159 research outputs found
Intrinsic-Stabilization Uni-Directional Quantum Key Distribution Between Beijing and Tianjin
Quantum key distribution provides unconditional security for communication.
Unfortunately, current experiment schemes are not suitable for long-distance
fiber transmission because of instability or backscattering. We present a
uni-directional intrinsic-stabilization scheme that is based on
Michelson-Faraday interferometers, in which reflectors are replaced with 90
degree Faraday mirrors. With the scheme, key exchange from Beijing to Tianjin
over 125 kilometers with an average error rate is below 6% has been achieved
and its limited distance exceeds 150 kilometers. Experimental result shows the
system is insensitive to environment and can run over day and night without any
break even in the noise workshop.Comment: 7 pages,4 figure
A Scoring Model Based on Neutrophil to Lymphocyte Ratio Predicts Recurrence of HBV-Associated Hepatocellular Carcinoma after Liver Transplantation
Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been proposed to predict prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the cut-off values are empirical. We determined the optimal cut-off value to predict HCC recurrence after liver transplantation (LT) and further established a scoring model based on NLR.<0.001). Univariate analysis revealed that tumor size >5 cm, tumor number >3, macrovascular invasion, AFPâ„400 ”g/L, NLRâ„3, and HBV-DNA level >5 log10 copies/mL were preoperative predictors of DFS. Cox regression analysis showed macrovascular invasion, tumor number, and high NLR were independent prognostic factors. We then established a preoperative prognostic score based on multivariate analysis. Each factor was given a score of 1. Area under the ROC curve of the score was 0.781. All nine patients with score 3 developed recurrence within 6 months after LT. Of 71 patients without vascular invasion, three patients with both tumor number >3 and NLRâ„3 developed recurrence within 14 months after LT while the 5-year DFS and OS for patients with a score of 0 or 1 were 68.1% and 62.8%, respectively.Preoperative elevated NLR significantly increases the risk of recurrence in patients underwent LT for HCC. Patients with both NLRâ„3 and tumor number >3 are not a good indication for LT. Our score model may aid in the selection of patients that would most benefit from transplantation for HCC
An overlooked nitrogen loss linked to anaerobic ammonium oxidation in estuarine sediments in China
Purpose Despite its importance, anammox (anaerobic ammonium oxidation) in estuarine sediment systems remains poorly understood, particularly at the continental scale. This study aimed to understand the abundance, diversity, and activity of anammox bacteria and to determine the main factors influencing the anammox process in estuarine sediments in China. Materials and methods Estuarine sediments were collected from 18 estuaries spanning over 4000 km. Experiments using an 15Nâtracer, quantitative PCR, and clone library construction were used to determine the activity, abundance, and diversity of anammox bacteria. The impact of environmental factors on anammox processes was also determined
An Updated Search of Steady TeV Ray Point Sources in Northern Hemisphere Using the Tibet Air Shower Array
Using the data taken from Tibet II High Density (HD) Array (1997
February-1999 September) and Tibet-III array (1999 November-2005 November), our
previous northern sky survey for TeV ray point sources has now been
updated by a factor of 2.8 improved statistics. From to
in declination (Dec) range, no new TeV ray point
sources with sufficiently high significance were identified while the
well-known Crab Nebula and Mrk421 remain to be the brightest TeV ray
sources within the field of view of the Tibet air shower array. Based on the
currently available data and at the 90% confidence level (C.L.), the flux upper
limits for different power law index assumption are re-derived, which are
approximately improved by 1.7 times as compared with our previous reported
limits.Comment: This paper has been accepted by hepn
Boosting Superior Lithium Storage Performance of AlloyâBased Anode Materials via Ultraconformal Sb CoatingâDerived Favorable SolidâElectrolyte Interphase
Alloy materials such as Si and Ge are attractive as highâcapacity anodes for rechargeable batteries, but such anodes undergo severe capacity degradation during dischargeâcharge processes. Compared to the overâemphasized efforts on the electrode structure design to mitigate the volume changes, understanding and engineering of the solidâelectrolyte interphase (SEI) are significantly lacking. This work demonstrates that modifying the surface of alloyâbased anode materials by building an ultraconformal layer of Sb can significantly enhance their structural and interfacial stability during cycling. Combined experimental and theoretical studies consistently reveal that the ultraconformal Sb layer is dynamically converted to Li3Sb during cycling, which can selectively adsorb and catalytically decompose electrolyte additives to form a robust, thin, and dense LiFâdominated SEI, and simultaneously restrain the decomposition of electrolyte solvents. Hence, the Sbâcoated porous Ge electrode delivers much higher initial Coulombic efficiency of 85% and higher reversible capacity of 1046 mAh gâ1 after 200 cycles at 500 mA gâ1, compared to only 72% and 170 mAh gâ1 for bare porous Ge. The present finding has indicated that tailoring surface structures of electrode materials is an appealing approach to construct a robust SEI and achieve longâterm cycling stability for alloyâbased anode materials
In Situ Construction of an Ultrarobust and Lithiophilic Li-Enriched LiâN Nanoshield for High-Performance Ge-Based Anode Materials
Alloy-based materials are promising anodes for rechargeable batteries because of their higher theoretical capacities in comparison to graphite. Unfortunately, the huge volume changes during cycling cause serious structural degradation and undesired parasitic reactions with electrolytes, resulting in fragile solid-electrolyte interphase formation and serious capacity decay. This work proposes to mitigate the volume changes and suppress the interfacial reactivity of Ge anodes without sacrificing the interfacial Li+ transport, through in situ construction of an ultrarobust and lithiophilic Li-enriched LiâN nanoshield, which demonstrated improved chemical, electrochemical, mechanical, and environmental stability. Therefore, it can serve as a versatile interlayer to facilitate Li+ transport and effectively block the attack of electrolyte solvents, thus boosting the long-term cycle stability and fast charging capability of Ge anodes. This work offers an alternative methodology to tune the interfaces of other electrode materials as well by screening for more N-containing compounds that can react with Li+ during battery operation
Identification of DreI as an Antiviral Factor Regulated by RLR Signaling Pathway
BACKGROUND:Retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I)-like receptors (RLRs) had been demonstrated to prime interferon (IFN) response against viral infection via the conserved RLR signaling in fish, and a novel fish-specific gene, the grass carp reovirus (GCRV)-induced gene 2 (Gig2), had been suggested to play important role in host antiviral response. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:In this study, we cloned and characterized zebrafish Gig2 homolog (named Danio rerio Gig2-I, DreI), and revealed its antiviral role and expressional regulation signaling pathway. RT-PCR, Western blot and promoter activity assay indicate that DreI can be induced by poly I:C, spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) and recombinant IFN (rIFN), showing that DreI is a typical ISG. Using the pivotal signaling molecules of RLR pathway, including RIG-I, MDA5 and IRF3 from crucian carp, it is found that DreI expression is regulated by RLR cascade and IRF3 plays an important role in this regulation. Furthermore, promoter mutation assay confirms that the IFN-stimulated regulatory elements (ISRE) in the 5' flanking region of DreI is essential for its induction. Finally, overexpression of DreI leads to establish a strong antiviral state against SVCV and Rana grylio virus (RGV) infection in EPC (Epithelioma papulosum cyprinid) cells. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE:These data indicate that DreI is an antiviral protein, which is regulated by RLR signaling pathway
Search for dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks in âs = 13 TeV pp collisions with the ATLAS detector
A search for weakly interacting massive particle dark matter produced in association with bottom or top quarks is presented. Final states containing third-generation quarks and miss- ing transverse momentum are considered. The analysis uses 36.1 fbâ1 of protonâproton collision data recorded by the ATLAS experiment at âs = 13 TeV in 2015 and 2016. No significant excess of events above the estimated backgrounds is observed. The results are in- terpreted in the framework of simplified models of spin-0 dark-matter mediators. For colour- neutral spin-0 mediators produced in association with top quarks and decaying into a pair of dark-matter particles, mediator masses below 50 GeV are excluded assuming a dark-matter candidate mass of 1 GeV and unitary couplings. For scalar and pseudoscalar mediators produced in association with bottom quarks, the search sets limits on the production cross- section of 300 times the predicted rate for mediators with masses between 10 and 50 GeV and assuming a dark-matter mass of 1 GeV and unitary coupling. Constraints on colour- charged scalar simplified models are also presented. Assuming a dark-matter particle mass of 35 GeV, mediator particles with mass below 1.1 TeV are excluded for couplings yielding a dark-matter relic density consistent with measurements
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