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The superconducting gap structure of FeSe remains a debated issue. Here, Hashimoto et al. report momentum dependence of the gap in single- and multi-domain regions of orthorhombic FeSe crystals, revealing an unusual node lifting of the gap structure in multi-domain regions.

Previous genome-wide association studies have identified risk loci for pancreatic cancer but were centered on individuals of European ancestry. Here the authors identify GP2 gene variants associated with pancreatic cancer susceptibility in populations of East Asian ancestry.

A genome-wide association study highlights a variant in DOCK2, which is common in East Asian populations but rare in Europeans, as a host genetic risk factor for severe COVID-19.

A systematic approach for identifying the genes responsible for the regulation of spindle orientation in mammals has been lacking. Now, Matsumuraet al. perform a kinase-targeting RNAi screen and identify ABL1, which through the direct phosphorylation of NuMa, is a novel regulator of spindle orientation.

Analysis of the blood DNA virome in patients with COVID-19 and autoimmune disease associates endogenous HHV-6 (eHHV-6) and high anellovirus load with increased disease risk, most notably for systemic lupus erythematosus. eHHV-6 carriers show a distinct immune response.

Intracranial germ cell tumors (IGCTs) are rare brain tumors mainly diagnosed in children and young adults. Here, the authors conduct a genome-wide association study for IGCTs, identify a risk locus at BAK1, and characterize its functional consequences.

Over the years the iron-based superconductors have become a platform to investigate many different phenomena such as the interplay between magnetism and superconductivity, nematicity and topological superconductivity. Here, the authors apply nuclear magnetic resonance to S-substituted FeSe in order to probe spin fluctuations, which indicate the presence of Bogoliubov Fermi surfaces.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a major cause of blindness worldwide. Here, the authors carry out a two-stage genome-wide association study for AMD and identify three new AMD risk loci, highlighting the shared and distinct genetic basis of the disease in East Asians and Europeans.

Light-matter interactions can be used to induce a superconducting-like state in some cuprate superconductors at temperatures above the expected transition temperature. Here, the authors provide time and angle resolved spectroscopic evidence to suggest that photo induced superconductivity can also be achieved in Fe-based superconductors

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.

Chiea Chuen Khor, Tin Aung, Francesca Pasutto, Janey Wiggs and colleagues report a global genome-wide association study of exfoliation syndrome and a fine-mapping analysis of a previously identified disease-associated locus, LOXL1. They identify a rare protective variant in LOXL1 exclusive to the Japanese population and five new common variant susceptibility loci.

Studies imply that cell adhesion geometry during interphase dictates the orientation of the cell division axis. Here the authors show that accumulation of caveolin-1 to rapidly retracting regions during cell rounding sets the spindle orientation by recruiting Gαi1-LGN-NuMA to the cortex.

Yuta Kochi and colleagues report a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for rheumatoid arthritis in a Japanese population. They identify nine loci newly associated with rheumatoid arthritis in this population and consider overlap of associations with previous studies in European populations.

Composites of nylon 6 and large amounts of alumina nanoparticles were prepared to investigate nylon 6 at its interface with alumina. DSC curves obtained by heating and cooling the slowly cooled samples indicate decreases in melting and crystallization temperatures. The melting enthalpy and XRD patterns show a decrease in the degree of crystallization with the addition of alumina. The IR spectra suggest that hydrogen bonds were enhanced at the interface.

Large dielectric constants were measured for nylon 93. A displacement–electric hysteresis loop was obtained for a slowly cooled sample of nylon 93. The structure of nylon 93 was investigated in detail to clarify the origin of these unusual electric properties. The results obtained by X-ray diffraction, polarizing optical micrography, and differential scanning calorimetry indicated that α- and γ-crystals were formed in the slowly cooled and quenched samples, respectively, and the γ-crystals in the quenched samples were gradually changed into α-crystals by annealing.

It is widely accepted that native xanthan forms a double helical structure and that it loses this structure upon heating (denaturation) and recovers the double helical structure upon cooling its solution (renaturation). The structure of renatured xanthan depends on the concentration of both xanthan and added salt, and temperature. Branched-rods and hairpin-shaped structures were observed by AFM depending on the conditions of denaturation and renaturation. The structural change observed by atomic force microscopy well agrees with the models proposed in our previous study.

The interphase structure of isotactic poly(methyl methacrylate) (it-PMMA)/aluminananoparticle mixtures obtained from tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution was discussed. The it-PMMA in the mixtures forms two amorphous phases (crystallizable and incrystallizable phases) depending on casting conditions from THF. The polymer interphase on Al2O3 particles changes into a crystallizable structure with a trans-gauche rich conformation and amorphous. The interphase shows a lower Tg than the melt-cast one and is easy to crystallize at low temperature. The novel structure was formed by the conformation freezing of the polymer at Al2O3 surface.

Tin Aung, Chiea-Chuen Khor and colleagues report the results of a genome-wide association study of exfoliation syndrome. They replicate a known association at LOXL1 and identify a previously unreported association at CACNA1A.

Knockout of mitochondrial transcription elongation factor, TEFM, in cultured human cells suggests the role of this protein in maintaining the balance between mitochondrial transcription and replication.

The BCS-BEC crossover is typically observed using ultracold atomic systems but recent experiments suggest investigations may also be possible using strongly correlated systems. Here, the authors use FeSe_1−xS_x to investigate the evolution of the superconducting state in the BCS-BEC crossover regime observing multiband nature of the BCS-BEC crossover with a suppression of the nematic order upon S-substitution.

The aggregation behaviors of a diblock copolymer and a triblock copolymer of poly(2-ethyl-2-oxazoline) (PEOX) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) in aqueous solutions were investigated mainly by static and dynamic light scattering and infrared spectroscopy. PEOX is a thermoresponsive polymer that is soluble in water at room temperature, but insoluble above 60 °C, and it forms aggregates with poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) by using intermolecular hydrogen bonds.

Double helical polysaccharide, xanthan samples with varying molar mass were thermally denatured and renatured in dilute solutions. The molar mass decreased after denaturation and renaturation for samples with an initial molar mass of 10⁶ g mol⁻¹, but those for the samples with an initial molar mass of 10⁵ or 10⁷ g mol⁻¹ decreased only slightly. A model explaining this molar mass dependence of the denaturation and renaturation behaviors was proposed based on the experimental results.

Light scattering and viscosity measurements were carried out for thermally renatured xanthan samples with various molar masses and molar mass distributions. The increases in the molar mass, radius of gyration, and intrinsic viscosity of a xanthan sample with high molar mass and wide molar mass distribution upon renaturation were smaller than in xanthan samples with lower molar masses and narrower molar mass distributions. This behavior could be explained by the increase in “intra-dimer-renaturation” caused by the slower diffusion of xanthan with higher molar mass.

Porous rods of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) were fabricated by molding PTFE powder and fumaric acid (FA) at room temperature, and sintering at 400 °C. The microstructures of the molding mixtures were observed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM). High-resolution images of SEM revealed that the fibrous structure heated at 310 °C is composed of small particles of PTFE connected with fibrils, and these particles were sintered into grains after heating at 400 °C. Pore size could be controlled by changing the volume fraction of FA.

The role nematicity and magnetic fluctuations play in the manifestation of unconventional superconductivity for Fe-based superconductors is actively debated with, so far, no clear consensus. Here, the authors study the resistive properties of sulfur-doped FeSe under applied pressure finding evidence of two distinct contributions to the electrical resistivity, which suggest a decoupling of nematic and magnetic fluctuations in this system.

Understanding the effect of the subtle interplay between strong and weak coupling regimes on the properties of quasiparticles is key to understanding unconventional superconductivity. Here, X-ray spectroscopies reveal the partially localized and itinerant magnetic character of quasiparticles in a doped iron pnictide material.

Yoshikatsu Hosoda et al. present a genome-wide association study in Japanese and European cohorts, identifying genes related to central serous chorioretinopathy pathogenesis. They report two novel susceptibility loci, one of which is a known risk allele for age-related macular degeneration.