1. |
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2. |
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3. |
- Kristanl, Matej, et al.
(author)
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The Seventh Visual Object Tracking VOT2019 Challenge Results
- 2019
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In: 2019 IEEE/CVF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON COMPUTER VISION WORKSHOPS (ICCVW). - : IEEE COMPUTER SOC. - 9781728150239 ; , s. 2206-2241
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Visual Object Tracking challenge VOT2019 is the seventh annual tracker benchmarking activity organized by the VOT initiative. Results of 81 trackers are presented; many are state-of-the-art trackers published at major computer vision conferences or in journals in the recent years. The evaluation included the standard VOT and other popular methodologies for short-term tracking analysis as well as the standard VOT methodology for long-term tracking analysis. The VOT2019 challenge was composed of five challenges focusing on different tracking domains: (i) VOT-ST2019 challenge focused on short-term tracking in RGB, (ii) VOT-RT2019 challenge focused on "real-time" short-term tracking in RGB, (iii) VOT-LT2019 focused on long-term tracking namely coping with target disappearance and reappearance. Two new challenges have been introduced: (iv) VOT-RGBT2019 challenge focused on short-term tracking in RGB and thermal imagery and (v) VOT-RGBD2019 challenge focused on long-term tracking in RGB and depth imagery. The VOT-ST2019, VOT-RT2019 and VOT-LT2019 datasets were refreshed while new datasets were introduced for VOT-RGBT2019 and VOT-RGBD2019. The VOT toolkit has been updated to support both standard short-term, long-term tracking and tracking with multi-channel imagery. Performance of the tested trackers typically by far exceeds standard baselines. The source code for most of the trackers is publicly available from the VOT page. The dataset, the evaluation kit and the results are publicly available at the challenge website(1).
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4. |
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5. |
- Ali, Muhaddisa Barat, 1986, et al.
(author)
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A Feasibility Study on Deep Learning Based Brain Tumor Segmentation Using 2D Ellipse Box Areas.
- 2022
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In: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland). - : MDPI AG. - 1424-8220. ; 22:14
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In most deep learning-based brain tumor segmentation methods, training the deep network requires annotated tumor areas. However, accurate tumor annotation puts high demands on medical personnel. The aim of this study is to train a deep network for segmentation by using ellipse box areas surrounding the tumors. In the proposed method, the deep network is trained by using a large number of unannotated tumor images with foreground (FG) and background (BG) ellipse box areas surrounding the tumor and background, and a small number of patients (<20) with annotated tumors. The training is conducted by initial training on two ellipse boxes on unannotated MRIs, followed by refined training on a small number of annotated MRIs. We use a multi-stream U-Net for conducting our experiments, which is an extension of the conventional U-Net. This enables the use of complementary information from multi-modality (e.g., T1, T1ce, T2, and FLAIR) MRIs. To test the feasibility of the proposed approach, experiments and evaluation were conducted on two datasets for glioma segmentation. Segmentation performance on the test sets is then compared with those used on the same network but trained entirely by annotated MRIs. Our experiments show that the proposed method has obtained good tumor segmentation results on the test sets, wherein the dice score on tumor areas is (0.8407, 0.9104), and segmentation accuracy on tumor areas is (83.88%, 88.47%) for the MICCAI BraTS'17 and US datasets, respectively. Comparing the segmented results by using the network trained by all annotated tumors, the drop in the segmentation performance from the proposed approach is (0.0594, 0.0159) in the dice score, and (8.78%, 2.61%) in segmented tumor accuracy for MICCAI and US test sets, which is relatively small. Our case studies have demonstrated that training the network for segmentation by using ellipse box areas in place of all annotated tumors is feasible, and can be considered as an alternative, which is a trade-off between saving medical experts' time annotating tumors and a small drop in segmentation performance.
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6. |
- Arzoumanian, Doris, et al.
(author)
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Dust polarized emission observations of NGC 6334: BISTRO reveals the details of the complex but organized magnetic field structure of the high-mass star-forming hub-filament network
- 2021
-
In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 647
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. Molecular filaments and hubs have received special attention recently thanks to new studies showing their key role in star formation. While the (column) density and velocity structures of both filaments and hubs have been carefully studied, their magnetic field (B-field) properties have yet to be characterized. Consequently, the role of B-fields in the formation and evolution of hub-filament systems is not well constrained. Aims. We aim to understand the role of the B-field and its interplay with turbulence and gravity in the dynamical evolution of the NGC 6334 filament network that harbours cluster-forming hubs and high-mass star formation. Methods. We present new observations of the dust polarized emission at 850 μm toward the 2 pc × 10 pc map of NGC 6334 at a spatial resolution of 0.09 pc obtained with the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) as part of the B-field In STar-forming Region Observations (BISTRO) survey. We study the distribution and dispersion of the polarized intensity (PI), the polarization fraction (PF), and the plane-of-The-sky B-field angle (χB_POS) toward the whole region, along the 10 pc-long ridge and along the sub-filaments connected to the ridge and the hubs. We derived the power spectra of the intensity and χBPOS along the ridge crest and compared them with the results obtained from simulated filaments. Results. The observations span 3 orders of magnitude in Stokes I and PI and 2 orders of magnitude in PF (from 0.2 to 20%). A large scatter in PI and PF is observed for a given value of I. Our analyses show a complex B-field structure when observed over the whole region ( 10 pc); however, at smaller scales (1 pc), χBPOS varies coherently along the crests of the filament network. The observed power spectrum of χBPOS can be well represented with a power law function with a slope of-1.33 ± 0.23, which is 20% shallower than that of I. We find that this result is compatible with the properties of simulated filaments and may indicate the physical processes at play in the formation and evolution of star-forming filaments. Along the sub-filaments, χBPOS rotates frombeing mostly perpendicular or randomly oriented with respect to the crests to mostly parallel as the sub-filaments merge with the ridge and hubs. This variation of the B-field structure along the sub-filaments may be tracing local velocity flows of infalling matter in the ridge and hubs. Our analysis also suggests a variation in the energy balance along the crests of these sub-filaments, from magnetically critical or supercritical at their far ends to magnetically subcritical near the ridge and hubs. We also detect an increase in PF toward the high-column density (NH2 â 1023 cm-2) star cluster-forming hubs. These latter large PF values may be explained by the increase in grain alignment efficiency due to stellar radiation from the newborn stars, combined with an ordered B-field structure. Conclusions. These observational results reveal for the first time the characteristics of the small-scale (down to 0.1 pc) B-field structure of a 10 pc-long hub-filament system. Our analyses show variations in the polarization properties along the sub-filaments that may be tracing the evolution of their physical properties during their interaction with the ridge and hubs. We also detect an impact of feedback from young high-mass stars on the local B-field structure and the polarization properties, which could put constraints on possible models for dust grain alignment and provide important hints as to the interplay between the star formation activity and interstellar B-fields.
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7. |
- Backlund, Per, 1964-, et al.
(author)
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Teaching cardiovascular health through a purposeful game
- 2022
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In: Collection of materials: II International Scientific and Practical Internet Conference "Innovative Solutions in Economy, Business, Public Communications and International Relationships", April 21, 2022, Dnipro. - Dnipro : Університет митної справи та фінансів / Universytet mytnoyi spravy ta finansiv. ; , s. 391-396
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Conference paper (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Games for health is one of the most prominent areas for serious games, i.e. games with a purpose beyond only entertainment. The purpose of a health game may be to inform about health related issues; promote healthy lifestyles and even to drive behavioral change. This paper outlines the initial game design considerations and some future research directions for a game focusing on cardiovascular health. As the overall aim of the project is to promote a healthy lifestyle through diet and physical activity to prevent future cardiovascular disease, we focused on “taking care of your heart” as the basis for the game. Hence we call the game Happy Heart and use a heart symbol as a non-playable character (NPC) that the player needs to take care of. To some extent we are inspired by the electronic Tamagochi toys (Bandai) where players need to take care of a digital pet. The heart symbol is universal and is also an ideograph that expresses the concept of love and as such it transcends language barriers.The burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD) is rapidly increasing across the world. Today they are the main drivers of morbidity, disability, and mortality in low- and middle income countries (LMICs), and are expected to increase due to unhealthy lifestyles in the wake of ongoing societal changes [1]. Among the major risk factors in many LMICs are poor diet, insufficient physical activity, tobacco and alcohol consumption, and exposure to hazardous substances, e.g. from air pollution. LMICs currently contribute three quarters of the deaths from NCD.Among the NCD, cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of hospitalization in Nepal [1]. Digitalization and collaboration with the education sector (e.g. community schools) in health promotion interventions could further improve children’s behavior by targeting factors that affect their lifestyle outside the family environment [4]. Hence, the Digital Game Based Learning approach.
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8. |
- Bai, Hua, 1990-, et al.
(author)
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A Model for Balancing Clarity and Appeal in Serious Game Visuals
- 2023
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In: Proceedings of the 17th European Conference on Games Based Learning. - : Academic Conferences International Limited. - 9781914587887 - 9781914587894 ; , s. 46-52
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In serious game development, graphic design needs to be eye-catching, while also depicting subject matter content in a responsible, accurate, and clear way. Previous research has shown that abstract and symbolic game visuals seem to be preferable for learning and providing an engaging experience. Our research focuses on describing the challenges involved in creating effective visual communication through game graphics in cross cultures. In particular, we’re interested in examining if certain styles of visual communication are more or less effective between different cultural demographics. To examine this, we have created a serious game which aims to promote healthy food and nutrition habits to teenagers in both Nepalese and Swedish schools and by doing so also motivate behavioral changes toward healthier eating habits. We are currently conducting studies to see whether preferences and image recognition differ between the two demographical spheres. This paper will only discuss the exploratory study done in Nepal. Ultimately, this paper aims to contribute development guidelines that can aid developers in creating more effective visual communication in their serious games, and we primarily focus on exploring what we call the compromise of ‘clarity’ and ‘appeal’ in the creation of game graphics. We present an initial model for choosing at what level in terms of realism/abstraction and taxonomic hierarchy the graphical components of serious games optimally should be produced in order to solve the dilemma of precise, unmistakable, yet appealing visuals in serious games. It all comes down to two primary decisions: defining the taxonomic hierarchy of the items to depict, and choosing the style in which to depict them. With a better understanding of when different game visuals are more or less appropriate, both in terms of style and in which objects are represented, game developers will be able to balance production costs better while also creating something that strikes the compromise between clarity and appeal.
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9. |
- Bai, Hua, 1990-, et al.
(author)
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An Exploratory Study on Nepalese Teenager’s Visual Recognition and Preferences in Serious Games
- 2022
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In: Proceedings 2022 IEEE International Conference on e-Business Engineering ICEBE 2022. - : IEEE Computer Society. - 9781665492447 - 9781665492454 ; , s. 13-18
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In serious game development, effective communication through both languages, sounds, and icons can be crucial for a game to have its intended impact. While this is also true for entertainment games, serious games have added layers of challenges as they are a) often played by audiences outside of the “typical” game ecosystem, and b) miscommunication can lead to players missing important lessons or even learning incorrect information. When a serious game is intended to be used in different parts of the world, however, clear visual communication gets an added layer of complexity: culturally informed symbol interpretation and visual preference. In order to examine how these might affect players’ experiences when playing serious games, this paper presents the results of a mixed-method study conducted in two schools in Nepal. The study included 10 participants, between 13-16 years old, who played a prototype of a mobile game currently in development, which has the purpose of teaching young players about food nutrition and healthy habits. After playing the prototype, they took a short survey where they were asked to identify different food types, and they were also interviewed to discuss their opinions of the game’s visual style. The results of the study indicate that, while higher fidelity images were much easier to correctly identify by the participants, the participants’ preference for visual fidelity varied to a large degree.
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10. |
- Bai, Hua, 1990-, et al.
(author)
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Game graphics and effective learning : A review of visual communication research in serious games
- 2022
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In: Proceedings of the International Conferences Interfaces and Human Computer Interaction 2022, Game and Entertainment Technologies 2022. - : IADIS Press. - 9789898704412 ; , s. 165-173
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The visuals of a game is a crucial element when it comes to providing good player experiences. Visuals are also an incredibly complex subject in a game context since different modes of visual representation can be more or less “appropriate” for different settings. For example, while one can look at photo-realism as an impressive feature of a game due to its technical complexity and functionally accurate representation of real-world objects, it might still not be a fitting choice for different audiences, or for different pedagogical strategies. Serious game research seldom focuses on understanding the design of these components or their applicability to different types of learning, and it more often focuses on games’ mechanics and how well they manage to capture subject matter content while still being engaging. The aim of this paper is to explore the gap in visual communication research, describing what studies tend to focus on providing some valuable context. This review was conducted on papers that dealt with visual aspects of serious games. The results show that visual communication is rarely addressed in serious game development research. Future research would benefit from taking visual communication in detail to facilitate the effectiveness of serious games.
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11. |
- Bai, Hua, 1990-
(author)
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Happy Heart : A Game about Healthy Lifestyles for Nepalese Teenagers
- 2023
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In: GSGS'23. - Switzerland : Gamification & Serious Game Symposium. - 9782940387298 ; , s. 22-22
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Today non-communicable diseases (NCD) are the main drivers of morbidity, disability, and mortality in low- and middle-income countries, and are expected to increase due to unhealthy lifestyles in the wake of ongoing societal changes. In Nepal, heart disease is the most common NCD, causing a majority of the country’s hospitalizations.Previous research found that this issue stems from a lack of information regarding nutrition and healthy activities. Our project initially mapped out the details of this knowledge gap by producing a Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice report based on field studies conducted in Nepal. Based on this report, we have created a mobile serious game - Happy Heart - that aims to fill the identified gaps by providing information, but also by presenting it in a way that we hope changes peoples’ attitudes towards healthy lifestyles. The game presents four main challenges: identifying and categorizing food items based on nutrition, preparing healthy meals, and planning a healthy weekly calendar.The project is a collaboration between the University of Skövde (Sweden), Kathmandu Medical College, and Patan Academy of Health Sciences (Nepal).
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12. |
- Bai, Lichen, et al.
(author)
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Visible-light-driven selective oxidation of benzyl alcohol and thioanisole by molecular ruthenium catalyst modified hematite
- 2016
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In: Chemical Communications. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 1359-7345 .- 1364-548X. ; 52:62, s. 9711-9714
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Molecular ruthenium catalysts were found to selectively catalyze the oxidation of thioanisole to sulfoxide with a yield up to 100% in the presence of visible light and sacrificial reagents when they were anchored onto hematite powder. The composite photocatalysts also showed about 5 times higher efficiencies in benzyl alcohol oxidation than the system composed of dispersed molecular catalysts and hematite particles in aqueous solution. A photoelectrochemical cell based on a molecular catalyst modified hematite photoanode was further fabricated, which exhibited high activity towards the oxidation of organic substrates.
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13. |
- Bai, Xiangning, et al.
(author)
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Genomic Insights Into Clinical Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Strains: A 15-Year Period Survey in Jonkoping, Sweden
- 2021
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In: Frontiers in Microbiology. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 1664-302X. ; 12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are important foodborne pathogens that can cause human infections ranging from asymptomatic carriage to bloody diarrhea (BD) and fatal hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). However, the molecular mechanism of STEC pathogenesis is not entirely known. Here, we demonstrated a large scale of molecular epidemiology and in-depth genomic study of clinical STEC isolates utilizing clinical and epidemiological data collected in Region Jonkoping County, Sweden, over a 15-year period. Out of 184 STEC isolates recovered from distinct patients, 55 were from patients with BD, and 129 were from individuals with non-bloody stools (NBS). Five individuals developed HUS. Adults were more associated with BD. Serotypes O157:H7, O26:H11, O103:H2, O121:H19, and O104:H4 were more often associated with BD. The presence of Shiga toxin-encoding gene subtypes stx(2a), stx(2a) + stx(2c), and stx(1a) + stx(2c) was associated with BD, while stx(1)(a) was associated with milder disease. Multiplex virulence and accessory genes were correlated with BD; these genes encode toxins, adhesion, autotransporters, invasion, and secretion system. A number of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes, such as aminoglycoside, aminocoumarin, macrolide, and fluoroquinolone resistance genes, were prevalent among clinical STEC isolates. Whole-genome phylogeny revealed that O157 and non-O157 STEC isolates evolved from distinct lineages with a few exceptions. Isolates from BD showed more tendency to cluster closely. In conclusion, this study unravels molecular trait of clinical STEC strains and identifies genetic factors associated with severe clinical outcomes, which could contribute to management of STEC infections and disease progression if confirmed by further functional validation.
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14. |
- 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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15. |
- Chen, Mei-Qin, et al.
(author)
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Arabidopsis NMD3 is required for nuclear export of 60S ribosomal subunits and affects secondary cell wall thickening
- 2012
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In: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 7:4, s. 35904-35904
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- NMD3 is required for nuclear export of the 60S ribosomal subunit in yeast and vertebrate cells, but no corresponding function of NMD3 has been reported in plants. Here we report that Arabidopsis thaliana NMD3 (AtNMD3) showed a similar function in the nuclear export of the 60S ribosomal subunit. Interference with AtNMD3 function by overexpressing a truncated dominant negative form of the protein lacking the nuclear export signal sequence caused retainment of the 60S ribosomal subunits in the nuclei. More interestingly, the transgenic Arabidopsis with dominant negative interference of AtNMD3 function showed a striking failure of secondary cell wall thickening, consistent with the altered expression of related genes and composition of cell wall components. Observation of a significant decrease of rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER) in the differentiating interfascicular fiber cells of the transgenic plant stems suggested a link between the defective nuclear export of 60S ribosomal subunits and the abnormal formation of the secondary cell wall. These findings not only clarified the evolutionary conservation of NMD3 functions in the nuclear export of 60S ribosomal subunits in yeast, animals and plants, but also revealed a new facet of the regulatory mechanism underlying secondary cell wall thickening in Arabidopsis. This new facet is that the nuclear export of 60S ribosomal subunits and the formation of RER may play regulatory roles in coordinating protein synthesis in cytoplasm and transcription in nuclei.
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16. |
- 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
-
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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17. |
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18. |
- Doi, Yasuo, et al.
(author)
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The JCMT BISTRO Survey: Magnetic Fields Associated with a Network of Filaments in NGC 1333
- 2020
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 899:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present new observations of the active star formation region NGC 1333 in the Perseus molecular cloud complex from the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope B-Fields In Star-forming Region Observations (BISTRO) survey with the POL-2 instrument. The BISTRO data cover the entire NGC 1333 complex (∼1.5 pc ? 2 pc) at 0.02 pc resolution and spatially resolve the polarized emission from individual filamentary structures for the first time. The inferred magnetic field structure is complex as a whole, with each individual filament aligned at different position angles relative to the local field orientation. We combine the BISTRO data with low- and high- resolution data derived from Planck and interferometers to study the multiscale magnetic field structure in this region. The magnetic field morphology drastically changes below a scale of ∼1 pc and remains continuous from the scales of filaments (∼0.1 pc) to that of protostellar envelopes (∼0.005 pc or ∼1000 au). Finally, we construct simple models in which we assume that the magnetic field is always perpendicular to the long axis of the filaments. We demonstrate that the observed variation of the relative orientation between the filament axes and the magnetic field angles are well reproduced by this model, taking into account the projection effects of the magnetic field and filaments relative to the plane of the sky. These projection effects may explain the apparent complexity of the magnetic field structure observed at the resolution of BISTRO data toward the filament network.
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19. |
- Eswaraiah, Chakali, et al.
(author)
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The JCMT BISTRO Survey: Revealing the Diverse Magnetic Field Morphologies in Taurus Dense Cores with Sensitive Submillimeter Polarimetry
- 2021
-
In: Astrophysical Journal Letters. - : American Astronomical Society. - 2041-8213 .- 2041-8205. ; 912:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We have obtained sensitive dust continuum polarization observations at 850 μm in the B213 region of Taurus using POL-2 on SCUBA-2 at the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope as part of the B-fields in STar-forming Region Observations (BISTRO) survey. These observations allow us to probe magnetic field (B-field) at high spatial resolution (∼2000 au or ∼0.01 pc at 140 pc) in two protostellar cores (K04166 and K04169) and one prestellar core (Miz-8b) that lie within the B213 filament. Using the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method, we estimate the B-field strengths in K04166, K04169, and Miz-8b to be 38 ± 14, 44 ± 16, and 12 ± 5 μG, respectively. These cores show distinct mean B-field orientations. The B-field in K04166 is well ordered and aligned parallel to the orientations of the core minor axis, outflows, core rotation axis, and large-scale uniform B-field, in accordance with magnetically regulated star formation via ambipolar diffusion taking place in K04166. The B-field in K04169 is found to be ordered but oriented nearly perpendicular to the core minor axis and large-scale B-field and not well correlated with other axes. In contrast, Miz-8b exhibits a disordered B-field that shows no preferred alignment with the core minor axis or large-scale field. We found that only one core, K04166, retains a memory of the large-scale uniform B-field. The other two cores, K04169 and Miz-8b, are decoupled from the large-scale field. Such a complex B-field configuration could be caused by gas inflow onto the filament, even in the presence of a substantial magnetic flux.
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20. |
- Hua, Y., et al.
(author)
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Molecular characteristics of eae-positive clinical Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in Sweden
- 2020
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In: Emerging microbes & infections. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2222-1751. ; 9:1, s. 2562-2570
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) can cause a wide range of symptoms from asymptomatic carriage, mild diarrhea to bloody diarrhea (BD) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Intimin, encoded by the eae gene, also plays a critical role in STEC pathogenesis. Herein, we investigated the prevalence and genetic diversity of eae among clinical STEC isolates from patients with diarrhea, BD, HUS as well as from asymptomatic STEC-positive individuals in Sweden with whole-genome sequencing. We found that 173 out of 239 (72.4%) of clinical STEC strains were eae positive. Six eae subtypes (epsilon 1, gamma 1, beta 3, theta, zeta and rho) were identified eae and its subtype gamma 1 were significantly overrepresented in O157:H7 strains isolated from BD and HUS patients. epsilon 1 was associated with O121:H19 and O103:H2 strains, and beta 3 to O26:H11 strains. The combination of eae subtype gamma 1 and stx subtype (stx (2) or stx (1)+stx (2)) is more likely to cause severe disease, suggesting the possibility of using eae genotypes in risk assessment of STEC infection. In summary, this study demonstrated a high prevalence of eae in clinical STEC strains and considerable genetic diversity of eae in STEC strains in Sweden from 1994 through 2018, and revealed association between eae subtypes and disease severity.
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21. |
- Hua, Y., et al.
(author)
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Molecular Characterization of the Enterohemolysin Gene (ehxA) in Clinical Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Isolates
- 2021
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In: Toxins. - : MDPI AG. - 2072-6651. ; 13:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is an important foodborne pathogen with the ability to cause bloody diarrhea (BD) and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Little is known about enterohemolysin-encoded by ehxA. Here we investigated the prevalence and diversity of ehxA in 239 STEC isolates from human clinical samples. In total, 199 out of 239 isolates (83.26%) were ehxA positive, and ehxA was significantly overrepresented in isolates carrying stx(2a) + stx(2c) (p < 0.001) and eae (p < 0.001). The presence of ehxA was significantly associated with BD and serotype O157:H7. Five ehxA subtypes were identified, among which, ehxA subtypes B, C, and F were overrepresented in eae-positive isolates. All O157:H7 isolates carried ehxA subtype B, which was related to BD and HUS. Three ehxA groups were observed in the phylogenetic analysis, namely, group ? (ehxA subtype A), group II (ehxA subtype B, C, and F), and group (ehxA subtype D). Most BD- and HUS-associated isolates were clustered into ehxA group II, while ehxA group ? was associated with non-bloody stool and individuals >= 10 years of age. The presence of ehxA + eae and ehxA + eae + stx(2) was significantly associated with HUS and O157:H7 isolates. In summary, this study showed a high prevalence and the considerable genetic diversity of ehxA among clinical STEC isolates. The ehxA genotypes (subtype B and phylogenetic group II) could be used as risk predictors, as they were associated with severe clinical symptoms, such as BD and HUS. Furthermore, ehxA, together with stx and eae, can be used as a risk predictor for HUS in STEC infections.
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22. |
- Hua, Y., et al.
(author)
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Whole-genome characterization of hemolytic uremic syndrome-causing Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in Sweden
- 2021
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In: Virulence. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2150-5594 .- 2150-5608. ; 12:1, s. 1296-1305
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, a foodborne bacterial pathogen, has been linked to a broad spectrum of clinical outcomes ranging from asymptomatic carriage to fatal hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). Here, we collected clinical data and STEC strains from HUS patients from 1994 through 2018, whole-genome sequencing was performed to molecularly characterize HUS-associated STEC strains, statistical analysis was conducted to identify bacterial genetic factors associated with severe outcomes in HUS patients. O157:H7 was the most predominant serotype (57%) among 54 HUS-associated STEC strains, followed by O121:H19 (19%) and O26:H11 (7%). Notably, some non-predominant serotypes such as O59:H17 (2%) and O109:H21 (2%) also caused HUS. All O157:H7 strains with one exception belonged to clade 8. During follow-up at a median of 4years, 41% of the patients had renal sequelae. Fifty-nine virulence genes were found to be statistically associated with severe renal sequelae, these genes encoded type II and type III secretion system effectors, chaperones, and other factors. Notably, virulence genes associated with severe clinical outcomes were significantly more prevalent in O157:H7 strains. In contrast, genes related to mild symptoms were evenly distributed across all serotypes. The whole-genome phylogeny indicated high genomic diversity among HUS-STEC strains. No distinct cluster was found between HUS and non-HUS STEC strains. The current study showed that O157:H7 remains the main cause of STEC-associated HUS, despite the rising importance of other non-O157 serotypes. Besides, O157:H7 is associated with severe renal sequelae in the follow-up, which could be a risk factor for long-term prognosis in HUS patients. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
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23. |
- Hwang, Jihye, et al.
(author)
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The JCMT BISTRO Survey: A Spiral Magnetic Field in a Hub-filament Structure, Monoceros R2
- 2022
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 941:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present and analyze observations of polarized dust emission at 850 μm toward the central 1 × 1 pc hub-filament structure of Monoceros R2 (Mon R2). The data are obtained with SCUBA-2/POL-2 on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope (JCMT) as part of the B-fields in Star-forming Region Observations survey. The orientations of the magnetic field follow the spiral structure of Mon R2, which are well described by an axisymmetric magnetic field model. We estimate the turbulent component of the magnetic field using the angle difference between our observations and the best-fit model of the underlying large-scale mean magnetic field. This estimate is used to calculate the magnetic field strength using the Davis–Chandrasekhar–Fermi method, for which we also obtain the distribution of volume density and velocity dispersion using a column density map derived from Herschel data and the C18O (J = 3 - 2) data taken with HARP on the JCMT, respectively. We make maps of magnetic field strengths and mass-to-flux ratios, finding that magnetic field strengths vary from 0.02 to 3.64 mG with a mean value of 1.0 ± 0.06 mG, and the mean critical mass-to-flux ratio is 0.47 ± 0.02. Additionally, the mean Alfvén Mach number is 0.35 ± 0.01. This suggests that, in Mon R2, the magnetic fields provide resistance against large-scale gravitational collapse, and the magnetic pressure exceeds the turbulent pressure. We also investigate the properties of each filament in Mon R2. Most of the filaments are aligned along the magnetic field direction and are magnetically subcritical.
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24. |
- Karoly, Janik, et al.
(author)
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The JCMT BISTRO Survey: Studying the Complex Magnetic Field of L43
- 2023
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 952:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present observations of polarized dust emission at 850 mu m from the L43 molecular cloud, which sits in the Ophiuchus cloud complex. The data were taken using SCUBA-2/POL-2 on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope as a part of the BISTRO large program. L43 is a dense (N-H2 similar to 10(22) - 10(23) cm(-2)) complex molecular cloud with a submillimeter-bright starless core and two protostellar sources. There appears to be an evolutionary gradient along the isolated filament that L43 is embedded within, with the most evolved source closest to the Sco OB2 association. One of the protostars drives a CO outflow that has created a cavity to the southeast. We see a magnetic field that appears to be aligned with the cavity walls of the outflow, suggesting interaction with the outflow. We also find a magnetic field strength of up to similar to 160 +/- 30 mu G in the main starless core and up to similar to 90 +/- 40 mu G in the more diffuse, extended region. These field strengths give magnetically super- and subcritical values, respectively, and both are found to be roughly trans-Alfvenic. We also present a new method of data reduction for these denser but fainter objects like starless cores.
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25. |
- 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
-
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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26. |
- Kristan, Matej, et al.
(author)
-
The Sixth Visual Object Tracking VOT2018 Challenge Results
- 2019
-
In: Computer Vision – ECCV 2018 Workshops. - Cham : Springer Publishing Company. - 9783030110086 - 9783030110093 ; , s. 3-53
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Visual Object Tracking challenge VOT2018 is the sixth annual tracker benchmarking activity organized by the VOT initiative. Results of over eighty trackers are presented; many are state-of-the-art trackers published at major computer vision conferences or in journals in the recent years. The evaluation included the standard VOT and other popular methodologies for short-term tracking analysis and a “real-time” experiment simulating a situation where a tracker processes images as if provided by a continuously running sensor. A long-term tracking subchallenge has been introduced to the set of standard VOT sub-challenges. The new subchallenge focuses on long-term tracking properties, namely coping with target disappearance and reappearance. A new dataset has been compiled and a performance evaluation methodology that focuses on long-term tracking capabilities has been adopted. The VOT toolkit has been updated to support both standard short-term and the new long-term tracking subchallenges. Performance of the tested trackers typically by far exceeds standard baselines. The source code for most of the trackers is publicly available from the VOT page. The dataset, the evaluation kit and the results are publicly available at the challenge website (http://votchallenge.net).
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27. |
- Kwon, Woojin, et al.
(author)
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B-fields in Star-forming Region Observations (BISTRO): Magnetic Fields in the Filamentary Structures of Serpens Main
- 2022
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 926:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present 850 mu m polarimetric observations toward the Serpens Main molecular cloud obtained using the POL-2 polarimeter on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope as part of the B-fields In STar-forming Region Observations survey. These observations probe the magnetic field morphology of the Serpens Main molecular cloud on about 6000 au scales, which consists of cores and six filaments with different physical properties such as density and star formation activity. Using the histogram of relative orientation (HRO) technique, we find that magnetic fields are parallel to filaments in less-dense filamentary structures where NH2 < 0.93 x 10(22) cm(-2) (magnetic fields perpendicular to density gradients), while they are perpendicular to filaments (magnetic fields parallel to density gradients) in dense filamentary structures with star formation activity. Moreover, applying the HRO technique to denser core regions, we find that magnetic field orientations change to become perpendicular to density gradients again at NH2 approximate to 4.6 x 10(22) NH2 approximate to 16 x 10(22) cm(-2), magnetic fields change back to being parallel to density gradients once again, which can be understood to be due to magnetic fields being dragged in by infalling material. In addition, we estimate the magnetic field strengths of the filaments (B-POS = 60-300 mu G)) using the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method and discuss whether the filaments are gravitationally unstable based on magnetic field and turbulence energy densities.
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28. |
- Li, Fei, et al.
(author)
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An iron-based thin film as a highly efficient catalyst for electrochemical water oxidation in a carbonate electrolyte
- 2016
-
In: Chemical Communications. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 1359-7345 .- 1364-548X. ; 52:33, s. 5753-5756
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A highly active iron-based water-oxidation catalyst was electro-deposited from a CO2 saturated bicarbonate solution containing Fe2+. This catalyst (Fe-Ci) produces a current density of 10 mA cm(-2) at an overpotential of 560 mV and the activity remains constant over 18 h in the environmentally benign HCO3-/CO32- buffer (pH 9.75). A Tafel slope of 34 mV dec(-1) was obtained for Fe-Ci, which is lower than other reported values for iron-based catalysts.
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29. |
- Liu, Lihui, et al.
(author)
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Ablation of ERO1A induces lethal endoplasmic reticulum stress responses and immunogenic cell death to activate anti-tumor immunity
- 2023
-
In: Cell Reports Medicine. - : Cell Press. - 2666-3791. ; 4:10
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Immunophenotyping of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is essential for enhancing immunotherapy effi-cacy. However, strategies for characterizing the TME exhibit significant heterogeneity. Here, we show that endoplasmic reticular oxidoreductase-1a (ERO1A) mediates an immune-suppressive TME and attenuates the response to PD-1 blockade. Ablation of ERO1A in tumor cells substantially incites anti-tumor T cell im-munity and promotes the efficacy of aPD-1 in therapeutic models. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analyses confirm that ERO1A correlates with immunosuppression and dysfunction of CD8+ T cells along anti-PD-1 treatment. In human lung cancer, high ERO1A expression is associated with a higher risk of recurrence following neoadjuvant immunotherapy. Mechanistically, ERO1A ablation impairs the balance between IRE1a and PERK signaling activities and induces lethal unfolded protein responses in tumor cells undergoing endoplasmic reticulum stress, thereby enhancing anti-tumor immunity via immunogenic cell death. These findings reveal how tumor ERO1A induces immunosuppression, highlighting its potential as a therapeutic target for cancer immunotherapy.
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30. |
- Liu, Lihui, et al.
(author)
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Dynamic toxicity landscape of immunotherapy for solid tumors across treatment lines
- 2023
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In: Journal of the National Cancer Center. - : Elsevier. - 2667-0054. ; 3:3, s. 186-196
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) targeting programmed cell death-1/ligand-1 (PD-1/PD-L1), cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4), and lymphocyte-activation gene-3 (LAG-3) have been widely studied and applied throughout the course of cancer treatment. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive profile of ICI-associated toxicity and elucidate the toxicity patterns of ICIs across different treatment lines. Methods: In total, 155 cohorts comprising 24 539 eligible patients were included in the safety analysis. Trial name, registration number, cancer type, trial phase, clinical setting, trial design, regimen, dosing schedule, age, sex and ethnicity distributions, number of patients, number of treatment-related adverse events (trAEs), and number of treatment-related death were extracted. We defined a timeline from the neoadjuvant setting to the third-line setting. We also introduced a synthesizing principle for adverse event rates (SPAER) of immunotherapy to ensure the comparability and reliability across different treatment lines. The study protocol was registered and approved by the PROSPERO protocol review committee (CRD42021242368). Results: After excluding the neoadjuvant setting group, we observed a distinct reduction in the incidence of treatment-related adverse events (trAEs) with an advancement of the line of ICI treatment. The incidence of trAEs was negatively correlated with the line of treatment, irrespective of whether monotherapy or dual-ICI combination therapy was administered. Sensitivity analyses also confirmed the coincident negative correlations. Conclusion: In summary, using a timeline-based concept centered around treatment lines, we revealed the dynamic landscape of ICI-associated toxicity and found that patients treated with ICIs during later lines of therapy may have a lower risk of trAEs.
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31. |
- Lyo, A-Ran, et al.
(author)
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The JCMT BISTRO Survey: An 850/450 mu m Polarization Study of NGC 2071IR in Orion B
- 2021
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 918:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present the results of simultaneous 450 mu m and 850 mu m polarization observations toward the massive star-forming region NGC 2071IR, a target of the BISTRO (B-fields in STar-forming Region Observations) Survey, using the POL-2 polarimeter and SCUBA-2 camera mounted on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. We find a pinched magnetic field morphology in the central dense core region, which could be due to a rotating toroidal disklike structure and a bipolar outflow originating from the central young stellar object IRS 3. Using the modified Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method, we obtain a plane-of-sky magnetic field strength of 563 +/- 421 mu G in the central similar to 0.12 pc region from 850 mu m polarization data. The corresponding magnetic energy density of 2.04 x 10(-8) erg cm(-3) is comparable to the turbulent and gravitational energy densities in the region. We find that the magnetic field direction is very well aligned with the whole of the IRS 3 bipolar outflow structure. We find that the median value of polarization fractions is 3.0% at 450 mu m in the central 3 ' region, which is larger than the median value of 1.2% at 850 mu m. The trend could be due to the better alignment of warmer dust in the strong radiation environment. We also find that polarization fractions decrease with intensity at both wavelengths, with slopes, determined by fitting a Rician noise model of 0.59 +/- 0.03 at 450 mu m and 0.36 +/- 0.04 at 850 mu m, respectively. We think that the shallow slope at 850 mu m is due to grain alignment at the center being assisted by strong radiation from the central young stellar objects.
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32. |
- Ngoc, Nguyen Bich, et al.
(author)
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Observations of Magnetic Fields Surrounding LkH alpha 101 Taken by the BISTRO Survey with JCMT-POL-2
- 2021
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In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 908:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report the first high spatial resolution measurement of magnetic fields surrounding LkH alpha 101, part of the Auriga-California molecular cloud. The observations were taken with the POL-2 polarimeter on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope within the framework of the B-fields In Star-forming Region Observations (BISTRO) survey. Observed polarization of thermal dust emission at 850 mu m is found to be mostly associated with the redshifted gas component of the cloud. The magnetic field displays a relatively complex morphology. Two variants of the Davis-Chandrasekhar-Fermi method, unsharp masking and structure function, are used to calculate the strength of magnetic fields in the plane of the sky, yielding a similar result of B-POS similar to 115 mu G. The mass-to-magnetic-flux ratio in critical value units, lambda similar to 0.3, is the smallest among the values obtained for other regions surveyed by POL-2. This implies that the LkH alpha 101 region is subcritical, and the magnetic field is strong enough to prevent gravitational collapse. The inferred delta B/B-0 similar to 0.3 implies that the large-scale component of the magnetic field dominates the turbulent one. The variation of the polarization fraction with total emission intensity can be fitted by a power law with an index of alpha = 0.82 0.03, which lies in the range previously reported for molecular clouds. We find that the polarization fraction decreases rapidly with proximity to the only early B star (LkH alpha 101) in the region. Magnetic field tangling and the joint effect of grain alignment and rotational disruption by radiative torques can potentially explain such a decreasing trend.
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33. |
- Pecunia, Vincenzo, et al.
(author)
-
Roadmap on energy harvesting materials
- 2023
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In: Journal of Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 2515-7639. ; 6:4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ambient energy harvesting has great potential to contribute to sustainable development and address growing environmental challenges. Converting waste energy from energy-intensive processes and systems (e.g. combustion engines and furnaces) is crucial to reducing their environmental impact and achieving net-zero emissions. Compact energy harvesters will also be key to powering the exponentially growing smart devices ecosystem that is part of the Internet of Things, thus enabling futuristic applications that can improve our quality of life (e.g. smart homes, smart cities, smart manufacturing, and smart healthcare). To achieve these goals, innovative materials are needed to efficiently convert ambient energy into electricity through various physical mechanisms, such as the photovoltaic effect, thermoelectricity, piezoelectricity, triboelectricity, and radiofrequency wireless power transfer. By bringing together the perspectives of experts in various types of energy harvesting materials, this Roadmap provides extensive insights into recent advances and present challenges in the field. Additionally, the Roadmap analyses the key performance metrics of these technologies in relation to their ultimate energy conversion limits. Building on these insights, the Roadmap outlines promising directions for future research to fully harness the potential of energy harvesting materials for green energy anytime, anywhere.
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34. |
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35. |
- Tahani, Mehrnoosh, et al.
(author)
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JCMT BISTRO Observations: Magnetic Field Morphology of Bubbles Associated with NGC 6334
- 2023
-
In: Astrophysical Journal. - : American Astronomical Society. - 1538-4357 .- 0004-637X. ; 944:2
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We study the Hii regions associated with the NGC 6334 molecular cloud observed in the submillimeter and taken as part of the B-fields In STar-forming Region Observations Survey. In particular, we investigate the polarization patterns and magnetic field morphologies associated with these Hii regions. Through polarization pattern and pressure calculation analyses, several of these bubbles indicate that the gas and magnetic field lines have been pushed away from the bubble, toward an almost tangential (to the bubble) magnetic field morphology. In the densest part of NGC 6334, where the magnetic field morphology is similar to an hourglass, the polarization observations do not exhibit observable impact from Hii regions. We detect two nested radial polarization patterns in a bubble to the south of NGC 6334 that correspond to the previously observed bipolar structure in this bubble. Finally, using the results of this study, we present steps (incorporating computer vision; circular Hough transform) that can be used in future studies to identify bubbles that have physically impacted magnetic field lines.
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36. |
- Wang, Lei, et al.
(author)
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Prevalence and Characteristics of Plasmid-Encoded Serine Protease EspP in Clinical Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli Strains from Patients in Sweden
- 2024
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In: MICROORGANISMS. - : MDPI. - 2076-2607. ; 12:3
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infection can cause a broad spectrum of symptoms spanning from asymptomatic shedding to mild and bloody diarrhea (BD) and even life-threatening hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). As a member of the serine protease autotransporters of Enterobacteriaceae (SPATE) family, EspP has the ability to degrade human coagulation factor V, leading to mucosal bleeding, and also plays a role in bacteria adhesion to the surface of host cells. Here, we investigated the prevalence and genetic diversity of espP among clinical STEC isolates from patients with mild diarrhea, BD, and HUS, as well as from asymptomatic individuals, and assessed the presence of espP and its subtypes in correlation to disease severity. We found that 130 out of 239 (54.4%) clinical STEC strains were espP positive, and the presence of espP was significantly associated with BD, HUS, and O157:H7 serotype. Eighteen unique espP genotypes (GTs) were identified and categorized into four espP subtypes, i.e., espP alpha (119, 91.5%), espP gamma (5, 3.8%), espP delta (4, 3.1%), and espP epsilon (2, 1.5%). espP alpha was widely distributed, especially in strains from patients with BD and HUS, and correlated with serotype O157:H7. Serogroup O26, O145, O121, and O103 strains carried espP alpha only. Ten GTs were identified in espP alpha, and espP alpha/GT2 was significantly associated with severe disease, i.e., BD and HUS. Additionally, espP was strongly linked to the presence of eae gene, and the coexistence of espP alpha and stx2/stx2a + stx2c was closely related to HUS status. To sum up, our data demonstrated a high prevalence and genetic diversity of the espP gene in clinical STEC strains in Sweden and revealed an association between the presence of espP, espP subtypes, and disease severity. espP, particularly the espP alpha subtype, was prone to be present in more virulent STEC strains, e.g., "top-six" serotypes strains.
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37. |
- Wang, Yong, et al.
(author)
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Estimation of the probable maximum size of inclusions using statistics of extreme values and particle size distribution methods
- 2022
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In: Journal of Materials Research and Technology. - : Elsevier BV. - 2238-7854 .- 2214-0697. ; 20, s. 2454-2465
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Prediction of the maximum size of inclusion in a large weight of steel using data from a small volume steel sample is an important topic for steelmakers. Therefore, the probable maximum sizes (PMS) of inclusions in three steel grades were evaluated by the statistics of extreme values (SEV) and the particle size distributions (PSD) methods based on three-dimensional (3D) investigations of inclusions using the electrolytic extraction (EE) method. The effect of number of measurements and size of unit area on the PMS of in-clusions were investigated. The results showed that at least 80 measurements of NMIs should be done in the SEV method, while in the PSD method the number of measurements has little influence when the number of inclusions in the observed areas was large enough. The effect of unit area size on the PMS of inclusions in the SEV method can be ignored for small-sized inclusions (less than 10 mm). The PMS of inclusions determined from the SEV method agreed with that from the PSD method by considering the 95% confidence interval. The SEV method was preferred when predicting the PMS of inclusions because of its simplicity by reducing the cost and labour involved compared to the PSD method.
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38. |
- Wang, Yong, et al.
(author)
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Photocatalytic water oxidation via combination of BiVO4-RGO and molecular cobalt catalysts
- 2016
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In: Chemical Communications. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 1359-7345 .- 1364-548X. ; 52:14, s. 3050-3053
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A BiVO4-reduced graphene oxide (RGO) composite in conjugation with the cubic molecular complex Co4O4(O2CMe)(4)(py)(4) (py = pyridine) has been found to be highly efficient towards visible light-driven water oxidation. A 4-fold enhancement in the average oxygen evolution rate and 100% yield based on the consumption of the sacrificial electron acceptor were obtained upon the addition of molecular cocatalysts to BiVO4-RGO in pure water.
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39. |
- Yu, Min, et al.
(author)
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Water and related electrical energy use in urban households—Influence of individual attributes in Beijing, China
- 2018
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In: Resources, Conservation and Recycling. - : Elsevier BV. - 0921-3449. ; 130, s. 190-199
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Water and energy are intricately connected in households. The connections mainly appear in three types of residential behavior: bathing, cooking, and cleaning. This study investigated the features of water and related energy consumption in groups with different individual attributes and identified the key groups and types of behavior that correlate with water and energy conservation. A face-to-face interview method was applied to estimate residential water and energy consumption associated with three types of behavior. Regression analysis was applied to the results of 1017 questionnaires to explore the relationships between individual attributes and the amount of water used and associated energy consumption. Chi-square test and extended Mantel-Haenszel test were applied to confirm the relations between individual attributes and behavior. Annual per capita water use for the three types of behavior was 33.6 m3 on average and annual per capita water related electricity consumption was estimated to be 545.7 kWh. The Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.8 with a confidence level of 99%, which indicated a strong correlation between water use and energy consumption. The results showed that 55% of household electricity consumption was coupled with water use in Beijing. Water use and related electricity consumption had a positive correlation with education but a negative correlation with age and family size. Young women under 30 years old with a bachelor degree or above who live alone often use the most water and electricity, 16% and 28% higher than the average. This paper provides a better understanding of urban household consumption and individual attributes.
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40. |
- Zhang, Xin, et al.
(author)
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Dampness and mold in homes across China : Associations with rhinitis, ocular, throat and dermal symptoms, headache and fatigue among adults
- 2019
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In: Indoor Air. - : WILEY. - 0905-6947 .- 1600-0668. ; 29:1, s. 30-42
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We studied dampness and mold in China in relation to rhinitis, ocular, throat and dermal symptoms, headache and fatigue. A questionnaire study was performed in six cities including 36 541 randomized parents of young children. Seven self-reported signs of dampness were evaluated. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (ORs). Totally, 3.1% had weekly rhinitis, 2.8% eye, 4.1% throat and 4.8% skin symptoms, 3.0% headache and 13.9% fatigue. Overall, 6.3% of the homes had mold, 11.1% damp stains, 35.3% damp bed clothing, 12.8% water damage, 45.4% window pane condensation, 11.1% mold odor, and 37.5% humid air. All dampness signs were associated with symptoms (ORs from 1.2 to 4.6; P < 0.001), including rhinitis (ORs from 1.4 to 3.2; P < 0.001), and ORs increased by number of dampness signs. The strongest associations were for mold odor (ORs from 2.3 to 4.6) and humid air (ORs from 2.8 to 4.8). Associations were stronger among men and stronger in Beijing as compared to south China. In conclusion, dampness and mold are common in Chinese homes and associated with rhinitis and ocular, throat and dermal symptoms, headache and fatigue. Men can be more sensitive to dampness and health effects of dampness can be stronger in northern China.
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41. |
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- 2019
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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