julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Saliency-Aware Subtle Augmentation Improves Human Visual Search Performance in VR
2021-02-25

Visual search becomes challenging when the time to find the target is limited. Here we focus on how performance in visual search can be improved via a subtle saliency-aware modulation of the scene. Specifically, we investigate whether blurring salient regions of the scene can improve participant’s ability to find the target faster when the target is located in non-salient areas. A set of real-world omnidirectional images were displayed in virtual reality with a search target overlaid on the visual scene at a pseudorandom location. Participants performed a visual search task in three conditions defined by blur strength, where the task was to find the target as fast as possible. The mean search time, and the proportion of trials where participants failed to find the target, were compared across different conditions. Furthermore, the number and duration of fixations were evaluated. A significant effect of blur on behavioral and fixation metrics was found using linear mixed models. This study shows that it is possible to improve the performance by a saliency-aware subtle scene modulation in a challenging realistic visual search scenario. The current work provides an insight into potential visual augmentation designs aiming to improve user’s performance in everyday visual search tasks.
Investigating genre distinctions through discourse distance and discourse network
2021-02-25

Abstract The notion of genre has been widely explored using quantitative methods from both lexical and syntactical perspectives. However, discourse structure has rarely been used to examine genre. Mostly concerned with the interrelation of discourse units, discourse structure can play a crucial role in genre analysis. Nevertheless, few quantitative studies have explored genre distinctions from a discourse structure perspective. Here, we use two English discourse corpora (RST-DT and GUM) to investigate discourse structure from a novel viewpoint. The RST-DT is divided into four small subcorpora distinguished according to genre, and another corpus (GUM) containing seven genres are used for cross-verification. An RST (rhetorical structure theory) tree is converted into dependency representations by taking information from RST annotations to calculate the discourse distance through a process similar to that used to calculate syntactic dependency distance. Moreover, the data on dependency representations deriving from the two corpora are readily convertible into network data. Afterwards, we examine different genres in the two corpora by combining discourse distance and discourse network. The two methods are mutually complementary in comprehensively revealing the distinctiveness of various genres. Accordingly, we propose an effective quantitative method for assessing genre differences using discourse distance and discourse network. This quantitative study can help us better understand the nature of genre.
Investigation of the temporal and spatial dynamics of muscular action potentials through optically pumped magnetometers
2021-02-25

ABSTRACT Aim This study aims to simultaneously record the magnetic and electric components of the propagating muscular action potential. Method A single-subject study of the monosynaptic stretch reflex of the musculus rectus femoris was performed; the magnetic field generated by the muscular activity was recorded in all three spatial directions by five optically pumped magnetometers. In addition, the electric field was recorded by four invasive fine-wire needle electrodes. The magnetic and electric fields were compared, and modelling and simulations were performed to compare the magnetic field vectors with the underlying muscular anatomy of the rectus femoris muscle. Results The magnetomyography (MMG) signal can reliably be recorded following the stimulation of the monosynaptic stretch reflex. The MMG signal shows several phases of activity inside the muscle, the first of which is the propagating muscular action potential. As predicted by the finite wire model, the magnetic field vectors of the propagating muscular action potential are generated by the current flowing longitudinal to the muscle fiber. Based on the magnetic field vectors, it was possible to reconstruct the pinnation angle in the muscle. The later magnetic components are linked to the activated contractile apparatus. Interpretation MMG allows to analyze the muscle physiology from the propagating muscular action potential to the initiation of the contractile apparatus. At the same time this methods reveal information about muscle fiber direction and extend. With the development of high-resolution magnetic cameras, it will be possible to image the function and structure of any skeletal muscle with high precision. This method could be used in clinical medicine but also in sports and training science. What this paper adds - A robust technique for triggering a muscular action potential that can be recorded by MMG and needle EMG simultaneously - The correlation of the MMG signal with the needle EMG signal - A method for detecting the direction of the propagating muscular action potential - A method for correlating the magnetic field vectors with the pinnation angle of the examined muscle
Giant planet migration during the disc dispersal phase
2021-02-25

\\nContext. Transition discs are expected to be a natural outcome of the interplay between photoevaporation and giant planet formation. Massive planets reduce the inflow of material from the outer to the inner disc, therefore triggering an earlier onset of disc dispersal due to photoevaporation through a process known as Planet-Induced PhotoEvaporation. In this case, a cavity is formed as material inside the planetary orbit is removed by photoevaporation, leaving only the outer disc to drive the migration of the giant planet.\\nAims. We investigate the impact of photoevaporation on giant planet migration and focus specifically on the case of transition discs with an evacuated cavity inside the planet location. This is important for determining under what circumstances photoevaporation is efficient at halting the migration of giant planets, thus affecting the final orbital distribution of a population of planets.\\nMethods. For this purpose, we use 2D <monospace>FARGO</monospace> simulations to model the migration of giant planets in a range of primordial and transition discs subject to photoevaporation. The results are then compared to the standard prescriptions used to calculate the migration tracks of planets in 1D planet population synthesis models.\\nResults. The <monospace>FARGO</monospace> simulations show that once the disc inside the planet location is depleted of gas, planet migration ceases. This contradicts the results obtained by the impulse approximation, which predicts the accelerated inward migration of planets in discs that have been cleared inside the planetary orbit.\\nConclusions. These results suggest that the impulse approximation may not be suitable for planets embedded in transition discs. A better approximation that could be used in 1D models would involve halting planet migration once the material inside the planetary orbit is depleted of gas and the surface density at the 3:2 mean motion resonance location in the outer disc reaches a threshold value of 0.01 g cm‒2. \\n
Acute targeting of pre-amyloid seeds in transgenic mice reduces Alzheimer-like pathology later in life
2021-02-25

<strong>A</strong><strong>b</strong><strong> deposits are a relatively late consequence of A</strong><strong>b</strong><strong> aggregation in Alzheimer ́s disease (AD). It is not known when pathogenic A</strong><strong>b</strong><strong> seeds begin to form, propagate, and spread, nor are they biochemically defined. We tested various antibodies for their ability to neutralize </strong><strong>A</strong><strong>b</strong><strong> seeds before </strong><strong>b</strong><strong>-amyloid deposition becomes detectable in A</strong><strong>b</strong><strong>-precursor protein-transgenic mice. We also characterized the different antibody recognition profiles using immunoprecipitation of size-fractionated, native, mouse and human brain-derived A</strong><strong>b</strong><strong> assemblies. At least one antibody, aducanumab, after acute administration at the pre-amyloid stage, </strong><strong>led to a significant reduction of A</strong><strong>b</strong><strong> deposition and downstream pathologies 6 months later. This demonstrates therapeutically targetable pathogenic A</strong><strong>b</strong><strong> seeds already exist during the lag-phase of protein aggregation in brain. </strong><strong>Thus, the preclinical phase of AD – currently defined as A</strong><strong>b</strong><strong> deposition without clinical symptoms – may be a relatively late manifestation of a much earlier pathogenic seed formation and propagation that currently escapes detection <em>in vivo</em>. </strong>
The eROSITA X-ray telescope on SRG
2021-02-26

eROSITA (extended ROentgen Survey with an Imaging Telescope Array) is the primary instrument on the Spectrum-Roentgen-Gamma (SRG) mission, which was successfully launched on July 13, 2019, from the Baikonour cosmodrome. After the commissioning of the instrument and a subsequent calibration and performance verification phase, eROSITA started a survey of the entire sky on December 13, 2019. By the end of 2023, eight complete scans of the celestial sphere will have been performed, each lasting six months. At the end of this program, the eROSITA all-sky survey in the soft X-ray band (0.2–2.3 keV) will be about 25 times more sensitive than the ROSAT All-Sky Survey, while in the hard band (2.3–8 keV) it will provide the first ever true imaging survey of the sky. The eROSITA design driving science is the detection of large samples of galaxy clusters up to redshifts z > 1 in order to study the large-scale structure of the universe and test cosmological models including Dark Energy. In addition, eROSITA is expected to yield a sample of a few million AGNs, including obscured objects, revolutionizing our view of the evolution of supermassive black holes. The survey will also provide new insights into a wide range of astrophysical phenomena, including X-ray binaries, active stars, and diffuse emission within the Galaxy. Results from early observations, some of which are presented here, confirm that the performance of the instrument is able to fulfil its scientific promise. With this paper, we aim to give a concise description of the instrument, its performance as measured on ground, its operation in space, and also the first results from in-orbit measurements.
Sema7A is crucial for resolution of severe inflammation
2021-02-26

Significance Nonresolving inflammation, a hallmark of sepsis and/or multi-organ failure, still poses a challenge in medicine. The mortality rate is enormous, and so far no adequate curative therapy is available. Here we identify a previously unrecognized role of the neuronal guidance protein semaphorin 7A in the transition to resolution processes in severe systematic inflammation such as sepsis.
Towards Strong AI
2021-02-26

Abstract Strong AI—artificial intelligence that is in all respects at least as intelligent as humans—is still out of reach. Current AI lacks common sense, that is, it is not able to infer, understand, or explain the hidden processes, forces, and causes behind data. Main stream machine learning research on deep artificial neural networks (ANNs) may even be characterized as being behavioristic. In contrast, various sources of evidence from cognitive science suggest that human brains engage in the active development of compositional generative predictive models (CGPMs) from their self-generated sensorimotor experiences. Guided by evolutionarily-shaped inductive learning and information processing biases, they exhibit the tendency to organize the gathered experiences into event-predictive encodings. Meanwhile, they infer and optimize behavior and attention by means of both epistemic- and homeostasis-oriented drives. I argue that AI research should set a stronger focus on learning CGPMs of the hidden causes that lead to the registered observations. Endowed with suitable information-processing biases, AI may develop that will be able to explain the reality it is confronted with, reason about it, and find adaptive solutions, making it Strong AI. Seeing that such Strong AI can be equipped with a mental capacity and computational resources that exceed those of humans, the resulting system may have the potential to guide our knowledge, technology, and policies into sustainable directions. Clearly, though, Strong AI may also be used to manipulate us even more. Thus, it will be on us to put good, far-reaching and long-term, homeostasis-oriented purpose into these machines.
Looking through the photoionisation wake: Vela X−1 at φorb ≈ 0.75 with Chandra/HETG
2021-02-26

Context. The supergiant X-ray binary Vela X−1 represents one of the best astrophysical sources to investigate the wind environment of an O/B star irradiated by an accreting neutron star. Previous studies and hydrodynamic simulations of the system have revealed a clumpy environment and the presence of two wakes: an accretion wake surrounding the compact object and a photoionisation wake trailing it along the orbit. Aims. Our goal is to conduct, for the first time, high-resolution spectroscopy on Chandra /HETGS data at the orbital phase φ orb ≈ 0.75, when the line of sight is crossing the photoionisation wake. We aim to conduct plasma diagnostics, inferring the structure and the geometry of the wind. Methods. We performed a blind search employing a Bayesian block algorithm to find discrete spectral features and identify them thanks to the most recent laboratory results or through atomic databases. Plasma properties were inferred both with empirical techniques and with photoionisation models within CLOUDY and SPEX. Results. We detect and identify five narrow radiative recombination continua (Mg XI-XII , Ne IX-X , O VIII ) and several emission lines from Fe, S, Si, Mg, Ne, Al, and Na, including four He-like triplets (S XV , Si XIII , Mg XI , and Ne IX ). Photoionisation models reproduce the overall spectrum well, except for the near-neutral fluorescence lines of Fe, S, and Si. Conclusions. We conclude that the plasma is mainly photoionised, but more than one component is most likely present, which is consistent with a multi-phase plasma scenario, where denser and colder clumps of matter are embedded in the hot, photoionised wind of the companion star. Simulations with the future X-ray satellites Athena and XRISM show that a few hundred seconds of exposure is sufficient to disentangle the lines of the Fe K α doublet and the He-like Fe XXV , improving, in general, the determination of the plasma parameters.
Serological evidence of avian HEV antibodies in apparently healthy chickens in southwest Nigeria
2021-02-26

Avian hepatitis E virus (aHEV) is associated with hepatitis-splenomegaly syndrome, big liver and spleen disease and hepatic rupture haemorrhage syndrome. However, the knowledge about aHEV in commercial layer chickens in Nigeria is scarce. In this study, 460 serum samples obtained from 36 apparently healthy commercial layer chicken flocks in three states (Ogun, Osun and Oyo States) of southwestern Nigeria were analysed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay for the presence of anti-aHEV immunoglobulin Y (IgY) antibodies. In total, the overall seroprevalence of anti-aHEV antibodies was 14.6%. The serological analysis revealed that 75% of the flocks examined were positive for anti-aHEV IgY antibodies from chickens of various ages in all three states. The percentage of the seropositive chickens in the three states varied from flock to flock ranging from 60% to 88.8% and seropositive chickens were detected at any age (24–52 weeks of age) without significant differences between the age groups. This is the first report assessing the presence of aHEV antibodies in chickens from Nigeria. The detection of anti-aHEV antibodies in commercial layer chickens in this study emphasizes the importance of serosurveillance in disease monitoring due to the economic threat posed by aHEV as a result of decreased egg production and increased mortality in affected commercial layer chicken farms. However, further studies are essential to reveal the clinical implications and to assess the real burden of aHEV in Nigeria.
Arsenic trioxide in pediatric cancer – a case series and review of literature
2021-02-26

Arsenic trioxide (ATO) has become an established component of treatment protocols for acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) with excellent efficacy and no relevant sustained toxicity. Part of its action has been attributed to the inhibition of Hedgehog signaling (Hh) which enables a possible therapeutic approach as many pediatric tumor entities have been associated with increased Hh activity. We retrospectively analyzed 31 patients with refractory and relapsed pediatric cancer who were treated with ATO at the University Children's Hospital of Tuebingen. Additionally a literature review on the clinical and preclinical use of ATO in pediatric cancer treatment was performed.ATO alone as well as combinations with other drugs have proven effective <i>in vitro</i> and in mouse models of various pediatric malignancies. However, only few data on the clinical use of ATO in pediatric patients besides APL exist. In our patient sample, ATO was overall well tolerated in the treatment of various pediatric cancers, even in combination with other cytostatic drugs. Due to distinct tumor entities, differently progressed disease stages and varying co-medication, no clear statement can be made regarding the efficacy of ATO treatment. However, patients with proven Hh activation in molecular tumor profiling surpassed all other patients, who received ATO in an experimental treatment setting, in terms of survival. As molecular profiling of tumors increases and enhanced Hh activity can be detected at an early stage, ATO might expand its clinical use to other pediatric malignancies beyond APL depending on further clinical studies.
[Corrigendum] Prognostic relevance of high pretreatment CA125 levels in primary serous ovarian cancer
2021-02-26

Following the publication of this article, the authors have requested that the first sentence in the Materials and methods section, as it appeared towards the bottom of the left‐hand column of the second page, be amended as follows (essentially, the dates have been revised, as indicated in bold): "A total of 136 consecutive patients with primary epithelial ovarian cancer and existing pretreatment CA125 levels ≥500 U/ml and CA125 &lt;500 U/ml at the time of surgery treated at the department of obstetrics and gynecology from January 2000 through June 2007 at University Tübingen, Germany were enrolled in the study and retrospectively analyzed." The authors regret that this error went unnoticed before the publication of the article, and all authors agree with publishing this Corrigendum; moreover, this change does not affect any of the major conclusions reported in the study. The authors are grateful to the Editor of <em>Molecular and Clinical Oncology</em> for allowing them the opportunity to publish this Corrigendum, and apologize to the readership of the Journal for any inconvenience caused. [the original article was published in Molecular and Clinical Oncology 14: Article no. 8, 2021, DOI: 10.3892/mco.2020.2170]
Rotation-activity relations and flares of M dwarfs with K2 long- and short-cadence data
2021-02-26

Studies of the rotation-activity relation of late-type stars are essential to enhance our understanding of stellar dynamos and angular momentum evolution. Photometric observations with space telescopes provide rotation periods even with low amplitudes as well as a wealth of activity diagnostics. Our previous study of the rotation-activity relation based on photometric activity indicators from long cadence K2 data revealed, that, at a critical rotation period of ~10d, the activity level changes abruptly. This phenomenon represents an open problem within the framework of dynamo theory. We have now extended our work to K2 short cadence data to examine a possible influence of the data sampling on the shape of the rotation-activity relation, in particular with respect to the different sensitivity to the detection of stellar flares. Our sample comprises 56 bright and nearby M dwarfs observed by K2 during campaigns C0-C18 in long and short cadence mode. In my poster I will show the results of our K2 study with a special focus on stellar flares. I will show how a higher data cadence improves the detection and analysis of such events. The analysis of the short cadence light curves results in a 4.6 times higher flare rate than the long cadence data. We confirm in the short cadence data the abrupt change of the activity level in the rotation-activity relation at a critical period of ~10d. This change is most drastic in the flare duration and the flare frequency for short cadence data. Our flare studies revealed that the highest flare rates are not found among the fastest rotators and that the stars with the highest flare rates do not show the most energetic flares. Finally, we found a ~2 times larger superflares frequency for the fast rotating M stars than for solar-like stars in the same period range.
Impaired dopamine- and adenosine-mediated signaling and plasticity in a novel rodent model for DYT25 dystonia
2021-02-26

Dystonia is a neurological movement disorder characterized by sustained or intermittent involuntary muscle<br> contractions. Loss-of-function mutations in the GNAL gene have been identified to be the cause of “isolated”<br> dystonia DYT25. The GNAL gene encodes for the guanine nucleotide-binding protein G(olf) subunit alpha<br> (Gα<sub>olf</sub>), which is mainly expressed in the olfactory bulb and the striatum and functions as a modulator during<br> neurotransmission coupling with D1R and A2AR. Previously, heterozygous Gα<sub>olf</sub> -deficient mice (Gnal<sup>+/−</sup>) have<br> been generated and showed a mild phenotype at basal condition. In contrast, homozygous deletion of Gnal in<br> mice (Gnal<sup>−/−</sup>) resulted in a significantly reduced survival rate. In this study, using the CRISPR-Cas9 system we<br> generated and characterized heterozygous Gnal knockout rats (Gnal<sup>+/−</sup>) with a 13 base pair deletion in the first<br> exon of the rat Gnal splicing variant 2, a major isoform in both human and rat striatum. Gnal<sup>+/−</sup> rats showed<br> early-onset phenotypes associated with impaired dopamine transmission, including reduction in locomotor activity,<br> deficits in rotarod performance and an abnormal motor skill learning ability. At cellular and molecular<br> level, we found down-regulated Arc expression, increased cell surface distribution of AMPA receptors, and the<br> loss of D2R-dependent corticostriatal long-term depression (LTD) in Gnal<sup>+/−</sup> rats. Based on the evidence that<br> D2R activity is normally inhibited by adenosine A2ARs, co-localized on the same population of striatal neurons,<br> we show that blockade of A2ARs restores physiological LTD. This animal model may be a valuable tool for<br> investigating Gαolf function and finding a suitable treatment for dystonia associated with deficient dopamine<br> transmission.