Magnetically controlled quantum thermal devices via three nearest-neighbor coupled spin-1/2 systems.

A quantum thermal device based on three nearest-neighbor coupled spin-1/2 systems controlled by the magnetic field is proposed. We systematically study the steady-state thermal behaviors of the system. When the two terminals of our system are in contact with two thermal reservoirs, respectively, the system behaves as a perfect thermal modulator that can manipulate heat current from zero to specific values by adjusting magnetic-field direction over different parameter ranges, since the longitudinal magnetic field can completely block the heat transport. Significantly, the modulator can also be achieved when a third thermal reservoir perturbs the middle spin. We also find that the transverse field can induce the system to separate into two subspaces in which neither steady-state heat current vanishes, thus providing an extra level of control over the heat current through the manipulation of the initial state. In addition, the performance of this device as a transistor can be enhanced by controlling the magnetic field, achieving versatile amplification behaviors, in particular substantial amplification factors.

Quantum heat valve and diode of strongly coupled defects in amorphous material.

The mechanical strain can control the frequency of two-level atoms in amorphous material. In this work, we would like to employ two coupled two-level atoms to manipulate the magnitude and direction of heat transport by controlling mechanical strain to realize the function of a thermal switch and valve. It is found that a high-performance heat diode can be realized in the wide piezo voltage range at different temperatures. We also discuss the dependence of the rectification factor on temperatures and couplings of heat reservoirs. We find that the higher temperature differences correspond to the larger rectification effect. The asymmetry system-reservoir coupling strength can enhance the magnitude of heat transfer, and the impact of asymmetric and symmetric coupling strength on the performance of the heat diode is complementary. It may provide an efficient way to modulate and control heat transport's magnitude and flow preference. This work may give insight into designing and tuning quantum heat machines.

Release of virtual photon and phonon pairs from qubit-plasmon-phonon ultrastrong coupling system.

The most important difference between ultrastrong and non-ultrastrong coupling regimes is that the ground state contains excitations. We consider a qubit-plasmon-phonon ultrastrong coupling (USC) system with a three-level atom coupled to the photon and phonon via its upper two energy levels and show that spontaneous emission of the atom from its intermediate to its ground state produces photon and phonon pairs. It is shown that the current system can produce a strong photon/phonon stream and the atom-phonon coupling plays the active role, which ensures the experimental detection. The emission spectrum and various high-order correlation functions confirm the generation of the pairs of photons and phonons. Our study has important implications for future research on virtual photon and phonon pairs creation in the ground state of the USC regime.

Quantum thermal diode dominated by pure classical correlation via three triangular-coupled qubits.

A quantum thermal diode is designed based on three pairwise coupled qubits, two connected to a common reservoir and the other to an independent reservoir. It is found that the internal couplings between qubits can enhance heat currents. If the two identical qubits uniformly couple with the common reservoir, the crossing dissipation will occur, leading to the initial-state-dependent steady state, which can be decomposed into the mixture of two particular steady states: the heat-conducting state generating maximum heat current and the heat-resisting state not transporting heat. However, the rectification factor doesn't depend on the initial state. In particular, we find that neither quantum entanglement nor quantum discord is present in the steady state, but the pure classical correlation shows a remarkably consistent behavior as the heat rectification factor, which reveals the vital role of classical correlation in the system.

Quantum heat diode versus light emission in circuit quantum electrodynamical system.

Precisely controlling heat transfer in a quantum mechanical system is particularly significant for designing quantum thermodynamical devices. With the technology of experiment advances, circuit quantum electrodynamics (circuit QED) has become a promising system due to controllable light-matter interactions as well as flexible coupling strengths. In this paper, we design a thermal diode in terms of the two-photon Rabi model of the circuit QED system. We find that the thermal diode can not only be realized in the resonant coupling but also achieve better performance, especially for the detuned qubit-photon ultrastrong coupling. We also study the photonic detection rates and their nonreciprocity, which indicate similar behaviors with the nonreciprocal heat transport. This provides the potential to understand thermal diode behavior from the quantum optical perspective and could shed new insight into the relevant research on thermodynamical devices.

Phytochrome B mediates dim-light-reduced insect resistance by promoting the ethylene pathway in rice.

Increasing planting density is one of the most effective ways to improve crop yield. However, one major factor that limits crop planting density is the weakened immunity of plants to pathogens and insects caused by dim light (DL) under shade conditions. The molecular mechanism underlying how DL compromises plant immunity remains unclear. Here, we report that DL reduces rice (Oryza sativa) resistance against brown planthopper (BPH; Nilaparvata lugens) by elevating ethylene (ET) biosynthesis and signaling in a Phytochrome B (OsPHYB)-dependent manner. The DL-reduced BPH resistance is relieved in osphyB mutants, but aggravated in OsPHYB overexpressing plants. Further, we found that DL reduces the nuclear accumulation of OsphyB, thus alleviating Phytochrome Interacting Factor Like14 (OsPIL14) degradation, consequently leading to the up-regulation of 1-Aminocyclopropane-1-Carboxylate Oxidase1 (OsACO1) and an increase in ET levels. In addition, we found that nuclear OsphyB stabilizes Ethylene Insensitive Like2 (OsEIL2) by competitively interacting with EIN3 Binding F-Box Protein (OsEBF1) to enhance ET signaling in rice, which contrasts with previous findings that phyB blocks ET signaling by facilitating Ethylene Insensitive3 (EIN3) degradation in other plant species. Thus, enhanced ET biosynthesis and signaling reduces BPH resistance under DL conditions. Our findings provide insights into the molecular mechanism of the light-regulated ET pathway and host-insect interactions and potential strategies for sustainable insect management.

Common Environmental Effects on Quantum Thermal Transistor.

Quantum thermal transistor is a microscopic thermodynamical device that can modulate and amplify heat current through two terminals by the weak heat current at the third terminal. Here we study the common environmental effects on a quantum thermal transistor made up of three strong-coupling qubits. It is shown that the functions of the thermal transistor can be maintained and the amplification rate can be modestly enhanced by the skillfully designed common environments. In particular, the presence of a dark state in the case of the completely correlated transitions can provide an additional external channel to control the heat currents without any disturbance of the amplification rate. These results show that common environmental effects can offer new insights into improving the performance of quantum thermal devices.

Framework, method and case study for the calculation of end of life for HWL and parameter sensitivity analysis.

Mass construction and operation of hazardous waste landfill infrastructure has greatly improved China's waste management and environmental safety. However, the deterioration of engineering materials and the failure of landfill may lead to the release of untreated leachate rich in persistent toxic pollutants to the soil and shallow groundwater. Accordingly, we develop the framework and process model to predict landfill life by coupling the landfill hydrological performance model and material degradation model. We found that the decrease rate of the concentration of persistent pollutants in leachate was significantly slower than the deterioration rate of the landfill engineering materials. As a result, when the materials failed, the leachate with high concentrations of persistent pollutants continued to leak, resulting in the pollutants concentration in surrounding groundwater exceeding the acceptable concentration at around 385 a, which is the average life of a landfill. Further simulation indicated that hydrogeological conditions and the initial concentration of leachate will affect landfill lifespan. The correlation coefficients of concentration, the thickness of vadose zone and the thickness of aquifer are - 0.79, 0.99 and 0.72 respectively, so the thickness of vadose zone having the greatest impact on the life of a landfill. The results presented herein indicate hazardous waste landfill infrastructure reinvestment should be directed toward long-term monitoring and maintenance, waste second-disposal, and site restoration.

Isolation distance between municipal solid waste landfills and drinking water wells for bacteria attenuation and safe drinking.

Groundwater pollution and human health risks caused by leachate leakage have become a worldwide environmental problem, and the harm and influence of bacteria in leachate have received increased attention. Setting the isolation distance between landfill sites and groundwater isolation targets is particularly important. Firstly, the intensity model of pollutant leakage source and solute transport model were established for the isolation of pathogenic Escherichia coli. Then, the migration, removal and reduction of bacteria in the aerated zone and ground were simulated. Finally, the isolation distance was calculated based on the acceptable water quality limits, and the influence of hydrogeological arameters was analyzed based on the parameter uncertainty. The results of this study suggest that the isolation distances vary widely ranging from 106 m-5.46 km in sand aquifers, 292 m-13.5 km in gravel aquifers and 2.4-58.7 km in coarse gravel aquifers. The gradient change of groundwater from 0.001 to 0.05 resulted in the isolation distance at the highest gradient position being 2-30 times greater than that at the lowest gradient position. There was a difference in the influence of the thickness of the vadose zone. For example, under the same conditions, with the increase of the thickness of the aeration zone, the isolation distance will be reduced by 1.5-5 times, or under the same thickness of the aeration zone, the isolation distance will be significantly shortened. Accordingly, this needs to be determined based on specific safety isolation requirements. In conclusion, this research has important guiding significance for the environmental safety assessment technology of municipal solid waste landfill.

Synthesis, biological evaluation and 3D-QSAR studies of 1,2,4-triazole-5-substituted carboxylic acid bioisosteres as uric acid transporter 1 (URAT1) inhibitors for the treatment of hyperuricemia associated with gout.

As a part of our ongoing research to develop novel URAT1 inhibitors, 19 compounds (1a-1s) based on carboxylic acid bioisosteres were synthesized and tested for in vitro URAT1 inhibitor activity (IC50). The structure-activity relationship (SAR) exploration led to the discovery of a highly potent novel URAT1 inhibitor 1g, which was 225-fold more potent than the parent lesinurad in vitro (IC50 = 0.032 µM for 1g against human URAT1 vs 7.20 µM for lesinurad). Besides, 3D-QSAR pharmacophore models were established based on the activity of the compounds (1a-1s) by Accelrys Discovery Studio 2.5/HypoGen. The best hypothesis, Hypo 1, was validated by three methods (cost analysis, Fisher's randomization and leave-one-out). Although compound 1g is among the most potent URAT1 inhibitors currently under development in clinical trials, the Hypo1 appears to be favorable for future lead optimization.

Rapid Characterization and Identification of Chemical Constituents in Gentiana radix before and after Wine-Processed by UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MSn.

Gentiana radix is used in traditional Chinese medicine and has functions of clearing heat and drying dampness, as well as purging liver and gallbladder fire. A highly sensitive and effective strategy for rapid screening and identification of target constituents has been developed by using ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap) in crude and wine-processed Gentiana radix. Based on the accurate mass measurement (<5 ppm), retention times, and MS fragmentation ions, 52 constituents were unambiguously or tentatively characterized from Gentiana radix, including 21 iridoids, 11 flavonoids, 19 xanthones, and a triterpenoid. This study demonstrated that the established method could be a rapid, effective analytical tool for screening and characterization of compounds in the complex systems of Gentiana radix. By comparing the structure and peak areas of chemical constituents in crude and wine-processed Gentiana radix, we found that some compounds in crude and wine-processed Gentiana radix were significantly different.

Comparison of Bran-Processed and Crude Atractylodes Lancea Effects on Spleen Deficiency Syndrome in Rats.

BACKGROUND: The rhizome of Atractylodes lancea (AL) is usually used for the treatment of various diseases such as spleen deficiency syndrome (SDS). Both bran-processed and crude AL is included in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. The different efficacies of bran-processed and crude AL on SDS are largely unknown, and the mechanisms of AL effects have not been fully elucidated. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to compare the effects of bran-processed and crude AL and then assess the mechanisms of treating SDS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The model of SDS in rats was established using excessive exertion, combined with an irregular diet and intragastric administration of the extract of Sennae Folium, and different doses of bran-processed and crude AL were gavaged. The serum was analyzed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and small intestinal tissues were analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). RESULTS: The injury of SDS was alleviated by the treatment of bran-processed and crude AL. Compared to model group, the indexes of trypsin (TRY), amylase (AMS), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), somatostatin (SS), gastrin (GAS), substance P (SP), Na+-K+-ATPase, and succinic dehydrogenase in serum of each administration group were increased by ELISA, and the mRNA expressions of VIP, SS, GAS, and SP in small intestinal tissues were increased by RT-PCR. Furthermore, in a dose-dependent manner, the bran-processed and crude AL increased the levels of TRY, AMS, VIP, and GAS and the mRNA expression levels of VIP. Compared with the crude AL, the bran-processed AL was more effective in treating SDS. CONCLUSION: Through the mechanisms of treating SDS by AL, both bran-processed and crude AL has alleviated the symptoms of SDS. SUMMARY: Both bran-processed and crude Atractylodes lancea (AL) alleviated symptoms of spleen deficiency syndrome (SDS)Comparing with crude AL, bran. processed AL was more effective in treating SDSThe efficacy of AL could be partly attributed to digestive enzyme activity, gastrointestinal hormone levels, membrane protein activity, and changes in mitochondrial activity. Abbreviations used: AL: Atractylodes lancea; TRY: Trypsin; AMS: Amylase; VIP: Vasoactive intestinal peptide; SS: Somatostatin; GAS: Gastrin; SP: Substance P; ELISA: The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; mRNA: Messenger ribonucleic acid; SDH: Succinic dehydrogenase; RT-PCR: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction; TCM: Traditional Chinese medicine; SDS: Spleen deficiency syndrome.

Assembly of an early-matured japonica (Geng) rice genome, Suijing18, based on PacBio and Illumina sequencing.

The early-matured japonica (Geng) rice variety, Suijing18 (SJ18), carries multiple elite traits including durable blast resistance, good grain quality, and high yield. Using PacBio SMRT technology, we produced over 25 Gb of long-read sequencing raw data from SJ18 with a coverage of 62×. Using Illumina paired-end whole-genome shotgun sequencing technology, we generated 59 Gb of short-read sequencing data from SJ18 (23.6 Gb from a 200 bp library with a coverage of 59× and 35.4 Gb from an 800 bp library with a coverage of 88×). With these data, we assembled a single SJ18 genome and then generated a set of annotation data. These data sets can be used to test new programs for variation deep mining, and will provide new insights into the genome structure, function, and evolution of SJ18, and will provide essential support for biological research in general.

Determination and Tissue Distribution Comparisons of Atractylodin after Oral Administration of Crude and Processed Atractylodes Rhizome.

BACKGROUND: Atractylodis rhizoma is one of the most often used drugs in traditional Chinese medicine. Stir frying with wheat bran is the most common processing method. To clarify the principle of processing, an experiment was carried out to compare the tissue distribution of typical constituent after oral administration of raw A. rhizoma and processed ones. OBJECTIVE: To compare the tissues distribution of atractylodin after oral administration of raw and processed A. rhizoma and clarify the processing principle of A. rhizoma. Materials and Methods: High-performance liquid chromatogram with ultraviolet detection was developed and validated for the determination of atractylodin in rat tissues. RESULTS: The atractylodin in raw and processed A. rhizoma was distributed in all tissues involved in this study. CONCLUSIONS: The concentration of atractylodin in it is the highest in the stomach and small intestine. SUMMARY: In this paper, a simple, specific, and rapid reversed phase-high-performance liquid chromatogram method with ultraviolet detection for quantification of atractylodin in rat tissue has been developed for the first time. The result indicates that the concentration of atractylodin in it is the highest in the stomach and small intestine. Abbreviations used: IS: Internal standard substance; A. rhizoma: Atractylodis rhizoma; RSD: Relative standard deviation; HPLC: High performance liquid chromatography.

Polymer as an Additive in the Emitting Layer for High-Performance Quantum Dot Light-Emitting Diodes.

A facile but effective method is proposed to improve the performance of quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) by incorporating a polymer, poly(9-vinlycarbazole) (PVK), as an additive into the CdSe/CdS/ZnS quantum dot (QD) emitting layer (EML). It is found that the charge balance of the device with the PVK-added EML was greatly improved. In addition, the film morphology of the hole-transporting layer (HTL) which is adjacent to the EML, is substantially improved. The surface roughness of the HTL is reduced from 5.87 to 1.38 nm, which promises a good contact between the HTL and the EML, resulting in low leakage current. With the improved charge balance and morphology, a maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 16.8% corresponding to the current efficiency of 19.0 cd/A is achievable in the red QLEDs. The EQE is 1.6 times as high as that (10.5%) of the reference QLED, comprising a pure QD EML. This work demonstrates that incorporating some polymer molecules into the QD EML as additives could be a facile route toward high-performance QLEDs.

The application of laparoscopic Doppler ultrasound during laparoscopic varicocelectomy in infertile men.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the benefits of laparoscopic Doppler ultrasound (LDU) application during laparoscopic varicocelectomy (LV), and to compare the surgical outcomes and complications between LDU-assisted LV (LDU-LV) and conventional LV for infertile patients with varicoceles; 147 infertile patients were randomly divided into two groups. Operative and postoperative parameters, semen parameters, and the pregnancy rate were compared. There were no differences in baseline demographics. The operative time was significantly longer in LDU-LV group than LV group. The incidence of postoperative hydrocele was 1.4% (1/72) in LDU-LV group versus 10.7% (8/75) in LV group, which showed a significant difference (P < 0.05). However, other surgical outcomes, such as postoperative hospital stay, postoperative recurrence, and testicular atrophy, were similar between the two groups. Sperm concentration and sperm motility were significantly increased in both groups at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery (P < 0.01), and they were higher in LDU-LV than LV group in 12 months after surgery (34.21 ± 6.36 vs 29.99 ± 6.04 for concentration, P < 0.05; 40.72 ± 8.12 vs 37.31 ± 6.12 for motility, P < 0.05). Sperm morphology was comparable between the two groups. The pregnancy rate showed no significant difference (44.4% of the LDU-LV vs 37.3% of the LV, P > 0.05). In conclusion, compared with LV, LDU-LV could safely and effectively ligate all spermatic veins and preserve spermatic arteries without leading to high varicocele recurrence and postoperative hydrocele. Given the benefits that sperm counts as well as sperm motility favoring LDU-LV, we recommend that LDU should be routinely used as an effective tool to improve outcomes and safety of laparoscopic varicocelectomy.

[Real-time transrectal ultrasonography in seminal vesiculoscopy].

OBJECTIVE: To compare three different pathways for transurethral seminal vesiculoscopy (SVS) and investigate the reliability and efficiency of transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS)-guided SVS (TRUS-SVS). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 90 cases of seminal vesiculoscopy conducted directly through the ejaculatory duct or prostatic utricle or under the guide of TRUS. We compared the success rate and complications among the three approaches. RESULTS: Operations were successfully performed in 87 (96.67%) of the 90 cases, 30 through the ejaculatory duct, 37 via the prostatic utricle, and 20 under the guide of TRUS, the operation time ranging from 25 to 75 minutes. Sperm was detected from the seminal vesicle fluid in (92.06%) of the azoospermia patients (58/63) during the surgery and in 77.78% of them (49/63) in semen analysis at 1 week postoperatively. Fifteen hematospermia and 12 spermatocystitis patients were cured. Postoperative follow-up found 20 cases of water-like semen and 3 cases of orchiepididymitis, but no such complications as retrograde ejaculation, incontinence, or rectourethral fistula. CONCLUSIONS: Transejaculatory duct and transprostatic utricle pathways are two common approaches to SVS, while TRUS-SVS may achieve a higher success rate and avoid injury of both the prostate and the rectum.

Vitexin reduces hypoxia-ischemia neonatal brain injury by the inhibition of HIF-1alpha in a rat pup model.

Previous studies have demonstrated that the early suppression of HIF-1α after hypoxia-ischemia (HI) injury provides neuroprotection. Vitexin (5, 7, 4-trihydroxyflavone-8-glucoside), an HIF-1α inhibitor, is a c-glycosylated flavone that has been identified in medicinal plants. Therefore, we hypothesized that treatment with vitexin would protect against HI brain injury. Newborn rat pups were subjected to unilateral carotid artery ligation followed by 2.5 h of hypoxia (8% O2 at 37 °C). Vitexin (30, 45 or 60 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally at 5 min or 3 h after HI. Vitexin, administered 5 min after HI, was neuroprotective as seen by decreased infarct volume evaluated at 48 h post-HI. This neuroprotection was removed when vitexin was administered 3 h after HI. Neuronal cell death, blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity, brain edema, HIF-1α and VEGF protein levels were evaluated using a combination of Nissl staining, IgG staining, brain water content, immunohistochemistry and Western blot at 24 and 48 h after HI. The long-term effects of vitexin were evaluated by brain atrophy measurement, Nissl staining and neurobehavioral tests. Vitexin (45 mg/kg) ameliorated brain edema, BBB disruption and neuronal cell death; Upregulation of HIF-1α by dimethyloxalylglycine (DMOG) increased the BBB permeability and brain edema compared to HI alone. Vitexin attenuated the increase in HIF-1α and VEGF. Vitexin also had long-term effects of protecting against the loss of ipsilateral brain and improveing neurobehavioral outcomes. In conclusion, our data indicate early HIF-1α inhibition with vitexin provides both acute and long-term neuroprotection in the developing brain after neonatal HI injury.

The efficacy of pedicle screw instrument in treatment of irreducible atlantoaxial dislocation.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of pedicle screw instrument in treatment of irreducible atlantoaxial dislocation. PATIENTS AND METHOD: From June 2003 to February 2009, 14 cases of atlas dislocation with upper cervical cord compression were enrolled and anterior transoral soft tissue release combined with posterior reduction and pedicle screw fixation were performed. CT, MRI and radiograph were used preoperatively, and screw placement and bone graft were administered in all cases intraoperatively. Cervical collars were used for 3 months. RESULTS: Screws were successfully placed in atlas in all cases. The average follow-up period was 18 months. Bone fusion was observed in all cases without the following complications: neurologic symptoms, internal fixation failure and redislocation. Neurological recovery was observed in all 14 cases. CONCLUSIONS: Pedicle screw instrument has the following advantages in atlas and axis injury treatment: direct screw placement, short-segment fusion, intraoperative reduction and high fusion rate, which should be a better surgical method for the treatment of atlantoaxial dislocation.

TRPV1 promotes repetitive febrile seizures by pro-inflammatory cytokines in immature brain.

Febrile seizure (FS) is the most common seizure disorder in children, and children with FS are regarded as a high risk for the eventual development of epilepsy. Brain inflammation may be implicated in the mechanism of FS. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is believed to act as a monitor and regulator of body temperature. The role of inflammation in synaptic plasticity mediation indicates that TRPV1 is relevant to several nervous system diseases, such as epilepsy. Here, we report a critical role for TRPV1 in a febrile seizure mouse model and reveal increased levels of pro-inflammatory factors in the immature brain. Animals were subjected to hyperthermia for 30 min, which generates seizures lasting approximately 20 min, and then were used for experiments. To invoke frequently repetitive febrile seizures, mice are exposed to hyperthermia for three times daily at an interval of 4h between every time induced seizure, and a total of 4 days to induce. Behavioral testing for febrile seizures revealed that a TRPV1 knock-out mouse model demonstrated a prolonged onset latency and a shortened duration and seizure grade of febrile seizure when compared with wild type (WT) mice. The expression levels of both TRPV1 mRNA and protein increased after a hyperthermia-induced febrile seizure in WT mice. Notably, TRPV1 activation resulted in a significant elevation in the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IL-6, TNF-α and HMGB1) in the hippocampus and cortex. These data indicate that the reduction of TRPV1 expression parallels a decreased susceptibility to febrile seizures. Thus, preventative strategies might be developed for use during febrile seizures.