@article{GrdseloffBouldayRoedeletal.2023, author = {Grdseloff, Nastasja and Boulday, Gwenola and Roedel, Claudia J. and Otten, Cecile and Vannier, Daphne Raphaelle and Cardoso, Cecile and Faurobert, Eva and Dogra, Deepika and Tournier-Lasserve, Elisabeth and Abdelilah-Seyfried, Salim}, title = {Impaired retinoic acid signaling in cerebral cavernous malformations}, series = {Scientific reports}, volume = {13}, journal = {Scientific reports}, number = {1}, publisher = {Nature Portfolio}, address = {Berlin}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-023-31905-0}, pages = {11}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The capillary-venous pathology cerebral cavernous malformation (CCM) is caused by loss of CCM1/Krev interaction trapped protein 1 (KRIT1), CCM2/MGC4607, or CCM3/PDCD10 in some endothelial cells. Mutations of CCM genes within the brain vasculature can lead to recurrent cerebral hemorrhages. Pharmacological treatment options are urgently needed when lesions are located in deeply-seated and in-operable regions of the central nervous system. Previous pharmacological suppression screens in disease models of CCM led to the discovery that treatment with retinoic acid improved CCM phenotypes. This finding raised a need to investigate the involvement of retinoic acid in CCM and test whether it has a curative effect in preclinical mouse models. Here, we show that components of the retinoic acid synthesis and degradation pathway are transcriptionally misregulated across disease models of CCM. We complemented this analysis by pharmacologically modifying retinoic acid levels in zebrafish and human endothelial cell models of CCM, and in acute and chronic mouse models of CCM. Our pharmacological intervention studies in CCM2-depleted human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and krit1 mutant zebrafish showed positive effects when retinoic acid levels were increased. However, therapeutic approaches to prevent the development of vascular lesions in adult chronic murine models of CCM were drug regiment-sensitive, possibly due to adverse developmental effects of this hormone. A treatment with high doses of retinoic acid even worsened CCM lesions in an adult chronic murine model of CCM. This study provides evidence that retinoic acid signaling is impaired in the CCM pathophysiology and suggests that modification of retinoic acid levels can alleviate CCM phenotypes.}, language = {en} } @article{SmithBoers2023, author = {Smith, Taylor and Boers, Niklas}, title = {Global vegetation resilience linked to water availability and variability}, series = {Nature Communications}, volume = {14}, journal = {Nature Communications}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {2041-1723}, doi = {10.1038/s41467-023-36207-7}, pages = {11}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Quantifying the resilience of vegetated ecosystems is key to constraining both present-day and future global impacts of anthropogenic climate change. Here we apply both empirical and theoretical resilience metrics to remotely-sensed vegetation data in order to examine the role of water availability and variability in controlling vegetation resilience at the global scale. We find a concise global relationship where vegetation resilience is greater in regions with higher water availability. We also reveal that resilience is lower in regions with more pronounced inter-annual precipitation variability, but find less concise relationships between vegetation resilience and intra-annual precipitation variability. Our results thus imply that the resilience of vegetation responds differently to water deficits at varying time scales. In view of projected increases in precipitation variability, our findings highlight the risk of ecosystem degradation under ongoing climate change. Vegetation dynamics depend on both the amount of precipitation and its variability over time. Here, the authors show that vegetation resilience is greater where water availability is higher and where precipitation is more stable from year to year.}, language = {en} } @article{FalkenhagenKnoechelKloftetal.2023, author = {Falkenhagen, Undine and Kn{\"o}chel, Jane and Kloft, Charlotte and Huisinga, Wilhelm}, title = {Deriving mechanism-based pharmacodynamic models by reducing quantitative systems pharmacology models}, series = {CPT: Pharmacometrics \& Systems Pharmacology}, volume = {12}, journal = {CPT: Pharmacometrics \& Systems Pharmacology}, number = {4}, publisher = {Wiley}, address = {Hoboken}, issn = {2163-8306}, doi = {10.1002/psp4.12903}, pages = {432 -- 443}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Quantitative systems pharmacology (QSP) models integrate comprehensive qualitative and quantitative knowledge about pharmacologically relevant processes. We previously proposed a first approach to leverage the knowledge in QSP models to derive simpler, mechanism-based pharmacodynamic (PD) models. Their complexity, however, is typically still too large to be used in the population analysis of clinical data. Here, we extend the approach beyond state reduction to also include the simplification of reaction rates, elimination of reactions, and analytic solutions. We additionally ensure that the reduced model maintains a prespecified approximation quality not only for a reference individual but also for a diverse virtual population. We illustrate the extended approach for the warfarin effect on blood coagulation. Using the model-reduction approach, we derive a novel small-scale warfarin/international normalized ratio model and demonstrate its suitability for biomarker identification. Due to the systematic nature of the approach in comparison with empirical model building, the proposed model-reduction algorithm provides an improved rationale to build PD models also from QSP models in other applications.}, language = {en} } @article{LewkowiczBoettingerSiegel2023, author = {Lewkowicz, Daniel and B{\"o}ttinger, Erwin and Siegel, Martin}, title = {Economic evaluation of digital therapeutic care apps for unsupervised treatment of low back pain}, series = {JMIR mhealth and uhealth}, volume = {11}, journal = {JMIR mhealth and uhealth}, publisher = {JMIR Publications}, address = {Toronto}, issn = {2291-5222}, doi = {10.2196/44585}, pages = {14}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Background: Digital therapeutic care (DTC) programs are unsupervised app-based treatments that provide video exercises and educational material to patients with nonspecific low back pain during episodes of pain and functional disability. German statutory health insurance can reimburse DTC programs since 2019, but evidence on efficacy and reasonable pricing remains scarce. This paper presents a probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) to evaluate the efficacy and cost-utility of a DTC app against treatment as usual (TAU) in Germany. Objective: The aim of this study was to perform a PSA in the form of a Monte Carlo simulation based on the deterministic base case analysis to account for model assumptions and parameter uncertainty. We also intend to explore to what extent the results in this probabilistic analysis differ from the results in the base case analysis and to what extent a shortage of outcome data concerning quality-of-life (QoL) metrics impacts the overall results. Methods: The PSA builds upon a state-transition Markov chain with a 4-week cycle length over a model time horizon of 3 years from a recently published deterministic cost-utility analysis. A Monte Carlo simulation with 10,000 iterations and a cohort size of 10,000 was employed to evaluate the cost-utility from a societal perspective. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were derived from Veterans RAND 6-Dimension (VR-6D) and Short-Form 6-Dimension (SF-6D) single utility scores. Finally, we also simulated reducing the price for a 3-month app prescription to analyze at which price threshold DTC would result in being the dominant strategy over TAU in Germany. Results: The Monte Carlo simulation yielded on average a euro135.97 (a currency exchange rate of EUR euro1=US \$1.069 is applicable) incremental cost and 0.004 incremental QALYs per person and year for the unsupervised DTC app strategy compared to in-person physiotherapy in Germany. The corresponding incremental cost-utility ratio (ICUR) amounts to an additional euro34,315.19 per additional QALY. DTC yielded more QALYs in 54.96\% of the iterations. DTC dominates TAU in 24.04\% of the iterations for QALYs. Reducing the app price in the simulation from currently euro239.96 to euro164.61 for a 3-month prescription could yield a negative ICUR and thus make DTC the dominant strategy, even though the estimated probability of DTC being more effective than TAU is only 54.96\%. Conclusions: Decision-makers should be cautious when considering the reimbursement of DTC apps since no significant treatment effect was found, and the probability of cost-effectiveness remains below 60\% even for an infinite willingness-to-pay threshold. More app-based studies involving the utilization of QoL outcome parameters are urgently needed to account for the low and limited precision of the available QoL input parameters, which are crucial to making profound recommendations concerning the cost-utility of novel apps.}, language = {en} } @article{KapidzicFreyNeubergeretal.2023, author = {Kapidzic, Sanja and Frey, Felix and Neuberger, Christoph and Stieglitz, Stefan and Mirbabaie, Milad}, title = {Crisis communication on Twitter}, series = {International journal of communication}, volume = {17}, journal = {International journal of communication}, publisher = {The Annenberg Center for Communication}, address = {Los Angeles, Calif.}, issn = {1932-8036}, pages = {735 -- 754}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The study explores differences between three user types in the top tweets about the 2015 "refugee crisis" in Germany and presents the results of a quantitative content analysis. All tweets with the keyword "Fl{\"u}chtlinge" posted for a monthlong period following September 13, 2015, the day Germany decided to implement border controls, were collected (N = 763,752). The top 2,495 tweets according to number of retweets were selected for analysis. Differences between news media, public and private actor tweets in topics, tweet characteristics such as tone and opinion expression, links, and specific sentiments toward refugees were analyzed. We found strong differences between the tweets. Public actor tweets were the main source of positive sentiment toward refugees and the main information source on refugee support. News media tweets mostly reflected traditional journalistic norms of impartiality and objectivity, whereas private actor tweets were more diverse in sentiments toward refugees.}, language = {en} } @article{AgtheKayserSchwarzetal.2023, author = {Agthe, Maria and Kayser, Daniela Niesta and Schwarz, Sascha and Maner, Jon K.}, title = {Antecedents of the red-romance effect}, series = {PLOS ONE / Public Library of Science}, volume = {18}, journal = {PLOS ONE / Public Library of Science}, number = {4}, publisher = {PLOS}, address = {San Fransisco}, issn = {1932-6203}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0284035}, pages = {19}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The color red has been implicated in a variety of social processes, including those involving mating. While previous research suggests that women sometimes wear red strategically to increase their attractiveness, the replicability of this literature has been questioned. The current research is a reasonably powered conceptual replication designed to strengthen this literature by testing whether women are more inclined to display the color red 1) during fertile (as compared with less fertile) days of the menstrual cycle, and 2) when expecting to interact with an attractive man (as compared with a less attractive man and with a control condition). Analyses controlled for a number of theoretically relevant covariates (relationship status, age, the current weather). Only the latter hypothesis received mixed support (mainly among women on hormonal birth control), whereas results concerning the former hypothesis did not reach significance. Women (N = 281) displayed more red when expecting to interact with an attractive man; findings did not support the prediction that women would increase their display of red on fertile days of the cycle. Findings thus suggested only mixed replicability for the link between the color red and psychological processes involving romantic attraction. They also illustrate the importance of further investigating the boundary conditions of color effects on everyday social processes.}, language = {en} } @article{SchmickerFruehlingMenzeetal.2023, author = {Schmicker, Marlen and Fr{\"u}hling, Insa and Menze, Inga and Glanz, Wenzel and M{\"u}ller, Patrick and Noesselt, Toemme and M{\"u}ller, Notger Germar}, title = {The potential role of gustatory function as an early diagnostic marker for the risk of alzheimer's disease in subjective cognitive decline}, series = {Journal of Alzheimer's disease reports : JADR}, volume = {7}, journal = {Journal of Alzheimer's disease reports : JADR}, number = {1}, publisher = {IOS Press}, address = {Clifton, VA}, issn = {2542-4823}, doi = {10.3233/ADR220092}, pages = {249 -- 262}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Background: Patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) report memory deterioration and are at an increased risk of converting to Alzheimer's disease (AD) although psychophysical testing does not reveal any cognitive deficit. Objective: Here, gustatory function is investigated as a potential predictor for an increased risk of progressive cognitive decline indicating higher AD risk in SCD. Methods: Measures of smell and taste perception as well as neuropsychological data were assessed in patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD): Subgroups with an increased likelihood of the progression to preclinical AD (SCD+) and those with a lower likelihood (SCD-) were compared to healthy controls (HC), patients with mild cognitive impairment and AD patients. The Sniffin' Sticks test contained 12 items with different qualities and taste was measured with 32 taste stripes (sweet, salty, bitter, sour) of different concentration. Results: Only taste was able to distinguish between HC/SCD- and SCD+ patients. Conclusion: This study provides a first hint of taste as a more sensitive marker than smell for detecting preclinical AD in SCD. Longitudinal observation of cognition and pathology are necessary to further evaluate taste perception as a predictor of pathological objective decline in cognition.}, language = {en} } @article{deCarvalhoSouzaBarrocasFischeretal.2023, author = {de Carvalho Souza, Alyson Matheus and Barrocas, Roberta and Fischer, Martin H. and Arnaud, Emanuel and Moeller, Korbinian and Renn{\´o}-Costa, C{\´e}sar}, title = {Combining virtual reality and tactile stimulation to investigate embodied finger-based numerical representations}, series = {Frontiers in psychology / Frontiers Research Foundation}, volume = {14}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology / Frontiers Research Foundation}, publisher = {Frontiers Research Foundation}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1664-1078}, doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1119561}, pages = {13}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Finger-based representation of numbers is a high-level cognitive strategy to assist numerical and arithmetic processing in children and adults. It is unclear whether this paradigm builds on simple perceptual features or comprises several attributes through embodiment. Here we describe the development and initial testing of an experimental setup to study embodiment during a finger-based numerical task using Virtual Reality (VR) and a low-cost tactile stimulator that is easy to build. Using VR allows us to create new ways to study finger-based numerical representation using a virtual hand that can be manipulated in ways our hand cannot, such as decoupling tactile and visual stimuli. The goal is to present a new methodology that can allow researchers to study embodiment through this new approach, maybe shedding new light on the cognitive strategy behind the finger-based representation of numbers. In this case, a critical methodological requirement is delivering precisely targeted sensory stimuli to specific effectors while simultaneously recording their behavior and engaging the participant in a simulated experience. We tested the device's capability by stimulating users in different experimental configurations. Results indicate that our device delivers reliable tactile stimulation to all fingers of a participant's hand without losing motion tracking quality during an ongoing task. This is reflected by an accuracy of over 95\% in participants detecting stimulation of a single finger or multiple fingers in sequential stimulation as indicated by experiments with sixteen participants. We discuss possible application scenarios, explain how to apply our methodology to study the embodiment of finger-based numerical representations and other high-level cognitive functions, and discuss potential further developments of the device based on the data obtained in our testing.}, language = {en} } @article{StueblerKloftHuisinga2023, author = {St{\"u}bler, Sabine and Kloft, Charlotte and Huisinga, Wilhelm}, title = {Cell-level systems biology model to study inflammatory bowel diseases and their treatment options}, series = {CPT: pharmacometrics \& systems pharmacology}, volume = {12}, journal = {CPT: pharmacometrics \& systems pharmacology}, number = {5}, publisher = {Nature Publ. Group}, address = {London}, issn = {2163-8306}, doi = {10.1002/psp4.12932}, pages = {690 -- 705}, year = {2023}, abstract = {To help understand the complex and therapeutically challenging inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), we developed a systems biology model of the intestinal immune system that is able to describe main aspects of IBD and different treatment modalities thereof. The model, including key cell types and processes of the mucosal immune response, compiles a large amount of isolated experimental findings from literature into a larger context and allows for simulations of different inflammation scenarios based on the underlying data and assumptions. In the context of a large and diverse virtual IBD population, we characterized the patients based on their phenotype (in contrast to healthy individuals, they developed persistent inflammation after a trigger event) rather than on a priori assumptions on parameter differences to a healthy individual. This allowed to reproduce the enormous diversity of predispositions known to lead to IBD. Analyzing different treatment effects, the model provides insight into characteristics of individual drug therapy. We illustrate for anti-TNF-alpha therapy, how the model can be used (i) to decide for alternative treatments with best prospects in the case of nonresponse, and (ii) to identify promising combination therapies with other available treatment options.}, language = {en} } @article{EhrigWagnerWolteretal.2023, author = {Ehrig, Lukas and Wagner, Ann-Christin and Wolter, Heike and Correll, Christoph U. and Geisel, Olga and Konigorski, Stefan}, title = {FASDetect as a machine learning-based screening app for FASD in youth with ADHD}, series = {npj Digital Medicine}, volume = {6}, journal = {npj Digital Medicine}, number = {1}, publisher = {Macmillan Publishers Limited}, address = {Basingstoke}, issn = {2398-6352}, doi = {10.1038/s41746-023-00864-1}, pages = {9}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Fetal alcohol-spectrum disorder (FASD) is underdiagnosed and often misdiagnosed as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Here, we develop a screening tool for FASD in youth with ADHD symptoms. To develop the prediction model, medical record data from a German University outpatient unit are assessed including 275 patients aged 0-19 years old with FASD with or without ADHD and 170 patients with ADHD without FASD aged 0-19 years old. We train 6 machine learning models based on 13 selected variables and evaluate their performance. Random forest models yield the best prediction models with a cross-validated AUC of 0.92 (95\% confidence interval [0.84, 0.99]). Follow-up analyses indicate that a random forest model with 6 variables - body length and head circumference at birth, IQ, socially intrusive behaviour, poor memory and sleep disturbance - yields equivalent predictive accuracy. We implement the prediction model in a web-based app called FASDetect - a user-friendly, clinically scalable FASD risk calculator that is freely available at https://fasdetect.dhc-lab.hpi.de.}, language = {en} } @article{SlosarekIbingSchormairetal.2023, author = {Slosarek, Tamara and Ibing, Susanne and Schormair, Barbara and Heyne, Henrike and B{\"o}ttinger, Erwin and Andlauer, Till and Schurmann, Claudia}, title = {Implementation and evaluation of personal genetic testing as part of genomics analysis courses in German universities}, series = {BMC Medical Genomics}, volume = {16}, journal = {BMC Medical Genomics}, number = {1}, publisher = {BMC}, address = {London}, issn = {1755-8794}, doi = {10.1186/s12920-023-01503-0}, pages = {13}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Purpose Due to the increasing application of genome analysis and interpretation in medical disciplines, professionals require adequate education. Here, we present the implementation of personal genotyping as an educational tool in two genomics courses targeting Digital Health students at the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) and medical students at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). Methods We compared and evaluated the courses and the students ' perceptions on the course setup using questionnaires. Results During the course, students changed their attitudes towards genotyping (HPI: 79\% [15 of 19], TUM: 47\% [25 of 53]). Predominantly, students became more critical of personal genotyping (HPI: 73\% [11 of 15], TUM: 72\% [18 of 25]) and most students stated that genetic analyses should not be allowed without genetic counseling (HPI: 79\% [15 of 19], TUM: 70\% [37 of 53]). Students found the personal genotyping component useful (HPI: 89\% [17 of 19], TUM: 92\% [49 of 53]) and recommended its inclusion in future courses (HPI: 95\% [18 of 19], TUM: 98\% [52 of 53]). Conclusion Students perceived the personal genotyping component as valuable in the described genomics courses. The implementation described here can serve as an example for future courses in Europe.}, language = {en} } @article{TiberiusWeyland2023, author = {Tiberius, Victor and Weyland, Michael}, title = {Identifying constituent elements of entrepreneurship curricula}, series = {Administrative sciences}, volume = {14}, journal = {Administrative sciences}, number = {1}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {2076-3387}, doi = {10.3390/admsci14010001}, pages = {18}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Entrepreneurship education research has a strong "output" focus on impact studies but pays much less attention to the "inside" or process perspective of the way entrepreneurship education occurs. In particular, the scattered previous entrepreneurship curriculum research has not managed to provide a current and comprehensive overview of the curricular elements that constitute entrepreneurship education. To overcome this shortcoming, we aim to identify the teaching objectives, teaching contents, teaching methods, and assessment methods discussed in entrepreneurship curriculum research. To this end, we conducted a systematic literature review on the four entrepreneurship curriculum dimensions and collected all mentioned curriculum items. We used a two-stage coding procedure to find the genuinely entrepreneurship-specific items. Among numerous items (also from business management and other subjects), we found 26 objectives, 34 contents, 11 teaching methods, and 7 assessment methods that were entrepreneurship-specific. Most of these items were addressed by only a few scholarly papers.}, language = {en} } @article{BoschDeCesareDemskeetal.2023, author = {Bosch, Sina and De Cesare, Ilaria and Demske, Ulrike and Felser, Claudia}, title = {Word-order variation and coherence in German infinitival complementation}, series = {The journal of comparative Germanic linguistics}, volume = {26}, journal = {The journal of comparative Germanic linguistics}, number = {1}, publisher = {Springer}, address = {New York}, issn = {1572-8552}, doi = {10.1007/s10828-023-09140-8}, pages = {43}, year = {2023}, abstract = {This study provides a synthesis of corpus-based and experimental investigations of word-order preferences in German infinitival complementation. We carried out a systematic analysis of present-day German corpora to establish frequency distributions of different word-order options: extraposition, intraposition, and 'third construction'. We then examined, firstly, whether and to what extent corpus frequencies and processing economy constraints can predict the acceptability of these three word-order variants, and whether subject raising and subject control verbs form clearly distinguishable subclasses of infinitive-embedding verbs in terms of their word-order behaviour. Secondly, our study looks into the issue of coherence by comparing acceptability ratings for monoclausal coherent and biclausal incoherent construals of intraposed infinitives, and by examining whether a biclausal incoherent analysis gives rise to local and/or global processing difficulty. Taken together, our results revealed that (i) whilst the extraposition pattern consistently wins out over all other word-order variants for control verbs, neither frequency nor processing-based approaches to word-order variation can account for the acceptability of low-frequency variants, (ii) there is considerable verb-specific variation regarding word-order preferences both between and within the two sets of raising and control verbs under investigation, and (iii) although monoclausal coherent intraposition is rated above biclausal incoherent intraposition, the latter is not any more difficult to process than the former. Our findings indicate that frequency of occurrence and processing-related constraints interact with idiosyncratic lexical properties of individual verbs in determining German speakers' structural preferences.}, language = {en} } @article{SchellWardelmannHauffeetal.2023, author = {Schell, Mareike and Wardelmann, Kristina and Hauffe, Robert and Rath, Michaela and Chopra, Simran and Kleinridders, Andr{\´e}}, title = {Lactobacillus rhamnosus sex-specifically attenuates depressive-like behavior and mitigates metabolic consequences in obesity}, series = {Biological psychiatry: global open science}, volume = {3}, journal = {Biological psychiatry: global open science}, number = {4}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {2667-1743}, doi = {10.1016/j.bpsgos.2023.02.011}, pages = {651 -- 662}, year = {2023}, abstract = {BACKGROUND: Patients with diabetes exhibit an increased prevalence for emotional disorders compared with healthy humans, partially due to a shared pathogenesis including hormone resistance and inflammation, which is also linked to intestinal dysbiosis. The preventive intake of probiotic lactobacilli has been shown to improve dysbiosis along with mood and metabolism. Yet, a potential role of Lactobacillus rhamnosus (Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus 0030) (LR) in improving emotional behavior in established obesity and the underlying mechanisms are unknown. METHODS: Female and male C57BL/6N mice were fed a low-fat diet (10\% kcal from fat) or high-fat diet (HFD) (45\% kcal from fat) for 6 weeks, followed by daily oral gavage of vehicle or 1 3 10 8 colony-forming units of LR, and assessment of anxiety- and depressive-like behavior. Cecal microbiota composition was analyzed using 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing, plasma and cerebrospinal fluid were collected for metabolomic analysis, and gene expression of different brain areas was assessed using reverse transcriptase quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: We observed that 12 weeks of HFD feeding induced hyperinsulinemia, which was attenuated by LR application only in female mice. On the contrary, HFD-fed male mice exhibited increased anxiety- and depressive-like behavior, where the latter was specifically attenuated by LR application, which was independent of metabolic changes. Furthermore, LR application restored the HFD-induced decrease of tyrosine hydroxylase, along with normalizing cholecystokinin gene expression in dopaminergic brain regions; both tyrosine hydroxylase and cholecystokinin are involved in signaling pathways impacting emotional disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Our data show that LR attenuates depressive-like behavior after established obesity, with changes in the dopaminergic system in male mice, and mitigates hyperinsulinemia in obese female mice.}, language = {en} } @article{SixtusLindnerLohseetal.2023, author = {Sixtus, Elena and Lindner, Nadja and Lohse, Karoline and Lonnemann, Jan}, title = {Investigating the influence of body movements on children's mental arithmetic performance}, series = {Acta psychologica : international journal of psychonomics}, volume = {239}, journal = {Acta psychologica : international journal of psychonomics}, publisher = {Elsevier}, address = {Amsterdam}, issn = {0001-6918}, doi = {10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.104003}, pages = {7}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Several lines of research have demonstrated spatial-numerical associations in both adults and children, which are thought to be based on a spatial representation of numerical information in the form of a mental number line. The acquisition of increasingly precise mental number line representations is assumed to support arithmetic learning in children. It is further suggested that sensorimotor experiences shape the development of number concepts and arithmetic learning, and that mental arithmetic can be characterized as "motion along a path" and might constitute shifts in attention along the mental number line. The present study investigated whether movements in physical space influence mental arithmetic in primary school children, and whether the expected effect depends on concurrency of body movements and mental arithmetic. After turning their body towards the left or right, 48 children aged 8 to 10 years solved simple subtraction and addition problems. Meanwhile, they either walked or stood still and looked towards the respective direction. We report a congruency effect between body orientation and operation type, i.e., higher performance for the combinations leftward orientation and subtraction and rightward orientation and addition. We found no significant difference between walking and looking conditions. The present results suggest that mental arithmetic in children is influenced by preceding sensorimotor cues and not necessarily by concurrent body movements.}, language = {en} } @article{HeideNetzebandtAhrensetal.2023, author = {Heide, Judith and Netzebandt, Jonka and Ahrens, Stine and Br{\"u}sch, Julia and Saalfrank, Teresa and Schmitz-Antonischki, Dorit}, title = {Improving lexical retrieval with LingoTalk}, series = {Frontiers in communication}, volume = {8}, journal = {Frontiers in communication}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {2297-900X}, doi = {10.3389/fcomm.2023.1210193}, pages = {16}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Introduction LingoTalk is a German speech-language app designed to enhance lexical retrieval in individuals with aphasia. It incorporates automatic speech recognition (ASR) to provide therapist-independent feedback. The execution and effectiveness of a self-administered intervention with LingoTalk was explored in a case series study. Methods Three individuals with chronic aphasia participated in a highly individualized, supervised self-administered intervention lasting 3 weeks. The LingoTalk app closely monitored the frequency, intensity and progress of the intervention. Treatment efficacy was assessed using a multiple baseline design, examining both item-specific treatment effects and generalization to untreated items, an untreated task, and spontaneous speech. Results All participants successfully completed the intervention with LingoTalk, although one participant was not able to use the ASR feature. None of the participants fully adhered to the treatment protocol. All participants demonstrated significant and sustained improvement in the naming of practiced items, although there was limited evidence of generalization. Additionally, there was a slight reduction in word-finding difficulties during spontaneous speech. Discussion This small-scale study indicates that self-administered intervention with LingoTalk can improve oral naming of treated items. Thus, it has the potential to complement face-to-face speech-language therapy, such as within in a "flipped speech room" approach. The choice of feedback mode is discussed. Transparent progress monitoring of the intervention appears to positively influence patients' motivation.}, language = {en} } @article{RosenblumPikovsky2023, author = {Rosenblum, Michael and Pikovsky, Arkady}, title = {Inferring connectivity of an oscillatory network via the phase dynamics reconstruction}, series = {Frontiers in network physiology}, volume = {3}, journal = {Frontiers in network physiology}, publisher = {Frontiers Media}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {2674-0109}, doi = {10.3389/fnetp.2023.1298228}, pages = {10}, year = {2023}, abstract = {We review an approach for reconstructing oscillatory networks' undirected and directed connectivity from data. The technique relies on inferring the phase dynamics model. The central assumption is that we observe the outputs of all network nodes. We distinguish between two cases. In the first one, the observed signals represent smooth oscillations, while in the second one, the data are pulse-like and can be viewed as point processes. For the first case, we discuss estimating the true phase from a scalar signal, exploiting the protophase-to-phase transformation. With the phases at hand, pairwise and triplet synchronization indices can characterize the undirected connectivity. Next, we demonstrate how to infer the general form of the coupling functions for two or three oscillators and how to use these functions to quantify the directional links. We proceed with a different treatment of networks with more than three nodes. We discuss the difference between the structural and effective phase connectivity that emerges due to high-order terms in the coupling functions. For the second case of point-process data, we use the instants of spikes to infer the phase dynamics model in the Winfree form directly. This way, we obtain the network's coupling matrix in the first approximation in the coupling strength.}, language = {en} } @article{KonakvandeWaterDoeringetal.2023, author = {Konak, Orhan and van de Water, Robin and D{\"o}ring, Valentin and Fiedler, Tobias and Liebe, Lucas and Masopust, Leander and Postnov, Kirill and Sauerwald, Franz and Treykorn, Felix and Wischmann, Alexander and Gjoreski, Hristijan and Luštrek, Mitja and Arnrich, Bert}, title = {HARE}, series = {Sensors}, volume = {23}, journal = {Sensors}, number = {23}, publisher = {MDPI}, address = {Basel}, issn = {1424-8220}, doi = {10.3390/s23239571}, pages = {23}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Sensor-based human activity recognition is becoming ever more prevalent. The increasing importance of distinguishing human movements, particularly in healthcare, coincides with the advent of increasingly compact sensors. A complex sequence of individual steps currently characterizes the activity recognition pipeline. It involves separate data collection, preparation, and processing steps, resulting in a heterogeneous and fragmented process. To address these challenges, we present a comprehensive framework, HARE, which seamlessly integrates all necessary steps. HARE offers synchronized data collection and labeling, integrated pose estimation for data anonymization, a multimodal classification approach, and a novel method for determining optimal sensor placement to enhance classification results. Additionally, our framework incorporates real-time activity recognition with on-device model adaptation capabilities. To validate the effectiveness of our framework, we conducted extensive evaluations using diverse datasets, including our own collected dataset focusing on nursing activities. Our results show that HARE's multimodal and on-device trained model outperforms conventional single-modal and offline variants. Furthermore, our vision-based approach for optimal sensor placement yields comparable results to the trained model. Our work advances the field of sensor-based human activity recognition by introducing a comprehensive framework that streamlines data collection and classification while offering a novel method for determining optimal sensor placement.}, language = {en} } @article{BlaserWeymarWendt2023, author = {Blaser, Berenike Lisa and Weymar, Mathias and Wendt, Julia}, title = {The effect of a single-session heart rate variability biofeedback on attentional control}, series = {Frontiers in psychology}, volume = {14}, journal = {Frontiers in psychology}, publisher = {Frontiers Research Foundation}, address = {Lausanne}, issn = {1664-1078}, doi = {10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1292983}, pages = {13}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Introduction Vagally mediated heart rate variability is an index of autonomic nervous system activity that is associated with a large variety of outcome variables including psychopathology and self-regulation. While practicing heart rate variability biofeedback over several weeks has been reliably associated with a number of positive outcomes, its acute effects are not well known. As the strongest association with vagally mediated heart rate variability has been found particularly within the attention-related subdomain of self-regulation, we investigated the acute effect of heart rate variability biofeedback on attentional control using the revised Attention Network Test. Methods Fifty-six participants were tested in two sessions. In one session each participant received a heart rate variability biofeedback intervention, and in the other session a control intervention of paced breathing at a normal ventilation rate. After the biofeedback or control intervention, participants completed the Attention Network Test using the Orienting Score as a measure of attentional control. Results Mixed models revealed that higher resting baseline vagally mediated heart rate variability was associated with better performance in attentional control, which suggests more efficient direction of attention to target stimuli. There was no significant main effect of the intervention on attentional control. However, an interaction effect indicated better performance in attentional control after biofeedback in individuals who reported higher current stress levels. Discussion The results point to acute beneficial effects of heart rate variability biofeedback on cognitive performance in highly stressed individuals. Although promising, the results need to be replicated in larger or more targeted samples in order to reach stronger conclusions about the effects.}, language = {en} } @article{LangaryKuekenNikoloski2023, author = {Langary, Damoun and K{\"u}ken, Anika and Nikoloski, Zoran}, title = {The effective deficiency of biochemical networks}, series = {Scientific reports}, volume = {13}, journal = {Scientific reports}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, address = {London}, issn = {2045-2322}, doi = {10.1038/s41598-023-41767-1}, pages = {12}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The deficiency of a (bio)chemical reaction network can be conceptually interpreted as a measure of its ability to support exotic dynamical behavior and/or multistationarity. The classical definition of deficiency relates to the capacity of a network to permit variations of the complex formation rate vector at steady state, irrespective of the network kinetics. However, the deficiency is by definition completely insensitive to the fine details of the directionality of reactions as well as bounds on reaction fluxes. While the classical definition of deficiency can be readily applied in the analysis of unconstrained, weakly reversible networks, it only provides an upper bound in the cases where relevant constraints on reaction fluxes are imposed. Here we propose the concept of effective deficiency, which provides a more accurate assessment of the network's capacity to permit steady state variations at the complex level for constrained networks of any reversibility patterns. The effective deficiency relies on the concept of nonstoichiometric balanced complexes, which we have already shown to be present in real-world biochemical networks operating under flux constraints. Our results demonstrate that the effective deficiency of real-world biochemical networks is smaller than the classical deficiency, indicating the effects of reaction directionality and flux bounds on the variation of the complex formation rate vector at steady state.}, language = {en} }