julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Collaborative design practices in pre-service teacher education for technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK): Group composition matters
2023-12-01

Abstract Collaborative design practices, in which pre-service teachers construct lesson plans in small groups, is regarded as beneficial to attain professional development. However, it is largely unclear which factors determine the effectiveness of collaborative design within technology-related teacher education. Against this background, we investigated to which extent the group composition regarding motivational (self-efficacy, utility-value) and knowledge-based heterogeneity affected the quality of designed lesson plans and outcome of professional development interventions. Furthermore, we investigated whether the quality of the lesson plans was related to pre-service teachers’ professional development such as acquisition of technological-pedagogical-content knowledge (TPACK). The data was collected within a larger research project which investigated the effectiveness of a TPACK-intervention within 5 subject pedagogies to foster pre-service teachers’ learning. Lesson plans of N = 68 pre-service teachers nested within k = 23 natural occurring groups were analyzed regarding their instructional quality and technology exploitation. Additionally, we measured pre-service teachers’ technology-related professional knowledge, and their technology-related motivation in a pre-post-test-design. The analyses revealed that motivational group heterogeneity positively affected the quality of the collaboration product (i.e., lesson plans). The quality of the lesson plans was not related to the acquisition of technology-related professional knowledge, but negatively related to pre-service teachers’ self-efficacy and utility-value. Similarly, the heterogeneity regarding prior knowledge was negatively correlated to TPACK knowledge gain. These findings highlight that heterogenous group composition during collaborative design practices in pre-service teacher education may be a double-edged sword to attain professional development.
Retrospective longitudinal assessment of optic nerve sheath diameter in patients with malignant glioma
2023-12-01

Abstract Introduction Glioblastoma (GBM) is a tumor with rapid growth and a possible relationship to elevated intracranial pressure (ICP). High ICP may not always be associated with clinical signs. A non‐invasive technique for assessment of ICP is measuring the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD). Identifying patients who need immediate intervention is of importance in neuro‐oncological care. The goal of this study is to assess the available magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of patients with GBM with respect to pre‐ and postoperative ONSD. Methods and Materials Retrospective data analysis was performed on all patients operated for GBM at a tertiary care center between 2010 and 2020. Two pre and one postoperative MRI had to be available. Clinical data and ONSD at multiple time points were analyzed and correlated, as well as preoperative volumetrics. Results Sixty‐seven patients met the inclusion criteria. Clinical signs of elevated ICP were seen in 25.4% ( n = 17), while significant perifocal edema was present in 67.2% ( n = 45) of patients. Clinical signs of preoperatively elevated ICP were associated with significantly elevated ONSD at diagnosis ( p &lt; 0.001) as well as preoperative tumor volume ( p &lt; 0.001). Significant perifocal edema at the time of diagnosis was associated with elevated ONSD ( p = 0.029) and higher tumor volume ( p = 0.003). In patients with significant edema, ONSD increased significantly between preoperative MRIs ( p = 0.003/005). In patients with clinical signs of raised ICP, ONSD also increased, whereas it was stable in asymptomatic patients (yes: 5.01+/−4.17 to 5.83+/−0.55 mm, p = 0.010, no: 5.17+/−0.46 mm to 5.38+/−0.41 mm, p = 0.81). A significant increase of ONSD from diagnosis to preoperative MRI and a significant decrease until 3 months postoperatively were observed ( p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions ONSD might help identify high ICP in patients with GBM. In this first‐of‐its kind study, we observed a significant increase of ONSD preoperatively, likely associated with edema. Postoperatively, ONSD decreased significantly until 3 months after surgery and increased again at 12 months. Further prospective data collection is warranted.
Cytoarchitectonic and connection stripes in the dysgranular insular cortex in the macaque monkey
2023-12-01

Abstract The insula has been classically divided into broad granular, dysgranular, and agranular architectonic sectors. We previously proposed a novel partition, dividing each sector into four to seven sharply delimited architectonic areas, with the dysgranular areas being possibly further subdivided into subtle horizontal partitions or “stripes.” In architectonics, discrete subparcellations are prone to subjective variability and need being supported with additional neuroanatomical methods. Here, using a secondary analysis of indirect connectional data in the rhesus macaque monkey, we examined the spatial relationship between the dysgranular architectonic stripes and tract‐tracing labeling patterns produced in the insula with injections of neuronal tracers in other cortical regions. The injections consistently produced sharply delimited patches of anterograde and/or retrograde labeling, which formed stripes across consecutive coronal sections of the insula. While the overall pattern of labeling on individual coronal sections varied with the injection site, the boundaries of the patches consistently coincided with architectonic boundaries on an adjacent cyto‐ (Nissl) and/or myelo‐ (Gallyas) architectonic section. This overlap supports the existence of a fine dysgranular stripe‐like partition of the primate insula, with possibly major implications for interoceptive processing in primates including humans. The modular organization of the insula could underlie a serial stream of integration from a dorsal primary interoceptive cortex toward progressively more ventral egocentric “self‐agency” and allocentric “social” dysgranular processing units.
Histopathologic regression in patients with primary cutaneous melanoma undergoing sentinel lymph node biopsy is associated with favorable survival and, after metastasis, with improved progression-free survival on immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: A single-institutional cohort study
2023-12-01

Regression of cutaneous melanoma is associated with improved prognosis in patients eligible for SLN biopsy as well as in patients with unresectable disease receiving systemic therapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Convergent Circuit Computation for Categorization in the Brains of Primates and Songbirds
2023-12-01

Categorization is crucial for behavioral flexibility because it enables animals to group stimuli into meaningful classes that can easily be generalized to new circumstances. A most abstract quantitative category is set size, the number of elements in a set. This review explores how categorical number representations are realized by the operations of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in associative telencephalic microcircuits in primates and songbirds. Despite the independent evolution of the primate prefrontal cortex and the avian nidopallium caudolaterale, the neuronal computations of these associative pallial circuits show surprising correspondence. Comparing cellular functions in distantly related taxa can inform about the evolutionary principles of circuit computations for cognition in distinctly but convergently realized brain structures.
Functional characterization of two TolC in the resistance to drugs and metals and in the virulence of Riemerella anatipestifer
2023-12-01

ABSTRACT TolC is an outer membrane protein that is responsible for the efflux of multi-substrates in Gram-negative bacteria. Riemerella anatipestifer CH-1 encodes two TolC proteins, B739_0871 (TolCA) and B739_1784 (TolCB). TolCB was previously involved in the export of manganese (Mn). However, whether TolCB has other substrates is unclear, and the functions of TolCA remain to be characterized. Here, we show that deletion of tolCA renders the bacteria hypersensitive to the gentamicin, the SDS, and various metals, such as Mn(II), Zn(II), Cu(II), Fe(II), Co(II), and Ni(II). By contrast, the deletion of tolCB only conferred high sensitivity to Mn. Consistently, the deletion of tolCA led to intracellular accumulation of the various tested metals, while the deletion of tolCB only led to Mn accumulation under conditions of excess Mn. Moreover, the tolCA deletion mutant (∆ tolCA ) but not the tolCB deletion mutant (∆ tolCB ) was more sensitive to the NaOCl than the wild type (WT). Strikingly, the ∆ tolCA but not ∆ tolCB decreased the frequency of clones resistant to several tested antibiotics. In the duck infection model, the ∆ tolCA but not ∆ tolCB decreased virulence and colonization of R. anatipestifer CH-1, possibly due to increased sensitivity of ∆ tolCA to non-inactivated duck serum as compared to the WT. Finally, genome mining revealed that homologs of tolCA and tolCB are highly conserved across R. anatipestifer strains and also present in other members of Flavobacteriaceae . Taken together, our results revealed that compared with TolCB, TolCA has a wider range of efflux substrates and functions in R. anatipestifer CH-1. IMPORTANCE Riemerella anatipestifer (RA) is a notorious duck pathogen, characterized by a multitude of serotypes that exhibit no cross-reaction with one another. Moreover, RA is resistant to various antibacterial agents. Consequently, understanding the mechanisms behind resistance and identifying potential targets for drug development have become pressing needs. In this study, we show that the two TolC proteins play a role in the resistance to different drugs and metals and in the virulence. The results suggest that TolCA has a wider range of efflux substrates than TolCB. Except for gentamicin, neither TolCA nor TolCB was involved in the efflux of the other tested antibiotics. Strikingly, TolCA but not TolCB enhanced the frequency of resistance-conferring mutations. Moreover, TolCA was involved in RA virulence. Given its conservation in RA, TolCA has potential as a drug target for the development of therapeutics against RA infections.
Baseflow Statistics in Aggregated Catchments
2023-12-01

Abstract This paper employs stochastic analysis to investigate the combined effect of temporal and spatial variability on the temporal variance of baseflow in large catchments. The study makes use of the well‐known aggregated reservoir model, representing the catchment as a network of parallel linear reservoirs. Each reservoir models a sub‐catchment as an independent unit whose discharge temporal variation is characterized by a response time. By treating the rainfall‐generated recharge and the sub‐catchment response times as random variables, the statistical temporal moments of total baseflow are quantified. Comparisons are made between the temporal variance of baseflow in the aggregated reservoir model and that of a single homogeneous reservoir to define an upscaled response time. The analysis of the statistical moments of the random baseflow reveals that the number of reservoirs N has a weak impact on baseflow variance, with ergodic conditions achieved even with a small number of reservoirs. The study highlights that the ratio between the recharge correlation time and the geometric mean of the sub‐catchment response times plays a critical role in baseflow damping and the upscaled response. The results indicate that the dynamics of baseflow generation depend not only on the catchment hydro‐geological structure but also on the variability of the input signal. This research underscores the importance of understanding the combined influences of hydro‐geological factors and recharge input variability for baseflow prediction under uncertainty. The present study should be regarded as a first step, setting the theoretical framework for future research toward incorporating field data.
The Effect of Social Recognition on Support for Climate Change Mitigation Measures
2023-12-01

Social recognition is introduced as an explanatory factor for support for climate change mitigation measures to complement already existing research. Drawing on social identity theory, it is established that respect emanating from being part of a generation and social class increases support for climate policies through positive influence on self-assessed financial situation, trust in political institutions, generalized trust, and solidarity. Considering the costs and benefits of climate policies, it is assumed that the importance of respect varies between generations and social classes. Analyses are based on data which were collected via online survey (n = 3046) in September and October 2022 that are representative of the German resident population. Results from linear regressions and structural equation modeling corroborate that the influence of social recognition varies between generations and that it operates through the suggested mechanisms. The most important of these mechanisms is the strengthening of solidarity and trust in political institutions by social recognition.
Phase homogeneity in ternary amorphous solid dispersions and its impact on solubility, dissolution and supersaturation – Influence of processing and hydroxypropyl cellulose grade
2023-12-01

As performance of ternary amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) depends on the solid-state characteristics and polymer mixing, a comprehensive understanding of synergistic interactions between the polymers in regard of dissolution enhancement of poorly soluble drugs and subsequent supersaturation stabilization is necessary. By choosing hot-melt extrusion (HME) and vacuum compression molding (VCM) as preparation techniques, we manipulated the phase behavior of ternary efavirenz (EFV) ASDs, comprising of either hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC)-SSL or HPC-UL in combination with Eudragit® L 100-55 (EL 100-55) (50:50 polymer ratio), leading to single-phased (HME) and heterogeneous ASDs (VCM). Due to higher kinetic solid-state solubility of EFV in HPC polymers compared to EL 100-55, we visualized higher drug distribution into HPC-rich phases of the phase-separated ternary VCM ASDs via confocal Raman microscopy. Additionally, we observed differences in the extent of phase-separation in dependence on the selected HPC grade. As HPC-UL exhibited decisive lower melt viscosity than HPC-SSL, formation of partially miscible phases between HPC-UL and EL 100-55 was facilitated. Consequently, as homogeneously mixed polymer phases were required for optimal extent of solubility improvement, the manufacturing-dependent differences in dissolution performances were smaller using HPC-UL, instead of HPC-SSL, i.e. using HPC-UL was less demanding on shear stress provided by the process.
Exponential decay of the number of excitations in the weakly interacting Bose gas
2023-12-01

We consider N trapped bosons in the mean-field limit with coupling constant λN = 1/(N − 1). The ground state of such systems exhibits Bose–Einstein condensation. We prove that the probability of finding l particles outside the condensate wave function decays exponentially in l.
Using GENFI participant engagement to inform observational research and clinical trials
2023-12-01

Abstract Background It is vital that we include the views of individuals with frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and their families in the design of clinical trials. This study aims to establish what types of trials and treatments individuals with familial FTD would like to participate in. Methods 135 participants from the GENFI cohort of at‐risk genetic FTD family members (34% of whom were known mutation carriers) completed a structured online questionnaire about clinical trials via Qualtrics. There was a total of 27 questions with a mix of multiple choice and free text questions. Topics included willingness to participate, understanding about likely proximity to symptom onset, and willingness to undertake different methods of therapeutic drug delivery including gene therapies. Results 54% of individuals were definitely willing to participate in clinical trials with 39% stating it would depend on what the specific trial involved. Only 6 % said they would not take part in a trial. The presence of a placebo group was a factor in trial participation with 31% stating they would decline to take part if there was a chance they did not receive the active drug. In light of a recent study suggesting plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL) may be a marker of proximity to symptom onset, we asked people if they would be willing to find out their NfL level as part of the trial, and 85% said they would. Most individuals said they would be willing to have IV infusions or lumbar punctures as part of the trial, although this did depend on the frequency with which they were required. For trials where drug administration would require more invasive measures, e.g. injections directly into the cisterna magna or the brain itself, only about 50% of people said they would be willing to take part. Lastly, if participation in a gene therapy trial precluded an individual from participating in future studies, only 30% said they would definitely consider being involved. Conclusions Observational studies and clinical trials are designed to make a difference to people’s lives, and it is important to consider patients and family members throughout the development pipeline of treatments.
Effective interactions and phase behavior of protein solutions in the presence of hexamine cobalt(III) chloride
2023-12-01

Abstract It is well established that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA) exhibit a reentrant condensation (RC) phase behavior in the presence of the trivalent hexamine cobalt(III) cations (Hac) which can be important for their packing and folding. A similar behavior can be observed for negatively charged globular proteins in the presence of trivalent metal cations, such as Y 3+ or La 3+ . This phase behavior is mainly driven by charge inversion upon an increasing salt concentration for a fixed protein concentration ( c p ). However, as Hac exhibits structural differences compared to other multivalent metal cations, with six ammonia ligands (NH 3 ) covalently bonded to the central cobalt atom, it is not clear that Hac can induce a similar phase behavior for proteins. In this work, we systematically investigate whether negatively charged globular proteins β-lactoglobulin (BLG), bovine serum albumin (BSA), human serum albumin (HSA) and ovalbumin (OVA) feature Hac-induced RC. Effective protein–protein interactions were investigated by small-angle X-ray scattering. The reduced second virial coefficient (B 2 /B 2 HS ) was obtained as a function of salt concentration. The virial coefficient analysis performed confirms the reentrant interaction (RI) behavior for BLG without actually inducing RC, given the insufficient strengths of the interactions for the latter to occur. In contrast, the strength of attraction for BSA, HSA and OVA are too weak to show RC. Model free analysis of the inverse intensity <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>1</mml:mn> <mml:mo>/</mml:mo> <mml:mi>I</mml:mi> <mml:mfenced> <mml:mrow> <mml:mi>q</mml:mi> <mml:mo>→</mml:mo> <mml:mn>0</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:mfenced> </mml:mrow> </mml:math> also supports this finding. Looking at different q -range by employing static (SLS) and dynamic light scattering experiments, the presence of RI behavior can be confirmed. The results are further discussed in view of metal cation binding sites in nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), where Hac induced RC phase behavior. Graphical abstract
Examining longitudinal changes of disease severity scores in familial forms of frontotemporal dementia within the GENFI cohort
2023-12-01

Abstract Background The CDR®+NACC FTLD Sum of Boxes (SB) score is a well‐established measure of disease severity in frontotemporal dementia (FTD), however, few studies have assessed longitudinal changes in score within familial forms of FTD. Method 343 participants from the Genetic FTD Initiative (77 mutation‐negative controls, 109 C9orf72 expansion carriers, 105 GRN mutation carriers, and 52 MAPT mutation carriers), with available scores on the CDR®+NACC FTLD‐SB and the FTD Rating Scale (FRS) at baseline and follow‐up, were examined. Using the baseline FRS percentage scores, mutation carriers were stratified into four groups: asymptomatic/very mild (100‐97%), mild (96‐80%), moderate (79‐41%), and severe (40‐0%). Linear regression models with bootstrapping were used to assess annualised change in CDR®+NACC FTLD‐SB scores across genetic groups between participants' first and follow‐up visit. Result C9orf72 and GRN mutation carriers in the moderate and severe groups, as well as mild GRN carriers, showed significantly greater change than controls ( p &lt; 0.050). No significant differences in change scores were observed between MAPT mutation carriers and controls. Comparisons within genetic groups revealed that both the moderate and severe GRN and C9orf72 expansion carriers showed larger annualised change relative to their asymptomatic/very mild counterparts ( p &lt; 0.001 and p = 0.037; p = 0.028 and p &lt; 0.001, respectively). The moderate GRN and severe C9orf72 groups also demonstrated greater annualised score changes than their respective mild counterparts ( p &lt; .001; p = 0.001). For MAPT mutation carriers, no significant changes were observed. Between genetic group comparisons revealed significant change score differences between the moderate individuals, with GRN mutation carriers showing a greater change than the C9orf72 and MAPT groups (both p &lt; 0.001), and the C9orf72 group showing a larger annualised change than the MAPT mutation carriers ( p = 0.041). Conclusion The CDR®+NACC FTLD‐SB detects significant changes in disease severity from baseline to a first follow‐up visit in familial forms of FTD, with GRN mutation carriers showing the greatest annualised change.