Bilateral Connections Research Articles

Neural Correlates of Motor Recovery after Robot-Assisted Training in Chronic Stroke: A Multimodal Neuroimaging Study.

Stroke is a leading cause of motor disability worldwide, and robot-assisted therapies have been increasingly applied to facilitate the recovery process. However, the underlying mechanism and induced neuroplasticity change remain partially understood, and few studies have investigated this from a multimodality neuroimaging perspective. The current study adopted BCI-guided robot hand therapy as the training intervention and combined multiple neuroimaging modalities to comprehensively understand the potential association between motor function alteration and various neural correlates. We adopted EEG-informed fMRI technique to understand the functional regions sensitive to training intervention. Additionally, correlation analysis among training effects, nonlinear property change quantified by fractal dimension (FD), and integrity of M1-M1 (M1: primary motor cortex) anatomical connection were performed. EEG-informed fMRI analysis indicated that for iM1 (iM1: ipsilesional M1) regressors, regions with significantly increased partial correlation were mainly located in contralesional parietal, prefrontal, and sensorimotor areas and regions with significantly decreased partial correlation were mainly observed in the ipsilesional supramarginal gyrus and superior temporal gyrus. Pearson's correlations revealed that the interhemispheric asymmetry change significantly correlated with the training effect as well as the integrity of M1-M1 anatomical connection. In summary, our study suggested that multiple functional brain regions not limited to motor areas were involved during the recovery process from multimodality perspective. The correlation analyses suggested the essential role of interhemispheric interaction in motor rehabilitation. Besides, the underlying structural substrate of the bilateral M1-M1 connection might relate to the interhemispheric change. This study might give some insights in understanding the neuroplasticity induced by the integrated BCI-guided robot hand training intervention and further facilitate the design of therapies for chronic stroke patients.

The role of the orbitofrontal cortex and the nucleus accumbens for craving in alcohol use disorder

This study aimed to investigate structural and functional alterations of the reward system and the neurobiology of craving in alcohol use disorder (AUD). We hypothesized reduced volume of the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), reduced structural connectivity of the segment of the supero-lateral medial forebrain bundle connecting the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) with the NAcc (OFC-NAcc), and reduced resting-state OFC-NAcc functional connectivity (FC). Furthermore, we hypothesized that craving is related to an increase of OFC-NAcc FC. Thirty-nine recently abstinent patients with AUD and 18 healthy controls (HC) underwent structural (T1w-MP2RAGE, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI)) and functional (resting-state fMRI) MRI-scans. Gray matter volume of the NAcc, white matter microstructure (fractional anisotropy (FA)) and macrostructure (tract length) of the OFC-NAcc connection and OFC-NAcc FC were compared between AUD and HC using a mixed model MANCOVA controlling for age and gender. Craving was assessed using the thoughts subscale of the obsessive-compulsive drinking scale (OCDS) scale and was correlated with OFC-NAcc FC. There was a significant main effect of group. Results were driven by a volume reduction of bilateral NAcc, reduced FA in the left hemisphere, and reduced tract length of bilateral OFC-NAcc connections in AUD patients. OFC-NAcc FC did not differ between groups. Craving was associated with increased bilateral OFC-NAcc FC. In conclusion, reduced volume of the NAcc and reduced FA and tract length of the OFC-NAcc network suggest structural alterations of the reward network in AUD. Increased OFC-NAcc FC is associated with craving in AUD, and may contribute to situational alcohol-seeking behavior in AUD.

Diaspora Diplomacy: Emerging Priority of Nepal’s Foreign Policy

Many people from Nepal are currently living in foreign countries. Their living has become a prominent issue in foreign policy and international relations as it has a broader impact on the bilateral connection between Nepal and the host countries as well as in the development back home. Appropriately mobilizing diverse potential inheritance in the Nepali diaspora can be a real boon for Nepal in achieving the national goals. The government is working on that by devising various policies, but the results are not satisfactory. Rigorous homework is yet to be done at the policy-making level to maximize achievements through the effective conduction of diaspora diplomacy. Hence, shedding light on the broader perspective of the Nepali diaspora, this paper attempts to focus on their role in the social, economic and cultural development of Nepal. The new institutional and policy arrangements that policymakers should adopt in upcoming days to address diaspora needs and to maintain a balanced relation between the government and Nepali community residing outside the border are also discussed. The article is descriptive and analytical in format, and the data are collected from secondary sources.

Investigating the Bilateral Connections in Generative Zero-Shot Learning.

Zero-shot learning (ZSL) is a pretty intriguing topic in the computer vision community since it handles novel instances and unseen categories. In a typical ZSL setting, there is a main visual space and an auxiliary semantic space. Most existing ZSL methods handle the problem by learning either a visual-to-semantic mapping or a semantic-to-visual mapping. In other words, they investigate a unilateral connection from one end to the other. However, the connection between the visual space and the semantic space are bilateral in reality, that is, the visual space depicts the semantic space; the semantic space, on the other hand, describes the visual space. In this article, therefore, we investigate the bilateral connections in ZSL and present a novel model, called Boomerang-GAN, by taking advantage of conditional generative adversarial networks (GANs). Specifically, we generate unseen visual samples from their category semantic embeddings by a conditional GAN. Different from the existing generative ZSL methods that only consider generating visual features from class descriptions, our method also considers that the generated visual features can be translated back to their corresponding semantic embeddings by introducing a multimodal cycle-consistent loss. Extensive experiments of both ZSL and generalized ZSL on five widely used datasets verify that our method is able to outperform previous state-of-the-art approaches in both recognition and segmentation tasks.

Differential responses to breath-holding, voluntary deep breathing and hypercapnia in left and right dorsal anterior cingulate.

What is the central question of this study? What is the role of dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in respiration control in humans? What is the main finding and its importance? Direct evidence is provided for a role of the ACC in respiratory control in humans. The neurophysiological responses in dorsal ACC to different breathing tasks varied and were different between left and right ACC. The role of subcortical structures and cerebral cortex in the maintenance of respiratory homeostasis in humans remains poorly understood. Emerging evidence suggests an important role of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in respiratory control. In this study, local field potentials (LFPs) from dorsal ACC were recorded in humans through implanted deep brain electrodes during several breathing activities, including voluntary activities of breath-holding and deep breathing, and involuntary activities of inspiration of varying concentrations of carbon dioxide (1%, 3%, 5% and 7%). We found that the breath-holding task induced significant unilateral left-sided ACC changes in LFP power, including an increased activity in lower frequency bands (3-5Hz) and decreased activity in higher frequency bands (12-26Hz). The respiratory task involving reflex increase in ventilation due to hypercapnia (raised inspired CO2 ) was associated with bilateral changes in activity of the ACC (again with increased activity in lower frequency bands and reduced activity in higher frequency bands). The voluntary breathing task with associated hypocapnia (deep breathing) induced bilateral changes in activity within low frequency bands. Furthermore, probabilistic diffusion tractography analysis showed left-sided connection of the ACC with the insula and frontal operculum, and bilateral connections within subsections of the cingulate gyrus and the thalamus. This electrophysiological analysis provides direct evidence for a role of the ACC in respiratory control in humans.

Risk Concentration and Interconnectedness in OTC Markets

We analyze the impact of a regulatory reform in a novel framework that jointly determines banks’ bilateral networks and platform access. In our model, banks use their bilateral connections to obtain indirect access to the platform, which saves direct entry costs but results in risk concentration. This trade-off leads to a unique market structure, which is generally asymmetric with multiple layers even if all banks are ex ante homogeneous. Policies that increase balance sheet costs relative to entry costs could result in a more symmetric market structure but have ambiguous effects on transaction costs. Our results underscore that policies aiming to achieve all-to-all trading, reduce risk concentration, or lower transaction costs can be counterproductive.

Neural circuitry for stimulus selection in the zebrafish visual system

When navigating the environment, animals need to prioritize responses to the most relevant stimuli. Although a theoretical framework for selective visual attention exists, its circuit implementation has remained obscure. Here we investigated how larval zebrafish select between simultaneously presented visual stimuli. We found that a mix of winner-take-all (WTA) and averaging strategies best simulates behavioral responses. We identified two circuits whose activity patterns predict the relative saliencies of competing visual objects. Stimuli presented to only one eye are selected by WTA computation in the inner retina. Binocularly presented stimuli, on the other hand, are processed by reciprocal, bilateral connections between the nucleus isthmi (NI) and the tectum. This interhemispheric computation leads to WTA or averaging responses. Optogenetic stimulation and laser ablation of NI neurons disrupt stimulus selection and behavioral action selection. Thus, depending on the relative locations of competing stimuli, a combination of retinotectal and isthmotectal circuits enables selective visual attention.

Central Asian geo-relation networks: Evolution and driving forces

Due to the unique geographical location and historical background of Central Asia, the region’s geo-relation networks are complex and changeable. A social network analysis was conducted in this study to visualize the 20-year evolutionary process of bilateral (diplomatic relations) and multilateral (intergovernmental organization (IGO) connections) networks in Central Asia since 1993. Additionally, a further empirical study determined the significant driving forces of the construction of the geo-relation networks. The results showed that since the independence of the five Central Asian countries, their degree centrality (C’D(ni)) values have been increasing, with the index values being the highest for Kazakhstan, followed by Uzbekistan, while the other three countries had relatively low values. The Central Asian countries maintain bilateral relations with post-Soviet nations, neighboring countries, and Western powers, and have gradually deepened and expanded their diplomatic networks. From each state’s perspective, the geostrategic approaches adopted by the five countries were different. Kazakhstan has focused on expanding its bilateral and multilateral relations, while the other Central Asian countries have attempted to increase their influence by joining influential IGOs. Various driving forces, including economic, political, cultural, and geographical factors, have played significant roles in the construction of geo-relation networks in Central Asia. The importance of these factors has changed over time, from political and cultural factors (before 1995) to relations with neighboring countries (1996–2001), and finally to economic power and cultural and religious proximity (after 2002).

Women’s Internationalism and Yugoslav-Indian Connections: From the Non-Aligned Movement to the UN Decade for Women

AbstractThis article addresses women’s cross-border internationalist connections within the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), focusing on the exchanges between women’s organizations in socialist Yugoslavia and the Global South during the 1950s and 1960s, as well as during the UN Decade for Women (1975–1985). As a result of the Soviet-Yugoslav split, Yugoslavia was expelled from the Women’s International Democratic Federation (WIDF), the main organization federating antifascist, communist, and socialist women, in 1949. To overcome international isolation, Yugoslav representatives established their own bilateral connections with women’s organizations internationally, particularly in the Global South. Throughout the Cold War, the main figure behind women’s internationalism in Yugoslavia was Vida Tomšič (1913–1998), a former partisan and leading politician, trained as a lawyer, who had a fundamental role both in nonaligned and UN settings. In this article, I further analyze Vida Tomšič’s visits to India, and examine her correspondence with Indian scholar and Women’s Studies pioneer Vina Mazumdar (1927–2013). The exchanges between Vina and Vida, as they amicably addressed each other, exemplify the significance of the alliance between activists from socialist countries and activists from the Global South during the UN Decade for Women.

Investigation of Functional Connectivity During Working Memory Task and Hemispheric Lateralization in Left- and Right- Handers Measured by fNIRS

Working memory is regarded as a cognitive system with limited capacity, which is responsible for saving, manipulating, and remembering online information. The cognitive functions of the brain, such as language, understanding, planning, reasoning, and problem-solving, need working memory. Based on the previous studies, working memory is considered as a central function of frontal brain lobe. Among several protocols on assessing working memory function, the n-back task is regarded as one of the most common ones in the functional imaging studies of working memory. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is an optical imaging method for evaluating brain function, which measures nervous activities and hemodynamic response in the cerebral cortex. The present study aimed to assess functional connectivity in frontal brain lobe during conducting dual n-back task at three levels of memory loading (n = 0, 1, 2) by using fNIRS signals. The statistical population included 29 healthy volunteers, among which 11 and 18 ones were left- and right-handed, respectively. They performed a dual n-back task, and the change in the concentrations of Hb and HbO2 was measured by using 24 fNIRS channels existing in the frontal lobe. The matrix of functional connectivity was extracted and evaluated by using partial correlation criterion for all participants and each of right- and left-handed groups at every level of memory loading separately. The statistical analyses of Hb and HbO2 signals (p < 0.05) in each group represented the presence of a bilateral connection between two hemispheres and local connection ones between different areas in each hemisphere with more connectivity in the right hemisphere of the frontal cerebral cortex during conducting the dual n-back task. Based on the comparison of the results related to left- and right-handed groups, a difference was observed between their functional connectivity in some areas, as well as the number of connectivity between various areas. Right-handed participants more utilized the lateralization of the right hemisphere to perform task compared to left-handed did, while left-handed ones represented the decrease in lateralizing or distributing bilaterally in hemispheres, by indicating the difference between some of the brain connectivity were different in these participants by considering the dominance of one of the hemispheres in each of these two groups. In general, the results of the present study demonstrated that fNIRS data is considered as appropriate for assessing the functional connectivity between the different areas of the frontal cerebral cortex during conducting the working memory-related tasks.

EEG Connectivity Analysis Using Denoising Autoencoders for the Detection of Dyslexia.

The Temporal Sampling Framework (TSF) theorizes that the characteristic phonological difficulties of dyslexia are caused by an atypical oscillatory sampling at one or more temporal rates. The LEEDUCA study conducted a series of Electroencephalography (EEG) experiments on children listening to amplitude modulated (AM) noise with slow-rythmic prosodic (0.5-1[Formula: see text]Hz), syllabic (4-8[Formula: see text]Hz) or the phoneme (12-40[Formula: see text]Hz) rates, aimed at detecting differences in perception of oscillatory sampling that could be associated with dyslexia. The purpose of this work is to check whether these differences exist and how they are related to children's performance in different language and cognitive tasks commonly used to detect dyslexia. To this purpose, temporal and spectral inter-channel EEG connectivity was estimated, and a denoising autoencoder (DAE) was trained to learn a low-dimensional representation of the connectivity matrices. This representation was studied via correlation and classification analysis, which revealed ability in detecting dyslexic subjects with an accuracy higher than 0.8, and balanced accuracy around 0.7. Some features of the DAE representation were significantly correlated ([Formula: see text]) with children's performance in language and cognitive tasks of the phonological hypothesis category such as phonological awareness and rapid symbolic naming, as well as reading efficiency and reading comprehension. Finally, a deeper analysis of the adjacency matrix revealed a reduced bilateral connection between electrodes of the temporal lobe (roughly the primary auditory cortex) in DD subjects, as well as an increased connectivity of the F7 electrode, placed roughly on Broca's area. These results pave the way for a complementary assessment of dyslexia using more objective methodologies such as EEG.

Mass detection in mammograms by bilateral analysis using convolution neural network

Background and objectiveAutomatic detection of the masses in mammograms is a big challenge and plays a crucial role to assist radiologists for accurate diagnosis. In this paper, a bilateral image analysis method based on Convolution Neural Network (CNN) is developed for mass detection in mammograms. MethodsThe proposed bilateral mass detection method consists of two networks: a registration network for registering bilateral mammograms and a Siamese-Faster-RCNN network for mass detection using a pair of registered mammograms. In the first step, self-supervised learning network is built to learn the spatial transformation between bilateral mammograms. This network can directly estimate spatial transformation by maximizing an image-wise similarity metric and corresponding points labeling is not needed. In the second step, an end-to-end network combining the Region Proposal Network (RPN) and a Siamese Fully Connected (Siamese-FC) network is designed. Different from existing methods, the designed network integrates mass detection on single image with registered bilateral images comparison. ResultsThe proposed method is evaluated on three datasets (publicly available dataset INbreast and private dataset BCPKUPH and TXMD). For INbreast dataset, the proposed method achieves 0.88 true positive rate (TPR) with 1.12 false positives per image (FPs/I). For BCPKUPH dataset, the proposed method achieves 0.85 TPR with 1.86 FPs/I. For TXMD dataset, the proposed method achieves 0.85 TPR with 2.70 FPs/I. ConclusionsRegistration experimental result shows that the proposed method is suitable for bilateral mass detection. Mass detection experimental results show that the proposed method performs better than unilateral mass detection method, different bilateral connection schemes and image level fusion bilateral schemes.

Acupuncture for poststroke hemiplegia focusing on cerebral bilateral connections: study protocol for a randomised controlled neuroimaging trial

IntroductionAcupuncture is safe and effective for improving the motor function of poststroke hemiplegic patients, but there still exists a certain gap between clinical practice and understanding its neural mechanisms. The...

Identifying key sectors based on cascading effect along paths in the embodied CO2 emission flow network in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, China.

The emission of carbon dioxide (CO2) is a serious environmental issue, especially in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Unlike previous studies that mainly consider the bilateral and direct connection between two sectors, this study identifies path-based key sectors by considering the cascading effect of a sector on other sectors on paths of the entire economic system. We first construct an embodied CO2 emission flow network of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, combining environmental input-output analysis and complex network theory. Then, the path-based key sectors are identified by traversing the path of each sector in the network based on cascading failure theory and hypothesis extraction method. On the one hand, the results show that a small number of sectors shoulder a large proportion of the embodied CO2 emission flows from both path and sector perspectives. On the other hand, we identify some path-based key sectors that did not receive enough attention from the sector perspective. Additionally, the sum of the embodied CO2 emission flows in about 30 steps accounts for 90% of the total embodied CO2 emission flows on its supply chain path. To more effectively reduce carbon emission, sectors that connect these 30 steps should be concerned in some policy recommendations. The method proposed in this paper can complement existing methods and contribute to further reducing CO2 emissions in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

ДИНАМІКА РОЗВИТКУ МАРКЕТИНГОВИХ СИСТЕМ, РОЗВИТОК ІННОВАЦІЙ І ЗАВДАННЯ МАРКЕТИНГОВОЇ ПОЛІТИКИ

Статтю присвячено аналізу цілей маркетингової політики комерційної організації залежно від стану маркетингової системи, зумовленого виробництвом та впровадженням і подальшим розвитком інновацій. Функція цілепокладання в маркетингу є сполучною ланкою, яка з’єднує, з одного боку, макрорівень, представлений маркетинговою системою вищого ступеня охоплення, а з іншого – мікрорівень, маркетинг-менеджмент на рівні окремої фірми. Разом із тим правильне цілепокладання забезпечує зв’язок між виробництвом інновацій, маркетинговою політикою та результативністю торгівлі. З використанням концепту ринку як мережевої взаємодії, маркетингової системи як середовища реалізації маркетингової політики та багаторівневого продукту запропоновано систематизацію цілей маркетингу залежно від динамічного становища маркетингової системи, зумовленого співвідношенням попиту і пропозиції та рівнем інновації.

Analyzing long-term empirical interactions between renewable energy generation, energy use, human capital, and economic performance in Pakistan

BackgroundThe current research attempts to systematically investigate the causal interactions between renewable energy generation, aggregated energy use, human capital, and economic performance in Pakistan both in a short-term and long-term test for the period of 1990–2016.MethodsAs a primary step, a unit root analysis was conducted employing, among others, an augmented Dickey-Fuller-generalized least squares (ADF-GLS) test. Based on the order of integration I(1), the Johansen and Juselius (JJ) co-integration testing was employed to confirm a long-term causality analysis, which was followed by a vector error correction model (VECM) to calculate the short-run Granger causality analysis. Furthermore, the vector autoregressive (VAR)-based Cholesky test allowed the standard deviation impulse response functions to be generated to explain the responses of variables to arbitrary shocks in the data series under analysis.ResultsThe empirical findings unearthed the bilateral causal connection between aggregated energy use and economic performance, renewable energy generation and economic performance, and human capital and economic performance. Thus, it confirmed the existence of feedback effects for aggregated energy use, renewable energy generation, and human capital in their relation to economic performance. Likewise, a unilateral positive causal connection was revealed running from renewable energy generation and human capital to aggregated energy use, and from human capital to renewable energy generation in both a long-term and short-term test. Additionally, the causal association running from aggregated energy use and renewable energy generation to economic performance was exposed in a long-term as well as short-term test, hence supporting the growth hypothesis.ConclusionsThe findings signified the importance of an enhanced generation of renewable energy along with the promotion of an aggregated energy use for the economic performance in Pakistan.

Are all tourism markets equal? Linkages between market-based tourism demand, quality of life, and economic development in Hong Kong

Tourism markets are heterogeneous, and their performance and effects can be better understood when considered separately. This paper investigates the linkages between tourism demand from several markets and quality of life, using Hong Kong as a case of study. The literature has, initially only considered a unilateral relationship running from aggregate tourism development to residents' quality of life, and a bilateral connection has only recently been recognized. The study contributes to the literature by considering a market-segmented (mainland China, Japan, the U.S., and other markets) approach to tourism demand, using a relatively underemphasized objectively-based method, and by providing building blocks for theoretical propositions. The methodology consists of unit root and cointegration testing, together with the application of the Three-Stage Least Squares method with the Seemingly Unrelated Regression approach on time-series data. The identified market-based differences can help academia and industry in better understanding the diverse markets and building a competitive edge.

Digital recovery networks: Characterizing user participation, engagement, and outcomes of a novel recovery social network smartphone application

Background: Recovery support services, including in vivo (i.e., face to face) peer-based supports and social networks, are associated with positive effects on substance use disorder recovery outcomes. The translation of in vivo supports to digital platforms is a recent development that is mostly unexamined. The types of users and their engagement patterns of digital recovery support services (D-RSS), and the utility of objective and self-report data in predicting future recovery outcomes require further study to move the recovery support field forward. MethodsDe-identified individual user data from Sober Grid, a recovery social network site (R-SNS) smartphone application, for the years 2015–2018 was analyzed to identify the demographics, engagement patterns, and recovery outcomes of active users. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were used to examine between generational group differences on activity variables and recovery outcomes. Logistic and linear regressions were used to identify significant predictors of sobriety length and relapse among users. ResultsThe most active tercile of users (n = 1273; mAge = 39 years; 62% male) had average sobriety lengths of 195.5 days and had experienced 4.4 relapses on average since sign-up. Users have over 33,000 unilateral and nearly 14,000 bilateral connections. Users generated over 120,000 unique posts, 507,000 comments, 1617,000 likes, 12,900 check-ins, and 593,000 chats during the period of analysis. Recovery outcomes did not vary between generations, though user activity was significantly different between Generations (Millennials, Generation X, and Baby Boomers), with baby boomers and generation X having higher levels of engagement and connection among all activity markers. Logistic regression results revealed gender (female) was associated with a lower likelihood of reporting loneliness or sexual feelings as an emotional trigger. Linear regressions revealed generation, number of unilateral connections, and number of check-ins was associated with sobriety length, while generation and number of check-ins was associated with number of relapses. ConclusionsActive users of Sober Grid engage in several platform features that provide objective data that can supplement self-report data for analysis of recovery outcomes. Most commonly uses features are those similar to features readily available in open-ecosystem social network sites (e.g., Facebook). Prediction model results suggest that demographic factors (e.g., age, gender) and activity factors (e.g., number of check-ins) may be useful in deploying just-in-time interventions to prevent relapse or offer additional social support. Further empirical examination is needed to identify the utility of such interventions, as well as the mechanisms of support that accompany feature use or engagement with the D-RSS.

Do the Dento-Thalamic Connections of Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg Differ from Those of Control Wistar Rats?

The thalamo-cortical circuit is important in the genesis of absence epilepsy. This circuit can be influenced by connecting pathways from various parts of central nervous system. The aim of the present study is to define the dento-thalamic connections in Wistar animals and compare the results with genetic absence epilepsy rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) using the biotinylated dextran amine (BDA) tracer. We injected BDA into the dentate nucleus of 13 (n = 6 Wistar and n = 7 GAERS) animals. The dento-thalamic connections in the Wistar animals were denser and were connected to a wider range of thalamic nuclei compared with GAERS. The dentate nucleus was bilaterally connected to the central (central medial [CM], paracentral [PC]), ventral (ventral medial [VM], ventral lateral [VL], and ventral posterior lateral [VPL]), and posterior (Po) thalamic nuclei in Wistar animals. The majority of these connections were dense contralaterally and scarce ipsilaterally. Contralateral connections were present with the parafascicular (PF), ventral posterior medial, ventral anterior (VA), and central lateral (CL) thalamic nuclei in Wistar animals. Whereas in GAERS, bilateral connections were observed with the VL and CM. Contralateral connections were present with the PC, VM, VA, and PF thalamic nuclei in GAERS. The CL, VPL, and Po thalamic nucleus connections were not observed in GAERS. The present study showed weak/deficit dento-thalamic connections in GAERS compared with control Wistar animals. The scarce information flow from the dentate nucleus to thalamus in GAERS may have a deficient modulatory role on the thalamus and thus may affect modulation of the thalamo-cortical circuit.

Spatiotemporal investigation of energy network patterns of agglomeration economies in China: Province-level evidence

China is currently in the fast track of urbanization and industrialization. This poses a series of challenges pertaining to environmental issues given the resultant boom in energy consumption and carbon emissions. To tackle these problems, this study explores the effects of economic agglomerations and geographic attributes on energy transmission patterns using multi-regional input-output model, complex network analysis, and exploratory spatial data analysis. The results show that Shandong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang are the three leading regions with regard embodied energy consumption; they have distinct energy utilization models but can also provide instructive lessons for energy conservation at the provincial level. Energy interactions represent self-organizing agglomerative patterns, and the physical geographic clusters are highly consistent with the virtual administrative division of agglomeration economies. The in-depth investigation of major agglomerations has revealed that infrastructure construction remains a vital driver of local economies in developing areas, whereas more developed agglomeration economies have more balanced and service-oriented development. Bilateral connections in current major agglomeration economies have been enhanced, but multilateral connections are still rare. The findings of this study provide a bottom-up insight into the spatiotemporal effect on embodied energy system of China.