486 research outputs found
Techniques for improving reliability of computers
Modular design techniques improve methods of error detection, diagnosis, and recovery. Theoretical computer (MARCS (Modular Architecture for Reliable Computer Systems)) study deals with postulated and modeled technology indigenous to 1975-1980. Study developments are discussed
Pathologic Prion Protein Infects Cells by Lipid-Raft Dependent Macropinocytosis
Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, including variant-Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans and bovine spongiform encephalopathies in cattle, are fatal neurodegenerative disorders characterized by protein misfolding of the host cellular prion protein (PrPC) to the infectious scrapie form (PrPSc). However, the mechanism that exogenous PrPSc infects cells and where pathologic conversion of PrPC to the PrPSc form occurs remains uncertain. Here we report that similar to the mechanism of HIV-1 TAT-mediated peptide transduction, processed mature, full length PrP contains a conserved N-terminal cationic domain that stimulates cellular uptake by lipid raft-dependent, macropinocytosis. Inhibition of macropinocytosis by three independent means prevented cellular uptake of recombinant PrP; however, it did not affect recombinant PrP cell surface association. In addition, fusion of the cationic N-terminal PrP domain to a Cre recombinase reporter protein was sufficient to promote both cellular uptake and escape from the macropinosomes into the cytoplasm. Inhibition of macropinocytosis was sufficient to prevent conversion of PrPC to the pathologic PrPSc form in N2a cells exposed to strain RML PrPSc infected brain homogenates, suggesting that a critical determinant of PrPC conversion occurs following macropinocytotic internalization and not through mere membrane association. Taken together, these observations provide a cellular mechanism that exogenous pathological PrPSc infects cells by lipid raft dependent, macropinocytosis
French feminism: national and international perspectives
During the 1980s, the French media proclaimed the death of feminism, but although the 1970s women’s movement had demobilised, feminists were still active in issue-specific groups, in academia and within the institutions of the state. Paying careful attention to the difficulties associated with defining feminisms and national feminisms in particular, this article situates an analysis of French feminism since the 1980s in a context of growing international feminist dialogue and activism and a renewed debate about the meaning of feminism. It focuses on the question of separatism and on changing relations between theory and practice, asking how feminists can act for change and form effective coalitions with men and with other movements. It argues that feminism is plural and often fragmented and diffuse. Feminism is shaped by local social, economic, political and cultural factors and by exchanges of people and ideas, and any analysis of feminist theory and activism needs to take these into account
Noncommutative probability, matrix models, and quantum orbifold geometry
Inspired by the intimate relationship between Voiculescu's noncommutative
probability theory (of type A) and large-N matrix models in physics, we look
for physical models related to noncommutative probability theory of type B.
These turn out to be fermionic matrix-vector models at the double large-N
limit. In the context of string theory, they describe different orbifolded
string worldsheets with boundaries. Their critical exponents coincide with that
of ordinary string worldsheets, but their renormalised tree-level one-boundary
amplitudes differ.Comment: 22 pages, 8 eps figures, LaTeX2.09; title changed, mistakes correcte
Non-Douglas-Kazakov phase transition of two-dimensional generalized Yang-Mills theories
In two-dimensional Yang-Mills and generalized Yang-Mills theories for large
gauge groups, there is a dominant representation determining the thermodynamic
limit of the system. This representation is characterized by a density the
value of which should everywhere be between zero and one. This density itself
is determined through a saddle-point analysis. For some values of the parameter
space, this density exceeds one in some places. So one should modify it to
obtain an acceptable density. This leads to the well-known Douglas-Kazakov
phase transition. In generalized Yang-Mills theories, there are also regions in
the parameter space where somewhere this density becomes negative. Here too,
one should modify the density so that it remains nonnegative. This leads to
another phase transition, different from the Douglas-Kazakov one. Here the
general structure of this phase transition is studied, and it is shown that the
order of this transition is typically three. Using carefully-chosen parameters,
however, it is possible to construct models with phase-transition orders not
equal to three. A class of these non-typical models are also studied.Comment: 11 pages, accepted for publication in Eur. Phys. J.
Nonperturbative effects and nonperturbative definitions in matrix models and topological strings
We develop techniques to compute multi-instanton corrections to the 1/N
expansion in matrix models described by orthogonal polynomials. These
techniques are based on finding trans-series solutions, i.e. formal solutions
with exponentially small corrections, to the recursion relations characterizing
the free energy. We illustrate this method in the Hermitian, quartic matrix
model, and we provide a detailed description of the instanton corrections in
the Gross-Witten-Wadia (GWW) unitary matrix model. Moreover, we use Borel
resummation techniques and results from the theory of resurgent functions to
relate the formal multi-instanton series to the nonperturbative definition of
the matrix model. We study this relation in the case of the GWW model and its
double-scaling limit, providing in this way a nice illustration of various
mechanisms connecting the resummation of perturbative series to nonperturbative
results, like the cancellation of nonperturbative ambiguities. Finally, we
argue that trans-series solutions are also relevant in the context of
topological string theory. In particular, we point out that in topological
string models with both a matrix model and a large N gauge theory description,
the nonperturbative, holographic definition involves a sum over the
multi-instanton sectors of the matrix modelComment: 50 pages, 12 figures, comments and references added, small
correction
Periodontal diagnosis in the context of the 2017 classification system of periodontal diseases and conditions: Presentation of a middle-aged patient with localised periodontitis
The objective of this case report is to illustrate the diagnosis and classification of periodontitis according to the 2017 classification system as recommended in the British Society of Periodontology (BSP) implementation plan. We describe a case of a patient who was diagnosed with 'localised periodontitis; stage II, grade B; currently unstable'. The present case report presents an example for the application of the new classification system and illustrates how the new classification system captures disease severity, extent and disease susceptibility by staging and grading periodontitis
Search for Decay in LSND
We observe a net beam-excess of (stat) (syst) events,
above 160 MeV, resulting from the charged-current reaction of
and/or on C and H in the LSND detector. No beam related muon
background is expected in this energy regime. Within an analysis framework of
, we set a direct upper limit for this
branching ratio of at 90% confidence level.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
Pralidoxime in Acute Organophosphorus Insecticide Poisoning-A Randomised Controlled Trial
Background: Poisoning with organophosphorus (OP) insecticides is a major global public health problem, causing an estimated 200,000 deaths each year. Although the World Health Organization recommends use of pralidoxime, this antidote's effectiveness remains unclear. We aimed to determine whether the addition of pralidoxime chloride to atropine and supportive care offers benefit. Methods and Findings: We performed a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled trial of pralidoxime chloride (2 g loading dose over 20 min, followed by a constant infusion of 0.5 g/h for up to 7 d) versus saline in patients with organophosphorus insecticide self-poisoning. Mortality was the primary outcome; secondary outcomes included intubation, duration of intubation, and time to death. We measured baseline markers of exposure and pharmacodynamic markers of response to aid interpretation of clinical outcomes. Two hundred thirty-five patients were randomised to receive pralidoxime (121) or saline placebo (114). Pralidoxime produced substantial and moderate red cell acetylcholinesterase reactivation in patients poisoned by diethyl and dimethyl compounds, respectively. Mortality was nonsignificantly higher in patients receiving pralidoxime: 30/121 (24.8%) receiving pralidoxime died, compared with 18/114 (15.8%) receiving placebo (adjusted hazard ratio HR] 1.69, 95% confidence interval CI] 0.88-3.26, p = 0.12). Incorporating the baseline amount of acetylcholinesterase already aged and plasma OP concentration into the analysis increased the HR for patients receiving pralidoxime compared to placebo, further decreasing the likelihood that pralidoxime is beneficial. The need for intubation was similar in both groups (pralidoxime 26/121 21.5%], placebo 24/114 21.1%], adjusted HR 1.27 95% CI 0.71-2.29]). To reduce confounding due to ingestion of different insecticides, we further analysed patients with confirmed chlorpyrifos or dimethoate poisoning alone, finding no evidence of benefit. Conclusions: Despite clear reactivation of red cell acetylcholinesterase in diethyl organophosphorus pesticide poisoned patients, we found no evidence that this regimen improves survival or reduces need for intubation in patients with organophosphorus insecticide poisoning. The reason for this failure to benefit patients was not apparent. Further studies of different dose regimens or different oximes are required
Potent Delivery of Functional Proteins into Mammalian Cells in Vitro and in Vivo Using a Supercharged Protein
The inability of proteins to potently penetrate mammalian cells limits their usefulness as tools and therapeutics. When fused to superpositively charged GFP, proteins rapidly (within minutes) entered five different types of mammalian cells with potency up to ∼100-fold greater than that of corresponding fusions with known protein transduction domains (PTDs) including Tat, oligoarginine, and penetratin. Ubiquitin-fused supercharged GFP when incubated with human cells was partially deubiquitinated, suggesting that proteins delivered with supercharged GFP can access the cytosol. Likewise, supercharged GFP delivered functional, nonendosomal recombinase enzyme with greater efficiencies than PTDs in vitro and also delivered functional recombinase enzyme to the retinae of mice when injected in vivo.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog
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