2,166 research outputs found
Efficient -separability criteria for mixed multipartite quantum states
We investigate classification and detection of entanglement of multipartite
quantum states in a very general setting, and obtain efficient -separability
criteria for mixed multipartite states in arbitrary dimensional quantum
systems. These criteria can be used to distinguish different classes of
multipartite inseparable states and can detect many important multipartite
entangled states such as GHZ states, W states, anti W states, and mixtures
thereof. They detect -nonseparable -partite quantum states which have
previously not been identified. Here . No optimization or
eigenvalue evaluation is needed, and our criteria can be evaluated by simple
computations involving components of the density matrix. Most importantly, they
can be implemented in today's experiments by using at most
local measurements.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure
Resonant Spin Polarization and Hall Effects in a Two-Dimensional Electron Gas
We have studied transport properties in a two-dimensional electron gas with
equal Rashba and Dresselhaus spin-orbit interactions under a perpendicular
magnetic field. By employing the exact solution for this system, we found
resonant charge and spin Hall conductances at a certain magnetic field, where
all the nearest-neighboring Landau levels cross. Near this value of magnetic
field, there exists a resonant spin polarization, which can also induce
resonant charge and spin Hall effects.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Fibromodulin Is Essential for Fetal-Type Scarless Cutaneous Wound Healing
In contrast to adult and late-gestation fetal skin wounds, which heal with scar, early-gestation fetal skin wounds display a remarkable capacity to heal scarlessly. Although the underlying mechanism of this transition from fetal-type scarless healing to adult-type healing with scar has been actively investigated for decades, in utero restoration of scarless healing in late-gestation fetal wounds has not been reported. In this study, using loss- and gain-of-function rodent fetal wound models, we identified that fibromodulin (Fm) is essential for fetal-type scarless wound healing. In particular, we found that loss of Fm can eliminate the ability of early-gestation fetal rodents to heal without scar. Meanwhile, administration of fibromodulin protein (FM) alone was capable of restoring scarless healing in late-gestation rat fetal wounds, which naturally heal with scar, as characterized by dermal appendage restoration and organized collagen architectures that were virtually indistinguishable from those in age-matched unwounded skin. High Fm levels correlated with decreased transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 expression and scarless repair, while low Fm levels correlated with increased TGF-β1 expression and scar formation. This study represents the first successful in utero attempt to induce scarless repair in late-gestation fetal wounds by using a single protein, Fm, and highlights the crucial role that the FM–TGF-β1 nexus plays in fetal-type scarless skin repair. © 2016 American Society for Investigative Patholog
Resummation of heavy jet mass and comparison to LEP data
The heavy jet mass distribution in e+e- collisions is computed to
next-to-next-to-next-to leading logarithmic (NNNLL) and next-to-next-to leading
fixed order accuracy (NNLO). The singular terms predicted from the resummed
distribution are confirmed by the fixed order distributions allowing a precise
extraction of the unknown soft function coefficients. A number of quantitative
and qualitative comparisons of heavy jet mass and the related thrust
distribution are made. From fitting to ALEPH data, a value of alpha_s is
extracted, alpha_s(m_Z)=0.1220 +/- 0.0031, which is larger than, but not in
conflict with, the corresponding value for thrust. A weighted average of the
two produces alpha_s(m_Z) = 0.1193 +/- 0.0027, consistent with the world
average. A study of the non-perturbative corrections shows that the flat
direction observed for thrust between alpha_s and a simple non-perturbative
shape parameter is not lifted in combining with heavy jet mass. The Monte Carlo
treatment of hadronization gives qualitatively different results for thrust and
heavy jet mass, and we conclude that it cannot be trusted to add power
corrections to the event shape distributions at this accuracy. Whether a more
sophisticated effective field theory approach to power corrections can
reconcile the thrust and heavy jet mass distributions remains an open question.Comment: 33 pages, 14 figures. v2 added effect of lower numerical cutoff with
improved extraction of the soft function constants; power correction
discussion clarified. v3 small typos correcte
Single vortex structure in two models of iron pnictide superconductivity
The structure of a single vortex in a FeAs superconductor is studied in the
framework of two formulations of superconductivity for the recently proposed
sign-reversed wave () scenario: {\it (i)} a continuum model taking
into account the existence of an electron and a hole band with a repulsive
local interaction between the two; {\it (ii)} a lattice tight-binding model
with two orbitals per unit cell and a next-nearest-neighbour attractive
interaction. In the first model, the local density of states (LDOS) at the
vortex centre, as a function of energy, exhibits a peak at the Fermi level,
while in the second model such LDOS peak is deviated from the Fermi level and
its energy depends on band filling. An impurity located outside the vortex core
has little effect on the LDOS peak, but an impurity close to the vortex core
can almost suppress it and modify its position.Comment: 17 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in New Journal of
Physic
Computational design of a red fluorophore ligase for site-specific protein labeling in living cells
Chemical fluorophores offer tremendous size and photophysical advantages over fluorescent proteins but are much more challenging to target to specific cellular proteins. Here, we used Rosetta-based computation to design a fluorophore ligase that accepts the red dye resorufin, starting from Escherichia coli lipoic acid ligase. X-ray crystallography showed that the design closely matched the experimental structure. Resorufin ligase catalyzed the site-specific and covalent attachment of resorufin to various cellular proteins genetically fused to a 13-aa recognition peptide in multiple mammalian cell lines and in primary cultured neurons. We used resorufin ligase to perform superresolution imaging of the intermediate filament protein vimentin by stimulated emission depletion and electron microscopies. This work illustrates the power of Rosetta for major redesign of enzyme specificity and introduces a tool for minimally invasive, highly specific imaging of cellular proteins by both conventional and superresolution microscopies.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant DP1 OD003961)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (R01 GM072670)American Chemical Societ
Pushing the envelope in tissue engineering: Ex vivo production of thick vascularized cardiac extracellular matrix constructs
Functional vascularization is a prerequisite for cardiac tissue engineering of constructs with physiological thicknesses. We previously reported the successful preservation of main vascular conduits in isolated thick acellular porcine cardiac ventricular ECM (pcECM). We now unveil this scaffold's potential in supporting human cardiomyocytes and promoting new blood vessel development ex vivo, providing long-term cell support in the construct bulk. A custom-designed perfusion bioreactor was developed to remodel such vascularization ex vivo, demonstrating, for the first time, functional angiogenesis in vitro with various stages of vessel maturation supporting up to 1.7 mm thick constructs. A robust methodology was developed to assess the pcECM maximal cell capacity, which resembled the human heart cell density. Taken together these results demonstrate feasibility of producing physiological-like constructs such as the thick pcECM suggested here as a prospective treatment for end-stage heart failure. Methodologies reported herein may also benefit other tissues, offering a valuable in vitro setting for "thick-tissue" engineering strategies toward large animal in vivo studies.Israeli Science Foundation/1563/10Singapore National Research Foundatio
Fibromodulin Reduces Scar Formation in Adult Cutaneous Wounds by Eliciting a Fetal-Like Phenotype
Blocking transforming growth factor (TGF)β1 signal transduction has been a central strategy for scar reduction; however, this approach appears to be minimally effective. Here, we show that fibromodulin (FMOD), a 59-kD small leucine-rich proteoglycan critical for normal collagen fibrillogenesis, significantly reduces scar formation while simultaneously increasing scar strength in both adult rodent models and porcine wounds, which simulate human cutaneous scar repair. Mechanistically, FMOD uncouples pro-migration/contraction cellular signals from pro-fibrotic signaling by selectively enhancing SMAD3-mediated signal transduction, while reducing AP-1-mediated TGFβ1 auto-induction and fibrotic extracellular matrix accumulation. Consequently, FMOD accelerates TGFβ1-responsive adult fibroblast migration, myofibroblast conversion, and function. Furthermore, our findings strongly indicate that, by delicately orchestrating TGFβ1 activities rather than indiscriminately blocking TGFβ1, FMOD elicits fetal-like cellular and molecular phenotypes in adult dermal fibroblasts in vitro and adult cutaneous wounds in vivo, which is a unique response of living system undescribed previously. Taken together, this study illuminates the signal modulating activities of FMOD beyond its structural support functions, and highlights the potential for FMOD-based therapies to be used in cutaneous wound repair. © The Author(s) 2017
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