In this observational study conducted in 2022, 12.3% of patients who shared a room with a patient positive for severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) also had a positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, either at initial screening or during a 5-day quarantine. Therefore, screening and quarantine are still necessary within hospitals for close-contact inpatients during the SARS-CoV-2 omicron-variant dominant period.

We report a simple and scalable process to synthesize the core–shell nanostructure of MoS2@N-doped carbon nanosheets (MoS2@C), in which polydopamine is coated on the MoS2 surface and then carbonized. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that the as-synthesized MoS2@C possesses a nanoscopic and ultrathin layer of MoS2 sheets with a thin and conformal coating of carbon layers (∼5 nm). The MoS2@C demonstrates a superior electrochemical performance as an anode material for lithium ion batteries compared to exfoliated MoS2 sample. This unique core–shell structure is capable of excellent delivery of Li+ ion in charging–discharging process: a specific capacity as high as 1239 mA h g−1, a high rate of charging-discharging capability even at a high current rate of 10 A g−1 while retaining 597 mA h g−1, and a good cycle stability over 70 cycles at a high current rate of 2 A g−1.

A cylindrical-shaped micropillar array embedded microfluidic device was proposed to enhance the dispersion of cell clusters and the efficiency of single cell encapsulation in hydrogel. Different sizes of micropillar arrays act as a sieve to break Escherichia coli (E. coli) aggregates into single cells in polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) solution. We applied the external force for the continuous breakup of cell clusters, resulting in the production of more than 70% of single cells into individual hydrogel particles. This proposed strategy and device will be a useful platform to utilize genetically modified microorganisms in practical applications.

Dielectric aging of Dy and Mn-codoped BaTiO3 multilayer ceramic capacitors was investigated. The increase of Dy concentration significantly decreased the aging rate and caused a disappearance of the thermally stimulated depolarization current peak associated with the defect dipole of Mn such as ${\rm{Mn}}_{{\rm{Ti}}}^{\prime \prime } {\rm{ - V}}_{\rm{O}}^{\cdot\cdot}$ or ${\rm{Mn}}_{{\rm{Ti}}}^\prime {\rm{ - V}}_{\rm{O}}^{\cdot\cdot}$, which was observed in low Dy-concentration specimens. These results experimentally demonstrate that the rare earth element, Dy, decreases the concentration of the defect dipoles and thereby controls dielectric aging.

ZK60 (Mg–Zn–Zr) alloys exhibited a variation in precipitates with aging, and their mechanical properties also changed. Microindentation tests were carried out on two types of ZK60 alloys of solid solution (T4) and peak aging (T6). Microstructure and texture evolution during indentation was investigated using electron backscatter diffraction. Twinning occurred near the indentation marks in most grains. It was found that tensile twinning was dominant, and two twin variants were usually observed. Texture and microstructure evolution by twinning and slip activation was further examined by uniaxial compression test with strain. The initial random orientation gradually changed into basal fibers with strain. Some grains with nonbasal orientations aligned with the loading direction easily underwent twinning followed by slip deformation. Other grains near basal orientations revealed only slip deformation.

We investigated the pressure dependence of the inductive coupled plasma (ICP) oxidation on the electrical characteristics of the thin oxide films. Activation energies and electron temperatures with different pressures were estimated. To demonstrate the pressure effect on the plasma oxide quality, simple N type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS) transistors were fabricated and investigated in a few electrical properties. At higher pressure than 200mTorr, plasma oxide has a slightly higher on-current and a lower interfacial trap density. The on-current gain seems to be related to the field mobility increase and the lower defective interface to the electron temperature during oxidation.

Semiconductors or metal nanoparticles (NPs) using their monolayer bindings with self-assembly chemicals are an attractive topic for device researchers. Electrical performance of such structures can be investigated for a particular application, such as memory device. Currently, Au NPs has been reported to show a substantial potential in the memory applications. In this study, Au NP and gluing layer were fabricated through a new method of monolayer formation of a chemical bonding or gluing. In this study, a new NPs memory system was fabricated by using organic semiconductor, i.e., pentacene as the active layer, evaporated Au as electrode, SiO2 as the gate insulator layer on silicon wafer. In addition, Au NPs coated with binding chemicals were used as charge storage elements on an APTES (3-amino-propyltriethoxysilane) as a gluing layer. In order to investigate chemical binding of Au NP to the gate insulator layer, GPTMS (3-glycidoxy-propyltrimethoxysilane) were coated on the Au NPs. As a result of that, a layer of gold nanoparticles has been incorporated into a metal-pentacene-insulator-semiconductor (MPIS) structure. The MPIS device with the Au NP exhibited a hysteresis in its capacitance versus voltage analysis. Charge storage in the layer of nanoparticles is thought to be responsible for this effect.

Cloning efficiency following somatic cell nuclear transfer is very low. In order to obtain insights into this problem, mRNA expression patterns of early development-related genes in nuclear transferred embryos were compared with those obtained from in vivo and in vitro fertilization. Semiquantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction assay was used to compare the gene expression of, the cell adhesion protein E-cadherin, interleukin -6, heat-shock protein 70.1 and bos taurus apoptosis regulator box-a (Bax). The relative abundances of glucose transporter-1, E-cadherin and interleukin-6 were significantly (P<0.05) higher in in vitro fertilized morulae than in vivo derived morulae. Transcription of the gene encoding octamer-binding transcription factor 4 was higher in blastocysts obtained from in vivo fertilization than in those from in vivo blastocysts. The transcript for Bax was markedly upregulated in blastocysts derived from in vitro production and nuclear transfer procedures compared with in vivo fertilization. These results suggest that alterations in mRNA expression of early development genes are more associated with in vitro culture condition than the nuclear transfer procedure itself.

Recombinant human αs1-casein expressed in Escherichia coli was purified and digested with trypsin in an attempt to find peptides with angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity. Three novel ACE inhibitory peptides, A-II, B-II and C, were isolated and their amino acid sequences identified as Tyr–Pro–Glu–Arg (residues 8–11), Tyr–Tyr–Pro–Gln–Ile–Met–Gln–Tyr (residues 136–143) and Asn–Asn–Val–Met–Leu–Gln–Trp (residues 164–170) respectively. ACE inhibitory activities were measured for the corresponding synthetic peptides, and the ACE IC50 (the amount of peptide causing 50% inhibition of ACE activity) values of A-II, B-II and C estimated to be 132·5, 24·8 and 41·0 μmol/l respectively. Peptides A-II and C were resistant to further digestion by pepsin, whereas peptide B-II was hydrolysed. All three peptides were resistant to digestion by chymotrypsin. These ACE inhibitory peptides may prove useful for oral administration in the treatment of hypertension.