julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Do students learn better when seated close to the teacher? A virtual classroom study considering individual levels of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity
2018-11-10

This study investigated whether students in grades 5 and 6 learned better when seated proximally to the teacher during a virtual classroom math lesson, taking individual levels of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity (i.e., ADHD symptoms) into account. In general, students learned better in the proximal seat location compared to a distant one. Additionally, more intense symptom levels impaired learning more. When considering individual levels of ADHD symptoms, students’ learning outcomes did not specifically benefit from a proximal seat location. Consequently, the present study did not support the general assumption that a proximal seat location fosters academic achievement in students experiencing individual levels of inattention and hyperactivity-impulsivity.
Accessory heterozygous mutations in cone photoreceptor CNGA3 exacerbate CNG channel–associated retinopathy
2018-11-11

Mutations in CNGA3 and CNGB3, the genes encoding the subunits of the tetrameric cone photoreceptor cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel, cause achromatopsia, a congenital retinal disorder characterized by loss of cone function. However, a small number of patients carrying the CNGB3/c.1208G>A;p.R403Q mutation present with a variable retinal phenotype ranging from complete and incomplete achromatopsia to moderate cone dysfunction or progressive cone dystrophy. By exploring a large patient cohort and published cases, we identified 16 unrelated individuals who were homozygous or (compound-)heterozygous for the CNGB3/c.1208G>A;p.R403Q mutation. In-depth genetic and clinical analysis revealed a co-occurrence of a mutant CNGA3 allele in a high proportion of these patients (10 of 16), likely contributing to the disease phenotype. To verify these findings, we generated a Cngb3R403Q/R403Q mouse model, which was crossbred with Cnga3-deficient (Cnga3-/-) mice to obtain triallelic Cnga3+/- Cngb3R403Q/R403Q mutants. As in human subjects, there was a striking genotype-phenotype correlation, since the presence of 1 Cnga3-null allele exacerbated the cone dystrophy phenotype in Cngb3R403Q/R403Q mice. These findings strongly suggest a digenic and triallelic inheritance pattern in a subset of patients with achromatopsia/severe cone dystrophy linked to the CNGB3/p.R403Q mutation, with important implications for diagnosis, prognosis, and genetic counseling.
Do you let me symptomatize? The potential role of cultural values in cross-national variability of mental disorders’ prevalence
2018-11-11

Background: Mental disorders may show inherent cross-national variability in their prevalence. A considerable number of meta-analyses attribute this heterogeneity to the methodological diversity in published epidemiological studies. Cultural values are characteristically not assessed in meta-regression models as potential covariates. Aim: Our aim was to conduct a meta-regression analysis to explore to what extent certain cultural values and immigration rates (as indicator of cultural diversity) might be associated with the cross-national heterogeneity of prevalence rates. Method: To minimize methodological differences that may exert a confounding effect, prevalence rates were obtained from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) World Mental Health Survey Initiative. Cultural indices (overall emancipative values; overall secular values) were collected from the World Value Survey, while immigration rates were registered by utilizing the data of the United Nations’ World Population Policies 2005 report. Results: Meta-regression analysis indicated that overall emancipative values (i.e. promoting self-expression, non-violent protest) showed significant connection with lifetime and last year prevalence of any mood disorders ( Z = 4.71, p = .001; Z = 2.35, p = .02) and any internalizing disorders (a merged category that combined mood and anxiety disorders; Z = 2.82, p = .004; Z = 2.34, p = .02). Overall secular values (i.e. rejecting authority and obedience) were negatively associated with last year prevalence of depression ( Z = −2.75, p = .06). Multistep regression analysis indicated that immigration rate moderated the connection between cultural values and mental disorders. Countries with higher immigration rates showed higher emancipative and secular values. Conclusion: Our findings might function as potential foundation for formulating hypotheses regarding the cultural context’s influence on the population’s mental health.
Untangling the Evolutionary History of European Bison (Bison bonasus)
2018-11-11

ABSTRACT European bison ( Bison bonasus ) are the largest endemic vertebrates in Europe, and one of the few megafaunal species to have survived the mass megafaunal extinction during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition (12-9 thousand years ago). Untangling their evolutionary history would provide valuable information about the response of European megafauna to periods of rapid environmental change. However, a severe and recent population bottleneck obscures much of the population history that could be inferred from the genomes of modern individuals. While several studies have attempted to analyse ancient European bison populations directly using ancient DNA, their datasets were limited in temporal and geographic range. In this study we present the most comprehensive dataset of ancient European bison mitochondrial genomes to date, with 131 ancient bison samples from across the Eurasian continent covering over 50 thousand years. We reveal patterns of bison distribution and concurrent environmental changes across a broad geographical and temporal range. In particular, population expansions following periods of extensive forest reduction combined with a decrease in anthropogenic pressures suggest that European bison remain preferentially adapted to an open steppe environment through to the present day.
Multiple forest attributes underpin the supply of multiple ecosystem services
2018-11-12

Abstract Trade-offs and synergies in the supply of forest ecosystem services are common but the drivers of these relationships are poorly understood. To guide management that seeks to promote multiple services, we investigated the relationships between 12 stand-level forest attributes, including structure, composition, heterogeneity and plant diversity, plus 4 environmental factors, and proxies for 14 ecosystem services in 150 temperate forest plots. Our results show that forest attributes are the best predictors of most ecosystem services and are also good predictors of several synergies and trade-offs between services. Environmental factors also play an important role, mostly in combination with forest attributes. Our study suggests that managing forests to increase structural heterogeneity, maintain large trees, and canopy gaps would promote the supply of multiple ecosystem services. These results highlight the potential for forest management to encourage multifunctional forests and suggest that a coordinated landscape-scale strategy could help to mitigate trade-offs in human-dominated landscapes.
Bone Marrow–Harvesting Technique Influences Functional Heterogeneity of Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells and Cartilage Regeneration
2018-11-12

Background: Connective tissue progenitors (CTPs) from native bone marrow (BM) or their culture-expanded progeny, often referred to as mesenchymal stem/stromal cells, represents a promising strategy for treatment of cartilage injuries. But the cartilage regeneration capacity of these cells remains unpredictable because of cell heterogeneity. Hypothesis: The harvest technique of BM may highly influence stem cell heterogeneity and, thus, cartilage formation because these cells have distinct spatial localization within BM from the same bone. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: CTPs obtained from the femur of patients undergoing total hip replacement by 2 harvest techniques—BM aspiration and BM collection—after bone rasping were immunophenotyped by flow cytometry and evaluated for chondrogenic ability. The spatial localization of different CTP subsets in BM was verified by immunohistochemistry. Results: Cells from the BM after rasping were significantly more chondrogenic than the donor-matched aspirate, whereas no notable difference in their osteogenic or adipogenic potential was observed. The authors then assessed whether distinct immunophenotypically defined CTP subsets were responsible for the different chondrogenic capacity. Cells directly isolated from BM after rasping contained a higher percentage (mean, 7.2-fold) of CD45–CD271+CD56+ CTPs as compared with BM aspirates. The presence of this subset in the harvested BM strongly correlated with chondrogenic ability, showing that CD271+CD56+ cells are enriched in chondroprogenitors. Furthermore, evaluation of these CTP subsets in BM revealed that CD271+CD56+ cells were localized in the bone-lining regions whereas CD271+CD56– cells were found in the perivascular regions. Since the iliac crest remains a frequent site of BM harvest for musculoskeletal regeneration, the authors also compared the spatial distribution of these subsets in trabeculae of femoral head and iliac crest and found CD271+CD56+ bone-lining cells in both tissues. Conclusion: Chondrogenically distinct CTP subsets have distinct spatial localization in BM; hence, the harvest technique of BM determines the efficiency of cartilage formation. Clinical Relevance: The harvest technique of BM may be of major importance in determining the clinical success of BM mesenchymal stem/stromal cells in cartilage repair.
Structure and function of the musculoskeletal ovipositor system of an ichneumonid wasp
2018-11-12

Abstract Background Modifications of the ovipositor appear to have played a prominent role in defining the host range of parasitoid hymenopterans, highlighting an important contributing factor in shaping their oviposition strategies, life histories and diversification. Despite many comparative studies on the structure of the hymenopteran terebra, little is known about functional aspects of the musculoskeletal ovipositor system. Therefore, we examined all inherent cuticular elements and muscles of the ovipositor of the ichneumonid wasp Venturia canescens (Gravenhorst, 1829), investigated the mechanics of the ovipositor system and determined its mode of function. Results We found that the movements of the ichneumonid ovipositor, which consists of the female T9 (9th abdominal tergum), two pairs of valvifers and three pairs of valvulae, are actuated by a set of six paired muscles. The posterior and the anterior 2nd valvifer-2nd valvula muscles flex and extend the terebra from its resting towards an active probing position and back. The dorsal T9-2nd valvifer muscle is modified in V. canescens and forms distinct bundles that, together with the antagonistically acting ventral T9-2nd valvifer muscle, change the relative position of the 2nd valvifer to the female T9. Thereby, they indirectly tilt the 1st valvifer because it is linked with both of them via intervalvifer and tergo-valvifer articulation, respectively. The 1st valvifer acts as a lever arm that transfers movements to the 1st valvula. The posterior T9-2nd valvifer muscle and the small 1st-valvifer-genital membrane muscle stabilize the system during oviposition. Conclusions From our examination of the elements of the musculoskeletal ovipositor system of ichneumonids, we discussed leverages and muscle forces and developed a functional model of the underlying working mechanisms adding to our understanding of a key feature that has largely determined the evolutionary success of the megadiverse Ichneumonidae with more than 24,000 hitherto described species.
On a Generalization of Local Independence in Item Response Theory Based on Knowledge Space Theory
2018-11-12

Knowledge space theory (KST) structures are introduced within item response theory (IRT) as a possible way to model local dependence between items. The aim of this paper is threefold: firstly, to generalize the usual characterization of local independence without introducing new parameters; secondly, to merge the information provided by the IRT and KST perspectives; and thirdly, to contribute to the literature that bridges continuous and discrete theories of assessment. In detail, connections are established between the KST simple learning model (SLM) and the IRT General Graded Response Model, and between the KST Basic Local Independence Model and IRT models in general. As a consequence, local independence is generalized to account for the existence of prerequisite relations between the items, IRT models become a subset of KST models, IRT likelihood functions can be generalized to broader families, and the issues of local dependence and dimensionality are partially disentangled. Models are discussed for both dichotomous and polytomous items and conclusions are drawn on their interpretation. Considerations on possible consequences in terms of model identifiability and estimation procedures are also provided.
Evaluation of the methoxy-X04 derivative BSC4090 for diagnosis of prodromal and early Alzheimer’s disease from bioptic olfactory mucosa
2018-11-12

Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology precedes the onset of clinical symptoms by several decades. Thus, biomarkers are required to identify prodromal disease stages to allow for the early and effective treatment. The methoxy-X04-derivative BSC4090 is a fluorescent ligand which was designed to target neurofibrillary tangles in AD. BSC4090 staining was previously detected in post-mortem brains and olfactory mucosa derived from AD patients. We tested BSC4090 as a potential diagnostic marker of prodromal and early AD using olfactory mucosa biopsies from 12 individuals with AD, 13 with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 10 cognitively normal (CN) controls. Receiver-operating curve analysis revealed areas under the curve of 0.78 for AD versus CN and of 0.86 for MCI due to AD versus MCI of other causes. BSC4090 labeling correlated significantly with cerebrospinal fluid levels of tau protein phosphorylated at T181. Using NMR spectroscopy, we find that BSC4090 binds to fibrillar and pre-fibrillar but not to monomeric tau. Thus, BSC4090 may be an interesting candidate to detect AD at the early disease stages.
The Platelet Response to Tissue Injury
2018-11-13

In recent years, various studies have increasingly explained platelet functions not only in their central role as a regulator in cellular hemostasis and coagulation. In fact, there is growing evidence that under specific conditions, platelets act as a mediator between the vascular system, hemostasis, and the immune system. Therefore, they are essential in many processes involved in tissue remodeling and tissue reorganization after injury or inflammatory responses. These processes include the promotion of inflammatory processes, the contribution to innate and adaptive immune responses during bacterial and viral infections, the modulation of angiogenesis, and the regulation of cell apoptosis in steady-state tissue homeostasis or after tissue breakdown. All in all platelets may contribute to the control of tissue homeostasis much more than generally assumed. This review summarizes the current knowledge of platelets as part of the tissue remodeling network and seeks to provide possible translational implications for clinical therapy.
Possible artifacts in dynamic CEST MRI due to motion and field alterations
2018-11-13

Correction or mitigation for small motions is crucial for dynamic CEST imaging, especially in subjects with lesions. Concomitant B<sub>0</sub> alterations can as well induce pseudo CEST effects at 3 T.
Successful mentors in academia: are they teachers, sponsors and/or collaborators?
2018-11-13

Mentors in academia may act as teachers, sponsors and/or collaborators. However, so far there was no evidence on which role mentors should enact to best promote their mentees' careers. This paper focuses on mentors in academia who are not the academic advisor. We provide first evidence on the relationship between the perceived role of mentors as teachers, sponsors and/or collaborators and mentees' subsequent academic career success. Specifically, we find that mentees who perceive their mentors as sponsors who extend their social networks are most successful – in particular if they perceive their mentors also as teachers. Further, we find that collaborating with mentors who are not their academic advisors on joint research projects has negative implications for mentees' subsequent career success.
Metabolic and Cognitive Outcomes of Subchronic Once-Daily Intranasal Insulin Administration in Healthy Men
2018-11-13

Insulin acts in the brain to limit food intake and improve memory function. We have previously shown that 8 weeks of intranasal insulin delivered in four daily doses of 40 IU decrease body weight and enhance word list recall. In the present study, we investigated the effect on body composition, endocrine parameters, and memory performance of 8 weeks of once-daily administration of 160 IU in healthy men. We assumed that intranasal insulin administered before nocturnal sleep, a period of relative metabolic inactivity that moreover benefits memory formation, would be superior to insulin delivery in the morning and placebo administration. After a 2-week baseline period, healthy male normal-weight subjects (mean age, 27.1 ± 0.9 years) received either placebo, 160 IU intranasal insulin in the morning, or 160 IU in the evening (<i>n</i> = 12 per group) for 8 consecutive weeks. Throughout the experiment, we measured body weight and body composition as well as circulating concentrations of glucose, insulin, adrenocorticotropin, cortisol, growth hormone, insulin-like growth-factor 1, adiponectin, and leptin. Declarative and procedural memory function was repeatedly assessed by means of, respectively, word list recall and word-stem priming. We found that neither morning nor evening insulin compared to placebo administration induced discernible changes in body weight and body composition. Delayed recall of words showed slight improvements by insulin administration in the evening, and serum cortisol concentrations were reduced after 2 weeks of insulin administration in the morning compared to the other groups. Results indicate that catabolic long-term effects of central nervous insulin delivery necessitate repetitive, presumably pre-meal delivery schedules. The observed memory improvements, although generally weaker than previously found effects, suggest that sleep after intranasal insulin administration may support its beneficial cognitive impact.
Localized synovial sarcoma of the foot or ankle: A series of 32 Cooperative Weichteilsarkom Study Group patients
2018-11-13

Background Synovial sarcoma of the foot/ankle is rare. Mutilating surgery is often discussed. Methods Patients registered from 1981 to 2013 were analyzed. Cooperative Weichteilsarkom Studiengruppe (CWS) protocols recommend chemotherapy for all synovial sarcoma patients. Results Thirty‐two of 330 patients with localized synovial sarcoma had their tumor at the foot/ankle. Eleven of thirty‐two tumors were &gt;5 cm. Twenty were T1, 11 T2, and one TX, respectively. Eight (25%) patients underwent primary complete resection with free margins (Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study [IRS] I), 12 of 32 (38%) primary complete resection with positive margins (IRS II), and 12 of 32 (38%) had macroscopic residuals (IRS III). The best surgical result at any time was R0 in 19, R1 in 10 and R2 in one patient, and missing in two. Mutilation was documented in 14 of 32 (44%). Radiotherapy was conducted in 20 patients. All patients achieved a first complete remission. Five‐year‐event‐free survival and overall survival rates were 80% and 86%, respectively. Four patients suffered local and four other metastatic recurrences. IRS and the best surgical result at any time did not correlate with survival. There was no prognostic difference between R0‐ and R1‐resection. Conclusion Survival expectancies for patients with localized synovial sarcomas of the foot/ankle compare favorably to that of those with other affected sites. Discussion Further studies are needed to set the limits of minimally required aggressiveness of local therapies.
Prodromal features of Parkinson's disease: Self‐reported symptoms versus clinically assessed signs
2018-11-13

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Documenting archaeological thin sections in high‐resolution: A comparison of methods and discussion of applications
2018-11-13

Abstract Optical thin section observations represent the core empirical basis for most micromorphological interpretations at archaeological sites. These observations, which often vary in size and shape, are usually documented through digital graphic representations such as photomicrographs, scans, or figures. Due to variability in documentation practices, however, visual thin section data can be captured with a range of methods and in many different formats and resolutions. In this paper, we compare and evaluate five common image‐based methods for documenting thin sections in high‐resolution: a flatbed scanner, a film scanner, a macro photography rig, and conventional stereo and light microscopes. Through the comparison results, we demonstrate that advances in digital imaging technology now allow for fast and high‐resolution visual recording of entire thin sections up to at least ×30 magnification. We suggest that adopting a digital micromorphological documentation practice has several advantages. First, a digital thin section may be observed more efficiently and consistently, for example, on a computer screen, and the spatial configuration of large or complex features may be more accurately documented. Second, they allow for the establishment of digital repositories that may promote scientific reproducibility and inter‐laboratory communication, as well as lay the foundations for more consensus‐based educational training of archaeological micromorphology.