4,977 research outputs found

    Full counting statistics of information content

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    We review connections between the cumulant generating function of full counting statistics of particle number and the R\'enyi entanglement entropy. We calculate these quantities based on the fermionic and bosonic path-integral defined on multiple Keldysh contours. We relate the R\'enyi entropy with the information generating function, from which the probability distribution function of self-information is obtained in the nonequilibrium steady state. By exploiting the distribution, we analyze the information content carried by a single bosonic particle through a narrow-band quantum communication channel. The ratio of the self-information content to the number of bosons fluctuates. For a small boson occupation number, the average and the fluctuation of the ratio are enhanced.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure

    Interleukin-17D and Nrf2 mediate initial innate immune cell recruitment and restrict MCMV infection.

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    Innate immune cells quickly infiltrate the site of pathogen entry and not only stave off infection but also initiate antigen presentation and promote adaptive immunity. The recruitment of innate leukocytes has been well studied in the context of extracellular bacterial and fungal infection but less during viral infections. We have recently shown that the understudied cytokine Interleukin (IL)-17D can mediate neutrophil, natural killer (NK) cell and monocyte infiltration in sterile inflammation and cancer. Herein, we show that early immune cell accumulation at the peritoneal site of infection by mouse cytomegalovirus (MCMV) is mediated by IL-17D. Mice deficient in IL-17D or the transcription factor Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2), an inducer of IL-17D, featured an early decreased number of innate immune cells at the point of viral entry and were more susceptible to MCMV infection. Interestingly, we were able to artificially induce innate leukocyte infiltration by applying the Nrf2 activator tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), which rendered mice less susceptible to MCMV infection. Our results implicate the Nrf2/IL-17D axis as a sensor of viral infection and suggest therapeutic benefit in boosting this pathway to promote innate antiviral responses

    Mapping interactions with the chaperone network reveals factors that protect against tau aggregation.

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    A network of molecular chaperones is known to bind proteins ('clients') and balance their folding, function and turnover. However, it is often unclear which chaperones are critical for selective recognition of individual clients. It is also not clear why these key chaperones might fail in protein-aggregation diseases. Here, we utilized human microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT or tau) as a model client to survey interactions between ~30 purified chaperones and ~20 disease-associated tau variants (~600 combinations). From this large-scale analysis, we identified human DnaJA2 as an unexpected, but potent, inhibitor of tau aggregation. DnaJA2 levels were correlated with tau pathology in human brains, supporting the idea that it is an important regulator of tau homeostasis. Of note, we found that some disease-associated tau variants were relatively immune to interactions with chaperones, suggesting a model in which avoiding physical recognition by chaperone networks may contribute to disease

    Mechanisms of Myocardial Ischemia in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy : Insights From Wave Intensity Analysis and Magnetic Resonance

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    Background: Angina is common in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and is associated with abnormal myocardial perfusion. Wave intensity analysis improves the understanding of the mechanics of myocardial ischemia. Objectives: Wave intensity analysis was used to describe the mechanisms underlying perfusion abnormalities in patients with HCM. Methods: Simultaneous pressure and flow were measured in the proximal left anterior descending artery in 33 patients with HCM and 20 control patients at rest and during hyperemia, allowing calculation of wave intensity. Patients also underwent quantitative first-pass perfusion cardiac magnetic resonance to measure myocardial perfusion reserve. Results: Patients with HCM had a lower coronary flow reserve than control subjects (1.9 ± 0.8 vs. 2.7 ± 0.9; p = 0.01). Coronary hemodynamics in HCM were characterized by a very large backward compression wave during systole (38 ± 11% vs. 21 ± 6%; p < 0.001) and a proportionately smaller backward expansion wave (27% ± 8% vs. 33 ± 6%; p = 0.006) compared with control subjects. Patients with severe left ventricular outflow tract obstruction had a bisferiens pressure waveform resulting in an additional proximally originating deceleration wave during systole. The proportion of waves acting to accelerate coronary flow increased with hyperemia, and the magnitude of change was proportional to the myocardial perfusion reserve (rho = 0.53; p < 0.01). Conclusions: Coronary flow in patients with HCM is deranged. Distally, compressive deformation of intramyocardial blood vessels during systole results in an abnormally large backward compression wave, whereas proximally, severe left ventricular outflow tract obstruction is associated with an additional deceleration wave. Perfusion abnormalities in HCM are not simply a consequence of supply/demand mismatch or remodeling of the intramyocardial blood vessels; they represent a dynamic interaction with the mechanics of myocardial ischemia that may be amenable to treatment

    Assessing the carcinogenic potential of low-dose exposures to chemical mixtures in the environment: the challenge ahead.

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    Lifestyle factors are responsible for a considerable portion of cancer incidence worldwide, but credible estimates from the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) suggest that the fraction of cancers attributable to toxic environmental exposures is between 7% and 19%. To explore the hypothesis that low-dose exposures to mixtures of chemicals in the environment may be combining to contribute to environmental carcinogenesis, we reviewed 11 hallmark phenotypes of cancer, multiple priority target sites for disruption in each area and prototypical chemical disruptors for all targets, this included dose-response characterizations, evidence of low-dose effects and cross-hallmark effects for all targets and chemicals. In total, 85 examples of chemicals were reviewed for actions on key pathways/mechanisms related to carcinogenesis. Only 15% (13/85) were found to have evidence of a dose-response threshold, whereas 59% (50/85) exerted low-dose effects. No dose-response information was found for the remaining 26% (22/85). Our analysis suggests that the cumulative effects of individual (non-carcinogenic) chemicals acting on different pathways, and a variety of related systems, organs, tissues and cells could plausibly conspire to produce carcinogenic synergies. Additional basic research on carcinogenesis and research focused on low-dose effects of chemical mixtures needs to be rigorously pursued before the merits of this hypothesis can be further advanced. However, the structure of the World Health Organization International Programme on Chemical Safety 'Mode of Action' framework should be revisited as it has inherent weaknesses that are not fully aligned with our current understanding of cancer biology

    Measurement of the cross-section and charge asymmetry of WW bosons produced in proton-proton collisions at s=8\sqrt{s}=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

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    This paper presents measurements of the W+μ+νW^+ \rightarrow \mu^+\nu and WμνW^- \rightarrow \mu^-\nu cross-sections and the associated charge asymmetry as a function of the absolute pseudorapidity of the decay muon. The data were collected in proton--proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC and correspond to a total integrated luminosity of 20.2~\mbox{fb^{-1}}. The precision of the cross-section measurements varies between 0.8% to 1.5% as a function of the pseudorapidity, excluding the 1.9% uncertainty on the integrated luminosity. The charge asymmetry is measured with an uncertainty between 0.002 and 0.003. The results are compared with predictions based on next-to-next-to-leading-order calculations with various parton distribution functions and have the sensitivity to discriminate between them.Comment: 38 pages in total, author list starting page 22, 5 figures, 4 tables, submitted to EPJC. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at https://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/STDM-2017-13

    Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections for Higgs boson production in the diphoton decay channel at s√=8 TeV with ATLAS

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    Measurements of fiducial and differential cross sections are presented for Higgs boson production in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of s√=8 TeV. The analysis is performed in the H → γγ decay channel using 20.3 fb−1 of data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. The signal is extracted using a fit to the diphoton invariant mass spectrum assuming that the width of the resonance is much smaller than the experimental resolution. The signal yields are corrected for the effects of detector inefficiency and resolution. The pp → H → γγ fiducial cross section is measured to be 43.2 ±9.4(stat.) − 2.9 + 3.2 (syst.) ±1.2(lumi)fb for a Higgs boson of mass 125.4GeV decaying to two isolated photons that have transverse momentum greater than 35% and 25% of the diphoton invariant mass and each with absolute pseudorapidity less than 2.37. Four additional fiducial cross sections and two cross-section limits are presented in phase space regions that test the theoretical modelling of different Higgs boson production mechanisms, or are sensitive to physics beyond the Standard Model. Differential cross sections are also presented, as a function of variables related to the diphoton kinematics and the jet activity produced in the Higgs boson events. The observed spectra are statistically limited but broadly in line with the theoretical expectations

    Measurement of χ c1 and χ c2 production with s√ = 7 TeV pp collisions at ATLAS

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    The prompt and non-prompt production cross-sections for the χ c1 and χ c2 charmonium states are measured in pp collisions at s√ = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using 4.5 fb−1 of integrated luminosity. The χ c states are reconstructed through the radiative decay χ c → J/ψγ (with J/ψ → μ + μ −) where photons are reconstructed from γ → e + e − conversions. The production rate of the χ c2 state relative to the χ c1 state is measured for prompt and non-prompt χ c as a function of J/ψ transverse momentum. The prompt χ c cross-sections are combined with existing measurements of prompt J/ψ production to derive the fraction of prompt J/ψ produced in feed-down from χ c decays. The fractions of χ c1 and χ c2 produced in b-hadron decays are also measured
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