Asymmetric universal entangling machine

We give a definition of asymmetric universal entangling machine which entangles a system in an unknown state to a specially prepared ancilla. The machine produces a fixed state-independent amount of entanglement in exchange to a fixed degradation of the system state fidelity. We describe explicitly such a machine for any quantum system having $d$ levels and prove its optimality. We show that a $d^2$-dimensional ancilla is sufficient for reaching optimality. The introduced machine is a generalization to a number of widely investigated universal quantum devices such as the symmetric and asymmetric quantum cloners, the symmetric quantum entangler, the quantum information distributor and the universal-NOT gate.Comment: 28 pages, 3 figure

Assessment of Groundwater Quality in Central India

Abstract The groundwater is widely used for irrigation of rice crops. The overuse of groundwater causes depletion of the water quality (i.e. enormous increase in conductivity, hardness and ion and metal contents, etc.) in several regions of the country and world. In this work, the quality of the groundwater in the densestrice cropping area, Saraipali, Chhattisgarh, Central India is discussed. The water is sodic in nature with extremely high electrical conductivity. The mean concentration (n = 15, 56 ± 9, 19 ± 4, 206 ± 25, 9.2 ± 2.3, 39 ± 6, 114 ± 19 and 1.7 ± 0.6 mg/L, respectively. The sources of the contaminants are apportioned by using the factor analysis model. The suitability of the groundwater for the drinking and irrigation purposes is assessed

Cytokines and HIV associated neurological manifestations: a systematic review

Background. Cytokines are key players in the immune system’s reaction to HIV and play a crucial role in HIV pathogenesis. Dysregulation of cytokines can contribute to the disease’s pathogenesis and associated complications, making a comprehensive understanding of their roles crucial for developing efficacious therapeutic interventions against HIV/AIDS. Therefore, the aim of this systematic review is to examine the role of cytokines in HIV associated neurological manifestations and related complications. Materials and methods. Databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase were explored for original English literature until September 10, 2022. Eligible articles for data extraction were screened and selected in two steps using some inclusion/ exclusion criteria. This study conforms to the PRISMA checklist and Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Results. This review included a total of 15 studies. It was identified that cytokines were associated with sleep problems and numerous neurological manifestations. The most common neurological conditions include dementia, seizure, meningitis, cerebral toxoplasmosis, microcephalus, encephalitis, and gliosis. Commonly used cytokines detection methods included PCR, ELISA, Luminex xMAP multiplex platform, and PUREGene DNA Isolation System. Cytokine samples were mostly taken from blood and tissue. Conclusion. There is an interconnecting pathway of cytokines, neurological function (mainly dementia), and sleep habits in people living with HIV. Despite this, the mechanism of cytokines influencing sleep problems and neuropathological disorders remains unclear. Further research is warranted to determine the potential mechanisms and impact of cytokines associations in HIV progression

Neuronal anomalies and normal muscle morphology at the hypomotile ileocecocolonic region of patients affected by idiopathic chronic constipation

Patients suffering from idiopathic slowtransit chronic constipation have a delayed colonic transit referable to a decrease or loss of propagating contractions. Myogenic andlor neural mechanisms have been implicated in the pathophysiology of this dysfunction and neuronal abnormalities have been described at the ascending, descending and sigmoid colon. The morphology and motile behaviour of the ileocecocolonic region, which in healthy subjects regulates cecum filling and emptying, have never been investigated in such disease. Therefore, we endoscopically ascertained whether a motility impairment was present at these junctional areas and neither spontaneous nor provoked occlusive contractions were found at the cecocolonic junction. Light and electron microscope examination of the entire colon revealed apparently normal features of neurons, smooth muscle cells and interstitial cells of Cajal, while immunohistochemistry and quantitative analysis demonstrated neuronal anomalies at the junctional areas. These anomalies consisted of low total neuron density and significantly few VIP-immunoreactive neurons at the two enteric plexuses, significantly few NOS-immunoreactive neurons at t h e myenteric plexus and significantly more NOS-immunoreactive neurons at the submucous plexus. These findings exclude a myopathy and demonstrate the existence of a neuropathy. In particular, the presence at the ileocecocolonic region of few VIP- and NO-producing neurons suggests that there might be a reduced VIP and NO production which may result in a compromised relaxation andlor onset of propagating contractions, slowing down bolus transit. The presence at the proximal colon of such an abnormality might explain why left colectomy andlor cecorectal anastomosis are unsuccessful in patients with this disease

The cytoskeleton of the myenteric neurons during murine embryonic life

The organization of the cytoskeleton has been studied during mouse differentiation in cells of the myenteric neuronal lineage. The entire gut was examined starting from day 12.5 of embryonic life (E12.5) until birth (P0). Immunocytochemistry was performed to evaluate the expression of five of the most represented neurofilaments proteins (the low, NF-L, medium, NF-M, and heavy, NF-H, molecular weight subunits, alpha-internexin and peripherin) and of two of the microtubule-associated proteins (MAPI and MAP2a+2b). In parallel, the appearance in the differentiating myenteric neurons of filamentous and microtubular structures and their intracytoplasmatic distribution were observed under the electron microscope. A differential immunohistochemical expression of the structural proteins was found. Immature cells expressed alpha-internexin, peripherin, NF-M and MAP1 by day E12.5; alpha-internexin expression was strong in these cells, but gradually decreased with age and was practically absent in adulthood. Conversely, the expression of the other three proteins increased with cell differentiation and was still present in adulthood. NF-L and NF-H expression appeared later, by day E16.5, and was weak for the entire pre- and postnatal life. MAP2a+2b was never expressed. Under the electron microscope, at day E12.5 the cytoskeleton was already organized in filamentous and microtubular structures. At this age neurofilaments were few and mainly located in the cell processes, and microtubules were numerous and mainly assembled in the neuritic growth cones, together with synaptic vesicles. With ageing, neurofilaments and microtubules were ubiquitous in the neuron. Data obtained demonstrate that cytoskeletal proteins gradually accumulate in the cells of the neuronal lineage in parallel with the organization of the cytoskeletal structures, which in turn mediate important neural events by the earliest stages of murine embryonic life, including growth of nerve processes and initiation of axonal transport