julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Inclusion through irregularisation? Exploring the politics and realities of internal bordering in managing post-crisis labour migration in the EU
2021-05-15

The technologies and practices of migration management are changing profoundly. They have been extended beyond territorial borders, immigration policies and assigned legal identities and downshifted to 'inside' spaces across state and non-state 'ordinary institutions'. This article claims for EU migrants in pre-Brexit UK, immigration controls have worked through a process of 'bureaucratic bordering' that infiltrates the post-arrival regularisation of statuses and affects broader pathways of incorporation. The discussion draws on episodes of participant observation with Bulgarian arrivals to trace the tightening of administrative procedures that ensued in the aftermath of labour market liberalisation in 2014. These are explored for their productive, rather than restrictive potential, namely, for implicating migrants in a bureaucratically induced temporality of 'protracted arrival' in the process of which they are stripped off of their formal rights and made dependent on subordinated forms of employment and existence within the confines of the 'migrant economy'. By exploring the politics and experiences of intra-EU migration through analytical concepts devised for 'precarious' movements, such as 'bordering', 'differential inclusion', and 'permanent temporariness', this article questions the incisive conceptual and empirical binaries between internal and external migrations and joins the voices of those warning to the eroding protection of EU citizenship.
Apical Pressure Generated Using Conventional Syringe Irrigation in Immature Teeth—An In Vitro Study
2021-05-15

This in vitro study aimed to evaluate apical pressure during irrigant delivery with syringe irrigation in immature teeth with an open apical foramen. Conventional syringe irrigation was performed in a 3D-printed immature incisor. A 5 mL syringe combined with 25 G and 30 G cannulas was used. Open-ended and side-vented needle tip designs were assessed. Cannulas were placed at tooth length (TL), TL −1 mm, TL −2 mm, and TL −4 mm. The syringe plunger was moved with a force of 10 N, 20 N, 40 N, and 80 N to simulate clinical conditions. A pressure sensor measured periapical pressures during irrigation. Each experiment was repeated 10 times. Data were analyzed descriptively (maximum, mean, standard deviation, 95% CI) with the critical threshold indicative of extrusion set at 7.64 mbar. 30 G cannulas with both needle tip designs never exceeded the threshold at any TL with a plunger force of 10–40 N. At 80 N, 30 G open-ended cannulas exceeded the threshold in 10%, 30 G side-vented in 20–60% of the measurements. At any TL, 25 G open-ended cannulas and 25 G side-vented cannulas never crossed the threshold with forces of 10–20 N and 10 N, respectively. Consequently, 30 G cannulas with both designs can be recommended for irrigant delivery in immature teeth. 25 G cannulas ought to be used with caution.
Human immunocompetent Choroid-on-Chip: a novel tool for studying ocular effects of biological drugs
2021-05-15

Abstract Disorders of the eye leading to visual impairment are a major issue that affects millions of people. On the other side ocular toxicities were described for e.g. molecularly targeted therapies in oncology and may hamper their development. Current ocular model systems feature a number of limitations affecting human-relevance and availability. To find new options for pharmacological treatment and assess mechanisms of toxicity, hence, novel complex model systems that are human-relevant and readily available are urgently required. Here, we report the development of a human immunocompetent Choroid-on-Chip (CoC), a human cell-based in vitro model of the choroid layer of the eye integrating melanocytes and microvascular endothelial cells, covered by a layer of retinal pigmented epithelial cells. Immunocompetence is achieved by perfusion of peripheral immune cells. We demonstrate controlled immune cell recruitment into the stromal compartments through a vascular monolayer and in vivo-like cytokine release profiles. To investigate applicability for both efficacy testing of immunosuppressive compounds as well as safety profiling of immunoactivating antibodies, we exposed the CoCs to cyclosporine and tested CD3 bispecific antibodies. Abstract Figure Graphical Abstract
Why a Labour Market Boom Does Not Necessarily Bring Down Inequality: Putting Together GermanyAS Inequality Puzzle
2021-05-15

After an economically tough start into the new millennium, Germany experienced an unprecedented employment boom after 2005 only stopped by the COVID-19 pandemic. Persistently high levels of inequality despite a booming labour market and drastically falling unemployment rates constituted a puzzle, suggesting either that the German job miracle mainly benefitted individuals in the mid- or high-income range or that other developments offset the effects of the drastically improved labour market conditions. The present paper solves this puzzle by breaking down the observed changes in the distribution of disposable incomes between 2005/06 and 2015/16 into the contributions of eight different factors, one of them being the employment boom. Our results suggest that, while the latter did have an equalising impact, it was partially offset by the disequalising impact of other factors and substantially dampened by the tax and transfer system. Our results point to a strong role of the German tax and transfer system as a distributional stabilizer implying that, if the COVID-19 shock were to persistently reverse all the employment gains that occurred during the boom, this would only have a moderately disequalising effect on the distribution of net incomes.
Is Large-Scale Rapid Cov-2 Testing a Substitute for Lockdowns? The Case of Tuebingen
2021-05-15

Various forms of contact restriction have been adopted in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Only recently, rapid testing appeared as a new policy instrument. If sufficiently effective, it may serve as a substitute for contact restrictions. Against this background we evaluate the effects of a unique policy experiment: on March 16, the city of Tuebingen set up a rapid testing scheme while relaxing lockdown measures-in sharp contrast to its German peers. Comparing case rates in Tuebingen county to an appropriately defined control unit over a four-week period, we find an increase in the reported case rate, robustly across alternative specifications. However, the increase is temporary and about one half of it reflects cases that would have gone undetected in the absence of extra testing.
Aldo-Keto Reductase 1C3 Mediates Chemotherapy Resistance in Esophageal Adenocarcinoma via ROS Detoxification
2021-05-16

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) is one of the most lethal malignancies, and limits promising treatments. AKR1C3 represents a therapeutic target to combat the resistance in many cancers. However, the molecular mechanism of AKR1C3 in the chemotherapy resistance of EAC is still unclear. We found that the mRNA level of AKR1C3 was higher in EAC tumor tissues, and that high AKR1C3 expression might be associated with poor overall survival of EAC patients. AKR1C3 overexpression decreased cell death induced by chemotherapeutics, while knockdown of AKR1C3 attenuated the effect. Furthermore, we found AKR1C3 was inversely correlated with ROS production. Antioxidant NAC rescued chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in AKR1C3 knockdown cells, while the GSH biosynthesis inhibitor BSO reversed a protective effect of AKR1C3 against chemotherapy. AKT phosphorylation was regulated by AKR1C3 and might be responsible for eliminating over-produced ROS in EAC cells. Intracellular GSH levels were modulated by AKR1C3 and the inhibition of AKT could reduce GSH level in EAC cells. Here, we reported for the first time that AKR1C3 renders chemotherapy resistance through controlling ROS levels via AKT signaling in EAC cells. Targeting AKR1C3 may represent a novel strategy to sensitize EAC cells to conventional chemotherapy.
Intrauterine contraception and menstrual bleeding
2021-05-16

After more than half a century of development, the intrauterine contraception (IUD) has become a relatively mature method of contraception and treatment of gynecological diseases. This paper reviewed the development of IUDs, different types of IUDs, and some problems due to them, such as bleeding, infection, malposition, dislocation, expulsion, etc. And the causes of clinical side effects, complications, and corresponding treatments of IUDs were overviewed as well.
The Role of the Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex for Speech and Language Processing
2021-05-17

This review article summarizes various functions of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) that are related to language processing. To this end, its connectivity with the left-dominant perisylvian language network was considered, as well as its interaction with other functional networks that, directly or indirectly, contribute to language processing. Language-related functions of the DLPFC comprise various aspects of pragmatic processing such as discourse management, integration of prosody, interpretation of nonliteral meanings, inference making, ambiguity resolution, and error repair. Neurophysiologically, the DLPFC seems to be a key region for implementing functional connectivity between the language network and other functional networks, including cortico-cortical as well as subcortical circuits. Considering clinical aspects, damage to the DLPFC causes psychiatric communication deficits rather than typical aphasic language syndromes. Although the number of well-controlled studies on DLPFC language functions is still limited, the DLPFC might be an important target region for the treatment of pragmatic language disorders.
The high energy Universe at ultra-high resolution: the power and promise of X-ray interferometry
2021-05-17

Abstract We propose the development of X-ray interferometry (XRI), to reveal the Universe at high energies with ultra-high spatial resolution. With baselines which can be accommodated on a single spacecraft, XRI can reach 100 μ as resolution at 10 Å (1.2 keV) and 20 μ as at 2 Å (6 keV), enabling imaging and imaging-spectroscopy of (for example) X-ray coronae of nearby accreting supermassive black holes (SMBH) and the SMBH ‘shadow’; SMBH accretion flows and outflows; X-ray binary winds and orbits; stellar coronae within <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mo>∼</mml:mo> </mml:math> 100 pc and many exoplanets which transit across them. For sufficiently luminous sources XRI will resolve sub-pc scales across the entire observable Universe, revealing accreting binary SMBHs and enabling trigonometric measurements of the Hubble constant with X-ray light echoes from quasars or explosive transients. A multi-spacecraft ‘constellation’ interferometer would resolve well below 1 μ as, enabling SMBH event horizons to be resolved in many active galaxies and the detailed study of the effects of strong field gravity on the dynamics and emission from accreting gas close to the black hole.
Comment on “Exceptionally high heat flux needed to sustain the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream” by Smith-Johnsen et al. (2020)
2021-05-17

Abstract. Smith-Johnsen et al. (The Cryosphere, 14, 841–854, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-841-2020, 2020) model the effect of a potential hotspot on the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS). They argue that a heat flux of at least 970 mW m−2 is required to have initiated or to control NEGIS. Such an exceptionally high heat flux would be unique in the world and is incompatible with known geological processes that can raise the heat flux. Fast flow at NEGIS must thus be possible without the extraordinary melt rates invoked in Smith-Johnsen et al. (2020).
The Southernmost Pre-Columbian Dogs in the Americas: Phenotype, Chronology, Diet and Genetics
2021-05-17

The archaeological record shows the presence of medium-sized dogs with mesocephalic skulls in Southeast South America, from at least the end of the third millennium BP to historical times, along 700 km from southern Brazil to the wetlands of the Paraná River in Argentina. These dogs, associated with complex hunter-gatherers, do not appear to have been the product of exchange with Andean societies as previous theories suggested, but rather of a local breeding process, probably reflecting the offspring of a founder population introduced in the area before at least the third millennium BP. Isotopic values show a C3 omnivorous pattern, resulting from a broad and opportunistic niche, not overlapping with that of humans. The relationships between humans and their dogs were very complex; some of the dogs were buried in mortuary areas, in double human-dog burials, meanwhile others were used as a source of raw material. Shortly after the introduction of European dogs, they were quickly assimilated by these introduced dogs, which is supported by the pairwise distance analysis. Phylogenetic analysis illustrates the maternal lineage of these pre-Columbian and modern dogs, both belonging to the haplogroup A, supporting a common ancestry.
Dependence of perceptual saccadic suppression on peri-saccadic image flow properties and luminance contrast polarity
2021-05-17

Across saccades, perceptual detectability of brief visual stimuli is strongly diminished. We recently observed that this perceptual suppression phenomenon is jumpstarted in the retina, suggesting that the phenomenon might be significantly more visual in nature than normally acknowledged. Here, we explicitly compared saccadic suppression strength when saccades were made across a uniform image of constant luminance versus when saccades were made across image patches of different luminance, width, and trans-saccadic luminance polarity. We measured perceptual contrast thresholds of human subjects for brief peri-saccadic flashes of positive (luminance increments) or negative (luminance decrements) polarity. Thresholds were >6-7 times higher when saccades translated a luminance stripe or edge across the retina than when saccades were made over a completely uniform image patch. Critically, both background luminance and flash luminance polarity strongly modulated peri-saccadic contrast thresholds. In addition, all of these very same visual dependencies also occurred in the absence of any saccades, but with qualitatively similar rapid translations of image patches across the retina. This similarity of visual dependencies with and without saccades supports the notion that perceptual saccadic suppression may be fundamentally a visual phenomenon, which strongly motivates neurophysiological and theoretical investigations on the role of saccadic eye movement commands in modulating its properties.
Early-stage growth observations of orientation-controlled vacuum-deposited naphthyl end-capped oligothiophenes
2021-05-17

We report on the real-time structure formation and growth of two thiophene-based organic semiconductors, 5,5′-bis(naphth-2-yl)-2,2′-bi- and 5,5′′-bis(naphth-2-yl)-2,2′:5′,2′′-terthiophene (NaT2 and NaT3), studied in situ during vacuum deposition by grazing-incidence x-ray diffraction and supported by atomic force microscopy and photoabsorption spectroscopy measurements on corresponding ex situ samples. On device-relevant silicon dioxide substrates, for both molecules the growth is observed to transition from two-dimensional (2D) layer-by-layer growth to three-dimensional (3D) growth after the formation of a few-molecule-thick wetting layer. The crystal structure of the NaT2 film is considerably more ordered than the NaT3 counterpart, and there is a significant collective change in the unit cell during the initial stage of growth, indicating strain relief from substrate induced strain as the growth transitions from two to three dimensions. In addition, the orientation of the film molecules are controlled by employing substrates of horizontally and vertically oriented few-layer molybdenum disulfide. Both molecules form needle-like crystals on horizontally oriented MoS2 layers, while the NaT3 molecules form tall, isolated islands on vertically oriented MoS2 layers. The molecules are standing on silicon dioxide and on vertically oriented MoS2, but lying flat on horizontally oriented MoS2. These results demonstrate the importance of film-substrate interactions on the thin-film growth and microstructure formation in naphthyl-terminated oligothiophenes.
Die Macht der Plattformen - Politik in Zeiten der Internetgiganten
2021-05-17

&lt;p&gt;Platforms are powerful. Everybody agrees on that. But opinions diverge where that power stems from. Is it because of the superiority of their technology? Is it because of their crushing market share? Is it because of their surveillance capabilities? These and similar questions around digital platforms are also increasingly discussed among organization scholars. What kind of organizational form - somewhere between market, network and hierarchy, or a strange mixture of all three - are platforms? And what is their economic and societal impact, given they are already changing whole sectors, work relations, media production and consumption as well as politics?&nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The book &ldquo;The power of platforms: Politics in the time of internet Giants&rdquo; by Michael Seeman develops a unique angle on the topic and develops a theory of platform power based on a unified and abstract understand of what platforms are and do - an understanding that can describe Microsoft as well as Amazon and Uber, i.e. the vast heterogeneity of platforms, by using several social science theories, including e.g. the resource dependence theory by Pfeffer/Salancik. Platforms, Seemann argues, have a particular kind of power that derives from the fact that we - as individual or organizational agents - all engage in countless mutually dependent relationships. Platforms have developed a specific set of tools and strategies that enable them to occupy and manipulate these relationships - &ldquo;own&rdquo; them, steer them in their favor and extract value from them.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The book claims that the platform is a new structural paradigm of social organization in its own right &ndash; next to the nation state and the market. Accordingly, platforms have specific properties and dynamics that are fundamentally different to the latter two. By diving deep into platform history, the book explains what platforms are, how they evolved, how they function, and how they gain and apply power.&nbsp;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;The book also explores the impact of the emergence of these new powerful entities in the world. They have changed politics on various levels: domestic, foreign and even security-related. They also changed the economy quite dramatically in a way that - as Seemann claims - is different from the capitalist mode of production. All of these impacts can be traced back to the tools and mechanisms of platform power that Seemann outlines in his book.&lt;/p&gt;
HELLENISTIC PHILOSOPHY OF MIND - (B.) Inwood, (J.) Warren (edd.) Body and Soul in Hellenistic Philosophy. Pp. viii + 266. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. Cased, £75. US$99.99. ISBN: 978-1-108-48582-1.
2021-05-17

HELLENISTIC PHILOSOPHY OF MIND - (B.) Inwood, (J.) Warren (edd.) Body and Soul in Hellenistic Philosophy. Pp. viii + 266. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020. Cased, £75. US$99.99. ISBN: 978-1-108-48582-1. - Volume 71 Issue 2
Identification of three novel homozygous variants in COL9A3 causing autosomal-recessive Stickler Syndrome
2021-05-17

Abstract Background: Stickler syndrome (STL) is a rare, clinically and molecularly heterogeneous connective tissue disorder. Pathogenic variants occurring in a variety of genes cause STL, mainly inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion. Autosomal recessive STL is ultra-rare with only four families with biallelic COL9A3 variants reported to date. Results: Here, we report three unrelated families clinically diagnosed with STL carrying different novel biallelic loss of function variants in COL9A3 . Further, we have collected COL9A3 genotype-phenotype associations from the literature. Conclusion: Our report substantially expands the molecular genetics and clinical basis of autosomal recessive STL and provides an overview about allelic COL9A3 disorders.
α‐Synuclein in Plasma‐Derived Extracellular Vesicles Is a Potential Biomarker of Parkinson's Disease
2021-05-18

ABSTRACT Background Extracellular vesicles are small vesicles that are released from many cells, including neurons. α‐Synuclein has recently been described in extracellular vesicles derived from the central nervous system and may contribute to the spreading of disease pathology in α‐synuclein‐related neurodegeneration. Objectives We aimed to examine the potential diagnostic value of α‐synuclein in plasma extracellular vesicles from patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods Preanalytical variables were studied to establish an optimized assay for preparation of plasma extracellular vesicles and detection of extracellular vesicle–derived α‐synuclein. Plasma samples were obtained from 2 independent cohorts. The Tübingen cohort contained 96 patients with PD, 50 patients with dementia with Lewy bodies, 50 patients with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and 42 healthy controls; the Kassel cohort included 47 patients with PD, 43 patients with dementia with Lewy bodies, and 36 controls with secondary parkinsonian syndromes. Extracellular vesicles were prepared from total plasma by size exclusion chromatography and quantified by nanoparticle tracking analysis, α‐synuclein content was measured by an electrochemiluminescence assay. Results α‐Synuclein concentration in plasma extracellular vesicles provided the best discrimination between PD, dementia with Lewy bodies, PSP, and healthy controls, with an area under the curve of 0.804 (PD vs dementia with Lewy bodies), 0.815 (PD vs. PSP), and 0.769 (PD vs healthy controls) in the Tübingen cohort. Results were validated in the Kassel cohort. Conclusions The concentration of α‐synuclein in plasma extracellular vesicles may serve as a potential diagnostic biomarker for PD. © 2021 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society
Three-year results of phase I retinal gene therapy trial for CNGA3-mutated achromatopsia: results of a non randomised controlled trial
2021-05-18

Aims To determine long-term safety and efficacy outcomes of a subretinal gene therapy for CNGA3-associated achromatopsia. We present data from an open-label, nonrandomised controlled trial ( NCT02610582 ). Methods Details of the study design have been previously described. Briefly, nine patients were treated in three escalating dose groups with subretinal AAV8.CNGA3 gene therapy between November 2015 and October 2016. After the first year, patients were seen on a yearly basis. Safety assessment constituted the primary endpoint. On a secondary level, multiple functional tests were carried out to determine efficacy of the therapy. Results No adverse or serious adverse events deemed related to the study drug occurred after year 1. Safety of the therapy, as the primary endpoint of this trial, can, therefore, be confirmed. The functional benefits that were noted in the treated eye at year 1 were persistent throughout the following visits at years 2 and 3. While functional improvement in the treated eye reached statistical significance for some secondary endpoints, for most endpoints, this was not the case when the treated eye was compared with the untreated fellow eye. Conclusion The results demonstrate a very good safety profile of the therapy even at the highest dose administered. The small sample size limits the statistical power of efficacy analyses. However, trial results inform on the most promising design and endpoints for future clinical trials. Such trials have to determine whether treatment of younger patients results in greater functional gains by avoiding amblyopia as a potential limiting factor.