2,065 research outputs found
Consistent Construction of Perturbation Theory on Noncommutative Spaces
We examine the effect of non-local deformations on the applicability of
interaction point time ordered perturbation theory (IPTOPT) based on the free
Hamiltonian of local theories. The usual argument for the case of quantum field
theory (QFT) on a noncommutative (NC) space (based on the fact that the
introduction of star products in bilinear terms does not alter the action) is
not applicable to IPTOPT due to several discrepancies compared to the naive
path integral approach when noncommutativity involves time. These discrepancies
are explained in detail. Besides scalar models, gauge fields are also studied.
For both cases, we discuss the free Hamiltonian with respect to non-local
deformations.Comment: 22 pages; major changes in Section 3; minor changes in the
Introduction and Conclusio
Twin-Photon Confocal Microscopy
A recently introduced two-channel confocal microscope with correlated
detection promises up to 50% improvement in transverse spatial resolution
[Simon, Sergienko, Optics Express {\bf 18}, 9765 (2010)] via the use of photon
correlations. Here we achieve similar results in a different manner,
introducing a triple-confocal correlated microscope which exploits the
correlations present in optical parametric amplifiers. It is based on tight
focusing of pump radiation onto a thin sample positioned in front of a
nonlinear crystal, followed by coincidence detection of signal and idler
photons, each focused onto a pinhole. This approach offers further resolution
enhancement in confocal microscopy
Tauroursodeoxycholic acid exerts anticholestatic effects by a cooperative cPKC alpha-/PKA-dependent mechanism in rat liver.
Objective: Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) exerts anticholestatic effects in part by protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent mechanisms. Its taurine conjugate, TUDCA, is a cPKCa agonist. We tested whether protein kinase A (PKA) might contribute to the anticholestatic action of TUDCA via cooperative cPKCa-/PKA-dependent mechanisms
in taurolithocholic acid (TLCA)-induced cholestasis.
Methods: In perfused rat liver, bile flow was determined gravimetrically, organic anion secretion spectrophotometrically,
lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release enzymatically, cAMP response-element binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation by immunoblotting, and cAMP by immunoassay. PKC/PKA inhibitors were tested radiochemically. In vitro phosphorylation of the conjugate export pump, Mrp2/Abcc2, was studied in rat hepatocytes and human Hep-G2 hepatoma cells.
Results: In livers treated with TLCA (10 mmol/l)+TUDCA (25 mmol/l), combined inhibition of cPKC by the cPKCselective
inhibitor Go¨6976 (100 nmol/l) or the nonselective PKC inhibitor staurosporine (10 nmol/l) and of PKA by H89 (100 nmol/l) reduced bile flow by 36% (p,0.05) and 48% (p,0.01), and secretion of the Mrp2/
Abcc2 substrate, 2,4-dinitrophenyl-S-glutathione, by 31% (p,0.05) and 41% (p,0.01), respectively; bile flow was
unaffected in control livers or livers treated with TUDCA only or TLCA+taurocholic acid. Inhibition of cPKC or PKA alone did not affect the anticholestatic action of TUDCA. Hepatic cAMP levels and CREB phosphorylation as readout of PKA activity were unaffected by the bile acids
tested, suggesting a permissive effect of PKA for the anticholestatic action of TUDCA. Rat and human hepatocellular Mrp2 were phosphorylated by phorbol ester pretreatment and recombinant cPKCa, nPKCe, and PKA, respectively, in a staurosporine-sensitive manner.
Conclusion: UDCA conjugates exert their anticholestatic action in bile acid-induced cholestasis in part via cooperative post-translational cPKCa-/PKA-dependent
mechanisms. Hepatocellular Mrp2 may be one target of bile acid-induced kinase activation
Coherent motion of stereocilia assures the concerted gating of hair-cell transduction channels
The hair cell's mechanoreceptive organelle, the hair bundle, is highly
sensitive because its transduction channels open over a very narrow range of
displacements. The synchronous gating of transduction channels also underlies
the active hair-bundle motility that amplifies and tunes responsiveness. The
extent to which the gating of independent transduction channels is coordinated
depends on how tightly individual stereocilia are constrained to move as a
unit. Using dual-beam interferometry in the bullfrog's sacculus, we found that
thermal movements of stereocilia located as far apart as a bundle's opposite
edges display high coherence and negligible phase lag. Because the mechanical
degrees of freedom of stereocilia are strongly constrained, a force applied
anywhere in the hair bundle deflects the structure as a unit. This feature
assures the concerted gating of transduction channels that maximizes the
sensitivity of mechanoelectrical transduction and enhances the hair bundle's
capacity to amplify its inputs.Comment: 24 pages, including 6 figures, published in 200
Non Local Theories: New Rules for Old Diagrams
We show that a general variant of the Wick theorems can be used to reduce the
time ordered products in the Gell-Mann & Low formula for a certain class on non
local quantum field theories, including the case where the interaction
Lagrangian is defined in terms of twisted products.
The only necessary modification is the replacement of the
Stueckelberg-Feynman propagator by the general propagator (the ``contractor''
of Denk and Schweda)
D(y-y';tau-tau')= - i
(Delta_+(y-y')theta(tau-tau')+Delta_+(y'-y)theta(tau'-tau)), where the
violations of locality and causality are represented by the dependence of
tau,tau' on other points, besides those involved in the contraction. This leads
naturally to a diagrammatic expansion of the Gell-Mann & Low formula, in terms
of the same diagrams as in the local case, the only necessary modification
concerning the Feynman rules. The ordinary local theory is easily recovered as
a special case, and there is a one-to-one correspondence between the local and
non local contributions corresponding to the same diagrams, which is preserved
while performing the large scale limit of the theory.Comment: LaTeX, 14 pages, 1 figure. Uses hyperref. Symmetry factors added;
minor changes in the expositio
Applications of Information Theory to Analysis of Neural Data
Information theory is a practical and theoretical framework developed for the
study of communication over noisy channels. Its probabilistic basis and
capacity to relate statistical structure to function make it ideally suited for
studying information flow in the nervous system. It has a number of useful
properties: it is a general measure sensitive to any relationship, not only
linear effects; it has meaningful units which in many cases allow direct
comparison between different experiments; and it can be used to study how much
information can be gained by observing neural responses in single trials,
rather than in averages over multiple trials. A variety of information
theoretic quantities are commonly used in neuroscience - (see entry
"Definitions of Information-Theoretic Quantities"). In this entry we review
some applications of information theory in neuroscience to study encoding of
information in both single neurons and neuronal populations.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figure
MinE conformational switching confers robustness on self-organized Min protein patterns
Protein patterning is vital for many fundamental cellular processes. This raises two intriguing questions: Can such intrinsically complex processes be reduced to certain core principles and, if so, what roles do the molecular details play in individual systems? A prototypical example for protein patterning is the bacterial Min system, in which self-organized pole-to-pole oscillations of MinCDE proteins guide the cell division machinery to midcell. These oscillations are based on cycling of the ATPase MinD and its activating protein MinE between the membrane and the cytoplasm. Recent biochemical evidence suggests that MinE undergoes a reversible, MinD-dependent conformational switch from a latent to a reactive state. However, the functional relevance of this switch for the Min network and pattern formation remains unclear. By combining mathematical modeling and in vitro reconstitution of mutant proteins, we dissect the two aspects of MinE's switch, persistent membrane binding and a change in MinE's affinity for MinD. Our study shows that the MinD-dependent change in MinE's binding affinity for MinD is essential for patterns to emerge over a broad and physiological range of protein concentrations. Mechanistically, our results suggest that conformational switching of an ATPase-activating protein can lead to the spatial separation of its distinct functional states and thereby confer robustness on an intracellular protein network with vital roles in bacterial cell division
Effects of topology optimization in multimaterial 3D bioprinting of soft actuators
Recently, there has been a proliferation of soft robots and actuators that exhibit improved capabilities and adaptability through three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting. Flexibility and shape recovery attributes of stimuli-responsive polymers as the main components in the production of these dynamic structures enable soft manipulations in fragile environments, with potential applications in biomedical and food sectors. Topology optimization (TO), when used in conjunction with 3D bioprinting with optimal design features, offers new capabilities for efficient performance in compliant mechanisms. In this paper, multimaterial TO analysis is used to improve and control the bending performance of a bioprinted soft actuator with electrolytic stimulation. The multimaterial actuator performance is evaluated by the amplitude and rate of bending motion and compared with the single material printed actuator. The results demonstrated the efficacy of multimaterial 3D bioprinting optimization for the rate of actuation and bending
Control of a SiC 2.5 MHz resonant full-bridge inverter for inductively driven plasma
The electronic ballast of an inductively driven plasma faces a mostly inductive, variable load impedance. The SiC full-bridge inverter uses the inductive behavior to achieve zero-voltage-switching and a switching frequency of 2.5 MHz, at 3.9 kVA and 764W in the plasma. The control is realized on a modern, small TI Piccolo microcontroller with a high-resolution PWM module and compensates for the variable load impedance. We present design and experimental results of a 2.5 MHz inverter for inductively driven plasma without the need for a large FPGA controller
Lebesgue regularity for differential difference equations with fractional damping
We provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence and unique-ness of solutions belonging to the vector-valued space of sequences �(Z, X) forequations that can be modeled in the formΔu(n)+Δu(n)=Au(n)+G(u)(n)+ (n), n ∈ Z,,>0,≥0,where X is a Banach space, ∈ �(Z, X), A is a closed linear operatorwith domain D(A) defined on X,andG is a nonlinear function. The oper-ator Δdenotes the fractional difference operator of order >0inthesense of Grünwald-Letnikov. Our class of models includes the discrete timeKlein-Gordon, telegraph, and Basset equations, among other differential differ-ence equations of interest. We prove a simple criterion that shows the existenceof solutions assuming that f is small and that G is a nonlinear term
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