8,404 research outputs found
Modulation of cellular redox homeostasis by the endocannabinoid system
The endocannabinoid system (ECS) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) constitute two key cellular signalling systems that participate in the modulation of diverse cellular functions. Importantly, growing evidence suggests that cross-talk between these two prominent signalling systems acts to modulate functionality of the ECS as well as redox homeostasis in different cell types. Herein, we review and discuss evidence pertaining to ECS-induced regulation of ROS generating and scavenging mechanisms, as well as highlighting emerging work that supports redox modulation of ECS function. Functionally, the studies outlined reveal that interactions between the ECS and ROS signalling systems can be both stimulatory and inhibitory in nature, depending on cell stimulus, the source of ROS species and cell context. Importantly, such cross-talk may act to maintain cell function, whereas abnormalities in either system may propagate and undermine the stability of both systems, thereby contributing to various pathologies associated with their dysregulation
Coherent quantum state storage and transfer between two phase qubits via a resonant cavity
A network of quantum-mechanical systems showing long lived phase coherence of
its quantum states could be used for processing quantum information. As with
classical information processing, a quantum processor requires information bits
(qubits) that can be independently addressed and read out, long-term memory
elements to store arbitrary quantum states, and the ability to transfer quantum
information through a coherent communication bus accessible to a large number
of qubits. Superconducting qubits made with scalable microfabrication
techniques are a promising candidate for the realization of a large scale
quantum information processor. Although these systems have successfully passed
tests of coherent coupling for up to four qubits, communication of individual
quantum states between qubits via a quantum bus has not yet been demonstrated.
Here, we perform an experiment demonstrating the ability to coherently transfer
quantum states between two superconducting Josephson phase qubits through a
rudimentary quantum bus formed by a single, on chip, superconducting
transmission line resonant cavity of length 7 mm. After preparing an initial
quantum state with the first qubit, this quantum information is transferred and
stored as a nonclassical photon state of the resonant cavity, then retrieved at
a later time by the second qubit connected to the opposite end of the cavity.
Beyond simple communication, these results suggest that a high quality factor
superconducting cavity could also function as a long term memory element. The
basic architecture presented here is scalable, offering the possibility for the
coherent communication between a large number of superconducting qubits.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures (to appear in Nature
Single vortex-antivortex pair in an exciton polariton condensate
In a homogeneous two-dimensional system at non-zero temperature, although
there can be no ordering of infinite range, a superfluid phase is predicted for
a Bose liquid. The stabilization of phase in this superfluid regime is achieved
by the formation of bound vortex-antivortex pairs. It is believed that several
different systems share this common behaviour, when the parameter describing
their ordered state has two degrees of freedom, and the theory has been tested
for some of them. However, there has been no direct experimental observation of
the phase stabilization mechanism by a bound pair. Here we present an
experimental technique that can identify a single vortex-antivortex pair in a
two-dimensional exciton polariton condensate. The pair is generated by the
inhomogeneous pumping spot profile, and is revealed in the time-integrated
phase maps acquired using Michelson interferometry, which show that the
condensate phase is only locally disturbed. Numerical modelling based on open
dissipative Gross-Pitaevskii equation suggests that the pair evolution is quite
different in this non-equilibrium system compared to atomic condensates. Our
results demonstrate that the exciton polariton condensate is a unique system
for studying two-dimensional superfluidity in a previously inaccessible regime
Nrf2 impacts cellular bioenergetics by controlling substrate availability for mitochondrial respiration
Transcription factor Nrf2 and its repressor Keap1 regulate a network of cytoprotective genes involving more than 1% of the genome, their best known targets being drug-metabolizing and antioxidant genes. Here we demonstrate a novel role for this pathway in directly regulating mitochondrial bioenergetics in murine neurons and embryonic fibroblasts. Loss of Nrf2 leads to mitochondrial depolarisation, decreased ATP levels and impaired respiration, whereas genetic activation of Nrf2 increases the mitochondrial membrane potential and ATP levels, the rate of respiration and the efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation. We further show that Nrf2-deficient cells have increased production of ATP in glycolysis, which is then used by the F1Fo-ATPase for maintenance of the mitochondrial membrane potential. While the levels and in vitro activities of the respiratory complexes are unaffected by Nrf2 deletion, their activities in isolated mitochondria and intact live cells are substantially impaired. In addition, the rate of regeneration of NADH after inhibition of respiration is much slower in Nrf2-knockout cells than in their wild-type counterparts. Taken together, these results show that Nrf2 directly regulates cellular energy metabolism through modulating the availability of substrates for mitochondrial respiration. Our findings highlight the importance of efficient energy metabolism in Nrf2-mediated cytoprotection
Multifractality in Human Heartbeat Dynamics
Recent evidence suggests that physiological signals under healthy conditions
may have a fractal temporal structure. We investigate the possibility that time
series generated by certain physiological control systems may be members of a
special class of complex processes, termed multifractal, which require a large
number of exponents to characterize their scaling properties. We report on
evidence for multifractality in a biological dynamical system --- the healthy
human heartbeat. Further, we show that the multifractal character and nonlinear
properties of the healthy heart rate are encoded in the Fourier phases. We
uncover a loss of multifractality for a life-threatening condition, congestive
heart failure.Comment: 19 pages, latex2e using rotate and epsf, with 5 ps figures; to appear
in Nature, 3 June, 199
Eurasian Tree Sparrows, Risk for H5N1 Virus Spread and Human Contamination through Buddhist Ritual: An Experimental Approach
Background: The Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 virus has dramatically spread throughout Southeast Asia since its first detection in 1997. Merit Release Birds, such as the Eurasian Tree Sparrow, are believed to increase one's positive karma when kissed and released during Buddhist rituals. Since these birds are often in close contact with both poultry and humans, we investigated their potential role in the spread of H5N1 virus. Methodology/Principal Findings: Seven series of experiments were conducted in order to investigate the possible interactions between inoculated and exposed birds, including sparrow/sparrow, sparrow/chicken, duck/sparrow. Daily and post-mortem samples collected were tested for H5N1 virus by real-time RT-PCR and egg inoculation. When directly inoculated, Eurasian Tree Sparrows were highly susceptible to the H5N1 virus, with a fatality rate approaching 100% within 5 days post-inoculation. Although transmission of fatal infection between sparrows did not occur, seroconversion of the exposed birds was observed. Up to 100% chickens exposed to inoculated sparrows died of H5N1 infection, depending on the caging conditions of the birds, while a fatality rate of 50% was observed on sparrows exposed to infected ducks. Large quantities of H5N1 virus were detected in the sparrows, particularly in their feathers, from which infectious particles were recovered. Conclusions/Significance: Our study indicates that under experimental conditions, Eurasian Tree Sparrows are susceptible to H5N1 infection, either by direct inoculation or by contact with infected poultry. Their ability to transmit H5N1 infection to other birds is also demonstrated, suggesting that the sparrows may play a role in the dissemination of the virus. Finally, the presence of significant quantities of H5N1 virus on sparrows' feathers, including infectious particles, would suggest that Merit Release Birds represent a risk for human contamination in countries where avian influenza virus is circulating and where this religious ritual is practiced. © 2011 Gutiérrez et al.published_or_final_versio
Implementation of a Toffoli Gate with Superconducting Circuits
The quantum Toffoli gate allows universal reversible classical computation.
It is also an important primitive in many quantum circuits and quantum error
correction schemes. Here we demonstrate the realization of a Toffoli gate with
three superconducting transmon qubits coupled to a microwave resonator. By
exploiting the third energy level of the transmon qubit, the number of
elementary gates needed for the implementation of the Toffoli gate, as well as
the total gate time can be reduced significantly in comparison to theoretical
proposals using two-level systems only. We characterize the performance of the
gate by full process tomography and Monte Carlo process certification. The gate
fidelity is found to be %.Comment: 4 pages, 5figure
Circuit Quantum Electrodynamics: Coherent Coupling of a Single Photon to a Cooper Pair Box
Under appropriate conditions, superconducting electronic circuits behave
quantum mechanically, with properties that can be designed and controlled at
will. We have realized an experiment in which a superconducting two-level
system, playing the role of an artificial atom, is strongly coupled to a single
photon stored in an on-chip cavity. We show that the atom-photon coupling in
this circuit can be made strong enough for coherent effects to dominate over
dissipation, even in a solid state environment. This new regime of matter light
interaction in a circuit can be exploited for quantum information processing
and quantum communication. It may also lead to new approaches for single photon
generation and detection.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in Nature, embargo does
apply, version with high resolution figures available at:
http://www.eng.yale.edu/rslab/Andreas/content/science/PubsPapers.htm
A systematic review of biomarkers for disease progression in Parkinson's disease
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
The entropy of black holes: a primer
After recalling the definition of black holes, and reviewing their energetics
and their classical thermodynamics, one expounds the conjecture of Bekenstein,
attributing an entropy to black holes, and the calculation by Hawking of the
semi-classical radiation spectrum of a black hole, involving a thermal
(Planckian) factor. One then discusses the attempts to interpret the black-hole
entropy as the logarithm of the number of quantum micro-states of a macroscopic
black hole, with particular emphasis on results obtained within string theory.
After mentioning the (technically cleaner, but conceptually more intricate)
case of supersymmetric (BPS) black holes and the corresponding counting of the
degeneracy of Dirichlet-brane systems, one discusses in some detail the
``correspondence'' between massive string states and non-supersymmetric
Schwarzschild black holes.Comment: 51 pages, 4 figures, talk given at the "Poincare seminar" (Paris, 6
December 2003), to appear in Poincare Seminar 2003 (Birkhauser
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