julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Social gating of sensory information during ongoing communication
2014-10-12

Social context plays an important role in human communication. Depending on the nature of the source, the same communication signal might be processed in fundamentally different ways. However, the selective modulation (or "gating") of the flow of neural information during communication is not fully understood. Here, we use multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA) and multivoxel connectivity analysis (MVCA), a novel technique that allows to analyse context-dependent changes of the strength interregional coupling between ensembles of voxels, to examine how the human brain differentially gates content-specific sensory information during ongoing perception of communication signals. In a simulated electronic communication experiment, participants received two alternative text messages during fMRI ("happy" or "sad") which they believed had been sent either by their real-life friend outside the scanner or by a computer. A region in the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) selectively increased its functional coupling with sensory-content encoding regions in the visual cortex when a text message was perceived as being sent by the participant's friend, and decreased its functional coupling with these regions when a text message was perceived as being sent by the computer. Furthermore, the strength of neural encoding of content-specific information of text messages in the dmPFC was modulated by the social tie between the participant and her friend: the more of her spare time a participant reported to spend with her friend the stronger was the neural encoding. This suggests that the human brain selectively gates sensory information into the relevant network for processing the mental states of others, depending on the source of the communication signal.
Dynamic 18F‐FET PET in suspected WHO grade II gliomas defines distinct biological subgroups with different clinical courses
2014-10-13

In suspected grade II gliomas, three distinct patterns of time–activity curves (TAC) on O‐(2‐[ 18 F]fluoroethyl)‐1‐tyrosine ( 18 F‐FET) positron emission tomography (PET) have been delineated ( i ) increasing TAC homogeneously throughout the tumor, and decreasing TAC, ( ii ) either homogeneously throughout the tumor or ( iii ) only focally within otherwise increasing TAC patterns. Increasing TAC was associated with low‐grade histology and decreasing TAC with high‐grade histology. This prospective study analyzed whether these patterns correlate with distinct biological tumor subtypes and differential outcome. 18 F‐FET PET‐guided biopsies were used for stepwise histopathological evaluation. Molecular‐genetic evaluation included O 6 ‐methylguanine‐DNA methyltransferase ( MGMT ) promoter methylation, isocitrate dehydrogenase ( IDH1/2 ) mutational and 1p/19q codeletion status. Progression‐free survival (PFS) was estimated with the Kaplan‐Meier method. Prognostic factors were obtained from multivariate regression models. 98 adult patients were included. Homogeneous increasing, focal decreasing and homogeneous decreasing TAC were seen in 51, 19 and 28 patients. The corresponding 1‐year (2‐years) PFS were 92% (85%), 89% (51%) and 50% (28%; p = 0.002). IDH1/2 mutations were more frequent in tumors with homogeneous increasing (90%) and focal decreasing (79%) TAC, but were rare in those exhibiting homogeneous decreasing TAC (25%; p &lt; 0.001). Overall, TAC patterns, IDH1/2 mutational and 1p/19q codeletion status were powerful and independent prognostic factors. Dynamic 18 F‐FET PET might be an important and independent imaging biomarker for patients with suspected WHO grade II gliomas and offers perspectives for stratified diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. Tumors with focal decreasing TAC need highly targeted surgical interventions to avoid undergrading and undertreatment.
Acute kidney injury and tools for risk-stratification in 456 patients with hantavirus-induced nephropathia epidemica
2014-10-13

This clinical prediction rule provides a novel and diagnostically accurate strategy for the potential prevention and improved management of kidney complications in patients with NE and, ultimately, for a possible decrease in unnecessary hospitalization in a high number of patients.
Planet-vortex interaction: How a vortex can shepherd a planetary embryo
2014-10-13

\\n Context. Anti-cyclonic vortices are considered to be a favourable places for trapping dust and forming planetary embryos. On the other hand, they are massive blobs that can interact gravitationally with the planets in the disc.\\n Aims. We aim to study how a vortex interacts gravitationally with a planet that migrates towards the vortex or with a planet that is created inside the vortex.\\n Methods. We performed hydrodynamical simulations of a viscous locally isothermal disc using GFARGO and FARGO-ADSG. We set a stationary Gaussian pressure bump in the disc so that a large vortex is formed and maintained as a result of Rossby wave instability (RWI). After the vortex is established, we implanted a low-mass planet ([5,1,0.5] × 10-6M⋆) in the outer disc or inside the vortex and allowed it to migrate. We also examined the effect of vortex strength on the planet migration by doubling the height of the bump and checked the validity of the final result in the presence of self-gravity.\\n Results. We noticed that regardless of the planet’s initial position, the planet is finally locked to the RWI-created vortex in a 1:1 resonance or its migration is stopped at a larger orbital distance, in case of a stronger vortex. For the model with the weaker vortex (our standard model), we studied the effect of different parameters such as background viscosity, background surface density, mass of the planet, and different planet positions. In these models, while the trapping time and locking angle of the planet vary for different parameters, the main result, which is the planet-vortex locking, remains valid. We discovered that even a planet with a mass less than 5 × 10-7M⋆ comes out from the vortex and is locked to it at the same orbital distance. For a stronger vortex, both in non-self-gravitating and self-gravitating models, the planet migration is stopped far away from the radial position of the vortex. This effect can make the vortices a suitable place for continual planet formation under the condition that they save their shape during the planetary growth. \\n
Predication and NP structure in an omnipredicative language: The case of Khoekhoe
2014-10-13

We examine noun phrases and predication in Khoekhoe, a Central Khoisan language, arguing that members of all open word classes can function equally and without derivation as predicates, and that predicative use is primary and referential use is derived syntactically by relativization. We then present a formal HPSG analysis, in which members of all open word classes enter the syntax as predicates and in which all argument NPs are derived in a uniform manner as projections of pronominal elements, modified by relative clauses, building on Sag's (1997) analysis of English relative clauses. We will then argue that, additionally, DPs may project directly to clauses, yielding a second predication structure.
Morphology of the Nasal Capsule of Primates—With Special Reference to Daubentonia and Homo
2014-10-14

ABSTRACT Primitive mammals are considered macrosmatic. They have very large and complicated nasal capsules, nasal cavities with extensive olfactory epithelia, and relatively large olfactory bulbs. The complicated structures of the nasal capsule follow a relatively conservative “bauplan,” which is normally easy to see in earlier fetal stages; especially in altricial taxa it differentiates well into postnatal life. As anteriormost part of the chondrocranium, the nasal capsule is at first cartilaginous. Most of it ossifies endochondrally, but “appositional bone” (“Zuwachsknochen”) is also common. Many fetal structures become resorbed. Together, all surviving bone structures form the ethmoid bone, but cartilages of the external nose and of the vomeronasal complex can persist throughout life. We describe in detail the anatomy of Daubentonia madagascariensis based on a fetal stage (41 mm HL) and an adult skull was analyzed by μCT. We found that the nasal capsule of this species is by far the most complicated one of all extant Primates. We also describe older fetuses of Homo sapiens (35 and 63 mm HL) as representative of a derived primate. The most significant feature of man—and probably of all anthropoids—is the complete loss of the recessus frontoturbinalis and its associated structures. It can be demonstrated that the evolutionary reductions within the primate nasal capsule mainly affect those structures associated with olfaction, whereas cartilages that are important for the biomechanics of the facial skull of the fetus persist. Anat Rec, 297:1985–2006, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Volitional control of the anterior insula in criminal psychopaths using real-time fMRI neurofeedback: a pilot study
2014-10-14

This pilot study aimed to explore whether criminal psychopaths can learn volitional regulation of the left anterior insula with real-time fMRI neurofeedback. Our previous studies with healthy volunteers showed that learned control of the blood oxygenation-level dependent (BOLD) signal was specific to the target region, and not a result of general arousal and global unspecific brain activation, and also that successful regulation modulates emotional responses, specifically to aversive picture stimuli but not neutral stimuli. In this pilot study, four criminal psychopaths were trained to regulate the anterior insula by employing negative emotional imageries taken from previous episodes in their lives, in conjunction with contingent feedback. Only one out of the four participants learned to increase the percent differential BOLD in the up-regulation condition across training runs. Subjects with higher Psychopathic Checklist-Revised (PCL:SV) scores were less able to increase the BOLD signal in the anterior insula than their lower PCL:SV counterparts. We investigated functional connectivity changes in the emotional network due to learned regulation of the successful participant, by employing multivariate Granger Causality Modeling (GCM). Learning to up-regulate the left anterior insula not only increased the number of connections (causal density) in the emotional network in the single successful participant but also increased the difference between the number of outgoing and incoming connections (causal flow) of the left insula. This pilot study shows modest potential for training psychopathic individuals to learn to control brain activity in the anterior insula.
Long-term change in the cyclotron line energy in Hercules X-1
2014-10-14

Aims. We investigate the long-term evolution of the Cyclotron Resonance\\nScattering Feature (CRSF) in the spectrum of the binary X-ray pulsar Her X-1\\nand present evidence of a true long-term decrease in the centroid energy Ecyc\\nof the cyclotron line in the pulse phase averaged spectra from 1996 to 2012.\\nMethods. Our results are based on repeated observations of Her X-1 by those\\nX-ray observatories capable of measuring clearly beyond the cyclotron line\\nenergy of about 40 keV. Results. The historical evolution of the pulse phase\\naveraged CRSF centroid energy Ecyc since its discovery in 1976 is characterized\\nby an initial value around 35 keV, an abrupt jump upwards to beyond about 40\\nkeV between 1990 and 1994, and an apparent decay thereafter. Much of this\\ndecay, however, was found to be due to an artifact, namely a correlation\\nbetween Ecyc and the X-ray luminosity Lx discovered in 2007. In observations\\nafter 2006, however, we now find a statistically significant true decrease in\\nthe cyclotron line energy. At the same time, the dependence of Ecyc on X-ray\\nluminosity is still valid with an increase of about 5% in energy for a factor\\nof two increase in luminosity. A decrease in Ecyc by 4.2 keV over the 16 years\\nfrom 1996 to 2012 can either be modeled by a linear decay, or by a slow decay\\nuntil 2006 followed by a more abrupt decrease thereafter. Conclusions. We\\nspeculate that the physical reason could be connected to a geometric\\ndisplacement of the cyclotron resonant scattering region in the polar field or\\nto a true physical change in the magnetic field configuration at the polar cap\\nby the continued accretion.\\n
Nasal Anatomy of the Non‐mammaliaform Cynodont Brasilitherium riograndensis (Eucynodontia, Therapsida) Reveals New Insight into Mammalian Evolution
2014-10-14

ABSTRACT The mammalian nasal cavity is characterized by a unique anatomy with complex internal features. The evolution of turbinals was correlated with endothermic and macrosmatic adaptations in therapsids and in early mammals, which is still apparent in their twofold function (warming and moistening of air, olfaction). Fossil evidence for the transformation from the nonmammalian to the mammalian nasal cavity pattern has been poor and inadequate. Ossification of the cartilaginous nasal capsule and turbinals seems to be a feature that occurred only very late in synapsid evolution but delicate ethmoidal bones are rarely preserved. Here we provide the first μCT investigation of the nasal cavity of the advanced non‐mammaliaform cynodont Brasilitherium riograndensis from the Late Triassic of Southern Brazil, a member of the sister‐group of mammaliaforms, in order to elucidate a critical anatomical transition in early mammalian evolution. Brasilitherium riograndensis already had at least partially ossified turbinals as remnants of the nasoturbinal and the first ethmoturbinal are preserved. The posterior nasal septum is partly ossified and contributes to a mesethmoid. The nasal cavity is posteriorly expanded and forms a distinctive pars posterior (ethmoidal recess) that is ventrally separated from the nasopharyngeal duct by a distinct lamina terminalis. Thus, our observations clearly demonstrate that principal features of the mammalian nasal cavity were already present in the sister‐group of mammaliaforms. Anat Rec, 297:2018–2030, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Disruptive selection and bet-hedging in planktonic Foraminifera: shell morphology as predictor of extinctions
2014-10-14

Extinction is a remarkably difficult phenomenon to study under natural conditions. This is because the outcome of stress exposure and associated fitness reduction is not known until the extinction occurs and it remains unclear whether there is any phenotypic reaction of the exposed population that can be used to predict its fate. Here we take advantage of the fossil record, where the ecological outcome of stress exposure is known. Specifically, we analyze shell morphology of planktonic Foraminifera in sediment samples from the Mediterranean, during an interval preceding local extinctions. In two species representing different plankton habitats, we observe shifts in trait state and decrease in variance in association with non-terminal stress, indicating stabilizing selection. At terminal stress levels, immediately before extinction, we observe increased growth asymmetry and trait variance, indicating disruptive selection and bet-hedging. The pre-extinction populations of both species show a combination of trait states and trait variance distinct from all populations exposed to non-terminal levels of stress. This finding indicates that the phenotypic history of a population may allow the detection of threshold levels of stress, likely to lead to extinction. It is thus an alternative to population dynamics in studying and monitoring natural population ecology.
Carboxymefloquine, the Major Metabolite of the Antimalarial Drug Mefloquine, Induces Drug-Metabolizing Enzyme and Transporter Expression by Activation of Pregnane X Receptor
2014-10-14

ABSTRACT Malaria patients are frequently coinfected with HIV and mycobacteria causing tuberculosis, which increases the use of coadministered drugs and thereby enhances the risk of pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions. Activation of the pregnane X receptor (PXR) by xenobiotics, which include many drugs, induces drug metabolism and transport, thereby resulting in possible attenuation or loss of the therapeutic responses to the drugs being coadministered. While several artemisinin-type antimalarial drugs have been shown to activate PXR, data on nonartemisinin-type antimalarials are still missing. Therefore, this study aimed to elucidate the potential of nonartemisinin antimalarial drugs and drug metabolites to activate PXR. We screened 16 clinically used antimalarial drugs and six major drug metabolites for binding to PXR using the two-hybrid PXR ligand binding domain assembly assay; this identified carboxymefloquine, the major and pharmacologically inactive metabolite of the antimalarial drug mefloquine, as a potential PXR ligand. Two-hybrid PXR-coactivator and -corepressor interaction assays and PXR-dependent promoter reporter gene assays confirmed carboxymefloquine to be a novel PXR agonist which specifically activated the human receptor. In the PXR-expressing intestinal LS174T cells and in primary human hepatocytes, carboxymefloquine induced the expression of drug-metabolizing enzymes and transporters on the mRNA and protein levels. The crucial role of PXR for the carboxymefloquine-dependent induction of gene expression was confirmed by small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated knockdown of the receptor. Thus, the clinical use of mefloquine may result in pharmacokinetic drug-drug interactions by means of its metabolite carboxymefloquine. Whether these in vitro findings are of in vivo relevance has to be addressed in future clinical drug-drug interaction studies.
Piperlongumine-Induced Phosphatidylserine Translocation in the Erythrocyte Membrane
2014-10-14

Background: Piperlongumine, a component of Piper longum fruit, is considered as a treatment for malignancy. It is effective by inducing apoptosis. Mechanisms involved in the apoptotic action of piperlongumine include oxidative stress and activation of p38 kinase. In analogy to apoptosis of nucleated cells, erythrocytes may undergo eryptosis, the suicidal death of erythrocytes characterized by cell shrinkage and cell membrane scrambling with phosphatidylserine-exposure at the erythrocyte surface. Signaling involved in eryptosis include increase of cytosolic Ca2+-activity ([Ca2+]i), formation of ceramide, oxidative stress and activation of p38 kinase. Methods: Cell volume was estimated from forward scatter, phosphatidylserine-exposure from annexin V binding, [Ca2+]i from Fluo3 fluorescence, reactive oxygen species from 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein-diacetate fluorescence, and ceramide abundance from binding of fluorescent antibodies in flow cytometry. Results: A 48 h exposure to piperlongumine (30 μM) was followed by significant decrease of forward scatter and increase of annexin-V-binding. Piperlongumine did not significantly modify [Ca2+]i and the effect was not dependent on presence of extracellular Ca2+. Piperlongumine significantly increased ROS formation and ceramide abundance. Conclusions: Piperlongumine triggers cell membrane scrambling, an effect independent from entry of extracellular Ca2+ but at least partially due to ROS and ceramide formation.
A virtualized testbed with physical outlets for hands-on computer networking education
2014-10-14

Many computer science curricula include practical courses to undergraduate and graduate students to offer them hands-on networking experience by connecting PCs, switches, and routers in a testbed. Such testbeds are expensive, bulky, energy-intensive, and cause heat problems. Virtualization of PCs and routers on commodity hardware is a solution to those problems. A challenge is to provide physical interfaces for the virtualized components so that students still have the hands-on experience including cabling. In this work, we propose a solution based on inexpensive hardware that can be mounted in a standard 19-inch cabinet. As WiFi adapters, headsets, or additional serial interfaces are needed for advanced experiments, we provide means to connect them as USB devices to virtualized PCs and routers. The system is configured so that students have only access to the virtual machines and their physical interfaces.
Clinical outcome of critically ill, not fully recompensated, patients undergoing MitraClip therapy
2014-10-15

Aims As periprocedural risk is low, MitraClip implantation is often performed in critically ill, not fully recompensated patients, who are in NYHA functional class IV at the time of the procedure, to accelerate convalescence. We herein sought to evaluate the procedural and 30‐day outcome of this patient group. Methods and results A total of 803 patients undergoing MitraClip implantation were included in the German Mitral Valve Registry, and 30‐day outcomes were prospectively assessed. Patients were separated based on NYHA functional class [( NYHA IV ( n = 143), III ( n = 572), and I/ II ( n = 88)]. No difference was noted in co‐morbities and echocardiographic parameters of LV function between groups. However, parameters of severity of mitral regurgitation ( MR ) were higher in NYHA IV patients. High procedural success rates and low residual MR grades at discharge were observed throughout all groups. In‐hospital major adverse cardiac events were similar between groups. Importantly, 30‐day mortality (8.0% vs. 3.2% vs. 4.8%; P &lt; 0.05) was significantly higher in NYHA IV patients, whereas rehospitalization did not differ between groups. At 30 days, 47.6% of NYHA IV patients were still in NYHA class III or IV compared with 32.5% and 14.8% in the other groups ( P &lt; 0.05), although NYHA functional class decreased in 69% of patients. Quality of life, which was very poor at baseline, showed an overall improvement in NYHA IV patients after 30 days, with, for example, a reduction of bed‐ridden patients from 19.6% to 3.3%. Conclusion MitraClip therapy is feasible and safe even in critically ill, not fully recompensated patients and leads to symptomatic improvement in over two‐thirds of these patients; however, it is associated with an elevated 30‐day mortality.