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Domain walls play an important role in the switching of ferroelectrics. Here, mapping out electric fields within ferroelectric thin films, the authors uncover electronic band bending as the origin of head-to-head domain walls that are difficult to switch and may hamper ferroelectric device performance.

The identification of synthetic essential genes of PTEN is of therapeutic potential for PTEN-deficient prostate cancers. Here, the authors show that ARID4B is a synthetic essential gene in these cancers in which deficiency of PTEN prompts the AKT-ARID4B feedback loop required for activation of the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway.

Clamping effects in ferroelestastic thin films limits their usefulness for applications such as sensitive mechanical sensors. Here, the authors report on non-local mechanical force induced switching in PbTiO₃ thin films by tuning the material to a state of nearly energetically degenerate co-existing domains.

Ion exchange is a powerful method to access metastable materials for energy storage, but identifying lithium and sodium interchange in layered oxides remains challenging. Using such model materials, vacancy level and corresponding lithium preference are shown to be crucial for ion exchange pathway accessibility.

High entropy alloys usually emphasize equiatomic compositions, which restrict the compositions available to induce strengthening via precipitation. Here the authors use spinodal decomposition in a five-element alloy to obtain high content nanophases and the highest tensile strength reported to date.

There is growing evidence indicating the different roles of natural UHRF1 inhibitory protein STELLA in mouse-derived cells from its human ortholog. Here, the authors report the differences of hSTELLA versus mSTELLA in inhibiting the maintenance or de novo DNA methylation functions of UHRF1 in human cancer cells, and lipid nanoparticle-delivered mSTELLA reversing cancer-specific DNA hypermethylation thereby impairing colorectal cancer tumorigenicity.

Cocrystal and cryo-EM structures of Geobacillus kaustophilus glyQ and Bacillus subtilis glyQS T-box-tRNA complexes establish a universal mechanism of amino acid sensing on tRNAs and gene regulation by T-box riboswitches.

A metabolic system of engineered biocatalysts using the noncanonical cofactor nicotinamide mononucleotide is established for biomanufacturing in cell-free systems and in Escherichia coli without interference from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate.

The authors uncover a Père David’s deer-like design for long noncoding RNAs such as metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), which partially mimics the transfer RNA (tRNA) structure to recruit select tRNA processing enzymes for maturation and to create novel regulatory RNAs such as the MALAT1-associated small cytoplasmic RNA.

Application of an electric field changes the transport and optical properties of samarium nickelate submerged in water, making it a suitable passive sensor of weak electric fields in salt water.

Novel cathode design holds the key to enabling high performance lithium-sulfur batteries. Here the authors utilize anthraquinone to chemically stabilize polysulfides, revealing that the keto groups of anthraquinone play a critical role in forming strong Lewis acid-based chemical bonding.

The structural characterization of DDS carriers, including transdermal DDS, is one of the essential factors in the understanding of the biological properties and useful for the development of new carriers. This review introduces a quantitative evaluation of the surface coating on a carrier with the contrast variation technique of SAXS in the first section and the localization determination of drug molecules in liposomes in the second section. The final section describes the microemulsions containing deep eutectic solvents in the inner phase for use in transdermal DDS.

Analysis of the bracteatus pineapple genome provides insight into fiber production, color formation, sugar accumulation and fruit maturation. Resequencing of 89 Ananas genomes supports the coexistence of sexual recombination and a ‘one-step operation’ during domestication.

Breast cancer metastasis to the brain is rising in prevalence and is an increasingly lethal threat to the patients. Here, the authors show miR-199b-5p, secreted by some breast cancer cells and detected at a higher level in patients with brain metastases, impairs the metabolic coupling between neurons and astrocytes to facilitate development of brain metastasis.

An echomyography system based on a single transducer can be integrated into a wearable patch and used to monitor breathing patterns and hand gestures.

Owing to long spin lifetime and diffusion length, graphene holds promise for spintronics, yet it does not possess intrinsic magnetic properties. Here, the authors observe experimentally a large, positive magnetoresistance at graphene nanodomain boundaries.

High-quality genome sequence of cultivated peanut comprising 2.54 Gb with 20 pseudomolecules and 83,709 protein-coding gene models provides insights into genome evolution and the genetic mechanisms underlying seed size and leaf resistance in peanut.

An antimatter hypernucleus formed by an anti-lambda hadron, an antiproton and two antineutrons was observed through its two-body decay after production in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions.

A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

Composites incorporating metallic nanoparticles into metal-organic frameworks are potentially useful but controlling the nanoparticle spatial distribution is challenging. Here, the authors report a strategy that accomplishes this by using a metal oxide as both support and sacrificial template.

This study describes the integrative analysis of 111 reference human epigenomes, profiled for histone modification patterns, DNA accessibility, DNA methylation and RNA expression; the results annotate candidate regulatory elements in diverse tissues and cell types, their candidate regulators, and the set of human traits for which they show genetic variant enrichment, providing a resource for interpreting the molecular basis of human disease.

Recent studies have reported miniaturized spectrometers based on van der Waals heterostructures. Here, the authors demonstrate multifunctional SnS₂/ReSe₂ heterojunction spectrometers providing photodetection, spectrum reconstruction, spectral imaging, long-term image memory, and signal processing capabilities.

A stretchable ultrasonic array conforming to the skin allows for the three-dimensional imaging of tissue modulus at depths of up to 4 cm.

The bacterium Helicobacter pylori, often found in the human stomach, can be classified into distinct subpopulations associated with the geographic origin of the host. Here, the authors provide insights into H. pylori population structure by collecting over 1,000 clinical strains from 50 countries and generating and analyzing high-quality bacterial genome sequences.

As an alternative vehicle fuel, hydrogen can be generated in situ from methanol and water—a process that is shown here to occur under mild conditions using a catalyst that comprises platinum atomically dispersed on an α-molybdenum carbide substrate.

Whole-genome sequencing, transcriptome-wide association and fine-mapping analyses in over 7,000 individuals with critical COVID-19 are used to identify 16 independent variants that are associated with severe illness in COVID-19.

Fine-scale geospatial mapping of overweight and wasting (two components of the double burden of malnutrition) in 105 LMICs shows that overweight has increased from 5.2% in 2000 to 6.0% in children under 5 in 2017. Although overall wasting decreased over the same period, most countries are not on track to meet the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025.

A haplotype-resolved genome of hybrid sugarcane cultivar XTT22 and population analyses of Saccharum accessions highlight the genome evolution of allopolyploids and provide opportunities for sugarcane breeding.

LKB1 is frequently mutated in lung squamous cell carcinomas. Here, the authors show that sole LKB1 depletion is sufficient to drive the development of this cancer, where downstream defective MKK7-JNK1/2 signalling activates the ∆Np63/p63 pathway to induce subsequent epithelial cells transformation and tumour progression.

Validation of the safety and performance of a wearable ultrasound sensor for the monitoring of blood pressure in clinical settings showed that the sensor met established safety and accuracy requirements.

Spatially resolved images of M87 obtained at a wavelength of 3.5 mm in 2018 show a ring-like accretion structure, the inner (outer) edge of which connects the black hole (jet).

Engineering ammonium excretion diazotrophs suffers from severe penalties to the bacteria. Here, the authors utilize a thermo-sensitive glutamine synthetase-based regulatory switch that permits diurnal changes in diazotrophic lifestyle, coincident with seasonal temperatures for cereal cultivation.

The Gauge factor (GF) enhancement in strain sensors remains a key challenge. Here the authors leverage the piezoelectric and photoelectric effects in a class of van der Waals materials to tune the GF, and obtain a record GF up to 3933 for a SnS₂-based strain sensor.

TRAPS-seq is a sequencing-based method to profile dynamic protein secretion in single cells.

A sequencing chemistry that separates nucleotide identification from nucleotide incorporation achieves high accuracy.

The millimetre image of the Centaurus A nucleus by the Event Horizon Telescope reveals a highly collimated, asymmetrically edge-brightened jet. The source’s event horizon shadow should be visible at terahertz frequencies, consistent with the universal scale invariance of black holes.

The endemic Tibetan antelope is adapted to high-altitude environments with low partial pressure of oxygen and high level of ultraviolet radiation. Here Ge et al. report a draft genome of this species and by comparison with other mammals, present possible genetic bases of highland adaptation.

Exome sequencing and copy number analysis are used to define genomic aberrations in early sporadic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; among the findings are mutations in genes involved in chromatin modification and DNA damage repair, and frequent and diverse somatic aberrations in genes known as embryonic regulators of axon guidance.

The TARDBP gene encodes TDP-43, a multifunctional DNA- and RNA-binding protein involved in many cellular processes. Mutations in TARDBP are associated with TDP-43 proteinopathies. In vivo and in vitro studies of mutants and peptides show similarities between TDP-43 and prion proteins, suggesting that TDP-43 derivatives may cause disease by spreading to neighboring neurons.

A genome-wide association study of critically ill patients with COVID-19 identifies genetic signals that relate to important host antiviral defence mechanisms and mediators of inflammatory organ damage that may be targeted by repurposing drug treatments.

Excitons play an important role in the optical properties of 2D semiconductors, but their spatial characterization is usually constrained by the diffraction limit. Here, the authors report near-field optical spectroscopy of 2D transition metal dichalcogenides with 20 nm resolution, revealing their spatially dependent excitonic spectra and complex dielectric function.

Current specialized function gradient computing hardware is not scalable to common higher-order functions. This work reports an approach for massively parallel gradient calculations of high-degree polynomials. Solving a Boolean satisfiability problem was experimentally implemented on an in-memory computing circuit.