Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Towards magnetic alumina: uncovering the roles of transition metal doping and electron hybridization in spin delocalization

Judicious doping of normally diamagnetic alumina (Al2O3) could lead to bulk magnetism that would enable the usage of cutting edge technology, such as magnetoforming, to create advanced systems that take advantage of the high chemical and physical resilience of alumina. This study builds upon initial results (Nykwest et al 2018 J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 30 395801) which have shown that alumina doped with magnetic elements such as Fe and Ni should exhibit heightened magnetic activity. Here we expand the analysis to several additional transition metals that are otherwise non-magnetic (Sc, Ti, V, Mn, and Co) and use density functional theory to understand the origin of the spin delocalization, as well as to predict the structural, electronic, energetic, and magnetic properties of doped -alumina. The results indicate that adding small concentrations of such elements to -alumina may increase magnetic activity by generating coordination environments with magnetic moments. Our findings show conclusively that significant spin delocalization can only occur when there are unpaired electrons in the transition metal eg states.
Oligonucleotide Binding to Non-B-DNA in MYC

MYC, originally named c-myc, is an oncogene deregulated in many different forms of cancer. Translocation of the MYC gene to an immunoglobulin gene leads to an overexpression and the development of Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL). Sporadic BL constitutes one subgroup where one of the translocation sites is located at the 5’-vicinity of the two major MYC promoters P1 and P2. A non-B-DNA forming sequence within this region has been reported with the ability to form an intramolecular triplex (H-DNA) or a G-quadruplex. We have examined triplex formation at this site first by using a 17 bp triplex-forming oligonucleotide (TFO) and a double strand DNA (dsDNA) target corresponding to the MYC sequence. An antiparallel purine-motif triplex was detected using electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Furthermore, we probed for H-DNA formation using the BQQ-OP based triplex-specific cleavage assay, which indicated the formation of the structure in the supercoiled plasmid containing the corresponding region of the MYC promoter. Targeting non-B-DNA structures has therapeutic potential; therefore, we investigated their influence on strand-invasion of anti-gene oligonucleotides (ON)s. We show that in vitro, non-B-DNA formation at the vicinity of the ON target site facilitates dsDNA strand-invasion of the anti-gene ONs.
Neural mechanisms of social homeostasis

Social connections are vital to survival throughout the animal kingdom and are dynamic across the life span. There are debilitating consequences of social isolation and loneliness, and social support is increasingly a primary consideration in health care, disease prevention, and recovery. Considering social connection as an “innate need,” it is hypothesized that evolutionarily conserved neural systems underlie the maintenance of social connections: alerting the individual to their absence and coordinating effector mechanisms to restore social contact. This is reminiscent of a homeostatic system designed to maintain social connection. Here, we explore the identity of neural systems regulating “social homeostasis. ” We review findings from rodent studies evaluating the rapid response to social deficit (in the form of acute social isolation) and propose that parallel, overlapping circuits are engaged to adapt to the vulnerabilities of isolation and restore social connection. By considering the neural systems regulating other homeostatic needs, such as energy and fluid balance, we discuss the potential attributes of social homeostatic circuitry. We reason that uncovering the identity of these circuits/mechanisms will facilitate our understanding of how loneliness perpetuates long‐term disease states, which we speculate may result from sustained recruitment of social homeostatic circuits.
Role of a novel race-related tumor suppressor microRNA located in frequently deleted chromosomal locus 8p21 in prostate cancer progression.

The prostate cancer (PCa) genome is characterized by deletions of chromosome 8p21-22 region that increase significantly with tumor grade and are associated with poor prognosis. We proposed and validated a novel, paradigm shifting hypothesis that this region is associated with a set of microRNA genes - miRs-3622, -3622b, -383- that are lost in PCa and play important mechanistic roles in PCa progression and metastasis. Extending our hypothesis, in this study, we evaluated the role of a microRNA gene located in chr8p- miR-4288- by employing clinical samples and cell lines. Our data suggests that: (i) miR-4288 is widely downregulated in primary prostate tumors and cell lines; (ii) miR-4288 expression is lost in metastatic castration-resistant PCa; (ii) miR-4288 downregulation is race-related PCa alteration that is prevalent in Caucasian patients and not African Americans; (iii) in Caucasians, miR-4288 was found to be associated with increasing tumor grade and high serum PSA suggesting that miR-4288 downregulation/ loss may be associated with tumor progression specifically in Caucasians; (iv) miR-4288 possess significant potential as a molecular biomarker to predict aggressiveness/ metastasis; (v) miR-4288 is anti-proliferative, anti-invasive and inhibits epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition; (vi) miR-4288 directly represses expression of metastasis/invasion-associated genes MMP16 and ROCK1. Thus, the present study demonstrates a tumor suppressor role for a novel miRNA located with a frequently lost region in PCa, strengthening our hypothesis that this locus is causally related to PCa disease progression via loss of microRNA genes. Our study suggests that miR-4288 may be a novel biomarker and therapeutic target, particularly in Caucasians.
Dogmatism, Humanism, and Efficacy in Psychiatric Treatment

It is difficult today to read “SealingOver in a Therapeutic Community” by McGlashan and Levy (1977) without feeling a bit uneasy. The issue is not that therapeutic communities are out of vogue in 21st-century psychiatry but that the milieu described in their paper was apparently constructed on the basis of beliefs held without confirmatory evidence and not modifiable by ongoing clinical observations. The authors themselves essentially acknowledge that this is so: “We have no present evidence that integration of the psychotic experience, for example, is the ‘best’ mode of recovery for all patients or even for a single patient all of the time. It may well be salutary to somehow help the patient recover in his own way, whichever that may be. Nevertheless, when establishing our treatment program we defined integration as the preferred therapeutic goal” (McGlashan & Levy, 1977, p. 55). The authors describe “sealing-over” as a process of denying and repudiating painful affects and ideas mobilized during psychosis. Such language implies an inherently antitherapeutic process, like trying to get rid of a boil by pressing on it rather than lancing it. Further, they note that “persons who make integrative [i.e. true] recoveries . are curious about their psychotic ideas, feel responsible for them, and attempt to use their psychoses as sources of new information about themselves with the goal of modifying their premorbid opinions and behavior” (McGlashan & Levy, 1977, p. 56). Thus, ability to engage in a particular process becomes the major criterion of outcome. By this standard, the approved attitudes and capacities of schizophrenic patients are little different from those of “ideal” high-functioning psychotherapy patients, once the word neurosis is substituted for psychosis. The implications of this belief for staff are no less robust than for patients: “Patients who seal-over their psychotic experiences tend to elicit staff collusion in this endeavor by tapping into the unconscious, conflictual determinants of the staff members’ personal and professional identities” (McGlashan & Levy, 1977, p. 58; emphasis added). In plain language, this means that a staff member’s opinion that patients are ready for discharge when they are no longer symptomatic, or at least that they should not be pressured to revisit and analyze their psychotic experiences, is no more than a reflection of his or her own psychopathology. To the extent that empiricism plays a role in determining patient progress, there is a finger on the scale. Patients who quickly improve symptomatically are assumed to be fragile and at high risk for relapse, while staff who resist discharge of “those who seem particularly vulnerable in
Thalamic Reticular Nucleus in Caiman crocodilus: Immunohistochemical Staining

The thalamic reticular nucleus in reptiles, Caiman crocodilus, shares a number of morphological similarities with its counterpart in mammals. In view of the immunohistochemical properties of this nucleus in mammals and the more recently identified complexity of this neuronal aggregate in Caiman, this nucleus was investigated using a number of antibodies. These results were compared with findings described for other amniotes. The following antibodies gave consistent and reproducible results: polyclonal sheep anti-parvalbumin (PV), monoclonal mouse anti-PV, and polyclonal sheep anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD). In the transverse plane, this nucleus is divided into two. In each part, a compact group of cells sits on top of the fibers of the forebrain bundle with scattered cells among these fibers. In the lateral forebrain bundle, this neuronal aggregate is represented by the dorsal peduncular nucleus and the perireticular nucleus while, in the medial forebrain bundle, these parts are the interstitial nucleus and the scattered cells in this fiber tract. The results of this study are the following. First, the thalamic reticular nucleus of Caiman contains GAD(+) and PV(+) neurons, which is similar to what has been described in other amniotes. Second, the morphology and distribution of many GAD(+) and PV(+) neurons in the dorsal peduncular and perireticular nuclei are similar and suggest that these neurons colocalize these markers. Third, neurons in the interstitial nucleus and in the medial forebrain bundle are GAD(+) and PV(+). At the caudal pole of the thalamic reticular nucleus, PV immunoreactive cells predominated and avoided the central portion of this nucleus where GAD(+) cells were preferentially located. However, GAD(+) cells were sparse when compared with PV(+) cells. This immunohistochemically different area in the caudal pole is considered to be an area separate from the thalamic reticular nucleus.
Rapid Monitoring of Organochlorine Pesticide Residues in Various Fruit Juices and Water Samples Using Fabric Phase Sorptive Extraction and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

Fabric phase sorptive extraction, an innovative integration of solid phase extraction and solid phase microextraction principles, has been combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for the rapid extraction and determination of nineteen organochlorine pesticides in various fruit juices and water samples. FPSE consolidates the advanced features of sol-gel derived extraction sorbents with the rich surface chemistry of cellulose fabric substrate, which could extract the target analytes directly from the complex sample matrices, substantially simplifying the sample preparation operation. Important FPSE parameters, including sorbent chemistry, extraction time, stirring speed, type and volume of back-extraction solvent, and back-extraction time have been optimized. Calibration curves were obtained in a concentration range of 0.1–500 ng/mL. Under optimum conditions, limits of detection were obtained in a range of 0.007–0.032 ng/mL with satisfactory precision (RSD < 6%). The relative recoveries obtained by spiking organochlorine pesticides in water and selected juice samples were in the range of 91.56–99.83%. The sorbent sol-gel poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(propylene glycol)-poly(ethylene glycol) was applied for the extraction and preconcentration of organochlorine pesticides in aqueous and fruit juice samples prior to analysis with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The results demonstrated that the present method is simple, rapid, and precise for the determination of organochlorine pesticides in aqueous samples.
Building Clinical Clerkships Capacity in a Resource-limited Setting: The Case of the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College in Tanzania

Background: The shortage of medical doctors in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has resulted in increased enrolment in medical schools, which has not been matched with increased faculty size or physical infrastructure. This process has led to overcrowding and possibly reduced quality of training. To reduce overcrowding at its teaching hospital, the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical University College introduced eight-week peripheral clerkship rotations in 2012. We explore students’ perceptions and attitudes towards peripheral hospital placements. Method: The clerkship rotations were conducted in eight hospitals operating in the northern Tanzania, after evaluating each hospitals’ capabilities and establishing the optimum number of students per hospital. Paper-based surveys were conducted after student rotations from 2014 to 2016. Results: Overall student satisfaction was moderate (strength of consensus measure (sCns), 77%). The three cohorts exhibited improving trends over three years with respect to satisfaction with clinical skills and attitude towards placements. student-preceptor interaction was rated highly (sCns 81–84%). The first cohort students expressed concerns about limited laboratory support, and poor access to Internet and learning resources. Specific interventions were undertaken to address these concerns. Conclusions: Student experiences in peripheral rotations were positive with adequate satisfaction levels. Opportunities exist for medical schools in SSA to enhance clinical training and relieve overcrowding through peripheral clerkship rotations.
Glycopeptides and -Mimetics to Detect, Monitor and Inhibit Bacterial and Viral Infections: Recent Advances and Perspectives

The initial contact of pathogens with host cells is usually mediated by their adhesion to glycan structures present on the cell surface in order to enable infection. Furthermore, glycans play important roles in the modulation of the host immune responses to infection. Understanding the carbohydrate-pathogen interactions are of importance for the development of novel and efficient strategies to either prevent, or interfere with pathogenic infection. Synthetic glycopeptides and mimetics thereof are capable of imitating the multivalent display of carbohydrates at the cell surface, which have become an important objective of research over the last decade. Glycopeptide based constructs may function as vaccines or anti-adhesive agents that interfere with the ability of pathogens to adhere to the host cell glycans and thus possess the potential to improve or replace treatments that suffer from resistance. Additionally, synthetic glycopeptides are used as tools for epitope mapping of antibodies directed against structures present on various pathogens and have become important to improve serodiagnostic methods and to develop novel epitope-based vaccines. This review will provide an overview of the most recent advances in the synthesis and application of glycopeptides and glycopeptide mimetics exhibiting a peptide-like backbone in glycobiology.
Sympathetic nerve innervation is required for beigeing in white fat

It is increasingly recognized that activation of beige adipocyte thermogenesis by pharmacological or genetic approaches increases energy expenditure and alleviates obesity. Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) directly innervating brown adipose tissue (BAT) and white adipose tissue (WAT) plays a key role in promoting nonshivering thermogenesis. However, direct evidence that supports the importance of SNS innervation for beige adipocyte formation is still lacking, and the significance of beige adipocyte thermogenesis in protection of body temperature during cold challenge is not clear. Here we tested the necessity of SNS innervation into WAT for beige adipocyte formation in mice with defective brown fat thermogenesis via interscapular BAT (iBAT) SNS denervation. SNS denervation was achieved by microinjection of 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA), a selective neurotoxin to SNS nerves, into iBAT, inguinal WAT (iWAT), or both. The partial chemical denervation of iBAT SNS down‐regulated UCP‐1 protein expression in iBAT demonstrated by immunoblotting and immunohistochemical measurements. This was associated with an up‐regulation of UCP1 protein expression and enhanced formation of beige cells in iWAT of mice with iBAT SNS denervation. In contrast, the chemical denervation of iWAT SNS completely abolished the upregulated UCP‐1 protein and beige cell formation in iWAT of mice with iBAT SNS denervation. Our data demonstrate that SNS innervation in WAT is required for beige cell formation during cold–induced thermogenesis. We conclude that there exists a coordinated thermoregulation for BAT and WAT thermogenesis via a functional cross talk between BAT and WAT SNS.
Cardiac perfusion and function after high-intensity exercise training in late premenopausal and recent postmenopausal women: an MRI study.

We examined the influence of recent menopause and aerobic exercise training in women on myocardial perfusion, left ventricular (LV) dimension, and function. Two groups (n = 14 each) of healthy late premenopausal (50.2 ± 2.1 yr) and recent postmenopausal (54.2 ± 2.8 yr) women underwent cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) at baseline and after 12 wk of high-intensity aerobic training. Measurements included LV morphology, systolic function, and myocardial perfusion at rest and during an adenosine stress test. At baseline, resting myocardial perfusion was lower in the postmenopausal than the premenopausal group (77 ± 3 vs. 89 ± 3 ml·100 g-1·min-1; P = 0.01), while adenosine-induced myocardial perfusion was not different (P = 0.81). After exercise training, resting myocardial perfusion was lower in both groups (66 ± 2; P = 0.002 vs. 81 ± 3 ml·100 g-1·min-1; P = 0.03). The adenosine-induced change in myocardial perfusion was lower in the groups combined (by 402 ± 17 ml·100 g-1·min-1; P = 0.02), and the adenosine-induced increase in heart rate was 10 ± 2 beats/min lower (P < 0.0001) in both groups after training. Normalization of myocardial perfusion using an estimate of cardiac work eliminated the differences in perfusion between the premenopausal and postmenopausal groups and the effect of training. Left ventricle mass was higher in both groups (P = 0.03; P = 0.006), whereas LV end-diastolic (P = 0.02) and stroke (P = 0.045) volumes were higher in the postmenopausal group after training. Twelve weeks of exercise training increased left ventricle mass and lowered resting and adenosine-induced myocardial perfusion, an effect that was likely related to cardiac work. The current data also suggest that the early menopausal transition has limited impact on cardiac function and structure. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study provides for the first time estimates of myocardial perfusion in late premenopausal and recent postmenopausal women before and after a period of intense aerobic training. Resting myocardial perfusion was lower in postmenopausal than premenopausal women. Training lowered myocardial resting and stress perfusion in both groups, an effect that was likely influenced by the lower heart rate.
Pleasure in parenting and father-child attachment security

ABSTRACT This study examined relations between father-child attachment security and both paternal sensitivity and fathers’ pleasure in parenting. At 12 months of age sensitivity was coded from father-infant interactions and pleasure in parenting was coded from fathers’ interviews assessing attitudes toward the parenting role. Father-child dyads participated in the Strange Situation Procedure assessing attachment relationship quality. Sensitivity was related to more pleasure in parenting, but neither variable alone predicted attachment security. However, pleasure in parenting moderated the association between sensitivity and attachment. Moreover, the concordance between sensitivity and pleasure in parenting differed markedly across attachment classifications. In secure relationships fathers showed strong concordance between sensitivity and pleasure in parenting. Fathers in avoidant relationships demonstrated high sensitivity coupled with low pleasure in parenting, whereas fathers in disorganized relationships showed low sensitivity coupled with high pleasure in parenting. Results speak to the importance of integrating cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects of parenting in father-child attachment research.
Initial Validation of the MAKE Framework: A Comprehensive Instrument for Evaluating the Efficacy of Game-Based Learning and Gamification in Adolescent Sexual Health Literacy

Objectives: When evaluating the effectiveness of a method for instructing adolescents in sexual health literacy, it is essential to consider how the method motivates learning, promotes a change of attitude, increases knowledge gain, and engages students (MAKE). This article reports on the development and validation of a unified, comprehensive framework for evaluating the efficacy of games in teaching sexual health behaviors for curbing unhealthy sexual outcomes to secondary school adolescents in low resource settings. Methods: The initial validation of the MAKE framework was administered to 120 students using quantitative data collection and analysis. It was then subjected to factor analysis tests to investigate the items’ structure, and Cronbach’s alpha was applied to measure the scale reliability using SPSS Version 24. Results: Data analyses demonstrate that the MAKE framework is a comprehensive instrument to evaluate teaching methods with four powerful constructs, each of which has two to four components. For each construct, the following data were obtained: for motivation, standardized alpha = 0.92, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) = 0.88, and p = 0.001; for attitude, standardized Cronbach’s alpha = 0.90, KMO = 0.88, and p = 0.001; for knowledge, standardized alpha = 0.92, KMO = 0.86, and p = 0.001; and finally, for engagement, standardized alpha = 0.90, KMO = 0.87, and p = 0.001. Cronbach’s alpha for each component was above the cut-off point (0.65). Conclusions: This study shows that the MAKE framework is a satisfactory instrument for assessing the efficacy of teaching methods for sexual health literacy in a variety of teaching environments. The method may also have value for assessing the effectiveness of other methods in adolescent sexual health education.