1. |
- Beal, Jacob, et al.
(author)
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Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density
- 2020
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In: Communications Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 3:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals <1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data.
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2. |
- Luo, Yifei, et al.
(author)
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Technology Roadmap for Flexible Sensors
- 2023
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In: ACS Nano. - : American Chemical Society. - 1936-0851 .- 1936-086X. ; 17:6, s. 5211-5295
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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.
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4. |
- Mahajan, Anubha, et al.
(author)
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Multi-ancestry genetic study of type 2 diabetes highlights the power of diverse populations for discovery and translation
- 2022
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In: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Nature. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 54:5, s. 560-572
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We assembled an ancestrally diverse collection of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in 180,834 affected individuals and 1,159,055 controls (48.9% non-European descent) through the Diabetes Meta-Analysis of Trans-Ethnic association studies (DIAMANTE) Consortium. Multi-ancestry GWAS meta-analysis identified 237 loci attaining stringent genome-wide significance (P < 5 x 10(-9)), which were delineated to 338 distinct association signals. Fine-mapping of these signals was enhanced by the increased sample size and expanded population diversity of the multi-ancestry meta-analysis, which localized 54.4% of T2D associations to a single variant with >50% posterior probability. This improved fine-mapping enabled systematic assessment of candidate causal genes and molecular mechanisms through which T2D associations are mediated, laying the foundations for functional investigations. Multi-ancestry genetic risk scores enhanced transferability of T2D prediction across diverse populations. Our study provides a step toward more effective clinical translation of T2D GWAS to improve global health for all, irrespective of genetic background. Genome-wide association and fine-mapping analyses in ancestrally diverse populations implicate candidate causal genes and mechanisms underlying type 2 diabetes. Trans-ancestry genetic risk scores enhance transferability across populations.
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5. |
- Wang, Meiyang, et al.
(author)
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Promoted photocatalytic degradation and detoxication performance for norfloxacin on Z-scheme phosphate-doped BiVO4/graphene quantum dots/P-doped g-C3N4
- 2021
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In: Separation and Purification Technology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1383-5866. ; 274
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A novel kind of Z-scheme ternary heterojunctions phosphate-doped BiVO4/graphene quantum dots/P-doped g-C3N4 (BVP/GQDs/PCN) were fabricated for the visible light degradation of norfloxacin (NOR), a typical antibiotic. Compared with binary type-II heterojunction phosphate-doped BiVO4/PCN (BVP/PCN), Z-scheme BVP/GQDs/PCN exhibited promoted interfacial charge transfer efficiency and broadened visible light response range, endowing them with excellent photodegradation activity and mineralization ability in NOR degradation. A high NOR degradation rate of 86.3% with a removal rate of total organic carbon (TOC) of 55.8% can be achieved over BVP/GQDs/PCN for 120 min visible light irradiation, which is an excellent performance compared with ever reported similar photocatalysts. In particular, because of the enhanced redox ability of photogenerated charges and the generation of multiple active species (eg. [rad]OH and [rad]O2−) over Z-scheme photocatalytic system, the accumulation of highly toxic degradation intermediates was greatly inhibited, and a better detoxication performance was obtained compared to PCN and BVP/PCN. This work may shed light on the inhibition of highly toxic degradation intermediates of antibiotics by regulating the charge transfer mechanism, photocatalytic active species, and the degradation pathway of antibiotics.
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6. |
- Zhang, Yangfan, et al.
(author)
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Interfacial defective Ti3+ on Ti/TiO2 as visible-light responsive sites with promoted charge transfer and photocatalytic performance
- 2022
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In: Journal of Materials Science and Technology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1005-0302. ; 106, s. 139-146
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Defect sites on oxide semiconductors play a crucial role in promoting photocatalytiperformance and modulating the bandgap structure of photocatalysts. However, the role of interfacial coordinatively unsaturated defect sites between metal and oxide in photocatalysis is still under debate. So, we designed an experiment to probe the role of interfacial coordinatively unsaturated defect sites. In this work, a series of Ti/TiO2 photocatalysts with varying concentrations of interfacial Ti3+ sites were prepared through an epitaxial growth method under hydrothermal conditions. Through experimental and computational investigations, the roles of interfacial defect sites were discussed in detail. On the one hand, the interfacial coordinatively unsaturated Ti3+ sites could act as visible-light-responsive sites in photocatalytic reactions due to the overlap and hybridization of multiple electronic orbitals. On the other hand, the Ti/TiO2 interface exhibited a certain degree of metallic character near the Fermi level because of the partial delocalization and redistribution of electrons, facilitating the charge migration and separation across the metal-oxide interface. Consequently, the obtained Ti/TiO2 catalysts showed notably enhanced charge transfer efficiency and visible light photocatalytic activity compared to their pristine counterparts. This work may provide a new perspective to interfacial defect engineering in classic metal/oxide heterojunction photocatalysts and figure a more precise direction to synthesize higher effective photocatalysts for environmental governance.
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7. |
- Andhikaputra, Gerry, et al.
(author)
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The impact of temperature and precipitation on all-infectious-, bacterial-, and viral-diarrheal disease in Taiwan
- 2023
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In: Science of the Total Environment. - : Elsevier BV. - 1879-1026 .- 0048-9697. ; 862
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The ongoing climate change will elevate the incidence of diarrheal in 2030-2050 in Asia, including Taiwan. This study investigated associations between meteorological factors (temperature, precipitation) and burden of age-cause-specific diarrheal diseases in six regions of Taiwan using 13 years of (2004-2016) population-based data.METHODS: Weekly cause-specific diarrheal and meteorological data were obtained from 2004 to 2016. We used distributed lag non-linear model to assess age (under five, all age) and cause-specific (viral, bacterial) diarrheal disease burden associated with extreme high (99th percentile) and low (5th percentile) of climate variables up to lag 8 weeks in six regions of Taiwan. Random-effects meta-analysis was used to pool these region-specific estimates.RESULTS: Extreme low temperature (15.30 °C) was associated with risks of all-infectious and viral diarrhea, with the highest risk for all-infectious diarrheal found at lag 8 weeks among all age [Relative Risk (RR): 1.44; 95 % Confidence Interval (95 % CI): 1.24-1.67]. The highest risk of viral diarrheal infection was observed at lag 2 weeks regardless the age. Extreme high temperature (30.18 °C) was associated with risk of bacterial diarrheal among all age (RR: 1.07; 95 % CI: 1.02-1.13) at lag 8 weeks. Likewise, extreme high precipitation (290 mm) was associated with all infectious diarrheal, with the highest risk observed for bacterial diarrheal among population under five years (RR: 2.77; 95 % CI: 1.60-4.79) at lag 8 weeks. Extreme low precipitation (0 mm) was associated with viral diarrheal in all age at lag 1 week (RR: 1.08; 95 % CI: 1.01-1.15)].CONCLUSION: In Taiwan, extreme low temperature is associated with an increased burden of viral diarrheal, while extreme high temperature and precipitation elevated burden of bacterial diarrheal. This distinction in cause-specific and climate-hazard specific diarrheal disease burden underscore the importance of incorporating differences in public health preparedness measures designed to enhance community resilience against climate change.
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8. |
- Chai, Gaoda, et al.
(author)
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Deciphering the Role of Chalcogen-Containing Heterocycles in Nonfullerene Acceptors for Organic Solar Cells
- 2020
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In: ACS Energy Letters. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 2380-8195. ; 5:11, s. 3415-3425
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The field of organic solar cells has experienced paradigm-shifting changes in recent years because of the emergence of nonfullerene acceptors (NFAs). It is critically important to gain more insight into the structure-property relationship of the emerging A-DAD-A-type NFAs. In this Letter, a family of NFAs named BPF-4F, BPT-4F, and BPS-4F incorporating various chalcogen-containing heterocycles, i.e., furan, thiophene, and selenophene, respectively, was designed and synthesized. These NFAs exhibited dramatic differences in their photovoltaic performances with device efficiencies of 16.8% achieved by the thiophene-based cells, which was much higher than the furan-based ones (12.6%). In addition, the selenophene-based NFA showed a red-shifted absorption relative to the furan- and thiophene-based ones and obtained a decent efficiency of 16.3% owing to an improved J(SC). The reasons why these NFAs performed differently are systematically studied by comparing their optoelectronic properties and film morphology, which provides new understandings of the molecular design of high-performance NFAs.
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9. |
- Chen, Huashuai, et al.
(author)
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Trends in the prevalence of cognitive impairment at old age in China, 2002–2018
- 2024
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In: Alzheimer's & Dementia. - 1552-5260 .- 1552-5279. ; 20:2, s. 1387-1396
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- INTRODUCTION: China has the world's largest number of older adults with cognitive impairment (CI). We aimed to examine secular trends in the prevalence of CI in China from 2002 to 2018.METHODS: Generalized estimating equations (GEE) was used to assess changes in CI trend in 44,154 individuals (72,027 observations) aged 65 to 105 years old.RESULTS: The prevalence of CI increased from 2002 to 2008 and then decreased until 2018. The age-standardized prevalence increased from 25.7% in 2002, 26.1% in 2005, to 28.2% in 2008, then decreased to 26.0% in 2011, 25.3% in 2014, and 24.9% in 2018. Females and those ≥ 80 years old had greater CI prevalence.DISCUSSION: The prevalence of CI showed an inverted U shape from early 2000s to late 2010s with a peak in 2008. Follow-up studies are needed to confirm the decreasing trend after 2008 and examine the contributing factors and underlying mechanisms of this trend.
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10. |
- Cheng, Shi-Ping, et al.
(author)
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Haplotype-resolved genome assembly and allele-specific gene expression in cultivated ginger
- 2021
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In: Horticulture Research. - : Springer Nature. - 2052-7276. ; 8:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is one of the most valued spice plants worldwide; it is prized for its culinary and folk medicinal applications and is therefore of high economic and cultural importance. Here, we present a haplotype-resolved, chromosome-scale assembly for diploid ginger anchored to 11 pseudochromosome pairs with a total length of 3.1 Gb. Remarkable structural variation was identified between haplotypes, and two inversions larger than 15 Mb on chromosome 4 may be associated with ginger infertility. We performed a comprehensive, spatiotemporal, genome-wide analysis of allelic expression patterns, revealing that most alleles are coordinately expressed. The alleles that exhibited the largest differences in expression showed closer proximity to transposable elements, greater coding sequence divergence, more relaxed selection pressure, and more transcription factor binding site differences. We also predicted the transcription factors potentially regulating 6-gingerol biosynthesis. Our allele-aware assembly provides a powerful platform for future functional genomics, molecular breeding, and genome editing in ginger.
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