julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Novel Functional MRI Task for Studying the Neural Correlates of Upper Limb Tremor
2018-07-02

<b>Introduction:</b> Tremor of the upper limbs is a disabling symptom that is present during several neurological disorders and is currently without treatment. Functional MRI (fMRI) is an essential tool to investigate the pathophysiology of tremor and aid the development of treatment options. However, no adequately or standardized protocols for fMRI exists at present. Here we present a novel, online available fMRI task that could be used to assess the <i>in vivo</i> pathology of tremor. <b>Objective:</b> This study aims to validate the tremor-evoking potential of the fMRI task in a small group of tremor patients outside the scanner and assess the reproducibility of the fMRI task related activation in healthy controls. <b>Methods:</b> Twelve HCs were scanned at two time points (baseline and after 6-weeks). There were two runs of multi-band fMRI and the tasks included a "brick-breaker" joystick game. The game consisted of three conditions designed to control for most of the activation related to performing the task by contrasting the conditions: WATCH (look at the game without moving joystick), MOVE (rhythmic left/right movement of joystick without game), and PLAY (playing the game). Task fMRI was analyzed using FSL FEAT to determine clusters of activation during the different conditions. Maximum activation within the clusters was used to assess the ability to control for task related activation and reproducibility. Four tremor patients have been included to test ecological and construct validity of the joystick task by assessing tremor frequencies captured by the joystick. <b>Results:</b> In HCs the game activated areas corresponding to motor, attention and visual areas. Most areas of activation by our game showed moderate to good reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) 0.531-0.906) with only inferior parietal lobe activation showing poor reproducibility (ICC 0.446). Furthermore, the joystick captured significantly more tremulous movement in tremor patients compared to HCs (p = 0.01) during PLAY, but not during MOVE. <b>Conclusion:</b> Validation of our novel task confirmed tremor-evoking potential and reproducibility analyses yielded acceptable results to continue further investigations into the pathophysiology of tremor. The use of this technique in studies with tremor patient will no doubt provide significant insights into the treatment options.
Correlated, Dual‐Beam Optical Gating in Coupled Organic–Inorganic Nanostructures
2018-07-02

Abstract An optical switch with two distinct resonances is formed by combining PbS nanocrystals and the conductive polymer poly[sodium 2‐(2‐ethynyl‐4‐methoxyphenoxy)acetate] (PAE) into a hybrid thin film. Infrared excitation of the nanocrystals invokes charge transfer and consecutive polaron formation in the PAE, which activates the switch for excited‐state absorption at visible frequencies. The optical modulation of the photocurrent response of the switch exhibits highly wavelength‐selective ON/OFF ratios. Transient absorption spectroscopy shows that the polaron formation is correlated with the excited state of the nanocrystals, opening up new perspectives for photonic data processing. Such correlated activated absorption can be exploited to enhance the sensitivity for one optical signal by a second light source of different frequency as part of an optical amplifier or a device with AND logic.
A 20-Questions-Based Binary Spelling Interface for Communication Systems
2018-07-02

Brain computer interfaces (BCIs) enables people with motor impairments to communicate using their brain signals by selecting letters and words from a screen. However, these spellers do not work for people in a complete locked-in state (CLIS). For these patients, a near infrared spectroscopy-based BCI has been developed, allowing them to reply to “yes”/”no” questions with a classification accuracy of 70%. Because of the non-optimal accuracy, a usual character-based speller for selecting letters or words cannot be used. In this paper, a novel spelling interface based on the popular 20-questions-game has been presented, which will allow patients to communicate using only “yes”/”no” answers, even in the presence of poor classification accuracy. The communication system is based on an artificial neural network (ANN) that estimates a statement thought by the patient asking less than 20 questions. The ANN has been tested in a web-based version with healthy participants and in offline simulations. Both results indicate that the proposed system can estimate a patient’s imagined sentence with an accuracy that varies from 40%, in the case of a “yes”/”no” classification accuracy of 70%, and up to 100% in the best case. These results show that the proposed spelling interface could allow patients in CLIS to express their own thoughts, instead of only answer to “yes”/”no” questions.
Simultaneous Quantification of Electron Transfer by Carbon Matrices and Functional Groups in Pyrogenic Carbon
2018-07-03

Pyrogenic carbon contains redox-active functional groups and polyaromatic carbon matrices that are both capable of transferring electrons. Several techniques have been explored to characterize the individual electron transfer process of either functional groups or carbon matrices individually. However, simultaneous analysis of both processes remains challenging. Using an approach that employs a four-electrode configuration and dual-interface electron transfer detection, we distinguished the electron transfer by functional groups from the electron transfer by carbon matrices and simultaneously quantified their relative contribution to the total electron transfer to and from pyrogenic carbon. Results show that at low to intermediate pyrolysis temperatures (400-500 °C), redox cycling of functional groups is the major mechanism with a contribution of 100-78% to the total electron transfer; whereas at high temperatures (650-800 °C), direct electron transfer of carbon matrices dominates electron transfer with a contribution of 87-100%. Spectroscopic and diffraction analyses of pyrogenic carbon support the electrochemical measurements by showing a molecular-level structural transition from an enrichment in functional groups to an enrichment in nanosized graphene domains with increasing pyrolysis temperatures. The method described in this study provides a new analytical approach to separately quantify the relative importance of different electron transfer pathways in natural pyrogenic carbon and has potential applications for engineered carbon materials such as graphene oxides.
The Relation of Personality and Intelligence—What Can the Brunswik Symmetry Principle Tell Us?
2018-07-03

Personality and intelligence are defined as hierarchical constructs, ranging from broad g-factors to (domain-)specific constructs. The present study investigated whether different combinations of hierarchical levels lead to different personality-intelligence correlations. Based on the integrative data analysis approach, we combined a total of five data sets. The focus of the first study (N = 682) was an elaborated measurement of personality (NEO-PI-R), which was applied with a relatively short intelligence test (Intelligence Structure Test 2000 R). In the second study (N = 413), a comprehensive measurement of intelligence (Berlin Intelligence Structure test) was used with a shorter personality questionnaire (NEO-FFI). In line with the Brunswik symmetry principle, the findings emphasize that personality-intelligence correlations varied greatly across the hierarchical levels of constructs considered in the analysis. On average, Openness showed the largest relation with intelligence. We recommend for future studies to investigate personality-intelligence relations at more fine-grained levels based on elaborated measurements of both personality and intelligence.
Cutaneous melanoma in adolescents and young adults
2018-07-03

Abstract Cutaneous melanoma is rare in children, but has greater incidence in adolescents and young adults (AYAs). Diagnosis may be challenging due to its rarity in these age groups. Few studies have specifically addressed the topic of AYA melanoma. Though young‐age melanoma may have particular biological characteristics, available data suggest that its clinical history is similar to that of adults. However, advances in treatment of adult melanoma have not been reflected in the treatment of AYAs. There is no standard treatment, and access to clinical trials is difficult for AYAs. Further efforts are needed to overcome these issues by improving cooperation with experts on adult melanoma.
Changes in the law of self-defence? Drones, imminence, and international norm dynamics
2018-07-03

This article assesses the evolution of the international law of the use of force, focusing on how the emergence of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) influenced international norms regulating the right of self-defence. Drawing on constructivist International Relations research, we develop a socio-legal framework that emphasises changes in the interpretation of the meaning of imminence, and investigate how these changes, counter-terrorism, and the introduction of UAVs have contributed to the adoption of more relaxed standards for the use of force in self-defence. We argue that the Obama administration engaged in a systematic effort to redefine imminence and that a significant numbers of states, including key powers such as China, India and the UK, have largely followed this model. This, we suggest, underlines both the ability of dominant states to shape the interpretation of international norms and the influence of strategic and technological developments on the meaning and interpretation of international law.
Agitation Modules: Flexible Means to Accelerate Automated Freeze Substitution
2018-07-03

For ultrafast fixation of biological samples to avoid artifacts, high-pressure freezing (HPF) followed by freeze substitution (FS) is preferred over chemical fixation at room temperature. After HPF, samples are maintained at low temperature during dehydration and fixation, while avoiding damaging recrystallization. This is a notoriously slow process. McDonald and Webb demonstrated, in 2011, that sample agitation during FS dramatically reduces the necessary time. Then, in 2015, we (H.G. and S.R.) introduced an agitation module into the cryochamber of an automated FS unit and demonstrated that the preparation of algae could be shortened from days to a couple of hours. We argued that variability in the processing, reproducibility, and safety issues are better addressed using automated FS units. For dissemination, we started low-cost manufacturing of agitation modules for two of the most widely used FS units, the Automatic Freeze Substitution Systems, AFS(1) and AFS2, from Leica Microsystems, using three dimensional (3D)-printing of the major components. To test them, several labs independently used the modules on a wide variety of specimens that had previously been processed by manual agitation, or without agitation. We demonstrate that automated processing with sample agitation saves time, increases flexibility with respect to sample requirements and protocols, and produces data of at least as good quality as other approaches.
Electron-Conducting PbS Nanocrystal Superlattices with Long-Range Order Enabled by Terthiophene Molecular Linkers
2018-07-03

PbS nanocrystals are surface-functionalized with the organic semiconductor 5,5′′-dithiol-[2,2':5,2′′-terthiophene] and assembled to afford hybrid nanostructured thin films with a large structural coherence and an electron mobility of 0.2 cm<sup>2</sup>/(V s). Electrochemistry, optical spectroscopy, and quantum mechanical calculations are applied to elucidate the electronic structure at the inorganic/organic interface, and it is established that electron injection into the molecule alters its (electronic) structure, which greatly facilitates coupling of the neighboring PbS 1S<sub>e</sub> states. This is verified by field-effect and electrochemically gated transport measurements, and evidence is provided that carrier transport occurs predominantly via the 1S<sub>e</sub> states. The presented material allows studying structure-transport correlations and exploring transport anisotropies in semiconductor nanocrystal superlattices.
Parameters of disavowal: colonial representation in South Korean cinema
2018-07-03

The colonial experience of the early twentieth century shaped Korea’s culture and identity, leaving a troubling past that was subtly reconstructed in South Korean postcolonial cinema. Relating postcolonial discourses to a reading of Manchurian action films, kisaeng and gangster films, and revenge horror films, Parameters of Disavowal shows how filmmakers reworked, recontextualized, and erased ideas and symbols of colonial power. In particular, Jinsoo An examines how South Korean films privileged certain sites, such as the kisaeng house and the Manchurian frontier, generating unique meanings that challenged the domination of the colonial power, and how horror films indirectly explored both the continuing trauma of colonial violence and lingering emotional ties to the colonial order. Espousing the ideology of nationalism while responding to a new Cold War order that positioned Japan and South Korea as political and economic allies, postcolonial cinema formulated distinctive ways of seeing and imagining the colonial past. “A groundbreaking work that articulates a new methodology of theorizing and analyzing postcolonial cinema.” HYON JOO YOO, author of Cinema at the Crossroads: Nation and the Subject in East Asian Cinema “Jinsoo An’s bold commitment to mining the layers and sometimes contradictions of individual films is remarkable. There is no more sustained and erudite examination of colonialism and film in Korea.” STEVEN CHUNG, author of Split Screen Korea: Shin Sang-ok and Postwar Cinema JINSOO AN is Assistant Professor of Korean Studies in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of California, Berkeley.
Individualized training as a biopsychosocial challenge – interlinking epigenetics, social sciences and psychology in sport scientific research
2018-07-03

In recent years, the individualization of training in both elite sports and health-promoting exercise has steadily gained importance. Research has shown that people react to the same training stimu...
Soil magnetism and climatic variation across the Shanxi Loess Plateau, China
2018-07-03

Soil magnetic parameters are increasingly being linked to climatic and environmental variation, and thus provide an useful information for tracking perturbations in terrestrial environments. Climate data and the magnetic properties of modern topsoil samples were examined across a 680 km transect of the Shanxi Loess Plateau and compared to regional climate data – including temperature and precipitation. The results revealed median values of magnetic susceptibility (79.49 × 10−8 m3kg−1), saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM 1058.37 × 10−5Am2kg−1), and anhysteretic remanence magnetization (ARM 14.29 × 10−5Am2kg−1), respectively. Soils were also shown to contain a high prevalence of super paramagnetic (SP) grains, as indicated by frequency dependent susceptibility above 5%. Soil magnetic susceptibility, SIRM, and ARM showed a significant correlation with the mean annual precipitation (MAP), while a weak association was observed between ARM and mean annual temperature (MAT). The spatial distribution of topsoil magnetism in the region suggests a strong gradient from north to south, which is consistent with a moderate rainfall gradient of 350– 700 mm.yr−1. Overall, these data showed that soil magnetic properties across the Shanxi Loess Plateau are similar to other loess-derived soils in China and reflect the influence of climatic parameters in their genesis, especially rainfall.
Automated closed-loop management of body temperature using forced-air blankets: preliminary feasibility study in a porcine model
2018-07-03

Closed-loop TTM using non-invasive forced-air warming blankets was successfully tested in a porcine study with the proposed hardware interface and control algorithm. This automation can be beneficial for patient outcome and can reduce caregiver workload and patient risk in clinical settings. As temperature readings are most often available, existing devices like the 3M Bair Hugger can easily be expanded. However, even if clinical application is feasible, open questions regarding approval and certification of such automated systems within the current legal situation still need to be answered.
Biophysical analysis of sialic acid recognition by the complement regulator Factor H
2018-07-04

Complement factor H (FH), an elongated and substantially glycosylated 20-domain protein, is a soluble regulator of the complement alternative pathway (AP). It contains several glycan binding sites which mediate recognition of α2-3-linked sialic acid (FH domain 20) and glycosaminoglycans (domains 6-8 and 19-20). FH also binds the complement C3-activation product C3b, a powerful opsonin and focal point for the formation of C3-convertases of the AP feedback loop. In freely circulating FH the C3b binding site in domains 19-20 is occluded, a phenomenon that is not fully understood and could be mediated by an intramolecular interaction between FH's intrinsic sialylated glycosylation and its own sialic acid binding site. In order to assess this possibility, we characterized FH's sialylation with respect to glycosidic linkage type and searched for further potential, not yet characterized sialic acid binding sites in FH and its seven-domain spanning splice variant and fellow complement regulator FH like-1 (FHL-1). We also probed FH binding to the sialic acid variant Neu5Gc which is not expressed in humans but on heterologous erythrocytes that restrict the human AP and in FH transgenic mice. We find that FH contains mostly α2-6-linked sialic acid, making an intramolecular interaction with its α2-3-sialic acid specific binding site and an associated self-lock mechanism unlikely, substantiate that there is only a single sialic acid binding site in FH and none in FHL-1, and demonstrate direct binding of FH to the nonhuman sialic acid Neu5Gc, supporting the use of FH transgenic mouse models for studies of complement-related diseases.
GDAP2 mutations implicate susceptibility to cellular stress in a new form of cerebellar ataxia
2018-07-04

Abstract Autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxias are a group of rare disorders that share progressive degeneration of the cerebellum and associated tracts as the main hallmark. Here, we report two unrelated patients with a new subtype of autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxia caused by biallelic, gene-disruptive mutations inGDAP2, a gene previously not implicated in disease. Both patients had onset of ataxia in the fourth decade. Other features included progressive spasticity and dementia. Neuropathological examination showed degenerative changes in the cerebellum, olive inferior, thalamus, substantia nigra, and pyramidal tracts, as well as tau pathology in the hippocampus and amygdala. To provide further evidence for a causative role ofGDAP2 mutations in autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxia pathophysiology, its orthologous gene was investigated in the fruit flyDrosophila melanogaster. Ubiquitous knockdown ofDrosophila Gdap2 resulted in shortened lifespan and motor behaviour anomalies such as righting defects, reduced and uncoordinated walking behaviour, and compromised flight. Gdap2 expression levels responded to stress treatments in control flies, and Gdap2 knockdown flies showed increased sensitivity to deleterious effects of stressors such as reactive oxygen species and nutrient deprivation. Thus,Gdap2 knockdown inDrosophila andGDAP2 loss-of-function mutations in humans lead to locomotor phenotypes, which may be mediated by altered responses to cellular stress.
A Translational Framework of Educational Neuroscience in Learning Disorders
2018-07-04

Neuroimaging has undergone enormous progress during the last two and a half decades. The combination of neuroscientific methods and educational practice has become a focus of interdisciplinary research in order to answer more applied questions. In this realm, conditions that hamper learning success and have deleterious effects in the population - such as learning disorders (LD) - could especially profit from neuroimaging findings. At the moment, however, there is an ongoing debate about how far neuroscientific research can go to inform the practical work in educational settings. Here, we put forward a theoretical translational framework as a method of conducting neuroimaging and bridging it to education, with a main focus on dyscalculia and dyslexia. Our work seeks to represent a theoretical but mainly empirical guide on the benefits of neuroimaging, which can help people working with different aspects of LD, who need to act collaboratively to reach the full potential of neuroimaging. We provide possible ideas regarding how neuroimaging can inform LD at different levels within our multidirectional framework, i.e., mechanisms, diagnosis/prognosis, training/intervention, and community/education. In addition, we discuss methodological, conceptual, and structural limitations that need to be addressed by future research.
Effects of task experience and layout on learning from text and pictures with or without unnecessary picture descriptions
2018-07-04

Abstract The presentation of extraneous (i.e., irrelevant or unnecessary) information may hamper learning with multimedia. The present study examined whether people can learn to ignore unnecessary information with increasing experience with the task and whether this depends on the layout of that information. In two experiments, participants learned about the process of mitosis from a multimedia slideshow, with each slide presenting a combination of expository text and a picture on one of the stages in the process. Slides either contained no unnecessary text (control condition) or unnecessary text (i.e., merely describing the picture) either integrated in the picture (integrated condition) or presented underneath the picture (separated condition). Knowledge about the studied mitosis phase was tested immediately after each slide using a cloze test. Across Experiments 1 and 2, we did not find a reliable negative effect of the unnecessary text on cloze test performance. As a result, the question of whether task experience would reduce or eliminate that negative effect could not be answered. The eye movement data did confirm, however, that participants attended less to the unnecessary information with increasing task experience, suggesting that students can adapt their study strategy and learn to ignore unnecessary information.