julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
1,3-Diene Polymerization Mediated by Homoleptic Tetramethylaluminates of the Rare-Earth Metals
2018-02-03

During the past two decades homoleptic tetramethylaluminates of the trivalent rare-earth metals, Ln(AlMe4)3, have emerged as useful components for efficient catalyst design in the field of 1,3-diene polymerization. Previous work had focused on isoprene polymerization applying Ln(AlMe4)3 precatalysts with Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Gd and Y, in the presence of Et2AlCl as an activator. Polymerizations employing Ln(AlMe4)3 with Ln = La, Y and Nd along with borate/borane co-catalysts [Ph3C][B(C6F5)4], [PhNMe2H][B(C6F5)4] and [B(C6F5)3] were mainly investigated for reasons of comparison with ancillary ligand-supported systems (cf. half-sandwich complexes). The present study investigates into a total of eleven rare-earth elements, namely Ln = La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Y, Er and Lu. A full overview on the polymerization behavior of Ln(AlMe4)3 in the presence of perfluorinated borate/borane cocatalysts and R2AlCl-type activators (R = Me, Et) is provided, probing the monomers isoprene and 1,3-butadiene (and preliminary ethylene). Virtually complete cis-1,4-selectivities are obtained for several catalyst/cocatalyst combinations (e.g., Gd(AlMe4)3/Me2AlCl, &gt;99.9%). Insights into the ‘black box’ of active species are obtained by indirect observations via screening of pre-reaction time and cocatalyst concentration. The microstructure of the polydienes is investigated by combined 1H/13C NMR and ATR-IR spectroscopies. Furthermore, the reaction of [LuMe6(Li(thf)x)3] with AlMe3 has been applied as a new strategy for the efficient synthesis of Lu(AlMe4)3. The solid-state structures of Gd(AlMe4)3 and Tb(AlMe4)3 are reported.
First Insights into the Technique Used for Heat Treatment of Chert at the Solutrean Site of Laugerie‐Haute, France
2018-02-04

The earliest evidence of flint and chert heat treatment was found in the ~21.5–17 ka old European Solutrean culture. The appearance of pyrotechnology as part of the production of stone tools has important implications for our understanding of Upper Palaeolithic technological evolution and the specific adaptations during the last glacial maximum in Europe. However, the techniques and procedures used to heat‐treat rocks during the Solutrean remain poorly understood. No direct archaeological evidence has so far been found and the most promising approach is to understand these techniques by determining the parameters with which flint and chert were heated at that time. In this study, we investigate the heating temperature of 44 heat‐treated laurel‐leaf points from Laugerie‐Haute, using a non‐destructive technique based on infrared spectroscopy. Our results document that most of the artefacts were heated to a narrow interval of temperatures between 250 °C and 300 °C. This indicates a standardized technique that allowed to created similar conditions during successive heating cycles. The implications of these results for our understanding of the technical complexity during the Solutrean must be discussed in the light of different heating techniques used at different places and periods.
Variable training but not sleep improves consolidation of motor adaptation
2018-02-04

How motor memory consolidates still remains elusive. Motor tasks’ consolidation were shown to depend on periods of sleep, whereas pure non-hippocampal dependent tasks, like motor adaptation, might not. Some research suggests that the mode of training might affect the sleep dependency of motor adaptation tasks. Here we investigated whether sleep differentially impacts memory consolidation dependent on the variability during training. Healthy men were trained with their dominant, right hand on a force field adaptation task and re-tested after an 11-h consolidation period either involving overnight sleep (Sleep) or daytime wakefulness (Wake). Retesting also included a transfer to the non-dominant hand. Half of the subjects in each group adapted to different force field magnitudes with low inter-trial variability (Sleep-Blocked; Wake-Blocked), the other half with high variability (Sleep-Random; Wake-Random). EEG was recorded during task execution and overnight polysomnography. Motor adaptation was comparable between Wake and Sleep groups, although performance changes over sleep correlated with sleep spindles nesting in slow wave upstates. Higher training variability improved retest, including transfer learning, and these improvements correlated with higher alpha power in contralateral parietal areas. Enhanced consolidation after training might foster the ability to correct ongoing movements by responsive feedback rather than their pre-execution prediction.
Sensory Evolution and Ecology of Early Turtles Revealed by Digital Endocranial Reconstructions
2018-02-05

In the past few years, new fossil finds and novel methodological approaches have prompted intensive discussions about the phylogenetic affinities of turtles and rekindled the debate on their ecological origin, with very distinct scenarios, such as fossoriality and aquatic habitat occupation, proposed for the earliest stem-turtles. While research has focused largely on the origin of the anapsid skull and unique postcranial anatomy, little is known about the endocranial anatomy of turtles. Here, we provide 3D digital reconstructions and comparative descriptions of the brain, nasal cavity, neurovascular structures and endosseous labyrinth of Proganochelys quenstedti, one of the earliest stem-turtles, as well as other turtle taxa. Our results demonstrate that P. quenstedti retained a simple tube-like brain morphology with poorly differentiated regions and mediocre hearing and vision, but a well-developed olfactory sense. Endocast shape analysis indicates that an increase in size and regionalization of the brain took place in the course of turtle evolution, achieving an endocast diversity comparable to other amniote groups. Based on the new evidence presented herein, we further conclude that P. quenstedti was a highly terrestrial, but most likely not fossorial, taxon.
Alcohol consumption, but not smoking is associated with higher MR-derived liver fat in an asymptomatic study population
2018-02-05

Our data revealed lowest odds for FLD in current smokers, moderate drinkers showing higher HFF than non-drinkers and heavy drinkers showing highest HFF and odds for FLD. These findings partly conflict with former literature and underline the importance of further studies to investigate the complex effects on liver metabolism.
Oxytocin curbs calorie intake via food-specific increases in the activity of brain areas that process reward and establish cognitive control
2018-02-05

Abstract The hypothalamic neurohormone oxytocin decreases food intake via largely unexplored mechanisms. We investigated the central nervous mediation of oxytocin’s hypophagic effect in comparison to its impact on the processing of generalized rewards. Fifteen fasted normal-weight, young men received intranasal oxytocin (24 IU) or placebo before functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) measurements of brain activity during exposure to food stimuli and a monetary incentive delay task (MID). Subsequently, ad-libitum breakfast intake was assessed. Oxytocin compared to placebo increased activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, supplementary motor area, anterior cingulate, and ventrolateral prefrontal cortices in response to high- vs. low-calorie food images in the fasted state, and reduced calorie intake by 12%. During anticipation of monetary rewards, oxytocin compared to placebo augmented striatal, orbitofrontal and insular activity without altering MID performance. We conclude that during the anticipation of generalized rewards, oxytocin stimulates dopaminergic reward-processing circuits. In contrast, oxytocin restrains food intake by enhancing the activity of brain regions that exert cognitive control, while concomitantly increasing the activity of structures that process food reward value. This pattern points towards a specific role of oxytocin in the regulation of eating behaviour in humans that might be of relevance for potential clinical applications.
A repeatable geometric morphometric approach to the analysis of hand entheseal three‐dimensional form
2018-02-05

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to put forth a precise landmark‐based technique for reconstructing the three‐dimensional shape of human entheseal surfaces, to investigate whether the shape of human entheses is related to their size. The effects of age‐at‐death and bone length on entheseal shapes were also assessed. Materials and methods The sample comprised high‐definition three‐dimensional models of three right hand entheseal surfaces, which correspond to 45 male adult individuals of known age. For each enthesis, a particular landmark configuration was introduced, whose precision was tested both within and between observers. The effect of three‐dimensional size, age‐at‐death, and bone length on shape was investigated through shape regression. Results The method presented high intra‐observer and inter‐observer repeatability. All entheses showed significant allometry, with the area of opponens pollicis demonstrating the most substantial relationship. This was particularly due to variation related to its proximal elongated ridge. The effect of age‐at‐death and bone length on entheses was limited. Discussion The introduced methodology can set a reliable basis for further research on the factors affecting entheseal shape. Using both size and shape, variables can provide further information on entheseal variation and its biomechanical implications. The low entheseal variation by age verifies that specimens under 50 years of age are not substantially affected by age‐related changes. The lack of correlation between entheseal shape and bone length or age implies that other factors may regulate entheseal surfaces. Future research should focus on multivariate shape patterns among entheses and their association with occupation.
A Qualitative Assessment of the Acceptability of Smartphone Applications for Improving Sleep Behaviors in Low-Income and Minority Adolescents
2018-02-05

<i>Background</i>: Daily behaviors such as sleep can be targeted by smartphone app-based interventions, with potential utility among young people of minority ethnic backgrounds who commonly access smartphone devices and are short sleepers. There is a need to understand the acceptability and youth's readiness to use apps to improve sleep, and to identify desired app components that would motivate engagement. <i>Participants and Methods</i>: We conducted three focus group discussions (<i>N</i> = 27 total, age 14-18 years) within low- and middle-income ethnically diverse Boston neighborhoods. We also interviewed 10 participants who provided specific feedback on two commercially available sleep-promoting apps, one of which they had used on their smartphone preceding the interviews. All focus group discussions and interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and thematically analyzed. <i>Results</i>: We identified several barriers to adoption of sleep hygiene interventions, namely reluctance to follow scheduled sleep routines on weekends and concern about "parting" with electronics at bedtime. Participants were intrigued by the idea of adopting an app-based sleep intervention, but were skeptical that they could successfully adopt sleep hygiene practices, and were more interested in making changes on school days than on weekends. Nonetheless, the overall feedback on two commercial sleep apps, neither targeted at youth, was positive, with a good adherence and engagement rate, and perceived health benefits. <i>Conclusions</i>: Our findings highlight the need to adapt sleep hygiene recommendations to targeted populations, considering preferences and social and cultural contextual factors. Our research also underscores the importance of the platform, setting, and messenger when delivering health information to adolescents.
Comparison of the periodic slab approach with the finite cluster description of metal–organic interfaces at the example of PTCDA on Ag(110)
2018-02-05

We present a comparative study of metal–organic interface properties obtained from dispersion corrected density functional theory calculations based on two different approaches: the periodic slab‐supercell technique and cluster models with 32–290 Ag atoms. Fermi smearing and fixing of cluster borders are required to make the cluster calculation feasible and realistic. The considered adsorption structure and energy of a PTCDA molecule on the Ag(110) surface is not well reproduced with clusters containing only two metallic layers. However, all clusters with four layers of silver atoms and sufficient lateral extension reproduce the adsorbate structure within 0.04 Å with respect to the slab‐supercell structure and provide adsorption energies of ( 0.08 eV) consistent with the slab result of −4.47 eV. Thus, metal–organic adsorbate systems can be realistically represented by properly defined cluster models. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Does attitude acquisition in evaluative conditioning without explicit CS-US memory reflect implicit misattribution of affect?
2018-02-05

Research that dissociates different types of processes within a given task using a processing tree approach suggests that attitudes may be acquired through evaluative conditioning in the absence of explicit encoding of CS-US pairings in memory. This research distinguishes explicit memory for the CS-US pairings from CS-liking acquired without encoding of CS-US pairs in explicit memory. It has been suggested that the latter effect may be due to an implicit misattribution process that is assumed to operate when US evocativeness is low. In the present research, the latter assumption was supported neither by two high-powered experiments nor by complementary meta-analytic evidence, whereas evocativeness exerted an influence on explicit memory. This pattern of findings is inconsistent with the view that CS-liking acquired without encoding of CS-US pairs in explicit memory reflects an implicit misattribution process at learning. Hence, the underlying learning process is awaiting further empirical scrutiny.
Two types of debunking arguments
2018-02-05

Debunking arguments are arguments that seek to undermine a belief or doctrine by exposing its causal origins. Two prominent proponents of such arguments are the utilitarians Joshua Greene and Peter Singer. They draw on evidence from moral psychology, neuroscience, and evolutionary theory in an effort to show that there is something wrong with how deontological judgments are typically formed and with where our deontological intuitions come from. They offer debunking explanations of our emotion-driven deontological intuitions and dismiss complex deontological theories as products of confabulatory post hoc rationalization. Through my discussion of Greene and Singer's empirically informed debunking of deontology, I introduce the distinction between two different types of debunking arguments. The first type of debunking argument operates through regular undercutting defeat, whereas the second type relies on higher-order evidence. I argue that the latter type of debunking argument, of which the argument from confabulation is an example, is objectionably sloppy and therefore inadmissible in academic discussion.
Perception and Coincidence in Helmholtz’s Theory of Measurement
2018-02-05

The present paper is concerned with Helmholtz’s theory of measurement. It will be argued that an adequate understanding of this theory depends on how Helmholtz’s application of the concepts of perception and coincidence is interpreted. In contrast both to conventionalist and (neo-)Kantian readings of Helmholtz’s theory, a more realistic interpretation will be suggested.
A Discourse and Register Analysis of the Prophetic Book of Joel. By Colin M. Toffelmire
2018-02-05

Colin Toffelmire has published a well-structured adapted version of his doctoral dissertation, which stresses the valuable contributions of a new form critical approach to the exegetical academic discussion. He presents a discourse and register analysis grounded in Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), especially influenced by the theoretical insights of M. A. K. Halliday, by examining the form and genre of the Book of Joel linguistically. After an introduction dealing with the structure and the dating of the Book of Joel and its contribution to the entire Book of the Twelve (pp. 1–16), he explains in a first chapter his ‘Methodical base including the definition of the Systemic Functional Linguistics, Register Analysis and the New Form Criticism’ (p. 17–46). SFL is a functional and socio-semiotic theory of language underlining the influence of ‘context’ for the interpretation of a text or its subtexts. Toffelmire uses an adapted form of the SFL-theory for describing the ancient Hebrew semantics and emphasizes the importance of a language’s own linguistic system. For a determination of Joel’s register, he analyses several textual elements in the categories of field (participants, arena, processes, etc.), mode and tenor (participant relations) (for the categories see esp. pp. 28–9).
Microplastics Reduce Short-Term Effects of Environmental Contaminants. Part I: Effects of Bisphenol A on Freshwater Zooplankton Are Lower in Presence of Polyamide Particles
2018-02-06

Microplastics can have direct physical effects on organisms in freshwater systems, and are considered as vectors for absorbed environmental pollutants. It is still under discussion if microplastics are relevant pollutant vectors for uptake into aquatic organisms in comparison to further uptake pathways, e.g., via water or sediment particles. We analyzed how the presence of microplastics (polyamide particles, PA) modifies acute effects of the environmental pollutant bisphenol A (BPA) on freshwater zooplankton (Daphnia magna). Daphnids were exposed to PA particles and BPA alone, before combining them in the next step with one concentration of PA and varying concentrations of BPA. The PA particles themselves did not induce negative effects, while the effects of BPA alone followed a typical dose-dependent manner. Sorption of BPA to PA particles prior to exposure led to a reduction of BPA in the aqueous phase. The combination of BPA and PA led to decreased immobilization, although PA particles loaded with BPA were ingested by the daphnids. Calculations based on physiochemistry and equilibrium assumptions indicated lower BPA body burden of daphnids in the presence of PA particles. These results confirm model-based studies, and show that investigated microplastic concentrations are negligible for the overall pollutant uptake of daphnids with water as additional uptake pathway.
Sixty years after Titmuss: New findings on occupational welfare in Europe
2018-02-06

Abstract Following the seminal work of Richard Titmuss, who coined the term occupational welfare (OW) 60 years ago, the article approaches OW provision in Europe today. We first define OW as the sum of extra‐statutory social benefits and services provided by employers and/or trade unions as a result of employment. We then look at its recent evolution: OW expenditure and coverage have been increasing significantly in Europe since the 1990s. While pensions are still the main policy area of OW, the latter has also advanced in other social protection areas (e.g., health insurance, reconciliation). This has led to four different ideal types of OW—defined on the base of their organizing principle (voluntarism vs. collectivism) and the level of OW scheme coverage and expenditure. By looking at the main drivers of OW, the analysis has found no evidence of a “crowding out” effect between public welfare and OW. Collective bargaining, national political economy, and the timing of reforms prove to be important factors explaining the OW development. As for the present and future of OW, dualization is a major risk. At present, the main fault lines created by OW follow sectoral, industry, company size, and occupational group lines. To avoid the worsening of inequalities originated by OW, even in those countries which were able in the past to avoid dualization, strong industrial relations may play a key role. The article concludes with some suggestions on the agenda of future OW research.
Comparing occupational welfare in Europe: The case of occupational pensions
2018-02-06

Abstract The article provides an assessment to what extent reforms of occupational pensions (OP) have fostered a “risk shift” or increased social protection dualism across countries. The essay focuses on workers, whilst previous research primarily analyzed provision for current pensioners. The empirical analysis confirms that in countries such as the Netherlands and Sweden, increased private pension or (OP) provision does not necessarily lead towards social protection dualism and comprehensive risk shifts. Britain continues to be characterized by strong social protection dualism and entrenched social divides, creating “social policy enclaves”. Divisions of welfare are also very likely to be a feature of the German pension system in the future. The latter two countries have witnessed clear risk shifts and processes of dualization. The pension systems in Austria, Italy, and Spain have not witnessed paradigmatic changes, and continue to be primarily based on public/statutory pension schemes. The idea that multi‐pillarization in itself fosters major risk shifts and dualization has to be reconsidered. Under specific conditions, encompassing OPs can be functionally equivalent to public pension schemes. However, countries relying on voluntarism with regard to OPs coverage tend to witness processes of dualization.
Investigation of single and synergic effects of NLRC5 and PD-L1 variants on the risk of colorectal cancer
2018-02-06

Constitutive activation of interferon signaling pathways has been reported in colorectal cancer (CRC), leading to a strong CD8+ T cell response through stimulation of NLRC5 expression. Primed CD8+ T cell expansion, however, may be negatively regulated by PD-L1 expression. Additionally, aberrant PD-L1 expression enables cancer cells to escape the immune attack. Our study aimed to select potential regulatory variants in the NLRC5 and PD-L1 genes by using several online in silico tools, such as UCSC browser, HaploReg, Regulome DB, Gtex Portal, microRNA and transcription factor binding site prediction tools and to investigate their influence on CRC risk in a Czech cohort of 1424 CRC patients and 1114 healthy controls. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age and gender reported a moderate association between rectal cancer risk and two NLRC5 SNPs, rs1684575 T>G (OR: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.13-2.27, recessive model) and rs3751710 (OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.51-0.96, dominant model). Given that a combination of genetic variants, rather than a single polymorphism, may explain better the genetic etiology of CRC, we studied the interplay between the variants within NLRC5, PD-L1 and the previously genotyped IFNGR1 and IFNGR2 variants, to evaluate their involvement in the risk of CRC development. Overall we obtained 18 pair-wise interactions within and between the NLRC5 ad PD-L1 genes and 6 more when IFNGR variants were added. Thirteen out of the 24 interactions were below the threshold for the FDR calculated and controlled at an arbitrary level q*<0.10. Furthermore, the interaction IFNGR2 rs1059293 C>T-NLRC5 rs289747 G>A (P<0.0001) remained statistically significant even after Bonferroni correction. Our data suggest that not only a single genetic variant but also an interaction between two or more variants within genes involved in immune regulation may play important roles in the onset of CRC, providing therefore novel biological information, which could eventually improve CRC risk management but also PD-1-based immunotherapy in CRC.