Geometric entanglement from matrix product state representations

An efficient scheme to compute the geometric entanglement per lattice site for quantum many-body systems on a periodic finite-size chain is proposed in the context of a tensor network algorithm based on the matrix product state representations. It is systematically tested for three prototypical critical quantum spin chains, which belong to the same Ising universality class. The simulation results lend strong support to the previous claim [Q.-Q. Shi, R. Or\'{u}s, J. O. Fj{\ae}restad, and H.-Q. Zhou, New J. Phys \textbf{12}, 025008 (2010); J.-M. St\'{e}phan, G. Misguich, and F. Alet, Phys. Rev. B \textbf{82}, 180406R (2010)] that the leading finite-size correction to the geometric entanglement per lattice site is universal, with its remarkable connection to the celebrated Affleck-Ludwig boundary entropy corresponding to a conformally invariant boundary condition.Comment: 4+ pages, 3 figure

Application of anaerobic granular sludge for competitive biosorption of methylene blue and Pb(II): Fluorescence and response surface methodology

© 2015 Elsevier Ltd. This study assessed the biosorption of anaerobic granular sludge (AGS) and its capacity as a biosorbent to remove Pb(II) and methylene blue (MB) from multi-components aqueous solution. It emerged that the biosorption data fitted well to the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir adsorption isotherm models in both single and binary systems. In competitive biosorption systems, Pb(II) and MB will suppress each other's biosorption capacity. Spectroscopic analysis, including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and fluorescence spectroscopy were integrated to explain this interaction. Hydroxyl and amine groups in AGS were the key functional groups for sorption. Three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix (3D-EEM) implied that two main protein-like substances were identified and quenched when Pb(II) or MB were present. Response surface methodology (RSM) confirmed that the removal efficiency of Pb(II) and MB reached its peak when the concentration ratios of Pb(II) and MB achieved a constant value of 1

Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Correlation of Cefquinome Against Experimental Catheter-Associated Biofilm Infection Due to Staphylococcus aureus.

Biofilm formations play an important role in Staphylococcus aureus pathogenesis and contribute to antibiotic treatment failures in biofilm-associated infections. The aim of this study was to evaluate the pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) profiles of cefquinome against an experimental catheter-related biofilm model due to S. aureus, including three clinical isolates and one non-clinical isolate. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimal biofilm inhibitory concentration (MBIC), biofilm bactericidal concentration (BBC), minimal biofilm eradication concentration (MBEC) and biofilm prevention concentration (BPC) and in vitro time-kill curves of cefquinome were studied in both planktonic and biofilm cells of study S. aureus strains. The in vivo post-antibiotic effects (PAEs), PK profiles and efficacy of cefquinome were performed in the catheter-related biofilm infection model in murine. A sigmoid E max model was utilized to determine the PK/PD index that best described the dose-response profiles in the model. The MICs and MBICs of cefquinome for the four S. aureus strains were 0.5 and 16 μg/mL, respectively. The BBCs (32-64 μg/mL) and MBECs (64-256 μg/mL) of these study strains were much higher than their corresponding BPC values (1-2 μg/mL). Cefquinome showed time-dependent killing both on planktonic and biofilm cells, but produced much shorter PAEs in biofilm infections. The best-correlated PK/PD parameters of cefquinome for planktonic and biofilm cells were the duration of time that the free drug level exceeded the MIC (fT > MIC, R (2) = 96.2%) and the MBIC (fT > MBIC, R (2) = 94.7%), respectively. In addition, the AUC24h/MBIC of cefquinome also significantly correlated with the anti-biofilm outcome in this model (R (2) = 93.1%). The values of AUC24h/MBIC for biofilm-static and 1-log10-unit biofilm-cidal activity were 22.8 and 35.6 h; respectively. These results indicate that the PK/PD profiles of cefquinome could be used as valuable guidance for effective dosing regimens treating S. aureus biofilm-related infections

Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) alleviates the oxidative stress induced by NaHCO3 and protects chloroplast from damage in cucumber

Oxidative damage is often induced by abiotic stress, nitric oxide (NO) is considered as a functional molecule in modulating antioxidant metabolism of plants. In the present study, effects of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a NO donor, on the phenotype, antioxidant capacity and chloroplast ultrastructure of cucumber leaves were studied under NaHCO3 stress. 30 mM NaHCO3 treatment significantly induced accumulation of H2O2 and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) in cucumber leaves, and led to serious electrolyte leakage. Application of 100 μM SNP stimulated reactive oxygen species (ROS)- scavenging enzymes and increased antioxidant capacity, resulting in lower lipid peroxidation and membrane damage induced by NaHCO3 stress. As a main organelle of ROS formation, chloroplast ultrastructure was seriously damaged by NaHCO3 stress and SNP treatment obviously reversed the damage. On the contrary, the above effects of SNP were not observed by application of potassium ferrocyanide which is an analog of SNP that does not release NO. Therefore, it could be concluded that the NO from SNP might account for the alleviating effect of NaHCO3 stress on cucumber plants.Key words: Cucumber, alkaline stress, nitric oxide, antioxidant, chloroplast ultra structure

Multiple Triangulation Analysis: another approach to determine the orientation of magnetic flux ropes

Another approach (Multiple Triangulation Analysis, MTA) is presented to determine the orientation of magnetic flux rope, based on 4-point measurements. A 2-D flux rope model is used to examine the accuracy of the MTA technique in a theoretical way. It is found that the precision of the estimated orientation is dependent on both the spacecraft separation and the constellation path relative to the flux rope structure. However, the MTA error range can be shown to be smaller than that of the traditional MVA technique. As an application to real Cluster data, several flux rope events on 26 January 2001 are analyzed using MTA, to obtain their orientations. The results are compared with the ones obtained by several other methods which also yield flux rope orientation. The estimated axis orientations are shown to be fairly close, suggesting the reliability of the MTA method

Investigation of Wood Impact Properties Using Fractal Dimension Analysis

Fractal analysis is a research tool recently used to model various processes. However, this analysis has not been used for determining impact properties of wood. In this study, the transverse and longitudinal impact ductility of five species, ie white pine, poplar, pine, birch, and basswood, was experimentally determined. Based on the grid-cover method, photographs were taken of the fracture surfaces and edited by image graying using Photoshop CS5 (Adobe Systems Inc.). The yardstick δ was determined by adjusting the distance between the grid lines. The slope K of the regression equation of Log(1/δi) vs Log(N[δi]) was the fractal dimension DL of the fracture profile curve. Fractal dimension allows us to measure the complexity of fracture profiles after the specimens were broken by impacts. The results indicate that the average fractal dimension values were 2.023-2.075 on the fractures from transverse and longitudinal impacts. The longitudinal impact ductility was greater than the transverse for all tested species. The transverse and longitudinal impact ductility was linearly related to the fracture fractal dimension

An alternative pathway for membrane protein biogenesis at the endoplasmic reticulum.

From Europe PMC via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: epub 2021-07-01, ppub 2021-07-01Publication status: PublishedFunder: Ball State University (Ball State); Grant(s): Provost Startup AwardFunder: Wellcome Trust; Grant(s): 204957/Z/16/ZFunder: NIGMS NIH HHS; Grant(s): R15 GM116032The heterotrimeric Sec61 complex is a major site for the biogenesis of transmembrane proteins (TMPs), accepting nascent TMP precursors that are targeted to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by the signal recognition particle (SRP). Unlike most single-spanning membrane proteins, the integration of type III TMPs is completely resistant to small molecule inhibitors of the Sec61 translocon. Using siRNA-mediated depletion of specific ER components, in combination with the potent Sec61 inhibitor ipomoeassin F (Ipom-F), we show that type III TMPs utilise a distinct pathway for membrane integration at the ER. Hence, following SRP-mediated delivery to the ER, type III TMPs can uniquely access the membrane insertase activity of the ER membrane complex (EMC) via a mechanism that is facilitated by the Sec61 translocon. This alternative EMC-mediated insertion pathway allows type III TMPs to bypass the Ipom-F-mediated blockade of membrane integration that is seen with obligate Sec61 clients

Observation of strong coupling between a mechanical oscillator and a cavity-magnon polariton

Cavity magnomechanics (CMM) is an emerging field and has received much attention in the past decade. It deals with coherent couplings among microwave cavity photons, magnons and vibration phonons. So far, all previous CMM experiments have been operated in the weak-coupling regime. This considerably limits prospective various applications of the system. Here, we demonstrate the CMM system in the strong-coupling regime and observe the associated normal-mode splitting. In this regime, the mechanical oscillator is strongly coupled to a cavity-magnon polariton that is formed by strongly coupled cavity photons and magnons, and the polariton-mechanics cooperativity reaches $4\times10^3$, which is improved by three orders of magnitude than previous CMM experiments. The system is then in the triple-strong-coupling regime and the normal modes of the system are the hybridization of microwave photons, magnons and phonons. This is achieved by significantly reducing the linewidth of the polariton mode using coherent perfect absorption and the linewidth is reduced by four orders of magnitude. The work paves the way towards full quantum control of phonons, photons and magnons, and provides a new platform for the study of rich strong-coupling effects in multipartite hybrid systems