Optimal entanglement witnesses from generalized reduction and Robertson maps

We provide a generalization of the reduction and Robertson positive maps in matrix algebras. They give rise to a new class of optimal entanglement witnesses. Their structural physical approximation is analyzed. As a byproduct we provide a new examples of PPT (Positive Partial Transpose) entangled states.Comment: 14 page

Formalization of Transform Methods using HOL Light

Transform methods, like Laplace and Fourier, are frequently used for analyzing the dynamical behaviour of engineering and physical systems, based on their transfer function, and frequency response or the solutions of their corresponding differential equations. In this paper, we present an ongoing project, which focuses on the higher-order logic formalization of transform methods using HOL Light theorem prover. In particular, we present the motivation of the formalization, which is followed by the related work. Next, we present the task completed so far while highlighting some of the challenges faced during the formalization. Finally, we present a roadmap to achieve our objectives, the current status and the future goals for this project.Comment: 15 Pages, CICM 201

Dense Plasma Focus: physics and applications (radiation material science, single-shot disclosure of hidden illegal objects, radiation biology and medicine, etc.)

The paper presents some outcomes obtained during the year of 2013 of the activity in the frame of the International Atomic Energy Agency Co-ordinated research project "Investigations of Materials under High Repetition and Intense Fusion-Relevant Pulses". The main results are related to the effects created at the interaction of powerful pulses of different types of radiation (soft and hard X-rays, hot plasma and fast ion streams, neutrons, etc. generated in Dense Plasma Focus (DPF) facilities) with various materials including those that are counted as perspective ones for their use in future thermonuclear reactors. Besides we discuss phenomena observed at the irradiation of biological test objects. We examine possible applications of nanosecond powerful pulses of neutrons to the aims of nuclear medicine and for disclosure of hidden illegal objects. Special attention is devoted to discussions of a possibility to create extremely large and enormously diminutive DPF devices and probabilities of their use in energetics, medicine and modern electronics

The LAGUNA design study- towards giant liquid based underground detectors for neutrino physics and astrophysics and proton decay searches

The feasibility of a next generation neutrino observatory in Europe is being considered within the LAGUNA design study. To accommodate giant neutrino detectors and shield them from cosmic rays, a new very large underground infrastructure is required. Seven potential candidate sites in different parts of Europe and at several distances from CERN are being studied: Boulby (UK), Canfranc (Spain), Fr\'ejus (France/Italy), Pyh\"asalmi (Finland), Polkowice-Sieroszowice (Poland), Slanic (Romania) and Umbria (Italy). The design study aims at the comprehensive and coordinated technical assessment of each site, at a coherent cost estimation, and at a prioritization of the sites within the summer 2010.Comment: 5 pages, contribution to the Workshop "European Strategy for Future Neutrino Physics", CERN, Oct. 200

The immunoreactivity of c-Fos, NGF and its receptor TrkA after open-field exposure in the central and medial nuclei of the rat amygdala

The amygdala is a critical component of the neuroanatomical stress circuit. It plays a role in the generation of responses to emotional stimuli. The central (CeA) and medial (MeA) amygdaloid nuclei are implicated in activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis. The immunoreactivity (-ir) of c-Fos, NGF and its receptor, TrkA, following acute and chronic open-field stress were studied in the CeA and MeA nuclei of the amygdala. The material consisted of 21 male adult rats divided into three groups: non-stressed (control) animals, rats exposed to acute (once only lasting 15 min) and chronic (15 min daily over 21 days) aversive stimulation (open-field exposure). The brains were stained with the use of immunohistochemical methods for c-Fos, NGF or TrkA. In the control rats c-Fos-, TrkA- and NGF-ir cells were observed in the nuclei studied, but the quantity varied, being moderate or high (immunoreactive to TrkA and NGF) or low (immunoreactive to c-Fos). In the animals exposed to acute open-field stress the number of c-Fos-ir, NGF-ir and TrkA-ir cells in the nuclei under examination was differentiated but higher than that in the control animals. In the animals exposed to chronic open-field stress the number of c-Fos-ir cells in the nuclei studied was similar and was smaller than those in animals exposed to acute stress. The number of TrkA-ir neurons was also lower in comparison to that in animals exposed to acute stress. However, no significant differences in the number of NGF-ir cells were observed between the groups exposed to acute and chronic stress. Diverse expression of c-Fos protein following both acute and chronic stress stimulation may prove the functional heterogeneity of the amygdaloid nuclei investigated. The decrease observed in both c-Fos- and TrkA-ir in MeA (only TrkA in CeA) of animals exposed to chronic stress may indicate the phenomenon of habituation

Measurement and comparison of individual external doses of high-school students living in Japan, France, Poland and Belarus -- the "D-shuttle" project --

Twelve high schools in Japan (of which six are in Fukushima Prefecture), four in France, eight in Poland and two in Belarus cooperated in the measurement and comparison of individual external doses in 2014. In total 216 high-school students and teachers participated in the study. Each participant wore an electronic personal dosimeter "D-shuttle" for two weeks, and kept a journal of his/her whereabouts and activities. The distributions of annual external doses estimated for each region overlap with each other, demonstrating that the personal external individual doses in locations where residence is currently allowed in Fukushima Prefecture and in Belarus are well within the range of estimated annual doses due to the background radiation level of other regions/countries

Changes in NGF/c-Fos colocalization in specific limbic structures of juvenile and aged rats after open field stimulation

Changes in NGF release during stressful events have been associated with the activation of neurons expressing NGF receptors. This study examined the influence of acute stress-induced stimulation on NGF/c-Fos colocalization in the following limbic regions: the paraventricular (PV) nucleus of the hypothalamus, medial (MeA) nucleus of the amygdala, and CA3 hippocampus. Juvenile (P21) and aged rats (P360) were exposed to a 15-minute acute open field (OF) test. Double immunofluorescence staining, used to detect NGF-ir and c-Fos-ir cells, revealed a higher percentage of NGF/c-Fos-ir neurons in the P21 control group than in the P360 control group. Under OF acute stimulation, a statistically significant (p < 0.05) increase of NGF/c-Fos level in CA3 of juvenile animals and in PV and CA3 of the aged rats was observed. These observations indicate that the investigated structures in both age groups show a different response to acute OF stimulation. Acute OF affects the levels of NGF/c-Fos more significantly in aged rats

Cisplatin and Doxorubicin Induce Distinct Mechanisms of Ovarian Follicle Loss; Imatinib Provides Selective Protection Only against Cisplatin

Chemotherapy treatment in premenopausal women has been linked to ovarian follicle loss and premature ovarian failure; the exact mechanism by which this occurs is uncertain. Here, two commonly used chemotherapeutic agents (cisplatin and doxorubicin) were added to a mouse ovary culture system, to compare the sequence of events that leads to germ cell loss. The ability of imatinib mesylate to protect the ovary against cisplatin or doxorubicin-induced ovarian damage was also examined.Newborn mouse ovaries were cultured for a total of six days, exposed to a chemotherapeutic agent on the second day: this allowed for the examination of the earliest stages of follicle development. Cleaved PARP and TUNEL were used to assess apoptosis following drug treatment. Imatinib was added to cultures with cisplatin and doxorubicin to determine any protective effect.Histological analysis of ovaries treated with cisplatin showed oocyte-specific damage; in comparison doxorubicin preferentially caused damage to the granulosa cells. Cleaved PARP expression significantly increased for cisplatin (16 fold, p<0.001) and doxorubicin (3 fold, p<0.01). TUNEL staining gave little evidence of primordial follicle damage with either drug. Imatinib had a significant protective effect against cisplatin-induced follicle damage (p<0.01) but not against doxorubicin treatment.Cisplatin and doxorubicin both induced ovarian damage, but in a markedly different pattern, with imatinib protecting the ovary against damage by cisplatin but not doxorubicin. Any treatment designed to block the effects of chemotherapeutic agents on the ovary may need to be specific to the drug(s) the patient is exposed to

Convection enhanced delivery and \u3ci\u3ein vivo\u3c/i\u3e imaging of polymeric nanoparticles for the treatment of malignant glioma

A major obstacle to the management of malignant glioma is the inability to effectively deliver therapeutic agent to the tumor. In this study, we describe a polymeric nanoparticle vector that not only delivers viable therapeutic, but can also be tracked in vivo using MRI. Nanoparticles, produced by a non-emulsion technique, were fabricated to carry iron oxide within the shell and the chemotherapeutic agent, temozolomide (TMZ), as the payload. Nanoparticle properties were characterized and subsequently their endocytosis-mediated uptake by glioma cells demonstrated. Convection enhanced delivery (CED) can disperse nanoparticles through the rodent brain and their distribution is accurately visualized by MRI. Infusion of nanoparticles does not result in observable animal toxicity relative to control. CED of TMZ bearing nanoparticles prolongs the survival of animals with intracranial xenografts compared to control. In conclusion, the described nanoparticle vector represents a unique multifunctional platform that can be used for image-guided treatment of malignant glioma