Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 119 in total

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  1. Klionsky DJ, Abdelmohsen K, Abe A, Abedin MJ, Abeliovich H, Acevedo Arozena A, et al.
    Autophagy, 2016;12(1):1-222.
    PMID: 26799652 DOI: 10.1080/15548627.2015.1100356
  2. Liu J, Kamarudin KM, Liu Y, Zou J
    PMID: 33800764 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18052653
    BACKGROUND: An infectious disease can affect human beings at an alarming speed in modern society, where Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has led to a worldwide pandemic, posing grave threats to public security and the social economies. However, as one of the closest attachments of urban dwellers, urban furniture hardly contributes to pandemic prevention and control.

    METHODS: Given this critical challenge, this article aims to propose a feasible solution to coping with pandemic situations through urban furniture design, using an integrated method of Quality Function Deployment (QFD) and Analytic Network Process (ANP). Eight communities in China are selected as the research sites, since people working and living in these places have successful experience preventing and containing pandemics.

    RESULTS: Three user requirements (URs), namely, usability and easy access, sanitation, and health and emotional pleasure, are determined. Meanwhile, seven design requirements (DRs) are identified, including contact reduction, effective disinfection, good appearance, social and cultural symbols, ergonomics, smart system and technology and sustainability. The overall priorities of URs and DRs and their inner dependencies are subsequently determined through the ANP-QFD method, comprising the House of Quality (HQQ). According to the theoretical results, we propose five design strategies for pandemic prevention and control.

    CONCLUSION: It is demonstrated that the incorporated method of ANP-QFD has applicability and effectiveness in the conceptual product design process. This article can also provide a new perspective for pandemic prevention and control in densely populated communities in terms of product design and development.

  3. Liu J, Xuan D, Chai J, Guo D, Huang Y, Liu S, et al.
    ACS Omega, 2020 May 05;5(17):10011-10020.
    PMID: 32391489 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c00365
    A mild and effective synthesis of resorcinol-furfural (RF) thermosetting resin was proposed with ethanol as a distinctive solvent, which, as a usually neglected factor, was shown to not only help form a homogeneous reaction system but also observably reduce the energy barriers between the early intermediates and transition states in addition reactions by explicit solvent effects, drawn from theoretical calculation conclusions. Besides, the para-additions on aromatic rings were more dominant than ortho-additions with the same reactants, which affected the final link types of monomers verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and two-dimensional nuclear magnetic resonance tests. The prepared resin can be assigned to a relatively fast gel speed and a high residual mass (65.25%) after pyrolysis in a N2 atmosphere by adjusting the molar ratios of F to R, and the curing of that was a complex reaction, with a curing temperature around 149 °C and an activation energy of about 49.11 kJ mol-1 obtained by the Kissinger method.
  4. Cao Y, Chen L, Chen H, Cun Y, Dai X, Du H, et al.
    Natl Sci Rev, 2023 Apr;10(4):nwac287.
    PMID: 37089192 DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwac287
  5. Li C, Liu J, Shaozhou W, Bai X, Zhang Q, Hua R, et al.
    Viruses, 2016 Nov 10;8(11).
    PMID: 27834908
    Duck Tembusu virus (DTMUV) causes substantial egg drop disease. DTMUV was first identified in China and rapidly spread to Malaysia and Thailand. The antigenicity of the DTMUV E protein has not yet been characterized. Here, we investigated antigenic sites on the E protein using the non-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) 1F3 and 1A5. Two minimal epitopes were mapped to (221)LD/NLPW(225) and (87)YAEYI(91) by using phage display and mutagenesis. DTMUV-positive duck sera reacted with the epitopes, thus indicating the importance of the minimal amino acids of the epitopes for antibody-epitope binding. The performance of the dot blotting assay with the corresponding positive sera indicated that YAEYI was DTMUV type-specific, whereas (221)LD/NLPW(225) was a cross-reactive epitope for West Nile virus (WNV), dengue virus (DENV), and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) and corresponded to conserved and variable amino acid sequences among these strains. The structure model of the E protein revealed that YAEYI and LD/NLPW were located on domain (D) II, which confirmed that DII might contain a type-specific non-neutralizing epitope. The YAEYI epitope-based antigen demonstrated its diagnostic potential by reacting with high specificity to serum samples obtained from DTMUV-infected ducks. Based on these observations, a YAEYI-based serological test could be used for DTMUV surveillance and could differentiate DTMUV infections from JEV or WNV infections. These findings provide new insights into the organization of epitopes on flavivirus E proteins that might be valuable for the development of epitope-based serological diagnostic tests for DTMUV.
  6. Li H, Mustapha WAW, Liu J, Zhang X
    Food Chem X, 2024 Mar 30;21:101230.
    PMID: 38426076 DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101230
    This work expands the functionality of fish scale gelatin (FSG) as a carrier of hydrophobic bioactive substances. The hydrophobicity of FSG was enhanced to promote its interaction with hydrophobic curcumin and to increase its bioavailability. This results in a remarkable increase in the curcumin loading capacity of acid-hydrolyzed FSG (HFSG) from 1.08 ± 0.08 μg/mg (0 h) to 9.15 ± 0.21 μg/mg (3 h). The amino acid composition indicated that acid hydrolysis effectively increased the ratio of hydrophobic amino acids of FSG. Acid hydrolysis facilitated the transformation of the α-helical conformation into a β-sheet structure. Hydrophobic interactions between HFSG and curcumin were strengthened by moderate acid hydrolysis. A sustained-release profile emerged for the curcumin-loaded HFSG during simulated gastrointestinal digestion, thereby improving the bioaccessibility and bioavailability of curcumin. These findings contribute to the application of acid hydrolysis in modifying FSG for enhanced hydrophobicity and curcumin loading capacity in the food industry.
  7. Huang Y, Li J, Xu Y, Xu W, Cheng Z, Liu J, et al.
    Mar Pollut Bull, 2014 Mar 15;80(1-2):194-9.
    PMID: 24462236 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.01.007
    Nineteen pairs of air and seawater samples collected from the equatorial Indian Ocean onboard the Shiyan I from 4/2011 to 5/2011 were analyzed for PCBs and HCB. Gaseous concentrations of ∑(ICES)PCBs (ICES: International Council for the Exploration of the Seas) and HCB were lower than previous data over the study area. Air samples collected near the coast had higher levels of PCBs relative to those collected in the open ocean, which may be influenced by proximity to source regions and air mass origins. Dissolved concentrations of ∑(ICES)PCBs and HCB were 1.4-14 pg L⁻¹ and 0.94-13 pg L⁻¹, with the highest concentrations in the sample collected from Strait of Malacca. Fugacity fractions suggest volatilization of PCBs and HCB from the seawater to air during the cruise, with fluxes of 0.45-34 ng m⁻² d⁻¹ and 0.36-18 ng m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively.
  8. Geng X, Haig J, Lin B, Tian C, Zhu S, Cheng Z, et al.
    Environ Sci Technol, 2023 Sep 05;57(35):13067-13078.
    PMID: 37603309 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.3c03481
    Aerosol black carbon (BC) is a short-lived climate pollutant. The poorly constrained provenance of tropical marine aerosol BC hinders the mechanistic understanding of extreme climate events and oceanic carbon cycling. Here, we collected PM2.5 samples during research cruise NORC2016-10 through South China Sea (SCS) and Northeast Indian Ocean (NEIO) and measured the dual-carbon isotope compositions (δ13C-Δ14C) of BC using hydrogen pyrolysis technique. Aerosol BC exhibits six different δ13C-Δ14C isotopic spaces (i.e., isotope provinces). Liquid fossil fuel combustion, from shipping emissions and adjacent land, is the predominant source of BC over isotope provinces "SCS close to Chinese Mainland" (53.5%), "Malacca Strait" (53.4%), and "Open NEIO" (40.7%). C3 biomass burning is the major contributor to BC over isotope provinces "NEIO close to Southeast Asia" (55.8%), "Open NEIO" (41.3%), and "Open SCS" (40.0%). Coal combustion and C4 biomass burning show higher contributions to BC over "Sunda Strait" and "Open SCS" than the others. Overall, NEIO near the Bay of Bengal, Malacca Strait, and north SCS are three hot spots of fossil fuel-derived BC; the first two areas are also hot spots of biomass-derived BC. The comparable δ13C-Δ14C between BC in aerosol and dissolved BC in surface seawater may suggest atmospheric BC deposition as a potential source of oceanic dissolved BC.
  9. Díaz S, Settele J, Brondízio ES, Ngo HT, Agard J, Arneth A, et al.
    Science, 2019 12 13;366(6471).
    PMID: 31831642 DOI: 10.1126/science.aax3100
    The human impact on life on Earth has increased sharply since the 1970s, driven by the demands of a growing population with rising average per capita income. Nature is currently supplying more materials than ever before, but this has come at the high cost of unprecedented global declines in the extent and integrity of ecosystems, distinctness of local ecological communities, abundance and number of wild species, and the number of local domesticated varieties. Such changes reduce vital benefits that people receive from nature and threaten the quality of life of future generations. Both the benefits of an expanding economy and the costs of reducing nature's benefits are unequally distributed. The fabric of life on which we all depend-nature and its contributions to people-is unravelling rapidly. Despite the severity of the threats and lack of enough progress in tackling them to date, opportunities exist to change future trajectories through transformative action. Such action must begin immediately, however, and address the root economic, social, and technological causes of nature's deterioration.
  10. Lu RS, Asada K, Krichbaum TP, Park J, Tazaki F, Pu HY, et al.
    Nature, 2023 Apr;616(7958):686-690.
    PMID: 37100940 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05843-w
    The nearby radio galaxy M87 is a prime target for studying black hole accretion and jet formation1,2. Event Horizon Telescope observations of M87 in 2017, at a wavelength of 1.3 mm, revealed a ring-like structure, which was interpreted as gravitationally lensed emission around a central black hole3. Here we report images of M87 obtained in 2018, at a wavelength of 3.5 mm, showing that the compact radio core is spatially resolved. High-resolution imaging shows a ring-like structure of [Formula: see text] Schwarzschild radii in diameter, approximately 50% larger than that seen at 1.3 mm. The outer edge at 3.5 mm is also larger than that at 1.3 mm. This larger and thicker ring indicates a substantial contribution from the accretion flow with absorption effects, in addition to the gravitationally lensed ring-like emission. The images show that the edge-brightened jet connects to the accretion flow of the black hole. Close to the black hole, the emission profile of the jet-launching region is wider than the expected profile of a black-hole-driven jet, suggesting the possible presence of a wind associated with the accretion flow.
  11. Liu J, Zhang Y, Wu B, Wang S, Bin-Chia Wu D, You R
    Front Pharmacol, 2021;12:717504.
    PMID: 34721016 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.717504
    Objectives: Baseline presence of nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) resistance-associated variants can attenuate the efficacy of new direct-acting antivirals. A potential method to attain the higher efficacy would be to screen for NS5A polymorphisms prior to the initiation of therapy and to adjust the treatment length based on the test results. However, baseline testing adds additional costs and it is unclear whether this would represent a high value strategy for chronic hepatitis C in China. Methods: A hybrid model compared 1) standard 12-weeks treatment (no testing), 2) shortened 8-weeks treatment (no testing), and 3) baseline testing with 12-/8-weeks treatment for those with/without NS5A polymorphisms from a lifetime Chinese health care payer perspective. All model inputs were retrieved from clinical trials and publically available literature. And sensitivity analyses were also conducted to assess the impact of uncertainty. Results: Baseline testing was associated with overall increase in total health care cost of USD 13.50 and in QALYs of 0.002 compared with standard 12-weeks treatment (no testing), yielded in an ICER of USD 6750/QALY gained. Scenario analyses suggested that shortened 8-weeks treatment (no testing) was found to be lower costs and great QALYs compared with other two strategies when the sustained virologic response (SVR) rate increased to 95%. Sensitivity analyses indicated that the results were robust. Conclusions: Our results suggest prior assessment of NS5A sensitivity followed by optimizing treatment duration was an economic strategy. In addition, shortened 8-weeks treatment (no testing) was shown to be dominant with the SVR rate increased to 95%.
  12. Liu J, He G, Zhang Y, Wong MP, Chu J, Kong L, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2023 Jul 26;13(1):12129.
    PMID: 37495629 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-39199-y
    The purpose is to analyze and compare postoperative recovery and complication incidence between a periareolar incision combined with Suspension-type Mastoscopic Axillary Lymph Node Dissection (SMALND) and traditional inflated Mastoscopic Axillary Lymph Node Dissection (MALND). This was a randomized trial conducted from June 1, 2020, to April 30, 2022, in the Department of Second Breast Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, and the Department of Thyroid and Breast Surgery, Zibo Central Hospital, in accordance with the criteria of inclusion and exclusion. Overall, 126 patients diagnosed and treated for early-stage breast cancer were selected to undergo periareolar-incision breast-conserving surgery. Those patients who underwent periareolar-incision surgery combined with SMALND formed the observation group (SMALND Group), while those who underwent periareolar-incision surgery combined with traditional inflation became MALND Group. In the two groups, paired data "t" was used to examine, analyze, and compare the postoperative daily drainage volume and drain removal time, while paired data "χ2" was used to examine, analyze, and compare the incidences of postoperative upper limb edema and paresthesia. There were 64 cases in the SMALND Group and 62 cases in the MALND Group. Between the two clusters, no differences were found in age, clinical staging, BMI, and breast cancer classification (P > 0.05). The intraoperative surgery time of the SMALND Group was 43.37 ± 6.27 min while that of the MALND Group was longer: 45.72 ± 4.25 min (P 
  13. Liu J, He G, Zhang H, Yahya MM
    Gland Surg, 2023 Sep 25;12(9):1318-1325.
    PMID: 37842525 DOI: 10.21037/gs-23-5
    BACKGROUND: Breast preservation can considerably improve the postoperative living quality of breast cancer patients. Through this study, we proposed a novel, safe, and effective surgical modality for breast preservation in patients with early breast cancer.

    CASE DESCRIPTION: Herein, we present a case report of a patient with early-stage breast cancer (T1cN0M0), who underwent skin-sparing nipple areola hypodermic gland resection combined with primary breast reconstruction using silicone implants. The patient was administered with general anesthesia, and the implants were inserted using a insufflation-free suspension and hook suspension under the pectoralis major muscle. The patient was followed up on postoperative days 1, 2, 7, 14, 30, 60, and 100 to check for any complications, such as upper limb edema, paresthesia, or flap necrosis. The patient experienced no complications. No obvious surgical scars or axillary surface infections were observed. The patient was satisfied with the surgical outcome, and this treatment approach reduced her treatment costs by approximately USD 2,600.

    CONCLUSIONS: The new surgical procedure for breast reconstruction considerably improved the quality of life of the patient; no postoperative complications such as skin flap necrosis, paresthesia, or upper limb edema were experienced by the patient; and the treatment costs were reduced. In addition, this method effectively overcomes the concerns related to axillary space instability and limited operative space, rendering it worthy of promotion in clinical practice.

  14. Zhang C, Gao Y, Ning Z, Lu Y, Zhang X, Liu J, et al.
    Genome Biol, 2019 10 22;20(1):215.
    PMID: 31640808 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-019-1838-5
    Despite the tremendous growth of the DNA sequencing data in the last decade, our understanding of the human genome is still in its infancy. To understand the implications of genetic variants in the light of population genetics and molecular evolution, we developed a database, PGG.SNV ( https://www.pggsnv.org ), which gives much higher weight to previously under-investigated indigenous populations in Asia. PGG.SNV archives 265 million SNVs across 220,147 present-day genomes and 1018 ancient genomes, including 1009 newly sequenced genomes, representing 977 global populations. Moreover, estimation of population genetic diversity and evolutionary parameters is available in PGG.SNV, a unique feature compared with other databases.
  15. Wei J, Xiao Y, Liu J, Herrera-Ulloa A, Loh KH, Xu K
    Sci Data, 2024 Feb 23;11(1):234.
    PMID: 38395996 DOI: 10.1038/s41597-024-03070-0
    Pampus argenteus (Euphrasen, 1788) is one of the major fishery species in coastal China. Pampus argenteus has a highly specialized morphology, and its declining fishery resources have encouraged massive research efforts on its aquacultural biology. In this study, we reported the first high-quality chromosome-level genome of P. argenteus obtained by integrating Illumina, PacBio HiFi, and Hi-C sequencing techniques. The final size of the genome was 518.06 Mb, with contig and scaffold N50 values of 20.47 and 22.86 Mb, respectively. The sequences were anchored and oriented onto 24 pseudochromosomes based on Hi-C data corresponding to the 24-chromatid karyotype of P. argenteus. A colinear relationship was observed between the P. argenteus genome and that of a closely related species (Scomber japonicus). A total of 24,696 protein-coding genes were identified from the genome, 98.9% of which were complete BUSCOs. This report represents the first case of high-quality chromosome-level genome assembly for P. argenteus and can provide valuable information for future evolutionary, conservation, and aquacultural research.
  16. Li G, Pan P, He Q, Kong X, Wu K, Zhang W, et al.
    Virol Sin, 2017 Feb;32(1):63-72.
    PMID: 28120220 DOI: 10.1007/s12250-016-3872-8
    The dengue virus (DENV) is a vital global public health issue. The 2014 dengue epidemic in Guangzhou, China, caused approximately 40,000 cases of infection and five deaths. We carried out a comprehensive investigation aimed at identifying the transmission sources in this dengue epidemic. To analyze the phylogenetics of the 2014 dengue strains, the envelope (E) gene sequences from 17 viral strains isolated from 168 dengue patient serum samples were sequenced and a phylogenetic tree was reconstructed. All 17 strains were serotype I strains, including 8 genotype I and 9 genotype V strains. Additionally, 6 genotype I strains that were probably introduced to China from Thailand before 2009 were widely transmitted in the 2013 and 2014 epidemics, and they continued to circulate until 2015, with one affinis strain being found in Singapore. The other 2 genotype I strains were introduced from the Malaya Peninsula in 2014. The transmission source of the 9 genotype V strains was from Malaysia in 2014. DENVs of different serotypes and genotypes co-circulated in the 2014 dengue outbreak in Guangzhou. Moreover, not only had DENV been imported to Guangzhou, but it had also been gradually exported, as the viruses exhibited an enzootic transmission cycle in Guangzhou.
  17. Liu J, Ma X, Zhuo Y, Xu S, Hua L, Li J, et al.
    J Anim Sci, 2023 Jan 03;101.
    PMID: 37583344 DOI: 10.1093/jas/skad257
    We investigated the effects of different Bacillus subtilis QST713 doses and a B. subtilis QST713 and β-mannanase mix on growth performance, intestinal barrier function, and gut microbiota in weaned piglets. In total, 320 healthy piglets were randomly assigned to four groups: 1) control group (basal diet), 2) BS100 group (basal diet plus 100 mg/kg B. subtilis QST713), 3) BS200 group (basal diet plus 200 mg/kg B. subtilis QST713), and 4) a BS100XT group (basal diet plus 100 mg/kg B. subtilis QST713 and 150 mg/kg β-mannanase). The study duration was 42 d. We showed that feed intake in weaned piglets on days 1 to 21 was increased in group BS100 (P < 0.05), and that the feed conversion ratio in group BS100XT animals decreased throughout the study (P < 0.05). In terms of microbial counts, the BS100XT group showed reduced Escherichia coli and Clostridium perfringens numbers on day 21 (P < 0.05). Moreover, no significant α-diversity differences were observed across all groups during the study (P > 0.05). However, principal coordinates analysis indicated clear separations in bacterial community structures across groups (analysis of similarities: P < 0.05) on days 21 and 42. Additionally, E-cadherin, occludin, and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) expression in piglet feces increased (P < 0.05) by adding B. subtilis QST713 and β-mannanase to diets. Notably, this addition decreased short-chain fatty acid concentrations. In conclusion, B. subtilis QST713 addition or combined B. subtilis QST713 plus β-mannanase effectively improved growth performance, intestinal barrier function, and microbial balance in weaned piglets.
  18. Liu J, Yinchai W, Siong TC, Li X, Zhao L, Wei F
    PLoS One, 2022;17(12):e0278819.
    PMID: 36508410 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278819
    Deep Residual Networks (ResNets) are prone to overfitting in problems with uncertainty, such as intrusion detection problems. To alleviate this problem, we proposed a method that combines the Adaptive Neuro-fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) and the ResNet algorithm. This method can make use of the advantages of both the ANFIS and ResNet, and alleviate the overfitting problem of ResNet. Compared with the original ResNet algorithm, the proposed method provides overlapped intervals of continuous attributes and fuzzy rules to ResNet, improving the fuzziness of ResNet. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, the proposed method is realized and evaluated on the benchmark NSL-KDD dataset. Also, the performance of the proposed method is compared with the original ResNet algorithm and other deep learning-based and ANFIS-based methods. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is better than that of the original ResNet and other existing methods on various metrics, reaching a 98.88% detection rate and 1.11% false alarm rate on the KDDTrain+ dataset.
  19. Liu J, Yinchai W, Siong TC, Li X, Zhao L, Wei F
    Sci Rep, 2022 Dec 01;12(1):20770.
    PMID: 36456582 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-23765-x
    For generating an interpretable deep architecture for identifying deep intrusion patterns, this study proposes an approach that combines ANFIS (Adaptive Network-based Fuzzy Inference System) and DT (Decision Tree) for interpreting the deep pattern of intrusion detection. Meanwhile, for improving the efficiency of training and predicting, Pearson Correlation analysis, standard deviation, and a new adaptive K-means are used to select attributes and make fuzzy interval decisions. The proposed algorithm was trained, validated, and tested on the NSL-KDD (National security lab-knowledge discovery and data mining) dataset. Using 22 attributes that highly related to the target, the performance of the proposed method achieves a 99.86% detection rate and 0.14% false alarm rate on the KDDTrain+ dataset, a 77.46% detection rate on the KDDTest+ dataset, which is better than many classifiers. Besides, the interpretable model can help us demonstrate the complex and overlapped pattern of intrusions and analyze the pattern of various intrusions.
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