Computing Shor's algorithmic steps with interference patterns of classical light.

When considered as orthogonal bases in distinct vector spaces, the unit vectors of polarization directions and the Laguerre-Gaussian modes of polarization amplitude are inseparable, constituting a so-called classical entangled light beam. Equating this classical entanglement to quantum entanglement necessary for computing purpose, we show that the parallelism featured in Shor's factoring algorithm is equivalent to the concurrent light-path propagation of an entangled beam or pulse train. A gedanken experiment is proposed for executing the key algorithmic steps of modular exponentiation and Fourier transform on a target integer N using only classical manipulations on the amplitudes and polarization directions. The multiplicative order associated with the sought-after integer factors is identified through a four-hole diffraction interference from sources obtained from the entangled beam profile. The unique mapping from the fringe patterns to the computed order is demonstrated through simulations for the case [Formula: see text].

Novel nanofibrous membrane-supporting stem cell sheets for plasmid delivery and cell activation to accelerate wound healing.

The integration of biomaterials with cells for high overall performances is vitally important in tissue engineering, as scaffold-free cell sheet lacks enough mechanical performance and cell viability while cell-free scaffold possesses limited biological functions. In this study, we propose a new strategy to strengthen cell sheets and enhance cell activity for accelerating wound healing based on a novel sandwich structure of cell sheet-plasmid@membrane-cell sheet (CpMC). Specifically, the CpMC contains two adipose-derived stem cell (ADSC) sheets on outer surfaces and an electrospun gelatin/chitosan nanofibrous membrane (NFM) encapsulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plasmids in between. The physicochemical properties of NFM including swelling, stiffness, strength, elasticity, and biodegradation can be tailored by simply adjusting the ratio between gelatin and chitosan to be 7:3 which is optimal for most effectively supporting ADSCs adhesion and proliferation. The swelling/biodegradation of NFM mediates the sustained release of encapsulated VEGF plasmids into adjacent ADSCs, and NFM assists VEGF plasmids to promote the differentiation of ADSCs into endothelial, epidermal, and fibroblast cells, in support of the neoangiogenesis and regeneration of cutaneous tissues within 2 weeks. The proposed membrane-supporting cell sheet strategy provides a new route to tissue engineering, and the developed CpMC demonstrates a high potential for clinical translation.

Investigation on Variables Contributing to the Synthesis of C-S-H/PCE Nanocomposites by Co-Precipitation Method.

The usage of nanoscale calcium silicate hydrate (nano C-S-H) proved to have an excellent promotion effect on the early performance of concrete as nano C-S-H with ultra-fine particle size can act as seeding for cement hydration. Therefore, it is of importance to tune the particle size during the synthesis process of nano C-S-H. In this paper, the influence of several variables of the particle size distribution (PSD) of nano C-S-H synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method with the aid of polycarboxylate (PCE) was studied by orthogonal experimental design. In addition, the composition, microstructure, and morphology of the C-S-H/PCE nanocomposites were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and Raman spectrum. The results showed that the concentration of reactants had a significant impact on the PSD of C-S-H/PCE nanocomposites, followed by the dosage of dispersant. Ultrasonic treatment was effective in breaking the C-S-H/PCE aggregates with unstable agglomeration structures. The change in synthetic variables had a negligible effect on the composition of the C-S-H/PCE nanocomposites but had a significant influence on the crystallinity and morphology of the composites.

The association between fasting plasma glucose and all-cause and cause-specific mortality by gender: The rural Chinese cohort study.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate the association between fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and mortality by gender. METHODS: A total of 17 248 eligible participants from a rural Chinese prospective cohort population were included. The same questionnaire interview and anthropometric and laboratory measurements were performed at both baseline (2007-2008) and follow-up (2013-2014). Participants were classified according to baseline FPG and diabetic status by sex. Restricted cubic splines and Cox proportional-hazards regression models, estimating hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI), were used to assess the FPG-mortality relation. RESULTS: During the 6-year follow-up, 618 men and 489 women died. The FPG-mortality relation was J shaped for both sexes. For men, risk of all-cause and noncardiovascular disease (CVD)/noncancer mortality was greater with low fasting glucose (LFG) than with normal fasting glucose (adjusted HR [aHR] 1.60; 95% CI, 1.05-2.43; and aHR 2.16; 95% CI, 1.15-4.05). Men with diabetes mellitus (DM) showed increased risk of all-cause (aHR 2.04; 95% CI, 1.60-2.60), CVD (aHR 1.98; 95% CI, 1.36-2.89), and non-CVD/noncancer mortality (aHR 2.62; 95% CI, 1.76-3.91). Men with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) had borderline risk of CVD mortality (aHR 1.34; 95% CI, 1.00-1.79). Women with LFG had increased risk of non-CVD/noncancer mortality (aHR 2.27; 95% CI, 1.04-4.95), and women with DM had increased risk of all-cause (aHR 1.73; 95% CI, 1.35-2.23), CVD (aHR 1.76; 95% CI, 1.24-2.50), and non-CVD/noncancer mortality (aHR 1.97; 95% CI, 1.27-3.08). CONCLUSIONS: LFG is positively associated with all-cause mortality risk in rural Chinese men but not in women.

MFGE8 polymorphisms are significantly associated with metabolism-related indicators rather than metabolic syndrome in Chinese people: A nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The correlation between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of milk fat globule-epidermal growth factor 8 (MFGE8) and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and metabolism-related indicators are limited. The present study explored the relation in Chinese adults. METHODS: We conducted a nested case-control study based on the Rural Chinese Cohort Study including 408 people with MetS and 408 controls matched by baseline sex, age (±2 years), marital status, and residence village. Four polymorphisms were selected and genotyped by using the SNPscan Genotyping system. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate the association of MFGE8 polymorphisms with MetS incidence, and linear regression was used to assess the association with metabolism-related indicators in controls. RESULTS: We found no significant association of MFGE8 SNPs with MetS incidence or systolic blood pressure, or triglycerides level, or fasting plasma glucose (P > 0.05). However, MFGE8 rs4932450 was negatively associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) level under the dominant model (ß = -0.0218, P = 0.007) and the additive model (ß = -0.0175, P = 0.012) and positively associated with diastolic blood pressure (DBP) under the recessive model (ß = 4.8848, P = 0.011). The rs3784751 SNP was associated with increased waist circumference (WC) in controls (ß = 0.0307, P = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: MFGE8 polymorphisms were not associated with MetS but were related to DBP, HDL-C level, and WC in Chinese adults.

CD36 gene variants is associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus through the interaction of obesity in rural Chinese adults.

BACKGROUND: Evidences show that cluster determinant 36 (CD36) protein plays a role in lipid metabolism and insulin resistance, and the expression of CD36 is inducible in obesity. The present study evaluated the association of CD36 variants and the interaction with obesity on type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk. METHODS: We performed a case-control study nested in the Rural Chinese Cohort Study. We included 546 incident T2DM cases matched with non-T2DM controls in a 1:1 ratio by sex, age (within 2 years), marital status, and residence village. Four loci in CD36 (rs1194197, rs2151916, rs3211956, and rs7755) were genotyped by SNPscanTM Genotyping system. RESULTS: After adjusting for potential confounding, we observed no statistically significant association between the CD36 polymorphisms and T2DM risk. Compared to wild-type homozygous carriers with normal weight, overweight/obesity participants carrying the mutational allele rs7755 showed increased risk of T2DM, by 114% (OR = 2.14, 95% CI: 1.33-3.46; Pinteraction = 0.007); abdominal obesity participants carrying the mutational allele rs7755 showed increased risk of T2DM, by 133% (OR = 2.33, 95% CI: 1.48-3.66; Pinteraction = 0.002). Furthermore, rs2151916 polymorphism was associated with triglycerides level (P = 0.019), and the rs1194197 variant was related to systolic blood pressure (P = 0.023) within the group of controls. CONCLUSIONS: CD36 genotypes were not associated with the progression to T2DM independently. However, our results suggested a positive interaction between the CD36 variants and obesity on T2DM susceptibility, which might be through a cardiometabolic disorder.