End-to-end inverse design for programmable acoustic tweezers with simultaneous force and torque control by metasurfaces.

Acoustic tweezers leverage acoustic radiation forces for noncontact manipulation. One of the core bottlenecks in multidimensional manipulation is the lack of a systematic design methodology, which prevents the generation of an acoustic field that simultaneously meets the collaborative control requirements of multi-degree-of-freedom forces and torques, making it difficult to achieve precise control under conditions of stable suspension, high-frequency rotation, and complex spatial constraints. To address this challenge, we develop an end-to-end inverse design methodology for acoustic tweezers based on coding metasurfaces, establishing a dual-objective, dual-scale optimization paradigm.

CD8HLA-DRCD27 T cells define a population of naturally occurring regulatory precursors in humans.

Regulatory T cells are essential for immune homeostasis. While CD4 T cells are well characterized, CD8 T cells remain less understood and are primarily observed in pathological or experimental contexts. Here, we identify a naturally occurring CD8 regulatory precursor T cell at the steady state, defined by a CD8HLA-DRCD27 phenotype and a transcriptome resembling CD4 T cells.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 1 trial of the topical pan-lysyl oxidase inhibitor PXS-6302 in mature scars.

Skin scars remain a substantial clinical challenge because of their impact on appearance and psychological well-being. Lysyl oxidases catalyze collagen cross-linking, a key factor in scar development. Here, we report a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 1 study to assess the safety and tolerability of PXS-6302, a topical pan-lysyl oxidase inhibitor, in treating mature scars (ACTRN12621001545853).

Interferon-induced senescent CD8 T cells reduce anti-PD1 immunotherapy efficacy in early triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) lack predictive biomarkers to guide immunotherapy, especially during early-stage disease. To address this issue, we used single-cell RNA sequencing, bulk transcriptomics, and pathology assays on samples from 171 patients with early-stage TNBC receiving chemotherapy with or without immunotherapy. Our investigation identified an enriched subset of interferon (IFN)-induced CD8 T cells in early TNBC samples, which predict immunotherapy nonresponsiveness.

Evolutionary features of microscopic damage in shale under unloading action.

To reveal the microscopic damage evolution law of rocks under the effect of unloading disturbances with different amplitudes, electron microscope scanning, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and triaxial compression tests were carried out. The evolution patterns of surface and internal pore types and mechanical properties of rock specimens after unloading perturbation were analyzed. In this paper, a classification of the ratio of dmax/dmin (dmax and dmin refer to the maximum and minimum pore size of each pore, respectively) is proposed to examine the pore and crack evolution extension development on the surface of the specimen.

Safety and contribution of elderly whole blood donors after raising the upper age limit: Hemovigilance data from a Chinese region from 2012 to 2023.

Background: In 2012, China raised the upper age restriction for blood donors from 55 to 60 years old. This study analyzed the impact of raising the upper age restriction on whole blood donor health, contribution to blood supply, and safety of blood.

Methods: The blood collection and donor hemovigilance data of the Chongqing Blood Center from 2012 to 2023 were analyzed to evaluate the safety of elderly blood donors.

Anderson Delocalization in Strongly Coupled Disordered Non-Hermitian Chains.

Disorder and non-Hermitian effects together can upend how waves localize. In a 1D disordered chain, the non-Hermitian skin effect (NHSE) can induce Anderson delocalization, defying the usual rule that disorder in low dimensions always localizes states. While weak disorder leaves the NHSE intact, strong disorder restores Anderson localization.

Detecting Many-Body Scars from Fisher Zeros.

The far-from-equilibrium dynamics of certain interacting quantum systems still defy precise understanding. One example is the so-called quantum many-body scars (QMBSs), where a set of energy eigenstates evade thermalization to give rise to long-lived oscillations. Despite the success of viewing scars from the perspectives of symmetry, commutant algebra, and quasiparticles, it remains a challenge to elucidate the mechanism underlying all QMBS and to distinguish them from other forms of ergodicity breaking.

Full Characterization of Genuine 17-qubit Entanglement on the Superconducting Processor.

We present a least square state estimator regularized by state purity to accomplish the task of quantum state tomography and entanglement verification, and report an experimental validation on a superconducting processor. First, a scalable full-state tomography is achieved with state fidelity 0.8217(1) for the 9-qubit W state and 0.

Group Delay Controlled by the Decoherence of a Single Artificial Atom.

The ability to slow down light at the single-photon level has applications in quantum information processing and other quantum technologies. We demonstrate two methods, both using just a single artificial atom, enabling dynamic control over microwave light velocities in waveguide quantum electrodynamics (QED). Our methods are based on two distinct mechanisms harnessing the balance between radiative decay and nonradiative decoherence rates of a superconducting artificial atom in front of a mirror.

Majorana Zero Modes in the Lieb-Kitaev Model with Tunable Quantum Metric.

The relation between band topology and Majorana zero energy modes (MZMs) in topological superconductors had been well studied in the past decades. However, the relation between the quantum metric and MZMs has yet to be understood. In this Letter, we first construct a three band Lieb-like lattice model with an isolated flat band and tunable quantum metric.

Direct Evidence of Intrinsic Mott State and Its Layer-Parity Oscillation in a Breathing Kagome Crystal Down to Monolayer.

We report direct spectroscopic evidence of correlation-driven Mott states in layered Nb_{3}Cl_{8} through combining scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and dynamical mean-field theory. The Hubbard bands persist down to monolayer, providing the definitive evidence for the Mottness in Nb_{3}Cl_{8}. While the size of the Mott gap remains almost constant across all layers, a striking layer-parity-dependent oscillation emerges in the local density of states (LDOS) between even (n=2, 4, 6) and odd layers (n=1, 3, 5), which arises from the dimerization and correlation modulation of the obstructed atomic states, respectively.

Evidence for Similar Collectivity of High Transverse-Momentum Particles in p-Pb and Pb-Pb Collisions.

Charged hadron elliptic anisotropies (v_{2}) are presented over a wide transverse momentum (p_{T}) range for proton-lead (pPb) and lead-lead (PbPb) collisions at nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energies of 8.16 and 5.02 TeV, respectively.

Observation of Three Resonant Structures in the Cross Section of e^{+}e^{-}→π^{+}π^{-}h_{c}.

Using e^{+}e^{-} collision data collected with the BESIII detector operating at the Beijing electron positron collider, the cross section of e^{+}e^{-}→π^{+}π^{-}h_{c} is measured at 59 points with center-of-mass energy sqrt[s] ranging from 4.009 to 4.950 GeV with a total integrated luminosity of 22.

Anyon Theory and Topological Frustration of High-Efficiency Quantum Low-Density Parity-Check Codes.

Quantum low-density parity-check (QLDPC) codes offer a promising path to low-overhead fault-tolerant quantum computation but lack systematic strategies for exploration. In this Letter, we establish a topological framework for studying the bivariate-bicycle codes, a prominent class of QLDPC codes tailored for real-world quantum hardware. Our framework enables the investigation of these codes through universal properties of topological orders.

Dimensionality-Driven Anomalous Metallic State with Zero-Field Nonreciprocal Transport in Layered Ising Superconductors.

The anomalous metal state (AMS), observed in "failed" superconductors, provides insights into superconductivity and quantum criticality, with studies revealing unconventional quantum phases like the Bose metal. Recently, layered transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) superconductors approaching the two-dimensional limit have garnered significant attention for the enhanced phase fluctuations and electronic correlations. Investigating AMSs in these systems, particularly in the absence of an external magnetic field, could offer valuable insights into the dimensionality-driven emergence of exotic quantum phenomena, including triplet Cooper pairing, phase fluctuation dynamics, and especially the recently discovered field-free superconducting diode effects.

Onset of Constituent Quark Number Scaling in Heavy-Ion Collisions at RHIC.

Partonic collectivity is one of the necessary signatures for the formation of quark-gluon plasma in high-energy nuclear collisions. Number of constituent quarks (NCQ) scaling has been observed for hadron elliptic flow v_{2} in top energy nuclear collisions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider and the LHC, and this has been theoretically suggested as strong evidence for partonic collectivity. In this Letter, a systematic analysis of v_{2} of π^{±}, K^{±}, K_{S}^{0}, p, and Λ in Au+Au collisions at sqrt[s_{NN}]=3.

Structural Evidence for the Spin Collapse in High Pressure Solid Oxygen.

Single crystal x-ray diffraction measurements have been carried out on epsilon oxygen up to 30 GPa to examine the behavior of the constituent (O_{2})_{4} units. An isostructural phase transition is evidenced by lattice parameter and intracluster (O_{8}) distance discontinuities and clear changes in the equation of state at 18.1±0.

Rapidity Asymmetry of Jet-Hadron Correlation as a Robust Signal of Diffusion Wake Induced by Dijets in High-Energy Heavy-Ion Collisions.

Diffusion wake accompanying a Mach cone is a unique feature of the medium response to projectiles traveling at a speed faster than the velocity of sound. This is also the case for jet-medium interaction inside the quark-gluon plasma in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. It leads to a depletion of soft hadrons in the opposite direction of the propagating jet and, recently, has been observed in Z-jet events of Pb+Pb collisions at LHC.

Quantum-Size Effect Induced Andreev Bound States in Ultrathin Metallic Islands Proximitized by a Superconductor.

While Andreev bound states (ABSs) have been realized in engineered superconducting junctions, their direct observation in normal metal-superconductor heterostructures-enabled by quantum confinement-remains experimentally elusive. Here, we report the detection of ABSs in ultrathin metallic islands (Bi, Ag, and SnTe) grown on the s-wave superconductor NbN. Using high-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy, we clearly reveal in-gap ABSs with energies symmetric about the Fermi level.

Transcriptome analysis of shade-induced growth and photosynthetic responses in soybean cultivars.

Shade stress alters soybean growth through transcriptomic changes and adaptive responses that optimize light capture and utilization, regulated by a phytohormonal network. This study examined the physiological, morphological, and molecular responses of Guru (shade-tolerant) and Heinong 53 (shade-sensitive) soybean cultivars under 0% (control), 30%, and 70% shade. Results revealed morphological responses where Heinong 53 exhibited greater plant height (52.

Preliminary study on metabolite differences between two obesity syndromes based on Q Exactive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry metabolomics.

Background: According to traditional Chinese medicine, based on the pathogenesis, clinical manifestation, and treatment, obesity can be classified into two broad types, namely, "shi obesity" and "xu obesity." The aim of this study was to explore the differences in metabolite levels between these two types of obesity.

Methods: Q Exactive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to analyze the metabolites in the sera of 30 healthy adults, 30 adults with shi obesity, and 30 adults with xu obesity.

Multi-scale diffusion model for underwater image restoration and enhancement.

Background: Underwater environments face challenges with image degradation due to light absorption and scattering, resulting in blurring, reduced contrast, and color distortion. This significantly impacts underwater exploration and environmental monitoring, necessitating advanced algorithms for effective enhancement.

Objectives: The study aims to develop an innovative underwater image enhancement algorithm that integrates physical models with deep learning to improve visual quality and surpass existing methods in performance metrics.

Sexual and reproductive health service delivery innovations and adaptations during COVID-19: A systematic review and crowdsourcing open call.

This paper sought to identify and describe the innovations and adaptations implemented to ensure delivery of Sexual and Reproductive Health services during the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential for enhancing SRH services in other settings or in future emergencies. We searched five databases including PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL. The review was registered on Prospero (CRD42022329411).

Towards durable photocatalytic seawater splitting: design strategies and challenges.

Photocatalytic seawater splitting (PSWS), which utilizes abundant solar and ocean resources, is one of the most promising technologies for sustainable hydrogen production. However, the complex composition of seawater significantly limits the durability and activity of photocatalysts. In this review, we first identify the primary factors that contribute to photocatalyst deactivation during PSWS, including chloride induced corrosion and loss of active sites, and light shielding caused by precipitation of metal cation salts.