Computational Simulations of Fabrication of Aluminum-Based Josephson Junctions: Topological Aspects of the Barrier Structure.

Although the performance of qubits has been improved in recent years, the differences in the microscopic atomic structure of the Josephson junctions, the core devices prepared under different preparation conditions, are still underexplored. In this paper, the effects of the oxygen temperature and upper aluminum deposition rate on the topology of the barrier layer in the aluminum-based Josephson junctions have been presented by classical molecular dynamics simulations. We apply a Voronoi tessellation method to characterize the topology of the interface and central regions of the barrier layers. We find that when the oxygen temperature is 573 K and the upper aluminum deposition rate is 4 Å/ps, the barrier has the fewest atomic voids and the most closely arranged atoms. However, if only the atomic arrangement of the central region is considered, the optimal rate of the aluminum deposition is 8 Å/ps. This work provides microscopic guidance for the experimental preparation of Josephson junctions, which helps to improve the performance of qubits and accelerate the practical application of quantum computers.

Topical anesthesia therapy using lidocaine-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers: tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate-modified transdermal delivery system.

PURPOSE: Transdermal drug delivery of local anesthetics using lipid nanoparticles could enhance lipophilic drugs permeation through the stratum corneum, improve drug diffusion to deeper skin, and exert good therapeutic effects. The purpose of this study was to engineer a Tocopheryl Polyethylene Glycol 1000 Succinate (TPGS)-modified cationic nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) for the delivery of lidocaine (LID; TPGS/LID-NLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: TPGS/LID-NLC was prepared by solvent diffusion method. The particle size, polydispersity index, zeta potential, drug entrapment efficiency, drug loading, stability, drug release, and cytotoxicity were tested to evaluate the basic characters of NLC. In vitro skin permeation and in vivo anesthesia effect in an animal model were further investigated to determine the therapeutic efficiency of the system. RESULTS: TPGS/LID-NLC had a particle size of 167.6±4.3 nm, a zeta potential of +21.2±2.3 mV, an entrapment efficiency of 85.9%±3.1%, and a drug loading of 11.5%±0.9%. A sustained release pattern was achieved by TPGS/LID-NLC, with 81.2% of LID released at 72 hours. In vitro permeation study showed that the steady-state fluxes (Jss), permeability coefficient (Kp), and cumulative drug permeation Qn at 72 hours (Q72) of TPGS/LID-NLC were 15.6±1.8 µg/cm2/hour, 10.3±0.9 cm/hour (×10-3), and 547.5±23.6 µg/cm2, respectively, which were significantly higher than the nonmodified NLC and free drug groups. In vivo anesthesia effect of TPGS/LID-NLC was the most remarkable and long acting among the formulations tested, which could be concluded by the most considerable maximum possible effect from 10 to 120 minutes during the whole research. CONCLUSION: The most prominent in vitro permeation efficiency and in vivo anesthetic effect of TPGS/LID-NLC could be the evidence that TPGS-modified NLC could function as a promising drug delivery system for prolonged and efficient local anesthetic therapy.

[Efficacy of tribendimidine against three isolates of Trichinella spiralis in mice].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of tribendimidine (TBD) against 3 geographical isolates of Trichinella spiralis in mice. METHODS: Isolates of T. spiralis from Henan (hereinafter referred to as HnT.s), Yunnan (referred to as YnT.s) and Heilongjiang (referred to as HIjT.s) were used in the study. 144 Kunming strain mice were divided into 2 groups: 72 mice in group A (adult stage, treatment at 5 d after infection), and 72 mice in group B (encapsulated larva stage, treatment at 53 d after infection). Group A was further divided equally into 12 sub-groups. Mice in every 3 sub-groups were each infected orally with 200 T. spiralis larvae of the 3 isolates respectively, and the remained 3 subgroups served as untreated control. Mice in the 3 sub-groups infected with one isolate were orally treated with TBD at a single dose of 10, 20, and 30 mg/kg, respectively. Group B was treated as group A but with a course of TBD once daily at a dose of 100, 200, and 300 mg/(kg x d) for 7 d, respectively. Mice in group A were sacrificed 2 d post-treatment and adult worms were recovered from the small intestine and counted. Those in group B were sacrificed 10 d after completion of 7 d treatment. The intact diaphragm was removed and digested for collecting larvae. Worm burden and worm reduction of each treated sub-group were calculated and statistically compared with the respective control. RESULTS: In group A, the mean worm burden in the treated sub-groups infected with HnT.s and YnT.s were all significantly lower than that of the controls (P < 0.01), with a mean worm reduction rate of 39.0%, 57.9%, and 86.0% in HnT.s sub-groups, and of 34.9%, 69.3%, and 92.2% in YnT.s sub-groups, respectively, showing an increase with the dosage, 2 mice in each of the 30mg/kg sub-groups were cured. The worm burden in the 10 mg/kg of HljT.s subgroup was similar to that of the control (P > 0.05), but was significantly lower in the other 2 sub-groups than that of the controls (P < 0.01). The worm reduction rate in the 3 sub-groups was 27.9%, 57.4%, and 60.7%, respectively. In all treated sub-groups of group B, the mean worm burden was significantly lower than that of the controls (P < 0.05), with a mean worm reduction rate of 57.8%, 75.4%, and 87.5% in HnT.s sub-groups, of 74.5%, 92.4%, and 99.1% in YnT.s sub-groups, and of 50.5%, 53.3%, and 61.6% in HljT.s sub-groups, respectively, with the 3 dosages. CONCLUSION: Tribendimidine shows adequate efficacy on Trichinella spiralis adults and on encapsulated larvae of the 3 geographical isolates in mice, with better effect on Yunnan isolate.