julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
The anterior process of the malleus in Cetartiodactyla
2015-10-29

Abstract The anterior fixation of the anterior process of the malleus has been studied in a number of Cetartiodactyla. This anterior process, also known as processus gracilis, is provided by the prearticular (gonial), a dermal bone, whereas the cartilage of Meckel becomes resorbed in perinatal ontogenetic stages. Posteriorly, the prearticular fuses with the cartilaginous caput of the malleus; rostrally, the prearticular (= processus gracilis) is always fixed to the anterior crus of the ectotympanic by an extremely thin splint (thickness &lt; 50 μm). From the rostral part of the processus gracilis all studied cetartiodactyls develop a processus internus of considerable size. This process was known as ‘ossiculum accessorium mallei’ in former times, and its homology has been disputed; from our microscopic‐anatomical study we can definitely state that it is always a ‘processus internus praearticularis’. This process contacts the fascia of the tensor tympani muscle. In non‐ruminants, it articulates dorsally with the tegmen tympani and dorsolaterally with the ectotympanic; whereas the processus gracilis becomes more and more slender, the processus internus may grow to considerable size and normally is fused to the adjacent bones already in juveniles. However, in ruminants, the tegmen tympani tends to disappear and the processus internus praearticularis appears as relatively small bony knob at the floor of the medial cranial cavity, and it seems not to be fused to the surrounding bones; in later age stages, it may become secondarily overgrown by the petrosal. This dorsally exposed processus internus praearticularis seems to be a synapomorphy of the Ruminantia. The functional meaning of this internal process of the prearticular, which is also developed to a minor degree in Carnivora, remains unclear at the moment – but we present some speculations about this.
Regeneration of Degenerated Urinary Sphincter Muscles: Improved Stem Cell-Based Therapies and Novel Imaging Technologies
2015-10-29

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI) is a largely ousted but significant medical, social, and economic problem. Surveys suggest that nowadays approximately 10% of the male and 15% of the female population suffer from urinary incontinence at some stage in their lifetime. In women, two major etiologies contribute to SUI: degeneration of the urethral sphincter muscle controlling the closing mechanism of the bladder outflow and changes in lower pelvic organ position associated with degeneration of connective tissue or with mechanical stress, including obesity and load and tissue injury during pregnancy and delivery. In males, the reduction of the sphincter muscle function is sometimes due to surgical interventions as a consequence of prostate cancer treatment, benign prostate hyperplasia, or of neuropathical origin. Accordingly, for women and men different therapies were developed. In some cases, SUI can be treated by physical exercise, electrophysiological stimulation, and pharmacological interventions. If this fails to improve the situation, surgical interventions are required. In standard procedures, endoprostheses for mechanical support of the weakened tissue or mechanical valves for a bladder outflow control are implanted. In 20% of cases treated, repeat procedures are required as implants yield all sorts of side effects in time. Based on preclinical studies, the application of an advanced therapy medicinal product (ATMP) such as implantation of autologous cells may be a curative and long-lasting therapy for SUI. Cellular therapy could also be an option for men suffering from incontinence caused by injury of the nerves controlling the muscular sphincter system. Here we briefly report on human progenitor cells, especially on mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), their expansion and differentiation to smooth muscle or striated muscle cells in vitro, labeling of cells for in vivo imaging, concepts of improved, precise, yet gentle application of cells in muscle tissue, and monitoring of injected cells in situ.
Small-scale disturbances in the stratigraphy of the NEEM ice core: observations and numerical model simulations
2015-10-29

Abstract. Disturbances on the centimetre scale in the stratigraphy of the NEEM ice core (North Greenland) can be mapped by an optical line scanner as long as the ice does have a visual layering, such as, for example, cloudy bands. Different focal depths allow, to a certain extent, a three dimensional view of the structures. In this study we present a detailed analysis of the visible folds, discuss their characteristics and frequency and present examples of typical fold structures. We also analyse the structures with regard to the deformation boundary conditions under which they formed. The structures evolve from gentle waves at about 1500 m to overturned z-folds with increasing depth. Occasionally, the folding causes significant thickening of layers. Their similar-fold shape indicates that they are passive features and are probably not initiated by rheology differences between alternating layers. Layering is heavily disturbed and tracing of single layers is no longer possible below a depth of 2160 m. c-axes orientation distributions for the corresponding core sections were analysed where available in addition to visual stratigraphy. The data show axial-plane parallel strings of grains with c-axis orientations that deviate from that of the matrix, which shows a single-maximum fabric at the depth where the folding occurs. Numerical modelling of crystal viscoplasticity deformation and dynamic recrystallisation was used to improve the understanding of the formation of the observed structures during deformation. The modelling reproduces the development of bands of grains with a tilted orientation relative to the single maximum fabric of the matrix, and also the associated local deformation. We conclude from these results that the observed folding is a consequence of localized deformation at the boundaries of kink bands.
Semantic values as latent parameters: Surprising few & many
2015-10-29

Based on a concrete proposal for the semantics of vague quantifiers few and many suggests unspecified parameters which are hard to assess by introspection, we argue for the potential value of data-oriented computational modeling. We demonstrate how semantic values can be estimated from experimental data and a probabilistic model of language use.
Oral NETs: the deadly kiss
2015-10-29

be particularly important to systematically assess the clonal tides produced in the context of selective pressure.Indeed, the analysis of the genetic fingerprint produced by drug selection is highly informative.In current practice, with most patients receiving chemoimmunotherapy, the emergence of ATM, TP53, and SF3B1 mutant cells, as found in the current study, is expected.As we increasingly use drugs with distinctly different mechanism of action, novel mutation targets (eg, phospholipase C-g and Bruton tyrosine kinase) emerge, which also implies that future platforms will need to cover additional genes.In summary, the work of Guièze et al casts light on the potential to improve current prognostic models of CLL and should serve as impetus to develop large-scale and meticulous studies of the genetic architecture of CLL, accounting for the dynamic nature of the mutational process.
Linking in Vitro Effects and Detected Organic Micropollutants in Surface Water Using Mixture-Toxicity Modeling
2015-10-30

Surface water can contain countless organic micropollutants, and targeted chemical analysis alone may only detect a small fraction of the chemicals present. Consequently, bioanalytical tools can be applied complementary to chemical analysis to detect the effects of complex chemical mixtures. In this study, bioassays indicative of activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), activation of the pregnane X receptor (PXR), activation of the estrogen receptor (ER), adaptive stress responses to oxidative stress (Nrf2), genotoxicity (p53) and inflammation (NF-κB) and the fish embryo toxicity test were applied along with chemical analysis to water extracts from the Danube River. Mixture-toxicity modeling was applied to determine the contribution of detected chemicals to the biological effect. Effect concentrations for between 0 to 13 detected chemicals could be found in the literature for the different bioassays. Detected chemicals explained less than 0.2% of the biological effect in the PXR activation, adaptive stress response, and fish embryo toxicity assays, while five chemicals explained up to 80% of ER activation, and three chemicals explained up to 71% of AhR activation. This study highlights the importance of fingerprinting the effects of detected chemicals.
Estimation of Catchment‐Scale Soil Moisture Patterns Based on Terrain Data and Sparse TDR Measurements Using a Fuzzy C‐Means Clustering Approach
2015-10-30

Accurate characterization of spatial soil moisture patterns and their temporal dynamics is important to infer hydrological fluxes and flow pathways and to improve the description and prediction of hydrological models. Recent advances in ground‐based and remote sensing technologies provide new opportunities for temporal information on soil moisture patterns. However, spatial monitoring of soil moisture at the small catchment scale (0.1–1 km 2 ) remains challenging and traditional in situ soil moisture measurements are still indispensable. This paper presents a strategic soil moisture sampling framework for a low‐mountain catchment. The objectives were to: (i) find a priori a representative number of measurement locations, (ii) estimate the soil moisture pattern on the measurement date, and (iii) assess the relative importance of topography for explaining soil moisture pattern dynamics. The fuzzy c‐means sampling and estimation approach (FCM SEA) was used to identify representative measurement locations for in situ soil moisture measurements. The sampling was based on terrain attributes derived from a digital elevation model (DEM). Five time‐domain reflectometry (TDR) measurement campaigns were conducted from April to October 2013. The TDR measurements were used to calibrate the FCM SEA to estimate the soil moisture pattern. For wet conditions the FCM SEA performed better than under intermediate conditions and was able to reproduce a substantial part of the soil moisture pattern. A temporal stability analysis shows a transition between states characterized by a reorganization of the soil moisture pattern. This indicates that, at the investigated site, under wet conditions, topography is a major control that drives water redistribution, whereas for the intermediate state, other factors become increasingly important.
Normal values for intima-media thickness of the common carotid artery - an update following a novel risk factor profiling
2015-10-30

Abstract. Background: There is a widely approved influence of novel risk factors like the body fat distribution and the associated metabolic syndrome, subclinical inflammation, insulin resistance and prediabetic disturbances in glucose metabolism on the progression of atherosclerosis. Former studies examining normal values for intima-media thickness (IMT) did not consider all of these new study results in detail. We therefore aimed to assess an update on age- and gender-specific normal values for IMT accounting for these novel risk factors. Patients and methods: We evaluated IMT by high-resolution ultrasound (13 MHz) on the far wall of the common carotid artery in 801 subjects without cardiovascular disease (428 women aged 46.2±12.9 years; 373 men aged 47.3±13.3 years). After precise evaluation and exclusion of 14 cardiovascular risk factors, 90% limits of IMT were determined by parametric statistics. Results: The reference limits of IMT according to the age classes 18-29, 30-39, 40-49 and 50-59 years were estimated as 0.47, 0.59, 0.67 and 0.70 mm in women and 0.47, 0.62, 0.72 and 0.80 mm in men. Conclusions: Age and gender-specific normal values for IMT are lower than reported in former studies after additionally accounting for novel cardiovascular risk factors. The still widely regarded upper IMT limit of 1 mm must be strictly regarded as obsolete.
Low frequencies of central memory CD4 T cells in progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
2015-10-30

These data indicate that PML is associated with reduced frequencies of peripheral central memory helper T cells but not with alterations in the frequencies of cytotoxic T cell populations, B lymphocytes, plasma cells, or NK cells.
A compositional account of the eventive/stative ambiguity of German causal von-modifiers
2015-10-30

The paper develops a compositional semantics of German causal von-modifiers that derives eventive and stative readings of causal von from a single lexical entry and allows for coercive adaptions to account for the observed range of interpretive adjustments. Characteristic features of the interpretation such as the inferential behavior of causal von-modifiers and the holistic effect of the stative reading are explained as following from independently motivated conceptual assumptions concerning the spatiotemporal grounding of causation.
From Forager to Cultivator: A Case Study in the Zagros Mountains of Iran
2015-10-30

This paper examines the early aceramic Neolithic botanic assemblage from Chogha Golan, Iran, for signs of cultivation. Based on the presumption that people's engagement with the local vegetation altered due to a changing mode of residence and mobility during that period, its record of edible and useful plants ought to look different compared to that of the site's later assemblages that include domesticated emmer. The study involved data from coeval sites in the region and three Palaeolithic outliers, including Ghar-e Boof, a Rostamian cave occupation in the Zagros Mountains. Though the information does not refute efforts at cultivation at the site during the midden's initial occupation, the analyses rather suggest that a realignment of hunter-gatherer traditions took place, with local plant exploitation targeting a wider breadth in the landscape. Inherited subsistence strategies were adapted to the new human and natural setting inhabited, in which high yield legumes and grasses dominated procurement and became the focus of the incipient agricultural transformations underway.
High cut‐off dialysis in chronic haemodialysis patients
2015-10-31

Abstract Background Haemodialysis patients suffer from chronic systemic inflammation and high incidence of cardiovascular disease. One cause for this may be the failure of diseased kidneys to eliminate immune mediators. Current haemodialysis treatment achieves insufficient elimination of proteins in the molecular weight range 15–45 kD. Thus, high cut‐off dialysis might improve the inflammatory state. Design In this randomized crossover trial, 43 haemodialysis patients were treated for 3 weeks with high cut‐off or high‐flux dialysis. Inflammatory plasma mediators, monocyte subpopulation distribution and leucocyte gene expression were quantified. Results High cut‐off dialysis supplemented by a low‐flux filter did not influence the primary end‐point, expression density of CD 162 on monocytes. Nevertheless, treatment reduced multiple immune mediators in plasma. Such reduction proved – at least for some markers – to be a sustained effect over the interdialytic interval. Thus, for example, soluble TNF ‐receptor 1 concentration predialysis was reduced from median 13·3 ( IQR 8·9–17·2) to 9·7 ( IQR 7·5–13·2) ng/mL with high cut‐off while remaining constant with high‐flux treatment. The expression profile of multiple proinflammatory genes in leucocytes was significantly dampened. Treatment was well tolerated although albumin losses in high cut‐off dialysis would be prohibitive against long‐term use. Conclusions The study shows for the first time that a dampening effect of high cut‐off dialysis on systemic inflammation is achievable. Earlier studies had failed due to short study duration or insufficient dialysis efficacy. Removal of soluble mediators from the circulation influences cellular activation levels in leucocytes. Continued development of less albumin leaky membranes with similar cytokine elimination is justified.
Inhibition of Histone Deacetylases Permits Lipopolysaccharide-Mediated Secretion of Bioactive IL-1β via a Caspase-1–Independent Mechanism
2015-10-31

Abstract Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors (HDACi) are clinically approved anticancer drugs that have important immune-modulatory properties. We report the surprising finding that HDACi promote LPS-induced IL-1β processing and secretion in human and murine dendritic cells and murine macrophages. HDACi/LPS-induced IL-1β maturation and secretion kinetics differed completely from those observed upon inflammasome activation. Moreover, this pathway of IL-1β secretion was dependent on caspase-8 but was independent of the inflammasome components NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains-containing protein 3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a carboxyl-terminal caspase-recruitment domain, and caspase-1. Genetic studies excluded HDAC6 and HDAC10 as relevant HDAC targets in this pathway, whereas pharmacological inhibitor studies implicated the involvement of HDAC11. Treatment of mice with HDACi in a dextran sodium sulfate–induced colitis model resulted in a strong increase in intestinal IL-1β, confirming that this pathway is also operative in vivo. Thus, in addition to the conventional inflammasome-dependent IL-1β cleavage pathway, dendritic cells and macrophages are capable of generating, secreting, and processing bioactive IL-1β by a novel, caspase-8–dependent mechanism. Given the widespread interest in the therapeutic targeting of IL-1β, as well as the use of HDACi for anti-inflammatory applications, these findings have substantial clinical implications.
Plants Release Precursors of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors to Suppress Growth of Competitors
2015-11-01

To secure their access to water, light, and nutrients, many plant species have developed allelopathic strategies to suppress competitors. To this end, they release into the rhizosphere phytotoxic substances that inhibit the germination and growth of neighbors. Despite the importance of allelopathy in shaping natural plant communities and for agricultural production, the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Here, we report that allelochemicals derived from the common class of cyclic hydroxamic acid root exudates directly affect the chromatin-modifying machinery in Arabidopsis thaliana. These allelochemicals inhibit histone deacetylases both in vitro and in vivo and exert their activity through locus-specific alterations of histone acetylation and associated gene expression. Our multilevel analysis collectively shows how plant-plant interactions interfere with a fundamental cellular process, histone acetylation, by targeting an evolutionarily highly conserved class of enzymes.
Bridging the great divide: Conspiracy theory research for the 21st century
2015-11-01

Abstract This article starts from the observation that research on conspiracy theories is currently thriving, but that it is also fragmented. In particular there is an increasing divide between disciplines with culturalist and qualitative approaches, such as history, cultural studies and ethnology, and disciplines with quantitative and empirical approaches, such as psychology and political science. The article argues that this ‘great divide’ has to be bridged for research to arrive at a genuine understanding of conspiracy theories. As a first step in such a bridge-building process, the article engages, from the vantage point of (American) cultural studies, with research done on the other side of the divide, namely in psychology and political science. It summarizes the work done in these fields and evaluates it critically, concentrating on methodology; the assumptions about the dysfunctionality of conspiracy beliefs; the circularity of some arguments; the focus on individual rather than social and collective aspects; the lack of engagement with the definition of the phenomenon; and the neglect of cultural and historical difference. The article ends with recommendations for future collaborative research projects.
Escaping from a human capital trap? Italy's regions and the move to centralized primary schooling, 1861–1936
2015-11-01

The role played by public policy in the development of Italy's human capital in the late nineteenth century and the Interwar period has long remained unexplored by quantitative economic history. This article explores whether a system of decentralized primary education slowed down regional convergence in schooling, since poor and backward areas could not afford to invest a suitable amount of resources in education. It also investigates whether a more centralized system introduced in 1911 fostered the development of basic education and reduced the country's regional disparities. The analysis confirms the existence of such a human capital trap and shows that centralized primary education fostered the development of Italy's schooling in the Interwar period.
Disparities in health and access to healthcare between asylum seekers and residents in Germany: a population-based cross-sectional feasibility study
2015-11-01

Objectives To assess disparities in health and healthcare between asylum seekers (AS) and residents in Germany as a proof of concept using European Core Health Indicators (ECHI). Design Population-based cross-sectional feasibility study. Participants All AS (aged 18 years or above) registered in three counties in Germany during a 3-month study period (N=1017). Cross-sectional data on the resident population were taken from the German Health Interview (2008–2011, N=8152), and the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (2012, N=23 065). Outcome measures Self-reported health status and healthcare access (utilisation and unmet medical need) in line with ECHI. Method Inequalities in health and access to healthcare were quantified both by crude and age-stratified/sex-stratified ORs with 95% CI using cross-tabulations. Results A total of N=156 AS (15.34%) participated in the study. Compared with residents, AS were significantly more likely to report a bad health status (OR=1.72 (1.23 to 2.41)), activity limitations (OR=1.97 (1.39 to 2.79)) or (only younger age groups) any chronic morbidity (18–24 years: OR=6.23 (2.62 to 14.57); 25–49 years: OR=2.05 (1.23 to 3.37)). AS had significantly lower odds for consulting any physician (OR=0.1 (0.07 to 0.16)) or general practitioners (OR=0.44 (0.31 to 0.62)), but higher odds for hospital admissions (OR=2.29 (1.54 to 3.34)), visits to psychotherapists (OR=4.07 (2.48 to 6.43)) and unmet needs (OR=3.74 (2.62 to 5.21)). The direction of healthcare-related associations was consistent across all strata despite variation in magnitude and statistical significance. Conclusions Quantifying disparities between AS and the resident population by means of selected ECHI proved to be feasible. The approach yielded first quantitative evidence for disparities in health and access to healthcare in the German context. Further research is needed to generate representative estimates, for example, by including AS in national health monitoring programmes.