julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Progressive and Regressive Securitisation: Covid, Russian Aggression and the Ethics of Security
2023-06-21

This paper contributes to the debate about the normative assessment of securitisation in light of Covid-19 and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It develops the distinction of progressive and regressive securitisation. In doing so, it emphasises the processual, contextual and ambiguous nature of securitisation. I suggest that progressive securitisation is closely linked to the solidarisation, whereas regressive securitisation implies the pluralisation of international society. The two cases of Covid-19 and Russia illustrate that international order has increasingly been characterised by regressive securitisation and a pluralisation of international society, despite possible alternatives, such as a transnational response to the spread of Covid-19. They have thus contributed to the further demise of the post–Cold War liberal order, which despite its problems, has involved a re-orientation of security away from state territory and national identity as the core referent objects. I end with a plea to take the ethics of security more seriously again, and in particular to scrutinise the ways in which our own behaviour reinforces regressive securitisation.
Introduction: Political Logics and Academic Rationalities of Securitisation and International Crises
2023-06-21

This introductory note discusses how the concept of securitisation might be used as a tool for understanding the different logics driving and standing behind foreign policies of major international stakeholders in situations of crises, emergencies and exceptions. The editors look at how securitisation functions as a discursive instrument for reshaping actors’ subjectivities, and how it might be adjusted to the rapid changes in global politics triggered by Russia’s war against Ukraine. They argue that the discursive construction of insecurities is not politically neutral and is driven by certain logics, presumptions and imaginaries. Russia’s war against Ukraine is a particularly important focal point in this regard since it elucidates another crucial question: how do the parties involved in the war securitise and de-securitise – as well as exceptionalise and normalise – specific risks, dangers and threats, and what are the implications of these discursive strategies for international security?
Mean-square stability analysis of stochastic delay evolution equations driven by fractional Brownian motion with Hurst index $ H\\in(0,1) $
2023-06-21

In this paper, we consider stochastic evolution equations with finite delay driven by fractional Brownian motion (fBm) with Hurst index . First, the global existence and uniqueness of mild solutions are established by using a temporally weighted norm, the semigroup theory, the Banach fixed point theorem, and a new estimate of the stochastic integral with respect to fBm. Then after extending the integral inequality to the general case, we obtain the mean-square exponential stability of mild solutions. In particular, the convolution method and the Young convolution inequality are utilized to deal with the difficulty of the noise term caused by fBm with Hurst index . Finally, the stochastic evolution equation with multiple time-varying delays and the reaction diffusion neural networks system with time-varying delay are considered, and the global existence, uniqueness and exponential stability of mild solutions are proved by using the abstract results.
Task-evoked pulse wave amplitude tracks cognitive load
2023-06-21

Abstract Cognitive load is a crucial factor in mentally demanding activities and holds significance across various research fields. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of pulse wave amplitude (PWA) as a measure for tracking cognitive load and associated mental effort in comparison to heart rate (HR) during a digit span task. The data from 78 participants were included in the analyses. Participants performed a memory task in which they were asked to memorize sequences of 5, 9, or 13 digits, and a control task where they passively listened to the sequences. PWA and HR were quantified from photoplethysmography (PPG) and electrocardiography (ECG), respectively. Pupil dilation was also assessed as a measure of cognitive load. We found that PWA showed a strong suppression with increasing memory load, indicating sensitivity to cognitive load. In contrast, HR did not show significant changes with task difficulty. Moreover, when memory load exceeded the capacity of working memory, a reversal of the PWA pattern was observed, indicating cognitive overload. In this respect, changes in PWA in response to cognitive load correlated with the dynamics of pupil dilation, suggesting a potential shared underlying mechanism. Additionally, both HR and PWA demonstrated a relationship with behavioral performance, with higher task-evoked HR and lower PWA associated with better memory performance. Our findings suggest that PWA is a more sensitive measure than HR for tracking cognitive load and overload. PWA, measured through PPG, holds significant potential for practical applications in assessing cognitive load due to its ease of use and sensitivity to cognitive overload. The findings contribute to the understanding of psychophysiological indicators of cognitive load and offer insights into the use of PWA as a non-invasive measure in various contexts.
Early life adversities affect expected value signaling in the adult brain
2023-06-21

Abstract Background Early adverse experiences are assumed to affect fundamental processes of reward learning and decision-making. However, computational neuroimaging studies investigating these circuits are sparse and limited to studies that investigated adversities retrospectively in adolescent samples. Methods We used prospective data from a longitudinal birth cohort study (n=156, 87 females, mean age=32.2) to investigate neurocomputational components underlying reinforcement learning in an fMRI-based passive avoidance task. We applied a principal component analysis to capture common variation across seven prenatal and postnatal adversity measures. The resulting adversity factors (factor 1: postnatal psychosocial adversities and prenatal maternal smoking, factor 2: prenatal maternal stress and obstetric adversity, and factor 3: lower maternal stimulation) and single adversity measures were then linked to computational markers of reward learning (i.e. expected value, prediction errors) in the core reward network. Results Using the adversity factors, we found that adversities were linked to lower expected value representation in striatum, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Expected value encoding in vmPFC further mediated the relationship between adversities and psychopathology. In terms of specific adversity effects, we found that obstetric adversity was associated with lower prediction error signaling in the vmPFC and ACC, whereas lower maternal stimulation was related to lower expected value encoding in the striatum, vmPFC, and ACC. Conclusions Our results suggested that adverse experiences have a long-term disruptive effect on reward learning in several important reward-related brain regions, which can be associated with non-optimal decision-making and thereby increase the vulnerability of developing psychopathology.
Frequency effects in Linear Discriminative Learning
2023-06-21

Word frequency is a strong predictor in most lexical processing tasks. Thus, any model of word recognition needs to account for how word frequency effects arise. The Discriminative Lexicon Model (DLM; Baayen et al., 2018a, 2019) models lexical processing with linear mappings between words' forms and their meanings. So far, the mappings can either be obtained incrementally via error-driven learning, a computationally expensive process able to capture frequency effects, or in an efficient, but frequency-agnostic solution modelling the theoretical endstate of learning (EL) where all words are learned optimally. In this study we show how an efficient, yet frequency-informed mapping between form and meaning can be obtained (Frequency-informed learning; FIL). We find that FIL well approximates an incremental solution while being computationally much cheaper. FIL shows a relatively low type- and high token-accuracy, demonstrating that the model is able to process most word tokens encountered by speakers in daily life correctly. We use FIL to model reaction times in the Dutch Lexicon Project (Keuleers et al., 2010) and find that FIL predicts well the S-shaped relationship between frequency and the mean of reaction times but underestimates the variance of reaction times for low frequency words. FIL is also better able to account for priming effects in an auditory lexical decision task in Mandarin Chinese (Lee, 2007), compared to EL. Finally, we used ordered data from CHILDES (Brown, 1973; Demuth et al., 2006) to compare mappings obtained with FIL and incremental learning. The mappings are highly correlated, but with FIL some nuances based on word ordering effects are lost. Our results show how frequency effects in a learning model can be simulated efficiently, and raise questions about how to best account for low-frequency words in cognitive models.
Gilles Fauconnier and the meaning of a sentence
2023-06-21

This article reviews the major take-home points of Gilles Fauconnier’s work, especially of his collaborative work with Mark Turner on blending theory, for readers who are not familiar with this theoretical framework or who could benefit from an external perspective. I emphasize the overarching lessons to be learned from the notions of mental spaces and their connections or mappings, the advantages of using small packages instead of large domains to analyze conceptual work, how integration networks allow us to go beyond mere projections or correspondences between domains of experience, and the need to study patterns that provide a bridge between the general principles and the rich, contextualized examples that expose them. Above all, I seek to transmit Gilles Fauconnier’s message about the fascination, curiosity, ambition, and humility required by the most challenging scientific enterprise possible: understanding the human mind, from the most general principles down to the meaning of a single sentence.
Usher syndrome proteins ADGRV1 (USH2C) and CIB2 (USH1J) interact and share a common interactome containing TRiC/CCT-BBS chaperonins
2023-06-22

The human Usher syndrome (USH) is the most common form of a sensory hereditary ciliopathy characterized by progressive vision and hearing loss. Mutations in the genes ADGRV1 and CIB2 have been associated with two distinct sub-types of USH, namely, USH2C and USH1J. The proteins encoded by the two genes belong to very distinct protein families: the adhesion G protein-coupled receptor ADGRV1 also known as the very large G protein-coupled receptor 1 (VLGR1) and the Ca 2+ - and integrin-binding protein 2 (CIB2), respectively. In the absence of tangible knowledge of the molecular function of ADGRV1 and CIB2, pathomechanisms underlying USH2C and USH1J are still unknown. Here, we aimed to enlighten the cellular functions of CIB2 and ADGRV1 by the identification of interacting proteins, a knowledge that is commonly indicative of cellular functions. Applying affinity proteomics by tandem affinity purification in combination with mass spectrometry, we identified novel potential binding partners of the CIB2 protein and compared these with the data set we previously obtained for ADGRV1. Surprisingly, the interactomes of both USH proteins showed a high degree of overlap indicating their integration in common networks, cellular pathways and functional modules which we confirmed by GO term analysis. Validation of protein interactions revealed that ADGRV1 and CIB2 mutually interact. In addition, we showed that the USH proteins also interact with the TRiC/CCT chaperonin complex and the Bardet Biedl syndrome (BBS) chaperonin-like proteins. Immunohistochemistry on retinal sections demonstrated the co-localization of the interacting partners at the photoreceptor cilia, supporting the role of USH proteins ADGRV1 and CIB2 in primary cilia function. The interconnection of protein networks involved in the pathogenesis of both syndromic retinal dystrophies BBS and USH suggest shared pathomechanisms for both syndromes on the molecular level.
A digital game-based training improves spelling in German primary school children – A randomized controlled field trial
2023-06-22

Despite its potential to support reading and spelling development in children with or without dyslexia, research on the effectiveness of digital trainings carried out at home is scarce. This study investigated the effectiveness of a novel digital game-based spelling training for unassisted use at home (Prosodiya). The pedagogical approach differs from similar approaches as it systematically teaches orthographic knowledge in combination with syllable stress awareness. A sample of 116 German second- to fourth-grade children with mainly poor spelling skills participated in a randomized two-period, wait-list controlled field trial, in which children practiced at home over 9–10 weeks with Prosodiya. Results showed high participant engagement, as indicated by behavioral measures of student responsiveness, and they validate our novel pedagogical approach. Most importantly, results revealed significant training effects on syllable stress awareness and spelling abilities in trained and untrained domains. This training may thus expand the traditional pool of training methods.
Phenylketonuria (PKU) Urinary Metabolomic Phenotype Is Defined by Genotype and Metabolite Imbalance: Results in 51 Early Treated Patients Using Ex Vivo 1H-NMR Analysis
2023-06-22

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare metabolic disorder caused by mutations in the phenylalanine hydroxylase gene. Depending on the severity of the genetic mutation, medical treatment, and patient dietary management, elevated phenylalanine (Phe) may occur in blood and brain tissues. Research has recently shown that high Phe not only impacts the central nervous system, but also other organ systems (e.g., heart and microbiome). This study used ex vivo proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) analysis of urine samples from PKU patients (mean 14.9 ± 9.2 years, n = 51) to identify the impact of elevated blood Phe and PKU treatment on metabolic profiles. Our results found that 24 out of 98 urinary metabolites showed a significant difference (p &lt; 0.05) for PKU patients compared to age-matched healthy controls (n = 51) based on an analysis of urinary metabolome. These altered urinary metabolites were related to Phe metabolism, dysbiosis, creatine synthesis or intake, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, end products of nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide degradation, and metabolites associated with a low Phe diet. There was an excellent correlation between the metabolome and genotype of PKU patients and healthy controls of 96.7% in a confusion matrix model. Metabolomic investigations may contribute to a better understanding of PKU pathophysiology.
A feasibility study on AI-controlled closed-loop electrical stimulation implants
2023-06-22

Abstract Miniaturized electrical stimulation (ES) implants show great promise in practice, but their real-time control by means of biophysical mechanistic algorithms is not feasible due to computational complexity. Here, we study the feasibility of more computationally efficient machine learning methods to control ES implants. For this, we estimate the normalized twitch force of the stimulated extensor digitorum longus muscle on n = 11 Wistar rats with intra- and cross-subject calibration. After 2000 training stimulations, we reach a mean absolute error of 0.03 in an intra-subject setting and 0.2 in a cross-subject setting with a random forest regressor. To the best of our knowledge, this work is the first experiment showing the feasibility of AI to simulate complex ES mechanistic models. However, the results of cross-subject training motivate more research on error reduction methods for this setting.
Pathogenesis and Diagnosis of Proximal Hamstring Tendinopathies
2023-06-22

Abstract The proximal hamstring complex is a highly vulnerable area that is especially prone to injury. Proximal hamstring tendinopathies (PHTs) remain challenging in diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation, and prevention due to a large variety of different injuries, slow healing response, persistent symptoms, and functional impairments. PHTs are often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed, leading to delayed treatment and therapy failure. In addition, many athletes are at a high risk of PHT recurrence, a leading cause of prolonged rehabilitation and impaired individual performance. Until now, there have been no clear criteria for the diagnosis and classification of PHT. Tendinopathies can be graded based on their symptoms and onset. Additionally, radiological characteristics exist that describe the severity of tendinopathies. The diagnosis usually includes a battery of pain provocation tests, functional tests, and imaging to ensure a proper classification. Understanding the specific tasks in the pathogenesis and diagnostic process of PHT requires knowledge of functional anatomy, injury pattern and pathophysiological mechanisms as well as examination and imaging techniques. This work provides a structured overview of the pathogenesis and diagnostic work-up of PHT, emphasizing structured examination and imaging to enable a reliable diagnosis and rapid treatment decisions.
The Semisitting Retrosigmoid Technique for Removal of Large Vestibular Schwannoma: 2-Dimensional Operative Video
2023-06-22

INDICATIONS: CORRIDOR AND LIMITS OF EXPOSURE: The retrosigmoid approach in semisitting position (RS-SSP) is a powerful technique for removal of large vestibular schwannomas. 1 It improves extent of tumor resection and nerve preservation. This video shows the case of a 34-year-old man with a large vestibular schwannoma, treated with the RS-SSP technique. The patient consented to the procedure and to publication of his image. ANATOMIC ESSENTIALS: NEED FOR PREOPERATIVE PLANNING AND ASSESSMENT: Preoperative MRI and bone window computed tomography are essential for optimal planning. Intraoperative monitoring throughout the surgery includes somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) and motor evoked potential (MEP) of limbs, facial MEP and electromyography, and brainstem auditory evoked potention. ESSENTIALS STEPS OF THE PROCEDURE: Major steps are (1) positioning of patient in SSP under SSEP recordings, 2,3 (2) ipsilateral retrosigmoid craniotomy, (3) straight dura incision parallel to sigmoid sinus, (4) opening the basal cisterns and gently elevation of cerebellum, (5) identification of Tübingen line on posterior surface of petrous bone, (6) opening and emptying the internal auditory canal (IAC) under nerves preservation, (7) intracisternal tumor debulking, (8) bimanual nerve dissection of cochlear nerve inferiorly and facial nerve medially/ventrally, (9) endoscopic investigation of IAC fundus, 4 (10) plugging the IAC with bone wax and muscle, (11) jugular vein compression before dura closure, and (12) Closure of craniotomy and wound. PITFALLS/AVOIDANCE OF COMPLICATIONS: Correct positioning in SSP is crucial to minimize the risk of air embolism. 3 VARIANTS AND INDICATIONS FOR THEIR USE: Additional resection of suprameatal tubercle allows extension toward the middle fossa and removal of dumbbell-shaped trigeminal schwannomas and petroclival meningiomas. 4
Purine nucleotide limitation undermines antibiotic action in clinicalEscherichia coli
2023-06-22

Abstract Metabolic variation across pathogenic bacterial strains can impact their susceptibility to antibiotics 1–4 and promote evolution of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) 5,6 . However, little is known about which metabolic pathways contribute to AMR, and the underlying mechanisms. Here, we measured antibiotic resistance of 15,120 Escherichia coli mutants, each with a single amino acid change in one of 346 essential proteins. Most of the mutant strains that showed resistance to either of the two tested antibiotics carried mutations in metabolic genes. Resistance mutations against a β-lactam antibiotic (carbenicillin) were associated with purine nucleotide biosynthesis and limited the supply of ATP. We show that ATP limitation confers both resistance and tolerance against β-lactam antibiotics by upregulating the purine nucleoside transporter PunC. These results are clinically relevant, because an E. coli strain isolated from a clinical specimen had a purine nucleotide limitation, which reduced its susceptibility to antibiotics.
High Femoral Antetorsion Is a Major Risk Factor for Anterior Knee Pain whereas Trochlea Dysplasia Predisposes for Patella Dislocation
2023-06-22

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Patellofemoral stability and congruency are influenced by different parameters. Their contribution to anterior knee pain and instability is not fully understood. We investigated, if isolated femoral antetorsion of more than 25° leads to patellofemoral instability. MATERIAL AND METHODS We analyzed 90 knees in patients with patellofemoral complaints and correlated clinical and radiological characteristics. Patients presenting at our center between January 2018 and December 2020 because of patellofemoral pain or instability were included, provided that there was no previous surgical intervention done. RESULTS The severity of trochlea dysplasia classified using the Oswestry-Bristol classification significantly correlated with events of patellofemoral dislocations. (χ=8.152, p=0.043, φ=0.288). All males with a history of patella dislocation had at least a mild trochlea dysplasia. The majority of females complaining about patellofemoral symptoms in general had a dysplastic trochlea. Patella alta is more frequently found in patients with trochlea dysplasia than in patients with a normal femoral trochlea anatomy. DISCUSSION The majority of unstable patellofemoral joints showed a dysplastic trochlea. A high femoral antetorsion was found to be an additional minor factor contributing to instability. Isolated high femoral antetorsion without trochlea dysplasia rather leads to anterior knee pain without patella dislocation. Furthermore, no direct significant correlation between patella alta and patellofemoral instability was found. Patella alta can therefore rather be seen as a result of a dysplastic trochlea than a primary major risk factor for patellofemoral instability. CONCLUSIONS Trochlea dysplasia is the major risk factor for patellofemoral instability. Patella alta can rather be seen as a result of a dysplastic trochlea than as a primary risk factor for patella instability or pain. Isolated high femoral antetorsion often leads to patellofemoral pain syndrome but not to patella dislocations. Key words: MPFL, patella instability, patellofemoral instability.