Advantage of quantum coherence in postselected metrology

In conventional measurement, to reach the greatest accuracy of parameter estimation, all samples must be measured since each independent sample contains the same quantum Fisher information. In postselected metrology, postselection can concentrate the quantum Fisher information of the initial samples into a tiny post-selected sub-ensemble. It has been proven that this quantum advantage can not be realized in any classically commuting theory. In this work, we present that the advantage of postselection in weak value amplification (WVA) can not be achieved without quantum coherence. The quantum coherence of the initial system is closely related to the preparation costs and measurement costs in parameter estimation. With the increase of initial quantum coherence, the joint values of preparation costs and measurement costs can be optimized to smaller. Moreover, we derive an analytical tradeoff relation between the preparation, measurement and the quantum coherence. We further experimentally test the tradeoff relation in a linear optical setup. The experimental and theoretical results are in good agreement and show that the quantum coherence plays a key role in bounding the resource costs in the postselected metrology process

The Differentially Expressed Circular RNAs in the Substantia Nigra and Corpus Striatum of Nrf2-Knockout Mice

Background/Aims: The nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)-antioxidant response element (ARE) pathway plays a protective role in both acute neuronal damage and chronic neurodegeneration-related oxidative stress. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are involved with various diseases in the central nervous system (CNS). This study aimed to identify the key circRNAs involved in Nrf2-neuroprotection against oxidative stress. Methods: The differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs) in the substantia nigra and corpus striatum between Nrf2 (-/-) and Nrf2 (+/+) mice were identified by microarray analysis. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was then used to validate the expression of selected DEcircRNAs in the substantia nigra and corpus striatum between Nrf2 (-/-) and Nrf2 (+/+) mice. Based on our previous microarray analysis of the differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs) in the substantia nigra and corpus striatum between Nrf2 (-/-) and Nrf2 (+/+) mice, the DEcircRNA-miRNA-DEmRNA interaction network was constructed. Functional annotation of DEmRNAs that shared the same binding miRNAs with DEcircRNAs was performed using gene ontology (GO) and pathway analyses. Results: A total of 65 and 150 significant DEcircRNAs were obtained in the substantia nigra and corpus striatum of Nrf2 (-/-) mice, respectively, and seventeen shared DEcircRNAs were found in both these two tissues. The qRT-PCR results were generally consistent with the microarray results. The DEcircRNA-miRNA-DEmRNA interaction network and pathway analysis indicated that mmu_circRNA_34132, mmu_circRNA_017077 and mmu-circRNA-015216 might be involved with Nrf2-mediated neuroprotection against oxidative stress. Mmu_circRNA_015216 and mmu_circRNA_017077 might play roles in the Nrf2-related transcriptional misregulation and Nrf2-mediated processes of rheumatoid arthritis, respectively. In addition to these two processes, mmu_circRNA_34132 may be a potential regulator of Nrf2-mediated protection for diabetes mellitus and Nrf2-mediated defence against ROS in hearts. Conclusion: In conclusion, our study identified the key DEcircRNAs in the substantia nigra and corpus striatum of Nrf2 (-/-) mice, which might provide new clues for further exploring the mechanism of Nrf2-mediated neuroprotection against oxidative stress and other Nrf2-mediated processes

Visible-Light-Driven Rotation of Molecular Motors in Discrete Supramolecular Metallacycles

The organization of molecular motors in supramolecular assemblies to allow the amplification and transmission of motion and collective action is an important step toward future responsive systems. Metal-coordination-driven directional self-assembly into supramolecular metallacycles provides a powerful strategy to position several motor units in larger structures with well-defined geometries. Herein, we present a pyridyl-modified molecular motor ligand (MPY) which upon coordination with geometrically distinct di-Pt(II) acceptors assembles into discrete metallacycles of different sizes and shapes. This coordination leads to a red-shift of the absorption bands of molecular motors, making these motorized metallacycles responsive to visible light. Photochemical and thermal isomerization experiments demonstrated that the light-driven rotation of the motors in the metallacycles is similar to that in free MPY in solution. CD studies show that the helicity inversions associated with each isomerization step in the rotary cycle are preserved. To explore collective motion, the trimeric motor-containing metallacycle was aggregated with heparin through multiple electrostatic interactions, to construct a multi-component hierarchical system. SEM, TEM, and DLS measurements revealed that the photo- and thermal-responsive molecular motor units enabled selective manipulation of the secondary supramolecular aggregation process without dissociating the primary metallacycle structures. These visible-light-responsive metallacycles, with intrinsic multiple rotary motors, offer prospects for cooperative operations, dynamic hierarchical self-assembled systems, and adaptive materials

A case-control study on risk factors of breast cancer in China

Introduction: To screen the risk factors associated with breast cancer among Chinese women in order to evaluate the individual risk of developing breast cancer among women in China. Material and methods: A case-control study on 416 breast cancer patients and 1156 matched controls was conducted in 14 hospitals in 8 provinces of China in 2008. Controls were age- and region-matched to the cases. Clinicians conducted in-person interviews with the subjects to collect information on demographics and suspected risk factors for breast cancer that are known worldwide. Conditional logistic regression was used to derive odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the associations between risk factors and breast cancer. Results: Compared with matched controls, women with breast cancer were significantly more likely to have higher body mass index (BMI, OR = 4.07, 95% CI; 2.98-5.55), history of benign breast disease (BBD) biopsy (OR = 1.68, 95% CI; 1.19-2.38), older age of menarche (AOM) (OR = 1.41, 95% CI: 107-187), stress anticipation (SA), for grade 1-4, OR = 2.15, 95% CI; 1.26-3.66; for grade 5-9, OR = 3.48, 95% CI; 2.03-5.95) and menopause (OR = 2.22, 95% CI: 1.50-3.282) at the level of p < 0.05. Family history of breast cancer (FHBC) in first-degree relatives (OR = 1.66, 95% CI; 0.77-3.59) and use of oral contraceptives (OC) (OR = 1.59, 95% CI; 0.83-3.05) were associated with an increased risk of breast cancer at the level of p < 0.20. Conclusions: Our results showed that BMI, history of BBD biopsy, older AOM, SA and menopause were associated with increased risk of breast cancer among Chinese women. The findings derived from the study provided some suggestions for population-based prevention and control of breast cancer in China.Medicine, General & InternalSCI(E)15ARTICLE2303-309

A boracite metal-organic framework displaying selective gas sorption and guest-dependent spin-crossover behaviour

NNSF of China [21021061, 20923004]; Specialized Research Fund for the Doctoral Program of Higher Education [20110121110012]A metal-organic framework, [{Fe(NCS)(2)}(3)(TPB)(4)]center dot x(guest) [1 center dot x(guest), TPB = 1,3,5-tris(4-pyridyl)benzene], shows selective gas adsorption and guest-dependent spin-crossover behaviour

Superconductivity and Charge-density-wave-like Transition in Th2Cu4As5

We report the synthesis, crystal structure, and physical properties of a novel ternary compound, Th$_2$Cu$_4$As$_5$. The material crystallizes in a tetragonal structure with lattice parameters $a=4.0716(1)$ {\AA} and $c=24.8131(4)$ {\AA}. Its structure can be described as an alternating stacking of fluorite-type Th$_2$As$_2$ layers with antifluorite-type double-layered Cu$_4$As$_3$ slabs. The measurement of electrical resistivity, magnetic susceptibility and specific heat reveals that Th$_2$Cu$_4$As$_5$ undergoes bulk superconducting transition at 4.2 K. Moreover, all these physical quantities exhibit anomalies at 48 K, where the Hall coefficient change the sign. These findings suggest a charge-density-wave-like (CDW) transition, making Th$_2$Cu$_4$As$_5$ a rare example for studying the interplay between CDW and superconductivity.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, and 1 tabl