Rydberg atom electric field sensing for metrology, communication and hybrid quantum systems.

Rydberg atoms-based electric field sensing has developed rapidly over the past decade. A variety of theoretical proposals and experiment configurations are suggested and realized to improve the measurement metrics, such as intensity sensitivity, bandwidth, phase, and accuracy. The Stark effect and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) or electromagnetically induced absorption (EIA) are fundamental physics principles behind the stage. Furthermore, various techniques such as amplitude- or frequency-modulation, optical homodyne read-out, microwave superheterodyne and frequency conversion based on multi-wave mixing in atoms are utilized to push the metrics into higher levels. In this review, different technologies and the corresponding metrics they had achieved were presented, hoping to inspire more possibilities in the improvement of metrics of Rydberg atom-based electric field sensing and broadness of application scenarios.

Ergodicity breaking from Rydberg clusters in a driven-dissipative many-body system.

It is challenging to probe ergodicity breaking trends of a quantum many-body system when dissipation inevitably damages quantum coherence originated from coherent coupling and dispersive two-body interactions. Rydberg atoms provide a test bed to detect emergent exotic many-body phases and nonergodic dynamics where the strong Rydberg atom interaction competes with and overtakes dissipative effects even at room temperature. Here, we report experimental evidence of a transition from ergodic toward ergodic breaking dynamics in driven-dissipative Rydberg atomic gases. The broken ergodicity is featured by the long-time phase oscillation, which is attributed to the formation of Rydberg excitation clusters in limit cycle phases. The broken symmetry in the limit cycle is a direct manifestation of many-body collective effects, which is verified experimentally by tuning atomic densities. The reported result reveals that Rydberg many-body systems are a promising candidate to probe ergodicity breaking dynamics, such as limit cycles, and enable the benchmark of nonequilibrium phase transition.

Impact of Enhanced Emergency Nursing Processes on the Rescue Outcomes of Emergency Patients with Chest Pain.

Background: Chest pain, a sudden and perilous symptom, is frequently encountered in the emergency department. Prompt and efficient first-aid measures and nursing interventions are crucial for effectively rescuing emergency patients experiencing chest pain. Objective: This study aims to investigate the impact of an enhanced emergency nursing process on the rescue outcomes of emergency patients with chest pain. Design: A randomized controlled study was conducted. Setting: The research was conducted at Suzhou Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine. Participants: A total of 90 emergency chest pain patients admitted between December 2021 and June 2022 were selected and divided into two groups, with 45 cases in each group. Interventions: The control group received routine emergency nursing, while the observation group underwent an improved emergency nursing protocol. Primary Outcome Measures: (1) Treatment initiation time, emergency rescue time, recovery time of vital signs, and hospital stay; (2) curative effect; (3) pain scores; (4) incidence of adverse events; and (5) patient satisfaction. Results: Compared to the control group, the observation group exhibited shorter treatment initiation time, emergency rescue time, recovery time of vital signs, and hospital stay (P < .05). The effective rate in the observation group was higher (P < .05), and pain scores were lower at 30 min, 60 min, 120 min, and 240 min post-rescue (P < .05). The occurrence of adverse events was reduced in the observation group (P = .005), and patient satisfaction was higher at discharge (P < .05). Conclusion: The enhanced emergency nursing process effectively reduces the clinical rescue time for emergency patients with chest pain, enhances rescue efficiency, seizes crucial opportunities for saving lives, and improves patient satisfaction. These findings have significant positive implications for clinical applications.

The Impact of a Humanized Nursing Model on the Nursing Outcomes of Emergency Transfusion Patients.

Background: Emergency transfusion is a frequently performed invasive medical procedure. Patients often experience negative emotions and exhibit poor compliance during transfusion. Therefore, it is imperative to proactively implement effective nursing interventions. Objective: This study aims to investigate the impact of a humanized nursing model on the nursing outcomes of emergency transfusion patients. Design: This research was conducted as a randomized controlled experiment. Setting: The study was conducted in the emergency department of Suzhou Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine. Participants: A total of 120 patients who underwent emergency transfusion treatment in our hospital from February 2021 to October 2022 were selected. They were divided into two groups, the control group, and the observation group, using a random number table method, with 60 patients in each group. Interventions: The control group received standard nursing care, while the observation group received humanized nursing. Primary Outcome Measures: The primary outcome measures included (1) assessment of psychological states, (2) evaluation of physical and mental comfort, (3) assessment of transfusion compliance, (4) incidence of adverse transfusion events, and (5) assessment of nursing satisfaction. Results: Prior to nursing interventions, anxiety and depression scores were not significantly different between the two groups (P > .05). After nursing interventions, both groups exhibited a decrease in scores, with the observation group showing a more significant reduction compared to the control group (P < .05). In all aspects of physical and mental comfort, the observation group scored significantly higher than the control group (P < .05). Transfusion compliance and nursing satisfaction were significantly higher in the observation group compared to the control group (P < .01). The incidence of adverse transfusion events in the observation group was significantly lower than in the control group (P < .01). Conclusions: Humanized nursing significantly improves anxiety and depression in emergency transfusion patients, enhances their physical and mental comfort, and increases transfusion compliance while reducing adverse transfusion events. It leads to high patient satisfaction with nursing services.

Environmental forcing of phytoplankton carbon-to-diversity ratio and carbon-to-chlorophyll ratio: A case study in Jiaozhou Bay, the Yellow Sea.

The relationships between phytoplankton carbon (C) biomass and diversity (i.e., C-to-H' ratio) and chlorophyll a (i.e., C-to-Chl a ratio) are good indicators of marine ecosystem functioning and stability. Here we conducted four cruises spanning 2 years in Jiaozhou Bay to explore the dynamics of C-to-H' and C-to-Chl a ratios. The results showed that the phytoplankton C biomass and diversity were dominated by diatoms, followed by dinoflagellates. The average C-to-H' ratio ranged from 84.10 to 912.17, with high values occurring in the northern region of the bay. In contrast, the average C-to-Chl a ratio ranged between 15.55 and 89.47, and high values primarily appeared in the northern or northeastern part of the bay. In addition, the redundancy analysis showed that temperature and phosphate (DIP) were significantly correlated with both ratios in most cases, indicating that temperature and DIP may be key factors affecting the dynamics of C-to-H' and C-to-Chl a ratios.

Effect of the molecular weight of DOM on the indirect photodegradation of fluoroquinolone antibiotics.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is ubiquitous and widespread in natural water and influences the transformation and removal of antibiotics. Nevertheless, the influence of DOM molecular weight (MW) on the indirect photodegradation of antibiotics has rarely been reported. This study attempted to explore the influence of the molecular weight of DOM on the indirect photodegradation of two fluoroquinolone antibiotics (FQs), ofloxacin (OFL) and norfloxacin (NOR), by using UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The results showed that indirect photodegradation was considered the main photodegradation pathway of FQs in DOM fractions. Triplet-state excited organic matter (3DOM*) and singlet oxygen (1O2) were the main reactive intermediates (RIs) that affected the indirect photodegradation of FQs. The indirect photodegradation rate of FQs was significantly promoted in DOM fractions, especially in the low molecular weight DOM fractions (L-MW DOM, MW < 10 kDa). The results of excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy combined with parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) showed that terrestrial humic-like substances had a higher humification degree and fluorophore content in L- MW DOM fractions, which could produce more 3DOM* and 1O2 to promote the indirect photodegradation of FQs. This study provided new insight into the effects of DOM at the molecular weight level on the indirect photodegradation of antibiotics in natural water.

Spatial distribution and potential ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in the sediments of fishing ports along the coasts of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea.

More than 1,154 fishing ports are widely distributed in China's coastal areas. To date, however, few studies on the pollution and ecological risks of heavy metals in these fishing ports have been reported. In this study, the heavy metals of 148 sediment samples collected from 37 fishing ports along the coasts of the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea were detected. The results showed that the average contents of Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd were 53.58 ± 44.53, 27.90 ± 18.10, 143.52 ± 74.72 and 0.28 ± 0.15 mg/kg, respectively. Based on the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and the potential ecological risk index (RI), we found that fishing ports were the most severely polluted by Cu, but Cd had the highest ecological risk, and most of fishing ports were in moderate potential ecological risk. The positive correlation between heavy metals and total organic carbon indicated that heavy metals in fishing ports were mainly affected by anthropogenic activities.

The characteristics of CDOM structural composition and the effect on indirect photodegradation of sulfamerazine.

Sulfamerazine (SM) is a commonly used antibiotic and have been widely used to control various bacterial infectious diseases. The structural composition of colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is known to be a major factor that influences the indirect photodegradation of SM, yet the influence mechanism remains unknown. In order to understand this mechanism, CDOM from different sources was fractionated using ultrafiltration and XAD resin, and characterized using UV-vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The indirect photodegradation of SM in these CDOM fractions was then investigated. Humic acid (JKHA) and Suwannee River natural organic matter (SRNOM) were used in this study. The results showed that CDOM could be divided into four components (three humic-like components and one protein-like component), and terrestrial humic-like components C1 and C2 were found to be the main components that promote SM indirect photodegradation due to their high aromaticity. The indirect photodegradation of SM was much faster in low molecular weight (MW) solutions, whose structures were dominated by greater aromaticity and terrestrial fluorophores in JKHA and higher terrestrial fluorophores in SRNOM. The HIA and HIB fractions of SRNOM contained large aromaticity and high fluorescence intensities of C1 and C2, resulting in a greater indirect photodegradation rate of SM. The HOA and HIB fractions of JKHA had abundant terrestrial humic-like components and contributed more to SM indirect photodegradation.

Telecom-wavelength conversion in a high optical depth cold atomic system.

We experimentally investigate the frequency down-conversion through the four-wave mixing (FWM) process in a cold 85Rb atomic ensemble, with a diamond-level configuration. An atomic cloud with a high optical depth (OD) of 190 is prepared to achieve a high efficiency frequency conversion. Here, we convert a signal pulse field (795 nm) attenuated to a single-photon level, into a telecom light at 1529.3 nm within near C-band range and the frequency-conversion efficiency can reach up to 32%. We find that the OD is an essential factor affecting conversion efficiency and the efficiency may exceed 32% with an improvement in the OD. Moreover, we note the signal-to-noise ratio of the detected telecom field is higher than 10 while the mean signal count is larger than 0.2. Our work may be combined with quantum memories based on cold 85Rb ensemble at 795 nm and serve for long-distance quantum networks.

Optical memory for arbitrary perfect Poincaré states in an atomic ensemble.

Inherent spin angular momentum (SAM) and orbital angular momentum (OAM), which manifest as polarization and spatial degrees of freedom (DOFs) of photons, hold a promise of large capability for applications in classical and quantum information processing. To enable these photonic spin and orbital dynamic properties strongly coupled with each other, Poincaré states have been proposed and offer advantages in data multiplexing, information encryption, precision metrology, and quantum memory. However, since the transverse size of Laguerre-Gaussian beams strongly depends on their topological charge numbers | l |, it is difficult to store asymmetric Poincaré states due to the significantly different light-matter interaction for distinct spatial modes. Here, we experimentally realize the storage of perfect Poincaré states with arbitrary OAM quanta using the perfect optical vortex, in which 121 arbitrarily selected perfect Poincaré states have been stored with high fidelity. The reported work has great prospects in optical communication and quantum networks for dramatically increased encoding flexibility of information.

Ocean acidification and warming significantly affect coastal eutrophication and organic pollution: A case study in the Bohai Sea.

Most coastal ecosystems are faced with novel challenges associated with human activities and climate change such as ocean acidification, warming, eutrophication, and organic pollution. However, data on the independent or combined effects of ocean acidification and warming on coastal eutrophication and organic pollution at present are relatively limited. Here, we applied the generalized additive models (GAMs) to explore the dynamics of coastal eutrophication and organic pollution in response to future climate change in the Bohai Sea. The GAMs reflected the fact that acidification alone favors eutrophication and organic pollution, while warming alone inhibits these two variables. Differently, the interactions between acidification and warming in the future may further exacerbate the organic pollution but may mitigate the progress of eutrophication. These different responses of eutrophication and organic pollution to acidification and warming may be attributed to algae growth and microbial respiration, as well as some physical processes such as stratification.

Highly Efficient Storage of 25-Dimensional Photonic Qudit in a Cold-Atom-Based Quantum Memory.

Building an efficient quantum memory in high-dimensional Hilbert spaces is one of the fundamental requirements for establishing high-dimensional quantum repeaters, where it offers many advantages over two-dimensional quantum systems, such as a larger information capacity and enhanced noise resilience. To date, it remains a challenge to develop an efficient high-dimensional quantum memory. Here, we experimentally realize a quantum memory that is operational in Hilbert spaces of up to 25 dimensions with a storage efficiency of close to 60% and a fidelity of 84.2±0.6%. The proposed approach exploits the spatial-mode-independent interaction between atoms and photons which are encoded in transverse-size-invariant vortex modes. In particular, our memory features uniform storage efficiency and low crosstalk disturbance for 25 individual spatial modes of photons, thus allowing the storing of qudit states programmed from 25 eigenstates within the high-dimensional Hilbert spaces. These results have great prospects for the implementation of long-distance high-dimensional quantum networks and quantum information processing.

Long-Lived Memory for Orbital Angular Momentum Quantum States.

Quantum memories that are capable of storing multiple spatial modes offer advantages in speed and robustness when incorporated into quantum networks. When it comes to spatial degrees of freedom, orbital angular momentum (OAM) modes have received widespread attention since they enable encoding with inherent infinite number of dimensions. Although the faithful storage of OAM qubits or qutrits has been realized in previous works, the achieved lifetimes are still on the order of a few microseconds as limited by the spatially dependent decoherence. We here demonstrate a long-lived quantum memory for OAM qutrits by suppressing the decoherence in the transverse and longitude direction simultaneously; the achieved fidelity beats the quantum-classical criteria after a storage time of 400 µs, which is 2 orders of magnitude longer than earlier works. The present work is promising for establishing high-dimensional quantum networks.

Ecological risk assessment of heavy metal pollutants and total petroleum hydrocarbons in sediments of the Bohai Sea, China.

Heavy metals and organic pollutants like total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) in coastal marine sediments are receiving extensive attention, as they may pose a serious threat to the aquatic environment and ecosystem health. To date, however, data on the long-term variations in the levels of sedimentary heavy metals and TPHs as well as their ecological risks are relatively limited. Here, we conducted 12 cruises spanning 3 years in the Bohai Sea and obtained ~1400 sediment samples to explore the long-term variations of heavy metals (i.e., Hg, As, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd) and TPHs, and to assess their potential ecological risks. The results suggested that the ranges for the levels of Hg, As, Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, and TPHs in sediments between 2019 and 2021 were <0.01-0.07, 0.23-10.72, 8.07-20.67, 25.52-46.55, 10.94-28.19, 0.14-0.56, and 9.14-18.41 mg kg-1, respectively. Based on the single factor evaluation (Fi) for sediment quality, we found that most of the evaluation factors in the study area met the requirements of sediment quality standard (i.e., Fi < 1), except for the factor of metal Cd in some cases. The implication is that the sediment in the Bohai Sea was fairly clean in terms of heavy metals and TPHs. However, the concentration of metal Cd exceeded the sediment quality standard during May 2019 and 2020 (i.e., Fi > 1), indicating that Cd could be identified as a major pollutant in surface sediments. Also, based on the ecological risk assessment (Ei) of heavy metal pollutants, we found that the metal Cd had reached a level with potential ecological risk in some cases (80 ≤ Ei < 160). As such, we further suggested that the Cd contamination might have a potential risk on the Bohai Sea' ecosystem.

Spatiotemporal evolution of nutrients and the influencing factors in Laizhou Bay over the past 40 years.

The nutrient status in Laizhou Bay has changed in composition and structure as a result of anthropogenic activities and climate change, which has led to several environmental problems (e.g., eutrophication, organic pollution and red tides). To better understand the spatiotemporal variations in dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP), and eutrophication in the Laizhou Bay, we collected historical research data and conducted four cruises in 2021. The highest surface DIN was found to occur in autumn and predominantly concentrated in the southwestern bay. The highest surface DIP content was found in winter and distributed in the northwestern bay. Surface organic pollution showed estuaries as the most polluted areas. In the past 40-60 years, the DIN, DIP, and eutrophication have shown an inverted U-shaped trend, and the bay has changed from N limitation to P limitation. Economic development, phytoplankton absorption, and bottom mineral release are factors influencing the content and distribution of nutrient in the bay.

Different responses of phytoplankton and zooplankton communities to current changing coastal environments.

Marine plankton are faced with novel challenges associated with environmental changes such as ocean acidification, warming, and eutrophication. However, data on the effects of simultaneous environmental changes on complex natural communities in coastal ecosystems are relatively limited. Here we made a systematic analysis of biological and environmental parameters in the Bohai Sea over the past three years to suggest that plankton communities responded differently to current changing coastal environments, with the increase of phytoplankton and the decrease of zooplankton. These different changes of phyto- and zooplankton potentially resulted from the fact that both the effect of acidification as a result of pH decline and the effect of warming as a consequence of increasing temperature favored phytoplankton over zooplankton at present. Furthermore, water eutrophication and salinity as well as heavy metals Hg, Zn, and As had more or less diverse consequences for the dynamics of phytoplankton and zooplankton. Differently, with ongoing climate change, we also revealed that both phytoplankton and zooplankton would decrease in the future under the influence of interactions between acidification and warming.

Deep coverage proteome analysis of hair shaft for forensic individual identification.

Hair shaft is one of the most common biological evidence found at crime scenes. However, due to the biogenic degradation of nuclear DNA in hair shaft, it is difficult to achieve individual identification through routine DNA analysis. In contrast, the proteins in hair shaft are stable and contain genetic polymorphisms in the form of single amino acid polymorphisms (SAPs), translated from non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) in the genome. However, the number of SAPs detected still cannot meet the requirements of practical applications. This paper developed a deep coverage proteome analysis method by combining a three-step sequential ionic liquid-based protein extraction and 2D-RPLC-MS/MS with high and low pH to identify both variant and reference SAPs from 2-cm-long hair shafts. We identified 632 ± 243 protein groups from 10 individuals, with the average number of SAPs reaching 167 ± 21/person. These were further used to calculate random match probabilities (RMPs), a widely accepted forensic statistical term for human identification. The RMPs ranged from 6.53 × 10-4 to 3.10 × 10-14 (median = 2.62 × 10-8) when calculated with frequency of matching nsSNP genotype data from exomes, and ranged from 2.62 × 10-3 to 2.07 × 10-10 (median = 4.88 × 10-6) with SAP genotype frequency. All these results indicate that the deep coverage proteomics method is beneficial for improving SAP-based forensic individual identification in hair shaft, with great potential in crime investigation.

Deep learning enhanced Rydberg multifrequency microwave recognition.

Recognition of multifrequency microwave (MW) electric fields is challenging because of the complex interference of multifrequency fields in practical applications. Rydberg atom-based measurements for multifrequency MW electric fields is promising in MW radar and MW communications. However, Rydberg atoms are sensitive not only to the MW signal but also to noise from atomic collisions and the environment, meaning that solution of the governing Lindblad master equation of light-atom interactions is complicated by the inclusion of noise and high-order terms. Here, we solve these problems by combining Rydberg atoms with deep learning model, demonstrating that this model uses the sensitivity of the Rydberg atoms while also reducing the impact of noise without solving the master equation. As a proof-of-principle demonstration, the deep learning enhanced Rydberg receiver allows direct decoding of the frequency-division multiplexed signal. This type of sensing technology is expected to benefit Rydberg-based MW fields sensing and communication.

Umbilical Cord-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Surfactant Protein B Alleviates Inflammatory Response in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome by Regulating Macrophage Polarization.

Background: Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe disorder that is related to a high mortality. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown strong effects in relieving lung injury. Aims: To determine the role of umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) together with surfactant protein B (SP-B) in ARDS. Study Design: Animal experimentation. Methods: Immunophenotypic characteristics of UC-MSCs were identified. BALB/c mice were intratracheally administrated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and received UC-MSCs or UC-MSCs transfected with SP-B (UC-MSCs-SP-B). Pathological changes and lung injury degrees after transplantation were assessed by histological and biochemical analyses. Inflammatory chemokine and cytokine production in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) was measured using enzyme-linked immunoassay. Flow cytometry was used to examine macrophage phenotypes and differentiation of T-helper 17 (Th17) and T-regulatory (Treg) in the BALF. Results: Our results showed that isolated UC-MSCs possessed multilineage differentiation potential. SP-B transfection into UC-MSCs strengthened the effects of UC-MSCs on lung function repair in LPS-induced ARDS. UC-MSCs and UC-MSCs-SP-B attenuated cellular infiltration. Additionally, UC-MSCs and UC-MSCs-SP-B inhibited the inflammatory response by promoting M2-like polarization, as well as reduced Th17 differentiation and promoted Treg differentiation. Conclusion: UC-MSCs in combination with SP-B, alleviates inflammatory reaction in ARDS by regulating macrophage polarization.

Genetic variants associated with expression of TCF19 contribute to the risk of head and neck cancer in Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: Squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and includes cancers arising from the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx. Genome-wide association studies have found several genetic variants related to the risk of SCCHN; however, they could only explain a small fraction of the heritability. Thus, more susceptibility loci associated with SCCHN need to be identified. METHODS: An association study was conducted by genotyping 555 patients with SCCHN and 1367 controls in a Chinese population. Single-variant association analysis was conducted on 63 373 SNPs, and the promising variants were then confirmed by a two-stage validation with 1875 SCCHN cases and 4637 controls. Bioinformatics analysis and functional assays were applied to uncover the potential pathogenic mechanism of the promising variants and genes associated with SCCHN. RESULTS: We first identified three novel genetic variants significantly associated with the risk of SCCHN (p=7.45×10-7 for rs2517611 at 6p22.1, p=1.76×10-9 for rs2524182 at 6p21.33 and p=2.17×10-10 for rs3131018 at 6p21.33). Further analysis and biochemical assays showed that rs3094187, which was in a region in high linkage disequilibrium with rs3131018, could modify TCF19 expression by regulating the binding affinity of the transcription factor SREBF1 to the promoter of TCF19. In addition, experiments revealed that the inhibition of TCF19 may affect several important pathways involved in tumourigenesis and attenuate the cell proliferation and migration of SCCHN. CONCLUSION: These findings offer important evidence that functional genetic variants could contribute to development of SCCHN and that TCF19 may function as a putative susceptibility gene for SCCHN.