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Producing functional soft fibers via existing spinning methods is environmentally and economically costly due to the complexity of spinning equipment, involvement of copious solvents, intensive consumption of energy, and multi-step pre-/post-spinning treatments. We report a nonsolvent vapor-induced phase separation spinning approach under ambient conditions, which resembles the native spider silk fibrillation. It is enabled by the optimal rheological properties of dopes via engineering silver-coordinated molecular chain interactions and autonomous phase transition due to the nonsolvent vapor-induced phase separation effect. Fiber fibrillation under ambient conditions using a polyacrylonitrile-silver ion dope is demonstrated, along with detailed elucidations on tuning dope spinnability through rheological analysis. The obtained fibers are mechanically soft, stretchable, and electrically conductive, benefiting from elastic molecular chain networks via silver-based coordination complexes and in-situ reduced silver nanoparticles. Particularly, these fibers can be configured as wearable electronics for self-sensing and self-powering applications. Our ambient-conditions spinning approach provides a platform to create functional soft fibers with unified mechanical and electrical properties at a two-to-three order of magnitude less energy cost under ambient conditions. Producing functional soft fibers via existing spinning methods is environmentally and economically costly due to the complexity of spinning equipment, involvement of copious solvents, intensive consumption of energy. Here, the authors report a nonsolvent vapor-induced phase separation spinning approach under ambient conditions, which resembles the native spider silk fibrillation’.

ObjectivesExamination of the prevalence and patterns of multimorbidity among the elderly in China.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingMore than 10 000 households in 28 of the 34 provinces of mainland China.Participants11 707 Chinese adults aged 60 and over.Primary outcome measuresPrevalence and patterns of multimorbidity among the participants. Relative risks were calculated to estimate the probability of up to 14 chronic conditions coexisting with each other. Observed-to-expected (O/E) ratios were used to analyse the patterns of multimorbidity.ResultsMultimorbidity was present in 43.6% of respondents from the sample population, with women having the greater prevalence compared with men. There were 804 different comorbidity combinations identified, including 76 dyad combinations and 169 triad combinations. The top 10 morbidity dyads and triads accounted for 69.01% and 47.05% of the total dyad and triad combinations observed, respectively. Among the 14 chronic conditions included in the study, asthma, stroke, heart attack and six other chronic conditions were the main components of multimorbidity due to their high relative risk ratios. The most frequently occurring clusters with higher O/E ratios were stroke along with emotional, nervous, or psychiatric problems; memory-related diseases together emotional, nervous, or psychiatric problems; and memory-related diseases and asthma accompanied by chronic lung diseases and asthma.ConclusionsThe results of this study highlight the high prevalence of multimorbidity in the elderly population in China. Further studies are required to understand the aetiology of multimorbidity, and future primary healthcare policies should be made while taking multimorbidity into consideration.

The role of agglomeration economics in enhancing productivity is well-recognized, yet the influence of population agglomeration of urban clusters on Total Factor Productivity (TFP) within the enterprises of the agglomerates remains a relatively uncharted area. This study aims to investigate the impact of population agglomeration of urban clusters on the TFP of enterprises and its underlying mechanisms. The data for firm-levelwere sourced from the CSMAR and Wind databases. City-level data were obtained from the China City Statistical Yearbook and the China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook. A fixed-effects model was employed. ① The baseline regression shows that population agglomeration of urban clusters significantly bolsters the TFP of enterprises. ② Heterogeneity tests further reveal that this simulative effect is more pronounced in the eastern region, inter-provincial city clusters, and large cities.. ③ The underlying mechanisms indicate that population agglomeration of urban clusters, through its market effects and scale economic effects effectively reduce production costs, thereby boosting overall production efficiency and promoting the elevation of TFP in enterprises. To scientifically guide the orderly population agglomeration of urban clusters, it is essential to fully leverage the marketization effects of population agglomeration of urban clusters and deepen the specialization and division of labor within these clusters. This study provides empirical evidence and important references for policymakers to effectively leverage the marketization and specialization effects of urban cluster population agglomeration, thereby promoting new urbanization and achieving high-quality development.

Plastic waste caused by the extensive usage of face masks during COVID‐19 pandemic has become a severe threat to natural environment and ecosystem. Herein, an eco‐friendly approach to repurpose face mask waste for clean water production via solar thermal evaporation is proposed. By taking advantage of its interwind structure, face mask holds the promise to be an ideal candidate material for constructing photothermal evaporator. In‐situ surface modifications are performed successively with polyvinyl alcohol and polypyrrole to improve its wettability and solar absorption (97%). The obtained face mask‐based evaporator achieves significantly enhanced solar efficiency (91.5%) and long‐term salt‐rejection stability. The harvested clean water befits plant growing to enable farming on sea surface. A floating photothermal evaporation prototype is then developed to demonstrate autonomous solar ocean farming, with plants successfully cultivated over time. As such, the proposed strategy provides a promising solution towards ecological sustainability by tapping multiple benefits. This work presents an eco‐friendly way to recycle large amount of wasted face masks into solar absorbers for clean water production. A prototype of floating farm is further demonstrated, using recycled face mask to convert abundant seawater into portable water for plants irrigation. Plants can be well thrived, giving a promising solution to land soil crisis and polymer white pollution.

The signal-in-space range error (SISRE) has a direct impact on the performance of global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs). It is an important indicator of navigation satellite space server performance. The new B-CNAV navigation messages (B-CNAV1 and B-CNAV2) are broadcast on the satellites of the Beidou Global Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3), and they are different from D1 navigation messages in satellite orbit parameters. The orbit accuracy of B-CNAV navigation messages lacks analyses and comparisons with D1. The accuracy and stability of the new hydrogen and rubidium clocks on BDS-3 satellites need annual analyses of long time series, which will affect the service quality of this system. Based on precise ephemeris products from the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (COD), the orbit error, clock error, and SISRE of 24 medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellite D1 and B-CNAV navigation messages of BDS-3 were computed, analyzed, and compared. Their annual evolution processes for the entire year of 2022 were studied. Thanks to the use of inter-satellite links (ISLs) adopted by BDS-3 MEO satellites, the ages of the ephemeris are accurate and the percent of ages of data, ephemerides (AODEs), and ages of data and clocks (AODCs) shorter than 12 h were 99.95% and 99.96%, respectively. In addition, the broadcast orbit performance was also improved by ISLs. The root mean square (RMS) values of the BDS-3 MEO broadcast ephemeris orbit error were 0.067 m, 0.273 m, and 0.297 m in the radial, cross, and along directions, respectively. Moreover, the 3D RMS value was 0.450 m. Thanks to the use of new orbit parameters in the B-CNAV navigation messages of BDS-3 MEO, its satellite orbit accuracy was obviously better than that of D1 in the radial direction. Its improved accuracy can reach up to about 1.2 cm, and the percentage of its accuracy improvement was about 19.06%. With respect to clock errors, the timescale differences between the two clock products were eliminated to assess the accuracy of broadcasting ephemeris clock errors. A standard deviation value of 0.256 m shows good performances as a result of the use of the two new types of atomic clocks, although the RMS value was 0.541 m due to a nonzero mean bias. Overall, the accuracy of atomic clocks was good. For the new hydrogen and rubidium atomic clocks, their RMS and standard deviation were 0.563 m and 0.231 m and 0.519 m and 0.281 m, respectively. The stability of the former was better than that of the latter. However, due to the nonzero mean bias the latter was better than the former in accuracy. The RMS value of the SISRE of BDS-3 MEO’s broadcast ephemeris was 0.556 m, and the value was 0.920 m when it had a 95% confidence level. In contrast, after deducting the influence of the clock error, the value of SISRE_ORB was 0.092 m. Since the satellite clock error was substantially larger than the orbit radial error, the SISRE was mainly affected by the clock error, and their annual evolutions were consistent. Because of the improvement to the B-CNAV’s navigation message with respect to orbit radial accuracy, SISRE_ORB has improved in accuracy. Compared to D1, it had a significant effect on improving the accuracy of SISRE_ORB, and the percentage of the accuracy improvement was 8.40%.

Signed languages are not as pervasive a conversational medium as spoken languages due to the history of institutional suppression of the former and the linguistic hegemony of the latter. This has led to a communication barrier between signers and non-signers that could be mitigated by technology-mediated approaches. Here, we show that a wearable sign-to-speech translation system, assisted by machine learning, can accurately translate the hand gestures of American Sign Language into speech. The wearable sign-to-speech translation system is composed of yarn-based stretchable sensor arrays and a wireless printed circuit board, and offers a high sensitivity and fast response time, allowing real-time translation of signs into spoken words to be performed. By analysing 660 acquired sign language hand gesture recognition patterns, we demonstrate a recognition rate of up to 98.63% and a recognition time of less than 1 s. Wearable yarn-based stretchable sensor arrays, combined with machine learning, can be used to translate American Sign Language into speech in real time.

Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) is one of the most important optical properties of aerosols that may affect the energy budgets of our Earth–atmosphere system significantly. Currently, while regional and even global AOD knowledge has been given by various satellites or models, these products are still fraught with uncertainties. In this study, one sophisticated satellite-derived AOD product from MODIS (MODerate resolution Imaging Spectral-radiometer) and two state-of-the-art model-based AOD products from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) and MERRA-2 (Modern-Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Application Version 2), based on AERONET measurements from 2000–2022, analyzed the spatial distribution characteristics of global AOD. Then using the Mann-Kendall (MK) trend test, the AOD changing trends revealed by the three products were also computed and analyzed. The accuracies of these products and the reliabilities of changing trends derived are discussed and concluded finally. Our study demonstrates that MODIS products have wider applicability, matching best with AERONET globally, while CAMS and MERRA-2 products are only reliable in North America, South America, and Europe. Through comparative analysis of the AOD trends, we found that MODIS, CAMS, and MERRA-2 AOD consistently exhibited decreasing trends in eastern Asia, Europe, and eastern North America. On the other hand, different products showed increasing trends in regions like West Asia, South Asia, and South Africa, suggesting their limited reliability. The reliability assessment shows that 41.45% of the areas have consistent trends among the three products, with approximately 3.2% showing significant and consistent results. When using site trend validation, the proportions of sites with consistent trends are highest at 64.56% and 46.84% respectively. The regions with the best reliability of global trend changes are mainly distributed in North America, Europe, Australia, eastern Asia, and Central South America. This study provides new insights for validating aerosol changes using remote sensing and has the potential to enhance future monitoring and evaluation methods of aerosol products.

Mechanical stress is pervasive in egress routes of malignancy, yet the intrinsic effects of force on tumour cells remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that frictional force characteristic of flow in the lymphatics stimulates YAP1 to drive cancer cell migration; whereas intensities of fluid wall shear stress (WSS) typical of venous or arterial flow inhibit taxis. YAP1, but not TAZ, is strictly required for WSS-enhanced cell movement, as blockade of YAP1 , TEAD1-4 or the YAP1–TEAD interaction reduces cellular velocity to levels observed without flow. Silencing of TEAD phenocopies loss of YAP1, implicating transcriptional transactivation function in mediating force-enhanced cell migration. WSS dictates expression of a network of YAP1 effectors with executive roles in invasion, chemotaxis and adhesion downstream of the ROCK–LIMK–cofilin signalling axis. Altogether, these data implicate YAP1 as a fluid mechanosensor that functions to regulate genes that promote metastasis. Fluid frictional forces around cancer cells influence chemokine production and delivery of chemotherapeutic drugs but it is unclear if they directly impact tumour biology through biomechanical effects. Here, the authors show that wall shear stress stimulates cancer cell migration through a ROCK–LIMK–YAP axis.

Two-stage remote sensing image captioning (RSIC) methods have achieved promising results by incorporating additional pre-trained remote sensing tasks to extract supplementary information and improve caption quality. However, these methods face limitations in semantic comprehension, as pre-trained detectors/classifiers are constrained by predefined labels, leading to an oversight of the intricate and diverse details present in remote sensing images (RSIs). Additionally, the handling of auxiliary remote sensing tasks separately can introduce challenges in ensuring seamless integration and alignment with the captioning process. To address these problems, we propose a novel cross-modal retrieval and semantic refinement (CRSR) RSIC method. Specifically, we employ a cross-modal retrieval model to retrieve relevant sentences of each image. The words in these retrieved sentences are then considered as primary semantic information, providing valuable supplementary information for the captioning process. To further enhance the quality of the captions, we introduce a semantic refinement module that refines the primary semantic information, which helps to filter out misleading information and emphasize visually salient semantic information. A Transformer Mapper network is introduced to expand the representation of image features beyond the retrieved supplementary information with learnable queries. Both the refined semantic tokens and visual features are integrated and fed into a cross-modal decoder for caption generation. Through extensive experiments, we demonstrate the superiority of our CRSR method over existing state-of-the-art approaches on the RSICD, the UCM-Captions, and the Sydney-Captions datasets

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological malignancy because of its poor prognosis. The Warburg effect is one of the key mechanisms mediating cancer progression. Molecules targeting the Warburg effect are therefore of significant therapeutic value for the treatment of cancers. Many microRNAs (miR) are dysregulated in cancers, and aberrant miR expression patterns have been suggested to correlate with the Warburg effect in cancer cells. In our study, we found that miR‐145 negatively correlated with DNA methyltransferase (DNMT)3A expression at cellular/histological levels. miR‐145 inhibited the Warburg effect by targeting HK2. Luciferase reporter assays confirmed that miR‐145‐mediated downregulation of DNMT3A occurred through direct targeting of its mRNA 3′‐UTRs, whereas methylation‐specific PCR (MSP) assays found that knockdown of DNMT3A increased mRNA level of miR‐145 and decreased methylation levels of promoter regions in the miR‐145 precursor gene, thus suggesting a crucial crosstalk between miR‐145 and DNMT3A by a double‐negative feedback loop. DNMT3A promoted the Warburg effect through miR‐145. Coimmunoprecipitation assays confirmed no direct binding between DNMT3A and HK2. In conclusion, a feedback loop between miR‐145 and DNMT3A is a potent signature for the Warburg effect in ovarian cancer, promising a potential target for improved anticancer treatment. miR‐145 negatively correlated with DNMT3A expression at cellular/histological levels. A feedback loop between miR‐145 and DNMT3A is a potent signature for the Warburg effect in ovarian cancer, promising a potential target for improved anticancer treatment.