bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Systematic literature review of sentiment analysis on Twitter using soft computing techniques
Authors: Kumar Akshi , Jaiswal Arunima
Published: January 2019

Sentiment detection and classification is the latest fad for social analytics on Web. With the array of practical applications in healthcare, finance, media, consumer markets, and government, distilling the voice of public to gain insight to target information and reviews is non‐trivial. With a marked increase in the size, subjectivity, and diversity of social web‐data, the vagueness, uncertainty and imprecision within the information has increased manifold. Soft computing techniques have been used to handle this fuzziness in practical applications. This work is a study to understand the feasibility, scope and relevance of this alliance of using Soft computing techniques for sentiment analysis on Twitter. We present a systematic literature review to collate, explore, understand and analyze the efforts and trends in a well‐structured manner to identify research gaps defining the future prospects of this coupling. The contribution of this paper is significant because firstly the primary focus is to study and evaluate the use of soft computing techniques for sentiment analysis on Twitter and secondly as compared to the previous reviews we adopt a systematic approach to identify, gather empirical evidence, interpret results, critically analyze, and integrate the findings of all relevant high‐quality studies to address specific research questions pertaining to the defined research domain.
Novel and Versatile Cobalt Azobenzene‐Based Metal‐Organic Framework as Hydrogen Adsorbent
Authors: Montes‐Andrés Helena , Leo Pedro , Orcajo Gisela , Rodríguez‐Diéguez Antonio , Choquesillo‐Lazarte Duane , Martos Carmen , Botas Juan Ángel , Martínez Fernando , Calleja Guillermo
Published: January 2019

A novel URJC‐3 material based on cobalt and 5,5′‐(diazene‐1,2‐diyl)diisophthalate ligand, containing Lewis acid and basic sites, has been synthesized under solvothermal conditions. Compound URJC‐3, with polyhedral morphology, crystallizes in the tetragonal and P43212 space group, exhibiting a three‐dimensional structure with small channels along a and b axes. This material was fully characterized, and its hydrogen adsorption properties were estimated for a wide range of temperatures (77–298 K) and pressures (1–170 bar). The hydrogen storage capacity of URJC‐3 is quite high in relation to its moderate surface area, which is probably due to the confinement effect of hydrogen molecules inside its reduced pores of 6 Å, which is close the ionic radii of hydrogen molecules. The storage capacity of this material is not only higher than that of active carbon and purified single‐walled carbon nanotubes, but also surpasses the gravimetric hydrogen uptake of most MOF materials.
Photoswitchable Host‐Guest Systems Incorporating Hemithioindigo and Spiropyran Units
Authors: Moncelsi Giulia , Ballester Pablo
Published: January 2019

We cover selected examples of the incorporation of hemithioindigo and spiropyran units in one of the binding partners of synthetic host‐guest systems. In the simplest systems, the isomerization of the switch simply modulates the thermodynamic stability of the resulting isomeric host‐guest complexes. The presence of more than two binding partners constitute multicomponent host‐guest systems. In some of them, the isomerization of the molecular switch alters the composition of the system producing a shuttling process of one of the components between different hosts. In others, the isomerization process controls the uptake and release of some of the components from/to the bulk solution. We show that the understanding of the isomerization mechanisms of the molecular switches and the effects produced by the external stimuli are essential for the design of complex and responsive supramolecular host‐guest systems. The physicochemical properties of the hemithioindigo and spiropyran molecular photoswitches are complementary, providing different avenues to their applications in solution and material science.
Paradoxical tensions and corporate sustainability: A focus on circular economy business cases
Authors: Daddi Tiberio , Ceglia Domenico , Bianchi Guia , de Barcellos Marcia Dutra
Published: January 2019

The paradoxical tensions in corporate sustainability is hotly debated in the literature. Some authors have underlined the need for empirical works in this field, and the circular economy could help to bridge this gap. The circular economy creates contrasting challenges for companies, which lead to paradoxical tensions. On the one hand, companies pursue circular economy goals—such as the use of recycled raw materials—thus highlighting their environmental commitment. On the other hand, such usage may affect the quality and consequently the competitiveness of products. Our study investigates the acknowledgement of these tensions and the strategies adopted by companies to manage them. Using a multiple case study approach, we focus on an Italian sample of three manufacturing sectors: paper production, textile/clothing, and leather. The results show the different defensive and proactive strategies adopted by firms highlighting, in one case, a relevant opportunity exploited by a company considered in the sample. Our paper contributes to the existing knowledge on paradoxical tensions management in companies involved in corporate sustainability inviting scholars towards new research avenues focused on circular economy.
Multifunctional and Sustainable Fe‐Iminopyridine Complexes for the Synthesis of Cyclic Carbonates
Authors: Seong Eun Young , Kim Jae Hyung , Kim Nam Hee , Ahn Kwang‐Hyun , Kang Eun Joo
Published: January 2019

The use of multifunctional and sustainable Fe catalysts for the formation of cyclic carbonates from epoxides and carbon dioxide at 80 °C and 3 bar pressure is presented. The optimal catalyst possesses a halide counteranion and a hydrogen bond donor to activate the epoxide for ring opening, affording a single‐component, cocatalyst‐free catalytic system.
Insect pest control, approximate dynamic programming, and the management of the evolution of resistance
Authors: Hackett Sean C. , Bonsall Michael B.
Published: January 2019

Ecological decision problems, such as those encountered in agriculture, often require managing conflicts between short‐term costs and long‐term benefits. Dynamic programming is an ideal method for optimally solving such problems but agricultural problems are often subject to additional complexities that produce state spaces intractable to exact solutions. In contrast, look‐ahead policies, a class of approximate dynamic programming (ADP) algorithm, may attempt to solve problems of arbitrary magnitude. However, these algorithms focus on a temporally truncated caricature of the full decision problem over a defined planning horizon and as such are not guaranteed to suggest optimal actions. Thus, look‐ahead policies may offer promising means of addressing detail‐rich ecological decision problems but may not be capable of fully utilizing the information available to them, especially in scenarios where the best short‐ and long‐term solutions may differ. We constructed and applied look‐ahead policies to the management of a hypothetical, stage‐structured, continually reproducing, agricultural insect pest. The management objective was to minimize the combined costs of management actions and crop damage over a 16‐week growing season. The manager could elect to utilize insecticidal sprays or one of six release ratios of male‐selecting transgenic insects where the release ratio determines the number of transgenic insects to be released for each wild‐type male insect in the population. Complicating matters was the expression of insecticide resistance at non‐trivial frequencies in the pest population. We assessed the extent to which look‐ahead policies were able to recognize the potential threat of insecticide resistance and successfully integrate insecticides and transgenic releases to capitalize upon their respective benefits. Look‐ahead policies were competent at anticipating and responding to ecological and economic information. Policies with longer planning horizons made fewer, better‐timed insecticidal sprays and made more frequent transgenic releases, which consequently facilitated lower resistance allele frequencies. However, look‐ahead policies were ultimately inefficient resistance managers, and directly responded to resistance only when it was dominant and prevalent. Effective long‐term agricultural management requires the capacity to anticipate and respond to the evolution of resistance. Look‐ahead policies can accommodate all the information pertinent to making the best long‐term decision but may lack the perspective to actually do so.
Consumer trophic positions respond variably to seasonally fluctuating environments
Authors: McMeans Bailey C. , Kadoya Taku , Pool Thomas K. , Holtgrieve Gordon W. , Lek Sovan , Kong Heng , Winemiller Kirk , Elliott Vittoria , Rooney Neil , Laffaille Pascal , McCann Kevin S.
Published: January 2019

The effects of environmental seasonality on food web structure have been notoriously understudied in empirical ecology. Here, we focus on seasonal changes in one key attribute of a food web, consumer trophic position. We ask whether fishes inhabiting tropical river–floodplain ecosystems behave as seasonal omnivores, by shifting their trophic positions in relation to the annual flood pulse, or whether they feed at the same trophic position all year, as much empirical work implicitly assumes. Using dietary data from the Tonle Sap Lake, Cambodia, and a literature review, we find evidence that some fishes, especially small piscivores, increased consumption of invertebrates and/or plant material during the wet season, as predicted. However, nitrogen stable isotope (δ15N) data for 26 Tonle Sap fishes, spanning a broader range of functional groups, uncovered high variation in seasonal trophic position responses among species (0 to ±0.52 trophic positions). Based on these findings, species respond to the flood pulse differently. Diverse behavioral responses to seasonality, underpinned by spatiotemporal variation at multiple scales, could be central for rerouting matter and energy flow in these dynamic ecosystems. Seasonally flexible foraging behaviors warrant further study given their potential influence on food web dynamics in a range of fluctuating environments.
Key colonist pools and habitat filters mediate the composition of fiddler crab–associated bacterial communities
Authors: Cuellar‐Gempeler Catalina , Leibold Mathew A.
Published: January 2019

Abstract

The diversity and composition of local communities depends strongly on the pool of species that have been able to colonize that community from elsewhere. Typically this is thought to depend on a larger regional species pool that is subject to local environmental constraints that act as “filters.” Often, however, colonists arrive from multiple sources that differ in habitat conditions and have therefore already experienced distinct “prefiltering.” Consequently, it is the interaction of species from these distinct pools that determine the composition of local communities. This interaction is particularly important when certain colonist pools provide keystone species with disproportionate roles on community assembly. We propose to identify these key colonist pools and their interaction with local habitat filters by quantifying community‐level responses to colonist pool manipulation. We tested this framework to assess the contribution of surface and burrow sediment bacteria to bacterial communities associated with the fiddler crab, Uca panacea. In a mesocosm experiment, we combined normal and autoclaved surface and burrow sediment in a factorial experimental design, and we evaluated the community‐level responses of carapace and gut microbial assemblages to sediment treatments with next‐generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Results from carapace bacterial communities indicate that burrow sediments contribute most recruits, but surface sediments provide a few key colonizers that become established in the carapace community. In contrast, the composition of gut‐associated microbial communities responded only to surface bacteria manipulation, despite being highly dissimilar from the community composition in both the surface and burrow source pools. These results suggest that assembly in the gut depends primarily on colonization from the surface sediment and regulation by habitat filtering. For fiddler crab–associated bacteria, we can conclude that key colonist pools and habitat filters regulate the influence of multiple colonist pools. Incorporating and distinguishing the contribution of multiple sources of species, rather than a single regional species pool, may better explain community dynamics in many systems, especially those with weak habitat filters.
Prediction of incident heart failure by serum amino‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide level in a community‐based cohort
Authors: Campbell Duncan J. , Gong Fei Fei , Jelinek Michael V. , Castro Julian M. , Coller Jennifer M. , McGrady Michele , Boffa Umberto , Shiel Louise , Wang Bing H. , Liew Danny , Wolfe Rory , Stewart Simon , Owen Alice J. , Krum Henry , Reid Christopher M. , Prior David L.
Published: January 2019

Aims

We investigated which serum amino‐terminal pro‐B‐type‐natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) levels inform heart failure (HF) risk in a community‐based population at increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk.

Methods and results

Inclusion criteria were age ≥ 60 years with one or more of self‐reported hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, abnormal heart rhythm, cerebrovascular disease, or renal impairment. Exclusion criteria were known HF, ejection fraction (EF) < 50%, or more than mild valve abnormality. NT‐proBNP levels were measured in 3842 participants on enrolment. HF was diagnosed in 162 participants at a median of 4.5 (interquartile range 2.7–5.4) years after enrolment, 73 with HF with preserved EF (HFpEF), 53 with HF with reduced EF (HFrEF), and 36 with valvular HF (VHF). Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for 5‐year prediction of total HF were similar for NT‐proBNP alone (0.79, 95% confidence interval 0.74–0.83) and a 7‐parameter multivariable model (0.82, 0.77–0.86, P = 0.035). NT‐proBNP cut‐points of 11, 16, and 25 pmol/L for individuals aged 60–69, 70–79, and ≥ 80 years, respectively, achieved sensitivities > 76% and specificities of 47–69% for 5‐year prediction of total HF in men and women in all three age groups. Sensitivities were ≥ 75% in most subgroups according to body mass index, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and the presence or absence of atrial fibrillation, pacemaker, or CVD, and for the prediction of HFpEF, HFrEF and VHF.

Conclusion

Age‐specific serum NT‐proBNP levels inform prognosis, and hence therapeutic decisions, regarding HF risk in individuals at increased CVD risk.
Transalpinecine and Analogues: First Total Synthesis, Stereochemical Revision and Biological Evaluation
Authors: Dehoux Cécile , Castellan Tessa , Enel Morgane , André‐Barrès Christiane , Mirval Sandra , Becq Frédéric , Ballereau Stéphanie , Génisson Yves
Published: January 2019

The first total synthesis of transalpinecine, a pyrrolizidine alkaloid extracted from Heliotropium transalpinum is reported. The concise synthetic route developed towards these unusual iminosugar‐like natural compounds relies on an intramolecular Morita–Baylis–Hillman reaction. The four diastereoisomers of transalpinecine, as well as the two diastereoisomers of the parent epoxide subulacine, were prepared. 1H NMR‐based stereochemical assignment of these different diastereoisomers was substantiated by quantum calculations of NMR shifts and coupling constants, allowing revision of the initially reported transalpinecine structure. One of these synthetic compounds significantly potentiates the activity of the F508del‐CFTR corrector VX‐809.
Modeling Equilibrium Systems of Amine‐Based CO2 Capture by Implementing Machine Learning Approaches
Authors: Ghiasi Mohammad M. , Abedi‐Farizhendi Saeid , Mohammadi Amir H.
Published: January 2019

Precise calculation of carbon dioxide equilibrium solubility in aqueous amine solutions is decisive in the success of establishment or maintenance of amine‐based absorptive carbon dioxide capture processes. To implement the AdaBoost algorithm in conjunction with the classification and regression tree (AdaBoost‐CART) aimed at developing models to accurately estimate the equilibrium absorption of carbon dioxide in ethanolamine solutions, experimental data for monoethanolamine (MEA), diethanolamine (DEA), and triethanolamine (TEA) systems were gathered from the literature. Furthermore, neural‐based models were developed using the collected databank as the basis of comparison. The results of the presented models were compared to the results of the available models in the literature. It was found that the proposed AdaBoost‐CART models for the investigated amine systems present more precise and reliable outputs compared to the results of the neural‐based and literature models. In a respective order, the introduced AdaBoost‐CART models for MEA, DEA, and TEA solutions show average absolute relative deviation percent of 0.51, 2.76, and 1.41 which indicate their reliability and superiority over other models. © 2019 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 38:e13146, 2019
Application of HVSR to estimating thickness of laterite weathering profiles in basalt
Authors: Nelson Stephen , McBride John
Published: January 2019

Lateritic weathering profiles (LWPs) are widespread in the tropics and comprise an important component of the Critical Zone (CZ). The Hawaiian Islands make an excellent natural laboratory for examining the tropical CZ, where the bedrock composition (basalt) is nearly uniform and rainfall varies greatly. This natural laboratory is employed to assess the utility of the HVSR (horizontal/vertical spectral ratio) method to characterize the shear‐wave velocity (Vs) structure of LWPs, particularly the depth to the contact between saprolite and basalt bedrock.

LWP thicknesses determined from HVSR provide good agreement with multi‐channel analysis of surface waves (MASW) profiles, well logs and outcrop. LWP thicknesses may be estimated from the fundamental mode equation or through forward models. Prior knowledge about the subsurface from well, outcrop, and MASW profiles may greatly aid modeling in some cases. For the 3.2 to 1.8 Ma Koolau Volcano on Oahu, the downward rate of advance of the weathering front varies from 0.004 to 0.041 m/ka. For the 0.44 to 0.10 Ma Kohala Volcano (Big Island of Hawaii) rates vary from 0.013 to 0.047 m/ka.

Simple H/V spectra develop in areas where the combined effects of time and elevated rainfall produce thick LWPs with a flat base and a general absence of core stones with an ideal layered geometry. Abundant buried core stones violate the assumption of simple layered geometries and scatter acoustic energy, leading to uninterpretable results. This is common where low rainfall and a young basaltic substrate leave abundant core stones as well as an undulating contact between saprolite and bedrock. Velocity inversions (high Vs intervals within low Vs saprolite) may also be present and originate from relatively intact bedrock horizons or mineralogical changes within saprolite. At Kohala, a gibbsite‐rich horizon produces such a velocity inversion due to enhanced weathering and subsequent collapse of saprolite in a discrete horizon. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Different organophosphate flame retardant and metabolite concentrations in urine from male and female university students in Beijing and an assessment of exposure via indoor dust
Authors: Li Junqi , Dong Zheng , Wang Ying , Bao Junsong , Yan Yijun , Jin Jun
Published: January 2019

Organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) have been found in human samples and associated with adverse health effects. In the present study, OPFR and dialkyl and diaryl phosphate (DAP) concentrations in human urine were determined and differences in the concentrations in urine from males and females were investigated. Urine samples from 22 male and 26 female university students, paired dust samples from the dormitories (13 each for males and females), and 10 dust samples from university teaching buildings were analyzed. The tri-o-cresyl phosphate (TOCP), tri-p-cresyl phosphate (TPCP), and tris(2-chloroisopropyl)phosphate (TCIPP) concentrations were significantly higher (p = 0.049, 0.023, and 0.027, respectively) in urine from the female students than in urine from the male students. Similar differences were found between males and females in terms of OPFR exposure and OPFR concentrations in urine for three-fourths of the OPFRs. Questionnaire answers and calculations indicated that disparities in OPFR concentrations in urine were mainly caused by females spending much more time than males in dormitories. Organophosphate flame retardants may pose degrees of health risk similar to those of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and this must be considered when making decisions about controlling flame retardants. We are not aware of any previous studies that simultaneously monitor OPFRs and DAPs in human urine in China. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:760–768. © 2019 SETAC

Abstract

OPFR and metabolite concentrations in urine from university students and its association with indoor dust.
Bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by arctic and temperate benthic species
Authors: Szczybelski Ariadna S. , Diepens Noël J. , van den Heuvel-Greve Martine J. , van den Brink Nico W. , Koelmans Albert A.
Published: January 2019

Increasing oil and gas activities may substantially increase chemical stress to benthic ecosystems in the Arctic, and it is necessary to evaluate such environmental risks in these systems. Risk assessment procedures for oil-related compounds (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAHs]) should address differences in exposure between Arctic and temperate benthos. We compare for the first time the bioaccumulation of PAHs by Arctic benthic invertebrate species with that of temperate species, based on their biota–sediment accumulation factors (BSAFs). Measured PAH BSAFs were generally higher in temperate bivalves (Limecola balthica) than in Arctic bivalves (Macoma calcarea), whereas BSAFs in Arctic polychaetes (Nephtys ciliata) were higher than in temperate polychaetes (Alitta virens). Differences in measured BSAFs were explained by species-specific feeding modes and traits. However, modeled BSAFs revealed that steady state was not likely to be reached in the 28-d tests for all PAHs and organisms. Due to the low numbers of individuals, most species-specific parameters were too uncertain to reveal differences between Arctic and temperate species. The results of the present study suggest that data from temperate species could be used as a surrogate for Arctic species in risk assessment. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:883–895. © 2019 The Authors. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.
Measuring large‐scale market responses and forecasting aggregated sales: Regression for sparse high‐dimensional data
Authors: Terui Nobuhiko , Li Yinxing
Published: January 2019

In this article, we propose a regression model for sparse high‐dimensional data from aggregated store‐level sales data. The modeling procedure includes two sub‐models of topic model and hierarchical factor regressions. These are applied in sequence to accommodate high dimensionality and sparseness and facilitate managerial interpretation.

First, the topic model is applied to aggregated data to decompose the daily aggregated sales volume of a product into sub‐sales for several topics by allocating each unit sale (“word” in text analysis) in a day (“document”) into a topic based on joint‐purchase information. This stage reduces the dimensionality of data inside topics because the topic distribution is nonuniform and product sales are mostly allocated into smaller numbers of topics. Next, the market response regression model for the topic is estimated from information about items in the same topic. The hierarchical factor regression model we introduce, based on canonical correlation analysis for original high‐dimensional sample spaces, further reduces the dimensionality within topics. Feature selection is then performed on the basis of the credible interval of the parameters' posterior density.

Empirical results show that (i) our model allows managerial implications from topic‐wise market responses according to the particular context, and (ii) it performs better than do conventional category regressions in both in‐sample and out‐of‐sample forecasts.
Headwater Streams and Wetlands are Critical for Sustaining Fish, Fisheries, and Ecosystem Services
Authors: Colvin Susan A R , Sullivan S Mažeika P , Shirey Patrick D , Colvin Randall W , Winemiller Kirk O , Hughes Robert M , Fausch Kurt D , Infante Dana M , Olden Julian D , Bestgen Kevin R , Danehy Robert J , Eby Lisa
Published: January 2019

Headwater streams and wetlands are integral components of watersheds that are critical for biodiversity, fisheries, ecosystem functions, natural resource-based economies, and human society and culture. These and other ecosystem services provided by intact and clean headwater streams and wetlands are critical for a sustainable future. Loss of legal protections for these vulnerable ecosystems would create a cascade of consequences, including reduced water quality, impaired ecosystem functioning, and loss of fish habitat for commercial and recreational fish species. Many fish species currently listed as threatened or endangered would face increased risks, and other taxa would become more vulnerable. In most regions of the USA, increased pollution and other impacts to headwaters would have negative economic consequences. Headwaters and the fishes they sustain have major cultural importance for many segments of U.S. society. Native peoples, in particular, have intimate relationships with fish and the streams that support them. Headwaters ecosystems and the natural, socio-cultural, and economic services they provide are already severely threatened, and would face even more loss under the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule recently proposed by the Trump administration.
Spinning convincing stories for both true and false association signals
Authors: Biedrzycki Richard J. , Sier Ashley E. , Liu Dongjing , Dreikorn Erika N. , Weeks Daniel E.
Published: January 2019

When interpreting genome‐wide association peaks, it is common to annotate each peak by searching for genes with plausible relationships to the trait. However, “all that glitters is not gold”—one might interpret apparent patterns in the data as plausible even when the peak is a false positive. Accordingly, we sought to see how human annotators interpreted association results containing a mixture of peaks from both the original trait and a genetically uncorrelated “synthetic” trait. Two of us prepared a mix of original and synthetic peaks of three significance categories from five different scans along with relevant literature search results and then we all annotated these regions. Three annotators also scored the strength of evidence connecting each peak to the scanned trait and the likelihood of further studying that region. While annotators found original peaks to have stronger evidence (p
Bonferroni = 0.017) and higher likelihood of further study (
p
Bonferroni = 0.006) than synthetic peaks, annotators often made convincing connections between the synthetic peaks and the original trait, finding these connections 55% of the time. These results show that it is not difficult for annotators to make convincing connections between synthetic association signals and genes found in those regions.
Can productivity growth measures identify best performing hospitals? Evidence from the English National Health Service
Authors: Aragón Aragón María José , Castelli Adriana , Chalkley Martin , Gaughan James
Published: January 2019

Health‐care systems around the world face limited financial resources, and England is no exception. The ability of the health‐care system in England to operate within its financial resources depends in part on continually increasing its productivity. One means of achieving this is to identify and disseminate throughout the system the most efficient processes. We examine the annual productivity growth achieved by 151 hospitals over five financial years, using the same methods developed to measure productivity of the National Health Service as a whole. We consider whether there are hospitals that consistently achieve higher than average productivity growth. These could act as examples of good practice for others to follow and provide a means of increasing system performance. We find that the productivity growth of some hospitals over the whole period exhibits better than average performance, but there is little or no evidence of consistency in the performance of these hospitals over adjacent years. Even the best performers exhibit periods of very poor performance and vice versa. We therefore conclude that accepted methods of measuring productivity growth for the health system as a whole do not appear suitable for identifying good performance at the hospital level.
Who experiences unmet need for mental health services and what other barriers to accessing health care do they face? Findings from Australia and Canada
Authors: Corscadden Lisa , Callander Emily J. , Topp Stephanie M.
Published: January 2019

Purpose

To examine factors associated with unmet need for mental health services and links with barriers to access to care more broadly.

Methodology

The Commonwealth Fund International Health Policy Surveys from 2013 and 2016 were used to explore factors associated with unmet need for adults who experienced emotional distress for 1320 respondents in Australia and 2284 in Canada.

Findings

Over one in five adults in Australia (21%) and in Canada (25%) experienced emotional distress, just over half said they received professional help (51% in Australia, 59% in Canada). The majority of those who did not get help indicated did not want to see a professional (37% in Australia, 30% in Canada). For those who did seek help, the factors associated with not receiving care included lower income, higher out‐of‐pocket health care costs, and poorer health. When compared with people with met needs, those with unmet needs for mental health services were more likely to also experience affordability, medication, and trust‐related access barriers (AOR range 2.41 to 7.49 for the two countries, P < 0.01).

Conclusion

Including unmet needs for mental health services as part of regular reporting on access to care may bring attention to access barriers for people with mental health conditions.
Assessing the potential of drone‐based thermal infrared imagery for quantifying river temperature heterogeneity
Authors: Dugdale Stephen J. , Kelleher Christa A. , Malcolm Iain A. , Caldwell Samuel , Hannah David M.
Published: January 2019

Climate change is altering river temperature regimes, modifying the dynamics of temperature‐sensitive fishes. The ability to map river temperature is therefore important for understanding the impacts of future warming. Thermal infrared (TIR) remote sensing has proven effective for river temperature mapping, but TIR surveys of rivers remain expensive. Recent drone‐based TIR systems present a potential solution to this problem. However, information regarding the utility of these miniaturised systems for surveying rivers is limited. Here, we present the results of several drone‐based TIR surveys conducted with a view to understanding their suitability for characterising river temperature heterogeneity. We find that drone‐based TIR data are able to clearly reveal the location and extent of discrete thermal inputs to rivers, but thermal imagery suffers from temperature drift‐induced bias, which prevents the extraction of accurate temperature data. Statistical analysis of the causes of this drift reveals that drone flight characteristics and environmental conditions at the time of acquisition explain ~66% of the variance in TIR sensor drift. These results shed important light on the factors influencing drone‐based TIR data quality and suggest that further technological development is required to enable the extraction of robust river temperature data. Nonetheless, this technology represents a promising approach for augmenting in situ sensor capabilities and improved quantification of advective inputs to rivers at intermediate spatial scales between point measurements and “conventional” airborne or satellite remote sensing.
Developmental toxicity of triclocarban in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos
Authors: Shi Qimeng , Zhuang Yuhang , Hu Tingting , Lu Chuncheng , Wang Xinru , Huang Hongyu , Du Guizhen
Published: January 2019

Triclocarban (TCC), which is used as an antimicrobial agent in personal care products, has been widely detected in aquatic ecosystems. However, the consequence of TCC exposure on embryo development is still elusive. Here, by using zebrafish embryos, we aimed to understand the developmental defects caused by TCC exposure. After exposure to 0.3, 30, and 300 μg/L TCC from 4‐hour postfertilization (hpf) to 120 hpf, we observed that TCC exposure significantly increased the mortality and malformation, delayed hatching, and reduced body length. Exposure to TCC also affected the heart rate and expressions of cardiac development–related genes in zebrafish embryos. In addition, TCC exposure altered the expressions of the genes involved in hormonal pathways, indicating its endocrine disrupting effects. In sum, our data highlight the impact of TCC on embryo development and its interference with the hormone system of zebrafish.
Protective effect of atorvastatin on oxidative stress in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rats independently their lipid‐lowering effects
Authors: Aktay Göknur , Gürsoy Şule Öner , Uyumlu Umut , Ünüvar Songül , İlhan Nevin
Published: January 2019

In the present study, we investigate the effects of atorvastatin on the lipid profile, oxidative stress, and liver enzyme markers, and its protective activity against diabetic complications, in streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetic rats. Fasting blood glucose (FBG), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, as well as alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) enzyme activities, were measured 7 weeks after the administration of STZ and atorvastatin. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), non‐protein associated sulfhydryl (NP‐SH), total sulfhydryl (T‐SH), and nitric oxide (NO) levels were measured to evaluate oxidative stress. Atorvastatin was found to inhibit ALT and AST activities and to reduce FBG levels in rats with STZ‐induced diabetes. Moreover, atorvastatin treatment significantly reduced lipid peroxidation in kidney, heart, and eye tissues (P < 0.001, for all), and resulted in a significant increase in NP‐SH levels in brain tissues (P < 0.001). Total NO and nitrate levels increased significantly after atorvastatin treatment (P < 0.01). Our results revealed that atorvastatin has a protective effect against STZ‐induced oxidative damage by reducing TBARS levels and increasing NP‐SH levels, has a hepatoprotective effect by decreasing ALT and AST activities. It also shows the antihyperglycemic activity by lowering FBG levels.
The Lbc gene promotes differentiation of chicken embryo stem cell into spermatogonial stem cells via the regulation of transcriptional factor Hoxa5
Authors: Jin Jing , Zhao Ruifeng , Chen Chen , Zhou Jing , Lu Zhenyu , Jin Kai , Zhang Chen , Wang Man , Sun Changhua , Wang Yingjie , Zhang Wenhui , Li Tingting , Zuo Qisheng , Zhang Yani , Chen Guohong , Li Bichun
Published: January 2019

Recently, the surface marker genes of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) were increasingly excavated and verified. However, few studies focused on the key genes involved in the regulation of SSCs differentiation. Our laboratory has screened the Lbc gene (GenBank accession number: XM_429585.3), which is specifically expressed on the SSCs. The aim of this study is to investigate the function of Lbc and its regulatory mechanism for SSCs. The indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) showed that Lbc was located in both nucleus and cytoplasm. Lbc was also overexpressed and knocked out both in vitro and in vivo to verify its function in SSCs, respectively. As a result, the overexpressed Lbc could promote the formation of spermatogonial stem cells like cells (SSCs‐like), while the deficiency of Lbc blocked the formation of SSCs‐like. We also identified the core region of Lbc promoter that located into the upstream of the transcription initiation site −247 to −2bp. Moreover, the activity of Lbc promoter could be increased by histone acetylation which is leading to the higher expression of Lbc. When we mutated the transcription factor HOXA5 and SOX10 that bound to the core region of Lbc promoter, HOXA5 could reduce the transcription activity of Lbc whereas the SOX10 was not. Currently, we found Lbc is a new specific marker of SSCs. This gene can be modified by histone acetylated and promote the formation of chicken SSCs via the transcription factor HOXA5. The present research will lay the foundation for further study on the regulatory mechanism of SSCs.
RETRACTED: Quercetin improve ischemia/reperfusion‐induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in vitro and in vivo study via SIRT1/PGC‐1α signaling
Authors: Tang Jiayou , Lu Linhe , Liu Yang , Ma Jipeng , Yang Lifang , Li Lanlan , Guo Hong , Yu Shiqiang , Ren Jun , Bai Heping , Yang Jian
Published: January 2019

Aim

To evaluate the effects of quercetin to improve ischemia/reperfusion‐induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in vitro and in vivo study.

Methods

The cells were divided into five groups: model control (MC) group was ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) model group; DL group was treated with 25 mL/L quercetin based on MC group; DM group was treated with 50 ml/L quercetin based on MC group; DH group was treated with 100 mL/L quercetin based on MC group; Meto group was treated with metoprolol based on MC group. In the in vivo study, the rats were divided into five groups: MC group was I/R model group; DL group was treated with 25 mg/kg quercetin; DM group was treated with 50 mg/kg quercetin; DM group was treated with 100 mg/kg quercetin; Meto group was treated with Meto as positive drug.

Results

The cell apoptosis rates of quercetin treated groups (DL, DM, and DH groups) were significantly suppressed compared with the MC group. The silent information regulatory factor 1 (SIRT1), peroxisome proliferators‐activated receptor‐γ coactivator‐1α (PGC‐1α), and Bcl‐2 proteins expression of quercetin treated were significantly upregulation compared with MC group (P < 0.05, respectively), and Bax protein expression of quercetin treated group was significantly downregulation compared with MC group (
P < 0.05, respectively). In the vivo study, the myocardial pathological morphology of quercetin treated groups was improved. The cell apoptosis number of quercetin treated group were significantly suppressed compared with MC group by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling assay (
P < 0.05, respectively). SIRT1, PGC‐1a, Bcl‐2, and Bax proteins expressions of quercetin treated groups were significant differences compared with MC group in myocardial tissue (
P < 0.05, respectively).

Conclusion

Quercetin had improved the myocardial ischemia/reperfusion‐induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis via SIRT1/PGC‐1α signaling.
Targeting the KRAS, p38α, and NF‐κB in lung adenocarcinoma cancer cells: The effect of combining RNA interferences with a chemical inhibitor
Authors: Zarredar Habib , Pashapour Shadi , Farajnia Safar , Ansarin Khalil , Baradaran Behzad , Ahmadzadeh Vahideh , Safari Fatemeh
Published: January 2019

Background

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer‐related death with less than 5‐year survival rate for both men and women worldwide. KRAS (Kirsten rat sarcoma), nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB), and mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathways have a critical role in the proliferation and progression of various cancers, including lung cancer. The p38 MAPK plays a different role in various tissue hence show a tissue‐dependent behavior. It acts as an oncogene in some tissues while plays as a tumor suppressor in some other tissues. Also, KRAS and NF‐κB act as an oncogene in various cancer. This study was dedicated to analyzing the combined effect of NF‐κB inhibitor, specific KRAS, and p38α small interfering RNA (siRNA) in A549 cell line.

Materials and Methods

The cytotoxic effects of p38α siRNA, KRAS siRNA, and NF‐κB inhibitor were determined using the 3‐(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Relative p38α, KRAS, and NF‐κB messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were measured by quantitative reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction. Induction of apoptosis by treatments was measured by fluorescence‐activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis.

Results

The expression of mRNA related to p38α and KRAS genes was reduced to 23.4% and 26.7%, respectively, after treatment with specific siRNAs. Also, MTT assay showed that the cell viability after treatment with p38α siRNA, KRAS siRNA, NF‐κB inhibitor and their combination was reduced. FACS results indicated that p38α siRNA, KRAS siRNA, and NF‐κB inhibitor, and their combination, reduced the population of live cells in comparison with the population of untreated control cells (99.5%). The results are expressed as mean ± SD (n = 3); *P < 0.05; **
P < 0.01; ***
P < 0.001; ****
P < 0.0001 vs control group.

Conclusion

The results of this study indicated that p38α, KRAS, and NF‐κB signaling pathways might play an important role in the development and growth of lung cancer and might be a potential therapeutic target for treatment of lung cancer.
A novel long noncoding RNA AK016739 inhibits osteoblast differentiation and bone formation
Authors: Yin Chong , Tian Ye , Yu Yang , Wang Haoyu , Wu Zhixiang , Huang Zizhan , Zhang Yan , Li Dijie , Yang Chaofei , Wang Xue , Li Yu , Qian Airong
Published: January 2019

The incidence of postmenopausal osteoporosis research 50% in middle‐aged and older women, however, effects of existing therapy are not ideal. Emerging evidence have proved that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) was correlated with multiple physiological and pathology processes including development, carcinogenesis, and osteogenesis. However, reports on lncRNAs regulating bone formation were relatively limited. In this study, we screened osteogenic lncRNAs through mRNA/lncRNA microarray combined with gene coexpression analysis. The biological function of the screened lncRNA was assessed both in vitro and in vivo. The effects of the lncRNA on osteogenic transcription factors were also evaluated. We identified AK016739, which was correlated with osteogenic differentiation and enriched in skeletal tissues of mice. The expression levels of AK016739 in bone‐derived mesenchymal stem cells were increased with age and negatively correlated with osteogenic differentiation marker genes. Experiments showed that AK016739 inhibited osteoblast differentiation, and in vivo inhibition of AK016739 by its small interfering RNA would rescue bone formation in ovariectomized osteoporosis mice model. In addition, AK016739 suppressed both expression levels and activities of osteogenic transcription factors. This newly identified lncRNA AK016739 has revealed a new mechanism of osteogenic differentiation and provided new targets for treatment of skeletal disorders.
LncRNA XIST facilitates proliferation and epithelial–mesenchymal transition of colorectal cancer cells through targeting miR‐486‐5p and promoting neuropilin‐2
Authors: Liu Aihua , Liu Lihua , Lu Hang
Published: January 2019

This study was designed to acertain whether the long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) X‐inactive specific transcript (XIST)/miR‐486‐5p/neuropilin‐2 (NRP‐2) pathway might promote the viability and epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells. In this investigation, we included 317 pathologically confirmed CRC patients and purchased several human CRC cells (i.e. HCT116, HT29, SW620, and SW480). Moreover, pcDNA3.1‐XIST, si‐XIST, miR‐486‐5p mimic, miR‐486‐5p inhibitor, and pcDNA3.1‐NRP‐2 were transfected into the CRC cells. And the dual‐luciferase reporter gene assay managed to verify the targeted relationships among XIST, miR‐486‐5p, and NRP‐2. Ultimately, the MTT assay, flow cytometry, colony formation assay, and transwell assay were carried out to assess the influence of XIST, miR‐486‐5p, and NRP‐2 on the proliferation, apoptosis, migration, and invasion of CRC cells. Our study results demonstrated that CRC tissues and cells were detected with significantly elevated XIST and NRP‐2 expressions as well as markedly reduced miR‐486‐5p expression when compared with normal tissues and cells (all
p < 0.05). Besides this, the highly expressed XIST and NRP‐2, as well as the lowly expressed miR‐486‐5p all could substantially encourage proliferation and EMT of CRC cells and simultaneously restrict apoptosis of the cells (
p < 0.05). Moreover, XIST was found to directly target miR‐486‐5p, and NRP‐2 was directly targeted and modulated by miR‐486‐5p. Finally, CRC cells of the miR‐NC + pcDNA3.1‐NRP‐2 groups showed stronger proliferation, viability, and EMT than those of miR‐NC and miR‐486‐5p mimic groups (
p < 0.05). In conclusion, the XIST/miR‐486
‐5p/NRP‐2 axis appeared to participate in the progression of CRC, which could assist in developing efficacious therapies for CRC.
Strong binding active constituents of phytochemical to BMPR1A promote bone regeneration: In vitro, in silico docking, and in vivo studies
Authors: Rasoulian Bita , Almasi Amin , Hoveizi Elham , Bagher Zohre , Hayat Parisa , Joghataei Mohammad Taghi , Rezayat Seyed Mahdi , Tavakol Shima
Published: January 2019

Two of the most problematic orthopedic and neurosurgeon visits are associated with spine and craniofacial fractures. Therefore, more attention needs to be paid to finding a medicine to repair these fractures. Amongst the most mysterious herbs, Aloe vera stands out. In the present study, the ameliorating function of
A. vera on osteogenesis was studied in vitro and in vivo. Osteoblast‐like cells were exposed to
A. vera, followed by analysis of cell viability, lactate dehydrogenase release, and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The results showed an enhanced cell biocompatibility in a dose‐dependent manner due to attenuated intracellular ROS production. Furthermore, a docking study indicated that the strong affinity of
A. vera constituents to type I bone morphogenic protein receptor (BMPR1A) without the involvement of the BMPR1A chain B. The induction of osteogenesis prompts extracellular calcium deposition by osteoblasts, which affirms successful in vitro bone regeneration. However, injection of
A. vera in rats with critical size calvarial defects induced Runx2, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), OCN, and BMP2 genes overexpression, which led to the formation of victorious bone with enhanced bone density and ALP activity. It is worthy to note that Aloin has the highest affinity to BMPR1A, whereas there are no reports regarding the impact of Aloenin, Aloesin, and γ‐sitosterol on osteogenesis. Furthermore, some of them have antitumor potency, and it might be proposed that they are considered as a bone substitute in the osteotomy site of osteosarcoma with the aim of bone recovery and suppression of osteosarcoma. The whole consequences of this investigation manifests the plausibility of using
A. vera as an antioxidant and osteoconductive substitute.