A Nonconjugated Zwitterionic Polymer: Cathode Interfacial Layer Comparable with PFN for Narrow-Bandgap Polymer Solar Cells

A nonconjugated, alcohol-soluble zwitterionic polymer, poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) (denoted by PSBMA), is employed as cathode interfacial layer (CIL) in polymer solar cells (PSCs) based on PTB7-Th:PC₇₁ BM. Compared with the control device without CIL, PSCs with PSBMA CILs show significant enhancement on the resulting performance, and the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 8.27% is achieved. Under parallel conditions, PSCs with PSBMA as CIL show comparable performance than those with widely used poly[(9,9-bis(30-(N,N-dimethylamino)propyl)-2,7-fluorene)-alt-2,7-(9,9-ioctylfluorene)] as CIL. The polar groups of PSBMA not only provide a solvent orthogonal solubility in the process of preparation of the devices but also lead to interfacial dipole to the electrode, which promises a better energy level alignment. In addition, PSBMA-based devices show better abilities of hole blocking. These results indicate that the zwitterionic polymer PSBMA should be a promising CIL in PSC-based narrow-bandgap polymers.

Identification and Characterization of β-Lathyrin, an Abundant Glycoprotein of Grass Pea ( Lathyrus sativus L.), as a Potential Allergen

Grass pea, a protein-rich, high-yielding, and drought-tolerant legume, is used as food and livestock feed in several tropical and subtropical regions of the world. The abundant seed proteins of grass pea are salt-soluble globulins, which can be separated into vicilins and legumins. In many other legumes, the members of vicilin seed proteins have been identified as major allergens. However, very little information is available on the allergens of grass pea. In this study, we have identified an abundant 47 kDa protein from grass pea, which was recognized by immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies from sera drawn from several peanut-allergic patients. The IgE-binding 47 kDa protein was partially purified by affinity chromatography on a Con-A sepharose column. Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis of the 47 kDa grass pea protein revealed sequence homology to 47 kDa vicilin from pea and Len c 1 from lentil. Interestingly the grass pea vicilin was found to be susceptible to pepsin digestion in vitro. We have also isolated a cDNA encoding the grass pea 47 kDa vicilin (β-lathyrin), and the deduced amino acid sequence revealed extensive homology to several known allergens, including those from peanut and soybean. A homology model structure of the grass pea β-lathyrin, generated using the X-ray crystal structure of the soybean β-conglycinin β subunit as a template, revealed potential IgE-binding epitopes located on the surface of the molecule. The similarity in the three-dimensional structure and the conservation of the antigenic epitopes on the molecular surface of vicilin allergens explains the IgE-binding cross-reactivity.

ConnectedAlign: a PPI network alignment method for identifying conserved protein complexes across multiple species

Background

In bioinformatics, network alignment algorithms have been applied to protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks to discover evolutionary conserved substructures at the system level. However, most previous methods aim to maximize the similarity of aligned proteins in pairwise networks, while concerning little about the feature of connectivity in these substructures, such as the protein complexes.

Results

In this paper, we identify the problem of finding conserved protein complexes, which requires the aligned proteins in a PPI network to form a connected subnetwork. By taking the feature of connectivity into consideration, we propose ConnectedAlign, an efficient method to find conserved protein complexes from multiple PPI networks. The proposed method improves the coverage significantly without compromising of the consistency in the aligned results. In this way, the knowledge of protein complexes in well-studied species can be extended to that of poor-studied species.

Conclusions

We conducted extensive experiments on real PPI networks of four species, including human, yeast, fruit fly and worm. The experimental results demonstrate dominant benefits of the proposed method in finding protein complexes across multiple species.

Enhanced Stretch Formability of AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Thin Sheet by Induced Precompression and Sequent Annealing

In this study, precompression deformation with a strain level of 5.38% along the transverse direction (TD) at room temperature was conducted on a AZ31 magnesium alloy thin sheet with thickness of 1mm. Then subsequent annealing treatment was carried out at various temperatures (200, 300, 400, and 500 °C) to induce static recrystallization (SRX) and grain growth. The stretch formability was also investigated using the hemispherical test. The results showed that the twinning texture induced by the precompression process was nearly inherited by recrystallized grains after annealing process. Grains grew up and the size increased with the increase of annealing temperature. The largest grain size was obtained when annealing at 400 °C. The mechanical properties including strength and ductility decreased due to the development of coarse grains, however, the stretch formability was enhanced significantly. Indeed, the IE-value increased from 2.83 mm in the as-received Mg alloy sheet to 5.78 mm in the precompressed and 400 °C annealed specimens, leading to an improvement of 104%. This was ascribed to the rotated grain orientation and higher activity of (10–12) twins in coarse grains.

Identification of a Novel HIV-1 Unique Recombinant Form Comprising CRF01_AE, Subtype B', and CRF65_cpx Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in Jilin, China

The current HIV-1 epidemic in China is featured by diverse subtypes and continual emergence of new recombinant viruses. This study identified a novel unique recombinant form (URF), JL16013, among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Jilin, China. The JL16013 virus was different from all known subtypes and set up a distinct branch on the phylogenetic tree. This virus had a CRF01_AE backbone with two subtype B' fragments and one CRF65_cpx fragment inserted into gag, pol, env, and nef regions, suggesting that this novel URF might have originated from the CRF01_AE, subtype B', and CRF65_cpx viruses that were cocirculating in Jilin province. This was the first report of the CRF01_AE/B'/CRF65_cpx recombinant in China. Identification of this URF indicated the severity and complexity of the HIV-1 epidemic among MSM in Jilin province. Timely surveillance of new HIV-1 infections and new recombinants among the MSM population is urgently required.

Long-Term Outcomes in Patients with Anemia And Cerebral Venous Thrombosis

BACKGROUND

Anemia is associated with unfavorable functional outcome in ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. However, the relationship between anemia and prognosis in patients with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) has not been studied.

METHODS

Consecutive CVT patients were retrospectively identified from November 2011, through January 2017. Anemia was defined according to the World Health Organization criteria (non-pregnant female hemoglobin level < 120 g/L, pregnant female < 110 g/L and male < 130 g/L), which was further classified as mild, moderate, and severe anemia according to hemoglobin concentration, and as microcytic, normocytic, and macrocytic anemia according to mean corpuscular volume. Unfavorable outcome was defined as modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 3-6. Factors such as age, sex, coma, malignancy, intracerebral hemorrhage, and straight sinus and/or deep CVT involved, premorbid mRS were adjusted to evaluate the relationship between anemia and prognosis in CVT patients.

RESULTS

A total of 238 CVT patients were included, among whom 73 patients (30.67%) were diagnosed with anemia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that patients with anemia had a higher risk of mRS of 3-6 (OR = 3.62; 95% CI, 1.45-9.01; P = 0.006) and mortality (OR = 5.46; 95% CI, 1.90-15.70; P = 0.002). Subgroup analysis showed that severe anemia was independently associated with mRS of 3-6 (OR = 8.80; 95% CI, 1.90-40.81; P = 0.005) and mortality (OR = 9.82; 95% CI, 1.81-53.25; P = 0.010). Similarly, microcytic anemia increased the risk of mRS of 3-6 (OR = 4.64; 95% CI, 1.48-14.52; P = 0.008) and mortality (OR = 9.68; 95% CI, 2.61-35.91; P = 0.001). In addition, our study also revealed that lower hemoglobin level, evaluated as a continuous variable, was inversely associated with mRS of 3-6 (OR = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99; P = 0.007) and mortality (OR = 0.97; 95% CI, 0.95-0.99; P = 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

Anemia was a significant and independent predictor of unfavorable functional outcome in patients with CVT.

Dinoflagellates, a Unique Lineage for Retrogene Research

The birth and evolution of retrogenes have played crucial roles in genome evolution. Dinoflagellates represent a unique lineage for retrogene research because the retrogenes can be reliably identified by the presence of a 22 nucleotide splice leader called DinoSL, which is post-transcriptionally added to the 5' terminus of all mRNAs. Compared to studies of retrogenes conducted in other model genomes, dinoflagellate retrogenes can potentially be more comprehensively characterized because intron-containing retrogenes have already been detected. Unfortunately, dinoflagellate retrogene research has long been neglected. Here, we review the work on dinoflagellate retrogenes and show their distinct character. Like the dinoflagellate genome itself, dinoflagellate retrogenes are also characterized by many unusual features, including a high survival rate and large numbers in the genome. These data are critical complements to what we know about retrogenes, and will further frame our understanding of retroposition and its roles in genome evolution, as well as providing new insights into retrogene studies in other genomes.

The relationship of social support, mental health, and health-related quality of life in human immunodeficiency virus-positive men who have sex with men: From the analysis of canonical correlation and structural equation model: A cross-sectional study

The objective of this study was to reveal the relationships of mental health, social support, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) as well as their dimensions in HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM).HIV-positive MSM were interviewed by a cross-sectional study design using the world Health Organization quality of life bref scale, social support rating scale, and self-rated anxiety and depression scales. Canonical correlation analysis and structural equation model (SEM) were utilized to analyze to the collected data.Three first pair of canonical variables that was statistically significant (P < .0001) and verified could account for the largest cumulative proportion were computed from canonical correlation analysis. The results showed, among the dimensions, depression and anxiety were negatively correlated with support utilization and physical health, while subjective support and support utilization were positively correlation with social relationship health. Structural equation model results showed that support utilization (0.632, T = 10.44), depression (0.816, T = 20.37), and environmental dimension (0.833, T = 38.47) had the largest standardized factor loading in social support, mental health, and HRQOL. The structural coefficient between social support and mental health was -0.433 (T = -5.88), between mental health and HRQOL was -0.592 (T = -10.33), between social support and HRQOL was 0.290 (T = 4.10), indicated social support not only exerted a direct influence, but also mediated mental health to have an indirect effect on HRQOL for HIV-positive MSM.Environmental dimension is the foremost factor of HRQOL for HIV-positive MSM. Alleviating anxiety symptoms maybe improve physical health, while promoting the support utilization is an effective measure of alleviating depression and improving social relationship health for this special group.

Construction of a multifunctional nanoprobe for tumor-targeted time-gated luminescence and magnetic resonance imaging in vitro and in vivo

A dual-modal fluorescence-magnetic resonance imaging technique has gained tremendous attention for its potential in the dawning era of early diagnosis of tumors with high accuracy. In this study, a facile approach has been developed to prepare a tumor-targetable nanoprobe, PTTA-Eu3+-CoFeO-FA nanoparticles, for dual-modal time-gated luminescence (TGL)-magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. The multifunctional nanoprobe was constructed by coating a tumor-targeting molecule, folic acid (FA), and a luminescent Eu3+ complex, PTTA-Eu3+, onto the surface of cobalt/iron oxide (CoFeO) nanoparticles. The as-prepared PTTA-Eu3+-CoFeO-FA nanoparticles are well dispersed in water with good biocompatibility, strong long-lived luminescence as well as pronounced transverse relaxivity. The in vitro study reveals that the nanoprobe works well as an effective luminescent probe to achieve the targeted TGL imaging of RAW 264.7 cells without the interference of background fluorescence, and the results of in vivo dual-modal TGL-MR imaging indicate that the fabricated nanoprobe can be preferentially accumulated in the tumor to effectively enhance the signals of T2-weighted MR imaging and TGL imaging. The research achievements will contribute to the development of new dual-modal fluorescence-MR nanoprobes for application in clinical diagnosis and therapy of tumors.

Highly Efficient Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalytic Hydrogen Production on CdS/Cu7S4/g-C3N4 Ternary Heterostructures

Hydrogen production through photocatalytic water splitting has attracted much attention because of its potential to solve the issues of environmental pollution and energy shortage. In this work, CdS/Cu₇S₄/g-C₃N₄ ternary heterostructures are fabricated by ion exchange between CdS and Cu⁺ and subsequent ultrasonication-assisted self-assembly of CdS/Cu₇S₄ and g-C₃N₄, which provide excellent visible-light photocatalytic activity for hydrogen evolution without any noble metal cocatalyst. With the presence of p-n junction, tuned band gap alignments, and higher charge carrier density in the CdS/Cu₇S₄/g-C₃N₄ ternary heterostructures that can effectively promote the spatial separation and prolong the lifetime of photogenerated electrons, a high hydrogen evolution rate of 3570 μmol g^-1 h^-1, an apparent quantum yield of 4.4% at 420 nm, and remarkable recycling stability are achieved. We believe that the as-synthesized CdS/Cu₇S₄/g-C₃N₄ ternary heterostructures can be promising noble metal-free catalysts for enhanced hydrogen production from photocatalytic water splitting.

Fluorescent Metallacage-Core Supramolecular Polymer Gel Formed by Orthogonal Metal Coordination and Host-Guest Interactions

Herein, we report the preparation of a multifunctional metallacage-core supramolecular gel by orthogonal metal coordination and host-guest interactions. A tetragonal prismatic cage with four appended 21-crown-7 (21C7) moieties in its pillar parts was first prepared via the metal-coordination-driven self-assembly of cis-Pt(PEt₃)₂(OTf)₂, tetraphenylethene (TPE)-based sodium benzoate ligands and linear dipyridyl ligands. Further addition of a bisammonium linker to the cage delivered a supramolecular polymer network via the host-guest interactions between the 21C7 moieties and ammonium salts, which formed a supramolecular gel at relatively higher concentrations. Due to the incorporation of a TPE derivative as the fluorophore, the gel shows emission properties. Multiple stimuli responsiveness and good self-healing properties were also observed because of the dynamic metal coordination and host-guest interactions used to stabilize the whole network structure. Moreover, the storage and loss moduli of the gel are 10-fold those of the gel without the metallacage cores, indicating that the rigid metallacage plays a significant role in enhancing the stiffness of the gel. The studies described herein not only enrich the functionalization of fluorescent metallacages via elegant ligand design but also provide a way to prepare stimuli-responsive and self-healing supramolecular gels as robust and smart materials.

[Concentrations and Health Risk Assessments of Heavy Metal Contents in Soil and Rice of Mine Contaminated Areas]

Nandan County is famous for its mining of nonferrous metals. In order to investigate the effects of mining activities on the soil and rice and to evaluate the health risk of the exposure of typical local inhabitants to heavy metals via consumption of rice, a consecutive 3-day household diet survey in four villages in Nandan was conducted. Liuzhai is an uncontaminated contrast area, and Chehe, Dachang, and Zhanglao are contaminated areas. The data for rice consumption rates were obtained. At the same time, 56 soil samples from rice fields and 90 rice samples were collected for the analysis of As, Sb, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn. In addition, the potential health risk of the exposure of local people to heavy metals via consumption of the rice was assessed using the pollution index method and the data from the intake of heavy metals. Results showed that the mean contents of As, Sb, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn were 58.1, 16.4, 1.22, 49.1, 52.1, and 271 mg·kg^-1 in the soil samples from contaminated areas, with higher pollution risks than from the control area for soil heavy metal contents. The Nemero comprehensive contamination index (P_N) was 3.14, a heavy pollution grade. Cd contents in rice in Liuzhai, Chehe, Dachang, and Zhanglao were 2.23 times, 4.40 times, 3.81 times, and 3.52 times higher than those of GB 2762-2017.The content in rice exceeds the standard in all four areas. The daily intake (DI) of Cd in the four areas was higher than the provisional tolerable daily intake (PTDI) established by FAO/WHO. This indicates that Cd and As are the major heavy metal elements posing health risks to the health of the inhabitants in the mining areas and that the inhabitants in the mining areas are facing severe risks of exposure to heavy metals.

Separately enhanced dual emissions of the amphiphilic derivative of 2-(2'-hydroxylphenyl) benzothiazole by supramolecular complexation

Here, we report separately enhanced dual emissions of the amphiphilic derivative of 2-(2'-hydroxyphenyl)benzothiazole (denoted as HBT-11) by supramolecular complexation with cyclodextrins (CDs). When dispersed in water, HBT-11 shows two relatively weak emission bands, which can be assigned to the emissions of enol- and keto-forms, the two tautomers, owing to excited-state intramolecular proton transfers. Upon the addition of α-CD and β-CD, the keto- and enol-emissions, respectively, are separately enhanced; the enhancement effect is due to the formation of HBT-11/α-CD and HBT-11/β-CD complexes through multiple hydrogen bonding and host-guest interactions, respectively. It is worth to note that the keto-emission caused by the complex of HBT-11/α-CD has a much shorter wavelength compared with that of the aggregates formed by pure HBT-11. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that a study on keto-emission of the isolated HBT chromophore has been reported.

Tuning the emission of a water-soluble 3-hydroxyflavone derivative by host-guest complexation

3-Hydroxyflavone derivatives have great potential as fluorescent probes for bio-labeling in aqueous medium. They were extensively studied in various organic solvents for the "excited state intramolecular proton transfer" process, but seldom addressed in aqueous solution due to the poor water solubility. Herein, an amphiphilic molecule bearing 3-hydroxyflavone and oligo(ethylene oxide) (denoted as 3HF-EO) was designed and synthesized. Different from the fluorescence in organic solvents, 3HF-EO in aqueous solution showed a remarkable single fluorescence emission, which is ascribed to the fluorescence of its anionic species. We found that the fluorescence intensity could be efficiently tuned via host-guest complexation. α-CD has little effect on the emission, while β-CD and γ-CD lead to enhanced and reduced emissions of 3HF-EO, respectively. The 1H NMR and 2D NOESY NMR spectra indicate that α-CD barely had any interaction with 3HF-EO, while β-CD and γ-CD formed complexes with one and two 3HF-EO molecules, respectively. These results provide a sound explanation for the modulated fluorescence intensity.

IrrE Improves Organic Solvent Tolerance and Δ1-Dehydrogenation Productivity of Arthrobacter simplex

During steroid bioconversion, organic solvents are widely used for facilitating hydrophobic substrate dissolution in industry. Thus, strains that tolerate organic solvents are highly desirable. IrrE, a global transcriptional factor, was introduced into Arthrobacter simplex with Δ¹-dehydrogenation ability. The results evidenced that IrrE did not affect cell biological traits and biotransformation performance under non-stress conditions. However, the recombinant strain achieved a productivity higher than that of the control strain in systems containing more ethanol and substrate, which coincided with cell viability under ethanol stress, the major stress factor during biotransformation. It also demonstrated that IrrE caused genome-wide transcriptional perturbation, and several defense proteins or systems were linked with higher organic solvent tolerance. IrrE simultaneously enhanced cell resistance to various stresses, and its horizontal impacts showed strain and stress dependence. In conclusion, the introduction of exogenous global regulators is an efficient approach to enhance organic solvent tolerance in steroid-transforming strains, resulting in higher productivity.

Comparative Genomics Reveals Two Major Bouts of Gene Retroposition Coinciding with Crucial Periods of Symbiodinium Evolution

Gene retroposition is an important mechanism of genome evolution but the role it plays in dinoflagellates, a critical player in marine ecosystems, is not known. Until recently, when the genomes of two coral-symbiotic dinoflagellate genomes, Symbiodinium kawagutii and S. minutum, were released, it has not been possible to systematically study these retrogenes. Here we examine the abundant retrogenes (∼23% of the total genes) in these species. The hallmark of retrogenes in the genome is the presence of DCCGTAGCCATTTTGGCTCAAG, a spliced leader (DinoSL) constitutively trans-spliced to the 5′-end of all nucleus-encoded mRNAs. Although the retrogenes have often lost part of the 22-nt DinoSL, the putative promoter motif from the DinoSL, TTT(T/G), is consistently retained in the upstream region of these genes, providing an explanation for the high survival rate of retrogenes in dinoflagellates. Our analysis of DinoSL sequence divergence revealed two major bursts of retroposition in the evolutionary history of Symbiodinium, occurring at ∼60 and ∼6 Ma. Reconstruction of the evolutionary trajectory of the Symbiodinium genomes mapped these 2 times to the origin and rapid radiation of this dinoflagellate lineage, respectively. GO analysis revealed differential functional enrichment of the retrogenes between the two episodes, with a broad impact on transport in the first bout and more localized influence on symbiosis-related processes such as cell adhesion in the second bout. This study provides the first evidence of large-scale retroposition as a major mechanism of genome evolution for any organism and sheds light on evolution of coral symbiosis.

Vascular Lesion Thickness in the Lenticulostriate Artery Region Serves as a Biomarker for Early Neurological Deterioration

BACKGROUND

Early neurological deterioration (END) was common in single small subcortical infarction (SSSI). Distal type of SSSI (dSSSI) was reported to have a lower risk of END than proximal type of SSSI (pSSSI) in lenticulostriate artery(LSA) territory. However, dSSSIs with different lesion thickness might have different risks of END.

OBJECTIVE

In this prospective cohort study, we aimed to investigate whether dSSSIs visible on ≥3 serial axial diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) slices were also imaging markers for END.

METHODS

Patients of SSSIs in the LSA territory admitted within 72 hours from the onset were selected in a prospective stroke database. Clinical characteristics including the occurrence of END after admission were recorded. The lowest slice (LS), total number of slices (TNS) involved and the maximum axial diameter were evaluated for lesion location and size on axial plane of DWI images. Lesion patterns were categorized according to LS and TNS. Multivariate logistic analysis was performed to determine the imaging pattern that associated with END.

RESULTS

A total of 201 out of 1,158 patients were analyzed. END occurred in 32(15.9%) patients after admission. SSSI was categorized to pSSSI (LS≤2), distal and large SSSI (dl-SSSI, LS&gt;2, TNS≥3), distal and small SSSI (ds-SSSI, LS&gt;2, TNS&lt;3) respectively. Multivariate logistic analysis showed that ds-SSSI patients had a significantly lower rate of END(OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.06-0.71, P=0.013) comparing to dl-SSSI patients; pSSSI patients, however, had a similar rate of END (OR 1.27, 95% CI 0.50-3.21, P=0.611) to dl-SSSI patients.

CONCLUSION

Except for pSSSI, dl-SSSI was also an imaging marker for END in the territory of LSA.

[Spatial Distribution Study and Pollution Assessment of Pb in Soils in the Xijiang River Drainage of Guangxi]

To obtain data for the accumulation of Pb and its risk in soils in the Xijiang River drainage of Guangxi, 2594 samples were collected from nonferrous metal mining soils, farmland soils (paddy soils and dryland soils), and the background soils in the drainage area. Geostatistical analysis combined with GIS was used to study the soil spatial distribution characteristics and pollution distribution of the soil Pb content. The results showed that the Pb background value of the soil was 51.84 mg ·kg^-1 in the Xijiang River Basin, and the results of the single sample T test showed that the soil background value was significantly higher than that of a previous study (22.08 mg ·kg^-1) and the soil background value (20.50 mg ·kg^-1) in Guangxi province. The geometric mean concentration of Pb in the mining soils, dryland soils, and paddy soils were 655.9, 116.7, and 40.63mg ·kg^-1, respectively, significantly higher than that in other soils. Using GB 15618-1995 and the baseline as the limiting value, the corresponding exceedance rate of the mining soils, dryland soils, and paddy soils were 57.69%, 16.40%, and 8.92% and 54.95%, 8.09%, and 2.03%. The mining soils and farmland soils had an obvious lead accumulation trend. There was an obvious spatial autocorrelation of Pb in the soil, and the structural variation was dominant. The content of Pb in the upper reaches of the Xijiang River reached the middle and lower reaches of the Xijiang River, and the soil Pb was characterized by an obvious decrease. The accumulation of high Pb content in the upper reaches of Diaojiang River is much larger than that in the lower reaches of Diaojiang River. The content of Pb in soil samples in the Xijiang River Basin was mainly rated between mild pollution and moderate pollution, and the pollution was concentrated in the municipal administrative area and the mining activity area. The pollution of the soil in Jinchengjiang and Nandan counties was closely related to the frequent local mining activities.

Reversible Hydrophobicity-Hydrophilicity Transition Modulated by Surface Curvature

Wettability (hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity) is of fundamental importance in physical, chemical, and biological behaviors, resulting in widespread interest. Herein, by modulating surface curvature, we observed a reversible hydrophobic-hydrophilic transition on a model referred to a platinum surface. The underlying mechanism is revealed to be the competition between strong water-solid attraction and interfacial water orderliness. On the basis of the competition, we further propose an equation of wetting transition in the presence of an ordered interfacial liquid. It quantitatively reveals the relation of solid wettability with interfacial water orderliness and solid surface curvature, which can be used for predicting the critical point of the wetting transition. Our findings thus provide an innovative perspective on the design of a functional device demonstrating a reversible wettability transition and even a molecular-level understanding of biological functions.

Room-Temperature and Aqueous Solution-Processed Two-Dimensional TiS2 as an Electron Transport Layer for Highly Efficient and Stable Planar n-i-p Perovskite Solar Cells

In this study, a room-temperature and aqueous solution-processed two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal dichalcogenide TiS₂ was applied as an electron transport layer (ETL) in planar n-i-p perovskite solar cells (Pero-SCs). Upon insertion of the 2D TiS₂ ETL with UV-ozone (UVO) treatment, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of the planar Pero-SCs was optimized to 18.79%. To the best of our knowledge, this value should be the highest efficiency to date among those PCEs of the n-i-p Pero-SCs with room-temperature-processed metal compound ETLs. More importantly, the n-i-p Pero-SCs with the UVO-treated 2D TiS₂ as an ETL also show extremely high stability, where the average PCE remained over 95% of its initial value after 816 h storage without encapsulation.

Heavy metal contents and enrichment characteristics of dominant plants in wasteland of the downstream of a lead-zinc mining area in Guangxi, Southwest China

A field investigation on the content of heavy metals in soils and 17 kinds of dominant plants from wasteland of the downstream of a Pb-Zn mine in Northwest Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region was carried out. The absorption and accumulation characteristics of heavy metals between plants and soil were compared, and the candidate species for ecosystem restoration of the area were selected. The results indicated that the soils had been subjected to pollution of heavy metals in varying degrees. The concentrations of Cd, Pb, Zn were 46.5, 57.3 and 23.7 times higher than their corresponding background values, respectively. The contents of Cd, Pb and Zn in the most analyzed plants exceed the normal ranges and the phytotoxic level. C. crepidioides, S. nigrum, B. pilosa, C. Canadensis, A. conyzoides, I. denticulata and E. crusgali showed strong capability in accumulation and transport of Cd, and they could be used as good candidates for Cd- phytoextraction. Among which, Cd concentration in the aerial part of C. crepidioides exceeded the threshold of Cd-hyperaccumulator. Thus, C. crepidioides demonstrated the basic characteristics of a Cd-hyperaccumulator. The lower translocation ratios for Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb in P. vittata and C. chinensis make them suitable for phytostabilization in the study area.