THYMUS-DERIVED CELL (T CELL) ACTIVATION BY HETEROLOGOUS ANTIGENS AS A REPLACEMENT OF SPECIFIC IMMUNE T CELLS IN THE TRANSFER OF THE SECONDARY RESPONSE TO SHEEP ERYTHROCYTES

Spleen cells from LAF1 mice hyperimmune to sheep erythrocytes (SE) lost their ability to transfer a secondary response to irradiated recipients after incubation with anti-θ and rabbit complement in vitro. Small numbers of specific immune cells even when taken 3 days after a primary SE injection reconstituted the direct and indirect plaque-forming cell responses. Larger numbers of cells sensitized to B. abortus (or keyhole limpet hemocyanin), and given together with the corresponding antigen, also partially reconstituted the ability to respond to SE. This property was mediated by θ-bearing cells and was interpreted as due to a nonspecific humoral factor liberated by specifically activated T cells and acting on B cell proliferation or maturation

Boundedness properties of fermionic operators

The fermionic second quantization operator $d\Gamma(B)$ is shown to be bounded by a power $N^{s/2}$ of the number operator $N$ given that the operator $B$ belongs to the $r$-th von Neumann-Schatten class, $s=2(r-1)/r$. Conversely, number operator estimates for $d\Gamma(B)$ imply von Neumann-Schatten conditions on $B$. Quadratic creation and annihilation operators are treated as well.Comment: 15 page

The arithmetic-geometric-harmonic-mean and related matrix inequalities

AbstractRecently, Sagae and Tanabe defined a geometric mean of positive definite matrices and proved the harmonic-geometric-arithmetic-mean inequality. Here, we give a reversal of these results

Symptoms predicting psychosocial impairment in bulimia nervosa

Purpose The current study aimed to determine which particular eating disorder (ED) symptoms and related features, such as BMI and psychological distress, uniquely predict impairment in bulimia nervosa (BN). Methods Two hundred and twenty-two adults with BN completed questionnaires assessing ED symptoms, general psychological distress, and psychosocial impairment. Regression analyses were used to determine predictors which account for variance in impairment. Results Four variables emerged as significant predictors of psychosocial impairment: concerns with eating; concerns with weight and shape; dietary restraint; and general psychological distress. Conclusions Findings support previous work highlighting the importance of weight and shape concerns in determining ED-related impairment. Other ED symptoms, notably dietary restraint and concerns with eating, were also significant predictors as was psychological distress. Results suggest that cognitive aspects of EDs, in addition to psychological distress, may be more important determinants of impairment than behavioural symptoms, such as binge eating or purging

The Hall instability of thin weakly-ionized stratified Keplerian disks

The stratification-driven Hall instability in a weakly ionized polytropic plasma is investigated in the local approximation within an equilibrium Keplerian disk of a small aspect ratio. The leading order of the asymptotic expansions in the aspect ratio is applied to both equilibrium as well as the perturbation problems. The equilibrium disk with an embedded purely toroidal magnetic field is found to be stable to radial, and unstable to vertical short-wave perturbations. The marginal stability surface is found in the space of the local Hall and inverse plasma beta parameters, as well as the free parameter of the model which is related to the total current through the disk. To estimate the minimal values of the equilibrium magnetic field that leads to instability, the latter is constructed as a sum of a current free magnetic field and the simplest approximation for magnetic field created by a distributed electric current.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figure

Optimization of the Lactococcus lactis nisin-controlled gene expression system NICE for industrial applications

BACKGROUND: The nisin-controlled gene expression system NICE of Lactococcus lactis is one of the most widely used expression systems in Gram-positive bacteria. Despite its widespread use, no optimization of the culture conditions and nisin induction has been carried out to obtain maximum yields. As a model system induced production of lysostaphin, an antibacterial protein (mainly against Staphylococcus aureus) produced by S. simulans biovar. Staphylolyticus, was used. Three main areas need optimization for maximum yields: cell density, nisin-controlled induction and protein production, and parameters specific for the target-protein. RESULTS: In a series of pH-controlled fermentations the following parameters were optimized: pH of the culture, use of NaOH or NH(4)OH as neutralizing agent, the addition of zinc and phosphate, the fermentation temperature, the time point of induction (cell density of the culture), the amount of nisin added for induction and the amount of three basic medium components, i.e. yeast extract, peptone and lactose. For each culture growth and lysostaphin production was followed. Lysostaphin production yields depended on all parameters that were varied. In the course of the optimization a three-fold increase in lysostaphin yield was achieved from 100 mg/l to 300 mg/l. CONCLUSION: Protein production with the NICE gene expression system in L. lactis strongly depends on the medium composition, the fermentation parameters and the amount of nisin added for induction. Careful optimization of key parameters lead to a significant increase in the yield of the target protein

On the odd cycle game and connected rules

We study the positional game where two players, Maker and Breaker, alternately select respectively 1 and b previously unclaimed edges of Kn. Maker wins if she succeeds in claiming all edges of some odd cycle in Kn and Breaker wins otherwise. Improving on a result of Bednarska and Pikhurko, we show that Maker wins the odd cycle game if b ≤ (4− √ 6)/5 +o(1)) n. We furthermore introduce “connected rules” and study the odd cycle game under them, both in the Maker-Breaker as well as in the Client-Waiter variant

On matrix convexity of the Moore-Penrose inverse

Matrix convexity of the Moore-Penrose inverse was considered in the recent literature. Here we give some converse inequalities as well as further generalizations

ON MATRIX CONVEXITY OF THE MOORE-PENROSE INVERSE

ABSTRACT. Matri