Enhanced performance of quantum dot light-emitting diodes enabled by zirconium doped SnO2 as electron transport layers.

Next-generation display and lighting based on quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) require a balanced electron injection of electron transport layers (ETLs). However, classical ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) as ETLs face inherent defects such as excessive electron injection and positive aging effects, urgently requiring the development of new types of ETL materials. Here, we show that high stability SnO2 NPs as ETL can significantly improve the QLED performance to 100567 cd·m-2 luminance, 14.3% maximum external quantum efficiency, and 13.1 cd·A-1 maximum current efficiency using traditional device structures after optimizing the film thickness and annealing the temperature. Furthermore, experimental tests reveal that by doping Zr4+ ions, the size of SnO2 NPs will reduce, dispersion will improve, and energy level will shift up. As expected, when using Zr-SnO2 NPs as the ETL, the maximum external quantum efficiency can reach 16.6%, which is close to the state-of-the-art QLEDs based on ZnO ETL. This work opens the door for developing novel, to the best of our knowledge, type ETLs for QLEDs.

Self-Adhesive, Strong Antifouling, and Mechanically Reinforced Methacrylate Hyaluronic Acid Cross-Linked Carboxybetaine Zwitterionic Hydrogels.

Hyaluronic acid and zwitterionic hydrogels are soft materials with poor mechanical properties. The unique structures and physiological properties make them attractive candidates for ideal hydrogel dressings, but the crux of lacking satisfying mechanical strengths and adhesive properties is still pendent. In this study, the physical cross-linking of dipole-dipole interactions of zwitterionic pairs was utilized to enhance the mechanical properties of hydrogels. The hydrogels have been prepared by copolymerizing methacrylate hyaluronic (HAGMA) with carboxybetaine methacrylamide (CBMAA) (the mass ratio of [HAGMA]/[CBMAA] is 2:5, 1:5, 1:10, or 1:20), obtaining HA-CB2.5, HA-CB5.0, HA-CB10.0, or HA-CB20.0 hydrogel. Therein, the HA-CB20.0 hydrogel with a high CBMAA content can generate a strong dipole-dipole interaction to form internal physical cross-links, exhibit stretchability and low elastic modulus, and withstand 99% compressive deformation and cyclic compression under strain at 90%. Moreover, the HA-CB20.0 hydrogel is adhesive to diverse substrates, including skin, glass, stainless steel, and plastic. The synergistic effect of HAGMA and CBMAA shows strong anti-biofouling, high water absorption, biodegradability under hyaluronidase, and biocompatibility.

Loco-regional recurrence trend and prognosis in young women with breast cancer according to molecular subtypes: analysis of 1099 cases.

BACKGROUND: The number of young patients diagnosed with breast cancer is on the rise. We studied the rate trend of local recurrence (LR) and regional recurrence (RR) in young breast cancer (YBC) patients and outcomes among these patients based on molecular subtypes. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted based on data from Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital for patients ≤ 35 years of age with pathologically confirmed primary invasive breast cancer surgically treated between 2006 and 2014. Patients were categorized according to molecular subtypes on the basis of hormone receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status. The 5-year rates for LR, RR, and distant metastases (DM) were estimated by Kaplan-Meir statistics. Nelson-Aalen cumulative-hazard plots were used to describe local recurrence- and distant metastasis-free intervals. RESULTS: We identified 25,284 patients with a median follow-up of 82 months, of whom 1099 (4.3%) were YBC patients ≤ 35 years of age. The overall 5-year LR, RR, and DM rates in YBC patients were 6.7%, 5.1%, and 16.6%, respectively. The LR and RR rates demonstrated a decreasing trend over time (P = 0.028 and P = 0.015, respectively). We found that early-stage breast cancer and less lymph node metastases increased over time (P = 0.004 and P = 0.007, respectively). Patients with HR-/HER2+ status had a significantly higher LR (HR 20.4; 95% CI, 11.8-35.4) and DM (HR 37.2; 95% CI, 24.6-56.3) at 10 years. Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) or mastectomy did not influence rates of LR and RR. In the overall population, the 5-year survival of YBC patients exceeded 90%. CONCLUSIONS: The rates of LR and RR with YBC patients demonstrated a downward trend and the proportion of early-stage breast cancer increased between 2006 and 2014. We report the highest LR rates in this young population were associated with HR-/HER2+ tumors.

[Effect on 6-23 months infants by Yingyangbao intervention in impoverished regions of Henan Province].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of 6-23 months infants by Yingyangbao(YYB) intervention in impoverished areas of Henan Province. METHODS: A multi-stage random sampling method was used to select infants aged 6-23 months from 51 project counties in Henan Province from September to November 2019. Physical anthropometric measurement and hemoglobin detection were performed, and face-to-face questionnaires surveyed with caregivers of the children. Children in 12 regions covered by YYB were defined as intervention group, and controls were selected from the baseline survey of children in 39 regions not covered by YYB according to the 1∶1 matching principle. The analysis between YYB and control groups were analyzed by χ~2 or t test. χ~2 test for trend to compare trend of children health status. RESULTS: A total of 7738 subjects were selected in the study, including 3869 in the intervention group and 3869 in the control group. The average length, weight and hemoglobin level of YYB group were 1. 1 cm, 0. 67 kg and 3. 8 g/L, respectively, which were higher than that of the control group. The anemia rate, underweight rate, stunting rate and wasting rate in intervention group were 13.1%, 1.7%, 2.1% and 1.9%, respectively, significantly lower than control group. Compared with the control group, the two-week prevalence of fever and diarrhea in the intervention group decreased by 5. 6% and 7. 2%, respectively. In addition, nutrition knowledge score of the parents, minimum dietary diversity rate, minimum meal frequency rate and minimum acceptable diet rate of intervention group were 62. 4%, 71. 1%, 73. 7% and 55. 8%, respectively, significantly better than that of control group. From 2015 to 2019, the anemia rate, underweight rate, stunting rate of children in regions covered by YYB showed a downward trend. CONCLUSION: YYB can effectively improve the nutrition, physical development and health status of 6-24 months infants. Through the implementation of the project, the knowledge and skills of scientific feeding in impoverished regions were significantly improved.

Using recursive partitioning approach to select tumor-associated antigens in immunodiagnosis of gastric adenocarcinoma.

The present study aimed to select anti-tumor-associated antigen (TAA) autoantibodies as biomarkers in the immunodiagnosis of gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) by the recursive partitioning approach (RPA) and further construct and evaluate a predictive model. A case-control study was designed including 407 GAC patients as the case group and 407 normal controls. In addition, 67 serial serum samples from 25 GAC patients were collected at different time points before and after gastrectomy treatment. Autoantibodies against 14 TAA were measured in sera from all subjects by enzyme immunoassay. Finally, RPA resulted in the selection of nine-panel TAA (c-Myc, p16, HSPD1, PTEN, p53, NPM1, ENO1, p62, HCC1.4) from all detected TAA in the case-control study; the classification tree based on this nine-TAA panel had area under curve (AUC) of 0.857, sensitivity of 71.5% and specificity of 71.3%; The optimal panel also can identify GAC patients at an early stage from normal individuals, with AUC of 0.737, sensitivity of 64.9% and specificity of 70.5%. However, frequencies of the nine autoantibodies showed no correlation with GAC stage, tumor size, lymphatic metastasis or differentiation. GAC patients positive for more than two autoantibodies in the nine-TAA panel had a worse prognosis than that of the GAC patients positive for no or one antibody. Titers of 10 autoantibodies in serial serum samples were significantly higher in GAC patients after surgical resection than before. In conclusion, this study showed that the panel of nine multiple TAAs could enhance the detection of anti-TAA antibodies in GAC, and may be potential prognostic biomarkers in GAC.

Multiresponsive Bilayer Hydrogel Actuator with Switchable Shape Morphing Capability and Visible Color/Fluorescence Change.

Bilayer hydrogels, endowed with multiresponsive and switchable color-changing properties, have garnered significant attention for bioinspired artificial intelligent materials. However, the design and fabrication of such hydrogels that can fully mimic the adaptation of the live organism, i.e., simultaneous changes in shape, fluorescent, and/or visible color, still remain significant challenges. Herein, a multiresponsive (e.g., temperature, salt, and pH) and multiadaptive (shape, fluorescent color, and visible color changes) hydrogel was fabricated by employing monomers featuring pH-responsive fluorescence 4-(2-(4-(dimethylamino) phenyl)-1-isocyanovinyl) phenol (DP) and switchable color-changing 4-(2-sulfethyl) -1-(4-vinylbenzyl) pyridinium betaine (VPES). The bilayer hydrogel comprises a temperature- and pH-responsive gel layer, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-2-(dimethylamino) ethyl methacrylate), along with a pH-, temperature-, and salt-responsive gel layer, poly(acrylamide-co-2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate-co-VPES)@DP. Due to the opposite swelling/shrinking behavior between the two layers, the prepared hydrogel exhibits shape changes in response to thermal, salt, and pH stimuli, along with switchable fluorescent color and visible color change that originate from DP and polyVPES, respectively. Apart from multiresponsive behavior, this hydrogel also shows an excellent antifatigue property and high sensitivity, which makes it hold significant potential in many applications. We anticipate that this strategy to realize multiresponsive capability in this work can also inspire the design of the biomimetic smart materials.

Seed-mediated growth synthesis and tunable narrow-band luminescence of quaternary Ag-In-Ga-S alloyed nanocrystals.

Silver-based I-III-VI-type semiconductor nanocrystals have received extensive attention due to their narrow-band luminescence properties. Herein, we demonstrated a seed-mediated growth of quaternary Ag-In-Ga-S (AIGS) nanocrystals (NCs) with narrow-band luminescence. By conducting partial cation exchange with In3+ and Ga3+ based on Ag2S NCs and controlling the Ag/In feeding ratios (0.25 to 2) of Ag-In-S seeds as well as the inventory of 1-dodecanethiol, we achieved optimized luminescence performance in the synthesized AIGS NCs, characterized by a narrow full width at half maximum of less than 40 nm. Meanwhile, narrow-band luminescent AIGS NCs exhibit a tetragonal AgGaS2 crystal structure and a gradient alloy structure, rather than a core-shell structure. Most importantly, the kinetics decay curves of time-resolved photoluminescence and the ground state bleaching in transient absorption generally agree with each other regarding the lifetime of the second decay component, which indicates that the narrow-band luminescence is due to the slow radiative recombination between trapped electrons and trapped holes located at the edge of the conduction band and the deep silver-related trap states (e.g., silver vacancy), respectively. This study provides new insights into the correlation between the narrow-band luminescence properties and the structural characteristics of AIGS NCs.

Photothermal Synergic Cross-Linking Hole Transport Layer for Highly Efficient RGB QLEDs.

Developing an insoluble cross-linkable hole transport layer (HTL) plays an important role for solution-processed quantum dots light-emitting diodes (QLEDs) to fabricate a multilayer device with separated quantum dots layers and HTLs. In this work, a facile photothermal synergic cross-linking strategy is simultaneous annealing and UV irradiation to form the high-quality cross-linked film as the HTL without any photoinitiator, which efficiently reduces the cross-linking temperature to the low temperature of 130 °C and enhances the hole mobility of the 3-vinyl-9-{4-[4-(3-vinylcarbazol-9-yl)phenyl]phenyl}carbazole (CBP-V) thin films. The obtained high-quality cross-linked CBP-V films exhibited smooth morphology, excellent solvent resistance, and high mobility. Moreover, the high-performance red, green, and blue (RGB) QLEDs are successfully fabricated by using the photothermal synergic cross-linked HTLs, which achieved the maximum external quantum efficiency of 25.69, 24.42, and 16.51%, respectively. This work presents a strategy of using the photothermal synergic cross-linked HTLs for fabrication of high-performance QLEDs and advancing their related device applications.

Mitigating microplastic stress on peanuts: The role of biochar-based synthetic community in the preservation of soil physicochemical properties and microbial diversity.

Tire-derived rubber crumbs (RC), as a new type of microplastics (MPs), harms both the environment and human health. Excessive use of plastic, the decomposition of which generates microplastic particles, in current agricultural practices poses a significant threat to the sustainability of agricultural ecosystems, worldwide food security and human health. In this study, the application of biochar, a carbon-rich material, to soil was explored, especially in the evaluation of synthetic biochar-based community (SynCom) to alleviate RC-MP-induced stress on plant growth and soil physicochemical properties and soil microbial communities in peanuts. The results revealed that RC-MPs significantly reduced peanut shoot dry weight, root vigor, nodule quantity, plant enzyme activity, soil urease and dehydrogenase activity, as well as soil available potassium, and bacterial abundance. Moreover, the study led to the identification highly effective plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) from the peanut rhizosphere, which were then integrated into a SynCom and immobilized within biochar. Application of biochar-based SynCom in RC-MPs contaminated soil significantly increased peanut biomass, root vigor, nodule number, and antioxidant enzyme activity, alongside enhancing soil enzyme activity and rhizosphere bacterial abundance. Interestingly, under high-dose RC-MPs treatment, the relative abundance of rhizosphere bacteria decreased significantly, but their diversity increased significantly and exhibited distinct clustering phenomenon. In summary, the investigated biochar-based SynCom proved to be a potential soil amendment to mitigate the deleterious effects of RC-MPs on peanuts and preserve soil microbial functionality. This presents a promising solution to the challenges posed by contaminated soil, offering new avenues for remediation.

Combined proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of the antimicrobial mechanism of tannic acid against Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus aureus is a zoonotic opportunistic pathogen that represents a significant threat to public health. Previous studies have shown that tannic acid (TA) has an inhibitory effect on a variety of bacteria. In this study, the proteome and transcriptome of S. aureus were analyzed to comprehensively assess changes in genes and proteins induced by TA. Initial observations of morphological changes revealed that TA damaged the integrity of the cell membrane. Next, proteomic and genetic analyses showed that exposure to TA altered the expression levels of 651 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs, 283 upregulated and 368 downregulated) and 503 differentially expressed genes (DEGs, 191 upregulated and 312 downregulated). Analysis of the identified DEPs and DEGs suggested that TA damages the integrity of the cell envelope by decreasing the expression and protein abundance of enzymes involved in the synthesis of peptidoglycans, teichoic acids and fatty acids, such as murB, murQ, murG, fmhX and tagA. After treatment with TA, the assembly of ribosomes in S. aureus was severely impaired by significant reductions in available ribosome components, and thus protein synthesis was hindered. The levels of genes and proteins associated with amino acids and purine synthesis were remarkably decreased, which further reduced bacterial viability. In addition, ABC transporters, which are involved in amino acid and ion transport, were also badly affected. Our results reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of TA on S. aureus and provide a theoretical basis for the application of TA as an antibacterial chemotherapeutic agent.

Effects of coal-derived compound fertilizers on soil bacterial community structure in coal mining subsidence areas.

The land damaged by coal mining can be recovered to healthy condition through various reclamation methods. Fertilization is one of the effective methods to improve soil fertility and microbial activity. However, the effects of coal-derived compound fertilizers (SH) on bacterial communities in coal mining subsidence areas still remain unclear. Here, we studied the effects on the nutrient characteristics and bacterial communities in fertilizer-reclaimed soil (CK, without fertilizer; CF, common compound fertilizers; SH, coal-derived compound fertilizers) in coal mining subsidence areas and we applied SH with four different nitrogen application rates (90, 135, 180, and 225 kg/hm2). The results showed that the application of SH significantly increased the contents of available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK), total phosphorus (TP) and soil organic matter (SOM) compared with CK, as well as the bacterial richness (Chao1) and diversity (Shannon) in reclaimed soil that increased first and then decreased with the increase of nitrogen application. Under the same nitrogen application rate (135 kg/hm2), the nutrient content, Chao1 and Shannon of SH2 treatments were higher than those of CF treatment. Meanwhile, SH increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Gemmatimonadetes. LEfSe analysis indicated that the taxa of Acidobacteria and Actinobacteria were significantly improved under SH treatments. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and Variance partitioning analysis (VPA) showed that SOM was the most important factor affecting the change of bacterial community structure in reclaimed soil. In conclusion, application of SH can not only increase nutrient content and bacterial diversity of reclaimed soil, but also improve bacterial community structure by increasing bacterial abundance.

Wound-Healing Material with Antibacterial and Antioxidant Functions, Constructed Using Keratin, Hyperbranched Polymers, and MnO2.

Wound healing, a global medical issue, poses a substantial financial burden. Therefore, developing low-cost and highly efficacious wound-healing materials is essential. In this study, we prepared keratin-hyperbranched polymer hydrogel-M (KHBP-M), a multifunctional composite gel, by mixing reduced keratin containing free sulfhydryl groups extracted from human hair waste, hyperbranched polymer (HBP) with double bonds at the end, and MnO2 nanoparticles prepared using the biological template method. Keratin has intrinsic wound-healing properties, and MnO2 is a wound-healing material with both photothermal antibacterial and reactive oxygen species (ROS)-scavenging abilities. KHBP-M showed antibacterial effects against both Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria. When exposed to irradiation (808 nm), the killing ratio for S. aureus reached 99.99%, which is especially suitable for wound environments. A similar trend was noted for E. coli. The composite hydrogel also showed excellent ROS-scavenging ability and could resist oxidative stress in L929 cells. Furthermore, in an animal model of infected wounds, the KHBP-M hydrogel treated with near-infrared light had the fastest wound-healing rate, reaching 82.98% on day 15. Our study provides a promising wound-healing material, with simple preparation methods, easy access to sources, and low cost involved.

Self-Adaptive Antibacterial Scaffold with Programmed Delivery of Osteogenic Peptide and Lysozyme for Infected Bone Defect Treatment.

Bone defects caused by disease or trauma are often accompanied by infection, which severely disrupts the normal function of bone tissue at the defect site. Biomaterials that can simultaneously reduce inflammation and promote osteogenesis are effective tools for addressing this problem. In this study, we set up a programmed delivery platform based on a chitosan scaffold to enhance its osteogenic activity and prevent implant-related infections. In brief, the osteogenic peptide sequence (YGFGG) was modified onto the surface of cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) to form CCMV-YGFGG nanoparticles. CCMV-YGFGG exhibited good biocompatibility and osteogenic ability in vitro. Then, CCMV-YGFGG and lysozyme were loaded on the chitosan scaffold, which exhibited a good antibacterial effect and promoted bone regeneration for infected bone defect treatment. As a delivery platform, the scaffold showed staged release of lysozyme and CCMV-YGFGG, which facilitates the regeneration of infected bone defects. Our study provides a novel and promising strategy for the treatment of infected bone defects.

Simultaneously Cationic and Anionic Dyes Elimination via Magnetic Hydrochar Prepared from Copper Slag and Pinewood Sawdust.

In practical wastewater, cationic and anionic dyes usually coexist, while synergistic removal of these pollutants is difficult due to their relatively opposite properties. In this work, copper slag (CS) modified hydrochar (CSHC) was designed as functional material by the one-pot method. Based on characterizations, the Fe species in CS can be converted to zero-valent iron and loaded onto a hydrochar substrate. The CSHC exhibited efficient removal rates for both cationic dyes (methylene blue, MB) and anionic dyes (methyl orange, MO), with a maximum capacity of 278.21 and 357.02 mg·g-1, respectively, which was significantly higher than that of unmodified ones. The surface interactions of MB and MO between CSHC were mimicked by the Langmuir model and the pseudo-second-order model. In addition, the magnetic properties of CSHC were also observed, and the good magnetic properties enabled the adsorbent to be quickly separated from the solution with the help of magnets. The adsorption mechanisms include pore filling, complexation, precipitation, and electrostatic attraction. Moreover, the recycling experiments demonstrated the potential regenerative performance of CSHC. All these results shed light on the co-removal of cationic and anionic contaminates via these industrial by-products derived from environmental remediation materials.

Zwitterionic nanocapsule-based wound dressing with the function of gradient release of multi-drugs for efficient wound healing.

Efficient wound healing has attracted great interest due to the prevalence of skin damage. It is still highly desired yet challenging to construct a multi-drug loaded wound dressing that can release different drugs at different times to meet specific requirements towards different healing stages. Herein, a wound dressing was developed based on thermoresponsive zwitterionic nanocapsules (ZNs) that were sandwiched between two double-layered fabrics to regulate the multiple drug release pathway. The salt-response of the obtained ZNs was greatly suppressed while its transition temperature was regulated to be ∼37 °C to fit the needs of the physiological environment. Two bioactive substances, human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) for tissue regeneration and norfloxacin for anti-inflammation, were loaded in the ZNs and on the surface of fabrics, respectively, to achieve separative gradient release. The in vitro drug release tests revealed that norfloxacin could be released relatively fast (∼24 h) while the release rate of bFGF was much slower (∼168 h), matching the specific time requirements of inflammation and proliferation stages very well. The in vivo wound healing experiment also confirmed the high wound healing efficiency of the wound dressing developed here, compared to the wound dressings without gradient release characteristics. We believe the strategy illustrated here will provide new insights into the design and biomedical applications of zwitterionic nanocapsules.

Transcriptome Profiling Analysis of Phosphate-Solubilizing Mechanism of Pseudomonas Strain W134.

Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) can alleviate available phosphorus deficiency without causing environmental pollution, unlike chemical phosphate fertilizers. However, the phosphate solubilization mechanisms of PSB are still unclear. Transcriptome sequencing was used to analyze the expression patterns of differential expressed genes (DEGs) of the phosphate-solubilizing bacterium W134 under the conditions of soluble phosphorus (group A), insoluble phosphorus (group B), and lacking phosphorus (group C). Nine DEGs in three different groups were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Then, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was applied to detect the concentrations and composition of organic acids. Compared with group A, Gene Ontology (GO) annotation showed that the cluster of W134 DEGs in groups B and C were basically the same. Besides, the results of enrichment Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway indicated that genes in the Citrate cycle (TCA cycle) pathway closely related to organic acid production were significantly upregulated. The qRT-PCR results were almost consistent with the expression trends of the transcriptome data. The HPLC results showed that the formic acid, ascorbic acid, acetic acid, citric acid, and succinic acid concentrations were significantly increased in group B and C (p < 0.05), while the contents of lactic acid and malic acid were significantly increased in group B (p < 0.05). The above results provided further validation that the upregulated genes should be related to W134 secretion of organic acids. Our study revealed several potential candidate genes and tried to explain phosphate solubilization mechanisms. This provides a new insight for calcareous reclaimed soil, and it will reduce the need of chemical phosphate fertilizers to promote environmentally friendly agriculture.

Cellulose nanocrystal/phytic acid reinforced conductive hydrogels for antifreezing and antibacterial wearable sensors.

Common hydrogels containing abundant water are insulating materials and lose stretchability easily below the freezing point of water, holding limited potential in emerging applications such as wearable soft devices. The introduction of compatible biomass-derived materials into hydrogel systems could be a potential solution that simultaneously enables anti-freezing ability, mechanical enhancement, and antibacterial properties. Based on such a hypothesis, here we report the facile development of biocompatible hydrogels that are capable of maintaining satisfying mechanical properties and electrical conductivity well below zero degrees centigrade. The strategy is to reinforce neat polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogels with biomass-derived cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) and phytic acid (PA), transforming the originally weak, insulating hydrogels into tough, highly conductive ones. Anti-freezing and antibacterial properties also emerge in the reinforced hydrogels, enabling them to work as efficient wearable sensors below zero degrees centigrade. Considering that numerous polymer hydrogel systems are compatible with CNC and PA, we believe that this simple biomass-based strategy can work universally to enhance and functionalize various weak and insulating hydrogels that are traditionally susceptible to frost and bacteria.

Hysteresis effects of meteorological variation-induced algal blooms: A case study based on satellite-observed data from Dianchi Lake, China (1988-2020).

As one of three top-priority eutrophic lakes in China, Dianchi Lake has received national attention due to its severe eutrophication in recent decades. Meteorological factors are the main factors driving the formation and persistence of algae blooms. In addition, meteorological variation-induced algal blooms usually have a hysteresis effect. However, there have been few quantitative studies on this hysteresis effect. In the present study, Landsat images were used to extract the dynamic characteristics of changes in algal blooms in Dianchi Lake from 1988 to 2020. The hysteresis effect of meteorological factors driving algal blooms was studied by employing the modified lag-correlation method. The results showed that the algal blooms in Dianchi Lake were most severe between 1998 and 2008. During the periods of algal blooms, the values of air temperature (AT) and precipitation (PP) were significantly higher, while those wind velocity (WV) and sunshine duration (SSD) were obviously lower, than the corresponding annual mean values. AT and PP were significantly positively correlated with algal bloom factors in both the formation and persistence stages of algal blooms, while SSD and WV both promoted their regression, but these effects were less significant in the persistence period than in the formation period. Moreover, rainfall led to a decrease in SSD and WV, indirectly contributing to algal blooms. Furthermore, AT, PP and SSD are the main factors impacting the duration of persistent blooms. The time periods during which each meteorological factor was most influential were as follows: 1) AT - 25-30 days before the maximum bloom. 2) PP - within the first 10 days before the maximum bloom. 3) Both SSD and WV - 15-20 days before the maximum bloom. The results of this study support the prediction of algal blooms in Dianchi Lake.

Versatile and Simple Strategy for Preparing Bilayer Hydrogels with Janus Characteristics.

Bilayer hydrogels are attracting tremendous attention for their capability to integrate several different functions on the two sides of the gel, that is, imparting the gel with Janus characteristics, which is highly desired in many engineering and biomedical applications including soft actuators, hydrogel patches, and wearable electronics. However, the preparation process of the bilayer materials usually involves several complicated steps and is time-consuming, while the interfacial bonding is another main concern. Here, a simple and versatile method is proposed to obtain bilayer hydrogels within just one step based on the method of introducing viscosity contrast of the precursors for different layers. The bilayer structure can be well maintained during the whole preparation process with a constrained interfacial molecular exchange to ensure the strong bonding strength. The key requirements for forming distinct bilayer structures in situ are studied and discussed in detail. Bilayer hydrogels with different chemical designs are prepared via this strategy to tailor the good distribution of desired functions for soft actuators, wound healing patches, and wearable electronics. We believe that the strategy illustrated here will provide new insights into the preparation and application of bilayer materials.

Prognostic significance of molecular subtype, metastatic site and primary tumor surgery for survival in primary metastatic breast cancer: A SEER-based study.

ABSTRACT: The incidence of primary metastatic breast cancer (PMBC) has not decreased despite the increasing popularity of mammography screening and data on the survival among these patients are limited. Therefore, we conducted an extensive population-based study to investigate the factors influencing the survival of patients with PMBC.We identified 14,306 patients with de novo stage-IV breast cancer using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data from 2010 to 2015. The overall survival (OS) time and breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS) time were compared by the Kaplan-Meier method. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the effect of different prognostic factors.Patients with hormone receptor positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 positive showed the longest median survival time in OS (39 months) and BCSS (43 months), and those with triple negative exhibited the shortest in OS (11 months) and BCSS (12 months). We concluded that patients who had undergone primary tumor surgery had better survival than those who did not. The incidence of distant visceral metastasis in the whole cohort was as follows: bone, lung, liver, and brain. This study also substantiated that patients with only brain metastasis had poorer survival than patients with metastasis at multiple sites metastasis, not including brain metastasis (P < .0001).This study confirmed that molecular subtypes, metastatic site and primary tumor surgery were associated with the survival of PMBC patients.