julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Laminin Receptor Characterization in Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Integrin α7β1 Defines non-Leukemic Stem Cells with Migratory Potential
2024-04-01

ABSTRACT Interactions with the bone marrow (BM) niche are crucial for promoting self-renewal and survival of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells. Consequently, AML cells express a variety of surface receptors to engage with BM niche cells and extracellular matrix proteins, including laminins. Despite the association of laminin receptor expression with stemness in healthy hematopoiesis, the role of laminin receptors in AML remains poorly understood. In this study, we present a comprehensive examination of the laminin receptors integrin α3β1, α6β1, α7β1 and basal cell adhesion molecule (BCAM) in AML. We demonstrate that high mRNA expression of all four laminin receptors correlates with poor overall survival. Notably, integrin α6 and α7 display the highest cell surface presentation among the examined laminin receptors and are higher expressed on AML cells compared to healthy controls. Moreover, our results indicate that integrin α7 expression allows to distinguish between leukemic stem cells (LSC) and non-LSC populations. Specifically, integrin α7 appears to mark non-LSC with enhanced migratory potential. Together, our results confirm the association of high laminin receptor expression with poor prognosis and establish integrin α7 as marker of high migratory non-LSC. Abstract Figure
Titelbild: >A bio‐based polymer: synthesis of PLA and analysis of polymerization for school students (CHEMKON 3/2024)
2024-04-01

Graphical Abstract Titelbild Das Titelbild zeigt unterschiedliche Produkte aus Polymilchsäure (PLA), wie Einweggetränkebecher, ein 3D-Druckfilament und ein Granulat. Im oberen Teil des Bildes wird der Ausschnitt eines PLA-Makromoleküls als Skelettformel dargestellt. Im Artikel von Pawlak und Schwarzer (S. 82) wird ein Schülerexperiment zur Synthese einer biobasierten und biologisch abbaubaren Polymilchsäure vorgestellt, bei dem die Schüler:innen die Polykondensation begleitend analysieren, um mehr über diesen Reaktionstyp zu erfahren.
Natural Death and Teleology in Aristotle’s Science of Living Beings
2024-04-01

Abstract According to most interpreters, Aristotle explains death as the result of material processes of the body going against the nature of the living being. Yet, this description is incomplete, for it does not clarify the relationship between the process of decay and the teleological system in which it occurs: this makes it impossible to distinguish between natural and violent death. In this paper, I try to fill this gap by looking at his so-called ‘biological works’ and mainly at the De Juventute . I first introduce the specific concept of life at play in this treatise and prove its complementarity with the framework of the De Anima . Then, I illustrate in detail the process of dying and the reasons why a merely material description is insufficient to account for the distinction between natural and violent death. Finally, I show that for Aristotle natural death is a by-product of teleologically directed life activities: only against the background of this teleological structure is natural death fully explained in terms of essence and causes. To support this claim, I compare death to two analogous cases in Aristotle’s biology, namely dreams and the features of GA V.
GPR146 acts as modulator in adipocyte differentiation and homeostasis influencing lipid metabolism in vitro and in vivo
2024-04-01

Aims In our human MAINTAIN study, we observed a significant increase in adipose tissue expression of G protein-coupled receptor 146 (GPR146) over the three months weight reduction interval. Furthermore, adipose GPR146 expression correlated negatively with BMI and positively with insulin sensitivity before weight loss, and increased adipose GPR146 expression is associated with enhanced insulin-mediated suppression of fatty acid release before and after weight loss. Metabolic investigation of our Gpr146-deficient mouse line (GPR146-KO) revealed a lean, adipose tissue-emphasizing phenotype that is protected from diet-induced obesity. Therefore, we investigated the role of GPR146 during adipocyte differentiation and its role in the modulation of lipid metabolism.
Human pancreatic adipocyte spheroids as model to study the role of pancreatic fat in type 2 diabetes
2024-04-01

Background and aim: Accumulation of adipocytes in the pancreatic parenchyma is associated with impaired insulin secretion in individuals at high risk for type 2 Diabetes (T2D). However, how the metabolic environment impacts on pancreatic adipocyte biology, and consequently influences islet function, remains largely unexplored. As the in vitro 2D cell culture models fail to recapitulate adipogenesis and function of in situ adipocytes, translational approaches are consequently hampered. To address this limitation, we aim to generate an in vitro 3D model of pancreatic adipocytes (adipocyte spheroids), that mimics the specific features of in situ pancreatic adipocytes.
Human Capital Impacts of Income Inequality: An Extensive Empirical Analysis from the African Continent
2024-04-01

This paper evaluates the impacts of income inequality on life expectancy in African countries. The empirical analysis has been performed on a panel dataset of 52 African nations covering the period of 1995 to 2018. For estimating the inequality-health relationship, I have used Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) technique and a Panel Error Correction Model (PECM). The long-run cointegrating relationship was estimated using a Panel Dynamic Ordinary Least Square (PDOLS) estimator. The outcomes suggest that income inequality has negatively affected life expectancy at birth in the African continent overall. Though income inequality seems to have improved health in the short-run, in the long-run, income inequality had deleterious effects. A series of steps has been followed to check the soundness of the result of the main empirical examination and it is confirmed that the results are robust.
Evaluation of a university seminar on the use of digital media in the physics classroom
2024-04-01

Abstract Fostering digital competencies is an important aspect of pre-service teacher education. However, for physics, there is a lack of systematically surveyed and evidence-based seminars that specifically take into account relevant research findings. Thus, we developed a research-based seminar on the effective use of digital media in physics classrooms and investigated its effects on pre-service teachers (PSTs) professional competencies in a mixed-methods design. Our quantitative analyses of different competence components surveyed in a pre-post-design indicate that the seminar leads to an increase in motivation to use digital media in the physics classroom. Nevertheless, no significant increase in digital-media PCK was found, which could be due to the small sample. The seminar design, however, was predominantly evaluated positively by experts and PSTs in guided interviews. Based on the results, it is planned to further refine the original seminar using a Design-Based Research approach.
Efficacy of Physical Activity Promoting Interventions in Physical Therapy and Exercise Therapy for Persons With Noncommunicable Diseases: An Overview of Systematic Reviews
2024-04-02

Abstract Objective The objective of this study was to synthesize the evidence from systematic reviews on the efficacy of physical therapy and exercise therapy, including interventional elements explicitly aiming at physical activity promotion (PAP) in patients with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Methods PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched from inception to February 28, 2023. Two independent reviewers screened the literature to identify systematic reviews that evaluated the effects of physical therapy and exercise therapy, including PAP interventions. Patient-reported and device-based measures of physical activity (PA) outcomes were included. Qualitative and quantitative data from systematic reviews were extracted by 2 independent reviewers. Assessment of the methodological quality of the included systematic reviews was performed using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR 2). We assessed primary study overlap by calculating the corrected covered area and conducted the evidence synthesis in accordance with the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Results Fourteen systematic reviews were included in the present overview, including patients with a variety of NCDs. Most included systematic reviews had critically low (n = 5) to low (n = 7) methodological quality. Most meta-analyses (67%; 8/12) provided evidence supporting the short- and long-term efficacy of PAP interventions, but not all pooled estimates were clinically relevant. Only three of the systematic reviews with meta-analysis included an assessment of the certainty of the evidence. The evidence from systematic reviews without meta-analysis was inconclusive. Conclusions The results of the present overview suggest that PAP interventions in physical therapy or exercise therapy may be effective in improving PA for patients with NCDs in the short and long term. The results should be interpreted with caution due to the limited certainty of evidence and critically low-to-low methodological quality of the included systematic reviews. Both high-quality primary studies and systematic reviews are required to confirm these results. Impact There is limited evidence that PAP interventions in physical therapy and exercise therapy may be effective in improving PA for patients with NCDs.
ARGONAUTE10 controls cell fate specification and formative cell divisions in the Arabidopsis root
2024-04-02

Abstract A key question in plant biology is how oriented cell divisions are integrated with patterning mechanisms to generate organs with adequate cell type allocation. In the root vasculature, a gradient of miRNA165/6 controls the abundance of HD-ZIP III transcription factors, which in turn control cell fate and spatially restrict vascular cell proliferation to specific cells. Here, we show that vascular development requires the presence of ARGONAUTE10, which is thought to sequester miRNA165/6 and protect HD-ZIP III transcripts from degradation. Our results suggest that the miR165/6-AGO10-HDZIP III module acts by buffering cytokinin responses and restricting xylem differentiation. Mutants of AGO10 show faster growth rates and strongly enhanced survival under severe drought conditions. However, this superior performance is offset by markedly increased variation and phenotypic plasticity in sub-optimal carbon supply conditions. Thus, AGO10 is required for the control of formative cell division and coordination of robust cell fate specification of the vasculature, while altering its expression provides a means to adjust phenotypic plasticity.
Gender, neoliberal rationality, and anti-aspirational temporality: women’s resistance to the quest for beauty in Taiwan
2024-04-02

This paper examines urban and well-educated Taiwanese women's resistance to the dominance of the valorization of female appearance, providing ethnography of undoing beauty in East Asia's era of post-developmentalism. Findings reveal the importance of the factor of time in their resistance to bodily grooming. First, participants have a "holistic" understanding of "doing beauty"; they consider this set of gender inequalities "chrono-normativity," which serves as a vector of social control. Second, the burden of long-term sustainability of aesthetic investment often turns into an unbearable weight that includes an endless quest for extreme slenderness, the exhausting immaterial labor of enacting cuteness and hetero-likability, and the difficulty of long-term financial affordability. Third, due to a bleak economic outlook and strong gender inequalities, disapproval of the quest for beauty showcases women's rejection of pursuing market success based on an aspirational and future-oriented temporality. Participants' "lying down" attitude and their emphasis on "assured little happiness" are witness to an anti-aspirational temporality, since women seek a present-focused and non-dominated experience of temporality. I argue that this anti-aspirationalism should be seen as an alternative configuration of neoliberal rationality where the care of the self and its ethos of individualism eclipse the pursuit of economic productivity.
Impact of Fermentation on the Phytochemical Profile and Bioactivity Characteristics of Aqueous Matricaria recutita L. Root Extracts
2024-04-02

Abstract While the flowers of Matricaria recutita L., German chamomile, are widely used for medicinal and cosmetic purposes, little is known about its roots, which are used in complementary medicine for the preparation of aqueous fermented extracts for the treatment of cramps and anxiety. To broaden the understanding of the active principles involved, a model fermentation approach was developed and fermentates were compared to commercially manufactured tinctures. Coumarins and hydroxycinnamates were among the major secondary metabolites characterized using HPLC‐MS n . After six months of fermentation and storage, low‐molecular organic acids were detected by GC‐MS. Fermentation contributed to the stabilization of antioxidant and radical scavenging activities, which were in a range of about 8–10 mg gallic acid equivalents/g dry weight and 20–24 mg trolox equivalents/g dry weight, determined by Folin‐Ciocalteu and DPPH assays, respectively. In addition, antibacterial activities of the extracts against Gram‐positive and ‐negative bacteria increased during the first week of fermentation. Fermentates were neither cytotoxic nor pro‐ or anti‐inflammatory. Thus, fermentation of chamomile roots is a suitable method for the safe production of biofunctional aqueous chamomile root extracts that remain stable without the addition of synthetic preservatives.
Microscopic and Spectroscopic Study on Phase Separation in Highly Crosslinked Biobased Polyurethane Thermosets
2024-04-02

Abstract In this study a biobased polyurethane (PU) thermoset is investigated due to its turbidity. In contrary to the expectations, the turbidity increases with a higher amount of a low molecular weight crosslinker. Morphological aspects are investigated with SEM imaging and measurement of the effective scattering coefficient μ’ s . FTIR spectroscopy is applied to study the influence of the chemical structure. This is combined with multivariate data analysis to identify the relevant peaks. SEM images show spherical precipitations with increasing turbidity and a simultaneous increase in the μ’ s values. FTIR analysis shows a significant amount of unreacted isocyanate‐(NCO)groups and a low level of hydrogen bonding. No formation of typical hard and soft segments is detectable. Therefore, it can be concluded that the increase in polarity differences with increasing crosslinker amount disabled the mixture of the polyol and isocyanate components, resulting in the precipitation of the isocyanate. At the same time, the low molecular weight crosslinker (~200 g mol −1 ) can react with the NCO quickly, reducing the mobility of the polymer chain, with remaining, non‐reacted isocyanate. A proof for the correlation of the differences in the FTIR and the μ’ s values was found by a regression analysis with an R 2 of 0.94.
Unveiling extended gamma-ray emission around HESS J1813-178
2024-04-02

Context . HESS J1813–178 is a very-high-energy γ -ray source spatially coincident with the young and energetic pulsar PSR J1813–1749 and thought to be associated with its pulsar wind nebula (PWN). Recently, evidence for extended high-energy emission in the vicinity of the pulsar has been revealed in the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) data. This motivates revisiting the HESS J1813–178 region, taking advantage of improved analysis methods and an extended dataset. Aims . Using data taken by the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) experiment and the Fermi -LAT, we aim to describe the γ -ray emission in the region with a consistent model, to provide insights into its origin. Methods . We performed a likelihood-based analysis on 32 hours of H.E.S.S. data and 12 yr of Fermi -LAT data and we fitted a spectro-morphological model to the combined datasets. These results allowed us to develop a physical model for the origin of the observed γ -ray emission in the region. Results . In addition to the compact very-high-energy γ -ray emission centred on the pulsar, we find a significant yet previously undetected component along the Galactic plane. With Fermi -LAT data, we confirm extended high-energy emission consistent with the position and elongation of the extended emission observed with H.E.S.S. These results establish a consistent description of the emission in the region from GeV energies to several tens of TeV. Conclusions . This study suggests that HESS J1813–178 is associated with a γ -ray PWN powered by PSR J1813–1749. A possible origin of the extended emission component is inverse Compton emission from electrons and positrons that have escaped the confines of the pulsar and form a halo around the PWN.
The effects of linear order in category learning: Some replications of Ramscar et al., (2010) and their implications for replicating training studies
2024-04-02

Ramscar, Yarlett, Dye, Denny and Thorpe (2010) showed how, consis- tent with the predictions of error-driven learning models, the order in which stimuli are presented in training can affect category learning. Specifically, learners exposed to artificial language input where objects preceded their labels learned the discriminating features of categories better than learners exposed to input where labels preceded objects. We sought to replicate this finding in two online experiments employing the same tests used originally: A four pictures test (match a label to one of four pictures) and a four labels test (match a picture to one of four labels). In our study, only findings from the four pictures test were consistent with the original result. Additionally, the effect sizes observed were smaller, and participants over-generalized high- frequency category labels more than in the original study. We suggest that although Ramscar et al. [2010] feature-label order predictions were derived from error-driven learning, they failed to consider that this mechanism also predicts that perfomance in any training paradigm must inevitably be influ- enced by participant prior experience. We consider our findings in light of these factors, and discuss implications for the generalizability and replication of training studies.
High‐definition turns timing‐dependent: Different behavioural consequences during and following cathodal high‐definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD tDCS) in a magnitude classification task
2024-04-02

Abstract Neuromodulation with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can transiently alter neural activity, but its spatial precision is low. High‐definition (HD) tDCS was introduced to increase spatial precision by placing additional electrodes over the scalp. Initial evaluations of HD tDCS indicated polarity‐specific neurophysiological effects—similar to conventional tDCS albeit with greater spatial precision. Here, we compared the effects of cathodal tDCS or HD tDCS in a 4 × 1 configuration over prefrontal cortex (PFC) regions on behavioural outcomes in a magnitude classification task. We report results on overall performance, on the numerical distance effect as a measure of numerical processing, and on the spatial‐numerical associations of response codes (SNARC) effect, which was previously affected by prefrontal tDCS. Healthy volunteers ( n = 68) received sham or cathodal HD tDCS at 1 mA over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) or the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Results were compared to an identical protocol with conventional cathodal tDCS to the left PFC versus sham ( n = 64). Mixed effects models showed performance gains relative to sham tDCS in all conditions after tDCS (i.e. ‘offline’), whereas montages over PFC and DLPFC already showed performance gains during tDCS (i.e. ‘online’). In contrast to conventional tDCS, HD tDCS did not reduce the SNARC effect. Neither condition affected numerical processing, as expected. The results suggest that HD tDCS with cathodal polarity might require further adjustments (i.e. regarding tDCS intensity) for effective modulations of cognitive‐behavioural performance, which could be achieved by individualised current density in electric field modelling.
Bayesian reinforcement learning: A basic overview
2024-04-03

We and other animals learn because there is some aspect of the world about which we are uncertain. This uncertainty arises from initial ignorance, and from changes in the world that we do not perfectly know; the uncertainty often becomes evident when our predictions about the world are found to be erroneous. The Rescorla-Wagner learning rule, which specifies one way that prediction errors can occasion learning, has been hugely influential as a characterization of Pavlovian conditioning and, through its equivalence to the delta rule in engineering, in a much wider class of learning problems. Here, we review the embedding of the Rescorla-Wagner rule in a Bayesian context that is precise about the link between uncertainty and learning, and thereby discuss extensions to such suggestions as the Kalman filter, structure learning, and beyond, that collectively encompass a wider range of uncertainties and accommodate a wider assortment of phenomena in conditioning.
High contrast at short separation with VLTI/GRAVITY: Bringing Gaia companions to light
2024-04-03

Context. Since 2019, GRAVITY has provided direct observations of giant planets and brown dwarfs at separations of down to 95 mas from the host star. Some of these observations have provided the first direct confirmation of companions previously detected by indirect techniques (astrometry and radial velocities). Aims. We want to improve the observing strategy and data reduction in order to lower the inner working angle of GRAVITY in dual-field on-axis mode. We also want to determine the current limitations of the instrument when observing faint companions with separations in the 30–150 mas range. Methods. To improve the inner working angle, we propose a fiber off-pointing strategy during the observations to maximize the ratio of companion-light-to-star-light coupling in the science fiber. We also tested a lower-order model for speckles to decouple the companion light from the star light. We then evaluated the detection limits of GRAVITY using planet injection and retrieval in representative archival data. We compare our results to theoretical expectations. Results. We validate our observing and data-reduction strategy with on-sky observations; first in the context of brown dwarf follow-up on the auxiliary telescopes with HD 984 B, and second with the first confirmation of a substellar candidate around the star Gaia DR3 2728129004119806464. With synthetic companion injection, we demonstrate that the instrument can detect companions down to a contrast of 8 × 10 −4 (Δ Κ = 7.7 mag) at a separation of 35 mas, and a contrast of 3 × 10 −5 (Δ Κ = 11 mag) at 100 mas from a bright primary ( K &lt; 6.5), for 30 min exposure time. Conclusions. With its inner working angle and astrometric precision, GRAVITY has a unique reach in direct observation parameter space. This study demonstrates the promising synergies between GRAVITY and Gaia for the confirmation and characterization of substellar companions.