We demonstrate that magnetic properties of ultrathin Co films adjacent to Gd2O3 gate oxides can be directly manipulated by voltage. The Co films can be reversibly changed from an optimally oxidized ...state with a strong perpendicular magnetic anisotropy to a metallic state with an in-plane magnetic anisotropy or to an oxidized state with nearly zero magnetization, depending on the polarity and time duration of the applied electric fields. Consequently, an unprecedentedly large change of magnetic anisotropy energy up to 0.73 erg/cm(2) has been realized in a nonvolatile manner using gate voltages of only a few volts. These results open a new route to achieve ultralow energy magnetization manipulation in spintronic devices.
To realize fault-tolerant quantum computing, it is necessary to store quantum information in logical qubits with error correction functions, realized by distributing a logical state among multiple ...physical qubits or by encoding it in the Hilbert space of a high-dimensional system. Quantum gate operations between these error-correctable logical qubits, which are essential for implementation of any practical quantum computational task, have not been experimentally demonstrated yet. Here we demonstrate a geometric method for realizing controlled-phase gates between two logical qubits encoded in photonic fields stored in cavities. The gates are realized by dispersively coupling an ancillary superconducting qubit to these cavities and driving it to make a cyclic evolution depending on the joint photonic state of the cavities, which produces a conditional geometric phase. We first realize phase gates for photonic qubits with the logical basis states encoded in two quasiorthogonal coherent states, which have important implications for continuous-variable-based quantum computation. Then we use this geometric method to implement a controlled-phase gate between two binomially encoded logical qubits, which have an error-correctable function.
Background
The aim of this study was to assess the immune profile within the microenvironment of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), and to investigate the prognostic value of intratumoral ...infiltrating immune/inflammatory cells (IICs) in patients after surgery.
Methods
Eighteen phenotypic markers representing 11 types of IIC and the protein products of genes TP53, CDKN2A/p16 and SMAD4/DPC4 were assessed by immunohistochemistry of specimens from patients with pancreatic cancer. The expression of IICs and the mutational status of the genes were correlated with tumour recurrence and survival, and results were validated in an independent cohort.
Results
CD15+ neutrophils, CD20+ B cells and CD206+ tumour‐associated macrophages were seen frequently in tumours, and their presence was associated with reduced survival in a cohort of 79 patients. Expression of CD4+ T helper cells, CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes and CD117+ mast cells was associated with a favourable prognosis. A weighted Cox regression recurrence‐predictive model was constructed that showed good correlation of IICs and gene mutations. A combination of CD15, CD206, CD117 and Smad4 expression was independently associated with overall (hazard ratio (HR) 3·63, 95 per cent c.i. 2·18 to 6·04; P < 0·001) and recurrence‐free (HR 2·93, 1·81 to 4·75; P < 0·001) survival. These findings were validated in an independent cohort (151 patients) and in 54 tissue samples obtained by preoperative endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration.
Conclusion
PDAC has a unique immunosuppressive phenotype that is associated with characteristic gene mutations, disease recurrence and survival after pancreatectomy.
Surgical relevance
The immune microenvironment plays a critical role in the development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). PDAC is associated with mutations in major driver genes, including KRAS, TP53, CDKN2A/p16 and SMAD4/DPC4.
This study shows that the microenvironment of PDAC has a unique immunosuppressive phenotype, which may be driven by oncogene mutations. Patients with PDAC with a highly immunosuppressive profile tended to have poor postoperative survival. A model including three intratumoral infiltrating immune markers (CD15+, CD206+ and CD117+) and a SMAD4 mutation can be used to predict recurrence and survival in patients after surgery for PDAC.
Immunosuppressive phenotype has poor prognosis
As an important topological index, the fifth geometric-arithmetic index is used to test the chemical properties of chemical compounds, nanomaterials and drugs. In this paper, by means of graph ...structure analysis and edge dividing technology, the formulate for calculating the fifth geometric-arithmetic index of bridge graph is given. Furthermore, we present the fifth geometric-arithmetic index of carbon nanocones
.
•Microwave heating was adopted to fabricate a special Al/(Ti,W)C composite.•Microstructure and mechanical properties were investigated.•Grain growth was restrained by adding (Ti,W)C, and (Ti,W)C ...distributed uniformly.•Diffusion occurred between Al matrix and (Ti,W)C particulates.•Mechanical properties were enhanced with the addition of (Ti,W)C phases.
(Ti,W)C particulate reinforced 6061 Al alloy composites were prepared by microwave sintering method in this investigation. Green compacts containing different content of reinforcements (i.e., 10, 20 and 30wt.% (Ti,W)C) were prepared and then sintered by microwave heating at four temperatures (i.e., 500°C, 520°C, 540°C, 560°C) with a constant soaking time of 45min. The porosity was increased with an increase in the additive amount of (Ti,W)C particulates, firstly increased and then decreased with an increase in sintering temperature. The microstructure was characterized by uniform distribution of (Ti,W)C particulates in the Al alloy matrix. Grain size growth trend was readily controlled and small grain size was obtained even at higher sintering temperature owing to the addition of (Ti,W)C phase. Mechanical tests indicated that the average hardness, compressive yield strength as well as compression strength were enhanced with an increase in both (Ti,W)C particulate amount and sintering temperature (range from 520°C to 560°C). The interfacial structures between Al/(Ti,W)C, Al/Al and (Ti,W)C/(Ti,W)C were revealed by TEM to investigate bounding mechanism during microwave sintering process.
We analyzed the measurements of ozone (O3) and its precursors made at rural/suburban sites downwind of four large Chinese cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Lanzhou, to elucidate their ...pollution characteristics, regional transport, in situ production, and impacts of heterogeneous processes. The same measurement techniques and observation-based model were used to minimize uncertainties in comparison of the results due to difference in methodologies. All four cities suffered from serious O3 pollution but showed different precursor distributions. The model-calculated in situ O3 production rates were compared with the observed change rates to infer the relative contributions of on-site photochemistry and transport. At the rural site downwind of Beijing, export of the well-processed urban plumes contributed to the extremely high O3 levels (up to an hourly value of 286 ppbv), while the O3 pollution observed at suburban sites of Shanghai, Guangzhou and Lanzhou was dominated by intense in situ production. The O3 production was in a volatile organic compound (VOC)-limited regime in both Shanghai and Guangzhou, and a NOx-limited regime in Lanzhou. The key VOC precursors are aromatics and alkenes in Shanghai, and aromatics in Guangzhou. The potential impacts on O3 production of several heterogeneous processes, namely, hydrolysis of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5), uptake of hydro peroxy radical (HO2) on particles and surface reactions of NO2 forming nitrous acid (HONO), were assessed. The analyses indicate the varying and considerable impacts of these processes in different areas of China depending on the atmospheric abundances of aerosol and NOx, and suggest the urgent need to better understand these processes and represent them in photochemical models.
Ferroelectric materials have a spontaneous electric polarization that can be manipulated for applications. The polarization is usually not uniform throughout the material, and for nanosized ...ferroelectrics, polarization can be quite complex. Using scanning transmission electron microscopy, Tang et al. found that in thin films of the ferroelectric PbTiO3, the polarization vector rotated in space, forming a closed loop, the so-called flux closure. The flux closure structures formed an array, with the period dependent on the width of the thin film, and caused the buildup of considerable strain within the crystal lattice of the material Science, this issue p. 547 Nanoscale ferroelectrics are expected to exhibit various exotic domain configurations, such as the full flux-closure pattern that is well known in ferromagnetic materials. Here we observe not only the atomic morphology of the flux-closure quadrant but also a periodic array of flux closures in ferroelectric PbTiO3 films, mediated by tensile strain on a GdScO3 substrate. Using aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy, we directly visualize an alternating array of clockwise and counterclockwise flux closures, whose periodicity depends on the PbTiO3 film thickness. In the vicinity of the core, the strain is sufficient to rupture the lattice, with strain gradients up to 109 per meter. Engineering strain at the nanoscale may facilitate the development of nanoscale ferroelectric devices.
Abstract
We report on analysis of observations of the bright transient X-ray pulsar Swift J0243.6+6124 obtained during its 2017-2018 giant outburst with Insight-HXMT, NuSTAR, and Swift observatories. ...We focus on the discovery of a sharp state transition of the timing and spectral properties of the source at super-Eddington accretion rates, which we associate with the transition of the accretion disk to a radiation pressure dominated (RPD) state, the first ever directly observed for magnetized neutron star. This transition occurs at slightly higher luminosity compared to already reported transition of the source from sub- to super-critical accretion regime associate with onset of an accretion column. We argue that this scenario can only be realized for comparatively weakly magnetized neutron star, not dissimilar to other ultra-luminous X-ray pulsars (ULPs), which accrete at similar rates. Further evidence for this conclusion is provided by the non-detection of the transition to the propeller state in quiescence which strongly implies compact magnetosphere and thus rules out magnetar-like fields.
Abstract
As one of the major abiotic stresses restricting the development of global agriculture, saline–alkali stress causes osmotic stress, ion poisoning, ROS damage and high pH damage, which ...seriously restrict sustainable development of fruit industry. Therefore, it is essential to develop and cultivate saline–alkali‐resistant apple rootstocks to improve the yield and quality of apples in China.
Based on transcriptome data,
MhANR
(LOC114827797), which is significantly induced by saline–alkali stress, was cloned from
Malus halliana
. The physicochemical properties, evolutionary relationships and
cis
‐acting elements were analysed. Subsequently, the tolerance of
MhANR
overexpression in
Arabidopsis thaliana
, tobacco, and apple calli to saline–alkali stress was verified through genetic transformation.
Transgenic plants contained less Chl
a
, Chl
b
and proline, SOD, POD and CAT activity, and higher relative electrical conductivity (REC) compared to WT plants under saline–alkali stress. In addition, expression of saline–alkali stress‐related genes in overexpressed apple calli were also lower than in WT calli, including the antioxidant genes (
MhSOD
and
MhCAT
^), the Na
+
transporter genes (
MhCAX5
,
MhCAX5
,
MhSOS1
,
MhALT1
), and the H
+
‐ATPase genes (
MhAHA2
and
MhAHA8
), while expression of the K
+
transporter genes (
MhSKOR
and
MhNHX4
) were higher.
Expression of
MhANR
reduced tolerance of
A. thaliana
, tobacco, and apple calli to saline–alkali stress by regulating osmoregulatory substances, chlorophyll content, antioxidant enzyme activity, and expression of saline–alkali stress‐related genes. This research provides a theoretical basis for cultivating apple rootstocks with effective saline–alkali stress tolerance.
PDF
