High fidelity bi-directional nuclear qubit initialization in SiC

Dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP) is an attractive method for initializing nuclear spins that are strongly coupled to optically active electron spins because it functions at room temperature and does not require strong magnetic fields. In this Letter, we demonstrate that DNP, with near-unity polarization efficiency, can be generally realized in weakly coupled hybrid registers, and furthermore that the nuclear spin polarization can be completely reversed with only sub-Gauss magnetic field variations. This mechanism offers new avenues for DNP-based sensors and radio-frequency free control of nuclear qubits

Prognostic Factors in Dedifferentiated Chondrosarcoma: A Retrospective Analysis of a Large Series Treated at a Single Institution.

Background:Dedifferentiated chondrosarcomas (DDCSs) are highly malignant tumors with a dismal prognosis and present a significant challenge in clinical management. Methods:In an IRB approved retrospective protocol, we identified 72 patients with DDCS treated at our institution between 1993 and 2017 and reviewed clinicopathological characteristics, treatment modalities, and outcomes to analyze prognostic factors. Results:Femur (44.4%), pelvis (22.2%), and humerus (12.5%) were most commonly involved sites. Twenty-three patients (31.9%) presented with distant metastasis, and 3 (4.2%) of them also had regional lymph node involvement. The median overall survival (OS) was 13.9 months. On multivariate analysis, pathological fracture, larger tumor size, lymph node involvement, metastasis at diagnosis, extraosseous extension, and undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma component correlated with worse OS, whereas surgical resection and chemotherapy were associated with improved OS. For progression-free survival (PFS), pathological fracture and metastasis at diagnosis showed increased risk, while chemotherapy was associated with decreased risk. Among patients who received chemotherapy, doxorubicin and cisplatin were significantly associated with improved PFS but not OS. Among patients without metastasis at diagnosis, 17 (34.7%) developed local recurrence. Thirty-one (63.3%) developed distant metastases at a median interval of 18.1 months. On multivariate analysis, R1/R2 resection was related with local recurrence, while macroscopic dedifferentiated component was associated with distant metastasis. Conclusions:The prognosis of DDCS is poor. Complete resection remains a significant prognostic factor for local control. Chemotherapy with doxorubicin and cisplatin seems to have better PFS. More prognostic, multicenter trials are warranted to further explore the effectiveness of chemotherapy in selected DDCS patients

Electrically driven optical interferometry with spins in silicon carbide

Interfacing solid-state defect electron spins to other quantum systems is an ongoing challenge. The ground-state spin's weak coupling to its environment bestows excellent coherence properties, but also limits desired drive fields. The excited-state orbitals of these electrons, however, can exhibit stronger coupling to phononic and electric fields. Here, we demonstrate electrically driven coherent quantum interference in the optical transition of single, basally oriented divacancies in commercially available 4H silicon carbide. By applying microwave frequency electric fields, we coherently drive the divacancy's excited-state orbitals and induce Landau-Zener-Stuckelberg interference fringes in the resonant optical absorption spectrum. Additionally, we find remarkably coherent optical and spin subsystems enabled by the basal divacancy's symmetry. These properties establish divacancies as strong candidates for quantum communication and hybrid system applications, where simultaneous control over optical and spin degrees of freedom is paramount.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figure

Digital Storytelling Framework to Assist Young Children in Understanding Dementia

A digital storytelling tool is one of the interactive technologies that can help youngsters better comprehend Dementia. Dementia makes it difficult for older people to maintain their daily routines. They have difficulties in effectively communicating with those around them. Similarly, children whose grandparents have Dementia will struggle to understand their grandparents' situation. It will also negatively influence children's relationships with their grandparents. Learning through interactive digital storytelling will affect younger people's entertainment experiences, which may help them better comprehend Dementia. As a result, the children's relationships with their grandparents may be strengthened. This study aims to present the framework of digital storytelling in helping young children understand more about Dementia. The framework was developed in a step-by-step procedure that included analyzing and synthesizing current applications and relevant research, constructing the framework, and having it confirmed by experts. Researchers and developers may use the framework as a guideline to build meaningful digital storytelling features

Self-Agglomeration in Fluidised Beds after Spray Drying

peer-reviewedMany powders are produced in spray-drying processes from liquid concentrates. Self-agglomeration can be performed in a fluidised bed where the spray-dried powder is agglomerated using the liquid concentrate as the binder material. This has advantages over traditional wet agglomeration in fluid beds using liquid binders (such as water or sugar solutions). These include thermal energy savings and no additional non-aqueous binder components added. The work presented has two parts. The first part is experimental, which investigated the self-agglomeration of whey protein isolate (WPI) powder as a case-study. It showed that satisfactory agglomeration was achieved with a great improvement in the wettability of the powder. The second part of the work performed thermal energy analysis to estimate the energy saving potential of self-agglomeration, and how this is influenced by binder to powder ratio and binder solids concentration. For the WPI case-study, the analysis showed there is potential for a 19% saving in thermal energy requirement for self-agglomeration in comparison to traditional agglomeration using a water binder

Breakage of infant milk formula through three different processing methods and its influence on powder properties

peer-reviewedDairy powder breakage has always occurred during production and transportation though few studies on it have been published. This paper examines the breakage of infant formula using three different processing methods (laboratory high-speed mixing, lab-scale pneumatic conveying, and factory-scale blending) and the effect of breakage on powder properties. In both mixing and high-velocity pneumatic conveying, particles were broken into smaller entities and the particle size of samples significantly decreased. Particle breakage was accompanied by a significant decrease in porosity and increase in density and surface free fat. This in-turn decreased the rehydration properties of samples, especially for high-speed mixing, while breakage had only a small influence on powder flowability. By contrast, some agglomeration occurred during blending for short time in the blender and the particle size did not decrease (P > 0.05) even for blending at longer time, thus, there were only minor impacts on physical and functional properties of powders.Teagas

Breakage behaviour and functionality of spray-dried agglomerated model infant milk formula: Effect of proteins and carbohydrates content

peer-reviewedThis study explored the effect of protein content (whey protein and casein) and carbohydrate content (lactose, sucrose, and maltodextrin) on the breakage behaviour and its influence on spray-dried agglomerated model infant milk formula. Whey protein powders were bigger in particle size, weaker in structural strength, and marginally more irregular in shape, which resulted in better rehydration properties but more breakage than pure casein powders. Similarly, sucrose samples had better rehydration properties and higher glass transition temperatures but suffered more breakage than maltodextrin and pure lactose powders because of their bigger particle size. The influence of proteins on breakage was greater than that of carbohydrates. Breakage changed the physical and structural properties of powders, especially for whey protein and sucrose samples, which caused the deterioration of rehydration properties and the decrease in crystallization temperatures. From the perspective of particle breakage, unwanted dairy powder breakage could be controlled by changing powder formulations

Three-dimensional structure determination from a single view

The ability to determine the structure of matter in three dimensions has profoundly advanced our understanding of nature. Traditionally, the most widely used schemes for 3D structure determination of an object are implemented by acquiring multiple measurements over various sample orientations, as in the case of crystallography and tomography (1,2), or by scanning a series of thin sections through the sample, as in confocal microscopy (3). Here we present a 3D imaging modality, termed ankylography (derived from the Greek words ankylos meaning 'curved' and graphein meaning 'writing'), which enables complete 3D structure determination from a single exposure using a monochromatic incident beam. We demonstrate that when the diffraction pattern of a finite object is sampled at a sufficiently fine scale on the Ewald sphere, the 3D structure of the object is determined by the 2D spherical pattern. We confirm the theoretical analysis by performing 3D numerical reconstructions of a sodium silicate glass structure at 2 Angstrom resolution and a single poliovirus at 2 - 3 nm resolution from 2D spherical diffraction patterns alone. Using diffraction data from a soft X-ray laser, we demonstrate that ankylography is experimentally feasible by obtaining a 3D image of a test object from a single 2D diffraction pattern. This approach of obtaining complete 3D structure information from a single view is anticipated to find broad applications in the physical and life sciences. As X-ray free electron lasers (X-FEL) and other coherent X-ray sources are under rapid development worldwide, ankylography potentially opens a door to determining the 3D structure of a biological specimen in a single pulse and allowing for time-resolved 3D structure determination of disordered materials.Comment: 30 page