Noisy intermediate-scale quantum computers

Quantum computers have made extraordinary progress over the past decade, and significant milestones have been achieved along the path of pursuing universal fault-tolerant quantum computers. Quantum advantage, the tipping point heralding the quantum era, has been accomplished along with several waves of breakthroughs. Quantum hardware has become more integrated and architectural compared to its toddler days. The controlling precision of various physical systems is pushed beyond the fault-tolerant threshold. Meanwhile, quantum computation research has established a new norm by embracing industrialization and commercialization. The joint power of governments, private investors, and tech companies has significantly shaped a new vibrant environment that accelerates the development of this field, now at the beginning of the noisy intermediate-scale quantum era. Here, we first discuss the progress achieved in the field of quantum computation by reviewing the most important algorithms and advances in the most promising technical routes, and then summarizing the next-stage challenges. Furthermore, we illustrate our confidence that solid foundations have been built for the fault-tolerant quantum computer and our optimism that the emergence of quantum killer applications essential for human society shall happen in the future

Mechanical Properties of Thixoforged In Situ Mg2Sip/AM60B Composite at Elevated Temperatures

The mechanical behaviors of the thixoforged in situ Mg2Sip/AM60B composite at elevated temperatures were evaluated. The results indicated that the thixoforged composite exhibits higher UTS (ultimate tensile strength) than that of the thixoforged AM60B at the cost of elongation. As the testing temperature rises from 25 to 300 °C, the UTS of both these two materials decreases while their elongations increases. The enhanced dislocation motion ability, the softened eutectic β phase at 120 °C, the activated non-basal slipping and the dynamic recovery and recrystallization mechanisms at 150 °C are responsible for the change in tensile properties with testing temperatures. The fracture mode transforms from the ductile into the brittle as the initial strain rate increases from 0.01 to 0.2 s−1 at 200 °C

The Discharge Performance of Mg-3In-xCa Alloy Anodes for Mg–Air Batteries

Considering the advantage of safety and cost, designing a Mg–air battery with high capacity has been highly sought in recent years. However, self-corrosion and passivation of Mg anode critically reduce discharge performance, hindering the large-scale application of Mg–air batteries. In this study, a series of as-cast and extruded Mg-3In-xCa alloys were successfully fabricated. Microstructures, chemical composition, and discharge performance were investigated to optimize the content of Ca (x). The selected Mg–air battery with Mg-3In-3Ca alloy as anode represented the best battery performance, including 0.738 V of discharge voltage, 1323.92 mAh g−1 of specific capacity, and 61.74% of anodic efficiency at discharge current density of 30 mA cm−2. All of its parameters were vastly superior to pure Mg–air battery. In addition, the synergistic effects of In and Ca on promoting electrode properties were evaluated in detail, using SEM and electrochemical analysis, which is expected to trigger follow-up research in designing high-performance Mg–air batteries

A Common Polymorphism near the ESR1 Gene Is Associated with Risk of Breast Cancer: Evidence from a Case-Control Study and a Meta-Analysis

<div><h3>Background</h3><p>Genome-wide association studies have reported that a polymorphism near the estrogen receptor gene (ESR1) (rs2046210) is associated with a risk of breast cancer, with the A allele conferring an increased risk. However, considering the controversial results from more recent replicated studies, we conducted a case-control study in an independent Chinese Han population and a meta-analysis to clarify the association of this polymorphism with breast cancer risk.</p> <h3>Method and Findings</h3><p>A hospital-based case-control study including 461 cases and 537 controls from a Chinese Han population was conducted initially, and this study showed that the rs2046210 A allele was significantly associated with breast cancer risk, with an OR of 1.32 (95% CI  = 1.10–1.59). Subsequently, a meta-analysis integrating the current study and previous publications with a total of 53,379 cases and 55,493 controls was performed to further confirm our findings. Similarly, a significant association between this polymorphism and breast cancer risk was also observed in the overall population especially among Asians, with ORs for per A allele of 1.14 (95% CI  = 1.10–1.18) in the overall population and 1.27 (95% CI  = 1.23–1.31) in the Asian population.</p> <h3>Conclusion</h3><p>Our results provide strong evidence to support that the common polymorphism near the ESR1 gene, rs2046210, is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in Asian and European populations but not in Africans, although the biological mechanisms need to be further investigated.</p> </div

Forest plot of association between rs2046210 and BC risk in different ethnicities under allelic model.

<p>Forest plot of association between rs2046210 and BC risk in different ethnicities under allelic model.</p

Characteristics of the study population.

<p>Abbreviations: ER, estrogen receptor; PR, progesterone receptor.</p>a<p><i>P</i> value was calculated by the <i>t</i> test.</p>b<p><i>P</i> value was calculated by the <i>χ²</i> test.</p

Forest plot of association between rs2046210 and BC risk under allelic model.

<p>Forest plot of association between rs2046210 and BC risk under allelic model.</p

Cumulative meta-analysis of association between rs2046210 and BC risk under allelic model.

<p>Cumulative meta-analysis of association between rs2046210 and BC risk under allelic model.</p

Meta-analysis of the rs2046210 in association with breast cancer risk under different genetic models.

a<p>Included a study that only offered the adjusted ORs for AG vs. GG, AA vs. GG and dominant model, both crude and adjusted ORs were combined.</p>b<p>Compared to cases with ER positive cancer, crude OR(95% CI) for ER negative cancer was 1.11(1.06–1.15) for the model of A VS. G (<i>P</i> = 8.27×10⁻⁷).</p>c<p>Compared to premenopausal cases, crude OR(95% CI) for postmenopausal cases was 0.99(0.95–1.04) for the model of A VS. G (<i>P</i> = 0.706).</p

Sensitivity analysis of allelic model.

<p>Sensitivity analysis of allelic model.</p