During an outbreak of respiratory diseases including atypical pneumonia in Wuhan, a previously unknown β-coronavirus was detected in patients. The newly discovered coronavirus is similar to some β-coronaviruses found in bats but different from previously known SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. High sequence identities and similarities between 2019-nCoV and SARS-CoV were found. In this study, we searched the homologous templates of all nonstructural and structural proteins of 2019-nCoV.Among the nonstructural proteins, the leader protein (nsp1), the papain-like protease (nsp3), the nsp4, the 3C-like protease (nsp5), the nsp7, the nsp8, the nsp9, the nsp10, the RNA-directed RNA polymerase (nsp12), the helicase (nsp13), the guanine-N7 methyltransferase (nsp14), the uridylate-specific endoribonuclease

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By using density-functional theory, we have systematically investigated the structural stabilities, electronic structures, and optical properties of monolayer fibrous red phosphorene.

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Utilizing density functional theory, we investigate the structural stabilities, electronic structures, and optical properties of monolayer violet phosphorene, i.e., Hittorfene, under an external vertical electric field and upon in-layer biaxial strain control. We find that compared with monolayer black phosphorene, monolayer violet phosphorene has a significantly larger direct band gap of 2.50 eV, and it is sensitive to an external vertical electric field, under which it undergoes an intriguing direct-indirect and insulator-metal transition. By applying an in-layer biaxial strain, the semiconductor characteristic of monolayer violet phosphorene is found to be robust and stable over a wide range of strains (-10 to 10%), with a minimum bulk gap still being up to 0.90 eV at a tensile strain of 10%. This demonstrates that the band edges of monolayer violet phosphorene not only can straddle water redox potentials in the equilibrium state but can also be available within the strain range of -7 to 7% for facilitating photocatalytic water splitting. In particular, the suitable band edges and intensive absorption of visible light suggest that a strain ratio of -7% would be the more favorable condition for water splitting under visible light.

ObjectivesThe study analysed medical malpractice claims to assess patient safety in hospitals. The information derived from malpractice claims reflects potential risks and could help lead to reducing medical errors and improving patient safety.Design, settingWe analysed 4380 medical malpractice claims from 351 grade-A tertiary hospitals in China for 2008–2017. We examined the characteristics of medical errors and patient safety, including the types of medical errors, proportionate liabilities and payments for medical malpractice in different clinical specialties.Main outcome measuresWe assessed claim characteristics, payment amounts and liability.ResultsOur data analysis demonstrated that 72.5% of the claims involved medical errors, with average payments of US$31 430. The hospital’s errors in medical malpractice resulted in 41.4% average liability in patient injury payments. Most medical malpractice cases occurred in Shanghai (817 claims, 18.7%) and Beijing (468 claims, 10.7%). The highest risks for medical error and malpractice claims were related to orthopaedics (11.3% of all claims, 72.8% with medical errors) and obstetrics and gynaecology (10.0% of all claims, 76.0% with medical errors). The highest rates related to proportionate liabilities were observed in otolaryngology (51.9%) and endocrinology (47.7%). Respiratory medicine had the highest proportion of claims in death rates (77.3%). Medical technology errors accounted for 91.8% of the claims and medical ethics errors for 5.8%. The highest average payment was found in cardiovascular surgery (US$41 733) and the lowest in stomatology (US$8822).ConclusionsA previous study found that grade-A tertiary hospitals in China have similar medical error rates to general Chinese hospitals. 36Different specialties had different risk characteristics regarding medical errors, payments and proportionate liabilities. Orthopaedics had the highest number of malpractices claims and higher proportionate liability but lower death rates.

Magnetic properties of sp-electron half-metallic ferromagnets (HMFs) MC (M=Ca, Sr, and Ba) in rocksalt structure at ambient and elevated pressure have been investigated using first-principles within the generalized gradient approximation in the scheme of Perdew et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 3865 (1996)]. Magnetic moments, lattice constants, and total energies are calculated as a function of external pressure. The calculations predict the occurrence of pressure-induced magnetic phase transitions and find that the main reason for the magnetic transitions of sp-electron HMFs is the band widening of anion p states.

Magnetic properties of heavier alkali metals K, Rb, and Cs in simple cubic and simple hexagonal structures at ambient and elevated simulated uniform hydrostatic pressure have been investigated using first-principles density-functional theory. The calculations exhibit the occurrence of both ferromagnetism enhancement and collapse as pressure increases and illuminate that the spin polarized interstitial electron blobs are formed by both s and p electrons. The distortion and nesting of the Fermi surface is also presented with increasing pressure.