bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electrospun polyurethane fibrous membranes of mimicked extracellular matrix for periodontal ligament: Molecular behavior, mechanical properties, morphology, and osseointegration
Authors: Watcharajittanont Nattawat , Putson Chatchai , Pripatnanont Prisana , Meesane JIrut
Published: September 2019

Based on mimicking of the extracellular matrix structure and function, electrospun polyurethane fibers are proposed as osseointegration implant membranes for the periodontal ligament. Polyurethane in different solution ratios of N, N-dimethylformamide:tetrahydrofuran of 100:0 (PU100), 70:30 (PU70), and 50:50 (PU50) was prepared before fabrication into fibers by electrospinning. The viscosities of the solutions were measured. The molecular behaviors of the electrospun polyurethane fibers were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis. The morphologies were observed by scanning electron microscopy. Tensile testing was used to evaluate the mechanical performance. Biological performance was tested by osteoblast culturing. The cells were evaluated for cell morphology, viability, proliferation, and alkaline phosphatase activity. The results demonstrated that PU100 showed low molecular interaction and entanglement, formation of irregular various fibers, flexible mechanical behavior, and unique biological characteristics of cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, and alkaline phosphatase activity. The results indicated that the structure of PU100 was similar to natural extracellular matrix. Finally, it could be deduced that the PU100 has promise as a fibrous membrane for the periodontal ligament.
Thermally and electrically conducting polycarbonate/elastomer blends combined with multiwalled carbon nanotubes
Authors: Taraghi Iman , Paszkiewicz Sandra , Fereidoon Abdolhosein , Szymczyk Anna , Stanik Rafal , Gude Maik , Linares Amelia , Ezquerra Tiberio A , Piesowicz Elżbieta , Wilpiszewska Katarzyna , Roslaniec Zbigniew
Published: September 2019

In this article, we have studied thermal and dielectric conductivity and morphology of polycarbonate (PC)/ethylene–propylene copolymer (EPC)/multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) nanocomposites. Transmission electron microscopy has been used to investigate the localization and migration of MWCNTs within the matrix. The MWCNTs were located in the PC phase and at the interface of PC and EPC. The results showed that the thermal conductivity of the PC decreased with the increasing content of EPC elastomeric particles. However, at the same time, one could observe an increase of the thermal conductivity in the polymer blends along with an addition of MWCNT. The electrical conductivity of the PC/EPC blends containing 10 wt% of EPC increased with the incorporation of MWCNTs, and the conducting paths were formed at additive content less than 0.5 wt% of MWCNT.
Natural law as early social thought: The recovery of natural law for sociology
Authors: Leahy Angela
Published: September 2019

Natural law contains much social thought that predates sociology and related disciplines, and can be seen as part of the prehistory of the human sciences. Key concerns of natural law thinkers include the achievement of social life and society, and the individual’s place therein. However, there is an enduring tendency within sociology to dismiss the ahistoricism and universalism of natural law, and therefore to reject natural law thought in its entirety. This article proposes an approach that rescues the sociological relevance of natural law. It draws on the respective methods of Chris Thornhill and Gary Wickham, who each seek to recover the importance of natural law for sociology. Thornhill treats natural law as a valid sociological object by focusing on its functions within society rather than engaging with its ahistorical concepts. His focus on the external functions of natural law, however, leads to a neglect of the internal conceptualisations of the social world in natural law thought. This in turn leads to a misinterpretation of Hobbes and voluntarist natural law. Wickham, on the other hand, explores in detail Hobbesian conceptions of society and the individual that Wickham argues can be utilised within contemporary sociology. This article revises Thornhill’s methodological framework in order to secure a space for the recovery of natural law as social thought. This approach allows for the recognition of natural law as an important piece of the epistemological background against which contemporary understandings of the human and society emerged.
Action Fluency Facilitates Perceptual Discrimination
Authors: Guo Jianfei , Song Joo-Hyun
Published: September 2019

Perception and action interact in nearly every moment of daily life. Previous studies have demonstrated not only that perceptual input shapes action but also that various factors associated with action—including individual abilities and biomechanical costs—influence perceptual decisions. However, it is unknown how action fluency affects the sensitivity of early-stage visual perception, such as orientation. To address this question, we used a dual-task paradigm: Participants prepared an action (e.g., grasping), while concurrently performing an orientation-change-detection task. We demonstrated that as actions became more fluent (e.g., as grasping errors decreased), perceptual-discrimination performance also improved. Importantly, we found that grasping training prior to discrimination enhanced subsequent perceptual sensitivity, supporting the notion of a reciprocal relation between perception and action.
Nature-inspired design of a turbine blade harnessing wave energy
Authors: Kumar P Madhan , Samad Abdus
Published: September 2019

A bidirectional turbine used in an oscillating water column device extracts wave energy from oscillating airflow. To improve its power output, a concept of static extended trailing edge found in the wings of owl and merganser was adopted. The static extended trailing edge with 0–10% of chord length ( C) was analyzed for different flow coefficients via Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equation-based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis. ANSYS-CFX 15.0 was used to simulate the flow. Grid convergence index was calculated to obtain optimum mesh, and numerical validation was done with experimental results. The static extended trailing edge with 5% C enhanced relative mean torque by 23.4% and, reduced relative mean efficiency by 5.4%, before stall condition. The modification increased pressure difference between the suction side and the pressure side and enhanced torque. The increased pressure drop reduced the efficiency. A further longer static extended trailing edge showed poorer stall characteristics.
Studying Human Habits in Societal Context: Examining Support for a Basic Stimulus–Response Mechanism
Authors: Marien Hans , Custers Ruud , Aarts Henk
Published: September 2019

Human habits are considered to be an important root of societal problems. The significance of habits has been demonstrated for a variety of behaviors in different domains, such as work, transportation, health, and ecology, suggesting that habits have a pervasive impact on human life. Studying and changing habits in societal context requires a broad view of behavior, which poses a challenge for applying basic models to complex human habits. We address the conceptualization and operationalization of habits in the current literature and note that claims about the role of habits in societal context rarely agree with the basic definition of habits as goal-independent behavior. We consider future directions that are important for making progress in the study of habit change in societal context.
Implicit Analogies in Learning: Supporting Transfer by Warming Up
Authors: Sidney Pooja G. , Thompson Clarissa A.
Published: September 2019

Analogies between old and new concepts are common during classroom instruction. Previous transfer studies focused on how features of initial learning guide later, spontaneous transfer to new problem solving. We argue for a shift in the focus of analogical-transfer research toward understanding how to best support analogical transfer from previous learning when children are engaged in new learning episodes. Such research may have important implications for teaching and learning in mathematics, which relies heavily on analogies between old and new information. Some existing research promotes supporting explicit connections across old and new information within an analogy. Alternatively, we argue that teachers can invite implicit analogical reasoning through warm-up activities designed to activate relevant prior knowledge. Warm-up activities close the transfer space between old and new learning without additional direct instruction.
Does coercion matter? Supporting young next-of-kin in mental health care
Authors: Martinsen Elin Håkonsen , Weimand Bente , Norvoll Reidun
Published: September 2019

Background

Coercion can cause harm to both the patient and the patient’s family. Few studies have examined how the coercive treatment of a close relative might affect young next-of-kin.

Research questions

We aimed to investigate the views and experiences of health professionals being responsible for supporting young next-of-kin to patients in mental health care (children-responsible staff) in relation to the needs of these young next-of-kin in coercive situations and to identify ethical challenges.

Research design

We conducted a qualitative study based on semistructured, focus group interviews and an individual interview.

Participants and research context

We held three focus group interviews with six to seven children-responsible staff in each group (a total of 20 participants) and one individual interview with a family therapist. The participants were recruited from three hospital trusts in the eastern part of Norway.

Ethical considerations

The study was approved by the National Data Protection Official for Research and based on informed consent and confidentiality.

Findings

Coercion was not a theme among the participants in relation to their work with young next-of-kin, and there was much uncertainty related to whether these young people need special support to deal with the coercive treatment of their close relative. Despite the uncertainty, the study indicated a need for more information and emotional support among the youth.

Discussion

Few studies have addressed the potential impact of coercive treatment of a close family member on young next-of-kin. The findings were consistent with existing research but highlighted disagreement and uncertainty among the children-responsible staff about to what extent the young next-of-kin should visit and whether they should enter the ward unit or not. We identified ethical challenges for the children-responsible staff related to the principle of not inflicting harm ( nonmaleficence).

Conclusion

From the perspective of children-responsible staff, it appears that the coercive treatment of a close family member entails a need for extra support of young relatives both in relation to information and the facilitation of visits, but more systematic knowledge about these issues is needed.
Changes in Family Dynamics in Caregiving for People With Dementia in South Korea: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis Study
Authors: Oh Seieun , Yu Mi , Ryu Young Mi , Kim Haejin , Lee Haeyoung
Published: September 2019

Living with a person with dementia considerably affects the lives of both the primary caregiver and the entire family. This study aimed to synthesize the findings of qualitative studies that explored dementia caregivers’ experiences, to further understand the impact of dementia caregiving on family dynamics. Thirty-seven qualitative studies were analyzed and synthesized according to the meta-synthesis methods suggested by Sandelowski and Barroso. Four themes were identified to describe the impact of dementia caregiving on the family: cracked foundation of the family caused by dementia, voluntary or involuntary setup of a marked boundary of care, family as supportive foreground versus reluctant or interfering background, and re-established relationships within and outside the family. The findings illuminate that dementia caregiving has a destructive impact on the entire family, and therefore, it is imperative to develop interventions and infrastructures for both the caregiver and the entire family of individuals with dementia.
Covered Stenting as Bail-Out Technique for Central Venous Catheter Malposition Within the Brachiocephalic Trunk
Authors: Faraj Joseph , Choudhary Anwar , Ritter Jens C.
Published: September 2019

Central venous catheter (CVC) insertion with ultrasound guidance is routine clinical practice in the critically ill patient. Arterial malposition is serious and may lead to severe complications such as hemorrhage, stroke, or death. We describe a bail-out technique for removal of right-sided CVC that was mispositioned into the brachiocephalic trunk (BCT) at the origin of the right common carotid artery (CCA). Covered stenting of the BCT extending into the CCA in combination with plug embolization of the right subclavian artery was utilized.
Demonstrating set-based design techniques: an unmanned aerial vehicle case study
Authors: Small Colin , Parnell Gregory S , Pohl Ed , Goerger Simon R , Cilli Matthew , Specking Eric
Published: September 2019

The Engineered Resilient Systems research program seeks to improve decision making in the Analysis of Alternatives process by leveraging model-based engineering (MBE) early in the design process to develop more resilient systems. Traditional tradespace exploration using point-based design often converges quickly to an initial baseline design concept with subsequent engineering changes to modify the design. However, this process can lead to significant cost growth if the initial concept is not able to meet requirements or if the revised design is not affordable. Enabled by MBE, set-based design (SBD) considers sets of all possible design concepts and down-selects design concepts to converge to a final design using insights into design trade-off analysis, modeling and simulation, and test data. Using a notional unmanned aerial vehicle case study with low-fidelity physics-based models and an open source Excel® add-in called SIPmath©, this research implements an integrated MBE trade-off analytics framework that simultaneously generates numerous SBDs using parametric performance and cost models and evaluates the designs in the value and cost tradespace. In addition, this research explores incorporating resilience quantification and uncertainty into SBD trade-off analysis. Future research is needed to validate the use of SBD with low-fidelity models for tradespace exploration in early system design.
Adaptability of modular vehicle fleets to changing supply route characteristics
Authors: Egilmez M Mert , Park Jong Min , Bayrak Alparslan Emrah , Epureanu Bogdan I , Papalambros Panos Y
Published: September 2019

Modularity in vehicle systems can reduce total lifecycle cost and improve adaptability for ground military fleets. This paper quantifies the adaptability of vehicle fleets to changes in supply route characteristics defined by route distance, threat level, and damage probability. Each characteristic is discretized into three levels, and the adaptability analysis is performed over 27 scenarios with significantly different characteristics. Fleet adaptability is measured in terms of two fleet-level metrics, namely the total fleet mass (which is correlated to the total cost) and the personnel requirements. Results show that modularity improves adaptability in terms of total fleet mass compared with a conventional approach, while providing a comparable adaptability in terms of personnel requirements. A sensitivity analysis is also performed on module characteristics of the modular fleet. This analysis shows that changes in relatively small parts of the system can change the values of performance metrics substantially.
Detection of RAS mutations in circulating tumor DNA: a new weapon in an old war against colorectal cancer. A systematic review of literature and meta-analysis
Authors: Galvano Antonio , Taverna Simona , Badalamenti Giuseppe , Incorvaia Lorena , Castiglia Marta , Barraco Nadia , Passiglia Francesco , Fulfaro Fabio , Beretta Giordano , Duro Giovanni , Vincenzi Bruno , Tagliaferri Pierosandro , Bazan Viviana , Russo Antonio
Published: September 2019

Background:

Tissue evaluation for RAS (KRAS or NRAS) gene status in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients represent the standard of care to establish the optimal therapeutic strategy. Unfortunately, tissue biopsy is hampered by several critical limitations due to its invasiveness, difficulty to access to disease site, patient’s compliance and, more recently, neoplastic tissue spatial and temporal heterogeneity.

Methods:

The authors performed a systematic literature review to identify available trials with paired matched tissue and ctDNA RAS gene status evaluation. The authors searched EMBASE, MEDLINE, Cochrane, www.ClinicalTrials.gov , and abstracts from international meetings. In total, 19 trials comparing standard tissue RAS mutational status matched paired ctDNA evaluated through polymerase chain reaction (PCR), next generation sequencing (NGS) or beads, emulsions, amplification and magnetics (BEAMing) were identified.

Results:

The pooled sensitivity and specificity of ctDNA were 0.83 (95% CI: 0.80–0.85) and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.89–0.93) respectively. The pooled positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of the ctDNA were 0.87 (95% CI: 0.81–0.92) and 0.87 (95% CI: 0.82–0.92), respectively. Positive likelihood ratio (PLR) was 8.20 (95% CI: 5.16–13.02) and the negative likelihood ratio (NLR) was 0.22 (95% CI: 0.16–0.30). The pooled diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) was 50.86 (95% CI: 26.15–98.76), and the area under the curve (AUC) of the summary receiver operational characteristics (sROC) curve was 0.94.

Conclusion:

The authors’ meta-analysis produced a complete and updated overview of ctDNA diagnostic accuracy to test RAS mutation in mCRC. Results provide a strong rationale to include the RAS ctDNA test into randomized clinical trials to validate it prospectively.
Challenged by Immunization Compliance? Five Steps for Nurses in Urban High Schools With Multilingual Students
Authors: Boyer-Chu Lynda
Published: September 2019

Immunization compliance can require time and resources not readily available to school nurses in urban schools. Furthermore, immunizations can be perceived as lower priority at the high school level. But communicable disease outbreaks, such as the one experienced across the United States with measles, highlight the important role of school nurses in compliance activities. Using a five-step process, a school nurse was able to update one urban high school’s database to more accurately reflect student measles vaccination compliance. An initial immunization database query indicated that 12% of approximately 2,000 enrolled students lacked even one measles-containing vaccine. A search through the state immunization registry and individual student educational folders revealed that 65% of these students actually had at least one measles vaccination. Remedies under consideration by the district in addressing this discrepancy are described. The remaining students (4% of total enrollment) required the additional steps of notification and intensive follow-up with students and their families. Within 2 months, fewer than 1% of students lacked a record of measles vaccination. The five steps presented can be adapted to achieve compliance with all required vaccines.
Adult and Pediatric Lateral Lamella Cribriform Plate Height: In Need for a Comparative Study
Authors: Sakandar Gilbert , Haron Juhara , Mohamad Adam , Mohamad Irfan , Ramli Ramiza R
Published: September 2019

Surgery for sinuses has evolved with the advancement of instruments and modification in techniques. Endoscopes have expanded the surgical roles for lesions in the nose and para-nasal sinuses with reduced rate of complications and cosmetic side effects. Nevertheless sinus surgery in pediatrics patients has its own challenges. Pre-operative imaging is of paramount important especially when embarking on skull base procedures. The differences between adult and pediatric anatomy need to be further studied.
Improving Metadata Infrastructure for Complex Surveys: Insights from the Fragile Families Challenge
Authors: Kindel Alexander T. , Bansal Vineet , Catena Kristin D. , Hartshorne Thomas H. , Jaeger Kate , Koffman Dawn , McLanahan Sara , Phillips Maya , Rouhani Shiva , Vinh Ryan , Salganik Matthew J.
Published: September 2019

Researchers rely on metadata systems to prepare data for analysis. As the complexity of data sets increases and the breadth of data analysis practices grow, existing metadata systems can limit the efficiency and quality of data preparation. This article describes the redesign of a metadata system supporting the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study on the basis of the experiences of participants in the Fragile Families Challenge. The authors demonstrate how treating metadata as data (i.e., releasing comprehensive information about variables in a format amenable to both automated and manual processing) can make the task of data preparation less arduous and less error prone for all types of data analysis. The authors hope that their work will facilitate new applications of machine-learning methods to longitudinal surveys and inspire research on data preparation in the social sciences. The authors have open-sourced the tools they created so that others can use and improve them.
Black-Box Models and Sociological Explanations: Predicting High School Grade Point Average Using Neural Networks
Authors: Davidson Thomas
Published: September 2019

The Fragile Families Challenge provided an opportunity to empirically assess the applicability of black-box machine learning models to sociological questions and the extent to which interpretable explanations can be extracted from these models. In this article the author uses neural network models to predict high school grade point average and examines how variations of basic network parameters affect predictive performance. Using a recently proposed technique, the author identifies the most important predictive variables used by the best performing model, finding that they relate to parenting and the child’s cognitive and behavioral development, consistent with prior work. The author concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for the relationship between prediction and explanation in sociological analyses.
Humans in the Loop: Incorporating Expert and Crowd-Sourced Knowledge for Predictions Using Survey Data
Authors: Filippova Anna , Gilroy Connor , Kashyap Ridhi , Kirchner Antje , Morgan Allison C. , Polimis Kivan , Usmani Adaner , Wang Tong
Published: September 2019

Survey data sets are often wider than they are long. This high ratio of variables to observations raises concerns about overfitting during prediction, making informed variable selection important. Recent applications in computer science have sought to incorporate human knowledge into machine-learning methods to address these problems. The authors implement such a “human-in-the-loop” approach in the Fragile Families Challenge. The authors use surveys to elicit knowledge from experts and laypeople about the importance of different variables to different outcomes. This strategy offers the option to subset the data before prediction or to incorporate human knowledge as scores in prediction models, or both together. The authors find that human intervention is not obviously helpful. Human-informed subsetting reduces predictive performance, and considered alone, approaches incorporating scores perform marginally worse than approaches that do not. However, incorporating human knowledge may still improve predictive performance, and future research should consider new ways of doing so.
Friend Request Pending: A Comparative Assessment of Engineering- and Social Science–Inspired Approaches to Analyzing Complex Birth Cohort Survey Data
Authors: Roberts Claudia V.
Published: September 2019

The Fragile Families Challenge is a mass collaboration social science data challenge whose aim is to learn how various early childhood variables predict the long-term outcomes of children. The author describes a two-step approach to the Fragile Families Challenge. In step 1, a variety of fully automated approaches are used to predict child academic achievement. In total 124 models are fit, which involve most possible combinations of eight model types, two imputation strategies, two standardization approaches, and two automatic variable selection techniques using two different thresholds. Then, in step 2, an attempt is made to improve on the results from step 1 with manual variable selection on the basis of a detailed review of the codebooks. A total of 3,694 variables believed to be predictive of academic achievement, using a comprehensive review of student success literature to guide the decision-making process, were manually selected. The best models from step 1 were reestimated using the manually selected variables. The results show that manual variable selection improved the majority of the top 10 models in step 1 but did not improve the best of the top 10. The results indicate that variable selection inspired by social science methodologies can, in most cases, significantly improve models trained completely automatically.
Variable Selection and Parameter Tuning for BART Modeling in the Fragile Families Challenge
Authors: Carnegie Nicole Bohme , Wu James
Published: September 2019

Our goal for the Fragile Families Challenge was to develop a hands-off approach that could be applied in many settings to identify relationships that theory-based models might miss. Data processing was our first and most time-consuming task, particularly handling missing values. Our second task was to reduce the number of variables for modeling, and we compared several techniques for variable selection: least absolute selection and shrinkage operator, regression with a horseshoe prior, Bayesian generalized linear models, and Bayesian additive regression trees (BART). We found minimal differences in final performance based on the choice of variable selection method. We proceeded with BART for modeling because it requires minimal assumptions and permits great flexibility in fitting surfaces and based on previous success using BART in black-box modeling competitions. In addition, BART allows for probabilistic statements about the predictions and other inferences, which is an advantage over most machine learning algorithms. A drawback to BART, however, is that it is often difficult to identify or characterize individual predictors that have strong influences on the outcome variable.
Extreme municipal fiscal stress and austerity? A case study of fiscal reform after Chapter 9 bankruptcy
Authors: Davidson Mark
Published: September 2019

Post-recession urban restructuring in the U.S. has involved national and state governments pushing budget problems to the local level, with municipalities implementing a variety of responsive reforms. Although the term “austerity” has often been used to characterize these reforms, others have argued municipal responses to fiscal stress have been largely “pragmatic”. Disagreement therefore exists about the extent to which austerity is a post-recession tendency across U.S. urban governance. However, there is a consensus that extreme municipal fiscal stress is linked to austerity restructuring. But can cities who have experienced extreme fiscal stress avoid austerity restructuring? This paper draws on research that examined bankruptcy-related reform in the City of Vallejo, California. In 2008, Vallejo became the first municipality to file for Chapter 9 bankruptcy after the financial crisis. During and after its bankruptcy, the City has faced extreme budget problems, making it a prime candidate for austerity restructuring. However, research shows that Vallejo undertook a set of post-bankruptcy reforms—controlling labor costs, revenue raising, managing risk, participatory budgeting—that are not collectively characteristic of austerity or pragmatism. In conclusion, the paper reflects on the political and ideological factors that shaped Vallejo’s post-recession restructuring and how the City’s core fiscal problems have avoided resolution.
Cartograms, hexograms and regular grids: Minimising misrepresentation in spatial data visualisations
Authors: Langton Samuel H , Solymosi Reka
Published: September 2019

The visualisation of spatial information is a powerful tool for researchers in urban analytics seeking to convey their findings to the wider research community and the public in an accessible way. Yet, even the most well-intentioned cartographer may introduce misrepresentation by mapping irregularly shaped and sized areas. This paper explores the extent to which different methods of visualising area-based data can remedy (or exacerbate) this misrepresentation by presenting results from a crowdsourced survey. Data from the 2016 European Union referendum at Local Authority level in England are visualised using four alternative methods (balanced cartogram, hexogram, hexagonal grid, square grid) and compared to a traditional choropleth map, in terms of people’s understanding of the authors’ intended message, through a crowdsourced survey questionnaire. Results indicate that mapping out original boundaries can introduce misrepresentation, which can be mitigated by using balanced cartograms and hexograms to improve the accuracy of visualisations.
Examining Hate Speech as an Abiding Threat to Justice: The Case of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in India
Authors: Dutt Payel Rai Chowdhury
Published: September 2019

It needs to be very clearly emphasized that discrimination on the basis of caste is an age-old phenomenon; indeed so predictable a phenomenon that it often occurs implicitly. If the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes have continued to suffer under the undue burden of a stigmatized identity and abiding discrimination in present-day India despite the ponderous safety net of statutory safeguards, the onus must lie with a deliberate form of marginalization or disparagement that aims to secure the exclusion of individuals on the basis of their membership of a particular group—through hate speech. This prejudice-driven crime has gone on to determine the way the dominant social class has been and continues, consciously and unconsciously, aiding and abetting the maintenance of status quo through their private utterances. This practice of unconscious and unpunished speech occurring casually in unsuspecting familial settings perhaps stands out in its greatest potential to damage, disrupt, cause a permanent mind change and ingrain and invigorate social apartheid.
Heterosexual and sexual minority adoptive parents’ help-seeking and service satisfaction of pediatricians and mental health providers
Authors: Battalen Adeline Wyman , Goldberg Abbie E. , Brodzinsky David M. , McRoy Ruth G. , Hawkins Summer S.
Published: September 2019

The aim of our study was to examine the associations between heterosexual and sexual minority adoptive parents’ adoption-related help-seeking and their service satisfaction with pediatricians and mental health providers. We examined associations with (a) satisfaction with pediatricians and (b) understanding of adoption by a mental health provider among adoptive parents who sought advice for adoption-related issues using data drawn from the Modern Adoptive Families study ( N = 1,419). Logistic regressions were used to examine associations with service-seeking and satisfaction with professionals’ adoption advice. About half of the sample adopted a child with either special needs at placement (55%) and/or preplacement adversity (74%), which were significantly associated with seeking adoption-related advice. Consulting pediatricians about adoption was common (78%), and 83% of those parents reported being satisfied with adoption-related advice provided by their pediatrician. About half (51%) of the parents sought mental health services, but only 41% of those parents reported having access to an adoption-competent mental health provider and 50% of those parents felt their mental health provider understood adoption. Parent sexual orientation, higher income, older child age, and having a child with special needs were positively associated with satisfaction with adoption-related advice provided by the pediatrician and having a mental health provider who understood adoption. Adopting a child with special needs at placement and an older child were positive associations of seeking adoption-related help, while parent demographics, including higher household income, were positively associated with satisfaction. Results suggest an inclusive family-centered approach to care is important.
A narrative review of stability and change in the mental health of children who grow up in family-based out-of-home care
Authors: Tarren-Sweeney Michael , Goemans Anouk
Published: September 2019

The present review sought to address the following questions: What evidence is there that long-term, family-based out-of-home care (OOHC) has a general, population-wide effect on children’s mental health such that it is generally reparative or generally harmful? Does entry into long-term OOHC affect children’s mental health, as evidenced by prospective changes over the first years in care? And, is the reparative potential of long-term, family-based OOHC moderated by children’s age at entry into care? Fourteen studies were identified for review. We found no consistent evidence that family-based OOHC exerts a general, population-wide effect on the mental health of children in care; or that entry into care has an initial effect on children’s mental health; or that children’s age at entry into care moderates their subsequent mental health trajectories. Instead, several longitudinal studies have found that sizable proportions of children in care manifest meaningful improvement in their mental health over both short- and long-term time frames and that similarly sizable proportions experience meaningful deterioration in their mental health. Rather than asking whether long-term, family-based care is generally reparative or harmful for the development of previously maltreated children, future investigations should instead focus on identifying the systemic and interpersonal characteristics of care that promote and sustain children’s psychological development throughout childhood—and those characteristics that are developmentally harmful (i.e., for which children is the experience of care beneficial, and for which children is it not?). The review concludes with recommendations for the design of improved cohort studies that can address these questions.
Relevance of body weight effects for the population development of common voles and its significance in regulatory risk assessment of pesticides in the European Union
Authors: Wang Magnus , Ebeling Markus , Hahne Jörg
Published: September 2019

Background

The common vole (Microtus arvalis) is typically the wild mammal species driving regulatory pesticide risk assessment (RA) in Europe. The risk assessment endpoint for wild mammals is taken from the studies conducted mainly with rodents for the toxicological part of the dossier. Body weight effects in these studies are often driving the selection of the No Observed Adverse Effect Level (NOAEL) used for wildlife risk assessment. Thus, assessing body weight effects in voles very frequently constitutes a key scenario in the RA. Although many studies on ecology, reproductive biology, population genetics, and other aspects of common voles are available, the relevance of body weight for their survival and reproduction has not yet been specifically analysed. There is also little guidance on how to quantitatively deal with body weight effects in the regulatory risk assessment of pesticides.

Results

We evaluated the population relevance of body weight effects on voles by analysis of a dataset from a multi-annual study with repeated life-trapping and genotyping, and have correlated body weight with reproductive success, taking account of the seasonality of body weight. Body weight and growth were similar between reproducing and non-reproducing females. The number of confirmed offspring indicated no correlation with parental body weight. Reproductive success of the voles was mainly influenced by the date of birth, i.e., animals born in spring have a higher chance to reproduce. Body weight did not correlate with life span during most of the year, except for autumn. Animals weighing < 15 g in October did not survive winter.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate no detectable influence of common vole body weight on reproductive success and survival during most times of the year. The results of this study suggest that, additional to the hazard information from toxicity studies, ecological information on voles as a typical species of concern should be considered in the regulatory risk assessment of pesticides.
Carbonized metal–organic frameworks with trapped cobalt nanoparticles as biocompatible and efficient azo-dye adsorbent
Authors: Trukawka Martyna , Cendrowski Krzysztof , Peruzynska Magdalena , Augustyniak Adrian , Nawrotek Pawel , Drozdzik Marek , Mijowska Ewa
Published: September 2019

Background

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) derived carbonaceous materials functionalized with metal/metal-oxide nanoparticles are obtained by its carbonization. The carbonization of MOFs occurs simultaneously with the metal and metal-oxide particle formation. The carbon-based flake-like nanostructures with trapped metal/metal-oxide nanoparticles have been formed. Due to its non-toxicity and environmental friendliness, the capacity for pollution adsorption using model anionic dye has been revealed.

Results

The structure of the hybrid is formed as the effect of carbonization of metal–organic frameworks with cobalt as a metal counterpart (CoOF). The cobalt nanoparticles are placed between the carbon layers what limits the dissolution of cobalt nanoparticles and protects the environment from its toxicity. It is preliminary validated by means of two reference micro-organisms (Gram-negativePseudomonas aeruginosaand Gram-positiveStaphylococcus aureus) and in in vitro analysis with human cell line (A375). The efficiency of the adsorption properties of the material was tested with Acid Red 18 as a model anionic dye. The mechanism of dye adsorption was analyzed in details. In addition, various thermodynamic parameters, such as standard enthalpy, standard entropy, and standard Gibbs free energy, were tested. In addition, it was proved that the main substrate of CoOF (terephthalic acid) can be used from PET bottles, while the organic solvent used in its synthesis (N,N-dimethylformamide) was distilled and reused. The obtained carbonized CoOF revealed the same morphology and properties as pristine material.

Conclusions

The kinetic data of dye adsorption fit well with the pseudo-second-order model and Langmuir type. Acid Red 18 adsorption is more favourable at lower temperatures and lower pH. The location of the cobalt nanoparticles between the carbon flakes effectively limits their toxicity compared to the free metal nanoparticles. The CoOF can be obtained from recycled substrates, which revealed the same morphology as pristine material. Therefore, it is believed that this work highlights the practical application of carbonized CoOF as an adsorbate and provides the evidence that such nanocomposite can be applied without environmental risks.
Partitioning behavior, source identification, and risk assessment of perfluorinated compounds in an industry-influenced river
Authors: Lv Jiapei , Guo Changsheng , Liang Shuxuan , Zhang Yuan , Xu Jian
Published: September 2019

Background

The widespread application of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) makes them ubiquitously distributed in the environment. Investigation of contamination profiles, distribution, possible sources and risks of PFCs in Liaohe River, an industry-influenced river in northeast China was conducted in the present study.

Results

The total PFCs concentrations (∑PFCs) were in the range 0.38–127.88 ng/L (average value of 36.41 ng/L) in water and 1.72–10.44 ng/g dry weight (average of 4.99 ng/g) in sediment. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was the dominant individual in water and sediment phases, in the range 0.38–73.94 ng/L in water and below detection limit (BDL) to 7.88 ng/g dw in the sediments. The organic carbon normalized partition coefficients (Koc) ranged from 2.46 L/kg (PFHxA) to 4.29 L/kg (PFUnDA). The average Koc values for perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) increased by 0.13–0.62 log unit with each increasing CF2 moiety, and the Koc values were lower than perfluoroalkyl sulfonates (PFASs). The sources of PFCs identified from diagnostic ratios suggested that the contaminants were mainly from the emission of manufacturing processes and precursors degradation. Result from risk assessment indicated that the immediate health impact through intaking water was negligible, but the levels of PFOA in surface water might cause effects on aquatic ecosystem. The mass inventories of ∑PFCs and PFOA were estimated to be 328.74 t and 103.43 t in the study area, respectively, suggesting that the sediment in Liaohe River may act as a potential PFCs source to the surrounding areas.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that PFCs were widely presented in the water and sediments of Liaohe River. In general, PFCAs had higher concentrations and detection frequency than PFSAs, and PFCAs with short carbon chains had much higher detection frequencies than long-carbon chain compounds in water. Among all PFC homologues, the average Koc increased with the increased carbon chain. Koc values were higher for PFSAs than PFCAs. The risk assessment suggested that PFOA in water may exert adverse effect on the aquatic ecosystem. Liaohe River was likely acting as a PFCs source to the surrounding area.
The effect of age on DNA methylation in whole blood among Bangladeshi men and women
Authors: Jansen Rick J. , Tong Lin , Argos Maria , Jasmine Farzana , Rakibuz-Zaman Muhammad , Sarwar Golam , Islam Md. Tariqul , Shahriar Hasan , Islam Tariqul , Rahman Mahfuzar , Yunus Md. , Kibriya Muhammad G. , Baron John A. , Ahsan Habibul , Pierce Brandon L.
Published: September 2019

Background

It is well-known that methylation changes occur as humans age, however, understanding how age-related changes in DNA methylation vary by sex is lacking. In this study, we characterize the effect of age on DNA methylation in a sex-specific manner and determine if these effects vary by genomic context. We used the Illumina HumanMethylation 450 K array and DNA derived from whole blood for 400 adult participants (189 males and 211 females) from Bangladesh to identify age-associated CpG sites and regions and characterize the location of these age-associated sites with respect to CpG islands (vs. shore, shelf, or open sea) and gene regions (vs. intergenic). We conducted a genome-wide search for age-associated CpG sites (among 423,604 sites) using a reference-free approach to adjust for cell type composition (the R package RefFreeEWAS) and performed an independent replication analysis of age-associated CpGs.

Results

The number of age-associated CpGs (p < 5 x 10− 8) were 986 among men and 3479 among women of which 2027(63.8%) and 572 (64.1%) replicated (using Bonferroni adjusted p < 1.2 × 10− 5). For both sexes, age-associated CpG sites were more likely to be hyper-methylated with increasing age (compared to hypo-methylated) and were enriched in CpG islands and promoter regions compared with other locations and all CpGs on the array. Although we observed strong correlation between chronological age and previously-developed epigenetic age models (r ≈ 0.8), among our top (based on lowest p-value) age-associated CpG sites only 12 for males and 44 for females are included in these prediction models, and the median chronological age compared to predicted age was 44 vs. 51.7 in males and 45 vs. 52.1 in females.

Conclusions

Our results describe genome-wide features of age-related changes in DNA methylation. The observed associations between age and methylation were generally consistent for both sexes, although the associations tended to be stronger among women. Our population may have unique age-related methylation changes that are not captured in the established methylation-based age prediction model we used, which was developed to be non-tissue-specific.
Genome-wide effects of social status on DNA methylation in the brain of a cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni
Authors: Hilliard Austin T. , Xie Dan , Ma Zhihai , Snyder Michael P. , Fernald Russell D.
Published: September 2019

Background

Successful social behavior requires real-time integration of information about the environment, internal physiology, and past experience. The molecular substrates of this integration are poorly understood, but likely modulate neural plasticity and gene regulation. In the cichlid fish speciesAstatotilapia burtoni, male social status can shift rapidly depending on the environment, causing fast behavioral modifications and a cascade of changes in gene transcription, the brain, and the reproductive system. These changes can be permanent but are also reversible, implying the involvement of a robust but flexible mechanism that regulates plasticity based on internal and external conditions. One candidate mechanism is DNA methylation, which has been linked to social behavior in many species, includingA. burtoni. But, the extent of its effects afterA. burtonisocial change were previously unknown.

Results

We performed the first genome-wide search for DNA methylation patterns associated with social status in the brains of maleA. burtoni, identifying hundreds of Differentially Methylated genomic Regions (DMRs) in dominant versus non-dominant fish. Most DMRs were inside genes supporting neural development, synapse function, and other processes relevant to neural plasticity, and DMRs could affect gene expression in multiple ways. DMR genes were more likely to be transcription factors, have a duplicate elsewhere in the genome, have an anti-sense lncRNA, and have more splice variants than other genes. Dozens of genes had multiple DMRs that were often seemingly positioned to regulate specific splice variants.

Conclusions

Our results revealed genome-wide effects ofA. burtonisocial status on DNA methylation in the brain and strongly suggest a role for methylation in modulating plasticity across multiple biological levels. They also suggest many novel hypotheses to address in mechanistic follow-up studies, and will be a rich resource for identifying the relationships between behavioral, neural, and transcriptional plasticity in the context of social status.