| 1. |
- Wang, Fang, et al.
(författare)
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Emerging contaminants: A One Health perspective
- 2024
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Ingår i: Innovation. - 2666-6758. ; 5
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Environmental pollution is escalating due to rapid global development that often prioritizes human needs over planetary health. Despite global efforts to mitigate legacy pollutants, the continuous introduction of new substances remains a major threat to both people and the planet. In response, global initiatives are focusing on risk assessment and regulation of emerging contaminants, as demonstrated by the ongoing efforts to establish the UN's Intergovernmental Science-Policy Panel on Chemicals, Waste, and Pollution Prevention. This review identifies the sources and impacts of emerging contaminants on planetary health, emphasizing the importance of adopting a One Health approach. Strategies for monitoring and addressing these pollutants are discussed, underscoring the need for robust and socially equitable environmental policies at both regional and international levels. Urgent actions are needed to transition toward sustainable pollution management practices to safeguard our planet for future generations.
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| 2. |
- Huang, Zhifeng, et al.
(författare)
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Three-dimensional posture optimization for biped robot stepping over large ditch based on a ducted-fan propulsion system
- 2020
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Ingår i: IEEE International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. - 2153-0858 .- 2153-0866. ; , s. 3591-3597
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- The recent progress of an ongoing project utilizing a ducted-fan propulsion system to improve a humanoid robot's ability to step over large ditches is reported. A novel method (GAS) based on the genetic algorithm with smoothness constraint can effectively minimize the thrust by optimizing the robot's posture during 3D stepping. The significant advantage of the method is that it can realize the continuity and smoothness of the thrust and pelvis trajectories. The method enables the landing point of the robot's swing foot to be not only in the forward but also in a side direction. The methods were evaluated by simulation and by being applied on a prototype robot, JetHR1. By keeping a quasistatic balance, the robot could step over a ditch with a span of 450 mm (as much as 97% of the length of the robot's leg) in 3D stepping.
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| 3. |
- Pan, Dong, et al.
(författare)
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Dimension Engineering of High-Quality InAs Nanostructures on a Wafer Scale
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nano Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1530-6984 .- 1530-6992. ; 19:3, s. 1632-1642
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Low-dimensional narrow-band-gap III-V semiconductors are key building blocks for the next generation of high-performance nanoelectronics, nanophotonics, and quantum devices. Realizing these various applications requires an efficient methodology that enables the material dimensional control during the synthesis process and the mass production of these materials with perfect crystallinity, reproducibility, low cost, and outstanding electronic and optoelectronic properties. Although advances in one- and two-dimensional narrow-band-gap III-V semiconductors synthesis, the progress toward reliable methods that can satisfy all of these requirements has been limited. Here, we demonstrate an approach that provides a precise control of the dimension of InAs from one-dimensional nanowires to wafer-scale free-standing two-dimensional nanosheets, which have a high degree of crystallinity and outstanding electrical and optical properties, using molecular-beam epitaxy by controlling catalyst alloy segregation. In our approach, two-dimensional InAs nanosheets can be obtained directly from one-dimensional InAs nanowires by silver-indium alloy segregation, which is much easier than the previously reported methods, such as the traditional buffering technique and select-area epitaxial growth. Detailed transmission electron microscopy investigations provide solid evidence that the catalyst alloy segregation is the origination of the InAs dimensional transformation from one-dimensional nanowires to two-dimensional nanosheets and even to three-dimensional complex crosses. Using this method, we find that the wafer-scale free-standing InAs nanosheets can be grown on various substrates including Si, MgO, sapphire, GaAs, etc. The InAs nanosheets grown at high temperature are pure-phase single crystals and have a high electron mobility and a long time-resolved terahertz kinetics lifetime. Our work will open up a conceptually new and general technology route toward the effective controlling of the dimension of the low-dimensional III-V semiconductors. It may also enable the low-cost fabrication of free-standing nanosheet-based devices on an industrial scale.
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| 4. |
- Chen, Jie, et al.
(författare)
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Bidirectional Mendelian Randomisation Analysis Provides Evidence for the Causal Involvement of Dysregulation of CXCL9, CCL11 and CASP8 in the Pathogenesis of Ulcerative Colitis
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Crohn's & Colitis. - : Oxford University Press. - 1873-9946 .- 1876-4479. ; 17:5, s. 777-785
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background and Aims Systemic inflammation is well recognised to be associated with ulcerative colitis [UC], but whether these effects are causal or consequential remains unclear. We aimed to define potential causal relationship of cytokine dysregulation with different tiers of evidence. Methods We first synthesised serum proteomic profiling data from two multicentred observational studies, in which a panel of systemic inflammatory proteins was analysed to examine their associations with UC risk. To further dissect observed associations, we then performed a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomisation [TSMR] analysis from both forward and reverse directions using five genome-wide association study [GWAS] summary level data for serum proteomic profiles and the largest GWAS of 28 738 European-ancestry individuals for UC risk. Results Pooled analysis of serum proteomic data identified 14 proteins to be associated with the risk of UC. Forward MR analysis using only cis-acting protein quantitative trait loci [cis-pQTLs] or trans-pQTLs further validated causal associations of two chemokines and the increased risk of UC: C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 9 [CXCL9] [OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.08, 1.95, p = 0.012] and C-C motif chemokine ligand 11 [CCL11] [OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.09, 1.18, p = 3.89 x 10(-10)]. Using both cis- and trans-acting pQTLs, an association of caspase-8 [CASP8] [OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.03, 1.05, p = 7.63 x 10(-19)] was additionally identified. Reverse MR did not find any influence of genetic predisposition to UC on any of these three inflammation proteins. Conclusion Pre-existing elevated levels of CXCL9, CCL11 and CASP8 may play a role in the pathogenesis of UC.
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| 5. |
- Gao, Ruichang, et al.
(författare)
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Sturgeon hydrolysates alleviate DSS-induced colon colitis in mice by modulating NF-kappa B, MAPK, and microbiota composition
- 2020
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Ingår i: Food & Function. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2042-6496 .- 2042-650X. ; 11:8, s. 6987-6999
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sturgeon muscle byproduct collected after caviar production is usually not fully utilized, and sometimes may be discarded, thus causing a lot of waste. Yet dietary protein hydrolysates, which may be derived from sturgeon muscle, have been reported to have versatile beneficial biological activities. Studying the biological activities of sturgeon muscle-derived hydrolysates holds much promise for adding value to sturgeon. The current study aimed to study the therapeutic anti-inflammatory effects of sturgeon muscle-derived hydrolysates and the underlying mechanisms. The administration of sturgeon hydrolysates (SH) significantly decreased the severity of DSS-induced damage, evidenced by increased body weight, colon length, and decreased disease activity index (DAI) and histological scores. SH also inhibited myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and reduced the serum levels of IL-6, IL-1 beta, and TNF-alpha. Western blotting results revealed that SH suppressed DSS-induced activation of the NF-kappa B and MAPK pathways in the colon. Furthermore, SH partially restored the alteration of the gut microbiota in colitic mice. SH increased the Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio and the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae, Porphyromonadaceae, and Bacteroidetes S24-7, while decreased the abundance of potentially harmful bacteria Erysipelotrichaceae and Enterococcaceae. These results suggest that SH inhibited DSS-induced colitis by regulating the NF-kappa B and MAPK pathways and modulating microbiota composition.
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| 6. |
- He, Chengliang, et al.
(författare)
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Near infrared electron acceptors with a photoresponse beyond 1000 nm for highly efficient organic solar cells
- 2020
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Ingår i: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 8:35, s. 18154-18161
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Developing near infrared (NIR) organic semiconductors is indispensable for promoting the performance of organic solar cells (OSCs), but addressing the trade-off between voltage and current density thus achieving high efficiency with low energy loss is still an urgent challenge. Herein, NIR acceptors (H1, H2 and H3) with a photoresponse beyond 1000 nm were developed by conjugating dithienopyrrolobenzothiadiazole to 2-(5,6-difluoro-3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-ylidene)malononitrileviavaried alkyl thiophene bridges. It was found that the linear outward chains in thiophene bridges could mitigate both the conformation disorder of H3 and the electronic disorder of the PBDB-T:H3 blends, which could help to form a favorable blend morphology, facilitating highly efficient photoelectric conversion in the resultant OSCs. As a result, devices based on PBDB-T:H3 achieve a high efficiency of 13.75% with a low energy loss of 0.55 eV, which is one of the highest efficiencies and the lowest energy loss among OSCs with an optoelectronic response near 1000 nm. This work provides a new design strategy towards NIR acceptors for efficient OSCs and future exploration of functional optoelectronics.
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| 7. |
- Kang, Yuhao, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing differences in safety perceptions using GeoAI and survey across neighbourhoods in Stockholm, Sweden
- 2023
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Ingår i: Landscape and Urban Planning. - : Elsevier BV. - 0169-2046 .- 1872-6062. ; 236, s. 104768-104768
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The safety perception of the built environment, rather than the sheer number of crimes and incivility behavior, is a fundamental driver of public policies intended to improve urban safety. Traditional surveys often capture neighborhood residents’ perceived safety, but may not fully reflect the perceptions of people who are unfamiliar with the area. In this study, focused on the city of Stockholm, Sweden, we develop a geospatial artificial intelligence (GeoAI) approach using street view images and recruiting locals to create a measure of citywide residents’ safety perceptions. We compare the measures from the survey based on neighborhood residents’ responses with those from the GeoAI approach to better understand the relationship between these safety measures. We model the two forms of safety perceptions and their disparities (i.e., perception bias) as a function of the city’s land use and its socio-demographics. Results confirm that while the GeoAI-based measures better capture people’s instant impressions of the built environment across the city, the survey-based measures reflect their overall daily experiences of specific areas. Regions that appear to be economically vibrant and have inner-city streetscapes are perceived as safe places from visual appearance but are not always perceived as such by residents. Older adults tend to overestimate their likelihood of being victimized by crime, which may enlarge perception bias. The study concludes by critically assessing the potential ethical issues (e.g., spatial bias, population bias) in the proposed methodology and making suggestions for future research.
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| 8. |
- Qin, Linqing, et al.
(författare)
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Triplet Acceptors with a D-A Structure and Twisted Conformation for Efficient Organic Solar Cells
- 2020
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Ingår i: Angewandte Chemie International Edition. - : WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH. - 1433-7851 .- 1521-3773. ; 59:35, s. 15043-15049
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Triplet acceptors have been developed to construct high-performance organic solar cells (OSCs) as the long lifetime and diffusion range of triplet excitons may dissociate into free charges instead of net recombination when the energy levels of the lowest triplet state (T-1) are close to those of charge-transfer states ((CT)-C-3). The current triplet acceptors were designed by introducing heavy atoms to enhance the intersystem crossing, limiting their applications. Herein, two twisted acceptors without heavy atoms, analogues of Y6, constructed with large pi-conjugated core and D-A structure, were confirmed to be triplet materials, leading to high-performance OSCs. The mechanism of triplet excitons were investigated to show that the twisted and D-A structures result in large spin-orbit coupling (SOC) and small energy gap between the singlet and triplet states, and thus efficient intersystem crossing. Moreover, the energy level of T-1 is close to (CT)-C-3, facilitating the split of triplet exciton to free charges.
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| 9. |
- Ruan, Xixian, et al.
(författare)
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Depression and 24 gastrointestinal diseases : a Mendelian randomization study
- 2023
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Ingår i: Translational Psychiatry. - : Springer Nature. - 2158-3188. ; 13
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The causality of the association between depression and gastrointestinal diseases is undetermined. We conducted Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to systematically explore the associations of depression with 24 gastrointestinal diseases. Independent genetic variants associated with depression at the genome-wide significance level were selected as instrumental variables. Genetic associations with 24 gastrointestinal diseases were obtained from the UK Biobank study, the FinnGen study, and large consortia. Multivariable MR analysis was conducted to explore the mediation effects of body mass index, cigarette smoking, and type 2 diabetes. After multiple-testing corrections, genetic liability to depression was associated with an increased risk of irritable bowel syndrome, non-alcohol fatty liver disease, alcoholic liver disease, gastroesophageal reflux, chronic pancreatitis, duodenal ulcer, chronic gastritis, gastric ulcer, diverticular disease, cholelithiasis, acute pancreatitis, and ulcerative colitis. For the causal effect of genetic liability to depression on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a substantial proportion was mediated by body mass index. Genetic predisposition to smoking initiation mediated half of effect of depression on acute pancreatitis. This MR study suggests that depression may play a causal role in many gastrointestinal diseases.
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| 10. |
- Shen, Zhaoyan, et al.
(författare)
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A Multiagent Reinforcement Learning-Assisted Cache Cleaning Scheme for DM-SMR
- 2023
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Ingår i: IEEE Transactions on Computer-Aided Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems. - : IEEE-INST ELECTRICAL ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS INC. - 0278-0070 .- 1937-4151. ; 42:8, s. 2500-2513
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- To support nonsequential writes, persistent cache (PC) is constructed in drive managed SMR (DM-SMR) drive. However, PC cleaning introduces drastic performance degradation and enlarges tail latencies. In this article, we propose to utilize reinforcement learning (RL) to mitigate the longtail latency of PC cleaning. Our scheme uses the lightweight Q-learning method to monitor and learn the idle time of I/O workloads, based on which PC cleaning is intelligently guided, thus maximally exploit idle time between requests and hiding tail latency from normal requests. In addition, a multiagent RL scheme with clustering algorithm is adopted to further mitigate the tail latencies and adapt to variable workloads. We emulate a DM-SMR drive inside a Linux device driver to implement our proposed scheme. According to the experimental results, our scheme can effectively reduce the tail latency by 59.45% at the 99.9th percentile and the average latency by 48.75% compared with a typical shingled magnetic recording (SMR) design.
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