367 research outputs found
Inverse conductivity problem with one measurement: Uniqueness of multi-layer structures
In this paper, we study the recovery of multi-layer structures in inverse
conductivity problem by using one measurement. First, we define the concept of
Generalized Polarization Tensors (GPTs) for multi-layered medium and show some
important properties of the proposed GPTs. With the help of GPTs, we present
the perturbation formula for general multi-layered medium. Then we derive the
perturbed electric potential for multi-layer concentric disks structure in
terms of the so-called generalized polarization matrix, whose dimension is the
same as the number of the layers. By delicate analysis, we derive an algebraic
identity involving the geometric and material configurations of multi-layer
concentric disks. This enables us to reconstruct the multi-layer structures by
using only one partial-order measurement
Blue Phosphorene Oxide: Strain-tunable Quantum Phase Transitions and Novel 2D Emergent Fermions
Tunable quantum phase transitions and novel emergent fermions in solid state
materials are fascinating subjects of research. Here, we propose a new stable
two-dimensional (2D) material, the blue phosphorene oxide (BPO), which exhibits
both. Based on first-principles calculations, we show that its equilibrium
state is a narrow-bandgap semiconductor with three bands at low energy.
Remarkably, a moderate strain can drive a semiconductor-to-semimetal quantum
phase transition in BPO. At the critical transition point, the three bands
cross at a single point at Fermi level, around which the quasiparticles are a
novel type of 2D pseudospin-1 fermions. Going beyond the transition, the system
becomes a symmetry-protected semimetal, for which the conduction and valence
bands touch quadratically at a single Fermi point that is protected by
symmetry, and the low-energy quasiparticles become another novel type of 2D
double Weyl fermions. We construct effective models characterizing the phase
transition and these novel emergent fermions, and we point out several exotic
effects, including super Klein tunneling, supercollimation, and universal
optical absorbance. Our result reveals BPO as an intriguing platform for the
exploration of fundamental properties of quantum phase transitions and novel
emergent fermions, and also suggests its great potential in nanoscale device
applications.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figure
Association between genetic variants and development of antibodies to infliximab: A cross-sectional study in Chinese patients with Crohn’s disease
Aims: Genetic variants increase the susceptibility to anti-drug antibodies (ADA) in response to anti-TNF therapy in chronic inflammatory diseases. However, little is known about genetic variants in Chinese populations. This study aimed to identify genetic variants contributing to the risk of the development of antibodies to infliximab (ATI) in Chinese patients with Crohn’s disease (CD).Methods: CD patients (n = 104) treated with infliximab (IFX) during the maintenance therapy were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. ATI was assessed by an in-house developed drug-tolerant ELISA method. ATI titers of 1:20 and ≥1:60 were considered a low titer and a high titer, respectively. Thirteen types of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within 13 genes involved in the immune process, the susceptibility to chronic inflammatory diseases, cytokines and apoptosis pathways were investigated.Results: The median trough levels of infliximab (TLI) in patients with clinical remission (CR) were higher than those in patients without CR (3.80 vs. 1.50 μg/mL, p < .001). The median TLI in patients with high-titer ATI was significantly lower than that in ATI-negative patients (1.15 vs. 4.48 μg/mL, p < .001) or those with low-titer ATI (1.15 vs. 2.95 μg/mL, p = .03). The HLA-DQA1*05 rs2097432 GG and GA genotypes were more frequent in patients with ATI (GG and AG vs. AA, 27/38 = 71.05% vs. 29/66 = 43.94%, OR 2.94, 95% CI 1.19–7.30, p = .02). Patients carrying the CC and AC genotypes of rs396991 in FCGR3A were associated with a higher frequency of ATI formation (CC and AC vs. AA, 37/57 = 64.91% vs. 19/47 = 40.43%, OR 2.94, 95% CI 1.24–6.96, p = .01). According to the number of variants in rs2097432 and rs393991, patients with two variants had a higher proportion of producing ATI (two variants vs. no variant, 17/21 = 80.95% vs. 9/30 = 30.00%, OR 9.92, 95% CI 2.59–37.87, p = .001; single variant vs. no variant, 30/53 = 56.60% vs. 9/30 = 30.00%, OR 3.04, 95% CI 1.18–7.88, p = .02). No association was found between other SNPs and ATI production.Conclusion: Rs2097432 in HLA-DQA1*05 and rs396991 in FCGR3A are associated with ATI production in Chinese patients with CD. A pharmacogenomic strategy could help with the clinical management of CD
Liver Damage in Patients with HCV/HIV Coinfection Is Linked to HIV-Related Oxidative Stress
HIV infection aggravates the progression of liver damage in HCV-coinfected patients, with the underlying pathogenesis being multifactorial. Although high level of oxidative stress has been observed frequently in patients infected with HIV or HCV, the status of oxidative stress in HIV/HCV coinfection and its contribution to HCV liver damage have not been determined. This study involved 363 HBsAg-negative, anti-HCV-positive former blood donors recruited from a village in central China in July 2005; of these, 140 were positive for HIV. Of these 363 subjects, 282 were successfully followed up through July 2009. HIV/HCV-coinfected subjects had higher rates of end-stage liver disease-related death than those monoinfected with HCV. Liver ultrasound manifestations were poor in HIV-positive than in HIV-negative individuals, in both chronic HCV carriers and those with resolved HCV. Serum concentrations of total glutathione (tGSH), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), GSSG, and reduced GSH were higher in HIV-positive than HIV-negative subjects. GSSG concentrations were higher in HIV-infected subjects with abnormal ALT/AST levels than in those with normal ALT/AST levels and were associated with poorer liver ultrasound manifestations. These finding indicated that HIV infection accelerated HCV-associated liver damage in HIV/HCV-coinfected individuals. Increased oxidative stress, induced primarily by HIV coinfection, may contribute to aggravated liver damage
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