julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Measures of Physical Risk Factors Associated with Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders of the Elbow: A Systematic Review
2019-01-05

Background: Work-related musculoskeletal disorders at the elbow are a common health problem, which highly impacts workers’ well-being and performance. Besides existing qualitative information, there is a clear lack of quantitative information of physical risk factors associated with specific disorders at the elbow (SDEs). Objective: To provide evidence-based quantitative measures of physical risk factors associated with SDEs. Methods: Studies were searched from 2007 to 2017 in Medline, EMBASE, and Cochrane Work. The identified risk factors were grouped in main- and sub-categories of exposure using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework for rating evidence. Results: 133 different risk-factor specifications were identified in 10/524 articles and were grouped into 5 main- and 16 sub-categories of exposure. The risk factors were significantly associated with lateral epicondylitis, medial epicondylitis, or ulnar neuropathy. Significant risk factors such as wrist angular velocity (5°/s, with increasing prevalence ratio of 0.10%/(°/s), or forearm supination (≥45° and ≥5% of time combined with forceful lifting) were found. Conclusions: This review delivers a categorization of work-related physical risk-factor specifications for SDEs with a special focus on quantitative measures, ranked for evidence. These results may build the base for developing risk assessment methods and prospective preventive measures.
Ages‐at‐death distribution of the early Pleistocene hominin fossil assemblage from Drimolen (South Africa)
2019-01-05

Abstract Objectives A prevailing hypothesis in paleoanthropology is that early Pleistocene hominin bones were accumulated in South African caves by carnivores, which used those shelters, and the trees surrounding them, as refuge and feeding sites. We tested this hypothesis at the site of Drimolen, by comparing its hominin age‐at‐death distribution to that of the nearby and roughly contemporaneous site of Swartkrans. Materials and methods We employed standard dental aging systems in order to categorize the Drimolen hominin teeth into age classes of 5 years each. We then compared the age‐at‐death distribution for Drimolen with the published data available for the Swartkrans hominins. Results Age‐at‐death distributions indicate that the age category “young adults” is the best represented age category at Swartkrans and the most poorly represented one at Drimolen. Moreover, Drimolen has a preponderance of infant specimens. Both sites have a low frequency of old adult specimens. Conclusions Differences observed in frequencies of the age‐at‐death categories suggest different mechanisms of hominin skeletal accumulation at Drimolen and Swartkrans. Swartkrans' frequency curve reflects mortality in a population subjected to predation and is thus consistent with the carnivore‐accumulating hypothesis. In contrast, the Drimolen curve is similar to that of wild populations of living apes. Living primates have been observed exploiting caves as sleeping shelters, for nutritional, security, drinking, and thermoregulatory purposes. We suggest that similar cave use by Pleistocene hominins can explain, in large part, the accumulation of hominin bones at Drimolen. Such a conclusion is another illustration of the growing awareness that a “one‐size‐fits‐all” taphonomic model for South African early Pleistocene hominin sites is probably insufficient.
Splicing inhibition enhances the antitumor immune response through increased tumor antigen presentation and altered MHC-I immunopeptidome
2019-01-06

Abstract The success of cancer immunotherapy relies on the induction of an immunoprotective response targeting tumor antigens (TAs) presented by tumor cells on MHC class I molecules. Alternative translation events emerged as a rich source of TAs and generate the so-called Pioneer Translation Products (PTPs), which are peptides generated from unspliced mRNA. We demonstrated in vitro and in vivo that the splicing inhibitor isoginkgetin and a derived water-soluble and less toxic molecule, IP2, act at the production stage of the PTPs. We showed that IP2 increases PTP-derived antigen presentation in cancer cells in vitro and decreases tumor growth in vivo in an immune-dependent manner. Furthermore, IP2 treatment induces a long-lasting antitumor response. Finally, we observed that the epitope repertoire displayed on MHC-I molecules is altered upon treatment with IP2 with the modulation of pre-existing peptides and the emergence of novel antigens derived from both coding and allegedly non-coding sequences. Significance IP2 is a new efficient “first in class” immunomodulator of the MHC I presentation pathway. IP2 reduces the growth of sarcoma MCA205 and melanoma B16F10 tumors bearing the PTP-derived SL8 epitope and significantly extends mice survival. IP2 treatment reshape the cancer cell MHC-I immunopeptidome. These findings add to the understanding of the role of the splicing machinery in antigen production and presentation and identify the spliceosome as a druggable target to enhance cancer immunosurveillance.
Convergence Analysis of Deterministic Kernel-Based Quadrature Rules in Misspecified Settings
2019-01-07

This paper presents convergence analysis of kernel-based quadrature rules in misspecified settings, focusing on deterministic quadrature in Sobolev spaces. In particular, we deal with misspecified settings where a test integrand is less smooth than a Sobolev RKHS based on which a quadrature rule is constructed. We provide convergence guarantees based on two different assumptions on a quadrature rule: one on quadrature weights and the other on design points. More precisely, we show that convergence rates can be derived (i) if the sum of absolute weights remains constant (or does not increase quickly), or (ii) if the minimum distance between design points does not decrease very quickly. As a consequence of the latter result, we derive a rate of convergence for Bayesian quadrature in misspecified settings. We reveal a condition on design points to make Bayesian quadrature robust to misspecification, and show that, under this condition, it may adaptively achieve the optimal rate of convergence in the Sobolev space of a lesser order (i.e., of the unknown smoothness of a test integrand), under a slightly stronger regularity condition on the integrand.
Recursive anisotropy: a spatial taphonomic study of the Early Pleistocene vertebrate assemblage of Tsiotra Vryssi, Mygdonia Basin, Greece
2019-01-07

By applying advanced spatial statistical methods, spatial taphonomy complements the traditional taphonomic approach and enhances our understanding of biostratinomic and diagenetic processes. In this study, we elaborate on a specific aspect – spatial anisotropy – of taphonomic processes. We aim to unravel the taphonomic history of the Early Pleistocene vertebrate assemblage of Tsiotra Vryssi (Mygdonia Basin, Greece). Circular statistics are used for the fabric analysis of elongated elements; geostatistics (directional variograms), wavelet and point pattern analyses are applied for detecting anisotropy at the assemblage level. The anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility ( AMS ) of sedimentary magnetic minerals is also investigated. The results, integrated with preliminary remarks about the differential preservation of skeletal elements, sedimentological and micromorphological observations, suggest multiple dispersion events and recurrent spatial re‐arrangement of a lag, (peri)autochthonous assemblage, consistent with the cyclical lateral switching of a braided fluvial system. Furthermore, this study offers a contribution to the building of a spatial taphonomic referential framework for the interpretation of other fossil vertebrate assemblages, including archaeo‐palaeontological ones.
Scaling with a fractional power: Overcoming the shortage of scaled-particle variables for the hard-disk fluid
2019-01-07

Within scaled-particle theory, we construct an equation of state (EOS) for hard-disk mixtures by making use of an additional scaled-particle variable which weighs the densities of the different components by its radii to the power χ. This allows us to simultaneously respect exact results pertaining to the cases of a large particle or a point particle being added to the mixture. In the limit χ → 2, the mixture EOS of Santos et al. [Mol. Phys. 96, 1 (1999)] is recovered, while the limit χ → 0 yields the accurate expression for the interfacial free energy of Martin et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 149, 084701 (2018)]. From the low-density limit of the EOS, the value χ ≈ 0.8 is extracted, which is shown to yield a mixture EOS that is significantly more accurate than the expressions due to Santos et al. and Martin et al. In particular, the systematic deviation inherent to these prior results is remedied.
Fluorescent labeling of CRISPR/Cas9 RNP for gene knockout in HSPCs and iPSCs reveals an essential role for GADD45b in stress response
2019-01-08

Abstract CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing of stem cells and primary cell types has several limitations for clinical applications. The direct delivery of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes consisting of Cas9 nuclease and guide RNA (gRNA) has improved DNA- and virus-free gene modifications, but it does not enable the essential enrichment of the gene-edited cells. Here, we established a protocol for the fluorescent labeling and delivery of CRISPR/Cas9–gRNA RNP in primary human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). As a proof of principle for genes with low-abundance transcripts and context-dependent inducible expression, we successfully deleted growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible β (GADD45B). We found that GADD45B is indispensable for DNA damage protection and survival in stem cells. Thus, we describe an easy and efficient protocol of DNA-free gene editing of hard-to-target transcripts and enrichment of gene-modified cells that are generally difficult to transfect.
Value of CT iterative metal artifact reduction in PET/CT—clinical evaluation in 100 patients
2019-01-08

Objective: To assess the technical feasibility and diagnostic benefit of CT iterative metal artifact reduction (iMAR) in patients with metal implants undergoing positron emission tomography (PET/CT. Methods: PET/CTs of 100 patients with metal implants in different anatomical localization were retrospectively analyzed. CT data were reconstructed with iMAR and without iMAR (noMAR) and used in comparison for PET attenuation correction, generating iMAR-corrected and noMAR PET data. The effect of iMAR on quantitative CT and PET analysis was assessed by measurements of Hounsfield units (HUs) and standard uptake values (SUV) in predefined anatomical structures and pathological lesions in the vicinity of metal implants. Diagnostic confidence for lesion delineation was assessed using a 3-point scale. Results: For artifact-affected structures, mean HU of iMAR corrected CT significantly differed compared to noMAR CT and standard deviations were significantly lower [e.g. M. masseter: 71.01 ± 22.34 HU (iMAR) vs 98.89 ± 92.18 HU (noMAR), p &amp;lt; .01]. SUVs did not significantly differ in artifact-affected structures [e.g. M. masseter: SUVmean 0.96 ± 0.54 (iMAR) vs 0.97 ± 0.55 (noMAR); p &amp;gt; .89] and pathological findings [SUVmean 10.78 (iMAR) vs 10.81 (noMAR); p &amp;gt; .98] between iMAR and noMAR PET. Qualitatively, delineation was significantly improved in iMAR corrected CT for the interpretation of anatomical and pathological structures [e.g. score of pathologic lesions: 2.80 (iMAR) vs 2.31 (noMAR); p &amp;lt; .01]. Conclusion: The use of iMAR in PET/CT significantly improves delineation of anatomical and pathological structures in the vicinity of metal implants in CT. PET quantification and PET image quality are not significantly affected by the use of iMAR-based attenuation correction independent of the presence of metal implants. Advances in knowledge: IMAR is a feasible algorithm in PET/CT improving CT image quality in the vicinity of metal implants without affecting PET quantification and can therefore be implemented in the clinical routine.
Noise reduction and image quality in ultra-high resolution computed tomography of the temporal bone using advanced modeled iterative reconstruction
2019-01-08

Background The novel advanced modeled iterative reconstruction (ADMIRE) algorithm in ultra-high-resolution (UHR) computed tomography (CT) of the temporal bone has not yet been systematically evaluated. Purpose To assess the potential of ADMIRE in temporal bone UHR CT. Material and Methods Forty-four patients who underwent UHR CT of the temporal bone using z-axis UHR protocol were retrospectively selected for analysis. Images were reconstructed using filtered back projection (FBP) and ADMIRE with multiple strength levels. Regions of interest were drawn in the posterior fossa and petrous bone. The average density (in Hounsfield units [HU]) and the image noise (standard deviation of density values) were extracted. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) were then calculated. Additionally, a subjective qualitative analysis was performed using a five-point Likert scale. The potential dose reduction was extrapolated from objective analysis and confirmed in an additional phantom study. Results The image noise was significantly lower, and the SNR and CNR were significantly higher in ADMIRE reconstructions levels A2–A5 than in FBP ( P &lt; 0.001, respectively). Subjective image quality was significantly higher in ADMIRE levels A2–A5 than in FBP ( P &lt; 0.001) and it was rated best in ADMIRE level A3. Confirmed by the results from the phantom study, a dose reduction of at least 40% was feasible while maintaining image quality. Conclusions The ADMIRE reconstruction algorithm significantly improves image quality and reduces noise on temporal bone UHR CT scans. Thus, it allows for substantial dose reduction.
Ellipsis and Prosody
2019-01-08

Abstract This chapter investigates the relation between ellipsis and prosody. Prosody is most frequently described as “the organizational structure of speech” (Beckman 1996). It has been defined in terms of three independent factors of the phonological representation: “intonation, phrasal rhythmic patterning and prosodic phrasing” (Selkirk 1995: 550). Prosody plays an important role in the interpretation of elliptical utterances and bridges the gap between what is overtly expressed and what is understood. There are three specific research areas where prosody has been claimed to be relevant: first, prosody-related licensing of ellipsis; second, prosody-related conditions of recoverability of deletion; third, prosodic effects with respect to the question of whether there is structure in the ellipsis site. In this area, research has focused on prosodic conditions on extraction and locality. This chapter is structured accordingly. It first summarizes the prosodic system of English and then reviews the research on how prosody bears on the central issues of the theory of ellipsis (licensing, recoverability, structure in the ellipsis site). The discussion shows that the interaction of prosody and the absence of sound contributes to the understanding of the theories of sound–meaning correspondence.
ADAMTS9 Regulates Skeletal Muscle Insulin Sensitivity Through Extracellular Matrix Alterations
2019-01-09

The ADAMTS9 rs4607103 C allele is one of the few gene variants proposed to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes through an impairment of insulin sensitivity. We show that the variant is associated with increased expression of the secreted ADAMTS9 and decreased insulin sensitivity and signaling in human skeletal muscle. In line with this, mice lacking Adamts9 selectively in skeletal muscle have improved insulin sensitivity. The molecular link between ADAMTS9 and insulin signaling was characterized further in a model where ADAMTS9 was overexpressed in skeletal muscle. This selective overexpression resulted in decreased insulin signaling presumably mediated through alterations of the integrin β1 signaling pathway and disruption of the intracellular cytoskeletal organization. Furthermore, this led to impaired mitochondrial function in mouse muscle—an observation found to be of translational character because humans carrying the ADAMTS9 risk allele have decreased expression of mitochondrial markers. Finally, we found that the link between ADAMTS9 overexpression and impaired insulin signaling could be due to accumulation of harmful lipid intermediates. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes and point to inhibition of ADAMTS9 as a potential novel mode of treating insulin resistance.
Neural Substrates of Cognitive Motor Interference During Walking; Peripheral and Central Mechanisms
2019-01-09

Current gait control models suggest that independent locomotion depends on central and peripheral mechanisms. However, less information is available on the integration of these mechanisms for adaptive walking. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated gait control mechanisms in people with Parkinson's disease (PD) and healthy older (HO) adults: at self-selected walking speed (SSWS) and at fast walking speed (FWS). We measured effect of additional cognitive task (DT) and increased speed on prefrontal (PFC) and motor cortex (M1) activation, and Soleus H-reflex gain. Under DT-conditions we observed increased activation in PFC and M1. Whilst H-reflex gain decreased with additional cognitive load for both groups and speeds, H-reflex gain was lower in PD compared to HO while walking under ST condition at SSWS. Attentional load in PFC excites M1, which in turn increases inhibition on H-reflex activity during walking and reduces activity and sensitivity of peripheral reflex during the stance phase of gait. Importantly this effect on sensitivity was greater in HO. We have previously observed that the PFC copes with increased attentional load in young adults with no impact on peripheral reflexes and we suggest that gait instability in PD may in part be due to altered sensorimotor functioning reducing the sensitivity of peripheral reflexes.
Myricetin inhibits panel of kinases implicated in tumorigenesis
2019-01-09

Abstract Myricetin is a flavonoid with several biological properties, including antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory features. Its protective effect in chronic diseases may occur through the inhibition of protein kinases that trigger inflammation and carcinogenesis pathways. Considering the influence of kinases on such pathological disorders, it is crucial to study compounds that inhibit these proteins. This study aims to evaluate the inhibitory potential of 14 flavonoids on TNF‐α release in human whole blood as well as the inhibitory potential of myricetin towards kinases involved in tumorigenesis. Our results showed that, out of all flavonoids, myricetin had the highest inhibitory effect on TNF‐α level. In addition, myricetin showed potential as a multi‐anti‐kinase compound, reducing the activity of 7 kinases by &gt;70% and of 9 kinases by &gt;90%. Together these data demonstrate the great inhibitory activity of myricetin on tumorigenic kinases and potential for the development of new therapeutics.
Altered global brain network topology as a trait marker in patients with anorexia nervosa
2019-01-09

Abstract Background Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have identified functional connectivity patterns associated with acute undernutrition in anorexia nervosa (AN), but few have investigated recovered patients. Thus, a trait connectivity profile characteristic of the disorder remains elusive. Using state-of-the-art graph–theoretic methods in acute AN, the authors previously found abnormal global brain network architecture, possibly driven by local network alterations. To disentangle trait from starvation effects, the present study examines network organization in recovered patients. Methods Graph–theoretic metrics were used to assess resting-state network properties in a large sample of female patients recovered from AN (recAN, n = 55) compared with pairwise age-matched healthy controls (HC, n = 55). Results Indicative of an altered global network structure, recAN showed increased assortativity and reduced global clustering as well as small-worldness compared with HC, while no group differences at an intermediate or local network level were evident. However, using support-vector classifier on local metrics, recAN and HC could be separated with an accuracy of 70.4%. Conclusions This pattern of results suggests that long-term recovered patients have an aberrant global brain network configuration, similar to acutely underweight patients. While the finding of increased assortativity may represent a trait marker of AN, the remaining findings could be seen as a scar following prolonged undernutrition.
WO3 Based Gas Sensors
2019-01-09

WO3 is a commonly used material for gas sensing. Although a great deal of research has been done on how to tune sensors based on WO3, no clear consensus exists on what characteristics are inherent to the metal oxide: This work looks at six different WO3 samples and aims to identify which characteristics are common to all materials. Specifically, the interaction of the samples with humidity is examined.
Multimodal Simon Effect: A Multimodal Extension of the Diffusion Model for Conflict Tasks
2019-01-09

In conflict tasks, like the Simon task, it is usually investigated how task-irrelevant information affects the processing of task-relevant information. In the present experiments, we extended the Simon task to a multimodal setup, in which task-irrelevant information emerged from two sensory modalities. Specifically, in Experiment 1, participants responded to the identity of letters presented at a left, right, or central position with a left- or right-hand response. Additional tactile stimulation occurred on a left, right, or central position on the horizontal body plane. Response congruency of the visual and tactile stimulation was orthogonally varied. In Experiment 2, the tactile stimulation was replaced by auditory stimulation. In both experiments, the visual task-irrelevant information produced congruency effects such that responses were slower and less accurate in incongruent than incongruent conditions. Furthermore, in Experiment 1, such congruency effects, albeit smaller, were also observed for the tactile task-irrelevant stimulation. In Experiment 2, the auditory task-irrelevant stimulation produced the smallest effects. Specifically, the longest reaction times emerged in the neutral condition, while incongruent and congruent conditions differed only numerically. This suggests that in the co-presence of multiple task-irrelevant information sources, location processing is more strongly determined by visual and tactile spatial information than by auditory spatial information. An extended version of the Diffusion Model for Conflict Tasks (DMC) was fitted to the results of both experiments. This Multimodal Diffusion Model for Conflict Tasks (MDMC), and a model variant involving faster processing in the neutral visual condition (FN-MDMC), provided reasonable fits for the observed data. These model fits support the notion that multimodal task-irrelevant information superimposes across sensory modalities and automatically affects the controlled processing of task-relevant information.