had an average absolute increase in BD of 6.4% for low-FA data and 18.4% for high-FA data. BD values estimated from low- and high-FA data were closer following SF-correction.

Conclusion:
Our results demonstrate need for scaling in such BD assessments, where our method brought high-FA and low-FA data into closer agreement.

Advances in knowledge:
We demonstrated a feasible method to address a main source of inaccuracy in Dixon-based BD measurements.
Cost-effectiveness of oral versus intravenous antibiotics (OVIVA) in patients with bone and joint infection: evidence from a non-inferiority trial
Authors: McMeekin Nicola , Geue Claudia , Briggs Andrew , Rombach Ines , Li Ho Kwong , Bejon Philip , McNally Martin , Atkins Bridget L. , Ferguson Jamie , Scarborough Matthew ,   OVIVA collaborators
Published: November 2019

Background: Bone and joint infections are becoming increasingly common and are usually treated with surgery and a course of intravenous antibiotics. However, there is no evidence to support the superiority of intravenous therapy and there is a growing body of literature showing that oral therapy is effective in treating these infections.Given this lack of evidence the clinical trial ‘Oral Versus Intravenous Antibiotics’ (OVIVA) was designed to assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of intravenous versus oral antibiotics for the treatment of bone and joint infections, using a non-inferiority design. Clinical results from the trial indicate that oral antibiotics are non-inferior to intravenous antibiotics. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of intravenous compared to oral antibiotics for treating bone and joint infections, using data from OVIVA. Methods: A cost-utility analysis was carried out, the main economic outcome measure was the quality adjusted life-year, measured using the EQ-5D-3L questionnaire, combined with costs to estimate cost-effectiveness over 12-months follow-up. Results: Results show that costs were significantly lower in the oral arm compared to the intravenous arm, a difference of £2,740 (95% confidence interval £1,488 to £3,992). Results of four sensitivity analyses were consistent with the base-case results. QALYs were marginally higher in the oral arm, however this difference was not statistically significant; -0.007 (95% confidence interval -0.045 to 0.031). Conclusions: Treating patients with bone and joint infections for the first six weeks of therapy with oral antibiotics is both less costly and does not result in detectable differences in quality of life compared to treatment with intravenous antibiotics. Adopting a practice of treating bone and joint infections with oral antibiotics early in the course of therapy could potentially save the UK National Health Service over £17 million annually.
An Experiment in Hiring Discrimination via Online Social Networks
Authors: Acquisti Alessandro , Fong Christina 
Published: November 2019

We investigate whether personal information posted by job candidates on social media sites is sought and used by prospective U.S. employers. We create profiles for job candidates on popular social networks, manipulating information protected under U.S. laws, and submit job applications on their behalf to more than 4,000 employers. We estimate employer search activity and bias in interview callbacks. We find evidence of employers searching online for the candidates. At the national level, we find no significant difference in the callback rates for a Muslim versus a Christian candidate, or for a gay versus a straight candidate. However, employers in Republican areas exhibit significant bias against the Muslim candidate relative to the Christian candidate. This bias is significantly larger than the bias in Democratic areas. The results on callback bias are robust to using state- and county-level data, to controlling for firm, job, and geographical characteristics, to including additional interaction effects in the empirical specification, and to several estimation strategies. The results suggest that the online disclosure of certain personal traits can influence the hiring decisions of some U.S. employers, but the likelihood of hiring discrimination via online searches varies across employers. This paper was accepted by Chris Forman, information systems.
Cost-effectiveness of negative-pressure wound therapy in adults with severe open fractures of the lower limb: evidence from the WOLLF randomized controlled trial
Authors: Petrou S. , Parker B. , Masters J. , Achten J. , Bruce J. , Lamb S. E. , Parsons N. , Costa M. L. ,   WOLLF Trial Collaborators
Published: November 2019

AimsThe aim of this study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) in comparison with standard wound management after initial surgical wound debridement in adults with severe open fractures of the lower limb.Patients and MethodsAn economic evaluation was conducted from the perspective of the United Kingdom NHS and Personal Social Services, based on evidence from the 460 participants in the Wound Management of Open Lower Limb Fractures (WOLLF) trial. Economic outcomes were collected prospectively over the 12-month follow-up period using trial case report forms and participant-completed questionnaires. Bivariate regression of costs (given in £, 2014 to 2015 prices) and quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), with multiple imputation of missing data, was conducted to estimate the incremental cost per QALY gained associated with NPWT dressings. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were undertaken to assess the impacts of uncertainty and heterogeneity, respectively, surrounding aspects of the economic evaluation.ResultsThe base case analysis produced an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of £267 910 per QALY gained, reflecting higher costs on average (£678; 95% confidence interval (CI) -£1082 to £2438) and only marginally higher QALYS (0.002; 95% CI -0.054 to 0.059) in the NPWT group. The probability that NPWT is cost-effective in this patient population did not exceed 27% regardless of the value of the cost-effectiveness threshold. This result remained robust to several sensitivity and subgroup analyses.ConclusionThis trial-based economic evaluation suggests that NPWT is unlikely to be a cost-effective strategy for improving outcomes in adult patients with severe open fractures of the lower limb. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B:1392–1401.
Prescribing and adherence to bone protection medications following hip fracture in the United Kingdom
Authors: Cehic Matthew , Lerner Robin G. , Achten Juul , Griffin Xavier L. , Prieto-Alhambra Daniel , Costa Matthew L. 
Published: November 2019

Aims Bone health assessment and the prescription of medication for secondary fracture prevention have become an integral part of the acute management of patients with hip fracture. However, there is little evidence regarding compliance with prescription guidelines and subsequent adherence to medication in this patient group. Patients and Methods The World Hip Trauma Evaluation (WHiTE) is a multicentre, prospective cohort of hip fracture patients in NHS hospitals in England and Wales. Patients aged 60 years and older who received operative treatment for a hip fracture were eligible for inclusion in WHiTE. The prescription of bone protection medications was recorded from participants’ discharge summaries, and participant-reported use of bone protection medications was recorded at 120 days following surgery. Results Of 5456 recruited patients with baseline data, 2853 patients (52%) were prescribed bone protection medication at discharge, of which oral bisphosphonates were the most common, 4109 patients (75%) were prescribed vitamin D or calcium, and 606 patients (11%) were not prescribed anything. Of those prescribed a bone protection medication, only 932 patients (33%) reported still taking their medication 120 days later. Conclusion These data provide a reference for current prescription and adherence rates. Adherence with oral medication remains poor in patients with hip fracture. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B:1402–1407.
Accessibility and Conservation in Contemporary Cities: A(n) (Im)possible Coupling
Authors: Pretto Albertina , Everett Glyn 
Published: November 2019

Cities are built by and for able-bodied people and are often composed of a range of elements that make them partially (or not) accessible to disabled people. Architectural barriers within and around buildings can limit disabled people’s access to structures and services, precluding their full participation in a social life. It is not possible to talk about making further social progress until disabled people are no longer victims of marginalisation caused by our urban architecture. In order to identify some specific problems and possible solutions, a qualitative research study was carried out in a city in northern Italy, involving people with sensory and physical impairments. Findings indicate that cities in general, and the oldest ones in particular, can present an important problem: some historic centres and buildings are not (or cannot be) restored to become more accessible.
This lack of accessibility will increase the exclusion of disabled people by imposing limitations and restrictions, from mobilising around urban centres, to use of pavements, entry into shops or workplaces, through to accessing treatment and health services. Moreover, this research demonstrates that, in many cases, relatively inexpensive and simple measures and arrangements might be enough to help tackle and solve many of these problems. This paper argues that a first, fundamental step in looking to improve access should be to involve disabled people in participatory planning. These users will be the best experts of their own needs and some of the best informed about the attributes and particularities of any alterations or adaptations needed to help them negotiate, manage and plan the areas in which they live.
Timor-Leste 1974–1975: Decolonisation, a nation-in-waiting and an adult literacy campaign
Authors: Cabral Estêvão 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
This article contributes to the strand of research within the New Literacy Studies that has investigated the ways in which adult literacy campaigns are bound up with social and political movements. The focus is on the adult literacy campaign initiated in Timor-Leste in 1974, as the process of decolonisation from Portugal got underway. This campaign was based on a Freirean approach to adult literacy and was initiated by Timorese students returning from Lisbon. The article draws on archival research and oral history interviews with people who volunteered to serve as adult literacy tutors at the time. The analysis presented in the main body of the article provides insights into the nature of the training, and into the tutors’ own understandings of the purpose of the campaign and of adult literacy pedagogy. It also draws attention to the difficult conditions in which this short-lived campaign was conducted in 1974 and 1975. The final section of the article details the worsening nature of the conditions encountered after the Indonesian invasion of December 1975 and concludes that, despite the constraints imposed by these conditions, this campaign has had an enduring symbolic legacy in the field of adult literacy education in Timor-Leste.
Adult literacy in Timor-Leste: Insights from ethnographic research with teachers, learners and coordinators of contemporary literacy programs
Authors: Boon Danielle 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
This article is based on ethnographically-informed research carried out as part of a wider study of adult literacy education in Timor-Leste (Boon 2014). The research was designed as a multi-site and multi-scalar case study that was conducted in 2011. It included class observations and interviews with adult learners, teachers and coordinators who were involved in different types of literacy programs. In the article, I present some of the insights that I gleaned into the ways in which the research participants understood what it means to be literate, into their representations of the significance of involvement in literacy programs, into their understandings of the challenges and opportunities associated with such programs and into their discourses about literacy. The research findings are presented in three central sections of the article as follows: (1) literacy in the lives of adult learners; (2) teachers and coordinators navigating the challenges and opportunities of local literacy programs; and (3) teachers’ and coordinators’ discourses about adult literacy. The research presented here complements other research on adult literacy in Timor-Leste by building knowledge about what is happening “on the ground” in post-independence literacy programs.
Knowledge Sharing Limitations among Academia: Analytic Network Process Approach
Authors: Oyenuga Olamilekan Gbenga , Adebiyi Sulaimon Olanrewaju , Dakare Olamitunji , Omoera Charles I. 
Published: November 2019

Abstract
The importance of the continuous regeneration of value-resource that is knowledge cannot be overemphasized, especially owing to its strategic importance in promoting competitive edge within institutions. Therefore, universities being knowledge-based institutions need to understand that the bane to knowledge sharing amid its staffs is of great relevance. Thus, this study examined the multiple conflicting criteria influencing the will of an average academia to share knowledge within its environment through the utilization of an operations research model named analytical network process.
Private Labor Market Intermediaries in the Europeanized Live-in Care Market between Germany and Poland: A Typology
Authors: Leiber Simone , Matuszczyk Kamil , Rossow Verena 
Published: November 2019

AbstractThis article looks at the role of private companies involved in organizing so-called live-in care arrangements between two EU member states, Germany and Poland. Due to gaps in the public long-term care system, employing livein migrant care workers in private households has become a widespread individualized solution to rising long-term care needs in Germany. Since eastern EU enlargement, private brokerage agencies placing Polish live-in migrant care workers in German households have grown considerably. Building on approaches conceptualizing the role of intermediaries in formalizing domestic work, we aim to provide a more fine-grained typology of private brokerage agencies, taking into account not only the legal environment and structural features of these private enterprises, but also theirstrategic positioningunder conditions of high legal uncertainty in the EU multi-level governance system. By analyzing corporate as well as political strategies of these intermediaries, we distinguish three different agency types we call pioneers, minimum effort players and followers.
Functional AssessmentIn Vivoof the Mouse Homolog of the Human Ala-9-Ser NHE6 Variant
Authors: Ouyang Qing , Joesch-Cohen Lena , Mishra Sasmita , Riaz Hasib A. , Schmidt Michael , Morrow Eric M. 
Published: November 2019

AbstractChristianson syndrome (CS) is an X-linked neurogenetic disorder resulting from loss-of-function (LoF) mutations inSLC9A6, which encodes the endosomal Na+/H+exchanger 6 (NHE6). NHE6 regulates proton efflux from endosomes and, thus, participates in regulating cargo processing and trafficking. LoF mutations in NHE6 cause aberrant acidification of endosomes. While CS arises in males generally due to clear LoF mutations, other potentially hypomorphic variants have emerged, yet most of these variants have not been evaluated for functional effects, particularlyin vivo. Here we characterize anSLC9A6variant that has been previously reported in patients, yet now also appears in exome datasets of largely control individuals—c.25G>T, p.A9S. By heterologous expression in cell lines, we show that human NHE6A9S is expressed and localizes in a manner comparable to control NHE6. By genome editing, we generated the equivalent NHE6 mutation in mouse—p.A11S—and determined that male NHE6A11S mice have normal brain size at 6 months of age and do not show cerebellar degeneration or defective neuronal arborization. Neurons from male NHE6A11S mice also did not demonstrate an abnormality in intraendosomal pH compared with controls. These findings are in contrast to findings in NHE6-null mice previously reported and indicate that the NHE6A11S variant functions at a level equivalent to control NHE6 for many of the assays performed. These data stand in support of the population genetic data, which are also evaluated here, indicating that the A9S variant is unlikely to confer disease susceptibility with high penetrance.