Giant bipolar unidirectional photomagnetoresistance.

Positive magnetoresistance (PMR) and negative magnetoresistance (NMR) describe two opposite responses of resistance induced by a magnetic field. Materials with giant PMR are usually distinct from those with giant NMR due to different physical natures. Here, we report the unusual photomagnetoresistance in the van der Waals heterojunctions of WSe2/quasi-two-dimensional electron gas, showing the coexistence of giant PMR and giant NMR. The PMR and NMR reach 1,007.5% at -9 T and -93.5% at 2.2 T in a single device, respectively. The magnetoresistance spans over two orders of magnitude on inversion of field direction, implying a giant unidirectional magnetoresistance (UMR). By adjusting the thickness of the WSe2 layer, we achieve the maxima of PMR and NMR, which are 4,900,000% and -99.8%, respectively. The unique magnetooptical transport shows the unity of giant UMR, PMR, and NMR, referred to as giant bipolar unidirectional photomagnetoresistance. These features originate from strong out-of-plane spin splitting, magnetic field-enhanced recombination of photocarriers, and the Zeeman effect through our experimental and theoretical investigations. This work offers directions for high-performance light-tunable spintronic devices.NMR).

Portable Device with Nicking Enzyme Enhanced Special RCA on µPADs toward Sensitive Detection of High-Risk HPV Infection.

Development of an accurate, rapid, and cost-effective portable device is in high demand for point-of-care molecular diagnosis toward disease screening. Here we report a one-pot homogeneous isothermal assay that leverages nicking endonuclease and minimum secondary structured rolling circle amplification (N-MSSRCA) for fast and sensitive quantification of nucleic acids on distance microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (dµPAD) by a portable custom-made fluorescence detector. Human papillomavirus (HPV) oncogenic E7 mRNA as the biomarker for cervical cancer was used as the model analyte. N-MSSRCA integrates ligase for target recognition, the nicking enzyme for primer generation, and the dual function of the Phi29 DNA polymerase for both on- and off-loop amplification. The proposed method was capable of detecting 1 and 10 fM of the analyte using the microplate reader and portable detector with dµPAD, respectively, with ∼1 h assay time. A cohort study of 40 cervical swab samples shows N-MSSRCA reached positive and negative predictive values of 87.5% and 93.5% using the portable detector with dµPAD, compared to 91.67% and 100% using the microplate reader. N-MSSRCA demonstrates potential in early screening of high-risk HPV infection as a generic strategy to detect various nucleic acids in point-of-care scenarios.

Ligand Mediation for Tunable and Oxide Suppressed Surface Gold-Decorated Liquid Metal Nanoparticles.

Gallium-based liquid metal systems hold vast potential in materials science. However, maximizing their possibilities is hindered by gallium's native oxide and interfacial functionalization. In this study, small-molecule ligands are adopted as surfactants to modify the surface of eutectic gallium indium (EGaIn) nanoparticles and suppress oxidation. Different p-aniline derivatives are explored. Next, the reduction of chloroanric acid (HAuCl4 ) onto these p-aniline ligand modified EGaIn nanoparticles is investigated to produce gold-decorated EGaIn nanosystems. It is found that by altering the concentrations of HAuCl4 or the p-aniline ligand, the formation of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on EGaIn can be manipulated. The reduction of interfacial oxidation and presence of AuNPs enhances electrical conductivity, plasmonic performance, wettability, stability, and photothermal performance of all the p-aniline derivative modified EGaIn. Of these, EGaIn nanoparticles covered with the ligand of p-aminobenzoic acid offer the most evenly distributed AuNPs decoration and perfect elimination of gallium oxides, resulting in the augmented electrical conductivity, and highest wettability suitable for patterning, enhanced aqueous stability, and favorable photothermal properties. The proof-of-concept application in photothermal therapy of cancer cells demonstrates significantly enhanced photothermal conversion performance along with good biocompatibility. Due to such unique characteristics, the developed gold-decorated EGaIn nanodroplets are expected to offer significant potential in precise medicine.

Eliminating lattice defects in metal-organic framework molecular-sieving membranes.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes are energy-efficient candidates for molecular separations, but it remains a considerable challenge to eliminate defects at the atomic scale. The enlargement of pores due to defects reduces the molecular-sieving performance in separations and hampers the wider application of MOF membranes, especially for liquid separations, owing to insufficient stability. Here we report the elimination of lattice defects in MOF membranes based on a high-probability theoretical coordination strategy that creates sufficient chemical potential to overcome the steric hindrance that occurs when completely connecting ligands to metal clusters. Lattice defect elimination is observed by real-space high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and studied with a mathematical model and density functional theory calculations. This leads to a family of high-connectivity MOF membranes that possess ångström-sized lattice apertures that realize high and stable separation performance for gases, water desalination and an organic solvent azeotrope. Our strategy could enable a platform for the regulation of nanoconfined molecular transport in MOF pores.

OsMKK1 is a novel element that positively regulates the Xa21-mediated resistance response to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae in rice.

KEY MESSAGE: OsMKK1, a MAPK gene, positively regulates rice Xa21-mediated resistance response and also plays roles in normal growth and development process of rice. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade was highly conserved among eukaryotes, which played crucial roles in plant responses to pathogen infection. Bacterial blight is the most devastating bacterial disease. Xa21 confers broad-spectrum resistance to Xanthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae (Xoo). This study identified that the transcription level of OsMKK1 was up-regulated in resistant response against Xoo, thus overexpression (OsMKK1-OX) and RNA interference (OsMKK1-RNAi) transgenic rice lines under the background of Xa21 was constructed. Compared with recipient control plants 4021, the OsMKK1-OX lines significantly enhanced disease resistance to Xoo, on the contrary, the resistance of OsMKK1-RNAi lines was weakened, demonstrated that OsMKK1 played a positive role in Xa21-mediated disease resistance pathway. A number of pathogenesis-related proteins, including PR1A, PR2 and PR10A showed enhanced expression in OsMKK1-OX lines, supported that these PR genes may be regulated by OsMKK1 to participate in the defense responses. In addition, the agronomic traits of OsMKK1 transgenic plants were affected. Overall, these results revealed the role of OsMKK1 in Xa21-mediated resistance against Xoo and in the normal growth and development process in rice.

Zeolites and metal-organic frameworks for gas separation: the possibility of translating adsorbents into membranes.

Zeolites and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) represent an attractive class of crystalline porous materials that possesses regular pore structures. The inherent porosity of these materials has led to an increasing focus on gas separation applications, encompassing adsorption and membrane separation techniques. Here, a brief overview of the critical properties and fabrication approaches for zeolites and MOFs as adsorbents and membranes is given. The separation mechanisms, based on pore sizes and the chemical properties of nanochannels, are explored in depth, considering the distinct characteristics of adsorption and membrane separation. Recommendations for judicious selection and design of zeolites and MOFs for gas separation purposes are emphasized. By examining the similarities and differences between the roles of nanoporous materials as adsorbents and membranes, the feasibility of zeolites and MOFs from adsorption separation to membrane separation is discussed. With the rapid development of zeolites and MOFs towards adsorption and membrane separation, challenges and perspectives of this cutting-edge area are also addressed.

Confined-Coordination Induced Intergrowth of Metal-Organic Frameworks into Precise Molecular Sieving Membranes.

Metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes with rich functionality and tunable pore system are promising for precise molecular separation; however, it remains a challenge to develop defect-free high-connectivity MOF membrane with high water stability owing to uncontrollable nucleation and growth rate during fabrication process. Herein, we report on a confined-coordination induced intergrowth strategy to fabricate lattice-defect-free Zr-MOF membrane towards precise molecular separation. The confined-coordination space properties (size and shape) and environment (water or DMF) were regulated to slow down the coordination reaction rate via controlling the counter-diffusion of MOF precursors (metal cluster and ligand), thereby inter-growing MOF crystals into integrated membrane. The resulting Zr-MOF membrane with angstrom-sized lattice apertures exhibits excellent separation performance both for gas separation and water desalination process. It was achieved H2 permeance of ~1200 GPU and H2/CO2 selectivity of ~67; water permeance of ~8 L ⋅ m-2 ⋅ h-1 ⋅ bar-1 and MgCl2 rejection of ~95 %, which are one to two orders of magnitude higher than those of state-of-the-art membranes. The molecular transport mechanism related to size-sieving effect and transition energy barrier differential of molecules and ions was revealed by density functional theory calculations. Our work provides a facile approach and fundamental insights towards developing precise molecular sieving membranes.

Incidence of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Urban China: A Nationwide Population-based Study.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Limited studies have evaluated the burden of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in China. We aimed to estimate the incidence of IBD including ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD) in urban China. METHODS: The national urban incidence in 2016 was calculated based on urban basic medical insurance from 2012 to 2016 in China by using a 4-year washout period. The incidence in Yinzhou District estimated from the Yinzhou electronic health care record database was used to test the accuracy of the results from insurance data. RESULTS: A total of 95,555 patients with IBD were identified. The incidence in 2016 was 10.04 (95% confidence interval, 6.95-13.71) per 100,000 person-years. The incidence rates of both UC and CD were higher among males than among females. There was a sharp increase in UC incidence before the age of 30 years and stabilization in later years (50-79 years old), whereas CD incidence peaked at 30 to 34 years old and experienced decline subsequently. The incidence of UC was much greater than that of CD, with a UC-to-CD incidence ratio of 12.61. The results from the Yinzhou database confirmed these results. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to draw a portrait of the distribution of IBD in urban China. The difference in IBD incidence between urban China and other countries suggests an association between the IBD burden and industrialization process. The accelerating urbanization and industrialization process in China, a country with a population of 1.4 billion people, will likely increase the burden of IBD.

Bidirectional Anions Gathering Strategy Afford Efficient Mixed PbSn Perovskite Solar Cells.

Mixed lead-tin (PbSn) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) possess low toxicity and adjustable bandgap for both single-junction and all-perovskite tandem solar cells. However, the performance of mixed PbSn PSCs still lags behind the theoretical efficiency. The uncontrollable crystallization and the resulting structural defect are important reasons. Here, the bidirectional anions gathering strategy (BAG) is reported by using Methylammonium acetate (MAAc) and Methylammonium thiocyanate (MASCN) as perovskite bulk additives, which Ac- escapes from the perovskite film top surface while SCN- gathers at the perovskite film bottom in the crystallization process. After the optoelectronic techniques, the bidirectional anions movement caused by the top-down gradient crystallization is demonstrated. The layer-by-layer crystallization can collect anions in the next layer and gather at the broader, enabling a controllable crystallization process, thus getting a high-quality perovskite film with better phase crystallinity and lower defect concentration. As a result, PSCs treated by the BAG strategy exhibit outstanding photovoltaic and electroluminescent performance with a champion efficiency of 22.14%. Additionally, it demonstrates excellent long-term stability, which retains ≈92.8% of its initial efficiency after 4000 h aging test in the N2 glove box.

Observation of Electric Hysteresis, Polarization Oscillation, and Pyroelectricity in Nonferroelectric p-n Heterojunctions.

The switchable electric polarization is usually achieved in ferroelectric materials with noncentrosymmetric structures, which opens exciting opportunities for information storage and neuromorphic computing. In another polar system of p-n junction, there exists the electric polarization at the interface due to the Fermi level misalignment. However, the resultant built-in electric field is unavailable to manipulate, thus attracting less attention for memory devices. Here, we report the interfacial polarization hysteresis (IPH) in the vertical sidewall van der Waals heterojunctions of black phosphorus and quasi-two-dimensional electron gas on SrTiO_{3}. A nonvolatile switching of electric polarization can be achieved by reconstructing the space charge region (SCR) with long-lifetime nonequilibrium carriers. The resulting electric-field controllable IPH is experimentally verified by electric hysteresis, polarization oscillation, and pyroelectric effect. Further studies confirm the transition temperature of 340 K, beyond which the IPH vanishes. The second transition is revealed with the temperature dropping below 230 K, corresponding to the sharp improvement of IPH and the freezing of SCR reconstruction. This work offers new possibilities for exploring the memory phenomena in nonferroelectric p-n heterojunctions.

Higher Prevalence of Generalized Pustular Psoriasis in Asia? A Population-Based Study Using Claim Data in China and a Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have reported the burden of generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP), a severe and potentially life-threatening skin disease, especially at a national level. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to estimate the nationwide burden of GPP in China and make a systemic review of the published data. METHODS: We conducted a population-based study using Urban Basic Medical Insurance in China from 2012 to 2016. GPP cases were identified by primary diagnoses including the international classification of Diseases codes (ICD-10: L40.1 and ICD-9: 694.3). A systematic review was conducted using relevant databases up to January 2022. RESULTS: The crude prevalence and incidence of GPP in 2016 were 1.403 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.115-1.691) and 0.629 (95% CI: 0.483-0.775) per 100,000 person-years, respectively. The rates were higher in males than in females for both prevalence (1.429 vs. 1.135) and incidence (0.635 vs. 0.520). The prevalence and incidence showed a bimodal age distribution, with the first peak occurring in the 0- to 3-year age-group and the second peak occurring in the 30- to 39-year age-group. The per capita total cost per year for 1 patient with GPP was 609.26 (± 45.77) US dollars. Seven studies were identified in a systematic review, according to which the prevalence (per 100,000) of GPP tended to be higher in Asian countries (0.746-8.178 in Japan and 12.230 in Korea) than in France (0.176), Sweden (6.25), and Brazil (0.7). CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest study concerning the disease burden of GPP, and in this study, the prevalence seemed to be higher in Asia. Although the direct economic burden of GPP did not seem high during the study period, the future usage of biologics and the humanistic burden should also be considered for policy-related decision-making.

Upconversion under Photon Trapping in ZnO/BN Nanoarray: An Ultrahigh Responsivity Solar-Blind Photodetecting Paper.

Solar-blind photodetectors (PDs) are widely applicable in special, military, medical, environmental, and commercial fields. However, high performance and flexible PD for deep ultraviolet (UV) range is still a challenge. Here, it is demonstrated that an upconversion of photon absorption beyond the energy bandgap is achieved in the ZnO nanoarray/h-BN heterostructure, which enables the ultrahigh responsivity of a solar-blind photodetecting paper. The direct growth of ultralong ZnO nanoarray on polycrystalline copper paper induced by h-BN 2D interlayer is obtained. Meanwhile, strong photon trapping takes place within the ZnO nanoarray forest through the cyclic state transition of surface oxygen ions, resulting in an extremely high absorption efficiency (> 99.5%). A flexible photodetecting paper is fabricated for switchable detections between near UV and deep UV signals by critical external bias. The device shows robust reliability, ultrahigh responsivity up to 700 A W-1 @ 265-276 nm, and high photoconductive gain of ≈2 × 103 . A negative differential resistance effect is revealed for driving the rapid transfer of up-converted electrons between adjacent energy valleys (Γ to A) above the critical bias (3.9 V). The discovered rationale and device structure are expected to bring high-efficiency deep UV detecting and future wearable applications.

Increasing prevalence and burden of bronchiectasis in urban Chinese adults, 2013-2017: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: While the prevalence and disease burden of bronchiectasis are increasing, data in the world's largest population are lacking. We aimed to investigate the prevalence and disease burden of bronchiectasis in Chinese adults. METHODS: We conducted a population-based study using data between 2013 and 2017 from the national databases of Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance and Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance in China. Data from over 380 million patients aged 18 years and older during the study period were analyzed, and a total of 383,926 bronchiectasis patients were identified. Primary outcomes included the age- and sex-specific prevalence of bronchiectasis. Annual visits and hospitalizations, as well as annual costs were also calculated. RESULTS: The prevalence of bronchiectasis in Chinese adults increased 2.31-fold, from 75.48 (62.26, 88.69) per 100,000 in 2013 to 174.45 (137.02, 211.88) per 100,000 in 2017. The increase was more remarkable for patients aged over 50 years in both genders. The per-capita total cost and hospitalization cost of patients with bronchiectasis increased 2.18-fold and 1.83-fold from 2013 to 2017, respectively, mostly driven by non-bronchiectasis costs. The average annual hospitalization ranged from 1.20 to 1.24 times during the 5 years. CONCLUSION: The prevalence and disease burden of bronchiectasis in Chinese urban adults ≥ 18 years had increased significantly between 2013 and 2017.

Food additives: From functions to analytical methods.

Food additives refer to all kinds of trace substances used in food or food processing to preserve flavor or enhance food taste, appearance, or other qualities. At present, artificial synthetic food additives have gradually replaced the natural food additives and many problems related to food additives, involving the abuse of food additives, excessive additives or even toxic additives. Obviously, food additives can bring people great sensory enjoyment and commercial convenience, but they may also cause potential risks to human health. So, it is of high significance to conduct quantitative analysis on the content of food additives. According to their functions and the regulatory requirements of food additives, this review starts from the classification and structures of various food additives involving colorants, preservatives, antioxidants, sweeteners, emulsifiers, stabilizers, thickeners, gelling agents. It then summarizes and discusses analytical methods for quantification of food additives including modern immunoassays and other biotechnological methods. The proposed review aspires to fill in the knowledge gap of food additives between academia and industry by covering all kinds of analytical methods for quantifying food additives.

The advances in nanomedicine for bone and cartilage repair.

With the gradual demographic shift toward an aging and obese society, an increasing number of patients are suffering from bone and cartilage injuries. However, conventional therapies are hindered by the defects of materials, failing to adequately stimulate the necessary cellular response to promote sufficient cartilage regeneration, bone remodeling and osseointegration. In recent years, the rapid development of nanomedicine has initiated a revolution in orthopedics, especially in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, due to their capacity to effectively stimulate cellular responses on a nanoscale with enhanced drug loading efficiency, targeted capability, increased mechanical properties and improved uptake rate, resulting in an improved therapeutic effect. Therefore, a comprehensive review of advancements in nanomedicine for bone and cartilage diseases is timely and beneficial. This review firstly summarized the wide range of existing nanotechnology applications in the medical field. The progressive development of nano delivery systems in nanomedicine, including nanoparticles and biomimetic techniques, which are lacking in the current literature, is further described. More importantly, we also highlighted the research advancements of nanomedicine in bone and cartilage repair using the latest preclinical and clinical examples, and further discussed the research directions of nano-therapies in future clinical practice.

Incidence and cost of haemolytic uraemic syndrome in urban China: a national population-based analysis.

BACKGROUND: Haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) is a severe syndrome that causes a substantial burden for patients and their families and is the leading cause of acute kidney injury in children. However, data on the epidemiology and disease burden of HUS in Asia, including China, are limited. We aimed to estimate the incidence and cost of HUS in China.  METHODS: Data about HUS from 2012 to 2016 were extracted from the Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI) and Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance (URBMI) databases. All cases were identified by ICD code and Chinese diagnostic terms. The 2016 national incidence rates were estimated and stratified by sex, age and season. The associated medical costs were also calculated. RESULTS: The crude incidence of HUS was 0.66 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI: 0.35 to 1.06), and the standardized incidence was 0.57 (0.19 to 1.18). The incidence of HUS in males was slightly higher than that in females. The age group with the highest incidence of HUS was patients < 1 year old (5.08, 95% CI: 0.23 to 24.87), and the season with the highest incidence was autumn, followed by winter. The average cost of HUS was 2.15 thousand US dollars per patient, which was higher than the national average cost for all inpatients in the same period. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first population-based study on the incidence of HUS in urban China. The age and seasonal distributions of HUS in urban China are different from those in most developed countries, suggesting a difference in aetiology.

A High Precision and Multifunctional Electro-Optical Conversion Efficiency Measurement System for Metamaterial-Based Thermal Emitters.

In this study, a multifunctional high-vacuum system was established to measure the electro-optical conversion efficiency of metamaterial-based thermal emitters with built-in heaters. The system is composed of an environmental control module, an electro-optical conversion measurement module, and a system control module. The system can provide air, argon, high vacuum, and other conventional testing environments, combined with humidity control. The test chamber and sample holder are carefully designed to minimize heat transfer through thermal conduction and convection. The optical power measurements are realized using the combination of a water-cooled KBr flange, an integrating sphere, and thermopile detectors. This structure is very stable and can detect light emission at the µW level. The system can synchronously detect the heating voltage, heating current, optical power, sample temperatures (both top and bottom), ambient pressure, humidity, and other environmental parameters. The comprehensive parameter detection capability enables the system to monitor subtle sample changes and perform failure mechanism analysis with the aid of offline material analysis using scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, the system can be used for fatigue and high-low temperature impact tests.

Vacuum Based Gas Sensing Material Characterization System for Precise and Simultaneous Measurement of Optical and Electrical Responses.

Gas sensing performance characterization systems are essential for the research and development of gas sensing materials and devices. Although existing systems are almost completely automatically operated, the accuracies of gas concentration control and of pressure control and the ability to simultaneously detect different sensor signals still require improvement. In this study, a high-precision gas sensing material characterization system is developed based on vacuum technology, with the objective of enabling the precise and simultaneous measurement of electrical responses. Because of the implementation of vacuum technology, the gas concentration control accuracy is improved more than 1600 times, whereas the pressure of the test ambient condition can be precisely adjusted between vacuum and 1.2 bar. The vacuum-assisted gas-exchanging mechanism also enables the sensor response time to be determined more accurately. The system is capable of performing sensitivity, selectivity, and stability tests and can control the ambient relative humidity in a precise manner. More importantly, the levels of performance of three different optical signal measurement set-ups were investigated and compared in terms of detection range, linearity, noise, and response time, based on which of their scopes of application were proposed. Finally, single-period and cyclical tests were performed to examine the ability of the system to detect optical and electrical responses simultaneously, both at a single wavelength and in a spectral region.

Two new quinic acid derivatives from the leaves of Schisandra chinensis.

Two new (1-2) and three known quinic acid derivatives (3-5) were isolated from the leaves of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz) Baill. The structures of the compounds were determined by spectroscopic methods, especially the NMR techniques, and also by comparison with reported data in the literature. The cytotoxicity activities of these compounds were evaluated on human tumor cell lines LN229 and three of them showed a certain activity.

CRISPR-Cas-based detection for food safety problems: Current status, challenges, and opportunities.

Food safety is one of the biggest public issues occurring around the world. Microbiological, chemical, and physical hazards can lead to food safety issues, which may occur at all stages of the supply chain. In order to tackle food safety issues and safeguard consumer health, rapid, accurate, specific, and field-deployable detection methods meeting diverse requirements are one of the imperative measures for food safety assurance. CRISPR-Cas system, a newly emerging technology, has been successfully repurposed in biosensing and has demonstrated huge potential to establish conceptually novel detection methods with high sensitivity and specificity. This review focuses on CRISPR-Cas-based detection and its current status and huge potential specifically for food safety inspection. We firstly illustrate the pending problems in food safety and summarize the popular detection methods. We then describe the potential applications of CRISPR-Cas-based detection in food safety inspection. Finally, the challenges and futuristic opportunities are proposed and discussed. Generally speaking, the current food safety detection methods are still unsatisfactory in some ways such as being time-consuming, displaying unmet sensitivity and specificity standards, and there is a comparative paucity of multiplexed testing and POCT. Recent studies have shown that CRISPR-Cas-based biosensing is an innovative and fast-expanding technology, which could make up for the shortcomings of the existing methods or even replace them. To sum up, the implementation of CRISPR-Cas and the integration of CRISPR-Cas with other techniques is promising and desirable, which is expected to provide "customized" and "smart" detection methods for food safety inspection in the coming future.