Acceleration of probabilistic imaginary-time evolution method combined with quantum amplitude amplification

A probabilistic imaginary-time evolution (PITE) method was proposed as a nonvariational method to obtain a ground state on a quantum computer. In this formalism, the success probability of obtaining all imaginary-time evolution operators acting on the initial state decreases as the imaginary time proceeds. To alleviate the undesirable nature, we propose quantum circuits for PITE combined with the quantum amplitude amplification (QAA) method. We reduce the circuit depth in the combined circuit with QAA by introducing a pre-amplification operator. We successfully demonstrated that the combination of PITE and QAA works efficiently and reported a case in which the quantum acceleration is achieved. Additionally, we have found that by optimizing a parameter of PITE, we can reduce the number of QAA operations and that deterministic imaginary-time evolution (deterministic ITE) can be achieved which avoids the probabilistic nature of PITE. We applied the deterministic ITE procedure to multiple imaginary-time steps and discussed the computational cost for the circuits. Finally, as an example, we demonstrate the numerical results of the PITE circuit combined with QAA in the first- and second-quantized Hamiltonians.Comment: 20 pages, 12 figure

Quadratic acceleration of multi-step probabilistic algorithms for state preparation

For quantum state preparation, a non-unitary operator is typically designed to decay undesirable states contained in an initial state using ancilla qubits and a probabilistic action. Probabilistic algorithms do not accelerate the computational process compared to classical ones. In this study, quantum amplitude amplification (QAA) and multi-step probabilistic algorithms are combined to achieve quadratic acceleration. This method outperforms quantum phase estimation in terms of infidelity. The quadratic acceleration was confirmed by the probabilistic imaginary-time evolution (PITE) method

The N- or C-terminal cytoplasmic regions of P4-ATPases determine their cellular localization

Mammalian P4-ATPases specifically localize to the plasma membrane and the membranes of intracellular compartments. P4-ATPases contain 10 transmembrane domains, and their N- and C-terminal (NT and CT) regions face the cytoplasm. Among the ATP10 and ATP11 proteins of P4-ATPases, ATP10A, ATP10D, ATP11A, and ATP11C localize to the plasma membrane, while ATP10B and ATP11B localize to late endosomes and early/recycling endosomes, respectively. We previously showed that the NT region of ATP9B is critical for its localization to the Golgi apparatus, while the CT regions of ATP11C isoforms are critical for Ca2+-dependent endocytosis or polarized localization at the plasma membrane. Here, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of chimeric proteins and found that the NT region of ATP10 proteins and the CT region of ATP11 proteins are responsible for their specific subcellular localization. Importantly, the ATP10B NT and the ATP11B CT regions were found to harbor a trafficking and/or targeting signal that allows these P4-ATPases to localize to late endosomes and early/recycling endosomes, respectively. Moreover, dileucine residues in the NT region of ATP10B were required for its trafficking to endosomal compartments. These results suggest that the NT and CT sequences of P4-ATPases play a key role in their intracellular trafficking

Erratum to: Contrasting effects of blue and red LED irradiations on the growth of Sargassum horneri during the germling and immature stages

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. Figure 7 was incorrect. The correct Figure is given below: (Figure presented). © 2017, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.Embargo Period 12 month

RESPACK: An ab initio tool for derivation of effective low-energy model of material

RESPACK is a first-principles calculation software for evaluating the interaction parameters of materials and is able to calculate maximally localized Wannier functions, response functions based on the random phase approximation and related optical properties, and frequency-dependent electronic interaction parameters. RESPACK receives its input data from a band-calculation code using norm-conserving pseudopotentials with plane-wave basis sets. Automatic generation scripts that convert the band-structure results to the RESPACK inputs are prepared for xTAPP and Quantum ESPRESSO. An input file for specifying the RESPACK calculation conditions is designed pursuing simplicity and is given in the Fortran namelist format. RESPACK supports hybrid parallelization using OpenMP and MPI and can treat large systems including a few hundred atoms in the calculation cell

Comprehensive Investigation on the Interplay between Feline APOBEC3Z3 Proteins and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Vif Proteins

As the hosts of lentiviruses, almost 40 species of felids (family Felidae) are distributed around the world, and more than 20 feline species test positive for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a lineage of lentiviruses. These observations suggest that FIVs globally infected a variety of feline species through multiple cross-species transmission events during a million-year history. Cellular restriction factors potentially inhibit lentiviral replication and limit cross-species lentiviral transmission, and cellular APOBEC3 deaminases are known as a potent restriction factor. In contrast, lentiviruses have evolutionary-acquired viral infectivity factor (Vif) to neutralize the APOBEC3-mediated antiviral effect. Because the APOBEC3-Vif interaction is strictly specific for viruses and their hosts, a comprehensive investigation focusing on Vif-APOBEC3 interplay can provide clues that will elucidate the roles of this virus-host interplay on cross-species transmission of lentiviruses. Here, we performed a comprehensive investigation with 144 patterns of a round robin test using 18 feline APOBEC3Z3 genes, an antiviral APOBEC3 gene in felid, and 8 FIV Vifs and derived a matrix showing the interplay between feline APOBEC3Z3 and FIV Vif. We particularly focused on the interplay between the APOBEC3Z3 of three felids (domestic cat, ocelot, and Asian golden cat) and an FIV Vif (strain Petaluma), and revealed that residues 65 and 66 of the APOBEC3Z3 protein of multiple felids are responsible for the counteraction triggered by FIV Petaluma Vif. Altogether, our findings can be a clue to elucidate not only the scenarios of the cross-species transmissions of FIVs in felids but also the evolutionary interaction between mammals and lentiviruses

Contrasting effects of blue and red LED irradiations on the growth of Sargassum horneri during the germling and immature stages

The brown seaweed Sargassum horneri (Sargassaceae) is important for marine environment conservation. It could be used for a food material, medical applications, and future biofuel production. We compared the growth of S. horneri cultures under single wavelength blue and red light during the germling and immature stages. The growth rate based on the thallus area of S. horneri during the germling stage was faster under blue LED light than under red LED light. Furthermore, based on the wet weight of S. horneri, during the immature stage, blue LED light resulted in a faster growth rate than red LED light. Moreover, during the immature stage, compared with red LED light, blue LED light tended to increase the content of photosynthetic pigments. We conclude that use of blue LED light in indoor tanks during the germling and immature stages will improve the efficiency of S. horneri culture. © 2016 Springer Science+Business Media DordrechtEmbargo Period 12 month

The SARS-CoV-2 Lambda variant exhibits enhanced infectivity and immune resistance

SARS-CoV-2ラムダ株のウイルス学的・免疫学的性状の解明. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2021-12-23.SARS-CoV-2 Lambda, a variant of interest, has spread in some South American countries; however, its virological features and evolutionary traits remain unknown. In this study, we use pseudoviruses and reveal that the spike protein of the Lambda variant is more infectious than that of other variants due to the T76I and L452Q mutations. The RSYLTPGD246-253N mutation, a unique 7-amino-acid deletion in the N-terminal domain of the Lambda spike protein, is responsible for evasion from neutralizing antibodies and further augments antibody-mediated enhancement of infection. Although this mutation generates a nascent N-linked glycosylation site, the additional N-linked glycan is dispensable for the virological property conferred by this mutation. Since the Lambda variant has dominantly spread according to the increasing frequency of the isolates harboring the RSYLTPGD246-253N mutation, our data suggest that the RSYLTPGD246-253N mutation is closely associated with the substantial spread of the Lambda variant in South America