Activation of indistinguishability-based quantum coherence for enhanced metrological applications with particle statistics imprint.

SignificanceQuantum coherence has a fundamentally different origin for nonidentical and identical particles since for the latter a unique contribution exists due to indistinguishability. Here we experimentally show how to exploit, in a controllable fashion, the contribution to quantum coherence stemming from spatial indistinguishability. Our experiment also directly proves, on the same footing, the different role of particle statistics (bosons or fermions) in supplying coherence-enabled advantage for quantum metrology. Ultimately, our results provide insights toward viable quantum-enhanced technologies based on tunable indistinguishability of identical building blocks.

Pore Size Adjustment Strategy for the Fabrication of Molecularly Imprinted Covalent Organic Framework Nanospheres at Room Temperature for Selective Extraction of Zearalenone in Cereal Samples.

Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are attractive adsorbents for sample pretreatment due to their unique structure and properties. However, the selectivity of COFs for the extraction of hazardous compounds is still limited due to the lack of specific interactions between COFs and targets. Herein, we report a pore size adjustment strategy for room-temperature synthesis of molecularly imprinted COF (MICOF) for selective extraction of zearalenone (ZEN) in complex food samples. The three-dimensional building block tetra(4-aminophenyl) methane was used as a functional monomer, while dialdehyde monomers with different numbers of benzene ring were used to adjust the pore size of MICOF to match with the size of ZEN molecules. The prepared MICOF gave the largest adsorption capacity of 177.2 mg g-1 and the highest imprinting factor of 10.1 for ZEN so far. MICOF was used as the adsorbent for dispersed solid-phase extraction in combination with high-performance liquid chromatography for the determination of trace ZEN in cereals. The high selectivity of the developed method allows simple aqueous standard calibration for the matrix effect-free determination of ZEN in food samples. The limit of detection and the recoveries of the developed method were 0.21 µg kg-1 and 93.7-101.4%, respectively. The precision for the determination of ZEN was less than 3.8% (RSD, n = 6). The developed method is promising for the selective determination of ZEN in complex matrices.

Wickerhamomyces corioli f.a., sp. nov., a novel yeast species discovered in two mushroom species.

Two yeast strains, designated as 19-39-3 and 19-40-2, obtained from the fruiting bodies of Trametes versicolor and Marasmius siccus collected in Yunwu Mountain Forest Park, PR China, have been identified as representing a novel asexual ascomycetous yeast species. From the results of phylogenetic analyses of the sequences of the D1/D2 domains of the large subunit (LSU) rRNA, small subunit (SSU) rRNA and translation elongation factor 1-α (TEF1) genes, it was determined that these strains represent a member of the genus Wickerhamomyces, with Wickerhamomyces alni and Candida ulmi as the closest relatives. The novel species exhibited 6.6 and 6.7% differences in the D1/D2 domains compared with W. alni and C. ulmi, respectively. Additionally, distinct biochemical and physiological differences were observed between the novel species and its related counterparts. No sexual reproduction was observed in these strains, leading to the proposal of the name Wickerhamomyces corioli f.a., sp. nov. for this newly discovered species.

m6A- and m5C- modified lncRNAs orchestrate the prognosis in cutaneous melanoma and m6A- modified LINC00893 regulates cutaneous melanoma cell metastasis.

BACKGROUND: As the most important modifications on the RNA level, N6-methyladenosine (m6A-) and 5-methylcytosine (m5C-) modification could have a direct influence on the RNAs. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) could also be modified by methylcytosine modification. Compared with mRNAs, the function of lncRNAs could be more potent to some extent in biological processes like tumorigenesis. Until now, rare reports have been done associated with cutaneous melanoma. Herein, we wonder if the m6A- and m5C- modified lncRNAs could influence the immune landscape and prognosis in melanoma, and we also want to find some lncRNAs which could directly affect the malignant behaviors of melanoma. METHODS: Systematically, we explored the expression pattern of m6A- and m5C- modified lncRNAs in melanoma from datasets including UCSC Xena and NCBI GEO, and the prognostic lncRNAs were selected. Then, according to the expression pattern of lncRNAs, melanoma samples from these datasets were divided into several subtypes. Prognostic model, nomogram survival model, drug sensitivity, GO, and KEGG pathway analysis were performed. Furthermore, among several selected lncRNAs, we identified one lncRNA named LINC00893 and investigated its expression pattern and its biological function in melanoma cell lines. RESULTS: We identified 27 m6A- and m5C- related lncRNAs which were significantly associated with survival, and we made a subtype analysis of melanoma samples based on these 27 lncRNAs. Among the two subtypes, we found differences of immune cells infiltration between these two subtypes. Then, LASSO algorithm was used to screen the optimized lncRNAs combination including ZNF252P-AS1, MIAT, FAM13A-AS1, LINC-PINT, LINC00893, AGAP2-AS1, OIP5-AS1, and SEMA6A-AS1. We also found that there was a significant correlation between the different risk groups predicted based on RS model and the actual prognosis. The nomogram survival model based on independent survival prognostic factors was also constructed. Besides, sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents, GO and KEGG analysis were performed. In different risk groups, a total of 14 drug molecules with different distributions were obtained, which included AZD6482, AZD7762, AZD8055, camptothecin, dasatinib, erlotinib, gefitinib, gemcitabine, GSK269962A, nilotinib, rapamycin, and sorafenib. A total of 55 significantly related biological processes and 17 KEGG signaling pathways were screened. At last, we noticed that LINC00893 had a relatively lower expression in melanoma tissue and cell lines compared with adjacent tissues and epidermal melanocyte, and down-regulation of LINC00893 could promote the malignant behavior of melanoma cells in A875 and MV3. In these two melanoma cell lines, down-regulation of m6A-related molecules like YTHDF3 and METTL3 could promote the expression of LINC00893. CONCLUSION: We made an analysis of m6A- and m5C- related lncRNAs in melanoma samples and a prediction of these lncRNAs' role in prognosis, tumor microenvironment, immune infiltration, and clinicopathological features. We also found that LINC00893, which is potentially regulated by m6A modification, could serve as a tumor-suppressor in melanoma and play an inhibitory role in melanoma metastasis.

Observation of Non-Markovian Evolution of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Steering.

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering is a type of characteristic nonlocal correlation and provides an important resource in quantum information tasks, especially in view of its asymmetric property. Although plenty of works on EPR steering have been reported, the study of non-Markovian evolution of EPR steering, in which the interactions between the quantum system and surrounding environment are taken into consideration, still lacks intuitive experimental evidence. Here, we experimentally observe the non-Markovian evolution of EPR steering including its sudden death and revival processes, during which the degree of memory effect plays a key role in the recovery of steering. Additionally, a strict unsteerable feature is sufficiently verified during the non-Markovian evolution within multisetting measurements. This Letter, revealing the whole evolution of EPR steering under the non-Markovian process, provides incisive insight into the applications of EPR steering in quantum open systems.

Nanodesigns for Na3V2(PO4)3-based cathode in sodium-ion batteries: a topical review.

With the rapid development of sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), it is urgent to exploit the cathode materials with good rate capability, attractive high energy density and considerable long cycle performance. Na3V2(PO4)3(NVP), as a NASICON-type electrode material, is one of the cathode materials with great potential for application because of its good thermal stability and stable. However, NVP has the inherent problem of low electronic conductivity, and various strategies are proposed to improve it, moreover, nanotechnology or nanostructure are involved in these strategies, the construction of nanostructured active particles and nanocomposites with conductive carbon networks have been shown to be effective in improving the electrical conductivity of NVP. Herein, we review the research progress of NVP performance improvement strategies from the perspective of nanostructures and classifies the prepared nanomaterials according to their different nano-dimension. In addition, NVP nanocomposites are reviewed in terms of both preparation methods and promotion effects, and examples of NVP nanocomposites at different nano-dimension are given. Finally, some personal views are presented to provide reasonable guidance for the research and design of high-performance polyanionic cathode materials of SIBs.

Copper-Catalyzed Formal Dehydration Polymerization of Propargylic Alcohols via Cumulene Intermediates.

Here we report a copper-catalyzed formal dehydration polymerization of propargylic alcohols. Copper catalysis allows for efficient in situ generation of [n]cumulenes (n = 3, 5) by a soft deprotonation/ß-elimination pathway and subsequent polymerization via organocopper species. Alkyne polymers (Mn up to 36.2 kg/mol) were produced with high efficiency (up to 95% yield) and excellent functional group tolerance. One-pot synthesis of semiconducting head-to-head poly(phenylacetylene) was demonstrated through a polymerization-isomerization sequence.

Demonstrating Shareability of Multipartite Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen Steering.

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) steering, a category of quantum nonlocal correlations describing the ability of one observer to influence another party's state via local measurements, is different from both entanglement and Bell nonlocality by possessing an asymmetric property. For multipartite EPR steering, the monogamous situation, where two observers cannot simultaneously steer the state of the third party, has been investigated rigorously both in theory and experiment. In contrast to the monogamous situation, the shareability of EPR steering in reduced subsystems allows the state of one party to be steered by two or more observers and thus reveals more configurations of multipartite EPR steering. However, the experimental implementation of such a kind of shareability has still been absent until now. Here, in an optical experiment, we provide a proof-of-principle demonstration of the shareability of EPR steering without the constraint of monogamy in a three-qubit system. Moreover, based on the reduced bipartite EPR steering detection results, we verify the genuine three-qubit entanglement results. This work provides a complementary viewpoint for understanding multipartite EPR steering and has potential applications in many quantum information protocols, such as multipartite entanglement detection, quantum cryptography, and the construction of quantum networks.

A Dislocated Twin-Locking Acceptor-Donor-Acceptor Configuration for Efficient Delayed Fluorescence with Multiple Through-Space Charge Transfer.

Organic materials featuring intramolecular through-space charge transfer (TSCT) excited states are advantageous for efficient thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF), although the realization of multiple TSCT systems remains challenging. Herein, a rigid molecule with a three-dimensional dislocated sandwich acceptor-donor-acceptor configuration has been developed by a linking biphenazine (2PXZ) donor and 2,4,6-triphenyl-1,3,5-triazine (TRZ) acceptor through the twin-locking of two spiro-fluorene bridges. The twin-locking construction with multiple TSCT effects suppresses the intramolecular rotations of various segments in 2PXZ-2TRZ, leading to a small singlet-triplet energy difference, a fast reverse intersystem crossing process, and high photoluminescence quantum yield. This material simultaneously possesses the capabilities of TADF and aggregation-induced emission. The device employing 2PXZ-2TRZ as a dopant displays an optimal external quantum efficiency of 27.1 % and a low efficiency roll-off.

A 2-Fold Interpenetrated Nitrogen-Rich Metal-Organic Framework: Dye Adsorption and CO2 Capture and Conversion.

A bifunctional ligand strategy for modification of the functional pores is of great significance in the structural design of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Herein, a new 2-fold interpenetrated "pillared-layer" 3D Co-MOF, {[Co(HL)(4,4'-bipy)]·DMF·2H2O}n (1), was successfully synthesized by using two kinds of ligands, imidazolecarboxylic acid and pyridine. The metal-carboxylic layers are pillared by the 4,4'-bipy ligand, displaying a 3D framework with rectangular 3D channels (high BET surface of 190.9 m2 g-1 and maximum aperture of 3.9 Å) that are decorated with abundant uncoordinated N and O atoms. 1 shows good water stability and thermal stability (320 °C). The proper pores and active sites endowed 1 with a selective adsorption of Congo red in aqueous solution. In addition, a high CO2 adsorption capacity and an excellent CO2 chemical conversion were observed.

An ultra-sensitive gas sensor based on a two-dimensional manganese porphyrin monolayer.

The development of highly sensitive, low-power consuming, stable and recyclable gas sensing devices at room temperature has become an important solution for environmental safety detection. Utilizing a two-dimensional metalloporphyrin monolayer for gas sensing is appealing due to its large specific surface area and high surface activity. A two-dimensional manganese porphyrin monolayer (2DMnPr) is selected from 2D metalloporphyrins with 3d metal centers due to its semi-metallicity to explore its gas sensing properties. Using first-principles calculations, we systematically investigate the electronic structures and adsorption characteristics of gas molecules with toxicity and greenhouse effect on the surface of 2DMnPr, including H2S, CO, CO2, SO2, NO and NO2. The strength of the interaction and charge transfer between the 2DMnPr surface and the adsorbed molecules have a direct effect on the electronic properties and the sensing properties of the adsorbent surface. The sensing performance of the 2DMnPr adsorbent is evaluated via two observable parameters: work function and electrical conductivity. The work functions of 2DMnPr after the adsorption of CO, SO2, NO and NO2 gas molecules increase by different degrees depending on the charge transfer, and those of the H2S and CO2 cases decrease. In our simulation, adsorption of CO, SO2, NO and NO2 gas molecules affects the electronic properties of 2DMnPr markedly, and current-voltage characteristics within a low bias range uncover the superior sensitivity of the conductivity of the 2DMnPr monolayer to these molecules. Besides, the sensing performance is demonstrated to be stable under strain and at room temperature. The desorption time of a gas is positively related to its adsorption energy. The recovery time of CO is predicted to be short enough to realize sustainable detection at room temperature, and the SO2, NO and NO2 gases can also be desorbed at higher temperatures. These results demonstrate that 2DMnPr enables the sensitive detection of these gases and predict the potential application of 2DMnPr as an ultra-sensitive, low-power, stable and recyclable gas sensor at room temperature.

The effects of cow-related factors on rectal temperature, respiration rate, and temperature-humidity index thresholds for lactating cows exposed to heat stress.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of the cow-related factors on rectal temperature (RT) and respiration rate (RR) of lactating dairy cows under different heat stress (HS) conditions and establish the temperature-humidity index (THI) thresholds at which RT and RR begin to increase for cows in China. Cow-related factors included body posture (standing and lying), milk yield (<26 kg/d, ≥ 26-39 kg/d, and ≥39 kg/d), days in milk (≤60 d, > 60 and ≤ 150 d, and >150 d), and parity (1, 2, and ≥3). Records of RT, RR, and individual characteristics were collected from July to October 2020 on a commercial dairy farm in Northern China, where 826 Holstein lactating cows were measured. Using the broken-stick regression models and the entire dataset, the THI thresholds for RT and RR were 69.8 and 67.1, respectively. Therefore, the heat stress conditions during this study were classified according to the THI levels as thermoneutrality (TN, 60 < THI ≤ 67), mild (67 < THI ≤ 72), moderate (72 < THI ≤ 80), and severe (80 < THI ≤ 86). Results showed that lying cows exhibited the higher RT and RR but the lower THI threshold for RT (68.8 vs. 70.7) and RR (65.6 vs. 68.4) than standing cows; milk yield is positively associated with the values of RT and RR under TN or HS conditions, and the THI thresholds for RT (70.2 vs. 70.0 vs. 68.0) and RR (68.1 vs. 64.7 vs. 64.7) were progressively lower for low-yielding, middle-yielding, and high-yielding cows; there was a significant increase in RT and RR in early-lactation cows compared to late-lactation cows under TN or HS conditions (P < 0.001), and the lowest THI threshold (67.8 for RT and 64.7 for RR) was observed in early-lactation cows, followed by mid-lactation cows (68.2 for RT and 65.3 for RR) and late-lactation cows (70.0 for RT and 67.3 for RR); the effects of parity were not significant on RT (P > 0.05), but significant on RR (P < 0.001). The THI thresholds for RT (69.2) and RR (66.0) were lowest for cows in 3rd-parity and higher, followed by cows in 2nd-parity (70.0 for RT and 68.9 for RR) and 1st-parity (70.7 for RT and 66.6 for RR). This study highlighted the great significance of considering the cow-related factors in heat stress responses and THI threshold assessment. For dairy cows in China, we suggest that cooling should be initiated when THI reaches 65 to 66.

Elevated EPSTI1 promote B cell hyperactivation through NF-κB signalling in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is a systemic autoimmune disease characterised by aberrant B cell hyperactivation, whose mechanism is partially understood. METHODS: We performed whole transcriptome sequencing of B cells from three pSS patients and three matched healthy controls (HC). Differentially expression genes (DEGs) were confirmed with B cells from 40 pSS patients and 40 HC by quantitative PCR and western blot. We measured the proliferation potential and immunoglobulins production of siRNA-transfected or plasmid-transfected B cells stimulated with cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) or anti-IgM. We also explored Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) signalling to reveal the potential mechanism of B cell hyperactivation in pSS. RESULTS: We identified 77 upregulated and 32 downregulated DEGs in pSS B cells. We confirmed that epithelial stromal interaction (EPST1) expression in pSS B cells was significantly higher than that from HCs. EPSTI1-silencing B cells stimulated with CpG were less proliferated and produced lower level of IgG and IgM comparing with control B cells. EPSTI1-silencing B cells expressed lower level of p-p65 and higher level of IκBα, and B cells with overexpressed EPSTI1 showed higher level of p-p65 and lower level of IκBα. Finally, IκBα degradation inhibitor Dehydrocostus Lactone treatment attenuated p65 phosphorylation promoted by EPSTI1. CONCLUSION: Elevated EPSTI1 expression in pSS B cells promoted TLR9 signalling activation and contributed to the abnormal B cell activation, which was promoted by facilitating p65 phosphorylation and activation of NF-κB signalling via promoting IκBα degradation. EPSTI1 might be implicated in pSS pathogenesis and was a potential therapeutic target of pSS.

Surface decoration of phosphorene nanoribbons with 4d transition metal atoms for spintronics.

The recent production of phosphorene nanoribbons provides a platform for designing phosphorene-based high-speed electronic devices. Introducing a magnetic moment to phosphorene nanoribbons for spintronics application is attractive. Based on density functional theory combined with the non-equilibrium Green's function method, the electronic, magnetic and spin-polarized transport properties of phosphorene nanoribbons modified by adsorption and substitutional doping of 4d transition metal atoms (Y, Zr, Nb and Mo) are investigated systematically. The results show that both the adsorption and the doping of 4d transition metal atoms can introduce a magnetic moment into phosphorene nanoribbons, except the Y- and Nb-doping cases. The adsorption shows superior performance in terms of modulating the electronic and magnetic properties of phosphorene nanoribbons compared to substitutional doping, exhibiting higher spin polarization near the Fermi level with a narrower band gap. This discrepancy originates from the different electronic redistribution in the adsorption and doping situations. Furthermore, the nanoribbons with adsorbed 4d transition metal atoms exhibit excellent spin-polarized transport properties: a giant magnetoresistance ratio of the Mo-adsorbed nanoribbon reaches over 108 under low bias; the Y-Mo-adsorbed nanoribbons with parallel spin configurations show a spin filtering effect of about 100% with the bias larger than 0.1 V, and those with antiparallel spin configurations exhibit a dual spin filtering effect in an applied bias range of (-0.2 V, 0.2 V). Our results demonstrate that 4d-transition-metal-atom adsorption is a favourable approach to modify the electronic, magnetic and transport properties of phosphorene nanoribbons, thus providing a reference for the rational design of spintronic devices based on phosphorene nanoribbons.

New polyacetylenes glycoside from Eclipta prostrate with DGAT inhibitory activity.

One new polyacetylene glycoside eprostrata Ⅰ (1), together with seven known compounds (2-8), were isolated from Eclipta prostrata. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic and physico-chemical analyses. All the isolates were evaluated inhibitory activity on DGAT in an in vitro assay. Compounds 1-8 were found to exhibit inhibitory activity of DGAT1 with IC50 values ranging from 74.4 ± 1.3 to 101.1 ± 1.1 µM.

30 W, sub-kHz frequency-locked laser at 532 nm.

We report on the realization of a high-power, ultranarrow-linewidth, and frequency-locked 532 nm laser system. The laser system consists of single-pass and intra-cavity second harmonic generation of a continuous-wave Ytterbium doped fiber laser at 1064 nm in the nonlinear crystal of periodically poled lithium niobate and lithium triborate, respectively. With 47 W infrared input, 30 W green laser is generated through the type I critical phase matching in the intracavity lithium triborate crystal. The laser linewidth is measured to be on the order of sub-kHz, which is achieved by simultaneously locking the single-pass frequency doubling output onto the iodine absorption line R69 (36-1) at 532 nm. Furthermore, the phase locking between the laser system and another slave 1064 nm laser is demonstrated with relative frequency tunability being up to 10 GHz. Our results completely satisfy the requirements of 532 nm laser for quantum simulation with ultracold atoms.

Experimental demonstration of topological error correction.

Scalable quantum computing can be achieved only if quantum bits are manipulated in a fault-tolerant fashion. Topological error correction--a method that combines topological quantum computation with quantum error correction--has the highest known tolerable error rate for a local architecture. The technique makes use of cluster states with topological properties and requires only nearest-neighbour interactions. Here we report the experimental demonstration of topological error correction with an eight-photon cluster state. We show that a correlation can be protected against a single error on any quantum bit. Also, when all quantum bits are simultaneously subjected to errors with equal probability, the effective error rate can be significantly reduced. Our work demonstrates the viability of topological error correction for fault-tolerant quantum information processing.

Observation of Coupled Vortex Lattices in a Mass-Imbalance Bose and Fermi Superfluid Mixture.

Quantized vortices play an essential role in diverse superfluid phenomena. In a Bose-Fermi superfluid mixture, especially of two mass-imbalance species, such macroscopic quantum phenomena are particularly rich due to the interplay between the Bose and Fermi superfluidity. However, generating a Bose-Fermi two-species superfluid, producing coupled vortex lattices within, and further probing interspecies interaction effects remain challenging. Here, we experimentally realize a two-species superfluid with dilute gases of lithium-6 and potassium-41, having a mass ratio of about seven. By rotating the superfluid mixture, we simultaneously produce coupled vortex lattices of the two species and thus present a definitive visual evidence for the double superfluidity. Moreover, we report several unconventional behaviors, due to the Bose-Fermi interaction, on the formation and decay of two-species vortices.