bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fistulotomy versus Fistulectomy for Fistula-in-Ano: A Randomized Prospective Study
Authors: Hiremath Srikantaiah Chandra Sekhariah , Patil Rakesh
Published: November 2022

Background Fistula-in-ano is common surgical ailment yet challenging to treat. Current management remains majorly dependent on two conventional surgical options (fistulotomy and fistulectomy), surgeon's preference, and their experience.

Methods This prospective, randomized study was conducted to compare fistulotomy with fistulectomy in the management of patients with simple fistula-in-ano. Fifty patients were recruited and randomized into two groups each containing 25 patients: group I was managed by fistulotomy and group II was managed by fistulectomy. The outcomes of the study include operating time, postsurgery hospital stay, wound healing time, postoperative pain, and postoperative complications.

Results Of the 50 patients, 11 (22%) were female and 39 (78%) were male with a mean age of 40.62 ± 12.86 years. The operating time in patients in the fistulotomy group was 21.96 ± 1.90 minutes and in the fistulectomy group was 31.32 ± 2.99 minutes (p ≤ 0.001). The mean postsurgical hospital stay in the fistulotomy group was 1.32 ± 0.47 days and in the fistulectomy group was 2.32 ± 0.69 days (p ≤ 0.001), respectively. Mean Visual Analog Scale score was higher in fistulectomy when compared with the fistulotomy at 6 hours and at discharge (p ≤ 0.05). Postoperative complications were also found to be less in fistulotomy patients compared with patients who underwent fistulectomy.

Conclusion In comparison to a fistulectomy, fistulotomy has a slight edge in terms of operating time, postsurgery hospital stay, wound healing time, postoperative pain, and postoperative complications. Fistulotomy yielded better results than fistulectomy and we recommend fistulotomy procedure as a treatment of choice in patients with simple low lying fistula-in-ano.
Quasi-objective eddy visualization from sparse drifter data
Authors: Encinas-Bartos Alex P. , Aksamit Nikolas O. , Haller George
Published: November 2022

We employ a recently developed single-trajectory Lagrangian diagnostic tool, the trajectory rotation average (TRA¯), to visualize oceanic vortices (or eddies) from sparse drifter data. We apply the TRA¯ to two drifter data sets that cover various oceanographic scales: the Grand Lagrangian Deployment and the Global Drifter Program. Based on the TRA¯, we develop a general algorithm that extracts approximate eddy boundaries. We find that the TRA¯ outperforms other available single-trajectory-based eddy detection methodologies on sparse drifter data and identifies eddies on scales that are unresolved by satellite-altimetry.
Full-band Monte Carlo simulation of two-dimensional electron gas in (AlxGa1−x)2O3/Ga2O3 heterostructures
Authors: Kumar Avinash , Singisetti Uttam
Published: November 2022

β -Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) is an extensively investigated ultrawide-bandgap semiconductor for potential applications in power electronics and radio frequency switching. The room temperature bulk electron mobility (∼200cm2V−1s−1) is comparatively low and is limited by the 30 phonon modes originating from its 10-atom primitive cell. The theoretically calculated saturation velocity in bulk is 1–2×107cms−1 (comparable to GaN) and is limited by the low field mobility. This work explores the high field electron transport (and hence the velocity saturation) in the 2DEG based on the first principles calculated parameters. A self-consistent calculation on a given heterostructure design gives the confined eigenfunctions and eigenenergies. The intrasubband and the intersubband scattering rates are calculated based on the Fermi’s golden rule considering longitudinal optical (LO) phonon–plasmon screening. The high field characteristics are extracted from the full-band Monte Carlo simulation of heterostructures at 300 K. The overall system is divided into a 2D and a 3D region mimicking the electrons in the 2DEG and the bulk, respectively. The electron transport is treated through an integrated Monte Carlo program which outputs the steady state zone population, transient dynamics, and the velocity–field curves for a few heterostructure designs. The critical field for saturation does not change significantly from bulk values, however, an improved peak velocity is calculated at a higher 2DEG density. The velocity at low 2DEG densities is impacted by the antiscreening of LO phonons which plays an important role in shaping the zone population. A comparison with the experimental measurements is also carried out and possible origins of the discrepancies with experiments is discussed.
Spectroscopic study of nitrogen incorporation in Ge, Sb, and Te elemental systems: A step toward the understanding of nitrogen effect in phase-change materials
Authors: Prazakova L. , Nolot E. , Martinez E. , Rouchon D. , Rochat N. , Sabbione C. , Li J. , Eichert D. , Pepponi G. , Bernard M. , Navarro G.
Published: November 2022

Nitrogen doping in chalcogenide materials represents a promising way for the improvement of material properties. Indeed, N doping in GeSbTe phase-change alloys have demonstrated to greatly enhance thermal stability of their amorphous phase, necessary to ensure the data retention of the final phase-change memory device. Although it is suggested that the N doping in such alloys leads to the preferential formation of Ge-N bonds, further questions concerning the bonding, in particular, Sb-N and Te-N, and the structural arrangement remain unclear. In this paper, we present a study of as-deposited elemental Ge, Sb, and Te systems and their nitrides (i.e., GeN, SbN, and TeN alloys), using a large range of N content from 0 up to about 50 at. %. The as-deposited alloys are investigated by Fourier transform infrared and Raman spectroscopy. We identify the active vibrational modes associated with the formation of Ge-N, Sb-N, and Te-N bonds, highlighting the impact of N incorporation on the structure of these elemental systems. We further qualitatively compare the GeN, SbN, and TeN experimental spectra with the “ab initio” simulations of the related ideal nitride structures. Finally, the analysis of elemental nitride layers is extended to N-doped GeSbTe alloys, providing deeper understanding of nitrogen bonding in such ternary systems, employed in memory technology.
Improved opto-electro-mechanical properties of Cs2TeBr6 double perovskite by Ge doping
Authors: Li Jiahao , Zou Guoqing , Sun Liping , Chang Jing
Published: November 2022

Toxicity and instability of lead-based perovskite materials are two key issues for emerging inorganic perovskite solar cells. Therefore, the development of stable, lead-free inorganic perovskite materials has attracted great attention in the photovoltaic field. In this study, we report the effects of Ge-doped on the structural stability, mechanical, and optoelectronic properties of Cs2TeBr6 double perovskite by first-principles calculations. The results show that the Cs2Te1−xGexBr6 (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1) doped system is structurally and mechanically stable, and the lattice constants decrease gradually with the increase of Ge4+ doping concentration. The Cs2TeBr6 undergoes a transition from brittleness to ductility after doping with Ge element, which is beneficial to the fabrication of flexible photovoltaic and optoelectronic devices. Especially, the perovskite derivative Cs2Te0.25Ge0.75Br6 has the highest ductility. Electronic structure calculations indicated that a transition from indirect to direct bandgap occurred when the Ge4+ doping concentration was increased from 0.25 to 0.5, which is beneficial to light absorption. According to the Shockley–Queisser limit, Cs2Te0.25Ge0.75Br6 is the best candidate for the solar cell absorber material due to the suitable bandgap (1.31 eV). Cs2Te0.75Ge0.25Br6 (1.46 eV) and Cs2Te0.5Ge0.5Br6 (1.23 eV) also show great potential as a solar cell absorber. Furthermore, an optical analysis revealed that the optical properties of the Cs2Te1−xGexBr6 doped system were improved with the doping of Ge4+ concentration.
Peristaltic transport of a power-law fluid induced by a single wave: A numerical analysis using the cumulant lattice Boltzmann method
Authors: Maeyama Kohei , Ishida Shunichi , Imai Yohsuke
Published: November 2022

Peristaltic pumping is the primary mechanism of food transport in the human intestine. Intestinal contents are often modeled as power-law fluids with low-behavior indices (n < 1). Peristaltic flows were studied for periodic contraction waves (L/λ=1) with infinitely long wavelengths (λ/D→∞) in the Stokes flow regime (Re→0). However, the peristaltic flow generated by an isolated contraction wave with a short wavelength at nonzero Reynolds numbers is more relevant to physiological conditions. In this study, we investigated the peristaltic transport of a power-law fluid with a low behavior index of n = 0.21 at nonzero Reynolds numbers up to Re = 10, generated by a single short contraction wave. First, we investigated the analytical solution for the peristaltic transport of the power-law fluid for λ/D→∞ and Re→0. The analytical solution shows that the discharge flow rate of a power-law fluid generated by a single contraction wave is much smaller than that of a Newtonian fluid (n = 1). Next, we investigated the peristaltic transport for Re≤ 10 using the cumulant lattice Boltzmann method. The numerical results demonstrate that the discharge flow rate for the power-law fluid sharply increased owing to the inertia effect. The power-law fluid induces an asymmetric flow field with respect to the contraction wave at smaller Reynolds numbers than Newtonian fluids. The inertia effect was increased by the sharpness of the contraction wave. These results suggest that intestinal contents can be transported more quickly by an isolated contraction wave with a shorter wavelength when the contents have low consistency indices or when the contraction wave has a large propagation velocity.
Stochastic dynamics of a metal magnon parametron
Authors: Hioki Tomosato , Saitoh Eiji
Published: November 2022

A magnon parametron is a calculating element that carries binary information by a discretized oscillating phase: 0 and π. Owing to the strong non-linearity of the magnetization dynamics, the oscillation phase flips to another stochastically, which can give a rise to unconventional computing functionalities, including probabilistic computing. Here, we investigated the stochastic dynamics of ferromagnetic-metal magnon parametron, of which the precession phase is discretized into two (0 and π) by parametric pumping of magnons. We found that an AC magnetic field perpendicular to an external field can control the precession phase in the magnon parametron, of which amplitude dependence follows the sigmoid function, a requirement for probabilistic bit operation. We also found that the time scale for flipping between different precession phases grows exponentially as pumping microwave power. Our finding ensures that the magnon parametron can be used as a calculating element for unconventional computing schemes based on bistable systems.
Challenges and opportunities in free-standing supercapacitors research
Authors: Latham Kenneth G. , Edathil Anjali Achazhiyath , Rezaei Babak , Liu Sihui , Nguyen Sang , Keller Stephan Sylvest , Torrisi Felice , Greenhalgh Emile S. , Titirici Maria-Magdalena
Published: November 2022

The design of commercial supercapacitors has remained largely unchanged since the 1970s, comprising powdered electrodes housed in rigid metal cylinders or pouches. To power the next generation of integrated technologies, an evolution in supercapacitor materials and design is needed to create multifunctional materials that allow energy storage while imparting additional material properties (e.g., flexibility and strength). Conductive free-standing electrodes produced from fibers or 3D printed materials offer this opportunity as their intrinsic mechanical properties can be transferred to the supercapacitor. Additionally, their conductive nature allows for the removal of binders, conductive agents, and current collectors from the supercapacitor devices, lowering their economic and environmental cost. In this Perspective, we summarize the recent progress on free-standing supercapacitors from new methods to create free-standing electrodes to novel applications for these devices, together with a detailed discussion and analysis on their electrochemical performance and physicochemical and mechanical properties. Furthermore, the potential directions and prospects of future research in developing free-standing supercapacitors are proposed.
Control of emission diffraction angles and laser threshold in mixed-order sampled distributed feedback laser with organic gain media
Authors: Park H. , Alasvand Yazdani S. , Bencheikh F. , Komatsu R. , Yokoyama S. , Kamiya T. , Adachi C.
Published: November 2022

The control of laser emission angles in laser devices is essential for many optoelectronic and photonic applications such as optical sensing and displays. In this context, we studied the light diffraction pattern of laser beams in a one-dimensional sampled distributed feedback resonator having organic gain media. The gratings consist of the repetition of supercells having a mixed-order sampled grating in which 1st-order gratings surround a 2nd-order grating. The experimental results showed that the diffraction angles of the laser beams are quite diverse depending on the supercell structures. We demonstrate that the interval of the diffraction angle (θ) of the laser beams is inversely proportional to the length of the supercell experimentally and theoretically. By tuning the length of supercells as well as the length of 1st-order and 2nd-order regions, the interval θ was tuned from 0.1° to 43° with the different arc emission patterns. With the reduction of θ, i.e., the longer 1st-order region, a significant decrease in the laser threshold was obtained, resulting in the lowest lasing threshold of 2.5 ± 0.1 μJ/cm2 with ∼3.5 ns of a long pulse width excitation source.
Microscopic field theory for structure formation in systems of self-propelled particles with generic torques
Authors: Sesé-Sansa Elena , Levis Demian , Pagonabarraga Ignacio
Published: November 2022

We derive a dynamical field theory for self-propelled particles subjected to generic torques and forces by explicitly coarse-graining their microscopic dynamics, described by a many-body Fokker–Planck equation. The model includes both intrinsic torques inducing self-rotation, as well as interparticle torques leading to, for instance, the local alignment of particles’ orientations. Within this approach, although the functional form of the pairwise interactions does not need to be specified, one can directly map the parameters of the field theory onto the parameters of particle-based models. We perform a linear stability analysis of the homogeneous solution of the field equations and find both long-wavelength and short-wavelength instabilities. The former signals the emergence of a macroscopic structure, which we associate with motility-induced phase separation, while the second one signals the growth of a finite structure with a characteristic size. Intrinsic torques hinder phase separation, pushing the onset of the long-wavelength instability to higher activities. Furthermore, they generate finite-sized structures with a characteristic size proportional to both the self-propulsion velocity and the inverse of the self-rotation frequency. Our results show that a general mechanism might explain why chirality tends to suppress motility-induced phase separation but instead promotes the formation of non-equilibrium patterns.
Temperature and pressure dependence of the Yb valence state in YbMn∼0.17Si∼1.89
Authors: Tegomo Chiogo B. , Martin N. P. , Diop L. V. B. , Malaman B. , Malterre D. , Baudelet F. , Nataf L. , Mazet T.
Published: November 2022

Single crystals of the non-stoichiometric YbMn∼0.17Si∼1.89 intermetallic compound were investigated by room-temperature x-ray diffraction as well as by temperature and pressure-dependent x-ray absorption experiments at the Yb L3 edge. The crystal structure can be described in the orthorhombic space group Cmcm or in the non-centrosymmetric P21 monoclinic space group. In both cases, the cell comprises two Yb sites of identical multiplicity with close coordination numbers and interatomic distances. The average Yb valence is found independent of temperature νav ∼ 2.42. Such a low Yb valence is hardly compatible with the occurrence of local magnetism on Yb inferred from a previous study. The pressure dependence of the Yb valence at 10 K does not reveal any first-order transition. The average Yb valence increases continuously under pressure but remains far from trivalency (νav ∼2.63) even under the highest external pressure used of 37 GPa.
The impact of positive and negative information on SIR-like epidemics in delayed multiplex networks
Authors: Wu Xifen , Bao Haibo
Published: November 2022

In order to better study the interaction between epidemic propagation and information diffusion, a new coupling model on multiplex networks with time delay is put forward in this paper. One layer represents the information diffusion about epidemics. There is not only information about the positive prevention of infectious diseases but also negative preventive information. Meanwhile, the dissemination of information at this layer will be influenced by the mass media, which can convey positive and reliable preventive measures to help the public avoid exposure to contagion. The other layer represents the transmission of infectious diseases, and the public in this layer no longer only exchange information related to infectious diseases in the virtual social network like the information layer but spread infectious diseases through contact among people. The classical SIR model is used to model for epidemic propagation. Since each infected individual needs to spend enough time to recover, the infected one at one time does not necessarily change to the recovered one at the next time, so time delay is an essential factor to be considered in the model. Based on the microscopic Markov chain approach, this paper obtains an explicit expression for epidemic threshold in the two-layered multiplex networks with time delay, which reveals some main factors affecting epidemic threshold. In particular, the time delay has a noticeable effect on the epidemic threshold to some extent. Finally, the influence of these main factors on the epidemic threshold and their interaction are proved through numerical simulations.
Excited-state resonance Raman spectroscopy probes the sequential two-photon excitation mechanism of a photochromic molecular switch
Authors: Burns Kristen H. , Quincy Timothy J. , Elles Christopher G.
Published: November 2022

Some diarylethene molecular switches have a low quantum yield for cycloreversion when excited by a single photon, but react more efficiently following sequential two-photon excitation. The increase in reaction efficiency depends on both the relative time delay and the wavelength of the second photon. This paper examines the wavelength-dependent mechanism for sequential excitation using excited-state resonance Raman spectroscopy to probe the ultrafast (sub-30 fs) dynamics on the upper electronic state following secondary excitation. The approach uses femtosecond stimulated Raman scattering (FSRS) to measure the time-gated, excited-state resonance Raman spectrum in resonance with two different excited-state absorption bands. The relative intensities of the Raman bands reveal the initial dynamics in the higher-lying states, Sn, by providing information on the relative gradients of the potential energy surfaces that are accessed via secondary excitation. The excited-state resonance Raman spectra reveal specific modes that become enhanced depending on the Raman excitation wavelength, 750 or 400 nm. Many of the modes that become enhanced in the 750 nm FSRS spectrum are assigned as vibrational motions localized on the central cyclohexadiene ring. Many of the modes that become enhanced in the 400 nm FSRS spectrum are assigned as motions along the conjugated backbone and peripheral phenyl rings. These observations are consistent with earlier measurements that showed higher efficiency following secondary excitation into the lower excited-state absorption band and illustrate a powerful new way to probe the ultrafast dynamics of higher-lying excited states immediately following sequential two-photon excitation.
Soft-hard material integration enabled programmable robotic locomotion
Authors: Zhang Haozhe , Xu Baoxing
Published: November 2022

Inspired by the opening and closing mechanism of clams, herein, we present a two-dimensional robot by integrating soft-hard materials with structural design and demonstrate a variety of in-plane locomotion modes from a straight line to a circle. A theoretical model is developed to quantitatively predict the locomotion direction and step distance, and the results show remarkable agreement with finite element analysis. Systematic applications are further conducted to demonstrate programmable locomotion behavior by regulating the mechanical stimuli and arranging the order of soft-hard material integrated units. This work provides a rational route for designing diverse strategies of robotic locomotion with soft-hard material integration.
On the practical truncation tier of fermionic hierarchical equations of motion
Authors: Ding Xu , Zhang Daochi , Ye Lyuzhou , Zheng Xiao , Yan YiJing
Published: November 2022

The fermionic hierarchical equations of motion (HEOM) approach has found wide application in the exploration of open quantum systems, and extensive efforts have been committed to improving its efficiency and accuracy in practical calculations. In this work, by scrutinizing the stationary-state and dynamic properties of Kondo-correlated quantum impurity systems, we show that the strength of Kondo correlation induced by the system-environment entanglement primarily determines the converged hierarchical truncation tier of the HEOM method. This complements the rule of thumb regarding the positive correlation between the height of hierarchy and system-environment coupling strength. These insights will provide useful guidelines for developing a more sophisticated fermionic HEOM method for the investigation of many-body open quantum systems.
Ballistic impact response of Fe40Mn20Cr20Ni20 high-entropy alloys
Authors: Shi Kaiwei , Cheng Junchao , Cui Lang , Qiao Junwei , Huang Junyu , Zhang Min , Yang Huijun , Wang Zhihua
Published: November 2022

High-entropy alloys (HEAs), recently emerging alloys with numerous excellent mechanical performances, may have a wide application prospect in impact engineering. The ballistic impact response of Fe40Mn20Cr20Ni20 HEA was investigated under various loading conditions. Ballistic impact tests with spherical projectiles and 87 type 5.8 mm small caliber bullets (DBP87 bullets) were conducted on 10 mm thick Fe40Mn20Cr20Ni20 HEA plates with varying impact velocities, compared with 20Mn23AlV steel (high manganese low magnetic steel). The relationship between microstructural details and aspects of ballistic behavior governing performance was established through experimental explorations and theoretical models. According to the findings, dense dislocation structures led to distinguishing work hardening in the HEA, and the strain-hardening capacity of the HEA enhanced dramatically with increasing strain rate under dynamic tension. Meanwhile, under 500 m/s impact velocity, twinning and microbanding had outstanding strain-hardening capabilities for the current HEA, and the cooperation of the dislocation slip and stacking faults was critical for strain hardening in the HEA when the impact velocity was increased to 930±15m/s, whereas only a small amount of dislocation sliding and twinning occurred during the dynamic deformation process of 20Mn23AlV steel at different impact velocities. These findings demonstrated that the outstanding strain-hardening capabilities of Fe40Mn20Cr20Ni20 HEA made it a promising candidate for ballistic impact engineering compared with 20Mn23AlV steel.
Interfacial properties of the hexane + carbon dioxide + water system in the presence of hydrophilic silica
Authors: Yang Yafan , Che Ruslan Mohd Fuad Anwari , Narayanan Nair Arun Kumar , Qiao Rui , Sun Shuyu
Published: November 2022

Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to study the interfacial behavior of the CO2 + H2O and hexane + CO2 + H2O systems in the presence of hydrophilic silica at geological conditions. Simulation results for the CO2 + H2O and hexane + CO2 + H2O systems are in reasonable agreement with the theoretical predictions based on the density functional theory. In general, the interfacial tension (IFT) of the CO2 + H2O system exponentially (linearly) decreased with increasing pressure (temperature). The IFTs of the hexane + CO2 + H2O (two-phase) system decreased with the increasing mole fraction of CO2 in the hexane/CO2-rich phase xCO2. Here, the negative surface excesses of hexane lead to a general increase in the IFTs with increasing pressure. The effect of pressure on these IFTs decreased with increasing xCO2 due to the positive surface excesses of carbon dioxide. The simulated water contact angles of the CO2 + H2O + silica system fall in the range from 43.8° to 76.0°, which is in reasonable agreement with the experimental results. These contact angles increased with pressure and decreased with temperature. Here, the adhesion tensions are influenced by the variations in fluid–fluid IFT and contact angle. The simulated water contact angles of the hexane + H2O + silica system fall in the range from 58.0° to 77.0° and are not much affected by the addition of CO2. These contact angles increased with pressure, and the pressure effect was less pronounced at lower temperatures. Here, the adhesion tensions are mostly influenced by variations in the fluid–fluid IFTs. In all studied cases, CO2 molecules could penetrate into the interfacial region between the water droplet and the silica surface.
Sexual activities and condom use among heterosexual men and women engaged in mixed-gender group sex events in Melbourne, Australia
Authors: Lew Chen , Fairley Christopher K. , Tran Julien , Phillips Tiffany R. , Ong Jason J. , Aung Ei T. , Maddaford Kate , Bradshaw Catriona S. , Chen Marcus Y. , Chow Eric P. F.
Published: November 2022

Background Few studies investigate group sex among heterosexuals. The aim of this study was to provide an exploration of characteristics and practices among heterosexual men and women who engage in group sex. Method We conducted a cross-sectional survey between May 2019 and March 2020 among heterosexual men and women attending a sexual health clinic in Melbourne, Australia. Participants were asked whether they had participated in group sex (sex involving more than two participants) in the past 3 months, the size of the most recent event, sexual activities in which they engaged, and condom use. Results Of 3277 heterosexuals surveyed (1509 women and 1768 men), the mean age was 29.9 years (s.d. 8.8) and more than half (56.0%, n = 1834) were born outside Australia. One in 20 participants (5.4%) had engaged in group sex in the past 3 months with the number of events ranging 1–10 times. Kissing was the most common activity in group sex, and women were significantly more likely to kiss a same-sex partner than men. Overall, of 165 participants who engaged in vaginal sex, 57 (34.5%) reported always using condoms and changing condoms between consecutive partners. Of the 100 men and women who had condomless vaginal sex, 79 (79.0%) received or performed fellatio after condomless vaginal sex. Conclusion About two-thirds of heterosexuals who engaged in group sex neither used condoms nor changed condoms between partners in the most recent group sex event. Safe sex messages on changing condoms between partners and between sexual activities should be reinforced for sexually transmitted infections prevention.
Pandemic fatigue fueled political discontent during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Jørgensen Frederik , Bor Alexander , Rasmussen Magnus Storm , Lindholt Marie Fly , Petersen Michael Bang
Published: November 2022

Health authorities have highlighted “pandemic fatigue” as a psychological consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and warned that “fatigue” could demotivate compliance with health-related policies and mandates. Yet, fatigue from following the policies of authorities may have consequences far beyond the health domain. Theories from the social sciences have raised that real and perceived costs of policies can also drive sentiments of discontent with the entire political establishment. Integrating theories from the health and social sciences, we ask how pandemic fatigue (i.e., perceived inability to “keep up” with restrictions) developed over the pandemic and whether it fueled political discontent. Utilizing longitudinal and panel surveys collected from September 2020 to July 2021 in eight Western countries (N = 49,116), we analyze: 1) fatigue over time at the country level, 2) associations between pandemic fatigue and discontent, and 3) the effect of pandemic fatigue on political discontent using panel data. Pandemic fatigue significantly increased with time and the severity of interventions but also decreased with COVID-19 deaths. When triggered, fatigue elicited a broad range of discontent, including protest support and conspiratorial thinking. The results demonstrate the significant societal impact of the pandemic beyond the domain of health and raise concerns about the stability of democratic societies, which were already strained by strife prior to the pandemic.
Relative construction in Hittite
Authors: Lyutikova Ekaterina , Sideltsev Andrei
Published: November 2022

The paper proposes a novel structural analysis of Hittite determinate relative clauses on the basis of a corpus study considering a wider and fuller array of Hittite data than ever before. In Hittite, relativewh-phrases attest a wide range of linear positions: first/initial, clause-second, immediately preverbal or even postverbal. We build upon the current assumption thatwh-pronouns are clitics and thus their placement is determined by the syntax-prosody interface. As for the syntactic component, we argue against thein situconstrual ofwh-elements. Instead, we propose that what linearly appears to be clause-second, preverbal or postverbal position of thewh-pronoun is structurally associated with Spec, FinP. The prosodic component is provided by the standardly acknowledged prosodic inversion, but the prosodic domain for the placement ofwh-clitics is not clausal (CP), it is rather to be identified with a smaller domain within CP, namely, FinP. We also provide the first ever systematic treatment of splitwh-phrases which are highly problematic for existing approaches but are fully accounted for by our analysis.
Lectin recruits pathogenic bugs
Authors: Schutt Charles R. , Yamasaki Sho
Published: November 2022

Colitis is an irritable bowel disorder affecting about 7 million patients worldwide, but the causes are diverse and not fully understood. In this issue, Matute et al. (2022. J. Exp. Med.https://doi.org/10.1084/jem.20211938) found that a stress-induced lectin, intelectin-1, recruits pathogenic bacteria to the gut and exacerbates colitis.
Topology optimization design of compliant amplification mechanisms with low parasitic displacement
Authors: Wang Qiliang , Wei Jianming , Long Yiping , Tan Jianping
Published: November 2022

Compliant amplification mechanisms amplify input displacement in the desired output direction. However, owing to structural design, parasitic motion can easily be produced in an unexpected direction. The parasitic motion has a negative effect on the motion accuracy of the mechanism. To solve this problem, a topology optimization method for compliant amplification mechanisms with low parasitic displacement was proposed. Based on the variable density topology optimization method, the topology optimization model of the compliant amplification mechanism was established with the goal of increasing the output displacement and reducing the parasitic displacement. Volume ratio was set as constraint condition. The optimization criterion method were used to solve the problem and topology optimized amplification mechanisms (TOAMs) were obtained. Simultaneously, the configuration characteristics and displacement amplification ratios of the mechanism under different virtual spring stiffnesses were compared. To verify the validity of the method, the performance of the TOAM and the typical amplification mechanism (TAM) were compared using finite element simulation. The displacement amplification ratio is 5.95 and 3.17, and the relative parasitic displacement is 0.6% and 10.27%, respectively. Finally, the performance of the TOAM and the TAM was verified by experiments. The displacement amplification ratio is 5.72 and 3.06, and the relative parasitic displacement is 0.95% and 10.64%, respectively. Simulation and experimental results show that the TOAM has a larger displacement amplification ratio and a lower parasitic displacement, which verifies the validity of this method.
An EAM potential for α-brass copper–zinc alloys: application to plasticity and fracture
Authors: Clement Antoine , Auger Thierry
Published: November 2022

An embedded atom method potential has been developed for copper–zinc alloys valid from 0% to 37% zinc content (dedicated to describe the α fcc phase). It has been fit to a set of first-principles data for the fcc copper, the fcc Cu3Zn DO
23 phase and Zn on a fcc lattice. Elastic anisotropies, the lattice parameter, cohesive energy are used as input. Ponctual defects, surface energies, intrinsic stacking fault and phonon spectrum have been computed and compare well with experimental trends. This potential has been used to study dislocation dissociation and dislocation emission at a crack tip up to 30% Zn. Dislocation emission at the crack tip is correctly described compared with recent parametrization including the surface energy. It is found that with alloying, dislocation emission becomes easier following the decrease of the unstable stacking fault energy with Zn concentration, a non-trivial finding. This potential is therefore well suited to carry out basic studies of plasticity and fracture in α-brass alloys.
On the bending of rectangular atomic monolayers along different directions: an ab initio study
Authors: Kumar Shashikant , Suryanarayana Phanish
Published: November 2022

We study the bending of rectangular atomic monolayers along different directions from first principles. Specifically, choosing the phosphorene, GeS, TiS3, and As2S3 monolayers as representative examples, we perform Kohn–Sham density functional theory calculations to determine the variation in transverse flexoelectric coefficient and bending modulus with the direction of bending. We find that while the flexoelectric coefficient is nearly isotropic, there is significant and complex anisotropy in bending modulus that also differs between the monolayers, with extremal values not necessarily occurring along the principal directions. In particular, the commonly adopted orthotropic continuum plate model with uniform thickness fails to describe the observed variations in bending modulus for GeS, TiS3, and As2S3. We determine the direction-dependent effective thickness for use in such continuum models. We also show that the anisotropy in bending modulus is not associated with the rehybridization of atomic orbitals.
Radially symmetric stationary solutions for a MEMS type reaction–diffusion equation with fringing field
Authors: Ichida Yu , Sakamoto Takashi Okuda
Published: November 2022

Radially symmetric stationary solutions for a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) type reaction–diffusion equation with fringing field are considered. This equation arises in the study of the MEMS devices. This paper is devoted to the study of the existence of these solutions, information about their shape, and their asymptotic behaviour. These are studied by applying the framework that combines Poincaré type compactification, classical dynamical systems theory, and geometric methods for desingularization of vector fields called the blow-up technique.
Helicity, linking and the distribution of null-homologous periodic orbits for Anosov flows*
Authors: Coles Solly , Sharp Richard
Published: November 2022

This paper concerns connections between dynamical systems, knots and helicity of vector fields. For a divergence-free vector field on a closed three-manifold that generates an Anosov flow, we show that the helicity of the vector field may be recovered as the limit of appropriately weighted averages of linking numbers of periodic orbits, regarded as knots. This complements a classical result of Arnold and Vogel that, when the manifold is a real homology three-sphere, the helicity may be obtained as the limit of the normalised linking numbers of typical pairs of long trajectories. We also obtain results on the asymptotic distribution of weighted averages of null-homologous periodic orbits.
A multi-perspective information aggregation network for automated T-staging detection of nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Authors: Liang Shujun , Dong Xiuyu , Yang Kaifan , Chu Zhiqin , Tang Fan , Ye Feng , Chen Bei , Guan Jian , Zhang Yu
Published: November 2022

Accurate T-staging is important when planning personalized radiotherapy. However, T-staging via manual slice-by-slice inspection is time-consuming while tumor sizes and shapes are heterogeneous, and junior physicians find such inspection challenging. With inspiration from oncological diagnostics, we developed a multi-perspective aggregation network that incorporated various diagnosis-oriented knowledge which allowed automated nasopharyngeal carcinoma T-staging detection (TSD Net). Specifically, our TSD Net was designed in multi-branch architecture, which can capture tumor size and shape information (basic knowledge), strongly correlated contextual features, and associations between the tumor and surrounding tissues. We defined the association between the tumor and surrounding tissues by a signed distance map which can embed points and tumor contours in higher-dimensional spaces, yielding valuable information regarding the locations of tissue associations. TSD Net finally outputs a T1–T4 stage prediction by aggregating data from the three branches. We evaluated TSD Net by using the T1-weighted contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging database of 320 patients in a three-fold cross-validation manner. The results show that the proposed method achieves a mean area under the curve (AUC) as high as 87.95%. We also compared our method to traditional classifiers and a deep learning-based method. Our TSD Net is efficient and accurate and outperforms other methods.
A synthetic phase-contrast imaging diagnostic with spatial filtering for gyrokinetic simulations
Authors: Iantchenko A , Coda S , Brunner S , Merlo G , Ball J , Margairaz F
Published: November 2022

A Phase-contrast imaging (PCI) diagnostic provides measurements of line-integrated electron density fluctuations. Localisation along the laser beam path can be achieved with a spatial filter that selects the wave-vector directions of the fluctuations contributing to the PCI measurement and is a key feature of the PCI diagnostic installed on the TCV tokamak and also of a similar system planned for JT-60SA. We have developed a synthetic diagnostic that models measurements from PCI taking into account the effect of such a spatial filter. The synthetic tool is based on the principle of integrating over selected diagnostic volumes the electron density fluctuations generated by turbulence simulations, and applying an appropriate spatial filter in wave-vector space. We demonstrate the effect of the filter for a positive and a negative triangularity TCV discharge, and illustrate the potential of the synthetic diagnostic for better understanding the corresponding experimental results. We consider different types of filters and make first-principle estimates of the localisation of the measurement. Finally, using gyrokinetic simulations that include electromagnetic effects, collisions and four kinetic species, we make first predictions of the characteristics of the measurements using the planned set-up of PCI on JT-60SA.
Weak signal detection method based on novel composite multistable stochastic resonance
Authors: Jiao Shangbin , Gao Rui , Xue Qiongjie , Shi Jiaqiang
Published: November 2022

The weak signal detection method based on stochastic resonance is usually used to extract and identify the weak characteristic signal submerged in strong noise by using the noise energy transfer mechanism. We propose a novel composite multistable stochastic-resonance (NCMSR) model combining the Gaussian potential model and an improved bistable model. Compared with the traditional multistable stochastic resonance method, all the parameters in the novel model have no symmetry, the output signal-to-noise ratio can be optimized and the output amplitude can be improved by adjusting the system parameters. The model retains the advantages of continuity and constraint of the Gaussian potential model and the advantages of the improved bistable model without output saturation, the NCMSR model has a higher utilization of noise. Taking the output signal-to-noise ratio as the index, weak periodic signal is detected based on the NCMSR model in Gaussian noise and α noise environment respectively, and the detection effect is good. The application of NCMSR to the actual detection of bearing fault signals can realize the fault detection of bearing inner race and outer race. The outstanding advantages of this method in weak signal detection are verified, which provides a theoretical basis for industrial practical applications.
Mid-infrared lightly Er3+-doped CaF2 laser under acousto–optical modulation
Authors: Zhao Yuan-Hao , Zong Meng-Yu , Dong Jia-Hao , Zhang Zhen , Liu Jing-Jing , Liu Jie , Su Liang-Bi
Published: November 2022

A 1.7-at.% Er:CaF2 crystal was synthesized by temperature gradient method. The Er:CaF2 crystal was applied in acousto-optically Q-switched laser at mid-infrared region for the first time. Using a TeO2-based crystal as Q-switcher, we obtained a laser diode (LD) end-pumped Er:CaF2 laser with the highest single pulse energy up to 0.49 mJ and maximum peak power of 0.56 kW under 6.34-W absorbed pump power. The implication of these results is that the low-doped Er:CaF2 crystal exhibits promising optical properties in solid-state lasers.
Revisiting Riemannian geometry-based EEG decoding through approximate joint diagonalization
Authors: Kalaganis Fotis P , Laskaris Nikos A , Oikonomou Vangelis P , Nikopolopoulos Spiros , Kompatsiaris Ioannis
Published: November 2022

Objective. The wider adoption of Riemannian geometry in electroencephalography (EEG) processing is hindered by two factors: (a) it involves the manipulation of complex mathematical formulations and, (b) it leads to computationally demanding tasks. The main scope of this work is to simplify particular notions of Riemannian geometry and provide an efficient and comprehensible scheme for neuroscientific explorations. Approach. To overcome the aforementioned shortcomings, we exploit the concept of approximate joint diagonalization in order to reconstruct the spatial covariance matrices assuming the existence of (and identifying) a common eigenspace in which the application of Riemannian geometry is significantly simplified. Main results. The employed reconstruction process abides to physiologically plausible assumptions, reduces the computational complexity in Riemannian geometry schemes and bridges the gap between rigorous mathematical procedures and computational neuroscience. Our approach is both formally established and experimentally validated by employing real and synthetic EEG data. Significance. The implications of the introduced reconstruction process are highlighted by reformulating and re-introducing two signal processing methodologies, namely the ‘Symmetric Positive Definite (SPD) Matrix Quantization’ and the ‘Coding over SPD Atoms’. The presented approach paves the way for robust and efficient neuroscientific explorations that exploit Riemannian geometry schemes.
Energetic particle optimization of quasi-axisymmetric stellarator equilibria
Authors: LeViness Alexandra , Schmitt John C. , Lazerson Samuel A. , Bader Aaron , Faber Benjamin J. , Hammond Kenneth C. , Gates David A.
Published: November 2022

An important goal of stellarator optimization is to achieve good confinement of energetic particles such as, in the case of a reactor, alphas created by deuterium–tritium fusion. In this work, a fixed-boundary stellarator equilibrium was re-optimized for energetic particle confinement via a two-step process: first, by minimizing deviations from quasi-axisymmetry (QA) on a single flux surface near the mid-radius, and secondly by maintaining this improved QA while minimizing the analytical quantity

Γ

C

, which represents the angle between magnetic flux surfaces and contours of

J

|

|

, the second adiabatic invariant. This was performed multiple times, resulting in a group of equilibria with significantly reduced energetic particle losses, as evaluated by Monte Carlo simulations of alpha particles in scaled-up versions of the equilibria. This is the first time that energetic particle losses in a QA stellarator have successfully been reduced by optimizing

Γ

C

. The relationship between energetic particle losses and metrics such as QA error (

E

q
a

) and

Γ

C

in this set of equilibria were examined via statistical methods and a nearly linear relationship between volume-averaged

Γ

C

and prompt particle losses was found.
Size-dependent molecular interaction of nontraditional 2D antibiotics with Staphylococcus aureus
Authors: Najafi F , Ahmadi H , Maghsoumi A , Huma K , Amini A , Azimi L , Karimi A , Bayat M , Naseri N
Published: November 2022

The application of nanomaterials for their antibacterial properties is the subject of many studies due to antibiotic resistance of pathogen bacteria and the necessity of omitting them from food and water resources. Graphene oxide (GO) is one of the most popular candidates for antibacterial application. However, the optimum condition for such an effect is not yet clear for practical purposes. To shed light on how GO and bacteria interaction depends on size, a wide range of GO flake sizes from hundreds of µm2 going down to nano-scale as low as 10 N m2 was produced. In an in-vitro systematic study to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus growth, the correlation between GO flake size, thickness, functional group density, and antibacterial activity was investigated. The GO suspension with the average size of 0.05 µm2, in the order of the size of the bacteria itself, had the best bacteriostatic effect on S. aureus with the minimum inhibitory concentration value of 8 μg ml−1, well within the acceptable range for practical use. The bacteriostatic effect was measured to be a 76.2% reduction of the colony count over 2 h of incubation and the mechanism of action was the wrapping and isolation of cells from the growth environment. Furthermore, in-vivo animal studies revealed that 16 μg ml−1 of the optimum GO has efficient antibacterial performance against the methicillin-resistant strains of the bacteria with an enhanced wound healing rate and tensiometrial parameters which is important for realized targets.