Rotational symmetry breaking in superconducting nickelate Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2 films

The infinite-layer nickelates, isostructural to the high-Tc superconductor cuprates, have risen as a promising platform to host unconventional superconductivity and stimulated growing interests in the condensed matter community. Despite numerous researches, the superconducting pairing symmetry of the nickelate superconductors, the fundamental characteristic of a superconducting state, is still under debate. Moreover, the strong electronic correlation in the nickelates may give rise to a rich phase diagram, where the underlying interplay between the superconductivity and other emerging quantum states with broken symmetry is awaiting exploration. Here, we study the angular dependence of the transport properties on the infinite-layer nickelate Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2 superconducting films with Corbino-disk configuration. The azimuthal angular dependence of the magnetoresistance (R({\phi})) manifests the rotational symmetry breaking from isotropy to four-fold (C4) anisotropy with increasing magnetic field, revealing a symmetry breaking phase transition. Approaching the low temperature and large magnetic field regime, an additional two-fold (C2) symmetric component in the R({\phi}) curves and an anomalous upturn of the temperature-dependent critical field are observed simultaneously, suggesting the emergence of an exotic electronic phase. Our work uncovers the evolution of the quantum states with different rotational symmetries and provides deep insight into the global phase diagram of the nickelate superconductors

Rotational Symmetry Breaking in Superconducting Nickelate Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2 Films

The infinite-layer nickelates, isostructural to the high-Tc cuprate superconductors, have emerged as a promising platform to host unconventional superconductivity and stimulated growing interest in the condensed matter community. Despite considerable attention, the superconducting pairing symmetry of the nickelate superconductors, the fundamental characteristic of a superconducting state, is still under debate. Moreover, the strong electronic correlation in the nickelates may give rise to a rich phase diagram, where the underlying interplay between the superconductivity and other emerging quantum states with broken symmetry is awaiting exploration. Here, we study the angular dependence of the transport properties of the infinite-layer nickelate Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2 superconducting films with Corbino-disk configuration. The azimuthal angular dependence of the magnetoresistance (R(φ)) manifests the rotational symmetry breaking from isotropy to four-fold (C4) anisotropy with increasing magnetic field, revealing a symmetry-breaking phase transition. Approaching the low-temperature and large-magnetic-field regime, an additional two-fold (C2) symmetric component in the R(φ) curves and an anomalous upturn of the temperature-dependent critical field are observed simultaneously, suggesting the emergence of an exotic electronic phase. Our work uncovers the evolution of the quantum states with different rotational symmetries in nickelate superconductors and provides deep insight into their global phase diagram

Infectious diarrheal disease caused by contaminated well water in Chinese schools: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: In China, waterborne outbreaks of infectious diarrheal disease mainly occur in schools, and contaminated well water is a common source of pathogens. The objective of this review was to present the attack rates, durations of outbreak, pathogens of infectious diarrheal disease, and sanitary conditions of wells in primary and secondary schools in China, and to analyze risk factors and susceptibility of school children. Methods: Relevant articles and reports were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Chinese Field Epidemiology Training Program. Essential information, including urban/rural areas, school types, attack rates, pathogens, durations of outbreak, report intervals, and interventions were extracted from the eligible articles. Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Kruskal–Wallis H test, and Spearman correlation test were conducted in statistical analyses. Sex- and age-specific attack rate ratios were calculated as pooled effect sizes. Results: We screened 2188 articles and retrieved data of 85 outbreaks from 1987 to 2014. Attack rates of outbreaks in rural areas (median, 12.63 cases/100 persons) and in primary schools (median, 14.54 cases/100 persons) were higher than those in urban areas (median, 5.62 cases/100 persons) and in secondary schools (median, 8.74 cases/100 persons) (P = 0.004 and P = 0.013, respectively). Shigella, pathogenic Escherichia coli, and norovirus were the most common pathogens. Boys tended toward higher attack rates than girls (sex-specific attack rate ratio, 1.13; 95% CI, 1.00–1.29, P = 0.05). Unsanitary conditions of water wells were reported frequently, and unhealthy behavior habits were common in students. Conclusion: School children were susceptible to waterborne disease in China. Chinese government should make efforts to improve access to safe water in schools. Health education promotion and conscientiousness of school leaders and teachers should be enhanced

Analysis of Epidemiological Characteristics of Notifiable Diseases Reported in Children Aged 0–14 Years from 2008 to 2017 in Zhejiang Province, China

This study aims to learn the characteristics of morbidity and mortality of notifiable diseases reported in children aged 0–14 years in Zhejiang Province in 2008–2017. We collated data from the China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention in Zhejiang province between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2017 of children aged 0–14 years. From 2008 to 2017, a total of 32 types and 1,994,740 cases of notifiable diseases were reported in children aged 0–14 years, including 266 deaths in Zhejiang Province. The annual average morbidity was 2502.87/100,000, and the annual average mortality was 0.33/100,000. Male morbidity was 2886.98/100,000, and female morbidity was 2072.16/100,000, with the male morbidity rate higher than the female morbidity rate (χ2 = 54,033.12, p < 0.01). No Class A infectious diseases were reported. The morbidity of Class B infectious diseases showed a downward trend, but that of Class C infectious diseases showed an upward trend. There were 72,041 cases in 22 kinds of Class B infectious disease and 138 death cases, with a morbidity rate of 90.39/100,000, and a mortality rate of 0.17/100,000. There were 1,922,699 cases in 10 kinds of Class C infectious disease and 128 death cases, with a morbidity rate of 2412.47/100,000, and a mortality rate of 0.16/100,000. The main high-prevalence diseases included hand-foot-and-mouth disease (1430.38/100,000), other infectious diarrheal diseases (721.40/100,000), mumps (168.83/100,000), and influenza (47.40/100,000). We should focus on the prevention and control of hand-foot and mouth disease, other infectious diarrheal diseases, mumps and influenza in children aged 0–14 years in Zhejiang Province. It is recommended to strengthen epidemic surveillance and undertake early prevention and control measures in order to reduce the younger children incidence rate of infectious diseases. Immunization planning vaccines can help achieve a significant preventive decline of infectious diseases

Spatial-temporal characteristics of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome and the relationship with meteorological factors from 2011 to 2018 in Zhejiang Province, China.

BACKGROUND:Zhejiang Province has the fifth-highest incidence of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) in China. While the top four provinces are all located in northern and central China, only Zhejiang Province is located in the Yangtze River Delta region of southeast China. This study was undertaken to identify the epidemiological characteristics of SFTS in Zhejiang from 2011 to 2018. METHODS:The epidemic data from SFTS cases in Zhejiang Province from January 2011 to December 2018 were obtained from the China Information Network System of Disease Prevention and Control. Meteorological data were collected from the China Meteorological Data Sharing Service System. A multivariate time series model was used to analyze the heterogeneity of spatial-temporal transmission of the disease. Random forest analysis was performed to detect the importance of meteorological factors and the dose-response association of the incidence of SFTS with these factors. RESULTS:In total, 412 SFTS cases (49 fatal) were reported from January 2011 to December 2018 in Zhejiang Province, China. The number of SFTS cases and the number of affected counties increased year by year. The case fatality rate in Zhejiang Province was 11.89%, which was the highest in China. Elderly patients and farmers were the most affected. The total effect values of the autoregressive component, spatiotemporal component and endemic component of the model in all ranges were 0.4580, 0.0377 and 0.0137, respectively. There was obvious heterogeneity across counties for the mean values of the spatiotemporal component and the autoregressive component. The autoregressive component was obviously the main factor driving the occurrence of SFTS, followed by the spatiotemporal component. The importance scores of the monthly mean pressure, mean temperature, mean relative humidity, mean two-minute wind speed, duration of sunshine and precipitation were 10.64, 8.34, 8.16, 6.37, 5.35 and 2.81, respectively. The relationship between these factors and the incidence of SFTS is complicated and nonlinear. A suitable range of meteorological factors for this disease was also detected. CONCLUSIONS:The autoregressive and spatiotemporal components played an important role in driving the transmission of SFTS. Targeted preventive efforts should be made in different areas based on the main component contributing to the epidemic. For most areas, early measures several months ahead of the suitable season for the occurrence of SFTS should be implemented. The level of reporting and diagnosis of this disease should be further improved

Evaluating the effects of control interventions and estimating the inapparent infections for dengue outbreak in Hangzhou, China.

BackgroundThe number of dengue fever (DF) cases and the number of dengue outbreaks have increased in recent years in Zhejiang Province, China. An unexpected dengue outbreak was reported in Hangzhou in 2017 and caused more than one thousand dengue cases. This study was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of the actual control measures, estimate the proportion of inapparent infections during this outbreak and simulate epidemic development based on different levels of control measures taking inapparent infections into consideration.MethodsThe epidemic data of dengue cases in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, in 2017 and the number of the people exposed to the outbreaks were obtained from the China Information Network System of Disease Prevention and Control. The epidemic without intervention measures was used to estimate the unknown parameters. A susceptible-exposed-infectious/inapparent-recovered (SEIAR) model was used to estimate the effectiveness of the control interventions. The inapparent infections were also evaluated at the same time.ResultsIn total, 1137 indigenous dengue cases were reported in Hangzhou in 2017. The number of indigenous dengue cases was estimated by the SEIAR model. This number was predicted to reach 6090 by the end of November 2, 2017, if no control measures were implemented. The total number of reported cases was reduced by 81.33% in contrast to the estimated incidence without intervention. The number of average daily inapparent cases was 10.18 times higher than the number of symptomatic cases. The earlier and more rigorously the vector control interventions were implemented, the more effective they were. The results showed that implementing vector control continuously for more than twenty days was more effective than every few days of implementation. Case isolation is not sufficient enough for epidemic control and only reduced the incidence by 38.10% in contrast to the estimated incidence without intervention, even if case isolation began seven days after the onset of the first case.ConclusionsThe practical control interventions in the outbreaks that occurred in Hangzhou City were highly effective. The proportion of inapparent infections was large, and it played an important role in transmitting the disease during this epidemic. Early, continuous and high efficacy vector control interventions are necessary to limit the development of a dengue epidemic. Timely diagnosis and case reporting are important in the intervention at an early stage of the epidemic

Studies on the optical stability of CsPbBr3 with different dimensions (0D, 1D, 2D, 3D) under thermal environments

The thermal stability of phosphor materials had long been a bottleneck in their commercialization. Nowadays, cesium lead halide perovskite CsPbBr3 has been considered a potential replacement for the next generation of optoelectronic devices due to its excellent optical and electronic properties, however, the devices inevitably generate high temperatures on the surface under prolonged energization conditions in practical applications, which can be fatal to CsPbBr3. Despite the various strategies that have been employed to improve the thermal stability of CsPbBr3, systematic studies of the thermal stability of the basis CsPbBr3 are lacking. In this study, CsPbBr3 with different dimensions (0D quantum dots (QDs), 1D nanowires (NWs), 2D nanoplate (NPs), 3D micron crystals (MCs)) was prepared by traditional high-temperature thermal injection, and a systematic study was carried out on their optical properties and thermal stability. The results revealed that the dimensional change will directly influence the optical properties as well as the thermal stability of CsPbBr3. In particular, 3D CsPbBr3 MCs maintained relatively high thermal stability under high-temperature environments, which will bring interest for the commercialization of next-generation perovskite optoelectronic devices

Estimation of influenza incidence and analysis of epidemic characteristics from 2009 to 2022 in Zhejiang Province, China

BackgroundInfluenza infection causes a huge burden every year, affecting approximately 8% of adults and approximately 25% of children and resulting in approximately 400,000 respiratory deaths worldwide. However, based on the number of reported influenza cases, the actual prevalence of influenza may be greatly underestimated. The purpose of this study was to estimate the incidence rate of influenza and determine the true epidemiological characteristics of this virus.MethodsThe number of influenza cases and the prevalence of ILIs among outpatients in Zhejiang Province were obtained from the China Disease Control and Prevention Information System. Specimens were sampled from some cases and sent to laboratories for influenza nucleic acid testing. Random forest was used to establish an influenza estimation model based on the influenza-positive rate and the percentage of ILIs among outpatients. Furthermore, the moving epidemic method (MEM) was applied to calculate the epidemic threshold for different intensity levels. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to identify the annual change in influenza incidence. The seasonal trends of influenza were detected by wavelet analysis.ResultsFrom 2009 to 2021, a total of 990,016 influenza cases and 8 deaths were reported in Zhejiang Province. The numbers of estimated influenza cases from 2009 to 2018 were 743,449, 47,635, 89,026, 132,647, 69,218, 190,099, 204,606, 190,763, 267,168 and 364,809, respectively. The total number of estimated influenza cases is 12.11 times the number of reported cases. The APC of the estimated annual incidence rate was 23.33 (95% CI: 13.2 to 34.4) from 2011 to 2019, indicating a constant increasing trend. The intensity levels of the estimated incidence from the epidemic threshold to the very high-intensity threshold were 18.94 cases per 100,000, 24.14 cases per 100,000, 141.55 cases per 100,000, and 309.34 cases per 100,000, respectively. From the first week of 2009 to the 39th week of 2022, there were a total of 81 weeks of epidemics: the epidemic period reached a high intensity in 2 weeks, the epidemic period was at a moderate intensity in 75 weeks, and the epidemic period was at a low intensity in 2 weeks. The average power was significant on the 1-year scale, semiannual scale, and 115-week scale, and the average power of the first two cycles was significantly higher than that of the other cycles. In the period from the 20th week to the 35th week, the Pearson correlation coefficients between the time series of influenza onset and the positive rate of pathogens, including A(H3N2), A (H1N1)pdm2009, B(Victoria) and B(Yamagata), were − 0.089 (p = 0.021), 0.497 (p < 0.001), −0.062 (p = 0.109) and − 0.084 (p = 0.029), respectively. In the period from the 36th week of the first year to the 19th week of the next year, the Pearson correlation coefficients between the time series of influenza onset and the positive rate of pathogens, including A(H3N2), A (H1N1)pdm2009, B(Victoria) and B(Yamagata), were 0.516 (p < 0.001), 0.148 (p < 0.001), 0.292 (p < 0.001) and 0.271 (p < 0.001), respectively.ConclusionThe disease burden of influenza has been seriously underestimated in the past. An appropriate method for estimating the incidence rate of influenza may be to comprehensively consider the influenza-positive rate as well as the percentage of ILIs among outpatients. The intensity level of the estimated incidence from the epidemic threshold to the very high-intensity threshold was calculated, thus yielding a quantitative standard for judging the influenza prevalence level in the future. The incidence of influenza showed semi-annual peaks in Zhejiang Province, including a main peak from December to January of the next year followed by a peak in summer. Furthermore, the driving factors of the influenza peaks were preliminarily explored. While the peak in summer was mainly driven by pathogens of A(H3N2), the peak in winter was alternately driven by various pathogens. Our research suggests that the government urgently needs to address barriers to vaccination and actively promote vaccines through primary care providers