julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Assessing Variation in Tolerance in 23 Muslim‐Majority and Western Countries
2014-07-26

Scholars disagree over whether Islam hinders the development of liberal democracy in Muslim‐majority countries. We contribute to this debate by assessing the influence of Islam at the individual and national levels on ethnic, racial, and religious tolerance in 23 countries. Our analyses are based on a set of multilevel models fitted to World Values Survey data and national‐level contextual information from various sources. Our findings suggest that people living in Muslim‐majority countries tend to be less tolerant than are those living in Western countries. Although a significant part of this difference is attributable to variation in level of economic development and income inequality, Muslim countries remain less tolerant even after controlling for these factors. On the other hand, controlling for other individual‐level factors, nonpracticing Muslims in Western countries are more tolerant than are all others in both Muslim‐majority and Western countries. This finding challenges common claims about the effects of Islam as a religion on tolerance, suggesting that it is Islamic political regimes—not Islam itself—that pose problems for social tolerance. Les chercheurs ont des opinions divergentes à savoir si l'islam freine le développement d'une démocratie libérale dans les pays à majorité musulmane. Nous contribuons à ce débat en évaluant l'influence de l'islam aux niveaux individuel et national sur la tolérance ethnique, raciale et religieuse dans 23 pays. Nos analyses sont basées sur un ensemble de modèles à plusieurs niveaux ajustés en fonction des données du World Values Survey et de l'information contextuelle au niveau national ayant été obtenue auprès de diverses sources. Nos constatations suggèrent que les personnes vivant dans des pays à majorité musulmane ont tendance à être moins tolérantes que celles vivant dans les pays occidentaux. Bien qu'une grande partie de cette différence soit attribuable à la variation du niveau de développement économique et à l'inégalité de revenu, les pays musulmans demeurent moins tolérants, même après le contrôle de ces facteurs. En revanche, en contrôlant d'autres facteurs au niveau individuel, les musulmans non pratiquants des pays occidentaux sont plus tolérants que tous les autres des pays à majorité musulmane et des pays occidentaux. Cette constatation s'élève contre les allégations communes au sujet des effets de l'islam comme religion sur la tolérance, suggérant que ce sont les régimes politiques islamiques, et non pas l'islam en soi, qui posent des problèmes en ce qui a trait à la tolérance sociale.
Conjugated bilirubin triggers anemia by inducing erythrocyte death
2014-07-28

Hepatic failure is commonly associated with anemia, which may result from gastrointestinal bleeding, vitamin deficiency, or liver‐damaging diseases, such as infection and alcohol intoxication. At least in theory, anemia during hepatic failure may result from accelerated clearance of circulating erythrocytes. Here we show that bile duct ligation (BDL) in mice leads to severe anemia despite increased reticulocyte numbers. Bilirubin stimulated suicidal death of human erythrocytes. Mechanistically, bilirubin triggered rapid Ca 2+ influx, sphingomyelinase activation, formation of ceramide, and subsequent translocation of phosphatidylserine to the erythrocyte surface. Consistent with our in vitro and in vivo findings, incubation of erythrocytes in serum from patients with liver disease induced suicidal death of erythrocytes in relation to their plasma bilirubin concentration. Consistently, patients with hyperbilirubinemia had significantly lower erythrocyte and significantly higher reticulocyte counts compared to patients with low bilirubin levels. Conclusion : Bilirubin triggers suicidal erythrocyte death, thus contributing to anemia during liver disease. (H epatology 2015;61:275–284)
Toward a model framework of generalized parallel componential processing of multi-symbol numbers.
2014-07-28

In this article, we propose and evaluate a new model framework of parallel componential multi-symbol number processing, generalizing the idea of parallel componential processing of multi-digit numbers to the case of negative numbers by considering the polarity signs similar to single digits. In a first step, we evaluated this account by defining and investigating a sign-decade compatibility effect for the comparison of positive and negative numbers, which extends the unit-decade compatibility effect in 2-digit number processing. Then, we evaluated whether the model is capable of accounting for previous findings in negative number processing. In a magnitude comparison task, in which participants had to single out the larger of 2 integers, we observed a reliable sign-decade compatibility effect with prolonged reaction times for incompatible (e.g., -97 vs. +53; in which the number with the larger decade digit has the smaller, i.e., negative polarity sign) as compared with sign-decade compatible number pairs (e.g., -53 vs. +97). Moreover, an analysis of participants' eye fixation behavior corroborated our model of parallel componential processing of multi-symbol numbers. These results are discussed in light of concurrent theoretical notions about negative number processing. On the basis of the present results, we propose a generalized integrated model framework of parallel componential multi-symbol processing.
Flux-calibration of medium-resolution spectra from 300 nm to 2500 nm
2014-07-28

While the near-infrared wavelength regime is becoming more and more important for astrophysics there are few spectrophotometric standard star data available to flux calibrate such data. On the other hand flux calibrating high-resolution spectra is a challenge even in the optical wavelength range, because the available flux standard data are often too coarsely sampled. We describe a method to obtain reference spectra derived from stellar model atmospheres, which allow users to derive response curves from 300 nm to 2500 nm also for high-resolution spectra. We verified that they provide an appropriate description of the observed standard star spectra by checking for residuals in line cores and line overlap regions in the ratios of observed spectra to model spectra. The finally selected model spectra are then empirically corrected for remaining mismatches and photometrically calibrated using independent observations. In addition we have defined an automatic method to correct for moderate telluric absorption using telluric model spectra with very high spectral resolution, that can easily be adapted to the observed data. This procedure eliminates the need to observe telluric standard stars, as long as some knowledge on the target spectrum exists.
Biochar as an Electron Shuttle between Bacteria and Fe(III) Minerals
2014-07-29

Biochar influences soil fertility, N2O emissions, and atmospheric CO2 budgets, and because of its quinone and aromatic structures, it is redox-active. Here we demonstrate that biochar concentrations of 5 and 10 g L–1 stimulate both the rate and the extent of microbial reduction of the Fe(III) oxyhydroxide mineral ferrihydrite (15 mM) by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1, while lower biochar concentrations (0.5 and 1 g L–1) have a negative effect on ferrihydrite reduction. Control experiments showed that biochar particles and not biochar-derived water-soluble organic compounds are responsible for the stimulating and inhibiting effect. We also found that biochar changed the mineral product of ferrihydrite reduction from magnetite (Fe3O4) to siderite (FeCO3). Our study suggests that biochar can influence soil biogeochemistry not only indirectly by changing the soil structure and chemistry but also by directly mediating electron transfer processes, i.e., by functioning as an electron shuttle.
Transdifferentiation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells to Macrophage-Like Cells During Atherogenesis
2014-07-29

Rationale: Atherosclerosis is a widespread and devastating disease, but the origins of cells within atherosclerotic plaques are not well defined. Objective: To investigate the specific contribution of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) to atherosclerotic plaque formation by genetic inducible fate mapping in mice. Methods and Results: Vascular SMCs were genetically pulse-labeled using the tamoxifen-dependent Cre recombinase, CreER T2 , expressed from the endogenous SM22α locus combined with Cre-activatable reporter genes that were integrated into the ROSA26 locus. Mature SMCs in the arterial media were labeled by tamoxifen treatment of young apolipoprotein E–deficient mice before the development of atherosclerosis and then their fate was monitored in older atherosclerotic animals. We found that medial SMCs can undergo clonal expansion and convert to macrophage-like cells that have lost classic SMC marker expression and make up a major component of advanced atherosclerotic lesions. Conclusions: This study provides strong in vivo evidence for smooth muscle-to-macrophage transdifferentiation and supports an important role of SMC plasticity in atherogenesis. Targeting this type of SMC phenotypic conversion might be a novel strategy for the treatment of atherosclerosis, as well as other diseases with a smooth muscle component.
KCNMA1 Encoded Cardiac BK Channels Afford Protection against Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury
2014-07-29

Mitochondrial potassium channels have been implicated in myocardial protection mediated through pre-/postconditioning. Compounds that open the Ca2+- and voltage-activated potassium channel of big-conductance (BK) have a pre-conditioning-like effect on survival of cardiomyocytes after ischemia/reperfusion injury. Recently, mitochondrial BK channels (mitoBKs) in cardiomyocytes were implicated as infarct-limiting factors that derive directly from the KCNMA1 gene encoding for canonical BKs usually present at the plasma membrane of cells. However, some studies challenged these cardio-protective roles of mitoBKs. Herein, we present electrophysiological evidence for paxilline- and NS11021-sensitive BK-mediated currents of 190 pS conductance in mitoplasts from wild-type but not BK-/- cardiomyocytes. Transmission electron microscopy of BK-/- ventricular muscles fibres showed normal ultra-structures and matrix dimension, but oxidative phosphorylation capacities at normoxia and upon re-oxygenation after anoxia were significantly attenuated in BK-/- permeabilized cardiomyocytes. In the absence of BK, post-anoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) production from cardiomyocyte mitochondria was elevated indicating that mitoBK fine-tune the oxidative state at hypoxia and re-oxygenation. Because ROS and the capacity of the myocardium for oxidative metabolism are important determinants of cellular survival, we tested BK-/- hearts for their response in an ex-vivo model of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Infarct areas, coronary flow and heart rates were not different between wild-type and BK-/- hearts upon I/R injury in the absence of ischemic pre-conditioning (IP), but differed upon IP. While the area of infarction comprised 28±3% of the area at risk in wild-type, it was increased to 58±5% in BK-/- hearts suggesting that BK mediates the beneficial effects of IP. These findings suggest that cardiac BK channels are important for proper oxidative energy supply of cardiomyocytes at normoxia and upon re-oxygenation after prolonged anoxia and that IP might indeed favor survival of the myocardium upon I/R injury in a BK-dependent mode stemming from both mitochondrial post-anoxic ROS modulation and non-mitochondrial localizations.
Broad-Range Survey of Tick-Borne Pathogens in Southern Germany Reveals a High Prevalence ofBabesia microtiand a Diversity of Other Tick-Borne Pathogens
2014-07-29

Abstract Ticks harbor numerous pathogens of significance to human and animal health. A better understanding of the pathogens carried by ticks in a given geographic area can alert health care providers of specific health risks leading to better diagnosis and treatments. In this study, we tested 226 Ixodes ricinis ticks from Southern Germany using a broad-range PCR and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry assay (PCR/ESI-MS) designed to identify tick-borne bacterial and protozoan pathogens in a single test. We found 21.2% of the ticks tested carried Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato consisting of diverse genospecies; a surprisingly high percentage of ticks were infected with Babesia microti (3.5%). Other organisms found included Borrelia miyamotoi, Rickettsia helvetica, Rickettsia monacensis, and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Of further significance was our finding that more than 7% of ticks were infected with more than one pathogen or putative pathogen.
Functional transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 and transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 channels along different segments of the renal vasculature
2014-07-29

Our results demonstrate that two TRPV channels have unique sites of vasoregulatory function in the kidney with functional TRPV1 having a narrow, discrete distribution in the resistance vasculature and TRPV4 having more universal, widespread distribution along different vascular segments. We suggest that TRPV1/4 channels are potent therapeutic targets for site-specific vasodilation in the kidney.
Obese children and adolescents need increased gastric volumes in order to perceive satiety
2014-07-29

Obese children and adolescents need to ingest greater volumes to feel full which may predispose toward the consumption of larger portion sizes. This may easily lead to overeating if predominantly energy-dense foods are consumed. A reduction in energy-dense foods in the diet of obese children and adolescents appears to be a necessary strategy for managing body weight.
New Neotropical Sebacinales Species from a Pakaraimaea dipterocarpacea Forest in the Guayana Region, Southern Venezuela: Structural Diversity and Phylogeography
2014-07-29

Pakaraimaea dipterocarpacea, a member of the Dipterocarpaceae endemic in the Guayana region, is associated with a diverse community of ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi. Amongst the 41 ECM fungal species detected in a 400 m2 P. dipterocarpacea ssp. nitida plot in Southern Venezuela, three species belonged to the Sebacinales. We tested whether ECM anatomotype characterization can be used as a feasible element in an integrative taxonomy in this diverse fungal group, where the relevance of fruitbody morphology for species delimitation seems limited. Using a combination of ECM morpho-anatomical characterizations and phylogenetic analyses based on nuclear ITS and LSU sequences, we report three new species. The main distinguishing features of Sebacina guayanensis are the yellowish cell walls together with conspicuous undifferentiated, uniform compact (type B) rhizomorphs. Staghorn-like hyphae are characteristic of S. tomentosa. The combination of clusters of thick-walled emanating hyphae, including hyphae similar to awl-shaped cystidia with basal dichotomous or trichotomous ramifications, and the presence of type B rhizomorphs were characteristic of a third, yet unnamed species. The three species belong to three different, possibly specifically tropical clades in Sebacinales Group A. The geographic distribution of phylogenetically related strains was wide, including a Dicymbe forest in Guyana and an Ecuadorian rainforest with Coccoloba species. We show that ECM morpho-anatomy can be used, in combination with other analyses, to delineate species within Sebacinales Group A. In addition to phylogenetic information, type B rhizomorphs observed in different Sebacinales clades have important ecological implications for this fungal group. The phylogeography of Sebacinales suggests that dispersion and host jump are important radiation mechanisms that shaped P. dipterocarpacea ECM fungal community. This study emphasizes the need for more sequence data to evaluate the hypothesis that phylogeographic relationships between neo- and paleotropical ECM fungal species could be attributed to the vicariance of cross-continental hosts such as the Dipterocarpacae.
Geometric tailoring of plasmonic nanotips for atom traps
2014-07-29

We theoretically analyzed a scheme for optical trapping of neutral atoms by plasmonic nanotips. An analytic quasistatic model was developed for studying the requirements on geometry and material parameters needed for a successful trap generation. We then used the numerical solution of Maxwell's equations to study different types of tips and realized optical trapping potentials at distances of up to 90 nm away from the tip apex. A dipole approximation of numerical results is presented, allowing for capturing essential trap characteristics in a simple form. Finally, we analyze scattering rates, trap characteristics, and heating of an exemplary nanotip, revealing the importance of heat dissipation for the considered structures.
Light quark contributions to the nucleon electromagnetic form factors
2014-07-29

We extract the u- and d-quark contributions to the nucleon electromagnetic form factors in a relativistic light-front quark model using unified description of nucleon and Roper electromagnetic properties.
Spread of Artemisinin Resistance in Plasmodium falciparum Malaria
2014-07-30

Artemisinin resistance to P. falciparum, which is now prevalent across mainland Southeast Asia, is associated with mutations in kelch13. Prolonged courses of artemisinin-based combination therapies are currently efficacious in areas where standard 3-day treatments are failing. (Funded by the U.K. Department of International Development and others; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01350856.).
Multiple Factors Contribute to the Peripheral Induction of Cerebral -Amyloidosis
2014-07-30

Deposition of aggregated amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide in brain is an early event and hallmark pathology of Alzheimer's disease and cerebral Aβ angiopathy. Experimental evidence supports the concept that Aβ multimers can act as seeds and structurally corrupt other Aβ peptides by a self-propagating mechanism. Here we compare the induction of cerebral β-amyloidosis by intraperitoneal applications of Aβ-containing brain extracts in three Aβ-precursor protein (APP) transgenic mouse lines that differ in levels of transgene expression in brain and periphery (APP23 mice, APP23 mice lacking murine APP, and R1.40 mice). Results revealed that beta-amyloidosis induction, which could be blocked with an anti-Aβ antibody, was dependent on the amount of inoculated brain extract and on the level of APP/Aβ expression in the brain but not in the periphery. The induced Aβ deposits in brain occurred in a characteristic pattern consistent with the entry of Aβ seeds at multiple brain locations. Intraperitoneally injected Aβ could be detected in blood monocytes and some peripheral tissues (liver, spleen) up to 30 d after the injection but escaped histological and biochemical detection thereafter. These results suggest that intraperitoneally inoculated Aβ seeds are transported from the periphery to the brain in which corruptive templating of host Aβ occurs at multiple sites, most efficiently in regions with high availability of soluble Aβ.
Long-term monitoring of PKS 2155−304 with ATOM and H.E.S.S.: investigation of optical/γ-ray correlations in different spectral states
2014-07-30

In this paper we report on the analysis of all the available optical and very high-energy γ-ray (&gt;200 GeV) data for the BL Lac object PKS 2155−304, collected simultaneously with the ATOM and H.E.S.S. telescopes from 2007 until 2009. This study also includes X-ray (RXTE, Swift) and high-energy γ-ray (Fermi-LAT) data. During the period analysed, the source was transitioning from its flaring to quiescent optical states, and was characterized by only moderate flux changes at different wavelengths on the timescales of days and months. A flattening of the optical continuum with an increasing optical flux can be noted in the collected dataset, but only occasionally and only at higher flux levels. We did not find any universal relation between the very high-energy γ-ray and optical flux changes on the timescales from days and weeks up to several years. On the other hand, we noted that at higher flux levels the source can follow two distinct tracks in the optical flux-colour diagrams, which seem to be related to distinct γ-ray states of the blazar. The obtained results therefore indicate a complex scaling between the optical and γ-ray emission of PKS 2155−304, with different correlation patterns holding at different epochs, and a γ-ray flux depending on the combination of an optical flux and colour rather than a flux alone.
Solid-phase characterisation of an effective household sand filter for As, Fe and Mn removal from groundwater in Vietnam
2014-07-30

Environmental context Household sand filters are widely used in Vietnam to remove As, Fe and Mn from groundwater used as drinking water. From the solid-phase characterisation of a sand filter that has been used for 8 years, we conclude that As and Fe are retained by a combination of fast sorption reactions, surface-catalysed Fe oxidation and mediated As co-oxidation and that microbial processes are probably involved in effective Mn retention. This study contributes to a better mechanistic understanding of filter functioning as a basis for further improvements in filter design and operation. Abstract Household sand filters are widely used in Vietnam to remove As, Fe and Mn from anoxic groundwater used as a drinking water resource. To expand the mechanistic knowledge of the filter functioning, we investigated the bulk and micrometre-scale distribution of Fe, As, P and Mn and the speciation of Fe, Mn and As in a sand filter after 8 years of operation using bulk and micro-focussed X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive X-ray detection (SEM-EDX). Effective oxygenation of the anoxic groundwater enables the oxidative removal of Fe, As and Mn in the filter sand. Our results show that Fe is retained in the filter as a 2-line ferrihydrite-like FeIII-precipitate that coats sand grains, and that As accumulates dominantly as pentavalent arsenate. The very close spatial correlation of accumulated As and P with Fe throughout the filter sand and down to the micrometre-scale and the effective Fe, P and As retention at an estimated average water residence time of only 30 min suggest that their uptake is governed by a combination of fast sorption reactions, surface-catalysed FeII oxidation and mediated AsIII co-oxidation. In contrast, Mn is retained in separate MnIV/III-(oxyhydr)oxide coatings and concretions, probably as a result of coupled surface-catalysed and microbial MnII oxidation. Silicate sorbed to the ferrihydrite-like FeIII-coatings inhibits their crystallisation and associated remobilisation of P and As. The periodic drainage and aeration of the filter favours the oxidation of any residual FeII and AsIII and the formation of dense Fe precipitates and may thereby contribute to effective filter operation over several years.
Phylogenetic and morphological circumscription of the Orbilia aurantiorubra group
2014-07-30

The phylogeny of Orbilia aurantiorugra and related species is inferred from ITS sequence data. Orbilia aurantiorubra is redefined according to vital taxonomy. Integrated analyses of molecular and morphological data, and ecological (e.g. substrate) and geographical origin suggest the existence of three new species, which are described in this paper: Orbilia xanthoguttulata from Europe, O. succulenticola from the Canary Islands, and O. jugulospora from Ethiopia (Africa) and Taiwan (Southeast Asia).