Beating the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt and the Svetlichny games with Optimal States

We study the relation between the maximal violation of Svetlichny's inequality and the mixedness of quantum states and obtain the optimal state (i.e., maximally nonlocal mixed states, or MNMS, for each value of linear entropy) to beat the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt and the Svetlichny games. For the two-qubit and three-qubit MNMS, we showed that these states are also the most tolerant state against white noise, and thus serve as valuable quantum resources for such games. In particular, the quantum prediction of the MNMS decreases as the linear entropy increases, and then ceases to be nonlocal when the linear entropy reaches the critical points ${2}/{3}$ and ${9}/{14}$ for the two- and three-qubit cases, respectively. The MNMS are related to classical errors in experimental preparation of maximally entangled states.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures; minor changes; accepted in Physical Review

Molecular cloning and preliminary function study of iron responsive element binding protein 1 gene from cypermethrin-resistant Culex pipiens pallens

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Insecticide resistance jeopardizes the control of mosquito populations and mosquito-borne disease control, which creates a major public health concern. Two-dimensional electrophoresis identified one protein segment with high sequence homology to part of <it>Aedes aegypti </it>iron-responsive element binding protein (IRE-BP).</p> <p>Method</p> <p>RT-PCR and RACE (rapid amplification of cDNA end) were used to clone a cDNA encoding full length IRE-BP 1. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR was used to evaluate the transcriptional level changes in the Cr-IRE strain <it>Aedes aegypti </it>compared to the susceptible strain of <it>Cx. pipiens pallens</it>. The expression profile of the gene was established in the mosquito life cycle. Methyl tritiated thymidine (³H-TdR) was used to observe the cypermethrin resistance changes in C6/36 cells containing the stably transfected IRE-BP 1 gene of <it>Cx. pipiens pallens</it>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The complete sequence of iron responsive element binding protein 1 (IRE-BP 1) has been cloned from the cypermethrin-resistant strain of <it>Culex pipiens pallens </it>(Cr-IRE strain). Quantitative RT-PCR analysis indicated that the IRE-BP 1 transcription level was 6.7 times higher in the Cr-IRE strain than in the susceptible strain of 4th instar larvae. The IRE-BP 1 expression was also found to be consistently higher throughout the life cycle of the Cr-IRE strain. A protein of predicted size 109.4 kDa has been detected by Western blotting in IRE-BP 1-transfected mosquito C6/36 cells. These IRE-BP 1-transfected cells also showed enhanced cypermethrin resistance compared to null-transfected or plasmid vector-transfected cells as determined by ³H-TdR incorporation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>IRE-BP 1 is expressed at higher levels in the Cr-IRE strain, and may confer some insecticide resistance in <it>Cx. pipiens pallens</it>.</p

Effects of Mowing on Methane Uptake in a Semiarid Grassland in Northern China

Background: Mowing is a widely adopted management practice for the semiarid steppe in China and affects CH4 exchange. However, the magnitude and the underlying mechanisms for CH 4 uptake in response to mowing remain uncertain. Methodology/Principal Findings: In two consecutive growing seasons, we measured the effect of mowing on CH 4 uptake in a steppe community. Vegetation was mowed to 2 cm (M2), 5 cm (M5), 10 cm (M10), 15 cm (M15) above soil surface, respectively, and control was set as non-mowing (NM). Compared with control, CH4 uptake was substantially enhanced at almost all the mowing treatments except for M15 plots of 2009. CH4 uptake was significantly correlated with soil microbial biomass carbon, microbial biomass nitrogen, and soil moisture. Mowing affects CH 4 uptake primarily through its effect on some biotic factors, such as net primary productivity, soil microbial C\N supply and soil microbial activities, while soil temperature and moisture were less important. Conclusions/Significance: This study found that mowing affects the fluxes of CH4 in the semiarid temperate steppe of north China

Molecular Ecology of Pyrethroid Knockdown Resistance in Culex pipiens pallens Mosquitoes

Pyrethroid insecticides have been extensively used in China and worldwide for public health pest control. Accurate resistance monitoring is essential to guide the rational use of insecticides and resistance management. Here we examined the nucleotide diversity of the para-sodium channel gene, which confers knockdown resistance (kdr) in Culex pipiens pallens mosquitoes in China. The sequence analysis of the para-sodium channel gene identified L1014F and L1014S mutations. We developed and validated allele-specific PCR and the real-time TaqMan methods for resistance diagnosis. The real-time TaqMan method is more superior to the allele-specific PCR method as evidenced by higher amplification rate and better sensitivity and specificity. Significant positive correlation between kdr allele frequency and bioassay-based resistance phenotype demonstrates that the frequency of L1014F and L1014S mutations in the kdr gene can be used as a molecular marker for deltamethrin resistance monitoring in natural Cx. pipiens pallens populations in the East China region. The laboratory selection experiment found that L1014F mutation frequency, but not L1014S mutation, responded to deltamethrin selection, suggesting that the L1014F mutation is the key mutation conferring resistance to deltamethrin. High L1014F mutation frequency detected in six populations of Cx. pipens pallens suggests high prevalence of pyrethroid resistance in Eastern China, calling for further surveys to map the resistance in China and for investigating alternative mosquito control strategies

The FLUXNET2015 dataset and the ONEFlux processing pipeline for eddy covariance data

The FLUXNET2015 dataset provides ecosystem-scale data on CO2, water, and energy exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere, and other meteorological and biological measurements, from 212 sites around the globe (over 1500 site-years, up to and including year 2014). These sites, independently managed and operated, voluntarily contributed their data to create global datasets. Data were quality controlled and processed using uniform methods, to improve consistency and intercomparability across sites. The dataset is already being used in a number of applications, including ecophysiology studies, remote sensing studies, and development of ecosystem and Earth system models. FLUXNET2015 includes derived-data products, such as gap-filled time series, ecosystem respiration and photosynthetic uptake estimates, estimation of uncertainties, and metadata about the measurements, presented for the first time in this paper. In addition, 206 of these sites are for the first time distributed under a Creative Commons (CC-BY 4.0) license. This paper details this enhanced dataset and the processing methods, now made available as open-source codes, making the dataset more accessible, transparent, and reproducible.Peer reviewe