Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 33 in total

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  1. Lin XF, Wong SY, Zhou W, Shen W, Li W, Tsai CC
    Int J Sci Math Educ, 2023 May 04.
    PMID: 37363784 DOI: 10.1007/s10763-023-10376-9
    Research evidence indicated that a specific type of augmented reality-assisted (AR-assisted) science learning design or support might not suit or be effective for all students because students' cognitive load might differ according to their experiences and individual characteristics. Thus, this study aimed to identify undergraduate students' profiles of cognitive load in AR-assisted science learning and to examine the role of their distinct profiles in self-efficacy together with associated behavior patterns in science learning. After ensuring the validity and reliability of each measure, a latent profile analysis confirmed that 365 Chinese undergraduates carried diverse dimensions of cognitive load simultaneously. The latent profile analysis findings revealed four fundamental profiles: Low Engagement, Immersive, Dabbling, and Organized, characterized as carrying various respective cognitive loads. The multivariate analysis of variance findings revealed different levels of the six AR science learning self-efficacy dimensions across profiles. Low Engagement students displayed the lowest self-efficacy among all dimensions. Organized students recorded better conceptual understanding and higher-order cognitive skills than Dabbling ones. Students with the Immersive profile had the highest science learning self-efficacy. The lag sequential analysis results showed significant differences in behavior patterns among profiles. Among them, profiles with social interaction, test, and reviewing feedback behavior had a significantly higher score for self-efficacy than those patterns mainly based on test learning and resource visits. This finding provides a unified consideration of students' diverse profiles and can inform interventions for effective design of AR-assisted science learning to match appropriate strategies to facilitate the science learning effect.
  2. Chen G, Zhou W, Guan D, Sunarso J, Zhu Y, Hu X, et al.
    Sci Adv, 2017 06;3(6):e1603206.
    PMID: 28691090 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1603206
    Perovskite oxides exhibit potential for use as electrocatalysts in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). However, their low specific surface area is the main obstacle to realizing a high mass-specific activity that is required to be competitive against the state-of-the-art precious metal-based catalysts. We report the enhanced performance of Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3-δ (BSCF) for the OER with intrinsic activity that is significantly higher than that of the benchmark IrO2, and this result was achieved via fabrication of an amorphous BSCF nanofilm on a surface-oxidized nickel substrate by magnetron sputtering. The surface nickel oxide layer of the Ni substrate and the thickness of the BSCF film were further used to tune the intrinsic OER activity and stability of the BSCF catalyst by optimizing the electronic configuration of the transition metal cations in BSCF via the interaction between the nanofilm and the surface nickel oxide, which enables up to 315-fold enhanced mass-specific activity compared to the crystalline BSCF bulk phase. Moreover, the amorphous BSCF-Ni foam anode coupled with the Pt-Ni foam cathode demonstrated an attractive small overpotential of 0.34 V at 10 mA cm-2 for water electrolysis, with a BSCF loading as low as 154.8 μg cm-2.
  3. Li JH, Vicknasingam B, Cheung YW, Zhou W, Nurhidayat AW, Jarlais DC, et al.
    Subst Abuse Rehabil, 2011;2:11-20.
    PMID: 24474851 DOI: 10.2147/SAR.S15458
    Ketamine, a derivative of phencyclidine that was developed in the 1960s, is an anesthetic and analgesic with hallucinogenic effects. In this paper, the pharmacological and toxicological effects of ketamine are briefly reviewed. Ketamine possesses a wide safety margin but such a therapeutic benefit is somewhat offset by its emergence phenomenon (mind-body dissociation and delirium) and hallucinogenic effects. The increasing abuse of ketamine, initially predominantly in recreational scenes to experience a "k-hole" and other hallucinatory effects but more recently also as a drug abused during the workday or at home, has further pushed governments to confine its usage in many countries. Recently, urinary tract dysfunction has been associated with long-term ketamine use. In some long-term ketamine users, such damage can be irreversible and could result in renal failure and dialysis. Although ketamine has not yet been scheduled in the United Nations Conventions, previous studies using different assessment parameters to score the overall harms of drugs indicated that ketamine may cause more harm than some of the United Nations scheduled drugs. Some countries in Southeast and East Asia have reported an escalating situation of ketamine abuse. Dependence, lower urinary tract dysfunction, and sexual impulse or violence were the most notable among the ketamine-associated symptoms in these countries. These results implied that the danger of ketamine may have been underestimated previously. Therefore, the severity levels of the ketamine-associated problems should be scrutinized more carefully and objectively. To prevent ketamine from being improperly used and evolving into an epidemic, a thorough survey on the prevalence and characteristics of illicit ketamine use is imperative so that suitable policy and measures can be taken. On the other hand, recent findings that ketamine could be useful for treating major depressive disorder has given this old drug a new impetus. If ketamine is indeed a remedy for treating depression, more research on the risks and benefits of its clinical use will be indispensable.
  4. Jani P, Mishra U, Buchmayer J, Walker K, Gözen D, Maheshwari R, et al.
    Pediatr Res, 2023 May;93(6):1701-1709.
    PMID: 36075989 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-022-02297-0
    BACKGROUND: Are thermoregulation and golden hour practices in extremely preterm (EP) infants comparable across the world? This study aims to describe these practices for EP infants based on the neonatal intensive care unit's (NICUs) geographic region, country's income status and the lowest gestational age (GA) of infants resuscitated.

    METHODS: The Director of each NICU was requested to complete the e-questionnaire between February 2019 and August 2021.

    RESULTS: We received 848 responses, from all geographic regions and resource settings. Variations in most thermoregulation and golden hour practices were observed. Using a polyethylene plastic wrap, commencing humidity within 60 min of admission, and having local protocols were the most consistent practices (>75%). The odds for the following practices differed in NICUs resuscitating infants from 22 to 23 weeks GA compared to those resuscitating from 24 to 25 weeks: respiratory support during resuscitation and transport, use of polyethylene plastic wrap and servo-control mode, commencing ambient humidity >80% and presence of local protocols.

    CONCLUSION: Evidence-based practices on thermoregulation and golden hour stabilisation differed based on the unit's region, country's income status and the lowest GA of infants resuscitated. Future efforts should address reducing variation in practice and aligning practices with international guidelines.

    IMPACT: A wide variation in thermoregulation and golden hour practices exists depending on the income status, geographic region and lowest gestation age of infants resuscitated. Using a polyethylene plastic wrap, commencing humidity within 60 min of admission and having local protocols were the most consistent practices. This study provides a comprehensive description of thermoregulation and golden hour practices to allow a global comparison in the delivery of best evidence-based practice. The findings of this survey highlight a need for reducing variation in practice and aligning practices with international guidelines for a comparable health care delivery.

  5. She S, Yu J, Tang W, Zhu Y, Chen Y, Sunarso J, et al.
    ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2018 Apr 11;10(14):11715-11721.
    PMID: 29546981 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b00682
    Perovskite oxide is an attractive low-cost alternative catalyst for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) relative to the precious metal oxide-based electrocatalysts (IrO2 and RuO2). In this work, a series of Sr-doped La-based perovskite oxide catalysts with compositions of La1- xSr xFeO3-δ ( x = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, and 1) are synthesized and characterized. The OER-specific activities in alkaline solution increase in the order of LaFeO3-δ (LF), La0.8Sr0.2FeO3-δ (LSF-0.2), La0.5Sr0.5FeO3-δ (LSF-0.5), SrFeO3-δ (SF), and La0.2Sr0.8FeO3-δ (LSF-0.8). We establish a direct correlation between the enhancement in the specific activity and the amount of surface oxygen vacancies as well as the surface Fe oxidation states. The improved specific activity for LSF-0.8 is clearly linked to the optimum amount of surface oxygen vacancies and surface Fe oxidation states. We also find that the OER performance stability is a function of the crystal structure and the deviation in the surface La and/or Sr composition(s) from their bulk stoichiometric compositions. The cubic structure and lower deviation, as is the case for LSF-0.8, led to a higher OER performance stability. These surface performance relations provide a promising guideline for constructing efficient water oxidation.
  6. Zhang X, Dang M, Zhang W, Lei Y, Zhou W
    Drug Dev Ind Pharm, 2020 Feb;46(2):264-271.
    PMID: 32000536 DOI: 10.1080/03639045.2020.1716377
    Topical drug delivery for local anesthetics has been an interesting area of research for formulators considering the resistance and barrier properties of skin and high clearance rate of drugs like prilocaine and lidocaine (duration of action < 2.5 h). In this study, efforts have been made to sustain the release of prilocaine and lidocaine by using depot microemulsion system. Drug loaded microemulsions were formulated using Capmul MCM, Pluronic F127, polyethylene glycol 200 (PEG 200) and water from pseudo-ternary diagrams. The Smix at 1:4 ratio showed larger microemulsion area in comparison to 1:2 ratio. The ex-vivo studies indicate sustained release of prilocaine and lidocaine from the microemulsion up to 8 h, in comparison to 4 h with ointments. Skin irritation study on rabbits confirmed the safety of drug loaded microemulsions for local drug delivery. The improved ex vivo data is reflected in the in vivo studies, were radiant heat tail-flick test and sciatic nerve model showed prolong duration of action for both prilocaine and lidocaine microemulsions in comparison to ointment. The in vitro and in vivo efficacy of prilocaine and lidocaine was non-significant. The improved efficacy was due to high penetration of microemulsion and depot effect due to local precipitation (destabilization of microemulsion) of drug in the skin layer. The sustained local anesthetic effect is highly desirable for the treatment of skin irritation due to skin burns and pre- and post-operative pain.
  7. Miao J, Sunarso J, Su C, Zhou W, Wang S, Shao Z
    Sci Rep, 2017 03 10;7:44215.
    PMID: 28281656 DOI: 10.1038/srep44215
    Perovskite-like oxides SrCo1-xTixO3-δ (SCTx, x = 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6) were used as heterogeneous catalysts to activate peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for phenol degradation under a wide pH range, exhibiting more rapid phenol oxidation than Co3O4 and TiO2. The SCT0.4/PMS system produced a high activity at increased initial pH, achieving optimized performance at pH ≥ 7 in terms of total organic carbon removal, the minimum Co leaching and good catalytic stability. Kinetic studies showed that the phenol oxidation kinetics on SCT0.4/PMS system followed the pseudo-zero order kinetics and the rate on SCT0.4/PMS system decreased with increasing initial phenol concentration, decreased PMS amount, catalyst loading and solution temperature. Quenching tests using ethanol and tert-butyl alcohol demonstrated sulfate and hydroxyl radicals for phenol oxidation. This investigation suggested promising heterogeneous catalysts for organic oxidation with PMS, showing a breakthrough in the barriers of metal leaching, acidic pH, and low efficiency of heterogeneous catalysis.
  8. Shen ZZ, Li K, Li ZJ, Shang XL, Hu F, Zhou WJ, et al.
    Trop Biomed, 2020 Jun 01;37(2):452-457.
    PMID: 33612814
    Toxoplasma gondii is a world-widely spread zoonotic parasite. However, scarce knowledge is known about the prevalence of T. gondii infection in people in Hubei province, China. This study herein was to perform epidemiological investigation of T. gondii infection in people in this region. A total 12527 blood samples were obtained during 2015-2018, and were assayed for T. gondii antibodies of IgG and IgM, respectively by employing an indirect hemagglutination test (IHA). The results discovered that the prevalence of T. gondii in people was 2.44% and 6.1%, respectively based on antibodies of IgG and IgM, respectively. The prevalence was ranged from 0.3% to 5.4% during 2015-2018 based on IgM antibodies. For genders, the prevalence was 0.7% and 2.6% in males and females, respectively based on IgM antibodies. In different years, the prevalence was ranged from 4.9% to 14.0% based on IgG antibodies. The prevalence of T. gondii was 4.9% and 6.6% in males and femalesy based on IgG antibodies. The current results may be helpful for the implementation of preventive measures against Toxoplasma infection among people living in this region.
  9. Zhang Y, Knibbe R, Sunarso J, Zhong Y, Zhou W, Shao Z, et al.
    Adv Mater, 2017 Dec;29(48).
    PMID: 28628239 DOI: 10.1002/adma.201700132
    Solid-oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are electricity generators that can convert the chemical energy in various fuels directly to the electric power with high efficiency. Recent advances in materials and related key components for SOFCs operating at ≈500 °C are summarized here, with a focus on the materials, structures, and techniques development for low-temperature SOFCs, including the analysis of most of the critical parameters affecting the electrochemical performance of the electrolyte, anode, and cathode. New strategies, such as thin-film deposition, exsolution of nanoparticles from perovskites, microwave plasma heating, and finger-like channeled electrodes, are discussed. These recent developments highlight the need for electrodes with higher activity and electrolytes with greater conductivity to generate a high electrochemical performance at lower temperatures.
  10. Shang X, Peng Z, Ye Y, Asan, Zhang X, Chen Y, et al.
    EBioMedicine, 2017 Sep;23:150-159.
    PMID: 28865746 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2017.08.015
    Hemoglobinopathies are among the most common autosomal-recessive disorders worldwide. A comprehensive next-generation sequencing (NGS) test would greatly facilitate screening and diagnosis of these disorders. An NGS panel targeting the coding regions of hemoglobin genes and four modifier genes was designed. We validated the assay by using 2522 subjects affected with hemoglobinopathies and applied it to carrier testing in a cohort of 10,111 couples who were also screened through traditional methods. In the clinical genotyping analysis of 1182 β-thalassemia subjects, we identified a group of additional variants that can be used for accurate diagnosis. In the molecular screening analysis of the 10,111 couples, we detected 4180 individuals in total who carried 4840 mutant alleles, and identified 186 couples at risk of having affected offspring. 12.1% of the pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants identified by our NGS assay, which were undetectable by traditional methods. Compared with the traditional methods, our assay identified an additional at-risk 35 couples. We describe a comprehensive NGS-based test that offers advantages over the traditional screening/molecular testing methods. To our knowledge, this is among the first large-scale population study to systematically evaluate the application of an NGS technique in carrier screening and molecular diagnosis of hemoglobinopathies.
  11. Xiao Y, Zhang S, Dai N, Fei G, Goh KL, Chun HJ, et al.
    Gut, 2020 02;69(2):224-230.
    PMID: 31409606 DOI: 10.1136/gutjnl-2019-318365
    OBJECTIVE: To establish the non-inferior efficacy of vonoprazan versus lansoprazole in the treatment of Asian patients with erosive oesophagitis (EO).

    DESIGN: In this phase III, double-blind, multicentre study, patients with endoscopically confirmed EO were randomised 1:1 to receive vonoprazan 20 mg or lansoprazole 30 mg, once daily for up to 8 weeks. The primary endpoint was EO healing rate at 8 weeks. The secondary endpoints were EO healing rates at 2 and 4 weeks. Safety endpoints included treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs).

    RESULTS: In the vonoprazan (n=238) and lansoprazole (n=230) arms, 8-week EO healing rates were 92.4% and 91.3%, respectively (difference 1.1% (95% CI -3.822% to 6.087%)). The respective 2-week EO healing rates were 75.0% and 67.8% (difference 7.2% (95% CI -1.054% to 15.371%)), and the respective 4-week EO healing rates were 85.3% and 83.5% (difference 1.8% (95% CI -4.763% to 8.395%)). In patients with baseline Los Angeles classification grade C/D, 2-week, 4-week and 8-week EO healing rates were higher with vonoprazan versus lansoprazole (2 weeks: 62.2% vs 51.5%, difference 10.6% (95% CI -5.708% to 27.002%); 4 weeks: 73.3% vs 67.2%, difference 6.2% (95% CI -8.884 to 21.223); and 8 weeks: 84.0% vs 80.6%, difference 3.4% (95% CI -9.187% to 15.993%)). Overall, EO healing rates appeared higher with vonoprazan versus lansoprazole. TEAE rates were 38.1% and 36.6% in the vonoprazan and lansoprazole group, respectively.

    CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate the non-inferior efficacy of vonoprazan versus lansoprazole in terms of EO healing rate at 8 weeks in this population. Safety outcomes were similar in the two treatment arms.

    TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02388724.

  12. Altharan YM, Shamsudin S, Lajis MA, Al-Alimi S, Yusuf NK, Alduais NAM, et al.
    PLoS One, 2024;19(3):e0300504.
    PMID: 38484005 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300504
    Direct recycling of aluminum waste is crucial in sustainable manufacturing to mitigate environmental impact and conserve resources. This work was carried out to study the application of hot press forging (HPF) in recycling AA6061 aluminum chip waste, aiming to optimize operating factors using Response Surface Methodology (RSM), Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Genetic algorithm (GA) strategy to maximize the strength of recycled parts. The experimental runs were designed using Full factorial and RSM via Minitab 21 software. RSM-ANN models were employed to examine the effect of factors and their interactions on response and to predict output, while GA-RSM and GA-ANN were used for optimization. The chips of different morphology were cold compressed into billet form and then hot forged. The effect of varying forging temperature (Tp, 450-550°C), holding time (HT, 60-120 minutes), and chip surface area to volume ratio (AS:V, 15.4-52.6 mm2/mm3) on ultimate tensile strength (UTS) was examined. Maximum UTS (237.4 MPa) was achieved at 550°C, 120 minutes and 15.4 mm2/mm3 of chip's AS: V. The Tp had the largest contributing effect ratio on the UTS, followed by HT and AS:V according to ANOVA analysis. The proposed optimization process suggested 550°C, 60 minutes, and 15.4 mm2 as the optimal condition yielding the maximum UTS. The developed models' evaluation results showed that ANN (with MSE = 1.48%) outperformed RSM model. Overall, the study promotes sustainable production by demonstrating the potential of integrating RSM and ML to optimize complex manufacturing processes and improve product quality.
  13. Shen Y, Zhu Y, Sunarso J, Guan D, Liu B, Liu H, et al.
    Chemistry, 2018 May 11;24(27):6950-6957.
    PMID: 29411451 DOI: 10.1002/chem.201705675
    Because of their structural and compositional flexibility, perovskite oxides represent an attractive alternative electrocatalyst class to precious metals for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR); an important reaction in fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Partial replacement of the original metal cation with another cation, namely, doping, can be used to tailor the ORR activity of perovskite, for which a metal has been exclusively used as the dopant component in the past. Herein, phosphorus is proposed as a non-metal dopant for the cation site to develop a new perovskite family with the formula of La0.8 Sr0.2 Mn1-x Px O3-δ (x=0, 0.02, 0.05, and 0.1; denoted as LSM, LSMP0.02, LSMP0.05, and LSMP0.1, respectively). Powder XRD patterns reveal that the solubility of phosphorus in the perovskite structure is around 0.05. Rotating ring-disk electrode experiments in the form of linear-sweep voltammetry scans demonstrated the best ORR performance for LSMP0.05, and also revealed close to a four-electron ORR pathway for all four compositions. A chronoamperometric test (9000 s) and 500 cycle accelerated durability test demonstrated higher durability for LSMP0.05 relative to that of LSM and the commercial 20 wt % Pt/C catalyst. The higher ORR activity for LSMP0.05 is attributed to the optimised average valence of Mn, as evidenced by combined X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy data. Doping phosphorus into perovskites is an effective way to develop high-performance electrocatalysts for ORR.
  14. Peters R, Li B, Swinburn B, Allender S, He Z, Lim SY, et al.
    Bull World Health Organ, 2023 Nov 01;101(11):690-706F.
    PMID: 37961057 DOI: 10.2471/BLT.23.289973
    OBJECTIVE: To identify and analyse ongoing nutrition-related surveillance programmes led and/or funded by national authorities in countries in South-East Asian and Western Pacific Regions.

    METHODS: We systematically searched for publications in PubMed® and Scopus, manually searched the grey literature and consulted with national health and nutrition officials, with no restrictions on publication type or language. We included low- and middle-income countries in the World Health Organization South-East Asia Region, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and China. We analysed the included programmes by adapting the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's public health surveillance evaluation framework.

    FINDINGS: We identified 82 surveillance programmes in 18 countries that repeatedly collect, analyse and disseminate data on nutrition and/or related indicators. Seventeen countries implemented a national periodic survey that exclusively collects nutrition-outcome indicators, often alongside internationally linked survey programmes. Coverage of different subpopulations and monitoring frequency vary substantially across countries. We found limited integration of food environment and wider food system indicators in these programmes, and no programmes specifically monitor nutrition-sensitive data across the food system. There is also limited nutrition-related surveillance of people living in urban deprived areas. Most surveillance programmes are digitized, use measures to ensure high data quality and report evidence of flexibility; however, many are inconsistently implemented and rely on external agencies' financial support.

    CONCLUSION: Efforts to improve the time efficiency, scope and stability of national nutrition surveillance, and integration with other sectoral data, should be encouraged and supported to allow systemic monitoring and evaluation of malnutrition interventions in these countries.

  15. Miao J, Sunarso J, Duan X, Zhou W, Wang S, Shao Z
    J Hazard Mater, 2018 May 05;349:177-185.
    PMID: 29425884 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2018.01.054
    The efficient oxidative removal of persistent organic components in wastewater relies on low-cost heterogeneous catalysts that offer high catalytic activity, stability, and recyclability. Here, we designed a series of nanostructured Co-Mn containing perovskite catalysts, LaCo1-xMnxO3+δ (LCM, x = 0, 0.3, 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0), with over-stoichiometric oxygen (δ > 0) to show superior catalytic activity for the degradation of a variety of persistent aqueous organic pollutants by activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS). The nature of LCM for catalysis was comprehensively investigated. A "volcano-shaped" correlation was observed between the catalytic activity and electron filling (eg) of Co in LCM. Among these compounds, LaCo0.5Mn0.5O3+δ (LCM55) exhibited an excellent activity with eg = 1.27. The high interstitial oxygen ion diffusion rate (DO2- = 1.58 ± 0.01 × 10-13 cm2 s-1) of LCM55 also contributes to its catalytic activity. The enhanced stability of LCM55 can be ascribed to its stronger relative acidity (3.22). Moreover, an increased solution pH (pH ≥ 7) generated a faster organic degradation rate and a decrease in metal leaching (0.004 mM) for LCM55 perovskite, justifying it as a potential material for environmental remediation.
  16. Pfister NT, Fomin V, Regunath K, Zhou JY, Zhou W, Silwal-Pandit L, et al.
    Genes Dev., 2015 Jun 15;29(12):1298-315.
    PMID: 26080815 DOI: 10.1101/gad.263202.115
    Mutant p53 impacts the expression of numerous genes at the level of transcription to mediate oncogenesis. We identified vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2), the primary functional VEGF receptor that mediates endothelial cell vascularization, as a mutant p53 transcriptional target in multiple breast cancer cell lines. Up-regulation of VEGFR2 mediates the role of mutant p53 in increasing cellular growth in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) culture conditions. Mutant p53 binds near the VEGFR2 promoter transcriptional start site and plays a role in maintaining an open conformation at that location. Relatedly, mutant p53 interacts with the SWI/SNF complex, which is required for remodeling the VEGFR2 promoter. By both querying individual genes regulated by mutant p53 and performing RNA sequencing, the results indicate that >40% of all mutant p53-regulated gene expression is mediated by SWI/SNF. We surmise that mutant p53 impacts transcription of VEGFR2 as well as myriad other genes by promoter remodeling through interaction with and likely regulation of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex. Therefore, not only might mutant p53-expressing tumors be susceptible to anti VEGF therapies, impacting SWI/SNF tumor suppressor function in mutant p53 tumors may also have therapeutic potential.
  17. Sun H, Chen G, Sunarso J, Dai J, Zhou W, Shao Z
    ACS Appl Mater Interfaces, 2018 May 23;10(20):16939-16942.
    PMID: 29741862 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b03702
    An abundant, highly active, and durable oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalyst is an enabling component for a more sustainable energy future. We report, herein, a molybdenum and niobium codoped B-site-ordered double perovskite oxide with a compositional formula of Ba2CoMo0.5Nb0.5O6-δ (BCMN) as an active and robust catalyst for OER in an alkaline electrolyte. BCMN displayed a low overpotential of 445 mA at a current density of 10 mA cm-2disk. BCMN also showed long-term stability in an alkaline medium. This work hints toward the possibility of combining a codoping approach with double perovskite structure formation to achieve significant enhancement in the OER performance.
  18. Pagliuca S, Gurnari C, Hercus C, Hergalant S, Nadarajah N, Wahida A, et al.
    Leukemia, 2023 Jan;37(1):202-211.
    PMID: 36253429 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-022-01723-w
    Idiopathic aplastic anemia (IAA) pathophysiology is dominated by autoreactivity of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-restricted T-cells against antigens presented by hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Expansion of PIGA and HLA class I mutant HSPCs have been linked to immune evasion from T-cell mediated pressures. We hypothesized that in analogy with antitumor immunity, the pathophysiological cascade of immune escape in IAA is initiated by immunoediting pressures and culminates with mechanisms of clonal evolution characterized by hits in immune recognition and response genes. To that end, we studied the genetic and transcriptomic make-up of the antigen presentation complexes in a large cohort of patients with IAA and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) by using single-cell RNA, high throughput DNA sequencing and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-array platforms. At disease onset, HSPCs displayed activation of selected HLA class I and II-restricted mechanisms, without extensive inhibition of immune checkpoint apparatus. Using a newly implemented bioinformatic framework we found that not only class I but also class II genes were often impaired by acquisition of genetic aberrations. We also demonstrated the presence of novel somatic alterations in immune genes possibly contributing to the evasion from the autoimmune T-cells. In contrast, these hits were absent in myeloid neoplasia. These aberrations were not mutually exclusive with PNH and did not correlate with the accumulation of myeloid-driver hits. Our findings shed light on the mechanisms of immune activation and escape in IAA and define alternative modes of clonal hematopoiesis.
  19. Zhang Y, Ren H, Li B, Udin SM, Maarof H, Zhou W, et al.
    Int J Biol Macromol, 2023 Jul 01;242(Pt 2):124829.
    PMID: 37210053 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.124829
    Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) composed by amino acids (L-arginine, L-proline, L-alanine) as the hydrogen bond acceptors (HBAs) and carboxylic acids (formic acid, acetic acid, lactic acid, levulinic acid) as hydrogen bond donors (HBDs) were prepared and used for the dissolution of dealkaline lignin (DAL). The mechanism of lignin dissolution in DESs was explored at molecular level by combining the analysis of Kamlet-Taft (K-T) solvatochromic parameters, FTIR spectrum and density functional theory (DFT) calculations of DESs. Firstly, it was found that the formation of new hydrogen bonds between lignin and DESs mainly drove the dissolution of lignin, which were accompanied by the erosion of hydrogen bond networks in both lignin and DESs. The nature of hydrogen bond network within DESs was fundamentally determined by the type and number of functional groups in both HBA and HBD, which affected its ability to form hydrogen bond with lignin. One hydroxyl group and carboxyl group in HBDs provided active protons, which facilitated proton-catalyzed cleavage of β-O-4, thus enhancing the dissolution of DESs. The superfluous functional group resulted in more extensive and stronger hydrogen bond network in the DESs, thus decreasing the lignin dissolving ability. Moreover, it was found that lignin solubility had a closed positive correlation with the subtraction value of α and β (net hydrogen donating ability) of DESs. Among all the investigated DESs, L-alanine/formic acid (1:3) with the strong hydrogen-bond donating ability (acidity), weak hydrogen-bond accepting ability (basicity) and small steric-hindrance effect showed the best lignin dissolving ability (23.99 wt%, 60 °C). On top of that, the value of α and β of L-proline/carboxylic acids DESs showed some positive correlation with the global electrostatic potential (ESP) maxima and minima of the corresponding DESs respectively, indicating the analysis of ESP quantitative distributions of DESs could be an effective tool for DESs screening and design for lignin dissolution as well as other applications.
  20. Hu T, Zheng Y, Zhang Y, Li G, Qiu W, Yu J, et al.
    BMC Microbiol, 2012;12:305.
    PMID: 23268691 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2180-12-305
    The identification of new virus strains is important for the study of infectious disease, but current (or existing) molecular biology methods are limited since the target sequence must be known to design genome-specific PCR primers. Thus, we developed a new method for the discovery of unknown viruses based on the cDNA--random amplified polymorphic DNA (cDNA-RAPD) technique. Getah virus, belonging to the family Togaviridae in the genus Alphavirus, is a mosquito-borne enveloped RNA virus that was identified using the Virus-Discovery-cDNA RAPD (VIDISCR) method.
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