2,072 research outputs found
Scattering functions of knotted ring polymers
We discuss the scattering function of a Gaussian random polygon with N nodes
under a given topological constraint through simulation. We obtain the Kratky
plot of a Gaussian polygon of N=200 having a fixed knot for some different
knots such as the trivial, trefoil and figure-eight knots. We find that some
characteristic properties of the different Kratky plots are consistent with the
distinct values of the mean square radius of gyration for Gaussian polygons
with the different knots.Comment: 4pages, 3figures, 3table
Attenuation of ischemic liver injury by prostaglandin E<inf>1</inf> analogue, misoprostol, and prostaglandin I<inf>2</inf> analogue, OP-41483
Background: Prostaglandin has been reported to have protective effects against liver injury. Use of this agent in clinical settings, however, is limited because of drugrelated side effects. This study investigated whether misoprostol, prostaglandin E1 analogue, and OP-41483, prostaglandin I2 analogue, which have fewer adverse effects with a longer half-life, attenuate ischemic liver damage. Study Design: Thirty beagle dogs underwent 2 hours of hepatic vascular exclusion using venovenous bypass. Misoprostol was administered intravenously for 30 minutes before ischemia and for 3 hours after reperfusion. OP-41483 was administered intraportally for 30 minutes before ischemia (2 μg/kg/min) and for 3 hours after reperfusion (0.5 μg/kg/min). Animals were divided into five groups: untreated control group (n = 10); high-dose misoprostol (total 100 μg/kg) group (MP-H, n = 5); middle-dose misoprostol (50 μg/kg) group (MP-M, n = 5); low-dose misoprostol (25 μg/kg) group (MP-L, n = 5); and OP-41483 group (OP, n = 5). Animal survival, hepatic tissue blood flow (HTBF), liver function, and histology were analyzed. Results: Two-week animal survival rates were 30% in control, 60% in MP-H, 100% in MP-M, 80% in MP-L, and 100% in OP. The treatments with prostaglandin analogues improved HTBF, and attenuated liver enzyme release, adenine nucleotrides degradation, and histologic abnormalities. In contrast to the MP-H animals that exhibited unstable cardiovascular systems, the MP- M, MP-L, and OP animals experienced only transient hypotension. Conclusions: These results indicate that misoprostol and OP-41483 prevent ischemic liver damage, although careful dose adjustment of misoprostol is required to obtain the best protection with minimal side effects
Attenuation of ischemic liver injury by monoclonal anti-endothelin antibody, awETN40
Background: Enhanced production of endothelin-1 (ET1), vasoconstrictive 21 amino acids produced by endothelial cells during ischemia and after reperfusion of the liver, is known to cause sinusoidal constriction and microcirculatory disturbances, which lead to severe tissue damage. Using a 2- hour hepatic vascular exclusion model in dogs, we tested our hypothesis that neutralization of ET-1 by monoclonal anti-ET-1 and anti-ET-2 antibody (AwETN40) abates vascular dysfunction and ameliorates ischemia/reperfusion injury of the liver. Study Design: After skeletonization, the liver was made totally ischemic by cross-clamping the portal vein, the hepatic artery, and the vena cava (above and below the liver). Venovenous bypass was used to decompress splanchnic and inferior systemic congestion. AwETN40, 5 mg/kg, was administered intravenously 10 minutes before ischemia (treatment group, n = 5). Nontreated animals were used as controls (control group, n = 10). Animal survival, hepatic tissue blood flow, liver function tests; total bile acid, high-energy phosphate, ET-1 levels, and liver histopathology were studied. Results: Treatment with AwETN40 improved 2-week animal survival from 30% to 100%. Hepatic tissue blood flow after reperfusion was significantly higher in the treatment group. The treatment significantly attenuated liver enzyme release, total bile acid, and changes in adenine nucleotides. Immunoreactive ET-1 levels in the hepatic venous blood of the control group showed a significant increase and remained high for up to 24 hours after reperfusion. Histopathologic alterations were significantly lessened in the treatment group. Conclusions: These results indicate that ET-1 is involved in ischemia/reperfusion injury of the liver, which can be ameliorated by the monoclonal anti-ET-1 and antiET-2 antibody AwETN40
An Analysis of the Quantum Penny Flip Game using Geometric Algebra
We analyze the quantum penny flip game using geometric algebra and so
determine all possible unitary transformations which enable the player Q to
implement a winning strategy. Geometric algebra provides a clear visual picture
of the quantum game and its strategies, as well as providing a simple and
direct derivation of the winning transformation, which we demonstrate can be
parametrized by two angles. For comparison we derive the same general winning
strategy by conventional means using density matrices.Comment: 8 Pages, 1 Figure, accepted for publication in the Journal of
Physical Society of Japa
Preclinical correction of human Fanconi anemia complementation group A bone marrow cells using a safety-modified lentiviral vector.
One of the major hurdles for the development of gene therapy for Fanconi anemia (FA) is the increased sensitivity of FA stem cells to free radical-induced DNA damage during ex vivo culture and manipulation. To minimize this damage, we have developed a brief transduction procedure for lentivirus vector-mediated transduction of hematopoietic progenitor cells from patients with Fanconi anemia complementation group A (FANCA). The lentiviral vector FancA-sW contains the phosphoglycerate kinase promoter, the FANCA cDNA, and a synthetic, safety-modified woodchuck post transcriptional regulatory element (sW). Bone marrow mononuclear cells or purified CD34(+) cells from patients with FANCA were transduced in an overnight culture on recombinant fibronectin peptide CH-296, in low (5%) oxygen, with the reducing agent, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), and a combination of growth factors, granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), Flt3 ligand, stem cell factor, and thrombopoietin. Transduced cells plated in methylcellulose in hypoxia with NAC showed increased colony formation compared with 21% oxygen without NAC (P<0.03), showed increased resistance to mitomycin C compared with green fluorescent protein (GFP) vector-transduced controls (P<0.007), and increased survival. Thus, combining short transduction and reducing oxidative stress may enhance the viability and engraftment of gene-corrected cells in patients with FANCA
Relaxation of a Single Knotted Ring Polymer
The relaxation of a single knotted ring polymer is studied by Brownian
dynamics simulations. The relaxation rate lambda_q for the wave number q is
estimated by the least square fit of the equilibrium time-displaced correlation
function to a double exponential decay at long times. The relaxation rate
distribution of a single ring polymer with the trefoil knot appears to behave
as lambda_q=A(1/N^)x for q=1 and lambda_q=A'(q/N)^x' for q=2 and 3, where
x=2.61, x'=2.02 and A>A'. The wave number q of the slowest relaxation rate for
each N is given by q=2 for small values of N, while it is given by q=1 for
large values of N. This crossover corresponds to the change of the structure of
the ring polymer caused by the localization of the knotted part to a part of
the ring polymer.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figures, uses jpsj2.cl
One-way quantum computing in a decoherence-free subspace
We introduce a novel scheme for one-way quantum computing (QC) based on the
use of information encoded qubits in an effective cluster state resource. With
the correct encoding structure, we show that it is possible to protect the
entangled resource from phase damping decoherence, where the effective cluster
state can be described as residing in a Decoherence-Free Subspace (DFS) of its
supporting quantum system. One-way QC then requires either single or two-qubit
adaptive measurements. As an example where this proposal can be realized, we
describe an optical lattice setup where the scheme provides robust quantum
information processing. We also outline how one can adapt the model to provide
protection from other types of decoherence.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, RevTeX
Gyration radius of a circular polymer under a topological constraint with excluded volume
It is nontrivial whether the average size of a ring polymer should become
smaller or larger under a topological constraint.
Making use of some knot invariants, we evaluate numerically the mean square
radius of gyration for ring polymers having a fixed knot type, where the ring
polymers are given by self-avoiding polygons consisting of freely-jointed hard
cylinders. We obtain plots of the gyration radius versus the number of
polygonal nodes for the trivial, trefoil and figure-eight knots. We discuss
possible asymptotic behaviors of the gyration radius under the topological
constraint. In the asymptotic limit, the size of a ring polymer with a given
knot is larger than that of no topological constraint when the polymer is thin,
and the effective expansion becomes weak when the polymer is thick enough.Comment: 12pages,3figure
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