julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
SGLT2 inhibitors decrease overhydration and proteasuria in patients with chronic kidney disease: a longitudinal observational study
2024-01-16

Introduction: SGLT2 inhibitors are used to reduce the risk of progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). In patients with type 2 diabetes, they have been found to reduce extracellular volume. Given the high prevalence of extracellular volume expansion and overhydration in CKD, we investigated whether SGLT2 inhibitors might correct these disturbances in CKD patients. Methods: CKD patients who started treatment with an SGLT2 inhibitor were investigated in this prospective observational study for 6 months. Body composition and fluid status were measured by bioimpedance spectroscopy. In addition, spot urine samples were analyzed for albuminuria, glucosuria and urinary aprotinin-sensitive serine protease activity. Results: 42 patients (29 % with diabetic/hypertensive CKD, 31 % with IgA nephropathy; 88 % dapagliflozin 10 mg, 10 % dapagliflozin 5 mg, 2 % empagliflozin 20 mg; median eGFR 46 mL/min/1.73m2 and albuminuria 1911 mg/g creatinine) participated in the study. Median glucosuria increased to 14 (10-19) g/g creatinine. At baseline, patients displayed overhydration (OH) with + 0.4 (-0.2 – 2.2) L/1.73m2 which decreased by 0.5 (0.1 – 1.2) L/1.73m2 after 6 months. Decrease of OH correlated with higher OH at BL, decrease of albuminuria, glucosuria and urinary aprotinin-sensitive protease activity. Adipose tissue mass was not significantly reduced after 6 months. Conclusion: SGLT2 inhibitors reduce overhydration in patients with CKD, which is pronounced in the presence of high albuminuria, glucosuria and urinary aprotinin-sensitive protease activity.
The UNIversity students’ LIFEstyle behaviors and Mental health cohort (UNILIFE-M): Study protocol of a multicenter, prospective cohort study
2024-01-16

Abstract Background Students enrolling in higher education often adopt lifestyles linked to worse mental health, potentially contributing to the peak age onset of mental health problems in early adulthood. However, extensive research is limited by focusing on single lifestyle behaviors, including single time points, within limited cultural contexts, and focusing on a limited set of mental health symptoms. Methods The UNIversity students’ LIFEstyle behaviors and Mental health cohort (UNILIFE-M) is a prospective worldwide cohort study aiming to investigate the associations between students’ lifestyle behaviors and mental health symptoms during their college years. The UNILIFE-M will gather self-reported data through an online survey on mental health symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, mania, sleep problems, substance abuse, inattention/hyperactivity, and obsessive/compulsive thoughts/behaviors) and lifestyle behaviors (i.e., diet, physical activity, substance use, stress management, social support, restorative sleep, environment, and sedentary behavior) over 3.5 years. Participants of 69 universities from 28 countries (300 per site) will be assessed at university admission in the 2023 and/or the 2024 academic year and followed up for 1, 2, and 3.5 years. Discussion The study portrays a unique opportunity to comprehensively understand how multiple lifestyle behavior trajectories relate to mental health symptoms in a large international cohort of university students.
Advancing molecular, phenotypic and mechanistic insights ofFGF14pathogenic expansions (SCA27B)
2024-01-16

Abstract Repeat expansions in the FGF14 gene have recently been identified as a frequent cause of autosomal dominant late-onset cerebellar ataxia (SCA27B). The threshold for pathogenicity was estimated to range from 250 (incomplete penetrance) to 300 AAG repeats (full penetrance) based on expansion sizes observed in patients and controls. However, the full sequences of pathogenic and non-pathogenic alleles remain largely unknown. In this study, we used STRling and ExpansionHunter/STRipy to detect short tandem repeat expansions in short-read genome data of 80 patients with unsolved neurological disorders, including 48 patients from 39 unrelated families with cerebellar ataxia. Significant outlier values indicating a possible FGF14 repeat expansion were detected in 49% of families with ataxia. We used long-range PCR and repeat-primed PCR to confirm repeat motifs and number, and to further screen for FGF14 repeat expansions in 106 additional patients. The distribution of FGF14 alleles was also analyzed in 802 control individuals. Long-range PCR amplicons from affected and control subjects with at least one expanded allele were sequenced by nanopore sequencing. Altogether, we report a total of 38 individuals from 31 families with a pure AAG expansion ≥250 repeats in FGF14 (range: 254-937) out of 134 families with unsolved ataxia (23%). Four families had biallelic expansions. One individual showed mosaicism of the expansion, with two distinct large alleles detected. The overall distribution of FGF14 alleles significantly differs in patients and control subjects with pure expansions from 180 repeats being enriched in patients while AAGGAG and interrupted alleles were more frequent in controls. Expanded and non-expanded FGF14 alleles were associated with different 5’-flanking regions correlating with repeat stability. Episodic symptoms of ataxia and downbeat nystagmus were frequent in patients with SCA27B independently of the repeat number. A family with a novel nonsense variant (NM_175929.3: c.239T&gt;G; p.Leu80*; SCA27A) exhibited similar symptoms but earlier age at onset than patients with pathogenic expansions (SCA27B). In conclusion, this study reveals the complete sequence of pathogenic and non-pathogenic FGF14 expansions. We suggest that pure AAG expansions are pathogenic from a lower threshold than previously reported, comprised between 180 and 220 pure AAG repeats, while full penetrance would be above 320-335 repeats. Interrupted expansions and expansions composed of other hexanucleotide repeats motifs are non-pathogenic. Diagnostic tests should thus include a complete sequencing of the expansion in addition to repeat number assessment. Finally, we provide mechanistic insights into how pure AAG repeat expansions could lead to adult-onset cerebellar ataxia.
Lepton flavor violating dark photon
2024-01-16

We study the possible impact of dark photons on lepton flavor phenomenology. We derive the constraints on nondiagonal dark photon couplings with leptons by analyzing corresponding contributions to lepton anomalous magnetic moments, rare lepton decays, and the prospects of fixed-target experiments aimed at searching for light dark matter based on missing energy/momentum techniques. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
Machine Learning of a Density Functional for Anisotropic Patchy Particles
2024-01-17

Anisotropic patchy particles have become an archetypical statistical model system for associating fluids. Here, we formulate an approach to the Kern-Frenkel model via the classical density functional theory to describe the positionally and orientationally resolved equilibrium density distributions in flat wall geometries. The density functional is split into a reference part for the orientationally averaged density and an orientational part in mean-field approximation. To bring the orientational part into a kernel form suitable for machine learning (ML) techniques, an expansion into orientational invariants and the proper incorporation of single-particle symmetries are formulated. The mean-field kernel is constructed via ML on the basis of hard wall simulation data. The results are compared to the well-known random-phase approximation, which strongly underestimates the orientational correlations close to the wall. Successes and shortcomings of the mean-field treatment of the orientational part are highlighted and perspectives are given for attaining a full-density functional via ML.
VLTI/GRAVITY Provides Evidence the Young, Substellar Companion HD 136164 Ab Formed Like a “Failed Star”
2024-01-17

Abstract Young, low-mass brown dwarfs orbiting early-type stars, with low mass ratios ( q ≲ 0.01), appear to be intrinsically rare and present a formation dilemma: could a handful of these objects be the highest-mass outcomes of “planetary” formation channels (bottom up within a protoplanetary disk), or are they more representative of the lowest-mass “failed binaries” (formed via disk fragmentation or core fragmentation)? Additionally, their orbits can yield model-independent dynamical masses, and when paired with wide wavelength coverage and accurate system age estimates, can constrain evolutionary models in a regime where the models have a wide dispersion depending on the initial conditions. We present new interferometric observations of the 16 Myr substellar companion HD 136164 Ab (HIP 75056 Ab) made with the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI)/GRAVITY and an updated orbit fit including proper motion measurements from the Hipparcos–Gaia Catalog of Accelerations. We estimate a dynamical mass of 35 ± 10 M J ( q ∼ 0.02), making HD 136164 Ab the youngest substellar companion with a dynamical mass estimate. The new mass and newly constrained orbital eccentricity ( e = 0.44 ± 0.03) and separation (22.5 ± 1 au) could indicate that the companion formed via the low-mass tail of the initial mass function. Our atmospheric fit to a SPHINX M-dwarf model grid suggests a subsolar C/O ratio of 0.45 and 3 × solar metallicity, which could indicate formation in a circumstellar disk via disk fragmentation. Either way, the revised mass estimate likely excludes bottom-up formation via core accretion in a circumstellar disk. HD 136164 Ab joins a select group of young substellar objects with dynamical mass estimates; epoch astrometry from future Gaia data releases will constrain the dynamical mass of this crucial object further.
Divergent geographic variation in above‐ versus below‐ground secondary metabolites of Reynoutria japonica
2024-01-17

Abstract Secondary metabolites play an important role in plant adaptation, because they can mitigate biotic and abiotic environmental stresses. However, their production and allocation incur different costs and benefits, and are therefore subject to trade‐offs, which are less studied. To understand large‐scale geographic patterns of secondary metabolites, and their environmental drivers and trade‐offs, we studied 39 natural populations of the perennial herb Japanese knotweed ( Reynoutria japonica ) along a large latitudinal gradient in China. We measured the concentrations of six polyphenols in leaves and rhizomes of R . japonica , and associated the variation in these metabolites with biotic and abiotic environmental factors as well as with functional plant traits and putative costs of secondary metabolites. We found that climate was an important driver of variation in secondary metabolites, both above‐ and below‐ground. Remarkably, the patterns of association differed between leaves and rhizomes, as well as between putative low‐cost versus high‐cost compounds. While annual mean temperature was a stronger predictor of above‐ground metabolites, annual precipitation was more frequently associated with variation in below‐ground metabolites. Moreover, annual temperature was positively associated with high‐cost metabolites, but negatively with low‐cost metabolites. Above‐ground secondary metabolites were generally more strongly associated with functional traits (e.g. specific leaf area) than below‐ground metabolites, and in all cases the directions of correlation were opposite for low‐cost versus high‐cost metabolites above‐ground. The patterns of association also varied with latitude such that leaf concentrations of low‐cost metabolites (quercetin) increased but those of high‐cost metabolites (resveratrol, piceid and emodin) decreased at higher latitudes. In rhizomes, in contrast, the concentrations of high‐cost metabolites (piceid and emodin) increased with latitude. Synthesis . Our findings indicate that allocation strategies differ between above‐ and below‐ground tissues of Reynoutria japonica . As latitude increases, R . japonica invests relatively more into below‐ground metabolites. We propose that reduced high‐cost metabolites in the leaves at higher latitudes may help to conserve nutrients after defoliation, while maintaining high‐cost metabolites in rhizomes may be important for persistent allelopathic effects and resource conservation below‐ground. The divergent patterns of above‐ and below‐ground metabolite allocation thus likely reflect the multiple functions of metabolites and the plants' adaptation to different environments.
Microbial impact on initial soil formation in arid and semiarid environments under simulated climate change
2024-01-17

The microbiota is attributed to be important for initial soil formation under extreme climate conditions, but experimental evidence for its relevance is scarce. To fill this gap, we investigated the impact of in situ microbial communities and their interrelationship with biocrust and plants compared to abiotic controls on soil formation in initial arid and semiarid soils. Additionally, we assessed the response of bacterial communities to climate change. Topsoil and subsoil samples from arid and semiarid sites in the Chilean Coastal Cordillera were incubated for 16 weeks under diurnal temperature and moisture variations to simulate humid climate conditions as part of a climate change scenario. Our findings indicate that microorganism-plant interaction intensified aggregate formation and stabilized soil structure, facilitating initial soil formation. Interestingly, microorganisms alone or in conjunction with biocrust showed no discernible patterns compared to abiotic controls, potentially due to water-masking effects. Arid soils displayed reduced bacterial diversity and developed a new community structure dominated by Proteobacteria , Actinobacteriota , and Planctomycetota , while semiarid soils maintained a consistently dominant community of Acidobacteriota and Proteobacteria . This highlighted a sensitive and specialized bacterial community in arid soils, while semiarid soils exhibited a more complex and stable community. We conclude that microorganism-plant interaction has measurable impacts on initial soil formation in arid and semiarid regions on short time scales under climate change. Additionally, we propose that soil and climate legacies are decisive for the present soil microbial community structure and interactions, future soil development, and microbial responses.
Optical Absorption Properties in Pentacene/Tetracene Solid Solutions
2024-01-17

Modifying the optical and electronic properties of crystalline organic thin films is of great interest for improving the performance of modern organic semiconductor devices. Therein, the statistical mixing of molecules to form a solid solution provides an opportunity to fine-tune optical and electronic properties. Unfortunately, the diversity of intermolecular interactions renders mixed organic crystals highly complex, and a holistic picture is still lacking. Here, we report a study of the optical absorption properties in solid solutions of pentacene and tetracene, two prototypical organic semiconductors. In the mixtures, the optical properties can be continuously modified by statistical mixing at the molecular level. Comparison with time-dependent density functional theory calculations on occupationally disordered clusters unravels the electronic origin of the low energy optical transitions. The disorder partially relaxes the selection rules, leading to additional optical transitions that manifest as optical broadening. Furthermore, the contribution of diabatic charge-transfer states is modified in the mixtures, reducing the observed splitting in the 0-0 vibronic transition. Additional comparisons with other blended systems generalize our results and indicate that changes in the polarizability of the molecular environment in organic thin-film blends induce shifts in the absorption spectrum.
Clarifying the murk: unveiling bacterial dynamics in response to crude oil pollution, Corexit-dispersant, and natural sunlight in the Gulf of Mexico
2024-01-17

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DwH) Oil spill released an enormous volume of oil into the Gulf of Mexico (GoM), prompting the widespread use of chemical dispersants like Corexit ® EC9500A. The ecological consequences of this treatment, especially when combined with natural factors such as sunlight, remain unexplored in the context of marine bacterial communities’ dynamics. To address this knowledge gap, our study employed a unique metaproteomic approach, investigating the combined effects of sunlight, crude Macondo surrogate oil, and Corexit on GoM microbiome across different mesocosms. Exposure to oil and/or Corexit caused a marked change in community composition, with a decrease in taxonomic diversity relative to controls in only 24 hours. Hydrocarbon (HC) degraders, particularly those more tolerant to Corexit and phototoxic properties of crude oil and/or Corexit, proliferated at the expense of more sensitive taxa. Solar radiation exacerbated these effects in most taxa. We demonstrated that sunlight increased the dispersant’s toxicity, impacting on community structure and functioning. These functional changes were primarily directed by oxidative stress with upregulated proteins and enzymes involved in protein turnover, general stress response, DNA replication and repair, chromosome condensation, and cell division. These factors were more abundant in chemically treated conditions, especially in the presence of Corexit compared to controls. Oil treatment significantly enhanced the relative abundance of Alteromonas , an oil-degrading Gammaproteobacteria . In combined oil-Corexit treatments, the majority of identified protein functions were assigned to Alteromonas , with strongly expressed proteins involved in membrane transport, motility, carbon and amino acid metabolism and cellular defense mechanisms. Marinomonas , one of the most active genera in dark conditions, was absent from the light treatment. Numerous metabolic pathways and HC-degrading genes provided insights into bacterial community adaptation to oil spills. Key enzymes of the glyoxylate bypass, enriched in contaminant-containing treatments, were predominantly associated with Rhodobacterales and Alteromonadales . Several proteins related to outer membrane transport, photosynthesis, and nutrient metabolisms were characterized, allowing predictions of the various treatments on biogeochemical cycles. The study also presents novel perspectives for future oil spill clean-up processes.
Convergence with rates for a Riccati-based discretization of SLQ problems with SPDEs
2024-01-17

Abstract We consider a new discretization in space (parameter ) and time (parameter ) of a stochastic optimal control problem, where a quadratic functional is minimized subject to a linear stochastic heat equation with linear noise. Its construction is based on the perturbation of a generalized difference Riccati equation to approximate the related feedback law. We prove a convergence rate of almost for its solution, and conclude from it a rate of almost resp. for computable approximations of the optimal state and control with additive resp. multiplicative noise.
Association of high alpha-Klotho-levels in CSF with a later onset of cognitive impairment in patients with Parkinson´s disease
2024-01-17

Abstract Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-related condition characterized by substantial phenotypic variability. Consequently, pathways and proteins involved in biological aging, such as the central aging pathway comprising IGF1, alpha-Klotho, FOXO3a, and PPARγ, may potentially influence disease progression. Methods: We examined CSF levels of alpha-Klotho in 471 PD patients. Of the 471 patients, 96 carried a GBA1-variant, while the 375 non-carriers were classified as PD wildtype. Each patient was stratified into a CSF alpha-Klotho tertile group based on the individual level. Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox regression analysis was conducted. Results: Among Parkinson's disease patients, those with the highest tertile of CSF alpha-Klotho levels reached the "disease milestone" of cognitive impairment at a later stage compared to those in the lowest tertile. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that reduced CSF levels of alpha-Klotho are associated with accelerated cognitive decline in PD. This association appears to be predominantly pronounced in PD GBA1 patients.
Violation of Auditory Regularities is Reflected in Pupil Dynamics
2024-01-17

The brain maintains internal models to make predictions. When predictions are violated, the current model can either be updated or replaced by a new model. The latter is accompanied by pupil dilation responses (PDRs) related to locus coeruleus activity/norepinephrine release (LC-NE). We replicated and generalized Zhao et al. (Nature Communications, 2019) by investigating PDRs associated with transitions between regular and random patterns of tones in auditory sequences. We presented these sequences to participants who had been instructed to find silent gaps (to maintain attention). Transitions from regular to random patterns induced PDRs, suggesting that an internal model attuned to the regular pattern is reset. Transitions from one regular pattern to another regular pattern also induced PDRs with later pupil constriction, suggesting also a model reset. On the other hand, transitions from random patterns to regular patterns did not induce PDRs, suggesting a gradual update of model parameters because the random pattern does not allow for strong predictions. Overall, our results replicate Zhao et al. (2019) closely and suggest that PDRs, a biomarker of LC-NE activation, are indeed sensitive to model reset but not model update.
Time perception in suspenseful films
2024-01-17

&lt;p&gt;Dataset of an experimental study in which participants (N = 50) watched short video clips from horror films. Participants were asked to estimate perceived suspense levels and to do a time estimation task.&nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
A critique of motivation constructs to explain higher-order behavior: We should unpack the black box
2024-01-18

Abstract The constructs of motivation (or needs, motives, etc.) to explain higher-order behavior have burgeoned in psychology. In this article, we critically evaluate such high-level motivation constructs that many researchers define as causal determinants of behavior. We identify a fundamental issue with this predominant view of motivation, which we call the black-box problem . Specifically, high-level motivation constructs have been considered as causally instigating a wide range of higher-order behavior, but this does not explain what they actually are or how behavioral tendencies are generated. The black-box problem inevitably makes the construct ill-defined and jeopardizes its theoretical status. To address the problem, we discuss the importance of mental computational processes underlying motivated behavior. Critically, from this perspective, motivation is not a unitary construct that causes a wide range of higher-order behavior – it is an emergent property that people construe through the regularities of subjective experiences and behavior. The proposed perspective opens new avenues for future theoretical development, that is, the examination of how motivated behavior is realized through mental computational processes.