julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
On Near Optimal Lattice Quantization of Multi‐Dimensional Data Points
2013-12-21

Abstract One of the most elementary application of a lattice is the quantization of real‐valued s ‐dimensional vectors into finite bit precision to make them representable by a digital computer. Most often, the simple s ‐dimensional regular grid is used for this task where each component of the vector is quantized individually. However, it is known that other lattices perform better regarding the average quantization error. A rank‐1 lattices is a special type of lattice, where the lattice points can be described by a single s ‐dimensional generator vector. Further, the number of points inside the unit cube [0, 1) s is arbitrary and can be directly enumerated by a single one‐dimensional integer value. By choosing a suitable generator vector the minimum distance between the lattice points can be maximized which, as we show, leads to a nearly optimal mean quantization error. We present methods for finding parameters for s ‐dimensional maximized minimum distance rank‐1 lattices and further show their practical use in computer graphics applications.
Urgency and pain in patients with overactive bladder and bladder pain syndrome. What are the differences?
2013-12-22

OAB and BPS/IC are different symptoms complexes that share urgency as a common symptom. None of them have a specific symptom although pain on bladder filling is the hallmark symptom in BPS/IC. Bladder pain with urgency should be a trigger for referral to the provider with appropriate knowledge and expertise in this disease state, whereas the management of OAB should be part of normal routine care in the community.
mTOR target NDRG1 confers MGMT-dependent resistance to alkylating chemotherapy
2013-12-23

Significance N -myc downstream regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) is a central and druggable molecular hub integrating diverse therapy-induced microenvironmental factors to promote resistance toward alkylating chemotherapy. We suggest that NDRG1-mediated chemoprotection is achieved via binding and stabilizing methyltransferases, such as O 6 -methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase.
BREAKDOWN OF I -LOVE- Q UNIVERSALITY IN RAPIDLY ROTATING RELATIVISTIC STARS
2013-12-23

It was shown recently, that normalized relations between the moment of\\ninertia (I), the quadrupole moment (Q) and the tidal deformability (Love\\nnumber) exist and for slowly-rotating neutron stars they are almost independent\\nof the equation of state (EOS). We extend the computation of the I-Q relation\\nto models rotating up to the mass-shedding limit and show that the universality\\nof the relations is lost. With increasing rotation rate, the normalized I-Q\\nrelation departs significantly from its slow-rotation limit deviating up to 40%\\nfor neutron stars and up to 75% for strange stars. The deviation is also EOS\\ndependent and for a broad set of hadronic and strange matter EOS the spread due\\nto rotation is comparable to the spread due to the EOS, if one considers\\nsequences with fixed rotational frequency. Still, for a restricted sample of\\nmodern realistic EOS one can parameterize the deviations from universality as a\\nfunction of rotation only. The previously proposed I-Love-Q relations should\\nthus be used with care, because they lose their universality in astrophysical\\nsituations involving compact objects rotating faster than a few hundred Hz.\\n
Prevalence of Achromobacter xylosoxidans in pulmonary mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma in different regions of Europe
2013-12-23

Summary Extranodal marginal zone lymphoma of mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue ( MALT lymphoma) comprises 7–8% of B ‐cell lymphomas and commonly originates from a background of long‐standing chronic inflammation. An association with distinct bacteria species has been confirmed for several anatomical sites of MALT lymphoma. For pulmonary MALT lymphoma, however, a clear link with an infectious agent or autoimmune disorder has not yet been reported. Using a 16S rRNA gene–based approach, we have recently identified Achromobacter (Alcaligenes) xylosoxidans in eight of nine cases of pulmonary MALT lymphoma. A. xylosoxidans is a gram‐negative betaproteobacterium with low virulence, but high resistance to antibiotic treatment. To further examine a potential association with A. xylosoxidans, 124 cases of pulmonary MALT lymphoma and 82 control tissues from six European countries were analysed using a specific nested PCR . Although prevalence rates for A. xylosoxidans varied significantly from country to country, they were consistently higher for MALT lymphoma as compared to controls. Overall, 57/124 (46%) pulmonary MALT lymphomas and 15/82 (18%) control tissues were positive for A. xylosoxidans ( P = 0·004). Whether the significant association of A. xylosoxidans with pulmonary MALT lymphoma demonstrated in our study points to a potential causal role in the pathogenesis of this lymphoma will require further studies.
Regulation of ion channels and transporters by AMP-activated kinase (AMPK)
2013-12-23

The energy-sensing AMP-activated kinase AMPK ensures survival of energy-depleted cells by stimulating ATP production and limiting ATP utilization. Both energy production and energy consumption are profoundly influenced by transport processes across the cell membane including channels, carriers and pumps. Accordingly, AMPK is a powerful regulator of transport across the cell membrane. AMPK regulates diverse K(+) channels, Na(+) channels, Ca(2+) release activated Ca(2+) channels, Cl(-) channels, gap junctional channels, glucose carriers, Na(+)/H(+)-exchanger, monocarboxylate-, phosphate-, creatine-, amino acid-, peptide- and osmolyte-transporters, Na(+)/Ca(2+)-exchanger, H(+)-ATPase and Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase. AMPK activates ubiquitin ligase Nedd4-2, which labels several plasma membrane proteins for degradation. AMPK further regulates transport proteins by inhibition of Rab GTPase activating protein (GAP) TBC1D1. It stimulates phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphate 5-kinase PIKfyve and inhibits phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) via glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β). Moreover, it stabilizes F-actin as well as downregulates transcription factor NF-κB. All those cellular effects serve to regulate transport proteins.
A Dimethylgallium Boryl Complex and Its Methyllithium Addition Compound
2013-12-23

The three-coordinate complex Me2Ga[B(NArCH)2] (Ar = C6H3iPr2-2,6) is accessible via a tandem Lewis acid-base metathesis protocol employing (THF)2Li[B(NArCH)2] and GaMe3. It features a very short Ga-B bond of 2.067(3) Å, which was further investigated by DFT calculations and the analysis of the electron density. Reaction of MeLi with Me2Ga[B(NArCH)2] forms tetrameric [LiMe3Ga{B(NArCH)2}]4 with a "nanowheel" structure.
Enhanced single-molecule spectroscopy in highly confined optical fields: from λ/2-Fabry–Pérot resonators to plasmonic nano-antennas
2013-12-23

While single-molecule fluorescence from emitters with high quantum efficiencies such as organic dye molecules can easily be detected by modern apparatus, many less efficient emission processes such as Raman scattering and metal luminescence require dramatic enhancement to exceed the single-particle detection limit. This enhancement can be achieved using resonant optical systems such as plasmonic particles or nanoantennas, the study of which has led to substantial progress in understanding the interaction of quantum emitters with their electromagnetic environment. This review is focused on the advances in measurement techniques and potential applications enabled by a deeper understanding of fundamental optical interaction processes occurring between single quantum systems on the nanoscale. While the affected phenomena are numerous, including molecular fluorescence and also exciton luminescence and Raman scattering, the interaction itself can often be described from a unified point of view. Starting from a single underlying model, this work elucidates the dramatic enhancement potential of plasmonic tips and nanoparticles and also the more deterministic influence of a Fabry-Pérot microresonator. With the extensive knowledge of the radiative behavior of a quantum system, insight can be gained into nonradiative factors as well, such as energy transfer phenomena or spatial and chemical configurations in single molecules.
Relationships of body composition and liver fat content with insulin resistance in obesity‐matched adolescents and adults
2013-12-23

Objective While in adults not total body‐ or visceral fat mass, but liver fat content was found to independently determine insulin resistance, it is unclear whether these relationships are already present in obese adolescents. Methods Thirty‐nine overweight/obese adolescents were matched for sex and BMI with 39 adults. To compare the age‐ and sex‐specific BMI values of adolescents and adults, the percentile value of each adolescent was projected to the age of 18. Body fat depots were quantified by whole‐body magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Liver fat content was measured with 1 H‐MR spectroscopy. Insulin resistance was estimated from the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA‐IR). Results Compared to overweight and obese adults, adolescents had higher HOMA‐IR ( P &lt; 0.001) and lower lean body mass ( P = 0.002). Furthermore, they had higher total body‐ ( P = 0.02), but lower visceral‐ ( P &lt; 0.001) fat mass, while liver fat content was not significantly different between the groups ( P = 0.16). In both groups liver fat content (both P ≤ 0.007), but not total body‐ or visceral fat mass (all P ≥ 0.64) was an independent predictor of insulin resistance. Conclusions Having lower visceral fat mass, overweight and obese adolescents are more insulin resistant than sex‐ and BMI‐matched adults. Liver fat content, but not total body‐ or visceral fat mass, is an independent determinant of insulin resistance in adolescents.
Complex Visual Search in Children and Adolescents: Effects of Age and Performance on fMRI Activation
2013-12-23

Complex visuospatial processing relies on distributed neural networks involving occipital, parietal and frontal brain regions. Effects of physiological maturation (during normal brain development) and proficiency on tasks requiring complex visuospatial processing have not yet been studied extensively, as they are almost invariably interrelated. We therefore aimed at dissociating the effects of age and performance on functional MRI (fMRI) activation in a complex visual search task. In our cross-sectional study, healthy children and adolescents (n = 43, 19 females, 7-17 years) performed a complex visual search task during fMRI. Resulting activation was analysed with regard to the differential effects of age and performance. Our results are compatible with an increase in the neural network's efficacy with age: within occipital and parietal cortex, the core regions of the visual exploration network, activation increased with age, and more so in the right than in the left hemisphere. Further, activation outside the visual search network decreased with age, mainly in left inferior frontal, middle temporal, and inferior parietal cortex. High-performers had stronger activation in right superior parietal cortex, suggesting a more mature visual search network. We could not see effects of age or performance in frontal cortex. Our results show that effects of physiological maturation and effects of performance, while usually intertwined, can be successfully disentangled and investigated using fMRI in children and adolescents.
Unusual N-Prenylation in Diazepinomicin Biosynthesis: The Farnesylation of a Benzodiazepine Substrate Is Catalyzed by a New Member of the ABBA Prenyltransferase Superfamily
2013-12-23

The bacterium Micromonospora sp. RV115, isolated from a marine sponge, produces the unusual metabolite diazepinomicin, a prenylated benzodiazepine derivative. We have cloned the prenyltransferase gene dzmP from this organism, expressed it in Escherichia coli, and the resulting His8-tagged protein was purified and investigated biochemically. It was found to catalyze the farnesylation of the amide nitrogen of dibenzodiazepinone. DzmP belongs to the ABBA prenyltransferases and is the first member of this superfamily which utilizes farnesyl diphosphate as genuine substrate. All previously discovered members utilize either dimethylallyl diphosphate (C5) or geranyl diphosphate (C10). Another putative diazepinomicin biosynthetic gene cluster was identified in the genome of Streptomyces griseoflavus Tü4000, suggesting that the formation of diazepinomicin is not restricted to the genus Micromonospora. The gene cluster contains a gene ssrg_00986 with 61.4% identity (amino acid level) to dzmP. The gene was expressed in E. coli, and the purified protein showed similar catalytic properties as DzmP. Both enzymes also accepted other phenolic or phenazine substrates. ABBA prenyltransferases are useful tools for chemoenzymatic synthesis, due to their nature as soluble, stable biocatalysts. The discovery of DzmP and Ssrg_00986 extends the isoprenoid substrate range of this superfamily. The observed prenylation of an amide nitrogen is an unusual biochemical reaction.
German law on circumcision and its debate: How an ethical and legal issue turned political
2013-12-23

The article aims to illuminate the recent debate in Germany about the legitimacy of circumcision for religious reasons. The aim is both to evaluate the new German law allowing religious circumcision, and to outline the resulting conflict between the surrounding ethical and legal issues. We first elucidate the diversity of legal and medical views on religious circumcision in Germany. Next we examine to what extent invasive and irreversible physical interventions on infant boys unable to given their consent should be carried out for non-medical reasons. To this end, the potential benefits and harms of circumcision for non-medical reasons are compared. We argue that circumcision does not provide any benefits for the 'child as a child' and poses only risks to boys. We then set out to clarify and analyse political (rather than ethical) justifications of the new circumcision law. We demonstrate through this analysis how the circumcision debate in Germany has been transformed from a legal and ethical problem into a political issue, due at least in part to Germany's unique historical context. Although such a particular political sensibility is entirely comprehensible, it raises particular problems when it comes to framing and responding to medical ethical issues - as in the case of religious circumcision.
Ethograms indicate stable well-being during prolonged training phases in rhesus monkeys used in neurophysiological research
2013-12-23

Awake, behaving rhesus monkeys are widely used in neurophysiological research. Neural signals are typically measured from monkeys trained with operant conditioning techniques to perform a variety of behavioral tasks in exchange for rewards. Over the past years, monkeys' psychological well-being during experimentation has become an increasingly important concern. We suggest objective criteria to explore whether training sessions during which the monkeys work under controlled water intake over many days might affect their behavior. With that aim, we analyzed a broad range of species-specific behaviors over several months (‘ethogram’) and used these ethograms as a proxy for the monkeys' well-being. Our results show that monkeys' behavior during training sessions is unaffected by the duration of training-free days in-between. Independently of the number of training-free days (two or nine days) with ad libitum food and water supply, the monkeys were equally active and alert in their home group cages during training phases. This indicates that the monkeys were well habituated to prolonged working schedules and that their well-being was stably ensured during the training sessions.
Ancient human genomes suggest three ancestral populations for present-day Europeans
2013-12-23

We sequenced genomes from a ∼7,000 year old early farmer from Stuttgart in Germany, an ∼8,000 year old hunter-gatherer from Luxembourg, and seven ∼8,000 year old hunter-gatherers from southern Sweden. We analyzed these data together with other ancient genomes and 2,345 contemporary humans to show that the great majority of present-day Europeans derive from at least three highly differentiated populations: West European Hunter-Gatherers (WHG), who contributed ancestry to all Europeans but not to Near Easterners; Ancient North Eurasians (ANE), who were most closely related to Upper Paleolithic Siberians and contributed to both Europeans and Near Easterners; and Early European Farmers (EEF), who were mainly of Near Eastern origin but also harbored WHG-related ancestry. We model these populations’ deep relationships and show that EEF had ∼44% ancestry from a “Basal Eurasian” lineage that split prior to the diversification of all other non-African lineages.
Habit Formation and Fiscal Transmission in Open Economies
2013-12-23

In this paper we analyze the ability of an open economy version of the neoclassical model to account for the time-series evidence on fiscal policy transmission. In a first step, we identify government spending shocks within a vector autoregression model. We find that i) government spending increases output and induces a simultaneous decline of investment and the current account, but does not affect consumption; ii) the responses of output and investment are smaller in more open economies, while current account deficits tend to be larger. We find the predictions of the model to be broadly in line with the evidence, once we allow for habit formation in consumption. Specifically, habits are crucial for government spending to induce a simultaneous decline in investment and the current account.
Interannual variation in land-use intensity enhances grassland multidiversity
2013-12-24

Significance Land-use intensification is a major threat to biodiversity. So far, however, studies on biodiversity impacts of land-use intensity (LUI) have been limited to a single or few groups of organisms and have not considered temporal variation in LUI. Therefore, we examined total ecosystem biodiversity in grasslands varying in LUI with a newly developed index called multidiversity, which integrates the species richness of 49 different organism groups ranging from bacteria to birds. Multidiversity declined strongly with increasing LUI, but changing LUI across years increased multidiversity, particularly of rarer species. We conclude that encouraging farmers to change the intensity of their land use over time could be an important strategy to maintain high biodiversity in grasslands.
The extra‐pancreatic effects of GLP‐1 receptor agonists: a focus on the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and central nervous systems
2013-12-24

The glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists ( GLP‐1RAs ) exenatide, liraglutide and lixisenatide have been shown to improve glycaemic control and beta‐cell function with a low risk of hypoglycaemia in people with type 2 diabetes. GLP ‐1 receptors are also expressed in extra‐pancreatic tissues and trial data suggest that GLP‐1RAs also have effects beyond their glycaemic actions. Preclinical studies using native GLP ‐1 or GLP‐1RAs provide substantial evidence for cardioprotective effects, while clinical trial data have shown beneficial actions on hypertension and dyslipidaemia in people with type 2 diabetes. Significant weight loss has been reported with GLP‐1RAs in both people with type 2 diabetes and obese people without diabetes. GLP‐1RAs also slow down gastric emptying, but preclinical data suggest that the main mechanism behind GLP‐1RA ‐induced weight loss is more likely to involve their effects on appetite signalling in the brain. GLP‐1RAs have also been shown to exert a neuroprotective role in rodent models of stroke, Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. These extra‐pancreatic effects of GLP‐1RAs could provide multi‐factorial benefits to people with type 2 diabetes. Potential adverse effects of GLP‐1RA treatment are usually manageable but may include gastrointestinal effects, increased heart rate and renal injury. While extensive further research is still required, early data suggest that GLP‐1RAs may also have the potential to favourably impact cardiovascular disease, obesity or neurological disorders in people without diabetes in the future.
The tumour suppressor gene WWOX is mutated in autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxia with epilepsy and mental retardation
2013-12-24

We previously localized a new form of recessive ataxia with generalized tonic-clonic epilepsy and mental retardation to a 19 Mb interval in 16q21-q23 by homozygosity mapping of a large consanguineous Saudi Arabian family. We now report the identification by whole exome sequencing of the missense mutation changing proline 47 into threonine in the first WW domain of the WW domain containing oxidoreductase gene, WWOX, located in the linkage interval. Proline 47 is a highly conserved residue that is part of the WW motif consensus sequence and is part of the hydrophobic core that stabilizes the WW fold. We demonstrate that proline 47 is a key amino acid essential for maintaining the WWOX protein fully functional, with its mutation into a threonine resulting in a loss of peptide interaction for the first WW domain. We also identified another highly conserved homozygous WWOX mutation changing glycine 372 to arginine in a second consanguineous family. The phenotype closely resembled the index family, presenting with generalized tonic-clonic epilepsy, mental retardation and ataxia, but also included prominent upper motor neuron disease. Moreover, we observed that the short-lived Wwox knock-out mouse display spontaneous and audiogenic seizures, a phenotype previously observed in the spontaneous Wwox mutant rat presenting with ataxia and epilepsy, indicating that homozygous WWOX mutations in different species causes cerebellar ataxia associated with epilepsy.
Triggering of Suicidal Erythrocyte Death by Penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose
2013-12-24

The polyphenolic 1,2,3,4,6-penta-O-galloyl-beta-d-glucose from several medicinal herbs triggers apoptosis and has, thus, been proposed for treatment of malignancy. The substance is at least partially effective through caspase activation. In analogy to apoptosis of nucleated cells, erythrocytes may enter suicidal death or eryptosis, which is characterized by cell shrinkage and by phosphatidylserine translocation to the erythrocyte surface. Eryptosis is triggered by increase of cytosolic Ca2+-activity ([Ca2+]i). The sensitivity to [Ca2+]i is enhanced by ceramide. The present study explored whether penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose stimulates eryptosis. Cell volume was estimated from forward scatter, phosphatidylserine exposure from annexin V binding, hemolysis from hemoglobin-release, [Ca2+]i from Fluo3-fluorescence and ceramide abundance from fluorescent antibodies. A 48-h exposure of human erythrocytes to penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose significantly decreased forward scatter (50 μM) and significantly increased annexin V binding (10 μM). Up to 50 μM penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose did not significantly modify [Ca2+]i. However, the effect of penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose (25 μM) induced annexin V binding was slightly, but significantly, blunted by removal of extracellular Ca2+, pointing to sensitization of erythrocytes to the scrambling effect of Ca2+. Penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose (25 μM) further increased ceramide formation. In conclusion, penta-O-galloyl-β-d-glucose stimulates suicidal erythrocyte death or eryptosis, an effect partially due to stimulation of ceramide formation with subsequent sensitization of erythrocytes to Ca2+.