bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Time-reversal-breaking Weyl nodal lines in two-dimensional A3C2 (A = Ti, Zr, and Hf) intrinsically ferromagnetic materials with high Curie temperature
Authors: Zhou Feng , Liu Ying , Kuang Minquan , Wang Peng , Wang Jianhua , Yang Tie , Wang Xiaotian , Cheng Zhenxiang , Zhang Gang
Published: April 2021

2D A3C2 (A = Ti, Zr, and Hf) materials are reported as new ferromagnetic materials with intrinsic magnetism and good stability.
Radial electromagnetic force and vibration in synchronous reluctance motors with asymmetric rotor structures
Authors: Lin Yingqian , Sun Yi , Wang Yunchong , Cai Shun , Shen Jian‐Xin
Published: April 2021

Asymmetrical rotor topologies were previously proposed for synchronous reluctance motors (SynRM) to reduce the torque ripple. However, potential negative effect of these topologies on mechanical vibration, which is often serious in SynRM, was hardly studied and such an effect is investigated here. An analytical model is established, through which the spatial orders of the radial electromagnetic force with various rotor topologies are derived, and the relationship of the peak frequencies and the corresponding spatial orders in the radial electromagnetic force is revealed. It is shown that some asymmetric rotor topologies will reduce the order of the lowest spatial harmonic for the radial electromagnetic force, and consequently increase the vibration. Finite element analysis and experiments demonstrate the same results. Finally, a specific rotor topology with asymmetry about both d‐axis and q‐axis is recommended, which can reduce the torque ripple, but would not deteriorate the radial electromagnetic force and vibration.
Acoustics of the banjo: measurements and sound synthesis
Authors: Woodhouse Jim , Politzer David , Mansour Hossein
Published: April 2021

Measurements of vibrational response of an American 5-string banjo and of the sounds of played notes on the instrument are presented, and contrasted with corresponding results for a steel-string guitar. A synthesis model, fine-tuned using information from the measurements, has been used to investigate what acoustical features are necessary to produce recognisable banjo-like sound, and to explore the perceptual salience of a wide range of design modifications. Recognisable banjo sound seems to depend on the pattern of decay rates of “string modes”, the loudness magnitude and profile, and a transient contribution to each played note from the “body modes”. A formant-like feature, peaking around 500–800 Hz on the banjo tested, is found to play a key role. At higher frequencies the dynamic behaviour of the bridge produces additional formant-like features, reminiscent of the “bridge hill” of the violin, and these also produce clear perceptual effects.
Prevalence and new genotypes of Enterocytozoon bieneusi in sheltered dogs and cats in Sichuan province, southwestern China
Authors: Zhong Yalin , Zhou Ziyao , Deng Lei , Liu Haifeng , Zhong Zhijun , Ma Xiaoping , Zhang Kun , Wang Yingzhu , Fu Hualin , Peng Guangneng
Published: April 2021

Enterocytozoon bieneusi is a common intracellular parasite that infects a wide range of hosts, including humans and companion animals, raising concerns of zoonotic transmission. However, there is limited epidemiological information on the prevalence and genotypes of E. bieneusi in sheltered dogs and cats in Sichuan province, southwestern China. A total of 880 fecal samples were collected from shelters in different cities of Sichuan province, including 724 samples from dogs, and 156 samples from cats. Enterocytozoon bieneusi was determined by sequence analysis of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS). Overall, the prevalence of E. bieneusi was 18% (158/880), and the parasite was detected in 18.8% (136/724) and 14.1% (22/156) of the dogs and cats examined, respectively. Sequence analysis revealed the presence of five genotypes in dogs, including three known genotypes CD9 (n = 92), PtEb IX (n = 41), and Type IV (n = 1), and two novel genotypes SCD-1 (n = 1) and SCD-2 (n = 1). Similarly, four genotypes were identified in cats, including CD9 (n = 11), Type IV (n = 6), D (n = 4), and PtEb IX (n = 1). Genotypes D and Type IV have previously been identified in humans and are reported in sheltered dogs and cats in the present study, indicating that these animals could be as potential sources of human microsporidiosis infections.
Modeling lung stretch in 3D could help reduce injuries for lungs on ventilators
Authors: Johnson-Groh Mara
Published: April 2021

3D in-vitro models of lung vessels show how they react to the mechanical stresses of breathing. The findings sharply differ from previous research in 2D.
A novel quiescent quasi-steady state of a toroidal electron plasma
Authors: Khamaru S. , Ganesh R. , Sengupta M.
Published: April 2021

The existence of a novel quiescent quasi-steady state of the toroidal electron cloud is reported. This is achieved by first constructing a maximum entropy mean-field solution for pure electron plasma at zero-inertia limit (ρ¯L/L→0, where ρ¯L is average electron Larmor radius and L is typical mean spatial gradient length scale), which is then used as “seed” solution to a high fidelity 3D3V PIC solver, at finite density of pure electron plasma in small aspect ratio toroidal configuration. The electron cloud is shown to attain a quiescent quasi-steady state satisfying full equations of motion and hence accurate to all orders in ρ¯L/L, with far superior confinement properties as compared to typical initial condition used in today's laboratories. Salient features include the absence of center of charge motion, naturally shaped centrally peaked density, and potential concentric surfaces. The variation of temperatures T¯∥(R,t) and T¯⊥(R,t) (averaged over the toroidal direction) with major radius R is reported for the first time for a toroidal electron plasma. For the small aspect ratio of O(1) considered here, the temperature profiles are such that T¯∥(R,t) and T¯⊥(R,t) fall with R as 1/R2 and 1/R3, respectively. Our solution to this long-standing problem of finding a quiescent quasi-steady of a toroidal charge cloud may have direct relevance to not only pure electron plasma but also to pure ion plasma.
Electric potential in a magnetically confined virtual cathode fusion device
Authors: Bowden-Reid Richard , Khachan Joe
Published: April 2021

The magnetically confined virtual cathode (MCVC) is an approach to nuclear fusion in which multipole magnetic traps are used to confine a dense cloud of electrons and thereby establish a deep electrostatic potential well for the heating and trapping of ions. We describe preliminary studies conducted in MCVC-0, a two-coil, biconic cusp trap, in which high impedance, floating Langmuir probe measurements were used to characterize the electrostatic potential. Contrary to previous studies in six-coil “polywell” devices, no potential well formation was observed and this is attributed to the particular configuration of magnetic fields within the new device. A computational model was developed, based on the anisotropic electrical conductivity of discharge plasmas within magnetic fields, and shown to accurately describe the obtained experimental results. Electrostatic boundaries that were intersected by magnetic field lines were found to strongly dominate the form of the electric potential within the device, with strong implications for the design of future MCVC/polywell machines.
Mitigation of mode-one asymmetry in laser-direct-drive inertial confinement fusion implosions
Authors: Mannion O. M. , Igumenshchev I. V. , Anderson K. S. , Betti R. , Campbell E. M. , Cao D. , Forrest C. J. , Johnson M. Gatu , Glebov V. Yu. , Goncharov V. N. , Gopalaswamy V. , Ivancic S. T. , Jacobs-Perkins D. W. , Kalb A. , Knauer J. P. , Kwiatkowski J. , Lees A. , Marshall F. J. , Michalko M. , Mohamed Z. L. , Patel D. , Rinderknecht H. G. , Shah R. C. , Stoeckl C. , Theobald W. , Woo K. M. , Regan S. P.
Published: April 2021

Nonuniformities present in the laser illumination and target in laser-driven inertial confinement fusion experiments lead to an asymmetric compression of the target, resulting in an inefficient conversion of shell kinetic energy to thermal energy of the hot-spot plasma. In this paper, the effects of asymmetric compression of cryogenic deuterium tritium laser-direct-drive implosions are examined using a suite of nuclear and x-ray diagnostics on the OMEGA laser. The neutron-averaged hot-spot velocity (u→hs) and apparent ion temperature (Ti) asymmetry are determined from neutron time-of-flight measurements of the primary deuterium tritium fusion neutron energy spectrum, while the areal density (ρR) of the compressed fuel surrounding the hot spot is inferred from measurements of the scattered neutron energy spectrum. The low-mode perturbations of the hot-spot shape are characterized from x-ray self-emission images recorded along three quasi-orthogonal lines of sight. Implosions with significant mode-1 laser-drive asymmetries show large hot-spot velocities (>100 km/s) in a direction consistent with the hot-spot elongation observed in x-ray images, measured Ti asymmetry, and ρR asymmetry. Laser-drive corrections have been applied through shifting the initial target location in order to mitigate the observed asymmetry. With the asymmetry corrected, a more-symmetric hot spot is observed with reduced u→hs, Ti asymmetry, ρR asymmetry, and a 30% increase in the fusion yield.
The effect of geometry variants on the performance of VAWT-rotor with incline-straight blades
Authors: Abusannuga Hashem , Özkaymak Mehmet
Published: April 2021

This study was conducted theoretically with the aim of investigating the effect of the straight blade angle change on the aerodynamic performance of the vertical axis wind rotor (VAWR). The work was done within the blade angle range of 25°–85° with an angular gradient of 20°. A special name has been given to the VAWR concerned in this paper, where it was called Straight Slant Blades (SSBs). The so-called multi-stream tube (MST) model was modified to be suitable for SSBs. MST is an aerodynamic model, which was previously used to work on what is known as Darrieus and H-Darrieus vertical axis wind turbines. A computer program is designed and developed using Microsoft Visual Basic to be consistent with the objectives of this research. As for verifying the effectiveness of this program, its theoretical results were compared with previous laboratory results from other research studies as it proved its effectiveness in achieving satisfactory results commensurate with the objective of this study. This study is applied to four groups of different engineering designs for the SSB rotor, where each group is concerned with one of the geometric variables confined to the rotor height 2H, the rotor radius R, the number of rotor blades N, and the airfoil C. The results obtained are displayed as rotor power coefficient curves as a function of blade tip speed ratio. As it resulted in the ideal range for the angle of the blade between 45° and 65°, according to the rotor in this range, the value of maximum power coefficient CpMAX is at its maximum and the range of tip speed ratios is the highest in addition to the diminution of the problem of self-movement.
Structural, elastic, electronic, and anisotropic properties of Pbca-SiC and Pbcn-SiC
Authors: Kong Linchun , Chai Changchun , Song Yanxing , Zhang Wei , Zhang Zheren , Yang Yintang
Published: April 2021

The crystal structures, mechanical stability, anisotropy, electronic band structures, and effective mass of Pbca-SiC and Pbcn-SiC under pressure are calculated utilizing first-principles calculations. Pbca-SiC and Pbcn-SiC with pressures in the range of 0–50 GPa have thermodynamic and mechanical stability. Visible anisotropies are discovered by analyzing the two- and three-dimensional representations of Young’s modulus, which also change with increasing pressure. The band structure results forecast two wide bandgap semiconductors. Pbca-SiC is an indirect gap semiconductor with a value of 3.724 eV. It is worth noting that Pbcn-SiC is a direct gap semiconductor with a value of 3.639 eV, and the bandgaps of Pbcn-SiC decrease with increasing pressure, which makes the emission wavelength of Pbcn-SiC change from the near ultraviolet light zone to visible light zone. Based on the controllable direct bandgap, Pbcn-SiC has better application potential in light-emitting devices. Moreover, the carrier effective mass under ambient conditions is also calculated, and the minimum value of the electron effective mass is obtained in Pbcn-SiC with a value of 0.262m0, while the minimum value of the hole effective mass is found in Pbca-SiC with a value of −0.285m0.
Laser terahertz emission microscopy revealing the local fluctuation of terahertz generation induced by Te inclusion
Authors: Dong Jiangpeng , Serita Kazunori , Murakami Fumikazu , Kawayama Iwao , Sun Han , Zhang Binbin , Tonouchi Masayoshi , Jie Wanqi , Xu Yadong
Published: April 2021

As a state-of-the-art electro-optical crystal, zinc telluride (ZnTe) is widely used in terahertz (THz) emission by optical rectification. However, the efficiency of THz generation in ZnTe is usually degraded by factors such as harmonic generation, two-photon absorption, and free-carrier absorption. In this work, we first report the effect of micro-scale Te inclusions in ZnTe on the local area THz emission. Unusual THz time-domain waveforms emitted from Te inclusions are observed to last longer than 400 ps, which is attributed to the photocurrent surge (PS) effect. This Te inclusion-associated THz radiation is proved consistent with the incident power and polarization angle dependences. Simultaneously, the Te inclusions embedded in the ZnTe matrix are visualized by laser THz emission microscopy (LTEM). According to the LTEM images, the driving force of the carrier movement is revealed, which is ascribed to the heterojunction field composed of Te and p-ZnTe. Our results not only afford a comprehensive understanding of the THz characteristics of Te inclusions but also put forward LTEM as a promising non-contact evaluation method for evaluating the bulk defects in semiconductors.
Free vibration analysis of inversely coupled composite laminated shell structures with general boundary condition
Authors: Kim Kwanghun , An Kwangil , Kwak Songhun , Ri Hyonil , Ri Kumchol , Kim Hohyok
Published: April 2021

In this paper, the free vibration characteristics of various coupled composite laminated doubly curved revolution shells are investigated under generalized boundary conditions (BCs). The joint shell structure consists of a doubly curved revolution shell–cylindrical shell–doubly curved revolution shell structure, and here, unlike previous structures, the doubly curved revolution shells are inversely joined together. In this paper, doubly curved shells such as elliptical, paraboloidal, and spherical shells are considered. The first order shear deformation theory and multi-segment partitioning technique are adopted to establish the theoretical model of coupled shell structures. Regardless of the individual shell structures and the BCs, the displacement functions of each shell segment are expanded using ultraspherical polynomials in the meridional direction and using the standard Fourier series in the circumferential direction. In order to generalize the BCs at both ends of a coupled shell and the connecting conditions at the interface, the virtual spring technique is employed. Then, the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the coupled shell structures are obtained by the Ritz method. The reliability and accuracy of the proposed method are verified by the convergence study and numerical comparison with results of the finite element method. In addition, some numerical results are also reported for the free vibration of coupled composite laminated doubly curved revolution shell structures under classical and elastic BCs, which can provide the reference data for future studies.
Ferromagnetic-waveguide width dependence of propagation properties for magnetostatic surface spin waves
Authors: Kasahara Kenji , Akamatsu Ryusei , Manago Takashi
Published: April 2021

The width dependence of propagation properties for magnetostatic surface spin waves (MSSWs) in Permalloy (Py) waveguides was investigated experimentally and numerically. When both the short-side width of a Py waveguide (WPy) and the magnetic field (μ0H) were large enough, the spin wave (SW) intensity almost linearly decreased with decreasing WPy, and the resonant frequency fr was almost independent of WPy. However, when both WPy and μ0H were small, the SW intensity rapidly reduced, and fr decreased with decreasing WPy. Micromagnetic simulations revealed that when both WPy and μ0H are large enough, the magnetization direction of Py is almost parallel to the magnetic field direction, and the SW mode becomes the MSSW mode. In contrast, when both WPy and μ0H are small, magnetization direction tilts to the long-side direction of the Py strip from the magnetic field direction due to a strong demagnetizing field, which is the origin of the unexpected reduction in the intensity and fr. When miniaturized ferromagnetic waveguides are used for shrinking MSSW devices, a sufficiently large magnetic field is necessary because the influence of the shape magnetic anisotropy cannot be ignored.
Outdoor atmospheric optical two-way time transfer with serial time code
Authors: Ren Junwei , Hou Dong , Li Ze , Li Haopengyu , Liu Ke , Zhao Jianye
Published: April 2021

We demonstrated an optical two-way time transfer scheme in the outdoor free-space link using a simple complex programmable logic device-based serial time coder/decoder. With this scheme, we have transferred a 100 Hz signal with time information over a 120-m outdoor atmospheric link. The time drift, time deviation, and frequency instability are all measured to estimate the quality of the transferred time signal during the transfer process. Within 11 h, the experimental result shows that the total root-mean-square time drift is about 81 ps, with the time deviation of 70 ps at 1-s averaging time and down to 10 ps above 100-s averaging time. The calculation shows that the fractional frequency instability of the transmission link is on the order of 1.4 × 10−10 at 1 s and of 3.0 × 10−15 at 10 000 s. The time deviation and frequency instability for the optical two-way time transfer are superior to those of the Global Positioning System (GPS)-based time transfer method, which implies the technique proposed in this paper is able to be directly used in high-precision time transfer over atmospheric links in a short distance.
Relationship of Lagrangian microscopic energy efficiency of a gas parcel in a thermoacoustic engine to macroscopic one
Authors: Yasui Kyuichi
Published: April 2021

As suggested by much smaller microscopic Carnot efficiency of a transversely oscillating gas-parcel in a thermoacoustic engine than macroscopic Carnot efficiency of the whole stack, the Lagrangian microscopic energy efficiency of a gas parcel is different from the macroscopic energy efficiency of the whole stack. The relationship of the former to the latter is theoretically discussed. Furthermore, it is numerically shown that the microscopic energy efficiency in a wet stack is considerably lower than that in a dry stack due to both heat loss by latent heat of water evaporation and more heat influx associated with evaporation.
Fabrication of a multi-stage plasma synthetic jet actuator using printed electronics
Authors: Sato Shintaro , Enokido Tomoki , Ohnishi Naofumi
Published: April 2021

A new concept of electrode shape and arrangement is proposed to develop a multi-stage plasma synthetic jet actuator for the low-voltage operation. Exposed and covered electrodes, which have complicated shapes due to electrical wiring to the inner side of annular electrodes, are fabricated by an inkjet printing process using a silver nanoparticle-based ink. The plasma synthetic jet actuator developed in this study can be operated at 1000 V or lower. The discharge spreads uniformly from only the inner side of each annular electrode, inducing a unidirectional ionic wind toward the center of the coaxial electrode circle. Particle image velocimetry measurements reveal that the wall-normal jet induced by the multi-stage plasma synthetic jet actuator can be characterized as an axisymmetric free shear flow. The electrical and mechanical characteristics are similar to the linear-type dielectric-barrier-discharge plasma actuators. We also demonstrate that the printed electronics technique is suitable for the generation of arbitrary electrode shapes and arrangements and hence is a powerful tool for the realization of industrial applications of active airflow control devices using atmospheric pressure discharge.
Apparent capacitance reduction at high frequencies by self-heating in organic thin-film devices and correction methods
Authors: Okumoto Hajime , Tsutsui Tetsuo
Published: April 2021

The effects of self-heating in electrical devices on measurement capacitance have not been considered seriously. In a previous study, we showed that self-heating is a source of negative capacitance (NC), observed widely in devices in low frequency ranges. The NC is caused by the nonlinear coupling of the real and imaginary parts of admittance through temperature modulation, owing to self-heating in devices. Because capacitance reduction leading to NC in low frequency ranges can start even at high frequencies (∼100 kHz), the capacitance will likely be underestimated when self-heating is not considered. Thus, here, the self-heating model is extended to explain the capacitance reduction in high frequency ranges; the key to enhancing the reduction is adiabatically heated layers with an extremely small volume. Moreover, a concise method of correcting the reduction is developed. The combination of the self-heating model and the equivalent circuit of a tested device provides a method to eliminate the nonlinear effects and obtain the intrinsic capacitance of the device. The applicability of the model and correction method is examined by fitting impedance spectra for double-layered organic light emitting diodes. The corrected capacitance obtained by the fit clarifies the charge accumulation in each layer under high bias. The model and method are general and applicable to various electronic devices. Our findings prompt the reconsideration of conventional capacitance vs voltage or frequency analyses for electronic devices with ubiquitous self-heating.
Introduction to NMR
Authors: Chen Bo
Published: April 2021

We will first introduce some fundamental concepts in magnetic resonances, including gyromagnetic ratio, angular and spin momentum, categories of magnetic materials, the sensitivity of NMR. In this process, you will need some basic physics knowledge of quantum mechanics, classical mechanics, and thermodynamics. Additional reading of relevant materials from some online lecture notes or Wikipedia will also help.
Introduction to the Principles of NMR Hardware
Authors: Chen Bo
Published: April 2021

We will cover basic concepts regarding the building blocks of NMR spectrometer and probe. This knowledge will serve as a good foundation for more advanced topics regarding NMR probe design. We will start our discussion with more detailed analysis of NMR sensitivity, with a brief coverage on the basic properties of the coaxial cable. Then, our discussion will focus on the introductions of the basic RLC in series and parallel circuits, with detailed derivation to explain their essential electronic properties. They are the fundamental construction blocks in probe design. We will end our discussion with the demonstration of the balanced circuit, which is widely exploited in current NMR probes.
Morphological integration of the human brain across adolescence and adulthood
Authors: Nadig Ajay , Seidlitz Jakob , McDermott Cassidy L. , Liu Siyuan , Bethlehem Richard , Moore Tyler M. , Mallard Travis T. , Clasen Liv S. , Blumenthal Jonathan D. , Lalonde François , Gur Ruben C. , Gur Raquel E. , Bullmore Edward T. , Satterthwaite Theodore D. , Raznahan Armin
Published: April 2021

Significance

Attaining correct anatomical proportions is an important developmental goal. Although the patterning of individual deviations from such proportions has been well-studied in nonhuman animals and various human body measurements, this theoretical framework has not been applied to human brain morphology. We analyze individual deviations from proportionality norms (“anatomical imbalance”) in a collection of over 20,000 brain MRI scans to reveal that individuals grow closer to proportionality norms in development and further from proportionality norms in aging. This effect is greatest in brain networks that support higher-order cognition and least in brain networks that support sensorimotor functions. We demonstrate that deviation from proportionality norms—a measure of neurodevelopmental coordination—is associated with cognitive function and sensitive to variation in prenatal stress.
Cortical ensembles selective for context
Authors: Hamm Jordan P. , Shymkiv Yuriy , Han Shuting , Yang Weijian , Yuste Rafael
Published: April 2021

Neural processing of sensory information is strongly influenced by context. For instance, cortical responses are reduced to predictable stimuli, while responses are increased to novel stimuli that deviate from contextual regularities. Such bidirectional modulation based on preceding sensory context is likely a critical component or manifestation of attention, learning, and behavior, yet how it arises in cortical circuits remains unclear. Using volumetric two-photon calcium imaging and local field potentials in primary visual cortex (V1) from awake mice presented with visual “oddball” paradigms, we identify both reductions and augmentations of stimulus-evoked responses depending, on whether the stimulus was redundant or deviant, respectively. Interestingly, deviance-augmented responses were limited to a specific subset of neurons mostly in supragranular layers. These deviance-detecting cells were spatially intermixed with other visually responsive neurons and were functionally correlated, forming a neuronal ensemble. Optogenetic suppression of prefrontal inputs to V1 reduced the contextual selectivity of deviance-detecting ensembles, demonstrating a causal role for top-down inputs. The presence of specialized context-selective ensembles in primary sensory cortex, modulated by higher cortical areas, provides a circuit substrate for the brain’s construction and selection of prediction errors, computations which are key for survival and deficient in many psychiatric disorders.
Effects of Zn content on damping behaviours of Al–Mg alloys
Authors: Zhao Lu , Yan Hongge , Chen Jihua , Xia Weijun , Su Bin
Published: April 2021

Effects of Zn content (0–1.5, in wt.%) on damping capacities of the as-homogenised and the hot-rolled Al–9.2Mg alloys are investigated. The Zn addition plays a significant role in the strain-amplitude-dependent damping ( Qh−1). As for the as-homogenised state, Qh−1 decreases at first and then increases with the higher Zn content, and the Al–9.2Mg–1.5Zn alloy exhibits the highest Qh−1 (>0.016). As for the hot-rolled state, Qh−1 is just the reverse and the Al–9.2Mg–0.5Zn alloy exhibits the highest Qh−1 (>0.018). The damping behaviours are in accord with the G–L dislocation theory, which are determined by stacking fault energy  (SFE), textures and precipitates.
“It's that Longitudinal Relationship that Pays off”: A Qualitative Study of Internal Medicine Residents’ Perspectives on Learning to Prescribe Buprenorphine
Authors: Logan Alexander A. , Jack Helen E. , Darnton James , Klein Jared W.
Published: April 2021

Background

The opioid use disorder (OUD) epidemic is a national public health crisis. Access to effective treatment with buprenorphine is limited, in part because few physicians are trained to prescribe it. Little is known about how post-graduate trainees learn to prescribe buprenorphine or how to optimally train them to prescribe. We therefore aimed to explore the experiences and attitudes of residents learning to prescribe buprenorphine within two primary care-based opioid treatment models.

Methods

We performed semi-structured interviews with second- and third-year internal medicine residents at an urban academic residency program. Participating residents practiced in clinics providing buprenorphine care using either a nurse care manager model or a provider-centric model. Subjects were sampled purposively to ensure that a diversity of perspectives were included. Interviews were conducted until theoretical saturation was reached and were analyzed using principles of thematic analysis. The research team developed a consensus code list. Each transcript was then independently coded by two researchers. The team then summarized each code and generated a set of themes that captured the main ideas emerging from the data.

Results

We completed 14 interviews. Participants reported learning to prescribe buprenorphine through didactics, longitudinal outpatient prescribing, mentorship, and inpatient experiences. We characterized their attitudes toward patients with OUD, medication treatment of OUD, their own role in buprenorphine care, and future prescribing. Participants practicing in both clinical models viewed learning to prescribe buprenorphine as a normal part of their training and demonstrated positive attitudes toward buprenorphine prescribing.

Conclusions

Longitudinal outpatient experiences with buprenorphine prescribing can prepare residents to prescribe buprenorphine and stimulate interest in prescribing after residency. Both nurse care manager and provider-centric clinical models can provide meaningful experiences for medical residents. Educators should attend to the volume of patients and inductions managed by each trainee, patient-provider continuity, and supporting trainees in the clinical encounter.
Investigation on effects of new physics in

transitions *
Authors: Leng Xue , Mu Xiao-Long , Zou Zhi-Tian , Li Ying
Published: April 2021

Anomalies in decays induced by

(

) transitions may imply lepton flavor universality violations, which raises questions on such phenomena in the D decays induced by

transitions. Current measurements of the pure leptonic and semi-leptonic D decays agree with the standard model (SM) predictions, and such agreements can be used to constrain the new physics (NP) contributions. In this work, we extend SM by assuming general effective Hamiltonians describing the

transitions including the full set of the four-fermion operators. With the latest experimental data, we perform a least

fit of the Wilson coefficient corresponding to each operator. The results indicate that the Wilson coefficients of tensor and scalar operators in the muon sector are in the order of

while others are in the order of

. The lepton flavor universality could be violated by interactions with the scalar operators. We also determine that the pure leptonic decays are significantly sensitive to scalar operators. The effects of NP on the semi-leptonic decays with electron final state are negligible; however, for the decays with the muon final state, the effects of scalar and tensor operators will appear in the forward-backward asymmetries and the muon helicity asymmetries of

decays. The future measurements of these decays in the BESIII and Belle II experiments will facilitate the evaluation of NP effects.
BLight: efficient exact associative structure for k-mers
Authors: Marchet Camille , Kerbiriou Mael , Limasset Antoine
Published: April 2021

Motivation

A plethora of methods and applications share the fundamental need to associate information to words for high-throughput sequence analysis. Doing so for billions of k-mers is commonly a scalability problem, as exact associative indexes can be memory expensive. Recent works take advantage of overlaps between k-mers to leverage this challenge. Yet, existing data structures are either unable to associate information to k-mers or are not lightweight enough.

Results

We present BLight, a static and exact data structure able to associate unique identifiers to k-mers and determine their membership in a set without false positive that scales to huge k-mer sets with a low memory cost. This index combines an extremely compact representation along with very fast queries. Besides, its construction is efficient and needs no additional memory. Our implementation achieves to index the k-mers from the human genome using 8 GB of RAM (23 bits per k-mer) within 10 min and the k-mers from the large axolotl genome using 63 GB of memory (27 bits per k-mer) within 76 min. Furthermore, while being memory efficient, the index provides a very high throughput: 1.4 million queries per second on a single CPU or 16.1 million using 12 cores. Finally, we also present how BLight can practically represent metagenomic and transcriptomic sequencing data to highlight its wide applicative range.

Availability and implementation

We wrote the BLight index as an open source C++ library under the AGPL3 license available at github.com/Malfoy/BLight. It is designed as a user-friendly library and comes along with code usage samples.
The association of glucose metabolism and kidney function in middle-aged adults
Authors: Schroijen Marielle A , de Mutsert Renée , Dekker Friedo W , de Vries Aiko P J , de Koning Eelco J P , Rabelink Ton J , Rosendaal Frits R , Dekkers Olaf M
Published: April 2021

Background

Previous clinical studies have shown that various measures of glucose metabolism are associated with a risk of chronic kidney disease in different populations, but results were not consistent. In this study we assessed measures of glucose metabolism and their association with kidney function in a population-based study.

Methods

The Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity study is a population-based cohort study of middle-aged men and women. We categorized the study population according to glycaemic levels into normoglycaemia (reference group), pre-diabetes mellitus (pre-DM), known DM and newly diagnosed DM. Outcome variables were serum creatinine, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), glomerular hyperfiltration (defined as an eGFR >90th percentile; >102 mL/min/1.73 m2) and micro-albuminuria. We examined the association between measures of glucose metabolism [fasting glucose, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), fasting insulin, glucose area under the curve (AUC), insulin AUC, Homoeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR), HOMA of β-cell function (HOMA-B) and disposition index] and measures of kidney function.

Results

Of the total population (N = 6338), 55% of participants were classified as normoglycaemic (reference), 35% as pre-DM, 7% as DM and 4% as newly diagnosed DM. Compared with the reference group, diagnosed and newly diagnosed DMs were associated with a slightly higher trend in eGFR {+2.1 mL/min/1.73 m2 [95% confidence interval (CI) −0.2–4.4] and +2.7 mL/min/1.73 m2 [95% CI −0.3–5.7], respectively}. A 1% higher HbA1c was associated with increased odds of hyperfiltration [odds ratio (OR) 1.41 (95% CI 1.06–1.88)]. Higher levels of fasting plasma glucose, AUC glucose and HOMA-B were associated with hyperfiltration. Fasting insulin, AUC insulin and HOMA-IR were not associated with hyperfiltration. The OR of microalbuminuria was 1.21 (95% CI 1.04–1.42) per mmol/L higher fasting glucose concentrations.

Conclusions

Both fasting and post-prandial glucose and HOMA-B, but not measures of insulin resistance, were associated with glomerular hyperfiltration, while fasting glucose was also associated with microalbuminuria.
The first 100 days: how has COVID-19 affected poor and vulnerable groups in India?
Authors: Johri Mira , Agarwal Sumeet , Khullar Aman , Chandra Dinesh , Pratap Vijay Sai , Seth Aaditeshwar ,   the Gram Vaani Team
Published: April 2021

In India, strict public health measures to suppress COVID-19 transmission and reduce burden have been rapidly adopted. Pandemic containment and confinement measures impact societies and economies; their costs and benefits must be assessed holistically. This study provides an evolving portrait of the health, economic and social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on vulnerable populations in India. Our analysis focuses on 100 days early in the pandemic from 13 March to 20 June 2020. We developed a conceptual framework based on the human right to health and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We analysed people’s experiences recorded and shared via mobile phone on the voice platforms operated by the Gram Vaani COVID-19 response network, a service for rural and low-income populations now being deployed to support India’s COVID-19 response. Quantitative and visual methods were used to summarize key features of the data and explore relationships between factors. In its first 100 days, the platform logged over 1.15 million phone calls, of which 793 350 (69%) were outbound calls related largely to health promotion in the context of COVID-19. Analysis of 6636 audio recordings by network users revealed struggles to secure the basic necessities of survival, including food (48%), cash (17%), transportation (10%) and employment or livelihoods (8%). Themes were mapped to shortfalls in 10 SDGs and their associated targets. Pre-existing development deficits and weak social safety nets are driving vulnerability during the COVID-19 crisis. For an effective pandemic response and recovery, these must be addressed through inclusive policy design and institutional reforms.
Dopamine Modulation of Motor and Sensory Cortical Plasticity among Vertebrates
Authors: Macedo-Lima Matheus , Remage-Healey Luke
Published: April 2021

Synopsis

Goal-directed learning is a key contributor to evolutionary fitness in animals. The neural mechanisms that mediate learning often involve the neuromodulator dopamine. In higher order cortical regions, most of what is known about dopamine’s role is derived from brain regions involved in motivation and decision-making, while significantly less is known about dopamine’s potential role in motor and/or sensory brain regions to guide performance. Research on rodents and primates represents over 95% of publications in the field, while little beyond basic anatomy is known in other vertebrate groups. This significantly limits our general understanding of how dopamine signaling systems have evolved as organisms adapt to their environments. This review takes a pan-vertebrate view of the literature on the role of dopamine in motor/sensory cortical regions, highlighting, when available, research on non-mammalian vertebrates. We provide a broad perspective on dopamine function and emphasize that dopamine-induced plasticity mechanisms are widespread across all cortical systems and associated with motor and sensory adaptations. The available evidence illustrates that there is a strong anatomical basis—dopamine fibers and receptor distributions—to hypothesize that pallial dopamine effects are widespread among vertebrates. Continued research progress in non-mammalian species will be crucial to further our understanding of how the dopamine system evolved to shape the diverse array of brain structures and behaviors among the vertebrate lineage.
Validation of the COVID-19 Indoor Test™ by Phylagen for Detection of SARS-CoV-2 Virus on Stainless-Steel Surfaces: AOAC Performance Tested MethodSM 122004
Authors: Fantin Nick , Taft Brad , Ugalde Juan , Spring Katie , Lam Hannah , Tran Alex , Green Jessica
Published: April 2021

Background

The COVID-19 Indoor Test™ by Phylagen uses a real-time PCR Assay to detect nucleic acid from SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, which is extracted from swabs sampled from environmental surfaces. This information can be used to detect the presence of the virus in indoor environments.

Objective

To validate the COVID-19 Indoor TestTM by Phylagen as part of the AOAC Research Institute’s Emergency Response Validation Performance Tested Method(s)SM program.

Method

The COVID-19 Indoor Test by Phylagen assay was evaluated for specificity using in silico analysis of 15 764 SARS-CoV-2 sequences and 65 exclusivity organisms. The candidate method was also evaluated in an unpaired matrix study design for one environmental surface (stainless steel) and compared to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2019-Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) Real-Time RT-PCR Diagnostic Panel (Revision 4, Effective 6/12/2020).

Results

Results of the in silico analysis demonstrated the specificity of the method in being able to detect SARS-CoV-2 target sequences and discriminate them from near-neighbors. In the matrix study, the candidate method demonstrated statistically significant better recovery of the target analyte than the reference method (2 × 103 GU/2 × 2” test surface).

Conclusions

The COVID-19 Indoor Test by Phylagen is a rapid and accurate method that can be utilized to monitor the presence of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, on stainless-steel surfaces in built environments.

Highlights

The COVID-19 Indoor Test by Phylagen assay performed significantly better than the reference method when used to detect SARS-CoV-2 from environmental surfaces.
One Saint, Two Tombs: Memory, History, and Materiality in thePīr-Cults of Bangladesh
Authors: Irani Ayesha A
Published: April 2021

This essay examines why Saiyad Sultān, a premodern pīr-author of Chittagong, has become embroiled in modern-day contestations between two regional groups of Bangladesh’s faithful, based in Chittagong and Sylhet. In unraveling these claims, the author demonstrates how Saiyad Sultān’s legacy is connected via webs of Islamic geography and genealogy to the legacies of other famous dead figures who, like him, have multiple, contested grave-sites and more than one postulated line of descent. What motivates contemporary Bangladeshis to ‘raise’ the dead for the living present? What does this reveal about cultural memory, history, and the constitution of regional authority in an Islamic society?
A Visual Tracking System for Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) 3D Flight Trajectory Reconstruction and Analysis
Authors: Sun Cong , Gaydecki Patrick
Published: April 2021

We describe the development, field testing, and results from an automated 3D insect flight detection and tracking system for honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) that is capable of providing remarkable insights into airborne behavior. It comprises two orthogonally mounted video cameras with an observing volume of over 200 m3 and an offline analysis software system that outputs 3D space trajectories and inflight statistics of the target honey bees. The imaging devices require no human intervention once set up and are waterproof, providing high resolution and framerate videos. The software module uses several forms of modern image processing techniques with GPU-enabled acceleration to remove both stationary and moving artifact while preserving flight track information. The analysis system has thus far provided information not only on flight statistics (such as speeds and accelerations), but also on subtleties associated with flight behavior by generating heat maps of density and classifying flight patterns according to patrol and foraging behavior. Although the results presented here focus on behavior in the locale of a beehive, the system could be adapted to study a wide range of airborne insect activity.
Maize transcription factor ZmNF-YC13 regulates plant architecture
Authors: Mei Xiupeng , Nan Jin , Zhao Zikun , Yao Shun , Wang Wenqin , Yang Yang , Bai Yang , Dong Erfei , Liu Chaoxian , Cai Yilin
Published: April 2021

Leaf angle and leaf orientation value (LOV) are critical agronomic traits for maize plant architecture. The functions of NUCLEAR FACTOR Y (NF-Y) members in regulating plant architecture have not been reported yet. Here, we identified a regulator of maize plant architecture, NF-Y subunit C13 (ZmNF-YC13). ZmNF-YC13 was highly expressed in the leaf base zone of maize plants. ZmNF-YC13 overexpressing plants showed upright leaves with narrow leaf angle and larger LOV, while ZmNF-YC13 knockout plants had larger leaf angle and smaller LOV compared with wild-type plants. The changes in plant architecture were due to the changes in the expression of cytochrome P450 family members. ZmNF-YC13 interacts with two NF-Y subunit B members (ZmNF-YB9 and ZmNF-YB10) of the LEAFY COTYLEDON1 sub-family, and further recruits NF-Y subunit A (ZmNF-YA3) to form two NF-Y complexes. The two complexes can both activate the promoters of transcriptional repressors (ZmWRKY76 and ZmBT2), and the promoters of PLASTOCHRON group genes can be repressed by ZmWRKY76 and ZmBT2 in maize protoplasts. We propose that ZmNF-YC13 functions as a transcriptional regulator and, together with ZmNF-YBs and ZmNF-YA3, affects plant architecture by regulating the expression of ZmWRKY76 and ZmBT2, which repress the expression of cytochrome P450 family members in PLASTOCHRON branch.
Monocyte chemoattractant protein-induced protein 1 directly degrades viral miRNAs with a specific motif and inhibits KSHV infection
Authors: Kook Insun , Ziegelbauer Joseph M
Published: April 2021

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) expresses miRNAs during latency. However, regulation of viral miRNAs remains largely unknown. Our prior studies demonstrated that MCPIP1 regulates KSHV miRNA biogenesis by degrading most KSHV pre-miRNAs through its RNase activity. Some viral pre-miRNAs are partially resistant to degradation by MCPIP1. Here, we further characterized MCPIP1 substrate specificity and its antiviral potential against KSHV infection. In vitro cleavage assays and binding assays showed that MCPIP1 cleavage efficiency is related to binding affinity. Motif-based sequence analysis identified that KSHV pre-miRNAs that are well degraded by MCPIP1 have a 5-base motif (M5 base motif) within their terminal loops and this motif region consists of multiple pyrimidine-purine-pyrimidine (YRY) motifs. We further demonstrated that mutation of this M5 base motif within terminal loop of pre-miRNAs inhibited MCPIP1-mediated RNA degradation. We also revealed that MCPIP1 has an antiviral effect against KSHV infection. MCPIP1 can reduce the expression of Dicer, which in turn restricts KSHV infection. Conclusively, our findings demonstrated that MCPIP1 inhibited KSHV infection and suppressed viral miRNA biogenesis by directly degrading KSHV pre-miRNAs and altering the expression of miRNA biogenesis factors.
On-treatment blood pressure and long-term outcomes in chronic kidney disease
Authors: Jung Hae Hyuk
Published: April 2021

Background

The treatment blood pressure (BP) target in chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains unclear, and whether the benefit of intensive BP-lowering is comparable between CKD and non-CKD patients is debated.

Methods

Using the Korean National Health Information Database, 359 492 CKD patients who had received antihypertensives regularly were identified from 12.1 million participants of nationwide health screening. The composite risk of major cardiovascular events, kidney failure and all-cause mortality was assessed according to time-averaged, on-treatment systolic BP.

Results

Over a 9-year follow-up, the composite outcome was noted in 18.4% of 239 700 participants with eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and 18.9% of 155 004 with dipstick albuminuria. The thresholds of systolic BP, above which the composite risk increased significantly, in the reduced eGFR and the proteinuric population were 135 mmHg and 125 mmHg, respectively. For all-cause mortality, the respective thresholds were 145 mmHg and 135 mmHg. When comparing the composite risk between propensity score-matched groups, the hazard ratios of on-treatment BP of systolic 135–144 mmHg (reference, 115–124 mmHg) in the reduced eGFR and non-CKD pairs were 1.18 and 0.98, respectively (P = 0.13 for interaction), and those in the proteinuria and non-CKD pairs were 1.30 and 1.01, respectively (P = 0.003 for interaction).

Conclusions

The findings support the recommendation that, based on office BP, the systolic target in CKD with proteinuria is ≤130 mmHg, and the target in CKD with no proteinuria is ≤140 mmHg. The benefit of intensive BP-lowering may be greater in CKD patients, particularly those with proteinuria, than in their non-CKD counterparts.