julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
The need for hemispheric separation in pairwise structural disconnection studies
2023-03-31

Abstract The development of new approaches indirectly measuring the structural disconnectome has recently led to an increase in studies investigating pairwise structural disconnections following brain damage. Previous studies jointly analyzed patients with left hemispheric and patients with right hemispheric lesions when investigating a behavior of interest. An alternative approach would be to perform analyses separated by hemisphere, which has been applied in only a minority of studies to date. The present simulation study investigated whether joint or separate analyses (or both equally) are appropriate to reveal the ground truth disconnections. In fact, both approaches resulted in very different patterns of disconnection. In contrast to analyses separated by hemisphere, joint analyses introduced a bias to the disadvantage of intra-hemispheric disconnections. Intra-hemispheric disconnections were statistically underpowered in the joint analysis and thus surpassed the significance threshold with more difficulty compared to inter-hemispheric disconnections. This statistical imbalance was also shown by a greater number of significant inter-hemispheric than significant intra-hemispheric disconnections. This bias from joint analyses is based on mechanisms similar to those underlying the ‘partial injury problem’. We therefore conclude that pairwise structural disconnections in patients with unilateral left hemispheric and with unilateral right hemispheric lesions exhibiting a specific behavior (or disorder) of interest should be studied separately by hemisphere rather than in a joint analysis.
The human superior colliculus motor region does not respond to finger movements
2023-03-31

Abstract Electrophysiological studies in macaques and functional neuroimaging in humans revealed a motor region in the superior colliculus (SC) for upper limb reaching movements. Connectivity studies in macaques reported direct connections between this SC motor region and cortical premotor arm, hand, and finger regions. These findings motivated us to investigate if the human SC is also involved in sequential finger tapping movements. We analysed fMRI task data of 130 participants executing simple finger tapping from the Human Connectome Project (HCP). While we found strong signals in the SC for visual cues, we found no signals related to simple finger tapping. Assuming a differential effect owing to simple and complex finger tapping sequences, we searched for responses in the SC corresponding to complex finger tapping above simple finger tapping sequences. We observed expected signal differences in cortical motor and premotor regions, but our analyses provided no evidence for signals related to simple or complex finger tapping in the SC. Despite evidence for direct anatomical connections of the SC motor region and cortical premotor hand and finger areas in macaques, our results suggest that the SC is not involved in simple or complex finger tapping in humans.
Replicability in Lithic Analysis
2023-04-01

Abstract The ubiquity and durability of lithic artifacts inform archaeologists about important dimensions of human behavioral variability. Despite their importance, lithic artifacts can be problematic to study because lithic analysts differ widely in their theoretical approaches and the data they collect. The extent to which differences in lithic data relate to prehistoric behavioral variability or differences between archaeologists today remains incompletely known. We address this issue with the most extensive lithic replicability study yet, involving 11 analysts, 100 unmodified flakes, and 38 ratio, discrete, and nominal attributes. We use mixture models to show strong inter-analyst replicability scores on several attributes, making them well suited to comparative lithic analyses. Based on our results, we highlight 17 attributes that we consider reliable for compiling datasets collected by different individuals for comparative studies. Demonstrating this replicability is a crucial first step in tackling more general problems of data comparability in lithic analysis and lithic analyst's ability to conduct large-scale meta-analyses.
IXPE Observations of the Quintessential Wind-accreting X-Ray Pulsar Vela X-1
2023-04-01

Abstract The radiation from accreting X-ray pulsars was expected to be highly polarized, with some estimates for the polarization degree of up to 80%. However, phase-resolved and energy-resolved polarimetry of X-ray pulsars is required in order to test different models and to shed light on the emission processes and the geometry of the emission region. Here we present the first results of the observations of the accreting X-ray pulsar Vela X-1 performed with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer. Vela X-1 is considered to be the archetypal example of a wind-accreting, high-mass X-ray binary system, consisting of a highly magnetized neutron star accreting matter from its supergiant stellar companion. The spectropolarimetric analysis of the phase-averaged data for Vela X-1 reveals a polarization degree (PD) of 2.3% ± 0.4% at the polarization angle (PA) of −47.°3 ± 5.°4. A low PD is consistent with the results obtained for other X-ray pulsars and is likely related to the inverse temperature structure of the neutron star atmosphere. The energy-resolved analysis shows the PD above 5 keV reaching 6%–10% and a ∼90° difference in the PA compared to the data in the 2–3 keV range. The phase-resolved spectropolarimetric analysis finds a PD in the range 0%–9% with the PA varying between −80° and 40°.
Thermo‐Kinematic Evolution of the Eastern European Alps Along the TRANSALP Transect
2023-04-01

Abstract The eastern European Alps are shaped by the indentation of Adria into Europe. Recent tomography, depicting detached slab fragments, has been interpreted as evidence of continuous southward subduction of European lithosphere, contrary to an often‐invoked subduction polarity reversal. Orogen‐scale exhumation, driven by rock displacement along active faults, may reflect subduction polarity within the framework of doubly‐vergent Coulomb wedge theory, provided the absence of rheological contrasts across the colliding plates. Low‐temperature thermochronology can evaluate crustal cooling in response to changes in tectonic and erosional boundary conditions. This study investigates the consistency of observed crustal re‐organization, exhumation, and mantle processes in the Eastern Alps. Thermo‐kinematic forward models driven by reconstructions of crustal shortening along the TRANSALP geophysical transect were subjected to variations in shortening rates, thermophysical parameters, and topographic evolution, supplemented by new fission‐track data. The thermo‐kinematic models reproduce: (a) the orogen‐scale structural geometry, (b) the distribution of thermochronometer ages, (c) observed time‐temperature paths, and (f) the present‐day surface heat flux. Results suggest that exhumation is driven by rock displacement along active faults without the need to involve mantle‐driven buoyancy forces. Taken together, the results identify two possible scenarios: if the Tauern Ramp is a retro‐thrust and the southward shift of deformation in the Southern Alps is a response to new Coulomb‐wedge conditions, then our results support a Mid‐Miocene reversal of the subduction polarity. Alternatively, crustal deformation does not reflect mantle processes entailing a high degree of inter‐plate decoupling.
To Eat the Cake and Have It, too: How Marketers Control Influencer Conduct within a Paradigm of Letting Go
2023-04-01

The influencer industry follows a paradigm of letting go of control, which assumes that collaborations with influencers will only be effective if marketers grant influencers substantial autonomy in their conduct. However, yielding control constitutes a risk to marketers, because influencers might act differently than desired. This article assumes that, rather than letting go of control, marketers are developing a set of control techniques that are compatible with the paradigm. Grounded in multiple data sources (a secondary analysis of data from two interview studies, ethnographic field data, and member check interviews), it draws on organizational control theory to identify 11 control techniques that marketers employ when collaborating with influencers. In doing so, this article contributes to emerging research on the power structures in the influencer industry. In particular, it adds to the body of knowledge by systematically accounting for marketers’ set of control techniques and identifying hitherto undescribed techniques. On a broader level, this article reconstructs the paradigm of letting go of control in the influencer industry, while simultaneously providing a critical scrutiny of this paradigm.
Search for the evaporation of primordial black holes with H.E.S.S.
2023-04-01

Abstract Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) are hypothetical black holes predicted to have been formed from density fluctuations in the early Universe. PBHs with an initial mass around 10 14 –10 15 g are expected to end their evaporation at present times in a burst of particles and very-high-energy (VHE) gamma rays. Those gamma rays may be detectable by the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.), an array of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes. This paper reports on the search for evaporation bursts of VHE gamma rays with H.E.S.S., ranging from 10 to 120 seconds, as expected from the final stage of PBH evaporation and using a total of 4816 hours of observations. The most constraining upper limit on the burst rate of local PBHs is 2000 pc -3 yr -1 for a burst interval of 120 seconds, at the 95% confidence level. The implication of these measurements for PBH dark matter are also discussed.
Variability in Silcrete Heat Treatment at Klein Kliphuis Shelter, South Africa, and Its Role in Core Reduction
2023-04-01

Silcrete heat treatment was the earliest known transformative process enhancing the mechanical properties of materials. Its study has implications for our understanding of the cultural evolution of early humans in the Middle Stone Age and southern Africa. Here, we analyze a silcrete assemblage from the South African site Klein Kliphuis. We first investigate the relative prevalence of heat treatment in assemblage and then the position of heat treatment within reduction sequences. We found that ∼60% of all silcrete was heat-treated prior to knapping in one post-Howiesons Poort assemblage and ∼85% in two Howiesons Poort assemblages. However, heat treatment early-on was not the only strategy present in the site. Late-stage heat treatment was occasionally deployed to extend the utility of small cores. This finding emphasizes the ability of early anatomically modern humans in Africa to adapt their tool making behavior to changing economic conditions related to raw materials quality and availability.
mlf-core: a framework for deterministic machine learning
2023-04-01

Abstract Motivation Machine learning has shown extensive growth in recent years and is now routinely applied to sensitive areas. To allow appropriate verification of predictive models before deployment, models must be deterministic. Solely fixing all random seeds is not sufficient for deterministic machine learning, as major machine learning libraries default to the usage of nondeterministic algorithms based on atomic operations. Results Various machine learning libraries released deterministic counterparts to the nondeterministic algorithms. We evaluated the effect of these algorithms on determinism and runtime. Based on these results, we formulated a set of requirements for deterministic machine learning and developed a new software solution, the mlf-core ecosystem, which aids machine learning projects to meet and keep these requirements. We applied mlf-core to develop deterministic models in various biomedical fields including a single-cell autoencoder with TensorFlow, a PyTorch-based U-Net model for liver-tumor segmentation in computed tomography scans, and a liver cancer classifier based on gene expression profiles with XGBoost. Availability and implementation The complete data together with the implementations of the mlf-core ecosystem and use case models are available at https://github.com/mlf-core.
GALLIFRAY—A Geometric Modeling and Parameter Estimation Framework for Black Hole Images Using Bayesian Techniques
2023-04-01

Abstract Recent observations of the galactic centers of M87 and the Milky Way with the Event Horizon Telescope have ushered in a new era of black-hole-based tests of fundamental physics using very long baseline interferometry (VLBI). Since it is a nascent field, there are several different modeling and analysis approaches in vogue (e.g., geometric and physical models, visibility and closure amplitudes, agnostic and multimessenger priors). We present GALLIFRAY , an open-source, Python-based framework for estimation/extraction of parameters using VLBI data. It is developed with modularity, efficiency, and adaptability as the primary objectives. This article outlines the design and usage of GALLIFRAY . As an illustration, we fit a geometric and a physical model to simulated data sets using Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling and find good convergence of the posterior distribution. We conclude with an outline of further enhancements currently in development.
Perturbations in Microbiota Composition as a Novel Mediator in Neuropsychiatric,Neurological and Mental Disorders: Preventive and TherapeuticComplementary Therapies to Balance the Change
2023-04-01

Abstract: Although microbiology and neurology are separate disciplines, they are linked to some infectious and neurological diseases. Today, microbiome is considered as one of the biomarkers of health by many researchers. This has led to the association of microbiome changes with many neurological diseases. The natural microbiota has many beneficial properties. If disrupted and altered, it can lead to irreversible complications and many neurological diseases. Therefore, according to previous studies, some preventive and therapeutic complementary therapies can prevent or restore microbiome dysbiosis and inflammation in the nervous system. With our current perception of the microbiological basis for different neurological disorders, both aspects of drug treatment and control of perturbations of the microbiome should be considered, and targeting them simultaneously will likely help to attain favorable results.
Synthesis of Amino Acids Bearing Halodifluoromethyl Moieties and Their Application to p53-Derived Peptides Binding to Mdm2/Mdm4
2023-04-01

Using a competitive fluorescence polarization assay to monitor binding to Mdm4, we demonstrate that a p53-derived peptide with Lys24Nle(εNHCOCF<sub>2</sub>X) exhibits an improved inhibition constant K<sub>i</sub> compared to the unmodified peptide. Decreasing K<sub>i</sub> values observed with the increasing XB capacity of the halogen atoms (F ≪ Cl < Br) indicates the formation of a halogen bond. By reducing the side chain length of Nle(εNHCOCF<sub>2</sub>X) to Abu(γNHCOCF<sub>2</sub>X) as control experiments and through quantum mechanical calculations, we suggest that the observed affinity enhancement is related to halogen bond-induced intramolecular stabilization of the α-helical binding mode of the peptide or a direct interaction with His54 in human Mdm4.
Analyzing track management strategies for multi object tracking in cooperative autonomous driving scenarios
2023-04-01

Abstract For autonomous driving to operate safely it is crucial to perceive surrounding objects correctly. Not only detection but also state estimation (track) of a perceived object is urgent. The state is required to enable a safe motion planning, since it allows to predict the future position of an object. To include only valid information, the state estimations must be maintained to determine which track is active and which is not. Mostly, a simple count-based approach is used. For this, we present an investigation of two common approaches from non-cooperative track management in comparison to two new management strategies to maintain tracks in a cooperative scenario. We evaluate them using three simulated scenarios with a varying rate of cooperative vehicles. A confidence-based approach was able to increase the average precision by up to 9 percentage points.
Brain insulin action increases communication in reward associated brain regions independent of age and peripheral insulin sensitivity in healthy adults
2023-04-01

Insulin action in the brain effects behavioral and metabolic processes. Specifically, insulin acts on dopamine levels in the striatum, which is part of the brain reward network. We investigated if intranasal insulin administration (INI) acts on the communication of the reward network in healthy adults, and if this is influenced by peripheral insulin sensitivity and age. Methods: Using a randomized within-participant design, 66 healthy adults (35 women, BMI 18–49 kg/m2, age 21–69 years, insulin sensitivity index (ISI)-Matsuda: 3.0-62.5) underwent a resting state MRI measurement before and 30 minutes after INI or placebo spray administration. Connectivity analysis was undertaken using the regions: Ventral tegmental area; Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC); Dorsal, and Ventral Striatum (DS, VS); Hypothalamus, with age, BMI, waist-to-hip ratio, and ISI controlled for as covariates. Partial correlations were used to analyse if age and ISI influence insulin action in the brain. Results: Connectivity analyses showed a time by condition interaction (Pcorrected<0.001), with significan-tly increased connectivity within the reward network after INI (Pcorrected =0.042). Specifically, between DS and VS (T(60)=2.82, Pcorrected=0.02); and between DS and DLPFC (T(60)=2.17, Pcorrected =0.06; P-uncorrected=0.006). No difference in connectivity was observed in the placebo condition. No associations were observed with age and ISI. Conclusion: We could show that intranasal insulin affects communication within the reward network by increasing striatal functional connectivity. These effects were independent of age and peripheral insulin sensitivity. Whether brain insulin responsiveness in the reward network impacts eating behaviour is a matter for further investigation.
The Tibia Plafond Horizontal Orientation Angle for Frontal Alignment Evaluation of the Distal Lower Extremity
2023-04-01

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY Osteotomies around the knee are an established technique for treating knee osteoarthritis and other knee conditions by redistributing the body's weight and force within and around the knee joint. The aim of this study was to determine if the Tibia Plafond Horizontal Orientation Angle (TPHA) is a reliable measure for describing ankle alignment of the distal tibia in the coronal plane. MATERIALS AND METHODS This retrospective study included patients who underwent supracondylar rotational osteotomies for correction of femoral torsion. All patients had standing radiographs taken preoperatively and postoperatively with both knees pointed forward. Five variables, including Mechanical Lateral Distal Tibia Angle (mLDTA), Mechanical Malleolar Angle (mMA), Malleolar Horizontal Orientation Angle (MHA), Tibia Plafond Horizontal Orientation Angle (TPHA), and Tibio Talar Tilt Angle (TTTA), were collected. The preoperative and postoperative measurements were compared to each other using the Wilcoxon signed rank test. RESULTS A total of 146 patients were included in the study, with a mean age of 51.47 ± 11.87 years. There were 92 (63.0%) males and 54 (37.0%) females. MHA decreased from 14.0° ± 5.32° preoperatively to 10.59° ± 3.93° (p < 0.001) postoperatively, and TPHA decreased from 4.88° ± 4.07° preoperatively to 3.82 ± 3.10° (p = 0.013) postoperatively. The change in TPHA was significantly correlated with the change in MHA (r = 0.185, CI 0.023 - 0.337; p = 0.025). No differences were found between the measurements of mLDTA, mMA, and mMA pre- and postoperatively. DISCUSSION The orientation of the ankle should be taken into consideration during preoperative planning of osteotomies and should be measured in cases of postoperative ankle pain. CONCLUSIONS The TPHA is a reliable measure for describing ankle alignment of the distal tibia in the frontal plane. Key words: osteotomy, ankle, realignment, coronal alignment, preoperative planning.
A posteriori error analysis and adaptivity for high-dimensional elliptic and parabolic boundary value problems
2023-04-01

Abstract We derive a posteriori error estimates for the (stopped) weak Euler method to discretize SDE systems which emerge from the probabilistic reformulation of elliptic and parabolic (initial) boundary value problems. The a posteriori estimate exploits the use of a scaled random walk to represent noise, and distinguishes between realizations in the interior of the domain and those close to the boundary. We verify an optimal rate of (weak) convergence for the a posteriori error estimate on deterministic meshes. Based on this estimate, we then set up an adaptive method which automatically selects local deterministic mesh sizes, and prove its optimal convergence in terms of given tolerances. Provided with this theoretical backup, and since corresponding Monte-Carlo based realizations are simple to implement, these methods may serve to efficiently approximate solutions of high-dimensional (initial-)boundary value problems.
Litharge from El Centenillo and Fuente Espi: A Geochemical and Mineralogical Investigation of Spanish Silver Processing in the Sierra Morena
2023-04-01

Abstract Galena is treated as the most important silver ore in antiquity and especially in Roman mining history, but many other silver mineralisation and phases occur in the Earth's crust that also contain valuable amounts of silver for exploitation. This study addresses the silver-containing sulfosalts and how to decide between the alternative ores when only metallurgical remains are preserved and the mining context is not evident. Numerous samples of ore minerals, slags, lead metal and stones were collected by one of us (C. Domergue) over several years in the Spanish Sierra Morena, including two Roman foundry sites: Cerro del Plomo and Fuente Espi, both in the mining district of Linares-La Carolina. Cerro del Plomo is closely associated with lead-bearing ore veins near the foundry, while the mines that supplied Fuente Espi with lead ore have not yet been archaeologically explored. The metallurgical remains from the two foundries were analysed for their microstructure, mineralogy and phase composition using microscopy, electron microprobe analysis and X-ray diffraction. It was hoped that the litharge in particular would provide information about the ores used. Metal inclusions of copper and lead were identified, both still containing some silver. The cooling history and stratigraphy of the litharge cakes were developed and parallels drawn with earlier cupellation models. The litharge cakes from Cerro del Plomo and Fuente Espi are comparable in terms of microstructure and phase composition. Chemical and isotope analysis will follow and be the subject of a separate publication.