Janus monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides.

Structural symmetry-breaking plays a crucial role in determining the electronic band structures of two-dimensional materials. Tremendous efforts have been devoted to breaking the in-plane symmetry of graphene with electric fields on AB-stacked bilayers or stacked van der Waals heterostructures. In contrast, transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers are semiconductors with intrinsic in-plane asymmetry, leading to direct electronic bandgaps, distinctive optical properties and great potential in optoelectronics. Apart from their in-plane inversion asymmetry, an additional degree of freedom allowing spin manipulation can be induced by breaking the out-of-plane mirror symmetry with external electric fields or, as theoretically proposed, with an asymmetric out-of-plane structural configuration. Here, we report a synthetic strategy to grow Janus monolayers of transition metal dichalcogenides breaking the out-of-plane structural symmetry. In particular, based on a MoS2 monolayer, we fully replace the top-layer S with Se atoms. We confirm the Janus structure of MoSSe directly by means of scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy-dependent X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and prove the existence of vertical dipoles by second harmonic generation and piezoresponse force microscopy measurements

Targeted gene sanger sequencing should remain the first-tier genetic test for children suspected to have the five common X-linked inborn errors of immunity

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/Supplementary Material. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.To address inborn errors of immunity (IEI) which were underdiagnosed in resource-limited regions, our centre developed and offered free genetic testing for the most common IEI by Sanger sequencing (SS) since 2001. With the establishment of The Asian Primary Immunodeficiency (APID) Network in 2009, the awareness and definitive diagnosis of IEI were further improved with collaboration among centres caring for IEI patients from East and Southeast Asia. We also started to use whole exome sequencing (WES) for undiagnosed cases and further extended our collaboration with centres from South Asia and Africa. With the increased use of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), we have shifted our diagnostic practice from SS to WES. However, SS was still one of the key diagnostic tools for IEI for the past two decades. Our centre has performed 2,024 IEI SS genetic tests, with in-house protocol designed specifically for 84 genes, in 1,376 patients with 744 identified to have disease-causing mutations (54.1%). The high diagnostic rate after just one round of targeted gene SS for each of the 5 common IEI (X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) 77.4%, Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome (WAS) 69.2%, X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (XCGD) 59.5%, X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (XSCID) 51.1%, and X-linked hyper-IgM syndrome (HIGM1) 58.1%) demonstrated targeted gene SS should remain the first-tier genetic test for the 5 common X-linked IEI.The Hong Kong Society for Relief of Disabled Children and Jeffrey Modell Foundation.http://www.frontiersin.org/Immunologyam2023Paediatrics and Child Healt

Singapore fashion industry.

The overview of local fashion industry, interviewing local designers and also, to find out more about the business development locally and overseas. In addition, by analyzing the consumers' survey results, we obtain consumers' attitudes and their awareness level of the local brands. Thereafter, we present recommendations to the industry and conclusions of research

Effects of prime decision-maker's wage on corruption level.

Many studies have confirmed the negative correlation between public sector wages and corruption level. However, corruption should not be curbed from below, but right at the top. Hence, this study attmepts to investgate the relationship between the wage of prime decision-maker and corruption level in each country

The happiness revolution – a movement for positive mental health.

This paper presents the communication campaign “The Happiness Revolution”, a movement for positive mental well-being by four undergraduates from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication. Targeted at tertiary students aged 18-25, this activity-based campaign aims to broaden perceptions of mental health through a focus on positive psychology theories and techniques, moving beyond an association with mental illness. This paper includes a summary of research that shaped key campaign strategies, outlines the crafting and creative execution of communication plans and campaign tactics, and presents an extensive evaluation of the campaign’s overall effectiveness based on both process and outcome measures.Bachelor of Communication Studie

Impact of a Carbapenem Antimicrobial Stewardship Program on Patient Outcomes

Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) aim to improve appropriate antimicrobial use. However, concerns of the negative consequences from accepting ASP interventions exist, particularly when deescalation or discontinuation of broad-spectrum antibiotics is recommended. Hence, we sought to evaluate the impact on clinical outcomes when ASP interventions for inappropriate carbapenem use were accepted or rejected by primary providers. We retrospectively reviewed all carbapenem prescriptions deemed inappropriate according to institutional guidelines with ASP interventions between July 2011 and December 2014. Intervention acceptance and outcomes, including carbapenem utilization, length of stay, hospitalization charges, 30-day readmission, and mortality rates were reviewed. Data were analyzed in two groups, one in which physicians accepted all interventions (“accepted”) and one in which interventions were rejected (“rejected”). A total of 158 ASP interventions were made. These included carbapenem discontinuation (35%), change to narrower-spectrum antibiotic (32%), dose optimization (17%), further investigations (including imaging and procalcitonin) (11%), infectious diseases referral (3%), antibiotic discontinuation (other than carbapenem) (1%), and source control (1%). Of 220 unique patients, carbapenem use was inappropriate in 101 (45.9%) patients. A significant reduction in carbapenem utilization was observed in the accepted group versus rejected group (median defined daily doses, 0.224 versus 0.668 per 1,000 patient-days, respectively; P < 0.001). There was a significant reduction in 30-day mortality in the accepted (none) versus rejected group (10 deaths, P = 0.015), but there were no differences in length of stay, hospitalization charge, or 30-day readmission rates. Hypotension was independently associated with mortality in multivariate analysis (odds ratio, 5.25; 95% confidence interval, 1.34 to 20.6). In our institution, acceptance of carbapenem ASP interventions did not compromise patient safety in terms of clinical outcomes while reducing consumption.Published versio

A System Based-Approach to Examine Host Response during Infection with Influenza A Virus Subtype H7N9 in Human and Avian Cells

Although the influenza A virus H7N9 subtype circulates within several avian species, it can also infect humans with a severe disease outcome. To better understand the biology of the H7N9 virus we examined the host response to infection in avian and human cells. In this study we used the A/Anhui/1/2013 strain, which was isolated during the first wave of the H7N9 epidemic. The H7N9 virus-infected both human (Airway Epithelial cells) and avian (Chick Embryo Fibroblast) cells, and each infected host transcriptome was examined with bioinformatic tools and compared with other representative avian and human influenza A virus subtypes. The H7N9 virus induced higher expression changes (differentially regulated genes) in both cell lines, with more prominent changes observed in avian cells. Ortholog mapping of differentially expression genes identified significant enriched common and cell-type pathways during H7N9 infections. This data confirmed our previous findings that different influenza A virus subtypes have virus-specific replication characteristics and anti-virus signaling in human and avian cells. In addition, we reported for the first time, the new HIPPO signaling pathway in avian cells, which we hypothesized to play a vital role to maintain the antiviral state of H7N9 virus-infected avian cells. This could explain the absence of disease symptoms in avian species that tested positive for the presence of H7N9 virus

A system based-approach to examine host response during infection with influenza a virus subtype H7N9 in human and avian cells

Although the influenza A virus H7N9 subtype circulates within several avian species, it can also infect humans with a severe disease outcome. To better understand the biology of the H7N9 virus we examined the host response to infection in avian and human cells. In this study we used the A/Anhui/1/2013 strain, which was isolated during the first wave of the H7N9 epidemic. The H7N9 virus-infected both human (Airway Epithelial cells) and avian (Chick Embryo Fibroblast) cells, and each infected host transcriptome was examined with bioinformatic tools and compared with other representative avian and human influenza A virus subtypes. The H7N9 virus induced higher expression changes (differentially regulated genes) in both cell lines, with more prominent changes observed in avian cells. Ortholog mapping of differentially expression genes identified significant enriched common and cell-type pathways during H7N9 infections. This data confirmed our previous findings that different influenza A virus subtypes have virus-specific replication characteristics and anti-virus signaling in human and avian cells. In addition, we reported for the first time, the new HIPPO signaling pathway in avian cells, which we hypothesized to play a vital role to maintain the antiviral state of H7N9 virus-infected avian cells. This could explain the absence of disease symptoms in avian species that tested positive for the presence of H7N9 virus.Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)Ministry of Education (MOE)Published versionWe thank the Ministry of Education, and DSO National Laboratories for funding this study. B.T. was awarded by the Singapore International Graduate Award (SINGA) scholarship (A*STAR, Singapore) and CH (MOE scholarship)

Salmonella renal abscess in an immunocompetent child: case report and literature review

We describe a case of a 10-year-old immunocompetent girl with a left renal abscess due to Group C Salmonella (Salmonella serovar Oranienburg). Percutaneous drainage of the abscess was done. She also received 2 weeks of intravenous ceftriaxone, followed by 4 weeks of oral co-trimoxazole with resolution seen on ultrasound. A review of pediatric Salmonella renal abscesses is also presented.Published versio