bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Decreased noradrenaline transporter density in the motor cortex of Parkinson's disease patients
Authors: Sommerauer Michael , Hansen Allan K , Parbo Peter , Fedorova Tatyana D. , Knudsen Karoline , Frederiksen Yoon , Nahimi Adjmal , Barbe Michael T. , Brooks David J. , Borghammer Per 
Published: May 2018

AbstractReduced noradrenaline levels have been reported to occur in the motor cortices of PD patients postmortem. Imaging techniques have recently become available to specifically study noradrenergic terminal function in vivo using PET. The objective of this study was to evaluate cortical 11C‐MeNER binding in PD patients. Thirty PD patients and 12 healthy control subjects comparable in age, sex, and cognitive performance underwent PET imaging with 11C‐MeNER, a specific ligand of the noradrenaline transporter. Cortical noradrenaline transporter binding was compared at a voxel level using Statistical Parametric Mapping, whereas cortical thickness was assessed using FreeSurfer software with MRI. PD patients showed reduced 11C‐MeNER binding in the primary motor cortex unrelated to cortical thickness; other cortical regions did not differ between groups. In a subgroup analysis, patients with higher Hoehn & Yahr stage exhibited more pronounced 11C‐MeNER binding reductions. Loss of cortical noradrenergic projections to the primary motor cortex occurs in PD associated with disease stage. © 2018 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
CL‐20 based Explosive Ink of Emulsion Binder System for Direct Ink Writing
Authors: Li Qianbing , An Chongwei , Han Xun , Xu Chuanhao , Song Changkun , Ye Baoyun , Wu Bidong , Wang Jingyu 
Published: May 2018

AbstractAn emulsion is a multiphase dispersion system in which one or more liquids are dispersed in the form of particles in another immiscible liquid. Emulsion method has been applied for preparation of binder system via oil in water (O/W) emulsions. The formulation contains: 40 g 12 % a solution of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) in water, 15 g 7.5 % a solution of Viton A (vinylidene hexafluoropropene copolymer) in ethyl acetate, 0.25 g sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and 0.25 g Tween‐80.The emulsion as a binder system, sub‐micro CL‐20 (prepared by the ball milling method) as the body explosives to prepared CL‐20 based explosive ink (CL‐20 88 % concentration). Deposition of explosive inks via DIW technology and its properties were characterized. The results showed that the composite has fewer internal defects and low impact sensitivity, the crystal type has no change, critical detonation size is around 1×0.17 mm and detonation velocity is 8079 m/s.
The regulation of three new members of the cytochrome P450 CYP6 family and their promoters in the cotton aphid Aphis gossypii by plant allelochemicals
Authors: Li Fen , Ma Kangsheng , Chen Xuewei , Zhou Jing‐Jiang , Gao Xiwu 
Published: May 2018

AbstractBACKGROUNDThe expression of P450 genes in insects can be induced by plant allelochemicals. To understand the induction mechanisms, we measured the expression profiles of three P450 genes and their promoter activities under the induction of plant allelochemicals.RESULTSThe inducible expression of CYP6CY19 was the highest among three genes, followed by those of CYP6CY22 and CYP6DA1. The regions from −687 to +586 bp of CYP6DA1, from −666 to +140 bp of CYP6CY19 and from −530 to +218 bp of CYP6CY22 were essential for basal transcriptional activity. The cis‐elements for plant allelochemicals induction were identified between −193 and +56 bp of CYP6DA1, between −157 and +140 bp of CYP6CY19 and between −108 and +218 bp of CYP6CY22. These promoter regions were found to contain a potential aryl hydrocarbon receptor element binding site with a conservative sequence motif 5′‐C/TAC/ANCA/CA‐3′. All these four plant allelochemicals were able to induce the expression of these P450 genes. Tannic acid had a better inductive effect than other three plant allelochemicals.CONCLUSIONSOur study identified the plant allelochemical responsive cis‐elements. This provides further research targets aimed at understanding the regulatory mechanisms of P450 genes expression and their interactions with plant allelochemicals in insect pests. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
Repressed Beauveria bassiana infections in Delia antiqua due to associated microbiota
Authors: Zhou Fangyuan , Wu Xiaoqing , Xu Letian , Guo Shuhai , Chen Guanhong , Zhang Xinjian 
Published: May 2018

ABSTRACTBACKGROUNDInsects form both mutualistic and antagonistic relationships with microbes, and some antagonistic microbes have been used as biocontrol agents (BCAs) in pest management. Contextually, BCAs may be inhibited by beneficial insect symbionts, which can become potential barriers to entomopathogen‐dependent pest biocontrol. Using the symbioses formed by one devastating dipteran pest, Delia antiqua, and its associated microbes as a model system, we sought to determine whether the antagonistic interaction between BCAs and microbial symbionts could affect the outcome of entomopathogen‐dependent pest biocontrol.RESULTSThe result showed that in contrast to non‐axenic D. antiqua larvae, i.e., onion maggots, axenic larvae lost resistance to the entomopathogenic Beauveria bassiana, and the re‐inoculation of microbiota increased the resistance of axenic larvae to B. bassiana. Furthermore, bacteria frequently isolated from larvae, including Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter ludwigii, Pseudomonas protegens, Serratia plymuthica, Sphingobacterium faecium and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, suppressed B. bassiana conidia germination and hyphal growth, and the re‐inoculation of specific individual bacteria enhanced the resistance of axenic larvae to B. bassiana.CONCLUSIONBacteria associated with larvae, including C. freundii, E. ludwigii, P. protegens, S. plymuthica, S. faecium and S. maltophilia, can inhibit B. bassiana infection. Removing the microbiota can suppress larval resistance to fungal infection. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry
From Bones to Brain: 50 Years of Star Trek and Changes in the Stigmatization of Psychological Disorders
Authors: Basilowski M. , Schönfeld B. , Esser S. , Jatho A. , Kownatka M. , Signerski-Krieger J. , Esselmann H. , Grabemann M. , Mette C. , Strunz L. , Zimmermann M. , Lajcsak E. , Scherbaum N. , Wiltfang J. , Kis B. , Abdel-Hamid M. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThe Star Trek franchise currently includes five spin-off series and 13 motion pictures. Star Trek’s central theme is the utopian future of mankind, but the series does not disregard issues that were socially relevant for its time of production. Therefore, Star Trek has functioned as a representation of history throughout its 50-year lifespan. This paper conducts a comparative analysis of fictional representations of psychological disorders and corresponding treatments to retrace the cultural changes in the portrayal and treatment of psychological disorders from the 1960s to the turn of the millennium. Video material produced between 1966 and 1999 was analysed with a focus on psychological disorders and coded according to the ICD-10. The results of the quantitative analysis indicate that the different Star Trek series demonstrate similar patterns of percentage distributions for psychological disorders. The qualitative analysis shows that psychological disorders were portrayed and treated in an increasingly realistic fashion. Changes in society’s attitude towards psychological disorders can be comprehensively illustrated through Star Trek episodes produced through 1999. Psychological phenomena are increasingly destigmatized, and the necessity of treatment has not been disregarded.
Big Brain Data: On the Responsible Use of Brain Data from Clinical and Consumer-Directed Neurotechnological Devices
Authors: Kellmeyer Philipp 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThe focus of this paper are the ethical, legal and social challenges for ensuring the responsible use of “big brain data”—the recording, collection and analysis of individuals’ brain data on a large scale with clinical and consumer-directed neurotechnological devices. First, I highlight the benefits of big data and machine learning analytics in neuroscience for basic and translational research. Then, I describe some of the technological, social and psychological barriers for securing brain data from unwarranted access. In this context, I then examine ways in which safeguards at the hardware and software level, as well as increasing “data literacy” in society, may enhance the security of neurotechnological devices and protect the privacy of personal brain data. Regarding ethical and legal ramifications of big brain data, I first discuss effects on the autonomy, the sense of agency and authenticity, as well as the self that may result from the interaction between users and intelligent, particularly closed-loop, neurotechnological devices. I then discuss the impact of the “datafication” in basic and clinical neuroscience research on the just distribution of resources and access to these transformative technologies. In the legal realm, I examine possible legal consequences that arises from the increasing abilities to decode brain states and their corresponding subjective phenomenological experiences on the hitherto inaccessible privacy of these information. Finally, I discuss the implications of big brain data for national and international regulatory policies and models of good data governance.
Developing neurites from mouse basal forebrain gonadotropin‐releasing hormone neurons use Sonic hedgehog to modulate their growth
Authors: Tan C.L. , Sheard P.W. , Jasoni C.L. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractHypothalamic gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons are required for fertility in all mammalian species studied to date. GnRH neuron cell bodies reside in the basal forebrain, and most extend long neurites in the caudal direction to terminate at the median eminence (ME), the site of hormone secretion.Using in vitro neurite growth assays, histological methods, and genetic deletion strategies in mice we have analysed the role of the morphogen and neurite growth and guidance molecule, Sonic hedgehog (Shh), in the growth of GnRH neurites to their target. Immunohistochemistry revealed that Shh was present in the basal forebrain, the preoptic area (POA) and mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) at gestational day 14.5 (GD 14.5), a time when GnRH neurites grow towards the ME. Furthermore, in situ hybridization revealed that mRNA encoding the Shh receptor, Smoothened (Smo), was present in GnRH neurons from GD 15.5, when the first GnRH neurites are extending towards the MBH. In vitro neurite growth assays using hypothalamic explants from GD 15.5 fetuses in 3‐D collagen gels showed that Shh was able to significantly stimulate GnRH neurite outgrowth. Finally, genetic deletion of Smo specifically from GnRH neurons in vivo, using Cre‐loxP technology, resulted in a significant decrease in GnRH neurites innervating the ME.These experiments demonstrate that GnRH neurites use Shh for their neurite development, provide further understanding of the mechanisms by which GnRH nerve terminals arrive at their site of hormone secretion, and identify an additional hypothalamic neuronal population for which Shh/Smo signaling is developmentally important.
Testosterone and Cardiovascular Risk: Meta-Analysis of Interventional Studies
Authors: Corona Giovanni , Rastrelli Giulia , Di Pasquale Giuseppe , Sforza Alessandra , Mannucci Edoardo , Maggi Mario 
Published: May 2018

Abstract

Background
The relationship between testosterone (T) and cardiovascular (CV) risk in men is conflicting.

Aim
To verify whether T therapy (TTh) represents a possible risk factor for CV morbidity and mortality.

Methods
We conducted a random effect meta-analysis considering all available data from pharmaco-epidemiological studies as well as randomized placebo-controlled trials (RCTs).

Outcomes
CV mortality and morbidity were investigated.

Results
After screening, 15 pharmaco-epidemiological and 93 RCT studies were considered. The analysis of pharmaco-epidemiological studies documented that TTh reduces overall mortality and CV morbidity. Conversely, in RCTs, TTh had no clear effect, either beneficial or detrimental, on the incidence of CV events. However, a protective role of TTh on CV morbidity was observed when studies enrolling obese (body mass index &gt;30 kg/m2) patients were scrutinized (Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio 0.51 [95% CI 0.27–0.96]; P = .04), although this association disappeared when only high-quality RCTs were considered (Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio 0.64 [95% CI 0.22–1.88]; P = .42). Finally, an increased risk of CV diseases was observed in RCTs when T preparations were prescribed at dosages above those normally recommended, or when frail men were considered.

Clinical Implications
Pharmaco-epidemiological studies showed that TTh might reduce CV risk, but this effect was not confirmed when RCTs were considered.

Strengths & Limitations
Meta-analysis of pharmaco-epidemiological studies indicates that TTh reduces overall mortality and CV morbidity. In addition, even in RCTs, a protective role of TTh on CV morbidity was envisaged when studies enrolling obese (body mass index &gt;30 kg/m2) patients were considered. Pharmaco-epidemiological studies should be considered with caution due to the lack of completeness of follow-up and of the management of missing data. In addition, properly powered placebo-controlled RCTs with a primary CV end point, in men with late-onset hypo-gonadism, are not yet available. Finally, the duration of all studies evaluated in the present meta-analysis is relatively short, reaching a maximum of 3 years.

Conclusions
Data from RCTs suggest that treatment with T is not effective in reducing CV risk, however, when TTh is correctly applied, it is not associated with an increase in CV risk and it may have a beneficial effect in some sub-populations.
Reinforcing Energy Governance under the EU Energy Diplomacy: A Proposal for Strengthening Energy Frameworks in Africa
Authors: BARRA Matteo , SVEC Martin 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThis article, initially discussed at a conference organised in March 2017 by the Belgian Commission for Electricity and Gas Regulation (CREG) on the new governance structures in the EU energy sector, deals with energy governance structures in the EU energy and climate diplomacy and in development cooperation between the EU, its member states and third countries.It is understood that, at large, the existing tools of EU energy and climate diplomacy create governance structures: bilateral partnerships, trade agreements, regional and multilateral orders are per se instruments to govern the underlying relationship between the EU, its member states and third countries. The focus in this paper revolves around those instruments of EU energy and climate diplomacy which aim at reinforcing energy governance structures (referred to also as institutional and normative energy frameworks) and promoting solid transparent frameworks in the field of energy in partner countries.In particular, the paper aims at identifying – among the existing tools of the energy and climate diplomacy –instruments and opportunities in favour of African countries which contribute to strengthening those institutional and normative energy frameworks and facilitate investment towards universal energy access and energy transition. To do so, the paper reviews the existing policy and legal instruments of EU external energy action in general and in Africa and concludes proposing policy recommendations on further development cooperation and energy diplomacy initiatives in favour of African countries.The first section reviews the principles of EU energy and climate diplomacy and their alignment with development objectives, including the emphasis on strengthening institutional and normative frameworks in the energy sector. The second section considers the internal coordination between the EU and its member states which is necessary to carry out the external energy and climate diplomacy as well as development cooperation. The third section describes the existing tools of the EU energy diplomacy that aim to strengthen energy institutions and frameworks in partner countries. The fourth section reviews a selection of existing EU initiatives in favour of African countries and brings forward a proposal for EU action to reinforce energy governance structures of partner countries in Africa.
The Prequel: Setting the Analytic Stage
Authors: Zilfi Madeline C. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractOutside the disciplines of communication and cultural studies, scholarly interest in television programming, especially scripted entertainment, has been overshadowed by attention to digital media, reality TV, and smart phone connectivity. A 2017 University of Maryland conference offered a reconsideration of popular Middle East-produced television dramas and their surprising impacts on national and transnational politics and culture. As conference papers showed, social and historical themes resonated in unexpected ways inside and outside national borders, with state authorities responding, not just with the usual censoring, but with investment in social and historical dramas of their own.
The incubation period of hepatitis E genotype 1: insights from pooled analyses of travellers
Authors: Azman A. S. , Ciglenecki I. , Oeser C. , Said B. , Tedder R. S. , Ijaz S. 
Published: May 2018

AbstractHepatitis E virus genotype 1 (HEV G1) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in Africa and Asia. HEV G1's natural history, including the incubation period, remains poorly understood, hindering surveillance efforts and effective control. Using individual-level data from 85 travel-related HEV G1 cases in England and Wales, we estimate the incubation period distribution using survival analysis methods, which allow for appropriate inference when only time ranges, rather than exact times are known for the exposure to HEV and symptom onset. We estimated a 29.8-day (95% confidence interval (CI) 24.1–36.0) median incubation period with 5% of people expected to develop symptoms within 14.3 days (95% CI 10.1–21.7) and 95% within 61.9 days (95% CI 47.4–74.4) of exposure. These estimates can help refine clinical case definitions and inform the design of disease burden and intervention studies.
Adversarial Legalism and Biodiversity Protection in the United States and the European Union
Authors: Epstein Yaffa 
Published: May 2018

AbstractThis article compares the use of litigation to enforce species protection law in the European Union (EU) with that of the United States (US). Recent legal disputes over wolf hunting on both continents offer useful case studies. Focusing on three aspects of litigation – namely, (i) against whom claims are brought, (ii) who can bring claims, and (iii) the types of claim that can be brought – the analysis contrasts US-style adversarial legalism with its European counterpart, or ‘Eurolegalism’, and assesses what each approach is able to deliver in terms of the legal protection of wolves. It is argued that Eurolegalism helps to explain the development of species protection law in the EU and its similarities to and differences from the American experience.
Dynamic Pore‐Scale Model of Drainage in Granular Porous Media: The Pore‐Unit Assembly Method
Authors: Sweijen Thomas , Hassanizadeh S. Majid , Chareyre Bruno , Zhuang Luwen 
Published: May 2018

AbstractDynamics of drainage is analyzed for packings of spheres, using numerical experiments. For this purpose, a dynamic pore‐scale model was developed to simulate water flow during drainage. The pore space inside a packing of spheres was extracted using regular triangulation, resulting in an assembly of grain‐based tetrahedra. Then, pore units were constructed by identifying and merging tetrahedra that belong to the same pore, resulting in an assembly of pore units. Each pore unit was approximated by a volume‐equivalent regular shape (e.g., cube and octahedron), for which a local capillary pressure‐saturation relationship was obtained. To simulate unsaturated flow, a pore‐scale version of IMPES (implicit pressure solver and explicit saturation update) was employed in order to calculate pressure and saturation distributions as a function of time for the assembly of pore units. To test the dynamic model, it was used on a packing of spheres to reproduce the corresponding measured quasi‐static capillary pressure‐saturation curve for a sand packing. Calculations were done for a packing of spheres with the same grain size distribution and porosity as the sand. We obtained good agreement, which confirmed the ability of the dynamic code to accurately describe drainage under low flow rates. Simulations of dynamic drainage revealed that drainage occurred in the form of finger‐like infiltration of air into the pore space, caused by heterogeneities in the pore structure. During the finger‐like infiltration, the pressure difference between air and water was found to be significantly higher than the capillary pressure. Furthermore, we tested the effects of the averaging, boundary conditions, domain size, and viscosity on the dynamic flow behavior. Finally, the dynamic coefficient was determined and compared to experimental data.
Interaction Between Fluid and Porous Media with Complex Geometries: A Direct Pore‐Scale Study
Authors: Fagbemi Samuel , Tahmasebi Pejman , Piri Mohammad 
Published: May 2018

AbstractEffect of boundary stress on permeability in porous media at pore‐scale is investigated by means of numerical methods for computing deformation of rock material in the presence of pore fluid. We implement a partitioned, strongly coupled solver for transient fluid‐solid simulations with independent conformed interface meshes for the fluid and solid domains. Fluid flow and solid computations were performed using the finite element method. External load is prescribed along the solid boundary in gradual steps to examine the extent of pore‐scale deformation along internal grain walls while applying a fixed constraint at the opposite end to ensure uniform stress distribution across the media. Hydrodynamic interactions between the pore walls and the matrix leading to interface displacements by fluid viscous forces are also investigated by examining fluid flow with different combinations of Reynolds number. Coupling is achieved via traction and displacements boundary conditions at the interface with respect to Lagrangian coordinates. The role of particle shape in the matrix deformation process is also considered in this paper. In order to examine the how particle shape affects local affects local permeability/stress, we examine fluid movement based on varying Reynolds numbers in Berea sandstone obtained from Micro‐CT image scans at high resolution, and artificially constructed random polydisperse 3‐D sphere packs. It was found that permeability alteration under the influence of uniaxial stress was more in the sandstone sample than in the sphere‐pack and that the sphere‐pack deformed less than the actual sample due to pore geometry, surface smoothness, and homogeneity.