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Quantum network and quantum repeater are promising ways to scale up a quantum information system. In a functional quantum network, it is required that the distribution rate of heralded remote entanglement should be higher than the decoherence rate of each local node. A promising scheme to accelerate the remote entanglement distribution is through multiplexing enhancement. In this work, we experimentally realize a multiplexed quantum network node based on a chain of 40 Ca + ions. We employ a hybrid multiplexing scheme in which maximally 44 time-bin modes are generated and sent through a long fiber to boost the entangling rate. Via this scheme, we can generate heralded ion-photon entanglement with a success rate of 4.28 s −1 over a 12 km fiber. In addition, a dual-type framework is utilized to protect quantum information from the destructive ion-photon entangling attempts and a memory coherence time of 366 ms is achieved, which has exceeded the entanglement generation time. Despite recent advances with trappedion-based platforms, achieving quantum networks with link efficiency greater than unity on metropolitan scales is still a challenge. Here, the authors demonstrate a multiplexed quantum network generating heralded entanglement at a rate faster than local decoherence.

Glycolysis is critical for cancer stem cell reprogramming; however, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we show that pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 (PDK1) is enriched in breast cancer stem cells (BCSCs), whereas depletion of PDK1 remarkably diminishes ALDH + subpopulations, decreases stemness-related transcriptional factor expression, and inhibits sphere-formation ability and tumor growth. Conversely, high levels of PDK1 enhance BCSC properties and are correlated with poor overall survival. In mouse xenograft tumor, PDK1 is accumulated in hypoxic regions and activates glycolysis to promote stem-like traits. Moreover, through screening hypoxia-related long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in PDK1-positive tissue, we find that lncRNA H19 is responsible for glycolysis and BCSC maintenance. Furthermore, H19 knockdown decreases PDK1 expression in hypoxia, and ablation of PDK1 counteracts H19-mediated glycolysis and self-renewal ability in vitro and in vivo . Accordingly, H19 and PDK1 expression exhibits strong correlations in primary breast carcinomas. H19 acting as a competitive endogenous RNA sequesters miRNA let-7 to release Hypoxia-inducible factor 1α, leading to an increase in PDK1 expression. Lastly, aspirin markedly attenuates glycolysis and cancer stem-like characteristics by suppressing both H19 and PDK1. Thus, these novel findings demonstrate that the glycolysis gatekeeper PDK1 has a critical role in BCSC reprogramming and provides a potential therapeutic strategy for breast malignancy.

This study investigates the impact of the amount and types of absorbent added on the compressive strength, flexural strength, and microwave absorption performance of modified sulfur magnesium cement. The X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were used to analysis the microstructures. The results indicate that the incorporation of ferrite makes the microstructure more compact. The filling effect of ferrite particles and their greater hardness contribute to the enhancement of concrete strength, whereas graphite, with its weaker interlayer van der Waals forces, negatively affects the mechanical properties of concrete. When co-doped with 10% graphite and 15% ferrite, at 7.8 GHz, the reflectivity curve reaches its lowest point, with the electromagnetic wave reflectivity at 13.5 GHz reaching − 13.2 dB, and within the 5.4–18 GHz frequency range, the reflectivity remains below − 10 dB. With the combined effect of ferrite and graphene, the electromagnetic wave penetration of the cement matrix is enhanced, increasing the electromagnetic absorption efficiency and improving the interaction and eddy current loss capabilities of sulfur magnesium cement towards electromagnetic waves.

Multistage centrifugal pumps are distinguished by their high head capacity, energy efficiency, and operational reliability. These pumps are extensively employed in boiler feedwater systems, petrochemical processing, fire protection infrastructure, and industrial process pressurization. To mitigate synchronous excitation vibrations from root imbalance, impellers are typically installed with circumferential phase differences, an approach that gives rise to the clocking effect. Hydraulic performance and transient flow patterns in the initial 3-stages of a multi-stage centrifugal pump are analyzed with respect to clocking effects at rated operating conditions. Nine clocking configurations were designed, and measurements of internal flow were conducted at three key locations within the pump. The relationships among pressure variation patterns, internal flow distribution, turbulent kinetic energy dissipation, and entropy-based energy loss were analysed. Quantitative results reveal that clocking has a notable impact on hydraulic performance, with efficiency variations of up to 14.3% at part-load and 9.1% at overload conditions. Additionally, impeller pressure fluctuations exhibited a 90° phase shift along with a principal frequency deviation of 59.17 Hz, directly linked to changes in stator–rotor interaction. These effects lead to observable improvements in internal flow behaviour. Among the nine clocking configurations, optimised impeller phase alignment reduced secondary flow structures, minimised wake-induced losses, and enhanced volumetric efficiency by up to 4.2%. These findings demonstrate that clocking optimisation is a viable strategy for enhancing flow stability and pump efficiency.

One of the most promising approaches to reach a high gain in inertial confinement fusion is the fast ignition scheme. In this scheme, a relativistic electron beam is generated; this passes through the imploded plasma and deposits parts of its energy in the core. However, the large angular spread of the relativistic electron beam and the poorly controlled compression of the target affect realization of the fast ignition technique. Here, we demonstrate that indirectly driven (that is, driven by X-rays generated inside a gold hohlraum) implosions with a ‘high-foot’ and a short-coast time of less than 200 ps allow us to tightly compress the shell. Furthermore, we show the ability to optimize the symmetry of the imploding shell by changing the hohlraum length, successfully tuning a suitable tube-shaped shell to compensate for the large angular spread of the relativistic electron beam and to enhance the electron-to-core coupling efficiency via resistive magnetic fields. Benefiting from those experimental techniques, a significant enhancement in neutron yield was achieved in our indirectly driven fast ignition experiments. These results pave the way towards high-coupling fast ignition experiments with indirectly driven targets similar to those at the National Ignition Facility. Experiments realizing the indirect-drive fast ignition scheme for inertial confinement fusion are reported. Enabled by a tightly compressed target, an increase of neutron yield is observed.

Stress granule formation is a type of liquid–liquid phase separation in the cytoplasm, leading to RNA–protein condensates that are associated with various cellular stress responses and implicated in numerous pathologies, including cancer, neurodegeneration, inflammation, and cellular senescence. One of the key components of mammalian stress granules is the DEAD-box RNA helicase DDX3, which unwinds RNA in an ATP-dependent manner. DDX3 is involved in multiple steps of RNA metabolism, facilitating gene transcription, splicing, and nuclear export and regulating cytoplasmic translation. In this study, we investigate the role of the RNA helicase DDX3’s enzymatic activity in shaping the RNA content of ribonucleoprotein (RNP) condensates formed during arsenite-induced stress by inhibiting DDX3 activity with RK-33, a small molecule previously shown to be effective in cancer clinical studies. Using the human osteosarcoma U2OS cell line, we purified the RNP granule fraction and performed RNA sequencing to assess changes in the RNA pool. Our results reveal that RK-33 treatment alters the composition of non-coding RNAs within the RNP granule fraction. We observed a DDX3-dependent increase in circular RNA (circRNA) content and alterations in the granule-associated intronic RNAs, suggesting a novel role for DDX3 in regulating the cytoplasmic redistribution of non-coding RNAs.

The control of complex oxide heterostructures at atomic level generates a rich spectrum of exotic properties and unexpected states at the interface between two separately prepared materials. The frustration of magnetization and conductivity of manganite perovskite at surface/interface which is inimical to their device applications, could also flourish in tailored functionalities in return. Here we prove that the exchange bias (EB) effect can unexpectedly emerge in a (La,Sr)MnO 3 (LSMO) “single” film when large compressive stress imposed through a lattice mismatched substrate. The intrinsic EB behavior is directly demonstrated to be originating from the exchange coupling between ferromagnetic LSMO and an unprecedented LaSrMnO 4 -based spin glass, formed under a large interfacial strain and subsequent self-assembly. The present results not only provide a strategy for producing a new class of delicately functional interface by strain engineering, but also shed promising light on fabricating the EB part of spintronic devices in a single step.

Signaling via the B cell receptor (BCR) plays an important role in the pathogenesis and progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). This is underscored by the clinical effectiveness of ibrutinib, an inhibitor of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) that can block BCR-signaling. However, ibrutinib cannot induce complete responses (CR) or durable remissions without continued therapy, suggesting alternative pathways also contribute to CLL growth/survival that are independent of BCR-signaling. ROR1 is a receptor for Wnt5a, which can promote activation of Rac1 to enhance CLL-cell proliferation and survival. In this study, we found that CLL cells of patients treated with ibrutinib had activated Rac1. Moreover, Wnt5a could induce Rac1 activation and enhance proliferation of CLL cells treated with ibrutinib at concentrations that were effective in completely inhibiting BTK and BCR-signaling. Wnt5a-induced Rac1 activation could be blocked by cirmtuzumab (UC-961), an anti-ROR1 mAb. We found that treatment with cirmtuzumab and ibrutinib was significantly more effective than treatment with either agent alone in clearing leukemia cells in vivo . This study indicates that cirmtuzumab may enhance the activity of ibrutinib in the treatment of patients with CLL or other ROR1 + B-cell malignancies.

Inspired by the lubrication mechanism of human articular cartilage tissue, the porous self-lubricating polyurethane (PU) materials with micron-meter pore were fabricated by non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) method with 60 wt% N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) as a coagulation agent. The scanning electron microscopic (SEM) images demonstrated that the cross-section morphology of the materials is similar to that of the sponge and adjacent macropores were connected by interpenetrating pores to exhibit an 'ink-bottle' type pore structure. Meanwhile, the porosity of the porous self-lubricating PU materials could be controlled by adjusting the PU solution concentrations and the oil content increased as the increasing of porosity. The results of centrifugation/heating test indicated that the porous self-lubricating PU materials have an excellent oil retention performance owing to the pore structure. The tribological properties of porous self-lubricating materials with different porosity under various loads and sliding velocities were investigated by a block-on-ring wear tester which revealed that excellent friction reduction and wear resistance properties of the porous self-lubricating materials were achieved by the lubricating oil squeezed from pores which the friction coefficient of the materials significantly reduced, from 0.174 to 0.078 with the increases of oil content. Furthermore, the lubrication mechanism of porous self-lubricating PU material was discussed as well.

HIV-associated neurological disorder (HAND) is a serious complication of HIV infection marked by neurotoxicity induced by viral proteins like Tat. Substance abuse exacerbates neurocognitive impairment in people living with HIV. There is an urgent need for therapeutic strategies to combat HAND comorbid with Cocaine Use Disorder (CUD). Our analysis of HIV and cocaine-induced transcriptomes in primary cortical cultures revealed significant overexpression of the macrophage-specific gene aconitate decarboxylase 1 (Acod1). The ACOD1 protein converts the tricarboxylic acid intermediate cis-aconitate into itaconate during the activation of inflammation. Itaconate then facilitates cytokine production and activates anti-inflammatory transcription factors, shielding macrophages from infection-induced cell death. However, the immunometabolic function of itaconate was unexplored in HIV and cocaine-exposed microglia. We assessed the potential of 4-octyl-itaconate (4OI), a cell-penetrable ester form of itaconate known for its anti-inflammatory properties. When primary cortical cultures exposed to Tat and cocaine were treated with 4OI, microglial cell number increased and the morphological altercations induced by Tat and cocaine were reversed. Microglial cells also appeared more ramified, resembling the quiescent microglia. 4OI treatment inhibited secretion of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, and MIP1-α induced by Tat and cocaine. Transcriptome profiling determined that Nrf2 target genes were significantly activated in Tat and 4OI treated cultures relative to Tat alone. Further, genes associated with cytoskeleton dynamics in inflammatory microglia were downregulated by 4OI treatment. Together, the results strongly suggest 4-octyl-itaconate holds promise as a potential candidate for therapeutic development to treat HAND coupled with CUD comorbidities. Graphical Abstract Model of 4OI-mediated neuroprotection against Tat-Cocaine toxicity. Tat and Tat-Cocaine treatment induce neuronal damage, which is mitigated by 4OI through microglia cells. This cartoon shows the reduction of harmful effects such as pro-inflammatory cytokine release, upregulation of P2R, PDE, and Acod1 by the presence of 4OI. This ester modified itaconate triggers anti-inflammatory responses and activates antioxidant pathways