Search

Cervus albirostris (white-lipped deer) is an endemic species in China. As the name implies, C. albirostris has a characteristic pure white marking around their mouth and on the underside of the throat. The animal is a typical alpine species normally living at the height of 3500-4300 m. In this study, by pyrosequencing the 16S rRNA gene sequences, we for the first time analyzed the gut bacterial community composition in eight feces samples of wild C. albirostris. From a total of 243,634 high-quality sequences, we identified 186 genera, included in 17 prokaryotic phyla in the feces. The relative proportions of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were highly consistent in each individual sample. The most frequently detected genus was Ruminococcaceae UCG-005, ranging from 6.70 to 21.00%, displaying positively connections with the Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group. The bacterial communities associated with C. albirostris provide the basic knowledge for further microbiological studies and facilitates the conservation efforts of this vulnerable deer species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using the adaptive measurement method we study how to detect whether a weak magnetic field is actually present or not under Gaussian noise and non-Gaussian noise. We find that the adaptive measurement method can effectively improve the detection accuracy. For the case of Gaussian noise, we find the stronger the magnetic field strength, the easier for us to detect the magnetic field. Counterintuitively, for non-Gaussian noise, some weaker magnetic fields are more likely to be detected rather than some stronger ones. Finally, we give a reasonable physical interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze the influence of non-Gaussian noise on the accuracy of the parameter estimation. Specially, we estimate the intensity of magnetic field by adopting a spin-1/2 system which is influenced by random telegraph noise and colored noise with 1 / f α spectrum. We find that, for the random telegraph noise case, both weak coupling and strong coupling conditions are suitable for the parameter estimation. For the colored noise case, the accuracy of the parameter estimation decreases with the parameter α firstly and then increases with it. We also give physical explanations for these phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The entanglement backflow of two qubits coupled to two independent reservoirs is investigated. It is found that under the collective effects of the two independent reservoirs, the entanglement backflow of the qubits does not always increase with the increase of the non-Markovianity of one of the reservoirs but demonstrates an intricate behavior. Interestingly, the action of one reservoir can affect the other reservoirʼs contribution to the entanglement backflow even when the two reservoirs are independent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The entanglement evolution of two qubits in local, two-sided non-Markovian pure dephasing channels is investigated. It is found that for the two-sided pure dephasing channel case, when the qubits are initially prepared in a general class of states, whether pure or mixed, the entanglement can be expressed as the products of initial entanglement and the channelsʼ action on the maximally entangled state. This provide us a good approximation to characterize the entanglement dynamics of arbitrary states to some extent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: To study the effect of selenium-enriched yeast (SeY) level on selenoprotein genes expression and the relation between gene expression and antioxidant status and meat quality, 30 selenium (Se)-depleted pigs (7-week old, 10.30±0.68kg) were randomly divided into 3 groups and fed a basal diet plus 0, 0.3 and 3.0mgSe/kg as SeY for 8weeks. Results showed that dietary SeY supplementation improved the antioxidant status in muscle. The increased levels of SeY decreased (P <0.05) the drip loss and the concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in the muscle and meat. However, increased dietary SeY intake quadratically increased (P <0.01) the mRNA level of Sepw1 gene among the 12 selenoprotein genes examined in muscle. Statistical analysis showed drip loss was negatively correlated with the mRNA level of Sepw1 gene. These suggested that the enhanced water-holding capacity of meat was associated with the increased expression of Sepw1 gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We propose a scheme to generate a W state of qubits trapped in two spatially separated cavities respectively by means of entanglement transfer. We find that the 2n qubits will be entangled in the W state periodically. The influence of cavity dissipation is also analytically demonstrated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A general expression of weak values is derived in open system. • The expression is applicable to both Markovian and non-Markovian environments. • Weak values under random telegraph noise and 1 / f noise are shown. The influence of Gaussian noise on weak values is studied. A general expression of weak values is derived, which is applicable to both Markovian and non-Markovian environment. Weak values under random telegraph noise and the colored noise of type 1 / f a are investigated in particular, and the properties of weak values under those non-Gaussian noises are discussed. Furthermore, the threshold time for weak values keeping its characteristic to exceed spectrum range is found, which can reach a large value by the memory effect of non-Markovian environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent work has relatively comprehensively studied the quantum discord, which is supposed to account for all the nonclassical correlations present in a bipartite state (including entanglement), and provide computational speedup and quantum enhancement even in separable states. Firstly, we introduce several different indicators of nonclassical correlations, including their definitions and interpretations, mathematical properties, and the relationship between them. Secondly, we review two major topics of quantum discord. One is the remarkable behavior at quantum phase transitions. The pairwise quantum discord for nearest neighbors as well as distant spin pairs can perfectly signal the critical behavior of many physical models, even at finite temperatures. The other is quantum discord dynamics in open systems, especially for "system-spin environment" models. Quantum discord is more robust than entanglement against external perturbations. It can be created, greatly amplified or protected under certain conditions, and presents promising applications in quantum technologies such as quantum computers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: By considering level shifting during the insertion process we revisit the quantum Szilard engine (QSZE) with fully quantum consideration. We derive the general expressions of the heat absorbed from thermal bath and the total work done to the environment by the system in a cycle with two different cyclic strategies. We find that only the quantum information contributes to the absorbed heat, and the classical information acts like a feedback controller and has no direct effect on the absorbed heat. This is the first demonstration of the different effects of quantum information and classical information for extracting heat from the bath in the QSZE. Moreover, when the well width or the temperature of the bath the QSZE reduces to the classical Szilard engine (CSZE), and the total work satisfies the relation as obtained by Sang Wook Kim et al. [S.W. Kim, T. Sagawa, S. De Liberato, M. Ueda, Phys. Rev. Lett. 106 (2011) 070401] for one particle case. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: An increasing number of studies have been devoted to studying the respiratory toxicity of carbon nanomaterials, but little information is known, thus far, on the biodistribution of these nanomaterials after inhalation or intratracheal instillation. We synthesized and labeled a polyhydroxylated derivative of fullerene C60(OH) x (x =22,24) with 99mTc. With single photon emission computed tomography imaging and 〈gamma〉-ray counting techniques, the biodistribution of 99mTc-C60(OH) x in Sprague–Dawley rats after intratracheal instillation was studied. It was found that, besides the highest retention in the lung, 99mTc-C60(OH) x is distributed mainly in the liver, bone, and spleen, with no uptake found in brain. The long-term retention in the lung and the very fast clearance from the blood revealed a transient characteristic of penetrating the alveolar-capillary barrier. The dimensions and size distribution, as well as in vivo aggregation of 99mTc-C60(OH) x , may affect the capability and kinetic process of penetrating the alveolar-capillary barrier. The results provide guidance for further study of the respiratory toxicity of carbon nanomaterials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The strong aromatic Chinese liquors are batch-brewed in mud cellars, but the changes in the brewing microflora and their effects on the production of flavors are mostly unclear. In the liquor brewing industry, it is a mystery that older cellars produce better tasting liquors. In this study, by pyrosequencing the 16S rRNA gene, we found that the microflora in a 10-year-old cellar and a 1-year-old cellar significantly reduced the differences of microbial communities between the top, middle and bottom mud layers, but became surprisingly more diverse in the old cellar than that in the new cellar. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry assays indicated that the liquors produced in the old cellar contained higher concentrations of certain ester ingredients that are important for the liquor flavor. We further demonstrated that different bacterial isolates from cellar mud were all able to produce diverse organic compounds. These results indicate that long-term spontaneous batch-fermentation accumulates diverse adaptive microbes, which comprehensively produce more flavorful Chinese liquors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We investigate the influence of initial correlations between two qubits and a family of baths on the entanglement dynamics of these two qubits. We show that initial system–bath correlations can effectively avoid the occurrence of entanglement sudden death, and for the initial states with quantum correlations the entanglement between two qubits can be larger than its initial value. Significantly, we find that there exist initial states which we called entanglement preserving states, such that, although the state of the qubit subsystem evolves the entanglement of two qubits does not evolves at all. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Although the strategy of “Cre/LoxP-based reversible immortalization” holds great promise to overcome the cellular senescence of primary cell cultures for their further use, a secondary gene transfer for Cre expression is usually utilized to trigger the excision of the immortalizing genes in a large number of cells, thus presenting a formidable hurdle for large-scale application. We modified the strategy by utilizing a tricistronic retroviral vector pLCRSTP, in which Cre-ER, simian virus 40 large T antigen (SV40LTAg) oncogene, and a reporter gene were flanked by the same pair of LoxA sites. Five immortalized rat pancreatic β cell clones transduced with pLCRSTP, and six immortalized rat pancreatic β cell clones co-transduced with pLCRSTP and another vector encoding the human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene, were obtained, respectively. The Cre-ER protein could be induced to translocate from the cytoplasm to the nucleus by 4-hydroxytamoxifen to make SV40LTAg, hTERT and the Cre-ER gene itself excise without a secondary gene transfer. Our studies suggest that this system is useful to expand rat β cells and may allow for large-scale production due to its simpler manipulation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]