Electrically Tunable, Rapid Spin-Orbit Torque Induced Modulation of Colossal Magnetoresistance in MnSiTe Nanoflakes.

As a quasi-layered ferrimagnetic material, MnSiTe nanoflakes exhibit magnetoresistance behavior that is fundamentally different from their bulk crystal counterparts. They offer three key properties crucial for spintronics. First, at least 10 times faster response compared to that exhibited by bulk crystals has been observed in current-controlled resistance and magnetoresistance.

Finite-Key Analysis for Quantum Key Distribution with Discrete-Phase Randomization.

Quantum key distribution (QKD) allows two remote parties to share information-theoretic secret keys. Many QKD protocols assume the phase of encoding state can be continuous randomized from 0 to 2π, which, however, may be questionable in the experiment. This is particularly the case in the recently proposed twin-field (TF) QKD, which has received a lot of attention since it can increase the key rate significantly and even beat some theoretical rate-loss limits.

[Effects of root exudates C:N on soil physical and chemical characteristics and soil respiration in plantation].

We explored the effects of C:N ratio in root exudates of plantations on soil nutrient cycling and microbial activity on the Loess Plateau. We collected soil from the plantations with essentially identical habitat conditions and growing time of 15, 25, 35, and 45 years. By adding root exudates with different C:N ratios (N only, C:N=10, C:N=50, C:N=100, C only) to the soil and using deionized water as a control, we analyzed the effects of C:N ratio of root exudates on the physicochemical properties of elements such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, soil pH, and soil respiration.

Nonlinear Ballistic Response of Quantum Spin Hall Edge States.

Topological edge states (TES) exhibit dissipationless transport, yet their dispersion has never been probed. Here we show that the nonlinear electrical response of ballistic TES ascertains the presence of symmetry breaking terms, such as deviations from nonlinearity and tilted spin quantization axes. The nonlinear response stems from discontinuities in the band occupation on either side of a Zeeman gap, and its direction is set by the spin orientation with respect to the Zeeman field.

Spin-Momentum Locking Induced Anisotropic Magnetoresistance in Monolayer WTe.

Monolayer WTe is predicted to be a quantum spin Hall insulator (QSHI), and its quantized edge transport has recently been demonstrated. However, one of the essential properties of a QSHI, spin-momentum locking of the helical edge states, has yet to be experimentally validated. Here, we measure and observe gate-controlled anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) in monolayer WTe devices.

Finite-key analysis for twin-field quantum key distribution based on generalized operator dominance condition.

Quantum key distribution (QKD) can help two distant peers to share secret key bits, whose security is guaranteed by the law of physics. In practice, the secret key rate of a QKD protocol is always lowered with the increasing of channel distance, which severely limits the applications of QKD. Recently, twin-field (TF) QKD has been proposed and intensively studied, since it can beat the rate-distance limit and greatly increase the achievable distance of QKD.

Photon-Induced Weyl Half-Metal Phase and Spin Filter Effect from Topological Dirac Semimetals.

Recently discovered Dirac semimetals (DSMs) with two Dirac nodes, such as Na_{3}Bi and Cd_{2}As_{3}, are regarded as carrying the Z_{2} topological charge in addition to the chiral charge. We study the Floquet phase transition of Z_{2} topological DSMs subjected to a beam of circularly polarized light. Owing to the resulting interplay of the chiral and Z_{2} charges, the Weyl nodes are not only chirality dependent but also spin dependent, which constrains the behavior in creation and annihilation of the pair of Weyl nodes.

DLX5 gene regulates the Notch signaling pathway to promote glomerulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis in uremic rats.

Uremia largely results from the accumulation of organic waste products normally cleared by the kidneys, which commonly accompanies kidney failure and chronic kidney disease. However, genetic investigations in a uremia remain largely unclear. This study aimed to determine the expression patterns of distal-less homeobox 5 (DLX5) in uremia rat model and further to study its effects on glomerulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis.

Quantum Oscillations of the Positive Longitudinal Magnetoconductivity: A Fingerprint for Identifying Weyl Semimetals.

Weyl semimetals (WSMs) host charged Weyl fermions as emergent quasiparticles. We develop a unified analytical theory for the anomalous positive longitudinal magnetoconductivity (LMC) in a WSM, which bridges the gap between the classical and ultraquantum approaches. More interestingly, the LMC is found to exhibit periodic-in-1/B quantum oscillations, originating from the oscillations of the nonequilibrium chiral chemical potential.

Effects of microRNA-370 on mesangial cell proliferation and extracellular matrix accumulation by binding to canopy 1 in a rat model of diabetic nephropathy.

As one major diabetic complication, diabetic nephropathy (DN) has been reported to be associated with various kinds of microRNA (miRNA). Thus, we conducted this study to explore the potential of miR-370 in a rat model of DN through investigation of mesangial cell proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM). A total of 40 healthy adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were enrolled and assigned into normal (n = 10) and DN ( n = 30, DN rat model) groups.

Gastrin-releasing peptide receptor gene silencing inhibits the development of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition and formation of a calcium oxalate crystal in renal tubular epithelial cells in mice with kidney stones via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.

Between 1% and 15% of people are globally affected by kidney stones, and this disease has become more common since the 1970s. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) gene silencing via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway on the development of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and formation of a calcium oxalate crystal in renal tubular epithelial cells (TECs) of kidney stones. A total of 70 clean and healthy C57BL/6J mice were assigned into the normal ( n = 10) and kidney stones groups ( n = 60).

Transport theory for electrical detection of the spin-momentum locking of topological surface states.

We provide a general transport theory for spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) through a doped topological insulator (TI) surface. It is found that different from the conventional magnetic substrate, the tunneling conductance through the tip-TI surface acquires an extra component determined by the in-plane spin texture, exclusively associated with the spin momentum locking. Importantly, this extra conductance unconventionally depends on the spatial azimuthal angle of the magnetized STM tip.

Bulk RKKY signatures of topological phase transition in silicene.

Silicene offers an ideal platform for exploring the phase transition due to strong spin-orbit interaction and its unique structure with strong tunability. With applied electric field and circularly polarized light, silicone is predicted to exhibit rich phases. We propose that these intricate phase transitions can be detected by measuring the bulk Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction.

Effect of impurity resonant states on optical and thermoelectric properties on the surface of a topological insulator.

We investigate the thermoelectric effect on a topological insulator surface with particular interest in impurity-induced resonant states. To clarify the role of the resonant states, we calculate the dc and ac conductivities and the thermoelectric coefficients along the longitudinal direction within the full Born approximation. It is found that at low temperatures, the impurity resonant state with strong energy de-pendence can lead to a zero-energy peak in the dc conductivity, whose height is sensitively dependent on the strength of scattering potential, and even can reverse the sign of the thermopower, implying the switching from n- to p-type carriers.

Resonance states and beating pattern induced by quantum impurity scattering in Weyl/Dirac semimetals.

Currently, Weyl semimetals (WSMs) are drawing great interest as a new topological nontrivial phase. When most of the studies concentrated on the clean host WSMs, it is expected that the dirty WSM system would present rich physics due to the interplay between the WSM states and the impurities embedded inside these materials. We investigate theoretically the change of local density of states in three-dimensional Dirac and Weyl bulk states scattered off a quantum impurity.

Comparative study of the interactions between ovalbumin and three alkaloids by spectrofluorimetry.

The interaction between ovalbumin (OVA) and three purine alkaloids (caffeine, theophylline and diprophylline) was investigated by the aid of intrinsic and synchronous fluorescence, ultraviolet-vis absorbance, resonance light-scattering spectra and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra techniques. Results showed that the formation of complexes gave rise to the fluorescence quenching of OVA by caffeine, theophylline, and diprophylline. Static quenching was confirmed to results in the fluorescence quenching.

Thermoelectric effect in single-molecule-magnet junctions.

We study the spin-dependent thermoelectric transport through a single-molecule-magnet junction in the sequential tunneling regime. It is found that the intrinsic magnetic anisotropy of the single-molecule magnet can lead to gate-voltage-dependent oscillations of charge thermopower and a large violation of the Wiedeman-Franz law. More interestingly, the spin-Seebeck coefficient is shown to be greater than the charge-Seebeck coefficient, and a pure spin thermopower or/and a pure spin current can be obtained by tuning only the gate voltage.

Spin valve effect in a magnetic nanoelectromechanical shuttle.

We study spin-dependent shuttle phenomena in a nanoelectromechanical single electron transistor (NEM-SET) with magnetic leads by considering the coupling between the transport of spin-polarized electrons and mechanical oscillations of the nanometer quantum dot. It is shown that there are two different bias-voltage thresholds for the shuttle instability in electronic transport through the NEM-SET, respectively, corresponding to parallel (P) and antiparallel (AP) magnetization alignments. In between the two thresholds, the electronic transport is in the shuttling regime for the P alignment but in the tunneling regime for the AP one, resulting in a very large spin valve effect.