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Background The role of chemoradiotherapy in unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer is still unclear. Methods Data from patients with unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer were extracted from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program database. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses were conducted to identify the independent prognostic factors of survival. Propensity score matching was carried out to minimize the interference of confounding factors. Subgroup analysis was performed to screen the characteristics of patients who would benefit from chemoradiotherapy. Results A total of 5002 patients with unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer were included. Among them, 2423 (48.4%) received chemotherapy, and 2579 (51.6%) received chemoradiotherapy. The median overall survival of all patients was 11 months. Multivariate Cox analysis showed that age (p p p = 0.001), N stage (p = 0.015) and radiotherapy (p p p 2 cm, adenocarcinoma, mucinous adenocarcinoma and white race. Conclusions Chemoradiotherapy is highly recommended for patients with unresectable locally advanced pancreatic cancer. more...

Background Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a devastating disease characterized by vasoconstriction and vascular remodeling, leading to right ventricular failure and death. PH is a common complication of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Accumulating evidence demonstrate that microRNAs participate in the pathobiology of PH in COPD patients. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the expression and function of microRNA-4640-5p (miR-4640-5p) in PH. Methods The mRNA and protein levels were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot, separately. Functional assays and western blot were performed to determine the effects of miR-4640-5p and NOS1 on cell growth, migration. Besides, the dual-luciferase reporter assays were used to validate miR-4640-5p and NOS1 interactions. Results We found that miR-4640-5p expression was significantly higher in the lung tissues of COPD-PH patients than in the healthy controls while higher expression of miR-4640-5p was correlated with more severe COPD-PH. By using pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PASMC) in in vitro assays, we demonstrated that inhibition of miR-4640-5p suppressed cell proliferation and migration of PASMC via regulating mTOR/S6 signaling. Bioinformatics analysis and validation experiments revealed that nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS1) was a direct downstream target of miR-4640-5p. Overexpression of NOS1 partially antagonized the effect of miR-4640-5p in regulating PASMC cell proliferation and migration. In addition, our findings suggested that miR-4640-5p/NOS1 axis regulated mitochondrial dynamics in PASMCs. Furthermore, in the hypoxia-induced PH rat model, inhibition of miR-4640-5p ameliorated PH with reduced right ventricular systolic pressure and Fulton index. Conclusions miR-4640-5p regulates PH via targeting NOS1, which provides a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for COPD-PH patients. more...

The smart home has security problems such as information leakage during file transmission, beyond the classical cryptographic scheme, quantum cryptography provides new solutions. A scheme for quantum-controlled dense coding with an extended GHZ state is investigated. In the home Internet of Things, monitoring devices, display devices, and home gateways complete the encrypted transmission of video files through the shared GHZ state. The method divided the file signature and the data part of the video file, utilizes quantum-controlled dense coding to form a sequence of encoded data packets, and reorders the data packets in sequence before transmission to ensure the security of data transmission. Experimental analysis shows that the scheme achieves high fidelity of $$99.95\%$$ under the condition of adding noise. According to the nature of dense coding and no-cloning theorem, this scheme has high transmission efficiency and low computational cost and can realize the safe transmission of video files in a restricted environment. more...

The Moon has a magmatic and thermal history that is distinct from that of the terrestrial planets1. Radioisotope dating of lunar samples suggests that most lunar basaltic magmatism ceased by around 2.9–2.8 billion years ago (Ga)2,3, although younger basalts between 3 Ga and 1 Ga have been suggested by crater-counting chronology, which has large uncertainties owing to the lack of returned samples for calibration4,5. Here we report a precise lead–lead age of 2,030 ± 4 million years ago for basalt clasts returned by the Chang’e-5 mission, and a 238U/204Pb ratio (µ value)6 of about 680 for a source that evolved through two stages of differentiation. This is the youngest crystallization age reported so far for lunar basalts by radiometric dating, extending the duration of lunar volcanism by approximately 800–900 million years. The µ value of the Chang’e-5 basalt mantle source is within the range of low-titanium and high-titanium basalts from Apollo sites (µ value of about 300–1,000), but notably lower than those of potassium, rare-earth elements and phosphorus (KREEP) and high-aluminium basalts7 (µ value of about 2,600–3,700), indicating that the Chang’e-5 basalts were produced by melting of a KREEP-poor source. This age provides a pivotal calibration point for crater-counting chronology in the inner Solar System and provides insight on the volcanic and thermal history of the Moon., Basalt samples returned from the Moon by the Chang’e-5 mission are revealed to be two billion years old by radioisotopic dating, providing insight on the volcanic history of the Moon. more...

The leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptor 6 (LGR6) is considered to be a stem cell marker in many normal tissues and promotes tissue development, regeneration, and repair. LGR6 is also related to the initiation and progression of some malignant tumors. However, the role of LGR6 in cervical cancer has not been reported. Here, immunohistochemistry and western blotting showed that LGR6 was significantly upregulated in cervical cancer, compared with the normal cervix. By analyzing The Cancer Genome Atlas database, LGR6 was found to be correlated with a poor prognosis of cervical cancer. Then, a small population of LGR6high cells isolated by using the fluorescence-activated cell sorting exhibited enhanced properties of cancer stem cells including self-renewal, differentiation, and tumorigenicity. Moreover, RNA sequencing revealed that LGR6 was correlated with the Wnt signaling pathway and TOP/FOP, reverse transcription-PCR, and western blotting further proved that LGR6 could activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Interestingly, LGR6 upregulated the expression of TCF7L2 by activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Then, TCF7L2 combining with β-catenin in the nucleus enhanced LGR6 transcription by binding the promoter of LGR6, which further activated the Wnt signaling to form a positive feedback loop. Thus, our study demonstrated that LGR6 activated a novel β-catenin/TCF7L2/LGR6-positive feedback loop in LGR6high cervical cancer stem cells (CSCs), which provided a new therapeutic strategy for targeting cervical CSCs to improve the prognosis of cervical cancer patients. more...

In this work, the degradation behavior of bamboo scrimber are investigated under natural weathering system for six years. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and colorimeter were used to characterize the change of bamboo scrimber surface and microstructure. Natural weathering led to degradation of lignin and rapid color changes, demonstrated by decrease of 1232 cm−1, 1423 cm−1 and 1506 cm−1 absorption peaks, the reduction of C1and increase of C2, and ΔE* value notably. Lignin degradation resulted in micro-check formation in the cell walls of fibers and parenchyma cells within exposure time. In particular, parameters of weather resistance changed rapidly within the initial two years and stabilized in the following four years. It is also revealed that two natural regions with different type of climate have significantly affected the degradation behavior of bamboo scrimber. more...

PTENα and PTENβ (PTENα/β), two long translational variants of phosphatase and tensin homolog on chromosome 10 (PTEN), exert distinct roles from canonical PTEN, including promoting carcinogenesis and accelerating immune-resistant cancer progression. However, their roles in carcinogenesis remain greatly unknown. Herein, we report that, after secreting into the extracellular space, PTENα/β proteins are efficiently cleaved into a short N-terminal and a long C-terminal fragment by the proprotein convertase Furin at a polyarginine stretch in their N-terminal extensions. Although secreted PTENα/β and their cleaved fragment cannot enter cells, treatment of the purified C-terminal fragment but not cleavage-resistant mutants of PTENα exerts a tumor-suppressive role in vivo. As a result, overexpression of cleavage-resistant PTENα mutants manifest a tumor-promoting role more profound than that of wild-type PTENα. In line with these, the C-terminal fragment is significantly downregulated in liver cancer tissues compared to paired normal tissues, which is consistent with the downregulated expression of Furin. Collectively, we show that extracellular PTENα/β present opposite effects on carcinogenesis from intracellular PTENα/β, and propose that the tumor-suppressive C-terminal fragment of PTENα/β might be used as exogenous agent to treat cancer. more...

To study the association between gallbladder dimensions and acute cholecystitis and to define a sensitive cutoff for excluding the disease. 456 consecutive patients with an abdominal ultrasound performed for right upper quadrant pain, from 1/2019 to 4/2019, were retrospectively collected. Length and width of the gallbladder were measured by a blinded radiology fellow. Patient charts were examined for prospective sonographic findings, clinical data, and pathology from subsequent cholecystectomy or at least 1 month of follow-up with symptom resolution. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis were conducted to define the association of gallbladder dimensions and other sonographic and clinical variables with acute cholecystitis. Optimal and sensitive cutoffs of gallbladder widths were defined. The determined sensitive cutoff was validated with a separate cohort of 501 consecutive patients. 319 patients (median age 48 ± 19 years) including 11%, 19%, and 70% with acute, chronic, and no cholecystitis were included in the experimental cohort, respectively, and 298 patients (median age 50 ± 19 years) including 10%, 12%, and 79% with acute, chronic, and no cholecystitis were included in the validation cohort, respectively. Of all sonographic findings and clinical data, gallbladder width produced the best univariate ROC curve with an AUC of 0.91 (Odds ratio 5.1, 95% CI 3.1–8.5, p more...

Given the serious threat of foodborne multidrug-resistant bacteria to animals and humans, finding an effective antibacterial compound has always been an important topic for scientists. Here, from the soil of Changbaishan, we have identified a bacterium that can inhibit the growth of Staphylococcus aureus. Nr genome database analysis and phylogenetic analysis showed that strain CB6 belongs to Bacillus velezensis. We found that the crude extract of strain CB6 has broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against foodborne pathogens. In addition, we showed that the crude extract loses antibacterial activity after treatment with papain. Next, strain CB6 was purified using ammonium sulfate precipitation, a Sephadex G-75 gel filtration column and high-performance liquid chromatography system (HPLC). Liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) analysis indicated that the antibacterial compound was the protein ATP synthase subunit α (ATP-1), with a molecular weight of 55.397 KDa. Moreover, we reported the complete genome sequence of strain CB6, which is composed of a unique circular 3,963,507 bp chromosome with 3749 coding genes and a G + C content of 46.53%. The genome contained 12 gene clusters with antibacterial functions, which constituted over 20.947% of the complete genome. Of note, the amino acid sequence encoding the ATP-1 protein in the strain CB6 genome was identified. In addition to these findings, we speculate that the ATP-1 protein may provide energy for secondary metabolites, which in turn will improve the antibacterial activity of the secondary metabolites. All the above important features make the ATP-1 as a potential candidate for the development of new antibacterial drugs and food preservatives in the future. more...

Due to the influence of external environment and internal factors, the security of quantum dialogue is facing huge challenges. In order to improve the security of quantum dialogue, we proposed the feasible and efficient quantum dialogue protocol with hyperentangled states in discrete-time quantum walk. In the proposed protocol, the trusted third party and both communicating parties entangle themselves via GHZ states and distribute their secret keys. The communicating party(Alice) prepares and signs her message and obtains an entangled quantum set of message and signature. And the other communicating party(Bob) verifies Alice’s signature with the the trusted third party’s help. Then, Alice and Bob perform a discrete-time quantum walk in the network until they meet at a node. Meanwhile, Alice and Bob have a quantum dialogue at the node where they meet. We provide detailed security analysis of the proposed protocol. Security analysis of the proposed protocol against both inside and outside attacks proves that attackers cannot extract any secret information. more...

In this article, a coupling of the direct numerical simulation (DNS) and the population balance modeling (PBM) is implemented to study the effect of turbulence on nanoparticle dynamics in homogenous isotropic turbulence (HIT). The DNS is implemented based on a pseudo-spectral method and the PBM is implemented using the Taylor-series expansion method of moments. The result verifies that coagulation due to turbulent shear force has a bigger impact on the evolution of number concentration, polydispersity, and average diameter of nanoparticles than Brownian coagulation in the HIT. The Reynolds number plays an important role in determining the number concentration, polydispersity, and average diameter of nanoparticles, and these quantities change more rapidly with an increase of Reynolds number. It is also found that the initial geometric standard deviation slows down the evolution of particle dynamics, but almost has no influence on the polydispersity of nanoparticles. more...

Koi carp (Cyprinus carpio) are well-known and highly valuable fish in the international ornamental fish community that have been plagued by Aeromonas veronii infections in recent years. Some A. veronii infections are serious enough to cause death. Lactobacillus plantarum, a probiotic, is one of the most environmentally friendly and safe alternatives to antibiotics for use as a feed additive for aquatic animals such as fish. The present study investigated the effects of L. plantarum C20015 on growth performance, immune responses, and eradication of A. veronii infection in koi carp. During a 6-week feeding experiment in an indoor aquarium and a 14-day A. veronii artificial infection experiment, a control diet group was fed with untreated feed twice a day, while experimental groups were given different concentrations of L. plantarum in their feed. The results indicated that the specific growth rate and percent weight gain of fish were significantly higher in the experimental groups than in the control diet group (P < 0.05). The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and lysozyme (LZM) and the levels of IgM antibody were significantly higher in the L. plantarum–supplemented groups than in the control diet group, and the enzymatic activity in the 108 CFU/g C20015 group was higher than that in the 107 CFU/g C20015 and 109 CFU/g C20015 groups (P < 0.01). In contrast, alkaline phosphatase (AKP) activity in the experimental groups was the highest at 42 days. All fish in the control diet group died 7 days after A. veronii infection. After 14 days, the relative percent survival (%, RPS) of the fish in the L. plantarum–supplemented groups was significantly higher than that of the fish in the control group, and the 108 CFU/g C20015 group had the highest RPS. Therefore, we first reported that fish fed with 108 CFU/g of L. plantarum C20015 could promote food intake and growth for koi carp. more...

Background Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare myeloid neoplasm. A few LCH patients had Macrophage activation syndrome-hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (MAS-HLH), a life-threatening, hyper-inflammatory syndrome. We retrospectively described the clinical-biological characteristics of a series of 28 pediatric LCH patients with MAS-HLH in a single center. We further analyzed the difference in treatment outcomes between second-line chemotherapy (cytarabine and cladribine) and targeted therapy (dabrafenib) for BRAF-V600E-positive patients. Results LCH patients with MAS-HLH were aged P = 0.034). Conclusions LCH patients with MAS-HLH harbored specific clinical-biology characteristics compared to the multisystem LCH without MAS-HLH. The BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib provides a promising treatment option for LCH with MAS-HLH. more...

The concept of communication using acoustic media of underwater sensor networks is important in pollution monitoring, oceanographic data collection and meet future development needs. To improve communication security, it is proposed co-communication of underwater sensor networks with quantum and acoustic communication capabilities by taking advantage of quantum communication and entanglement correlation nonlocality. Between the surface base station and autonomous underwater vehicle, it shares quantum keys by quantum communication and classical communication. Between autonomous underwater vehicle and underwater nodes, it employs symmetric cryptography without causing much encryption and decryption overhead to relay information and correct received information with low-complex on current technique level. In addition, it particularly analyzes the security and throughput efficiency. more...

In this study the scattered-filed computation using the combined method of ray tracing and diffraction (CMRD) is revisited but with an extension to the backscattering computation. The concept of the equivalent phase object is considered as the key part in the developed CMRD method, and is analyzed mathematically with accurately derived expressions for its amplitude and phase function. A formulated CMRD method for the backscattering computation is developed in this work, which is then used in the forward modeling and numerical computations for ultra-wideband pulse propagation and backscattering from a perfectly conducting circular cylinder. The numerical simulation indicates that reasonable and good agreements can be achieved for comparisons between our CMRD method and exact eigenfunction expansion approach. It is expected that the theoretical model and method of backscattering calculation using CMRD can be applied to the image processing and target identification with measurements of backward-scattered electromagnetic and acoustic waves. more...

Proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (PR-AMPs) have attracted much interest as they target Gram-negative and do not act by lytic mechanisms. In this study, a novel hybrid peptide OM19R was designed based on the Oncocin and MDAP-2. OM19R showed specific and improved potency against Escherichia coli (E. coli), Salmonella and Shigella standard strains compared to parental peptides. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) ranged from 1 to 2 μM. However, the activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) was inhibited. The dependence of the SbmA protein for OM19R activity was also studied by a gene-knockout strain. The confocal laser scanning microscopy further revealed that OM19R could rapidly penetrate into E. coli cells without membrane damage. In summary, the hybrid peptide OM19R is a strong cell-selective antibacterial peptide and a promising specific antibacterial agent. more...

The fluorescent probe techniques have been widely applied. When the fluorescence probes are selectively located in nano-structures, the fluorescence properties are highly influenced by the environment. Here, we systematically studied the location-influenced fluorescence of AIEgens in the microphase-separated structures. The AIEgen tetraphenylethene (TPE) was doped into polystyrene-b-polyisoprene (PS-{tib}-PI). TPE was selectively located in the PS nanodomains. The TPE fluorenscence was affected by the structural relaxation of PS when investigated in a wide range of temperatures, including the glass transiton and secondary transiton. When TPE groups were selectively located in the PI nanodomains, the fluorenscence was affected by the glass transitons of PI and PS blocks. Amphiphilic TPE derivative was located at the interface of the assembly. The fluorescence emission was influenced by the main transition and secondary transiton of PS blocks, as well as the main transition of PI blocks. These results would give new understanding of the interrelation between fluorescence probes and the nanostructures. more...

Isolation and characterization of a bacteriocin from Brevibacillus laterosporus DS-3 and its ability in producing antibacterial activity were examined in this study. We isolated 48 bacterial strains from different native ecological niches. Sources included lake water, soil, air, and food. Among the isolates from the soil sample, morphological and biochemical tests identified Brev. laterosporus DS-3, which showed great potential for bacteriocin production. It was purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, then applied in a Sephadex G-15 gel filtration column connected to a purification of AKTA Pure (USA) and reverse phase chromatography. MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry indicated that bacteriocin DS-3 has a low molecular weight of 1592.579 Da. LNTLETEEWFFK was identified as the sequence by mass spectrometry analysis in tandem liquid chromatography and MASCOT research. This bacteriocin inhibited Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and was effective against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Brev. laterosporus DS-3 present in here is thermostable and tolerant to extreme pH. However, inactivation of its antibacterial activity was observed when treated with papain and trypsin but not pepsin, proteinase K, and catalase. more...

The present study evaluated the antibacterial activity and mode of action of fibrauretine on Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus, and synergistic effect with kanamycin against multi-drug resistant E. coli. The fibrauretine exhibited inhibitory effect on the growth of the tested bacteria with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration of 2.5–5 and 5–10 mg/ml, respectively. Morphological changes of cell microstructure were observed after adding fibrauretine at MIC. The mode of action was further confirmed by measuring release of 260-nm absorbing materials and extracellular potassium ions. Checkerboard dilution test suggested that fibrauretine exhibited synergistic activity when combined with kanamycin (FICI ranging from 0.5625 to 0.625). Our results indicated that fibrauretine exerted synergistic effect with kanamycin and its antibacterial mode of action mainly attributed to disruption of cell membrane integrity. more...

Trueperella pyogenes (T. pyogenes) is a worldwide known pathogen of domestic ruminants and pigs causing a wide variety of infections. The objective of this study was to report the presence of major virulence genes in T. pyogenes isolated from pigs with respiratory clinical signs and determine their resistance to antibiotics at the same time. A total of 27 T. pyogenes strains were obtained from Jilin Province, and the nanH, nanP, cbpA, fimC, and fimE virulence genes were detected in 7 (25.9%), 14 (51.9%), 18 (66.7%), 8 (29.6%), and 16 (59.3%) isolates, respectively. All isolates were observed to harbor plo and fimA genes. However, 27 T. pyogenes strains tested negative for fimG gene. Antibiotic susceptibility tests revealed that the isolated strains had extensive drug resistance, all isolates were sensitive to fluoroquinolones and penicillins antibiotics, and high levels of resistance were found to gentamicin (77.8%), amikacin (74.1%), erythromycin (85.2%), and azithromycin (85.2%). These results highlights the need for prudent use of specific antimicrobial agents in veterinary clinical treatment. more...

We study the thermodynamic properties of asymmetric quark matter and large mass quark stars within the confined-isospin-density-dependent-quark-mass model. We find that the quark matter symmetry energy should be very large in order to describe the recent discovered heavy compact stars PSR J0348+0432 ($$\text {2.01}\pm \text {0.04}M_{\odot }$$ 2.01 ± 0.04 M ⊙ ), MSP J0740+6620 ($$\text {2.14}\pm ^\text {0.10}_\text {0.09}M_{\odot }$$ 2.14 ± 0.09 0.10 M ⊙ of 68.3$$\%$$ % credibility interval and $$\text {2.14}\pm ^\text {0.20}_\text {0.18}M_{\odot }$$ 2.14 ± 0.18 0.20 M ⊙ of 95.4$$\%$$ % credibility interval) and PSR J2215+5135 (2.27$$\pm ^\text {0.10}_\text {0.09}M_{\odot }$$ ± 0.09 0.10 M ⊙ ) as QSs. The tidal deformability $$\Lambda _{1.4}$$ Λ 1.4 of the QSs is also investigated in this work, and the result indicates that $$\Lambda _{1.4}$$ Λ 1.4 may depend on the isospin effects and the strength / orientation distribution of the magnetic fields inside the quark stars. more...

The problems of the real-time and high-precision image processing, even the powerful classical computers and their algorithms, are not satisfactory solution. With the emerging quantum technology, quantum image representation that shines can ease these solutions. The quantum Richardson–Lucy algorithm is proposed on controlled rotation operation and Hamiltonian evolution. To begin with, a flexible representation of the quantum image model is used as the basis of image representation, and the amplitude is manipulated by controlled rotation gate. Then, the controlled rotation operation is completed, and then, the algorithm only needs the quantum state on the first quantum register, and the algorithm constructs an quantum gate by Hamiltonian evolution on the register, which is to realize the quantum gate Richardson–Lucy function. Finally, the quantum state after controlled rotation is further operated by the quantum gate constructed by non-sparse Hamiltonian evolution technique, and all quantum states storing color information are reduced to clear quantum images. The simulation results show that the algorithm has the best effect on motion blur, and the peak signal-to-noise ratio can reach 31.3985 under small blur degree. The processing result of Gaussian noise is worse than that of pure motion blur, with a peak signal-to-noise ratio of 26.5232. more...

Highly sensitive and selective hydrogen sulfide (H2S) sensors based on hierarchical highly ordered SnO2 nanobowl branched ZnO nanowires (NWs) were synthesized via a sequential process combining hard template processing, atomic-layer deposition, and hydrothermal processing. The hierarchical sensing materials were prepared in situ on microelectromechanical systems, which are expected to achieve high-performance gas sensors with superior sensitivity, long-term stability and repeatability, as well as low power consumption. Specifically, the hierarchical nanobowl SnO2@ZnO NW sensor displayed a high sensitivity of 6.24, a fast response and recovery speed (i.e., 14 s and 39 s, respectively), and an excellent selectivity when detecting 1 ppm H2S at 250 °C, whose rate of resistance change (i.e., 5.24) is 2.6 times higher than that of the pristine SnO2 nanobowl sensor. The improved sensing performance could be attributed to the increased specific surface area, the formation of heterojunctions and homojunctions, as well as the additional reaction between ZnO and H2S, which were confirmed by electrochemical characterization and band alignment analysis. Moreover, the well-structured hierarchical sensors maintained stable performance after a month, suggesting excellent stability and repeatability. In summary, such well-designed hierarchical highly ordered nanobowl SnO2@ZnO NW gas sensors demonstrate favorable potential for enhanced sensitive and selective H2S detection with long-term stability and repeatability. High performance hydrogen sulfide detection is demonstrated for SnO2 nanobowls with branched ZnO nanowires, in-situ fabricated on a MEMS device. Hydrogen sulfide is a particularly hazardous substance to human health, and its detection via MEMS has a number of advantages in practical applications. However, coating the sensing elements directly on to a device is challenging, and often leads to insufficient reliability. Now, a team led by Hong-Liang Lu from Fudan University demonstrate atomic layer deposition of ZnO film onto SnO2 nanobowls, followed by ZnO nanowire growth to create a highly branched structure as the sensing element. The process is completed on the MEMS device itself. High sensitivity and fast response is in part attributed to the large surface area of the branched nanowires, and performance is stable for a month. more...

Aqueous amines are the most commonly used CO2 absorbents. But they have many shortcomings such as volatile loss, thermal degradation, corrosivity and wetting on polymer membranes. Ionic liquids can avoid the shortcomings and show unique performances. Diethanolamine glycinate, a ionic liquid made of hydroxyl ammonium amino acid salt, was developed to capture CO2 for greenhouse gas emission reduction. In order to evaluate the ionic liquid performance, membrane flux, gas outlet CO2 concentration, appropriate ionic liquid concentration and operational parameters were investigated by membrane gas absorption. Membrane liquid desorption was tested for regeneration of diethanolamine glycinate. Performance of diethanolamine glycinate ionic liquid was also compared with that of glycinate and diethanolamine. Results show that diethanolamine glycinate ionic liquid had a higher membrane flux, e.g., 6.6 × 10−4 mol m−2 s−1, and a lower gas outlet CO2 concentration (yout/yin, e.g., 0.07) in membrane gas absorption. Changes in operational conditions, e.g., gas and liquid flowrates increase, changed the membrane flux of membrane gas absorption, which increased only by 23.9%. Dominant factors affecting the membrane flux were the gas CO2 mole fraction, increasing the flux by 80.0%, and the ionic liquid concentration, increasing the flux more than 2 times. The ionic liquid was much more easily regenerated and possessed large regeneration efficiency and average regeneration velocity. Diethanolamine glycinate ionic liquid is thus an efficient and promising CO2 absorbent. more...

We study the impact of the imperfections and the finite-size effect on the continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) protocol with the nondeterministic noiseless linear amplifier (NLA). The imperfections of the homodyne detector and the imperfect amplification process as well as the finite-size effect on parameter estimation procedure are considered. We can see that despite the imperfections of the homodyne detector, the maximum improved transmission distance can still reach the equivalence of 20log10g dB losses theoretically. Moreover, the analysis shows the imperfect amplification process of the NLA will slightly decrease the performance of the system. And we find the finite-size effect significantly influence the secret key rates of the NLA CVQKD protocol and the performance will approach the ideal asymptotic case with the increase of block size. more...

A dynamic model of a helical gear rotor system is proposed. Firstly, a generally distributed dynamic model of a helical gear pair with tooth profile errors is developed. The gear mesh is represented by a pair of cylinders connected by a series of springs and the stiffness of each spring is equal to the effective mesh stiffness. Combining the gear dynamic model with the rotor-bearing system model, the gear-rotor-bearing dynamic model is developed. Then three cases are presented to analyze the dynamic responses of gear systems. The results reveal that the gear dynamic model is effective and advanced for general gear systems, narrow-faced gear, wide-faced gear and gear with tooth profile errors. Finally, the responses of an example helical gear system are also studied to demonstrate the influence of the lead crown reliefs and misalignments. The results show that both of the lead crown relief and misalignment soften the gear mesh stiffness and the responses of the gear system increase with the increasing lead crown reliefs and misalignments. more...

In the random quantum walk, which is a quantum simulation of the classical walk, data points interacted when selecting the appropriate walk strategy by taking advantage of quantum-entanglement features; thus, the results obtained when the quantum walk is used are different from those when the classical walk is adopted. A new quantum walk clustering algorithm based on space is proposed by applying the quantum walk to clustering analysis. In this algorithm, data points are viewed as walking participants, and similar data points are clustered using the walk function in the pay-off matrix according to a certain rule. The walk process is simplified by implementing a space-combining rule. The proposed algorithm is validated by a simulation test and is proved superior to existing clustering algorithms, namely, Kmeans, PCA + Kmeans, and LDA-Km. The effects of some of the parameters in the proposed algorithm on its performance are also analyzed and discussed. Specific suggestions are provided. more...

Periphyton is ubiquitous in paddy fields, but its role in arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) bioavailability to rice plants remains unknown. A paddy field was simulated under controlled conditions to investigate the influences of periphyton on As and Cd accumulation in rice seedlings grown in soil contaminated with both As and Cd. The presence of periphyton significantly enhanced the growth of rice seedlings in As and Cd contaminated soil. Periphyton had significant effects on soil pH and Eh, resulting in a substantial decrease in the Cd concentration, but in an increase in the total As and As (III) concentrations in soil solution. Corresponding with these changes, Cd concentrations in rice roots and shoots were significantly decreased in the presence of periphyton, while As concentrations increased. This study demonstrates that periphyton growth can significantly affect soil As, Cd bioavailability and soil As speciation by changing soil pH and Eh, which affect As and Cd accumulation in rice seedlings as a result. These results suggest that controlling native periphyton growth may be an effective strategy to regulate As and Cd translocation to the edible organs of food crops. more...

The standard monogamy imposes severe limitations to sharing quantum correlations in multipartite quantum systems, which is a star topology and is established by Coffman, Kundu and Wootters. In this work, we discuss some monogamy relations beyond it, and focus on the measurement-induced disturbance (MID) which quantifies the multipartite quantum correlation. We prove exactly that MID obeys the property of discarding quantum systems never increases in an arbitrary quantum state. Moreover, we define a new kind of sharper monogamy relation which shows that the sum of all bipartite MID can not exceed the amount of total MID. This restriction is similarly called a mesh monogamy. We numerically study how MID is distributed in a 4-qubit mixed state, and which relation exists between the mesh monogamy of MID and the level of obeying the standard monogamy. more...

Four butyrolactones were isolated from the Aspergillus sp. Their structures were identified as 8′′-hydroxy-9′′-en-butyrolactone I (1), butyrolactone VII (2), 3-hydroxy-4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-5-methoxycarbonyl-5-(4-hydroxy-3-formylbenzyl)-2,5-dihydro-2-furanone (3), and butyrolactone III (4). Compound 1 is a new butyrolactone and its absolute configuration was determined via the Rh2(OCOCF3)4 method. more...

We propose a scheme to realize the storage and retrieval of high-dimensional signal field with orbital angular momentum (OAM) in a double-$$\Lambda $$ system of cold atoms. By employing two counter-propagating controlling fields, we show that the system exists two shape-preserving dark-state polaritons, which propagate in the opposite direction. We demonstrate that stationary light pulses with OAMs can be generated when both the controlling fields are switched on for retrieving the stored signal field from the atomic spin coherence, and the signal fields with OAMs can be manipulated coherently and all-optically through the active operation of the controlling fields in direction and time. The proposed scheme can easily be extended to the reversible storage and manipulation of multiple signal fields with OAMs. Our work is promising for practical application of information processing with large capacity. more...

Bacterial enteritis is the most important disease in lamb for breeding greatly affects the growth of animals. Changes in the community of intestinal flora can cause the disorder of the colonic environment induced diarrhea. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the incidence of bacterial enteritis and the number of intestinal microbiome, then the prevalence of drug-resistant genes was detected. Fecal samples were collected at five fattening sheep farms with different incidence of bacterial enteritis, pathogenic bacteria were isolated and identified, drug sensitivity tests were performed. Then, changes in number and structure of intestinal flora were compared by 16S rDNA V3-V4 region high-throughput sequencing, and the ARGs were detected using high-throughput real-time PCR. Our results revealed that the microbial communities were positively correlated with the incidence of bacterial enteritis in different farms. Bacterial communities were higher in YJ (with highest incidence of diarrhea) than any other farms. However, the ARGs seemed not to be more affected by the incidence of bacterial enteritis, but one of the significant findings to emerge from this study is that MCR-1 and NDM are detected in manure. This study has provided an insight of the changes occurring in intestinal flora and AGRs in fattening sheep farms with diverse incidence of bacterial enteritis. more...

In this study, a bioactivity-guided isolation of antioxidant activity components of extracts from Sophora flavescens Ait. based on TLC bioautography and column chromatography was provided. The antioxidant activity of S. flavescens Ait. with different origins was evaluated by TLC bioautography, using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical as a detection reagent. The results showed that S. flavescens Ait. from different origins all expressed antioxidant activity. Then, based on a bioactivity-guided isolation principle, ten antioxidant activity ingredients including trifolirhizin(1), nor-anhydroicaritin(2), calycosin(3), isoxanthohumol(4), trifohrhizin-6′-monoacetate(5), 8-lavandulyl-5,7,4′-trihydroxyflavonol(6), kurarinone(7), sophoraflavanone G(8), maackiain(9) and formononetin(10) were yielded by the separation and purification of column chromatography. Their structures were elucidated by NMR data analysis. The results showed that the primary antioxidant constituents of S. flavescens Ait. were flavonoids, and significantly, prenylated flavonoids with phenolic hydroxyl in ring B had a stronger antioxidant effect than others. The study suggested that TLC bioautography-guided isolation of antioxidant components from S. flavescens Ait. was a kind of simple, rapid and effective means. more...

The presented work focused on extraction and separation of Fe(III) and Cr(III) from tannery sludge bioleachate using di(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA) as extraction agent; the effect of adding tributyl phosphate (TBP) was also investigated. Leachate containing 3.4 g/L Cr(III) and 2.0 g/L Fe(III) was selected as feed solution. The results indicated that Fe(III) can be completely removed from the leachate under conditions of 5 vol% D2EHPA in kerosene and equilibrium pH 2.2. In addition, the removal efficiency of Fe(III) could be enhanced while the extraction rate of Cr(III) exhibited a decline on adding TBP at above 10 vol%. HCl solution was then used to strip Fe(III) and Cr(III) from the loaded organic. It can be concluded from the stripping experiments that 97 % of the Fe(III) could be recovered using 9 mol/L HCl solution as stripping agent for 20 min. However, the recovery efficiency decreased when adding TBP to the organic, which can be attributed to the isolation of the extraction actions because TBP surrounding effect to D2EHPA. more...

Cloud computing and big data have become the developing engine of current information technology (IT) as a result of the rapid development of IT. However, security protection has become increasingly important for cloud computing and big data, and has become a problem that must be solved to develop cloud computing. The theft of identity authentication information remains a serious threat to the security of cloud computing. In this process, attackers intrude into cloud computing services through identity authentication information, thereby threatening the security of data from multiple perspectives. Therefore, this study proposes a model for cloud computing protection and management based on quantum authentication, introduces the principle of quantum authentication, and deduces the quantum authentication process. In theory, quantum authentication technology can be applied in cloud computing for security protection. This technology cannot be cloned; thus, it is more secure and reliable than classical methods. more...

Aiming at the problem that the fixed radio frequency identification (RFID) system with lightweight cryptography may be easily illegally controlled, a communication authentication protocol based on quantum key distribution using decoy-state method is proposed and developed in this study. A new RFID-system model using quantum key distribution is introduced, which indicates that the quantum keys are distributed to the RFID tags and reader and EPC information server via weakly coherent photons transmitted through optical fiber. This work mainly presents the protocol description with detailed theoretical analyses, including RFID system's initialization, the transmission, reception, and acquisition of the random quantum key, and the authentication process between the EPC information server and the RFID tag and reader. The security analysis of the protocol is finally carried out, which proves that the proposed protocol can prevent various eavesdropper's attacks with solid security. more...

The calculation expressions of upper (lower) monotone coefficient of a point in Orlicz function spaces are given.

A continuous-variable quantum identity authentication protocol, which is based on quantum teleportation, is presented by employing two-mode squeezed vacuum state and coherent state. The proposed protocol can verify user's identity efficiently with a new defined fidelity parameter. Update of authentication key can also be implemented in our protocol. Moreover, the analysis shows its feasibility and security under the general Gaussian-cloner attack on authentication key, which is guaranteed by quantum entanglement, insertion of decoy state and random displacement. more...

In the paper, we discuss the possibility of observation of heavy quarkoniums via the processes involving flavor changing neutral currents (FCNC). More explicitly, we systematically calculate the production of heavy charmonium and $(c\bar{b})$-quarkonium through the top quark semi-exclusive rare FCNC decays in the framework of the non-relativistic QCD (NRQCD) factorization theory. Our results show that the total decay widths $\Gamma_{t\to \eta_c} =1.20^{+1.04+1.14}_{-0.51-0.45}\times 10^{-16}$ GeV, $\Gamma_{t\to J/\psi} =1.37^{+1.03+1.30}_{-0.51-0.51}\times 10^{-16}$ GeV, $\Gamma_{t\to B_c}=2.06^{+0.17+0.91}_{-0.17-0.54}\times 10^{-18}$ GeV, and $\Gamma_{t\to B^*_c}=6.27^{+0.63+2.78}_{-0.62-1.64}\times 10^{-18}$ GeV, where the uncertainties are from variation of quark masses and renormalization scales. Even though the decay widths are small, it is important to make a systematic study on the production of charmonium and $(c\bar{b})$-quarkonium through the top-quark decays via FCNC in the Standard Model, which will provide useful guidance for future new physics research from the heavy quarkonium involved processes., Comment: 17 pages, 8 figures and 6 tables, to be published in European Physical Journal C. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1304.1303 by other authors more...

Background Although triptorelin is increasingly used in China for biochemical castration, its effects on primary prostate cancer symptoms remain unclear. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in Chinese prostate cancer patients and the effectiveness of triptorelin on LUTS. Methods In this 48-week multicenter, non-interventional, prospective study, we enrolled patients with locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer. Patients received triptorelin (15 mg) intramuscularly at baseline and at weeks 12, 24, and 36 with symptom assessment using the International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS). The primary endpoints were the prevalence of LUTS at baseline per IPSS categories and the percentage of patients with moderate to severe LUTS (IPSS > 7) at baseline, having at least a 3-point reduction of IPSS score at week 48. Results A total of 398 patients were included; 211 (53.0%) and 160 (40.2%) among them had severe and moderate LUTS, respectively. Of the patients with IPSS scores available at baseline and at week 48 (n = 213), 81.2% achieved a reduction in IPSS of at least 3 points. Of the patients with moderate to severe LUTS at baseline and IPSS scores available at baseline and at week 48 (n = 194), 86.6% achieved a total IPSS reduction of at least 3 points. Conclusions The vast majority of Chinese patients with locally advanced or metastatic prostate cancer scheduled to receive triptorelin as part of their standard treatment have severe or moderate LUTS. Triptorelin therapy resulted in sustained improvement of LUTS in these patients. more...