Effect of weak measurement on entanglement distribution over noisy channels

Being able to implement effective entanglement distribution in noisy environments is a key step towards practical quantum communication, and long-term efforts have been made on the development of it. Recently, it has been found that the null-result weak measurement (NRWM) can be used to enhance probabilistically the entanglement of a single copy of amplitude-damped entangled state. This paper investigates remote distributions of bipartite and multipartite entangled states in the amplitudedamping environment by combining NRWMs and entanglement distillation protocols (EDPs). We show that the NRWM has no positive effect on the distribution of bipartite maximally entangled states and multipartite Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states, although it is able to increase the amount of entanglement of each source state (noisy entangled state) of EDPs with a certain probability. However, we find that the NRWM would contribute to remote distributions of multipartite W states. We demonstrate that the NRWM can not only reduce the fidelity thresholds for distillability of decohered W states, but also raise the distillation efficiencies of W states. Our results suggest a new idea for quantifying the ability of a local filtering operation in protecting entanglement from decoherence.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures. Minor revision has been mad

A multi-step quantum algorithm for solving problems with a special structure

In classical computation, a problem can be solved in multiple steps where calculation results of an intermediate step can be copied and reused. While in quantum computation, it is difficult to realize a multi-step calculation because the no-cloning theorem forbids making copies of an unknown quantum state perfectly. Here we find a method to protect and reuse unknown quantum state that encodes the calculation results of an intermediate step through quantum entanglement, therefore circumventing the restriction of the no-cloning theorem. Based on this method, we propose a multi-step quantum algorithm for finding the ground state of a Hamiltonian. We apply this algorithm for solving problems with a special structure: there exist a sequence of finite number of intermediate Hamiltonians between an initial Hamiltonian and the problem Hamiltonian, such that both the overlaps between ground states of any two adjacent Hamiltonians, and the energy gap between the ground state and the first excited state of each Hamiltonian are not exponentially small. In comparison, for a specific type of problems where the usual quantum adiabatic algorithm fails, our algorithm remains to be efficient.Comment: 40 pages, 6 figures, more materials are adde

Quantum Error-Correcting Codes over Mixed Alphabets

Errors are inevitable during all kinds quantum informational tasks and quantum error-correcting codes (QECCs) are powerful tools to fight various quantum noises. For standard QECCs physical systems have the same number of energy levels. Here we shall propose QECCs over mixed alphabets, i.e., physical systems of different dimensions, and investigate their constructions as well as their quantum Singleton bound. We propose two kinds of constructions: a graphical construction based a graph-theoretical object composite coding clique and a projection-based construction. We illustrate our ideas using two alphabets by finding out some 1-error correcting or detecting codes over mixed alphabets, e.g., optimal $((6,8,3))_{4^52^1}$, $((6,4,3))_{4^42^2}$ and $((5,16,2))_{4^32^2}$ code and suboptimal $((5,9,2))_{3^42^1}$ code. Our methods also shed light to the constructions of standard QECCs, e.g., the construction of the optimal $((6,16,3))_4$ code as well as the optimal $((2n+3,p^{2n+1},2))_{p}$ codes with $p=4k$.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

High-conductive protonated layered oxides from H2O vapor-annealed brownmillerites

Protonated 3d transition-metal oxides often display low electronic conduction, which hampers their application in electric, magnetic, thermoelectric, and catalytic fields. Electronic conduction can be enhanced by co-inserting oxygen acceptors simultaneously. However, the currently used redox approaches hinder protons and oxygen ions co-insertion due to the selective switching issues. Here, a thermal hydration strategy for systematically exploring the synthesis of conductive protonated oxides from 3d transition-metal oxides is introduced. This strategy is illustrated by synthesizing a novel layered-oxide SrCoO3H from the brownmillerite SrCoO2.5. Compared to the insulating SrCoO2.5, SrCoO3H exhibits an unprecedented high electronic conductivity above room temperature, water uptake at 250 °C, and a thermoelectric power factor of up to 1.2 mW K-2 m-1 at 300 K. These findings open up opportunities for creating high-conductive protonated layered oxides by protons and oxygen ions co-doping.CC acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation, and Universities under the “Ramón y Cajal” fellowship RYC2018-024947-I.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Identification and verification of a prognostic signature based on a miRNA–mRNA interaction pattern in colon adenocarcinoma

The expression characteristics of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) are involved in regulating various biological processes. To achieve these functions, ncRNA and a member of the Argonaute protein family form an RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC). The RISC is directed by ncRNA, especially microRNA (miRNA), to bind the target complementary mRNAs and regulate their expression by interfering with mRNA cleavage, degradation, or translation. However, how to identify potential miRNA biomarkers and therapeutic targets remains unclear. Here, we performed differential gene screening based on The Cancer Genome Atlas dataset and annotated meaningful differential genes to enrich related biological processes and regulatory cancer pathways. According to the overlap between the screened differential mRNAs and differential miRNAs, a prognosis model based on a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator-based Cox proportional hazards regression analysis can be established to obtain better prognosis characteristics. To further explore the therapeutic potential of miRNA as a target of mRNA intervention, we conducted an immunohistochemical analysis and evaluated the expression level in the tissue microarray of 100 colorectal cancer patients. The results demonstrated that the expression level of POU4F1, DNASE1L2, and WDR72 in the signature was significantly upregulated in COAD and correlated with poor prognosis. Establishing a prognostic signature based on miRNA target genes will help elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of COAD and provide novel potential targets for RNA therapy

Exploring atherosclerosis imaging with contrast-enhanced MRI using PEGylated ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles

Plaque rupture is a critical concern due to its potential for severe outcomes such as cerebral infarction and myocardial infarction, underscoring the urgency of noninvasive early diagnosis. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has gained prominence in plaque imaging, leveraging its noninvasiveness, high spatial resolution, and lack of ionizing radiation. Ultrasmall iron oxides, when modified with polyethylene glycol, exhibit prolonged blood circulation and passive targeting toward plaque sites, rendering them conducive for MRI. In this study, we synthesized ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles of approximately 3 nm via high-temperature thermal decomposition. Subsequent surface modification facilitated the creation of a dual-modality magnetic resonance/fluorescence probe. Upon intravenous administration of the probes, MRI assessment of atherosclerotic plaques and diagnostic evaluation were conducted. The application of Flash-3D sequence imaging revealed vascular constriction at lesion sites, accompanied by a gradual signal amplification postprobe injection. T1-weighted imaging of the carotid artery unveiled a progressive signal ratio increase between plaques and controls within 72 h post-administration. Fluorescence imaging of isolated carotid arteries exhibited incremental lesion-to-control signal ratios. Additionally, T1 imaging of the aorta demonstrated an evolving signal enhancement over 48 h. Therefore, the ultrasmall iron oxide nanoparticles hold immense promise for early and noninvasive diagnosis of plaques, providing an avenue for dynamic evaluation over an extended time frame

Salidroside Alleviates Renal Fibrosis in SAMP8 Mice by Inhibiting Ferroptosis

Renal fibrosis progression is closely associated with aging, which ultimately leads to renal dysfunction. Salidroside (SAL) is considered to have broad anti-aging effects. However, the roles and mechanisms of SAL in aging-related renal fibrosis remain unclear. The study aimed to evaluate the protective effects and mechanisms of SAL in SAMP8 mice. SAMP8 mice were administered with SAL and Ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) for 12 weeks. Renal function, renal fibrosis, and ferroptosis in renal tissue were detected. The results showed that elevated blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (SCr) levels significantly decreased, serum albumin (ALB) levels increased, and mesangial hyperplasia significantly reduced in the SAL group. SAL significantly reduced transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and α-smooth muscle actin (α-sma) levels in SAMP8 mice. SAL treatment significantly decreased lipid peroxidation in the kidneys, and regulated iron transport-related proteins and ferroptosis-related proteins. These results suggested that SAL delays renal aging and inhibits aging-related glomerular fibrosis by inhibiting ferroptosis in SAMP8 mice