julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Task Performance Errors and Rewards Affect Voluntary Task Choices
2022-05-18

Humans are remarkably flexible in adapting their behavior to current demands. It has been suggested that the decision which of multiple tasks to perform is based on a variety of factors pertaining to the costs and benefits associated with a task. However, further empirical investigation is needed to examine how cognitive costs associated with task performance affect voluntary task choices when these costs are independent from rewards. Moreover, it is unclear how factors related to task difficulty, such as overall error rates associated with a task, a recent error in n-1, and monetary rewards influence task choices. We examined main and interactive effects of three factors— error rates associated with a task, error commission in the previous trial, and reward—on voluntary task choices. We exposed participants to a novel reward varying voluntary task switching paradigm. Participants received a performance-independent reward contingent on their task selection. Critically, we gradually decreased the reward for the performed task while keeping the reward associated for the alternative task unchanged. We find that participants’ task selection was influenced by reward differences. In addition, error rates associated with a task also influenced task selection, yet errors in n-1 did not influence participants’ probability to switch to the alternative task. Together, our results extend previous findings providing evidence that task performance costs influence task choices in an additive fashion, even if rewards are contingent on the task decision, not on task performance. We discuss how these findings conform with recent models of control allocation and task selection.
Carbon signaling protein SbtB possesses redox-regulated apyrase activity to facilitate regulation of bicarbonate transporter SbtA
2022-05-18

Abstract The PII superfamily consists of widespread signal transduction proteins found in all domains of life. In addition to canonical PII proteins involved in C/N sensing, structurally similar PII-like proteins evolved to fulfill diverse, yet poorly understood cellular functions. In cyanobacteria, the bicarbonate transporter SbtA is expressed with the conserved PII-like protein, SbtB, to augment intracellular C i levels for efficient CO 2 -fixation. We identified SbtB as a sensor of various adenine nucleotides including the second messenger nucleotides cAMP, known as carbon-status indicator, and c-di-AMP, involved in global cellular homeostasis. Moreover, many SbtB proteins possess a C-terminal extension with a disulfide bridge. We previously implied a redox-regulatory function of this extension, which we now call R-loop. Here, we reveal an unusual ATP/ADP apyrase (diphosphohydrolase) activity of SbtB that is controlled by the R-loop. We followed the sequence of the hydrolysis reactions from ATP over ADP to AMP in crystal-lographic snapshots and reveal the structural mechanism by which changes of the R-loop redox state modulate apyrase activity. We further gathered evidence that this redox state is controlled by thioredoxin TrxA, suggesting that it is generally linked to cellular metabolism. Finally, we present a refined model of how SbtB regulates SbtA activity, in which both the apyrase activity and its redox regulation play a central role. This highlights SbtB as a central switch-point in cyanobacterial cell physiology, integrating not only signals from the energy state (adenyl-nucleotide binding) and the carbon supply via cAMP binding, but also from the day/night status reported by the C-terminal redox-switch.
A conserved enzyme of smut fungi facilitates cell-to-cell movement in the plant bundle sheath
2022-05-18

Summary The smut fungi are one of the largest groups of fungal plant pathogens, causing disease in all cereal crops. They directly penetrate their hosts and establish a biotrophic interaction. During colonization of the plant, smut fungi secrete a wide range of effector proteins, which suppress plant immunity and modulate cellular functions as well as development of the host, thereby determining the pathogen’s life-style and virulence potential. The conserved effector Erc1 ( e nzyme r equired for c ell-to-cell movement) contributes to virulence of the corn smut Ustilago maydis in maize leaves, but not on the tassel. Erc1 binds to host cell wall components and has a 1,3-β-glucanase activity, which is required to attenuate β-glucan-induced defense responses in host leaves. Confocal microscopy revealed that Erc1 has a cell type-specific virulence function, being necessary for fungal cell-to-cell movement in the plant bundle sheath. This cell type-specific virulence function of Erc1 is fully conserved in the barley pathogen Ustilago hordei , which has a functionally conserved Erc1 orthologue. Thus, Erc1 is an enzymatically active core virulence factor with a cell type-specific virulence function in different hosts, which is important for cell-to-cell movement during host colonization of pathogenic smut fungi.
Balancing novelty and appropriateness leads to creative associations in children
2022-05-18

Creative cognition is conceived as the process whereby something novel and appropriate is generated. However, the contribution of novelty and appropriateness to creativity is far from being understood, especially during developmental age. Here, we asked children, ranging from 10 to 11 years old, to perform a word association task according to three instructions, which triggered a more appropriate (ordinary), novel (random), or balanced (creative) response. Results revealed that children exhibited greater cognitive flexibility in the creative condition compared to the control conditions, as revealed by the structure and resiliency of the semantic networks. Moreover, responses’ word embeddings extracted from pre-trained deep neural networks showed that semantic distance and category switching index increased in the creative condition with respect to the ordinary condition and decreased compared to the random condition. Our findings provide evidence that children balance novelty and appropriateness to generate creative associations, corroborating previous findings on the adult population and highlighting the relevant contribution of both components to the overall creative process.
Contact force-controlled high power short duration radiofrequency ablation enables efficient creation of roof line and anterior mitral line in course of low voltage areas
2022-05-18

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Linear ablation lines in the left atrium are questionable for treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). In particular they are challenging, performed with limited success rate and are arrhythmogenic due to recurrence of conduction. Contact force (CF)-controlled high power short duration (HPSD) radiofrequency ablation (RFA) in areas of fibrosis may overcome these limitations. Purpose We investigated the efficiency of contact force (CF)-controlled high power short duration (HPSD) radiofrequency ablation (RFA) for creation of linear lines in case of fibrotic areas in the anterior left atrium. Methods In 530 consecutive patients (pts), age 65±9 years, paroxysmal AF in 45%, persistent AF in 55%, AF-re-ablation in 32% of pts, undergoing HPSD CF-controlled RF ablation of AF. Besides from pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) additional left atrial linear ablation in the anterior left atrium was performed in 28% of patients exclusively in case of low voltage areas in the course of the line or in case of re-ablation of prior performed lines. Fibrosis was defined by areas of less than 0.5mV signals in high density 3D microelectrode mapping. More than 5% low voltage was present in 46% of pts and more than 20% low voltage in 27% of pts. HPSD RF ablation was performed using a power of 50 Watt, duration 5-15s, with CF-controlled catheters, seeking for CF of 10-30g, and an interlesion distance of 6mm. Results A anterior roof line between both upper pulmonary veins was performed in 25% of pts (n=133), and an anterior mitral line in 17% of pts (n=88). The anterior mitral line connected the superior mitral anulus with left upper, right upper PV or anywhere this the roof line depending on the distribution of low voltage areas. Overall success rate of bidirectional conduction block at the roof line was 92% and at the mitral line 94%. After remapping of gaps and re-ablation with conventional 35-40 Watt RF application of unlimited duration, success rate at the roof line improved to 98% and at the mitral line to 97%. No serious complications were associated with creation of these lines, especially, no pericardial tamponade occurred. Limited follow up will presented at the time of presentation. Conclusions CF-controlled creation of ablation lines in the anterior left atrium (roof line and anterior mitral line) by HPSD RF ablation is very efficient and safe in case of areas of low voltage in the course of the linear ablation. In rare cases additional conventional RF application of unlimited duration becomes necessary to complete the lines supported by identification of gaps by high density 3D microelectrode mapping. This approach has the potential to improve efficacy of AF ablation in patients with atrial fibrosis. The hypothesis have to be proven by a prospective controlled study in the near future.
A new species of Maomingosuchus from the Eocene of the Na Duong Basin (northern Vietnam) sheds new light on the phylogenetic relationship of tomistomine crocodylians and their dispersal from Europe to Asia
2022-05-18

<i>Maomingosuchus acutirostris</i> sp. nov. is a new tomistomine crocodile from the middle–upper Eocene deposits (late Bartonian–Priabonian age, 39–35 Ma) of the Na Duong Basin in northern Vietnam. <i>M. acutirostris</i> can be differentiated from the type species <i>Maomingosuchus petrolicus</i> by having an acute anterior tip of the premaxilla. Both species differ from another <i>Maomingosuchus</i> from Krabi (Thailand) by differences in the surangular–dentary suture and maxillary alveoli. According to our phylogenetic results, <i>M. acutirostris</i> seems to be the sister species to the group <i>M. petrolicus</i> + Krabi-<i>Maomingosuchus</i>. The close relationship between those three tomistomines is supported in the present phylogenetic analysis by three synapomorphies. In our phylogenetic analysis, <i>Maomingosuchus</i> was retrieved in a basal position forming the sister group to <i>Paratomistoma</i> + <i>Gavialosuchus</i> + <i>Melitosaurus</i> + <i>Tomistoma</i>, including the extant <i>Tomistoma schlegelii</i>. This phylogeny indicates three different dispersal events of Tomistominae from Europe towards eastern Asia: 1) for the stem lineage of <i>Maomingosuchus</i>, no later than the late Eocene; 2) for the stem lineage of <i>Penghusuchus pani</i> + <i>Toyotamaphimeia machikanensis</i>, no later than the early–middle Miocene; and (3) for the stem lineage of <i>T. schlegelii</i>, during the Neogene. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:19B27C1E-0A3F-4425-AA8C-F904277DF327
Treatment of drug-induced immune thrombocytopenias
2022-05-19

Several therapeutic agents can cause thrombocytopenia by either immune-mediated or non-immune-mediated mechanisms. Non-immune-mediated thrombocytopenia is due to direct toxicity of drug molecules to platelets or megakaryocytes. Immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, on the other hand, involves the formation of antibodies that react to platelet-specific glycoprotein complexes, as in classic drug-induced immune thrombocytopenia (DITP), or to platelet factor 4, as in heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) and vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). Clinical signs include a rapid drop in platelet count, bleeding or thrombosis. Since the patient's condition can deteriorate rapidly, prompt diagnosis and management are critical. However, the necessary diagnostic tests are only available in specialized laboratories. Therefore, the most demanding step in treatment is to identify the agent responsible for thrombocytopenia, which often proves difficult because many patients are taking multiple medications and have comorbidities that can themselves also cause thrombocytopenia. While DITP is commonly associated with an increased risk of bleeding, HIT and VITT have a high mortality rate due to the high incidence of thromboembolic complications. A structured approach to drug-associated thrombocytopenia/thrombosis can lead to successful treatment and a lower mortality rate. In addition to describing the treatment of DITP, HIT, VITT, and vaccine-associated immune thrombocytopenia, this review also provides the pathophysiological and clinical information necessary for correct patient management.
The differences and similarities between curiosity and interest: Meta-analysis and network analyses
2022-05-19

Three studies on the relationship between curiosity and interest are reported. The first study was a meta-analysis that examined the Pearson correlations between scales assessing curiosity and interest. Based on 24 studies (31 effect sizes), we found that the curiosity scales correlated with the interest scales at a moderate level (r = 0.53), but they had extremely high heterogeneity. The second and third studies applied network analyses (i.e., co occurrence analysis and correlation-based analysis) to data that was collected using experience sampling method. Across the studies, we found that while the feelings of curiosity reflected feelings of inquisitiveness, the feelings of interest were aligned with positive affect such as enjoyment and happiness. Importantly, an asymmetrical pattern also was found in curiosity-interest co-occurrences: when feelings of curiosity occurred, the co occurrence of feelings of interest was highly likely, but not so vice versa. Overall, our findings suggest that feelings of curiosity are special cases of feelings of interest that pertain to knowledge acquisition. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Comparative transcriptional analysis of satellite glial cell injury response
2022-05-19

<ns4:p><ns4:bold>Background:</ns4:bold> Satellite glial cells (SGCs) tightly surround and support primary sensory neurons in the peripheral nervous system and are increasingly recognized for their involvement in the development of neuropathic pain following nerve injury. SGCs are difficult to investigate due to their flattened shape and tight physical connection to neurons <ns4:italic>in vivo</ns4:italic> and their rapid changes in phenotype and protein expression when cultured <ns4:italic>in vitro</ns4:italic>. Consequently, several aspects of SGC function under normal conditions as well as after a nerve injury remain to be explored. The recent advance in single cell RNA sequencing (scRNAseq) technologies has enabled a new approach to investigate SGCs.</ns4:p><ns4:p> <ns4:bold>Methods:</ns4:bold> In this study we used scRNAseq to investigate SGCs from mice subjected to sciatic nerve injury. We used a meta-analysis approach to compare the injury response with that found in other published datasets. Furthermore, we also used scRNAseq to investigate how cells from the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) change after 3 days in culture.</ns4:p><ns4:p> <ns4:bold>Results:</ns4:bold> From our meta-analysis of the injured conditions, we find that SGCs share a common signature of 18 regulated genes following sciatic nerve crush or sciatic nerve ligation, involving transcriptional regulation of cholesterol biosynthesis. We also observed a considerable transcriptional change when culturing SGCs, suggesting that some differentiate into a specialised <ns4:italic>in vitro</ns4:italic> state while others start resembling Schwann cell-like precursors.</ns4:p><ns4:p> <ns4:bold>Conclusion: </ns4:bold>By using integrated analyses of new and previously published scRNAseq datasets, this study provides a consensus view of which genes are most robustly changed in SGCs after injury. Our results are available via the Broad Institute Single Cell Portal, so that readers can explore and search for genes of interest.</ns4:p>
Representational Exchange in Human Social Learning
2022-05-19

What makes human social learning so powerful? While past accounts have sometimes prioritized finding the single capacity that makes the largest difference, our social learning abilities span a wide spectrum of capacities from the high-fidelity imitation of behaviors to inferring and learning from hidden mental states. Here, we propose that the power of human social learning lies not within a single capacity, but in our ability to flexibly arbitrate between different computations and to integrate their outputs. In particular, learners can directly copy the demonstrator's actions in the absence of causal insight (policy imitation), infer their instrumental values (value inference), or infer their model of the world and intrinsic rewards (belief inference and reward inference). Each of these strategies trades off the cost of computation against the flexibility and compositionality of its outputs. Crucially, we have the capacity to arbitrate and exchange information between these representational formats. Human social learning, we suggest, is powerful not just because of the way it moves information between minds, but also because of the way it flexibly moves information within them.
Diverse task-driven modeling of macaque V4 reveals functional specialization towards semantic tasks
2022-05-19

Abstract Responses to natural stimuli in area V4 – a mid-level area of the visual ventral stream – are well predicted by features from convolutional neural networks (CNNs) trained on image classification. This result has been taken as evidence for the functional role of V4 in object classification. However, we currently do not know if and to what extent V4 plays a role in solving other computational objectives. Here, we investigated normative accounts of V4 (and V1 for comparison) by predicting macaque single-neuron responses to natural images from the representations extracted by 23 CNNs trained on different computer vision tasks including semantic, geometric, 2D, and 3D types of tasks. We found that V4 was best predicted by semantic classification features and exhibited high task selectivity, while the choice of task was less consequential to V1 performance. Consistent with traditional characterizations of V4 function that show its high-dimensional tuning to various 2D and 3D stimulus directions, we found that diverse non-semantic tasks explained aspects of V4 function beyond those captured by individual semantic tasks. Nevertheless, jointly considering the features of a pair of semantic classification tasks was sufficient to yield one of our top V4 models, solidifying V4’s main functional role in semantic processing and suggesting that V4’s affinity to 2D or 3D stimulus properties found by electrophysiologists can result from semantic functional goals.
Slack Potassium Channels Modulate TRPA1-Mediated Nociception in Sensory Neurons
2022-05-19

The transient receptor potential (TRP) ankyrin type 1 (TRPA1) channel is highly expressed in a subset of sensory neurons where it acts as an essential detector of painful stimuli. However, the mechanisms that control the activity of sensory neurons upon TRPA1 activation remain poorly understood. Here, using in situ hybridization and immunostaining, we found TRPA1 to be extensively co-localized with the potassium channel Slack (KNa1.1, Slo2.2, or Kcnt1) in sensory neurons. Mice lacking Slack globally (Slack−/−) or conditionally in sensory neurons (SNS-Slack−/−) demonstrated increased pain behavior after intraplantar injection of the TRPA1 activator allyl isothiocyanate. By contrast, pain behavior induced by the TRP vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) activator capsaicin was normal in Slack-deficient mice. Patch-clamp recordings in sensory neurons and in a HEK cell line transfected with TRPA1 and Slack revealed that Slack-dependent potassium currents (IKS) are modulated in a TRPA1-dependent manner. Taken together, our findings highlight Slack as a modulator of TRPA1-mediated, but not TRPV1-mediated, activation of sensory neurons.
Preliminary results of the first lithic raw material survey in the piedmont zones of Kazakhstan
2022-05-19

Abstract The study of raw materials was comprehensively studied in European and African Palaeolithic. However, systematic research of raw material sourcing has not been undertaken for the Palaeolithic of Kazakhstan, such surveys being embedded in reconnaissance works aimed at discovering new Palaeolithic sites. Our work presents preliminary results of the first lithic raw material survey in Kazakhstan. This study distinguishes the geographic patterns of land-use and their correlation with the stone tools from stratified sites. We describe primary and secondary sources of raw materials and compare macroscopically with the lithic assemblages. The survey results show a heterogeneous distribution of raw materials throughout the study regions. Macroscopic observations of lithic assemblages, and data extracted from literature suggest that hominins primarily selected local raw materials. Regional differences in the utilisation of a particular type of raw material which can be observed through the macroscopic examination of the lithic collections are confirmed by survey results.
Moduli Spaces of Codimension-One Subspaces in a Linear Variety and their Tropicalization
2022-05-19

We study the moduli space of -dimensional linear subspaces contained in a fixed -dimensional linear variety , and its tropicalization. We prove that these moduli spaces are linear subspaces themselves, and thus their tropicalization is completely determined by their associated (valuated) matroids. We show that these matroids can be interpreted as the matroid of lines of the hyperplane arrangement corresponding to , and generically are equal to a Dilworth truncation of the free matroid. In this way, we can describe combinatorially tropicalized Fano schemes and tropicalizations of moduli spaces of stable maps of degree to a plane.
Modification of Skin Flaps for Single-Stage Reconstruction of the Nasal Ala Using All-Layer Suture: A Prospective Study
2022-05-19

Background and Objectives After local flaps, it may be necessary to reconstruct the contour of the nasal ala. This is possible with a single-stage all-layer shaping suture. In the present study, the functional and aesthetic results after single-stage reconstruction of the nasal ala were prospectively evaluated. Patients and methods Patients who underwent surgery for skin tumors of the nose between 06/2019 and 06/2020 who required reconstruction of the nasal ala as part of the defect closure and had an all-layer suture used were prospectively included in the study. A standardized evaluation of aesthetic and functional outcome was conducted by the patient and a physician at discharge as well as 4 weeks later. Patients additionally underwent a follow-up survey 6 months later. Results Thirty-seven patients were included in the study. Four weeks postoperatively, all flaps were found to be fully healed and vital. Aesthetic outcome at 4 weeks was rated as very good or good by physicians in 73% and by patients in 78.4%. Persistent complications due to reduced blood flow were not observed. Conclusion The reshaping of the nasal ala as part of the defect reconstruction with an all-layer suture demonstrates very good aesthetic as well as functional results and can be performed in a single-stage procedure.