julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Final Results of GERDA on the Two-Neutrino Double-β Decay Half-Life of Ge76
2023-12-23

We present the measurement of the two-neutrino double- decay rate of Ge performed with the GERDA Phase II experiment. With a subset of the entire GERDA exposure, 11.8 kg yr, the half-life of the process has been determined: yr. This is the most precise determination of the Ge two-neutrino double- decay half-life and one of the most precise measurements of a double- decay process. The relevant nuclear matrix element can be extracted:
Autophagy Restricts Tomato Fruit Ripening Via a General Role in Ethylene Repression
2023-12-23

ABSTRACT Autophagy, a cellular degradation pathway, and the phytohormone ethylene function in plant development, senescence, and stress responses. However, the manner of their interaction is mostly unknown. We reasoned that this may be revealed by studying autophagy in a climacteric fruit ripening context, for which ethylene is crucial. During ripening, fruits undergo softening, color change, toxic compound degradation, volatile production, and sugar assembly by fine-tuning synthesis and degradation of their cellular content. For autophagy activity assessment, we analyzed autophagy-related 8 (ATG8) lipidation and GFP-ATG8-labeled autophagosome flux in tomato fruit cells. Autophagy activity increased sharply from ripening initiation, climaxed at its middle stage, and declined towards its end, resembling ethylene production dynamics. Silencing the core-autophagy genes SlATG2 , SlATG7 , and SlATG4 separately in mature fruits resulted in early ethylene production and ripening onset, which was abrogated by 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), an ethylene signaling inhibitor. Beyond ripening, Arabidopsis atg5 and atg7 mutant seedlings exhibited elevated ethylene production and sensitivity to 1-Aminocyclopropane 1-carboxylic acid (ACC), ethylenès precursor, which induces autophagy. This research demonstrates that autophagy limits tomato fruit ripening via a general role in ethylene restriction, opening the path for a mechanistic understanding of autophagy-ethylene crosstalk and harnessing autophagy for fruit shelf-life extension.
Comment on egusphere-2023-2664
2023-12-23

<strong class="journal-contentHeaderColor">Abstract.</strong> <span>Climatic conditions and its change shape the strength and extent of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). The presence and variability of the OMZ in the Arabian Sea is of importance for their ecosystem. The state of oxygenation has, for instance, an impact on the pelagic and benthic faunal community or the nitrogen and carbon cycles. The understanding of the dynamics of the OMZ, its marine environmental is of importance due to its climate feedbacks. In this study, we combined three independent proxies to reconstruct the oxygenation state of the water column and bottom water in the Gulf of Oman for the past about 43 ka for the first time. We used nitrogen isotopes (&delta;<sup>15</sup>N) as well as the alkane ratio (lycopane<em> </em>+ <em>n</em>-C<sub>35</sub>)/<em>n</em>-C<sub>31</sub> and benthic foraminiferal faunal analysis to reconstruct the strength of the OMZ in the water column and bottom water oxygenation, respectively. Our results show that the Gulf of Oman experienced strong pronounced OMZ and bottom water deoxygenation during the Holocene. Contrary, during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)/ Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 2 the Gulf of Oman was very well ventilated with a highly diverse benthic foraminiferal community. This may have been caused by stronger wind-induced mixing and better ventilation by oxygen-rich water masses. Our results also show moderate oxygenation during MIS 3 with deoxygenation events during most of the warmer Dansgaard-Oeschger (D/O) events. We propose two distinct oxygenation modes for the Gulf of Oman: 1) a stable period of either strongly pronounced water column OMZ and bottom water deoxygenation or well-oxygenated water column and bottom water conditions and 2) an unstable period of oscillating oxygenation states between moderately oxygenated (stadials) and deoxygenated (interstadial, D/O events) conditions. </span>
Neural adaptation at stimulus onset and speed of neural processing as critical contributors to speech comprehension independent of hearing threshold or age
2023-12-23

Abstract Loss of afferent auditory fiber function (cochlear synaptopathy) has been suggested to occur before a clinically measurable deterioration of subjective hearing threshold. This so-called “hidden” hearing loss is characterized by speech comprehension difficulties. We examined young, middle-aged, and older individuals with and without hearing loss using pure-tone (PT) audiometry, short-pulsed distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE), auditory brainstem responses (ABR), auditory steady state responses (ASSR), speech comprehension (OLSA), and syllable discrimination in quiet and noise. After normalizing OLSA thresholds for PT thresholds (“PNOT”), differences in speech comprehension still remained and showed no significant dependence on age, allowing us to categorize participants into groups with good, standard, and poor speech comprehension. Listeners with poor speech comprehension in quiet exhibited smaller firing rate adaptions at stimulus onset (as measured by the difference between DPOAE threshold and pure-tone threshold) and delayed supra-threshold ABR waves I-V, suggesting high spontaneous rate low threshold fiber cochlear synaptopathy. In contrast, when speech comprehension was tested in noise, listeners with poor speech comprehension had larger DPOAEs acceptance rate, putatively resulting from altered basilar membrane compression (recruitment). This was linked with higher uncomfortable loudness levels and larger ASSR amplitudes. Moreover, performance in phoneme discrimination was significantly different below (/o/-/u/) and above the phase-locking limit (/i/-/y/), depending on whether vowels were presented in quiet or ipsilateral noise. This suggests that neural firing rate adaptation at stimulus onset is critical for speech comprehension, independent of hearing threshold and age, whereas the recruitment phenomenon counterbalances the loss in speech-in-noise discrimination due to impaired threshold. Significance Statement Age-related hearing loss is the third largest modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline. It has been suggested that the link between hearing loss and cognitive decline is not fully explained by hearing threshold loss. We here suggest that language comprehension deficits may be used as an early indication of future hearing loss and therefore cognitive decline. We found that, independent of age and pure-tone thresholds, speech comprehension in quiet and ipsilateral noise depend on different onset firing-rate adaptations of inner hair cells (measured by DPOAE threshold), along with cochlear synaptopathy of high spontaneous rate auditory nerve fibers and neural spiking synchronicity. These measures may be used as possible future indicators of risk for cognitive decline.
Phase coding in phoneme processing slows with age
2023-12-23

Abstract The comprehension of phonemes is a fundamental component of speech processing which relies on both, temporal fine structure (TFS) and temporal envelope (TE) coding. EEG amplitude in response to phonemes has been identified as indicator of speech performance in hearing aid users. Presbyacusis may also alter neuro-electric responses to phonemes, even with minimally or unaffected hearing thresholds. Elevated speech reception thresholds (SRT) in absence of pure-tone threshold (PTT) elevation suggest central processing deficits. We therefore collected audiometric data (PTT, SRT) and EEG during passive listening in 80 subjects, ranging in age from 18 to 76 years. We confirm phoneme-evoked EEG response amplitude (PEA) as indicator of speech comprehension. Specifically, PEA decreased with elevated SRT, PTT and increased age. As novel observation, we report the temporal delay of phoneme-evoked EEG responses (PED) to increase with age and PTT. The absolute duration of PED, its age-correlation, and the lack of PEA-lateralization combined with the frequency of phoneme stimuli used here suggest a predominantly thalamic generator of phoneme-evoked EEG responses. Hearing loss in extended high-frequencies affects PED more than PEA. In our sample, neural compensation for increased PTT came at the cost of decreased temporal processing speed. Most importantly, PED correlates with SRT and explains SRT-variance in quiet and in ipsilateral noise that PTT cannot. PED was a better predictor of TFS coding in quiet and of TE coding in ipsilateral noise. As PED reflects both TFS and TE coding, thalamic activity may provide integrated information at the gate of neocortex. Significance Statement Intact speech comprehension is essential for social participation which protects against depression and dementia. Age-related hearing loss is a growing problem in aging societies, as hearing deficits constitute the third most important modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline. This work uses electrical brain responses to phonemes in a cohort covering age 18 to 76 years. As the temporal delay of phoneme responses showed the most significant correlations with age and high-frequency thresholds, we demonstrated that speed of neural processing seems essential for speech comprehension. The observed neural signals likely originate from thalamus which receives feedback from neocortex and is embedded in cognitive processing. Developing objective markers for speech processing is key for ensuring cognitive fitness in aging.
Nitric oxide modulates contrast suppression in a subset of mouse retinal ganglion cells
2023-12-23

Neuromodulators have major influences on the regulation of neural circuit activity across the nervous system. Nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to be a prominent neuromodulator in many circuits and has been extensively studied in the retina. Here, it has been associated with the regulation of light adaptation, gain control, and gap junctional coupling, but its effect on the retinal output, specifically on the different types of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), is still poorly understood. In this study, we used two-photon Ca 2+ imaging and multi-electrode array (MEA) recordings to measure light-evoked activity of RGCs in the ganglion cell layer in the ex vivo mouse retina. This approach allowed us to investigate the neuromodulatory effects of NO on a cell type-level. Our findings reveal that NO selectively modulates the suppression of temporal responses in a distinct subset of contrast-suppressed RGC types, increasing their activity without altering the spatial properties of their receptive fields. Given that under photopic conditions, NO release is triggered by quick changes in light levels, we propose that these RGC types signal fast contrast changes to higher visual regions. Remarkably, we found that about one-third of the RGC types, recorded using two-photon Ca 2+ imaging, exhibited consistent, cell type-specific adaptational response changes throughout an experiment, independent of NO. By employing a sequential-recording paradigm, we could disentangle those additional adaptational response changes from drug-induced modulations. Taken together, our research highlights the selective neuromodulatory effects of NO on RGCs and emphasizes the need of considering non-pharmacological activity changes, like adaptation, in such study designs.
Modality Influences Perceived Film Suspense But Not Time Perception
2023-12-23

The present preregistered study tested whether perceived suspense in horror films is responsible for the feeling of time flying. Because suspense, the feeling of excitement, narrows the attentional focus and time perception also relies on attentional processes, suspenseful film watching might eventually influence the perception of time. We investigated the effects of perceived suspense in horror film excerpts and film modality (visual vs. audio-visual) on time perception by using a prospective time reproduction paradigm. Participants watched short film clips from classic horror films in which a red cross was overlaid for a short period of time. Participants reproduced the duration of the red cross and rated their perceived level of suspense for each film clip. Results showed that audio-visual film clips led to higher suspense ratings. However, the expected interaction of film modality and perceived suspense level on time perception performance, higher levels of suspense leading to shorter temporal reproductions for audio-visual than visual clips, was not significant. Finally, an exploratory analysis showed that the presence of auditory information influenced the perceived suspense more for endogenous suspenseful film clips (i.e., film clips with ambiguous visual information) than for exogenous suspenseful film clips (i.e., film clips with non-ambiguous visual information). We discuss the findings in the light of current theories of emotion, time perception, and film.
A magnetar giant flare in the nearby starburst galaxy M82
2023-12-25

Giant flares, short explosive events releasing up to 10 erg of energy in the gamma-ray band in less than one second, are the most spectacular manifestation of magnetars, young neutron stars powered by a very strong magnetic field, 10 G in the magnetosphere and possibly higher in the star interior. The rate of occurrence of these rare flares is poorly constrained, as only three have been seen from three different magnetars in the Milky Way and in the Large Magellanic Cloud in about 50 years since the beginning of gamma-ray astronomy. This sample can be enlarged by the discovery of extragalactic events, since for a fraction of a second giant flares reach peak luminosities above 10 erg/s, which makes them visible by current instruments up to a few tens of Mpc. However, at these distances they appear similar to, and difficult to distinguish from, regular short gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). The latter are much more energetic events, 10 erg, produced by compact binary mergers and originating at much larger distances. Indeed, only a few short GRBs have been proposed, with different levels of confidence, as magnetar giant flare candidates in nearby galaxies. Here we report the discovery of a short GRB positionally coincident with the central region of the starburst galaxy M82. Its spectral and timing properties, together with the limits on its X-ray and optical counterparts obtained a few hours after the event and the lack of an associated gravitational wave signal, qualify with high confidence this event as a giant flare from a magnetar in M82.
Tripartite quantum Rabi model with trapped Rydberg ions
2023-12-25

We investigate a tripartite quantum Rabi model (TQRM) wherein a bosonic mode concurrently couples to two spin- particles through a spin-spin interaction, resulting in a spin-spin-boson coupling -- a departure from conventional quantum Rabi models featuring bipartite spin-boson couplings. The symmetries of the TQRM depend on the detuning parameter, representing the energy difference between the spin states. At zero detuning a parity symmetry renders the TQRM reducible to a quantum Rabi model. A subradiant to superradiant transition in the groundstate is predicted as the tripartite coupling strength increases. For non-zero detuning the total spin emerges as the sole conserved quantity in the TQRM. It is found that superradiance prevails in the groundstate as long as the tripartite coupling remains non-zero. We derive the Braak -function of the TQRM analytically, with which the eigenspectra are obtained. The TQRM can be realized in a viable trapped Rydberg ion quantum simulator, where the required tripartite couplings and single body interactions in the TQRM are naturally present. Our study opens opportunities to explore and create novel correlations and entanglement in the spin and motional degrees of freedoms with the TQRM.
High-Dose Glucocorticoids for the Treatment of Sudden Hearing Loss
2023-12-26

BACKGROUND: Systemic glucocorticoids are commonly used for primary therapy of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL). However, the comparative effectiveness and risk profiles of high-dose over lower-dose regimens remain unknown. METHODS: We randomly assigned patients with sudden hearing loss of greater than or equal to 50 dB within 7 days from onset to receive either 5 days of high-dose intravenous prednisolone at 250 mg/d (HD-Pred), 5 days of high-dose oral dexamethasone at 40 mg/d (HD-Dex), or, as a control, 5 days of oral prednisolone (Pred-Control) at 60 mg/d followed by 5 days of tapering doses. The primary outcome was the change in hearing threshold (pure tone average) in the three most affected contiguous frequencies from baseline to day 30. Secondary outcomes included speech understanding, tinnitus, communication competence, quality of life, hypertension, and insulin resistance. RESULTS: A total of 325 patients were randomly assigned. Mean change in 3PTAmost affected hearing threshold from baseline to 30 days was 34.2 dB (95% CI, 28.4 to 40.0) in the HD-Pred group, 41.4 dB (95% CI, 35.6 to 47.2) in the HD-Dex group, and 41.0 dB (95% CI, 35.2 to 46.8) in the Pred-Control group (P=0.09 for analysis of variance). There were more adverse events related to trial medication in the HD-Pred (n=73) and HD-Dex (n=76) groups than in the Pred-Control group (n=46). CONCLUSIONS: Systemic high-dose glucocorticoid therapy was not superior to a lower-dose regimen in patients with ISSNHL, and it was associated with a higher risk of side effects. (Funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research [BMBF]; EudraCT number, 2015‐002602‐36.)
NUT carcinoma in pediatric patients: Characteristics, therapeutic regimens, and outcomes of 11 cases registered with the German Registry for Rare Pediatric Tumors (STEP)
2023-12-26

Abstract Background and aims Nuclear protein of the testis (NUT) carcinoma (NC) is a rare and highly aggressive tumor defined by the presence of a somatic NUTM1 rearrangement, occurring mainly in adolescents and young adults. We analyzed the clinical and biological features of German pediatric patients (≤18 years) with NC. Methods This study describes the characteristics and outcome of 11 children with NC registered in the German Registry for Rare Pediatric Tumors (STEP). Results Eleven patients with a median age of 13.2 years (range 6.6–17.8) were analyzed. Malignant misdiagnoses were made in three patients. Thoracic/mediastinal tumors were found to be the primary in six patients, head/neck in four cases; one patient had multifocal tumor with an unknown primary. All patients presented with regional lymph node involvement, eight patients (72.7%) with distant metastases. Seven patients underwent surgery, eight radiotherapy with curative intent; polychemotherapy was administered in all patients. Novel treatment strategies including immunotherapy, targeted therapies, and virotherapy were applied in three patients. Median event‐free survival and overall survival were 1.5 and 6.5 months, respectively. Conclusions Every undifferentiated or poorly differentiated carcinoma should undergo testing for the specific rearrangement of NUTM1, in order to initiate an intense therapeutic regimen as early as possible. As in adults, only few pediatric patients with NC achieve prolonged survival. Thus, novel therapeutic strategies should be included and tested in clinical trials.
Using Knowledge Construction Theory to Evaluate Learning Processes: A Randomized Controlled Trial on Showing Gradually Built-up Concept Maps Alongside a Scientific Text
2023-12-26

Scientific texts convey new and complex information relevant not only to researchers but also to lay audiences. We present a randomized controlled trial that investigated whether showing a concept map, gradually building up as a user reads a scientific text, supports the cognitive processes of knowledge construction. The intervention group (n = 44) exhibited significantly more knowledge construction [t(89) = 1.94, p = .029, d = 0.41] than the control group (n = 47). The intervention supported basic knowledge construction, i.e., simple processing of information, but not medium and complex levels. This study makes two contributions: (1) showing interactive concept maps and building them up gradually alongside reading helps make scientific texts cognitively more accessible to a lay audience, e.g., to inform public debate, and (2) knowledge construction theory can be used as a theoretical foundation for measuring specific aspects of learning processes—complementing other metrics for comparative design examinations, e.g., usability, user experience, or performance-based measures.
Effects of mass and self-interaction on nonlinear scalarization of scalar-Gauss-Bonnet black holes
2023-12-26

It was recently found that, in certain flavors of scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity, linearly stable bald black holes can coexist with stable scalarized solutions. The transition between both can be ignited by a large nonlinear perturbation, thus the process was dubbed nonlinear scalarization, and it happens with a jump that leads to interesting astrophysical implications. Generalizing these results to the case of nonzero scalar field potential is important because a massive self-interacting scalar field can have interesting theoretical and observational consequences, e.g., reconcile scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity with binary pulsar observation, stabilize black hole solutions, etc. That is why, in the present paper, we address this open problem. We pay special attention to the influence of a scalar field mass and self-interaction on the existence of scalarized phases and the presence of a jump between stable bald and hairy black holes. Our results show that both the addition of a mass and positive self-interaction of the scalar field result in suppression or quenching of the overall scalarization phenomena. A negative scalar field self-interaction results in an increase of the scalarization. The presence and the size of the jump, though, are not so sensitive to the scalar field potential.
Long‐term effects of pollen allergoid tyrosine‐adsorbed subcutaneous immunotherapy on allergic rhinitis and asthma
2023-12-26

Abstract Background Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) may have a long‐term disease‐modifying effect. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the long‐term effects of pollen allergoid tyrosine‐adsorbed subcutaneous AIT on allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma (AA) in clinical practice. Methods This retrospective study, funded by an AIT manufacturer, analysed the impact of AIT on AR progression and onset of need for AA medication, using a German database covering ~35% of national prescriptions during 2008–2020. Anonymized prescription data of AR patients aged 5–65 years treated with grass or tree pollen AIT between 2009 and 2013 and followed for at least 2 years after AIT cessation were compared with matched control patients with seasonal AR. Results 181,496 patients received AIT prescriptions. 5959 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The median AIT treatment duration was 1092 days and the follow‐up duration was 6.4 years. Less patients treated with AIT received prescriptions for symptomatic AR medication in the follow‐up versus controls (AIT: OR: 0.37; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.34, 0.40; p &lt; .001, tyrosine‐adsorbed AIT: OR: 0.27; 95% CI 0.20, 0.35 p &lt; .001). Less asthmatic patients under AIT received prescriptions for AA medications versus controls (AIT: OR: 0.48; 95% CI 0.41, 0.55; p &lt; .001, tyrosine‐adsorbed AIT: OR: 0.48; 95% CI 0.29, 0.79; p = .004). AR and AA medication prescriptions for AIT patients were reduced in the follow‐up versus baseline and controls (AIT: AR: 20.0%; 1.5 vs. 0.2 prescriptions; AA: 29.1%; 2.0 vs. 0.6 prescriptions, p &lt; .001; tyrosine‐adsorbed AIT: AR: 24.2%, 1.4 vs. 0.2 prescriptions; AA: 35.6%, 2.1 vs. 0.6 prescriptions, p &lt; .001). The probability of AA medication onset in non‐asthmatic patients during follow‐up was reduced for AIT patients compared to controls (OR: 0.77, 95% CI 0.66, 0.90; p = .001). All endpoints were significant for children/adolescents and adults in stratified analyses. Conclusions We found evidence for long‐term effects up to 9.5 years for tyrosine‐adsorbed AIT.