Stark Effect in Lax-Phillips Theory

The scattering theory of Lax and Phillips, originally developed to describe resonances associated with classical wave equations, has been recently extended to apply as well to the case of the Schroedinger equation in the case that the wave operators for the corresponding Lax-Phillips theory exist. It is known that the bound state levels of an atom become resonances (spectral enhancements) in the continuum in the presence of an electric field (in all space) in the quantum mechanical Hilbert space. Such resonances appear as states in the extended Lax-Phillips Hilbert space. We show that for a simple version of the Stark effect, these states can be explicitly computed, and exhibit the (necessarily) semigroup property of decay in time. The widths and location of the resonances are those given by the poles of the resolvent of the standard quantum mechanical form.Comment: Plain TeX, 19 page

Functional and genetic characterization of the non-lysosomal glucosylceramidase 2 as a modifier for Gaucher disease

Background: Gaucher disease (GD) is the most common inherited lysosomal storage disorder in humans, caused by mutations in the gene encoding the lysosomal enzyme glucocerebrosidase (GBA1). GD is clinically heterogeneous and although the type of GBA1 mutation plays a role in determining the type of GD, it does not explain the clinical variability seen among patients. Cumulative evidence from recent studies suggests that GBA2 could play a role in the pathogenesis of GD and potentially interacts with GBA1. Methods: We used a framework of functional and genetic approaches in order to further characterize a potential role of GBA2 in GD. Glucosylceramide (GlcCer) levels in spleen, liver and brain of GBA2-deficient mice and mRNA and protein expression of GBA2 in GBA1-deficient murine fibroblasts were analyzed. Furthermore we crossed GBA2-deficient mice with conditional Gba1 knockout mice in order to quantify the interaction between GBA1 and GBA2. Finally, a genetic approach was used to test whether genetic variation in GBA2 is associated with GD and/or acts as a modifier in Gaucher patients. We tested 22 SNPs in the GBA2 and GBA1 genes in 98 type 1 and 60 type 2/3 Gaucher patients for single-and multi-marker association with GD. Results: We found a significant accumulation of GlcCer compared to wild-type controls in all three organs studied. In addition, a significant increase of Gba2-protein and Gba2-mRNA levels in GBA1-deficient murine fibroblasts was observed. GlcCer levels in the spleen from Gba1/Gba2 knockout mice were much higher than the sum of the single knockouts, indicating a cross-talk between the two glucosylceramidases and suggesting a partially compensation of the loss of one enzyme by the other. In the genetic approach, no significant association with severity of GD was found for SNPs at the GBA2 locus. However, in the multi-marker analyses a significant result was detected for p.L444P (GBA1) and rs4878628 (GBA2), using a model that does not take marginal effects into account. Conclusions: All together our observations make GBA2 a likely candidate to be involved in GD etiology. Furthermore, they point to GBA2 as a plausible modifier for GBA1 in patients with GD

Radiometric dating of the Earlier Stone Age sequence in Excavation I at Wonderwerk Cave, South Africa: preliminary results

We present here the results of 44 paleomagnetic measurements, and single cosmogenic burial and optically stimulated luminescence ages for the Earlier Stone Age deposits from Wonderwerk Cave, Northern Cape, South Africa. The resulting paleomagnetic sequence: N \u3e R \u3e N \u3e R \u3e N constrains the Earlier Stone Age strata in this part of the site to between ∼0.78–1.96 Ma. A single cosmogenic date of ∼2.0 Ma from the base of the section offers some corroboration for the paleomagnetic sequence. Preliminary results indicate that the small lithic assemblage from the basal stratum may contain an Oldowan facies. This is overlain by several strata containing Acheulean industries. The preliminary radiometric dates reported here place the onset of the Acheulean at this site to ∼1.6 Ma, which is roughly contemporaneous with that of East Africa

Geochronology, paleogeography, and archaeology of the Acheulian locality of ‘Evron Landfill in the western Galilee, Israel

International audienc

Plerixafor (a CXCR4 antagonist) following myeloablative allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation enhances hematopoietic recovery

Abstract Background The binding of CXCR4 with its ligand (stromal-derived factor-1) maintains hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) in a quiescent state. We hypothesized that blocking CXCR4/SDF-1 interaction after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) promotes hematopoiesis by inducing HSC proliferation. Methods We conducted a phase I/II trial of plerixafor on hematopoietic cell recovery following myeloablative allogeneic HSCT. Patients with hematologic malignancies receiving myeloablative conditioning were enrolled. Plerixafor 240 μg/kg was administered subcutaneously every other day beginning day +2 until day +21 or until neutrophil recovery. The primary efficacy endpoints of the study were time to absolute neutrophil count >500/μl and platelet count >20,000/μl. The cumulative incidence of neutrophil and platelet engraftment of the study cohort was compared to that of a cohort of 95 allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplant recipients treated during the same period of time and who received similar conditioning and graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis. Results Thirty patients received plerixafor following peripheral blood stem cell (n = 28) (PBSC) or bone marrow (n = 2) transplantation. Adverse events attributable to plerixafor were mild and indistinguishable from effects of conditioning. The kinetics of neutrophil and platelet engraftment, as demonstrated by cumulative incidence, from the 28 study subjects receiving PBSC showed faster neutrophil (p = 0.04) and platelet recovery >20 K (p = 0.04) compared to the controls. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that plerixafor can be given safely following myeloablative HSCT. It provides proof of principle that blocking CXCR4 after HSCT enhances hematopoietic recovery. Larger, confirmatory studies in other settings are warranted. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT0128095

Overcoming HIV pathways for escape using rationally-designed anti-HIV antibodies

A completely protective vaccine against HIV has not been found, thus possible prevention/treatment options involving delivery of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) identified in a minority of HIV-infected individuals are being considered. bNAbs that target conserved epitopes on the HIV envelope spike can prevent infection in animal models, delay rebound of HIV after cessation of anti-retroviral drugs, and treat an ongoing infection9. Enhancing the efficacy of bNAbs; in particular, designing bNAbs that retain potency against escape mutants selected during exposure to bNAbs, would facilitate their use as therapeutics. We previously used structure-based design to create NIH45-46G54W, a CD4-binding site (CD4bs) antibody with superior potency and/or breadth compared with other bNAbs. Here we report even more effective variants of NIH45-46G54W designed using analyses of the NIH45-46/gp120 complex structure and sequences of antibody-resistant HIV clones. One mutant, 45-46m2, neutralizes 96% of HIV strains in a cross-clade panel and viruses isolated from an HIV-infected individual that are resistant to all other known bNAbs, making it the single most broad and potent anti-HIV antibody to date. A detailed description of its mechanism is presented based on a 45-46m2/gp120 crystal structure. A second mutant, 45-46m7, designed to thwart resistance from NIH45-46G54W due to mutations in a V5/loop D gp120 consensus sequence, restores neutralization of HIV consensus sequence mutants, thus effectively targeting a common route of HIV escape. In combination, almost all HIV isolates are effectively neutralized, reducing the possible routes for the evolution of fit viral escape mutants