A potential third-generation gravitational-wave detector based on autocorrelative weak-value amplification

Reducing noises and enhancing signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) have become critical for designing third-generation gravitational-wave (GW) detectors with a GW strain of less than $10^{-23}$/$\rm \sqrt{Hz}$. In this paper, we propose a potential third-generation GW detector based on autocorrelative weak-value amplification (AWVA) for GW detection with a strain of $h_g =$ $4 \times 10^{-25}$/$\rm \sqrt{Hz}$. In our scheme, a GW event induces a phase difference $\Delta \phi$ by passing through an 11-bounce delay line, 10-km arm-length, zero-area Sagnac interferometer illuminated with a 1064-nm laser. Subsequently, $\Delta \phi$ is amplified as the parameter of post-selection by choosing the appropriate pre-selected state and coupling strength in AWVA. In particular, we theoretically investigate the AWVA measurements for GW detection within the frequency band of 200 Hz $\leq$ $f_g$ $\leq$ 800 Hz, considering Gaussian noises with negative-decibel SNRs. The peak response of the AWVA sensitivity $\kappa(f_g)$ occurs at frequency $f_{g, max}$ = 500 Hz, which falls within the frequency band of interest of the current third-generation GW detectors. Our simulation results indicate that AWVA can demonstrate a measurable sensitivity of $\Theta(f_g)$ within the frequency band of interest. Moreover, the robustness of WVA shows promising potential in mitigating the effects of Gaussian noises.Comment: 21 pages, 6 figure

Effects of common artificial sweeteners at environmentally relevant concentrations on soil springtails and their gut microbiota

Artificial sweeteners (AS) are extensively utilized as sugar substitutes and have been recognized as emerging environmental contaminants. While the effect of AS on aquatic organisms has garnered recent attention, their effects on soil invertebrates and gut microbial communities remain unclear. To address this knowledge gap, we exposed springtails (Folsomia candida) to both single and combined treatments of four typical AS (sucralose [SUC], saccharin [SAC], cyclamate [CYC], and acesulfame [ACE]) at environmentally relevant concentrations of 0.01, 0.1 and 1 mg kg−1 in soil. Following the first-generational exposure, the reproduction of juveniles showed a significant increase under all the AS treatments of 0.1 mg kg−1. The transcriptomic analysis revealed significant enrichment of several Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome pathways (e.g., glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, pentose and glucuronate interconversions, amino sugar, and nucleotide sugar metabolism, ribosome, and lysosome) in springtails under all AS treatments. Analysis of gut bacterial microbiota indicated that three AS (SUC, CYC, and ACE) significantly decreased alpha diversity, and all AS treatments increased the abundance of the genus Achromobacter. After the sixth-generational exposure to CYC, weight increased, but reproduction was inhibited. The pathways that changed significantly (e.g., extracellular matrix-receptor interaction, amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism, lysosome) were generally similar to those altered in first-generational exposure, but with opposite regulation directions. Furthermore, the effect on the alpha diversity of gut microbiota was contrary to that after first-generational exposure, and more noticeable disturbances in microbiota composition were observed. These findings underscore the ecological risk of AS in soils and improve our understanding of the toxicity effects of AS on living organisms

Effect of Microstructure on the Compressive Mechanical Properties of Ti-20Zr-6.5Al-4V Alloy

The effect of microstructure on the mechanical properties of Ti-20Zr-6.5Al-4V alloy after solution and aging treatment was investigated by compression tests. The results showed that the microstructure was consisted of a duplex phase αʺ + β structure after solution treatment. With increasing solution treatment temperature, the size of β phase grain increased and the amount of αʺ phase decreased. The ultimate compressive strength and elongation decreased with increasing solution treatment temperature, while the yield strength increased. After aging-treatment at 700 ºC for 1.5 h, the microstructure consisted of a large amount of globular α phase, a little amount of fine acicular α phase and bulk β phase for the samples solution-treated at 850 ºC for 0.5 h. With increasing initial solution treatment temperature, the amount of globular α phase and bulk β phase decreased, however, the amount and size of acicular α phase increased after aging treatment. The ultimate compressive strength and elongation decreased with increasing initial solution treatment temperature, whereas the yield strength firstly increased, and then slightly decreased.</p

Auto-correlative weak-value amplification under strong noise background

In the general optical metro-logical protocols based on the weak-value amplification(WVA) approach, it is beneficial to choose the pre-selected state and the post-selected one to be nearly orthogonal for improving the sensitivity. However, the orthogonality of the post-selection decreases the probability of detecting photons and makes the weak measurement difficult, especially when there is strong noise background and the pointer is drowned in noise. In this article, we investigate a modified weak measurement protocol with a temporal pointer, namely, the auto-correlative weak-value amplification (AWVA) approach. We find it can significantly improve the precision of optical metrology under Gaussian white noise, especially with a negative signal-to-noise ratio. With the AWVA approach, a small longitudinal time delay (tiny phase shift) $\tau$ of a Gaussian pulse is measured by implementing two auto-correlative weak measurements. The small quantities are obtained by measuring the auto-correlation coefficient of the pulses instead of fitting the shift of the mean value of the probe. Simulation results show that the AWVA approach outperforms the standard WVA technique in the time domain, remarkably increasing the precision of weak measurement under strong noise background.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figure

Exploring salivary metabolome alterations in people with HIV: towards early diagnostic markers

BackgroundThe human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a critical global health issue, with a pressing need for effective diagnostic and monitoring tools.MethodologyThis study explored distinctions in salivary metabolome among healthy individuals, individuals with HIV, and those receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). Utilizing LC–MS/MS for exhaustive metabolomics profiling, we analyzed 90 oral saliva samples from individuals with HIV, categorized by CD4 count levels in the peripheral blood.ResultsOrthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) and other analyses underscored significant metabolic alterations in individuals with HIV, especially in energy metabolism pathways. Notably, post-HAART metabolic profiles indicated a substantial presence of exogenous metabolites and changes in amino acid pathways like arginine, proline, and lysine degradation. Key metabolites such as citric acid, L-glutamic acid, and L-histidine were identified as potential indicators of disease progression or recovery. Differential metabolite selection and functional enrichment analysis, combined with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and random forest analyses, pinpointed potential biomarkers for different stages of HIV infection. Additionally, our research examined the interplay between oral metabolites and microorganisms such as herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1), bacteria, and fungi in individuals with HIV, revealing crucial interactions.ConclusionThis investigation seeks to contribute understanding into the metabolic shifts occurring in HIV infection and following the initiation of HAART, while tentatively proposing novel avenues for diagnostic and treatment monitoring through salivary metabolomics

Subcutaneous Administration of PDGF-AA Improves the Functional Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury

Previous studies by our group have demonstrated that the transplantation of exogenous platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-AA-overexpressing oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) promotes tissue repair and recovery of neurological function in a rat model of spinal cord injury (SCI). However, it remains unclear whether treatment with PDGF-AA also affects endogenous oligodendrocytes (OLs) or even neurons, thus promoting further functional recovery after SCI. In the present study, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of PDGF-AA treatment by direct subcutaneous injection of PDGF-AA immediately after SCI. We demonstrated that PDGF-AA injection resulted in increased tissue sparing, myelination and functional recovery in rats following SCI. Further experimentation confirmed that PDGF-AA increased the survival of endogenous OPCs and OLs, and promoted the proliferation of OPCs and their differentiation into OLs. Moreover, PDGF-AA also protected motor neurons from death in the injured spinal cord. These results indicated that PDGF-AA administration may be an effective treatment for SCI

Preoperative Changes in Hematological Markers and Predictors of Glioma Grade and Survival

Background: Preoperative hematological markers that indicate nutritional, coagulation, and inflammation statuses have prognostic value for gliomas. This study aimed to investigate hematological markers with regard to tumor grades, isocitrate dehydrogenase mutations (IDH), age, and sex in patients with gliomas.Methods: From 2008 to 2017, patients with a pathological diagnosis of glioma who underwent surgery were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Information from clinical records, including age, sex, preoperative experiment tests (routine blood tests, biochemistry, and coagulation examinations), pathological results, and IDH status, was collected. A univariable survival analysis was performed. Hematological factors such as the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte-ratio (PLR), and albumin-to-globulin (AGR) were calculated. The prognostic nutrition index (PNI) was calculated as 10 × serum albumin value (g/dl) + 0.005 × peripheral lymphocyte count (per mm3).Results: Our study included 706 patients. The univariate analysis showed that age, IDH-1, and hematological factors were all significantly associated with overall survival (OS) in patients with gliomas. Our results showed that inflammation markers (NLR, PLR, and fibrinogen) were positively associated with age, whereas AGR was negatively associated with age. The PLR was significantly increased, whereas the AGR and PNI were decreased in women with gliomas, as compared with men. We found that inflammation markers increased and nutrition markers decreased with gliomas grade. However, these hematological markers did not significantly differ with IDH status. NLR was the best single hematological marker for distinguishing glioblastoma (GBM) [0.684 (0.645–0.723)], IDH-wt GBM [0.672 (0.631–0.71)] from other gliomas subtypes. Combinations of age with PNI and age with AGR were the best predictors of GBM [0.750 (0.713–0.786)] and IDH-wt GBM [0.759 (0.719–0.798)], respectively.Conclusion: Preoperative hematological marker levels vary among glioma grades and have high predictive values for GBM