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Background It is now understood that stress hyperglycemia is associated with adverse outcomes in hospitalized patients. Herein, we aimed to investigate the association between stress hyperglycemia and mortality risk in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods This cohort study comprised 5190 ACS patients who underwent PCI from the Cardiovascular Center Beijing Friendship Hospital Database Bank (CBDBANK) from January 2013 to January 2021. Stress hyperglycemia was defined by the glucose/glycated albumin (GA) ratio, calculated as admission fasting plasma glucose divided by GA. The patients were divided into four groups according to glucose/GA ratio quartiles (Q1-Q4). Cox proportional hazards regression and restricted cubic spline were used to evaluate the association between glucose/GA ratio and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Results During a median follow-up of 4.0 years, the number of all-cause deaths was 313 (6.0%) and cardiovascular-associated deaths was 177 (3.4%). After adjustment for potential confounders, the risk of all-cause mortality increased in the lowest (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.01–2.03) and highest (HR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.03–2.21) glucose/GA ratio quartiles compared to Q2. The restricted cubic splines showed that the association between glucose/GA ratio and all-cause mortality was U-shaped after full adjustment (Pnonlinear = 0.008). Similar results were observed for cardiovascular mortality. In subgroup analyses according to diabetes status, the U-shaped relationship was only significant in patients with diabetes mellitus. Conclusion In ACS patients undergoing PCI, low and high glucose/GA ratio values were associated with an increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, especially in those with diabetes mellitus.

Malignant brain tumors consist of malignancies originated primarily within the brain and the metastatic lesions disseminated from other organs. In spite of intensive studies, malignant brain tumors remain to be a medical challenge. Patient-derived organoid (PDO) can recapitulate the biological features of the primary tumor it was derived from and has emerged as a promising drug-screening model for precision therapy. Here we show a proof-of-concept based on early clinical study entailing the organoids derived from the surgically resected tumors of 26 patients with advanced malignant brain tumors enrolled during December 2020 to October 2021. The tumors included nine glioma patients, one malignant meningioma, one primary lymphoma patient, and 15 brain metastases. The primary tumor sites of the metastases included five from the lungs, three from the breasts, two from the ovaries, two from the colon, one from the testis, one of melanoma origin, and one of chondrosarcoma. Out of the 26 tissues, 13 (50%) organoids were successfully generated with a culture time of about 2 weeks. Among these patients, three were further pursued to have the organoids derived from their tumor tissues tested for the sensitivity to different therapeutic drugs in parallel to their clinical care. Our results showed that the therapeutic effects observed by the organoid models were consistent to the responses of these patients to their treatments. Our study suggests that PDO can recapitulate patient responses in the clinic with high potential of implementation in personalized medicine of malignant brain tumors.

Background The principal objective of this project was to investigate the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) gene mutation characteristics of lung cancer patients, which can provide a molecular basis for explaining the clinicopathological features, epidemiology and use of targeted therapy in lung cancer patients in the coal-producing areas of East Yunnan. Methodology We collected 864 pathologically confirmed lung cancer patients’ specimens in First People’s Hospital of Qujing City of Yunnan Province from September 2016 to September 2021. We thereafter employed Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technology to detect all exons present in the EGFR gene. Results The overall mutation frequency of the EGFR gene was 47.22%. The frequency of EGFR gene mutations in the tissue, plasma, and cytology samples were found to be 53.40%, 23.33%, and 62.50%, respectively. Univariate analysis indicated that the coal-producing areas and Fuyuan county origin were significantly associated with relatively low EGFR gene mutation frequency. Female, non-smoking history, adenocarcinoma, non-brain metastasis, and tissue specimens were found to be related to high EGFR gene mutation frequency. Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested the lung cancer patients in the central area of Qujing City, stage Ia, non-coal-producing areas, non-Fuyuan origin, and non-Xuanwei origin were more likely to develop EGFR gene mutations. The most common mutations were L858R point mutation (33.09%) and exon 19 deletion (19-del) (21.32%). Interestingly, the mutation frequency of G719X (p = 0.001) and G719X + S768I (p = 0.000) in the coal-producing areas were noted to be more significant than those in non-coal-producing regions. Conclusion This findings of this study might be important in establishing the correlation between routine using NGS for EGFR gene mutation diagnosis and clinical practice in the lung cancer patients.

Background The SYNTAX score affects clinical outcomes in early studies. However, the prognostic value of the SYNTAX Score for long-term outcomes and differences by SYNTAX score risk stratification in long-term prognosis between medical therapy and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP) are not well known in the era of new generation drug-eluting stents and medication. Methods In this single-centre retrospective study, a total of 2364 patients with UAP from January 2014 to June 2017 at Beijing Friendship Hospital were enrolled. The primary endpoint was a composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), including all-cause death, cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction and stroke at least 2 years after discharge. Results In this study, 1695 patients had low SYNTAX scores ($$\leqq 22$$ ≦ 22 ), 432 patients had medium SYNTAX scores (23–32), 237 patients had high SYNTAX scores (≥ 33), 1018 received medical therapy, and 1346 patients underwent PCI. Long-term MACEs occurred in 95 patients during the 3.38 ± 0.99-year follow-up. Compared to the medical therapy group, the PCI group showed lower MACEs and cardiac death in patients with high SYNTAX scores (7.4% vs. 16.7%, P = 0.048; 3.7% vs. 14.6%, P = 0.004) but no reduction in patients with low and medium SYNTAX scores. Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that advanced age, diabetes mellitus, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), hs-CRP and high SYNTAX score were independent predictors for MACEs in the medical therapy group (P Conclusions Compared to medical therapy, PCI could only significantly reduce long-term MACEs and cardiac death for patients with high SYNTAX scores but not for patients with low and medium SYNTAX scores. A high SYNTAX score could predict long-term MACEs for UAP patients in the medical therapy group but not in the PCI group.

Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides a promising solution for sharing information-theoretic secret keys between two remote legitimate parties. To improve the maximal transmission distance and the maximal error rate tolerance, we apply the advantage distillation technology to analyze the security of practical decoy-state QKD systems. Based on the practical experimental parameters, the device-dependent QKD protocols and the measurement-device-independent QKD protocols have been respectively analyzed, and our analysis results demonstrate that the advantage distillation technology can significantly improve the performance of various QKD protocols. In the four-state and six-state device-dependent QKD protocols, we prove that the maximal transmission distance can be improved from 142 km to 180 km and from 146 km to 187 km respectively. In the four-state and six-state measurement-device-independent QKD protocols, we prove that the maximal transmission distance can be improved from 195 km to 273 km and from 200 km to 282 km respectively.

A controlled method to prepare glutathione-protected bimetallic gold-platinum nanoclusters (Au-PtNCs) has been established. The Au-PtNCs show either strong red (625 nm) or near-infrared (NIR, 805 nm) emission. Further characterizations indicated that the average particle size grows from 1.42 to 1.78 nm, the larger particles being responsible for the redshift of emission. The NIR emitted Au-PtNCs are applied as a novel ratiometric probe of Ag(I), which induces a new emission peak at ~635 nm and quenches the initial emission gradually. The determination shows very high selectivity toward Ag(I) among other metal ions. A limit of determination (10 nM) and the linear range (0.10 to 15 μM) are achieved, which is much lower than the EPA mandate of 0.46 μM for Ag(I) in drinking water. The response mechanism is attributed to the fact that the added Ag(I) has been reduced by the core of Au-PtNCs and deposited on the surface, which induces new fluorescence emission around 635 nm. In addition, the ratiometric method is feasible for Ag(I) determination in serum serum with good recovery (between 98.3% and 102.0%, n = 3), showing very high application potential. The present study provides a controlled method to prepare Au-PtNCs with strong red and NIR emission and supplies a novel NIR ratiometric probe of Ag(I). Schematic presentation of the controlled preparation of glutathione-protected bimetallic gold-platinum nanoclusters (Au-PtNCs) with either red or near-infrared (NIR) emission, and application in ratiometric detection of Ag(I) with high selectivity and sensitivity.

The precise mechanisms underlying neuronal injury in Parkinson's disease (PD) are not yet fully elucidated; however, evidence from the in vitro and in vivo PD models suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction may play a major role in PD pathogenesis. Alpha lipoamide, a neutral amide derivative of the lipoic acid, is a better cofactor for mitochondrial dehydrogenase with a stronger protective effect on mitochondria than lipoic acid. Identification of these protective effects of alpha lipoamide on mitochondria, together with the evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a critical role in PD, we speculate that alpha lipoamide may exert a protective effect in PD by regulating the mitochondrial function. The present study investigated the neuroprotective effects of alpha lipoamide in an animal model of PD induced by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). The results demonstrated that alpha lipoamide could significantly antagonize the 6-OHDA-induced behavioral damages; restore ATP levels in the midbrain; and also improve the fragmentation, vacuolization, and morphology of the mitochondria. The results of Western blot indicated that alpha lipoamide significantly restored the number of dopaminergic neurons in midbrain and substantially recovered the balance between mitochondrial fission, fusion, and transport. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that alpha lipoamide might exert a significant neuroprotective effect in the animal model of PD by regulation of the dynamic properties of mitochondria.

Saikosaponin D (SSD), a major bioactive component isolated from Radix Bupleuri, has been reported to exert neuroprotective properties. The present study was designed to investigate the anti-depressant-like effects and the potential mechanisms of SSD. Behavioural tests including sucrose preference test (SPT), open field test (OFT) and forced swim test (FST) were performed to study the antidepressant-like effects of SSD. In addition, we examined corticosterone and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) levels to evaluate hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function. Furthermore, hippocampal neurogenesis was assessed by testing doublecortin (DCX) levels, and neurotrophic molecule levels were also investigated in the hippocampus of rats. We found that unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) rats displayed lost body weight, decreased sucrose consumption in SPT, reduced locomotive activity in OFT, and increased immobility time in FST. Chronic treatment with SSD (0.75, 1.50 mg/kg) remarkably ameliorated the behavioral deficiency induced by UCMS procedure. SSD administration downregulated elevated serum corticosterone levels, as well as alleviated the suppression of GR expression and nuclear translocation caused by UCMS, suggesting that SSD is able to remit the dysfunction of HPA axis. In addition, Western blot and immunohistochemistry analysis showed that SSD treatment significantly increased the generation of neurons in the hippocampus of UCMS rats indicated by elevated DCX levels. Moreover, hippocampal neurotrophic molecule levels of UCMS rats such as phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (p-CREB) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were raised after SSD treatment. Together, Our results suggest that SSD opposed UCMS-induced depressive behaviors in rats, which was mediated, partially, by the enhancement of HPA axis function and consolidation of hippocampal neurogenesis.

The melt-spun SmFe12Bx (x = 0, 0.50, 0.75, 1.00, 1.25 and 1.50) ribbons were prepared at 40 m·s−1, and their structure and magnetic properties were studied by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). XRD results indicate that SmFe12Bx alloys with 0.50 ≤ x ≤ 1.00 are composed of single-phase TbCu7-type structure. Moreover, it is found that the boron addition can inhibit the emergence of soft magnetic phase α-Fe and result in the increase in the axial ratio c/a. After annealing at 650 °C for 0.5 h, the metastable phase TbCu7 initially decomposes into the stable phase Sm2Fe14B (Nd2Fe14B-type) and α-Fe. The value of magnetic moment per Fe atom increases slightly from 1.75μB for boron-free sample to 1.80μB for the x = 0.75 sample and then decreases again. In addition, the best magnetic properties of maximum energy product [(BH)max] of 14.56 kJ·m−3, coercivity (Hcj) of 172.6 kA·m−1 and remanence (Br) of 0.45T are obtained for the SmFe12B1.00 alloy. Based on transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results, the average size of grains is around 197 nm for B-free sample and decreases to 95 nm for x = 1.00 sample, indicating that the addition of boron can refine grains.

The structural distortion problem of large thin-walled aerospace components has roused much concern on more agile, digitized and cost-efficient precision manufacturing techniques, in particular, designing suitable machining plans according to the real shape of workpieces. To improve the machining accuracy of large thin-walled aerospace components, a methodology of three-dimensional machining allowance modeling and analysis is proposed in this paper. Firstly, the fundamental principles of 3D models matching and alignment between the casting blank and the design part are presented. And by datum transformation from virtual design references to real-world references on casting blanks which are accessible more easily, measuring, positioning and machining the casting blank will be more convenient to realize. Furthermore, the technical character of a large thin-walled aerospace component is considered and a technical framework for 3D machining allowance analysis is given. Finally, the proposed methodology is validated by an experimental study using a typical large thin-walled aerospace component of a hypersonic vehicle. Improvements in accuracy and efficiency performance are realized in comparison with traditional methods.

A new rhodamine B-based “reactive” optical sensor (1) for Hg2+ was synthesized. Sensor 1 shows a unique colorimetric and fluorescent “turn-on” selectivity to Hg2+ over 14 other metal ions with a hypersensitivity (detection limits are 27.6 nM (5.5 ppb) and 6.9 nM (1.4 ppb), respectively) in neutral buffer solution. To test its applicability in the environment, sensor 1 was applied to quantify and visualize low levels of Hg2+ in tap water and river water samples. The results indicate sensor 1 is a highly sensitive fluorescent sensor for Hg2+ with a detection limit of 1.7 ppb in tap water and river water. Moreover, sensor 1 is a convenient visualizing sensor for low levels of Hg2+ (0.1 ppm) in water environment (from colorless to light pink). In addition, sensor 1 shows good potential as a fluorescent visualizing sensor for Hg2+ in fetal bovine serum and living 293T cells. The results indicate that sensor 1 shows good potential as a highly sensitive sensor for the detection of Hg2+ in environmental and biological samples.

Melt-spun Y16Fe78B6 ribbons were prepared by the melt-spinning technique with pure elements Y, Fe and Fe–B alloy in argon. The ribbons are mainly composed of Y2Fe14B, YFe2 and α-Fe phases. Amorphous phase appears at the wheel velocity of >35 m·s−1. For the ribbons prepared at optimum wheel velocity and heat treatments, the coercivity, remanence and maximum energy product are 239.5 kA·m−1, 0.61 T and 32.7 kJ·m−3, respectively. By an investigation of Henkel plots of ribbons, it is found that intergrain exchange coupling leads to the enhancement of remanence. The coercivity mechanism of ribbons prepared at 35 m·s−1 is mainly controlled by inhomogeneous pinning of domain walls. The phase component and magnetic properties change with annealing temperature and time. The optimum magnetic properties are obtained with the ribbon quenched at 35 m·s−1 and annealed at 700 °C for 10 min.

Unconditional security of the quantum key distribution protocol has been proved, but the practical quantum key distribution system may be attacked by utilizing imperfect state preparation and measurement devices. To improve security of the practical quantum key distribution system, we propose the weak measurement model to monitor the intercept-resend eavesdropping strategy in the quantum channel, where the detector-blinding attack and the wavelength attack can be observed through the quantum bit error rate value in the weak measurement model.

In order to control the quality of spline shaft in rolling process, an efficient measurement method for rolling performance evaluation is essential. Here, a newly developed on-machine non-contact measurement prototype based on laser displacement sensor and rotary encoder is proposed. The prototype is intended for the automated evaluation of the spline shaft rolling performance by measuring the dimensional change of tooth root, which is correlated with the surface residual stress and micro-hardness. Laser displacement sensor and rotary encoder are used to record the polar radius and polar angle of each point on measuring section. Data are displayed in a polar coordinate system and fitted in a gear. Through multipoint curvature method, the roots of spline shaft are recognized automatically. Then, the dimensional change can be calculated by fitting the radius of the tooth root circle before and after rolling. Systematic error covering offset error is also analyzed and calibrated. At last, measurement test results show that the system has advantages of simple structure, high measurement precision (radius error

The main threats for the well-known Bennett–Brassard 1984 (BB84) practical quantum key distribution (QKD) systems are that its encoding is inaccurate and measurement device may be vulnerable to particular attacks. Thus, a general physical model or security proof to tackle these loopholes simultaneously and quantitatively is highly desired. Here we give a framework on the security of BB84 when imperfect qubit encoding and vulnerability of measurement device are both considered. In our analysis, the potential attacks to measurement device are generalized by the recently proposed weak randomness model which assumes the input random numbers are partially biased depending on a hidden variable planted by an eavesdropper. And the inevitable encoding inaccuracy is also introduced here. From a fundamental view, our work reveals the potential information leakage due to encoding inaccuracy and weak randomness input. For applications, our result can be viewed as a useful tool to quantitatively evaluate the security of a practical QKD system.

In existing quantum key distribution protocols, two legitimate peers, Alice and Bob, must monitor the signal disturbance to place a bound on the potential information leakage. However, in the round-robin differential phase shift (RRDPS) protocol, monitoring of the signal disturbance is unnecessary. Here, we present the first active implementation of the RRDPS protocol. In our experiment, Alice prepares packets of pulses, where each packet is a train with 65 pulses and the global phase of each packet is randomized. Bob uses a novel actively controlled variable-delay interferometer to realize the random switching of different delays. Benefiting from the large pulse number of each packet, and the high stability and low insertion loss of the interferometer, the system can distribute a secret key over a distance of 90 km. Our experimental demonstration and results confirm the feasibility of the RRDPS protocol, particularly in high-error situations. A round-robin differential phase shift protocol, in which monitoring of the signal disturbance is unnecessary, has been experimentally realized. With 65 pulses in each packet, the system can distribute a secret key over a distance of 90 km.

A systematical investigation was carried out on structure and magnetic properties in SmFe9−x V x (x = 0.4, 0.8, 1.2) compounds prepared by a single-roller quenching method. The high cool-down rate leads to metastable TbCu7 phase in the parent compound, which gradually transforms into equilibrium ThMn12 structure with V-doping content increasing. The Curie temperature increases from 470 to 590 K with V doping, which is consistent with the phase transformation. Surprisingly, simultaneous increase in both coercivity and remanence is resulted by V doping, reaching the highest value of 685 kA·m−1 and 44.8 × 10−3 A·m2·g−1 in x = 1.2 compound, respectively. This phenomenon can be explained by the combination of phase transformation and intergranular exchange coupling through δM-H plots.

Aging is associated with a progressive decline in muscle strength, muscle mass and impaired physical function, which reduces mobility and impairs quality of life in the elderly population. The 6–12 months of exercise can enhance the muscle strength, but these improvements can only be maintained for a short period. In this study, we investigated the effects of long-term Tai Chi (TC) exercise on muscle strength of lower extremities. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 205 long-term TC practitioners (age: 60–89 years) and 205 age and gentle matched controls who did not practice TC. Each of the activity group was further divided into three distinct age groups: G1, 60–69 years; G2, 70–79 years; and G3, 80–89 years. Hand-held dynamometery was used to measure the maximum isometric strength of iliopsoas, quadriceps femoris, tibialis anterior and hamstrings in both sides of the participants. Unpaired t tests were performed to compare the difference of strength between the TC and non-Tai Chi (NTC) groups. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used to compare the lower muscle strengths among the different age groups in the TC and NTC groups. Pearson’s correlations were used to quantify the linear relationship between the months of TC practice and lower limbs muscle strength. The inter-rater reliabilities of iliopsoas, quadriceps femoris, tibialis anterior and hamstrings were intraclass correlation coeffificient (ICC) (1,1) = 0.895 (0.862–0.920), ICC (2,2) = 0.905 (0.874–0.928), ICC (3,3) = 0.922 (0.898–0.941) and ICC (4,4) = 0.930 (0.908–0.947). The strength of the muscles in the TC group did not differ among different age groups (P>0.05). The strength of iliopsoas, quadriceps femoris, tibialis anterior and hamstrings in TC group was higher than that in the NTC group (P

We investigate the influences of variables on a Boolean function $f$ based on the quantum Bernstein-Vazirani algorithm. A previous paper (Floess et al. in Math. Struct. in Comp. Science 23: 386, 2013) has proved that if a $n$-variable Boolean function $f(x_1,\ldots,x_n)$ does not depend on an input variable $x_i$, using the Bernstein-Vazirani circuit to $f$ will always obtain an output $y$ that has a $0$ in the $i$th position. We generalize this result and show that after one time running the algorithm, the probability of getting a 1 in each position $i$ is equal to the dependence degree of $f$ on the variable $x_i$, i.e. the influence of $x_i$ on $f$. On this foundation, we give an approximation algorithm to evaluate the influence of any variable on a Boolean function. Next, as an application, we use it to study the Boolean functions with juntas, and construct probabilistic quantum algorithms to learn certain Boolean functions. Compared with the deterministic algorithms given by Floess et al., our probabilistic algorithms are faster., 13 pages

The surface of Tb0.3Dy0.7Fe2 alloys was modified by microwave electron-cyclotron-resonance chemical vapor deposition (MW-ECR-CVD) and ion implantation technology, respectively. The microstructure and corrosion resistance of nitrided layers were investigated by means of optical microscope (OM), X-ray diffractomer (XRD), auger electron spectroscopy (AES), and electrochemical workstation. After modified by MW-ECR-CVD, the nitrogen concentration of the nitrided layers decreases gradually with the depth increasing, while the nitrogen concentration modified by ion implantation process exhibits Gaussian distribution. The self-corrosion electric potential of the sample modified by ion implantation is higher than that modified by MW-ECR-CVD, which reveals that the samples modified by ion implantation process have a better resistance to corrosion. The magnetostrictions are assessed for the samples placed in the air for one year, which further confirms that the ion implantation process is more helpful to maintain the magnetostrictions.

In the present study, biomolecule-stabilized Au nanoclusters were demonstrated as a novel fluorescence probe for sensitive and selective detection of pazufloxacin mesilate (PZFX) for the first time. The linear decrease in the fluorescence intensity of Au nanoclusters induced by PZFX allowed for the quantitative detection of PZFX in the range of 0.15 μg/mL to 1 mg/mL, and the detection limit for PZFX was 0.2 μg/mL. Circular dichroism spectroscopy and fluorescence decay studies were then performed to discuss the quenching mechanism. In addition, practical application of the present approach was also demonstrated for real samples, which suggested its great potential for accurate analysis of similar drugs.

To optimize the magnetic properties of nanocomposite Nd9Fe85B6 magnets, the as-quenched ribbons with different microstructures were prepared at six wheel velocities from 10 to 30 m·s−1 through rapid quenching, followed by a series of annealing treatments at 550–800 °C for 5–10 min. It is found that both the large initial grains at low cooling rate and high content of amorphous phase at high cooling rate cause α-Fe grains coarsening, which leads to a decline in the strength of exchange coupling interaction and the deterioration of magnetic properties. In order to optimize the magnetic properties, the as-quenched ribbons should be chosen with relatively small initial grains as well as a small amount of amorphous phase. For nanocomposite Nd9Fe85B6 materials, the optimized magnetic properties of H cj = 446 kA·m−1, B r = 0.86 T, (BH) max = 80 kJ·m−3 are obtained for ribbons prepared at 18 m·s−1 after annealing at 620 °C for 5 min.

Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides an unconditional secure key generation method between two distant legitimate parties Alice and Bob based on the fundamental properties of quantum mechanics, in the presence of an eavesdropper Eve. Since key reconciliation cannot always assure that the reconciled keys between Alice and Bob are identical, error verification is an important step in QKD. In this paper, we propose a scheme of delayed error verification using extra keys gained by privacy amplification with an arbitrarily small failure probability. The proposed scheme simplifies the post-processing procedure in QKD, which can be applied in practical QKD systems.

Forensic DNA analysis of sexual assault evidence requires unambiguous differentiation of DNA profiles in mixed samples. To investigate the feasibility of magnetic bead-based separation of sperm from cell mixtures using a monoclonal antibody against MOSPD3 (motile sperm domain-containing protein 3), 30 cell samples were prepared by mixing 10(4) female buccal epithelial cells with sperm cells of varying densities (10(3), 10(4), or 10(5) cells/mL). Western blot and immunofluorescence assays showed that MOSPD3 was detectable on the membrane of sperm cells, but not in buccal epithelial cells. After biotinylated MOSPD3 antibody was incubated successively with the prepared cell mixtures and avidin-coated magnetic beads, microscopic observation revealed that each sperm cell was bound by two or more magnetic beads, in the head, neck, mid-piece, or flagellum. A full single-source short tandem repeat profile could be obtained in 80% of mixed samples containing 10(3) sperm cells/mL and in all samples containing ≥10(4) sperm cells/mL. For dried vaginal swab specimens, the rate of successful detection was 100% in both flocked and cotton swabs preserved for 1 day, 87.5% in flocked swabs and 40% in cotton swabs preserved for 3 days, and 40% in flocked swabs and 16.67% in cotton swabs preserved for 10 days. Our findings suggest that immunomagnetic bead-based separation is potentially a promising alternative to conventional methods for isolating sperm cells from mixed forensic samples.

Fluorescent gold nanoclusters (AuNCs) were synthesized using a drug target bacterial enoyl-ACP reductase (FabI) as a template. The physical and chemical properties of the AuNCs were studied by UV-vis absorption, fluorescence, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and TEM. The AuNCs-FabI conjugate was prepared by in situ reduction of tetrachloroaurate in the presence of FabI. The conjugated particles were loaded onto nylon membranes by taking advantage of the electrostatic interaction between the negatively charged AuNCs@FabI and the nylon film which is positively charged at pH 7.4. This results in the formation of a test stripe with sensor spots that can be used to detect Hg(II) ion in the 1 nM to 10 μM concentration range. The test stripes are simple, convenient, selective, sensitive, and can be quickly read out with bare eyes after illumination with a UV lamp.

Usually, a shared reference frame is indispensable for practical quantum key distribution (QKD) systems. As a result, most QKD systems need active alignment of reference frame due to the unknown and slowly variances of reference frame introduced by environment. Quite interestingly, reference-free-independent (RFI) QKD can generate secret-key bits without alignment of reference frame. However, RFI QKD may be still vulnerable to detector side channel attacks. Here, we propose a new RFI QKD protocol, in which all detector side channels are removed. Furthermore, our protocol can still tolerate unknown and slow variance of reference frame without active alignment. And a numerical simulation shows that long security distance is probable in this protocol.

Partial information leakages of generation key undoubtedly influence the security of practical Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) system. In this paper, based on finite-key analysis and deep investigation on privacy amplification, we present a method for characterizing information leakages gained by adversary in each authentication round and therefore take the theory derived by Cederlof and Larsson (IEEE Trans Inf Theory 54:1735---1741, 2008) into practical case. As the authentication key is fed from one round of generation keys to the next except the first round, by considering its security weakness due to information leakages and finite size effect, we further propose a universal formula for calculating the lifetime of initial authentication key used in QKD with finite resources. Numerical simulations indicate that our bound for estimating information leakages strictly characterizes the stability of practical QKD against information-leakage-based attacks, and our calculation formula in terms of lifetime can precisely evaluate the usage time of initial authentication key. Our work provides a practical solution for evaluating authentication security of QKD.

The crystal structure and magnetic properties of SmFe9−x Co x (x = 0, 1, 3, 5) alloys were studied by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) and magnetic measurements. The Th2Zn17-type structure of the as-cast state is changed to TbCu7-type structure after quenching to a rotating molybdenum roll under certain velocity (12, 20, and 32 m·s−1). The (002) XRD peak appears and α-Fe phase disappears when the Co is added up to x = 5. Saturation magnetization of SmFe9 under different temperature shows 9 % change (112–102 A·m2·g−1) when the temperature is higher than 200 K. The saturation magnetization is 115 A·m2·g−1 and coercivity is 0.304 T at 5 K for SmFe9 alloys. Increased saturation magnetization and decreased coercivity can be obtained for Co added up to x = 5 at 5 K.

This study identifies factors affecting sleep patterns among thoracic surgery patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) and compares the perceptions of sleep-disturbing factors between nurses and patients.One hundred and fifty-two patients and 40 nurses were surveyed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and self-designed questionnaires (for patients and nurses). All statistical analyses were carried out by SPSS, and the following statistical methods were used to evaluate the data: chi-squared test and logistic regression.Of 152 patients, 46.1 % reported poor sleep quality during their hospitalization; their PSQI total score was 6.95 ± 3.713. Of these, 69.1 % indicated that their sleep quality was poorer than before; 50.0 % of them changed their sleep patterns. Significant discrepancies exist between nurses and patients in the perceptions of sleep-disturbing factors of patients.Thoracic surgical patients' perceptions of their sleep in the ICU indicate poor sleep quality, which is decided by a variety of disturbing factors. Perceptions of these factors varied greatly between surveyed patients and nurses.

We present a scheme for multiparty joint remote preparation of an arbitrary m-qubit state with a multiparticle entangled quantum channel against collective noise. All the senders share the information of the prepared state and perform corresponding measurement according to their knowledge of the prepared state, the receiver can reconstruct the original state by performing corresponding unitary operation on his particles if he cooperates with all the senders. Moreover, the agents use decoherence-free subspace to tolerate the collective noise. This scheme has the advantage of having high success probability for multiparty joint remote preparation of an arbitrary m-qubit state via pure entangled states.

The subarachnoid space (SAS) lies between the arachnoid membrane and the pia mater of the human brain, normally filled with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a serious complication of neurological disease that can have high mortality and high risk of disability. Computed tomography (CT) head scans are often used for diagnosing SAH which may be difficult when the hemorrhage is small or subtle. A computer-aided diagnosis system from CT images is thus developed to augment image interpretation. Supervised learning using the probability of distance features of several landmarks was employed to recognize SAS. For each CT image, the SAS was approximated in four steps: (1) Landmarks including brain boundary, midsagittal plane (MSP), anterior and posterior intersection points of brain boundary with the MSP, and superior point of the brain were extracted. (2) Distances to all the landmarks were calculated for every pixel in the CT image, and combined to construct a high-dimensional feature vector. (3) Using head CT images with manually delineated SAS as training dataset, the prior probabilities of distances for pixels within SAS and non-SAS were computed. (4) Any pixel of a head CT scan in the testing dataset was classified as an SAS or non-SAS pixel in a Bayesian decision framework based on its distance features. The proposed method was validated on clinical head CT images by comparison with manual segmentation. The results showed that the automated method is consistent with the gold standard. Compared with elastic registration based on grayscale information, the proposed method was less affected by grayscale variation between normal controls and patients. Compared with manual delineation, the average spatial overlap, relative overlap, and similarity index were, respectively, 89, 63, and 76% for the automatic SAS approximation of the 69 head CT scans tested. The proposed method was tested for SAH detection and yielded a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 92%. Automated SAH detection with high sensitivity was shown feasible in a prototype computer-aided diagnosis system. The proposed method may be extended for computer-aided diagnosis of several CSF-related diseases relevant to SAS abnormalities.

We present a scheme for multiparty-controlled teleportation of an arbitrary high-dimensional GHZ-class state with a d-dimensional (N+2)-particle GHZ state following some ideas from the teleportation (Chinese Physics B, 2007, 16: 2867). This scheme has the advantage of transmitting much fewer particles for controlled teleportation of an arbitrary multiparticle GHZ-class state. Moreover, we discuss the application of this scheme by using a nonmaximally entangled state as its quantum channel.

A hierarchical metropolitan quantum cryptography network upon the inner-city commercial telecom fiber cables is reported in this paper. The seven-user network contains a four-node backbone net with one node acting as the subnet gateway, a two-user subnet and a single-fiber access link, which is realized by the Faraday-Michelson interferometer set-ups. The techniques of the quantum router, optical switch and trusted relay are assembled here to guarantee the feasibility and expandability of the quantum cryptography network. Five nodes of the network are located in the government departments and the secure keys generated by the quantum key distribution network are utilized to encrypt the instant video, sound, text messages and confidential files transmitting between these bureaus. The whole implementation including the hierarchical quantum cryptographic communication network links and the corresponding application software shows a big step toward the practical user-oriented network with a high security level.