julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Adaptation to Skew Distortions of Natural Scenes and Retinal Specificity of Its Aftereffects
2017-07-13

Image skew is one of the prominent distortions that exist in optical elements, such as in spectacle lenses. The present study evaluates adaptation to image skew in dynamic natural images. Moreover, the cortical levels involved in skew coding were probed using retinal specificity of skew adaptation aftereffects. Left and right skewed natural image sequences were shown to observers as adapting stimuli. The point of subjective equality (PSE), i.e., the skew amplitude in simple geometrical patterns that is perceived to be unskewed, was used to quantify the aftereffect of each adapting skew direction. The PSE, in a two-alternative forced choice paradigm, shifted toward the adapting skew direction. Moreover, significant adaptation aftereffects were obtained not only at adapted, but also at non-adapted retinal locations during fixation. Skew adaptation information was transferred partially to non-adapted retinal locations. Thus, adaptation to skewed natural scenes induces coordinated plasticity in lower and higher cortical areas of the visual pathway.
Facile synthesis, characterization, and cytotoxicity study of new 3-(indol-2-yl)bicyclotetrazatridecahexaens
2017-07-13

A new series of thiosemicarbazone-based indole derivatives 12–15 has been prepared by condensation reaction of indole-2-carboxamide derivatives 8–11 with thiosemicarbazide. The former compounds underwent intracyclization in the presence of chloroacetic acid and sodium acetate to afford a set of new 3-(indol-2-yl)bicyclotetrazatridecahexaens 16–19. These newly synthesized compounds have been characterized by means of FTIR, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, and HRMS and by elemental analyses. Cytotoxic activities of the prepared compounds along with LY294002 were evaluated in vitro against normal human skin fibroblast, human colon carcinoma (HCT116), and leukemia (K562) cell lines; results revealed that the series inhibits only HCT116 cell line. In addition, results showed that compound 18 exerts moderate potency in HCT116 with an IC 50 value of 54 μmol/L and significantly induces apoptosis.
Towards a theorisation of diversity. Configurations of person-related differences in the context of youth welfare practices
2017-07-13

The article proposes a pathway towards a theorisation of diversity. It is argued that diversity can be understood as referring to the complex outcomes of multifaceted processes in which various schemes of classifications are applied to persons and segments of populations. A growing interest in individuals and their qualities, combined with the development of information technologies, has stimulated a proliferation of person-related categories. Diversity offers an analytical lens for studying the relational qualities of various person-related differences, the interaction between categories of different scale and scope and their situational organisation. Thereby, it goes beyond notions of identity, on the one hand, and intersectionality, on the other. In the second part of the article, the outlined framework is applied to the cases of youth welfare practice in Stuttgart and Frankfurt. The focus of the case analysis is migration-related categories and how they relate to larger configurations of person-related differences in the field of youth welfare practice. It is argued that a diversity perspective, as suggested here, allows us to capture an element of opaqueness and ambiguity concerning migration-related differentiations that has implications for the understanding of ongoing debates about discrimination and racialisation.
A guideline for leaf senescence analyses: from quantification to physiological and molecular investigations
2017-07-14

Leaf senescence is not a chaotic breakdown but a dynamic process following a precise timetable. It enables plants to economize with their resources and control their own viability and integrity. The onset as well as the progression of leaf senescence are co-ordinated by a complex genetic network that continuously integrates developmental and environmental signals such as biotic and abiotic stresses. Therefore, studying senescence requires an integrative and multi-scale analysis of the dynamic changes occurring in plant physiology and metabolism. In addition to providing an automated and standardized method to quantify leaf senescence at the macroscopic scale, we also propose an analytic framework to investigate senescence at physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels throughout the plant life cycle. We have developed protocols and suggested methods for studying different key processes involved in senescence, including photosynthetic capacities, membrane degradation, redox status, and genetic regulation. All methods presented in this review were conducted on Arabidopsis thaliana Columbia-0 and results are compared with senescence-related mutants. This guideline includes experimental design, protocols, recommendations, and the automated tools for leaf senescence analyses that could also be applied to other species.
Circadian rhythm disruption impairs tissue homeostasis and exacerbates chronic inflammation in the intestine
2017-07-14

Endogenous circadian clocks regulate 24‐h rhythms of physiology and behavior. Circadian rhythm disruption (CRD) is suggested as a risk factor for inflammatory bowel disease. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Intestinal biopsies from Per1/2 mutant and wild‐type (WT) mice were investigated by electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and bromodeoxyuridine pulse–chase experiments. TNF‐α was injected intraperitoneally, with or without necrostatin‐1, into Per1/2 mice or rhythmic and externally desynchronized WT mice to study intestinal epithelial cell death. Experimental chronic colitis was induced by oral administration of dextran sodium sulfate. In vitro , caspase activity was assayed in Per1/2‐specific small interfering RNA–transfected cells. Wee1 was overexpressed to study antiapoptosis and the cell cycle. Genetic ablation of circadian clock function or environmental CRD in mice increased susceptibility to severe intestinal inflammation and epithelial dysregulation, accompanied by excessive necroptotic cell death and a reduced number of secretory epithelial cells. Receptor‐interacting serine/threonine‐protein kinase (RIP)‐3‐mediated intestinal necroptosis was linked to increased mitotic cell cycle arrest via Per1/2‐controlled Wee1, resulting in increased antiapoptosis via cellular inhibitor of apoptosis‐2. Together, our data suggest that circadian rhythm stability is pivotal for the maintenance of mucosal barrier function. CRD increases intestinal necroptosis, thus rendering the gut epithelium more susceptible to inflammatory processes.—Pagel, R., Bär, F., Schröder, T., Sünderhauf, A., Künstner, A., Ibrahim, S. M., Autenrieth, S. E., Kalies, K., König, P., Tsang, A. H., Bettenworth, D., Divanovic, S., Lehnert, H., Fellermann, K., Oster, H., Derer, S., Sina, C. Circadian rhythm disruption impairs tissue homeostasis and exacerbates chronic inflammation in the intestine. FASEB J. 31, 4707–4719 (2017). www.fasebj.org
Mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 activation sensitizes human glioma cells to hypoxia-induced cell death
2017-07-14

Glioblastomas are characterized by fast uncontrolled growth leading to hypoxic areas and necrosis. Signalling from EGFR via mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) is a major driver of cell growth and proliferation and one of the most commonly altered signalling pathways in glioblastomas. Therefore, epidermal growth factor receptor and mTORC1 signalling are plausible therapeutic targets and clinical trials with inhibitors are in progress. However, we have previously shown that epidermal growth factor receptor and mTORC1 inhibition triggers metabolic changes leading to adverse effects under the conditions of the tumour microenvironment by protecting from hypoxia-induced cell death. We hypothesized that conversely mTORC1 activation sensitizes glioma cells to hypoxia-induced cell death. As a model for mTORC1 activation we used gene suppression of its physiological inhibitor TSC2 (TSC2sh). TSC2sh glioma cells showed increased sensitivity to hypoxia-induced cell death that was accompanied by an earlier ATP depletion and an increase in reactive oxygen species. There was no difference in extracellular glucose consumption but an altered intracellular metabolic profile with an increase of intermediates of the pentose phosphate pathway. Mechanistically, mTORC1 upregulated the first and rate limiting enzyme of the pentose phosphate pathway, G6PD. Furthermore, an increase in oxygen consumption in TSC2sh cells was detected. This appeared to be due to higher transcription rates of genes involved in mitochondrial respiratory function including PPARGC1A and PPARGC1B (also known as PGC-1α and -β). The finding that mTORC1 activation causes an increase in oxygen consumption and renders malignant glioma cells susceptible to hypoxia and nutrient deprivation could help identify glioblastoma patient cohorts more likely to benefit from hypoxia-inducing therapies such as the VEGFA-targeting antibody bevacizumab in future clinical evaluations.
10-Month-Old Infants Are Sensitive to the Time Course of Perceived Actions: Eye-Tracking and EEG Evidence
2017-07-14

Research has shown that infants are able to track a moving target efficiently - even if it is transiently occluded from sight. This basic ability allows prediction of when and where events happen in everyday life. Yet, it is unclear whether, and how, infants internally represent the <i>time course</i> of ongoing movements to derive predictions. In this study, 10-month-old crawlers observed the video of a same-aged crawling baby that was transiently occluded and reappeared in either a temporally <i>continuous</i> or non-continuous manner (i.e., <i>delayed</i> by 500 ms vs. <i>forwarded</i> by 500 ms relative to the real-time movement). Eye movement and rhythmic neural brain activity (EEG) were measured simultaneously. Eye movement analyses showed that infants were sensitive to slight temporal shifts in movement continuation after occlusion. Furthermore, brain activity associated with sensorimotor processing differed between observation of continuous and non-continuous movements. Early sensitivity to an action's timing may hence be explained within the internal real-time simulation account of action observation. Overall, the results support the hypothesis that 10-month-old infants are well prepared for internal representation of the time course of observed movements that are within the infants' current motor repertoire.
Prevention of systemic toxicity in hyperthermic isolated lung perfusion using radioisotopic leakage monitoring
2017-07-14

In patients submitted to ILuP, RLF monitoring is feasible and accurate. Moreover, it grants immediate results, permitting for the adoption of corrective manoeuvres for leakage, thus minimising toxicity.
New Approach for Calculating the Effective Dielectric Constant of the Moist Soil for Microwaves
2017-07-15

Microwave remote sensing techniques are used, among others, for temporally and spatially highly-resolved observations of land-surface properties, e.g., for the management of agricultural productivity and water resource, as well as to improve the performances of numerical weather prediction and climate simulations with soil moisture data. In this context, the effective dielectric constant of the soil is a key variable to quantify the land surface properties. We propose a new approach for the effective dielectric constant of the multiphase soil that is based on an arithmetic average of the dielectric constants of the land-surface components with damping. The results show, on average, better agreement with experimental data than previous approaches. Furthermore, the proposed new model overcomes the theoretical limitation of previous models in the incorporation of non-physical parameters to simulate measured data experimentally with satisfactory accuracy. For microwave remote sensing such as SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive), SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity) and AMSR-E (Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS), the physical-based model in our study showed a 23–35% RMSE (root-mean-square error) reduction compared to the most prevalent refractive mixing model in the prediction of the dielectric constant for the real and imaginary part, respectively. Furthermore, in radiowave bands used in portable soil sensors such as TDR (time-domain reflectometer) and GPR (ground-penetrating radar) the new dielectric mixing model reduced RMSE by up to 53% in the prediction of the dielectric constant. We found that the permittivity over the saturation point (porosity of dry soil) has a very different and varying pattern compared to that measured in the unsaturated condition. However, in our study, this pattern was mathematically derived from the same mixing rule applied for the unsaturated condition. It is expected that the new dielectric mixing model might help to improve the accuracy of flood monitoring by satellite.
SDF-1/CXCR4 expression in head and neck cancer and outcome after postoperative radiochemotherapy
2017-07-15

Our exploratory data support the hypothesis that overexpression of intracellular SDF-1 is an independent negative prognostic biomarker for LRC after postoperative RT-CT in high-risk HNSCC. Prospective validation is warranted and further exploration of SDF-1/CXCR4 as a potential therapeutic target to overcome treatment resistance in HNSCC appears promising.
Dark stars: Gravitational and electromagnetic observables
2017-07-17

Theoretical models of self-interacting dark matter represent a promising\\nanswer to a series of open problems within the so-called collisionless cold\\ndark matter (CCDM) paradigm. In case of asymmetric dark matter,\\nself-interactions might facilitate gravitational collapse and potentially lead\\nto formation of compact objects predominantly made of dark matter. Considering\\nboth fermionic and bosonic equations of state, we construct the equilibrium\\nstructure of rotating dark stars, focusing on their bulk properties, and\\ncomparing them with baryonic neutron stars. We also show that these dark\\nobjects admit the -Love- universal relations, which link their moments of\\ninertia, tidal deformabilities, and quadrupole moments. Finally, we prove that\\nstars built with a dark matter equation of state are not compact enough to\\nmimic black holes in general relativity, thus making them distinguishable in\\npotential events of gravitational interferometers.\\n
Impact of Aging and Cytomegalovirus on Immunological Response to Influenza Vaccination and Infection
2017-07-17

The number of people over the age of 60 is expected to double by 2050 according to the WHO. This emphasizes the need to ensure optimized resilience to health stressors in late life. In older adults, influenza is one of the leading causes of catastrophic disability (defined as the loss of independence in daily living and self-care activities). Influenza vaccination is generally perceived to be less protective in older adults, with some studies suggesting that the humoral immune response to the vaccine is further impaired in cytomegalovirus (CMV)-seropositive older people. CMV is a β-herpes virus infection that is generally asymptomatic in healthy individuals. The majority of older adults possess serum antibodies against the virus indicating latent infection. Age-related changes in T-cell-mediated immunity are augmented by CMV infection and may be associated with more serious complications of influenza infection. This review focuses on the impact of aging and CMV on immune cell function, the response to influenza infection and vaccination, and how the current understanding of aging and CMV can be used to design a more effective influenza vaccine for older adults. It is anticipated that efforts in this field will address the public health need for improved protection against influenza in older adults, particularly with regard to the serious complications leading to loss of independence.
SRF modulates seizure occurrence, activity induced gene transcription and hippocampal circuit reorganization in the mouse pilocarpine epilepsy model
2017-07-17

A hallmark of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is hippocampal neuronal demise and aberrant mossy fiber sprouting. In addition, unrestrained neuronal activity in TLE patients induces gene expression including immediate early genes (IEGs) such as Fos and Egr1.We employed the mouse pilocarpine model to analyze the transcription factor (TF) serum response factor (SRF) in epileptogenesis, seizure induced histopathology and IEG induction. SRF is a neuronal activity regulated TF stimulating IEG expression as well as nerve fiber growth and guidance. Adult conditional SRF deficient mice (Srf <sup>CaMKCreERT2</sup> ) were more refractory to initial status epilepticus (SE) acquisition. Further, SRF deficient mice developed more spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS). Genome-wide transcriptomic analysis uncovered a requirement of SRF for SE and SRS induced IEG induction (e.g. Fos, Egr1, Arc, Npas4, Btg2, Atf3). SRF was required for epilepsy associated neurodegeneration, mossy fiber sprouting and inflammation. We uncovered MAP kinase signaling as SRF target during epilepsy. Upon SRF ablation, seizure evoked induction of dual specific phosphatases (Dusp5 and Dusp6) was reduced. Lower expression of these negative ERK kinase regulators correlated with altered P-ERK levels in epileptic Srf mutant animals.Overall, this study uncovered an SRF contribution to several processes of epileptogenesis in the pilocarpine model.
ATP sensing in living plant cells reveals tissue gradients and stress dynamics of energy physiology
2017-07-18

Growth and development of plants is ultimately driven by light energy captured through photosynthesis. ATP acts as universal cellular energy cofactor fuelling all life processes, including gene expression, metabolism, and transport. Despite a mechanistic understanding of ATP biochemistry, ATP dynamics in the living plant have been largely elusive. Here, we establish MgATP2- measurement in living plants using the fluorescent protein biosensor ATeam1.03-nD/nA. We generate Arabidopsis sensor lines and investigate the sensor in vitro under conditions appropriate for the plant cytosol. We establish an assay for ATP fluxes in isolated mitochondria, and demonstrate that the sensor responds rapidly and reliably to MgATP2- changes in planta. A MgATP2- map of the Arabidopsis seedling highlights different MgATP2- concentrations between tissues and within individual cell types, such as root hairs. Progression of hypoxia reveals substantial plasticity of ATP homeostasis in seedlings, demonstrating that ATP dynamics can be monitored in the living plant.
The €100 lab: A 3D-printable open-source platform for fluorescence microscopy, optogenetics, and accurate temperature control during behaviour of zebrafish, Drosophila, and Caenorhabditis elegans
2017-07-18

Small, genetically tractable species such as larval zebrafish, Drosophila, or Caenorhabditis elegans have become key model organisms in modern neuroscience. In addition to their low maintenance costs and easy sharing of strains across labs, one key appeal is the possibility to monitor single or groups of animals in a behavioural arena while controlling the activity of select neurons using optogenetic or thermogenetic tools. However, the purchase of a commercial solution for these types of experiments, including an appropriate camera system as well as a controlled behavioural arena, can be costly. Here, we present a low-cost and modular open-source alternative called 'FlyPi'. Our design is based on a 3D-printed mainframe, a Raspberry Pi computer, and high-definition camera system as well as Arduino-based optical and thermal control circuits. Depending on the configuration, FlyPi can be assembled for well under €100 and features optional modules for light-emitting diode (LED)-based fluorescence microscopy and optogenetic stimulation as well as a Peltier-based temperature stimulator for thermogenetics. The complete version with all modules costs approximately €200 or substantially less if the user is prepared to 'shop around'. All functions of FlyPi can be controlled through a custom-written graphical user interface. To demonstrate FlyPi's capabilities, we present its use in a series of state-of-the-art neurogenetics experiments. In addition, we demonstrate FlyPi's utility as a medical diagnostic tool as well as a teaching aid at Neurogenetics courses held at several African universities. Taken together, the low cost and modular nature as well as fully open design of FlyPi make it a highly versatile tool in a range of applications, including the classroom, diagnostic centres, and research labs.
Optimal Strong Rates of Convergence for a Space-Time Discretization ofthe Stochastic Allen–Cahn Equation with Multiplicative Noise
2017-07-18

Abstract The stochastic Allen–Cahn equation with multiplicative noise involves the nonlinear drift operator <m:math xmlns:m="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <m:mrow> <m:mrow> <m:mi mathvariant="script">A</m:mi> <m:mo>⁢</m:mo> <m:mrow> <m:mo stretchy="false">(</m:mo> <m:mi>x</m:mi> <m:mo stretchy="false">)</m:mo> </m:mrow> </m:mrow> <m:mo>=</m:mo> <m:mrow> <m:mrow> <m:mi mathvariant="normal">Δ</m:mi> <m:mo>⁢</m:mo> <m:mi>x</m:mi> </m:mrow> <m:mo>-</m:mo> <m:mrow> <m:mrow> <m:mo stretchy="false">(</m:mo> <m:mrow> <m:msup> <m:mrow> <m:mo stretchy="false">|</m:mo> <m:mi>x</m:mi> <m:mo stretchy="false">|</m:mo> </m:mrow> <m:mn>2</m:mn> </m:msup> <m:mo>-</m:mo> <m:mn>1</m:mn> </m:mrow> <m:mo stretchy="false">)</m:mo> </m:mrow> <m:mo>⁢</m:mo> <m:mi>x</m:mi> </m:mrow> </m:mrow> </m:mrow> </m:math> {{\\mathscr{A}}(x)=\\Delta x-(|x|^{2}-1)x} . We use the fact that <m:math xmlns:m="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <m:mrow> <m:mrow> <m:mi mathvariant="script">A</m:mi> <m:mo>⁢</m:mo> <m:mrow> <m:mo stretchy="false">(</m:mo> <m:mi>x</m:mi> <m:mo stretchy="false">)</m:mo> </m:mrow> </m:mrow> <m:mo>=</m:mo> <m:mrow> <m:mo>-</m:mo> <m:mrow> <m:msup> <m:mi mathvariant="script">J</m:mi> <m:mo>′</m:mo> </m:msup> <m:mo>⁢</m:mo> <m:mrow> <m:mo stretchy="false">(</m:mo> <m:mi>x</m:mi> <m:mo stretchy="false">)</m:mo> </m:mrow> </m:mrow> </m:mrow> </m:mrow> </m:math> {{\\mathscr{A}}(x)=-{\\mathcal{J}}^{\\prime}(x)} satisfies a weak monotonicity property to deduce uniform bounds in strong norms for solutions of the temporal, as well as of the spatio-temporal discretization of the problem. This weak monotonicity property then allows for the estimate <m:math xmlns:m="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <m:mrow> <m:mrow> <m:munder> <m:mo movablelimits="false">sup</m:mo> <m:mrow> <m:mn>1</m:mn> <m:mo>≤</m:mo> <m:mi>j</m:mi> <m:mo>≤</m:mo> <m:mi>J</m:mi> </m:mrow> </m:munder> <m:mo>⁡</m:mo> <m:mrow> <m:mi>E</m:mi> <m:mo>⁢</m:mo> <m:mrow> <m:mo stretchy="false">[</m:mo> <m:msubsup> <m:mrow> <m:mo>∥</m:mo> <m:mrow> <m:msub> <m:mi>X</m:mi> <m:msub> <m:mi>t</m:mi> <m:mi>j</m:mi> </m:msub> </m:msub> <m:mo>-</m:mo> <m:msup> <m:mi>Y</m:mi> <m:mi>j</m:mi> </m:msup> </m:mrow> <m:mo>∥</m:mo> </m:mrow> <m:msup> <m:mi>L</m:mi> <m:mn>2</m:mn> </m:msup> <m:mn>2</m:mn> </m:msubsup> <m:mo stretchy="false">]</m:mo> </m:mrow> </m:mrow> </m:mrow> <m:mo>≤</m:mo> <m:mrow> <m:msub> <m:mi>C</m:mi> <m:mi>δ</m:mi> </m:msub> <m:mo>⁢</m:mo> <m:mrow> <m:mo stretchy="false">(</m:mo> <m:mrow> <m:msup> <m:mi>k</m:mi> <m:mrow> <m:mn>1</m:mn> <m:mo>-</m:mo> <m:mi>δ</m:mi> </m:mrow> </m:msup> <m:mo>+</m:mo> <m:msup> <m:mi>h</m:mi> <m:mn>2</m:mn> </m:msup> </m:mrow> <m:mo stretchy="false">)</m:mo> </m:mrow> </m:mrow> </m:mrow> </m:math> \\sup_{1\\leq j\\leq J}{\\mathbb{E}}[\\|X_{t_{j}}-Y^{j}\\|_{{\\mathbb{L}}^{2}}^{2}]% \\leq C_{\\delta}(k^{1-\\delta}+h^{2}) for all small <m:math xmlns:m="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <m:mrow> <m:mi>δ</m:mi>