Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Broadening the scope: Increasing phenotype diversity in laterality research

COPYRIGHT © 2022 Pfeifer, Heyers, Berretz, Metzen, Packheiser and Ocklenburg. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Broadening the scope: Increasing phenotype diversity in laterality research
Case report: Severe non-pigmenting fixed drug eruption showing general symptoms caused by chondroitin sulfate sodium

Non-pigmenting fixed drug eruption (NPFDE) is a subtype of fixed drug eruption (FDE) in which repeated eruptions occur at the same site. Clinically, NPFDE disappears without pigmentation changes; however, it sometimes causes fever or arthralgia. Its histopathological characteristics reportedly include infiltrations of CD8-positive T cells with a paucity of melanocytes as compared to FDE. We present the first case of severe NPFDE exhibiting general symptoms caused by chondroitin sulfate sodium. The patient was a 44-year-old man. Intravenous injection of chondroitin sulfate sodium caused erythema in the affected area. A histopathological examination of the biopsy tissue revealed infiltration of CD3-positive lymphocytes (both CD4-positive and CD8-positive lymphocytes) into the epidermis, minimal liquefaction degeneration in the basal layer of the epidermis, and few dermal melanophages, which may be responsible for non-pigmentation.
Narrowing down dimensions of e-learning readiness in continuing vocational education — perspectives from the adult learner

Although e-learning has become an important feature to promote learning experience, still little is known about the readiness of adult learners for e-learning in continuing vocational education. By exploring perceived challenges and benefits, it was our aim to identify dimensions that define e-learning readiness. Therefore, we conducted a study design with qualitative and quantitative components. It consisted of both, semi-structured interviews, as well as an online survey regarding biography, personality, learning behavior, and general attitudes toward e-learning. The continuing vocational education course that we were investigating comes from the field of project management. The learner group was heterogeneous regarding their biographical and occupational background. Our results suggest several dimensions of e-learning readiness which are namely: motivation, learning strategies/regulation, attitudes toward learning, and personality-associated aspects as well as digital literacy. These findings are in line with previous research to only some extent, but reveal the necessity to redefine single dimensions of e-learning readiness to develop an inventory that is generalizable for different adult learner groups. Based on these assumptions a new measure for e-learning readiness needs to be proposed in future research as a next step.
How to link people, government, and science in effective large-scale management of invasive trees

A common limitation for the effective management of widespread non-native species is translating and implementing the latest scientific knowledge for practitioners. Non-native tree invasions are no exception to this problem. We illustrate how the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme in New Zealand has worked to overcome these limitations through a partnership approach, ensuring affected communities are connected to on-the-ground responses, and facilitating the transfer of new scientific knowledge to practitioners. By ensuring the overarching management strategy was developed collaboratively with clear, mutually-agreed goals, the programme has helped to unite diverse stakeholders with a common purpose. Although coordinated by a central government body, the governance structure is sufficiently flexible to address the specific management needs of each affected community. The programme takes an adaptive management approach that enables multiple lines of research and management to be developed together; this is essential to improve management across different regions and stages of invasion. A co-developed strategy, partnership structure, and adaptive management were each critical components of the National Wilding Conifer Control Programme. However, there are ongoing challenges to overcome, such as securing long-term funding and reducing risks of re-invasion, to meet the ultimate goal of containing conifer invasions nationally. We suggest that lessons from this programme provide general insights into how linking people, government, and science could be used to improve the effectiveness of large-scale invasive non-native species management elsewhere.
Circadian disruption and cancer- and treatment-related symptoms

Cancer patients experience a number of co-occurring side- and late-effects due to cancer and its treatment including fatigue, sleep difficulties, depressive symptoms, and cognitive impairment. These symptoms can impair quality of life and may persist long after treatment completion. Furthermore, they may exacerbate each other’s intensity and development over time. The co-occurrence and interdependent nature of these symptoms suggests a possible shared underlying mechanism. Thus far, hypothesized mechanisms that have been purported to underlie these symptoms include disruptions to the immune and endocrine systems. Recently circadian rhythm disruption has emerged as a related pathophysiological mechanism underlying cancer- and cancer-treatment related symptoms. Circadian rhythms are endogenous biobehavioral cycles lasting approximately 24 hours in humans and generated by the circadian master clock – the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus. The suprachiasmatic nucleus orchestrates rhythmicity in a wide range of bodily functions including hormone levels, body temperature, immune response, and rest-activity behaviors. In this review, we describe four common approaches to the measurement of circadian rhythms, highlight key research findings on the presence of circadian disruption in cancer patients, and provide a review of the literature on associations between circadian rhythm disruption and cancer- and treatment-related symptoms. Implications for future research and interventions will be discussed.
Transport through a double quantum dot in the sequential tunneling and cotunneling regimes

We study transport through a double quantum dot, both in the sequential tunneling and cotunneling regimes. Using a master equation approach, we find that, in the sequential tunneling regime, the differential conductance G as a function of the bias voltage Deltamu has a number of satellite peaks with respect to the main peak of the Coulomb blockade diamond. The position of these peaks is related to the interdot tunnel splitting and the singlet-triplet splitting. We find satellite peaks with both positive and negative values of differential conductance for realistic parameter regimes. Relating our theory to a microscopic (Hund-Mulliken) model for the double dot, we find a temperature regime for which the Hubbard ratio (=tunnel coupling over on-site Coulomb repulsion) can be extracted from G(Deltamu) in the cotunneling regime. In addition, we consider a combined effect of cotunneling and sequential tunneling, which leads to new peaks (dips) in G(Deltamu) inside the Coulomb blockade diamond below some temperature scales, which we specify.
The hydrogen bond rotation of confined water affected by quantum resonance tunnelling

In this work, we report quantum tunnelling effects on the confined water chain flipping, different from the spatial size and even electronic correlation effects of the confinement environment. First-principles calculations and analyses confirm that quantum tunnelling from the water chain itself enhances the hydrogen bond rotation. Importantly, the neglected resonant tunnelling can result in tunnelling rotation of hydrogen bonds with a probability close to 1 through the provided 0.6 eV energy, while the probability of generally recognized sequential tunnelling is only 10−6. Not only that, compared to sequential tunnelling, resonant tunnelling leads to a 20 K higher flipping temperature of the water chain. Additionally, the ratio of the resonant tunnelling probability to the thermal disturbance probability at 200 K is at least ten times larger than that of sequential tunnelling, which further illustrates the enhancement of hydrogen bond rotation brought about by resonant tunnelling.
Knockout of ABC transporters by CRISPR/Cas9 contributes to reliable and accurate transporter substrate identification for drug discovery

It is essential to explore the relationship between drugs and transporters in the process of drug development. Strong background signals in nonhuman MDCK or LLC-PK1 cells and overlapping interference of inhibitors or RNAi in human Caco-2 cells mean that an ideal alternative could be to knock out specific transporter genes in Caco-2 cells. However, the application of gene knockout (KO) to Caco-2 cells is challenging because it is still inefficient to obtain rapidly growing Caco-2 subclones with double-allele KO through long-term monoclonal cultivation. Herein, CRISPR/Cas9, a low cost but more efficient and precise gene editing technology, was utilized to singly or doubly knockout the P-gp, BCRP, and MRP2 genes in Caco-2 cells. By combining this with single cell expansion, rapidly growing transporter-deficient subclones were successfully screened and established. Bidirectional transport assays with probe substrates and three protease inhibitors indicated that more reliable and detailed data could be drawn easily with these KO Caco-2 models. The six robust KO Caco-2 subclones could contribute to efficient in vitro drug transport research.
Antimicrobial monoglycerides for swine and poultry applications

The development of natural, broadly acting antimicrobial solutions to combat viral and bacterial pathogens is a high priority for the livestock industry. Herein, we cover the latest progress in utilizing lipid-based monoglycerides as feed additives to address some of the biggest challenges in animal agriculture. The current industry needs for effective antimicrobial strategies are introduced before discussing why medium-chain monoglycerides are a promising solution due to attractive molecular features and biological functions. We then critically analyze recent application examples in which case monoglycerides demonstrated superior activity to prevent feed transmission of viruses in swine and to mitigate bacterial infections in poultry along with gut microbiome modulation capabilities. Future innovation strategies are also suggested to expand the range of application possibilities and to enable new monoglyceride delivery options.
Multi-user motion recognition using sEMG via discriminative canonical correlation analysis and adaptive dimensionality reduction

The inability of new users to adapt quickly to the surface electromyography (sEMG) interface has greatly hindered the development of sEMG in the field of rehabilitation. This is due mainly to the large differences in sEMG signals produced by muscles when different people perform the same motion. To address this issue, a multi-user sEMG framework is proposed, using discriminative canonical correlation analysis and adaptive dimensionality reduction (ADR). The interface projects the feature sets for training users and new users into a low-dimensional uniform style space, overcoming the problem of individual differences in sEMG. The ADR method removes the redundant information in sEMG features and improves the accuracy of system motion recognition. The presented framework was validated on eight subjects with intact limbs, with an average recognition accuracy of 92.23% in 12 categories of upper-limb movements. In rehabilitation laboratory experiments, the average recognition rate reached 90.52%. The experimental results suggest that the framework offers a good solution to enable new rehabilitation users to adapt quickly to the sEMG interface.
Gender differences in psychiatric comorbidity and personality characteristics among adults seeking treatment for problematic internet use

In the present study, we investigated gender differences in personality and psychiatric correlates among adults (N = 115) seeking treatment for problematic internet use (PIU) at a specialized clinic in São Paulo, Brazil. All participants were assessed at the beginning of their treatment for co-occurring psychiatric conditions, other addictive behaviors, and personality characteristics. Women (n = 20) were more likely to present with greater rates of psychiatric comorbidity compared to men (n = 95), including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bulimia nervosa. Women also had a greater severity of certain behavioral addictions, such as compulsive buying and disordered eating. Gender differences were also found across personality characteristics, with women scoring higher on impulsivity, novelty seeking, and self-transcendence compared to men. To our knowledge, the present study is the first to investigate gender differences for PIU in a clinical sample. The results suggest that there are notable gender differences in individuals seeking treatment for PIU which underscores the importance of assessing for co-occurring conditions, especially in women. Understanding the characteristics associated with PIU can help serve to inform the most appropriate interventions to bolster treatment outcomes.
Magnetic fields in Bok globules: multi-wavelength polarimetry as tracer across large spatial scales

Context. The role of magnetic fields in the process of star formation is a matter of continuous debate. Clear observational proof of the general influence of magnetic fields on the early phase of cloud collapse is still pending. In an earlier study on Bok globules with simple structures, we find strong indications of dominant magnetic fields across large spatial scales. Aims. The aim of this study is to test the magnetic field influence across Bok globules with more complex density structures. Methods. We apply near-infrared polarimetry to trace the magnetic field structure on scales of 104–105 au (~0.05–0.5pc) in selected Bok globules. The combination of these measurements with archival data in the optical and sub-mm wavelength range allows us to characterize the magnetic field on scales of 103–106 au (~0.005–5pc). Results. We present polarimetric data in the near-infrared wavelength range for the three Bok globules CB34, CB56, and [OMK2002]18, combined with archival polarimetric data in the optical wavelength range for CB34 and CB56, and in the submillimeter wavelength range for CB34 and [OMK2002]18. We find a strong polarization signal (P ≥ 2%) in the near-infrared for all three globules. For CB34, we detect a connection between the structure on scales of 104–105 au (~0.05–0.5pc) to 105–106 au (~0.5–5pc). For CB56, we trace aligned polarization segments in both the near-infrared and optical data, suggesting a connection of the magnetic field structure across the whole globule. In the case of [OMK2002]18, we find ordered polarization structures on scales of 104–105 au (~0.05–0.5pc). Conclusions. We find strongly aligned polarization segments on large scales which indicate dominant magnetic fields across Bok globules with complex density structures. To reconcile our findings in globules, the lowest mass clouds known, and the results on intermediate (e.g. Taurus) and more massive (e.g. Orion) clouds, we postulate a mass-dependent role of magnetic fields, whereby magnetic fields appear to be dominant on low and high mass but rather subdominant on intermediate mass clouds.
Robust quasi-uniform surface meshing of neuronal morphology using line skeleton-based progressive convolution approximation

Creating high-quality polygonal meshes which represent the membrane surface of neurons for both visualization and numerical simulation purposes is an important yet nontrivial task, due to their irregular and complicated structures. In this paper, we develop a novel approach of constructing a watertight 3D mesh from the abstract point-and-diameter representation of the given neuronal morphology. The membrane shape of the neuron is reconstructed by progressively deforming an initial sphere with the guidance of the neuronal skeleton, which can be regarded as a digital sculpting process. To efficiently deform the surface, a local mapping is adopted to simulate the animation skinning. As a result, only the vertices within the region of influence (ROI) of the current skeletal position need to be updated. The ROI is determined based on the finite-support convolution kernel, which is convolved along the line skeleton of the neuron to generate a potential field that further smooths the overall surface at both unidirectional and bifurcating regions. Meanwhile, the mesh quality during the entire evolution is always guaranteed by a set of quasi-uniform rules, which split excessively long edges, collapse undersized ones, and adjust vertices within the tangent plane to produce regular triangles. Additionally, the local vertices density on the result mesh is decided by the radius and curvature of neurites to achieve adaptiveness.
Coalitions of pulse-interacting dynamical units

We prove that large global systems of interacting (non necessarily similar) dynamical units that are coupled by cooperative impulses, recurrently exhibit the so called grand coalition, for which all the units arrive to their respective goals simultaneously. We bound from above the waiting time until the first grand coalition appears. Finally, we prove that if besides the units are mutually similar, then the grand coalition is the unique subset of goal-synchronized units that is recurrently shown by the global dynamics.
Genomic and phenotypic biology of a novel Dickeya zeae WH1 isolated from rice in China: Insights into pathogenicity and virulence factors

Soft rot caused by Dickeya zeae is an important bacterial disease affecting rice and other plants worldwide. In this study, Nanopore and Illumina sequencing platforms were used to sequence the high-quality complete genome of a novel D. zeae strain WH1 (size: 4.68 Mb; depth: 322.37x for Nanopore, 243.51x for Illumina; GC content: 53.59%), which was isolated from healthy rice root surface together with Paenibacillus polymyxa, a potential biocontrol bacterium against D. zeae strain WH1. However, the pure WH1 culture presented severe pathogenicity. Multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) indicated that strains WH1, EC1, and EC2 isolated from rice were grouped into a clade differentiated from other D. zeae strains. The average nucleotide identity (ANI) and DNA-DNA hybridization (DDH) analyses demonstrated that WH1 was phylogenetically closest to EC2. Furthermore, the pathogenicity determinants and virulence factors of WH1 were mainly analyzed through genomic comparison with complete genomes of other D. zeae strains with high virulence (EC1, EC2, MS1, and MS2). The results revealed that plant cell wall-degrading extracellular enzymes (PCWDEs), flagellar and chemotaxis, and quorum sensing were highly conserved in all analyzed genomes, which were confirmed through phenotypic assays. Besides, WH1 harbored type I, II, III, and VI secretion systems (T1SS, T2SS, T3SS, and T6SS), but lost T4SS and T5SS. Like strains MS1 and MS2 isolated from bananas, WH1 harbored genes encoding both capsule polysaccharide (CPS) and exopolysaccharide (EPS) biosynthesis. The results of pathogenicity assays demonstrated that WH1 produced severe soft rot symptoms on potato tubers, carrots, radishes, and Chinese cabbage. Meanwhile, WH1 also produced phytotoxin(s) to inhibit rice seed germination with an 87% inhibitory rate in laboratory conditions. More importantly, we confirmed that phytotoxin(s) produced by WH1 are different from zeamines produced by EC1. Comparative genomics analyses and phenotypic and pathogenicity assays suggested that WH1 likely evolved through a pathway different from the other D. zeae strains from rice, producing a new type of rice foot rot pathogen. These findings highlight the emergence of a new type of D. zeae strain with high virulence, causing soft rot in rice and other plants.
Architectural modelling for robotics: RoboArch and the CorteX example

The need for robotic systems to be verified grows as robots are increasingly used in complex applications with safety implications. Model-driven engineering and domain-specific languages (DSLs) have proven useful in the development of complex systems. RoboChart is a DSL for modelling robot software controllers using state machines and a simple component model. It is distinctive in that it has a formal semantics and support for automated verification. Our work enriches RoboChart with support for modelling architectures and architectural patterns used in the robotics domain. Support is in the shape of an additional DSL, RoboArch, whose primitive concepts encapsulate the notion of a layered architecture and architectural patterns for use in the design of the layers that are only informally described in the literature. A RoboArch model can be used to generate automatically a sketch of a RoboChart model, and the rules for automatic generation define a semantics for RoboArch. Additional patterns can be formalised by extending RoboArch. In this paper, we present RoboArch, and give a perspective of how it can be used in conjunction with CorteX, a software framework developed for the nuclear industry.
Sur la réduction des intégrales abéliennes

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Effect of aging on audiovisual integration: Comparison of high- and low-intensity conditions in a speech discrimination task

Audiovisual integration is an essential process that influences speech perception in conversation. However, it is still debated whether older individuals benefit more from audiovisual integration than younger individuals. This ambiguity is likely due to stimulus features, such as stimulus intensity. The purpose of the current study was to explore the effect of aging on audiovisual integration, using event-related potentials (ERPs) at different stimulus intensities. The results showed greater audiovisual integration in older adults at 320–360 ms. Conversely, at 460–500 ms, older adults displayed attenuated audiovisual integration in the frontal, fronto-central, central, and centro-parietal regions compared to younger adults. In addition, we found older adults had greater audiovisual integration at 200–230 ms under the low-intensity condition compared to the high-intensity condition, suggesting inverse effectiveness occurred. However, inverse effectiveness was not found in younger adults. Taken together, the results suggested that there was age-related dissociation in audiovisual integration and inverse effectiveness, indicating that the neural mechanisms underlying audiovisual integration differed between older adults and younger adults.