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Superelastic conducting fibers with improved properties and functionalities are needed for diverse applications. Here we report the fabrication of highly stretchable (up to 1320%) sheath-core conducting fibers created by wrapping carbon nanotube sheets oriented in the fiber direction on stretched rubber fiber cores. The resulting structure exhibited distinct short- and long-period sheath buckling that occurred reversibly out of phase in the axial and belt directions, enabling a resistance change of less than 5% for a 1000% stretch. By including other rubber and carbon nanotube sheath layers, we demonstrated strain sensors generating an 860% capacitance change and electrically powered torsional muscles operating reversibly by a coupled tension-to-torsion actuation mechanism. Using theory, we quantitatively explain the complementary effects of an increase in muscle length and a large positive Poisson's ratio on torsional actuation and electronic properties.

Stress, a prevalent experience in modern society, is a major risk factor for many psychiatric disorders. Although sensorimotor abnormalities are often present in these disorders, little is known about how stress affects the sensory cortex. Combining behavioral analyses with in vivo synaptic imaging, we show that stressful experiences lead to progressive, clustered loss of dendritic spines along the apical dendrites of layer (L) 5 pyramidal neurons (PNs) in the mouse barrel cortex, and such spine loss closely associates with deteriorated performance in a whisker-dependent texture discrimination task. Furthermore, the activity of parvalbumin-expressing inhibitory interneurons (PV+ INs) decreases in the stressed mouse due to reduced excitability of these neurons. Importantly, both behavioral defects and structural changes of L5 PNs are prevented by selective pharmacogenetic activation of PV+INs in the barrel cortex during stress. Finally, stressed mice raised under environmental enrichment (EE) maintain normal activation of PV+ INs, normal texture discrimination, and L5 PN spine dynamics similar to unstressed EE mice. Our findings suggest that the PV+ inhibitory circuit is crucial for normal synaptic dynamics in the mouse barrel cortex and sensory function. Pharmacological, pharmacogenetic and environmental approaches to prevent stress-induced maladaptive behaviors and synaptic malfunctions converge on the regulation of PV+ IN activity, pointing to a potential therapeutic target for stress-related disorders.

It is a huge challenge in both classical and quantum physics to solve analytically the equation of motion in a strongly anharmonic confinement. For an isolated nanoring, we propose a continuous and bounded potential model, which patches up the disadvantages of the usual square-well and parabolic potentials. A fully nonlinear and nonperturbative approach is developed to solve analytically the equation of motion, from which various frequency shifts and dynamic displacements are exactly derived by an order-by-order self-consistent method. A series of new energy levels and new energy states are found, indicating an alternative magnetic response mechanism. In nominally identical rings, especially, we observe a diamagnetic-paramagnetic transition in the period-halving Φ 0 /2-current with Φ 0 the flux quantum and a large increase in the Φ 0 -current at least one order of magnitude, which explain well the experimental observations. This work opens a new way to solve the strong or weak nonlinear problems.

The energy loss functions (ELFs) of Fe and Ni have been derived from measured reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy (REELS) spectra by a reverse Monte Carlo analysis in our previous work. In this work, we present further improvements of ELFs for these metals. For Fe, we have updated ELFs at primary electron energies of 2 keV and 3 keV in a wider photon energy region (0–180 eV) with a better accuracy, which is verified by sum rules. Regarding to Ni, we supplement the ELF at primary energy of 5 keV and we also improve the data accuracy at 3 keV. Applying these new and more accurate ELFs we present the optical constants and dielectric functions for the two metals. The improvements were highlighted by comparing our present results with the previous data.

We analyzed the measurements of ozone (O3) and its precursors made at rural/suburban sites downwind of four large Chinese cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Lanzhou, to elucidate their pollution characteristics, regional transport, in situ production, and impacts of heterogeneous processes. The same measurement techniques and observation-based model were used to minimize uncertainties in comparison of the results due to difference in methodologies. All four cities suffered from serious O3 pollution but showed different precursor distributions. The model-calculated in situ O3 production rates were compared with the observed change rates to infer the relative contributions of on-site photochemistry and transport. At the rural site downwind of Beijing, export of the well-processed urban plumes contributed to the extremely high O3 levels (up to an hourly value of 286 ppbv), while the O3 pollution observed at suburban sites of Shanghai, Guangzhou and Lanzhou was dominated by intense in situ production. The O3 production was in a volatile organic compound (VOC)-limited regime in both Shanghai and Guangzhou, and a NOx-limited regime in Lanzhou. The key VOC precursors are aromatics and alkenes in Shanghai, and aromatics in Guangzhou. The potential impacts on O3 production of several heterogeneous processes, namely, hydrolysis of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5), uptake of hydro peroxy radical (HO2) on particles and surface reactions of NO2 forming nitrous acid (HONO), were assessed. The analyses indicate the varying and considerable impacts of these processes in different areas of China depending on the atmospheric abundances of aerosol and NOx, and suggest the urgent need to better understand these processes and represent them in photochemical models.

A finite element method is employed to calculate the spatial electric potential generated by isolated conductors, where free charges distribute themselves in accordance with classical electrostatics. Remarkably, a novel fractal structure emerges in the surface charge distribution on curved geometries such as spheres and tori. This fractal behavior is distinct from that of the finite element area distribution, highlighting a fundamental difference: the fractal patterns that arise under physical constraints—specifically, Coulomb’s law in this study—differ significantly from those produced by purely geometrical operations.

To explore the association between egg consumption and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the adult population. The PubMed, Web of Science and Embase electronic databases were searched up to December 2021 for observational studies on the association between egg consumption and MetS in the adult population. The pooled relative risk (RR) of MetS for the highest versus lowest category of egg consumption, and the standard mean difference (SMD) of egg consumption for MetS versus control subjects were calculated. Egg consumption was assessed by a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and the 24-hour recall method. The criteria for MetS were National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP ATP III), International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Joint Interim Statement (JIS) and American Heart Association (AHA). A total of 19 articles with 20 observational studies (331667 participants) were included in this meta-analysis. The overall multivariable adjusted RR (18 studies included) demonstrated that higher egg consumption was associated with a lower probability of having MetS (RR=0.92, 95%CI: 0.88 to 0.96; P<0.001). Subgroup analysis confirmed these findings in cross-sectional studies (RR=0.91, 95% CI: 0.88 to 0.95; P<0.001), studies that used the NCEP ATP III criteria (RR=0.94, 95% CI: 0.89 to 0.99; P=0.02), Asia (RR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.86 to 0.99; P=0.02), studies with samples sizes >5000 (RR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.86 to 0.96; P<0.001), studies that adjusted body mass index (BMI) (RR=0.90, 95% CI: 0.86 to 0.95; P<0.001) and energy intake (RR=0.89, 95% CI: 0.83 to 0.94; P<0.001) and high-quality studies (RR=0.91, 95% CI: 0.88 to 0.95; P<0.001). Moreover, the overall combined SMD (5 studies included) showed that the level of egg consumption in subjects with MetS was also lower than that in control subjects. (SMD=−0.22, 95% CI: −0.25 to −0.20; P<0.001). Sensitivity analysis demonstrated that this finding only existed in studies with samples sizes >5000 (SMD=-0.21, 95% CI: −0.29 to −0.12; P<0.001) and high-quality studies (SMD=−0.23, 95% CI: −0.26 to −0.20; P<0.001). Our results suggest that higher egg consumption is associated with a lower probability of having MetS in the adult population. However, due to the limited evidence, more global well-designed prospective cohort studies are still needed.

There are many electronic and magnetic properties exhibited by complex oxides. Electronic phase separation (EPS) is one of those, the presence of which can be linked to exotic behaviours, such as colossal magnetoresistance, metal–insulator transition and high-temperature superconductivity. A variety of new and unusual electronic phases at the interfaces between complex oxides, in particular between two non-magnetic insulators LaAlO 3 and SrTiO 3 , have stimulated the oxide community. However, no EPS has been observed in this system despite a theoretical prediction. Here, we report an EPS state at the LaAlO 3 /SrTiO 3 interface, where the interface charges are separated into regions of a quasi-two-dimensional electron gas, a ferromagnetic phase, which persists above room temperature, and a (superconductor like) diamagnetic/paramagnetic phase below 60 K. The EPS is due to the selective occupancy (in the form of 2D-nanoscopic metallic droplets) of interface sub-bands of the nearly degenerate Ti orbital in the SrTiO 3 . The observation of this EPS demonstrates the electronic and magnetic phenomena that can emerge at the interface between complex oxides mediated by the Ti orbital. Interface effects in complex oxides could have interesting technological applications. Ariando et al. demonstrate electronic phase separation and rich physics at a complex oxide interface between the two non-magnetic insulators LaAlO 3 and SrTiO 3 .

This work presents an overview of 1 yr measurements of ozone (O3) and fine particular matter (PM2.5) and related trace gases at a recently developed regional background site, the Station for Observing Regional Processes of the Earth System (SORPES), in the western part of the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) in eastern China. Ozone and PM2.5 showed strong seasonal cycles but with contrast patterns: O3 reached a maximum in warm seasons but PM2.5 in cold seasons. Correlation analysis suggests a VOC-sensitive regime for O3 chemistry and a formation of secondary aerosols under conditions of high O3 in summer. Compared with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards in China, our measurements report 15 days of O3 exceedance and 148 days of PM2.5 exceedance during the 1 yr period, suggesting a severe air pollution situation in this region. Case studies for typical O3 and PM2.5 episodes demonstrated that these episodes were generally associated with an air mass transport pathway over the mid-YRD, i.e., along the Nanjing–Shanghai axis with its city clusters, and showed that synoptic weather played an important role in air pollution, especially for O3. Agricultural burning activities caused high PM2.5 and O3 pollution during harvest seasons, especially in June. A calculation of potential source contributions based on Lagrangian dispersion simulations suggests that emissions from the YRD contributed to over 70% of the O3 precursor CO, with a majority from the mid-YRD. North-YRD and the North China Plain are the main contributors to PM2.5 pollution in this region. This work shows an important environmental impact from industrialization and urbanization in the YRD region, and suggests an urgent need for improving air quality in these areas through collaborative control measures among different administrative regions.

Phosphoglycerate mutase 1 (PGAM1) is a glycolytic enzyme that coordinates glycolysis and biosynthesis to promote cancer growth via its metabolic activity. Here, we report the discovery of a non-metabolic function of PGAM1 in promoting cancer metastasis. A proteomic study identified α-smooth muscle actin (ACTA2) as a PGAM1-associated protein. PGAM1 modulated actin filaments assembly, cell motility and cancer cell migration via directly interacting with ACTA2, which was independent of its metabolic activity. The enzymatically inactive H186R mutant retained its association with ACTA2, whereas 201–210 amino acids deleted PGAM1 mutant lost the interaction with ACTA2 regardless of intact metabolic activity. Importantly, PGAM1 knockdown decreased metastatic potential of breast cancer cells in vivo and PGAM1 and ACTA2 were jointly associated with the prognosis of breast cancer patients. Together, this study provided the first evidence revealing a non-metabolic function of PGAM1 in promoting cell migration, and gained new insights into the role of PGAM1 in cancer progression.