julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Recent Trends and Long-standing Problems in Archaeological Remote Sensing
2018-01-01

The variety and sophistication of data sources, sensors, and platforms employed in archaeological remote sensing have increased significantly over the past decade. Projects incorporating data from UAV surveys, regional and research-driven lidar surveys, the uptake of hyperspectral imaging, the launch of high-temporal revisit satellites, the advent of multi-sensor rigs for geophysical survey, and increased use of structure from motion mean that more archaeologists are engaging with remote sensing than ever. These technological advances continue to drive research in the specialist community and provide reasons for optimism about future applications, but many social and technical obstacles to the integration of remote sensing into archaeological research and heritage management remain. This article addresses the challenges of contemporary archaeological remote sensing by briefly reviewing trends and then focusing on providing a critical overview of the main structural problems. The discussion here concentrates on topics that have dominated the discourse in recent archaeological literature and featured prominently in ongoing fieldwork for the past decade across three broad segments of landscape archaeology: data collection in the field, the current state of data access and archives, and processing and interpretation.
Nicotine and Cotinine Inhibit Catalase and Glutathione Reductase Activity Contributing to the Impaired Osteogenesis of SCP‐1 Cells Exposed to Cigarette Smoke
2018-01-01

Cigarette smoking has been identified as a major risk factor for osteoporosis decades ago. Several studies have shown a direct relationship between cigarette smoking, decreased bone mineral density, and impaired fracture healing. However, the mechanisms behind impaired fracture healing and cigarette smoking are yet to be elucidated. Migration and osteogenesis of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) into the fracture site play a vital role in the process of fracture healing. In human nicotine, the most pharmacologically active and major addictive component present in tobacco gets rapidly metabolized to the more stable cotinine. This study demonstrates that physiological concentrations of both nicotine and cotinine do not affect the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. However, cigarette smoke exposure induces oxidative stress by increasing superoxide radicals and reducing intracellular glutathione in MSCs, negatively affecting osteogenic differentiation. Although, not actively producing reactive oxygen species (ROS) nicotine and cotinine inhibit catalase and glutathione reductase activity, contributing to an accumulation of ROS by cigarette smoke exposure. Coincubation with N‐acetylcysteine or L‐ascorbate improves impaired osteogenesis caused by cigarette smoke exposure by both activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2) signaling and scavenging of ROS, which thus might represent therapeutic targets to support fracture healing in smokers.
Ghosts of infections past: using archival samples to understand a century of monkeypox virus prevalence among host communities across space and time
2018-01-01

Infectious diseases that originate from multiple wildlife hosts can be complex and problematic to manage. A full understanding is further limited by large temporal and spatial gaps in sampling. However, these limitations can be overcome, in part, by using historical samples, such as those derived from museum collections. Here, we screened over 1000 museum specimens collected over the past 120 years to examine the historical distribution and prevalence of monkeypox virus (MPXV) in five species of African rope squirrel ( Funisciurus sp.) collected across Central Africa. We found evidence of MPXV infections in host species as early as 1899, half a century earlier than the first recognized case of MPXV in 1958, supporting the suggestion that historic pox-like outbreaks in humans and non-human primates may have been caused by MPXV rather than smallpox as originally thought. MPX viral DNA was found in 93 of 1038 (9.0%) specimens from five Funisciurus species ( F. anerythrus , F. carruthersi , F. congicus , F. lemniscatus and F. pyrropus ), of which F. carruthersi and pyrropus had not previously been identified as potential MPXV hosts. We additionally documented relative prevalence rates of infection in museum specimens of Funisciurus and examined the spatial and temporal distribution of MPXV in these potential host species across nearly a hundred years (1899–1993).
Transbronchial Lung Cryobiopsy in Interstitial Lung Diseases: Best Practice
2018-01-01

The lung biopsy in interstitial lung disease (ILD) represents an important diagnostic step when the clinical and radiological data are insufficient for a firm diagnosis. A growing body of evidence suggests the utility of transbronchial lung cryobiopsy (TBLC) in the diagnostic algorithm of ILD as it allows, compared to transbronchial lung biopsy with conventional forceps, a better identification of complex histological patterns – such as usual interstitial pneumonia – and can provide information which has a clinical impact on the multidisciplinary discussion similar to that provided by surgical lung biopsy. Performed correctly, it appears to have a better safety profile than surgery. The decision to perform a lung biopsy should be a multidisciplinary decision process where it is felt that there is sufficient diagnostic doubt after a careful clinical evaluation including review of the computed tomograms of the thorax. The presence of severe pulmonary hypertension (&amp;#x3e; 50 mm Hg), poor lung function (FVC &amp;#x3c; 50%), or dismissed gas transfer (DLCO of &amp;#x3c; 35%) are considered relative contraindications for TBLC. Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs should be discontinued for the minimum period required for the specific drugs. The greatest consideration should be given to ensure the biopsy is performed safely and we recommend the use of either an endotracheal tube or rigid bronchoscopy. Deep sedation or general anesthesia allow better control of the procedure and a better patient experience. Prophylactic balloon blockers should be used to tamponade any bleeding and also to prevent overspill of blood from the segment that is being sampled. The procedure should be performed under fluoroscopy to ensure that samples are ideally obtained about 10 mm from the pleural edge. The cryoprobe is activated for about 5 s for the first biopsy and then adjusted according to the sample size obtained. With a careful standardized approach it is possible to obtain good-quality lung specimens for diagnosis in a safe manner.
Reliability-Weighted Integration of Audiovisual Signals Can Be Modulated by Top-down Attention
2018-01-01

Abstract Behaviorally, it is well established that human observers integrate signals near-optimally weighted in proportion to their reliabilities as predicted by maximum likelihood estimation. Yet, despite abundant behavioral evidence, it is unclear how the human brain accomplishes this feat. In a spatial ventriloquist paradigm, participants were presented with auditory, visual, and audiovisual signals and reported the location of the auditory or the visual signal. Combining psychophysics, multivariate functional MRI (fMRI) decoding, and models of maximum likelihood estimation (MLE), we characterized the computational operations underlying audiovisual integration at distinct cortical levels. We estimated observers’ behavioral weights by fitting psychometric functions to participants’ localization responses. Likewise, we estimated the neural weights by fitting neurometric functions to spatial locations decoded from regional fMRI activation patterns. Our results demonstrate that low-level auditory and visual areas encode predominantly the spatial location of the signal component of a region’s preferred auditory (or visual) modality. By contrast, intraparietal sulcus forms spatial representations by integrating auditory and visual signals weighted by their reliabilities. Critically, the neural and behavioral weights and the variance of the spatial representations depended not only on the sensory reliabilities as predicted by the MLE model but also on participants’ modality-specific attention and report (i.e., visual vs. auditory). These results suggest that audiovisual integration is not exclusively determined by bottom-up sensory reliabilities. Instead, modality-specific attention and report can flexibly modulate how intraparietal sulcus integrates sensory signals into spatial representations to guide behavioral responses (e.g., localization and orienting).
Phosphate Homeostasis, Inflammation and the Regulation of FGF-23
2018-01-01

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is released primarily from osteoblasts/osteocytes in bone. In cooperation with the transmembrane protein Klotho, FGF23 is a powerful inhibitor of 1α 25OH Vitamin D Hydroxylase (Cyp27b1) and thus of the formation of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; (1,25(OH)&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;D&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;). As 1,25(OH)&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;D&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; up-regulates intestinal calcium and phosphate absorption, the downregulation of 1,25(OH)&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;D&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; synthesis counteracts phosphate excess and tissue calcification. FGF23 also directly inhibits renal phosphate reabsorption. Other actions of FGF23 include triggering of cardiac hypertrophy. FGF23 formation and/or release are stimulated by 1,25(OH)&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;D&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;, phosphate excess, Ca&lt;sup&gt;2+&lt;/sup&gt;, PTH, leptin, catecholamines, mineralocorticoids, volume depletion, lithium, high fat diet, iron deficiency, TNFα and TGFß2. The stimulating effect of 1,25(OH)&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;D&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; on FGF23 expression is dependent on RAC1/PAK1 induced actin-polymerisation. Intracellular signaling involved in the stimulation of FGF23 release also includes increases in the cytosolic Ca&lt;sup&gt;2+&lt;/sup&gt; concentration ([Ca&lt;sup&gt;2+&lt;/sup&gt;]i) following intracellular Ca&lt;sup&gt;2+&lt;/sup&gt; release and store-operated Ca&lt;sup&gt;2+&lt;/sup&gt; entry (SOCE). SOCE is accomplished by the Ca&lt;sup&gt;2+&lt;/sup&gt; release-activated calcium channel protein 1 (Orai1) and its stimulator stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1). Expression of Orai1, SOCE and FGF23-formation are up-regulated by the proinflammatory transcription factor NFκB. The present brief review describes the cellular mechanisms involved in FGF23 regulation and its sensitivity to both phosphate metabolism and inflammation. The case is made that up-regulation of FGF23 by inflammatory mediators and signaling may amplify inflammation by inhibiting formation of the anti-inflammatory 1,25(OH)&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;D&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt;.
Fibulin-3 Attenuates Phosphate-Induced Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Calcification by Inhibition of Oxidative Stress
2018-01-01

Background/Aims: Fibulin-3, an extracellular matrix glycoprotein, inhibits vascular oxidative stress and remodeling in hypertension. Oxidative stress is prevalent in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients and is an important mediator of osteo-/chondrogenic transdifferentiation and calcification of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) during hyperphosphatemia. Therefore, the present study explored the effects of Fibulin-3 on phosphate-induced vascular calcification. Methods: Experiments were performed in primary human aortic smooth muscle cells (HAoSMCs) treated with control or with phosphate without or with additional treatment with recombinant human Fibulin-3 protein or with hydrogen peroxide as an exogenous source of oxidative stress. Results: Treatment with calcification medium significantly increased calcium deposition in HAoSMCs, an effect significantly blunted by additional treatment with Fibulin-3. Moreover, phosphate-induced alkaline phosphatase activity and mRNA expression of osteogenic and chondrogenic markers MSX2, CBFA1, SOX9 and ALPL were all significantly reduced by addition of Fibulin-3. These effects were paralleled by similar regulation of oxidative stress in HAoSMCs. Phosphate treatment significantly up-regulated mRNA expression of the oxidative stress markers NOX4 and CYBA, down-regulated total antioxidant capacity and increased the expression of downstream effectors of oxidative stress PAI-1, MMP2 and MMP9 as well as BAX/BLC2 ratio in HAoSMCs, all effects blocked by additional treatment with Fibulin-3. Furthermore, the protective effects of Fibulin-3 on phosphate-induced osteogenic and chondrogenic markers expression in HAoSMCs were reversed by additional treatment with hydrogen peroxide. Conclusions: Fibulin-3 attenuates phosphate-induced osteo-/ chondrogenic transdifferentiation and calcification of VSMCs, effects involving inhibition of oxidative stress. Up-regulation or supplementation of Fibulin-3 may be beneficial in reducing the progression of vascular calcification during hyperphosphatemic conditions such as CKD.
CSF total tau levels are associated with hippocampal novelty irrespective of hippocampal volume
2018-01-01

Abstract Introduction We examined the association between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease, neural novelty responses, and brain volume in predementia old age. Methods We conducted a cross‐sectional analysis of the observational, multicentric DZNE‐Longitudinal Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Study (DELCODE) study. Seventy‐six participants completed task functional magnetic resonance imaging and provided CSF (40 cognitively unimpaired, 21 experiencing subjective cognitive decline, and 15 with mild cognitive impairment). We assessed the correlation between CSF biomarkers and whole‐brain functional magnetic resonance imaging novelty responses to scene images. Results Total tau levels were specifically and negatively associated with novelty responses in the right amygdala and right hippocampus. Mediation analyses showed no evidence that these associations were dependent on the volume of hippocampus/amygdala. No relationship was found between phosphorylated‐tau or Aβ 42 levels and novelty responses. Discussion Our data show that CSF levels of total tau are associated with anatomically specific reductions in novelty processing, which cannot be fully explained by atrophy.
Tübingen-Oslo at SemEval-2018 Task 2: SVMs perform better than RNNs in Emoji Prediction
2018-01-01

This paper describes our participation in the SemEval-2018 task Multilingual Emoji Prediction. We participated in both English and Spanish subtasks, experimenting with support vector machines (SVMs) and recurrent neural networks. Our SVM classifier obtained the top rank in both subtasks with macro-averaged F1-measures of 35.99% for English and 22.36% for Spanish data sets. Similar to a few earlier attempts, the results with neural networks were not on par with linear SVMs.
The Cardiovascular Benefits Associated with the Use of Sodium-glucose Cotransporter 2 Inhibitors – Real-world Data
2018-01-01

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with numerous comorbidities that significantly reduce quality of life, increase mortality and complicate treatment decisions. In a recent cardiovascular outcomes trial, Empagliflozin Cardiovascular Outcome Event Trial in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients (EMPA-REG OUTCOME), the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor empagliflozin was shown to reduce cardiovascular (CV) mortality and heart failure in high-risk patients with T2D with a previous CV event or with established CV disease (CVD). Recently published data from the Canagliflozin Cardiovascular Assessment Study (CANVAS-PROGRAM) study suggested that the cardiovascular benefits of empagliflozin are also seen with the SGLT2-inhibitor canagliflozin, indicating a class effect of SGLT2 inhibitors. Evidence for a class effect has also been shown by meta-analyses and real-world studies, including the Comparative Effectiveness of Cardiovascular Outcomes in New Users of SGLT-2 Inhibitors (CVD-REAL) and The Health Improvement Network (THIN) databases. These findings also suggest the results of EMPA-REG OUTCOME can be applied to patients with T2D with a broader CV risk profile, including people at low risk of CVD.
Ovarian cyst removal influences ovarian reserve dependent on histology, size and type of operation
2018-01-01

Previous publications suggest a reduction in the ovarian reserve following ovarian surgery. The influence of the underlying disease, histology, size of the ovarian cyst and type of procedure remains unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of an ovarian operation on the ovarian reserve, based on the anti-Müllerian hormone levels. The anti-Müllerian hormone values were determined by means of a standardized enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In total, 52 patients with one or more ovarian cysts of different histologic entities treated at the Department of Women’s Health at the Women’s University Hospital in Tübingen were included in the study. Anti-Müllerian hormone was determined before and after surgery. The patients were 28 (range = 18–40) years old on average. There was a statistically significant decrease in anti-Müllerian hormone from 3.94 ± 3.18 to 3.14 ± 2.57 ng/mL (p = 0.001). In 80.8%, the cysts were unilateral, and in over 90.4%, a complete cyst extirpation was performed. A statistically significant reduction was seen in follicular cysts (4.72 ± 3.84 to 3.76 ± 2.91 ng/mL; p = 0.039) and endometriosis cysts (2.55 ± 1.87 to 1.72 ± 1.39 ng/mL; p = 0.024). Also, the size of the cysts had an influence on the ovarian reserve, only larger ovarian cysts with a diameter of 5 cm or more showed a statistically significant reduction in anti-Müllerian hormone. Our data showed a significant decrease in anti-Müllerian hormone levels after surgery on the ovaries. If this results in a long-term reduced ovarian reserve or is merely a short-term reaction to the procedure needs to be clarified. However, concerning young women, the indication of surgery should be given cautiously as—at least temporarily—a reduction in the ovarian reserve can occur.
Gαi Proteins are Indispensable for Hearing
2018-01-01

Background/Aims: From invertebrates to mammals, Gαi proteins act together with their common binding partner Gpsm2 to govern cell polarization and planar organization in virtually any polarized cell. Recently, we demonstrated that Gαi3-deficiency in pre-hearing murine cochleae pointed to a role of Gαi3 for asymmetric migration of the kinocilium as well as the orientation and shape of the stereociliary (“hair”) bundle, a requirement for the progression of mature hearing. We found that the lack of Gαi3 impairs stereociliary elongation and hair bundle shape in high-frequency cochlear regions, linked to elevated hearing thresholds for high-frequency sound. How these morphological defects translate into hearing phenotypes is not clear. Methods: Here, we studied global and conditional Gnai3 and Gnai2 mouse mutants deficient for either one or both Gαi proteins. Comparative analyses of global versus Foxg1-driven conditional mutants that mainly delete in the inner ear and telencephalon in combination with functional tests were applied to dissect essential and redundant functions of different Gαi isoforms and to assign specific defects to outer or inner hair cells, the auditory nerve, satellite cells or central auditory neurons. Results: Here we report that lack of Gαi3 but not of the ubiquitously expressed Gαi2 elevates hearing threshold, accompanied by impaired hair bundle elongation and shape in high-frequency cochlear regions. During the crucial reprogramming of the immature inner hair cell (IHC) synapse into a functional sensory synapse of the mature IHC deficiency for Gαi2 or Gαi3 had no impact. In contrast, double-deficiency for Gαi2 and Gαi3 isoforms results in abnormalities along the entire tonotopic axis including profound deafness associated with stereocilia defects. In these mice, postnatal IHC synapse maturation is also impaired. In addition, the analysis of conditional versus global Gαi3-deficient mice revealed that the amplitude of ABR wave IV was disproportionally elevated in comparison to ABR wave I indicating that Gαi3 is selectively involved in generation of neural gain during auditory processing. Conclusion: We propose a so far unrecognized complexity of isoform-specific and overlapping Gαi protein functions particular during final differentiation processes.
Evaluating dengue burden in Africa in passive fever surveillance and seroprevalence studies: protocol of field studies of the Dengue Vaccine Initiative
2018-01-01

Introduction Dengue is an important and well-documented public health problem in the Asia-Pacific and Latin American regions. However, in Africa, information on disease burden is limited to case reports and reports of sporadic outbreaks, thus hindering the implementation of public health actions for disease control. To gather evidence on the undocumented burden of dengue in Africa, epidemiological studies with standardised methods were launched in three locations in Africa. Methods and analysis In 2014–2017, the Dengue Vaccine Initiative initiated field studies at three sites in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; Lambaréné, Gabon and Mombasa, Kenya to obtain comparable incidence data on dengue and assess its burden through standardised hospital-based surveillance and community-based serological methods. Multidisciplinary measurements of the burden of dengue were obtained through field studies that included passive facility-based fever surveillance, cost-of-illness surveys, serological surveys and healthcare utilisation surveys. All three sites conducted case detection using standardised procedures with uniform laboratory assays to diagnose dengue. Healthcare utilisation surveys were conducted to adjust population denominators in incidence calculations for differing healthcare seeking patterns. The fever surveillance data will allow calculation of age-specific incidence rates and comparison of symptomatic presentation between patients with dengue and non-dengue using multivariable logistic regression. Serological surveys assessed changes in immune status of cohorts of approximately 3000 randomly selected residents at each site at 6-month intervals. The age-stratified serosurvey data will allow calculation of seroprevalence and force of infection of dengue. Cost-of-illness evaluations were conducted among patients with acute dengue by Rapid Diagnostic Test. Ethics and dissemination By standardising methods to evaluate dengue burden across several sites in Africa, these studies will generate evidence for dengue burden in Africa and data will be disseminated as publication in peer-review journals in 2018.