julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Visual properties of human retinal ganglion cells
2021-02-16

The retinal output is the sole source of visual information for the brain. Studies in non-primate mammals estimate that this information is carried by several dozens of retinal ganglion cell types, each informing the brain about different aspects of a visual scene. Even though morphological studies of primate retina suggest a similar diversity of ganglion cell types, research has focused on the function of only a few cell types. In human retina, recordings from individual cells are anecdotal or focus on a small subset of identified types. Here, we present the first systematic ex-vivo recording of light responses from 342 ganglion cells in human retinas obtained from donors. We find a great variety in the human retinal output in terms of preferences for positive or negative contrast, spatio-temporal frequency encoding, contrast sensitivity, and speed tuning. Some human ganglion cells showed similar response behavior as known cell types in other primate retinas, while we also recorded light responses that have not been described previously. This first extensive description of the human retinal output should facilitate interpretation of primate data and comparison to other mammalian species, and it lays the basis for the use of ex-vivo human retina for in-vitro analysis of novel treatment approaches.
Integration of Electrospun Membranes into Low-Absorption Thermoplastic Organ-on-Chip
2021-02-16

In recent years, organ-on-chip (OoC) systems have provoked increasing interest among researchers from different disciplines. OoCs enable the recreation of <i>in vivo</i>-like microenvironments and the generation of a wide range of different tissues or organs in a miniaturized way. Most commonly, OoC platforms are based on microfluidic modules made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). While advantageous in terms of biocompatibility, oxygen permeability, and fast prototyping amenability, PDMS features a major limitation as it absorbs small hydrophobic molecules, including many types of test compounds, hormones, and cytokines. Another common feature of OoC systems is the integration of membranes (i) to separate different tissue compartments, (ii) to confine convective perfusion to media channels, and/or (iii) to provide mechanical support for cell monolayers. Typically, porous polymer membranes are microstructured using track-etching (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate; PET) or lithography (e.g., PDMS). Although membranes of different biomechanical properties (rigid PET to elastic PDMS) have been utilized, the membrane structure and material remain mostly artificial and do not resemble <i>in vivo</i> conditions (extracellular matrix). Here, we report a method for the reliable fabrication and integration of electrospun membranes in OoC modules, which are made of laser-structured poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). The choice of PMMA as base material provides optical parameters and biocompatibility similar to PDMS while avoiding the absorption problem. Using electrospinning for the generation of 3D membranes, microenvironments resembling the native extracellular matrix (ECM) can be generated. We tested two different kinds of electrospun membranes and established processes for a tight integration into PMMA modules. Human (microvasculature) endothelial as well as (retinal pigment) epithelial cell layers could be successfully cultured inside the systems for up to 7 days, while being either directly exposed to (endothelial cells) or protected (epithelial cells) from the shear flow. Our novel method enables the versatile fabrication of OoC platforms that can be tailored to the native environment of tissues of interest and at the same time are applicable for the testing of compounds or chemicals without constraints.
Professional networking: Exploring differences between offline and online networking
2021-02-16

Professional networking has mostly been researched in offline contexts. With professional social networking sites (SNS), such as LinkedIn or the German platform XING, professional networking can be extended to online contexts. Therefore, this study examines if people differ in the intensity of offline and online networking and if influence factors differentially predict offline and online networking. An exploratory online survey of working people (N = 326, Mage = 37 years, 56% women) revealed that mean values among the four different networking types did not differ significantly. However, people can be divided into four clusters of networkers (the minimal, the heavy, the mainly offline, and the mainly online networkers). When looking at influence factors, there is a positive association of people’s knowing about the benefits of networking and their networking intensity for all types of networking offline and online. Beyond that, the negative affective influence of anxiety towards unknown people on networking shows an interaction effect with networking type as it is stronger for offline networking than it is for online networking. The results indicate that professional social networking sites might help people with their networking pursuits by reducing negative emotions associated with networking, thereby contributing to a social compensation effect.
Consensus Recommendations from EXPeRT/PARTN-ER Groups for the Diagnosis and Therapy of Sex Cord Stromal Tumors in Children and Adolescents
2021-02-16

As part of the European Union-funded project designated PARTN-ER, the European Cooperative Study Group for Pediatric Rare Tumors (EXPeRT) is continuously developing consensus recommendations in order to harmonize standard care for very rare solid tumors of children and adolescents. This paper presents the internationally recognized recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of sex cord stromal tumors (SCST). The clinical approach to sex cord stromal tumors of the testis (TSCST) and ovary (OSCST) depends on histological differentiation and tumor stage. Virtually all TSCSTs present as localized non-metastatic tumors, with excellent prognosis after complete resection. In contrast, the prognosis of OSCSTs may be adversely affected by tumor spillage during surgery or presence of metastases. In these cases, cisplatin-based chemotherapy is recommended. Of note, some SCSTs may develop in the context of tumor predisposition syndromes e.g. DICER-1, so that specific follow-up is indicated. SCSTs should be diagnosed and treated according to standardized recommendations that include reference pathology, genetic testing for tumor predisposition syndromes in selected cases, and stratified adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with unfavorable risk profile. To ensure high quality of diagnosis and therapy, patients should be enrolled into prospective registries.
Hot carrier-mediated avalanche multiphoton photoluminescence from coupled Au–Al nanoantennas
2021-02-16

Avalanche multiphoton photoluminescence (AMPL) is observed from coupled Au–Al nanoantennas under intense laser pumping, which shows more than one order of magnitude emission intensity enhancement and distinct spectral features compared with ordinary metallic photoluminescence. The experiments are conducted by altering the incident laser intensity and polarization using a home-built scanning confocal optical microscope. The results show that AMPL originates from the recombination of avalanche hot carriers that are seeded by multiphoton ionization. Notably, at the excitation stage, multiphoton ionization is shown to be assisted by the local electromagnetic field enhancement produced by coupled plasmonic modes. At the emission step, the giant AMPL intensity can be evaluated as a function of the local field environment and the thermal factor for hot carriers, in accordance with a linear relationship between the power law exponent coefficient and the emitted photon energy. The dramatic change in the spectral profile is explained by spectral linewidth broadening mechanisms. This study offers nanospectroscopic evidence of both the potential optical damages for plasmonic nanostructures and the underlying physical nature of light–matter interactions under a strong laser field; it illustrates the significance of the emerging topics of plasmonic-enhanced spectroscopy and laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy.
Measuring Cognitive Load Using In-Game Metrics Of A Serious Simulation Game
2021-02-16

Serious games have become an important tool to train individuals in a range of different skills. Importantly, serious games or gamified scenarios allow for simulating realistic time-critical situations to train and also assess individual performance. In this context, determining the user’s cognitive load during (game-based) training seems crucial for predicting performance and potential adaptation of the training environment to improve training effectiveness. Therefore, it is important to identify in-game metrics sensitive to users’ cognitive load. According to Barrouillets’ time-based resource-sharing model, particularly relevant for measuring cognitive load in time-critical situations, cognitive load doesn’t depend solely on the complexity of actions but also on temporal aspects of a given task. In this study, we applied this idea to the context of a serious game by proposing in-game metrics for workload prediction that reflect a relation between the time during which participants’ attention is captured and the total time available for the task at hand. We used an emergency simulation serious game requiring management of time-critical situations. 47 participants completed the emergency simulation and rated their workload using the NASA-TLX questionnaire. Results indicated that the proposed in-game metrics yielded significant associations both with subjective workload measures as well as with gaming performance. Moreover, we observed that a prediction model based solely on data from the first minutes of the gameplay predicted overall gaming performance with a classification accuracy significantly above chance level and not significantly different from a model based on subjective workload ratings. These results imply that in-game metrics may qualify for a real-time adaptation of a game-based learning environment.
SLy2‐overexpression impairs B‐cell development in the bone marrow and the IgG response towards pneumococcal conjugate‐vaccine
2021-02-16

Abstract Background Infections with Streptococcus pneumoniae can cause severe diseases in humans including pneumonia. Although guidelines for vaccination have been established, S. pneumoniae is still responsible for a serious burden of disease around the globe. Currently, two pneumococcal immunizations are available, namely the pure polysaccharide vaccine Pneumovax23 (P23) and the conjugate‐vaccine Prevenar13 (PCV13). We recently reported impaired thymus‐independent antibody responses towards P23 in mice overexpressing the immunoinhibitory adapter SLy2. The purpose of this study was to evaluate adaptive B‐cell responses towards the thymus‐dependent vaccine PCV13 in SLy2‐overexpressing mice and to study their survival rate during pneumococcal lung infection. Moreover, we investigated B‐cell developmental stages within the bone marrow (BM) in the context of excessive SLy2‐expression. Methods B‐cell subsets and their surface immune globulins were investigated by flow cytometry. For class‐switch assays, isolated splenic B cells were stimulated in vitro with lipopolysaccharide and interleukin‐4 and antibody secretion was quantified via LEGENDplex. To study PCV13‐specific responses, mice were immunized and serum antibody titers (immunoglobulin M, immunoglobulins IgG 1 , IgG 2 , and IgG 3 ) were examined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Survival rates of mice were assessed within 7 days upon intranasal challenge with S. pneumoniae . Results Our data demonstrate impaired IgG 1 and IgG 3 antibody responses towards the pneumococcal conjugate‐vaccine PCV13 in SLy2‐overexpressing mice. This was accompanied by reduced frequencies and numbers of BM‐resident plasmablasts. In addition, we found drastically reduced counts of B‐cell precursors in the BM of SLy2‐Tg mice. The survival rate upon intranasal challenge with S. pneumoniae was mostly comparable between the genotypes. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate an important role of the adapter protein SLy2 in the context of adaptive antibody responses against pneumococcal conjugate‐vaccine. Interestingly, deficits in humoral immunity seemed to be compensated by cellular immune effectors upon bacterial challenge. Our study further shows a novel relevance of SLy2 for plasmablasts and B‐cell progenitors in the BM.
What Made a Peasantry: Theory and Historiography of Rural Labor in Byzantine Egypt
2021-02-16

Abstract Modern discussions of rural labor in Byzantine Egypt (300–700 CE ) have been bedevilled by disagreement over the definition of that concept. There are three main competing conceptualizations: (i) Rural labor has been defined in terms of serfdom as a parallel outcome to the emergence of “private” (or feudal) large landowners as opposed to the decline of “public powers”; (ii) Rural labor has been described as “free” since it was based on contractual arrangements (primarily, rent tenancy) and on the payment of a public levy to the state; and (iii) Rural labor has been characterized in terms of exploitation, that is, as the instrument through which landholders (both landowners and tenants) extracted unpaid wealth from the population of producers. Building on a vast literature, this essay seeks to clarify that while the notion of feudal serfdom does not find corroborations in the Byzantine sources, the contractual, tributary, and “exploitative” characterizations of labor were not mutually exclusive, but instead describe different aspects and possible developments of the employer-employee relationships.
Selective exposure in action: Do visitors of product evaluation portals select reviews in a biased manner?
2021-02-16

Most people in industrialized countries regularly purchase products online. Consumers often rely on previous customers’ reviews to make purchasing decisions. The current research investigates whether potential online customers select these reviews in a biased way and whether typical interface properties of product evaluation portals foster biased selection. Based on selective exposure research, potential online customers should have a bias towards selecting positive reviews when they have an initial preference for a product. We tested this prediction across five studies (total N = 1376) while manipulating several typical properties of the review selection interface that should – according to earlier findings – facilitate biased selection. Across all studies, we found some evidence for a bias in favor of selecting positive reviews, but the aggregated effect was non-significant in an internal meta-analysis. Contrary to our hypothesis and not replicating previous research, none of the interface properties that were assumed to increase biased selection led to the predicted effects. Overall, the current research suggests that biased information selection, which has regularly been found in many other contexts, only plays a minor role in online review selection. Thus, there is no need to fear that product evaluation portals elicit biased impressions about products among consumers due to selective exposure.
Cortical thickness across the lifespan: Data from 17,075 healthy individuals aged 3–90 years
2021-02-17

Abstract Delineating the association of age and cortical thickness in healthy individuals is critical given the association of cortical thickness with cognition and behavior. Previous research has shown that robust estimates of the association between age and brain morphometry require large‐scale studies. In response, we used cross‐sectional data from 17,075 individuals aged 3–90 years from the Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics through Meta‐Analysis (ENIGMA) Consortium to infer age‐related changes in cortical thickness. We used fractional polynomial (FP) regression to quantify the association between age and cortical thickness, and we computed normalized growth centiles using the parametric Lambda, Mu, and Sigma method. Interindividual variability was estimated using meta‐analysis and one‐way analysis of variance. For most regions, their highest cortical thickness value was observed in childhood. Age and cortical thickness showed a negative association; the slope was steeper up to the third decade of life and more gradual thereafter; notable exceptions to this general pattern were entorhinal, temporopolar, and anterior cingulate cortices. Interindividual variability was largest in temporal and frontal regions across the lifespan. Age and its FP combinations explained up to 59% variance in cortical thickness. These results may form the basis of further investigation on normative deviation in cortical thickness and its significance for behavioral and cognitive outcomes.
Gender spillovers from supervisory boards to management boards
2021-02-17

This study investigates gender spillovers from women on supervisory boards to women on management boards in a two‐tier system with employee codetermination. The supervisory board consists of a nominating committee mainly responsible for the appointment of directors in the management board. By combining similarity attraction theory with power theory, we predict that only female shareholder representatives who serve on the nominating committee drive the positive effect on the presence of women on management boards. The results of the correlated random effects models in a sample of 95 German codetermined and publicly listed companies (2009–2016) confirm the predicted relationship.
Modeling the nonaxisymmetric structure in the HD 163296 disk with planet-disk interaction
2021-02-17

Context. High-resolution ALMA observations such as the DSHARP campaign have revealed a variety of rich substructures in numerous protoplanetary disks. These structures consist of rings, gaps, and asymmetric features. It has been debated whether planets can be accounted for among these substructures in the dust continuum. Characterizing the origin of asymmetries, as seen in HD 163296, might lead to a better understanding of planet formation and the underlying physical parameters of the system. Aims. We test the possibility that the formation of the crescent-shaped asymmetry in the HD 163296 disk can be attributed to planet-disk interaction. The goal is to obtain constraints on planet masses, eccentricities, and disk viscosities. Furthermore, we test the reproducibility of the two prominent rings in the HD 163296 disk at 67 and 100 au. Methods. We performed two-dimensional, multi-fluid, hydrodynamical simulations with the FARGO3D code, including three embedded planets in the setup. Dust is described via the pressureless fluid approach and distributed over eight size bins. The resulting grids were post-processed with the radiative transfer code RADMC-3D and CASA software to model the synthetic observations. Results. We find that the crescent-shaped asymmetry can be qualitatively modeled with a Jupiter mass planet at a radial distance of 48 au. Dust is trapped in the trailing Lagrange point L5, preferably, with a mass of between 10 and 15 earth masses. The observation of such a feature constrains the level of viscosity and planetary mass. Increased values of eccentricity of the innermost Jupiter mass planet negatively impacts the stability of the crescent-shaped feature and does not reproduce the observed radial proximity to the first prominent ring in the system. Generally, a low level of viscosity ( α ≤ 2 × 10 −3 ) is necessary to allow for the existence of such a feature. Including dust feedback in the leading point, L4, can dominantly capture dust for dust grains with an initial Stokes number ≤ 3.6 × 10 −2 . In the synthetic ALMA observation of the model with dust feedback, two crescent-shaped features are visible. The observational results suggest a negligible effect on the part of dust feedback since only one such feature has been detected so far. The dust-to-gas ratio may thus be overestimated in the models. Additionally, the planet mass growth time scale does not strongly affect the formation of such asymmetries in the co-orbital region.
Combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors and tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma
2021-02-17

Due to the mediated additional anti-tumor effects, there is a strong rationale to combine ICIs and TKIs for mRCC therapy. When comparing first-line therapy options, the exceptionally higher ORR and PFS for the ICI-TKI combinations should be highlighted, whereas, nevertheless, the complete response rate is slightly higher for the ICI-ICI combination. In terms of an individualized therapeutic approach, biomarkers predicting the success or failure of an anti-VEGF-based regimen or ICI therapy as a corresponding mono - or combination therapy are lacking so far, however, gene expression signatures can be a landmark in this field.
Turning the Orogenic Switch: Slab‐Reversal in the Eastern Alps Recorded by Low‐Temperature Thermochronology
2021-02-17

Abstract Many convergent orogens, such as the eastern European Alps, display an asymmetric doubly vergent wedge geometry. In doubly vergent orogens, deepest exhumation occurs above the retro‐wedge. Deep‐seismic interpretations depict the European plate dipping beneath the Adriatic, suggesting the pro‐wedge location on the north side of the orogen. Our new thermochronometer data across the Eastern Alps confirm distinct shifts in the locus of exhumation associated with orogen‐scale structural reorganizations. Most importantly, we find a general Mid‐Miocene shift in exhumation (in the Tauern Window and the Southern Alps) and focus of modern seismicity across the Southern Alps. Taken together, these observations suggest a subduction polarity reversal at least since the Mid‐Miocene such that the present‐day pro‐wedge is located on the south side of the Alps. We propose a transient tectonic state of a slow‐and‐ongoing slab reversal coeval with motion along the Tauern Ramp, consistent with a present‐day northward migration of drainage divides.
Avoiding being stung or bitten – prey capture behaviors of the ant-eating Texas horned lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum)
2021-02-17

ABSTRACT Horned lizards (Phrynosoma) are specialized predators, including many species that primarily feed on seed harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex). Harvester ants have strong mandibles to husk seeds or defensively bite, and a venomous sting. Texas horned lizards possess a blood plasma factor that neutralizes harvester ant venom and produce copious mucus in the pharynx and esophagus, thus embedding and incapacitating swallowed ants. We used high-speed video recordings to investigate complexities of their lingual prey capture and handling behavior. Lizards primarily strike ants at their mesosoma (thorax plus propodeum of abdomen). They avoid the head and gaster, even if closer to the lizard, and if prey directional movement is reversed. Orientation of captured ants during retraction is with head first (rostral), thus providing initial mucus coating of the mandibles. Prey capture accuracy and precise handling illustrates the specificity of adaptations of horned lizards in avoiding harm, and the challenges lizards face when feeding on dangerous prey.