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Abstract The diverse applications of light-matter interactions in science and technology stem from the qualitatively distinct ways these interactions manifest, prompting the development of physical platforms that can interchange between regimes on demand. Bosonic cQED employs the light field of high-Q superconducting cavities coupled to nonlinear circuit elements, harnessing the rich dynamics of their interaction for quantum information processing. However, implementing fast switching of the interaction regime without deteriorating the cavity coherence is a significant challenge. We present an experiment that achieves this feat, combining nanosecond-scale frequency tunability of a transmon coupled to a cavity with lifetime of hundreds of microseconds. Our implementation affords a range of useful capabilities for quantum information processing; from fast creation of cavity Fock states using resonant interaction and interchanging tomography techniques at qualitatively distinct interaction regimes on the fly, to the suppression of unwanted cavity-transmon dynamics during idle evolution. By bringing flux tunability into the bosonic cQED toolkit, our work opens up the possibility to probe the full range of light-matter interaction dynamics within a single platform and provides valuable pathways towards robust and versatile quantum information processing.

Summary: Background: It is unknown if early COVID-19 monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy can reduce risk of Long COVID. The mAbs amubarvimab/romlusevimab were previously demonstrated to reduce risk of hospitalization/death by 79%. This study assessed the impact of amubarvimab/romlusevimab on late outcomes, including Long COVID. Methods: Non-hospitalized high-risk adults within 10 days of COVID-19 symptom onset enrolled in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2/3 trial of amubarvimab/romlusevimab for COVID-19 treatment. Late symptoms, assessed using a participant-completed symptom diary, were a pre-specified exploratory endpoint. The primary outcome for this analysis was the composite of Long COVID by participant self-report (presence of COVID-19 symptoms as recorded in the diary at week 36) or hospitalization or death by week 36. Inverse probability weighting (IPW) was used to address incomplete outcome ascertainment, giving weighted risk ratios (wRR) comparing amubarvimab/romlusevimab to placebo. Findings: Participants received amubarvimab/romlusevimab (n = 390) or placebo (n = 390) between January and July 2021. Median age was 49 years, 52% were female, 18% Black/African American, 49% Hispanic/Latino, and 9% COVID-19-vaccinated at entry. At week 36, 103 (13%) had incomplete outcome ascertainment, and 66 (17%) on amubarvimab/romlusevimab and 92 (24%) on placebo met the primary outcome (wRR = 0.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53–0.93). The difference was driven by fewer hospitalizations/deaths with amubarvimab/romlusevimab (4%) than placebo (13%). Among 652 participants with available diary responses, 53 (16%) on amubarvimab/romlusevimab and 44 (14%) on placebo reported presence of Long COVID. Interpretation: Amubarvimab/romlusevimab treatment, while highly effective in preventing hospitalizations/deaths, did not reduce risk of Long COVID. Additional interventions are needed to prevent Long COVID. Funding: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health. Amubarvimab and romlusevimab supplied by Brii Biosciences.

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV), characterized as a prominent feature of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a primary contributor to visual impairment and severe vision loss globally, while the prevailing treatments are often unsatisfactory. The development of conventional treatment strategies has largely been based on the understanding that the angiogenic switch of endothelial cells is dictated by angiogenic growth factors alone. Even though treatments targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), like Ranibizumab, are widely administered, more than half of the patients still exhibit inadequate or null responses, emphasizing the imperative need for solutions to this problem. Here, aiming to explore therapeutic strategies from a novel perspective of endothelial cell metabolism, a biocompatible nanomedicine delivery system is constructed by loading RGD peptide-modified liposomes with 2-deoxy-D-glucose (RGD@LP-2-DG). RGD@LP-2-DG displayed good targeting performance towards endothelial cells and excellent in vitro and in vivo inhibitory effects on neovascularization were demonstrated. Moreover, our mechanistic studies revealed that 2-DG interfered with N-glycosylation, leading to the inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and its downstream signaling. Notably, the remarkable inhibitory effect on neovascularization and biocompatibility of RGD@LP-2-DG render it a highly promising and clinically translatable therapeutic candidate for the treatment of wet AMD and other angiogenic diseases, particularly in patients who are unresponsive to currently available treatments.

As connectivity throughout the world is increasing, we are to face a lot of risks. The spread of COVID-19 has caused an unprecedented test on education and most students are faced with a lot of challenges. This study aims to investigate the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in higher institutions in Myanmar. For this purpose, the data were accumulated through a questionnaire responded by 249 participants consisting of 127 university teachers and 122 students. The participants were chosen using the non-probability sampling method. The data was analyzed using thematic analysis. This method has also improved the reliability and reduced the biasness. Overall, it was found that there was a very large undesirable impact upon the humankind development especially on education system to continue the routine personal and professional lives. Myanmar universities need to reinvent learning environments so that digitalization expands and complements, but does not replace, student-teacher and student-student relationships.

Abstract In multilayered magnetic topological insulator structures, magnetization reversal processes can drive topological phase transitions between quantum anomalous Hall, axion insulator, and normal insulator states. Here we report an examination of the critical behavior of two such transitions: the quantum anomalous Hall to normal insulator (QAH-NI), and quantum anomalous Hall to axion insulator (QAH-AXI) transitions. By introducing a new analysis protocol wherein temperature dependent variations in the magnetic coercivity are accounted for, the critical behavior of the QAH-NI and QAH-AXI transitions are evaluated over a wide range of temperature and magnetic field. Despite the uniqueness of these different transitions, quantized longitudinal resistance and Hall conductance are observed at criticality in both cases. Furthermore, critical exponents were extracted for QAH-AXI transitions occurring at magnetization reversals of two different magnetic layers. The observation of consistent critical exponents and resistances in each case, independent of the magnetic layer details, demonstrates critical behaviors in quantum anomalous Hall transitions to be of electronic rather than magnetic origin. Our finding offers a new avenue for studies of phase transition and criticality in QAH insulators.

To promote the inheritance of Zhuang brocade culture and the rapid extraction of features and automatic generation of patterns, this paper constructs a feature dataset of Zhuang brocade patterns and proposes an automatic generation technology using relative coordinates and regional content replacement. Firstly, by sorting through a large number of cases, a feature dataset of Zhuang brocade patterns is constructed. For the significant features of Zhuang brocade patterns, intelligent extraction algorithms and processes are used to effectively extract the color matching, patterns, and organizational forms of the patterns into the feature dataset. Secondly, to generate Zhuang brocade patterns quickly, an automatic generation technology based on genotype encoding and regional replacement algorithms is proposed, which encodes these pattern elements into a format that can be interpreted by computer algorithms. Finally, through similarity evaluation, the method’s feasibility for rapid extraction and generation of Zhuang brocade patterns is effectively verified. This method is significant for the inheritance of Zhuang brocade patterns and the development of the intangible cultural heritage industry.

Abstract Background This study conducted a survey of men who have sex with men (MSM) in Maanshan City of Anhui Province to assess the risk behaviors related to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted from June 2016 to June 2019. The MSM were recruited by a peer-driven sampling method. A face-to-face interview with anonymous questionnaire was used for data collection. The information collected by the survey was summarized and epidemiology described the basic characteristics of MSM, and then the related factors were statistically analyzed. Results A total of 934 MSM were recruited with a average age was 30.5 (SD = 8.90) years old, including 816 (87.4%) HIV negative participants and 118 (12.6%) HIV positive ones. This study showed that freelancer (OR = 4.02, 95% CI: 1.96–8.23), scope of sexual partners distribution (OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.36–2.33), number of male sexual partners (OR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.47–3.02), role of anal sex with men was receptive (OR = 2.54, 95% CI: 1.25–5.13) and versatile (OR = 2.34, 95% CI: 1.31–4.19) and non-steady sex partners (OR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.56–2.93) were risk factors for HIV infection, while monthly income (OR = 0.68, 95% CI: 0.57–0.82), education level (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.66–0.95), frequency of condom use (OR = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.35–0.81) and number of oral sex partners (OR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.24–0.51) in the past 6 months were protective factors for HIV infection. Conclusion Risk behaviors were common in MSM, and urgent need for targeted and comprehensive interventions to reduce risky sexual behaviour and to prevent HIV infection in MSM.

Abstract Here we report the first observation of the concurrent breakdown of the strange metal (SM) normal state and superconductivity at a pressure-induced quantum critical point in Ca10(Pt4As8)((Fe0.97Pt0.03)2As2)5 superconductor. We find that, upon suppressing the superconducting state, the power exponent (α) changes from 1 to 2, and the slope of the temperature-linear resistivity per FeAs layer (A □) gradually diminishes. At a critical pressure, A □ and superconducting transition temperature (T c ) go to zero concurrently, where a quantum phase transition from a superconducting state with a SM normal state to a non-superconducting Fermi liquid state occurs. Scaling analysis reveals that the change of A □ with T c obeys the relation of T c ~ (A □)0.5, similar to what is seen in other chemically doped unconventional superconductors. These results suggest that there is a simple but powerful organizational principle of connecting the SM normal state with the high-T c superconductivity.

Objectives: Extrapulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB) is not a notifiable infectious disease in China but is a heavy burden on public health. However, the epidemic situation of EPTB nationwide is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the magnitude and main subtypes of EPTB in China. Methods: We conducted a national cross-sectional study with multistage, stratified cluster random sampling during 2020-2021. We calculated proportions of EPTB in all patients with TB by organs. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios by characteristics. Results: A total of 6843 patients with TB were included. Of them, 24.6% were patients with EPTB, and the proportion of EPTB solo was 21.3%. Higher EPTB burden was observed in children, female patients, clinically diagnosed patients, provincial-level and prefectural-level health facilities, and Central and West China. EPTB occurred most frequently in respiratory (35.5%), musculoskeletal (15.8%), and peripheral lymphatic (15.8%) systems with top three subtypes, including tuberculous pleurisy (35.0%), spinal TB (9.8%) and cervical tuberculous lymphadenopathy (7.9%). With the increase of age, proportion of peripheral lymphatic TB decreased, and proportion rank of genitourinary TB rose. Conclusion: It is essential to strengthen the diagnosis and treatment capacity for EPTB in primary medical facilities. EPTB should be added to the National Tuberculosis Program as a notifiable disease.

Gray mold, caused by Botrytis cinerea, poses significant threats to various crops, while it can be remarkably inhibited by ε-poly-L-lysine (ε-PL). A previous study found that B. cinerea extracts could stimulate the ε-PL biosynthesis of Streptomyces albulus, while it is unclear whether the impact of the B. cinerea signal on ε-PL biosynthesis is direct or indirect. This study evaluated the role of elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) in efficient ε-PL biosynthesis after B. cinerea induction, and its underlying mechanism was disclosed with a transcriptome analysis. The microbial call from B. cinerea could arouse ROS elevation in cells, which fall in a proper level that positively influenced the ε-PL biosynthesis. A systematic transcriptional analysis revealed that this proper dose of intracellular ROS could induce a global transcriptional promotion on key pathways in ε-PL biosynthesis, including the embden-meyerhof-parnas pathway, the pentose phosphate pathway, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the diaminopimelic acid pathway, ε-PL accumulation, cell respiration, and energy synthesis, in which sigma factor HrdD and the transcriptional regulators of TcrA, TetR, FurA, and MerR might be involved. In addition, the intracellular ROS elevation also resulted in a global modification of secondary metabolite biosynthesis, highlighting the secondary signaling role of intracellular ROS in ε-PL production. This work disclosed the transcriptional mechanism of efficient ε-PL production that resulted from an intracellular ROS elevation after B. cinerea elicitors’ induction, which was of great significance in industrial ε-PL production as well as the biocontrol of gray mold disease.

Objective To investigate the relationship between metabolomic profiles, genome-wide polygenic risk scores (PRSs) and risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods 143 nuclear magnetic resonance-based plasma metabolic biomarkers were measured among 93 800 participants in the UK Biobank. The Cox regression model was used to assess the associations between these metabolic biomarkers and RA risk, and genetic correlation and Mendelian randomisation analyses were performed to reveal their causal relationships. Subsequently, a metabolic risk score (MRS) comprised of the weighted sum of 17 clinically validated metabolic markers was constructed. A PRS was derived by assigning weights to genetic variants that exhibited significant associations with RA at a genome-wide level.Results A total of 620 incident RA cases were recorded during a median follow-up time of 8.2 years. We determined that 30 metabolic biomarkers were potentially associated with RA, while no further significant causal associations were found. Individuals in the top decile of MRS had an increased risk of RA (HR 3.52, 95% CI: 2.80 to 4.43) compared with those below the median of MRS. Further, significant gradient associations between MRS and RA risk were observed across genetic risk strata. Specifically, compared with the low genetic risk and favourable MRS group, the risk of incident RA in the high genetic risk and unfavourable MRS group has almost elevated by fivefold (HR 6.10, 95% CI: 4.06 to 9.14).Conclusion Our findings suggested the metabolic profiles comprising multiple metabolic biomarkers contribute to capturing an elevated risk of RA, and the integration of genome-wide PRSs further improved risk stratification.

Automatic segmentation of early esophagus cancer (EEC) in gastrointestinal endoscopy (GIE) images is a critical and challenging task in clinical settings, which relies primarily on labor-intensive and time-consuming routines. EEC has often been diagnosed at the late stage since early signs of cancer are not obvious, resulting in low survival rates. This work proposes a deep learning approach based on the U-Net++ method to segment EEC in GIE images. A total of 2690 GIE images collected from 617 patients at the Digestive Endoscopy Center, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, China, have been utilized. The experimental result shows that our proposed method achieved promising results. Furthermore, the comparison has been made between the proposed and other U-Net-related methods using the same dataset. The mean and standard deviation (SD) of the dice similarity coefficient (DSC), intersection over union (IoU), precision (Pre), and recall (Rec) achieved by the proposed framework were DSC (%) ​= ​94.62 ​± ​0.02, IoU (%) ​= ​90.99 ​± ​0.04, Pre ​(%) = ​94.61 ​± ​0.04, and Rec (%) ​= ​95.00 ​± ​0.02, respectively, outperforming the others. The proposed method has the potential to be applied in EEC automatic diagnoses.

Abstract Retinal degeneration, characterized by the progressive loss of retinal neurons, is the leading cause of incurable visual impairment. Retinal progenitor cells (RPCs)‐based transplantation can facilitate sight restoration, but the clinical efficacy of this process is compromised by the imprecise neurogenic differentiation of RPCs and undermining function of transplanted cells surrounded by severely oxidative retinal lesions. Here, it is shown that ultrathin niobium carbide (Nb2C) MXene enables performance enhancement of RPCs for retinal regeneration. Nb2C MXene with moderate photothermal effect markedly improves retinal neuronal differentiation of RPCs by activating intracellular signaling, in addition to the highly effective RPC protection by scavenging free radicals concurrently, which has been solidly evidenced by the comprehensive biomedical assessments and theoretical calculations. A dramatically increased neuronal differentiation is observed upon subretinal transplantation of MXene‐assisted RPCs into the typical retinal degeneration 10 (rd10) mice, thereby contributing to the efficient restoration of retinal architecture and visual function. The dual‐intrinsic function of MXene synergistically aids RPC transplantation, which represents an intriguing paradigm in vision‐restoration research filed, and will broaden the multifunctionality horizon of nanomedicine.

Cardiomyopathies represent the most common clinical and genetic heterogeneous group of diseases that affect the heart function. Though progress has been made to elucidate the process, molecular mechanisms of different classes of cardiomyopathies remain elusive. This paper aims to describe the similarities and differences in molecular features of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM). We firstly detected the co-expressed modules using the weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA). Significant modules associated with DCM/ICM were identified by the Pearson correlation coefficient (PCC) between the modules and the phenotype of DCM/ICM. The differentially expressed genes in the modules were selected to perform functional enrichment. The potential transcription factors (TFs) prediction was conducted for transcription regulation of hub genes. Apoptosis and cardiac conduction were perturbed in DCM and ICM, respectively. TFs demonstrated that the biomarkers and the transcription regulations in DCM and ICM were different, which helps make more accurate discrimination between them at molecular levels. In conclusion, comprehensive analyses of the molecular features may advance our understanding of DCM and ICM causes and progression. Thus, this understanding may promote the development of innovative diagnoses and treatments.