A Highly Sensitive and Stretchable Core-Shell Fiber Sensor for Gesture Recognition and Surface Pressure Distribution Monitoring.

This work reports a highly-strain flexible fiber sensor with a core-shell structure utilizes a unique swelling diffusion technique to infiltrate carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into the surface layer of Ecoflex fibers. Compared with traditional blended Ecoflex/CNTs fibers, this manufacturing process ensures that the sensor maintains the mechanical properties (923% strain) of the Ecoflex fiber while also improving sensitivity (gauge factor is up to 3716). By adjusting the penetration time during fabrication, the sensor can be customized for different uses. As an application demonstration, the fiber sensor is integrated into the glove to develop a wearable gesture language recognition system with high sensitivity and precision. Additionally, the authors successfully monitor the pressure distribution on the curved surface of a soccer ball by winding the fiber sensor along the ball's surface.

Tough Hydro-Aerogels with Cation Specificity Enabled Ultra-High Stability for Multifunctional Sensing and Quasi-Solid-State Electrolyte Applications.

The anion-specific effects of the salting-in and salting-out phenomena are extensively observed in hydrogels, whereas the cation specificity of hydrogels is rarely reported. Herein, a multi-step strategy including borax pre-gelation, saline soaking, freeze-drying, and rehydrating is developed to fabricate polyvinyl alcohol gels with cation specificity, exhibiting the specific ordering of effects on the mechanical properties of gels as Ca2+ > Li+ > Mg2+ >> Fe3+ > Cu2+ >> Co2+ ≈ Ni2+ ≈ Zn2+ . The multiple effects of the fabrication strategy, including the electrostatic repulsion among cations, skeleton support function of graphene oxide nanosheets, and water absorption and retention of ions, endow the gels with the dual characteristics of hydrogels and aerogels (i.e., hydro-aerogels). The hydro-aerogels prepared with the cationic salting-out effect display attractive pressure sensing performance with excellent stability over 90 days and enable continuous monitoring of ambient humidity in real-time and effective work in seawater to detect various parameters (e.g., depth, salinity, and temperature). The hydro-aerogels prepared without borax pretreatment or using the cationic salting-in effect can serve as quasi-solid-state electrolytes in supercapacitors, with 99.59% capacitance retention after 10 000 cycles. This study realizes cation specificity in hydrogels and designs multifunctional hydro-aerogels for promising applications in various fields.

Skillful multiyear prediction of marine habitat shifts jointly constrained by ocean temperature and dissolved oxygen.

The ability to anticipate marine habitat shifts responding to climate variability has high scientific and socioeconomic value. Here we quantify interannual-to-decadal predictability of habitat shifts by combining trait-based aerobic habitat constraints with a suite of initialized retrospective Earth System Model forecasts, for diverse marine ecotypes in the North American Large Marine Ecosystems. We find that aerobic habitat viability, defined by joint constraints of temperature and oxygen on organismal energy balance, is potentially predictable in the upper-600 m ocean, showing a substantial improvement over a simple persistence forecast. The skillful multiyear predictability is dominated by the oxygen component in most ecosystems, yielding higher predictability than previously estimated based on temperature alone. Notable predictability differences exist among ecotypes differing in temperature sensitivity of hypoxia vulnerability, especially along the northeast coast with predictability timescale ranging from 2 to 10 years. This tool will be critical in predicting marine habitat shifts in face of a changing climate.

Role of air-sea heat flux on the transformation of Atlantic Water encircling the Nordic Seas.

The warm-to-cold densification of Atlantic Water (AW) around the perimeter of the Nordic Seas is a critical component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). However, it remains unclear how ongoing changes in air-sea heat flux impact this transformation. Here we use observational data, and a one-dimensional mixing model following the flow, to investigate the role of air-sea heat flux on the cooling of AW. We focus on the Norwegian Atlantic Slope Current (NwASC) and Front Current (NwAFC), where the primary transformation of AW occurs. We find that air-sea heat flux accounts almost entirely for the net cooling of AW along the NwAFC, while oceanic lateral heat transfer appears to dominate the temperature change along the NwASC. Such differing impacts of air-sea interaction, which explain the contrasting long-term changes in the net cooling along two AW branches since the 1990s, need to be considered when understanding the AMOC variability.

Influencing factors of nucleic acid negative conversion in patients with mild and common COVID-19 induced by the Omicron variant of SARS-COV-2.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical characteristics of mild and common COVID-19 patients infected with the Omicron variant, and to analyze related factors affecting the time to negative conversion of viral nucleic acid detection. METHODS: Clinical data of 1781 patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) admitted to a cabin hospital in Shanghai from April 12 to May 26, 2022, were retrospectively analyzed, including age, gender, height, weight, clinical symptoms, comorbid diseases, COVID-19 vaccination, treatment, and nucleic acid negative conversion time. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to analyze the influencing factors of nucleic acid negative conversion time. RESULTS: Among the 1781 patients, 995 were male and 786 were female, with a median age of 39 (30, 52) years. There were 727 patients (40.8%) with overweight and obesity [body mass index (BMI) > 24 kg/cm 2) and 413 patients (23.2%) had comorbid diseases. 205 cases (11.5%) were not vaccinated while 1576 cases were vaccinated. There were 1233 cases (69.2%) with one or more symptoms. The main clinical symptoms were cough (60.3%), expectoration (50.4%) and fever (36.9%). 1444 cases (81.0%) were treated with Chinese medicine, 78 cases (4.4%) were treated with western medicine, 14 cases (0.8%) were treated with integrated Chinese and western medicine, and 245 cases (13.8%) did not receive any medical treatment. All patients improved and were discharged. The median nucleic acid negative conversion time was 10.3 (7.4, 12.4) d. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that, age ≥ 60 years ( OR＝1.537, 95% CI: 1.116 - 2.115, P<0.01), BMI > 24 kg/cm 2 ( OR＝1.344, 95% CI: 1.106 - 1.634, P<0.01 ) and hypertension ( OR＝1.518, 95% CI: 1.094 - 2.106, P<0.05) were independent risk factors for prolonged nucleic acid negative conversion. COVID-19 vaccination ( OR=0.548, 95% CI: 0.398 - 0.755, P<0.01) was a protective factor, that is, vaccination shortened the time for the nucleic acid test to become negative. CONCLUSIONS: The symptoms of the Omicron variant infection were relatively mild and occult. Age ≥ 60 years old, comorbid hypertension, no vaccination and BMI > 24 kg/cm 2 are independent influencing factors for prolonged nucleic acid negative conversion.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in surface sediments of the Yangtze River Delta: Levels, distribution and potential hydrodynamic influence.

A total of 32 surface sediments collected from the Yangtze River Estuary, Hangzhou Bay and the Qiantang River were analyzed for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). The concentrations of summation operatorPBDEs (sum of 12 PBDE congeners without BDE 209) and BDE 209 varied from n.d. to 0.55 and from 0.16 to 94.6 ng/g, respectively. The spatial variability of summation operatorPBDEs concentrations indicated that waste discharge from the urban areas might been the main source of PBDEs in the Yangtze River Delta. BDE 209 was the predominant congener (approximately 90-100%) detected among the 13 congeners, consistent with the fact that technical deca-BDE mixtures are presently the dominant technical PBDE mixtures used in China. Compared to published data acquired from other locales, PBDE congeners with less than four bromines were more abundant in the present study area. The hydrodynamic conditions may likely be a significant factor in dictating the observed levels and congener distribution patterns of PBDEs.