julilili42/papers huggingface dataset:
Optic nerve oedema at high altitude occurs independent of acute mountain sickness
2018-07-04

Background/aims The study aims to investigate changes in the optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD) at high altitude and to assess correlation to optic disc oedema (ODE) and acute mountain sickness (AMS). This investigation is part of the Tübingen High Altitude Ophthalmology study. Methods Fourteen volunteers ascended to 4559 m for 4 days before returning to low altitude. Ultrasonography of ONSD, quantification of optic disc parameters using a scanning laser ophthalmoscope and fluorescein angiography were performed at 341 m and at high altitude. Pearson’s coefficient was used to correlate changes in ONSD with the optic disc and AMS. Assessment of AMS was performed using the Lake Louise (LL) and AMS-cerebral (AMS-C) scores of the Environmental Symptom Questionnaire-III. All volunteers were clinically monitored for heart rate (HR) and oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ). Results The mean ONSD at high altitude (4.6±0.3 mm, p&lt;0.05) was significantly increased compared with baseline (3.8±0.4 mm) and remained enlarged throughout high-altitude exposure. This change in ONSD did not correlate with AMS (AMS-C, r=0.26, p=0.37; LL, r=0.21, p=0.48) and high-altitude headache (r=0.54, p=0.046), or clinical parameters of SpO 2 (r=0.11, p=0.72) and HR (r=0.22, p=0.44). Increased ONSD did not correlate with altered key stereometric parameters of the optic disc describing ODE at high altitude (r&lt;0.1, p&gt;0.5). Conclusion High-altitude exposure leads to marked oedema formation of the optic nerve independent of AMS. Increased ONSD and ODE reflect hypoxia-driven oedema formation of the optic nerve at high altitude, providing important pathophysiological insight into high-altitude illness development and for future research.
Applying Visual Analytics to Physically Based Rendering
2018-07-04

Abstract Physically based rendering is a well‐understood technique to produce realistic‐looking images. However, different algorithms exist for efficiency reasons, which work well in certain cases but fail or produce rendering artefacts in others. Few tools allow a user to gain insight into the algorithmic processes. In this work, we present such a tool, which combines techniques from information visualization and visual analytics with physically based rendering. It consists of an interactive parallel coordinates plot, with a built‐in sampling‐based data reduction technique to visualize the attributes associated with each light sample. Two‐dimensional (2D) and three‐dimensional (3D) heat maps depict any desired property of the rendering process. An interactively rendered 3D view of the scene displays animated light paths based on the user's selection to gain further insight into the rendering process. The provided interactivity enables the user to guide the rendering process for more efficiency. To show its usefulness, we present several applications based on our tool. This includes differential light transport visualization to optimize light setup in a scene, finding the causes of and resolving rendering artefacts, such as fireflies, as well as a path length contribution histogram to evaluate the efficiency of different Monte Carlo estimators.
Validating the targets for neurostimulation in essential tremor
2018-07-04

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is considered for the treatment of essential tremor (ET) that is resistant to pharmacologic treatment.1 To date, the neuroanatomic target of choice for ET is the nucleus ventralis intermedius (VIM) of the thalamus. Although VIM-DBS has shown good efficacy, side effects such as stimulation-induced ataxia or deterioration of speech may hamper therapeutic success in at least a subgroup of patients undergoing DBS. Furthermore, the effects of VIM stimulation may attenuate over time. Some studies have reported such "tolerance" in as little as 10 weeks,2 while other studies have reported more sustained benefit.3
On Haar Systems for Groupoids
2018-07-04

It is shown that a locally compact groupoid with open range map does not always admit a Haar system. It then is shown how to construct a Haar system if the stability groupoid and the quotient by the stability groupoid both admit one.
Testing conformal gravity with the supermassive black hole in 1H0707-495
2018-07-05

Recently, two of us have found a family of singularity-free rotating black hole solutions in Einstein's conformal gravity. These spacetimes are characterized by three parameters: the black hole mass M, the black hole spin angular momentum J, and a parameter L that is not specified by the theory but can be expected to be proportional to the black hole mass M. The Kerr black hole solution of Einstein's gravity is recovered for L = 0. In a previous paper, we showed that X-ray data of astrophysical black holes require L= M &lt; 1.2. In the present paper, we report the results of a more sophisticated analysis. We apply the X-ray reflection model RELXILL_NK to NuSTAR and Swift data of the supermassive black hole in 1H0707-495. We find the constraint L=M &lt; 0.45 (90% confidence level).
Ultrasound-Assisted Tumor Surgery in Breast Cancer – A Prospective, Randomized, Single-Center Study (MAC 001)
2018-07-05

Abstract Purpose Breast-conserving therapy is associated with a risk of tumor-involved margins. For intraoperative orientation, non- palpable or indistinctly palpable lesions are wire-marked prior to surgery. Ultrasound-guided surgery has the potential to reduce the number of tumor-involved margins. In the MAC 001 trial we evaluated ultrasound-guided breast-conserving surgery compared to wire-guided surgery with regard to free tumor margins, duration of surgery and resection volume. Materials and Methods In this randomized, prospective, single-center controlled trial, patients with ductal invasive breast cancer were recruited for either ultrasound-guided or wire localization surgery. Primary outcomes were tumor-free resection margins, the reoperation rate and the resection volume in each group. The results were analyzed by intention to treat. The trial was registered under ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02222675. Results 56 patients were assessed, and 47 patients were evaluated in the trial. 93 % (25/27) of the patients in the ultrasound arm had an R0 reoperation compared to 65 % (13/20) in the wire localization control arm. This result was statistically significant (p = 0.026). No statistical difference was found for the resection volume or the duration of surgery between the two arms. No major complication was seen in either arm. Conclusion Ultrasound-assisted breast surgery significantly increases the possibility of tumor-free margins and therefore reduces the risk of reoperations. Breast surgeons should be trained in ultrasound and ultrasound should be available in every breast surgery operating room.
Increase in the Tibial Slope in Unicondylar Knee Replacement: Analysis of the Effect on the Kinematics and Ligaments in a Weight-Bearing Finite Element Model
2018-07-05

Introduction. Unicompartmental arthroplasty (UKA) of the knee in patients with isolated medial osteoarthritis yields adequate results; however, the survival rate is inferior to that of total knee arthroplasty (TKA). A key factor in the longevity of the implant is the positioning; however, the optimal tibial slope in UKA has not been determined. The aim of this study was to establish a finite element (FE) model and investigate the effect of the tibial slope on the strain of the ligaments, kinematics, inlay movement, and load in the nonreplaced patellofemoral compartment in a medial mobile bearing UKA. Materials and Methods. An FE model of a leg was established with a virtual UKA implantation with three different tibial slopes (0°, 5°, and 10°). Subsequently, the knee was flexed from 14–73°. In addition, the ground reaction force and the muscles were simulated. Results. With a higher tibial slope, there was more external rotation of the tibia. An increased tibial slope provided a lateral shift of the patella in the trochlear groove and a more anterior position of the inlay. The ligament strains were also changed, specifically, the anterior portion of the medial collateral ligament and the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL). Discussion. This study established the first model of a quasidynamic mobile bearing UKA in a leg under weight-bearing conditions. With an increasing tibial slope, there was a higher external rotation of the tibia that created different femorotibial and retropatellar kinematics and different strains in the ligaments. This knowledge adds important information for the optimal tibial slope that has to be determined individually depending on the patient’s preoperative kinematics, desired postoperative kinematics, ligament status, and location of the retropatellar chondral damage.
Decoupling of a double‐row 16‐element tight‐fit transceiver phased array for human whole‐brain imaging at 9.4 T
2018-07-05

One of the major challenges in constructing multi‐channel and multi‐row transmit (Tx) or transceiver (TxRx) arrays is the decoupling of the array's loop elements. Overlapping of the surface loops allows the decoupling of adjacent elements and also helps to improve the radiofrequency field profile by increasing the penetration depth and eliminating voids between the loops. This also simplifies the design by reducing the number of decoupling circuits. At the same time, overlapping may compromise decoupling by generating high resistive (electric) coupling near the overlap, which cannot be compensated for by common decoupling techniques. Previously, based on analytical modeling, we demonstrated that electric coupling has strong frequency and loading dependence, and, at 9.4 T, both the magnetic and electric coupling between two heavily loaded loops can be compensated at the same time simply by overlapping the loops. As a result, excellent decoupling was obtained between adjacent loops of an eight‐loop single‐row (1 × 8) human head tight‐fit TxRx array. In this work, we designed and constructed a 9.4‐T (400‐MHz) 16‐loop double‐row (2 × 8) overlapped TxRx head array based on the results of the analytical and numerical electromagnetic modeling. We demonstrated that, simply by the optimal overlap of array loops, a very good decoupling can be obtained without additional decoupling strategies. The constructed TxRx array provides whole‐brain coverage and approximately 1.5 times greater Tx efficiency relative to a transmit‐only/receive‐only (ToRo) array, which consists of a larger Tx‐only array and a nested tight‐fit 31‐loop receive (Rx)‐only array. At the same time, the ToRo array provides greater peripheral signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and better Rx parallel performance in the head–feet direction. Overall, our work provides a recipe for a simple, robust and very Tx‐efficient design suitable for parallel transmission and whole‐brain imaging at ultra‐high fields.
On the theory of light propagation in crystalline dielectrics
2018-07-05

A synoptic view on the long-established theory of light propagation in\\ncrystalline dielectrics is presented, providing a new exact solution for the\\nmicroscopic local electromagnetic field thus disclosing the role of the\\ndivergence-free (transversal) and curl-free (longitudinal) parts of the\\nelectromagnetic field inside a material as a function of the density of\\npolarizable atoms. Our results enable fast and efficient calculation of the\\nphotonic bandstructure and also the (non-local) dielectric tensor, solely with\\nthe crystalline symmetry and atom-individual polarizabilities as input.\\n
The Lexical Legacy of Substrate Languages: A Test Case From The Southern Ecuadorian Highlands
2018-07-06

Abstract The Central Andes of Peru and Ecuador have seen periods of language shift and language replacement in which expansive languages superseded earlier layers of local languages, as has happened numerous times in other regions around the world. In colonial times, members of the expansive Quechua family still coexisted with a number of local languages, and it is almost certain that Quechua had replaced several such languages in prehistory. In this paper, I focus on the Quechua variety spoken in the southern Ecuadorian highlands of Cañar and Azuay, and ask what can be learnt of the replaced language(s), and thereby the linguistic prehistory of the Southern Ecuadorian highlands, from its lexicon. By employing criteria developed elsewhere, I identify possible substrate items in the lexicon, highlighting philological points and linguistic analysis during the discussion. I further explore what these items suggest for the hypothesis – suggested in passing but not yet fully explored – that the original language of the region was a southern representative of the Barbacoan family of languages. I conclude that they provide some support for the hypothesis, but that the evidence is ultimately equivocal.
STROBE-X: a probe-class mission for x-ray spectroscopy and timing on timescales from microseconds to years
2018-07-06

We describe the Spectroscopic Time-Resolving Observatory for Broadband Energy X-rays (STROBE-X), a probeclass mission concept that will provide an unprecedented view of the X-ray sky, performing timing and spectroscopy over both a broad energy band (0.2-30 keV) and a wide range of timescales from microseconds to years. STROBE-X comprises two narrow-field instruments and a wide field monitor. The soft or low-energy band (0.2-12 keV) is covered by an array of lightweight optics (3-m focal length) that concentrate incident photons onto small solid-state detectors with CCD-level (85-175 eV) energy resolution, 100 ns time resolution, and low background rates. This technology has been fully developed for NICER and will be scaled up to take advantage of the longer focal length of STROBE-X. The higher-energy band (2-30 keV) is covered by large-area, collimated silicon drift detectors that were developed for the European LOFT mission concept. Each instrument will provide an order of magnitude improvement in effective area over its predecessor (NICER in the soft band and RXTE in the hard band). Finally, STROBE-X offers a sensitive wide-field monitor (WFM), both to act as a trigger for pointed observations of X-ray transients and also to provide high duty-cycle, high time-resolution, and high spectral-resolution monitoring of the variable X-ray sky. The WFM will boast approximately 20 times the sensitivity of the RXTE All-Sky Monitor, enabling multi-wavelength and multi-messenger investigations with a large instantaneous field of view. This mission concept will be presented to the 2020 Decadal Survey for consideration.
Evaluation of the Athena/WFI instrumental background
2018-07-06

The Wide Field Imager (WFI) is one of two focal plane instruments of the Advanced Telescope for High-Energy Astrophysics (Athena), ESA's next large X-ray observatory, planned for launch in the early 2030's. In the aimed orbit, a halo orbit around L2, the second Lagrange point of the Sun-Earth system the radiation environment, mainly consisting of solar and cosmic protons, electrons and He-ions, could affect the science performance. Furthermore as additional contribution the unfocused hard X-ray background is taken into account. It is important to understand and estimate the expected instrumental background and to investigate measures, like design modifications or analysis methods, which could improve the expected background level in order to achieve the challenging scientific requirement of &lt; 5&times;10<sup>−3</sup> cts/cm<sup>2</sup>/keV/s. For that purpose, the WFI background working group is investigating possible approaches, which will also be subject to technical feasibility studies. Finally an estimate of the WFI instrumental background for a proposed combination of design optimization and background rejection algorithm is given, showing that WFI is compliant with science background requirements.
Structure–Property Relations in Oligomers of Linear Aliphatic Diisocyanates
2018-07-06

Oligomerization reactions of aliphatic diisocyanates, exclusively involving NCO groups are discussed. The reactivity and selectivity of these reactions are dependent on chain length, reaction conditions, and the catalyst employed. The resulting oligomers ("dimers" and "trimers") sometimes deviate considerably from expectation with respect to the structure and properties. The synthesis and characterization of well-known derivatives such as uretdiones and isocyanurates are discussed, and special attention is devoted to the recently developed iminooxadiazinedione chemistry. Finally, a new class of compounds is introduced, the tricyclic diiminooxadiazinones.
Evidence for the development of ‘evidentiality’ as a grammatical category in the Tibetic languages
2018-07-06

The coding of evidentiality and/or the speaker’s attitude grammaticalized in most Modern Tibetic languages, whereas Classical Tibetan lacks a fully developed evidential system. The source for marking sensory perception is the hedging use of the verb ḥdug . Its lexical meaning of limited stay was extended to the notion of limited truth : ‘it seems’. This was further applied to situations merely perceived. ḥdug spread first into West Tibetan as an inferential marker; later it was re-borrowed as an experiential maker. This scenario allows reconstructing the timeline and the semantic path, and explaining the flexible use of ‘evidential’ markers in Tibetic languages.
Challenges in Diagnosing Myelodysplastic Syndromes in the Era of Genetic Testing: Proceedings of the 13th Workshop of the European Bone Marrow Working Group
2018-07-06

The 13th workshop of the European Bone Marrow Working Group in Utrecht, The Netherlands, was devoted to studying myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and their boundaries. The panel received 44 cases submitted to the 3 invited categories, which included: reactive cytopenias with dysplasia, idiopathic cytopenia of undetermined significance, clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, idiopathic dysplasia of uncertain significance and overt MDS. For this summary, we have selected 17 cases that highlight difficulties in separating true MDS from other causes of cytopenia and the intricate relationship between clonal haematopoiesis and true MDS. In addition, cases of overt MDS with challenging features were also selected. All cases were stained for p53 expression. Using instructive submitted cases we discuss the following: (1) cytopenia with clonal haematopoiesis not fulfilling MDS criteria, (2) cytopenia and/or dysplasia with germline mutations and/or familial history suggesting an underlying gene defect, (3) MDS based on a recurrent chromosomal abnormality and (4) overt MDS with diagnostic difficulties due to concurrent treatment or disease. The lively discussion in the open forum of the workshop illustrated the need for better integrative understanding of the evolution of acquired genetic abnormalities in haematopoiesis, and the challenge of diagnosing true MDS in cytopenic patients with genetic abnormalities, either germline or acquired.
Towards a European Stratospheric Balloon Observatory: the ESBO design study
2018-07-06

This paper presents the concept of a community-accessible stratospheric balloon-based observatory that is currently under preparation by a consortium of European research institutes and industry. The planned European Stratospheric Balloon Observatory (ESBO) aims at complementing the current landscape of scientific ballooning activities by providing a service-centered infrastructure tailored towards broad astronomical use. In particular, the concept focuses on reusable platforms with exchangeable instruments and telescopes performing regular flights and an operations concept that provides researchers with options to test and operate own instruments, but later on also a proposal-based access to observations. It thereby aims at providing a complement to ground-, space-based, and airborne observatories in terms of access to wavelength regimes - particularly the ultraviolet (UV) and far infrared (FIR) regimes -, spatial resolution capability, and photometric stability. Within the currently ongoing ESBO Design Study (ESBO DS), financed within the European Union's Horizon 2020 Programme, a prototype platform carrying a 0.5-m telescope for UV and visible light observations is being built and concepts for larger following platforms, leading up to a next-generation FIR telescope are being studied. A flight of the UV/visible prototype platform is currently foreseen for 2021. We present the technical motivation, science case, instrumentation, and a two-stage image stabilization approach of the 0.5-m UV/visible platform. In addition, we briefly describe the novel mid-sized stabilized balloon gondola under design to carry telescopes in the 0.5 to 0.6 m range as well as the currently considered flight option for this platform. Secondly, we outline the scientific and technical motivation for a large balloon-based FIR telescope and the ESBO DS approach towards such an infrastructure. © 2018 SPIE.
A magnetic electron repeller to improve the ATHENA/WFI background level
2018-07-06

The WFI is a DEPFET-based device developed at MPE as one of the two focal plane instruments for the next large ESA's mission for high energy astrophysics ATHENA. The expected level of instrumental background induced by the radiation environment in space is one of the parameters driving the camera design and it is required to be below 5&bull;10<sup>-3</sup> cts/cm<sup>2</sup> /sec/keV to enhance some of the unique observing capabilities of this detector. Background reduction can be obtained in a passive way by optimizing the detector shielding specifications (e.g. materials, thicknesses) and discarding frame regions affected by X-ray-like counts. In principle a higher rejection efficiency could be achieved with an active anticoincidence system surrounding the detector, in practice this cannot be done as it would make very complicated the camera readout and introduce dead-time. In this proceeding we discuss how a passive shielding against soft electrons with efficiency comparable to that of an active anticoincidence and no dead-time issue could be obtained by means of permanent magnets. We present results of a very preliminary feasibility study conducted in the framework of AHEAD and demonstrate theoretically the effectiveness of this solution. Nevertheless, an actual implementation would have as drawbacks an increased mass of the camera due to the presence of magnets and a potentially disturbing residual field in the detector environment.
The clinically approved MEK inhibitor Trametinib efficiently blocks influenza A virus propagation and cytokine expression
2018-07-07

Influenza A virus (IAV) infections are still a major global threat for humans, especially for the risk groups of young children and the elderly. Annual epidemics and sporadically occurring pandemics highlight the necessity of effective antivirals that can limit viral replication. The currently licensed antiviral drugs target viral factors and are prone to provoke viral resistance. In infected host cells IAV induces various cellular signaling cascades. The Raf/MEK/ERK signaling cascade is indispensable for IAV replication because it triggers the nuclear export of newly assembled viral ribonucleoproteins (vRNPs). Inhibition of this cascade limits viral replication. Thus, next to their potential in anti-tumor therapy, inhibitors targeting the Raf/MEK/ERK signaling cascade came into focus as potential antiviral drugs. The first licensed MEK inhibitor Trametinib (GSK-1120212) is used for treatment of malignant melanoma, being highly selective and having a promising side effect profile. Since Trametinib may be qualified for a repurposing approach that would significantly shorten development time for an anti-flu use, we evaluated its antiviral potency and mode of action. In this study, we describe that Trametinib efficiently blocks replication of different IAV subtypes in vitro and in vivo. The broad antiviral activity against various IAV strains was due to its ability to interfere with export of progeny vRNPs from the nucleus. The compound also limited hyper-expression of several cytokines. Thus, we show for the first time that a clinically approved MEK inhibitor acts as a potent anti-influenza agent.