Assignment of the NV0 575 nm zero-phonon line in diamond to a 2E-2A2 transition

The time-averaged emission spectrum of single nitrogen-vacancy defects in diamond gives zero-phonon lines of both the negative charge state at 637 nm (1.945 eV) and the neutral charge state at 575 nm (2.156 eV). This occurs through photo-conversion between the two charge states. Due to strain in the diamond the zero-phonon lines are split and it is found that the splitting and polarization of the two zero-phonon lines are the same. From this observation and consideration of the electronic structure of the nitrogen-vacancy center it is concluded that the excited state of the neutral center has A2 orbital symmetry. The assignment of the 575 nm transition to a 2E - 2A2 transition has not been established previously.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Demonstration of entanglement-by-measurement of solid state qubits

Projective measurements are a powerful tool for manipulating quantum states. In particular, a set of qubits can be entangled by measurement of a joint property such as qubit parity. These joint measurements do not require a direct interaction between qubits and therefore provide a unique resource for quantum information processing with well-isolated qubits. Numerous schemes for entanglement-by-measurement of solid-state qubits have been proposed, but the demanding experimental requirements have so far hindered implementations. Here we realize a two-qubit parity measurement on nuclear spins in diamond by exploiting the electron spin of a nitrogen-vacancy center as readout ancilla. The measurement enables us to project the initially uncorrelated nuclear spins into maximally entangled states. By combining this entanglement with high-fidelity single-shot readout we demonstrate the first violation of Bells inequality with solid-state spins. These results open the door to a new class of experiments in which projective measurements are used to create, protect and manipulate entanglement between solid-state qubits.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Identification of synthetic lethality of PRKDC in MYC-dependent human cancers by pooled shRNA screening

BACKGROUND: MYC family members are among the most frequently deregulated oncogenes in human cancers, yet direct therapeutic targeting of MYC in cancer has been challenging thus far. Synthetic lethality provides an opportunity for therapeutic intervention of MYC-driven cancers. METHODS: A pooled kinase shRNA library screen was performed and next-generation deep sequencing efforts identified that PRKDC was synthetically lethal in cells overexpressing MYC. Genes and proteins of interest were knocked down or inhibited using RNAi technology and small molecule inhibitors, respectively. Quantitative RT-PCR using TaqMan probes examined mRNA expression levels and cell viability was assessed using CellTiter-Glo (Promega). Western blotting was performed to monitor different protein levels in the presence or absence of RNAi or compound treatment. Statistical significance of differences among data sets were determined using unpaired t test (Mann-Whitney test) or ANOVA. RESULTS: Inhibition of PRKDC using RNAi (RNA interference) or small molecular inhibitors preferentially killed MYC-overexpressing human lung fibroblasts. Moreover, inducible PRKDC knockdown decreased cell viability selectively in high MYC-expressing human small cell lung cancer cell lines. At the molecular level, we found that inhibition of PRKDC downregulated MYC mRNA and protein expression in multiple cancer cell lines. In addition, we confirmed that overexpression of MYC family proteins induced DNA double-strand breaks; our results also revealed that PRKDC inhibition in these cells led to an increase in DNA damage levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the synthetic lethality between PRKDC and MYC may in part be due to PRKDC dependent modulation of MYC expression, as well as MYC-induced DNA damage where PRKDC plays a key role in DNA damage repair

Model of bullying prevention among younger schoolchildren in educational environment of general education organization

Importance. The weakening of the educational and socializing potential of the family and school, the violation of social control mechanisms in society, the influence of uncontrolled information flows lead to a decrease in the spiritual and moral orientations of the younger generation and the manifestation of immorality, permissiveness, violence and aggression. All this contributes to the growth of the number of children at risk and the emergence of such a phenomenon as “bullying”.The purpose of the research is to develop a process model of bullying prevention among younger schoolchildren in the educational environment of a general education organization, which will help to neutralize the emerging negative consequences manifested in severe psychological trauma and disharmony of the holistic development of younger schoolchildren.Research methods. Based on the analysis of scientific literature, approaches and concepts on the problem of bullying prevention among primary school children, the study of fundamental legal documents in the field of education and social sphere, as well as modeling, the factors of bullying among schoolchildren are identified and their characteristics are given; a model of bullying prevention among primary school children and pedagogical conditions for its implementation are revealed.Results and Discussion. A process model of bullying prevention among younger schoolchildren is constructed and the stages of its implementation in the educational environment of a general education organization are substantiated.Conclusion. Prevention of bullying among primary school children should be based on the developed model and a set of measures to prevent the occurrence of violence in the school community from the perspective of purposeful organization of constructive interpersonal relationships and productive implementation of joint activities of students in the educational environment of a general education organization

High throughput mutagenesis for identification of residues regulating human prostacyclin (hIP) receptor

The human prostacyclin receptor (hIP receptor) is a seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that plays a critical role in vascular smooth muscle relaxation and platelet aggregation. hIP receptor dysfunction has been implicated in numerous cardiovascular abnormalities, including myocardial infarction, hypertension, thrombosis and atherosclerosis. Genomic sequencing has discovered several genetic variations in the PTGIR gene coding for hIP receptor, however, its structure-function relationship has not been sufficiently explored. Here we set out to investigate the applicability of high throughput random mutagenesis to study the structure-function relationship of hIP receptor. While chemical mutagenesis was not suitable to generate a mutagenesis library with sufficient coverage, our data demonstrate error-prone PCR (epPCR) mediated mutagenesis as a valuable method for the unbiased screening of residues regulating hIP receptor function and expression. Here we describe the generation and functional characterization of an epPCR derived mutagenesis library compromising >4000 mutants of the hIP receptor. We introduce next generation sequencing as a useful tool to validate the quality of mutagenesis libraries by providing information about the coverage, mutation rate and mutational bias. We identified 18 mutants of the hIP receptor that were expressed at the cell surface, but demonstrated impaired receptor function. A total of 38 non-synonymous mutations were identified within the coding region of the hIP receptor, mapping to 36 distinct residues, including several mutations previously reported to affect the signaling of the hIP receptor. Thus, our data demonstrates epPCR mediated random mutagenesis as a valuable and practical method to study the structurefunction relationship of GPCRs. © 2014 Bill et al

Laser writing of coherent colour centres in diamond

Optically active point defects in crystals have gained widespread attention as photonic systems that can find use in quantum information technologies [1,2]. However challenges remain in the placing of individual defects at desired locations, an essential element of device fabrication. Here we report the controlled generation of single nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in diamond using laser writing [3]. The use of aberration correction in the writing optics allows precise positioning of vacancies within the diamond crystal, and subsequent annealing produces single NV centres with up to 45% success probability, within about 200 nm of the desired position. Selected NV centres fabricated by this method display stable, coherent optical transitions at cryogenic temperatures, a pre-requisite for the creation of distributed quantum networks of solid-state qubits. The results illustrate the potential of laser writing as a new tool for defect engineering in quantum technologies

Luminescence of sapphire single crystals irradiated with high-power ion beams

Optical absorption, photo- and cathodoluminescence of a sapphire single crystal (α-Al 2 O 3 ) exposed to pulsed nanosecond radiation with high-power ion beams C + /H + with an energy of 300 keV and energy density 0.5-1.5 J/cm 2 were first investigated in this work. It was found that under ion irradiation accompanied by heating of sapphire up to melting, the formation of F-type centers and their aggregates associated with oxygen vacancies was observed in the crystals under study. These centers have luminescence bands at 330, 410 and 500 nm which depend on the type and wavelength of the optical excitation. The appearance of a new PL emission at 435 nm, presumably associated with a complex vacancy-impurity defect, was also observed in the photoluminescence spectra. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.The work was supported by the initiative scientific project № 16.5186.2017/8.9 of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation. Experiments on ion irradiation of sapphire was done at the KIPT as a part of the state task

Phase 1b randomized, double-blind study of namilumab, an anti-granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor monoclonal antibody, in mild-to-moderate rheumatoid arthritis

Change from baseline in swollen (a) and tender (b) joint counts. *Error bars show upper SE for placebo and lower SE for namilumab. SE standard error, SJC swollen joint count, TJC tender joint count. (PDF 1292 kb

Features of the Pulsed Treatment of Silicon Layers Implanted with Erbium Ions

Abstract—The formation of thin-film solid solutions of erbium in silicon and synthesis of erbium silicides were performed using continuous implantation of silicon with erbium ions followed by pulsed ion-beam treat- ment. Structural and optical properties of formed Si:Er layers were studied by Rutherford backscattering, trans- mission electron microscopy, and low-temperature photoluminescence. The dependences of erbium redistribu- tion, the microstructure of Si:Er layers, and their photoluminescence in the near-IR region on the erbium con- centration and pulsed treatment conditions were determined