Isolation, genetic, and biological characterization of human adenovirus type 55 positive isolates from Wuhan, China.

Background: Human adenovirus (HAdV) infection causes acute respiratory diseases in immunocompetent individuals worldwide. Infections by HAdV-55, one of the important pathogens leading to respiratory tract infections, often develop into pneumonia and are frequently associated with outbreaks in military camps and schools.

Methods: We studied 186 HAdV-55-positive nasopharyngeal swab samples that were collected from patients with respiratory infection in Wuhan, China, from 2018 to 2019.

Comparative Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Wetting on Liquid-like Surfaces.

We utilize molecular dynamics simulations to comparably investigate the wetting and motion behavior of droplets on liquid-like surfaces (LLS) with varying grafting conditions. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and perfluoropolyether (PFPE) have been considered to be flexible molecules versus rigid molecules of trichloro(octadecyl) silane (OTS) and trichloro(1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl) silane (PFOS), respectively. Our findings reveal that droplets on surfaces tethered with either PDMS or PFPE brushes can generate indentations and wetting ridges, providing microscopic evidence of their liquid-like nature.

Tuning Exciton Emission via Ferroelectric Polarization at a Heterogeneous Interface between a Monolayer Transition Metal Dichalcogenide and a Perovskite Oxide Membrane.

We demonstrate the integration of a thin BaTiO (BTO) membrane with monolayer MoSe in a dual-gate device that enables in situ manipulation of the BTO ferroelectric polarization with a voltage pulse. While two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) offer remarkable adaptability, their hybrid integration with other families of functional materials beyond the realm of 2D materials has been challenging. Released functional oxide membranes offer a solution for 2D/3D integration via stacking.

Multiplexed on-site sample-in-result-out test through microfluidic real-time PCR (MONITOR) for the detection of multiple pathogens causing influenza-like illness.

This study combines quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and microfluidics to introduce MONITOR, a portable field detection system for multiple pathogens causing influenza-like illness. MONITOR can be rapidly deployed to enable simultaneous sample-in-result-out detection of eight common influenza-like illness (ILI) pathogens with heightened sensitivity and specificity. It is particularly well suited for communities and regions without centralized laboratories, offering robust technical support for the prompt and accurate monitoring and detection of ILI.

Evidence of frustrated magnetic interactions in a Wigner-Mott insulator.

Electrons in two-dimensional semiconductor moiré materials are more delocalized around the lattice sites than those in conventional solids. The non-local contributions to the magnetic interactions can therefore be as important as the Anderson superexchange, which makes the materials a unique platform to study the effects of competing magnetic interactions. Here we report evidence of strongly frustrated magnetic interactions in a Wigner-Mott insulator at a two-thirds (2/3) filling of the moiré lattice in angle-aligned WSe/WS bilayers.

Murine models of neonatal susceptibility to a clinical strain of enterovirus A71.

Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71) is neurotropic and one of the primary enteric pathogens responsible for severe central nervous system infection in infants and young children. Neonatal mice are ideal models for studying the pathogenesis of infection caused by EV-A71. In this study, we assessed the susceptibility of neonatal BALB/c, C57BL/6, ICR, Kunming, and NIH mice to a clinically isolated EV-A71 strain.

Highly Dispersion CuO QDs Decorated BiWO S-Scheme Heterojunction for Enhanced Photocatalytic Water Oxidation.

Developing suitable photocatalysts for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is still a challenging issue for efficient water splitting due to the high requirements to create a significant impact on water splitting reaction kinetics. Herein, -type BiWO with flower-like hierarchical structure and -type CuO quantum dots (QDs) are coupled together to construct an efficient S-scheme heterojunction, which could enhance the migration efficiency of photogenerated charge carriers. The electrochemical properties are investigated to explore the transportation features and donor density of charge carriers in the S-scheme heterojunction system.

Proliferating Stem Cells are Acutely Affected by DNA Damage Induced by Sulfur Mustard.

Sulfur mustard (SM), a chemical warfare agent, can form adducts with DNA, RNA, and proteins. Reactions with DNA lead to the formation of both DNA monoadducts and interstrand cross-links, resulting in DNA damage, and is an important component of SM toxicity. Our previous studies indicated that dividing cells such as hematopoietic stem cells and intestinal villi stem cells seemed to have increased sensitivity to SM.

Strong interlayer interactions in bilayer and trilayer moiré superlattices.

Moiré superlattices constructed from transition metal dichalcogenides have demonstrated a series of emergent phenomena, including moiré excitons, flat bands, and correlated insulating states. All of these phenomena depend crucially on the presence of strong moiré potentials, yet the properties of these moiré potentials, and the mechanisms by which they can be generated, remain largely open questions. Here, we use angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with submicron spatial resolution to investigate an aligned WS/WSe moiré superlattice and graphene/WS/WSe trilayer heterostructure.

A CRISPR-based nucleic acid detection method for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus.

Objective: Fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTS) is a tick-borne infection now known to spread among humans as an aerosol, which has resulted in several outbreaks across Asia over the past decade. As mortality is substantial, it is vital to establish a rapid, on-site nucleic acid detection method for diagnosis. Here we describe such a method for SFTSV (Dabie bandavirus) based on CRISPR-Cas13a.

Combined Developmental Toxicity of the Pesticides Difenoconazole and Dimethomorph on Embryonic Zebrafish.

Difenoconazole (DIF) and dimethomorph (DIM) are widely used pesticides frequently detected together in environmental samples, so the deleterious effects of combined exposure warrant detailed examination. In this study, the individual and combined effects of DIM and DIF on conventional developmental parameters (hatching rate, deformity rate, lethality) and gene expression were measured in embryonic zebrafish. Both DIF and DIM interfered with normal zebrafish embryo development, and the most sensitive toxicity index for both was 96 h post-fertilization (hpf) deformity rate (BMDL values of 0.

Quantum anomalous Hall effect from intertwined moiré bands.

Electron correlation and topology are two central threads of modern condensed matter physics. Semiconductor moiré materials provide a highly tuneable platform for studies of electron correlation. Correlation-driven phenomena, including the Mott insulator, generalized Wigner crystals, stripe phases and continuous Mott transition, have been demonstrated.

Continuous Mott transition in semiconductor moiré superlattices.

The evolution of a Landau Fermi liquid into a non-magnetic Mott insulator with increasing electronic interactions is one of the most puzzling quantum phase transitions in physics. The vicinity of the transition is believed to host exotic states of matter such as quantum spin liquids, exciton condensates and unconventional superconductivity. Semiconductor moiré materials realize a highly controllable Hubbard model simulator on a triangular lattice, providing a unique opportunity to drive a metal-insulator transition (MIT) via continuous tuning of the electronic interactions.

Individual and synergistic toxic effects of carbendazim and chlorpyrifos on zebrafish embryonic development.

The fungicide carbendazim and the insecticide chlorpyrifos are frequently used together to protect various fruit and vegetable crops in China. At high doses, carbendazim is a known carcinogen while chlorpyrifos has neurotoxic potential, but the combined toxicity of these two compounds has not been systematically investigated. In this study, we examined the separate and combined effects of these compounds on zebrafish embryonic development.

Rapid identification and metagenomics analysis of the adenovirus type 55 outbreak in Hubei using real-time and high-throughput sequencing platforms.

The rise in human adenovirus (HAdV) infections poses a serious challenge to public health in China. Real-time (RT) sequencing provides solutions for achieving rapid pathogen identification during outbreaks, whereas high-throughput sequencing yields higher sequence accuracy. In the present study, we report the outcomes of applying nanopore and BGI platforms in the identification and genomic analysis of an HAdV outbreak in Hubei province, China in May of 2019.

Characterization of Plasmid Co-Harboring NDM-1 and SHV-12 from a Multidrug-Resistant Strain ZT01-0079 in China.

Background: The emergence of multidrug-resistant poses daunting challenges to the treatment of clinical infections. The purpose of this study was to characterize the genome of a strain with an IncX3 plasmid encoding both the and genes.

Methods: Strain ZT01-0079 was isolated from a clinical urine sample.

Creation of moiré bands in a monolayer semiconductor by spatially periodic dielectric screening.

Moiré superlattices of two-dimensional van der Waals materials have emerged as a powerful platform for designing electronic band structures and discovering emergent physical phenomena. A key concept involves the creation of long-wavelength periodic potential and moiré bands in a crystal through interlayer electronic hybridization or atomic corrugation when two materials are overlaid. Here we demonstrate a new approach based on spatially periodic dielectric screening to create moiré bands in a monolayer semiconductor.

Observation of site-controlled localized charged excitons in CrI/WSe heterostructures.

Isolated spins are the focus of intense scientific exploration due to their potential role as qubits for quantum information science. Optical access to single spins, demonstrated in III-V semiconducting quantum dots, has fueled research aimed at realizing quantum networks. More recently, quantum emitters in atomically thin materials such as tungsten diselenide have been demonstrated to host optically addressable single spins by means of electrostatic doping the localized excitons.

Gate-tunable spin waves in antiferromagnetic atomic bilayers.

Remarkable properties of two-dimensional (2D) layer magnetic materials, which include spin filtering in magnetic tunnel junctions and the gate control of magnetic states, were demonstrated recently. Whereas these studies focused on static properties, dynamic magnetic properties, such as excitation and control of spin waves, remain elusive. Here we investigate spin-wave dynamics in antiferromagnetic CrI bilayers using an ultrafast optical pump/magneto-optical Kerr probe technique.

Simulation of Hubbard model physics in WSe/WS moiré superlattices.

The Hubbard model, formulated by physicist John Hubbard in the 1960s, is a simple theoretical model of interacting quantum particles in a lattice. The model is thought to capture the essential physics of high-temperature superconductors, magnetic insulators and other complex quantum many-body ground states. Although the Hubbard model provides a greatly simplified representation of most real materials, it is nevertheless difficult to solve accurately except in the one-dimensional case.

Fractional 2940-nm Er:YAG laser-assisted drug delivery of timolol maleate for the treatment of deep infantile hemangioma.

Objective: To study the efficacy and safety of fractional 2940 nm laser-assisted drug delivery of timolol maleate 0.5% solution for the treatment of deep IHs.

Methods: In this study, 30 deep IHs were included, and a fractional 2940 nm laser was applied with 2-weeks intervals.

Integrating in vitro testing and physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modelling for chemical liver toxicity assessment-A case study of troglitazone.

In vitro to in vivo extrapolation (IVIVE) for next-generation risk assessment (NGRA) of chemicals requires computational modeling and faces unique challenges. Using mitochondria-related toxicity data of troglitazone (TGZ), a prototype drug known for liver toxicity, from HepaRG, HepG2, HC-04, and primary human hepatocytes, we explored inherent uncertainties in IVIVE, including cell models, cellular response endpoints, and dose metrics. A human population physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model for TGZ was developed to predict in vivo doses from in vitro point-of-departure (POD) concentrations.