2,117 research outputs found
Possible approach to improve sensitivity of a Michelson interferometer
We propose a possible approach to achieve an 1/N sensitivity of Michelson
interferometer by using a properly designed random phase modulation. Different
from other approaches, the sensitivity improvement does not depend on
increasing optical powers or utilizing the quantum properties of light.
Moreover the requirements for optical losses and the quantum efficiencies of
photodetection systems might be lower than the quantum approaches and the
sensitivity improvement is frequency independent in all detection band.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, new versio
Enhancing Immunomodulation on Innate Immunity by Shape Transition Among RNA Triangle, Square and Pentagon Nanovehicles
Modulation of immune response is important in cancer immunotherapy, vaccine adjuvant development and inflammatory or immune disease therapy. Here we report the development of new immunomodulators via control of shape transition among RNA triangle, square and pentagon. Changing one RNA strand in polygons automatically induced the stretching of the interior angle from 60° to 90° or 108°, resulting in self-assembly of elegant RNA triangles, squares and pentagons. When immunological adjuvants were incorporated, their immunomodulation effect for cytokine TNF-α and IL-6 induction was greatly enhanced in vitro and in animals up to 100-fold, while RNA polygon controls induced unnoticeable effect. The RNA nanoparticles were delivered to macrophages specifically. The degree of immunostimulation greatly depended on the size, shape and number of the payload per nanoparticles. Stronger immune response was observed when the number of adjuvants per polygon was increased, demonstrating the advantage of shape transition from triangle to pentagon
Revisiting Galaxy Evolution in Morphology in the COSMOS field (COSMOS-ReGEM):I. Merging Galaxies
We revisit the evolution of galaxy morphology in the COSMOS field over the
redshift range , using a large and complete sample of 33,605
galaxies with a stellar mass of log(/M with
significantly improved redshifts and comprehensive non-parametric morphological
parameters. Our sample has 13,881 () galaxies with reliable
spectroscopic redshifts and has more accurate photometric redshifts with a
. This paper is the first in a series that
investigates merging galaxies and their properties. We identify 3,594 major
merging galaxies through visual inspection and find 1,737 massive galaxy pairs
with log(/M). Among the family of non-parametric
morphological parameters including , , , , , , and , we find that the outer asymmetry parameter
and the second-order momentum parameter are the best tracers of
merging features than other combinations. Hence, we propose a criterion for
selecting candidates of violently star-forming mergers: at at .
Furthermore, we show that both the visual merger sample and the pair sample
exhibit a similar evolution in the merger rate at , with for the visual merger sample and for the pair sample. The visual merger sample has a
specific star formation rate that is about 0.16\,dex higher than that of
non-merger galaxies, whereas no significant star formation excess is observed
in the pair sample. This suggests that the effects of mergers on star formation
differ at different merger stages.Comment: 21 pages, 12 figures; accepted for publication in Ap
Sulforaphane induces adipocyte browning and promotes glucose and lipid utilization
Scope: Obesity is closely related to the imbalance of white adipose tissue storing excess calories, and brown adipose tissue dissipating energy to produce heat in mammals. Recent studies revealed that acquisition of brown characteristics by white adipocytes, termed “browning,” may positively contribute to cellular bioenergetics and metabolism homeostasis. The goal was to investigate the putative effects of natural antioxidant sulforaphane (1-isothiocyanate-4-methyl-sulfonyl butane; SFN) on browning of white adipocytes. Methods and Results: 3T3-L1 mature white adipocytes were treated with SFN for 48 h, and then the mitochondrial content, function, and energy utilization were assessed. SFN was found to induce 3T3-L1 adipocytes browning based on the increased mitochondrial content and activity of respiratory chain enzymes, whereas the mechanism involved the upregulation of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2/ sirtuin1/ peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha signaling. SFN enhanced uncoupling protein 1 expression, a marker for brown adipocyte, leading to the decrease in cellular ATP. SFN also enhanced glucose uptake and oxidative utilization, lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Conclusion: SFN-induced browning of white adipocytes enhanced the utilization of cellular fuel, and the application of SFN is a promising strategy to combat obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorder
Classical simulation of Quantum Entanglement using Optical Transverse Modes in Multimode Waveguides
We discuss mode-entangled states based on the optical transverse modes of the
optical field propagating in multi-mode waveguides, which are classical analogs
of the quantum entangled states. The analogs are discussed in detail, including
the violation of the Bell inequality and the correlation properties of optical
pulses' group delays. The research on these analogs may be important, for it
not only provides useful insights into fundamental features of quantum
entanglement, but also yields new insights into quantum computation and quantum
communication.Comment: RevTeX v4, 17 pages and 4 figure
Local transformation of mixed states of two qubits to Bell diagonal states
The optimal entanglement manipulation for a single copy of mixed states of
two qubits is to transform it to a Bell diagonal state. In this paper we derive
an explicit form of the local operation that can realize such a transformation.
The result obtained is universal for arbitrary entangled two-qubit states and
it discloses that the corresponding local filter is not unique for density
matrices with rank and can be exclusively determined for that with
and 4. As illustrations, a four-parameters family of mixed states are explored,
the local filter as well as the transformation probability are given
explicitly, which verify the validity of the general result.Comment: 5 pages, to be published in Phys. Rev.
B7DC/PDL2 Promotes Tumor Immunity by a PD-1–independent Mechanism
B7H1 (PDL1) and B7DC (PDL2) are two new members of the B7 family that can interact with PD-1, a putative negative regulator for immune function. Recent studies have provided evidence for inhibitory functions of both members via PD-1. Meanwhile, compelling evidence exists for costimulatory function of both members. Here we demonstrate that expression of B7DC on the tumor cells promotes CD8 T cell–mediated rejection of tumor cells, at both the induction and effector phase of antitumor immunity. Moreover, B7DC binds to PD-1(−/−) cells and enhances T cell killing in a PD-1–independent mechanism. Our results demonstrate a novel pathway for B7DC to promote tumor immunity and may reconcile the apparently contradictory findings on the function of B7DC
Bioluminescence Imaging Allows Monitoring Hepatitis C Virus Core Protein Inhibitors in Mice
BACKGROUND: The development of small molecule inhibitors of hepatitis C virus (HCV) core protein as antiviral agents has been intensively pursued as a viable strategy to eradicate HCV infection. However, lack of a robust and convenient small animal model has hampered the assessment of in vivo efficacy of any antiviral compound. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The objective of this work was to develop a novel method to screen anti-core protein siRNA in the mouse liver by bioluminescence imaging. The inhibitory effect of two shRNAs targeting the highly conserved core region of the HCV genome, shRNA452 and shRNA523, was examined using this method. In the transient mouse model, the effect of shRNA-523 was detectable at as early as 24 h and became even more pronounced at later time points. The effect of shRNA-452 was not detectable until 48 h post-transduction. In a stable mouse model, shRNA523 reduced luciferase levels by up to 76.4±26.0% and 91.8±8.0% at 6 h and 12 h after injection respectively, and the inhibitory effect persisted for 1 day after a single injection while shRNA-Scramble did not seem to have an effect on the luciferase activity in vivo. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Thus, we developed a simple and quantitative assay for real-time monitoring of HCV core protein inhibitors in mice
Expressions of glutathione S-transferase alpha, mu, and pi in brains of medically intractable epileptic patients
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) play an important role in metabolizing anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) in liver. Expressions of GSTs in brain, which may result in poor efficacy of AEDs, have not been well studied. Using clinical cortex specimen from 32 intractable epileptic subjects and 8 non-epileptic controls, the present study investigated the correlation between GSTs and intractable epilepsy.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Three different GST isoforms (α, μ, and π) were detected with immunohistochemistry. GST-α expression was not seen in any cortex specimens. Sixty three percent (63%) of control and 53% of intractible epileptic specimens showed GST-μ immunoreactivity. No significant difference in intensity of GST-μ staining was observed between these two groups. GST-π expression was found in endothelial cells and glial cells/astrocytes. Fifty percent (50%) of the control patients and 66% of the epileptic patients were GST-π positive. The grading of epileptic patients was significantly higher than that of control patients (<it>p </it>< 0.01).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>High levels of GST-π in endothelial cells and glial cells/astrocyte correlate to medical intractable epilepsy, suggesting that GST-π contributes to resistance to AED treatment.</p
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