julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Friend vs. Foe: Cognitive and Affective Empathy in Women With Different Hormonal States
2021-03-08

Empathy is crucial for social functioning as well as social coherence. It can be influenced by modulatory factors such as familiarity and liking (i.e., emotional closeness). Furthermore, there are first hints that hormonal status may modulate affective but not cognitive empathy in women. The aim of this study was to investigate potential separate as well as combined modulatory effects of emotional closeness and hormonal status on female cognitive and affective empathy. Three hormonal status groups of women ( n = 62) were studied: (1) naturally-cycling (NC) women in the early follicular phase (fNC), (2) NC women during periovulatory phase (oNC), and (3) oral contraceptive (OC) users. All women underwent a newly developed empathy task (i.e., Tübinger Empathy Test, TET) presenting textual descriptions of positive and negative emotional scenes relating to three different perspectives (i.e., self vs. friend vs. enemy/disliked person). Regardless of hormonal status, empathic responses were higher for the friend compared to the enemy perspective for both empathy components. However, cognitive empathy was less affected by varying emotional closeness toward the target person than affective empathy. Hormonal status modulated only affective empathy. OC users showed significantly less affective empathy toward the enemy compared to the fNC women. Overall, affective empathy seems more sensitive to modulatory effects of emotional closeness and hormonal status than cognitive empathy. Possible implications of this current investigation for future research on empathy and OC use, contraceptive education as well as for other clinical applications are discussed.
Molecular epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus in children in sub‐Saharan Africa
2021-03-08

Abstract Objectives This study investigated the molecular epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) among febrile children with acute respiratory tract infection in Ghana, Gabon, Tanzania and Burkina Faso between 2014 and 2017 as well as the evolution and diversification of RSV strains from other sub‐Saharan countries. Methods Pharyngeal swabs were collected at four study sites (Agogo, Ghana: n = 490; Lambaréné, Gabon: n = 182; Mbeya, Tanzania: n = 293; Nouna, Burkina Faso: n = 115) and analysed for RSV and other respiratory viruses using rtPCR. For RSV‐positive samples, sequence analysis of the second hypervariable region of the G gene was performed. A dataset of RSV strains from sub‐Saharan Africa (2011–2017) currently available in GenBank was compiled. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted to identify the diversity of circulating RSV genotypes. Results In total, 46 samples were tested RSV positive (Ghana n = 31 (6.3%), Gabon n = 4 (2.2%), Tanzania n = 9 (3.1%) and Burkina Faso n = 2 (1.7%)). The most common RSV co‐infection was with rhinovirus. All RSV A strains clustered with genotype ON1 strains with a 72‐nucleotide duplication and all RSV B strains belonged to genotype BAIX. Phylogenetic analysis of amino acid sequences from sub‐Saharan Africa revealed the diversification into 11 different ON1 and 22 different BAIX lineages and differentiation of ON1 and BAIX strains into potential new sub‐genotypes, provisionally named ON1‐NGR, BAIX‐KEN1, BAIX‐KEN2 and BAIX‐KEN3. Conclusion The study contributes to an improved understanding of the molecular epidemiology of RSV infection in sub‐Saharan Africa. It provides the first phylogenetic data for RSV from Tanzania, Gabon and Burkina Faso and combines it with RSV strains from all other sub‐Saharan countries currently available in GenBank.
Direct visualization of local deformations in suspended few-layer graphene membranes by coupled in situ atomic force and scanning electron microscopy
2021-03-08

Suspended membranes of two-dimensional (2D) materials are of interest for many applications. Much of their characterization relies on scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques such as atomic force microscopy (AFM) or scanning tunneling microscopy (STM). Unlike rigid samples, the suspended atomically thin 2D membranes are, however, flexible and do not remain mechanically undisturbed during SPM measurements. Local deformations can occur at the location of the scanning tip and thus result in measurements that misrepresent actual membrane topography and nanomechanical properties. Exact levels of such SPM tip-induced deformations in 2D membranes remain largely unknown, as they are to date only indirectly accessible via dual probe microscope concepts that either are not mechanically independent (e.g., SPM-SPM setups resulting in complicated imaging crosstalk) or suffer from intrinsically limited lateral resolution (e.g., optical far-field techniques as the second probe). Circumventing these shortcomings, we here demonstrate that by coupling an AFM with a scanning electron microscope (SEM) as the second, mechanically independent probe, we can directly and in situ visualize by SEM at high resolution 2D membrane deformations that result from controllable AFM tip manipulations in the nN range. Employing few-layer graphene as model membranes, we discuss the experimental realization of our coupled in situ AFM-SEM approach.
Assessing a Mass-Based Method for the Preparation of Low-Dosed Paediatric Capsules with Baclofen and Spironolactone
2021-03-08

Despite the steadily improving medical care situation in pediatrics, some drugs are still not available in a suitable dose or dosage form and thus need to be prepared extemporaneously. Capsules can be easily compounded at the hospital and public pharmacies, offering an alternative to liquid formulations. This study aims at testing a mass-based approach for the extemporaneous preparation of low-dose pediatric capsules and investigating systematically the API loss during this procedure. A total of 54 capsule batches were prepared with baclofen and spironolactone as pediatric-relevant drugs. The hard capsules were prepared using three different bulking agents consisting of either mannitol, lactose-monohydrate and microcrystalline cellulose mixed with 0.5% colloidal silica. Capsules were tested according to Ph. Eur. method “2.9.40 Content Uniformity” as well as for occurring powder loss and mass uniformity. The results reveal that the mass-based approach, in general, allows the preparation of low-dose pediatric capsules of appropriate quality. However, absolute quality is highly dependent on the homogeneity of the powder mixture and the use of defined parameters for capsule preparation.
Cultural Heritage and Associations in France: Reflections on a Ground-Breaking Investigation, Twenty Years On
2021-03-08

This interview was carried out to mark the approaching twentieth anniversary of what has become a seminal text within French heritage studies: Le Patrimoine saisi par les associations (Heritage in the Hands of Associations). Ahead of its time, this work by the French sociologists Hervé Glevarec and Guy Saez shed light on a number of important yet little-studied dynamics relating to the interactions between the field of heritage and associations in France. Today many of the aspects they outlined (the role of the associative sector in expanding the notion of heritage in France; opening up of the category of heritage to include customs, rituals, know-how and memories; the interest in following the biographical trajectories of heritage actors) have become a common part of heritage making and a focus of heritage studies around the world. Somewhat surprisingly, there has been very little intellectual follow-up of Glevarec and Saez’ pioneering work. As well as detailing the social context that led to the study and underlining some of the key findings, in the interview Glévarec and Saez point to some significant evolutions in political, intellectual and moral paradigms affecting contemporary cultural heritage production. Accordingly, the interview demonstrates the historical value of ethnographic and sociological studies which, when compared with more recent research, can help chart the extent of transformations of a social field over time.
Life satisfaction in families with a child in an Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome
2021-03-08

Abstract Background The article examines life conditions in families living together with a child in an Unresponsive Wakefulness Syndrome (UWS). Such families experience severe stress at financial, logistical, and existential level. Methods We investigated a large sample of families living with a UWS child (comprising 13% of the total population) and compared these families with families without a chronically ill child. A set of four questionnaires aimed to evaluate life conditions entails a total of 204 items. One of the questionnaires was developed by the corresponding author specifically for this study. The questionnaires were positively accepted by the persons concerned and permitted us to test six specific hypotheses. Results Life satisfaction (LS) in families with a UWS child was significantly lower than in control families. LS was significantly affected by external situational factors (everyday support, home visits, support by a doctor, nursing service, health insurance, etc.). Self-management skills were on average lower in families with a UWS child than in controls. These skills strongly and directly correlated with LS. Further, LS was not significantly related to the acceptance of feelings and negatively correlated with the floods of emotions. The relationship with the own child was equally satisfactory in families with and without a UWS child indicating that the families regard their UWS child as a full family member. Conclusions The data show that happy life is possible in families living together with a UWS child. They further specify conditions for satisfactory life under multiple highly severe challenges. Personal self-management skills, coping strategies, and resilience, as well as outside social support, appear to be critical factors.
The complement system in age-related macular degeneration
2021-03-09

Abstract Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic and progressive degenerative disease of the retina, which culminates in blindness and affects mainly the elderly population. AMD pathogenesis and pathophysiology are incredibly complex due to the structural and cellular complexity of the retina, and the variety of risk factors and molecular mechanisms that contribute to disease onset and progression. AMD is driven by a combination of genetic predisposition, natural ageing changes and lifestyle factors, such as smoking or nutritional intake. The mechanism by which these risk factors interact and converge towards AMD are not fully understood and therefore drug discovery is challenging, where no therapeutic attempt has been fully effective thus far. Genetic and molecular studies have identified the complement system as an important player in AMD. Indeed, many of the genetic risk variants cluster in genes of the alternative pathway of the complement system and complement activation products are elevated in AMD patients. Nevertheless, attempts in treating AMD via complement regulators have not yet been successful, suggesting a level of complexity that could not be predicted only from a genetic point of view. In this review, we will explore the role of complement system in AMD development and in the main molecular and cellular features of AMD, including complement activation itself, inflammation, ECM stability, energy metabolism and oxidative stress.
Pushing planets into an inner cavity by a resonant chain
2021-03-09

Context. The orbital distribution of exoplanets indicates an accumulation of super-Earth sized planets close to their host stars in compact systems. When an inward disc-driven migration scenario is assumed for their formation, these planets could have been stopped and might have been parked at an inner edge of the disc, or be pushed through the inner disc cavity by a resonant chain. This topic has not been properly and extensively studied. Aims. Using numerical simulations, we investigate the possibility that the inner planets in a resonant chain can be pushed into the disc inner cavity by outer planets. Methods. We performed hydrodynamical and N -body simulations of planetary systems embedded in their nascent disc. The inner edge of the disc was represented in two different ways, resembling either a dead zone inner edge (DZ) or a disc inner boundary (IB). The main difference lies in the steepness of the surface density profile. The innermost planet always has a mass of 10 M Earth , with additional outer planets of equal or higher mass. Results. A steeper profile is able to stop a chain of planets more efficiently than a shallower profile. The final configurations in our DZ models are usually tighter than in their IB counterparts, and therefore more prone to instability. We derive analytical expressions for the stopping conditions based on power equilibrium, and show that the final eccentricities result from torque equilibrium. For planets in thinner discs, we found, for the first time, clear signs for over-stable librations in the hydrodynamical simulations, leading to very compact systems. We also found that the popular N -body simulations may overestimate the number of planets in the disc inner cavity.
The Early Fragmentation of a Bovine Dermis-Derived Collagen Barrier Membrane Contributes to Transmembraneous Vascularization—A Possible Paradigm Shift for Guided Bone Regeneration
2021-03-09

Collagen-based barrier membranes are an essential component in Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR) procedures. They act as cell-occlusive devices that should maintain a micromilieu where bone tissue can grow, which in turn provides a stable bed for prosthetic implantation. However, the standing time of collagen membranes has been a challenging area, as native membranes are often prematurely resorbed. Therefore, consolidation techniques, such as chemical cross-linking, have been used to enhance the structural integrity of the membranes, and by consequence, their standing time. However, these techniques have cytotoxic tendencies and can cause exaggerated inflammation and in turn, premature resorption, and material failures. However, tissues from different extraction sites and animals are variably cross-linked. For the present in vivo study, a new collagen membrane based on bovine dermis was extracted and compared to a commercially available porcine-sourced collagen membrane extracted from the pericardium. The membranes were implanted in Wistar rats for up to 60 days. The analyses included well-established histopathological and histomorphometrical methods, including histochemical and immunohistochemical staining procedures, to detect M1- and M2-macrophages as well as blood vessels. Initially, the results showed that both membranes remained intact up to day 30, while the bovine membrane was fragmented at day 60 with granulation tissue infiltrating the implantation beds. In contrast, the porcine membrane remained stable without signs of material-dependent inflammatory processes. Therefore, the bovine membrane showed a special integration pattern as the fragments were found to be overlapping, providing secondary porosity in combination with a transmembraneous vascularization. Altogether, the bovine membrane showed comparable results to the porcine control group in terms of biocompatibility and standing time. Moreover, blood vessels were found within the bovine membranes, which can potentially serve as an additional functionality of barrier membranes that conventional barrier membranes do not provide.
Cytotoxicity of β-Cyclodextrins in Retinal Explants for Intravitreal Drug Formulations
2021-03-09

Cyclodextrins (CDs) have been widely used as pharmaceutical excipients for formulation purposes for different delivery systems. Recent studies have shown that CDs are able to form complexes with a variety of biomolecules, such as cholesterol. This has subsequently paved the way for the possibility of using CDs as drugs in certain retinal diseases, such as Stargardt disease and retinal artery occlusion, where CDs could absorb cholesterol lumps. However, studies on the retinal toxicity of CDs are limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the retinal toxicity of different beta-(β)CD derivatives and their localization within retinal tissues. To this end, we performed cytotoxicity studies with two different CDs—2-hydroxypropyl-βCD (HPβCD) and randomly methylated β-cyclodextrin (RMβCD)—using wild-type mouse retinal explants, the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay, and fluorescence microscopy. RMβCD was found to be more toxic to retinal explants when compared to HPβCD, which the retina can safely tolerate at levels as high as 10 mM. Additionally, studies conducted with fluorescent forms of the same CDs showed that both CDs can penetrate deep into the inner nuclear layer of the retina, with some uptake by Müller cells. These results suggest that HPβCD is a safer option than RMβCD for retinal drug delivery and may advance the use of CDs in the development of drugs designed for intravitreal administration.
Evaluating Visual Cues Modulates Their Representation in Mouse Visual and Cingulate Cortex
2021-03-09

Choosing an action in response to visual cues relies on cognitive processes, such as perception, evaluation, and prediction, which can modulate visual representations even at early processing stages. In the mouse, it is challenging to isolate cognitive modulations of sensory signals because concurrent overt behavior patterns, such as locomotion, can also have brainwide influences. To address this challenge, we designed a task, in which head-fixed mice had to evaluate one of two visual cues. While their global shape signaled the opportunity to earn reward, the cues provided equivalent local stimulation to receptive fields of neurons in primary visual (V1) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). We found that mice evaluated these cues within few hundred milliseconds. During this period, ∼30% of V1 neurons became cue-selective, with preferences for either cue being balanced across the recorded population. This selectivity emerged in response to the behavioral demands because the same neurons could not discriminate the cues in sensory control measurements. In ACC, cue evaluation affected a similar fraction of neurons; emerging selectivity, however, was stronger than in V1, and preferences in the recorded population were biased toward the cue promising reward. Such a biased selectivity regime might allow the mouse to infer the promise of reward simply by the overall level of activity. Together, these experiments isolate the impact of task demands on neural responses in mouse cerebral cortex, and document distinct neural signatures of cue evaluation in V1 and ACC. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Performing a cognitive task, such as evaluating visual cues, not only recruits frontal and parietal brain regions, but also modulates sensory processing stages. We trained mice to evaluate two visual cues, and show that, during this task, ∼30% of neurons recorded in V1 became selective for either cue, although they provided equivalent visual stimulation. We also show that, during cue evaluation, mice frequently move their eyes, even under head fixation, and that ignoring systematic differences in eye position can substantially obscure the modulations seen in V1 neurons. Finally, we document that modulations are stronger in ACC, and biased toward the reward-predicting cue, suggesting a transition in the neural representation of task-relevant information across processing stages in mouse cerebral cortex.
Complexes of silanethiolate ligands: Synthesis, structure, properties and application
2021-03-09

The purposeful syntheses of silanethiolate complexes started approximately in the mid-eighties of the 20th century but no summary of the synthetic efforts has been reported till now. The synthetic methods and the resulting complexes have some common features, which are emphasized throughout the review. Thereby specific difficulties during synthesis are outlined and the structures, properties and possible applications of the resulting complexes are presented. All groups of metals of the periodic table are included and associated with potential applications regarding the specific properties of the silicon-sulfur bond and the attached metals.
The aftermath of nova Centauri 2013 (V1369 Centauri)
2021-03-09

Context. Classical nova progenitors are cataclysmic variables and very old novae are observed to match systems with high mass transfer rates and (relatively) long orbital periods. However, the aftermath of a classical nova has never been studied in detail. Aims. We intend to probe the aftermath of a classical nova explosion in cataclysmic variables and observe as the binary system relaxes to quiescence. Methods. We used multiwavelength time-resolved optical and near-infrared spectroscopy for a bright, well-studied classical nova five years after outburst. We were able to disentangle the contribution of the ejecta at this late epoch using its previous characterization, separating the ejecta emission from that of the binary system. Results. We determined the binary orbital period ( P = 3.76 h), the system separation, and the mass ratio ( q ≳ 0.17 for an assumed white dwarf mass of 1.2 M ⊙ ). We find evidence of an irradiated secondary star and no unambiguous signature of an accretion disk, although we identify a second emission line source tied to the white dwarf with an impact point. The data are consistent with a bloated white dwarf envelope and the presence of unsettled gas within the white dwarf Roche lobe. Conclusions. At more than 5 years after eruption, it appears that this classical nova has not yet relaxed.