Transformation rules for CNOT-based quantum circuits and their applications

This paper introduces a simple but nontrivial set of local transformation rules for designingControl-NOT(CNOT)-based combinatorial circuits. We also provide a proof that the rule set iscomplete, namely, for any two equivalent circuits,S ₁ andS ₂, there is a sequence of transformations, each of them in the rule set, which changesS ₁ toS ₂. Two applications of the rule set are also presented. One is to simulate Resolution with only polynomial overhead by the rule set. Therefore we can conclude that the rule set is reasonably powerful. The other is to reduce the cost of CNOT-based circuits by using the transformations in the rule set. This implies that the rule set might be used for the practical circuit design. Currently Graduate School of Information Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology Kazuo Iwama, Ph.D.: Professor of Informatics, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. Received BE, ME, and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Kyoto University in 1978, 1980 and 1985, respectively. His research interests include algorithms, complexity theory and quantum computation. Editorial board of Information Processing Letters and Parallel Computing. Council Member of European Association for Theoretical Computer Science (EATCS). Shigeru Yamashita, Ph.D.: Associate Professor of Graduate School of Information Science, Nara Instutute of Science and Technology, Nara 630-0192, Japan. He received his B.E., M.E. and Ph.D. degrees in information science from Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, in 1993, 1995 and 2001, respectively. His research interests include new type of computer architectures and quantum computation. He received the 2000 IEEE Circuits and Systems Society Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems Best Paper Award.     

Thrombin Receptor-Activating Protein (TRAP)-Activated Akt Is Involved in the Release of Phosphorylated-HSP27 (HSPB1) from Platelets in DM Patients

It is generally known that heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) is phosphorylated through p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase. We have previously reported that HSP27 is released from human platelets associated with collagen-induced phosphorylation. In the present study, we conducted an investigation into the effect of thrombin receptor-activating protein (TRAP) on the release of HSP27 in platelets in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. The phosphorylated-HSP27 levels induced by TRAP were directly proportional to the aggregation of platelets. The levels of phosphorylated-HSP27 (Ser-78) were correlated with the levels of phosphorylated-p38 MAP kinase and phosphorylated-Akt in the platelets stimulated by 10 µM TRAP but not with those of phosphorylated-p44/p42 MAP kinase. The levels of HSP27 released from the TRAP (10 µM)-stimulated platelets were correlated with the levels of phosphorylated-HSP27 in the platelets. The released platelet-derived growth factor-AB (PDGF-AB) levels were in parallel with the HSP27 levels released from the platelets stimulated by 10 µM TRAP. Although the area under the curve (AUC) of small aggregates (9–25 µm) induced by 10 µM TRAP showed no significant correlation with the released HSP27 levels, AUC of medium aggregates (25–50 µm), large aggregates (50–70 µm) and light transmittance were significantly correlated with the released HSP27 levels. TRAP-induced phosphorylation of HSP27 was truly suppressed by deguelin, an inhibitor of Akt, in the platelets from a healthy subject. These results strongly suggest that TRAP-induced activation of Akt in addition to p38 MAP kinase positively regulates the release of phosphorylated-HSP27 from human platelets, which is closely related to the platelet hyper-aggregation in type 2 DM patients.     

Design and synthesis of new secretory phospholipase A2 inhibitor of a phospholipid analog

All stereoisomers of N-acyl-4,5-disubstituted oxazolidinone phospholipid analogs were synthesized by regio and stereoselective epoxide ring opening accompanied by introduction of an amino group. The (4R,5S)-derivative showed stronger inhibitory activity toward type II phospholipase A2 than the 4-substituted oxazolidinone phospholipid analog previously reported.     

Functional group selective polymerization of (4-maleimidophenyl)oxirane as a new type of bifunctional monomer

A novel bifunctional monomer, (4-maleimidophenyl)oxirane (MAPO), with very reactive maleimido and epoxy groups, was prepared through the selective oxidation of the two carbon–carbon double bonds of N-(4-vinylphenyl)maleimide. Either of the two different polymerizable groups (vinylene of the maleimide moiety and the mono-substituted epoxide) of MAPO was able to be selectively polymerized by choosing the polymerization method. For radical polymerization, MAPO gave poly{p-[1,2-(epoxyethyl)phenyl]maleimide} (PEPM) with dense pendent epoxy groups in 76% yield without cross-linking. MAPO also gave poly(maleimidostyrene oxide) (PMSO) with dense pendent maleimido groups through cationic polymerization in 60% yield. On the other hand, anionic polymerization with an of MAPO produced only insoluble gel-like materials due to unselective polymerization of the two polymerizable groups (Scheme 1). The vinylene group of the maleimide moiety in PMSO easily reacted with the mercapto group, and the ring-opening reaction of the epoxy groups in PEPM with amino groups took place.     

A protease sensitive region of plant and animal ribonucleases belonging to the RNase T2 family

Recombinant RNase LE from tomato and squid liver RNase Tp, typical plant/animal type RNases belonging to the RNase T2 family, were subjected to limited digestion with several proteases, and the cleavage sites were analyzed by Edman degradation. Recombinant RNase LE was cleaved specifically at the 24th Lys by lysylendopeptidase and trypsin, and RNase Tp was cleaved at the 21st Glu by V8 protease. These cleavage sites are located very close to those where the cleavage during preparation of several animal RNase T2 family enzymes was observed. From this finding, it was concluded that the short segment around the 20th amino acid residue in plant/animal RNases is located on the surface of the molecules and forms loops, and is thus very sensitive to proteases.     

Crystallization and preliminary crystallographic analysis of a 2,3-dihydroxybiphenyl dioxygenase from Pseudomonas sp. strain KKS102 having polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-degrading activity

A study of the clinical, radiological, and pathological correlations in 43 patients with solitary cysticercus granuloma and epilepsy focused on factors that might help in predicting the presence of the parasite in the granuloma and those that might influence the formation of oedema around the granuloma. The duration of symptoms (< six months and > or = six months) and CT morphology of the granuloma (ring and disc, type A; nodular lesion, type B) were studied as factors that could possibly predict the presence of the parasite in the granuloma. The influence of sex of the patient and the presence of a neutrophilic response in the granuloma on the intensity of oedema around the lesion as seen on CT was also studied. The pathological features were studied in the excised granulomas. The intact or degenerated form of the cysticercus was evident in 22 of 43 specimens. Neither the duration of seizures (P = 0.17) nor the type of lesion on CT (P = 0.16) was predictive of the presence of the parasite in the granuloma. The sex of the patient (P = 0.51) and the neutrophilic response in the specimen (P = 0.73) did not correlate with the degree of oedema on CT indicating that neither of these host factors was a major determinant of oedema production. The findings point to the varied and unpredictable natural history of solitary cysticercus granulomas and the complex nature of host-parasite interactions in individual patients. The inability to predict the presence of the parasite in the granuloma on the basis of the clinical or radiological features precludes a selection of patients with such lesions for cysticidal drug treatment.     

Labolink: An Optically Linked Laboratory Computer Network

Kyoto University has developed a laboratory computer network that demonstrates an easy yet versatile way of accessing several kinds of computers from a single, small-scale computer. Known as "Labolink,"^1,2the network is designed to support laboratory research and education. Unlike the RIG System, another university network reported on recently,³Labolink required no modification of the existing operating system.     

A 25/17-Approximation Algorithm for the Stable Marriage Problem with One-Sided Ties

The problem of finding a largest stable matching where preference lists may include ties and unacceptable partners (MAX SMTI) is known to be NP-hard. It cannot be approximated within 33/29 (>1.1379) unless P=NP, and the current best approximation algorithm achieves the ratio of 1.5. MAX SMTI remains NP-hard even when preference lists of one side do not contain ties, and it cannot be approximated within 21/19 (>1.1052) unless P=NP. However, even under this restriction, the best known approximation ratio is still 1.5. In this paper, we improve it to 25/17 (<1.4706).