Seroprevalence and Molecular Characterization of from the Himalayan Marmot in Qinghai, China.

Objective: Brucellosis is a serious public health issue in Qinghai (QH), China. Surveying the seroprevalence and isolation of strains from marmots is key to understanding the role of wildlife in the maintenance and spread of brucellosis.

Methods: In this study, a set of methods, including a serology survey, bacteriology, antibiotic susceptibility, molecular genotyping (MLST and MLVA), and genome sequencing, were employed to characterize the two strains.

Native circulating lineages causing a brucellosis epidemic in Qinghai, China.

Since 2010, the cases and incidences of human brucellosis have been increasing annually in Qinghai (QH) Province. Molecular epidemiology and phylogenetic analyses of strains from this region are crucial to better understand the transmission of the disease and the evolutionary patterns of strains. In this study, classical bio-typing assay, multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis, and the whole-genome sequencing-single-nucleotide polymorphism approach were used to illustrate the epidemiological and evolutionary patterns of .

Panther chameleon-inspired, continuously-regulated, high-saturation structural color of a reflective grating on the nano-patterned surface of a shape memory polymer.

In this work, surface nano-stripes and a reflective grating have been fabricated on shape memory polymers (SMPs) to simulate the active color change of chameleons. The structural color resulting from the interference of reflected light exhibits high saturation and it can be regulated continuously based on the shape memory effect. In addition to the viewing angle, the attained color is sensitive to the deformation at the macroscale.

CsPbBr microarrays with tunable periodicity, optoelectronic and field emission properties using self-assembled polystyrene template and co-evaporation method.

The booming growth of all inorganic cesium lead halide perovskites in optoelectronic applications has prompted extensive research interest in the fabrication of ordered nanostructures or microarrays for enhanced device performances. However, the high cost and complexity of commercial lithographic approaches impede the facile fabrication of perovskite microarrays. Herein, CsPbBr microarrays with tunable periodicities have been fabricated using a self-assembled polystyrene nanosphere template and a co-evaporation method.

Molecular characteristics of Brucella melitensis isolates from humans in Qinghai Province, China.

Background: The prevalence of human brucellosis in Qinghai Province of China has been increasing rapidly, with confirmed cases distributed across 31 counties. However, the epidemiology of brucellosis transmission has not been fully elucidated. To characterize the infecting strains isolated from humans, multiple-locus variable-number tandem repeats analysis (MLVA) and whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based approaches were employed.

Two-dimensional aluminum phosphide semiconductor with tunable direct band gap for nanoelectric applications.

More and more attractive applications of two-dimensional (2D) materials in nanoelectronic devices are being achieved successfully, which promotes the rapid and extensive development of new 2D materials. In this work, the structural and electronic properties of the V structure aluminum phosphide (V-AlP) monolayer are examined by density functional calculations, and its electronic properties under strain and an electric field are also explored in detail. The computation results indicate that it has good stability.

Enhanced photoresponse of epitaxially grown ZnO by MoO surface functionalization.

ZnO has broad applications in optoelectronic devices, including ultraviolet light emitters and photodetectors. Herein we report the impact of MoO surface functionalization on the photoresponse of epitaxially grown ZnO. Under illumination with 350 nm UV light, the photocurrent of ZnO is found to be enhanced by 2.

Theoretical Study on the Aggregation of Copper Clusters on a Liquid Surface.

The ground state structures of copper clusters with different sizes along with their aggregation have been systematic investigated using Amsterdam Density Functional (ADF) and Atomistix ToolKit (ATK) programs. On the basis of geometry optimization, some Cu clusters with more stable structures which were not reported previously have been revealed. In most cases, these Cu clusters prefer to adopt icosahedral structures which originate from the 13-atom icosahedron.

Impact of Graphene Work Function on the Electronic Structures at the Interface between Graphene and Organic Molecules.

The impact of graphene work function (WF) on the electronic structure at the graphene/organic interface has been investigated. WF manipulation of graphene is realized using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) with different end groups. With this method, the upper surface of the functionalized graphene remains intact, and thus precludes changes of molecular orientation and packing structures of subsequently deposited active materials.

TiO Nanotube Arrays: Fabricated by Soft-Hard Template and the Grain Size Dependence of Field Emission Performance.

Highly ordered TiO nanotube (TNT) arrays were successfully synthesized by the combination of soft and hard templates. In the fabrication of them, anodic aluminum oxide membranes act as the hard template while the self-assembly of polystyrene-block-poly(ethylene oxide) (PS-b-PEO) complexed with titanium-tetraisopropoxide (TTIP, the precursor of TiO) provides the soft template to control the grain size of TiO nanotubes. Our results indicate that the field emission (FE) performance depends crucially on the grain size of the calcinated TiO which is dominated by the PS-b-PEO and its blending ratio with TTIP.

Manipulating the charge transfer at CuPc/graphene interface by O₂ plasma treatments.

The manipulation of charge transfer at CuPc/graphene interface has been demonstrated by treating pristine graphene with O₂ plasma. As revealed by in situ ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements, a much stronger interfacial charge transfer occurs when the pristine graphene is exposed to O₂ plasma prior to the growth of CuPc films, which is attributed to the increased work function of graphene after O₂ plasma treatment. Moreover, the highest occupied molecular orbital leading edge of CuPc locates at ∼0.