Fast joint parity measurement via collective interactions induced by stimulated emission.

Parity detection is essential in quantum error correction. Error syndromes coded in parity are detected routinely by sequential CNOT gates. Here, different from the standard CNOT-gate based scheme, we propose a reliable joint parity measurement (JPM) scheme inspired by stimulated emission. By controlling the collective behavior between data qubits and syndrome qubit, we realize the parity detection and experimentally implement the weight-2 and weight-4 JPM scheme in a tunable coupling superconducting circuit, which shows comparable performance to the CNOT scheme. Moreover, with the aid of the coupling tunability in quantum system, this scheme can be further utilized for specific joint entangling state preparation (JEP) with high fidelity, such as multiqubit entangled state preparation for non-adjacent qubits. This strategy, combined with the superconducting qubit system with tunable couplers, reveals tremendous potential and applications in the surface code architecture without adding extra circuit elements. Besides, the method we develop here can readily be applied in large-scale quantum computation and quantum simulation.

The circadian rhythm: A new target of natural products that can protect against diseases of the metabolic system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of metabolic system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system diseases remains to be explored. In the internal environment of organisms, the metabolism of substances such as carbohydrates, lipids and proteins (including biohormones and enzymes) exhibit a certain circadian rhythm to maintain the energy supply and material cycle needed for the normal activities of organisms. As a key factor for the health of organisms, the circadian rhythm can be disrupted by pathological conditions, and this disruption accelerates the progression of diseases and results in a vicious cycle. The current treatments targeting the circadian rhythm for the treatment of metabolic system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system diseases have certain limitations, and the identification of safer and more effective circadian rhythm regulators is needed. AIM OF THE REVIEW: To systematically assess the possibility of using the biological clock as a natural product target for disease intervention, this work reviews a range of evidence on the potential effectiveness of natural products targeting the circadian rhythm to protect against diseases of the metabolic system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system. This manuscript focuses on how natural products restore normal function by affecting the amplitude of the expression of circadian factors, sleep/wake cycles and the structure of the gut microbiota. KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF THE REVIEW: This work proposes that the circadian rhythm, which is regulated by the amplitude of the expression of circadian rhythm-related factors and the sleep/wake cycle, is crucial for diseases of the metabolic system, cardiovascular system and nervous system and is a new target for slowing the progression of diseases through the use of natural products. This manuscript provides a reference for the molecular modeling of natural products that target the circadian rhythm and provides a new perspective for the time-targeted action of drugs.

Oroxin A from Oroxylum indicum improves disordered lipid metabolism by inhibiting SREBPs in oleic acid-induced HepG2 cells and high-fat diet-fed non-insulin-resistant rats.

Background: Lipid metabolism disorders have become a major global public health issue. Due to the complexity of these diseases, additional research and drugs are needed. Oroxin A, the major component of Oroxylum indicum (L.) Kurz (Bignoniaceae), can improve the lipid profiles of diabetic and insulin-resistant (IR) rats. Because insulin resistance is strongly correlated with lipid metabolism, improving insulin resistance may also constitute an effective strategy for improving lipid metabolism. Thus, additional research on the efficacy and mechanism of oroxin An under non-IR conditions is needed. Methods: In this study, we established lipid metabolism disorder model rats by high-fat diet feeding and fatty HepG2 cell lines by treatment with oleic acid and evaluated the therapeutic effect and mechanism of oroxin A in vitro and in vivo through biochemical indicator analysis, pathological staining, immunoblotting, and immunofluorescence staining. Results: Oroxin A improved disordered lipid metabolism under non-IR conditions, improved the plasma and hepatic lipid profiles, and enhanced the lipid-lowering action of atorvastatin. Additionally, oroxin A reduced the total triglyceride (TG) levels by inhibiting sterol regulatory element-binding protein 1 (SREBP1) expression and reducing the expression of acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC) and fatty acid synthase (FASN) in vivo and in vitro. Oroxin A also reduced the total cholesterol (TC) levels by inhibiting SREBP2 expression and reducing HMGCR expression in vivo and in vitro. In addition, oroxin A bound to low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and increased AMPK phosphorylation. Conclusions: Our results suggested that oroxin A may modulate the nuclear transcriptional activity of SREBPs by binding to LDLR proteins and increasing AMPK phosphorylation. Oroxin A may thus reduce lipid synthesis and could be used for the treatment and prevention of lipid metabolism disorders.

Effects of plant natural products on metabolic-associated fatty liver disease and the underlying mechanisms: a narrative review with a focus on the modulation of the gut microbiota.

Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a chronic liver disease characterized by the excessive accumulation of fat in hepatocytes. However, due to the complex pathogenesis of MAFLD, there are no officially approved drugs for treatment. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find safe and effective anti-MAFLD drugs. Recently, the relationship between the gut microbiota and MAFLD has been widely recognized, and treating MAFLD by regulating the gut microbiota may be a new therapeutic strategy. Natural products, especially plant natural products, have attracted much attention in the treatment of MAFLD due to their multiple targets and pathways and few side effects. Moreover, the structure and function of the gut microbiota can be influenced by exposure to plant natural products. However, the effects of plant natural products on MAFLD through targeting of the gut microbiota and the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Based on the above information and to address the potential therapeutic role of plant natural products in MAFLD, we systematically summarize the effects and mechanisms of action of plant natural products in the prevention and treatment of MAFLD through targeting of the gut microbiota. This narrative review provides feasible ideas for further exploration of safer and more effective natural drugs for the prevention and treatment of MAFLD.

Attenuating effect of Polygala tenuifolia Willd. seed oil on progression of MAFLD.

Introduction: Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a common chronic metabolic disease that seriously threatens human health. The pharmacological activity of unsaturated fatty acid-rich vegetable oil interventions in the treatment of MAFLD has been demonstrated. This study evaluated the pharmacological activity of Polygala tenuifolia Willd, which contains high levels of 2-acetyl-1,3-diacyl-sn-glycerols (sn-2-acTAGs). Methods: In this study, a mouse model was established by feeding a high-fat diet (HFD, 31% lard oil diet), and the treatment group was fed a P. tenuifolia seed oil (PWSO) treatment diet (17% lard oil and 14% PWSO diet). The pharmacological activity and mechanism of PWSO were investigated by total cho-lesterol (TC) measurement, triglyceride (TG) measurement and histopathological observation, and the sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1 (SREBP1), SREBP2 and NF-κB signaling pathways were evaluated by immunofluorescence and Western blot analyses. Results: PWSO attenuated the increases in plasma TC and TG levels. Furthermore, PWSO reduced the hepatic levels of TC and TG, ameliorating hepatic lipid accumulation. PWSO treatment effectively improves the level of hepatitic inflammation, such as reducing IL-6 levels and TNF-α level. Discussion: PWSO treatment inactivated SREBP1 and SREBP2, which are involved in lipogenesis, to attenuate hepatic lipid accumulation and mitigate the inflammatory response induced via the NF-κB signaling pathway. This study demonstrated that PWSO can be used as a relatively potent dietary supplement to inhibit the occurrence and development of MAFLD.

The impact of microbially modified metabolites associated with obesity and bariatric surgery on antitumor immunity.

Obesity is strongly associated with the occurrence and development of many types of cancers. Patients with obesity and cancer present with features of a disordered gut microbiota and metabolism, which may inhibit the physiological immune response to tumors and possibly damage immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. In recent years, bariatric surgery has become increasingly common and is recognized as an effective strategy for long-term weight loss; furthermore, bariatric surgery can induce favorable changes in the gut microbiota. Some studies have found that microbial metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), inosine bile acids and spermidine, play an important role in anticancer immunity. In this review, we describe the changes in microbial metabolites initiated by bariatric surgery and discuss the effects of these metabolites on anticancer immunity. This review attempts to clarify the relationship between alterations in microbial metabolites due to bariatric surgery and the effectiveness of cancer treatment. Furthermore, this review seeks to provide strategies for the development of microbial metabolites mimicking the benefits of bariatric surgery with the aim of improving therapeutic outcomes in cancer patients who have not received bariatric surgery.

New insight into the management of renal excretion and hyperuricemia: Potential therapeutic strategies with natural bioactive compounds.

Hyperuricemia is the result of increased production and/or underexcretion of uric acid. Hyperuricemia has been epidemiologically associated with multiple comorbidities, including metabolic syndrome, gout with long-term systemic inflammation, chronic kidney disease, urolithiasis, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, dyslipidemia, diabetes/insulin resistance and increased oxidative stress. Dysregulation of xanthine oxidoreductase (XOD), the enzyme that catalyzes uric acid biosynthesis primarily in the liver, and urate transporters that reabsorb urate in the renal proximal tubules (URAT1, GLUT9, OAT4 and OAT10) and secrete urate (ABCG2, OAT1, OAT3, NPT1, and NPT4) in the renal tubules and intestine, is a major cause of hyperuricemia, along with variations in the genes encoding these proteins. The first-line therapeutic drugs used to lower serum uric acid levels include XOD inhibitors that limit uric acid biosynthesis and uricosurics that decrease urate reabsorption in the renal proximal tubules and increase urate excretion into the urine and intestine via urate transporters. However, long-term use of high doses of these drugs induces acute kidney disease, chronic kidney disease and liver toxicity. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new nephroprotective drugs with improved safety profiles and tolerance. The current systematic review summarizes the characteristics of major urate transporters, the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of hyperuricemia, and the regulation of uric acid biosynthesis and transport. Most importantly, this review highlights the potential mechanisms of action of some naturally occurring bioactive compounds with antihyperuricemic and nephroprotective potential isolated from various medicinal plants.

Evaluation of impact of "2+26″ regional strategies on air quality improvement of different functional districts in Beijing based on a long-term field campaign.

Consecutive measurements of ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from February 2016 to April 2018 have been performed at four representative sites of Beijing to evaluate the impact of "2 + 26" regional strategies implemented in 2017 for air quality improvement in non-heating period (2017NH) and heating period (2017H). The decrease of PM2.5 were significant both in 2017NH (20.2% on average) and 2017H (43.7% on average) compared to 2016NH and 2016H, respectively. Eight sources were resolved at each site from the PMF source apportionment including secondary nitrate, traffic, coal combustion, soil dust, road dust, sulfate, biomass/waste burning and industrial process. The results show that the reductions of industrial process, soil dust, and coal combustion were most effective among all sources at each site after the regional strategies implementation with the large reductions in potential source areas. The decrease of coal combustion in 2017NH were larger than 2017H at all sites while that of soil dust and industrial sources were the opposite. Insignificant reduction of coal combustion contribution at the suburban site in the heating period indicated that rural residential coal burning need further control. The industrial source control in the suburbs were least effective compared with other districts. Traffic was the largest contributer at each site and control of traffic emissions were more effective in 2017H than 2017NH. The local nature and increase of biomass/waste burning contributions emphasized the effect of fireworks and bio-fuel use in rural areas and incinerator emissions in urban districts. Secondary nitrate and sulfate were mainly impacted by the regional transport from southern adjacent areas and favorable meteorological conditions played an important part in the PM2.5 abatements of 2017H. Secondary nitrate became a more major role in the air pollution process because of the larger decrease of sulfate. Finally suggestions for future control are made in this study.

A flying Schrödinger's cat in multipartite entangled states.

Schrödinger's cat originates from the famous thought experiment querying the counterintuitive quantum superposition of macroscopic objects. As a natural extension, several "cats" (quasi-classical objects) can be prepared into coherent quantum superposition states, which is known as multipartite cat states demonstrating quantum entanglement among macroscopically distinct objects. Here, we present a highly scalable approach to deterministically create flying multipartite Schrödinger's cat states by reflecting coherent-state photons from a microwave cavity containing a superconducting qubit. We perform full quantum state tomography on the cat states with up to four photonic modes and confirm the existence of quantum entanglement among them. We also witness the hybrid entanglement between discrete-variable states (the qubit) and continuous-variable states (the flying multipartite cat) through a joint quantum state tomography. Our work provides an enabling step for implementing a series of quantum metrology and quantum information processing protocols based on cat states.

Impacts of Sources on PM2.5 Oxidation Potential during and after the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference in Huairou, Beijing.

To illustrate the major sources responsible for the redox activity of ambient fine particles during the 2014 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference in Beijing, 3 months of daytime (8:00-19:30 LST) and nighttime (20:00-7:30 LST) particulate kmatter (PM2.5) was collected in Huairou, Beijing from November 3, 2014 through January 31, 2015. PM2.5 compositions were analyzed, including elements, organic carbon, elemental carbon, water-soluble ions, organics, and redox activities measured by both the dithiothreitol and the macrophage reactive oxygen species (ROS) assays. The mass-normalized redox activity was approximately constant during the noncontrol period (NCP) and control period (CP). The absolute value of the volume-normalized redox activity was about 4 times higher during NCP than that during CP, indicating the effectiveness of the control measures. The statistical analysis results showed that an interquartile range increase in PM2.5 mass, chemicals, and sources (µg/m3) was associated with the 1-3% increase in redox activity, indicating that the successful control did make a significant reduction in redox activity but did not elucidate that some source controls (i.e., vehicle emissions) could be more effective at reducing redox activity than other control programs (i.e., dust source). This study demonstrated that combustion particles from both solid fuels and liquid fuels could contribute to ROS generation. Furthermore, ROS could be formed in the atmosphere via photochemical reactions, which highlights the need to further research on their formation pathways. A better understanding of the relevant mechanistic pathways and different source contributors to ROS will help to guide strategies for targeted mitigation of the atmospheric oxidation potential and will also help to reduce the great disease stress caused by exposure to air pollution.

Chemical characterization and source apportionment of PM2.5 personal exposure of two cohorts living in urban and suburban Beijing.

In the study, personal PM2.5 exposures and their source contributions were characterized for 159 subjects living in the Beijing Metropolitan area. The exposures and sources were examined as functions of residential location, season, vocation, cigarette smoking, and time spent outdoors. Sampling was performed for two categories of volunteers, guards and students, that lived in urban and suburban areas of Beijing. Samples were collected using portable PM2.5 monitors during summer and winter. Exposure measurements were supplemented with a questionnaire that tracked personal activity and time spent in microenvironments that may have impacted exposures. Simultaneously, ambient PM2.5 data were obtained from national network stations located at the Gucheng and Huairouzhen sites. These data were used as a comparison against the personal PM2.5 exposures and produced poor correlations between personal and ambient PM2.5. These results demonstrate that individual behavior strongly affects personal PM2.5 exposure. Six primary sources of personal PM2.5 exposure were determined using a positive matrix factorization (PMF) source apportionment model. These sources included Roadway Transport Source, Soil/Dust Source, Industrial/Combustion Source, Secondary Inorganic Source, Cd Source, and Household Heating Source. Averaged across all subjects and seasons, the highest source contribution was Secondary Inorganic Source (24.8% ±â€¯32.6%, AVG ±â€¯STD), whereas the largest primary ambient source was determined to be Roadway Transport (20.9% ±â€¯13.6%). Subjects were classified according to the questionnaire and were used to help understand the relationship between personal activity and source contribution to PM2.5 exposure. In general, primary ambient sources showed only significant spatial and seasonal differences, while secondary sources differed significantly between populations with different personal behavior. In particular, Cd source was found to be related to smoking exposure and was the most unpredictable source, with significant differences between populations of different sites, vocations, smoking exposures, and outdoor time.

Acute changes in a respiratory inflammation marker in guards following Beijing air pollution controls.

The adverse respiratory health effects of PM2.5 have been studied. However, the epidemiological evidence for the association of specific PM2.5 sources with health outcomes is still limited. This study investigated the association between PM2.5 components and sources with a biomarker of acute respiratory inflammation (FeNO) in guards. Personal exposure was estimated by microenvironment samplers and FeNO measurements were carried out before, during and after the Victory Day Military Parade in Beijing. Four sources were determined by factor analysis, including urban pollution, dust, alloy steel abrasion and toxic metals. A mixed-effect model was used to estimate the associations of FeNO with PM2.5 sources and chemical constituents, controlling for age, BMI, smoke activity, physical activity, waist circumference, temperature and relative humidity. In summary, large concentration decreases in PM2.5 concentration and PM2.5 chemical constituents were observed in both roadside and indoor environments during the air control periods, immediately followed by statistically significant decreases in FeNO of roadside guards and patrol guards. Besides, statistically significant increases in FeNO were found to be associated with interquartile range (IQR) increases in some pollutants, with an increase of 1.45ppb (95% CI: 0.69, 2.20), 0.65ppb (95% CI: 0.13, 1.17), 1.48ppb (95% CI: 0.60, 2.35), 0.82ppb (95% CI: 0.44, 1.20), 0.77ppb (95% CI: 0.42, 1.11) in FeNO for mass, sulfate, BC, Ca2+ and Sm, respectively. In addition, compared to alloy steel abrasion and toxic metals, urban pollution and dust factors were more associated with acute airway inflammation for highly-exposed populations.

Source apportionments of PM2.5 organic carbon during the elevated pollution episodes in the Ordos region, Inner Mongolia, China.

The Ordos region in the southwestern part of Inner Mongolia experiences frequent PM concentrations in excess of the national PM2.5 air quality standards. In order to determine the key sources of PM2.5 contributing to these pollution episodes, the main sources of PM2.5 OC during elevated PM episodes in the Inner Mongolia were analyzed and compared with non-polluted days. This will provide insight to the main sources of particulate matter pollution during the high-pollution episodes and the effective seasonal strategies to control sources of particulate matter during months and with the highest PM concentrations that need to be controlled. The PMF source contributions to OC demonstrated that the industrial/coal combustion (4762.77 ± 1061.54 versus 2726.49 ± 469.75 ng/m3; p < 0.001) and mobile source factors (4651.14 ± 681.82 versus 2605.55 ± 276.50 ng/m3; p value < 0.001) showed greater contributions to the elevated concentrations during the episode. The spatial analysis of secondary organic carbon (SOC) factors, regional biomass burning, and biogenic sources did not show significant difference in the pollution episodes and the non-polluted months. In addition, the bivariate polar plots and CWT maps of the industrial/coal combustion and mobile illustrated a regional long-range transport patterns from the external sources to the study area, however, adjacent areas were mostly controlling the contributions of these factors during the PM elevated episodes. The SOC sources, regional biomass burning, and biogenic sources illustrated a regional long-range transport with similar locations found during the elevated pollution episodes compared to the normal situations.

Quantification of the sources of long-range transport of PM2.5 pollution in the Ordos region, Inner Mongolia, China.

The Ordos region of Inner Mongolia is rapidly developing and suffers from poor air quality and unhealthy levels of fine particulate matter. PM2.5 concentrations in the Ordos region were found to exceed 75 µg/m3 on average, annually, with peak pollution days in excess of 350 µg/m3, but local air pollution emissions from surrounding sources are not sufficient to drive pollution levels to these concentrations. The current study was designed to quantify sources of PM2.5 and assess the local source contributions and effects of regional transport on local pollution. The results show that the Ordos region is primarily impacted by regional long-range transport of pollutants from anthropogenic sources located outside of the Inner Mongolia in Shanxi province areas but is also largely affected by regional dust transported from the deserts located in western Inner Mongolia. The analysis proved that approximately 77% of PM2.5 mass is transported long-range from the sites exterior to the study area and contributes 59.32 µg/m3 on average, annually, while the local sources contribute 17.41 µg/m3 (23%) on annual average to the PM2.5 mass in the study area. High spatial correlation coefficients (R2 > 0.6) were observed for most of the factors pointing to the transport of external emissions into the area. Spatial correlation analysis, bivariate polar plots and hybrid trajectory models for industrial and secondary inorganic factors provide evidence for the impact of long-range transport from Shanxi province areas. In addition, the deserts in western Inner Mongolia were found to be the source regions for dust. Finally, our analysis shows that the source of oil combustion and mobile factors are impacted by local sources in the Ordos region; however, some regional impacts from other regions were also observed for mobile source in the area.

Sensitivity of source apportionment results to mobile source profiles.

The sensitivity of a source apportionment model to mobile source profiles was examined to determine the impact of using non-local mobile source profiles in chemical mass balance (CMB) models. We examined the impact of USA and Chinese mobile source profiles on source apportionment results in St. Louis, Missouri, and Beijing. The results showed that the use of non-local mobile source profiles did not impact the model apportionment results for vegetative detritus and biomass burning, but other primary source contributions were influenced by the use of non-local source profiles. Secondary organic carbon (SOC) contributions estimated by the CMB models with local and non-local profiles were compared to estimate of SOC from the EC tracer method and were found to be consistent with little bias. The results also showed that it is feasible to use the USA mobile profiles in China while model results were biased by using Chinese mobile profiles in the USA. Monthly and annual average concentrations of molecular markers in the source apportionment model showed lower sensitivity to source profiles than daily measurements, which has implications to the design of source apportionment studies.