julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Physical activity, sedentary time and breast cancer risk: a Mendelian randomisation study
2022-09-06

Objectives Physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour are associated with higher breast cancer risk in observational studies, but ascribing causality is difficult. Mendelian randomisation (MR) assesses causality by simulating randomised trial groups using genotype. We assessed whether lifelong physical activity or sedentary time, assessed using genotype, may be causally associated with breast cancer risk overall, pre/post-menopause, and by case-groups defined by tumour characteristics. Methods We performed two-sample inverse-variance-weighted MR using individual-level Breast Cancer Association Consortium case-control data from 130 957 European-ancestry women (69 838 invasive cases), and published UK Biobank data (n=91 105–377 234). Genetic instruments were single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated in UK Biobank with wrist-worn accelerometer-measured overall physical activity (n snps =5) or sedentary time (n snps =6), or accelerometer-measured (n snps =1) or self-reported (n snps =5) vigorous physical activity. Results Greater genetically-predicted overall activity was associated with lower breast cancer overall risk (OR=0.59; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.42 to 0.83 per-standard deviation (SD;~8 milligravities acceleration)) and for most case-groups. Genetically-predicted vigorous activity was associated with lower risk of pre/perimenopausal breast cancer (OR=0.62; 95% CI 0.45 to 0.87,≥3 vs. 0 self-reported days/week), with consistent estimates for most case-groups. Greater genetically-predicted sedentary time was associated with higher hormone-receptor-negative tumour risk (OR=1.77; 95% CI 1.07 to 2.92 per-SD (~7% time spent sedentary)), with elevated estimates for most case-groups. Results were robust to sensitivity analyses examining pleiotropy (including weighted-median-MR, MR-Egger). Conclusion Our study provides strong evidence that greater overall physical activity, greater vigorous activity, and lower sedentary time are likely to reduce breast cancer risk. More widespread adoption of active lifestyles may reduce the burden from the most common cancer in women.
No temporal decay of cognitive control in the congruency sequence effect.
2022-09-06

Cognitive control theories describe the active maintenance of goal representations over temporal delays as central for adaptive behavior. Dynamic adaptations of goal representations are often measured as the congruency sequence effect (CSE), which describes a reduced congruency effect in trials following incongruent trials compared to congruent trials. Previous studies questioned active maintenance of CSEs and instead found that CSEs decrease rapidly over time (Duthoo et al., 2014; Egner et al., 2010). However, in these studies, CSEs can be attributed to both, control adaptations following conflict and binding effects due to repetition of stimulus (S) and response (R) features. In four experiments, we demonstrate that CSEs originating solely from control adaptions were not affected by temporal delays. Additional within-subject conditions partially replicated previous research showing a decrease in CSEs in task designs allowing for S-R binding effects and controlled for task complexity as a potential moderator. Together, results support theories which predict an active maintenance or retrieval of cognitive control. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).
PREvalence Study on Surgical COnditions (PRESSCO) 2020: A Population‐Based Cross‐Sectional Countrywide Survey on Surgical Conditions in Post‐Ebola Outbreak Sierra Leone
2022-09-06

Abstract Background Understanding the burden of diseases requiring surgical care at national levels is essential to advance universal health coverage. The PREvalence Study on Surgical COnditions (PRESSCO) 2020 is a cross‐sectional household survey to estimate the prevalence of physical conditions needing surgical consultation, to investigate healthcare‐seeking behavior, and to assess changes from before the West African Ebola epidemic. Methods This study (ISRCTN: 12353489) was built upon the Surgeons Overseas Surgical Needs Assessment (SOSAS) tool, including expansions. Seventy‐five enumeration areas from 9671 nationwide clusters were sampled proportional to population size. In each cluster, 25 households were randomly assigned and visited. Need for surgical consultations was based on verbal responses and physical examination of selected household members. Results A total of 3,618 individuals from 1,854 households were surveyed. Compared to 2012, the prevalence of individuals reporting one or more relevant physical conditions was reduced from 25 to 6.2% (95% CI 5.4–7.0%) of the population. One‐in‐five conditions rendered respondents unemployed, disabled, or stigmatized. Adult males were predominantly prone to untreated surgical conditions (9.7 vs. 5.9% women; p &lt; 0.001). Financial constraints were the predominant reason for not seeking care. Among those seeking professional health care, 86.7% underwent surgery. Conclusion PRESSCO 2020 is the first surgical needs household survey which compares against earlier study data. Despite the 2013–2016 Ebola outbreak, which profoundly disrupted the national healthcare system, a substantial reduction in reported surgical conditions was observed. Compared to one‐time measurements, repeated household surveys yield finer granular data on the characteristics and situations of populations in need of surgical treatment.
Structural refinement types
2022-09-06

Static types are a great form of lightweight static analysis. But sometimes a type like List is too coarse – we would also like to work with its refinements like non-empty lists, or lists containing exactly 42 elements. Dependent types allow for this, but they impose a heavy proof burden on the programmer. We want the checking and inference of refinements to be fully automatic.
Layer-by-Layer Deposition of 2D CdSe/CdS Nanoplatelets and Polymers for Photoluminescent Composite Materials
2022-09-06

Two-dimensional (2D) semiconductor nanoplatelets (NPLs) are strongly photoluminescent materials with interesting properties for optoelectronics. Especially their narrow photoluminescence paired with a high quantum yield is promising for light emission applications with high color purity. However, retaining these features in solid-state thin films together with an efficient encapsulation of the NPLs is a challenge, especially when trying to achieve high-quality films with a defined optical density and low surface roughness. Here, we show photoluminescent polymer-encapsulated inorganic-organic nanocomposite coatings of 2D CdSe/CdS NPLs in poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA) and poly(ethylenimine) (PEI), which are prepared by sequential layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition. The electrostatic interaction between the positively charged polyelectrolytes and aqueous phase-transferred NPLs with negatively charged surface ligands is used as a driving force to achieve self-assembled nanocomposite coatings with a well-controlled layer thickness and surface roughness. Increasing the repulsive forces between the NPLs by increasing the pH value of the dispersion leads to the formation of nanocomposites with all NPLs arranging flat on the substrate, while the surface roughness of the 165 nm (50 bilayers) thick coating decreases to <i>R</i><sub>a</sub> = 14 nm. The photoluminescence properties of the nanocomposites are determined by the atomic layer thickness of the NPLs and the 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid ligand used for their phase transfer. Both the full width at half-maximum (20.5 nm) and the position (548 nm) of the nanocomposite photoluminescence are retained in comparison to the colloidal CdSe/CdS NPLs in aqueous dispersion, while the measured photoluminescence quantum yield of 5% is competitive to state-of-the-art nanomaterial coatings. Our approach yields stable polymer-encapsulated CdSe/CdS NPLs in smooth coatings with controllable film thickness, rendering the LbL deposition technique a powerful tool for the fabrication of solid-state photoluminescent nanocomposites.
Amorphous and Co-Amorphous Olanzapine Stability in Formulations Intended for Wet Granulation and Pelletization
2022-09-06

The preparation of amorphous and co-amorphous systems (CAMs) effectively addresses the solubility and bioavailability issues of poorly water-soluble chemical entities. However, stress conditions imposed during common pharmaceutical processing (e.g., tableting) may cause the recrystallization of the systems, warranting close stability monitoring throughout production. This work aimed at assessing the water and heat stability of amorphous olanzapine (OLZ) and OLZ-CAMs when subject to wet granulation and pelletization. Starting materials and products were characterized using calorimetry, diffractometry and spectroscopy, and their performance behavior was evaluated by dissolution testing. The results indicated that amorphous OLZ was reconverted back to a crystalline state after exposure to water and heat; conversely, OLZ-CAMs stabilized with saccharin (SAC), a sulfonic acid, did not show any significant loss of the amorphous content, confirming the higher stability of OLZ in the CAM. Besides resistance under the processing conditions of the dosage forms considered, OLZ-CAMs presented a higher solubility and dissolution rate than the respective crystalline counterpart. Furthermore, in situ co-amorphization of OLZ and SAC during granule production with high fractions of water unveils the possibility of reducing production steps and associated costs.
Nature-inspired saccadic-like electrical stimulation paradigm promotes sustained retinal ganglion cell responses by spatiotemporally alternating activation of contiguous multi-electrode patterns
2022-09-06

Abstract Objective . Retinal electrical stimulation using multi-electrode arrays (MEAs) aims to restore visual object perception in blind patients. However, the rate and duration of the artificial visual sensations are limited due to the rapid response decay of the stimulated neurons. Hence, we investigated a novel nature-inspired saccadic-like stimulation paradigm (biomimetic) to evoke sustained retinal responses. For implementation, the macroelectrode was replaced by several contiguous microelectrodes and activated non-simultaneously but alternating topologically. Approach. MEAs with hexagonally arranged electrodes were utilized to simulate and record mouse retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Two shapes were presented electrically using MEAs: a 6e-hexagon (six hexagonally arranged 10 μ m electrodes; 6e-hexagon diameter: 80 μ m) and a double-bar (180 μ m spaced, 320 μ m in length). Electrodes of each shape were activated in three different modes (simultaneous, circular, and biomimetic (‘zig-zag’)), stimulating at different frequencies (1–20 Hz). Main results. The biomimetic stimulation generated enhanced RGC responses increasing the activity rate by 87.78%. In the spatiotemporal context, the electrical representation of the 6e-hexagon produced sustained and local RGC responses (∼130 μ m corresponding to ∼2.5° of the human visual angle) for up to 90 s at 10 Hz stimulation and resolved the electrically presented double-bar. In contrast, during conventional simultaneous stimulation, the responses were poor and declined within seconds. Similarly, the applicability of the biomimetic mode for retinal implants (7 × 8 pixels) was successfully demonstrated. An object shape impersonating a smile was presented electrically, and the recorded data were used to emulate the implant’s performance. The spatiotemporal pixel mapping of the activity produced a complete retinal image of the smile. Significance. The application of electrical stimulation in the biomimetic mode produced locally enhanced RGC responses with significantly reduced fading effects and yielded advanced spatiotemporal performance reflecting the presented electrode shapes in the mapped activity imprint. Therefore, it is likely that the RGC responses persist long enough to evoke visual perception and generate a seamless image, taking advantage of the flicker fusion. Hence, replacing the implant’s macroelectrodes with microelectrodes and their activation in a topologically alternating biomimetic fashion may overcome the patient’s perceptual image fading, thereby enhancing the spatiotemporal characteristics of artificial vision.
Effects of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) in pulmonary hypertension secondary to arteriovenous malformations: a retrospective cohort study from the European iNO registry
2022-09-06

Abstract This study aims to assess the effects of inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) on oxygenation in the management of pulmonary hypertension (PH) secondary to arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in neonates. This is a matched retrospective cohort study from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2017. The European inhaled nitric oxide registry from 43 neonatal and pediatric ICUs in 13 countries across Europe was used to extract data. The target population was neonates treated with iNO for the management of PH. The cases (PH secondary to AVMs treated with iNO) were matched (1:4 ratio) to controls (PH without AVMs treated with iNO). The main outcome measure was the absolute change of oxygenation index (OI) from baseline to 60 min after starting iNO in cases and controls. The primary outcome of our study was that the mean absolute change in OI from baseline to after 60 min was higher among cases 10.7 (14), than in controls 6 (22.5), and was not statistically different between the groups. The secondary outcome variable — death before discharge — was found to be significantly higher in cases (55%) than in controls (8%). All the other variables for secondary outcome measures remained statistically insignificant. Conclusion : Infants with PH secondary to AVMs treated with iNO did not respond differently compared to those presented with PH without AVMs treated with iNO. Right ventricular dysfunction on echocardiography was higher in cases than controls (cases: 66.7% and controls: 28.6%) but was not statistically significant. What is Known: • Arterioenous malformation (AVM) is a well-known cause of persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns. Inhaled nitric oxide (iNO) is most commonly used as first-line therapy for pulmonary hypertension in newborns. • Around 40–50% of vein of Galen malformations (VOGMs) are found to have congestive heart failure in the neonatal period. What is New: • Neonates may present with an isolated PH of the newborn as the main feature of the VOGMs. A large proportion of cases with AVMs have been associated with right ventricular cardiac dysfunction. • Results from one of the largest database registries in the world for iNO have been used to answer our research question.
Activity in the human superior colliculus associated with reaching for tactile targets
2022-09-06

Abstract The superior colliculus (SC) plays a major role in orienting movements of eyes and the head and in the allocation of attention. Functions of the SC have been mostly investigated in animal models, including non-human primates. Differences in the SC’s anatomy and function between different species question extrapolations of these studies to humans without further validation. Few electrophysiological and neuroimaging studies in animal models and humans have reported an unexpected role of the SC in visually guided reaching movements. Using BOLD fMRI imaging, we sought to decipher if the SC is also active during reaching movements guided by tactile stimulation. Participants executed reaching movements to visual and tactile target positions. When contrasted against visual and tactile stimulation without reaching, we found increased SC activity with reaching not only for visual but also for tactile targets. We conclude that the SC’s involvement in reaching does not rely on visual inputs. It is also independent from a specific sensory modality. Our results indicate a general involvement of the human SC in upper limb reaching movements.
Immune dynamics at single cell protein level after delta/omicron infection in COVID-19 vaccinated convalescent individuals
2022-09-06

Abstract Both COVID-19 mRNA or recombinant Adenovirus vector (rAdVV) based vaccines have shown a great efficacy in generating humoral and cellular immune responses. Two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines generate enough antibodies and generate spike-specific T cell responses. However, after 6-8 months there is a decline in antibody production and T cell responses. Due to the rise of new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, a third or even fourth dose of vaccine was recommended for the elderly, immune comprised and frontline medical health care workers. However, despite additional booster doses given, those who were infected with either delta or omicron (during December 2021 – March 2022) had symptoms of illness. By what means these COVID-19 vaccines provide immunity against the SARS-CoV-2 virus at the molecular level is not explored extensively yet and, it is an emerging research field as to how the SARS-CoV-2 virus is able to evade the host immunity. Most of the infected people had mild symptoms whilst some were asymptomatic. Many of the people had developed nucleocapsid antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 delta/omicron variants confirming a humoral immune response against viral infection. Furthermore, cellular analysis shows that post-vaccinated recovered COVID-19 individuals have significantly reduced NK cells and increased T naïve CD4 + , TEM CD8 + and B cells. This decrease in cellular immunity corresponds to individuals who recovered from alpha variants infection and had mild symptoms. Our results highlight that booster doses clearly reduce the severity of infection against delta/omicron infection. Furthermore, our cellular and humoral immune system is trained by vaccines and ready to deal with breakthrough infections in the future.
A survey of experimental stimulus presentation code sharing in major areas of psychology
2022-09-06

Computer code plays a vital role in modern science, from the conception and design of experiments through to final data analyses. Open sharing of code has been widely discussed as being advantageous to the scientific process, allowing experiments to be more easily replicated, helping with error detection, and reducing wasted effort and resources. In the case of psychology, the code used to present stimuli is a fundamental component of many experiments. It is not known, however, the degree to which researchers are sharing this type of code.To estimate this, we conducted a survey of 400 psychology papers published between 2016 and 2021, identifying those that openly share stimulus presentation code. For those that did, we established if it would run following download and also appraised the code’s usability in terms of style and documentation.It was found that only 8.4% of papers shared stimulus code, compared to 17.9% sharing analysis code and 31.7% sharing data. Of shared code, 70% ran directly or after minor corrections. For code that did not run, the main error was missing dependencies (66.7%). The usability of the code was moderate, with low levels of code annotation and minimal documentation provided.These results suggest that stimulus presentation code sharing lags behind other forms of code and data sharing, potentially due to less emphasis such code in open-science discussions and in journal policies. They also highlight a need for improved documentation to maximise code utility.
Tantalum Ureate Complexes for Photocatalytic Hydroaminoalkylation
2022-09-06

Using a tantulum ureate pre-catalyst, photocatalytic hydroaminoalkylation of unactivated alkene with unprotected amine at room temperature is demonstrated. The conbination of Ta(CH2SiMe3)3Cl2 and ureate ligand with saturated cyclic backbone resulted in unique reactivity. The substrate scope of Ta photocatalytic hydroaminoalkylation (β-alkylation of amine) was evaluated. Preliminary investigation on reaction mechanism suggests both similarities and differences with Ta catalyzed hydroaminoalkyaltion under thermo conditions
Reassessment of Historical Clinical Trials Supports the Effectiveness of Phage Therapy
2022-09-07

Phage therapy has become a hot topic in medical research due to the increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains. In the treatment of bacterial infections, bacteriophages have several advantages over antibiotics, including strain specificity, lack of serious side effects, and low development costs.
Computational modeling and quantitative physiology reveal central parameters for brassinosteroid-regulated early cell physiological processes linked to elongation growth of the Arabidopsis root
2022-09-07

Brassinosteroids (BR) are key hormonal regulators of plant development. However, whereas the individual components of BR perception and signaling are well characterized experimentally, the question of how they can act and whether they are sufficient to carry out the critical function of cellular elongation remains open. Here, we combined computational modeling with quantitative cell physiology to understand the dynamics of the plasma membrane (PM)-localized BR response pathway during the initiation of cellular responses in the epidermis of the Arabidopsis root tip that are be linked to cell elongation. The model, consisting of ordinary differential equations, comprises the BR-induced hyperpolarization of the PM, the acidification of the apoplast and subsequent cell wall swelling. We demonstrate that the competence of the root epidermal cells for the BR response predominantly depends on the amount and activity of H + -ATPases in the PM. The model further predicts that an influx of cations is required to compensate for the shift of positive charges caused by the apoplastic acidification. A potassium channel was subsequently identified and experimentally characterized, fulfilling this function. Thus, we established the landscape of components and parameters for physiological processes potentially linked to cell elongation, a central process in plant development.
Net load forecasting using different aggregation levels
2022-09-07

Abstract In the electricity grid, constantly balancing the supply and demand is critical for the network’s stability and any expected deviations require balancing efforts. This balancing becomes more challenging in future energy systems characterised by a high proportion of renewable generation due to the increased volatility of these renewables. In order to know when any balancing efforts are required, it is essential to predict the so-called net load, the difference between forecast energy demand and renewable supply. Although various forecasting approaches exist for both the individual components of the net load and the net load itself, it is unclear if it is more beneficial to aggregate several specialised forecasts to obtain the net load or to aggregate the input data to forecast the net load with one approach directly. Therefore, the present paper compares three net load forecasting approaches that exploit different levels of aggregation. We compare an aggregated strategy that directly forecasts the net load, a partially aggregated strategy that forecasts demand and supply separately, and a disaggregated strategy that forecasts demand and supply from each generator separately. We evaluate the forecast performance of all strategies with a simple and a complex forecasting model, both for deterministic and probabilistic forecasts, using one year of data from a simulated realistic future energy system characterised by a high share of renewable energy sources. We find that the partially aggregated strategy performs best, suggesting that a balance between specifically tailored forecasting models and aggregation is advantageous.