Two-mode interferometers lay the foundations for quantum metrology. Instead of exploring quantum entanglement in the two-mode interferometers, a single bosonic mode also promises a measurement ...precision beyond the shot-noise limit (SNL) by taking advantage of the infinite-dimensional Hilbert space of Fock states. Here, we demonstrate a single-mode phase estimation that approaches the Heisenberg limit (HL) unconditionally. Due to the strong dispersive nonlinearity and long coherence time of a microwave cavity, quantum states of the form Formula: see text can be generated, manipulated and detected with high fidelities, leading to an experimental phase estimation precision scaling as ∼N
. A 9.1 dB enhancement of the precision over the SNL at N = 12 is achieved, which is only 1.7 dB away from the HL. Our experimental architecture is hardware efficient and can be combined with quantum error correction techniques to fight against decoherence, and thus promises quantum-enhanced sensing in practical applications.
This study reports an efficient inoculation protocol that allowed cytological analysis of the infection process of the rice false smut pathogen Ustilaginoidea virens. Examination of serial semithin ...and ultrathin sections of infected spikelets showed that the primary infection sites for the pathogen were the upper parts of the three stamen filaments located between the ovary and the lodicules. The stigma and lodicules were also occasionally infected to a limited extent. The pathogen infected the filaments intercellularly and extended intercellularly along the filament base. The host cells were degraded gradually. The pathogen did not penetrate host cell walls directly and did not form haustoria. In the balls the ovary remained alive and was never infected. This suggests that the pathogen is a biotrophic parasite that grows intercellularly in vivo.
Genetic polymorphisms of CYP2C9 significantly influence the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of some drugs, which might result in adverse drug effects and therapeutic failure. Several studies ...have been performed on CYP2C9 genetic polymorphisms in Han Chinese populations. However, these studies only focused on two commonly investigated alleles, *2 and *3, in relatively small sample sizes. To scale up the gene-scanning region and determine relatively precise data on the genetic distribution pattern in Chinese populations, unrelated healthy Han Chinese volunteers from Zhejiang Province (n=1127) and Hebei (n=1000) Province were recruited as subjects for the direct sequencing of all exons of CYP2C9. As a result, 14 previously reported alleles were detected in this work, and 8 of these alleles (*14, *16, *19, *23, *27, *29, *33 and *34) were described for the first time in Chinese populations. In addition, 37 novel mutations were also detected, of which 22 variants were non-synonymous, and 21 new alleles, *36-*56, were designated by the Human CYP Allele Nomenclature Committee. In vitro functional analysis of these 22 novel CYP2C9 variants revealed that 17 mutations had a significant influence on the protein's catalytic activity. Our study provides the most accurate data on CYP2C9 polymorphisms in Han Chinese populations and detects the largest number of novel allelic variants existing to date. These new alleles will greatly enrich the current knowledge of naturally occurring CYP2C9 variants in Chinese populations.
•A novel Zn-MOF with unique structure was synthesized and characterized.•The structure of the MOF consists of pinwheel trinuclear clusters and 3D pillar-layeres.•The synthesized MOF was used as a ...precursor for preparation of ZnO.
A novel metal-organic frameworks (MOF), namely ({Zn3(2,6-NDC)3(dabco)·6DMF·3H2O} (TMU-13) was synthesized by the reaction of 2,6-naphthalenedicarboxylic acid (2,6-NDC) as the O-donor ligand, 1,4-diazabicyclo 2.2.2 octane (dabco) as the N-donor ligand and Zn(II) nitrate hexahydrate. Single crystal X-ray analysis revealed that TMU-13 exhibited a 3D pillar-layered structure based on pinwheel trinuclear zinc-carboxylate clusters as secondary building unit (SBU) with bcu topology and pore window of 12.7 Å × 5.6 Å. Calcination of the compounds TMU-13 at 500 °C under air atmosphere yield ZnO compound.