julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Semantic Classical Conditioning and Brain-Computer Interface Control: Encoding of Affirmative and Negative Thinking
2013-01-01

The aim of the study was to investigate conditioned electroencephalography (EEG) responses to factually correct and incorrect statements in order to enable binary communication by means of a brain-computer interface (BCI). In two experiments with healthy participants true and false statements (serving as conditioned stimuli, CSs) were paired with two different tones which served as unconditioned stimuli (USs). The features of the USs were varied and tested for their effectiveness to elicit differentiable conditioned reactions (CRs). After acquisition of the CRs, these CRs to true and false statements were classified offline using a radial basis function kernel support vector machine. A mean single-trial classification accuracy of 50.5% was achieved for differentiating conditioned "yes" versus "no" thinking and mean accuracies of 65.4% for classification of "yes" and 68.8% for "no" thinking (both relative to baseline) were found using the best US. Analysis of the area under the curve of the conditioned EEG responses revealed significant differences between conditioned "yes" and "no" answers. Even though improvements are necessary, these first results indicate that the semantic conditioning paradigm could be a useful basis for further research regarding BCI communication in patients in the complete locked-in state.
L-type CaV1.2 deletion in the cochlea but not in the brainstem reduces noise vulnerability: implication for CaV1.2-mediated control of cochlear BDNF expression
2013-01-01

Voltage-gated L-type Ca(2+) channels (L-VGCCs) like CaV1.2 are assumed to play a crucial role for controlling release of trophic peptides including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). In the inner ear of the adult mouse, besides the well-described L-VGCC CaV1.3, CaV1.2 is also expressed. Due to lethality of constitutive CaV1.2 knock-out mice, the function of this ion channel as well as its putative relationship to BDNF in the auditory system is entirely elusive. We recently described that BDNF plays a differential role for inner hair cell (IHC) vesicles release in normal and traumatized condition. To elucidate a presumptive role of CaV1.2 during this process, two tissue-specific conditional mouse lines were generated. To distinguish the impact of CaV1.2 on the cochlea from that on feedback loops from higher auditory centers CaV1.2 was deleted, in one mouse line, under the Pax2 promoter (CaV1.2(Pax2)) leading to a deletion in the spiral ganglion neurons, dorsal cochlear nucleus, and inferior colliculus. In the second mouse line, the Egr2 promoter was used for deleting CaV1.2 (CaV1.2(Egr2)) in auditory brainstem nuclei. In both mouse lines, normal hearing threshold and equal number of IHC release sites were observed. We found a slight reduction of auditory brainstem response wave I amplitudes in the CaV1.2(Pax2) mice, but not in the CaV1.2(Egr2) mice. After noise exposure, CaV1.2(Pax2) mice had less-pronounced hearing loss that correlated with maintenance of ribbons in IHCs and less reduced activity in auditory nerve fibers, as well as in higher brain centers at supra-threshold sound stimulation. As reduced cochlear BDNF mRNA levels were found in CaV1.2(Pax2) mice, we suggest that a CaV1.2-dependent step may participate in triggering part of the beneficial and deteriorating effects of cochlear BDNF in intact systems and during noise exposure through a pathway that is independent of CaV1.2 function in efferent circuits.
A semi-quantitative model of Quorum-Sensing in Staphylococcus aureus, approved by microarray meta-analyses and tested by mutation studies
2013-01-01

Staphylococcus aureus (SA) causes infections including severe sepsis by antibiotic-resistant strains. It forms biofilms to protect itself from the host and antibiotics. Biofilm and planktonic lifestyle are regulated by a complex quorum sensing system (QS) with the central regulator agr. To study biofilm formation and QS we set up a Boolean node interaction network (94 nodes, 184 edges) that included different two component systems such as agr, sae and arl. Proteins such as sar, rot and sigB were included. Each gene node represents the resulting activity of its gene products (mRNA and protein). Network consistency was tested according to previous knowledge and the literature. Regulator mutation combinations (agr-, sae-, sae-/agr-, sigB+, sigB+/sae-) were tested in silico in the model and compared regarding system changes and responses to experimental gene expression data. High connectivity served as a guide to identify master regulators, and their detailed behaviour was studied both in vitro and in the model. System analysis showed two stable states, biofilm forming versus planktonic, with clearly different sub-networks turned on. Predicted node activity changes from the in silico model were in line with microarray gene expression data of different knockout strains. Additional in silico predictions about node activity and biofilm formation were compared to new in vitro experiments (northern blots and biofilm adherence assays) which confirmed these. Further experiments in silico as well as in vitro showed the sae locus as the central modulator of biofilm production. Sae knockout strains showed stronger biofilms. Wild type phenotype was rescued by sae complementation. The in silico network provides a theoretical model that agrees well with the presented experimental data on how integration of different inputs is achieved in the QS of SA. It faithfully reproduces the behaviour of QS mutants and their biofilm forming ability and allows predictions about mutations and mutation combinations for any node in the network. The model and simulations allow us to study QS and biofilm formation in SA including behaviour of MRSA strains and mutants. The in vitro and in silico evidence stresses the role of sae and agr in fine-tuning biofilm repression and/or SA dissemination.
Segmenting sign language into motor primitives with Bayesian binning
2013-01-01

The endpoint trajectories of human movements fulfill characteristic power laws linking velocity and curvature. The parameters of these power laws typically vary between different segments of longer action sequences. These parameters might thus be exploited for the unsupervised segmentation of actions into movement primitives. For the example of sign language we investigate whether such segments can be identified by Bayesian binning (BB), using a Gaussian observation model whose mean has a polynomial time dependence. We show that this method yields good segmentation and correctly models ground truth kinematics composed of consecutive segments derived from wrist trajectories recorded from users of Israeli Sign Language (ISL). Importantly, polynomial orders between 3 and 5 yield an optimal trade-off between complexity and accuracy of the trajectory approximation, in accordance with the minimum acceleration and minimum jerk models. Comparing the orders of the polynomials best approximating natural kinematics against those needed to fit the power law ground truth data suggests that kinematic properties not compatible with power laws are also not adequately represented by low order polynomials and require higher order polynomials for a good approximation.
TFF1 is Differentially Expressed in Stationary and Migratory Rat Gastric Epithelial Cells (RGM-1) afterin VitroWounding: Influence of TFF1 RNA Interference on Cell Migration
2013-01-01

This clearly points to a function of Tff1 as a motogen. A possible up-regulation of TFF1 synthesis in migratory surface mucous cells also in vivo would be an ideal mechanism to specifically enhance gastric restitution only where topologically needed and to minimize eventual negative side effects of TFF1 such as cell scattering and invasiveness.
Diurnal pattern of stomatal conductance in the large-leaved temperate liana Aristolochia macrophylla depends on spatial position within the leaf lamina
2013-01-01

Gas exchange regulation appears to be zone specific in A. macrophylla leaves. It is suggested that the spatial-diurnal pattern of gs expressed by A. macrophylla leaves represents a strategy to prevent leaf zonal water stress and subsequent vein embolism.
Developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing in task-switching situations: the impact of task practice and task-sequencing demands
2013-01-01

In this study we examined whether developmental changes in using verbal self-cueing for task-goal maintenance are dependent on the amount of task practice and task-sequencing demands. To measure task-goal maintenance we applied a switching paradigm in which children either performed only task A or B in single-task blocks or switched between them on every second trial in mixed-task blocks. Task-goal maintenance was determined by comparing the performance between both blocks (mixing costs). The influence of verbal self-cueing was measured by instructing children to either name the next task aloud or not to verbalize during task preparation. Task-sequencing demands were varied between groups whereas one group received spatial task cues to support keeping track of the task sequence, while the other group did not. We also varied by the amount of prior practice in task switching while one group of participants practiced task switching first, before performing the task naming in addition, and the other group did it vice versa. Results of our study investigating younger (8-10 years) and older children (11-13 years) revealed no age differences in beneficial effects of verbal self-cueing. In line with previous findings, children showed reduced mixing costs under task-naming instructions and under conditions of low task-sequence demands (with the presence of spatial task cues). Our results also indicated that these benefits were only obtained for those groups of children that first received practice in task switching alone with no additional verbalization instruction. These findings suggest that internal task-cueing strategies can be efficiently used in children but only if they received prior practice in the underlying task so that demands on keeping and coordinating various instructions are reduced. Moreover, children benefitted from spatial task cues for better task-goal maintenance only if no verbal task-cueing strategy was introduced first.
C–H functionalization of tetramethylsilane employing a borylnitrene
2013-01-01

The irradiation of 2-azido-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborol (pinBN3, pin = pinacolato) generates the corresponding borylnitrene that easily inserts into the CH bond of tetramethylsilane. This primary photoproduct, a monoborylated aminoborane, undergoes a subsequent reaction with pinBN3 forming a bisborylated aminoborane.
Identification of a novel mutation in the PRCD gene causing autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa in a Turkish family.
2013-01-01

The identification of a third mutation in PRCD confirms its role in the pathogenesis of RP. Clinical findings were in line with the morphological changes observed in previous studies. Bull's eye maculopathy seems to be a hallmark of RP due to mutations in the PRCD gene.
Modular neuron-based body estimation: maintaining consistency over different limbs, modalities, and frames of reference
2013-01-01

This paper addresses the question of how the brain maintains a probabilistic body state estimate over time from a modeling perspective. The neural Modular Modality Frame (nMMF) model simulates such a body state estimation process by continuously integrating redundant, multimodal body state information sources. The body state estimate itself is distributed over separate, but bidirectionally interacting modules. nMMF compares the incoming sensory and present body state information across the interacting modules and fuses the information sources accordingly. At the same time, nMMF enforces body state estimation consistency across the modules. nMMF is able to detect conflicting sensory information and to consequently decrease the influence of implausible sensor sources on the fly. In contrast to the previously published Modular Modality Frame (MMF) model, nMMF offers a biologically plausible neural implementation based on distributed, probabilistic population codes. Besides its neural plausibility, the neural encoding has the advantage of enabling (a) additional probabilistic information flow across the separate body state estimation modules and (b) the representation of arbitrary probability distributions of a body state. The results show that the neural estimates can detect and decrease the impact of false sensory information, can propagate conflicting information across modules, and can improve overall estimation accuracy due to additional module interactions. Even bodily illusions, such as the rubber hand illusion, can be simulated with nMMF. We conclude with an outlook on the potential of modeling human data and of invoking goal-directed behavioral control.
Activation of words with phonological overlap
2013-01-01

Multiple lexical representations overlapping with the input (cohort neighbors) are temporarily activated in the listener's mental lexicon when speech unfolds in time. Activation for cohort neighbors appears to rapidly decline as soon as there is mismatch with the input. However, it is a matter of debate whether or not they are completely excluded from further processing. We recorded behavioral data and event-related brain potentials (ERPs) in auditory-visual word onset priming during a lexical decision task. As primes we used the first two syllables of spoken German words. In a carrier word condition, the primes were extracted from spoken versions of the target words (ano-ANORAK "anorak"). In a cohort neighbor condition, the primes were taken from words that overlap with the target word up to the second nucleus (ana-taken from ANANAS "pineapple"). Relative to a control condition, where primes and targets were unrelated, lexical decision responses for cohort neighbors were delayed. This reveals that cohort neighbors are disfavored by the decision processes at the behavioral front end. In contrast, left-anterior ERPs reflected long-lasting facilitated processing of cohort neighbors. We interpret these results as evidence for extended parallel processing of cohort neighbors. That is, in parallel to the preparation and elicitation of delayed lexical decision responses to cohort neighbors, aspects of the processing system appear to keep track of those less efficient word candidates.
Tracheal tissue engineering: building on a strong foundation
2013-01-01

Tissue-engineered tracheal transplants may offer a treatment strategy to address advanced structural disorders of the large airway. The approach aims to offer an alternative to the typically applied slide tracheoplasty, which can lead to stent erosion or even death. Laryngotracheal agenesis or severe stenosis can be fatal for developing fetuses and often leads to the decision to terminate the pregnancy. A tissue-engineered, autologous (stem) cell-seeded construct might be a promising option for children, as this alternative surgical replacement strategy has been successfully used in clinics for bladder repair and tracheal replacement in adults. In the reviewed 2-year follow-up study, Elliott and colleagues implanted an allogeneic, decellularized trachea that was supported with an absorbable polydioxanone stent, which was saturated with an autologous, bone marrow-derived stem cell mixture prior to implantation into a pediatric patient.
Theorizing the Impact of Trust on Post-Agreement Negotiations: The Case of Franco-German Security Relations
2013-01-01

Abstract In this article we argue that trust is fundamental to post-agreement negotiations in the field of international security. We present our concept of interstate trust and discuss its relation to two core mechanisms of international cooperation: control and policy integration. Our main hypothesis is that growing trust reduces a dyad’s reliance on control and leads to intensified policy integration. To specify how the trust-control nexus and the trust-integration nexus structure post-agreement negotiations, we first assume that post-agreement negotiations are likely to follow interstate crises. Second, we theorize crisis reactions and differentiate between low-trust and high-trust situations. In low-trust situations, a crisis indicates a failure to control the actions of others. As a response, demands for institutional reform will stress new and improved control mechanisms. In high-trust situations, the trusting bias defuses most of the doubts about the other’s cooperative preferences and points to miscommunication as the principal issue. Therefore, negotiations will be about intensifying policy integration. States do so for three purposes: sustaining valuable integration, overcoming the crisis, and building trust. As a first plausibility probe for our argument, we look at post-agreement negotiations between France and Germany.
Kinematic and Neurophysiological Consequences of an Assisted-Force-Feedback Brain-Machine Interface Training: A Case Study
2013-01-01

In a proof-of-principle prototypical demonstration we describe a new type of brain-machine interface (BMI) paradigm for upper limb motor-training. The proposed technique allows a fast contingent and proportionally modulated stimulation of afferent proprioceptive and motor output neural pathways using operant learning. Continuous and immediate assisted-feedback of force proportional to rolandic rhythm oscillations during actual movements was employed and illustrated with a single case experiment. One hemiplegic patient was trained for 2 weeks coupling somatosensory brain oscillations with force-field control during a robot-mediated center-out motor-task whose execution approaches movements of everyday life. The robot facilitated actual movements adding a modulated force directed to the target, thus providing a non-delayed proprioceptive feedback. Neuro-electric, kinematic, and motor-behavioral measures were recorded in pre- and post-assessments without force assistance. Patient's healthy arm was used as control since neither a placebo control was possible nor other control conditions. We observed a generalized and significant kinematic improvement in the affected arm and a spatial accuracy improvement in both arms, together with an increase and focalization of the somatosensory rhythm changes used to provide assisted-force-feedback. The interpretation of the neurophysiological and kinematic evidences reported here is strictly related to the repetition of the motor-task and the presence of the assisted-force-feedback. Results are described as systematic observations only, without firm conclusions about the effectiveness of the methodology. In this prototypical view, the design of appropriate control conditions is discussed. This study presents a novel operant-learning-based BMI-application for motor-training coupling brain oscillations and force feedback during an actual movement.
On the external branches of coalescents with multiple collisions
2013-01-01

A recursion for the joint moments of the external branch lengths for coalescents with multiple collisions (Lambda-coalescents) is provided. This recursion is used to derive asymptotic results as the sample size n tends to infinity for the joint moments of the external branch lengths and for the moments of the total external branch length of the Bolthausen-Sznitman coalescent. These asymptotic results are based on a differential equation approach, which is as well useful to obtain exact solutions for the joint moments of the external branch lengths for the Bolthausen-Sznitman coalescent. The results for example show that the lengths of two randomly chosen external branches are positively correlated for the Bolthausen-Sznitman coalescent, whereas they are negatively correlated for the Kingman coalescent provided that n &amp;gt;= 4.
Three-Dimensional Assessment of Facial Development in Children With Unilateral Cleft Lip With and Without Alveolar Cleft
2013-01-01

Children with cleft lip or cleft lip and alveolus represent a minor group in the cleft population. The aim of this study was to analyze the faces of these children. In a prospective, cross-sectional study, 344 healthy children and 30 children with cleft lip or cleft lip and alveolus were scanned three-dimensionally at the age of 0 to 6 years. Twenty-one standard anthropometric landmarks were identified, and the images were superimposed. Growth curves for normal facial development were calculated. The facial morphology of cleft children was compared with that of unaffected children.Facial morphology and growth in the transverse direction of the examined patients appeared broadened in all levels. Especially the nasal landmarks indicated a widening of the nose. The landmarks ac l, sbal l, sbal r, c l, sn l, and ls l differed significantly from unaffected children. In the sagittal and vertical dimensions, there was no significant difference compared with unaffected children.Our study demonstrates that surgical and orthodontic treatment can restore the vertical and sagittal dimensions of the face in children with cleft lip with and without alveolar clefts; however, the transverse dimension-especially the nose-remains too broad.
Using Brain Waves to Control Computers and Machines
2013-01-01

1 Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA 2MEG Center, Eberhard Karls University of Tubingen, 72076 Tubingen, Germany 3Neuroimaging Laboratory, Center for Mind/Brain Sciences (CIMeC), University of Trento, 38123 Mattarello, Italy 4Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Laboratory, Martinos Imaging Center at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA 02139, USA 5Applied Neurotechnology Lab, Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioral Neurobiology and Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Tubingen, 72076 Tubingen, Germany 6 Laboratory of Medical Informatics, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54123 Thessaloniki, Greece
“Clock Shock,” Motivational Enhancement, and Performance Maintenance in Adderall Use
2013-01-01

The article by Scott Vrecko (2013) contributes toward the elucidation of a neglected issue in the debate on cognition enhancement drugs, namely, the exact nature of the effects experienced by users...
Green food consumption: whose responsibility?
2013-01-01

Starting from the discussion of the concept of responsibility, the paper asks to what extent the issue of counteracting climate change by different food consumption patterns can be broken down to the level of individuals. As no one is obligated beyond what he or she is able to do ('Ought presupposes Can'), one has to ask for the limits of individual responsibility. Green Food Consumption is not limited to consumers changing their shopping lists in replacing conventional by green products. It rather requires more encompassing lifestyle changes in accordance with the concept of sustainable development. If one agrees that consumers with green shopping lists are to be the solution, then one implicitly agrees that markets are the mechanism to solve the problem. An opposite view calls for the state as problem-solving mechanism. However, there are mechanisms beyond market and state. The paper asks to what extent these other institutional mechanisms alter the assessment of individual responsibility.