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Goh CE, Zheng K, Chua WY, Nguyen T, Liu C, Koh CK, Lee GKY, Tay CM, Ooi BC, Wong ML. Development of a dental diet-tracking mobile app for improved caries-related dietary behaviours: Key features and pilot evaluation of quality. Digit Health 2024; 10:20552076241228433. [PMID: 38303969 PMCID: PMC10832442 DOI: 10.1177/20552076241228433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective Diet significantly contributes to dental decay (caries) yet monitoring and modifying patients' diets is a challenge for many dental practitioners. While many oral health and diet-tracking mHealth apps are available, few focus on the dietary risk factors for caries. This study aims to present the development and key features of a dental-specific mobile app for diet monitoring and dietary behaviour change to prevent caries, and pilot data from initial user evaluation. Methods A mobile app incorporating a novel photo recognition algorithm and a localised database of 208,718 images for food item identification was developed. The design and development process were iterative and incorporated several behaviour change techniques commonly used in mHealth. Pilot evaluation of app quality was assessed using the end-user version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS). Results User feedback from the beta-testing of the prototype app spurred the improvement of the photo recognition algorithm and addition of more user-centric features. Other key features of the final app include real-time prompts to drive actionable behaviour change, goal setting, comprehensive oral health education modules, and visual metrics for caries-related dietary factors (sugar intake, meal frequency, etc.). The final app scored an overall mean (standard deviation) of 3.6 (0.5) out of 5 on the uMARS scale. Conclusion We developed a novel diet-tracking mobile app tailored for oral health, addressing a gap in the mHealth landscape. Pilot user evaluations indicated good app quality, suggesting its potential as a useful clinical tool for dentists and empowering patients for self-monitoring and behavioural management.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kaiping Zheng
- School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Wen Yong Chua
- School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Thao Nguyen
- School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Changshuo Liu
- School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Chun Keat Koh
- Smart Systems Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Chong Meng Tay
- Division of Advanced General Dental Practice, National University Centre for Oral Health Singapore, Singapore
| | - Beng Chin Ooi
- School of Computing, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Mun Loke Wong
- Faculty of Dentistry, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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2
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Huang Z, Kanchanawong P. Ultra high-speed single-molecule fluorescence imaging. J Cell Biol 2023; 222:e202306136. [PMID: 37458726 PMCID: PMC10351246 DOI: 10.1083/jcb.202306136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2023] Open
Abstract
In two articles in this issue, Fujiwara et al. developed an ultrasensitive high-speed camera capable of single-molecule fluorescence imaging at a microsecond timescale (2023. J. Cell Biol.https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202110160). This major leap in detection speed enables the organization of plasma membrane and integrin-based adhesions to be probed in unprecedented detail (2023. J. Cell Biol.https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202110162).
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Affiliation(s)
- Zengxin Huang
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
| | - Pakorn Kanchanawong
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
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3
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Tay F, Lin X, Shi X, Chen H, Kaminer I, Zhang B. Bulk-Plasmon-Mediated Free-Electron Radiation Beyond the Conventional Formation Time. Adv Sci (Weinh) 2023:e2300760. [PMID: 37127889 PMCID: PMC10369295 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202300760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Free-electron radiation is a fundamental photon emission process that is induced by fast-moving electrons interacting with optical media. Historically, it has been understood that, just like any other photon emission process, free-electron radiation must be constrained within a finite time interval known as the "formation time," whose concept is applicable to both Cherenkov radiation and transition radiation, the two basic mechanisms describing radiation from a bulk medium and from an interface, respectively. Here, this work reveals an alternative mechanism of free-electron radiation far beyond the previously defined formation time. It occurs when a fast electron crosses the interface between vacuum and a plasmonic medium supporting bulk plasmons. While emitted continuously from the crossing point on the interface-thus consistent with the features of transition radiation-the extra radiation beyond the conventional formation time is supported by a long tail of bulk plasmons following the electron's trajectory deep into the plasmonic medium. Such a plasmonic tail mixes surface and bulk effects, and provides a sustained channel for electron-interface interaction. These results also settle the historical debate in Ferrell radiation, regarding whether it is a surface or bulk effect, from transition radiation or plasmonic oscillation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuyang Tay
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
- Applied Physics Graduate Program, Smalley-Curl Institute, Rice University, Houston, TX, 77005, USA
| | - Xiao Lin
- Interdisciplinary Center for Quantum Information, State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Science and Technology Innovation Center, College of Information Science and Electronic Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
- International Joint Innovation Center, the Electromagnetics Academy at Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University, Haining, 314400, China
| | - Xihang Shi
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel
| | - Hongsheng Chen
- Interdisciplinary Center for Quantum Information, State Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Instrumentation, ZJU-Hangzhou Global Science and Technology Innovation Center, College of Information Science and Electronic Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, China
- International Joint Innovation Center, the Electromagnetics Academy at Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University, Haining, 314400, China
- Jinhua Institute of Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University, Jinhua, 321099, China
| | - Ido Kaminer
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, 32000, Israel
| | - Baile Zhang
- Division of Physics and Applied Physics, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637371, Singapore
- Centre for Disruptive Photonic Technologies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637371, Singapore
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4
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Gusareva ES, Gaultier NE, Uchida A, Premkrishnan BNV, Heinle CE, Phung WJ, Wong A, Lau KJX, Yap ZH, Koh Y, Ang PN, Putra A, Panicker D, Lee JGH, Neves LC, Drautz-Moses DI, Schuster SC. Short-range contributions of local sources to ambient air. PNAS Nexus 2022; 1:pgac043. [PMID: 36713329 PMCID: PMC9802476 DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Recent developments in aerobiology have enabled the investigation of airborne biomass with high temporal and taxonomic resolution. In this study, we assess the contributions of local sources to ambient air within a 160,000 m2 tropical avian park (AP). We sequenced and analyzed 120 air samples from seven locations situated 160 to 400 m apart, representing distinct microhabitats. Each microhabitat contained a characteristic air microbiome, defined by the abundance and richness of its airborne microbial community members, supported by both, PCoA and Random Forest analysis. Each outdoor microhabitat contained 1% to 18.6% location-specific taxa, while a core microbiome of 27.1% of the total taxa was shared. To identify and assess local sources, we compared the AP dataset with a DVE reference dataset from a location 2 km away, collected during a year-round sampling campaign. Intersection of data from the two sites demonstrated 61.6% of airborne species originated from local sources of the AP, 34.5% from ambient air background, and only 3.9% of species were specific to the DVE reference site. In-depth taxonomic analysis demonstrated association of bacteria-dominated air microbiomes with indoor spaces, while fungi-dominated airborne microbial biomass was predominant in outdoor settings with ample vegetation. The approach presented here demonstrates an ability to identify local source contributions against an ambient air background, despite the prevailing mixing of air masses caused by atmospheric turbulences.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Akira Uchida
- Singapore Center for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Balakrishnan N V Premkrishnan
- Singapore Center for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Cassie E Heinle
- Singapore Center for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Wen J Phung
- Singapore Center for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Anthony Wong
- Singapore Center for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Kenny J X Lau
- Singapore Center for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Zhei H Yap
- Singapore Center for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Yanqing Koh
- Singapore Center for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Poh N Ang
- Singapore Center for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Alexander Putra
- Singapore Center for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Deepa Panicker
- Singapore Center for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
| | - Jessica G H Lee
- Mandai Nature, 80 Mandai Lake Rd, Singapore 729826, Singapore
| | - Luis C Neves
- Animal Care Department, Mandai Wildlife Group, 80 Mandai Lake Rd, Singapore 729826, Singapore
| | - Daniela I Drautz-Moses
- Singapore Center for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering (SCELSE), Nanyang Technological University, 60 Nanyang Drive, Singapore 637551, Singapore
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Pan M, Chew TW, Wong DCP, Xiao J, Ong HT, Chin JFL, Low BC. BNIP-2 retards breast cancer cell migration by coupling microtubule-mediated GEF-H1 and RhoA activation. Sci Adv 2020; 6:eaaz1534. [PMID: 32789168 PMCID: PMC7399486 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz1534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2019] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Microtubules display dynamic turnover during cell migration, leading to cell contractility and focal adhesion maturation regulated by Rho guanosine triphosphatase activity. This interplay between microtubules and actomyosin is mediated by guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF)-H1 released after microtubule depolymerization or microtubule disconnection from focal adhesions. However, how GEF-H1 activates Rho upon microtubule disassembly remains elusive. Here, we found that BNIP-2, a BCH domain-containing protein that binds both RhoA and GEF-H1 and traffics with kinesin-1 on microtubules, is important for GEF-H1-driven RhoA activation upon microtubule disassembly. Depletion of BNIP-2 in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells decreases RhoA activity and promotes cell migration. Upon nocodazole-induced microtubule disassembly, the interaction between BNIP-2 and GEF-H1 increases, while knockdown of BNIP-2 reduces RhoA activation and cell rounding via uncoupling RhoA-GEF-H1 interaction. Together, these findings revealed that BNIP-2 couples microtubules and focal adhesions via scaffolding GEF-H1 and RhoA, fine-tuning RhoA activity and cell migration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Pan
- Mechanobiology Institute, 5A Engineering Drive 1, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore
| | - Ti Weng Chew
- Mechanobiology Institute, 5A Engineering Drive 1, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore
| | - Darren Chen Pei Wong
- Mechanobiology Institute, 5A Engineering Drive 1, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore
| | - Jingwei Xiao
- Mechanobiology Institute, 5A Engineering Drive 1, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore
| | - Hui Ting Ong
- Mechanobiology Institute, 5A Engineering Drive 1, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore
| | - Jasmine Fei Li Chin
- Mechanobiology Institute, 5A Engineering Drive 1, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore
| | - Boon Chuan Low
- Mechanobiology Institute, 5A Engineering Drive 1, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences, 14 Science Drive 4, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117543, Singapore
- University Scholars Programme, 18 College Avenue East, Singapore 138593, Singapore
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6
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Le S, Yu M, Yan J. Direct single-molecule quantification reveals unexpectedly high mechanical stability of vinculin-talin/α-catenin linkages. Sci Adv 2019; 5:eaav2720. [PMID: 31897422 PMCID: PMC6920023 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav2720] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2019] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The vinculin-mediated mechanosensing requires establishment of stable mechanical linkages between vinculin to integrin at focal adhesions and to cadherins at adherens junctions through associations with the respective adaptor proteins talin and α-catenin. However, the mechanical stability of these critical vinculin linkages has yet to be determined. Here, we developed a single-molecule detector assay to provide direct quantification of the mechanical lifetime of vinculin association with the vinculin binding sites in both talin and α-catenin, which reveals a surprisingly high mechanical stability of the vinculin-talin and vinculin-α-catenin interfaces that have a lifetime of >1000 s at forces up to 10 pN and can last for seconds to tens of seconds at 15 to 25 pN. Our results suggest that these force-bearing intermolecular interfaces provide sufficient mechanical stability to support the vinculin-mediated mechanotransduction at cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shimin Le
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore
- Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542, Singapore
| | - Miao Yu
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore
- Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542, Singapore
| | - Jie Yan
- Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411, Singapore
- Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542, Singapore
- Centre for Bioimaging Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117546, Singapore
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7
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Abstract
We develop a device-independent framework for testing quantum channels. That is, we falsify a hypothesis about a quantum channel based only on an observed set of input-output correlations. Formally, the problem consists of characterizing the set of input-output correlations compatible with any arbitrary given quantum channel. For binary (i.e. two input symbols, two output symbols) correlations, we show that extremal correlations are always achieved by orthogonal encodings and measurements, irrespective of whether or not the channel preserves commutativity. We further provide a full, closed-form characterization of the sets of binary correlations in the case of: (i) any dihedrally covariant qubit channel (such as any Pauli and amplitude-damping channels) and (ii) any universally-covariant commutativity-preserving channel in an arbitrary dimension (such as any erasure, depolarizing, universal cloning and universal transposition channels).
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Dall’Arno
- Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 2, 117543 Singapore
| | - Sarah Brandsen
- Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 2, 117543 Singapore
| | - Francesco Buscemi
- Graduate School of Information Science, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8601, Japan
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