Dynamic sensitivity of photon-dressed atomic ensemble with quantum criticality

We study the dynamic sensitivity of an atomic ensemble dressed by a single-mode cavity field (called a photon-dressed atomic ensemble), which is described by the Dicke model near the quantum critical point. It is shown that when an extra atom in a pure initial state passes through the cavity, the photon-dressed atomic ensemble will experience a quantum phase transition showing an explicit sudden change in its dynamics characterized by the Loschmidt echo of this quantum critical system. With such dynamic sensitivity, the Dicke model can resemble the cloud chamber for detecting a flying particle by the enhanced trajectory due to the classical phase transition. © 2009 The American Physical Society.published_or_final_versio

Isolation and Purification of Sesquiterpene Lactones from Ixeris sonchifolia (Bunge) Hance by High-Speed Counter- Current Chromatography and Semi-Preparative High Performance Liquid Chromatography

Purpose: To isolate and purify sesquiterpene lactones from Ixeris sonchifolia (Bunge) Hance by highspeed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC).Methods: I. sonchifolia was extracted with water and then loaded on a glass column (10 ~ 1500 cm containing 3000g D101 macroporous resin) where various concentrations of aqueous ethanol (0, 10, 30, 50, and 95 %) were used to elute the column successively. The 50 % ethanol fraction was  purified by HSCCC using a solvent system comprised of ethyl acetate: n-butanol: methanol: water (4: 6: 1: 20, v/v), and semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The chemical structures of thecomponents obtained were further confirmed by high-resolution mass spectroscopy (MS) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR).Results: Three compounds, including ixerin Z1 (0.7 mg), ixerin Z (11.4 mg), and 11, 13α-dihydroixerin Z (8.2 mg), with purity of 96.2, 98.2, and 98.4 %, respectively, were obtained from 200 mg each of the 50 % ethanol fraction.Conclusion: HSCCC is a rapid and effective method for isolating and purifying sesquiterpene lactones from I. sonchifolia.Keywords: Sesquiterpene lactones, High-speed counter-current chromatography, Ixeris sonchifolia, Ixerin, 13α-Dihydroixeri

Investment in carbon dioxide capture and storage combined with enhanced water recovery

Carbon dioxide capture and storage combined with enhanced deep saline water recovery (CCS-EWR) is a potential approach to mitigate climate change. However, its investment has been a dilemma due to high costs and various uncertainties. In this study, a trinomial tree modelling-based real options approach is constructed to assess the investment in CCS-EWR retrofitting for direct coal liquefaction in China from the investor perspective. In this approach, the uncertainties in CO2 prices, capital subsidies, water resource fees, the residual lifetime of direct coal liquefaction plants, electricity prices, CO2 and freshwater transport distance, and the amount of certified emission reductions (CERs) are considered. The results show that the critical CER price for CCS-EWR retrofits is 7.15 Chinese yuan per ton (CNY/ton) higher than that (141.95 CNY/ton) for CCS retrofits. However, the exemption from water resource fees for freshwater recovered from saline water and a subsidy of 26% of the capital cost are sufficient to eliminate the negative impact of enhanced deep saline water recovery (EWR) on the investment economy of CCS-EWR. In addition, when the residual lifetime is less than 14 years, CCS-EWR projects are still unable to achieve profitability, even with flexible management and decision making; therefore, investors should abandon CCS-EWR investments. On the whole, the investment feasibility for CCS-EWR technology is not optimistic despite access to preferential policies from the government. It is necessary to establish a carbon market with a high and stable CER price

The effects of a job readiness training programme for workers with muscuioskeletal injuries

2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Probing the quantum behavior of a nanomechanical resonator coupled to a double quantum dot

Author name used in this publication: Shi-Hua Ouyang2011-2012 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Multi-seeded melt growth (MSMG) of bulk Y-Ba-Cu-O using thin-film seeds

Y-Ba-Cu-O (YBCO) and Sm-Ba-Cu-O (SmBCO) thin films have been used for the first time as heterogeneous seeds to multi-seed successfully the melt growth of bulk YBCO in a multi-seeded melt growth (MSMG) process. The use of thin film seeds, which may be prepared with highly controlled orientation (i.e. with a well-defined a-b plane and precisely known a-direction), is based on their superheating properties and reduces significantly contamination of the bulk sample by the seed material. A variety of grain boundaries were obtained by varying the angle between the seeds. Microstructural studies indicate that the extent of residual melt deposited at the grain boundary decreases with increasing grain boundary contact angle. It is established that the growth front proceeds continuously at the (110)/(110) grain boundary without trapping liquid, which leads to the formation of a clean grain boundary

Different mechanisms of cis-9,trans-11- and trans-10,cis-12- conjugated linoleic acid affecting lipid metabolism in 3T3-L1 cells

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been shown to reduce body fat mass in various experimental animals. It is valuable to identify its influence on enzymes involved in energy expenditure, apoptosis, fatty acid oxidation and lipolysis. We investigated isomer-specific effects of high dose, long treatment of CLA (75.4 Μmol/L, 8 days) on protein and gene expression of these enzymes in cultured 3T3-L1 cells. Proteomics identified significant up- or down-regulation of 52 proteins by either CLA isomer. Protein and gene expression of uncoupling protein (UCP) 1, UCP3, perilipin and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) α increased whereas UCP2 reduced for both CLA isomers. And eight-day treatment of trans-10,. cis-12 CLA, but not cis-9,. trans-11 CLA, significantly up-regulated protein and mRNA levels of PKA (P<05), CPT-1 and TNF-α (P<01). Compared to protein expression, both isomers did not significantly influence the mRNA expression of HSL, ATGL, ACO and leptin. In conclusion, high-dose, long treatment of cis-9,. trans-11 CLA did not promote apoptosis, fatty acid oxidation and lipolysis in adipocytes, but may induce an increase in energy expenditure. trans-10,. cis-12 CLA exhibited greater influence on lipid metabolism, stimulated adipocyte energy expenditure, apoptosis and fatty acid oxidation, but its effect on lipolysis was not obvious. © 2010 Elsevier Inc.postprin

A possible method for non-Hermitian and non-PTPT-symmetric Hamiltonian systems

A possible method to investigate non-Hermitian Hamiltonians is suggested through finding a Hermitian operator $\eta_+$ and defining the annihilation and creation operators to be $\eta_+$-pseudo-Hermitian adjoint to each other. The operator $\eta_+$ represents the $\eta_+$-pseudo-Hermiticity of Hamiltonians. As an example, a non-Hermitian and non-$PT$-symmetric Hamiltonian with imaginary linear coordinate and linear momentum terms is constructed and analyzed in detail. The operator $\eta_+$ is found, based on which, a real spectrum and a positive-definite inner product, together with the probability explanation of wave functions, the orthogonality of eigenstates, and the unitarity of time evolution, are obtained for the non-Hermitian and non-$PT$-symmetric Hamiltonian. Moreover, this Hamiltonian turns out to be coupled when it is extended to the canonical noncommutative space with noncommutative spatial coordinate operators and noncommutative momentum operators as well. Our method is applicable to the coupled Hamiltonian. Then the first and second order noncommutative corrections of energy levels are calculated, and in particular the reality of energy spectra, the positive-definiteness of inner products, and the related properties (the probability explanation of wave functions, the orthogonality of eigenstates, and the unitarity of time evolution) are found not to be altered by the noncommutativity.Comment: 15 pages, no figures; v2: clarifications added; v3: 16 pages, 1 figure, clarifications made clearer; v4: 19 pages, the main context is completely rewritten; v5: 25 pages, title slightly changed, clarifications added, the final version to appear in PLOS ON

Mice have a transcribed L-threonine aldolase/GLY1 gene, but the human GLY1 gene is a non-processed pseudogene

BACKGROUND: There are three pathways of L-threonine catabolism. The enzyme L-threonine aldolase (TA) has been shown to catalyse the conversion of L-threonine to yield glycine and acetaldehyde in bacteria, fungi and plants. Low levels of TA enzymatic activity have been found in vertebrates. It has been suggested that any detectable activity is due to serine hydroxymethyltransferase and that mammals lack a genuine threonine aldolase. RESULTS: The 7-exon murine L-threonine aldolase gene (GLY1) is located on chromosome 11, spanning 5.6 kb. The cDNA encodes a 400-residue protein. The protein has 81% similarity with the bacterium Thermotoga maritima TA. Almost all known functional residues are conserved between the two proteins including Lys242 that forms a Schiff-base with the cofactor, pyridoxal-5'-phosphate. The human TA gene is located at 17q25. It contains two single nucleotide deletions, in exons 4 and 7, which cause frame-shifts and a premature in-frame stop codon towards the carboxy-terminal. Expression of human TA mRNA was undetectable by RT-PCR. In mice, TA mRNA was found at low levels in a range of adult tissues, being highest in prostate, heart and liver. In contrast, serine/threonine dehydratase, another enzyme that catabolises L-threonine, is expressed very highly only in the liver. Serine dehydratase-like 1, also was most abundant in the liver. In whole mouse embryos TA mRNA expression was low prior to E-15 increasing more than four-fold by E-17. CONCLUSION: Mice, the western-clawed frog and the zebrafish have transcribed threonine aldolase/GLY1 genes, but the human homolog is a non-transcribed pseudogene. Serine dehydratase-like 1 is a putative L-threonine catabolising enzyme