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The performance of superconducting quantum circuits for quantum computing has advanced tremendously in recent decades; however, a comprehensive understanding of relaxation mechanisms does not yet exist. In this work, we utilize a multimode approach to characterizing energy losses in superconducting quantum circuits, with the goals of predicting device performance and improving coherence through materials, process, and circuit design optimization. Using this approach, we measure significant reductions in surface and bulk dielectric losses by employing a tantalum-based materials platform and annealed sapphire substrates. With this knowledge we predict the relaxation times of aluminum- and tantalum-based transmon qubits, and find that they are consistent with experimental results. We additionally optimize device geometry to maximize coherence within a coaxial tunnel architecture, and realize on-chip quantum memories with single-photon Ramsey times of 2.0 − 2.7 ms, limited by their energy relaxation times of 1.0 − 1.4 ms. These results demonstrate an advancement towards a more modular and compact coaxial circuit architecture for bosonic qubits with reproducibly high coherence. Understanding loss mechanisms in superconducting circuits is crucial for improving qubit coherence. Here the authors use a multimode resonator to study loss mechanisms in thin-film superconducting circuits and demonstrate on-chip quantum memories with lifetimes exceeding 1ms, using Ta thin-films and high-temperature substrate annealing

New proteasomes are produced to accommodate increases in cellular catabolic demand and prevent the accumulation of cytotoxic proteins. Formation of the proteasomal 20S core complex relies on the function of the five chaperones PAC1-4 and POMP. Here, to understand how these chaperones facilitate proteasome assembly, we tagged the endogenous chaperones using CRISPR/Cas gene editing and examined the chaperone-bound complexes by cryo-EM. We observe an early α-ring intermediate subcomplex that is stabilized by PAC1-4, which transitions to β-ring assembly upon dissociation of PAC3/PAC4 and rearrangement of the PAC1 N-terminal tail. Completion of the β-ring and dimerization of half-proteasomes repositions critical lysine K33 to trigger cleavage of the β pro-peptides, leading to the concerted dissociation of POMP and PAC1/PAC2 to yield mature 20S proteasomes. This study reveals structural insights into critical points along the assembly pathway of the human proteasome and provides a molecular blueprint for 20S biogenesis. Cellular proteostasis requires the replenishment of proteasomes. Here the authors use CRISPR/Cas gene editing and cryo-EM to visualize the stepwise assembly of the human 20S proteasome.

Space heating accounts for the largest energy end-use of buildings that imposes significant burden on the society. The energy wasted for heating the empty space of the entire building can be saved by passively heating the immediate environment around the human body. Here, we demonstrate a nanophotonic structure textile with tailored infrared (IR) property for passive personal heating using nanoporous metallized polyethylene. By constructing an IR-reflective layer on an IR-transparent layer with embedded nanopores, the nanoporous metallized polyethylene textile achieves a minimal IR emissivity (10.1%) on the outer surface that effectively suppresses heat radiation loss without sacrificing wearing comfort. This enables 7.1 °C decrease of the set-point compared to normal textile, greatly outperforming other radiative heating textiles by more than 3 °C. This large set-point expansion can save more than 35% of building heating energy in a cost-effective way, and ultimately contribute to the relief of global energy and climate issues. Energy wasted for heating the empty space of the entire building can be saved by passively heating the immediate environment around the human body. Here, the authors show a nanophotonic structure textile with tailored infrared property for passive personal heating using nanoporous metallized polyethylene.

Phillyrin is an effective lignan glycoside extracted from a traditional Chinese medicine Forsythia suspensa (Thunb.) Vahl (Oleaceae). It mainly exists in the roots, stems, leaves and fruits of the plant, with the highest content in the leaves. In terms of its medicinal application, there are a large number of experimental data proving its pharmacological effects in vitro and in animal models, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, anti-tumor, etc. Furthermore, pharmacokinetic experiments have also shown phillyrin’s high effectiveness and low toxicity. Despite more than one thousand studies in the literature on phillyrin retrievable from Web of Science, PubMed, and CNKI, few reviews on its pharmacological activities have been presented conclusively. In this paper, we aimed to summarize the pharmacological and pharmacokinetic characteristics of phillyrin from the current literature, focusing on its anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, antiviral, antibacterial, hepatoprotective and anti-cancer effects, hoping to come up with new insights for its application as well as future studies.

In two-dimensional chiral metal-halide perovskites, chiral organic spacers endow structural and optical chirality to the metal-halide sublattice, enabling exquisite control of light, charge, and electron spin. The chiroptical properties of metal-halide perovskites have been measured by transmissive circular dichroism spectroscopy, which necessitates thin-film samples. Here, by developing a reflection-based approach, we characterize the intrinsic, circular polarization-dependent complex refractive index for a prototypical two-dimensional chiral lead-bromide perovskite and report large circular dichroism for single crystals. Comparison with ab initio theory reveals the large circular dichroism arises from the inorganic sublattice rather than the chiral ligand and is an excitonic phenomenon driven by electron-hole exchange interactions, which breaks the degeneracy of transitions between Rashba-Dresselhaus-split bands, resulting in a Cotton effect. Our study suggests that previous data for spin-coated films largely underestimate the optical chirality and provides quantitative insights into the intrinsic optical properties of chiral perovskites for chiroptical and spintronic applications. Li et al. report large circular dichroism in 2D chiral perovskite single crystals, arises from the inorganic sublattice, instead of chiral ligands, driven by electron-hole exchange interactions. This is evidenced by both reflective circular dichroism spectroscopy and ab initio theory.

The ability to engineer a photoelectrode surface is pivotal for optimizing the properties of any photoelectrode used for solar fuel production. Altering crystal facets exposed on the surface of photoelectrodes has been a major strategy to modify their surface structure. However, there exist numerous ways to terminate the surface even for the same facet, which can considerably alter the photoelectrode properties. Here we report tightly integrated experimental and computational investigations of epitaxial BiVO 4 photoelectrodes with vanadium- and bismuth-rich (010) facets. Our study demonstrates that even for the same facet the surface Bi:V ratio has a remarkable impact on the interfacial energetics and photoelectrochemical properties. We also elucidate the microscopic origins of how the surface composition can affect the photoelectrochemical properties. This study opens an unexplored path for understanding and engineering surface energetics via tuning the surface termination/composition of multinary oxide photoelectrodes. Surface facets are known to influence the behaviour of photoelectrodes for solar fuel production; however, the role of surface composition, which can vary even for the same facet, is less well understood. Here the authors find that the surface Bi:V ratio is a key factor that affects properties of BiVO 4 photoanodes.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complicated disorder that is the most prevalent chronic degenerative joint disease nowadays. Pudilan Tablets (PDL) is a prominent traditional Chinese medicine formula used in clinical settings to treat chronic inflammatory illnesses. However, there is currently minimal fundamental research on PDL in the therapy of joint diseases. As a result, this study looked at the anti-inflammatory and anti-OA properties of PDL in vitro and in vivo, as well as the mechanism of PDL in the treatment of OA. We investigated the anti-OA properties of PDL in OA mice that were generated by monosodium iodoacetate (MIA). All animals were administered PDL (2 g/kg or 4 g/kg) or the positive control drug, indomethacin (150 mg/kg), once daily for a total of 28 days starting on the day of MIA injection. The CCK-8 assay was used to test the vitality of PDL-treated RAW264.7 cells in vitro. RAW264.7 cells that had been activated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were used to assess the anti-inflammatory properties of PDL. In the MIA-induced OA model mice, PDL reduced pain, decreased OA-induced cartilage damages and degradation, decreased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in serum, and suppressed IL-1β , IL-6 , and TNF-α mRNA expression levels in tibiofemoral joint. In RAW264.7 cells, PDL treatment prevented LPS-induced activation of the ERK/Akt signaling pathway and significantly decreased the levels of inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. In conclusion, these results suggest that PDL is involved in combating the development and progression of OA, exerts a powerful anti-inflammatory effect on the knee joint, and may be a promising candidate for the treatment of OA.

Energy storage technology plays a significant role in the pursuit of the high-quality development of the electricity market. Many regions in China have issued policies and regulations of different intensities for promoting the popularization of the energy storage industry. Based on a variety of initial conditions of different regions, this paper explores the evolutionary process of electricity market players considering energy storage technology. The trilateral evolutionary game model is adopted to analyze the strategies of the power plant, the power grid, and the government. After assigning the model according to an actual situation, each equilibrium point corresponds to a real electricity market situation. The results indicate the following: (1) In the process of stabilizing, the role of “Advanced Imitators” leading the strategy of building energy storage changes between the power plant and the power grid. (2) In Eastern, Middle, and Southern China, the power plants and power grids on a greater-than-medium scale will choose to build energy storage without governmental regulations, due to the abundant net profit. (3) In the northeast of China, power plants with a medium-or-lower scale will choose not to build energy storage because of the relatively low on-grid price, and small power grids can make enough profits by operating energy storage facilities. (4) In Northern China, the large power plants and the medium power grids will choose to build energy storage due to the high electricity sale price and the resulting high profit. (5) In Western China, the small power plants and power grids cannot afford to build energy storage due to the low electricity price. The results lead to valuable policy suggestions for the local governments of China in promoting energy storage in the future. To meet the goal of energy storage popularization, regional electricity market plans need relevant policies based on its existing conditions, offering suitable external conditions for adding energy storage.

Oral lichen planus (OLP) is a localized autoimmune disease of the oral mucosa, with an incidence of up to 2%. Although corticosteroids are the first-line treatment, they cause several adverse effects. Quercetin, a naturally occurring compound, has fewer side-effects and provides long-term benefits. Besides, it has powerful anti‑inflammatory activities. Here, we combined network pharmacology with experimental verification to predict and verify the key targets of quercetin against OLP. First, 66 quercetin-OLP common targets were analyzed from various databases. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed. Topology analysis and MCODE cluster analysis of common targets were conducted to identify 12 key targets including TP53, IL-6 and IFN-γ and their connections. Gene functions and key signaling pathways, including reactive oxygen species metabolism, IL-17 pathway and AGE-RAGE pathway, were enriched by Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. Then, in vitro experiments showed that quercetin interfered with Th1/Th2 balance by acting on IL-6 and IFN-γ to modulate the immune system in treating OLP. Quercetin considerably affected the apoptosis and migration of T lymphocytes in OLP patients. Our study reveals the potential therapeutic targets and signaling pathways of quercetin associated with OLP, and establishes the groundwork for future clinical applications.

A vital pursuit in solar energy research is to achieve high efficiency and long‐term stability in energy conversion devices. Coating or sandwiching an ultrathin layer of TiO2 onto active solar components has been demonstrated to be a remarkably effective and facile strategy to improve their stability. The TiO2 film acts as a protection layer and enhances solar energy conversion efficiency by passivating surface recombination sites or facilitating electron transport. To date, numerous efforts have been devoted to applying ultrathin TiO2 layers in various kinds of solar energy conversion devices. In this study, we review deposition techniques, characterization methods of the resulting ultrathin TiO2 layer, as well as its applications in dye‐sensitized solar cells, organic–inorganic hybrid solar cells, and photoelectrochemical cells. In this study, we review deposition techniques, characterization methods of the resulting ultrathin TiO2 layer, as well as its applications in dye‐sensitized solar cells, organic–inorganic hybrid solar cells, and photoelectrochemical cells.