Search for Gravitational Waves from Primordial Black Hole Binary Coalescences in the Galactic Halo

We use data from the second science run of the LIGO gravitational-wave detectors to search for the gravitational waves from primordial black hole (PBH) binary coalescence with component masses in the range 0.2--$1.0 M_\odot$. The analysis requires a signal to be found in the data from both LIGO observatories, according to a set of coincidence criteria. No inspiral signals were found. Assuming a spherical halo with core radius 5 kpc extending to 50 kpc containing non-spinning black holes with masses in the range 0.2--$1.0 M_\odot$, we place an observational upper limit on the rate of PBH coalescence of 63 per year per Milky Way halo (MWH) with 90% confidence.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures, to be submitted to Phys. Rev.

Breast and other cancer dormancy as a therapeutic endpoint: speculative recombinant T cell receptor ligand (RTL) adjuvant therapy worth considering?

RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are.BACKGROUND: Most individuals who died of trauma were found to harbour microscopic primary cancers at autopsies. Surgical excision of the primary tumour, unfortunately, seems to disturb tumour dormancy in over half of all metastatic relapses. PRESENTATION OF THE HYPOTHESIS: A recently developed immune model suggested that the evolutionary pressure driving the creation of a T cell receptor repertoire was primarily the homeostatic surveillance of the genome. The model is based on the homeostatic role of T cells, suggesting that molecular complementarity between the positively selected T cell receptors and the self peptide-presenting major histocompatibility complex molecules establishes and regulates homeostasis, strictly limiting variations of its components. The repertoire is maintained by continuous peripheral stimulation via soluble forms of self-peptide-presenting major histocompatibility complex molecules governed by the law of mass action. The model states that foreign peptides inhibit the complementary interactions between the major histocompatibility complexes and T cell receptors. Since the vast majority of clinically detected cancers present self-peptides the model assumes that tumour cells are, paradoxically, under homeostatic T cell control.The novelty of our hypothesis therefore is that resection of the primary tumour mass is perceived as loss of 'normal' tissue cells. Consequently, T cells striving to reconstitute homeostasis stimulate rather than inhibit the growth of dormant tumour cells and avascular micrometastases. Here we suggest that such kick-start growths could be prevented by a recombinant T cell receptor ligand therapy that modifies T cell behaviour through a partial activation mechanism. TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS: The homeostatic T cell regulation of tumours can be tested in a tri-transgenic mice model engineered to express potent oncogenes in a doxycycline-dependent manner. We suggest seeding dissociated, untransformed mammary cells from doxycycline naïve mice into the lungs of two mice groups: one carries mammary tumours, the other does not. Both recipient groups to be fed doxycycline in order to activate the oncogenes of the untransformed mammary cells in the lungs, where solitary nodules are expected to develop 6 weeks after injection. We expect that lung metastasis development will be stimulated following resection of the primary tumour mass compared to the tumour-free mice. A recombinant T cell receptor ligand therapy, starting at least one day before resection and continuing during the entire experimental period, would be able to prevent the stimulating effect of surgery. IMPLICATIONS OF THE HYPOTHESIS: Recombinant T cell receptor ligand therapy of diagnosed cancer would keep all metastatic deposits microscopic for as long as the therapy is continued without limit and could be pursued as one method of cancer control. Improving the outcome of therapy by preventing the development of metastases is perhaps achievable more readily than curing patients with overt metastases

Quantum Measurement Theory in Gravitational-Wave Detectors

The fast progress in improving the sensitivity of the gravitational-wave (GW) detectors, we all have witnessed in the recent years, has propelled the scientific community to the point, when quantum behaviour of such immense measurement devices as kilometer-long interferometers starts to matter. The time, when their sensitivity will be mainly limited by the quantum noise of light is round the corner, and finding the ways to reduce it will become a necessity. Therefore, the primary goal we pursued in this review was to familiarize a broad spectrum of readers with the theory of quantum measurements in the very form it finds application in the area of gravitational-wave detection. We focus on how quantum noise arises in gravitational-wave interferometers and what limitations it imposes on the achievable sensitivity. We start from the very basic concepts and gradually advance to the general linear quantum measurement theory and its application to the calculation of quantum noise in the contemporary and planned interferometric detectors of gravitational radiation of the first and second generation. Special attention is paid to the concept of Standard Quantum Limit and the methods of its surmounting.Comment: 147 pages, 46 figures, 1 table. Published in Living Reviews in Relativit

Attachment and coping in psychosis in relation to spiritual figures

Background: Studies have found higher levels of insecure attachment in individuals with schizophrenia. Attachment theory provides a framework necessary for conceptualizing the development of interpersonal functioning. Some aspects of the attachment of the believer to his/her spiritual figure are similar to those between the child and his/her parents. The correspondence hypothesis suggests that early child-parent interactions correspond to a person's relation to a spiritual figure. The compensation hypothesis suggests that an insecure attachment history would lead to a strong religiousness/spirituality as a compensation for the lack of felt security. The aim of this study is to explore attachment models in psychosis vs. healthy controls, the relationships between attachment and psychopathology and the attachment processes related to spiritual figures. Methods: Attachment models were measured in 30 patients with psychosis and 18 controls with the AAI (Adult Attachment interview) in relationship with psychopathology. Beliefs and practices related to a spiritual figure were investigated by qualitative and quantitative analyses. Results: Patients with psychosis showed a high prevalence of insecure avoidant attachment. Spiritual entities functioned like attachment figures in two thirds of cases. Interviews revealed the transformation of internal working models within relation to a spiritual figure: a compensation process was found in 7 of the 32 subjects who showed a significant attachment to a spiritual figure. Conclusions: Attachment theory allows us to highlight one of the underlying dimensions of spiritual coping in patients with psychosis

Coalescence Behavior of Gold Nanoparticles

The tetraoctylammonium bromide (TOAB)-stabilized gold nanoparticles have been successfully fabricated. After an annealing of the as-synthesized nanoparticles at 300 °C for 30 min, the coalescence behavior of gold nanoparticles has been investigated using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy in detail. Two types of coalescence, one being an ordered combination of two or more particles in appropriate orientations through twinning, and the other being an ordered combination of two small particles with facets through a common lattice plane, have been observed

STIM2 regulates PKA-dependent phosphorylation and trafficking of AMPARs

STIMs (STIM1 and STIM2 in mammals) are transmembrane proteins that reside in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and regulate store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). The function of STIMs in the brain is only beginning to be explored, and the relevance of SOCE in nerve cells is being debated. Here we identify STIM2 as a central organizer of excitatory synapses. STIM2, but not its paralogue STIM1, influences the formation of dendritic spines and shapes basal synaptic transmission in excitatory neurons. We further demonstrate that STIM2 is essential for cAMP/PKA-dependent phosphorylation of the AMPA receptor (AMPAR) subunit GluA1. cAMP triggers rapid migration of STIM2 to ER–plasma membrane (PM) contact sites, enhances recruitment of GluA1 to these ER-PM junctions, and promotes localization of STIM2 in dendritic spines. Both biochemical and imaging data suggest that STIM2 regulates GluA1 phosphorylation by coupling PKA to the AMPAR in a SOCE-independent manner. Consistent with a central role of STIM2 in regulating AMPAR phosphorylation, STIM2 promotes cAMP-dependent surface delivery of GluA1 through combined effects on exocytosis and endocytosis. Collectively our results point to a unique mechanism of synaptic plasticity driven by dynamic assembly of a STIM2 signaling complex at ER-PM contact sites

Sex-specific reproductive behaviours and paternity in free-ranging Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus)

In a wide variety of species, male reproductive success is determined by contest for access to females. Among multi-male primate groups, however, factors in addition to male competitive ability may also influence paternity outcome, although their exact nature and force is still largely unclear. Here, we have investigated in a group of free-ranging Barbary macaques whether paternity is determined on the pre- or postcopulatory level and how male competitive ability and female direct mate choice during the female fertile phase are related to male reproductive success. Behavioural observations were combined with faecal hormone analysis for timing of the fertile phase (13 cycles, 8 females) and genetic paternity analysis (n = 12). During the fertile phase, complete monopolisation of females did not occur. Females were consorted for only 49% of observation time, and all females had ejaculatory copulations with several males. Thus, in all cases, paternity was determined on the postcopulatory level. More than 80% of infants were sired by high-ranking males, and this reproductive skew was related to both, male competitive ability and female direct mate choice as high-ranking males spent more time in consort with females than low-ranking males, and females solicited copulations mainly from dominant males. As most ejaculatory copulations were female-initiated, female direct mate choice appeared to have the highest impact on male reproductive success. However, female preference was not directly translated into paternity, as fathers were not preferred over non-fathers in terms of solicitation, consortship and mating behaviour. Collectively, our data show that in the Barbary macaque, both sexes significantly influence male mating success, but that sperm of several males generally compete within the female reproductive tract and that therefore paternity is determined by mechanisms operating at the postcopulatory level

Acute Adverse Effects of Fine Particulate Air Pollution on Ventricular Repolarization

Background The mechanisms for the relationship between particulate pollution and cardiac disease are not fully understood. Objective We examined the effects and time course of exposure to fine particulate matter ≤ 2.5 μm in aerodynamic diameter (PM2.5) on ventricular repolarization of 106 nonsmoking adults who were living in communities in central Pennsylvania. Methods The 24-hr beat-to-beat electrocardiogram (ECG) data were obtained using a high-resolution 12-lead Holter system. After visually identifying and removing artifacts and arrhythmic beats, we summarized normal beat-to-beat QTs from each 30-min segment as heart rate (HR)-corrected QT measures: QT prolongation index (QTI), Bazett’s HR-corrected QT (QTcB), and Fridericia’s HR-corrected QT (QTcF). A personal PM2.5 monitor was used to measure individual-level real-time PM2.5 exposures for 24 hr. We averaged these data and used 30-min time-specific average PM2.5 exposures. Results The mean age of the participants was 56 ± 8 years, with 41% male and 74% white. The means ± SDs for QTI, QTcB, and QTcF were 111 ± 6.6, 438 ± 23 msec, and 422 ± 22 msec, respectively; and for PM2.5, the mean ± SD was 14 ± 22 μg/m3. We used distributed lag models under a framework of linear mixed-effects models to assess the autocorrelation-corrected regression coefficients (β) between 30-min PM2.5 and the HR-corrected QT measures. Most of the adverse ventricular repolarization effects from PM2.5 exposure occurred within 3–4 hr. The multivariable adjusted β (SE, p-value) due to a 10-μg/m3 increase in lag 7 PM2.5 on QTI, QTcB, and QTcF were 0.08 (0.04, p < 0.05), 0.22 (0.08, p < 0.01), and 0.09 (0.05, p < 0.05), respectively. Conclusions Our results suggest a significant adverse effect of PM2.5 on ventricular repolarization. The time course of the effect is within 3–4 hr of elevated PM2.5