A site-resolved two-dimensional quantum simulator with hundreds of trapped ions.

A large qubit capacity and an individual readout capability are two crucial requirements for large-scale quantum computing and simulation1. As one of the leading physical platforms for quantum information processing, the ion trap has achieved a quantum simulation of tens of ions with site-resolved readout in a one-dimensional Paul trap2-4 and of hundreds of ions with global observables in a two-dimensional (2D) Penning trap5,6. However, integrating these two features into a single system is still very challenging. Here we report the stable trapping of 512 ions in a 2D Wigner crystal and the sideband cooling of their transverse motion. We demonstrate the quantum simulation of long-range quantum Ising models with tunable coupling strengths and patterns, with or without frustration, using 300 ions. Enabled by the site resolution in the single-shot measurement, we observe rich spatial correlation patterns in the quasi-adiabatically prepared ground states, which allows us to verify quantum simulation results by comparing the measured two-spin correlations with the calculated collective phonon modes and with classical simulated annealing. We further probe the quench dynamics of the Ising model in a transverse field to demonstrate quantum sampling tasks. Our work paves the way for simulating classically intractable quantum dynamics and for running noisy intermediate-scale quantum algorithms7,8 using 2D ion trap quantum simulators.

RNA sequencing analysis of the longissimus dorsi to identify candidate genes underlying the intramuscular fat content in Anqing Six-end-white pigs.

Intramuscular fat (IMF) is a significant marker for pork quality. The Anqing Six-end-white pig has the characteristics of high meat quality and IMF content. Owing to the influence of European commercial pigs and a late start in resource conservation, the IMF content within local populations varies between individuals. This study analyzed the longissimus dorsi transcriptome of purebred Anqing Six-end-white pigs with varying IMF content to recognize differentially expressed genes. We identified 1528 differentially expressed genes between the pigs with high (H) and low (L) IMF content. Based on these data, 1775 Gene Ontology terms were significantly enriched, including lipid metabolism, modification and storage, and regulation of lipid biosynthesis. Pathway analysis revealed 79 significantly enriched pathways, including the Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. Moreover, gene set enrichment analysis indicated that the L group had increased the expression of genes related to ribosome function. Additionally, the protein-protein interaction network analyses revealed that VEGFA, KDR, LEP, IRS1, IGF1R, FLT1 and FLT4 were promising candidate genes associated with the IMF content. Our study identified the candidate genes and pathways involved in IMF deposition and lipid metabolism and provides data for developing local pig germplasm resources.

[Preliminary study on the application of abdominal aortic balloon occlusion in the treatment of cesarean scar pregnancy].

Objective: To explore the clinical value by analyzing the application of abdominal aortic balloon occlusion in the uterine curettage treatment for patients with cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP). Methods: Totally 42 CSP patients in the first Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University were analyzed retrospectively, 21 cases in the observation group, placing the balloon catheter to the abdominal aorta under the renal artery under the digital substraction angiography(DSA), conducting curettage under hysteroscopy or uterine laparoscopy immediately, and making intermittent blockage in abdominal aorta blood flow during the surgery;21 patients in the control group, conducting uterine artery embolization (UAE) before operation, conducting curettage under hysteroscopy or uterine laparoscopy after 1-3 days. The fluoroscopy time under DSA, body surface radiation dose, intraoperative blood loss, operation time, incidence of postoperative adverse reactions, hospitalization time and follow-up menstruation were comparatively analyzed. Results: All patients operated and retained the uterus successfully. In the control group, all 21 patients had different degrees of fever, pain and other symptoms after UAE. In the observation group and control group, the fluoroscopy time and body surface radiation dose under DSA respectively were (7.4±1.4) s, (5.4±1.1) mGy and (1 142.8±315.5) s, (1 442.0±300.0) mGy (both P<0.01);the average amount of intraoperative blood loss were (22±15), (19±14) ml (P>0.05), the time of uterine curettage were (37±20), (42±19) minutes (P>0.05);hospitalization time were (5.0±0.9), (7.7±1.3) days (P<0.01). The follow-up period was more than 3 months, no adverse reactions were observed in the observation group; 4 cases of menstrual reduction and 1 case of intrauterine adhesions were found in the control group. Conclusion: Abdominal aortic balloon occlusion and UAE could effectively reduce intraoperative bleeding in uterine curettage for patients with CSP; abdominal aortic balloon occlusion has significant reduction of the X-ray dose, shorter hospitalization time, and fewer adverse events comparing to UAE.

[An analysis of the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of acute poisoning patients in a general hospital].

Objective: To analyze the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of acute poisoning patients in a general hospital, then to provide a reference for the prevention and treatment of acute poisoning in the future. Methods: A retrospective analysis was made on the clinical data of 660 patients with acute poisoning admitted in emergency medical center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University from July 2009 to May 2015. Results: More men than women in 660 cases with acute poisoning(the ratio of male to female was 1.36∶1) ; ≥30 years old was the high incidence age (78.79%) ; The top occupation was farmers (39.70%) ; Most were life poisoning (88.18%) , suicide was the main reason (62.42%) especially happened in women, and the main cause of suicide was family conflicts; Toxic species dominated by pesticide (67.58%) , most were severe poisoning (81.82%) ; The top two pesticide poisoning were organic phosphorus and paraquat, and the proportion of blood purification in paraquat was significantly higher (χ2=105.21, P=0.00) ; There were 212 cases with organ dysfunction, main were pesticide poisoning patients, and the proportionof organ dysfunction in paraquat was significantly higher than the rest allpesticide poisoning (χ2=45.09, P=0.00) ; The general fatal rate of acute poisoning was 2.27%, and the proportion in paraquat poisoning was .higher than the rest pesticide poisoning who were death and give up when discharged (χ2=56.83, P=0.00) . Conclusion: The focus of acute poisoning in the general hospital is still pesticide (especially organic phosphorus and paraquat) , and most were severe poisoning.

MiRNA-584 suppresses the progression of NK/T-cell lymphoma by targeting FOXO1.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to clarify the influences of miRNA-584 on proliferative and invasive abilities in NK/T-cell lymphoma, and to illustrate the underlying mechanism. PATIENTS AND METHODS: MiRNA-584 levels in peripheral blood of NK/T-cell lymphoma patients and healthy controls were detected by qRT-PCR. Potential relationship between miRNA-584 level and clinical indicators of NK/T-cell lymphoma patients was analyzed. Kaplan-Meier curves were depicted for assessing the prognostic value of miRNA-584 in NK/T-cell lymphoma patients. After overexpression or knockdown of miRNA-584, changes in proliferative and invasive abilities in KHYG-1 and SNK-6 cells were assessed by CCK-8 and transwell assay, respectively. The potential mechanism of miRNA-584 and its downstream gene FOXO1 in regulating the development of NK/T-cell lymphoma was explored by Dual-Luciferase reporter gene assay and rescue experiments. RESULTS: Peripheral blood levels of miRNA-584 were lower in NK/T-cell lymphoma patients than those of healthy control. Compared with NK/T-cell lymphoma patients expressing high level of miRNA-584, those expressing a low level suffered worse tumor staging, higher rate of bone marrow invasion, and worse prognosis. Overexpression of miRNA-584 suppressed proliferative and invasive abilities in KHYG-1 and SNK-6 cells. On the contrary, knockdown of miRNA-584 yielded the opposite results. FOXO1 was showed to be the direct target binding miRNA-584, and its level was negatively regulated by miRNA-584. Notably, FOXO1 could partially abolish the regulatory effects of miRNA-584 on proliferative and invasive abilities in NK/T-cell lymphoma. CONCLUSIONS: Low level of miRNA-584 is closely linked to advanced stage, susceptibility to bone marrow invasion, and poor prognosis in NK/T-cell lymphoma. MiRNA-584 suppresses proliferative and invasive abilities in NK/T-cell lymphoma by targeting FOXO1.

Comparative study on the effect of Y content on grain refinement in the simulated coarse-grained heat-affected zone of X70 pipeline steels.

This study aims to investigate the influence of Y content on grain refinement in the simulated coarse-grained heat-affected zone (CGHAZ) of X70 pipeline steels. The results explored that two different grain refinement mechanisms were presented in 0.034 wt.%-Y and 0.075 wt.%-Y steels, respectively. The Y2O2S inclusions and YP precipitates are formed in 0.034 wt.%-Y steel instead of the YP inclusions and more YP precipitates in 0.075 wt.%-Y steel. The grain refinement mechanism in the simulated CGHAZ of 0.034 wt.%-Y steel mainly depends on the formation of acicular ferrite induced by Y2O2S inclusion. Whereas, the grain refinement mechanism in the simulated CGHAZ of 0.075 wt.%-Y steel primarily relies on the austenite boundary pinning effect by higher density of YP precipitates.

Spontaneous emission of terbium complex in-filled in single-crystal colloidal multilayer.

Highly monodisperse submicron-sized silica spheres were synthesized by a chemical method, and single-crystal colloidal multilayers were prepared by a vertical deposition technique. Rare earth complex Tb(ACAC)3phen was in-filled in this structure to investigate the photonic bandgap effect on the spontaneous emission. The photon density of states in the photonic crystal was calculated numerically to investigate the origin of the abnormally enhanced photoluminescence in the photonic bandgap region. Our results are suggestive of a new way to probe the position of fluorescent molecules in such photonic bandgap materials.

Primary dapsone resistance in China.

Ninety-seven strains of Mycobacterium leprae recovered from patients with previously untreated multibacillary leprosy were tested for dapsone susceptibility. The specimens originated from Shanghai Municipality, Jiang-su Province and Fu-jian Province. Approximately 28% of the strains either did not infect the mice or the results of susceptibility were inconclusive due to the low proportion of viable organisms in the bacterial populations. Among the 70 strains in which dapsone susceptibility could be tested in mice, 31 (44%) strains were found with primary dapsone resistance. Although the majority of the primary dapsone resistant strains were shown to be of a low- or intermediate-degree, one-sixth of them were of high-degree resistance.

Effects of spinach powder fat-soluble extract on proliferation of human gastric adenocarcinoma cells.

Four kinds of assays were used to study the effect of a fat-soluble extract of spinach powder (SPFE) on the proliferation of human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line (SGC-7901) in vitro. These studies included: (i) cell growth assay, (ii) colony forming assay, (iii) MTT colorimetric assay, and (iv) 3H-TdR incorporation assay. The concentrations of SPFE expressed as the level of beta-carotene in the medium were 2 x 10(-8), 2 x 10(-7) and 2 x 10(-6) mol/L beta-carotene in assay (i)-(iii), but 4 x 10(-8), 4 x 10(-7) and 4 x 10(-6) mol/L beta-carotene in assay (iv) respectively. The results indicated that SPFE inhibited the proliferation and colony forming ability of SGC-7901 cells. And in MTT assay, SPFE inhibited the viability of SGC-7901 cells, but no inhibitory effect of SPFE was observed on the viability of lymphocytes in peripheral blood of healthy people. Finally, in the 3H-TdR incorporation test, both SPFE and beta-carotene showed significant inhibitory effects on DNA synthesis in SGC-7901 cells, but SPFE was more effective than beta-carotene.

Influences of refined konjac meal on the levels of tissue lipids and the absorption of four minerals in rats.

This paper reports a study on the hypocholesterolemic effect of the refined konjac meal (RKM) containing about 80% glucomannan prepared from the tubers of Amorphophallus konjac K. Koch. Male and female Sprague-Dawley rats, 5 weeks old, were divided into five groups and fed a normal basal diet, a hypercholesterolemic diet (control diet), and three test diets (RKM added to the control diet at levels of 2.5, 5, and 10%, respectively) for 12 weeks. The results obtained indicate that RKM could markedly lower the cholesterol levels in the serum and the liver of rats eating hypercholesterolemic diets. At the end of the 4th week of feeding experiment, the serum cholesterol levels in the 5 and the 10% RKM groups and the liver cholesterol level in the 10% RKM group were significantly lower than those in the control groups. At the end of the 12th week, the serum cholesterol levels of all the three RKM groups were lowered to a normal level as was the liver cholesterol level of the 10% RKM group. The lipotropic effect of RKM was also confirmed by histopathologic examination of the livers. In addition to the hypocholesterolemic effects, RKM diets also increased stool bulk. Minor effects on the absorption and utilization of Ca, Fe, Zn, and Cu were found.

In vivo and in vitro studies on the antitumor activities of MCP (Malva crispa L. Powder).

Four short-term in vivo and in vitro tests were used to further confirm the antitumor activities of MCP, a vegetable powder, prepared from Malva crispa L. (i) In the H22 hepatoma-transplanting test, MCP had antitumor action, but MCP residue did not show such action; 5-FU appeared to have more potent antitumor activities and more harmful effects than MCP. (ii) In the micronucleus (MN) test, MCP significantly decreased MN frequency. (iii) In the cancer cell culture systems, the MCP fat-soluble extract revealed inhibitory effects on the growth and proliferation of the human hepatoma and the gastric cancer cells in a dose-response manner. (iv) In the colony formation test, MCP also altered the morphology of human gastric cancer cells. It was suggested that MCP could be consumed not only by healthy subjects for cancer prevention but also by patients with cancer as supplementary treatment in combination with anticarcinogenic drug such as 5-FU, cyclophosphamide (CP).

Research note: differences in major histocompatibility complex gene frequencies associated with feed efficiency and laying performance.

Associations between egg production and feed efficiency and the genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) of the chicken were investigated. Breeders were selected on the basis of indexes incorporating information on body weight and egg mass, with or without feed consumption information. Over 1,000 progeny were serotyped for the erythrocyte antigen B (Ea-B) after the 6th generation of selection. The B2 and B13 haplotypes accounted for over 75% of the Ea-B gene pool in all lines. Comparing each index-selected line with the control B2 significantly increased in frequency at the expense of B13. This study further implicates MHC-linked genes as important in the physiology of growth and reproduction in the chicken.

[Clinical analysis of 134 cases of central nervous system leukemia].

134 cases of central nervous system leukemia (CNSL) were reported. The clinical manifestations and the relationship of its occurrence with the duration of the disease and the effectiveness of prophylaxis were discussed. It was found that most cases of CNSL occurred 3 months after the diagnosis of leukemia. It was quite different from the reports in literature that most CNSL usually occurred after complete remission, with CSF routine examination the into cranial pressure, the protein content, the white cell count and the smear for leukemic cells were of significant diagnostic help. Among these, the founding of leukemic cells in the fresh specimen by using natural precipitation method is the most reliable diagnostic criterion of CNSL.

[A clinical study on myelodysplastic syndrome. Report of 64 cases].

Systematic clinical and laboratory observations of 64 cases of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) were made. The results showed that malignant clone already exists in the bone marrow of patients with MDS. Eighteen cases of them have transformed into AML. The rates of transforming into AML in RAEB, RAEB-T and CMML were markedly higher than that in RA. The courses of MDS which transformed into AML from the various types were different. The transformation in RA was obviously longer than those in RAEB and RAEB-T. Two cases transformed into myelofibrosis. Diagnosis of CMML according to the FAB classification criteria revealed that it has two forms. One shows only increase of mature monocytes and it has no relation with the types of acute leukemia to be transformed. It is considered as a reactive monocytosis. The other form, in addition to increase of mature monocytes, also has increase of a few monoblasts and promonocytes. These are considered as true CMML and usually quickly developed into M4 or M5 which are related with monocytes.

[An analysis of 26 cases of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia].

Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a polymorphous malignant hematological stem cell disorder, characterized by abnormal hyperplasia of mature or immature cells of both monocytic and granulocytic series and with abnormal cellular morphology. It is an independent entity of chronic leukemia, as its prestage course is manifested by refractory anemia with monocytosis and the disease gradually evolves to CMML. In some cases, it finally becomes acute leukemia. In this study, the average white cell count of the patients was 29.3 x 10(9)/L.14 cases had leucocytosis, 7 leucopenia and 5 normal count. The absolute value of monocytes was 19 x 10(9)/L and the proportion of monocytes was 10-87%, with an average of 49%. In the leukopenic group with white cell count less than 4 x 10(9)/L, the absolute value of monocytes was less than 1 x 10(9)/L in 5 of the 7 cases. However, it was noticed that all the 5 cases had a proportion of monocytes greater than or equal to 10%. The authors would like to take this percentage as the diagnostic criteria for CMML, which is different from that adopted in FAB classification of 1982 as well as in the literatures. Statistics showed that P value of M/E, Mo/E, Mo/M were of apparent significance in the differentiation of CMML from normal controls and patients with other hematological diseases such as RA, RAEB, CML, CNL, M4 and M5.