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“Thick electrode using high voltage cathode” can be considered, since this research focuses on high voltage cathode materials.

Entangled qudits, the high-dimensional entangled states, play an important role in the study of quantum information. How to prepare entangled qudits in an efficient and easy-to-operate manner is still a challenge in quantum technology. Here, we demonstrate a method to engineer frequency entangled qudits in a spontaneous parametric downconversion process. The proposal employs an angle-dependent phase-matching condition in a nonlinear crystal, which forms a classical-quantum mapping between the spatial (pump) and spectral (biphotons) degrees of freedom. In particular, the pump profile is separated into several bins in the spatial domain, and thus shapes the down-converted biphotons into discrete frequency modes in the joint spectral space. Our approach provides a feasible and efficient method to prepare a high-dimensional frequency entangled state. As an experimental demonstration, we generate a three-dimensional entangled state by using a homemade variable slit mask., 9 pages, 9 figures

ImportanceQuality of life (QOL) of patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) is reported to be the lowest among skin diseases. To our knowledge, mindfulness and self-compassion training has not been evaluated for adults with AD.ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of mindfulness and self-compassion training in improving the QOL for adults with AD.Design, Setting, and ParticipantsThis randomized clinical trial conducted from March 2019 through October 2022 included adults with AD whose Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score, a skin disease–specific QOL measure, was greater than 6 (corresponding to moderate or greater impairment). Participants were recruited from multiple outpatient institutes in Japan and through the study’s social media outlets and website.InterventionsParticipants were randomized 1:1 to receive eight 90-minute weekly group sessions of online mindfulness and self-compassion training or to a waiting list. Both groups were allowed to receive any dermatologic treatment except dupilumab.Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe primary outcome was the change in the DLQI score from baseline to week 13. Secondary outcomes included eczema severity, itch- and scratching-related visual analog scales, self-compassion and all of its subscales, mindfulness, psychological symptoms, and participants’ adherence to dermatologist-advised treatments.ResultsThe study randomized 107 adults to the intervention group (n = 56) or the waiting list (n = 51). The overall participant mean (SD) age was 36.3 (10.5) years, 85 (79.4%) were women, and the mean (SD) AD duration was 26.6 (11.7) years. Among participants from the intervention group, 55 (98.2%) attended 6 or more of the 8 sessions, and 105 of all participants (98.1%) completed the assessment at 13 weeks. The intervention group demonstrated greater improvement in the DLQI score at 13 weeks (between-group difference estimate, −6.34; 95% CI, −8.27 to −4.41; P d) at 13 weeks was −1.06 (95% CI, −1.39 to −0.74). All secondary outcomes showed greater improvements in the intervention group than in the waiting list group.Conclusions and RelevanceIn this randomized clinical trial of adults with AD, integrated online mindfulness and self-compassion training in addition to usual care resulted in greater improvement in skin disease–specific QOL and other patient-reported outcomes, including eczema severity. These findings suggest that mindfulness and self-compassion training is an effective treatment option for adults with AD.Trial Registrationhttps://umin.ac.jp/ctr Identifier: UMIN000036277

Transitioning toward more sustainable materials and manufacturing methods will be critical to continue supporting the rapidly expanding market for lithium-ion batteries. Meanwhile, energy storage applications are demanding higher power and energy densities than ever before, with aggressive performance targets like fast charging and greatly extended operating ranges and durations. Due to its high operating voltage and cobalt-free chemistry, the spinel-type LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 (LNMO) cathode material has attracted great interest as one of the few next-generation candidates capable of addressing this combination of challenges. However, severe capacity degradation and poor interphase stability have thus far impeded the practical application of LNMO. In this study, by leveraging a dry electrode coating process, we demonstrate LNMO electrodes with stable full cell operation (up to 68% after 1000 cycles) and ultra-high loading (up to 9.5 mAh/cm2 in half cells). This excellent cycling stability is ascribed to a stable cathode-electrolyte interphase, a highly distributed and interconnected electronic percolation network, and robust mechanical properties. High-quality images collected using plasma focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (PFIB-SEM) provide additional insight into this behavior, with a complementary 2-D model illustrating how the electronic percolation network in the dry-coated electrodes more efficiently supports homogeneous electrochemical reaction pathways. These results strongly motivate that LNMO as a high voltage cobalt-free cathode chemistry combined with an energy-efficient dry electrode coating process opens the possibility for sustainable electrode manufacturing of cost-effective and high-energy-density cathode materials.

Background Ensitrelvir is a novel oral SARS-CoV-2 3C-like protease inhibitor, and under late clinical development stage for COVID-19 diseases. Ensitrelvir exhibited an inhibition potency for organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1) and multidrug and toxin extrusion protein 1 (MATE1) in in vitro study and clinical drug-drug interaction (DDI) study is required judging from DDI guidance. Metformin is widely used for treatment of diabetes, and is a sensitive substrate for OCT1 and MATE1. We evaluated the effect of ensitrelvir on the pharmacokinetics (PK) of metformin with physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling and simulation and clinical DDI study. Methods The PBPK model of ensitrelvir was developed based on the physicochemical parameters, in vitro transporter inhibition parameters, and estimated PK parameters for human. DDI simulations between ensitrelvir and metformin were performed. Simcyp PBPK Simulator (Version 20, Certara UK Limited, UK) was used to develop PBPK model and simulate the DDIs. The in vitro 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of each transporter were used as inhibition constant (Ki) for DDI simulations. Based on the PBPK analysis, the clinical DDI study planed. Results PBPK analysis: As the result of DDI simulation, ensitrelvir increased the area under the curve (AUC) of metformin by 12%. The result suggests that in vivo DDI potency of ensitrelvir via inhibition of OCT1 or MATE1 would be low at a single dose of ensitrelvir 1000 mg. Clinical DDI study: The plasma concentration-time profile of metformin and ensitrelvir were monitored after 96 hours from a single dose of metformin with or without ensitrelvir. Ensitrelvir does not have effect on the PK of metformin (a geometric mean of AUC ratio was 1.02, Japanese healthy subjects, N=14), suggesting no MATE1 and OCT1 inhibition by ensitrelvir at a clinical dose. The PBPK analysis could well predict the clinical DDI study result. Conclusion The results of PBPK analysis and the clinical DDI study suggest that no OCT1 and MATE1 inhibition by ensitrelvir is in the clinical dose. Therefore, ensitrelvir does not have a clinically meaningful effect on the pharmacokinetic profile of OCT1 and/or MATE1 substrates including metformin. Disclosures Kana Horiuchi, Shionogi & Co., Ltd.: employee Hiroki Koshimichi, n/a, Shionogi & Co., Ltd.: employee Takanobu Matsuzaki, Ph.D., Shionogi & Co., Ltd.: Employee Ryosuke Shimizu, Shionogi & Co., Ltd.: employee Shinpei Yoshida, Ph.D., Shionogi & Co., Ltd.: employee Ryuji Kubota, Ph.D., Shionogi & Co., Ltd.: employee|Shionogi & Co., Ltd.: employee Shingo Sakamoto, n/a, Shionogi & Co., Ltd.: employee.

High temperature electrochemical reaction parameters for type 316 L stainless steel (316 L SS) have been determined based on data measured in pure water at high temperatures to realize an analytica...

The polarizable continuum model (PCM) has been one of the most widely used approaches to take into account the solvation effect in quantum chemical calculations. In this paper, we performed a series of benchmark calculations to assess the accuracy of the PCM scheme combined with the second-order complete-active-space perturbation theory (CASPT2) for molecular systems in polar solvents. For solute molecules with extensive conjugated π orbitals, exemplified by elongated conjugated arylcarbenes, we have incorporated the ab initio density matrix renormalization group algorithm into the PCM-CASPT2 method. In the previous work, we presented a combination of the DMRG-CASPT2 method with the reference interaction site model (RISM) theory for describing the solvation effect using the radial distribution function and compared its performance to the widely used density-functional approaches (PCM-TD-DFT). The work here allows us to further show a more thorough assessment of the RISM model compared to the PCM with an equal level of the wave function treatment, the (DMRG-)CASPT2 theory, toward a high-accuracy electronic structure calculations for solvated chemical systems. With the exception that the PCM models are not capable of properly describing the hydrogen bondings, accuracy of the PCM-CASPT2 model is in most cases quite comparable to the RISM counterpart.

Ensitrelvir is a novel selective inhibitor of the 3C-like protease of SARS-CoV-2, which is essential for viral replication. This phase 1 study of ensitrelvir assessed its safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of single (part 1, n = 50) and multiple (part 2, n = 33) ascending oral doses.

Lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON) is a well-known amorphous thin film solid electrolyte that has been extensively studied in the last three decades. Despite the promises to enable Li metal anode and various cathode materials, the presence of rigid substrate and LiPON’s unique amorphous, air-sensitive characteristics set limitations to comprehensively understand its intrinsic properties for next-stage advancement and applications. This work demonstrates a different methodology to synthesize LiPON in a freestanding form that removes the substrate. The freestanding LiPON (FS-LiPON) exhibits remarkable flexibility, with controllable film thickness and large-scale production compatibility. Benefited from the freestanding form, solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ss-NMR) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) are able to attain high S/N ratio to determine the local bonding structures and glass transition temperature of LiPON. In the presence of interfacial stress and a seeding layer, FS-LiPON demonstrates a uniform and fully dense Li metal deposition without the aid of external pressure. Such a FS-LiPON film offers new opportunities for fundamental study of LiPON material and associated interfaces, and provide perspectives for interface engineering in bulk solid-state battery.

ObjectiveAlthough mindfulness and self-compassion programs have been applied in clinical settings, no studies have reported their benefits for atopic dermatitis (AD). The aim of the study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of an online group format of 8 weekly 90-minute sessions of a mindfulness and self-compassion program for adults with AD.ResultsIn this single-arm, open label pre-post comparison study design, 15 adults (10 women; mean age, 38.3 ± 8.98 years) completed the intervention and assessment. The primary outcome was disease-specific quality of life (QOL) (Dermatology Life Quality Index and Skindex-16) at the 20-week follow-up. The secondary outcomes were other self-reported questionnaires, and descriptive feedback of the program. Assessments were conducted at baseline, mid-treatment, post-intervention, and at follow-up. Overall, there were no significant improvements. However, of the four participants whose QOL was largely impacted due to AD, the scores improved significantly, with minimal clinically important difference or greater change. All participants were satisfied with the program. This program could benefit adults with AD by improving QOL. Randomized controlled trials are warranted to elucidate the efficacy of the program. This study has been registered at the UMIN Clinical Trials Registry (ID: UMIN000030484).

We demonstrate a hybrid approach to detecting a short fringe period of two-photon interference with high brightness, by combining spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) and up-conversion techniques. Photon pairs were generated at the wavelength of 1550 nm via SPDC, and converted to 516.7 nm through up-conversion process with the pump light 775 nm in efficiency ∼90%. The two-photon interference of the up-converted photon pairs exhibited a fringe period of 258.3 nm with high event rate (∼2000 counts s−1), which was 6 times shorter than the original wavelength, demonstrating that the energy-time correlation of the photon pairs was preserved. The technique simultaneously provides short fringe period beyond the classical limit and high brightness of the photon pairs.

Precise manipulation of the time–frequency modes of entangled photons is crucial for future quantum science and technologies. Recently, the frequency-domain-quantum-optical-synthesis (FD-QOS) method was demonstrated by creating a superposition of different joint temporal amplitudes: those temporal distributions can be controlled by manipulating the joint spectral amplitude in 2D frequency space via a Fourier optical relation. This FD-QOS method provides an efficient, flexible, and easy-to-control way to precisely modulate the temporal distributions of the entangled photon in an ultrafast region. However, manipulation of only the temporal modes is not sufficient for various applications in quantum information, since spectral modulations are also needed on many occasions. Here, we present a proof-of-concept experiment of two-photon spectral modulation via temporal manipulation of a biphoton wave packet. This protocol, called time-domain-quantum-optical-synthesis (TD-QOS), is achieved by adjusting the relative phases between two joint temporal distributions. In addition, the two-photon joint spectral distributions are characterized by measuring the joint spectral intensities and Hong–Ou–Mandel interferences. The combination of FD-QOS and TD-QOS enables complete control over the biphoton states. Our work would further develop quantum technologies that rely on the time–frequency modes of entangled photons.

Lithium phosphorus oxynitride (LiPON) is an amorphous solid-state lithium ion conductor displaying exemplary cyclability against lithium metal anodes. There is no definitive explanation for this stability due to the limited understanding of the structure of LiPON. We provide a structural model of RF-sputtered LiPON via experimental and computational spectroscopic methods. Information about the short-range structure results from 1D and 2D solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance experiments investigating chemical shift anisotropy and dipolar interactions. These results are compared with first principles chemical shielding calculations of Li-P-O/N crystals and ab initio molecular dynamics-generated amorphous LiPON models to unequivocally identify the glassy structure as primarily isolated phosphate monomers with N incorporated in both apical and as bridging sites in phosphate dimers. Structural results suggest LiPON's stability is a result of its glassy character. Free-standing LiPON films are produced that exhibit a high degree of flexibility highlighting the unique mechanical properties of glassy materials.

Satellite laser communication is a promising solution to satisfy the increasing demand for high-capacity wireless communications. Satellite laser communication has several advantages over its radio frequency counterparts, such as a higher capacity with a broader bandwidth and transmission security provided by highly directional laser beams. However, the received optical power fluctuations induced by atmospheric scintillation cause burst errors, requiring the employment of high-performance error correction codes, such as turbo or low-density parity check (LDPC) codes. Recently, polar code has been attracting significant attention, primarily because of its lower encoding and decoding computational complexity and its high performance, reaching the Shannon limit. We have reported a long-distance experiment using 7.8-km terrestrial free-space optical (FSO) communication links and compared the performance of polar and LDPC codes. Our experimental results revealed the advantage of polar codes over LDPC codes when channel state information (CSI) was not available. In FSO communications suffering from atmospheric fading, it is known that we can enhance the error-correction performance of these codes by utilizing a channel equalization technique based on the estimated CSI. In this study, we present the results of long-distance transmission experiments using polar codes with channel equalization. As a result, equalization improves the error-correction performance. Moreover, even with channel equalization, the block error rate of polar codes is better than that of LDPC codes, as in our previous report.

Rechargeable sodium ion batteries with high energy density are a promising technology to address the demand for grid storage. Cathode materials with oxygen redox activity exhibit higher energy density than expected from Na-ion removal and charge compensation solely by transition metal redox. One strategy to enable oxygen redox in materials is to alter the oxygen environment through transition metal layer ordering. In this work, we report the investigation of oxygen redox activity induced by transition metal ordering in P2-type Na0.8Li0.12Ni0.22Mn0.66O2 cathode synthesized by carbonate co-precipitation. Irreversible oxygen activity was observed and correlated with Ni migration that resulted in the loss of transition metal ordering in the structure. Calculated density of states shows that after Ni migration, the number of unoccupied states of O above Fermi level decreases, inhibiting the reduction of oxygen during sodiation. This paper provides insights on how Ni migration has a detrimental effect on transition metal ordering and reversibility of oxygen redox at high voltage.

Creep by solvent squeeze of cylindrical κ-carrageenan gels is investigated. A phenomenological model to describe the creep and the solvent squeeze of polymer gels is also presented. Under compression, the creep of gels proceeds at a constant diameter except for the initial stage of creep. The change in height of the gels is well reproduced by the sum of three exponential terms, each of which is specified by the combination of displacement and retardation time. The displacement for the second mode, which corresponds to the second longest retardation time, becomes largest for all gel specimens. Three retardation times are commonly proportional to the square of initial diameter of gel specimens. Based on the proposed model, the spring constant in the second mode becomes smallest and the permeability corresponding to the third mode becomes larger than those in the other two modes.

Background Patients with thrombocytopenia associated with chronic liver disease (CLD) are at greater risk of bleeding during invasive procedures. This study characterized the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) profile of lusutrombopag, a novel thrombopoietin-receptor agonist, using modelling and simulation, and evaluated the appropriate dose regimen for treatment of thrombocytopenia in CLD patients undergoing invasive procedures. Methods A population PK/PD model was developed using plasma lusutrombopag concentrations from 78 healthy subjects and 349 CLD patients, as well as platelet counts from 347 of these 349 patients. Covariates were explored from subject characteristics. Monte-Carlo simulations were performed to assess a dose response for efficacy (platelet counts ≥ 50,000/μL) and a risk for platelet overshooting (platelet counts > 200,000/μL). Results Visual predictive checks indicated the developed models described the PK/PD profile of lusutrombopag well. In the simulations, without stopping criteria, lusutrombopag 3 mg once daily for 7 days before scheduled invasive procedures provided effective platelet response (85.2% probability for efficacy). The probability of platelet overshooting was 1.2%, indicating that platelet monitoring is not necessary. Although body weight was an influential covariate on the pharmacokinetics of lusutrombopag, individually estimated peak platelet counts overlapped among the body weight groups, suggesting no clinically significant effect on body weight. Conclusion The modelling and simulation support lusutrombopag 3 mg once daily for 7 days without platelet monitoring. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s40262-019-00770-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

For theoretically studying molecules with fluorescence in the near-infrared region, high-accuracy determination of state energy level is required for meaningful analyses since the spectra of interest are of very narrow energy range. In particular, these molecules are in many cases handled in solution; therefore, consideration of the solvation effect is essential upon calculation together with the electronic structure of the excited state. Earlier studies showed that they cannot be described with conventional methods such as PCM-TD-DFT, yielding results far from experimental data. Here, we have developed a new method by combining a solvation theory based on statistical mechanics (RISM) and a multireference perturbation theory (CASPT2) with the extension of the density matrix renormalization group reference states for calculating the photochemical properties of near-infrared molecules and have obtained higher-accuracy prediction.

We theoretically investigate the preparation of mid-infrared (MIR) spectrally-uncorrelated biphotons from a spontaneous parametric down-conversion process using doped LN crystals, including MgO doped LN, ZnO doped LN, and In2O3 doped ZnLN with doping ratio from 0 to 7 mol%. The tilt angle of the phase-matching function and the corresponding poling period are calculated under type-II, type-I, and type-0 phase-matching conditions. We also calculate the thermal properties of the doped LN crystals and their performance in Hong-Ou-Mandel interference. It is found that the doping ratio has a substantial impact on the group-velocity-matching (GVM) wavelengths. Especially, the GVM2 wavelength of co-doped InZnLN crystal has a tunable range of 678.7 nm, which is much broader than the tunable range of less than 100 nm achieved by the conventional method of adjusting the temperature. It can be concluded that the doping ratio can be utilized as a degree of freedom to manipulate the biphoton state. The spectrally uncorrelated biphotons can be used to prepare pure single-photon source and entangled photon source, which may have promising applications for quantum-enhanced sensing, imaging, and communications at the MIR range., 11 pages, 9 figures

The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is regarded as the most complex but the least understood constituent in secondary batteries using liquid and solid electrolytes. The nanostructures of SEIs were recently reported to be equally important to the chemistry of SEIs for stabilizing Li metal in liquid electrolyte. However, the dearth of such knowledge in all-solid-state battery (ASSB) has hindered a complete understanding of how certain solid-state electrolytes, such as LiPON, manifest exemplary stability against Li metal. Characterizing such solid-solid interfaces is difficult due to the buried, highly reactive, and beam-sensitive nature of the constituents within. By employing cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM), the interphase between Li metal and LiPON is successfully preserved and probed, revealing a multilayer mosaic SEI structure with concentration gradients of nitrogen and phosphorous, materializing as crystallites within an amorphous matrix. This unique SEI nanostructure is less than 80 nm and is shown stable and free of any organic lithium containing species or lithium fluoride components, in contrast to SEIs often found in state-of-the-art organic liquid electrolytes. Our findings reveal insights on the nanostructures and chemistry of such SEIs as a key component in lithium metal batteries to stabilize Li metal anode.

Ultrafast quantum optics with time-frequency entangled photons is at the forefront of progress towards future quantum technologies. However, to unravel the time domain structure of entangled photons and exploit fully their rich dimensionality, a single-photon detector with sub-picosecond temporal resolution is required. Here, we present ultrafast single-photon detection using an optical Kerr gate composed of a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) placed inside a Sagnac interferometer. A near-rectangle temporal waveform of a heralded single-photon generated via spontaneous parametric down-conversion is measured with temporal resolution as high as 224 ± 9 fs. The large nonlinearity and long effective interaction length of the PCF enables maximum detection efficiency to be achieved with only 30.5 mW gating pulse average power, demonstrating an order-of-magnitude improvement compared to optical gating with sum-frequency generation. Also, we discuss the trade-off relationship between detection efficiency and temporal resolution.