On the capacities of bipartite Hamiltonians and unitary gates

We consider interactions as bidirectional channels. We investigate the capacities for interaction Hamiltonians and nonlocal unitary gates to generate entanglement and transmit classical information. We give analytic expressions for the entanglement generating capacity and entanglement-assisted one-way classical communication capacity of interactions, and show that these quantities are additive, so that the asymptotic capacities equal the corresponding 1-shot capacities. We give general bounds on other capacities, discuss some examples, and conclude with some open questions.     

Purification of the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane protein phospholamban from recombinant Escherichia coli

Phospholamban (PLN) was expressed in Escherichia coli as a protein fusion with glutathione S-transferase (GST). GST-PLN was mostly present in the insoluble protein fraction and accounted for approximately 50% of total insoluble protein. Attempts to suppress inclusion body formation or to use GST as an affinity-purification tag failed. A successful purification method is based on preparative SDS/PAGE and electrodialysis. From 1 g cells we typically purified 13.5 mg fusion protein with a PLN content of 2.8 mg. We genetically inserted an enterokinase (EK) protease site just in front of the PLN sequence and demonstrated the proteolytical liberation of PLN from the carrier protein. The approach described represents a substantial advancement in PLN expression and purification.     

Human stem cell assays in immune-deficient mice

Much of our understanding of the organization of the cells that comprise the hematopoietic system and the cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate their development is derived from mouse models. However, knowledge of the human hematopoietic system and identification of human stem cells have, until recently, been hampered by the absence of in vivo assays that measure their repopulation capacity. The development of methods to transplant normal and leukemic human hematopoietic cells into immune-deficient SCID mice provides the foundation for human stem cell assays. This review will focus on recent evidence that normal and leukemic human stem cells can be assayed in these systems.     

Epilepsy, retarded growth and onchocerciasis, in two areas of different endemicity of onchocerciasis in Burundi

A high prevalence of epilepsy (up to 1.3%) was observed in an area hyperendemic for onchocerciasis in the province of Bururi, Burundi. Following this observation, epileptics and controls were examined in 2 communes (administrative units) with different endemicity for onchocerciasis. Altogether, onchocerciasis was more frequent in epileptics (81.8%) than in controls from the same households (68.3%; P < 0.05). This difference was more marked in the hyperendemic area. Other possible causes of epilepsy, including cysticercosis, were infrequent (18 possible cases among 110 epileptics). During this survey, 9 epileptics with growth retardation were seen. They showed most characteristics of Nakalanga syndrome, which was described from Uganda. All 9 such cases were suffering from onchocerciasis. These findings give more evidence of a possible association between onchocerciasis and epilepsy, and between onchocerciasis and Nakalanga syndrome.     

A method for functional magnetic resonance imaging of olfaction

A method for generating olfactory stimuli for humans within a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experimental design is described. The system incorporates a nasal-mask in which the change from odorant to no-odorant conditions occurs in less than 500 ms and is not accompanied by visual, auditory, tactile, or thermal cues. The mask provides an ordorant-free environment following prolonged ordorant presence. Specific imaging parameters that are conducive to the study of the human olfactory system are described. In a pilot study performed using these methods, the specific patterns of activation observed converged with published experimental and clinical findings.     

Expression of three UDP-N-acetyl-alpha-D-galactosamine:polypeptide GalNAc N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases in adenocarcinoma cell lines

The levels of mRNA expression of three UDP-N-acetyl-alpha-D-galactosamine:polypeptide GalNAc N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferases (GalNAc-transferases) were quantified for human adenocarcinoma cell lines from pancreas, colon, stomach, and breast. Two of the GalNAc-transferases, GalNAc-T1 and GalNAc-T2, were expressed constitutively and at low levels in most or all cell lines examined. A third GalNAc-transferase, GalNAc-T3, was differentially expressed. Well-differentiated adenocarcinoma cell lines expressed high levels and moderately differentiated cell lines expressed lower levels of GalNAc-T3. Cell lines classified as poorly differentiated failed to express GalNAc-T3 mRNA at levels that could be detected by Northern blot analysis. Differential expression of the GalNAc-T3 protein was confirmed in these cell lines by Western blotting. We propose that glycosylation in tumor cell lines may be regulated in part by differential expression of GalNAc-transferases, and we suggest that GalNAc-T3 gene expression may be a molecular indicator of differentiated adenocarcinoma.     

Predictors of underlying coronary artery disease in cocaine associated myocardial infarction: a meta-analysis of case reports

A preliminary report presenting the results of fibular strut grafting in the severely resorbed mandibular and maxillary region is presented. Thirteen patients were treated due to severe resorption of alveolar and basilar bone of 49 segments of the mandible and the maxilla. Two patients additionally had pathological fractures of the mandible. In 10 cases the strut graft was harvested by means of a new minimally invasive technique. After modelling the fibular bone it was fixed to the recipient site by miniscrews or implants. After a mean follow-up period of 20 months (max. 31, min. 11 months) a retrospective analysis of clinical and radiological findings was carried out. It showed that a mean augmentation of 16 mm was achieved. Compared to other studies the fibular strut graft was resorbed less, and due to the primary stability it could be used for the treatment of fractures of the mandible. No more than natural resorption was observed when the patients received their prostheses fixed to dental implants.     

Recombination-induced variants of Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 with increased solvent production

Three sporulation-specific genes (orfA, sigE, sigG) from clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 824 are arranged in a cluster, encoding the putative sigma E-processing enzyme, sigma E, and sigma sigma G respectively. When they were transformed into Clostridium acetobutylicum while on a plasmid functional in this organism, transformants did not survive. Three kinds of recombinations were then attempted with nonreplicative plasmids: duplication of orfA and sigE, replacement of all of the three genes, and inactivation of orfA. While the wild-type strain ceased to grow and produce solvents in batch cultures after approximately 24 h, mutant strains were isolated that showed sustained growth for a much longer time and produced a threefold increase in acetone and butanol in test tube cultures. In addition, one of the derived strains showed a significantly higher growth rate. Features of the restriction maps of the recombinants did not correlate with expected maps, indicating possible complications occurring during the recombination events.