Large and moderate deviations for record numbers in some non-nearest neighbor random walks

The deviation principles of record numbers in random walk models have not been completely investigated, especially for the non-nearest neighbor cases. In this paper, we derive the asymptotic probabilities of large and moderate deviations for the number of "weak records"(or "ladder points") in two kinds of one-dimensional non-nearest neighbor random walks. The proofs depend only on the direct analysis of random walks. We illustrate that the traditional method of analyzing the local time of Brownian motions, which is often adopted for the simple random walks, may not be optimal for our cases.Comment: 15 Page

Rapid, non-invasive characterization of the dispersity of emulsions via microwaves

A rapid and non-invasive method to determine the dispersity of emulsions is developed based on the interrelationship between the droplet size distribution and the dielectric properties of emulsions. A range of water-in-oil emulsions with different water contents and droplet size distributions were analysed using a microwave cavity perturbation technique together with dynamic light scattering. The results demonstrate that the dielectric properties, as measured by non-invasive microwave cavity analysis, can be used to characterise the dispersity of emulsions, and is also capable of characterizing heavy oil emulsions. This technique has great potential for industrial applications to examine the sedimentation, creaming and hence the stability of emulsions

Construction of Yeast One-hybrid Bait Reporter Vector for Screening the Binding Proteins of Cassava MeCWINV1

Cellwall invertase (CWIN) hydrolyzes sucrose into glucose and fructose irreversibly, playing key roles in carbohydrate partitioning and plant defence. MeCWINV1 is one of the CWINs in cassava, which contains several light-responsive elements and stress-responsive elements in promoter region. To analyze the regulatory function of MeCWINV1 in the cassava starch accumulation and stress defense response, a 865 bp MeCWINV1 promoter fragment was cloned and inserted into yeast one-hybrid bait vector to construct pCW1-AbAi vector, then was transformed to Y1HGold yeast strains to screen the binding proteins. It might provide a framework for further investigation on the regulation mechanism of MeCWINV1 gene in cassava

The decarbonization of coal tar via microwave-initiated catalytic deep dehydrogenation

Coal tar, a major by-product of the coal industry, presents considerable difficulties in its refining and conversion into fuels due to its complex chemical composition and physical properties, such as high viscosity, corrosiveness, thermal instability, etc. Here we report a new route for producing hydrogen-rich gases together with carbonaceous materials, including carbon nanotubes, through the microwave-initiated catalytic deep dehydrogenation of coal tar using inexpensive iron catalysts. The resulting carbonaceous materials generated over the catalyst were investigated using a variety of techniques including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), temperature programmed oxidation (TPO) and Raman spectroscopy. Importantly, we have found that an aqueous emulsion feed of the coal tar enables considerably easier handling and an enhanced hydrogen production whilst also significantly reducing the extent of catalyst deactivation. This behaviour is shown to be assisted by the phenomenon of micro-explosion that enhances mass and heat transfer during the catalytic reactions

Incidence and Etiology of Drug-Induced Liver Injury in Mainland China

Background & Aims: We performed a nationwide, retrospective study to determine the incidence and causes of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in mainland China.Methods: We collected data on a total of 25,927 confirmed DILI cases, hospitalized from 2012 through 2014 at 308 medical centers in mainland China. We collected demographic, medical history, treatment, laboratory, disease severity, and mortality data from all patients. Investigators at each site were asked to complete causality assessments for each case whose diagnosis at discharge was DILI (n=29,478) according to the Roussel Uclaf Causality Assessment Method.Results: Most cases of DILI presented with hepatocellular injury (51.39%; 95% CI, 50.76–52.03), followed by mixed injury (28.30%; 95% CI, 27.73–28.87) and cholestatic injury (20.31%; 95% CI, 19.80–20.82). The leading single classes of implicated drugs were traditional Chinese medicines or herbal and dietary supplements (26.81%) and anti-tuberculosis medications (21.99%). Chronic DILI occurred in 13.00% of the cases and, although 44.40% of the hepatocellular DILI cases fulfilled Hy’s Law criteria, only 280 cases (1.08%) progressed to hepatic failure, 2 cases underwent liver transplantation (0.01%), and 102 patients died (0.39%). Among deaths, DILI was judged to have a primary role in 72 (70.59%), a contributory role in 21 (20.59%), and no role in 9 (8.82%). Assuming the proportion of DILI in the entire hospitalized population of China was represented by that observed in the 66 centers where DILI capture was complete, we estimated the annual incidence in the general population to be 23.80 per 100,000 persons (95% CI, 20.86–26.74). Only hospitalized patients were included in this analysis, so the true incidence is likely to be higher.Conclusions: In a retrospective study to determine the incidence and causes of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in mainland China, the annual incidence in the general population was estimated to be 23.80 per 100,000 persons—higher than that reported from western countries. Traditional Chinese medicines, herbal and dietary supplements, and anti-tuberculosis drugs were the leading causes of DILI in mainland Chin