julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Differences in the spatiotemporal expression and epistatic gene regulation of the mesodiencephalic dopaminergic precursor markerPITX3during chicken and mouse development
2016-01-01

Mesodiencephalic dopaminergic (mdDA) neurons are located in the ventral mesencephalon and caudal diencephalon of all tetrapod species studied so far. They are the most prominent DA neuronal population and are implicated in control and modulation of motor, cognitive and rewarding/affective behaviors. Their degeneration or dysfunction is intimately linked to several neurological and neuropsychiatric human diseases. To gain further insights into their generation, we studied spatiotemporal expression patterns and epistatic interactions in chick embryos of selected marker genes and signaling pathways associated with mdDA neuron development in mouse. We detected striking differences in the expression patterns of the chick orthologs of the mouse mdDA marker genes Pitx3 and Aldh1a1, which suggests important differences between the species in the generation/generating of these cells. We also discovered that the Sonic hedgehog signaling pathway is both, necessary and sufficient for the induction of ectopic PITX3 expression in chick mesencephalon downstream of WNT9A induced LMX1a transcription. These aspects of early chicken development resemble the ontogeny of zebrafish diencephalic DA neuronal populations, and suggest a divergence between birds and mammals during evolution.
“The Inner Theater”
2016-01-01

Nonverbal affective signals may not only serve as a valuable guide in any day-to-day social encounter, but their role may also translate to the world of literature and storytelling. This article presents a series of three experiments aimed at investigating the processing of emotional facial expressions and nonverbal vocal signals (e.g., prosody, laughter) described in literature. Experiments addressed research questions relating to processes of imagery and simulation that may guide the decoding of described vocal and facial cue with the experimental designs relying on both behavioral and psychophysiological measures (e.g., ratings of emotional valence, auditory and visual imagery, and skin conductance response). Results obtained in these studies indicated that not only the codes and symbols used to convey emotional information in literature may resemble real-life experiences, but similarities may also emerge with respect to the perceptual mechanisms used to derive meaning from described emotional cues. Observations of a vivid, modality-specific mental imagery evoked during reading suggest that reader may, in fact, emulate perceptual experiences associated with actually seeing or hearing similar affective cues during everyday social exchange. Latter assumptions are further corroborated by the observations of emotion-modulated changes in skin conductance responses elicited during reading suggesting that mental representations formed in the process may not only include vivid visual or auditory impressions of described facial and vocal cues but may also comprise bodily representations of the emotional states associated with the depicted affective cues.
Surface Modification of Integrated Optical MZI Sensor Arrays Using Inkjet Printing Technology
2016-01-01

In order to enable local functionalisation of label-free optical waveguide biosensors in a cost effective mass-fabrication compatible manner, we investigate surface modification employing inkjet printing of a) functional polymers (biotin-modified polyethyleneimine (PEI-B)) to implement high receptor densities at the surface and b) UV-curable benzophenone dextran (benzo-dextran) to form a voluminous porous hydrogel matrix. The combination of these approaches on a single chip is promising for the detection of biomolecules. We evaluate these functional polymers and hydrogels on an integrated four-channel silicon nitride (Si3N4) waveguide based Mach-Zehnder interferometric (MZI) sensor platform operating at a wavelength of 850nm (TM-Mode).
Labeling Human Melanoma Cells With SPIO
2016-01-01

Objectives: To use the superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) contrast agent Resovist (±transfection agent) to label human melanoma cells and determine its effects on cellular viability, microstructure, iron quantity, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detectability. Materials and Methods: Human SK-Mel28 melanoma cells were incubated with Resovist (±liposomal transfection agent DOSPER). The cellular iron content was measured, and labeled cells were examined at 1.5 T and 3.0 T. The intracellular and extracellular distributions of the contrast agent were assessed by light and electron microscopy. Results: The incubation of melanoma cells with SPIO does not interfere with cell viability or proliferation. The iron is located both intracellularly and extracellularly as iron clusters associated with the exterior of the cell membrane. Despite thorough washing, the extracellular SPIO remained associated with the cell membrane. The liposomal transfection agent does not change the maximum achievable cellular iron content but promotes a faster iron uptake. The MRI detectability persists for at least 7 days. Conclusion: The transfection agent DOSPER facilitates the efficient labeling of human metastatic melanoma cells with Resovist. Our findings raise the possibility that other Resovist-labeled cells may collect associated extracellular nanoparticles. The SPIO may be available to other iron-handling cells and not completely compartmentalized during the labeling procedure.
Using Key Distance to Clarify a Theory on the SNARC
2016-01-01

The most prominent explanation for the spatial numerical association of response codes (SNARC) effect is the direct mapping account (DMA). The DMA assumes that (a) numbers are represented on a mental number line, (b) this mental number line is mapped to external space, and (c) the better the mapping location corresponds to the response location, the faster the response. The DMA leaves open whether a variation of response locations can (ceteris paribus) influence the location to which numbers are mapped in external space. In order to investigate this question, we varied response key distance during a standard parity judgment and a magnitude judgment task. We found that even drastic manipulations of response key distance did not modulate the SNARC effect. Power and meta-analyses show that this null effect is not due to insufficient statistical power or a poor experimental setup. Thus, our results indicate that, in order for the DMA to explain the SNARC effect, it must assume that the mapping from the mental number line to external space is anchored to response location. For future research, our results suggest that it is not necessary to control the horizontal separation of the response keys in basic SNARC experiments.
Oncological Outcomes of Patients with Concomitant Bladder and Urethral Carcinoma
2016-01-01

&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Introduction:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; The study aimed to investigate oncological outcomes of patients with concomitant bladder cancer (BC) and urethral carcinoma. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Methods:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; This is a multicenter series of 110 patients (74 men, 36 women) diagnosed with urethral carcinoma at 10 referral centers between 1993 and 2012. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to investigate the impact of BC on survival, and Cox regression multivariable analysis was performed to identify predictors of recurrence. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Results:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; Synchronous BC was diagnosed in 13 (12%) patients, and the median follow-up was 21 months (interquartile range 4-48). Urethral cancers were of higher grade in patients with synchronous BC compared to patients with non-synchronous BC (p = 0.020). Patients with synchronous BC exhibited significantly inferior 3-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) compared to patients with non-synchronous BC (63.2 vs. 34.4%; p = 0.026). In multivariable analysis, inferior RFS was associated with clinically advanced nodal stage (p &lt; 0.001), proximal tumor location (p &lt; 0.001) and synchronous BC (p = 0.020). &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Conclusion:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; The synchronous presence of BC in patients diagnosed with urethral carcinoma has a significant adverse impact on RFS and should be an impetus for a multimodal approach.
Quantitative Determination of Ceramide Molecular Species in Dendritic Cells
2016-01-01

Background/Aims: The activation of acid sphingomyelinase by cellular stress or receptors or the de novo synthesis lead to the formation of ceramide (N-acylsphingosine), which in turn modifies the biophysical properties of cellular membrane and greatly amplifies the intensity of the initial signal. Ceramide, which acts by re-organizing a given signalosome rather than being a second messenger, has many functions in infection biology, cancer, cardiovascular syndromes, and immune regulation. Experimental studies on the infection of human cells with different bacterial agents demonstrated the activation of the acid sphingomyelinase/ceramide system. Moreover, the release of ceramide was found to be a requisite for the uptake of the pathogen. Considering the particular importance of the cellular role of ceramide, it was necessary to develop sensitive and accurate methods for its quantification. Methods: Here, we describe a method quantifying ceramide in dendritic cells and defining the different fatty acids (FA) bound to sphingosine. The main steps of the method include extraction of total lipids, separation of the ceramide by thin-layer chromatography, derivatization of ceramide-fatty acids (Cer-FA), and quantitation of these acids in their methyl form by gas chromatography on polar capillary columns. The identification of FA was achieved by means of known standards and confirmed by mass spectrometry. Results: FA ranging between C10 and C24 could be detected and quantified. The concentration of the sum of Cer-FA amounted to 14.88 ± 8.98 nmol/106 cells (n=10). Oleic acid, which accounted for approximately half of Cer-FA (7.73 ± 6.52 nmol/106 cells) was the predominant fatty acid followed by palmitic acid (3.47 ± 1.54 nmol/106 cells). Conclusion: This highly sensitive method allows the quantification of different molecular species of ceramides.
<b><i>FTO</i></b> Genotype Interacts with Improvement in Aerobic Fitness on Body Weight Loss During Lifestyle Intervention
2016-01-01

&lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Objective:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; Not every participant responds with a comparable body weight loss to lifestyle intervention, despite the same compliance. Genetic factors may explain parts of this difference. Variation in fat mass and obesity-associated gene (&lt;i&gt;FTO&lt;/i&gt;) is the strongest common genetic determinant of body weight. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of &lt;i&gt;FTO &lt;/i&gt;genotype differences in the link between improvement of fitness and reduction of body weight during a lifestyle intervention. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Methods:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; We genotyped 292 healthy subjects for &lt;i&gt;FTO &lt;/i&gt;rs8050136. Participants underwent a 9-month lifestyle intervention. Before and after intervention, aerobic fitness was tested by bicycle (VO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;max) and treadmill spiroergometry (individual anaerobic threshold (IAT), subgroup of N = 192). &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Results:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; Participants lost body weight (p &lt; 0.0001) independent of &lt;i&gt;FTO&lt;/i&gt; genotype (p = 0.5). There was a significant correlation between improvement in VO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;max and decrease in body weight (p &lt; 0.0001). &lt;i&gt;FTO&lt;/i&gt; genotype interacted with this relationship (p = 0.0042 for VO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;max, p = 0.0049 for IAT). When stratifying the cohort according to their improvement in VO&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;max, &lt;i&gt;FTO&lt;/i&gt; obesity-risk A-allele carriers in the higher quartiles of improvement in fitness lost significantly less body weight. &lt;b&gt;&lt;i&gt;Conclusions:&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/b&gt; Our data reveal that genetic variation in &lt;i&gt;FTO&lt;/i&gt; impacts on body weight reduction during lifestyle intervention only in subjects with marked improvement in aerobic fitness.
Up-Regulation of Na+/Ca2+ Exchange in Megakaryocytes Following TGFβ1 Treatment
2016-01-01

Background: Blood platelets are activated by increase of cytosolic Ca2+ activity ([Ca2+]i). Ca2+ entry is accomplished in part by store operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) involving Ca2+ release activated Ca2+-channel (CRAC) moiety Orai1 and its regulator STIM1, which are stimulated by depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores. An increase of [Ca2+]i is terminated by Na+/Ca2+-exchange. The expression of both, Orai1 and STIM1 in megakaryocytes is up-regulated by tumor growth factor TGFβ1, a powerful regulator of megakaryocyte differentiation. The present study explored whether TGFβ1 similarly modifies megakaryocyte Na+/Ca2+-exchanger activity. Methods: [Ca2+]i was determined utlizing Fura-2 fluorescence, SOCE from increase of [Ca2+]i, following readdition of extracellular Ca2+ after store depletion, and Na+/Ca2+-exchanger activity from increase of [Ca2+]i and whole cell currents following removal of extracellular Na+. Results: TGFβ1 treatment not only augments the increase of [Ca2+]i following store depletion and SOCE, but significantly up-regulates Na+/Ca2+-exchanger activity as apparent from [Ca2+]i measurements and whole cell currents. Conclusions: TGFβ1 is a powerful stimulator of both, SOCE and Na+/Ca2+-exchanger activity in megakaryocytes.
Ground plane based visual odometry for RGBD-Cameras using orthogonal projection
2016-01-01

This work presents a method for visual odometry that allows robust 3 degrees of freedom trajectory estimation for wheeled robots using a downward facing RGBD-camera. Assuming that the robot moves on a ground plane while the environment itself can have arbitrary geometry allows to estimate the frame to frame motion from orthographic projections of the RGBD-data. Instead of directly aligning these projections, the reference frame is split into blocks, which are individually registered using Efficient Second Order Minimization, and thus create several estimates of the current motion. These estimates are combined using an outlier rejection scheme to create a robust estimate of the actual motion even under challenging conditions. The results of this method are compared to the results of other state-of-the-art methods to show its accuracy and robustness.
Learning Phone Embeddings for Word Segmentation of Child-Directed Speech
2016-01-01

This paper presents a novel model that learns and exploits embeddings of phone ngrams for word segmentation in child language acquisition.Embedding-based models are evaluated on a phonemically transcribed corpus of child-directed speech, in comparison with their symbolic counterparts using the common learning framework and features.Results show that learning embeddings significantly improves performance.We make use of extensive visualization to understand what the model has learned.We show that the learned embeddings are informative for both word segmentation and phonology in general.
Sexual size dimorphism in the viviparous caecilian amphibian Geotrypetes seraphini seraphini (Gymnophiona: Dermophiidae) including an updated overview of sexual dimorphism in caecilian amphibians
2016-01-01

Sexual size dimorphism (SSD) describing intersexual size differences of a given taxon is a widespread phenomenon in the animal kingdom. SSD plays a significant role in understanding life history and mating system evolution. The snakelike morphology of limbless caecilian amphibians lacking obvious secondary sexual characters (in contrast to frogs and salamanders) impedes an accurate comparison between sexes. Here, the phylogenetically derived teresomatan and viviparous caecilian Geotrypetes seraphini seraphini was analysed for patterns of sexual dimorphism. In terms of body size females were the larger sex, but when body length was adjusted male-biased intersexual differences in cloacal shape appeared. The larger female size is likely explained by fecundity selection as clutch size was positively correlated to female body length. Unexpectedly a cryptic, ontogeny related variation of the nuchal collars was found. An overview of SSD in caecilians including data for 27 species of nine out of ten existing families revealed a quite high number of taxa showing sexually dimorphic head size dimensions exclusively present among phylogenetically derived teresomatan caecilians. Still further research including insights into the behavioural ecology and molecular ecology of mating systems is warranted to better understand the evolution of sexual size dimorphism of caecilian amphibians.
What is art?
2016-01-01

ТЕОРИЯ И ИСТОРИЯ КУЛЬТУРЫЧТО ТАКОЕ ИСКУССТВО?КРУГЛЫЙ СТОЛ Круглый стол был организован по инициативе первого заместителя Министра культуры Российской Федерации В.В.Аристархова при деятельном участии зав
Down-Regulation of the Na+,Cl- Coupled Creatine Transporter CreaT (SLC6A8) by Glycogen Synthase Kinase GSK3ß
2016-01-01

Background: The Na+,Cl- coupled creatine transporter CreaT (SLC6A8) is expressed in a variety of tissues including the brain. Genetic defects of CreaT lead to mental retardation with seizures. The present study explored the regulation of CreaT by the ubiquitously expressed glycogen synthase kinase GSK3ß, which contributes to the regulation of neuroexcitation. GSK3ß is phosphorylated and thus inhibited by PKB/Akt. Moreover, GSK3ß is inhibited by the antidepressant lithium. The present study thus further tested for the effects of PKB/Akt and of lithium. Methods: CreaT was expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes with or without wild-type GSK3ß or inactive K85RGSK3ß. CreaT and GSK3ß were further expressed without and with additional expression of wild type PKB/Akt. Creatine transport in those oocytes was quantified utilizing dual electrode voltage clamp. Results: Electrogenic creatine transport was observed in CreaT expressing oocytes but not in water-injected oocytes. In CreaT expressing oocytes, co-expression of GSK3ß but not of K85RGSK3ß, resulted in a significant decrease of creatine induced current. Kinetic analysis revealed that GSK3ß significantly decreased the maximal creatine transport rate. Exposure of CreaT and GSK3ß expressing oocytes for 24 hours to Lithium was followed by a significant increase of the creatine induced current. The effect of GSK3ß on CreaT was abolished by co-expression of PKB/Akt. Conclusion: GSK3ß down-regulates the creatine transporter CreaT, an effect reversed by treatment with the antidepressant Lithium and by co-expression of PKB/Akt.
SMoSi: A framework for the derivation of sleep mode traces from RTL simulations
2016-01-01

We propose a methodology for the generation of sleep modes traces. Sleep mode traces identify idle times of components in a design and are used in state-of-the-art power optimization approaches. While designers are currently forced to generate them manually, our graph-based method enables a full automation of this process. We implemented our methodology in a framework, that we call SMoSi. Experiments show that SMoSi generates sleep mode traces in reasonable time for a given design.
Revealing the radiative and non-radiative relaxation rates of the fluorescent dye Atto488 in a λ/2 Fabry–Pérot-resonator by spectral and time resolved measurements
2016-01-01

Using a Fabry-Pérot-microresonator with controllable cavity lengths in the λ/2-regime, we show the controlled modification of the vibronic relaxation dynamics of a fluorescent dye molecule in the spectral and time domain. By altering the photonic mode density around the fluorophores we are able to shape the fluorescence spectrum and enhance specifically the probability of the radiative transitions from the electronic excited state to distinct vibronic excited states of the electronic ground state. Analysis and correlation of the spectral and time resolved measurements by a theoretical model and a global fitting procedure allows us to reveal quantitatively the spectrally distributed radiative and non-radiative relaxation dynamics of the respective dye molecule under ambient conditions at the ensemble level.
Operational Design Considerations for Retinal Prostheses
2016-01-01

Three critical improvements for present day and future retinal vision implants are proposed and discussed: (1) A time profile for the stimulation current that leads predominantly to transverse stimulation of nerve cells; (2) auxiliary electric currents for electric field shaping with a time profile chosen such that these currents have small probability to cause stimulation; and (3) a local area scanning procedure that results in high pixel density for image/percept formation (except for losses at the boundary of an electrode array).
A Convenient Synthetic Route for Substituted 1-(Aryldiazenyl)Imidazo[1,5-a]Pyridine
2016-01-01

In the presence of 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ), model 2-(N'-aryl)picolinohydrazonamides 7, 8 (derived from interaction of the respective ethyl glycinate and (2-pyridyl)methylamine with the particular hydrazonoyl chloride) underwent didehydrogenation with concomitant heterocyclization to deliver the corresponding 1-(aryldiazenyl)imidazo-[1,5-a]pyridines 9, 10.Structures of the latter bicyclic systems are deduced from spectral data and confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis of the Pd-complex 11, derived from 9.Nitrogen-bridgehead-fused heterocycles encompassing an imidazole ring are common structural components in several pharmacologically important molecules. 1, 2 Recently, increasing attention has been paid to members of this family that contain imidazo[1,5-a]pyridine skeleton. 2Interestingly, this bicyclic heterocycle is found in the antibiotic cribrostatin-6 (Figure 1) isolated from the blue marine sponge Cribrochalina sp. 3 Most of the reported routes toward synthesis of imidazo[1,5-a]pyridines utilize suitably 2-substituted pyridines and constructing the imidazole ring thereupon.α-(2-Pyridyl)alkylamines have become widely applicable synthons, whereby functionalization of the NH2 group to anchor various electrophilic reagents is followed by oxidative heterocyclization of the derivatized components such as amides, 4 thioamides 5 and imines. 6 Other approaches include the use of 2-cyanopyridines, 7 methyl picolinate, 8 2,2'-pyridyls, 9 dipyridyl ketones, 10 imidazoles, 11 1,1-dibromoalkenes, 12 and benzotriazole mediated methodology. 13
SCDML: A Language for Conceptual Data Modeling in Model-based Systems Engineering
2016-01-01

This paper presents the design and usage of a language for Conceptual Data Modeling in Model-based Systems Engineering. Based on an existing analysis of presently employed data modeling languages, a new conceptual data modeling language is defined that brings together characteristic features from software engineering languages, features from languages classically employed for knowledge engineering, as well as entirely newly developed functional aspects. This language has been applied to model a spacecraft as an example, demonstrating its utility for developing complex, multidisciplinary systems in the scope of Model-based Space Systems Engineering.