| 1. |
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| 2. |
- Klionsky, Daniel J., et al.
(author)
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Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy
- 2012
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In: Autophagy. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1554-8635 .- 1554-8627. ; 8:4, s. 445-544
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Research review (peer-reviewed)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. |
- Chiu, Chun Chien, et al.
(author)
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Presence of Delocalized Ti 3d Electrons in Ultrathin Single-Crystal SrTiO3
- 2022
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In: Nano Letters. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 1530-6984 .- 1530-6992. ; 22:4, s. 1580-1586
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Strontium titanate (STO), with a wide spectrum of emergent properties such as ferroelectricity and superconductivity, has received significant attention in the community of strongly correlated materials. In the strain-free STO film grown on the SrRuO3 buffer layer, the existing polar nanoregions can facilitate room-temperature ferroelectricity when the STO film thickness approaches 10 nm. Here we show that around this thickness scale, the freestanding STO films without the influence of a substrate show the tetragonal structure at room temperature, contrasting with the cubic structure seen in bulk form. The spectroscopic measurements reveal the modified Ti-O orbital hybridization that causes the Ti ion to deviate from its nominal 4+ valency (3d0 configuration) with excess delocalized 3d electrons. Additionally, the Ti ion in TiO6 octahedron exhibits an off-center displacement. The inherent symmetry lowering in ultrathin freestanding films offers an alternative way to achieve tunable electronic structures that are of paramount importance for future technological applications.
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| 4. |
- Hua, Kuo-Tai, et al.
(author)
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N-α-acetyltransferase 10 protein suppresses cancer cell metastasis by binding PIX proteins and inhibiting Cdc42/Rac1 activity
- 2011
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In: Cancer Cell. - : Cell Press. - 1535-6108 .- 1878-3686. ; 19:2, s. 218-231
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- N-α-acetyltransferase 10 protein, Naa10p, is an N-acetyltransferase known to be involved in cell cycle control. We found that Naa10p was expressed lower in varieties of malignancies with lymph node metastasis compared with non-lymph node metastasis. Higher Naa10p expression correlates the survival of lung cancer patients. Naa10p significantly suppressed migration, tumor growth, and metastasis independent of its enzymatic activity. Instead, Naa10p binds to the GIT-binding domain of PIX, thereby preventing the formation of the GIT-PIX-Paxillin complex, resulting in reduced intrinsic Cdc42/Rac1 activity and decreased cell migration. Forced expression of PIX in Naa10-transfected tumor cells restored the migration and metastasis ability. We suggest that Naa10p functions as a tumor metastasis suppressor by disrupting the migratory complex, PIX-GIT- Paxillin, in cancer cells.
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| 5. |
- Liao, Shih-Fen, et al.
(author)
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Immunization of fucose-containing polysaccharides from Reishi mushroom induces antibodies to tumor-associated Globo H-series epitopes.
- 2013
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In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 110:34, s. 13809-13814
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Carbohydrate-based vaccines have shown therapeutic efficacy for infectious disease and cancer. The mushroom Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) containing complex polysaccharides has been used as antitumor supplement, but the mechanism of immune response has rarely been studied. Here, we show that the mice immunized with a l-fucose (Fuc)-enriched Reishi polysaccharide fraction (designated as FMS) induce antibodies against murine Lewis lung carcinoma cells, with increased antibody-mediated cytotoxicity and reduced production of tumor-associated inflammatory mediators (in particular, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1). The mice showed a significant increase in the peritoneal B1 B-cell population, suggesting FMS-mediated anti-glycan IgM production. Furthermore, the glycan microarray analysis of FMS-induced antisera displayed a high specificity toward tumor-associated glycans, with the antigenic structure located in the nonreducing termini (i.e., Fucα1-2Galβ1-3GalNAc-R, where Gal, GalNAc, and R represent, respectively, D-galactose, D-N-acetyl galactosamine, and reducing end), typically found in Globo H and related tumor antigens. The composition of FMS contains mainly the backbone of 1,4-mannan and 1,6-α-galactan and through the Fucα1-2Gal, Fucα1-3/4Man, Fucα1-4Xyl, and Fucα1-2Fuc linkages (where Man and Xyl represent d-mannose and d-xylose, respectively), underlying the molecular basis of the FMS-induced IgM antibodies against tumor-specific glycans.
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| 6. |
- Zhang, Tiankai, et al.
(author)
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Ion-modulated radical doping of spiro-OMeTAD for more efficient and stable perovskite solar cells
- 2022
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In: Science. - : AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE. - 0036-8075 .- 1095-9203. ; 377:6605, s. 495-501
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Record power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have been obtained with the organic hole transporter 2,2,7,7-tetrakis(N,N-di-p-methoxyphenyl-amine)9,9-spirobifluorene (spiro-OMeTAD). Conventional doping of spiro-OMeTAD with hygroscopic lithium salts and volatile 4-tert-butylpyridine is a time-consuming process and also leads to poor device stability. We developed a new doping strategy for spiro-OMeTAD that avoids post-oxidation by using stable organic radicals as the dopant and ionic salts as the doping modulator (referred to as ion-modulated radical doping). We achieved PCEs of >25% and much-improved device stability under harsh conditions. The radicals provide hole polarons that instantly increase the conductivity and work function (WF), and ionic salts further modulate the WF by affecting the energetics of the hole polarons. This organic semiconductor doping strategy, which decouples conductivity and WF tunability, could inspire further optimization in other optoelectronic devices.
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| 7. |
- Chiu, Chun-Chien, et al.
(author)
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Spectroscopic characterization of electronic structures of ultra-thin single crystal La0.7Sr0.3MnO3
- 2021
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have successfully fabricated high quality single crystalline La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) film in the freestanding form that can be transferred onto silicon wafer and copper mesh support. Using soft x-ray absorption (XAS) and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectroscopy in transmission and reflection geometries, we demonstrate that the x-ray emission from Mn 3s-2p core-to-core transition (3sPFY) seen in the RIXS maps can represent the bulk-like absorption signal with minimal self-absorption effect around the Mn L3-edge. Similar measurements were also performed on a reference LSMO film grown on the SrTiO3 substrate and the agreement between measurements substantiates the claim that the bulk electronic structures can be preserved even after the freestanding treatment process. The 3sPFY spectrum obtained from analyzing the RIXS maps offers a powerful way to probe the bulk electronic structures in thin films and heterostructures when recording the XAS spectra in the transmission mode is not available.
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| 8. |
- Teng, Pengpeng, et al.
(author)
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Degradation and self-repairing in perovskite light-emitting diodes
- 2021
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In: Matter. - : Elsevier. - 2590-2393 .- 2590-2385. ; 4:11, s. 3710-3724
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- One of the most critical challenges in perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) lies in poor operational stability. Although field dependent ion migration is believed to play an important role in the operation of perovskite optoelectronic devices, a complete understanding of how it affects the stability of PeLEDs is still missing. Here, we report a unique self-repairing behavior that the electroluminescence of moderately degraded PeLEDs can almost completely restore to their initial performance after resting. We find that the accumulated halides within the hole transport layer undergo back diffusion toward the surface of the perovskite layer during resting, repairing the vacancies and thus resulting in electroluminescence recovery. These findings indicate that one of the dominant degradation pathways in PeLEDs is the generation of halide vacancies at perovskite/hole transport layer interface during operation. We thus further passivate this key interface, which results in a high external quantum efficiency of 22.8% and obviously improved operational stability.
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| 9. |
- Ching, Tao-Chung, et al.
(author)
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The JCMT BISTRO-2 Survey: Magnetic Fields of the Massive DR21 Filament
- 2022
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 941:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present 850 mu m dust polarization observations of the massive DR21 filament from the B-fields In STar-forming Region Observations (BISTRO) survey, using the POL-2 polarimeter and the SCUBA-2 camera on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. We detect ordered magnetic fields perpendicular to the parsec-scale ridge of the DR21 main filament. In the subfilaments, the magnetic fields are mainly parallel to the filamentary structures and smoothly connect to the magnetic fields of the main filament. We compare the POL-2 and Planck dust polarization observations to study the magnetic field structures of the DR21 filament on 0.1-10 pc scales. The magnetic fields revealed in the Planck data are well-aligned with those of the POL-2 data, indicating a smooth variation of magnetic fields from large to small scales. The plane-of-sky magnetic field strengths derived from angular dispersion functions of dust polarization are 0.6-1.0 mG in the DR21 filament and similar to 0.1 mG in the surrounding ambient gas. The mass-to-flux ratios are found to be magnetically supercritical in the filament and slightly subcritical to nearly critical in the ambient gas. The alignment between column density structures and magnetic fields changes from random alignment in the low-density ambient gas probed by Planck to mostly perpendicular in the high-density main filament probed by James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. The magnetic field structures of the DR21 filament are in agreement with MHD simulations of a strongly magnetized medium, suggesting that magnetic fields play an important role in shaping the DR21 main filament and subfilaments.
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| 10. |
- Hsieh, Yves S-Y, et al.
(author)
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Structure and bioactivity of the polysaccharides in medicinal plant Dendrobium huoshanense
- 2008
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In: Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry. - : Elsevier. - 0968-0896 .- 1464-3391. ; 16:11, s. 6054-68
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Detailed structures of the active polysaccharides extracted from the leaf and stem cell walls and mucilage of Dendrobium huoshanense are determined by using various techniques, including chromatographic, spectroscopic, chemical, and enzymatic methods. The mucilage polysaccharide exhibits specific functions in activating murine splenocytes to produce several cytokines including IFN-gamma, IL-10, IL-6, and IL-1alpha, as well as hematopoietic growth factors GM-CSF and G-CSF. However, the deacetylated mucilage obtained from an alkaline treatment fails to induce cytokine production. The structure and bioactivity of mucilage components are validated by further fractionation. This is the first study that provides clear evidence for the structure and activity relationship of the polysaccharide in D. huoshanense.
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