| 1. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(author)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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In: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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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.
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| 2. |
- Liu, Yi, et al.
(author)
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Porous, robust, thermally stable, and flame retardant nanocellulose/polyimide separators for safe lithium-ion batteries
- 2023
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In: Journal of Materials Chemistry A. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2050-7488 .- 2050-7496. ; 11:43, s. 23360-23369
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The safety of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is paramount for all users. One effective way to improve safety is incorporating heat-resistant polyimide (PI) separators, which can increase the thermal stability of batteries and minimize the risk of thermal runaway. However, preparing PI separators with both an ideal pore structure and adequate mechanical properties remains as a challenge. Here, we introduced decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) and cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) into PI and produced a hybrid separator with an outstanding pore structure and excellent mechanical properties. Aided with DBDPE, the separators attain a well-defined and uniform pore size (20 nm), while demonstrating high porosities (78%) through phase inversion processes. Owing to the addition of CNFs, the mechanical properties of the separators were significantly improved, with a tensile strength of 25.4 MPa and an elastic modulus of 550.1 MPa. Moreover, the separators demonstrate high ion conductivity (0.45 mS cm-1), excellent thermal-dimensional stability (up to 200 degrees C), remarkable flame retardancy, and outstanding electrolyte wettability. At room temperature, the batteries with the separators demonstrate comparable performance with those of polypropylene (PP) separators. However, when subjected to thermal shock treatments, the batteries with the separators outperform those with PP, showcasing their superior performance. The work introduces a novel strategy for designing high-performance separators, thereby paving the way for advancements in the fabrication of LIBs with enhanced safety features. A porous, robust, and thermally stable hybrid separator was developed to solve the dilemma between desired pore structures and mechanical properties in polyimide separators by introducing decabromodiphenyl ethane and cellulose nanofibers.
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| 3. |
- Zhuang, Ting, et al.
(author)
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SHARPIN stabilizes estrogen receptor a and promotes breast cancer cell proliferation
- 2017
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In: Oncotarget. - : Impact Journals, LLC. - 1949-2553. ; 8:44, s. 77137-77151
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Estrogen receptor a is expressed in the majority of breast cancers and promotes estrogen-dependent cancer progression. In our study, we identified the novel E3 ubiquitin ligase SHARPIN function to facilitate ERα signaling. SHARPIN is highly expressed in human breast cancer and correlates with ERα protein level by immunohistochemistry. SHARPIN expression level correlates with poor prognosis in ERα positive breast cancer patients. SHARPIN depletion based RNA-sequence data shows that ERα signaling is a potential SHARPIN target. SHARPIN depletion significantly decreases ERα protein level, ERα target genes expression and estrogen response element activity in breast cancer cells, while SHARPIN overexpression could reverse these effects. SHARPIN depletion significantly decreases estrogen stimulated cell proliferation in breast cancer cells, which effect could be further rescued by ERα overexpression. Further mechanistic study reveals that SHARPIN mainly localizes in the cytosol and interacts with ERα both in the cytosol and the nuclear. SHARPIN regulates ERα signaling through protein stability, not through gene expression. SHARPIN stabilizes ERα protein via prohibiting ERα protein poly-ubiquitination. Further study shows that SHARPIN could facilitate the mono-ubiquitinaiton of ERα at K302/303 sites and facilitate ERE luciferase activity. Together, our findings propose a novel ERα modulation mechanism in supporting breast cancer cell growth, in which SHARPIN could be one suitable target for development of novel therapy for ERα positive breast cancer.
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| 4. |
- Bai, Yang, et al.
(author)
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Geometry design of tethered small-molecule acceptor enables highly stable and efficient polymer solar cells
- 2023
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In: Nature Communications. - : NATURE PORTFOLIO. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- With the power conversion efficiency of binary polymer solar cells dramatically improved, the thermal stability of the small-molecule acceptors raised the main concerns on the device operating stability. Here, to address this issue, thiophene-dicarboxylate spacer tethered small-molecule acceptors are designed, and their molecular geometries are further regulated via the thiophene-core isomerism engineering, affording dimeric TDY-alpha with a 2, 5-substitution and TDY-beta with 3, 4-substitution on the core. It shows that TDY-alpha processes a higher glass transition temperature, better crystallinity relative to its individual small-molecule acceptor segment and isomeric counterpart of TDY-beta, and amore stablemorphology with the polymer donor. As a result, the TDY-alpha based device delivers a higher device efficiency of 18.1%, and most important, achieves an extrapolated lifetime of about 35000 hours that retaining 80% of their initial efficiency. Our result suggests that with proper geometry design, the tethered small-molecule acceptors can achieve both high device efficiency and operating stability.
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| 5. |
- Li, Xiaojie, et al.
(author)
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Ab initio calculations of mechanical properties of bcc W-Re-Os random alloys : effects of transmutation of W
- 2016
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In: Journal of Physics. - : Institute of Physics Publishing (IOPP). - 0953-8984 .- 1361-648X. ; 28:29
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- To examine the effect of neutron transmutation on tungsten as the first wall material of fusion reactors, the elastic properties of W1-x-yRexOsy (0 <= x, y <= 6%) random alloys in body centered cubic (bcc) structure are investigated systematically using the all-electron exact muffin-tin orbitals (EMTO) method in combination with the coherent-potential approximation (CPA). The calculated lattice constant and elastic properties of pure W are consistent with available experiments. Both Os and Re additions reduce the lattice constant and increase the bulk modulus of W, with Os having the stronger effect. The polycrystalline shear modulus, Young's modulus and the Debye temperature increase (decrease) with the addition of Re (Os). Except for C-11, the other elastic parameters including C-12, C-44, Cauchy pressure, Poisson ratio, B/G, increase as a function of Re and Os concentration. The variations of the latter three parameters and the trend in the ratio of cleavage energy to shear modulus for the most dominant slip system indicate that the ductility of the alloy enhances with increasing Re and Os content. The calculated elastic anisotropy of bcc W slightly increases with the concentration of both alloying elements. The estimated melting temperatures of the W-Re-Os alloy suggest that Re or Os addition will reduce the melting temperature of pure W solid. The classical Labusch-Nabarro model for solid-solution hardening predicts larger strengthening effects in W1-yOsy than in W1-xRex. A strong correlation between C' and the fcc-bcc structural energy difference for W1-x-yRexOsy is revealed demonstrating that canonical band structure dictates the alloying effect on C'. The structural energy difference is exploited to estimate the alloying effect on the ideal tensile strength in the [0 0 1] direction.
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| 6. |
- Li, Zheng, et al.
(author)
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Inkjet Printed Disposable High-Rate On-Paper Microsupercapacitors
- 2022
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In: Advanced Functional Materials. - : Wiley. - 1616-301X .- 1616-3028. ; 32:1, s. 2108773-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- On-paper microsupercapacitors (MSCs) are a key energy storage component for disposable electronics that are anticipated to essentially address the increasing global concern of electronic waste. However, nearly none of the present on-paper MSCs combine eco-friendliness with high electrochemical performance (especially the rate capacity). In this work, highly reliable conductive inks based on the ternary composite of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS), graphene quantum dots and graphene are developed for scalable inkjet printing of compact (footprint area ≈ 20 mm2) disposable MSCs on commercial paper substrates. Without any post treatment, the printed patterns attain a sheet resistance as low as 4 Ω ▫−1. The metal-free all-solid-state MSCs exhibit a maximum areal capacitance > 2 mF cm−2 at a high scan rate of 1000 mV s−1, long cycle life (>95% capacitance retention after 10 000 cycles), excellent flexibility, and long service time. Remarkably, the “totally metal-free” MSC arrays are fully inkjet printed on paper substrates and also exhibit high rate performance. The life cycle assessment indicates that these printed devices have much lower eco-toxicity and global warming potential than other on-paper MSCs.
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| 7. |
- Tang, Sui, et al.
(author)
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Association of plant-based diet index with sleep quality in middle-aged and older adults : The Healthy Dance Study
- 2023
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In: Sleep Health. - : Elsevier. - 2352-7218 .- 2352-7226. ; 9:5, s. 698-703
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: To investigate the association between plant-based diet indices and sleep quality in Chinese middle-aged and older adults.Methods: The study included 2424 participants aged 45 years and older. Dietary data were collected using a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, and sleep quality was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scale. Plant-based diet was categorized based on 3 indices (score range, 17-85) covering 17 food groups: the overall plant-based diet index, healthful plant-based diet index, and unhealthful plant-based diet index. The associations between these plant-based diet indices and sleep quality were examined using logistic and linear regression analyses.Results: After controlling for sociodemographic, lifestyle, and multiple disease-related factors, participants in the highest quartile of the healthful plant-based diet index had 0.55 higher odds of better sleep quality (95% CI: 0.42, 0.72; P-trend < .001). In contrast, participants in the highest quartile of the unhealthful plant-based diet index had 2.03 higher odds of poor sleep quality (95% CI: 1.51, 2.72; P-trend < .001). In addition, plant-based diet index and healthful plant-based diet index were inversely associated with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores, while unhealthful plant-based diet index and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores were positively associated.Conclusions: We found unhealthy plant-based diets are significantly associated with poor sleep quality. Adherence to overall plant-based diets, especially healthy plant-based diets, was positively associated with optimal sleep quality.(c) 2023 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 8. |
- Chen, Yangyang, et al.
(author)
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Wood-derived scaffolds decorating with nickel cobalt phosphate nanosheets and carbon nanotubes used as monolithic electrodes for assembling high-performance asymmetric supercapacitor
- 2023
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In: Chemical Engineering Journal. - : Elsevier BV. - 1385-8947 .- 1873-3212. ; 454
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lightweight carbonized wood (CW) loaded with pseudocapacitive materials has demonstrated excellent energy density. However, the direct loading of active materials usually results in poor rate performance and cycling stability. Herein, we fabricated a CW electrode with high loading of active materials and conductivity through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and electrodeposition to sequentially incorporate carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nickel-cobalt phosphate (NiCo-P) nanosheets. This integrated NiCo-P/CNT/CW electrode exhibited a promising areal capacitance of 11.2F cm-2 at a current density of 10 mA cm-2, and a notable capacitance retention rate of 86.6 % at 60 mA cm-2. The asymmetric supercapacitor (ASC) device assembled with the prepared electrode as anode and the self-activated carbonized wood (SCW) electrode as cathode delivers outstanding energy density of 5.74 mWh cm-3 (12.1 Wh kg -1) at power density of 18.75 mW cm-3 (39.5 W kg -1) while maintaining a high capacitance retention of 92.4 % after 10,000 charge-discharge cycles. This work provides an advanced approach for constructing supercapacitors with remarkable energy density and rate performance from the natural wood derived electrodes.
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| 9. |
- Cheng, Ming, et al.
(author)
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A Perylenediimide Tetramer-Based 3D Electron Transport Material for Efficient Planar Perovskite Solar Cell
- 2017
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In: Solar RRL. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2367-198X. ; 1:5
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A perylenediimide (PDI) tetramer-based three dimensional (3D) molecular material, termed SFX-PDI4, has been designed, synthesized, and characterized. The low-lying HOMO and LUMO energy levels, high electron mobility and good film-formation property make it a promising electron transport material (ETM) in inverted planar perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The device exhibits a high power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 15.3% with negligible hysteresis, which can rival that of device based on PC61BM. These results demonstrate that three dimensional PDI-based molecular materials could serve as high performance ETMs in PSCs.
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| 10. |
- Ding, Jiangwei, et al.
(author)
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All Roads Lead to Rome? : Genes Causing Dravet Syndrome and Dravet Syndrome-Like Phenotypes
- 2022
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In: Frontiers in Neurology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-2295. ; 13
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Dravet syndrome (DS) is a severe epileptic encephalopathy mainly caused by haploinsufficiency of the gene SCN1A, which encodes the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1. 1 in the brain. While SCN1A mutations are known to be the primary cause of DS, other genes that may cause DS are poorly understood. Several genes with pathogenic mutations result in DS or DS-like phenotypes, which may require different drug treatment approaches. Therefore, it is urgent for clinicians, especially epilepsy specialists to fully understand these genes involved in DS in addition to SCN1A. Particularly for healthcare providers, a deep understanding of these pathogenic genes is useful in properly selecting and adjusting drugs in a more effective and timely manner.Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify genes other than SCN1A that may also cause DS or DS-like phenotypes. Methods: A comprehensive search of relevant Dravet syndrome and severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy was performed in PubMed, until December 1, 2021. Two independent authors performed the screening for potentially eligible studies. Disagreements were decided by a third, more professional researcher or by all three. The results reported by each study were narratively summarized.Results: A PubMed search yielded 5,064 items, and other sources search 12 records. A total of 29 studies published between 2009 and 2021 met the inclusion criteria. Regarding the included articles, seven studies on PCDH19, three on SCN2A, two on SCN8A, five on SCN1B, two on GABRA1, three on GABRB3, three on GABRG2, and three on STXBP1 were included. Only one study was recorded for CHD2, CPLX1, HCN1 and KCNA2, respectively. It is worth noting that a few articles reported on more than one epilepsy gene.Conclusion: DS is not only identified in variants of SCN1A, but other genes such as PCDH19, SCN2A, SCN8A, SCN1B, GABRA1, GABRB3, GABRG2, KCNA2, CHD2, CPLX1, HCN1A, STXBP1 can also be involved in DS or DS-like phenotypes. As genetic testing becomes more widely available, more genes associated with DS and DS-like phenotypes may be identified and gene-based diagnosis of subtypes of phenotypes in this spectrum may improve the management of these diseases in the future.
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