bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Medicaid Bed‐Hold Policies and Hospitalization of Long‐Stay Nursing Home Residents
Authors: Unruh Mark Aaron , Grabowski David C. , Trivedi Amal N. , Mor Vincent 
Published: March 2013

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effect of Medicaid bed‐hold policies on hospitalization of long‐stay nursing home residents.Data SourcesA nationwide random sample of long‐stay nursing home residents with data elements from Medicare claims and enrollment files, the Minimum Data Set, the Online Survey Certification and Reporting System, and Area Resource File. The sample consisted of 22,200,089 person‐quarters from 754,592 individuals who became long‐stay residents in 17,149 nursing homes over the period beginning January 1, 2000 through December 31, 2005.Study DesignLinear regression models using a pre/post design adjusted for resident, nursing home, market, and state characteristics. Nursing home and year‐quarter fixed effects were included to control for time‐invariant facility influences and temporal trends associated with hospitalization of long‐stay residents.Principal FindingsAdoption of a Medicaid bed‐hold policy was associated with an absolute increase of 0.493 percentage points (95% CI: 0.039–0.946) in hospitalizations of long‐stay nursing home residents, representing a 3.883 percent relative increase over the baseline mean.ConclusionsMedicaid bed‐hold policies may increase the likelihood of hospitalization of long‐stay nursing home residents and increase costs for the federal Medicare program.
Beta‐Binomial Regression and Bimodal Utilization
Authors: Liu Chuan‐Fen , Burgess James F. , Manning Willard G. , Maciejewski Matthew L. 
Published: March 2013

ObjectiveTo illustrate how the analysis of bimodal U‐shaped distributed utilization can be modeled with beta‐binomial regression, which is rarely used in health services research.Data Sources/Study SettingVeterans Affairs (VA) administrative data and Medicare claims in 2001–2004 for 11,123 Medicare‐eligible VA primary care users in 2000.Study DesignWe compared means and distributions of VA reliance (the proportion of all VA/Medicare primary care visits occurring in VA) predicted from beta‐binomial, binomial, and ordinary least‐squares (OLS) models.Principal FindingsBeta‐binomial model fits the bimodal distribution of VA reliance better than binomial and OLS models due to the nondependence on normality and the greater flexibility in shape parameters.ConclusionsIncreased awareness of beta‐binomial regression may help analysts apply appropriate methods to outcomes with bimodal or U‐shaped distributions.
Humidity and seasonality drives body size patterns in males of the bush cricket Isophya rizeensis Sevgili, 2003 (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae)
Authors: Çağlar Selim S. , Karacaoğlu Çağaşan , Kuyucu A. Cem , Sağlam İsmail K. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractTwo primary patterns of body size variation have been recorded in ectotherms in relation to latitudinal/altitudinal shifts. In some, body size increases with increasing latitude/altitude whereas, in others, body size decreases with increasing latitude/altitude. This clinal variation is generally assumed to be caused by local adaptation to environmental conditions however the selective variable(s) (temperature, humidity, diet quality, etc.) is still heavily debated. Here we investigate geographic variation in body size of dark and pale color morphs of males of the bush‐cricket Isophya rizeensis collected from 15 locations along an elevation gradient ranging from 350 to 2 500 m. Using an information theoretical approach we evaluate the relative support of four different hypotheses (the temperature size rule, the moisture gradient hypothesis, the seasonal constraint hypothesis, and the primary productivity hypothesis) explaining body size variation along the altitudinal gradient. Body size variation in pale color morphs showed a curvilinear relationship with altitude while dark color morphs showed no variation in body size. Body size variation in pale color morphs was highly correlated with precipitation and temperature seasonality values thus giving strong support for the moisture gradient and seasonal constraint hypothesis. Our results reinforce the importance of gradients in humidity and seasonality over temperature in the creation of altitudinal body size clines and the role of selection for resistance to stress factors in the establishment of these clines. Whether a body size cline is observed or not might also depend on the phenotypic properties of the individuals, like coloration.
Effects of destruxins on free calcium and hydrogen ions in insect hemocytes
Authors: Chen Xiu‐Run , Hu Qiong‐Bo , Yu Xiao‐Qiang , Ren Shun‐Xiang 
Published: March 2013

AbstractDestruxins, cyclohexadepsipeptidic mycotoxins isolated from the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae, inhibit innate insect immunity. However, their mechanism of action remains unclear. In this study, the effects of destruxins on changes in free calcium and hydrogen ions in the hemocytes of Exolontha serrulata, Bombyx mori and the Spodoptera litura SL‐1 cell line were detected using laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). An instant Ca2+ influx of hemocytes induced by destruxins A and B (DA and DB) was recorded. The DA/DB‐dependent Ca2+ influx was not influenced by the Ca2+ channel inhibitors 2‐aminoethoxydiphenyl borane (2‐APB) and U73122. It also had an apparently different LSCM profile from that of the ionomycin‐dependent Ca2+ influx. However, the instant Ca2+ influx was not seen in the SL‐1 cells; on the contrary, a slow, moderate enhancement of intracellular Ca2+ was observed. Meanwhile, an instant intracellular free H+ decrease aroused by DA and DB was found. DB at 20 μmol/L and DA at 690 μmol/L significantly reduced intracellular free H+ levels. Furthermore, the vacuolar H+‐ATPase (V‐ATPase) inhibitor bafilomycin A1 had obvious effects on the decreases of intracellular free H+ in hemocytes. These results suggest that the mechanism of DA/DB‐dependent Ca2+ influx is perhaps not related to Ca2+ channels and ionophores; rather, the intracellular free H+ decrease might be due to V‐ATPase inhibition.
Spontaneous abdominopelvic abscess as an initial manifestation of Crohn's disease: A retrospective cohort review
Authors: Law Siu‐Tong , Li Kin Kong , Wong Ho Wing 
Published: March 2013

ObjectiveThe study aimed to compare the clinical characteristics of abdominopelvic (AP) abscess in patients with and without newly diagnosed Crohn's disease (CD).MethodsWe investigated 91 consecutive patients with AP abscess (14 newly diagnosed with CD) from January 2001 to December 2010. The clinical, radiological, microbiological and pathological features and patients' outcomes were evaluated.ResultsPatients with newly diagnosed CD were younger (42.5 vs 57.9 years, P = 0.004), more associated with fever (50.0% vs 13.0%, P = 0.004) and weight loss (21.4% vs 3.9%, P = 0.045), and normoglycemic (5.2 mmol/L vs 6.7 mmol/L, P = 0.001). Their abscesses, located predominantly at the paracolic gutter region (P = 0.002) were associated with fistulae (P = 0.001) and caused by transmural bowel wall inflammation. More patients in the CD group required temporarily parenteral nutritional support (P = 0.000) and had a longer hospital stay (P = 0.045) and a higher local recurrent rate (P = 0.000).ConclusionAP abscesses associated with newly diagnosed CD display distinct clinical behavior with a high risk of local recurrence.
Metformin inhibits the senescence‐associated secretory phenotype by interfering with IKK/NF‐κB activation
Authors: Moiseeva Olga , Deschênes‐Simard Xavier , St‐Germain Emmanuelle , Igelmann Sebastian , Huot Geneviève , Cadar Alexandra E. , Bourdeau Véronique , Pollak Michael N. , Ferbeyre Gerardo 
Published: March 2013

SummaryWe show that the antidiabetic drug metformin inhibits the expression of genes coding for multiple inflammatory cytokines seen during cellular senescence. Conditioned medium (CM) from senescent cells stimulates the growth of prostate cancer cells but treatment of senescent cells with metformin inhibited this effect. Bioinformatic analysis of genes downregulated by metformin suggests that the drug blocks the activity of the transcription factor NF‐κB. In agreement, metformin prevented the translocation of NF‐κB to the nucleus and inhibited the phosphorylation of IκB and IKKα/β, events required for activation of the NF‐κB pathway. These effects were not dependent on AMPK activation or on the context of cellular senescence, as metformin inhibited the NF‐κB pathway stimulated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in ampk null fibroblasts and in macrophages. Taken together, our results provide a novel mechanism for the antiaging and antineoplastic effects of metformin reported in animal models and in diabetic patients taking this drug.
Chemical genetic screen in fission yeast reveals roles for vacuolar acidification, mitochondrial fission, and cellular GMP levels in lifespan extension
Authors: Stephan Jessica , Franke Jacqueline , Ehrenhofer‐Murray Ann E. 
Published: March 2013

SummaryThe discovery that genetic mutations in several cellular pathways can increase lifespan has lent support to the notion that pharmacological inhibition of aging pathways can be used to extend lifespan and to slow the onset of age‐related diseases. However, so far, only few compounds with such activities have been described. Here, we have conducted a chemical genetic screen for compounds that cause the extension of chronological lifespan of Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We have characterized eight natural products with such activities, which has allowed us to uncover so far unknown anti‐aging pathways in S. pombe. The ionophores monensin and nigericin extended lifespan by affecting vacuolar acidification, and this effect depended on the presence of the vacuolar ATPase (V‐ATPase) subunits Vma1 and Vma3. Furthermore, prostaglandin J2 displayed anti‐aging properties due to the inhibition of mitochondrial fission, and its effect on longevity required the mitochondrial fission protein Dnm1 as well as the G‐protein‐coupled glucose receptor Git3. Also, two compounds that inhibit guanosine monophosphate (GMP) synthesis, mycophenolic acid (MPA) and acivicin, caused lifespan extension, indicating that an imbalance in guanine nucleotide levels impinges upon longevity. We furthermore have identified diindolylmethane (DIM), tschimganine, and the compound mixture mangosteen as inhibiting aging. Taken together, these results reveal unanticipated anti‐aging activities for several phytochemicals and open up opportunities for the development of novel anti‐aging therapies.
Declining signal dependence of Nrf2‐MafS‐regulated gene expression correlates with aging phenotypes
Authors: Rahman Mohammed Mahidur , Sykiotis Gerasimos P. , Nishimura Mayuko , Bodmer Rolf , Bohmann Dirk 
Published: March 2013

SummaryAging is a degenerative process characterized by declining molecular, cell and organ functions, and accompanied by the progressive accumulation of oxidatively damaged macromolecules. This increased oxidative damage may be causally related to an age‐associated dysfunction of defense mechanisms, which effectively protect young individuals from oxidative insults. Consistently, older organisms are more sensitive to acute oxidative stress exposures than young ones. In studies on the Drosophila Nrf2 transcription factor CncC, we have investigated possible causes for this loss of stress resistance and its connection to the aging process. Nrf2 is a master regulator of antioxidant and stress defense gene expression with established functions in the control of longevity. Here, we show that the expression of protective Nrf2/CncC target genes in unstressed conditions does not generally decrease in older flies. However, aging flies progressively lose the ability to activate Nrf2 targets in response to acute stress exposure. We propose that the resulting inability to dynamically adjust the expression of Nrf2 target genes to the organism's internal and external conditions contributes to age‐related loss of homeostasis and fitness. In support of this hypothesis, we find the Drosophila small Maf protein, MafS, an Nrf2 dimerization partner, to be critical to maintain responsiveness of the Nrf2 system: overexpression of MafS in older flies preserves Nrf2/CncC signaling competence and antagonizes age‐associated functional decline. The maintenance of acute stress resistance, motor function, and heart performance in aging flies overexpressing MafS supports a critical role for signal responsiveness of Nrf2 function in promoting youthful phenotypes.
Rodent species diversity in relation to altitudinal gradient in Northern Serengeti, Tanzania
Authors: Magige Flora J. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractRodents are among the successful small mammals in the world. In species richness, rodents outnumber other mammalian orders owing partly to their capability to exploit many different habitats. Their diversities have been influenced by many factors including the altitude. This study assessed rodent diversity across the two altitudinal zones, that is, lowland western zone and highland eastern zone, in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania. Capture‐Mark‐Recapture studies were undertaken in November 2009 and April 2010 using live traps in the ecosystem to compare variations in species diversity of rodents in the two zones of the ecosystem. Eight (8) rodent species were recorded in each zone area. However, species richness was higher in crop land and woodland areas than in grasslands in each zone. The two zones comprised of different species diversities for which Rényi Diversity profiles indicated the higher diversity in the eastern zone than the western zone although the difference was not significant (P > 0.05). Differences between the eastern and western zones could be attributed to the altitudinal gradient whereby the east was at a higher elevation than the west. Maintenance and management of wildlife corridors will assist migration of rodents between the two zones and enhance continuous gene flow.
The Market Concept: A Characterization from Institutional and Post‐Keynesian Economics
Authors: Fernández‐Huerga Eduardo 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThe neoclassical concept of the market is built on a number of assumptions that lead one to view it as a type of ether, devoid of any institutional content. In opposition to this point of view, this article proposes an alternative characterization of markets based on the fundamental principles of institutional and post‐Keynesian economics. After reviewing the main features that characterize the behavior of economic agents, we analyze the set of interrelations between these agents within markets and the role of institutions in the regulation of these interrelations. Finally, we discuss some of the consequences generated by the institutional dimensions of markets with regard to their origins and evolution, the justification for their existence, or the evaluation of their results.
Social Network Analysis and the Sociology of Economics: Filling a Blind Spot with the Idea of Social Embeddedness
Authors: Bögenhold Dieter 
Published: March 2013

AbstractToday, social networks analysis has become a cross‐disciplinary subject with applications in diverse fields of social and economic life. Different network designs provide different opportunities to communicate, to receive information, and to create different structures of cultural capital. Network analysis explores modes and contents of exchanges between different agents when symbols, emotions, or goods and services are exchanged. The message of the article is that social network analysis provides a tool to foster the understanding of social dynamics, which enhances recent debate on a micro‐macro gap and on limitations of the cognitive and explanatory potential of economics.
The Organization, Operation, and Outcomes of Actually Existing Markets: A Suggested Approach for Empirical Analysis
Authors: Chester Lynne 
Published: March 2013

AbstractPublic policies have become embedded with market‐based mechanisms to radically transform essential goods and services markets. This article proposes a framework for empirical analysis of these markets. Key theoretical propositions are distilled to 12 distinctive properties of markets. These properties foreshadow a set of questions to interrogate a market's structure, operation, participants, behaviors, rules, and price setting to generate a substantive, realistic picture of outcomes. This “analytical grid” of questions is applied to four Australian essential goods and services markets. The findings unequivocally demonstrate a very different picture of markets from that promulgated by mainstream neoclassical economics and public policies.
The Economic Deterioration of the Family: Historical Contingencies Preceding the Great Recession
Authors: Gillespie Michael D. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThe “GreatRecession” in theUnitedStates exposed contradictions between the economic well‐being of families and capital that developed in the decades prior to this latest downturn. Using social structure of accumulation theory, a qualitative institutional analysis, and quantitative time‐series models, this article investigates historically contingent relations between the nature of public assistance, family economic deterioration, and capital accumulation. To sustain the circuit of capital, I argue that the family propped up economic growth first through public cash assistance and then through private expenditures, the latter of which lead to the economic deterioration of families dependent on unprecedented levels of debt.
No End to the Consensus in Macroeconomic Theory? A Methodological Inquiry
Authors: McCombie John , Pike Maureen 
Published: March 2013

AbstractAfter the acrimonious debates between the New Classical and New Keynesian economists in the 1980s and 1990s, a consensus developed, namely, the New Neoclassical Synthesis. However, the 2007 credit crunch exposed the severe limitations of this approach. This article presents a methodological analysis of the New Neoclassical Synthesis and how the paradigmatic heuristic of the representative agent, namely, market clearing subject to sticky prices, excluded the Keynesian notion of involuntary unemployment arising from lack of effective demand. It shows these models may be modified to produce Keynesian results, but are ruled out of consideration by proponents of the New Neoclassical approach by weak incommensurability. It concludes that because of this the New Neoclassical Synthesis, in spite of its failure to explain the sub‐prime crisis, is likely to resist successfully the resurgence in Keynesian economics.
Schmoller's Method as a Critique and Alternative to Marginalist Economics: a Comment to Louzek
Authors: D'Ippoliti Carlo 
Published: March 2013

AbstractThis article comments upon Louzek () in this journal, claiming that the analysis of Schmoller's method, as evidenced by his practice, allows us to highlight a few themes that are relevant not only in reconstructing his critique of Menger's methodological proposal but also for an extension of such critique to the current mainstream economics.
Economy as a Social System: Niklas Luhmann's Contribution and its Significance for Economics
Authors: Boldyrev Ivan A. 
Published: March 2013

AbstractNiklas Luhmann's (1927–1998) ambitious research project was aimed not only at describing society as a global social system, but it also analyzed various subsystems (including an economic one). The article assesses Luhmann's vision of the economy, summarized mainly in his Wirtschaft der Gesellschaft, wherein he addresses basic economic notions: the economic system, money, prices, rationality, and the market. I then interpret his ideas in the context of modern discussions in economics (intersubjective structures, complex systems, and evolutionary modeling). I also propose some heuristics implied by Luhmann's economic ontology, which are potentially interesting for methodological and theoretical strategies of modern economics.
Market Cycles: Bicycles, Riders, Industries, and Environments in France and the United States, 1865–1914
Authors: Burr Thomas 
Published: March 2013

AbstractIssues of supply and demand are basic to markets, but economic sociologists ignore consumers, while sociologists of consumption rarely treat consumption as demand. I conceptualize markets as cyclic interactions of producers and consumers around a product, each group embedded in different types of macrosocial patterns, with different purposes and structures. I apply this conceptualization to the French and U.S. bicycle markets from 1865 to 1914. The model helps explain differing market trajectories in these cases.
Thyroid Function in Infertile Patients Undergoing Assisted Reproduction
Authors: Fumarola Angela , Grani Giorgio , Romanzi Daniela , Del Sordo Marianna , Bianchini Marta , Aragona Alessia , Tranquilli Daniela , Aragona Cesare 
Published: March 2013

ProblemThyroid disease is one of the most common endocrine conditions affecting women during reproductive age. A link between thyroid and assisted reproduction outcome is debated.Method of studySerum TSH levels, number and scoring of oocytes and embryos, and number of clinical pregnancies were retrospectively recorded in 164 women undergoing assisted reproduction technologies (ART) at an University–based fertility center, to evaluate the outcome of the first steps of assisted reproduction (ovarian stimulation, oocyte pickup and fertilization, embryo transfer and implantation) in relation to thyroid function and autoimmunity.ResultsNo significant relationship was found between TSH and all parameters, except clinical pregnancy rate (22.3% in TSH ≤ 2.5 group versus 8.9% in TSH > 2.5 mUI/L group; P = 0.045). No pregnancy occurred in women with anti‐thyroperoxidase autoantibodies, while pregnancy occurred in 23.9% of cycles without autoimmunity (P = 0.02).ConclusionFurther studies must be conducted in order to shed light on the link between infertility and thyroid dysfunction.
HO‐1 As Modulator of the Innate Immune Response in Pregnancy
Authors: Kahlo Kristina , Fill Malfertheiner Sara , Ignatov Tanja , Jensen Federico , Costa Serban‐Dan , Schumacher Anne , Zenclussen Ana C. 
Published: March 2013

ProblemThe immune modulatory effect of heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) is well documented in studies about sepsis and transplantation. This work evaluates the influence of HO‐1 on the innate immune response during pregnancy.Method of StudyHuman first‐trimester trophoblasts derived from normal pregnancies or spontaneous abortions were analyzed for their basal HO‐1, BCL‐associated athanogene‐1 (Bag‐1), and cytokine production before and after LPS treatment. In vivo, pregnant Hmox1+/+ and Hmox1+/− female mice were treated with LPS, and the production of Bag‐1 was evaluated.ResultsHuman trophoblasts up‐regulated the expression of both HO‐1 and pro‐inflammatory cytokines after LPS treatment, whereas the basal level of HO‐1 was higher in normal pregnancies. In vivo, HO‐1 deficiency provoked diminished Bag‐1 level upon LPS treatment.ConclusionHO‐1 deficiency causes an inflammatory immune reaction and diminished expression of protective molecules in trophoblasts. Thus, HO‐1 emerges as one important modulator of innate immune responses in pregnancy.