| 1. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(author)
-
Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
-
In: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)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.
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
- Jin, Ying-Hui, et al.
(author)
-
Chemoprophylaxis, diagnosis, treatments, and discharge management of COVID-19 : An evidence-based clinical practice guideline (updated version)
- 2020
-
In: Military Medical Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2054-9369. ; 7:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of a rapidly spreading illness, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), affecting more than seventeen million people around the world. Diagnosis and treatment guidelines for clinicians caring for patients are needed. In the early stage, we have issued "A rapid advice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infected pneumonia (standard version)"; now there are many direct evidences emerged and may change some of previous recommendations and it is ripe for develop an evidence-based guideline. We formed a working group of clinical experts and methodologists. The steering group members proposed 29 questions that are relevant to the management of COVID-19 covering the following areas: chemoprophylaxis, diagnosis, treatments, and discharge management. We searched the literature for direct evidence on the management of COVID-19, and assessed its certainty generated recommendations using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Recommendations were either strong or weak, or in the form of ungraded consensus-based statement. Finally, we issued 34 statements. Among them, 6 were strong recommendations for, 14 were weak recommendations for, 3 were weak recommendations against and 11 were ungraded consensus-based statement. They covered topics of chemoprophylaxis (including agents and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) agents), diagnosis (including clinical manifestations, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), respiratory tract specimens, IgM and IgG antibody tests, chest computed tomography, chest x-ray, and CT features of asymptomatic infections), treatments (including lopinavir-ritonavir, umifenovir, favipiravir, interferon, remdesivir, combination of antiviral drugs, hydroxychloroquine/chloroquine, interleukin-6 inhibitors, interleukin-1 inhibitors, glucocorticoid, qingfei paidu decoction, lianhua qingwen granules/capsules, convalescent plasma, lung transplantation, invasive or noninvasive ventilation, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)), and discharge management (including discharge criteria and management plan in patients whose RT-PCR retesting shows SARS-CoV-2 positive after discharge). We also created two figures of these recommendations for the implementation purpose. We hope these recommendations can help support healthcare workers caring for COVID-19 patients.
|
|
| 4. |
- Zhang, Chenghui, et al.
(author)
-
Circulating Tissue Factor-Positive Procoagulant Microparticles in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes
- 2019
-
In: Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity. - : DOVE MEDICAL PRESS LTD. - 1178-7007. ; 12, s. 2819-2828
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aim: To investigate the count of circulating tissue factor-positive (TF+) procoagulant microparticles (MPs) in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM).Methods: This case-control study included patients with T1DM and age and sex-matched healthy volunteers. The counts of phosphatidylserine-positive (PS+) MPs and TF(+)PS(+)MPs and the subgroups derived from different cell types were measured in the peripheral blood sample of the two groups using multicolor flow cytometric assay. We compared the counts of each MP between groups as well as the ratio of the TF(+)PS(+)MPs and PS(+)MPs (TF(+)PS(+)MPs/PS(+)MPs).Results: We recruited 36 patients with T1DM and 36 matched healthy controls. Compared with healthy volunteers, PS(+)MPs, TF(+)PS(+)MPs and TF(+)PS(+)MPs/PS(+)MPs were elevated in patients with T1DM (PS(+)MPs: 1078.5 +/- 158.08 vs 686.84 +/- 122.04/mu L, P <0.001; TF(+)PS(+)MPs: 202.10 +/- 47.47 vs 108.33 +/- 29.42/mu L, P <0.001; and TF(+)PS(+)MPs/PS(+)MPs: 0.16 +/- 0.04 vs 0.19 +/- 0.05, P = 0.004), mostly derived from platelet, lymphocytes and endothelial cells. In the subgroup analysis, the counts of total and platelet TF(+)PS(+)MPs were increased in patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR) and with higher HbA1c, respectively.Conclusion: Circulating TF(+)PS(+)MPs and those derived from platelet, lymphocytes and endothelial cells were elevated in patients with T1DM.
|
|
| 5. |
- Cui, Xiaolei, et al.
(author)
-
Temperature-dependent electronic properties of inorganic-organic hybrid halide perovskite (CH3NH3PbBr3) single crystal
- 2017
-
In: Applied Physics Letters. - : AMER INST PHYSICS. - 0003-6951 .- 1077-3118. ; 111:23
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this paper, the temperature-dependent electronic properties of inorganic-organic hybrid halide perovskite (CH3NH3PbBr3) single crystals are investigated. The dynamic current-time measurement results at different temperatures directly demonstrate that the electrical properties of the perovskite single crystal are dependent on the work temperature. We find that the Poole-Frankel conduction mechanism fits the current-voltage curves at small bias voltage (0-1 V) under darkness, which is mainly attributed to the surface defect states. The capability of carriers de-trapping from defects varies with different work temperatures, resulting in an increased current as the temperature increases under both darkness and illumination. In addition, the different transient photocurrent responses of incident light at two wavelengths (470 nm, 550 nm) further confirm the existence of defect states on the single crystal surface. Published by AIP Publishing.
|
|
| 6. |
- Tu, Li, et al.
(author)
-
A wide-range operating synaptic device based on organic ferroelectricity with low energy consumption
- 2018
-
In: RSC Advances. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2046-2069. ; 8:47, s. 26549-26553
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In thiswork, a wide-range operating synaptic device based on organic ferroelectricity has been demonstrated. The device possesses a simple two-terminal structure by using a ferroelectric phase-separated polymer blend as the active layer and gold/indium tin oxide (ITO) as the top/bottom electrodes, and exhibits a distinctive history-dependent resistive switching behavior at room temperature. And the device with low energy consumption (similar to 50 fJ mu m(-2) per synaptic event) can provide a reliable synaptic function of potentiation, depression and the complex memory behavior simulation of differential responses to diverse stimulations. In addition, using simulations, the accuracy of 32 x 32 pixel image recognition is improved from 76.21% to 85.06% in the classical model Cifar-10 with 1024 levels of the device, which is an important step towards the higher performance goal in image recognition based on memristive neuromorphic networks.
|
|
| 7. |
- Wang, Pengfei, et al.
(author)
-
Boosting the performance of perovskite solar cells through a novel active passivation method
- 2018
-
In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 6:32, s. 15853-15858
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Potassium halides have recently garnered much attention, due to their improvement of perovskite solar cell performance. A small amount of potassium halide incorporated in a perovskite absorber is able to provide advantages in terms of crystallinity, light absorption and trap state reduction. Here, we present a potassium chloride (KCl) pretreatment process to fabricate high-efficiency perovskite solar cells (PSCs). A KCl layer was inserted at the SnO2/MAPbI(3-x)Cl(x) interface via a simple spin coating method. It is observed that potassium cations (K+) and chloride anions (Cl-) diffused into the perovskite film during the thermal annealing process. The diffusion of K+ and Cl- will stop when they reach a bulk defect, resulting in an active passivation effect. It is verified that the incorporation of KCl enhances the crystal perfection and light absorption of the perovskite film. The average power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSCs increases from 16.62% to 17.81%, with a leading PCE of 19.44%.
|
|
| 8. |
- Wang, Xin-Ping, et al.
(author)
-
Effects of surface characteristics on infiltration patterns in an arid shrub desert
- 2007
-
In: Hydrological Processes. - : Wiley. - 1099-1085 .- 0885-6087. ; 21:1, s. 72-79
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Precipitation is often the sole source of water replenishment in arid and semi-arid areas and, thus, plays a pertinent role in sustaining desert ecosystems. Revegetation over 40 years using mainly Artemisia ordosica and Caragana korshinskii at Shapotou Desert Experimental Research Station near Lanzhou, China, has established a dwarf-shrub and microbiotic soil crust cover on the stabilized sand dunes. The redistribution of infiltrated moisture through percolation, root extraction, and evapotranspiration pathways was investigated. Three sets of time-domain reflectometry (TDR) probes were inserted horizontally at 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 and 40 cm depths below the ground surface in a soil pit. The three sets of TDR probes were installed in dwarf-shrub sites of A. ordosica and C. korshinskii community with and without a microbiotic soil crust cover, and an additional set was placed in a bare sand dune area that had neither vegetation nor a microbiotic soil crust present. Volumetric soil moisture content was recorded at hourly intervals and used in the assessment of infiltration for the different surface covers. Infiltration varied greatly, from 7.5 cm to more than 45 cm, depending upon rainfall quantity and soil surface conditions. In the shrub community area without microbiotic soil crust cover, infiltration increased due to preferential flow associated with root tunnels. The microbiotic soil crust cover had a significant negative influence on the infiltration for small rainfall events (similar10 mm), restricting the infiltration depth to less than 20 cm and increasing soil moisture content just beneath the soil profile of 10 cm, whereas it was not as strong or clear for larger rainfall events (similar60 mm). For small rainfall events, the wetting front depth for the three kinds of surface cover was as follows: shrub community without microbiotic soil crust > bare area > shrub community with microbiotic soil crust. In contrast, for large rainfall events, infiltration was similar in shrub communities with and without microbiotic soil crust cover, but significantly higher than measured in the bare area. Soil water extraction by roots associated with evapotranspiration restricted the wetting front penetration after 1 to 3 h of rainfall. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
|
|
| 9. |
- Weng, Zhenhua, et al.
(author)
-
Lead-Free Cs2BiAgBr6 Double Perovskite-Based Humidity Sensor with Superfast Recovery Time
- 2019
-
In: Advanced Functional Materials. - : WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH. - 1616-301X .- 1616-3028. ; 29:24
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lead halide perovskites have demonstrated outstanding achievements in photoelectric applications owing to their unique properties. However, the moisture sensitivity of lead halide perovskite has rarely been developed into an applicable humidity sensor due to the intrinsic instability and toxicity issue. Herein, as a highly stable lead-free perovskite, a Cs2BiAgBr6 thin film is chosen to be the active material for humidity sensor due to its extraordinary humidity-dependent electrical properties and good stability. This Cs2BiAgBr6 thin film humidity sensor demonstrates a superfast response time (1.78 s) and recovery time (0.45 s). The superfast response and recovery properties can be attributed to the reversible physisorption of water molecules, which can be easily adsorbed onto or desorbed from the thin film surface. Moreover, the sensor also shows an excellent reliability and stability properties as well as logarithmic linearity in a relative humidity's range of 15% to 78%. The lead-free Cs2BiAgBr6 perovskite possesses great potential for application in real-time humidity sensing.
|
|
| 10. |
- Deng, Min, et al.
(author)
-
Genome-wide association analyses in Han Chinese identify two new susceptibility loci for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
- 2013
-
In: Nature Genetics. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 45:6, s. 697-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To identify susceptibility genes for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in 506 individuals with sporadic ALS and 1,859 controls of Han Chinese ancestry. Ninety top SNPs suggested by the current GWAS and 6 SNPs identified by previous GWAS were analyzed in an independent cohort of 706 individuals with ALS and 1,777 controls of Han Chinese ancestry. We discovered two new susceptibility loci for ALS at 1q32 (CAMK1G, rs6703183, P-combined = 2.92 x 10(-8), odds ratio (OR) = 1.31) and 22p11 (CABIN1 and SUSD2, rs8141797, P-combined = 2.35 x 10(-9), OR = 1.52). These two loci explain 12.48% of the overall variance in disease risk in the Han Chinese population. We found no association evidence for the previously reported loci in the Han Chinese population, suggesting genetic heterogeneity of disease susceptibility for ALS between ancestry groups. Our study identifies two new susceptibility loci and suggests new pathogenic mechanisms of ALS.
|
|
