3,457 research outputs found
The etiology of esophageal cancer in high- and low- risk areas of Jiangsu province, China
No full text [Background]Esophageal cancer (EC) remains one of the most common and fatal malignancies worldwide. The geographic variation in EC occurrence is striking, and China is an area with one of the highest incidences of EC. A number of epidemiological studies have been conducted toward EC in the past decades, results suggested that tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking, unhealthy dietary factors and chronic injuries of the esophageal mucosa are important in the development of this disease. Genetic polymorphisms in enzymes involved in metabolism of carcinogens may also influence individual susceptibility. However, the effects of major lifestyle and hereditary risk factors on the development of EC remain poorly understood in China. Moreover, little attention has been paid to the etiological heterogeneity between similar areas with great risk gradient. [Methods]From 2003 to 2007, a large population-based case-control study of EC has been conducted in a selected high-risk area and a selected low-risk area of Jiangsu Province, one of the highest cancer incidence areas in China. In total, 1,520 cases and 3,879 controls were recruited. In this thesis, we evaluated the role of major lifestyle factors such as tobacco smoking, alcohol drinking and dietary factors, as well as inherited determinants including family history of cancer and genetic polymorphisms of alcohol-metabolizing related genes on the risk of EC. In addition, we investigated how much of the risk gradient between two areas could be explained by variation in the distributions of major risk factors. [Results] Tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking moderately increased the risk of EC, while the positive associations were only found among men but not among women. Dietary factors were observed to play important roles in the development of EC. Specific dietary habits i.e., fast eating speed, and hot eating and/or drinking substantially elevated EC risk and could explain more than 20% of EC cases each. High intake of salty foods and fried foods, low consumption of raw garlic were also observed to increase the risk of EC. In addition to environmental and lifestyle factors, we confirmed that a positive family history can significantly increase EC risk, and found the inheritance may modify the effect of some unhealthy lifestyles. Moreover, we further explored the relationship between EC and single nucleotide polymorphismsof ADH1B, ADH1C and ALDH2 genes. Results showed that the slow metabolizing ADH1B G allele, ADH1C G allele and ALDH2 A allele significantly increased EC risk among moderate-to-heavy alcohol drinkers, and a significant interaction was observed between ALDH2 gene and alcohol consumption. Lastly, we found that more than 60% of EC cases could be attributable to major lifestyle risk factors in the study population; furthermore, dissimilar distribution of several lifestyle factors, together with variations of hereditary factors may be largely responsible for the incidence difference between two study areas. [Conclusion]The findings in this thesis confirm that unhealthy lifestyles including smoking, alcohol drinking and some dietary factors are the predominant risk factors of EC in China, and a large proportion of incidence difference between regions at varying risk could be attributed to the different prevalence of lifestyle factors. As most of the identified risk factors are modifiable, these could be translated into risk reduction prevention programs in China, and a substantial proportion of new EC cases are expected to be prevented by eliminating or avoiding these risk factors in the population. </p
Fables: Fong Siue-Fong
No full textI already have a similar book with English translations of Feng Hsueh-Feng, now here written Fong Siue-Fong. In fact, I have it in a hardbound first edition of 1953 and a paperbound second edition of 1955. Here is the hardbound French edition of 1955. The artist in those editions was called Huang Yung-yu; here he is Houang Yong-yu. The translator is not here acknowledged. This copy adds a picture of the author at the head of two new pages devoted to him. Surprisingly, the first full-page illustration -- for Le Paysan, les Moineaux et les Alouettes -- is reduced in size (5). Not all of the printer's designs used in the second edition are used here, perhaps because some texts run longer on the page. The order of fables seems to differ from the respective orders in the English editions. As I mention there, the fables are often directly admonitory and/or of a highly political slant. Un Rat Original may have the best illustration (77). Among the most overtly political is the fable on the imperialist weasel munching a duckling (26-8); here again the illustration is reduced, this time to fit horizontally and not vertically onto its page. There is a T of C at the back. The Foreign Languages Press in 1983 also did a paperbound version in smaller format but using the same illustrations, and I have that edition too.This is a hardbound book (hard cover)Language note: FrenchOriginal language: chiStated first editionFong Siue-Fon
T Cell responses to whole SARS Coronavirus in humans
No full textEffective vaccines should confer long-term protection against future outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused by a novel zoonotic coronavirus (SARS-CoV) with unknown animal reservoirs. We conducted a cohort study examining multiple parameters of immune responses to SARS-CoV infection, aiming to identify the immune correlates of protection. We used a matrix of overlapping peptides spanning whole SARS-CoV proteome to determine T cell responses from 128 SARS convalescent samples by ex vivo IFN-γ ELISPOT assays. Approximately 50% of convalescent SARS patients were positive for T cell responses, and 90% possessed strongly neutralizing Abs. Fifty-five novel T cell epitopes were identified, with spike protein dominating total T cell responses. CD8+ T cell responses were more frequent and of a greater magnitude than CD4+ T cell responses (p < 0.001).
Polychromatic cytometry analysis indicated that the virus-specific T cells from the severe group tended to be a central memory phenotype (CD27+/CD45RO+) with a significantly higher frequency of polyfunctional CD4+ T cells producing IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2, and CD8+ T cells producing IFN-γ, TNF-α, and CD107a (degranulation), as compared with the mild-moderate group. Strong T cell responses correlated significantly (p < 0.05) with higher neutralizing Ab. The serum cytokine profile during acute infection indicated a significant elevation of innate immune responses. Increased Th2 cytokines were observed in patients with fatal infection. Our study provides a roadmap for the immunogenicity of SARS-CoV and types of immune responses that may be responsible for the virus clearance, and should serve as a benchmark for SARS-CoV vaccine design and evaluation
Author correction to "Enhanced property of thin cuprous oxide film prepared through green synthetic route"(Vol 32, 365, 2019)
No full textEl Kasmi A, Vieker H, Wu L-nan, Beyer A, Chafik T, Tian Z-yu. Author correction to "Enhanced property of thin cuprous oxide film prepared through green synthetic route"(Vol 32, 365, 2019). Chinese Journal of Chemical Physics. 2024;37(4):571.This correction adds some information to our publication [Chin. J. Chem. Phys. 32, 365-372 (2019)] that we previously missed to include
Exploiting knowledge of immune selection in HIV-1 to detect HIV-specific CD8 T-cell responses
No full textSince HLA-restricted cytotoxic T-cell responses select specific polymorphisms in HIV-1 sequences and HLA diversity is relatively static in human populations, we investigated the use of peptide epitopes based on sites of HLA-associated adaptation in HIV-1 sequences to stimulate and detect T-cell responses ex vivo. These "HLA-optimised" peptides captured more HIV-1 Nef-specific responses compared with overlapping peptides of a single consensus sequence, in interferon-γ enzyme linked immunospot assays. Sites of immune selection can reveal more immunogenic epitopes in HLA-diverse populations and offer insights into the nature of HLA-epitope targeting, which could be applied in vaccine design
Ammonium removal and recovery from wastewater with porous geopolymers
No full textAbstract
Porous geopolymer granules are emerging as a promising material for high-value applications such as adsorption and ammonium (NH₄⁺) recovery from wastewater. This thesis presents a comprehensive investigation into the fabrication, characterization, and application of porous metakaolin-based geopolymer granules produced via direct foaming, one-part alkali activation, and high-shear granulation. Porosity was introduced using either hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) or municipal solid waste incineration fly ash containing metallic aluminum (Al0) as blowing agents. Increased porosity, particularly in the micro- and nanoscale range, significantly enhanced the specific surface area and NH₄⁺ adsorption capacity—up to 126% higher compared to nonporous granules, with optimal performance observed using 10% H₂O₂ solution. The granules demonstrated sufficient mechanical strength (≥2 MPa) and were evaluated for environmental safety and ion-exchange behavior. While fly ash improved porosity, it introduced leaching concerns for elements like antimony and vanadium, limiting its optimal content to 0.3 wt.% Al0. Adsorption-desorption studies showed that porous geopolymer granules achieved an average NH₄⁺ uptake capacity of up to 9.0 mg/g, and NH₄⁺ recovery of 51–98% over the 30 adsorption and desorption cycles using KNO₃ as a regenerant, though performance declined after 20 cycles. Application in municipal wastewater highlighted the need for pretreatment to mitigate pore blocking and surface fouling. Overall, these findings establish porous geopolymer granules as a feasible, regenerable, and effective material for NH₄⁺ recovery, contributing to circular nitrogen economy and sustainable wastewater treatment strategies. Original papers Yu, Y., Perumal, P., Corfe, I. J., Paul, T., Illikainen, M., & Luukkonen, T. (2023). Combined granulation–alkali activation–direct foaming process: A novel route to porous geopolymer granules with enhanced adsorption properties. Materials & Design, 227, 111781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2023.111781 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2023.111781 Self-archived version Luukkonen, T., Yu, Y., Adhikary, S. K., Kauppinen, S., Finnilä, M., & Perumal, P. (2024). Metallic aluminium in municipal solid waste incineration fly ash as a blowing agent for porous alkali-activated granules. Royal Society Open Science, 11(8), 240598. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.240598 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.240598 Self-archived version Yu, Y., Perumal, P., Sithole, T., & Luukkonen, T. (2025). Recovery of ammonium and nitrate from wastewater using adsorption-based techniques: A review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 519, 145976. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.145976 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.145976 Self-archived version Yu, Y., Bhuyan, M., Perumal, P., Luukkonen, T. (2025). Ammonium removal and recovery from municipal wastewater by ion exchange using porous metakaolin geopolymer granules. Manuscript submitted for publication. Tiivistelmä
Huokoiset geopolymeerirakeet ovat nousemassa lupaavaksi materiaaliksi korkean lisäarvon sovelluksiin, kuten adsorptioon ja ammoniumin (NH₄⁺) talteenottoon jätevedestä. Tämä väitöskirja esittelee kattavan tutkimuksen metakaoliinipohjaisten huokoisten geopolymeerirakeiden valmistuksesta, karakterisoinnista ja käytöstä hyödyntäen vaahdotusta, alkaliaktivointia sekä granulointia. Huokoisuutta lisättiin käyttämällä vaahdotusaineina joko vetyperoksidia (H₂O₂) tai yhdyskuntajätteenpolton lentotuhkaa, joka sisälsi metallista alumiinia (Al0). Huokoisuuden lisääntyminen, erityisesti mikro- ja nanokokoluokissa, paransi merkittävästi rakeiden ominaispinta-alaa ja NH₄⁺-adsorptiokapasiteettia – jopa 126 % verrattuna ei-huokoisiin rakeisiin. Paras suorituskyky saavutettiin 10 % H₂O₂-liuoksella. Rakeet osoittivat riittävää mekaanista lujuutta (≥2 MPa), ja niitä arvioitiin myös ioninvaihtokyvyn osalta. Vaikka lentotuhka lisäsi huokoisuutta, se aiheutti haitallisten aineiden, kuten antimonin ja vanadiinin, liukenemista, minkä vuoksi optimaalinen tuhkapitoisuus rajoitettiin 0.3 paino-% Al0:aan. Adsorptio-desorptiotutkimukset osoittivat, että huokoiset geopolymeerirakeet saavuttivat keskimääräisen NH₄⁺-ottokapasiteetin jopa 9.0 mg/g ja NH₄⁺-saannon 51–98 % 30 adsorptio- ja desorptiosyklin aikana, kun KNO3 20:a regeneroivana aineena käytettiin, vaikka suorituskyky heikkeni syklin jälkeen. Pitkän aikavälin käytössä suorituskyky kuitenkin heikkeni. Kunnallisen jäteveden käsittelyssä havaittiin huokosten tukkeutumista ja pintaan kertyvää kiintoainesta, mikä korostaa esikäsittelyn merkitystä. Yhteenvetona voidaan todeta, että huokoiset geopolymeerirakeet ovat käyttökelpoinen, uudelleenkäytettävä ja tehokas materiaali NH₄⁺:n talteenottoon, edistäen typen kiertotaloutta ja kestävää jäteveden käsittelyä. Osajulkaisut Yu, Y., Perumal, P., Corfe, I. J., Paul, T., Illikainen, M., & Luukkonen, T. (2023). Combined granulation–alkali activation–direct foaming process: A novel route to porous geopolymer granules with enhanced adsorption properties. Materials & Design, 227, 111781. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2023.111781 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matdes.2023.111781 Rinnakkaistallennettu versio Luukkonen, T., Yu, Y., Adhikary, S. K., Kauppinen, S., Finnilä, M., & Perumal, P. (2024). Metallic aluminium in municipal solid waste incineration fly ash as a blowing agent for porous alkali-activated granules. Royal Society Open Science, 11(8), 240598. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.240598 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.240598 Rinnakkaistallennettu versio Yu, Y., Perumal, P., Sithole, T., & Luukkonen, T. (2025). Recovery of ammonium and nitrate from wastewater using adsorption-based techniques: A review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 519, 145976. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.145976 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2025.145976 Rinnakkaistallennettu versio Yu, Y., Bhuyan, M., Perumal, P., Luukkonen, T. (2025). Ammonium removal and recovery from municipal wastewater by ion exchange using porous metakaolin geopolymer granules. Manuscript submitted for publication. Academic dissertation to be presented with the assent of the Doctoral Programme Committee of Technology and Natural Sciences of the University of Oulu for public defence in the Oulun Puhelin auditorium (L5), Linnanmaa, on 10 October 2025, at 12 noonAbstract
Porous geopolymer granules are emerging as a promising material for high-value applications such as adsorption and ammonium (NH₄⁺) recovery from wastewater. This thesis presents a comprehensive investigation into the fabrication, characterization, and application of porous metakaolin-based geopolymer granules produced via direct foaming, one-part alkali activation, and high-shear granulation. Porosity was introduced using either hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) or municipal solid waste incineration fly ash containing metallic aluminum (Al0) as blowing agents. Increased porosity, particularly in the micro- and nanoscale range, significantly enhanced the specific surface area and NH₄⁺ adsorption capacity—up to 126% higher compared to nonporous granules, with optimal performance observed using 10% H₂O₂ solution. The granules demonstrated sufficient mechanical strength (≥2 MPa) and were evaluated for environmental safety and ion-exchange behavior. While fly ash improved porosity, it introduced leaching concerns for elements like antimony and vanadium, limiting its optimal content to 0.3 wt.% Al0. Adsorption-desorption studies showed that porous geopolymer granules achieved an average NH₄⁺ uptake capacity of up to 9.0 mg/g, and NH₄⁺ recovery of 51–98% over the 30 adsorption and desorption cycles using KNO₃ as a regenerant, though performance declined after 20 cycles. Application in municipal wastewater highlighted the need for pretreatment to mitigate pore blocking and surface fouling. Overall, these findings establish porous geopolymer granules as a feasible, regenerable, and effective material for NH₄⁺ recovery, contributing to circular nitrogen economy and sustainable wastewater treatment strategies.Tiivistelmä
Huokoiset geopolymeerirakeet ovat nousemassa lupaavaksi materiaaliksi korkean lisäarvon sovelluksiin, kuten adsorptioon ja ammoniumin (NH₄⁺) talteenottoon jätevedestä. Tämä väitöskirja esittelee kattavan tutkimuksen metakaoliinipohjaisten huokoisten geopolymeerirakeiden valmistuksesta, karakterisoinnista ja käytöstä hyödyntäen vaahdotusta, alkaliaktivointia sekä granulointia. Huokoisuutta lisättiin käyttämällä vaahdotusaineina joko vetyperoksidia (H₂O₂) tai yhdyskuntajätteenpolton lentotuhkaa, joka sisälsi metallista alumiinia (Al0). Huokoisuuden lisääntyminen, erityisesti mikro- ja nanokokoluokissa, paransi merkittävästi rakeiden ominaispinta-alaa ja NH₄⁺-adsorptiokapasiteettia – jopa 126 % verrattuna ei-huokoisiin rakeisiin. Paras suorituskyky saavutettiin 10 % H₂O₂-liuoksella. Rakeet osoittivat riittävää mekaanista lujuutta (≥2 MPa), ja niitä arvioitiin myös ioninvaihtokyvyn osalta. Vaikka lentotuhka lisäsi huokoisuutta, se aiheutti haitallisten aineiden, kuten antimonin ja vanadiinin, liukenemista, minkä vuoksi optimaalinen tuhkapitoisuus rajoitettiin 0.3 paino-% Al0:aan. Adsorptio-desorptiotutkimukset osoittivat, että huokoiset geopolymeerirakeet saavuttivat keskimääräisen NH₄⁺-ottokapasiteetin jopa 9.0 mg/g ja NH₄⁺-saannon 51–98 % 30 adsorptio- ja desorptiosyklin aikana, kun KNO3 20:a regeneroivana aineena käytettiin, vaikka suorituskyky heikkeni syklin jälkeen. Pitkän aikavälin käytössä suorituskyky kuitenkin heikkeni. Kunnallisen jäteveden käsittelyssä havaittiin huokosten tukkeutumista ja pintaan kertyvää kiintoainesta, mikä korostaa esikäsittelyn merkitystä. Yhteenvetona voidaan todeta, että huokoiset geopolymeerirakeet ovat käyttökelpoinen, uudelleenkäytettävä ja tehokas materiaali NH₄⁺:n talteenottoon, edistäen typen kiertotaloutta ja kestävää jäteveden käsittelyä
Determination of the covalent bond dipole moments with CLPO analysis
No full textBasing on the orbitals localization method which provides the most accurate (in a Frobenius norm sense) approximation for the reduced one-particle density matrix of the molecule, the model is proposed for partitioning the dipole moment of the molecule into additive contributions, defined in CLPO basis. By augmenting the proposed model with the Ruedenberg scheme for partitioning the nuclear contribution to the dipole moment, the contributions to the dipole moment associated with particular covalent bonds and lone pairs of the atoms were determined. Using the datasets composed of 11410 12-atomic molecules with zero total charge and the set of 613 conformations of electroneutral 2\u27-deoxycytidine-5\u27-monophosphate molecule, it has been found that the error in approximating the total dipole moment of the molecule by the sum of localized contributions, determined in the framework of the proposed model, is close to 10%, and is noticeably below the similar error when only the NPA charges are used to compute the approximate dipole moment. The typical angle between the true dipole moment vector and the dipole moment vector approximated with the proposed model is 5.5 deg.Key words: localized orbitals, CLPO-analysis, dipole moment, conformation.Pages of the article in the issue: 105 - 108Language of the article: Ukrainia
[[alternative]]The Relationship between the Traditional Instruction with Film Assisting Teaching and Student’s Academic Performance on Geography
No full text[[abstract]]The Title: The Relationship between the Traditional Instruction with Film Assisting Teaching and Student’s Academic Performance on Geography
at Yu Cheng Senior High School
Yu-Ling Wang
Abstract：
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the traditional instruction with film assisting teaching and student’s academic achievement on Geography in Yu Cheng Senior High School. Two classes of Yu Cheng Senior High School were randomly chosen as samples, the Experimental Group (n = 41) with Film Assisting Teaching and the Control Group (n = 40) with Traditional Instruction.
According to the standard learning subjects for high school students, a questionnaire was designed as an instrument. It contains four subscales: Knowledge、Affection、Technique and Curricular. A t-test (p < .05) of SPSS 10.0 was used to analyze the differences between the experimental group and the control group on each of those four scales.
Only the subscale of Knowledge was found significantly difference between the experimental group and the control group. The subscales of Affection、Technique and Curricular were found no significantly differences between the experimental group and the control group.
Keywords: Film Assisting Teaching、Student’s Academic Achievement
Author response to: Cardiovascular risk factors in offspring exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus in utero: systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textLetter to the EditorThis commentary is an author response to Yu and colleagues regarding the manuscript entitled ‘Cardiovascular risk factors in offspring exposed to gestational diabetes mellitus in utero: Systematic review and meta-analysis’. We address their concern regarding minor errors in our manuscript, our search strategy and assessment of heterogeneity.Maleesa M. Pathirana, Zohra S. Lassi, Claire T. Roberts, and Prabha H. Andraweer
B cell presentation of chlamydia antigen selects out protective CD4γ13 T cells : implications for genital tract tissue-resident memory lymphocyte clusters
No full textSurveillance and defense of the enormous mucosal interface with the nonsterile world are critical to protecting the host from a wide range of pathogens. Chlamydia trachomatis is an intracellular bacterial pathogen that replicates almost exclusively in the epithelium of the reproductive tract. The fallopian tubes and vagina are poorly suited to surveillance and defense, with limited immune infrastructure positioned near the epithelium. However, a dynamic process during clearing primary infections leaves behind new lymphoid clusters immediately beneath the epithelium. These memory lymphocyte clusters (MLCs) harboring tissue-resident memory (Trm) T cells are presumed to play an important role in protection from subsequent infections. Histologically, human Chlamydia MLCs have prominent B cell populations. We investigated the status of genital tract B cells during C. muridarum infections and the nature of T cells recovered from immune mice using immune B cells as antigen-presenting cells (APCs). These studies revealed a genital tract plasma B cell population and a novel genital tract CD4 T cell subset producing both gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and interleukin-13 (IL-13). A panel of CD4 T cell clones and microarray analysis showed that the molecular fingerprint of CD4γ13 T cells includes a Trm-like transcriptome. Adoptive transfer of a Chlamydia-specific CD4γ13 T cell clone completely prevented oviduct immunopathology without accelerating bacterial clearance. Existence of a CD4γ13 T cell subset provides a plausible explanation for the observation that human peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) Chlamydia-specific IFN-γ and IL-13 responses predict resistance to reinfection.Peer reviewedFinal article publishedChlamydiaCD4IL-13B cellsTr
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