MyMedR

Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 82 in total

Abstract:

Sort:

Fulltext A genus-level taxonomic review of primitively segmented spiders (Mesothelae, Liphistiidae)

Xu X, Liu F, Chen J, Ono H, Li D, Kuntner M

Zookeys, 2015.
PMID: 25878527 DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.488.8726

The spider suborder Mesothelae, containing a single extant family Liphistiidae, represents a species-poor and ancient lineage. These are conspicuous spiders that primitively retain a segmented abdomen and appendage-like spinnerets. While their classification history is nearly devoid of phylogenetic hypotheses, we here revise liphistiid genus level taxonomy based on original sampling throughout their Asian range, and on the evidence from a novel molecular phylogeny. By combining morphological and natural history evidence with phylogenetic relationships in the companion paper, we provide strong support for the monophyly of Liphistiidae, and the two subfamilies Liphistiinae and Heptathelinae. While the former only contains Liphistius Schiödte, 1849, a genus distributed in Indonesia (Sumatra), Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, we recognize and diagnose seven heptatheline genera, all but three removed from the synonymy of Heptathela: i) Ganthela Xu & Kuntner, gen. n. with the type species Ganthelayundingensis Xu, sp. n. is known from Fujian and Jiangxi, China; ii) a rediagnosed Heptathela Kishida, 1923 is confined to the Japanese islands (Kyushu and Okinawa); iii) Qiongthela Xu & Kuntner, gen. n. with the type species Qiongthelabaishensis Xu, sp. n. is distributed disjunctly in Hainan, China and Vietnam; iv) Ryuthela Haupt, 1983 is confined to the Ryukyu archipelago (Japan); v) Sinothela Haupt, 2003 inhabits Chinese areas north of Yangtze; vi) Songthela Ono, 2000 inhabits southwest China and northern Vietnam; and vii) Vinathela Ono, 2000 (Abcathela Ono, 2000, syn. n.; Nanthela Haupt, 2003, syn. n.) is known from southeast China and Vietnam.
Influence of flavonoids from Sedum aizoon L. on mitochondrial function of Rhizopus nigricans in strawberry

Ge Q, Zhao S, Shao X, Wei Y, Chen J, Wang H, et al.

World J Microbiol Biotechnol, 2024 Apr 13;40(5):161.
PMID: 38613738 DOI: 10.1007/s11274-024-03967-3

Rhizopus nigricans (R. nigricans), one of the fungi that grows the fastest, is frequently discovered in postharvest fruits, it's the main pathogen of strawberry root rot. Flavonoids in Sedum aizoon L. (FSAL) is a kind of green and safe natural substance extracted from Sedum aizoon L. which has antifungal activity. In this study, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of FSAL on R. nigricans and cell apoptosis tests were studied to explore the inhibitory effect of FSAL on R. nigricans. The effects of FSAL on mitochondria of R. nigricans were investigated through the changes of mitochondrial permeability transition pore(mPTP), mitochondrial membrane potential(MMP), Ca2+ content, H2O2 content, cytochrome c (Cyt c) content, the related enzyme activity and related genes of mitochondria. The results showed that the MIC of FSAL on R. nigricans was 1.800 mg/mL, with the addition of FSAL (1.800 mg/mL), the mPTP openness of R. nigricans increased and the MMP reduced. Resulting in an increase in Ca2+ content, accumulation of H2O2 content and decrease of Cyt c content, the activity of related enzymes was inhibited and related genes were up-regulated (VDAC1, ANT) or down-regulated (SDHA, NOX2). This suggests that FSAL may achieve the inhibitory effect of fungi by damaging mitochondria, thereby realizing the postharvest freshness preservation of strawberries. This lays the foundation for the development of a new plant-derived antimicrobial agent.
A review on polyamide thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes: History, applications, challenges and approaches

Lau WJ, Gray S, Matsuura T, Emadzadeh D, Chen JP, Ismail AF

Water Res, 2015 Sep 1;80:306-24.
PMID: 26011136 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2015.04.037

This review focuses on the development of polyamide (PA) thin film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes for various aqueous media-based separation processes such as nanofiltration, reverse osmosis and forward osmosis since the concept of TFN was introduced in year 2007. Although the total number of published TFN articles falls far short of the articles of the well-known thin film composite (TFC) membranes, its growth rate is significant, particularly since 2012. Generally, by incorporating an appropriate amount of nanofiller into a thin selective PA layer of a composite membrane, one could produce TFN membranes with enhanced separation characteristics as compared to the conventional TFC membrane. For certain cases, the resulting TFN membranes demonstrate not only excellent antifouling resistance and/or greater antibacterial effect, but also possibly overcome the trade-off effect between water permeability and solute selectivity. Furthermore, this review attempts to give the readers insights into the difficulties of incorporating inorganic nanomaterials into the organic PA layer whose thickness usually falls in a range of several-hundred nanometers. It is also intended to show new possible approaches to overcome these challenges in TFN membrane fabrication.
Letter regarding Xiao WZ et al. entitled "Relationships between PTEN gene mutations and prognosis in glioma: a meta-analysis"

Dai W, Chen J, Guo X, Su Z

Tumour Biol., 2015 Jun;36(6):4089.
PMID: 26025112 DOI: 10.1007/s13277-015-3481-4

With great interest, we read the article "Relationships between PTEN gene mutations and prognosis in glioma: a meta-analysis" (by Xiao et al. Tumor Biol 35(7):6687-6693, 2014), which has reached important conclusions that the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) gene mutations were closely related to poor prognosis of glioma patients. Through quantitative analysis, the investigators (Xiao WZ et al.) showed that glioma patients with PTEN gene mutations exhibited a significantly shorter overall survival (OS) than those without PTEN gene mutations (HR = 3.66, 95 % CI = 2.02∼5.30, P 0.05). The meta-analysis results are encouraging. Nevertheless, some deficiencies still existed that we would like to raise.
Parasitological and molecular detection of human fascioliasis in a young man from Guizhou, China

Chen MX, Zhang RL, Xu XN, Yu Q, Huang DN, Liu W, et al.

Trop Biomed, 2020 Mar 01;37(1):50-57.
PMID: 33612717

A 24-year-old man born in Guizhou province was diagnosed with obstructive jaundice and bile duct stones in 2013. Four living trematodes were found during laparotomy and cholecystectomy. Based on the morphology and molecular genetics analysis of internal transcribed spacer and pcox1 genes of the flatworm specimens, the trematodes from the patient were confirmed to be Fasciola hepatica. This report provided the clinical and molecular diagnosis information on human fascioliasis, which is an emerging sanitary problem still ignored in China. Human fascioliasis constantly occurs due to climatic changes and frequency of human travel. Therefore, it deserves more attention from physicians working in both developing and developed countries.
microRNAs expression profiles in Schistosoma japonicum of different sex 14 and 28 days post-infection

Ai L, Hu W, Zhang RL, Huang DN, Chen SH, Xu B, et al.

Trop Biomed, 2020 Dec 01;37(4):947-962.
PMID: 33612748 DOI: 10.47665/tb.37.4.947

Different miRNAs are involved in the life cycles of Schistosoma japonicum. The aim of this study was to examine the expression profile of miRNAs in individual S. japonicum of different sex before and after pairing (18 and 24 dpi). The majority of differential expressed miRNAs were highly abundant at 14 dpi, except for sja-miR-125b and sja-miR-3505, in both male and female. Moreover, it was estimated that sja-miR-125b and sja-miR-3505 might be related to laying eggs. sja-miR-2a-5p and sja-miR-3484-5p were expressed at 14 dpi in males and were significantly clustered in DNA topoisomerase III, Rap guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1 and L-serine/L-threonine ammonia-lyase. Target genes of sja-miR-2d-5p, sja-miR-31- 5p and sja-miR-125a, which were expressed at 14 dpi in males but particularly females, were clustered in kelch-like protein 12, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, class I, and heat shock protein 90 kDa beta. Predicted target genes of sja-miR-3483-3p (expressed at 28 dpi in females but not in males) were clustered in 26S proteasome regulatory subunit N1, ATPdependent RNA helicase DDX17. Predicted target genes of sja-miR-219-5p, which were differentially expressed at 28 dpi in females but particularly males, were clustered in DNA excision repair protein ERCC-6, protein phosphatase 1D, and ATPase family AAA domaincontaining protein 3A/B. Moreover, at 28 dpi, eight miRNAs were significantly up-regulated in females compared to males. The predicted target genes of these miRNAs were significantly clustered in heat shock protein 90 kDa beta, 26S proteasome regulatory subunit N1, and protein arginine N-methyltransferase 1. To sum up, differentially expressed miRNAs may have an essential role and provide necessary information on clarifying this trematode's growth, development, maturation, and infection ability to mammalian hosts in its complex life cycle, and may be helpful for developing new drug targets and vaccine candidates for schistosomiasis.
Effects of Sustained-Release Beraprost in Patients With Primary Glomerular Disease or Nephrosclerosis: CASSIOPEIR Study Results

Nakamoto H, Yu XQ, Kim S, Origasa H, Zheng H, Chen J, et al.

Ther Apher Dial, 2020 Feb;24(1):42-55.
PMID: 31119846 DOI: 10.1111/1744-9987.12840

TRK-100STP, a sustained-release preparation of the orally active prostacyclin analogue beraprost sodium, targets renal hypoxia. This study aimed to show the superiority of TRK-100STP over placebos in patients with chronic kidney disease (with either primary glomerular disease or nephrosclerosis) to determine the recommended dose. CASSIOPEIR (Chronic Renal Failure Asian Study with Oral PGI2 Derivative for Evaluating Improvement of Renal Function) was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study conducted at 160 sites in seven Asia-Pacific countries and regions. Eligible patients (n = 892) were randomized to TRK-100STP 120, 240 μg, or placebo for a treatment period of up to 4 years. The primary efficacy endpoint was time to first occurrence of a renal composite: doubling of serum creatinine or occurrence of end-stage renal disease. No significant differences were observed in composite endpoints between TRK-100STP and placebo (P = 0.5674). Hazard ratios (95% CI) in the TRK-100STP 120 and 240 μg vs. placebo groups were 0.98 (0.78, 1.22) and 0.91 (0.72, 1.14), respectively. The overall incidence of adverse events and adverse drug reactions was comparable between treatment arms.
Changing trends of prostate cancer in Asia

Pu YS, Chiang HS, Lin CC, Huang CY, Huang KH, Chen J

Aging Male, 2004 Jun;7(2):120-32.
PMID: 15672937

Although Asian people have the lowest incidence and mortality rates of prostate cancer in the world, these rates have risen rapidly in the past two decades in most Asian countries. Prostate cancer has become one of the leading male cancers in some Asian countries. In 2000, the age-adjusted incidence was over 10 per 100000 men in Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Israel. Although some of the increases may result from enhanced detection, much of the increased incidence may be associated with westernization of the lifestyle, with increasing obesity and increased consumption of fat. The differences in incidences between native Americans and Asian immigrants are getting smaller, reflecting a possible improvement of diagnostic efforts and changes of environmental risk factors in Asian immigrants. Nevertheless, the huge variations in incidences among ethnic groups imply that there are important genetic risk factors. The stage distributions of prostate cancer in Asian populations are still unfavorable compared to those of Western developed countries. However, a trend towards diagnosing cancer with more favorable prognosis is seen in most Asian countries. Both genetic and environmental risk factors responsible for elevated risks in Asian people are being identified, which may help to reduce prostate cancer incidence in a chemopreventive setting.
Potent allelopathy and non-PSTs, non-spirolides toxicity of the dinoflagellate Alexandrium leei to phytoplankton, finfish and zooplankton observed from laboratory bioassays

Shang L, Xu Y, Leaw CP, Lim PT, Wang J, Chen J, et al.

Sci Total Environ, 2021 Aug 01;780:146484.
PMID: 33774286 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146484

The dinoflagellate genus Alexandrium has been well known for causing paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) worldwide. Several non-PSP toxin-producing species, however, have shown to exhibit fish-killing toxicity. Here, we report the allelopathic activity of Alexandrium leei from Malaysia to other algal species, and its toxicity to finfish and zooplankton, via laboratory bioassays. Thirteen microalgal species that co-cultured with Al. leei revealed large variability in the allelopathic effects of Al. leei on the test algae, with the growth inhibition rates ranging from 0 to 100%. The negative allelopathic effects of Al. leei on microalgae included loss of flagella and thus the motility, damages of chain structure, deformation in cell morphology, and eventually cell lysis. The finfish experienced 100% mortality within 24 h exposed to the live culture (2000-6710 cells·mL-1), while the rotifer and brine shrimp exhibited 96-100% and 90-100% mortalities within 48 h when exposed to 500-6000 cells·mL-1 of Al. leei. The mortality of the test animals depended on the Al. leei cell density exposed, leading to a linear relationship between mortality and cell density for the finfish, and a logarithmic relationship for the two zooplankters. When exposed to the treatments using Al. leei whole live culture, cell-free culture medium, extract of algal cells in the f/2-Si medium, extract of methanol, and the re-suspended freeze-and-thaw algal cells, the test organisms (Ak. sanguinea and rotifers) all died at the cell density of 8100 cells·mL-1 within 24 h. Toxin analyses by HILIC-ESI-TOF/MS and LC-ESI-MS/MS demonstrated that Al. leei did not produce PSP-toxins and 13-desmethyl spirolide C. Overall, our findings demonstrated potent allelopathy and toxicity of Al. leei, which do not only pose threats to the aquaculture industry, fisheries, and marine ecosystems but may also play a part role in the population dynamics and bloom formation of this species.
Genetic risk of extranodal natural killer T-cell lymphoma: a genome-wide association study in multiple populations

Lin GW, Xu C, Chen K, Huang HQ, Chen J, Song B, et al.

Lancet Oncol, 2020 Feb;21(2):306-316.
PMID: 31879220 DOI: 10.1016/S1470-2045(19)30799-5

BACKGROUND: Extranodal natural killer T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL; nasal type) is an aggressive malignancy with a particularly high prevalence in Asian and Latin American populations. Epstein-Barr virus infection has a role in the pathogenesis of NKTCL, and HLA-DPB1 variants are risk factors for the disease. We aimed to identify additional novel genetic variants affecting risk of NKTCL.
METHODS: We did a genome-wide association study of NKTCL in multiple populations from east Asia. We recruited a discovery cohort of 700 cases with NKTCL and 7752 controls without NKTCL of Han Chinese ancestry from 19 centres in southern, central, and northern regions of China, and four independent replication samples including 717 cases and 12 650 controls. Three of these independent samples (451 cases and 5301 controls) were from eight centres in the same regions of southern, central, and northern China, and the fourth (266 cases and 7349 controls) was from 11 centres in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and South Korea. All cases had primary NKTCL that was confirmed histopathologically, and matching with controls was based on geographical region and self-reported ancestry. Logistic regression analysis was done independently by geographical regions, followed by fixed-effect meta-analyses, to identify susceptibility loci. Bioinformatic approaches, including expression quantitative trait loci, binding motif and transcriptome analyses, and biological experiments were done to fine-map and explore the functional relevance of genome-wide association loci to the development of NKTCL.
FINDINGS: Genetic data were gathered between Jan 1, 2008, and Jan 23, 2019. Meta-analysis of all samples (a total of 1417 cases and 20 402 controls) identified two novel loci significantly associated with NKTCL: IL18RAP on 2q12.1 (rs13015714; p=2·83 × 10-16; odds ratio 1·39 [95% CI 1·28-1·50]) and HLA-DRB1 on 6p21.3 (rs9271588; 9·35 × 10-26 1·53 [1·41-1·65]). Fine-mapping and experimental analyses showed that rs1420106 at the promoter of IL18RAP was highly correlated with rs13015714, and the rs1420106-A risk variant had an upregulatory effect on IL18RAP expression. Cell growth assays in two NKTCL cell lines (YT and SNK-6 cells) showed that knockdown of IL18RAP inhibited cell proliferation by cell cycle arrest in NKTCL cells. Haplotype association analysis showed that haplotype 47F-67I was associated with reduced risk of NKTCL, whereas 47Y-67L was associated with increased risk of NKTCL. These two positions are component parts of the peptide-binding pocket 7 (P7) of the HLA-DR heterodimer, suggesting that these alterations might account for the association at HLA-DRB1, independent of the previously reported HLA-DPB1 variants.
INTERPRETATION: Our findings provide new insights into the development of NKTCL by showing the importance of inflammation and immune regulation through the IL18-IL18RAP axis and antigen presentation involving HLA-DRB1, which might help to identify potential therapeutic targets. Taken in combination with additional genetic and other risk factors, our results could potentially be used to stratify people at high risk of NKTCL for targeted prevention.
FUNDING: Guangdong Innovative and Entrepreneurial Research Team Program, National Natural Science Foundation of China, National Program for Support of Top-Notch Young Professionals, Chang Jiang Scholars Program, Singapore Ministry of Health's National Medical Research Council, Tanoto Foundation, National Research Foundation Singapore, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Recruitment Program for Young Professionals of China, First Affiliated Hospital and Army Medical University, US National Institutes of Health, and US National Cancer Institute.
Measurement of WZ and ZZ production in pp collisions at [Formula: see text] in final states with b-tagged jets

CMS Collaboration, Chatrchyan S, Khachatryan V, Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, et al.

Eur Phys J C Part Fields, 2014 08 07;74(8):2973.
PMID: 25814904

Measurements are reported of the WZ and ZZ production cross sections in proton-proton collisions at [Formula: see text][Formula: see text] in final states where one Z boson decays to b-tagged jets. The other gauge boson, either W or Z, is detected through its leptonic decay (either [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] or [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], or [Formula: see text]). The results are based on data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 18.9 fb[Formula: see text] collected with the CMS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The measured cross sections, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], are consistent with next-to-leading order quantum chromodynamics calculations.
Measurement of jet multiplicity distributions in [Formula: see text] production in pp collisions at [Formula: see text]

CMS Collaboration, Chatrchyan S, Khachatryan V, Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, et al.

Eur Phys J C Part Fields, 2014 08 20;74(8):3014.
PMID: 25814909

The normalised differential top quark-antiquark production cross section is measured as a function of the jet multiplicity in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 7[Formula: see text] at the LHC with the CMS detector. The measurement is performed in both the dilepton and lepton+jets decay channels using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.0[Formula: see text]. Using a procedure to associate jets to decay products of the top quarks, the differential cross section of the [Formula: see text] production is determined as a function of the additional jet multiplicity in the lepton+jets channel. Furthermore, the fraction of events with no additional jets is measured in the dilepton channel, as a function of the threshold on the jet transverse momentum. The measurements are compared with predictions from perturbative quantum chromodynamics and no significant deviations are observed.
Measurement of differential cross sections for the production of a pair of isolated photons in pp collisions at [Formula: see text]

CMS Collaboration, Chatrchyan S, Khachatryan V, Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, et al.

Eur Phys J C Part Fields, 2014 11 12;74(11):3129.
PMID: 25814874

A measurement of differential cross sections for the production of a pair of isolated photons in proton-proton collisions at [Formula: see text] is presented. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 5.0[Formula: see text] collected with the CMS detector. A data-driven isolation template method is used to extract the prompt diphoton yield. The measured cross section for two isolated photons, with transverse energy above 40 and 25[Formula: see text] respectively, in the pseudorapidity range [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] and with an angular separation [Formula: see text], is [Formula: see text][Formula: see text]. Differential cross sections are measured as a function of the diphoton invariant mass, the diphoton transverse momentum, the azimuthal angle difference between the two photons, and the cosine of the polar angle in the Collins-Soper reference frame of the diphoton system. The results are compared to theoretical predictions at leading, next-to-leading, and next-to-next-to-leading order in quantum chromodynamics.
Search for invisible decays of Higgs bosons in the vector boson fusion and associated ZH production modes

Chatrchyan S, Khachatryan V, Sirunyan AM, Tumasyan A, Adam W, Bergauer T, et al.

Eur Phys J C Part Fields, 2014;74(8):2980.
PMID: 25814906

A search for invisible decays of Higgs bosons is performed using the vector boson fusion and associated ZH production modes. In the ZH mode, the Z boson is required to decay to a pair of charged leptons or a [Formula: see text] quark pair. The searches use the 8┬á[Formula: see text] pp collision dataset collected by the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of up to 19.7┬á[Formula: see text]. Certain channels include data from 7┬á[Formula: see text] collisions corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.9┬á[Formula: see text]. The searches are sensitive to non-standard-model invisible decays of the recently observed Higgs boson, as well as additional Higgs bosons with similar production modes and large invisible branching fractions. In all channels, the observed data are consistent with the expected standard model backgrounds. Limits are set on the production cross section times invisible branching fraction, as a function of the Higgs boson mass, for the vector boson fusion and ZH production modes. By combining all channels, and assuming standard model Higgs boson cross sections and acceptances, the observed (expected) upper limit on the invisible branching fraction at [Formula: see text]┬á[Formula: see text] is found to be 0.58┬á(0.44) at 95┬á% confidence level. We interpret this limit in terms of a Higgs-portal model of dark matter interactions.
Safety and efficacy of endoscopic submucosal dissection of large (≥3 cm) subepithelial tumors located in the cardia

Li J, Tang J, Lua GW, Chen J, Shi X, Liu F, et al.

Surg Endosc, 2017 12;31(12):5183-5191.
PMID: 28597288 DOI: 10.1007/s00464-017-5585-y

BACKGROUND: Upper gastrointestinal subepithelial tumors (SETs) may harbor potential malignancy. Although it is well recognized that large SETs should be resected, the treatment strategy remains controversial. Compared to surgical resection, endoscopic resection has many advantages such as less invasive, shorter hospital stay, lower costs, and better quality of life. However, Endoscopic resection of large SETs in the cardia is challenging. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in the treatment of such SETs.
METHODS: A total of 41 patients with large SETs (≥3 cm in diameter) located in the cardia were involved in the study. All patients underwent ESD. Data on therapeutic outcomes and follow-up were collected, for analysis of risk factors of complication rates.
RESULTS: The average tumor size was 4.7 ± 1.7 cm. The average procedure time was 69.3 ± 32.7 min and the average postoperative hospital stay was 3.5 ± 1.1 days. A total of 41 tumors were removed successfully, in which 35 were leiomyomas, three were gastrointestinal stromal tumors, two were lipomas, and one was gastritis cystica profunda. The en bloc resection rate was 90.2%, and was significantly higher for tumors with a round or oval shape (100%) than for those with an irregular shape (75.0%) (P
A novel machine learning scheme for classification of medicinal herbs based on 2D-FTIR fingerprints

Yoon TL, Yeap ZQ, Tan CS, Chen Y, Chen J, Yam MF

Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc, 2022 Feb 05;266:120440.
PMID: 34627017 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2021.120440

A proof-of-concept medicinal herbs identification scheme using machine learning classifiers is proposed in the form of an automated computational package. The scheme makes use of two-dimensional correlation Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) fingerprinting maps derived from the FTIR of raw herb spectra as digital input. The prototype package admits a collection of 11 machine learning classifiers to form a voting pool. A common set of oversampled dataset containing 5 different herbal classes is used to train the pool of classifiers on a one-verses-others manner. The collections of trained models, dubbed the voting classifiers, are deployed in a collective manner to cast their votes to support or against a given inference fingerprint whether it belongs to a particular class. By collecting the votes casted by all voting classifiers, a logically designed scoring system will select out the most probable guess of the identity of the inference fingerprint. The same scoring system is also capable of discriminating an inference fingerprint that does not belong to any of the classes the voting classifiers are trained for as the 'others' type. The proposed classification scheme is stress-tested to evaluate its performance and expected consistency. Our experimental runs show that, by and large, a satisfactory performance of the classification scheme of up to 90 % accuracy is achieved, providing a proof-of-concept viability that the proposed scheme is a feasible, practical, and convenient tool for herbal classification. The scheme is implemented in the form of a packaged Python code, dubbed the "Collective Voting" (CV) package, which is easily scalable, maintained and used in practice.
Fulltext Design and experimental analysis of dual-band polarization converting metasurface for microwave applications

Khan B, Kamal B, Ullah S, Khan I, Shah JA, Chen J

Sci Rep, 2020 Sep 21;10(1):15393.
PMID: 32958835 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-71959-y

The manipulation of polarization state of electromagnetic waves is of great importance in many practical applications. In this paper, the reflection characteristics of a thin and dual-band metasurface are examined in the microwave frequency regime. The metasurface consists of a 22 × 22 element array of periodic unit cells. The geometry of the unit cell consists of three layers, including a 45° inclined dipole shape metal patch on top, which is backed by a 1.6 mm thick FR-4 substrate in the middle, and a fully reflective metallic mirror at the bottom. The proposed surface is exposed to horizontally (x) or vertically (y) polarized plane waves and the co and cross polarization reflection coefficients of the reflected waves are investigated experimentally in the 6-26 GHz frequency range. The metasurface is designed to convert incident waves of known polarization state (horizontal or vertical) to orthogonal polarization state (vertical and horizontal) in two distinct frequency bands, i.e. 7.1-8 GHz and 13.3-25.8 GHz. In these two frequency bands the simulated and experimental results are in good agreement. The polarization conversion ratio (PCR) of the surface is greater than 95% in the targeted frequency bands. A detailed parametric analysis of the metasurface is also discussed in this work and it has been estimated that the surface has the additional ability to convert linearly polarized waves to circularly polarized waves at several distinct frequencies. The proposed metasurface can be utilized in sensor applications, stealth technology, electromagnetic measurements, and antennas design.
Fulltext The FLUXNET2015 dataset and the ONEFlux processing pipeline for eddy covariance data

Pastorello G, Trotta C, Canfora E, Chu H, Christianson D, Cheah YW, et al.

Sci Data, 2020 07 09;7(1):225.
PMID: 32647314 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-020-0534-3

The FLUXNET2015 dataset provides ecosystem-scale data on CO2, water, and energy exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere, and other meteorological and biological measurements, from 212 sites around the globe (over 1500 site-years, up to and including year 2014). These sites, independently managed and operated, voluntarily contributed their data to create global datasets. Data were quality controlled and processed using uniform methods, to improve consistency and intercomparability across sites. The dataset is already being used in a number of applications, including ecophysiology studies, remote sensing studies, and development of ecosystem and Earth system models. FLUXNET2015 includes derived-data products, such as gap-filled time series, ecosystem respiration and photosynthetic uptake estimates, estimation of uncertainties, and metadata about the measurements, presented for the first time in this paper. In addition, 206 of these sites are for the first time distributed under a Creative Commons (CC-BY 4.0) license. This paper details this enhanced dataset and the processing methods, now made available as open-source codes, making the dataset more accessible, transparent, and reproducible.
Fulltext Author Correction: The FLUXNET2015 dataset and the ONEFlux processing pipeline for eddy covariance data

Pastorello G, Trotta C, Canfora E, Chu H, Christianson D, Cheah YW, et al.

Sci Data, 2021 Feb 25;8(1):72.
PMID: 33633116 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-021-00851-9
Human Expansion-Induced Biodiversity Crisis over Asia from 2000 to 2020

Yang C, Li Q, Wang X, Cui A, Chen J, Liu H, et al.

Research (Wash D C), 2023;6:0226.
PMID: 37746659 DOI: 10.34133/research.0226

Asia stands out as a priority for urgent biodiversity conservation due to its large protected areas (PAs) and threatened species. Since the 21st century, both the highlands and lowlands of Asia have been experiencing the dramatic human expansion. However, the threat degree of human expansion to biodiversity is poorly understood. Here, the threat degree of human expansion to biodiversity over 2000 to 2020 in Asia at the continental (Asia), national (48 Asian countries), and hotspot (6,502 Asian terrestrial PAs established before 2000) scales is investigated by integrating multiple large-scale data. The results show that human expansion poses widespread threat to biodiversity in Asia, especially in Southeast Asia, with Malaysia, Cambodia, and Vietnam having the largest threat degrees (∼1.5 to 1.7 times of the Asian average level). Human expansion in highlands induces higher threats to biodiversity than that in lowlands in one-third Asian countries (most Southeast Asian countries). The regions with threats to biodiversity are present in ∼75% terrestrial PAs (including 4,866 PAs in 26 countries), and human expansion in PAs triggers higher threat degrees to biodiversity than that in non-PAs. Our findings provide novel insight for the Sustainable Development Goal 15 (SDG-15 Life on Land) and suggest that human expansion in Southeast Asian countries and PAs might hinder the realization of SDG-15. To reduce the threat degree, Asian developing countries should accelerate economic transformation, and the developed countries in the world should reduce the demands for commodity trade in Southeast Asian countries (i.e., trade leading to the loss of wildlife habitats) to alleviate human expansion, especially in PAs and highlands.

Filters

Please provide feedback to Administrator (afdal@afpm.org.my)

External Links