| 1. |
- Zhang, Qing, et al.
(författare)
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Prevalence of Otitis Media With Effusion Among Children in Xi'an, China : A Randomized Survey in China's Mainland
- 2011
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Ingår i: Annals of Otology, Rhinology and Laryngology. - : SAGE Publications. - 0003-4894 .- 1943-572X. ; 120:9, s. 617-621
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: We sought to identify the prevalence of otitis media with effusion (OME) in urban Chinese children in Xi'an, China. Methods: Five kindergartens and 3 primary schools were randomly selected in the urban area of Xi'an. Screening otoscopic and tympanometric examinations were performed on 2,902 children (1,491 boys and 1,411 girls) 2 to 8 years of age. Children with an abnormal tympanogram and simultaneous otomicroscopic signs of effusion were given a diagnosis of OME. Results: The overall prevalence of OME was 4.3%. By age group, the prevalence was 14.0% in 2-year-olds, 8.3% in 3-year-olds, 5.0% in 4-year-olds, 4.9% in 5-year-olds, 2.8% in 6-year-olds, 1.7% in 7-year-olds, and 3.2% in 8-year-olds. The prevalence rate for OME was 4.7% for boys versus 3.9% for girls, and 3.0% in the right ear versus 2.7% in the left, showing no statistically significant difference between genders or between ear sides (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The prevalence of OME in urban areas of Xi'an is not high in comparison with that of the same age group in surrounding areas.
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| 2. |
- Yao, Yunjun, et al.
(författare)
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Estimation of high-resolution terrestrial evapotranspiration from Landsat data using a simple Taylor skill fusion method
- 2017
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Ingår i: Journal of Hydrology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-1694. ; 553, s. 508-526
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Estimation of high-resolution terrestrial evapotranspiration (ET) from Landsat data is important in many climatic, hydrologic, and agricultural applications, as it can help bridging the gap between existing coarse-resolution ET products and point-based field measurements. However, there is large uncertainty among existing ET products from Landsat that limit their application. This study presents a simple Taylor skill fusion (STS) method that merges five Landsat-based ET products and directly measured ET from eddy covariance (EC) to improve the global estimation of terrestrial ET. The STS method uses a weighted average of the individual ET products and weights are determined by their Taylor skill scores (S). The validation with site-scale measurements at 206 EC flux towers showed large differences and uncertainties among the five ET products. The merged ET product exhibited the best performance with a decrease in the averaged root-mean-square error (RMSE) by 2–5 W/m2 when compared to the individual products. To evaluate the reliability of the STS method at the regional scale, the weights of the STS method for these five ET products were determined using EC ground-measurements. An example of regional ET mapping demonstrates that the STS-merged ET can effectively integrate the individual Landsat ET products. Our proposed method provides an improved high-resolution ET product for identifying agricultural crop water consumption and providing a diagnostic assessment for global land surface models.
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| 3. |
- Ren, Xiaotong, et al.
(författare)
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Associations between home renovation and asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema among preschool children in Wuhan, China
- 2022
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Ingår i: International Journal of Environmental Health Research. - : Taylor & Francis Group. - 0960-3123 .- 1369-1619. ; 32:10, s. 2298-2308
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To investigate the potential associations between household renovation and allergic diseases among preschool children in Wuhan, we conducted a large cross-sectional questionnaire survey among 9455 preschool children aged 3-6 years in Wuhan during November to December 2019. Data on demographics, health status, and home decoration conditions were analysed based on a questionnaire. Compared with tiles/stone/cement floor covering, the use of composite floor significantly increased the risk of diagnosed rhinitis and eczema among children (rhinitis: AOR, 95% CI: 1.36, 1.06-1.73; eczema: AOR, 95% CI: 1.47, 1.17-1.85). Household renovation had significant associations with diagnosed eczema (within 1 year before pregnancy: AOR, 95% CI: 1.34, 1.20-1.50; during pregnancy: AOR, 95% CI: 1.25, 1.08-1.44). This study suggests that use of artificial synthetic materials in home renovation during early childhood and pregnancy may be potential risk factors for childhood asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema.
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| 4. |
- Wang, Chao, et al.
(författare)
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Characterization and sources of childhood PAEs exposure from residential airborne dust in China cities
- 2025
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Ingår i: Journal of Environmental Sciences(China). - : Elsevier. - 1001-0742 .- 1878-7320. ; 152, s. 1-13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To explore the multicenter characteristics of endocrine-like phthalate esters (PAEs) in household dust and propose effective control strategies for global indoor public health. An on-site observational investigation was conducted in nine Chinese cities from 2018 to 2019. A total of 246 household dust samples were collected and analyzed for ten PAE congeners using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Questionnaires were used to gather information on building conditions, indoor behaviors, and ventilation habits. In residential dust from the nine cities, the total concentrations of the ten PAE congeners (∑PAEs) ranged from 0.921 to 29097.297 µg/g. Dicyclohexyl phthalate (DCHP) and di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were the dominant congeners in ∑PAEs. Childhood exposure to PAEs through dust ingestion was four orders of magnitude higher than through inhalation, with a carcinogenic risk of 5.47 × 10−6 for DEHP exposure in household dust. Higher ∑PAEs concentrations were associated with higher temperature, double glazing, wall paint usage, television and computer use, and indoor plant growth. This multicenter on-site investigation confirmed PAE pollution characteristics and uncovered the inacceptable risk of daily DEHP exposure in household dust under real living conditions. Effective mitigation measures based on household-related information, residential characteristics, decoration materials, and lifestyle should be taken to build a healthy household environment.
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| 5. |
- Zhang, Qing, et al.
(författare)
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A case of Meniere's disease in the left ear and Lermoyez syndrome in the right ear - a 32-month longitudinal observation and literature review
- 2010
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Ingår i: Acta Oto-Laryngologica. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0001-6489 .- 1651-2251. ; 130:9, s. 1084-1088
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We here present a 32-month follow-up of a case of Lermoyez syndrome combined with Meniere's disease. The patient was a 49-year-old male, with a stabilized severe hearing loss in the left ear for about 15 years after Meniere's disease. He started to show typical symptoms of Lermoyez syndrome in the right ear about 32 months ago. Audiologic data were obtained and imaging examinations were performed 0, 9, 15, 28, and 32 months after the onset of the Lermoyez syndrome. Pure tone threshold data obtained 5 months before the onset are also reported. The results show that the hearing thresholds, mainly at low frequencies, elevated rapidly during the first months shortly after the onset of the disease and slowly in later months. The glycerol test resulted in a remarkable hearing improvement at the beginning of the disease, but showed no detectable improvements as the disease advanced. Electrocochleogram revealed a -SP/AP value with click stimulus 0.65 at the 9th month and > 1.0 at the 28th month after the onset. Clinical manifestations of this patient fit well with a pathological endolymphatic hydrops.
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| 6. |
- Zhang, Xiaotong, et al.
(författare)
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A clinical study of sudden deafness
- 2015
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Ingår i: Acta Oto-Laryngologica. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0001-6489 .- 1651-2251. ; 135:10, s. 1030-1035
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Conclusions: Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SSHL) was commonly seen in middle aged people. Tinnitus was reported by 87.2% of the patients, and dizziness or vertigo were reported by 48.5%. The most common concomitant disorder of SSHL was hyperlipidemia. Objective: A retrospective register study with SSHL was performed in Xi'an, China, from 2000-2009. Results: Of 617 inpatients, the right ear was affected in 267 cases, the left ears in 282 cases, and both ears in 68 cases. The most common age of patients was 41-50 years. There were 20.4% SSHL patients with hypertension, coronary artery disease, or diabetes, and 49.6% patients with hyperlipidemia. Auditory Brainstem Responses (ABR) were performed in 460 patients (504 ears) before treatment, and the ABR threshold of 56.4% ears was >90 dB. The constituent ratio of patients with an ABR threshold over 90 dB was greater in the vertigo group than the other group. CT and/or MRI scans were available in 277 cases, of which 40 cases (14.4%) were abnormal.
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| 7. |
- Jia, Xiaotong, et al.
(författare)
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V. cholerae MakA is a cholesterol-binding pore-forming toxin that induces non-canonical autophagy
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Cell Biology. - : Rockefeller University Press. - 0021-9525 .- 1540-8140. ; 221:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are important virulence factors produced by many pathogenic bacteria. Here, we show that the Vibrio cholerae toxin MakA is a novel cholesterol-binding PFT that induces non-canonical autophagy in a pH-dependent manner. MakA specifically binds to cholesterol on the membrane at pH < 7. Cholesterol-binding leads to oligomerization of MakA on the membrane and pore formation at pH 5.5. Unlike other cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs) which bind cholesterol through a conserved cholesterol-binding motif (Thr-Leu pair), MakA contains an Ile-Ile pair that is essential for MakA-cholesterol interaction. Following internalization, endosomal acidification triggers MakA pore-assembly followed by ESCRT-mediated membrane repair and V-ATPase-dependent unconventional LC3 lipidation on the damaged endolysosomal membranes. These findings characterize a new cholesterol-binding toxin that forms pores in a pH-dependent manner and reveals the molecular mechanism of host autophagy manipulation.
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| 8. |
- Yao, Yunjun, et al.
(författare)
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Assessment and simulation of global terrestrial latent heat flux by synthesis of CMIP5 climate models and surface eddy covariance observations
- 2016
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Ingår i: Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1923. ; 223, s. 151-167
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The latent heat flux (LE) between the terrestrial biosphere and atmosphere is a major driver of the global hydrological cycle. In this study, we evaluated LE simulations by 45 general circulation models (GCMs) in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) by a comparison with eddy covariance (EC) observations from 240 globally distributed sites from 2000 to 2009. In addition, we improved global terrestrial LE estimates for different land cover types by synthesis of seven best CMIP5 models and EC observations based on a Bayesian model averaging (BMA) method. The comparison results showed substantial differences in monthly LE among all GCMs. The model CESM1-CAM5 has the best performance with the highest predictive skill and a Taylor skill score (S) from 0.51-0.75 for different land cover types. The cross-validation results illustrate that the BMA method has improved the accuracy of the CMIP5 GCM's LE simulation with a decrease in the averaged root-mean-square error (RMSE) by more than 3 W/m2 when compared to the simple model averaging (SMA) method and individual GCMs. We found an increasing trend in the BMA-based global terrestrial LE (slope of 0.018 W/m2 yr-1, p <0.05) during the period 1970-2005. This variation may be attributed directly to the inter-annual variations in air temperature (Ta), surface incident solar radiation (Rs) and precipitation (P). However, our study highlights a large difference from previous studies in a continuous increasing trend after 1998, which may be caused by the combined effects of the variations of Rs, Ta, and P on LE for different models on these time scales. This study provides corrected-modeling evidence for an accelerated global water cycle with climate change.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Zhang, Xingxing, et al.
(författare)
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Characterization of a solar photovoltaic/loop-heat-pipe heat pump water heating system
- 2013
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Ingår i: Applied Energy. - : Elsevier BV. - 0306-2619 .- 1872-9118. ; 102, s. 1229-1245
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper introduced the concept, potential application and benefits relating to a novel solar photovoltaic/loop-heat-pipe (PV/LHP) heat pump system for hot water generation. On this basis, the paper reported the process and results of characterizing the performance of such a system, which was undertaken through dedicated thermo-fluid and energy balance analyses, computer model development and operation, and experimental verification and modification. The fundamental heat transfer, fluid flow and photovoltaic governing equations were applied to characterize the energy conversion and transfer processes occurring in each part and whole system layout; while the energy balance approach was utilized to enable inter-connection and resolution of the grouped equations. As a result, a dedicated computer model was developed and used to calculate the operational parameters, optimise the geometrical configurations and sizes, and recommend the appropriate operational condition relating to the system. Further, an experimental rig was constructed and utilized to acquire the relevant measurement data that thus enabled the parallel comparison between the simulation and experiment. It is concluded that the testing and modelling results are in good agreement, indicating that the model has the reasonable accuracy in predicting the system’s performance. Under the given experimental conditions, the electrical, thermal and overall efficiency of the PV/LHP module were around 10%, 40% and 50% respectively; whilst the system’s overall performance coefficient (COPPV/T) was 8.7. Impact of the operational parameters (i.e. solar radiation, air temperature, air velocity, heat-pump’s evaporation temperature, glazing covers, and number of the absorbing heat pipes) to the performance of the system (in terms of efficiencies of the PV/LHP module and the system’s overall performance coefficient COPPV/T) was investigated individually. The results indicated that lower solar radiation, lower air temperature, higher air velocity and smaller cover number led to enhanced electrical efficiency but reduced thermal efficiency of the module; whereas lower heat-pump’s evaporation temperature and larger number of heat absorbing pipes gave rise to both thermal and electrical efficiencies of the module. The research results would assist in developing a high efficient solar (space or hot water) heating system and thus contribute to realisation of the energy saving and associated carbon emission targets set for buildings globally.
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