Riemann–Hilbert approach and $$N$$ -soliton solutions of the generalized mixed nonlinear Schrödinger equation

Theoretical and Mathematical Physics - We apply the Riemann–Hilbert method to the generalized mixed nonlinear Schrödinger equation and obtain a new formula for an explicit $$N$$ -soliton...     

Facile Synthesis of Manganese Tellurite Nanoparticles for Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Guided Photothermal Therapy

In this study, manganese tellurite (MnTeO₃) nanoparticles are developed as theranostic agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided photothermal therapy of tumor. MnTeO₃ nanoparticles are synthesized via a simple one-step method. The as-synthesized MnTeO₃ nanoparticles with uniform size show good biocompatibility. In particular, MnTeO₃ nanoparticles exhibit a high photothermal conversion efficiency (η = 26.3%), which is higher than that of gold nanorods. Moreover, MnTeO₃ nanoparticles also have high MRI performance. The longitudinal relaxivity (r₁) value of MnTeO₃ nanoparticles is determined to be 8.08 ± 0.2 mm ⁻¹ s⁻¹, which is higher than that of clinically approved T₁-contrast agents Gd-DTPA (4.49 ± 0.1 mm ⁻¹ s⁻¹). The subsequent MnTeO₃ nanoparticles-mediated photothermal therapy displays a highly efficient ablation of tumor cells both in vitro and in vivo with negligible toxicity. It is demonstrated that MnTeO₃ nanoparticles can serve as promising theranostic agents with great potentials for MRI-guided photothermal therapy.     

Characterization of the chemical constituents in Hongjingtian injection by liquid chromatography quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

Hongjingtian injection is made from Rhodiola wallichiana and used in the treatment of stable angina pectoris associated with coronary heart disease. In this study, the chemical constituents in Hongjingtian injection were comprehensively studied using liquid chromatography quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry. A total of 49 compounds were identified or assumed, including 10 organic acids, nine phenylethanoids, 10 phenylpropanoids, two flavonoid glycosides, seven monoterpene glycosides, seven octylglycosides and four other types of compounds. The structures of seven compounds were confirmed by comparing their retention times, MS and UV spectra with the corresponding authentic standards. Amongst the 49 compounds, 35 were firstly found in R. wallichiana, while they have been reported in other species of the genus Rhodiola, including Rhodiola crenulata, Rhodiola sacra, Rhodiola rosea and Rhodiola kirilowii. The possible fragmentation pathways in the mass spectrometry of the major types of compounds are proposed and summarized. Our study demonstrates a rapid method for characterizing the chemical constituents present in the Hongjingtian injection, which could also be applied to the identification of chemical constituents in other TCM formulae containing R. wallichiana.     

Two new aromadendrane sesquiterpenes from Verticillium psalliotae

The chemical constituents of the fungus Verticillium psalliotae were studied. Two new aromadendrane sesquiterpenes inonotin M (1) and inonotin N (2) were isolated from the EtOAc extract of the fungal culture broth. The structures of compounds were elucidated mainly by HRESIMS experiments, and 1D, 2D-NMR spectroscopy analysis.     

Facile preparation of Ag/Ag2WO4/g‐C3N4 ternary plasmonic photocatalyst and its visible‐light photocatalytic activity

Introducing plasmonic metals into semiconductor materials has been proven to be an attractive strategy for enhancing photocatalytic activity in the visible region. In this work, a novel and efficient Ag/Ag₂WO₄/g‐C₃N₄ (AACN) ternary plasmonic photocatalyst was successfully synthesized using a facile one‐step in situ hydrothermal method. The composition, structure, morphology and optical absorption properties of AACN were investigated using X‐ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, respectively. Photocatalytic performance of AACN was evaluated via rhodamine B and tetracycline degradation. The results indicated that AACN had excellent photocatalytic performance for rhodamine B degradation with a rate constant of 0.0125 min^?1, which was higher than those of Ag₂WO₄ and Ag/Ag₂WO₄. Characterization and photocatalytic tests showed that the strong coupling effect between the Ag/Ag₂WO₄ nanoparticles and the exfoliated ultrathin g‐C₃N₄ nanosheets was superior for visible‐light responsivity and reduced the recombination rate of photogenerated electrons and holes. A proposed mechanism is also discussed according to the band energy structure and the experimental results.     

Lone-Pair Enhanced Birefringence in an Alkaline-Earth Metal Tin(II) Phosphate BaSn2(PO4)2

The first alkaline-earth metal tin(II) phosphate, BaSn₂(PO₄)₂, has been discovered, which consists of layered structures constructed from strictly alternating [SnO₃]⁴⁻ and [PO₄]³⁻ moieties. This compound is expected to have a large birefringence with Δn≈0.071 at 1064 nm, owing to the presence of stereochemically active lone pair metal cations.     

Optical vortices in the Ginzburg–Landau equation with cubic–quintic nonlinearity

In a dissipative system with cubic–quintic nonlinearity, the curious evolution of optical vortex beams characterized by different topological charges (TCs) is simulated numerically and presented their evolution profiles. We find that new vortices will be induced during propagation, and the behavior of vortices, as affected by the TC and the number of beads of the incident beam, as well as its size, is also discussed. Common rules associated with the initial conditions coming from various incident beams are developed to determine the number of induced vortices and the corresponding rotation direction. Attributed to the nonlinearity, during propagation we see the beams slowly expand to induce new vortices, which commonly appear in oppositely charged pairs, while the net topological charge of the vortex is conserved. Our results not only deepen the understanding of optical vortices, but also widen their potential applications.     

Tantalum Nitride Nanosheets for Photoacoustic Imaging-Guided Photothermal Cancer Therapy

In this study, the synthesis of TaN nanosheets and their application in theranostic agents is reported. After coating polyethylene glycol (PEG) on the TaN nanosheets, the as-synthesized PEG-modified TaN nanosheets (TaN-PEG) show good stability and biocompatibility. Because of their high absorbance in the near-IR region, TaN-PEG can be utilized as photoacoustic imaging contrast agents for tumor imaging. Moreover, TaN-PEG has significant photothermal conversion performance, exhibiting effective laser-induced tumor ablation capability. The TaN-PEG possessing excellent photoacoustic contrast effect and photothermal properties thus have great promise in theranostic applications, especially imaging-guided cancer treatment.     

One-step method for preparing the experimental pure state in nuclear magnetic resonance

Quantum computing is an emerging and promising research field in modern quantum physics and is committed to accelerating traditional calculation processes using the principle of quantum mechanics[1,2].Several computation models have been proposed,including the circuit model[3],topologic quantum computation[4],adiabatic quantum computing[5],and duality quantum computing[6-8].Universal quantum computation generally includes a system initialization,evolutionary control,and a final-state readout[9],where the preparation of the initial state is a key step in the entire process.