Operation speed and coherence time are two core measures for the viability of a qubit. Strong spin-orbit interaction (SOI) and relatively weak hyperfine interaction make holes in germanium (Ge) ...intriguing candidates for spin qubits with rapid, all-electrical coherent control. Here we report ultrafast single-spin manipulation in a hole-based double quantum dot in a germanium hut wire (GHW). Mediated by the strong SOI, a Rabi frequency exceeding 540 MHz is observed at a magnetic field of 100 mT, setting a record for ultrafast spin qubit control in semiconductor systems. We demonstrate that the strong SOI of heavy holes (HHs) in our GHW, characterized by a very short spin-orbit length of 1.5 nm, enables the rapid gate operations we accomplish. Our results demonstrate the potential of ultrafast coherent control of hole spin qubits to meet the requirement of DiVincenzo's criteria for a scalable quantum information processor.
Photon loss in optical fibers prevents long-distance distribution of quantum information on the ground. Quantum repeater is proposed to overcome this problem, but the communication distance is still ...limited so far because of the system complexity of the quantum repeater scheme. Alternative solutions include transportable quantum memory and quantum-memory-equipped satellites, where long-lived optical quantum memories are the key components to realize global quantum communication. However, the longest storage time of the optical memories demonstrated so far is approximately 1 minute. Here, by employing a zero-first-order-Zeeman magnetic field and dynamical decoupling to protect the spin coherence in a solid, we demonstrate coherent storage of light in an atomic frequency comb memory over 1 hour, leading to a promising future for large-scale quantum communication based on long-lived solid-state quantum memories.
Acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are severe inflammatory lung diseases. Methylprednisolone (MP) is a common drug against inflammation in clinic. In this study, ...we aim to investigate the protective effect of MP on ALI and potential mechanisms.
Male BABL/c mice were injected through tail vein using lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 5 mg/kg) with or without 5 mg/kg MP. Lung mechanics, tissue injury and inflammation were examined. Macrophage subsets in the lung were identified by flow cytometry. Macrophages were cultured from bone marrow of mice with or without MP. Then, we analyzed and isolated the subsets of macrophages. These isolated macrophages were then co-cultured with CD4
T cells, and the percentage of regulatory T cells (Tregs) was examined. The expression of IL-10 and TGF-β in the supernatant was measured. The Tregs immunosuppression function was examined by T cell proliferation assay. To disclose the mechanism of the induction of Tregs by M2c, we blocked IL-10 or/and TGF-β using neutralizing antibody.
Respiratory physiologic function was significantly improved by MP treatment. Tissue injury and inflammation were ameliorated in the MP-treated group. After MP treatment, the number of M1 decreased and M2 increased in the lung. In in vitro experiment, MP promoted M2 polarization rather than M1. We then induced M1, M2a and M2c from bone marrow cells. M1 induced more Th17 while M2 induced more CD4
CD25
Fxop3
Tregs. Compared with M2a, M2c induced more Tregs, and this effect could be blocked by anti-IL-10 and anti-TGF-β antibodies. However, M2a and M2c have no impact on Tregs immunosuppression function.
In conclusion, MP ameliorated ALI by promoting M2 polarization. M2, especially M2c, induced Tregs without any influence on Tregs immunosuppression function.
Although several chemokines play key roles in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI), the roles of chemokine (C‐X‐C motif) ligand 16 (CXCL16) and its receptor C‐X‐C chemokine receptor type 6 ...(CXCR6) in ALI pathogenesis remain to be elucidated. The mRNA and protein expression of CXCL16 and CXCR6 was detected after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation with or without treatment with the nuclear factor‐κB (NF‐κB) inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC). Lung injury induced by LPS was evaluated in CXCR6 knockout mice. CXCL16 level was elevated in the serum of ALI patients (n = 20) compared with healthy controls (n = 30). CXCL16 treatment (50, 100, and 200 ng/mL) in 16HBE cells significantly decreased the epithelial barrier integrity and E‐cadherin expression, and increased CXCR6 expression, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and p38 phosphorylation. Knockdown of CXCR6 or treatment with the p38 inhibitor SB203580 abolished the effects of CXCL16. Moreover, treatment of 16HBE cells with LPS (5, 10, 20 and 50 μg/mL) significantly increased CXCL16 release as well as the mRNA and protein levels of CXCL16 and CXCR6. The effects of LPS treatment (20 μg/mL) were abolished by treatment with PDTC. The results of the luciferase assay further demonstrated that PDTC treatment markedly inhibited the activity of the CXCL16 promoter. In conclusion, CXCL16, whose transcription was enhanced by LPS, may be involved in ROS production, epithelial barrier dysfunction and E‐cadherin down‐regulation via p38 signalling, thus contributing to the pathogenesis of ALI. Importantly, CXCR6 knockout or inhibition of p38 signalling may protect mice from LPS‐induced lung injury by decreasing E‐cadherin expression.
Abstract
Photon echo is a fundamental tool for the manipulation of electromagnetic fields. Unavoidable spontaneous emission noise is generated in this process due to the strong rephasing pulse, which ...limits the achievable signal-to-noise ratio and represents a fundamental obstacle towards their applications in the quantum regime. Here we propose a noiseless photon-echo protocol based on a four-level atomic system. We implement this protocol in a Eu
3+
:Y
2
SiO
5
crystal to serve as an optical quantum memory. A storage fidelity of 0.952 ± 0.018 is obtained for time-bin qubits encoded with single-photon-level coherent pulses, which is far beyond the maximal fidelity achievable using the classical measure-and-prepare strategy. In this work, the demonstrated noiseless photon-echo quantum memory features spin-wave storage, easy operation and high storage fidelity, which should be easily extended to other physical systems.
The lung is the primary organ targeted by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), making respiratory failure a leading coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-related mortality. ...However, our cellular and molecular understanding of how SARS-CoV-2 infection drives lung pathology is limited. Here we constructed multi-omics and single-nucleus transcriptomic atlases of the lungs of patients with COVID-19, which integrate histological, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses. Our work reveals the molecular basis of pathological hallmarks associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in different lung and infiltrating immune cell populations. We report molecular fingerprints of hyperinflammation, alveolar epithelial cell exhaustion, vascular changes and fibrosis, and identify parenchymal lung senescence as a molecular state of COVID-19 pathology. Moreover, our data suggest that FOXO3A suppression is a potential mechanism underlying the fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition associated with COVID-19 pulmonary fibrosis. Our work depicts a comprehensive cellular and molecular atlas of the lungs of patients with COVID-19 and provides insights into SARS-CoV-2-related pulmonary injury, facilitating the identification of biomarkers and development of symptomatic treatments.
Agricultural plastic films have been proven highly advantageous, but they also cause pollution of plastic debris and associated chemicals. Phthalates (phthalic acid esters, PAEs), an important ...additive of agricultural films, can be released and contaminate the environment. Here, we analyzed the agricultural plastic usage and assessed plastic debris in China and developed a method to estimate PAE emissions from agricultural films. Additionally, the environmental fate of PAEs was evaluated using a fugacity-based multimedia model. The agricultural plastic film usage in China in 2017 was 2,528,600 tons. After agricultural film recycling and water erosion, the plastic debris amount was estimated as 465,016 tons. The water erosion process carried 4329 tons of plastic debris into the aquatic environment. During its lifetime, the agricultural film released a total of 91.5 tons of two typical types of PAEs. PAEs from the mulching film would mostly be removed through degradation, while those from the greenhouse film accumulate in vegetables. Populated regions exhibited more serious PAE pollution in vegetables but with no immediate health risks. The model was well evaluated using comparable measured concentrations and uncertainty analysis based on the Monte Carlo method. The findings from this study demonstrate the serious agricultural plastic pollution problem and associated PAE contamination in China.
In silicon quantum dots (QDs), at a certain magnetic field commonly referred to as the "hot spot," the electron spin relaxation rate (T1−1 ) can be drastically enhanced due to strong spin-valley ...mixing. Here, we experimentally find that with a valley splitting of 78.2 ± 1.6 μ eV , this hot spot in spin relaxation can be suppressed by more than 2 orders of magnitude when the in-plane magnetic field is oriented at an optimal angle, about 9° from the 100 sample plane. This directional anisotropy exhibits a sinusoidal modulation with a 180° periodicity. We explain the magnitude and phase of this modulation using a model that accounts for both spin-valley mixing and intravalley spin-orbit mixing. The generality of this phenomenon is also confirmed by tuning the electric field and the valley splitting up to 268.5 ± 0.7 μ eV
The application of livestock and poultry manures was the predominant source of heavy metals in agricultural soils, particularly in China. It is important to systematically compare the pollution ...characteristics, emission situations and mass loads for heavy metals in the manures of different livestock and poultry in China. According to analysis and estimation based on the reported concentration levels of eight heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Cr, Hg, As, and Ni) and the feed quantities of livestock (pig, cattle, and sheep) and poultry in 2017, the concentrations of Zn and Cu and the over-standard frequencies of Zn, Cu, Cd, and As were much higher than those of other heavy metals, especially in pig manure. In 2017, the total emission of livestock and poultry manure in China was 1.64 × 109 t (FW), which was mainly excreted from cattle (45.77%); while the total emission of heavy metals sourced from manures was 2.86 × 105 t (DW), with the predominant contribution originating from pig manure (71.52%). The highest mass loads of manures and heavy metals were observed in Shandong, Tianjin, Henan, and Shanghai, where heavy metal contamination may be occurring (especially for Zn and Cu). The heavy metal concentrations in livestock and poultry manures of China were similar to other countries; however, more heavy metals were discharged into agricultural land through manure (especially for Zn and Cu). For many countries, abundant Zn and Cu exist in agricultural soils, principally contributed by livestock and poultry manures. These heavy metals originate from their addition to livestock and poultry feeds. Therefore, reducing the addition of Zn and Cu in feeds is an effective measure to lower their input into agricultural soils.
Display omitted
•Zn, Cu, Cd, and As occur as fairly serious pollution in the pig manure of China.•Similar concentrations to other countries, but higher heavy metal emissions in China.•Heavy metals emission in China from livestock and poultry manures was up to 2.86 × 105 t.•Southeastern provinces of China presented high mass loads of manures and heavy metals.•Zn and Cu in agricultural soils principally contributed by livestock and poultry manures.
Purpose
Femoral nerve blocks (FNBs) provide effective analgesia after total knee arthroplasty, but have been associated with quadriceps weakness. Adductor canal block (ACB) is a promising alternative ...option that delivers a primarily sensory blockade. The aim of this study was to determine whether ACB provides superior quadriceps strength and similar pain control than FNB.
Methods
A systematic search of PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE and Web of Science was conducted without publication data or language restriction. Comparative studies comparing ACB with FNB were included. Two authors independently assessed data extraction and quality of the studies.
Results
Nine studies with 639 patients were identified. Results of meta-analysis showed that compared with FNB, ACB preserved quadriceps muscle strength better than FNB MD
24h
= 1.14, 95 % CI (0.38, 1.91),
p
< 0.01; MD
48h
= 0.40, 95 % CI (0.16, 0.64),
p
< 0.01, while there were no significant differences in pain score during rest at 24 h SMD = − 0.04, 95 % CI (−0.17, 0.26); n.s or 48 h SMD = − 0.10, 95 % CI (−0.27, 0.08); n.s, pain score during activity at 24 h SMD = 0.13, 95 % CI (−0.36, 0.62); n.s or 48 h SMD = − 0.13, 95 % CI (−0.37, 0.12); n.s, opioid consumption at 24 h SMD = − 0.01, 95 % CI (−1.68, 1.66); n.s or 48 h SMD = − 0.92, 95 % CI (−6.86, 5.01); n.s, length of hospital stay MD = 0.05, 95 % CI (−0.91, 1.00); n.s and nausea or vomiting RR = 1.17, 95 % CI (0.62, 2.20); n.s between ACB and FNB.
Conclusions
ACB preserved the strength of quadriceps more than FNB and achieves similar analgesic effects in post-operative pain.
Level of evidence
Level III.
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