julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Analysis of structural brain asymmetries in attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder in 39 datasets
2021-03-22

Objective Some studies have suggested alterations of structural brain asymmetry in attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but findings have been contradictory and based on small samples. Here, we performed the largest ever analysis of brain left‐right asymmetry in ADHD, using 39 datasets of the ENIGMA consortium. Methods We analyzed asymmetry of subcortical and cerebral cortical structures in up to 1,933 people with ADHD and 1,829 unaffected controls. Asymmetry Indexes (AIs) were calculated per participant for each bilaterally paired measure, and linear mixed effects modeling was applied separately in children, adolescents, adults, and the total sample, to test exhaustively for potential associations of ADHD with structural brain asymmetries. Results There was no evidence for altered caudate nucleus asymmetry in ADHD, in contrast to prior literature. In children, there was less rightward asymmetry of the total hemispheric surface area compared to controls ( t = 2.1, p = .04). Lower rightward asymmetry of medial orbitofrontal cortex surface area in ADHD ( t = 2.7, p = .01) was similar to a recent finding for autism spectrum disorder. There were also some differences in cortical thickness asymmetry across age groups. In adults with ADHD, globus pallidus asymmetry was altered compared to those without ADHD. However, all effects were small (Cohen’s d from −0.18 to 0.18) and would not survive study‐wide correction for multiple testing. Conclusion Prior studies of altered structural brain asymmetry in ADHD were likely underpowered to detect the small effects reported here. Altered structural asymmetry is unlikely to provide a useful biomarker for ADHD, but may provide neurobiological insights into the trait.
Archean geodynamics: Ephemeral supercontinents or long-lived supercratons
2021-03-22

Abstract Many Archean cratons exhibit Paleoproterozoic rifted margins, implying they were pieces of some ancestral landmass(es). The idea that such an ancient continental assembly represents an Archean supercontinent has been proposed but remains to be justified. Starkly contrasting geological records between different clans of cratons have inspired an alternative hypothesis where cratons were clustered in multiple, separate “supercratons.” A new ca. 2.62 Ga paleomagnetic pole from the Yilgarn craton of Australia is compatible with either two successive but ephemeral supercontinents or two long-lived supercratons across the Archean-Proterozoic transition. Neither interpretation supports the existence of a single, long-lived supercontinent, suggesting that Archean geodynamics were fundamentally different from subsequent times (Proterozoic to present), which were influenced largely by supercontinent cycles.
Eco‐genetics of desiccation resistance in Drosophila
2021-03-22

ABSTRACT Climate change globally perturbs water circulation thereby influencing ecosystems including cultivated land. Both harmful and beneficial species of insects are likely to be vulnerable to such changes in climate. As small animals with a disadvantageous surface area to body mass ratio, they face a risk of desiccation. A number of behavioural, physiological and genetic strategies are deployed to solve these problems during adaptation in various Drosophila species. Over 100 desiccation‐related genes have been identified in laboratory and wild populations of the cosmopolitan fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and its sister species in large‐scale and single‐gene approaches. These genes are involved in water sensing and homeostasis, and barrier formation and function via the production and composition of surface lipids and via pigmentation. Interestingly, the genetic strategy implemented in a given population appears to be unpredictable. In part, this may be due to different experimental approaches in different studies. The observed variability may also reflect a rich standing genetic variation in Drosophila allowing a quasi‐random choice of response strategies through soft‐sweep events, although further studies are needed to unravel any underlying principles. These findings underline that D. melanogaster is a robust species well adapted to resist climate change‐related desiccation. The rich data obtained in Drosophila research provide a framework to address and understand desiccation resistance in other insects. Through the application of powerful genetic tools in the model organism D. melanogaster , the functions of desiccation‐related genes revealed by correlative studies can be tested and the underlying molecular mechanisms of desiccation tolerance understood. The combination of the wealth of available data and its genetic accessibility makes Drosophila an ideal bioindicator. Accumulation of data on desiccation resistance in Drosophila may allow us to create a world map of genetic evolution in response to climate change in an insect genome. Ultimately these efforts may provide guidelines for dealing with the effects of climate‐related perturbations on insect population dynamics in the future.
The Novel P II -Interacting Protein PirA Controls Flux into the Cyanobacterial Ornithine-Ammonia Cycle
2021-03-22

Cyanobacteria contribute a significant portion to the annual oxygen yield and play important roles in biogeochemical cycles, e.g., as major primary producers. Due to their photosynthetic lifestyle, cyanobacteria also arouse interest as hosts for the sustainable production of fuel components and high-value chemicals.
TSPO PET imaging of natalizumab-associated progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy
2021-03-22

Abstract Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) is a severe infection of the CNS caused by the polyomavirus JC that can occur in multiple sclerosis patients treated with natalizumab. Clinical management of patients with natalizumab-associated PML is challenging not least because current imaging tools for the early detection, longitudinal monitoring and differential diagnosis of PML lesions are limited. Here we evaluate whether translocator protein (TSPO) PET imaging can be applied to monitor the inflammatory activity of PML lesions over time and differentiate them from multiple sclerosis lesions. For this monocentre pilot study we followed eight patients with natalizumab-associated PML with PET imaging using the TSPO radioligand 18F-GE-180 combined with frequent 3 T MRI. In addition we compared TSPO PET signals in PML lesions with the signal pattern of multiple sclerosis lesions from 17 independent multiple sclerosis patients. We evaluated the standardized uptake value ratio as well as the morphometry of the TSPO uptake for putative PML and multiple sclerosis lesions areas compared to a radiologically unaffected pseudo-reference region in the cerebrum. Furthermore, TSPO expression in situ was immunohistochemically verified by determining the density and cellular identity of TSPO-expressing cells in brain sections from four patients with early natalizumab-associated PML as well as five patients with other forms of PML and six patients with inflammatory demyelinating CNS lesions (clinically isolated syndrome/multiple sclerosis). Histological analysis revealed a reticular accumulation of TSPO expressing phagocytes in PML lesions, while such phagocytes showed a more homogeneous distribution in putative multiple sclerosis lesions. TSPO PET imaging showed an enhanced tracer uptake in natalizumab-associated PML lesions that was present from the early to the chronic stages (up to 52 months after PML diagnosis). While gadolinium enhancement on MRI rapidly declined to baseline levels, TSPO tracer uptake followed a slow one phase decay curve. A TSPO-based 3D diagnostic matrix taking into account the uptake levels as well as the shape and texture of the TSPO signal differentiated &amp;gt;96% of PML and multiple sclerosis lesions. Indeed, treatment with rituximab after natalizumab-associated PML in three patients did not affect tracer uptake in the assigned PML lesions but reverted tracer uptake to baseline in the assigned active multiple sclerosis lesions. Taken together our study suggests that TSPO PET imaging can reveal CNS inflammation in natalizumab-associated PML. TSPO PET may facilitate longitudinal monitoring of disease activity and help to distinguish recurrent multiple sclerosis activity from PML progression.
Preferred sound groups of vocal iconicity reflect evolutionary mechanisms of sound stability and first language acquisition: evidence from Eurasia
2021-03-22

In speech, the connection between sounds and word meanings is mostly arbitrary. However, among basic concepts of the vocabulary, several words can be shown to exhibit some degree of form–meaning resemblance, a feature labelled vocal iconicity. Vocal iconicity plays a role in first language acquisition and was likely prominent also in pre-historic language. However, an unsolved question is how vocal iconicity survives sound evolution, which is assumed to be inevitable and ‘blind’ to the meaning of words. We analyse the evolution of sound groups on 1016 basic vocabulary concepts in 107 Eurasian languages, building on automated homologue clustering and sound sequence alignment to infer relative stability of sound groups over time. We correlate this result with the occurrence of sound groups in iconic vocabulary, measured on a cross-linguistic dataset of 344 concepts across single-language samples from 245 families. We find that the sound stability of the Eurasian set correlates with iconic occurrence in the global set. Further, we find that sound stability and iconic occurrence of consonants are connected to acquisition order in the first language, indicating that children acquiring language play a role in maintaining vocal iconicity over time. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Reconstructing prehistoric languages'.
The vocal tract as a time machine: inferences about past speech and language from the anatomy of the speech organs
2021-03-22

While speech and language do not fossilize, they still leave traces that can be extracted and interpreted. Here, we suggest that the shape of the hard structures of the vocal tract may also allow inferences about the speech of long-gone humans. These build on recent experimental and modelling studies, showing that there is extensive variation between individuals in the precise shape of the vocal tract, and that this variation affects speech and language. In particular, we show that detailed anatomical information concerning two components of the vocal tract (the lower jaw and the hard palate) can be extracted and digitized from the osteological remains of three historical populations from The Netherlands, and can be used to conduct three-dimensional biomechanical simulations of vowel production. We could recover the signatures of inter-individual variation between these vowels, in acoustics and articulation. While ‘proof-of-concept’, this study suggests that older and less well-preserved remains could be used to draw inferences about historic and prehistoric languages. Moreover, it forces us to clarify the meaning and use of the uniformitarian principle in linguistics, and to consider the wider context of language use, including the anatomy, physiology and cognition of the speakers. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Reconstructing prehistoric languages’.
Addressing future work ability of employees in GP consultations: results of a cross-sectional study
2021-03-22

Abstract Objectives In this study we examined to what extent members of a best-practice integrated healthcare model in Germany discussed their subjective future work ability with their general practitioner (GP); furthermore, we examined independent variables which explain whether future work ability is discussed. Methods In a cross-sectional survey, 1168 (out of 3218 invited) integrated healthcare members responded to a standardized questionnaire. This study includes n = 475 employed respondents who were at most 65 years old. We determined the (relative) frequency of employed members up to 65 years who had already discussed their subjective future work ability with their GP. By means of logistic regression analysis, explanatory variables were identified which statistically explained the discussion of future work ability with their GP. Results N = 80 (16.8%) respondents stated they had discussed their future work ability with their GP. A multiple logistic regression analysis showed the following results: The odds ratio for discussing future work ability is increased the more satisfied respondents are with their general practitioner, the worse they assess their current work ability in relation to the physical demands of the job, and when respondents suffer from one or more chronic diseases (Nagelkerke’s pseudo-R 2 = 0.13). Conclusions Even in this healthcare setting, employees up to the age of 65 rarely discussed their subjective future work ability with their GP. This suggests that the issue ‘future work ability’ is even less commonly discussed in other community-based care settings in Germany. It seems that health care providers involved in acute care only sporadically take this issue into consideration - despite the great importance of maintaining work ability.
The German Research Consortium for the Study of Bipolar Disorder (BipoLife): A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study Protocol
2021-03-22

<title>Abstract</title> <italic><underline>Background</underline></italic>: Bipolar disorder is one of the most severe mental disorders. Its chronic course is associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality, a high risk of suicide and poor social and occupational outcomes. Despite the great advances over the last decades in understanding mental disorders, the mechanisms underlying bipolar disorder at the neural network level still remain elusive. This has severe consequences for clinical practice, for instance by inadequate diagnoses or delayed treatments. The German research consortium <italic>BipoLife</italic> aims to shed light on the mechanisms underlying bipolar disorders. It was established in 2015 and incorporates ten university hospitals across Germany. Its research projects focus in particular on individuals at high risk of bipolar disorder, young patients in the early stages of the disease and patients with an unstable highly relapsing course and/or with acute suicidal ideation. <italic><underline>Methods</underline></italic>: Functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data was acquired across nine sites within three different studies. Obtaining neuroimaging data in a multicenter setting requires among others the harmonization of the acquisition protocol, the standardization of paradigms and the implementation of regular quality control procedures. The present article outlines the MRI imaging protocols, the acquisition parameters, the imaging paradigms, the neuroimaging quality assessment procedures and the number of recruited subjects.<italic><underline>Discussion</underline></italic>: The careful implementation of a MRI study protocol as well as the adherence to well-defined quality assessment procedures is one key benchmark in the evaluation of the overall quality of large-scale multicenter imaging studies. This article contributes to the <italic>BipoLife</italic> project by outlining the rationale and the design of the MRI study protocol. It helps to set the necessary standards for follow-up analyses and provides the technical details for an in-depth understanding of follow-up publications.
Distributional differences in the time horizon of executive compensation
2021-03-22

Abstract The aim of executive compensation plans is to incentivize executives to maximize long-term firm value. Past research shows that executives’ pay is determined by short-term stock performance to a substantial degree. This paper tests for distributional differences in the time horizon of the performance–pay relation, controlling for executive-firm fixed effects in a quantile regression framework. I identify short-term and long-term firm and industry performance using a filter and estimate distributional differences in the short-term and long-term performance–pay relation using method of moments–quantile regression (Machado and Santos Silva in J Econ 213:145–173, 2019). I find the right tail of the conditional total compensation distribution has a more long-term-oriented performance–pay relation than the left tail. By contrast, the right tail of the conditional accumulated wealth distribution has more short-term-oriented performance–pay relation than the left tail. Results show that asymmetry in short-term firm performance–pay relations may exist, but do not vary across the conditional distribution.
Do embodied effects reflect the consequences rather than the causes of meaning? - "Ja!"
2021-03-22

It has been shown that a movement in a direction incongruent with the spatial semantics of words typically requires more time than movements that are directionally congruent. Two explanations have been proposed for this effect. Either a word's meaning is understood by using an internal model to simulate a word's meaning -- and incogruent directionality needs time to be resolved. Or words simply serve to reduce hearers' uncertainty about future states of the world, facilitating actions that prepare for them. However, since previous experiments have focused on actions that are directly involved in the exploration of space, they provide evidence for both hypotheses. Experiment 1 of the present study avoids this shortcoming. We investigated the basic downwards directed articulatory gesture producing a high-frequency German word, "ja" (yes), in response to reading words with vertical semantics. This task is thus completely unrelated to the semantics of the words. We show that tongue movements are systematically modulated by verticality ratings collected from the same speakers. To investigate the source of the effect, we performed two additional, linguistically unrelated experiments. Experiment 2 demonstrates anti-phasic coupling between tongue body movements and vertical arm and leg movements. Experiment 3 investigates tongue body movements prior to head movements and uncovers preparatory tongue raising to head raising in contrast to head lowering. Taken together, the results indicate that the changes in "ja" associated with vertical semantics most likely emerge from anticipating a head movement in the direction of the spatial target associated with the read word in order to optimize the body position for subsequent actions. Thus, the results support the assumption that words reduce the uncertainty about future states of the world.
International Consensus Based Review and Recommendations for Minimum Reporting Standards in Research on Transcutaneous Vagus Nerve Stimulation (Version 2020)
2021-03-23

Given its non-invasive nature, there is increasing interest in the use of transcutaneous vagus nerve stimulation (tVNS) across basic, translational and clinical research. Contemporaneously, tVNS can be achieved by stimulating either the auricular branch or the cervical bundle of the vagus nerve, referred to as transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation(VNS) and transcutaneous cervical VNS, respectively. In order to advance the field in a systematic manner, studies using these technologies need to adequately report sufficient methodological detail to enable comparison of results between studies, replication of studies, as well as enhancing study participant safety. We systematically reviewed the existing tVNS literature to evaluate current reporting practices. Based on this review, and consensus among participating authors, we propose a set of minimal reporting items to guide future tVNS studies. The suggested items address specific technical aspects of the device and stimulation parameters. We also cover general recommendations including inclusion and exclusion criteria for participants, outcome parameters and the detailed reporting of side effects. Furthermore, we review strategies used to identify the optimal stimulation parameters for a given research setting and summarize ongoing developments in animal research with potential implications for the application of tVNS in humans. Finally, we discuss the potential of tVNS in future research as well as the associated challenges across several disciplines in research and clinical practice.
Consequences of cognitive offloading: Boosting performance but diminishing memory
2021-03-23

Modern technical tools such as tablets allow for the temporal externalisation of working memory processes (i.e., cognitive offloading). Although such externalisations support immediate performance on different tasks, little is known about potential long-term consequences of offloading behaviour. In the current set of experiments, we studied the relationship between cognitive offloading and subsequent memory for the offloaded information as well as the interplay of this relationship with the goal to acquire new memory representations. Our participants solved the Pattern Copy Task, in which we manipulated the costs of cognitive offloading and the awareness of a subsequent memory test. In Experiment 1 ( N = 172), we showed that increasing the costs for offloading induces reduced offloading behaviour. This reduction in offloading came along with lower immediate task performance but more accurate memory in an unexpected test. In Experiment 2 ( N = 172), we confirmed these findings and observed that offloading behaviour remained detrimental for subsequent memory performance when participants were aware of the upcoming memory test. Interestingly, Experiment 3 ( N = 172) showed that cognitive offloading is not detrimental for long-term memory formation under all circumstances. Those participants who were forced to offload maximally but were aware of the memory test could almost completely counteract the negative impact of offloading on memory. Our experiments highlight the importance of the explicit goal to acquire new memory representations when relying on technical tools as offloading did have detrimental effects on memory without such a goal.
MRzero ‐ Automated discovery of MRI sequences using supervised learning
2021-03-23

Purpose A supervised learning framework is proposed to automatically generate MR sequences and corresponding reconstruction based on the target contrast of interest. Combined with a flexible, task‐driven cost function this allows for an efficient exploration of novel MR sequence strategies. Methods The scanning and reconstruction process is simulated end‐to‐end in terms of RF events, gradient moment events in x and y, and delay times, acting on the input model spin system given in terms of proton density, and , and . As a proof of concept, we use both conventional MR images and maps as targets and optimize from scratch using the loss defined by data fidelity, SAR penalty, and scan time. Results In a first attempt, MRzero learns gradient and RF events from zero, and is able to generate a target image produced by a conventional gradient echo sequence. Using a neural network within the reconstruction module allows arbitrary targets to be learned successfully. Experiments could be translated to image acquisition at the real system (3T Siemens, PRISMA) and could be verified in the measurements of phantoms and a human brain in vivo. Conclusions Automated MR sequence generation is possible based on differentiable Bloch equation simulations and a supervised learning approach.