julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Physico-chemical stability of eribulin mesylate containing concentrate and ready-to-administer solutions
2013-06-27

Objectives The aim of this study was to determine the stability of commercially available eribulin mesylate containing injection solution as well as diluted ready-to-administer solutions stored under refrigeration or at room temperature. Methods Stability was studied by a novel developed stability-indicating reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) assay with ultraviolet detection (detection wavelength 200 nm). Triplicate test solutions of eribulin mesylate containing injection concentrate (0.5 mg/mL) and with 0.9% sodium chloride solution diluted ready-to-administer preparations (0.205 mg/mL eribulin mesylate in polypropylene (PP) syringes, 0.020 mg/mL eribulin mesylate in polypropylene/polyethylene (PE) bags) were stored protected from light either at room temperature (25°C) or under refrigeration (2–8°C). Samples were withdrawn on day 0 (initial), 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 21 and 28 of storage and assayed. Physical stability was determined by measuring the pH value once a week and checking for visible precipitations or colour changes. Results The stability tests revealed that concentrations of eribulin mesylate remained unchanged over a period of 28 days irrespective of concentration, container material or storage temperature. Neither colour changes nor visible particles have been observed. The pH value varied slightly over time but remained in the stability favourable range of 5–9. Conclusion Eribulin mesylate injection (0.5 mg/mL) is physico-chemically stable over a period of 28 days after first puncture of the vial. After dilution with 0.9% NaCl vehicle solution, ready-to-administer eribulin mesylate injection solutions (0.205 mg/mL in PP syringe) and infusion solutions (0.02 mg/mL in prefilled PP/PE bags) are physico-chemically stable for a period of at least four weeks either refrigerated or stored at room temperature. For microbiological reasons storage under refrigeration is recommended.
An Investigation into the Relationship Between Perceived Quality-of-Experience and Virtual Acoustic Environments: the Case of 3D Audio Telephony
2013-06-28

Quality of Experience (QoE) is a human centric quality evaluation method which provides the blue print of human needs, perceptions, feelings and experiences with respect to a multimedia service. In a communications ecosystem, human interaction takes place alongside technological, contextual, and business domains, thus producing a holistic view on QoE formation. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between human perceived QoE and "context" for burgeoning 3-dimensional (3D) audio teleconferencing services. 3D audio teleconferencing applications are customizable by generating different virtual acoustic environments (VAE), where parameters such as virtual room size and competing talker conditions can be adjusted for a particular application. The impact of different VAE characteristics on perceived QoE, however, is still unknown. In this study, four QoE factors were investigated across different VAE scenarios. It was found that a) medium-size virtual rooms produce optimal perceived QoE, b) competing talkers of mixed gender could be easily located in the virtual space, and c) competing speaker gender had no significant effect on perceived audio quality.
Atrial Natriuretic Peptide–Mediated Inhibition of Microcirculatory Endothelial Ca 2+ and Permeability Response to Histamine Involves cGMP-Dependent Protein Kinase I and TRPC6 Channels
2013-06-29

Objective— Histamine increases microvascular endothelial leakage by activation of complex calcium-dependent and -independent signaling pathways. Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) via its cGMP-forming guanylyl cyclase-A (GC-A) receptor counteracts this response. Here, we characterized the molecular mechanisms underlying this interaction, especially the role of cGMP-dependent protein kinase I (cGKI). Approach and Results— We combined intravital microscopy studies of the mouse cremaster microcirculation with experiments in cultured microvascular human dermal endothelial cells. In wild-type mice, ANP had no direct effect on the extravasation of fluorescent dextran from postcapillary venules, but strongly reduced the histamine-provoked vascular leakage. This anti-inflammatory effect of ANP was abolished in mice with endothelial-restricted inactivation of GC-A or cGKI. Histamine-induced increases in endothelial [Ca 2+ ] i in vitro and of vascular leakage in vivo were markedly attenuated by the Ca 2+ -entry inhibitor SKF96365 and in mice with ablated transient receptor potential canonical (TRPC) 6 channels. Conversely, direct activation of TRPC6 with hyperforin replicated the hyperpermeability responses to histamine. ANP, via cGKI, stimulated the inhibitory phosphorylation of TRPC6 at position Thr 69 and prevented the hyperpermeability responses to hyperforin. Moreover, inhibition of cGMP degradation by the phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor sildenafil prevented the edematic actions of histamine in wild types but not in mice with endothelial GC-A or cGKI deletion. Conclusions— ANP attenuates the inflammatory actions of histamine via endothelial GC-A/cGMP/cGKI signaling and inhibitory phosphorylation of TRPC6 channels. The therapeutic potential of this novel regulatory pathway is indicated by the observation that sildenafil improves systemic endothelial barrier functions by enhancing the endothelial effects of endogenous ANP.
A divergence dating analysis of turtles using fossil calibrations: an example of best practices
2013-07-01

Turtles have served as a model system for molecular divergence dating studies using fossil calibrations. However, because some parts of the fossil record of turtles are very well known, divergence age estimates from molecular phylogenies often do not differ greatly from those observed directly from the fossil record alone. Also, the phylogenetic position and age of turtle fossil calibrations used in previous studies have not been adequately justified. We provide the first explicitly justified minimum and soft maximum age constraints on 22 clades of turtles following best practice protocols. Using these data we undertook a Bayesian relaxed molecular clock analysis establishing a timescale for the evolution of crown Testudines that we exploit in attempting to address evolutionary questions that cannot be resolved with fossils alone. Some of these questions, such as whether the turtle crown originated in the Triassic or Jurassic, cannot be resolved by our analysis. However, our results generate novel age-of-origination estimates for clades within crown Testudines. Finally, we compare our fossil calibrations and posterior age estimates to those from other studies, revealing substantial differences in results and interpretation.
Addressing perceptual insensitivity to facial affect in violent offenders: first evidence for the efficacy of a novel implicit training approach
2013-07-01

Background Although impaired recognition of affective facial expressions has been conclusively linked to antisocial behavior, little is known about the modifiability of this deficit. This study investigated whether and under which circumstances the proposed perceptual insensitivity can be addressed with a brief implicit training approach. Method Facial affect recognition was assessed with an animated morph task, in which the participants (44 male incarcerated violent offenders and 43 matched controls) identified the onset of emotional expressions in animated morph clips that gradually changed from neutral to one of the six basic emotions. Half of the offenders were then implicitly trained to direct attention to salient face regions (attention training, AT) using a modified dot-probe task. The other half underwent the same protocol but the intensity level of the presented expressions was additionally manipulated over the course of training sessions (sensitivity to emotional expressions training, SEE training). Subsequently, participants were reassessed with the animated morph task. Results Facial affect recognition was significantly impaired in violent offenders as compared with controls. Further, our results indicate that only the SEE training group exhibited a pronounced improvement in emotion recognition. Conclusions We demonstrated for the first time that perceptual insensitivity to facial affect can be addressed by an implicit training that directs attention to salient regions of a face and gradually decreases the intensity of the emotional expression. Future studies should focus on the potential of this intervention to effectively increase empathy and inhibit violent behavior in antisocial individuals.
A non-pulsating neutron star in the supernova remnant HESS J1731−347/G353.6−0.7 with a carbon atmosphere
2013-07-01

Context: The CCO candidate in the center of the supernova remnant shell HESS\\nJ1731-347 / G353.6-0.7 shows no pulsations and exhibits a blackbody-like X-ray\\nspectrum. If the absence of pulsations is interpreted as evidence for the\\nemitting surface area being the entire neutron star surface, the assumption of\\nthe measured flux being due to a blackbody emission translates into a source\\ndistance that is inconsistent with current estimates of the remnant's distance.\\nAims: With the best available observational data, we extended the pulse period\\nsearch down to a sub-millisecond time scale and used a carbon atmosphere model\\nto describe the X-ray spectrum of the CCO and to estimate geometrical\\nparameters of the neutron star. Methods: To search for pulsations we used data\\nof an observation of the source with XMM-Newton performed in timing mode. For\\nthe spectral analysis, we used earlier XMM-Newton observations performed in\\nimaging mode, which permits a more accurate treatment of the background. The\\ncarbon atmosphere models used to fit the CCO spectrum are computed assuming\\nhydrostatic and radiative equilibria and take into account pressure ionization\\nand the presence of spectral lines. Results: Our timing analysis did not reveal\\nany pulsations with a pulsed fraction above ~8% down to 0.2 ms. This finding\\nfurther supports the hypothesis that the emitting surface area is the entire\\nneutron star surface. The carbon atmosphere model provides a good fit to the\\nCCO spectrum and leads to a normalization consistent with the available\\ndistance estimates of the remnant. The derived constraints on the mass and\\nradius of the source are consistent with reasonable values of the neutron star\\nmass and radius. After the CCO in Cas A, the CCO in HESS J1731-347 / G353.6-0.7\\nis the second object of this class for which a carbon atmosphere model provides\\na consistent description of X-ray emission.\\n
Tracking by location and features: Object correspondence across spatiotemporal discontinuities during multiple object tracking.
2013-07-01

We examined whether surface feature information is utilized to track the locations of multiple objects. In particular, we tested whether surface features and spatiotemporal information are weighted according to their availability and reliability. Accordingly, we hypothesized that surface features should affect location tracking across spatiotemporal discontinuities. Three kinds of spatiotemporal discontinuities were implemented across five experiments: abrupt scene rotations, abrupt zooms, and a reduced presentation frame rate. Objects were briefly colored across the spatiotemporal discontinuity. Distinct coloring that matched spatiotemporal information across the discontinuity improved tracking performance as compared with homogeneous coloring. Swapping distinct colors across the discontinuity impaired performance. Correspondence by color was further demonstrated by more mis-selected distractors appearing in a former target color than distractors appearing in a former distractor color in the swap condition. This was true even when color never supported tracking and when participants were instructed to ignore color. Furthermore, effects of object color on tracking occurred with unreliable spatiotemporal information but not with reliable spatiotemporal information. Our results demonstrate that surface feature information can be utilized to track the locations of multiple objects. This is in contrast to theories stating that objects are tracked based on spatiotemporal information only. We introduce a flexible-weighting tracking account stating that spatiotemporal information and surface features are both utilized by the location tracking mechanism. The two sources of information are weighted according to their availability and reliability. Surface feature effects on tracking are particularly likely when distinct surface feature information is available and spatiotemporal information is unreliable.
Design and analysis of a squamous cell carcinoma in vitro model system
2013-07-01

Tissue-engineered skin equivalents based on primary isolated fibroblasts and keratinocytes have been shown to be useful tools for functional in vitro tests, including toxicological screenings and drug development. In this study, a commercially available squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell line SCC-25 was introduced into epidermal and full-thickness skin equivalents to generate human-based disease-in-a-dish model systems. Interestingly, when cultured either in the epidermis or dermis of full-thickness skin equivalents, SCC-25 cells formed hyper-keratinized tumor cell nests, a phenomenon that is frequently seen in the skin of patients afflicted with SCC. Raman spectroscopy was employed for the label-free cell phenotype characterization within the engineered skin equivalents and revealed the presence of differential protein patterns in keratinocytes and SCC-25 cells. To conclude, the here presented SSC disease-in-a-dish approaches offer the unique opportunity to model SSC in human skin in vitro, which will allow further insight into SSC disease progression, and the development of therapeutic strategies.
Au Nanotip as Luminescent Near-Field Probe
2013-07-01

We introduce a new optical near-field mapping method, namely utilizing the plasmon-mediated luminescence from the apex of a sharp gold nanotip. The tip acts as a quasi-point light source which does not suffer from bleaching and gives a spatial resolution of ≤25 nm. We demonstrate our method by imaging the near field of azimuthally and radially polarized plasmonic modes of nonluminescent aluminum oligomers.
Movement related cortical potentials in severe chronic stroke
2013-07-01

Movement related cortical potentials (MRCPs) have been studied for many years and controlled using brain computer interfaces (BCIs). Furthermore, MRCPs have been proposed as reliable and immediate indicators of cortical reorganizations in motor learning and after stroke. In this study MRCPs preceding and during hand movements in severe chronic stroke were investigated. Eight severely impaired (no residual finger extension) chronic stoke patients underwent EEG and EMG recordings during a cue triggered hand movement paradigm. Four patients presented subcortical lesions only while the other four presented mixed (cortical and subcortical) lesions. MRCPs were measured before (slow cortical potentials SCPs) and at movement onset (motor potentials MPs). SCPs were observed during paretic hand movements only. Latencies were longer and reached their negativity peak earlier during paretic hand movement. When dividing the patients in subcortical only and mixed lesion patients, we observed significantly bigger MP peak amplitudes over the lesioned hemisphere during paretic and healthy hand movements in subcortical stroke patients. Furthermore, we observed a significant difference in MP peak latency between subcortical and mixed stroke patients during paretic hand movements. We demonstrated for the first time significant differences between subcortical only and mixed (cortical and subcortical) stroke patients' MRCPs during motor preparation and execution. Furthermore, we demonstrated how stroke produces a longer MRCP and that lesion location affects MP peak amplitude and latency. Finally, we propose the use MRCP based BCIs to reduce their duration (towards normal) and induce motor function recovery.
Evaluation of the mechanism of gelation of an oleogel based on a triterpene extract from the outer bark of birch.
2013-07-01

Oleogels are known for their high physical, chemical, and mechanical stability and good in vivo efficacy, which make them appropriate vehicles for dermal drug delivery and skin care for very dry skin. Modern formulation research focusses on well tolerated and sustainable formulation concepts. This paper deals with an innovative oleogel, which is based on a triterpene dry extract from the outer bark of birch (TE). In this formulation TE does not only act as an excipient but provides interesting pharmacological properties at the same time. The oleogel was formulated using solely Simmondsia Chinensis seed oil (jojoba oil) and TE. Fluorescence microscopy and confocal Raman microscopy showed that suspended TE particles arrange in a three-dimensional gel network. Infrared spectroscopy revealed that the formation of hydrogen bonds between TE particles is responsible for the self-assembly of TE in oil. Moreover, the influence of TE concentration and morphology of the TE particles on the viscoelasticity of the resulting oleogels was analyzed. Gel strength increased with TE concentration and was critical to the specific surface area of the TE particles.
Emotion-based human-robot-interaction
2013-07-01

This work documents the implementation of a dynamic personality as a Human-Robot-Interface as well as the test of its effect. It creates an emergent personality structure for a robot based upon a psychological theory. The resulting emotions lead to different reactions and speech output of the robot. The personalities had a great impact on the user, the robot appeared more human-like and more emotional.
Impact of Anesthetics on 3′-[18F]Fluoro-3′-Deoxythymidine ([18F]FLT) Uptake in Animal Models of Cancer and Inflammation
2013-07-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of different anesthetics on 3′-[ 18 F]fluoro-3′-deoxythymidine ([ 18 F]FLT) uptake in carcinomas and arthritic ankles. To determine the amount of [ 18 F]FLT uptake in subcutaneous CT26 colon carcinomas or arthritic ankles, spontaneously room air/medical air–breathing mice were anesthetized with isoflurane, a combination of medetomidine/midazolam, or ketamine/xylazine. Mice were kept conscious or anesthetized during [ 18 F]FLT uptake before the 10-minute static positron emission tomographic (PET) investigations. [ 18 F]FLT uptake in CT26 colon carcinomas and arthritic ankles was calculated by drawing regions of interest. We detected a significantly reduced (4.4 ± 0.9 %ID/cm 3 ) [ 18 F]FLT uptake in the carcinomas of ketamine/xylazine-anesthetized mice compared to the [ 18 F]FLT-uptake in carcinomas of medetomidine/midazolam- (7.0 ± 1.5 %ID/cm 3 ) or isoflurane-anesthetized mice (6.4 ± 1.5 %ID/cm 3 ), whereas no significant differences were observed in arthritic ankles regardless of whether mice were anesthetized or conscious during tracer uptake. The time-activity curves of carcinomas and arthritic ankles yielded diverse [ 18 F]FLT accumulation related to the used anesthetics. [ 18 F]FLT uptake dynamics are different in arthritic ankles and carcinoma, and the magnitude and pharmacokinetics of [ 18 F]FLT uptake are sensitive to anesthetics. Thus, for preclinical in vivo [ 18 F]FLT PET studies in experimental tumor or inflammation models, we recommend the use of isoflurane anesthesia as it yields a stable tracer uptake and is easy to handle.
Two paths of risk regulation: the concurrence of scientific and sociocultural decision-making in the European law of agricultural genetic engineering
2013-07-01

Future hazards which may result from genetically engineered plants can currently only be anticipated. Therefore, the handling of the potential risks is becoming a crucial political and legal question. The following article describes the differing national regulatory approaches in Europe: an economic, a scientific, and a sociopolitical approach pre-existed the European Union's deliberate release Directive, which itself follows a primarily science-based approach. The latter is based on objective technological assessments of individual cases. At the same time, however, the Directive contains elements of a sociocultural approach, which is open to value-based judgments and thus, necessarily takes a subjective, general assessment of the use of genetically modified organisms. As a result, the European law of Agricultural Genetic Engineering provides two paths of risk regulation in parallel.
CHEESE, COMMONS AND COMMERCE On the Politics and Practices of Branding Regional Food
2013-07-01

The protection of regional specialties by the EU-instrument of geographical indications fundamentally changes the status of food; formerly common products become newly appropriated ones. The processes of selecting specialties, and declaring them to be a kind of culinary heritage, shed light on the interplay between legal, political, and economic interests: the transformation of (assumed to be) commonly shared goods and knowledge into legal collective properties evokes state interest and creates new power relations. Two German cheeses, Odenwälder Frühstückskäse and Allgäuer Emmentaler, both labeled with the "protected designation of origin," provide a framework for examining these processes of propertization and commercialization. In these examples it turns out that establishing, valorizing, regulating and commercializing regional food is based on cultural arguments.
Spatial Resolution of an Eye Containing a Grouped Retina: Ganglion Cell Morphology and Tectal Physiology in the Weakly Electric Fish Gnathonemus petersii
2013-07-01

ABSTRACT The retina of the weakly electric fish Gnathonemus petersii is a so‐called grouped retina where photoreceptors are bundled. These bundles are regarded as functional units and this type of retinal specialization is uniquely found in teleosts. To understand how this anatomical organization influences visual information processing we investigated the morphology and distribution of retinal ganglion cells (GCs) and the response properties of retinal afferents terminating in the major retinorecipient area, the optic tectum. GCs were classified based on their dendritic morphology (dendritic field diameters &lt;90–100 μm: narrow‐field GCs; 110–280 μm: widefield GCs; &gt;280 μm: giant GCs). Within these classes subtypes were distinguished based on the ramification patterns of the dendrites in the sublaminae of the inner plexiform layer. Properties of presumed optic nerve terminals were investigated in the optic tectum using extracellular recordings. Physiological classes could be observed based on their response to visual stimuli (on; off; on‐off, and fast units). Receptive field sizes and spatiotemporal properties were classified and the topographical representation of the visual space was mapped in the tectum. Gratings of low spatial frequencies were best responded to and followed up to high temporal frequencies (&gt;30 Hz). Most of the recorded units were directionally selective. No evidence of distorted topographies in the tectum was found, i.e., no overrepresentation of the retina was seen in the tectum opticum. The grouped retina of G. petersii seems to be optimized for the detection of large, fast objects in an environment of low optical quality. J. Comp. Neurol. 521:4075–4093, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.