| 1. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(författare)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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| 2. |
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| 3. |
- Chng, Kern Rei, et al.
(författare)
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Cartography of opportunistic pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes in a tertiary hospital environment
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nature Medicine. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1078-8956 .- 1546-170X. ; 26, s. 941-951
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although disinfection is key to infection control, the colonization patterns and resistomes of hospital-environment microbes remain underexplored. We report the first extensive genomic characterization of microbiomes, pathogens and antibiotic resistance cassettes in a tertiary-care hospital, from repeated sampling (up to 1.5 years apart) of 179 sites associated with 45 beds. Deep shotgun metagenomics unveiled distinct ecological niches of microbes and antibiotic resistance genes characterized by biofilm-forming and human-microbiome-influenced environments with corresponding patterns of spatiotemporal divergence. Quasi-metagenomics with nanopore sequencing provided thousands of high-contiguity genomes, phage and plasmid sequences (>60% novel), enabling characterization of resistome and mobilome diversity and dynamic architectures in hospital environments. Phylogenetics identified multidrug-resistant strains as being widely distributed and stably colonizing across sites. Comparisons with clinical isolates indicated that such microbes can persist in hospitals for extended periods (>8 years), to opportunistically infect patients. These findings highlight the importance of characterizing antibiotic resistance reservoirs in hospitals and establish the feasibility of systematic surveys to target resources for preventing infections. Spatiotemporal characterization of microbial diversity and antibiotic resistance in a tertiary-care hospital reveals broad distribution and persistence of antibiotic-resistant organisms that could cause opportunistic infections in a healthcare setting.
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| 4. |
- Guan, Pei-Pei, et al.
(författare)
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By activating matrix metalloproteinase-7, shear stress promotes chondrosarcoma cell motility, invasion and lung colonization.
- 2015
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Ingår i: Oncotarget. - : Impact Journals, LLC. - 1949-2553. ; 6:11, s. 9140-9159
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Interstitial fluid flow and associated shear stress are relevant mechanical signals in cartilage and bone (patho)physiology. However, their effects on chondrosarcoma cell motility, invasion and metastasis have yet to be delineated. Using human SW1353, HS.819.T and CH2879 chondrosarcoma cell lines as model systems, we found that fluid shear stress induces the accumulation of cyclic AMP (cAMP) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), which in turn markedly enhance chondrosarcoma cell motility and invasion via the induction of matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7). Specifically, shear-induced cAMP and IL-1β activate PI3-K, ERK1/2 and p38 signaling pathways, which lead to the synthesis of MMP-7 via transactivating NF-κB and c-Jun in human chondrosarcoma cells. Importantly, MMP-7 upregulation in response to shear stress exposure has the ability to promote lung colonization of chondrosarcomas in vivo. These findings offer a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying MMP-7 activation in shear-stimulated chondrosarcoma cells, and provide insights on designing new therapeutic strategies to interfere with chondrosarcoma invasion and metastasis.
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| 5. |
- Haycock, Philip C., et al.
(författare)
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Association Between Telomere Length and Risk of Cancer and Non-Neoplastic Diseases A Mendelian Randomization Study
- 2017
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Ingår i: JAMA Oncology. - : American Medical Association. - 2374-2437 .- 2374-2445. ; 3:5, s. 636-651
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- IMPORTANCE: The causal direction and magnitude of the association between telomere length and incidence of cancer and non-neoplastic diseases is uncertain owing to the susceptibility of observational studies to confounding and reverse causation. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a Mendelian randomization study, using germline genetic variants as instrumental variables, to appraise the causal relevance of telomere length for risk of cancer and non-neoplastic diseases. DATA SOURCES: Genomewide association studies (GWAS) published up to January 15, 2015. STUDY SELECTION: GWAS of noncommunicable diseases that assayed germline genetic variation and did not select cohort or control participants on the basis of preexisting diseases. Of 163 GWAS of noncommunicable diseases identified, summary data from 103 were available. DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Summary association statistics for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are strongly associated with telomere length in the general population. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for disease per standard deviation (SD) higher telomere length due to germline genetic variation. RESULTS: Summary data were available for 35 cancers and 48 non-neoplastic diseases, corresponding to 420 081 cases (median cases, 2526 per disease) and 1 093 105 controls (median, 6789 per disease). Increased telomere length due to germline genetic variation was generally associated with increased risk for site-specific cancers. The strongest associations (ORs [ 95% CIs] per 1-SD change in genetically increased telomere length) were observed for glioma, 5.27 (3.15-8.81); serous low-malignant-potential ovarian cancer, 4.35 (2.39-7.94); lung adenocarcinoma, 3.19 (2.40-4.22); neuroblastoma, 2.98 (1.92-4.62); bladder cancer, 2.19 (1.32-3.66); melanoma, 1.87 (1.55-2.26); testicular cancer, 1.76 (1.02-3.04); kidney cancer, 1.55 (1.08-2.23); and endometrial cancer, 1.31 (1.07-1.61). Associations were stronger for rarer cancers and at tissue sites with lower rates of stem cell division. There was generally little evidence of association between genetically increased telomere length and risk of psychiatric, autoimmune, inflammatory, diabetic, and other non-neoplastic diseases, except for coronary heart disease (OR, 0.78 [ 95% CI, 0.67-0.90]), abdominal aortic aneurysm (OR, 0.63 [ 95% CI, 0.49-0.81]), celiac disease (OR, 0.42 [ 95% CI, 0.28-0.61]) and interstitial lung disease (OR, 0.09 [ 95% CI, 0.05-0.15]). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: It is likely that longer telomeres increase risk for several cancers but reduce risk for some non-neoplastic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases.
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| 6. |
- Yang, Xun, et al.
(författare)
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Diamond Based Optical Metasurfaces for Broadband Wavefront Shaping in Harsh Environment
- 2024
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Ingår i: Laser and Photonics Reviews. - 1863-8899 .- 1863-8880. ; In Press
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Metasurface enables a new class of “meta-optics” that can manipulate light at subwavelength scale. Despite that versatile metasurfaces have been demonstrated based on a wide range of materials, the vulnerability of conventional materials to harsh environments, i.e., low resistance to corrosion, low transparency at short wavelength, and lack of thermal/mechanical stability, greatly limit their applications in extreme conditions. Diamond is well-known for exceptional properties, including the highest thermal conductivity, high damage resistance, extraordinary hardness, and chemical inertness. Therefore, diamond based metasurface is generally expected to benefit from its material merits for extreme use. However, the performance of diamond metasurface in harsh environments remains unexplored up to date. To address this question, this work is designed to study the suitability of single-crystal diamond based metasurface for broadband applications under harsh environments. As an example, diamond metasurfaces with representative functionalities, including holographic wavefront-shaping, DUV-focusing, are investigated under high-temperature, acid/alkali, and abrasive conditions, respectively. The findings prove the capability of diamond metasurfaces for applications in broadband and harsh conditions, which not only provides a practical and scalable scheme to encode on-demand functionalities into diamond, but also unlocks a capable candidate to develop robust, large bandwidth, and durable meta-optics for advanced wavefront shaping under extreme conditions.
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| 7. |
- Bi, Yu-Han, et al.
(författare)
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The relationship between chronic diseases and depression in middle-aged and older adults : A 4-year follow-up study from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Affective Disorders. - : Elsevier BV. - 0165-0327 .- 1573-2517. ; 289, s. 160-166
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Evidence of the association between common chronic diseases and depression is sparse.Methods: Totally 7819 participants aged 45+ without depression at baseline were followed-up (2011-2015) to detect incident depression. Chronic diseases and depression were defined by self-reported diagnosis and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D10), respectively. Cox proportional hazards model was used to explore the association between chronic diseases and depression adjusting for age, gender, education, marital/living conditions, area, smoking, drinking, economic status, BMI and health insurance.Results: During an average of 3.42 years follow-up, 2271 participants developed depression (85 per 1000 person-year). Chronic diseases were related to significantly higher risk of depression (HR = 1.38). A higher risk of depression was also associated with specific diseases: stomach/other digestive diseases (HR = 1.19), diabetes (HR = 1.22), arthritis/rheumatism (HR = 1.30), and kidney diseases (HR = 1.34) (P < 0.05). The risk of depression increased with increasing in the number of chronic diseases (1: HR = 1.27, 2: HR = 1.49, and 3+: HR = 1.51, P-trend < 0.001). No significant difference was observed across age, gender, education, and area.Limitations: Chronic diseases and depression were based on self-reported diagnosis and measurement scale, respectively, which could lead to information bias. Some unmeasured confounders might have biased the results.Conclusions: The occurrence of depression in people aged 45+ is associated with number of chronic diseases in a dose-response fashion. These results may provide guidance on preventing depression and improving the quality of life in middle and late adulthood.
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| 8. |
- Feng, Meng-Yao, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of chronic diseases on the occurrence of depression : A 13-year follow-up study from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe
- 2023
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Ingår i: Psychiatry Research. - 0165-1781 .- 1872-7123. ; 326
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The causal association between chronic diseases and depression remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the effects of types and number of chronic diseases on the risk of depression using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). A self-admitted questionnaire was used to obtain data on 14 predefined chronic diseases and the European-Depression Scale (EURO-D) was used to assess depression. Among the 16,080 baseline depression-free participants aged 50+, 31.29% (5032) developed depression over 13 years. Multivariate Cox regression models showed that individuals with any chronic diseases were at higher risk of new onset depression compared to disease-free participants. The risk of new onset depression increased with an increasing number of diseases among both younger (50–64) and older (65+) adults. Individuals with heart attack, stroke, diabetes, chronic lung disease, and arthritis were at increased risk of depression across age groups. However, some age-specific associations were observed, with cancer increasing depression risk among younger- and peptic ulcer, Parkinson's disease and cataracts increasing depression risk among older adults. These findings highlight the importance of managing chronic diseases, especially among those with more than two diseases, to prevent the development of depression among middle-aged and older adults.
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| 9. |
- Feng, Meng-Yao, et al.
(författare)
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Work-Related Stress and Occurrence of Cardiovascular Disease A 13-Year Prospective Study
- 2022
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Ingår i: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. - 1076-2752 .- 1536-5948. ; 64:11, s. 927-933
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: The aim of the study is to investigate the influence of work-related psychological and physical stresses on risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Methods : A total of 5651 CVD-free participants older than 50 years from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe were followed up for 13 years to detect incident CVD. Work-related stress was assessed using job strain and job reward questionnaire. Cox regression model was used to estimate the association. Results: High physical demands (hazard ratio [HR], 1.30) and low reward (HR, 1.19) compared with their counterparts, as well as active physical jobs (HR, 1.41) and high physical strain (HR, 1.45) in comparison with low physical strain were associated with higher risk of incident CVD after adjusting for confounders. However, combining physically stressful jobs with low reward did not further increase the CVD risk. Conclusions: Avoiding physically stressful jobs or providing appropriate reward may reduce the occurrence of CVD.
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| 10. |
- Han, Fei-Fei, et al.
(författare)
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Depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment : A 10-year follow-up study from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe
- 2021
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Ingår i: European psychiatry. - : Royal College of Psychiatrists. - 0924-9338 .- 1778-3585. ; 64:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. Depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment often coexisted in the elderly. This study investigates the effect of late-life depressive symptoms on risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).Methods. A total of 14,231 dementia- and MCI free participants aged 60+ from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe were followed-up for 10 years to detect incident MCI. MCI was defined as 1.5 standard deviation (SD) below the mean of the standardized global cognition score. Depressive symptoms were assessed by a 12-item Europe-depression scale (EURO-D). Severity of depressive symptoms was grouped as: no/minimal (score 0–3), moderate (score 4–5), and severe (score 6–12). Significant depressive symptoms (SDSs) were defined as EURO-D score ≥ 4.Results. During an average of 8.2 (SD = 2.4)-year follow-up, 1,352 (9.50%) incident MCI cases were identified. SDSs were related to higher MCI risk (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.26, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.10–1.44) in total population, individuals aged 70+ (HR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.14–1.61) and women (HR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.08–1.51) in Cox proportional hazard model adjusting for confounders. In addition, there was a dose–response association between the severity of depressive symptoms and MCI incidence in total population, people aged ≥70 years and women (p-trend <0.001).Conclusions. Significant depressive symptoms were associated with higher incidence of MCI in a dose–response fashion, especially among people aged 70+ years and women. Treating depressive symptoms targeting older population and women may be effective in preventing MCI.
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| 11. |
- Huang, Chih-Yang, et al.
(författare)
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Heteroepitaxially grown homojunction gallium oxide PN diodes using ion implantation technologies
- 2024
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Ingår i: Materials Today Advances. - : ELSEVIER. - 2590-0498. ; 22
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Although advancements in n- and p-doping of gallium oxide (Ga2O3) are underway, the realization of functional pn diodes remains elusive. Here, we present the successful fabrication of a Ga2O3 pn diode utilizing ion implantation technology. The Ga2O3 epilayers were grown on c-plane sapphire substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). P-type conductivity Ga2O3 epilayer, confirmed by Hall effect analysis, was achieved by phosphorus (P) ion implantation followed with a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) process. This p-Ga2O3 epilayer reveals a significant reduction in resistivity (<10(6)) compared to undoped Ga2O3, demonstrating the successful inclusion and activation of P within the crystal lattice. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the Ga2O3 epilayers were grown in high crystal quality. Although the crystallinity of Ga2O3 was slightly degraded after P ion implantation, the structure was recovered to high-quality crystal after RTA treatment. For the device structure, p-type Ga2O3 was formed first, followed n-type Ga2O3 regrowth to create a pn junction diode. The obtained results demonstrate a built-in voltage of 4.8 V, 4.2 V, and 4.308 V from simulation, fabricated pn diodes measured by I-V and C-V, respectively. A high breakdown voltage of 900 V was also obtained for the lateral pn diode grown on sapphire substrate. As concerning temperature stability, I-V curves of Ga2O3 pn diode were measured from 25 degrees C to 150 degrees C in steps of 25 degrees C. At elevated temperatures, for both forward and reverse biases, consecutive increasing currents were measured. These could be resulted from dominant diffusion and drift currents over recombination current at a given bias. In addition, the reverse current saturated (@V > 3kT/q) and remained very low at 2x10(-8) A, as the diode operated at 150 degrees C. The behavior could be due to Ga2O3 being a wide bandgap material.
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| 12. |
- Huang, Xin, et al.
(författare)
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Mixed traffic flow microscopic control model at intersections
- 2023
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Ingår i: Kongzhi Lilun Yu Yinyong/Control Theory and Applications. ; 40:10, s. 1851-1862
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In order to construct the traffic mechanism and control method of the intersection under the mixed traffic of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) and human drive vehicles (HDV), the paper proposed a cooperative traffic model for intersections under the conditions of CAV dedicated lanes. First, an intersection layout under the condition of CAV dedicated lanes is designed, and the intersection space is grid-processed. The occupancy of a particular part of the grid at the intersection for a certain period by the CAV and HDV is unified under the intersection space-time resource description framework. Second, a space-time resource allocation model is established considering both CAV and HDV. An adaptive signal light control algorithm and a CAV trajectory planning algorithm are proposed. Third, adaptive signal light timing and CAV trajectory are optimized to achieve minimum vehicle delay. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by selecting a typical intersection in Guangzhou to establish a simulation experiment.
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| 13. |
- Islam, Syed Humail, et al.
(författare)
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Microstructure and tensile properties of tungsten heavy alloys
- 2007
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Ingår i: Progress in powder metallurgy. - Uetikon-Zürich : Trans Tech Publications Inc.. ; , s. 561-564
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mechanical properties of tungsten heavy alloys are dependent on many factors including the purity of the raw materials, their tungsten content, manufacturing parameters and the microstructure of the final compact. The main object of this research was to examine the effect of sintering conditions (temperature and time) on the microstructure of tungsten heavy alloys and how the resulting modification of the microstructure can be used to optimize their mechanical properties. Alloys composed of 88%, 93% and 95% wt. of tungsten with the balance of Ni: Fe in the ratio of 7:3 were consolidated into green compacts. Samples of each of the three resulting alloys were sintered at different temperatures (1350°C,1450°C and 1500 0C) for different sintering holding times (3 and 30 minutes) in hydrogen atmosphere. Standard metallographic procedures were used to obtain SEM micrographs. The mechanical properties of tungsten heavy alloys were found to be dependent on the microstructural parameters such as W particle size, solid volume fraction, connectivity and w-w contiguity. It was shown that the mechanical properties of the alloys, and especially their ductility, are harmed when tungsten grains are contiguous.
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| 14. |
- Jing, Xiao, et al.
(författare)
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Safety benefit of cooperative control for heterogeneous traffic on-ramp merging
- 2022
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Ingår i: Transportation Safety and Environment. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2631-6765 .- 2631-4428. ; 4:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The safety of heterogeneous traffic is a vital topic in the oncoming era of autonomous vehicles (AVs). The cooperative vehicle infrastructure system (CVIS) is considered to improve heterogeneous traffic safety by connecting and controlling AVs cooperatively, and the connected AVs are so-called connected and automated vehicles (CAVs). However, the safety impact of cooperative control strategy on the heterogeneous traffic with CAVs and human-driving vehicles (HVs) has not been well investigated. In this paper, based on the traffic simulator SUMO, we designed a typical highway scenario of on-ramp merging and adopted a cooperative control method for CAVs. We then compared the safety performance for two different heterogeneous traffic systems, i.e. AV and HV, CAV and HV, respectively, to illustrate the safety benefits of the cooperative control strategy. We found that the safety performance of the CAV and HV traffic system does not always outperform that of AV and HV. With random departSpeed and higher arrival rate, the proposed cooperative control method would decrease the conflicts significantly whereas the penetration rate is over 80%. We further investigated the conflicts in terms of the leading and following vehicle types, and found that the risk of a AV/CAV followed by a HV is twice that of a HV followed by another HV. We also considered the safety effect of communication failure, and found that there is no significant impact until the packet loss probability is greater than 30%, while communication delay's impact on safety can be ignored according to our experiments.
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| 15. |
- Li, Xueying, et al.
(författare)
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Assessing the effects of time interpolation of ndvi composites on phenology trend estimation
- 2021
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Ingår i: Remote Sensing. - : MDPI AG. - 2072-4292. ; 13:24
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The accurate evaluation of shifts in vegetation phenology is essential for understanding of vegetation responses to climate change. Remote-sensing vegetation index (VI) products with multi-day scales have been widely used for phenology trend estimation. VI composites should be interpolated into a daily scale for extracting phenological metrics, which may not fully capture daily vegetation growth, and how this process affects phenology trend estimation remains unclear. In this study, we chose 120 sites over four vegetation types in the mid-high latitudes of the northern hemisphere, and then a Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) MCD43A4 daily surface reflectance data was used to generate a daily normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) dataset in addition to an 8-day and a 16-day NDVI composite datasets from 2001 to 2019. Five different time interpolation methods (piecewise logistic function, asymmetric Gaussian function, polynomial curve function, linear interpolation, and spline interpolation) and three phenology extraction methods were applied to extract data from the start of the growing season and the end of the growing season. We compared the trends estimated from daily NDVI data with those from NDVI composites among (1) different interpolation methods; (2) different vegetation types; and (3) different combinations of time interpolation methods and phenology extraction methods. We also analyzed the differences between the trends estimated from the 8-day and 16-day composite datasets. Our results indicated that none of the interpolation methods had significant effects on trend estimation over all sites, but the discrepancies caused by time interpolation could not be ignored. Among vegetation types with apparent seasonal changes such as deciduous broadleaf forest, time interpolation had significant effects on phenology trend estimation but almost had no significant effects among vegetation types with weak seasonal changes such as evergreen needleleaf forests. In addition, trends that were estimated based on the same interpolation method but different extraction methods were not consistent in showing significant (insignificant) differences, implying that the selection of extraction methods also affected trend estimation. Compared with other vegetation types, there were generally fewer discrepancies between trends estimated from the 8-day and 16-day dataset in evergreen needleleaf forest and open shrubland, which indicated that the dataset with a lower temporal resolution (16-day) can be applied. These findings could be conducive for analyzing the uncertainties of monitoring vegetation phenology changes.
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| 16. |
- Liu, Guofeng, et al.
(författare)
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Helicity Inversion of Supramolecular Hydrogels Induced by Achiral Substituents
- 2017
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Ingår i: ACS Nano. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1936-0851 .- 1936-086X. ; 11:12, s. 11880-11889
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Probing the supramolecular chirality of assemblies and controlling their handedness are closely related to the origin of chirality at the supramolecular level and the development of smart materials with desired handedness. However, it remains unclear how achiral residues covalently bonded to chiral amino acids can function in the chirality inversion of supramolecular assemblies. Herein, we report macroscopic chirality and dynamic manipulation of chiroptical activity of hydrogels self-assembled from phenylalanine derivatives, together with the inversion of their handedness achieved solely by exchanging achiral substituents between oligo(ethylene glycol) and carboxylic acid groups. This helicity inversion is mainly induced by distinct stacking mode of the self-assembled building blocks, as collectively confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, circular dichroism, crystallography, and molecular dynamics calculations. Through this straightforward approach, we were able to invert the handedness of helical assemblies by merely exchanging achiral substituents at the terminal of chiral gelators. This work not only presents a feasible strategy to achieve the handedness inversion of helical nanostructures for better understanding of chiral self-assembly process in supramolecular chemistry but also facilities the development of smart materials with controllable handedness in materials science.
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| 17. |
- Liu, Tiefeng, et al.
(författare)
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Ground-state electron transfer in all-polymer donor:acceptor blends enables aqueous processing of water-insoluble conjugated polymers
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nature Communications. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Water-based conductive inks are vital for the sustainable manufacturing and widespread adoption of organic electronic devices. Traditional methods to produce waterborne conductive polymers involve modifying their backbone with hydrophilic side chains or using surfactants to form and stabilize aqueous nanoparticle dispersions. However, these chemical approaches are not always feasible and can lead to poor material/device performance. Here, we demonstrate that ground-state electron transfer (GSET) between donor and acceptor polymers allows the processing of water-insoluble polymers from water. This approach enables macromolecular charge-transfer salts with 10,000x higher electrical conductivities than pristine polymers, low work function, and excellent thermal/solvent stability. These waterborne conductive films have technological implications for realizing high-performance organic solar cells, with efficiency and stability superior to conventional metal oxide electron transport layers, and organic electrochemical neurons with biorealistic firing frequency. Our findings demonstrate that GSET offers a promising avenue to develop water-based conductive inks for various applications in organic electronics. Chemical approaches to improve aqueous dispersions of conjugated polymers are limited by the feasibility of modifying the backbone or lead to poor performance. Here, Liu et al. show that ground-state electron transfer in donor:acceptor blends aids aqueous dispersion, for high conductivity and solubility.
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| 18. |
- Liu, Xin, et al.
(författare)
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Plasma metabolites mediate the association of coarse grain intake with blood pressure in hypertension-free adults
- 2020
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Ingår i: Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases. - : Elsevier BV. - 0939-4753 .- 1590-3729. ; 30:9, s. 1512-1519
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increased intake of whole/coarse grains was associated with improved blood pressure control, but concurrent metabolism alterations are less clear. We sought to identify metabolomic profiles of blood pressure, and to explore their mediation effects on the coarse grain intake-blood pressure association among young adults free of hypertension. Methods and results: Plasma metabolome of 86 participants from the Carbohydrate Alternatives and Metabolic Phenotypes study was characterized by untargeted lipidomics and metabolomics using liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry. We identified 24 and 117 metabolites associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), respectively, using random forest modeling and partial correlation analysis. Moreover, metabolite panels for highly specific prediction of blood pressure (8 metabolites for SBP and 11 metabolites for DBP) were determined using ten-fold cross-validated ridge regression (R2 ≥ 0.70). We also observed an inverse association between metabolite panel of SBP (β ± SE = −0.02 ± 0.01, P = 0.04) or DBP (β ± SE = −0.03 ± 0.01, P = 0.02) and coarse grain intake. Furthermore, we observed significant mediating effects of metabolites, in particular, sphingolipid ceramides, on the association between coarse grain exposure and blood pressure using both bias-corrected bootstrap tests and high-dimensional mediation analysis adapted for large-scale and high-throughput omics data. Conclusions: We identified metabolomic profiles specifically associated with blood pressure in young Chinese adults without diagnosed hypertension. The inverse association between coarse grain intake and blood pressure may be mediated by sphingolipid metabolites.
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| 19. |
- Lu, Ya-Ke, et al.
(författare)
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Reciprocal relationship between psychosocial work stress and quality of life : the role of gender and education from the longitudinal study of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe
- 2019
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Ingår i: BMJ Open. - : BMJ. - 2044-6055. ; 9:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective To investigate the reciprocal relationship between psychosocial work stress and quality of life (QoL) and to examine whether the relationship can be moderated by gender or education. Design Longitudinal, population-based study. Setting The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Participants The study population was derived from the SHARE, and there were 2006 participants with good QoL at baseline, 1109 with high job control and 1072 with high job reward, respectively, who were followed up for 2 years to detect incidence of poor QoL, low job control and low job reward. Main outcome measures Logistic regression models were employed to explore the reciprocal relationship between psychological work stress and QoL. Stratification analyses by gender and education were performed. Results Participants with low reward (OR= 1.53, 95% CI 1.26 to 1.88) and low control (OR= 1.40, 95% CI 1.14 to 1.71) at baseline were at higher risk of poor QoL over the 2-year follow-up. The combination of low reward and low control further increased the risk (OR= 1.90, 95% CI 1.46 to 2.48). Stratified analyses revealed that these associations were more pronounced among those who had high levels of education. Further, individuals with poor QoL were at significantly higher risk of having low reward (OR= 2.14, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.96) but not low control (OR= 1.33, 95% CI0.98 to 1.79) at the 2-year follow-up, especially among those who had medium levels of education. No gender differences were found. Conclusions There is a reciprocal relationship between psychological work stress and poor QoL. Education may play an important role in the relationship.
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| 20. |
- Pei, Cuiying, et al.
(författare)
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Quasi 3D polymerization in C60 bilayers in a fullerene solvate
- 2017
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Ingår i: Carbon. - : Elsevier. - 0008-6223 .- 1873-3891. ; 124, s. 499-505
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The polymerization of fullerenes has been an interesting topic for almost three decades. A rich polymeric phase diagram of C60 has been drawn under a variety of pressure-temperature conditions. However, only linear or perpendicular linkages of C60 are found in the ordered phases. Here we used a unique bilayer structural solvate, C60∙1,1,2-trichloroethane (C60∙1TCAN), to generate a novel quasi-3D C60 polymer under high pressure and/or high temperature. Using Raman, IR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, we observe that the solvent molecules play a crucial role in confining the [2+2] cycloaddition bonds of C60s forming in the upper and lower layers alternately. The relatively long distance between the two bilayers restricts the covalent linkage extended in a single individual bilayer. Our studies not only enrich the phase diagram of polymeric C60, but also facilitate targeted design and synthesis of unique C60 polymers.
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| 21. |
- Pei, Jin-Jing, et al.
(författare)
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Dementia studies in Chinese populations
- 2014
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Ingår i: Neuroscience Bulletin. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1673-7067 .- 1995-8218. ; 30:2, s. 207-216
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Variations in the prevalence of dementia in different ethnic groups have been reported worldwide, and a number of reviews have provided a picture of epidemiological studies in dementia research. However, little is known about epidemiological studies in Chinese populations. In this review, we searched PubMed and the Web of Science for original research articles published in English up to July 2013 on the prevalence, incidence, risk factors, and prognosis of dementia in Chinese populations worldwide. Except for the prevalence, we included only population-based follow-up studies. We identified 25 studies in elderly Chinese residents in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore, and found a higher prevalence of dementia in Mainland China than in the other locations, which may be due to that the studies from Mainland China are more recent than those from other locations. A notable increase in incidence was observed when dementia cases were diagnosed using 10/66 diagnostic criteria compared to other criteria. Studies on risk factors for dementia were limited and mostly from Mainland China. Age, gender, education, smoking, and alcohol consumption were related to the risk of dementia in Chinese populations. Only two prognostic studies were identified, and age, gender, and residential area were related to the prognosis of dementia. In conclusion, the prevalence, incidence, and risk factors for dementia found in Chinese populations were comparable to other ethnic groups, but no conclusive results on prognosis were found. The differences in prevalence and incidence were influenced by the diagnostic criteria and the time of study. Longitudinal population-based studies on the incidence, risk factors, and prognosis of dementia in Chinese populations are required.
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| 22. |
- Qiao, Ya-Mei, et al.
(författare)
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Reciprocal associations between job strain and depression : A 2-year follow-up study from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe
- 2019
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Ingår i: Brain and Behavior. - : Wiley. - 2162-3279. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: A growing number of people suffered from depression. This study examined the depression prevalence in workers across 10 European countries plus Israel and the reciprocal associations between job strain and depression.Methods: The study population consisted of 7,879 workers aged 50-63 years at baseline (2004) from the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Job demands (physical or psychosocial) and job control variables were derived from the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). Two 4-category job strains (physical and psychosocial) were obtained based on the cross-tabulation of these dichotomized demands and control variables. There were 4,284 depression-free, 3,259 high physical strain-free and 3,195 high psychosocial strain-free participants at baseline who were followed up for 2 years to detect incident depression, high physical job strain, or high psychosocial strain, respectively. The reciprocal associations between job strain and depression were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression and multivariate multilevel logistic regression adjusting for potential confounders.Results: The prevalence of depression varied from the lowest 12.5% in Germany to the highest 27.2% in France. Compared to individuals with low strain, a significantly higher risk of depression were found in individuals with high physical strain (OR = 1.39) and high psychosocial strain (OR = 1.55), after adjusting for potential confounders. Depression at baseline was not significantly associated with subsequent high job strain. Similar results were observed from multilevel models that took into consideration of the potential country-level influences.Conclusions: The prevalence of depression varies across countries in Europe. Avoiding high job strain may be an effective preventive strategy to prevent depression epidemic.
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| 23. |
- Ren, Mengying, et al.
(författare)
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Concentration-Response Relationship between PM2.5 and Daily Respiratory Deaths in China : A Systematic Review and Metaregression Analysis of Time-Series Studies
- 2017
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Ingår i: BioMed Research International. - : Hindawi Publishing Corporation. - 2314-6133 .- 2314-6141.
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- The association between the particulate matters with aerodynamic diameter <= 2.5.mu m (PM2.5) and daily respiratory deaths, particularly the concentration-response pattern, has not been fully examined and established in China. We conducted a systematic review of time-series studies to compile information on the associations between PM2.5 concentration and respiratory deaths and used metaregression to assess the concentration-response relationship. Out of 1,957 studies screened, eleven articles in English and two articles in Chinese met the eligibility criteria. For single-day lags, per 10 mu g/m(3) increase in PM2.5 concentration was associated with 0.30 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.10, 0.50] percent increase in daily respiratory deaths; for multiday lags, the corresponding increase in respiratory deaths was 0.69 (95% CI: 0.55, 0.83) percent. Difference in the effects was observed between the northern cities and the south cities in China. No statistically significant concentration-response relationship between PM2.5 concentrations and their effects was found. With increasingly wider location coverage for PM2.5 data, it is crucial to further investigate the concentration-response pattern of PM2.5 effects on respiratory and other cause-specific mortality for the refinement and adaptation of global and national air quality guidelines and targets.
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| 24. |
- Tan, Xiao, et al.
(författare)
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Interactive association between insomnia symptoms and sleep duration for the risk of dementia : a prospective study in the Swedish National March Cohort
- 2023
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Ingår i: Age and Ageing. - : Oxford University Press. - 0002-0729 .- 1468-2834. ; 52:9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Given the importance of sleep in maintaining neurocognitive health, both sleep duration and quality might be component causes of dementia. However, the possible role of insomnia symptoms as risk factors for dementia remain uncertain. Methods: We prospectively studied 22,078 participants in the Swedish National March Cohort who were free from dementia and stroke at baseline. Occurrence of dementia was documented by national registers during a median follow-up period of 19.2 years. Insomnia symptoms and sleep duration were ascertained by Karolinska Sleep Questionnaire. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Compared to participants without insomnia at baseline, those who reported any insomnia symptom experienced a greater incidence of dementia during follow-up (HR 1.08, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.35). Difficulty initiating sleep versus non insomnia (HR 1.24, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.52), but not difficulty maintaining sleep or early morning awakening was associated with an increased risk of dementia. Short sleep duration was associated with increased risk of dementia (6 h vs. 8 h, HR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.11-1.51; 5 h vs. 8 h, HR 1.26, 95% CI: 1.00-1.57). Stratified analyses suggested that insomnia symptoms increased the risk of dementia only amongst participants with =7 h sleep (vs. non-insomnia HR 1.24, 95% CI: 1.00-1.54, P=0.05), but not amongst short sleepers (<7 h). Short sleep duration also did not further inflate the risk of dementia amongst insomniacs. Conclusion: Insomnia and short sleep duration increase the risk of dementia amongst middle-aged to older adults.
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| 25. |
- Wan, Su Wei, et al.
(författare)
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A Theory-Based, Multidisciplinary Approach to Cocreate a Patient-Centric Digital Solution to Enhance Perioperative Health Outcomes among Colorectal Cancer Patients and Their Family Caregivers: Development and Evaluation Study
- 2021
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Ingår i: Journal of Medical Internet Research. - : JMIR Publications Inc.. - 1438-8871. ; 23:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Elective colorectal cancer (CRC) surgeries offer enhanced surgical outcomes but demand high self-efficacy in prehabilitation and competency in self-care and disease management postsurgery. Conventional strategies to meet perioperative needs have not been pragmatic, and there remains a pressing need for novel technologies that could improve health outcomes. Objective: The aim of this paper was to describe the development of a smartphone-based interactive CRC self-management enhancement psychosocial program (iCanManage) in order to improve health outcomes among patients who undergo elective CRC surgeries and their family caregivers. Methods: A multidisciplinary international team comprising physicians, specialist nurses, a psychologist, software engineers, academic researchers, cancer survivors, patient ambassadors, and ostomy care medical equipment suppliers was formed to facilitate the development of this patient-centric digital solution. The process occurred in several stages: (1) review of current practice through clinic visits and on-site observations; (2) review of literature and findings from preliminary studies; (3) content development grounded in an underpinning theory; (4) integration of support services; and (5) optimizing user experience through improving interface aesthetics and customization. In our study, 5 participants with CRC performed preliminary assessments on the quality of the developed solution using the 20-item user version of the Mobile App Rating Scale (uMARS), which had good psychometric properties. Results: Based on the collected uMARS data, the smartphone app was rated highly for functionality, aesthetics, information quality, and perceived impact, and moderately for engagement and subjective quality. Several limiting factors such as poor agility in the adoption of digital technology and low eHealth literacy were identified despite efforts to promote engagement and ensure ease of use of the mobile app. To overcome such barriers, additional app-training sessions, an instruction manual, and regular telephone calls will be incorporated into the iCanManage program during the trial period. Conclusions: This form of multidisciplinary collaboration is advantageous as it can potentially streamline existing care paths and allow the delivery of more holistic care to the CRC population during the perioperative period. Should the program be found to be effective and sustainable, hospitals adopting this digital solution may achieve better resource allocation and reduce overall health care costs in the long run.
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