One of the outstanding challenges to information processing is the eloquent suppression of energy consumption in the execution of logic operations. The Landauer principle sets an energy constraint in ...deletion of a classical bit of information. Although some attempts have been made to experimentally approach the fundamental limit restricted by this principle, exploring the Landauer principle in a purely quantum mechanical fashion is still an open question. Employing a trapped ultracold ion, we experimentally demonstrate a quantum version of the Landauer principle, i.e., an equality associated with the energy cost of information erasure in conjunction with the entropy change of the associated quantized environment. Our experimental investigation substantiates an intimate link between information thermodynamics and quantum candidate systems for information processing.
Environmental concerns over waste plastics' effect on the environment are leading to the creation of biodegradable plastics. Biodegradable plastics may serve as a promising approach to manage the ...issue of environmental accumulation of plastic waste in the ocean and soil. Biodegradable plastics are the type of polymers that can be degraded by microorganisms into small molecules (e.g., H
O, CO
, and CH
). However, there are misconceptions surrounding biodegradable plastics. For example, the term "biodegradable" on product labeling can be misconstrued by the public to imply that the product will degrade under any environmental conditions. Such misleading information leads to consumer encouragement of excessive consumption of certain goods and increased littering of products labeled as "biodegradable". This review not only provides a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art biodegradable plastics but also clarifies the definitions and various terms associated with biodegradable plastics, including oxo-degradable plastics, enzyme-mediated plastics, and biodegradation agents. Analytical techniques and standard test methods to evaluate the biodegradability of polymeric materials in alignment with international standards are summarized. The review summarizes the properties and industrial applications of previously developed biodegradable plastics and then discusses how biomass-derived monomers can create new types of biodegradable polymers by utilizing their unique chemical properties from oxygen-containing functional groups. The terminology and methodologies covered in the paper provide a perspective on directions for the design of new biodegradable polymers that possess not only advanced performance for practical applications but also environmental benefits.
Most nonequilibrium processes in thermodynamics are quantified only by inequalities; however, the Jarzynski relation presents a remarkably simple and general equality relating nonequilibrium ...quantities with the equilibrium free energy, and this equality holds in both the classical and quantum regimes. We report a single-spin test and confirmation of the Jarzynski relation in the quantum regime using a single ultracold ^{40}Ca^{+} ion trapped in a harmonic potential, based on a general information-theoretic equality for a temporal evolution of the system sandwiched between two projective measurements. By considering both initially pure and mixed states, respectively, we verify, in an exact and fundamental fashion, the nonequilibrium quantum thermodynamics relevant to the mutual information and Jarzynski equality.
Flexible organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) are successfully used as high‐performance enzyme biosensors, such as uric acid (UA) and cholesterol sensors. The sensitivity and selectivity of ...the sensors can be simultaneously enhanced by co‐modifying the gate electrodes with positively/negatively charged bilayer polymer films and enzymes. These OECT‐based UA sensors are successfully utilized for non‐invasive UA detection in human saliva.
The dynamic features of the low-intermediate-high-(L-I-H) confinement transitions on HL-2A tokamak are presented. Here we report the discovery of two types of limit cycles (dubbed type-Y and type-J), ...which show opposite temporal ordering between the radial electric field and turbulence intensity. In type-Y, which appears first after an L-I transition, the turbulence grows first, followed by the localized electric field. In contrast, the electric field leads type-J. The turbulence-induced zonal flow and pressure-gradient-induced drift play essential roles in the two types of limit cycles, respectively. The condition of transition between types-Y and -J is studied in terms of the normalized radial electric field. An I-H transition is demonstrated to occur only from type-J.
Poor stability of organic-inorganic halide perovskite materials in humid condition has hindered the success of perovskite solar cells in real applications since controlled atmosphere is required for ...device fabrication and operation, and there is a lack of effective solutions to this problem until now. Here we report the use of lead (II) thiocyanate (Pb(SCN)2) precursor in preparing perovskite solar cells in ambient air. High-quality CH3NH3PbI3-x(SCN)x perovskite films can be readily prepared even when the relative humidity exceeds 70%. Under optimized processing conditions, we obtain devices with an average power conversion efficiency of 13.49% and the maximum efficiency over 15%. In comparison with typical CH3NH3PbI3-based devices, these solar cells without encapsulation show greatly improved stability in humid air, which is attributed to the incorporation of thiocyanate ions in the crystal lattice. The findings pave a way for realizing efficient and stable perovskite solar cells in ambient atmosphere.
Gastric cancer displays marked molecular heterogeneity with aggressive behavior and treatment resistance. Therefore, good in vitro models that encompass unique subtypes are urgently needed for ...precision medicine development. Here, we have established a primary gastric cancer organoid (GCO) biobank that comprises normal, dysplastic, cancer, and lymph node metastases (n = 63) from 34 patients, including detailed whole-exome and transcriptome analysis. The cohort encompasses most known molecular subtypes (including EBV, MSI, intestinal/CIN, and diffuse/GS, with CLDN18-ARHGAP6 or CTNND1-ARHGAP26 fusions or RHOA mutations), capturing regional heterogeneity and subclonal architecture, while their morphology, transcriptome, and genomic profiles remain closely similar to in vivo tumors, even after long-term culture. Large-scale drug screening revealed sensitivity to unexpected drugs that were recently approved or in clinical trials, including Napabucasin, Abemaciclib, and the ATR inhibitor VE-822. Overall, this new GCO biobank, with linked genomic data, provides a useful resource for studying both cancer cell biology and precision cancer therapy.
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•Living biobank includes 17 normal and 46 gastric cancer organoid lines•Organoid biobank encompasses most of the known molecular subtypes of gastric cancer•Organoids recapitulate the genomic and transcriptomic features of original tumors•High-throughput screen revealed potential target drugs for personalized therapy
Leung and colleagues established a biobank of patient-derived gastric cancer organoids that encompasses a diverse array of subtypes and maintained long-term similarity to the original tumors. They used the organoids to perform large-scale drug screening that identified potential target drugs and could guide patient drug selection.
North China Plain (NCP) is one of the most densely populated regions in China and has experienced enormous economic growth in the past decades. Its regional trace gas pollution has also become one of ...the top environmental concerns in China. Measurements of surface trace gases, including O3, NOx, SO2 and CO were carried out within the HaChi (Haze in China) project at Wuqing Meteorology Station, located between 2 mega-cities (Beijing and Tianjin) in the NCP, from 9 July 2009 to 21 January 2010. Detailed statistical analyses were made in order to provide information on the levels of the measured air pollutants and their characteristics. Gaseous air pollutant concentrations were also studied together with meteorological data and satellite data to help us better understand the causes of the observed variations in the trace gases during the field campaign. In comparison to measurements from other rural and background stations in the NCP, relatively high concentrations were detected in Wuqing, presumably due to regional mixing and transport of pollutants. Local meteorology had deterministic impacts on air pollution levels, which have to be accounted for when evaluating other effects on pollutant concentrations. Trace gas concentrations showed strong dependence on wind, providing information on regional pollution characteristics. O3 mixing ratio also showed clear dependencies on temperature and relative humidity.
The rapid emergence of antibiotic resistance in pathogenic microbes is becoming an imminent global public health problem. Treatment with conventional antibiotics often leads to resistance development ...as the majority of these antibiotics act on intracellular targets, leaving the bacterial morphology intact. Thus, they are highly prone to develop resistance through mutation. Much effort has been made to develop macromolecular antimicrobial agents that are less susceptible to resistance as they function by microbial membrane disruption. Antimicrobial hydrogels constitute an important class of macromolecular antimicrobial agents, which have been shown to be effective in preventing and treating multidrug-resistant infections. Advances in synthetic chemistry have made it possible to tailor molecular structure and functionality to impart broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity as well as predictable mechanical and rheological properties. This has significantly broadened the scope of potential applications that range from medical device and implant coating, sterilization, wound dressing, to antimicrobial creams for the prevention and treatment of multidrug-resistant infections. In this review, advances in both chemically and physically cross-linked natural and synthetic hydrogels possessing intrinsic antimicrobial properties or loaded with antibiotics, antimicrobial polymers/peptides and metal nanoparticles are highlighted. Relationships between physicochemical properties and antimicrobial activity/selectivity, and possible antimicrobial mechanisms of the hydrogels are discussed. Approaches to mitigating toxicity of metal nanoparticles that are encapsulated in hydrogels are reviewed. In addition, challenges and future perspectives in the development of safe and effective antimicrobial hydrogel systems especially involving co-delivery of antimicrobial polymers/peptides and conventional antimicrobial agents for eventual clinical applications are presented.
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