Milk somatic cell count, lactate dehydrogenase activity, and immunoglobulin G concentration associated with mastitis caused by different pathogens: a field study

The aim of this study is to analyze how somatic cell counts (SCC), immunoglobulin G (IgG), and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) interact dependent on the mastitis causing pathogen. Milk samples from 152 quarters were collected on 2 Swiss dairy farms equipped with automatic milking systems. Bacteriological culturing was performed and SCC, LDH activity and IgG concentrations were measured in each sample. Correlations and regressions among SCC, LHD, and IgG were calculated after grouping by the pathogen type (control, S. aureus, C. bovis, coagulase-negative Staphylococcus and S. uberis). All the mastitis causing pathogens were gram-positive bacteria (except for 3 cases with E. coli). In this study, the SCC and LDH were affected by the pathogen group. However, only in the S. uberis group the IgG concentration was higher than in the controls. All studied variables were positively correlated among each other. SCC and LDH were the highest correlated parameters in the control, S. aureus, C. bovis and coagulase- negative Staphylococcus groups. Only in the S. uberis group the correlation between LDH and IgG was higher than the correlation between SCC and LDH. The regression coefficients for SCC and LDH differed between groups whereas regression coefficients for SCC and IgG, and for LDH and IgG were similar in all groups. Because cases with E. coli infection were so rare, we could not include these cases in the statistical evaluation. Based on these few cases E. coli (n=3) seemed to cause a much higher increase of IgG and LDH than the infection with gram-positive bacteria. This study shows that the suitability of LDH as a marker for IgG transfer is dependent on the pathogen. The use of LDH in combination with SCC may be used as a marker to differentiate between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, but does not allow differentiating the immune response between different gram-positive bacteria

Quantum teleportation and entanglement swapping with linear optics logic gates

We report on the usage of a linear optics phase gate for distinguishing all four Bell states simultaneously in a quantum teleportation and entanglement swapping protocol. This is demonstrated by full state tomography of the one and two qubit output states of the two protocols, yielding average state fidelities of about 0.83 and 0.77, respectively. In addition, the performance of the teleportation channel is characterised by quantum process tomography. The non classical properties of the entanglement swapping output states are further confirmed by the violation of a CHSH-type Bell inequality of 2.14 on average.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

Speckle Space-Time Covariance in High-Contrast Imaging

We introduce a new framework for point-spread function (PSF) subtraction based on the spatio-temporal variation of speckle noise in high-contrast imaging data where the sampling timescale is faster than the speckle evolution timescale. One way that space-time covariance arises in the pupil is as atmospheric layers translate across the telescope aperture and create small, time-varying perturbations in the phase of the incoming wavefront. The propagation of this field to the focal plane preserves some of that space-time covariance. To utilize this covariance, our new approach uses a Karhunen-Lo\'eve transform on an image sequence, as opposed to a set of single reference images as in previous applications of Karhunen-Lo\'eve Image Processing (KLIP) for high-contrast imaging. With the recent development of photon-counting detectors, such as microwave kinetic inductance detectors (MKIDs), this technique now has the potential to improve contrast when used as a post-processing step. Preliminary testing on simulated data shows this technique can improve contrast by at least 10-20% from the original image, with significant potential for further improvement. For certain choices of parameters, this algorithm may provide larger contrast gains than spatial-only KLIP.Comment: Accepted to A

Uniqueness and Nondegeneracy of Ground States for (−Δ)sQ+Q−Qα+1=0(-\Delta)^s Q + Q - Q^{\alpha+1} = 0 in R\mathbb{R}

We prove uniqueness of ground state solutions $Q = Q(|x|) \geq 0$ for the nonlinear equation $(-\Delta)^s Q + Q - Q^{\alpha+1}= 0$ in $\mathbb{R}$, where $0 < s < 1$ and $0 < \alpha < \frac{4s}{1-2s}$ for $s < 1/2$ and $0 < \alpha < \infty$ for $s \geq 1/2$. Here $(-\Delta)^s$ denotes the fractional Laplacian in one dimension. In particular, we generalize (by completely different techniques) the specific uniqueness result obtained by Amick and Toland for $s=1/2$ and $\alpha=1$ in [Acta Math., \textbf{167} (1991), 107--126]. As a technical key result in this paper, we show that the associated linearized operator $L_+ = (-\Delta)^s + 1 - (\alpha+1) Q^\alpha$ is nondegenerate; i.\,e., its kernel satisfies $\mathrm{ker}\, L_+ = \mathrm{span}\, \{Q'\}$. This result about $L_+$ proves a spectral assumption, which plays a central role for the stability of solitary waves and blowup analysis for nonlinear dispersive PDEs with fractional Laplacians, such as the generalized Benjamin-Ono (BO) and Benjamin-Bona-Mahony (BBM) water wave equations.Comment: 45 page

Who is to blame? The relationship between ingroup identification and relative deprivation is moderated by ingroup attributions

Contradictory evidence can be found in the literature about whether ingroup identification and perceived relative deprivation are positively or negatively related. Indeed, theoretical arguments can be made for both effects. It was proposed that the contradictory findings can be explained by considering a hitherto unstudied moderator: The extent to which deprivation is attributed to the ingroup. It was hypothesised that identification would only have a negative impact on deprivation, and that deprivation would only have a negative impact on identification, if ingroup attributions are high. To test this, attributions to the ingroup were experimentally manipulated among British student participants (N = 189) who were asked about their perceived deprivation vis-à-vis German students, yield ing support for the hypotheses

The weakly coupled fractional one-dimensional Schr\"{o}dinger operator with index 1<α≤2\bf 1<\alpha \leq 2

We study fundamental properties of the fractional, one-dimensional Weyl operator $\hat{\mathcal{P}}^{\alpha}$ densely defined on the Hilbert space $\mathcal{H}=L^2({\mathbb R},dx)$ and determine the asymptotic behaviour of both the free Green's function and its variation with respect to energy for bound states. In the sequel we specify the Birman-Schwinger representation for the Schr\"{o}dinger operator $K_{\alpha}\hat{\mathcal{P}}^{\alpha}-g|\hat{V}|$ and extract the finite-rank portion which is essential for the asymptotic expansion of the ground state. Finally, we determine necessary and sufficient conditions for there to be a bound state for small coupling constant $g$.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figur

Extended quantum conditional entropy and quantum uncertainty inequalities

Quantum states can be subjected to classical measurements, whose incompatibility, or uncertainty, can be quantified by a comparison of certain entropies. There is a long history of such entropy inequalities between position and momentum. Recently these inequalities have been generalized to the tensor product of several Hilbert spaces and we show here how their derivations can be shortened to a few lines and how they can be generalized. All the recently derived uncertainty relations utilize the strong subadditivity (SSA) theorem; our contribution relies on directly utilizing the proof technique of the original derivation of SSA.Comment: 4 page

Soft x-ray spectroscopy experiments on the near K-edge of B in MB2 (M=Mg, Al, Ta, and Nb)

Soft X-ray absorption and emission measurements are performed for the K- edge of B in MB$_2$ (M=Mg, Al, Ta and Nb). Unique feature of MgB$_2$ with a high density of B 2$p_{xy}(\sigma)$-state below and above the Fermi edge, which extends to 1 eV above the edge, is confirmed. In contrast, the B 2$p$ density of states in AlB$_2$ and TaB$_2$, both of occupied and unoccupied states, decreased linearly towards the Fermi energy and showed a dip at the Fermi energy. Furthermore, there is a broadening of the peaks with $p\sigma$-character in XES and XAS of AlB$_2$, which is due to the increase of three dimensionality in the $p\sigma$-band in AlB$_2$. The DOS of NbB$_2$ has a dip just below the Fermi energy. The present results indicate that the large DOS of B-2$p\sigma$ states near the Fermi energy are crucial for the superconductivity of MgB$_2$.Comment: 3 pages text and 4 pages figures. accepted for publication to Phys. Rev.

Regulation of valve endothelial cell vasculogenic network architectures with ROCK and Rac inhibitors

Objective: The age- and disease-dependent presence of microvessels within heart valves is an understudied characteristic of these tissues. Neovascularization involves endothelial cell (EC) migration and cytoskeletal reorientation, which are heavily regulated by the Rho family of GTPases. Given that valve ECs demonstrate unique mesenchymal transdifferentiation and cytoskeletal mechanoresponsiveness, compared to vascular ECs, this study quantified the effect of inhibiting two members of the Rho family on vasculogenic network formation by valve ECs. Approach and results: A tubule-like structure vasculogenesis assay (assessing lacunarity, junction density, and vessel density) was performed with porcine aortic valve ECs treated with small molecule inhibitors of Rho-associated serine-threonine protein kinase (ROCK), Y-27632, or the Rac1 inhibitor, NSC-23766. Actin coordination, cell number, and cell migration were assessed through immunocytochemistry, MTT assay, and scratch wound healing assay. ROCK inhibition reduced network lacunarity and interrupted proper cell–cell adhesion and actin coordination. Rac1 inhibition increased lacunarity and delayed actin-mediated network formation. ROCK inhibition alone significantly inhibited migration, whereas both ROCK and Rac1 inhibition significantly reduced cell number over time compared to controls. Compared to a vascular EC line, the valve ECs generated a network with larger total vessel length, but a less smooth appearance. Conclusions: Both ROCK and Rac1 inhibition interfered with key processes in vascular network formation by valve ECs. This is the first report of manipulation of valve EC vasculogenic organization in response to small molecule inhibitors. Further study is warranted to comprehend this facet of valvular cell biology and pathology and how it differs from vascular biology