923 research outputs found
COX-2 in the neurodegenerative process of Parkinson's disease
Copyright © 2012 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Demonstration of unconditional one-way quantum computations for continuous variables
Quantum computing promises to exploit the laws of quantum mechanics for
processing information in ways fundamentally different from today's classical
computers, leading to unprecedented efficiency. One-way quantum computation,
sometimes referred to as the cluster model of quantum computation, is a very
promising approach to fulfil the capabilities of quantum information
processing. The cluster model is realizable through measurements on a highly
entangled cluster state with no need for controlled unitary evolutions. Here we
demonstrate unconditional one-way quantum computation experiments for
continuous variables using a linear cluster state of four entangled optical
modes. We implement an important set of quantum operations, linear
transformations, in the optical phase space through one-way computation. Though
not sufficient, these are necessary for universal quantum computation over
continuous variables, and in our scheme, in principle, any such linear
transformation can be unconditionally and deterministically applied to
arbitrary single-mode quantum states.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
Characterization of Knots and Links Arising From Site-specific Recombination on Twist Knots
We develop a model characterizing all possible knots and links arising from
recombination starting with a twist knot substrate, extending previous work of
Buck and Flapan. We show that all knot or link products fall into three
well-understood families of knots and links, and prove that given a positive
integer , the number of product knots and links with minimal crossing number
equal to grows proportionally to . In the (common) case of twist knot
substrates whose products have minimal crossing number one more than the
substrate, we prove that the types of products are tightly prescribed. Finally,
we give two simple examples to illustrate how this model can help determine
previously uncharacterized experimental data.Comment: 32 pages, 7 tables, 27 figures, revised: figures re-arranged, and
minor corrections. To appear in Journal of Physics
Ferrimagnetism of the Heisenberg Models on the Quasi-One-Dimensional Kagome Strip Lattices
We study the ground-state properties of the S=1/2 Heisenberg models on the
quasi-onedimensional kagome strip lattices by the exact diagonalization and
density matrix renormalization group methods. The models with two different
strip widths share the same lattice structure in their inner part with the
spatially anisotropic two-dimensional kagome lattice. When there is no magnetic
frustration, the well-known Lieb-Mattis ferrimagnetic state is realized in both
models. When the strength of magnetic frustration is increased, on the other
hand, the Lieb-Mattis-type ferrimagnetism is collapsed. We find that there
exists a non-Lieb-Mattis ferrimagnetic state between the Lieb-Mattis
ferrimagnetic state and the nonmagnetic ground state. The local magnetization
clearly shows an incommensurate modulation with long-distance periodicity in
the non-Lieb-Mattis ferrimagnetic state. The intermediate non-Lieb-Mattis
ferrimagnetic state occurs irrespective of strip width, which suggests that the
intermediate phase of the two-dimensional kagome lattice is also the
non-Lieb-Mattis-type ferrimagnetism.Comment: 9pages, 11figures, accepted for publication in J. Phys. Soc. Jp
Structure of the Bacillus subtilis 70S ribosome reveals the basis for species-specific stalling
Ribosomal stalling is used to regulate gene expression and can occur in a species-specific manner. Stalling during translation of the MifM leader peptide regulates expression of the downstream membrane protein biogenesis factor YidC2 (YqjG) in Bacillus subtilis, but not in Escherichia coli. In the absence of structures of Gram-positive bacterial ribosomes, a molecular basis for species-specific stalling has remained unclear. Here we present the structure of a Gram-positive B. subtilis MifM-stalled 70S ribosome at 3.5-3.9 angstrom, revealing a network of interactions between MifM and the ribosomal tunnel, which stabilize a non-productive conformation of the PTC that prevents aminoacyl-tRNA accommodation and thereby induces translational arrest. Complementary genetic analyses identify a single amino acid within ribosomal protein L22 that dictates the species specificity of the stalling event. Such insights expand our understanding of how the synergism between the ribosome and the nascent chain is utilized to modulate the translatome in a species-specific manner
Stochastic Resonance of Ensemble Neurons for Transient Spike Trains: A Wavelet Analysis
By using the wavelet transformation (WT), we have analyzed the response of an
ensemble of (=1, 10, 100 and 500) Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) neurons to {\it
transient} -pulse spike trains () with independent Gaussian noises.
The cross-correlation between the input and output signals is expressed in
terms of the WT expansion coefficients. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is
evaluated by using the {\it denoising} method within the WT, by which the noise
contribution is extracted from output signals. Although the response of a
single (N=1) neuron to sub-threshold transient signals with noises is quite
unreliable, the transmission fidelity assessed by the cross-correlation and SNR
is shown to be much improved by increasing the value of : a population of
neurons play an indispensable role in the stochastic resonance (SR) for
transient spike inputs. It is also shown that in a large-scale ensemble, the
transmission fidelity for supra-threshold transient spikes is not significantly
degraded by a weak noise which is responsible to SR for sub-threshold inputs.Comment: 20 pages, 4 figure
The GATA1s isoform is normally down-regulated during terminal haematopoietic differentiation and over-expression leads to failure to repress MYB, CCND2 and SKI during erythroid differentiation of K562 cells
Background: Although GATA1 is one of the most extensively studied haematopoietic transcription factors little is currently known about the physiological functions of its naturally occurring isoforms GATA1s and GATA1FL in humans—particularly whether the isoforms have distinct roles in different lineages and whether they have non-redundant roles in haematopoietic differentiation. As well as being of general interest to understanding of haematopoiesis, GATA1 isoform biology is important for children with Down syndrome associated acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia (DS-AMKL) where GATA1FL mutations are an essential driver for disease pathogenesis.
<p/>Methods: Human primary cells and cell lines were analyzed using GATA1 isoform specific PCR. K562 cells expressing GATA1s or GATA1FL transgenes were used to model the effects of the two isoforms on in vitro haematopoietic differentiation.
<p/>Results: We found no evidence for lineage specific use of GATA1 isoforms; however GATA1s transcripts, but not GATA1FL transcripts, are down-regulated during in vitro induction of terminal megakaryocytic and erythroid differentiation in the cell line K562. In addition, transgenic K562-GATA1s and K562-GATA1FL cells have distinct gene expression profiles both in steady state and during terminal erythroid differentiation, with GATA1s expression characterised by lack of repression of MYB, CCND2 and SKI.
<p/>Conclusions: These findings support the theory that the GATA1s isoform plays a role in the maintenance of proliferative multipotent megakaryocyte-erythroid precursor cells and must be down-regulated prior to terminal differentiation. In addition our data suggest that SKI may be a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of children with DS-AMKL
Bipartite Entanglement in Continuous-Variable Cluster States
We present a study of the entanglement properties of Gaussian cluster states,
proposed as a universal resource for continuous-variable quantum computing. A
central aim is to compare mathematically-idealized cluster states defined using
quadrature eigenstates, which have infinite squeezing and cannot exist in
nature, with Gaussian approximations which are experimentally accessible.
Adopting widely-used definitions, we first review the key concepts, by
analysing a process of teleportation along a continuous-variable quantum wire
in the language of matrix product states. Next we consider the bipartite
entanglement properties of the wire, providing analytic results. We proceed to
grid cluster states, which are universal for the qubit case. To extend our
analysis of the bipartite entanglement, we adopt the entropic-entanglement
width, a specialized entanglement measure introduced recently by Van den Nest M
et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 97 150504 (2006), adapting their definition to the
continuous-variable context. Finally we add the effects of photonic loss,
extending our arguments to mixed states. Cumulatively our results point to key
differences in the properties of idealized and Gaussian cluster states. Even
modest loss rates are found to strongly limit the amount of entanglement. We
discuss the implications for the potential of continuous-variable analogues of
measurement-based quantum computation.Comment: 22 page
Pharmacological reversal of endothelin-1 mediated constriction of the spiral modiolar artery: a potential new treatment for sudden sensorineural hearing loss
BACKGROUND: Vasospasm of the spiral modiolar artery (SMA) may cause ischemic stroke of the inner ear. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) induces a strong, long-lasting constriction of the SMA by increasing contractile apparatus Ca(2+ )sensitivity via Rho-kinase. We therefore tested several Rho-kinase inhibitors and a cell-permeable analogue of cAMP (dbcAMP) for their ability to reverse ET-1-induced constriction and Ca(2+)-sensitization. METHODS: The present study employed SMA isolated from gerbil temporal bones. Ca(2+)sensitivity was evaluated by correlating vascular diameter and smooth muscle cell [Ca(2+)](i), measured by fluo-4-microfluorometry and videomicroscopy. RESULTS: The Rho-kinase inhibitors Y-27632, fasudil, and hydroxy-fasudil reversed ET-1-induced vasoconstriction with an IC(50 )of 3, 15, and 111 μmol/L, respectively. DbcAMP stimulated a dose-dependent vasodilation (Ec(50 )= 1 mmol/L) and a reduction of [Ca(2+)](i )(EC(50 )= 0.3 μmol/L) of ET-1-preconstricted vessels (1 nmol/L). Fasudil and dbcAMP both reversed the ET-1-induced increase in Ca(2+ )sensitivity. CONCLUSION: Rho-kinase inhibition and dbcAMP reversed ET-1-induced vasoconstriction and Ca(2+)-sensitization. Therefore, Rho-kinase inhibitors or cAMP modulators could possess promise as pharmacological tools for the treatment of ET-1-induced constriction, ischemic stroke and sudden hearing loss
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