julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Routine postoperative blood tests fail to reliably predict procedure-related complications after laparoscopic cholecystectomy
2021-03-24

Abstract Purpose Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a highly standardized surgical procedure with a low risk of complications. However, once complications develop, they can be life-threatening. The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of blood tests on postoperative day one regarding their potential to predict postoperative complications Methods A cohort study of 1706 consecutive cholecystectomies performed at a tertiary hospital and teaching facility over a 5-year period between 2014 and 2019. Results Patients that had open CCE or conversion CCE were excluded. One thousand five hundred eighty-six patients were included in the final analysis that received a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (CCE). One thousand five hundred twenty-three patients had blood tests on POD 1. Forty-one complications were detected including 14 bile leaks, 2 common bile duct injuries, 13 choledocholithiasis, 9 hematomas, and 2 active bleedings. Bilirubin was elevated in 351 patients on POD 1. A drop of more than 3 mg/dl of hemoglobin was reported in 39 patients. GPT was elevated 3 × above the upper limit in 102 patients. All three tests showed a low sensitivity and specificity in detecting postoperative complications. Conclusions Early postoperative blood tests alone show a low specificity in detecting postoperative complications after laparoscopic CCE. Their main benefit appears to be the negative predictive value, when they are normal. Routine blood testing appears to be unnecessary and should be based on the intraoperative diagnosis and postoperative clinical findings.
Proteasome homeostasis is essential for a robust cauliflower mosaic virus infection
2021-03-24

Summary The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is essential for the maintenance and shifts in protein homeostasis, and thereby forms a founding pillar in virtually all cellular processes including plant immunity and viral infections. According to its importance in fine-tuning the complex plant immune response, proteasomal defects result in divergent outcomes including both resistance and susceptibility phenotypes in response to viruses. The final outcome will largely depend on the specific virus and its specific co-adaptation with the UPS as well as the immune system. Here, we show that cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) relies on the proteasome for robust infection. The proteasome system is induced during infection via SA and supports systemic accumulation of the virus as well as plant growth performance during infection. This establishes the UPS as a win-win pathway for the plant and the virus, and together with our demonstration of a proteasome-suppressing viral effector, the intimacy between the proteasome and CaMV is fortified.
Bi-Temporal Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation during Slow-Wave Sleep Boosts Slow-Wave Density but Not Memory Consolidation
2021-03-24

Slow-wave sleep (SWS) has been shown to promote long-term consolidation of episodic memories in hippocampo–neocortical networks. Previous research has aimed to modulate cortical sleep slow-waves and spindles to facilitate episodic memory consolidation. Here, we instead aimed to modulate hippocampal activity during slow-wave sleep using transcranial direct current stimulation in 18 healthy humans. A pair-associate episodic memory task was used to evaluate sleep-dependent memory consolidation with face–occupation stimuli. Pre- and post-nap retrieval was assessed as a measure of memory performance. Anodal stimulation with 2 mA was applied bilaterally over the lateral temporal cortex, motivated by its particularly extensive connections to the hippocampus. The participants slept in a magnetic resonance (MR)-simulator during the recordings to test the feasibility for a future MR-study. We used a sham-controlled, double-blind, counterbalanced randomized, within-subject crossover design. We show that stimulation vs. sham significantly increased slow-wave density and the temporal coupling of fast spindles and slow-waves. While retention of episodic memories across sleep was not affected across the entire sample of participants, it was impaired in participants with below-average pre-sleep memory performance. Hence, bi-temporal anodal direct current stimulation applied during sleep enhanced sleep parameters that are typically involved in memory consolidation, but it failed to improve memory consolidation and even tended to impair consolidation in poor learners. These findings suggest that artificially enhancing memory-related sleep parameters to improve memory consolidation can actually backfire in those participants who are in most need of memory improvement.
Naïve, unenculturated chimpanzees fail to make and use flaked stone tools
2021-03-24

<ns4:p><ns4:bold>Background</ns4:bold>: Despite substantial research on early hominin lithic technologies, the learning mechanisms underlying flake manufacture and use are contested. To draw phylogenetic inferences on the potential cognitive processes underlying the acquisition of both of these abilities in early hominins, we investigated if and how one of our closest living relatives, chimpanzees (<ns4:italic>Pan troglodytes</ns4:italic>), could learn to make and use flakes.</ns4:p><ns4:p><ns4:bold>Methods</ns4:bold>: Across several experimental conditions, we tested unenculturated, naïve chimpanzees from two independent populations (n=11) for their abilities to spontaneously make and use their own flakes as well as to use pre-made flakes made by a human experimenter.</ns4:p><ns4:p><ns4:bold>Results</ns4:bold>: Despite the fact that the chimpanzees demonstrated an understanding of the requirements of the task and that subjects were sufficiently motivated and had ample opportunities to develop these behaviours, none of the chimpanzees tested, made or used flakes in any of the experimental conditions.</ns4:p><ns4:p><ns4:bold>Conclusions</ns4:bold>: These results differ from all previous ape flaking experiments, which found flake manufacture and use in bonobos and one orangutan. However, these earlier studies tested human-enculturated apes and provided the test subjects with flake making and using demonstrations. The contrast between these earlier positive findings and our negative findings (despite using a much larger sample size) suggests that human enculturation and/or human demonstrations may be necessary for chimpanzees to acquire these abilities. The data obtained in this study are consistent with the hypothesis that flake manufacture and use might have evolved in the hominin lineage after the split between<ns4:italic>Homo</ns4:italic>and<ns4:italic>Pan</ns4:italic>7 million years ago, a scenario further supported by the initial lack of flaked stone tools in the archaeological record after this split. We discuss possible evolutionary scenarios for flake manufacture and use in both non-hominin and hominin lineages.</ns4:p>
Effect of MgCl2 and GdCl3 on ORAI1 Expression and Store-Operated Ca2+ Entry in Megakaryocytes
2021-03-24

In chronic kidney disease, hyperphosphatemia upregulates the Ca2+ channel ORAI and its activating Ca2+ sensor STIM in megakaryocytes and platelets. ORAI1 and STIM1 accomplish store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) and play a key role in platelet activation. Signaling linking phosphate to upregulation of ORAI1 and STIM1 includes transcription factor NFAT5 and serum and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase SGK1. In vascular smooth muscle cells, the effect of hyperphosphatemia on ORAI1/STIM1 expression and SOCE is suppressed by Mg2+ and the calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) agonist Gd3+. The present study explored whether sustained exposure to Mg2+ or Gd3+ interferes with the phosphate-induced upregulation of NFAT5, SGK1, ORAI1,2,3, STIM1,2 and SOCE in megakaryocytes. To this end, human megakaryocytic Meg-01 cells were treated with 2 mM ß-glycerophosphate for 24 h in the absence and presence of either 1.5 mM MgCl2 or 50 μM GdCl3. Transcript levels were estimated utilizing q-RT-PCR, protein abundance by Western blotting, cytosolic Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) by Fura-2 fluorescence and SOCE from the increase in [Ca2+]i following re-addition of extracellular Ca2+ after store depletion with thapsigargin (1 μM). As a result, Mg2+ and Gd3+ upregulated CaSR and blunted or virtually abolished the phosphate-induced upregulation of NFAT5, SGK1, ORAI1,2,3, STIM1,2 and SOCE in megakaryocytes. In conclusion, Mg2+ and the CaSR agonist Gd3+ interfere with phosphate-induced dysregulation of [Ca2+]i in megakaryocytes.
Beneficial Effects of Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) on Cognitive Performance
2021-03-24

Transcranial brain stimulation is increasingly used to improve compromised and physiological cognitive functioning. Various forms of transcranial electric stimulation build on the neurophysiological effects of weak currents that are directed to brain areas to induce modulations of cortical activity. The anode-excitatory cathode-inhibitory (AeCi) physiological model of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is often expected to produce mirrored cognitive effects for stimulations of relevant cortical areas, e.g., prefrontal cortices. However, recent research indicates that cognitive performance can also be improved via cathodal tDCS. Nevertheless, considering that different cortical structures may interact with current flow in varying ways, it is not adequate to reject AeCi entirely, to deduct a different physiological effect from cognitive outcomes, or to assume an inefficiency of cathodal tDCS in modulating higher order cortical functions. By highlighting beneficial outcomes, we present here an alternative view on cognitive enhancements that is consistent with the concept of a predominantly inhibitory effect of cathodal tDCS. Suppression of hyperactivity, dysfunctional network activity, noise filtering, state-dependent activity tuning (homeostatic plasticity), and distant disinhibition are discussed as possible mechanisms of action. Consideration of these aspects may allow for a better understanding of the complex results of tDCS studies on the malleability of cognition and behaviour.
Learning by Explaining Orally or In Written Form? Text Difficulty Matters
2021-03-24

In this experiment, we examined whether text difficulty moderates the effect of the modality of explaining on students’ learning. Students (N = 115) read a high-difficult and a low-difficult text. Additionally, students generated either a written or an oral explanation. A control group of students retrieved the content. For the low-difficult text, we found no significant differences between conditions. For the high-difficult text, however, oral explaining yielded better comprehension than writing explanations. The retrieval condition showed the lowest performance. Mediation analyses revealed that the effect of explaining modality was mediated by the number of personal references and the comprehensiveness of the generated explanations. Our findings suggest that the effect of explaining modality emerges when students are required to learn from difficult text materials. Furthermore, the findings show that oral explaining is effective, as it triggers distinct generative processes due to increased social presence during explaining.
Fabrication Process for Deep Submicron SQUID Circuits with Three Independent Niobium Layers
2021-03-24

We present a fabrication technology for nanoscale superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) with overdamped superconductor-normal metal-superconductor (SNS) trilayer Nb/HfTi/Nb Josephson junctions. A combination of electron-beam lithography with chemical-mechanical polishing and magnetron sputtering on thermally oxidized Si wafers is used to produce direct current SQUIDs with 100-nm-lateral dimensions for Nb lines and junctions. We extended the process from originally two to three independent Nb layers. This extension offers the possibility to realize superconducting vias to all Nb layers without the HfTi barrier, and hence to increase the density and complexity of circuit structures. We present results on the yield of this process and measurements of SQUID characteristics.
Isoparametric finite element analysis of a generalized Robin boundary value problem on curved domains
2021-03-24

We study the discretization of an elliptic partial differential equation, posed on a two- or three-dimensional domain with smooth boundary, endowed with a generalized Robin boundary condition which involves the Laplace-Beltrami operator on the boundary surface. The boundary is approximated with piecewise polynomial faces and we use isoparametric finite elements of arbitrary order for the discretization. We derive optimal-order error bounds for this non-conforming finite element method in both - and -norm. Numerical examples illustrate the theoretical results.
Skill or Will? Effects of Teacher Knowledge and Motivation on the Quality of Technology-Enhanced Lesson Plans
2021-03-24

In an expertise study with 94 mathematics teachers varying in their teaching experience (i.e., pre-service, induction, in-service teachers), we examined effects of teachers’ professional knowledge and motivational beliefs on their ability to effectively integrate educational technology into their lesson plans. We assessed teachers’ professional knowledge (i.e., content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge, technological knowledge), and their motivational beliefs (i.e., self-efficacy, utility-value). Additionally, teachers developed a worked-out lesson plan for introducing the Pythagorean theorem to secondary students. They were explicitly instructed to refer to the integration of technology in their lesson plans. Experienced teachers considered more cognitively activating tasks in their lesson plans and exploited the potential of technology more than inexperienced teachers. Mediation analyses revealed that this effect was explained by teachers’ perceived utility-value of educational technology but not by their professional knowledge. These findings suggest that teachers’ motivational beliefs play a decisive role for effectively integrating technology in mathematics instruction.
New horizons in reconstructing past human behavior: Introducing the “Tübingen University Validated Entheses‐based Reconstruction of Activity” method
2021-03-25

Abstract An accurate reconstruction of habitual activities in past populations and extinct hominin species is a paramount goal of paleoanthropological research, as it can elucidate the evolution of human behavior and the relationship between culture and biology. Variation in muscle attachment (entheseal) morphology has been considered an indicator of habitual activity, and many attempts have been made to use it for this purpose. However, its interpretation remains equivocal due to methodological shortcomings and a paucity of supportive experimental data. Through a series of studies, we have introduced a novel and precise methodology that focuses on reconstructing muscle synergies based on three‐dimensional and multivariate analyses among entheses. This approach was validated using uniquely documented anthropological samples, experimental animal studies, histological observations, and geometric morphometrics. Here, we detail, synthesize, and critically discuss the findings of these studies, which overall point to the great potential of entheses in elucidating aspects of past human behavior.
Spring understory herbs flower later in intensively managed forests
2021-03-25

Abstract Many organisms respond to anthropogenic environmental change through shifts in their phenology. In plants, flowering is largely driven by temperature, and therefore affected by climate change. However, on smaller scales climatic conditions are also influenced by other factors, including habitat structure. A group of plants with a particularly distinct phenology are the understory herbs in temperate European forests. In these forests, management alters tree species composition (often replacing deciduous with coniferous species) and homogenizes stand structure, and as a consequence changes light conditions and microclimate. Forest management should thus also affect the phenology of understory herbs. To test this, we recorded the flowering phenology of 16 early‐flowering herbs on 100 forest plots varying in management intensity, from near‐natural to intensely managed forests, in central and southern Germany. We found that in forest stands with a high management intensity, such as Norway spruce plantations, the plants flowered on average about 2 weeks later than in unmanaged forests. This was largely because management also affected microclimate (e.g., spring temperatures of 5.9°C in managed coniferous, 6.7 in managed deciduous, and 7.0°C in unmanaged deciduous plots), which in turn affected phenology, with plants flowering later on colder and moister forest stands (+4.5 d per −1°C and 2.7 d per 10% humidity increase). Among forest characteristics, the percentage of conifers had the greatest influence on microclimate, but also the age, overall crown projection area, structural complexity and spatial distribution of the forest stands. Our study indicates that forest management alters plant phenology, with potential far‐reaching consequences for the ecology and evolution of understorey communities. More generally, our study demonstrates that besides climate change other drivers of environmental change, too, can influence the phenology of organisms.
Authentic insights into science: scientific videos used in out-of-school learning environments
2021-03-25

The primary objective of the current project was to convey authentic science to students in out-of-school student laboratories. High school students have diverse and partially wrong concepts of scientists' work. To convey more realistic concepts, we developed videos of scientists working on relevant and up to date scientific topics. These videos, covering different work fields of scientists, were integrated into experimental stations as part of the student lab. Half of the participating students performed the experimental part only (n = 117), whereas the other half of students (n = 119) additionally watched the videos. The results of a pre-post comparison show significant increases for previously underestimated work fields, such as artistic (d = 0.94) and social (d = 0.51) aspects, for the video group. Furthermore, the perceived authenticity in the student laboratory was also promoted by the videos (d = 0.47). In conclusion, videos were shown to be a suitable option to promote the perceived authenticity in out-of-school student laboratories and to convey an authentic concept of scientists` work.
Toward Systematic Understanding of Flower Bud Induction in Apple: A Multi-Omics Approach
2021-03-25

The induction of flower buds in apple ( Malus × domestica Borkh.) is tightly connected to biennial bearing, which is characterized by alternating years with high (ON) and low or no (OFF) crop loads. In order to study this irregular cropping behavior, spur buds from ON- and OFF-trees of the biennial-bearing cultivar ‘Fuji’ and the regular bearing cultivar ‘Gala’ were collected. First, the time of flower bud initiation was precisely determined for both cultivars by histological analysis. Moreover, for a systematic understanding of flower bud induction in apple, the physiological and molecular mechanisms within the bud tissue were evaluated over four weeks prior to flower bud initiation by employing a multi-omics approach, including RNA sequencing, proteomic and metabolic profiling. Gene and protein enrichment analysis detected physiological pathways promoting and inhibiting early flower bud development. Metabolic profiles from the cropping treatments revealed a greater abundance of thiamine, chlorogenic acid, and an adenine derivative in spur buds from OFF-trees, whereas tryptophan was more abundant in the buds collected from ON-trees. Cultivar comparison indicated that chlorogenic acid was more abundant in ‘Gala’ than in ‘Fuji’ spur buds, whereas the opposite effect was found for tryptophan. Genes controlling tryptophan biosynthesis were not affected by ON- and OFF-treatments, but genes assigned to the metabolism of tryptophan into indoleacetate were differentially expressed between cultivars and treatments. The multi-omics approach permitted analyzing complex plant metabolic processes involved in early flower bud development and more specifically presumably in flower bud induction by tracing some pathways from gene to product level.
Morphosyntax and Phonology of Agreement in Turkish
2021-03-25

Abstract This article offers a new morphosyntactic account of subject agreement in the Turkish verbal domain. The account is based on a combination of well‐known, novel, and overlooked observations about the distribution and prosody of verbal agreement. In Turkish, when certain morphosyntactic requirements are met and the verb is focused, as in fragment answers with ellipsis, the agreement morpheme can be parsed inside or outside of the prosodically prominent part of the verbal domain that constitutes the fragment answer. I claim that this optionality is a reflex of how the morphemes that constitute the verbal domain are postsyntactically concatenated. In particular, I argue that an agreement morpheme either lowers together with its host ( full lowering ) or is stranded when its host lowers ( partial lowering ). In full lowering, agreement is contained within the prominent part of the verbal domain, whereas in partial lowering, agreement falls outside of this prominence domain. I also show that the prosodic variability in question is observed only when two related noncanonical realizations of agreement are possible: medial agreement and double agreement. The Vocabulary Insertion rules that I postulate for the subject‐agreement paradigms of the Turkish verbal domain capture the acceptable cases of medial and double agreement and successfully predict in which environments medial agreement is optional and in which environments it is obligatory.
Peripheral Electrical Stimulation Modulates Cortical Beta-Band Activity
2021-03-25

Low-frequency peripheral electrical stimulation using a matrix electrode (PEMS) modulates spinal nociceptive pathways. However, the effects of this intervention on cortical oscillatory activity have not been assessed yet. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of low-frequency PEMS (4 Hz) on cortical oscillatory activity in different brain states in healthy pain-free participants. In experiment 1, PEMS was compared to sham stimulation. In experiment 2, motor imagery (MI) was used to modulate the sensorimotor brain state. PEMS was applied either during MI-induced oscillatory desynchronization (concurrent PEMS) or after MI (delayed PEMS) in a cross-over design. For both experiments, PEMS was applied on the left forearm and resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) was recording before and after each stimulation condition. Experiment 1 showed a significant decrease of global resting-state beta power after PEMS compared to sham ( p = 0.016), with a median change from baseline of −16% for PEMS and −0.54% for sham. A cluster-based permutation test showed a significant difference in resting-state beta power comparing pre- and post-PEMS ( p = 0.018) that was most pronounced over bilateral central and left frontal sensors. Experiment 2 did not identify a significant difference in the change from baseline of global EEG power for concurrent PEMS compared to delayed PEMS. Two cluster-based permutation tests suggested that frontal beta power may be increased following both concurrent and delayed PEMS. This study provides novel evidence for supraspinal effects of low-frequency PEMS and an initial indication that the presence of a cognitive task such as MI may influence the effects of PEMS on beta activity. Chronic pain has been associated with changes in beta activity, in particular an increase of beta power in frontal regions. Thus, brain state-dependent PEMS may offer a novel approach to the treatment of chronic pain. However, further studies are warranted to investigate optimal stimulation conditions to achieve a reduction of pain.