Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Black-hole relics in string gravity: last stages of Hawking evaporation

The endpoint of black-hole evaporation is a very intriguing problem of modern physics. Based on the Einstein-dilaton-Gauss–Bonnet four-dimensional string gravity model, we show that black holes do not disappear and should become relics at the end of the evaporation process. The possibility of experimental detection of such remnant black holes is investigated. If they really exist, these objects could form a considerable part of the non-baryonic dark matter in our universe.
Developmental pathway of CD4+CD8− medullary thymocytes during mouse ontogeny and its defect in Aire−/− mice

The newly generated single-positive (SP) thymocytes undergo further maturation in the thymic medulla before their emigration to the periphery. The present study was undertaken to validate a developmental program we proposed for CD4SP medullary thymocytes and to explore the mechanisms regulating this process. During mouse ontogeny, the emergence of different subsets of CD4SP thymocytes followed a strict temporal order from SP1 to SP4. Parallel to the transition in surface phenotype, a steady increase in function was observed. As further evidence, purified SP1 cells were able to sequentially give rise to SP2, SP3, and SP4 cells in intrathymic adoptive transfer and in culture. Notably, the development of CD4SP cells in the medulla seemed to be critically dependent on a functionally intact medullary epithelial cell compartment because Relb and Aire deficiency were found to cause severe blockage at the transition from SP3 to SP4. Taken together, this work establishes an ontogenetically and functionally relevant maturation program for CD4SP thymocytes. Precise dissection of this program should facilitate further inquiry into the molecular mechanisms governing normal thymocyte development and its disturbance in pathological conditions.
Eddington capture sphere around luminous stars

Test particles infalling from infinity onto a compact spherical star with a mildly super-Eddington luminosity at its surface are typically trapped on the “Eddington capture sphere” and do not reach the surface of the star. The presence of a sphere on which radiation pressure balances gravity for static particles was first discovered some twenty five years ago. Subsequently, it was shown to be a capture sphere for particles in radial motion, and more recently also for particles in non-radial motion, in which the Poynting-Robertson radiation drag efficiently removes the orbital angular momentum of the particles, reducing it to zero. Here we develop this idea further, showing that “levitation” on the Eddington sphere (above the stellar surface) is a state of stable equilibrium, and discuss its implications for Hoyle-Lyttleton accretion onto a luminous star. When the Eddington sphere is present, the cross-section of a compact star for actual accretion is typically less than the geometrical cross-section πR2, direct infall onto the stellar surface only being possible for relativistic particles, with the required minimum particle velocity at infinity typically about half the speed of light. We further show that particles on typical trajectories in the vicinity of the stellar surface will also be trapped on the Eddington capture sphere.
Knowledge about human papillomavirus and prevention of cervical cancer among women of Arkhangelsk, Northwest Russia

Background Knowledge about cervical cancer (CC) risk factors and benefits of CC prevention motivates women to participate in its screening. However, several studies show that there is a significant knowledge deficit worldwide about human papillomavirus (HPV). The current study explores the level of knowledge about HPV and CC prevention in the context of sociodemographic and behavioral characteristics of women who visited an antenatal clinic in Arkhangelsk, Russia. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in the city of Arkhangelsk, which seats the administrative center of Arkhangelsk County, Northwest Russia. It included women who consulted a gynecologist for any reason between January 1, 2015 and April 30, 2015, were residents of Arkhangelsk, 25 to 65 years of age and sexually active (N = 300). Student’s t-test for continuous variables and Pearson's χ2 test for categorical variables were used in the comparisons of women grouped as having either poor or sufficient knowledge. Linear regression analysis was also employed. Results The level of knowledge about HPV and CC prevention was associated with education, parity, age of initiating of intercourse, and sources of information. After adjustment, women with university education were more likely to have higher knowledge about HPV and CC prevention compared to those with lower education. Conclusions We observed that most participants had a sufficient level of knowledge. Educational gaps were identified that potentially could be used to tailor interventions in CC prevention.
Inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in vitro by anticarbohydrate monoclonal antibodies: peripheral glycosylation of HIV envelope glycoprotein gp120 may be a target for virus neutralization

Carbohydrate structures are often involved in the initial adhesion of pathogens to target cells. In the present study, a panel of anticarbohydrate monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) was tested for their ability to inhibit in vitro human immunodeficiency virus infectivity. MAbs against three different N- and O-linked carbohydrate epitopes (LeY, A1, and sialyl-Tn) were able to block infection by cell-free virus as well as inhibit syncytium formation. Inhibition of virus infectivity was independent of virus strain (HTLVIIIB or patient isolate SSI-002), the cell line used for virus propagation (H9 or MT4), and the cell type used as the infection target (MT4, PMC, or selected T4 lymphocytes). Inhibition was observed when viruses were preincubated with MAbs but not when cells were preincubated with MAbs before inoculation, and the MAbs were shown to precipitate 125I-labeled gp120. The MAbs therefore define carbohydrate structures expressed by the viral envelope glycoprotein gp120, indicating that glycans of the viral envelope are possible targets for immunotherapy or vaccine development or both.
The Use of Numbers Needed to Treat Derived from Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis

Numbers needed to treat (NNTs) may be used to present the effects of treatment and are the reciprocal of the absolute difference between treatment and control groups in a randomized controlled trial. NNTs are sensitive to factors that change the baseline risk of trial participants: the outcome considered; characteristics of patients; secular trends in incidence and case-fatality; and clinical setting. NNTs derived from pooled absolute risk differences in meta-analyses are commonly presented and easily calculated by meta-analytic software but may be seriously misleading because of heterogeneity between trials included in meta-analyses. Meaningful NNTs are obtained by applying the pooled relative risk reductions calculated from meta-analyses or individual trials to the baseline risk relevant to specific patient groups. This process will give a range of NNTs depending on whether patients are at high, low, or intermediate levels of risk, rather than a potentially misleading single number.
The Prediction of Job Satisfaction Based on Coping Skills in Pilots and Assistant of Pilots

The purpose of this research was to predict job satisfaction among pilots and assistant based on coping skills. Two hundred pilots and assistant were randomly selected from Mehrabad airport. They completed job satisfaction and skills coping questionnaires. Multiple regression test was used to analyze the data. The results showed that coping skills can predict job satisfaction, in other words it can be said that only the somatization component, emotional inhibition of the coping skills could predict job satisfaction of pilots and assistant.
Activation of a plant nucleotide binding‐leucine rich repeat disease resistance protein by a modified self protein

Nucleotide binding‐leucine rich repeat (NB‐LRR) proteins function as intracellular receptors for the detection of pathogens in both plants and animals. Despite their central role in innate immunity, the molecular mechanisms that govern NB‐LRR activation are poorly understood. The Arabidopsis NB‐LRR protein RPS5 detects the presence of the Pseudomonas syringae effector protein AvrPphB by monitoring the status of the Arabidopsis protein kinase PBS1. AvrPphB is a cysteine protease that targets PBS1 for cleavage at a single site within the activation loop of PBS1. Using a transient expression system in the plant Nicotiana benthamiana and stable transgenic Arabidopsis plants we found that both PBS1 cleavage products are required to activate RPS5 and can do so in the absence of AvrPphB. We also found, however, that the requirement for cleavage of PBS1 could be bypassed simply by inserting five amino acids at the PBS1 cleavage site, which is located at the apex of the activation loop of PBS1. Activation of RPS5 did not require PBS1 kinase function, and thus RPS5 appears to sense a subtle conformational change in PBS1, rather than cleavage. This finding suggests that NB‐LRR proteins may function as fine‐tuned sensors of alterations in the structures of effector targets.
Brain regions involved in verbal or non‐verbal aspects of facial emotion recognition

To depict the neural substrates for facial emotion recognition and to determine whether their activation is confounded by a verbal factor, we studied eight normal volunteers with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Verbal and non-verbal sample stimuli were used in a facial emotion matching task and a gender matching task (control condition). Compared with the gender tasks, the emotion tasks significantly activated the right ventral prefrontal cortex, the right lingual cortex, and the left lateral fusiform cortex, irrespective of sample stimuli. The visual association cortices showed a significant interaction between the task and the material presented, as the activation for verbal materials was higher than for non-verbal materials during the emotion matching tasks. By contrast, no significant interaction was found in the right ventral prefrontal cortex. These results suggest that the verbal factor has a different effect on the neural networks for facial emotion processing.
Establishment of an antitoxoplasma state by stable expression of mouse indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), a tryptophan-degrading enzyme, is inducible by various interferons (IFNs). IDO-mediated tryptophan degradation, but not the formation of IDO-catalyzed tryptophan metabolites, has been suggested as a mechanism for the antiparasitic action of IFN-gamma. To determine whether the IFN-gamma-induced IDO alone is sufficient for establishing the antiparasitic state, we constructed a mouse IDO expression plasmid containing a heavy metal-responsive metallothionein promoter and obtained a stable transformant (C6) by transfection of this plasmid into mouse rectal cancer (CMT-93) cells. In the presence of 100 microM ZnSO4, C6 cells yielded a high level of IDO; and after a 2-day culture period, the enzyme induction resulted in complete depletion of tryptophan from the culture medium. Under these conditions, the growth of Toxoplasma gondii in C6 cells infected with the organisms on day 3 after enzyme induction was completely blocked. In the absence of ZnSO4, however, IDO induction was negligible in C6 cells, and T. gondii continued to grow. Furthermore, in a transformant (CC10) carrying an antisense mouse IDO plasmid or in parental CMT-93 cells, IDO was not induced at all even in the presence of 100 microM ZnSO4, and T. gondii continued to grow in these cells as well. These results taken together indicate that complete depletion of tryptophan from the culture by IDO alone is sufficient to establish the antitoxoplasma state in mouse cells.
Acrylate Systemic Contact Dermatitis

AbstractAcrylates, the 2012 American Contact Dermatitis Society allergen of the year, are found in a range of products including the absorbent materials within feminine hygiene pads. When fully polymerized, acrylates are nonimmunogenic; however, if not completely cured, the monomers can be potent allergens.A 28-year-old woman is presented, who had her teeth varnished with Isodan (Septodont, Saint-Maur-des-Fossés, France) containing HEMA (2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) with no initial reaction. Approximately 1 month later, the patient developed a genital dermatitis secondary to her feminine hygiene pads. The initial reaction resolved, but 5 months later, the patient developed a systemic contact dermatitis after receiving a second varnishing.The patient was dramatically patch test positive to many acrylates. This case demonstrates a reaction to likely unpolymerized acrylates within a feminine hygiene pad, as well as broad cross-reactivity or cosensitivity to acrylates, and possibly a systemic contact dermatitis with systemic re-exposure to unpolymerized acrylates.
Fine structure of the human sweat ducts of eccrine and apocrine types.

The sweat ducts of human eccrine and apocrine (ceruminous) glands were observed with the transmission electron microscope. Both the dermal and epidermal segment of the eccrine as well as apocrine ducts consist of two epithelial layers: luminal cells and peripheral cells. Well-developed microvilli, occurrence of cored vesicles, dense granules, multivesicular bodies and phagosomes in the adluminal filamentous zone, and a strong accumulation of mitochondria in the basal part of the duct epithelium at the dermal segment, as well as an accumulation of small clear vesicles beneath the surface of the luminal cells of the epidermal segment are all prominent in the eccrine duct and concomitant with the special function of the human eccrine duct, i.e., absorption of ions to make the sweat hyotonic and an active endocytosis of some material from the sweat. All of the above enumerated characteristics of the eccrine duct are only rarely or never seen in the apocrine duct. On the other hand, lipid droplets appear in the peripheral cells in a certain level of the apocrine duct near its orifice into the hair follicle, suggesting a kind of metaplasia towards the sebaceous gland. Epidermal duct cells of both eccrine and apocrine sweat glands may keratinize. In the eccrine duct the process in the duct cells precedes the surrounding keratinocytes, while in the apocrine duct the relationship is reversed.
Cell separation: Potentials and pitfalls

ABSTRACT Cell separation techniques play an indispensable part in numerous basic biological studies and even clinical settings. Although various cell isolation methods with diverse applications have been devised so far, not all of them have been able to gain widespread popularity among researchers and clinicians. There is not a single method known to be advantageous over all cell isolation techniques, and in fact, it is the researcher’s aim in performing a study that determines the most suitable method. A perfect method for one study might not be necessarily a proper choice for another and likewise, expensive and complex isolation methods might not always be the best choices. There are several criteria such as cell purity, viability, activation status, and frequency that need to be given serious thought before selecting an isolation technique. Moreover, time and cost are two of the key elements that should be taken into consideration before implementing a project. Hence, here we provide a succinct description of six more popular cell separation methods with respect to their principles, advantages, and disadvantages as well as their most common applications. We further provide several key features of each technique so that it helps the researchers to take the first step toward opting for the best method that fits well into their projects.
Antigen-Specific Memory B-Cell Responses to Vibrio cholerae O1 Infection in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT Cholera, caused by Vibrio cholerae, is a noninvasive dehydrating enteric disease with a high mortality rate if untreated. Infection with V. cholerae elicits long-term protection against subsequent disease in countries where the disease is endemic. Although the mechanism of this protective immunity is unknown, it has been hypothesized that a protective mucosal response to V. cholerae infection may be mediated by anamnestic responses of memory B cells in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue. To characterize memory B-cell responses to cholera, we enrolled a cohort of 39 hospitalized patients with culture-confirmed cholera and evaluated their immunologic responses at frequent intervals over the subsequent 1 year. Memory B cells to cholera antigens, including lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and the protein antigens cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) and toxin-coregulated pilus major subunit A (TcpA) were enumerated using a method of polyclonal stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells followed by a standard enzyme-linked immunospot procedure. All patients demonstrated CTB, TcpA, and LPS-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG)and IgA memory responses by day 90. In addition, these memory B-cell responses persisted up to 1 year, substantially longer than other traditional immunologic markers of infection with V. cholerae. While the magnitude of the LPS-specific IgG memory B-cell response waned at 1 year, CTB- and TcpA-specific IgG memory B cells remained significantly elevated at 1 year after infection, suggesting that T-cell help may result in a more durable memory B-cell response to V. cholerae protein antigens. Such memory B cells could mediate anamnestic responses on reexposure to V. cholerae.
Dynamics of urinary polyomavirus shedding in healthy adult women

The hypothesis was examined that physiologic variation of estrogen concentrations during the menstrual cycle can provoke BK virus (BKV) excretion. BKV and JCV viral loads were determined in urine specimens obtained almost daily from 20 healthy, non‐pregnant women over 2 months. Asymptomatic urinary shedding of BKV was observed in 123 (12.0%) of 1,021 specimens from 11 (55%) study subjects. Two subjects excreted JCV in their urine, with one subject excreting detectable JCV in all urine specimens. Analysis of 36 complete menstrual cycles revealed no difference in the prevalence of BKV excretion between pre‐ovulatory and post‐ovulatory phases of the menstrual cycle. The unexpected day‐to‐day variability in BKV excretion suggests that as yet unidentified factors may contribute to the periodic shedding of BKV by healthy women. J. Med. Virol. 84:1459–1463, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Body Image and Personality in Aesthetic Plastic Surgery: A Case-Control Study

Introduction: The amount of research on the relationship between plastic surgery and psychological features, such as personality disorders and indexes of body image dissatisfaction, has increased significantly in the last years. Aim: The aim of the present study was to examine these psychological features among Italian patients who underwent aesthetic plastic surgery, testing the mediating role of the mass media influence on the relationship between them and the choice of aesthetic plastic surgery. The Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire 4+ (PDQ-4+) and the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT) were administered to patients who underwent aesthetic plastic surgery (N = 111) and participants who had no history of aesthetic plastic surgical procedures (N = 149). Results: Results showed that aesthetic patients reported higher indexes of body image disturbance than controls. No significant differences between aesthetic participants and controls were found in all three cluster B personality disorders. Moreover, the effect of body image dissatisfaction on the choice to undergo aesthetic plastic surgery was partially mediated by the influence of mass media. Conclusions: In conclusion, the present study confirmed the importance of body dissatisfaction as a predictor of the choice to undergo aesthetic surgery and highlighted the influence of media messages regarding physical appearance.
Improvement of Predictive Ability by Uniform Coverage of the Target Genetic Space

Genome-enabled prediction provides breeders with the means to increase the number of genotypes that can be evaluated for selection. One of the major challenges in genome-enabled prediction is how to construct a training set of genotypes from a calibration set that represents the target population of genotypes, where the calibration set is composed of a training and validation set. A random sampling protocol of genotypes from the calibration set will lead to low quality coverage of the total genetic space by the training set when the calibration set contains population structure. As a consequence, predictive ability will be affected negatively, because some parts of the genotypic diversity in the target population will be under-represented in the training set, whereas other parts will be over-represented. Therefore, we propose a training set construction method that uniformly samples the genetic space spanned by the target population of genotypes, thereby increasing predictive ability. To evaluate our method, we constructed training sets alongside with the identification of corresponding genomic prediction models for four genotype panels that differed in the amount of population structure they contained (maize Flint, maize Dent, wheat, and rice). Training sets were constructed using uniform sampling, stratified-uniform sampling, stratified sampling and random sampling. We compared these methods with a method that maximizes the generalized coefficient of determination (CD). Several training set sizes were considered. We investigated four genomic prediction models: multi-locus QTL models, GBLUP models, combinations of QTL and GBLUPs, and Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS) models. For the maize and wheat panels, construction of the training set under uniform sampling led to a larger predictive ability than under stratified and random sampling. The results of our methods were similar to those of the CD method. For the rice panel, all training set construction methods led to similar predictive ability, a reflection of the very strong population structure in this panel.
A δ-Catenin Signaling Pathway Leading to Dendritic Protrusions*

δ-Catenin is a synaptic adherens junction protein pivotally positioned to serve as a signaling sensor and integrator. Expression of δ-catenin induces filopodia-like protrusions in neurons. Here we show that the small GTPases of the Rho family act coordinately as downstream effectors of δ-catenin. A dominant negative Rac preventedδ-catenin-induced protrusions, and Cdc42 activity was dramatically increased by δ-catenin expression. A kinase dead LIMK (LIM kinase) and a mutant Cofilin also prevented δ-catenin-induced protrusions. To link the effects of δ-catenin to a physiological pathway, we noted that (S)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) activation of metabotropic glutamate receptors induced dendritic protrusions that are very similar to those induced by δ-catenin. Furthermore, δ-catenin RNA-mediated interference can block the induction of dendritic protrusions by DHPG. Interestingly, DHPG dissociated PSD-95 and N-cadherin from the δ-catenin complex, increased the association of δ-catenin with Cortactin, and induced the phosphorylation of δ-catenin within the sites that bind to these protein partners.