| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(författare)
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Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy
- 2012
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Ingår i: Autophagy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1554-8635 .- 1554-8627. ; 8:4, s. 445-544
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field.
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| 3. |
- 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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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Chen, Zhibin, et al.
(författare)
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Summary of the 3rd International Workshop on Gas-Dynamic Trap based Fusion Neutron Source (GDT-FNS)
- 2022
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Ingår i: Nuclear Fusion. - : IOP Publishing. - 0029-5515 .- 1741-4326. ; 62:6
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The 3rd International Workshop on Gas-Dynamic Trap-based Fusion Neutron Source (GDT-FNS) was held through the hybrid mode on 13-14 September 2021 in Hefei, China, jointly organized by the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science (HFIPS), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics (BINP), Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). It followed the 1st GDT-FNS Workshop held in November 2018 in Hefei, China, and the 2nd taking place in November 2019 in Novosibirsk, Russian Federation. With the financial support from CAS and China Association for Science and Technology (CAST), this workshop was attended by more than 80 participants representing 20 institutes and universities from seven countries, with oral presentations broadcast via the Zoom conferencing system. Twenty-two presentations were made with topics covering design and key technologies, simulation and experiments, steady-state operation, status of the ALIANCE project, multi applications of neutron sources, and other concepts (Tokamaks, Mirrors, FRC, Plasma Focus, etc). The workshop consensus was made including the establishment of the ALIANCE International Working Group. The next GDT-FNS workshop is planned to be held in May 2022 in Novosibirsk.
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| 6. |
- Dong, Yi-Min, et al.
(författare)
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Development and Validation of a Nomogram for Assessing Survival in Patients With COVID-19 Pneumonia
- 2021
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Ingår i: Clinical Infectious Diseases. - : Oxford University Press. - 1058-4838 .- 1537-6591. ; 72:4, s. 652-660
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background. The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread worldwide and continues to threaten peoples' health as well as put pressure on the accessibility of medical systems. Early prediction of survival of hospitalized patients will help in the clinical management of COVID-19, but a prediction model that is reliable and valid is still lacking. Methods. We retrospectively enrolled 628 confirmed cases of COVID-19 using positive RT-PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 in Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, China. These patients were randomly grouped into a training (60%) and a validation (40%) cohort. In the training cohort, LASSO regression analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis were utilized to identify prognostic factors for in-hospital survival of patients with COVID-19. A nomogram based on the 3 variables was built for clinical use. AUCs, concordance indexes (C-index), and calibration curves were used to evaluate the efficiency of the nomogram in both training and validation cohorts. Results. Hypertension, higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, and increased NT-proBNP values were found to be significantly associated with poorer prognosis in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. The 3 predictors were further used to build a prediction nomogram. The C-indexes of the nomogram in the training and validation cohorts were 0.901 and 0.892, respectively. The AUC in the training cohort was 0.922 for 14-day and 0.919 for 21-day probability of in-hospital survival, while in the validation cohort this was 0.922 and 0.881, respectively. Moreover, the calibration curve for 14- and 21-day survival also showed high coherence between the predicted and actual probability of survival. Conclusions. We built a predictive model and constructed a nomogram for predicting in-hospital survival of patients with COVID-19. This model has good performance and might be utilized clinically in management of COVID-19.
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| 7. |
- Dong, Yi-Min, et al.
(författare)
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Reply to Collins et al
- 2021
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Ingår i: Clinical Infectious Diseases. - : Oxford University Press. - 1058-4838 .- 1537-6591. ; 73:3, s. 558-559
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)
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| 8. |
- Liu, Hui, et al.
(författare)
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Centromere-Specific Retrotransposons and Very-Long-Chain Fatty Acid Biosynthesis in the Genome of Yellowhorn (Xanthoceras sorbifolium, Sapindaceae), an Oil-Producing Tree With Significant Drought Resistance
- 2021
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Plant Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-462X. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In-depth genome characterization is still lacking for most of biofuel crops, especially for centromeres, which play a fundamental role during nuclear division and in the maintenance of genome stability. This study applied long-read sequencing technologies to assemble a highly contiguous genome for yellowhorn (Xanthoceras sorbifolium), an oil-producing tree, and conducted extensive comparative analyses to understand centromere structure and evolution, and fatty acid biosynthesis. We produced a reference-level genome of yellowhorn, ∼470 Mb in length with ∼95% of contigs anchored onto 15 chromosomes. Genome annotation identified 22,049 protein-coding genes and 65.7% of the genome sequence as repetitive elements. Long terminal repeat retrotransposons (LTR-RTs) account for ∼30% of the yellowhorn genome, which is maintained by a moderate birth rate and a low removal rate. We identified the centromeric regions on each chromosome and found enrichment of centromere-specific retrotransposons of LINE1 and Gypsy in these regions, which have evolved recently (∼0.7 MYA). We compared the genomes of three cultivars and found frequent inversions. We analyzed the transcriptomes from different tissues and identified the candidate genes involved in very-long-chain fatty acid biosynthesis and their expression profiles. Collinear block analysis showed that yellowhorn shared the gamma (γ) hexaploidy event with Vitis vinifera but did not undergo any further whole-genome duplication. This study provides excellent genomic resources for understanding centromere structure and evolution and for functional studies in this important oil-producing plant.
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| 9. |
- Liu, Hao, et al.
(författare)
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X-ray spectral evolution in an X-ray changing-look AGN NGC 1365 with variable column density
- 2021
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Ingår i: Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : IOP Publishing. - 1674-4527. ; 21:8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- X-ray changing-look active galactic nuclei (CL AGNs) are a subpopulation of AGNs, whose line-of-sight column densities increase/decrease within several years. The physical mechanism for the variation of column density is unclear. We reduce the X-ray data from XMM-Newton and NuSTAR observations for a CL AGN NGC 1365 with strong variation of column densities. The X-ray spectrum quickly softens as the X-ray luminosity increases and optical-to-X-ray spectral index also increases as increasing of optical luminosity. These results support that NGC 1365 also undergoes strong spectral evolution as that recently suggested for the optically selected CL AGNs with reappearance/disappearance of broad emission lines. Therefore, the variation of column density may be driven by the variable disk winds during the strong evolution of disk/corona.
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| 10. |
- Qu, Yanhua, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Genetic responses to seasonalvariation in altitudinal stress: whole-genome resequencing ofgreat tit in eastern Himalayas
- 2015
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Species that undertake altitudinal migrations are exposed to a considerable seasonal variationin oxygen levels and temperature. How they cope with this was studied in a population of greattit (Parus major) that breeds at high elevations and winters at lower elevations in the easternHimalayas. Comparison of population genomics of high altitudinal great tits and those living inlowlands revealed an accelerated genetic selection for carbohydrate energy metabolism (aminosugar, nucleotide sugar metabolism and insulin signaling pathways) and hypoxia response (PI3K-akt,mTOR and MAPK signaling pathways) in the high altitudinal population. The PI3K-akt, mTOR andMAPK pathways modulate the hypoxia-inducible factors, HIF-1α and VEGF protein expression thusindirectly regulate hypoxia induced angiogenesis, erythropoiesis and vasodilatation. The strategiesobserved in high altitudinal great tits differ from those described in a closely related species onthe Tibetan Plateau, the sedentary ground tit (Parus humilis). This species has enhanced selectionin lipid-specific metabolic pathways and hypoxia-inducible factor pathway (HIF-1). Comparativepopulation genomics also revealed selection for larger body size in high altitudinal great tits.
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| 11. |
- Qu, Yanhua, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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Long-term isolation and stability explain high genetic diversity in the Eastern Himalaya.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Molecular Ecology. - 0962-1083 .- 1365-294X. ; 23:3, s. 705-20
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- China's Southwest Mountainous Region in Eastern Himalaya is a ‘biodiversity hotspot’ of global interest for conservation. Yet little is known about what has driven this unique diversity. The dramatic topography of the Southwest Mountainous Region resulting from the tectonic uplift during the late Pliocene leads to dramatic ecological stratification, which creates physical barriers to migration and isolates organisms into different subregions and mountain systems. This agrees with the observation that the phylogeographical patterns found in four species of birds (Alcippe morrisonia, Stachyridopsis ruficeps, Parus monticolus and Aegithalos concinnus) distributed in this region are characterized by deep splits between lineages that coalesce between 0.8 and 2.1 Ma. Unlike other regions at this latitude, the Southwest Mountainous Region was largely unaffected by the Pleistocene glaciations. Genetically isolated populations of these birds could thus be maintained throughout the Pleistocene in these rather stable montane environments. In comparison, we found radically different phylogeographical patterns in populations of the same four species distributed in the adjacent lowland, the Central China region. This region has a distinctly different geological history with dramatic, climate-induced shifts in vegetation during the Pleistocene. Here, we found a considerably less geographical structure in the genetic variation and a much younger coalescence time (0.3-0.7 Ma). We also found evidence of genetic bottlenecks during the glacial periods and gene flow during the interglacial expansions. We conclude that the high genetic diversity in the Southwest Mountainous Region results from a long-term in situ diversification within these evolutionary isolated and environment stable montane habitats.
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| 12. |
- Qu, Yanhua, 1974-, et al.
(författare)
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The influence of geological events on the endemism of East Asian birds studied through comparative phylogeography
- 2015
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Ingår i: Journal of Biogeography. - : Wiley. - 0305-0270 .- 1365-2699. ; 42:1, s. 179-192
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aim: East Asia is known for its exceptionally high biological diversity and endemism. Various geological and climatic events during the Pliocene and Pleistocene have been invoked to explain this high endemism, and these processes have had different impacts on different organisms. Herein, we investigate the relative role of these historical processes in the genetic evidence for endemism of intraspecific lineages of two East Asian species: the grey-cheeked fulvetta (Alcippe morrisonia) and the red-headed tree babbler (Stachyridopsis ruficeps).Location: East Asia.Methods: We studied the genetic structure based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA and evaluated the phylogeographical lineages using coalescent species tree approaches. The influences of different historical processes on diversification among phylogeographical lineages were analysed using coalescent models. We tested correlations between ecological divergence and phylogeographical splits.Results: The genetic structure analysis and species tree estimation revealed three deeply divergent lineages within both species. One lineage is endemic to the mountains of Southwest China and the other to Taiwan. Coalescent simulations suggested that lineage diversification mostly occurred during the late Pliocene. Within this time frame, uplift of the mountains of Southwest China and formation of the island of Taiwan are geological events consistent with the geographical isolation and ecological niche divergence of these phylogeographical lineages.Main conclusions: Our results suggest that the main driver of avian endemism in East Asia was the formation of new montane and island habitats following the uplift of the mountains of Southwest China and formation of the island of Taiwan in the Pliocene. However, the populations in the two regions were affected differently by the climatic oscillations during the Pleistocene. The mountains of Southwest China were climatically stable during glaciations,allowing populations to persist throughout the Pleistocene and maintain their genetic uniqueness. In contrast, glaciations resulted in lowered sea levels, allowing dispersal between the island of Taiwan and mainland China, thus obscuring the genetic endemism of the Taiwanese populations.
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| 13. |
- Xue, Kai, et al.
(författare)
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Spaceborne miniaturized UHF dual band helix antenna with a small frequency ratio
- 2021
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Ingår i: Microwave and Optical Technology Letters. - : Wiley. - 1098-2760 .- 0895-2477. ; 63:6, s. 1767-1773
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This study proposes a novel miniaturized circularly polarized (CP) ultrahigh frequency (UHF) quadrifilar helix antenna for spaceborne applications. The dual-band operation is realized using four inverted-U shaped helical strips (IUSHSs) that are rotated and alternately arranged on the four faces of a hollow polyimide cuboid in a sequential rotation manner, which effectively reduces the size of the antenna. Furthermore, the four IUSHSs are connected by a cross-shape strip at the top of the antenna to control the dual resonant frequencies, resulting in a small dual-band frequency ratio. The proposed antenna is both lightweight and robust when compared with the conventional miniaturized CP antennas operating at similar bands with similar performance. In particular, its compact radiator provides effective miniaturized spaceborne solution without the need of high-dielectric coefficient materials. A device for spaceborne application that operates at 402/505 MHz is designed, fabricated, measured, and in-orbit tested with a weight of 651 g and an effective size of 0.161 × 0.161 × 0.228 λ3402MHz (λ402MHz is the wavelength at 402 MHz). The measured gain and axial ratio of the proposed antenna are better than 5.32 dBi and 2.18 dB, respectively, within 2 and 12 MHz bandwidth for the two bands. The test results proved that the methods used to design the proposed antenna are effective.
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| 14. |
- Zhang, Chong-Quan, et al.
(författare)
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Investigation of some Sylvester-type quaternion matrix equations with multiple unknowns
- 2024
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Ingår i: Computational and Applied Mathematics. - : Springer. - 2238-3603 .- 1807-0302. ; 43:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this paper, we consider the solvability conditions of some Sylvester-type quaternion matrix equations. We establish some practical necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of solutions of a Sylvester-type quaternion matrix equation with five unknowns through the corresponding equivalence relations of the block matrices. Moreover, we present some solvability conditions to some Sylvester-type quaternion matrix equations, including those involving Hermicity. The findings of this article extend related known results.
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