bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pain networks from the inside: Spatiotemporal analysis of brain responses leading from nociception to conscious perception
Authors: Bastuji Hélène , Frot Maud , Perchet Caroline , Magnin Michel , Garcia‐Larrea Luis 
Published: July 2016

AbstractConscious perception of painful stimuli needs the contribution of an extensive cortico‐subcortical network, and is completed in less than one second. While initial activities in operculo‐insular and mid‐cingulate cortices have been extensively assessed, the activation timing of most areas supporting conscious pain has barely been studied. Here we used intracranial EEG to investigate the dynamics of 16 brain regions (insular, parietal, prefrontal, cingulate, hippocampal and limbic) during the first second following nociceptive‐specific laser pulses. Three waves of activation could be defined according to their temporal relation with conscious perception, ascertained by voluntary motor responses. Pre‐conscious activities were recorded in the posterior insula, operculum, mid‐cingulate and amygdala. Antero‐insular, prefrontal and posterior parietal activities started later and developed during time‐frames consistent with conscious voluntary reactions. Responses from hippocampus, perigenual and perisplenial cingulate developed latest and persisted well after conscious perception occurred. Nociceptive inputs reach simultaneously sensory and limbic networks, probably through parallel spino‐thalamic and spino‐parabrachial pathways, and the initial limbic activation precedes conscious perception of pain. Access of sensory information to consciousness develops concomitant to fronto‐parietal activity, while late‐occurring responses in the hippocampal region, perigenual and posterior cingulate cortices likely underlie processes linked to memory encoding, self‐awareness and pain modulation. Hum Brain Mapp 37:4301–4315, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Changes to flood peaks of a mountain river: implications for analysis of the 2013 flood in the Upper Bow River, Canada
Authors: Whitfield Paul H. , Pomeroy John W. 
Published: July 2016

AbstractThe mountain headwater Bow River at Banff, Alberta, Canada, was subject to a large flood in June 2013, over which considerable debate has ensued regarding its probability of occurrence. It is therefore instructive to consider what information long‐term streamflow discharge records provide about environmental change in the Upper Bow River basin above Banff. Though protected as part of Banff National Park, since 1885, the basin has experienced considerable climate and land cover changes, each of which has the potential to impact observations, and hence the interpretations of flood probability. The Bow River at Banff hydrometric station is one of Canada's longest‐operating reference hydrological basin network stations and so has great value for assessing changes in flow regime over time. Furthermore, the station measures a river that provides an extremely important water supply for Calgary and irrigation district downstream and so is of great interest for assessing regional water security. These records were examined for changes in several flood attributes and to determine whether flow changes may have been related to landscape change within the basin as caused by forest fires, conversion from grasslands to forest with fire suppression, and regional climate variations and/or trends. Floods in the Upper Bow River are generated by both snowmelt and rain‐on‐snow (ROS) events, the latter type which include flood events generated by spatially and temporally large storms such as occurred in 2013. The two types of floods also have different frequency characteristics. Snowmelt and ROS flood attributes were not correlated significantly with any climate index or with burned area except that snowmelt event duration correlated negatively to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. While there is a significant negative trend in all floods over the past 100 years, when separated based on generating process, neither snowmelt floods nor large ROS floods associated with mesoscale storms show any trends over time. Despite extensive changes to the landscape of the basin and in within the climate system, the flood regime remains unchanged, something identified at smaller scales in the region but never at larger scales. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cell lineage responses to photobiomodulation therapy
Authors: Engel Karl W. , Khan Imran , Arany Praveen R. 
Published: July 2016

Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy has been noted to promote cell proliferation and growth in many different cell types shown both in vitro and in vivo. Currently, treatment regimens are used in the clinic for a variety of ailments, including wound healing. However, most protocols treat an anatomical site without considering individual cell types constituting the target tissues. This study investigates the maximal dose threshold for oral keratinocyte and fibroblast cell types treated with near‐infrared laser therapy. We observed keratinocytes have increased sensitivity to laser irradiances (>0.047 W/cm2, 300 sec, 14.2 J/cm2) compared to the fibroblast cells (>0.057 W/cm2, 300 sec, 15.1 J/cm2) (p < 0.0001). Laser treatments were noted to generate increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in keratinocytes compared to fibroblasts that appeared to inversely correlate with higher basal catalase expression. To validate these observations, melatonin was used to treat keratinocytes to induce catalase activity (p < 0.0001). Increased melatonin‐induced catalase levels were noted to significantly improve keratinocyte survival to phototoxic laser doses. These observations suggest that clinical laser dosing should account for differential effects of lasers on individual cell types to improve safety and clinical efficacy of PBM therapy.
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Substrate‐mediated commitment of human embryonic stem cells for hepatic differentiation
Authors: Ashtiani Mohammad Kazemi , Zandi Mojgan , Barzin Jalal , Tahamtani Yaser , Ghanian Mohammad Hossein , Moradmand Azadeh , Ehsani Morteza , Nezari Hossein , Larijani Mehran Rezaei , Baharvand Hossein 
Published: July 2016

AbstractHuman embryonic stem cell (hESC)‐derived endodermal cells are of interest for the development of cellular therapies to treat disorders such as liver failure. The soluble form of activin A (Act) has been widely used as an in vitro inducer of definitive endoderm (DE). In this study, we have developed a nanofibrous poly (ɛ‐caprolactone) substrate, biofunctionalized with Act, for directed differentiation of hESCs into DE. Bioconjugation of Act on nanofibrous meshes was confirmed by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunostaining. In order to investigate the bioactivity of immobilized Act (iAct), hESCs were cultivated on the Act‐conjugated nanofibers for five days. The nanofibers with covalent iAct significantly increased expression levels of the endodermal markers SOX17, FOXA2, and CXCR4, compared with physically adsorbed Act (aAct) or without Act (noAct). In addition, iAct retained its bioactivity after storage for five days in the absence of cell seeding. The capability of cultivated cells to generate the DE‐derived lineage was evaluated through further differentiation of seeded cells into hepatocyte‐like cells (HLCs). Interestingly, the iAct sample showed a higher level of hepatic markers compared to the aAct sample. We also demonstrated that iAct in the presence of soluble Act (sAct) could improve the conventional protocol to generate HLCs from hESCs. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 104A: 2861–2872, 2016.
Association between atrial function assessed by 2D‐speckle tracking echocardiography and albuminuria in patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease
Authors: Moinfar Ali , Hosseinsabet Ali , Sotudeh‐Anvary Maryam 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACTPurposeWe compared left atrial function as assessed by two‐dimensional speckle‐tracking echocardiography (2DSTE) between patients with type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease (CAD) with or without albuminuria, nondiabetic patients without CAD, and CAD patients without type 2 diabetes.MethodsThis cross‐sectional study was performed on 112 consecutive patients with CAD (28 nonalbuminuric patients without diabetes, 40 nonalbuminuric patients with type 2 diabetes, and 44 albuminuric patients with type 2 diabetes) and 30 consecutive patients with no CAD, no diabetes, and no albuminuria. Spot urine analysis was performed to measure the urine level of creatinine and albumin. Atrial mechanical variables were measured by 2DSTE.ResultsAlthough systolic strain and the absolute value of early diastolic strain rate were lower in the CAD groups than in the non‐CAD group, there were no significant differences between the CAD groups. Early diastolic strain was lower in the diabetic patients with CAD than in the nondiabetic non‐CAD group. There were, however, no significant differences between the CAD groups.ConclusionsIn our CAD patients, there was no significant association between the presence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and albuminuria and left atrial function, but the reservoir and conduit function of the left atrium were lower in the CAD patients. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 44:561–570, 2016
Inhibiting IL‐1 signaling pathways to inhibit catabolic processes in disc degeneration
Authors: Daniels Jodie , Binch Abbie A. L. , Le Maitre Christine L. 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACTIntervertebral disc degeneration is characterized by an imbalance between catabolic and anabolic signaling, with an increase in catabolic cytokines particularly IL‐1β, a key regulator of IVD degeneration. This study aimed to investigate intracellular signaling pathways activated by IL‐1β, and GDF‐5 in the degenerate IVD to identify potential new therapeutic targets. Human NP cells were cultured in alginate beads to regain in vivo phenotype prior to stimulation with IL‐1β or GDF‐5 for 30 min, a proteasome profiler array was initially utilized to screen activation status of 46 signaling proteins. Immunoflourescence was used to investigate activation of the NFκB pathway. Cell‐based ELISAs were then deployed to confirm results for ERK1/2, p38 MAPK, c‐jun, and IκB signaling. IHC was utilized to investigate native activation status within human IVD tissue between grades of degeneration. Finally, cells were stimulated with IL‐1β in the absence or presence of p38 MAPK, c‐jun, JNK, and NFκB inhibitors to investigate effects on MMP3, MMP13, IL‐1β, IL‐6, and IL‐8 mRNA expression. This study demonstrated three key signaling pathways which were differentially activated by IL‐1β but not GDF‐5; namely p38 MAPK, c‐jun, and NFκB. While ERK 1/2 was activated by both GDF‐5 and IL‐1. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated p38 MAPK, c‐jun, and NFκB were activated during human IVD degeneration and inhibition of these pathways reduced or abrogated the catabolic effects of IL‐1β, with inhibition of NFκB signaling demonstrating most widespread inhibition of IL‐1β catabolic effects. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:74–85, 2017.
Degradation rates of phorbol esters in Jatropha curcas L. oil and pressed seeds under different storage conditions
Authors: Phasukarratchai Naphatsarnan , Damrongsiri Seelawut , Tongcumpou Chantra 
Published: July 2016

AbstractBACKGROUNDPhorbol esters (PEs), found in Jatropha curcas crude oil (JCO) and J. curcas pressed seeds (JPS), are known as bioactive compounds in agricultural and pharmaceutical applications. The degradation rates of PEs in JCO and JPS under various conditions is important for the utilisation of PEs. Thus the objective of this study was to determine the PE degradation rates in JCO and JPS under different storage conditions.RESULTSPE degradation rates were found to be first‐order reactions. The slowest degradation rate was at 0.9 × 10−3 d−1 for both JCO and JPS unexposed to light at 4 °C. Light intensity (1097 lx and 4690 lx, representing diffused sunlight and fluorescent lighting, respectively) and temperature (25 to 35 °C) were the significant degradation factors. Light exposure led to 280% to 380% higher degradation rates in JCO than in JPS due to light penetration through the transparent oil. Dried and sterilised JPS showed an 80% to 90% lower PE degradation rate than untreated JPS under all storage conditions since biodegradation was assembly limited.CONCLUSIONThe PEs were unstable under the studied conditions, especially when exposed to light and room temperature. To protect against PE degradation, a material should be stored in a light‐protected container and below 4 °C. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry
To Choose (Not) to Eat Healthy: Social Norms, Self‐affirmation, and Food Choice
Authors: Ivanic Aarti S. 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACTWith the rise of obesity in America, especially within the African‐American community, it is essential to identify strategies to encourage healthier food choices. Limited research has examined what, apart from socioeconomic indicators and targeted marketing, affects African Americans’ food choice. The current research explores how a self‐focus or racial group‐focus, in the absence of explicit eating‐norm primes, social influence, and identity threats, affects food choices and this varies by race. A group‐focus leads African Americans (Caucasians) to demonstrate unhealthy (healthy) food choices. On the contrary, a self‐focus leads African Americans to demonstrate healthier preferences while there is no change in Caucasians’ food preferences. Additionally, the current research shows how self‐affirmation, in the absence of threat, can be an effective mechanism for behavior change, for both African Americans and Caucasians. Affirming valued self‐attributes, after a group‐focus, leads to healthier food choices for individuals of both races. These findings are important as they may help identify ways to increase healthier nutrition choices in general and specifically for African Americans. Potential marketing strategies are discussed.
Investigating the Pleasures of Sin: The Contingent Role of Arousal‐Seeking Disposition in Consumers' Evaluations of Vice and Virtue Product Offerings
Authors: Verma Swati , Guha Abhijit , Biswas Abhijit 
Published: July 2016

ABSTRACTMixed bundles of vice and virtue are an increasingly important product category. However, many mixed bundles fail in the marketplace, and so it is important to examine how consumers evaluate such mixed bundles. This paper examines consumers' affective responses and consequent purchase evaluations for a mixed vice‐virtue bundle versus a pure vice product. Results of Study 1 show that purchase intentions are higher for a pure vice product versus a mixed product; also, increased purchase intentions are mediated by differences in arousal. Given that consumers differ in their arousal‐seeking dispositions, results of Studies 2 and 3 show that individual differences in arousal‐seeking moderate the relationship between product type (pure vice product vs. mixed product) and purchase intentions, with arousal‐seeking consumers preferring pure vice bundles, and arousal‐avoidant consumers preferring mixed bundles. This paper contributes to theory on mixed vice‐virtue bundles, and also provides pointers on how to better market mixed bundles.
Assessment of Head Tremor with Accelerometers Versus Gyroscopic Transducers
Authors: Elble Rodger J. , Hellriegel Helge , Raethjen Jan , Deuschl Günther 
Published: July 2016

AbstractBackgroundAccelerometers and gyroscopes are used commonly in the assessment of hand tremor, but their validity in the assessment of head tremor has not been studied. We hypothesized that gyroscopy would be superior to accelerometry because head tremor is rotational motion, and gyroscopes record rotational motion, free of gravitational artifact. We also hypothesized a strong logarithmic relationship between 0 to 4‐point tremor ratings and the transducer measures of tremor amplitude, similar to those previously reported for hand tremor.MethodsHead tremor was recorded for 1 minute in each of the five head positions used in the Essential Tremor Rating Assessment Scale, using a triaxial accelerometer and triaxial gyroscope mounted at the vertex of the head. Mean and maximum 3‐second burst displacement tremor and rotation tremor were computed by spectral analysis. The minimum detectable change for the transducers was estimated using the residual mean squared error from repeated‐measures analysis of variance.ResultsTremor displacement and rotation (T) were logarithmically related to tremor ratings (tremor rating score; TRS): log(T) = α TRS + β, where α ≈ 0.47 for displacement and ≈0.64 for rotation, and β ≈ −1.8 and −1.4. Tremor ratings correlated more strongly with gyroscopy (r = 0.83–0.87) than with accelerometry (r = 0.71–0.75). Minimum detectable change (percent reduction) was approximately 66% of the baseline geometric mean.ConclusionsGyroscopic transducers are superior to accelerometry for assessment of head tremor. Both measures of head tremor are logarithmically related to tremor ratings. The minimum detectable change of the transducer measures is comparable to those previously reported for hand tremor.
Structural Effects of Some Relevant Missense Mutations on the MECP2‐DNA Binding: A MD Study Analyzed by Rescore+, a Versatile Rescoring Tool of the VEGA ZZ Program
Authors: Pedretti Alessandro , Granito Cinzia , Mazzolari Angelica , Vistoli Giulio 
Published: July 2016

AbstractDNA methylation plays key roles in mammalian cells and is modulated by a set of proteins which recognize symmetrically methylated nucleotides. Among them, the protein MECP2 shows multifunctional roles repressing and/or activating genes by binding to both methylated and unmethylated regions of the genome. The interest for this protein markedly increased from the observation that its mutations are the primary cause of Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder which causes mental retardation in young females. Thus, the present study is aimed to investigate the effects of some of these known pathogenic missense mutations (i.e. R106Q, R106W, R111G, R133C and R133H) on the MECP2 folding and DNA binding by molecular dynamics simulations. The effects of the simulated mutations are also parameterized by using a here proposed new tool, named Rescore+, implemented in the VEGA ZZ suite of programs, which calculates a set of scoring functions on all frames of a trajectory or on all complexes contained in a database thus allowing an easy rescoring of results coming from MD or docking simulations. The obtained results revealed that the reported loss of the MECP2 function induced by the simulated mutations can be ascribed to both stabilizing and destabilizing effect on DNA binding. The study confirms that MD simulations are particularly useful to rationalize and predict the mutation effects offering insightful information for diagnostics and drug design.
The mu (μ) and delta (δ) opioid receptors modulate boar sperm motility
Authors: Vicente‐Carrillo Alejandro , Álvarez‐Rodríguez Manuel , Rodríguez‐Martínez Heriberto 
Published: July 2016

SUMMARYEndogenous and exogenous opioids modulate reproductive functions in target cells via opioid receptors (μ, δ, and κ). Sperm motility is a metric of gamete functionality, and serves as a suitable parameter for in vitro drug‐induced toxicity assays. This study identifies the presence and location of opioid receptors in pig spermatozoa as well as their functional response after in vitro challenge with known agonists (morphine [μ]; [D‐Pen 2,5]‐enkephanile [δ]; and U 50488 [κ]) and antagonists (naloxone [μ]; naltrindole [δ]; and nor‐binaltrorphimine [κ]). Only the μ‐ and δ‐opioid receptors were present in the boar sperm plasma membrane, overlying the acrosome, neck, and principal piece. Challenge experiments with agonists and antagonists identified both μ‐ and δ‐opioid receptors as regulators of sperm kinematics, wherein μ maintains or increases sperm movement whereas δ decreases sperm motility over time. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 83: 724–734, 2016 © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A privacy‐aware two‐factor authentication protocol based on elliptic curve cryptography for wireless sensor networks
Authors: Jiang Qi , Kumar Neeraj , Ma Jianfeng , Shen Jian , He Debiao , Chilamkurti Naveen 
Published: July 2016

SummaryAs one of the enabling components of Internet of things (IoT), wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have found applications in a wide range of fields, in which outside users need to directly interact with sensors to obtain sensed data. However, WSNs are vulnerable to various attacks over wireless links, such as eavesdropping and tampering. How to ensure that sensitive or critical information is only available to legal users becomes a challenging issue. Two‐factor authentication combining password and smart card perfectly matches this requirement because of its practicality. However, a dozen of two‐factor authentication protocols have been suggested in recent years. Owing to the challenging mission of reconciling efficiency and security requirements, it is still challenging to propose a privacy‐aware two‐factor protocol that is capable of providing various security features while maintaining acceptable efficiency. In this paper, we put forward a privacy‐aware two‐factor authentication protocol based on elliptic curve cryptography for WSNs. Our new protocol accomplishes various security features necessary for real‐life application environments while maintaining acceptable efficiency. We prove that the new protocol fulfills mutual authentication in the Burrows–Abadi–Needham logic. Additionally, by way of informal security analysis, we show that the new protocol can withstand a variety of attacks and provide desirable security features. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Monte Carlo approximate tensor moment simulations
Authors: Arismendi Juan Carlos , Kimura Herbert 
Published: July 2016

SummaryAn algorithm to generate samples with approximate first‐order, second‐order, third‐order, and fourth‐order moments is presented by extending the Cholesky matrix decomposition to a Cholesky tensor decomposition of an arbitrary order. The tensor decomposition of the first‐order, second‐order, third‐order, and fourth‐order objective moments generates a non‐linear system of equations. The algorithm solves these equations by numerical methods. The results show that the optimization algorithm delivers samples with an approximate residual error of less than 1016 between the components of the objective and the sample moments. The algorithm is extended for a n‐th‐order approximate tensor moment version, and simulations of non‐normal samples replicated from distributions with asymmetries and heavy tails are presented. An application for sensitivity analysis of portfolio risk assessment with Value‐at‐Risk (VaR) is provided. A comparison with previous methods available in the literature suggests that the methodology proposed reduces the error of the objective moments in the generated samples. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.