bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unstable delayed feedback control to change sign of coupling strength for weakly coupled limit cycle oscillators
Authors: Novičenko Viktor , Ratas Irmantas
Published: September 2021

Weakly coupled limit cycle oscillators can be reduced into a system of weakly coupled phase models. These phase models are helpful to analyze the synchronization phenomena. For example, a phase model of two oscillators has a one-dimensional differential equation for the evolution of the phase difference. The existence of fixed points determines frequency-locking solutions. By treating each oscillator as a black-box possessing a single input and a single output, one can investigate various control algorithms to change the synchronization of the oscillators. In particular, we are interested in a delayed feedback control algorithm. Application of this algorithm to the oscillators after a subsequent phase reduction should give the same phase model as in the control-free case, but with a rescaled coupling strength. The conventional delayed feedback control is limited to the change of magnitude but does not allow the change of sign of the coupling strength. In this work, we present a modification of the delayed feedback algorithm supplemented by an additional unstable degree of freedom, which is able to change the sign of the coupling strength. Various numerical calculations performed with Landau–Stuart and FitzHugh–Nagumo oscillators show successful switching between an in-phase and anti-phase synchronization using the provided control algorithm. Additionally, we show that the control force becomes non-invasive if our objective is stabilization of an unstable phase difference for two coupled oscillators.
Nonlinear vibration energy harvesting and vibration suppression technologies: Designs, analysis, and applications
Authors: Yang Tao , Zhou Shengxi , Fang Shitong , Qin Weiyang , Inman Daniel J.
Published: September 2021

Limited by the structure, the high-efficiency vibration energy harvesting and vibration suppression have always been a theoretical bottleneck and technical challenge in this field. The nonlinear design of the new vibration structure is an indispensable link in the development of vibration energy harvesting and vibration suppression technologies. Nonlinear technologies not only have the potential to improve the efficiency of the energy harvesters by increasing the useful frequency bandwidth and output power but also have the potential to improve the efficiency of vibration suppressors by reducing the transmission rate and transfer energy. Nonlinear vibration energy harvesting and vibration suppression technologies have been salient topics in the literature and have attracted widespread attention from researchers. The present work provides a comprehensive review on the recent advances in nonlinear vibration energy harvesting and vibration suppression technologies. In particular, the latest developments in multifunctional hybrid technologies are proposed. Various key aspects to improve the performance of nonlinear vibration energy harvesting and vibration suppression systems are discussed, including implementations and configuration designs, nonlinear dynamics mechanisms, various optimizations, multifunctional hybrid, application prospects, and future outlooks.
Cavity-mediated cooperative shear transformation in metallic glasses
Authors: Fan B. B. , Huang Y. , Li M. Z.
Published: September 2021

Molecular dynamic simulation was performed to study the correlation between atomic packing and shear transformation under compressive deformation in apparent elastic regime in CuZr metallic glass. The packing feature of atomic structures was characterized in terms of cavities in metallic glass. It is found that while atoms surrounded by larger cavity volumes, i.e., loosely packed regions, show very small nonaffine displacements, some atoms surrounded by very small cavities, i.e., densely packed regions, undergo very large nonaffine displacement and form cooperative shear transformations with large scale in space. The size of shear transformation zones monotonically increases with decreasing cavity volume. However, shear transformations rarely occur in either densely packed or loosely packed regions with very small probability. In addition, metallic glasses are revealed to possess characteristic cavity volumes around which atoms have more probability to undergo relatively larger nonaffine displacements. It is found that more neighboring atoms together with these central atoms experience cooperative shear transformations. These findings are general in different metallic glasses and provide a general underlying structural basis for different sizes of shear transformation zones observed in previous studies.
The role of target closure in detachment in Magnum-PSI
Authors: Akkermans G. R. A. , Classen I. G. J. , van der Meiden H. J. , van den Berg-Stolp J. , Vernimmen J. W. M.
Published: September 2021

A cylindrical target with a high degree of closure was exposed to ITER divertor-relevant plasmas with typical electron temperatures of 2 eV, electron densities of 5⋅1020 m−3, and heat fluxes up to 20 MWm−2 in the linear device Magnum-PSI. By terminating the plasma in an unpumped closed volume, neutral pressures were enhanced from about 0.5 to 20 Pa without any increase in the neutral flux returning to the plasma. Such pressures were sustained largely by the pressure exerted by the incoming plasma. By means of hydrogen gas injection, internal neutral pressures of up to 40 Pa were reached during plasma exposure. We find that at these high neutral pressures, a < 1 eV recombination front forms and expands from the back of the cylinder, so that downstream density drops dramatically. Furthermore, in these scenarios, heat deposition to the back plate vanishes and is redirected to the upstream part of the cylinder and to hot neutrals, which can carry 50% of the plasma input power. A power balance analysis reveals that even without additional gas puffing, only about 10% of the incoming heat load reaches the back plate for the 20 MWm−2 plasma. These results demonstrate the important role of closed target configurations and local gas puffing in mitigating plasma heat loads and indicate that the gained experience should be taken into account in next-generation divertor designs.
In situ Raman scattering studies of pressure-temperature phase diagrams in antiferroelectric xCaSnO3-modified NaNbO3 ceramics
Authors: Ye Yan , Cui Anyang , Gao Lichen , Jiang Kai , Zhu Liangqing , Zhang Jinzhong , Shang Liyan , Li Yawei , Wang Genshui , Dong Xianlin , Hu Zhigao , Chu Junhao
Published: September 2021

As one of the classic antiferroelectrics, high complexity of a NaNbO3 structure sequence attracts great attention in the ferroelectric physics field. Here, temperature-pressure phase diagrams as a function of a CaSnO3 content for antiferroelectric (1-x)NaNbO3-xCaSnO3 ceramics have been improved by Raman spectroscopy. We clarify structural order of phase transitions on CaSnO3-modified NaNbO3 ceramics within the temperature range of 80–840 K by discussing the anomalies of lattice and phonon dynamics. The doping effect of CaSnO3 on the P-R phase transition has been summarized from the decreased critical temperature from 660 to 580 K. The intermediate phase at 480 K was recognized as an incommensurate phase. In addition, the anomalous pressure with respect to phonon frequency at the stress field of 0–25 GPa also provides the evidence of structural transformations at 6.55 and 10.05 GPa. Upon increasing the CaSnO3 content, phase transition moves to a lower pressure range. This work would provide the powerful supplement of phase transitions for the broad NaNbO3-based crystalline family with Raman scattering.
Plasmonic leaky wave antenna based on modulated radius of cylindrical graphene waveguide
Authors: Soleimani Hadi , Oraizi Homayoon
Published: September 2021

In this paper, the concept, analysis, and synthesis of a novel plasmonic leaky wave antenna (LWA) based on the modulated radius of a cylindrical graphene waveguide (CGW) at the terahertz band are presented. Devices based on the planar graphene waveguide (PGW) suffer from high attenuations, which significantly limit the radiation efficiency and beam width of LWAs. It is shown here that the LWA based on CGW compared to PGW can decrease the beam width from 55° to 12° and increase the radiation efficiency from 20% to 50%. A sinusoidally modulated graphene surface is employed to excite the leaky wave antenna. A sinusoidally modulated reactance surface is realized by the modulation of the radius of the cylindrical waveguide. In comparison to other structures, the proposed antenna can be implemented by applying a single voltage to graphene sheets. As a result, the antenna beam direction can be readily changed by varying the applied voltage.
Observation of nonvolatile resistive switching behaviors in 2D layered InSe nanosheets through controllable oxidation
Authors: Tang Yueyue , Lei Peixian , Liao Kanghong , Jiang Ting , Chen Siyi , Xie Qin , Luo Wenbo , Zhao Yuda , Jie Wenjing
Published: September 2021

Scientists have been seeking for suitable materials with nonvolatile resistive switching (RS) performance for memristive applications. Recently, nonvolatile RS behaviors have been achieved in an increasing number of two-dimensional (2D) materials. However, 2D InSe layers have not been reported to demonstrate such nonvolatile RS behaviors. Herein, we experimentally observe nonvolatile bipolar RS behaviors in 2D InSe nanosheets through controllable oxidation. In our experiments, the exfoliated InSe nanosheets annealed at the temperature of 350 °C for 2 h show typical nonvolatile bipolar RS performance with a low SET voltage of ∼0.3 V and a high ON/OFF ratio of 4.5 × 103 at the read voltage of 0.1 V. Raman and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterizations confirm the partial oxidation in InSe nanosheets after annealing. The observed nonvolatile RS behaviors are owing to the formation of In2O3 and the increased insulating characteristic in the annealed InSe nanosheets. Furthermore, the fabricated memristor exhibits good retention property and endurance performance. Such annealed InSe nanosheets not only demonstrate decent RS performance but also enrich the family of 2D materials to fabricate memristors for applications in next-generation nonvolatile memory.
Contacts between monolayer black phosphorene and metal electrodes: Ohmic, Schottky, and their regulating strategy
Authors: Zhong Kehua , Li Jiaxin , Xu Guigui , Yang Yanmin , Zhang Jian-Min , Huang Zhigao
Published: September 2021

Two-dimensional black phosphorene (BP) has attracted much interest for application in electronic devices. Contacts between BP and metal electrodes are critical components of BP-based devices and can dramatically affect device performances. In this paper, we adopted first-principles calculations to explore binding energies, electronic structures, and potential distribution for interface systems of Al-, Au-, Cu-, Ni-, and Ti-monolayer BP in surface contact and edge contact (EC) types. Moreover, we also used density functional theoretical coupled with the nonequilibrium Green’s function method to investigate contact resistances and Schottky barrier heights (SBHs) for transport systems of monolayer BP with Al, Au, Cu, Ni, and Ti electrodes. Our calculated results indicate that the contact type between BP and metals may greatly affect electrical properties of BP–metal contacts. Changing contact type between metal electrodes and BP channel can change the type of Schottky barrier of metal–BP contacts. The contact barrier of metal–BP depends on the metal material. Selecting an appropriate contact type and metal can effectively regulate the contact barrier of metal–BP. Specifically exciting, our estimated lateral SBHs for the Ni–BP system in EC-type agree well with the experimental results. We have provided a new strategy on choosing an appropriate contact type to achieve low contact resistance for the metal–BP interface.
Nonadiabatic dynamics with spin-flip vs linear-response time-dependent density functional theory: A case study for the protonated Schiff base C5H6NH2+
Authors: Zhang Xing , Herbert John M.
Published: September 2021

Nonadiabatic trajectory surface hopping simulations are reported for trans-C5H6NH2+, a model of the rhodopsin chromophore, using the augmented fewest-switches algorithm. Electronic structure calculations were performed using time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) in both its conventional linear-response (LR) and its spin-flip (SF) formulations. In the SF-TDDFT case, spin contamination in the low-lying singlet states is removed by projecting out the lowest triplet component during iterative solution of the TDDFT eigenvalue problem. The results show that SF-TDDFT qualitatively describes the photoisomerization of trans-C5H6NH2+, with favorable comparison to previous studies using multireference electronic structure methods. In contrast, conventional LR-TDDFT affords qualitatively different photodynamics due to an incorrect excited-state potential surface near the Franck–Condon region. In addition, the photochemistry (involving pre-twisting of the central double bond) appears to be different for SF- and LR-TDDFT, which may be a consequence of different conical intersection topographies afforded by these two methods. The present results contrast with previous surface-hopping studies suggesting that the LR-TDDFT method’s incorrect topology around S1/S0 conical intersections is immaterial to the photodynamics.
Fully quantum calculations of O2–N2 scattering using a new potential energy surface: Collisional perturbations of the oxygen 118 GHz fine structure line
Authors: Gancewski Maciej , Jóźwiak Hubert , Quintas-Sánchez Ernesto , Dawes Richard , Thibault Franck , Wcisło Piotr
Published: September 2021

A proper description of the collisional perturbation of the shapes of molecular resonances is important for remote spectroscopic studies of the terrestrial atmosphere. Of particular relevance are the collisions between the O2 and N2 molecules—the two most abundant atmospheric species. In this work, we report a new highly accurate O2(X3Σg−)–N2(X1Σg+) potential energy surface and use it for performing the first quantum scattering calculations addressing line shapes for this system. We use it to model the shape of the 118 GHz fine structure line in O2 perturbed by collisions with N2 molecules, a benchmark system for testing our methodology in the case of an active molecule in a spin triplet state. The calculated collisional broadening of the line agrees well with the available experimental data over a wide temperature range relevant for the terrestrial atmosphere. This work constitutes a step toward populating the spectroscopic databases with ab initio line shape parameters for atmospherically relevant systems.
Fiber-pigtailing quantum-dot cavity-enhanced light emitting diodes
Authors: Rickert L. , Schröder F. , Gao T. , Schneider C. , Höfling S. , Heindel T.
Published: September 2021

We report on a process for the fiber-coupling of electrically driven cavity-enhanced quantum dot light emitting devices. The developed technique allows for the direct and permanent coupling of p-i-n-doped quantum dot micropillar cavities to single-mode optical fibers. The coupling process, fully carried out at room temperature, involves a spatial scanning technique, where the fiber facet is positioned relative to a device with a diameter of 2 μm using the fiber-coupled electroluminescence of the cavity emission as a feedback parameter. Subsequent gluing and UV curing enable a rigid and permanent coupling between micropillar and fiber core. Comparing our experimental results with finite element method simulations indicates a cavity-to-fiber mode-coupling efficiency of ∼46%. Furthermore, we demonstrate pulsed current injection at a repetition rate exceeding 200 MHz as well as low-temperature operation down to 77 K of the fiber-coupled micropillar device. The technique presented in this work is an important step in the quest for efficient and practical quantum light sources for applications in quantum information.
A low-cost polymerized hole-transporting material for high performance planar perovskite solar cells
Authors: Wang Binbin , Xue Lingwei , Wang Shiqi , Li Yao , Zang Lele , Liu Hongtao , Zhang Zhiguo , Li Yongfang
Published: September 2021

A low-cost, small molecular monomer, 5′-bis(9–(4-vinylbenzyl)-2-carbazol)-2,2′-bithiophene, termed VB-CB, is designed, synthesized, and polymerized to form a uniform film as the hole-transporting material for the fabrication of inverted planar perovskite solar cells with high performance. The presence of a suitable energy level in the polymerized VB-CB layer can effectively promote the transport of holes and block electrons from the perovskite layer, thus decreasing photon energy loss due to charge recombination. Designing perovskite solar cells with polymerized VB-CB as the hole-transporting material helps us to obtain a high power conversion efficiency of 17.58% with small hysteresis effect, which is higher than that with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as the hole-transporting material. Additionally, as compared to PEDOT:PSS, the devices with polymerized VB-CB exhibit better stability under one sun illumination at maximum power point tracking, such that the T80 of the champion devices could exceed 1000 h. The results suggest that the polymerized VB-CB is a suitable hole-transporting material for commercial applications in planar perovskite solar cells, given its low-cost, high efficiency, and good stability.
Strong negative electrothermal feedback in thermal kinetic inductance detectors
Authors: Agrawal Shubh , Steinbach Bryan , Bock James J. , Frez Clifford , Minutolo Lorenzo , Nguyen Hien , O’Brient Roger , Turner Anthony , Wandui Albert
Published: September 2021

We demonstrate strong negative electrothermal feedback accelerating and linearizing the response of a thermal kinetic inductance detector (TKID). TKIDs are a proposed highly multiplexable replacement to transition-edge sensors and measure power through the temperature-dependent resonant frequency of a superconducting microresonator bolometer. At high readout probe power and probe frequency detuned from the TKID resonant frequency, we observe electrothermal feedback loop gain up to L≈16 through measuring the reduction of settling time. We also show that the detector response has no detectable non-linearity over a 38% range of incident power and that the noise-equivalent power is below the design photon noise.
Random walks on complex networks with multiple resetting nodes: A renewal approach
Authors: Wang Shuang , Chen Hanshuang , Huang Feng
Published: September 2021

Due to wide applications in diverse fields, random walks subject to stochastic resetting have attracted considerable attention in the last decade. In this paper, we study discrete-time random walks on complex networks with multiple resetting nodes. Using a renewal approach, we derive exact expressions of the occupation probability of the walker in each node and mean first-passage time between arbitrary two nodes. All the results can be expressed in terms of the spectral properties of the transition matrix in the absence of resetting. We demonstrate our results on circular networks, stochastic block models, and Barabási–Albert scale-free networks and find the advantage of the resetting processes to multiple resetting nodes in a global search on such networks. Finally, the distribution of resetting probabilities is optimized via a simulated annealing algorithm, so as to minimize the mean first-passage time averaged over arbitrary two distinct nodes.
Hetero-deformation-induced (HDI) plasticity induces simultaneous increase in both yield strength and ductility in a Fe50Mn30Co10Cr10 high-entropy alloy
Authors: Liu Dong , Wang Jing , Wang Chang , Jiang Ping , Yuan Fuping , Wu Xiaolei
Published: September 2021

Low yield strength is the bottleneck of the face-centered cubic-structured high-entropy alloys (HEAs). Here, the strategy of hetero-deformation-induced (HDI) plasticity is applied by hetero-structuring to induce strengthening and strain hardening for a simultaneous increase in both yield strength and ductility in a Fe50Mn30Co10Cr10 HEA. The coarse-grain (CG) microstructure is a dual phase consisting of face-centered cubic (γ) and hexagonal close-packed (ε) phases, along with phase transformation from γ to ε to happen during tensile deformation. The hetero-structure (HS) was designed, besides recrystallized γ and ε, specifically to reserve a part of deformed γ after cold rolling followed by incomplete recrystallization. Yield strength increases from 200 MPa in CG to 760 MPa in HS, while uniform elongation (i.e., ductility) increases from 35% to 38%. The tensile load-unload-reload testing showed the ceaselessly presence of hysteresis loop during each unload-reload cycle. Both the residual plastic strain and HDI stress were measured with tensile strains in both HS and CG, providing solid evidence of the effect of HDI plasticity. To be specific, the HDI stress is found to account for a large proportion of global flow stress in HS as compared to that in CG. It turns out that the HDI plasticity facilitates both HDI strengthening and HDI strain hardening, which play the crucial role in enhancing strength and ductility. The microstructural origin of HDI plasticity in HS was ascribed to plastic incompatibility at hetero-interfaces of among varying grains as evidenced by the evolution of Schmid factor and KAM values as well.
Long wavelength (λ > 13 μm) quantum cascade laser based on diagonal transition and three-phonon-resonance design
Authors: Jin Yuhao , Li Jinghao , Chua Yun Da , Tan Kian Hua , Wicaksono Satrio , Sirtori Carlo , Yoon Soon Fatt , Wang Qi Jie
Published: September 2021

An InP-based quantum cascade laser structure emitting at a wavelength of 13.6 μm is proposed and demonstrated. The active region is based on a diagonal transition and three-phonon-resonance design. A 5 mm long, 30 μm wide high-reflection coated device with a double channel ridge waveguide structure has shown a threshold current density of 3.0 kA/cm2, a dynamic range of 4.4 kA/cm2, a peak output power close to 1 W, and an average optical power up to 11.7 mW at 3% duty cycle, at 293 K. The laser shows a characteristic temperature T0 of 314 K and T1 of 336 K over a temperature range from 283 to 313 K.
Percolation transitions in pyrochlore: Radiation-damage and thermally induced structural reorganization
Authors: Beirau Tobias , Huber Norbert
Published: September 2021

Finite element mechanical modeling is used to follow the evolution of the hardness (H), Young's modulus (E), and Poisson's ratio (ν) during the radiation-damage related crystalline-to-amorphous transition in pyrochlore (average main composition Ca2Nb2O6F). According to the model, two percolation transitions have been identified around 16% and 84% amorphous volume fraction, respectively. In this context, earlier results from thermally induced recrystallization experiments have found to indicate noticeable modifications on the short- and long-range order by passing the percolation thresholds. Both percolation points have found to act as specific kinetic barriers during stepwise annealing induced structural reorganization. As phases with pyrochlore structure have been considered as host structures for the long-term disposal of actinides, it is essential to gain better knowledge of their mechanical behavior under radiation-damage and subsequent temperature treatment. The obtained results validate the used models' robustness in predicting radiation-damage related mechanical modifications, at least for ceramics.
Local patterns of edaphic mesofauna distribution in the arid Patagonian steppe, Argentina
Authors: Manzo Rosa M. , Manzo Luz M. , Rizzuto Susana , Valenzuela M. Fernanda , Martínez Pablo A.
Published: September 2021

Mesofauna represents a major component of soil biological community and play a critical role in maintaining soil quality, as well as a range of ecosystem functions. A split–split plot design was performed with the aim of identifying the main predictors (phytogeographical criteria, cover type and environmental variables) of edaphic community structure under the effect of desertification. The study also aimed to examine the spatial and seasonal distribution of mesofauna community according to phytogeographical criteria (shrubland vs grassland) and cover type (bare vs covered soil) in the north-western Patagonian steppe of Argentina. The relationship between edaphic fauna, environmental variables and site location was investigated using redundancy analysis (RDA), while the main predictors of edaphic community were analysed using generalised linear mixed models (GLMMs). A total of 43 taxa of Oribatida were found in 168 samples. GLMM approaches selected cover type due to its higher effect on mesofauna community. In this sense, cover type was more important than phytogeographical criteria and environmental variables as predictor of mesofauna community. These findings contribute to a better understanding of how the distribution of mesofauna community respond in Patagonia steppe.
Australian lizards are outstanding models for reproductive biology research
Authors: Van Dyke James U. , Thompson Michael B. , Burridge Christopher P. , Castelli Meghan A. , Clulow Simon , Dissanayake Duminda S. B. , Dong Caroline M. , Doody J. Sean , Edwards Danielle L. , Ezaz Tariq , Friesen Christopher R. , Gardner Michael G. , Georges Arthur , Higgie Megan , Hill Peta L. , Holleley Clare E. , Hoops Daniel , Hoskin Conrad J. , Merry Deirdre L. , Riley Julia L. , Wapstra Erik , While Geoffrey M. , Whiteley Sarah L. , Whiting Martin J. , Zozaya Stephen M. , Whittington Camilla M.
Published: September 2021

Australian lizards are a diverse group distributed across the continent and inhabiting a wide range of environments. Together, they exhibit a remarkable diversity of reproductive morphologies, physiologies, and behaviours that is broadly representative of vertebrates in general. Many reproductive traits exhibited by Australian lizards have evolved independently in multiple lizard lineages, including sociality, complex signalling and mating systems, viviparity, and temperature-dependent sex determination. Australian lizards are thus outstanding model organisms for testing hypotheses about how reproductive traits function and evolve, and they provide an important basis of comparison with other animals that exhibit similar traits. We review how research on Australian lizard reproduction has contributed to answering broader evolutionary and ecological questions that apply to animals in general. We focus on reproductive traits, processes, and strategies that are important areas of current research, including behaviours and signalling involved in courtship; mechanisms involved in mating, egg production, and sperm competition; nesting and gestation; sex determination; and finally, birth in viviparous species. We use our review to identify important questions that emerge from an understanding of this body of research when considered holistically. Finally, we identify additional research questions within each topic that Australian lizards are well suited for reproductive biologists to address.
Climate risk to European fisheries and coastal communities
Authors: Payne Mark R. , Kudahl Manja , Engelhard Georg H. , Peck Myron A. , Pinnegar John K.
Published: September 2021

Significance

We present climate risk analyses for 1) 105 ocean-dependent communities and 2) 380 fishing fleets in Europe. Our unique approach provides a perspective over the climate risks in this diverse and populous continent that is unprecedented in both its breadth and detail. We show that countries in southeast Europe as well as the United Kingdom have the highest climate risk overall, both in terms of fishing fleets and coastal communities. Substantial variation in climate risk is seen even within countries, emphasizing that climate adaptation interventions need to be tailored to the specific characteristics of the fleet or community. A focus on sustainable fisheries management and diversification of fish portfolios can reduce climate risks across the board.
Cognitive maps of social features enable flexible inference in social networks
Authors: Son Jae-Young , Bhandari Apoorva , FeldmanHall Oriel
Published: September 2021

Significance

How do people learn the large, complex web of social relations around them? We test how people use information about social features (such as being part of the same club or sharing hobbies) to fill in gaps in their knowledge of friendships and to make inferences about unobserved friendships in the social network. We find the ability to infer friendships depends on a simple but inflexible heuristic that infers friendship when two people share the same features, and a more complex but flexible cognitive map that encodes relationships between features rather than between people. Our results reveal that cognitive maps play a powerful role in shaping how people represent and reason about relationships in a social network.
Voltage sensor movements of Ca
V
1.1 during an action potential in skeletal muscle fibers
Authors: Banks Quinton , Bibollet Hugo , Contreras Minerva , Bennett Daniel F. , Bannister Roger A. , Schneider Martin F. , Hernández-Ochoa Erick O.
Published: September 2021

Significance

A continuously evolving question regarding excitation–contraction coupling (ECC) in skeletal muscle has been around the mechanism that links the activation of the Ca
V
1.1 voltage sensor with the intracellular Ca
2+
release. Ca
V
1.1 senses changes in transmembranal voltage through four distinct voltage-sensing domains (VSDs I–IV), yet whether one or all contribute to ECC is unknown. To investigate the roles of each VSD, this work introduces AP fluorometry to track conformational changes of Ca
V
1.1 voltage sensors and AP voltage clamp to measure the charge movement during an AP waveform in muscle fibers. The rising phase of the fluorescence signals from VSDs I, II, and IV were faster than that of VSDIII, suggesting a differential contribution of VSD movements to ECC.
The missing enzymatic link in syntrophic methane formation from fatty acids
Authors: Agne Michael , Estelmann Sebastian , Seelmann Carola S. , Kung Johannes , Wilkens Dennis , Koch Hans-Georg , van der Does Chris , Albers Sonja V. , von Ballmoos Christoph , Simon Jörg , Boll Matthias
Published: September 2021

Significance

The syntrophic interaction of fermenting bacteria with methanogenic archaea is crucial for the globally relevant conversion of biomass into methane. Fifty years after the discovery of syntrophy, it has remained enigmatic how the oxidation of saturated fatty acid fermentation intermediates can be coupled to the thermodynamically extremely unfavorable reduction of CO2to methane and how such a process can sustain growth of both syntrophic partners. Here, we provide biochemical evidence that hemebcofactors of a membrane-bound oxidoreductase and a modified quinone with perfectly fine-tuned redox potentials are the key players in this microbial process. Bioinformatics analyses suggest that the oxidoreductase plays a crucial role in lipid catabolism of the majority of prokaryotes.
Out-group gestures can lower self-esteem
Authors: Nicoladis Elena , Luk Trevor , Gill Shireen
Published: September 2021

Culture-specific symbols can prime aspects of identity, like self-esteem, in bilingual-bicultural individuals. The purpose
of the present studies was to test whether gestures that are specific to a culture prime self-esteem and, if so, whether it is due to
in-group/out-group association. In Study 1, Chinese Canadians had higher self-esteem scores when primed by Chinese number gestures or
characters than by English number gestures or words. In Study 2, we taught Chinese number gestures to non-Chinese adults, with half thinking
they were Chinese gestures (out-group) and half that they were old fur traders’ gestures (in-group). The self-esteem scores were higher in
the in-group condition than the out-group condition. Comparisons with self-esteem scores from previous studies suggest that the out-group
conditions were significantly lower than baseline. These results suggest that out-group gesture primes can lower self-esteem.
Silence gestures revisited
Authors: Beck Nielsen Søren
Published: September 2021

This paper revives an interest in a gestural phenomenon: silence gestures, that is, cases where speakers suspend talk and produce a gesture in momentary silence. Earlier research noted this phenomenon, but largely left interactional details unaddressed. Consequently, we have known of the phenomenon for a long time, but known very little about how interactants use it. This study applies conversation analysis to elucidate silence gestures as they appear during naturally occurring Danish interaction. Two classes are considered: i) silence gestures that occur during word search processes and ii) ‘no-problem’ silence gestures. Analysis of the first class offers more nuances to previous assumptions about its affiliation with process difficulties and turn-taking dynamics. Analysis of the second class disconfirms the belief that silence gestures foremost relate to speech difficulties. It reveals that speakers actively postpone or suspend speech production to achieve a turn-intra pauses, which enables them to momentarily foreground the gestural act.
The diachronic origin of English I mean and
German ich meine
Authors: Kolbe-Hanna Daniela , Filatkina Natalia
Published: September 2021

The pragmatic markers ich meine
in German and I mean in English are similar, though
not equivalent, in the main aspects of their meaning and function.
Both have also been widely studied, yet research on German
ich meine has focused on modern data and
functions. From a diachronic perspective, we investigate whether the
matrix clause function, as claimed in the literature for spoken
modern German, is a likely origin of the pragmatic marker or
whether, as in English, a derivation from I mean
followed by a phrasal complement seems more likely. Furthermore, we
assess how well the origins of the pragmatic functions of I
mean can be sufficiently described as
constructionalization rather than grammaticalization and what role
the left periphery plays in this constructionalization process.
Pragmatic markers at the periphery and discourse
prominence
Authors: Lewis Diana M.
Published: September 2021

This chapter argues that position interacts with
discourse prominence in the development of pragmatic markers. A case
study of the English marker of course traces its
historical development over Late Modern English to its present-day
usage at both left (LP) and right (RP) peripheries. It is argued
that of course splits along informational lines:
of course-1 becomes more backgrounded while
of course-2 bears focus. At LP of
course-1 acquires a presentational function while at RP
it marks its host as a comment on a previous idea, in a hypotactic
discourse structure. The emergence of information-packaging
functions may be seen as a further grammaticalization of the PM.
The Norwegian tag da in comparison to English
then
Authors: Borthen Kaja , Karagjosova Elena
Published: September 2021

The Norwegian tag da and the
English tag then have most likely developed from a
common historical origin through the process of semantic bleaching
and they have many overlapping functions today. This has led some
researchers to claim that the two expressions have one and the same
procedural semantics. Based on authentic corpus data on
da and a translation study, we argue that the
tags da and then cannot have the
same meaning. We propose a semantic and pragmatic analysis of the
Norwegian tag da that predicts its many functions
and we explain how da differs from the English tag
then.
The demand for IPEandpublic policy in the governance of global policy design
Authors: Higgott Richard , Woo J J , Legrand Tim
Published: September 2021

The first decade of the 21st century recognised the growing salience of transnational or global governance as an analytical field of inquiry and as a normative project. In this introductory article, we argue that IPE offers a wider and deeper contextual understanding of the ‘global’ in a way that the scholarship of international relations, on the one hand, and that of international economics, on the other, have not done. IPE has been less strong in the context of global policy analysis that faut de mieux and, rather strangely, has been left largely to the economics discipline as other disciplines have slowly ceded the policy playing field to economics – at times with disastrous outcomes for policy. In light of these strengths and weaknesses of IPE as a framework for policy analysis, greater efforts at triangulating the insights of IPE and global public policy may help provide richer and more nuanced analyses of policy and politics.
Continuous cardiorespiratory monitoring is a dominant source of predictive signal in machine learning for risk stratification and clinical decision support
*
Authors: Monfredi Oliver , Keim-Malpass Jessica , Moorman J Randall
Published: September 2021

Beaulieu-Jones and coworkers propose a litmus test for the field of predictive analytics—performance improvements must be demonstrated to be the result of non-clinician-initiated data, otherwise, there should be caution in assuming that predictive models could improve clinical decision-making (Beaulieu-Jones et al 2021). They demonstrate substantial prognostic information in unsorted physician orders made before the first midnight of hospital admission, and we are persuaded that it is fair to ask—if the physician thought of it first, what exactly is machine learning for in-patient risk stratification learning about? While we want predictive analytics to represent the leading indicators of a patient’s illness, does it instead merely reflect the lagging indicators of clinicians’ actions? We propose that continuous cardiorespiratory monitoring—‘routine telemetry data,’ in Beaulieu-Jones’ terms—represents the most valuable non-clinician-initiated predictive signal present in patient data, and the value added to patient care justifies the efforts and expense required. Here, we present a clinical and a physiological point of view to support our contention.
Isomeric ratio of the 181Ta(γ, 3n)178m,gTa reaction products at energy E

γmax up to 95 MeV
Authors: Deiev O.S. , Timchenko I.S. , Olejnik S.N. , Kushnir V.A. , Mytrochenko V.V. , Perezhogin S.A.
Published: September 2021

The photoneutron reaction

was investigated with the beam from the NSC KIPT electron linear accelerator LUE-40. The measurements were performed using the residual γ-activity method. The bremsstrahlung flux-averaged cross-sections

,

,

and the isomeric ratio of the reaction products

were measured. The theoretical values of the averaged cross-sections and isomeric ratio were calculated using the partial cross-sections from the TALYS1.95 code for different level density models

1-6. The obtained experimental

agree with the data in the literature, but differ from the theoretical values in absolute magnitude and the behavior of the energy dependence. A comparison of the determined averaged cross-sections with the calculated cross-sections showed the best agreement for the case of the

5 model.
Corrigendum: On optimization hydro-generator parameters by NSGA-II (2020 IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng. 643 012009)
Authors: Gulay S , Verkhovtsev D
Published: September 2021

Please see Article PDF for corrigendum text.
Cardiovascular magnetic resonance facilitates entirely contrast-free transcatheter aortic valve implantation: case report
Authors: Raby Jonathan , Newton James D , Dawkins Sam , Lewis Andrew J M
Published: September 2021

Background

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is usually planned using contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) to determine the suitability of cardiovascular anatomy. Computed tomography for TAVI planning requires the administration of intravenous contrast, which may not be desirable in patients with severely reduced renal function.

Case summary

We present an unusual case of an 89-year-old patient with an urgent need for treatment of critical, symptomatic aortic stenosis who also had severe chronic kidney disease. We judged that this posed a relative contraindication to the use of intravenous contrast. We designed and implemented a novel, contrast-free cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) protocol and used this to plan all aspects of the procedure. Transcatheter aortic valve implantation was conducted successfully with zero contrast medium administration leading to an excellent clinical result and recovery of renal function.

Conclusion

Contrast-free CMR appears to be a viable alternative to CT for planning structural aortic valve intervention in the rare cases where intravenous contrast is relatively contraindicated.
Molecular Alterations in Pediatric Low-Grade Gliomas That Led to Death
Authors: Ahrendsen Jared T , Sinai Claire , Meredith David M , Malinowski Seth W , Cooney Tabitha M , Bandopadhayay Pratiti , Ligon Keith L , Alexandrescu Sanda
Published: September 2021

Pediatric low-grade gliomas (PLGGs) have excellent long-term survival, but death can occasionally occur. We reviewed all PLGG-related deaths between 1975 and 2019 at our institution: 48 patients were identified; clinical data and histology were reviewed; targeted exome sequencing was performed on available material. The median age at diagnosis was 5.2 years (0.4–23.4 years), at death was 13.0 years (1.9–43.2 years), and the overall survival was 7.2 years (0.0–33.3 years). Tumors were located throughout CNS, but predominantly in the diencephalon. Diagnoses included low-grade glioma, not otherwise specified (n = 25), pilocytic astrocytoma (n = 15), diffuse astrocytoma (n = 3), ganglioglioma (n = 3), and pilomyxoid astrocytoma (n = 2). Recurrence occurred in 42/48 cases, whereas progression occurred in 10. The cause of death was direct tumor involvement in 31/48 cases. Recurrent drivers included KIAA1549-BRAF (n = 13), BRAF(V600E) (n = 3), NF1 mutation (n = 3), EGFR mutation (n = 3), and FGFR1-TACC1 fusion (n = 2). Single cases were identified with IDH1(R132H), FGFR1(K656E), FGFR1 ITD, FGFR3 gain, PDGFRA amplification, and mismatch repair alteration. CDKN2A/B, CDKN2C, and PTEN loss was recurrent. Patients who received only chemotherapy had worse survival compared with patients who received radiation and chemotherapy. This study demonstrates that PLGG that led to death have diverse molecular characteristics. Location and co-occurring molecular alterations with malignant potential can predict poor outcomes.
Rats and the COVID-19 pandemic: considering the influence of social distancing on a global commensal pest
Authors: Parsons Michael H , Richardson Jonathan L , Kiyokawa Yasushi , Stryjek Rafal , Corrigan Robert M , Deutsch Michael A , Ootaki Masato , Tanikawa Tsutomu , Parsons Faith E , Munshi-South Jason
Published: September 2021

Rats contaminate foods and spread pathogens. Thus, changes in rat populations have consequences for society, especially in densely-populated cities. Following widespread social distancing and lockdown measures to curtail SARS-CoV-2, worldwide media outlets reported increased sightings of rats. To document possible changes in rat populations, we: (i) examined public service requests in the 6 years before, and during, ‘lockdown’ in New York City; (ii) used spatial analyses to identify calls in proximity to food service establishments (FSE); and (iii) surveyed pest-management companies. Over 6 years prior to the pandemic, we found a consistent moderate spatial association (r = 0.35) between FSE and rat-related calls. During the early stages of the pandemic, the association between rat reports and food services did not decrease as would be expected by restaurant closures, but instead modestly increased (r = 0.45). There was a 29.5% decrease in rat reports, overall. However, hotspot analysis showed that new reports were highly localized, yet absent in several industrial areas they were previously observed in, potentially masking a higher proportion of calls in neighborhoods near closed restaurants. Additionally, 37% of pest management companies surveyed reported that, unlike previous years, 50–100% of requests were from new clients and addresses. The finding that hotspots remained nearby dense clusters of restaurants does not support the common narrative that rats moved long distances. Rather, our results are consistent with rats finding nearby alternative food resources. Tracking these dynamics as the COVID-19 pandemic abates will be an important step to identifying how rats respond to society returning to normal activity patterns.
Using Mid-Fidelity Simulation and Peer Teaching to Educate First-Semester Nursing Students to Accurately Complete a Shift Assessment and Properly Communicate Findings
Authors: Roberts Sterling , Goldsberry Jennifer , Raatz JoAnne
Published: September 2021

Inadequate hand-off communication between nurses has been identified as a primary contributing factor leading to medical errors. The purpose of this innovative study was to assess first-semester nursing students’ ability to accurately complete a shift assessment and properly communicate findings. Graduate assistants evaluated students’ ability to accurately complete a shift assessment, report assessment findings, and identify at least one abnormal finding. The data related to student learning satisfaction and self-confidence were collected from participants during their shift assessment check-off.
Monoclonal Antibodies Casirivimab and Imdevimab in Pregnancy for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Authors: Mayer Christopher , VanHise Katherine , Caskey Rachel , Naqvi Mariam , Burwick Richard M.
Published: September 2021

BACKGROUND:

For unvaccinated individuals with mild-to-moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), monoclonal antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) decrease the risk of severe disease and hospitalization. We describe the use of the monoclonal antibodies casirivimab and imdevimab for COVID-19 in pregnancy.

CASE:

Two unvaccinated pregnant individuals presented with moderate COVID-19, one in the second trimester and one in third trimester; both met criteria for outpatient management. To decrease the risk for severe disease, they were treated with casirivimab and imdevimab. Neither experienced an adverse drug reaction, and neither progressed to severe disease.

CONCLUSION:

Monoclonal antibodies such as casirivimab and imdevimab, approved under an emergency use authorization, should be considered in unvaccinated pregnant individuals with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 to decrease the risk of severe disease.