| 1. |
- Fu, Xi, et al.
(author)
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Associations between respiratory infections and bacterial microbiome in student dormitories in Northern China.
- 2020
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In: Indoor Air. - : Hindawi Limited. - 0905-6947 .- 1600-0668. ; 30:5, s. 816-826
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent studies reveal that the microbial diversity and composition in the respiratory tract are related to the susceptibility, development, and progression of respiratory infections. Indoor microorganisms can transmit into the respiratory tract through breathing, but their role in infections is unclear. Here, we present the first association study between the indoor microbiome and respiratory infections. In total, 357 students living in 86 dormitory rooms in Shanxi University were randomly selected to survey symptoms of infections. Settled air dust was collected to characterize bacterial compositions by 16S rRNA sequencing. The overall microbial richness was not associated with respiratory infections, but microorganisms from specific phylogenetic classes showed various associations. Taxa richness and abundance of Actinobacteria were protectively associated with infections (P < .05). The abundance of several genera in Gammaproteobacteria, including Haemophilus, Klebsiella, Buttiauxella, and Raoultella, was positively associated with infections (P < .005). The role of these microorganisms was consistent with previous human microbiota studies. Building age was associated with the overall microbial composition variation in dormitories and negatively associated with three potential risk genera in Proteobacteria (P < .05). The weight of vacuum dust was positively associated with a protective genus, Micrococcus in Actinobacteria (P < .05).
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| 2. |
- Fu, Xi, et al.
(author)
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Derived habitats of indoor microbes are associated with asthma symptoms in Chinese university dormitories
- 2021
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In: Environmental Research. - : Elsevier. - 0013-9351 .- 1096-0953. ; 194
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Increasing evidence from the home environment indicates that indoor microbiome exposure is associated with asthma development. However, indoor microbiome composition can be highly diverse and dynamic, and thus current studies fail to produce consistent results. Chinese university dormitories are special high-density dwellings with similar building and occupants characteristics, which facilitate to disentangle the complex interactions between microbes, environmental characteristics and asthma. Settled air dust and floor dust was collected from 87 dormitory rooms in Shanxi University. Bacterial communities were characterized by 16 S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Students (n = 357) were surveyed for asthma symptoms and measured for fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO). Asthma was not associated with the overall bacterial richness but associated with specific phylogenetic classes. Taxa richness and abundance in Clostridia, including Ruminococcus, Blautia, Clostridium and Subdoligranulum, were positively associated with asthma (p < 0.05), and these taxa were mainly derived from the human gut. Taxa richness in Alphaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria were marginally protectively associated with asthma, and these taxa were mainly derived from the outdoor environment. Bacterial richness and abundance were not associated with FeNO levels. Building age was associated with overall bacterial community variation in air and floor dust (p < 0.05), but not associated with the asthma-related microorganisms. Our data shows that taxa from different phylogenetic classes and derived habitats have different health effects, indicating the importance of incorporating phylogenetic and ecological concepts in revealing patterns in the microbiome asthma association analysis.
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| 3. |
- Guo, Junji, et al.
(author)
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Mechanistic Insights into the Coloration, Evolution, and Degradation of NiOx Electrochromic Anodes
- 2018
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In: Inorganic Chemistry. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 0020-1669 .- 1520-510X. ; 57:15, s. 8874-8880
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- NiOx is recognized as the leading candidate for smart window anodes that can dynamically modulate optical absorption, thereby achieving energy efficiency in construction buildings. However, the electrochromic mechanism in NiOx is not yet clear, and the ionic species involved are sometimes ambiguous, particularly in aprotic electrolytes. We demonstrate herein that the "net coloration effect" originates from newly generated high-valence Ni3+/Ni4+ ions during anion-dependent anodization, and the Li+ intercalation/deintercalation only plays a role in modulating the oxidation state of Ni. Unambiguous evidences proving the occurrence of anodization reaction were obtained by both chronoamperometry and cyclic voltammetry. Benefiting from the irreversible polarization of Ni2+ to Ni3+/Ni4+, the quantity of voltammetric charge increases by similar to 38% under the same test conditions, enhancing the corresponding electrochromic modulation by similar to 8%. Strong linkages between the coloration, evolution, and degradation observed in this work provide in-depth insights into the electrocatalytic and electrochromic mechanisms.
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| 4. |
- Adl, Sina M., et al.
(author)
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Revisions to the Classification, Nomenclature, and Diversity of Eukaryotes
- 2019
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In: Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology. - : WILEY. - 1066-5234 .- 1550-7408. ; 66:1, s. 4-119
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This revision of the classification of eukaryotes follows that of Adl et al., 2012 [J. Euk. Microbiol. 59(5)] and retains an emphasis on protists. Changes since have improved the resolution of many nodes in phylogenetic analyses. For some clades even families are being clearly resolved. As we had predicted, environmental sampling in the intervening years has massively increased the genetic information at hand. Consequently, we have discovered novel clades, exciting new genera and uncovered a massive species level diversity beyond the morphological species descriptions. Several clades known from environmental samples only have now found their home. Sampling soils, deeper marine waters and the deep sea will continue to fill us with surprises. The main changes in this revision are the confirmation that eukaryotes form at least two domains, the loss of monophyly in the Excavata, robust support for the Haptista and Cryptista. We provide suggested primer sets for DNA sequences from environmental samples that are effective for each clade. We have provided a guide to trophic functional guilds in an appendix, to facilitate the interpretation of environmental samples, and a standardized taxonomic guide for East Asian users.
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| 5. |
- Fu, Xi, et al.
(author)
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Continental-Scale Microbiome Study Reveals Different Environmental Characteristics Determining Microbial Richness, Composition, and Quantity in Hotel Rooms
- 2020
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In: mSystems. - : AMER SOC MICROBIOLOGY. - 2379-5077. ; 5:3
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Culture-independent microbiome surveys have been conducted in homes, hospitals, schools, kindergartens and vehicles for public transport, revealing diverse microbial distributions in built environments. However, microbiome composition and the associated environmental characteristics have not been characterized in hotel environments. We presented here the first continental-scale microbiome study of hotel rooms (n = 68) spanning Asia and Europe. Bacterial and fungal communities were described by amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region and quantitative PCR. Similar numbers of bacterial (4,344) and fungal (4,555) operational taxonomic units were identified in the same sequencing depth, but most fungal taxa showed a restricted distribution compared to bacterial taxa. Aerobic, ubiquitous bacteria dominated the hotel microbiome with compositional similarity to previous samples from building and human nasopharynx environments. The abundance of Aspergillus was negatively correlated with latitude and accounted for -80% of the total fungal load in seven low-latitude hotels. We calculated the association between hotel microbiome and 16 indoor and outdoor environmental characteristics. Fungal composition and absolute quantity showed concordant associations with the same environmental characteristics, including latitude, quality of the interior, proximity to the sea, and visible mold, while fungal richness was negatively associated with heavy traffic (95% confidence interval [CI] = -127.05 to -0.25) and wall-to-wall carpet (95% CI = -47.60 to -3.82). Bacterial compositional variation was associated with latitude, quality of the interior, and floor type, while bacterial richness was negatively associated with recent redecoration (95% CI -179.00 to -44.55) and mechanical ventilation (95% CI = -136.71 to -5.12). IMPORTANCE This is the first microbiome study to characterize the microbiome data and associated environmental characteristics in hotel environments. In this study, we found concordant variation between fungal compositional variation and absolute quantity and discordant variation between community variation/quantity and richness. Our study can be used to promote hotel hygiene standards and provide resource information for future microbiome and exposure studies associated with health effects in hotel rooms.
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| 6. |
- Ge, Linke, et al.
(author)
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Aqueous multivariate phototransformation kinetics of dissociated tetracycline : implications for the photochemical fate in surface waters
- 2018
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In: Environmental Science and Pollution Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0944-1344 .- 1614-7499. ; 25:16, s. 15726-15732
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Antibiotics are ubiquitous pollutants in aquatic systems and can exist as different dissociated species depending on the water pH. New knowledge of their multivariate photochemical behavior (i.e., the photobehavior of different ionized forms) is needed to improve our understanding on the fate and possible remediation of these pharmaceuticals in surface and waste waters. In this study, the photochemical degradation of aqueous tetracycline (TC) and its dissociated forms (TCH20, TCH-, and TC2-) was investigated. Simulated sunlight experiments and matrix calculations indicated that the three dissociated species had dissimilar photolytic kinetics and photo-oxidation reactivities. TC2- photo-degraded the fastest due to apparent photolysis with a kinetic constant of 0.938 +/- 0.021 min(-1), followed by TCH- (0.020 +/- 0.005 min(-1)) and TCH20 (0.012 +/- 0.001 min(-1)), whereas Tar was found to be the most highly reactive toward center dot OH (105.78 +/- 3.40 M(-1 )s(-1)), and TC2- reacted the fastest with O-1(2) (344.96 +/- 45.07 M-1 s(-1)). Water with relatively high pH (e.g., similar to 8-9) favors the dissociated forms of TCH- and TC2- which are most susceptible to photochemical loss processes compared to neutral TC. The calculated corresponding environmental half-lives (t(1/2,E) ) in sunlit surface waters ranged from 0.05 h for pH = 9 in midsummer to 3.68 h for pH = 6 in midwinter at 45 degrees N latitude. The moms was dominated by apparent photolysis (especially in summer, 62-91%), followed by O-1(2) and center dot OH oxidation. Adjusting the pH to slightly alkaline conditions prior to UV or solar UV light treatment may be an effective way of enhancing the photochemical removal of TC from contaminated water.
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| 7. |
- Leger, Michelle M., et al.
(author)
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Organelles that illuminate the origins of Trichomonas hydrogenosomes and Giardia mitosomes
- 2017
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In: NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2397-334X. ; 1:4
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Many anaerobic microbial parasites possess highly modified mitochondria known as mitochondrion-related organelles (MROs). The best-studied of these are the hydrogenosomes of Trichomonas vaginalis and Spironucleus salmonicida, which produce ATP anaerobically through substrate-level phosphorylation with concomitant hydrogen production; and the mitosomes of Giardia intestinalis, which are functionally reduced and lack any role in ATP production. Howewer, to understand the metabolic specializations that these MROs underwent in adaptation to parasitism, data from their free-living relatives are needed. Here, we present a large-scale comparative transcriptomic study of MROs across a major eukaryotic group, Metamonada, examining lineage-specific gain and loss of metabolic functions in the MROs of Trichomonas, Giardia, Spironucleus and their free-living relatives. Our analyses uncover a complex history of ATP production machinery in diplomonads such as Giardia, and their closest relative, Dysnectes; and a correlation between the glycine cleavage machinery and lifestyles. Our data further suggest the existence of a previously undescribed biochemical class of MRO that generates hydrogen but is incapable of ATP synthesis.
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| 8. |
- Liang, Ying-Chang, et al.
(author)
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Symbiotic Radio: Cognitive Backscattering Communications for Future Wireless Networks
- 2020
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In: IEEE Transactions on Cognitive Communications and Networking. - : IEEE-INST ELECTRICAL ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS INC. - 2332-7731. ; 6:4, s. 1242-1255
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The heterogenous wireless services and exponentially growing traffic call for novel spectrum- and energy-efficient wireless communication technologies. Recently, a new technique, called symbiotic radio (SR), is proposed to exploit the benefits and address the drawbacks of cognitive radio (CR) and ambient backscattering communications (AmBC), leading to mutualism spectrum sharing and highly reliable backscattering communications. In particular, the secondary transmitter (STx) in SR transmits messages to the secondary receiver (SRx) over the RF signals originating from the primary transmitter (PTx) based on cognitive backscattering communications, thus the secondary system shares not only the radio spectrum, but also the power, and infrastructure with the primary system. In return, the secondary transmission provides beneficial multipath diversity to the primary system, therefore the two systems form mutualism spectrum sharing. More importantly, joint decoding is exploited at SRx to achieve highly reliable backscattering communications. In this article, to exploit the full potential of SR, we provide a systematic view for SR and address three fundamental tasks in SR: (1) enhancing the backscattering link via active load; (2) achieving highly reliable communications through joint decoding; and (3) capturing PTxs RF signals using reconfigurable intelligent surfaces. Emerging applications, design challenges and open research problems will also be discussed.
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| 9. |
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| 10. |
- Lin, Yuze, et al.
(author)
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Balanced Partnership between Donor and Acceptor Components in Nonfullerene Organic Solar Cells with > 12% Efficiency
- 2018
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In: Advanced Materials. - : WILEY-V C H VERLAG GMBH. - 0935-9648 .- 1521-4095. ; 30:16
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Relative to electron donors for bulk heterojunction organic solar cells (OSCs), electron acceptors that absorb strongly in the visible and even near-infrared region are less well developed, which hinders the further development of OSCs. Fullerenes as traditional electron acceptors have relatively weak visible absorption and limited electronic tunability, which constrains the optical and electronic properties required of the donor. Here, high-performance fullerene-free OSCs based on a combination of a medium-bandgap polymer donor (FTAZ) and a narrow-bandgap nonfullerene acceptor (IDIC), which exhibit complementary absorption, matched energy levels, and blend with pure phases on the exciton diffusion length scale, are reported. The single-junction OSCs based on the FTAZ:IDIC blend exhibit power conversion efficiencies up to 12.5% with a certified value of 12.14%. Transient absorption spectroscopy reveals that exciting either the donor or the acceptor component efficiently generates mobile charges, which do not suffer from recombination to triplet states. Balancing photocurrent generation between the donor and nonfullerene acceptor removes undesirable constraints on the donor imposed by fullerene derivatives, opening a new avenue toward even higher efficiency for OSCs.
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