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Very recently, half-hydrogenated germanene has been achieved in an experiment. In this paper, we investigate the effects of tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) molecular adsorption and strain on the electronic properties of half-hydrogenated germanene through first-principles. As an electron-acceptor molecule, TCNQ is exploited to non-covalently functionalize the half-hydrogenated germanene. However, this physical adsorption induces a ferromagnetic semiconductor–metal transition in half-hydrogenated germanene due to charge transfer from the substrate to the TCNQ molecule. More importantly, the superstructure of half-hydrogenated germanene/TCNQ is extremely sensitive to biaxial tensile strain. Under the biaxial tensile strain of 0.25%, the ferromagnetic semiconductor–metal transition induced by molecular adsorption can surprisingly be overturned. Meanwhile, a strong p-type doping is exhibited. Remarkably, it would return from a ferromagnetic semiconductor to a metal again when the biaxial tensile strain increases to 1.5%. Our analysis based on the structural and electronic properties of half-hydrogenated germanene/TCNQ indicates that such metal–semiconductor–metal transition in half-hydrogenated germanene/TCNQ under biaxial tensile strain may originate from the strong local deformation, resulting in the energy of the valence band maximum decreasing below or increasing above the Fermi level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of both molecular adsorption and external electric field on the electronic properties of germanene are investigated through first-principles calculations in this work. The molecular adsorption-induced intrinsic electric field by small molecules (SMs) breaks the symmetry of two sublattices in germanene, leading to a band gap opening from zero to 3.2 meV, even up to 81.0 meV. Under an external electric field, a wide ranging linearly tunable band gap (0–69.39 meV for the germanene/methane system and 37.66–134.17 meV for the germanene/ammonia system) can be realized, which is merely determined by the strength of the composited electric field independent of its direction. More importantly, the band gap of germanene/SMs can be closed and reopened under a critical electric field. On the other hand, the mechanism of charge transfer between germanene and SMs under an external electric field is revealed by an equivalent capacitor model to explain the tunable charge transfer. The composited field-induced charge transfer could be promoted when an external electric field and a molecular adsorption-induced internal electric field have the same direction. Otherwise, the charge transfer will be inhibited. Particularly, the tunable electronic properties of germanene are sensitive to the concentration of molecular adsorption under an electric field, representing multiple-effects that would significantly enhance the performance of germanene for electronic devices in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A momentum balance equation is developed to investigate the magnetotransport properties in monolayer molybdenum disulphide when a strong perpendicular magnetic field and a weak in-plane electric field are applied simultaneously. At low temperature, in the presence of intravalley impurity scattering, Shubnikov–de Haas oscillation shows up accompanied by a beating pattern arising from large spin splitting and its period may halve due to the high-order oscillating term at large magnetic field for samples with ultrahigh mobility. In the case of intervalley disorders, there exists a magnetic-field range where the magnetoresistivity almost vanishes. For a low-mobility layer, a phase inversion of oscillating peaks is acquired in accordance with recent experiment. At high temperature when Shubnikov–de Haas oscillation is suppressed, the magnetophonon resonances induced by both optical phonons (mainly due to homopolar and Frohlich modes) and acoustic phonons (mainly due to intravalley transverse and longitudinal acoustic modes) emerge for a suspended system with high mobility. For the single layer on a substrate, another resonance due to surface optical phonons may occur, resulting in a complex behavior of the total magnetoresistance. The beating pattern of magnetophonon resonance due to optical phonons can also be observed. However, for a nonsuspended layer with low mobility, the magnetoresistance oscillation almost disappears and the resistivity increases with field monotonically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering finite-temperature screened electron-impurity scattering, we present a kinetic equation approach to investigate transport properties of two-dimensional massive fermions in silicene. We find that the longitudinal conductivity is always nonvanishing when chemical potential lies within the energy gap. This residual conductivity arises from interband correlation and strongly depends on strength of electron-impurity scattering. We also clarify that the electron-impurity interaction makes substantial contributions to the spin and valley Hall conductivities, which, however, are almost independent of impurity density. The dependencies of longitudinal conductivity as well as of spin and valley Hall conductivities on chemical potential, temperature, and gap energy are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a theoretical investigation for the full counting statistics of the Andreev tunneling through a quantum dot (QD) embedded between superconducting (SC) and normal leads in the presence of a strong on-site electron-phonon interaction using nonequilibrium Green function method. For this purpose, we generalize the dressed tunneling approximation (DTA) recently developed in dealing with inelastic tunneling in a normal QD system to the Andreev transport issue. This method takes account of vibrational effect in evaluation of electronic tunneling self energy in comparison with other simple approaches and meanwhile allows us to derive an explicit analytical formula for the cumulant generating function at the subgap region. We then analyze the interplay of polaronic and SC proximity effects on the Andreev reflection spectrum, current-voltage characteristics, and current fluctuations of the hybrid system. Our main findings include: (1) no phonon side peaks in the linear Andreev conductance; (2) a negative differential conductance stemming from the suppressed Andreev reflection spectrum; (3) a novel inelastic resonant peak in the differential conductance due to phonon assisted Andreev reflection; (4) enhancement or suppression of shot noise for the symmetric or asymmetric tunnel-coupling system, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human intestinal enteroids (HIEs) are gaining recognition as physiologically relevant models of the intestinal epithelium. While HIEs from adults are used extensively in biomedical research, few studies have used HIEs from infants. Considering the dramatic developmental changes that occur during infancy, it is important to establish models that represent infant intestinal characteristics and physiological responses. We established jejunal HIEs from infant surgical samples and performed comparisons to jejunal HIEs from adults using RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) and morphologic analyses. We then validated differences in key pathways through functional studies and determined whether these cultures recapitulate known features of the infant intestinal epithelium. RNA-Seq analysis showed significant differences in the transcriptome of infant and adult HIEs, including differences in genes and pathways associated with cell differentiation and proliferation, tissue development, lipid metabolism, innate immunity, and biological adhesion. Validating these results, we observed a higher abundance of cells expressing specific enterocyte, goblet cell, and enteroendocrine cell markers in differentiated infant HIE monolayers, and greater numbers of proliferative cells in undifferentiated 3D cultures. Compared to adult HIEs, infant HIEs portray characteristics of an immature gastrointestinal epithelium including significantly shorter cell height, lower epithelial barrier integrity, and lower innate immune responses to infection with an oral poliovirus vaccine. HIEs established from infant intestinal tissues reflect characteristics of the infant gut and are distinct from adult cultures. Our data support the use of infant HIEs as an ex vivo model to advance studies of infant-specific diseases and drug discovery for this population., Importance: Tissue or biopsy stem cell-derived human intestinal enteroids are increasingly recognized as physiologically relevant models of the human gastrointestinal epithelium. While enteroids from adults and fetal tissues have been extensively used for studying many infectious and non-infectious diseases, there are few reports on enteroids from infants. We show that infant enteroids exhibit both transcriptomic and morphological differences compared to adult cultures. They also differ in functional responses to barrier disruption and innate immune responses to infection, suggesting that infant and adult enteroids are distinct model systems. Considering the dramatic changes in body composition and physiology that begin during infancy, tools that appropriately reflect intestinal development and diseases are critical. Infant enteroids exhibit key features of the infant gastrointestinal epithelium. This study is significant in establishing infant enteroids as age-appropriate models for infant intestinal physiology, infant-specific diseases, and responses to pathogens., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is commonly utilized for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). However, a subset of patients experience significant gastrointestinal (GI) adverse effects following MMF administration. The present study aims to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of MMF-induced GI toxicity in NMOSD. Utilizing a vancomycin-treated mouse model, we compiled a comprehensive data set to investigate the microbiome and metabolome in the GI tract to elucidate the mechanisms of MMF GI toxicity. Furthermore, we enrolled 17 female NMOSD patients receiving MMF, who were stratified into non-diarrhea NMOSD and diarrhea NMOSD (DNM) groups, in addition to 12 healthy controls. The gut microbiota of stool samples was analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Vancomycin administration prevented weight loss and tissue injury caused by MMF, affecting colon metabolomes and microbiomes. Bacterial β-glucuronidase from Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes was linked to intestinal tissue damage. The DNM group showed higher alpha diversity and increased levels of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. The β-glucuronidase produced by Firmicutes may be important in causing gastrointestinal side effects from MMF in NMOSD treatment, providing useful information for future research on MMF., Importance: Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients frequently endure severe consequences like paralysis and blindness. Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) effectively addresses these issues, but its usage is hindered by gastrointestinal (GI) complications. Through uncovering the intricate interplay among MMF, gut microbiota, and metabolic pathways, this study identifies specific gut bacteria responsible for metabolizing MMF into a potentially harmful form, thus contributing to GI side effects. These findings not only deepen our comprehension of MMF toxicity but also propose potential strategies, such as inhibiting these bacteria, to mitigate these adverse effects. This insight holds broader implications for minimizing complications in NMOSD patients undergoing MMF therapy., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Marine bacteria play important roles in the degradation and cycling of algal polysaccharides. However, the dynamics of epiphytic bacterial communities and their roles in algal polysaccharide degradation during kelp decay are still unclear. Here, we performed metagenomic analyses to investigate the identities and predicted metabolic abilities of epiphytic bacterial communities during the early and late decay stages of the kelp Saccharina japonica . During kelp decay, the dominant epiphytic bacterial communities shifted from Gammaproteobacteria to Verrucomicrobia and Bacteroidetes. In the early decay stage of S. japonica , epiphytic bacteria primarily targeted kelp-derived labile alginate for degradation, among which the gammaproteobacterial Vibrionaceae (particularly Vibrio ) and Psychromonadaceae (particularly Psychromonas ), abundant in alginate lyases belonging to the polysaccharide lyase (PL) families PL6, PL7, and PL17, were key alginate degraders. More complex fucoidan was preferred to be degraded in the late decay stage of S. japonica by epiphytic bacteria, predominantly from Verrucomicrobia (particularly Lentimonas ), Pirellulaceae of Planctomycetes (particularly Rhodopirellula ), Pontiellaceae of Kiritimatiellota, and Flavobacteriaceae of Bacteroidetes, which depended on using glycoside hydrolases (GHs) from the GH29, GH95, and GH141 families and sulfatases from the S1_15, S1_16, S1_17, and S1_25 families to depolymerize fucoidan. The pathways for algal polysaccharide degradation in dominant epiphytic bacterial groups were reconstructed based on analyses of metagenome-assembled genomes. This study sheds light on the roles of different epiphytic bacteria in the degradation of brown algal polysaccharides.IMPORTANCEKelps are important primary producers in coastal marine ecosystems. Polysaccharides, as major components of brown algal biomass, constitute a large fraction of organic carbon in the ocean. However, knowledge of the identities and pathways of epiphytic bacteria involved in the degradation process of brown algal polysaccharides during kelp decay is still elusive. Here, based on metagenomic analyses, the succession of epiphytic bacterial communities and their metabolic potential were investigated during the early and late decay stages of Saccharina japonica . Our study revealed a transition in algal polysaccharide-degrading bacteria during kelp decay, shifting from alginate-degrading Gammaproteobacteria to fucoidan-degrading Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes, Kiritimatiellota, and Bacteroidetes. A model for the dynamic degradation of algal cell wall polysaccharides, a complex organic carbon, by epiphytic microbiota during kelp decay was proposed. This study deepens our understanding of the role of epiphytic bacteria in marine algal carbon cycling as well as pathogen control in algal culture., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: There has been a rapid increase in the number of human adenovirus type 7 (HAdV-7) and invasive pulmonary fungal infections (IPFIs) co-infection., Methods: In this study, we included patients with confirmed HAdV-7 infection during the period from 2018 to 2019 to explore clinical characteristics of severe HAdV-7 pneumonia combined with IPFIs., Results: Among the 143 patients, 35 cases were co-infected with IPFIs. Others were assigned to the control group (n Z 108). Patients wereprone to be complicated with respiratory failure, heart failure and hemophagocytic syndromein IPFIs group. Thirty-one species of fungi were detected in the IPFIs group, among whichAspergillus was the most common species. Compared to control group, patients had lowerlevels of WBC, CD3þ T lymphocyte counts and CD19þ B lymphocyte counts in IPFIs group., Conclusion: Aspergillus is the most common species in IPFIs combined with severe HAdV-7 pneumonia. For children with severe HAdV-7 pneumonia who are younger, have a long course of disease, and have been admitted to the ICU, we should predict the occurrence of IPFIs when there is multi-system dysfunction and the reduction of CD3+ T lymphocyte counts and CD19+ B lymphocyte counts in course of their disease., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest relevant to this article., (Copyright © 2022 Taiwan Pediatric Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)