julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Brain–machine interface in chronic stroke rehabilitation: A controlled study
2013-03-14

Objective Chronic stroke patients with severe hand weakness respond poorly to rehabilitation efforts. Here, we evaluated efficacy of daily brain–machine interface (BMI) training to increase the hypothesized beneficial effects of physiotherapy alone in patients with severe paresis in a double‐blind sham‐controlled design proof of concept study. Methods Thirty‐two chronic stroke patients with severe hand weakness were randomly assigned to 2 matched groups and participated in 17.8 ± 1.4 days of training rewarding desynchronization of ipsilesional oscillatory sensorimotor rhythms with contingent online movements of hand and arm orthoses (experimental group, n = 16). In the control group (sham group, n = 16), movements of the orthoses occurred randomly. Both groups received identical behavioral physiotherapy immediately following BMI training or the control intervention. Upper limb motor function scores, electromyography from arm and hand muscles, placebo–expectancy effects, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) blood oxygenation level–dependent activity were assessed before and after intervention. Results A significant group × time interaction in upper limb (combined hand and modified arm) Fugl–Meyer assessment (cFMA) motor scores was found. cFMA scores improved more in the experimental than in the control group, presenting a significant improvement of cFMA scores (3.41 ± 0.563‐point difference, p = 0.018) reflecting a clinically meaningful change from no activity to some in paretic muscles. cFMA improvements in the experimental group correlated with changes in fMRI laterality index and with paretic hand electromyography activity. Placebo–expectancy scores were comparable for both groups. Interpretation The addition of BMI training to behaviorally oriented physiotherapy can be used to induce functional improvements in motor function in chronic stroke patients without residual finger movements and may open a new door in stroke neurorehabilitation. ANN NEUROL 2013;74:100–108
Cohort Profile: The Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II)†
2013-03-14

Similar to other industrialized countries, Germany's population is ageing. Whereas some people enjoy good physical and cognitive health into old age, others suffer from a multitude of age-related disorders and impairments which reduce life expectancy and affect quality of life. To identify and characterize the factors associated with 'healthy' vs. 'unhealthy' ageing, we have launched the Berlin Aging Study II (BASE-II), a multidisciplinary and multi-institutional project that ascertains a large number of ageing-related variables from a wide range of different functional domains. Phenotypic assessments include factors related to geriatrics and internal medicine, immunology, genetics, psychology, sociology and economics. Baseline recruitment of the BASE-II cohort was recently completed and has led to the sampling of 1600 older adults (age range 60-80 years), as well as 600 younger adults (20-35 years) serving as the basic population for in-depth analyses. BASE-II data are linked to the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP), a long-running panel survey representative of the German population, to estimate sample selectivity. A major goal of BASE-II is to facilitate collaboration with other research groups by freely sharing relevant phenotypic and genotypic data with qualified outside investigators.
X-ray source population study of the starburst galaxy M 83 withXMM-Newton
2013-03-14

We present the results obtained from the analysis of three XMM-Newton\\nobservations of M83. The aims of the paper are studying the X-ray source\\npopulations in M83 and calculating the X-ray luminosity functions of X-ray\\nbinaries for different regions of the galaxy. We detected 189 sources in the\\nXMM-Newton field of view in the energy range of 0.2-12 keV. We constrained\\ntheir nature by means of spectral analysis, hardness ratios, studies of the\\nX-ray variability, and cross-correlations with catalogues in X-ray, optical,\\ninfrared, and radio wavelengths. We identified and classified 12 background\\nobjects, five foreground stars, two X-ray binaries, one supernova remnant\\ncandidate, one super-soft source candidate and one ultra-luminous X-ray source.\\nAmong these sources, we classified for the first time three active galactic\\nnuclei (AGN) candidates. We derived X-ray luminosity functions of the X-ray\\nsources in M83 in the 2-10 keV energy range, within and outside the D_25\\nellipse, correcting the total X-ray luminosity function for incompleteness and\\nsubtracting the AGN contribution. The X-ray luminosity function inside the D_25\\nellipse is consistent with that previously observed by Chandra. The\\nKolmogorov-Smirnov test shows that the X-ray luminosity function of the outer\\ndisc and the AGN luminosity distribution are uncorrelated with a probability of\\nabout 99.3%. We also found that the X-ray sources detected outside the D_25\\nellipse and the uniform spatial distribution of AGNs are spatially uncorrelated\\nwith a significance of 99.5%. We interpret these results as an indication that\\npart of the observed X-ray sources are X-ray binaries in the outer disc of M83.\\n
Geochemistry and Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf isotopic composition of the Donggou Mo-bearing granite porphyry, Qinling orogenic belt, central China
2013-03-15

The eastern Qinling belt is characterized by widespread Mesozoic post-orogenic magmatism and abundant Mo–(Au–Ag) polymetallic mineralization. Most Mo deposits in this belt are genetically related to Mesozoic granitoids. The tectonic context of this close spatial and temporal relationship is still debated. This study reports U–Pb ages and Hf isotopic composition of zircons, major and trace element and Sr–Nd–Pb isotopic composition of the Donggou granite porphyry, host rock to one of the important Mesozoic Mo deposits in this orogen. Based on geochemical results, the Donggou granite porphyry is a silica-supersaturated, high-K metaluminous A-type granite showing enrichment in light REEs, depletion in middle REEs and significant negative Eu, Ba, Nb, Sr, P, and Ti anomalies. Negative initial εNd values of −17.0 to −13.2 for whole-rock and negative initial εHf values of −19.9 to −7.8 for zircon suggest that the magma was derived from a mixture of Archaean/Proterozoic crustal rocks and mantle-derived or newly added crust. Its Pb isotopic composition is similar to the lower crust of the North China block, but different from superjacent country rocks (Xiong'er and Taihua Groups). Zircon U–Pb dating yields a late Mesozoic emplacement age of 118–117 Ma, identical with the third episode of Mo mineralization in the eastern Qinling–Dabie belt. We postulate that the Donggou Mo-related porphyry granite formed by reworking of North China lower crust with significant input of juvenile material. The magmas formed in an extensional tectonic setting, induced by lithospheric thinning and asthenospheric upwelling beneath eastern China during Cretaceous time.
Quantifying the role of paleoclimate and Andean Plateau uplift on river incision
2013-03-15

River incision over geologic timescales can be a valuable indicator of regional surface uplift. However, extracting the timing of surface uplift relative to the onset of incision is complicated by changes in precipitation commensurate with topographic development. Evidence of large‐scale river incision on the flanks of the Andean plateau has been cited in support of a rapid and recent surface uplift event. Recent climate modeling studies demonstrate large magnitudes of regional climate change associated with surface uplift of the Andes, which may have influenced river incision processes. Here we present an analysis of mid‐Miocene (16 Ma) to present river incision of the southwest Peruvian Ocoña River. A Monte Carlo approach with ~1.6 × 10 5 different simulations is used to explore the range of surface uplift and paleoclimate histories that are compatible with the modern river profile and geological constraints on the incision timing and magnitude. A range of channel properties, including the erodibility coefficient and erosion threshold, are considered. Results indicate that deep canyon incision on the plateau flanks may not be as diagnostic of rapid surface uplift as previously thought. More specifically, the evolution of the Ocoña River is consistent with local plateau elevations of 1–3 km at 16 Ma and either a steady or punctuated uplift of 1.5–3.5 km since then. The range of acceptable uplift histories is sensitive to the long‐term magnitude and temporal evolution of precipitation. Similar paleoprecipitation changes are expected to have modified river profile evolution elsewhere in the Andes.
Relationship between self-esteem and academic self-concept for German elementary and secondary school students
2013-03-15

This study aims to investigate the construct of global self-esteem and its relationship with academic self-concept within a sample of German students attending grades 3–6 (N = 1958), considering the domain specificity and competence–affect separation of academic self-concept. Confirmatory factor analyses found global self-esteem to be similarly related to domain-specific (math and verbal) and general measures of academic self-concept. Self-perceived competence and affect were similarly related to global self-esteem. There was some evidence that the mean level of global self-esteem was higher for fourth grade students (before transition) than for 5th graders (after transition), and the lowest for 6th grade students. The relationship between global self-esteem and academic self-concept was found to be invariant across grade levels although descriptive results indicated a weaker relationship after transition.
Historic data analysis reveals ambient temperature as a source of phenotypic variation in populations of the land snailTheba pisana
2013-03-15

Pulmonate land snails are often polymorphic in their shell coloration pattern. To quantify the contribution of environmental parameters to the nondirectional change in phenotypic variation, we used a historic dataset on Theba pisana morph frequencies and climate data for statistical modelling. We found significant correlations of the degree of phenotypic diversity between juveniles and corresponding adult individuals within the same and the subsequent generation. Among climate parameters, the phenotypic diversity of adults correlated significantly and positively with the mean and maximum ambient temperatures in the winter and spring only. There was no correlation between high or low temperatures and the frequency of distinct morphs. Akaike's information criterion-based model selection revealed the particular importance of only parental phenotypic diversity for next generation juvenile phenotypic diversity. By contrast, phenotypic diversity of the juveniles of the preceding year and the mean temperatures in winter and spring were important for the phenotypic diversity of adult snails. Approximately two-thirds of the explicable variation in phenotypic diversity of adults was explained by inheritance and approximately one-third was expained by ambient temperature. The present study shows that genetics and temperature interact to generate nondirectional changes in phenotypic variation within populations, which also can be reflected by changes in the phenotype of individuals. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 109, 241–256.
Interaction of Water Vapor with SnO2 Sensor Materials: A Comparison of DRIFTS and Resistance Measurements
2013-03-15

Operando DRIFT spectroscopy together with resistance measurements was used to study sensitivity (here response change upon changing analyte concentration) of undoped SnO2 materials to water vapors. The materials synthesized using different protocols were found to manifest very different sensitivity to water, as well as to H2 and CO in dry and humid air. While for one of the materials (SnO2 Ac) low sensitivity to water combines with similarity between evolution of two bands in OH region and resistance, another material (SnO2 Cl), with high sensitivity to water vapors, manifests similarity with the resistance only for the broad band between 3590 and 3040 cm-1. Together with high sensitivity to water vapors the latter material shows higher sensitivity to CO in dry and humid air, while SnO2 Ac showed higher sensitivity to H2.
MRP2 (ABCC2) and MRP3 (ABCC3)
2013-03-15

This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Basic Characteristics of Human ABCC2 and ABCC3 Knockout Animals Genetic Variation Causing Absence of a Functional ABCC2 Protein (DJS) Phenotypic Consequences of ABCC2 Genetic Variants not Associated with DJS Phenotypic Consequences of Variations in the ABCC3 Gene Conclusion Acknowledgments
The role of the cytoskeleton and associated proteins in determination of the plant cell division plane
2013-03-17

Summary In plants, as in all eukaryotic organisms, microtubule‐ and actin‐filament based structures play fundamental roles during cell division. In addition to the mitotic spindle, plant cells have evolved a unique cytoskeletal structure that designates a specific division plane before the onset of mitosis via formation of a cortical band of microtubules and actin filaments called the preprophase band. During cytokinesis, a second plant‐specific microtubule and actin filament structure called the phragmoplast directs vesicles to create the new cell wall. In response to intrinsic and extrinsic cues, many plant cells form a preprophase band in G 2 , then the preprophase band recruits specific proteins to populate the cortical division site prior to disassembly of the preprophase band in prometaphase. These proteins are thought to act as a spatial reminder that actively guides the phragmoplast towards the cortical division site during cytokinesis. A number of proteins involved in determination and maintenance of the plane of cell division have been identified. Our current understanding of the molecular interactions of these proteins and their regulation of microtubules is incomplete, but advanced imaging techniques and computer simulations have validated some early concepts of division site determination.
Partial sleep restriction modulates secretory activity of thyrotropic axis in healthy men
2013-03-18

Summary Sleep and endocrine function are known to be closely related, but studies on the effect of moderate sleep loss on endocrine axes are still sparse. We examined the influence of partial sleep restriction for 2 days on the secretory activity of the thyrotropic axis. Fifteen healthy, normal‐weight men were tested in a balanced, cross‐over study. Serum concentrations of thyrotrophin ( TSH ), free triiodothyronine (f T 3) and free thyroxine (f T 4) were monitored at 1‐h intervals during a 15‐h daytime period (08:00–23:00 h) following two nights of restricted sleep (bedtime 02:45–07:00 h) and two nights of regular sleep (bedtime 22:45–07:00 h), respectively. Serum concentrations of f T 3 ( P &lt; 0.026) and f T 4 ( P = 0.089) were higher after sleep restriction than regular sleep, with a subsequent blunting of TSH concentrations in the evening hours of the sleep restriction condition ( P = 0.008). These results indicate profound alterations in the secretory activity of the thyrotropic axis after 2 days of sleep restriction to ~4 h, suggesting that acute partial sleep loss impacts endocrine homeostasis, with potential consequences for health and wellbeing.
Value of serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein A for predicting cardiovascular events among patients presenting with cardiac chest pain
2013-03-18

Higher levels of serum PAPP-A were independently associated with an increased short-term risk of cardiovascular events in patients presenting with cardiac chest pain. Further studies are required to validate the use of PAPP-A in routine clinical practice to predict future cardiovascular events.
Superfluid instability of r-modes in “differentially rotating” neutron stars
2013-03-18

Superfluid hydrodynamics affects the spin-evolution of mature neutron stars, and may be key to explaining timing irregularities such as pulsar glitches. However, most models for this phenomenon exclude the global instability required to trigger the event. In this paper we discuss a mechanism that may fill this gap. We establish that small scale inertial r-modes become unstable in a superfluid neutron star that exhibits a rotational lag, expected to build up due to vortex pinning as the star spins down. Somewhat counterintuitively, this instability arises due to the (under normal circumstances dissipative) vortex-mediated mutual friction. We explore the nature of the superfluid instability for a simple incompressible model, allowing for entrainment coupling between the two fluid components. Our results recover a previously discussed dynamical instability in systems where the two components are strongly coupled. In addition, we demonstrate for the first time that the system is secularly unstable (with a growth time that scales with the mutual friction) throughout much of parameter space. Interestingly, large scale r-modes are also affected by this new aspect of the instability. We analyse the damping effect of shear viscosity, which should be particularly efficient at small scales, arguing that it will not be sufficient to completely suppress the instability in astrophysical systems.
Accelerated robustness testing of state-based components using reverse execution
2013-03-18

This paper presents a methodology to test the robustness of reactive state-based software components by executing defined and undefined transitions of a UML Statechart specification, and therefore simulating a usage scenario under normal and abnormal conditions. The Z3 constraint solver is used to generate corresponding test cases. Since robustness testing is time-intensive due to a large number of undefined transitions to be tested, a main advantage of our presented approach is that it accelerates robustness testing by returning to reached states of a component, using reverse execution, and then refining them as a starting point for further tests. Furthermore, the presented approach provides runtime verification capabilities to test transition guards defined in the specification and therefore increases the test significance. This is done without instrumenting the source code. Due to the high acceleration achieved, our approach is well-suited for daily regression testing during component development.
Mars Exploration Rover APXS Results from Matijevic Hill
2013-03-18

Correlation analysis of APXS results on the eastern slope rocks indicate that the Matijevic Hill rocks are overall compositionally distinct from the Shoemaker Formation rocks [6]. Compared to the Shoemaker impactites, Matijevic Hill rocks are higher in Al, Si, and Ni, and lower in Ti, Fe, and Zn. No significant variation is evident in the APXS analyses that indicate the presence of a smectite or other phyllosilicate, as opposed to basaltic rocks. However, APXS data cannot in themselves rule out phyllosilicates. If indeed this material contains smectite, as seen from orbit, it implies that the rock has been isochemically altered to create the phyllosilicate content. The Cl content of the Cape York rocks is relatively high, and whereas the S/Cl ratio in the Burns Formation is 4x higher than in soil, in the Cape York rocks it is lower than in soil. These trends indicate that the alteration processes and types of aqueous salt loads were different between Cape York and Meridiani. In addition, significant deviations from the Martian Mn/Fe ratio are observed in Whitewater Lake coatings and the altered Grasford/Deadwood rocks (Fig. 3). These variations indicate that the redox/pH conditions during alteration of the Shoemaker Formation rocks and the Matijevic Hill rocks were similar, but that the Deadwood/Grasberg unit may have undergone alteration under different conditions, possibly at a later time. The Matijevic Hill outcrops appear to share a common genetic origin. It is not yet clear whether both the Shoemaker impactites and Matijevic Hill rocks are related to the formation of Endeavour Crater, or whether the Matijevic Hill suite represents a prior episode of Martian impact or volcanism. Opportunity continues to investigate both hypotheses.
Mouse urinary peptides provide a molecular basis for genotype discrimination by nasal sensory neurons
2013-03-19

Selected groups of peptides, including those that are presented by major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins, have been proposed to transmit information to the olfactory system of vertebrates via their ability to stimulate chemosensory neurons. However, the lack of knowledge about such peptides in natural sources accessible for nasal recognition has been a major barrier for this hypothesis. Here we analyse urinary peptides from selected mouse strains with respect to genotype-related individual differences. We discover many abundant peptides with single amino-acid variations corresponding to genomic differences. The polymorphism of major urinary proteins is reflected by variations in prominent urinary peptides. We also demonstrate an MHC-dependent peptide (SIINFEKL) occurring at very low concentrations in mouse urine. Chemoreceptive neurons in the vomeronasal organ detect and discriminate single amino-acid variation peptides as well as SIINFEKL. Hence, urinary peptides represent a real-time sampling of the expressed genome available for chemosensory assessment by other individuals.
Altered cingulate and amygdala response towards threat and safe cues in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
2013-03-19

Background Emotional dysregulation is becoming increasingly recognized as an important feature of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this study, two experiments were conducted investigating the neural response to either verbally instructed fear (IF) or uninstructed (classically conditioned) fear (UF) using the skin conductance response (SCR) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Method In the conditioning phase of the UF experiment (17 ADHD and 17 healthy controls), subjects experienced an unconditioned stimulus (UCS, unpleasant electrodermal stimulation) paired with a former neutral conditioned stimulus (CS+), whereas a control stimulus (CS−) was never paired with the UCS. In the subsequent test phase, only the CS+ and the CS− were presented. In the IF experiment (13 ADHD and 17 healthy controls), subjects were only told that an independently experienced UCS might occur together with the CS+ but not the CS− during testing. No UCS was presented. Results Groups did not detectably differ in SCR or neural responses to UF. In IF, ADHD patients showed a trend-line decreased SCR and significantly decreased activation of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), a region prominently involved in fear responding, to the CS+. This was accompanied by higher amygdala activation to the CS−. Conclusions During IF, ADHD patients showed deficits in regions centrally involved in fear learning and expression in terms of diminished CS+-related dACC and increased CS−-related amygdala signals. This suggests an impaired processing of verbally transmitted aversive information, which is central for conveying fear information in social contexts. This result extends the growing literature on emotional alterations in ADHD.