| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
- Li, Jing-Jing, et al.
(author)
-
Immobilized Triton X-100-assisted refolding of Green Fluorescent Protein-Tobacco Etch Virus protease fusion protein using β-cyclodextrin as the eluent
- 2009
-
In: Process Biochemistry. - : Elsevier BV. - 1359-5113 .- 1873-3298. ; 44:3, s. 277-282
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A new protein refolding technique based on the use of the non-charged detergent Triton X-100 immobilized to the cross-linked agarose gel Sepharose High Performance has been developed. The new solid phase was used in combination with soluble β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) to refold recombinant Green Fluorescent Protein fused to Tobacco Etch Virus protease (GFPTEVP) expressed as inclusion bodies in E. coli. Previous attempts to refold recombinant GFPTEVP by dilution had failed. In the new procedure a column packed with Triton X-100-coupled Sepharose High Performance was used to capture unfolded GFPTEVP followed by elution using an increasing β-CD concentration gradient. The yield of properly refolded GFPTEVP was 46% at a protein concentration of 380 μg/ml. In contrast, dilution refolding of GFPTEVP at 200 μg/ml refolding buffer resulted in only 4.7% of native protein.
|
|
| 3. |
|
|
| 4. |
|
|
| 5. |
|
|
| 6. |
- Fang, Evandro F., et al.
(author)
-
A research agenda for ageing in China in the 21st century (2nd edition): Focusing on basic and translational research, long-term care, policy and social networks.
- 2020
-
In: Ageing Research Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 1568-1637. ; 64
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- One of the key issues facing public healthcare is the global trend of an increasingly ageing society which continues to present policy makers and caregivers with formidable healthcare and socio-economic challenges. Ageing is the primary contributor to a broad spectrum of chronic disorders all associated with a lower quality of life in the elderly. In 2019, the Chinese population constituted 18 % of the world population, with 164.5 million Chinese citizens aged 65 and above (65+), and 26 million aged 80 or above (80+). China has become an ageing society, and as it continues to age it will continue to exacerbate the burden borne by current family and public healthcare systems. Major healthcare challenges involved with caring for the elderly in China include the management of chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs), physical frailty, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, with emerging challenges such as providing sufficient dental care, combating the rising prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases among nursing home communities, providing support for increased incidences of immune diseases, and the growing necessity to provide palliative care for the elderly. At the governmental level, it is necessary to make long-term strategic plans to respond to the pressures of an ageing society, especially to establish a nationwide, affordable, annual health check system to facilitate early diagnosis and provide access to affordable treatments. China has begun work on several activities to address these issues including the recent completion of the of the Ten-year Health-Care Reform project, the implementation of the Healthy China 2030 Action Plan, and the opening of the National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders. There are also societal challenges, namely the shift from an extended family system in which the younger provide home care for their elderly family members, to the current trend in which young people are increasingly migrating towards major cities for work, increasing reliance on nursing homes to compensate, especially following the outcomes of the ‘one child policy’ and the ‘empty-nest elderly’ phenomenon. At the individual level, it is important to provide avenues for people to seek and improve their own knowledge of health and disease, to encourage them to seek medical check-ups to prevent/manage illness, and to find ways to promote modifiable health-related behaviors (social activity, exercise, healthy diets, reasonable diet supplements) to enable healthier, happier, longer, and more productive lives in the elderly. Finally, at the technological or treatment level, there is a focus on modern technologies to counteract the negative effects of ageing. Researchers are striving to produce drugs that can mimic the effects of ‘exercising more, eating less’, while other anti-ageing molecules from molecular gerontologists could help to improve ‘healthspan’ in the elderly. Machine learning, ‘Big Data’, and other novel technologies can also be used to monitor disease patterns at the population level and may be used to inform policy design in the future. Collectively, synergies across disciplines on policies, geriatric care, drug development, personal awareness, the use of big data, machine learning and personalized medicine will transform China into a country that enables the most for its elderly, maximizing and celebrating their longevity in the coming decades. This is the 2nd edition of the review paper (Fang EF et al., Ageing Re. Rev. 2015).
|
|
| 7. |
- Fu, Yongshuo H., et al.
(author)
-
Soil moisture regulates warming responses of autumn photosynthetic transition dates in subtropical forests
- 2022
-
In: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 28:16, s. 4935-4946
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Autumn phenology plays a key role in regulating the terrestrial carbon and water balance and their feedbacks to the climate. However, the mechanisms underlying autumn phenology are still poorly understood, especially in subtropical forests. In this study, we extracted the autumn photosynthetic transition dates (APTD) in subtropical China over the period 2003–2017 based on a global, fine-resolution solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) dataset (GOSIF) using four fitting methods, and then explored the temporal–spatial variations of APTD and its underlying mechanisms using partial correlation analysis and machine learning methods. We further predicted the APTD shifts under future climate warming conditions by applying process-based and machine learning-based models. We found that the APTD was significantly delayed, with an average rate of 7.7 days per decade, in subtropical China during 2003–2017. Both partial correlation analysis and machine learning methods revealed that soil moisture was the primary driver responsible for the APTD changes in southern subtropical monsoon evergreen forest (SEF) and middle subtropical evergreen forest (MEF), whereas solar radiation controlled the APTD variations in the northern evergreen-broadleaf deciduous mixed forest (NMF). Combining the effects of temperature, soil moisture and radiation, we found a significantly delayed trend in APTD during the 2030–2100 period, but the trend amplitude (0.8 days per decade) was much weaker than that over 2003–2017. In addition, we found that machine learning methods outperformed process-based models in projecting APTD. Our findings generate from different methods highlight that soil moisture is one of the key players in determining autumn photosynthetic phenological processes in subtropical forests. To comprehensively understand autumn phenological processes, in-situ manipulative experiments are urgently needed to quantify the contributions of different environmental and physiological factors in regulating plants' response to ongoing climate change.
|
|
| 8. |
- Li, Jing-Jing, et al.
(author)
-
A mild hydrophobic interaction chromatography involving polyethylene glycol immobilized to agarose media refolding recombinant Staphylococcus aureus elongation factor G
- 2005
-
In: Protein Expression and Purification. ; 40:2, s. 327-335
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recombinant Staphylococcus aureus elongation factor G (EF-G) is difficult to refold by dilution due to the formation of large amounts of misfolded structures. However, refolding of EF-G by adsorption to a chromatographic column packed with immobilized polyethylene glycol 20,000 (PEG 20 K) followed by pulse elution with 8 M urea resulted in 88% mass recovery and 80% of correctly refolded structure. The PEG 20 K was coupled to brominated allyl group derivatized Sepharose High Performance to construct a mild hydrophobic adsorbent. Various other hydrophobic interaction adsorbents were also attempted to refold EF-G. However, ligands with high hydrophobicity tended to misfold EF-G, resulting in irreversible adsorption. Various solvents, detergents, and low temperature as well as 8 M urea were tried to release bound EF-G. Only pulse elution with 8 M urea was efficient. Urea concentrations favorable for efficiently refolding EF-G were investigated. Low urea concentration produced more misfolded structures.
|
|
| 9. |
- Li, Jing-Jing, et al.
(author)
-
Immobilized β-cyclodextrin polymer coupled to agarose gel properly refolding recombinant Staphylococcus aureus elongation factor-G in combination with detergent micelle
- 2006
-
In: Protein Expression and Purification. ; 45:1, s. 72-79
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A novel artificial chaperone system using a combination of interactions between the unfolded protein, a detergent and a chromatographic column packed with immobilized β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) polymer coupled to an agarose gel, was introduced to refold recombinant Staphylococcus aureus elongation factor-G (EF-G). Pre-mixing of 10% Triton X-100 and unfolded EF-G at 24 mg/ml followed by a 20-fold dilution into refolding buffer led to successful capturing of EF-G by Triton X-100 resulting in formation of a detergent–protein complex at 1.2 mg/ml of final protein concentration. The complex was subsequently applied to the immobilized β-CD polymer column resulting in correct refolding of EF-G at a concentration of 530 μg/ml with 99% mass recovery. Detergent concentrations above critical micelle concentration were required for efficient capturing of EF-G at high protein concentration. Other detergents with hydrophile–lipophile-Balance values similar to that of Triton X-100 (Triton N-101, Noindet P40 (NP40), and Berol 185) also produced similar result. Soluble polymerized β-CD was more efficient than the monomer to remove the detergent from the protein complex in a batch system. Immobilized β-CD polymer column further improved the capability of detergent removal and was able to prevent aggregation that occurred with the addition of soluble β-CD polymer at high protein concentration in the batch system. The mechanism for this system-assisted refolding was tentatively interpreted: the released protein could correctly refold in an enclosed hydrophilic environment provided by the integration of matrix and β-CD polymer, and thus avoided aggregation during detergent removal.
|
|
| 10. |
- Su, Linjia, et al.
(author)
-
GRP75-driven, cell-cycle-dependent macropinocytosis of Tat/pDNA-Ca2+ nanoparticles underlies distinct gene therapy effect in ovarian cancer
- 2022
-
In: Journal of Nanobiotechnology. - : Springer Nature. - 1477-3155. ; 20:1
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Practice of tumor-targeted suicide gene therapy is hampered by unsafe and low efficient delivery of plasmid DNA (pDNA). Using HIV-Tat-derived peptide (Tat) to non-covalently form Tat/pDNA complexes advances the delivery performance. However, this innovative approach is still limited by intracellular delivery efficiency and cell-cycle status. In this study, Tat/pDNA complexes were further condensed into smaller, nontoxic nanoparticles by Ca2+ addition. Formulated Tat/pDNA-Ca2+ nanoparticles mainly use macropinocytosis for intercellular delivery, and their macropinocytic uptake was persisted in mitosis (M-) phase and highly activated in DNA synthesis (S-) phase of cell-cycle. Over-expression or phosphorylation of a mitochondrial chaperone, 75-kDa glucose-regulated protein (GRP75), promoted monopolar spindle kinase 1 (MPS1)-controlled centrosome duplication and cell-cycle progress, but also driven cell-cycle-dependent macropinocytosis of Tat/pDNA-Ca2+ nanoparticles. Further in vivo molecular imaging based on DF (Fluc-eGFP)-TF (RFP-Rluc-HSV-ttk) system showed that Tat/pDNA-Ca2+ nanoparticles exhibited highly suicide gene therapy efficiency in mouse model xenografted with human ovarian cancer. Furthermore, arresting cell-cycle at S-phase markedly enhanced delivery performance of Tat/pDNA-Ca2+ nanoparticles, whereas targeting GRP75 reduced their macropinocytic delivery. More importantly, in vivo targeting GRP75 combined with cell-cycle or macropinocytosis inhibitors exhibited distinct suicide gene therapy efficiency. In summary, our data highlight that mitochondrial chaperone GRP75 moonlights as a biphasic driver underlying cell-cycle-dependent macropinocytosis of Tat/pDNA-Ca2+ nanoparticles in ovarian cancer.
|
|
| 11. |
- Abolhassani, H, et al.
(author)
-
Combined immunodeficiency and Epstein-Barr virus-induced B cell malignancy in humans with inherited CD70 deficiency
- 2017
-
In: The Journal of experimental medicine. - : Rockefeller University Press. - 1540-9538 .- 0022-1007. ; 214:1, s. 91-106
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In this study, we describe four patients from two unrelated families of different ethnicities with a primary immunodeficiency, predominantly manifesting as susceptibility to Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)–related diseases. Three patients presented with EBV-associated Hodgkin’s lymphoma and hypogammaglobulinemia; one also had severe varicella infection. The fourth had viral encephalitis during infancy. Homozygous frameshift or in-frame deletions in CD70 in these patients abolished either CD70 surface expression or binding to its cognate receptor CD27. Blood lymphocyte numbers were normal, but the proportions of memory B cells and EBV-specific effector memory CD8+ T cells were reduced. Furthermore, although T cell proliferation was normal, in vitro–generated EBV-specific cytotoxic T cell activity was reduced because of CD70 deficiency. This reflected impaired activation by, rather than effects during killing of, EBV-transformed B cells. Notably, expression of 2B4 and NKG2D, receptors implicated in controlling EBV infection, on memory CD8+ T cells from CD70-deficient individuals was reduced, consistent with their impaired killing of EBV-infected cells. Thus, autosomal recessive CD70 deficiency is a novel cause of combined immunodeficiency and EBV-associated diseases, reminiscent of inherited CD27 deficiency. Overall, human CD70–CD27 interactions therefore play a nonredundant role in T and B cell–mediated immunity, especially for protection against EBV and humoral immunity.
|
|
| 12. |
- Ariyawansa, Hiran A., et al.
(author)
-
Fungal diversity notes 111–252—taxonomic and phylogenetic contributions to fungal taxa
- 2015
-
In: Fungal diversity. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1560-2745 .- 1878-9129. ; 75, s. 27-274
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper is a compilation of notes on 142 fungal taxa, including five new families, 20 new genera, and 100 new species, representing a wide taxonomic and geographic range. The new families, Ascocylindricaceae, Caryosporaceae and Wicklowiaceae (Ascomycota) are introduced based on their distinct lineages and unique morphology. The new Dothideomycete genera Pseudomassariosphaeria (Amniculicolaceae), Heracleicola, Neodidymella and P s e u d o m i c ros p h a e r i o p s i s ( D id y m e l l a c e a e ) , P s e u d o p i t h o m y c e s ( D i d y m o s p h a e r i a c e a e ) , Brunneoclavispora, Neolophiostoma and Sulcosporium (Halotthiaceae), Lophiohelichrysum (Lophiostomataceae), G a l l i i c o l a , Popul o c re s c e n t i a a nd Va g i c o l a (Phaeosphaeriaceae), Ascocylindrica (Ascocylindricaceae), E l o n g a t o p e d i c e l l a t a ( R o u s s o e l l a c e a e ) , Pseudoasteromassaria (Latoruaceae) and Pseudomonodictys (Macrodiplodiopsidaceae) are introduced. The newly described species of Dothideomycetes (Ascomycota) are Pseudomassariosphaeria bromicola (Amniculicolaceae), Flammeascoma lignicola (Anteagloniaceae), Ascocylindrica marina (Ascocylindricaceae) , Lembosia xyliae (Asterinaceae), Diplodia crataegicola and Diplodia galiicola ( B o t r yosphae r i a cea e ) , Caryospor a aquat i c a (Caryosporaceae), Heracleicola premilcurensis and Neodi dymell a thai landi cum (Didymellaceae) , Pseudopithomyces palmicola (Didymosphaeriaceae), Floricola viticola (Floricolaceae), Brunneoclavispora bambusae, Neolophiostoma pigmentatum and Sulcosporium thailandica (Halotthiaceae), Pseudoasteromassaria fagi (Latoruaceae), Keissleriella dactylidicola (Lentitheciaceae), Lophiohelichrysum helichrysi (Lophiostomataceae), Aquasubmersa japonica (Lophiotremataceae) , Pseudomonodictys tectonae (Macrodiplodiopsidaceae), Microthyrium buxicola and Tumidispora shoreae (Microthyriaceae), Alloleptosphaeria clematidis, Allophaeosphaer i a c y t i s i , Allophaeosphae r i a subcylindrospora, Dematiopleospora luzulae, Entodesmium artemisiae, Galiicola pseudophaeosphaeria, Loratospora(Basidiomycota) are introduced together with a new genus Neoantrodiella (Neoantrodiellaceae), here based on both morphology coupled with molecular data. In the class Agaricomycetes, Agaricus pseudolangei, Agaricus haematinus, Agaricus atrodiscus and Agaricus exilissimus (Agaricaceae) , Amanita m e l l e i a l b a , Amanita pseudosychnopyramis and Amanita subparvipantherina (Amanitaceae), Entoloma calabrum, Cora barbulata, Dictyonema gomezianum and Inocybe granulosa (Inocybaceae), Xerocomellus sarnarii (Boletaceae), Cantharellus eucalyptorum, Cantharellus nigrescens, Cantharellus tricolor and Cantharellus variabilicolor (Cantharellaceae), Cortinarius alboamarescens, Cortinarius brunneoalbus, Cortinarius ochroamarus, Cortinarius putorius and Cortinarius seidlii (Cortinariaceae), Hymenochaete micropora and Hymenochaete subporioides (Hymenochaetaceae), Xylodon ramicida (Schizoporaceae), Colospora andalasii (Polyporaceae), Russula guangxiensis and Russula hakkae (Russulaceae), Tremella dirinariae, Tremella graphidis and Tremella pyrenulae (Tremellaceae) are introduced. Four new combinations Neoantrodiella gypsea, Neoantrodiella thujae (Neoantrodiellaceae), Punctulariopsis cremeoalbida, Punctulariopsis efibulata (Punctulariaceae) are also introduced here for the division Basidiomycota. Furthermore Absidia caatinguensis, Absidia koreana and Gongronella koreana (Cunninghamellaceae), Mortierella pisiformis and Mortierella formosana (Mortierellaceae) are newly introduced in the Zygomycota, while Neocallimastix cameroonii and Piromyces irregularis (Neocallimastigaceae) ar e i n t roduced i n the Neocallimastigomycota. Reference specimens or changes in classification and notes are provided for Alternaria ethzedia, Cucurbitaria ephedricola, Austropleospora, Austropleospora archidendri, Byssosphaeria rhodomphala, Lophiostoma caulium, Pseudopithomyces maydicus, Massariosphaeria, Neomassariosphaeria and Pestalotiopsis montellica.
|
|
| 13. |
- Blunden, Jessica, et al.
(author)
-
State of the Climate in 2012
- 2013
-
In: Bulletin of The American Meteorological Society - (BAMS). - 0003-0007 .- 1520-0477. ; 94:8, s. S1-S258
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- For the first time in serveral years, the El Nino-Southern Oscillation did not dominate regional climate conditions around the globe. A weak La Ni a dissipated to ENSOneutral conditions by spring, and while El Nino appeared to be emerging during summer, this phase never fully developed as sea surface temperatures in the eastern conditions. Nevertheless, other large-scale climate patterns and extreme weather events impacted various regions during the year. A negative phase of the Arctic Oscillation from mid-January to early February contributed to frigid conditions in parts of northern Africa, eastern Europe, and western Asia. A lack of rain during the 2012 wet season led to the worst drought in at least the past three decades for northeastern Brazil. Central North America also experienced one of its most severe droughts on record. The Caribbean observed a very wet dry season and it was the Sahel's wettest rainy season in 50 years. Overall, the 2012 average temperature across global land and ocean surfaces ranked among the 10 warmest years on record. The global land surface temperature alone was also among the 10 warmest on record. In the upper atmosphere, the average stratospheric temperature was record or near-record cold, depending on the dataset. After a 30-year warming trend from 1970 to 1999 for global sea surface temperatures, the period 2000-12 had little further trend. This may be linked to the prevalence of La Ni a-like conditions during the 21st century. Heat content in the upper 700 m of the ocean remained near record high levels in 2012. Net increases from 2011 to 2012 were observed at 700-m to 2000-m depth and even in the abyssal ocean below. Following sharp decreases in to the effects of La Ni a, sea levels rebounded to reach records highs in 2012. The increased hydrological cycle seen in recent years continued, with more evaporation in drier locations and more precipitation in rainy areas. In a pattern that has held since 2004, salty areas of the ocean surfaces and subsurfaces were anomalously salty on average, while fresher areas were anomalously fresh. Global tropical cyclone activity during 2012 was near average, with a total of 84 storms compared with the 1981-2010 average of 89. Similar to 2010 and 2011, the North Atlantic was the only hurricane basin that experienced above-normal activity. In this basin, Sandy brought devastation to Cuba and parts of the eastern North American seaboard. All other basins experienced either near-or below-normal tropical cyclone activity. Only three tropical cyclones reached Category 5 intensity-all in Bopha became the only storm in the historical record to produce winds greater than 130 kt south of 7 N. It was also the costliest storm to affect the Philippines and killed more than 1000 residents. Minimum Arctic sea ice extent in September and Northern Hemisphere snow cover extent in June both reached new record lows. June snow cover extent is now declining at a faster rate (-17.6% per decade) than September sea ice extent (-13.0% per decade). Permafrost temperatures reached record high values in northernmost Alaska. A new melt extent record occurred on 11-12 July on the Greenland ice sheet; 97% of the ice sheet showed some form of melt, four times greater than the average melt for this time of year. The climate in Antarctica was relatively stable overall. The largest maximum sea ice extent since records begain in 1978 was observed in September 2012. In the stratosphere, warm air led to the second smallest ozone hole in the past two decades. Even so, the springtime ozone layer above Antarctica likely will not return to its early 1980s state until about 2060. Following a slight decline associated with the global 2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion and cement production reached a record 9.5 +/- 0.5 Pg C in 2011 and a new record of 9.7 +/- 0.5 Pg C is estimated for 2012. Atmospheric CO2 concentrations increased by 2.1 ppm in 2012, to 392.6 ppm. In spring 2012, 2 concentration exceeded 400 ppm at 7 of the 13 Arctic observation sites. Globally, other greenhouse gases including methane and nitrous oxide also continued to rise in concentration and the combined effect now represents a 32% increase in radiative forcing over a 1990 baseline. Concentrations of most ozone depleting substances continued to fall.
|
|
| 14. |
- Chen, Hong, et al.
(author)
-
PKU-3 : An HCI-Inclusive Aluminoborate for Strecker Reaction Solved by Combining RED and PXRD
- 2015
-
In: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 137:22, s. 7047-7050
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A novel microporous aluminoborate, denoted as PKU-3, was prepared by the boric acid flux method. The structure of PKU-3 was determined by combining the rotation electron diffraction and synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction data with well resolved ordered Cl- ions in the channel. Composition and crystal structure analysis showed that there are both proton and chlorine ions in the channels. Part of these protons and chlorine ions can be washed away by basic solutions to activate the open pores. The washed PKU-3 can be used as an efficient catalyst in the Strecker reaction with yields higher than 90%.
|
|
| 15. |
- Chen, Jing-Ling, et al.
(author)
-
Quantum contextuality for a relativistic spin-1/2 particle
- 2013
-
In: Physical Review A. Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics. - 1050-2947 .- 1094-1622. ; 87:2, s. 022109-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The quantum predictions for a single nonrelativistic spin-1/2 particle can be reproduced by noncontextual hidden variables. Here we show that quantum contextuality for a relativistic electron moving in a Coulomb potential naturally emerges if relativistic effects are taken into account. The contextuality can be identified through the violation of noncontextuality inequalities. We also discuss quantum contextuality for the free Dirac electron as well as the relativistic Dirac oscillator. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.87.022109
|
|
| 16. |
- Cheung, Ocean, et al.
(author)
-
CO2 selective NaMg-CTS-1 and its structural formation from the titanium silicate based molecule sieve NaMg-ETS-4 upon dehydration
- 2014
-
In: Microporous and Mesoporous Materials. - : Elsevier BV. - 1387-1811 .- 1873-3093. ; 198, s. 63-73
-
Journal article (other academic/artistic)abstract
- A range of titanium silicates (ETS-4 and CTS-1) with interesting gas separation properties were studied as CO2 adsorbents. Some of these adsorbents, in particular NaMg-CTS-1, showed the ability to selectively adsorb CO2-over-N2. Partially exchanged NaM-ETS-4 (M = Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba) were synthesised in the Na+ form and ion exchanged with group 2 cations. All but NaBa-ETS-4 transformed into their CTS-1 counterparts, when these partially exchanged Na-ETS-4 were dehydrated. The transformation from ETS-4 to CTS-1 was monitored and studied extensively using diffraction and spectroscopic techniques. Powder X-ray diffraction allowed us to follow the changes of the unit cell parameters occurred at different temperatures. We combined high energy X-ray total scattering (analysed by pair distribution functions – PDF analysis), electron diffraction, infrared, Raman and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to study the transformation of ETS-4 to CTS-1. We understood that under dehydration steps, there was significant disruption to the Ti–O–Ti chain along the b-axis, which occurred concurrently with the distortion of the double 3-rings alongside of these chains. These changes were partly responsible for the contraction of the ETS-4 framework (and successive transformation to CTS-1). The new information allowed us to understand the interesting structures and sorption properties of these adsorbents
|
|
| 17. |
- Greger, Liliana, et al.
(author)
-
Tandem RNA chimeras contribute to transcriptome diversity in human population and are associated with intronic genetic variants.
- 2014
-
In: PloS one. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:8, s. e104567-
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Chimeric RNAs originating from two or more different genes are known to exist not only in cancer, but also in normal tissues, where they can play a role in human evolution. However, the exact mechanism of their formation is unknown. Here, we use RNA sequencing data from 462 healthy individuals representing 5 human populations to systematically identify and in depth characterize 81 RNA tandem chimeric transcripts, 13 of which are novel. We observe that 6 out of these 81 chimeras have been regarded as cancer-specific. Moreover, we show that a prevalence of long introns at the fusion breakpoint is associated with the chimeric transcripts formation. We also find that tandem RNA chimeras have lower abundances as compared to their partner genes. Finally, by combining our results with genomic data from the same individuals we uncover intronic genetic variants associated with the chimeric RNA formation. Taken together our findings provide an important insight into the chimeric transcripts formation and open new avenues of research into the role of intronic genetic variants in post-transcriptional processing events.
|
|
| 18. |
|
|
| 19. |
- Han, Xin-Bao, et al.
(author)
-
Ultrasmall Abundant Metal-Based Clusters as Oxygen-Evolving Catalysts
- 2019
-
In: Journal of the American Chemical Society. - : American Chemical Society (ACS). - 0002-7863 .- 1520-5126. ; 141:1, s. 232-239
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The oxygen evolution reaction is a crucial step in water electrolysis to develop clean and renewable energy. Although noble metal-based catalysts have demonstrated high activity for the oxygen evolution reaction, their application is limited by their high cost and low availability. Here we report the use of a molecule-to-cluster strategy for preparing ultrasmall trimetallic clusters by using the polyoxometalate molecule as a precursor. Ultrafine (0.8 nm) transition-metal clusters with controllable chemical composition are obtained. The transition-metal clusters enable highly efficient oxygen evolution through water electrolysis in alkaline media, manifested by an overpotential of 192 mV at 10 mA cm–2, a low Tafel slope of 36 mV dec–1, and long-term stability for 30 h of electrolysis. We note, however, that besides the excellent performance as an oxygen evolution catalyst, our molecule-to-cluster strategy provides a means to achieve well-defined transition-metal clusters in the subnanometer regime, which potentially can have an impact on several other applications.
|
|
| 20. |
- Hsiung, Shih-Yi, et al.
(author)
-
Machine learning-based monosaccharide profiling for tissue-specific classification of Wolfiporia extensa samples
- 2023
-
In: Carbohydrate Polymers. - : Elsevier. - 0144-8617 .- 1879-1344. ; 322
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Machine learning (ML) has been used for many clinical decision-making processes and diagnostic procedures in bioinformatics applications. We examined eight algorithms, including linear discriminant analysis (LDA), logistic regression (LR), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), random forest (RF), gradient boosting machine (GBM), support vector machine (SVM), Naïve Bayes classifier (NB), and artificial neural network (ANN) models, to evaluate their classification and prediction capabilities for four tissue types in Wolfiporia extensa using their monosaccharide composition profiles. All 8 ML-based models were assessed as exemplary models with AUC exceeding 0.8. Five models, namely LDA, KNN, RF, GBM, and ANN, performed excellently in the four-tissue-type classification (AUC > 0.9). Additionally, all eight models were evaluated as good predictive models with AUC value >0.8 in the three-tissue-type classification. Notably, all 8 ML-based methods outperformed the single linear discriminant analysis (LDA) plotting method. For large sample sizes, the ML-based methods perform better than traditional regression techniques and could potentially increase the accuracy in identifying tissue samples of W. extensa.
|
|
| 21. |
- Huang, Juan, et al.
(author)
-
Differential metabolic profiles of ginsenosides in artificial gastric juice using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry
- 2022
-
In: BMC Biomedical chromotography. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 0269-3879 .- 1099-0801. ; 36:12
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ginsenosides have poor oral bioavailability and undergo rapid biological transformation in the complex gastrointestinal environment. Most studies on the metabolism of ginsenosides have focused on gut bacteria, yet gastric juice remains a nonnegligible factor. Metabolic profiles of ginsenoside monomers formed in artificial gastric juice were separately investigated and qualitatively identified using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap MSn). A common pattern of their metabolic pathways was established, showing that ginsenosides were transformed via deglycosylation, hydration, and dehydration pathways. Two major structure types, 20(S), 20(R)-protopanaxatriols and 20(S), 20(R)-protopanaxadiols, basically shared similar transformation pathways and yielded deglycosylated, hydrated, and dehydrated products. Fragmentation patterns of major ginsenosides were also discussed. Consequently, gastric juice, as the primary link in ginsenoside metabolism and as important as the intestinal flora, produces considerable amounts of degraded ginsenosides, providing a partial explanation for the low bioavailabilities of primary ginsenosides.
|
|
| 22. |
- Huang, Xiaofeng, et al.
(author)
-
Solvent racing crystallization : Low-solvation dispersion cosolvents for high-quality halide perovskites in photovoltaics
- 2023
-
In: Joule. - : Elsevier. - 2542-4351. ; 7:7, s. 1556-1573
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The solvation capacity of dispersion solvents plays a crucial role in the solution processing of metal halide perovskites. For instance, N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), a widely used dispersion solvent, possesses high solvation capacity but often generates suboptimal film quality due to slow crystallization kinetics. We propose using low-solvation binary cosolvents (nitrile-and ether-type solvents) to achieve a balance between solvation (i.e., sufficient solubility of precursors) and desolvation (i.e., rapid crystallization of films) pro-cesses during perovskite synthesis. The polarity and hydrogen -bonding property of these cosolvents synergistically enhance their solvation capacity, facilitating perovskite precursor dissolution. Moreover, the low-solvation cosolvents accelerate the crystalliza-tion of well-defined intermediate films, yielding higher-quality pe-rovskites than those synthesized with DMF. The optimized modules achieved an active-area efficiency of 22.27%, with a certified aper-ture-area efficiency of 16.10% and corresponding active-area effi-ciency of 20.75%. This research on solvation regulation provides universal guidelines for innovatively preparing high-quality halide perovskites.
|
|
| 23. |
|
|
| 24. |
- Jing, Su, et al.
(author)
-
Automatic Content Segmentation of audio recordings at multidisciplinary medical team meetings
- 2008
-
In: PROCEEDINGS OF THE 2008 1ST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. - : IEEE. - 9781424422449 ; , s. 309-312
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A single recording of a multidisciplinary medical team meeting (MDTM) can be expected to contain several sep- arate discussions on different patients. Automatic speaker segmentation alone does not allow for the separation of in- dividual patient case discussions (PCDs). A novel method is presented here, based on Hidden Markov Models (HMM), to segment audio recordings of MDTMs and facilitate the non-linear retrieval of individual PCDs. The method com- bines professional role interaction with speaker vocaliza- tion patterns. The sequence and duration of vocalization and speakers’ roles are used as training states. Results demonstrate HMM segmentation to have good potential in the development of an MDTM browser. The approach out- lined here can be applied in a wide range of meetings.
|
|
| 25. |
- Jing, Su, et al.
(author)
-
Automatic meeting participant role detection by dialogue patterns
- 2010
-
In: Development of multimodal interfaces. - Berlin, Heidelberg : Springer. - 9783642123962 ; , s. 314-326
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We introduce a new concept of ‘Vocalization Horizon’ for automatic speaker role detection in general meeting recordings. We demonstrate that classification accuracy reaches 38.5% when Vocalization Horizon and other features (i.e. vocalization duration and start time) are available. With another type of Horizon, the Pause - Overlap Horizon, the classification accuracy reaches 39.5%. Pauses and overlaps are also useful vocalization features for meeting structure analysis. In our experiments, the Bayesian Network classifier outperforms other classifiers, and is proposed for similar applications.
|
|
| 26. |
- Jing, Su, et al.
(author)
-
Beyond Red Tape and Fools: Institutional Theory in Entrepreneurship Research, 1992–2014
- 2017
-
In: Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice. - : SAGE Publications. - 1042-2587 .- 1540-6520. ; 41:4, s. 505-531
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Institutional theory has become an increasingly common lens in entrepreneurship research. Over the past years, the number of entrepreneurship studies that adopt institutional perspective (EIn research) has grown dramatically. This review systematically examines extant EIn research, analyzing 194 articles published in 11 leading journals from 1992 to 2014. In this review, we focus on three characteristics of the articles: institutional logic, level of analysis, and methodology. Further, we identify three distinct periods of EIn research: the conceptual phase, 1992–2000, the exploration phase 2001–2007, and the acceptance phase 2008–2014. This allows us to provide detailed discussion on main characteristics of the articles and identify evolutionary trends of this research area. The overall surge of articles with institutional perspective in entrepreneurship research is promising. We can see an increasing variation of methods being applied and a growing mutual interest between entrepreneurship and institutional theory researchers. Yet, we find substantial biases and omissions in the application of institutional theory. There is a focus on national level analysis with assuming state and market logics. For EIn to move forward it has to move closer to field/industry level analysis and add new insights into entrepreneurship and alternative logics. Based on our framework and additional insights gained from the review, we outline directions for future EIn research.
|
|
| 27. |
- Jing, Su, et al.
(author)
-
Beyond red tape and fools：Institutional theory in entrepreneruship research 1992-2014
- 2017
-
In: Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice. - : SAGE Publications. - 1042-2587 .- 1540-6520. ; 41:4, s. 505-531
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Institutional theory has become an increasingly common lens in entrepreneurship research. Over the past years, the number of entrepreneurship studies that adopt institutional perspective (EIn research) has grown dramatically. This review systematically examines extant EIn research, analyzing 194 articles published in 11 leading journals from 1992-2014. In this review we focus on three characteristics of the articles, -institutional logic, level of analysis and methodology. Further, we identify three distinct periods of EIn research: the conceptual phase, 1992-2000, the exploration phase 2001-2007 and the acceptance phase 2008-2014. This allows us to provide detailed discussion on main characteristics of the articles and identify evolutionary trends of this research area. The overall surge of articles with institutional approaches in entrepreneurship research is promising. We can see an increasing variation of methods being applied and an increasing mutual interest between entrepreneurship and institutional theory researchers. Yet, we find substantial biases and omissions in the application of EIn. There is a focus of EIn research on national level analysis with assuming state and market logics. For EIn to move forward it has to move closer to field/industry level analysis and add new insights into entrepreneurship and alternative logics. Based on our framework and additional insights gained from the review, we outline directions for future EIn research.
|
|
| 28. |
- Jing, Su, et al.
(author)
-
Entrepreneurship across regions : Internationalization and/ or contextualization
- 2017
-
In: Entrepreneurship: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications. - 1522519238 - 9781522519232 - 9781522519249 ; 2-4, s. 732-752
-
Book chapter (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Entrepreneurship is an emerging research field that received an increased worldwide scholarly attention during the last few decades. Although the field is still dominated by scholars in the US and Europe, researchers in other parts of the world are exhibiting a growing interest. Based on the globalization of entrepreneurship research over the last decades, this book chapter aims to understand the international picture of entrepreneurship research by focusing on the US, Europe and emerging economies around East Asia. We attempt to address the following questions: What characterizes entrepreneurship research in different regions? What are the similarities and differences among entrepreneurship research in different regions? How can the similarities and differences be explained? To answer these questions, bibliometric analysis is utilized. The analysis of publications in Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) shows that: On the one hand, similarities exist in entrepreneurship research in different regions. Scholars have common interests in certain research topic, especially theoretical ones; on the other hand, there are also differences across regions. Different contextual environments still govern what issues to research.
|
|
| 29. |
- Jing, Su, et al.
(author)
-
Entrepreneurship research in three regions-the USA, Europe and China
- 2015
-
In: International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1554-7191 .- 1555-1938. ; 11:4, s. 861-890
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- During the last few decades the field of entrepreneurship has received increased scholarly attention all over the world. Nevertheless, against this internationalization background, little is known about how entrepreneurship research developed in different regions. In this study, we illustrate the development of entrepreneurship field not only in the USA and Europe but also in China. The study is based on co-citation analysis of entrepreneurship-related articles in the SSCI and Chinese Social Science Citation Index (CSSCI) databases. It appears that the development of entrepreneurship as a research field in China has followed a different path compared to the USA and Europe, where "contextual force" was the main driver in the early stage, but during the development process the external influence became weaker and that of "internal force" becomes stronger. In China, the main driver of entrepreneurship research is "internal force" while the "contextual force" has been downplayed. Similarities and differences in the development process across regions have also been identified.
|
|
| 30. |
- Jing, Su, et al.
(author)
-
Utilising Semantic Structures in the Interactions among Speakers at meetings
- 2011
-
In: Health Informatics Society of Ireland (HISI). - Dublin : ICS HISI.
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In tandem with the introduction of PACS and the adoption of an EPR system at St. James’s hospital, there has been a 237% increase in the number of patients being managed through Breast MDT meetings between 2005 and 2010.Methodology: This study forms part of a long-term ethnographic study at St. James's Hospital. Data are gathered at MDT meetings.Due to increased numbers of women attending breast triple assessment clinics, and awareness of breast complaints, coupled with new protocols and amended local hospital policies, new strategies were required to be implemented to cope effectively with the increased demand. Strategies include grouping and prioritizing of cases, increased formalisation, and the incorporation of real-time electronic record-keeping at meetings (as opposed to note-taking).The Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system allows access to all laboratory test results and the final written pathology report if required during discussion. PACS implementation facilitates direct access to digital radiological imaging such as Mammograms, Breast Ultrasound, Breast MRI, Body CT and Bone Scans. The increase in the number of patient presenting to the breast care services has resulted in more selective use of illustrating images. It is no longer practical to conduct a routine review of all images as may have happened in the past.In 2010 a ‘computer-on-wheels’, connected to the hospital wired-network, was introduced to enable real-time data entry of the decisions of the MDT. The lead clinician, at the end of the meeting, validates entries and the report from the MDT discussion is then available in the individual patient record.
|
|
| 31. |
- Kane, Bridget, et al.
(author)
-
Capturing multimodal interaction at medical meetings in a hospital setting : Opportunities and Challenges
- 2010
-
In: Workshop on Multimodal Corpora at LREC. - Malta. ; , s. 140-145
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper highlights the issues involved in gathering a corpus of data on the multimodal interaction that occurs at a team meeting of medical specialists. Difficulties in capturing the data are described, and the ethical issues are emphasised. Methods to investigate the internal structure of meetings, at the level of discussion topic (patient case discussion) are summarised and the potential benefit that such meeting records promise are reviewed. The hospital setting where the corpora are proposed experience issues in common with any business venture, but in addition demonstrate additional sensitivities because of health service complexities and patient privacy issues.
|
|
| 32. |
- Li, Qiang, et al.
(author)
-
Fast light in silicon ring resonator with resonance-splitting
- 2009
-
In: Optics Express. - 1094-4087. ; 17:2, s. 933-940
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We report experimental demonstration of fast light in an over-coupled ultra-compact silicon ring resonator with resonance-splitting. Strong mutual-coupling induced by the grating inside the ring leads to split resonances and accompanying large anomalous dispersion, thus providing a new approach to realizing fast light in the over-coupled region of the ring resonator. In the experiment, a maximum pulse advancement of 130 ps with low distortion is achieved for a 1-ns signal pulse in a 10-mu m-radius silicon ring resonator. The observed pulse advancement agrees well with the theoretical calculation based on coupled mode theory.
|
|
| 33. |
- Liu, F., et al.
(author)
-
Silicon-chip-based frequency quadrupling for optical millimeter-wave signal generation
- 2009
-
In: Optoelectronic Materials and Devices IV. - : SPIE - International Society for Optical Engineering. ; , s. 763105-
-
Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We propose a prototype of a silicon-chip-based frequency quadrupling system integrating a single-drive silicon Mach-Zehnder modulator and a race-track resonator as an optical differentiator. A proof-of-concept demonstration of 40-GHz millimeter-wave signal generation using 10-GHz driving signal is experimentally provided. The factors that impacting the purity of the RF spectrum are discussed through simulation.
|
|
| 34. |
|
|
| 35. |
- Liu, Zhidan, et al.
(author)
-
A novel configuration of microbial fuel cell stack bridged internally through an extra cation exchange membrane.
- 2008
-
In: Biotechnology Letters. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1573-6776 .- 0141-5492. ; 30, s. 1017-1023
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This paper reports a novel configuration of stacked microbial fuel cells (MFCs) bridged internally through an extra cation exchange membrane (CEM). The MFC stack (MFC(stack)), assembled from two single MFCs (MFC(single)), resulted in double voltage output and half optimal external resistance. COD removal rate was increased from 32.4% to 54.5%. The performance improvement could be attributed to the smaller internal resistance and enhanced cations transfer. A result from a half cell study further confirmed the important role of the extra CEM. This study also demonstrated MFCs where the anode and cathode were sandwiched between two CEMs possessed significantly high power outputs.
|
|
| 36. |
- Liu, Zhidan, et al.
(author)
-
Effects of inoculation strategy and cultivation approach on the performance of microbial fuel cell using marine sediment as bio-matrix
- 2008
-
In: Journal of Applied Microbiology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1364-5072 .- 1365-2672. ; 104:4, s. 1163-1170
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aims: To investigate the effects of inoculation strategy and cultivation approach on the performance of microbial fuel cell (MFC). Methods and Results: A dual-chamber sediment fuel cell was set up fed with glucose under batch condition. At day 30, the supernatant consortium was partly transferred and used as inoculum for the evaluation of cultivation approach. Power output gradually increased to 9.9 mW m(-2) over 180 days, corresponding to coulombic efficiency (CE) of 29.6%. Separated biofilms attached anode enabled power output and CE dramatically up to 100.9 mW m(-2) and over 50%, respectively, whereas the residual sediment catalysed MFC gave a poor performance. MFC catalysed by in situ supernatant consortium demonstrated more than twice higher power than MFC catalysed by the supernatant consortium after Fe(OH)(3) cultivation. However, the re-generation of biofilms from the latter largely enhanced the cell performance. Conclusions: MFC exhibited a more efficient inducement of electroactive consortium than Fe(OH)(3) cultivation. MFC performance varied depending on different inoculation strategies. Significance and Impact of the Study: This is the first time to study cultivation approach affecting electricity generation. In addition, anodic limitations of mass and electron transfer were discussed through MFC catalysed by sediment-based bio-matrix.
|
|
| 37. |
- Liu, Zhidan, et al.
(author)
-
Microbial fuel cell based biosensor for in situ monitoring of anaerobic digestion process.
- 2011
-
In: Bioresource Technology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-2976 .- 0960-8524. ; 102, s. 10221-10229
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A wall-jet microbial fuel cell (MFC) was developed for the monitoring of anaerobic digestion (AD). This biofilm based MFC biosensor had a character of being portable, short hydraulic retention time (HRT) for sample flow through and convenient for continuous operation. The MFC was installed in the recirculation loop of an upflow anaerobic fixed-bed (UAFB) reactor in bench-scale where pH of the fermentation broth and biogas flow were monitored in real time. External disturbances to the AD were added on purpose by changing feedstock concentration, as well as process configuration. MFC signals had good correlations with online measurements (i.e. pH, gas flow rate) and offline analysis (i.e. COD) over 6-month operation. These results suggest that the MFC signal can reflect the dynamic variation of AD and can potentially be a valuable tool for monitoring and control of bioprocess.
|
|
| 38. |
- Liu, Zhidan, et al.
(author)
-
Study of operational performance and electrical response on mediator-less microbial fuel cells fed with carbon- and protein-rich substrates
- 2009
-
In: Biochemical Engineering Journal. - : Elsevier BV. - 1369-703X. ; 45:3, s. 185-191
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The inducement of electroactive consortia was carried Out in dual-chamber MFCS using acetate-based substrate- and a protein-rich synthetic wastewater in fed-batch mode. The characteristics of these MFCs were then compared. MFCs based on acetate-induced consortia (MFCAce) achieved more than twice higher maximum power, and one half of optimal external resistance in comparison to MFCs based on consortia (MFCPro) induced by a protein-rich wastewater. Furthermore, these MFCs exhibited various electrical responses even identical Substrate being applied. MFCAce preferred carbon-neutral substrates. whereas MFCPro exhibited better performance on nitrogen rich feedstock. In particular, for glucose-glutamic acid solution with gradually decreased glucose/glutamic acid ratio, MFCPro exhibited increasing electrical responses than MFCAce. These results suggest that it is possible to optimize the behavior and characteristics of MFC through proper selection of feeding substrate. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
|
|
| 39. |
- Luo, Yifei, et al.
(author)
-
Technology Roadmap for Flexible Sensors
- 2023
-
In: ACS Nano. - : American Chemical Society. - 1936-0851 .- 1936-086X. ; 17:6, s. 5211-5295
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Humans rely increasingly on sensors to address grand challenges and to improve quality of life in the era of digitalization and big data. For ubiquitous sensing, flexible sensors are developed to overcome the limitations of conventional rigid counterparts. Despite rapid advancement in bench-side research over the last decade, the market adoption of flexible sensors remains limited. To ease and to expedite their deployment, here, we identify bottlenecks hindering the maturation of flexible sensors and propose promising solutions. We first analyze challenges in achieving satisfactory sensing performance for real-world applications and then summarize issues in compatible sensor-biology interfaces, followed by brief discussions on powering and connecting sensor networks. Issues en route to commercialization and for sustainable growth of the sector are also analyzed, highlighting environmental concerns and emphasizing nontechnical issues such as business, regulatory, and ethical considerations. Additionally, we look at future intelligent flexible sensors. In proposing a comprehensive roadmap, we hope to steer research efforts towards common goals and to guide coordinated development strategies from disparate communities. Through such collaborative efforts, scientific breakthroughs can be made sooner and capitalized for the betterment of humanity.
|
|
| 40. |
- Okada, Yukinori, et al.
(author)
-
Genetics of rheumatoid arthritis contributes to biology and drug discovery
- 2014
-
In: Nature. - : Nature Publishing Group. - 0028-0836 .- 1476-4687. ; 506:7488, s. 376-381
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A major challenge in human genetics is to devise a systematic strategy to integrate disease-associated variants with diverse genomic and biological data sets to provide insight into disease pathogenesis and guide drug discovery for complex traits such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA)(1). Here we performed a genome-wide association study meta-analysis in a total of >100,000 subjects of European and Asian ancestries (29,880 RA cases and 73,758 controls), by evaluating similar to 10 million single-nucleotide polymorphisms. We discovered 42 novel RA risk loci at a genome-wide level of significance, bringing the total to 101 (refs 2-4). We devised an in silico pipeline using established bioinformatics methods based on functional annotation(5), cis-acting expression quantitative trait loci(6) and pathway analyses(7-9)-as well as novel methods based on genetic overlap with human primary immunodeficiency, haematological cancer somatic mutations and knockout mouse phenotypes-to identify 98 biological candidate genes at these 101 risk loci. We demonstrate that these genes are the targets of approved therapies for RA, and further suggest that drugs approved for other indications may be repurposed for the treatment of RA. Together, this comprehensive genetic study sheds light on fundamental genes, pathways and cell types that contribute to RA pathogenesis, and provides empirical evidence that the genetics of RA can provide important information for drug discovery.
|
|
| 41. |
- Pecunia, Vincenzo, et al.
(author)
-
Roadmap on energy harvesting materials
- 2023
-
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.
|
|
| 42. |
- Qi, Jing, et al.
(author)
-
Levels, distribution, childhood exposure assessment, and influencing factors of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in household dust from nine cities in China
- 2023
-
In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier. - 0048-9697 .- 1879-1026. ; 874
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Household dust is an important source of premature exposure to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), especially for children. In this onsite study, 246 dust samples were collected from 224 households in nine Chinese cities during 2018–2019. Questionnaires were administered to explore the association between household-related information and PBDEs in household dust. The median concentration of Σ12PBDEs in household dust from 9 cities was 138 ng/g (94–227 ng/g), with the arithmetic mean of 240 ± 401 ng/g. Among the nine cities, the highest median concentration of Σ12PBDEs in household dust was found in Mianyang (295.57 ng/g), while the lowest was found in Wuxi (23.15 ng/g). BDE-71 was the most dominant congener, ranging from 42.08 % to 98.15 % of the 12 PBDE congeners among 9 cities. Three potential sources for the indoor environment were Penta-BDE, Octa-BDE commercial products, and photolytic bromine from Deca-BDEs based on the largest contribution (81.24 %). Under the moderate exposure scenario, the exposure levels through ingestion and dermal absorption for children were 7.30 × 10−1 ng/kg BW/day and 3.26 × 10−2 ng/kg BW/day, respectively. Temperature, CO2, years of residence, income, family size, household size, use of computers, heating, use of insecticide, and use of humidifiers were influential factors for PBDE concentrations in household dust. Based on the evidence of the correlation between PBDEs and these household parameters, it can be applied to reduce PBDE concentrations in household dust, which is a basis for controlling PBDEs pollution in Chinese households and protecting population health.
|
|
| 43. |
- Qinghua, Zhai, et al.
(author)
-
Focus on China: the current status of entrepreneurship research in China
- 2014
-
In: Scientometrics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1588-2861 .- 0138-9130. ; 98:3, s. 1985-2006
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- This review study is a first attempt to map the state of entrepreneurship research in China by focusing on the contributions of Chinese researchers. Leading contributors, research collaboration and theoretical underpinnings in both domestic-oriented and international-oriented research are discussed. The review comprises 508 articles published in domestic Chinese journals indexed by the Chinese Social Science Citation Index and 189 articles published in international journals indexed by the Social Science Citation Index between 2000 and 2011. Two bibliometric approaches, co-authorship analysis and co-citation analysis, were utilized. The results indicate that entrepreneurship research in China is characterized by a clear division, not only in terms of researchers in each community, collaborating network but also with regard to theoretical foundation. Domestic-oriented research is still in its infancy. The research community has attracted a majority of Chinese researchers who focus on inter-institutional collaboration based on mentorship and directing relationship. Scholars involved in international-oriented research engage in more open communication by collaborating not only with researchers from other Chinese institutions but also with those from foreign countries. At the same time, they contribute to the understanding of Chinese entrepreneurship by linking the entrepreneurship phenomenon in Chinese context to theoretical frameworks.
|
|
| 44. |
- Shao, Mingjiao, et al.
(author)
-
High-Performance Biodegradable Energy Storage Devices Enabled by Heterostructured MoO3-MoS2 Composites
- 2023
-
In: Small. - : Wiley-VCH Verlagsgesellschaft. - 1613-6810 .- 1613-6829. ; 19:10
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Biodegradable implantable devices are of growing interest in biosensors and bioelectronics. One of the key unresolved challenges is the availability of power supply. To enable biodegradable energy-storage devices, herein, 2D heterostructured MoO3–MoS2 nanosheet arrays are synthesized on water-soluble Mo foil, showing a high areal capacitance of 164.38 mF cm−2 (at 0.5 mA cm−2). Employing the MoO3–MoS2 composite as electrodes of a symmetric supercapacitor, an asymmetric Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitor, and an Mg primary battery are demonstrated. Benefiting from the advantages of MoO3–MoS2 heterostructure, the Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors deliver a high areal capacitance (181.86 mF cm−2 at 0.5 mA cm−2) and energy density (30.56 µWh cm−2), and the Mg primary batteries provide a stable high output voltage (≈1.6 V) and a long working life in air/liquid environment. All of the used materials exhibit desirable biocompatibility, and these fabricated devices are also fully biodegradable. Demonstration experiments display their potential applications as biodegradable power sources for various electronic devices.
|
|
| 45. |
- Su, Jing, et al.
(author)
-
A novel atlas of gene expression in human skeletal muscle reveals molecular changes associated with aging
- 2015
-
In: Skeletal Muscle. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2044-5040. ; 5
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Although high-throughput studies of gene expression have generated large amounts of data, most of which is freely available in public archives, the use of this valuable resource is limited by computational complications and non-homogenous annotation. To address these issues, we have performed a complete re-annotation of public microarray data from human skeletal muscle biopsies and constructed a muscle expression compendium consisting of nearly 3000 samples. The created muscle compendium is a publicly available resource including all curated annotation. Using this data set, we aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanism of muscle aging and to describe how physical exercise may alleviate negative physiological effects. Results: We find 957 genes to be significantly associated with aging (p < 0.05, FDR = 5 %, n = 361). Aging was associated with perturbation of many central metabolic pathways like mitochondrial function including reduced expression of genes in the ATP synthase, NADH dehydrogenase, cytochrome C reductase and oxidase complexes, as well as in glucose and pyruvate processing. Among the genes with the strongest association with aging were H3 histone, family 3B (H3F3B, p = 3.4 x 10(-13)), AHNAK nucleoprotein, desmoyokin (AHNAK, p = 6.9 x 10(-12)), and histone deacetylase 4 (HDAC4, p = 4.0 x 10(-9)). We also discover genes previously not linked to muscle aging and metabolism, such as fasciculation and elongation protein zeta 2 (FEZ2, p = 2.8 x 10(-8)). Out of the 957 genes associated with aging, 21 (p < 0.001, false discovery rate = 5 %, n = 116) were also associated with maximal oxygen consumption (VO2MAX). Strikingly, 20 out of those 21 genes are regulated in opposite direction when comparing increasing age with increasing VO2MAX. Conclusions: These results support that mitochondrial dysfunction is a major age-related factor and also highlight the beneficial effects of maintaining a high physical capacity for prevention of age-related sarcopenia.
|
|
| 46. |
- Su, Jing, et al.
(author)
-
Entrepreneurship research in China: internationalization or contextualization?
- 2015
-
In: Entrepreneurship and Regional Development. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0898-5626 .- 1464-5114. ; 27:1-2, s. 50-79
-
Research review (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Entrepreneurship is an emerging research field that has received much scholarly attention in recent decades. Given the global scope of this attention, this article compares entrepreneurship research in China with that in the USA and Europe. Based on publications in Social Science Citation Index and Chinese Social Science Citation Index databases over the past 10 years, we use bibliometric method to analyse entrepreneurship research in different regions. Our analysis shows that, on the one hand, entrepreneurship research in China has much in common with such research in the USA and Europe. In addition to borrowing ideas from Western researchers, Chinese entrepreneurship researchers study similar themes and use similar theoretical foundations. On the other hand, Chinese contextual environment helps preserve the uniqueness of its entrepreneurship research. Researchers deal with several context-specific topics such as guanxi, i.e. networks of interpersonal relationships, and its influence on entrepreneurship. We further discuss ways for Chinese researchers to explore the distinct context and contribute to the global literature.
|
|
| 47. |
- Su, Zhibin, et al.
(author)
-
Preparation and properties of aminated graphene fiber incorporated modified asphalt
- 2019
-
In: Construction and Building Materials. - : Elsevier. - 0950-0618 .- 1879-0526. ; 229
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The inert nature of polyacrylonitrile (PAN) fiber limits the development of fiber asphalt pavement, which can however be tackled by modifying PAN. In this paper, PAN was modified via self-polymerization of dopamine and covalent grafting of aminated graphene, which were in turn used to prepare three kinds of modified asphalt. Dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) tests showed that the aminated graphene modified fiber based asphalt had better viscoelasticity and resistance to permanent deformation than the pristine fiber added asphalt. 3% NH2-GNPs/D-PAN modified asphalt exhibited about 8% higher G* than 3% PAN modified asphalt at a fixed shear frequency. The aminated graphene modified asphalt exhibited enhanced hydrophobicity, adhesion work and water resistance (increased by 14%) than unmodified PAN fiber added asphalt as determined via contact angle measurement. Trabecular bending test and water-immersed Marshall stability test showed that NH2-GNPs/D-PAN incorporated modified asphalt mixture realized the best cracking resistance at low temperature and water damage resistance, which is consistent with the result of DSR and contact angle tests. FT-IR characterization confirmed the successful grafting of amino group onto graphene oxide and that graphite oxide was reduced to graphene. The fiber structure and successful grafting of aminated graphene onto the fiber surface in the PAN modified asphalt was further characterized and confirmed by SEM and AFM.
|
|
| 48. |
- Tan, Youwen, et al.
(author)
-
The naturally occurring YMDD mutation among patients chronically infected HBV and untreated with lamivudine: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- 2012
-
In: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 7
-
Review (other academic/artistic)abstract
- Background: Several recent reports have demonstrated that tyrosine (Y)-methionine (M)-aspartic acid (D)-aspartic acid (D) (YMDD) motif mutations can naturally occur in chronic HBV patients without antiviral treatment such as lamivudine therapy. This paper aims to assess the overall spontaneous incidence and related risk factors of YMDD-motif mutations among lamivudine-naïve chronic HBV carriers, so as to provide some clue for clinical treatment of hepatitis B. Methodology/Principal Findings: Chinese and English literatures were searched for studies reporting natural YMDD mutations among untreated chronic HBV patients from 2001 to 2010. The incidence estimates were summarized and analyzed by meta-analyses. Forty-seven eligible articles from eight countries were selected in this review (13 in English and 34 in Chinese). The pooled incidence of YMDD-motif mutation among untreated chronic HBV patients from eight countries was 12.21% (95% CI: 9.69%-14.95%). China had an incidence of 13.38% (95% CI: 10.90%-16.07%) and seven other countries had an incidence of 9.90% (95% CI: 3.28%-19.55%), respectively. Lamivudine therapy would increase the risk of mutations 5.23 times higher than the untreated patients. A higher HBV DNA copy number was associated with increased incidence of natural YMDD mutation. No significant difference was found in YMDD mutation incidence between groups of different gender, age, HBeAg status, patients' ALT (alanine aminotransferase) level, and between the groups of HBV genotype B and C. Conclusions: The YMDD-motif mutations can occur spontaneously with a relatively high incidence in CHB patients untreated with lamivudine. These mutations might be the consequence of accumulated base mismatch due to the nature of viral polymerase. More fundamental and clinical studies are needed to clarify the influence of YMDD mutations in hepatitis B progression and antiviral treatment. © 2012 Tan et al.
|
|
| 49. |
- Tian, Xue-Chan, et al.
(author)
-
Unique gene duplications and conserved microsynteny potentially associated with resistance to wood decay in the Lauraceae
- 2023
-
In: Frontiers in Plant Science. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 1664-462X. ; 14
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Wood decay resistance (WDR) is marking the value of wood utilization. Many trees of the Lauraceae have exceptional WDR, as evidenced by their use in ancient royal palace buildings in China. However, the genetics of WDR remain elusive. Here, through comparative genomics, we revealed the unique characteristics related to the high WDR in Lauraceae trees. We present a 1.27-Gb chromosome-level assembly for Lindera megaphylla (Lauraceae). Comparative genomics integrating major groups of angiosperm revealed Lauraceae species have extensively shared gene microsynteny associated with the biosynthesis of specialized metabolites such as isoquinoline alkaloids, flavonoid, lignins and terpenoid, which play significant roles in WDR. In Lauraceae genomes, tandem and proximal duplications (TD/PD) significantly expanded the coding space of key enzymes of biosynthesis pathways related to WDR, which may enhance the decay resistance of wood by increasing the accumulation of these compounds. Among Lauraceae species, genes of WDR-related biosynthesis pathways showed remarkable expansion by TD/PD and conveyed unique and conserved motifs in their promoter and protein sequences, suggesting conserved gene collinearity, gene expansion and gene regulation supporting the high WDR. Our study thus reveals genomic profiles related to biochemical transitions among major plant groups and the genomic basis of WDR in the Lauraceae.
|
|
| 50. |
- Wang, Aozhe, et al.
(author)
-
Targeted lipidomics and inflammation response to six weeks of sprint interval training in male adolescents
- 2023
-
In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. - : MDPI. - 1661-7827 .- 1660-4601. ; 20:4
-
Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Lipids play an important role in coordinating and regulating metabolic and inflammatoryprocesses. Sprint interval training (SIT) is widely used to improve sports performance and healthoutcomes, but the current understanding of SIT-induced lipid metabolism and the correspondingsystemic inflammatory status modification remains controversial and limited, especially in maleadolescents. To answer these questions, twelve untrained male adolescents were recruited andunderwent 6 weeks of SIT. The pre- and post-training testing included analyses of peak oxygenconsumption (VO2peak), biometric data (weight and body composition), serum biochemical pa-rameters (fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-densitylipoprotein cholesterol, triacylglycerol, testosterone, and cortisol), inflammatory markers, and tar-geted lipidomics. After the 6-week SIT, the serum C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2,IL-4, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β significantlydecreased (p < 0.05), whereas IL-6 and IL-10/TNF-α significantly increased (p < 0.05). In addition,the targeted lipidomics revealed changes in 296 lipids, of which 33 changed significantly (p < 0.05,fold change > 1.2 or <1/1.2). The correlation analysis revealed that the changes in the inflammatorymarkers were closely correlated with the changes in some of the lipids, such as LPC, HexCer, andFFA. In conclusion, the 6-week SIT induced significant changes in the inflammatory markers andcirculating lipid composition, offering health benefits to the population.
|
|
