Micro RNA Expression after Ingestion of Fucoidan; A Clinical Study

Fucoidans are a class of fucose‐rich sulfated polysaccharides derived from brownmacroalgae that exert a range of biological activities in vitro and in vivo. To generate an unbiasedassessment of pathways and processes affected by fucoidan, a placebo‐controlled double‐blind pilotstudy was performed in healthy volunteers. Blood samples were taken immediately before and 24h after ingestion of a single dose of 1 g of Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan (UPF) or placebo. Levels ofisolated miRNAs were analyzed using Taqman Open Array Human MicroRNA panels. Out of 754miRNAs screened, UPF affected a total of 53 miRNAs. Pathway analysis using the TALOS dataanalysis tool predicted 29 different pathways and processes that were largely grouped into cellsurface receptor signaling, cancer‐related pathways, the majority of which were previouslyassociated with fucoidans. However, this analysis also identified nine pathways and processes thathave not been associated with fucoidans before. Overall, this study illustrates that even a single doseof fucoidans has the potential to affect the expression of genes related to fundamental cellularprocesses. Moreover, it confirms previous data that fucoidans influence immunity, cancer cells,inflammation, and neurological function

New evidence for the intentional use of calomel as a white pigment

In this work we report the results of the in-situ application of micro-Raman spectroscopy to the analysis of two historic painted objects: a 15th-century illuminated manuscript and a late-16th-century portrait miniature. Both objects were unexpectedly found to contain calomel (Hg2Cl2), intentionally used as a white pigment. Calomel was a widespread and popular medicine until it fell out of use at the end of the 19th century due to its toxicity, and a material called ‘mercury white’ is referred to in 16th-century technical literature on painting. However, although calomel has been recognised in the past as a degradation product of cinnabar in both wall and easel paintings, its deliberate use as a pigment on cultural heritage objects has only been documented recently, in white areas painted on 17th-century South American objects. The present study describes the first-ever verified use of calomel as a white pigment on European works of art, both of which pre-date its documented use in South America

No imminent quantum supremacy by boson sampling

It is predicted that quantum computers will dramatically outperform their conventional counterparts. However, large-scale universal quantum computers are yet to be built. Boson sampling is a rudimentary quantum algorithm tailored to the platform of photons in linear optics, which has sparked interest as a rapid way to demonstrate this quantum supremacy. Photon statistics are governed by intractable matrix functions known as permanents, which suggests that sampling from the distribution obtained by injecting photons into a linear-optical network could be solved more quickly by a photonic experiment than by a classical computer. The contrast between the apparently awesome challenge faced by any classical sampling algorithm and the apparently near-term experimental resources required for a large boson sampling experiment has raised expectations that quantum supremacy by boson sampling is on the horizon. Here we present classical boson sampling algorithms and theoretical analyses of prospects for scaling boson sampling experiments, showing that near-term quantum supremacy via boson sampling is unlikely. While the largest boson sampling experiments reported so far are with 5 photons, our classical algorithm, based on Metropolised independence sampling (MIS), allowed the boson sampling problem to be solved for 30 photons with standard computing hardware. We argue that the impact of experimental photon losses means that demonstrating quantum supremacy by boson sampling would require a step change in technology.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figures. Comments welcom

Genomic Expansion of Magnetotactic Bacteria Reveals an Early Common Origin of Magnetotaxis with Lineage-specific Evolution

The origin and evolution of magnetoreception, which in diverse prokaryotes and protozoa is known as magnetotaxis and enables these microorganisms to detect Earth’s magnetic field for orientation and navigation, is not well understood in evolutionary biology. The only known prokaryotes capable of sensing the geomagnetic field are magnetotactic bacteria (MTB), motile microorganisms that biomineralize intracellular, membrane-bounded magnetic single-domain crystals of either magnetite (Fe3O4) or greigite (Fe3S4) called magnetosomes. Magnetosomes are responsible for magnetotaxis in MTB. Here we report the first large-scale metagenomic survey of MTB from both northern and southern hemispheres combined with 28 genomes from uncultivated MTB. These genomes expand greatly the coverage of MTB in the Proteobacteria, Nitrospirae, and Omnitrophica phyla, and provide the first genomic evidence of MTB belonging to the Zetaproteobacteria and “Candidatus Lambdaproteobacteria” classes. The gene content and organization of magnetosome gene clusters, which are physically grouped genes that encode proteins for magnetosome biosynthesis and organization, are more conserved within phylogenetically similar groups than between different taxonomic lineages. Moreover, the phylogenies of core magnetosome proteins form monophyletic clades. Together, these results suggest a common ancient origin of iron-based (Fe3O4 and Fe3S4) magnetotaxis in the domain Bacteria that underwent lineage-specific evolution, shedding new light on the origin and evolution of biomineralization and magnetotaxis, and expanding significantly the phylogenomic representation of MTB

Integrated Photonic Sensing

Loss is a critical roadblock to achieving photonic quantum-enhanced technologies. We explore a modular platform for implementing integrated photonics experiments and consider the effects of loss at different stages of these experiments, including state preparation, manipulation and measurement. We frame our discussion mainly in the context of quantum sensing and focus particularly on the use of loss-tolerant Holland-Burnett states for optical phase estimation. In particular, we discuss spontaneous four-wave mixing in standard birefringent fibre as a source of pure, heralded single photons and present methods of optimising such sources. We also outline a route to programmable circuits which allow the control of photonic interactions even in the presence of fabrication imperfections and describe a ratiometric characterisation method for beam splitters which allows the characterisation of complex circuits without the need for full process tomography. Finally, we present a framework for performing state tomography on heralded states using lossy measurement devices. This is motivated by a calculation of the effects of fabrication imperfections on precision measurement using Holland-Burnett states.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figure

Multidimensional cut-off technique, odd-dimensional Epstein zeta functions and Casimir energy of massless scalar fields

Quantum fluctuations of massless scalar fields represented by quantum fluctuations of the quasiparticle vacuum in a zero-temperature dilute Bose-Einstein condensate may well provide the first experimental arena for measuring the Casimir force of a field other than the electromagnetic field. This would constitute a real Casimir force measurement - due to quantum fluctuations - in contrast to thermal fluctuation effects. We develop a multidimensional cut-off technique for calculating the Casimir energy of massless scalar fields in $d$-dimensional rectangular spaces with $q$ large dimensions and $d-q$ dimensions of length $L$ and generalize the technique to arbitrary lengths. We explicitly evaluate the multidimensional remainder and express it in a form that converges exponentially fast. Together with the compact analytical formulas we derive, the numerical results are exact and easy to obtain. Most importantly, we show that the division between analytical and remainder is not arbitrary but has a natural physical interpretation. The analytical part can be viewed as the sum of individual parallel plate energies and the remainder as an interaction energy. In a separate procedure, via results from number theory, we express some odd-dimensional homogeneous Epstein zeta functions as products of one-dimensional sums plus a tiny remainder and calculate from them the Casimir energy via zeta function regularization.Comment: 42 pages, 3 figures. v.2: typos corrected to match published versio

Functionalized Double Strain-Promoted Stapled Peptides for Inhibiting the p53-MDM2 Interaction.

The Sondheimer dialkyne reagent has previously been employed in strain-promoted double-click cycloadditions with bis-azide peptides to generate stapled peptide inhibitors of protein-protein interactions. The substituted variants of the Sondheimer dialkyne can be used to generate functionalized stapled peptide inhibitors with improved biological properties; however, this remains a relatively underdeveloped field. Herein, we report the synthesis of new substituted variants of Sondheimer dialkyne and their application in the stapling of p53-based diazido peptides to generate potent stapled peptide-based inhibitors of the oncogenic p53-MDM2 interaction. The functionalized stapled peptide formed from a meta-fluoro-substituted Sondheimer dialkyne was found to be the most potent inhibitor. Furthermore, through experimental studies and density functional theory calculations, we investigated the impact of the substituent on the strain-promoted double-click reactivity of Sondheimer dialkyne

On the experimental verification of quantum complexity in linear optics

The first quantum technologies to solve computational problems that are beyond the capabilities of classical computers are likely to be devices that exploit characteristics inherent to a particular physical system, to tackle a bespoke problem suited to those characteristics. Evidence implies that the detection of ensembles of photons, which have propagated through a linear optical circuit, is equivalent to sampling from a probability distribution that is intractable to classical simulation. However, it is probable that the complexity of this type of sampling problem means that its solution is classically unverifiable within a feasible number of trials, and the task of establishing correct operation becomes one of gathering sufficiently convincing circumstantial evidence. Here, we develop scalable methods to experimentally establish correct operation for this class of sampling algorithm, which we implement with two different types of optical circuits for 3, 4, and 5 photons, on Hilbert spaces of up to 50,000 dimensions. With only a small number of trials, we establish a confidence >99% that we are not sampling from a uniform distribution or a classical distribution, and we demonstrate a unitary specific witness that functions robustly for small amounts of data. Like the algorithmic operations they endorse, our methods exploit the characteristics native to the quantum system in question. Here we observe and make an application of a "bosonic clouding" phenomenon, interesting in its own right, where photons are found in local groups of modes superposed across two locations. Our broad approach is likely to be practical for all architectures for quantum technologies where formal verification methods for quantum algorithms are either intractable or unknown.Comment: Comments welcom

Language support for immigrant children: a study of state schools in the UK and US

In recent decades, immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers have sought a new way of life in large numbers, often leaving their countries of origin behind in search of places that offer a better way of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate how elementary and middle school students in state schools in Reading, England (primarily speakers of Asian languages), and Richmond, Virginia (primarily speakers of Spanish), were supported academically, when most children’s first language was not English. The authors were interested in exploring whether or not there were cultural or structural differences in the way each country helped or hindered these students as they progressed through the school systems. Three UK schools in a district of approximately 100,000 and three US schools in a district of approximately 250,000 were the focus of this exploration from 2000 to 2003. Findings indicated that there were cultural and legislative differences and similarities. Teachers and administrators in both countries attempted to provide services with limited and sometimes diminishing resources. Community support varied based on resources, attitudes toward various ethnic groups, and the coping strategies adopted by these groups in their new environments. Marked differences appeared with regard to the manner in which assessments took place and how the results were made available to the public