pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Discomfort from urban scenes : metabolic consequences

Scenes from nature share in common certain statistical properties. Images with these properties can be processed efficiently by the human brain. Patterns with unnatural statistical properties are uncomfortable to look at, and are processed inefficiently, according to computational models of the visual cortex. Consistent with such putative computational inefficiency, uncomfortable images have been demonstrated to elicit a large haemodynamic response in the visual cortex, particularly so in individuals who are predisposed to discomfort. In a succession of five small-scale studies, we show that these considerations may be important in the design of the modern urban environment. In two studies we show that images from the urban environment are uncomfortable to the extent that their statistical properties depart from those of scenes from nature. In a third study we measure the haemodynamic response to images of buildings computed as having unnatural or natural statistical properties, and show that in posterior brain regions the images with unnatural statistical properties (often judged uncomfortable) elicit a haemodynamic response that is larger than for images with more natural properties. In two further studies we show that judgments of discomfort from real scenes (both shrubbery and buildings) are similar to those from images of the scenes. We conclude that the unnatural scenes in the modern urban environment are sometimes uncomfortable and place excessive demands on the neural computation involved in vision, with consequences for brain metabolism, and possibly also for health.PostprintPeer reviewe
If I cry, do you care? Individual differences in empathy moderate the facilitation of caregiving words after exposure to crying faces

Crying is a powerful solicitation of caregiving, yet little is known about the cognitive processes underpinning caring responses to crying others. This study examined (1) whether crying (compared to sad and happy) faces differentially elicited semantic activation of caregiving, and (2) whether individual differences in cognitive and emotional empathy moderated this activation. Ninety participants completed a lexical decision task in which caregiving, neutral, and non-words were presented after subliminal exposure (24ms.) to crying, sad, and happy faces. Individuals low in cognitive empathy had slower reaction times to caregiving (vs. neutral) words after exposure to crying faces, but not after sad or happy faces. Results are discussed in relation to the role of empathy in response to crying others
Lower ionosphere monitoring by the South America VLF Network (SAVNET): C-region occurrence and atmospheric temperature variability

Daily profiles of phase measurements as observed on fixed VLF-paths generally show a transient phase advance, followed by a phase delay, for about 90 minutes after sunrise hours. This is indicative of a reflecting ionospheric C-region developing along the terminator line at an altitude below the normal D-region. The suggested occurrence of a C-region is consistent with rocket measurements made in the 1960's, showing a maximum of the electron density between 64 and 68 km, and by radio sounding in the 1980's. In order to correctly describe the properties of the phase effect associated with the presence of a C-region, it is important to understand the subionospheric propagation characteristics of the VLF-paths. In this paper, we analyze the variations presented by the temporal properties of the VLF narrow-band phase effect, and determined a parameter associated with the appearance of the C-region at sunrise hours observed by receivers from the South America VLF Network (SAVNET). Periodic patterns emerge from the parameter curves. Two distinct temporal behavior regimes can be identified: one exhibiting slow variations between March and October, and another one exhibiting faster variations between October and March. Solar illumination conditions and the geometrical configuration of the VLF paths relative to the sunrise terminator partly explain the slow variation regime. During periods of faster variations, we have observed good association with atmospheric temperature variability found in the measurements of the TIMED-SABER satellite instrument, which we assume to be related to the Winter Anomaly atmospheric phenomenon. However, when comparing the parameter time series with temperature curves, no direct one-to-one correspondence was found for transient events
Interregional compensatory mechanisms of motor functioning in progressing preclinical neurodegeneration.

Understanding brain reserve in preclinical stages of neurodegenerative disorders allows determination of which brain regions contribute to normal functioning despite accelerated neuronal loss. Besides the recruitment of additional regions, a reorganisation and shift of relevance between normally engaged regions are a suggested key mechanism. Thus, network analysis methods seem critical for investigation of changes in directed causal interactions between such candidate brain regions. To identify core compensatory regions, fifteen preclinical patients carrying the genetic mutation leading to Huntington's disease and twelve controls underwent fMRI scanning. They accomplished an auditory paced finger sequence tapping task, which challenged cognitive as well as executive aspects of motor functioning by varying speed and complexity of movements. To investigate causal interactions among brain regions a single Dynamic Causal Model (DCM) was constructed and fitted to the data from each subject. The DCM parameters were analysed using statistical methods to assess group differences in connectivity, and the relationship between connectivity patterns and predicted years to clinical onset was assessed in gene carriers. In preclinical patients, we found indications for neural reserve mechanisms predominantly driven by bilateral dorsal premotor cortex, which increasingly activated superior parietal cortices the closer individuals were to estimated clinical onset. This compensatory mechanism was restricted to complex movements characterised by high cognitive demand. Additionally, we identified task-induced connectivity changes in both groups of subjects towards pre- and caudal supplementary motor areas, which were linked to either faster or more complex task conditions. Interestingly, coupling of dorsal premotor cortex and supplementary motor area was more negative in controls compared to gene mutation carriers. Furthermore, changes in the connectivity pattern of gene carriers allowed prediction of the years to estimated disease onset in individuals. Our study characterises the connectivity pattern of core cortical regions maintaining motor function in relation to varying task demand. We identified connections of bilateral dorsal premotor cortex as critical for compensation as well as task-dependent recruitment of pre- and caudal supplementary motor area. The latter finding nicely mirrors a previously published general linear model-based analysis of the same data. Such knowledge about disease specific inter-regional effective connectivity may help identify foci for interventions based on transcranial magnetic stimulation designed to stimulate functioning and also to predict their impact on other regions in motor-associated networks
Influence of sea ice decline, atmospheric warming, and glacier width on marine-terminating outlet glacier behavior in northwest Greenland at seasonal to interannual timescales

Discharge from marine-terminating outlet glaciers represents a key component of the Greenland Ice Sheet mass budget and observations suggest that mass loss from northwest Greenland has recently accelerated. Despite this, the factors controlling outlet glacier dynamics within this region have been comparatively poorly studied. Here we use remotely sensed data to investigate the influence of atmospheric, oceanic, and glacier-specific controls on the frontal position of Alison Glacier (AG), northwest Greenland, and nine surrounding outlet glaciers. AG retreated by 9.7 km between 2001 and 2005, following at least 25 years of minimal change. Results suggest that sea ice and air temperatures influence glacier frontal position at seasonal and interannual timescales. However, the response of individual outlet glaciers to forcing was strongly modified by factors specific to each glacier, specifically variations in fjord width and terminus type. Overall, our results underscore the need to consider these factors in order to interpret recent rapid changes and predict the dynamic response of marine-terminating outlet glaciers to atmospheric and oceanic forcing
Hot thermal X-ray emission from the Be star HD 119682

We present an analysis of a series of four consecutive Chandra high-resolution transmission gratings observations, amounting to a total of 150 ks, of the Be X-ray source HD 119682 (=1WGA J1346.5–6255), a member of the new class of γ Cas analogs. The Chandra light curve shows significant brightness variations on timescales of hours. However, the spectral distribution appears rather stable within each observation and during the whole campaign. A detailed analysis is not able to detect any coherent pulsation up to a frequency of 0.05 Hz. The Chandra High Energy Transmission Gratings spectrum seems to be devoid of any strong emission line, including Fe Kα fluorescence. The continuum is well described with the addition of two collisionally ionized plasmas of temperatures kT ≈ 15 keV and 0.2 keV, respectively, by the apec model. Models using photoionized plasma components (mekal) or non-thermal components (powerlaw) give poorer fits, providing support for the pure thermal scenario. These two components are absorbed by a single column with N H = (0.20+0.15 –0.03) × 1022 cm–2 compatible with the interstellar value. We conclude that HD 119682 can be regarded as a pole-on γ Cas analog.This work has been supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN) through the grants AYA2010-15431 and AIB2010DE-00057
Metabolic systems analysis of LPS induced endothelial dysfunction applied to sepsis patient stratification

Publisher's version (útgefin grein)Endothelial dysfunction contributes to sepsis outcome. Metabolic phenotypes associated with endothelial dysfunction are not well characterised in part due to difficulties in assessing endothelial metabolism in situ. Here, we describe the construction of iEC2812, a genome scale metabolic reconstruction of endothelial cells and its application to describe metabolic changes that occur following endothelial dysfunction. Metabolic gene expression analysis of three endothelial subtypes using iEC2812 suggested their similar metabolism in culture. To mimic endothelial dysfunction, an in vitro sepsis endothelial cell culture model was established and the metabotypes associated with increased endothelial permeability and glycocalyx loss after inflammatory stimuli were quantitatively defined through metabolomics. These data and transcriptomic data were then used to parametrize iEC2812 and investigate the metabotypes of endothelial dysfunction. Glycan production and increased fatty acid metabolism accompany increased glycocalyx shedding and endothelial permeability after inflammatory stimulation. iEC2812 was then used to analyse sepsis patient plasma metabolome profiles and predict changes to endothelial derived biomarkers. These analyses revealed increased changes in glycan metabolism in sepsis non-survivors corresponding to metabolism of endothelial dysfunction in culture. The results show concordance between endothelial health and sepsis survival in particular between endothelial cell metabolism and the plasma metabolome in patients with sepsis.This project was supported by RANNIS grants 130591-051 and 152358-051, Landspitali Reykjavik and the Rigshospitalet Copenhagen.Peer Reviewe
ATLAS search for new phenomena in dijet mass and angular distributions using pp collisions at √s =7 TeV

Mass and angular distributions of dijets produced in LHC proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy √s = 7 TeV have been studied with the ATLAS detector using the full 2011 data set with an integrated luminosity of 4.8 fb[superscript −1]. Dijet masses up to ~ 4.0 TeV have been probed. No resonance-like features have been observed in the dijet mass spectrum, and all angular distributions are consistent with the predictions of QCD. Exclusion limits on six hypotheses of new phenomena have been set at 95% CL in terms of mass or energy scale, as appropriate. These hypotheses include excited quarks below 2.83 TeV, colour octet scalars below 1.86 TeV, heavy W bosons below 1.68 TeV, string resonances below 3.61 TeV, quantum black holes with six extra space-time dimensions for quantum gravity scales below 4.11 TeV, and quark contact interactions below a compositeness scale of 7.6 TeV in a destructive interference scenario.United States. Dept. of EnergyNational Science Foundation (U.S.)Brookhaven National Laborator
Erdos-Ko-Rado theorems for simplicial complexes

A recent framework for generalizing the Erdos-Ko-Rado Theorem, due to
Holroyd, Spencer, and Talbot, defines the Erdos-Ko-Rado property for a graph in
terms of the graph's independent sets. Since the family of all independent sets
of a graph forms a simplicial complex, it is natural to further generalize the
Erdos-Ko-Rado property to an arbitrary simplicial complex. An advantage of
working in simplicial complexes is the availability of algebraic shifting, a
powerful shifting (compression) technique, which we use to verify a conjecture
of Holroyd and Talbot in the case of sequentially Cohen-Macaulay near-cones.Comment: 14 pages; v2 has minor changes; v3 has further minor changes for
  publicatio
VLBI detection of the HST-1 feature in the M87 jet at 2 cm

A bright feature 80 pc away from the core in the powerful jet of M87 shows
highly unusual properties. Earlier radio, optical and X-ray observations have
shown that this feature, labeled HST-1, is superluminal, and is possibly
connected with the TeV flare detected by HESS in 2005. It has been claimed that
this feature might have a blazar nature, due to these properties. To examine
the possible blazar-like nature of HST-1, we analyzed lambda 2 cm VLBA archival
data from dedicated full-track observations and the 2 cm survey/MOJAVE VLBI
monitoring programs obtained between 2000 and 2009. Applying VLBI wide-field
imaging techniques, the HST-1 region was imaged at milliarcsecond resolution.
Here we present the first 2 cm VLBI detection of this feature in observations
from early 2003 to early 2007, and analyze its evolution over this time. Using
the detections of HST-1, we find that the projected apparent speed is 0.61 +/-
0.31 c. A comparison of the VLA and VLBA flux densities of this feature
indicate that is mostly resolved on molliarcsecond scales. This feature is
optically thin between lambda 2 cm and lambda 20 cm. We do not find evidence of
a blazar nature for HST-1.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysic
AMEND: A Model Explaining Neutrino masses and Dark matter testable at
  the LHC and MEG

Despite being very successful in explaining the wide range of precision
experimental results obtained so far, the Standard Model (SM) of elementary
particles fails to address two of the greatest observations of the recent
decades: tiny but nonzero neutrino masses and the well-known problem of missing
mass in the Universe. Typically the new models beyond the SM explain only one
of these observations. Instead, in the present article, we take the view that
they both point towards the same new extension of the Standard Model. The new
particles introduced are responsible simultaneously for neutrino masses and for
the dark matter of the Universe. The stability of dark matter and the smallness
of neutrino masses are guaranteed by a U(1) global symmetry, broken to a
remnant Z_2. The canonical seesaw mechanism is forbidden and neutrino masses
emerge at the loop level being further suppressed by the small explicit
breaking of the U(1) symmetry. The new particles and interactions are invoked
at the electroweak scale and lead to rich phenomenology in colliders, in lepton
flavour violating rare decays and in direct and indirect dark matter searches,
making the model testable in the coming future.Comment: 33 pages, 2 figures; version as published in JHEP, title changed,
  discussion about annihilation in three body final states adde
The magnetically-active, low-mass, triple system WDS 19312+3607

Aims: We investigated in detail the system WDS 19312+3607, whose primary is
an active M4.5Ve star previously thought to be young (tau ~ 300-500 Ma) based
on high X-ray luminosity. Methods: We collected intermediate- and
low-resolution optical spectra taken with 2 m-class telescopes, photometric
data from the $B$ to 8 mum bands, and eleven astrometric epochs with a time
baseline of over 56 years for the two components in the system, G 125-15 and G
125-14. Results: We derived M4.5V spectral types for both stars, confirmed
their common proper motion, estimated the heliocentric distance and projected
physical separation, determined the galactocentric space velocities, and
deduced a most-probable age older than 600 Ma. We discovered that the primary,
G 125-15, is in turn an inflated, double-lined, spectroscopic binary with a
short period of photometric variability of P ~ 1.6 d, which we associated to
orbital synchronisation. The observed X-ray and Halpha emissions, photometric
variability, and abnormal radius and effective temperature of G 125-15 AB
indicate strong magnetic activity, possibly due to fast rotation. Besides, the
estimated projected physical separation between G 125-15 AB and G 125-14 of
about 1200 AU makes WDS 19312+3607 to be one of the widest systems with
intermediate M-type primaries. Conclusions: G 125-15 AB is a nearby (d ~ 26
pc), bright (J ~ 9.6 mag), active spectroscopic binary with a single
proper-motion companion of the same spectral type at a wide separation. They
are thus ideal targets for specific follow-ups to investigate wide and close
multiplicity or stellar expansion and surface cooling due to reduced convective
efficiency.Comment: A&A, in pres
Anomalous CP-Violation in B_s-Bbar_s Mixing Due to a Light Spin-One
  Particle

The recent measurement of the like-sign dimuon charge asymmetry in
semileptonic b-hadron decays by the D0 Collaboration is about 3 sigmas away
from the standard-model prediction, hinting at the presence of CP-violating new
physics in the mixing of B_s mesons. We consider the possibility that this
anomalous result arises from the contribution of a light spin-1 particle.
Taking into account various experimental constraints, we find that the effect
of such a particle with mass below the b-quark mass can yield a prediction
consistent with the anomalous D0 measurement within its one-sigma range.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, somewhat expanded, references added, main
  conclusions unchanged, matches published versio
Electron-Phonon Coupling Deduced from Phonon Line Shapes

We investigate the Fano-type line shape of the Ba mode of
Y_{1-x}Ca_xBa_2Cu_3O_{6+y} films observed in Raman spectra with A_1g symmetry.
The line shape is described with an extended Fano formula that allows us to
obtain the bare phonon parameters and the self-energy effects based on a
phenomenological description of the real and imaginary part of the low-energy
electronic response. It turns out that the phonon intensity originates almost
entirely from a coupling to this electronic response with negligible
contributions from interband (high-energy) electronic excitations. In the
normal state we obtain a measure of the electron-phonon coupling via the
mass-enhancement factor lambda. We find lambda=6.8 +/- 0.5 % around optimum
doping and only weak changes of the self-energy in the superconducting state.
With increased disorder at the Ba site we find a decreased intensity of the Ba
mode which we can relate to a decreased electron-phonon coupling.Comment: 6 pages including 2 figures, accepted for publication in Physica
  Status Solidi (b) contribution to ICSSS, September 1999 in Schwaebisch
  Gmuend, German
A Logic Programming Approach to Knowledge-State Planning: Semantics and
  Complexity

We propose a new declarative planning language, called K, which is based on
principles and methods of logic programming. In this language, transitions
between states of knowledge can be described, rather than transitions between
completely described states of the world, which makes the language well-suited
for planning under incomplete knowledge. Furthermore, it enables the use of
default principles in the planning process by supporting negation as failure.
Nonetheless, K also supports the representation of transitions between states
of the world (i.e., states of complete knowledge) as a special case, which
shows that the language is very flexible. As we demonstrate on particular
examples, the use of knowledge states may allow for a natural and compact
problem representation. We then provide a thorough analysis of the
computational complexity of K, and consider different planning problems,
including standard planning and secure planning (also known as conformant
planning) problems. We show that these problems have different complexities
under various restrictions, ranging from NP to NEXPTIME in the propositional
case. Our results form the theoretical basis for the DLV^K system, which
implements the language K on top of the DLV logic programming system.Comment: 48 pages, appeared as a Technical Report at KBS of the Vienna
  University of Technology, see http://www.kr.tuwien.ac.at/research/reports
Interface of General Relativity, Quantum Physics and Statistical
  Mechanics: Some Recent Developments

The arena normally used in black holes thermodynamics was recently
generalized to incorporate a broad class of physically interesting situations.
The key idea is to replace the notion of stationary event horizons by that of
`isolated horizons.' Unlike event horizons, isolated horizons can be located in
a space-time quasi-locally. Furthermore, they need not be Killing horizons. In
particular, a space-time representing a black hole which is itself in
equilibrium, but whose exterior contains radiation, admits an isolated horizon.
In spite of this generality, the zeroth and first laws of black hole mechanics
extend to isolated horizons. Furthermore, by carrying out a systematic,
non-perturbative quantization, one can explore the quantum geometry of isolated
horizons and account for their entropy from statistical mechanical
considerations. After a general introduction to black hole thermodynamics as a
whole, these recent developments are briefly summarized.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figures. Based on a talk given at the 99 Journees
  Relativistes held at Weimar. To appear in Annalen der Physi
Physics Interplay of the LHC and the ILC

Physics at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and the International e+e- Linear
Collider (ILC) will be complementary in many respects, as has been demonstrated
at previous generations of hadron and lepton colliders. This report addresses
the possible interplay between the LHC and ILC in testing the Standard Model
and in discovering and determining the origin of new physics. Mutual benefits
for the physics programme at both machines can occur both at the level of a
combined interpretation of Hadron Collider and Linear Collider data and at the
level of combined analyses of the data, where results obtained at one machine
can directly influence the way analyses are carried out at the other machine.
Topics under study comprise the physics of weak and strong electroweak symmetry
breaking, supersymmetric models, new gauge theories, models with extra
dimensions, and electroweak and QCD precision physics. The status of the work
that has been carried out within the LHC / LC Study Group so far is summarised
in this report. Possible topics for future studies are outlined.Comment: 472 pages, a version with high-resolution figures can be found at
  http://www.ippp.dur.ac.uk/~georg/lhclc/lhclcdoc.ps.g