Quantum discord for two-qubit systems in the Bloch channel: effects of longitudinal and transversal relaxation times

Quantum discord is studied for two-qubit systems with different settings under the influence of the Bloch channel which is characterized by the longitudinal and transversal relaxation times and the environmental temperature. The relaxation of the quantum discord strongly depends on the ratio of the two relaxation times and the environmental temperature. It is found that the ratio of the quantum discord to the total correlation becomes finite or zero asymptotically, depending on the ratio of the relaxation times and the system setting. Furthermore, the optimal setting for sharing the quantum discord is discussed for given environmental temperature and ratio of the relaxation times.     

Study of Cuprate Superconductivity Using the Particle Number Conserving Bogoliubov-de Gennes Equations: ARPES and STS Images From Surface Plus Bulk Layers Model

Journal of Superconductivity and Novel Magnetism - We theoretically study the superconductivity in hole-doped cuprate superconductors by employing a model composed of surface and bulk CuO $$_2$$...     

Emerging Immunotherapy for Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Several immune checkpoint molecules and immune targets in leukemic cells have been investigated. Recent studies have suggested the potential clinical benefits of immuno-oncology (IO) therapy against acute myeloid leukemia (AML), especially targeting CD33, CD123, and CLL-1, as well as immune checkpoint inhibitors (e.g., anti-PD (programmed cell death)-1 and anti-CTLA4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4) antibodies) with or without conventional chemotherapy. Early-phase clinical trials of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T or natural killer (NK) cells for relapsed/refractory AML showed complete remission (CR) or marked reduction of marrow blasts in a few enrolled patients. Bi-/tri-specific antibodies (e.g., bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) and dual-affinity retargeting (DART)) exhibited 11–67% CR rates with 13–78% risk of cytokine-releasing syndrome (CRS). Conventional chemotherapy in combination with anti-PD-1/anti-CTLA4 antibody for relapsed/refractory AML showed 10–36% CR rates with 7–24 month-long median survival. The current advantages of IO therapy in the field of AML are summarized herein. However, although cancer vaccination should be included in the concept of IO therapy, it is not mentioned in this review because of the paucity of relevant evidence.     

Production of Gentiobiose from Hydrothermally Treated Aureobasidium pullulans β-1,3-1,6-Glucan

We report production of the functional disaccharide gentiobiose β-D-Glcp-(1→6)-D-Glc by a hydrolysis reaction of hydrothermally treated Aureobasidium pullulans β-1,3-1,6-glucan as the substrate and Kitalase as the enzyme. Gentiobiose was produced over the pH range 4−6 and the concentration of gentiobiose produced decreased above pH 7. The maximum value of gentiobiose production was unaffected by the enzyme concentration. The maximum concentration of gentiobiose produced was dependent on the substrate concentration whereas the maximum ratio of gentiobiose to glucose was not. The production of gentiobiose from yeast β-1,3-1,6-glucan was lower than that from A. pullulans β-1,3-1,6-glucan.     

Sieving of aerosol particles with metal screens

Metal screens with uniform micrometer-sized opening were employed to sieve aerosol particles by suppressing the adhesion of particles smaller than the openings. The collection efficiencies of monodispersed polystyrene latex (PSL) particles were experimentally determined using the metal screens with 1.2, 1.8, 2.5, and 4.2 μm openings at various filtration velocities. The particles smaller than the mesh opening adhered on the metal screen at a low filtration velocity, but the bounce-off of particles on the mesh surface suppressed the adhesion at a high velocity. As a result, we found that the adhesion of PSL particles larger than 0.3 μm mostly suppressed at a filtration velocity higher than 10 m s^?1 and therefore we can sieve aerosol particles according to the opening size of metal screens. We also found that the particle number concentration could be determined by measuring the increase in pressure drop since the clogging of metal screen openings takes place by the individual particles.

© 2016 American Association for Aerosol Research     

New Approach for Macro Porous RB‐SiC Derived from SiC/Novolac‐type Phenolic Composite

A novel fabrication route to make macroporous silicon carbide (SiC) has been proposed in this study. The route is composed of the following two steps: the fabrication of porous α‐SiC/novolac‐type phenolic composite using hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) as a curing/blowing agent for the novolac monomer and a conventional reaction‐bonded (RB) sintering of the composite. The α‐SiC/novolac‐type phenolic composite was carbonized at 800°C for 2 h in N₂ gas and then reacted with the molten silicon at 1450°C for 30 min under vacuum, resulting in the macroporous RB‐SiC with an open porosity of 48% and relatively large pore size of ~110 μm. The compressive strength of the macroporous RB‐SiC was 113 MPa, which is relatively high compared to those reported for macroporous SiC of equivalent porosities and pore sizes.     

Numerical analysis to study the effect of through thickness reinforcement with different stitch orientations on open-hole laminates

The effect of through thickness reinforced open-hole laminates was analysed in terms of laminate behaviour under in-plane tensile loading based on continuum mechanics. Stitches around the notch were oriented in the longitudinal and transverse directions. To obtain the macroscopic damage and the local stress–strain constitutive behaviour, laminates were modelled on a lamina-wise basis. Interfaces between lamina and stitch yarns were assumed to be perfectly glued and modelled by the contact capability. Discretisation procedures using the principle of virtual work were applied in addition to discretisation of the contact traction. Progressive failure analysis with Puck’s failure criteria was conducted to characterise the failure behaviour of the laminate. In both cases, damage was initiated by a matrix crack in the perpendicular direction of the loading axis on the notch. The longitudinally stitched laminate showed a 14.29% higher strength compared to the transversely stitched laminate by suppressing damage propagation. The results obtained using this finite element technique was consistent with the experimental results.