bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
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

Abstract

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

AbstractIn 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

Abstract
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

AbstractWhen 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

AbstractHealth‐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

SummaryPurposeTo examine factors associated with unmet need for mental health services and links with barriers to access to care more broadly.MethodologyThe 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.FindingsOver 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).ConclusionIncluding 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

AbstractClimate 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

AbstractTriclocarban (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

AbstractIn 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

AbstractRecently, 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

AbstractAimTo evaluate the effects of quercetin to improve ischemia/reperfusion‐induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in vitro and in vivo study.MethodsThe 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.ResultsThe 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).ConclusionQuercetin 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

AbstractBackgroundLung 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 MethodsThe 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.ResultsThe 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.ConclusionThe 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

AbstractThe 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.