Coupling of Rydberg atoms to a superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator for a quantum memory device

Ultracold atoms in their ground states are well-isolated quantum systems offering long coherence times. Hence, ensembles of trapped atoms coupling with on-chip microwave resonators are considered as promising systems for the realization of quantum memories. Here, we demonstrate the coupling of magnetically trapped ultracold 87Rb ground state atoms to a coherently driven superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator. When driving the cavity in resonance with the atomic transition, we observed Rabi oscillations between hyperfine states. This showed the capability in coherent controlling of the atomic states through the cavity field. When driving the cavity on-resonance with the atomic transition, the AC stark shift is observed. This showed the microwave field strength in the cavity seen by atoms. Strong interaction strength of Rydberg atoms in the microwave transition regime has been proposed as an interface during quantum memory writing. Here, we also describe the implementation of a Rydberg system into our experimental setup

Computational identification of the normal and perturbed genetic networks involved in myeloid differentiation and acute promyelocytic leukemia

A dissection of the genetic networks and circuitries is described for two form of leukaemia. Integrating transcription factor binding and gene expression profiling, networks are revealed that underly this important human disease

Potential Impact of Time Trend of Life-Style Factors on Cardiovascular Disease Burden in China

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of death in China. Evaluation of risk factors and their impacts on disease burden is important for future public health initiatives and policy making

Mesorhizobium septentrionale sp nov and Mesorhizobium temperatum sp nov., isolated from Astragalus adsurgens growing in the northern regions of China

Ninety-five rhizobial strains isolated from Astragalus adsurgens growing in the northern regions of China were classified into three main groups, candidate species 1, 11 and 111, based on a polyphasic approach. Comparative analysis of full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences of representative strains showed that candidate species I and 11 were Mesorhizobium, while candidate species 111, which consisted of non-nodulating strains, was closely related to Agrobacterium tumefaciens. The phylogenetic relationships of the three candidate species and some related strains were also confirmed by the sequencing of glnA genes, which were used as an alternative chromosomal marker. The DNA-DNA relatedness was between 11.3 and 47-1 % among representative strains of candidate species I and 11 and the type strains of defined Mesorhizobium species. Candidate III had DNA relatedness of between 4(.)3 and 25(.)2 % with type strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens and Agrobacterium rubi. Two novel species are proposed to accommodate candidate species I and 11, Mesorhizobium septentrionale sp. nov. (type strain, SIDW014(T) =CCBAU 11014(T) = HAMBI 2582(T)) and Mesorhizobium temperatum sp. nov. (type strain, SIDW018(T) = CCBAU 11018(T) =HAMBI 2583(T)), respectively. At least two distinct nodA sequences were identified among the strains. The numerically dominant nodA sequence type was most similar to that from the Mesorhizobium tianshanense type strain and was identified in strains belonging to the two novel species as well as other, as yet, undefined genome types. Host range studies indicate that the different nodA sequences correlate with different host ranges. Further comparative studies with the defined Agrobacterium species are needed to clarify the taxonomic identity of candidate species 111

Last Night a Shrinkage Saved My Life: Economic Growth, Model Uncertainty and Correlated Regressors

We compare the predictive ability of Bayesian methods which deal simultaneously with model uncertainty and correlated regressors in the framework of cross-country growth regressions. In particular, we assess methods with spike and slab priors combined with different prior specifications for the slope parameters in the slab. Our results indicate that moving away from Gaussian g-priors towards Bayesian ridge, LASSO or elastic net specifications has clear advantages for prediction when dealing with datasets of (potentially highly) correlated regressors, a pervasive characteristic of the data used hitherto in the econometric literature

Early cellular signaling responses to axonal injury

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We have used optic nerve injury as a model to study early signaling events in neuronal tissue following axonal injury. Optic nerve injury results in the selective death of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). The time course of cell death takes place over a period of days with the earliest detection of RGC death at about 48 hr post injury. We hypothesized that in the period immediately following axonal injury, there are changes in the soma that signal surrounding glia and neurons and that start programmed cell death. In the current study, we investigated early changes in cellular signaling and gene expression that occur within the first 6 hrs post optic nerve injury.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found evidence of cell to cell signaling within 30 min of axonal injury. We detected differences in phosphoproteins and gene expression within the 6 hrs time period. Activation of TNFα and glutamate receptors, two pathways that can initiate cell death, begins in RGCs within 6 hrs following axonal injury. Differential gene expression at 6 hrs post injury included genes involved in cytokine, neurotrophic factor signaling (Socs3) and apoptosis (Bax).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We interpret our studies to indicate that both neurons and glia in the retina have been signaled within 30 min after optic nerve injury. The signals are probably initiated by the RGC soma. In addition, signals activating cellular death pathways occur within 6 hrs of injury, which likely lead to RGC degeneration.</p

Evaluation of the combined use of adiponectin and C-reactive protein levels as biomarkers for predicting the deterioration in glycaemia after a median of 5.4 years

Aims/hypothesis: Hypoadiponectinaemia and raised C-reactive protein (CRP) level are obesity-related biomarkers associated with glucose dysregulation. We evaluated the combined use of these two biomarkers in predicting the deterioration of glycaemia in a prospective study after a median of 5.4 years. Methods: In total 1,288 non-diabetic participants from the Hong Kong Cardiovascular Risk Factor Prevalence Study-2, with high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP) and total adiponectin levels measured were included. OGTT was performed in all participants. Two hundred and six participants had deterioration of glycaemia at follow-up, whereas 1,082 participants did not. Results: Baseline age, hsCRP and adiponectin levels were significant independent predictors of the deterioration of glycaemia in a Cox regression analysis after adjusting for baseline age, sex, BMI, hypertension, triacylglycerols, 2 h post-OGTT glucose and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index (all p < 0.01). The introduction of hsCRP or adiponectin level to a regression model including the other biomarker improved the prediction of glycaemic progression significantly in all participants, especially in women (all p < 0.01). The combined inclusion of the two biomarkers resulted in a modest improvement in model discrimination, compared with the inclusion of either one alone. Among participants with impaired fasting glucose/impaired glucose tolerance (IFG/IGT) at baseline, hsCRP and adiponectin levels were not predictive of progression or improvement of glycaemic status. Conclusions/interpretation: Adiponectin and hsCRP levels are independent factors in predicting the deterioration of glycaemia, supporting the role of adiposity-related inflammation in the development of type 2 diabetes. Their combined use as predictive biomarkers is especially useful in women, but not in participants with IFG/IGT. © 2011 The Author(s).published_or_final_versionSpringer Open Choice, 21 Feb 201

Human Embryonic Stem Cells Express Elevated Levels of Multiple Pro-Apoptotic BCL-2 Family Members

Two of the greatest challenges in regenerative medicine today remain (1) the ability to culture human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) at a scale sufficient to satisfy clinical demand and (2) the ability to eliminate teratoma-forming cells from preparations of cells with clinically desirable phenotypes. Understanding the pathways governing apoptosis in hESCs may provide a means to address these issues. Limiting apoptosis could aid scaling efforts, whereas triggering selective apoptosis in hESCs could eliminate unwanted teratoma-forming cells. We focus here on the BCL-2 family of proteins, which regulate mitochondrial-dependent apoptosis. We used quantitative PCR to compare the steady-state expression profile of all human BCL-2 family members in hESCs with that of human primary cells from various origins and two cancer lines. Our findings indicate that hESCs express elevated levels of the pro-apoptotic BH3-only BCL-2 family members NOXA, BIK, BIM, BMF and PUMA when compared with differentiated cells and cancer cells. However, compensatory expression of pro-survival BCL-2 family members in hESCs was not observed, suggesting a possible explanation for the elevated rates of apoptosis observed in proliferating hESC cultures, as well as a mechanism that could be exploited to limit hESC-derived neoplasms