Large-deviation analysis for counting statistics in mesoscopic transports

We present an efficient approach, based on a number-conditioned master equation, for large-deviation analysis in mesoscopic transports. Beyond the conventional full-counting-statistics study, the large-deviation approach encodes complete information of both the typical trajectories and the rare ones, in terms of revealing a continuous change of the dynamical phase in trajectory space. The approach is illustrated with two examples: (i) transport through a single quantum dot, where we reveal the inhomogeneous distribution of trajectories in general case and find a particular scale invariance point in trajectory statistics; and (ii) transport through a double dots, where we find a dynamical phase transition between two distinct phases induced by the Coulomb correlation and quantum interference.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Revealing of the Activation Pathway and Cathode Electrolyte Interphase Evolution of Li-Rich 0.5Li2MnO3·0.5LiNi0.3Co0.3Mn0.4O2 Cathode by in Situ Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance.

The first-cycle behavior of layered Li-rich oxides, including Li2MnO3 activation and cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) formation, significantly influences their electrochemical performance. However, the Li2MnO3 activation pathway and the CEI formation process are still controversial. Here, the first-cycle properties of xLi2MnO3·(1- x) LiNi0.3Co0.3Mn0.4O2 ( x = 0, 0.5, 1) cathode materials were studied with an in situ electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM). The results demonstrate that a synergistic effect between the layered Li2MnO3 and LiNi0.3Co0.3Mn0.4O2 structures can significantly affect the activation pathway of Li1.2Ni0.12Co0.12Mn0.56O2, leading to an extra-high capacity. It is demonstrated that Li2MnO3 activation in Li-rich materials is dominated by electrochemical decomposition (oxygen redox), which is different from the activation process of pure Li2MnO3 governed by chemical decomposition (Li2O evolution). CEI evolution is closely related to Li+ extraction/insertion. The valence state variation of the metal ions (Ni, Co, Mn) in Li-rich materials can promote CEI formation. This study is of significance for understanding and designing Li-rich cathode-based batteries

C9orf72 mutation is rare in Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and essential tremor in China

GGGGCC repeat expansions in the C9orf72 gene have been identified as a major contributing factor in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Given the overlapping of clinical phenotypes and pathological characteristics between these two diseases and Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and essential tremor (ET), we speculated regarding whether C9orf72 repeat expansions also play a major role in these three diseases. Using the repeat-primed polymerase chain reaction method, we screened for C9orf72 in three groups of patients with PD (n = 911), AD (n = 279), and ET (n = 152) in the Chinese Han population. There were no pathogenic repeats (>30 repeats) detected in either the patients or controls (n = 314), which indicated that the pathogenic expansions of C9orf72 might be rare in these three diseases. However, the analysis of the association between the number of repeats (p = 0.001), short/intermediate genotype (short: <7 repeats; intermediate: ≥7 repeats) (odds ratio 1.37 [1.05, 1.79]), intermediate/intermediate genotype (Odds ratio 2.03 [1.17, 3.54]), and PD risks indicated that intermediate repeat alleles could act as contributors to PD. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to reveal the correlation between C9orf72 and Chinese PD, AD, or ET patients. Additionally, the results of this study suggest the novel idea that the intermediate repeat allele in C9orf72 is most likely a risk factor for PD

Expressions of B7-H4 and B7-H3 Proteins and Effect of Sorafenib on their Expressions in Different Human Hepatoma Cell Lines

Purpose: To study whether B7-H3 and B7-H4 proteins can be candidate drug targets for preventing and treating hepatoma.Methods: Western blot assay was used to study the expressions of B7-H3 and B7-H4 proteins and the effect of sorafenib on their expressions in different human hepatoma cell lines (HepG2, Hep3B, BEL- 7402, BEL-7404, BEL-7405, QGY-7701, QGY-7703, SMMC-7721, MHCC97H, MHCC97L, HCCLM3 and HCCLM6). 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was used to study the cytotoxicity of sorafenib against different human hepatoma cell lines.Results: The expressions of B7-H3 (0.26 - 0.84 μM) and B7-H4 (0.18 - 0.78 μM) proteins in different human hepatoma cell lines were significantly (p &lt; 0.01) up-regulated, compared with that of the normal human liver cell line (HL-7702) (0.09 and 0.08 μM). Sorafenib was cytotoxic on Hep3B, BEL-7404, MHCC97H, HCCLM3 and HCCLM6 cells with half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 14.56, 9.14, 9.46, 17.21 and 9.29 μM, respectively. After treatment with sorafenib at concentrations of 5, 10 and 20 μM, the expressions of B7-H3 protein in MHCC97H, HCCLM3 and HCCLM6 cells and the expressions of B7-H4 protein in Hep3B, BEL-7404 and MHCC97H cells were significantly (p &lt; 0.01) down-regulated, compared with that of the control.Conclusion: Over-expression of B7-H3 and B7-H4 proteins is common in different human hepatoma cell lines and thus, B7-H3 and B7-H4 proteins may be regarded as candidate drug targets for preventing and treating hepatoma.Keywords: Hepatoma, B7-H3, B7-H4, Sorafenib, Over-expression, Cytotoxic activity, Down-regulatio

The bricolage mode of emergency medical teams in China: deficient and in urgent need of transformation—A qualitative study

IntroductionEmergency medical rescue plays a vital role in alleviating the harm of all kinds of emergencies to people's physical and mental health and life safety. The current emergency medical teams (EMTs) formation model is not unified. We focused on the disadvantages of the bricolage mode of China EMTs and put forward empirical-based countermeasures to improve the emergency management ability of EMTs.MethodsFrom March to September 2022, 23 leaders of EMTs in North China (Tianjin) were selected by objective sampling method to conduct one-to-half structured in-depth interviews. Nvivo12.0 software was used for three-level coding. The disadvantages of the bricolage model of EMT were analyzed.ResultsBased on the three-level coding, 150 initial concepts, 36 sub-coding, 17 main coding, six categories, and two core categories were sorted out. Management structure, internal stability, and support are recognized as the crucial elements armed with the EMTs.DiscussionThe bricolage EMTs have disadvantages such as a chaotic management structure, weak internal stability, and inadequate support. It is necessary to construct full-time EMTs that incorporate a standardized personnel admission mechanism, full-time training and exercise mechanism, diversified incentive mechanism, and multi-agent cooperation mechanism, etc