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Keng Chou

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Research and Teaching Interests

(I) Machine Learning for Chemical Analysis

     Research in artificial intelligence (AI) has led to the development of many machine learning algorithms for image recognition. Their ability to analyze large amounts of data and extract meaningful hidden structures is unprecedented. My research interest focuses on combining chemical analytical tools and machine learning for qualitative and quantitative chemical analysis.

(II) Super-resolution Microscopy

     We develop high-resolution optical microscopes to investigate biological questions. The resolution of optical microscopy has been limited to ~ 200 nm because of the diffraction limit. Recent developments in super-resolution microscopy has enabled scientists to resolve features as small as 10 nm and visualize cellular structures in unprecedented detail. Our current research is focused on virus-host interactions.

Selected publications:

  • Y. Zhang, P. Asghari, D. Scriven, E. Moore, and K. Chou, "3D structured illumination microscope using a spinning disk [Invited]," Biomed. Opt. Express, 14, 5710-5719 (2023).

  • Scriven, D. R. L. ; Johnsen, A. B. ; Asghari, P. ; Chou, K. C. ; Moore, E. D. W. Cardiomyocyte Ryanodine Receptor Clusters Expand And Coalesce After Application Of Isoproterenol. Journal of General Physiology, 155 (11), e202213109 (2023)

  • Zhang, Y. C. ; Asghari, P. ; Scriven, D. R. L. ; Moore, E. D. W. ; Chou, K. C. Structured Illumination Microscopy With A Phase-Modulated Spinning Disk For Optical Sectioning. Optics Letters, 48, 3933-3936 (2023)

  • QT Liu, Q Wang, Y Zhang, V Kliemke, Q Liu, KC Chou, The nanoscale organization of Nipah virus matrix protein revealed by super-resolution microscopy, Biophysical Journal, 121, 1–7 (2022)

  • Z Xu, QT Liu, X Wang, Q Liu, D. Hean, KC Chou, and  MO Wolf, "Quinoline-containing diarylethenes: bridging between turn-on fluorescence, RGB switching and room temperature phosphorescence", Chemical science, DOI: 10.1039/c9sc05697a (2020)

  • P Asghari, DRL Scriven, M Ng, P Panwar, KC Chou, F van Petegem, EDW Moore, "Cardiac ryanodine receptor distribution is dynamic and changed by auxiliary proteins and post-translational modification", eLife, 9:e51602 (2020)

  • Heinkel, F. et al, “Phase separation and clustering of an ABC transporter in Mycobacterium tuberculosis”, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A, 116, 33, 2018-20683RR (2019)

  • Liu, Q. ; Chen, L. ; Aguilar, H. C. ; Chou, K. C. "A Stochastic Assembly Model for Nipah Virus Revealed by Super-Resolution Microscopy", Nature Communications, 9, 3050 (2018)

          Highlighted: C. Hepp and N. C. Robb, "Coming together during viral assembly", Nature Reviews Microbiology, 16, 721 (2018)

  • Tafteh, R. ; Abraham, L. ; Seo, D. ; Lu, H. Y. ; Gold, M. R. ; Chou, K. C. "Real-Time 3D Stabilization Of a Super-Resolution Microscope Using an Electrically Tunable Lens", Optics Express, 24, 22959-22970 (2016)

Related link: Biomedical Imaging and Artificial Intelligence

(III)  Surface Properties of Water and Ice Nucleation

     Water has a relatively simple molecular structure, but the interface of water is a very complex system. We study water interfaces relevant to environmental and industrial applications using nonlinear optical spectroscopy.

Selected publications:

  • "Transient Phase of Ice Observed by Sum Frequency Generation at the Water/Mineral Interface During Freezing", K. A. Lovering, A. K. Bertram, and K. C. Chou, Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 8 (4), 871 –875 (2017)
  • "Complex Formations Between Surfactants and Polyelectrolytes of The Same Charge on a Water Surface", Mafi, A. ; Hu, D. ; Chou, K. C., Langmuir, 33, 7940-7946 (2017)
  • "Revisit the Thermodynamics of Water Surface in the Presence of Surfactants", D. Hu, A. Mafia, K. C. Chou, Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 120 (9), 2257–2261 (2016)
  • "Re-evaluating the Surface Tension Analysis of Polyelectrolyte-Surfactant Mixtures Using Phase-sensitive Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy", D. Hu and K. C. Chou, Journal of the American Chemical Society (Communication),136 (43), 15114 (2014)
  • “Why Do Sulfuric Acid Coatings Influence the Ice Nucleation Properties of Mineral Dust Particles in the Atmosphere?”, Z. Yang, A. K. Bertram, and K. C. Chou, Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, 2, 1232–1236 (2011)

(IV) Petroleum Surface Chemistry

     Canada’s oil sands reserves, which are estimated at 175 billion barrels, place Canada second in the world ranking of crude oil reserves. However, the large amount of water used in current bitumen extraction processes is a great concern, particularly as the industry is expected to grow over the next 20 years. Our research objective is to understand the competition adsorption of solvents, water, and bitumen on mineral materials to provide molecular-level information for developing a more environment-friendly extraction process. This research project has been funded by the Institute for Oil Sands Innovation located in the University of Alberta.

Selected publications:

  • Yang, Z. ; Nikakhtari, H. ; Wolf, S. ; Hu, D. ; Gray, M. R. ; Chou, K. C. "Binary Solvents With Ethanol For Effective Bitumen Displacement At Solvent/mineral Interfaces", Energy & Fuels, 29 (7), 4222–4226 (2015)
  • Hu, D. ; Chou, K. C. "Surface Charge At The Bitumen/water Interface Investigated By Phase-Sensitive Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy: Effects Of Ph, Ions, And Surfactants", Energy & Fuels, 29, 7885-7888 (2015)

Related link: Institute for Oil Sands Innovation

 

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Contact

Real name: 
Email: 
Office Room Number(s): 
D348
Office Phone Number: 
604-822-5850
Fax Number: 
604-822-2847

Publications

2023

Chen, L. ; Liu, Q. ; Chou, K. C. Human-Vision-Inspired Cluster Identification For Single-Molecule Localization Microscopy. Optics Express 2023, 31, 3459-3466.
Scriven, D. R. L. ; Johnsen, A. B. ; Asghari, P. ; Chou, K. C. ; Moore, E. D. W. Cardiomyocyte Ryanodine Receptor Clusters Expand And Coalesce After Application Of Isoproterenol. Journal of General Physiology 2023, 155.
Zhang, Y. C. ; Asghari, P. ; Scriven, D. R. L. ; Moore, E. D. W. ; Chou, K. C. Structured Illumination Microscopy With A Phase-Modulated Spinning Disk For Optical Sectioning. Optics Letters 2023, 48, 3933-3936.
Li, B. L. ; Chen, L. ; Zhang, S. Q. ; Tao, Q. ; Ma, Y. H. ; Hu, P. C. ; Lu, X. L. ; Chou, K. C. ; Chen, Z. Absolute Molecular Structure Of The Polystyrene At The Buried Polystyrene/ Silica Interface And Its Relationship To Dewetting During Annealing. Applied Surface Science 2023, 611.

2022

Ma, X. Y. ; Wang, K. D. ; Chou, K. C. ; Li, Q. F. ; Lu, X. N. Conditional Generative Adversarial Network For Spectral Recovery To Accelerate Single-Cell Raman Spectroscopic Analysis. Analytical Chemistry 2022, 94, 577-582.
Liu, Q. T. ; Wang, Q. ; Zhang, Y. C. ; Kliemke, V. ; Liu, Q. ; Chou, K. C. The Nanoscale Organization Of Nipah Virus Matrix Protein Revealed By Super-Resolution Microscopy. Biophysical Journal 2022, 121, 2290-2296.

2021

Abraham, L. ; Scurii, J. M. ; Tafteh, R. ; Lu, H. Y. ; Falcao, R. C. ; Chou, K. C. ; Coombs, D. C. ; Gold, M. R. Marginal Zone B Cells Have Higher Basal Bcr Signaling That Correlates With Altered Mobility And Spatial Organization Of Igm-Bcrs. Journal of Immunology 2021, 206.
Ma, L. Y. ; Chen, L. ; Chou, K. C. ; Lu, X. N. Campylobacter Jejuni Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles And Mechanisms Determined Using A Raman Spectroscopy-Based Metabolomic Approach. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2021, 87.
Ma, L. Y. ; He, W. D. ; Petersen, M. ; Chou, K. C. ; Lu, X. N. Next-Generation Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System Based On The Internet-Of-Things And Microfluidic Technique. Acs Sensors 2021, 6, 3477-3484.

2020

Asghari, P. ; Scriven, D. R. L. ; Ng, M. ; Panwar, P. ; Chou, K. C. ; van Petegem, F. ; Moore, E. D. W. Cardiac Ryanodine Receptor Distribution Is Dynamic And Changed By Auxiliary Proteins And Post-Translational Modification. Elife 2020, 9.
Cardoen, B. ; Ben Yedder, H. ; Sharma, A. ; Chou, K. C. ; Nabi, I. R. ; Hamarneh, G. Ergo: Efficient Recurrent Graph Optimized Emitter Density Estimation In Single Molecule Localization Microscopy. Ieee Transactions on Medical Imaging 2020, 39, 1942-1956.
Moallemi, A. ; Fan, R. ; Zhang, Y. S. ; Forughi, A. F. ; Chen, L. ; Zhao, Y. ; Wu, Z. G. ; Nagamune, R. ; Chou, K. C. ; Zeng, H. S. ; Chiao, M. Development Of A Hybrid Piezoelectric And Pneumatic Miniature Optical Scanner For Endoscopic Applications. Sensors and Actuators a-Physical 2020, 315.
Wang, K. D. ; Chen, L. ; Ma, X. Y. ; Ma, L. N. ; Chou, K. C. ; Cao, Y. K. ; Khan, I. U. H. ; Golz, G. ; Lu, X. N. Arcobacter Identification And Species Determination Using Raman Spectroscopy Combined With Neural Networks. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 2020, 86.
Xu, Z. ; Liu, Q. T. ; Wang, X. Z. ; Liu, Q. ; Hean, D. ; Chou, K. C. ; Wolf, M. O. Quinoline-Containing Diarylethenes: Bridging Between Turn-On Fluorescence, Rgb Switching And Room Temperature Phosphorescence. Chemical Science 2020, 11, 2729-2734.
Scriven, D. R. ; Johnsen, A. B. ; Asghari, P. ; Chou, K. C. ; Moore, E. D. Direct Visualization Of Type 2 Ryanodine Receptors Using Dstorm. Biophysical Journal 2020, 118, 98A-98A.

2019

Wang, Y. ; Du, J. B. ; Ma, X. Y. ; Wang, H. J. ; Chou, K. C. ; Li, Q. F. Chirality Discrimination At The Carvone Air/liquid Interfaces Detected By Heterodyne-Detected Sum Frequency Generation. Heliyon 2019, 5.
Hakeem, M. J. ; Asseri, K. A. ; Ma, L. Y. ; Chou, K. C. ; Konkel, M. E. ; Lu, X. N. A Novel Mathematical Model For Studying Antimicrobial Interactions Against Campylobacter Jejuni. Frontiers in Microbiology 2019, 10.
Heinkel, F. ; Abraham, L. ; Ko, M. ; Chao, J. ; Bach, H. ; Hui, L. T. ; Li, H. R. ; Zhu, M. ; Ling, Y. M. ; Rogalski, J. C. ; Scurll, J. ; Bui, J. M. ; Mayor, T. ; Gold, M. R. ; Chou, K. C. ; Av-Gay, Y. ; McIntosh, L. P. ; Gsponer, J. Phase Separation And Clustering Of An Abc Transporter In Mycobacterium Tuberculosis. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2019, 116, 16326-16331.
Khater, I. M. ; Liu, Q. ; Chou, K. C. ; Hamarneh, G. ; Nabi, I. R. Super-Resolution Modularity Analysis Shows Polyhedral Caveolin-1 Oligomers Combine To Form Scaffolds And Caveolae. Scientific Reports 2019, 9.

2018

Mafi, A. ; Abbina, S. ; Kalathottukaren, M. T. ; Morrissey, J. H. ; Haynes, C. ; Kizhakkedathu, J. N. ; Pfaendtner, J. ; Chou, K. C. Design Of Polyphosphate Inhibitors: A Molecular Dynamics Investigation On Polyethylene Glycol-Linked Cationic Binding Groups. Biomacromolecules 2018, 19, 1358-1367.
Wang, Y. ; Ma, X. Y. ; Wang, H. J. ; Chen, D. ; Chou, K. C. ; Li, Q. F. High-Resolution Broadband Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy Using Intrapulse Interference. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 2018, 20, 20752-20755.
Chen, L. ; Chou, K. C. Revisiting The Absorption And Transmission Properties Of Coupled Open Waveguides. Photonics Research 2018, 6, 1003-1007.
Chen, L. ; Han, Y. ; Liu, Q. ; Liu, Y. G. ; Zhang, W. G. ; Chou, K. C. Microcavity-Coupled Fiber Bragg Grating With Tunable Reflection Spectra And Speed Of Light. Optics Letters 2018, 43, 1662-1665.
Choi, J. R. ; Nilghaz, A. ; Chen, L. ; Chou, K. C. ; Lu, X. N. Modification Of Thread-Based Microfluidic Device With Polysiloxanes For The Development Of A Sensitive And Selective Immunoassay. Sensors and Actuators B-Chemical 2018, 260, 1043-1051.
Han, Y. ; Chen, L. ; Liu, Y. G. ; Wang, Z. ; Zhang, H. W. ; Yang, K. ; Chou, K. C. Orbital Angular Momentum Transition Of Light Using A Cylindrical Vector Beam. Optics Letters 2018, 43, 2146-2149.
Hu, P. C. ; Li, X. ; Li, B. L. ; Han, X. F. ; Zhang, F. R. ; Chou, K. C. ; Chen, Z. ; Lu, X. L. Molecular Coupling Between Organic Molecules And Metal. Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 2018, 9, 5167-5172.
Liu, Q. ; Chen, L. ; Aguilar, H. C. ; Chou, K. C. A Stochastic Assembly Model For Nipah Virus Revealed By Super-Resolution Microscopy. Nature Communications 2018, 9.
Lovering, K. A. ; Chou, K. C. Insights Into Ice Formation Via Immersion Freezing From Nonlinear Optical Spectroscopy. Topics in Catalysis 2018, 61, 1163-1168.

2017

Lovering, K. A. ; Bertram, A. K. ; Chou, K. C. Transient Phase Of Ice Observed By Sum Frequency Generation At The Water/mineral Interface During Freezing. Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 2017, 8, 871-875.

2016

Mafi, A. ; Hu, D. ; Chou, K. C. Interactions Of Sulfobetaine Zwitterionic Surfactants With Water On Water Surface. Langmuir 2016, 32, 10905-10911.
Tafteh, R. ; Abraham, L. ; Seo, D. ; Lu, H. Y. ; Gold, M. R. ; Chou, K. C. Real-Time 3D Stabilization Of A Super-Resolution Microscope Using An Electrically Tunable Lens. Optics Express 2016, 24, 22959-22970.
Tafteh, R. ; Scriven, D. R. L. ; Moore, E. D. W. ; Chou, K. C. Single Molecule Localization Deep Within Thick Cells; A Novel Super-Resolution Microscope. Journal of Biophotonics 2016, 9, 155-160.
Chen, L. ; Liu, Q. ; Zhang, W. G. ; Chou, K. C. Ringing Phenomenon In Chaotic Microcavity For High-Speed Ultra-Sensitive Sensing. Scientific Reports 2016, 6.
Chen, L. ; Qu, K. N. ; Shen, H. ; Zhang, W. G. ; Chou, K. C. ; Liu, Q. ; Yan, T. Y. ; Wang, B. ; Wang, S. In-Line Polarization Rotator Based On The Quantum-Optical Analogy. Optics Letters 2016, 41, 2113-2116.
Hu, D. ; Mafi, A. ; Chou, K. C. Revisiting The Thermodynamics Of Water Surfaces And The Effects Of Surfactant Head Group. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2016, 120, 2257-2261.
Lovering, K. A. ; Bertram, A. K. ; Chou, K. C. New Information On The Ion-Identity-Dependent Structure Of Stern Layer Revealed By Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy. Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2016, 120, 18099-18104.

2015

Tsou, C. J. ; Hsia, C. H. ; Chu, J. Y. ; Hung, Y. ; Chen, Y. P. ; Chien, F. C. ; Chou, K. C. ; Chen, P. L. ; Mou, C. Y. Local Ph Tracking In Living Cells. Nanoscale 2015, 7, 4217-4225.
Yang, Z. ; Nikakhtari, H. ; Wolf, S. ; Hu, D. ; Gray, M. R. ; Chou, K. C. Binary Solvents With Ethanol For Effective Bitumen Displacement At Solvent/mineral Interfaces. Energy & Fuels 2015.
Tafteh, R. ; Scriven, D. R. L. ; Moore, E. D. W. ; Chou, K. C. Single Molecule Localization Deep Within Thick Cells; A Novel Super-Resolution Microscope. Journal of Biophotonics 2015.

2014

Shih, J. - Y. ; Huang, W. - C. ; Ko, C. - T. ; Yang, Z. ; Hu, S. - H. ; Leu, J. ; Chou, K. C. ; Chen, K. - N. Adhesion Investigation Between Metal And Benzocyclobutene (Bcb) Polymer Dielectric Materials In 3-D Integration Applications. Ieee Transactions on Device and Materials Reliability 2014, 14, 914-920.

2013

Leung, J. P. ; Wu, S. ; Chou, K. C. ; Signorell, R. Investigation Of Sub-100 Nm Gold Nanoparticles For Laser-Induced Thermotherapy Of Cancer. Nanomaterials 2013, 3, 86-106.

2012

Leung, B. O. ; Yang, Z. ; Wu, S. S. H. ; Chou, K. C. Role Of Interfacial Water On Protein Adsorption At Cross-Linked Polyethylene Oxide Interfaces. Langmuir 2012, 28, 5724-5728.

2011

Yang, Z. ; Bertram, A. K. ; Chou, K. C. Why Do Sulfuric Acid Coatings Influence The Ice Nucleation Properties Of Mineral Dust Particles In The Atmosphere?. Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 2011, 2, 1232-1236.
Leung, B. O. ; Chou, K. C. Review Of Super-Resolution Fluorescence Microscopy For Biology. Applied Spectroscopy 2011, 65, 967-980.

2010

Yang, Z. ; Li, Q. ; Gray, M. R. ; Chou, K. C. Structures Of Water Molecules At Solvent/silica Interfaces. Langmuir 2010, 26, 16397-16400.

2009

Yang, Z. ; Li, Q. F. ; Hua, R. ; Gray, M. R. ; Chou, K. C. Competitive Adsorption Of Toluene And N-Alkanes At Binary Solution/silica Interfaces. Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2009, 113, 20355-20359.
Yang, Z. ; Li, Q. F. ; Chou, K. C. Structures Of Water Molecules At The Interfaces Of Aqueous Salt Solutions And Silica: Cation Effects. Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2009, 113, 8201-8205.
Li, Q. F. ; Wu, S. S. H. ; Chou, K. C. Subdiffraction-Limit Two-Photon Fluorescence Microscopy For Gfp-Tagged Cell Imaging. Biophysical Journal 2009, 97, 3224-3228.
Li, Q. F. ; Kuo, C. W. ; Yang, Z. ; Chen, P. L. ; Chou, K. C. Surface-Enhanced Ir-Visible Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics 2009, 11, 3436-3442.
Weiss, A. ; Preston, T. C. ; Popov, J. ; Li, Q. ; Wu, S. ; Chou, K. C. ; Burt, H. M. ; Bally, M. B. ; Signorell, R. Selective Recognition Of Rituximab-Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles By Lymphoma Cells Studied With 3D Imaging. Journal of Physical Chemistry C 2009, 113, 20252-20258.

2008

Pietrangelo, A. ; Sih, B. C. ; Boden, B. N. ; Wang, Z. W. ; Li, Q. F. ; Chou, K. C. ; MacLachlan, M. J. ; Wolf, M. O. Nonlinear Optical Properties Of Schiff-Base-Containing Conductive Polymer Films Electro-Deposited In Microgravity. Advanced Materials 2008, 20, 2280-+.
Li, Q. F. ; Hua, R. ; Cheah, I. J. ; Chou, K. C. Surface Structure Relaxation Of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate). Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2008, 112, 694-697.

2005

Stamenkovic, V. ; Chou, K. C. ; Somorjai, G. A. ; Ross, P. N. ; Markovic, N. M. Vibrational Properties Of Co At The Pt(111)-Solution Interface: The Anomalous Stark-Tuning Slope. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2005, 109, 678-680.

2004

Westerberg, S. ; Wang, C. ; Chou, K. ; Somorjai, G. A. High-Pressure Ammonia Adsorption And Dissociation On Clean Fe(111) And Oxygen-Precovered Fe(111) Studied By Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2004, 108, 6374-6380.
Chou, K. C. ; Westerberg, S. ; Shen, Y. R. ; Ross, P. N. ; Somorjai, G. A. Probing The Charge-Transfer State Of Co On Pt(111) By Two-Dimensional Infrared-Visible Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy. Physical Review B 2004, 69.

2003

Chou, K. C. ; Kim, J. ; Baldelli, S. ; Somorjai, G. A. Vibrational Spectroscopy Of Carbon Monoxide, Acetonitrile, And Phenylalanine Adsorbed On Liquid Vertical Bar Electrode Interfaces By Sum Frequency Generation. Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry 2003, 554, 253-263.
Chou, K. C. ; Markovic, N. M. ; Kim, J. ; Ross, P. N. ; Somorjai, G. A. An In Situ Time-Dependent Study Of Co Oxidation On Pt(111) In Aqueous Solution By Voltammetry And Sum Frequency Generation. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2003, 107, 1840-1844.
Kim, J. ; Chou, K. C. ; Somorjai, G. A. Structure And Dynamics Of Acetonitrile At The Air/liquid Interface Of Binary Solutions Studied By Infrared-Visible Sum Frequency Generation. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2003, 107, 1592-1596.

2002

Hoffer, S. ; Baldelli, S. ; Chou, K. ; Ross, P. ; Somorjai, G. A. Co Oxidation On Electrified Platinum Surfaces In Acetonitrile/water Solutions Studied By Sum Frequency Generation And Cyclic Voltammetry. Journal of Physical Chemistry B 2002, 106, 6473-6478.

1999

Kwak, H. ; Chou, K. C. ; Guo, J. ; Tom, H. W. K. Femtosecond Laser-Induced Disorder Of The (1 X 1)-Relaxed Gaas(110) Surface. Physical Review Letters 1999, 83, 3745-3748.