12 research outputs found
Quantized adiabatic charge pumping and resonant transmission
Adiabatically pumped charge, carried by non-interacting electrons through a
quantum dot in a turnstile geometry, is studied as function of the strength of
the two modulating potentials (related to the conductances of the two
point-contacts to the leads) and of the phase shift between them. It is shown
that the magnitude and sign of the pumped charge are determined by the relative
position and orientation of the closed contour traversed by the system in the
parameter plane, and the transmission peaks (or resonances) in that plane.
Integer values (in units of the electronic charge ) of the pumped charge
(per modulation period) are achieved when a transmission peak falls inside the
pumping contour. The integer value is given by the winding number of the
pumping contour: double winding in the same direction gives a charge of 2,
while winding around two opposite branches of the transmission peaks or winding
in opposite directions can give a charge close to zero.Comment: 7 pages, 12 figure
Acoustoelectric pumping through a ballistic point contact in the presence of magnetic fields
The acoustoelectric current, J, induced in a ballistic point contact (PC) by
a surface acoustic wave is calculated in the presence of a perpendicular
magnetic field, B. It is found that the dependence of the current on the Fermi
energy in the terminals is strongly correlated with that of the PC conductance:
J is small at the conductance plateaus, and is large at the steps. Like the
conductance, the acoustoelectric current has the same functional behavior as in
the absence of the field, but with renormalized energy scales, which depend on
the strength of the magnetic field, | B|.Comment: 7 page
Measurement of coherent charge transfer in an adiabatic Cooper pair pump
We study adiabatic charge transfer in a superconducting Cooper pair pump,
focusing on the influence of current measurement on coherence. We investigate
the limit where the Josephson coupling energy between the various parts
of the system is small compared to the Coulomb charging energy . In this
case the charge transferred in a pumping cycle , the charge of one
Cooper pair: the main contribution is due to incoherent Cooper pair tunneling.
We are particularly interested in the quantum correction to , which is due
to coherent tunneling of pairs across the pump and which depends on the
superconducting phase difference between the electrodes: . A measurement of tends to destroy the phase
coherence. We first study an arbitrary measuring circuit and then specific
examples and show that coherent Cooper pair transfer can in principle be
detected using an inductively shunted ammeter
Pauli blocking factors in quantum pumps
We investigate the Pauli blocking factor in quantum pumps using Floquet
formalism. Even though the time dependent potentials in quantum pumping can not
only cause inelastic scatterings but also break the micro-reversibility, i.e.
, the Pauli blocking factor is unnecessary when the
scattering process through the scatterer is coherent. The well defined
scattering states extending from one reservoir to the others form a complete
non-orthogonal set. Regardless of the non-orthogonality one can obtain the
pumped currents using the field operator formalism. The current expression
finally obtained do not contain Pauli blocking factor.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure
Epithelial IL-6 trans-signaling defines a new asthma phenotype with increased airway inflammation
Background: Although several studies link high levels of IL-6 and soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R) to asthma severity and decreased lung function, the role of IL-6 trans-signaling (IL-6TS) in asthmatic patients is unclear. Objective: We sought to explore the association between epithelial IL-6TS pathway activation and molecular and clinical phenotypes in asthmatic patients. Methods: An IL-6TS gene signature obtained from air-liquid interface cultures of human bronchial epithelial cells stimulated with IL-6 and sIL-6R was used to stratify lung epithelial transcriptomic data (Unbiased Biomarkers in Prediction of Respiratory Disease Outcomes [U-BIOPRED] cohorts) by means of hierarchical clustering. IL-6TS-specific protein markers were used to stratify sputum biomarker data (Wessex cohort). Molecular phenotyping was based on transcriptional profiling of epithelial brushings, pathway analysis, and immunohistochemical analysis of bronchial biopsy specimens. Results: Activation of IL-6TS in air-liquid interface cultures reduced epithelial integrity and induced a specific gene signature enriched in genes associated with airway remodeling. The IL-6TS signature identified a subset of patients with IL-6TS-high asthma with increased epithelial expression of IL-6TS-inducible genes in the absence of systemic inflammation. The IL-6TS-high subset had an overrepresentation of frequent exacerbators, blood eosinophilia, and submucosal infiltration of T cells and macrophages. In bronchial brushings Toll-like receptor pathway genes were upregulated, whereas expression of cell junction genes was reduced. Sputum sIL-6R and IL-6 levels correlated with sputum markers of remodeling and innate immune activation, in particular YKL-40, matrix metalloproteinase 3, macrophage inflammatory protein 1 beta, IL-8, and IL-1 beta. Conclusions: Local lung epithelial IL-6TS activation in the absence of type 2 airway inflammation defines a novel subset of asthmatic patients and might drive airway inflammation and epithelial dysfunction in these patients.Peer reviewe
Medication adherence in patients with severe asthma prescribed oral corticosteroids in the U-BIOPRED cohort
Background: Although estimates of suboptimal adherence to oral corticosteroids in asthma range from 30% to 50%, no ideal method for measurement exists; the impact of poor adherence in severe asthma is likely to be particularly high. Research Questions: What is the prevalence of suboptimal adherence detected by self-reporting and direct measures? Is suboptimal adherence associated with disease activity? Study Design and Methods: Data were included from individuals with severe asthma taking part in the U-BIOPRED (Unbiased Biomarkers for the Prediction of Respiratory Disease Outcomes) study and prescribed daily oral corticosteroids. Participants completed the Medication Adherence Report Scale, a five-item questionnaire used to grade adherence on a scale from 1 to 5, and provided a urine sample for analysis of prednisolone and metabolites by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Results: Data from 166 participants were included in this study: mean (SD) age, 54.2 (± 11.9) years; FEV1, 65.1% (± 20.5%) predicted; female, 58%; 37% completing the Medication Adherence Report Scale reported suboptimal adherence; and 43% with urinary corticosteroid data did not have detectable prednisolone or metabolites in their urine. Good adherence by both methods was detected in 49 of the 142 (35%) of participants in whom both methods were performed; adherence detection did not match between methods in 53%. Self-reported high adherers had better asthma control and quality of life, whereas directly measured high adherers had lower blood eosinophil levels. Interpretation: Low adherence is a common problem in severe asthma, whether measured directly or self-reported. We report poor agreement between the two methods, suggesting some disassociation between self-assessment of medication adherence and regular oral corticosteroid use, which suggests that each approach may provide complementary information in clinical practice