365 research outputs found
Ovarian dysfunction associated with zona pellucida-based immunocontraceptive vaccines
Despite more than 40 years of research into zona pellucida (ZP)-based vaccines, relatively little is known about their mechanism of action. Early research demonstrated precipitation of ZP glycoproteins by antiovarian antiserum, rendering oocytes resistant to sperm binding in vitro. Subsequent work showed significantly decreased fertilization rates following passive immunization, sparking interest in anti-ZP immunocontraception for human and animal use. The primary mechanism of action of ZP vaccines is generally considered to be an antibody-mediated interference with sperm-oocyte binding and/or fertilization. However, this mechanism of action excludes the potential for ovarian dysfunction associated with anti-ZP treatment in some species. A review of relevant literature in pertinent model, domestic and wildlife species reveals a variety of previous and current hypotheses for ovarian effects following ZP-based immunization. Ovarian dysfunction has been suggested to be a species-specific response. In addition, cytotoxic T-lymphocytes and the use of Freund's adjuvants have been suggested to play a role. Finally, the type and extent of glycosylation of ZP antigens have been proposed to influence ovarian effects. The validity of these hypotheses is re-examined in the light of current knowledge. Further investigation of ovarian function in species believed to be resistant to the ovarian effects of anti-ZP vaccines is warranted. To this end, anti-Milllerian hormone may provide a novel tool for the assessment of ovarian function during ZP-based immunocontraception, particularly in wildlife species not amenable to frequent clinical examination
Researching immunocontraceptive vaccines with mares (Equus caballus) as both a target and model for African elephant (Loxodonta africana) cows: a review
A sequence of studies is reviewed that reported the domestic horse (Equus caballus) mare as an appropriate and accessible research platform for recording clinical and laboratory data post-immunisation with anti- GnRH and -zona pellucida (ZP) immunocontraceptive vaccines. Experience with a native porcine ZP (pZP) vaccine in African elephant (Loxodonta africana) cows highlighted needs for improving vaccine formulations and more clearly defining associated ovarian effects and safety profiles. Initially, the efficacy, reversibility and safety of the GnRH vaccine Improvac® in mares was demonstrated using reproductive tract ultrasonography and concurrently measuring serum antibody titres and progesterone concentrations. Results informed the study design and minimally invasive monitoring of post-treatment ovarian steroid responses of this vaccine in free-ranging African elephant cows. A subsequent sequence of studies reported reversible contraceptive and immunological efficacy in pony mares immunised with pZP formulated with Freund’s adjuvants. By comparison, mares treated with a recombinant ZP3 and ZP4 (reZP) vaccine showed disappointing responses. Unexpectedly, most pZP-treated mares showed ovarian inactivity. In attempting to understand this response, results showed the involvement of cytotoxic (CD8+) T-cells negatively correlated to serum ovarian steroid and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels. Of concern was the prevalence of injection-site lesions ascribable to Freund’s adjuvants. Following this, mares treated with both pZP and a novel reZP vaccine formulated with non-Freund’s adjuvants showed comparable immunological responses and ovarian inactivity, notably without adverse treatment reactions. In addition, measuring AMH showed promise for monitoring ovarian function in anti-ZP-treated animals
Ovarian function in pony mares undergoing porcine zona pellucida immunocontraception
An advantage of the porcine zona pellucida (pZP) vaccine over other immunocontraceptives is the preservation of reproductive cyclicity and associated behaviors. Few studies have investigated ovarian function following pZP vaccination in the mare despite reported ovarian dysfunction in other species. The objectives of this study were to investigate ovarian function and estrous cyclicity in pony mares during immunocontraception with the conventional pZP vaccine. Fourteen mares were randomized into two groups of seven. Group I received 100 µg of pZP with Freund’s complete modified adjuvant (FCMA; V1), followed after five weeks by booster vaccination with 100 µg of pZP with Freund’s incomplete adjuvant (FIA; V2). Group II (controls) received two treatments five weeks apart of saline with FCMA (V1) and saline with FIA (V2) respectively. Treatments were administered via intramuscular injection into the gluteal muscles. Data were collected by an investigator blinded to treatment group over a period of 24 weeks during the physiological breeding season. All mares underwent estrus monitoring via trans-rectal palpation and ultrasound examination of the internal reproductive tract, on D0 (day of ovulation), D7, and D14 of consecutive estrous cycles, with daily monitoring between D14 and D0 of the following cycle. Artificial insemination was performed using fresh semen for up to two consecutive estrous cycles, commencing five weeks post-V2. Serum samples were collected weekly for the analysis of antibody titres and ovarian steroid (progesterone and estradiol) levels. Data were compared using Mann-Whitney U tests using commercially available software (IBM SPSS Statistics Version 22, International Business Machines Corp., Armonk, NY). Statistical significance was set as P < 0.05. All Group II mares showed normal estrous cyclicity throughout the study. Four Group I mares showed signs of anestrus within seven weeks of V2, characterised by small, inactive ovaries and baseline progesterone and estradiol levels. One Group I mare entered anestrus within 11 weeks of V2 and a second showed estrus with ovulation between variable periods of anestrus. Ovarian volumes, follicle counts and maximal follicle diameters in Group I were significantly lower than Group II. Per-cycle pregnancy proportions in Groups I and II were 0% and 78% respectively. This study demonstrated suppression of ovarian function in six of seven (86%) mares following pZP immunocontraception. Further research into the mechanism of action of zona pellucida-based vaccines is warranted
Thermal radiation in non-static curved spacetimes: quantum mechanical path integrals and configuration space topology
A quantum mechanical path integral derivation is given of a thermal
propagator in non-static Gui spacetime. The thermal nature of the propagator is
understood in terms of homotopically non-trivial paths in the configuration
space appropriate to tortoise coordinates. The connection to thermal emission
from collapsing black holes is discussed.Comment: 20 pages, major revised version, 9 figures, new titl
Comments on the Sign and Other Aspects of Semiclassical Casimir Energies
The Casimir energy of a massless scalar field is semiclassically given by
contributions due to classical periodic rays. The required subtractions in the
spectral density are determined explicitly. The so defined semiclassical
Casimir energy coincides with that obtained using zeta function regularization
in the cases studied. Poles in the analytic continuation of zeta function
regularization are related to non-universal subtractions in the spectral
density. The sign of the Casimir energy of a scalar field on a smooth manifold
is estimated by the sign of the contribution due to the shortest periodic rays
only. Demanding continuity of the Casimir energy under small deformations of
the manifold, the method is extended to integrable systems. The Casimir energy
of a massless scalar field on a manifold with boundaries includes contributions
due to periodic rays that lie entirely within the boundaries. These
contributions in general depend on the boundary conditions. Although the
Casimir energy due to a massless scalar field may be sensitive to the physical
dimensions of manifolds with boundary, its sign can in favorable cases be
inferred without explicit calculation of the Casimir energy.Comment: 39 pages, no figures, references added, some correction
Analysis of path integrals at low temperature : Box formula, occupation time and ergodic approximation
We study the low temperature behaviour of path integrals for a simple
one-dimensional model. Starting from the Feynman-Kac formula, we derive a new
functional representation of the density matrix at finite temperature, in terms
of the occupation times of Brownian motions constrained to stay within boxes
with finite sizes. From that representation, we infer a kind of ergodic
approximation, which only involves double ordinary integrals. As shown by its
applications to different confining potentials, the ergodic approximation turns
out to be quite efficient, especially in the low-temperature regime where other
usual approximations fail
The Bond-Algebraic Approach to Dualities
An algebraic theory of dualities is developed based on the notion of bond
algebras. It deals with classical and quantum dualities in a unified fashion
explaining the precise connection between quantum dualities and the low
temperature (strong-coupling)/high temperature (weak-coupling) dualities of
classical statistical mechanics (or (Euclidean) path integrals). Its range of
applications includes discrete lattice, continuum field, and gauge theories.
Dualities are revealed to be local, structure-preserving mappings between
model-specific bond algebras that can be implemented as unitary
transformations, or partial isometries if gauge symmetries are involved. This
characterization permits to search systematically for dualities and
self-dualities in quantum models of arbitrary system size, dimensionality and
complexity, and any classical model admitting a transfer matrix representation.
Dualities like exact dimensional reduction, emergent, and gauge-reducing
dualities that solve gauge constraints can be easily understood in terms of
mappings of bond algebras. As a new example, we show that the (\mathbb{Z}_2)
Higgs model is dual to the extended toric code model {\it in any number of
dimensions}. Non-local dual variables and Jordan-Wigner dictionaries are
derived from the local mappings of bond algebras. Our bond-algebraic approach
goes beyond the standard approach to classical dualities, and could help
resolve the long standing problem of obtaining duality transformations for
lattice non-Abelian models. As an illustration, we present new dualities in any
spatial dimension for the quantum Heisenberg model. Finally, we discuss various
applications including location of phase boundaries, spectral behavior and,
notably, we show how bond-algebraic dualities help constrain and realize
fermionization in an arbitrary number of spatial dimensions.Comment: 131 pages, 22 figures. Submitted to Advances in Physics. Second
version including a new section on the eight-vertex model and the correction
of several typo
Tunneling transverse to a magnetic field, and how it occurs in correlated 2D electron systems
We investigate tunneling decay in a magnetic field. Because of broken
time-reversal symmetry, the standard WKB technique does not apply. The decay
rate and the outcoming wave packet are found from the analysis of the set of
the particle Hamiltonian trajectories and its singularities in complex space.
The results are applied to tunneling from a strongly correlated 2D electron
system in a magnetic field parallel to the layer. We show in a simple model
that electron correlations exponentially strongly affect the tunneling rate.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
Worldline path integral for the massive Dirac propagator : A four-dimensional approach
We simplify and generalize an approach proposed by Di Vecchia and Ravndal to
describe a massive Dirac particle in external vector and scalar fields. Two
different path integral representations for the propagator are derived
systematically without the usual five-dimensional extension and shown to be
equivalent due to the supersymmetry of the action. They correspond to a
projection on the mass of the particle either continuously or at the end of the
time evolution. It is shown that the supersymmetry transformations are
generated by shifting and scaling the supertimes and the invariant difference
of two supertimes is given for the general case. A nonrelativistic reduction of
the relativistic propagator leads to a three-dimensional path integral with the
usual Pauli Hamiltonian. By integrating out the photons we obtain the effective
action for quenched QED and use it to derive the gauge-transformation
properties of the general Green function of the theory.Comment: 27 pages, LaTeX, no figures, uses revtex.sty; note with omitted
references added in proo
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