7,340 results on '"Buechler, A"'
Search Results
52. Adipose tissue depot specific expression and regulation of fibrosis-related genes and proteins in experimental obesity
- Author
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Eisinger, Kristina, Girke, Philipp, Buechler, Christa, and Krautbauer, Sabrina
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- 2024
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53. Absorbing State Phase Transition with Clifford Circuits
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Makki, Nastasia, Lang, Nicolai, and Büchler, Hans Peter
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Condensed Matter - Statistical Mechanics ,Quantum Physics - Abstract
The role of quantum fluctuations in modifying the critical behavior of non-equilibrium phase transitions is a fundamental but unsolved question. In this study, we examine the absorbing state phase transition of a 1D chain of qubits undergoing a contact process that involves both coherent and classical dynamics. We adopt a discrete-time quantum model with states that can be described in the stabilizer formalism, and therefore allows for an efficient simulation of large system sizes. The extracted critical exponents indicate that the absorbing state phase transition of this Clifford circuit model belongs to the directed percolation universality class. This suggests that the inclusion of quantum fluctuations does not necessarily alter the critical behavior of non-equilibrium phase transitions of purely classical systems. Finally, we extend our analysis to a non-Clifford circuit model, where a tentative scaling analysis in small systems reveals critical exponents that are also consistent with the directed percolation universality class., Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures
- Published
- 2023
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54. Decoding the Projective Transverse Field Ising Model
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Roser, Felix, Büchler, Hans Peter, and Lang, Nicolai
- Subjects
Quantum Physics ,Condensed Matter - Disordered Systems and Neural Networks ,Condensed Matter - Statistical Mechanics - Abstract
The competition between non-commuting projective measurements in discrete quantum circuits can give rise to entanglement transitions. It separates a regime where initially stored quantum information survives the time evolution from a regime where the measurements destroy the quantum information. Here we study one such system - the projective transverse field Ising model - with a focus on its capabilities as a quantum error correction code. The idea is to interpret one type of measurement as an error and the other type as a syndrome measurement. We demonstrate that there is a finite threshold below which quantum information encoded in an initially entangled state can be retrieved reliably. In particular, we implement the maximum likelihood decoder to demonstrate that the error correction threshold is distinct from the entanglement transition. This implies that there is a finite regime where quantum information is protected by the projective dynamics, but cannot be retrieved by using syndrome measurements., Comment: 18 pages, 9 figures
- Published
- 2023
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55. Hindsight States: Blending Sim and Real Task Elements for Efficient Reinforcement Learning
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Guist, Simon, Schneider, Jan, Dittrich, Alexander, Berenz, Vincent, Schölkopf, Bernhard, and Büchler, Dieter
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Computer Science - Robotics ,Computer Science - Artificial Intelligence ,Computer Science - Machine Learning ,Computer Science - Neural and Evolutionary Computing - Abstract
Reinforcement learning has shown great potential in solving complex tasks when large amounts of data can be generated with little effort. In robotics, one approach to generate training data builds on simulations based on dynamics models derived from first principles. However, for tasks that, for instance, involve complex soft robots, devising such models is substantially more challenging. Being able to train effectively in increasingly complicated scenarios with reinforcement learning enables to take advantage of complex systems such as soft robots. Here, we leverage the imbalance in complexity of the dynamics to learn more sample-efficiently. We (i) abstract the task into distinct components, (ii) off-load the simple dynamics parts into the simulation, and (iii) multiply these virtual parts to generate more data in hindsight. Our new method, Hindsight States (HiS), uses this data and selects the most useful transitions for training. It can be used with an arbitrary off-policy algorithm. We validate our method on several challenging simulated tasks and demonstrate that it improves learning both alone and when combined with an existing hindsight algorithm, Hindsight Experience Replay (HER). Finally, we evaluate HiS on a physical system and show that it boosts performance on a complex table tennis task with a muscular robot. Videos and code of the experiments can be found on webdav.tuebingen.mpg.de/his/.
- Published
- 2023
56. Functional completeness of planar Rydberg blockade structures
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Stastny, Simon, Büchler, Hans Peter, and Lang, Nicolai
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Quantum Physics ,Condensed Matter - Quantum Gases ,Physics - Atomic Physics - Abstract
The construction of Hilbert spaces that are characterized by local constraints as the low-energy sectors of microscopic models is an important step towards the realization of a wide range of quantum phases with long-range entanglement and emergent gauge fields. Here we show that planar structures of trapped atoms in the Rydberg blockade regime are functionally complete: Their ground state manifold can realize any Hilbert space that can be characterized by local constraints in the product basis. We introduce a versatile framework, together with a set of provably minimal logic primitives as building blocks, to implement these constraints. As examples, we present lattice realizations of the string-net Hilbert spaces that underlie the surface code and the Fibonacci anyon model. We discuss possible optimizations of planar Rydberg structures to increase their geometrical robustness., Comment: 33 pages, 14 figures, v2: fixed typos, added additional references and comments
- Published
- 2023
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- View/download PDF
57. Urinary Hydroxyproline as an Inflammation-Independent Biomarker of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Author
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Muriel Huss, Tanja Elger, Johanna Loibl, Arne Kandulski, Benedicta Binder, Petra Stoeckert, Patricia Mester, Martina Müller, Christa Buechler, and Hauke Christian Tews
- Subjects
urine ,calprotectin ,primary sclerosing cholangitis ,C-reactive protein ,IBD ,hydroxyproline ,Diseases of the digestive system. Gastroenterology ,RC799-869 - Abstract
Predicting responses and monitoring the severity of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is challenging due to a lack of specific biomarkers. This study identifies urinary hydroxyproline, a marker of collagen turnover elevated in experimental colitis, as independent of conventional biomarkers like creatinine, glomerular filtration rate, C-reactive protein, and fecal calprotectin. Among 71 IBD patients, urinary hydroxyproline levels were significantly higher compared with 36 controls, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.814, highlighting its potential as a diagnostic tool. No significant difference in hydroxyproline levels was observed between the 50 Crohn’s disease and 21 ulcerative colitis patients, nor was there a correlation with kidney function markers, gastrointestinal symptom severity, or stool consistency. Disease localization was not associated with urinary hydroxyproline levels. Interestingly, 14 patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis and IBD also exhibited elevated urinary hydroxyproline levels, comparable to IBD patients but higher than healthy controls. This underscores the role of urinary hydroxyproline as an independent biomarker for IBD diagnosis, without association with disease severity or established markers like fecal calprotectin.
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- 2024
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58. Fistulising skin metastases in Crohn’s disease: a case report and review of the literature
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Tanja Elger, Johanna Loibl, Christa Buechler, Sebastian Haferkamp, Jens Werner, Konstantin Drexler, Ulrich Hohenleutner, Karsten Guelow, Claudia Kunst, Arne Kandulski, Pia Goeggelmann, Martina Mueller, and Hauke Christian Tews
- Subjects
Metastatic Crohn’s disease ,Skin fistulae ,Ustekinumab ,Inflammatory bowel disease ,Extraintestinal manifestation ,Medicine - Abstract
Abstract Background Metastatic Crohn’s disease is a rare disorder characterized by various granulomatous skin lesions that occur independently of gastrointestinal tract involvement. However, currently there is no standardized care or specific treatment. Therapeutic approaches include immunosuppressive agents, such as corticosteroids, azathioprine, and monoclonal antibodies targeting inflammatory cytokines like tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Case presentation We present a case of a 29-year-old western European woman with significant blind ending abdominal subcutaneous fistulas and abscesses, who sought evaluation in the dermatology department. Histological examination revealed multiple epithelioid cell granulomas. There was no evidence of infectious or rheumatologic diseases such as sarcoidosis. The tentative diagnosis was metastatic Crohn’s disease, which was not related to an intestinal manifestation of the disease. The patient responded to infliximab but had to discontinue it due to an allergic reaction. Subsequent adalimumab treatment failed to induce clinical remission; thus, therapy was switched to ustekinumab, resulting in a positive response. Written informed consent for publication of their clinical details and clinical images was obtained from the patient. For our study more than 1600 publications were screened for cases of metastatic Crohn’s disease on PubMed database. 59 case reports with 171 patients were included in the analysis and evaluated for localization, diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, and complications and were summarized in this review. Conclusion The successful ustekinumab treatment of a patient with metastatic Crohn's disease underscores the potential of this minimally investigated therapeutic option, highlighting the need for future treatment guidelines given the increasing prevalence of such cases.
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- 2024
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59. Communities conditionally support deployment of direct air capture for carbon dioxide removal in the United States
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Celina Scott-Buechler, Bruce Cain, Khalid Osman, Nicole M. Ardoin, Catherine Fraser, Grace Adcox, Emily Polk, and Robert B. Jackson
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Geology ,QE1-996.5 ,Environmental sciences ,GE1-350 - Abstract
Abstract Direct air capture has gained traction as a method for carbon dioxide removal. How and whether direct air capture can be deployed requires securing social license to operate, and increasingly demands environmental justice and just transition principles. Here we use a nationally representative survey to evaluate public perceptions of direct air capture, paired with focus groups to assess community perceptions across four communities in the United States: Houston, Texas; Monaca, Pennsylvania; Bakersfield, California; and Rock Springs, Wyoming. We find conditional support for direct air capture deployment among focus group participants, and majority support for direct air capture deployment among national survey respondents. The most important determinants of project support were procedural justice elements—in particular community involvement in planning and implementation—and anticipated community benefits in the forms of local infrastructure and workforce development, supporting the need to center environmental justice and just transition principles into project planning and implementation. Where concerns over environmental and health implications are strong, direct air capture may not gain local social license to operate, especially in communities with previous negative experiences with industry.
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- 2024
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60. Life of Pi: Exploring functions of Pi16+ fibroblasts [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]
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Erika E. McCartney, Yein Chung, and Matthew B. Buechler
- Subjects
Review ,Articles ,fibroblast ,Pi16 - Abstract
Fibroblasts are mesenchymal cells that are responsible for creating and maintaining tissue architecture through the production of extracellular matrix. These cells also play critical roles in processes such as wound repair and immune modulation in normal tissues and various disease states including fibrosis, autoimmunity, and cancer. Fibroblasts have a complex repertoire of functions that vary by organ, inflammatory state, and the developmental stage of an organism. How fibroblasts manage so many functions in such a context-dependent manner represents a gap in our understanding of these cells. One possibility is that a tissue-resident precursor cell state exists that provides the fibroblast lineage with flexibility during growth, inflammation, or other contexts that require dynamic tissue changes. Recent work has suggested that a precursor fibroblast cell state is marked by expression of Peptidase inhibitor 16 ( Pi16). This review aims to concatenate and compare studies on fibroblasts that express Pi16 to clarify the roles of this cell state in fibroblast lineage development and other functions.
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- 2024
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61. Breast cancer-associated fibroblasts maintain self-renewing immunosuppressive macrophages
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Altieri, Anthony and Buechler, Matthew B.
- Published
- 2024
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62. Quantum fluctuations in one-dimensional supersolids
- Author
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Bühler, Chris, Ilg, Tobias, and Büchler, Hans Peter
- Subjects
Condensed Matter - Quantum Gases ,Quantum Physics - Abstract
In one-dimension, quantum fluctuations prevent the appearance of long-range order in a supersolid, and only quasi long-range order can survive. We derive this quantum critical behavior and study its influence on the superfluid response and properties of the solid. The analysis is based on an effective low-energy description accounting for the two coupled Goldstone modes. We find that the quantum phase transition from the superfluid to the supersolid is shifted by quantum fluctuations from its mean-field prediction. However, for current experimental parameters with dipolar atomic gases, this shift is not observable and the transition appears to be mean-field like.
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- 2022
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63. Ground-state stability and excitation spectrum of a one-dimensional dipolar supersolid
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Ilg, Tobias and Büchler, Hans Peter
- Subjects
Condensed Matter - Quantum Gases ,Quantum Physics - Abstract
We study the behavior of the excitation spectrum across the quantum phase transition from a superfluid to a supersolid phase of a dipolar Bose gas confined to a one-dimensional geometry. Including the leading beyond-mean-field effects within an effective Hamiltonian, the analysis is based on Bogoliubov theory with several order parameters accounting for the superfluid as well as solid structure. We find fast convergence of the ground-state energy in the supersolid with the number of order parameters and demonstrate a stable excitation spectrum with two Goldstone modes and an amplitude mode in the low-energy regime. Our results suggest that there exists an experimentally achievable parameter regime for dysprosium atoms, where the supersolid phase exhibits a stable excitation spectrum in the thermodynamic limit and the transition into the supersolid phase is of second order driven by the roton instability.
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- 2022
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64. Large Scale Real-World Multi-Person Tracking
- Author
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Shuai, Bing, Bergamo, Alessandro, Buechler, Uta, Berneshawi, Andrew, Boden, Alyssa, and Tighe, Joseph
- Subjects
Computer Science - Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition - Abstract
This paper presents a new large scale multi-person tracking dataset -- \texttt{PersonPath22}, which is over an order of magnitude larger than currently available high quality multi-object tracking datasets such as MOT17, HiEve, and MOT20 datasets. The lack of large scale training and test data for this task has limited the community's ability to understand the performance of their tracking systems on a wide range of scenarios and conditions such as variations in person density, actions being performed, weather, and time of day. \texttt{PersonPath22} dataset was specifically sourced to provide a wide variety of these conditions and our annotations include rich meta-data such that the performance of a tracker can be evaluated along these different dimensions. The lack of training data has also limited the ability to perform end-to-end training of tracking systems. As such, the highest performing tracking systems all rely on strong detectors trained on external image datasets. We hope that the release of this dataset will enable new lines of research that take advantage of large scale video based training data., Comment: ECCV 2022
- Published
- 2022
65. Creation of non-classical states of light in a chiral waveguide
- Author
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Kleinbeck, Kevin, Busche, Hannes, Stiesdal, Nina, Hofferberth, Sebastian, Mølmer, Klaus, and Büchler, Hans Peter
- Subjects
Quantum Physics - Abstract
Creating non-classical states of light from simple quantum systems together with classical resources is a challenging problem. We show how chiral emitters under a coherent drive can generate non-classical photon states. For our analysis, we select a specific temporal mode in the transmitted light field, resulting in a coupled master equation for the relevant mode and the chiral emitters. We characterise the mode's state by its Wigner function and show that the emission from the system predominantly produces mixtures of few-photon-added coherent states. We argue that these non-classical states are experimentally accessible and show their application for quantum metrology., Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures
- Published
- 2022
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66. AIMY: An Open-source Table Tennis Ball Launcher for Versatile and High-fidelity Trajectory Generation
- Author
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Dittrich, Alexander, Schneider, Jan, Guist, Simon, Gürtler, Nico, Ott, Heiko, Steinbrenner, Thomas, Schölkopf, Bernhard, and Büchler, Dieter
- Subjects
Computer Science - Robotics ,Computer Science - Hardware Architecture ,Electrical Engineering and Systems Science - Systems and Control - Abstract
To approach the level of advanced human players in table tennis with robots, generating varied ball trajectories in a reproducible and controlled manner is essential. Current ball launchers used in robot table tennis either do not provide an interface for automatic control or are limited in their capabilities to adapt speed, direction, and spin of the ball. For these reasons, we present AIMY, a three-wheeled open-hardware and open-source table tennis ball launcher, which can generate ball speeds and spins of up to 15.4 ms-1 and 192 s-1, respectively, which are comparable to advanced human players. The wheel speeds, launch orientation and time can be fully controlled via an open Ethernet or Wi-Fi interface. We provide a detailed overview of the core design features, as well as open source the software to encourage distribution and duplication within and beyond the robot table tennis research community. We also extensively evaluate the ball launcher's accuracy for different system settings and learn to launch a ball to desired locations. With this ball launcher, we enable long-duration training of robot table tennis approaches where the complexity of the ball trajectory can be automatically adjusted, enabling large-scale real-world online reinforcement learning for table tennis robots., Comment: Accepted for ICRA 2023
- Published
- 2022
67. Life of Pi: Exploring functions of Pi16+ fibroblasts [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]
- Author
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Yein Chung, Matthew B. Buechler, and Erika E. McCartney
- Subjects
fibroblast ,Pi16 ,eng ,Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Fibroblasts are mesenchymal cells that are responsible for creating and maintaining tissue architecture through the production of extracellular matrix. These cells also play critical roles in processes such as wound repair and immune modulation in normal tissues and various disease states including fibrosis, autoimmunity, and cancer. Fibroblasts have a complex repertoire of functions that vary by organ, inflammatory state, and the developmental stage of an organism. How fibroblasts manage so many functions in such a context-dependent manner represents a gap in our understanding of these cells. One possibility is that a tissue-resident precursor cell state exists that provides the fibroblast lineage with flexibility during growth, inflammation, or other contexts that require dynamic tissue changes. Recent work has suggested that a precursor fibroblast cell state is marked by expression of Peptidase inhibitor 16 (Pi16). This review aims to concatenate and compare studies on fibroblasts that express Pi16 to clarify the roles of this cell state in fibroblast lineage development and other functions.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
68. Pitfalls in antiphospholipid antibody testing: specifically interference from anticoagulation
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Ali, Hammad, Buechler, Connor R., Sanaullah, Oneeb, and Piranavan, Paramarajan
- Published
- 2024
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69. Improving the Load Flexibility of Stratified Electric Water Heaters: Design and Experimental Validation of MPC Strategies.
- Author
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Elizabeth Buechler, Aaron Goldin, and Ram Rajagopal
- Published
- 2024
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70. EV-EcoSim: A Grid-Aware Co-Simulation Platform for the Design and Optimization of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure.
- Author
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Emmanuel Balogun, Elizabeth Buechler, Siddharth Bhela, Simona Onori, and Ram Rajagopal
- Published
- 2024
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71. A case series of hydroxychloroquine exacerbating the dermatomyositis rash
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Rypka, Katelyn, Buonomo, Michele, Buechler, Connor, Benolken, Molly, Swigost, Adam, Konstantinov, Nikifor, Gaddis, Kevin, and Goldfarb, Noah
- Subjects
adverse effect ,autoimmune ,dermatomyositis ,hydroxychloroquine ,rheumatology - Abstract
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is an antimalarial agent that is commonly used in the management of rheumatic skin disease. Few reports exist documenting exacerbation of dermatomyositis (DM) related to HCQ. Herein, we describe three adult patients with worsening DM cutaneous disease after starting HCQ and resolution or improvement with cessation. The time to exacerbation ranged from two weeks to nine months after the initiation of HCQ 400mg/day. Two of the three patients had antibodies to transcription intermediary factor 1γ (TIF1γ) and the other had antibodies to anti-nuclear matrix protein 2 (NXP2). After discontinuation of HCQ, the time to improvement or resolution of cutaneous symptoms ranged from six weeks to six months. Hydroxychloroquine may be associated with worsening cutaneous features in DM. In patients who are not improving despite escalation of immunosuppressive medications, or are worsening, we recommend a trial of discontinuing HCQ.
- Published
- 2023
72. Learning with Muscles: Benefits for Data-Efficiency and Robustness in Anthropomorphic Tasks
- Author
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Wochner, Isabell, Schumacher, Pierre, Martius, Georg, Büchler, Dieter, Schmitt, Syn, and Haeufle, Daniel F. B.
- Subjects
Computer Science - Robotics ,Computer Science - Machine Learning - Abstract
Humans are able to outperform robots in terms of robustness, versatility, and learning of new tasks in a wide variety of movements. We hypothesize that highly nonlinear muscle dynamics play a large role in providing inherent stability, which is favorable to learning. While recent advances have been made in applying modern learning techniques to muscle-actuated systems both in simulation as well as in robotics, so far, no detailed analysis has been performed to show the benefits of muscles when learning from scratch. Our study closes this gap and showcases the potential of muscle actuators for core robotics challenges in terms of data-efficiency, hyperparameter sensitivity, and robustness.
- Published
- 2022
73. Visceral fat and cardiometabolic future in children and adolescents: a critical update
- Author
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Marketou, Maria E., Buechler, Natalia Simantiraki, Fragkiadakis, Kostantinos, Plevritaki, Anthoula, Zervakis, Stelios, Maragkoudakis, Spyros, Tsiavos, Alexandros, Simantirakis, Emmanouel, and Kochiadakis, George
- Published
- 2023
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74. Konklusion
- Author
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Mangiapane, Markus, Büchler, Roman P., Mangiapane, Markus, and Büchler, Roman P.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
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75. On the Optimisation of the GSACA Suffix Array Construction Algorithm
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Olbrich, Jannik, Ohlebusch, Enno, and Büchler, Thomas
- Subjects
Computer Science - Data Structures and Algorithms - Abstract
The suffix array is arguably one of the most important data structures in sequence analysis and consequently there is a multitude of suffix sorting algorithms. However, to this date the GSACA algorithm introduced in 2015 is the only known non-recursive linear-time suffix array construction algorithm (SACA). Despite its interesting theoretical properties, there has been little effort in improving the algorithm's subpar real-world performance. There is a super-linear algorithm DSH which relies on the same sorting principle and is faster than DivSufSort, the fastest SACA for over a decade. This paper is concerned with analysing the sorting principle used in GSACA and DSH and exploiting its properties in order to give an optimised linear-time algorithm. Our resulting algorithm is not only significantly faster than GSACA but also outperforms DivSufSort and DSH.
- Published
- 2022
76. DEP-RL: Embodied Exploration for Reinforcement Learning in Overactuated and Musculoskeletal Systems
- Author
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Schumacher, Pierre, Häufle, Daniel, Büchler, Dieter, Schmitt, Syn, and Martius, Georg
- Subjects
Computer Science - Robotics ,Computer Science - Machine Learning - Abstract
Muscle-actuated organisms are capable of learning an unparalleled diversity of dexterous movements despite their vast amount of muscles. Reinforcement learning (RL) on large musculoskeletal models, however, has not been able to show similar performance. We conjecture that ineffective exploration in large overactuated action spaces is a key problem. This is supported by the finding that common exploration noise strategies are inadequate in synthetic examples of overactuated systems. We identify differential extrinsic plasticity (DEP), a method from the domain of self-organization, as being able to induce state-space covering exploration within seconds of interaction. By integrating DEP into RL, we achieve fast learning of reaching and locomotion in musculoskeletal systems, outperforming current approaches in all considered tasks in sample efficiency and robustness.
- Published
- 2022
77. Essential growth factor receptors for fibroblast homeostasis and activation: Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR), Platelet Derived Growth Factor Receptor (PDGFR), and Transforming Growth Factor β Receptor (TGFβR) [version 2; peer review: 2 approved with reservations]
- Author
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Maye F. Cheng, Faizah S. Abdullah, and Matthew B. Buechler
- Subjects
Review ,Articles ,Fibroblasts ,growth factors ,growth factor receptors ,FGFR ,PDGFR ,TGF-b - Abstract
Fibroblasts are cells of mesenchymal origin that are found throughout the body. While these cells have several functions, their integral roles include maintaining tissue architecture through the production of key extracellular matrix components, and participation in wound healing after injury. Fibroblasts are also key mediators in disease progression during fibrosis, cancer, and other inflammatory diseases. Under these perturbed states, fibroblasts can activate into inflammatory fibroblasts or contractile myofibroblasts. Fibroblasts require various growth factors and mitogenic molecules for survival, proliferation, and differentiation. While the activity of mitogenic growth factors on fibroblasts in vitro was characterized as early as the 1970s, the proliferation and differentiation effects of growth factors on these cells in vivo are unclear. Recent work exploring the heterogeneity of fibroblasts raises questions as to whether all fibroblast cell states exhibit the same growth factor requirements. Here, we will examine and review existing studies on the influence of fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs), platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFRs), and transforming growth factor β receptor (TGFβR) on fibroblast cell states.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
78. Faster Computation of Chinese Frequent Strings and Their Net Frequencies
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Ohlebusch, Enno, Büchler, Thomas, Olbrich, Jannik, Goos, Gerhard, Series Editor, Hartmanis, Juris, Founding Editor, Bertino, Elisa, Editorial Board Member, Gao, Wen, Editorial Board Member, Steffen, Bernhard, Editorial Board Member, Yung, Moti, Editorial Board Member, Lipták, Zsuzsanna, editor, Moura, Edleno, editor, Figueroa, Karina, editor, and Baeza-Yates, Ricardo, editor
- Published
- 2025
- Full Text
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79. Multi-Tiered Early Reading Supports Predictive of Student Reading Outcomes
- Author
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Buechler, Tamar Jennifer
- Abstract
Although there is a large body of research on effective early reading instructional practices, schools continue to implement instruction and intervention that is not aligned to the science. Over the past 25 years, a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework has emerged as a leading framework for advancing the reading skill development of all students. However, little is known about which aspects/components of its implementation are required to advance students' reading outcomes. This study utilized multiple regression examine the degree to which aspects/components of MTSS implementation (universal screening, explicit/direct instruction, consistency in tier 1 instruction, and individualized instruction in tier 2 interventions) predict students' early reading performance as measured by benchmark attainment on DIBELS Nonsense Word Fluency and Oral Reading Fluency. Predictors and dependent measures were coded at the grade level for 53 schools, with a total of 166 cases representing each grade level across participating schools. Results indicated that consistency in the implementation of foundational tier 1 reading skill instruction, as well as the use of skill-focused grouping for tier 2 intervention, were predictive of student reading success. Although research supports the value of skill-focused CBM universal screening assessments and providing explicit, direct reading instruction, neither screening assessment use nor the provision of explicit and direct instruction were found to be a significant predictor of student reading success. Study limitations that may explain the lack of significant findings for these latter predictors, along with recommendations for future research, are discussed. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
- Published
- 2023
80. Distinct metabolomic and lipidomic profiles in serum samples of patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis
- Author
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Tanja Fererberger, Christa Buechler, Arne Kandulski, Tanja Elger, Johanna Loibl, Stephan Schmid, Stefanie Sommersberger, Stefan Gunawan, Sebastian Zundler, Muriel Huss, Dominik Bettenworth, Sally Kempa, Simon Weidlich, Bandik Föh, Xinyu Huang, Marcin Grzegorzek, Stefanie Derer-Petersen, Ulrich L. Günther, Jens U. Marquardt, Claudia Kunst, Karsten Gülow, Martina Müller, Christian Sina, Franziska Schmelter, and Hauke C. Tews
- Subjects
PSC ,IBD ,NMR ,metabolome ,lipidome ,Medicine (General) ,R5-920 - Abstract
IntoductionIdentification of specific metabolome and lipidome profile of patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is crucial for diagnosis, targeted personalized therapy, and more accurate risk stratification.MethodsNuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy revealed an altered metabolome and lipidome of 33 patients with PSC [24 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and 9 patients without IBD] compared with 40 age-, sex-, and body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy controls (HC) as well as 64 patients with IBD and other extraintestinal manifestations (EIM) but without PSC.ResultsIn particular, higher concentrations of pyruvic acid and several lipoprotein subfractions were measured in PSC in comparison to HC. Of clinical relevance, a specific amino acid and lipid profile was determined in PSC compared with IBD and other EIM.DiscussionThese results have the potential to improve diagnosis by differentiating PSC patients from HC and those with IBD and EIM.
- Published
- 2024
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81. Essential growth factor receptors for fibroblast homeostasis and activation: Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR), Platelet Derived Growth Factor Receptor (PDGFR), and Transforming Growth Factor β Receptor (TGFβR) [version 2; peer review: 2 approved]
- Author
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Matthew B. Buechler, Maye F. Cheng, and Faizah S. Abdullah
- Subjects
Fibroblasts ,growth factors ,growth factor receptors ,FGFR ,PDGFR ,TGF-b ,eng ,Medicine ,Science - Abstract
Fibroblasts are cells of mesenchymal origin that are found throughout the body. While these cells have several functions, their integral roles include maintaining tissue architecture through the production of key extracellular matrix components, and participation in wound healing after injury. Fibroblasts are also key mediators in disease progression during fibrosis, cancer, and other inflammatory diseases. Under these perturbed states, fibroblasts can activate into inflammatory fibroblasts or contractile myofibroblasts. Fibroblasts require various growth factors and mitogenic molecules for survival, proliferation, and differentiation. While the activity of mitogenic growth factors on fibroblasts in vitro was characterized as early as the 1970s, the proliferation and differentiation effects of growth factors on these cells in vivo are unclear. Recent work exploring the heterogeneity of fibroblasts raises questions as to whether all fibroblast cell states exhibit the same growth factor requirements. Here, we will examine and review existing studies on the influence of fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs), platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFRs), and transforming growth factor β receptor (TGFβR) on fibroblast cell states.
- Published
- 2024
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
82. Error-budgeting for a controlled-phase gate with strontium-88 Rydberg atoms
- Author
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Pagano, Alice, Weber, Sebastian, Jaschke, Daniel, Pfau, Tilman, Meinert, Florian, Montangero, Simone, and Büchler, Hans Peter
- Subjects
Quantum Physics ,Condensed Matter - Quantum Gases ,Physics - Atomic Physics - Abstract
We study the implementation of a high fidelity controlled-phase gate in a Rydberg quantum computer. The protocol is based on a symmetric gate with respect to the two qubits as experimentally realized by Levine et al [Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 170503 (2019)], but allows for arbitrary pulse shapes with time-dependent detuning. Optimizing the pulse shapes, we introduce laser pulses which shorten the time spent in the Rydberg state by 10% and reduce the leading contribution to the gate infidelity, i.e., the decay from the Rydberg state. Remarkably, this reduction can be achieved for smooth pulses in detuning and smooth turning on of the Rabi frequency as required in any experimental realization. We carefully analyze the influence of fundamental error sources such as the photon recoil, the microscopic interaction potential, as well as the harmonic trapping of the atoms for an experimentally realistic setup based on strontium-88 atoms. We find that an average gate fidelity above 99.9% is possible for a very conservative estimation of experimental parameters., Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables
- Published
- 2022
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83. Experimentally accessible scheme for a fractional Chern insulator in Rydberg atoms
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Weber, Sebastian, Bai, Rukmani, Makki, Nastasia, Mögerle, Johannes, Lahaye, Thierry, Browaeys, Antoine, Daghofer, Maria, Lang, Nicolai, and Büchler, Hans Peter
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Quantum Physics ,Condensed Matter - Quantum Gases - Abstract
We present a setup with Rydberg atoms for the realization of a bosonic fractional Chern insulator in artificial matter. The suggested setup relies on Rydberg atoms arranged in a honeycomb lattice, where excitations hop through the lattice by dipolar exchange interactions, and can be interpreted as hard-core bosons. The quantum many-body Hamiltonian is studied within exact diagonalization and DMRG. We identify experimentally accessible parameters where all signatures indicate the appearance of a fractional state with the same topological properties as the $\nu=1/2$ bosonic Laughlin state. We demonstrate an adiabatic ramping procedure, which allows for the preparation of the topological state in a finite system, and demonstrate an experimentally accessible smoking gun signature for the fractional excitations., Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures
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- 2022
84. Making housing affordable? The local effects of relaxing land-use regulation
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Büchler, Simon and Lutz, Elena
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- 2024
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85. The past and future of non-residential-to-residential conversions in New York City
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Aldana, Ernesto, Büchler, Simon, and Rolheiser, Lyndsey
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- 2024
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86. Low intraoperative end-tidal carbon dioxide levels are associated with improved recurrence-free survival after elective colorectal cancer surgery
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Dehne, Sarah, Kirschner, Lina, Strowitzki, Moritz J., Kilian, Samuel, Kummer, Laura Christine, Schneider, Martin A., Michalski, Christoph W., Büchler, Markus W., Weigand, Markus A., and Larmann, Jan
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- 2024
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87. Automatic quantification of scapular and glenoid morphology from CT scans using deep learning
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Satir, Osman Berk, Eghbali, Pezhman, Becce, Fabio, Goetti, Patrick, Meylan, Arnaud, Rothenbühler, Kilian, Diot, Robin, Terrier, Alexandre, and Büchler, Philippe
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- 2024
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88. The CB1 negative allosteric modulator PSNCBAM-1 reduces ethanol self-administration via a nonspecific hypophagic effect
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Buechler, Harley M., Sumi, Mousumi, Madhuranthakam, Indu Mithra, Donegan, Christa, DiGiorgio, Frank, Jr., Acosta, Alisha A., Uribe, Sarah, Rahman, Mohammad A., Sorbello, Alison, Fischer, Bradford D., and Keck, Thomas M.
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- 2024
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89. O Real da Violência: Relato de Experiência com um Coletivo de Mulheres
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Flávia Buechler, Cláudia Perrone, Gabriela Silva, and Juliana Rancich
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psicanálise ,política ,real ,violência ,coletivo ,Psychology ,BF1-990 - Abstract
Este trabalho tem como objetivo, a partir da experiência e do testemunho de um Coletivo de Mulheres, propor uma leitura do que nomeamos como o Real da violência por meio do ensino de Lacan e comentadores. Diferente do Real enquanto fundamento ausente ou falta-a-ser, o Real da violência se insere historicamente no dia a dia e na vida de determinados corpos brasileiros, precisamente os corpos negros, femininos e periféricos. Em vista do cenário de impasses socio-políticos do Brasil, mas também de potentes vozes e ações que têm surgido das comunidades atravessadas por estruturas de violência, a experiência do Coletivo ilustra o presente trabalho, a fim de demonstrar caminhos possíveis para um saber-fazer com esse Real ao qual seus filhos e a comunidade estão mais expostos. À luz de conceitos da Teoria Feminista, como, por exemplo, a noção de interseccionalidade e a categoria corpo-território, endossamos essa discussão que demanda à Psicanálise conversar com outros campos do saber. Empreitada que exige engajamento ético e político dos psicanalistas, em especial dos que exercem a práxis analítica no Brasil.
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- 2023
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90. Altered fecal bile acid composition in active ulcerative colitis
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Stefanie Sommersberger, Stefan Gunawan, Tanja Elger, Tanja Fererberger, Johanna Loibl, Muriel Huss, Arne Kandulski, Sabrina Krautbauer, Martina Müller, Gerhard Liebisch, Christa Buechler, and Hauke Christian Tews
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Fecal calprotectin ,Cholic acid ,Deoxycholic acid ,Ulcerative Colitis ,Crohn´s Disease ,Bile acids ,Nutritional diseases. Deficiency diseases ,RC620-627 - Abstract
Abstract Background Disturbed bile acid homeostasis associated with a rise of primary and a decline of secondary bile acids is a consistent finding in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). Whether fecal bile acids may emerge as biomarkers for IBD diagnosis and disease severity is less clear. Our study aimed to identify associations of 18 fecal bile acid species with IBD entity and disease activity. Methods Stool samples of 62 IBD patients and 17 controls were collected. Eighteen fecal bile acid species were quantified by LC–MS/MS using stable isotope dilution. Lipid levels normalized to a dry weight of the fecal homogenates and ratios of single bile acid species to total bile acid levels were used for calculations. Results IBD patients exhibited altered primary and secondary bile acid ratios in stool, with notable distinctions between ulcerative colitis (UC) compared to Crohn’s disease (CD) and healthy controls. Fecal calprotectin was negatively correlated with glycolithocholic acid (GLCA) and hyodeoxycholic acid (HDCA) in UC. These bile acids were reduced in stool of UC patients with fecal calprotectin levels > 500 µg/g compared to UC patients with low calprotectin levels. Moreover, negative associations of six secondary bile acids with C-reactive protein (CRP) existed in UC. In CD patients, fecal bile acids did not correlate with CRP or fecal calprotectin. Diarrhoea is common in IBD, and UC patients with diarrhoea had reduced deoxycholic acid (DCA), glycine conjugated DCA (GDCA) and lithocholic acid in stool in contrast to patients with normal stool consistency. Fecal bile acid levels were not associated with diarrhoea in CD patients. UC patients treated with mesalazine had increased levels of fecal GDCA whereas no such changes were observed in CD patients. Bile acid levels of CD and UC patients treated with biologicals or corticosteroids did not change. Relative levels of GHDCA (specificity: 79%, sensitivity: 67%) and glycochenodeoxycholic acid (specificity: 74%, sensitivity: 63%) were the most specific to distinguish UC from CD. Conclusion Disrupted fecal bile acid homeostasis is associated with disease severity and disease symptoms in UC but not in CD, potentially aiding in distinguishing IBD subtypes and classifying the pathophysiology of diarrhoea in UC.
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- 2023
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91. Fecal short chain fatty acids and urinary 3-indoxyl sulfate do not discriminate between patients with Crohn´s disease and ulcerative colitis and are not of diagnostic utility for predicting disease severity
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Hauke Christian Tews, Tanja Elger, Stefan Gunawan, Tanja Fererberger, Stefanie Sommersberger, Johanna Loibl, Muriel Huss, Gerhard Liebisch, Martina Müller, Arne Kandulski, and Christa Buechler
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Butyrate ,Acetate ,Calprotectin ,Crohn´s disease ,Ulcerative colitis ,IBD ,Nutritional diseases. Deficiency diseases ,RC620-627 - Abstract
Abstract Background Urinary 3-indoxyl sulfate levels as well as fecal short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations are surrogate markers for gut microbiota diversity. Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) and patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a disease closely associated with IBD, have decreased microbiome diversity. In this paper, the fecal SCFAs propionate, acetate, butyrate and isobutyrate of patients with IBD and patients with PSC-IBD and urinary 3-indoxyl sulfate of IBD patients were determined to study associations with disease etiology and severity. Methods SCFA levels in feces of 64 IBD patients and 20 PSC-IBD patients were quantified by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Urinary 3-indoxyl sulfate levels of 45 of these IBD patients were analysed by means of reversed-phase liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-tandem mass spectrometry. Feces of 17 healthy controls and urine of 13 of these controls were analyzed in parallel. These cohorts had comparable sex distribution and age. Results Urinary 3-indoxyl sulfate concentrations (normalized to urinary creatinine levels) was increased (P = 0.030) and fecal isobutyrate levels (normalized to dry weight of the stool sample) of IBD patients were decreased (P = 0.035) in comparison to healthy controls. None of the analyzed metabolites differed between patients with Crohn´s disease (CD) and patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Fecal acetate and butyrate positively correlated with fecal calprotectin (P = 0.040 and P = 0.005, respectively) and serum C-reactive protein (P = 0.024 and P = 0.025, respectively) in UC but not CD patients. UC patients with fecal calprotectin levels above 150 µg/g, indicating intestinal inflammatory activity, had higher fecal acetate (P = 0.016), butyrate (P = 0.007) and propionate (P = 0.046) in comparison to patients with fecal calprotectin levels
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- 2023
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92. Hierarchical Reinforcement Learning with Timed Subgoals
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Gürtler, Nico, Büchler, Dieter, and Martius, Georg
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Computer Science - Machine Learning - Abstract
Hierarchical reinforcement learning (HRL) holds great potential for sample-efficient learning on challenging long-horizon tasks. In particular, letting a higher level assign subgoals to a lower level has been shown to enable fast learning on difficult problems. However, such subgoal-based methods have been designed with static reinforcement learning environments in mind and consequently struggle with dynamic elements beyond the immediate control of the agent even though they are ubiquitous in real-world problems. In this paper, we introduce Hierarchical reinforcement learning with Timed Subgoals (HiTS), an HRL algorithm that enables the agent to adapt its timing to a dynamic environment by not only specifying what goal state is to be reached but also when. We discuss how communicating with a lower level in terms of such timed subgoals results in a more stable learning problem for the higher level. Our experiments on a range of standard benchmarks and three new challenging dynamic reinforcement learning environments show that our method is capable of sample-efficient learning where an existing state-of-the-art subgoal-based HRL method fails to learn stable solutions., Comment: Published at NeurIPS 2021. Code available at https://github.com/martius-lab/HiTS
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- 2021
93. Calprotectin, a Promising Serological Biomarker for the Early Diagnosis of Superinfections with Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria in Patients with COVID-19
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Dennis Keller, Patricia Mester, Ulrich Räth, Sabrina Krautbauer, Stephan Schmid, Verena Greifenberg, Martina Müller, Claudia Kunst, Christa Buechler, and Vlad Pavel
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calprotectin ,biomarker ,critical care ,bloodstream infections ,COVID-19 ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Bacterial and fungal superinfections are common in COVID-19, and early diagnosis can enable timely intervention. Serum calprotectin levels increase with bacterial, fungal, and viral infections. This study evaluated serum calprotectin as a diagnostic and prognostic tool for microbial superinfections in COVID-19. Serum samples from adult patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 were collected during hospitalization from 2020 to 2024. Calprotectin levels were measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 63 patients with moderate COVID-19, 60 patients with severe COVID-19, and 34 healthy individuals. Calprotectin serum levels were elevated in patients with moderate COVID-19 compared with controls, and these levels were further increased in the severe cases. Patients with severe COVID-19 and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) bacteremia had elevated calprotectin levels, but their C-reactive protein and procalcitonin levels were not increased. Fungal superinfections and herpes simplex virus reactivation did not change the calprotectin levels. A calprotectin concentration of 31.29 µg/mL can be used to diagnose VRE bloodstream infection with 60% sensitivity and 96% specificity. These data suggest that serum calprotectin may be a promising biomarker for the early detection of VRE bloodstream infections in patients with COVID-19.
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- 2024
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94. Hepatic Amyloid Beta-42-Metabolizing Proteins in Liver Steatosis and Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatohepatitis
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Simon Gross, Lusine Danielyan, Christa Buechler, Marion Kubitza, Kathrin Klein, Matthias Schwab, Michael Melter, and Thomas S. Weiss
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MASLD ,NAFLD ,MASH ,NASH ,steatosis ,fibrosis ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Amyloid beta (Aβ) plays a major role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease and, more recently, has been shown to protect against liver fibrosis. Therefore, we studied Aβ-42 levels and the expression of genes involved in the generation, degradation, and transport of Aβ proteins in liver samples from patients at different stages of metabolic dysfunction-associated liver disease (MASLD) and under steatotic conditions in vitro/in vivo. Amyloid precursor protein (APP), key Aβ-metabolizing proteins, and Aβ-42 were analyzed using RT-PCR, Western blotting, Luminex analysis in steatotic in vitro and fatty liver mouse models, and TaqMan qRT-PCR analysis in hepatic samples from patients with MASLD. Hepatocytes loaded with palmitic acid induced APP, presenilin, and neprilysin (NEP) expression, which was reversed by oleic acid. Increased APP and NEP, decreased BACE1, and unchanged Aβ-42 protein levels were found in the steatotic mouse liver compared to the normal liver. Aβ-42 concentrations were low in MASLD samples of patients with moderate to severe fibrosis compared to the livers of patients with mild or no MASLD. Consistent with the reduced Aβ-42 levels, the mRNA expression of proteins involved in APP degradation (ADAM9/10/17, BACE2) and Aβ-42 cleavage (MMP2/7/9, ACE) was increased. In the steatotic liver, the expression of APP- and Aβ-metabolizing proteins is increased, most likely related to oxidative stress, but does not affect hepatic Aβ-42 levels. Consistent with our previous findings, low Aβ-42 levels in patients with liver fibrosis appear to be caused by the reduced production and enhanced non-amyloidogenic processing of APP.
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- 2024
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95. Reduced Plasma Bone Morphogenetic Protein 6 Levels in Sepsis and Septic Shock Patients
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Niklas Schmidtner, Alexander Utrata, Patricia Mester, Stephan Schmid, Martina Müller, Vlad Pavel, and Christa Buechler
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septic shock ,SIRS ,COVID-19 ,C-reactive protein ,survival ,BMP6 ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 - Abstract
Infectious diseases are associated with low iron levels and the induction of hepcidin, the primary protein regulating cellular iron export. Bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP6), a key regulator of hepcidin expression, has not yet been analyzed in the plasma of patients with systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) or sepsis. An analysis of 38 SIRS, 39 sepsis, and 78 septic shock patients revealed similar levels of BMP6 in sepsis and septic shock, which were lower compared to patients with SIRS and healthy controls. Plasma BMP6 levels did not correlate with procalcitonin and C-reactive protein levels in patients with SIRS or sepsis/septic shock. Neither bacterial nor SARS-CoV-2 infections affected plasma BMP6 levels. There was no difference in BMP6 levels between ventilated and non-ventilated patients, or between patients with and without dialysis. Vasopressor therapy did not alter BMP6 levels. Survivors had plasma BMP6 levels similar to non-survivors. Due to the high variability of plasma BMP6 levels, these analyses have limited clinical relevance. Iron, ferritin, and transferrin levels were known in at least 50% of patients but did not correlate with plasma BMP6 levels. In conclusion, this study showed normal BMP6 plasma levels in SIRS, which are reduced in patients with sepsis and septic shock. This suggests that the commonly observed increase in hepcidin levels and the decline in iron levels in SIRS, sepsis, and septic shock are not due to higher BMP6.
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- 2024
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96. Serum Phosphatidylcholine Species 32:0 as a Biomarker for Liver Cirrhosis Pre- and Post-Hepatitis C Virus Clearance
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Kilian Weigand, Georg Peschel, Jonathan Grimm, Marcus Höring, Sabrina Krautbauer, Gerhard Liebisch, Martina Müller, and Christa Buechler
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hepatitis C ,direct-acting antivirals ,liver cirrhosis ,genotype ,phosphatidylcholine ,Biology (General) ,QH301-705.5 ,Chemistry ,QD1-999 - Abstract
Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is an essential lipid for liver health and lipoprotein metabolism, but its circulating levels have rarely been studied in patients with cirrhosis. Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes lipid abnormalities and is a major cause of cirrhosis. Effective HCV elimination with direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) is associated with the normalization of serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Since PC is abundant in all lipoprotein particles, this study analyzed the association between serum PC species levels and liver cirrhosis before and after HCV eradication. Therefore, 27 PC species were measured by Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry in the serum of 178 patients with chronic HCV infection at baseline and in 176 of these patients at the end of therapy. The PC species did not correlate with viral load, and the levels of 13 PC species were reduced in patients infected with genotype 3a compared to those affected with genotype 1. Four PC species were slightly elevated 12 weeks after DAA initiation, and genotype-related changes were largely normalized. Patients with HCV and cirrhosis had higher serum levels of PC 30:0 and 32:0 before and at the end of therapy. PC species containing polyunsaturated fatty acids were mostly decreased in cirrhosis. The levels of polyunsaturated, but not saturated, PC species were inversely correlated with the model of the end-stage liver disease score. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed area under the curve values of 0.814 and 0.826 for PC 32:0 and 0.917 and 0.914 for % PC 32:0 (relative to the total PC levels) for the classification of cirrhosis at baseline and at the end of therapy, respectively. In conclusion, the specific upregulation of PC 32:0 in cirrhosis before and after therapy may be of diagnostic value in HCV-related cirrhosis.
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- 2024
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97. High Serum S100A12 as a Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker for Severity, Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Superinfection and Herpes Simplex Virus Reactivation in COVID-19
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Patricia Mester, Dennis Keller, Claudia Kunst, Ulrich Räth, Sophia Rusch, Stephan Schmid, Sabrina Krautbauer, Martina Müller, Christa Buechler, and Vlad Pavel
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SARS-CoV-2 ,herpes simplex ,vancomycin resistance ,neutrophils ,S100A12 ,Microbiology ,QR1-502 - Abstract
Neutrophils are critical immune cells in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). S100 calcium-binding protein A12 (S100A12) is highly expressed in neutrophils during acute inflammation. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum S100A12 levels as a diagnostic and prognostic tool in COVID-19. Serum samples of patients with moderate and severe COVID-19 were collected during 2020 to 2024. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure serum S100A12 levels in 63 patients with moderate COVID-19, 60 patients with severe disease and 33 healthy controls. Serum S100A12 levels were elevated in moderate COVID-19 compared to controls and were even higher in severe cases. In moderate disease, serum S100A12 levels positively correlated with immune cell counts. While C-reactive protein and procalcitonin are established inflammation markers, they did not correlate with serum S100A12 levels in either patient cohort. Patients with severe COVID-19 and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE) infection had increased S100A12 levels. Elevated S100A12 levels were also observed in patients with herpes simplex reactivation. Fungal superinfections did not alter S100A12 levels. These data show that serum S100A12 increases in moderate and severe COVID-19 and is further elevated by VRE bloodstream infection and herpes simplex reactivation. Therefore, S100A12 may serve as a novel biomarker for severe COVID-19 and an early diagnostic indicator for bacterial and viral infections.
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- 2024
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98. Metavert synergises with standard cytotoxics in human PDAC organoids and is associated with transcriptomic signatures of therapeutic response
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An, Jingyu, Kurilov, Roma, Peccerella, Teresa, Bergmann, Frank, Edderkaoui, Mouad, Lim, Adrian, Zhou, Xu, Pfütze, Katrin, Schulz, Angela, Wolf, Stephan, Hu, Kai, Springfeld, Christoph, Mughal, Sadaf S., Zezlina, Lenart, Fortunato, Franco, Beyer, Georg, Mayerle, Julia, Roth, Susanne, Hulkkonen, Johannes, Merz, Daniela, Ei, Shigenori, Mehrabi, Arianeb, Loos, Martin, Al-Saeedi, Mohammed, Michalski, Christoph W., Büchler, Markus W., Hackert, Thilo, Brors, Benedikt, Pandol, Stephen J., Bailey, Peter, and Neoptolemos, John P.
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- 2024
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99. Life of Pi: Exploring functions of Pi16+ fibroblasts [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
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Erika E. McCartney, Yein Chung, and Matthew B. Buechler
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Review ,Articles ,fibroblast ,Pi16 - Abstract
Fibroblasts are mesenchymal cells that are responsible for creating and maintaining tissue architecture through the production of extracellular matrix. These cells also play critical roles in processes such as wound repair and immune modulation in normal tissues and various disease states including fibrosis, autoimmunity, and cancer. Fibroblasts have a complex repertoire of functions that vary by organ, inflammatory state, and the developmental stage of an organism. How fibroblasts manage so many functions in such a context-dependent manner represents a gap in our understanding of these cells. One possibility is that a tissue-resident precursor cell state exists that provides the fibroblast lineage with flexibility during growth, inflammation, or other contexts that require dynamic tissue changes. Recent work has suggested that a precursor fibroblast cell state is marked by expression of Peptidase inhibitor 16 ( Pi16). This review aims to concatenate and compare studies on fibroblasts that express Pi16 to clarify the roles of this cell state in fibroblast lineage development and other functions.
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- 2024
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100. Essential growth factor receptors for fibroblast homeostasis and activation [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
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Maye F. Cheng, Faizah S. Abdullah, and Matthew B. Buechler
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Review ,Articles ,Fibroblasts ,growth factors ,growth factor receptors ,FGFR ,PDGFR ,TGF-b - Abstract
Fibroblasts are cells of mesenchymal origin that are found throughout the body. While these cells have several functions, their integral roles include maintaining tissue architecture through the production of key extracellular matrix components, and participation in wound healing after injury. Fibroblasts are also key mediators in disease progression during fibrosis, cancer, and other inflammatory diseases. Under these perturbed states, fibroblasts can activate into inflammatory fibroblasts or contractile myofibroblasts. Fibroblasts require various growth factors and mitogenic molecules for survival, proliferation, and differentiation. While the activity of mitogenic growth factors on fibroblasts in vitro was characterized as early as the 1970s, the proliferation and differentiation effects of growth factors on these cells in vivo are unclear. Moreover, recent work exploring the heterogeneity of fibroblasts raises questions as to whether all fibroblast cell states exhibit the same growth factor requirements. Here, we will examine and review existing growth factors known to influence fibroblast homeostasis to begin unpacking the potential growth factors that may influence in vivo fibroblast cell states.
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- 2024
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