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Holonomic quantum computing offers a promising paradigm for quantum computation due to its error resistance and the ability to perform universal quantum computations. Here, we propose a scheme for the rapid implementation of a holonomic swap gate in neutral atomic systems, based on the selective Rydberg pumping mechanism. By employing time-dependent soft control, we effectively mitigate the impact of off-resonant terms even at higher driving intensities compared to time-independent driving. This approach accelerates the synthesis of logic gates and passively reduces the decoherence effects. Furthermore, by introducing an additional atom and applying the appropriate driving field, our scheme can be directly extended to implement a three-qubit controlled-swap gate. This advancement makes it a valuable tool for quantum state preparation, quantum switches, and a variational quantum algorithm in neutral atom systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high-performance bismaleimide (BMI) resin blends containing the polyaryletherketone (PAEK) were prepared. The nanomechanical behaviors, viscoelasticity, and tribological properties of the bismaleimide resins were investigated by nanoindentation/scratch methods. It was established that the hardness (H) decreased, while the elastic modulus (E) increased, i.e., a reduction of plasticity index (H /E) values through the quasi-static nano-indentation testing. Meanwhile, the indentation response was mainly affected by the plastic deformation in response to a stress. The unmodified bismaleimide resins demonstrated better load-bearing capacity and indentation recovery ability, lower penetration depth than the other three specimens. Effects of angular frequency and average contact force on the viscoelastic properties were also investigated by the dynamic nanoindentation mode. The results revealed that variations of the loss tangent curves nearly were similar to each other, first increased then decreased gradually at contact force of 150 and 300 μN. Topography and profiles of the indentation and scratch surfaces were also discussed. Based on the results of the nanoscratching tests, when the PAEK content was 10 phr, the coefficient of friction during plowing was the lowest, exhibited the better scratch/wear resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fe(Te,Se) is a simple, iron-based compound that is conducive to the study of superconductivity mechanisms and has potential for large-scale applications. At present, Fe(Te,Se) thin films are primarily prepared using the pulsed laser deposition method. Herein, FeTe0.6Se0.4 films were grown by magnetron sputtering on CaF2 substrates. The effect of sputtering pressure on the superconductivity of the film was investigated. Excessive pressure caused a higher iron content, which affected the superconductivity and prevented it from completely reaching a zero-resistance state. ΔTc was smaller for the film grown under 0.2 Pa, and its upper critical field reached 144.35 T, which indicates its greater application potential. Our results illustrated that sputtering pressure was a critical process parameter, which provided an important reference for future research to fabricate commercial iron-based superconducting tapes by magnetron sputtering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the effects of Wenyang Zhenshuai granules (WZG) on the morphology of cardiomyocytes, cell viability, and the expression of key mitochondrial autophagy proteins in the doxorubicin-induced model of H9c2 cardiomyocyte injury. Cardiomyocytes were cultured for 44 h and divided into 4 groups: intact control, doxorubicin-injured cells (DOX), doxorubicin-injured cells treated with WZG (DOX+WZG), and doxorubicin-injured cells treated with valsartan (DOX+valsartan; reference group). The morphology of cardiomyocytes was analyzed under an inverted microscope; cardiomyocyte survival rate was determined by MTT assay. The expression of the key mitochondrial autophagy proteins (PINK1, parkin, LC3-II, and prohibitin-2) was analyzed by Western blotting. WZG down-regulated the expression of the key mitochondrial autophagy proteins in DOX-injured cells, which may be one of the important mechanisms for regulating ventricular remodeling and cardiomyocyte apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure evolution and dynamic precipitation behavior of Mg–10Gd–4Y–1Sm–0.5Zr alloy during backward hot extrusion are studied. The results show that the equiaxed grains become polygonal grains and fine DRX grains are generated which form a "necklace structure" along the initial deformed grain boundaries. With further increase of deformation, DRX grains volume fraction significantly increases and finally almost fully DRX extruded microstructure is obtained in the completely hot-extruded sample. The extrusion deformation results in increase of dislocation density and formation of dislocation cells. The subgrain boundaries continue to absorb dislocations and finally change from the low angle grain boundaries to the high angle grain boundaries. Hot extrusion deformation results in formation of dynamic precipitated phase, β phase particle, i.e., Mg5(Gd,Y) phase, with diameter of 45–145 nm, which is incoherent relationship with the matrix. In process of increasing deformation, the shape of β phase changes from spindle shape to disc shape and the distribution of β phase transforms from strip distribution along grain boundary to discrete distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previously treated TB patients still pose a serious threat to global control of TB, yet new re-treatment therapies were little studied. This study aimed to examine the therapeutic effects of new re-treatment regimens, and explore risk factors associated with recurrence after successful treatment. We conducted a cohort study in nine regions of China and enrolled previously treated TB patients from October, 2008 to December, 2010. Patients were randomly divided into four treatment regimen groups including standard, high-dose, long-course, and individualized treatment. After treatment, those with successful treatment outcomes were followed up to 7 years. The effects of different regimens and the information of recurrence were recorded. Risk factors to poor treatment outcomes were calculated using logistic regression model, while risk factors to recurrence or death were calculated using Cox model. Four hundred ninety-two participants were enrolled during the study time and 419 patients were included in our analysis of treatment effects. Overall, the treatment success rate is 75.9%, and the recurrence and death rate is 6.9% and 3.8%, respectively. Reduced risks of poor outcomes were observed in patients who were treated with high-dose and individualized regimen compared with standard regimen, and the adjusted ORs were 0.3 (0.1–0.6), 0.2 (0.1–0.5), respectively. In our analysis of factors associated with recurrence, all documented variables were not significant. Revised re-treatment regimen has better therapeutic effects compared to standard regimen, but it was not associated with lower risk of TB recurrence. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the role of other revised re-treatment regimens in recurrence risk. Trial registration: chictr.org Identifier: ChiCTR1800017441. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The waxy wheat shows special starch quality due to high amylopectin content. However, little information is available concerning the development and degradation of amyloplast from waxy wheat endosperm. To address this problem, waxy wheat variety, Yangnuo 1, and a non-waxy wheat variety, Yangmai 13, were chosen to investigate the development and degradation of endosperm amyloplast during wheat caryopsis development and germination stage respectively using histochemical staining and light microscopy. Changes of morphology, the soluble sugar and total starch content were indistinguishable in the process of caryopsis development of two wheat varieties. The developing endosperm of non-waxy was stained blue-black by I2-KI while the endosperm of waxy wheat was stained reddish-brown, but the pericarp of waxy and non-waxy wheat was stained blue-black. In contrast to nonwaxy wheat, endosperm amyloplast of waxy wheat had better development status and higher proportion of small amyloplast. During seed germination many small dissolution pores appeared on the surface of endosperm amyloplast and the pores became bigger and deeper until amyloplast disintegrated. The rate of degradation of waxy wheat endosperm amyloplast was faster than non-waxy wheat. Our results may also be helpful to the use of waxy starch in food and nonfood industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wet loading method was developed to produce nano-sized LiBH4 combined with nano- SiO2 templates. The multicomponent LiBH4/SiO2 material synthesized by the wet method has been found to dehydrogenate at much lower temperatures than the pure LiBH4, as well as LiBH4/SiO2 mixtures prepared by ball milling. For example, the onset of dehydrogenation was decreased to about 200 °C for a wet-treated LiBH4/SiO2 mixture with a mass ratio of 1:1, and the majority of the hydrogen could be released below 350°C. The improved dehydrogenation of the wet-treated LiBH4/SiO2 mixtures can be attributed to the destabilization of SiO2, resulting in the formation of lithium metasilicate (Li2SiO3) upon heating, and the confinement of LiBH4 to form nanoscale particles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nd:CaYAlO single crystal has been grown by the Czochralski technique. The cell parameters were analyzed with X-ray diffraction (XRD). The polarized absorption spectra, the polarized fluorescence spectra, and the fluorescence decay curve of the crystal were measured at room temperature. The spectroscopic parameters were determined by Judd-Ofelt theory and Fuchtbauer-Ladenburg formula. The effective intensity parameters Ω, Ω, and Ω were obtained to be 2.19, 8.16, and 8.57×10 cm, respectively. The calculated radiative probabilities, branching ratios, and radiative lifetime were also evaluated for the F excited state using the calculated intensity parameters. The results indicate Nd:CaYAlO has potential as a laser gain medium for ultrashort laser system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnO nanorods have been grown by two inexpensive, solution-based, low-temperature methods: hydrothermal growth and electrodeposition. Heterojunction n-ZnO nanorods/p-GaN light-emitting diodes have been studied for different nanorod growth methods and different preparation of the seed layer. We demonstrate that both the nanorod properties and the device performance are strongly dependent on the growth method and seed layer. All the devices exhibit light emission under both forward and reverse bias, and the emission spectra can be tuned by ZnO nanorod deposition conditions. Electrodeposition of rods or a seed layer results in yellow emission, while conventional hydrothermal growth results in violet emission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GaN nanowires typically exhibit high electron mobility and excellent chemical stability. However, stability of GaN is detrimental for successful attachment of dye molecules and its application in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). Here we demonstrate DSSCs based on GaN/gallium oxide and GaN/TiO x core–shell structures, and we show that coating of GaN nanowires with a TiO x shell significantly increases dye adsorption and consequently photovoltaic performance. The best cells exhibited short circuit current density of 1.83 mA/cm2 and power conversion efficiency of 0.44% under AM 1.5 simulated solar illumination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives:Evidences from randomized clinical trials and meta-analysis have claimed an association between the use of soluble dietary fiber from psyllium and a cholesterol-lowering effect. However, there is still uncertainty as to the dose–response relationship and its long-term lipid-lowering efficacy. This meta-analysis was primarily conducted to address the dose–response relationship between psyllium and serum cholesterol level and time-dependent effect of psyllium in mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemic subjects.Methods:Twenty-one studies, which enrolled a total of 1030 and 687 subjects receiving psyllium or placebo, respectively, were included in the meta-analysis. The studies were randomized placebo-controlled trials, double blinded or open label, on subjects with mild-to-moderate hypercholesterolemia. The dose of psyllium was between 3.0 and 20.4 g per day and intervention period was more than 2 weeks. Any type of diet background was permitted. Diet lead-in period was between 0 and 8 weeks.Results:Compared with placebo, consumption of psyllium lowered serum total cholesterol by 0.375 mmol/l (95% CI: 0.257–0.494 mmol/l), and LDL cholesterol by 0.278 mmol/l (95% CI: 0.213–0.312 mmol/l). With random-effect meta-regression, a significant dose–response relationship were found between doses (3–20.4 g/day) and total cholesterol or LDL cholesterol changes. Regression model of total cholesterol was −0.0222+0.2061 × log (dose+1), and that of LDL cholesterol was 0.0485+0.1390 × log (dose+1). There was a time effect of psyllium on total cholesterol (equation: 6.3640–0.0316 × treatment period) and on LDL cholesterol (equation: 4.3134–0.0162 × treatment period), suggesting that psyllium reduced serum total cholesterol more quickly than LDL cholesterol.Conclusions:Psyllium could produce dose- and time-dependent serum cholesterol-lowering effect in mild and moderate hypercholesterolemic patients and would be useful as an adjunct to dietary therapy for the treatment of hypercholesterolemia.European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2009) 63, 821–827; doi:10.1038/ejcn.2008.49; published online 5 November 2008 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An Er3+:Bi2(MoO4)3 single crystal has been grown by the Czochralski technique. The Stark sublevels of the 4I15/2 and 4I13/2 multiplets of Er3+ ions in the crystal were determined. The polarized absorption spectra, polarized fluorescence spectra, and fluorescence decay curve of the crystal were measured at room temperature and the relevant spectroscopic parameters, including the Judd–Ofelt intensity parameters, spontaneous emission probability, fluorescence branching ratio, radiative lifetime, and stimulated emission cross section, were estimated. The effect of re-absorption on the spectroscopic parameters was discussed. When the crystal was excited at 977 nm, up-conversion green fluorescence was observed and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-structural protein 2 (Nsp2) of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is the most variable region and postulated to play an important role in cell and tissue tropism of PRRSV. To investigate the role of Nsp2 in the viability and growth of PRRSV in cells in vitro, two cDNA clones were constructed containing a deletion of 63 consecutive nucleotides (pWSK-DCBAd63) or 117 nucleotides (pWSK-DCBAd117) within the Nsp2-encoding region of PRRSV (BJ-4). The clone pWSK-DCBAd63 was infectious and produced viable recombinant virus, whereas clone pWSK-DCBAd117 could not be rescued. The rescued virus was able to induce CPE typical of PRRSV on MARC-145 cells and was stably propagated during sequential in vitro cell passages, like the virus recovered from the full-length cDNA clone of PRRSV BJ-4. In comparison to the parental virus (BJ-4) and the virus recovered from the full-length cDNA clone of the BJ-4 strain, the rescued virus from pWSK-DCBAd63 exhibited enhanced growth kinetics, reaching the peak progeny virus titer by 48 h postinfection. These observations suggest that the Nsp2-encoding region is necessary for productive virus infection, and partial deletion does not influence the viability and propagation of PRRSV in cell culture, which may provide a way to insert a foreign gene into the viral genome as a marker for differentiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polarized spectral properties of Er3+:NaGd(WO4)2 single crystal are reported. The crystal was grown by the Czochralski method. The Judd–Ofelt theory was applied to analyze the polarized absorption spectra and then calculate the spontaneous emission probabilities, radiative lifetimes, and branching ratios. Fluorescence decay curves of the 4 I 13/2, 4 I 11/2, and 4 S 3/2 multiplets for the Er3+ ions were measured. Stimulated emission cross-sections of the 4 I 13/2→4 I 15/2 transition obtained by the Fuchtbauer–Ladenberg formula and the reciprocity method were compared. Multi-phonon relaxation rates of the crystal were estimated. Green up-conversion fluorescence around 531 and 552 nm was observed, and the possible up-conversion mechanisms were proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A plasmid, pGB112, has recently been developed to transfer DNA from Escherichia coli to Streptomyces spp via conjugation. This technique made use of (A) E. coli replicon, (B) ampicillin ( amp) resistance gene for selection in E. coli and thiostrepton ( tsr) resistance gene for selection in Streptomyces, (C) a fragment of SCP2* replicon, (D) a 2.6 kb fragment of tra-cassette which consists of pIJ101 transfer gene ( tra) and two ermE promoters, (E) a 0.8 kb fragment of oriT of (IncP) RK2. The results showed that this plasmid was able to transfer plasmid DNA from E. coli to Streptomyces coelicolor via conjugation, and that it could also transfer DNA between Streptomyces strains. Since this plasmid has both pBR322 and SCP2* replicons, it may provide a novel and useful method for genetic operation in E. coli and Streptomyces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thin films of relaxor ferroelectric Pb(Mg,Nb)O3-PbTiO3 with different orientations were grown by pulsed-laser deposition on Si(100). By using (111)-, (110)- and (100)-oriented MgO thin film as buffer and the LaNiO3 thin film as a bottom electrode, (110)- and (100)- oriented or preferred and polycrystalline PMN-PT thin films were obtained. The (110)-oriented PMN-PT thin film showed dielectric permittivity of about 1350 and loss factor cosδ of <0.07. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GINKGO BILOBA:, a famous living fossil, is the sole survivor of the genus Ginkgo. To make inferences about the glacial refugia that harbored G. biloba, we examined the genetic structure of eight potential refugial populations and plantations using chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) with eight size variants in the trnK1-trnK2 fragment. The data consist of haplotypes from 158 trees collected from eight localities. The majority of the cpDNA haplotypes are restricted to minor portions of the geographical range. Our results suggest that refugia of G. biloba were located in southwestern China. This area is a current biodiversity hotspot of global importance, and may have been protected from the extremes of climatic fluctuations during the Pleistocene. The Ginkgos on West Tianmu Mountain, which were previously considered to be wild by many researchers, may, instead, have been introduced by Buddhist monks.Heredity (2005) 94, 396-401. doi:10.1038/sj.hdy.6800616 Published online 10 November 2004 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study on the low-lying excitations and thermodynamic properties of a ferrimagnetic Heisenberg two-leg ladder with the aid of the Schwinger-boson mean-field method. Schwinger-boson mean field theory; Numerical results gained in some experiments conducted in the study; Conclusions.

Operant conditioning of the H-reflex produces plasticity at several sites in the spinal cord, including the motoneuron. This study assessed whether this spinal cord plasticity is accompanied by changes in motor unit contractile properties. Thirty-one adult male Sprague-Dawley rats implanted for chronic recording of triceps surae electromyographic activity and H-reflex elicitation were exposed for at least 40 days to HRup or HRdown training, in which reward occurred when the H-reflex was greater than (12 HRup rats) or less than (12 HRdown rats) a criterion value, or continued under the control mode in which the H-reflex was simply measured (7 HRcon rats). At the end of H-reflex data collection, rats were anesthetized and the contractile properties of 797 single triceps surae motor units activated by intra-axonal (or intramyelin) current injection were determined. Motor units were classified as S, FR, Fint, or FF on the basis of sag and fatigue properties. Maximum tetanic force and twitch contraction time were also measured. HRdown rats exhibited a significant increase in the fatigue index of fast-twitch motor units. This resulted in a significant decrease in the percentage of Fint motor units and a significant increase in that of FR motor units. HRup conditioning had no effect on fatigue index. Neither HRup nor HRdown conditioning affected maximum tetanic force or twitch contraction time. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that conditioning mode-specific change in motoneuron firing patterns causes activity-dependent change in muscle properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ferroelectric and dielectric properties of ferroelectromagnet Pb(Fe1/2Nb1/2)O3 (PFN) ceramics and thin films prepared by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) have been investigated systematically. PFN ceramics experienced a para-ferroelectric transition and a para-antiferromagnetic transition at 380 K and 145 K, respectively. At room temperature, it has an electrical remnant polarization of 11.5 μC/cm2 and a coercive field of 4.04 kV/cm. The dielectric behaviors show characteristics of diffusive phase transition at a wide temperature range around 380 K. Anomalies in the dielectric constant and loss tangent have been observed near the Neel temperature of 145 K, indicating a coupling between the ferroelectric and antiferromagnetic orders in PFN ceramics. At room temperature, the PFN films exhibited a remnant electric polarization of 7.4 μC/cm2, a coercive field of 10.5 kV/cm, and a dielectric constant of 486 at frequency of 10 kHz, indicating their potential applications in memory devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of electrospray ionization (ESI) ion trap mass spectrometry in the characterization of O-glucuronide conjugates of some drugs in urine is described. The conjugated metabolites formed in rabbit and human were separated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and characterized by multi-stage mass spectrometry (MSn) experiments in negative ion mode. The ESI mass spectra showed a deprotonated molecule [M–H]–, which was chosen as precursor ion. Collision-induced dissociation (CID) of [M–H]– in MSn experiments resulted in the appearance of glucuronate ‘fingerprint’ ions at m/z 175 and 113 as well as prominent aglycone ions which were the same as those produced from authentic specimens. This information can be used to identify this type of compound directly without the need for derivatization or hydrolysis of enzymes, providing a rapid and specific method for guiding the isolation and characterization of similar compounds in complex matrices with LC/MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnetocrystalline anisotropy and the spin reorientation of Sm1−xDyxFe10.5Mo1.5 were investigated in detail. At room temperature, all Sm1−xDyxFe10.5Mo1.5 alloys possess easy c-axis anisotropy and the magnetocrystalline anisotropy field decreases with increasing Dy concentration. However, at low temperature, a spin reorientation transition of axis-to-cone type was observed in the Sm1−xDyxFe10.5Mo1.5 alloys with x ≥ 0.8. The spin reorientation temperatures increase with increasing Dy concentration in the Sm1−xDyxFe10.5Mo1.5 alloys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the development of a Rhodobacter sphaeroides RC H (puhA) gene deletion/plasmid complementation system for expression of site directed mutants of the RC H protein. The mutant strain ΔPUHA was constructed by introduction of a translationally in-frame deleted puhA allele at the chromosomal puhA gene site, and evaluated in plasmid complementation experiments. Strain ΔPUHA was not capable of photosynthetic growth, and SDS-PAGE chromatophore proteins confirmed the absence of the RC H protein band. When ΔPUHA was complemented with the wild type puhA gene in plasmids, photosynthetic growth and the RC H protein band in SDS-PAGE were restored. The results of comparisons of the properties of strains with different types of chromosomal puhA gene disruptions in complementation experiments with plasmid-borne DNA fragments containing the wild type puhA gene are consistent with the idea that expression of one or more genes located 3′ of puhA is required for optimal RC levels and photosynthetic growth. Since the ΔPUHA translationally in frame deletion does not seem to interfere with transcription through and beyond the residual puhA sequences, this strain allows facile evaluation of the consequences of plasmid-borne RC H mutations in an otherwise wild type genetic background. Two plasmid-borne site directed mutants of the puhA gene (GluH173 → Gln and GluH173 → Asp) exhibited different deficiencies in photosynthetic growth when present in ΔPUHA, indicating that a carboxylic acid amino acid side chain at the H173 position is important for RC function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The highly 〈012〉-oriented LaNiO3 thin films were fabricated on SiO2coated Si(111) wafers by pulsed laser deposition at 690°C with a well prepared target. The stability of the interface and the smoothness of the surface were confirmed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The electrical resistivity of the films at 300 K is 2.6 × 10−5Ωm. The results of this work suggest that the films can be applied to the bottom electrode of ferroelectric memory devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The photoresponse characteristics of separate absorption and multiplication (SAM) AlGaN solar-blind avalanche photodiodes (APDs) were investigated in detail. The p-i-n-i-n avalanche photodiodes were examined using the newly designed model of avalanche photodiodes in AlGaN. The research results showed that the dark current density was about 3.51 × 10−8 A/cm2, the light current density was 5.86 × 10−5 A/cm2 under near-zero bias, and the avalanche breakdown occurred at about 135.0 V under reverse bias, which were all consistent with the experimental data. To investigate the effects influencing the photoresponse characteristics of the APDs, their photo responsivity spectra under different biases were simulated. The APD featured a window region over the wavelength range from 260 to 280 nm with a high rejection ratio on the short-wavelength side. Meanwhile, the dependence of APD responsivity on the polarization charge revealed that the negative polarization charges strongly affected the responsivity. Increased negative polarization charges at the Al0.4Ga0.6N/Al0.6Ga0.4N interface markedly lowered the responsivity, whereas charges of the same polarity at the GaN/Al0.4Ga0.6N interface enhanced the responsivity. Furthermore, the dependence of responsivity on p-type doping was analyzed by comparison with the effects of negative polarization charges on the conduction band of the APDs. Finally, the inversion layer models are used to interpret the effects of these on the APD responsivity. This research is useful for exploring polarization and p-type doping effects in SAM AlGaN structures and realization of high responsivity solar-blind APDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a correction to the article "Development of a Multifunctional and Efficient Conjugal Plasmid for Use in Streptomyces spp.," by H. B. Mo, X. Y. Chen et al, published in a 2006 issue of the journal "Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology."