julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Chancen und Grenzen der Kompetenzorientierung in Religionsunterricht und Religionslehrerbildung
2018-12-01

Abstract This article analyzes the potentials and limitations of measuring competences in religious education and religion teacher education. Therefore the general educational discourse on competence orientation is recapitulated and its specific potentials are shown. Then how this discourse has found its way into the discussion on religious education and religion teacher education is summarized. Against the background of the specifics of the discourse on religious education the potentials and challenges of the competence orientation which may arise from a general educational perspective on the field of religious education are discussed. In conclusion, competence orientation can be considered as necessary but not as sufficient for religious education and religion teacher education.
Optimizing the Quality of Synthetically Generated Pseudowords for the Task of Minimal-Pair Distinction
2018-12-01

Training the distinction of vowel lengths or learning to differentiate between voiced and voiceless plosive sounds in form of minimal pair differentiation is one of the treatments fostering phonological awareness for people with reading and/or writing disabilities. While text-to-speech systems can automatically generate minimal pairs (e.g., bin and pin), the quality of the pronunciation of pseudowords is not always optimal. We present a novel approach for using text-to-speech tools to artificially generate the pronunciation of German pseudowords, which is evaluated in a crowdsourcing task of the discrimination of minimal pairs. While the input for generating audio files for real words is provided as plaintext, the audio files for pseudowords are generated from the SAMPA transcription, a computer-readable phonetic alphabet, of their real-word counterparts. The task of selecting the correct word from a minimal pair of a pseudoword and its lexical counterpart was completed equally successfully when a pseudoword was generated by our method or pronounced by a human (χ <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> (1) = 2.43, p = .119).
Observations of Subsurface Meltwater Lake Collapse on an East Antarctic Ice Shelf
2018-12-01

The presence of meltwater influences Antarctic ice shelf dynamics in a way that is poorly understood. In addition to surface meltwater, subsurface meltwater lakes have been discovered close to the ice shelf grounding line. Drainage and collapse of these subsurface lakes may induce hydrofracturing and poses a potential threat to ice shelf stability. Here, we present direct observations of the near-surface firn and ice shelf structure before and after the collapse of a subsurface meltwater lake near the grounding line of the Roi Baudouin Ice Shelf (RBIS). In February 2016, ground penetrating radar (GPR) data were collected of the subsurface lake, highlighting its depth and extent. Surprisingly, when the field team returned to the site in December 2017 to repeat the GPR surveying, they found that the lake had collapsed. These unique GPR and GPS observations highlight the heterogeneity of the lake structure after collapse and allow us to see structural differences before and after collapse. Continued geophysical monitoring and analysis could provide important information to estimate the volume and hydrodynamics of the interglacial lake (e.g. horizontal vs. vertical drainage). In addition to field data, we use a regional climate model and remote sensing observations to provide an analysis of the climate forcing that may have contributed to the lake collapse. We show that anomalously high surface melting in the summer season of 2016-2017 likely contributed to the collapse. Our results shed light on the impact of subsurface lake collapse on the ice shelf structure, dynamics, and surface height changes, which is essential to understand the impact of meltwater drainage on ice shelf stability.
Double‐row 18‐loop transceive–32‐loop receive tight‐fit array provides for whole‐brain coverage, high transmit performance, and SNR improvement near the brain center at 9.4T
2018-12-02

Purpose To improve the transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) performance of a human head array and provide whole‐brain coverage at 9.4T, a novel 32‐element array design was developed, constructed, and tested. Methods The array consists of 18 transceiver (TxRx) surface loops and 14 Rx‐only vertical loops all placed in a single layer. The new design combines benefits of both TxRx and transmit‐only–receive‐only (ToRo) designs. The general idea of the design is that the total number of array elements (both TxRx and Rx) should not exceed the number of required Rx elements. First, the necessary number of TxRx loops is placed around the object tightly to optimize the Tx performance. The rest of the elements are loops, which are used only for reception. We also compared the performance of the new array with that of a state‐of‐the‐art ToRo array consisting of 16 Tx‐only loops and 31 Rx‐only loops. Results The new array provides whole‐brain coverage, ~1.5 times greater Tx efficiency and 1.3 times higher SNR near the brain center as compared to the ToRo array, while the latter delivers higher (up to 1.5 times) peripheral SNR. Conclusion In general, the new approach of constructing a single‐layer array consisting of both TxRx‐ and Rx‐only elements simplifies the array construction by minimizing the total number of elements and makes the entire design more robust and, therefore, safe. Overall, our work provides a recipe for a Tx‐ and Rx‐efficient head array coil suitable for parallel transmission and reception as well as whole‐brain imaging at UHF.
When do random forests fail
2018-12-03

Random forests are learning algorithms that build large collections of random trees and make predictions by averaging the individual tree predictions. In this paper, we consider various tree constructions and examine how the choice of parameters affects the generalization error of the resulting random forests as the sample size goes to infinity. We show that subsampling of data points during the tree construction phase is important: Forests can become inconsistent with either no subsampling or too severe subsampling. As a consequence, even highly randomized trees can lead to inconsistent forests if no subsampling is used, which implies that some of the commonly used setups for random forests can be inconsistent. As a second consequence we can show that trees that have good performance in nearest-neighbor search can be a poor choice for random forests.
Lack of survival benefit in sentinel lymph node‐positive melanoma with immediate complete lymphadenectomy – a review
2018-12-03

Summary For decades, melanoma surgery has been guided by the Halstedian concept of stepwise metastasis, first into the lymph nodes and subsequently to distant sites. Early complete lymph node dissection (CLND) was therefore recommended in order to improve survival. Four large prospective randomized trials failed to show any survival benefit of CLND in comparison to observation alone. Sentinel lymph node biopsy was introduced in the 1990's, and CLND was limited to patients with positive sentinel nodes. Based on lymphoscintigraphy, it was pointed out that draining lymph nodes can now be detected more accurately. In one large trial, sentinel lymph node‐guided CLND was compared to observation alone, and no advantage for melanoma‐specific survival was detected. More recently, two prospective randomized studies tested whether CLND improved melanoma‐specific survival or overall survival in patients with positive sentinel nodes. Neither study found a better survival rate for patients with CLND than with observation alone. The reason for the failure of CLND to improve survival is clearly parallel development and not stepwise development of lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis. Immediate CLND in melanoma surgery is therefore called into question.
Dissociated cortical phase- and amplitude-coupling patterns in the human brain
2018-12-03

Abstract Coupling of neuronal oscillations may reflect and facilitate the communication between neuronal populations. Two primary neuronal coupling modes have been described: phase-coupling and amplitude-coupling. Theoretically, both coupling modes are independent, but so far, their neuronal relationship remains unclear. Here, we combined MEG, source-reconstruction and simulations to systematically compare cortical phase-coupling and amplitude-coupling patterns in the human brain. Importantly, we took into account a critical bias of amplitude-coupling measures due to phase-coupling. We found differences between both coupling modes across a broad frequency range and most of the cortex. Furthermore, by combining empirical measurements and simulations we ruled out that these results were caused by methodological biases, but instead reflected genuine neuronal amplitude coupling. Overall, our results suggest that cortical phase- and amplitude-coupling patterns are non-redundant, which may reflect at least partly distinct neuronal mechanisms. Furthermore, our findings highlight and clarify the compound nature of amplitude coupling measures. Highlights Systematic comparison of cortical phase- and amplitude-coupling patterns Demonstration of genuine amplitude coupling independent of phase coupling bias Amplitude- and phase coupling patterns differ across many cortical regions and frequencies
The new millenarianism: on the end of the world and of capitalism as we know them
2018-12-03

In recent years the destruction of the environment and the repeated crises of capitalism have been discussed by a wide range of books. More specifically, great attention has been paid to the concepts of Anthropocene and of the second machine age. The link between these two strands consists not only in the common view that we are facing massive changes to our way of life for ecological and for economic reasons, but also in the idea that these two phenomena are interconnected. Accordingly, the destruction of the environment is a consequence of capitalism, and, at the same time, capitalism is nearing its material, natural limits. In this paper I shall briefly evaluate these diagnoses and some of the proposed remedies. Furthermore, I shall point out some philosophically relevant consequences of said debate, particularly concerning the concepts of freedom and political action. *** O novo milenarismo Sobre o fim do mundo e do capitalismo como os conhecemos ***Nos últimos anos, a destruição do meio ambiente e as repetidas crises do capitalismo foram discutidas por uma ampla gama de livros. Mais especificamente, grande atenção tem sido dada aos conceitos de antropoceno e de segunda era da máquina. A ligação entre essas duas vertentes consiste não apenas na visão comum de que estamos enfrentando mudanças massivas em nosso modo de vida por razões ecológicas e econômicas, mas também na ideia de que esses dois fenômenos estão interconectados. Portanto, a destruição do meio ambiente é uma consequência do capitalismo e, ao mesmo tempo, o capitalismo está se aproximando de seus limites materiais e naturais. Neste artigo, vou avaliar brevemente esses diagnósticos e alguns dos remédios propostos. Além disso, apontarei algumas consequências filosoficamente relevantes do referido debate, particularmente em relação aos conceitos de liberdade e ação política.Palavras-chave: Destruição ambiental; Antropoceno; Capitalismo; Fim do trabalho; Segunda idade da máquina.
Structural and effective brain connectivity underlying biological motion detection
2018-12-04

Significance Visual perception of body motion is of substantial value for social cognition and everyday life. By using an integrative approach to brain connectivity, the study sheds light on architecture and functional principles of the underlying cerebro-cerebellar network. This circuity is organized in a parallel rather than hierarchical fashion. This may explain why body-language reading is rather resilient to focal brain damage but severely affected in neuropsychiatric conditions with distributed network alterations. Furthermore, visual sensitivity to body motion is best predicted by specific top-down feedback to the early visual cortex, as well as functional communication (effective connectivity) and presence of white-matter pathways between the right fusiform gyrus and superior temporal sulcus. The findings allow better understanding of the social brain.
Gender Stereotypes in a Children's Television Program: Effects on Girls' and Boys' Stereotype Endorsement, Math Performance, Motivational Dispositions, and Attitudes
2018-12-04

Television programs are a central part of children's everyday lives. These programs often transmit stereotypes about gender roles such as "math is for boys and not for girls." So far, however, it is unclear whether stereotypes that are embedded in television programs affect girls' and boys' performance, motivational dispositions, or attitudes. On the basis of research on expectancy-value theory and stereotype threat, we conducted a randomized study with a total of 335 fifth-grade students to address this question. As the experimental material, we used a television program that had originally been produced for a national TV channel. The program was designed to show children that math could be interesting and fun. In the experimental condition, the program included a gender stereotyped segment in which two girls who were frustrated with math copied their math homework from a male classmate. In the control condition, participants watched an equally long, neutral summary of the first part of the video. We investigated effects on boys' and girls' stereotype endorsement, math performance, and different motivational constructs to gain insights into differential effects. On the basis of prior research, we expected negative effects of watching the stereotypes on girls' performance, motivational dispositions, and attitudes. Effects on the same outcomes for boys as well as children's stereotype endorsement were explored as open questions. We pre-registered our research predictions and analyses before conducting the experiment. Our results provide partial support for short-term effects of gender stereotypes embedded in television programs: Watching the stereotypes embedded in the video increased boys' and girls' stereotype endorsement. Boys reported a higher sense of belonging but lower utility value after watching the video with the stereotypes. Boys' other outcome variables were not affected, and there were also no effects on girl's performance, motivational dispositions, or attitudes. Results offer initial insights into how even short segments involving gender stereotypes in television shows can influence girls' and boys' stereotype endorsement and how such stereotypes may constitute one factor that contributes to gender differences in the STEM fields.
Loss of CXCR4 on non-classical monocytes in participants of the Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) with subclinical atherosclerosis
2018-12-04

Abstract Aims To test whether human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and subclinical cardiovascular disease (sCVD) are associated with expression of CXCR4 and other surface markers on classical, intermediate, and non-classical monocytes in women. Methods and results sCVD was defined as presence of atherosclerotic lesions in the carotid artery in 92 participants of the Women’s Interagency HIV Study (WIHS). Participants were stratified into four sets (n = 23 each) by HIV and sCVD status (HIV−/sCVD−, HIV−/sCVD+, HIV+/sCVD−, and HIV+/sCVD+) matched by age, race/ethnicity, and smoking status. Three subsets of monocytes were determined from archived peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Flow cytometry was used to count and phenotype surface markers. We tested for differences by HIV and sCVD status accounting for multiple comparisons. We found no differences in monocyte subset size among the four groups. Expression of seven surface markers differed significantly across the three monocyte subsets. CXCR4 expression [median fluorescence intensity (MFI)] in non-classical monocytes was highest among HIV−/CVD− [628, interquartile range (IQR) (295–1389)], followed by HIV+/CVD− [486, IQR (248–699)], HIV−/CVD+ (398, IQR (89–901)), and lowest in HIV+/CVD+ women [226, IQR (73–519)), P = 0.006 in ANOVA. After accounting for multiple comparison (Tukey) the difference between HIV−/CVD− vs. HIV+/CVD+ remained significant with P = 0.005 (HIV−/CVD− vs. HIV+/CVD− P = 0.04, HIV−/CVD− vs. HIV−/CVD+ P = 0.06, HIV+/CVD+ vs. HIV+/CVD− P = 0.88, HIV+/CVD+ vs. HIV−/CVD+ P = 0.81, HIV+/CVD− vs. HIV−/CVD+, P = 0.99). All pairwise comparisons with HIV−/CVD− were individually significant (P = 0.050 vs. HIV−/CVD+, P = 0.028 vs. HIV+/CVD−, P = 0.009 vs. HIV+/CVD+). CXCR4 expression on non-classical monocytes was significantly higher in CVD− (501.5, IQR (249.5–887.3)) vs. CVD+ (297, IQR (81.75–626.8) individuals (P = 0.028, n = 46 per group). CXCR4 expression on non-classical monocytes significantly correlated with cardiovascular and HIV−related risk factors including systolic blood pressure, platelet and T cell counts along with duration of antiretroviral therapy (P &lt; 0.05). In regression analyses, adjusted for education level, study site, and injection drug use, presence of HIV infection and sCVD remained significantly associated with lower CXCR4 expression on non-classical monocytes (P = 0.003), but did not differ in classical or intermediate monocytes. Conclusion CXCR4 expression in non-classical monocytes was significantly lower among women with both HIV infection and sCVD, suggesting a potential atheroprotective role of CXCR4 in non-classical monocytes.
Mid-Latency Auditory Evoked Potentials Differentially Predict Sedation and Drug Level Under Opioid and Hypnotic Agents
2018-12-04

<b>Background:</b> Auditory-evoked brain potentials (AEPs) are widely used to assess depth of the sedative component of general anesthesia. Depth of sedation as induced by hypnotic drugs (e.g., propofol) is characterized by a gradual decline of mid-latency cortical AEPs (10-50 ms). Using the decline of mid-latency AEPs as a reliable index for sedation requires its robustness against confounding pharmaceutical influences, e.g., analgesic opioids such as remifentanil. Critically, in this context the following two questions remained unresolved so far: First, it is unclear whether opioids directly affect mid-latency AEPs. Second, high doses of opioids decrease arousal, but it is unknown whether opioid-induced sedation is reflected by the diminution of mid-latency AEPs. We hypothesized that opioids affect mid-latency AEPs and that these effects rely on different mechanisms compared to hypnotic agents. <b>Methods:</b> To address both questions, we performed a series of experiments under the participation of healthy human volunteers. We measured AEPs and quantified participants' sedation state by a standardized rating scale during stepwise increase of different pharmaceutical agents (remifentanil, propofol or placebo). <b>Results:</b> Our results revealed a decline of mid-latency AEPs during remifentanil medication. This decrease was predicted by drug dose, rather than sedation level. In contrast, attenuation of the mid-latency AEPs during propofol was predicted by sedation level and was not related to hypnotic drug dose. We did not find any drug-induced changes of brainstem AEPs (1-10 ms). <b>Conclusion:</b> As remifentanil reduced mid-latency AEPs without inducing strong sedation levels, a decrease of this evoked brain component does not constitute an unequivocal index for the depth of sedation. These results challenge the use of mid-latency AEPs as a reliable marker of depth of the sedative component of anesthesia if hypnotic drugs are combined with opioids.
Emotions in Wikipedia: the role of intended negative events in the expression of sadness and anger in online peer production
2018-12-04

The online encyclopaedia Wikipedia has strict guidelines for ensuring the objectivity of its content and unbiased language of its articles. Wikipedia also provides articles on negative events such as disasters. Depending on the event, the Wikipedia community may express certain emotions when writing Wikipedia articles on those events. So far, it is unclear which psychological mechanisms are reflected in the potential emotional expressions. Based on appraisal theories of specific emotions and on previous research on intentional harm, we investigated whether intentional negative events such as terrorist attacks elicited different emotional expressions than unintentional negative events, such as natural or man-made disasters. We analysed N = 330 Wikipedia articles with automatic linguistic text analyses and found that Wikipedia articles on man-made attacks (e.g. terrorist attacks, shooting rampages) contained more anger-related content than Wikipedia articles on man-made disasters (e.g. ship accidents, train accidents) and natural disasters (e.g. hurricanes, flooding); F (2, 327) = 127.78, p < .001, ηp2 = .439. Wikipedia articles on man-made attacks also contained fewer sadness-related words than articles on natural and man-made disasters, F (2, 327) = 19.01, p < .001, ηp2 = .104. We discuss the implications of these findings with respect to theory and practical applications.
Design of Linear and Cyclic Mutant Analogues of Dirucotide Peptide (MBP82–98) against Multiple Sclerosis: Conformational and Binding Studies to MHC Class II
2018-12-04

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disorder of the central nervous system. MS is a T cell-mediated disease characterized by the proliferation, infiltration, and attack of the myelin sheath by immune cells. Previous studies have shown that cyclization provides molecules with strict conformation that could modulate the immune system. Methods: In this study, we synthesized peptide analogues derived from the myelin basic protein (MBP)82–98 encephalitogenic sequence (dirucotide), the linear altered peptide ligand MBP82–98 (Ala91), and their cyclic counterparts. Results: The synthesized peptides were evaluated for their binding to human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR2 and HLA-DR4 alleles, with cyclic MBP82–98 being a strong binder with the HLA-DR2 allele and having lower affinity binding to the HLA-DR4 allele. In a further step, conformational analyses were performed using NMR spectroscopy in solution to describe the conformational space occupied by the functional amino acids of both linear and cyclic peptide analogues. This structural data, in combination with crystallographic data, were used to study the molecular basis of their interaction with HLA-DR2 and HLA-DR4 alleles. Conclusion: The cyclic and APL analogues of dirucotide are promising leads that should be further evaluated for their ability to alter T cell responses for therapeutic benefit against MS.