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2. |
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- 2019
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)
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3. |
- Chen, Anqi, et al.
(author)
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Highly Sensitive Graphene Oxide-based Fabry-Perot Low-frequency Acoustic Sensor With Low-coherence Polarized Demodulation Using Three-step Phase-Shifting Arctan Algorithms
- 2024
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In: Journal of Lightwave Technology. - 0733-8724 .- 1558-2213. ; 42:17, s. 6115-6123
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Developing low-frequency acoustic senor with high sensitivity is crucial for diverse applications, ranging from seismic monitoring, military operations, to pipeline surveillance. Here, we have proposed a high-sensitivity graphene oxide (GO)-based Fabry-Perot low-frequency sensor, in which a 170 nm thick, large-area and uniformly GO film was prepared by a vacuum filtration method. To enhance the accuracy and stability of the sensor, a low-coherence interference system based on birefringent crystal blocks was designed utilizing a three-step phase-shifting arctangent algorithm. Our sensor exhibited a sensitivity of -93.48 dB re 1 rad/μPa at 6-60 Hz with a fluctuation of 0.6 dB. The minimum detectable pressure of the sensor was measured at 0.37 μPa/Hz1/2 @20 Hz with a signal to noise ratio of 135.41 dB. Overall, this sensor offers simplicity in preparation, high sensitivity, low detectable sound pressure, making it a significant asset for low-frequency acoustic applications.
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4. |
- Liao, Chuan, et al.
(author)
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Advancing landscape sustainability science: theoretical foundation and synergies with innovations in methodology, design, and application
- 2020
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In: Landscape Ecology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0921-2973 .- 1572-9761. ; 35, s. 1-9
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Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- © 2020, Springer Nature B.V. Our society has entered in an era of Anthropocene, in which people and their activities dominate almost all ecosystems on the planet. In the context of growing uncertainties, landscape sustainability science (LSS), as a place-based, use-inspired science, aims to understand and improve the dynamic relationship between ecosystem services and human well-being. In this editorial, we identify the major theoretical foundations of LSS, discuss recent innovations in research methodology to advance LSS, summarize the extension of LSS through landscape design and geo-design, and examine the application of LSS for addressing sustainability challenges across multiple landscapes. We highlight that long-term regional sustainability can only be achieved by integrating context-based sustainability across agricultural, urban, and natural landscapes so as to minimize the regional ecological footprint and make advancement towards achieving the sustainable development goals.
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5. |
- Butler, Anne M., et al.
(author)
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Novel Loci Associated With PR Interval in a Genome-Wide Association Study of 10 African American Cohorts
- 2012
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In: Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics. - 1942-325X. ; 5:6, s. 639-646
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background-The PR interval, as measured by the resting, standard 12-lead ECG, reflects the duration of atrial/atrioventricular nodal depolarization. Substantial evidence exists for a genetic contribution to PR, including genome-wide association studies that have identified common genetic variants at 9 loci influencing PR in populations of European and Asian descent. However, few studies have examined loci associated with PR in African Americans. Methods and Results-We present results from the largest genome-wide association study to date of PR in 13 415 adults of African descent from 10 cohorts. We tested for association between PR (ms) and approximate to 2.8 million genotyped and imputed single-nucleotide polymorphisms. Imputation was performed using HapMap 2 YRI and CEU panels. Study-specific results, adjusted for global ancestry and clinical correlates of PR, were meta-analyzed using the inverse variance method. Variation in genome-wide test statistic distributions was noted within studies (lambda range: 0.9-1.1), although not after genomic control correction was applied to the overall meta-analysis (lambda: 1.008). In addition to generalizing previously reported associations with MEIS1, SCN5A, ARHGAP24, CAV1, and TBX5 to African American populations at the genome-wide significance level (P<5.0x10(-8)), we also identified a novel locus: ITGA9, located in a region previously implicated in SCN5A expression. The 3p21 region harboring SCN5A also contained 2 additional independent secondary signals influencing PR (P<5.0x10-8). Conclusions-This study demonstrates the ability to map novel loci in African Americans as well as the generalizability of loci associated with PR across populations of African, European, and Asian descent. (Circ Cardiovasc Genet. 2012;5:639-646.)
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6. |
- Chen, Mengying, et al.
(author)
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A prospective study of pain experience in a neonatal intensive care unit of China
- 2012
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In: The Clinical Journal of Pain. - Philadelphia, PA, USA : Lippingcott Williams & Wilkins. - 0749-8047 .- 1536-5409. ; 28:8, s. 700-704
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objectives: To assess pain burden in neonates during their hospitalization in China and thus provide evidence for the necessity of neonatal pain management. Patients and Methods: The Neonatal Facial Coding System was used to evaluate pain in neonates. We prospectively collected data of all painful procedures performed on 108 neonates (term, 62; preterm, 46) recruited from admission to discharge in a neonatal intensive care unit of a university-affiliated hospital in China. Results: We found that during hospitalization each preterm and term neonate was exposed to a median of 100.0 (range, 11 to 544) and 56.5 (range, 12 to 249) painful procedures, respectively. Most of the painful procedures were performed within the first 3 days. Preterm neonates, especially those born at 28 and 29 weeks' gestational age, experienced more pain than those born at 30 weeks' gestation or later (P < 0.001). Among those painful procedures, tracheal aspiration was the most frequently performed on preterm neonates, and intravenous cannulation was the most common for term neonates. Moreover, tracheal intubations and femoral venous puncture were found to be the most painful. Notably, none of the painful procedures was accompanied by analgesia. Conclusions: Neonates, particularly preterm neonates, were exposed to numerous invasive painful procedures without appropriate analgesia in hospitals in China. The potential long-term impacts of poorly treated pain in neonates call for a change in pediatric practice in China and in countries with similar practices.
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7. |
- Christensen, Kirsten E, et al.
(author)
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A germanate built from 68126 cavity co-templated by a (H2O)16 water cluster and 2-methylpiperazine
- 2008
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In: Angewandte Chemie International Edition. - : Wiley. - 1433-7851 .- 1521-3773. ; 47:41, s. 7868-7871
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Totally tubular: A new tubular germanate is cotemplated by 2-methylpiperazine and an (H2O)16 cluster in a hydro(solvo)thermal synthesis. The germanate features a large, highly symmetric 68126 cavity (see picture; yellow sphere) built from 12 Ge7X19 (X=O, OH, F) clusters (GeX6 red, GeX5 yellow, GeX4 green).
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8. |
- Ding, Jiangwei, et al.
(author)
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All Roads Lead to Rome? : Genes Causing Dravet Syndrome and Dravet Syndrome-Like Phenotypes
- 2022
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In: Frontiers in Neurology. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-2295. ; 13
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Dravet syndrome (DS) is a severe epileptic encephalopathy mainly caused by haploinsufficiency of the gene SCN1A, which encodes the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1. 1 in the brain. While SCN1A mutations are known to be the primary cause of DS, other genes that may cause DS are poorly understood. Several genes with pathogenic mutations result in DS or DS-like phenotypes, which may require different drug treatment approaches. Therefore, it is urgent for clinicians, especially epilepsy specialists to fully understand these genes involved in DS in addition to SCN1A. Particularly for healthcare providers, a deep understanding of these pathogenic genes is useful in properly selecting and adjusting drugs in a more effective and timely manner.Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify genes other than SCN1A that may also cause DS or DS-like phenotypes. Methods: A comprehensive search of relevant Dravet syndrome and severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy was performed in PubMed, until December 1, 2021. Two independent authors performed the screening for potentially eligible studies. Disagreements were decided by a third, more professional researcher or by all three. The results reported by each study were narratively summarized.Results: A PubMed search yielded 5,064 items, and other sources search 12 records. A total of 29 studies published between 2009 and 2021 met the inclusion criteria. Regarding the included articles, seven studies on PCDH19, three on SCN2A, two on SCN8A, five on SCN1B, two on GABRA1, three on GABRB3, three on GABRG2, and three on STXBP1 were included. Only one study was recorded for CHD2, CPLX1, HCN1 and KCNA2, respectively. It is worth noting that a few articles reported on more than one epilepsy gene.Conclusion: DS is not only identified in variants of SCN1A, but other genes such as PCDH19, SCN2A, SCN8A, SCN1B, GABRA1, GABRB3, GABRG2, KCNA2, CHD2, CPLX1, HCN1A, STXBP1 can also be involved in DS or DS-like phenotypes. As genetic testing becomes more widely available, more genes associated with DS and DS-like phenotypes may be identified and gene-based diagnosis of subtypes of phenotypes in this spectrum may improve the management of these diseases in the future.
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9. |
- He, Jia, et al.
(author)
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A population-based survey of the epidemiology of symptom-defined gastroesophageal reflux disease : the Systematic Investigation of Gastrointestinal Diseases in China
- 2010
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In: BMC Gastroenterology. - 1471-230X. ; 10, s. 94-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The epidemiology of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has yet to be investigated using the symptomatic threshold criteria recommended by the Montreal Definition. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of symptom-defined GERD across five regions of China, and to investigate variables associated with GERD. Methods: A representative sample of 18 000 adults (aged 18-80 years) were selected equally from rural and urban areas in each region (n = 1800). According to the Montreal Definition, GERD is present when mild symptoms of heartburn and/ or regurgitation occur on >= 2 days a week, or moderate-to-severe symptoms of heartburn and/or regurgitation occur on >= 1 day a week. Results: In total, 16 091 participants completed the survey (response rate: 89.4%) and 16 078 responses were suitable for analysis. Applying the Montreal criteria, the prevalence of symptom-defined GERD was 3.1% and varied significantly (p < 0.001) among the five regions (from 1.7% in Guangzhou to 5.1% in Wuhan) and between rural and urban populations (3.8% vs 2.4%). Factors significantly associated with GERD included living in a rural area and a family history of gastrointestinal diseases. Conclusions: This population-based survey found that the prevalence of symptom-defined GERD in China was 3.1%, which is lower than that found in Western countries.
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10. |
- Huang, Xiaoyan, et al.
(author)
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A Robust Deadbeat Predictive Current Control Method for IPMSM
- 2024
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In: IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 2332-7782. ; , s. 1-1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Deadbeat predictive current control (DPCC) demonstrates excellent dynamic performance. However, in practical applications, its effectiveness is degraded by parameter mismatches and inverter nonlinearities. Among the various improvement methods addressed for these issues, incremental model-based DPCC (I-DPCC) achieves zero static current error with a low computational burden but suffers from instability under parameter variation, especially when applied to interior permanent magnet synchronous motors (IPMSMs). In this paper, a robust I-DPCC (RI-DPCC) combining feedforward control is proposed for IPMSM, with an adjustable stable operation range that can be extended to twice the actual inductance or even larger. To further improve the robustness of dynamic performance, an inductance correction method is introduced to track the variation of inductance during dynamic processes. Thus, the current commands can be well tracked even when significant inductance variation occurs. With sufficient voltage margin, the dynamic processes under mismatched inductance can be shortened to four control periods. Finally, experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
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11. |
- Jiang, Chongyang, et al.
(author)
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Aprotic phosphonium‐based ionic liquid as electrolyte for high CO2 electroreduction to oxalate
- 2023
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In: AIChE Journal. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0001-1541 .- 1547-5905. ; 69:2
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study, a new CO2 electroreduction electrolyte system consisting of tetrabutylphosphonium 4-(methoxycarbonyl) phenol ([P4444][4-MF-PhO]) ionic liquid (IL) and acetonitrile (AcN) was designed to produce oxalate, and the electroreduction mechanism was studied. The results show that using the new IL-based electrolyte, the electroreduction system exhibits 93.8% Faradaic efficiency and 12.6 mA cm−2 partial current density of oxalate at −2.6 V. The formation rate of oxalate is 234.4 μmol cm−2 h−1, which is better than those reported in the literature. The mechanism study using density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveals that [P4444][4-MF-PhO] can effectively activate CO2 molecule through ester and phenoxy double active sites. In addition, in the phosphonium-based ionic environment, the potential barriers of the key intermediates *CO2− and *C2O42− are reduced by the induced electric field, which greatly facilitates the activation and conversion of CO2 molecule to oxalate.
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12. |
- Li, Fangfang
(author)
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CO2 electrochemical reduction: Techno-economic evaluation and experimental research for producing methanol
- 2022
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Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Recently, CO2 electrochemical reduction (CO2R) has gained popularity, to cope with the strict environmental rules on greenhouse gas emissions, and to convert CO2 to value-added chemicals/fuels. Ionic liquids (ILs) have been considered as potential media for CO2R owing to their multi-functions in enhancing CO2R solubility and improving CO2R reaction rate and product selectivity. To date, there have been many studies related to CO2R in IL-based systems, which primarily focused on fundamental research to offer findings about CO2R performance and reaction mechanisms, and one article focused on evaluating the economic potential of the stand-alone CO2R process without considering the upstream process or integrating into other processes. In fact, the integration of CO2R with upstream or other production processes will make the evaluation more practically significant, and thus deeper knowledge about the viability of the integrated CO2R process is needed, but relevant work is still lacking. Meanwhile, how to further improve the performance of CO2R is another concern.The goal of this work is to perform systematic studies on techno-economic assessment of the integrated CO2R process and experimental research for producing methanol (CH3OH) with ILsas electrolytes as the focus, since CH3OH is an important solvent, energy and hydrogen carrier, and feedstock.In the first part, an intensive literature survey was conducted to summarize the research progress, identify the state-of-the-art and provide the research gap for CO2R in the IL-based systems. It shows that the multi-functions as CO2 absorbents, reaction media, and co-catalysts give ILs a distinctive boosting effect on the CO2R performance. But now the research mainly focused on lab-scale experimental studies, while the viability of this technique on a large scale is unclear.In the second part, stand-alone CO2R producing CH3OH with IL as the absorbent and electrolyte was studied and then further integrated with biomass gasification. The economic feasibility and environmental impact were investigated and compared, under current and future conditions. Stand-alone CO2R process shows high total production cost (TPC) due to the high electrolyzer and electricity costs. The TPC could reduce from 1.44 to 1.02 €/kg-CH3OH under the current conditions after integration. Additionally, based on the analysis, electricity for CO2R is the main part of energy usage and dominates the CO2 emission of the integrated process.In the third part, techno-economic analysis of the integrated processes that combined CO2R in IL to produce CO, syngas, and CH3OH with biomass gasification for producing CH3OH was performed and contrasted with stand-alone biomass gasification and CO2R processes. The process that integrated with CO2R to CO was identified as the optimal pathway with the lowest TPC of 0.38 €/kg-CH3OH under the current condition. Sensitivity analysis confirmed that electricity and H2 prices are two key parameters influencing the TPC of the process, which is combined with CO2R to CO followed by hydrogenation to CH3OH; while for the integrated processes with CO2R to syngas and CH3OH, simultaneously reducing stack and electricity prices as well as improving CO2R performance are significant to make these processes viable in the future.In the fourth part, preliminary experimental research on CO2R to CH3OH with various catalysts in IL-based electrolytes was conducted to evaluate the influence of catalysts and ILs on the CO2R performance. It was found that CO2R to CH3OH by using copper-deposited nickel foam (CuNi) showed the optimal performance with current density and Faradic efficiency of CH3OH of 14 mA/cm2 and 46.31% under -1.7 V vs Ag/Ag+, respectively.
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13. |
- Li, Fangfang, et al.
(author)
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Combination of CO2 electrochemical reduction and biomass gasification for producing methanol : A techno-economic assessment
- 2024
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In: Energy Conversion and Management. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 0196-8904 .- 1879-2227. ; 307
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Combining CO2 electrochemical reduction (CO2R) and biomass gasification for producing methanol (CH3OH) is a promising option to increase the carbon efficiency, reduce total production cost (TPC), and realize the utilization of byproducts of CO2R system, but its viability has not been studied. In this work, systematic techno-economic assessments for the processes that combined CO2R to produce CO/syngas/CH3OH with biomass gasification were conducted and compared to stand-alone biomass gasification and CO2R processes, to identify the benefits and analyze the commercialization potential of different pathways under current and future conditions. The results demonstrated that the process that combined biomass gasification with CO2R to CO represents a viable pathway with a competitive TPC of 0.39 €/kg-CH3OH under the current condition. For all the combined cases, electricity usage for CO2R accounts for 36–76% of total operating cost, which plays a key role for TPC. Sensitivity analysis confirmed that the process that combined biomass gasification with CO2R to CO is sensitive to the price of electricity, while both CO2R performance and prices of stack and electricity are important for the processes that combined with CO2R to syngas/CH3OH.
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14. |
- Li, Jiajia, et al.
(author)
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Recent Applications of Ionic Liquids in Quasi-Solid-State Lithium Metal Batteries
- 2021
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In: Green Chemical Engineering. - : Elsevier. - 2666-9528. ; 2:3, s. 253-265
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Quasi-solid-state lithium metal batteries are considered as one of the most promising energy storage devices, and the application of ionic liquids (ILs) as a new generation of functionalized electrolyte components in lithium metal batteries has become one of the research focuses. In this review, the very recent research work related to using IL to develop quasi-solid-state electrolytes and their influences on the performances of quasi-solid-state lithium metal batteries were surveyed and summarized, suggesting that the introduction of ILs can improve the ionic conductivity, broaden the electrochemical stability window, and enhance the electrochemical stability of selected electrolytes. Moreover, using ILs to prepare high-performance electrodes with unique microstructures and uniform distribution of fillers were also introduced. The composite quasi-solid-state electrolytes were suggested as the mainstream of electrolytes in the future due to the combination of the advantages of inorganic and polymer quasi-solid-state electrolytes, and their development challenges in high energy and high safety quasi-solid-state lithium metal batteries were also discussed.
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15. |
- Li, Yangshuo, et al.
(author)
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Electrochemical CO2 reduction with ionic liquids: review and evaluation
- 2023
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In: Industrial Chemistry & Materials. - : Royal Society of Chemistry. - 2755-2608 .- 2755-2500. ; 1:3, s. 410-430
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The increasing CO2 emission, as the chief culprit causing numerous environmental problems, could be addressed by the electrochemical CO2 reduction (CO2R) to the added-value carbon-based chemicals. Ionic liquids (ILs) as electrolytes and co-catalysts have been widely studied to promote CO2R owing to their unique advantages. Among the potential products of CO2R, those only containing one carbon atom, named C1 products, including CO, CH3OH, CH4, and syngas, are easier to achieve than others. In this study, we first summarized the research status on CO2R to these C1 products, and then, the state-of-the-art experimental results were used to evaluate the economic potential and environmental impact. Considering the rapid development in CO2R, future scenarios with better CO2R performances were reasonably assumed to predict the future business for each product. Among the studied C1 products, the research focuses on CO, where satisfactory results have been achieved. The evaluation shows that producing CO via CO2R is the only profitable route at present. CH3OH and syngas of H2/CO (1 : 1) as the targeted products can become profitable in the foreseen future. In addition, the life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to evaluate the environmental impact, showing that CO2R to CH4 is the most environmentally friendly pathway, followed by the syngas of H2/CO (2 : 1) and CO, and the further improvement of the CO2R performance can make all the studied C1 products more environmentally friendly. Overall, CO is the most promising product from both economic and environmental impact aspects.
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16. |
- Li, Zhaokai, et al.
(author)
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Hybrid Analytical Model of Permanent Magnet Linear Motor Considering Iron Saturation and End Effect
- 2024
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In: IEEE transactions on energy conversion. - 0885-8969 .- 1558-0059. ; , s. 1-10
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper proposed a hybrid analytical model for predicting the magnetic field distribution of slotted surface-mounted permanent magnet linear motor considering both iron saturation and end effect. In the proposed model, the segmented conformal mapping is developed to reduce the computation time while keeping same accuracy, especially when the end effect significantly affects the motor performance. Then, with the help of the magnetic circuit model in the primary and secondary iron, the magnetic potential drop of iron is obtained from the iterative calculation. The equivalent saturation current is introduced to represent the iron saturation and finally the performance of permanent magnet linear motor can be obtained considering both iron saturation and end effect. The proposed model expands the scope of the analytical models for the analysis of linear motors. The finite element analysis and experimental validation are carried out to show the effectiveness of the proposed model.
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17. |
- Lin, Zhipeng, et al.
(author)
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Electrocatalyzed direct arene alkenylations without directing groups for selective late-stage drug diversification
- 2023
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In: Nature Communications. - 2041-1723. ; 14:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Electrochemistry has emerged as an increasingly viable tool in molecular synthesis. Here the authors realize electrocatalyzed C-H activations, with the aid of data science and artificial intelligence, towards selective alkenylations for late-stage drug diversifications. Electrooxidation has emerged as an increasingly viable platform in molecular syntheses that can avoid stoichiometric chemical redox agents. Despite major progress in electrochemical C-H activations, these arene functionalizations generally require directing groups to enable the C-H activation. The installation and removal of these directing groups call for additional synthesis steps, which jeopardizes the inherent efficacy of the electrochemical C-H activation approach, leading to undesired waste with reduced step and atom economy. In sharp contrast, herein we present palladium-electrochemical C-H olefinations of simple arenes devoid of exogenous directing groups. The robust electrocatalysis protocol proved amenable to a wide range of both electron-rich and electron-deficient arenes under exceedingly mild reaction conditions, avoiding chemical oxidants. This study points to an interesting approach of two electrochemical transformations for the success of outstanding levels of position-selectivities in direct olefinations of electron-rich anisoles. A physical organic parameter-based machine learning model was developed to predict position-selectivity in electrochemical C-H olefinations. Furthermore, late-stage functionalizations set the stage for the direct C-H olefinations of structurally complex pharmaceutically relevant compounds, thereby avoiding protection and directing group manipulations.
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18. |
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19. |
- Qiao, Feng, et al.
(author)
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Periodontitis and NAFLD-related diseases : A bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study
- 2023
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In: Oral Diseases. - 1354-523X.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Epidemiological studies have shown an association between periodontitis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)-related diseases. However, a causal relationship between these two diseases remains unclear. To examine the causal relationship between these two diseases, we conducted a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis using genetic markers as proxies. Methods: Statistical summary was obtained from a large genome-wide association study (GWAS) on NAFLD (N = 342,499), nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH, N = 342,499), fibrosis (N = 339,081), cirrhosis (N = 342,499), fibrosis/cirrhosis (N = 334,553), and periodontitis (N = 34,615) in the European ancestry. The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the main method to estimate the bidirectional association. Sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the rigidity of the results. Results: Limited evidence indicated positive causal associations between genetically predicted NAFLD and periodontitis (IVW odds ratio [OR], 1.094; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.006–1.189; p = 0.036) and between cirrhosis and periodontitis (IVW OR, 1.138; 95% CI, 1.001–1.294; p = 0.048). However, the opposite trend did not indicate a causative effect of periodontitis on NAFLD-related diseases. The sensitivity analysis revealed no obvious pleiotropy or heterogeneity. Conclusions: Our MR analysis provides new evidence in favor of the moderate causal impact of NAFLD on periodontitis. The causal effects of periodontitis on NAFLD-related diseases warrant further investigation.
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20. |
- Shen, Weixing, et al.
(author)
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Protective effects of Wang-Bi tablet on bone destruction in collagen-induced arthritis by regulating osteoclast-osteoblast functions.
- 2019
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In: Journal of Ethnopharmacology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0378-8741 .- 1872-7573. ; 238
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Wang-bi tablet (WB) consists of 17 traditional Chinese medicines and has been used for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in China for many years, however, its pharmacologic mechanism is not clear.AIM OF STUDY: The aim of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effect of WB on collagen-induced mouse arthritis and explored the underlying mechanism.MATERIALS AND METHODS: DBA/1 mice were used to establish a type II collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) model. From the day of arthritis onset, mice were treated daily by gavage with either total glucosides of paeony (TGP, 0.37 g/kg/d) or WB at a lower (1.11 g/kg/d, WBL) or higher dose of (3.33 g/kg/d, WBH) for 8 weeks. The severity of arthritis, levels of cytokines and the activation of signaling pathways were determined.RESULTS: Our results revealed that WB treatment effectively alleviated inflammatory symptoms and prevented bone erosions and joint destructions. It obviously decreased the serum concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-17α, while increased the concentration of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Interestingly, the proportion of splenic Treg cells were increased significantly. In vitro experiments showed that WB inhibited the differentiation of osteoclasts. Consistently, the mRNA levels of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and cathepsin K (CtsK), and the activation of NF-κB and JAK-STAT3 signaling pathways in the paws of CIA mice were inhibited by WB treatment. On the other hand, up-regulation of osteogenic genes Runx2, Osterix mRNA, and activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway along with a decreased receptor activator of nuclear factor κB ligand (RANKL) expression were found in WB treated mice.CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that the therapeutic effect of Wang-bi tablet could be attributed to its inhibitory activity on NF-κB and STAT3 signaling pathway-mediated osteoclast differentiation, and its enhancement on Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway-mediated osteoblast functions.
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21. |
- Tong, Yang, et al.
(author)
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Progress of the key materials for organic solar cells
- 2020
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In: Science in China Series B. - Beijing, China : SCIENCE PRESS. - 1674-7291 .- 1869-1870. ; 63:6, s. 758-765
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Organic solar cells have attracted academic and industrial interests due to the advantages like lightweight, flexibility and roll-to-roll fabrication. Nowadays, 18% power conversion efficiency has been achieved in the state-of-the-art organic solar cells. The recent rapid progress in organic solar cells relies on the continuously emerging new materials and device fabrication technologies, and the deep understanding on film morphology, molecular packing and device physics. Donor and acceptor materials are the key materials for organic solar cells since they determine the device performance. The past 25 years have witnessed an odyssey in developing high-performance donors and acceptors. In this review, we focus on those star materials and milestone work, and introduce the molecular structure evolution of key materials. These key materials include homopolymer donors, D-A copolymer donors, A-D-A small molecular donors, fullerene acceptors and nonfullerene acceptors. At last, we outlook the challenges and very important directions in key materials development.
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22. |
- Wu, Xiuchen, et al.
(author)
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Exposures to temperature beyond threshold disproportionately reduce vegetation growth in the northern hemisphere
- 2019
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In: National Science Review. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 2095-5138 .- 2053-714X. ; 6:4, s. 786-795
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In recent decades, terrestrial vegetation in the northern hemisphere (NH) has been exposed to warming and more extremely high temperatures. However, the consequences of these changes for terrestrial vegetation growth remain poorly quantified and understood. By examining a satellite-based vegetation index, tree-ring measurements and land-surface model simulations, we discovered a consistent convex pattern in the responses of vegetation growth to temperature exposure (TE) for forest, shrub and grass in both the temperate (30°−50° N) and boreal (50°−70° N) NH during the period of 1982−2012. The response of vegetation growth to TE for the three vegetation types in both the temperate and boreal NH increased convergently with increasing temperature, until vegetation type-dependent temperature thresholds were reached. A TE beyond these temperature thresholds resulted in disproportionately weak positive or even strong negative responses. Vegetation growth in the boreal NH was more vulnerable to extremely high-temperature events than vegetation growth in the temporal NH. The non-linear responses discovered here provide new insights into the dynamics of northern terrestrial ecosystems in a warmer world.
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23. |
- Zhang, Yuehui, et al.
(author)
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Hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance contribute to hepatic steatosis and inflammation in female rat liver.
- 2018
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In: Oncotarget. - : Impact Journals, LLC. - 1949-2553. ; 9:26, s. 18180-18197
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are at high risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). While insulin resistance is a common trait for both PCOS and NAFLD, hyperandrogenism is also considered to be a key factor contributing to PCOS, and the molecular mechanisms behind the interactions between insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism in the female liver remain largely unexplored. Using chronic treatment with insulin and/or human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), we showed that all female rats with different treatments induced imbalance between de novo lipogenesis and mitochondrial β-oxidation via the Pparα/β-Srebp1/2-Acc1 axis, resulting in varying degrees of hepatic steatosis. Given the fact that hepatic lipid metabolism and inflammation are tightly linked processes, we found that hCG-induced hyperandrogenic rats had strongly aggravated hepatic inflammation. Further mechanistic investigations revealed that dysregulation of the IRS-PI3K-Akt signaling axis that integrated aberrant inflammatory, apoptotic and autophagic responses in the liver was strongly associated with hyperandrogenism itself or combined with insulin resistance. Additionally, we found that hCG-treated and insulin+hCG-induced rats developed visceral adipose tissue inflammation characterized by the presence of "crown like" structure and increased inflammatory gene expression. Because a more pronounced hepatic steatosis, inflammatory responses, and hepatocyte cell damage were observed in insulin+hCG-induced PCOS-like rats, our finding suggest that NAFLD seen in PCOS patients is dependent of hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance.
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24. |
- Zhang, Yuehui, et al.
(author)
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Metformin Ameliorates Uterine Defects in a Rat Model of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.
- 2017
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In: EBioMedicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-3964. ; 18, s. 157-170
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Adult rats treated concomitantly with insulin and human chorionic gonadotropin exhibit endocrine, metabolic, and reproductive abnormalities that are very similar to those observed in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) patients. In this study, we used this rat model to assess the effects of metformin on PCOS-related uterine dysfunction. In addition to reducing androgen levels, improving insulin sensitivity, and correcting the reproductive cycle, metformin treatment induced morphological changes in the PCOS-like uterus. At the molecular and cellular levels, metformin normalized the androgen receptor-mediated transcriptional program and restored epithelial-stromal interactions. In contrast to glucose transport, uterine inflammatory gene expression was suppressed through the PI3K-Akt-NFκB network, but without affecting apoptosis. These effects appeared to be independent of AMPK subunit and autophagy-related protein regulation. We found that when metformin treatment partially restored implantation, several implantation-related genes were normalized in the PCOS-like rat uterus. These results improve our understanding of how metformin rescues the disruption of the implantation process due to the uterine defects that result from hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance. Our data provide insights into the molecular and functional clues that might help explain, at least in part, the potential therapeutic options of metformin in PCOS patients with uterine dysfunction.
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25. |
- Zhang, Yuehui, et al.
(author)
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Molecular characterization of insulin resistance and glycolytic metabolism in the rat uterus.
- 2016
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In: Scientific reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 6
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Peripheral insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism are the primary features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, how insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism affect uterine function and contribute to the pathogenesis of PCOS are open questions. We treated rats with insulin alone or in combination with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and showed that peripheral insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism alter uterine morphology, cell phenotype, and cell function, especially in glandular epithelial cells. These defects are associated with an aberration in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway that is used as an indicator for the onset of insulin resistance in classical metabolic tissues. Concomitantly, increased GSK3β (Ser-9) phosphorylation and decreased ERK1/2 phosphorylation in rats treated with insulin and hCG were also observed. We also profiled the expression of glucose transporter (Glut) isoform genes in the uterus under conditions of insulin resistance and/or hyperandrogenism. Finally, we determined the expression pattern of glycolytic enzymes and intermediates during insulin resistance and hyperandrogenism in the uterus. These findings suggest that the PI3K/Akt and MAPK/ERK signaling pathways play a role in the onset of uterine insulin resistance, and they also suggest that changes in specific Glut isoform expression and alterations to glycolytic metabolism contribute to the endometrial dysfunction observed in PCOS patients.
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26. |
- Chen, Jie, et al.
(author)
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Antioxidants, minerals and vitamins in relation to Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis : A Mendelian randomization study
- 2023
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In: Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0269-2813 .- 1365-2036. ; 57:4, s. 399-408
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BackgroundEvidence for antioxidants, minerals and vitamins in relation to the risk of Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) is limited and inconsistent. This mendelian randomization (MR) study aimed to examine the causal associations of circulating levels of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins with CD and UC.MethodsSingle-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with antioxidants (beta-carotene, lycopene and uric acid), minerals (copper, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium), and vitamins (folate, vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E and K1) were employed as instrumental variables. Genetic associations with CD and UC were extracted from the UK Biobank, the FinnGen study and the International Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics Consortium. The inverse variance weighted method and sensitivity analyses were performed.ResultsGenetically predicted higher lycopene (OR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.91–0.97), vitamins D (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.54–0.79) and K1 (OR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.90–0.97) levels were inversely associated with CD risk, whereas genetically predicted higher magnesium (OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.23–1.90) levels were positively associated with CD risk. Higher levels of genetically predicted lycopene (OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.88–0.95), phosphorus (OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.58–0.82), selenium (OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.85–0.97), zinc (OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.89–0.94), folate (OR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.56–0.92) and vitamin E (OR = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.69–0.88) were associated with reduced UC risk, whereas genetically predicted high levels of calcium (OR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.22–1.76) and magnesium (OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 1.03–1.49) were associated with increased risk of UC.ConclusionsOur study provided evidence that circulating levels of antioxidants, minerals and vitamins might be causally linked to the development of IBD.
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27. |
- Chen, Jie, et al.
(author)
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Bidirectional Mendelian Randomisation Analysis Provides Evidence for the Causal Involvement of Dysregulation of CXCL9, CCL11 and CASP8 in the Pathogenesis of Ulcerative Colitis
- 2023
-
In: Journal of Crohn's & Colitis. - : Oxford University Press. - 1873-9946 .- 1876-4479. ; 17:5, s. 777-785
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background and Aims Systemic inflammation is well recognised to be associated with ulcerative colitis [UC], but whether these effects are causal or consequential remains unclear. We aimed to define potential causal relationship of cytokine dysregulation with different tiers of evidence. Methods We first synthesised serum proteomic profiling data from two multicentred observational studies, in which a panel of systemic inflammatory proteins was analysed to examine their associations with UC risk. To further dissect observed associations, we then performed a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomisation [TSMR] analysis from both forward and reverse directions using five genome-wide association study [GWAS] summary level data for serum proteomic profiles and the largest GWAS of 28 738 European-ancestry individuals for UC risk. Results Pooled analysis of serum proteomic data identified 14 proteins to be associated with the risk of UC. Forward MR analysis using only cis-acting protein quantitative trait loci [cis-pQTLs] or trans-pQTLs further validated causal associations of two chemokines and the increased risk of UC: C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 9 [CXCL9] [OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.08, 1.95, p = 0.012] and C-C motif chemokine ligand 11 [CCL11] [OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.09, 1.18, p = 3.89 x 10(-10)]. Using both cis- and trans-acting pQTLs, an association of caspase-8 [CASP8] [OR 1.04, 95% CI 1.03, 1.05, p = 7.63 x 10(-19)] was additionally identified. Reverse MR did not find any influence of genetic predisposition to UC on any of these three inflammation proteins. Conclusion Pre-existing elevated levels of CXCL9, CCL11 and CASP8 may play a role in the pathogenesis of UC.
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28. |
- Chen, Jie, et al.
(author)
-
Gastrointestinal Consequences of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Impaired Glycemic Homeostasis : A Mendelian Randomization Study
- 2023
-
In: Diabetes Care. - : American Diabetes Association. - 0149-5992 .- 1935-5548. ; 46:4, s. 828-835
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: We conducted a Mendelian randomization (MR) study to examine the associations of type 2 diabetes and glycemic traits with gastrointestinal diseases (GDs).RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Uncorrelated genetic variants associated with type 2 diabetes (n = 231), fasting insulin (n = 38), fasting glucose (n = 71), and hemoglobin A1c (n = 75) at the genome-wide significance were selected as instrument variables. Genetic associations with 23 common GDs were obtained from the FinnGen and UK Biobank studies and other large consortia.RESULTS: Genetic liability to type 2 diabetes was associated with the risk of 12 GDs. Per 1-unit increase in the log-transformed odds ratio (OR) of type 2 diabetes, the OR was 1.06 (95% CI, 1.03-1.09) for gastroesophageal reflux disease, 1.12 (95% CI, 1.07-1.17) for gastric ulcer, 1.11 (95% CI, 1.03-1.20) for acute gastritis, 1.07 (95% CI, 1.01-1.13) for chronic gastritis, 1.08 (95% CI, 1.03-1.12) for irritable bowel syndrome, 1.04 (95% CI, 1.01-1.07) for diverticular disease, 1.08 (95% CI, 1.02-1.14) for acute pancreatitis, 1.09 (95% CI, 1.05-1.12) for cholelithiasis, 1.09 (95% CI, 1.05-1.13) for cholelithiasis with cholecystitis, 1.29 (95% CI, 1.17-1.43) for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, 1.12 (95% CI, 1.03-1.21) for liver cirrhosis, and 0.93 (95% CI, 0.89-0.97) for ulcerative colitis. Genetically predicted higher levels of fasting insulin and glucose were associated with six and one GDs, respectively.CONCLUSIONS: Associations were found between genetic liability to type 2 diabetes and an increased risk of a broad range of GDs, highlighting the importance of GD prevention in patients with type 2 diabetes.
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29. |
- Chen, Jie, et al.
(author)
-
Therapeutic targets for inflammatory bowel disease : proteome-wide Mendelian randomization and colocalization analyses
- 2023
-
In: EBioMedicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 2352-3964. ; 89
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Identifying new drug targets for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is urgently needed. The proteome is a major source of therapeutic targets. We conducted a proteome-wide Mendelian randomization (MR) and colocalization analyses to identify possible targets for IBD.Methods: Summary-level data of 4907 circulating protein levels were extracted from a large-scale protein quantitative trait loci study including 35,559 individuals. Genetic associations with IBD and its subtypes were obtained from the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics Consortium (25,024 cases and 34,915 controls), the FinnGen study (7206 cases and 253,199 controls), and the UK Biobank study (7045 cases and 449,282 controls). MR analysis was conducted to estimate the associations between protein and IBD risk. The colocalization analysis was used to examine whether the identified proteins and IBD shared casual variants.Findings: Genetically predicted levels of 3, and 5 circulating proteins were associated with IBD and ulcerative colitis (UC), respectively. With high supporting evidence of colocalization, genetically predicted MST1 (macrophage stim-ulating 1) and HGFAC (hepatocyte growth factor activator) levels were inversely associated with IBD risks. The as-sociations of STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3), MST1, CXCL5 (C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 5), and ITPKA (inositol-trisphosphate 3-kinase A) with the risk of UC were supported by colocalization analysis.Interpretation: The proteome-wide MR investigation identified many proteins associated with the risk of IBD. MST1, HGFAC, STAT3, ITPKA, and CXCL5 deserve further investigation as potential therapeutic targets for IBD. 2023;89: Published https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.ebiom.2023. 104494
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30. |
- Chen, Shouzhi, et al.
(author)
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Informing the SWAT model with remote sensing detected vegetation phenology for improved modeling of ecohydrological processes
- 2023
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In: Journal of Hydrology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-1694. ; 616
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model has been widely applied for simulating the water cycle and quantifying the influence of climate change and anthropogenic activities on hydrological processes. A major uncertainty of SWAT stems from the poor representation of vegetation dynamics due to the use of a simplistic vegetation growth and development module. Using long-term remote sensing-based phenological data, the SWAT model's vegetation module was improved by adding a dynamic growth start date and the dynamic heat requirement for vegetation growth rather than using constant values. The new SWAT model was verified in the Han River basin, China, and found its performance was much improved in comparison with that of the original SWAT model. Specifically, the accuracy of the leaf area index (LAI) simulation improved notably (coefficient of determination (R2) increased by 0.193, Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE) increased by 0.846, and percent bias decreased by 42.18 %), and that of runoff simulation improved modestly (R2 increased by 0.05 and NSE was similar). Additionally, it is found that the original SWAT model substantially underestimated evapotranspiration (Penman-Monteith method) in comparison with the new SWAT model (65.09 mm (or 22.17 %) for forests, 92.27 mm (or 32 %) for orchards, and 96.16 mm (or 36.4 %) for farmland), primarily due to the inaccurate representation of LAI dynamics. Our results suggest that an accurate representation of phenological dates in the vegetation growth module is important for improving the SWAT model performance in terms of estimating terrestrial water and energy balance.
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31. |
- Chen, Shouzhi, et al.
(author)
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Vegetation phenology and its ecohydrological implications from individual to global scales
- 2022
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In: Geography and Sustainability. - : Elsevier BV. - 2096-7438 .- 2666-6839. ; 3:4, s. 334-338
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The Earth is experiencing unprecedented climate change. Vegetation phenology has already showed strong response to the global warming, which alters mass and energy fluxes on terrestrial ecosystems. With technology and method developments in remote sensing, computer science and citizen science, many recent phenology-related studies have been focused on macrophenology. In this perspective, we 1) reviewed the responses of vegetation phenology to climate change and its impacts on carbon cycling, and reported that the effect of shifted phenology on the terrestrial carbon fluxes is substantially different between spring and autumn; 2) elaborated how vegetation phenology affects ecohydrological processes at different scales, and further listed the key issues for each scale, i.e., focusing on seasonal effect, local feedbacks and regional vapor transport for individual, watershed and global respectively); 3) envisioned the potentials to improve current hydrological models by coupling vegetation phenology-related processes, in combining with machine learning, deep learning and scale transformation methods. We propose that comprehensive understanding of climate-macrophenology-hydrology interactions are essential and urgently needed for enhancing our understanding of the ecosystem response and its role in hydrological cycle under future climate change.
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32. |
- Chen, X, et al.
(author)
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Negative thermal quenching of below-bandgap photoluminescence in InPBi
- 2017
-
In: Applied Physics Letters. - : AIP Publishing. - 0003-6951 .- 1077-3118. ; 110:5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper reports a temperature-dependent (10-280 K) photoluminescence (PL) study of below-bandgap electron-hole recombinations and anomalous negative thermal quenching of PL intensity in InP1- xBix (x = 0.019 and 0.023). Four PL features are well resolved by curve-fitting of the PL spectra, of which the energies exhibit different temperature dependence. The integral intensities of the two high-energy features diminish monotonically as temperature rises up, while those of the two low-energy features decrease below but increase anomalously above 180 K. A phenomenological model is established that the residual electrons in the final state of the PL transition transfer into nonradiative state via thermal hopping, and the thermal hopping produces in parallel holes in the final state and hence enhances the radiative recombination significantly. A reasonable interpretation of the PL processes in InPBi is achieved, and the activation energies of the PL quenching and thermal hopping are deduced. © 2017 Author(s).
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33. |
- Chen, Yifeng, et al.
(author)
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Developing aqueous porous carbons for biogas upgrading
- 2024
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In: Separation and Purification Technology. - : Elsevier B.V.. - 1383-5866 .- 1873-3794. ; 329
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Developing novel sorbents is essential for biogas upgrading. In this study, mixed sorbents of aqueous porous carbons were developed to separate CO2 from the biogas, where the porous carbon with the developed micropore structure was identified as the most desirable constituent. Both thermodynamics and kinetics were studied experimentally, and Henry’s constant (KH) and the liquid-side mass-transfer coefficient (kL) of CO2 in the mixed sorbent as well as the selectivity of CO2/CH4 were obtained accordingly. Furthermore, the CO2 separation performance was evaluated with a proposed index, and the cost of biogas upgrading using the mixed sorbent was estimated and compared. The results showed that the porous carbon with the developed micropore structure led to better performance on KH and kL of CO2 in the mixed sorbent, and the mixed sorbent with 3.03 wt% porous carbon exhibited the best CO2 separation performance, reducing 36.2 % in cost compared to the current technologies.
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34. |
- Chen, Yifeng, et al.
(author)
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Developing hybrid 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide/titanium dioxide/water absorbent for CO2 separation
- 2022
-
In: Applied Energy. - : Elsevier Ltd. - 0306-2619 .- 1872-9118. ; 326
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The development of novel absorbents is essential for improving CO2 separation technology. In this study, 1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide/titanium dioxide/water ([Hmim][NTf2]/TiO2-H2O) was developed to separate CO2, where the thermodynamic and kinetic experiments were conducted, and Henry's constant and the liquid-side mass-transfer coefficient were determined accordingly. Furthermore, CO2 separation performance in a bubble tower was validated. A previously proposed index named “absorption ability” (AA) was used to predict and compare the experimental results. Additionally, the cost of biogas upgrading (i.e., CO2 removal for biogas purification) using [Hmim][NTf2]/TiO2-H2O was estimated. The results showed that for the developed [Hmim][NTf2]/TiO2-based technology, the average CO2 mass-transfer rate was increased by 20.0% compared with the current commercialized technology, and the contributions from the thermodynamic and kinetic aspects were 2.5% and 17.5%, respectively. The cost of biogas upgrading was 16.6% lower. In addition, AA successfully predicted the performance of CO2 separation technologies, achieving an average relative deviation of 8.1%.
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35. |
- Chen, Yifeng, et al.
(author)
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Kinetics study and performance comparison of CO2 separation using aqueous choline-amino acid solutions
- 2021
-
In: Separation and Purification Technology. - : Elsevier. - 1383-5866 .- 1873-3794. ; 261
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The thermodynamic and kinetic properties of CO2 in aqueous choline-amino acids ([Cho][AA]s) are important information to demonstrate their performance. In this study, the apparent kinetic properties of CO2 in the five aqueous [Cho][AA]s, including the liquid-side mass-transfer coefficients, enhancement factor, and reaction rate constant, were systematically studied. Furthermore, a new ‘‘absorption ability’’ (AA) index was proposed, combining the apparent kinetic properties determined in this study and thermodynamic properties determined in our previous study. The CO2 separation performance using aqueous [Cho][AA]s was evaluated based on the AA and CO2 desorption enthalpy values. The results show that 30 wt% aqueous choline-serine is a promising absorbent for CO2 separation, and it is comparable to aqueous monoethanolamine.
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36. |
- Chen, Zhuo, et al.
(author)
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Reliability-Oriented Multi-Objective Optimization of Electrical Machines Considering Insulation Thermal Lifetime Prediction
- 2024
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In: IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification. - : Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). - 2332-7782. ; 10:1, s. 2264-2276
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- With the trend toward transportation electrification, the power density of electrical machines faces ever-increasing requirement owing to the stringent limit of weight, especially for aerospace applications. Conventionally, the reliability of electrical machines in such safety-critical application is guaranteed by considerable safety margins, i.e., the over-engineering approach, which prevents electrical machines from reaching higher power densities and leads to a design conflict. This paper proposes a reliability-oriented design approach for low-voltage electrical machines by integrating model-based lifetime prediction into a multi-objective optimization process. Accelerated thermal degradation tests are carried out on mainwall insulation and turn insulation, then the thermal degradation model is built to predict the lifetimes, accordingly. Thermal lifetime models are developed at several lifetime percentiles for both continuous duty and variable duty applications. Finally, a feasible reliability-oriented multi-objective optimization platform is established, based on which a study-case electrical machine for aerospace application is designed and optimized. The prototype is manufactured to verify the optimized performances.
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37. |
- Cheng, Yingzhe, et al.
(author)
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Genetic Effects of NDUFAF6 rs6982393 and APOE on Alzheimer’s Disease in Chinese Rural Elderly : A Cross-Sectional Population-Based Study
- 2022
-
In: Clinical Interventions in Aging. - 1176-9092 .- 1178-1998. ; 17, s. 185-194
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: To investigate the associations of genotypes of NDUFAF6 rs6982393 and APOE and their combined genotypes with the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in Chinese rural elderly.Methods: This cross-sectional population-based study included 5096 older adults (age ≥ 60 years, 57.1% female). Genotypes of NDUFAF6 rs6982393 and APOE were detected using the multiple-polymerase chain reaction amplification. We diagnosed AD following the criteria of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the fourth edition and diagnosed MCI following the Petersen’s criteria MCI. Data were analyzed using the logistic regression model.Results: The overall prevalence of AD and MCI was 3.57% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.040, 0.053) and 22.65% (95% CI: 0.223, 0.247), separately. The TT versus CC/CT genotype of NDUFAF6 rs6982393 was related to a higher risk of AD with the multi-adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) being 1.61 (1.02, 2.54) in the total sample, 3.36 (1.48, 7.60) in those aged 60– 69, and 1.24 (0.71, 2.17) in those aged 70 years and above. The interaction between genotype of NDUFAF6 rs6982393 with age groups (60– 69 versus ≥ 70 years) was significant on the risk of AD. The presence of APOE ϵ4 was not significantly associated with the risk of AD. Carrying both NDUFAF6 TT and APOE ϵ4 was related to a higher risk of AD with the multi-adjusted odds ratio (95% CI) being 2.69 (1.10, 2.56). In addition, there was no significant association between the above genotypes and MCI.Conclusion: In Chinese rural elderly, the TT versus CT/CC genotype of NDUFAF6 rs6982393 was associated with an increased likelihood of AD; such an association only existed among young-old adults. Carrying both NDUFAF6 rs6982393-TT and APOE ϵ4 was related to a higher risk of AD. This finding highlights the importance of considering age and combined genotype in studying the genetic profiles of AD.
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38. |
- Dong, Mei, et al.
(author)
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Cold Exposure Promotes Atherosclerotic Plaque Growth and Instability via UCP1-Dependent Lipolysis
- 2013
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In: Cell Metabolism. - : Elsevier (Cell Press). - 1550-4131 .- 1932-7420. ; 18:1, s. 118-129
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Molecular mechanisms underlying the cold-associated high cardiovascular risk remain unknown. Here, we show that the cold-triggered food-intake-independent lipolysis significantly increased plasma levels of small low-density lipoprotein (LDL) remnants, leading to accelerated development of atherosclerotic lesions in mice. In two genetic mouse knockout models (apolipoprotein E-/- [ApoE(-/-)] and LDL receptor(-/-) [Ldlr(-/-)] mice), persistent cold exposure stimulated atherosclerotic plaque growth by increasing lipid deposition. Furthermore, marked increase of inflammatory cells and plaque-associated microvessels were detected in the cold-acclimated ApoE(-/-) and Ldlr(-/-) mice, leading to plaque instability. Deletion of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), a key mitochondrial protein involved in thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT), in the ApoE(-/-) strain completely protected mice from the cold-induced atherosclerotic lesions. Cold acclimation markedly reduced plasma levels of adiponectin, and systemic delivery of adiponectin protected ApoE(-/-) mice from plaque development. These findings provide mechanistic insights on low-temperature-associated cardiovascular risks.
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39. |
- Foorginezhad, Sahar
(author)
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CO2 Capture through Integration of Aqueous and Immobilized Deep Eutectic Solvents
- 2024
-
Licentiate thesis (other academic/artistic)abstract
- The growing global concern over rising CO2 emissions and its significant impact on climate change highlight the urgent need for efficient CO2 capture technologies. Among the array of techniques employed for this purpose, chemical absorption stands out, characterized by high capture capacity, promising efficiency, and versatile applicability. In this context, Ionic liquids (ILs) and their analogs, deep eutectic solvents (DES), have emerged as promising alternatives to conventional solvents due to their low vapor pressures, high thermal stability, and chemical tunability. However, they also face challenges of high viscosity and cost. Studies have identified two promising strategies to address these limitations: (i) using low-viscous solvents to mix with ILs/DESs and (ii) immobilizing ILs/DESs over a large surface (solid porous materials) to develop composites. The goal of this thesis was to integrate these two strategies to develop an innovative sorbent with enhanced CO2 capture capacity while improving kinetics. The main progress achieved in this thesis is as follows:In the first part, ILs/DESs were screened from the properties where a literature survey was combined with COSMO-RS for different IL/DES-based technologies. One DES was selected. To study the CO2 capture using immobilized ILs/DESs, porous adsorbents were evaluated based on a literature survey by considering the surface area, pore size/volume, stability, availability, and price. Mesoporous silica was selected as a suitable substrate for immobilization. In the second part, a range of aqueous DESs was developed based on the molar ratio of DES components and water content for CO2 capture. Then, the CO2 capture capacity and viscosity of aqueous DESs (before and after absorption) were systematically evaluated and compared with a commercial absorbent. An optimal solution was then selected to achieve a balance between higher CO2 capture capacity and lower viscosity. Additionally, absorption kinetics, recyclability, and the effect of temperature on CO2 capture capacity were studied.In the third part, studies were directed towards the novel strategy, i.e., developing sorbent via integrating aqueous and immobilized DESs, i.e., slurry. To this end, DES was immobilized into mesoporous silica at different loadings and mixed with the aqueous DES. Their CO2 capture capacity was measured and the optimal slurry, selected based on CO2 capture performance, underwent further analysis to evaluate kinetics, recyclability, and temperature effect on performance and obtained results were compared with a commercial solvent.
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40. |
- Guo, Hao, et al.
(author)
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A humanized monoclonal antibody targeting secreted anterior gradient 2 effectively inhibits the xenograft tumor growth.
- 2016
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In: Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications - BBRC. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-291X .- 1090-2104. ; 475:1, s. 57-63
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Anterior Gradient 2 (AGR2) is a potential anti-tumor target and we previously reported a murine antibody 18A4 with specific binding to AGR2. However, humanization is a must to overcome immunogenicity before considering for clinical use and optimized vectors for mammalian expression are also necessary for following industrialized manufacture. Here, we describe an anti-tumor humanized antibody blocking secreted AGR2 activity. We employed the CDR grafting technique and deimmunization analysis to construct humanized antibody variants of 18A4, and 18A4Hu I was selected as the best humanization candidate, characterized by physical and chemical property comparison. Mouse xenograft study showed that 18A4Hu I could effectively inhibit the xenograft tumor growth, antibody blocking epitope analysis using AGR2 mutants indicated that the inhibition activity of 18A4Hu I is exerted probably through blocking the AGR2 functions which rely on the amino acid sites of E60-H76 and A86-E153. What's more, in this report, we also describe a pHAb-FAST vector system which is specifically designed for humanized antibody mammalian expression vector fast construction. With pHAb-FAST system, expression vector of 18A4Hu I could be quickly constructed only through twice overlapping PCR reactions. To our knowledge, AGR2-targeted 18A4Hu I is a promising humanized anti-tumor drug candidate, and pHAb-FAST system is a useful optimized mammalian expression vector construction tool. Our findings are supposed to accelerate the development of antibody-based cancer therapy.
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41. |
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42. |
- Guo, Jinan, et al.
(author)
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Non-invasive Urine Test for Molecular Classification of Clinical Significance in Newly Diagnosed Prostate Cancer Patients
- 2021
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In: Frontiers in Medicine. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-858X. ; 8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Objective: To avoid over-treatment of low-risk prostate cancer patients, it is important to identify clinically significant and insignificant cancer for treatment decision-making. However, no accurate test is currently available.Methods: To address this unmet medical need, we developed a novel gene classifier to distinguish clinically significant and insignificant cancer, which were classified based on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network risk stratification guidelines. A non-invasive urine test was developed using quantitative mRNA expression data of 24 genes in the classifier with an algorithm to stratify the clinical significance of the cancer. Two independent, multicenter, retrospective and prospective studies were conducted to assess the diagnostic performance of the 24-Gene Classifier and the current clinicopathological measures by univariate and multivariate logistic regression and discriminant analysis. In addition, assessments were performed in various Gleason grades/ISUP Grade Groups.Results: The results showed high diagnostic accuracy of the 24-Gene Classifier with an AUC of 0.917 (95% CI 0.892-0.942) in the retrospective cohort (n = 520), AUC of 0.959 (95% CI 0.935-0.983) in the prospective cohort (n = 207), and AUC of 0.930 (95% 0.912-CI 0.947) in the combination cohort (n = 727). Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that the 24-Gene Classifier was more accurate than cancer stage, Gleason score, and PSA, especially in the low/intermediate-grade/ISUP Grade Group 1-3 cancer subgroups.Conclusions: The 24-Gene Classifier urine test is an accurate and non-invasive liquid biopsy method for identifying clinically significant prostate cancer in newly diagnosed cancer patients. It has the potential to improve prostate cancer treatment decisions and active surveillance.
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43. |
- Hu, Haiman, et al.
(author)
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Confining Ionic Liquids in Developing Quasi‐Solid‐State Electrolytes for Lithium Metal Batteries
- 2024
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In: Chemistry - A European Journal. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0947-6539 .- 1521-3765. ; 30:5
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Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The concept of confining ionic liquids (ILs) in developing quasi-solid-state electrolytes (QSSEs) has been proposed, where ILs are dispersed in polymer networks/backbones and/or filler/host pores, forming the so-called confinement, and great research progress and promising research results have been achieved. In this review, the progress and achievement in developing QSSEs using IL-confinement for lithium metal batteries (LMBs), together with advanced characterizations and simulations, were surveyed, summarized, and analyzed, where the influence of specific parameters, such as IL (type, content, etc.), substrate (type, structure, surface properties, etc.), confinement methods, and so on, was discussed. The confinement concept was further compared with the conventional one in other research areas. It indicates that the IL-confinement in QSSEs improves the performance of electrolytes, for example, increasing the ionic conductivity, widening the electrochemical window, and enhancing the cycle performance of the assembled cells, and being different from those in other areas, i.e., the IL-confinement concept in the battery area is in a broad extent. Finally, insights into developing QSSEs in LMBs with the confinement strategy were provided to promote the development and application of QSSE LMBs.
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44. |
- Hu, Haiman, et al.
(author)
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Revealing the role and working mechanism of confined ionic liquids in solid polymer composite electrolytes
- 2024
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In: Journal of Energy Chemistry. - : Elsevier. - 2095-4956 .- 2096-885X. ; 99, s. 110-119
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The confined ionic liquid (IL) in solid polymer composite electrolytes (SCPEs) can improve the performance of lithium metal batteries. However, the impact/role and working mechanism of confined IL in SCPEs remain ambiguous. Herein, IL was immobilized on SiO2 (SiO2@IL-C) and then used to prepare the confined SCPEs together with LiTFSI and PEO to study the impacts of confined-IL on the properties and performance of electrolytes and reveal the Li+ transport mechanism. The results show that, compared to the IL-unconfined SCPE, the IL-confined ones exhibit better performance of electrolytes and cells, such as higher ionic conductivity, higher tLi+, and wider electrochemical windows, as well as more stable cycle performance, due to the increased dissociation degree of lithium salt and enlarged polymer amorphousness. The finite-element/molecular-dynamics simulations suggest that the IL confined on the SiO2 provided an additional Li+ transport pathway (Li+ → SiO2@IL-C) that can accelerate ion transfer and alleviate lithium dendrites, leading to ultrastable stripping/plating cycling over 1900 h for the Li/SCPEs/Li symmetric cells. This study demonstrates that IL-confinement is an effective strategy for the intelligent approach of high-performance lithium metal batteries.
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45. |
- Hu, Wei, et al.
(author)
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Axisymmetric and Asymmetric Naphthalene-Bisthienothiophene Based Nonfullerene Acceptors: On Constitutional Isomerization and Photovoltaic Performance
- 2020
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In: ACS Applied Energy Materials. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 2574-0962. ; 3:6, s. 5734-5744
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Two pairs of constitutional isomers of fused-octacyclic nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs) based on a naphthalene-bisthienothiophene core with or without fluorination at the ending groups have been developed. Compared with the axisymmetric NFAs N66-IC and N66-2FIC with two six-member-ring bridges, their asymmetric constitutional isomers N65-IC and N65-2FIC both with one six-member-ring bridge and one five-member-ring bridge exhibit remarkable red-shifted absorption, higher crystallinity, and slightly down-shifted LUMO energy levels. Organic solar cells based on PBDB-T-2F:N65-2FIC achieved a promising power conversion efficiency of 10.19%, which is three times higher than that of its counterpart PBDB-T-2F:N66-2FIC cell (3.46%). While being blended with PBDB-T as the donor material, the asymmetric acceptor analogue N65-IC based solar cell pronounces a PCE of 9.03%, being significantly improved from that of 5.45% for the PBDB-T:N66-IC based cell, which is in consistency with the results from those cells from their both fluorinated donor and acceptor counterparts. Design rules on either both fluorinated, both nonfluorinated, or cross-combined donor/acceptors for device fabrication has been explored. In addition, PBDB-T-2F:N65-2FIC possesses very promising device stability with 85% of its initial PCE after an exposure time of 1500 h under one sun illumination, which is meaningful for their future commercial devices.
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46. |
- Ji, Xiaoyan, et al.
(author)
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Activity coefficients of HCl in the HCl + NH4Cl + H2O systems at 298.15 and 313.15 K
- 2000
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In: Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0021-9568 .- 1520-5134. ; 45:1, s. 29-33
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Using the ion-selective electrode method with a concentrated electrolyte solution added continuously, the mean activity coefficients of HCl in the HCl + NH4Cl + H2O system were experimentally measured at 298.15 and 313.15 K and at five molality fractions of NH4Cl (y2 = mNH4Cl/(mHCl + mNH4Cl) from 0.1 to 0.9. The measurements were made by an electrochemical cell using a H glass ion-selective electrode and a chloride solid-state ion-selective electrode. It was found that the influence of NH4+ on the H glass ion-selective electrode could be neglected up to 1.3 molkg-1, and this pair of ion-selective electrodes was suitable for determining the activity coefficients of HCl in the system. A new set of Pitzer mixing parameters, correlated from the experimental results, was used to calculate the activity coefficients for HCl in the system from 293.15 to 313.15 K up to 3.0 molkg-1.
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47. |
- Ji, Xiaoyan, et al.
(author)
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Determination of the activity coefficients of NaCl in the system NaCl-NH4Cl-H2O
- 2001
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In: Journal of Solution Chemistry. - 0095-9782 .- 1572-8927. ; 30, s. 463-473
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Using ion-selective electrode(s) (ISE) the activity coefficients of NaCl in the system NaCl-NH4Cl-H2O at 10, 25, and 40°C were measured by a computer-controlled automatic titration system. The ionic strength fractions of NH4Cl were 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8, respectively. It was found that the influence of the NH4+ cation on the Na glass ISE was small enough to be neglected up to 3.0 mol-kg-1. The Pitzer equation was adopted to calculate the activity coefficients of NaCl in this system and compared with the experimental data. Comparison of results indicates that the Pitzer parameters correlated from solubility data are suitable for calculating the activity coefficients for this system within the saturated solutions.
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48. |
- Ji, Yuanhui, et al.
(author)
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Thermodynamic analysis on the mineralization of trace organic contaminants with oxidants in advanced oxidation processes
- 2009
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In: Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0888-5885 .- 1520-5045. ; 48:23, s. 10728-10733
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- There is a growing demand for the efficient treatment of organic polluted wastewaters by advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) which calls for the determination of the mineralization order of ease for the organic contaminants with oxidants. The mineralization abilities of organic contaminants in AOPs are investigated in this work. Photocatalytic experiments for three representative organic contaminants are carried out, and their corresponding reaction rates are determined experimentally. Meanwhile, molar Gibbs free energy changes Delta(r)G(m)degrees for the reactions of 31 organic contaminants (10 chlorinated hydrocarbons, four brominated hydrocarbons, I I aromatic hydrocarbons and their derivatives, three chloroacetic acid, and three chloroacetyl chloride) with oxidants of (OH)-O-center dot, H2O2, O-center dot(-), O-3, and O-2 are calculated, and the mineralization order of ease is determined theoretically on the basis of Delta(r)G(m)degrees. The agreement of the theoretical and experimental mineralization abilities for most of the organic contaminants investigated implies the reliability of the determination of the mineralization ability from the magnitude of Delta(r)G(m)degrees for the mineralization of trace organic contaminants. Results also show that for most of the organic contaminants studied, the mineralization abilities are (OH)-O-center dot > H2O2 > O-center dot(-) > O-3 > O-2, and the mineralization ability of the organic contaminants depends on not only the oxidants but also the structure and properties of the organic contaminants themselves, and the degradation reaction products.
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49. |
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50. |
- Johnson, Heather, et al.
(author)
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Development and validation of a 25-Gene Panel urine test for prostate cancer diagnosis and potential treatment follow-up
- 2020
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In: BMC Medicine. - : BioMed Central. - 1741-7015. ; 18
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Heterogeneity of prostate cancer (PCa) contributes to inaccurate cancer screening and diagnosis, unnecessary biopsies, and overtreatment. We intended to develop non-invasive urine tests for accurate PCa diagnosis to avoid unnecessary biopsies. Methods: Using a machine learning program, we identified a 25-Gene Panel classifier for distinguishing PCa and benign prostate. A non-invasive test using pre-biopsy urine samples collected without digital rectal examination (DRE) was used to measure gene expression of the panel using cDNA preamplification followed by real-time qRTPCR. The 25-Gene Panel urine test was validated in independent multi-center retrospective and prospective studies. The diagnostic performance of the test was assessed against the pathological diagnosis from biopsy by discriminant analysis. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to assess its diagnostic improvement over PSA and risk factors. In addition, the 25-Gene Panel urine test was used to identify clinically significant PCa. Furthermore, the 25-Gene Panel urine test was assessed in a subset of patients to examine if cancer was detected after prostatectomy. Results: The 25-Gene Panel urine test accurately detected cancer and benign prostate with AUC of 0.946 (95% CI 0.963–0.929) in the retrospective cohort (n = 614), AUC of 0.901 (0.929–0.873) in the prospective cohort (n = 396), and AUC of 0.936 (0.956–0.916) in the large combination cohort (n = 1010). It greatly improved diagnostic accuracy over PSA and risk factors (p < 0.0001). When it was combined with PSA, the AUC increased to 0.961 (0.980–0.942). Importantly, the 25-Gene Panel urine test was able to accurately identify clinically significant and insignificant PCa with AUC of 0.928 (95% CI 0.947–0.909) in the combination cohort (n = 727). In addition, it was able to show the absence of cancer after prostatectomy with high accuracy. Conclusions: The 25-Gene Panel urine test is the first highly accurate and non-invasive liquid biopsy method without DRE for PCa diagnosis. In clinical practice, it may be used for identifying patients in need of biopsy for cancer diagnosis and patients with clinically significant cancer for immediate treatment, and potentially assisting cancer treatment follow-up.
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