Very broad distribution of β sheet registries of the HIV gp41 fusion peptide supports mutational robustness for fusion and infection.

HIV, like other membrane-enveloped viruses, has protein spikes that include a fusion peptide (Fp) segment that binds the host cell membrane and plays a critical role in fusion (joining) viral and cell membranes. The HIV Fp is the ~23 N-terminal residues of the gp41 spike protein. Fp adopts intermolecular antiparallel β sheet structure when lipid fraction cholesterol ≈0.

Dry Transfer of van der Waals Junctions of Two-Dimensional Materials onto Patterned Substrates Using Plasticized Poly(vinyl chloride)/Kamaboko-Shaped Polydimethylsiloxane.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials can be transferred onto substrates with various surface structures, opening up multiple functions and applications for 2D materials in the form of suspended membranes. In this paper, we present a method for transferring exfoliated 2D crystal flakes from SiO substrates onto patterned substrates using a poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) layer mounted on a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) stamp structure. 2D crystal flakes can be transferred onto various patterned structures such as grooves, round holes, and periodic hole or groove patterns.

Negative Differential Resistance Device with High Peak-to-Valley Ratio Realized by Subband Resonant Tunneling of Γ-Valley Carriers in WSe/-BN/WSe Junctions.

Resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) are a core technology in III-V semiconductor devices. The realization of high-performance RTD using two-dimensional (2D) materials has been long awaited, but it has yet to be accomplished. To this end, we investigate a range of WSe/-BN/WSe RTD devices by varying the number of layers of source and drain WSe.

Control of Subband Energies via Interlayer Twisting in an Artificially Stacked WSe Bilayer.

Tuning the electronic structure of artificially stacked bilayer crystals using their twist angle has attracted a significant amount of interest. In this study, resonant tunneling spectroscopy was performed on trilayer WSe/-BN/twisted bilayer (tBL) WSe devices with a wide range of twist angles (θ) of tBL WSe, from 0° to 34°. We observed two resonant tunneling peaks, identified as the first and second lowest hole subbands at the valence band Γ point of tBL WSe.

A Hybrid Handover Scheme for Vehicular VLC/RF Communication Networks.

Visible light communication (VLC) is a promising complementary technology to its radio frequency (RF) counterpart to satisfy the high quality-of-service (QoS) requirements of intelligent vehicular communications by reusing LED street lights. In this paper, a hybrid handover scheme for vehicular VLC/RF communication networks is proposed to balance QoS and handover costs by considering the vertical handover and horizontal handover together judging from the mobile state of the vehicle. A Markov decision process (MDP) is formulated to describe this hybrid handover problem, with a cost function balancing the handover consumption, delay, and reliability.

Crossover between rigid and reconstructed moiré lattice in -BN-encapsulated twisted bilayer WSe with different twist angles.

A moiré lattice in a twisted-bilayer transition metal dichalcogenide (tBL-TMD) exhibits a complex atomic reconstruction effect when its twist angle is less than a few degrees. The influence of the atomic reconstruction on material properties of the tBL-TMD has been of particular interest. In this study, we performed scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging of a moiré lattice in -BN-encapsulated twisted bilayer WSe with various twist angles.

Field study on pregnant women's thermal preference in different trimesters in winter.

This study investigated the differences in the thermal preferences of pregnant women during various trimesters and the factors influencing these preferences. The survey was conducted in a hospital waiting room, encompassing the testing of thermal environmental parameters, and the distribution of questionnaires to pregnant women. These questionnaires encompassed various aspects, including basic information, thermal responses, pregnancy diseases, and more.

Symmetry Engineering in Twisted Bilayer WTe.

The fabrication of artificial structures using a twisted van der Waals assembly has been a key technique for recent advancements in the research of two-dimensional (2D) materials. To date, various exotic phenomena have been observed thanks to the modified electron correlation or moiré structure controlled by the twist angle. However, the twisted van der Waals assembly has further potential to modulate the physical properties by controlling the symmetry.

A prediction nomogram for hepatitis B virus-associated hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: The present study aimed to develop and validate a new nomogram for predicting the incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients receiving antiviral therapy from real-world data.

Methods: The nomogram was established based on a real-world retrospective study of 764 patients with HBV from October 2008 to July 2020. A predictive model for the incidence of HCC was developed by multivariable Cox regression, and a nomogram was constructed.

Lipid acyl chain protrusion induced by the influenza virus hemagglutinin fusion peptide detected by NMR paramagnetic relaxation enhancement.

The glycoprotein spikes of membrane-enveloped viruses include a subunit that catalyzes fusion (joining) of the viral and target cell membranes. For influenza virus, this is subunit 2 of hemagglutinin which has a ∼ 20-residue N-terminal fusion peptide (Fp) region that binds target membrane. An outstanding question is whether there are associated membrane changes important for fusion.

9--epoxycarotenoid dioxygenase 1 confers heat stress tolerance in rice seedling plants.

High temperature is one of the main constraints affecting plant growth and development. It has been reported that abscisic acid (ABA) synthesis gene () positively regulates plant resistance to salt, cold, and drought stresses. However, little is known about the function of the gene in heat tolerance of rice.

All-dry flip-over stacking of van der Waals junctions of 2D materials using polyvinyl chloride.

We demonstrated an all-dry polymer-to-polymer transfer technique for two-dimensional (2D) crystal flakes using a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) layer deposited on a piece of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Unexpectedly, the pickup/release temperatures were modified in wider temperature range simply by changing the thickness of the PVC layer than changing the plasticizer ratio. Utilizing the difference in the pickup/release temperatures depending on the PVC film thickness, 2D flakes were transferred from a thicker PVC film to a thinner one.

Epidemiological characteristics and survival analysis on patients with occupational pneumoconiosis in Zhejiang Province from 1987 to 2019.

Objective: To evaluate risk factors affecting survival in patients diagnosed with pneumoconiosis and propose strategies to improve the quality of life in these patients.

Methods: The basic patient information was obtained from the pneumoconiosis report card. Disease types, regions, and industry distribution of pneumoconiosis were analyzed.

Resonant Tunneling between Quantized Subbands in van der Waals Double Quantum Well Structure Based on Few-Layer WSe.

We demonstrate van der Waals double quantum well (vDQW) devices based on few-layer WSe quantum wells and a few-layer -BN tunnel barrier. Due to the strong out-of-plane confinement, an exfoliated WSe exhibits quantized subband states at the Γ point in its valence band. Here, we report resonant tunneling and negative differential resistance in vDQW at room temperature owing to momentum- and energy-conserved tunneling between the quantized subbands in each well.

Methylation of the HCBP6 promoter is associated with primary biliary cholangitis pathogenesis.

Hepatitis C virus core-binding protein 6 (HCBP6), first characterized in our laboratory and also referred to as FUNDC2, is involved in lipid and glucose metabolism, platelet activation, and platelet survival. Here we demonstrate that hypermethylation of mitochondrial HCBP6 is linked Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC) pathogenesis. Serum and liver levels of HCBP6 in PBC patients were reduced in comparison with controls.

Comparative Analysis of Heat-Tolerant and Heat-Susceptible Rice Highlights the Role of Gene in Heat Stress Tolerance.

To elucidate the mechanism underlying the response of rice to heat stress (HS), the transcriptome profile of panicles was comparatively analyzed between the heat-tolerant line 252 (HTL252) and heat-susceptible line 082 (HSL082), two rice recombinant inbred lines (RILs). Our differentially expressed gene (DEG) analysis revealed that the DEGs are mainly associated with protein binding, catalysis, stress response, and cellular process. The MapMan analysis demonstrated that the heat-responsive (HR) genes for heat shock proteins, transcription factors, development, and phytohormones are specifically induced in HTL252 under HS.

An EjbHLH14-EjHB1-EjPRX12 module is involved in methyl jasmonate alleviation of chilling-induced lignin deposition in loquat fruit.

Loquat fruit are susceptible to chilling injuries induced by postharvest storage at low temperature. The major symptoms are increased lignin content and flesh firmness, which cause a leathery texture. Pretreatment with methyl jasmonate (MeJA) can alleviate this low-temperature-induced lignification, but the mechanism is not understood.

Association between osteoporosis and hepatitis B cirrhosis: a case-control study.

Background And Aims: Hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related cirrhosis is associated with decreased bone mineral density (BMD); however, the mechanism is yet unknown. To assess the incidence of osteoporosis in patients with HBV-associated cirrhosis and relevant mechanisms.

Methods: A total of 80 hospitalized patients with HBV-associated cirrhosis and 80 healthy controls were enrolled.

Tailoring of Surface Acidic Sites in Co-MoS Catalysts for Hydrodeoxygenation Reaction.

CoMo sulfides are typical catalysts for selective hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of phenolics to aromatics which is important in bio-oil upgrading. However, it is still a challenge to promote the intrinsic activity of Co-MoS catalysts. Defect chemistry provides a good option to improve surface reactivity in catalysis.

Resonant Tunneling Due to van der Waals Quantum-Well States of Few-Layer WSe in WSe/h-BN/p-MoS Junction.

Few-layer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) exhibit out-of-plane wave function confinement with subband quantization. This phenomenon is totally absent in monolayer crystals and is regarded as resulting from a naturally existing van der Waals quantum-well state. Because the energy separation between the subbands corresponds to the infrared wavelength range, few-layer TMDs are attractive for their potential to facilitate the application of TMD semiconductors as infrared photodetectors and emitters.

Online teaching self-efficacy during COVID-19: Changes, its associated factors and moderators.

Unlabelled: Online teaching transition during COVID-19 school lockdown elicited challenges for teachers and schools across the globe. The existing literature on the impact of COVID-19 in the education sector is predominantly descriptive and focused on the difficulties faced by teachers during the process of transferring into online teaching, mainly in the higher education sector. This study adopted a mixed-method design to examine online teaching self-efficacy (TSE) during COVID-19, its associated factors and moderators.

A suspected case of COVID-19 turned into a confirmed case: a case report.

COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and discovered in 2019. The clinical manifestations include fever, coughing, difficulty in breathing and even death from multiple organ failure. Nucleic acid test is the golden standard method for confirmation of infection.

Improving the early diagnosis of suspected patients with COVID-19: a retrospective study of 106 patients.

Introduction: An outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) occurred in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. This study aimed to analyze the clinical and epidemiologic characteristics of patients with COVID-19 to better differentiate the suspected patients in Beijing, China.

Methodology: This was a retrospective, single-center study.