| 1. |
- Zhang, Huilin, et al.
(författare)
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Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in outdoor air and respiratory health, inflammation and oxidative stress biomarkers : A panel study in healthy young adults
- 2023
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Ingår i: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 899
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) can be associated with different types of health effects. However, the systemic changes of health effects between fluctuations of PAHs exposure have not been established. In this study, urinary hydroxylated PAHs (OH-PAHs) and 12 biomarkers were determined among 36 students from the urban to the suburb in Taiyuan in 2019. The concentration of & sigma;12OH-PAHs in urban areas (28.2 and 21.4 & mu;g/g Cr) was significantly higher than that in suburban area (16.8 & mu;g/g Cr). The regression showed that hydroxy-phenanthrene (OH-Phe, 1/2/3/4/9-OH-Phe) was significantly positively correlated with lung function (PEF25 and PEF50), 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO). Moreover, there were negative associations of 2-hydroxyfluorene (2-OH-Flu) with FVC and FEV1. 1 unit increase of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OH-Pyr) was negatively associated with 18.8% FVC, 17.3% FEV1, and 26.4% PEF25 in the suburban location, respectively. During urban2, each unit change of 2-OH-Flu was associated with 10.9% FVC and 10.5% FEV1 decrease, which were higher than those in suburban location. 8-OHdG decreased by 32.0% with each unit increase in 3-hydroxyfluorene (3-OH-Flu) during urban2 (p < 0.05), while 1.9% in the suburban location. During the suburban period, the increase in OH-Phe was correlated with the decrease in malondialdehyde (MDA). The respiratory damage caused by PAHs in the urban disappeared after backing to the urban from the suburban area. Notably, despite the total significant liner mixed regression association of FeNO with multiple OH-PAHs, the association of FeNO with OH-PAHs was not significant during different periods except for 2-OH-Flu. Our findings suggested that short-term exposure to different concentrations of PAHs might cause changes in health effects and called for further research to investigate possible alterations between health effects and PAH exposure.
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| 2. |
- Tian, Jiahan, et al.
(författare)
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Wide-field-of-view auto-coupling optical antenna system for high-speed bidirectional optical wireless communications in C band
- 2023
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Ingår i: Optics Express. - : Optica Publishing Group. - 1094-4087. ; 31:20, s. 33435-33448
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Due to a great many superior features of infrared light communication (ILC), like high capacity and strong privacy, ILC is considered a potential candidate for serving the high demands of beyond fifth-generation/sixth-generation (B5G/6 G) communication systems. However, the terminal's limited field-of-view (FOV) induces great difficulty in establishing line-of-sight (LoS) link between the transceiver and the terminal. In this paper, we propose a wide-FOV auto-coupling optical antenna system that utilizes a wide-FOV telecentric lens to collect incident infrared beams and automatically couple them into a specific single-mode-fiber (SMF) channel of fiber array and optical switch. The performance of this optical antenna system is assessed through simulation and manual alignment operation, and validated by automatic alignment results. A coupling loss of less than 10.6 dB within a FOV of 100(degrees )for both downstream and upstream beams in C band is demonstrated by the designed system. Furthermore, we establish a bidirectional optical wireless communications (OWC) system employing this antenna and a fiber-type modulating retro-reflector (MRR) system in the terminal. Both 10-Gbps on-off keying (OOK) downstream and upstream transmissions are successfully realized with the FOV of up to 100(degrees) in C band where the measured bit-error-rate (BER) is lower than 3.8 x 10-3. To the best of our knowledge, this is a brand-new auto-coupling optical antenna system with the largest FOV in ILC automatic alignment works in terminals that have ever been reported.
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| 3. |
- Wan, Yan, et al.
(författare)
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The orbital effect on the anomalous magnetism and evolution in LaxY1-xVO3 (0 <= x <= 0.2) single crystals
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Alloys and Compounds. - : Elsevier BV. - 0925-8388 .- 1873-4669. ; 932, s. 167526-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The orbital effect on the anomalous magnetism and evolution of single crystals with low La doping, LaxY1-xVO3 (x = 0, 0.1, and 0.2), has been studied using single-crystal X-ray diffraction, specific heat, mag-netization, and Raman-scattering techniques. It is found that substituting Y3+ by La3+ increases the de-generacy of the yz/zx orbitals and decreases the Jahn-Teller distortion. These weakens the G-type (antiphase ordering along the c axis) orbital ordering phase. Meanwhile, the substituting decreases the magnetism entropy, indicating the shrinking of the t2g and eg orbital hybridization, eventually destabilizing the C-type (in-phase ordering along the c axis) antiferromagnetic ordering phase. In addition, the mechanism for the shrinking of the diamagnetism with increasing x is analyzed. It may attribute to the competition between the antisymmetric Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya interaction and the single-ion anisotropy.
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| 4. |
- Zhang, Chuan, et al.
(författare)
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Single-Molecule Protein Analysis by Centrifugal Droplet Immuno-PCR with Magnetic Nanoparticles
- 2024
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Ingår i: Analytical Chemistry. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0003-2700 .- 1520-6882. ; 96:5, s. 1872-1879
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Detecting proteins in ultralow concentrations in complex media is important for many applications but often relies on complicated techniques. Herein, a single-molecule protein analyzer with the potential for high-throughput applications is reported. Gold-coated magnetic nanoparticles with DNA-labeled antibodies were used for target recognition and separation. The immunocomplex was loaded into microdroplets generated with centrifugation. Immuno-PCR amplification of the DNA enabled the quantification of proteins at the level of single molecules. As an example, ultrasensitive detection of alpha-synuclein, a biomarker for neurodegenerative diseases, is achieved. The limit of detection was determined to be similar to 50 aM in buffer and similar to 170 aM in serum. The method exhibited high specificity and could be used to analyze post-translational modifications such as protein phosphorylation. This study will inspire wider studies on single-molecule protein detection, especially in disease diagnostics, biomarker discovery, and drug development.
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| 5. |
- Cheng, Anying, et al.
(författare)
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Diagnostic performance of initial blood urea nitrogen combined with D-dimer levels for predicting in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients
- 2020
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Ingår i: International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents. - : ELSEVIER. - 0924-8579 .- 1872-7913. ; 56:3
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The crude mortality rate in critical pneumonia cases with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reaches 49%. This study aimed to test whether levels of blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in combination with D-dimer were predictors of in-hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients. The clinical characteristics of 305 COVID19 patients were analysed and were compared between the survivor and non-survivor groups. Of the 305 patients, 85 (27.9%) died and 220 (72.1%) were discharged from hospital. Compared with discharged cases, non-survivor cases were older and their BUN and D-dimer levels were significantly higher ( P < 0.0 0 01). Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariable Cox regression analyses identified BUN and D-dimer levels as independent risk factors for poor prognosis. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that elevated levels of BUN and D-dimer were associated with increased mortality (logrank, P 0.0 0 01). The area under the curve for BUN combined with D-dimer was 0.94 (95% CI 0.90-0.97), with a sensitivity of 85% and specificity of 91%. Based on BUN and D-dimer levels on admission, a nomogram model was developed that showed good discrimination, with a concordance index of 0.94. Together, initial BUN and D-dimer levels were associated with mortality in COVID-19 patients. The combination of BUN 4.6 mmol/L and D-dimer > 0.845 mu g/mL appears to identify patients at high risk of in-hospital mortality, therefore it may prove to be a powerful risk assessment tool for severe COVID-19 patients. (c) 2020 Elsevier B.V. and International Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.
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| 6. |
- Liu, Chaocheng, et al.
(författare)
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Probing the Néel-Type Antiferromagnetic Order and Coherent Magnon–Exciton Coupling in Van Der Waals VPS3
- 2023
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Ingår i: Advanced Materials. - 0935-9648. ; 35:30
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 2D van der Waals (vdW) antiferromagnets have received intensive attention due to their terahertz resonance, multilevel magnetic-order states, and ultrafast spin dynamics. However, accurately identifying their magnetic configuration still remains a challenge owing to the lack of net magnetization and insensitivity to external fields. In this work, the Néel-type antiferromagnetic (AFM) order in 2D antiferromagnet VPS3 with the out-of-plane anisotropy, which is demonstrated by the temperature-dependent spin–phonon coupling and second-harmonic generation (SHG), is experimentally probed. This long-range AFM order even persists at the ultrathin limit. Furthermore, strong interlayer exciton–magnon coupling (EMC) upon the Néel-type AFM order is detected based on the monolayer WSe2/VPS3 heterostructure, which induces an enhanced excitonic state and further certifies the Néel-type AFM order of VPS3. The discovery provides optical routes as the novel platform to study 2D antiferromagnets and promotes their potential applications in magneto-optics and opto-spintronic devices.
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| 7. |
- Zhang, Ranran, et al.
(författare)
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A dual-layer macro/mesoporous structured TiO2 surface improves the initial adhesion of osteoblast-like cells
- 2017
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Ingår i: Materials science & engineering. C, biomimetic materials, sensors and systems. - : Elsevier BV. - 0928-4931 .- 1873-0191. ; 78, s. 443-451
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A dual-layer TiO2 surface with hierarchical macro and mesoporous structure was prepared by a combinational approach of micro-arc oxidation followed by evaporation-induced self-assembly of nano-crystallites. The mesoporous layer contains pores with an average size of <10 nm and consists of anatase TiO2 nanocrystallites. The dual-layer hierarchical macro/mesoporous structured TiO2 surface improves the hydrophilicity and fibronectin adsorption ability in comparison with the sole macroporous or smooth TiO2 surface. With the formation of an additional mesoporous layer on macroporous TiO2 surface, the attached number of human osteogenic sarcoma cells (SaOS-2) increases in the initial incubation of 4 h but it does not show significant difference after 24 h compared to that attached on the macroporous or smooth surfaces. Whereas, it was noticed that SaOS-2 cells have larger spread area and more stress fibers on the macro/mesoporous structured surface than those on the other surfaces. To understand the intracellular mechanism of the initial cell adhesion on the macro/mesoporous surface, the Rho/ROCK pathway was investigated to reveal the topography-induced biological functions by introducing the ROCK inhibitor Y-27632 during cell culture. In the presence of Y-27632, cells on the macroporous surface and macro/mesoporous surface both show stellate appearance, with poor assembly stress fibers and long cell membrane protrusions. Cells on the smooth surface have larger spread areas compared to the former two surfaces. And the attached cells significantly reduced but there are no differences among the three surfaces. It reveals that the ROCK inhibitor invalidates the promotion of initial cell adhesion on the macro/mesoporous structure. This study may shed light on the mechanism behind the enhancement effect of macro/mesoporous structure for initial cell adhesion.
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| 8. |
- Zhang, Ranran, et al.
(författare)
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Dose-dependent enhancement of bioactivity by surface ZnO nanostructures on acid-etched pure titanium
- 2019
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Ingår i: Advances in Applied Ceramics. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1743-6753 .- 1743-6761. ; 118:3, s. 121-125
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Zinc (Zn) is found to be essential in biologic osseous functions, and deficiency of Zn may cause delayed skeletal growth and osteoporosis. Additionally, Zn-based coatings are reported to be effective to promote the bioactivity of implants. In this study, we employed the hydrothermal treatment to incorporate Zn into the surface of acid-etched pure Ti. The process was conducted in ammonia solution with an increased Zn precursor concentration (0.0002M, 0.002M and 0.02M, respectively). XPS analysis demonstrated that the nanostructures were composed of ZnO. Proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of osteoblast-like SaOS-2 cells were enhanced dose-dependently, compared to those on the acid-etched pure Ti without ZnO nanostructures. This study addresses a favourable surface modification method to improve the bioactivity of implants.
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| 9. |
- Zhang, Ranran, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of the hierarchical macro/mesoporous structure on the osteoblast-like cell response
- 2018
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Ingår i: Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. Part A. - : Wiley. - 1549-3296 .- 1552-4965. ; 106:7, s. 1896-1902
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To improve the success of medical devices, implants with strong surface bioactivity are urgently required. Coatings with a macroporous structure produced by micro-arc oxidation possess advantages, such as strong adhesion to substrate and excellent resistance to wear and corrosion. Mesoporous structures contain pores with sizes of 2-50 nm, which can endow the biomaterials with the ability to enhance osteogenesis and to be loaded with diverse drugs. Thus, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the effects of both macroporous and mesoporous structures using a hierarchical macro/mesoporous structure to modify the titanium implant surface. The behaviors of SaOS-2 human osteosarcoma cells on the macro/mesoporous structure, including initial adhesion, proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and collagen secretion, were investigated. Cells that attached on the macro/mesoporous surface showed the highest cell numbers and greatest spreading area after incubation for 1, 2, and 4 h compared with the polished smooth substrate and macroporous surface in the presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS). However, in the absence of FBS, cell adhesion on the polished substrate, macroporous structure, and macro/mesoporous structure did not differ significantly. Cell proliferation on the macroporous and macro/mesoporous surfaces increased compared with that on the smooth substrate surface. Furthermore, ALP activity and collagen secretion were enhanced on the macro/mesoporous structure. Our findings provided important insights into the cellular responses to macro/mesoporous structures in the field of implant surface modification.
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| 10. |
- Zhang, Ranran, et al.
(författare)
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Micro/nanostructured TiO2/ZnO coating enhances osteogenic activity of SaOS-2 cells
- 2019
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Ingår i: Artificial cells nanomedicine and biotechnology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2169-1401 .- 2169-141X. ; 47:1, s. 2838-2845
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although titanium implants account for a large proportion of the commercial dental market, their bioactivity are inadequate in many applications. A micro- and nano- scale hierarchical surface topography of the implant is suggested for rapid osseointegration from the biomimetic perspective. Moreover, Zinc (Zn) is an essential element in the skeletal system. Thus, a micro/nanostructured TiO2/ZnO coating, produced by micro-arc oxidation, and hydrothermal treatment, and heat treatment, was designed to endow the implant surface with enhanced osteogenic capacity. Physiochemical properties and biological effects of this coating were investigated in our study. The annealed micro/nanostructured TiO2/ZnO coating exhibited higher hydrophilicity and fibronectin adsorption ability compared to the micro-arc oxidation modified TiO2 coating. SaOS-2 cells grown on the annealed micro/nanostructured TiO2/ZnO coating showed increased alkaline phosphatase activity and collagen secretion, and immunofluorescence labeling revealed an upregulation of osteopontin, collagen type iota and osteocalcin. The micro/nanostructure and incorporation of Zn were considered to perform positive effect on the enhanced osteogenic activity of SaOS-2 cells. In conclusion, the micro/nanostructured TiO2/ZnO structure is simple, stable, and easy to produce and scale up, has promising applications in the surface modification of titanium implants.
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