julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
The Willmore flow of tori of revolution
2024-11-01

We study long-time existence and asymptotic behavior for the -gradient flow of the Willmore energy, under the condition that the initial datum is a torus of revolution. We show that if an initial datum has Willmore energy below then the solution of the Willmore flow converges for to the Clifford Torus, possibly rescaled and translated. The energy threshold of turns out to be optimal for such a convergence result. We give an application to the conformally constrained Willmore minimization problem.
Croton oligandrus Pierre & Hutch (Euphorbiaceae) Extracts and Isolated Compounds Reverse HIV-1 Latency
2024-11-01

The plant extracts and compounds reverse HIV latency through mechanisms additional to PKC activation and/or synergize with romidepsin in vitro. Extracts and compounds from this plant may enhance the activity of current HIV latency-reversing agents being assessed in HIV cure studies.
Integrated genome and metabolome mining unveiled structure and biosynthesis of novel lipopeptides from a deep‐sea Rhodococcus
2024-11-01

Abstract Microbial biosurfactants have garnered significant interest from industry due to their lower toxicity, biodegradability, activity at lower concentrations and higher resistance compared to synthetic surfactants. The deep‐sea Rhodococcus sp. I2R has been identified as a producer of glycolipid biosurfactants, specifically succinoyl trehalolipids, which exhibit antiviral activity. However, genome mining of this bacterium has revealed a still unexplored repertoire of biosurfactants. The microbial genome was found to host five non‐ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) gene clusters containing starter condensation domains that direct lipopeptide biosynthesis. Genomics and mass spectrometry (MS)‐based metabolomics enabled the linking of two NRPS gene clusters to the corresponding lipopeptide families, leading to the identification of 20 new cyclolipopeptides, designated as rhodoheptins, and 33 new glycolipopeptides, designated as rhodamides. An integrated in silico gene cluster and high‐resolution MS/MS data analysis allowed us to elucidate the planar structure, inference of stereochemistry and reconstruction of the biosynthesis of rhodoheptins and rhodamides. Rhodoheptins are cyclic heptapeptides where the N‐terminus is bonded to a β‐hydroxy fatty acid forming a macrolactone ring with the C‐terminal amino acid residue. Rhodamides are linear 14‐mer glycolipopeptides with a serine‐ and alanine‐rich peptide backbone, featuring a distinctive pattern of acetylation, glycosylation and succinylation. These molecules exhibited biosurfactant activity in the oil‐spreading assay and showed moderate antiproliferative effects against human A375 melanoma cells.
Informed consent in gynecological oncology: a JAGO/NOGGO survey on real-world practices in daily clinical routine
2024-11-01

Abstract Purpose Informed consent is a quintessential element of contemporary medicine, reflecting the fundamental right of patients to participate in decision-making regarding their health. Despite its critical importance, there is a lack of data on real-world practices regarding patient informed consent in the context of modern, high-pressure medical environments. Methods We conducted a multinational multicentric survey from February 24, 2022, to September 14, 2022, investigating the practices and challenges surrounding informed consent in hospitals across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with the use of a specifically developed questionnaire. Results Drawing on over 200 responses from gynecologists, the survey shows a critical need for structured training in conducting informed consent discussions with over 80% of participants expressing interest in courses addressing this aspect. Notably, a considerable portion of the physicians (59.9%) reported conducting discussions on procedures they had never personally witnessed. Significant disparities between types of hospitals and professional groups were observed in the frequency of informed consent discussions, with limitations arising from factors such as time constraints, language barriers, and insufficient resources for patient education. Moreover, the psychological burden experienced by physicians after informed-consent discussions underscores the need for systemic changes to alleviate concerns regarding patient safety, legal repercussions, and patient satisfaction. Conclusion This study serves as a call to action, emphasizing the need of enhancing resources and support for medical professionals to uphold the principles of empathic and comprehensive patient information and shared decision-making. Trial registry DRKS00028295, 25.07.2024
Uncovering the Relationship Between Technology-Enhanced, Adaptive Teaching and Situational Interest in Mathematics in a Randomized Controlled Trial
2024-11-01

<title>Abstract</title> Previous research has shown that students’ interest typically declines across secondary school, likely resulting from a mismatch between their needs and the school environment. Technology-enhanced adaptive teaching may allow teachers to better tailor their instruction to students’ needs, including students’ interests; thus, this approach may be promising in this regard. The objective of this study was to gain insight into the associations between equipping students and their teachers with tablet computers (1:1 technology), student-perceived adaptive teaching, and students' situational interest. We used questionnaire data (i.e., from two measurement points: t<sub>0</sub> = baseline; t<sub>1</sub> = 4 months later) from the longitudinal project <italic>tabletBW meets science</italic> from 2,601 students (Grade 7, Gymnasium, Germany) attending 28 schools. Fourteen schools were randomly chosen to be given 1:1 technology (i.e., tablet computers for teachers and students; intervention condition). The other 14 randomly chosen schools were not given such equipment (control condition). We assessed how students' situational interest in mathematics was associated with the use of tablet computers (intervention vs. control) and student-perceived adaptive teaching. Results from multilevel models showed that the 1:1 technology had a statistically significant effect on students' situational interest, partly mediated by student-perceived adaptive teaching. Moreover, knowing that students' interest in math declines in adolescence, our results indicate that equipping classrooms with technology might offer a promising way to implement more adaptive lessons that have the potential to provide the appropriate degree of challenge to students and thus spark their interest in mathematics.
Stochastic cell-intrinsic stem cell decisions control colony growth in planarians
2024-11-01

Abstract Stem cells contribute to organismal homeostasis by balancing division, self-renewal and differentiation. Elucidating the strategies by which stem cells achieve this balance is critical for understanding homeostasis, and for addressing pathogenesis associated with the disruption of this balance (e.g., cancer). Planarians, highly regenerative flatworms, use pluripotent stem cells called neoblasts to maintain and regrow organs. A single neoblast can rescue an entire animal depleted from stem cells and regenerate all cell lineages. How neoblast differentiation and clonal expansion are governed to produce all the required cell types is unclear. Here, we integrated experimental and computational approaches to develop a quantitative model revealing basic principles of clonal growth of individual neoblasts. By experimentally suppressing differentiation to major lineages, we elucidated the interplay between colony growth and lineage decisions. Our findings suggest that neoblasts pre-select their progenitor lineage based on a cell-intrinsic fate distribution. Arresting differentiation into specific lineages disrupts neoblast proliferative capacity without inducing compensatory expression of other lineages. Our analysis of neoblast colonies is consistent with a cell-intrinsic decision model that can operate without memory or communication between neoblasts. This simple cell fate decision process breaks down in homeostasis, likely because of the activity of feedback mechanisms. Our findings uncover essential principles of stem cell regulation in planarians, which are distinct from those observed in many vertebrate models. These mechanisms enable robust production of diverse cell types, and facilitate regeneration of missing tissues.
Comparison between the Emission Torus and the Measured Toroidal Magnetic Field for the Crab and Vela Nebulae
2024-11-01

Abstract Polarization measurements provide insight into the magnetic field, a critical aspect of the dynamics and emission properties around the compact object. In this paper, we present the polarized magnetic field of the Crab outer torus and the Vela arc utilizing Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer observation data. The polarization angle (PA) measured for the Crab outer torus exhibits two monotonic evolutions along the azimuth angle, which are consistent with the normal line of the elliptical ring. There is a slight increase in PA along the azimuth angle for both the inner arc and the outer arc of the Vela Nebula. The polarized magnetic vector along the outer torus of the Crab Nebula shows the polarized magnetic field aligns with the Crab outer torus structure. The PA variation along the Crab outer torus suggests a bulk flow speed of 0.8 c . Meanwhile, the Vela Nebula polarized magnetic field does not exactly align with the Vela arc structure. We noted that the Crab Nebula possesses a polarized toroidal magnetic field, whereas the Vela Nebula exhibits an incomplete toroidal magnetic field.
Assessing visual performance during intense luminance changes in virtual reality
2024-11-01

During indoor-outdoor transitions humans encounter luminance changes beyond the functional range of the photoreceptors, leaving the individual at risk of overlooking harmful low-contrast objects until adaptation processes re-enable optimal vision. To study human visual performance during intense luminance changes, we propose a virtual reality based simulation platform. After linearization of the headset's luminance output, detection times were recorded for ten participants. The small (FWHM = 0.6°) low-contrast stimuli appeared randomly in one of four corners (±10°) after luminance changes of three magnitudes within 1 or 3 s. Significantly decreased detection times were observed for the conditions with simulated self-tinting lenses compared to lenses with fixed transmission rates after luminance decreases. In cases of luminance increases all detection times were similar. In conclusion, the proposed virtual reality simulation platform allows for studying vision during or after steep luminance changes and helps to design technical aids like self-tinting lenses.
Hedging Comes to Latin America: Gauging Brazil’s Coping Strategies vis-à-vis the Sino-US Peer Competition
2024-11-01

Abstract The proliferating Sino-US peer competition is increasingly impacting Latin American states and triggering uncertainty. As China’s expanding influence in the region challenges longstanding US supremacy in the western hemisphere and reshapes the strategic calculus for regional states, hedging behaviour becomes increasingly opportune. This most notably includes Brazil, the largest state in Latin America both politically and economically, whose hedging behaviour oscillated between governments, a characteristic normally associated with states facing higher systemic pressures. As such, how does the Sino-US peer competition impact Brazil’s hedging strategy? And why do coping behaviours differ on various indices between different administrations, from Lula to Bolsonaro? Findings suggest that depending on whether the incumbent government was left- or right-wing, Brazil’s hedge was recalibrated as either pro- or anti-US regional supremacy.
Effect of tunnel wash water treatment processes on trace elements, organic micropollutants, and biological effects
2024-11-01

Tunnel wash water (TWW) contains high levels of trace elements and organic micropollutants, especially in the dissolved fraction. Discharge poses significant environmental risks. This field study aimed at improving conventional sedimentation treatment by addition of novel secondary treatments: bag filtration, ceramic microfiltration, or granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration. Removal of nine trace elements, 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), 38 per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), seven benzothiazoles (BTHs), seven benzotriazoles (BTRs), five bisphenols (BPs), and five benzophenones was investigated. Primary sedimentation significantly reduced particles and associated contaminants, achieving over 73 % average removal for trace elements, 65 % for PAHs, and 71 % for PFASs. Subsequent GAC removed over 70 % of dissolved Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn and over 92 % of dissolved PFASs, BTHs, BTRs, and BPs, including several persistent, mobile and toxic compounds. Following GAC filtration, Cr, Ni, Pb, anthracene, fluoranthene, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, and bisphenol-A were below environmental quality standards (EQS). GAC consistently reduced responses in in vitro bioassays with endpoints activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor, oxidative stress response, and neurotoxicity below effect-based trigger values for surface water. GAC filtration is thus recommended for future TWW treatment. Assessing water quality remains a challenging task due to lack of EQSs for many chemicals.
Effects of the two-pore potassium channel subunit Task5 on neuronal function and signal processing in the auditory brainstem
2024-11-01

Processing of auditory signals critically depends on the neuron’s ability to fire brief, precisely timed action potentials (APs) at high frequencies and high fidelity for prolonged times. This requires the expression of specialized sets of ion channels to quickly repolarize neurons, prevent aberrant AP firing and tightly regulate neuronal excitability. Although critically important, the regulation of neuronal excitability has received little attention in the auditory system. Neuronal excitability is determined to a large extent by the resting membrane potential (RMP), which in turn depends on the kind and number of ion channels open at rest; mostly potassium channels. A large part of this resting potassium conductance is carried by two-pore potassium channels (K2P channels). Among the K2P channels, the subunit Task5 is expressed almost exclusively in the auditory brainstem, suggesting a specialized role in auditory processing. However, since it failed to form functional ion channels in heterologous expression systems, it was classified “non-functional” for a long time and its role in the auditory system remained elusive. Here, we generated Task5 knock-out (KO) mice. The loss of Task5 resulted in changes in neuronal excitability in bushy cells of the ventral cochlear nucleus (VCN) and principal neurons of the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB). Moreover, auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) to loud sounds were altered in Tasko5-KO mice. Thus, our study provides evidence that Task5 is indeed a functional K2P subunit and contributes to sound processing in the auditory brainstem.
Magnetic field in the extreme low frequency band protects neuronal and microglia cells from oxygen-glucose deprivation
2024-11-01

Ischemic stroke consists of rapid neural death as a consequence of brain vessel obstruction, followed by damage to the neighboring tissue known as ischemic penumbra. The cerebral tissue in the core of the lesions becomes irreversibly damaged, however, the ischemic penumbra is potentially recoverable during the initial phases after the stroke. Therefore, there is real need for emerging therapeutic strategies to reduce ischemic damage and its spread to the penumbral region. For this reason, we tested the effect of Extreme Low Frequency Electromagnetic Stimulation (ELF-EMS) on in vitro primary neuronal and microglial cultures under oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) conditions. ELF-EMS under basal non-OGD conditions did not induce any effect in cell survival. However, ELF-EMS significantly reduced neuronal cell death in OGD conditions and reduced ischemic induced Ca 2+ overload. Likewise, ELF-EMS modulated microglia activation and OGD-induced microglia cell death. Hence, this study suggests potential benefits in the application of ELF-EMS to limit ischemic irreversible damages under in vitro stroke conditions, encouraging in vivo preclinical validations of ELF-EMS as a potential therapeutic strategy for ischemic stroke.
Theta Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation Is Not Effective in Improving Working Memory Performance
2024-11-01

Abstract There is an extensive body of research showing a significant relationship between frontal midline theta activity in the 4- to 8-Hz range and working memory (WM) performance. Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) is recognized for inducing lasting changes in brain oscillatory activity. Across two experiments, we tested whether WM could be improved through tACS of dorsomedial PFC and ACC, by affecting executive control networks associated with frontal midline theta. In Experiment 1, after either a 20-min verum or sham stimulation applied to Fpz–CPz at 1 mA and 6 Hz, 31 participants performed WM tasks, while EEG was recorded. The tasks required participants to either mentally manipulate memory items or retain them in memory as they were originally presented. No significant effects were observed in behavioral performance, and we found no change in theta activity during rest and task after stimulation. However, alpha activity during retention or manipulation of information in WM was less strongly enhanced during the delay period after verum stimulation as compared with sham. In Experiment 2 (n = 25), tACS was administered during the task in two separate sessions. Here, we changed the order of the stimulation blocks: A 25-min task block was either accompanied first by sham stimulation and then by verum stimulation, or vice versa. Again, we found no improvements in WM through either tACS after-effects or online stimulation. Taken together, our results demonstrate that theta frequency tACS applied at the midline is not an effective method for enhancing WM.
Stochastic cell-intrinsic stem cell decisions control colony growth in planarians
2024-11-01

Stem cells contribute to organismal homeostasis by balancing division, self-renewal, and differentiation. Elucidating the strategies by which stem cells achieve this balance is critical for understanding homeostasis and for addressing pathogenesis associated with the disruption of this balance (e.g. cancer). Planarians, highly regenerative flatworms, use pluripotent stem cells called neoblasts to maintain and regrow organs. A single neoblast can rescue an entire animal depleted from stem cells and regenerate all cell lineages. How neoblast differentiation and clonal expansion are governed to produce all the required cell types remains unclear. Here, we integrated experimental and computational approaches to develop a quantitative model revealing basic principles of clonal growth of individual neoblasts. By experimentally suppressing differentiation to major lineages, we elucidated the interplay between colony growth and lineage decisions. Our findings suggest that neoblasts select their progenitor lineage based on a cell-intrinsic fate distribution. Arresting differentiation into specific lineages disrupts neoblast proliferative capacity without inducing compensatory expression of other lineages. Our analysis of neoblast colonies is consistent with a cell-intrinsic decision model that can operate without memory or communication between neoblasts. This simple cell fate decision process breaks down in homeostasis, likely because of the activity of feedback mechanisms. Our findings uncover essential principles of stem cell regulation in planarians, which are distinct from those observed in many vertebrate models. These mechanisms enable robust production of diverse cell types and facilitate regeneration of missing tissues.
CTIM-08. FIRST IN HUMAN STUDY OF THE MRNA-BASED CANCER VACCINE CVGBM IN PATIENTS (PTS) WITH NEWLY-DIAGNOSED AND SURGICALLY RESECTED MGMT-UNMETHYLATED GLIOBLASTOMA (GBM): FIRST RESULTS FROM THE DOSE ESCALATION PHASE
2024-11-01

Abstract INTRODUCTION CVGBM is an investigational therapeutic mRNA-based vaccine encoding 8 epitopes derived from tumor associated antigens with potential relevance in GBM. This is an ongoing, first-in-human study evaluating the safety of CVGBM in pts with newly-diagnosed MGMT-unmethylated GBM. METHODS HLA-A*02:01-positive pts with newly-diagnosed MGMT-unmethylated GBM (CNS WHO Grade [Gr] 4) who had a gross total or partial resection and completed radiotherapy ± concomitant temozolomide received CVGBM on Days 1, 8, 15, 29, 43, 57 and 71 + 6 optional doses at 6-week intervals. Primary endpoints are safety, tolerability and dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs). Immunogenicity is an exploratory endpoint. RESULTS As of 29/2/2024, 16 pts were enrolled in the dose-escalation part (Part A); 3 each in DL 1 (12 μg), DL 2 (25 μg), and DL 3 (50 μg), and 7 in DL 4 (100 μg). For all cohorts, mean time on study from 1st dose to last visit was 4.5 months (min: 1.5; max: 8). 109 doses were administered (mean: 6.8 doses per pt). All pts completed the 2-week DLT evaluation period without DLTs. Of 156 treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs), the majority (73%) were CTCAE Gr 1 (21% Gr 2, 6% Gr 3). The most common related TEAEs were chills (n=13), pyrexia (n=12), headache (n=12), fatigue (n=11) and malaise (n=5), mostly of mild to moderate severity. 7 pts had 9 ≥ Gr 3 AEs assessed as potentially related to CVGBM by the investigators outside the DLT period (cerebral edema [n=2], leukoencephalopathy, pseudoprogression with cerebral edema, structural epilepsy, ataxia, hypertension, malaise and fever [1 of each]), evenly distributed across cohorts. First immunogenicity data are planned to be presented. CONCLUSIONS CVGBM was generally well tolerated with an acceptable safety profile. The highest tolerated dose was not reached. Based on all available safety data, the selected dose for trial expansion was 100 μg. Previously presented at ESMO 2024, “FPN (Final Publication Number): 4400, Ghazaleh Tabatabai et al. - Reused with permission.