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We investigate a hybrid device allowing a photon–phonon coupling of a transmission line radiation (TLR) and a nanoeletromechanical system (NEMS), mediated by a superconducting qubit population imbalance. We demonstrate the derivation of an effective Hamiltonian for the strongly dispersive regime for this system. The qubit works as a quantum switch, allowing a conditioned transfer of excitations between the TLR and NEMS. We show that this regime allows the system to be employed for signal processing and force estimation. Additionally, we explore the ability of the quantum switch to generate non-classical states.

In this paper, we investigate a nanomechanically induced transparency (NIT) effect that arises from the coupling of a nanoelectromechanical system (NEM) and a trapped ion. By confining the ion in mesoscopic traps and capacitively coupling it with a nanoelectromechanical system suspended as electrodes, the research is intricately focused on the implications of including the ion’s degrees of freedom. The Lamb-Dicke approximation is crucial to understanding the effects of phonon exchange with electronic qubits and revealing transparency phenomena in this unique coupling. The results underline the importance of the Lamb-Dicke approximation in modelling the effects of transparency windows in nanoelectromechanical systems. In addition, the intriguing effect of coupling between the two phononic modes, switching the response to exhibit the Fano-profile spectra at the output. NEM-Ion interaction in the present nanoelectromechanical system paves the way for future studies of interferometric phenomena in nanoscale architectures, with promising prospects for experimental implementation.

We apply estimation theory to a system formed by two interacting trapped ions. By using the Fisher matrix formalism, we introduce a simple scheme for estimation of the temperature of the longitudinal vibrational modes of the ions. We use the ions interaction to effectively infer the temperature of the individual ions, by optimising the interaction time evolution and by measuring only over one of the ions. We also investigate the effect of a non-thermal reservoir over the inference approach. The non-classicality of one of the ions vibrational modes, introduced due to a squeezed thermal reservoir, does not directly affect the inference of the individual temperatures, although allowing the modes to be entangled. To check actual experimental conditions, we analyze the temperature inference under heating due to surface-electrode noise.

In this work, the visible luminescence of Ce 3+ -doped calcium boroaluminate glasses (CaBAl) was studied. Samples of CaBAl glass with composition (30.97- x )CaO-49.90B 2 O 3 -10.22Al 2 O 3 -8.90CaF 2 - x CeO 2 , with values of x varying from 0.25 to 1.25 mol.%, were prepared by the conventional melt-quenching technique, adding carbon as a reducing agent. The samples studied had amorphous nature confirmed by the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD). The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) results showed that the vitreous network is formed by BO 3 and BO 4 structures, and the calculated values of the fraction of BO 4 groups ( N 4 ) revealed that the increment of cerium favored the conversion of BO 3 to BO 4 . The optical absorption spectra presented an intense broad band assigned to a charge transfer of the Ce 4+ , with a shift of ultraviolet (UV) absorption edge to longer wavelength, and a decrease in the band gap as result of the CeO 2 concentration increase. The photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra showed that Ce 3+ -doped CaBAl glasses can be excited in a wide range of the UV spectral region (320-405 nm). The luminescence band of Ce 3+ transitions 5d 1  →  2 F 5/2 , 2 F 7/2 was observed with different maximum in the emission bands for different excitation wavelengths, originate from Ce 3+ ions placed mainly in two different sites in the glass network, resulting in distinct band positions and symmetries. The International Commission on Illumination (CIE) diagram demonstrated that the emission of samples occurs in the blue region. The lifetime decreased with increasing CeO 2 concentration (47 to 34 ns) from 1.25 to 0.25 mol.% of CeO 2 . The results suggest that the studied glasses have potential for applications in optical devices such as LEDs and phosphors.

The present study reports on the synthesis and investigation of a series of oxyfluoride phosphate glasses having a composition of (50-x)P2O5-50KF-xAl2O3 (PKAl), with x = 8 mol.%, 12 mol.%, 16 mol.%, and 20 mol.%, by the melt-quenching method. The introduction of Al2O3 in the composition promotes a stabilizing effect, producing stable glasses in air and water ambient conditions. X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed the amorphous characteristics of the materials. The glasses presented high transparency in the UV-Vis-NIR regions (340–2000 nm). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results showed that PKAl glasses have low glass transition temperature values (398–456°C). Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra showed structural changes caused by variations in P2O5-Al2O3 ratios. The density values of PKAl glasses increased with Al2O3 concentration from 2.45 g/cm3 to 2.50 g/cm3. The molar volume decreases from 39.97 cm3/mol to 36.81 cm3/mol. The prepared new oxyfluoride phosphate glasses can be useful for photonic device applications such as lasers and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Protein O -glucosyltransferase 1 (POGLUT1) activity is critical for the Notch signaling pathway, being one of the main enzymes responsible for the glycosylation of the extracellular domain of Notch receptors. A biallelic mutation in the POGLUT1 gene has been reported in one family as the cause of an adult-onset limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD R21; OMIM# 617232). As the result of a collaborative international effort, we have identified the first cohort of 15 patients with LGMD R21, from nine unrelated families coming from different countries, providing a reliable phenotype–genotype and mechanistic insight. Patients carrying novel mutations in POGLUT1 all displayed a clinical picture of limb-girdle muscle weakness. However, the age at onset was broadened from adult to congenital and infantile onset. Moreover, we now report that the unique muscle imaging pattern of “inside-to-outside” fatty degeneration observed in the original cases is indeed a defining feature of POGLUT1 muscular dystrophy. Experiments on muscle biopsies from patients revealed a remarkable and consistent decrease in the level of the NOTCH1 intracellular domain, reduction of the pool of satellite cells (SC), and evidence of α-dystroglycan hypoglycosylation. In vitro biochemical and cell-based assays suggested a pathogenic role of the novel POGLUT1 mutations, leading to reduced enzymatic activity and/or protein stability. The association between the POGLUT1 variants and the muscular phenotype was established by in vivo experiments analyzing the indirect flight muscle development in transgenic Drosophila , showing that the human POGLUT1 mutations reduced its myogenic activity. In line with the well-known role of the Notch pathway in the homeostasis of SC and muscle regeneration, SC-derived myoblasts from patients’ muscle samples showed decreased proliferation and facilitated differentiation. Together, these observations suggest that alterations in SC biology caused by reduced Notch1 signaling result in muscular dystrophy in LGMD R21 patients, likely with additional contribution from α-dystroglycan hypoglycosylation. This study settles the muscular clinical phenotype linked to POGLUT1 mutations and establishes the pathogenic mechanism underlying this muscle disorder. The description of a specific imaging pattern of fatty degeneration and muscle pathology with a decrease of α-dystroglycan glycosylation provides excellent tools which will help diagnose and follow up LGMD R21 patients.

The Transitivity function, defined in terms of the reciprocal of the apparent activation energy, measures the propensity for a reaction to proceed and can provide a tool for implementing phenomenological kinetic models. Applications to systems which deviate from the Arrhenius law at low temperature encouraged the development of a user-friendly graphical interface for estimating the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of physical and chemical processes. Here, we document the Transitivity code, written in Python, a free open-source code compatible with Windows, Linux and macOS platforms. Procedures are made available to evaluate the phenomenology of the temperature dependence of rate constants for processes from the Arrhenius and Transitivity plots. Reaction rate constants can be calculated by the traditional Transition-State Theory using a set of one-dimensional tunneling corrections (Bell (1935), Bell (1958), Skodje and Truhlar and, in particular, the deformed ( d -TST) approach). To account for the solvent effect on reaction rate constant, implementation is given of the Kramers and of Collins–Kimball formulations. An input file generator is provided to run various molecular dynamics approaches in CPMD code. Examples are worked out and made available for testing. The novelty of this code is its general scope and particular exploit of d -formulations to cope with non-Arrhenius behavior at low temperatures, a topic which is the focus of recent intense investigations. We expect that this code serves as a quick and practical tool for data documentation from electronic structure calculations: It presents a very intuitive graphical interface which we believe to provide an excellent working tool for researchers and as courseware to teach statistical thermodynamics, thermochemistry, kinetics, and related areas.

Background The purpose of this study was to compare the postoperative inflammatory response and severity of pain between single-incision laparoscopic surgery (SILS) cholecystectomy and conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Methods Two groups of 20 patients were prospectively randomized to either conventional LC or SILS cholecystectomy. Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels were assayed before surgery, at 4–6 h, and at 18–24 h after the procedure. Serum C-reactive protein (CRP) levels also were assayed at 18–24 h after surgery. Pain was measured at each of three time points after surgery using the visual analogue scale (VAS). The number of analgesia doses administered in the first 24 h after the procedure also was recorded and 30-day surgical outcomes were documented. Results The groups had equivalent body mass index (BMI), age, and comorbidity distribution. Peak IL-6 levels occurred 4–6 h after surgery, and the median level was 12.8 pg/ml in the LC and 8.9 pg/ml in the SILS group ( p  = 0.5). The median CRP level before discharge was 1.6 mg/dl in the LC and 1.9 mg/dl in the SILS group ( p  = 0.38). There was no difference in either analgesic use or pain intensity as measured by the VAS between the two groups ( p  = 0.72). The length of the surgical procedure was significantly longer in the SILS group ( p  < 0.001). No intraoperative complications occurred in either group. Conclusions Single-incision laparoscopic surgery does not significantly reduce systemic inflammatory response, postoperative pain, or analgesic use compared with LC.

Measuring thermodynamic quantities can be easy or not, depending on the system that is being studied. For a macroscopic object, measuring temperatures can be as simple as measuring how much a column of mercury rises when in contact with the object. At the small scale of quantum electromechanical systems, such simple methods are not available and invariably detection processes disturb the system state. Here we propose a method for measuring the temperature on a suspended semiconductor membrane clamped at both ends. In this method, the membrane is mediating a capacitive coupling between two transmission line resonators (TLR). The first TLR has a strong dispersion, that is, its decaying rate is larger than its drive, and its role is to pump in a pulsed way the interaction between the membrane and the second TLR. By averaging the pulsed measurements of the quadrature of the second TLR we show how the temperature of the membrane can be determined. Moreover the statistical description of the state of the membrane, which is directly accessed in this approach is significantly improved by the addition of a Josephson junction coupled to the second TLR.

The EPICS State Notation Language (SNL) and associated sequencer can be used to design a sequence of events which are defined by states. This state function ability has prompted us to investigate application of SNL to automate beamline tasks starting with a simpler process of automating monochromator warming. Further extending the idea to implement beam delivery. Our aim here is to drive the optical components of the beamline in a learned manner, to deliver beam from source to sample position.