julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Revisiting East–West Skull Patterns and the Role of Random Factors in South America: Cranial Reconstruction and Morphometric Analysis of the Facial Skeleton from Cuncaicha Rockshelter (Southern Peru)
2019-10-02

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the craniometric affinities of the only Cuncaicha cranial specimen with other early, middle, and late Holocene South American samples. To do so, the skull was first reconstructed by using computer-aided techniques applied to several μ-CT-scanned fragments. Linear measurements were calculated in the facial skeleton and compared to specimens from a previously available database. We conducted Principal Component and Discriminant Analysis, calculated Mahalanobis distances to evaluate the similarities of the Cuncaicha specimen with early/middle Holocene samples from South America, and estimated a Δ statistic for testing the neutral hypothesis among Peruvian samples. The results show that Cuncaicha presents shape similarities with Lagoa Santa and Lauricocha, mostly in masticatory and respiratory components. Finally, directional selection explains most of the diversification of Peruvian populations. We discuss our results in the context of migratory pathways, as well as the evolutionary processes behind human diversification in the Americas.
Balancing Purification and Ultrastructure of Naturally Derived Bone Blocks for Bone Regeneration: Report of the Purification Effort of Two Bone Blocks
2019-10-02

The present publication reports the purification effort of two natural bone blocks, that is, an allogeneic bone block (maxgraft®, botiss biomaterials GmbH, Zossen, Germany) and a xenogeneic block (SMARTBONE®, IBI S.A., Mezzovico-Vira, Switzerland) in addition to previously published results based on histology. Furthermore, specialized scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and in vitro analyses (XTT, BrdU, LDH) for testing of the cytocompatibility based on ISO 10993-5/-12 have been conducted. The microscopic analyses showed that both bone blocks possess a trabecular structure with a lamellar subarrangement. In the case of the xenogeneic bone block, only minor remnants of collagenous structures were found, while in contrast high amounts of collagen were found associated with the allogeneic bone matrix. Furthermore, only island-like remnants of the polymer coating in case of the xenogeneic bone substitute seemed to be detectable. Finally, no remaining cells or cellular remnants were found in both bone blocks. The in vitro analyses showed that both bone blocks are biocompatible. Altogether, the purification level of both bone blocks seems to be favorable for bone tissue regeneration without the risk for inflammatory responses or graft rejection. Moreover, the analysis of the maxgraft® bone block showed that the underlying purification process allows for preserving not only the calcified bone matrix but also high amounts of the intertrabecular collagen matrix.
A Heuristic Approach Towards Drawings of Graphs With High Crossing Resolution
2019-10-02

Abstract The crossing resolution of a non-planar drawing of a graph is the value of the minimum angle formed by any pair of crossing edges. Recent experiments suggest that the larger the crossing resolution is, the easier it is to read and interpret a drawing of a graph. However, maximizing the crossing resolution turns out to be an NP-hard problem in general, and only heuristic algorithms are known that are mainly based on appropriately adjusting force-directed algorithms. In this paper, we propose a new heuristic algorithm for the crossing resolution maximization problem and we experimentally compare it against the known approaches from the literature. Our experimental evaluation indicates that the new heuristic produces drawings with better crossing resolution, but this comes at the cost of slightly higher edge-length ratio, especially when the input graph is large.
The Transmission of Values From Math Teachers to Their Ninth-Grade Students: Different Mechanisms for Different Value Dimensions?
2019-10-02

Teachers can transmit their class-related values to their students and thus affect their students’ academic development in regular classes. This so-called value transmission has mostly been examined with respect to emotional contagion, that is, the transmission of rather affective values (e.g., enjoyment) from teachers to their students through teachers’ enthusiastic behavior during instruction. However, other transmission processes might also be at play, including other value dimensions and mediation through other instructional practices. In this study, we therefore aimed to systematically test the generalizability of such value transmission effects by examining a broad spectrum of (a) teacher values, (b) instructional practices, and (c) student values. Based on longitudinal data from 1,744 students and their 70 math teachers, cross-level mediation analyses revealed that teachers’ teaching enthusiasm, math enthusiasm, as well as math utility value affected their students’ values (i.e., intrinsic and utility values). Teachers’ teaching enthusiasm was transmitted to students’ values through both student-perceived enthusiastic behavior during instruction and through relevance-related instructional practices. Teachers’ subject-related values (i.e., math enthusiasm and utility value) primarily affected students’ utility value, but this transmission could not be explained by the instructional practices under investigation. Overall, our findings reveal auspicious evidence for a broader generalizability of the value transmission concept and yet also show the need to differentiate between different value dimensions and the mechanisms through which they are transmitted from teachers to their students.
Suprapatellar versus infrapatellar approaches in the treatment of tibia intramedullary nailing: A retrospective cohort study
2019-10-02

Abstract Background: Tibial shaft fractures are routinely managed with intramedullary nailing (IMN). An increasingly accepted technique is the suprapatellar (SP) approach. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical and functional outcomes of knee joint after tibia IMN through an suprapatellar (SP) or traditional infrapatellar (IP) approach. Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed in patients with tibial shaft fractures that were treated with tibia IMN through a SP or IP approach (1/2014-11/2016). The clinical and functional outcomes of knee joint were assessed with the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) Knee Score. Further evaluation included the operation time, intraoperative blood loss. Results: A total of 50 patients/fractures (26 IP and 24 SP) with a follow-up for a minimum of 15 months were evaluated. All fractures were OTA 42. No significant differences were found between the two groups in age, gender, side of fractures, operation time, intra-operative blood loss, and follow-up time. No significant difference was seen in HSS score ( P = 0.62) between them. Analysis of all the HSS components scores revealed no significant differences between them concerning the pain ( P = 0.57), the stand and walk ( P = 0.54), the need for walking stick ( P = 0.60) and extension lag ( P = 0.60). The other HSS components showed full scores (IP 10 vs. SP 10) in both approaches, including muscle force, flexion deformity and stability components. The range of motion (ROM) component score was superior in the IP group ( P = 0.04) suggesting a higher ROM. Conclusions: The SP and IP approaches can get equivalent knee functional outcomes in the treatment of tibial shaft fracture concerning the overall HSS knee score. However, for the HSS component, the IP approach was superior to SP approach regarding the ROM.
Serum regucalcin is a useful indicator of liver injury severity in patients with hepatitis B virus-related liver diseases
2019-10-02

Regucalcin is a soluble protein that is principally expressed in hepatocytes. Studies of regucalcin have mainly been conducted in animals due to a lack of commercially available kits. We aimed to develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to quantify serum regucalcin in patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related disease. High-titer monoclonal antibodies and a polyclonal antibody to regucalcin were produced, a double-antibody sandwich ELISA method was established, and serum regucalcin was determined in 47 chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, 91 HBV-related acute-on-chronic liver failure (HBV-ACLF) patients, and 33 healthy controls. The ELISA demonstrated an appropriate linear range, and high levels of reproducibility, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, and stability. The median serum regucalcin concentrations in HBV-ACLF and CHB patients were 5.46 and 3.76 ng/mL, respectively (P&lt;0.01), which were much higher than in healthy controls (1.72 ng/mL, both P&lt;0.01). For the differentiation of CHB patients and healthy controls, the area under curve (AUC) was 0.86 with a cut-off of 2.42 ng/mL, 85.7% sensitivity, and 78.8% specificity. In contrast, the AUC of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was lower (AUC=0.80, P=0.01). To differentiate ACLF from CHB, the AUC was 0.72 with a cut-off of 4.26 ng/mL, 77.0% sensitivity, and 61.2% specificity while the AUC of ALT was 0.41 (P=0.07). Thus, we have developed an ELISA that is suitable for measuring serum regucalcin and have shown that serum regucalcin increased with the severity of liver injury due to HBV-related diseases, such that it appears to be more useful than ALT as a marker of liver injury.
The desmosomal cadherin desmoglein-3 acts as a keratinocyte anti-stress protein via suppression of p53
2019-10-03

Abstract Desmoglein-3 (Dsg3), the Pemphigus Vulgaris (PV) antigen (PVA), plays an essential role in keratinocyte cell–cell adhesion and regulates various signaling pathways involved in the progression and metastasis of cancer where it is upregulated. We show here that expression of Dsg3 impacts on the expression and function of p53, a key transcription factor governing the responses to cellular stress. Dsg3 depletion increased p53 expression and activity, an effect enhanced by treating cells with UVB, mechanical stress and genotoxic drugs, whilst increased Dsg3 expression resulted in the opposite effects. Such a pathway in the negative regulation of p53 by Dsg3 was Dsg3 specific since neither E-cadherin nor desmoplakin knockdown caused similar effects. Analysis of Dsg3 −/− mouse skin also indicated an increase of p53/p21 WAF1/CIP1 and cleaved caspase-3 relative to Dsg3 +/− controls. Finally, we evaluated whether this pathway was operational in the autoimmune disease PV in which Dsg3 serves as a major antigen involved in blistering pathogenesis. We uncovered increased p53 with diffuse cytoplasmic and/or nuclear staining in the oral mucosa of patients, including cells surrounding blisters and the pre-lesional regions. This finding was verified by in vitro studies where treatment of keratinocytes with PV sera, as well as a characterized pathogenic antibody specifically targeting Dsg3, evoked pronounced p53 expression and activity accompanied by disruption of cell–cell adhesion. Collectively, our findings suggest a novel role for Dsg3 as an anti-stress protein, via suppression of p53 function, and this pathway is disrupted in PV.
Singing training predicts increased insula connectivity with speech and respiratory sensorimotor areas at rest
2019-10-03

Abstract The insula contributes to the detection of salient events during goal-directed behavior and participates in the coordination of motor, multisensory, and cognitive systems. Recent task-fMRI studies with trained singers suggest that singing experience can enhance the access to these resources. However, the long-term effects of vocal training on insula based networks are still unknown. In this study, we employed resting-state fMRI to assess experience-dependent differences in insula co-activation patterns between conservatory-trained singers and non-singers. Results indicate enhanced bilateral insula connectivity in singers relative to non-singers with constituents of the speech sensorimotor network in both hemispheres. Specifically, with the cerebellum (lobule VI, crus 2), primary somatosensory cortex, the parietal lobes, and the thalamus. Furthermore, singing training predicted enhanced bilateral co-activation of primary sensorimotor areas representing the larynx (with left dorsal anterior insula, dAI) and the diaphragm (with bilateral dAI)—crucial regions for cortico-motor control of complex vocalizations, as well as the thalamus (with bilateral posterior insula/left dAI) and the left putamen (with left dAI). Together, these data support a crucial role of the insula in respiratory and laryngeal control and suggest that singing experience enhances the integration of somatosensory information within the speech motor system, perhaps by strengthening salient associations of bodily signals associated with conscious and non-conscious aspects of expressive language production within a musical framework.
Autonomous Identification and Goal-Directed Invocation of Event-Predictive Behavioral Primitives
2019-10-03

Voluntary behavior of humans appears to be composed of small, elementary building blocks or behavioral primitives. While this modular organization seems crucial for the learning of complex motor skills and the flexible adaption of behavior to new circumstances, the problem of learning meaningful, compositional abstractions from sensorimotor experiences remains an open challenge. Here, we introduce a computational learning architecture, termed surprise-based behavioral modularization into event-predictive structures (SUBMODES), that explores behavior and identifies the underlying behavioral units completely from scratch. The SUBMODES architecture bootstraps sensorimotor exploration using a self-organizing neural controller. While exploring the behavioral capabilities of its own body, the system learns modular structures that predict the sensorimotor dynamics and generate the associated behavior. In line with recent theories of event perception, the system uses unexpected prediction error signals, i.e., surprise, to detect transitions between successive behavioral primitives. We show that, when applied to two robotic systems with completely different body kinematics, the system manages to learn a variety of complex and realistic behavioral primitives. Moreover, after initial self-exploration the system can use its learned predictive models progressively more effectively for invoking model predictive planning and goal-directed control in different tasks and environments.
Pupil diameter differentiates expertise in dental radiography visual search
2019-10-03

Abstract Expert behavior is characterized by rapid information processing abilities, dependent on more structured schemata in long-term memory designated for their domain-specific tasks. From this understanding, expertise can effectively reduce cognitive load on a domain-specific task. However, certain tasks could still evoke different gradations of load even for an expert, e.g., when having to detect subtle anomalies in dental radiographs. Our aim was to measure pupil diameter response to anomalies of varying levels of difficulty in expert and student dentists’ visual examination of panoramic radiographs. We found that students’ pupil diameter dilated significantly from baseline compared to experts, but anomaly difficulty had no effect on pupillary response. In contrast, experts’ pupil diameter responded to varying levels of anomaly difficulty, where more difficult anomalies evoked greater pupil dilation from baseline. Experts thus showed proportional pupillary response indicative of increasing cognitive load with increasingly difficult anomalies, whereas students showed pupillary response indicative of higher cognitive load for all anomalies when compared to experts.
Overview of non-transientγ-ray binaries and prospects for the Cherenkov Telescope Array
2019-10-04

Aims. Despite recent progress in the field, there are still many open questions regarding γ -ray binaries. In this paper we provide an overview of non-transient γ -ray binaries and discuss how observations with the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) will contribute to their study. Methods. We simulated the spectral behaviour of the non-transient γ -ray binaries using archival observations as a reference. With this we tested the CTA capability to measure the spectral parameters of the sources and detect variability on various timescales. Results. We review the known properties of γ -ray binaries and the theoretical models that have been used to describe their spectral and timing characteristics. We show that the CTA is capable of studying these sources on timescales comparable to their characteristic variability timescales. For most of the binaries, the unprecedented sensitivity of the CTA will allow studying the spectral evolution on a timescale as short as 30 min. This will enable a direct comparison of the TeV and lower energy (radio to GeV) properties of these sources from simultaneous observations. We also review the source-specific questions that can be addressed with these high-accuracy CTA measurements.
Crowdsourcing evaluation of the quality of automatically generated questions for supporting computer-assisted language teaching
2019-10-04

Abstract How can state-of-the-art computational linguistic technology reduce the workload and increase the efficiency of language teachers? To address this question, we combine insights from research in second language acquisition and computational linguistics to automatically generate text-based questions to a given text. The questions are designed to draw the learner’s attention to target linguistic forms – phrasal verbs, in this particular case – by requiring them to use the forms or their paraphrases in the answer. Such questions help learners create form-meaning connections and are well suited for both practice and testing. We discuss the generation of a novel type of question combining a wh - question with a gapped sentence, and report the results of two crowdsourcing evaluation studies investigating how well automatically generated questions compare to those written by a language teacher. The first study compares our system output to gold standard human-written questions via crowdsourcing rating. An equivalence test shows that automatically generated questions are comparable to human-written ones. The second crowdsourcing study investigates two types of questions ( wh- questions with and without a gapped sentence), their perceived quality, and the responses they elicit. Finally, we discuss the challenges and limitations of creating and evaluating question-generation systems for language learners.
A Simple Approach to Perform TEER Measurements Using a Self-Made Volt-Amperemeter with Programmable Output Frequency
2019-10-05

Transepithelial/endothelial electrical resistance (TEER) has been used since the 1980s to determine confluency and permeability of in vitro barrier model systems. In most cases, chopstick electrodes are used to determine the electric impedance between the upper and lower compartment of a cell culture filter insert system containing cellular monolayers. The filter membrane allows the cells to adhere, polarize, and interact by building tight junctions. This technique has been described with a variety of different cell lines (e.g., cells of the blood-brain barrier, blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier, or gastrointestinal and pulmonary tract). TEER measurement devices can be readily obtained from different laboratory equipment suppliers. However, there are more cost-effective and customizable solutions imaginable if an appropriate voltammeter is self-assembled. The overall aim of this publication is to set up a reliable device with programmable output frequency that can be used with commercially available chopstick electrodes for TEER measurement.
Immune checkpoint inhibition for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma
2019-10-06

<b>Introduction</b>: The systemic therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) is moving from tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors to immune checkpoint inhibitors and its combination with TKIs.<b>Areas covered</b>: This review provides a general overview using immune checkpoint inhibition for the treatment of RCC. Clinical results from conducted and ongoing clinical trials are summarized and checkpoint inhibition is reviewed in the context to other available systemic therapies such as TKIs for mRCC based on the different International Metastastic RCC Database Consortium (IMCD) risk groups. Furthermore, prospects for the use of predictive biomarkers in the decision-making process of chosen therapy will be given.<b>Expert opinion</b>: Using checkpoint inhibition in mRCC has demonstrated a superior efficacy for patients with IMDC intermediate and poor risk for ipilimumab combined with nivolumab. Furthermore, therapeutic regimes with tyrosine kinase inhibition plus immune checkpoint-inhibition were recently presented and demonstrated superiority in all risk groups for axitinib plus pembrolizumab in overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS) and axitinib plus avelumab in PFS compared to sunitinib monotherapy. Novel biomarkers of response to further optimize therapeutic selection and patient outcomes are ongoing medical objectives.
Rising mean and extreme near‐surface air temperature across Nepal
2019-10-07

Abstract Owing to unique topographic and ecological diversity, central Himalayan state of Nepal is exposed to adverse impacts of climate change and associated disasters. However, countrywide historical assessment of mean and extreme temperature changes, a prerequisite for devising adequate adaptation strategies, is still lacking. Here, we present a comprehensive picture of mean and extreme temperature trends across Nepal over the 1980–2016 period, based on high‐quality daily temperature observations from 46 stations. Our results suggest that besides winter cooling in southern lowlands, the country features a widespread warming, which is higher for maximum temperature (~0.04°C⋅year −1 ) than for minimum temperature (~0.02°C⋅year −1 ), over the mountainous region than in valleys and lowlands and during the pre‐monsoon season than for the rest of the year. Consistently, we found a higher increasing trend for warm days (13 days⋅decade −1 ) than for warm nights (4 days⋅decade −1 ), whereas the rates of decrease for cold days and cold nights are the same (6 days⋅decade −1 ). Further investigations reveal that pronounced warming in maximum temperature over mountain regions can be attributed to less cloud cover and snowfall in recent decades during non‐monsoon seasons as a result of positive geopotential height anomalies and strengthening of anticyclonic circulations in the mid‐to‐upper troposphere. Similarly, increased stability of lower atmosphere during winter and post‐monsoon seasons caused prolonged and frequent periods of fog over lowlands, resulting in significant winter cooling there.