julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Experimenting at an outreach science lab versus at school—Differences in students' basic need satisfaction, intrinsic motivation, and flow experience
2023-03-17

Abstract All over the world, educational science outreach programs in which students can perform laboratory work have been developed. A common goal of these programs is to counteract students' decreasing motivation in STEM education. In Germany, several outreach science labs have been established over the last 20 years. It is assumed that the characteristics of these labs foster students' basic need satisfaction and qualities of motivation such as intrinsic motivation and flow. However, research in this field often lacks comparisons of motivation between the learning environments outreach science lab and school . Thus, the current study investigated students' perceived need satisfaction (relatedness, competence, and autonomy), intrinsic motivation, and flow experience during experimentation at an outreach science lab ( n = 231) and at school ( n = 203). We found that experimentation in the two different learning environments resulted in a comparable degree of perceived autonomy and intrinsic motivation. However, differences in perceived relatedness, competence, and flow experience were found in favor of the students who experimented at the lab. Thus, visiting outreach science labs is especially beneficial for students' perception of relatedness, effectiveness, and enjoyment during experimentation.
African plant-mediated biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles and evaluation of their toxicity, and antimicrobial activities
2023-03-17

Nanoparticles with different types, sizes, shapes and surface chemical properties can have different biological and biomedical applications. This study aims to investigate the effect of silver synthesized by Ipomoea asarifolia (native Africa plant) extract on cancer and bacteria cells. The characteristics of synthesized silver nanoparticles were determined using UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, Fourier transforms infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Also, the effect of synthesized silver nanoparticles on the viability of cancer cells and inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated. The results show silver nanoparticles have the maximum UV-visible absorption at the wavelength of about 423 nm. The TEM image showed that the silver nanoparticles are spherical with an average size of 31 nm. The results of FTIR analysis suggest that flavonoids, proteins, and phenols may be responsible for ion reduction. The results of the cell toxicity test showed that the synthesized silver nanoparticles decreased the proliferation of cancer cells, and the IC50 was determined about 15 μg/mL. Therefore, silver nanoparticles synthesized by the extract can reduce the proliferation of cancer cells and can be considered a promising strategy in cancer treatment. The results of the antibacterial test showed that the synthesized silver nanoparticles decreased the growth of bacterial cells, and the IC50 was determined 1 μg/mL. Therefore, silver nanoparticles synthesized by the extract can reduce the proliferation of cancer and bacterial cells and can be considered a promising strategy in cancer and infection treatment.
Normative data for macular and retinal nerve fibre layer thickness in healthy German children and adolescents using optical coherence tomography
2023-03-17

Abstract Purpose To establish normative data for macular thickness, macular volume and peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) thickness using Spectralis® spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography (SD‐OCT) in healthy German children and adolescents and investigate influencing factors. Methods The cross‐sectional study included the right eye of 695 children with at least one complete retinal OCT scan. As part of the LIFE Child study, the children underwent an ophthalmological examination including axial length (AL), spherical equivalent (SE) and OCT measurements. Various questionnaires were answered by the children or their parents to identify media use or outdoor time. Multiple linear regression models were used to investigate the potential influencing factors. Results A total of 342 boys and 353 girls with an average age (SD) of 12.91 (3.29) years participated. The mean AL (SD) was 23.20 (0.86) mm. The mean macular thickness (SD) was 320.53 (12.29) μm and the mean RNFL thickness (SD) was 102.88 (8.79) μm. Statistical analysis revealed a significant correlation between average macular thickness and age ( p &lt; 0.001, β = 0.77) as well as AL ( p &lt; 0.001, β = −4.06). In addition, boys had thicker maculae ( p &lt; 0.001, β = 5.36). The RNFL thickness showed no significant correlation with children's age ( p &gt; 0.05), but with AL ( p = 0.002, β = −2.15), birth weight ( p = 0.02, β = 0.003) and a gender‐specific effect of the body mass index standard deviation score for male participants ( p = 0.02, β = 1.93). Conclusion This study provides normative data and correlations between macular and RNFL thickness in healthy German children. Especially age, gender and AL must be taken into account when evaluating quantitative OCT measurements to classify them as normal.
Accelerating Maturation of Spatial Memory Systems by Experience: Evidence from Sleep Oscillation Signatures of Memory Processing
2023-03-17

During early development, memory systems gradually mature over time, in parallel with the gradual accumulation of knowledge. Yet, it is unknown whether and to what extent maturation is driven by discrete experience. Sleep is thought to contribute to the formation of long-term memory and knowledge through a systems consolidation process that is driven by specific sleep oscillations (i.e., ripples, spindles, and slow oscillations) in cortical and hippocampal networks. Based on these oscillatory signatures, we show here in rats that discrete spatial experience speeds the functional maturation of spatial memory systems during development. Juvenile male rats were exposed for 5 min periods to changes in the spatial configuration of two identical objects on postnatal day (PD)25, PD27, and PD29 (Spatial experience group), while a Control group was exposed on these occasions to the same two objects without changing their positions. On PD31, both groups were tested on a classical Object Place Recognition (OPR) task with a 3 h retention interval during which the sleep-associated EEG and hippocampal local field potentials were recorded. On PD31, consistent with forgoing studies, Control rats still did not express OPR memory. By contrast, rats with Spatial experience formed significant OPR memory and, in parallel, displayed an increased percentage of hippocampal ripples coupled to parietal slow oscillation-spindle complexes, and a stronger ripple-spindle phase-locking during the retention sleep. Our findings support the idea that experience promotes the maturation of memory systems during development by enhancing cortico-hippocampal information exchange and the formation of integrated knowledge representations during sleep. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Cognitive and memory capabilities mature early in life. We show here that and how discrete spatial experience contributes to this process. Using a simple recognition paradigm in developing rats, we found that exposure of the rat pups to three short-lasting experiences enhances spatial memory capabilities to adult-like levels. The adult-like capability of building spatial memory was connected to a more precise coupling of ripples in the hippocampus with slow oscillation-spindle complexes in the thalamo-cortical system when the memory was formed during sleep. Our findings support the view that discrete experience accelerates maturation of cognitive and memory capabilities by enhancing the dialogue between hippocampus and cortex when these experiences are reprocessed during sleep.
Only EBUS-Guided Mediastinal Lymph Node Cryobiopsy Enabled Immunotherapy in a Patient with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
2023-03-17

Personalized treatment of metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) requires detailed molecular characterization of the tumour including detection of predictive driver mutations and programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression. Complete detection is influenced by the amount of tumour cells sampled as well as their quality. Different sampling techniques may be necessary to provide sufficient tumour material for comprehensive molecular characterization. Missing the detection of targetable molecular genetic aberrations would have a serious impact on the quality of life and prognosis of a patient. This case report highlights the importance of biopsy technique in a patient with NSCLC. Several procedures—pleural puncture, transthoracic lung biopsy and endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA)—could not provide sufficient tumour material for precise tumour characterization. Only the addition of EBUS-guided transbronchial lymph node cryobiopsy (EBUS-TBLNC) enabled complete immunohistochemical and genetic tumour characterization, demonstrating PD-L1 expression in 100% of the tumour cells in the absence of actionable genetic alterations. Based on these results, immunotherapy was initiated.
Ion channels as molecular targets of glioblastoma electrotherapy
2023-03-17

Therapies with weak, non-ionizing electromagnetic fields comprise FDA-approved treatments such as Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) that are used for adjuvant therapy of glioblastoma. In vitro data and animal models suggest a variety of biological TTFields effects. In particular, effects ranging from direct tumoricidal, radio- or chemotherapy-sensitizing, metastatic spread-inhibiting, up to immunostimulation have been described. Diverse underlying molecular mechanisms, such as dielectrophoresis of cellular compounds during cytokinesis, disturbing the formation of the spindle apparatus during mitosis, and perforating the plasma membrane have been proposed. Little attention, however, has been paid to molecular structures that are predestinated to percept electromagnetic fields—the voltage sensors of voltage-gated ion channels. The present review article briefly summarizes the mode of action of voltage sensing by ion channels. Moreover, it introduces into the perception of ultra-weak electric fields by specific organs of fishes with voltage-gated ion channels as key functional units therein. Finally, this article provides an overview of the published data on modulation of ion channel function by diverse external electromagnetic field protocols. Combined, these data strongly point to a function of voltage-gated ion channels as transducers between electricity and biology and, hence, to voltage-gated ion channels as primary targets of electrotherapy.
Staying self-regulated in the classroom: The role of children’s executive functions and situational factors
2023-03-17

The manuscript has been accepted for publication. The citation is:Eberhart, J., Bryce, D., &amp;amp; Baker, S. T. (2024). Staying self-regulated in the classroom: The role of children's executive functions and situational factors. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 00, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjep.12700Background: Self-regulation is crucial for children’s learning and development. Several studies have explored children’s inter-individual differences in self-regulation, but little is known about sources of intra-individual variation in self-regulation.Aims: This study addressed the variability of children’s self-regulation across typical classroom situations and how this might be associated with children’s executive functions.Sample: The study included 148 children (54.7% girls; Mage = 56.73 months).Methods: Self-regulation was observed with an observational measure in teacher-led and child-led activities within naturalistic classroom settings. Children’s executive functions were assessed with direct assessments at the start and end of the school year.Results: Linear mixed effect models showed that children demonstrated higher levels of self-regulation in child-led in comparison to teacher-led activities. Children with higher levels of executive functions at the start of the school year showed less variation across teacher-led and child-led activities in comparison to children with lower levels of executive functions.Conclusion: This suggests that children with higher levels of executive functions are more able to adapt to different situations, highlighting the importance of fostering these skills in early childhood.
Neonatal apnea and hypopnea prediction in infants with Robin sequence with neural additive models for time series
2023-03-17

Abstract Neonatal apneas and hypopneas present a serious risk for healthy infant development. Treating these adverse events requires frequent manual stimulation by skilled personnel, which can lead to alert fatigue. Automatically predicting these adverse events before they occur would enable the use of methods for automatic intervention. In this work, we propose a neural additive model to predict individual events of neonatal apnea and hypopnea and apply it to a physiological dataset from infants with Robin sequence at risk of upper airway obstruction. The dataset will be made publicly available together with this study. Our model achieved an average area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.80 by additively combining information from different modalities of the respiratory polygraphy recording. This permits the prediction of individual apneas and hypopneas up to 15 seconds before they occur. Its additive nature makes the model inherently interpretable, which allowed insights into how important a given signal modality is for prediction and which patterns in the signal are discriminative. For our problem of predicting apneas and hyponeas in infants with Robin sequence, prior irregularities in breathing-related modalities as well as decreases in SpO 2 levels were especially discriminative.
Validating Monte Carlo simulations for an analysis chain in H.E.S.S
2023-03-17

Imaging Air Cherenkov Telescopes (IACTs) detect very high energetic (VHE) gamma rays. They observe the Cherenkov light emitted in electromagnetic shower cascades that gamma rays induce in the atmosphere. A precise reconstruction of the primary photon energy and the source flux depends heavily on accurate Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of the shower propagation and the detector response, and therefore also on adequate assumptions about the atmosphere at the site and time of a measurement. Here, we present the results of an extensive validation of the MC simulations for an analysis chain of the H.E.S.S. experiment with special focus on the recently installed FlashCam camera on the large 28 m telescope. One goal of this work was to create a flexible and easy-to-use framework to facilitate the detailed validation of MC simulations also for past and future phases of the H.E.S.S. experiment. Guided by the underlying physics, the detector simulation and the atmospheric transmission profiles were gradually improved until low level parameters such as cosmic ray (CR) trigger rates matched within a few percent between simulations and observational data. This led to instrument response functions (IRFs) with which the analysis of current H.E.S.S. data can ultimately be carried out within percent accuracy, substantially improving earlier simulations.
Augustine’s Enchiridion: An Anti-Pelagian Interpretation of the Creed
2023-03-17

At first glance, Augustine did not combine his soteriology and his Trinitarian doctrine in his anti-Pelagian oeuvre. Therefore, this article pursues the more hidden and implicit connections between these topics. The starting point of this endeavour is an analysis of the Enchiridion, a catechetical work in which Augustine interpreted the Roman—later so-called Apostle’s—Creed. Simultaneously, Augustine directed his attention in the Enchiridion to questions and arguments which originate from the Pelagian controversy such as original sin, grace, baptism, remission of sin(s) and the theory of predestination. Thus, this article ponders the question of how Augustine reflected his Trinitarian doctrine within this anti-Pelagian soteriology. While Augustine seldom referred to his Trinitarian doctrine explicitly in the Enchiridion (and his anti-Pelagian oeuvre), he presented in these works a conception of how the triune God operates as creator and saviour. This anti-Pelagian concept of God seizes several aspects which also appear in Augustine’s De trinitate. Moreover, by emphasising the unity of God’s operation as creator and saviour against the Pelagians, Augustine argued in favour of a specific Trinitarian doctrine: opera trinitatis ad extra inseparabilia. Thus, this article finally tries to analyse how Augustine amalgamated his anti-Pelagian Christocentric soteriology with his Trinitarian doctrine.
Helicobacter pylorimodulates heptose metabolite biosynthesis and heptose-dependent innate immune host cell activation by multiple mechanisms
2023-03-17

Abstract Heptose metabolites including ADP-heptose are involved in bacterial lipopolysaccharide and cell envelope biosynthesis. Recently, heptoses were also identified to have potent pro-inflammatory activity on human cells as novel microbe-associated molecular patterns. The gastric pathogenic bacterium Helicobacter pylori produces heptose metabolites which it transports into human cells through its Cag type 4 secretion system. Using H. pylori as a model, we have addressed the question, how pro-inflammatory ADP-heptose biosynthesis can be regulated by the bacteria. We have characterized the inter-strain variability and regulation of heptose biosynthesis genes and the modulation of heptose metabolite production by H. pylori , which impact cell-autonomous pro-inflammatory human cell activation. HldE, a central enzyme of heptose metabolite biosynthesis, showed strong sequence variability between strains, and was also strain-variably expressed. Transcript amounts of genes in the hldE gene cluster displayed intra-strain and inter-strain differences, were modulated by host cell contact and the presence of the cag pathogenicity island, and were affected by carbon starvation regulator A (CsrA). We reconstituted four steps of the H. pylori LPS heptose biosynthetic pathway in vitro using recombinant purified GmhA, HldE and GmhB proteins. On the basis of one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, the structures of major reaction products were identified as β-D-ADP-heptose and β-heptose-1-monophosphate. A pro-inflammatory heptose-monophosphate variant was also identified for the first time as a novel cell-active product in H. pylori bacteria. Separate purified HldE subdomains and variant HldE allowed to uncover additional strain variation in generating heptose metabolites.
Endogenous but not sensory-driven activity controls migration, morphogenesis and survival of adult-born juxtaglomerular neurons in the mouse olfactory bulb
2023-03-18

Abstract The development and survival of adult-born neurons are believed to be driven by sensory signaling. Here, in vivo analyses of motility, morphology and Ca 2+ signaling, as well as transcriptome analyses of adult-born juxtaglomerular cells with reduced endogenous excitability (via cell-specific overexpression of either Kv1.2 or Kir2.1 K + channels), revealed a pronounced impairment of migration, morphogenesis, survival, and functional integration of these cells into the mouse olfactory bulb, accompanied by a reduction in cytosolic Ca 2+ fluctuations, phosphorylation of CREB and pCREB-mediated gene expression. Moreover, K + channel overexpression strongly downregulated genes involved in neuronal migration, differentiation, and morphogenesis and upregulated apoptosis-related genes, thus locking adult-born cells in an immature and vulnerable state. Surprisingly, cells deprived of sensory-driven activity developed normally. Together, the data reveal signaling pathways connecting the endogenous intermittent neuronal activity/Ca 2+ fluctuations as well as enhanced Kv1.2/Kir2.1 K + channel function to migration, maturation, and survival of adult-born neurons.
Thalamocortical disconnection involved in pusher syndrome
2023-03-18

Abstract The presence of both isolated thalamic and isolated cortical lesions have been reported in the context of pusher syndrome—a disorder characterized by a disturbed perception of one’s own upright body posture, following unilateral left- or right-sided stroke. In recent times, indirect quantification of functional and structural disconnection increases the knowledge derived from focal brain lesions by inferring subsequent brain network damage from the respective lesion. We applied both measures to a sample of 124 stroke patients to investigate brain disconnection in pusher syndrome. Our results suggest a hub-like function of the posterior and lateral portions of the thalamus in the perception of one’s own postural upright. Lesion network symptom mapping investigating functional disconnection indicated cortical diaschisis in cerebellar, frontal, parietal and temporal areas in patients with thalamic lesions suffering from pusher syndrome, but there was no evidence for functional diaschisis in pusher patients with cortical stroke and no evidence for the convergence of thalamic and cortical lesions onto a common functional network. Structural disconnection mapping identified posterior thalamic disconnection to temporal, pre-, post- and paracentral regions. Fibre tracking between the thalamic and cortical pusher lesion hotspots indicated that in cortical lesions of patients with pusher syndrome, it is disconnectivity to the posterior thalamus caused by accompanying white matter damage, rather than the direct cortical lesions themselves, that lead to the emergence of pusher syndrome. Our analyses thus offer the first evidence for a direct thalamo-cortical (or cortico-thalamic) interconnection and, more importantly, shed light on the location of the respective thalamo-cortical disconnections. Pusher syndrome seems to be a consequence of direct damage or of disconnection of the posterior thalamus.
The golden generation of Australian Soccer: understanding the factors which influenced their development
2023-03-19

While sporting research has focussed on the performance factors and activities contributing to elite performance, there is still limited acknowledgement of the athlete's voice on the specific experiences and milestones that shaped their development into elite athletes. Therefore, the current study, used qualitative first-hand experiences of international level players to understand their developmental stories. In total, 17 players who represented the Australian National Soccer team during the "Golden Generation" Australian soccer (i.e. represented the Australian National Soccer Team during the Qualification period and subsequent 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup competitions) participated in the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with all participants, with the analysis identifying six key themes which described the developmental story of players. The themes included, Passion; Family; Mentality; Environment; Practice; and Pathway. The findings provide a detailed description of the environmental and socio-cultural factors the players perceived as critical in their journey to representing their nation.