Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neutron star properties and the equation of state for its core

Few unified equations of state for neutron star matter where core and crust are described using the same nuclear model are available. However the use of non-unified equations of state with a simplified matching between the crust and the core has been shown to introduce uncertainties in the radius determination which can be larger than the expected precision of the next generation of X-ray satellites. We aim at eliminating the dependence of the radius and mass of neutron staron the detailed model for the crust and on the crust-core matching procedure. We solve the approximate equations of the hydrostatic equilibrium for the crust of neutron stars obtaining a precise formula for the radius which depends only on the core mass and radius, and on the baryon chemical potential at the core-crust interface and on the crust surface. For a fully accreted crust one needs additionally the value of the total deep crustal heating per one accreted nucleon. For typical neutron star masses the approximate approach allows to determine the neutron star radius with an error ~0.1% (~ 10 m, equivalent to a 1% inaccuracy in the crust thickness). The formalism applies to neutron stars with a catalyzed or a fully accreted crust. The difference in the neutron star radius between the two models is proportional to the total energy release due to deep crustal heating. For a given model of dense matter describing the neutron star core, the radius of a neutron star can be accurately determined independently of the crust model with a precision much better than the ~5% one expected from the next generation of X-ray satellites. This allows to circumvent the problem of the radius uncertainty which may arise when non-unified equations of state for the crust and the core are used.
Response of the Unruh-DeWitt detector in flat spacetime with a compact dimension

In a flat spacetime with one spatial dimension compactified, inertial reference frames are not all equivalent, but there are the preferred ones. This paper investigates the nonequivalence of inertial frames and also that of uniformly accelerated frames in connection with the response of the Unruh-DeWitt detector coupled to a massless scalar field. The detector's transition rates of both excitation and de-excitation are studied in depth for three different cases: (i) the detector moving at an arbitrary constant velocity, (ii) moving with a constant acceleration in the compact direction, and (iii) moving with a constant acceleration in noncompact directions. The instantaneous transition rate in relation to the switching function is also taken into account.
Placental and Umbilical Cord Blood Oxidative Stress Level and Telomere Homeostasis in Early Onset Severe Preeclampsia

Abstract Objective Although the etiopathogenesis of preeclampsia (PE) is unknown, evidence suggests that it may be associated with increased oxidative stress. Studies have shown that oxidative stress can affect DNA fragments called telomeres. However, the interactions of PE, oxidative stress, and telomere length are not clearly known. This study aims to evaluate the oxidative/anti-oxidative stress balance in the placenta and umbilical cord and examine the effect of oxidative stress on telomeres. Materials-Method Cord blood and placental samples were collected from 27 pregnant women with severe PE (28 0/7 –33 6/7 gestational weeks) and 53 healthy pregnant women. Telomere length (TL) was measured by real-time PCR in the cord blood and placenta tissue. Total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) levels were measured in the cord blood and placenta tissue using a colorimetric method. Results No significant differences were found between groups regarding age, BMI, gravida, parity, and newborn gender (p>0.05). Cord blood and placental TL of PE patients were significantly shorter than the control group, while cord blood and placental TAS and TOS levels were higher (p<0.05). The results of a multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the level of placental TOS in PE patients (OR=1.212, 95% CI=1.068–1.375) was an independent risk factor affecting PE. Conclusion This study found that oxidative stress is an independent risk factor in the development of PE and shortens TL in both placental and umbilical cord blood. Future research on telomere homeostasis may offer a new perspective for the treatment of PE.
Progressive and Simultaneous Right and Left Atrial Remodeling Uncovered by a Comprehensive Magnetic Resonance Assessment in Atrial Fibrillation

Background Left atrial structural remodeling contributes to the arrhythmogenic substrate of atrial fibrillation (AF), but the role of the right atrium (RA) remains unknown. Our aims were to comprehensively characterize right atrial structural remodeling in AF and identify right atrial parameters predicting recurrences after ablation. Methods and Results A 3.0 T late gadolinium enhanced–cardiac magnetic resonance was obtained in 109 individuals (9 healthy volunteers, 100 patients with AF undergoing ablation). Right and left atrial volume, surface, and sphericity were quantified. Right atrial global and regional fibrosis burden was assessed with validated thresholds. Patients with AF were systematically followed after ablation for recurrences. Progressive right atrial dilation and an increase in sphericity were observed from healthy volunteers to patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF; fibrosis was similar among the groups. The correlation between parameters recapitulating right atrial remodeling was mild. Subsequently, remodeling in both atria was compared. The RA was larger than the left atrium (LA) in all groups. Fibrosis burden was higher in the LA than in the RA of patients with AF, whereas sphericity was higher in the LA of patients with persistent AF only. Fibrosis, volume, and surface of the RA and LA, but not sphericity, were strongly correlated. Tricuspid regurgitation predicted right atrial volume and shape, whereas diabetes was associated with right atrial fibrosis burden; sex and persistent AF also predicted right atrial volume. Fibrosis in the RA was mostly located in the inferior vena cava–RA junction. Only right atrial sphericity is significantly associated with AF recurrences after ablation (hazard ratio, 1.12 [95% CI, 1.01–1.25]). Conclusions AF progression associates with right atrial remodeling in parallel with the LA. Right atrial sphericity yields prognostic significance after ablation.
Electron-Positron Pair Production in Structured Pulses of Electric Fields

The so-called Schwinger effect, the creation of electron-positron pairs in strong electric fields, has been discussed for nearly eighty years even though an experimental verification of this effect seemed to be impossible: The generation of electric fields of the order of 10V/m, which are required to overcome the exponential suppression of the Schwinger effect, was not feasible. Nevertheless there has been substantial progress in the theoretical models and methods as well as a rapid development in LASER and computer technology during the last decades. As a consequence, plans for high-intensity LASER facilities have been made and thus an experimental measurement of the Schwinger effect could become possible in the near future. In this master thesis the non-perturbative electron-positron pair production in time-dependent electric fields is investigated. The quantum kinetic formalism is employed in order to calculate the electron density for various field configurations. The corresponding set of first order, ordinary differential equations is analyzed and numerically solved. The focus of this study lies on the dynamically assisted Schwinger effect in pulsed electric fields with at least two different time scales. Furthermore, interference effects arising in setups with multiple pulses are examined and first results for an optimization of the particle number yield by pulse-shaping are given.
Physiological Bases for the Superiority of Apolipoprotein B Over Low‐Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Non–High‐Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol as a Marker of Cardiovascular Risk

Abstract In 2019, the European Society of Cardiology/European Atherosclerosis Society stated that apolipoprotein B (apoB) was a more accurate marker of cardiovascular risk than low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) and non–high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. Since then, the evidence has continued to mount in favor of apoB. This review explicates the physiological mechanisms responsible for the superiority of apoB as a marker of the cardiovascular risk attributable to the atherogenic apoB lipoprotein particles chylomicron remnants, very low‐density lipoprotein, and low‐density lipoprotein particles. First, the nature and relative numbers of these different apoB particles will be outlined. This will make clear why low‐density lipoprotein particles are almost always the major determinants of cardiovascular risk and why the concentrations of triglycerides and LDL‐C may obscure this relation. Next, the mechanisms that govern the number of very low‐density lipoprotein and low‐density lipoprotein particles will be outlined because, except for dysbetalipoproteinemia, the total number of apoB particles determines cardiovascular risk, Then, the mechanisms that govern the cholesterol mass within very low‐density lipoprotein and low‐density lipoprotein particles will be reviewed because these are responsible for the discordance between the mass of cholesterol within apoB particles, measured either as LDL‐C or non–high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, and the number of apoB particles measured as apoB, which creates the superior predictive power of apoB over LDL‐C and non–high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol. Finally, the major apoB dyslipoproteinemias will be briefly outlined. Our objective is to provide a physiological framework for health care givers to understand why apoB is a more accurate marker of cardiovascular risk than LDL‐C or non–high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol.
Pathogenicity and impact of HLA class I alleles in aplastic anemia patients of different ethnicities

Acquired aplastic anemia (AA) is caused by autoreactive T cell–mediated destruction of early hematopoietic cells. Somatic loss of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I alleles was identified as a mechanism of immune escape in surviving hematopoietic cells of some patients with AA. However, pathogenicity, structural characteristics, and clinical impact of specific HLA alleles in AA remain poorly understood. Here, we evaluated somatic HLA loss in 505 patients with AA from 2 multi-institutional cohorts. Using a combination of HLA mutation frequencies, peptide-binding structures, and association with AA in an independent cohort of 6,323 patients from the National Marrow Donor Program, we identified 19 AA risk alleles and 12 non-risk alleles and established a potentially novel AA HLA pathogenicity stratification. Our results define pathogenicity for the majority of common HLA-A/B alleles across diverse populations. Our study demonstrates that HLA alleles confer different risks of developing AA, but once AA develops, specific alleles are not associated with response to immunosuppression or transplant outcomes. However, higher pathogenicity alleles, particularly HLA-B*14:02, are associated with higher rates of clonal evolution in adult patients with AA. Our study provides insights into the immune pathogenesis of AA, opening the door to future autoantigen identification and improved understanding of clonal evolution in AA.
Evaluation of suspected drug‐facilitated sexual assault cases in the city of Houston from 2014 to 2020

Drug‐facilitated sexual assault is a form of sexual violence against an individual incapacitated by alcohol and/or drugs consumed voluntarily or covertly administered. The purpose of this study was to evaluate toxicological results and the associated demographics of sexual assault‐related cases submitted to Houston Forensic Science Center from 2014 to 2020. In total, 1240 samples (1230 cases) were tested during the six‐year period that consisted of blood, urine, or both specimens. Blood was analyzed for ethanol by dual‐column headspace gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. Drug screen analysis was performed preferably on urine specimens using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Positive screening results were confirmed upon request only due to laboratory policy. A total of 22% (n = 176) of requested samples were confirmed positive. Ethanol was the most prevalent substance detected, present in 17% of the samples (n = 212), followed by 11‐nor‐9‐carboxy‐delta‐9‐tetrahydrocannabinol (THC‐COOH) (n = 118). The combination of ethanol and THC‐COOH was the most frequent one found (n = 17) in cases positive for two or more drugs (n = 101). Demographic data showed the majority of DFSA victims were white (25%) females (72%) with an average age of 27 years old (n = 348). Almost 90% of cases where the presence of drugs was confirmed resulted in no charges being made, either due to lack of suspect information or unknown reasons by the laboratory.
Addressing global disparities in blood pressure control: perspectives of the International Society of Hypertension

Abstract Raised blood pressure (BP) is the leading cause of preventable death in the world. Yet, its global prevalence is increasing, and it remains poorly detected, treated, and controlled in both high- and low-resource settings. From the perspective of members of the International Society of Hypertension based in all regions, we reflect on the past, present, and future of hypertension care, highlighting key challenges and opportunities, which are often region-specific. We report that most countries failed to show sufficient improvements in BP control rates over the past three decades, with greater improvements mainly seen in some high-income countries, also reflected in substantial reductions in the burden of cardiovascular disease and deaths. Globally, there are significant inequities and disparities based on resources, sociodemographic environment, and race with subsequent disproportionate hypertension-related outcomes. Additional unique challenges in specific regions include conflict, wars, migration, unemployment, rapid urbanization, extremely limited funding, pollution, COVID-19-related restrictions and inequalities, obesity, and excessive salt and alcohol intake. Immediate action is needed to address suboptimal hypertension care and related disparities on a global scale. We propose a Global Hypertension Care Taskforce including multiple stakeholders and societies to identify and implement actions in reducing inequities, addressing social, commercial, and environmental determinants, and strengthening health systems implement a well-designed customized quality-of-care improvement framework.
Topological defects in Haldane model and higher Chern numbers in monolayer graphene

We consider the Haldane model, a two-band model in monolayer graphene with non-trivial Chern numbers. Two types of topological defects, monopoles and merons, are derived from the model: (a) the monopole defects occur at the Dirac points, where the system experiences a topological transition and the Chern number C takes an indeterminate value. The sign-change of the mass term after this transition indicates different topological states labeled by different C numbers; (b) the meron defects occur as per a varying mass term. Summing up the topological charges of the merons leads to the C evaluation for the energy bands of an insulating bulk, and the result we obtain is in full agreement to the past literature. Furthermore, in this paper we propose a high-C model through studying the limitation behavior of the Hamiltonian vector in the neighborhood of the topological defects. It is discovered that two conducting states may arise form the edges, where the lower band of the insulating bulk carries a higher Chern number, C=±2 .
Loss of H3K27 trimethylation in a distinct group of de‐differentiated chordoma of the skull base

De‐differentiated chordoma is defined as a high‐grade sarcoma lacking notochordal differentiation, which arises in association with conventional chordoma. The mechanism underlying de‐differentiation remains unclear. We immunohistochemically investigated trimethylation at lysine 27 of histone 3 (H3K27me3) in nine de‐differentiated chordomas. The tumours occurred at the skull base (n = 5) or the sacrum (n = 4) in four men and five women with a median age of 50 years. De‐differentiation occurred de novo in four cases and at recurrence/metastasis in five cases. Five tumours retained H3K27me3, whereas four showed complete loss of H3K27me3 only in the de‐differentiated component, while the conventional chordoma component retained H3K27me3. All the H3K27me3‐negative tumours showed co‐loss of dimethylation at H3K27 (H3K27me2), consistent with inactivation of polycomb repressive complex 2. Two genetically analysed H3K27me3‐negative tumours harboured EED homozygous deletions. All four H3K27me3‐negative de‐differentiated chordomas affected the skull base of young or middle‐aged women. Unlike dense proliferation of highly pleomorphic spindle or epithelioid cells in the H3K27me3‐positive de‐differentiated chordomas, all H3K27me3‐negative tumours displayed swirling fascicles of relatively uniform spindle cells with alternating cellularity and perivascular accentuation, resembling malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour (MPNST). Rhabdomyoblastic differentiation was present in one H3K27me3‐negative tumour. We identified a novel group of de‐differentiated chordomas in the skull base that lost H3K27me3/me2 only in the de‐differentiated component, which was associated with EED homozygous deletion and MPNST‐like histology. Our data suggest a distinct ‘polycomb‐type’ de‐differentiation pathway in chordoma, similar to a recently described de‐differentiated chondrosarcoma with H3K27me3 loss.
The Autophagy Receptor TAX1BP1 (T6BP) improves antigen presentation by MHC‐II molecules

CD4+ T lymphocytes play a major role in the establishment and maintenance of immunity. They are activated by antigenic peptides derived from extracellular or newly synthesized (endogenous) proteins presented by the MHC‐II molecules. The pathways leading to endogenous MHC‐II presentation remain poorly characterized. We demonstrate here that the autophagy receptor, T6BP, influences both autophagy‐dependent and ‐independent endogenous presentation of HIV‐ and HCMV‐derived peptides. By studying the immunopeptidome of MHC‐II molecules, we show that T6BP affects both the quantity and quality of peptides presented. T6BP silencing induces the mislocalization of the MHC‐II‐loading compartments and rapid degradation of the invariant chain (CD74) without altering the expression and internalization kinetics of MHC‐II molecules. Defining the interactome of T6BP, we identify calnexin as a T6BP partner. We show that the calnexin cytosolic tail is required for this interaction. Remarkably, calnexin silencing replicates the functional consequences of T6BP silencing: decreased CD4+ T cell activation and exacerbated CD74 degradation. Altogether, we unravel T6BP as a key player of the MHC‐II‐restricted endogenous presentation pathway, and we propose one potential mechanism of action.
A high‐dimensional cytometry atlas of peripheral blood over the human life span

Age can profoundly affect susceptibility to a broad range of human diseases. Children are more susceptible to some infectious diseases such as diphtheria and pertussis, while in others, such as coronavirus disease 2019 and hepatitis A, they are more protected compared with adults. One explanation is that the composition of the immune system is a major contributing factor to disease susceptibility and severity. While most studies of the human immune system have focused on adults, how the immune system changes after birth remains poorly understood. Here, using high‐dimensional spectral flow cytometry and computational methods for data integration, we analyzed more than 50 populations of immune cells in the peripheral blood, generating an immune cell atlas that defines the healthy human immune system from birth up to 75 years of age. We focused our efforts on children under 18 years old, revealing major changes in immune cell populations after birth and in children of schooling age. Specifically, CD4+ T effector memory cells, Vδ2+ gamma delta (γδ)T cells, memory B cells, plasmablasts, CD11c+ B cells and CD16+CD56bright natural killer (NK) cells peaked in children aged 5–9 years old, whereas frequencies of T helper 1, T helper 17, dendritic cells and CD16+CD57+CD56dim NK cells were highest in older children (10–18 years old). The frequency of mucosal‐associated invariant T cells was low in the first several years of life and highest in adults between 19 and 30 years old. Late adulthood was associated with fewer mucosal‐associated invariant T cells and Vδ2+ γδ T cells but with increased frequencies of memory subsets of B cells, CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and CD57+ NK cells. This human immune cell atlas provides a critical resource to understand changes to the immune system during life and provides a reference for investigating the immune system in the context of human disease. This work may also help guide future therapies that target specific populations of immune cells to protect at‐risk populations.
Ultralight type I transvaginal mesh: an alternative for recurrent severe posterior vaginal prolapse

Abstract Objective This study aimed to analyze the medium-term outcomes of ultralight type I mesh for postmenopausal women with recurrent severe posterior vaginal prolapse (PVP). Methods All participants underwent transvaginal ultralight type I mesh repair between April 2016 and April 2021 and were followed until May 2022. Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification System (POP-Q) staging, mesh-related complications, Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) scale and quality of life questionnaire responses were evaluated. The primary outcome was composite surgical success rate at the last follow-up, composite success being defined as no vaginal bulge symptoms, no POP-Q point at or beyond the hymen and no re-treatment for POP. Secondary outcomes included anatomic outcomes (POP-Q score), symptomatic relief and complications. Results The median follow-up was 37.3 months. At the last follow-up, the composite success rate was 75%, and POP-Q scores for the vault and posterior wall and quality of life questionnaire scores were significantly improved (p < 0.01). The subjective satisfaction (PGI-I ≤ 2) rate was 83.3%. There were no mesh-related complications. Conclusions Ultralight mesh can achieve good clinical outcomes and substantially improve the quality of life of patients with severe recurrent PVP in the medium term, and may thus be a viable alternative for treating this condition.