Category Archives: Research
Prioritization of unregulated disinfection by-products in water distribution systems
Drinking water contamination has been recognized as a global challenge. Water contamination due to the regrowth of microorganisms, including harmful pathogens, has been recognized as a critical drinking water quality failure pathway. Disinfection is a common process
Can reports of a homicide committed by a person with schizophrenia change public opinion about them?
Schizophrenia is a neurological disorder in which a combination of hallucinations and delusions lead the person to interpret reality abnormally. On May 29th 2009, a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia killed a 4-year old boy and injured his
Sex differences in heart failure outcomes in Ontario, Canada
Heart failure is a leading cause of death in women and men around the world. Despite recent advances in the management of heart failure, much still need to be learned how outcomes might differ by sex. Indeed,
Ecotoxicology at the era of biocontrol expansion
The French network ECOTOX questioned recently the implementation of ecotoxicology tools and concepts within the elaboration of biocontrol strategies. Ecotoxicology is defined as the science which studies the impacts of human activity (industry, agriculture, urban growth…) on
Visualizing invisible nano-structure of electric double layer structure: deuterium labelling for neutron study
Ionic liquids (ILs) which are composed of organic cations and organic (or inorganic) anions have been widely considered for use in electrochemical materials because of their excellent chemical and physical properties wide electrochemical window, negligible vapor pressure,
The hepatopancreas of decapod crustaceans, a particularly complex and dynamic invertebrate organ
The hepatopancreas is the largest organ of the digestive tract and metabolic centre of the ~15,000 species of decapod crustaceans that include shrimps, crabs, lobsters and crayfishes. A review of my own data and literature data revealed
How fast a single nanopore acquires its charge
Modern technologies such as smartphones, electric vehicles and various battery-powered devices increasingly require high density electric-energy storage units for improved operation. Supercapacitors are an emergent class of high-power storage devices which consist of porous electrodes that can
What are the chemical properties of water in the world’s deepest blue hole?
The Sansha Yongle Blue Hole (SYBH), located on the Yongle Atoll of the Xiasha Islands in the northern South China Sea, has been discovered to be the world’s deepest blue hole. Its depth is 301.19 m, 100
Retroduplication of rhodopsin gene 400 million years ago diversified the photoreception in fishes
Animals utilize light from the environment as important information sources. We can discriminate colors, brightness and shapes of objects by visual system. In addition, animals can detect daily and seasonal changes of the light environment to alter
Invasion of science and nature by the parthenogenetic marbled crayfish
The marbled crayfish or Marmorkrebs, Procambarus virginalis (Fig. 1A), is the only obligately parthenogenetic decapod crustacean. It was detected in 1995 in the German aquarium trade. With almost 300 publications, it is now one of the best-studied
Good governance for migratory fish stocks
As the oceans warm in response to continued greenhouse gas emissions, fish are moving to seek out their preferred environmental conditions. These shifts in distribution are changing the locations of the best fishing areas within the geographical
Disordered highways clear mucus from the lungs
Our respiratory system is continuously exposed to potentially harmful particles such as dust, fungi, bacteria and viruses. Indeed, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, respiratory conditions were already one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The first
A combined rapid microfluidics and design-of-experiment approach to optimize liposomal formulations
Nanomedicine has attracted enormous attention for the introduction of advantageous nanoscale materials. Among them, liposomes have devoted considerable concern owing to unique physicochemical and biological properties, as well as the tremendous potential for drug delivery applications. Over
Inflammatory differences between men and women uncovered by 27-hydroxycholesterol
The combination of reduced exercise and increased caloric intake has led to a global obesity epidemic. Besides being characterized by increased waist circumferences and BMI, many obese patients also suffer from a chronic, low-grade inflammatory response, which
More than your average bread spread: plant stanols as therapeutical tool in Niemann-Pick type C1 disease
Niemann-Pick type C1 (NPC1) disease is a lysosomal storage disease that affects nearly 1 in 100,000 live births worldwide. NPC1 disease is caused by mutations in the NPC1 gene that result in a dysfunctional NPC1 protein, which
Reproductive differences between cultured and wild corals
Taiwan’s National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium (NMMBA) has focused on the artificial propagation of corals for years. In 2014, natural spawning of gametes of various cultured corals was officially recorded after 8 years culturing. Since
California has changed social norms, dramatically reducing smoking behavior and lung cancer mortality
The rapid rise in the dependency on cigarette smoking in the United States occurred in the first half of the 20th century fueled by large mass media marketing campaigns and the provision of free cigarettes to troops
A win-win strategy for China’s ruminant consumption and global environment
Ruminant production is one of the major contributors to global environmental degradation. In the livestock sector, beef, mutton and milk production contributes 80% of total greenhouse gas (GHG) and 75% of ammonia (NH3) emissions. Rising demand for
Normal and abnormal mucus – what do the mucins in colorectal cancer tell us?
Free compartments of all of the secretory epithelia are covered by mucus, working as a physical barrier, as well as first line of defence from harmful factors, such as bacteria, viruses and toxins. It is a “trap”
A functionally-graded scaffold and bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells for osteonecrosis of the femoral head
Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a debilitating disease that may progress to femoral head collapse and subsequently, degenerative arthritis. Core decompression (CD) is a commonly used joint-preserving procedure for the treatment of small to medium
