bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Genetic and Phenotypic Diversity of the Sunflower Collection of the Pustovoit All-Russia Research Institute of Oil Crops (VNIIMK)
Authors: Goryunova S.V. , Goryunov D.V. , Chernova A.I. , Martynova E.U. , Dmitriev A.E. , Boldyrev S.V. , Ayupova A.F. , Mazin P.V. , Gurchenko E.A. , Pavlova A.S. , Petrova D.A. , Chebanova Y.V. , Gorlova L.A. , Garkusha S.V. , Mukhina Z.M. , Savenko E.G. , Demurin Y.N. 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
Publicly supported collections of cultivated germplasm are one of the key sources of new genes for crop improvement. VNIIMK is the leading organization in oil and essential oil crop breeding and seed growing in the Russian Federation with more than a century-long history. Sunflower varieties created by V.S. Pustovoit at VNIIMK became the basis for the development of the modern sunflower varieties worldwide. In the present study, 186 sunflower lines from the VNIIMK collection were characterized based on their genotype and general morphological and phenological economically-important traits. Additionally, for 99 sunflower lines fatty acid content, seed oil content, seed husk content, 100-seed weight, and seed number in the head were determined. Sequencing of RAD-libraries and the subsequent analysis have identified 65,553 variants including SNPs and indels. LD analysis revealed substantial variability across the genome. The longest LD blocks (>5,000 Kb) were found in the linkage groups 1, 5, and 17. The analysis revealed significant genetic and phenotypic diversity of the VNIIMK sunflower collection. Novel significant associations with linolenic acid content in the seeds were found on LGs 8, 9, and 17.
Thermally modified (TM) beech wood: compression properties, fracture toughness and cohesive law in mode II obtained from the three-point end-notched flexure (3ENF) test
Authors: Sebera Václav , Redón-Santafé Miguel , Brabec Martin , Děcký David , Čermák Petr , Tippner Jan , Milch Jaromír 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
The fracture properties of thermally modified beech (Fagus sylvatica) wood (TMW) at 180° and 200°C were evaluated in mode II using the three-point end-notched flexure (3ENF) scheme assisted by three-dimensional (3D) stereovision equipment for obtaining displacements and strains. The compliance-based beam method (CBBM) provided the strain energy release rates (G
II) of TMW and cohesive laws for both native wood (W) and TMW. Based on the CBBM and equivalent crack length approach (ECLA), G
II was obtained directly from the force-deflection data. The thermal modification (TM) process reduced the compressive strength by 4.4% and increased the compressive elastic modulus by 38.3%, whereas G

II
was reduced substantially by 40.8% and 67.9% at TM180°C and TM200°C, respectively. TM also increased wood brittleness that was visible on the displacement slip reduction. The resulting mean cohesive models can be used for numerical analyses. The fracture properties of TMW have to be taken into consideration for constructional wood application, when cyclic loading may lead to microcracking and material fatigue.
Early menarche is independently associated with subclinical hypothyroidism: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Kotopouli Marianna , Stratigou Theodora , Antonakos Georgios , Christodoulatos Gerasimos Socrates , Karampela Irene , Dalamaga Maria 
Published: March 2019

Abstract

Background
Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is more frequent in females than males, with a female to male ratio ranging from 1.5 to 5 in the general population. The aim of this study was to evaluate for the first time the association of reproductive factors, particularly age at menarche, with SH risk.

Materials and methods
In a cross-sectional study, reproductive factors such as age at menarche, at menopause and at first birth, lactation, parity, full-term pregnancies, reproductive years, use of oral contraceptives and hormonal replacement therapy, somatometric data and insulin resistance parameters were recorded in 72 consecutive female patients with SH and 72 healthy female controls matched on age (±5 years) and date of diagnosis (±1 month).

Results
SH cases exhibited significantly younger age at menarche than controls (12.6 ± 1.2 vs. 13.3 ± 0.8 years, respectively, p < 0.001). Cases presented later age at first pregnancy with a lower number of full-term pregnancies (p = 0.04). Early age at menarche was independently associated with SH risk, above and beyond thyroid autoimmunity, body mass index (BMI), hip circumference (HC), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance and alcohol consumption [odds ratio (OR): 0.22, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.11–0.44; p < 0.001].

Conclusions
It is possible that an interplay of early exposure to estrogens, as expressed by early menarche, and induction of thyroid autoimmunity may be associated with SH risk. More prospective studies shedding light on the role of estrogens in SH are required to confirm these findings.
Broad donor consent for human biobanks in Germany and Europe: a strategy to facilitate cross-border sharing and exchange of human biological materials and related data
Authors: Jahns Roland , Geiger Jörg , Schlünder Irene , Strech Daniel , Brumhard Matthias , von Kielmansegg Sebastian Graf 
Published: March 2019

Abstract

Background
Human biobanks are generally recognized as essential resources for effective biomedical research. All over the world biosamples and data from human subjects are collected in large biobanks. The biological material is stored long term for current and future (undetermined) research issues, which often require cross-border exchange of biosamples and related data.

Content
Commonly, the informed consent for research on human biospecimen is intended to cover only defined, specific research objectives. In June 2016, the biobank Task-Force of the Working Party of the German Medical Ethics Committees (WP-GMEC) updated its template for the broad use of human biological samples and related data. It complies with the current Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and World Medical Association (WMA) recommendations and furnishes a framework that permits long-term storage and multi-purpose research use of human biological material and related data, including cross-border research.
However, both (i) human biobanks storing and (ii) research projects requesting “broad consent” biological samples generally require an ethical approval; in addition, “broad consent” conditions should be reciprocated by making biobank processes transparent and by fostering both donor and public involvement.

Outlook
The broad consent template of the WP-GMEC clearly states that biological samples and data donated for medical research serve to address current and future research questions. It appears perfectly suited as a template for a Europe-wide harmonized broad consent facilitating biobank-based cross-border research.
Diet of two invasive rodent species in two Mayan communities in Mexico
Authors: Panti-May Jesús Alonso , Gurubel-González Yessica Margely , Tzuc-Dzul Cesar , Palomo-Arjona Eduardo Emir , Salazar Carmen , Baak-Baak Carlos , García-Rejón Julian E. , Machain-Williams Carlos , Hernández-Betancourt Silvia F. 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
The gastrointestinal content analysis of 344 invasive rodents (120 black rats and 224 house mice) in two Mayan communities revealed that rats consumed a high percentage of plants (93.3%) and arthropods (95.5%). In contrast, arthropods were less frequent (55.8%) than plants (94.6%) in mouse’s diet. In both rodent species, fragments of Sapotaceae and Hymenoptera were common plant and arthropod foods, respectively. Our results suggest that the food availability present in the Mayan communities is similar to the one described in natural habitats.
Exposure and Black Migrancy in Teju Cole
Authors: Gamso Nicholas 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
Through a reading of Teju Cole’s novel Open City (2011), this article argues that the exposure of black migrants constitutes the principal organizing conceit of global literary culture and knowledge production. The novel’s protagonist, a Nigerian emigre named Julius, is faced with ceaseless scrutiny as he traverses urban spaces in the US, Europe, and West Africa, meeting other migrants. In staging Julius’ encounters with others, the novel allegorizes a structure of racialized subjection continuous with the modern history of western epistemology and glaringly present in the contemporary. Yet it also provides grounds for a recursive ethic of opacity, which Julius eagerly endorses. The article surveys critical studies of race, migration, infrastructure, and world literature, in addition to Cole’s writings on photography. The aim is not only to uncover the logics of racialization at play in the enactment of culture, but also to conceive of culture itself as a historical infrastructure of privation and control.
Hydromagnetic Flow of Heat and Mass Transfer in a Nano Williamson Fluid Past a Vertical Plate With Thermal and Momentum Slip Effects: Numerical Study
Authors: Nagendra N. , Amanulla CH. , Reddy M. Sudhakar , Prasad V. Ramachandra 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
In this article, the study of heat, momentum and mass (species) transfer in an electro-conductive polymer on the external surface of a vertical plate. The effects of Brownian motion and thermophoresis are incorporated in the model in the presence of both heat and nanoparticle mass transfer convective conditions. The Williamson viscoelastic model is employed which is representative of certain industrial polymers. The non-dimensional, transformed boundary layer equations for momentum and energy are solved with the second order accurate implicit Keller box finite difference method under appropriate boundary conditions. The influence of Weissenberg number, magnetic body force parameter, thermal slip parameter, hydrodynamic slip parameter, stream wise variable and Prandtl number on thermo fluid characteristics are presented graphically and discussed. A weak elevation in temperature accompanies increasing Weissenberg number whereas a significant acceleration in the flow is computed near the plate surface. Rate of heat transfer is reduced with increases the Weissenberg number. The study is relevant to enrobing processes for electric-conductive nano-materials, of potential use in aerospace, smart coating transport phenomena and other industries.
Validating and Improving Voting Advice Applications: Estimating Party Positions Using Candidate Surveys
Authors: Andreadis Ioannis , Giebler Heiko 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
Locating political parties correctly regarding different policy issues is not just crucial for research on parties, party competition, and many similar fields but also for the electorate. For the latter, it has become more and more important as the relevance of voting advice applications (VAA) has increased and as their main usage is to compare citizens’ policy preferences to the offer of political parties. However, if party positions are not adequately assigned, citizens are provided with suboptimal information which decreases the citizens’ capacities to make rational electoral decision. VAA designers follow different approaches to determining party positions. In this paper, we look beyond most common sources like electoral manifestos and expert judgments by using surveys of electoral candidates to validate and improve VAAs. We argue that by using positions derived from candidate surveys we get the information by the source itself, but at the same time we overcome most of the disadvantages of the other methods. Using data for the 2014 European Parliament election both in Greece and Germany, we show that while positions taken from the VAAs and from the candidate surveys do match more often than not, we also find substantive differences and even opposing positions. Moreover, these occasional differences have already rather severe consequences looking at calculated overlaps between citizens and parties as well as representations of the political competition space and party system polarization. These differences seem to be more pronounced in Greece. We conclude that candidate surveys are indeed a valid additional source to validate and improve VAAs.
Excitation of Peregrine-Type Waveforms from Vanishing Initial Conditions in the Presence of Periodic Forcing
Authors: Karachalios Nikos I. , Kyriazopoulos Paris , Vetas Konstantinos 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
We show by direct numerical simulations that spatiotemporally localised waveforms, strongly reminiscent of the Peregrine rogue wave, can be excited by vanishing initial conditions for the periodically driven nonlinear Schrödinger equation. The emergence of the Peregrine-type waveforms can be potentially justified, in terms of the existence and modulational instability of spatially homogeneous solutions of the model and the continuous dependence of the localised initial data for small time intervals. We also comment on the persistence of the above dynamics, under the presence of small damping effects, and justify that this behaviour should be considered as far from approximations of the corresponding integrable limit.
Photometrical Determination of the State-of-Charge in Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries Part II: In Combination with Open-Circuit-Voltage
Authors: Geiser Jan , Natter Harald , Hempelmann Rolf , Morgenstern Bernd , Hegetschweiler Kaspar 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
By means of in-situ UV/Vis/NIR spectrometry, separately both in the anolyte as well as in the catholyte of a vanadium redox flow battery (single cell) partial state-of-charge values are determined online. The UV/Vis/NIR spectroscopic experimental set-up is calibrated using the state-of-charge value determined from measurements of the open-circuit-voltage (OCV) in the pristine state of the battery which is related to Nernst’s equation taking into account also H+ formation/consumption during the V4+/V5+ redox process. The comparison of both partial state-of-charge values indicates a possible imbalance of the battery, which can occur after long-term operation.
«Vorzeigeunternehmen» in der Wirtschaftspolitik
Authors: Pahlow Louis 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
The «Carl-Zeiss-Foundation» had a significant influence on the development of the law of business foundations in the Federal Republic of Germany after 1945. Founded by Ernst Abbe in 1889, the Foundation was created to manage two firms driven by a statute in a self-regulated governance exclusively. After World War II such kind of business foundations became part of the German corporated landscape, especially after the 1960s. Critizised by a leading group of ordoliberal lawyers and also in the focus of the legislator, the «Carl-Zeiss-Foundation» was seen as a successful «model-firm», which immunized the law of business foundations against further regulations. The article describes the significant influences of this «model-firm» in the making of policies and the non-making of legal rules.
Structural Study and Electrical Properties of Bi1.5–xCaxSb1.5CuO7 Pyrochlore-Type Solid Solution Series
Authors: Dra Rafik El Arslene , Bekka Ahmed , Dinnebier Robert E. , Boukerma Bounekref 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
Pyrochlore solid solution Bi1.5−xCaxSb1.5CuO7 has been prepared by conventional ceramic solid state reaction with 0 ≤ x ≤ 0.4. The samples were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), scanning electron microscopy, and electrical conductivity measurements. The pyrochlore single phase formation was confirmed for all of the x-fractions. The variation of the electrical resistivity versus x of all samples measured by means of a four-probe device at room temperature indicates that these still remain insulators. High-temperature electrical conductivity measurements at various frequencies using a device with two electrodes allow us to note the maximum electrical conductivity of 4.7 × 10−3 S.cm−1, which has been reached at x = 0.2, generating an activation energy of 0.14 eV. For this fraction, Rietveld refinement of the corresponding XRPD pattern confirmed the typical cubic Fd-3m space group with a cell parameter of a = 10.4089(1) Å.
Axonal Degeneration Is Mediated by Necroptosis Activation
Authors: Arrázola Macarena S. , Saquel Cristian , Catalán Romina J. , Barrientos Sebastián A. , Hernandez Diego E. , Martínez Nicolás W. , Catenaccio Alejandra , Court Felipe A. 
Published: March 2019

Axonal degeneration, which contributes to functional impairment in several disorders of the nervous system, is an important target for neuroprotection. Several individual factors and subcellular events have been implicated in axonal degeneration, but researchers have so far been unable to identify an integrative signaling pathway activating this self-destructive process. Through pharmacological and genetic approaches, we tested whether necroptosis, a regulated cell-death mechanism implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases, is involved in axonal degeneration. Pharmacological inhibition of the necroptotic kinase RIPK1 using necrostatin-1 strongly delayed axonal degeneration in the peripheral nervous system and CNS of wild-type mice of either sex and protectedin vitrosensory axons from degeneration after mechanical and toxic insults. These effects were also observed after genetic knock-down ofRIPK3, a second key regulator of necroptosis, and the downstream effectorMLKL(Mixed Lineage Kinase Domain-Like). RIPK1 inhibition prevented mitochondrial fragmentationin vitroandin vivo, a typical feature of necrotic death, and inhibition of mitochondrial fission by Mdivi also resulted in reduced axonal loss in damaged nerves. Furthermore, electrophysiological analysis demonstrated that inhibition of necroptosis delays not only the morphological degeneration of axons, but also the loss of their electrophysiological function after nerve injury. Activation of the necroptotic pathway early during injury-induced axonal degeneration was made evident by increased phosphorylation of the downstream effector MLKL. Our results demonstrate that axonal degeneration proceeds by necroptosis, thus defining a novel mechanistic framework in the axonal degenerative cascade for therapeutic interventions in a wide variety of conditions that lead to neuronal loss and functional impairment.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTWe show that axonal degeneration triggered by diverse stimuli is mediated by the activation of the necroptotic programmed cell-death program by a cell-autonomous mechanism. This work represents a critical advance for the field since it identifies a defined degenerative pathway involved in axonal degeneration in both the peripheral nervous system and the CNS, a process that has been proposed as an early event in several neurodegenerative conditions and a major contributor to neuronal death. The identification of necroptosis as a key mechanism for axonal degeneration is an important step toward the development of novel therapeutic strategies for nervous-system disorders, particularly those related to chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathies or CNS diseases in which axonal degeneration is a common factor.
Rapid Visuomotor Responses Reflect Value-Based Decisions
Authors: Carroll Timothy J. , McNamee Daniel , Ingram James N. , Wolpert Daniel M. 
Published: March 2019

Cognitive decision-making is known to be sensitive to the values of potential options, which are the probability and size of rewards associated with different choices. Here, we examine whether rapid motor responses to perturbations of visual feedback about movement, which mediate low-level and involuntary feedback control loops, reflect computations associated with high-level value-based decision-making. In three experiments involving human participants, we varied the value associated with different potential targets for reaching movements by controlling the distributions of rewards across the targets (Experiment 1), the probability with which each target could be specified (Experiment 2), or both (Experiment 3). We found that the size of rapid and involuntary feedback responses to movement perturbations was strongly influenced by the relative value between targets. A statistical model of relative value that includes a term for risk sensitivity provided the best fit to the visuomotor response data, illustrating that feedback control policies are biased to favor more frequent task success at the expense of the overall extrinsic reward accumulated through movement. Importantly however, the regulation of rapid feedback responses was associated with successful pursuit of high-value task outcomes. This implies that when we move, the brain specifies a set of feedback control gains that enable low-level motor areas not only to generate efficient and accurate movement, but also to rapidly and adaptively respond to evolving sensory information in a manner consistent with value-based decision-making.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTCurrent theories of sensorimotor control suggest that, rather than selecting and planning the details of movements in advance, the role of the brain is to set time-varying feedback gains that continuously transform sensory information into motor commands by feedback control. Here, we examine whether the fastest motor responses to perturbations of movement, which mediate low-level and involuntary feedback control loops (i.e., reflexes), reflect computations associated with high-level, value-based decision-making. We find that rapid feedback responses during reaching reflect the relative probabilities and rewards associated with target options. This suggests that low-order components of the sensorimotor control hierarchy, which generate rapid and automatic responses, can continuously evaluate evolving sensory evidence and initiate responses according to the prospect of reward.
Prediction of Choice from Competing Mechanosensory and Choice-Memory Cues during Active Tactile Decision Making
Authors: Campagner Dario , Evans Mathew H. , Chlebikova Katarina , Colins-Rodriguez Andrea , Loft Michaela S.E. , Fox Sarah , Pettifer David , Humphries Mark D. , Svoboda Karel , Petersen Rasmus S. 
Published: March 2019

Perceptual decision making is an active process where animals move their sense organs to extract task-relevant information. To investigate how the brain translates sensory input into decisions during active sensation, we developed a mouse active touch task where the mechanosensory input can be precisely measured and that challenges animals to use multiple mechanosensory cues. Male mice were trained to localize a pole using a single whisker and to report their decision by selecting one of three choices. Using high-speed imaging and machine vision, we estimated whisker–object mechanical forces at millisecond resolution. Mice solved the task by a sensory-motor strategy where both the strength and direction of whisker bending were informative cues to pole location. We found competing influences of immediate sensory input and choice memory on mouse choice. On correct trials, choice could be predicted from the direction and strength of whisker bending, but not from previous choice. In contrast, on error trials, choice could be predicted from previous choice but not from whisker bending. This study shows that animal choices during active tactile decision making can be predicted from mechanosensory and choice-memory signals, and provides a new task well suited for the future study of the neural basis of active perceptual decisions.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTDue to the difficulty of measuring the sensory input to moving sense organs, active perceptual decision making remains poorly understood. The whisker system provides a way forward since it is now possible to measure the mechanical forces due to whisker–object contact during behavior. Here we train mice in a novel behavioral task that challenges them to use rich mechanosensory cues but can be performed using one whisker and enables task-relevant mechanical forces to be precisely estimated. This approach enables rigorous study of how sensory cues translate into action during active, perceptual decision making. Our findings provide new insight into active touch and how sensory/internal signals interact to determine behavioral choices.