Controllable Synthesis of Cadmium-Free Blue-Emitting Cu-Ga-Zn-S-Based Nanocrystals for Solution-Processed Quantum-Dot Light-Emitting Diodes.

The utility of semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) in light-emitting diodes (LED) has shown great potential in the field of display, whereas the challenge remains in developing efficient and stable cadmium-free blue-emitting LED devices due to the poor photophysical properties of blue-emitting NCs. Herein, we develop a controllable synthesis of Cu-Ga-Zn-S (CGZS) semiconductor NCs that show blue light emission with a relative photoluminescence quantum yield exceeding 90%. Furthermore, we have successfully fabricated a solution-processed quantum-dot LED (QLED) using CGZS NCs, achieving a notable maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) of 1.00% at a luminance of 100 cd/m2. Our work lays a foundational framework for advancing cadmium-free blue-emitting QLEDs and facilitates the development of quantum dot electroluminescent panchromatic displays.

Polypyrrole Encapsulated Nickel Nanorods for Conductivity Improvement by Magnetic Alignment.

Polypyrrole encapsulated nickel nanorods (PPy@Ni) have been prepared by electro-polymerization using Ni nanorods as template. PPy@Ni were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectrometer, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The maximum saturation magnetization of PPy@Ni was up to 44.6 emu g-1. Further, PPy@Ni was used as the additive for the conductivity improvement in polymer matrix. Experimental results showed that the electric conductivity reached 1.8×10-3 S m-1 when 5% PPy@Ni was added in the poly(urethane acrylate) matrix by applying a magnetic field. Further tests showed that when the additive concentration increased from 0.1% to 5%, the correspondence saturation magnetization increased from 15.1 emug-1 to 31.3 emug-1. This work provides new light on controllable fabrication of conducting polymer by adding magnetic alignment conductive additives.

High-Level PM2.5/PM10 Exposure Is Associated With Alterations in the Human Pharyngeal Microbiota Composition.

Previous studies showed that high concentration of particulate matter (PM) 2.5 and PM10 carried a large number of bacterial and archaeal species, including pathogens and opportunistic pathogens. In this study, pharyngeal swabs from 83 subjects working in an open air farmer's market were sampled before and after exposure to smog with PM2.5 and PM10 levels up to 200 and 300 µg/m3, respectively. Their microbiota were investigated using high-throughput sequencing targeting the V3-V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene. The genus level phylotypes was increased from 649 to 767 in the post-smog pharyngeal microbiota, of which 142 were new and detected only in the post-smog microbiota. The 142 new genera were traced to sources such as soil, marine, feces, sewage sludge, freshwater, hot springs, and saline lakes. The abundance of the genera Streptococcus, Haemophilus, Moraxella, and Staphylococcus increased in the post-smog pharyngeal microbiota. All six alpha diversity indices and principal component analysis showed that the taxonomic composition of the post-smog pharyngeal microbiota was significantly different to that of the pre-smog pharyngeal microbiota. Redundancy analysis showed that the influences of PM2.5/PM10 exposure and smoking on the taxonomic composition of the pharyngeal microbiota were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Two days of exposure to high concentrations of PM2.5/PM10 changed the pharyngeal microbiota profiles, which may lead to an increase in respiratory diseases. Wearing masks could reduce the effect of high-level PM2.5/PM10 exposure on the pharyngeal microbiota.

Rare Shewanella spp. associated with pulmonary and bloodstream infections of cancer patients, China: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Members of Shewanella species are opportunistic pathogens that are found in marine environments. Currently more than sixty species have been identified, whereas the most commonly clinical cases associated with Shewanella species have involved only two species, i.e., S. algae and S. putrefaciens. We present two cases of pulmonary and bloodstream infections caused by two rare Shewanella spp. strains from patients of gastrointestinal cancer. CASE PRESENTATION: Two male patients with a history of gastrointestinal cancer presented to hospital with pulmonary and bloodstream infections, respectively. The infective pathogens of both cases were primarily isolated and identified as Shewanella algae (case I) and Shewanella putrefaciens (case II) by phenotypic features and VITEK 2 system, but they were further confirmed as Shewanella haliotis and Shewanella upenei by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The major bacterial composition of the bronchoalveolar lavage in case I was also identified as Shewanella by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing analysis. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing showed that the two strains had broad susceptibility, but S. haliotis in the case I was resistant to ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin and S. upenei in the case II was intermediate to imipenem, piperacillin/tazobactam and ciprofloxacin. CONCLUSIONS: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first cases of the pulmonary and bloodstream infections caused by Shewanella spp. from clinical patients in mainland China. Shewanella as a potential pathogen in China should not be ignored.