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Optical networks that distribute entanglement among various quantum systems will form a powerful framework for quantum science but are yet to interface with leading quantum hardware such as superconducting qubits. Consequently, these systems remain isolated because microwave links at room temperature are noisy and lossy. Building long distance connectivity requires interfaces that map quantum information between microwave and optical fields. While preliminary microwave-to-optical transducers have been realized, developing efficient, low-noise devices that match superconducting qubit frequencies (gigahertz) and bandwidths (10 kilohertz – 1 megahertz) remains a challenge. Here we demonstrate a proof-of-concept on-chip transducer using trivalent ytterbium-171 ions in yttrium orthovanadate coupled to a nanophotonic waveguide and a microwave transmission line. The device′s miniaturization, material, and zero-magnetic-field operation are important advances for rare-earth ion magneto-optical devices. Further integration with high quality factor microwave and optical resonators will enable efficient transduction and create opportunities toward multi-platform quantum networks. Long distance interfaces between superconducting quantum information processing nodes would require coherent, efficient and low-noise microwave-to-optical conversion. Here, the authors use Yb ion ensembles in yttrium orthovanadate to demonstrate a transducer with the potential to fulfill these requirements.

Carbonates have been known to act as hydrocarbon source rocks, but their basic geochemical and associated hydrocarbon generation characteristics remain not well understood as they occur with argillaceous source rocks in most cases, and the hydrocarbon generation from each rock type is difficult to distinguish, forming one of puzzling issues within the field of petroleum geology and geochemistry. To improve the understanding of this critical issue, this paper reviews recent advances in this field and provides a summary of key areas that can be studied in future. Results show that carbonate source rocks are generally associated with high-salinity environments with low amounts of terrestrial inputs and low dissolved oxygen contents. Petrographically, these source rocks are dark gray or black, fine-grained, stratified, and contain bacterial and algal bioprecursors along with some other impurities. They generally have low organic matter contents, although these can vary significantly in different cases (e.g., the total organic carbon contents of marine and lacustrine carbonate source rocks in China are generally 0.1%–1.0% and 0.4%–4.0%, respectively). These rocks contain type I and type II kerogen, meaning there is a lack of vitrinites. This means that assessment of the maturity of the organic matter in these sediments needs to use non-traditional techniques rather than vitrinite reflectance. In terms of molecular geochemistry, carbonate source rocks have typical characteristics indicative of generally reducing and saline environments and lower organism-dominated bioprecursors of organic matter, e.g., high contents of sulfur compounds, low Pr/Ph ratios, and dominance of n -alkanes. Most of the carbonate source rocks are typically dominated by D-type organic facies in an oxidized shallow water mass, although high-quality source rocks generally contain A- and B-type organic facies in saline lacustrine and marine-reducing environments, respectively. The hydrocarbon generation model for the carbonate source rocks can involve early, middle, and late stages, with a diversity of hydrocarbons within these rocks, which can be aggregated, adsorbed, enclosed within minerals, or present as inclusions. This in turn implies that the large-scale hydrocarbon expulsion from these rocks is reliant on brittle deformation caused by external forces. Finally, a number of aspects of these source rocks remain unclear and need further study, including the effectiveness of carbonates as hydrocarbon source rocks, bioprecursors, and hydrocarbon generation models of carbonate source rock, and the differences between marine and lacustrine carbonate source rocks.

The deteriorating groundwater quality due to natural genesis and anthropogenic activities has prevented the sustainable use of groundwater. The characteristics and factors affecting groundwater quality for drinking in shallow aquifers (depth ≤ 100 m) in the plain area of Yarkant River Basin in Xinjiang were analyzed using water quality index (WQI), geostatistics, and geochemical methods. Results showed that the groundwater was weak-alkaline with neutral pH, with dominant water types being SO 4 •HCO 3 -Ca•Mg, SO 4 •Cl•HCO 3 -Na•Ca, SO 4 •HCO 3 •Cl-Ca•Na, Cl•SO 4 -Na•Ca, and HCO 3 •SO 4 -Mg•Ca. WQI ranged between 31.79 and 549.37, and about 14.43%, 31.96%, 18.56%, 22.68%, and 12.37% of the all samples were excellent, good, medium, poor, and extremely poor quality, respectively. The proportion of excellent quality was the highest in single structure phreatic aquifer (SSPA, 50.00%) and good quality were the highest in multilayered structure phreatic aquifer (MSPA, 34.21%) and multilayered structure confined aquifer (MSCA, 28.89%). With the extension of the river, the groundwater quality gradually degenerated from south to north in phreatic aquifer (PA, including SSPA and MSPA). The further away from the Yarkant river, the worse the groundwater quality of PA. Furthermore, the WQI showed excellent, good, and an alternation of medium and poor quality (including extremely poor quality) from south to north in the MSCA. The groundwater quality deterioration might have been affected by the dissolution of evaporite minerals, such as halite, gypsum, and anhydrite and ion exchange process. In addition, local effects of anthropogenic activities and land usage patterns on the groundwater quality should be reckoned as well.

The leiomodin (Lmod) family of actin-binding proteins play a critical role in muscle function, highlighted by the fact that mutations in all three family members (LMOD1-3) result in human myopathies. Mutations in the cardiac predominant isoform, LMOD2 lead to severe neonatal dilated cardiomyopathy. Most of the disease-causing mutations in the LMOD gene family are nonsense, or frameshift, mutations predicted to result in expression of truncated proteins. However, in nearly all cases of disease, little to no LMOD protein is expressed. We show here that nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, a cellular mechanism which eliminates mRNAs with premature termination codons, underlies loss of mutant protein from two independent LMOD2 disease-causing mutations. Furthermore, we generated steric-blocking oligonucleotides that obstruct deposition of the exon junction complex, preventing nonsense-mediated mRNA decay of mutant LMOD2 transcripts, thereby restoring mutant protein expression. Our investigation lays the initial groundwork for potential therapeutic intervention in LMOD-linked myopathies.

Pinellia ternata , a common medicinal plant in East Asia, holds significant economic and therapeutic values. However, the market industrialization of the P. ternata is retarded due to the lack of a further understanding of its cultivation patterns. Here, we report an efficient cultivation model for P. ternata . This study featured a design with four planting depths (5 cm, 10 cm, 15 cm, and 20 cm) and five types of propagation materials, forming 20 distinct experimental groups. Each group was replicated three times. This study thoroughly analyzed the specific impacts of two types and five different sizes of propagules, as well as four different planting depths, on the propagation coefficient, agronomic traits, yield, and quality of P. ternata . (1) Tubers outperformed bulbils in propagation coefficient, agronomic traits, yield, and quality, with larger propagules showing better performance than smaller ones. (2) Small-diameter propagules (≤ 1.6 cm) achieved the best propagation coefficient, yield, and quality at a planting depth of 5 cm. (3) Large-diameter propagules (1.6–2.0 cm) showed maximum yield and quality component accumulation at 10 cm. (4) Correlation analysis indicated propagation coefficient, yield, and quality were negatively correlated with planting depth but positively correlated with propagule size. In conclusion, this study provides important theoretical support for the cultivation model of P. ternata and is helpful to guide its industrial production.

A novel cardiac-specific transgenic mouse model was generated to identify the physiological consequences of elongated thin filaments during post-natal development in the heart. Remarkably, increasing the expression levels in vivo of just one sarcomeric protein, Lmod2, results in ~10% longer thin filaments (up to 26% longer in some individual sarcomeres) that produce up to 50% less contractile force. Increasing the levels of Lmod2 in vivo (Lmod2-TG) also allows us to probe the contribution of Lmod2 in the progression of cardiac myopathy because Lmod2-TG mice present with a unique cardiomyopathy involving enlarged atrial and ventricular lumens, increased heart mass, disorganized myofibrils and eventually, heart failure. Turning off of Lmod2 transgene expression at postnatal day 3 successfully prevents thin filament elongation, as well as gross morphological and functional disease progression. We show here that Lmod2 has an essential role in regulating cardiac contractile force and function.

Intestinal ischaemia–reperfusion (I/R) is a common clinical pathology with high incidence and mortality rates. However, the mechanisms underlying intestinal I/R injury remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the role and mechanism of chitinase 3‐like 1 (CHI3L1) during intestinal I/R injury. Therefore, we analysed the expression levels of CHI3L1 in the intestinal tissue of an intestinal I/R rat model and explored its effects and mechanism in a hypoxia–reoxygenation (H/R) IEC‐6 cell model. We found that intestinal I/R injury elevated CHI3L1 levels in the serum, ileum and duodenum, whereas H/R enhanced CHI3L1 expression in IEC‐6 cells. The H/R‐induced inhibition of proliferation and apoptosis was alleviated by CHI3L1 knockdown and aggravated by CHI3L1 overexpression. In addition, CHI3L1 knockdown alleviated, and CHI3L1 overexpression aggravated, the H/R‐induced inflammatory response and oxidative stress. Mechanistically, CHI3L1 overexpression weakened the activation of the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway, suppressed the nuclear translocation of Nrf2, and promoted the nuclear translocation of nuclear factor κB (NF‐κB). Moreover, CHI3L1 knockdown had the opposite effect on the PI3K/AKT pathway, Nrf2, and NF‐κB. Moreover, the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 blocked the effect of CHI3L1 knockdown on the H/R‐induced inhibition of proliferation, apoptosis, inflammatory response and oxidative stress. In conclusion, CHI3L1 expression was induced during intestinal I/R and H/R injury in IEC‐6 cells, and CHI3L1 overexpression aggravated H/R injury in IEC‐6 cells by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT signalling pathway. Therefore, CHI3L1 may be an effective target for controlling intestinal I/R injury. What is the central question of this study? Is CHI3L1 involved in intestinal ischaemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury? What is the main finding and its importance? Intestinal I/R injury elevated CHI3L1 levels in the ileum and duodenum. hypoxia–reoxygenation (H/R) enhanced CHI3L1 expression in IEC‐6 cells, and CHI3L1 overexpression aggravated, and knockdown alleviated, H/R injury in IEC‐6 cells. CHI3L1 may play a role in inducing intestinal I/R injury by inhibiting the phosphoinositide 3‐kinase/AKT signalling pathway. These findings provide evidence that findings provide evidence that the inhibition of CHI3L1 may be an effective way to alleviate intestinal I/R injury.

Background The protective effect of metformin (MET) on abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has been reported. However, the related mechanism is still poor understood. In this study, we deeply investigated the role of metformin in AAA pathophysiology. Methods Angiotensin II (Ang-II) was used to construct the AAA model in ApoE − / − mice. The related mechanism was explored using Western blot and quantitative real time PCR (qRT-PCR). We also observed the morphological changes in the abdominal aorta and the influence of metformin on biological behaviors of rat abdominal aortic VSMCs. Results The PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway was activated in aneurysmal wall tissues of AAA patients and rat model. Treatment with metformin inhibited the breakage and preserved the elastin structure of the aorta, the loss of collagen, and the apoptosis of aortic cells. In addition, metformin significantly suppressed the activation of the PI3K/AKT/mToR pathway and decreased the mRNA and protein levels of LC3B and Beclin1, which were induced by Ang-II. Moreover, PI3K inhibitors enhanced the effect of metformin while PI3K agonists largely reversed this effect. Interestingly, the cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration and autophagy of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) induced by Ang-II were also decreased following metformin treatment. PI3K inhibitors and agonists strengthened and weakened the effects of metformin in VSMCs, respectively. Conclusions Metformin represses the pathophysiology of AAA by inhibiting the activation of PI3K/AKT/mTOR/autophagy pathway. This repression may be useful as a new therapeutic strategy for AAA.

Chaenomelis Fructus is a widely used traditional Chinese medicine with a long history in China. The total content of oleanolic acid (OA) and ursolic acid (UA) is taken as an important quality marker of Chaenomelis Fructus. In this study, quantitative models for the prediction total content of OA and UA in Chaenomelis Fructus were explored based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). The content of OA and UA in each sample was determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the data was used as a reference. In the partial least squares (PLS) model, both leave one out cross validation (LOOCV) of the calibration set and external validation of the validation set were used to screen spectrum preprocessing methods, and finally the multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) was chosen as the optimal pretreatment method. The modeling spectrum bands and ranks were optimized using PLS regression, and the characteristic spectrum range was determined as 7,500–4,250 cm −1 , with 14 optimal ranks. In the back propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) model, the scoring data of 14 ranks obtained from PLS regression analysis were taken as input variables, and the total content of OA and UA reference values were taken as output values. The number of hidden layer nodes of BP-ANN was screened by full-cross validation (Full-CV) of the calibration set and external validation of the validation set. The result shows that both PLS model and PLS-BP-ANN model have strong prediction ability. In order to evaluate and compare the performance and prediction ability of models, the total content of OA and UA in each sample of the test set were detected under the same HPLC conditions, the NIRS data of the test set were input, respectively, to the optimized PLS model and PLS-BP-ANN model. By comparing the root-mean-square error (RMSEP) and determination coefficient ( R 2 ) of the test set and ratio of performance to deviation (RPD), the PLS-BP-ANN model was found to have better performance with RMSEP of 0.59 mg·g −1 , R 2 of 95.10%, RPD of 4.53 and bias of 0.0387 mg·g −1 . The results indicated that NIRS can be used for the rapid quality control of Chaenomelis Fructus.

Groundwater is the main water supply source in the Tarim Basin in China. Endemic disease caused by high iodine (I) groundwater in the Tarim Basin was reported previously. Therefore, it is crucial to systematically identify the distribution and genesis of groundwater I. Based on hydrochemical analysis of 717 groundwater samples collected in 2015–2018, spatial distribution and hydrogeochemistry characteristic of high I groundwater in different aquifers were analyzed. Results showed that groundwater I ranged between < 10.00 and 4 000.00 µg/L (mean of 53.71 µg/L). High I groundwater (I > 100.00 µg/L) accounted for 7.25% of the total samples. Horizontally, groundwater I significantly increased from recharge zone (RZ) to transition zone (TZ) and to evaporation zone (EZ). Vertically, groundwater in shallow confined aquifer (SCA) had the greatest I concentration, followed by single-structure phreatic aquifer (SSPA), phreatic aquifer in confined ground-water area (PACGA), while groundwater in deep confined aquifer (DCA) generally had low I concentration. Groundwater I enrichment in SSPA was mainly affected by organic matter (OM) decomposition and that in SCA was mainly affected by evaporite mineral dissolution, OM decomposition under alkaline environment. While I enrichment in groundwater of PACGA was restrained under neutral environment. Lacustrine sedimentary environment was crucial for I enrichment in groundwater. Besides, fine-grained lithology of aquifer, smooth topographic slope, shallow buried depth of groundwater, weak alkaline and reducing environment, reductive dissolution of iron oxide/hydroxide minerals and OM decomposition were advantageous to I enrichment in groundwater.