julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Pseudo-Majorana functional renormalization for frustrated XXZ spin-12 models with field or magnetization along the spin-Z direction at finite temperature
2025-02-13

The numerical study of high-dimensional frustrated quantum magnets remains a challenging problem. Here we present an extension of the pseudo-Majorana functional renormalization group to spin-1/2 XXZ-type Hamiltonians with field or magnetization along spin-<a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><a:mi>Z</a:mi></a:math> direction at finite temperature. We consider a U(1) symmetry-adapted fermionic spin representation and derive the diagrammatic framework and its renormalization group flow equations. We discuss benchmark results and application to two antiferromagnetic triangular lattice materials recently studied in experiments with applied magnetic fields: First, we numerically reproduce the magnetization data measured for <b:math xmlns:b="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><b:mrow><b:msub><b:mi>CeMgAl</b:mi><b:mn>11</b:mn></b:msub><b:msub><b:mi mathvariant="normal">O</b:mi><b:mn>19</b:mn></b:msub></b:mrow></b:math> confirming model parameters previously estimated from inelastic neutron spectrum in high fields. Second, we showcase the accuracy of our method by studying the thermal phase transition into the spin solid up-up-down phase of <d:math xmlns:d="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><d:mrow><d:msub><d:mi>Na</d:mi><d:mn>2</d:mn></d:msub><d:mi>BaCo</d:mi><d:msub><d:mrow><d:mo>(</d:mo><d:msub><d:mi>PO</d:mi><d:mn>4</d:mn></d:msub><d:mo>)</d:mo></d:mrow><d:mn>2</d:mn></d:msub></d:mrow></d:math> in good agreement with experiment.
Veiled conspiracism: Particularities and convergence in the styles and functions of conspiracy-related communication across digital platforms
2025-02-13

Digital communication venues are essential infrastructures for anti-democratic actors to spread harmful content such as conspiracy theories. Capitalizing on platform affordances, they leverage conspiracy theories to mainstream their political views in broader public discourse. We compared the word choice, language style, and communicative function of conspiracy-related content to understand its platform-dependent differences and convergence. Our cases are the conspiracy theories of the New World Order and Great Replacement, which we analyzed on 4chan/pol/, Twitter, and seven alternative US news media longitudinally from 2011 to 2021. The conspiracy-related texts were comparatively analyzed using a multi-method approach of computational and quantitative text analyses. Our results show that conspiracy narrations are increasingly present in all venues. While language differs vastly between platforms, we observed a style convergence between Twitter and 4chan. The results show how more coded language veils the spread of racist and antisemitic content beyond the so-called dark platforms.
About the Jesuits of Paris and Their Coin Collections: A Study of the 1763–64 Auction Catalogs
2025-02-13

Abstract The two seats of the Paris Jesuits, the professed house and the Clermont college, each had a separate library, both of which owned books on coins as well as a numismatic collection. The discovery of their respective catalogs, annotated with auction results—prices and buyers’ names—has enabled an analysis of their contents and fates. The auction catalogs describe around fifteen thousand and thirteen thousand “medals” over just a few pages, but the descriptions are too brief to identify individual items, save for a Roman weight now preserved in the Louvre Museum. The Paris Jesuits owned many more ancient coins than modern ones, and their commercial value was much higher than modern coins. However, in both cases, the value of the coin cabinets was only a fraction of the total value of the libraries themselves.
Matrix metalloproteinases accelerate pericellular matrix breakdown and disrupt mechanotransduction in osteoarthritis
2025-02-14

The pericellular matrix (PCM) is a specialized, narrow matrix surrounding each chondrocyte in articular cartilage, together constituting the chondron - the fundamental metabolic and functional unit of cartilage. The PCM plays a vital role in mediating biomechanical and biochemical signals essential for chondrocyte function. In osteoarthritis (OA), a chronic joint disorder characterized by progressive cartilage degradation, the PCM is one of the earliest sites of catabolic degradation, primarily driven by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). This study aims to investigate the functional relationship between PCM degradation and chondrocyte mechanosignaling, with an emphasis on MMP-driven changes in mechanotransduction in osteoarthritic cartilage. Human chondrons (N = 64) were incubated with MMP-2, MMP-3, and MMP-7, and structural changes were assessed histologically by evaluating perlecan and collagen type VI. Cellular elasticity was measured using atomic force microscopy (AFM), and mechanically evoked intracellular Ca2+ transients were assessed via AFM single-cell indentations (500 nN). All three MMPs induced pronounced catabolic effects on the PCM structure, showing distinct impacts on collagen type VI and perlecan, as well as on the biomechanical properties (p < 0.001). MMP-driven alterations in PCM integrity significantly reduced the Ca2+ transients of chondrons in response to mechanical stimuli (p < 0.001). While TRPV4 activation was elevated in intact chondrons, PIEZO channels were involved in mechanotransduction in both healthy and MMP-treated chondrons. In osteoarthritic stages, the mechanotransduction dynamics shifted significantly towards PIEZO channels. This study elucidates the interplay between MMP-mediated PCM degradation, structural-functional dynamics, and chondrocyte mechanotransduction, underscoring the critical role of the PCM in maintaining normal chondrocyte functionality and mechanosensing. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disease affecting millions worldwide. Central to its pathology is the degradation of the pericellular matrix (PCM) by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which disrupts chondrocyte mechanotransduction, altering cellular responses to mechanical stimuli. This study explores the impact of MMP-2, MMP-3, and MMP-7 on PCM structure and chondrocyte mechanosensing. Our results reveal that MMP-induced degradation significantly compromises PCM structural integrity, leading to altered mechanotransduction dynamics in chondrocytes. Degradation specifically redirects the primary function of ion channels from TRPV4 to PIEZO channels in cells impacted by MMPs. This highlights the interplay between MMP-mediated PCM degradation, chondrocyte mechanotransduction and as thus structural-functional dynamics, underscoring the critical role of the PCM in maintaining normal chondrocyte functionality and mechanosensing.
Prevalence, genotype distribution, and risk factors of Hepatitis E virus in blood donors, HIV patients, and pregnant women in Southwest Cameroon
2025-02-14

Most HEV infections are self-limiting, but pregnant women in their third trimester and immunocompromised individuals, such as those with HIV, face risks, including fatal liver failure and chronic infection. This study investigates HEV prevalence and genotypes in healthy blood donors and high-risk groups, such as HIV patients and pregnant women, in Southwest Cameroon, where surveillance is limited. A cross-sectional study conducted between March and June 2023 recruited 712 participants: 289 blood donors, 233 HIV patients, and 190 pregnant women. Serum and stool samples were tested for anti-HEV IgG and IgM antibodies using ELISA, and HEV RNA was detected by nested PCR targeting the ORF1 and ORF2 regions. HEV RNA-positive samples were sequenced, and genotypes identified. Among the 712 participants, 7 % tested positive for anti-HEV IgG and 2 % for anti-HEV IgM. Blood donors had the highest anti-HEV IgG prevalence (9 %). No significant associations were found between HEV seropositivity and demographic or dietary risk factors. The overall HEV RNA positivity rate was 1 %, with the highest rates in blood donors (2 %) and pregnant women (1 %), while no cases were found in HIV patients. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that 75 % of HEV RNA-positive samples belonged to genotype 3a, and 25 % to genotype 3e. The nucleotide diversity between human and pig HEV genotype 3 suggests the involvement of environmental or other indirect transmission routes, rather than direct pig-to-human transmission. This study highlights HEV risk in Cameroon, especially among blood donors and pregnant women, underscoring the need for enhanced surveillance in HBV-endemic regions.
A Comprehensive CYP2D6 Drug–Drug–Gene Interaction Network for Application in Precision Dosing and Drug Development
2025-02-14

Conducting clinical studies on drug–drug‐gene interactions (DDGIs) and extrapolating the findings into clinical dose recommendations is challenging due to the high complexity of these interactions. Here, physiologically‐based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling networks present a new avenue for exploring such complex scenarios, potentially informing clinical guidelines and handling patient‐specific DDGIs at the bedside. Moreover, they provide an established framework for drug–drug interaction (DDI) submissions to regulatory agencies. The cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6 enzyme is particularly prone to DDGIs due to the high prevalence of genetic variation and common use of CYP2D6 inhibiting drugs. In this study, we present a comprehensive PBPK network covering CYP2D6 drug–gene interactions (DGIs), DDIs, and DDGIs. The network covers sensitive and moderate sensitive substrates, and strong and weak inhibitors of CYP2D6 according to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance. For the analyzed CYP2D6 substrates and inhibitors, DD(G)Is mediated by CYP3A4 and P‐glycoprotein were included. Overall, the network comprises 23 compounds and was developed based on 30 DGI, 45 DDI, and seven DDGI studies, covering 32 unique drug combinations. Good predictive performance was demonstrated for all interaction types, as reflected in mean geometric mean fold errors of 1.40, 1.38, and 1.56 for the DD(G)I area under the curve ratios as well as 1.29, 1.43, and 1.60 for DD(G)I maximum plasma concentration ratios. Finally, the presented network was utilized to calculate dose adaptations for CYP2D6 substrates atomoxetine (sensitive) and metoprolol (moderate sensitive) for clinically untested DDGI scenarios, showcasing a potential clinical application of DDGI model networks in the field of model‐informed precision dosing.
GDAP1 Is Dysregulated at DNA Methylation and H3K4me3 Levels in Alcohol Use Disorder
2025-02-14

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) contributes significantly to the global burden of disease. The susceptibility for AUD is mediated through an interaction of genetic risk factors and environmental influences. These gene × environment (G × E) interactions manifest as epigenetic regulations of gene expression, among other things. Previous research suggests an association between Ganglioside Induced Differentiation Associated Protein 1 (GDAP1) DNA methylation and AUD. Here, we investigate the epigenetic dysregulation of GDAP1 in AUD through comparing DNA methylation in whole blood and saliva, as well as H3K4-trimethylation (H3K4me3) in PBMC (Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell) samples of AUD patients and healthy control individuals. Additionally, the effect of abstinence-based therapy was investigated. AUD patients before treatment exhibit significantly lower promoter DNA methylation levels in whole blood and saliva, as well as lower H3K4me3 near the transcription start site. GDAP1 gene expression was not significantly altered. Following treatment, H3K4me3 was significantly increased in patients and no longer differed from control individuals. There was no significant effect of treatment on DNA methylation. We conclude that GDAP1 is epigenetically dysregulated in AUD patients, and is responsive to abstinence-based therapy at the level of H3K4me3. It should be investigated further to establish its potential as a diagnostic biomarker.
Mathematical Aspects of General Relativity
2025-02-14

General relativity is an area at the interface of partial differential equations, differential geometry, global analysis, mathematical physics and dynamical systems. It interacts with astrophysics, cosmology, high energy physics, and numerical analysis. The field is rapidly expanding and has witnessed remarkable developments and interconnections with other fields in recent years.The workshop Mathematical Aspects of General Relativity was organised by Carla Cederbaum (Tübingen), Mihalis Dafermos (Cambridge/Princeton), Jim Isenberg (Eugene) and Hans Ringström (KTH Stockholm). There were 48 on-site and 4 online participants. There were 16 one hour talks, nine 30 minute talks and four 10 minute talks.
Broadening the Healthy Aging Paradigm: Inclusion of Gestation, Development, and Reproductive Health
2025-02-14

Abstract The prevailing focus of lifespan health research has predominantly centered on “healthy aging”. This oversight may hinder the understanding of health across the lifespan, as disorders in earlier stages can substantially impact overall health and longevity. Aging, conceptually, begins at gestation. The trajectory of an individual's health is influenced from the earliest stages of life, where adverse conditions can set a foundation for lifelong health challenges. For example, suboptimal conditions during gestation leading to premature birth can predispose individuals to various health issues later in life. Additionally, precocious puberty defined as the onset of sexual maturity before eight years of age or early menopause—occurring before 50 years of age requires medical intervention and is indicative of atypical aging processes. To address these critical gaps in lifespan health research, the expansion of medical lexicons and research categorizations is advocated to include “healthy gestation,” “healthy development,” and “healthy reproduction” alongside “healthy aging.” This broader terminology will enable a more comprehensive investigation of disorders at all life stages. An integrative approach underscores the interconnectedness of all life stages and the continuous nature of aging, advocating for a seamless continuum in health research and interventions from gestation through late adulthood.
Turing.jl: A General-Purpose Probabilistic Programming Language
2025-02-15

Probabilistic programming languages (PPLs) are becoming increasingly important in many scientific disciplines, such as economics, epidemiology, and biology, to extract meaning from sources of data while accounting for one's uncertainty. The key idea of probabilistic programming is to decouple inference and model specification, thus allowing the practitioner to approach their task at hand using Bayesian inference, without requiring extensive knowledge in programming or computational statistics. At the same time, the complexity of problem settings in which PPLs are employed is steadily increasing, both in terms of project size and model complexity, calling for more flexible and efficient systems. In this work, we describe Turing.jl , a general-purpose PPL, which is designed to be flexible, efficient, and easy to use. Turing.jl is built on top of the Julia programming language, which is known for its high performance and ease-of-use. We describe the design of Turing.jl , contextualizing it within different types of users and use-cases, its key features, and how it can be used to solve a wide range of problems. We also provide a brief overview of the ecosystem around Turing.jl , including the different libraries and tools that can be used in conjunction with it. Finally, we provide a few examples of how Turing.jl can be used in practice.
Adjuvant immunotherapy in the modern management of resectable melanoma: current status and outlook to 2028
2025-02-15

Looking ahead to 2028, adjuvant immunotherapy will remain a key option of comprehensive melanoma care, particularly for patients with stage IIB/C and stage III with micrometastatic disease, where neoadjuvant immunotherapy is not feasible.
Impact of the right ventricular mechanical pattern assessed by three-dimensional echocardiography on adverse outcomes following cardiac surgery
2025-02-15

Abstract Risk stratification for cardiac surgery is a cornerstone of perioperative management. While the prognostic impact of severe right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is well understood, the added value of the RV mechanical pattern regarding risk prediction remains unknown. We sought to prospectively validate the predictive value of 3D RV mechanics for adverse perioperative outcomes. The clinical and echocardiographic parameters of 439 retrospectively selected patients who underwent various types of cardiac surgery and 3D transesophageal echocardiography were investigated to determine their associations with a composite endpoint of an unfavorable postoperative outcome. Tricuspid regurgitation, 2D RV strains, and 3D measures of left ventricular (LV) and RV function were associated with the composite endpoint. Multivariable logistic regression models revealed that only tricuspid regurgitation, LV ejection fraction and 3D RV global longitudinal strain (GLS) were independently associated with the endpoint. By applying the model to the data of 128 prospectively enrolled patients, only 3D RV GLS remained an independent predictor. A RV GLS cutoff of -17.4% was found to be associated with a 3-fold increased risk for adverse outcomes. This led us to conclude that RV longitudinal deformation derived from 3D echocardiography is predictive of adverse outcomes and should be incorporated in perioperative risk stratification.
The European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology (EFMC) Best Practice Initiative: Hit to Lead
2025-02-16

Abstract The Hit to Lead (H2L) process is an integral part of contemporary drug discovery, encompassing the optimisation of validated Hit structures into Lead molecules. High quality leads build confidence, through activity and property profiles as well as preliminary biological data, which might include validating pharmacologic hypotheses along the way, indicating that further investment in the structure(s) and target would be worthwhile. Leads have line of sight to a development candidate and bring an understanding of what priorities Lead Optimisation should address. In this set of best practices, we detail the essential criteria that characterise a good lead, which include establishing SAR from analogues and assessing preliminary DMPK indicators, selectivity and early safety parameters. We highlight the importance of identifying liabilities of the lead series and demonstrating that each can be individually modulated whilst maintaining on target potency. We make the case for having physicochemical properties as critical optimisation parameters and how ligand efficiency metrics can enable this. Then we go over general tactics that can be used to convert hits into a lead series. These include essential steps that, when performed early, increase the chance of success such as deconstructive SAR, pharmacophore and bioactive conformation determination and scaffold optimisation. Finally, we suggest decision‐making criteria to substantiate confidence in further investment or, as importantly, making a recommendation to cease further work on a series.
Prognostic Value of C-Reactive Protein in Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty
2025-02-16

Background/Objectives: Periprosthetic joint infections (PJIs) are feared complications in arthroplasty and are associated with an increased mortality rate. PJI prevention is of paramount importance since treatment is difficult. In case of an infection, it is crucial to diagnose it at an early stage in order to initiate adequate therapy. The Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS) proposed a catalog of different major and minor diagnostic criteria in 2011 to define a PJI. They were adapted in the following years. One of these criteria is the blood level of C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP is a non-specific acute-phase protein that also increases in response to various non-infectious inflammatory responses. CRP is also routinely obtained prior to total hip arthroplasty (THA) to screen for possible contraindications for arthroplasty such as an acute infection. The validity of this approach has rarely been investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of perioperative CRP in patients receiving a THA. Methods: A total of 239 patients were included in this study and retrospectively analyzed. CRP values were obtained preoperatively and three values postoperatively. Sensitivity, specificity, area under the curve (AUC) and optimal thresholds were calculated. Results: In the whole group, 10 patients developed a PJI. No significance was demonstrated between patients without and with later PJI in terms of preoperative CRP (p = 0.182), postoperative CRP (p = 0.167), relative CRP increase (p = 0.684) and respective CRP differences (p = 0.456). We were not able to find cut-off values with adequate sensitivity and specificity. Conclusions: Perioperative CRP values do not seem to be helpful in predicting further PJI. Rather, they should be used as a screening tool to detect ongoing infections in the individual patient prior to THA. This trial should encourage studies with more statistical power due to the small effect sizes.
Looks like SNARC spirit: Coexistence of short- and long-term associations between letters and space
2025-02-17

Many studies have demonstrated spatial-numerical associations, but the debate about their origin is still ongoing. Some approaches consider cardinality representations in long-term memory, such as a Mental Number Line, while others suggest ordinality representations, for both numerical and non-numerical stimuli, originating in working or long-term memory. To investigate how long-term memory and working memory influence spatial associations and to disentangle the role of cardinality and ordinality, we ran three preregistered online experiments ( Ntotal = 515). We assessed spatial response preferences for letters (which only convey ordinal but no cardinal information, in contrast to numbers) in a bimanual go/no-go consonant-vowel classification task. Experiment 1 (“no-go” trials: non-letter symbols) validated our setup. In Experiments 2 and 3, participants learned an ordinal letter sequence prior to the task, which they recalled afterwards. In Experiment 2, this sequence was merely maintained (“no-go” trials: non-letter symbols), whereas in Experiment 3, it needed to be retrieved during the task (“no-go” trials: letters outside the sequence). We replicated letter-space associations based on the alphabet stored in long-term memory (i.e., letters earlier/later in the alphabet associated with left/right, respectively) in all experiments. However, letter-space associations based on the working memory sequence (i.e., letters earlier/later in the sequence associated with left/right, respectively) were only detected in Experiment 3, where retrieval occurred during the task. Spatial short- and long-term associations of letters therefore seem to coexist. These findings support a hybrid model that incorporates both short- and long-term representations, which applies similarly to letters as to numbers.