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| 2. |
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- 2019
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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| 3. |
- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(author)
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Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy
- 2012
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In: Autophagy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1554-8635 .- 1554-8627. ; 8:4, s. 445-544
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.
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| 4. |
- An, Feng-Wei, et al.
(author)
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Establishment of a Large Animal Model for Eustachian Tube Functional Study in Miniature Pigs
- 2019
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In: Anatomical Record Part A-discoveries in Molecular Cellular and Evolutionary Biology. - : WILEY. - 1552-4884 .- 1932-8494. ; 302:6, s. 1024-1038
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This study was performed to investigate whether miniature pigs are a suitable animal model for studies of the Eustachian tube (ET). Sixteen Chinese experimental miniature pigs were used in this investigation. Ten animals were used for anatomical and morphometric analyses to obtain qualitative and quantitative information regarding the ET. Three animals were used for histological analysis to determine the fine structure of ET cross-sections. Three animals were used to investigate the feasibility of balloon dilation of the Eustachian tube (BDET). The anatomical study indicated that the pharyngeal orifice and tympanic orifice of the miniature pig ET are located at the posterior end of the nasal lateral wall and anterior wall of the middle ear cavity, respectively. The cartilaginous tube was seen to pass through the whole length of the ET, the length of the cartilaginous part of the ET and the diameter of the isthmus were similar between humans and miniature pigs. The inclination of the ET in miniature pigs was larger than that in humans. The gross histology seemed to be slightly different between miniature pig and human, but the fine structures were essentially the same in both species. BDET experiments verified that the miniature pig model is suitable as a model for clinical operations. The miniature pig ET corresponds very well to that of humans. In addition, the miniature pig ET is suitable as a model for clinical operations. Therefore, the miniature pig is a valid animal model for ET study.
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| 5. |
- Chen, Jing-De, et al.
(author)
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Hot-electron emission-driven energy recycling in transparent plasmonic electrode for organic solar cells
- 2022
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In: InfoMat. - : Wiley. - 2567-3165. ; 4:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Plasmonic metal electrodes with subwavelength nanostructures are promising for enhancing light harvesting in photovoltaics. However, the nonradiative damping of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) during coupling with sunlight results in the conversion of the excited hot-electrons to heat, which limits the absorption of light and generation of photocurrent. Herein, an energy recycling strategy driven by hot-electron emission for recycling the SPP energy trapped in the plasmonic electrodes is proposed. A transparent silver-based plasmonic metal electrode (A-PME) with a periodic hexagonal nanopore array is constructed, which is combined with a luminescent organic emitter for radiative recombination of the injected hot-electrons. Owing to the suppressed SPP energy loss via broadband hot-electron emission, the A-PME achieves an optimized optical transmission with an average transmittance of over 80% from 380 to 1200 nm. Moreover, the indium-tin-oxide-free organic solar cells yield an enhanced light harvesting with a power conversion efficiency of 16.1%.
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| 6. |
- Ji, Mengwei, et al.
(author)
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Recent Advances in Organic Photovoltaic Materials Based on Thiazole-Containing Heterocycles
- 2023
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In: Macromolecular Rapid Communications. - 1022-1336 .- 1521-3927. ; 44:13
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Organic solar cells (OSCs) have achieved great progress, driven by the rapid development of wide bandgap electron donors and narrow bandgap non-fullerene acceptors (NFAs). Among a large number of electron-accepting (A) building blocks, thiazole (Tz) and its derived fused heterocycles have been widely used to construct photovoltaic materials, especially conjugated polymers. Benefiting from the electron deficiency, rigidity, high planarity, and enhanced intra/intermolecular interactions of Tz-containing heterocycles, some related photovoltaic materials exhibit proper energy levels, optimized molecular aggregation, and active layer morphology, leading to excellent photovoltaic performance. This review focuses on the progress of Tz-based photovoltaic materials in the field of OSCs. First, the Tz-based donor and acceptor photovoltaic materials are reviewed. Then, the materials based on promising Tz-containing heterocycles, mainly including thiazolo[5,4-d]thiazole (TzTz), benzo[1,2-d:4,5-d’]bis(thiazole) (BBTz), and benzo[d]thiazole (BTz) are summarized and discussed. In addition, the new emerging Tz-fused structures and their application in OSCs are introduced. Finally, perspectives and outlooks for the further development of Tz-containing heterocycle-based photovoltaic materials are proposed.
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| 7. |
- Luo, Yifei, et al.
(author)
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Technology Roadmap for Flexible Sensors
- 2023
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In: ACS Nano. - : American Chemical Society. - 1936-0851 .- 1936-086X. ; 17:6, s. 5211-5295
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Humans rely increasingly on sensors to address grand challenges and to improve quality of life in the era of digitalization and big data. For ubiquitous sensing, flexible sensors are developed to overcome the limitations of conventional rigid counterparts. Despite rapid advancement in bench-side research over the last decade, the market adoption of flexible sensors remains limited. To ease and to expedite their deployment, here, we identify bottlenecks hindering the maturation of flexible sensors and propose promising solutions. We first analyze challenges in achieving satisfactory sensing performance for real-world applications and then summarize issues in compatible sensor-biology interfaces, followed by brief discussions on powering and connecting sensor networks. Issues en route to commercialization and for sustainable growth of the sector are also analyzed, highlighting environmental concerns and emphasizing nontechnical issues such as business, regulatory, and ethical considerations. Additionally, we look at future intelligent flexible sensors. In proposing a comprehensive roadmap, we hope to steer research efforts towards common goals and to guide coordinated development strategies from disparate communities. Through such collaborative efforts, scientific breakthroughs can be made sooner and capitalized for the betterment of humanity.
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| 8. |
- Mahajan, Anubha, et al.
(author)
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Multi-ancestry genetic study of type 2 diabetes highlights the power of diverse populations for discovery and translation
- 2022
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In: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Nature. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 54:5, s. 560-572
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We assembled an ancestrally diverse collection of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in 180,834 affected individuals and 1,159,055 controls (48.9% non-European descent) through the Diabetes Meta-Analysis of Trans-Ethnic association studies (DIAMANTE) Consortium. Multi-ancestry GWAS meta-analysis identified 237 loci attaining stringent genome-wide significance (P < 5 x 10(-9)), which were delineated to 338 distinct association signals. Fine-mapping of these signals was enhanced by the increased sample size and expanded population diversity of the multi-ancestry meta-analysis, which localized 54.4% of T2D associations to a single variant with >50% posterior probability. This improved fine-mapping enabled systematic assessment of candidate causal genes and molecular mechanisms through which T2D associations are mediated, laying the foundations for functional investigations. Multi-ancestry genetic risk scores enhanced transferability of T2D prediction across diverse populations. Our study provides a step toward more effective clinical translation of T2D GWAS to improve global health for all, irrespective of genetic background. Genome-wide association and fine-mapping analyses in ancestrally diverse populations implicate candidate causal genes and mechanisms underlying type 2 diabetes. Trans-ancestry genetic risk scores enhance transferability across populations.
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| 9. |
- Wu, Jingnan, et al.
(author)
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Carboxylate substituted pyrazine: A simple and low-cost building block for novel wide bandgap polymer donor enables 15.3% efficiency in organic solar cells
- 2021
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In: Nano Energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 2211-2855. ; 82
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In addition to high power conversion efficiency (PCE) and good stability, the low-cost of photovoltaic materials is also very important for the practical application of organic solar cells (OSCs). Herein, we synthesized a carboxylate substituted pyrazine-based electron-deficient building block (DTCPz) with a simple structure and low synthetic cost, and then developed a novel wide bandgap polymer donor PFBCPZ. Due to the synergistic electron-withdrawing effects of the fluorination in donor unit (BDT-TF) and esterification and C=N double-bond in DTCPz unit, PFBCPZ shows a deeper HOMO level of −5.60 eV, a strong intermolecular π-π interaction, good crystallinity and stacking, and high hole-mobility of 2.11 × 10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1. Matched with a low bandgap acceptor IT-4F, excellent charge transfer, weak recombination, and small non-radiative energy loss in OSCs was achieved, resulting in an impressive fill factor of 0.785 and a high open-circuit voltage of 0.92 V. As a result, a PCE of up to 15.3% is obtained in OSCs, which is the highest value in the IT-4F-based binary OSCs so far and indicates that low-cost DTCPz with a simple structure is a promising building block to construct high-performance polymer donors for application in efficient OSCs.
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