julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Assessing Lexical Psychological Properties in Second Language Production: A Dynamic Semantic Similarity Approach
2021-09-23

Previous studies of the lexical psycholinguistic properties (LPPs) in second language (L2) production have assessed the degree of an LPP dimension of an L2 corpus by computing the mean ratings of unique content words in the corpus for that dimension, without considering the possibility that learners at different proficiency levels may perceive the degree of that dimension of the same words differently. This study extended a dynamic semantic similarity algorithm to estimate the degree of five different LPP dimensions of several sub-corpora of the Education First-Cambridge Open Language Database representing L2 English learners at different proficiency levels. Our findings provide initial evidence for the validity of the algorithm for assessing the LPPs in L2 production and contribute useful insights into between-proficiency relationships and cross-proficiency differences in the LPPs in L2 production as well as the relationships among different LPP dimensions.
Draft Genome Sequence of the Halophilic Strain Citrobacter braakii AN-PRR1, Isolated from Rhizospheric Soil of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) from Pakistan
2021-09-23

Citrobacter braakii AN-PRR1 is a potential salt-tolerant, plant growth-promoting rice rhizobacterium isolated from Pakistani soil. The 4.9-Mb draft genome sequence contributes to its taxonomic classification and will reveal the genes putatively responsible for its osmoprotectant and plant growth-promoting activity.
The Arabidopsis thaliana LysM‐containing Receptor‐Like Kinase 2 is required for elicitor‐induced resistance to pathogens
2021-09-24

Abstract In Arabidopsis thaliana , perception of chitin from fungal cell walls is mediated by three LysM‐containing Receptor‐Like Kinases (LYKs): CERK1, which is absolutely required for chitin perception, and LYK4 and LYK5, which act redundantly. The role in plant innate immunity of a fourth LYK protein, LYK2, is currently not known. Here we show that CERK1, LYK2 and LYK5 are dispensable for basal susceptibility to B. cinerea but are necessary for chitin‐induced resistance to this pathogen. LYK2 is dispensable for chitin perception and early signalling events, though it contributes to callose deposition induced by this elicitor. Notably, LYK2 is also necessary for enhanced resistance to B. cinerea and Pseudomonas syringae induced by flagellin and for elicitor‐induced priming of defence gene expression during fungal infection. Consistently, overexpression of LYK2 enhances resistance to B. cinerea and P. syringae and results in increased expression of defence‐related genes during fungal infection. LYK2 appears to be required to establish a primed state in plants exposed to biotic elicitors, ensuring a robust resistance to subsequent pathogen infections.
Development of a two-tier instrument on simple electric circuits
2021-09-24

This article reports the development of a two-tier simple electric circuits test (2T-SEC Test). Simple electric circuits are introduced to students early in their school years and are an important part of the physics curriculum all the way to the university level. However, many students do not develop an adequate conceptual understanding of simple electric circuits and especially of electrical voltage. For this reason, six physics education research groups from Germany and Austria started a large study to evaluate and improve middle-school students’ conceptual understanding of simple electric circuits. As a first step, we developed the test instrument presented in this article. First, nine semistructured interviews were conducted with\\nmiddle-school students in Austria. The interviews were transcribed, analyzed and (common) student difficulties with simple electric circuits were identified. Second, based on the results from the interviews and previous research on this topic, an instrument consisting of 25 two-tier multiple-choice items was developed and administered to N 1⁄4 1568 middle-school students in Austria and Germany. Third, the data were evaluated using Rasch analysis. The item reliability of the test was 0.99, while the person reliability of paired scoring was 0.62 and the reliability of separate scoring was 0.75. The average difficulties of the main concepts regarding simple electric circuits (open and closed circuits, electric current, resistance, series and parallel circuits, and electrical voltage) were calculated and compared. The analysis suggests that the concept of voltage is most difficult for students while distinguishing between open and closed circuits is the easiest.
ArmSym: A Virtual Human–Robot Interaction Laboratory for Assistive Robotics
2021-09-24

Research in human-robot interaction for assistive robotics usually presents many technical challenges for experimenters, forcing researchers to split their time between solving technical problems and conducting experiments. In addition, previous work in virtual reality setups tends to focus on a single assistive robotics application. In order to alleviate these problems, we present ArmSym, a virtual reality laboratory with a fully simulated and developer-friendly robot arm. The system is intended as a testbed to run many sorts of experiments on human control of a robotic arm in a realistic environment, ranging from an upper limb prosthesis to a wheelchair-mounted robotic manipulator. To highlight the possibilities of this system, we perform a study comparing different sorts of prosthetic control types. Looking at nonimpaired subjects, we study different psychological metrics that evaluate the interaction of the user with the robot under different control conditions. Subjects report a perception of embodiment in the absence of realistic cutaneous touch, supporting previous studies in the topic. We also find interesting correlations between control and perceived ease of use. Overall our results confirm that ArmSym can be used to gather data from immersive experiences prosthetics, opening the door to closer collaboration between device engineers and experience designers in the future.
Effects of hypertonic saline on intracranial pressure and cerebral autoregulation in pediatric traumatic brain injury
2021-09-24

OBJECTIVE Hypertonic saline (HTS) is commonly used in children to lower intracranial pressure (ICP) after severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI). While ICP and cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) correlate moderately to TBI outcome, indices of cerebrovascular autoregulation enhance the correlation of neuromonitoring data to neurological outcome. In this study, the authors sought to investigate the effect of HTS administration on ICP, CPP, and autoregulation in pediatric patients with sTBI. METHODS Twenty-eight pediatric patients with sTBI who were intubated and sedated were included. Blood pressure and ICP were actively managed according to the autoregulation index PRx (pressure relativity index to determine and maintain an optimal CPP [CPPopt]). In cases in which ICP was continuously &gt; 20 mm Hg despite all other measures to decrease it, an infusion of 3% HTS was administered. The monitoring data of the first 6 hours after HTS administration were analyzed. The Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) score at the 3-month follow-up was used as the primary outcome measure, and patients were dichotomized into favorable (GOS score 4 or 5) and unfavorable (GOS score 1–3) groups. RESULTS The mean dose of HTS was 40 ml 3% NaCl. No significant difference in ICP and PRx was seen between groups at the HTS administration. ICP was lowered significantly in all children, with the effect lasting as long as 6 hours. The lowering of ICP was significantly greater and longer in children with a favorable outcome (p &lt; 0.001); only this group showed significant improvement of autoregulatory capacity (p = 0.048). A newly established HTS response index clearly separated the outcome groups. CONCLUSIONS HTS significantly lowered ICP in all children after sTBI. This effect was significantly greater and longer-lasting in children with a favorable outcome. Moreover, HTS administration restored disturbed autoregulation only in the favorable outcome group. This highlights the role of a “rescuable” autoregulation regarding outcome, which might be a possible indicator of injury severity. The effect of HTS on autoregulation and other possible mechanisms should be further investigated.
Human erythrocytes, nuclear factor kappaB (NFκB) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) – from non-genomic to genomic research
2021-09-24

Enucleated mature human erythrocytes possess NFĸBs and their upstream kinases. There is a negative correlation between eryptosis (cell death of erythrocytes) and the amount of NFĸB subunits p50 and Rel A (p65). This finding is based on the fact that young erythrocytes have the highest levels of NFĸBs and the lowest eryptosis rate, while in old erythrocytes the opposite ratio prevails. Human erythrocytes (hRBCs) effectively control the homeostasis of the cell membrane permeable anti-inflammatory signal molecule hydrogen sulfide (H<sub>2</sub>S). They endogenously produce H<sub>2</sub>S via both non-enzymic (glutathione-dependent) and enzymic processes (mercaptopyruvate sulfur transferase-dependent). They uptake H<sub>2</sub>S from diverse tissues and very effectively degrade H<sub>2</sub>S via methemoglobin (Hb-Fe<sup>3+</sup>)-catalyzed oxidation. Interestingly, a reciprocal correlation exists between the intensity of inflammatory diseases and endogenous levels of H<sub>2</sub>S. H<sub>2</sub>S deficiency has been observed in patients with diabetes, psoriasis, obesity, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Furthermore, endogenous H<sub>2</sub>S deficiency results in impaired renal erythropoietin (EPO) production and EPO-dependent erythropoiesis. In general we can say: dynamic reciprocal interaction between tumor suppressor and oncoproteins, orchestrated and sequential activation of pro-inflammatory NFĸB heterodimers (RelA-p50) and the anti-inflammatory NFĸB-p50 homodimers for optimal inflammation response, appropriate generation, subsequent degradation of H<sub>2</sub>S etc., are prerequisites for a functioning cell and organism. Diseases arise when the fragile balance between different signaling pathways that keep each other in check is permanently disturbed. This work deals with the intact anti-inflammatory hRBCs and their role as guarantors to maintain the redox status in the physiological range, a basis for general health and well-being.
Cenozoic Tectono‐Geomorphologic Evolution of the Pamir‐Tian Shan Convergence Zone: Evidence From Detrital Zircon U‐Pb Provenance Analyses
2021-09-25

Abstract The Pamir is the northwestward continuation of the Tibet‐Himalaya orogen and translated ∼50–300 km northward toward the Tian Shan in Mesozoic‐Cenozoic times. Although this region has been studied extensively over the past few decades, our knowledge of the timing of mountain building in the Pamir is incomplete. In this study, we applied provenance analyses of Cretaceous‐Pliocene sediments from the Tierekesazi section in the Pamir‐Tian Shan corridor to reconstruct the Cenozoic evolution of the Pamir‐Tian Shan orogens. Provenance data from new detrital zircon U‐Pb ages and paleocurrent measurements indicate that the main source area of sediments in the studied section shifted from the Tian Shan to the Northern Pamir at ∼41–40 Ma. When combined with published provenance data, eastward decreasing sediment transport distances suggest that the Pamir was characterized by an asymmetric drainage system with larger drainage basins developed in the western Pamir than the eastern Pamir since the late Eocene. This resulted from either eastward decrease in precipitation rate caused by the uplift of the Pamir orocline or relatively low topography of the western Pamir. Furthermore, observed east and south directed paleocurrents and a dominance of Paleozoic detrital zircon U‐Pb ages in the upper Miocene‐Pliocene sediments suggest the SW Tian Shan was uplifted and became the primary provenance of the Tierekesazi section in the late Miocene. Simultaneously, the thrust belt of the Pamir propagated into its northern foreland and the present‐day east flowing drainage system in the eastern Pamir‐Tian Shan convergence zone was established in the late Miocene.
Linking Human And Machine Behavior: A New Approach to Evaluate Training Data Quality for Beneficial Machine Learning
2021-09-26

Abstract Machine behavior that is based on learning algorithms can be significantly influenced by the exposure to data of different qualities. Up to now, those qualities are solely measured in technical terms, but not in ethical ones, despite the significant role of training and annotation data in supervised machine learning. This is the first study to fill this gap by describing new dimensions of data quality for supervised machine learning applications. Based on the rationale that different social and psychological backgrounds of individuals correlate in practice with different modes of human–computer-interaction, the paper describes from an ethical perspective how varying qualities of behavioral data that individuals leave behind while using digital technologies have socially relevant ramification for the development of machine learning applications. The specific objective of this study is to describe how training data can be selected according to ethical assessments of the behavior it originates from, establishing an innovative filter regime to transition from the big data rationale n = all to a more selective way of processing data for training sets in machine learning. The overarching aim of this research is to promote methods for achieving beneficial machine learning applications that could be widely useful for industry as well as academia.
Breast cancer characteristics and surgery among women with Li‐Fraumeni syndrome in Germany—A retrospective cohort study
2021-09-26

Abstract Background Women with Li‐Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) have elevated breast cancer (BC) risk. Optimal BC treatment strategies in this population are yet unknown. Methods BC subtypes and treatment were retrospectively investigated between December 2016 and January 2019 in a multicentre study. BC risks were evaluated according to the type of surgery. Results Thirty‐five women of our study population (35/44; 79.5%) had developed 36 breast lesions at first diagnosis at a mean age of 34 years. Those breast lesions comprised 32 invasive BCs (89%), three ductal carcinoma in situ alone (8%) and one malignant phyllodes tumour (3%). BCs were mainly high‐grade (18/32), of no special type (NST; 31/32), HER2‐enriched (11/32) or luminal‐B‐(like)‐type (10/32). Affected women ( n = 35) received breast‐conserving surgery (BCS, n = 17) or a mastectomy (ME, n = 18) including seven women with simultaneous contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) at first diagnosis. Nineteen women suffered 20 breast or locoregional axillary lesions at second diagnosis with mean age of 36. Median time between first and second diagnosis was 57 months; median time to contra‐ and ipsilateral recurrence depended on surgical strategies (BCS: 46 vs. unilateral ME: 93 vs. bilateral ME &gt; 140 months). Women with a primary treatment of solitaire therapeutic ME suffered from contralateral BC earlier compared to those with therapeutic ME and CPM (median: 93 vs. &gt;140 months). Conclusion Aggressive BC subtypes occur among women with LFS. Surgical treatment, i.e. ME and CPM, may prolong time to a second BC diagnosis. Conclusion on long‐term survival benefit is pending. Individual competing tumour risks and long‐term outcomes need to be taken into consideration.
Effects of tDCS on Language Recovery in Post-Stroke Aphasia: A Pilot Study Investigating Clinical Parameters and White Matter Change with Diffusion Imaging
2021-09-26

Objectives: In this pilot study we investigated the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on language recovery in the subacute stage of post-stroke aphasia using clinical parameters and diffusion imaging with constrained spherical deconvolution-based tractography. Methods: The study included 21 patients with subacute post-stroke aphasia. Patients were randomly classified into two groups with a ratio of 2:1 to receive real tDCS or sham tDCS as placebo control. Patients received 10 sessions (5/week) bi-hemispheric tDCS treatments over the left affected Broca’s area (anodal electrode) and over the right unaffected Broca’s area (cathodal stimulation). Aphasia score was assessed clinically using the language section of the Hemispheric Stroke Scale (HSS) before and after treatment sessions. Diffusion imaging and tractography were performed for seven patients of the real group, both before and after the 10th session. Dissection of language-related white matter tracts was achieved, and diffusion measures were extracted. A paired Student’s t-test was used to compare the clinical recovery and diffusion measures of the dissected tracts both pre- and post- treatment. The partial correlation between changes in diffusion measures and the language improvements was calculated. Results: At baseline assessment, there were no significant differences between groups in demographic and clinical HSS language score. No significant clinical recovery in HSS was evident in the sham group. However, significant improvements in the different components of HSS were only observed in patients receiving real tDCS. Associated significant increase in the fractional anisotropy of the right uncinate fasciculus and a significant reduction in the mean diffusivity of the right frontal aslant tract were reported. A significant positive correlation was found between the changes in the right uncinate fasciculus and fluency improvement. Conclusions: Aphasia recovery after bi-hemispheric transcranial direct current stimulation was associated with contralesional right-sided white matter changes at the subacute stage. These changes probably reflect neuroplasticity that could contribute to the recovery. Both the right uncinate fasciculus and right frontal aslant tract seem to be involved in aphasia recovery.
Score refinement for confidence-based 3D multi-object tracking
2021-09-27

Multi-object tracking is a critical component in autonomous navigation, as it provides valuable information for decision-making. Many researchers tackled the 3D multi-object tracking task by filtering out the frame-by-frame 3D detections; however, their focus was mainly on finding useful features or proper matching metrics. Our work focuses on a neglected part of the tracking system: score refinement and tracklet termination. We show that manipulating the scores depending on time consistency while terminating the tracklets depending on the tracklet score improves tracking results. We do this by increasing the matched tracklets' score with score update functions and decreasing the unmatched tracklets' score. Compared to count-based methods, our method consistently produces better AMOTA and MOTA scores when utilizing various detectors and filtering algorithms on different datasets. The improvements in AMOTA score went up to 1.83 and 2.96 in MOTA. We also used our method as a late-fusion ensembling method, and it performed better than voting-based ensemble methods by a solid margin. It achieved an AMOTA score of 67.6 on nuScenes test evaluation, which is comparable to other state-of-the-art trackers. Code is publicly available at: https://github.com/cogsys-tuebingen/CBMOT.
Survival of the dysplastic hip after periacetabular osteotomy: a meta-analysis
2021-09-27

Background: Periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) has become a popular procedure for re-orientation of the acetabulum in patients with a developmental pathomorphology. Since its first description by Reinhold Ganz in 1988, many institutions worldwide have adopted the procedure for the treatment of developmental hip dysplasia (DDH) and have subsequently reported their results. The aim of this study was to provide a meta-analysis of the likelihood of long-term survival of a dysplastic hip after PAO. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using Medline, Cochrane and “Web of Science” databases to identify articles reporting survival estimates for PAO in patients with DDH. To be included in the analysis, studies had to include patient cohorts aged &lt;40 years, with Osteoarthritis grade &lt; Tönnis III and no form of neuromuscular dysplasia. Adjustment for cohort overlap was performed. Quality assessment included level of evidence (LOE) according to the oxford center for LOE criteria and the “Methodological index for non-randomized studies (MINORS)”. After data extraction, a random-effects meta-analytical model was applied to provide weighted mean estimates of survival at 5 years, 10 years, 15 years and 20 years. Results: Nine relevant articles included 2268 dysplastic hips that underwent PAO in 9 institutions. Of the included studies, 5 presented level III evidence and 4 presented level IV evidence. The MINORS score was 11 for 3 studies, 12 for 4 studies and 13 for 2 studies. The 5-year survival after PAO was 96.1% (95% CI, 94.9–97.3), the 10-year survival was 91.3% (95% CI, 87.7–94.8), 15-year survival 85.0% (95% CI, 78.9–91.1), 20-year survival 67.6% (95% CI, 53.9–81.3). Conclusions: The results provide a representative survival estimate of a dysplastic hip after PAO based on global evidence. This should provide clinicians and patients with an adequate reflection of prognostic expectations after this kind of surgery.
Bardet-Biedl syndrome proteins modulate the release of bioactive extracellular vesicles
2021-09-27

Abstract Primary cilia are microtubule based sensory organelles important for receiving and processing cellular signals. Recent studies have shown that cilia also release extracellular vesicles (EVs). Because EVs have been shown to exert various physiological functions, these findings have the potential to alter our understanding of how primary cilia regulate specific signalling pathways. So far the focus has been on lgEVs budding directly from the ciliary membrane. An association between cilia and MVB-derived smEVs has not yet been described. We show that ciliary mutant mammalian cells demonstrate increased secretion of small EVs (smEVs) and a change in EV composition. Characterisation of smEV cargo identified signalling molecules that are differentially loaded upon ciliary dysfunction. Furthermore, we show that these smEVs are biologically active and modulate the WNT response in recipient cells. These results provide us with insights into smEV-dependent ciliary signalling mechanisms which might underly ciliopathy disease pathogenesis.